15 Week Ultrasound

Here are a couple pictures from the 15 week ultrasound.


Profile (That's the cutest nose in the world)


Sucking his thumb.

It's a boy!

Heartburn

I've been dealing with heartburn for the past few days. I can't think of anything worse than not being able to gorge yourself on Christmas goodies because of heartburn. I guess that's the trade-off for not being fat and hot in the middle of the summer.

Moving Belly

L is now big and strong enough for me to feel and see him kicking from the outside. Let the fetal olympics begin!

21 Weeks!

I have been pregnant for 21 weeks. L has been around for about 19 of those weeks and I have about 19 weeks left, so I am halfway through the pregnancy.

I have finally stopped barfing. I still gag when I brush my teeth, but at least I can get through the entire routine without losing my last meal.

We had our 20 week ultrasound on Tuesday. L was very photogenic, and we even got to watch him drinking the amniotic fluid. Yes, it sounds gross, but what else is he going to drink? It was very cute to watch his mouth moving on the screen. It was about all we could see, since he had his arms covering his face. E was the same way at her 20 week ultrasound. She kept her hands over her face.

I was 20 weeks, 4 days at the time of the ultrasound, and according to their scientific charts and measurements, L was measuring 21 weeks, 3 days. Not that it makes any difference, since he'll probably be late and/or gigantic anyway. If he's less than 8 pounds, I'll be surprised.

Paul's insurance is changing in January to Providence. It's not a big deal, except that we'll have to deliver at a different hospital. I'm nervous about it, since I had such a great experience at Meridian Park. We'll end up delivering at St. Vincent's, which is very nice as well. They have a whirlpool tub, which I will require. The only thing is that you move to a different room and different floor after you give birth. I don't think I'll like that at all. I really enjoyed the fact that I didn't have to do a god-damn thing once I pushed the kid out. No moving, no packing, no nothing. Just hang out with your kid and eat. I'll talk with my midwife about it at our next appointment. Hopefully she'll be able to calm my fears.

L is kicking up a storm these days. Mostly he's down by my bladder, which is a bit annoying, but it's fun to feel again. E is being an awesome big sister. She likes to snuggle with my belly, give it kisses and listen to "Baby L L." I'm sure she'll freak out once he comes out, but for now, it's nice to think that she's going to be an awesome, loving big sister.

We Can Breathe Easy Now

I had my amnio on October 28th. For some reason, I've been totally freaked out during this pregnancy. During the ultrasound before the big needle was stuck in my belly, the technician told me that if she didn't say anything, it was because she was concentrating, not because there was something wrong with the baby. Even though I heard that, I still freaked out. I spent the next 10 days examining the ultrasound photos that I had, comparing them to E's photos from the same age, trying to see if there was something wrong. Of course I couldn't see anything, and of course there was nothing wrong.

I got the phone call from the genetic counselor yesterday. We're going to have a healthy baby boy. Everything is just fine genetically. Now, the fact that he's 1/2 Stringer and 1/2 Galli could cause some issues with stubbornness and smart-assedness, but it's nothing we can't handle.

We're going to name him L R. Those are Paul's brother's middle names. E likes to kiss my belly every night, and we sing goodnight to him before bed.

I've been feeling him move for about two weeks now, which is pretty cool. It's certainly not the big kicking moves, just small "Oh, was that his head poking out the right side of my belly?" kind of moves. I'm sure that he'll start kicking the hell out of me and jumping on my bladder regularly soon enough, just like E did. I really liked that part of being pregnant, and missed it when E wasn't there anymore. I often had phantom kicks afterwards which was weird. Kind of like when you lose a limb and have phantom feelings like you still have the limb. I guess it is kind of like losing a limb. But then you get kicked from the outside, and E sure knows how to do that!

I'm feeling a lot happier and energetic now that I know we have nothing to worry about. I think I was expecting something to be wrong. After all, we already had a perfect child, getting pregnant again was like playing with fire. Luckily, it's worked out for us. Phew!

When I figure out where I saved the ultrasound photos, I'll post them. We have our 20 week u/s scheduled for November 30th. I can't wait to see him again!

Fifteen Weeks

I'm fifteen weeks pregnant, and the baby is the length of a Kit-Kat Bar. I've finally figured out how to take my vitamins without burping up fish oil all day. I didn't have this problem last time, but every time I take that darn fish oil pill, I burp up fish taste all day, which pretty much makes me want to barf. This morning, I took all my vitamins before eating, and burped up the delicious taste of my breakfast. Ahhh... it only took how long to figure this out? Of course, for a while, if I took the vitamins on an empty stomach, I'd immediately barf them up, so that's my excuse.

I have been trying to feel movements in my belly, but so far I've felt nothing. A few times I've thought "Oh, that's it," and then I fart. Sigh. I guess when the kid gets a little bigger than a stupid candy bar.

