16 week update

I'm now 16 weeks along and the last week has seen several interesting developments.  The exciting one is that I've been able to feel Honey Badger moving.  So far it's just fluttering, and nothing I could feel externally with my hand, but I now know from experience it's baby movement.  Looking back at my blog entries from my pregnancy with Daniel, I was starting to feel something around 18 weeks but wasn't sure that it was baby movement.  I had expected to feel movement sooner this time around so I wasn't surprised to feel it this past week.

 

Alas, I had also expected to begin feeling bladder pressure by this point and that has also come to fruition.  I suspect that carrying a little higher this time delayed it for a few weeks, but it was bound to happen eventually.  Never was this more evident than this past Saturday when I participated in (note that I did not say "ran") a 10k race.  I expected to be slow, but it turned out that the limiting factor was not my legs or my lungs, but how fast I could go without jostling my bladder and having to pee.  I ended up walking for stretches and even so, had to make 4 bathroom stops over 6.2 miles, when I can generally run an entire half marathon without having to stop.  So, it looks like I'll be investing in a support belt soon to try to alleviate this issue.

 

As for clothes, I'm still largely in regular clothes, but a few maternity tops no longer look baggy on me.  I suspect the coming weeks will see me wearing more maternity tops and then, within a month or so, it'll probably be time to pull out the maternity pants too.

 

Last week I had another checkup too.  It was short, mostly just a chance to hear the little one's heartbeat (133 bpm, around where Daniel's was at this time) and chat briefly with Cecily.  We've also got our anatomy scan ultrasound scheduled in a few weeks, when we'll get to see the little one in more detail and make sure everything is developing well.  With Daniel, this was when we found out we were having a boy, but this time, since we're going for a surprise, we'll have to turn away while the sonogram technician checks out Honey Badger's nether region, and remind her not to spoil the surprise for us.  While it won't be the big reveal it was with Daniel, we're looking forward to the chance to see the little one up close and confirm that everything is on track.

Daniel's first few weeks of preschool and 24 month checkup

Daniel starts school
Almost a month ago we started Daniel at his preschool, Apostles Day School.  It's a Montessori school set in an Episcopal church in a nearby suburb.  It came highly recommended by our good friends Lisa and Richard, whose 2 older kids go there and love it.  We looked at several options but this was immediately my favorite, and after considering them all Kevin agreed this was the place for Daniel.  From the first time I set foot there I thought, "I can't wait for Daniel to start here, he's going to LOVE it."

So far, 3 weeks in, he does love it.  His first day Kevin and I both took him.  He stood nervously by us at first when we arrived, following me into the classroom but then right back out.  A minute later though, he walked back in on his own, and a few minutes later after we'd stopped by the director's office we peeked back in to check on him and he was sitting at a table with other kids studying one of the works (projects).  His teachers reported a great first day and every day since has been good too.  He seems to really enjoy the interaction with other kids, the predictable structure of the school day, and the stimulation of the classroom setting.  He's always happy to see me when I pick him up, but always happily playing when I get there.

This school requires parents to send a lunch for their child every day-a negative to some people but a plus to us as it means his lunches will be healthy foods we pick out for him.  We pack plenty for him every day-usually a sandwich or some chicken, yogurt, fresh fruit, and milk.  He doesn't always finish but nearly always eats most of it.  His teachers have commented to us on what a hearty appetite he has and said he's one of the best eaters in the class.  Especially when we sent my mom's homemade applesauce with him-they said he wolfed that right down!  We pack his lunch in the little red lunchbox we got for him designed like a fire truck-he's very proud of it and loves it!

Here he is when I picked him up after his first day.  He was having so much fun with all the toys he didn't want to leave!  His lunchbox is by his feet.

One of the things we were really looking forward to with Daniel starting school was the help they'd provide with potty training.  We're rookies at this but they're pros, so we knew that when Daniel was ready they'd help him really get the hang of it.  Their approach has been much like ours, offering the potty and giving him the chance to sit on it, but since they have him all day they offer it more than we can.  Also helping there is that Daniel has the positive peer influence of watching the other kids in his class using the bathroom.

