12 Weeks and Several Milestones All At Once

So NOW I am officially 12 weeks along.  After all that teetering on "Am I?" or "Aren't I?" the past few weeks.  So here is my official 12 weeks belly shot:

Still looking somewhere around the 17 week mark from the first time around.  I posted the 17 week pic in my last blog post (or maybe the one before), but here it is again:

Though my back's a little fuller/flatter and my belly's a little rounder than here.  But that may also have to do with just weighing a little more in general.

I was going to do a side-by-side comparison but realized that my fancy side-by-side photo generator is an app on my cell phone and all of these pictures were taken with my camera.  Ah well.  I'm sure I could do it on my computer somehow, but I'd rather just be lazy and not worry about it.

It's thundering.  Time to let the dogs in.

SO.....this past week has been full of surprises.  Delano started teething!  Starting last Friday night, he started waking up screaming in the middle of the night.  That first night it took him 2 hours to go back to sleep, but that's because I had gotten up with him after 10 minutes of wailing.  Since it was completely abnormal for him to wake up crying I wanted to make sure he wasn't sick or something else.  We suspected teething, but there wasn't any evidence of it.  Well.....we saw the first bottom tooth working it's way up on Tuesday, and then yesterday (Wednesday), we noticed BOTH bottom teeth working their way up!  Neither one has broken the skin yet (at least as of this morning), but it's about to happen.

My attempt at taking a picture of his little tiny tooth buds while he was eating.....no good, Mommy.

Another major milestone we tackled this week was crawling!  He still doesn't automatically crawl when you sit him down (he'll still sit there and cry like he can't move if you're not in the floor with him), but he can definitely move.  I took a video of him crawling yesterday morning (for some reason it says "error" when I try to upload it for you), but by the end of the day he was already moving around about 10 times better than in the video.  He would still much rather be walking, though, so that's not far behind!

Just hangin' out, eating an orange slice.

So I'm teaching Delano sign language.  Let me start off by saying that I'm not using signs with him because I think he's a genius or that I want him to be "advanced".  There are enough people out there who are obsessed with their child's advancement, whether it be their child's awesome growth percentile or their ability to do something before all the other kids their age can.  I'm simply teaching him basic word signs so that we can communicate before he's able to actually SAY what it is he wants to say. 

Once Delano started nodding and pointing at things, I decided to start using signs.  For a while, I was just using the signs for "eat", "more" and "finished", even though he wouldn't react to them because he had no idea what I was doing.  But after a while he started putting two and two together.  The first sign he openly understood was "more".  I would ask him if he wanted "more" while doing the sign, and he would nod his head yes.  Then I would ask him "more" in sign language without saying anything, and he would nod yes.  Then he understood "eat" as associated with food.  He doesn't always nod yes to "eat", but he'll usually look at food (like the box of crackers on the counter) when you ask, so you know he connects the two things together.  He's still kind of so-so on "finished", because the twisty hand sign for that kind of looks like I'm waving at him, so it's probably a little confusing.

Baby asking for "more".

Once he started associating signs with what they mean, I added more of them.  I added in "light" and "fan" (because he constantly points out lights and fans) as well as "drink".  And we've recently added in "bird", "flower", "fishy", "kitty" and "doggy".  What's really cool is that he's recently started signing back.  He waves at lights (which is close to the actual sign), points at fans (which is also close to the sign for "fan"), will flap an arm when you say "bird" and sniff the air when you say "flower".  And he'll smack his lips for "fish" if you do it first.

I don't want to bombard him with signs, but I would like for him to be able to tell me if he's hungry, or thirsty, or if something hurts.....and I think he'll enjoy being able to point to things like animals and be able to "say" that he knows what they are.

It just gets better and better.  :)

Zzzzzzzzzzzzz..........

12 weeks tomorrow!!  Which means I'll soon be inching out of my first trimester, THANK GOODNESS. 