Speaking of candy bars, I ate a shit-load of chocolate at Whole Foods today. There was a sampling table, but nobody was running it, so I took my share, and Paul's share and E's share, and the Belchigator 2's share. HA! If Paul hadn't circled back around to check on me, I would've finished off what was there. I have not wanted any sweets this entire pregnancy, but for some reason, the cherry almond dark chocolate called to me this evening. And the Orange, the Mint, and whatever other flavors they had out. I'm guessing it's because dark chocolate has antioxidants, which are good for growing babies. Yeah. That must be it.

Sick Again

I don't remember being sick, actually sick, not just morning-sickness-barfing-all-the-time sick, when I was pregnant with E. But I swear, I've been sick for a month. Just as I'm starting to feel better, I get hit with a new ailment. Today was the chills and barfing. Once again, it wasn't the morning-sickness-I-barf-and-pee-myself-and-still-feel-like-shit barfing. This was the I-feel-like-shit-and-I-think-I-might-barf-and-then-I-do-in-my-car-on-my-way-home-from-work-and-I-suddenly-feel-better-for-thirty-minutes type of barfing. I was able to keep down some rice tonight, so that's good, because I don't think I could handle the texture of rice barf.

Is It Gas?

I've heard and read and been told that you show sooner, and you feel the baby moving sooner in your second and subsequent pregnancies than in your first. As soon as I found out I was pregnant, I pretty much had to get maternity clothes. While my uterus isn't very big, all of the fat in my body has moved to my belly, and I have a nice little bump...of fat. Whatever, at least I look pregnant and not fat.

As for movement, I keep thinking I feel the baby moving, and then I realize it's just gas. And then I fart. Sigh.

Second Trimester

I'm finally in the second trimester. Whew, we made it. I have to say, this has been a much easier pregnancy than the last. However, I'm still waiting for my second trimester energy to kick in. I'm still exhausted, falling asleep at the dinner table.

I've had a few freak outs in the past two weeks. Mostly, I've been freaking out because I can't find my uterus, nor do I really feel pregnant. It's probably because I'm not barfing my guts out every five minutes.

Speaking of barfing, I sure did have a good barf yesterday. I was changing a diaper at work (full of poop, of course). I'd gotten the diaper off, the kiddo wiped, new diaper on, and was about to chuck the dirty, when I suddenly started gagging and my lunch was in my mouth. Poor kid, I was holding his hand as I deposited my lunch in the toilet. At least we were in the bathroom at the time.

Baby Names

I asked E what we should name the baby. Her answer: "Milk."

Brazil Nut

The B2 is now the size of a brazil nut. He or she is also officially a fetus. We'll get to hear the heartbeat for the first time on Tuesday, which is pretty exciting.

I've been pretty sick. I barfed up my banana this morning, and as I tend to do when I barf, I peed myself. E likes to watch me wretch, and laugh. It makes for the most pleasant experience ever. I am continuously wondering why I wanted to get pregnant again. In a couple weeks I'll feel better and know why, but for now, I want to cut my stomach out of my body.

8 Weeks

I started writing this entry last week when my niece Kimberly was visiting. I put it down and am just now picking it back up. Last week, I hadn't gotten sick yet. This week, I'm feeling a little queasy. Last time, I think I started feeling sick as soon as I went to the doctor, so I think I'm doing alright.

I've been having strange cravings lately. I don't remember any cravings from last time, just food aversions. I couldn't eat pizza. I've been craving salty, savory foods. Cucumbers with balsamic vinegar were at the top of the list for the past two weeks. Lately, I've been craving bagels & cream cheese, and for some weird reason, I really want an Italian BMT from Subway (toasted). I've never had an Italian BMT from Subway, nor do I really know what is on one, but whenever I see a Subway, I think "I could really go for an Italian BMT right now." WTF?

I've done a few things so far with this pregnancy that I probably shouldn't have. For one, I rode a roller coaster with my niece. For another, I think I got food poisoning, and I didn't go to the doctor. Hopefully neither will prove detrimental.

Our Amnio is scheduled for Thursday, October 28th. We'll get an ultrasound with that one, and should find out the gender. I've been thinking it's a boy, but lately, intuition has been telling me it's a girl.

I've had one pregnancy dream so far. In it, I had twins, due one month apart. Dreams sure are crazy.

The Second Journey

It's my 37th birthday today. I had been feeling funny all week -- not being able to finish a meal, crying over stupid things...not the typical PMS. I just had a feeling, so I peed on a stick.

And there you have it, Belchgator #2 is on his or her way.

Paul and I only just started trying for #2 a couple weeks ago, after Jennifer had her baby and Ian's first birthday party. Paul said "It would be fun to have a little boy." I think it would be nice to have the matching set. We'll be happy with whomever comes along, and we're hopeful the new baby is just as easy as E was.

I sent Paul a picture message of the pee stick because I couldn't wait for him to come home to tell him. Don't you just love modern technology?

My dad & gramma are in town this week. It will be hard to keep the secret, but I think I'll manage. Sometimes it's nice to have a little secret.

I really hope I don't barf every day like last time....