Ok so with various family activities going on like taking Isabella to the Clifford Show…

Going on our annual family trek to Nebraska City…

Carving pumpkins….

Halloween parties….

The “Shrek” Broadway show and the Red Hot Chili Peppers concert…

And then Halloween day itself…

(Isn’t she the cutest little Mickey Mouse pumpkin ever?)

I have had ZERO time to do an update. Oops. But I figure the world won’t end if I miss a week. It’s not like there is all that much to report on in these early stages anyway!

(I totally spaced off taking a 17 week pic so you get 2 pics at 16 weeks! Blame the pregnancy brain…)

Miscellaneous Fun, Facts and Figures:

Pregnancy Brain: Yes this is a real thing and not a lame excuse to be forgetful. Per this article on WebMD:

“Surging hormone levels and new priorities may explain why pregnancy brain happens.There are 15 to 40 times more progesterone and estrogen marinating the brain during pregnancy, and these hormones affect all kinds of neurons in the brain,” says Louann Brizendine, MD, director of the Women’s Mood and Hormone Clinic at the University of California, San Francisco.”By the time the woman delivers, there are huge surges of oxytocin that cause the uterus to contract and the body to produce milk — and they also affect the brain circuits.”

All that scientific mumbo jumbo to say that I’ve fallen victim to pregnancy brain 3 times this week.

First of all, I realized yesterday morning that for 3 nights I’d been washing my face with sunscreen rather than cleanser. To my defense, the 2 tubes look a lot alike…

Apparently it does the job though because my skin has looked and felt fine! Maybe I’m on to something here…

Also, this morning it took me 5 minutes to realize that I was listening to Isabella’s sing-a-long songs CD on the drive in to work and not the radio. Obviously I wasn’t fully focused.

Finally, I left my phone at work the other night. Not sure if that’s related or if I was just distracted but I’m usually very careful when packing up at the end of the day. I grab my phone, any food in the community refrigerator and make sure my desk is cleaned off. On this day I plum forgot my phone. So I was forced to be off the grid for a whole 15 hours. Oh the humanity!

Limitations: The time has finally come when I have to limit how much I pick up Isabella. She’s 29 pounds and for the most part I’ve been okay holding her. However, over the weekend I tried to hold her up on the toilet while in a crouched position (we were at a place without a kid’s seat and I had to hold her up so she wouldn’t fall in) and when I stood up I felt a pull on my side. It was aggravated every time I tried to pick her up after that.

I hate this. She wants me to hold her and I desperately wish I could but at the same time I don’t want to hurt myself or the baby. I can generally hold her if someone hands her to me . It’s the actually lifting up of her that is strenuous. Isabella has a hard time understanding that. It breaks my heart when she pulls at me to pick her up and I can’t. I’ve tried to come up with compromises like having her climb in my lap or having CJ hand her to me. It’ll all work out but it’s definitely a side affect I hadn’t anticipated this early.

Body Changes: I am feeling more discomfort in my pelvic muscles this time around. Those are the ones that hurt when trying to pick up Munchkin. They also ache if I sit for too long in one position. I noticed this at Shrek on Sunday. By the end of the show my lower back and pelvic muscles were aching. I’m assuming it’s because I had a C-section with Isabella and therefore those muscles were cut. Now as my uterus stretches and grows, forcing the muscles to stretch too, there are growing pains. I’m going to ask my doctor about it when I got in next week, just to make sure it’s not anything internal or cause for concern.

Oh, and the heartburn is back.

Also, Kegels.

Just for fun, here I am at 17 weeks with Isabella:

(Wow, I really don’t look very happy. I think I’m about the same size though which is good.)

Dreams:I had my first pregnancy dream the other night. We were at the ultrasound and before we could tell the tech that we wanted to be surprised by the gender, she blurted out “It’s a girl!”. When I looked up on the screen the baby was wearing pink underwear. Then right before I woke up she said, “Oh wait, I was wrong. It’s a boy!”

Apparently we can’t use my dreams as an accurate prediction of what we’re having.

