News!

Well, since we've been gone for Thanksgiving, and we found out right before, I'm pretty sure our news is out, but just in case it isn't... meet Audrey Lou Looten! We had our big doctor's appointment on Wednesday, and found out that we are expecting another little girl! It's funny, because pretty much everyone was convinced that it was going to be a boy, since the pregnancy has been so different from Laney's. But, guess she fooled us all, because she is definitely a SHE!

Anyway... Dr. B. said everything looked great. Audrey was not all that cooperative, she was laying down low and kept hiding. And, since I'm not very big, it was kind of hard to FIND her! But eventually the tech got all of the measurements needed, though we didn't get any great pictures of her. We did get a few, and they turned out pretty cute!

Thinking hard, with her hand up by her face!

You'd think this was her hand by her face again... but it's her FOOT! Apparently Audrey is flexible!! :)

And the proof that she's a she!

Anyway, so there's the exciting news! We are pretty excited to have another girl, and we both really love the name Audrey, so we're happy to get the chance to use it! It will be interesting to see how alike/different she and Laney will be. And having a sister is fun!

That's about it on the pregnancy front... I am 21 weeks now, and starting to actually "show," although I'm still in my regular clothes, and I've actually lost 10 pounds! Between being so sick for so long, and then starting the diabetes diet/exercise thing, there just hasn't really been time to gain weight! Oh well, less gained means less to lose later! The diabetes thing is going pretty well, it's no fun, but it's pretty easy to control right now. And it's worth it to have a healthy baby...

So there's the update... I'll try to get a shot of the very small belly sometime soon and post it... it's not too exciting yet!

My New Best Friend...

...who I already don't like very much!
Yep, I finally felt good enough to take my glucose test on Monday. It was just as bad as I remember it! Although, it was better with a straw, and actually I thought it was better lukewarm. It didn't mess my empty stomach up as much as the ice cold one did the first time. Anyway, I got it down and kept it down for an hour (no small feat!) and went to get my blood drawn.

And today the doctor's office called (never a good thing) to tell me that it came back high. She said we had 2 options- schedule the 3 hour test or just presume that I have gestational diabetes and move from there. Since it was nearly impossible for me to get and keep the first dose down for an hour, the thought of trying for the three hour test (pounding it in front of people and then sitting there for 3 hours with nothing to eat since the night before) was not so appealing. So I went with Option A... just presume that I have it again, since, in all likelihood, I do. Today Josh and I went to walmart and bought a meter (I had borrowed the one from last time), and I got it all set up and took my blood sugar this evening (and it was high...). So, anyway, here we go again...

I keep telling myself that it's really a good thing. And, in a lot of ways it is. I'll eat much healthier than I would otherwise, I won't gain as much weight, I'll exercise more, etc., etc., etc. But a big part of me says this just sucks. They did want me to go to the nutritionist again (remember THIS awful appointment?!), but I asked if I really had to. I said I remembered it pretty well from last time (who could forget awful teal leggings and bad dramatic acting: "Is my husband going to catch it from me?!) and my insurance didn't cover it, so could I just skip it this time... the nurse said she'd talk to Dr. B. and let me know. Honestly, even if she recommends it, I probably still won't go. That place was bad for my blood pressure...

So there's the update... on the upside, I am feeling much better, and I felt the baby move several times this week. Not big movements, but just those first few little fluttery ones where you're not sure if it was the baby or you imagined it. Makes me so excited for the big moves and kicks! I am still not sleeping well, so I am so exhausted all the time. But I think that if I get my blood sugar under control, that may help with the exhaustion, too.

Two weeks from tomorrow until the big appointment!!! So excited for that!!

16 Weeks

Just a quick update, but I had my 16 week check up today and everything looks good. I lost another 4 pounds, so I'm down 9 from my first appointment. Dr. B. said she hoped I would come out of it soon. I thought, yeah, no kidding- you and me both!!

Anyway, she said she wanted me to take the glucose test sometime when I felt good, again... so still putting that off! :) The one bonus to being sick... I told her about everyone teasing me about twins, and she whipped out the ultrasound and said "I only see one... I'd hate to admit I missed a twin!" Again- you and me both!! :)

I got to hear Baby Loo Two's heartbeat (only one), which is always cool, and Dr. B. said he/she was moving around quite a bit, so that's good.

So that's about it... big appointment in a month, so I thought I'd add the requisite poll on the side. Make sure you weigh in- boy or girl?

Not to be Out Done...

