Hello, 2nd Trimester (14 weeks)!

Size of baby: Our baby is 3.4 inches and 1.5 ounces (about the size of a lemon!).
Symptoms: I'm definitely getting more energy back and starting to feel more like "myself". A few times, my lower back has started to hurt if I stay in one position for too long... I just have to keep walking and stretching! I, also, started to feel my belly stretching a little this week. I've noticed that when I wear my contacts (as opposed to my glasses), sometimes my vision is a little blurry. I remember my vision changing when I was pregnant with Tatum, too. It's so strange... I have no idea why that happens! The good news is that my skin is starting to clear up a little. I have to keep drinking that water!
Cravings: On Sunday, I drank my first (half) cup of coffee... and it tasted great! :) It sounded good to me, so I tried it. I haven't turned back since. I wouldn't say that I "crave" it, but I'm definitely enjoying it. I only drink about half a mug in the morning (I probably won't ever drink more than one full mug), but it gets the job done. Benjamin is thrilled! He was really struggling drinking coffee by himself. ;) 
I'm still really liking bagels and cream cheese, carrots, pretzels, and black beans (??). I'm, also, looking forward to Chipotle opening in Davenport on Tuesday! T and I will be there! :)
Aversions: Certain foods are not as "nauseating" as before, but they certainly don't sound good.... blueberries, dairy, etc. I had Pizza Hut's deep dish pizza on Sunday night.... wow, never again! I felt so sick, afterward. I don't know if it was a pregnancy thing or not, but it was not worth it!
Gender: This week, I actually started feeling like this little one could possibly be a boy. I don't know why, but I started picturing our family with a little baby boy.... mother's intuition?? B and T still think this one is a girl, though. We'll see who's right in about 6 weeks!


I'm so blessed that I had a pretty comfortable first trimester! I can only imagine how miserable it could have been... especially with a busy toddler! I'm praying that this little one will continue to grow, healthily. We are so blessed!

13 Weeks!

Size of Baby: Our baby is about 2.9 inches and .81 ounces (about the size of a peach!).
Symptoms: This week I started to notice that if I eat too much sugar, I feel super nauseous! I'm actually glad about this, though. I'd be stuffing my face with desserts if that wasn't the case! My belly is still growing like crazy, but I've had more energy.... especially early in the morning! I've been waking up pretty early, and haven't been able to get back to sleep. My body must be preparing itself for the early mornings! 
Weight gain: I've gained 3 pounds total.
Maternity clothes: I'm still not wearing maternity shirts... just stretchy ones. I'm, also, mostly in maternity jeans (some regular ones, still). 
Cravings: I feel like this changes every week. This week, I've been loving bagels and cream cheese, things with melted cheese (yeah, not good!), and still carrots.
Aversions: I'm still not drinking coffee. Things with a lot of dairy (besides cereal) are still nauseating. I'm used to craving chocolate (pre-pregnancy) and that has not been sounding good. Weird!
Gender:  I still feel pretty confident that this little one is a girl. This pregnancy is pretty similar to when I was pregnant with T.  We'll see! 7 more weeks! :)

This week, I had to remind myself that my tummy is expanding for a great reason! Sometimes, it's hard comparing (I know I shouldn't compare!) this pregnancy to the last one. When I was pregnant with T, I didn't wear maternity clothes nearly this early. I just have to remember that the more kids you have, the sooner you look pregnant. It's only natural. Our bodies are amazing. I just feel huge (haha, I know I'll look back at this when I'm 38 weeks, and just laugh!!)! :)
T will be a fabulous big sister. She's been "rocking" her babies to sleep, lately. So cute!

12 Weeks!

Size of baby: Our baby is about 2.1 inches long and .49 ounces (about the size of a plum!)

Symptoms: This week, I started to feel more nauseous. However, I did start to feel more energized... not as tired. I, also, started to get a few headaches. :(My face is breaking out like crazy, as well. Darn those hormones!

Maternity clothes: I'm still going back and forth between stretchy, low cut jeans and maternity jeans. My favorite American Apparel hoodie is now a little snug. :( I'm still wearing normal shirts and my hoodies and cardigans... unzipped and unbuttoned. :)

Cravings: My new cravings have been pancakes, juice (specifically orange), and carrots. I would, also, eat at Subway everyday if I could!

Aversions: I'm still not drinking coffee and dairy products are kind of nauseating too.

