Ending the 1st Trimester!

It's so crazy to believe that I am already 12 weeks and will begin my 2nd trimester soon. I have to admit that I am REALLY looking forward to it! With Jude I got my energy back and felt so much better in the 2nd. I am in desperate need of that energy...my house needs cleaned terribly ugh! Weeks 9 through 12 have found me still battling with nausea off and on along with heartburn. Eating makes the nausea go away, but then it often brought on heartburn and just making me feel sick in general. Quite the endless cycle. This week has been better so I feel like I see the light at the end of the tunnel. Unfortunately, this week has brought about my allergies and sinus issues. I had problems with Jude so I was expecting this. Claritin seems to help!

I had my 12 week appointment today all is well. I am healthy and the baby's heartbeat was 166. It was in time with my heartbeat so it was pretty neat to hear and brought a huge smile to my face. It's so easy how you can forget how special that moment really is. I am so blessed that God chose us to be parents again so I can experience this for a second time!

Jude is keeping me on my toes and from napping too much. He repeats that there is a baby in mommy's belly but we are pretty sure he has no understanding of it at all. I'm really enjoying this time with him where I can focus on him before baby comes. I know what a change it will be! Thanks to him I have found a wonderful group of friends that have been so willing to help me out and check on me. I know for a fact that God placed them in my life intentionally.

In other news we celebrated Easter over the weekend and Jude was quite impressive with his Easter egg hunt. He was pretty good at sniffing them out and would proudly exclaim, "I found egg!" His favorite part was opening the Easter eggs as he would shove as many as the candies possible into his mouth. This is tough on mommy since I have tried so hard to keep him away from candy. :) After Easter Jeff and I met with a developer to discuss the possibility of buying land in the Haubstadt area and building in a few areas. It's a big decision but an important one for our family! 

10 Weeks and showing

Our pregnancy announcement for family. Look at him chessin' it!

Sweet boy opening his Easter basket

Easter Egg Hunt

Shoving as many Tootsie Rolls as possible into his mouth!

13 Weeks

How far along? 12 weeks

Size of baby? Our little pumpkin is currently the size of a plum!

What's going on with baby? Our pumpkin has almost all of it's organ systems fully formed!

Total weight gain: I have gained 2 pounds but it feels like more. My belly is definitely protruding more this time around!

Maternity clothes? Nope. Still wearing all my same clothes.

Best moment this week: Hearing the heartbeat and of course any moment with Jude!

Symptoms: queasiness, heartburn, allergies, fatigue

Sleep: Oh sleep....I wake up quite often. It could be from the urge to pee, eat, sinus pressure, not able to breathe...

Miss Anything? Eating and not having heartburn.

Food cravings: I'm not craving anything particular. I just prefer very plain things and DO NOT want to cook. I eat toast, English muffins, waffles, apples, and crackers and cheese daily.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Feeling hungry makes me queasy. The thought of cooking sets my belly off. I find raw meat and hummus to be disgusting!

Gender: Right now it is just our little pumpkin!

Happy or Moody most of the time: I am happy just tired.

Looking forward to: We have a lot going on right now. I am looking forward to getting our home reorganized and finished, all this nice weather to be outside, and our 16 week appointment in May.


A little on Jude:

Age: 2 years and almost 4 months

Size: He is 36 inches tall almost and 32 pounds.

Loves: Playing ball, trucks and cars, eating, Mickey Mouse, Paw Patrol, our dog Luna, being read to, going bye-bye, playing outside, riding his bike

Dislikes: Standing up and dancing during small group time, sharing his own toys, going to bed when daddy is not home, water in his face or eyes

New changes:That wavy hair is becoming more and more curly...hard to control! His vocabulary and sentence formation continues to grow and surprise me all the time! He loves to ask, "What's that?" He is beginning to recognize many of his letters from the alphabet and can spell his own name when asked. I love how he is even beginning to clean up after himself and helps me with daily routines.

