Week 36

How far along: 36 weeks (as of 10.10.15)

Gender: It's a GIRL!

Baby is: The size of a large cantaloupe.. about 19 inches long and about 6 pounds.

Weight gain: 48 pounds as of this week's OB appointment.  I think it's mostly belly.. but, man.  That's a lot of weight!

Maternity clothes: I've busted out of pretty much all of my maternity clothes.  Leggings and dresses are my current best friends.  And my oldest pair of TOMS since the weather is getting a little cooler.

Stretch marks: Nadda.

Belly button in or out: Almost totally popped.  It's freaking weird.  And seriously 16 year old self.. don't get that thing pierced!

Sleep: Sleep is pretty crappy at this point.  I fall asleep early and sleep well for a couple of hours.  Then I am up and down with bathroom breaks and insomnia.  I don't feel totally un-rested, though.. so it's all good.

Best moment this week: Starting to get the last minute things ready.  Matt put together the double stroller (which Hudson loves), hung the monitor and moved the glider into place.  E's hospital bag is pretty much packed - I just need to pack mine!

Movement: She is super active in the evening once I finally get to sit down.  You can see body parts just moving like a wave across my belly.  She has moved to the head down position and is totally locked in.  I was 75% effaced two weeks ago - but that doesn't really matter since I'm having a scheduled c-section.

Cravings: Chocolate.  Chips.  Anything unhealthy.  It's bad.

Queasy or sick: Nadda.  Give me all of the food.  Thus the 49 pound weight gain.

Looking forward to: Finishing my nesting.  It has started.  I have an insane excitement about deep cleaning my house this weekend and preparing freezer meals for when E arrives.  We are in the homestretch and this stuff needs done!  Well, according to my OCD it needs done.  

Fall Fun

There is just something about fall that makes it awesome.  Maybe it's the cool, crisp air that takes over the summer humidity.  Maybe it's the fact that I can live in hoodies.  Or pumpkins.  Or the color changing leaves all over our property.  I don't know.  But whatever it is, I love it.  We spent the last two weekends celebrating the arrival of fall and Hudson seems to love it just as much as I do.

Last weekend, we visited a pumpkin patch with my family.  Hudson wasn't sure what to think of the pumpkins and pretty much refused to touch them.  He did enjoy the corn shooting and pumpkin sling shots.  And riding in his stroller.  Other than that, he was having none of it!  He did get his first very own pumpkin that he picked out.  It didn't help that it was literally 85 freaking degrees out.  Yuck.  Regardless, we had a great time watching him explore!

This weekend, I (along with my brother and his girlfriend) took Hudson to a local farm that all sorts of fun fall activities for kids.  There is a kids corn maze, an adult corn maze, petting zoo, hay bail jump, corn crib, huge pumpkins, tube slides, play equipment, hay rides, etc.  Did I mention the petting zoo?  this was Hudson's favorite part!  He could not get enough of the goats - big or small.  He especially loved the baby goat, but had no problem giving his attention to the bigger goats as well.  Who knows.. maybe he will have one as a pet in the future.  It would cut down on the grass maintenance, right?

So long, summer

Summer has officially come to an end - in our house at least.  This year we decided to send it out with a bang!

I am getting to the point in my pregnancy where I'm not allowed to travel far distances, so we took advantage of some family time and made a trip to our favorite beach for the long Labor Day weekend.  We had never been there at this time of year, and let me tell you.. it was perfect.  Temps were in the mid 80s, water temps were in the upper 70s, low 80s.. and the crowds were non-existent.  It was so nice and relaxing and we loved spending every minute with family.

Hudson was much more into the sand and ocean than he was in June.  Now that he's walking, we literally could not keep him out of the ocean.  We'd sit him down in the sand to play, and two seconds later he was up and full on sprinting to the waves.  I'm glad he is not afraid, but it also takes a toll on the nerves when you watch your 14 month old run to the giant body of water!  Good thing Matt doesn't mind taking him swimming, because I sure couldn't do it at this point!

We spent most of our mornings in the pool lounging on rafts and chasing the 67463214657 balls that Hudson was throwing out of the pool.  We had delicious fresh seafood one last time and even had dinner at the restaurant where our rehearsal dinner was held three years ago.  Oh, and who can forget the daily ice cream!

We came home late Sunday night so that we would still have Monday to recoup before heading back to work Tuesday.  I also took Monday (even though it was 90 degrees outside) and turned the inside of our house into a fall festival!  Well, not a total fall festival because I am lacking in decorations.. but you get the point.

Here are a few pictures from our mini-vacay!

I also hit the 31 week mark while we were at the beach.  There is a HUGE difference from when we were there at 18 weeks!  Yikes!  I now remember why I cut my hair and wear it down 99% of the time.

