Little Buddy #2: 27 weeks

week 17 // 18 // 19 // 20 // 21 // 22 // 23 // 24 // 25 // 26

Growing // Baby is the size of a rutabaga, and weighing somewhere between 1.5 and 2.5 pounds. They say that baby is showing brain activity and his brain will keep on getting more complex. He's also practicing inhaling and exhaling with his rapidly developing lungs. 

Eating + Sleeping // Nothing fancy to report here, just the usual. Feeling really tired lately, and trying to get myself to go to bed earlier, but that's next to impossible for me. 

Feeling // I've been thinking alot about the fact that if I were replaying my first pregnancy, I'd be hospitalized in 6 weeks and having a baby in 7. And the thought of that simply overwhelms me. I can't even imagine going through all of that again. I'm not emotionally or mentally prepared to have a baby in 1.5 months. That's just way too soon! So I suppose I could say I've been feeling overwhelmed lately. We are in the process of getting all sorts of new furniture for our house as the items we were borrowing for over three years have now been returned to their rightful owner. And this is exciting and overwhelming all at the same time. I'm excited to recreate the boys room as the boys' room rather than as a guest room. And it's been fun to envision what I want that room to look like! But I'm still feeling overwhelmed at the prospect of having to make decisions and having to take the time to go shopping, etc. 

Wearing // I am loving all of my maternity items, such as the dress in the picture above. I wear all three of my maternity dresses probably once a week! Such good purchases - so happy with them, and also loving leggings and my maternity tank from Target and boots. Love this time of year so that I can wear boots and tights and leggings and scarves and hats and all things cozy!

Milestones // LB2 is moving a TON, which is exciting but also uncomfortable at the same time! We have started talking names, but I have a feeling this baby may go without a name for a day or two. :) I guess that's just how we roll - we do best having to decide when it's crunch time!

Pregnant with Jack week 17 // 18 // 19 // 20 // 21 // 22 // 23 // 24 // 25 // 26 // 27 

Little Buddy #2: 24 weeks!

week 17 // 18 // 19 // 20 // 21 // 22 // 23 

Growing // They say LB2 gained about 4 ounces since last week, which puts him at about 1 1/3 pounds, and he's almost a foot long. Either the size of a cantoulope or the sir of an ear of corn depending on which website you look at. If you ask me, those are very different food objects! His brain is also growing quickly now and his taste buds are continuing to develop. And his skin is thin and translucent. 

Eating + Sleeping // I have been eating everything lately! There isn't one thing that makes me queasy or one thing that I'm particularly craving right now. Loving salads now with yummy cheese and a nice dressing. And in regards to sleep, well that's an interesting issue in itself. I'm not getting much of it. We did have a moment last week where Jack woke up every few hours. I thought I was going to have a meltdown, and I was worried about him as he does NOT do that. He normally sleeps solid from night until morning. So I was waking the husband up...is he sick? Does he have a fever? What's going on...why is he doing this? Poor Peter ...and here's me thinking he has all the answers! The in laws arrived that night, so maybe he wasn't use to sharing a room, or maybe his sound machine was too quiet, or maybe...who really knows! I could make up all sorts of reasons. What I do know is that it reminded me of what our reality will be in just a few short months when LB2 arrives! And let me tell you, it wasn't a pretty sight. My husband loves his sleep, both of us do, let's be honest, but Peter isn't a huge fan of being disturbed in the middle of the night. He will do anything for his child, including night time wake ups, and he did ALOT of those with Jack considering he was bottle fed for his first few months before we transitioned fully to breasfteeding. So Peter would get up to feed Jack and I would pump. So this isn't unfamiliar territory to him, but it is kind of considering it's been a really LONG time since something like this has happened. We were short with each other. We were rude. I was emotional, really emotional. I mean I cried! It's all funny in hindsight now, but let me tell you it sure wasn't pretty in the moment. Here's to night time wake ups and really beautiful nighttime moments (note sarcasm)! 

Feeling // I have had a few moments where I was thinking...is this heartburn? Have yet to buy tums or anything, but definitely feel as though I have had small little bouts of heartburn. Other than that, I feel really great! No leg cramps or round ligament pain or stretch marks.

Wearing // Same old, same old things!

