Baby #2 Overview Weeks Four, Five, and Six

THIS IS SO EXCITING. I missed blogging my pregnancy every few weeks, and now I get to do it again! So, when I posted during my first pregnancy, I had three categories: What Tommy and I were doing to prepare for the baby (and other updates), how I was feeling, and the size and development of the baby. I also posted a picture of my growing belly. I plan on doing the same thing except this time I want to compare my current pregnancy to my first pregnancy. You can always go back into my blog to read previous posts, if desired... This post is for weeks 4, 5, and 6 and I can not wait another second to get started!

Week 4:

We must start off with how I told Tommy about the next addition to our family. For the first pregnancy I wrote a letter to Tommy pretending to be the baby and then took a video of him reading it. I wrote things like, "I can't wait to meet you, I love you already, you're going to be the best dad in the world." Then I watched him tear up with joy as he read the letter. This time I found out right before Christmas, so where else would I tell him other than right in front of the Rockefeller Tree in New York City?! Here are some pictures:

I knew I was pregnant before I even took the test, but I didn't want to get my hopes up since I miscarried just two weeks before. I was nauseous, tired, bloated, cramps, and just had that pregnant feeling. I took the test the day I was supposed to get my period with a digital pregnancy test. The digital test took FOREVER, but when it finally stopped blinking, it was positive!!

Last pregnancy Tommy and I took pictures with the fruit/vegetable that represented the size of the embryo or fetus. This time, I am taking a silhouette picture in front of my bedroom window. They are beautiful and more of an intimate feel.  

The baby: The embryo is now the size of a poppy seed and busy implanting into the lining of the uterus where the placenta has already started and will continue to develop. 

Mommy's Health: Last pregnancy I didn't have much of an appetite, but I still ate very healthy and had 10-12 glasses of water every day. I had cramps and I exercised almost every day.

This pregnancy, at four weeks, I feel amazing (so far). I'm hungry all the time and I try to eat as often as I can. When I do eat large meals I feel full for 4-6 hours at a time. That's because my digestive system has slowed way down to accommodate my growing baby and placenta. I don't have the time or the energy to exercise. Gavin takes all of my time and energy. This pregnancy is going to be way different.

Week 5: 
Tommy and I were nervous this time around. I didn't lift anything and I rested more. It's hard to take care of an 18 month old while trying not to strain yourself. Thankfully, Gavin is an excellent boy. He's going to make an awesome big brother. We talk about his new baby brother/sister a lot. Gavin loves to give kisses to the baby (he kisses my belly). We want him to be prepared for what's to come. We are even practicing to share with his friends, which seems to be going well, and to share his mommy, which isn't going as well. He doesn't like when I hold other children, but we have 8 more months of growing up we'll keep trying.

The Baby:The embryo is now dividing into three layers of cells. The top layer will become the central nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, spinal nerves, and backbone). The middle layer will develop into the circulatory system. The bottom layer will develop the lungs, intestines, thyroid, and other major organs. 

Mommy's Health: Last pregnancy I was still rarely hungry, which caused me to get minor headaches. But once I ate I was fine. I still drank a lot of water, ate healthy, and exercised. 

This pregnancy: I started to feel very tired. Working as a full time teacher, raising an 18 month old, and growing a baby takes everything I have, and it's only 5 weeks in! I started feeling nauseous and my boobs are already leaking. Jeez, the body doesn't even give women a chance the second time around does it?? What the weird part is I already felt little flutters and bubbles. I know it wasn't gas because well, I didn't, you know... Plus it felt different than gas, it felt like my embryo was moving already, so cool, weird, and magical at the same time. 

Week 6: I love what I wrote when I was six weeks pregnant with Gavin, and I feel the exact same this time around:

"Before I get started on the update of my last two weeks being pregnant, let me just say that I LOVE being pregnant. If I sound like I'm whining or complaining in this post, it's because I am. BUT that does not change the incredible feeling I have everywhere I go. Just knowing I have my miracle growing inside of me everyday gives me huge fluttering butterflies flying around in my stomach. And because I am solely responsible for the growth of this baby for all nine months...I have the right to complain."

