27 Weeks Pregnant with Baby #2

Week ending Jan. 2, 2017.
Due Date: April 3, 2018

The last week of the second trimester, can you believe it?!

Bump:
It feels like Eren had a growth spurt recently. And looking at my weekly pics, I think the bump is definitely looking bigger these last couple weeks. Once again, I've said it a million times, but holy crap, how big will this bump be by the time Eren arrives?!
Also, I've been able to feel Eren's little body parts protruding out. He'll just stick them out and sit there for a few seconds. It's cool to be able to feel that little bump for awhile. :)

Energy:
It feels like I'm back in the first trimester again lately. I want to nap every day.

Physical Symptoms:

My back and hip have been hurting less. I don't know what I've done differently though...
Have been feeling more contractions lately. Mostly they just feel like Braxton Hicks tightening of the belly, but maybe 2 or 3 times they've had a bit more intensity. I started drinking a ton more water and that seems to help overall, but I'm still going to bring them up at my doctor appointment next week.

Food:
Trying to make up for Christmas, but I still probably snacked more than I should have.

Sleep & Dreams:

Stupid restless nights. I just can't get comfortable. And when I can, I then simply can't shut my brain off and just sleep, or I get acid reflux, or I need to pee. Blah. 

Favorite Moments of the Week:
Calvin and I were sitting on the couch watching TV one morning and he just started running his fingers through my hair saying "brush."
I've gotten to spend much of the week with Calvin since it's the awkward week between Christmas and New Year, work was super dead. I'm so grateful for that time with my love. It was awesome to be able to hang out with him so much. He's been so good about nap time, he falls asleep really quickly and I really took those moments to just watch him sleep for a minute or take his picture. He's so grown up, guys! I can't believe it some days. Those are the moments when I have to really step back and say he's not a baby anymore.

Random Thoughts:

In my mind I can't see myself going past 40 weeks because Eren's been measuring about a week ahead this whole time, plus Calvin was a big boy and he came at 37 weeks (8 lbs 6 oz). I just assume they'll induce me before Eren is a 10 pound baby, but I guess we will have to see haha. And if he is a 10 pound baby, we're pretty much guaranteed he'll fit in one size diapers at birth so that whole newborn stash thing was pointless... haha

Love,
Alaina & Baby Brother Eren

26 Weeks Pregnant with Baby #2

Week ending Dec. 26, 2017.
Due Date: April 3, 2018

Doctor Appointment:
Calvin was not having it at the doctor appointment this week, so it wasn't a long, enjoyable ultrasound. Cervix measured 3.9 which is still super. :) Didn't get a weight measurement, which was disappointing.

Bump:

I was watching and reading my updates with Calvin and around this time he was already up in my rib cage. Every once in awhile I feel Eren up there like if I'm bent over and squishing the belly, but overall, I think he stays pretty low, so I'm grateful for that so far.

Energy:
Been trying to do more yoga and stretching for my hips and back, I can't decide if it is helping yet or not though.

Physical Symptoms:

Headaches seem to be returning. They're not super terrible, but just a little annoyance.
Feet swelling is beginning. They don't look super puffy just yet, but by the end of the day you can definitely tell there's some swelling going on.

Food:
Week of Christmas. Didn't eat the best.

Sleep & Dreams:

Restless nights, hard to get comfy, hard to fall asleep.

Favorite Moments of the Week:
Christmas was this week. This year was much more exciting with Calvin than last year. He was just too little to understand last year so it was cool to see him get excited about opening gifts.

Random Thoughts:

Less than 100 days until Eren is due!!!

Love,
Alaina & Baby Brother Eren

25 Weeks Pregnant with Baby #2

Week ending Dec. 19, 2017.
Due Date: April 3, 2018

Bump:

Calvin distinguishes between me and brother in my belly. He will pat my belly and say "bubber" then pat my leg or my chest and say "mom." He even came over to give brother some chips. He placed them on my belly, waited a moment, then ate them himself lol.

Energy:
Took an extra walk this week, so I felt a little productive exercise-wise. Even when I wear my support belt, walks can really bother my hip and low back. I know that movement helps, but perhaps walks aren't the answer. Maybe some stretching and yoga are the better way to get my exercise in.

Physical Symptoms:

Zits everywhere. Dude wtf?! Looking back at my 26 weeks update with Calvin, I had some bad zit face going on then too, so I guess we've just reached that point in pregnancy. Haha.
Hip and back ache, blah blah blah.
Restless legs.

Food:
Baked cookies.
Baked some poppy seed bread at home. The recipe makes two loaves...
Mom baked a big cinnamon roll and brought it in to work.
Went out to dinner and the movies with Justin.
Just all over, too much unhealthy food and snacking this week!

Sleep & Dreams:

Acid Reflux kept me up in the night once this week.
Keep getting what feels like the start of a calf cramp but it never fully turns into a cramp, especially in the the night.

Favorite Moments of the Week:
Went on a date night with Justin to see the new Star Wars in theaters. We saw the last one when I was pregnant with Calvin. Sitting in the theater was legit super uncomfortable, and it's one of those cool theaters with the recliners. I could not get comfy, it sucked. But the movie was good lol.

Random Thoughts:

I hope I'm not jinxing myself here, but I feel like I was way more emotional when I was pregnant with Calvin. Like little comments would set me off. But they don't seem to bother me much this time around. 

Also this week it totally feels like pregnancy is too long! It feels like I've been pregnant forever and why isn't Eren here yet?! I don't remember it feeling this long with Calvin and I spent five weeks in the hospital waiting on him! I just can't wait to meet him and I want to see him sooo bad! :)

Love,
Alaina & Baby Brother Eren

24 Weeks Pregnant with Baby #2

Week ending Dec. 12, 2017.
Due Date: April 3, 2018

Doctor Appointments:
I was totally was not looking forward to seeing how big my bump is measuring, but I met with the midwife, not the doctor and she's much more relaxed so she didn't make a big deal out of it. She did say I was measuring big, but I didn't bother to ask how big. It feels like Eren could be up into my rib cage in the next week or so. I don't remember that this early with Cal!
I had a MFM appointment and my regular OB right afterwards. Justin was able to stay home with Calvin so I didn't have to worry about dragging him along, which was nice. I got to enjoy the ultrasound time.
Cervix is measuring at 3.8 cm, which is awesome. Eren is estimated to weigh 1 lb, 7 oz now, which is ahead, but not unexpected because he's been about a week ahead the whole time, plus Calvin was a big baby. The midwife says Eren will probably be over 8 pounds too, but that's no surprise.
Got some cute profile shots of little Eren and my sister is convinced he has our nose, so he's going to look like me, not Justin. Calvin is totally a Justin twin baby, so of course I'd be happy to see what a little me baby would look like. Lol.
I heard Eren's heartbeat at the MFM ultrasound and recognized it as about the same tempo that Calvin's was at. I spent weeks 32-37 in the hospital with Calvin listening to his heart rate being monitored twice daily, so the 138-143 bpm range sounded super familiar to me. It was cool to recognize it and remember listening to Calvin like that many, many times.

Bump:
Ordered a support belt. It can be irritating to wear constantly all day, but I do think it's helpful. It definitely helped on a walk.
Otherwise, the belly doesn't really look that giant, I guess, but it sure feels huge. 

Energy:
Chasing around a toddler is hard work man. Plus my hip and back hurt a lot lately, so chasing a toddler when you feel like an old lady is super hard.

Physical Symptoms:

My left hip hurts pretty much every day and it sucks. Why do I feel so achey already? And it's not only in the evenings, it can be achey in the middle of the night when I get up to pee and first thing in morning when I roll out of bed. It's sucky. I was actually reading back through my updates with Calvin and I was feeling achey at this point last time too, which surprised me to read.
I've had my first leg cramp the last day of this week. I was stretching in bed in the night and it was just a split second but it reminded me of how sucky those leg cramps are! Haha. I thought I was going to get away without having them this time.
I've had a couple zits this week on my chin, which is pretty unusual for me.

