Marcus is 9 Months

This has been such an amazing month, and an exhausting month.  Marcus' little personality is starting to shine more and more, I love seeing him become his own little person and understanding more what makes him happy and what interests him.  He is an observer, and I often catch him watching his brother and everything that is going on around him.  He is silly and does this most amazing cheese face when we catch him doing something or if we give him a big smile.

 

He is sleeping through the night but often wakes up at the crack of dawn when he's cutting a tooth which is the case this past week.  Naps have been kind of awful lately.  He is a cat napper in the morning which works for me because it helps when we have an activity or errands to run, but he started fussing to put himself to sleep for his afternoon nap.  Its at the same time as his big brother is napping so instead of letting him fuss I have been laying down with him.  Its not ideal but I have been welcoming the rest, and the extra snuggles. 

We've had a problem getting Marcus to drink formula on a consistent basis for as long as we switched him to it.  I'm not sure if this happened because I was able to breastfeed him longer than Lucas before my supply issues kicked in or for some other reason.  Thankfully this month we've finally overcome that and he has four bottles a day, three meals and a small snack after his morning nap.  There really isn't anything that we've introduced to Marcus that he hasn't ate and enjoyed but he definitely has his preferences.  For example he will eat strawberries but if there is peach and berries on his tray he won't touch the berries.  Funny little man.  He's tried watermelon, gold fishies, cheese quesidilla, rice, sausage, Annie's mac and cheese, ham and scrambled egg.  Much like his brother he isn't a fan of breakfast hence why he's getting a small snack after his morning nap.

He is a mover and shaker.  Crawls around everywhere. Pulls himself to standing on anything really and can balance himself fine using one hand but hasn't made any real moves towards walking.  His big brother was starting to walk at this point but I feel like Marcus gets around so well crawling and has someone at his eye level that he doesn't feel the need to walk yet.  He has easily taken several steps using the activitu table.  We encourage him as much as he allows if only for the motor skills but he can reach this milestone when he's good and ready, especially since it's not keeping him back from getting around and in everything.

He passes toys from hand to hand with ease and purpose.  If I'm dressing him and he has something in his hand he will pass it to the other hand so I can put his arm through his shirt.  I've noticed this month that he pays a lot of attention to what and how his brother is playing and as a consequence I've seen him try to imitate him.  For example he's tried to stack cups on his own or put a puzzle piece together.

He's quite the chatterbox and is always making some sort of sound to get our attention or to communicate.  He says mama, Dada and sometimes refers to his brother as Bubba which is our nick name for him.

He has a total 7 teeth right now which seems like a lot for his age and is probably why I feel like I still am not sleeping.  Teething never affected Lucas night time sleep but it sure does for this little man.  Most of the time it just means really wake ups but at least once or twice a week it will also mean 2 hour shenanigans in the middle of the night.

Marcus for the longest time seemed very uninterested in reading and I carried all sorts if mom guilt over it since I felt as if I hadn't as much of an effort to read to him early on as I did with his brother.  I kept attempting to read to him everyday and at different times and I'm qin happy to say that it seems to have paid off.  He already has books that he enjoys more than others, he will actually remove books from the shelves and attempt to open them, and if we are reading together he actually turns the pages if I lift them slightly.  Lucas and I are huge lovers of books so I'm very glad that Marcus got the memo.

Marcus is wearing size 3 diapers, which he hates to get changed out of this month.  He's also wearing size 12 month and some size 18 month clothes.  The fact that the boys were born in the same month and therefore share the same seasons for all sizes of clothes has been a huge advantage.  I've barely bought anything new thus summer for him which was very convenient since big brother went through a huge growth spurt recently and needed an almost entirely new summer wardrobe.

I have loved watching the relationship between the brothers develop this month.  With Marcus understanding so much more about his environment, he has developed a true love and relationship with Lucas.  He tries to wrestle his brother, he razzes him by trying to take away things from Lucas hands, and he reaches for him anytime his brother is slightly close to him.  Every night Lucas gives his brothers kisses and hugs before Marcus heads to bed and the smile on his face is one of those whole face smiles that makes this mommy melt in a huge puddle of love.

This month Marcus went to the zoo for the first time, Mandarin and the splash pad.  All loved and enjoyed equally, although I personally think the chicken wing at Mandarin was probably his highlight.

I'm a little in denial that his birthday is 3 very short months away.  I'm just enjoying this time too much to think about it too much.

Marcus is 8 Months

I can't believe we are 4 short months away from my littlest's first birthday.  Summers are usually busy for us, we pack them with fun activities and we more often than not have stuff happening on the weekends.  September and fall always seem to come way too fast, and with that I feel like this first birthday will be here before I'm fully ready for it.

At 8 months Marcus is "doing" so much.  Much like his brother he has impeccable motor skills, and sometimes I feel like he's always trying to catch up to his brother.  Here are some highlights of Marcus.

Eating about everything in sight!  We introduced finger food and baby led weaning a lot earlier than we did with Lucas.  We start off with purees around 4 months but with Lucas he started finger food at closer to 8 months.  Well Marcus would be watching his brother at meal times like a hawk and found that his purees were just not measuring up.  So we introduced finger food just before 7 months and it was a huge game changer.  He still eats "meals" in puree form but super chunky already, which is how he prefers it, but at almost every meal he has to have something to grab and munch on as well.  He prefers bananas in chunks, don't even think about mashing them up.  Loves chicken.  His favourite meal right now is pasta and meat sauce (he's obviously Italian and heading in the same direction as his brother with his love for pasta).  Much like Lucas he prefers fruit over veggies, but I've gained a little more knowledge second time around and have sneaked in lots of veggies in his meals and kid is none the wiser.  His fave veggie I would say is corn, add that to any meal and he is a happy camper.  We use Baby Gourmet baby cereals and they are so much better than the generic Heinz brand in my opinion, and Marcus still eats oatmeal on most mornings, while at this point Lucas wouldn't even look at it.  New foods he's tried this month were pancakes, cantaloupe, beef, toast, yogurt, and tomatoes (cooked in rice).  So far nothing he didn't like. 

He eats three meals a day, with about 6 bottles in between.  Marcus has never been a lover of formula, and it has been a constant struggle to get him to have bottles, I recently found that instead of insisting he ingest the required 6 ounces at one feeding, that if I break them up during the day he is happier, and ends up drinking the amount he should by the end of the day.  Its not ideal, but it works for us.

