Pregnant with #2 Weeks 13 & 21!

Pacifier weaning went well! It was so much easier than I expected.
We have a two year old who is potty trained and off the paci...the next obstacle will be putting him into a toddler bed! AHHH!

AND...we are 13 weeks pregnant with baby #2. We are so excited, and we prayed and prayed for this little nugget! We tried for 9-10 months to conceive, and we were at the point where we were thinking of trying Clomid. The month before we were going to give Clomid a shot, we got pregnant! We used the digital ovulation tests, and that seemed to help...and most importantly, it was God's perfect timing.

Things have been a little different this go around. I wasn't in as good of shape as I was in with Micah.  (I was halfway through marathon training when we found out I was pregnant with him). Also, it is a little different because I am "showing" much quicker than I was the first time. Another difference is that I had morning sickness for several weeks, but it has worn off at this point (thankfully). I never threw up, but I felt nauseated every evening. I know it could have been much worse.

I've been trying to keep 3 miles in my system, and just ran Academy yesterday with Stephanie. I am SO MUCH slower, but it is something. My second appointment was last week, and I had already gained five pounds, so I am trying to get 30 minutes in a day (at least), from now on. I have been taking "eating for two" a little too seriously. My goal is to cut sugar out Monday-Thursday. We will see how that goes. Other exercise that I have been doing is jogging/walking with Micah in the stroller, stair stepper & elliptical, and I am trying to do body pump twice a week! Walking is also an easy way to get my 30 minutes in!

Last week I decided that I would run another marathon, around a year after baby #2 is born! I think this is a great goal for me to get back into the swing of things, if only I can keep my back in running shape. I definitely think I will have to do physical therapy after delivering. Six months after Micah came, I started really having issues with my back...

Anyway...I will try to keep in touch more so that I can document this pregnancy! Gosh, another difference is that I haven't been good about taking weekly pictures like I was with Micah. I guess they are right when they say things are different with baby #2!

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Now I am 21 weeks pregnant, and I have yet to publish this blog post. I wrote so much when I was pregnant with Micah, and the difference is having a toddler running around has left me with less time to think about and focus on my pregnancy. I am so so very excited for baby #2, and I can't wait to meet him/her!

At my checkup this week my doctor told me that all was well, and everything looked "perfect!" I have gained 9 pounds total, which I was excited about because I thought I gained more.

I've still been running with the stroller, but honestly it has turned into mostly walking. I try to get out 45+ minutes, 5-6 times a week. I would like to start swimming in a month or so, and I would like to lift weights more than I have been.

We went to our 20 week anatomy screening, and didn't find out the gender! It was such a tough decision. Conrad & I agreed not to find out before we got pregnant. During the first trimester I was certain that I didn't want to find out...but as the second trimester neared, I wanted more and more to know if I was carrying a little boy or a little girl! Conrad, of course, was rock solid and determined not to find out...so I let him have his way! I know it will be so exciting the day he/she decides to grace us with his/her presence!

I talk to Micah about the baby all of the time. I explain to him how I will get bigger because the baby is getting bigger. I tell him that once the baby is too big, it will come out and live with us in our house. I tell him that he was in my belly once, and that he got too big so he had to come out. I explain that our spare room is now the "baby room" and I talk to him about the room. Today, he referred to the room as the "baby's room." It was the sweetest thing. Sometimes all on his own, he kisses my stomach. I ask him if he will help me, and I tell him that I will need lots of help with the baby. He says that he will help. I call our baby "Micah's baby, Momma's baby, and Dada's Baby." He adds on that it is Maga's Baby (my mom), Papa Coocoo's baby (my dad), Sherry's baby (Conrad's mom), and Papa Huie's baby (Conrad's dad.) I tell him, "Yes, Micah! Yes, it is everyone's baby!" I hope that by talking to him about it so often, it will help him to realize that he won't be the only baby anymore. Also, I am trying to get him to play on his own much more than he was. We just got a sandbox, and that has really helped. He sneaks out through the doggie door, and plays on his own without telling me sometimes. I hear the doggie door though, so I know what he is up to!

I just wanted to write about what I am doing to prepare Micah in case I forget. I don't know how most 2 1/2 year olds are, but he is so intuitive. He communicates so well, and I know that he understands so much of what I am saying, because days later he surprises me by telling me something that I've said days ago. This is one of the reasons I think he was potty trained two months short of two years old. Our next battle that we aren't ready to fight yet, is transitioning him to the toddler bed. I guess that should come before the baby comes.