Food:
I haven't been as good as I have been in the past. Instead of coming in with 100-200 calories left each day, I've been using up every little bit and sometimes going 50-100 calories over. Not a good habit to get into, especially since we're still in the third trimester here.
As I've experienced pretty much this entire pregnancy, there are just some days when what we have planned for dinner totally does not appeal to me and we have to switch things up. I might have looked forward to this meal for a couple days but when the moment actually comes, I don't want anything to do with it. Haha. Crazy hormones.
Justin and I stocked up on some ice cream we both like. Lately, we have been going out to get ice cream maybe once or twice a week, but at least this way we will be spending our money a little better by eating at home. I love cookie dough ice cream with Hershey's chocolate syrup. I even added some crushed up Keebler Striped Fudge cookies. Yummy!

Sleep & Dreams:

Sleeping on my side is getting easier. This belly is just getting so big.
Had some super weird dreams this week but can't seem to remember them all. I feel like it's been awhile since I've had some weird ones.

Favorite Moments of the Week:
Seeing Eren on ultrasound and chatting with my sister about how he might possibly look like us instead of another Justin clone. I'll probably have my hopes up this entire time that he's going to look like me, then when he's born, he's totally still going to look like Justin and Calvin lol.
I actually told Justin this past weekend that I thought Calvin was looking to have a little more of me in him as he's grown up. I think he has my chin. I always joke with Justin that we're going to have the best looking kids in town. We live in a pretty small town, but that does not detract from my statement! Haha.

Random Thoughts:

Been wearing more makeup this week. I got a few new products and have been excited to try them out each day. It's nice to get back into that sometimes. We've been really good at budgeting and not spending money on random stuff this year, but it's nice to just treat yourself sometimes. 

I looked back on my 4 weeks pregnant post and remembered how bad I felt in the beginning for removing Calvin from his only child position. I felt so guilty, like I was ruining his whole world. But I am so glad I don't feel that way anymore. I cannot wait to see these brothers interact. I hope they grow up to be just as close as me and my sister are. I hope they learn to forgive each other and always have each others' backs and are the best of friends. I am so happy they are both of the same sex and they get to be so close in age. I really just can't wait to see them grow together. 

Love,
Alaina & Baby Brother Eren

23 Weeks Pregnant with Baby #2

Week ending Dec. 5, 2017.
Due Date: April 3, 2018

that boy looks too grown up here! 

Bump:
How big is this bump going to be in a month, or in four months for that matter?! I feel like it's already absolutely huge.
Also, why does it feel like Eren is trying to tear out my cervix? 

Energy:
Calvin's been sick, got everyone else sick too, so energy has been crappy all around.

Physical Symptoms:

My hips/low back hurt pretty much every evening.
Some shirts feel like they are so tight they are suffocating the bump!
Restless legs for a couple weeks now in the evenings mostly. It's not super terrible yet, but definitely there.

Food:
No big cravings. Watching myself and counting calories, making up for the terrible Thanksgiving week, but it doesn't seem to be helping because I'm up another two pounds this week. That brings us to a total of 23 pounds in 23 weeks. Now if I could end up at a total of 40 pounds for 40 weeks in the end, that would be totally cool, but I know from my first pregnancy, at some point here soon, I'm bound to start gaining a steady two pounds per week and that's not going to lead me to only 40 pounds at this point! I guess all I can say is I tried. :)

Sleep & Dreams:

Learning to sleep on my side better. I did it with Calvin, I can do it again.

Favorite Moments of the Week:
I know it isn't pregnancy related, but this made me super happy. Calvin went poo on the potty! He came over to me, said "poo poo," so I put him on the potty and he went! Ah! Pretty exciting.

Random Thoughts:

These updates seem to be getting shorter each week lol. 

I can't wait to see Justin and our two little boys together. 

I can't wait to see what Eren looks like. I keep envisioning him looking totally different from Calvin.

Love,
Alaina & Baby Brother Eren

22 Weeks Pregnant with Baby #2

Week ending Nov. 28, 2017.
Due Date: April 3, 2018

MFM Doctor Appointment:
Calvin came along this time, and although he did super awesome at the last ultrasound, he was not having it this time around. Therefore, the ultrasound tech worked as quick as she could and we didn't get to just stare at baby brother and marvel in his cuteness like we sometimes do. Haha. Since Calvin wasn't having a good time, I totally forgot to ask how my cervix was measuring, but I did get a glimpse at the screen as she was taking the measurement and it looked to be over 3.5 cm, which is good. Everything else seemed to check out fine.

Bump:
Should I get a support belt?
Should I buy more pants?
Why are these pants already driving me insane?
But in other news, Eren feels like he's already newborn size. He is so strong. There are times he kicks where it literally scares me because he's only supposed to be this tiny little one pound baby and yet he can really pack a punch. It seems as if he went from just fluttering around in there to trying to claw his way out in a matter of days. Some days it totally feels like he's trying to dig through my cervix. I remember Calvin would always be up in my rib cage with his little feet and I thought that was bad, but holy crap, stabbing my cervix is way worse. Haha. 

Energy:
Calvin tires me out man. But I will say, it's great motivation to try and not gain a million pounds. I can't imagine what chasing two of these boys is going to be like!

Physical Symptoms:

Hips ache, back hurts some days, heartburn, all the fun pregnancy stuff.

Food:
This was Thanksgiving week. Let's just say the whole counting calories thing was totally thrown out the window and the scale showed it!

Sleep & Dreams:

Weird dreams are still occurring.

Favorite Moments of the Week:
Calvin had so much fun at his great grandpa's in the country this Thanksgiving. He loves it down there. Being outdoors is the best thing for that kid. He hadn't napped all day but was still a joyous little boy. If we had been couped up inside under those circumstances, there would definitely have been a meltdown.
Calvin woke up early on Tuesday this week, so we laid in bed together for a couple minutes. It's the only time this guy will cuddle with me, when he's super tired. He is usually constantly on the go. It was nice to just lay with him, knowing we won't have many moments just the two of us like that in a few months time.

Random Thoughts:

Seriously, how am I going to be able to keep up with two crazy little boys?!

Love,
Alaina & Baby Brother Eren

21 Weeks Pregnant with Baby #2

Week ending Nov. 21, 2017.
Due Date: April 3, 2018

I think now's the time when everything is going to really start flying by! The second half of this pregnancy runs through the holidays and I can already feel time going by so fast.

Bump:
It's getting itchy! I've started applying more lotion and oils. No stretchmarks yet, but I think they are on their way with all this itching!

Energy:
Tired again. But perhaps it's the restless sleep lately.

Physical Symptoms:

One bad migraine that lasted overnight into the next day. Those are the worst. Usually sleep is the best cure for a bad one, so when you wake up the next morning and it's still there, it super sucks. But it was the first headache I'd gotten in several weeks, I'm pretty sure, so I guess you could say that it's not so bad.
Light headedness seems to be making a comeback. It's very light, but it's definitely popping up.
I also think the relaxin hormone is starting to kick in. My hips have felt more achy and loose here lately.

Food:
Counting calories and behaving myself is still going well. I feel like I'm either having less cravings, or not letting them overtake me so much lately. I still have snacks, but I'm not being ridiculous about it and watching my serving sizes.

Sleep & Dreams:

I've been sleeping somewhat crappy. A couple nights this week, I just couldn't get comfortable.
Had a scary dream that involved my smart watch being some kind of bug or something. It kept making scary sounds and it was somehow making the lights in the house unable to come on. I had Calvin with me and he was carrying a hammer so I decided to use his hammer to smash the watch, then everything was better. Haha.
Also dreamt about getting a shot from a nurse who seemed like she had no clue what she was doing haha.

