Lime Retchless: Week 11

News for week 11 (Written November 1):

Biggest news this week is that we shared our news with the world! Carving the pumpkins was so much fun and the response was amazing!

Sweets cravings - Holy moly! I have never in my life craved sweets like I am with this little Lime! Every night after dinner I want a GIANT piece of cake. With Noah, I had a bit of a sweet tooth, but this is a whole different level. The other night I even let Scott make a 9:30pm run to Safeway for some ice cream cake! This is completely unheard of for me...both the want for cake, and the actual giving in to the craving. Scott loved the chance to make a run for me as it was his first official pregnancy craving run (I never caved with Noah). Hopefully, it will also be his last as I threw away half of the cake and hopefully won't have another completely weak moment! I would also really like some Pop Tarts...seriously, who am I?!

Weight update - Cake, pizza, pasta, animal crackers. That pretty much sums up my food groups currently. Somehow, I am only up 1 pound so far though. Sometimes it feels like a lot more as I am definitely starting to get a little bump, but I am still very comfortably in my normal clothes and the scale says so far so good (wouldn't it be great if instead of a number the scale actually said that?!).

Activities - This weekend Noah and I attended our friend's annual Halloween party! Noah was 100% not interested in wearing a costume at this point. We tried a lion and The Cat in the Hat and you would have thought I was trying to put him in a straight jacket. So, I threw in the towel and let him wear his skeleton PJs...he's two and we have a lot of years to wear costumes!

Last year I gladly donned the PCH cheerleading uniform (well, with a little liquid courage!)...

This year it just felt a bit claustrophobic so I pulled another relic out of the closet...my official sweatshirt. Any bets on next year? Maybe retire the red, black & white?!

My cute little skeleton.

love.

We also managed to squeeze the real Halloween into this week! With the use of  a lot of M&Ms we were able to get the little one into his actual costume and it was worth every second of the sugar high! We had such a fun night with great friends Trick or Treating. It really is amazing how much more fun holidays are with a little one. It is a different kind of fun than the pre-kids days, but it is truly magical to watch your little one take his first walk up a driveway to get his candy all by himself (last year he was walking but definitely didn't understand the concept)! 

Oh, this face. Like I said, worth every M&M!

A few more M&Ms did the trick for the face paint (which he actually loved).

After his very first house (we hadn't gotten the hat back on post car ride, but please note the Tootsie Roll Pop he scored...)

Sucker open...hat on! Candy for the win! He worked that thing over the entire time he was trick or treating and completely forgot the hat was on.

And marched right up for more candy! It was an amazing night.

But, back to pregnancy...Overall, I feel pretty good! My energy is coming back and the "hangover" has cooled off to, maybe, once a week. I have even been able to start doing push ups on my toes again at Bar Method (this is my bench mark for fitness these days).

We have started the process of the major first trimester screening (blood draw and NT ultrasound) so in the coming weeks we should have some great new pictures of Baby #2. And, fingers crossed, maybe a hint at the sex! 

Ok, picture time. It's funny, the past two weeks it seemed this little belly was popping. Then, this week, it went away! Oddly enough, the same thing happened last time. I think, in reality, my rib cage area is just filling out to be even with the rest of my waist. It is actually my favorite stage (other than a nice round kicking/punching baby bump) and once again, my favorite picture so far! 

I am having some issues deciding what to do with these pictures. Since Noah, Instagram was invented, and now the ability to mess with my photos is, seemingly, endless! 

The original. Next week I'll clean up the surrounding area a bit! Also, notice how there is a plant on one side and not on the other? That would be because Mr. Noah thought pulling it down on top of his head would be a fun way to end an evening! Not.Cool.

Instagramed...I think it makes me look a bit like an Oompa Loompa. Plus, if I commit to this filter, all of them have to be this way, right? #firstworldproblems

Less Oompa..a little more natural...

Toying with the notion of Black and Whites this time around. I kind of like the idea of not having to be crazy annoyed with bad light or bad make up days.

Any thoughts/opinions? The good news is I will always have the originals to go back to so I can't really screw it up. Wow, this is long...so long until week 12!

*We are all caught up now so I will be doing weekly pregnancy updates and hopefully some other fun posts here and there. Being back in the swing of it, I realized how much I really liked documenting out life here! 

Cashew Retchless: Week 10

I am still debating doing the same fields that I did for my pregnancy with Noah. I recently put together Noah's book from my pregnancy (just a couple of years late!) and I realized that it got a little redundant and boring. So, for now, I am going to stick with random ramblings on how I feel and what this little baby is up to.

