Category: Pregnancy

How far along? 18 Weeks
Baby is the size of a:  Bell Pepper

 

Total weight gain: Still 0

Stretch marks? Nope.

Baby Development: Daphne’s nerves are growing their protective covering this week! Her blood vessels are visible through her skin and she has all her reproductive organs!

Best moment this week: Hearing Daphne Grace’s heartbeat! She has a strong little ticker. This week was a whirlwind! I couldn’t even tell you what we had for dinner last night.

Movement:  Daphne Grace is moving like crazy! I never remember Winnie J moving like this.
Food cravings: I’m super proud of myself! This week was craving free and I ate super clean.

Miss Anything? Wine was hard to resist this week.

 

Symptoms: I felt SO good this week! No pain or headaches! I think the second trimester energy has hit and I could not be more grateful!

Belly Button in or out? OUT!
Wedding rings on or off? Still on!

Mood? Focused. Trying to prep for the end of the school year!

Winifred Update: I swear I have the most fun kid in the world. When we are home, she has very little interest in her toys! All she wants to do is whatever Will and I are doing. She is a great helper with the laundry. She’ll take clothes out of the bin and hand them to us to fold. She loves to ride the bin back and forth to the laundry room! Her favorite “toys” are remotes, cups, and car keys! She has developed this fake “laugh” taught to her by her lovely father and it’s pretty much the cutest thing ever. Winnie J enjoys her outside time more than anything! She got super sick this weekend. It was heartbreaking to see her so miserable but I didn’t hate all the snuggles. STILL WAITING FOR TEETH.

 

 

Looking forward to: Car Shopping! This momma needs a new car if I’m gonna be hauling around 2 tiny humans!

How far along? 16 Weeks
Baby is the size of a:  Dill pickle
Total weight gain: Back where I started!
Maternity clothes? I forgot that dresses were a thing and I’m a happy gal now.

Stretch marks? None!

Baby Development: LL2 is getting more nutrients and hormones from the placenta now! She outweighs the placenta by about 1 or 2 oz.  She is developing her sense of sight, sound, smell and touch. Her eyes are not open yet, but she can detect light and can hear everything going on. Her ears are moving into place on the side of her head and she is starting to look more human and less alien-like.
Sleep:  I’ve been staying up way too late. I think it’s because of the time to myself I get after Winnie goes down. I regret it every morning when I wake up , yet I do it again the next night, haha. I’m getting awesome sleep when I do go to bed, though! I switched to Friends before bed, so my dreams have been much more pleasant.

^^ WJ learned how to drop food for the dogs, she is now Zeus’ favorite human. She has also fallen in love with taking everything out of a basket and surrounding herself with it.

Best moment this week: Honestly, my students were the best part of my week. I love this time of year with my kids. They know summer is coming but they still love being in school (mostly). The curriculum gets a tad lighter, leaving room for some amazing, engaging activities and lessons. Our last few weeks are full of year end testing, so we  play games and laugh to keep our brains alive! They’re starting to become second graders and I love watching them talk and interact with each other. Their behavior this week was magical and I’m so grateful for their attitudes. Also, taking Winnie J to see the easter bunny was amazing.

Movement:  Definitely some actual flipping going around in there! Makes my heart so happy!
Food cravings: I want pasta all day every day. I need to watch my carb intake to avoid a giant baby, but WOW only carbs sound good. Will has been doing an incredible job cooking the most delicious, and healthy meals. He incorporates my cravings while giving me all the nutrients baby and I need. Fruit of any kind always sounds incredible.
Miss Anything? I miss not having a head that hurts.

Symptoms: The headaches are continuing and I’m DONE. The nausea is completely gone, which is a total blessing. I can’t tell if the fatigue is from LL2, teaching 18 tiny humans, or having a 7 month old.

*Update- I reincorporated coffee into my mornings and have been headache free! Its only been 3 days, so well’ see.

Belly Button in or out? In.
Wedding rings on or off? Still on!

Mood? My mood has been much better this week. Minus the headaches, I’ve had much more energy and feel more positive. My moods still change hour by hour, but we’re getting more on the better side! I feel better when I’m productive, even when I don’t want to be.

^^First trip to see the Easter Bunny and Hobby Lobby in the same day!

