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

Flat Diaper Comparisons & Reviews : GMD, Geffen, FSTs, Nicki's

I love our AI2 system but I am also a fan of flats. They dry so quick, get the job done, and I do enjoy folding and seeing a cute little stack of ready-to-go flats.

Watch my video review here!

_________________________

Cloth-eez Birdseye Flats from Green Mountain Diapers

One Size 29x29 

$15.95/6 pk, $2.66/ea
These are kind of your traditional flat diaper. They work and they're basic. Not much else to say lol.
I do really want to try the Cloth-eez muslin ones, they're supposed to be fluffier and they just look nice so when they restock the one-size in late October I may have to pick up a pack. :)

Nicki's Diapers Bamboo Flats 

Large 32x32 

$21.95/6 pk, $3.66/ea
These might be my favorites at the moment. They are so soft and dry soft on the line, which is a huge bonus since I love hanging our diapers to dry. And they hold a lot of pee! There are times I change Cal after 2-3 hours with a pad fold and you can hardly even tell there's pee in there. They are a little bulkier in a pad fold, but not terrible, and totally fine as a traditional wrapped flat diaper. 

Room Essentials Flour Sack Towels from Target 

30x30 

$3.99/4 pk, $.99/ea

Pad folded, these work great and they're very affordable. I'd say they usually look about 2/3 full after 2.5 hours.

Geffen Baby Hemp Jersey Flat 

26.5x26.5 

$8.50/ea
These are too small to use as a traditional flat diaper on Calvin. I'm sure it would work great on a smaller baby though. So we exclusively use it in a pad fold and mostly at night time. They are an excellent booster. Hemp is the best for nighttime. 

Geffen Baby Hemp Fleece (Fladdle) Flat 

30x30 

$12.48/ea
This little guy will last overnight with our average wetter all by itself, which is crazy awesome! I do find it hard to Snappi at times. I prefe
r to fold it inside out so the fleecey side is not the side getting Snappied. 

 Geffen Baby specific review here!

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Alaina

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