Isabella Moments:Isabella talked to the baby this week! When she first saw the baby skeleton on my Halloween costume, she thought it was awesome. I told her she could talk to the baby in my tummy if she wanted so she did. She walked up and, somewhat nervously said, “Hi baby!” It was so freakin’ cute. She’s done it a couple of times since, but only when I have that shirt on. I think the visual helps her “see” that there’s a person in me.

(Goodbye from Team Trader Baby!)

In case you missed it, here are the previous weeks!

15 | 14 | 12 and 13

Ya know, other than getting a bigger belly, I really don’t feel pregnant. For all intents and purposes, I feel the same as I always have. Sometimes I forget that I’m growing a human in me until I try to do something that my new body won’t allow (sleeping certain ways, bending or twisting, putting on any of my regular clothes). I remember this from my first pregnancy. I thought, what’s the big deal? This pregnancy thing is EASY!

Oh, how naïve I was then.

Miscellaneous Fun, Facts and Figures:

Food cravings: No new ones. I keep waiting for the really bizarre ones to kick in – the proverbial ice cream and pickles scenario – but no dice. I didn’t have any odd ones like that with Isabella either. I guess I’m just a straight forward, plain Jane kinda gal!

Differences between pregnancy 1 and 2: I’m peeing a lot more this time around. TMI? Sorry, but it’s true. I don’t necessarily go more often, but when I do go, it’s a lot.

Remember that scene from “A League of Their Own” when Tom Hanks’ character stumbles into the locker room and proceeds to pee for like 5 minutes straight. One of the gals remarks, “Wow, now that’s good peein’.”

That’s how I feel. It just keeps coming! I guess the little one’s elimination system is working well!

Between Isabella and me, the bathrooms are really getting a workout at the Trader house!

Baby items purchased: I went out and got some new maternity clothes. While buying maternity clothes at Goodwill is a nice idea in theory – i.e. getting the clothes for super cheap – it does have its downfalls. For one, the selection is really limited. Most stores only have half a rack of items. Also, the items tend to be well worn. Let’s face it, during pregnancy, we wear the same small set of clothes over and over for at least 9 months so by the time we’re done with them, they’ve definitely seen better days. Also, they don’t really have the latest styles.

So…I went shopping. I’m really trying not to buy that many new clothes this time around since I know it will be my last pregnancy (I’m too old to keep doing this). But, at the same time, when you need something, you need something.

Here’s what I got.

Blouse and pants (which you can’t see real well but they’re black dress pants)

I thought the rust colored top would be perfect for fall and I liked the style. It’s a little big on me yet but it won’t take me long to grow in to it!

Also, no, that’s not major cleavage, it’s just my necklace.

Also, this light-weight sweater and jeans.

Wow, I look much bigger from the front than the 3/4 view. Guess I’ll have to make sure I always come at people from an angle!

One item not pictured is my new underwear (you’re welcome). They make maternity underwear but instead of buying those, I bought a size bigger of the regular kind. Or at least that was the plan. Only, I was in a hurry and it’s been SO long since I bought new undies that I was more concerned about the cut and the color (2 very important aspects, thank you very much) that I forgot to check the size. I just grabbed the first ones on the rack.

Oops. Rookie mistake.

I realized it when I got home. Thankfully, the gods of undergarments were with me and I ended up with ones that fit (and are super comfy to boot!). Another win!

(I should really start taking these photos in the morning when I’m fresh faced and my hair still looks good)

You know how your mood of the day can be influenced by what you wear? Such that if you wear something which doesn’t fit exactly right, isn’t flattering to your shape or is well worn, you feel poopy. Whereas if you wear something stylish and complimentary, you feel like a million bucks?

Today I feel like a million bucks. I have on the outfit above – my new jeans which not only fit but are a cute style AND a darker wash to help me look skinny, new undies, a blouse that I had from my first pregnancy which I was surprised to find fit really well, a cardigan from Old Navy and my super sassy red heels.

The heels may not be the most comfortable shoes in the world, but they’re not bad either. And I feel jaunty when I wear them.

And you know what? A jaunty pregnant woman is a happy one indeed and I think we can all agree that THAT is a good thing! [CJ’s vigorously nodding his head]

Random Preggo Related events: I had my first Sneeze Pee. Time to start doing the Kegels!

Wow, this post is full of TMI isn’t it?

