Baby Smith 2.0 update....

I know I haven't posted on here lately and I apologize. Life is busy y'all. I have a toddler who keeps me on my toes constantly and on top of that sweet little nugget, I've been a little busy growing a new human over here! That's right. I am pregnant with our second baby and so so so overjoyed to announce it!

I have had three lab draws to look at my beta HCG and my progesterone and all have looked really good. Better than Henry's labs quite honestly. We got to go in for a sono at 6 weeks and see the baby. Which at the time was just this cute little blinking dot with a strong heart beat of 113. Henry's was only 70 or 80 something so this was encouraging especially because I at that point I hadn't been sick at all to that point. 2 days of nausea and 1 time of throwing up in the car (probably from heat and motion more than actual baby i'm sure) and that had me very nervous. At least with Henry I had daily constant reminders I was growing a human. I have had a harder time accepting reality with no symptoms but being tired, but I'm working on it. I feel encouraged and hopeful and most of all thankful.We also had ultrasounds at 7 weeks(heart rate 152) and 8 weeks (heart rate 174) along with our close out appointment with our RE. Lots of hugs and tears at that appointment. I owe that woman the world for everything she has given me. I also had my first appointment with my OB at 9.5 weeks which was so exciting to get to do. I LOVE my doctor and her nurse and they were both so happy to see me, especially so quickly this time around. My OB has a pocket sono machine now that is about the size of a thick iphone and I got to see the baby's heart flicker again. Every time it's just as wonderful as the time before. I had my 12 week Nuchal Translucency sonogram this morning to check for chromosomal defects like Trisomy 13, 18 and 21.The scan went great and we have an active healthy little baby in there with a heart rate of 164. Baby measures 3 days ahead and does not show any signs for chromosomal abnormalities thank God. I am just getting over the tired phase of first trimester and have had very minimal nausea and vomiting. I feel so blessed to have felt so good thus far in this pregnancy so I can keep up with Henry. God definitely knows what he is doing!

I want to also take a minute to say thank you to each and every one of you who have stood by me, and by Taylor, through the tears and frustration and hard stuff each time we have tried to get pregnant. Your love and support is unmeasurable and Taylor and I can't even begin to thank all of you for your kind words of encouragement, sympathy and empathy and most definitely prayers. I want you all to know that just because we have overcome struggles with infertility, it doesn't mean we have forgotten what it has taken to get here and how hard it can be. We both are still a very open book about our journey to parenthood and want to be a resource and safe place to vent, ask questions, and most importantly to continue to offer prayers and support to you all. I am praying for so many of you daily and hope hope hope that you all can get your miracle babies in the very near future. I know it stings like a knife to hear that one more person is pregnant and I hope this announcement doesn't cause pain, but hope. That this can and WILL happen for you too. Please let us know anyway we can help at all. To experience this, especially for a second time is the biggest blessing and has been so worth every single tear, lab draw, uncomfortable ultrasound and penny spent. Please keep hope and we will keep it for you too!

Again, I am still praying for each and everyone one of you whether I know your names and stories or not. I pray for my silent readers because I know there are a lot of you too and I pray for my friends who give me updates almost daily or just sporadically. I hope to God you all can experience this as well and I would so greatly appreciate your continued prayers for a safe and healthy pregnancy and healthy baby.
Thanks for all the love!
Lauren, Taylor, Henry and Baby

And I just got to throw in there that the pics of the three of us, I took myself with the timer on my camera set up on a cooler on the beach. People thought I was CA-RAZY for running back and forth to the camera 100 times but hey desperate times call for desperate measures and they turned out pretty good I think. 

11 weeks

We were in florida with no chalkboard so this will have to do for this week.

How far along? 11 weeks, baby is the size of a fig!

Total weight gain: Not sure. I was on vacation!!!

Maternity clothes? Some like before. Nothing new. In fact I bought a few cute shirts for vacation that were just normal shirts that are kind of a flowy fit. Perfect for during and after pregnancy. I fit in my normal one piece swimsuit rocking my little bump too.

Sleep: I slept pretty good this week. Our bed in Florida was great and I brought my own three pillows. The sand and surf and sun and walking around and chasing Henry wore me out and outside of just 2-3 nights I slept the entire night strait and you better believe I took a nap during Henry's 2-3 hour nap, every. single. day.

Best moment this week: Spending 9 whole days with my boys living on beach time and just relaxing.

Miss Anything? I wish I could have had a daiquiri on the beach and some sushi but oh well. 

Movement: Still swear I feel a few movements here and there but who knows.

Food cravings: Outside of the daiquiri and sushi, I really wanted some crab which I got and a grouper sandwich, which I got. Happy momma.