Sleep has been such a learning curve for us, and made me realize how good we had with Lucas.  Big brother was sleeping through the night, from 8:30 to about 5:30-6am starting at 6 months.  Marcus only started sleeping solidly through the night this past week.  He was a much better napper than Lucas was, but he was still insisting on waking up at least twice a night, and not even for a bottle.  We did everything the same as we did the first time around, but we realized that each kid is different and takes their own time to adapt to new situations.  Marcus was and continues to put himself to sleep for naps and at bedtime with no problem, but until this week he would wake up at around 1am without fail and wail on and off for sometimes 2 hours.  Of course during this time Lucas was cutting his last molar and was up at sometimes 4:30 so we were one tired household for 2 months.  A big problem we were having was that he was resisting the bedtime bottle, and I really feel that this was making him wake up, once we established a routine that worked for him (he gets half a bottle after bath, and then finishes it before bed to total of 8 ounces) it was a huge game changer.  He started waking up later and later, and now he sleeps until 5:30 sometimes 6:15.  I can't complain. 

He naps twice a day; a short 45 minutes in the morning then usually 2-2 1/2 in the afternoon.  I will wake him at his morning nap to ensure that he has his longer nap in the afternoon while his brother is sleeping as well.  He's gotten so used to it that he usually wakes up before I head in there. 

Besides his sleeping problem the last month, he is the easiest baby!  My kids are pretty chill for the most part, and pretty easy to keep happy.  He loves his brother, the sweet special smile he bestows on him when they see each other in the morning is honestly the best sight a mom could witness. He loves to be sung to,  only likes to be read to before and after naps, unless you're reading one of his favourites then he's game at any time of the day.  Fave book is Baby Beluga and Love you Forever.

He loves his mommy the best.  He loves his daddy too. 

He has started following Lucas around. Everywhere. Big Brother usually plays around for the chasing but sometimes you can tell that Lucas is already finding him the annoying little brother.

Crawling.  Standing.  Crawling.  Standing.

I honestly love this stage, even if its a little exhausting making sure he isn't getting into anything he shouldn't; and avoiding bumps and bruises cause he insists on using everything to pull up on. 

He started saying Mama about a month ago and this week added Bubba (which is what we call Lucas).

He loves blocks.  Trying to grab his brothers cars.  Still loving the jumper but only for short periods of time.  Love/hate relationship with the exersaucer, cause he likes the toys around it, but hates being restricted to one area.  Is putting everything in his mouth due to teething gums.

We have 4 teeth already, and I'm pretty sure I spy 2 more coming our way. Bath time is his jam!  We started bathing him with Lucas as soon as he was able to sit up and he loves moving around in the water. 

We went swimming for the first time this month and it was a big hit.  I have another bubble guppie on my hands. 

He is super friendly.  If you show him any attention or smile his way, he will reward you with the biggest smile back.  He's ticklish on his ribs and feet.  Will laugh the hardest if daddy makes quacking sounds.  And has taken an interest lately in his brothers cartoons.

Overall its been a blast so far, and I can't remember what it was like without him.

Marcus is Two Months

This update is already a week old and I'm still in disbelief that I'm writing it.  How have two whole months gone by in such a flash; I seriously cannot remember how life was without this little guy, and he has been such a great addition to our family.  He is the best little brother already, and sometimes I feel bad for him cause he takes his big brother's shenanigans in stride and he definitely has to put up with a lot hehe. 

Sleep has had its good days and bad days, which is to be expected this early in the game.  Right now Marcus either has two cat naps in the morning about 20 to 30 minutes long, or a long one if we are out and about; a longer nap in the afternoon, which lately I have been taking with him, since it coincides with Lucas' nap, and then a short catnap in the evening or else he falls asleep on his nighttime bottle.  At night we have occasionally gotten a good 5-6 hour stretch, which means he only gets one bottle in the middle of the night, or when he has a shorter stretch he is up for a little top up at 3am.  His sleeping patterns during the day especially are so different from his brother who at this time already stayed up longer stretches, so he had already dropped his early morning, and late evening cat naps.  However, Marcus tends to falls asleep with much more ease than big brother did which in itself is such a blessing, and tends to help a little when he has nights that he wakes often.  He gets his before bed bottle at 8 and is in bed by 9pm without fail every night, I feel that because we had him fall into his brother's bedtime routine from the moment we got home it has really contributed to him having a set bedtime already. 

Feeding this little guy this month has given me so much anxiety, its so hard to put into words the equal amounts of frustration and concern it causes.  He is so his own little person and I was prepared to have him eat like his big brother did; however Marcus is definitely not as greedy of an eater his brother was, and instead he prefers to eat more often and less ounces at a time.  So instead of being able to get him on a 3 to 4 hour feeding schedule I find myself feeding him every 2 hours like a newborn, and worse sometimes I make him wait at least 3 hours to try and get him to have a better bottle and no dice.  The only saving grace to my sanity is that he is clearly happy when he finishes eating as much as he wants and isn't screaming until I put another bottle in him.  Also he clearly is putting on weight no problem, weighing in at a healthy 13.8 pounds at his check up!  The doctor has stated that most likely he eats so fast the first 2-2 1/2 ounces of his bottle that he feels full before really being full and hence not wanting to eat more.  Hopefully we can turn a corner soon because the poor feeding tends to affect his sleep at night.

Marcus is such a strong little man already, excelling at tummy time, and lifting his cute little head to see the world.  He already bears his weight on his legs if we hold him, and I can't wait to introduce the exersaucer to him next month as we did with Lucas who was also a huge a fan.  He is already reaching for a few hanging toys when they are in front of him but can't quite grasp them fully yet.

I love seeing his personality starting to shine through.  He is a pretty mellow and easy going baby, with smiles for days already.  He coos and blows bubbles already like its no one's business, and I love sitting with him when we get one on one time cause he never stops "talking" the whole time. 

The smile and the way his eyes light up when his brother comes to him in the morning is perhaps the best feeling a mother can have.  Lucas tends to give him the most attention right in the morning when he wakes up, climbing into bed to talk to him, and give a fierce pat on the head or tummy.  No matter how rough Lucas can get with him Marcus just grins and bears it, but I think he is secretly biding his time until he can rough it back at him.

Everyday, even those where I fall into bed in pure exhaustion, are filled with so much love and feeling blessed that we had this little guy join our family. 

Battling the Blues

I wasn't prepared for the rush of emotions that came over me after giving birth to this tiny little human, who like his brother made my heart grow leaps and bounds. 

I wasn't planning on the sadness that would envelope me in the quietness of the night time feedings, while I was alone with my thoughts rocking a sweet little babe to sleep.

I wasn't prepared for the rock of guilt that sat firmly on my shoulders for taking time away from my first born, for not being able to pick him up and console him, for changing his world so abruptly.

