30 weeks - Good Days/Bad Days

I'm 30w2d pregnant. I feel every day of it plus about 6 weeks. I decided to write today because this morning happens to follow an evening that I'm pretty sure was intended to show me that life is not all peaches and cream. And just because I have good days, does NOT mean I have this "mommy" thing all tied up in a little bow. I guess I was getting too big for my britches and I needed to be knocked down a peg or two. I get it. I guess.

Maybe I should start with a normal, er, empowering (?) evening at the Jones house. I pick Mia up from school around 5. She runs to see me, we gather her things, she says "bye" to her buds, and I carry her out. We get home around 5:20. When we get inside, she follows me around while I change clothes and put away/start laundry. By about 5:40 she's ready to eat. Now, Mia is in a phase where she is not super keen on anything foodwise (except Jello and goldfish), so often times it is a challenge to find something that will end up AT LEAST mostly in her mouth and not as much on the floor. This is a challenge I can handle....afterall, I have this "mommy" thing down. Being the saavy mommy that I am, I bought chicken nuggets in the shape of dinosaurs, we even refer to it as "dinosaur chicken", and I always have mac n cheese (another go-to) on hand. If she is not interested immediately, I use my keen mom skills and act like I am going to eat her food.....most of the time the idea of sharing is offputting enough to make her eat whatever is on her plate without hesitation. I'm so clever. Post meal I wet two paper towels, one I give to her to "help" me clean her tray, the other I use to ACTUALLY clean her tray, face and hands. See?? Cle-ver. We normally head up stairs shortly after dinner for bath time. We go to her room, strip her down and she sits on the potty for about .6 seconds then announces with such pride "I DID IT!" This means nothing. There is a chance I made too much of her sitting on the potty at one point in time, and now the act of sitting is the accomplishment....she saves the tee-tee for the bathtub. Eh, you pick your battles right? Most of the time she loves bathtime so this part of my night consists of me sitting on the floor in her bathroom watching her put bubbles on her face, then wash them off. When she gets bored, we dry off and I douse her in acid, or at least thats what you't think I was doing based on her reaction to me putting her pj's on every night, then once the drama of getting dressed has passed (it's generally VERY short lived) we grab paci (we'll cross that bridge another day) and head downstairs for one episode of either Mickey Mouse, Bubble Guppies or Sophia the First (which we refer to as Fia). During the show, she cuddles up next to me and settles down for the night. 30 minutes later, we head upstairs, read 2 books, rock for a minute then she goes to bed.

NOW, that is NOT AT ALL indicative of what happened the other night......from the moment we walked through the door of our house, all she did was whine, cry, and throw fits. She didn't want to come with me to change, then when she finally caved and came, she didn't want to leave the closet. She wanted me to pick her up while I peed, and was unhappy that I waited until I finished (how selfish am I?!) She didn't want to eat dinner. When she finally told me she wanted rice, she didn't want to sit in her high chair. I took her to our dining room table, she didn't want to sit in the chair. She DID, however, want to stand in it (which is not allowed), so after attempting to fight that battle, she didn't like the fork she had, she wanted a big spoon, but NOT the big spoon I gave her, so of course that was thrown across the room. I was finally able to get her into her high chair, and convince her to eat some yogurt.......at this point, that was a win. I had 3 minutes of no whining. UNTIL I had to wash her hands and face. Lord help, you would have thought I was torturing her. We FINALLY made it upstairs and she didn't want to get undressed (at this point I had convinced myself that if I could make it through bathtime and getting her dressed, then 1 glass of wine wouldn't hurt anything.....luckily my better sense took over later and I did NOT drink anything.....it also helped that we didn't have wine at the house ;-)). She fought me all the way through what has to be the shortest bath in the history of baths, then we struggled through getting dressed. I think by that point, we were both over it. I realize she is 2.....and I realized she was tired. I was tired too. Sometimes I forget I'm ridiculous pregnant, so on top of battling this toddler for the last hour and a half, I was forming brain cells in my uterus, and creating finger prints and hair follicles.....and clearly that is a lot more exhausting than I remembered it being. We made it downstairs, her eyes were puffy and she had that funny hiccup-y breathing going on from crying for so long. My hair was a mess, I was covered in bathwater and I looked like I had just been attacked (mostly because I had). It was not a good night.