Which just made me realize.....I don't think I've felt nauseous the last couple of days, and I didn't even realize it.  So if that's fading away - SWEET!!

I seriously don't remember being this exhausted the first time around.  I remember being tired....that I could have passed out cold gone to bed every night at 7:00 and that relatively normal activities (like walking up a flight of stairs) would wear me out quickly, but I don't remember being THIS tired.

I feel like this guy.

Of course I also didn't have a child to take care of the first time around.  There is NO sleeping in and he expects to be entertained all day every day.  And quite honestly, it's difficult to entertain a 10 month old.  You would think it would be a piece of cake, and some days it DOES work out to be an easy task.  But since he can't walk yet (and refuses to crawl), he needs either me or his walker to get around, which he wants to do ALL THE TIME.  And since he can't talk yet, he demands communicates with a series of grunts, squeals, screams, cries and other random noises.  And he gets bored easily.  It doesn't matter that he has a bazillion toys......if he's played with them before, they're old news.  So we're constantly reinventing the "Oooooooh This Is Neat, Don't You Want To Play With This?" strategy. 

Delano currently has access to the Tupperware......which typically ends up in the dogs' water bowl.

Two things that are ALWAYS a winning bet for my bored baby (or this bored mama who has run out of options for the bored baby) are 1) water and 2) the outdoors.  Whether it's a bath or playing in the Coolidge Park fountain, water always makes him happy.  And I spend a lot of time pushing the stroller on walks to get him outside and entertained.  And even sometimes, just running errands does the trick.  So if all else fails around here.....leave the house!

On a different note.....WE HAVE A TOOTH!!!  The past few nights (since Friday), Delano has woken up in the middle of the night crying, and we haven't known why.  Teething was suspected, but we couldn't find any evidence of a tooth in his mouth.  Until today.  Delano and I were out antique shopping with my mom when I thought I noticed a spot of white on his gums while he was laughing.  After further inspection, I discovered it was definitely a tooth.  I don't have a picture of it yet (it's hard enough just to look at it, so I'm sure shoving a camera in his mouth at the same time would be super successful), but it currently looks kind of like this:

Except his is coming in on the other side.

 
He's growin' up!!

And just because this is just so gosh darn cute I can't stand it.......

Officially 11 Weeks!

Had my doctor appointment this afternoon (with an ultrasound), and got to see the little nugget kicking and punching around!  It looks like a baby in there!

There's Baby #2!  Lying on his/her side facing us.  Those two little "balls" on the top and bottom are hands.

As for how far along I am, I am still on track to be 11 weeks along today (due January 8, which is a Wednesday), which means I'll hit the 12 week mark next Wednesday (and not this past Monday).  So I'll just have to take another belly pic a week from today!

I don't plan on posting a belly pic every week like I did with Delano (though I'll still take them for myself), but I do plan on posting side-by-side pics each month to compare my belly size this time around with the last time around.  It will be interesting to see the differences!

Will I look like this at 39 weeks or EVEN BIGGER??

I don't have to have bloodwork this time around, since it hasn't been very long since I was pregnant last time (and since Lucas and I are monogamous and therefore don't need to retest for STDs).  That's good news, because I always get super queasy during bloodwork.  I'm not afraid of the needles or the blood or any of that, but since they pull like 6 vials of blood all at one time, I feel like a vampire is draining me dry!

Baby's crying....time to go!

GET IN MY BELL-EH.

So I know I've mentioned it a few times over the last few posts, but I might be 12 weeks along today!  Which would mean that I'm about to leave behind my first trimester!  I'm not going to post my belly pic on Facebook just yet since the doctor may determine that I'm not 12 weeks along until NEXT week, but I went ahead and took a pic just in case, and here it is:

12 weeks!  Or maybe 11.....not sure yet.....

For comparison, here is a pic of my belly at 12 weeks along the first time around:

12 weeks with Baby D.

For another comparison, here was my belly at 17 weeks the first time around:

This pic most closely matches my current belly size out of my old pics.  Those are even the same jeans.

