Bump #2 @ 20 Weeks

Today marks the half(ish) way point in my pregnancy with #2!!!  20 weeks down, 20 or so more weeks to go!  Here I am at the half way mark...

Monday Sing-a-long

The little dude loves music and often bursts into song on a whim.  After our recent trip to the aquarium, he's been into fish and whales and his daddy has encouraged this by playing a certain Raffi song for him.  He heard it for the first time about two weeks ago.  I'd say he likes it.

Enjoy!

19 Weeks (Round 2)

How far along? 19 weeks and 3 days


Total weight gain/loss?  Total gain of 12.7 pounds. So far I'm "on track" according to one of the many weight gain calculators on the web.  As of week 19 I "should" (don't you just love that word?) have gained between 11.9-16.6 lb.  Check!  But my OB did tell me that I'm about to enter the "rapid weight gain" phase of the 2nd trimester.  Well, alrighty, pass the ice cream!

Maternity clothes?  Yup.  I'm now wearing only maternity pants/skirts/dresses and mainly maternity tops although I can still get away with many non-pregnancy tops that are of the flowy or empire variety. 

Stretch marks? Nothing new.  And I decided this time around that the shea butter and utter cream are a waist of money, so I'm not even going to do anything to combat new stretch marks.

Sleep? Some nights I sleep through the night without any problem.  Other nights I wake up multiple times with either bad dreams, general discomfort or the urge to pee.

Best moment last week? There were two and they both involve food, go figure.  The first was meeting for a Dim Sum brunch at Canton House with good friends and the kiddos.  We squeezed seven adults and 5 kids around one table and had a great time laughing and eating delicious food.  And then yesterday I had lunch with a dear friend from law school who is also expecting a little baby boy a week or so before me this July so we talked babies and pregnancies the whole time!

Movement? Every day!  This little boy is a mover!

Food cravings? Back to avocados and eggs.  With the new addition of homemade french bread pizza.

Food aversions? Salads.

Gender? Team Blue

Labor signs? Nope

Belly button in/out? IN.

What I miss: Red wine and being able to take real drugs for a cold.  I'm starting to wonder if Tylenol is really just a sugar pill.

What I am looking forward to: My pregnancy massage in t-minus 8 hours!  And settling on a name for Pop....we aren't even close, so keep any suggestions coming!

Milestones: Being asked if I was fertile.  If you don't know what I'm talking about, you should go here.  You'll laugh, I promise.

Excuse me, Are your Ovaries working?

It has started.  The inappropriate pregnancy conversations.  Oh joy.

Apparently it's not common knowledge at my office that I'm knocked up.


A female coworker just stopped me in the hall, smiled and looked me up and down.  She then said "I don't know how to say this." (I knew where she was going but was not going to help her out.)

I just looked at her.

She says, stuttering, "Are you....um.....fertile?"

(A. What the fuck, am I fertile? Really? B. Come on. C. Did you really just say that?)

Me: Completely serious.  "No."

Crickets. Awkward silence.

Me: "You know you are NEVER supposed to ask someone if she is pregnant."

Her: "Um, well....."

Me: "But yes, I am pregnant."


Her: Huge sigh of relief washes over her. (But she's about to dig her hole.) "I mean, well you had been losing weight and then you, well, stopped."  Back peddling now... "I mean you're not big or anything, or fat, it's just that...." trailing off. 

So you're saying I'm looking plump, are you?  At least I am pregnant and not just fat.  A huge part of me wanted to just tell her no and walk off, but this is a coworker.

At least I had fun with making her feel uncomfortable.

Moral of the story. Don't ask. Ever.  

And if you must, find a better question than "Are you fertile?"  

She did tell me she was proud of me.  I'm not sure what to make of that.  Thanks, I guess.  Strange conversation all around.  But I'm sure someone else will top it soon.

 People just can't help themselves.

**************************************************
[UPDATE, 4 hours later]

Well that didn't take long...


In an equally exciting afternoon, I was just in the hall (again) and one of my other female co-workers stopped me to congratulate me. Which started off nice enough.



This is how it went. "I had no idea, so I asked [other female coworker] yesterday - I told her you were getting a little pudgy and wondered if you were pregnant. So congrats!"


Ok.  A. She gets points for not asking me directly. But B. Was it really necessary to tell me you noticed I was getting pudgy?

  xoxo, Pudgy Pregnant Lady

Bump #2 @ 19 Weeks

 I forgot to take a picture last week @ 18 weeks.  Oops.  But I'm back at 19 weeks with my bump.  Here I am this morning before work! 

