8 Weeks Pregnant - Baby #2!

How far along?: 8 weeks pregnant

Total weight gain/measurements: 142.2 lbs (+2.4 lbs), belly 38 inches around (very bloated this week!)

Maternity clothes: Nope

Stretch marks? No new ones

Sleep: I've been sleeping pretty well, if you don't count getting up for bathroom breaks! I am so used to getting up and being able to go back to sleep from last pregnancy, followed by a baby who didn't like to sleep at night! Hehe
I've still been taking Vincent's naps with him and it has been helping me get through the day!

Best moment this week: Getting to barbecue and go swimming with family this past weekend!

Miss anything? Hmm..not really!

Movement: I'm constantly having phantom kicks. I keep thinking I feel something, but I definitely don't yet! 

Food cravings: None

Anything making you queasy or sick? The smell of hamburger meat. Nothankyou. And heat - it's been 100 degrees all week! I avoid leaving the house at all costs. 

Gender: Unknown 

Labor signs: Nope!

Symptoms: Fatigue and nausea. The tailbone pain is pretty much completely gone! I have been having some lower back pain that shoots down into my legs, but only every so often and it goes away when I use the heating pad. 

Belly button in or out? In

Happy or moody most of the time: It's a good mix of both. I'm happy, but little tiny things trigger grumpiness, like lack of sleep, toddler climbing on furniture and a messy house. 

Looking forward to: Mike and my 1st wedding anniversary! I can't believe it's been a whole year. It's gone by so quickly!

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7 Weeks Pregnant - Baby #2!

How far along?: 7 weeks pregnant

Total weight gain/measurements: 139.4 lbs (-0.4 lbs), belly 37 inches around

Maternity clothes: No

Stretch marks? No new ones

Sleep: I can't get enough of it. I've been taking all of Vincent's naps with him. Unfortunately, that's making it very difficult to get things done, because he is going through a leap and demands all of my attention when he is awake!

Best moment this week: Spending Mike's day off with him :)

Miss anything? Having an appetite

Movement: No, probably not for another two months at least.

Food cravings: None

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nothing in particular - I feel nauseous in the morning, queasy in the afternoon and by evening, I do well enough to remove my sea bands. Heat, fatigue and unpleasant smells make it worse.

Gender: Unknown 

Labour signs: Nope!

Symptoms: Fatigue and nausea

Belly button in or out? In

Happy or moody most of the time: Pretty moody. A lot of it is just the fatigue and the nausea - otherwise I am pretty happy!

Looking forward to: My first prenatal appointment! It can't come soon enough. Three more weeks!

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6 Weeks Pregnant - Baby #2!

How far along? 6 weeks pregnant

Total weight gain/measurements: 142 lbs. (+3 lbs)

Maternity clothes: Nada

Stretch marks? No new ones

Sleep: Pretty tired! Insomnia was an issue for a couple nights, until I started taking a magnesium supplement before bed. It has helped so much!

Best moment this week: Getting my positive test!

Miss anything? Caffeine! I have started drinking decaf and oooohhh boy can I tell! I'm just glad that my stomach is still tolerating coffee at all though, so that's a plus. :)

Movement: No, probably not for another two months at least.

Food cravings: Nothing in particular - I go back and forth between salty and sweet.

Anything making you queasy or sick? I honestly felt pretty queasy this afternoon, but it could've just been fatigue related.

Gender: Unknown 

Labour signs: Nope!

Symptoms: Fatigue and tailbone pain

Belly button in or out? In

Happy or moody most of the time: I don't know if it's the supplement or what it is, but my mood has been much better! So I'm pretty happy most of the time :)

Looking forward to: Hubby's next day off! He works 17 hour days, 6-7 days a week, so we don't get to spend a lot of time together. We had such a wonderful day when he was last off and I look forward to that again soon! 

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March - June Update!

Hello everyone! Long time no see! These past few months have been ridiculously busy. Here's a quick update:
As you of course know, Vincent turned one on March 7th, on which we also had his birthday party! We had several close friends and family members here for his party and it was a blast!

And on April 11th, Michael and I had our wedding ceremony! It was more amazing than I ever hoped and dreamed it would be.

All above wedding photos were taken by my amazingly talented friend Amber Armstrong!
Please give her a like on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Armstrong-Photography/149340051754341?fref=ts

In May, we took a long weekend trip up to New Mexico to visit family and friends! We spent the first night and part of the next day in Belen, visiting my mom and Grandparents, then continued on to Farmington. We spent a few days there, visiting Mike's mom and stepfather and some friends, then spent Saturday night and part of Mother's Day in Colorado, visiting Mike's dad's side of the family. It was a quick, but lovely trip!