There were many times that night that I knew I was not cutting the mustard at this whole "mommy gig". I was failing on every front. I couldn't manage to tame a 2 year old, how the heck was I going to possibly survive with 2?!  But then, something happened.......we both sat on the couch, and she curled up next to me and put her little head on my tummy, and she was calm. And so was I. She went to sleep pretty easy that night. I think it was her way of calling a truce.

I think it's fair to say that I most definitely do NOT have this mommy thing down, BUT we make manage to make it through the day. My kid is clean and fed, she knows her routine and at the end of the day, she snuggles up to me, and I know that at least I'm not completely failing. I have no idea what it's going to be like in 10 weeks when Bella gets here. I know it will not likely not resemble either of these two scenarios as they only involve Mia and I.....what I need to remember is that at the end of the day, God has entrusted me with these two little girls and I think in some kind of way, they know that, and will love me despite all of my shortcomings.

I'm not scared about 10 weeks from now. I'm no where near ready to be a mother of 2, and I certainly don't have "it" figured out. But I'm willing to do my best and I pray that at the end of the day, be it a good or a bad day, my babies can snuggle up with me and we can find our "calm".

10 weeks? Bring it.

Well I guess that's about it for now. I have my next doctors appointment at 32 weeks. So far the bi-weekly appointments have resulted in my doctor telling me that Bella has a strong heart beat and I am measuring "right on" with my due date. I guess that's all I can ask :)

Here's some catch up pictures until next time:

29 weeks - 11 weeks has never sounded longer......

I know I posted for 30 weeks today, but I just looked back and saw this one that had slipped through the cracks. So, looks like you get a double dose today ;-)

Hello folks. I should warn you that we have officially passed the pleasantries that are the first trimester where I was still wearing my own clothes and you could still see some ab definition when I took my weekly pictures. And the "cute bump" phase of the second trimester where I could still squeeze into some of my old tops and my bum still fit into my old pants, even though the odds of me getting them buttoned were a big fat NOT GONNA HAPPEN. Here we are.....smack in the middle of "when the hell did I get this pregnant" land. It's not nearly as cheery here, and it smells kind of funny all the time. I have put on approximately one million pounds and although my friends and family(God bless them) still tell me I look cute, I saw a picture of myself from behind the other day, so I can only assume they are liars, and will regard them as such.

I had my 28 week visit last week. I did the glucose testing and had another sonogram. This time I got to see Arabella's face full on for a half a second. It was the best half a second ever! She's already adorable. Not that I expected anything less. I put on another 7 lbs this month (go me!) but the doctor ASSURED me that the weight gain will slow down from this point forward. I think she's a liar too. The baby is measuring right on track with my due date. She weighed almost 3 lbs last week! They also rechecked the heart and limbs and organs and according to them, everything is good to go.  We also have confirmation number 3 that I am, in fact, carrying another female....PHEW! To my knowledge I will not get to see my baby again until she makes her grand appearance, unless, of course, she is late, in which case I will see her again in about 11 weeks. Let's pray last week was the last time. I mean that....PRAY HARD PEOPLE. My next appointment is next Thursday. That's right.....I am going every two weeks now. See, I told you I was really pregnant.

