8 Week Bumpdate!

It's amazing how drastically different pregnancies can be.  This one is certainly a lot more rough than Isabella's was (and I didn't find that one all that easy peasy!).  That being said, I am relishing in the fact that I am pregnant, and will gladly take the (few) good feeling moments throughout the day, and use the not so great (ok, downright horrible) times as a reminder that I am indeed, growing another human inside me!

Aaand my severe bloating makes me look like I did last time at 12, 14, even 16 weeks! Lovely!

How Big is Baby: Kidney Bean

via

Weight Gain: Down 2.3lbs in the last 2 weeks.  Constant nausea and a diet of sparkling water and saltines will do that to ya.  Is it bad for me to get excited about that!?! Too bad I have so much bloat that my pants don't button well!

Workouts:  Despite feeling pretty lousy almost all day of every day the last 2 weeks, I still managed to convince myself that if I got a short workout in, I would feel better.  *That by the way turned out to be a lie...I did NOT feel better, in fact most times felt worse in the nausea department.  But I was proud that I got a workout in : )*  So with all of that, I was able to go on 2 long walks, do 1 prenatal barre class, and 2 strength training sessions.  Definitely short of my goal, but considering how bad I've felt, I'm ok with this. 

Maternity Clothes: Just loving anything stretchy and comfy right now. Being a stay at home mom for the time being sure makes this easy.  I for sure am way more bloated this time around and will definitely be needing maternity pants far sooner than I did with Bella though!

Sleep: Still pretty exhausted...all time time!  Sleeping great usually from about 10 pm til about 3 or 4 am, at which point I wake up to pee and can't go back to sleep for an hour. Happens most nights of the week.  I will be glad when that is over.  Then I'm up for the day when Bella wakes to eat, usually around 6 or 7 am.  I have also taken about three 20 minute naps each week for the past 2 weeks while Bella naps which has been a lifesaver.  SO not like me!

Cravings: Always wanting sparkling water.  Occasionally I will get a weird craving for something salty (green olives, pickles). Otherwise nothing sounds good. Nothing.

Aversions: Pretty much everything fits in this category. I can't touch (or look, or smell, or think about!) chicken, turkey, and most meats.  Anything with a lot of spice or flavor is a no go.  If it's not saltine crackers, fig bars, the occasional gluten free cheese cracker, or rice noodles, it should probably just go on this list.  

What I Missed: Feeling like my normal self! Having more energy to play with Bella and really be engaged as opposed to just trying to get through the next hour.

Symptoms:  Nausea...all day, every day.  I am talking vitamin B6, ginger, doing peppermint and lemon essential oil, and even hypnotherapy.  There are some moments during the day where I get some relief, but those feel far to few and far between.
-Bloating and gassiness (this is real my friends!)
-Sheer exhaustion...like wanting to lay on the couch all the time tiredness!

Movement: Still too early, but I look forward to it!

Gender: I have gone back and forth on this one about 10 times a day this week! For now, I will say boy. Jon says "she" whenever he talks about the baby, so we know which way he's going : )

Best Moment this Week: Jon, Isabella and I have been able to take a few drives around our area and find some really great places we will be able to enjoy this summer taking hikes, boating, a family fun park, etc. We are truly loving living in the south!  

But even better, we also were able to tell our closest friends about being pregnant which is always a blast!

Worst Moment this Week: Feeling crummy and like a party pooper most of the time b/c I just want to curl up and lay down ALL.THE.TIME!

What I am Looking Forward to: Our first ultrasound to see our Little Lerma on Tuesday! Cannot wait b/c it will make this thing so much more real!

6 Week Bumpdate!

Just writing the word "bumpdate" in the title feels so bizarre.  I am still in shock, and so overly excited, that we are here!  

6 weeks pregnant.  

With another baby (duh, what else would it be with!?)!!  

Wow.  What a blessing!

I may not stop saying that through the entire pregnancy, so just bear with me.  Kinda like I didn't stop saying how FAST the last pregnancy with Bella went.  I may, or may not say that this time as well.  We shall see!

