Wordless Wednesday

Every Pregnancy is Different

If you watch any type of pregnancy/baby related show, you have probably heard this saying. That is, if you haven't heard it from a friend, family member, or your doctor. My doctor gently reminded me of this when I was in her office begging for Zofran due to my extreme nausea and vomiting with Sarah. I was asking her why I had such horrible "morning" sickness when my mom had absolutely none with all 5 of her pregnancies. And she said "Well you know, every pregnancy is different."

Little did I know how true that statement could actually be. With Sarah, I had every pregnancy symptom in the book. Nausea, check. Heartburn, check. Lower back pain, check. Crazy food cravings/aversions, check. Weight gain, check. (Make that 50 checks, one for each pound.) So logically, I assumed that my second pregnancy would be more of the same. Boy, was I wrong. And I am so glad that I was wrong. Normally, I hate admitting that I'm not right. Baby #2 has been so much easier than Sarah was. (At least this far.) Basically this pregnancy has been so easy, that I forget I'm pregnant about 80% of the time. My frequent trips to the bathroom are good reminders though. My tiny baby really likes hanging out near my bladder. Or my crazy mood swings will remind me that I have something else with me. My moods are a little more unpredictable this time around.

But it's not just symptoms that make every pregnancy different. I think attitude plays a big part as well. With Sarah I was overly cautious and worried having just suffered a miscarriage. This time, I don't have the luxury of worrying over every little twinge and cramp because I have an energetic toddler to chase around. And there's not a shroud of mystery surrounding pregnancy this time. I know what to expect, and what's normal. So it's not as stressful for me. With Sarah, Ryan and I sat down and read about how our baby was developing each week and I did my best to stay away from everything on the "Not Recommended" list. 

Don't get me wrong, it's not like I'm not interested in or uncaring towards this new baby. I just don't have the luxury of sitting and really thinking about the baby that's coming like I did when I was pregnant with Sarah. Your first pregnancy is a time when you're showered with attention. Everyone wants to talk about the baby, how you're feeling, if you know its gender, and so on. I was spoiled and pampered when I was pregnant with Sarah. Ryan often did things for me because I was too sick to do them myself or he would make me something to eat because it was the only thing that sounded good in days. Basically, I treated myself like some fragile object because I was so worried about the unborn baby.

This time, I'm just living my life as normally as I can. Sarah and I spend hours on the floor playing and she's not always mindful of my growing belly. I chase her around, lift her up, spin in circles with her and carry her around when she gets tired. Being pregnant is an incredibly wonderful time, but after your first pregnancy, it's not a reason to do nothing and be waited on. You have to continue to live life because you now have someone (or multiple someones) counting on you. I've struggled with feeling like I'm somehow depriving this baby of something because the excitement isn't as prominent. But we just don't have the time to really linger on it as much. I know that once this child gets here, he/she will be loved just as much. So for any of you first time mamas out there, soak up the luxury of focusing on just yourself this time around. And for all you other mamas, I'm right there with ya.

Speaking of Baby#2 we have 12 days until our big ultrasound! I am so excited to find out if this baby is a boy or girl. Feel free to vote in the poll on the lefthand side so I can see what you all think it is. I'm still not 100% sure if I think it's a boy or girl.

Wordless Wednesday (Sarah's First Year Photobook)

Click here to view this photo book larger

Monday Mind Dump

1. This weather is beautiful! I am so happy that snow will soon be a distant memory and I have warm and hot days to look forward to.
2. I need to go shop for warm weather maternity clothes. All of the ones I own are winter or too severely stretched out to be worn right now.
3. I was on the way to the park with Sarah today. We were going to go rock it out on the playground, but Little Bit had another idea. She decided to fall asleep in the car, so I did what any mama would do. I drove past the park and then turned around to head home. She needed a nap more than swinging. Hopefully when she wakes up we can resume our adventure.
4. I feel the need to purge my apartment of every unneeded item. I'm not sure if it's "spring cleaning" or "nesting".  Either way I've cleaned the kitchen, bathroom, and done two loads of laundry today.
5. I am so excited for Sarah's party which is in less than two weeks! Ryan and I bought her a play kitchen and I'm hoping she likes it as much as I think she will.
6. I'm also super excited for Easter. I think our little monkey will get a kick out of her first Easter egg hunt. She's really into picking things up and bringing them to the closest person. And while this isn't her first Easter, it's the first one she can participate in. Last year she was two days old.
7. I'm so thankful to be on the mend from this awful cold. I hope my family can manage to get and stay healthy for a good stretch of time.
8. I wish my husband got a "spring break" from work. It would be nice to have a few days with him without him having to use his vacation days that we need for when the baby is born. 
9. On a similar note, I think Ryan and I need a date night soon. It would be nice to go to dinner and be able to finish my meal without any interruptions.
10. Oh and Sarah is teething again! The child was up about every hour last night. Not fun! All I can do is give her tylenol or ibuprofen and hope she feels better.
11. And because I always feel like a post should have a picture. Enjoy!