Anything making you queasy or sick: I don't know what it was but I threw up a ton in the car on the way down to Florida and then nothing since. A few nauseous moments while we were gone, but not bad. 

Gender: Still too early. Still think girl.

Symptoms: All my symptoms started to subside this week. I feel like I have energy back now, not all but some and my sickness is starting to pass.

Belly Button in or out? in
Wedding rings on or off? on. :) I'm hoping I can wear them for the whole pregnancy again this time. I HATE not wearing my rings.
Happy or Moody most of the time:Happy to have had so much time away and with my boys but even happier to be home with them and in our own beds in our own cozy house. I loved the beach but it's really REALLY good to be home.
Looking forward to: My 12 week Nuchal Translucency sonogram Monday morning. I am so incredibly nervous for some reason. I don't remember feeling nervous during Henry's pregnancy much at all but this poor baby has had me a mess. I had a horrible nightmare that was a flash back of the moment I got the call warning us Henry might have Spina Bifida although it was about this baby having Down's Syndrome. I'm just praying for peace and for a healthy baby.

10 weeks

 

Ignore my kid behind me, he is playing with his magnets. 

How far along? 10 weeks, baby is the size of a date!

Total weight gain: Still down 4 pounds.

Maternity clothes? Yep. Some mixed in with my regular stuff. Normal shirts but maternity pants and shorts mainly. And I do not care.

Sleep: I sleep whenever I can still. I feel like I was drugged. I can't keep my eyes open. I'm too tired to even get up to pee lately.

Best moment this week:Getting ready for our vacation!

Miss Anything? I would love a glass of wine.

Movement: Eh I swear I feel flutters here and there but I don't think it's baby.

Food cravings:Literally nothing has sounded good. I thought I wanted Panara broccoli and cheese soup and I bought some the other day and never could get myself to eat it.

Anything making you queasy or sick:Nothing in particular, just everything hehe.

Gender: Still too early. Still think girl.

Symptoms: just tired and sick. I'm hoping it passes by the time we go on vacation so I'm not sick in the car but if that doesn't happen, oh well. I've got a great reason for it and I'm thankful. I'll deal.

Belly Button in or out? in
Wedding rings on or off? on. :) I'm hoping I can wear them for the whole pregnancy again this time. I HATE not wearing my rings.
Happy or Moody most of the time:Happy but a little stressed. I am soooooo ready to be on the beach and I have a million things to do before we leave.
Looking forward to: THE BEACH!!!!! and 9 whole days with my boys uninterrupted. Can't beat that.

9 weeks

How far along? 9 weeks, baby is the size of a large grape! Actually he/ she is 3cm long according to my sono on wednesday.

Total weight gain: Down 4 pounds this week. Whoa. Hello morning sickness, my old friend.

Maternity clothes? Absolutely. I have no shame this time around. My regular pants fit still but are getting more snug and I already have alot of maternity clothes from last time. I bought a few things for Florida next week and plan to get a few more. Not necessarily maternity tops just comfy looser flowier stuff that will be comfy and flattering. This bump has popped y'all.

Sleep: I spoke too soon, remember last week when I said pure exhaustion was my only symptom? Read further for an update on that. I am still tired but actually feel a lot better this week. Taylor's parents had themselves a "staycation" this week and wanted to spend it hanging with hank. I took them up on it gladly. I worked 3 extra shifts in as many weeks and it kicked my butt. Between the munchkin running around my house and the munchkin wiggling in my belly, I'm beat. I got to sleep several hour stretches before and after work each day this week. That being said I was awake from 2am-6am for 3 nights strait with horrid stomach pain, read below for that too.

Best moment this week: Having our close out appointment with Dr. Krieg (our reproductive endocrinologist. I.e. infertility doc) and having my first regular OB appointment with Dr. Steinbis. Baby is doing fantastic!

Miss Anything? my energy still.

Movement: I swear I felt a little pop the other day but I know it was just a phantom kick. I still get those a lot from Henry's pregnancy. 3cm is definitely not big enough for me to feel yet. Soon though little one, soon.

Food cravings: NOTHING. nothing has sounded good. The only thing I could stomach this week, oddly enough was pistacios, anything carbonated, a poptart here or there with a glass of cold milk and a hot and cheese sandwich. So weird.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing in particular, it's pretty much everything. I've been super nauseous this week and thrown up several times.

Gender: Not yet. I'm putting my money on girl though. This time I'm serious. This pregnancy has been so different from Henry's so far and the heart rate has been at least 15-20 beats higher at each ultrasound than Henry's was at the matching week.