[Disclaimer: If you're not the parent of a little one, you might want to skip this part.  You've been warned.]  Whatever they're doing, it's working!  Daniel used the potty at school once last week, then this past weekend at home, he did #2 in the potty.  It was the first time he had ever done that and he was quite proud.  Then today was another new milestone.  He peed in the potty this morning before Kevin took him to school, then used the potty at school, then tonight used it again once we got home.  His first day to use the potty more than once, and he did it 3 times, including a #2. Once he becomes more consistent in his toilet use, it may be time to take Daniel shopping for underwear!  My hope is that he'll at least be daytime toilet-trained by the time of Honey Badger's arrival.  If nighttime training takes longer, that's fine.  I'm surprised but pleased that at barely 2 years old he's already doing so well with this.  Thanks preschool!

24 month checkup
Last week Daniel had his latest checkup.  He weighed in a little over 25 pounds and stands 35 inches tall-holding par for the course, long and lean.  Our pediatrician was impressed with his development and particularly with his vocabulary and articulation and felt that he was on pace for all developmental targets for his age.

It was also a vaccination day for us.  At our request, the doctor agreed to delay the Hepatitis A and B series until Daniel was 2.  Long story short, these 2 are relatively unimportant at this age (the former is mild, the latter is spread via needles and sexual contact and thus, not  really a concern for any but the most rebellious toddlers) and have relatively higher risk of seizures than other vaccines, so we opted to postpone them and focus our attention in his earlier years on more important shots (e.g., DTAP, Hib, PCV).  So, this visit he got his first HepA and his second polio shot.  He cried during the actual shots but calmed fairly quickly afterwards and had no adverse effects.  We'll take him back in a month or two for his seasonal flu shot, then in February we'll bring him along for little bother or sister's first checkup and he'll get his first Hep B shot then.  It's a little surreal to think that before long I'll be taking 2 kids to the doctor!

Honey Badger: 14 weeks and counting

With Daniel, I tried to blog every week about my pregnancy.  With Baby #2....we'll shoot for at least once a month (blame 2nd child syndrome...I can already picture it if we had a 3rd: 1st post: we're pregnant, 2nd post, here's her 1st birthday pictures!).  So, that said, I'll do my best!

Bye-bye, 1st trimester!

Now that I'm 14 weeks in, the queasiness and fatigue of the 1st trimester are happily in the rear view.  I still feel pretty tired in the early evening sometimes, but not as bad as before.  There were weeks there where I'd pick Daniel up, play with him as best I could then, as soon as Kevin got home, I'd hand him off for dinner and bath time while I'd go grab a nap.  Other days, I'd bring Daniel into our bedroom, which is pretty well child-proofed, and lie down while he played.  I hated to miss our evening play time, but thankfully most days I'm up for it again now.

NT scan

2 weeks ago we had a nuchal translucency (NT) scan ultrasound done.  The primary purpose of the NT scan is to measure the width of the space in the baby's neck area, as there's a high correlation between larger widths and Down's syndrome and other chromosomal defects.  We have no real risk factors for this, but we chose to do the test because we didn't do it with Daniel and in hindsight, I wish we had.

At his 20 week ultrasound, the technician noted some "bright spots" on his heart and brain.  Our midwife said it was probably nothing, but let's look again at 24 weeks.  They were still there at 24 weeks so she said, while it's still probably nothing, let's do a detailed Level II sonogram at a specialist's office to make sure.  She told us that bright spots are sometimes nothing, but can be "soft markers" for Down's or other chromosomal defects.  Of course, as it turned out, the 26 week sono showed that everything was fine, the bright spots were normal variances, and we went on to have a perfectly healthy little boy.  But, those 6 weeks were a rather nervous time for us as we waited to find out, knowing the odds were overwhelmingly in our favor but still waiting for the official "all clear." 

Had we done an NT scan with that pregnancy, when the 20 week sonogram showed the bright spots, we'd have felt much less nervous about it, knowing that between the NT scan and related maternal blood draws, any defect would almost certainly have been found by then.  So, this time around I looked at the NT scan as peace of mind in case a similar issue arises.  And if it had turned out there was a defect, we'd have more time to make decisions, arrange for prenatal surgery to correct in cases of some other issues the test can find, and have extra time to prepare ourselves and Daniel if a special needs child were in our future.

