Saturday, November 21, 2015

Baby Lowery #2: 15 Weeks


Well, I guess I'm on a roll of only blogging every other week. Sorry little baby. I guess it's just harder for me when I switch over on Saturday instead of one day during the week. However, here we are at 15 weeks! I have really noticed a difference in how I have been feeling---I have little to no nausea, my energy is coming back, and I feel like my mood is improving too. It's a win-win! I have even started getting back in the swing of things around the house---actually doing laundry and grocery shopping and picking up and cleaning and cooking! It's nice to start feeling more like myself. 

I have started getting heartburn already. Yay. So this baby better have a lot of hair! I notice it most in the evenings, and it's worse if I haven't eaten in a while. I have used some of my essential oils for heartburn, and they are really helping so far. However, if it escalates over time I may actually have to use Tums or some other helper for heartburn (has anyone tried Alka Seltzer fruit chews for heartburn?) along with my oils. I've also heard apple cider vinegar works. 

We went to the doctor last week for a checkup and we got to hear the heartbeat for the first time! I never get tired of hearing that sound. It was holding strong and steady at 150 bpm. That usually indicates a girl, however Holt's heart rate was ALWAYS in the 150's, so I'm not putting much stock in that. Everything looked great and we go back on December 3rd for another checkup and routine lab work PLUS we found out we get to have our gender ultrasound on December 21st!!! We are planning another gender reveal party like we did for Holt and we will host that in Conway on the evening of December 22nd. Just like with Holt, Daniel and I won't know ahead of time (yes, I'm a glutton for punishment) and we will find out by biting into a cupcake filled with either pink or blue icing. I absolutely LOVED finding out that way before---I loved having everybody see my reaction and getting to share that sweet moment with all our family. 

We are planning on doing a live stream of the reveal for those that won't make it to the party using the Periscope app! All you have to do is download the app, follow us, and it will notify you when we are going live so you can tune in on your phone or tablet! The party will start at 7pm, so the reveal will be sometime between 7:15-7:30 or so. I hope you can make plans to tune in! (I'll give more detailed instructions closer to time too. )

How far along: 15 weeks
Maternity clothes: Not exclusively, but yes
Stretch Marks: none
Sleep: Wonderful. And usually not long enough.
Best moment this week: Hearing the heartbeat and starting to feel better
Movement: Still nothing from baby yet. Hopefully that will change in the next few weeks!
Food cravings: Fettucine Alfredo. I've had it 4 times this week! And I've had coffee a few times!
Food aversions: I'm still weird about some meat. Unless it's fried. 
Have you started showing: I think I have a more noticeable bump now! 
Rings On/Off: Actually off this week. :( My wedding rings were rubbing the skin on my finger, causing it to be extremely dry and I even got a blister. So I took them off all this week and rubbed oils on. I'm happy to report it is MUCH improved and I think I"ll be able to wear them again next week!
Belly button in/out: In
Happy/Moody: Much happier!
Looking forward to: Thanksgiving next week! And actually being able to eat food (and lots of it)!

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Baby Lowery #2: 13 Weeks

Um, can you tell it's first thing in the morning?? 


Hello 2nd Trimester!!

OH I am SO excited to finally get out of the 1st trimester. Of course all week I didn't really have time to think about it because my whole family got the stomach bug and I was busy taking care of them. Either way, I'm thankful that is behind us!

So far I'm continuing to feel a little better and I think I'm slowly getting my energy back. And I finally had some kind of food sound good---miso soup. Yes, like you get when you go to a hibachi grill. Thank goodness Walmart carries it! I may or may not have bought several packets and that may be all we have for dinner this week ;).



How far along: 13 weeks, 2 days
Maternity clothes: Mostly
Stretch Marks: none
Sleep: Still going strong!
Best moment this week: Not getting the stomach bug
Movement: I've had lots of muscle twitches in my belly, but nothing from baby yet.
Food Cravings: Miso soup and potstickers. I had miso soup for dinner Sunday, lunch AND dinner Monday, and I'll probably have it some more later this week. Also, Wildberry Poptarts!
Food Aversions: Still kind of weird and picky about meat. Still no coffee. Absolutely no tacos.
Have you started showing: I feel like I am, but then I look at the picture and not really.
Labor signs: none
Belly button in/out: In
Rings on/off: On
Happy/Moody: Probably moody, but in my defense we battled the stomach bug AND I'm still battling with our health insurance appeal (yes, even though we won).
Looking forward to: Doctor appointment on Thursday and FINALLY hearing our baby's heartbeat!!


Holt: 15 Months


It's hard for me to believe it's already been 3 months since Holt turned one. It's crazy! Lots of things have happened since then:

*At the end of August, Daniel and I went to Houston for a conference and got to stay with his Aunt and Uncle. We had a great time and Holt had a wonderful time with his Melly and RoRo too!

*In September, we found out Holt is going to be a big brother! We are due with Baby Lowery #2 in May 2016! If you missed our post about it, click HERE



*At the end of September, we took Holt to his first State Fair. We got to feed some animals, watched pig races, ate really good fair food, and enjoyed our time with friends.




*Also in September, I started taking Holt with me to BSF (Bible Study Fellowship). He has been loving it and so have I. It's amazing what all they do with him during those two hours---sing hymns, teach the Bible Story (same one I learn), and they have a quiet time.

*At the end of October, Daniel and I went to our first Razorback game this season and some sweet friends were kind enough to keep Holt all day for us (thank you Mark and Cathy!!!). We had a blast on our day date and Holt did absolutely fabulous.