Well, I debated even putting this story up here. Mostly, because I feel like all I do on this blog right now is talk about throwing up, and no one enjoys reading about that over and over again. But, hey, let's face it- that's a big part of my life right now! ;) Plus, this story is just too funny, especially with Laney's role... ahh, the addition of a 2 year old to first trimester yakkies...

So, earlier this week, Baby Loo #2 decided not to be outdone by his/her older sister... for background, read this story from being pregnant with Laney. Apparently, #2 had heard this story, and decided that if Laney could make me throw up while driving, so could he/she!

I had a rough day in general with not feeilng well, and I had a training after school, so it was late when I went to pick Laney up. I knew as I left Tamra's that I was going to be sick, but I thought I could make it home (3 minutes, seriously...). Yeah, apparently #2 had other ideas. As I got about halfway home, I realized I was not going to make it home, and grabbed for the Fazoli's bag in the passenger seat (thank goodness I'm horrible at cleaning out my car). As I proceeded to throw up rather loudly (and somehow manage to steer the car to the side of the road with my knees), my darling daughter in the backseat pipes up. "Mommy, do this: ah-choo, ah-choo." So, apparently she thought I was sneezing. Oh, the joys...

13 weeks... still waiting to feel better. Beginning to be afraid that it's not going to get better. But I may just be a little impatient this time...

Check Up

I had my 12 week check up on Tuesday, and everything looks good.

My doctor said she wasn't worried about the glucose test. She asked if I had taken it yet, and I said "Nope, I can't even keep regular food down." So she said it would be silly to try and take it again until I was feeling better, since even if I managed to keep the stuff down I wouldn't be able to alter my diet if I needed to. So, that was a relief, because I was afraid she was going to push me to take it, and I was just going to have to refuse... and I'm not so good at outright defying of people who know lots more than me! :)

Anyway, along the same lines as the first pregnancy, I lost 5 pound between the two appointments. Can't say I'm surprised, and it's kept me in my regular clothes, since my body is definitely not shaped like it was, but I still fit in most of them! :)

That's really about it, these appointments are pretty boring- pee in a cup, weight, bp, etc. I did get to hear the heartbeat, which was just fun. She had some trouble finding it at first, so it's just these weird noises from inside me, then all of a sudden you can hear this rhythmic sound that's a heartbeat. It was very cool, and nice to have the reassurance that there really is a baby in there causing all this mischief!! :)

12 weeks now... waiting (not so patiently) for the sickness to abate. It's a little different from last time, because I'm sicker in the morning than I remember being with Laney. I remember being really sick and tired in the evenings, but this time I've mostly thrown up in the morning, and I'm sick all day long. Guess no two pregnancies are the same... hope it goes away like it did with Laney!!

C'mon 2nd Trimester...

I am so tired of being sick! My house is in shambles, I'm tired all the time, my husband's going crazy, I'm short with Elena and cranky with Josh... You can definitely file the 1st trimester under reasons having another kid will NOT help save your marriage. Having a kid SO does not make marriage easier!

Anyway, so I'm obviously DONE with this whole first trimester thing. I had a couple days (in a row, no less) of feeling pretty normal towards the end of last week. I mean, I still had to make sure I ate regularly, but I didn't feel as if I could be minutes from puking at any given time. Unfortunately, it was all just a tease and, starting yesterday, I'm back to feeling pukey all the time. Which is just mean- to have a nice break and then have it taken away! Stupid hormones...

The good news is I am 12 weeks on Wednesday, so I really should start feeling better soon. And the baby is about done forming, which I think is just amazing. It's incredible to look at a newborn and look at how tiny the fingernails and toes and everything is. To read this morning (I get a week-by-week newsletter thing) that by the end of the week our baby already has toenails and is pretty much done forming, and just needs to grow and mature and develop a little more is amazing. I mean, the baby weighs like 3 ounces right now... imagine how small THOSE fingernails are! It's pretty amazing... such a God-thing, because there's no other way that would be possible!

Anyway, I guess it makes feeling awful pale some in comparison... I mean, if that's what's happening inside me, I guess I can put up with a little sickness. But I still wish it would hurry up and go away!!!

Always, ALWAYS Bring Your Trashcan

An important lesson I had the pleasure of learning yesterday... oh, the joys of being pregnant!