Symptoms: just tired and sick, sick and tired. But honestly, I'm thrilled to be sick. I know it means there is a baby in there that is healthy and growing and raising my hormone levels enough to cause it. What a blessing. If I have to throw up a few times and not be able to stomach much for a few weeks, it's soooo worth it to me. Call me crazy, but I firmly beleive it. Now... am I thrilled about the idea while spending 15 hours in the car and a week in the sun on the beach while puking and naseous? Not so much. Do I really want to enjoy some fresh seafood and a big fat grouper sandwich from some local shack of a restaraunt? Absolutely! Is this the best timing for sickness to hit me like a ton of bricks? Nope, not so much. But again, worth every single second of it. The only other thing I had this week was a really painful ache in my upper belly almost under my ribs. It lasted for 4 days and nothing seemed to help make it go away, I still have no idea what caused it but it kept me up for 3 night strait because I was hurting. That takes a lot because my pain tolerance is super high so i'll be on the lookout for that.

Belly Button in or out? in
Wedding rings on or off? on. :) I'm hoping I can wear them for the whole pregnancy again this time. I HATE not wearing my rings.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy. I feel really blessed. Seeing the baby this week looking like a baby and not a blob really made my heart sing. I have often been stoic this week because I am kind of in zombie mode but I really am happy. I did chew Taylor out for not letting me hire a beach photographer for family pics and pregnancy announcement pics and I later appologized but I want pictures dang it!
Looking forward to: THE BEACH!!!!! I have been looking at #30a pictures on instagram all week and counting down the days until my toes hit that white sugar sand. I am DYING to get out of here. I have been working hard trying to get pregnant, working extra shifts, taking care of a busy toddler and now creating a human. I think I deserve a break. Taylor does too. He's had a super stressful last few weeks at work and we both need to get out of here. Our road trips are always so much fun and relaxing and despite having Henry with us this time and being a little worried about that. He always is such a good kid and I think/ hope he will have fun with us. This week is just going to be insane packing and getting ready. I work 3 shifts in a row (which I haven't done since Henry was born because it kicks my butt) and then I work tue and thur. So I have every other night to run errands and get hoppin'. I have made a big pile in the corner of my dining room of clean beach towels, beach mat, sun shade tent, new toys for the car, beach toys, camera bag, movies, snacks etc. I am literally SO EXCITED.

8 Weeks

How far along? 8 weeks, baby is the size of a raspberry!

Total weight gain: Up 1 pound give or take, depending on the day.

Maternity clothes? Absolutely. I have no shame this time around. My regular pants fit still but are getting more snug and I already have alot of maternity clothes from last time so I have worn my maternity jeans once and a few maternity t-shirts just because they are more loose and comfy.

Sleep: I am literally exhausted. I make Taylor drive so I can sleep in the car. I nap anytime I get the chance and I go to bed at like 8pm. Chasing Henry and this 100 million degree heat are really taking their toll on me as of late. But that's literally my only symptom and I am thrilled to have it because it means my body is working hard making a human. Can't be mad about that.  

Best moment this week: Having my sister come over the mornings after I work to watch Henry so that I can sleep. :)

Miss Anything? my energy, normally I am full of it.

Movement: WAAY too soon still although I hear it happens faster the second time around because you know what you are feeling for so I keep waiting just in case.

Food cravings: Loaded baked potato and broccoli cheese soup. Odd when it's this hot but whatever.

Anything making you queasy or sick: NOTHING. I am dumb founded. By this time in my pregnancy with Henry I was throwing up 10-15x/day minimum and was on 2 different anti-nausea meds 3x/day. I am so excited.

Gender: Not yet.

Symptoms: just tired and feel like my body is really heavy and takes work to move.

Belly Button in or out? in
Wedding rings on or off? on.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy! I'm overjoyed that I get to experience this again. I can't wait for all the fun that pregnancy brings like baby kicks, and growing bellys, and maternity leggings and eating whatever I want for the holidays and picking a name, decorating a nursery, getting out or buying tiny baby clothes.
Looking forward to: My first appointment with Dr. Steinbis ( I saw her at a delivery last weekend and she gave me a big hug, I just adore her). and my next sono. I want to see this little peanut again and hear it's heart beating away.

7 weeks

How far along? 7 weeks, baby is the size of a blueberry!

Total weight gain: none :) I am really trying to keep it in check this round since I haven't been sick.

Maternity clothes? Nope. Not yet, though I have been looking at sales for some new stuff for this round.

Sleep: So tired. I fall asleep whenever I stop moving, so I try not to. Needless to say, Henry and I have had a few more movie days where we snuggle on the couch than I care to admit.

Best moment this week: Seeing our baby again. Hearing that beautiful heartbeat and being released to OB.

Miss Anything? WINTER

Movement: Too soon. Way to soon.

Food cravings: Nothing yet.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not a thing

Gender: too early.

Symptoms: Just tired.