How far along: 31 weeks (as of 9.5.15)

Gender: It's a GIRL!

Baby is: The size of a pineapple.. about 16 inches long and about 3.5-4 pounds.

Weight gain: 35 pounds as of this week's OB appointment.. exactly the same as my pregnancy with Hudson, except that I don't have the major swelling/water retention this time around.  Apparently, I'm just large! haha

Maternity clothes: Yep.. and a size up from my normal as well.  My belly is much bigger this time around, so I have to accommodate for that.

Stretch marks: Nadda.

Belly button in or out: Almost totally popped.  It's freaking weird.

Sleep: Sleep is pretty crappy at this point.  I fall asleep early and sleep well for a couple of hours.  Then I am up and down with bathroom breaks and insomnia.  I don't feel totally un-rested, though.. so it's all good.

Best moment this week: Finishing up E's nursery and buying the last few things we needed to be ready for her arrival.  We have to move the glider from Hudson's room to hers, and then her room is officially finished.  I bought the last few things we needed off of Amazon, and now we are good to go.  I also got the confirmation of my section date and time.. and now it is way real.  We are down to a few short weeks.  I seriously feel like this pregnancy has flown by!

Movement: She is super active in the evening once I finally get to sit down.  You can see body parts just moving like a wave across my belly.  She is currently breach, so her arms must be practicing for lacrosse or something.

Cravings: Chocolate chip cookies, ice cream, bagels.

Queasy or sick: Feeling good, though somewhat queasy when I wake up during the night.  

Looking forward to: Nesting mode.  Odd, I know.  But I'm looking forward to getting the house totally cleaned and prepared and meeting our little girl.  Hudson has no clue what is coming, but we have been working on the word "baby" and having him feel my belly daily.  Fall.  Fall temperatures and fall activities!  We plan to hit up the pumpkin patch, decorate the outside of the house and carve pumpkins.  All things Hudson can enjoy this year!

Week 29

How far along: 29 weeks (as of 8.22.15)

Gender: It's a GIRL!

Baby is: The size of

Weight gain: 30ish pounds.  Oy vey.  I'm not swelling this time and my weight game is exactly the same as it was with Hudson at this point!  

Maternity clothes: Oh yes.  The belly is large this time and I've grown out of most of my summer maternity clothing.

Stretch marks: Nadda.

Belly button in or out: Bizarre.  Just bizarre.  It's not fully popped, but it's close.  I wish I could go back and tell my 16 year old self not to get my belly button pierced because it is just going to look all nasty when pregnant.

Sleep: Not the best.  I wake up the normal 4-5 times to go to the bathroom.. and I just can't seem to get comfortable because I'm always hot!

Best moment this week: Our second try at a 3D/4D ultrasound proved to be successful!  E was not cooperative last week and not only was turned toward my spine, but also had her face squished into the placenta.  She was still using the placenta as her pillow this week, but she opted to give us a few smiles, frowns, and even a yawn.  She is active, but not as active as Hudson was.  Her movements are more like rolls at this point as they believe she is a little above average in size.  Matt and I both think she looks like me and has some resemblances of Hudson as well.  Oh, and the tech said she had a good amount of hair, too!  I can't wait to see what she looks like next to Hudson on the outside.

Movement: She is relatively active - just not as active as Hudson was.  Her movements are much more pronounced after I eat or drink ice water.  Homegirl loves ice water.  She keeps moving positions (head down, breach, sideways) which leads to big rolling movements.

Cravings: Chocolate.  Give me all of the chocolate.

Queasy or sick: Feeling good!  

Looking forward to: So many things to look forward to.  Her nursery is 99% finished. We just have to move the glider from Hudson's room to her room and it is done.  She has an abundance of clothes, but I haven't washed any because I want to be able to return things that don't fit - if that happens.  I also need to sterilize her new bottles.  We have a few more things to pick up and then we are completely ready for Miss E's arrival.  I'm also looking forward to a mini family vacay coming up.  Nothing major, just a few days at the beach before I am cut off from travel and before summer officially comes to an end. Speaking of, I'm ready for that.  The heat sucks and I'm over it.  I'm ready for fall temps, pumpkin spice scents all over the place and sweatshirts.  And sweatpants.  Give me everything sweats.  And of course, looking forward to her arrival in 10ish short weeks!

MIA

Yes, you will hear me say it again.  I've been MIA.  Yes, things have been busy.. but not busy enough that I couldn't blog.  I've been MIA because I'm just not sure what to say and write anymore.

When I initially started this blog, I did it with the intentions of updating our infertility journey and sharing it strictly with family.  No one else knew about it and no one else had access.  Slowly, I started to take away parts of the privacy settings.. and eventually I made my blog public and shared it on my Instagram account - where I had become an active member of the TTC community.  I was able to connect to other women going through the same struggles I was.  I was able to identify with them.

