18 Weeks 2 Days

I missed posting last week but that’s ok. Not much to update on as far as the pregnancy goes. DH has been working like crazy on painting our house. I removed all the macrame from our kitchen cabinets and then he painted them (3 coats), the trim (5 coats), the walls and then moved on to the living room where he did the same thing. Today he picked up new doors to change out the flat doors for 6 panel. Our house was in desperate need of updating (it’s a 90s house and everything was original when we bought it) and it’s been a years long project, starting with changing out the carpet, mudding all of the walls so they are flat, painting the ceiling and all the hundred other little things that needed done. I love that this place was a blank canvas when we moved in. There was absolutely zero landscaping, the shed was caving in and DH and his dad resurrected it and built a barn too. The house wasn’t in bad shape at all but everything was dirty and outdated. It’s been really fun adding our touch over the years and making it home.

Anyway, pregnancy news…

• SPD pain started last week but thankfully it’s still intermittent for now and mostly aggravated by too much walking. I broke out the KT tape as well as my belly support band and it’s been helpful. I did a long walk for a fundraising event and was in some mild pain by the end but eased a good bit after resting for awhile.
• Queasiness is mild now but heartburn has been intense.
• I don’t have an update on weight gain. I don’t want to know. 🙈
• STILLLLL not feeling baby move and it’s definitely getting to me. I’m glad the anatomy scan is soon because I need some reassurance. Heartbeat is nice and strong on the doppler but I need to see baby actually moving around in there.
• Thankfully not having too many aversions lately. I can even stomach chicken now in small quantities. Salmon is sooooo good though. The horrible taste in my mouth that haunted my every waking moment for weeks is finally gone. Life is better.
• Sleep has been mostly good. I had one night where I couldn’t get comfortable and that combined with heartburn led me to sleep in Levi’s bed (he almost always ends up with Tru) and I was finally able to get comfortable without worrying about kicking DH all night.

We’re making the most of fall and the ability to be outside without sweating ourselves crazy. We went to a corn maze last weekend and another corn maze/pumpkin patch this weekend. I took the boys to a pick-your-own apple orchard recently. On cool days I find that I can do a lot more without getting out of breath and lightheaded like I have been lately. It was only in the 40s the last couple mornings and I felt great, despite being cold. 🙂

I got my hair cut and dyed/highlighted last week. I’m a little disappointed with it as the color isn’t very different from my natural color (it took DH over 24 hours to even notice it and my mom never did 😂) and the highlights aren’t very vibrant against it. But oh well, next time. I actually wasn’t planning to get a cut that day too but here ended up with a lob. I don’t love the way it looks in the back but I like the front. DH likes it a lot which is all that really matters since I’m not the one seeing myself all day. 😆

Obligatory blurry bathroom selfie

Dear God, please bless our upcoming appointment and ultrasound and I pray that we will have a good visit. Thank You for the cooler weather and the fun we’ve been having as a family on our little adventures. In Jesus name, amen.

16 Weeks 6 Days

I am so tired. Like headache, brain fog, lump on a log exhausted. I mean, exhaustion in pregnancy is pretty normal but I was really hoping for that second trimester energy and I’m still waiting… It only took me this long to figure out why I’m so tired this time around. DH is working from home now and our bedroom is his “office”. Once he’s up for the day, sleep is out the window. Not just because he’s up but also because Zane (who is sleeping in our room out of necessity) is also up and screaming the house down with his toddler energy, therefore I am up. Goodbye sleeping in, even though it wasn’t often before, it’s almost nonexistent now. Add to that the frequent bouts of insomnia, the late bedtimes I pull because it’s my only chance to get stuff done and the fact that Quayd still gets up in the night sometimes, I’m beat. I’m totally and completely worn out and I don’t see any hope of getting enough sleep in my future. Even naps are a thing of the past because I have to keep the kids in line while DH takes calls and attends a billion virtual meetings a week (do these bosses actually want their employees to work or just sit there on irrelevant meetings all day?) But hey, it’s not like I’m the only tired mom out there. I know most of us are fighting the 3pm crash and chugging coffee in the morning like it’s our favorite thing on earth. I’ll probably live. I hope.