Milestones // I saw LB2 move outside my clothes this past week! Pretty cool moment. This kid is a major mover and a shaker, way more so than Jack ever was. 

And I will leave you with this photo. On the left I'm 22 weeks pregnant with Jack and on the right I'm 24 weeks pregnant with LB2.

Pregnant with Jack week 17 // 18 // 19 // 20 // 21 // 22 // 23 // 24

Little Buddy #2: 22 weeks

week 17 // 18 // 19 // 20 // 21

Growing // LB2 weighs about 1 lb and baby is about 11 inches long. Baby is now the size of a spaghetti squash. That sounds so big! It's hard for me to believe that there is a spaghetti squash in my belly. They say that baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn and that his lips, eyelids and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises still lack pigment.

Eating + Sleeping // And I'm still waking up at least once in the night to go the bathroom. Baby is still really low. I'm wondering when this will change.I haven't had any big cravings lately. Still loving ice cold beverages, the colder the better. But I finally feel like I'm wanting to eat healthier foods again, which is great! Don't get me wrong, I'm still loving my bagels and cream cheese.

Feeling // Everyone's been asking me how I'm feeling, and sometimes I feel like I should lie and tell them just how terrible I'm feeling so that they will feel sorry for me! Haha! But the reality is...I'm feeling great. I told my dad to give me a few weeks as my answer may change as I enter into my third trimester. I definitely know my limitations though and I definitely breath heavier when I'm walking up stairs or riding a bike up a huge hill with Jack on the front. We went for a family bike ride this past weekend, and I couldn't ride Peter's bike because I had  to bend over the entire ride and it just wasn't comfortable on the belly. I tried it, and complained a minute or so after I was on it, so the husband kindly gave me my bike back. The problem was ...there was a 27 lb toddler strapped to the front of my bike and Bainbridge Island is extremely hilly. So yes, you bet I got off my bike a few times to push myself and the bike and Jack up those steep hills. Anyhow, we probably didn't go more than 5 miles, but it felt like a lifetime!

Wearing // Truly, I wear my new dresses at least once a week - might need to buy a few more of them! Love them so much.

Milestones // It's just crazy to think I'm already 22 weeks pregnant. I can't even believe that we will meet this little buddy in no time. Hopefully not quite as soon as we met his brother, but who knows, it could be!

And I will leave you with this photo from our weekend away in Bainbridge.

Pregnant with Jack week 17 // 18 // 19 // 20 // 21 // 22

Little Buddy #2: 21 weeks

week 17 // 18 // 19 // 20

Growing // LB2 weighs about 3/4 of a lb and baby is about 10 1/2 inches long. Baby is now the size of a carrot! They say that I may soon feel like he's practicing martial arts as his initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. This little person moves ALOT and this I know, but it's always funny when a nurse or even the ultrasound tech tells me so. They are always like he's such a mover, I can barely track his heartbeat or it's hard to get a good profile shot because he won't stop moving. Is that a premonition for the future? Let's just say he's so low that I always have to remind them where he likes to hide out. Don't go searching for his heartbeat up by my belly button, you've got to go a whole lot lower!

Eating + Sleeping // And because baby is so low it makes sleeping interesting seeing as I have to pee all the time! I'm hoping that as he gets bigger he will change positions? Wishful thinking probably seeing as Jack never did. Really craving a ice cold beer or a yummy cocktail - and I know that's not in the eating category but it most certainly is in the drinking category! We checked out a distiller while we were in Cannon Beach and I was like Peter can you smell that? It smells so good!! My time will come soon enough, this I know.

Feeling //I've been feeling really great to be honest. Belly is definitely getting bigger, which makes certain activities a little interesting. Peter and I went on a hike this past weekend and the elevation gain felt tremendous. I was huffing and puffing and blowing the house down with my complaints about how hot and out of shape I am. And then I remembered...oh right. I'm pregnant. I suppose that makes a difference right? The way down was a true breeze!

Wearing // Still loving all my new dresses. Would wear them every day if I could. However, the new ones have already gotten a few stains on them. My experience with Asos was a huge success. Think I only spent around $50 on two dresses.

Milestones // We have officially started talking baby names. And it's hard. We are having a really hard time coming up with a boy name that we love. Now if we were having a girl that would have been a breeze!