Obviously a MAJOR difference.  I know that you show faster (and bigger) with Baby #2, but I also have to put into play that I'm starting off this pregnancy a little heavier and not quite as "fit".  And with these pregnancies being back-to-back, my belly skin is also still loose from the first time around.  It stinks, but there's nothing I can do about it now!  I'm just going to have to work harder after this pregnancy to get back into the shape that I want to be in.  Which is going to be tricky with both a toddler and a baby, but I know it's doable, because I have friends who have been there and done it.  I'm just going to have to figure out how to fit it in!

My running has come to almost a complete stop.  I plan on getting a run in tomorrow and Thursday, but I didn't run at all last week and I only ran twice the week before for one mile each run.  It's part out of laziness, part over the stale, summer heat (for outside runs), part out of first trimester exhaustion, and part over the frustration that I can't run very far without my calves screaming bloody murder.  I'm hoping that after this first trimester is over, I'll get a second wind of sorts and be able to pick up the frequency and distance.

That's what I need to be doing - taking both the belly and the baby out running.  It has just been so HOT recently.

I can't really run first thing in the morning like I used to (pre-baby), because after Delano wakes up at 7:00 he needs to be breastfed and then fed breakfast, which usually consists of cereal and applesauce.  But I could definitely hit the pavement after he's done eating, because then it's his naptime and he's good about falling asleep in the jogger.  I just need to do it.  Seriously, April, GET ON IT.

That's my pep talk to myself.  I hope it works.  :)

My doctor appointment is this Wednesday, which is an ultrasound appointment.  I'm so excited!!!  I wish I had my own ultrasound machine so that I could just take a peek at the nugget anytime I wanted to, because it is just THAT cool.  But since I have to wait to see the baby at the doctor's office (sigh), it's definitely a plus that my ultrasound tech is AWESOME.  She really is kick-ass.

I hear the baby waking up from his nap (he's in there cooing and playing), so I guess I should wrap this up. 

Nomi and D.

Morning Sickness? Who Named It That, Anyway?

Ahh.....pregnancy.

Nothing like being fat, hungry, sleepy and nauseous all the time to make you feel like a million bucks!

I'm actually not hugging-the-toilet-kind-of-sick, but it's the same concept.

There have been times where I thought I WAS going to throw up, and was surprised that I didn't.  The other day in the car, I was leaving Target and on my way to meet friends for lunch when one of those times hit.  My throat tightened up (the feeling you get when the puke is RIGHT THERE in your throat) and I started salivating like crazy.  I cranked up the air and stuck my face against the vent, but was fully ready to puke in the floorboard of my car.  I just KNEW it was coming.  I was already making future plans in my head to visit the Goo Goo Car Wash after lunch to clean up my mess.  But it never happened - it went away after a few minutes.  Times like those are amazing (spoken with extreme sarcasm).

I am just thankful that I'm not rushing to the toilet or a trash can every time I feel queasy.  Some girls out there have a horrible time keeping down water and crackers during the first trimester, and others deal with it their ENTIRE pregnancy.  So even though this queasiness sucks, it could be worse.  And I'm almost out of my first trimester, so maybe there's an end in sight!

I can't believe I'm already almost up to this point!

Monday I will be either 11 or 12 weeks along.  I'll know more accurately on Wednesday during my ultrasound.  I have pics from my first ultrasound but I haven't bothered posting them because you can't really tell anything from them.  These next ones should be more baby-like!

Delano's ultrasound from January 18, 2012. 

Besides being nauseous, tired and hungry, I just feel FAT.  I don't really look pregnant yet, just like I could stand to lose some weight in my midsection.  My regular pants don't fit (unless I want to sport an EXTREME muffin top), but some of my maternity pants/shorts are still a bit too big.  I've been using the Bella Band with my jeans and wearing a lot of skirts and dresses.  Just like the last time around, I'm ready to look obviously pregnant so I can stop looking like I ate a few too many burritos (even though lately I HAVE been eating a few too many burritos.......)!