Week 8

We are at 8 weeks now! I have been waiting for this week as we had our first appointment! We got to see our baby for the first time with our ultrasound. It was pretty much a blob. :) You could however start making out the head from the body, along with where organs were forming, and little feet and hands. It was very different to see the baby at this stage since with Jude we didn't get too see him until 20 weeks. The heartbeat was 179. Doctor teased that was a sign of a girl! My blood work was all great, and I really liked our new doctor. My next appointment will be in 4 weeks. 

How far along? 8 weeks

Size of baby? Our little pumpkin is currently the size of a kidney bean !

What's going on with baby? Our pumpkin has webbed fingers and toes poking out, eyelids almost cover the eyes, breathing tubes extend from the throat to the lungs, and the tail is just about gone!

Total weight gain: In the mornings I still weight 126. In the afternoons I weigh 127.

Sleep: The past two nights I have almost made it all through the night sleeping!

Miss Anything? Not feeling queasy!

Food cravings: I just really wanted some Pop Tarts this week. So I splurged and I love it! 

Anything making you queasy or sick: This past weekend was pretty rough. I slept most of Sunday not wanting to eat at all. Thankfully since this my nausea is come and go and hasn't been as harsh. As long as I eat every couple of hours, I notice that has helped too.

Gender: Right now it is just our little pumpkin!

Happy or Moody most of the time: I am happy. I can be moody when not feeling well.

Looking forward to: Feeling better!

7 Weeks!

Week 7 of pregnancy has arrived at full force! I am already nauseated and it lasts throughout most of the day. Ugh! I can't stand to open the fridge, cook, or just think about most food in general. In order to feel better though, I have to make sure I am eating frequently. So small snacks and meals it is for a while! I have tried pregnancy pops for the first time. First of all, they are sour and I love that! Second of all, they work wonders while I have one. Then once they are gone I feel sick again :(  I am so lucky that Jeff is so supportive and doesn't mind that I can't cook sometimes or our meals come from a box (I can't believe I am cooking meals from a box).  I find myself still needing to take an hour nap every afternoon when Jude does. This is not good. My house needs cleaned. Terribly! With all this being said, I still could not be more excited that we are expecting our second child! I'll take this blah feeling any day as long as I know we will meet our little pumpkin in the end. Thankfully Jude is keeping me busy and that helps me to feel a bit better off and on.

Currently at church we are doing a study on the family. I find this to be so appropriate for us right now! As we prayed for God to help us grow our family and to see our prayers being answered, I find that it is the best time to really study His word and know how He wants family to work in the home. It forces me to look at myself closely has a wife and a mother. Sometimes I do not like what I see. This is a good thing though. A realization like this helps me to better myself in these areas. It's not easy! But I have learned in the past year that studying God's word, prayer, and relying on Him can make all the difference!

Life with Jude is still exciting! We are keeping busy this week with Dr. Seuss activities. He's always so much fun to watch explore and play. This week we have been working on identifying words that are important to Jude. So far Jude can recognize: truck, mom, dog, cow, ball, and Jude. It's a start. Plus out of no where he recognizes the letter o.

How far along? 7 weeks

Size of baby? Our little pumpkin is currently the size of a blueberry!

What's going on with baby? Our pumpkin has hands and feet emerging now and has doubled in size!

Total weight gain: I gained one pound last week. I've lost it again as of this morning.

Sleep: I need an hour nap each afternoon just to function. I'm having a hard time sleeping all through the night. I end up waking up with a stuffed nose and a queasy belly. I keep ending up on the couch!

Miss Anything? Not feeling queasy!

Food cravings: I am loving Mexican food again. Luckily we have Taco Bell, Taco John's, Taco Tierra, and a bunch of other restaurants to help with that craving!

Anything making you queasy or sick: My poor belly is queasy almost all day long. I am okay to eat and I never actually get sick. I just do not want to cook or open the fridge. Right now I can't stand the thought of hummus or eggs.

Gender: Right now it is just our little pumpkin!