Watching Cars in the car! I can't begin to tell you how
much that DVD player helped on this trip!!

Vincent meeting "Buddy" and Great Grandma and Papa's! 

First time at Wendy's 

Enjoying a cider beer at Three Rivers Brewery with some friends!

Vincent's first time meeting his Great, Great Grandfather!
Amazing to get 5 generations together.

Mother's Day 

Coffee on the return trip is a must! (Don't worry - I was parked!)

The same weekend we were in New Mexico, my brother moved back out and Vincent is back in his own room! This allowed us to purchase a desk and cube shelf, so I could set up a little office space in the bedroom to paint. 

At the end of May, Mike and I both started new jobs. Mike is now a frac water pumper, working 16-17 hour days, 7 days a week. Before Mike left his last job, I had applied for a part time job as a childcare provider at a local daycare center, where Vincent would be able to attend. After Mike got his new job, I decided I'd leave the ball in the daycare's court and if they were interested in hiring me on, I'd go ahead and take the job, so we could put more money into savings. I got the job, but after two weeks, I found that it just was not working. Because of Mike's hours, obviously 100% of Vincent's care, shopping, cooking and housework fell on me. Which is completely understandable and I did not mind at all, but it was wearing me out very quickly. And since Vincent was not used to the daycare environment and not only being away from his daddy all day, but also his mommy, he was really, really struggling. He hardly napped at all and slept terribly at night. We both got really sick as well, which is a no-brainer at daycare. For all of the above reasons, I decided to leave the daycare and stay at home again. I felt that I bit off more than I could chew.
Part of me feels like I failed. I REALLY wanted for it to work and I kept trying to convince myself over and over again that everything was going to be okay. But it just wasn't. And at the same time, I felt like if I didn't leave, I'd not only be failing my son, I'd be failing my husband. I don't regret my decision at all and I've come to truly appreciate my time with Vincent all the more, as well as the opportunity to raise him at home, the way Mike and I see fit. It also gave me a lot of insight and a new appreciation for working moms and moms who do it alone! You women are rockstars! I've gotten back to painting pretty regularly again and life is good. Mike's job is exhausting, but he is really enjoying it and the fact that we are no longer financially struggling. I appreciate every single day how hard he works for our family. 
Well, those are the last 4 months in a nutshell! Now that so many huge events have passed and most all of the big projects are out of the way, expect to see me post more frequently! Hope everyone had a fantastic 4th of July weekend!
 

5 Weeks Pregnant - Baby #2!

How far along? 5 weeks pregnant

Total weight gain/measurements: 139.8 lbs. I haven't gained any weight just yet.

Maternity clothes: Nope! I won't be in them for a while.

Stretch marks? No new ones

Sleep: More tired than usual! But I've been having trouble falling asleep at night - I think it just might be everything on my mind. But unless I need to get up to pee in the middle of the night, I sleep pretty well!

Best moment this week: Getting my positive test!

Miss anything? Nope!

Movement: No, probably not for another two months at least.

Food cravings: Not really, more just a large appetite! 

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nothing yet!! *KNOCKS ON WOOD* If you remember my last pregnancy, I was terribly, terribly sick. I could hardly keep anything down and was on zofran throughout my entire pregnancy. I know it's still very early and the nausea and vomiting didn't really hit until closer to 6 weeks, but I am trying my best to stay hopeful! I would give SO much to enjoy this pregnancy with little to no nausea!

Gender: Unknown 

Labour signs: Nope!

Symptoms: Really just a larger appetite, fatigue, frequent urinating and excessive sneezing. I normally wouldn't call sneezing a symptom, but that's EXACTLY what happened to me last pregnancy during the first trimester. I had read something about excess mucous, which could cause the sneezing. Also, my tailbone is pretty sensitive, so if I sit in a certain position too long, it's really painful! I'm not sure why that would be happening this early though. 

Belly button in or out? In

Happy or moody most of the time: I'm a little easily irritable right now, I'll admit. Little things that normally shouldn't bother me REALLY bug me, but other than that I'm pretty happy! :)

Looking forward to: My first appointment! I can not WAIT to see this little bean on the sonogram and hear his or her heartbeat! And I'm also anxious to meet my OB-GYN. I'm really hoping to have as awesome a pregnancy and birth experience as I did with Vincent.

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Hip, hip, hooray! New baby is on the way!

