19 weeks and moving along.............

We had a big week on the baby front. On Tuesday we had our big mid-pregnancy ultrasound with the specialist and thankfully our baby looks beautiful..... including his brain! This is an area of sensitivity for me and something which haunts me until this appointment is over. I do have to go back to the specialist one last time in 4 weeks but that's just to ensure everything is growing appropriately. He mentioned the baby's heart is the size of a dime at the moment so a double-check is fine by me. Plus this dr seems to be more cautious than most. Either way, getting the a-ok! is music to my ears. 

How Far Along? 19w

Size of baby: Over 8.5oz and 6 inches- size of a large heirloom tomato!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +7lbs

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: The flutters and nudges are more defined but nothing consistent or anything anyone could feel outside of my belly.

What I miss: nothing really at this point!

Sleep: terrible... but not because of the baby! My dream sleeper boy#1 has taken to needing mommy laying with him each and every night which is pretty uncomfortable. 

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 and now THIRSTY!!!!

Stretch marks: No sign of any stretch marks

What I am looking forward to: trip to STL for Memorial Day to meet baby Madden- I love being there so Im looking forward to it!

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's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.

Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of an heirloom tomato. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

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!