NOW ON TO THE COMPLAINING... (soon) 

At six weeks I had already gone to the doctor to confirm the pregnancy, get a pap smear, and check-up. Not this time, I'm in no rush. 

The baby: Is the size of a green pea! Every week the baby triples in size. This week the baby is developing eyes, ears, and the heart starts to pump!!! The tissue for the backbone, ribs, and some muscles are also developing. 

 Mommy's Health: First pregnancy: I still had no appetite except for pasta and cheese, but I still ate healthy. I was still cramping and didn't exercise everyday due to fatigue. 

This pregnancy: I am already starting to be annoyed at the first pregnancy me. Exercising and eating super healthy? Only small headaches and no nausea? I already know this time around is much worse, but to read about how great I felt the first time...Get ready for some complaining!! Week 6 is the worst week so far. I think I feel worse than I did in my whole first pregnancy put together. I feel like I have the flu. I'm achy, so so soooo tired. I was able to nap when I came home from work with the first pregnancy, but now with Gavin, he is usually just waking up when I get home. No naps for me! My headaches start at work around 1 in the afternoon until about 5 in the evening. I start to feel better around 7. This stinks because the baby goes to bed at 8. I feel guilty not being able to give Gavin all my attention, but it's something we both have to get used to. Hopefully this will pass and I'll start feeling better soon. 

<3 

Update: The Exciting, the Sad, and the Sincere

Hello all! I know it's been awhile since I've posted, but we've been rather busy around here!

Gavin is now almost 20 months old and so stinkin' smart, I can't take it. He's talkative and can say mama, dada, ghanag nah (that means juice don't ask me why), Nack Nack (that means blankey), cocoa (for Chloe, our chihuahua), Rye Rye (for Riley, our other chihuahua), Na-Na (for Sophie, or other other Chihuahua), Good girl (referring to his puppies), Pa (for grandpa), Papa (that means puppy), no, yeah, Toodles (from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse), wawa (for water), bye bye, ba-ba, teacher, yellow, two, cheese, crackers, car, and go, just to name a few. He can also talk using sign language. He is seriously so smart, I can teach him something once or twice and he catches on right away. I can't list everything he can do, because I would be here all night. But everything is documented in his baby book! He is also very observant, which is good, but we definitely have to watch everything we do and say. Gavin is a wild boy! He loves to climb, run, and play. We have to go to the park everyday because if we don't he will end up climbing onto the kitchen counters... I'm serious! He is also sweet, loves the outdoors, loves Mickey and Paw  Patrol, and of course food!

We had a busy summer, we went to the boardwalk every Tuesday and Thursday morning before Tommy went to work. Gavin is obsessed with going on rides. He loves to go fast! We went in the pool a lot, had so many barbecues and play dates. We went to a few library play groups, We went on vacation to Lancaster, Pennsylvania and we went to Sesame Place a different time. We went to the park and out for ice cream countless times. We had a blast this past summer!

I went back to work in the fall. It isn't too bad, Gavin wakes up at 8 a.m. and I come home for lunch at 11 for an hour to see him. Then he naps from 1-3 and I get home at 3! I spend the rest of the day with him. I don't miss too much during the day. And the good news is: My mom and Tommy are still with him during the week so Gavin is able to stay home!

We are still currently living with my mom to save up for the house we are having built for us. If everything goes as planned, the house should be finished around Fall 2016.

The holidays were fun and Christmas was extra special this year...







YES, WE ARE PREGNANT AGAIN!! 
BABY NUMBER TWO IS DUE AUGUST 21st 2016!
I am 9 weeks pregnant! YAY!!!!
WE ARE EXCITED AND OVERWHELMED BY ANOTHER BLESSING FROM GOD!



