1. Did you just find out? Are you joking? No. When I missed my period in July, we took a pregnancy test and it was negative. I waited a few more days (I am never late on my period) and took another pregnancy test even though I knew by then. I just wanted to take a test and then be able to see it.
2. Have you had morning sickness? Nope. There were a few nights in Allentown where I easily could have thrown up but I talked myself out of it. Just like with Alex, I have not thrown up yet. I am not excited for the gestational diabetes testing though which caused me to have this disaster in Sam's car. I was slightly nauseous between weeks 7-10 which was strange for me because I was not sick at all with Alex.
3. Do you know what you're having? No. They did an ultrasound when I was 14 weeks and 5 days pregnant but they couldn't tell yet. I don't think our next ultrasound will be until 23 weeks.
5. Did you record when you found out? Yes. I love the video we have from when we found out we were pregnant with Alex and I wanted to do it again. But this time I was positive I was pregnant (see question one) so I was talking to the camera and it wasn't as cute. Also, Sam was at work. I have a second video from when I showed him the pregnancy test and told him which maybe I will post.
6. How far apart will Alex and this baby be? Assuming Baby Bruce comes around the due date, they will be approximately 20 months apart.
7. Did you just call your child Baby Bruce? Yes. Sam is obsessed with the name Bruce but it will be over my dead body that he names our child Bruce. So the "in utero" name for our child is Baby Bruce. We also called Alex "Baby Bruce." If we find out it is a girl, we will either call her Baby Bruce-ina or Baby Brucette.
8. Was breastfeeding hard? It was more difficult than it had been but I wasn't ready to stop either. Alex still loved it and I loved it. I breastfed Alex until he was 14 months old, which means I was about 15 weeks pregnant. The hardest part was being dehydrated. I felt like I did right after Alex's delivery: so thirsty all the time! I hated feeling like Alex wasn't really getting any milk though. I could feel it going away so that is when I decided to stop.
9. Are you nervous? Not yet but I am sure it will come.
10. Are you just going to keep popping out babies until you're 35? I hope not. The plan is to have Alex and another sibling close to each other so they can be friends then have a little bit longer of a break and then another pair. Then undecided after that. We have always wanted to adopt but we will see.
11. Do you want a boy or a girl? I want a boy because we have all boy clothes and we are so poor. I feel like there will be a time for a girl to come to our family, but right now we can't afford a girl. Also, I think Alex will be closer friends with a boy. Of course, I will be happy with a girl. I mean, I thought I wanted a girl first but now I can't imagine not having Alex.
12. Is it twins? No. I asked the ultrasound tech first thing. *forehead swipe, relieved exhale* There is just one hyperactive baby in there.
13. What do you think you're having? I think we are having a girl. Sam thinks we are having a girl as well. And just now when I typed it, I got a little giddy feeling. A girl would be awesome.
14. Why did you wait so long to announce it? Many reasons. One, people incessantly ask questions about how the pregnancy is going and so it made the first time seem to last forever. I decided to cut out a few weeks of this problem. Two, we wanted to make sure everything was okay with the baby. I am super paranoid and still don't feel completely safe. Three, we wanted to wait until 20 weeks with Alex so we could say, "We are having a boy/girl!" But my brother outed us on Facebook so we were forced to announce it early. So we waited a while on this one, too. Just because that's how we do it. Fourth, it is the second time I've been pregnant. No one is as excited so I just wanted to keep it to myself so I could be very excited without everyone's indifference dampening my mood. Fifth, pseudocyesis. I am self-diagnosed with hypochondriasis and I am almost positive I suffer from pseudocyesis. I didn't truly accept I was pregnant until I saw the ultrasound.
15. Do you have names picked out? We have a long list of girl names. We do not have a single boy name. That was because we only had one boy name before and we used it on Alex. I am sure we will come up with more names though.
16. Does Alex know? By the way he is jumping on my stomach, I will say no. Otherwise he is a very violent big brother.
17. What have been some differences between this pregnancy and the last? I did not have a chicken aversion this time. I have had a hard time being motivated to do anything, especially blogging. Last time I was in school until 25 weeks and my capstone project kept me very occupied. I didn't even have time to think about being lazy. I have been bad about taking pictures of my belly every 5 weeks. Last time I was so excited to feel myself growing. This time, I am already sad about it. I know how unattractive I am when I am pregnant and that is not something that makes me want to get any bigger. For the first blood draw during my first pregnancy, it took 18 pokes to get enough blood. This time, it only took one poke! I am exhausted this pregnancy. If I am at home around 6pm every night, I find myself falling asleep on the couch. If I am out doing things then it doesn't bother me though.