I don't think I need to go into too much detail about how I'm feeling. I have a feeling the tone of this blog pretty much sums it up. I feel enormous and the summer is no longer being nice. It has been well over 1000 degrees for at least a week. Not. Cool. It kind of feels like the skin on your face is melting off when you get into your car at the end of the work day....but not in the good kind of way (?), more like in the "I literally feel like I'm dying" kind of way. My 2 year old daughter has a new desire to be carried everywhere too, so that adds to the super awesomeness that the heat was somehow lacking. But when we leave her daycare, I have to decide if I want to A) chase my daughter across the parking lot B)hold her hand and possibly risk having to be in the heat for 15 minutes to walk 6 feet to my car, you know, so she can point out every tractor, flag, bug, car, and child that she sees between the door and "mommy caw" or the inevitable C) carry her, and her blankey and goggy and just deal with the semi-skin to skin situation that just creates more smelly awesomeness than I already have going on by that point in the day. Oprion C ALWAYS wins. I'm a sucker. I am finding myself with less and less energy at the end of the day (similar to trimester 1, except then I was skinny and should have just shut up about it), so getting in a workout (or what I consider a "workout") is getting fewer and further between. Also, we just got over a bedtime hump with Mia that totally eliminated any "mommy time" I might have had at the end of the night. I was scared to death for the last two weeks that my days of Mia going to bed at 7:30 were gone with the wind. Thankfully, I was wrong and we are back to our nightly routine of eat, bathe, mickey, books, bed. Also, I assume because of my ginormous stomach, I am starting to have a pretty constant, nagging back ache. I guess it's to be expected, but it doesnt make it less annoying.

One thing that seems to amaze me is how quickly the year has flown by. I mean, its September TOMORROW. I am due to have this baby in less than 3 months. We're hoping closer to 2, although, given the way things went with Mia, I wont hold my breath. September is shaping up to be a pretty busy month, which at least helps with time passing. And then in October, we will officially have a 2 year old. In that sense, looking back, it seems like yesterday that we were childless and I was sitting writing this blog, miserably pregnant, and BORED....waiting for my first child to get here. My how things change ;-)

25weeks - God Doesn't Give Us More Than We Can Handle

Hello again friends and family. Today I am 25w4d preggo with our second little blessing. I have been trying to think of what was going to be included in this post. Everything seems very much the "same" as before, so it seems kind of pointless for me to recount how hot it is, or how big I'm getting....you can read about that in my first blog circa 25 weeks. Instead I thought I would share how I am coping with the new wrench that's about to be thrown into our finely grooved out routine/schedule. It's taken me 25 weeks (or rather 22 months) to realize it, but having 1 kid isn't nearly as hard as I thought it was going to be.....

At this point Mia goes to be around 7PM EVERY NIGHT. She sleeps around 12 hours. She feeds herself, walks on her own, and attempts to do everything else on her own as well. I can leave the room and not worry that she's going to roll off the couch or stick something in her mouth that shouldn't be there.....I mean most of the time, she is directly behind me (often times between my feet as I'm walking). She can sit through a full episode of Mickey Mouse and/or Sofia the First (aka - Fia). She naps regularly and without complaint. She tells me what she wants if she's whining (even if it does take some pulling on my end).......and she's HILARIOUS. I mean it, the kid cracks me up!

So, what's going to be different once #2 enters the scene? Simple answer: Everything.

To begin with, this pregnancy, while it has been similar to Mia's, has been a whole new ball game in some aspects. Firstly, I am no longer the center of attention, regardless of how huge I get so long as I have Mia with me. Honestly, most of the time that I'm with her, aka chasing her around stores trying to ensure we don't have to "buy" anything by default, I completely forget I'm pregnant.....and trust me, at this stage in the game, I should not be "forgetting" that little tidbit. But, unlike last time, I have a different focus and a different mindset. I don't have an abundance of "extra" time for relaxing and getting pedicures. In fact, I haven't had "extra" time since around 7:14 on October 19, 2011. But strangely, I don't notice it as much either. I am tired, don't get me wrong, but I'm no more tired than I was prior to having a human take up occupancy in my uterus. Also, I spend far less time worrying about how breastfeeding is going to feel or how much the baby is going to eat/sleep (well, I still worry about the sleep thing....). I'm not concerned that I won't meet my expected "due date" and I am certainly under no delusion that I'm going to try to shove this human through my lady parts al-natural....NOW the things I worry about are how I'm going to get Mia dinner and nurse Bella at the same time after work. I worry about what I'm going to do when Bella is crying and Mia's in the bath......or how I'm going to react when Mia is making noise and the baby is sleeping.....I stress about the costs of daycare and how much I'll be out of work with 2 kids sharing snot with the city of Frisco as opposed to just the one. I worry that I will lose part of my special bond with Mia or not form as strong of one with Bella. It's just different.

