21 Weeks

I haven't been as good about taking belly pictures this time around as I was during my first pregnancy (I did a weekly picture starting at 12 weeks last time I think! This time I only have 2-3 pictures total so far!). I did manage to get one over the weekend though. I'm 21 weeks (almost 22 now) pregnant, and it's getting hard to hide (not that I'm really trying)!

I need to dig out my pictures from last time and see how they compare. Some people have guessed boy or girl based on this picture, but it's pretty evenly split so far. I feel like I'm maybe a bit bigger this time around at this point, but sometimes I don't feel like there is much there yet.

I am not feeling the baby move yet (I have felt a couple small 'pushes' but nothing consistent) because of the location of my placenta, so I am eager for that to start soon...that's my favorite part of being pregnant!

Overall, I am feeling pretty decent. I get worn out and hot pretty easily. Can't just stand around or be out and about shopping or doing things like that for long, but I'm used to that from last time! I've been taking Zofran, but not every day and not feeling too bad (usually some nausea right away in the morning, but it's been much better), so I'm pretty thrilled about that!!

It's hard to believe I am due in just over four months! I feel like I have a lot to accomplish before then...

Then and Now - Winter Coat

Last year Mara didn't spend much time out in the snow, since she wasn't old enough to walk (and wasn't really crawling most of the winter either), but we did get her out to at least get this cute picture in late November. We had bought a winter coat for her, but it was HUGE on her, so it looked pretty comical.

Cut to this past weekend...and the same coat. It fits! It's a little snug if she has snowpants or a big sweatshirt on, but otherwise, it works just fine! Kind of funny to see how much she's changed, yet how much she is still the same! I think she will really have fun this winter playing in the snow!

Snow!

It's way too early to have this much snow! Luckily this is from yesterday, and most of it has melted now. But it was a little crazy for awhile there! It started out as rain, then got a little slushy and turned to snow, and wouldn't stop! It was snowing big flakes most of the afternoon. Kind of crazy for October 23rd. It was looking a little too much like Christmas, and it's not even Halloween yet!

Hopefully we'll have a break from the snow for awhile. I guess I could handle it now if I knew it wouldn't last until April!!

Happy Anniversary!

Jay and I got married three years ago today! It doesn't seem like that long, although our lives have obviously changed quite a bit since October 21st, 2006!

We had a great wedding, the weather was a little chilly, but otherwise a great day shared with family and friends! I spent our first anniversary in bed with a migraine and morning sickness. Our second was the day after my Grandpa's funeral, so we weren't feeling much like celebrating. This year I'm feeling decent, so that helps! Not sure if we'll do anything tonight to celebrate (free pie??), but we did go out to dinner and a movie on Saturday night, kid-free. Thanks to my parents to coming over to hang out with Mara so we could get away. It was very nice!

Happy Anniversary Jay! Thanks for putting up with me! ;)

One Year Ago

Me (9 months) and my sister Michelle with Grandma Angie and Grandpa Lloyd - July 4, 1980.


Four Generations - Grandma Angie, Grandpa Lloyd, Barb (my mom) Maralyn, and me - June 8, 2008


Mara and her Great-Grandpa Lloyd - September 2008


It was a year ago today that my grandpa Lloyd passed away. He is so missed! His sense of humor and love for his family are something that I'll never forget.

I'm so glad he was able to meet Mara and spend time with her, even if it was just for a few months. I'm very sad that he didn't get to see her grow up and change - she is such a different little person already now than she was a year ago! I'm also sad he won't be able to meet our little baby coming in March.

But, I'm grateful for the time that we all had with him, and we have memories and photos to remind us of the great times! We miss you, Grandpa!

There's a Baby in There!

On Tuesday, we went for our anatomy ultrasound! It's hard to believe I am already to that point in the pregnancy! I am 20 weeks along, halfway there!

The ultrasound went GREAT! Everything looks perfect!! We were so excited to see the baby and hear that things looked so good. It is such a relief to know that things are growing and developing like they should be!

We opted not to find out the sex again this time. I think Jay could have been swayed to find out, but I love the surprise when the baby is born. There is no other surprise quite like it!

Baby cooperated well for the measuring, and we got some pretty good pictures, so we were happy! It weighs 10 oz right now, and measured just one day off from my due date (March 4th).

It's amazing how you can tell a difference from baby to baby...this baby was definitely NOT Mara. I know that's obvious, but it's weird how you can pick that up just from an ultrasound. I'm excited to meet the new baby and see what kind of personality he or she will have!

Only 20 weeks (ok, maybe more like 21 or 22!) to go!

30!

I turned 30 on October 14th. It was a nice day...nothing too wild and crazy, but it worked. After work, Jay took Mara and I out to dinner. Mara was pretty good, and we got free pie too, which is always a plus! Mara went to bed shortly after we got home, and I relaxed and went to bed a little early myself. Such is the life of a pregnant woman! Overall, 30 feels pretty good so far!