Favorite Moments of the Week:
Justin felt baby from the outside for the first time. He doesn't have a lot of patience for that, so he was lucky Eren happened to kick just a few seconds after he put his hand there.
My mom mentioned Eren by name. She made a hoodie and was saying Eren could wear it this time next year. It was weird to hear someone else saying his name, but very exciting too. :)
Caught Eren moving on video this week!

Random Thoughts:

I want to meet this baby so bad! I do not remember feeling like this with Calvin, I think I was too nervous to experience life with a newborn. This time I cannot wait to hold my little baby and see what he looks like! I know we're only halfway there, but the last couple weeks I just can't shake this desire to see him!  

Justin and I were discussing the newborn days before bed one night. I feel like the newborn days weren't that bad. The nights are sucky, waking up all the time, but really it's not that bad because they nap all the time during the day. I was telling him crazy toddler Calvin is more work than newborn Calvin was. I hope I'm remembering correctly! Haha. In reality, I think they each have their own unique challenges. 

Love,
Alaina & Baby Brother Eren

20 Weeks Pregnant with Baby #2

Week ending Nov. 14, 2017.
Due Date: April 3, 2018

Can you believe we're at the halfway point?! And I truly, truly hope this actually is the halfway point. I don't want this little guy coming too early like his brother tried to do!

Bump:
My uterus is measuring ahead, it's like way above my belly button, which is where they say it should be at this point. And I can sure tell. I can't believe we're only halfway there and this belly is taking over!
Pretty sure I started feeling hiccups for the first time this week. It's just way too rhythmic for it to simply be kicks or other movements.

Doctor Appointment:
At MFM, I had my ultrasound and the doctor told me things were looking "better than great." My cervix was measuring 4 cm, which he said was awesome. I'm super happy about that. I even brought Cal to the appointment and it was a good 45 min. ordeal and he was super well behaved until the last two minutes when he was just totally fed up haha. I was so proud of him! :)
At my regular doctor we saw that baby is measuring about a week ahead and my uterus is measuring 22 cm at 19 weeks, 2 days. Baby Eren weighs 12 oz, they say. I know I'm technically measuring ahead, but I'm actually pretty happy with it. They say within 2 cm of your number of weeks is normal. So if baby's measuring a week ahead at 20 weeks, 2 days, and my uterus is at 22 cm, I'm going to technically call it normal. :)
Justin gave me his first injection of Makena and it actually went really well. We didn't like freak out about it for five minutes beforehand. I did put an ice cube on the spot before to help numb it a little but he totally shot me above the spot lol so that was pointless. 

Energy:
Got my flu shot at my doctor appointment and I was feeling pretty sluggish afterwards.

Physical Symptoms:

Finally starting to retire some bras. They're getting too tight and driving me crazy but it's kind of a stupid situation too. I don't want to spend money on non-nursing bras since we'll be nursing soon enough, yet I want to be able to enjoy these few months of non-nursing bras. I just can't decide what to do. Why does the idea of wearing nursing bras when I'm not nursing bother me? Not like anyone else is going to notice...

Food:
Behaving myself better and tracking my calories. It seems to be paying off so far. I'm actually really proud of myself over this week.

Sleep & Dreams:

Dreamt Justin shaved Calvin's head. Man, was I pissed!
Dreamt about Calvin and Eren. Eren was less than 6 months old and Calvin was a big boy and we were trying to take a family photo. It's all getting so real!

Favorite Moments of the Week:
Justin puts Calvin to bed 99% of the time and let me just say he's the best ever. This week he began a new bedtime ritual where they walk to the bottom of the steps like they're going to bed, but then Justin tells Calvin to go give mom a kiss. So he runs over to kiss me, then goes back to the steps like he's going to bed, and Justin tells him to give me a kiss and he runs back again, back and forth a few times. It's pretty hilarious. Calvin will hesitantly start climbing the stairs, because he knows Justin's going to tell him to come back. Haha.

Random Thoughts:

I just can't wait to see my baby! I keep imagining what he'll look like. I imagine his hair color and eye color. If he's another baby clone of my husband or if I'll finally get a baby who even kind of looks like me. Haha. 

top is Calvin at 28 weeks, bottom is Eren at 19 weeks

Love,
Alaina & Baby Brother Eren

19 Weeks Pregnant with Baby #2

Week ending Nov. 7, 2017.
Due Date: April 3, 2018

Bump:
+15 pounds.
Belly is already getting to be in the way. It's harder to get off our low couch and I'm much more aware of the belly this week. I feel like it literally doubled in size practically overnight. Lol.
Eren is moving around like crazy everyday.
I'm already feeling him kick above my belly button which I am not too happy about. I feel like it's a sign that my uterus is measuring big again, meaning I have a lot of fluid, which is the same thing that happened with Calvin and makes me worry things are going to go the same way this time around. :( I hope it's not all directly related, but it still makes me worry.
Braxton Hicks contractions are starting. I can feel them during/after walking or moving around a lot. 

Physical Symptoms:

Backache. And we're not even halfway there. :(
Seeing the chubbiness already. Engagement ring is getting pretty tight, so I switched it out for another ring. I'm on the verge of loosening my watch band too. Too early for that crap!
Peeing all the time! I feel like Eren gained 3 pounds overnight and I have to pee at all times now.
Some cramping this week.
Feeling some pressure down there this week. Some things I read say it's normal for subsequent pregnancies, but others say it's worrisome when you have cervix issues (which we're hoping isn't the case). So I plan to bring it up at my next doctor appointment.

Food:
I've been snacking like crazy these past couple weeks, but I have also realized that I am getting hungry quicker too. The super pregnancy hunger seems to be finally arriving this week. I feel like I do need more food, but I need to focus on healthier choices.

Sleep & Dreams:

Another dream about feeling baby's spine through my belly. So weird.
Also dreamt my sister was pregnant but she wouldn't admit it. Her belly kept growing but she would deny that she was pregnant.

Favorite Moments of the Week:
I had a doctor appointment to get my Makena shot where they were explaining to Justin and demonstrating for him so that he can administer my remaining shots at home. On the way home Justin said he admired how much women had to go through to have babies and I thought that was pretty sweet. However, I found it funny that it took seeing me getting stabbed in the butt with a second pregnancy for him to make such a statement. You know, going through 20 hours of labor and then being cut open to have baby #1 pulled out, then being attached at the boob to this baby for the next six months didn't cut it, but getting a shot in the butt for baby #2 did! Ha.

Random Thoughts:

On a less positive note, I have been feeling so worried and overwhelmed lately. I realize we are very fortunate in our journey, there are many others who have struggled so much more in their journeys to become parents. However, I have to be honest and just say that all of the stuff we're doing to help prevent something bad from happening is overwhelming. I don't feel comforted that we're doing all we can, instead I feel overwhelmed like every little possible thing that could go wrong is now on the table. I took the first 32 weeks of my pregnancy with Calvin for granted. When everything seemed as if it were normal. I want a normal pregnancy. I don't want to worry like this. I want to be excited for stronger kicks and seeing my belly move and not worry what would happen if my water broke before 24 weeks. And even so, what are the real chances once we hit 24 weeks? I am more aware of what could go wrong this time around and it's very intimidating and worrying. 

I used to worry about something being wrong with the baby. Some genetic issue that could cause miscarriage or something like that. It never occurred to me that my own body could reject a perfectly fine baby. My water could break, I could go into labor too early. I never imagined those possibilities until I met with the MFM doctors and had all of the bad shit laid out right in front of me.  

My baby is a person. He has a name. I've envisioned what he looks like. He is real. He's not a blob. If something happened to him, I don't know what I would do. And those kinds of thoughts never really crossed my mind with Calvin. 

Love,
Alaina & Baby Brother Eren

18 Weeks Pregnant with Baby #2

Week ending Oct. 31, 2017.
Due Date: April 3, 2018

Doctor:
Ultrasound to check cervix. 3.2 cm. Doc says if it gets down to 2.5, it's worrisome, so we're doing well so far.
Also got to see baby is indeed a boy.
She measured the heartbeat twice. It was from 150-160 bpm.
He has lots of room in there because he started out and ended the ultrasound in two different positions from sideways to head down. I didn't realize just how much room they have at this point.