Gender: We, obviously, still don't know. Tatum still talks about her "baby sister". If it's a girl, she will name her "Baby Doll" or "Dora".

We set up the crib in the new baby/guest room. It's definitely feeling more real, and it's so exciting.

11 Weeks!

So, yes, at 11 weeks, I am already starting to show. I'm so glad we made the news public when we did. This would have been hard to cover up. :)

Size of baby: According to thebump.com, our little one is about 1.6 inches long and .25oz (about the size of a lime).
Symptoms: I've been super tired and a little nauseous every once and a while. It's a lot harder being pregnant when you're chasing a toddler around! As of this past week, though, my energy has returned a little and I haven't been AS tired. I definitely have a "pooch" going on, and tears come and go a little more frequently. ;)
Weight gain/loss: I've gained two pounds, so far. I think I gained those two pounds on vacation, alone! All we did was eat!
Maternity clothes: I'm still wearing "normal" shirts, but my jeans and shorts have been a little tight. I go back and forth between wearing stretchy, low cut jeans and maternity jeans. When I was pregnant with Tatum, I didn't start wearing maternity clothes until 17 weeks!
Cravings: I just started craving cereal and orange juice, lately (same cravings as the first time around.... maybe another girl??). I've, also, love raisin bagels and strawberry yogurt. If we had a Jamba Juice nearby, I would be there everyday!
Aversions: Anything having to do with blueberries makes me nauseous. Also, cottage cheese and string cheese have been pretty nasty too. At around week 7, coffee started to make me feel nauseous. However, that happened with Tatum, and I started to enjoy it, again, in the second trimester! Phew! :)
Gender: We, obviously, don't know yet. However, Tatum has been talking about a "baby sister" ever since we told her that there is a baby in Mommy's tummy. Benjamin thinks it's a girl, as well. I totally thought boy until I heard the heartbeat, yesterday. It was 177 bpm. The old wives tale says that anything about 150 bpm is a sign of a girl. I've let that... and the influence of my friends and family... tell me that it's a girl. Only time will tell. We will be more than happy with either!

Yesterday, I was able to hear the baby's heartbeat for the very first time! I forgot how amazing that moment is! I'm so thankful that God has blessed us with this little miracle. Hearing that has definitely made this more real for us. We're all so excited. Tatum talks about having a "baby sister" all the time (I hope she's not too disappointed if this "baby sister" turns out to be a "baby brother"). She's, obviously, excited too. :)

Tatum's Birthday (the birth story)

I know that not everyone is thrilled about reading birth stories. They are personal, very detailed, and usually pretty graphic. I'm, also, not under the assumption that everyone is interested in the details of someone else's child's birth. However, for those of you who are... here it goes...
On Monday, August 3rd 2009, I had my 39th week doctor's appointment. I was only 1 cm dilated, so we decided to schedule a day to be induced (Tatum was due on August 8). We decided that we would come in on Wednesday, August 12th for me to be induced. I was very disappointed because I was really ready for our baby to be here... I had to wait more than a week (I don't think any pregnant women ever wants to have their baby later than their due date)!!
The following morning (at around 7:30am), I woke up to my water breaking. We called Dr. Barr and she told me to take a shower, get packed (ha, like I wasn't packed yet! I was packed at around 34 weeks!), make phone calls, and drive to the hospital. On the way to the hospital, I started to feel some very faint contractions. I remember thinking, "Wow, these aren't bad. I can totally do this!". Little did I know that these were NOTHING compared to "real" contractions! We checked into the hospital at around 10am. Our room was awesome! It was a huge corner room with a big bathroom and windows everywhere.

Benjamin, then, ordered lunch.

 My lunch was a jolly rancher...mmm.

A few hours later (at around 3 or 4), the nurses came in and told me that the anesthesiologist was about to go into surgery.... I could either get an epidural then or after the surgery (hours later). I decided to get the epidural right away. I was only 4 cm, but the contractions were getting more painful. An hour later, I got my epidural. I couldn't believe the difference it made!
Around dinner time, the doctor decided to give me Pitocin (sp?) to move things along because I wasn't progressing. However, every time they gave me some, Tatum's heart rate would drop. They gave me oxygen to help.

