What Anna's been up to (a story in pictures)

Once the thick layer of snow decided to really melt, Anna got brave and wanted to play in it. Of course

Had lots of fun talking to herself in the mirror, sans pants. 

Was very good at sharing a donut with her bear

Did "yogurt" with Auntie Christina

showed her "MUSCLESSSS"

learned the fine art of picnics on the living room floor

helped Daddy with his never ending supply of household jobs

got a new bathing suit for summer and had to try it on immediately

discovered that a good bathmat snuggle after a shower is the best

perfected her art of body slams (only for Daddy and Poppy)

Wears Pops hats proudly

Whatchu talkin bout Willis?!

Her hair is growing at a rapid pace and we can get it all in a ponytail now

Visited with our friends Sonja and "baby John"

practiced sitting on the potty... even with the lid down

tested out a new hand-me-down raincoat and fell in LOVE

played with Coal- Bjorn & Justin's dog, and also fell in LOVE

and I think he was pretty happy too!

learned to multi-task like her Auntie

on a nice day found a friend down the street and had so much fun

suddenly started looking more and more like a big girl (sniff!)

still rocking those sunglasses from when she was 7months old (then promptly broke em)

celebrated Daddy's birthday and LOVED the chocolate cake

took some selfies with Mommy

would NOT take off her new 'parkly shoes from Auntie Christina, not even for bath time.

used Mommy's dress as a blanket on Easter morning

looked super cute for our pastel photo shoot

got a new pair of sunnies in her Easter basket!

blew lots of bubbles with Baba

was so happy to have Mommy's flowers from cousin Kirsten's wedding

mmmm smells GOOD!

and suddenly overnight became a big kid at the park - sliding, climbing, hanging, running.
A night and day difference over the course of a few weeks!

Weeks 21 and 22

Week 21 (April 11)

Shot from home this Friday

Well this week brought a little "snag" in the grand plans.  We had our Level II scan on the 8th, and first and foremost - the baby is doing great. Everything is growing normally, looks healthy, happy, good. Baby estimated to weigh about 13 ounces and the heartbeat was strong at 155bpm.  We saw many good, clear action shots of the heart beating and the chambers moving in and out and that was amazing, of course. The things that really got me were the shots of the side view with the entire spine and all the ribs visible. Something about that just seemed so miraculous to me. I am typically not very much the "miracle and mystery of life" type person, but this ultrasound just kind of seals the deal about all the amazing things your body does without you even really knowing it or having a very "active" role. I don't have to think about growing this baby, my body just does it and that is a miracle!

The snag is as follows (weird body talk ahead) - my placenta is lower than they'd like (or lower than normal). The doctor didn't say it was placenta previa necessarily but it is low - basically butting up to the edge of my cervix instead of inches north of that. Typically placenta previa is when your placenta covers your cervix and if it doesn't move you have to have a c-section because there is no exit! So I guess this is a marginal variety since it isn't really covering it, just very close to the edge. He said he fully expects it to migrate north as my uterus grows and I have to go back in 5 weeks to have it rechecked. He was very nonchalant about the whole thing and didn't seem overly concerned. He basically said no strenuous activity (take it easier than normal). Then I got thinking "I wonder if I shouldn't be picking Anna up, she is 30 pounds" so I called back and they said to be safe, I shouldn't be lifting her - not even to get her into her carseat. GREAT. It's only for 5 weeks and chances are very high that everything will be just fine and normal by then, but it's still a huge change in my every day routine. Anna is getting bigger and does like to do things on her own so giving her the chance to be a "big girl" is fun for her, but of course breaks my heart a little. I had to give myself a minute last night to just have a pity party and feel sad for myself, but I have to have faith this is only temporary!! The baby is fine, growing well and no one was concerned for that so that's the main thing. I can do this, and we will all survive. I also figure if I lift her once a day it's not the end of the world, as it wasn't even like the doctor yelled at me saying DON'T DO THIS etc etc - basically it was an afterthought once I called. I will obviously do everything I can do take it easy and get through till May 13 with lots of positive thoughts.