10 weeks and starting to expand. Scott will take over weekly pictures from here on (and hopefully Noah will be able to live without his mom for a few seconds!).

From afar...

Overall, I am starting to feel much better physically. The daily hangover now seems to be a once every 3-4 days occurrence and my energy seems to be coming back. My emotions are another story. With Noah, I was a complete lunatic the first three months. Poor Scott couldn't say anything without my pregnancy horns coming out and tears streaming down my face. This time around I have felt pretty even keil. If anything, I have felt more out of it than anything. I have become a bit klutsy and just kind of zone out from time to time. In the past week though the tears are threatening a resurgence and I seem to be growing more sensitive. Hopefully all short lived as we are closing in  on the second trimester.

In other news, Diet Coke is pretty much my favorite thing these days. If I am feeling "off" or having a slow day, my lunch time Diet Coke seriously makes everything better. I could drink 10 a day but I am sticking to one. However, while my non-alcoholic friend is wonderful, I could sure go for a GIANT glass of Cabernet. With Noah I craved a crisp Sauv Blanc, this time, red. Maybe it's the opposite seasons?

One thing I find myself thinking about a lot is Noah snuggles. When we flew home from St. Louis he was all over my lap and curled up watching shows. While I know we have a long way before my belly gets in the way of the best snuggler ever, I am already trying to soak up as much time with him as possible. One thing I am having to change already is the assaults to my abdomen that Noah gives me daily. He is constantly jumping, flopping, or flinging himself at me and we are having to have a few chats about where Baby is and how he can't jump on my belly.

Is it normal to already be getting up in the middle of the night to pee? The answer is yes, but I don't remember this happening until much later in my pregnancy last time. I think it also has something to do with the fact I drink most of my water at night since I have a hard time keeping up with hydration and a two year old.

Ultimately, I already feel like this pregnancy is flying. Maybe it's because we aren't being as protective with the news or it could have something to do with the aforementioned two year old. All of my attention is focused on Noah and I don't have much time to sit and day dream about what is going on in my uterus. Plus, already having everything we need for this baby makes it all a lot less stressful.

Speaking of sharing the news...we saw the doctor again this past week and feel immensely better. It is amazing what a difference 3 weeks made in this baby's development. It went from a smudge to a wiggling little person with a super strong heartbeat. Our uneasiness after our last visit is quickly vanishing and the excitement is really starting to set in!

Looking good at 10 weeks!

Until next time...

Macaroni Retchless: Week 7

Written October 3

I am kind of all over the place with posts and keeping track of weeks. We aren't exactly sure when Baby was "made" so we are at the mercy of ultrasound measuring to date this little smudge.

We have had two ultrasounds thus far and apparently, so far, so good. Scott and I have both said we are just on edge about this pregnancy for some reason. With Noah, we were both on cloud nine, ready to shout it from the rooftops...but with this baby, we are feeling a little protective and nervous. This is pretty silly given that I had a completely healthy pregnancy with Noah and we got to see the heartbeat yesterday at the doctor. You would think we would be playing it cool this second time around, but unfortunately, we are just a bit edgy. Hopefully this will pass as Baby continues to grow and we continue to see good things at the doctor.

Doesn't look like much, but this smudge has a heartbeat!

Speaking of making this baby grow, I am doing everything I can to make sure it grows into a healthy little person. My doctor is a big fan of vitamins/supplements so I take what feels like a pharmacy of pills every night before bed. 

At least 7 per night. Plus two in the morning.

 As far as how I am feeling, you can find me curled up in the fetal position on the couch from about 5-7 daily. Let's talk about how inconvenient this is when you have an almost 2 year old running around! I still haven't actually been sick, but I feel like complete crap and the smell of food cooking is pretty awful. Once again, really fun this comes at dinner time for Noah! Baby #2 is already proving to be a very different pregnancy as I feel worse, but can't give in as much as I did with Noah. Being a mom is a full time job and there are no sick days. That said, I am pretty excited to be going to St. Louis for two weeks where my mom can take care of both of us ;-).

Other symptoms...how to say this delicately. I am backed up. Like more than I feel like is humanly possible. I have taken about 3 million Metamucil caplets which I am convinced work the opposite way they are supposed to.

I mentioned in one of my earlier posts that I was going to drag the Snoogle back out. Well, it has made a permanent home in our bed and I couldn't be happier. I don't need it right now, but I just sure do love it! I might not give it up after Baby makes an appearance. I have fondly started calling my side of the bed, "my nest". It is like a little fortress of pillows that makes for some amazing sleep. 