I didn't think that I would have a hard time connecting with this new baby who looked so much like me, and who I had so desperately prayed for.

I wanted to be able to do everything, and couldn't.  I wanted to sit and just stare on this new baby.  I wanted to lay on the floor with my big baby and play all day long. 

I cried.  Big fat tears.  All the time. 

I yelled and was unreasonable more often than not.

Then I cried again.

It wasn't something I was planning on.  This didn't happen the first time around, with the exception of those first few emotional days.  This time I couldn't control my emotions, and I mourned the loss of having only one child.  I mourned the things I could no longer do with just one child.  I mourned the things I couldn't do solo with my second child.  I mourned my pregnancy, knowing that we planned for it to be our last.  I mourned inexplicable things, everything, and nothing.

It was a harsh reality, and one that I'm slowly leaving behind.  Embracing the everyday happiness and the little things.  I'm now loving everything that is possible, and not holding on to the things that are impossible.  Some days are better than others.  Some days no darkness falls on my spirit, while some days I feel as if nothing is right, and guilty about one thing or another.

There is no cure.  Just an acceptance that you're human after all, and that this place right here with my children in my arms for as long they need me is where I belong.

Marcus is One Month

One of the reasons I came back to blogging was so that I could stay on top of documenting milestones about both boys, and I really enjoyed writing these for big brother.  Marcus actually turned two months this weekend, so I'm back tracking a little and catching up to some of last month's stats. 

 

At his wellness appointment he was already weighing a whopping 11 pounds (exactly like his brother at this age), and had grown a full inch in length! 

 

Marcus is such an easy going baby, falling into his brother's routine pretty seamlessly so far.  We established a bedtime routine the moment we got home, doing baths, baby massage, book and bottle at the same time that we were doing bedtime for Lucas, and because of that Marcus is in bed between 8:30-9 just like his brother.  We've had a few mishaps during thanksgiving where we spent the evenings away from home, but the next night it was business as usual.  Usually he sleeps a long 4-5 hour stretch when he first goes to bed, but then sometimes after that first bottle he is up every 2 hours.  Marcus naps more during the day that his big brother ever did, and he falls asleep pretty easily when he does, sometimes not requiring a bottle to soothe him into a nap at all.  We have not introduced a soother just like with his brother, and I feel like he's taking to self soothing pretty well already.

 

We switched to bottles and formula, and so far its been a bit of a battle.  We haven't quite figured out a schedule yet for feedings, and I find that at times tends to snack a lot during the day as if he were still being breast fed.  I'm a little selfish with wanting a proper nap and feeding schedule cause it means that both boys will nap at the same time in the afternoon.   We are using Good Start formula with probiotics, and like Lucas we were supplementing him with biogaia drops everyday to help with his bowels, and avoid any colic problems, but we realized that the drops were overkill for him and were in fact upsetting his tummy more than helping so we stopped using them. 

 

Marcus tends to nap about 4 times throughout the day, usually a cat nap early in the morning, then a longer nap in the late morning, and early afternoon, and caps the day off with an evening nap.  Unlike Lucas who used to have most of his naps in my arms or in the car seat, Marcus is more often than not put down for a nap, so either in the bouncy chair, or in his bassinet, unfortunately the little guy doesn't have the luxury of having my full attention, so when I do get the chance to just hold him for a nap I do, cause I want to have that experience with him too.  I usually nap with him in the afternoon lately, since it is the same time that Lucas is sleeping, and I am well in need of a snooze by then too.  We've actually had a few good 5 hour stretches of sleep at night a dew times, but Marcus tends to eat and fall asleep fairly quickly at night time feedings which is a welcome change from his brother who used to like to party for two hours during feedings when he was first born.

 

Obviously this first month hasn't seen much interaction from the little man since he's still at his sleep most of the day phase, and he can't stay up longer than an hour sometimes between feedings.  His big brother though is dying to interact with him.  We have found toys laid out on his chair for him, and if he's doing tummy time on his exercise mat, most likely you will find Lucas right by his side having some deep conversation.  Marcus is generally a happy baby, really only crying when he's tired or ready for a bottle.  We have yet to experience an awful witching hour from him, if anything his brother is the one who needs constant entertainment that last hour before bedtime. 

 

To say that we got lucky the second time around again with a baby who is pretty happy go lucky, eats and sleeps fairly well, is an understatement; but really we got lucky cause we didn't know what were missing until he entered our lives. 

 

Brothers

When we found out back in March that we were expecting another boy I was beyond excited for a future of raising boys, and namely brothers!  Both the hubby and I only have sisters and the cousins that I grew up with were also all girls or one of each gender, so the prospect of a future that involved, the very foreign to me, relationship of brothers was one I was very much looking forward to. 

Giving Lucas a sibling was something that we knew very early on was in our family plans, and although we were happy about the age difference that we ended up having between the two I spent the majority of my pregnancy with a lot of anxiety over how the big brother would adjust to the presence of another little human.  Lucas still needs me for so much of his everyday life, and he still has a hard time expressing his feelings and wants to me; so I worried that having to divide my time would bring on a new set of problems that he would not be able to handle.  Well I really should have given him much more credit. 

I'm not sure if its because Lucas is a well adjusted kid; or the fact that he plays well independently; or that the hubby and I have instilled in him a good grasp of normalcy; either way we have done something right.  Lucas has embraced his brother's presence with no effort at all, and not once have we experienced any signs of jealousy.  The moment he entered the hospital room and saw this little human hanging from my chest it was if he instantly fell in love with him  as we did.  He understandably clung to me a little tighter that day considering we had just spent over 24 hours apart for the very first time ever, but then he took one look at his brother and decided he was ok.  We placed Marcus in Lucas' arms and he instantly tried high fiving him, and he started throwing a tantrum when I tried to take the baby back for a feeding!  It was everything and more than I could have expected, and everyday my heart grows a little more seeing their love for each other. 

For the most part Lucas seems pretty understanding of the fact that Marcus requires a little more of my time, and while he doesn't tend to act up when I'm stuck feeding his brother during the day, or putting him to sleep I can tell that when he does get my full attention he doesn't want to share.  For this reason even when daddy gets home at the end of the day Lucas is often still attached to my hip, and I'm ok with that, after all its been an adjustment for me too in sharing myself when I gave him most of me for so long.  He's my buddy after all, and sometimes I just want to sit on the floor and play too, so when I can that's exactly what I do with no feelings of guilt or worry that there is a sink full of dishes to tend to. 

