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...