Bump Pics thru 18 weeks

14weeks Preggo

I figure its finally time to start putting these together, even if I don't post them. I'm already long behind where I started last time with Gavin. Oh well, guess that's what happens with Baby#2. I'll save these for future posts until I'm ready to post a catch up to where we are today.

How Far Along? 14w4d

Size of baby: Over 1 ½oz and 3.5 inches- size of a lemon!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +1lb

Maternity Clothes: No maternity clothes yet....

Gender: BOY (another....) - no first name although we do have a short list, middle name will definitely be Tyler

Movement: none

What I miss: wine and the gym!

Sleep: Although I am definitely getting up to pee 1-2xs a night I cant complain, Im sleeping pretty well!

Symptoms: I've finally gotten beyond the first trimester fatigue. The only real symptoms Im having is my ever growing belly!

Stretch marks: No sign of any stretch marks

What I am looking forward to: nid-pregnancy ultrasound!

Belly button (in or out): In
Milestones: Made it past the first trimester and definitely have regained some of my energy!

Baby Ramey’s Progress
Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb. Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as histiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him -- a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb. In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches -- about the size of a lemon -- and weighs 1 1/2 ounces.

18 week update!

It's truly unbelievable how bad I am at all of these updates compared to pregnancies past, but oh well, Ill still chug along as I think to do them. Mostly, I want to keep up with them because I have loved going back and reading about  my pregnancy with Ethan/Gavin so I want to be able to do the same for this little one!

How Far Along? 18w

Size of baby: Over 7oz and 5.5 inches- size of a bell pepper!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +6lbs

Maternity Clothes: No maternity clothes yet....

Gender: BOY (another....) - no first name although we do have a short list, middle name will definitely be Tyler

Movement: I am definitely starting to feel some flutters and nudges but nothing consistent or anything anyone could feel outside of my belly.

What I miss: wine and the gym!

Sleep: Although I am definitely getting up to pee 1-2xs a night I cant complain, I'm sleeping pretty well!

Symptoms: I've finally gotten beyond the first trimester fatigue. The only real symptoms I'm having is my ever growing belly! I also have been extremely HUNGRY!!!!

Stretch marks: No sign of any stretch marks

What I am looking forward to: mid-pregnancy ultrasound! 4 days.......... YIKES!

Belly button (in or out): In

Milestones: Made it past the first trimester and definitely have regained some of my energy!

Baby Ramey’s ProgressHead to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long, and he weighs almost 7 ounces (about the size of a bell pepper). He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

5 month update!

So much has happened this month! Gavin is growing like a weed! We're fearful of the day we have to start feeding him real food! Lol! At his 4 month appointment he was 17.4lbs and 27.5in long- 70% and 95% percentile respectively! It's crazy to us- he looks and FEE LS huge!!! The pedi also broke the news to us that he's officially teething. We wondered about that do to the sudden thrashing of his head but after 2 weeks- still no teeth! Wish they'd hurry though and break through. This month we finally broke the swaddle- woohoo!!!!! It wasn't as tough as we thought and he seems so much happier! After a few rough nights he is back to his nighttime routine of sleeping 8:30-630a. We also started oatmeal a few weeks ago- although initially he was a little skeptical- he has now really adapted. I also started sweet potatoes a few days ago and he loves them! I'm excited about getting him started out right regarding fruits and veggies. I also tried my hand at making homemade baby food and it was so easy. I made sweet potatoes, peas and carrots. Excited to see Gavin try out other veggies as the days and weeks wear on. This month has proved to be another month full of smiles and screams! He loves screaming and imitating all the sounds we make. He also found his feet this month- everything in the mouth- including his feet! Gavin's still wearing a size 2 diaper, but those are starting to feel small. He's also in 6-9 month clothing- see above comments about our pedi visit! :) July will bring a month full of family time, with Ally coming to stay for a month! We can't wait and look forward to this every year! I can't wait for Gavin and her to have all that uninterrupted time together! She is so cute with him! I can't believe she's going to be in 7th grade in just a few months! We love you both so much! Happy summer!

4 Month Update and More....

I can’t believe that Gavin is already 4 months old! We go to the doctor next week so Ill have updated stats then, but I can assure you he is a growing boy. He seems sooooo long! He is loving, loving his hands and his voice these days. As soon as he loses his binky, his hands immediately get inserted into his mouth. He also has seemed to discover his voice. He screams so loud- I think he really enjoys the sound of his voice! It makes watching tv difficult at times and Jason and I just look at each other and worry what the future holds with this little chatterbox. He also has rolled over a few times, probably just 4-5 times. Most of the time he has done it during the day for my Mom but I did get him to do it for me over Memorial Day weekend. He is still sleeping like a dream! We are so very lucky and thankful on the sleeping front. Pretty consistently he sleeps from 8:30p- 6:30a. Occasionally, he’ll cry out in the middle of the night but all I have to do is give him his binky and he usually goes right back to sleep. He is STILL being swaddled (with his legs out) and sleeping in his rock ‘n play sleeper. We’ve tried sleeping in his pack ‘n’ play, which is flat and he seems to tolerate it pretty well but Im dreading the thought of breaking the swaddle habit. He just sleeps so much better when he is bundled up. Without his swaddle he knocks himself in the face and wakes himself up every time. He is wearing a size 2 diaper now and has officially moved up to 6 month clothes. The 3 months clothes are just too tight on his chubby little arms and legs! He is still just so much fun to be around and is so happy! He smiles constantly and is always putting on a show. We love you Baby G!