Got my first Makena shot. I hate needles, drawing blood, shots, etc. but they give it in the butt so at least I wasn't watching haha. The shot wasn't bad, it just takes a little while to inject because it's a thick liquid. Afterwards for a couple hours it did ache a bit though.

Bump:
Pretty sure I am feeling him from the outside now! I laid in bed with my hands on my belly for a good 20 minutes Sunday night while he was moving like crazy and I felt it a couple times. :) So exciting!!! Definitely feeling him everyday, several times.
Justin put his hand on my belly the other day and said he felt him, jokingly lol.

Energy:
I got to be home all day with Calvin Friday. We went to the grocery store and to the doctor to get Cal's flu shot. When we got home I made him lunch before nap time and I literally thought to myself, holy crap, your energy is back! It just all of a sudden occurred to me, I felt like I was back into my normal mom groove and it was awesome. I should have been exhausted after running errands with Mr. Cal, but all was great.

Physical Symptoms:

Increased perspiration. I don't know what that's about. I did have this issue postpartum with Cal, but I don't remember it at all whiile I was actually pregnant.
Don't want to jinx it, but it seems like the headaches are finally calming down in the last couple weeks, right as I was about to have a breakdown if they wouldn't ease up.

Food:
Still too much snacking. I've had a bad sweet tooth. We need to keep the flour and sugar locked away so I can't just make cookies whenever I feel like it. Ha. I have been craving some damned Oreos though.

Sleep & Dreams:

Dreamt about donuts.

Favorite Moments of the Week:
Finally feeling our little boy from the outside! :)

Random Thoughts:
Sex confirmed via ultrasound this week, so we officially announced the name.
The ultrasound confirmed our Sneak Peek results. It is indeed a baby boy in there. :)
And we're trying really hard to use his name much more. We announced the name officially to Facebook and YouTube. I had already put it on Instagram a few weeks back.

In case you missed it, his name is Eren Michael.

Love,
Alaina & Baby Brother Eren

17 Weeks Pregnant with Baby #2

Week ending Oct. 24, 2017.
Due Date: April 3, 2018

Energy:
Getting better, I think. I stayed up til like 10:30 over the weekend. :)
But Calvin's been teething and has been having rough nights this week, so that sucks.

Physical Symptoms:

Nipples are starting to darken already.

Food:
Too much snacking this week!
Can't tell if I'm actually more hungry or just being bad and snacking more often.

Sleep & Dreams:

Super weird dream. We were sitting on the bank of a creek but it was in the location of the street in front of my parents' house. It was me and Justin, his nephews, and Justin's ex brother-in-law and maybe some others, I can't remember if Cal was there. It was also like we were on vacation staying in a cabin and I was going through Calvin's cloth diapers while sitting on the floor, but he got a new diaper that I had never used before, a different brand and everything. I don't know how these two events were connected. Ha. Pregnancy dreams.
Had kind of a creepy dream about being able to feel baby from the outside. You could look at my belly and watch his little spine move very clearly. I even woke up laying on my back with my hand on my belly too. Ha!

Favorite Moments of the Week:
I know it's not pregnancy related, but something very cool happened this week. Calvin finally started to care about story time! We've been reading bedtime stories since he was teeny tiny and he usually just runs around his room and ignores us or tries to talk over us. But all of a sudden this past week he will sit with you and look at the pictures and actually listen! It's amazing! I'm so glad our relentless reading finally paid off.

Random Thoughts:
Back on the whole "what if baby's a girl" thing. Lol. I couldn't help but think it was a girl in the very beginning but now I'm unsure about the Sneak Peek results and I'm wondering if we can even trust the results and shouldn't have announced the sex already.

Love,
Alaina & Baby #2

16 Weeks Pregnant with Baby #2

Week ending Oct. 17, 2017.
Due Date: April 3, 2018

Bump:

I need to start applying more lotion. I've been kind of slacking on that this time around. I pretty much doused myself in lotion every single day from the moment I found out I was pregnant with Calvin. Not that it helped... I still got one million stretch marks lol. On the last day of this week, I felt baby moving a ton first thing in the morning and realized just how much stronger the movements get each and every week!

Energy:
Some days I feel like my energy levels are getting back to normal, then I'll have a day when all I want to do is nap and I question whether this is simply part of the exhaustion of parenthood and it's here to stay forever!

Physical Symptoms:

Haven't had morning sickness in a couple weeks.
Spoke with a nurse at the Maternal Fetal Medicine office about my migraines and she pretty much told me there was nothing I could take to help them, even though I told her Tylenol does jack. So that's super. I guess here's hoping they go away magically (like they did with Calvin at like 10 weeks)! I've been working on staying more hydrated, almost doubling my water intake. Yes, I am peeing all the time even more! But so far... it seems to be helping my head.
Little bit of heartburn.
Nose is still stuffy/runny/doing weird stuff.
Hairline zits feel like they're increasing again.
Maybe I'm getting a couple cold sores this week.
After going for walks, my wedding ring is feeling pretty tight.
The cats have been so clingy lately! I loved it when I was pregnant with Calvin, but I am not a fan this time around, I don't know why.
I keep forgetting to mention this, but it's been like a month now, ever since Calvin gave up nursing, I don't know if that's just a coincidence or what... but my nipples have been super sensitive. I remember they were sensitive in the very early weeks with Calvin, but totally not this far along. And I feel like they're way more sensitive than they were when I was pregnant with Calvin.

Food:
Having moments where I really don't want what's on the menu for dinner, not feeling hungry but knowing I have to eat or else I'll snack too much before bed, etc.
Egg-less cookie dough. All you have to do is replace your eggs with milk. Makes cookies just as good. In our recipe, I end up adding about 4 tablespoons of milk.

Sleep & Dreams:

A couple more nights of restless sleep, kept waking up a lot, but at least I could go back to sleep quickly.

Favorite Moments of the Week:
Seeing baby brother on ultrasound when I totally wasn't expecting to have one at that appointment. He was moving around like crazy! He's so little, yet so much bigger than the last time we saw him.
Also getting to spend another date night with Justin. We went mini golfing, out to dinner with my sister, then on a ghost tour in old town St. Charles, Mo.

Random Thoughts:
It finally is starting to feel right calling new baby by his name.

Doctor Appointments:
It looks like we're going to be spending a lot of time at the doctor this pregnancy. They are recommending I take progesterone shots every week and have ultrasounds every other week to check cervical length.

Here's a more detailed post about it.

The doctor who delivered Calvin never mentioned anything about having to have these doses in future pregnancies, my current doctor said it was unlikely I would need to, then I go to this specialist and he highly recommends it even though he said it only gave about a 20% reduction in chance of preterm labor.

I know it's all for the best to help reduce the risk of PROM happening again. And visiting the doctor every week is way better than spending 5 weeks in the hospital again, but it still just sucks. I just want a normal pregnancy.

I feel like I just hit a brick wall in this pregnancy. Everything was going great and all seemed well and even though I know this is all just-in-case stuff and it's really not a big deal, it all just seemed super sucky at the time and I cried the whole drive home. I guess it all just boiled down to me feeling like I'm not even supposed to carry babies if shit is always going to go wrong, plus we want more kids, is it really worth it if we have to do this every time, plus I've always heard about insurance problems with this medicine so what kind of battles are we going to have to fight over this?

Sorry to leave on a somewhat negative note, but this week was just kind of sucky.
Love,
Alaina & Baby #2

15 Weeks Pregnant with Baby #2

Week ending Oct. 10, 2017.
Due Date: April 3, 2018

Dude, this is going by way too fast!