Two months later, though, there have been a few mishaps of petting his brother a little too hard, or attempting to rough house like his daddy does with him, and there may or may not have been a toy bus that found its way on top of Marcus head.  Underlying all these incidents is just a innate want to play with his brother, and I'm sure deep down he can't wait for Marcus to be involved in his daily antics.  Also for every time that Lucas has been a little rough with his brother he is quick to cuddle and kiss him, ALL THE TIME; or he needs to be in his brother's business, ALL THE TIME, and I occasionally find a toy laying by Marcus while he is sleeping, lovingly left there by big brother as an invitation for the future.

Marcus' Birth Story

Its been almost two months since we welcomed Marcus into our family, and its not been without its ups and downs; but the one constant is how he's made our family feel so complete since his arrival.  I feel like his pregnancy flew right by me in the blink of an eye.  I'm sure having an active toddler and filling the summer with a slew of fun activities with him so as to soak in the last days of being an only child, really contributed to the speed in which September came upon us.  Marcus' birth went off with not a lot of incident, but I just wanted to jot down some highlights for posterity.

We had a scheduled C-section this time around, and knowing what day we had to be at the hospital, and avoiding the hassle that Lucas' induction turned out to be really helped ebb some of the anxiety that I had leading up to little brother's arrival.  This way we made arrangements for Lucas for the day, and planned how I would be managing our stay at the hospital post partum.  Being able to plan for me was a huge bonus, since I'm definitely a planner at heart, and like everything in neat little lists.  I had some pretty bad insomnia the last two months of my pregnancy brought on by a the obvious constant need to pee coupled with just a huge amount of anxiety that would keep me up most of the night, so to say that sleep didn't really come the night before surgery was a forgone conclusion.  We dropped Lucas off at his grandparents on the way to this hospital, and as we drove off I had a huge rush of emotion take over me and balled the whole half an hour drive.  This would be the first time I was leaving Lucas overnight, and for any real extended period of time, and the weight of that hit me like a ton of bricks.  The fact that his world was about to be rocked to the core didn't really help my overload of emotions.  I'm sad to say that it didn't ease up any after Marcus' birth, but that is an entirely other story. 

We were bumped an hour after getting to the hospital due to another emergency surgery, and the waiting was absolutely killing me.  I was so ready to have my baby.  We were finally admitted to a communal room with three other moms awaiting surgery, given the required pre-meds, and waited a little longer.  Finally at 12pm they took me to the operating room to administer the spinal tap, I wasn't really worried about it, I was fine the last time; however this time the doctor had a rough time getting the right spot and it took what felt like forever to get me numb.  I had a different OB this time around, and I loved her.  My main OB is a little rough around the edges, and he has the worse bedside manners for a doctor who deals with hormonal pregnant women, so I was pleasantly surprised to have a woman this time who was just so caring and overall put me at ease throughout the whole process.  She was actually the one who held me while the spinal tap was being administered and talked me through it the whole time, and really helped ease my anxiety.  Unfortunately just before the hubby was let into the room I had an adverse reaction to the spinal tap and ended up being sick all over the table.  I felt better afterwards but it was definitely something I could have done without.  Shortly after Gianni came in the team got things moving pretty quickly.

Unlike with Lucas my water was not broken prior to surgery, so Marcus was happily unaware of what was coming, and as a result he was awake and alert the whole time.  I could actually feel him moving inside of me as the doctors opened me and started the surgery, and they were even quick to comment how active he was, which isn't really surprising considering how much I felt him throughout the pregnancy.  The first words out of the doctor's mouth when she got her first glimpse of him was of the size of his ample cheeks, and I knew without seeing him he was going to be a chunker just like his brother. 

Marcus came into the world at 12:30pm, wailing from being ripped out of his cozy little temporary home, and quickly proceeded to pee all over the floor, making his displeasure quite apparent.  Sure enough he weighed in at a healthy 9 pounds 8 ounces, slightly bigger than his big brother, and with the biggest cheeks I just wanted to kiss forever.  They swaddled him and he was quickly placed in the waiting arms of his daddy who was just as smitten.  It felt much quicker this time around the wait to be stitched up and then getting to hold my newest baby, which I'm so grateful for, since the downside of having a C-section is not being able to have that instant touching and connection.  Once in recovery, we breastfed, and waited until my oxygen levels were back to normal before being transferred to our room for the duration of my stay.

We spent the rest afternoon basking in the glow of our new bundle, breastfeeding on demand, and checking his sugars regularly since I have a history of gestational diabetes.  I cannot really put into words how you just fall in love instantly with your baby, and I'm still in amazement when I look at both my children for the miracle that is a woman's body who makes and grows these tiny humans.

Although I was grateful that my mom came to spend the first night with me in the hospital so that Gianni could get Lucas and have him sleep at home, and therefore not disrupting his routine too much, I was really emotional and sad to see my husband leave that night.  He's my best friend, and truly my rock and not having him by my side was a lot harder than I expected it to be, especially the second night when I was all alone.  I'm really grateful for the nursing staff at the hospital, they were extra helpful knowing that I was alone, and I got some great women who made the stay all that more bearable.  On the flip side I truly enjoyed the one on one time I had with my newborn, knowing that the moment I got home I would soon start the precarious dance of learning to divide my time between my two sons. 

Marcus passed all his tests the next day, and I benefitted from a class with a lactation consultant, even though my milk did indeed never come in as it didn't with Lucas.  It was just as disheartening as the first time, but I'm learning to deal with that disappointment.  I am glad for the breastfeeding time we had in the hospital though, and feel that it helped him as much as it could, especially since his sugar levels came up a lot quicker than they did with Lucas. 

We left the hospital early afternoon after two days in the hospital, still really sore on my part, but I was just dying to get home to my own surroundings and to my other two boys, so I dealt with the hard recovery that was coming my way.  I want to detail the meeting of the brothers, and my own recovery in a separate post.  So I leave with that, a pretty standard delivery if I say so myself. 

I'm back

I took a little break from blogging, but recently I have found that I've been missing this little corner of the blogshpere that I called my own.  I have continued to journal on my own time cause sometimes you just need to write down your thoughts, or put into words things that cannot be said out loud.  I'm going to ease back gently and gradually since life has and will continue to be hectic around these parts, I had a baby recently after all!

That's right everyone Marcus Guliano made his debut on September 8th, in a planned C-section.  Everything went pretty smoothly, although my own recovery and adjustment has left much to be desired.  He's everything I didn't know was missing in our lives, and he has completed our family in more ways than one.  He's a pretty relaxed baby, and his big brother is completely smitten with him, as are we all.