I feel like it is so weird that I keep saying the baby. Sometimes I wish I knew if it was a he/she so I could say he OR she...or use the baby's name! Anyway, things are going well here. After the first trimester I felt so much better! I never threw up, but I felt nauseated A LOT.
Hopefully I will be back a few more times to check in. We love you baby #2!

Our little baby wouldn't stop covering his/her face! So precious.

Pacifier Weaning at 2

 

It is hard to believe that I have a two year old, but I do. A potty trained (read this post here) two year old who is just now going through a traumatic ordeal---the breaking of the pacifier! Can I say that he is not having as bad of a time with it as I first imagined...shall I even say those words? Even if it is only day two!?
Our goal was to wean before his second birthday, but I did not want to do it. Conrad was ready, of course...but I really really enjoy my sleep! So this is how I approached it.

A few months ago I decided to buy him a rotating star night light projector for his room. You can find it here. My thoughts were to take away his pacifiers, and introduce this new cool and exciting thing. I thought that it would distract him from the fact that he didn't have his pacifiers anymore, and he could watch it as he drifts off to sleep. Conrad and I argued about the setting I should leave it on until we decided to put it on the rotating stars and moon, with the darkest light possible. Before bed we had him throw away his three pacifiers. We told him that he was a big boy now, and big boys didn't sleep with pacifiers. He went to the trash and threw them away immediately. Afterwards, I talked to Conrad about another idea that I saw...tying the pacifiers to balloons and letting them go! Micah has one balloon and he didn't let go of it the rest of the evening. Conrad kept joking that he had heard what I said and didn't want that balloon out of his sight! 
When bedtime came I was so nervous! I was prepared for the worst ever! But we went through his normal routine, and instead of giving him his pacifier, we gave him his little owl and let him turn on his AWESOME new light all by himself! I rocked him as we prayed, and then I put him in his crib. He called for us twice, and we went to comfort him, but after that he slept...and he slept all night! 
Today, his nap time was even better. He went to sleep pretty quickly, and has been sleeping over a couple of hours now! He put his star projector on for his nap, as well. I hope that this continues, because never in my wildest dreams did I imagine it to be this easy. I've read the horror stories!

The potential problem with the Star Projector approach: We have to take it with us wherever we go, just like we do his noise machine. This isn't really a problem for me, though. 

Micah is in an ActiveME Camp. He just started last week, and he goes two days a week for three hours. I will only keep him in it for a month, unless I can figure out a way for them to let me take him one day a week because it is expensive. He had a hard time adjusting the first day, and he cried when I left! However, when I arrived to pick him up they praised him, and said that he did great the moment I left! I am excited to see how he does next week. 
I have a test on Thursday, so I wanted time to study and take the test, and this helps me out a lot for this! 

The main reason he is going to this ActiveME camp is because he has been going through an aggressive phase for several months now, and I thought if he was around other kids consistently it would help him to get over this. He has been doing a little better, but we will see after the month if there is any improvement. This phase (I call it the hitting phase) has been the hardest for me to get through, for sure. I even stopped hanging out with some of my friends because I was embarrassed! Our doctor told us the best thing to do is to put him in timeout for two minutes every single time he does it, no matter where we are. 
I realize at the age of two it isn't detrimental that he is socialized, but I know that it helps me with my sanity if I am socialized :)

Anyway, he is the BIGGEST blessing of our life. He brings so much joy to our lives, even if he is a little aggressive ;) ! We have been having so much fun with him, and he is talking up a storm! He is starting to get good at singing along to songs. He knows a few shapes, a couple of colors, and can tell you names of people, even if he hasn't seen them in a while! He traveled with me to Omaha to visit family, and he did wonderfully, and really is a good boy!I realize he picks up on everything we say and do (hence him not letting go of the balloon yesterday). 

         

Let me know if you have any questions! 

Oh, and I started running again. It has taken me a while to get back into it because of my back, but I figure that it isn't getting any better when I don't run. I will go to the doctor this month to see if there is anything that can be done for it. I missed training for a race, so I am going to sign up for the Sweetheart 10k. It should be a good one. This is me getting back into it... #momlife