I continued to document our journey.  Three full IVF cycles, a miscarriage and a failure.  Again, slowly I began to add different posts here and there.. but it always came back to infertility.  Eventually, I documented my entire pregnancy with Hudson.  Week by week.  Photos, details of the week, how I was feeling.. everything.  And I enjoyed it.  Week 38 rolled around and I gave birth to Hudson one day before week 39 hit.  I documented his birth story.. and an update here and there.

But truthfully, I haven't known what to write since he's been born.  I "crossed" the bridge of no longer being infertile - sort of.  I beat infertility.  I have a healthy, happy soon.  But that title is something that never leaves you.  The struggle is something you never forget.  Still, I felt somewhat out of the loop.  I didn't have cycles to blog about, appointments, injections, etc.

Then February rolled around and I learned that I was pregnant with our surprise baby number two.  No treatments.  No cycles.  100% natural - even though we were given a 1.5% chance of that actually happening.  God answered our prayers and it did happen.  Baby number two will be here in 10ish short weeks.

But this pregnancy has made me feel even more out of the loop.  I feel like an outsider to the group that I have grown so fond of.  "Friends" made hurtful comments about having a natural pregnancy and no longer being infertile.  And so, I backed off.  You may see five posts on my Instagram about this entire pregnancy.  You will find about the same number of weekly belly photos.  And blog posts?  Well.. you find one.  A short announcement.

Truthfully, I haven't known what to say.  I didn't know what path to travel with my blog.  I know how it feels to still be waiting for a miracle.  We waited, too.  I know how it feels to watch others have baby number one, two, three.. and so on.  And I don't want to be one of those people who causes pain to others.  So, I haven't posted.

I've done a lot of thinking about this lately.  One of my cousins said she missed seeing the weekly updates.. and it made me realize that I still want to share.  I want to post - but in a way where I'm not hurting others.  So, here is my plan.  This blog will be about life - my life.  My family, our experiences, our adventures.. us.  It may come with a name change somewhere down the line, but for now I'm keeping it the same.  If this is something that does not interest you, I will not have hurt feelings if you click the "unfollow" button.  I know what it's like.

So, here's to hoping for more updates and more posts in the future!

Life Lately

It's busy.  I've neglected the blog - to spend time with my family and enjoy every summer moment with Hudson.  Life is so different with a mobile toddler!

So, what has been happening.  SO MUCH!

First, school ended and summer vacay started.  This is proving to be our best summer yet!  We left for our annual beach vacation two days after school was out - and it was just what we needed.  Two wonderful weeks of family time, beach, sun, surf, waves, pool, and relaxation.  We traveled to the Outer Banks and spent our usual two weeks in Duck.  We opted for a different house this year since our family is growing - and it was perfect!

Hudson loved the sand and the waves.. but his heart was at the pool.  He is my little fish and would swim all day if we let him.  Unfortunately, too much pool time ended in a trip to urgent care for our first double ear infection.  Poor guy was in so much pain.  Thankfully, two antibiotics and 24 hours later, our little guy was back - with a hoarse voice from all of the screaming!

We were also able to celebrate Hudson's first birthday and Matt and I's third anniversary at the beach with our family!  We ordered him a cake and did a little cake smash on the beach after a fun filled beach and pool day.  Hudson wasn't quite sure how to feel about the cake, but he eventually enjoyed playing in it.

As usual, our vacation quickly came to an end and we headed back home.  It was nice to see our pups!  The following weekend we formally celebrated Hudson's birthday with his party.  The weather wasn't the greatest, so we have to move things to the garage.. but it turned out great!  Once again, cake wasn't his favorite.. but he did enjoy all of the attention and his cozy coupe!

Since the end of June, life has been pretty crazy.  Our days are packed full of playing inside in the ball pit, tunnel or tool bench, swinging on the awesome swing set, cruising around in the cozy coupe, building with blocks, attempting to find foods that Hudson likes, and house projects.  We painted an accent wall in our living room to brighten things up since we installed new carpet.  We also cleaned out the baby's room and painted the nursery! (More on that in the next post.)  We have plans to go get furniture next week and start actually preparing the room.

I am loving this summer.  I love spending every minute possible with my little guy.. and being able to watch him learn and grow.  He is taking some solo steps here and there.. but still prefers to hold on to things to get around.  Honestly, I think he will be walking on his own very soon.  We are still trying to figure out what he likes to eat.  He wants real food, but has issues with textures.  He LOVES pouches and crunchies.. and those have been life savers. He's pretty much surviving off of grilled cheese, bagels, chicken nuggets, french fries, watermelon, blueberries, yogurt, and apple jacks.  Hey.. whatever works at this point!