Winifred Update: She is LAUGHING y’all! It’s the single most amazing sound I’ve ever heard in my entire life. I’ve been waiting forever to hear her laugh and it was so worth the wait. Winifred continues to babble like crazy with a lot more consonant sounds. Her favorite place to talk is in her crib as she falls asleep and in the morning when she wakes up. She had physical therapy this week and her therapist said she’s doing amazing. She is right on schedule with all her developments and she is SO close to crawling. She can pull herself forward and get on her hands and knees, but has trouble putting those pieces together. She still sits completely straight legged, but the physical therapist isn’t worried about her hips anymore! Her legs just need to be manipulated when she sits until she can do it on her own.  Winnie no longer has a head tilt from Torticollis, so we’ll just be monitoring for any changes as she starts walking and crawling. Winnie should only have 1 more appointment before she’s done with therapy!! I’m so proud of our smoosh and how hard she works. She’s not a quitter, that’s for sure! She also saw the Easter Bunny this weekend and was so unbothered. She didn’t even look at him!

Looking forward to: Winifred turns 8 months next week and we have another appointment for LL2, whose name is……..

 

 

How far along? 15 Weeks
Baby is the size of a:  box of crayons, pear, yellow canary, small avocado
Total weight gain: -1 (right now, sleeping beats eating)
Maternity clothes? Living my best life!

Stretch marks? Nope!

Baby Development: LL2’s lungs are developing in overtime right now! She can breathe in the amniotic fluid that will help her lungs develop air sacs. Her eyes and ears are moving into the right position on her face. Her heart is pumping 25 quarts of blood a DAY! She can now bend her knees and elbows!
Sleep:  The vivid dreams are turning into nightmares, probably because of the SVU I watch before bed. The anxiety creeps in as I fall asleep and is making it harder to drift off. This is about the time in my pregnancy with Winifred where I had to be put on anti anxiety meds, but I’m hoping to avoid that this time around. A calming bedtime routine is in my future.

Best moment this week: RAIDER!!!!!!!!!!!! Even though we didn’t win, I’m so stinkin’ proud to be a Red Raider! I also stepped out of my comfort zone and became a contributor for the Midland Moms Blog! I had my first event this week. After a minor anxiety attack in the parking lot, I went it and mingled my little heart out. I’m proud of myself for getting out of my comfort zone and I can’t wait to see what the MMB is all about. We also went to a crawfish boil with the people we love! Needless to say, momma and baby were both pleased with the spicy goodness.

 

Movement:  I felt some “no doubt about it” movement from LL2, which just made my heart so happy! LL2 is super low, so I’m only feeling twitches.
Food cravings: Got my first real pregnancy food craving this week! Kraft Mac and Cheese. It was so bad that I couldn’t sleep, and sweet Will had to go to the store at 11 pm for me. Now, this was weird because I generally do not like Mac and Cheese…so baby was definitely in charge.  I ate about 4 bites and couldn’t stomach it anymore, but it satisfied baby so I could sleep. Other than that, I can’t get enough popsicles.
Miss Anything? Not this week!

Symptoms: MIGRAINES. Y’all, I did not have this many headaches with Winnie J. I get one every day and nothing helps. Essential oils, caffeine, Tylenol, sleep, showers, Ice packs, NOTHING. I’m dying and I hope they go away soon. It makes teaching and momming really difficult.

Belly Button in or out? In.
Wedding rings on or off? Still on!

Mood? Cranky, because of the headaches. My fuse is about a centimeter long and I blow at any inconvenience. These are the worst and I feel sorry for my students and husband. I’m not a very pleasant person to be around during a headache.

Winifred Update: This girl is the light of my freaking LIFE. She is talking non-stop! She babbles and sings along to the radio, using her paci as a microphone. Winnie J is enthralled with her Daddy. Everywhere he goes her eyes follow him or she wants to be right there. I love watching their relationship grow. If Will has anything to say about it, she’ll have a game controller in her hand by age 3! She THRIVES in the bathtub. She loves to get the water dumped over her head and chase her floating toys in the water. She is a professional splasher, and giggles like a maniac when she gets into her towel. Right now, her favorite bath toy is the cup mom uses to dump water on her. WJ has also discovered her tongue and can make the cutest little noises when she’s eating.
Looking forward to: The headaches going away and Feeling more movement! Also, planning a name announcement!