23 Weeks Pregnant!!

Wow. I cannot believe how fast the time has flown by. I'm now OVER halfway through this pregnancy! It feels like only yesterday that I wrote my last blog post about being 14 weeks along. Sheesh!

Well, a lot has been going on, to say the least. = )

I finished the semester off with a bang! 40/40 on my two case studies and 95/100 on my final, which topped me off with a 92%; an A in microbiology! That was one of the harder classes I have had to take and I am SUPER glad that it is over. Not only that, but this will be my last class until Spring 2012 at the earliest, since I am not taking any summer classes and can't take any fall classes due to Baby #2 due to arrive in September. I am sad that I have to postpone starting a Nursing Program until Fall 2012, but it will be a nice break to spend with my new family of 4. = )

Speaking of Baby #2, HE is growing very nicely so far. That's right; in case you hadn't heard, we are having another boy! I am really excited about this. I have visions of how much fun (and likely trouble) my two little boys will have with each other as they grow up. I know it won't be exactly the same as my twin nephews' relationship, but I am hoping they will be close and get along great. I can't wait to see if there is a strong sibling resemblance, or if they will each have their own look. I know their personalities will for sure be different. = )

Just this past week Baby #2 has been doing a LOT more moving. Well, maybe not a lot more, but it's been much stronger. According to a development email I got, he is now almost a foot long and weighs over a pound! You'd think he weighed more than that with the kicks and punches I'm already getting. I can even SEE some of his movements! We had our fetal survey ultrasound at 20 weeks, and the ultrasound tech even commented about how active he was. I am going to have my hands full! = )

We are now trying to work on a name for this boy, since we found out the gender. So far it's not going so great. I have provided around 40 names that I think are options, and Drew has provided none while at the same time shooting down all but 5 of them (none of them being my favorites). This shouldn't be a shock to me, since it's almost the same thing that happened with Ari. But, we did agree that we thought we liked the name Ari, and dwelt on it for several months before being completely certain. That is my hope for this pregnancy. I really want to have an idea of a few names that we both like and just dwell on them for a few months. So far, no luck though. I told Drew that he had better start doing some research and pitching in, or there will only be the names I've come up with to work from. He does not seem to share my urgency... I just need to take a deep breath, remember that it will all work out, and chill a little. I think reality is really setting in for me though that this baby is going to arrive.

One exciting thing, is that even though I'm barely over halfway cooking this little guy, there have been babies that have survived after being born as early as 23 weeks (see picture below)! We'll pray that he stays in there a little bit longer though. = )


I myself am doing very well so far. I am now net positive on the weight front! That's right.. I have gained back all the pounds I lost at the beginning of my pregnancy, plus one. I am feeling happy about this because I know that I am eating enough. I do need to start watching what I'm eating a little better though, now that I'm feeling better. Veggies need to be incorporated back into my diet, and I probably need to be eating less Spaghetti O's. = )

I have been getting out to exercise more now that the weather has been so nice, so that's good. Ari and I have been taking walks with Drew and friends, and I even took him on a little bike ride in the trailer the other night. It was fun, but a lot of work with a growing belly in front!

As far as other symptoms go, my heartburn is being managed pretty well by Zantac 75 and Tums. My hands and feet have started to swell a little, and I'm trying to get into the habit of wearing my compression stockings every day now. It's hard because they are SUCH a pain to get on. They really do make me feel better though. I'm hoping that the swelling stays down, and especially that my nose won't expand like during my first pregnancy. At least if it does, I know that it will return to normal eventually. = )

Did I mention yet that I can eat an almost completely normal diet now?! That's right! My prayers have been answered and I am SO thankful that I don't have to work so hard to find foods that I can eat anymore, especially since I'm pregnant. I am hoping that I will continue to be able to eat normal foods after this baby is born, but at least I do know that I can survive on an altered diet if things do go bad again. = )

In other family news, Ari is a hoot-and-a-half. He is REALLY getting to be a lot of fun.. well, fun and quite the handful. We're dealing with a mess of teething, as well as some weird stomach issues likely left over from a recent bout of some sort of sickness. These combine to create quite the crabby little boy and it has been wearing on me. I think I'm due for a day off. This shouldn't be hard to come by now, because we are officially done nursing. Yep, that's right! 15 months was a solid streak, not too long and not too short, but it has come to an end. My supply was down to almost nill due to this pregnancy and Ari's teething/sickness was the final straw for him I guess. He started refusing every morning and so yesterday was the first day where I didn't even try to initiate. The great thing about it though, was that it happened pretty gradually. I feel like I had more time to prepare than maybe some moms would have, and because my supply was already dwindling, I have experienced no complications with ceasing to nurse. It makes me sad that this cuddly chapter with my non-cuddly boy has come to an end, but I am happy for what it was and glad I did not try to force it into lasting longer. He is one step closer to complete independence though now, and this makes me both sad and proud. = )

Lately Ari has been very into jumping, lying down on the ground for the dogs to "get him", climbing on a stool to look out the front window, opening and closing cupboards (not allowed) closing doors, turning light switches on and off, and trying to say a whole gamut of words including just plain babbling and making animal sounds. He is working on eating with a spoon and fork, and can also sign "eat", "more" and "all done", which makes me very proud. He LOVES to read books, listen to music and dance. He is also getting great at walking places (rather than being carried) and climbing up and down stairs, while holding onto our hand. He really is NOT a baby anymore. = D


Well, I think that might be all I have for now. I am really looking forward to this summer. I want to get into a good routine that can accommodate our new little one when he arrives. I also want to go through my house and purge it off all unneeded things and organize all the stuff that is to be kept. I hope to go to the beach a lot, hang out with friends and family, and just enjoy these last few months of relative freedom before life changes drastically again. I also hope to update this more often now that I have more time. = D Adieu for now!