Change of subject - I bought this conditioner the other day at Earth Fare called Everyday Shea.  It's free of harsh chemicals, not tested on animals and is considered fair trade.  Plus it was on sale.  Well let me just tell you, my hair sucks it up.  I'll pump some into my hand, put it on my head, and it just disappears.  So I'll pump some more into my hand, put it on my head.......it's like my hair goes SLUUUUUURP!!  I'm going to go through this 32-ounce bottle in no time at this rate!

I really liked the last conditioner I used.  It was by Giovanni, and it was called 2 Chic.  It's also free of harsh chemicals and not tested on animals, but it was nice and creamy in my hair and felt the way conditioner should feel.  After my hair eats this bottle of Everyday Shea, I'll probably go back to Giovanni.

This weekend the Faires family (my mom's family) is headed to a long-overdue family reunion dinner in Gatlinburg.  When I was little, the Faires family and the extensions of the Faires family got together every summer (at least I think it was every summer).  But somewhere along the way, these get-togethers stopped being organized.  This year, my mom's aunt has made it her birthday wish to have a family reunion, so here we go.  I wouldn't recognize any of these people even if I had a random conversation with them somewhere, so it will be interesting to see what everybody is up to after 20 years.  We're staying at The Lodge at Buckberry Creek, which seems pretty nice.  I'm just excited to be going up to Gatlinburg, even if just for one night!  I wish we could stay longer.  I'm ready for a vacation.  But alas, no other big vacations for us this year.  Lucas wants/needs to use vacation time to work on building the garage at his Nashville house (BORING haha) and then we need to save the last vacation for the baby in case he/she decides to make his/her debut before the end of the year.  And of course if he/she doesn't come this year, we can't use that last vacation to go anywhere awesome because I won't be able to travel.

Lucas is a ball buster.  He owes me cool vacations next year.  None of this building garages crap.

Breastmilk and Aqua Tots

I think my boobs are drying up.  Not to the point where I can't feed Delano (he still eats like a horse), but to the point where pumping is POINTLESS.

 

One might think it's my breast pump.  That obviously if Delano can eat straight from the breast with no problem, my pump must be faulty.  And granted, my pump isn't as suck-your-face-off strong as some of the more expensive ($300+) ones, but it has always worked like a charm in the past.  Actually, it worked like a charm all the way up until just a couple of months ago.

I actually think it's because I'm pregnant.  I've read a few articles that have said that if you're pregnant while breastfeeding, your milk supply may diminish quite a bit or even completely.

I'm down to FIVE bags of milk in the freezer, and one measly ounce in a bottle in the fridge.  Granted, the only times Delano gets pre-pumped milk is when I travel for work (and I leave Mom with a couple of bottles to give him while I'm gone) or when I bartend at the museum (and therefore Lucas gives him a bottle before bed).  But these are still times when D needs milk.  I'm going to try pumping at night after Delano goes to bed to see if I have any better results, and I may even try a friend's breast pump that she's no longer using (it's stronger than mine), but he may end up having to drink the formula that I bought a while back for emergencies.  I'd rather keep him on all breastmilk of course, but if there's not any to give him, then Option B will just have to do!

"How soon is too soon?  Not soon enough.  Laboratory tests over the last few years have proven that babies who start drinking cola during the early formulative period have a much higher chance of gaining acceptance and 'fitting in' during those awkward pre-teen and teen years."