And now for the comparison picture of Bump #1 vs. Bump #2.  AKA, am I on my way to getting as rotund this time around?  What do you think? 



19 weeks w/Lukas

19 weeks w/#2



Name that Baby!

The baby naming has official begun.

I sent Mr. Cob my list of 18 potential names. 

If we go with something off my list, we could end up with a little boy whose name means "enthusiasm" or perhaps "garden".  (And yes, we seriously will consider the meaning of the name we'll pick.  We finally decided on Lukas over all the other names we liked because we both loved that his name means "brings light", which is exactly what he has done.)

Mr. Cob has been in the process of compiling his list.  I've yet to see it.  I'm waiting somewhat patiently.

One possible route we've both been discussing is picking an Italian name in honor of my dad and his heritage. (My dad is 100% Italian for those who don't know - he has a strong widows peak, drove a big black car when I was in high school and some of my friends were convinced he's in the mafia.  Let's just say he looks the part.  Combine that with the fact that he was a green beret and you don't want to mess with him.  On the other hand, he's a vessel of love and wouldn't hurt a fly.  Unless said fly messed with his family.  Just sayin'.)

Anyway, where was I?  Oh, yes, an Italian name.  Have you looked at Italian boy names lately?  They aren't exactly typical (Julius, Pasquale, and Arthur all run in my family).  And while I like Leo, we've vowed to knock out any "L" names to avoid the whole "all our kids names start with the same letter" thing. 

So I did a google search for Italian-American baby boy names.  And I found this fantastic list of names.  It just so happens it was a list of Italian American mobsters, but hey, I don't see anything wrong with naming my baby after a mobster, do you?

I think Joe "The Boss" Swan has a lovely ring to it.

18 Weeks (Round 2)

How far along? 18 weeks and 3 days (but the baby is measuring 19 weeks exactly!)

Total weight gain/loss? Total gain of 10.9 pounds so far. Double digits.  It was inevitable.

Maternity clothes? Yes.  All maternity pants, but I can still wear regular tops.  I don't have many long sleeved maternity tops (my seasons are flipped from last time around), but I'm able to wear most of my sweaters and not look too crazy.

Stretch marks? Nothing new.

Sleep? OK.  I've been waking up once or twice each night and some nights I have a hard time falling back to sleep.

Best moment last week?  The BIG ultrasound!  The baby is doing great and looks perfect!

Movement? Every day!!!  I forgot how amazing it is to feel a baby moving inside your belly.  The movements have definitely been more noticeable this week and if you watch my belly when the acrobatics are going on you can see my stomach moving where the little one is punching or kicking me!  And the ultrasound tech mentioned many times that we have a very active one on our hands.  Just like Lukas...

Food cravings?  Sushi and miso soup (the soup felt good on my sore throat...did I mention that I had laryngitis earlier this week?  I couldn't talk and did not enjoy it at all.  I'm a talker y'all!).

Food aversions? Nothing that sticks out.

Gender? DRUM ROLL PLEASE.....we're having another BOY!!!  Team blue.  Slugs, snails and puppy dog tails.  Can I just say that I am SO excited to have two little boys.  The idea of Lukas having a brother just warms my heart.  I'd have been thrilled if we were having a little girl (terrified, but thrilled), but I'm not going to lie, I'm excited this one is a boy.

Labor signs? Nope

Belly button in/out? IN.

What I miss: Sleeping on my back.

What I am looking forward to: Picking out a name for our little boy!  Poppy just doesn't sound fitting anymore (unless you say it with an exaggerated Spanish flair and raise your hands in the air - think "Paaappppii"), so I'm hoping to pick something soon.  At least now Mr. Cob will talk to me about it. Thoughts?  Ideas?  Hates?  Percival?

Milestones: The doctor told us yesteday that the baby is looking great and is healthy!  Oh and there was that double digit weight gain thing.  Details, details.

Sex Poll!

So in light of Valentine's Day, I'm curious how often you and your loved one get it on.  Take the poll below...JUST KIDDING!

That's not the kind of sex poll I'm talking about (though it is a very interesting question that my girlfriends and I discussed just last week...how often is normal?  Perhaps a post for another time).  No, the sex poll I've put up is about the baby growing in my belly and whether you think Poppy's a BOY or  GIRL?!?  Hopefully we'll find out tomorrow at my big reveal ultrasound.

But in the meantime, please take the poll (on the top right of the page) and give me your guess!