So that's that....

I feel good. I am always tired still, but make it through the day. Sleeping well, mostly every night straight through the night. I did bring a small pillow into bed to use between my knees and that helps with pain I feel from laying only on either side. I think I've trained myself enough that I haven't been waking up on my back, but instead feel like I lay in one position on one side for hours and then wake up sore!

Other notable things:

I am still shedding lots of hair, all the time. I thought that was supposed to stop??
My nails are also kind of weak. What the heck?!
I'm fairly convinced I heard the (not very nice or pleasant) Ukrainian technician slip and say something about "oh she flipped" while doing our ultrasound (after she had seen the sex of the baby). Doug didn't hear it but now I'm convinced it's another girl.
Weight still in control, this week I didn't go up a pound, as a surprise. We'll see what next Monday brings!
Still have super nose and a lot of things have been smelling disgusting to me lately.
Always hungry. Nuff said.
Belly marginally itchy, but every night I use this fabulous oil recommended by my friend Jill and I swear it's why I am not clawing my belly off daily.
I really miss wine.

Next "regular/routine" appointment with my "regular" doctor on April 30. Follow-up scan with the other doctor on May 13. Tick tock tick tock tick tock. 

Last time around [these are mostly for me to read about what's happening and compare how I looked/felt to how I do now! Sorry if they are boring!]

22 Weeks (April 18)

ugh, having an OFF day today. NEED clothes 

So I have been surviving with the whole "no lifting" Anna thing. I do the bare minimum and sometimes it's hard when she asks for "uppie" but I have to say "No, Mommy has a boo-boo". She seems to be okay with that, but sometimes my God how it would be easier to just haul her around. I need to get back on the treadmill, I guess I just scared myself the last 2 weeks and took the time off. I am just walking - not running a marathon, and I think as long as I am not overexerting I'll be just fine. It's good for me overall to get down there a few days a week!

I think I hit a growth spurt this week as I suddenly feel much bigger than last week. I feel the baby the most at the end of the day when I am laying on the couch or in bed, and in the early morning just after my alarm goes off. Maybe my heart pumping hard again wakes him up too! I have been feeling other random kicks while at work, but some days he is super quiet, some days flipping up a storm. Not consistent movement yet, and to be honest I have no idea when that's supposed to happen.

Had my dress fitted for Kir's wedding and now as I'm in the final stretch before the big day, I am terrified about it still fitting well on the 26th. Will have to keep an eye on sweet/junk intake between now and then and try not to overdo it! My belly will fit just fine, I am mostly concerned about my growing upper body if you will. Can't control it. Yikes. I can pick it up on the 22nd. So scary.

Also had my first (well, and hopefully only) dentist check-up this week. All was perfect, no cavities and given an "excellent" report. Glad to see my "home care" is paying off. (Again, sometimes in pregnancy your gums/teeth can go all wacky - bleed a lot, give you lots of trouble, etc)

Off this weekend to Rhode Island for Easter, hopefully having a nice trip up and back with our new iPad companion - Frozen! I finally got to watch it last night and I already can't wait to see it again. I see why kids are addicted.  Then a busy busy week of wedding festivities! I can't believe it's finally here! So exciting
22 weeks with Anna


And one last FUN thing. My friend Kara sent this to me and thought it would be fun to see the guesses pile up. Enjoy ;)

http://www.whatsinmybelly.com/baby-pool-baby-v20-4319

Weeks 19 and 20

Week 19 (March 28)

technically taken 3/27, as I'm off 3/28

Feeling rounder by the day

So this week officially brought with it the start of pregnancy heartburn. I had been doing okay, but lately I feel much more full after eating and a lot of times a round of heartburn pops up. Doesn't really matter what I eat, to be honest. Doesn't help to have a big meal, of course... then I just feel gross/super full on top of heartburn. Thankfully so far it hasn't been anything a couple Tums can't handle.