Life with two is as to be expected.  Chaotic on its best days.  Having a toddler at home, one who is in the throes of the terrible twos makes for interesting days, especially if he tag teams it with his brother for fussiness.  I'm not going to sugar coat it and say that its all heaven, some days I want to lock myself in the bathroom just to get two minutes to myself, other days I'm counting down the minutes until daddy gets home and high tail it upstairs just for five minutes of peace.  But I'm also going to tell you that there are days when the big brother cuddles the baby just because, and I see into their future.  There are days when we survive a grocery run and everyone was in a good mood, and that for me is a total win.

Its not always bliss around here, but lately I'm feeling more blessed than words can say.

For now here's a sneak peak of our newest addition, and I'm hoping to bring back some more updates soon.

23 Weeks - Baby #2

How far along - 23 weeks

Baby is the size of - a mango

Sleep - its was just ok this week.  Every night about an hour after I fall asleep until rough 3am I am up almost every hour and a half to pee, along with some hip pain it makes falling back asleep a little difficult.

Gender - Sweet little boy again!

Movement - Little man has been very active this week, and more and more of his kicks can be felt from the outside now, which I love.  I actually had Lucas feel the baby this week, he just kind of looked at me with this vague look like he had no clue what the big deal was.  I do love though that the baby seems to respond to his Lucas' voice a lot, and tends to give me his most prominent kicks when Lucas is talking.

Food Cravings/Aversions - Water, water, and more water.  Also loving on minute maid frozen juices, which is really unlike me, but I like this alternative to juice so I can add extra water and cut back on the super sweet taste, and overall sugar.  I had gestational diabetes with Lucas, and I am trying to be extra mindful of foods and drinks that could make it worse, since it is most likely that I will have diabetes again.  Still can't stand beef this week, so I stocked up on some extra chicken and pork meat to have at home, instead of red meat.

Symptoms - Same ligament and back pain as last week, but with some severe muscle pain on my right side.  I have a feeling I picked up Lucas in a wrong way and have tweaked my back in some way.  Its not a constant pain thank God, but when it comes its severely uncomfortable.  I have a prenatal massage this weekend that I'm looking forward to big time, and I'm hoping it will help ease some of this pain.  HEARTBURN!! Yup it has finally reared its ugly head in this pregnancy.  I suffered from some really bad heartburn and acid reflux with Lucas, and this time around its presenting itself much later, but it came with a vengeance.  I am popping tums like its candy, and pretty much everything I eat causes some degree of discomfort.  Not even milk seems to help, I avoided taking zantac or any other prescribed anti-acids the first time, so I'm hoping I can bear it again.  The old wives tale of heartburn being related to how much hair your child is born with actually rang true with Lucas who was born with a full head of the darkest hair, so I'm planning for another hairy child in my future lol.

Best moment this week - We had another epic family weekend.  It was a long weekend here in Canada, and we spent most of it outdoors between small bouts of showers, and Lucas got to see his first fireworks, which at first he was not too sure what to make of it, but last night the hubby surprised him with some in our backyard and he was much more interested.

What I miss - Still missing a little fruity alcohol drink or beer with some BBQ.  I may have to pinterest some mocktails for the summer to tie me over.

Five on Friday

This week has literally flown by in a flash.  Lucas and I have been busy and I'm sure that has helped pass the time.  Even though the weather was pretty crappy in these parts with rain pretty much every day we made the best of the situation and went out when we could and did crafts and puzzles to pass the time.  On to some highlights.

ONE

Boys and their trucks!  Lucas is a very typical boy in that he is obsessed with anything that has wheels.  I still can't believe that with another boy on the way my life and house will forever surround around cars and trucks.  This past weekend my in laws got this little four wheeler for Lucas for the summer, and to say he was excited to see it is putting it lightly.  He doesn't even wheel himself that much in it, he just likes to get in and out of it.  Love this pic of him with his new wheels.

TWO

Lucas' new favourite hang out is on my belly lately.  He is just so sweet as he lays between my legs and rests his head against his brother.  Its really endearing actually when he's excited about something and talking up a storm his little brother is already responding to his voice, cause its at moments like those that I feel the baby move the most.  Cannot wait for him to get here so the brotherly bonding can begin in earnest.

THREE

I have been really enjoying my morning coffee this week.  The brew of choice is Paradiso for Tassimo, I refuse to drink decaf so I limit myself to one regular coffee a day, sometimes a tea in the evening.  I love that Lucas is usually great at entertaining himself after his morning bottle, and I enjoy sitting on the couch or the floor with him, and sipping on some much missed caffeine. To add to the pleasure of enjoying coffee, and the morning shenanigans is this adorable insulated mug I gifted myself for Mother's Day!

FOUR

I had the luxury this week of waking up at 7am on Wednesday, when Lucas decided to "sleep in" for a change, so I took advantage of his good mood and the rainy weather and we headed to the mall for the morning.  We always stop by bass pro shops to check out the fishes, and he was just so happy to see them that day, it helped that it wasn't busy there for a change.  We enjoyed doing some summer shopping, and then made a stop at Ikea for some lunch and play time.  After Tuesday had been a write off of a day with Lucas being a super crank pants, it was nice to have a good day right after and restore my faith in my mothering skills. :)

FIVE

We capped off the great week with a family date night last night.  After a three hour nap we went out to dinner, and then some chapters fun where Lucas is pretty much obsessed with the train table there.  On the way home Lucas enjoyed his first cake pop and devoured it!  I don't think I have ever seen Lucas so quiet in the car before!

Hope everyone enjoys the weekend, for my fellow Canadians a much deserved long weekend.  I'm pretty excited to take Lucas to his first fireworks this weekend!

22 Weeks - Baby #2

How far along - 22 weeks

Baby is the size of - a squash

Sleep - this was a bad week for sleep, between Lucas having some rough nights, super early mornings, and fussing for his naps I was one tired mommy, especially since I was literally running after the little man most of his waking hours.  You would think that being so tired I would sleep like a log when I could but I wasn't so lucky.  I scored some great naps this weekend and the hubby let me sleep in on Mother's Day!

Gender - Everything blue!  I actually bought a few items for the little babe this week.  Even though the bulk of everything will be hand me downs from Lucas, he deserves a few new items, plus I'm purging a lot of onesies that may be a little more worn out.

Movement - Same as last week, really active during the evenings, and occasionally during the day; however the kicks have been getting more and more pronounced.  Also I noticed this week that I never wake up in the middle of the night to kick and stabs, which was exactly the same case as Lucas.  Since overall Lucas has always been a great sleeper I'm hoping this bodes well for the new addition.

Food Cravings/Aversions - Still lots of water all day long.  Been loving on the carbs and fresh fruit this week.  Weirdest aversion this week was not being to enjoy beef.  Had it twice for dinner this week and both times it tasted off to me (the meat was perfectly fine as other people were also eating it, but for me it had an awful taste).