So, yesterday I wasn't feeling so hot from pretty much the minute I woke up. But, as this is pretty normal right about now, I didn't worry too much about it. I tried eating some oatmeal, and that didn't help. So I tried a sausage mcmuffin, hoping that the protein would help. I was smart enough not to eat the whole thing and make myself too full. And it seemed to help for awhile. But, once at work, I started feeling yucky again... so I tried eating some animal crackers. Unfortunately, they were a little old, and had a funky aftertaste to them, which pushed me RIGHT over the edge... I threw up a little in my trash can, and thought I could make it to the bathroom. Not so much... I ended up puking all the way down the hallway about halfway to the bathroom, had to go finish in the bathroom, and then clean myself up. Of course, I managed to get it all over my shirt, in my hair, IN MY SHOE... but I got myself relatively cleaned up, and went to find a mop for the hallway. Thankfully, we have the nicest janitor ever, and she cleaned it up for me. So I went home and took a shower and changed clothes, and then headed back to work, even though all I wanted to do was curl up on the bed and take a good long nap. It was a rough day...

Anyway, thought I'd give everyone a pregnancy update! Most days are not like that, although I'm not having very many "good" days right now. Today is almost as bad as yesterday, I just haven't puked yet. I'm hoping I can skip that part today! Gum helps some, water helps some, I've been eating pretzels all morning... but nothing really makes it go away. I seem to remember it being the worst right about now the last time, too... the Valentine's Day vomit-while-driving incident, and the puking-in-the-parking-lot incident were with a week or two of where I am now... But I'm 10 weeks now, so just a few more weeks and this should be going away. With Elena it started going away around 13 weeks...

In case you can't tell, I've been looking back at Elena's baby blog, it helps to see that I lived through this last time. And I keep thinking of what my mom said- Mommies don't remember it very well, which is why some families have more than one kid!

Guess I just keep John 16:21 in mind: "A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world."

Someday (around April, I suppose) I will be happy, and will forget all of this yuckiness!

P.S. As an update from last time, yeah, the diabetes test didn't happen. I got about 3 drinks in and threw it all up in the sink. Awesome start to a day... I called and the nurse said "Well, why don't we try it next week?" and I said "Why don't I get the rest of my bloodwork done, and we'll play the diabetes test by ear." SO not happening this week, OBVIOUSLY...

First Look

Well, we had our first look at Baby Loo #2 yesterday! It was really nice to go and really get proof that there's a reason I've been exhausted and sick for the last month! :) Dr. B. said everything looked good and healthy, we saw a good heartbeat, and we could even see the arms in the picture. #2 (sorry Ruth) is right about an inch long, and that's the head to the left with the arms right below it, and then the rest of the body. I was right on the due date, it's April 14th. Everything with the baby looks great.

Mommy, on the other hand is (in Josh's words) "a yak machine." And I've discovered the dangers of potty training a toddler while struggling with morning (or all day) sickness. Laney is wearing "big girl panties" most of the time now, and she's really good about going potty in her little toilet. HOWEVER, she's not so good at going poop in the toilet. So, yeah, the other day we were home alone and she pooped in her panties. So, then I'm trying to shake out the underwear in the toilet, and I started to gag. And, well, once I started, there was no stopping it. So I headed for the kitchen (after pinning the dirty underwear between the seat and lid of the toilet so they wouldn't fall in) to hopefully get away from it. Yeah, didn't help... continued gagging until I started throwing up in the kitchen sink. Laney, meanwhile, keeps yelling at me from the bathroom, where she is still standing, not cleaned up yet! But I can't stop puking, so I guess she tried to clean herself up with some toilet paper, because she walked into the kitchen holding a handful of it. I sent her back, finished my puking (I'd only eaten a granola bar, I'm not sure how I threw up for that long), and headed back into the bathroom. The panties were still hanging in the toilet, there was toilet paper all over the floor, and the shower curtain had fallen over her little potty, and she had sat on it, so there was poop all over the shower curtain, too. All I could manage was to clean Laney up (and put a pull up on, no more big girl panties for that evening!) and shut the bathroom door. Luckily, I have the GREATEST HUSBAND EVER, and he has been on poop duty ever since.

Josh really has been amazing, because I've not been doing a very good job of keeping the house clean, and he's been helping. Plus, he's a go and do kind of person, and usually we are always going and doing. But I just don't feel up to it, so we've been doing a lot more laying on the bed and watching a movie. And I think that gets old for him, too. But only a couple more weeks of this yuckiness, and then we'll be on to the fun part of being pregnant!

OH, I forgot the not-so-good news from the ultrasound... so, since I had gestational diabetes last time, I knew they would test me earlier than the typical 27-29 week test. And Dr. B. said the same thing at the appointment. So I asked how early they would test now, and she said "Oh, you'll get the stuff today, we need it sometime in the next week." Are you kidding me?! I can't even keep good food down, and I'm supposed to pound that nasty flat sprite?! Oh, yeah, THAT'S gonna go over REALLY well! So, on Tuesday morning I'm going to have to drink that in the morning, and then head to the lab at 7:30. Not looking forward to THAT! Plus, if it does turn out positive, how am I going to follow a diabetic diet when the main staples of my diet right now are crackers and mints? Great... I just keep having to remind myself that it'll be worth it in the end...

