Evan Wesley's Birth Story

Short version: Evan Wesley was born Thursday, January 8, 2015 at 9:26am via repeat c-section, weighting 8lbs 13oz and 21in long. 

Long version: KJ and I arrived at the hospital at 5am Thursday morning. They got me admitted and in a bed to prep me for the c/s. When the nurse hooked me up to the monitor she asked of I was feeling the any of the contractions I was having. Honestly I wasn't! I had been getting a crampy AF feeling on and off for the two days prior, and figured it might be the very beginning stage of labor. Sometimes I would get a BH along with it, but since it didn't hurt I didn't think it was the real thing. Apparently it was! 

As I sat and waited for my c/s the contractions did start to get more uncomfortable and painful. By the time we were ready to go in they were 4 minuets apart. I'm pretty sure we would have been having a baby that day even with out the c/s! 

I had to wait much longer than anticipated for my c/s. We were supposed to start at 7am, but my doctor was late getting there. By the time he arrived we lost the anesthesiologist and had to wait for his next opening, which was 9am. So all the while I sat in an uncomfortable hospital bed, having real contractions, with a catheter in that hurt, in an insanely hot room. I got so warm at one point that DH opened the window for me. It was 15 degrees out and snowing, and felt great!

But once we actually got started, things went very smoothly. Evan Wesley was born at 9:26am weighing 8lbs 13oz and 21in long. He has strawberry blond hair, which was a bit of a surprise! Recovery has been up and down. The first day I felt like I had a major hang over. I was tired from getting up at 4am, dizzy all day from the meds (I couldn't see or think straight), and nauseous from the meds (I couldn't keep anything down). I did feel good enough to get out of bed and stand for a few minuets at the end of the day, though. Day two I felt much better. I had great pain killers, so no pain from the c/s. I did develop major swelling in my legs, though. I had compression stockings on my calves, but as soon as they came off my legs just ballooned. If you had looked at me from the thighs down you would have thought I weighted 500lbs! It was ridiculous! It was harder to move around because of my elephant legs than it was because of my c/s. Thankfully they have since started to deflate. I'm a week out now and they are pretty much back to normal. Other than that, I've been feeling good. My incision was sore for a few days, but I'm really feeling good now. 

Breastfeeding went really well the first day, Evan's a total natural. On day two he developed his super suck, though, and OMG it hurt!! My nipples quickly got very sore, and were cracked and bleeding. That's been something we've really had to work through. On day three my milk still hadn't come in and all he wanted to do was eat. He got very frustrated each time because he wasn't getting a lot, which made him suck even harder. Ouch!! But on day four my milk came in and things have improved a lot. Even though I'm completely engorged, he's much more satisfied. When he's happy, I'm happy. 

Lexi adores her baby brother! She's always wanting to help hold him or hug and kiss him. It warms my heart to see how much she has accepted him into our family and how excited she's been to meet him. I forgot how tiny new borns are! It's amazing that she started out that small and is now such a big girl! 

I'm just so happy our little boy is finally here and in my arms! 

Evan and proud big sister Lexi!

Mr Bright Eyes

Going home outfit

Momma and Evan

Big sister, Daddy, and Evan

Home at last

Finally home and comfy

Lots of Love, 

KJsbabe

My Boy is Here!

Introducing Evan Wesley Jackson! He was born at 9:26 this morning. He's 8lbs 13oz and 21in long. He has strawberry blond hair and is pretty perfect. He has KJ's nose and looks a lot like his big sister. 

It's so nice to finally have him here! Our little family of four is complete <3

Lots of Love, 

KJsbabe

8 Months - 32 Weeks!

Another month down! We are getting there! 

Ugh, not that I've had a lot of energy to begin with the entire pregnancy, but third tri fatigue has hit me hard. I'm so freaking tired all the time. More than once I've fallen asleep on the couch while Lexi watched Frozen. She's such a sweet girl. She puts a blanket on me, whispers "night-night mommy", and kisses me on the cheek. 

30 weeks

Another awesome thing I've been dealing with is being insanely warm all the time. It's 20 degrees outside and I'm wearing a tank top! Mornings are the worst. I get out of the shower, get dressed, and I can't cool off for the life of me. I usually have to stand out side for a minuet to feel better. I also can't drink hot tea, coffee, or hot chocolate because it makes me too hot. For once I've been really grateful for the cold weather!

The third tri aches and pains have set in. My belly gets sore a lot. It's uncomfortable to lay, sit, stand, everything. I'm so, so grateful for this healthy baby boy, but I'm looking forward to being done. Truthfully, I'm looking forward to be done with TTC, trying to stay pregnant, and the aches and pains of pregnancy. I'm looking forward to completing our family. I'm looking forward to closing this chapter of my life and moving on and just enjoying our little family of four. 