We are excited to announce that we are expecting baby bean #2 on March 8th 2016! Vincent will get a sibling for his 2nd birthday. :D
I wanted to wait to take the test until July 5th, because that was the day I got a positive with Vincent, back in 2013. But I could wait! So I took a test as soon as I fed Vince breakfast on the 4th of July. I was so excited when that second line popped up! Just like last time, it showed up almost immediately. I took a second test for good measure, which was also positive! 

This time around, I wanted to announce to Mike in a fun way, instead of calling him on the phone, like I did last time around. So Vincent, my mom and I ventured to Target and bought Vince a "No. 1 Big Bro" shirt, along with my prenatal vitamins! With Mike's permission, here is the video of the announcement!

My first appointment is set for August 11th and I will be 10 weeks along at that point. (Although by the time I publish this post, I will have already been to the doctor! Hehe) This time around, we are doing things a little differently. If we were still living in Farmington, I would be going back to the midwives, no questions asked. I couldn't have asked for better prenatal care or a better birth experience at the hospital! Here, there is only one midwifery and they only do unmedicated births, either at home or at the birthing center. They also don't do sonograms unless medically necessary. Since I'd like the option of both that and an epidural, we decided to see an OB-GYN this time around. I read some very fantastic reviews about her and heard from many moms that she was supportive of birth plans, so I figured we'd give her a shot! I'm a little anxious and nervous about the switch, but I am sure it will be fine! I hope with all my heart that it will be a good experience. :)
Although it won't be as easy this time around, since I've got my hands full with a spunky toddler, I look forward to doing weekly bump updates again! I will do the best I possibly can to keep up with them. :) Here are the bump updates up until our announcement:
Week 5: http://sahmiam13.blogspot.com/2015/07/5-weeks-pregnant-baby-2.html
Week 6: http://sahmiam13.blogspot.com/2015/07/6-weeks-pregnant-baby-2.html
Week 7: http://sahmiam13.blogspot.com/2015/07/7-weeks-pregnant-baby-2_21.html
Week 8: http://sahmiam13.blogspot.com/2015/07/8-weeks-pregnant-baby-2.html
Week 9: http://sahmiam13.blogspot.com/2015/08/9-weeks-pregnant-baby-2.html  Week 10: http://sahmiam13.blogspot.com/2015/08/10-weeks-pregnant-baby-2.html

Vincent's 15 Month Update

Height/Weight: At his last appointment at 15 months, he was 22lbs 13oz (26%), 32 inches long (77%) and had a head circumference of 49.5cm (97%)

Daily: The daily routines have changed quite a bit! Since Mike started his new job, he is only home from 8-9 PM to 4:30 AM, so we don't see him a lot. For this reason, I alternated Vincent's nap and bedtime schedule, to where he could spend a little bit of time with his daddy every night before bed.
Vincent is pretty much down to one nap now. Every time I've tried to put him down for a second nap in the past week to two weeks, I don't think he has gone to sleep at all. He just talks to his lovies and keeps turning his sounds back on. During the day, Vincent spends quite a bit of time playing with his toys in the living room. Since he stopped crawling and only walks to get from A to B, I put away the foam mat, because he kept pulling pieces out and tripping in the holes. I also moved the baby gate in such a way, that he has full access the living room now - the gate runs from behind the couch to the end of the entertainment center. He is a lot happier with more room to play! I'm just not completely ready to give him access to the whole house yet - particularly because of the cat litter! Yucky. While he plays, I often play Sesame Street classics or Fraggle Rock in the background, but he still only really pays attention when music comes on, dances and returns to playing. But before he turns 18 months old, I'd like to have him pretty much completely weaned off the TV. I'd prefer him to listen to music or kids audio books instead, so he won't become so dependent on visual stimulation from a screen. 
He LOVES playing outside! We don't go out a whole lot, because frankly, it's just too hot. But he will pick up a rock in each hand and go exploring around the block with me! He loves picking up little pieces of grass, pebbles and other randomness to hand to me. 