How Big is Baby: Size of a lentil 

Via

Weight Gain: Ugh, this is going to be such a point of contention this time around, as opposed to how happy I was the first time to have gained only 24 lbs total (well, technically 19 with pregnancy, plus 5 beforehand with the IVF stim meds).  I am starting 32 lbs heavier this time than the last (yes, I lost all but 10 lbs of baby weight almost immediately, and then proceeded to gain 22 lbs from the time Bella was 2 months til 6 mo...and then it just wouldn't budge!).  Either way, my goal is to gain 15 lbs (which yes, is safe, b/c I am 30 lbs overweight!).  Either way, so far, no weight gain. 

Workouts: I have been doing a ton of yardwork, gardening and building a 4ft x 24 ft garden box every day this week which I am officially counting as my workouts.  I am just too exhausted, and have no idea when I would get an actual workout in.  That being said, it is my goal to do something active for at least 30 minutes 5 times a week. We shall see how well I can stick to it!

Maternity Clothes: I just want to slip into maternity clothes now.  None of my old spring/summer clothes fit anyways.  But I will continue wearing either comfy, stretchy clothes, or my "fat pants" from previous until it is actually an appropriate time to wear maternity.  

Belly Button: Innie. 

Sleep:  I am definitely so tired lately.  Like, I have no energy at all.  I want to sit on the couch all day, and let Bella play on her floor mat.  This is SOOOO not like me, so clearly I am pregnant.  Plus Jon and I were going to bed sometime between 11 pm and midnight before, and now I barely make it to 10 pm.  

Cravings: Buffalo sauce...on everything!! Seriously everything! I may or may not have put it on mashed potatoes, scrambled eggs, rice noodles, mixed with greek yogurt to dip a cheese quesadilla in, smothered on gluten free chicken nuggets, and *sadly* on leftover curry chicken (hey, it sounded good at the time!).  And I can't get enough sparkling water...so thirsty! 

Aversions: Nothing too strong yet.  Meat hasn't been sounding great, but I can eat it.  I don't have cravings for sweets or sugar, but no total aversion like last time. Either way, nice to not crave it, b/c then I won't eat it!

What I Missed: Sushi!  Wine! Cold beer on the days it has felt like summer here! One last margarita with Jon on our deck during our Happy Hours!

Symptoms: So tired, just feeling like I have no energy.  
-Pregnancy brain- I have not been able to remember several things this week which is just SO frustrating!  
-Nausea off and on all day, although taking ginger usually helps a ton.  
-Intermittent mild cramping (although this has slowed down the last several days, I felt like I was truly getting my period the day I turned 5 weeks). 
-Definitely feeling hormonal/emotional every once and awhile which is so new to me! I may or may not have laughed uncontrollably during an episode of Gilmore Girls, that then proceeded into crying almost as hard! Jon was flabbergasted!

Movement: Way too early!

Gender:  My gut says boy.  But don't get too excited b/c I thought boy last time and we all know how that turned out.  Jon is hoping for girl again.  I would be super happy with either- another girl would give Bella a bestie so close in age, but a boy would be great too.

Best Moment This Week: Being able to tell my family that we are pregnant! So much fun!

Worst Moment this Week:  It's been exceptionally rainy here this week which is not great for getting a lot of fresh air and messes with the emotions. Plus, it makes me just want to curl up on the couch with a cozy blanket and watch tv or read a book all day.   

What I am Looking Forward to: Our first US in 2 weeks! Can't wait to see our Little One, and hear that heartbeat! 

10 Months!

These pictures are getting harder and harder to take each month because Bella has now learned how to rock the rocker which equates in about 55  blurry pictures, and just a few half decent ones.  But nonetheless she is a ton of fun, with her personality shining through more and more each month! What a fun, happy, spunky, strong willed baby!

Happy 10 Months Isabella Rae!

"Mom, seriously, another picture!!?"

10 Month Highlights:

-You had your 9 month check up a few days after you turned 9 months.  You got your 3rd Hepatitis B shot, which was a surprise to Mama, b/c we thought this visit held no shots. Daddy didn't come to this appointment (b/c we didn't think there would be shots), but when we got home and he saw your pink camo band-aid, he was sad he missed it.  

