17 Months/9w3d

First of all, it's difficult to wrap my brain around the fact that my daughter is 17 months old. She's such a little ball of energy and personality. And she's SO good. I just feel like all the problems I have had in life were me pre-paying my dues to be gifted and blessed with this sweet angel. So here's what she's up to lately:

- Walking and running. This child wants to go where she wants to go. She doesn't need "things" to play with if she's outside. She's happy just having the grass under her feet. We went for a walk on Monday and she didn't want to hold my hand so I had to carry her. Toddler tantrum ensues lol. She just loves being free.

- I went on my first business trip and she did well, but when I came home she wouldn't let me out of her sight for a week. It's been 3 weeks and she still goes through a period every day where she wants me to hold her constantly. Normally she's extremely independent.

- Her language skills are amazing. She can say mama, dada, hi, no, kitty, bubble, ball, baby, dog, bye, mom-mom, popi (her grandpa), and some others. The other day she pointed to an owl and said "Look daddy!". She puts words together "Hi daddy", "Bye Popi". When I was carrying her to the car and she wanted to be down I swear she said "I WALK!" And she understands pretty much everything I say. She wanted no parts of holding my hand that day, so before I got her out of the car at Walmart I said "Evie I want to let you walk but you MUST hold my hand. It's dangerous. If you try to pull away, I have to carry you". So of course she was perfect on the walk in.

- Her attention span is growing. She sits in our laps for whole books and tv shows. Bubble Guppies is still her favorite.

- She's pointing things out. If you ask her where the ball is in a picture, she can point to it.

- She's still obsessed with the water, and now she loves tumbling. She will do actual somersaults on her own.

- She can go up and down stairs by herself, but we still have to be right there because sometimes she forgets and tries to step right off.

Here are some pictures of my sweet girl:

Aaaaand I'm 9w3d with B2. Morning sickness is annoying, but MUCH better than with Evie. We have vacation in a few weeks and then the NT scan. My BP isn't great, so I'm on meds, but.. just hoping to get to 32 weeks right now. And hopefully far beyond.

7W 2D

Well it was an interesting few days. I had my first OB appointment yesterday and they tried an abdominal ultrasound. She said she thought she saw "something" but no heartbeat yet. Of course this terrified me, so I asked her to send me to get a transvaginal ultraound. The OB's machine was SO old I was hoping that was the problem. Fortunately, it WAS. We could see B2 on the abdominal at Advanced Radiology. With its little heart beating away. The transvaginal showed one little guy in there with a really strong heartbeat of 154! I measured 7w once, and 7w2d the second time, which is exactly right. So YAY!!! And here's a picture of B2. He looks like a duck with a beachball on his bill, but he's SO CUTE.

Almost 7 Weeks Questions

Weekly Questionaire. Late! How Far Along? I think 6w5d Total Weight Gain/Loss: Not a clue Maternity Clothes: Yes. I'm super bloated so my pants don't fit right. Symptoms: Nausea, stuffy nose, fatigue, sciatica Stretch Marks: No new ones yet Belly Button In/Out: In Sleep: Good. I wake up to pee a lot, but I'm able to sleep pretty deeply. Best Moment Last Week: Probably throwing up this morning. It just makes it feel like things are moving along in there. I hope they are. Food Cravings: Crescent rolls. Food Aversions: Nothing in specific. I know it when I smell it. Gender: Dunno Labor Signs: Uh no What I Miss: Liquor, but only because we went out to dinner every night of my business trip and everyone had neat drinks! What I Am Looking Forward to: Monday! I have my first appointment and hopefully I'll get to see what's happening in there. Milestones: Official morning sickness return!

6+1

Yep. That's a lot of bloat. I look 5 months along!

Thoughts on Baby 2

I'm still reeling a little bit from last week's news. Sometimes it's so hard to wrap my head around the fact that we defied so many odds by getting pregnant on our own. We're getting more and more excited as the days go by, but I remember more things that make me nervous, too. Since we weren't planning on transferring another embryo until at least around February (when this baby is due), I'm behind on my leave. I borrowed leave to take time off for Evie and I haven't paid it all back yet. And we have to think about daycare since my mom can't run around after 2 tiny babies. I mean E will be 2, but that's not an age where she can just sit in her room and play quietly for very long. E will be young enough that we'll need a double stroller still. It's just a lot of things we weren't prepared to have to think about yet. And please don't take that as a complaint. I'm thrilled and nervous about this baby. I want it to be OK and it's so early I'm worrying like crazy already. I just keep hoping and praying everything is alright.

My kidneys weren't ready, either. We were going to talk to my nephrologist this month about what's next, and where another baby may fit into out plans, with the understanding that he might say it doesn't at all. I am 30lb lighter than when I got pregnant with E, which is great. I hope that mitigates some of the issue. But I have no idea what to expect. I emailed him today and I see him on the 19th. Hopefully he'll be able to ease my mind a little. I really have no idea.

My symptoms have been pretty mild so far. Mostly I've been having issues with smells. I had some nausea on Friday but it's been mild since then. Which of course makes me worried. But my boobs are still hurting and I'm still extremely tired, so I'm trying not to worry myself. With Evie I didn't get real nausea until 5w3d, and I didn't throw up until 6w4d. Which of course means I'll be in IL and on an airplane if this pregnancy takes the same path. Maybe it won't be quite so bad this time but only time will tell.

I've been having fun looking at maternity things and baby stuff. Even though we have most of what we need, I need a toddler bed for E and a dresser, clothes if baby 2 is a boy, and I need a few things to supplement my pregnancy wardrobe. I have to look nicer at work than I did when I was pregnant with E, so even though it's the same season (baby 2 should arrive about a week before E's birthday) I need a few more things.

The other thing is my pants are already tight!!! What is that!? I think it's just because I've been SUPER thirsty and drinking like it's my job so I'm probably bloated with all of that fluid intake. I mean I can't have gained much since Wednesday. I was losing weight and I'm not eating THAT horrible. But I'll be wearing a lot of dresses for the rest of the summer. Pants are uncomfortable!

Really I'm just feeling blessed to be here again. Who knows if the docs would have ever signed off on another baby. This is a true miracle for us.