Bump:

Officially up 10 pounds. :(
This is the week my bump really popped with Calvin. I feel it's happened this time around too.
Finally feeling some real movements more consistently, not just the little flutters.

Energy:
This is the week my energy started to return with Calvin. I think it's starting to return a bit this week, but I'm still not right back to normal. I don't just want to pass out as soon as 8 pm rolls around and I can stay awake for TV time with Justin better.

Physical Symptoms:

Slight, slight heartburn might be starting in the evenings.
Migraines are still a thing and I'm about to lose my mind over them. I can't stand them! I'm just so tired of having them all the time and nothing works to fix them! Had a couple really terrible ones this week.

Food:
Perhaps I've been slightly more hungry. Went to the grocery store this week and picked up a lot more produce than usual, trying to stay on the healthy track. Justin hates pretty much all vegetables, so it's really just for me and maybe Cal if he's feeling adventurous.
Back at the beginnings of the year I went through a phase where I was trying to reduce our meat intake and up our veggies, so I'm trying that again.

Sleep & Dreams:

One night of restless sleep. It was hot and I couldn't decide if I wanted the covers or not. I just kept waking up so many times throughout the night. I was able to go right back to sleep, but I just kept waking up!

Favorite Moments of the Week:
Date day/night with Justin. Even though we didn't get to do everything we wanted and it actually turned out somewhat uneventful, it was still surprisingly nice to spend with day just with Justin and not having to worry about Calvin. He spent the day with Grandma. Then I slept in until 8:45 am Sunday! Holy crap. I literally don't think I've done that since Justin and I got married. It was actually nice because, unlike every other time I've left my baby, I didn't really miss him or feel guilty, I was able to enjoy the day without all that extra burden in the back of my mind.

Anything I Miss:
Sometimes I look back on my first pregnancy and laugh because it was so easy peasy to be pregnant and not have to worry about a toddler. Ha. Pregnancy is exhausting and having a toddler is also equally exhausting. It really is hard work!

Random Thoughts:
Calvin's running out of big kid clothes. I just cleared out all his 18 mos and under stuff and he now has a very minimalist wardrobe lol. With the change of the season upon us (mother nature still can't decide if it should be 90 or 60 out), I wanted to go through his stuff and see what cool weather clothing he may need. So we bought him a couple pairs of soft jeans. He has a bunch of traditional, stiff jeans, but to me if I was a little dude, I'd rather have stretchy jeans, so that's what we got him.

Love,
Alaina & Baby #2

14 Weeks Pregnant with Baby #2

Week ending Oct. 3, 2017.
Due Date: April 3, 2018

Yay! It's the second trimester! Let all the joys of pregnancy begin! Haha.

Bump:

Just waiting for this little bump to really pop! It happened at 15 weeks with Calvin.
I've started feeling what I first described with Calvin as a low, light rumbling this week. It feels like your tummy is rumbling but it's super low in your pelvis and it's very, very light. I remember it distinctly from Calvin because it was some of the earliest movements I felt with him. It's only a matter of time before I really start to feel this little guy!

Energy:
Still not feeling back to normal yet.
Finally got some fall-like weather so we were able to venture to the park this week and hang out outside a lot more.

Physical Symptoms:

I know I was a bitch in the beginning, but I'm pretty sure I've been behaving well lately. :)
Allergies or other nasal issues due to pregnancy? I remember having nasal issues with Calvin too in the beginning but it was also a similar time of year, so it's hard to exactly blame it on pregnancy.
Morning sickness, what are you doing? Got a couple days of it this week. Pretty intense actually.
Cramping this week. Kind of intense and with a backache and achey hips some days. Up until now it really hasn't been a big issue so far.
Round ligament pain seems to be happening a little more frequently. Maybe once every couple days.
Hairline zits seem to be increasing. Got a couple pimples on my face too. Super.

Food:
I wanted ramen noodles after dinner one night but didn't feel like making them so I got over it. Justin wouldn't make them for me either. :(
Also really really wanted pizza for dinner Friday night so we ordered that.

Sleep & Dreams:

I've been really awesome at actually remembering my dreams this week!
Had a dream an old childhood friend died and we had to attend her funeral.
Also had a dream about some other childhood friends and their house was falling apart and the son just kept walking around inside as this place was about to collapse.
Dreamt I was driving along the road like I was leaving Justin's parents' house when he still lived at home and it was all flooded and I ended up running off the road onto this embankment where I had to abandon my car and I was going to walk back to Justin's and I had to walk along this cliff which totally doesn't exist in real life.
Had another freaking dream about smoking. I was at a bar with an old friend and I was smoking and offered her a cigarette and she was like, only if it's nicotine-free and we laughed. Like we both knew I was pregnant and smoking... what the heck?

Favorite Moments of the Week:
Watching Calvin play with the laundry basket in the living room. He was having a really good time climbing in and out of it and picking it up and carrying it around and putting it on the coffee table and pushing it on the floor. Like why do we even have kids' toys when you get this big of a kick out of the laundry basket? Ha.
Going to the park and taking lots of pictures with Calvin. It finally felt like fall and it was a beautiful morning.

Anything I Miss:
Not feeling like a super hobo who can't stay up past 8:30.

Random Thoughts:
I feel like the working mom guilt is getting a little better this week. The blog post I wrote seemed to help me be able to sort through my thoughts and work up the courage to speak with my managers about going back down to four days per week. In a couple weeks we'll be able to have that schedule back. I really think that will help me gather my sanity again. Ever since I got pregnant, I've had some serious working mom guilt and sadness, like I want to call in sick all the time, and I've just been dreading going to work and leaving my baby boy, and just not wanting to be there. I hope the schedule change helps. It's been 5 months now of working 5 days per week and I know it's getting to me.

Name:
We have known baby's name for awhile now, but finally decided to post it to social media and let our close family know this week. His name will be Eren Michael. And actually, posting his name really makes me worry that he's not actually a boy and we're going to have to go back and make separate announcements once we get the ultrasound haha!

Love,
Alaina & Baby #2

13 Weeks Pregnant with Baby #2

Week ending Sept. 26, 2017.
Due Date: April 3, 2018

Bump:

Okay, I can officially say my first trimester weigh gain total is at 5 pounds! I must have been having a bad week a couple weeks ago when I was up to 7. I know it's only a couple pounds, but it really made my day when I stepped on the scale to see that I gained within the recommended amount for the first trimester this time!
I'm feeling Mr. Baby moving everyday these days. Of course, it's not very consistent or predictable, but I definitely feel the movement every day.

Energy:
I've been ready to wake up in the mornings better than usual. I actually get out of bed instead of hitting snooze too many times. That gives me time to do both my hair and makeup and makes me feel much happier throughout the day, I feel like less of a hobo, which is always nice.
Still napped a lot over the weekend and wanted to pass out at like 6 on Sunday, but I still think overall, I have been having more energy.

Physical Symptoms:

It's definitely feeling more solid above my pubic bone, so I guess I'd say I can finally feel my uterus.
Super oily skin seems to be beginning.
Headaches are still being dumb.

Food:
I must brag a little, I've been super behaving myself this week. I've been really watching what I'm eating and keeping track of my calories to not go overboard and it actually seems to have paid off.

Sleep & Dreams:

After I get up for my middle of the night pee, it's been hard for me to fall back asleep easily.
Still having weird dreams. Another one about smoking. One that was borderline scary but I don't recall exactly what was going on.

Favorite Moments of the Week:
Actually doing my hair and looking put together 3 days this week! And also being able to film a video for my lainamarie91 channel, haven't done that in way too long!

Anything I Miss:
Nothing.

Random Thoughts:
Justin and I have had a named picked out for a couple weeks now, but neither of us really use it to refer to new baby yet. I'm sure it has at least a little to do with the fact that we're unsure if we trust our gender reveal and we're waiting on the ultrasound.