Happy or Moody most of the time: I am happy. I can be moody when not feeling well.

Looking forward to: We are looking for new office furniture this week. We are changing things around the home to make room for new baby. Doctor's appointment is next week!! On a side note it looks like we are going to Orlando for vacation in July. Definitely excited about that. Although being 28 weeks preggo at the time could make things a little different!

6 Weeks!!

Here we are at the start of 6 weeks! It is amazing how in-tune I am with my body and all the changes I am noticing with this pregnancy. With Jude I feltl as if I was barely aware that I even could be pregnant for the longest time. There are similarities already:

1. I have an increased appetite. Still cannot eat more at one time, but I must eat more often.
2. I am shorter of breath. Noticeable when I am running or cleaning around the house.

Differences:

1. It wasn't until closer to 9 weeks last time that I started to feel nauseous and a little off. I already get a little queasy off and on.

2. It also wasn't until that 9 week time that I started having certain aversions to food. I couldn't stand anything healthy at all. The thought of cooking just had me curling up in a ball! I am starting to get to that point already now. I am okay most the time with bread and fruit. Other than that I just want some good old fast food right now. Yes, I know how awful that if for me and the baby. :)

3. Man am I tired! I do not remember ever being this tired throughout my pregnancy with Jude. I have some energy in the morning but by afternoon I am crashing. Having a toddler running around and not sleeping much could also affect that I am sure.

Right now everything is just about keeping calm and quiet. It is hard not to share with everyone that we are expecting our 2nd one now, but we both believe it is just too early to share that information. I will be ready for my doctor's appointment in 2 weeks, so that we can have the ultrasound and be sure that our baby is growing and doing well.

Jude is continuing to grow and do amazing things all the time. I feel like he is carrying on conversations with me more and more. He counted to 10 just yesterday and remembered to actually say 4! He talks about colors all on his own now too. He is becoming quite the little helper around the house. Although he can be just as much a stinker too. Right now we are going to work on some fun Dr. Seuss activities for Dr. Seuss' birthday. One of my favorites! Yesterday in MOPS we also had a demonstration on cooking in with children in the kitchen and how we can make it a learning opportunity. I am now set on finding ways for him to help me in the kitchen and make fun food items along the way! :)

How far along? 6 weeks

Size of baby? Our little pumpkin is currently the size of a pea!

What's going on with baby? Our pumpkin is starting to develop all his or her facial features. Our pumpkin also has a heartbeat and brain development!

Total weight gain: At this start of this pregnancy I am 126 pounds.

Sleep: I want to sleep in the afternoons and go to bed early.

Miss Anything? My energy...however it is worth being gone!

Food cravings: I have really been wanting some McDonald's....I'm thinking it could be a lunch stop for Jude and I today!

Anything making you queasy or sick: My stomach has been turning off and on. I can't pinpoint anything specifically that makes me queasy, but pretty much anything healthy tends to turn my stomach.

Gender: Right now it is just our little pumpkin!

Happy or Moody most of the time: I am happy. I can be moody when I'm exhausted though.

Looking forward to: Our first doctor's appointment in March and just watching the changes that will be coming week by week. 

Age: 2 years and 2 months

Size: He is 33 pounds and 34 and a half inches

Loves: Basketball, trucks, trains, planes, tractors, Mickey Mouse, eating, going bye-bye in daddy's truck, shoes and hats, snuggles and playing with mommy and daddy

Dislikes: Green beans, being told it is night-night time, loud group noises

New changes: We are getting lots of wavy hair now! Two-year molars are coming in, counting independently, identifying colors, singing along with songs, jumping much quicker, climbing higher, helping with routines around the house

Growing our Family

This week our family received a bit wonderful news...we are becoming a family of four! I cannot even begin to put into words the joy I feel for being chosen to be a mother again to one of God's children. This is something I have prayed about for many months now and am overjoyed to live out God's will.