In the same aspect, I am not left wondering if I will have help. If there is one thing that has become abundantly apparent in the last 22 months, it's that I was blessed with an amazing partner in all of this. Dan has taken to being a daddy as though it was his calling in life. Now, don't get me wrong, we definitely have different parenting "styles" (ie, Dan would like to wrap Mia in bubble wrap before she leaves the house every day, where as I'm of the "shake it off" mindset)....but we have really come together and as far as I'm concerned, we are totally killing it when it comes to this whole parenting gig ;-)

Another huge difference that I believe will reveal itself when Bella arrives is that we WILL take advantage of going places with an infant. I feel like we were very concerned to be too far from home with Mia......Well, Bella's coming out where ever we go. Before, we had no idea how lucky we were to have a child that could and WOULD stay confined to their carseat for an extended amount of time. But compared to having our toddler running all around the place and throwing food and silverware at passing wait staff.....I'll take an infant any day of the week! I mean, for the first 3-4 months, aside from being sleep deprived and having sore nipples and a saggy tummy, it will essentially be no different than having just the one (*said the naïve, not-quite-mother-of-two....) And to be honest....I'm ready for the challenge. Now, once that 4-5 month mark hits.....I will probably come back to this day and time and want to punch myself in the face.....but for now, let's live in la-la land where having 2 kids is "no big deal" ;-)

So that's it....that's what I've been thinking about for the last couple weeks. Now you can stop wondering.

As far as I am concerned, I still feel pretty good. It's hot, but we're in Texas, and it's August, so that probably goes without saying. I am rapidly putting on weight even faster than I did the last time despite my most valiant efforts, so I'm just praying to God it's because this baby is going to be bigger or be born sooner. At my 24 week apt, I was measuring right on schedule though, so I'm probably just wishful thinking. I thought I was getting a sonogram at the last appointment, but turns out it's not until my next appointment at 28 weeks. So, hopefully I will have more pics of our Bella then.

Until then here are some pics of what we've been doing since I last sat down to spill my brain:

24 weeks

Me and my silly baby :-)

Mia's breakfast date with Joseph, what a catch ;-)

Mia "helping" me with laundry....please note two pairs of panty-necklaces and her tank top skirt. Runway ready if you ask me!

23 Weeks

I have attempted to start this post at least 3 times. The biggest problem I'm running into is lack of Bella-related updates. Sad. I have a human growing inside of my body and the only thing I  can think to tell you is that my almost-2 yr old learned to sing her ABC's and is now putting words together into sentences. I hope, genuinely, that this is just a dull month in my pregnancy/Bella-related life....and I'm about 98% sure that's the case. Although, you guys may never know because I have a strange feeling that taking care of 2 children, ages 2 and under, while working full time is not going to lend itself to tons of free time for blogging....call me crazy.

I guess what I can tell you is how my last doctor visit went. We got to see our new little angel on the big screen again, and she was every bit as stubborn as her sister. She was facing back most of the time and in breech position (which is no reason for concern at the moment) and she had those legs glued together! Luckily, I wasnt as anxious about that part seeing as how we already knew she was a girl. It was pretty cool to watch her suck on her hands (just like Mia!) and kick her little feet though. It's so crazy that she's already formed enough to do that. She weighed in at 11 oz when I was 20 weeks. I dont really know what that means except that the sono tech informed me she measured in line with my due date. Good enough for me. My health is good, I haven't had a lot to complain about. I'm putting on weight, I know that's shocking ;-) but it's nothing ridiculous, and I feel like so far it's mostly belly. My next appointment is next Thursday when I will be 24w1d. They scheduled another sonogram because at 20 weeks there were unable to see 2 of the valves in the heart. My doc assured me that it was most likely just her position and told me not to worry. Maybe it's because it's not my first, but I'm not worried.