What else is going on- Ally just finished up her volleyball season and they definitely were improved from previous years. They even won the first game in their end of year tournament. Unfortunately, they lost their second game but they were playing the #1 seed. She also wrapped up her first year in middle school and got numerous awards! She rocked the oboe this year and even made the Wind Ensemble band for next year, which is the best band in the middle school and made up primarily of 8^th graders, so we’re very proud of her. She also got an award (even though she didn’t go up to accept I- stinker!) for making the A-B honor roll every session this year! Moving on to 7^th grade and her first year of school athletics- cant wait!!!!

I’ve still been running a lot- with my goal still being to run a ½ marathon (13.1 miles) in Sept/Oct. I ran my first 5k over Memorial Day weekend and Im glad that I got at least one race under my belt before taking on my ½ in early fall. I still do most of my running on the treadmill, but I have started doing my long runs outside early on Saturday mornings. I’m up to 5 miles now and feeling much more confident these days that Ill make my goal. Just 3 months ago when I started running I couldn’t run more than a few minutes before I’d have to stop and walk for a bit. I’ve definitely been bitten by the running bug!! I never feel as good as I do after a long run is done and I feel like Ive accomplished something I never thought I could. Im definitely encountering challenges/running problems that I never would imagine Id run far enough to have. Im having to research and start considering my options for mid-run hydration and fuel- SO WEIRD TO THINK ABOUT!

I guess that’s about it! Hope everyone’s summer is starting out well!

Back to work!

Ive been back at work now for 1 week of half days and 2 weeks of full days. It’s certainly been an adjustment but we’re all doing well. Gavin hasn’t missed a beat and for that I’m very thankful. He is still is just a sweet, happy boy. He makes the sweetest sounds these days and does his best to mimic  whatever silly sound his Mommy or Daddy are making. I can’t even believe he is about to be 4 months old. Seems just yesterday we were preparing for his arrival. He still loves his hands and will sometimes stick his fingers so far into his mouth  he chokes himself. He also has made a habit out of giving us a really good cry after every feeding. Don’t worry, he isn’t hungry, we aren’t starving him, he just really likes to feed so he briefly gets upset when it’s over. Have to admit it kind of makes me chuckle. He still isn’t rolling over which worried his Mommy for about 1 minute, but I read up on 3 month milestones and he does everything perfectly so I’m not worried he isn’t quite rolling over yet. He is very close and rocks feverishly back and forth but hasn’t quite made it over yet. He is so strong and when he kicks his feet at me, he often catches me just right and it takes my breath away. I’ve debated over starting some solids at 4 months but I think Im going to hold off until 5 or 6 months. I figure why rush it. We also tried having him move out of his rock ‘n play sleeper and sleep flat in his bed. Let’s just say he isn’t a fan and didn’t sleep as well so we’re going to leave him where he is for another few weeks. We’ll try again. He also is still being swaddled. He is so long we have to swaddle him with his feet out but he loves having his hands close to his body. It’s the signal/routine for him to signify sleep and there seems to be nothing wrong with continuing to swaddle his arms so that’s another thing we’ve put off changing for awhile. He still very much has the startle reflex and without his arms swaddled he knocks himself in the face and immediately wakes himself up. Not fun for anyone.

Ally’s school year and volleyball are wrapping, at least for now. We’re in the midst of the end of season tournament and for the first time they made it to the 2^nd round. Cant wait to see them play Saturday morning. As they’ve gotten more competitive my level of excitement has also increased. Next year she will get to try out for the school’s volleyball team so we will spending some extra time this summer trying to get ready. We have a few camps and clinics lined up for her. She is getting so big, its unbelievable to think I remember when she entered kindergarten and now she’s going to be a 7^th grader next year! WOW!

We’re ready for the summer. Excited that my Mom’s apartment is right down the street which means there is an accessible pool right down the street!

Ive been picking up my running over the last week. My goal is to run a ½ marathon sometime during the fall so I have to make a concerted effort to bump my mileage up. I ran a 5k twice this week. According to my training schedule it says I need to run 4 miles this weekend. We’ll see!

Reflections

Where do I even start my reflection on the last 13 weeks?! They’ve been AMAZING, tiring, terrifying, scary, exhausting but most of all the best 13 weeks of my life. I knew Id love our baby but I didn’t know how much Id love him or have any idea how much Id love my husband and Ally that much more after seeing them with Gavin. Ive said it before but Im so thankful that Ally now has a sibling. She has THAT person! She has a built in best friend for the rest of her life because I promise there is no age difference that can separate siblings! I’m so happy for her. She doesn’t know or realize it yet, but she will. And there is nothing like seeing your manly husband cooing at our 2 month old. Ill forever be grateful for the 13 weeks that my company has afforded me, but Im ready to go back. Im ready to get into a routine that is long lasting, anxious to get in a routine that we can implement long term.

Gavin has absolutely woohed Jason and I into thinking this all easy. Every parent says their baby is easy but ours truly is. At 11 weeks, he was sleeping through the night- 830p – 630a. We cant ask for more. He cries, sure, but only when he’s bored, overtired or hungry. He has almost made us think that another one would be just as easy, but Im not as easily convinced.

Reflecting on where we are: Gavin is now “talking”, cooing and smiling like a crazy man. He is consistently wearing 3 month clothing and size 1 diapers. He probably could move up to size 2 diapers but we had so many size 1 diapers that Im holding off until I absolutely have to move up! LOL! He is so fun right now. He can lay on his play mat and play independently for 30-45 mins. Its great for Mom when she’s cooking dinner! He has the most beautiful eyelashes and eyes, they just suck you in!  Im so proud to be his Mommy and having him here with us, has exceeded anything I could have imagined. I cant wait to experience the next few months, years when his personality really starts to come out.

Now comes real life- going back to work!! Ill have many more updates when I have a bit more “hands free” time. Sure Im sad about going back to work, but I can promise that never before will I ever be so glad to come home at the end of the day.