My apps have been going well. I'm going every two weeks now. Nothing really exciting to report. Baby boy seems to be doing well. I haven't been doing actual kick counts, but he moves a lot throughout the day. Some days are slower than others, but I always feel him here and there. My only concern is that at my past couple apps his heart rate has been around 130. I feel like that's low. Lexi always stayed around 150. On my Doppler at home some days he's 130 and other he's 150.

32 week comparison - Lexi in pink and baby boy in blue

How far along? 32 weeks

Total weight gain: 28lbs... I don't want to talk about it...

Maternity clothes? Yes. I still hate my pants. And now my favorite yoga pants are getting tight...

Stretch marks? Nope

Sleep: Most nights are ok, but I'm still dealing with the once or twice a week insomnia. Either I can't fall asleep to begin with, or I wake up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep.

Best moment this month: Feeling lots of movement. Baby boy is definitely a mover!

Miss Anything? Not having heartburn every night.

Movement: Most days he moves a lot, but every couple days he'll have a quiet day and it'll freak me out.

Food cravings: Fruit and yogurt Special K cereal

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really

Gender prediction: Still boy :)

Labor Signs: none

Symptoms: heart burn, swelling, 

Belly Button in or out? Out. Way, way out.

Wedding rings on or off? Off. I made it to 31weeks and then my fingers started to swell a lot. They're just not comfortable any more. I broke out my fake ring I wore last time, but it turns my finger green.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, but tired

Looking forward to:  Being done

Next app: November 21 and December 1

Lots of Love,

KJsbabe

Hello Third Tri! 28 Weeks

Woo hoo! Hello third tri! 12 weeks to go! 

We're getting there! Sometimes it seems like the pregnancy is flying by, and sometimes it feels like I'm right where I should be. 

Well, I made it running as far as 25 weeks. Not quite my goal, but considering I didn't run at all with Lexi, it's better than nothing. I wanted to make it to 30 weeks, or until the weather got too bad, but truthfully I just couldn't hack it any more. Lexi and I would go to the park in the mornings, I would make it though my run (I cut back to 3.2), Lexi would play for a while at the play ground, we'd go home for lunch, and then I would completely crash. I got to the point where I was too tired to even function. I had no energy to play with Lexi, or make dinner, or really do anything more than sit on the couch. This baby loves to suck my energy! I also was getting really bad stitches under my belly every time I ran. Normally I only get them once in a blue moon. I usually clench my abs and they go away in a couple minuets, but my "abs" disappeared around 12 week, so it didn't really help any more. So, I had to quit running for now. Don't worry, I'll be back at it as soon as I'm cleared to exercise again after my c-section. 

My belly button is officially an outie. 26 weeks and there it is! Yikes! It never popped with Lexi. I don't know why it popped this time and so early. 

Another fun thing I've been dealing lately are hot flashes and dizzy spells. I've had three of them in the past month. Once in the morning before I ate breakfast, once in the middle of the night, and once in the morning while eating breakfast. Each time I got really, really warm, the time at night I woke up sweating. I got dizzy, my eyes went fuzzy, and I was nauseous. Really, really fun. I talked to my doctor about it at my 26w4d app. He said it sounds like low blood sugar. So to prevent it I'm supposed to have snacks throughout the day, especially right before bed and first thing in the morning.  

Also at my 26w4d app, my belly was measuring big at 28w, so my doctor had me go for an u/s. I hadn't seen baby boy since our a/s, so it was nice to see his face again :) And he's still a boy :) The tech said "yup, I see some boy stuff down there." He was measuring ahead at  27w5d. Lexi always measured right on, so I think he's going to be a bigger baby than she was. KJ thinks he's going to come early on his own since he's so far ahead. We'll see, I guess!

I also did my GTT at 26w and passed :) We are also in double digit days to go! 

How far along? 28 weeks

Total weight gain: 24lbs... Again I don't even want to talk about it... Since I stopped running I'm still eating like normal, but I'm obviously not burning the calories I was. I lost the weight before, I will do it again. 

Maternity clothes? Yes. Tops and bottoms. My yoga pants are getting tight :(

Stretch marks? Nope

Sleep: Ok. At least once a week I wake up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep. I'm either hungry, or baby boy is kicking the crap out of me, or I just can't get comfortable. FYI There's nothing on tv at 4am. 

Best moment this month: Getting to see baby boy again on the u/s :)

Miss Anything? Being able to wear my cute jeans.

Movement: Tons! Oh man this boy is active! Anterior placenta?? What's that??

Food cravings: cinnamon toast crunch, pumpkin spice decaf coffee

Anything making you queasy or sick: Lots of heart burn already. Anything the tiniest bit greasy or spicy and I'm popping tums all night. 

Gender prediction: Still boy :)

Labor Signs: none

Symptoms: Heartburn, fatigue

Belly Button in or out? Out! Yikes!

Wedding rings on or off? On, but getting tighter.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Tired, but happy.

Looking forward to: Getting bigger, because that means baby boy is getting bigger, which means he'll be here soon! 

Next app: Oct 20, I'm at every two weeks now! 