Belly Button in or out? in
Wedding rings on or off? on.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, just tired.
Looking forward to: All of it. Now that I know what to expect and had such a great first pregnancy and delivery and baby, I just am so excited to do it all again.

Life Lately

I am so annoyed with myself for not keeping up better with this little blog but Henry is mobile and not locked in with a gate anywhere anymore. I can't tell if I'm insane or just hopeful he will stay out of trouble. He does a pretty good job except for the ever tempting dog water dish which is a constant issue and the buffet in the dining room filled with Mommy's candles. I can't complain, I don't want to squash his exploration, just don't prefer him soaking wet and covered with broken glass at the same time. Thus, my attention is turned completely to him, not playing on the computer. Plus he likes to press every button he can manage if I am within arms reach so typing is just impossible unless he is in bed, in which case I want to unwind too.

He is talking so much now days saying phrases like "good girl" " Hi daddy!" "No dawg"  and his other single words like momma, daddy or dadda, night, down (telling Cora to lay down), go, hot and no.
He is legit running now, still bounces off walls a little (literally) but running. He is such a boy, covered in bruises, bumps, scrapes and peanut butter.

He is eating a lot more lately including anything with "sauce" (homeboy loves him some condiments). If I can't get him to eat chicken for example, I put a little salsa, BBQ sauce, ketchup or something near it and he downs an entire chicken breast. Small price to pay for getting the kid to eat. He also is obsessed with all fruits, a good sandwich and some black olives. We constantly work on vegetables and so far the only things he will do is celery and peas. Odd toddler. Odd.

Other than wrangling him we are getting ready for our family vacation. We rented a condo on the sand in Seagrove Beach, Florida. It's along 30A highway between Destin and Panama City. And..... We are driving there. EEeeekkkk! I can't tell if we are insane or just desperate for a vacation. Not only does forcing Henry to sit on my lap for at least one flight not sound fun to me, neither does chasing him through an airport or 3, paying for flights, checking his pack n' play, car seat and stroller among all the rest of the crap you need for a kid. Plus we love road trippin, might as well get our kid used to it right? We have driven to Michigan, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Florida all since we met and we have always had a blast. Something about belting out "Midnight Train to Georgia" pretending I am Gladys Knight while Taylor plays the Pips including hand signals for the train horn that just gets me in a good mood. Henry does pretty good in the car and we are hoping to leave at 3am praying he sleeps until his normal 7am and we will be in St. Louis by then. Then we can get out and let him run around at the park and eat breakfast and hit the road again only to have him be awake for a few hours before he takes his nap around 10 and by the time he wakes up we should be in Nashville for the night. We will spend the night there and take a dip in the hotel pool, go to the Loveless Cafe for those incredible biscuits and call it a night at 7pm when Henry goes to sleep all to get up and do it again the next day. Its 15 hours total so we will do 8 and 7 hour stretches and it should be okay. SHOULD. I'm packing a massive cooler of snacks and a big bag of brand new toys Henry won't have seen before, along with a portable DVD player. We are gonna hunker down and pray to God our plan works and that it's fun.

When we get to the beach, we have our condo on the ground floor complete with a covered porch, grill and small grassy yard all that overlook the ocean, with it's own wooden steps and sand shower that go down to the beach. Our condo has a washer and dryer and full kitchen so I can hopefully do most breakfasts and lunches there and we can eat dinner out at fun local places. I bought a cheap easy pop up beach tent that folds flat into a small bag to help us with some shade and a huge beach blanket that is actually a stiff woven tarp like mat to lay out to avoid the burning sand. The beach is usually pretty empty at this stretch and I can't wait to have Henry see the water and hopefully find shells and animals. I'm a little nervous about the sand thing and how he will react but oh well. We plan to do the gulfarium aquarium that is nearby and the gator farm and a few other fun things to.

Other than that, just working and living. I am going part time at work when we come back from Florida, which will be a huge life shift. I have ALWAYS had two and sometimes three jobs at a time since I graduated from college until I had Henry. We have paid off a lot of debt in our 4 years of marraige working so hard and have nothing but one car payment and some student loans left, Now that a lot of that is out of the way, we feel it's important for me to enjoy our kids when they are little and why not start now with Henry. I am only dropping one shift every 2 weeks so now instead of working 3, 12 hour shifts each week I will do 3 one week, 2 the next, 3, 2 etc etc.  It will mean I only work one night during the week every other week. The rest of the time just fridays and saturdays. The weekend thing isn't always fun, but it gives Henry and Taylor some much needed Daddy/ son bonding time while I sleep on saturdays in between shifts and it knocks out two shifts in a row. This way I will have basically my entire week off work and I get to be even more of a pretend stay at home mommy. Yay for that!