32 Weeks

So, didn't remotely keep up with these this time! But, I'd like to try to do at least a few more if I can so I have them to look back on. 

How Far Along?  32 weeks! This feels like a big milestone since it's only 6 weeks until when Evan was born and I'm now less than 2 months from the due date

Size of the Baby? A squash - around 4 pounds and 16 inches long.

Sleep? So many fewer insomnia issues thanks to a toddler that keeps us up all the time and wears me out. When I do have the chance to sleep, I generally sleep very soundly. Getting up at least twice to use the bathroom, and it's a good night if those line up with Evan wake ups. 

Eating? Mostly okay. Probably a few more treats than I should have, especially with being in the throes of a holiday season. 

Exercise: This is the hardest thing for me this pregnancy. It's not just that I can't exercise, but I have to avoid stairs when I can, avoid walking when I can, and even avoid standing. It's definitely affected my mood (and my eating), and is one of the main reasons I am not too sad that this is likely my last pregnancy. 

What I Miss? Walking whenever and wherever I want. I am fantasizing about all the hiking I'll be able to do after the baby is born. 

Best Moment? Thanksgiving - it was so wonderful having almost all of our family here to celebrate and see Evan play with his cousins. 

Milestones: Entering the last stretch of teaching for the year. It's so bittersweet - this has been an amazing class and I will be very sad to leave them. But it's also going to be a crazy busy stretch and I know I will be so glad to take a "break"

Mommy Update: Tired and hurting most of the time. I am doing so much better than a couple weeks ago when I literally could barely walk. I'm now doing physical therapy exercises every day and wearing a special support belt that is making a world of difference and letting me get through the teaching day with a manageable amount of pain. I'm loving all the baby movements just as much as last time. 

Big Brother Update: Evan has been growing so much in everything. He is loving the start of the Christmas season - he loves the lights and tree and has me read him "The Night Before Christmas" every night. Sleep continues to be hit or miss, like always, but the rest of the time Evan is generally such a fun and loving little boy to be around. In the mornings, he usually comes downstairs and cuddles with me on the couch while I have breakfast - it's such a special time. He's also finally doing so much better going to bed - we can do stories and say goodbye and he will usually go to sleep without a problem. It's such a treat to be getting our evenings back and have Evan back to a 7:30/8 bedtime. 

Baby Update:

Plenty of growing and moving! Baby nursery is mostly set up and looking so pretty - I'm hoping to finish most of the rest this weekend and maybe even start some baby laundry. Can't wait to meet this little boy. 

18 Weeks!

How Far Along?  18 weeks - whoops! Poor second child syndrome. But really, I got home and straight into getting ready for the new school year and sort of forgot about these updates. Plus, since I didn't want to post on here until after the school year begins, it's been harder to remember. But, that should all change as of tomorrow, so hopefully I'll get back on track!

Size of the Baby? An artichoke - crazy! I guess that's what happens when you stop updating weekly; that seems huge now. Baby is 5.5 inches long and 6.7 ounces. 

Sleep? Still struggling between Evan wake ups (especially this week as he adjusted to having me back at work) and having to use the bathroom. Plus a couple work related bouts of insomnia and getting up early for work and I've been pretty darn tired. Hopefully things will calm down soon though. 

Eating? Nausea is basically gone now, so eating is mostly determined by what I feel like. We've been trying to do healthy meals, and I'm still loving a smoothie every morning. I still need to eat frequently, so that's been something I have to remember with working more. 

Exercise: This week has been a bit hit or miss since I've been working such long days and practically falling asleep when I get home. I did go on one walk with Evan and am hoping once I settle into regular teaching hours I'll do better. I did sign up for a 10k in October, so my "official" walking training is starting next Monday. Hopefully that'll keep me motivated!

 What I Miss? I miss Evan time. It's been hard getting ready for the school year with all the time demand that includes, and then being so tired when I get home that I'm not up for doing fun things with Evan. Ed has been great helping out, but I'll be glad when things settle down a little bit. 

Best Moment? Telling work! I shared at our group staff meeting on Tuesday about the pregnancy, and it was so fun to be fully public with the news. Everyone is so supportive and excited for me, which is lovely. 

Milestones: Going back to work, officially. Even though I've been working off and on since the beginning of August, I'm actually getting paid for it now :). 