And I will leave you with this photo from our anniversary getaway weekend.

Pregnant with Jack week 17 // 18 // 19 // 20 // 21

Little Buddy #2: 20 Weeks

week 17 // 18 // 19

Growing // LB2 weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now and baby is about 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom. Baby is now the size of a banana! He's so curled up in there that it's hard to believe he's actually that big. They say that he's swallowing more these days, and we got to see him swallowing during the ultrasound. My bump is definitely growing. Hard to disguise it these days.I had the first person ask me if I was pregnant again...and I thought well this is a bit of a milestone - people are now starting to notice the growing bump.

Eating + Sleeping // My new craving is a caprese salad, must be something about the basil, tomato, mozzarella combo smothered in balsamic dressing. Yum...I could even eat that for breakfast! Plus it's been fun to eat the tomatoes in our garden. But don't worry, I still love all my salty things...and have been eating peanuts lately and pretzels with cream cheese. Sleeping has gotten worse. I wake up at least two times a night without question to go to the bathroom and probably more just to change positions. So sleeping is definitely not all that pleasant.

Feeling // I've been feeling pretty good minus the fact that I'm just exhausted! It's exhausting just looking after a traveling toddler and even more exhausting when you add in the fact that a baby is growing inside me. And it doesn't help that I haven't been sleeping all that great. But all in all, no heartburn this past week. Blood pressure is normal. Everything is good! And for that I'm thankful.

Wearing // My dresses arrived, and I returned all of them but two. And I'm obsessed. I could see myself wearing these two dresses all the time. I've already worn one of them twice and I got them last Tuesday! This pregnancy for me is all about being comfortable and wearing comfy things that I can sit down in and run around in with Jack. And I think I found a few extra comfy things to add to my wardrobe. And that makes me very happy!

Milestones // We had our anatomy ultrasound and LB2 is looking great. Measuring right on target - his head circumference is a little on the larger side, just like Jacks! Lucky me. And remind me never to take my toddler to an hour long ultrasound appointment. Don't worry I didn't go alone, Peter was with me. But the ultrasound tech was nothing less than friendly and wasn't too keen on him being there from the very beginning and it didn't help much that the appointment lasted nearly 90 minutes! Fun to see baby on the screen and watch him move, but I think I'm a little ultrasound spoiled considering I'm only 20 weeks and I've already had like 5 ultrasounds (2 with my mom, 2 with the OB, and one official one). And that's us!

And I will leave you with this photo from my Dad's 65th birthday bash.

Pregnant with Jack week 17 // 18 // 19 // 20

Little Buddy #2: 19 weeks

 week 17 // 18

Growing // LB2 weighs about 8 1/2 ounces now and baby is about 6 inches long from head to bottom. Baby is now the size of an heirloom tomato! Crazy to think how much LB2 will grow over the next 20 weeks. I mean he doesn't even weigh a pound yet!! They say that his sensory development is exploding and he is now designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision and touch. He may even be able to hear my voice now. And my bump is growing too! I think it's starting to be obvious that I'm pregnant right and not just putting on weight? I can't wait to pass that awkward stage of ..is she pregnant, is she not? I think I'm there or nearly there, I suppose it depends on what I'm wearing as well. 

Eating + Sleeping // Sad to say, but I'm still not a huge fan of veggies. Kind of makes me sad. I have the best intentions and I purchase them at the shop, but then things just go bad before I have a chance to eat them, and I hate when that happens. Still love salty items and all types of breads. I'm still eating bagels with cream cheese, but not as often. All things diary - cheese, yogurt, whole milk (yes, the stuff Jack drinks) are some of my loves. And sleeping is interesting. I have officially gone over to the dark side with my pillows. The husband said...oh no, this is happening already. I now sleep with a pillow lodged between my legs and another one resting just a bit below my belly that I can also grab onto. Ahh..feels so good to have things pressed against my tummy. The worst part is though that I always wake up on my back, and the pillows are all over the place. Could be worse!

Feeling // Experienced my first bout of uncomfortableness this past week. Hard for me to sit in a chair at my desk at work. I just want to stretch out and stretch out my stomach (or uterus). Feels soo good to stretch out my legs and just lay down. So I found myself literally lying on the ground on my office floor. May need to bring some pillows in for next week. I have also started to experience just a teeny tiny bit of heartburn. Have yet to purchase tums or anything for that, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time. 