Whiny, sleep deprived rants aside:

• I haven’t felt any for sure, definite movement from baby this week. Mayyyybe a flutter or two… I’m kind of bummed about that. I did use the doppler once and heard him moving around, so I know he is moving, I just have to be patient waiting to feel him.
• I had a dream that after a short and easy labor, I had the baby at home (??) and he weighed 8lbs 9oz. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he really does end up weighing that much since my last 3 babies have all weighed within 4oz of eachother and that would be 3oz more than Quayd. (Taking guesses on weight! 😁)
• Morning sickness is still here off and on throughout the day. It’s mild at this point but I’m really ready to kiss it goodbye. 😘 It’s definitely not affecting my cravings though. 😏 Getting ready to go out for pizza this evening because I saw a picture of pizza and now it’s all I can think about. 😂 I’m finally getting back into salads after weeks of not being interested in them, so my order includes a nice big salad too, to help me feel less guilty about the pizza (haha) and I can’t wait for suppertime!! 🤗
• Round ligament pain has been around for awhile now but I forgot to mention it before. It’s mostly just when I stand up too fast or roll over. It’s funny though because you’d think this old belly would be used to stretching and growing by now. 😂
• All of my issues with POTS are intensifying, as usual. I’m trying to drink more water and use an electrolyte supplement once or twice a day, get more sodium (I eat pretty low sodium usually just because I’m not a huge fan of salty food but I’m trying to get a little more), I’m propping my legs up a few times a day while I lay down, trying to stay cool because I feel worse when I’m hot. This stuff seems to help a bit, thankfully, but mostly it’s just a matter of getting through it. Mainly I’m bothered by feeling breathless and lightheaded and blacking out occasionally. Also annoying are the episodes of racing heartbeat. I’ve learned that it’s not something I can push through, it’s absolutely necessary to lay down for a bit until it passes.
• Weight gain is iffy. I think probably 17lbs or so. I have been having some swelling in my legs and feet off and on. I didn’t realize how much it was until I went to put on my sandals one evening that I wear around the yard every day and they wouldn’t go on all the way. 😳 By the next morning it seemed a lot better. It’s still hot here though, so that doesn’t help.

Ok, this is getting pretty wordy, so I’m going to go get that pizza now. 😁

Idk what is going on with my face here lol but I’m not mad, seriously. 😂😂😂

Dear God, thank You for this week. Please help me to stay healthy and strong and to feel well also while I carry this baby. Please watch over and protect us both. In Jesus’ name, amen.

15 Weeks 6 Days

Symptoms:

• The morning sickness continues but it’s not as ever-present. More like waves now with mild queasiness between. I had to go back to taking unisom every night. Waking up with nausea is no fun and I don’t have to deal with as much of that if I take the unisom.
• Sleep has been pretty good overall but I’ve had a few rough nights with restless legs and tossing back and forth. Magnesium spray and stretching help the restless legs some.
• Acid reflux is also a problem even with nightly pepcid. I hate to take it but I don’t know what else to do! Open to suggestions though.

Weight: I haven’t weighed myself in a couple days but I think 14-15?

Cravings/aversions: I realized I haven’t covered this category in a blog post yet, although my fam is subjected to my craving/aversion updates on a regular basis 😂… I was craving Yakisoba for dayyyys and finally got some instant stuff and it was pretty 🤢. I haven’t been able to eat chicken this whole pregnancy without nausea and a truly horrible aftertaste all day long. Beef makes my stomach cramp if I eat more than a few bites at a time. Venison and salmon are safe and hopefully remain so because I want to eat salmon 86 times a day, although I don’t get to even once a week. 😦 I’ve run through cravings of fries several times but usually decide it’s not worth the grease-induced nausea. Frozen caramel frappés hit the spot but I’ve only let myself have like 3 in the last few weeks because the calories!! 😱 I went through this intense homemade vegetable soup phase and it weirdly calmed my nausea so I ate like 5 bowls a day, scattered throughout, including at bedtime (which also weirdly didn’t give me acid reflux problems). I made 2 stock pots of it on seperate occasions and just ate it for days… breakfast, lunch, supper, snacks… It was a weird phase. It still sounds good but thankfully I can survive without it now. I have also been craving bubble gum, and sour candy and both of those calm my stomach. Come to think of it, it sounds like my body is craving vit c with all this citric acid stuff…. I also went through a 10ish layer nacho phase with lots of jalapeños. Spicy sounds good.

Bump: I’ve definitely felt movement a few times this week. Not every day but occasionally. Once I was laying in bed and felt a little bump. Another time I was sitting leaning forward and felt a nudge and this morning I was sitting with Zane in the recliner and felt a kick. Looking forward to more frequent movement soon!!

It’s odd that my belly actually looks a little smaller this week. Which is a relief in a way but still didn’t stop me from getting my first “15 weeks?? Are you sure your dates are right??” comment. And yeah, I get it. My belly popped out before the pee dried on the pregnancy test this time. It is what it is.

15 weeks 6 days. My dates are right, yo.

Dear God, thank You for a good week and for helping me feel so much better this week than last. Please help me to keep feeling well and enjoying this second trimester and most of all, please help the baby keep growing and being strong and healthy. In Jesus’ name, amen.