We're Outed!

Well, we told everyone this weekend! And posted this video on the other blog, and on facebook:

We had Laney tell everyone, which has been really fun. Of course, she wouldn't be nearly as excited if she actually knew what "I'm going to be a big sister" meant, but it's been cute anyway! :)

I did video part of her telling Grandma & Grandpa Looten, so here's that video...

Much screaming followed, of course! :)

Anyway, it's been fun telling everyone, and it's nice not to have to hide it anymore. Can't wait until my first doctor's appointment next week!

Joke's On Me

Funny joke... I said Monday evening that I wasn't sick yet.

Tuesday... sick as a dog. And I have been, all day, everyday since.

I don't remember it being this bad last time. I remember it being bad in the afternoons/evenings, but not as bad all day. This time, holy cow, it's all day long. And it's not pretty. I've got a box of cheerios and a bag of peppermints at work, and they help some. But, mostly, I just sit here feeling like I have whatever I ate last at the base of my throat, waiting to come out.

Who thought it'd be a good idea to do this again?!

We did manage to make it through church last night without anyone finding out- I ate a lot of mints and drank a lot of ice water. So now we're pretty much in the clear as far as family goes, to surprise them all this weekend. Glad we're telling early, though. I'm not sure how I kept it a secret last time! Oh, wait... they all knew and were just waiting for me to tell them! :)

Oh, to be done with the first trimester...

This Weekend

Well, this weekend we are going to tell everyone about Number 2, as we've been affectionately calling this baby. It's a couple of weeks earlier than we told anyone last time, but we kind of don't have a choice- either we tell this weekend, or we're going to be busted this weekend, so we may as well do it on our terms! We're headed back to Springfield for SDC this weekend, and I just don't see how I can explain why I don't want to ride any rides without being busted (my stomach's upset? Nope, that'll bust us, too). I mean, we could tell an outright lie (my back's been bothering me, etc) but I like to avoid that. Refraining from mentioning or dodging questions is one thing, outright lying is another!

Anyway, so the plan is to put Laney in the shirt Saturday morning before we head to the city, and then to invite my family out to eat on Sunday and have her wear it then. We'll see how that works!

As for the actual pregnancy, I find myself echoing words from the last time: not a lot of symptoms, besides that whole lack of a period thing. Although, that's not entirely true... I am absolutely EXHAUSTED! I don't remember being this tired last time, although Josh says I was. I guess I didn't notice because I could actually come home from work and pass out on the couch all evening. With Laney around, I can't do that now! But not a lot of sickness yet, so we're praying that continues!!

Hard to believe our family is going to grow again!!

TWO PINK LINES

YAY, WE'RE PREGNANT! Again... :)

So got up early this morning to take a pregnancy test... I was going to wait until after this weekend, but, you know, it's been well established that I have no self-control. So, when my period didn't start yesterday (the latest day it was supposed to) I decided I didn't want to wait anymore. Maybe I just shouldn't buy the pregnancy tests until the day before I am supposed to take them... if they're in the house, I'm using them! :)

Anyway, so there's the exciting news!! According to my WebMD Pregnancy calendar, he/she will be due around mid-April. We were kind of trying for mid-May, since that would be better as far as timing- my six weeks wouldn't be up before school was out. But, then, God likes to laugh at our plans- seeing as how Elena was also supposed to be born in May/June, and yeah- she came in September!! Oh well, I probably won't go back to work in May anyway, if I do it will probably be from home. Which will give me all summer home with Laney and the new baby!!

So, this time I have been feeling a little sick to my stomach already, although that was mostly last week, and it seems to have passed... for now! I'm sure it will be back! I have also been so stinking exhausted that I could hardly keep my eyes open. And one thing I noticed this time that I don't remember from last time is that I have been having some seriously weird dreams. Other than that, no major symptoms... but I'm totally excited! And so is Josh, although he's a little overwhelmed at this point! :) Oh well, he's got until April to get used to the idea!!

Second Verse, Same as the First!

Well, it's been very interesting the last few weeks, because I've been working a lot on Laney's baby book, which means I've been reading over a lot of the posts I wrote when I was waiting to get pregnant, and when I was newly pregnant with Elena. And, as we're trying to get pregnant again, all of those same feelings are washing over me again.