Other than all that fun, I feel pretty good. I am sleeping well and have a lot of energy when I am not convinced Baby is trying to kill me from the inside!

Lentil Retchless: Week 6

The smudge. We thought we were 7 weeks along...turned out it was more like 5!

Some notes about this week:

• Riding carousels is just not an option. I took Noah to Happy Hollow and when we boarded the carousel, the announcement made mention of pregnant women. I kind of laughed it off...it's a carousel, not a roller coaster. While Baby Lentil wasn't in any danger, I have never experienced motion sickness so quickly in my life. I had to take my sunglasses off and find a point to fix my eyes on. 
• Tired. Sleep and I are in a relationship best described as "it's complicated". I am officially feeling completely spent at least 3 times/day. The problem is, if I nap, I can't sleep at night, and if I don't nap, I am completely exhausted all afternoon and get a second wind around 9:30pm! So, I fall asleep around 11 and sometimes wake up around 5am. So, in summary, I feel like a narcoleptic insomniac (still). 
• I am also feeling the effects of how hard my body is working to grow a baby while I am trying to push, tuck, squeeze, etc. at Bar Method. My muscles are fatiguing much quicker and I just generally feel like I don't have quite enough energy for class. This is extremely frustrating because it makes me feel lazy or like I am not trying hard enough, but the reality is, my body is just busy doing other things. I remember this from my first trimester with Noah and look forward to getting my energy back in trimester #2. 
• I get the dreaded "hangover" feeling I had with Noah around 5pm and it lasts for about an hour or two. During this time, I swear off cooking, eating, or moving (which isn't an option with Noah running around). Then, once it passes, I am ready to cook dinner which usually means we eat dinner around 8:30pm. Poor Scott!
• So far I have been losing weight despite my less than stellar diet choices. I attribute this 100% to the fact that Baby Lentil has forced me to give up the wine glass. 
• Wine. Sigh. I miss it. As I realized last pregnancy, I really enjoy wine and would call it one of my favorite hobbies. Just knowing day trips to Napa filled with Gloria, crisp sauv blanc, and yummy cabs are out until May is slightly disheartening. All for a good reason though!
• I missed sushi for about a day. I'm sure I'll crave it again, but right now all I want is cheesy pasta and pizza. I forced myself to buy a ton of fruit at the store to keep my hand out of the animal crackers!

Well, all for now. I think I'll lay horizontally for awhile and if I fall asleep, so be it!

Telling Scott

Written Wednesday, September 18th

Finally, Scott got home from Amsterdam today. Keeping this secret from the person I tell everything to has been tough! But, it was all worth it to see him totally surprised when we picked him up today!

IMG 4433 from Stephanie R. on Vimeo.


He was definitely in shock and add to that jet lag and a 10 hour flight and I am pretty sure "surprised" doesn't even begin to sum it up! But, as you can see, he was very excited and we are both incredibly anxious to get to the doctor tomorrow to get our first glimpse at Baby #2 (I need a better name for this little person ASAP).

Waiting for Dad to clear customs so we could deliver the news. This one was on fire!

Here we go again...(the post before the announcement post)

I just came across this little gem. I had written this as a word document with intentions of turning it into a blog post at some point. So, file this one before the one I already posted about us expecting #2!

Written July 29, 2013

Well, we decided to start trying for #2. The road to this decision has been an interesting one to say the least. Let's discuss the various stages:

Stage 1: After having Noah, we both were 100% positive that we wanted a second, but wanted to wait a bit. The decision was made to wait until Noah's second birthday and then start trying.

Stage 2: After about a year of sleep deprivation and our life revolving around naps and bedtime schedules, we became functional. As my best friend Allison says, "don't get too functional". Well, we did. And that put baby #2 in question. So, we brought up the question again and again and pretty much agreed to just table the whole thing until Fall 2013.

Stage 3: We got a puppy. This is the point where we said, "no way, no how, will we ever add to this family!". The first month of new puppy life was ugly, folks. Ugly. Scott even went so far as to demand (in a moment of complete chaos and unclear thinking...he later retracted the statement) that we get rid of Nana.

Stage 4: We became functional again. Nana quit biting us, Noah, furniture, plants, etc. every 5 seconds and we all settled back into our little life. Things were as easy as life with a toddler and dog can be, and we started the conversation of Baby #2 again.

Stage 5: We both decided that there wasn't really an ideal time to throw your life in the air, lose sleep, and figure out where you are going to put said new baby in a two bedroom house. We both got over the whole, "maybe an only child is the right decision for us" mentality, and just threw caution to the wind.

