Ultrasound!

Well, I know they won't be so exciting in about 6 weeks, but yesterday's was still pretty cool! I started my weekly ultrasounds yesterday, and Josh decided to come with me this first time, 'cause he hadn't seen Audrey in a long time, either!

Miss Audrey is apparently not as open to pictures as her big sis, b/c she was all tucked up and hiding, but we did manage to get a few good pictures... definitely the best part of the weekly ultrasounds-- lots of pics!

A face shot... kinda scary still, since she doesn't have much fat yet. But... notice the chubby cheeks and the Holt chin... yeah, I think she might look like Laney!! :)

A profile shot, with her foot up by her head. It amazes me how bendable they are! Her hands and her feet were up by her face constantly (thus the lack of good pics!).

Anyway, she was napping through most of the ultrasound, although she did wake up long enough to do her practice breathing and move a few times for us. So that was good... And the non-stress test was nice and, well, not stressful! She was still pretty quiet, until I had to cough, and then she moved so much that my little marks looked like one solid black line for like 3 inches!

Then I had my OB appointment, where we talked about the ultrasound, etc, and she said everything looked great. Audrey weighs about 2 lbs, 12 oz, which is in the 61st percentile. Which is about where Laney was, Dr. B. said. Not too big, which is what we're worried about, so that's good! My sugar has been pretty well controlled, except for one incident involving a milkshake! I did gain about a pound and a half, which puts me around -8 for the whole pregnancy... not too shabby for being almost 7 months along!! :)

The Wii has really been my best friend this pregnancy, because I can get on my Wii Fit and work out for 5 minutes or 10 minutes or 45 minutes, whatever I have time for. And it keeps track of my weight, which is fun.

That's all there really is to report... I've cleaned out a few more closets in the last months, and am about ready to start picking up some different things for her- buying a few at a time will make it easier to pay for it all! There's really not much to buy, though, which is nice. And Laney is getting used to the idea of having a sister, although I still don't think she really gets it. She does say she will share her new book with Audrey, so I guess that's a good thing!

Anyway, stay tuned for more pics and updates, with weekly appointments I'll probably be posting more often! Ready for Audrey to arrive...

26 weeks

Well, I've made it to the third trimester, as of this week! :) Hard to believe, since sometimes I still don't feel pregnant, and I've actually still lost 10 pounds! But, oh well! I do still have a little bit of a belly, though! I'm still mostly in normal clothes, though, so that's nice. My pants all still fit pretty good, but my nice shirts are starting to get too short... weird! :) A belly pic, since there is one now...

I did have a doctor's appointment on Dec. 30th, but didn't learn much new. My blood sugars have been pretty good, especially considering it's been the holiday season and I'm the main cookie-baker!! It's been frustrating for me, though. There have been times when (I'm assuming) I have been going through hormone surges, and then the blood sugar is just totally unpredictable, especially in the morning. Since those mornings are usually right after a night of really weird dreams (something I didn't notice when pregnant with Laney, but which have been CRAZY with Audrey!) and usually come with an upset stomach, I'm guessing hormones are to blame! I've started working out on my Wii Fit every night before bed and every morning before breakfast. It seems to help some...

On the fun side, I've been feeling Audrey move for the past month or so, and I don't mean little flutters but MOVE. She's quite the thrasher. Josh has even been able to feel her for the last few weeks, especially at night. It's one of my favorite times of day, when I lay down she starts to really go to town, and it's a really fun time to just lay there and feel her move around. Still one of the coolest feelings ever! I'm excited to let Laney feel her at some point, she's just never been active while Laney's around. Probably because I'm not very still when Laney's around!!

I've definitely been feeling some nesting this time around- I feel like the whole house is too cluttered, but haven't had time over the holidays to do anything about it. We finally got all of the Christmas decor put away (and I was ready for it to go, which is VERY unusual for me), and I'm hoping over the next month or two I can start going through closets. I get the feeling we're going to need every inch of space we can find! The girls are definitely going to share a room, and I found a cute toddler bed at Walmart that is a cherry wood color, and a sleigh bed, so it'll match what's already in there really well. We'll have to buy that and a mattress, and a double stroller, and that should be about it. Well, at least for big stuff- we'll still need binkies, bottles, clothes, etc. And I'm planning on putting a second bar in the closet for a second set of clothes! And dividing the dresser drawers, too. It's gonna be interesting! :)

Anyway... enough nesting nonsense... that's really about it from here. It has been a relatively uneventful pregnancy, minus the diabetes. At my appointment last week we did schedule my c-section. We decided to go with a c-section because of the diabetes- a VBAC would have been great, but complications are more likely with the diabetes, so they are more likely to want to take her early again because of the diabetes, and they won't induce, so we'd probably end up c-section anyway. And this way at least I know that we'll both get to be there for this one! Anyway, so the official date is April 9th, we're to be there at 0600 (seriously?! Who wants to be anywhere by then?!). And I start my weekly ultrasounds/non-stress tests/ob visits January 20th, so there will be lots more posts with ultrasound pics then!!

Hard to believe that I'm really into my third trimester already... this baby is coming, whether we're ready or not!!! :)

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!!