Use Words, Please

I feel like I keep saying this phrase over and over to Mara (and then saying the words we want her to learn, over and over!) There is no denying that she's a smart kid (mostly when it comes to being naughty!), but a little slow with talking. No big deal, but it gets a little frustrating now that we KNOW she understands words and knows what we're talking about. But she will often just point and grunt if she wants something, or even better...YELL.

Over the last couple of weeks though she seems to be picking up on a few words. For awhile now she's been saying kitty. Although it sounds more like "geeeeee!" or "keeeeee!" when she says it (and yes, always with an exclamation point, she's usually excited when she sees one of the cats!). If you tickle her or attempt to tickle her, she'll say tickle tickle over and over (it often sounds like "diggle diggle diggle" but is getting a bit more clear). She says hi and is now starting to say bye. Of course, only when she wants to, and definitely not always on command! But, at least it's something!

She's also starting to say "ma" or "my" - we are trying to figure out if she means MINE or MORE, or maybe both?

It's fun to see her try to say things, and fun when we actually understand what she's trying to say! I always used to poke fun at moms who would 'translate' what their kids were saying (because to anyone else it just sounded like gibberish), but that's the mom that I've become, and it's not so bad!

Pumpkins and Apples

We braved the cold and overcast weather today to go to the apple orchard/pumpkin patch. The orchard is only a few miles from our house, and we met my parents there. There was a big crowd there despite the chilly weather. I guess it was the first weekend that's really felt like fall, so it put people in the mood!

Mara had lots of fun running around. She enjoyed looking at the animals too, mostly the goats and bunnies. We went on a wagon ride around the orchard, and got some fresh donuts and (of course) apples for a snack. It turned out to be a pretty nice day for the outing.

We picked out a nice pumpkin to bring home, and we'll carve that a little closer to Halloween. We went to the same orchard last year, and measured Mara against the sign to see how tall she was, so I'm sure we'll make that a yearly tradition!

A very fun afternoon for the adults, and of course for Mara!

18 Weeks

Well, I'm 18 weeks pregnant already. Almost half-way done! This pregnancy is going a lot faster than my first. I just don't have as much time to focus on it as I did last time. I think that's a good thing.

I haven't taken too many belly photos this time around yet. (This isn't a great one - my hair is wet, and I'd only been out of bed for 30-45 minutes. Oh well!) I mostly think I just look fat, since I started out at a higher weight than last time, and I'm kind of in the stage where my belly isn't too 'defined' yet - so I think a lot of people just think I'm putting on weight if they don't know I'm pregnant.

I'm still not feeling well. Very grateful to not have gotten the migraines that I had in my first trimester (and early 2nd) last time. I've had some bad headaches, but nothing that kept me in bed for a day. I'm still nauseous most of the time, although it's definitely worse in the mornings -- some afternoons aren't too bad in the last couple of weeks. I vomit at odd times - usually if I smell something or let myself get too hungry. It's kind of weird. I'm hoping things will settle down a bit in the next few weeks. I don't have as much time to think or complain about it this time, so a lot of people assume I'm feeling pretty good, until I tell them. I guess that's not a bad thing.

Still low on energy too, although it has gotten a little bit better. I'm still ready for bed by 9pm and have a hard time getting up in the morning! Chasing Mara definitely takes a lot of out me too, so some days are better than others.

I have an appointment with my doctor next week, and we'll probably set up an appointment for the big ultrasound then. We won't be finding out the sex, but it will be nice to 'see' the baby and make sure everything looks good!

Then and Now

May 1st 2008: Mara and Oliver meet for the first time. Picasso runs upstairs and hides if Mara so much as sighs, but Oliver sniffs her and is intrigued. Mara is asleep. Oliver decides he will enjoy sleeping near her whenever he can get away with it while she's an infant. Also, her crib is a fun spot for a nap when he can sneak into it without Mom and Dad noticing.

September 29th 2009: Oliver and Mara hang out on the couch together. He loves her, and she loves him. Despite a period of tail-pulling, he always enjoys being around her and she loves to 'pet' him (sometimes not so gently) and give him kisses. Now if only Picasso would get close enough to her, to see that she's not as scary as he thinks....

Early August 2008: One of Mara's first times sitting in the bumbo chair. I remember this day was also the first day she made an effort to grab a toy from me. She seems to be enjoying herself, and her thighs aren't too difficult to squeeze in and out of the chair (that would change over the next several months).

Late September 2009: Mara finds her Bumbo chair tucked away behind some furniture. She drags it out and decides this is a great place to sit to read her books (she is more excited than her expression shows!) Remarkably, it's not as tight a squeeze as it used to be. Guess she has slimmed down a bit in the thigh area!

17 Months Old

On September 29th, Mara turned 17 months old! Another month older, already! Time flies!

As you can see, we have quite the little chipmunk on our hands!

(forgive the bad lighting in the pictures!)