Thirteen Weeks w/ Baby #2

I have made it to my thirteenth week!

As usual, I am amazed with how quickly time is flying by. Brian has been gone on deployment for almost a month and I couldn't be happier that we have almost reached our first month. I have had good days and bad days, but for the most part, this deployment has not been as awful as I had anticipated. Of course, it completely sucks being left behind and Brian missing out on Ava's milestones and this pregnancy, but I can feel our relationship growing stronger and stronger with every passing day. I am extremely thankful that we are able to communicate almost daily (Facebook messages, email, and Skype) and it makes him being gone that much easier. 

I had my two week cervical check today and although the doctors gave me a little scare, all went well. Apparently the sonogram machine that was being used was not working properly and the doctor was afraid she was seeing cysts on my ovaries. So a second doctor was called in and even she thought she was seeing something strange too. I was taken into another exam room so another sonogram machine could be used and well, it turns out there was absolutely nothing wrong with me and that the first machine was causing weird shadows to show up on the screen. My cervix is still looking great, my placenta is sitting a little low (so that will be monitored), my blood pressure is great, and baby is looking great! Baby has doubled in size since the last time I saw him/her! It really shocked me, although I'm not sure why since I know how quickly these nuggets grow. I also saw baby's heart beating, although not sure what the heart rate was this time since that wasn't our main focus.

I am scheduled to have an anatomy scan at the end of April and to continue my cervical checks every two weeks. 

So in the mean time, I will continue to take it easy while I keep busy. I am currently in school full time, working towards my BA in Health Promotions, in the process of becoming a volunteer through Brian's battalion, staying active in his battalion's social group, and keeping up with most of the activities going on in town for Ava and I. (We love attending the events at our local library!). 

I also plan to keep checking on baby every now and then between doctor's visits using our fetal doppler. Brian and I purchased one so he would be able to hear baby while he was deployed. I was able to find baby's heart beat yesterday, although it did take awhile because this little one is still nestled deep in there. Heart rate was between 140 and 150. 

14 weeks pregnant with Avalyn.

12 weeks pregnant with Baby #2.

And as you could probably tell, I am slowly starting to show. I am showing at least two weeks sooner than I was with Avalyn. Crazy how quickly you show the second time around! 

How far along? 13 weeks, 1 day.

Total weight gain: 11 pounds.

Maternity clothes?  Mostly leggings...

Stretch marks? Yes. 

Sleep: Still tossing and turning.

Best moment of this week? Being able to find baby's heart beat with our fetal doppler and then getting a FB message from Brian saying that he was able to see/hear it too on the video I posted.

Miss anything? Missing Brian (every day!) my jeans that no longer fit. :(

Movement: A little flutter every once in awhile.  

Food cravings? Dr. Pepper and still craving those dang french fries.  

Anything making you queasy or sick? Prenatals are making me more nauseous than they usually have. 

Labor signs: None.

Symptoms: Still have an itchy belly button, nausea is very minimal, food cravings, and a little bit of dizziness/headaches when I stand up too quickly. 

Belly button in or out? In.

Wedding rings on or off? Still wearing them.

Happy or moody most of the time? Very content. 

Looking forward to: My Skype date with Brian, watching Ghost Adventures on Saturday night and finishing Brian's Easter care package. 

Eighteen Months Old.

Age: eighteen months, one day (pictured). 

Weight: 19 pounds, 12 ounces.

Height:  31 inches.

Favorite food: All foods, except green beans.

Loves: to drag all of her toys out and leave them around the house, bath time or any time spent in the water, and Minnie Mouse aka "Mimi". 

Dislikes: having her diaper changed and not getting her way.

How many teeth: I now have TWELVE teeth! 

Why, hello there friends!

It has indeed been awhile since my last update; six months if I do believe!? Well I can say this, it has been an amazing six months and those months have been full of both good and not so good moments. We enjoyed the good moments and got through the not so good ones. The Felda Family is doing wonderfully and I am extremely thankful for that. 

So what is new in the household?

Well, we are currently going through our first deployment. We had a trial run with a six week training cycle that consisted of Brian being away in California. It was tough, but we all survived. After he made it home in mid-November, we made sure to enjoy every little minute we had together with the impending deployment.