This time getting pregnant wasn't as easy as it was the first time around. Wait, getting pregnant was easy, it was staying pregnant that was the problem. We conceived last August and lost the baby in September. I bled a dark brown for a few days and called my doctor right away. She told me to come in to check everything out. When I arrived, my doctor checked me with an ultrasound. She saw the yolk sac, but no embryo yet. She said it was because I was very early along and couldn't be no later than 4 weeks pregnant. The dry blood could be implantation bleeding and not to worry.  The next day I bled, a lot. Thick, red, and I even saw some things I wish I didn't. It was seriously one of the saddest days of my life. I was left feeling empty and wondered why God would let something like this happen to me. With help from God and his Word, Tommy and I did a lot of soul searching. Our faith was definitely being tested and we read so many helpful versus to help up through this, but the one verse that helped my husband and me the most was:

Philippians 4:6-7

6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Worrying won't change anything, but praying and talking with God helped us feel at peace with our situation and helped us move forward in the future. There were potential reasons why I miscarried, The most common one was the embryo could have had a chromosome defect. But, maybe it wasn't the right time for us. Whatever the reason, we put every ounce of trust in God and know he will guide us in the right direction.

After blood work confirmed my miscarriage, my doctor told me to wait until I had a normal period cycle before trying to conceive again. We waited and then conceived again in October. I found out I was pregnant right before our trip to Colorado. Tommy, Gavin, and I were going to visit family with my mom and sister. I started bleeding November 6th which was five days before my period was due. Right away I was suspicious because my period is always right on time, never late, never early. I thought maybe the miscarriage through off my cycle...great now I'll never know when I'm ovulating! Besides my "period" being early, my boobs were tender, I was nauseous, I had food aversions, I was moody... But, there was no way I was pregnant with this bleeding situation. I caved in and took a pregnancy test. Sure enough, it came out positive. I called my doctor right away and she told me to come in. At the doctor's I took a pregnancy test and it tested negative. She did another ultrasound and didn't see anything, except a thicker uterus lining, which was probably from my period. She sent me to get blood work and I went right away because we were leaving for Colorado in two days. My blood work came back with an HCG level (the pregnancy hormone) of 43, which was low, but confirmed my pregnancy. The morning of our flight out to Colorado, I had to get more blood work done to see if the HCG levels were rising or falling, talk about stressful. Two days into our trip my doctor called and told me my HCG level went from 43 to 46. So either that means I was very early or I will miscarry again. The night before our flight back home, I started bleeding. A lot. Actually, I couldn't even stand without the blood running down my leg. What a fun flight that was. When we got home, I had to get blood work, yet again. My level was back down to five and I felt back to "normal." Tommy and I continued to pray and read the bible every night. We continued to trust God with all of our hearts. We healed quickly from the second miscarriage.    

 Right after I miscarried in November, we got pregnant again that month. This time I've been pregnant over the 4 week mark where I've seemed to be miscarrying. After the second miscarriage, my doctor sent me to get a bunch of blood work (I'm surprised I have any blood left) to see if we could find any answers to why this was happening, especially since my first pregnancy was problem free. Everything came back negative. She then told me to get an emergency ultrasound at the hospital RIGHT AFTER my next period... which never came.

I am 9 weeks now and I just told my doctor last week that I was pregnant. I didn't want to rush to the doctors like I have in the past. I wanted to wait to see what happened. It's not worth getting stressed out and worried about the chances of losing another baby, so I waited. I have an appointment this week, and I will keep everyone updated. 

The reason I am putting my personal business online for all to see is because I wanted to share my miscarriage stories with other women. Nobody ever seems to want to talk about miscarriages. I mean, some people won't even mention they are pregnant until the second trimester for that reason alone, which is fine, it's their choice. But for me, I'm glad I told everyone I was pregnant so early because then when I had to share the sad news, I had so much support. I can't even tell you how many women said, "Oh, that happened to me too." Miscarriages are common, yet nobody wants to talk about it. In fact according to: http://miscarriage.about.com/od/riskfactors/a/miscarriage-statistics.htm "As many as 75% of conceptions miscarry." The number one cause for a miscarriage is a chromosome defect and the embryo isn't growing right. The body basically aborts the fertilized egg because it recognizes a problem. Some of these women also told me how alone they felt because they never told anyone, so no one could help them through this heartbreaking time. I am seriously grateful for all my friends and family who shared their stories and helped my family and me through this. If any of my readers, whether you are friends, family, acquaintances, or just my blog follower, feel free to contact me if you need someone to talk to. I would love to be the person to help you through this! 


As of now I have over 12,000 readers from all over the world and I can't wait to share my pregnancy with you all!

Xo,
  Lindsay