As the evening progressed, I started to notice that the epidural was wearing off. They gave me more, but I didn't notice a difference, at all. At that time, as well, the weirdest thing happened. My left hand started to cramp up and hurt like crazy! For about an hour, I was in the most excruciating pain... not because of the contractions, but because of my hand! I was literally screaming. It was so weird! Benjamin was AMAZING during the whole time.... but specifically during this time. The birthing classes and books never prepared us to deal with a hurting hand during labor! Benjamin was so encouraging and helpful! I couldn't have done it without him.
My hand started to feel better, but the contractions were becoming unbearable for me. When I was around 9 cm, I asked the nurses and doctors if I could push (I was so done!). I pushed three times. The first two times, Tatum's heart rate dropped. The third time, it dropped and they couldn't get it to go back up. Dr. Barr decided it was time to "get her out". This next part was the scariest thing I have ever been through... it felt like hours, but it no more than a hour.
They wheeled me into the operating room and transferred me to the smallest table I had ever seen. I had to wait there (contractions and all) until with anesthesiologist came. One of the worst parts of this whole experience was being there without Benjamin. I did not picture going through this experience without him. Finally (again, it felt like hours later), the anesthesiologist came in and started to give me a spinal (I think that's what it's called). The first time, I felt a sharp, piercing pain down my right leg. He kept asking, "Are your legs numb, yet?" They definitely weren't. Finally, after the third try, my feet went numb, then my legs, then my arms, and everything else! Everything was so numb that I couldn't even swallow (or talk). I could only blink my eyes. I don't even know how to describe that feeling, except to say that I would NEVER want that to happen again! It was so scary.
Just seconds later, I heard a little cry. Dr. Barr announced, "It's a girl!" They brought our sweet baby to my side, however, I couldn't see her because I couldn't turn my head (and I didn't have my glasses on or contacts in). I just saw some pink. :) They brought her directly to Benjamin. Unfortunately, he wasn't allowed in the operating room because of everything that happened with the spinal. :(
They finished with me and prepared me to be wheeled into our room. When I approached the room, I saw the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.... my incredible husband, Benjamin, was sitting in a rocking chair holding our precious baby girl! He had the biggest smile on his face! When I finally got to hold our baby girl, Tatum Sophia, I feel in love, instantly. :)

This was one of the most amazing, awesome, scary, and incredible experiences of my whole life. I am so thankful for God's protection, grace, and peace. We have been so blessed by our precious girl, and we are so thankful!

Surprise!

So, I'm going to try and be very consistent with this whole blogging thing. I love reading other people's blogs, so maybe it will motivate me to continue....
We have exciting news....

Tatum's going to be a big sister! :) This has been such an answer to prayer, and God has been really working on my heart during this whole process.
At the end of January, Benjamin and I really felt that God was telling us that it was "time" to expand our family. It was a little scary for me. However, after a lot of prayer and talking, together as a couple, I was so excited. I am such a planner (ok, a controller), so I had everything all set.... I was ready to get pregnant right away (like what happened with Tatum). We would have a baby around Thanksgiving time (perfect time for family to visit, a little less than 2 1/2 years between children, I wouldn't have to be pregnant at Christmas, etc. Everything was perfect! Plus, a good friend of mine shared that she and her husband were on the track to becoming parents, again, as well! We would be pregnant together. What could be more perfect?!
After a few disappointing months, I started to become worried. My "plan" was not happening. My good friend because pregnant right away (which was so exciting!) I felt like every time I would log onto Facebook, I would find out that someone new was pregnant! I started to think something was wrong with me!
Meanwhile, I kept telling myself (and convincing myself that I believed it) that God was in control and that His plan was bigger than mine. It was easy for me to say, but (humbling to say) I didn't truly believe it. I kept thinking that I needed to do things differently, eat different foods, drink less coffee, track more dates and temperatures, exercise more, exercise less, etc. Talk about control issues! It was exhausting!
Finally, after 5 (I know that many people have tried for WAY longer, but it felt very long) months, I decided that it was truly time to give it all over to the Lord. I was no longer going to control. Thankfully, many close friends were praying and encouraging. I'm so thankful for them. God really transformed my heart. My mom said (in a nice way) that she was so happy to hear that I was finally giving up control... apparently I've had that issue for a while....??? :) God was just trying to get my attention, and I'm so glad that He is faithful in wanting to transform our hearts!
On July 29th (our 5th wedding anniversary), I decided to take a pregnancy test. Benjamin had purchased a bottle of wine for our anniversary, so we decided to make sure that it was ok for me to drink it. Benjamin was gone when I woke up in the morning (he had an early morning meeting), so I took the test before he got home. I had such low expectations (I had been so disappointed in the past... I got used to those negative tests). I had to check and double check probably 8 million times.... sure enough.... POSITIVE!! I had no idea what to do. I ran around the house opening all the curtains, emptied the dishwasher, cleaned the kitchen, and who knows what else. I was so excited, and I had no one I could tell! When Tatum woke up, I put her in the "Big Sister" tee shirt in the picture, and waited for Benjamin to come home. Finally (ok, drama, it was probably only an hour later), he came home, noticed Tatum's tee shirt right away, and was in shock!! It was an awesome moment!! We thanked the Lord and shed some tears.
I'm so thankful to God for this process. His timing truly is perfect!