Symptoms - Nothing major this week, just some bad back and ligament pain, but I am doing a lot more walking then I did when I was pregnant with Lucas.  Also having to carry a 30 pound toddler at times during the day doesn't help the cause.  I suffered a lot from swollen ankles the first time around, and I had a little swelling this week but it was really warm this week and we spent two hours at the park one day.

Best moment this week - Mother's Day weekend was a really relaxed affair this year, and it was so nice to just spend time with my boys, the fact that Lucas started calling me Mommy occasionally is just a bonus.

What I miss - I had a huge craving for some raw sushi this week, and really really wished I could have satisfied it.

We are stuck in the house today with the rainy weather and trying to make the best of it, especially since an early morning storm woke Lucas up at 4:30.  Lord help me. on days like this I really wish I could drink more than one cup of coffee.

21 Weeks - Baby #2

How far along - 21 weeks (cannot believe I'm over half way there already!)

Baby is the size of - a carrot

Sleep - I've been sleeping ok at night, waking a few more times to pee now but thankfully I'm falling back asleep with ease.  Starting to have some joint pains at the hips and this sometimes makes getting comfortable at night a little difficult.

Gender - BOY! We decided this week on a name, and I'm super happy about it.  We actually have already caught ourselves referring to him now by name and it just makes visualizing him joining our family so much more real.  For now we have decided to keep the name to ourselves.

Movement - Pretty steady during the day, but I admit that I'm always running around doing things around the house, or chasing Lucas that I often don't really register movement unless I'm taking a minute to relax.  I'm guessing this is most likely the reason that I feel that the baby moves more in the evening when I'm just relaxing on the couch.  We had some pretty intense kicks this weekend, and the hubby got to feel it for the first time.  Its a little difficult since most of the kicks are felt lower above my bladder since he's sitting low like his brother did.

Food Cravings/Aversions - No real cravings, just lots and lots of water, I'm always thirsty it seems.  Biggest aversion is bacon, and any pork meat that may be on the fattier side, I had the same aversion my whole pregnancy with Lucas.  Also I find that something that might sound good in the morning is no longer appealing by the time dinner arrives.

Symptoms - A little bit of nausea in the morning, not to the point of being sick, just feeling a little unsettled.  Some major joint and ligament pain around the hips and legs, which is presenting itself a lot earlier this time.  I'm walking a lot more this time than I did while pregnant with Lucas, since then I was working at a desk, and now my coworker is an energetic toddler.  A migraine maybe once or twice a week, and the worse is that it springs on me swiftly and intensely, and I still haven't found anything that works to keeps them at bay, or at least ease some of the discomfort.

Best moment this week - By far the fact that Gianni got to feel the baby, but also just enjoying some much needed fresh air and playing outside for a change.

What I miss - Some fun fruity summer inspired drinks, this is so unusual for me since I'm not really that much of a drinker to begin with, but lately a little drink in the evening is missed.

No picture this week, have been too busy to look presentable in photos lol

Five on Friday

I'm glad to say that Lucas is finally over his nasty cold from last week.  He's back to his usual exuberant self, and his appetite is back ten fold!  We have had a pretty quiet week around here since mother nature decided to rain on us all week keeping us indoors for the most part, but it helped me get some things around the house done that got neglected while we were sick, and rainy weather is seriously the best kind of weather for naps :)

ONE

Monday was the only sunny day we had all week, and after hibernating with sickness last week, both Lucas and I were raring to get out and play.  We hit the park pretty early in the morning and just ran around for hours.  Lucas is all boy when he's at the park, letting out his fearless little nature and always making the most of his time there.  On this particular day he was feeling more adventurous than usual and started climbing the ladder on the playground set.  He was so focused and I held him the entire time, and he was so happy when he got to the top; however I didn't let him attempt it again, there is only so much anxiety I can take while being pregnant!

TWO  

I try everyday to incorporate a learning activity with Lucas, usually they may be letter work sheets, or shape sorting, or colour recognition.  Although there are certain things we do all the time, namely reading (we do a lot of reading in this house, I recently read a study that says only 20 minutes a day with your toddler is enough to make a difference in a child's language and cognitive development, well we easily spend double if not sometimes triple that time reading a day, spread out at different intervals), we also do puzzles, and play with animals (their names and sounds), every day.  These are usually "games" that I will include in Lucas' playtime, and I find that doing them more often, and for less time during the day is easier on his attention span than doing it for a larger block of time.  This week I added a colour matching activity to his usual playtime since he got this puzzle for Easter and is obsessed with it.  He first seemed more interested in just getting the pieces in the slot, but is slowly understanding that they need to be matched in colour, and I usually get a good 15 minutes of learning time with him on this, and even when he gets it wrong I take the time to repeat often the name of the two colours.  So happy Nonna put this is his basket!

THREE

I have a whole post planned for my nursery plan for baby #2, but we decided that we are going with dinosaurs this time around.  We did a pretty traditional sports theme for Lucas, although we will be switching it up with some Star Wars when we move him to a big boy bed this winter.  I'm keeping the wall colour and furniture neutral and plan to add pops of colour starting with these prints from Etsy as the inspiration.  I really want to have a feature on the walls, but still debating how crazy I want to go.

FOUR

Mother's Day is just around the corner, and this year I told the hubby I don't want anything but a morning to myself.  I don't take time for myself that often.  Ok, let's me honest I don't take time for myself pretty much ever.  Its not that I don't have willing babysitters, or that my husband doesn't encourage me to go out and enjoy myself; I just have a hard time doing it.  I like to be there for my son, and letting go of the responsibility and carving me time is something I struggle with.  Being pregnant has made me evaluate the need to have me time every once in a while so this year I just want to go get a pedicure, have a coffee all on my lonesome, browse Chapters in the non kid section and feel free to sit and peruse a book I may want to purchase, maybe even go watch a matinee.  This will probably happen on the weekend after Mother's Day, cause on that day I want nothing else but to be with my little man, the person who gave me my most favourite job yet!

FIVE

I leave you with this too cute for words picture of my little man, who I realized after this picture squints his eyes in photos EXACTLY like his father!  As if they weren't already more alike!

Have a great weekend everyone.

20 Weeks - Baby #2

How far along - 20 weeks

Baby is the size of - a banana

Sleep - Lucas and I were pretty sick so I was sleeping a lot, I would wake up usually at 4:30 with a lugged nose which made sleeping in the early morning a little difficult, but I was rocking 3 hour naps with Lucas in the afternoon, and I don't feel guilty about it one bit.  Caring for a sick child, while being sick and pregnant is not fun at all, and extremely exhausting.