13 weeks
16 weeks
18. Have you gained weight? Not yet. With Alex, I lost 11 pounds in the first trimester. This time, I have lost 10 pounds. Without throwing up. And I eat nonstop. I was surprised I lost less this time since I was breastfeeding as well. But I think it was because I am at home all day while last time I was at school and couldn't eat anytime I wanted.
19. Where will this baby be born? Ithaca. Thank goodness, we will not have to switch doctors! It was such a disaster trying to switch insurance and doctors last time. This time, the baby will be covered under one insurance the whole time and I will go to the same doctor the whole time. This relieves my stress just thinking about it.
20. Will you have the baby in the hospital this time? If we make it there on time, that is the plan.
21. What have you been craving? Less fruit than I did last time. I still eat baby carrots but not the pound a week I ate last time. Less spaghetti as well. Now that I am thinking about it, I haven't really craved anything. Bummer. I need to get on that so I can send Sam on late night runs all over the city.
We are so grateful that I was able to get pregnant so easily. It broke my heart having to try more than one month because I know so many people who either struggle to get pregnant or are never able to get pregnant. I thought it was the beginning of a long and painful process of trying to get pregnant. People who have struggled probably think this sounds so ridiculous but my heart hurts for those people. The unknown can be so devastating. I know that not everyone gets the chance to feel a baby wiggle in their bellies. I thank God every day for sending us another baby. I hope to be a great mother to this child and to have my ability to love grow even more.
18 comments:
FIRST of all, you are NOT at all unattractive during pregnancy...or EVER. Second of all, I'm the SAME way when I think about what I wanted to have when I was pregnant with Wyatt--I SO wanted a girl, but now that he's here, I wouldn't ever go back...and I definitely want a boy next for the same reasons as you ;)I'm so happy for you, and a little jealous too because I've been becoming more and more baby-hungry these last couple of months. But I know it's not time for us, so hopefully soon. I'm glad you are happy and doing well. Keep us updated! Love you!
OH, PS, AWESOME post! I really enjoyed it. Once again, I might have to steal this from you in the future...it answered all of my questions!
That's so exciting! But beware of "in utero" names. My younger sister wanted to call my brother Skippy, short for the Skipper on Gilligan's Island (she was 9). Well even though his name is really James, now Skippy is 9 and the name is still going strong hahahaha
Emily, I totally understand and agree with the last paragraph..plus your reasoning for waiting to tell people. We found out in May we were pregnant but didn't want to tell people till at least 12 weeks...we talked about waiting till we knew the gender just because we've known people who've had miscarriages. Anyway, we found out in June I was miscarrying...yes I totally understand your worry & stress after a couple months of no success and then the subsequent happiness and relief when you found out. If "you're" wanting to get pregnant and you're trying...it's a bummer when each month you find out you're not. You wonder if you'll be one of those who ends up having a hard time,etc. etc. Anyway, congrats again!! So exciting!
Janet - I totally can see that happening but since we called Alex Baby Bruce as well, I don't think it will stick. We never once called Alex Baby Bruce when he was born. Once we found out it was a boy, Sam and I called him Alex when we were talking to each other. But since we weren't telling other people his name before he was born, we continued to call him Baby Bruce while talking to other people. In a few weeks, when we find out about the sex of this baby, I am sure the name Baby Bruce will fade as we begin discussing names. Until then, it is a fun nickname. :)
Emily I'm so happy for you!!! Thats exciting your expecting again.
You're brilliant to have your own question and answer post. Really. It's brilliant.
Also, how did I not know you didn't have Alex in the hospital? I'm assuming you had him on the way or something judging from your comment, "if we make it in time." I'm going to have to go back and read that post because it sounds pretty interesting...and possibly like any woman's worst nightmare.
I agree with your last paragraph...I've never had to try for years like some of my friends, but each month that goes by that you're not pregnant can be so devastating. It makes you feel a lot of empathy for those that have infertility problems.