Lots of Love,

KJsbabe

24 weeks! It's V-day!

Baby boy is 24 weeks! We have reach viability day! It feels really good to reach such an important milestone. :) 

6 Months baby!

 

My app on the 8th went well... That is, when I remembered to go to it. I sort of forgot about it! Oops! The 8th was a Monday and the weekend before some good friends of ours got married. KJ was a groomsman so all that week leading up to it I was thinking wedding, wedding, wedding. In the back of my mind I knew I had an app on Monday, but I woke up that morning and thought, "It's a beautiful day, we have nothing to do, let's go to the park to jog and play!" So that's what Lexi and I did! We had just finished jogging and I was pushing Lexi on the swings, and my phone rang.... It was of course the doctor's office calling to see if I had forgotten about my app. Oops! I felt terrible! I was hoping they would have me come in that afternoon instead or maybe the next day, but nope! They wanted me to come in right then! Ugh, the park is only a couple minuets away, so Lexi and I went to my app. Me sweaty, unshowered, and in my workout clothes, and Lexi in her dingy play clothes. Not my best moment... I feel like I need to dress extra nice at my next app to make up for it! But other than that, baby boy's HB sounded good and my fundal height was on track.

The aches and pains of pregnancy are starting to set in. It was right around 24w with Lexi that they started, so not surprising. Things are just going to get more uncomfortable from here! Joy! My belly is heavy. It's hard to get comfortable to sleep. I'm constantly warm. My feet and hands are starting to swell. I hate all pants except yoga pants. I get out of breath walking up and down the stairs. Oy.

But, baby boy seems to be doing good. He kicks and moves around a lot. Last week he kind of gave me a scare. He's usually very active in the evening after Lexi is in bed. Well, last Wednesday I barely felt him move all evening and the morning and afternoon were about the same. I still felt a little kicks here and there, but nothing like it had been. Friday morning I woke up really early because I just couldn't sleep, so I had some breakfast and laid down to see if I could feel him. I felt 10 kicks in 10 minuets, no problem, so that really put my mind more at ease. I have anterior placenta, so I know that can make it harder to feel him in certain positions. I've checked on him with the Doppler a few times and he's still chugging along at 149. 

22w2d at the wedding

How far along? 24 weeks

Total weight gain: 16lbs *le sigh*

Maternity clothes? Shirts yes. Pants depend. I mostly wear yoga pants, but if I feel like I need to look "dressed" I do jeans. If I know I'm going to be sitting a lot I wear maternity jeans because they're more comfortable. The thing I hate about them is that they sag which bugs the crap out of me and I constantly have to pull them up. If I'm going to be walking or standing a lot I wear my "fat jeans" with a belly band because they stay up better. They are pretty uncomfortable to sit in, though. I can't win.

Stretch marks? Nope

Sleep: I'm sleeping ok, but some nights it's hard to get comfortable. Sometimes I wake up laying on my back, which makes me nervous. I don't want to cut off his circulation accidentally.

Best moment this month: Every moment with my healthy little boy is the best :)

Miss Anything? My figure 

Movement: Lots! Baby boy loves to kick! He's a wild man some nights!

Food cravings: Cheese, chocolate

Anything making you queasy or sick: My prenatal when I don't eat enough with them.

Gender prediction: Still boy :)

Labor Signs: none

Symptoms: Lots of movement, my growing belly

Belly Button in or out? In, but getting flatter

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy but tired

Looking forward to: The 3rd tri :)

Next app: Oct 6

Lots of Love,

KJsbabe

20 Weeks! Half Baked!!

We are half way there already! This is going so fast!! I'm feeling good physically and I'm happy to have reached thesis milestone. My belly has grown exponentially. I look like I'm 6 or 7 months, instead of 5. Because of all the growth my belly has been sore a lot in the evenings. It's starting to get hard to bend over already. I've stated to ever so attractive pregnancy squat to pick things up off the floor. I wasn't expecting to have to do that for a while still. I'm much bigger already than I was last time. 

5 months!

Comparison pic: 20w with Lexi (pink) vs 20w with baby boy... I'm huge! Lol

Maternity clothes are a struggle right now. Nothing fits right. I found some small jeans on eBay for a good price and they fit well when I tried them on. But the first time I wore them out I hated them. I'm disappointed. They were hard to move in and they cut into my belly at the bottom while still sagging down in the back. I joked about it before, but I think I'm really just going to wear yoga pants for the rest of this pregnancy! 

18w in my new mat jeans... Too bad I hate them!

KJ and I have been doing more work on the nursery. The room is all cleaned out now. I primed the dresser and painted the book shelf. I need to get some feet for the shelf and new hard wear for the dresser. I need to get KJ priming the walls. I really want to get all the painting done while the weather is warm so I can do the small things outside and we can air things out when he paints inside. 