Love,
Alaina & Tiny Baby #2

35 Weeks Pregnant : Third Trimester Pregnancy Update, Symptoms, etc.

Week 35 - May 6-12

Our baby boy Calvin Lee is due June 17, 2016!

35 weeks! Every day and every week is such an awesome blessing! I cannot express how great it is.

In the Hospital:

As you may know, I've been in the hospital since 32+1 weeks. I'm here until our little Calvin comes. At the end of last week/beginning of this week, I've gotten a rash from the antibiotics they were giving me. This rash sucks. It sucks so bad. My hands, feet, belly, boobies, lower back, sometimes the backs of my legs, all itch like mad! It's especially bad in the middle of the night when I can't stop itching and go back to bed. They've been giving me Benedryl for it, but that just makes me pass out when I take it during the day. So I've been napping a lot. I don't know how much longer this thing is going to last but it's starting to look better, I don't think it's itching any less though. Anyway, that's the problem of the week. I just cannot tell you how much it sucks, I think it's really contributing to my overall mood being stuck here in the hospital.
I've been having weekly ultrasounds now. Two weeks ago they estimated his size at 5 lbs, 9 ounces, this week he was 6 lbs, 8 ounces. He's still measuring about two weeks ahead at this point. Although ultrasounds are not 100% accurate and they get even less accurate as time goes on, at least we know he is growing. My fluid levels have been very steady at the same amount ever since my water started leaking. So that's great! I don't know how that works. TMI warning, but the leaking fluctuates a lot. Some days it's quite a bit of fluid and other days it's not very much at all. It's good to see that even after a few days of heavier leaking, the fluid level is still the same as before.
The doctor still has faith we're going to make it full term. He refers to 37 weeks as our end point, even though he tells me there's really not much of a difference between 36 and 37 weeks, he would still like to make sure I get to full term. Although he really thinks I'll make it and we all hope I do, if I were to start going into labor on my own, he has no plan to stop contractions and prevent labor. For awhile there when they had me on the NST monitors I would have up to 6-7 contractions (that I did not feel) pretty regularly in that hour period of observation. These last few days I usually don't have any contractions and when I do it's only like three per hour. So things are looking good in that department too. Everything really is looking awesome and I thank God for that.

Bump:
This bump is getting gigantic! Holy moly, I feel like Calvin weighs ten pounds already. I don't know how this belly is going to get any bigger!

I can really easily feel where Calvin is and what side he's leaning toward. He can lay awfully crooked these days lol.

Emotions:
Not gonna lie, I really feel like this whole being stuck in the hospital thing is starting to get to me at this point. Sometimes I do get a little upset and I feel like all I'm doing is existing, my job right now is only to grow Calvin. I'm not contributing to society in any way right now. I'm not working and contributing to my family financially. I'm not making dinner for my husband or otherwise running a household. I'm just sitting in the hospital 24/7 growing this little boy. And while, yes, I am so thankful he's still in my belly and not stuck in the NICU, and yes, I want him to stay in my belly until he's strong enough to do everything he needs to do on his own so that he can come home with us, being stuck in this hospital room is really starting to get to me.

Wednesday night I couldn't fall asleep and I had a little breakdown. I really just wanted to go home so bad and I did cry about it. I cried because I missed Justin. And even more so, I cried because I felt so selfish for even feeling that way. I wished Calvin was here so I could just go home already. And I felt so terrible for feeling that way. I just got to the point where I was so unbelievably tired of the whole situation and it overwhelmed me that night.

Food:
If only there were new options on the hospital menu... Thank goodness for family bringing me lunch every once in awhile. Thank goodness! Hospital food sucks. I really do feel like my appetite is much smaller than during the rest of my pregnancy though. 

Sleep & Dreams:

Kinda restless since getting the rash. I'll wake up early in the morning and not be able to fall back asleep because I can't stop itching. Then because of the Benadryl, I nap a lot during the day, then I can't fall asleep at night. So sleep has been kinda crappy lately.

I finally had some interesting dreams Wednesday night. I had two dreams with Leonardo Dicaprio in them haha. In one he was young, like Titanic young and he was playing one of the three stooges and they were on a bridge and it was muddy and in black and white. 

In a very separate dream, that finally had something to do with pregnancy, I dreamt that I lost my mucus plug.

Energy:
Taking Benadryl for my rash is not helping my energy levels. I feel like a hobo most days. I get nothing accomplished. I'm taking my sweet time filling out the thank you cards from the shower. Haha. I'm almost positive our wedding thank you cards went out in less than a week! I'm a slacker.

Physical Symptoms:
I got a rash on the last day of the previous week that lasted until Wednesday of this week, one whole week of rash. All over the place; my back, belly, chest, my hands and feet were so itchy. They think it was the antibiotics they had me on. The Benadryl they're giving me just makes me pass out.
Pelvic pressure makes me feel like Calvin weighs ten pounds already. It's not constant though, some days it's worse than others.

Hip pain and achiness.
Still crazy oily skin, as always. No new zits in awhile though, so that's nice. Still having the scalp acne, that's been constant throughout the pregnancy.

My legs, ankles, and feet look magnificent lol. Bed rest does wonders for the swelling. My hands still look somewhat swollen, but holy crap I'm super happy with my feet, etc. 

I feel like my boobies have been more sensitive, especially my nipples. I have even felt a tingling sensation in my nipples on occasion. And overall, I think maybe my boobs have gotten a little bigger lately too.

Movement:
Calvin's moving around just like usual. Sometimes I can feel him super low, stabbing my pelvic bone. And sometimes it feels like he's pushing to get out, there's so much pressure down there. Other days he has his knee or foot all up in my rib cage just hanging out super high up. I feel like he's moving in even less sudden, jabbing ways and more rolling, slow motions. 

Favorite Moments of the Week:
Justin took me down to the hospital gift shop on mother's day and I actually got to walk around and look at things. I know it sounds so simple, but that really was nice. Not having to be pushed around in the wheelchair and getting to "shop" for a few minutes was such a nice change of scenery really.

Baby Purchases:
I gathered a few remaining things on Target.com from the registry. Gotta love the 15% off coupon you get for that stuff. Ordered a few little random things like a baby carrier, crib mattress protector, bottle drying rack, and a few other things.

What I Miss:
Doing normal everyday things. But this is only because I'm stuck in the hospital, not just because of pregnancy in general. I miss just shopping and walking around, cooking dinner, waking up next to my husband, all of these normal everyday things that I haven't been able to do for three weeks now. But it's okay guys, we're over the halfway point right now (if doc induces me at 37 weeks like we plan)! We can do this. But I can't emphasize enough just how nice it is to know there's an end point in sight.

What I Look Forward To:
Okay, since we only have two weeks left, let's discuss the stuff I can't wait for when I'm no longer pregnant. Yes, I can't wait to see Calvin and all that lovey stuff, but let's be real. Let me tell you why I can't wait to be done being pregnant.
Eggs over easy! I haven't had runny eggs in eight months! And in the same category: cookie dough. Mmm.
Swelling to go down and I can wear my rings again! I can't wait to see how much of my new-found chubbiness is fat and how much is water weight and swelling.
Sleeping on my tummy! Sleeping in whatever position I want. Not having to use the Snoogle.
Wearing real bras and shopping for nursing bras (I've been living in super comfy sports bra type bras for many months because the belly is all up in the booby area, let's just say they really aren't the most flattering haha) And I'm not going to lie, I'm curious to see what my boobies look like once my milk comes in and I start breastfeeding.
Having a glass of the homemade wine my parents and their neighbors made last fall! I've just been so curious as to how it turned out. Lol.

But there is one thing that I am not looking forward to: headaches. In everyday life I suffer from both intense and constant headaches all too often, many times per week. Being pregnant has been a magical cure for these headaches. I had a couple in the very beginning of my pregnancy, but overall, I haven't had them. I really think I've only had 2-3 that made me want to take medicine for them this whole time.