I went back and read my last blog and given that it was during a summer of record heat, I had a lot of complaining to do. I am thrilled that for the last several days the highs have been in the 70's and it has been overcast and rainy. It's been AH-MAZING. Thank you GOD! :) I realize this is going to be short-lived, but I'm trying to enjoy it while I can. Aside from that, I've been really busy at work and at home, I think that has added to this pregnancy going by so much faster than my last! I mean, don't get me wrong, I prefer being NOT pregnant if I had to choose, but considering my body is not my own at the moment, I am not having to rough a go of it ;-) I'm going to take that as a sign that Bella is a low-maintenance chick, kinda like her momma, cause Lord knows we dont need another drama queen!! Mia's got that one covered.

As for how my first born is doing.....she's doing awesome :) Aside from the first few things I mentioned, she can name all of the characters in the Mickey Mouse show, she points out every tractor we pass on the way to/from ANYwhere (some are even there ;-)), OH and she now enjoys kicking us. It's super awesome and has resulted in our first "time-outs". They seem to work for the moment, but it hasn't stopped this new awesome habit. Houston, we've reached terrible 2 status. It's a good thing it comes in spurts, because her little 5 minute tantrums wear me out....AIN'T NOBODY GOT TIME FA THAT! ;-) Besides that, she is hilarious....obviously a trait she gets from her momma :) and she keeps us on our toes. We always ask her about her sister, Bella, and she will kiss my belly, or go into Bella's room to play with her toys. I am hoping this adoration carries over once the new one is here....

Until next time, here's a few pics from the last couple weeks :)

22wks

Mommy's helper :-)

At the arboretum

Splashing around with daddy

Our little firecracker :-)

Profile on top, lady parts on bottom 

20 Weeks

Well, I'm not sure how it happened, but this little roller coaster is half way through already! I will be 20 weeks tomorrow and have my 20 week appt on Thursday where we will finally find out what we're having.....wait....that happened 2 months ago. Ok, so we will get to see our little princess dancing around on my organs again :) Either way, I'm excited. I keep having dreams that they tell me she's a 'he'.....but I feel like that wouldnt shake me as much this time as it probably would have last time. We have already named her, bought her bedroom furniture and bedding and are fully stocked on everything little girl....but hey, sometimes you gotta roll with the punches. But let's be real....this better be a girl.

So, we'll start this round table (just kidding, these are generally one way convos) off with me. I feel pregnant. It happened overnight. I was doing so well with not putting on too much weight. I was still wearing my pants, no one at work was any the wiser that I was growing a human....then it happened. Week 18, I got PREG-NANT. There is no sucking it in. This is for real. I had a little girl at the pool ask me the other day if I was carrying a baby in my tummy. It was cute and innocent. It's funny though, because if an adult had asked me the same thing, I probably would not be smiling about it. Im not sure Mia quite grasps that her baby sister is residing in my tummy, I think she just thinks 'mommy got fluffy and now I have more cushion to pounce on unexpectedly!' And pounce she does. Between trying to keep her off my tummy and keep her knobby elbows out of my boob sockets....I have my hands full.Aside from feeling exactly what I am, I havent really noticed much of a difference. I have put almost as much weight this time as I did last time, but this time, it is all belly....like for real, this kid is going to be a big mamma-jamma. I just have a feeling. My bum still fits in my pants which still amazes me, and no doubt will not last much longer, but I am migrating towards maternity pants that I can keep on (I'm still at a weird in between size for some reason) because seriously, who doesnt want to wear stretchy pants every day?