I began to suspect pregnancy with the feeling of cramps over the weekend. The confirmation of a continued rise in basal body temperature and even a positive ovulation test led me to taking a pregnancy test  on Tuesday.  As of right now all we know is that I am around 4 weeks pregnant and I have my first appointment with Dr. Ott on Wednesday, March 11th. We will have an ultrasound complete, blood work done, and my first check up. I am beyond thrilled to begin this whole journey again, and love reliving all the memories I have of our very first journey bringing Jude into this world almost 3 years ago. 

How far along? 4 weeks

Size of baby? Our little pumpkin is currently the size of a poppy seed!

What's going on with baby? Our little pumpkin is currently just a a little ball of cells. 

Total weight gain: At this start of this pregnancy I am 126 pounds.

Sleep: I have noticed that I was bit more fatigued but nothing major at all.

Miss Anything? Absolutely not! Cannot wait to go through pregnancy again!

Food cravings: Not yet but I do see my appetite increasing some.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not yet!

Gender: Right now it is just our little pumpkin!

Happy or Moody most of the time: I am soooo happy right now!

Looking forward to: Our first doctor's appointment in March and just watching the changes that will be coming week by week. 

Jude is definitely giving us a taste of the terrible two's! At the same time though, he is still just as sweet ever. I am loving every minute of his snuggles, hugs, and kisses. I love it when he asks me to hold him and always wants me to play with him. He continues to change so quickly that it is hard to keep up. He is speaking in sentences now and most the time we can understand him. He counts to 10 and knows all his colors. I have Jude involved in Kindermusik, playgroups, and MOPS. We even got membership CMOE which he has a great time at.  

Jude and Mommy at his 2nd birthday party

Age: 2 years and 1 month

Size: He is 33 pounds and 34 and a half inches

Loves: Basketball, trucks, trains, planes, tractors, Mickey Mouse, eating, going bye-bye in daddy's truck, shoes and hats, snuggles and playing with mommy and daddy

Dislikes: Green beans, being told it is night-night time, loud group noises

New changes: We are getting lots of wavy hair now! Two-year molars are coming in, counting independently, identifying colors, singing along with songs, jumping much quicker, climbing higher, helping with routines around the house

Jude-3 Months

Well, it has definitely been too long since I made a post. Almost 2 months! I am a little disappointed in myself because I wanted to have a post every 2 weeks since Jude makes changes so quickly. It looks like parenting and teaching and being wife is a lot of work. Who would have thought?? :)
So I am going to stick with hopefully one post a week. I always want to be able to look back and read these posts and recall the great memories we are making as a family.

Let's go all the way back to his two month appointment on March 1st. Our little guy didn't seem so little any longer! He was 10 pounds 15 ounces and 22 inches long. A month has now passed since that appointment and I feel like he has doubled in size. He is however still our long and skinny little man! He received his two month shots and took them like a champ! He screamed just for a minute and then had a smile right back on his face! I do believe he took it better than mommy because I had to have daddy come with us on the appointment (I was a little too nervous to watch him get the shots alone). I was definitely relieved that he did not have any side effects that evening. I cannot wait until his four month appointment April 26th so we can compare and see all of his changes again! We have to give praise to God for giving us such a healthy little boy!

Since my last post I have also gone back to work :(
March 18th was my first day back, and let me just say that I thought I was never going to be able to work again after that day! I tried my best to hold back tears, but man did they flow the night before, while I was feeding him the morning of, and my first few minutes back in the classroom. Jeff was sweet enough to take him to the babysitter with me the first day. Dropping him off there hasn't been has bad as I thought and in fact it just becomes routine. Where I still find the most struggle is early in the morning before we leave. When I was staying home this was our time to have a morning feeding and then snuggle together and sleep for another hour or so. Knowing that I can no longer do this just breaks my heart! I keep telling myself that summer will be here soon and I will have all that time to snuggle with him again! Luckily I have a job that constantly keeps me on  my toes. My fourth graders do not give me an extra minute to worry about my little boy! I do honestly enjoy my time out of the house. I think all moms need that time away. However, I do feel that working part-time would be the best of both worlds! If only it worked that way for teachers! My final comment on going back to work is that I was very blessed to have family members, friends, and colleagues who kept an eye on me and showed me how much they cared as I was making this transition. Another reason to give praise to God for all the people he has blessed me with in my life!