*We didn't take Holt trick or treating this year, but we did dress up in our crab costume to go to a friend's birthday party. He refused to wear the hood, but he looked so cute!



*November brought the stomach bug to our house. Yuck. Holt had been asleep for about an hour when the monitor came on and I saw him throw up in bed. This was the first time he has ever had a stomach virus and he was scared and confused and crying. Broke this mama's heart! I stripped him down and took a bath with him while Daniel changed his sheets and got everything in the wash. He got sick again after the bath and I sent Daniel to Walmart to get Pedialyte, more lysol, and a few other necessities. We draped towels over the rocker in his room and around the floor, and I just held him trying to get him to sleep. He threw up a 3rd time all over me and him and the towels and at that point I called the on-call nurse to see what else needed to be done. While I was on the phone with her, he PASSED OUT on me (covered in puke and all) and at that point I decided it was more important for him to sleep than to force him to clean up yet (the love of a mother transcends being covered in puke y'all). Once Daniel got back from Walmart, Holt was so asleep he started moving around like he does at night and flopped over on his back. We took that opportunity to clean both him and me up (he slept through the entire thing) and then we placed him back in bed. Daniel and I slept on the floor in his room all night just in case something happened. Needless to say, we didn't get much sleep, but on the plus side Holt did not get sick anymore. A couple days later, Daniel came down with the bug, but got over it rather quickly. And the Lord was merciful in sparing me---I didn't get sick!

Milestones:

*Holt got his 2 top teeth! I know he is working on several more because I can see the white through his gums, but no more have broken through.
*He says quite a few words: mama, dada (sometimes daddy), up, down, please, whoa, dog, woof woof, and a few times I have heard touchdown. He jabbers all day everyday and I love it.
*He is finally showing interest in reading books! He will bring us one and actually sit in our lap and let us read it. He is very interested in animals and animal sounds. He has one particular book of animal sounds I read at least 25 times a day. It gets monotonous but I am just so glad he wants to read now so I don't mind.
*He is busy, busy! We are constantly on the go when we are awake and he is starting to show an interest in opening cabinets and drawers and dragging things out. Yay. That is making things a little more chaotic and we are starting to learn how to pick things up and put them back.
*He can throw a ball really good now too! It's probably normal for boys his age, but I am constantly impressed. Sometimes we will just throw the ball back and forth for 5 or 10 minutes and he actually throws it TO me.
*Graduated to size 4 diapers
*We still love football! Anytime it's on he quits what he is currently doing and starts clapping and then says "touchdown!" I. Love. It.
*He still takes 2 naps a day and sleeps all night--usually from about 7:30/8PM--6:30/7AM

Weight: 24 lbs 15 oz (75th percentile)
Height: 32 inches (80th percentile)

Little Man had a huge growth spurt between 12-15 months. He cruised along at about the 50th percentile for a long time and then boom! He decided to amp it up a bit!

Holt,

Your daddy and I absolutely love this current stage you're in---your little personality is really shining through and you are stinkin' hilarious!! You crack yourself up all the time and you just jibber-jabber and carry on "conversations" with us constantly. You are ALL boy---you love to be outside playing in the dirt and water, you love to throw anything and everything, you already love sports, and you are just "go-go-go" when you are awake. You give the sweetest hugs and your smile absolutely lights up a room. You love to have all the attention on you, but you also play by yourself wonderfully. We just know you are going to be the best big brother. We love you with all our hearts son!



Thursday, November 5, 2015

Baby Lowery #2: 12 Weeks

LIFE. Messy hair, cozy sweater, and always followed by my toddler and my dog


Well, I forgot to do 11 weeks. Oops.

But, here we are at 12 weeks! The home stretch. Hallelujah! I have been making some progress as far as sickness goes. Most mornings I feel really good now and don't even start feeling bad until evening (5pm or so) and even then it's not as bad as it was. One morning this week I even woke up hungry (what?) so I'm excited for that! I'm able to do a little more around the house, but oh my---I feel like my house will never be clean again (and I'm sure my husband feels that way too).

On the home front, it's been kind of a rough week. Monday night, Holt got sick (throwing up) and then Wednesday night it was Daniel's turn. We are really praying that I don't get this stomach bug---especially since dehydration is bad for baby.

We started discussing names and can't really decide and/or agree on anything for really either gender. It's so hard after you pick a name you LOVE for your first child. Subsequent naming of children has a lot to live up to! Maybe once we find out if it's a boy or girl that will make it easier for us.

How far along: 12 weeks, 5 days (better late than never right?)
Maternity clothes: some. Definitely jeans and leggings.
Stretch Marks: None
Sleep: I'm sleeping great so far. I sleep really hard and it's been tough for me to get up in the mornings. Some days I still nap during Holt's nap (if I can) which also helps.
Best moment this week: Starting to feel better!
Miss anything: I miss wanting to eat something. I'll be happy when that day comes back!
Movement: None yet
Food cravings: Milk is still huge. And mac and cheese. I also picked up some liquid flavoring for water (like Mio) which is helping me drink more fluids. I'm also loving White Cheddar Dill Soup from a restaurant in Conway (my mom brings it to me when she comes)---still on the dairy!
Food Aversions: Pretty much most things. It's still tough for me to cook too.
Have you started showing: I haven't gotten any comments yet, but I think there is a visible bump (or pooch) poking out now.
Gender prediction: Most people say girl. I'm leaning more towards girl, but we would be just as happy with another boy!
Labor signs: None
Belly button in/out: In
Rings on/off: On
Looking forward to: 2nd Trimester! It's coming THIS week and I am ecstatic!

Click HERE to see how this compares with Holt at 12 weeks!