17 Weeks (Round 2)

How far along? 17weeks and 3 days


Total weight gain/loss? Total gain of 9.1 pounds so far (as of yesterday). My weight has been all over the place this week.  So who knows how accurate this is.  My bump seems to be protruding more and more though so I'd say I'll be in double digit weight gain before long.

Maternity clothes? Yes.  I've made the switch to all maternity pants/skirts, but am still wearing regular tops.  And next time I'm pregnant (if there is a next time), please remind me to make this switch sooner.  Maternity pants are amazing.  The stretchy waist band is just so comfortable.  I don't know what I was so uppity about.  (It might help that I've purchased a few new fun maternity clothes that I LOVE....including a pair of dark skinny jeans that look just like regular jeans. Score!)

Stretch marks? Nothing new.

Sleep? I should never have said that my sleep was great last week.  The sleep fairies must have seen that remark and laughed because this week I have been sleeping terribly.  One night I woke up at 2:45am and simply couldn't fall back asleep.  I think it might be time to pull out the body pillow.  Sorry Mr. Cob.

Best moment last week?  There were three.  (1) Taking a camera class where I learned just how much I don't know about my camera.  (2) Bringing Lukas to the aquarium for the very first time - he was so happy and loved all the fish!  (3) Eating homemade French onion soup that Mr. Cob made.

Movement? Most days I can feel Poppy bumping around at least one time, usually at night when I'm laying on the floor in Lukas' room after I've read him his books and again when I'm about to fall asleep.

Food cravings?  Sushi.  (I really wish I could eat the raw tuna, but the cooked sushi is somewhat doing the trick).  French onion soup.  (Thanks to the husband for making me a big pot!)  Pad Thai - strangely one of my cravings when I was pregnant with Lukas.

Food aversions? Sweets - they just don't sound appealing.

Gender? 6 more days and we'll know!

Labor signs? Nope

Belly button in/out? IN.

What I miss: Spicy tuna rolls.

What I am looking forward to: Finding out if Poppy is a girl or a boy!!!

Milestones: I officially look pregnant.  I think.  Depending on what I'm wearing.  Given the right time of day.  In the right light.  Definitely sometimes look pregnant.  Maybe.

Bump #2 @ 17 Weeks

For some reason I'm incapable of picking just one picture to post for these bump pictures.  Perhaps it's a form of self-torture.  Who knows.  Anyway, here I am at 17 weeks!

Perhaps I shouldn't use a white door as a background....I look somewhat ghostly

My bump is sort of egg shaped, no?

P.S. For comparison, here's what I looked like last week!

P.S.S. Next week I can do side by side pics of bump #1 vs. bump #2!  Get excited!

A Fabulous Idea

The author of one of the blogs I reguarly read, A Cup of Jo, is currently pregnant with her 2nd child and is also due in July.  Today she wrote about preparing your child for a new baby.  She's worried about losing the closeness she has with her first born, as am I.  She asked her readers for any advice and one commenter (Hannah) wrote something that I love.  Her advice:

"I'm the oldest of five and I have twin sisters two and a half years younger than I am. When they were born my parents asked everyone who visited to speak to me before looking at the babies and they talked to me a lot about how proud I must be to be the big sister. I started stopping strangers in the street to tell them about my baby sisters and what a good big sister I was to them. I remember being very proud of them and feeling very responsible for their welfare. 24 years later, I still do!"


Isn't that brilliant what her parents did?  Everyone comes over to visit the new baby, but if those people stop by and chat with the toddler BEFORE oohing and ahhing over the new baby, imagine how special the toddler will feel!  I love this.

Anyone else have any advice on preparing your older child for a new baby?

Random Preggo Thoughts

I generally feel icky today so this will probably not be the most uplifting of posts.  But let's roll with it in an attempt to somewhat document this pregnancy #2 for posterity.  So here are a few really random things on my mind today.

1.  If there is a next time and I'm ever knocked up again, someone remind me that maternity clothes are not the devil.  I finally pulled my bin of maternity clothes out of the basement this weekend and I've been much more comfortable ever since.  The fact of the matter is that even if you keep jumping up a size in your pants, regular pants are not built for a baby bump.  Maternity pants are.  Coincidence?  No, dumbass.  I'm happy to report I am very comfortable in my maternity pants today and will not be turning back for oh, you know, another 6 months or so.  So please forgive seeing me in the same 5 outfits.