We just has out first Easter with Jude! We were all over the place  visiting with family, and it is quick to realize that he will definitely be spoiled with all holidays. One little boy shouldn't need so many Easter baskets! :)
It was just a blast dressing him up, showing him off, and trying to get cute pictures with all his presents. I know next year will be a bit easier and he can interact more with his Easter presents! While we were sitting in church Sunday morning there was one thought that just kept continuously coming to mind and that I just had to thank God for over and over again. Jeff and I could not be more blessed to be chosen to be Jude's parents. It has been a remarkable journey so far and we are truly just beginning. I only hope to be everything that Jude needs in a mother!

Changes:

Wow! Where to begin!
**Jude is definitely wearing 3 month clothes now. However, pants are an issue! His  little bellly just cannot hold them up!

**All size 1 diapers fit perfectly now! Good thing too because his poops are getting worse!

**His smiles are larger and happen frequently! He his starting to coo and "talk" a lot and will even get a little giggle every now and again.

**He definitely follows Jeff and I with his eyes a lot more. In fact he uses it to his advantage! When he's in his swing and wants out he knows to just stare us down no matter where we are!

**He loves his hands and fingers as they are constantly in his mouth! He is beginning to cut teeth so his drool is nonstop!

**I also noticed last week that he has finally noticed his feet and will just stare at them! He eventually will try to reach for them too but isn't too good at it since he doesn't have the balance quite yet!

**He is kicking and squirming even more than before. So much so that he has to be strapped in to everything! I can't even keep him on the boppy now as he will just roll himself off of it!

**He has just now begun to reach for his toys when they are hanging in front of his face. He even brought a few of the lighter weight ones to his mouth!

**Jude can hold his head up for much longer now and it is quite steady when he is in a sitting position. He can life it up when he is on his belly but he just doesn't like it!

**Jude is now sleeing on his back! What a miracle! It has taken a lot of work but putting him down at night in his crib is not so bad! He sleeps by himself in his own bedroom and his own crib! He will often make it 4-6 hours at a time. This is quite helpful with mommy going back to work.

**His naps are much shorter now. We are lucky to ever make it longer than 45 minutes unless we are in the car! He will now go to sleep much quicker in mommy arms and take his pacifier.

**Jude enjoys his bath time now. He gets super quiet when we bring him into the bathroom with the water running. We even get a few smiles every now and again!

**Jude also loves just being in his diaper now! I think it has a lot to do with him getting so warm so easily. His skin tends to break out any time he gets over heated.

**We have now had an issue with cradle cap. It is awful and we are struggling to get it to go away. It doesn't help the matter when he just wants to itch his head the whole time. So wearing hats daily now is a must!

Jude's dislikes:
I still do not like my car seat!
I cannot stand to be left alone in a room even when I can see my mommy and daddy still!
I am still not a fan of naps sometimes.
I do not like being swaddled but it is a must so far.
I do not like walks but I am gonig to have to learn to since mommy loves them!


Jude's likes:
I like to be snuggled and held all the time!
I like my swing!
I enjoy watching the t.v., lights, the fan, and pretty much anything that moves and makes noise!
I love to talk and smile!
I love my mommy and daddy as I can recognize them now!