Gender - BOY! BOY! BOY!  I can't even describe how giddy and happy I am to be adding another boy to the family.  I cannot wait to see Lucas with his future brother and all the shenanigans that the future holds for the hubby and I.  Now we are debating names, We fell in love with the name Lucas instantly together, but this time around the hubby and I are at an impasse cause we both love different names.

Movement - After being sick all week I'm guessing the baby was a little lethargic just like his mommy cause there wasn't that much movement, then this past weekend I felt him tons! Some big kicks too!

Food Cravings/Aversions - Still salads with lots of vinegar.  Kind of over the ham sandwich phase, but still loving bread.  Also some meats like chicken are making me a little queasy, except for a sudden craving for chicken wings on Sunday, where I gorged on the hubby's spicy BBQ wings and loved every minute of it.

Symptoms - Still battling awful skin breakouts on my face, and lots of dry skin particularly on my hands and legs, I've been moisturizing like a mad woman but to no avail unfortunately.  Migraines a few times a week, this is a new symptom for me, and they are so awful.  Still battling a little morning sickness sometimes.

Best moment this week - I would have to say finally seeing Lucas feel better on Thursday, and seeing him play at his nonni's house and back to his usual playful self.  It is so sad to see your child sick and not being able to do anything for them but smother them with extra cuddles.

What I miss - Absolutely nothing this week!

We are hoping to enjoy some of the nice weather this week after being in hibernation all last week!

Its a...

Sorry for the delay in announcing our news from last week's gender ultrasound but Lucas and I have been really sick since Friday and it was probably the worse cold Lucas has ever had.

On to our news.


Baby #2 is a........

BOY!!!!

We are so over the moon to be adding another little mister to our family, and I simply cannot wait to see Lucas grow up with a brother!

Why I want another son

Today is the day, I'm off in a few hours to my anatomy scan and I'm so excited!  I have mentioned how I would love to add a daughter to our family, but I'm actually equally excited to add another son.

I have loved every minute of being a mother to a son.  His energy is exhausting, but its also healing, and nothing makes me melt more when he reaches for me and calls out mama when he needs me more than anyone else.  I am loving the learning experience that is having a boy in the family, and what the future has to hold for me when he becomes a big boy, and enters the teenage years.  I get misty eyed just thinking of how I get the special mother/son dance at his wedding, or how I am responsible for molding a man who I know with mine and his father's guidance will become the gentleman, provider, and amazing human being his own father is, well its enough to send my emotions sky rocketing.

Before Lucas I never imagined myself a boy mom, but now with this second pregnancy I can actually envision my life as only a boy mom.  I picture a life of taking my boys to soccer practice, relishing and maybe dreading just a little the antics of two energetic boys, watching two at their father's side as he gardens in the backyard, or takes them golfing while mommy gets much deserved time alone.  I feel like when you have children life becomes a whirlwind, and you are forever controlled by these little people that you yourself brought into your life.  I am convinced though that with two boys, my life will never have a peaceful moment, and I will forever be living in a blur of shenanigans and mischief.  I secretly cannot wait for it.

If having a son was completely foreign to me before having Lucas, well the relationship between brothers is even more so.  I would love to have another boy just for that reason.  To give Lucas a companion that he can learn with, someone who will join him in his nefarious antics around the house, someone who will conspire with him when they are teenagers (even if this one gives me anxiety just thinking of the trouble they could cause together), so that they may always have someone to look out for each other.  I am not naive, I know this will not be without their moments, times when they will fight over the same toy, wrestle each other over the remote, get in each others' faces and argue sometimes constantly; that is after all the crux of growing up with siblings period.

Well enough postulating about what the future holds for us, I'm off to put everyone's guessing to rest.

18 Weeks - Baby #2

Pardon the awful picture, its just been one of those days

How far along - 18 weeks

Baby is the size of - a bell pepper

Sleep - was pretty bad this week.  I had a hard time getting comfortable, which made falling asleep a task, only then to wake up 45 minutes later to pee.  This made for some pretty long days.

Gender - Finding out this week!! I'm so excited.

Movement - Steady small kicks a few times a day, mostly at night, or after eating something.  I'm looking forward to those big kicks!

Food Cravings/Aversions - Still salads with lots of vinegar, plus pickles, olives, and pickled peppers.  Also loving passion tea lemonades from Starbucks!  I have been pretty averse to coffee this pregnancy, but this week I started enjoying the occasional iced coffee, and had my first hot coffee Sunday in a while, and it didn't make me gag so that's a plus.

Symptoms - Still battling awful skin breakouts on my face, and lots of dry skin particularly on my hands and legs, I've been moisturizing like a mad woman but to no avail unfortunately.  Had the occasional headache this week, but I really think that's a by product of the bad sleep.

Best moment this week - I had a doctor's appointment Saturday to review the results of all our genetic testing, and spinal/neural tests, and everything came back perfect.  It was such a great feeling to hear my doctor say to me that everything looked fantastic.  I had been stressing a little, since I'm on thyroid medication which is supposed to help prevent any neural complications, so to know that everything has developed as it should was just a huge weight lifted.

What I miss - We went out for sushi and Asian food the other night with friends, and I realized how much I miss raw sushi, although the California rolls did hit the spot I was really longing for some salmon and butter fish.

Why I want a daughter

Before any of you get your panties in a bunch and think that I a)  must not love being a boy mom or b) I wouldn't love having another boy; I have another post scheduled on why I would indeed love to add another boy to our growing family.  But for now I want to talk about what having a girl would mean to me.

This week we find out the gender of Baby #2 at our anatomy scan on Thursday, and I'm beyond excited.  After finding out the first time we were expecting a son I finally started visualizing our future baby, and went straight into planning mode for all things nursery, and just preparing myself for a boy in the family.  You see I grew up in a family of only girls, and before the scan I even said to my husband if its a boy I wouldn't know what to do; boys just seemed so foreign to me.  When the technician showed us the clear indication of our son I started to cry...tears of happiness.  I had a feeling from the beginning that Lucas was indeed a boy, and hearing it confirmed just overwhelmed me with emotions for this child that I could now see, a vibrant and energetic baby who would be a little rough around the edges like his daddy, and enjoy all things dirt and wheels.  I was exactly right in my premonitions.