D-day has come and gone and so far all three of us are adjusting well. We have almost made it a week without Brian here and I am very proud of not only how well Ava has adjusted, but how well I have adjusted. I am feeling confident that this deployment will fly by and that before we know it Ava and I will have our "man of the house" back. We miss him so very much already, but thanks to modern technology we are able to talk to him and see him very often. I plan to keep everyone updated through blog posts as far as how Brian is doing and what new things he is getting to see. 

That aside, our little Avalyn is EIGHTEEN months old. She is six months away from being TWO YEARS OLD! I can not believe how quickly time is going by...I really wish time would slow down a little bit so I can enjoy my little baby being a baby a little longer. 

At her recent well visit we learned that Ava officially hates all of the doctors and nurses; she screams and thrashes around like a crazy baby when she has to be examined or have her weight checked. I am not going to lie, I was kind of embarrassed with how she had acted considering she has never acted out that way during doctor visits before. She is just so independent now and apparently hates being restrained. We were able to determine her weight and height and she is doing extremely well for being a premature baby. Thankfully she did not have to have any vaccinations at this appointment! I hate seeing her in pain during those darn shots. It just breaks my heart. But regardless, she is a very healthy little girl! We have her six month check up on her eyes next month and I am curious to see if she will need glasses like her daddy and I.

This little girl has changed so much in the passed six months...she is talking, walking, playing, running, etc. It amazes me everyday how far she has come since her birth. I just know she is going to be a great big sister!

What's that you say?! BIG SISTER?!

Photo credit: Jessica Clark Photography

That is what I said!!!

This September Avalyn will become a big sister! We are currently expecting our second baby! Brian and I found out I was pregnant a few days after Christmas. I had the pregnancy confirmed on the 30th of December and my first doctor appointment was February 3rd. We got to hear baby's heartbeat and see baby via an ultrasound. It was at that appointment that I was told I would be paired with an actual doctor instead of a midwife. 

I had my first appointment with my doctor on the 20th and am extremely impressed with how she plans to handle my pregnancy. She has declared me as high risk, so I am not allowed to do any strenuous work or exercise. I am scheduled to come in every two weeks to have my cervix measured. If my cervix begins to dilate at all, I will be scheduled to have a cerclage. A cerclage is the placement of stitches in the cervix to keep it closed. The procedure will have to be done in the operating room and will be removed at 36 weeks. I am hoping that I will not have to have that procedure done, but I am preparing for it regardless. 

At 16 weeks I will start getting a shot called Makena; which is a hormone shot that is used to prevent preterm labor. This is another preventative measure that will be taken to keep me from going into preterm labor. 

I will also have my thyroid levels checked every 13 weeks (every trimester) to make sure that my levels are staying balanced. 

Aside from all of that I will have all of the usual pregnancy procedures done...the glucose test, the Rhogam shot (because I am A-), the anatomy scan, the genetics tests, etc. etc. Overall I am very excited and feeling extremely confident that I will have a full term pregnancy! I love my doctor and how well those at the naval hospital are treating me already considering my previous pregnancy. 

Baby Felda at 8 weeks. 

Baby Felda at 11 weeks.

How far along? 11 weeks, 2 days.

Total weight gain: 8 pounds; I am allowed to gain up to 8 pounds per trimester so I am doing pretty well so far. 

Maternity clothes?  50% maternity, 50% pre-pregnancy clothes 

Stretch marks? Yes. 

Sleep: Tossing and turning at night, but mostly because I can't get comfortable.

Best moment of this week? Seeing baby via surprise ultrasound.

Miss anything? Missing the hubby.

Movement: Not yet. 

Food cravings? McDonald's french fries. 

Anything making you queasy or sick? Morning sickness has subsided for the most part, I got a whiff of a hot dog today while at the store and I thought I was going to hurl. Still can't really drink coffee like I used to.  

Gender: To be determined.

Labor signs: None.

Symptoms: Still some nausea, fatigue, cravings have been off and on, and my belly and belly button have been itching and driving my nuts. 

Belly button in or out? In.

Wedding rings on or off? Still wearing them.

Happy or moody most of the time? Very happy for the most part!

Looking forward to: Skype dates with Brian over this weekend and my next doctor's appointment (hoping to see baby again!). 

Me at 10 1/2 weeks pregnant with Avalyn.

Me at 9 weeks with Baby Felda.