I'm so excited for you and am glad you seem to be enjoy pregnancy (minus the getting large with child thing). People like you inspire me to maybe love pregnancy more the next time around. I've always struggled to enjoy it besides the wiggling baby inside me--love that--just dislike everything else.
One last comment: I can't believe you loose that much weight without throwing up. How does that even work? Either way, I think you're a cute pregnant woman!
I'm so excited for you guys! I think that its wonderful that Alex will have a brother/sister. I'm excited to hear what you will be having. I hope that you will continue to have a health pregnancy!!! You are a great mom!
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this! And I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited for you!!!!!!
First, sorry for the confusion! My craft blog is closing cuz I am just not as amazing at crafts to warrant blogging about them as the millions of amazing craft blogs (but it was fun!) So I wanted to do something that actually DID something and since I consider myself the world's greatest mover/traveler I thought we'd start there. I am keeping my family blog because it is for the family and friends that don't get to see us very often :-) hope that clears it up!
Second, LOVE this post! Can I just tell you how over the moon I am about Baby Bruce! I totally understand all your fears and concerns! Been there! Especially the one about people not being as excited the second time around :-P it is my FIRM belief that ALL pregnancies should get a baby shower, whether or not there are presents the fact that you are pregnant and bringing a baby into the world is cause for celebration whether it's your first or 21st :-)
Third, I AM a little stressed about not having a home, especially since it might be quite a few years before we settle ANYwhere, but I try not to focus on not having a home, I get to be with my family and go see new places all the time! The rest of it is just stuff and things!
Fourth sorry it's all in one comment, but I'm doing it off my phone so it's kind of a pain :-P
Fifth, I think you made Akron bearable too! I remember being so sleepy when preg w/Oscar I would fall asleep all the time if I was sitting, so I had to REALLY baby proof things for Mak! LOL!
It's about time you give us all some info about your huge secret! :) I had no idea! And how in the world do you lose so much weight when you're pregnant. I am not that lucky! :) You still look so cute and tiny! Can't wait to find out what you are having.
Oh and also I totally understand your fear of being unattractive during pregnancy, but I would just like to say, I thought you were GLOWING! And Jordan thought you looked great pregnant (considering he is brutally honest and thought I was fat and ugly when I was 3 months along I think that's something!)
But since the main thing stopping me from number 3 is looking at pics of me pregnant! :-P yikes!
I DID have Alex in the hospital. The reason someone asked me that question was because my mom had seven of her eight kids at home. So I guess they thought it would run in the family to have the babies at home.
Emily you are Super Mom to nurse so far into this second pregnancy.
I feel EXACTLY the same way about "trying" to get pregnant. It took us two months too. The day I found out I wasn't pregnant the month before we flew to Eric's brother's wedding and I threw up on the plane. I was so embarrassed and wished I could blame pregnancy. But it was just the engine.
Not being able to get pregnant at all, miscarriage, and having a special child are basically my top fears EVER. I know so many people who had fertility problems. And my mom and most of my brother's wives all had miscarriages. I worried about that so much.
Congrats on "Baby Bruce." It sounds like you are doing really well.
What is your due date?
You are such a cute pregnant lady no matter what you think.
Thanks for the Q&A post. I love it! I love reading about others pregnancy experiences. I was actually wondering about more than half the things you answered! :)
Although I do believe Bruce is a hilarious name! That was awesome. I was like did she really just say Bruce? And then I looked at the next questions. Haha.
Emily- CONGRATULATIONS!! This is so exciting. I just rediscovered your blog... and what a great time to do it!! :) Alex is getting sooooo big.
Such a fun post :))) I feel ya! On just about everything. But, I don't think you look bad when you're prego! That's what everyone says to me too...however, it's true! You glow :) SO, try and enjoy it! SUPER happy for you guys!
I am so excited for you Emily! Your last paragraph brought a little bit of a tear to my eye. For a second when i read that you were pregnant again, i despised you for a brief second. I am unfortunately one of those people who has to try really hard to get pregnant...we have been trying for 6 months with no luck. Each time i feel just a little bit off i SWEAR i must be pregnant and then that little stick tells me no. It will happen at some point I just know it! For now I just get to be happy for all those around me that are expecting....i really am happy for you!!!! keep us all posted!
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