Like I mentioned I only have sisters, and very few boy cousins to boot; but I especially have a particular bond with my youngest sister Gyselle who was born when I was twenty-one.  I was in my second year of university and I was obviously in shock when my parents told us they were expecting, lets just say none of my friends quite believed I was going to be a sister again.  Clearly, after already having three girls at home, you can guess that my parents were hoping for a boy this time, and I actually remember thinking how comical it was when the technician told us at the anatomy scan that we were actually adding another sister to the mix! The day she was born I was the first to hold her, and I fell instantly in love, and that love has just continued growing as she has gotten older.  In many ways I think that day was when I knew that being a mother would be my greatest achievement and blessing in life, and I couldn't wait to find the man of my dreams to start my own family with.

I embraced all things girly when Gyselle was born, and since she was six when I did get married, I took full advantage of those six years to play with her, take her to the library, read to her every night, buy her every princess related artifact imaginable, and she became my girl (she still is by the way).  So it was only natural that when I pictured having my own children I imagined my own little girl at my side, that I could share all those little things with as well.

These feelings are not to be confused with how I feel about having a son.  Lucas has been the best thing that has ever happened to me, he has taught me to get out of my comfort zone with his energetic tactics, and his love for everything outdoors.  I love love being a boy mom, and he will always be mama's little man.  This time around I am hoping for a girl to complete the family, and to fulfill those initial feelings of wanting my little girl too; someone whose going to come with me for pedicures while Daddy is out golfing with Lucas,  someone who wants to play tea parties, and dress up as a princess every other day.   In no way would this child be replacing my affections for Lucas, my heart will only grow bigger when this new addition enters our life regardless of its gender.

Growing up with siblings can be a roller coaster of emotions and experiences, but equally special and momentous.  Every childhood memory I have revolves around my  sisters, and though at times we have been frustrated with one another and argue over things that in retrospect seem petty, they are my people and we would do anything for each other.  I cannot wait to see what kind of relationship develops between Lucas and his sibling, and I can't help but wonder that if indeed it is a girl what the future holds for these two.  Will he become the older protective brother?  Will he find her the pesky little sister that is always in his way?  Will she eventually find him the annoying older know it all sibling?  Even though my mother only has one brother, and my husband himself only grew up with sisters, the brother/sister bond in truth is kind of foreign to me, and one that I wholeheartedly would love to see and experience first hand.

I can't wait to see what the future holds for our family.

17 Week - Baby #2

How far along - 17 weeks

Baby is the size of - a ginger root

Sleep - Still getting up about 2 to 3 times a night to pee, the good news is that I am now falling back asleep with much more ease.  Since we were pretty busy all week I took advantage and had a few naps and I feel like that has been helping keep my energy up.

Gender - We will be finding out April 17th, still feeling like its a girl, but would be just as happy with a boy again.

Movement - Been feeling the baby more when I go to bed and try to sleep on my left, the baby is not a fan of that position.  Also after some sweet treats the other night I had a pretty distinctive kick, guess he/she was on quite the sugar high since I haven't really been indulging in sweets.

Food Cravings/Aversions - Still loving anything with bread, so ham sandwiches with pickled eggplant is my go to breakfast.  Also anything with vinegar, loving large salads packed with salt and balsamic.

Symptoms - The morning sickness went away this week, so that's a huge relief.  Still feeling a bit sick in the morning until I eat, but that was pretty standard throughout my whole pregnancy with Lucas as well.  Been battling awful skin breakouts on my face, that is making me feel like a teenager hitting puberty again.  I've tried creams, and soaps and nothing is clearing it up.  Also a lot of dry skin, to the point that my legs and hands are always itchy, even after moisturizing, hopefully that is just a by product of this interminable winter we have been enduring.

Best moment this week - fun activities with Lucas all week! Yesterday I had my second IPS testing, and ultrasound so I got to see my sweet little babe again, and every time I get to see that little heart beating just makes my day.  I have battled a lot of miscarriage anxiety this pregnancy so I need all the reassurance I can get.  Also a great weekend with my little sister at the Science Center and celebrating our sweet niece's 3rd birthday!

What I miss - The bump is getting a little out of control this time around, and its getting a little difficult to get up quickly from a sitting position on the floor when I'm doing activities with Lucas.  Being pregnant with a toddler is no joke people.

I have a fun weekend recap set for either later today or tomorrow!

15 Weeks

This is a pretty awful pic, but I completely forgot to get the hubby to take one yesterday so this will have to do!

How far along - 15 weeks

Baby is the size of - an apple

Sleep - Since about 7 weeks I have already started waking up in the middle of the night to pee at least once or twice.  I'm sure its because I'm always thirsty, and have been drinking copious amounts of water.  I try to curb my intake before bed but its between going to bed with a parched mouth or waking up in the middle of night I will always pick the later.  That being said sleep is just OK, and I try to compensate for the occasional poor night with naps beside the little man.

Gender - We will be finding out April 17th, and I'm so excited.  I'm a planner, and especially after already having one child I would like to know in advance if I can re-purpose Lucas' clothes.  I'm pretty bad at guessing, but I have had feelings towards this one being a girl only for the fact that this pregnancy has been completely different from my first.

Movement - I've had the occasional flutters which as always so funny feeling, but this week I had my first real kick, and it was just as amazing as I remember it!

Food Cravings/Aversions - No real aversions yet, just sometimes a random food item will sound completely unappealing at a certain moment.  I've been loving carbs this time around, like bread and pastas make me very happy.  Also loving on ham sandwiches loaded with pickled eggplant!

Symptoms - This week I've battles some early morning nausea that seriously gives me the sweats, especially since I'm not always puking I just get this overwhelming urge to be sick and it takes a lot of heavy breathing to get the nausea to pass.  Usually eating something helps, unfortunately I'm on a medication to regulate my thyroid levels that need to be taken on an empty stomach, and then I have to wait at least half an hour before I can eat, which to a pregnant woman feels like an eternity.  I'm still pretty exhausted these days, but having an active toddler really contributes to that.  Something that I have been dealing with as well, which I had none of the first time around are some real nasty headaches, they come fast and furious, and even a nap doesn't seem to quell the pain.  I researched foods that could be causing it and none of them are really part of my diet right now, also stress is a huge factor.  If anyone knows of some home remedies that could help I would love to hear them.

Best moment this week - we have been dealing with the motherload of winter this year, so the fact that we enjoyed a few milder days where we could get out for a walk and breathe in some fresh air made me super happy.  Also that first baby kick is still pretty high up there :)

What I miss - I did not miss alcohol at all my first pregnancy, but I craved more sweets then too, I guess cause this time I'm loving on carbs and sandwiches I'm really missing beer hehe.

What I'm looking forward to - This coming weekend is my little sister's birthday, and I'm looking forward to celebrating the fact that she is turning 10! Double digits people!