How far along? 20 weeks

Total weight gain: I don't even want to admit to this one. I'm up 13lbs *hides head in shame* My original goal was to be at 6lbs at 20w so I would be free to gain a pound a week for the rest of the pregnancy and I'd end up right at my end goal of 25lbs. Well, the best laid plans... Granted, my belly really grew a lot this month, but 9lbs in 4 weeks! Ugh. Not what I wanted to see :( I know this gain is for the best reason there is, but it's really hard watching the scale go up. I was over weight all though school up until I graduated college, and I worked really hard to get to where I am/was. But I keep telling myself I lost all 47lbs after Lexi, I can and will do it again.

Maternity clothes? I don't even want to talk about clothes right now. I'm so over them!

Stretch marks? Nope

Sleep: Sleeping well most nights. I can't lay on my back any more, so every night I try to focus on laying on my side. I usually wake up at least once on my back, though :/

Best moment this month: Finding out that we're having a boy!!! I'm so excited!

Miss Anything? Sleeping on my back and clothes that fit.

Movement: Yes! I finally started feeling little kicks around 17 weeks. I found out at our a/s that I have an anterior placenta this time, so that explains it a little. I mostly feel kicks on the sides and bottom. Baby boy still loves to kick my bladder.

Food cravings: Soy milk, tomato sauce 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Cereal and milk. This is Lexi breakfast of choice right now and it's better if I eat the same thing she does or else she wants whatever I have and not her own. Blah

Gender prediction: I was right! Boy!!

Labor Signs: none

Symptoms: My ever growing belly, shortness of breath. I'm starting to really slow down, I get really tired after I run.

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy most of the time. I gave into my no caffeine rule and now I feel like a whole new person! Lol

Looking forward to: Reaching v-day next month!

Next app: Sept 8 for a check up

Lots of Love,

KJsbabe

And a cute Lexi pic :)

We're Having A...

We had our anatomy scan today and everything went really well! Baby looked great! We got to see the heart, arteries, kidneys, spine, brain, head, abdomen, arms, legs, placenta, cord, nose, lips, face, and everything looked just as it should. HB was 157 and baby was even measuring 6 whole days ahead at 19w3d! I was really surprised because everything, arms, legs, head, abdomen, and spine were measuring ahead. Baby also weighted 10oz. They were wiggling around and sucking their fingers :) All in all, we have a healthy LO! 

I'm so happy and so relieved that everything is going well! Also at our scan we were able to find out the gender! :) When the tech zoomed in on the area it was pretty obvious. With Lexi we were 90% sure she was a girl and there was nothing indicating boy, but there was always a little doubt. Well this time there is no doubt about it! Lol

We're having a BOY!!

I'm so excited!! I've always wanted one of each :) I feel like everything has come full circle now. I always felt like one or both of my losses were boys, so finally having and getting to meet our boy feels really good. It feels right. This baby will complete our family! 

And now on the planning!! Now that we know what the sex will be we can start on the nursery and I can start yard saleing for baby boy clothes! First thing is to clean the room out. It's been our guest room/ storage room/ cat room/ catch all room since we bought our house five years ago. There's a lot of stuff that will need a new home. Then KJ will need to do lots of priming. There's a beach mural on one of the walls from the previous owners. We never had a reason to redo the room before, so we never painted over it. So much to do and we're almost half way there already! January will be here before we know it!

I found a great announcement idea on Pintrest and I made scratch off cards to send to our families. They were easy to make and turned out well!

Lots of Love, 

KJsbabe

16 Weeks - 4 Months!!

Well, I am officially in the second tri now (I count by 13w3d). I'm still tired all the time and I keep waiting for my energy to come back. I guess it has a little, but not like I'm used to. I really miss caffeine!! I'm still running every other day and walking on the off days. I'm running 4.5 miles when I'm on my own or 3.2 miles when I have Lexi in the stroller. A long way off from last summer, but I'm doing what I can! 

15w2d

So, just after 12w I started to have trouble peeing at night. I would get up in the middle of the night, sit down to go, and nothing would come out even though I had a full bladder. I had an app on July 14th (just a check up/ Doppler check) and my doctor told me that baby was sitting on my urethra and blocking things off. Super fun!! I had to do like a downward dog jiggle thing to get baby up higher so I could pee. But, at about 14.5w I noticed when I woke up one morning that I could feel my ute up above my pelvis and I haven't had the problem since. I'm so glad the issue didn't last long!!

Speaking of peeing, this baby loves to sit on my bladder and make me have to pee every 15 minuets. I know my bladder isn't full yet, but I still feel like I have to pee NOW! The other day it got really bad. Lexi and I were getting ready to go to story time. I peed right before I got us in the car, but as soon as sat down I felt like I had to pee again. I thought, "there's no way. I literally just peed, I'll be fine." It's a half hour drive to story time. Omg by the time we got there I was ready to explode! With Lexi this peeing all the time thing didn't set in until late third tri. 

How far along? 16 weeks

Total weight gain: 4 pounds. The running is really helping me to keep things under control.