ABC's of Me

A. Age: 24

B. Bed Size: Queen but if Baby #2 likes our bed as much as Sarah we may need a King

C. Chore you hate: Cleaning the bathroom!

D. Dogs:  Two Cocker spaniel mixes named Penny and Rowdy

E. Essential start to your day: Contacts

F. Favorite color: Green or purple

G. Gold or silver: Silver

H: Height: 5' 3"

I: Instruments that you can play: Clarinet

J: Job title: Stay at home mom

K: Kids: Sarah - 11 months and another on the way

L: Live: Two bedroom apartment with lots of living space but not much storage

M: Mom’s name: Missey

N: Nicknames: Linds

O: Overnight hospital stays: When I gave birth

P: Pet peeve: LOTS! Chewing with your mouth open, shoes on my bed, whistling, the list goes on and on.

Q: Quote from a movie: "Kiss the girl" - Little Mermaid

R: Righty or lefty: Right

S: Siblings: I have four of my own and four brothers in-law

T: Time you wake up: When ever Sarah does sometime between 8:30 and 10:00

U: Underwear: Uh Yes, what about them? I

V: Vegetables you dislike: Mushrooms

W: What makes you run late: Dirty diapers and bad planning

X: X-rays: I had a chest X-ray once

Y: Yummy food you make: Baked goods, cookies or cakes

Z: Zoo favorite animal: Elephants and chimps

Things I Wish I Had Known

So as my daughter nears her first birthday, I have been compiling a list of things I wish I would have known way back when I had a tiny newborn

• The newborn phase of sleeping all the time is a blessing in disguise. They may be boring but never again will you have the convenience of a baby that is willing/able to sleep anywhere. I used to complain because I thought Sarah was so boring and I wanted to see her eyes open. Trust me I won't be doing that with Baby #2.

• Adjusting to mommy-hood is not as easy as movies and other people like to make you think it is. All of a sudden you have much more responsibility and concerns. It's not all rainbows and giggles.
• Babies make the best facial expressions.

• It can take time to figure everything out. It's okay to not have a strict routine that has baby in bed every night by 7:00pm. You do what works for your baby and your family.
• Hair bows aren't as awful as I thought they were. Sarah looked freaking adorable in them while she wore them.

Sarah and my dad, her Gramps.

• Poop is not as big of a deal as it was pre-baby. It's even an acceptable topic of discussion and blogging.
• An immobile baby is something to be cherished as well. Sarah started moving so quickly that I sometimes feel we were cheated out of the cuddly baby days. Once she was able to move on her own, she hated being held and cuddled and would much rather have been moving along somewhere.

• Your life can change drastically once you have a baby, but it doesn't have to be in a negative way. For the first several months, Sarah just came with us when we went somewhere. And now we have a nice routine that works well for us during the week
• Teeny baby clothes are addicting. I mean they are tiny and cute. I almost always peruse the baby clothes section of the store. Unfortunately not all of them have tiny price tags. I refuse to spend more than $20 on an outfit that will most likely end up puked or pooped on.

I love this onesie! It's one of the best purchases I made.

• Everything becomes edible. Even if you never thought it could be.

• Sometimes the best thing to entertain your child is not a toy. It could be keys, aluminum foil, or remotes.

• You will make a complete fool of yourself to make your baby laugh. 
• There will come a time when it won't even phase you when you listen to the same song or CD over and over and over and over to keep said baby quiet. (Colors of the Wind and Praise Baby)
• A baby teaches you to love in a way you never thought possible.

Wordless Wednesday