This past weekend I had 2 extra large [celebration] meals. Felt pretty gross for a while after that but tried to remind myself this is not how I always eat and it won't derail me or send me down a path of eating a whole pizza and carton of ice cream a night.  We went out to Drew's for my mom's birthday, which always leads to [delicious] overeating; and then the next night I was in AC for my cousin Kirsten's bachelorette party and we went out for dinner at Carmine's and again... overeating. I have been making up for it with lots of fruits and salads since then, and got up to walk 3 days in a row this week so far.

I am feeling bigger overall, which is to be expected. BUT I think I need to break out the prenatal yoga DVDs and just do them a couple days a week. I remember last time feeling so much better afterwards and wondered why I hadn't done it sooner. No time like the present.

I am also more sore at the end of the day. I feel the long days of sitting in my desk chair and I'm stiff and uncomfortable. I go home and have been using my heating bean bag every night before bed and of course at bed, to help combat jumpy leg. Glad it's still been cold for that reason - it's nice to snuggle up to!

I really am just trying to patiently wait for the start of official spring weather. I love being outside, Anna loves being outside and it can only help our collective moods. Toooo much inside time for quite a while. I'm really looking forward to getting her in a pool this summer, I can't wait to see how she acts - if her bath time bravery is any indication of what's to come!

Also fun this week - more pronounced movement from Baby 2.0! It actually feels more like kicks and thumps as opposed to flutters. The other day at work I actually saw a couple 'jumps' from the outside, nothing big, almost twitch-like. Fun to see and experience. Still not consistent, some days I feel it frequently and the next I'll feel it 2x. Still a lot of room in there for swimming around.

For reference, here we are at 19 weeks with Anna.



Week 20 (April 4)

I guess I feel like 20 weeks is crazy!

oh hello there 

AAAND, just like that... we're HALFWAY DONE.  (?!?!)

Blowing my mind. Obviously I'm doing some more growing, and I catch a glimpse at myself in a mirror or looking down while I walk and think "woah... I need to relax with the snacks" before it all hits in a millisecond that I'm pregnant again. It's funny how the brain works. Of course, logically I know I'm pregnant, but some days it still seems to be more of an idea than a reality. As the stupid BabyCenter app said "Think you're big now?...Just wait!"  (yeah, thanks for that genius writers).

Had my monthly check-up with my OB on 4/2 and everything was just fine. A very quick and easy visit with little to no talk about the actual baby-growing situation. I didn't have any questions, so that was fine. Heartbeat was strong, my blood pressure was good, back on April 30.  My next fun appointment is Tuesday 4/8 for the Level II scan (the anatomy scan!) where they measure and check and it's long and fun to see.

And finally, after some thinking and searching, I found the paper with all my weigh-ins from last time on it. Was pleased to see that at this point in pregnancy with Anna I had gained about the same amount of weight, although overall I had started at a higher number (not by much). So, all in all, I shouldn't be beating myself up! I think I am just so afraid of gaining more weight and now being 3 years older, not being able to lose the weight as easily and then carrying an extra 10,15, 20 pounds around for god knows how long. So I am just trying to be mindful of what I do without punishing myself for wanting ice cream or treats here and there.

I'm also in a blissful part of pregnancy where I am sleeping all night without getting up to pee! Some nights I just can't wait another minute and have to get up at 4:45, but most times I can power through till the alarm. I try to stop the intense water intake around 8:30 or so to help with this. I am also not having as many crazy dreams, which is a welcome change.

Last time around


Lots to look forward to in the next few weeks. SPRING hopefully making a legit appearance, Doug's birthday, Easter visit to RI (can't wait to see how cute you look Katie!), and Kirsten and John's wedding on the 26th.  All fun stuff!! Will have to upload all my recent pics and do a good 'what we've been up to' post SOON!