Maternity clothes? I'm sticking with the belly button bands. They work for the most part. I like that they attach to the buttons of my pants. I can unbutton how ever far is comfortable and it's covered up. I have some problems with my pants sagging in the back, but I usually have that problem pregnant or not. I tried on my maturity pants the other day and they're still too big. With Lexi I started wearing them at 16w, but I had also gained 15lbs by that point. So I think the weight is really making a difference.

Stretch marks? Nope

Sleep: Sleeping ok. I wake up at least once a night to pee. Surprisingly I'm still ok laying on my back. With Lexi I started feeling sick every time I laid on my back around 16 weeks. I really missed it all though that pregnancy, so I'm excited it's not setting in as soon this time.

Best moment this month: Being able to pee again! Lol

Miss Anything? Caffeine. Seriously, it's a struggle to get though the day sometimes. I don't feel like I'm being a great mom to Lexi because I just don't have the energy to do a lot. And when I'm tired I get snippy and I just don't have a ton of patience. 

Movement: I keep thinking I feel little flutters, but then I convince myself it's just gas. I thought I felt a kick last week, but I was pretty high up and I really don't think my ute is that high yet. With Lexi I felt full on kicks at the end of 17w, and they say you're supposed to feel movement earlier with baby number two. But I'm still waiting for an undeniable kick.

Food cravings: Mexican. I'm really loving the combo of pineapple salsa, sour cream, and cheese. Love it!! And spaghetti! Yum!  

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope

Gender prediction: Still thinking boy. We will find out on Aug 11!

Labor Signs: none

Symptoms: Tired. Growing bump! 

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Tired, which makes me moody.

Looking forward to: Our anatomy scan is so close! I can't wait to find out the sex! 

Next app: August 11

Lots of Love,

KJsbabe

 PS My sister finally had her baby!! She was 10 days over due and needed induced, but Hannah Joy was born this afternoon! 10lbs 6oz!! Yikes!

I Think We're Going to Have a Baby!

Today baby is 12 weeks! I'm 3 months pregnant! 28 more weeks to go!

I had my NT scan this morning and baby looked great! Such a relief! The NT measurement was .12, heart beat was 157, and baby even measured ahead at 12w4d. Lexi measured a few days ahead at her NT scan, too, so not super surprising. The tech said everything looks good. Yay! We'll get the full results with the blood work and everything in a couple weeks.

My doctor also gave me a lab order for a GTT. I was kind of surprised to have to do one so early in this pregnancy. I asked one of the nurses about it and she said it's standard now at their office to have all patience do one at the beginning and then another at the normal 28w. A little weird, but I guess if they think it's necessary I'll do it.

There's nothing I can do to jinks a pregnancy, so I'm going to go ahead and say it... I'm feeling really good about this baby!!! I'm really excited!! I feel like this is my second (or fourth) chance at an enjoyable pregnancy. Everything has been going so well, no actual scares (just PgAL brain). I feel naive again. I know in my head that there is no safe place in pregnancy, that there are no guarantees, but I feel like we are going to get to meet this LO in January. I feel like this LO will complete our family. Here's hoping!

How far along? 12 weeks

Total weight gain: 1/2 a pound. I gain back what I lost, so I'm about even now.

Maternity clothes? I'm trying out some new belly bands "The Belly Button Band". Last time I had one from Target that I really hated. I was just way too tight and constricting. I like the Belly Button much better! It buttons on to the button of your pants and then hold everything up pretty nicely. My jeans and shorts still fit well in the legs and but, so I think this will work well for the next couple weeks.

Stretch marks? Nope

Sleep:  Pretty good except for a couple nights. There was one night that I woke up about 3am and was so antsy I couldn't fall back asleep until almost 6.

Best moment this week:  Seeing LO wiggle and turn over on the u/s today!

Miss Anything? Wine. Omg I would LOVE a glass of sweet red wine.... 

Movement: Not yet.

Food cravings: Lately it's been veggie cream cheese, Nutella, Alfredo, and pickles.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Water on an empty stomach. 

Gender prediction:  KJ and I are both thinking boy

Labor Signs: no!

Symptoms: Fatigue!! Omg I'm still sooo tired!

Belly Button in or out? In.

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Happy or Moody most of the time: A mix. Feeling good most of the time, but. I get annoyed easily.

Looking forward to: My bump turning into a real unmistakeable baby bump. I kind of look like I've just gained some weight...

Next app:  July 21 for a check up and Doppler check.

Lots of Love,

KJsbabe

We have a Nugget!!

I went it for my second u/s this morning and it went great!! Baby looked awesome and measured a day ahead at 9w1d (right on with my O day) and had a HB of 177. This puts me past my loss milestones and I feel great! I'm so, so happy!!!

Yay!!!

We got to see our LO wiggling around which was really cool. I know we're not completely out of the woods yet... but maybe 90% out of the woods :) 

The first thing I did when I got home was order this shirt from Etsy for Lexi. We won't be spilling the beans until around the 4th of July, but it takes a couple weeks to ship and we want to be prepared :) My next app is June 26 for the NT scan.