Thanks so much for reading!
Love,
Alaina and Little Calvin

Week 27 - 2nd Trimester Pregnancy Symptoms, Overview, Updates, etc.

Week 27 - March 11-17

Our baby boy Calvin Lee is due June 17, 2016!

Here we are in the last week of the second trimester. Only three months until we get to meet our baby boy! June seems sooo close, but I still feel like we've got plenty of time. I can't wait to meet him but he still needs to do lots of growing in there first! I honestly feel like the second trimester has gone by so much slower than the first trimester did, that first trimester just flew by! Yet, at the same time, to think about the day I took that very first test with the super duper faintest positive line ever doesn't feel like that long ago.
Everyday I wish I could just lay on my belly again. I wish I could take off my pants without rolling around on the bed like a maniac, to get off the couch without making sound effects. I wish I could shower without getting out of breath, or put on lotion for that matter! I wish I could wash dishes in the sink without having to stand a foot away. I wish I could comfortably paint my toes (I'm pretty sure they've been the same hot pink since the beginning of the second trimester. I have only touched them up, not removed and repainted). And the thing about all this, guys, is that we still have three months to go! Haha. Three more months of this and probably so many more problems I'll discover in due time. I'm almost unable to put dishes away on the top shelf because of the space where the belly meets the counter. I had to move my car seat back a notch to make room for the belly. I have to stand sideways to hand people things over the counter at work. The bump is growing daily and so is our little boy. I can't wait to meet him!

Weight Gain: 
I have gained a lot, don't get scared when you see the numbers lol. I gained 7 pounds in the first trimester and 26 in the second, making a total of 33 pounds so far! Yep, 33 pounds and we still have three months left. Good luck to me! Haha. I believe my doctor recommended 35 pounds in the beginning, but she hasn't said anything since then... so yeah.
But while we're at it, let me just rant a bit about the weight. I know I've gained a ton of weight. I know it can't all be genetics but I really feel like no matter what, I am just built to gain this much weight during pregnancy. I spent weeks really watching myself and counting calories and eating extra fruit and veggies and being extra good and not snacking and I would gain the same amount as any other time period. Then just now, the last two or three weeks, I haven't gained anything, without changing my diet whatsoever, and after gaining like two pounds a week for pretty much the entire second trimester! What the heck? Can't wait to see how the third trimester pans out, I guess. I've read some accounts that sometimes women gain a bunch in the second trimester and not so much in the third. Fingers crossed that's me! Haha. 

Maternity Clothes:
Just about ready to wear dresses and skirts everyday. Especially as the weather warms up here. I'd like to invest in a couple more pairs of leggings but I think it's really getting hard to justify buying more maternity stuff seeing as I "only have" three months left.
My regular tank tops are starting to rise up the belly on me lol.
I wonder how much bigger I'm going to get because this belly is growing FAST! So I wonder how long everything is still going to be fitting.

Emotions:
Okay. I had a couple days of just melancholy feeling for a bit.

Food:
No aversions or real cravings. 

Sleep & Dreams:

Justin says I've been snoring bad lately. I totally did not snore prior to pregnancy and the only reason I know that I snore now is because apparently it really bothers Justin. Also with the time change, I've been getting less sleep than normal, so that's kind of sucky.

Energy:
I think it's part of the time change and not sleeping as much as normal, but I have been really desiring naps lately. I haven't given in, but I want one almost every day.

Exercise:
Justin and I took a walk together over the weekend, which was a great beginning to the week. The weather is finally behaving. Then we got to walk for over an hour on Tuesday because we walked to our voting place. :) Just one cute little benefit to living in a small town, now if only we had some damn sidewalks in this town! Lol. I wish that was on the ballot.

Physical Symptoms:
So much peeing! I seriously pee all the damn time. When I stand up to actually go pee, it just makes me need to pee even more. And it's like urgent. If I need to pee, I need to pee right now. No, I can't talk for five minutes, or even two! Haha.
Extreme hunger is back by the end of this week. It's strange to me how this has truly come and gone so frequently during the pregnancy so far. I never thought that I could feel so hungry all the time!
Had one day of lower back ache similar to how it aches with menstrual cramps, which I don't think has happened during this pregnancy so far.
Light-headedness off and on a lot this week. It started happening when Justin and I went on our walks, but it also happened just while I was sitting at my desk at work too, so it's not just when I'm exerting myself.

Movement:
Calvin is still always hanging out on the right side, that's his favorite place to be. I really wonder if it's his head up here or this butt, it just feels like a big ole lump haha.
I think I felt the first hiccups from little Calvin this week. And they were very low, so according to the internet, that means he's head down lol.
I think Calvin woke me up this week. Twice in one night. I just remember getting startled awake and feeling him a lot, so I'm pretty sure it was him that woke me. Haha. He is getting so powerful! Sometimes he shakes my whole belly. 

Favorite Moments of the Week:
Got to hang out with my best friend Shroomy over the weekend, we went shopping. That was fun.

Baby Purchases:
No purchases but Justin made a little shelf for the bathroom to store bath supplies by the tub. It turned out cute and it fits perfectly underneath the towels.

What I Miss:
Being able to comfortably shave my legs or put lotion on them. I am fine with my left leg but since Calvin loves to hang out on my right side all the damn time, reaching my right leg is more difficult because that side of the belly is bigger and harder lol.

Random Thoughts:
I know it might sound terrible that this is one of my highlights for after Calvin comes (there are so many things to look forward to after his arrival!) but holy crap, I can't wait to lose this weight. I just feel so uncomfortable some days. The thing that really gets me are my legs. I can't even kneel sitting with my thighs on my calves, that kills me. I feel like my calves are just gonna burst. :( And the other thing is I cannot stand how my thighs rub together when I walk. HATE that! Just my legs in general, I am not in love with them right now and can't wait to get them back to normal.

Thanks so much for reading!
Love,
Alaina and Little Calvin

Week 26 - 2nd Trimester Pregnancy Symptoms, Overview, Updates, etc.

Week 26 - March 4-10

Our baby boy Calvin Lee is due June 17, 2016!

#nomakeup haha 

Bump:

I think my bump is always lopsided. If I look down it looks even, that's a big deal. Lol. Even my dad commented on it one day. But it is growing sooo fast! Seriously, everyday it looks so much bigger than the day before. Haha.

Maternity Clothes:
Been wearing my jeans at least twice before throwing them in the wash lately. Hopefully I can keep up on this for the next three months and not have to buy more. Thinking about giving up on this one pair of under the belly jeans. They just stab me under the belly. Maybe this is another short torso pregnancy problem.

Emotions:
Going good.

Food:
Almond butter is the greatest invention ever. Delicious. OMG!
And... I've had a salad every freaking work day forever now! I'm pretty sure I've had one at least four days a week since I found out I was pregnant. I'm so tired of salad. Never thought I'd say that because I really do like salad, but holy crap I've had enough damn salad. But it's good for us. Some days the idea of having salad for lunch again makes me want to run away. Haha. 

Sleep & Dreams:

It can be hard to fall asleep because of heartburn/indigestion. That sucks. My throat just kills me sometimes. It's off and on good/bad sleep lately.
Dreamt that I was a player in a video game set during the Revolutionary War. I had a gun and could fire as many times as I wanted and didn't have to "reload" and the whole time I was like, this is stupid, guns weren't like this in the 18th century. To "reload" or I guess just get more ammo, you just had to fill your pockets up with lead balls. I don't play video games, I don't know why I've had two dreams now about video games.

Energy:
I had hard times waking up on time this week but I also had hard times falling asleep, so I'm sure it has to do with just crappy sleep overall.

Exercise:
I can feel myself getting crappier at this. But honestly, it is getting harder. I don't feel up to many workout videos these days, and walking makes me feel so tired and achey some days. I know it's a horrible habit to get into! I keep telling myself it will get better once the weather breaks. I hope so.