Happy before shots

After shots- just a few tears, a quick cuddle and Moo, and you were back to smiling : )

-You continued to go to the nursery Bible class at church on Sundays, and even though it means you miss your morning nap, and a feed gets pushed back an hour or 2 later, you still LOVE it! I think you love being with the older girls, and you think you are older than you really are.  You also love all the singing, and subsequent dancing you do, that goes on in there. Your teacher says every week you're gonna be a singer : )

-Daddy went on a camping trip with some of his buddies, so you and Mama had a sleepover with the Lefler ladies.  We had a great time enjoying the summer like weather, playing at the park and in the creek.  

-You twirl your hair, play with your ears and rub your eyes when you are tired. It is seriously so sweet!

-You started trying out more finger foods this month.  Squash was a big hit, although I'm not sure much got in your mouth! You like to squish things around and throw things on the floor more than eat it. I try to put whatever I have pureed in whole form for you to try as a finger food, and when you don't really eat it, I give you the pureed. 

Before

After- it doesn't show it in the picture, but there is a thin film of squash over EVERYTHING!

-You started smiling really big and squeezing your eyes mostly shut while crinkling your nose. SO cute, and one of the first things that looks like mama!  

-Grammy Dot, uncle David, and Brianna and Bryce came to visit during their spring break.  We took some walks and just hung out. You certainly loved Brianna!  Too bad we were so busy having fun we didn't get any pictures of you and Grammy : ( So sad about that!

-You ran your first 5K!  OK, well, there was no running involved for you or Mama. But you participated in your first 5K to benefit Relay For Life. It was a beautiful (albeit very windy day) and Mimi, Tia, Dani and Brianna all had a great time walking around Tia's school 4 times to complete the walk.  

-We celebrated your first Easter which was a lot of fun.  You got a little Easter basket (that was Mama's first Easter basket!) with some bubbles, bunny ears, and empty large plastic eggs that you loved playing with. We spent the day with Mimi, Pops, Tia and Dani Leigh (uncle G was sick). 

-Towards the end of the month, you started rolling onto your tummy in the middle of the night, waking up and hating it, and then apparently forgetting that you know how to roll back! Two nights in a row we had to go in and roll you over and calm you down. Then after that, you started sleeping a majority of some nights and most naps on your belly!  So strange for a girl that HATES being on her tummy...up until now!

-Your first tooth started to come in on the bottom front left.  It started peeking though on 4/4, and still almost a week and a half later it is still just a very small portion of the tooth that has come in.  That being said, it feels like a very large dagger when you bite during nursing!

Sleeping: You go down sometime between 5:30 and 6:30 (depending on how good your naps were and how tired you are), and you sleep until about 6 am (sometimes a little later). You still have a (rare) night where you wake up around 1 or 2 or 3 am and can't put yourself back to sleep, so we rock you. Thankfully these don't happen all that often anymore.  Despite a super early bedtime, you still wake up at pretty much the same time each morning, so this mama isn't complaining!

You nap twice a day, first at 10 am for 1-1.5 hrs, then again at some point in the afternoon for usually an hour (although sometimes shorter, and VERY rarely a bit longer).  

Breastfeeding: Most days, you breastfeed 5 times usually sometime between 6 and 645 am, 9am, noon, 3pm and 5:30 or 6 pm. You take about ten minutes, except in the morning when you like to drag it out about a half hour (or sometimes even longer!). Occasionally, you sleep in (like, really occasionally), and get 4 feeds that day.  I'm still pumping around 9:30 every night to give you the additional volume right after your last feed, before bed.  Even though I strongly dislike pumping, I think this has made all the difference in your weight gain. 

Isabella Loves:

-TV Remote controls and cell phones (seriously why buy you toys!?!)
-Moo Cow wubanub at night/naps and in the car

-Music and singing in the car!

-Bathtime in her pink tub with squirty toys

-Jumperoo

-Musical toys, especially her activity table and piano

-Building blocks and knocking them over

-Being outside, taking walks, going to the park 

Food loves this month: Pears, beets, anything orange (carrots, squash, sweet potatoes)

Isabella Hates:

-Things on her feet (socks, shoes)

10 Month Stats:

Height: 27.5 in (30th percentile)

Weight: 16 lb 15 oz lb (10th percentile)

*Wearing size 3 Pampers

*Wearing 6-9 month clothes, although still wearing 3 month onesies from last summer!