Now on to the child residing outside my body. Mia has changed so much so quickly! She is a little sponge soaking up everything we say (EVERY.THING.) She said her first full sentence the other day "More rice please, Mommy" and I cannot tell you how thrilled I am that it included such manners! She says "bless you momma/daddy/Mia" if anyone sneezes (or coughs or burps) and she says "sorry momma" after she intentionally socks me in the face. I can't decide how to take that one yet. She is in a strange repeat phase though and she will literally say the same thing (for example "A BUG!") like 20 times in a row until you've acknowledged in a way she approves of that she has, in fact seen a bug, which is mostly just specs of dirt, or nothing at all. She is surprisingly obedient, and I'm constantly amazed at what she understands (for example, pick the food up off the floor and put it in the trash can). She LOVEs reading books.....like love loves reading books. She could sit all day/night (so long as you are sitting directly next to/underneath her) and read. It's precious. She still has a pretty mean little temper, but I have no doubts she came by that honestly, so it's kinda hard to get mad at. I just giggle to myself and say "well played, God. Well played", as I'm sure my mother wished for me to have a daughter just like myself ;-)

Well I did this post intentionally early so that on the next one I could update on Bella (Arabella) stats. from Thursday's appointment. I will also do a Mia photo update with that one. But until then, here is me at 19 weeks.

 

and just a glance back to week 18.....

 

17 weeks

Hello again, and welcome to week 18 of baby 2! I have been meaning to update for at least a week now, but you know....life got in the way. And to be perfectly honest, I can't say there is much update on the in-utero human. I guess I will fill you in on the few changes I have noticed....

So this very week is the week I started feeling pregnant. Up to this point, I feel like I have had to constantly remind myself that I am in the process of growing a human. Aside from the extreme exhaustion of the first trimester, and transitioning back into a C-cup bra from my little ole 'A' (man, that seemed to happen over night!) I haven't really felt pregnant. I honestly believe it is because I have had less time to focus on the every day aches and pains and really I haven't had time to slow down and realize that my belly IS in fact, growing. Last week I started noticing I could feel baby girl in the mornings when I would roll over to my back. I remember it was my first favorite part of when I was pregnant the first time. It is amazing how much you forget in such a short time. I remember thinking, as I rubbed my tummy in the morning, that this was the first time that I was actually  feeling my baby. I am just as in awe this time. I love the mornings....except for the whole having to wake up part....because I feel like I get to spend time with my new baby. How weird is that? She is LITERALLY inside of my skin and I feel like the mornings are our time together.....it's funny to say out loud. It could be because in the mornings I am not talking to Dan yet and I dont have a toddler hanging off my hip or leg, or sitting on my lap as I pee (I mean seriously, who needs to do that by themselves anyway?), so first thing in the morning, it's just me and Baby. And I love it.

A big fear I had going into this whole thing (I say that as though there were any thought put into "going into this") was that there was NO WAY I was going to be able to love another human the way I do Mia. I think now that I am almost half way in, I can say with 110% confidence that I can. I can also say that the love I have for this baby is completely different, totally seperate and in no way takes away from how I love my other baby girl. It's crazy. Just wow.

So, I guess it's fair to say......I'm emotional ;-) Geez, I bet you didn't think you'd be getting a page full of mush when your email alert went off! Ok, well I think I have control of myself now. Moving on.....

As far as how I feel physically, I am good for the most part. I am noticing that I get winded more easily and I have begun having this shooting pain in my tail bone area (I am pretty confident it's my sciatica) on a pretty on-going basis. At my last doctor appointment I hadn't put on any weight since 12 weeks, which by the way, I was pretty sure would NEVER happen to me. Ever. And I am more than confident that it won't again. You can ask my friends who's ears I have been gnawing off over concern for my weight gain this go-round.....I am concerned for my weight gain this go round! The good news is, I'm starting this pregnancy quite a bit lighter than I started my last, and I have not had the pizza/burger/candy cravings like I was plagued with during the last go round. Surprisingly, I have craved mostly fruits and vegetables (reading that, I want to punch myself....who says that?!), but it's true. Also, I have been able to stay pretty active. I am trying to work out several times a week and I feel like its a combination of those factors that have kept me in my pre-pregnancy jeans to date! Now, those jeans are no longer buttoning....but your belly gets big when you're pregnant, so lets not focus there.....PEOPLE, MY BUM STILL FITS IN MY JEANS! Hallelujah! :) Below is proof ;-)