I'm jumping in with two feet!! Today I am pregnant and I love my baby!!

Lots of Love, 

KJsbabe

8 Weeks a Down, 32 More to Go!

I'm 8w today! 2 whole months! I took my first bump pic today. I think I'm showing already and my boobs are super tiny! I've never been very well endowed, but when Lexi weaned they shrunk down to a new low. I'm barely filling out my pre pregnancy bras. I thought that when I got pregnant again they would go back up, but no such luck yet. 

Anyways, one more week until my next u/s. I'm getting nervous. I go back and forth between feeling like things will be ok and like it's all going to end next week. 

Things that make me nervous:

My only constant symptom is fatigue

I don't think my MS episode was really MS, I think I had a stomach bug

I don't "feel" pregnant

No mild cramping

This feels like my 2nd pregnancy 

Late O

Things that make me feel better:

My growing bloat bump

Things falling into place with monitoring and progesterone

Constant fatigue

Hungry all the time, but oddly not gaining weight

Cravings

So, I'm nervous because I've had so little symptoms. I know no two pregnancies are the same, but I had so many symptoms with Lexi from the start. With my second pregnancy, though, I made it to 11w but our baby never grew past 6w. I kept waiting to feel pregnant, to feel different some how, but I felt pretty normal... Just like I do now. I also O'd late on cd22. My first BFP I O'd on cd20, and BFP#2 I O'd on cd21. But with Lexi I O'd early on cd17. I've always been worried about my egg quality Oing late.

I don't think that what I thought was MS the other week really was. Normally with morning sickness you feel better when you eat. I felt better when I didn't eat. I threw up at least a dozen time, I only threw up once with Lexi. TMI: I had about three days of diarrhea. It was a struggle to keep anything down or in. I had lots of indigestion and intestinal cramping. I lost 4lbs because I could eat anything. It was a pretty miserable week! So, looking back I think it was a stomach bug, not a pregnancy symptom. 

I'm in a FB group with some old PgAL moms. A lot of them have already successfully had baby #2. Well, one of the newly pregnant ladies asked today how cramping was in the first few weeks the second time around. Every lady who responded said that cramping was way worse the second time. I've had little to no cramping :/ A couple sore minuets here and there, but really minimal. With Lexi I had tons of cramping. 

But the things that make me fell better about this pregnancy... It seems like everything had fallen into place. I got pregnant on my testing/ monitoring cycle, so my doctor knew that I O'd a week "late" (cd22). So when I went in for my first u/s, it was no surprise I was measuring a week "behind". Also I was able to get on progesterone before my BFP this time.

I've had a ton of bloat since 4w, and it keeps growing. It makes me hopeful that there's really something in there growing! I've been super tired since very early on. At first I thought it was because I went cold turkey on caffeine, but I wasn't that much of a caffeine addict :) Like even right now, I could totally go for a nap! I'm also hungry all the time and keep craving roast beef, chicken, and burgers. I'm normally a very minimal meat person. I like chicken, but I'll only do red meat if I have to. I' also not gaining weight like I normally do. I usually have no problem at aaaallllll gaining wight. If I eat the wrong thing at the wrong time of day, I'll wake up 2lbs heavier in the morning! Well, I lost 4lbs during my "morning sickness" and have only been able to gain 2 back. Totally the opposite from Lexi pregnancy when I was up 10lbs before the end of the 1st tri!!

So in short, I'm nervous. But I'm really trying not to worry until I have a reason to worry. Right now, everything is in my head. I know that plenty of women have O'd late and had perfectly healthy babies. I know that plenty of women have not had MS and had perfectly healthy babies. So, for today I am pregnant, and I love my baby.

Lots of Love,

KJsbabe

We Have a Little Bean!

I had my first ultrasound this morning. I did pretty well with PgAL Bain leading up to it. I had a minor freak out last night, but got through it. 

Remember to hold on to hope!

We got to see our little bean right away at the u/s! I could see a little pixel flickering as soon as the nurse settled in on baby. Such a relief!! The heartbeat was 135, right where we are supposed to be at this point. Baby measured 6w4d, which is one day behind my O day, but I'm not too concerned. I know u/s machines aren't 100% accurate, and with baby being so small still it's easy to be a day or two off. So, yay!! I have a baby in my belly!!

My EDD got moved back by one day, so we're January 8 now. My doctor already is planning to schedule me for a repeat c/s, which will likely be at 39 weeks. So we are looking at a possible New Years baby! Crazy! You know, back when KJ and I first started TTC, I was naive and thought that I could "plan" when I wanted my baby's birthday to be. The only two months I really didn't want to have a baby in were July (tons of family birthdays that month, just way too many) and December/ January (too close to Christmas). And what do you know... I have an end of June girl and a New Years baby on the way. There's karma for you! Haha! (Of corse I am thrilled with our baby to be, no matter when they are born!!)