Mommy Update: Tired! I've been happy that while I'm at work, I generally feel like I have normal energy. But, when I get home, I just crash. I've put a ton of work into the set up for this year, though, with the hope that after the first week, I can really settle into no work on the weekends and leaving right after the school so that I can soak in more family time and not tire myself out so much. 

Big Brother Update: Evan is just the best. He's been saying "Oh dear, Oh my gosh, Oh my goodness" a lot, when he does something silly. We took him on the Golden Gate Bridge last weekend which is his favorite thing in the world, so that was super fun. When we went in the gift store, he must have said "Mighty Golden Gate Bridge!" about 50 times, pointing to all the posters, books, etc. The people working there got a kick out of it and even gave him his own sticker with the bridge on it. He's also convinced that the baby (which he calls "baby tiger")  is actually a tiger, not a baby :). But the best is all the "I love you mommys and I love you daddys Evan randomly says throughout the day, and all the sweet kisses. He is such a loving little boy and we are so lucky we get to be his parents. 

Baby Update:

Baby continues to be great. It seems like it must be growing since I've been hungrier lately and I am certainly looking bigger. I can't believe we get to find out the sex next week - I'm still learning towards a girl since this has seemed like a much different pregnancy, but we'll see! Both options seem so wonderful :). 

14 Weeks

How Far Along?  14 weeks (and 1 day)! I just saw a thing that says I'm in the 4th month, which feels much further along (and makes me feel a little better about this big bump I have). 

Size of the Baby? A lemon! Our baby is growing so much. It's officially 3 days ahead on growth, so I'm pretty sure it's going to be big like its brother. Average right now is 3.5 inches and 1.5 ounces. It's turning into a real baby :). 

Sleep? Eh. I can't seem to get the timing right here, between having to get up to use the bathroom and Evan waking up, the sleep is pretty chopping from 4 hours in, onward. I'm hoping it'll get better at some point, but I'm not holding my breath. 

Eating? I've been doing a pretty good job getting my eating back on track and I've been feeling less sick, except when I forget to eat an afternoon snack. So long as I eat every 3 hours, though, I'm pretty good :). I've been hungrier lately, so I'm thinking baby might have been going through a growth spurt. 

Exercise: Great! I've been trying to go on walks most days, plus I tried out my first local prenatal yoga. It was really lovely to do yoga in a class again. It was small, just 3 of us, and didn't have quite the baby/birth focus of the Arizona class, but it was incredibly relaxing and I'm still sore two days later. I'm looking forward to making this a weekly event!

 What I Miss? I still miss my energy. I've been really tired this week, and it's been hard to balance just wanting to sit on the couch and soaking in my last real week of summer with Evan. 

Best Moment? Seeing our baby! Technically this happened in the next week, since I'm a little over 14 weeks, but since it was this morning I'm putting it here. Ed and Evan came along and it was amazing to see how much our baby has grown in the last 7 weeks. It looked like a real baby, and we even got to hear the heart rate. Of course, Evan was petrified of the heartbeat and afterwards kept saying, "Evan all ready to go!" It really is starting to soak in that we are actually having a baby. 

Milestones: Hitting the 4th month! No question that I'm in the 2nd trimester, and no question that I'm pregnant by looking at me (at least from my opinion). I'm excited to share the news with coworkers next week.

Mommy Update: Good! I'm enjoying all my Evan time the last two weeks and glad to be a bit healthier and more active. 

Big Brother Update: Evan has been super cute lately. He's says "no, no, that's okay," whenever he doesn't want to listen/do something. For instance, when we tell him he needs his diaper changed or when we give him food that is too hot to eat. Also, super proud parent moment, we've been reading this butterfly book that he picked out and he's totally figured out the concept of the chrysalis. He can identify it in the book and when we were out for a walk and saw a butterfly, he said it came out of a chrysalis. Such a fun age with so much learning going on!

Baby Update:

Baby continues to be wonderful. I'm still feeling those little baby movement sensations and I'm going to believe they are the real deal until proven otherwise :). 

How Far Along?  13 weeks (technically 13 weeks 4 days - I've been a slacker this week :) ). 

Size of the Baby? A jalapeño. Baby is 3 inches long and weighs almost an ounce! 

Sleep? Well, it was a rough week for sleep, but because we were on a trip and Evan got sick. This meant 4 nights of bedsharing with a restless toddler and no solid sleep for me. Luckily since we've been home, Evan has either slept through the night or only woken up once, so it's been much better.