So how about weaning him?  Well, I would like to breastfeed him until he's AT LEAST a year old, probably even longer.  His teething may determine that time frame.  And that's another big reason - he doesn't have any teeth yet for finger foods.  But since I'm pregnant, my doctor definitely wants him weaned a few months before I have Baby #2 so that my boobs have a "fresh start" for the new one.  So Delano has about 4-5 months before he needs to be off the tit.  Classy.....I know.  :)

My little ones are going to be about 16 months apart, like these two.  :)

So I worked Friday and Saturday night at the museum for their VIP Riverbend viewing club called Club Hunter.  Friday I got there at 6:00 and left at 11:30 (home around midnight).  Saturday I got there a little before 5:00 and left a little after midnight (home closer to 1:00).  And of course the baby doesn't care how late I'm up.....he still wakes up right around 7:00, plus with being pregnant I have the joy of getting up a few times a night to pee.  Sunday I was EXHAUSTED.  I had planned on using the daytime to sweep and mop floors and what not, but I ended up watching mindless TV and reading gossip magazines because I didn't feel like doing a thing.  Which of course made me think of how it's going to be once this second baby is born......a baby who will NOT be going down for the night at 8:00, and who will NOT be sleeping 11-hour nights and set nap times.  A baby who will be waking up in 2-3 hour shifts to be fed, all while having a toddler who will be demanding my time as well.  But you know, I can't complain.  It will be fine, and I KNOW this.  I have LOADS of friends with multiple young children, and even one friend who has a 3-year-old as well as 10-month-old triplets (all boys)!!

It will be an ADVENTURE.  :)

Riverbend 2013 pic from the Chattanooga Fun website.  You can see the lit-up glass windows of the Hunter Museum between the Aquarium roof and the walking bridge.  That's where I was.

Speaking of naps, I laid Delano down for one about half an hour ago.  I can hear him squeaking and squealing in his room.  I have no idea what he's doing, but napping is definitely not it!  But he's happy, so he can stay there while Mommy gets a few things (like this blog post) done.

So I will be scheduling to get my hair cut and colored this week, THANK GOODNESS.  My hair is a disaster.  My layers are an uneven mess, there are about 3 inches of roots and gray hair before you get to the highlights that were added months ago, and my ends are dead as dirt.  My head has been desperate for a re-do for awhile, and I've just been slacking.  But not anymore.  And I'm super excited.

My Savior.

Another thing I'm excited about doing this summer is enrolling Delano in swim lessons!  He'll be taking group lessons at the new Aqua Tots Swim School that will be opening up on Cherokee Boulevard in July.  Aqua Tots is $74/month (weekly lessons) versus the YMCA's price of $45-$85 per lesson.  And they do offer 2-lessons-a-week and 3-lessons-a-week packages for discounted rates.  But I can't afford more than one lesson a week nor do I think he needs it at his age. But I'm excited for him to learn how not to drown!

My baby's future!

Ruffle Butts and Zebra Print

I DESPISE ruffle pants.  I think they're absolutely hideous.  I also think they're going to be one of those oh-my-god-what-was-my-mom-thinking styles that will haunt daughters in their childhood photos when they get older.

The top?  Cute.  The bottoms?  Ugh.

The little girl is adorable.  Her pants?  Not so much.

These are kind of like knee pad ruffle pants.

Seriously??  Again, I think the top is Uh Dorbs.  But the pants are just overload.

Somebody is now taking things WAY too far.

I could go on and on with images of hideous ruffle pants.  And the thing is, I have friends who think they're ADORABLE.  Friends who constantly "share" company posts on Facebook trying to win outfits just like these.  And that's all good and fine.  Less ruffle pants for me.

Mom - if I have a daughter, you'd better not buy her any ruffle pants.  Or obscenely giant hair bows.  Your money will be wasted.  Or not.....someone at Goodwill will think they've hit the motherload.  And therefore you will make someone ELSE very happy.

And it's not that I don't like girly stuff.  I definitely do.  I actually LOVE ruffle butt bloomers.

The newest gdiaper eyelet ruffle cover.

Cute.

Also cute.

Oh my goodness!!

LOVE.

Oooooh...you think Lucas would like this?  Haha

So I like ruffles, just in moderation.  And I like tutus.  And dresses.  And leggings.  And pink is one of my favorite colors.  I just can't handle it when it's overkill.  And I know that all-over Jersey-style animal print is really trendy right now.....not so much into that, either.