My next u/s is June 5 at 9 weeks, just for a peace of mind check, because my doctor is that awesome. Then our NT scan will be June 26 at 12 weeks. It doesn't seem like that far away at all! Totally with in reach! Before Lexi turns 2 even!! I'm feeling so blessed right now :) 

*Please keep growing LO!!*

Lots of Love, 

KJsbabe

I feel like I'm going to puke...

Happy 29th birthday to me! :D

Seriously, I'm so excited I couldn't eat my birthday cake tonight because I thought I was going to throw up!

(I was going to put a picture of a birthday cake here... But they seriously all look gross... Blah)

Lots of Love,

KJsbabe

PgAL Brain is Starting to Set in

I don't feel pregnant. My only symptom to speak of is being really tired all the time. Other than that 95% of the time I feel completely normal. I've had very little cramping or ute discomfort, which makes me think that my ute is not growing. My breasts are not tender. I am bloated a bit, but it also might be the pound and a half of chocolate chips I've eaten the past week. I know symptoms =/= healthy baby but.... I had very little symptoms with my first two pregnancies and they didn't end well. I had a ton of symptoms from early on with Lexi's pregnancy.

The first week I was just blissfully pregnant! Just happy to have that BFP! I've been so excited to think about the future, about what the summer and fall will bring, moving Lexi to a big girl bed, get new LO's room ready, pinning a ton of ideas on Pintrest. I kept telling myself, no matter how long or short of time I have with this LO, I want to enjoy this pregnancy. My betas came back well. 26 at 12dpo and 454 at 19dpo, 40 hour doubling time. Not as good as Lexi's, but still well with in the normal range. All of my FRER were getting progressively darker. So far so good.

But now a week later, the doubt has started to set in. I don't feel pregnant. My first u/s is a week from today, and while I'm hoping for good news, I'm mentally preparing for bad. I want to meet this baby in January and I've been making so many plans in my head. I have a feeling they are all going to be crushed. I'm not this lucky. 

I past my first loss milestone of 5w4d, which feels good. But with my second, had I not had an u/s I would have made it all the way to 14w before I started to MC. My body just didn't recognize the loss. A friend of mine IRL just went through her first MC. They were TTC for 17 months before she got her BFP, then a week later it was over. Two days later I got my BFP... She is the kindest, sweetest, most Godly, just best all around person I know. I know it doesn't work like that, but how on Earth would I deserve a baby over her? I feel guilty. I haven't even told her I'm pregnant yet because it happen so soon after her loss. We had been keeping up on each other TTC wise. If I am lucky enough to keep this baby, I don't know how I'm going to tell her. My EDD is a week after hers. With my second loss a friend of mine got pregnant at the same time, same EDDs even. It was so hard to watch her go though her pregnancy and get to experience all the things I should have been experiencing. I had to stop talking to her for a while because it was too painful. I never want to be the cause of that pain for someone else.

But for better or worse, I am on this journey. Only God knows what the outcome will be. I've been praying every night for our new LO. Praying that they grow healthy and strong, and that we get to meet them in January.

Lots of Love, 

KJsbabe

A Sunny Day in April

BFP #4! I can't even believe it! I am pregnant again! It seems a little too good to be true!

So here is cycle #6 in review:

3/27 cd2 I had my app to talk about getting back to testing and my doctor agreed to cycle monitoring and some b/w.

3/28 cd3 blood work, which came back clear.

4/8 cd14 follie u/s, two on the left measuring 12.8 and 13.8mm. One on the right measuring 12.9mm.

4/10 cd16 follie u/s, left ones were the same. Right one grew to 15mm.

4/16 cd22 Ovulation day. Lots of pressure on the right.

4/21 cd27 KJ's SA

4/23 7dpo progesterone check 18.2 My doctor wanted it above 25.

4/25 9dpo Super surprised I made it past 8dpo!! Started on Critone 1x a day.

4/27 11dpo Super squinter on a FRER and a wondfo. Interestingly enough the wondfo was less squinty than the FRER.

4/28 12dpo For sure BFP!! Nice clear positive on both FRER and wondfo. Positive on a CBE digital! Went for 1st beta.

I'm so happy to be pregnant again! I'm hoping and praying that this LO sticks and we get to meet them on January 7, 2015. 

Please sick and grow LO!! Daddy, big sis, and I love you and are looking forward to meeting you!!

Lots of Love, 

KJsbabe

Happy Thanksgiving

On Thanksgiving last year I was 8w pg with Lexi and in the midst of morning sickness. I remember that week being particularly bad and praying for just a few hours of not wanting to puke to get through dinner with the family. White cheddar popcorn and mashed potatoes were all that sounded even remotely good. I was also very nervous for our next u/s the following Monday. All I could think about was the previous Thanksgiving when I was also 8w pg with what would turn out to be our second loss. Even after one MC I was still so trusting that things would turn out ok and the next year (last year) we would have a LO to bring to Thanksgiving dinner. How wrong that turned out to be. I was so scared that that year would turn out like the last and that this year would be just the same. Another year past and no baby in sight. I am so thankful things turned out differently!

