14 weeks

I know I just posted 13 weeks, but I'm a little behind!!!!  

Everything is moving along just fine.  I told my board of elders last night and I will tell the congregation on Sunday.  It's nerve wracking to stand in front of a large group and share something like that!  Oh well, it must be done.  It's a good thing because I am really starting to feel pregnant.  I'm still in all of my old clothes, but they are getting a little snug and today for the first time I really started to feel a little bigger.  I know it isn't horribly evident from the outside, but if you compare my original pics to now there is certainly something growing!  

I go to the doctor again next week for my 15 week check up and I will ask more about the tumors then because stupid me starting looking on the internet which was NOT a good idea!  

We got a Wii Fit for Christmas and I have really grown attached to it over the past two weeks doing yoga, strength training and mii aerobics.  It makes it so much easier to work out because it tracks my progress and I can do it all at home.  I'm pretty sure it will be my motivation throughout the pregnancy.

2008 Top 8

Here is my top 8 list for 2008.... The best of our lives this year! Enjoy!!!!

8. Sophie. Ok, I know I complain about the dog a lot. But, she is so cute and a great addition to our family. Paul and I both had dogs growing up and we know that it is an important part of childhood. Noah treats Sophie like another family member and always includes her in his prayers. She can be awesome.... like after Noah is in bed she sort of knows it's her time and comes and snuggles with us. Plus, whenever I'm scared in this big old house, I know Sophie is here and will take care of me!!!

7. The Zoo. We fell in love with the Philadelphia zoo this year. Noah is so in love with animals and every trip we took was more and more exciting. I can't wait to do it again next year.



6. Babies. What a year for babies!! So many of my close friends had children this year and even some of my far away friends had them too!! I don't know if I can name them all! Cora, Cassidy, Amelia, Riley, Sullivan, Daniel, Adin, Owen, Gweneth, and I'm sure there are more I'm missing!!


5. 30. As you know I turned 30 this year. Gosh, when you're 15, 30 sounds horrid. But now that I'm here it's not so bad. It's great to not be dating, to own a home, to have some stability and purpose in my life. I still smile when I'm more excited about home furnishings than clothing but overall I'm enjoying this new decade. Many of my "older" friends.. haa haa, have said that the 30's are really great and I can't wait to see what they hold.


4. 2. So, everyone says that the twos are terrible. I actually think the 1.5's are more terrible than the two's. And I think if you have an angel baby the two's might look terrible. But if you have a wild, screaming, puking infant, a few tantrums seem like cake. I love that Noah can communicate and imagine and be sooo creative. He is funny and sweet and has his own personality that is learning and growing into our family. Two is awesome because you are still the center of their world and you get to introduce them to everything.... Hugs and "I love you's" and "I make you happy, Mommy?" are worth every ounce of my time and energy and even exhaustion!




3. Iceland. I absolutely love to travel and I would travel ALL the time if I could. It had been a few years since I was off of American soil and I was thrilled to see another country. We had such a fantastic time, the country was beautiful and of course it was great to see Len and Sandra.




2. Friends. When we moved to Oxford we felt that we would never feel at home. We both had so many good friends in our hometowns and it just felt that it would never be the same. For the first few years we were pretty isolated here, watching families walk past our house to the park. But 2008 was a record year for us.... we met so many people! I can't tell you the number of parties we had or went to, the couples nights, the mom's nights, and just countless phone calls, stories shared, and drinks toasted. We are so grateful that God has answered our prayers to feel at home in our town!

And the number one thing to celebrate about 2008:




1. We will welcome a new little one to our family in early July 2009!!! Yes!!! We are 3 months pregnant right now. We found out on October 30th and were waiting until Christmas to tell our families. You can look back at posts that I have finally made public that start back in late October. Yippeee!!!!!!  (ps.. if you are church folk, keep it a secret til we tell people ourselves!)

11 weeks -- It's A......

It's a baby!

Hilarious, I know. Well, most of you know that we are not ones to wait to find out the gender. I've got painting and shopping to do! So, we read online about this urine test you could take as early as 10 weeks to get conclusive results about the gender of your child. -- The ad said for Moms who just can't wait -- that's me!


So, it was cheap and there was free shipping so we ordered it, just for fun. We were fully aware that it was not going to tell us anything for sure but we thought it would be fun to play along. The website said it was 90% accurate for a girl reading and 85% accurate for a boy reading. Paul said the website had a typo and that it should have all said 50% accurate, just like every other gender predictor!

So, this morning we decided to test it out. We followed the directions and we got absolutely nothing! The cup is labeled so that when we looked at it from the girl side it looked like it was girl colored and when we looked at it from the boy side it looked boy colored. I'm actually sort of happy with the results and even a bit amused. I have no more expectations than I did yesterday. Tell me what you think!?

9.5 Weeks

Woohoo!!! I feel so much better. Almost immediately after I got my prescription most of the nausea went away. I still take one pill in the morning but I'm great the rest of the day. I'm slowly getting my energy back and have some clarity again. I hope it sticks... I don't remember feeling better until around 14 weeks last time.

I really don't feel that much different and most of the time I forget I'm pregnant. I have occasional back aches and fatigue. I still can't handle raw meat and don't have much of a taste for most vegetables, but other than that I'm doing fine.