Eating? I definitely wasn't feeling great at Tahoe, mostly because I was altitude, which generally bothers me a little. That plus not sleeping meant it wasn't surprising I didn't feel great. Still, I'm able to eat pretty normally, and am looking forward to focusing on healthier eating once all of our traveling is done this next week. 

Exercise:  I've definitely been a little more active than last time around, with hiking at least a few times a week. I got to hike twice at Tahoe, which was beautiful. My goal is to get out walking or hiking most every day, and I am planning to sign up to walk a 10k in October. I always wanted to do a race while I was pregnant with Evan and never did, so I don't want to miss my chance this time around. 

 What I Miss? Well, I took sushi off that list because after some additional research, I decided to indulge. Other reputable countries (like the UK) have no issues with women eating raw fish, and the risk of getting sick is only 1 in 2 million, versus 1 in 250,000 eating chicken. It was lovely, but of course ended up not sitting great (see still having morning sickness). Still probably won't indulge that often, and will probably stick with simpler dishes, but it was tasty. I did miss getting to indulge in wine on vacation, and of course feeling rested. 

Best Moment? Sharing Tahoe with Evan for the first time, and, just like at Yosemite, thinking about future trips as a family of 4. 

Milestones: Reaching 2nd Trimester! Today is the "official" day that I am over 1/3 done, as long as this little one doesn't go late. I'm definitely showing, even in loose fitting clothes, and am ready to tell coworkers when I see them in a couple weeks. Non pregnancy milestone is that we are done traveling for the summer! I am thrilled to be just enjoying being home with my boy, especially since this is the last dedicated time I'll have just with Evan for a very long time. I have my NT scan on Tuesday and am nervous/excited so see our baby. 

Mommy Update: I'm generally feeling pretty good! I was definitely feeling exhausted from all the trips (I was only home 9 days in the past 6 weeks!) but it was a great summer. I'm still more tired than not, but hopefully as I keep getting further in the pregnancy and Evan keeps sleeping better, that will change. Now I'm just trying to get back into the swing of work things and getting everything Evan will need to start his new daycare in less than a month!

Baby Update:

I'm sure Baby Lyly is doing great. Just like last time, I sometimes I imagine I can feel it moving around in there. I'm sure I'm just feeling muscle spasms or something, but it's fun to pretend. Of course, last time I didn't feel anything until 23 weeks, so I'm not holding my breath :). Baby can now start sucking it's thumb, which is incredibly cute. Also cute, it can now make facial expressions, including frowns, grimaces, and squinting. More organs are working, including the kidneys, and it's getting lugano (fine, soft hair) over its body to keep warm. Keep growing little one!

12 Weeks

How Far Along?  12 weeks! So exciting to be in the last week of the first trimester :). 

Size of the Baby? A plum! Coincidentally one of Evan's new favorite fruits. Baby is over 2 inches long and about half an ounce. 

Sleep? This week has been pretty great for sleep, in large part because I've been Evan free! I'm out in Alabama visiting my wonderful friend and living the kid free life, staying up until after 11 and sleeping in until 8 or 9. I haven't had any insomnia this week, *knock on wood*, so we'll see if that lasts. 

Eating? How funny - I just looked and apparently last time I was also really in the mood for Indian food. No wonder Evan loves indian - hopefully this baby does too! The morning sickness has kicked up a little this week, and I think it's because I've been spending less time outside. Or morning sickness is just fickle. Unlike last time, proteins have been the winning foods for me, so I've really been enjoying steaks, among other things. Still not eating as healthily as I should, but I blame vacation :) 

 What I Miss? Not pregnancy related, but I miss my boy :(. It has been 4 days since I've seen Evan and I miss him so much! It has been such an amazing time here in Alabama, but it definitely reinforced that I wouldn't change my life with my sweet toddler for the world. I just love being a mom and I can't wait to get home and I can't wait for this new little one to arrive and complete our family. 

Best Moment? Getting to share our news with my friend and celebrate her upcoming baby boy!

Milestones: I had my first appointment with a midwife and am excited to be able to use midwives a second time. She seemed optimistic about my having a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) and was reassuring about my not having pre-eclampsia again (only a 20% chance). I also got all my bloodwork done for the 12 week scan and am looking forward to the actual scan in a couple weeks. I also have been identified as pregnant by three strangers since arriving in Alabama, so I think I'm definitely showing. 