So here we are. I would say that we are currently not not trying to have a baby. Yes, double negative, if you take it away, we are trying to have a baby. Just not quite as aggressively as the first time. It took us six months to get pregnant with Noah, and who knows when this baby will come along. The good news is, we are ready.

It's funny, ever since we made the decision to go for it, I have been more and more thrilled and excited about the decision. I see Noah wanting to play with other little kids and be involved in their sibling-hood. While I know it will be years before Noah and Baby #2 are romping around the backyard, it makes my heart really happy to know that he will have that. And, it makes me extra happy to know that Baby #2 will have such an incredible big brother.

Baby #2, you have some BIG shoes to fill. I hear you love the second one just as much...I really hope that's true. That is probably my biggest concern going into this. Noah is my world and I am trusting all the moms out there with more than one that you love them all the same!

Baby 2

I guess the title is kind of a giveaway of what this post is about! But, just in case you're confused, Scott and I are excited to announce that Baby R #2 is due to make an appearance in late May, 2014 (whoa, that seems far away!). I've been blogging throughout the process so far but just haven't hit the "publish" button. So, to anyone out there that might still be checking in on this silent blog, there will now be new content on a fairly regular basis. That said, 99% of it is going to be about pregnancy. I will definitely splash in some Noah News and random updates, but primarily, I will be updating on this little bun in the oven. 

Also, I have decided to schedule all of my posts to go up in the middle of the night so that any moms up nursing at 3am (hi, allie!) will have some new internet content to read. Just something I remember wishing for in those first few months so I figured I might as well do it! 

And, without further ado, the first post: 

Written September 15, 2013

It's 8:57pm and I feel like I could sleep for a week. But, here I am blogging so that I can begin the documentation process for Baby #2!!

I can't say I am quite as motivated this time around to take weekly pictures and post about my cravings, weight gain, and general pregnancy nonsense. But, I also love to look back on those posts from Noah and want Baby #2 to feel that same love that Noah had. So, here goes nothing!

Finding out.

Scott and I decided to start trying for Baby #2 around July. With Noah, it took 6 months for us to get pregnant so we figured start then and be ok with however long it took (I knew it would be quicker mainly because there was less stress on the whole thing).

Finding out was a bit random. I never really had any indications one way or the other of whether I was pregnant so I pretty much took pregnancy tests like they were sticks of gum for about 2 months.

Last week, I took one mid week and if I held it up to the light and tilted it at a very particular angle, there might have been a faint positive sign. But, it was a cheap-o Walgreens test so I gave a few points to that, and a quick nod to the fact that it could be that my hCG levels were just starting to rise.

Friday night we had friends over, drank way too many margaritas, and woke up on Saturday moving a bit slow! Scott was also due to fly to Amsterdam for work that day so we got him ready and off to the airport. After I got Noah down for a nap, I decided to check out the funny little barely-there positive sign again and this time it appeared within seconds and it was anything but faint.

I decided that I needed to double check and went and got a slightly more reputable (read: expensive) pregnancy test and, sure enough, plus sign within seconds.

Please remember, Scott is in Amsterdam. Or, more accurately, on a plane somewhere over the Atlantic. I decided I didn't want to share the news with him via phone so I set to work on a really fun craft for when he gets off the plane back in SF!

My craft. I was pretty proud of how it turned out!

In the meantime, I am going crazy because I can't tell him about it, and it is consuming my every thought! I want to tell him I am exhausted and that I spent approximately 5 hours faking alcohol consumption at two separate events today. Oh, the joy of the first trimester! I actually intend to tell most of the people I saw today before the 12 week mark, but figured my husband should probably be the first to know ;-).

As far as how I am feeling...tired, yet having a horrible time sleeping. It's funny, Friday I didn't feel tired at all, but now that I know I'm pregnant, I feel like a narcoleptic (who can't sleep...what gives?!). I think a lot of my lack of sleep is just excitement and not being able to tell Scott. Until Saturday, I had a PhD in napping but the past two days I can't quite fall asleep. Maybe I just need to get my Snoogle back out!

Otherwise, I feel the same as usual. I would say I feel like I am expanding a touch and have a feeling I'll show sooner than I did with Noah. Hoping we can keep total weight gain the same as it was with Noah though (and that it falls off as quickly...a girl can dream, right?!).

I don't think I have much else to report at this point so I am going to hit the sack and pray for some solid rest! Until next time...

We'll call this week 6 (?). I took it while Scott was in Amsterdam so it was early.