Taking a Break

I just wanted to let my followers know that I will be taking a break from my blog for a while. It's been difficult trying to get on my computer and update. Usually by the time my computer turns on, Autumn needs something or wakes up from a nap. So it's a little inconvenience at times. We will be closing on our home (prayers) hopefully tomorrow. And moving in within the next couple of weeks. We want to paint and have the floors done before we move in. Hopefully I can start updating my blog once we get settled in :-)

Quick update. Autumn's speech is improving so much. She's trying to put sentences together and even though we only understand one or two words of it, she is still so proud! She's definitely hit the "terrible twos" stage of her life and we have some sort of temper tantrum almost every night. It's so hard not to laugh. LOL.

Baby #2 is starting to move a lot. I started feeling kicks a couple of days ago and now I feel them several times throughout the day. I had my 16/17 week check up on Monday and everything looked great! Baby's bpm was 150 and sounded really, really strong! I have my ultrasound on May 4th to determine the gender!!! Super excited :-)

Autumn had some Easter pics taken this past Saturday. She was not a happy camper. Cried almost the whole time (didn't like the way the fake grass felt on her hands). Here are a few of my favorite pictures. Enjoy!

15 weeks and counting

How far along? 15 weeks 4 days
Total weight gain/loss: Last time I checked, I've lost weight since the beginning of the pregnancy. 5 lbs so far.
Maternity clothes? Ugh, just started wearing maternity pants for comfort. Although, they don't fit very well yet.
Stretch marks? No new ones, but old ones are getting darker.
Sleep: I have been sleeping better since my cold is gone. But I do have to wake up and pee in the middle of the night. My baby sits really, really low in my uterus. Causing a lot of pressure on my bladder :-)
Best moment this week: Feeling baby move for the first time :-)
Movement: Felt baby move once or twice in the past few days.
Food cravings: I did have to stop and buy some Cool Ranch Dorritos the other day (lol)
Gender: We'll find out in 5 weeks (give or take).
Labor Signs: N/A
Belly Button in or out? Depending on how I move, it's starting to stick out.
What I miss: Being able to fall asleep right away. My restless leg syndrome is worse this pregnancy :-(
What I am looking forward to: Having our own home for baby #2 to move into!!!
Weekly Wisdom: God is in control. I have to put my faith in this pregnancy in Him and trust that it's in His will.
Milestones: I have a noticeable "baby bump" now instead of a "did she eat too much?" bump. Haha!
Realization of the week: We get to find out the baby's gender next month!!! :-D

18 Months

Autumn had her 18 month check up today. She weighs 23 lbs 6 oz and is 33 1/4 in long. She grew an inch since her 15 month appointment! Her head circumference is still in the 95th percentile. It's because she has all those brains she has to hold in. Hehe.

The pediatrician was not surprised that Autumn exceeds the number of words she says at her age. This age range averages 4 to 10 words and I lost count. I don't even count anymore because she learns a new word everyday! Like I mentioned before as well, she's even putting 2 words together already.

Autumn did end up getting a shot. Her last one probably until she's 4. WONDERFUL! I'm so glad she doesn't have to have any for a while. I think they're worse for me than her. Haha. Jordan ended up coming with us to her appointment this time. He got off of work early. He did not like the part where Autumn got her shot. He said he wanted to "punch someone"! Haha. He doesn't like seeing his baby hurt :-/

Baby #2???

I bet I know why you're here, visiting my blog :) I'm sure you've already guessed...

Yes, I am pregnant!!!

I don't think you guys understand how hard it's been keeping it from you followers. I've known since I was 3 1/2 weeks pregnant. Hehe. I am currently 13 weeks and 2 days pregnant. Everything is looking great this time around! I had an ultra sound on Valentine's day (when I was 8 1/2 weeks) to make sure that everything was okay, which it was. I definitely shed some tears when I heard that heartbeat for the first time. Such a beautiful sound to begin with, but that much more special after losing a baby 5 months prior. Then we heard the heartbeat twice in the past week and again, everything sounds healthy and strong!!!

This pregnancy was definitely difficult when it came to my nerves and anxiousness. It was so hard to not wonder if we were going to have a miscarriage again. Every tiny little cramp sent me through the roof. Constantly running to the bathroom to make sure that I'm not bleeding. Right around the 9 1/2 - 10 week mark was hardest for me. That's about the time that we lost Zakary. At that time (this pregnancy) I wasn't really sure why I was so anxious until I realized how far along I was. So it's just been constant prayers and just saying that everything's in God's hands and if it's meant to be this time around, that He just places His hand on us and help us to know that it's okay :)

It's amazing, to sit back and look at what God has done in our lives that past (almost) year. Jordan and I are planning (if everything goes well) on moving in the next month. If my pregnancy, with Zakary, went through to full term, I would be due next month. Can you imagine moving when you're 9 months pregnant?!?! And we probably won't even be settled in by the time that he arrives. Wow. As heartbreaking as it was to go through that process, I am definitely praising God for just how amazing He and His plans are. I just can't get over how He knew exactly what He was doing and even though we were hurt. It brought us closer to Him and each other. I have always loved the verse, Jeremiah 29:11. And the situation with our miscarriage just proves it that much more.

So, I'm sure you want to hear stats!!! At 8 1/2 weeks, the baby's heart rate was 178 bpm. Then at 12 1/2 weeks the heart rate was at 156 bpm. I also took a gender predictor test this morning and the results came out boy. Hehe. We're really hoping for a boy this time around. However, again, we won't be upset if we do have a girl. Jordan loves Autumn so much. Their bond is incredible! And I know he will love this child just the same.