This year KJ and I got to take our 4 and a half month old daughter to Thanksgiving dinner at my grandma's. I've been going to Thanksgiving dinner at my grandma's house for longer than I can remember. I love sharing all of our family traditions with Lexi. I'm really looking forward to Christmas! My two Aunts were at dinner this year and they were fawning all over her. It gave me the warm and fuzzies!

I'm so incredibly thankful for my sweet little girl and loving husband!

Lots of Love,
KJsbabe

Today is Our Due Date!

I can't believe our EDD is here and I couldn't be more happy. I have a week old baby!

One last bump pic

 


Lots of Love,

KJsbabe

Birth Story

Short version: Alexis Grace was born on Friday, June 29 at 7:27am via scheduled c-section. She weighed 7lbs 6.6oz and was 20 1/2 in long. She scored a 9/9 on her apgars.

Long version: We went to the hospital at 5:00am on the 29th to get prepped for our scheduled c-section. Our little Lexi was breach, so my doctor felt this was the safest way for her to come. Once we got there they took us back to a L&D room to get prepped. I put on my gown, they hooked me up to an IV, gave me some meds, and I was ready to go. We had to wait for a while for for the doctor's to get ready, and that was one of the worst part, just the anticipation.

Once we got started, everything went very smoothly. DH held my hand and little Lexi made her big entrance but first at 7:27am. The first time I heard her cry I was like, wow! That's my baby! They cleaned her up and checked her out first. She weighed 7lbs6.6oz and was 20 1/2 in long. She scored a 9 on her apgers. Once they had her wrapped up, they brought her over to us and DH got to hold her. She was so beautiful! He went with her to the nursery while I was getting stitch back up. 

The actual c-section part was probably the weirdest. I had a spinal, so half of my body was numb, from my chest down. I didn't even know when the actual surgery started. There was a girl sitting with me behind the curtain telling me what was going on and at one point she peeked over and said, "Oh, I guess they started!"

Recovery the first two days was pretty rough. The third day was better and by the forth day, when we got to go home, I was feeling 10 times better. I still have pain around my incision, but I'm getting around the house pretty well. I have more pain on the right then the left. One of the nurses said it's pretty common because the doctor stands on the right during surgery and usually tugs more on that side.

Even with all the pain, though, Lexi makes it all worth it. I love getting to know her. She has a lot of my facial features and is built like DH. She makes the cutest little squeaks and coos. I'm completely in love! She developed a bit of jaundice towards the end of our hospital stay, so we're feeding a lot and spending some time in the sun. Hopefully that will clear it up quickly. The breast feeding had been going ok. We're having some latching issues, but we're working on it. It's definitely helping with the weight loss. I've lost 27lbs since Friday! Of coarse, 7 of that was Lexi, but still. I put her in her first cloth diaper today. I'm so excited to finally use them!



 


Lots of Love,

KJsbabe

Today is my Someday

This is the day I've been waiting for for two and a half years. This is the day I've been dreaming of. My daughter was born today. This is the best day of my life. I look at her and it's all worth it. I'm completely and totally in love!

She has a full head of dark brown hair, a cute little turned up nose, and pretty little lips, just like her momma. She has long fingers and toes, big feet, and cute ears, just like her daddy. She truly is the best of both of us. She makes these cute little squeaks and coos. It just melts my heart!

I'm in love!

Lots of Love,
KJsbabe

The Count Down Begins

In 40 hours I will have an outside baby! I can't believe we're so close. KJ and I have been dreaming of this for two and a half years now. We decided to start trying for a baby way back in January of 2010 and started actively trying in February. It was a much longer and harder journey than we ever anticipated, but here we are, hours away from meeting our daughter. It was worth it. All of the heartache, all of the unbearably sad days, every BFN, every tear. It was worth it.

After waiting all of this time, you'd think I'd feel ready to have this baby! I'm very ready, but very nervous. On the one hand I can't wait to give birth and get this little girl out of me. She's getting incredibly heavy and I want my body back! On the other hand, though, I'm worried I won't know how to take care of her. What if I have trouble breast feeding? What if I mess up and don't feed her often enough? What if I have no idea why she's crying and can't get her to stop? What if I'm a complete mess physically and mentally and totally fail at caring for her? What if I'm an awful mother? I suddenly have the urge to keep her baking for as long as possible!!! Don't take her out yet! It's a big scary world out here and she's just a helpless little thing. I'm scared for the both if us.

"In a little while surely you'll be mine. In a little while I'll be there. In a little while this hurt will hurt no more. I'll be home, love.

Slow down my beating heart. Slowly, slowly, love...

See that girl? That girl, she's mine."

Nerves aside, I could be more excited and happy to meet my daughter. 40 hours and counting...

Lots of Love,
KJsbabe