All that said, the NT scan went just fine.  The little one was definitely looking a lot bigger than when we saw him/her at 7 weeks, and features were much more defined.  This kiddo was active too-pushing off the wall with the legs, arching the neck and back, and waving hands around.  It was fun to see that little glimpse of what baby's life is like right now, and if that morning was any indication, I've got another squirmer coming!

Here's a profile shot.  This definitely looks a lot like Daniel's sonogram profile pictures, but it may be that most babies look like that at this age, so it may be too soon to draw any conclusions about features:

State of the Mommy update

With the 1st trimester behind me I'm feeling pretty good these days.  I'm running, biking, and swimming, albeit more slowly than before, and really no pregnancy symptoms at the moment.  I have to pee a little more frequently than before, but not like I remember with Daniel.  I seem to be carrying a little higher right now too, which might explain that.  I often feel like a bottomless pit of hunger, but thankfully veggies and I are getting along well again after a rocky few weeks.

On a related note, I'm still in regular clothes so far.  After Daniel was born I lost my baby weight and then another 8 pounds, so pre-baby #2 I was in pants 1 or 2 sizes smaller than pre-Daniel.  So far, these smaller pants and shorts still fit fine for the most part, and aren't even starting to get snug.  Maternity tops are still too big on me but I'm having to be strategic about wearing looser-fitting regular tops.  I'm in that stage where I look chubby more than pregnant, so for now it's all about minimizing the bump till it becomes more definitely a bump rather than a sign of too many donuts.  I switched to maternity clothes around 19 weeks with Daniel, and my guess is I'll get there a week or 2 sooner this time, but if I keep carrying higher I may be in maternity tops and regular pants for a few weeks.  I've gained about 4 pounds so far-pretty comparable to where I was at this point with Daniel, but since I started lighter I'm still several pounds lighter than I was pre-Daniel.  Thanks, running! ;)

Belly pictures

This is from mid-June when we went out for Kevin's birthday dinner, about 6 weeks pregnant.  At that point I hadn't gained any weight but was rounding a little in the belly.  I will note that I tried that dress on last weekend for our anniversary dinner but while it fit, it was neither comfortable nor flattering anymore.

Here I am at 10 weeks on our beach trip.  Still not really showing-looks more like a muffin top than a baby bump (which is why I favored my tankini and wore it much more than the bikini in this picture)

Here's one from 13 weeks.  The tech shirt is a small and while it still fits, some of my other running shirts do not.  Over the year I've acquired a few that ran really big.  Now I'll have a use for them!

And, one from 14 weeks.  On a related note, while I like the wall color as background, I'll have to remind Kevin to put his shoes away before we take these pictures ;)

My next checkup is this week.  No sonogram this time (next will be at 18-20 weeks), but it will be nice to hear the heartbeat again on the Doppler.  Honestly, with no pregnancy symptoms and not really showing yet, checkups provide a nice reassurance that yes, there actually is a baby in there.  That's another reason we wanted to do the NT scan-otherwise we'd have a sono at 7 weeks and not again till 18-20-a long time to go without seeing baby.  It was reassuring and fun to get to see him/her again.

I haven't taken Daniel to a checkup yet, but once we get a little further along I'd like to bring him to one.  I know the midwife who delivered him would enjoy seeing him again (she's still got his birth announcement up on her wall, along with dozens of others of kids she's delivered), and as this all starts becoming a little more real to him I think he'd like to hear the heartbeat.  In the meantime we'll keep reading his "brother book", which has become one of his favorites, to get him used to the idea.

So, in another 6 months, we'll be a family of 4.  Right now that still feels a long way away but I'm curious to see if the time passes more quickly this pregnancy, with an active toddler providing a fun distraction from the "are we there yet?" feeling of pregnancy.  There will be less preparation for us-we already have most of what we'll need, and we've done the Bradley classes and know how to care for an infant.  But, this will all turn Daniel's world upside down, so we'll have to be especially mindful of preparing him for the transition from only child to big brother.  Should be interesting!