Physical Symptoms:
My belly button has been sore or tender to the touch on a couple days, not constant.
My nails have been so awesome looking pretty much since the beginning and they are continuing to look awesome. They are growing so fast. I hear stories of them becoming brittle and horrible after baby comes though so I gotta live it up for now. :)
Felt my first Braxton Hicks contraction. It just felt uncomfortable and weird because I didn't quite know what it was at first. It maybe lasted a minute.
Backaches are not an everyday thing, but when they come, it sucks. Sometimes I'll just be cooking dinner and walking back and forth in the kitchen will make it hurt, but other days I'm doing the same thing and it's fine.
Round ligament pain caused by a sneeze occurred again this week, that hadn't happened in awhile.
More acne. Had one terrible pimple last week and two mediocre ones this week. Will they ever go away? Also, just because I haven't mentioned it in awhile, I'm still having issues with scalp acne even though I've taken extra care to wash my hair more often than before.
Everyone talks about how wonderful their hair is while pregnant, but I really don't see any difference thus far. It is growing fast, but my hair typically does grow pretty fast, plus the vitamins can't be hurting it either.

Movement:
He really likes to kick in the ribcage vicinity, which is not cool. All I can say is holy cow this little boy is strong. Haha. I guess this is where the whole being short and having a short torso thing gets kind of sucky in pregnancy. Yay! Only three more months to go! Haha. 

Favorite Moments of the Week:
Sunday morning Justin had his hands on my belly and Calvin kicked many times right on his hand. Justin asked if he didn't like his hand there lol. That was awesome because it wasn't a moment when I told Justin to feel him, he just so happened to have his hand there.
Painting the rocking chair with Justin was a good time. He brought it up into the nursery when we were finished and we just sat on the floor and Justin said something along the lines of, in just a few months our lives are going to be changed forever. Very true, my dear.

Baby Purchases:
Didn't buy anything but we painted the rocking chair for the nursery, which was our last big project for the nursery. All that's left in there is to create and hang his name decor and put up a couple little picture frames for his hand and foot print, etc. After that, we're just waiting on the baby shower to start organizing, doing laundry, and all that good stuff. We live in a two story, so I want to get a little basket to keep a diaper changing station type kit downstairs too. I wish we were having the baby shower like right now. I am a planner and I hate waiting! Especially for something this big!

What I Miss:
Wearing skinny jeans without having my legs feel claustrophobic. Having more than like three options of pants in general. And having pants to wear on the weekends. I wear jeans to work, so I can't sacrifice them on weekend time lol.
Also not having a new zit every week. And not having the oiliest skin ever. Lol.

Random Thoughts:
Sometimes I think about giving birth and it's scary, but other times I think about it and I almost get excited for it. Reading stories of ladies who feel so tough and empowered by their birth stories really makes me look forward to the experience. Of course, I still have worries that our little Calvin could come too early, I try not to let that get to me. At this point, viability is on our side at least, and I try to see that bright side. When I think about giving birth, I try to tell myself, it's just one day of pain and then you get a precious little baby out of it! This is my first so it's really hard for me to even imagine what it's going to be like, not to mention that everything about pregnancy is different from woman to woman, so there's no way to tell just how good or bad that day is going to be. I just want to be positive about it.

Thanks so much for reading!
Love,
Alaina and Little Calvin

Week 25 - 2nd Trimester Pregnancy Symptoms, Overview, Updates, etc.

Week 25 - Feb. 26- March 3

Our baby boy Calvin Lee is due June 17, 2016!

Okay, can I just say holy smokes this week just flew by! Wow! And 25 weeks?! That just sounds like such a crazy amount of time!

Bump:

I've really started to notice that sometimes the bump is really hard and other times it's pretty squishy. A cool new thing about the bump lately is that I can sometimes feel where Calvin must be sitting. Like lately he really likes my right side. I can feel the bump and my right side will feel hard and the left will be squishy. I can only assume it's because he's over there. That's where I feel his kicks really high up.

Maternity Clothes:
Had to retire a couple pairs of jeans that I bought in the beginning. My hips are either wider or fatter but getting those pants up past my hips is too much of a task, so I gave up on those.
Also thinking about retiring the two regular bras I bought at the very beginning (at least I got a good five months wear out of them, yay!). The underwire is killing me because my belly is invading my boobie area lol. Now I just gotta find some reasonably priced, flattering, and at least somewhat attractive bras to replace them with, otherwise I'll be confined to the sports bra-like ones I have left.

Emotions:
One little crying incident this week but it wasn't anything crazy.

Food:
I am so worried that I have gestational diabetes and I wish I could take the test right now and see, but I'm really watching what I eat. It scares me to death that I could be hurting my Calvin with what I'm eating. I thought I was doing so good lately but just wondering if he's big or if I have a lot of fluid and if it's caused by GD, I'm just freaking out. But with that being said, I am back to feeling like I'm starving to death at all times, which is seriously such a sucky feeling. 

Sleep & Dreams:

I dreamt that we were playing real life 007 on old school Play Station (I have since been corrected by my husband, it's N64 not Play Station), what the heck? Also dreamt that I woke up to surprise snow! Surprise snow is seriously my favorite thing ever; when you go to bed not knowing that it's supposed to snow and you wake up to the most beautiful white blanket covering everything. Love that!
Dreamt that I gave birth to Calvin in my parents' living room... Yep.
According to my Jawbone Up Move I'm generally sleeping less, but I don't feel like I'm any more tired than usual.

Energy:
Let me just tell you about the walk Justin and I took on Sunday. It was a little longer than our usual walk and just when we were about the hit the home stretch, I needed to take a break. My back and hips were hurting. Plus, Justin's 5'11" and I'm 5'3" and he doesn't understand that he needs to slow the f down when we walk together. I take twice as many steps as he does. And trying to keep up while pregnant is so hard, it really is. I know walking is good for us all but my poor little hips and back wanted to give up not even halfway through. Haha.

Exercise:
Justin and I took a walk over the weekend and I went to the gym Thursday. So I only got two workouts in but they were both longer than most of my walks or workouts, so I still count it as a successful week. The walk with Justin was almost an hour and I spent 45 minutes at the gym (usually I'm a 30 minute and quit it kind of girl lol), so that's success in my book.

Physical Symptoms:
The rings have officially come off. After taking an hour long walk with Justin, my little hands were so chubby I totally could not get them off. So once we got home and settled down and my hands went back to normal I said, okay, it's time to take them off before they really get stuck. Lol. So that's that. And with spring finally on the way, warm weather isn't going to help the situation, so we're just playing it safe and I've got them on a necklace.
Indigestion has been back for awhile now. That's no fun.
Hip and lower back pain strike at all times. Haha. I understand it when I've been walking or moving a lot, but when I've been sitting around all day and it comes, I'm like what the heck, nothing helps.
Got an intense headache, wave of nausea, hot/cold battle for maybe an hour Saturday night for no reason... That was weird.
I know it's pretty early for most, but since my uterus is measuring big, it makes sense here. I'm already experiencing some rib pain.

Movement:
He is always hanging out on my right side. Whenever I feel him up high, it's never on the left. One of my favorite things at this point has to be seeing and feeling how much more powerful his moves are constantly getting. This week I can almost see my whole belly move when he moves in certain ways. He's still so tiny but getting so big at the same time! It's exciting. :)

Favorite Moments of the Week:
The week flew by so fast I can't even think of anything exciting that happened. Lol.

Baby Purchases:
None.

What I Miss:
Lots, but I'm also still loving being pregnant. I really hope I'm fortunate enough to keep this genuine happiness up until the end!

Random Thoughts:
On the radio this week I heard them mention June 11 for a particular concert in town. And just hearing that date I said to myself, hmm, that sounds like a pretty good birthday. I'm not gonna call this my magical mommy intuition, but I just want to record this in case he does come on that date I'll have some evidence. Haha. Hearing that date just really stuck with me.

Thanks so much for reading!
Love,
Alaina and Little Calvin