Isabella Moments: Munchkin has switched sides and decided she now wants a baby brother. You’ll recall that a few weeks ago she was all about having a sister. No longer. I’m sure it’ll go back and forth 213 more times until we find out at the ultrasound or the kid is born.

Oh, and just because I need to add some cuteness to this post, here’s what I found in the bed when I got out of the bathroom this morning after my shower.

She kept waking up crying so CJ brought her in to our room. So with him wearing an eye mask and her wearing headphones, does that mean I have to wear something on my nose to complete the trifecta? Maybe a Breath Right strip or something.

To see how the previous weeks have been, click the links below!

14 | 12 and 13 | 11

Definitely feeling way better. I can tell I’m in the second trimester.

Miscellaneous Fun, Facts and Figures:

Report from doctor visit: I am happy to say that the doctor visit was smooth and with no surprises. She found the baby’s heartbeat right away and it sounded “gorgeous”.

I’ve gained a total of 9 lbs., which is up 5 lbs. from my appointment 4 weeks ago. My goal is to stick to gaining about one pound a week and I’m pretty much on target, so it’s all good.

Food cravings: No new ones this week and the other ones have pretty much subsided. I ate 3/4 of a coconut cream pie by myself in about 4 days so that took care of that. And I think I’ll be ok if I don’t see another Pop Tart for a very long time.

I haven’t burned out on apple juice just yet. In fact, Sunday I needed a quick hit so I snagged one of Isabella’s juice boxes and was frantically sucking juice through that tiny straw when Isabella came in and said, “Mommy, juice boxes are actually for kids.”

Busted. I felt like I had been caught with my hand in the cookie jar.

Differences between pregnancy 1 and 2: At this point in my first pregnancy I felt HUGE and was still trying to hide my ever expanding belly.

(As you can see, I really wasn’t that big. This was at 13 weeks in my pregnancy with Isabella. I’m definitely getting bigger faster with this one!)

When you’re this size, you don’t quite look pregnant, you just look like you ate a few too many Oreos (but come on, is there such a thing as eating too many Oreos?). So I wore bigger shirts to hide the belly.

Not this time!

I’m fully embracing the bump and not afraid to show it off. I may look “fat” to strangers who don’t know, but who cares! Might as well enjoy the one time in your life when it’s ok to gain weight and not feel bad about it!

Baby items purchased: None. At some point I need to start going through Isabella’s baby stuff to see what we have and what we need. But that can wait until Winter when we’re stuck inside. For now I’m trying to be outside as much as possible to soak up those last few weeks of fall.

Samson is too.

Random Preggo Related events: My butt hurts. No, this is not a segue in to some post about diarrhea or anything. Maybe I should rephrase. My “sit bones” hurt. You know how when you sit too long your tailbone starts aching? That’s what I’m feeling. Only I feel it after sitting for only 45 minutes or so. I assume it’s because my center of gravity is shifting and I’m sitting differently than I did before the bump. Who knows.

For now I’m trying to adjust positions every few minutes and get up to walk around like once an hour. I might have to invest in one of those donut pillows…classy, eh?

Isabella Moments: Isabella has had a cold for a little over a week. It spiked over the weekend and she was really feeling bad. It got to a point Saturday night where I had to take her down and cradle her against me on the couch so she could sleep propped up. Doing that reminded me of when she was a baby and I’d rock her to sleep in my arms after a feeding, or we’d nap together on the couch. I had forgotten how good that felt – having that little warm body all snuggled in your arms, feeling safe. I look forward to more of those moments.

In case you missed it, here are the previous weeks!

12 and 13 | Week 11 | Week 10 | Announcement

Last week was SUPER crazy what with getting ready for Isabella’s 3rd birthday party…

and traveling to Jersey City for work (hello bad timing). I had every intention of posting the 12 week update from my hotel but I ran in to one snag after another and just gave up. So I’m combining weeks 12 and 13 which really aren’t all that different anyway.

I can already tell things are calming down and getting easier as I head in to the 2nd trimester. The acid reflux has pretty much gone away. So long as I eat regular small meals, I don’t have to take medication. But I do have to be pretty fastidious about my eating. A few minutes too long without food and the heartburn is right back. I also have to make sure I eat the right things – nothing too spicy, acidic, or highly caffeinated.