Updates!!

It has been such a long time since I've updated this thing. I feel like it's about time! We've been so busy with so many things... 

I'll maybe start with a few weekends ago. The last weekend of October, we took 22 students on a youth retreat called Breakaway, to Des Moines. It was a great retreat! I think the coolest part was that many of the students who went have just recently been attending our youth group... a ton of new faces! It was exciting getting to know many of the students, better. Also, my mom and cousin, Cindy, so generously came to take care of Tatum while we were gone. It was my first weekend away from Tatum (I know, it took almost 15 months!!), and it went really well... maybe TOO well! :) No, I'm kidding. But, actually, I really did appreciate how I was able to focus more on the students, while my mom and Cindy took care of T at home. I'm so blessed to have family willing to do that!

The following weekend was supposed to be "uneventful and normal". Tatum, Ida, her friend, and I were on the way to the mall in Davenport. T was being a little fussy, so I gave her a closed container with coins, inside, to shake and play with (obviously, thinking she couldn't open it). All of a sudden, I heard her coughing and choking. I turned around and saw that she had opened the container! I pulled over and took her out of the car seat. She kept crying, coughing, and vomiting (sorry, if TMI). Eventually, she calmed down. I put her back in the car seat and dropped of Ida and her friend at the mall. At that point, I wasn't sure if T even swallowed any coins. I know my sister used to swallow objects all the time (coins, paper clips, safety pins, etc.), and she ended up being fine, but I  just didn't know what to do. I decided to drive T to the hospital, just in case. Fortunately, we were in Davenport, so I was able to go to Trinity where she was born... it was easier to do paperwork, etc. As I pulled into the parking lot (thinking I was possibly over reacting), she started crying again, gagging and vomiting.
They did some x-rays, and discovered that she had a coin at the bottom of her throat! Because the coin was stuck, the doctor asked that I didn't give her anything to eat or drink, not let her lie on her back, not let her fall asleep, and to keep her from crying so that it wouldn't move and block her airways.....?!!! The poor nurses had to yell across the hospital to ask me questions. Every time someone would approach us, T would burst into tears... the poor girl! I know that she was scared, hungry and thirsty (she hadn't had anything to eat or drink in a few hours). When they told me that T had to be put under for them to retrieve the coin, I called Benjamin to have him come meet me at the hospital (I'm not going to lie, I was freaking out a little). He was hunting for his first time and had to leave early. :(
We spent a while waiting for the specialists. I had to carry her, and not sit down. If I sat down, she would fall asleep. Finally (the whole process took a few hours, but felt like FOREVER), they were able to put her to sleep and take those pennies (yes, pennIES) out. There were two pennies, stuck together, in her throat. Afterward, she was SO happy and cute. She did so well! It was a very dramatic day, but God protected our little Tatum. It could have been so much worse, and we're so thankful for God's provision and strength!

Last weekend, Benjamin and I were able to go to FamilyLife's "A Weekend to Remember" in Cedar Rapids. A couple from our church blessed us with the finances to go, and my parents so generously stayed with Tatum. The whole weekend was fantastic! It was our first weekend, just the two of us, that we've had since T has been born! We definitely needed it! :) I think the most valuable part for us, was just having time focused on each other. The conference, itself, was great too. It created intentional time and space for Benj and I to have great discussions. I, also, loved just "showing up" to things and not have to plan or prepare anything! I would encourage every couple to attend at least one of these weekends in their lifetime. I'm just so thankful that we were able to go at this stage in our marriage. We have only been married for four years, so we don't have the "baggage" that I know some couples have to work through. We are very, very blessed.

 

Ok, so this wasn't taken on that weekend, but it's our most recent photo.