Sweet Relief!

I am feeling sooo good today! I definitely think the beautiful weather is contributing to some part of it, but energy wise I feel good, I have an appetite, and I haven't had any "sick" feeling at all! I'm so happy. We have been spending the days outside for the most part, the fresh air and sunshine feel really nice and lift my spirits. We're only inside for nap time, and I like to read outside on the lawn while Julia sleeps through the afternoon.

I bought some summer maternity stuff last weekend and its nice to have things that fit now, and will fit later on in the summer. The sweats and lululemon pants were not cutting it for me. I feel so gross when I dress like I'm fat...I may as well dress like I'm a preggo. The summer maternity stuff is SO MUCH BETTER than fall/winter. I love the capri's and tank tops, halter tops, all the nice colours. Ahhh sweet satisfaction. I dreamt of these summer maternity clothes when I was pregnant with Julia and wearing all the icky winter wear. I'll have a fun bump for the summer, and then the days of beached whale will begin in the fall. I love how that worked out. Hopefully my weight will be manageable this time around. My midwife isn't concerned- she said as long as I am eating healthy and feeling satisfied, with moderate exercise that is how it should be. My body will gain as much weight as it needs...and of course I will know when I am over-doing it.

I am registering for prenatal yoga this week, that will be some nice down-time for myself. Also, Romney's pilates instructor has offered me some free instruction for prenatal pilates in exchange for taking pictures of her studio. If I like it I will definitely schedule some classes with her. I am going to commit to staying healthy and strong throughout this pregnancy. I had a slow start, but now that I am coming out of the low-energy, sick time- I am ready to get started right now! Walking for an hour everyday has been good so far, and I think the yoga will contribute nicely to that as well. I'm even thinking about aquasize one night a week too. I will be busy but at least I'll be active!

Today we are going to Granville Island when Julia wakes up. I'm going to splurge at the market and get some nice things to make for dinner. Maybe steaks? Mmmm..

Hope these good days are here to stay! Belly pic coming tonight, keep forgetting to do it but I want them for memories.

Wooohooo 2nd Trimester!

What a nice day to start the 2nd trimester! A beautiful sunny day, and a nice bbq with friends to end the day. I am finally getting a bit of an appetite and it feels good! I'll just have to be more careful this time around...don't want to feel like a whale by the end of this!

I can definitely say that I feel the baby moving now. I wasn't sure the past few weeks but now I am positive :) I had some juice just a couple minutes ago and am feeling some definite flutters. Finally I'm getting to the fun stuff!

I'm trying to enjoy all of it this time because wishing it away until the time baby comes will only cut my time short with Julia. I can't help but feel guilty that I'm doing this to her...maybe I'm just emotional. I don't know, I think giving her a sibling is one of the best things we can do for her but also I feel like I'm taking away from her. I'm sure it will all come together in the end. She is so funny, this is such a fun age. We asked her if she wanted a sister or a brother and she said "brudder", then we asked what his name should be and she replied, "foxy todd." foxy todd?! lol!! We realized she got it from The Fox and the Hound. The fox is named Todd. What a character she is. I'll have to make sure I write that one down. I hope we can make this somewhat understandable and fun for her...

Still trying to decide on if we'll find out the sex or not. I really don't know what my instinct is anymore. I guess if I stick with my first it is boy, but I think I can imagine a girl easier because I grew up with a sister. I'm not sure!! I'm worried that if we don't find out I might drive myself crazy. Still have 6 weeks to decide. I'll keep working through all my thoughts! After holding Haylia tonight all the good little girl feelings came back...baby girls are so sweet!

Next appointment is June 11th. Not too far off. All the icky stuff for this one though, ladies you'll know what I mean!

I'm still in here!

I'm not sure what the formula is, but for some reason I seem to climb into a hole within myself and stay there throughout my pregnancies. I'm not sure if this is some natural form of protecting my unborn child, or possibly just truly being exhausted. I'll just have to put it out there- I'm boring. I don't feel inspired to do much, to see much, to be out late, to "have fun" "let loose" etc. I'm just in some sort of pregnancy hibernation where I need to do quiet, calm things, have more of one-on-one time with friends and be peaceful. I'm still in here, and once the baby is born and things settle down I'll be back to my old self. Right now I feel defensive, sensitive, quiet and satisfied. I am truly happy to go to bed at 10:00. I feel a great sense of peace and satisfaction within myself right now, and it is almost like I need to be like this to maintain myself. My energy is low, but even as if begins to pick up I am not interested in the same things as usual. I don't miss going out, or drinking, or late nights at all. I'm sure I'll be up for those activities again after the baby comes but right now I am far from interested.

I apologize if I've become distant, seem uninterested, disconnected or quiet. I will be back before you know it...but until then please be patient and understanding. I still love to spend time with you, I just need you on a different energy level for the time being. I'm not pushing you away, I'm just going deeper into myself and in all truth it seems natural to me. Not as a negative occurance, different for sure, but definitely for my best interest.

I know I still owe everyone the effort and I promise that will never be abandoned!

I'm still in here, just a little quieter, a little more thoughtful, a little less enthusiastic and still loving you all very much.

Killer Heartburn

What a lovely new symptom.

I think I might actually die of this. So unbelievably painful. It's been 3 days of terrible pain that I can't get rid of. I'm going to have to go on meds. My doctor gave me the exciting news that if I have it now it probably won't let up throughout the rest of the pregnancy. I don't think I can deal with that... Haven't been getting sleep it's so bad. Also have really sore throat from the acid coming up... I can't find any foods that help either.

Looking for a solution ASAP. Back to the doctor on Monday.

Heard the heartbeat!

We went to an appointment this morning (11+3) and heard the baby's heartbeat on the doppler! It was so amazing to hear the little *whoosh* *whoosh* sound until the baby swam away. Im glad we heard it, as Susie told us we might not be able to catch it this early. But all is well and our little one has a nice, healthy heartbeat!

We did a lot of answering questions this time around, going over medical history and discussing options regarding genetic screening, home/hospital birth, different classes (there is a VBAC prenatal class for us to take!), where we wanted to do our ultrasound and finding out the sex, etc. It was a nice long appointment and both Jon and I felt really good and excited coming out of it!

We are keeping my due date at November 23 just to give those extra two days in case its needed (homebirth up to 43 weeks). I have a feeling this one won't go overdue, Julia's dates were off by at LEAST a week, possibly more. Dr. Roeck should have done a dating ultrasound as the pregnancy obviously wasn't planned and I couldn't remember the exact date of my last period. Probably should have stuck with the Feb.22 due date but she held it back at Feb.16. AHh so glad this birth will be much more planned and organized. I love making informed decisions and not being pushed in any direction/persuaded by the medical system.

We will be "officially" in the clear to tell everyone on Saturday so the news will start getting around extended family, friends and such. I'm so excited!!

Im very thrilled to be having another child with Jon. This is such a special time for us, we are going to have 2 kids by Christmas time! A family of 4 seems so much bigger than 3. It's going to be fun!