As you can read, we have been busy.  But it's a good busy!  Stay tuned for a bump update and an awesome discount!

It's official

I've become an awful blogger.  It's been over a month since I promised to better keep up with my blog.  I will say that I feel like I've had a pretty good excuse.. or two.

So, let's catch up.  Life has been pretty crazy busy these past few months.  Hudson is growing like a weed and is now mobile.  Let me tell you.. mobile babies are a whole different world!  I love it!  He is quick and gets to where he wants to go in a flash, but it is so much fun seeing him grow and learn.  The amount of stuff he learns in a such a small amount of time truly amazes me.

He just turned 11 months this week.  He is crawling all over the place, pulling himself up and taking steps along the couch and ottoman.  He holds on to his walk along toy and buzzes across the room like he's been doing it his whole life.  He is a talker.  He says dada, daddy, dog, doggy, woof, hi, hey, this, and go.  Nine words already!  He babbles like crazy and seems to have conversations all of the time.  He will wave and say hi to anyone and everyone he sees when we are out in public.  He claps, pushes cars all around, throws ball with Rooney, plays in the dog's water dish, and loves to pet the dogs.  Another favorite past time of his is opening up any drawer he can get to and empty it out.  He's basically a pro and should make a job out of it.  As far as food, he still somewhat likes to eat.  We have started to give him milk and he is a huge fan.  We are about half and half at this point and hoping to be completely off formula by the time we go on vacation.  He still prefers purees and has a difficult time with real food.  He loves bagels, french fries, toast, pizza bites, watermelon.. and that's about it.  Every once in a while I can get some grilled cheese in him.  Otherwise, he hates real food.  I'm pretty sure that the dogs have packed on about 10 pounds since we started trying real food.  He would seriously live off of Gerber Crunchies if I'd let him.. and he screams for them.  I'm kind of at a loss of what to do right now.  He needs to eat to grow, but he doesn't want to eat.  He wants real food when he sees it, but won't actually eat it.  Like I said, I am still getting some purees in him, so that is good.  We will see what happens over the next month or so.

With 11 months came the little guy's first haircut!  He now looks like a little man!  I seriously cannot get over it!  He did such a good job.. and so did Miss Mallorie!  Of course we distracted him with crunchies and the sound of a razor.. but the whole thing was done in about five minutes.  I seriously cannot believe that my little boy is old enough for his first haircut!

The other thing that has kept me away from my blog is lacrosse season.  I got the head varsity coaching position this year and with that came so many time consuming events.  That meant all of the dirty work was on me.  Holding practices, tryouts, selecting teams, coordinating practices, coaching every game, etc.  It was a long, tiring, hectic and somewhat stressful season.  The season officially ended with our banquet last week, so I have some more time on my plate now.  Not a ton as it is the end of the school year and there are a ton of shenanigans that come with that, but some.  School ends this week, so life will calm down a little bit more!  

I am looking forward to summer for so many reasons.  I'm hoping to get back into my blog, spend time with family, do some work on the house (painting), keep up with our garden.. and most importantly, spend time with my growing boy!  I am so looking forward to endless playing this summer!

Here's to hoping for more regular updates.. maybe even a gender reveal for baby number 2 :)

Happy Monday, all!

Easter weekend recap

It has happened.  I have officially turned in to the worst blogger in the world.  It's been almost two months since I've posted.  So, rather than recapping those two months, I'm just going to start off with our Easter weekend.

We traveled to my parents' house to spend the holiday weekend with my family.  We had a relaxing day Friday, colored eggs Friday night, had a mini photo shoot Saturday, and dinner with my Grandparents Saturday night.

Hudson enjoyed smashing the whisk all over and basically throwing the eggs around.  That's about it.  I'm just glad he enjoyed it!

When Hudson woke up Sunday morning, he saw that the Easter bunny had some to visit him and brought him all of the goodies he needs for our beach vacay this summer.  Swim outfits, shades, beach towel, pool raft, and of course some bubbles!

As dapper as he looked, he HATED his sport coat.  Typical boy :)  And our family picture is not the best - but it's the only one we got where Hudson wasn't squinting into the sun.. so I'll take it!

Hudson also got a pretty big and exciting gift from the Easter bunny.  He found out that he is going to be a BIG BROTHER!  We are so blessed and excited to announce that our family will be growing by one this fall.

He started out with a huge smile, and ended with a "hold up.. wait, what?"  haha

We really truly are blessed to be expecting this little miracle.  I will probably not do weekly posts this time around as this little guy takes up a lot of my time - and I love it.  But I will try and do some posts here and there to keep you all updated.  We thank you again for all of your love and support and for following us on this journey we call life!

Happy (late) Easter, everyone!