I do have some prayer requests though... Last doctor's appointment I got a lecture on drinking water. I was dehydrated. Ugh, I have such a hard time remembering to drink water!!! So, yeah, bought a new water bottle to hopefully help me with that (Autumn keeps knocking down my cups, so I needed one with a lid she can't open). Also, my blood platelet levels were low. I'm still not 100% sure what that means for me now. The Dr. I saw is a little hyper and over enthusiastic, so I barely understood a word she was saying. I do know, that she said if they get below 80 when I'm in labor, I can't have an epidural (which she noted from my delivery with Autumn). So, what does this mean now? Blood work every week. Oh joy!

One last thing. People (who I've told) look at me like I'm crazy when I say that I've known I was pregnant since I was 3 1/2 weeks. Yes, it is true! I know my body very, very well. I had implantation bleeding 6 days before my period was supposed to start and took a test that day. It was negative. Then I took a pregnancy test 2 days later (like you're supposed to) and it was a definite positive! Jordan and I have been praying non-stop since :) Also, some people have been asking if we started trying right after my first period after the miscarriage. The answer is no. We did not. We waited until we were both ready. Again, I was super nervous, I actually wasn't sure if I was ready when Jordan was. But we trusted God and we are both ready for baby #2 (this fall) and sure enough, we got pregnant that month. Haha. Our due date is Sept 22nd, just 3 days after Autumn's birthday! Guess she's getting an early birthday this year...

Our beautiful baby at 8 1/2 weeks!

Quick Update

I know, it's been frustrating since I haven't been able to blog recently. My computer's been having problems with not turning on. And then when I would finally get it on, I couldn't use the internet. Ugh! I think we're just gonna take all my pictures off, wipe my computer clean and start all over.

My poor Autumn has been battling and ear infection for the past couple of weeks. She went from a week of Amoxicillin to a week of Augmentin and then started a fever not 24 hours after she finishes her last anti-biotic. Really? She has her 18 mth check-up on Monday. I'm just gonna keep a close eye on her until then. If her fever gets any higher than it is now, I'm gonna bring her in. I just want her to start feeling better :-(

Autumn's is becoming such a talker. Yeah, she mostly jabbers and will throw in a word that we know every now and then. However, this past week she's been saying 2 or more words together. Her favorite thing is pointing out balls. Anywhere and everywhere. "There's a ball!" (Pointing at the AT&T sign) hehe. I love it. It keeps me on my toes because I never know where there's gonna be a ball ;-) She also likes to find pictures and point out who's in it. "That's mama. There's dada!" Everytime I drop her off at someone's house, she comes home with a new word. So watch out what you say around her people! LOL

Again, I wish I could post more pictures. But again, my computer dislikes me right now. So here's a picture of when Autumn had her fever at her worst 2 weeks ago. Poor baby :-(

This picture cracks me up. Hehe

Playful even when she's not feeling well.

Don't you just wanna hug her?

"Stop taking pictures!"

Boobie Fever

Poor Autumn started having a fever a couple of days ago. You could really tell that she wasn't feeling well. I gave her some meds and waited to see what the next day brought. The following day she still wasn't feeling well. Still had a fever (around the 100 range), so I decided to take her to the pediatrician's office, just in case. Her right ear had a bunch of wax in it, so it was hard to see it. Ugh, that was horrible having it taken out. I think it was worse than having her shots done. She was in so much pain, looking at my like "why are you letting her do this?" But once the Dr. got all the wax out, she looked in Autumn's ear and said "Oh yeah, we have an ear infection!" :-( Well, I'm glad that I brought her in. So we are able to start Autumn on anti-biotics right away and help her feel better sooner. Today has been an interesting day. Autumn was walking around all morning whining, which isn't like her. I actually even put her down for an early nap today at 11 and she's still sleeping. I hope she gets better quickly.

Before I continue on my blog, I will say there has been 1 good thing out of this ear infection of Autumn's... She's been sleeping longer at night. The night before she started her fever she slept 12 hours! The past few nights she's been sleeping at least 8 hours and then 3 more hours after that. I hope this pattern continues even after she feels better!

We come to the bitter/sweet part of the blog today. I am officially done breastfeeding Autumn :-( I've been slowly weaning her since January (after we all got the stomach flu). I immediately cut out Autumn's afternoon feeding at that time. Then slowly introduced a bottle along with her night time feeding. The bottle slowly got bigger and bigger. Then I went to an every other night time. She got a bottle only one night and then both the next night. That lasted about a week and then my milk just disappeared. My mom told me that it's not uncommon for women to dry up that quickly. I am so happy that Autumn and I lasted as long as we did! My goal was 18 months and I'm just shy of that. I will miss it, but there's always other kids. And now Jordan is enjoying putting her down at bedtime as well :-)

Shower Baby

All of you mothers out there know what I mean when I say that it's almost impossible to take a shower by yourself these days. It was definitely easier when Autumn wasn't mobile. Just stuck her in the bouncy seat with the shower curtain open and we were golden. I usually take a shower at night because I can't leave Autumn in the bathroom running free. But yesterday was another story. We usually go out to lunch (Ming Ten, hehe) with my dad and grandpa, but I haven't taken a shower in a while. I was desperate! So, I thought, why not fill up the tub a little bit and sit Autumn in there with me with some toys. I thought it was a great idea! Autumn, not so much... She did not like the water spraying on her at all! She kept crying and shaking. Poor thing. So I picked her up to show her that it was ok. Still didn't like it. Then I just put her down and made sure it didn't spray her. Haha. I was able to take my shower, but not as exciting as I thought it would be. Back to night time showers :-)