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.

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

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!

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.

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!