Photo bomb courtesy of Samson

Miscellaneous Fun, Facts and Figures:

Pregnancy Exercise: Since I’m still early on in this whole process, I haven’t changed my workout routine too much. I’m still lifting weights everyday and doing 20-30 minutes of cardio. I’m also still playing volleyball (no worries – I’m not diving). With Isabella, I played competitively through my 5th month so I am confident I’ll be able to do the same this time too.

I have had way more energy this week too. Yesterday I actually worked out in the morning AND went for a 30 minute walk over lunch. And I didn’t even fall asleep at my desk later (though I kind of wanted to)!

Food cravings:Pie. Specifically, cream pie.

The pie craving has been lurking for a few weeks and I’ve been ignoring it. Finally last weekend I couldn’t put it off any longer. We were out to eat with my family and the restaurant had this amazing looking banana cream pie. You think you know what happens next but you’re wrong! I resisted that pie! Later, at home, CJ mentioned running to the store for bananas and milk. I, not so subtly suggested that he grab a pie while he was there.

And being the good husband that he is, he brought home a Sara Lee Coconut Cream pie, which I may or may not have had for breakfast 2 mornings in a row.

Samson is my only witness…

Differences between pregnancy 1 and 2:Moving from the first trimester to the second in my first pregnancy was seamless. I had such an easy experience that there was no real demarcation. With this one the difference has been huge. Seemed like as soon as this week hit, everything became more comfortable. The morning sickness is gone. The heartburn is under control. The fatigue, while still there thanks to having an energetic 3 year old, has lessened. I didn’t get it before when everyone said how much easier the 2nd trimester is. But I do now.

Baby items purchased: I broke down this week and bought some maternity jeans from Goodwill. The jeans I had worn during my pregnancy with Isabella were a size Large and so are way too big for me yet. But it’s getting harder to wear my regular jeans with the BeBand. So I bought 2 pairs for $3.50 each. The difference is huge. I’m much more comfortable. Now I remember why I loved wearing maternity jeans before.

They’re also great pants to wear for Thanksgiving dinner.

Random Preggo Related events: I really need to start drinking more water. A couple of mornings lately I’ve woken up with a pounding headache, which I attribute to not having enough liquids the day before. I had this problem in my first pregnancy too. I remember my OB holding up a giant water bottle and telling me to drink 3 of those every day. So I’m making an effort to really push the fluids.

This also means that I’m in the bathroom approximately every 12 minutes.

Also, I had the first random person ask me today if I was pregnant. I could tell she was hesitant. Guess I’m big enough where people can start to tell (especially those who know me and can see a difference in appearance).

Isabella Moments:Isabella has declared that she wants a sister. Her uncle asked her the other day if she wanted to have a baby brother or sister and she just looked at him. When I clarified it and asked if she wanted mommy to have a boy or a girl, she said girl.

For previous baby posts:

11 weeks | 10 weeks | Announcement

Overall I am feeling much better. The morning sickness is subsiding and I’m getting my energy back. The acid reflux is still very much there but as long as I stick to my meds and eat regularly, it’s not too bad.

One thing I’ve noticed is that this time around I’m not obsessed with all the weekly updates on “here’s how your baby should be developing ” or “here’s how your body is changing”. I pretty much know what’s going on, having done this before, and memorized all those facts the first time around. Also, it just doesn’t really matter to me anymore. So my baby is the size of a fig. While that’s kind of fun to know, at this point all I care about is that it’s healthy. I just want to enjoy the experience, not get obsessed with too much information overload.

Here’s last week’s pic:

And now this week!

Miscellaneous Fun, Facts and Figures:

Total weight gained: I decided I am not going to weigh myself at home since I don’t want to obsess over it. I will only know my weight after doctor’s appointments. As of my 10 week appointment I had gained 4 pounds. I think that’s about average at this stage in the game.

I definitely feel bigger than I look. I figured the 11 week pictures would show a huge belly but it’s not too bad.

Food cravings: Apple juice and Pop Tarts. The first one is somewhat healthy (if I buy low sugar juice), the second one, not so much. At least the apple juice craving coincides with the season! I have a feeling our annual trip to Nebraska City to buy apples and cider will be extra fun for me this year!