Wearing // Oh man I just love dresses. As my baby bump grows so do my hips and thighs, and pants just don't look all that great, nor are they all that comfortable. So I took the plunge and ordered a bunch of maternity dresses, yes maternity dresses. I didn't do anything of the sorts with Jack, but I'm realizing that I wasn't all that pregnant with Jack through the summer. And with him I wore dresses, tights (loved the tights) and boots, and the majority of my dresses are Fall/Winter items rather than flowy summery dresses. Once those seasons come, then I can start wearing those dresses as well as the ones I purchased recently. I ordered a bunch of dresses off asos and I can't wait to get them! They should be here Tuesday. I ordered this one in pink and this in grey as possible bridesmaid dresses. And I ordered this one in black for a just because dress and this one in orchid is the one I'm most excited about and probably the one I will for sure keep. And I think I ordered a few more, but can't be bothered putting the links in here.

Milestones // We found out last week that we were having a BOY! Check out the gender reveal post for some great video footage. And we found out that Jack's going to be a big brother. We have another ultrasound this week, and I'm assuming they will simply confirm what we already know. 

And I will leave you with this photo...

Pregnant with Jack week 17 // 18 // 19

And this one...I found this gem of a onesie at the everything $2 sale that I went to at the Ronald McDonald House - you bet I bought it!

Until next week,

Malia

Little Buddy #2: 18 weeks

week 17 //

Growing // LB2 weighs about 8 ounces now and baby is about 5 1/2 inches long from head to bottom. Baby is now the size of a bell pepper! We had an ultrasound with my mom last Friday, and the gender has been revealed! We will save that for another post, but LB2 is measuring right on target with a number of things, but there was one area where baby was ahead of the game, and I was like what was that one? And she said, that would be babies head circumference! Great, another one with a big head, just like Jack!

Eating + Sleeping // I have been eating less and less lately in one sitting, and more frequently throughout the day. I just feel sick when I eat too much, and then I feel as though I need to go lay down to stretch out my stomach. So I try to avoid overeating too much as I know I'll pay for it later! Still loving fruit, and I have welcomed smoothies back into my meal rotation. Yummy! I'm loving graham crackers with peanut butter on them as my little treat. Definitely have not been craving chocolate or anything too sweet, however, frozen yogurt sounds so good right now! Again, something nice and cold and I just love all things salty...chips, crackers, nuts, etc. Yum. In regards to sleep, the past few days I have been up 3 times a night! I. HATE. THIS. Just preparation for babies actual arrival I suppose, but I think I was hoping I'd have at least another month or two before this started happening. Baby lodges itself down so far in my tummy that it just hurts and I have to go to the bathroom all the time throughout the night, daytime is okay. Not too sure why, but it is. It's like baby knows as soon as I lay my head down on that pillow to then curl itself up close to my bladder! 

Feeling // Definitely have more energy, but I get so tired throughout the day. Such an interesting dichotomy I suppose. Feels so good to rest. I even took a nap today while Jack napped. This is definitely becoming a much more common occurrence. Still no heartburn or sickness of any kind. But I'm sure the heartburn will come in time. 

Wearing // Still in dresses. Just wish it was cold outside so I could wear tights with those dresses to hold my tummy in and up and my boots. I'm thinking I'm going to give in and buy some maternity dresses as I found a few that I loved on asos. Have never purchased anything from that site before, not much of an online shopper to be honest as I never know what size to get and I hate having to pay for shipping, but they have free shipping both ways! So I'll keep you posted. 

Milestones // We found out LB2's gender!! That's a pretty big milestone and I've been feeling movement and LB2 was moving around a TON during the ultrasound. My mom had a hard time capturing things because LB2 was such a wiggle worm, way more wiggly than big brother!

And I will leave you with this amazing photo! And this is how Jack feels about LB2's gender or maybe about being a big brother in general. Or maybe this is just his pose for the camera face? Until next week.

Pregnant with Jack week 17 // 18 //

Little Buddy #2: 17 weeks.

Here I am ...17 weeks pregnant with LB2. How am I already this far along? It's going way too fast. And I can only imagine the second trimester is going to fly by and baby will be here before we know it. 