Mommy Update: Once again, I am feeling very happy about life. I am so thankful to have the overlap of summer and the first trimester so that I can soak in these early days and get extra rest when I need, plus time with family and friends. 

Baby Update:

Baby can now react to pokes on the outside. It's almost done developing all the major body parts and is moving into the "growth and maturation" phase. This is considered a turning point in pregnancy, as the organs will now start to work and just work on getting stronger. Baby is also opening and closing its fingers and curling its toes. It's brain is also developing quickly. So exciting :)

11 Weeks

How Far Along?  11 Weeks! 

Size of the Baby? A lime. This seems so much bigger than last week :). Over 2 inches long and a third of an ounce.

Sleep?  It was a rough week for sleep last week, but it wasn't the new baby's fault. We were out of town and Evan never sleeps well away from home. On the plus side, because I've been so tired, I haven't really had much insomnia. 

Cravings? Sour food has still been a go to, especially for all the traveling. I've gotten to enjoy indian a couple times, which has been super yummy. I also keep wanting sushi, which so far I've been resisting. 


 What I Miss? Just feeling like an energetic mom. I am officially on SAHM duty, and I feel a little sad that I just don't have the same energy I used to. I was still able to do most of what I wanted with Evan in Santa Cruz, so I'm glad for that at least. 

Best Moment? Being in Santa Cruz for the 3rd summer. It's so special to have a place that we've gone every year since Evan was born. We also shared the news with Ed's coworkers, which was really special. 

Milestones: Another quiet week, but I have my next appointment tomorrow! I am excited to meet one of the midwives and check on the little one. 

Mommy Update: I've been afraid to jinx things, but I am, in general, feeling better! Still super tired, but the nausea has definitely faded a bit. Last time I felt really sick until 18 weeks, so I'm really thankful to have had such minor morning sickness this time around. 

Big Brother Update: Evan's language has really blossomed this week! It's been amazing to hear him speak complete sentences, play pretend, and just be so much more interactive. His current biggest love is "choo choos" and it was so fun to get to take him on a steam train while we were in Santa Cruz.

Baby Update:

Baby is moving around a lot in there, which I can't wait to be able to actually feel. It's growing hair follicles and fingernails and is looking much more like a little person. It also has no more webbing between fingers and toes, so goodbye to amphibian baby. It's getting tiny toothbuds and bones are hardening. Keep growing, little one!

10 Weeks

(written 6-27-16)

What they say about the 2nd child is already coming true - I'm starting these posts a whole 4 weeks later than with Evan. But, hopefully I can make up for lost time. I love being able to look back on my first pregnancy, so I am going to do my best to keep the record going on here again.

How Far Along?  10 weeks! Double digits feels exciting and much more real :). 

Size of the Baby? A kumquat - 1.25 inches and a little less than a quarter of an ounce

Sleep? Just like last time, insomnia is hitting me about half the nights. It doesn't help that I have a toddler who hates sleep, especially when we travel, so I'm up a lot between him, having to go to the bathroom, and insomnia. On the plus side, I'm so used to being tired now that I'm finding it less hard to adjust than with the first pregnancy. 

Cravings? Not cravings so much, but this time around sour things are helping me feel less nauseous. I've been using jolly ranchers, especially on car trips, and am liking drinking orange juice. I also have been liking watermelon, since I read that it helps settle the stomach too, and it does seem to help a bit. 

 What I Miss? This pregnancy really has felt a bit easier, which I'm so thankful for. What I mostly miss is feeling in control of what I'm eating. This time around, lots of snacking seems to help, but that means I'm eating more than I probably should. But, I'm counting myself lucky. 

Best Moment? Being in Yosemite! It was Evan's first time going, and we all had such a great time. We talked a lot about booking a trip for next summer as a family of four. There were lots of little babies in the valley, and it got me excited about our new little one. 

Milestones: Next appointment is 7/5 - coming up soon!

Mommy Update: Even though I'm sad to be feeling not so hot on all of our trips, and it makes all the driving especially hard, I am so glad I'm not teaching for most of the first trimester. It's so great that I can be "off schedule" when I need to be and take it easy. Looking forward to 2nd trimester in just a couple weeks. 

Big Brother Update: Evan is so cute with the baby. He either calls it Baby Tiger or Baby LyLy (Lion) depending on his mood. We aren't 100% sure where baby tiger came from, but we're encouraging baby lyly since it does go with our last name :). Evan usually points to his own tummy if you ask where the baby is and he loves looking at the developmental image of the baby on one of my apps. 