Jude-6 Weeks

Jude is already 6 weeks old! Definitely hard to believe! He changes so much each week that I am doing my best to take pictures so we do not forget. I need to get better at finding the time to also record the changes that we are noticing.
Changes:
Jude has been trying to hold his head up since the beginning, but just this past weekend Jeff was holding him and he was honestly holding it up on is own for a little bit. He is also now willing to sit against his boppy pillow on his own and just look around. He spends much more time during the day wide awake just taking in his surroundings. We can also put him on his play mat and he will observe and squeal at his toys. As far as sleeping goes we have made some progress! We spent pretty much the first 4 weeks up with him almost every hour. He would only sleep if you were holding him and we knew this was something we wanted to break. This started to get pretty difficult for mommy. No amount of "trying" to nap during the day would make up for the sleep either. Thanks to some advice from a friend, we began laying Jude down in his bassinet on his side with a blanket rolled up behind him. I keep a heating pad underneath the bassinet in order to keep it warm and I let him sleep with my shirt. With these changes he finally started staying asleep in his bassinet for a few hours. This past week I have started giving him a bottle at his 12 o'clock feeding and then nursing him afterwards. I am wanting to make sure he is nice and full before going to sleep. On average he will asleep 2-3 hours at a time in his bassinet and about 4 hours on daddy's chest. We are getting there!

I am now starting to try and lay him down in his crib during his nap times. He usually will only sleep for 30 minutes max in there, but it's a start! Jude finally doesn't scream and throw fits when we change him and bathe him. Of course, he still has his moments! Bath time seems to work better if we keep a warm washcloth on his belly. I love changing time now because it gives him a chance to look up at me and he is now smiling! He is especially in a good mood in the mornings and will just smile and "talk" to me for quite some time. I honestly cried the first time he looked up at me and smiled (5 weeks) and had to call Jeff right away! I also think Jude likes the women because he tends to flirt and smile with them more!

There are even changes with nursing now. Not only is it easier but Jude is quickening his time for how long he eats. Thank goodness for me! We are also just very proud of the fact that he can go from nursing to the bottle to the pacifier and with no confusion. I realize how lucky we are for this! On the downside I began noticing last week that Jude was spitting up A LOT after his feedings and would even make choking sounds. He seems to have reflux issues pretty bad so I have had to adjust and make some changes with feeding him. I try to feed him every 2 hours and do it with him straight up. I also do not lay him down for at least 10 minutes. Even when changing him I am trying to keep him on his side....not easy!

You can definitely tell that Jude is growing! He is so much longer that his clothes are kinda stretching on him. However, he is still a skinny guy so we still can't put him in clothes bigger than newborn size. At his doctor's appointment a few weeks ago he was 8 pounds 2 ounces and 21 1/4 inches long. We are also starting to have some diaper issues! I would say he ruins at least two outfits a day from diaper explosions! I tried a size 1 diaper last week thinking that maybe the newborn diapers were too small now. That was a big mistake! The size 1 diapers are way to big around his legs so you can only imagine what happened when he pooped after eating! So right now newborns it is.

On January 27th Jeff and I along with our families dedicated our lives to raising Jude in the church. It was such a wonderful blessing to share this promise with our loved ones. It was just another reminder of how loved Jude is and I cannot thank God enough for that blessing. Below is a picture of Jeff and I with Jude at the dedication. This was Jude's second outfit of the day. He ended up with a stomach bug that day and it continued into Sunday. Poor little guy!

I feel that Jeff and I are slowly getting the hang of this parenting gig! With each passing day I am more confident in my abilities as a mommy. Jude as taught me so much about what it is to be selfless. No matter how tried I am feeling that day I know that every moment is worth it because of him. I cannot wait to continue to see the changes Jude continues to make!







Jude's dislikes:
I do not like to be naked unless it is very warm!
I do not care too much for my baths!
I do not like the car seat unless we are moving!
I am not a fan of sleeping on my back!
I really do not like to be left alone!
I get overly tired a lot and making sleeping worse!
I am not a huge fan of my bottle yet!
I do not like dairy so mommy can't eat it!




Jude's likes:
I like to be snuggled all the time!
I like to sleep on my side!
I like my swing!
I am starting to like my toys and books!
I like to be talked to!
I like my pacifier most of the time!
I am beginning to like smiling!
I like music!