I fought the Pop Tarts craving for several weeks. I haven’t allowed myself to have Pop Tarts for years because they are nothing but sugar and as soon as I buy a box, I’ll be hooked. But alas, this morning I could resist no longer! I bought a box of Brown Sugar and Cinnamon ones and a box of Chocolate Fudge (none of the fruity ones for me!). They were soooo good. I ate them with a mug of apple cider. Perfecto!

Isabella’s best politician debate pose + photo bomb by Samson’s butt

Food aversions: Anything too creamy or milky. Normally I love these kinds of foods – casseroles, alfredo sauce, pasta bakes, creamy soups – but for some reason my stomach does a turn when I even think about eating them now. I have been forcing myself to drink milk though. 1 – because it’s healthy and I could use the extra calcium. 2 – because CJ and I both went out and bought a gallon of milk, not knowing the other one had also done so, and we had 2 gallons to use up before the expiration dates. Oh and CJ only drinks soy. That left me and Munchkin drinking a lot of milk!

I have had smell aversions too. Typically I’m not known for my strong sense of smell. CJ has a nose like a hound so we’ve often had moments where he thinks something stinks to high heaven and I don’t smell a thing. But my super pregnancy hormones have made my sense of smell much stronger and there are 2 things right now that really make me gag: bodily fluids and bad breath.

Due to my weak nasal abilities and strong stomach, I’ve always been the go-to when it comes to cleaning up puke or diaper blowouts. Not anymore. I’ve actually had to call in reinforcements on more than one occasion, when Isabella had a particularly smelly BM. Unfortunately for CJ, he is my back-up. But he’s handled it like a champ.

I’ve just lately noticed that Isabella can have some rancid morning breath on some days. I don’t want to make a big deal of it so I don’t say anything and just hold my breath if she “close talks,” or I turn away and pretend I’m looking for something.

Differences between pregnancy 1 and 2: The biggest difference this week has been burping. I remember when my sister was pregnant for the first time and she let out a big ole belch at a family gathering. We all cracked up and my mom commented that this was normal during pregnancy. So with Isabella, I waited for this to happen to me and it never did.

Well it’s happening now! I don’t rip off really loud belches but I do notice more little burps coming up. I think it’s related to the acid reflux and I hope it goes away soon!

Baby items purchased: I went out and bought a BeBand this week, which is essentially a piece of spandex that you can wear to help transition from regular jeans to maternity and back. I never used them with my first pregnancy but looking back wished I would have. I tried it over the weekend and it worked ok. Tried again today and it worked better. The back keeps sliding up on me though, no matter how low down I pull it. Has anyone else used these? Any suggestions?

Random Preggo Related events: I’ve been having sleep issues lately. It seems there are 2 extremes these days – insomnia or deep nightmare riddled sleep. Not sure which one is preferable…

The dreams are VERY real too.

In one dream I had over the weekend I was being held hostage by a serial killer. I tried to run and took up refuge inside a closet. As I woke up I could hear his footsteps coming down the hallway.

In another dream, Samson almost got hit by a car. It was a very vivid image of a Ford F150 coming up on him standing in the road and there was nothing we could do. Just seconds before the truck hit him, he moved. When I woke up I could not get that image out of my head. I gave him an extra long hug that morning.

Isabella Moments: Most of her interest in the baby has revolved around me losing my lap. We read a book to her called “The Birds, The Bees and the Berenstain Bears” in which Mama Bear is pregnant. The book talks about how the bigger mama’s tummy gets, the smaller her lap gets. So Isabella checks my lap everyday to see how much smaller it is.

However, the other day she had some more serious questions. She asked me if the baby would play with her toys and I said yes she might have to share some of them, but not for a while. She then got concerned and wondered if she would have to share her ‘big girl chair’ at the kitchen table with the baby. No, the baby will have its own chair. That got extrapolated to food. “I don’t want to lose all my food” she said. I assured her that this would not be an issue.

I never know what goes on in that mind of hers!

So that’s the latest! I will try and post updates every week with new fun and crazy things. I’m sure there will be plenty!

You can get caught up on other aspects of the pregnancy here!

10 weeks | The announcement