Sleep: Vincent is now waking up between 8:30 and 9 AM. His nap usually ranges from noon until 2 or 3 PM. As I mentioned above, he is not really taking a second nap anymore, so I haven't put him down for one in a couple of days and so far, he has done pretty well without it! His bedtime is 9 PM now, sometimes a little earlier, depending on what time Mike gets home. He has done pretty well transitioning into this new schedule and I am so glad! Mike hadn't seen Vince in over a week when we finally decided to change his schedule - it was really affecting them both to not be able to see each other. He sleeps through the night just about every night which makes momma super happy! :D As speaking of, he has been back in his own room since the end of May. Our bedtime routine is a little different now, since he is no longer drinking formula. I change his diaper and put him in his jammies, then read to him, letting him take some swigs of soy milk through a straw when he reaches for it. After the book, I rock him and sing him a song or two, before putting him down. Last night, I put him to bed with no Zippy for the first time and he did SO well! He has been squeezing one, if not BOTH of his arms out of his Zippy for quite some time, and recently started taking the entire thing off all together! So I figured it was time. Now I just put a blanket over him and tuck him in, give him his lovies, turn on his music and that's it! I tell him goodnight and he goes to sleep on his own. 

Eating: At about 13 months, we finished the last container of formula. It took a little longer to wean him, because he got really sick with a tummy bug right after his first birthday. It took him a while to get over it and eat properly again. Trying to get him to drink whole milk never worked! He does not like it at all. But he loves soy, almond and coconut milk! So I've been giving him that and sippy cups with 1/4 juice (usually apple or orange) 3/4 water or just water throughout the day. He is just like is momma - he goes to town on a bottle of water! I'm glad he keeps so hydrated. He has become quite a bottomless pit, too! The only "baby food" he still eats are those Gerber Graduate meals, which make it easy on me to give him dinner. Since Mike gets home so late and I don't make dinner until then, I always give Vincent something different at around 7 PM. I feed him breakfast right after he gets up, around 9. He has a banana and a packet of instant oatmeal almost every morning. For lunch, I give him a ham and cheese sandwich and some fruit - usually grapes. I've been feeding him a late lunch after his second nap and it seems to work well! He gets snacks throughout the day: usually plain goldfish crackers or plain cheerios. We've done away with yogurt melts and puffs completely, since he has been fine eating non-baby food snacks. He still loves his fruits and veggies! I can't eat a banana around him without him screaming "NANA!" at me! Haha!

First time at Wendy's!

Sizes: Vincent is in 18 and 24 month tops and 12 and 18 month bottoms for the most part. A lot of 12 month onesies and shirts still fit him, but it really depends on the brand! I recently sorted through all of his clothes and put away everything that doesn't fit anymore. As far as shoes, size 4 is still a little big on him, but they fit okay with socks, especially if the shoes lace up. 

Milestones and Changes:

• Vincent had an AWESOME 1st birthday party! 

• Poor dude had his first tummy bug the week after his birthday. The whole house caught it and though it only lasted a couple of days for us, it lasted a whole week for him! 

• As speaking of sickness, he also had his first eye AND ear infection at the same time, in both eyes and ears! Poor little man was so miserable. Luckily through the process, we found a new awesome pediatrician and he started feeling better within a day of starting medication!

• He has picked up some new skills, such as waving bye-bye, stacking the rings on his ring stacker correctly, stacking wooden blocks on top of one another and putting shapes into his shape sorting box by himself. When he has done something successfully, he will look at me, smile and clap! It's adorable how proud he gets!

• He is understanding a whole lot now. He knows the meaning of yes and no and the names of several objects and people. For instance, I ask him "Vincent, where is Snoopy?" and he will bring Snoopy to me! He also gives stuffed animals snuggles when I say "Give him/her snuggles!". 

• He has become very good at expressing joy and displeasure in things. For instance, when he is mad, tired, teething or wants attention, he very loudly yells "Nein!!" "NeinneinneinNEIN!". Of course his first German word would be "No." xD When he is happy or likes something, he dances, giggles and plays peek-a-boo! 

"Nein!"

Playing Peek-A-Boo

• Vincent got to meet some horses for the first time! As with just about every animal, he giggled and giggled at them!

• Vincent finally met his Granddad and Granny for the first time!!

• He also met his great, great grandfather for the first time! Getting to have all 5 generations together was a real treat!

• He was also the ring bearer in our wedding! These past couple of months have been packed full of new milestones and experiences.

• Tantrums. OH THE TANTRUMS. If he knows he is in trouble and I say "Vincent Paul, no sir!!" or don't give him something he wants, he really loses it. Stage 1: he makes what I like to call his "butthurt face". Stage 2: starts grunting loudly and swatting at whatever is in front of him. Stage 3: starts making hulk fists and screaming in little bursts. Stage 4: begins to cry and headbutt everything, including the floor. Yeah. Not fun. I try to remain calm, gentle and consistent, yet firm, so that he really understands I mean business. 

The famous "butthurt" face...

• Vincent got his first full haircut on June 21st! I loved his curly little baby locks, but it was getting in his face and it was time for a summer cut.