Baby Update - 15 Weeks

It's been awhile since I have shared much about this pregnancy, so I figured today was a good day to get you up to date...

As of today, I am now 15 weeks pregnant with our second child. I am officially in the second trimester, so I can finally relax a little bit! Between weeks 6 and 10, I had spotting on four different occasions. It was never enough to be alarming, but it was enough to make me anxious every time that I went to the bathroom. Our doctor assured us each time that it was nothing, but I was still very happy to enter into the second trimester knowing that the risk of a miscarriage dropped drastically by doing so.

I have actually been feeling pretty well... only a little bit of nausea here and there, and I have yet to actually get sick from the nausea. I have found that (the same as it was with Reagan) as long as I eat lots of small meals or snacks throughout the day, the nausea is kept to a minimum. I haven't had any crazy cravings, but I have been craving hot and spicy foods. My sister nearly gagged just this afternoon when she saw me pouring hot sauce onto a piece of pizza! I'm also craving cheesy items... maybe I need to spend the rest of my pregnancy a little closer to Mexico to help satisfy my two major cravings! I also have a slight craving for pancakes (imagine that since I had to eat them morning, noon & night with Reagan) and I can't get enough fruit.

I have been tired, but nothing that hasn't been manageable. I honestly think that I was more tired with Reagan... I can remember several occasions that I came home from work while pregnant with her and skipped dinner to go straight to bed. That hasn't happened with this baby!

I was diagnosed with a UTI during week 11. Honestly, I think that I possibly had the infection from the very beginning of this pregnancy. Thankfully, a week of antibiotics (Keflex - the safest of any antibiotics to take while pregnant according to our doctor) cured that ailment and I am now feeling much better in that department!

I don't remember Reagan feeling as heavy as this baby already feels. There are days when I feel like he/she could possibly "fall out" from the amount of pressure that I have in my pelvic region. I can only imagine that this feeling will get worse before it gets better!

I am not sleeping very well, but I know that is to be expected with being pregnant. Between the umpteen dozen trips to the bathroom each night, and then the fact that I can't always fall back asleep once I have gotten up, I don't always get the full night's sleep that I so desire. It's okay though... I know that it is just my body getting back into the practice of the many sleepless nights to come with a newborn!

We heard the baby's heartbeat for the first time at 12 weeks, and it was clear and loud and strong at 170 beats per minute. According to an old wive's tale, that means that this baby is a girl. By that rule, a heartbeat over 140 is a girl, and a heartbeat under 139 is a boy. We have 2 ultrasounds coming up at the end of June, so we will hopefully know by the beginning of July as to if this baby is a boy or a girl!

The really good news is that I haven't gained as much weight this time around as I had already gained with Reagan. At 15 weeks pregnant with Reagan, I had already gained 20 pounds. With this baby, I have gained 12 pounds so far. Of course, I started this pregnancy 12 pounds heavier than I started with Reagan, so I'm still ahead weight-wise of where I was with her. As long as I don't gain close to 80 pounds like I did with Reagan, I will be happy! Most of that weight was from becoming toxic with preeclampsia... we hope and pray that I can make it through this pregnancy without that happening again!

Here's a baby bump photo that Ryan took of me just this morning...

For baby, there has been A LOT of work going on!

He/she currently measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of a large orange). The baby is busy moving amniotic fluid through it's nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in the lungs begin to develop. His/her legs are growing longer than it's arms now, and it can move all of it's joints and limbs. It can also grasp, squint, frown, grimace and maybe suck it's thumb! Although the eyelids are fused shut, he/she can sense light. There's not much for baby to taste at this point, but it is forming taste buds. The fingernails and toenails are growing, and the eyebrows and hair on it's head are also beginning to grow.

Here's a glimpse at what our little bundle could possibly look like right now...
So far, I have only felt the faintest of flutters of movement. I can't wait to start feeling the steady movement of this little one. That is my favorite part of pregnancy! I have a feeling that it will only be a couple of more weeks before I get that wish.

And then I will just be waiting for the day that I can hold this precious child in my arms!

Weekend in Vernon

We made a quick visit up to Vernon a couple of weekends ago to go see Ryan's family. We left the house around 4:00 Friday afternoon, and after several bathroom breaks along the way and a stop for dinner in Kamloops with Ryan's best friend Jeremy, we arrived in Vernon at Grandma and Grandpa's house around 9:30 that evening. Reagan had been fussy and whiny throughout most of the drive, which is VERY unusual for her. She tried to stay awake, but by 8:30 she just couldn't hold her eyes open anymore. She woke up long enough to get a couple of hugs from Grandma before she and I both went to bed.

The next morning, I knew something wasn't quite right when Reagan woke up at 5:00AM! She's an early riser, but never that early. She said that she just couldn't sleep anymore and that she felt funny. She was a little warm to me, but nothing that set off any of my "Doctor Mommy" alarms. We played quietly until Grandma and Grandpa woke up, and then had breakfast before walking up the hill to see Ryan's brother Reece and his wife and kids. Reagan was so excited to see her cousins Riley and Julia.
Julia had a horse show/competition that afternoon, so our visit with them was very short since they had to get on the road with the horse trailer to Kelowna. Regardless, it was a very special morning since it had been a very long time since we had all been together.