Absolutely not.

NO.

ADORE the shoes.

Oh yay.....I found my next party outfit!

Please don't be offended if this is how you dress your daughter.  But then again, maybe you need an intervention.  You might have a ruffle pants/giant bows/animal prints problem that needs to be addressed.

So.....onto other stuff......I'm 9 or 10 weeks pregnant now!  I say "9 or 10" because according to the calendar, I'm 10 weeks, but according to the size of the baby right now via ultrasound, I'm 9 weeks.  Hopefully my next ultrasound in two weeks will clear that up a little bit.  I just need to ask the doctor how far along THEY are considering me to be.

I still get waves of nausea here and there, and the smell of certain foods makes me want to vomit.  Steaming a lot of Delano's vegetables makes me gag.  I can't stand the smell of steaming carrots, squash, zucchini.....pretty much anything that doesn't have a sweet smell.  I have, however, gotten a bit better on my food cravings.  I've been eating a lot of fruit, yogurt, soup, cheese and crackers.  I've been eating very little of the crappy drive-thru stuff.  I could eat soup every day.  And I haven't been overdoing the carbs like I was there for a while.  I think because even though I still get nauseous occasionally, it's not as often as before.  But when I get hungry, I do typically go for the cheese and crackers.  I try to rationalize my intake of cheese and crackers in my brain by telling myself that the crackers are organic and whole grain, and the cheese is a salty cheddar from the Greenlife cheese counter and not a packaged, chemically-processed cheese.  And I do like to pair it with grapes, so that's healthy, right?  ;)

Seaside cheddar is SOOOO YUM!!

And now I want THIS!!

Here's the recipe for those grilled cheeses above.

I still haven't been craving sweets, though I do eat them occasionally.  I haven't been craving alcohol either, though when I get to thinking about a nice, frothy Guinness.....or a Murphy's Stout.....or a Left Hand Nitro....I start to want one. 

Mmmmmmmmmmmm........

One thing that's a definite is that I get tired and worn out way more easily than when I was pre-pregnant.  It was exactly like this the last time, too.  I run out of breath going up and down the stairs or walking up the hill in the yard.  And I'm good for about a mile run, but then I'm not only winded, my legs also start to protest.  This coming from a girl who just ran a 13.1 mile race a couple of months ago.  It's just hitting me faster and harder this second time around.  Last pregnancy, I ran three half marathons in the first 8 weeks of being pregnant, followed by several 5ks and at least one 10k up until I was 7 months pregnant.  This time around, I feel like I'm about 6 months pregnant NOW.  Of course, I was in way better shape at the beginning of my last pregnancy, had loads of time that was actually "my own", could spend two straight hours of my day doing nothing but running, didn't have to answer to anybody, and was REALLY watching what I ate to stay in shape.  This time around is much different.  My eating habits never went back to "great" after I had the baby, I started off this pregnancy about 8-10 pounds heavier than the last time, I haven't been running back to back races to keep my stamina going, and my time is definitely NOT my own anymore.  But it's okay.  I'm only whining a little.  :)

I hope to one day be a bad ass again (I can hear my mother now....."give yourself a break, you have a baby and another on the way, relax, you're a mom, blah blah blah....."), but you ladies know what I mean - especially my runner friends.  It's hard to go from having all your time to yourself to spending 24 hours a day with a little human who can easily wear you out, especially if they're having a crappy day like today.  Delano was WHINY and MISERABLE.  For no apparent reason, besides being constantly hungry, constantly tired, constantly bored and constantly wanting to be held.  Alligator tears ALL DAY. 

Like that.  Minus the curls over the right ear, since D only has curls on the left side. He also lacks teeth.  :)

But now he's sound asleep and will hopefully stay that way until morning.  And even more, let's hope he wakes up happy and refreshed!

I've gotta wrap this up.  My mind is drawing a complete blank and I have no idea what else to talk about.

No matter how crappy a day, we love baths.