2.  I must have been waiting for the flood when I was pregnant with Lukas.  Or perhaps I just didn't care.  So far the two pair of maternity pants I've worn (designer jeans that I'd forgotten I'd even bought and black GAP work pants) are both seriously short.  As in, even short for flats short. I must've tried them on with flat sandals or barefoot before because I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have purchased these if my brain had been correctly screwed on.  Will this stop me from wearing them?  No.

3.  2nd trimester is not the honeymoon phase I remember from last time.  I feel "blah" most of the time.  And I'm convinced my face is just looking old and saggy.  Perhaps I'm having a girl and she's stealing my beauty (anyone heard that old wives' tale?).  But seriously, I think I look rather mousy lately.  Mousy is not a good look for me.  I also don't have a ton of energy like you're "supposed" to have in the 2nd tri.  Mind you I don't feel the need to get in bed the minute I get home from work every night either, but I'm certainly not bursting with energy.  And this nausea thing has subsided but randomly pops back up, say when I'm in the middle of eating my lunch and suddenly cannot fathom swallowing the food currently being chewed in my mouth.  Blah I tell you.  Just blah.

4. I'm really getting anxious about this bump growing big and not being able to rock Lukas or hold him in my lap.  He woke up calling for me at 4am last night and just wanted to be cuddled.  I don't know if he had a bad dream or wasn't feeling well or what.  I do know that having my son hug me tight and snuggle up into my neck while he falls back asleep is one of the best feelings in the world.  Last night as we were rocking all I could think about was how much I was going to miss that when this belly becomes an obstacle.

5.  I'm equally as anxious about gaining massive amounts of weight again.  This feeling isn't going away, but neither is the FEED ME NOW hunger that seems to strike all day, every day.  I really need to let it go, I know. 

16 Weeks (Round 2)

How far along? 16 weeks and 3 days


Total weight gain/loss? Total gain of 7.4 pound so far. So yea, a little more than 0.8 pounds gained this week.  More like 1.9 (which at least is under 2).  But I think there's something wrong with my scale.  Really. I do.  I stepped on it 4 different times today and the numbers (digital, mind you) ranged from me having lost .4 pounds since yesterday to GAINING 1.5 pounds in a day.  So today I split the difference and decided my actual weight was in the middle of the high and low number from today.  Which I think is far.  I could've just lied and said I'd lost weight this week.  Ha.  Right.

Maternity clothes? Not technically.  Though today I'm wearing the Bella Band with my jeans and yesterday I wore a wrap dress, which expands with you, so it might as well have been maternity.  Let's just say it's time to get the bin out of the basement.  Sigh.

Stretch marks? Nothing new.

Sleep? Great.  I'm still having really strange dreams.  Two nights ago I dreamed that a landscape crew redid our front yard by accident (they were supposed to be beautifying another house) and I flipped out on them, but luckily the owner of the landscape company's wife was a sorority sister from college (whom I have not  seen or talked to in about 10 years), so she let us keep the plants for free.  Odd.  Then last night I dreamt that my mother and I had a huge fight over something silly but I can't exactly remember what now.

Best moment last week? Getting together with some amazing girlfriends and talking about life and kids and husbands and pregnancy.  They help make me feel sane.

Movement? Occasionally I feel those baby flutters, but not consistently yet.

Food cravings? Eggs over easy, preferably on toasted sourdough bread with smashed avocado and a dollop of pimento cheese.  Yum.  Oh and cinnamon rolls, which I've yet to indulge in.  (But there's a can from Trader Joe's in my fridge right now....breakfast anyone?!)

Food aversions? Nope.  Shocker.

Gender? 13 days til we find out!  My gut is telling me Poppy's a girl!  But my gut's been wrong in the past.  A few times.  And by few I mean many.

Labor signs? Nope

Belly button in/out? IN.

What I miss: Being able to pick anything out of my closet and knowing it will fit.  I suppose I could get back to that if I just took everything out of my closet and replaced it all with maternity clothes.  But it's just not the same.

What I am looking forward to: My camera class tomorrow (a Christmas gift from Mr Cob!)!  I've had an SLR camera since I was pregnant with Lukas (a birthday gift that year from my dear hubby), but I've never taken a class and only know how to use the camera on auto.  I'm excited to learn all about it and how to take great pictures!

Milestones: I haven't had to put Lukas in time out all week!  Perhaps the patient parenting resolution is working out because I'm pretty sure my 2 year old hasn't suddenly learned to follow directions and do everything that mommy wants when mommy wants it!