Right now I'm in the middle of the day-to-day waiting for my period to start. It should start sometime this week; if it doesn't... well, then we'll be really excited! :) As with the last time, my mind is playing tricks on me- I've felt sick the last few days, for no good reason at all. I have been totally exhuasted. I didn't have any breakthrough bleeding last week, like I normally do. All these things make me want to think I'm pregnant... but there are a thousand reasons for all of them happening, only one of which is being pregnant. So, I'm trying (and failing) to think rationally and not get my hopes up. It's not working...

In fun news, we have decided that, if we are pregnant, we're going to get Laney a "Big Sister" t-shirt. Then, before we head to Springfield next week, we're going to tell my folks (somehow with her wearing it- either with dinner, or having her show up in church, or something like that), and then the weekend of the 22nd when we get ready for SDC Saturday morning, we'll just put that t-shirt on Laney and send her out to see Grandma & Grandpa. We think that'll be pretty fun!!

If we end up not getting pregnant until next month, we're going to do the same thing, only she'll wear it to her birthday party.

Anyway... not much news, my goal is to make it to Friday before I take a pregnancy test. But, as they're burning a hole in my bathroom cabinet, my guess is I'll make it to Wednesday, or MAYBE Thursday! :) Patience was never my strong suit... meanwhile, I'll just dread every time I go to the bathroom...

Well...

Well, here we go again...

Josh and I have decided that we're ready for a second little Looten running around our house! If nothing else, Laney needs to share with someone, because she is a TAD on the spoiled side!

Our original plans were to have another one this summer (like, get pregnant when Laney turned one). But, when that day came, we realized that nothing had changed in our lives to allow us to think we could responsibly afford a second kid. A second baby comes with doctor's bills (and lots, because of the diabetes), another daycare payment, more clothes, more diapers, more everything. And, honestly, while we were doing fine last September, we didn't have a spare $700 a month, which would have been the extra daycare payment. So we made the difficult decision to postpone. Honestly, I was not quite ready to get pregnant last September. I was still nursing Elena, which meant that my body was not my own. To have gotten pregnant immediately would have meant that my body would STILL not be my own. Although, I treat it better when someone else depends on it, so maybe we should have gotten pregnant!

Regardless, we decided to wait another year. And, as of a month ago, Josh has gotten a promotion with a significant raise, and we've changed daycare, which has cut our daycare costs a lot! We now pay $125 a month for Laney, instead of $170!! And in September (when she turns two) we'll only pay $100. So, with those two changes, we are in a position to afford another baby. Plus, I definitely have "the itch" again. I miss being pregnant- feeling a baby moving around inside me, knowing that there's life in there. And, well, it's just time. I've been longing to be pregnant again for several months, but the timing works best to start trying now (then I have the summer with him/her). As I've watched my "baby buddies" (April & Liz Horn, who both had kids about the same time as Laney) both get pregnant again (Liz just had her new little girl, April still isn't even telling people she's pregnant) I've just really felt that tug.

So, we're off to try again! We're starting next week; I stopped my birth control last week. With more purposeful planning this time, I'm hoping that we can get pregnant on schedule. I am working all this summer (I usually take off July) so that I can have all of my 38 extended contract days in by the end of Spring Break, so I don't have to work next June. That will give me all of June and July off. And, if we get pregnant right away (this month), the baby will be due mid-April, so I'll have my six weeks, then those two months. Which will be awesome, because leaving Laney at 6 weeks was the hardest thing I've ever done. Not that leaving a baby at 4 months will be any easier, but at least we'll have a little more time at home.

Anyway... that's probably enough rambling. As with the first time, I am obsessing... I am working, but it's not busy, so I just sit and think about the what if's: What if we don't get pregnant? What if it's a girl? What if it's a boy? Where will we put a new baby? And a new baby's stuff?! How will Laney handle it? Truman? All of the questions... I just wish I was busy! I never was very good at the waiting part! And with Josh out of town this week, I have no one to share those thoughts with... Laney talks a lot, but I'm not sure I could trust her to keep a secret!! And I'm worried about being pregnant with a 2 year old running around. The whole first trimester last time I basically came home and passed out on the couch as soon as school was over... what am I going to do with Laney running around? Will I still be sick in the evenings? My job requires a lot of evening work... what then?

And, again, that's why I started this blog... I need to talk, and this gives me someone to "talk" to, and let's me record what I'm thinking and what's happening for all the people I would normally tell, and can't (Mom, Ruth, Jess, etc.). Plus, I did it for Laney, and I'm determined to do the same things for a new baby (blog for a year, nurse for a year, lots of pictures... all of that!).

Oh, I can't wait... I love the new addition to our family already, and God hasn't even started working on him/her yet! Well, maybe He's started... but the whole knitting thing hasn't happened yet! :)