Isabella's First this Month:

 -First St Patricks Day (though we did absolutely nothing to celebrate) 3/16/15
-First 5K Race 3/27/15
-First Easter 4/5/15
-First tooth popping through 4/4/15

First Foods: Asparagus, plain Greek Yogurt, grilled chicken and Rice, cheddar cheese, Mimi's Beef stew, Rice cereal, Curry chicken with rice, hamburger

This Month in Pictures:

Easter Shenanigans with the Cousins!

Goofy grin : )

Cutest bunny I know!

Easter basket fun

When she fights naps at Mimi's house, she will always fall asleep in the Boba!! Love this thing!

Spring days in GA are like summer in the Chi...couldn't love it more! Taking advantage of the weather and finding new trails to run on!

Silly girl loves her Daddy!

Girlie loves playing with Mim!

Wearing Mama's jingle shoes she had as a baby!

Oh the cuteness!

Sweet girl loves to play in the playroom!

Goofy summer hats in April...love it!

A Little Announcement!

So I interrupt the normal monthly blogging with an important announcement.  I don't think you will mind the interruption. 

I am one for surprises, and this one is no little thing. Well, technically it is little. Very little. Approximately the size of lentil to be exact. 

Without further ado: 

For Christmas this year, we couldn't ask for anything more,

The Lerma 3 will soon become 4!

That's right...we are expecting Little Lerma #2!

EDD: December 7, 2015!

Let me tell you, for those of you who know our history, you know how HUGE this is for us!

I never in a million years thought I'd be able to get pregnant on our own, without fertility help.  I mean, I hoped and prayed that we would, but I just had it in my mind that it would likely not end up that way.

Hence, the lack of protection since Isabella has been born.  Hence, well, the positive pregnancy test when Bella was 8 months old!

Finding out was a huge surprise.  My cycle has not been normal since having Bella probably thanks to exclusively breastfeeding, and so randomly I will take pregnancy tests after my period is "due", just to confirm that I am indeed not preggo, so I can continue to drink my wine in the evenings : )  

This last time was no exception. I peed on the stick, put it in the holder, and left for 5 minutes. I came back to it, grabbed it, and was getting ready to just toss it in the trash without barely looking at it, when something caught my eye! 

Umm, can that really be 2 lines!?!? No way, there is NO WAY that is 2 lines! 

I must have done something wrong!  **Because yes, that is a very logical, medical way of thinking...the high level, difficult act of peeing on a stick can easily be messed up!** : )

So I took another one.  And then another one a few hours after that.  And despite 3 positives in one day, I still didn't believe it.  So I took another 2 the next day.

In disbelief, I told Jon, and he was in just as much shock as me.  Neither of us were ok with getting too happy or excited yet b/c we have gotten pregnant on our own before, it just never ended well.  So I think utter shock would describe our attitudes for the next 48 hours or so.

I got my act together, got an appointment at the OB the next day to get all of my anticoagulant meds, and well, here we are. Chugging right along.  

OK, maybe "utter shock" could describe our attitudes for the last 16 weeks rather than 48 hours, seeing as it took us this long to put it out there!

Whoa!  I still can't believe it! 

I am pregnant!  Again!  With Little Lerma #2.  We are still a bit cautiously optimistic, but we are definitely very excited, and each week that goes by makes us feel that much more confident that this will have a happy ending.  The fact that we didn't have to "try" is just amazing. The fact that it happened without a ton of hormones, and shots, and lab draws every 2 days is even more amazing.   

So here we go!  Let's do this thing! I can't wait!


***Note:  I wrote each of the blog posts as they happened.  You will be bombarded with a slew of emails (if that's how you read my blog) to catch up as I posted them back to back, now that we are telling everyone! I promise, once you get to 18 weeks, you will get them in real time. Sorry, that's about 9 or 10 posts all slung at you at once!