Baby Update:

Baby is definitely in the fetal stage now - all the major organs are developed. It's getting little nails and hair, which just seems so tiny and amazing. It can also move all its limbs. 

Lovely Saturday

Ed was working, so Evan and I got to have a mommy and me day. I'm not sure why, but Evan was in a wonderful mood today. So silly and sweet and exactly how you dream an almost 2 year old might act. The only negative was that he wouldn't nap, but since he was so happy, I didn't push the issue.

I had the lofty idea to take Evan to the lake in the hiking pack. I hoped he'd nap and I could enjoy sitting by the lake and reading.

However, I'd totally forgotten how heavy the hiking pack was. Sheesh. It was a fantastic workout, but the weight, plus the warm afternoon, meant I felt like I could barely keep going. 

But, it was beautiful, if hot, so I pushed on. 

Thankfully, after only 20 or so minutes of hiking, Evan finally passed out. 

So, as soon as we reached a bench under an oak tree, I pulled Evan off and took a break. 

I had a beautiful view and spent a lovely 15 minutes reading my book. 

It came to an abrupt end when I looked up to see this little guy literally about to crawl onto Evan's face!

Such a pretty caterpillar, but not something I want on my child's face. So, I decided we should move on. Evan ended up waking up, for the shortest nap in toddler history :). 

This wasn't an entirely bad thing, since we were debuting Evan's brand new big twin bed tonight. Evan was beyond excited about his rockets. This ended up being a bit of a problem as he was so wound up - he kept wanting to visit his rockets and couldn't stay laying down. 

Evan also loved the moon sheets. Hopefully the bed gets less exciting after a few nights, but it sure was cute to se how happy he was. And, hopefully sleeping on a bed that's actually soft, plus big enough that he can roll around without falling onto the floor, will help him sleep better. 

One can hope at least! No matter how tonight goes, though, I'm so thankful for my little boy.

Spring on Mount Tam

Ed asked me during the week if he could take us away for a surprise trip. I wasn't too shocked that he brought us to Mount Tam. 

Evan has gotten so into hiking lately - he was excited to get up on Dad's back and get going. 

Evan especially loved all the water crossings that are still trickling for a little while longer. 

When he saw this, he kept saying, "Woah! Woah!"

The first part of the hike was all under the forest canopy. And then, we stepped out into this. 

Rolling green hills. Bright blue sky. And flowers. 

Thousands and thousands of flowers. 

We've been here so many times, but I've never seen wildflowers like this. 

We decided to try a new off-shoot that took us to a bluff overlooking the ocean. We could even see a glimpse of the golden gate. "Bridge! Bridge!"

There were so many happy people sharing the trails. 

One little girl saw the cloud bank and exclaimed, "Mommy! We're in heaven!"

We took a break to take in the view and give Evan a snack. 

Then it was time for him to explore. He loved the "purple flowers"

And he loved hiking. All by himself. We couldn't get over how grown up he's getting. We also realized that he may need trail shoes sooner rather than later - his play shoes don't have nearly enough traction :). I love how you can see the hill where Ed proposed on the left, and the point where we got married on the right. Such a special spot. 

Once we got back to the main trail, it was back up for a little bit more. This is my favorite open trail on Mt Tam. Hills to the east and ocean to the west. What more could you ask for?

We headed around one more bend before turning around and heading back to the car. 

Once we arrived, we sat down for a well deserved lunch. Our little hiker did such an amazing job!

Our Kitchen

Next up, the kitchen! Before, it was intense - very low ceilings (with a grapevine trellis wallpaper thing), all tones of brown, and a macrame window cover. 

I actually sort of liked it, in a very retro way, but with super outdated appliances, it had to go. 

We kept the cabinets themselves, the fridge, and the ovens. Everything else was out!

It was amazing how different it felt once it was gutted! Scary, but exciting. 

And here it is, after. 

We are in love with this space - so bright, with out beautiful quartzite countertops and glass cabinets.

The old appliances look so much better in the new space, and the added ceiling height makes such a difference. 

Our favorite detail is probably the backsplash - a hand painted ceramic from local Heath Ceramics. 

This room took a while, but was worth the wait. 

Our Family Room

Now that phase one of our renovation is done, I want to show off the results! First up, the family room/Evan's play nook.

As a reminder, this is what we started with, in all its paneled glory.

And this is it now!

 

We love our new space :)