It's getting harder to keep it all a secret. Because I've been so tired I've missed a bunch of social events and so people are starting to wonder where I am. I'm not worried and I assume most people know anyway because a bunch of people knew we were trying. Sometime around Christmas we'll let the cat out of the bag. There's still so many months ahead so I think that by keeping it a secret a little while longer the rest of the pregnancy won't seem so long.

As for my body, I'm just feeling a little "thicker." Holding steady with my old weight and old jeans and I hope to stay that way as long as possible!

I do often think about the impact it will have on our family. Noah really loves babies and he is pretty gentle around them considering he is NEVER gentle. He's a really good helper and very, very loving and so I expect him to share those traits with this child. He is the king of this castle, however, and so I just worry about him all the time... which is normal, I know. I still hold him a lot and I am there for him whenever he needs me. I know gazillions of people have had two children before and it will be fine....

8.5 weeks

Yipppeee!!! We got to see our little one this week on an ultrasound. I was measuring 8 weeks 4 days when I had it at 8 weeks 1 day, so essentially, right on schedule. That keeps the due date at July 15th. Paul's birthday is the 5th and I hope it doesn't happen then. The heart rate was 160 bpm, which is exactly what it was for Noah at his first appointment. The tech said everything looked normal, except some of the old fibroid tumors have grown. She saw 4 small ones and then one large one. The larger one will continue to be monitored because there is a chance the plancenta could implant on the wall where the fibroid is which could cause low birth weight. I just have to go for some extra ultrasound later on to see what is going on.

Last week it seemed as though the nausea was letting up a little bit but now it has taken a turn for the worse. I went from Unisom/Vitamin B to these B-natal drops the doctor reccomended and after spending this morning vomiting I finally broke down and got the prescription. I was hoping not to have to do that but I really need to be able to function! Last night I sat here on the couch absolutely famished but everything I looked at to eat made me sick. Finally some pistachio's sounded appealing and I managed to keep them down.

I keep telling Noah I have a belly ache and so he kisses my belly and makes a silly smile and says "I make you happy, Mommy?" and of course it brings a smile to my face. We keep asking him if he wants a baby and he always says no.

So, we'll see how this week goes with the medicine. I'll keep you posted, even though you can't read this anyway!

7.5 Weeks

Well, we had our first doctor's appointment this week which was pretty underwhelming. It was just time to review the family history and make sure no one came down with any serious diseases that I might have contracted since Noah was born. We reviewed deli meat and soft cheese, oh joy.

I did manage to convince the nurse to order me an ultrasound to get an accurate due date and so next Thursday we will get to see what this little one is doing. I can't wait for that!

So far, things are still going very well. My nausea isn't as bad. As long as I take my vitamins first thing in the morning, I can make it through the day. I don't feel bloated or anything, really. I'm just completely exhausted and still having a hard time with meat.

I've been going along with the not-pregnant story pretty well. I have a few bottles of non-alcoholic wine that are horrible and I manage to pour myself a glass of that when others are drinking. No one asks twice and so far, no one has offered to pour me a drink. Phew! I've still been able to eat very healthy and exercise which has been a huge blessing for still feeling somewhat normal.

We plan to tell people in December sometime. We hope to give the family gifts to reveal our secret and tell a few friends here and there around the holidays. We'll tell the church in the new year. That will only leave about 6 months left for a "public" pregnancy which is still a long time but not as long as 9!

We'll update you more after the ultrasound!!!

6 weeks

So, we're 6 weeks along now and it is going slower than molasses. We haven't told anyone yet and we just want to announce it! I've been very good at drinking non-alcoholic wine (at my birthday and at all the girl's nights). I know many of my friends are just looking for a hint that I'm pregnant and it makes me smile to know my secret. But, as we watch some of our friends with two little ones we wonder how we will make it through. Life has become pretty darn easy with Noah and it will be a rude re-awakening to be up all night and not be able to communicate with the child for another year.

I've been pretty darn sick as well. Much more than with Noah. The nausea wakes me up at night and I spend many nights sleeping next to the toilet. Coffee and any meat products are unfathomable right now. I read online to take Unisom and B6 which my doc approved. They seemed to help a little bit so I'll stick to that before I head to any prescription meds.

We have our first doctor's appointment next Wednesday, November 26th where the blood test will be confirmed and we'll do prelim stuff. I'm guessing there will be no ultrasound, though I really wish there would be!

4 weeks

Ok, so 4 weeks is really not very far along. I know this time much earlier than last time and it is going so SLOW!!!!!!! The baby is the size of a grain of rice and the heart is starting to form. I can't believe I have 36 weeks ahead of me! Here's the first belly pic. I'm sure I won't do one every week, but I will now and then. I'm 15 lbs less than when I conceived with Noah -- we'll see how long that lasts!

What you've all been waiting for!

Yes, we are finally pregnant again! We found out October 30th with a great positive home pregnancy test! The first one was faint but the second one was tell tale.


It's just so hard to believe we are going to have the strength to go through all of it all over again! I know we'll be fine and we will re-emerge on the other side again, but all of the hard work in the middle is daunting! We have a wonderful two year old who uses the potty, climbs in and out of the car, uses utensils and complete sentences. It will surely be shocking to start from square one. But, it will also be so amazing to see new life all over again. Really, we're more giddy than scared.

So, the due date comes out as July 15th which sounds yucky! To be big and pregnant in July! Our house isn't air conditioned! Oh well... maybe this one will be early like Noah.

I'm nervous that these secret posts will somehow show up even though they're hidden, but I hope when you finally read this you'll be as excited as we are!