We sauntered back down the hill to Grandma & Grandpa's house, and I proceeded to spend the rest of the day (almost 6 hours total) laying out in the sun, working on my tan, and enjoying the view of the lake down below.
Ryan spent the day working on small projects that were in need of repair around his parents house, and his Dad took over the job of supervisor. Reagan and Grandma alternated between playing inside and playing outside! We all joined in on the fun of watching Reagan feed her cousin Julia's horses that had come down the hill for a visit... and for some carrots!
Around 2:00, I realized that it had become super quiet, and I decided to go inside to see what kind of mischief my little munchkin was getting into. I found her and Grandma snoozing in bed for an afternoon nap! That is when I knew that something was definitely wrong with Reagan because she NEVER naps.
Not only was she napping, she was wrapped up under numerous blankets. When I finally got her to wake up shortly before dinner, she was burning up with a fever. She had refused to eat all day (which is not all that unusual for Reagan) and she again didn't want to eat anything for dinner. All she wanted to do was to sleep, and to be wrapped up in blankets. I put her back in bed for the night only a few minutes after we had finished our dinner.

Cousin Riley and his girlfriend came down to join us all for dinner, and they stayed to play a few games of Rook after I got Reagan to bed. The ladies gave a strong whooping to the boys as we beat them with a score of 525 to -45!!! Sorry boys!

Reagan tossed and turned all night long with her fever until it finally broke around 4:00 in the morning. She was still not completely herself the next morning, but she was definitely feeling better! We had to get on the road for the long ride home that morning, but we couldn't leave without getting a picture of Reagan with her Grandparents.
We stopped on the way home to have a picnic lunch that Grandma had packed for us. We literally pulled off of the highway and spread out a blanket for our lunch. Reagan loved it! We made it home shortly before 4:00 Sunday afternoon.

It was a short weekend, but it was a very nice weekend. And even though Reagan wasn't feeling completely herself, she still kept us entertained as only she can with some of her crazy one-liners...

• As we are coming across the summit of the Coquihalla Highway:

"Wow Mommy! Is that the Grand Canyon?" I must say I was pretty impressed to know that she still remembers the Grand Canyon from the trip we made when she was only 2 years old! Of course, as spectacular as it is, it does leave quite the impression!

• After we had been riding for almost 3 hours straight:

"Can we please stop riding now? My bum hurts from sitting for so long!"

• After I had just read to her a sign that was hanging above the toilet at the rest area that said "Do Not Drink Water."

"Well why would anybody drink toilet water anyway?" Good question my dear. I didn't really understand the purpose of that sign either!

• As she is trying to get her Grandpa to walk a little faster as he is in front of her and blocking her path:

"Come on Wilf." said with a loud exasperated sigh that sounded A LOT like Grandma!

• As I am trying to get her to get out of bed Sunday morning after her restless night of sleep the night before:

"I can't get up Mommy. I really think that I am glued to the bed."

Hmmm, I wonder if I could use that last one as a good excuse to get out of going in to work one day?

Mother's Day and Birthday Wrap Ups

WOW! The first few weeks of May have been crazy busy with birthday celebrations and Mother's Day. You may recall the Taurus Party that we had the first weekend in May to celebrate my, Reagan's, Anna's and Denise's birthdays.

This past weekend Reagan, Anna & I had a girls morning out to again celebrate all of our birthdays, and we went for pedicures. This was Reagan's first pedicure, and something tells me that this was the first of MANY pedicures for her! She absolutely loved it and still hasn't stopped talking about it.
After being pampered, we went for a delicious sushi lunch. I was quite proud of Reagan with all of the new things that she tried! It really was a super fun day spent with my two favorite girls.

Reagan surprised me with a few homemade gifts on Mother's Day, and she also remembered the Mother & Daughter figurine I had said that I liked the last time we were in Hallmark. Ryan said that when they went to the mall, she made a beeline to the counter in the Hallmark store and said, "This one Daddy. This is what I want to give Mommy." I love it...
It was the homemade gifts that really touched my heart on Mother's Day... Reagan's preschool teachers helped her to make a beautiful book mark that has her picture laminated on the front and a beautiful poem on the back. The poem reads...

Mommy, I love you for all that you do.
I'll kiss you and hug you 'cause you love me too.
You feed me and need me to teach you to play, so smile
'cause I love you on this Mother's Day!

I will cherish it always! She also made a yummy hand dipped chocolate covered strawberry, and it was the biggest strawberry that I have ever seen in my life! As if that wasn't enough, she also made a keepsake of her precious little hand print.

Last night we celebrated Anna's birthday by going out for dinner at the Japanese Steakhouse. I think Reagan had the most fun of all of us as she was mesmerized by the chef as he cooked and performed for us. Anna may have been a little embarrassed, but she was grinning from ear to ear as the staff of the restaurant brought out a flaming pineapple while banging on the drums singing happy birthday to her throughout the restaurant. It really was a fun evening!

So now, all of our May celebrations have come to an end, and life will start to return to normal in our household. I guess that means that I need to get back to creating my monthly meal menu, or else we just might starve! Or we could just keep eating out all the time...

Birthday Celebrations

Reagan's preschool class celebrated her birthday at the end-of-the-month party day last week. Reagan was so very very proud as her classmates wished her a happy birthday, and her classmates were very excited that she brought each of them a Mickey Mouse sucker home from Disneyland!
Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

This weekend, we celebrated with a birthday party for all of the Taurus girls in our family, but especially for Princess Reagan. Reagan, Auntie Anna, Auntie Denise and I are all Taurus babies, so we all got to take a turn blowing out a candle on the cake.
We even had a tower of cupcakes for all of the kids to devour, and that is exactly what they did!
The birthday celebrations will continue, as today is my birthday! We're going out tonight for a birthday dinner, and we'll get to do it all again next week for Auntie Anna's official birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TAURUS GIRLS!