 

On a final note.....and if you are worried about me spilling too much information, you are reading the wrong blog - FYI. Have you heard of that book "Everybody Poops"? Well they are liars. This girl does not. For the last 13 weeks my body has gone on strike. It either got tired of doing its job of moving food through my body, or started getting worried that I wasnt going to end up a big fatty McFatfat....either way.....not EVERYONE poops.

 

And the very FINAL FINAL note, Mia is talking up a storm! She actually puts words together now like "Daddy work" when he's not here in the morning when she comes down stairs, and she says stuff like "there it is" or "what's that?!" (this is her favorite, she asks it about things that she knows good and well what they are and she uses it as a ploy to stay awake longer at night....it only works on daddy though ;-)) She is still very much a Daddy's girl, and I am positive that he is a Mia's boy too :) She LOVES to read books and if we are not reading, she wants to be outside looking for "buggies"....she's the cutest! Here is a pic of her outside.....

 

To steal the words of Jessie Spano: Im so excited, I'm so excited, I'm so....SCARED!

Well hello again my faithful followers. It's been a while. I guess that's mostly my fault....or ALL my fault. Get off my back, I've been busy!

I bet you're wondering what brings me back to the blogosphere, well I hear what you do for one child, you must do for all. In case you didn't grasp my subtlety, that's me telling you I'm pregnant.....again. It probably wasn't necessary for me to write "again" given that it is impossible for me to STILL be pregnant for the first time. And might I add, thank GOD for that! So, here I am. Again. Baby number 2 is due November 13.

I can tell you that this was not "planned" and although we are now absolutely ecstatic to be welcoming another baby GIRL to our family....my first reaction was fear. Complete and utter fear. Am I going to have enough patience? Will I love this baby as much as I love Mia? How will I possibly function on fewer than 8 hrs of sleep a night...again?! And more importantly.....I have to get fat??? AGAIN??? ;-) Well since we have had some time for everything to sink in, and I have been able to see this beautiful baby on the big screen twice already (once as a blob and once as a baby), I can tell you with the upmost confidence that I will love this baby as much as I love my first. I may not have enough patience, and I WILL be tired....very tired, but that is where prayer comes in....and Daddy :)

So, while I can assure you that I will not be posting weekly to update you as to the status of my boobs, I can tell you with some confidence, that in an effort to be fair, I will attempt to document this pregnancy as I did Mia's.....so brace yourself and get your barf bags ready! You should fully expect the exact same amount of whining seeing as how I managed to get myself into this situation again on almost the exact same timeline....you know, because I LOVED being pregnant in the heat of the summer so much the first time ;-)

As of today, I am 14 weeks and 1 day pregnant. I am just starting to feel pregnant and have gotten a little pooch already. Luckily this time, my belly growth is exceeding my booty growth and can still fit into all of my clothes, although in the spirit of full disclosure, I did have to Jerry-rig my pants this morning to get them buttoned. I have put on 3 lbs and have full-on awkward teenaged acne....everywhere. Its just as awesome as I remember.

And since I'm not the only character in the movie this time, my other little ray of sunshine is doing just awesome. Mia has been in daycare for just about 7 months. She LOVES her teachers and is talking up a storm. Her favorite word is 'no' and she has a slight obsession with her blankeys and at the moment, Mickey Mouse (which she refers to as 'Oh tootles!'). She is the light of my life and I can't wait to see her as a big sis.

And for the first of many.....

14 wks