Week 13 with LL2

This week, we’ve really tried to focus on spending the most quality time with Winifred. Will and I found that, on weekdays, our evenings were a complete whirlwind. Almost to the point of not speaking to one another until after Winifred was asleep. We would get home, bounce/play/read, dinner, bath, story, bottle, song, bed, whew. We realized how much of Winnie’s life and development we were just kind of skimming through, so we made a deal. It’s kind of embarrassing how simple and logical it was but I didn’t realize the effects it had until we did it. We turned off the TV and put away our phones until Winnie was in bed. If you know me, you know I watch the same 5 shows on repeat (Friends, The Office, Parks and Rec, Gilmore Girls, and New Girl). They are always on in the background no matter what. I love listening to something familiar when I’m around the house or working. However, I didn’t realize what that was doing to my communication skills with Winifred and my husband. Turning the TV off gave Winnie a voice! I think with all the excess noise gone, she could finally get a word in! She’s been blabbing all week long! This weekend was especially sweet, spending intense quality time with the people I love the most.

I have much more energy this week and my belly has already popped (muscle memory right?!). Here is a little peak into our week and the life of LL2!

How far along? 13 weeks
Baby is the size of a:  Jalapeno, Matchbox car, clown fish
Total weight gain: -5 lbs. When I was pregnant with Winnie I lost about 20lbs in the first trimester, so I’m relieved I’ve only lost this much.
Maternity clothes? Oh. Yes. I put those suckers on at 10 weeks. Why aren’t maternity pants socially acceptable to wear at all times??
Stretch marks? No new ones!
Sleep:  The freaky dreams are REAL y’all. I have the most vivid and long dreams every night. They last all night and continue even if I wake up and go back to sleep. People I barely know or haven’t talked to in years are usually the star of my dreams and it freaks me out every time! Winifred still wakes up once a night for her night feeding/diaper change but that only takes 15-20 minutes around 2:00AM. We did the Farber Method (a nurturing version of cry it out) and I’m so thankful we did. Winnie was very ready to put herself to sleep and it took her less than 2 nights to master. Now, she takes 2+ hour naps and sleeps 12+ hours at night. This mama is #blessed.
Best moment this week: IT’S A GIRL AND WE PICKED A NAME! We’ve told some people but haven’t decided if/when we’ll announce her name.

Movement: I have felt teeny tiny flutters and it makes my heart so happy. The first trimester is the hardest because there is no real way to know how baby is doing in there. I love those first little twitches.
Food cravings: carbs carbs carbs carbs carbs. FRUIT; pineapple, apples, grapes. Popsicles.
Miss Anything? WINE. In the first few weeks I struggled with not being able to drink alcohol. Not that I drank much before, I just felt like I got robbed. I went from being pregnant to breastfeeding to pregnant again and only had 1 sweet month of freedom to drink whatever I wanted. Luckily, my bestie got me non-alcoholic wine for my birthday and that had sufficed.
Symptoms: This pregnancy is already so different from my first. With Winnie I was just nauseous 24/7 and couldn’t eat anything. With LL2 I began to have really intense upper abdominal pain during and after eating. After going to the doctor and getting an ultrasound, they discovered I had “sludge” in my gall bladder causing my pain. I’ve now been put on a super bland, super low fat, high fiber diet, which is just great when all you want is carbs. I’ve also been blessed with the first trimester migraines that hit at 3-4 PM everyday. Some days are worse than others and Winifred keeps me plenty distracted!
Belly Button in or out? In.
Wedding rings on or off? After Winifred my knuckles grew? Didn’t know that was a thing. The swelling went away but my original rings wouldn’t fit over my knuckles. So, I ordered a simple set from “Go-Rings” and they’re still going strong. I’ll probably get my original ones resized after LL2.
Mood? Emotional! Everything makes me tear up.
Looking forward to: Winifred crawling, feeling bigger kicks from LL2, hearing her heartbeat next week!