I didn't mention much in my announcement post, but we found out we were having another baby on a Tuesday, April 22nd to be exact as it was my sister's 34 birthday! And it was like deja vu all over again. With Jack we found out on a Tuesday, I had a meeting at church and took the test right before the meeting...had a bit of a meltdown and went off to the meeting. And that is extremely similar to what happened this time around - Tuesday night, same meeting at church, but this time, I was emotionally prepared and the meltdown didn't occur the same way as before. I was shocked and incredibly surprised and I may have shed a tear or two, but as Peter kept saying...God's timing is perfect. 

And I agree with him, but it's never the timing I am anticipating. Both times it all happened just a few months before I was emotionally and mentally prepared. Both times I whined a little about the timing of it all...both times I shed a few tears and stomped my feet a bit.

I should say now...I'm not the best pregnant person. It's amazing to be able to carry a child and to be a tool for the Lord to create this being in my womb, but I always want that one last beer, or that one last cold ham sandwich or that one last...you fill in the blank with all the things a non pregnant person can eat/drink. I think God finds it all rather amusing, and if I'm honest, I do too.

I should say this guy makes the whole thing even more beautiful. I can't wait to see him as a big brother!

Anyhow without further ado...

Growing // Baby weighs about 5 ounces now and baby is about 5 inches long from head to bottom. Baby is now the size of an onion! Crazy to think I have a being the size of an onion in my belly. I am definitely growing as well. I think I've actually gained more weight at this stage than I did with Jack! And I'm imagining this baby will be bigger than Jack, hopefully, considering I'm not on my blood pressure medication.

Eating + Sleeping // Everyone is curious as to what my cravings are ...and if they differ from my cravings with Jack. And if I'm honest, as of right now, the only things I crave are ice cold beverages. Maybe that's because it's been 90 degrees outside or maybe that's because I'm just dehydrated! Who knows, but I just want my coffee with lots of ice and my water with lots of ice and my orange juice with lots of ice. And I love all dairy items and fruit...cheese, yogurt, peaches, cantaloupe, apples, etc. I haven't been craving sweet things, but I love salty items...chips, crackers, etc. The only way I can avoid eating those items is simply by not buying them! In regards to sleeping, I wake up at least once a night to go to the bathroom. And if I'm honest, I'm okay with that as once a night is easy and doable! Now that's going to be a different story when the baby arrives and it's more than just once a night. And I've been having strange dreams again!

Feeling // I have been feeling pretty good to be honest. But I do love taking naps during the day time, just wish I had time for that to happen more often. I'm way more tired this time around than I was with Jack and maybe that's because I'm not only looking after myself but also a toddler, and this little toddler is definitely on the move. I should probably go to bed earlier than I do, but that's always been a tough one for me. I definitely have more energy than I did a few weeks ago, but I'm still not exercising much. Jack and I go for alot of walks, but that's not a tremendous amount of intensity. Hoping for time and energy in the days and weeks to come to lift some weights or even go for a run!

Wearing // Maxi skirts and dresses...lots and lots of dresses. I did buy myself a new dress from Anthro that was on super sale! And I have worn it the past two days, let's just say it was the first thing I put on this morning for our walk to the park. The husbands not so sure about it but I'm obsessed with it. And I'm hoping the purchase of more maxi skirts will be in my future as I only have one, which I bought when I was pregnant with Jack. Most of my clothes still fit. However, I did put on a regular pair of jeans tonight and decided to take them off after I sat down on the bed and realized just how uncomfortable they were. I didn't buy maternity clothes with Jack, just survived in what I owned, but there are so many pieces out there that can double as maternity wear and non maternity wear and that's the stuff I'm far more interested in buying!

Milestones // I felt baby move this morning as I was laying in bed with both my guys. I have felt flutters for weeks, but this time I really felt baby move. It was far more than just the usual flutters. I think this one is going to be way more of a mover and a shaker than Jack was! The Dr and nurses have had a hard time capturing babies heartbeat because baby moves around so much! I'm excited for the day to come when Peter and Jack can feel the baby (update - Peter felt the baby move last night! So much earlier this time around than with Jack). 

And that's all for this weeks folks! Until next time.

Pregnant with Jack week 17 //