(written January 29th)

I still don’t think I really have a bump to show (and the sweater doesn’t help you see much, either, but it was SO COLD and I really still wanted to take the picture outside)… but here we go 🙂 I’m so excited to write these posts again!

Baby’s size: Crown-to-rump length is 5 to 5.5 inches and weight is about 5.25 ounces.
Maternity clothes?: None yet. My jeans are a size smaller this time around, so I want to wear them even less… but they still button. Maternity jeans are still way too baggy. I tried them one day this week, but I kind of looked like a gangsta with my pants on the ground. Ha.
Gender: We find out in exactly two weeks! I’m so ready for the suspense to be over!
Sleep: I bought a body pillow a few weeks ago, and it is saving my sleep. I don’t know why I didn’t get one last time!
Movement: I’ve been feeling tiny flutters since 11 weeks! I definitely feel Peanut getting stronger every week. Tonight I felt three huge kicks/punches/somethings! I usually feel him/her the most late at night and then again early in the morning when I’m waking up. I’ve missed this so much.
Cravings: Let me just say… I have cravings, but most of the time, I don’t indulge them. On the list this week: frosted mini-wheats, pizza, spaghettios (gross, right?), ice cream, and chocolate-chip cookies. I also crave donuts pretty much 24/7 but haven’t had any since Christmas.
What I miss: Feeling like my clothes fit well, but otherwise, nada.
Anything making you queasy or sick?: I’m not cooking meat. If I’m not careful, milk will turn my stomach, but I think that’s mostly over now. Picking up after the dog/changing diapers was pretty difficult up until this week, too.
Belly Button in or out?: In for sure.
Exercising?: I’ve been great about keeping up with my running, but these polar vortexes the last week or so have been interfering with my mileage. I’m still doing 4-6 miles each time I go out.
Mood: Feeling so blessed. I also cry at the drop of a hat. Don’t tell me any sad stories!
Best moment this week: Going to the Young Women’s New Beginnings activity (for church), and being able to feel so spiritually uplifted. I love that I get to serve them now. It was also great to have a couple of snow days to just rest and enjoy staying in.
Looking forward to: My birthday in two weeks and finding out if we get a prince or a princess! 🙂
Comparison: 18 weeks with Kaya!

I thought it’d be fun to put together a post to answer a few of the questions we’ve gotten this time around… so here we go:

“Was it planned?” I find this question a little awkward… but yes. We knew we wanted to have another baby around this time. So yep, we chose to be this crazy and have another one. I love it.

“How far apart will Kaya and the new baby be?” 21 months. I really have no idea what having a 21-month old and a newborn will be like, but I’m sure there will be challenging days… especially in the beginning. What I’m really looking forward to is seeing them grow up together and hopefully be best friends.

“Are you going to move?” We currently live in a two-bedroom apartment (with a den), which I think is plenty of space. I shared a bedroom until I was fourteen, so I fully plan on keeping these two kiddos together.

“Have you been sick?” I never really talked too much about it on the blog, but with Kaya, I had horrible morning all-day sickness. So far, this pregnancy has been almost identical. The last time I got sick with Kaya was at 13 weeks, and this time it was 16 weeks. I still get waves of nausea from time to time, but I’m doing a whole lot better now. Meat was gross to me with Kaya… and it still is. I actually lost a couple of pounds in the first trimester this time, though (maybe I didn’t with Kaya just because Michael would bring me anything he knew I could keep down… like gummy worms or doughnuts. I’ve been a stickler about eating my salads and not a lot of candy this time).

“So are you hoping for a boy this time?” I know that we will be happy with either a prince or princess. Honestly though, I’d love to reuse all the girl stuff we already have! I’d also love for Kaya to have a sister so close in age, but I know from personal experience how awesome little brothers can be 🙂 We find out in a couple weeks… I’m so excited!

“Are you still running?” Yes sir, yes ma’am, I sure am. I’ve been keeping up with my regular 20 or so total miles per week (minus the polar vortex days). Hopefully I’ll be running right up until the end like I did last time.

A few other fun facts…

We’ve nicknamed this baby “Peanut”. (Remember how Kaya was “Munchkin”)?

I’m actually pretty amazed at how similar this pregnancy has been to my first. I’ve got the same cravings (chocolate, pizza, donuts, cookies… etc.), and my morning sickness started at the exact same time, with the same severity. I’d say that it seemed a little better this time though, mostly because I already had an idea of how to deal with it (and I have a toddler to chase around, so I couldn’t mope around all day thinking about how sick I felt). I would often get sick in the morning, be okay during the day, and feel sick again around dinner time. With Kaya, I would get sick and then feel a bit better all day, or not get sick and then feel awful all day.

Call me crazy, but I seriously think I started feeling this one’s tiny flutters at 11 weeks! They usually are on the right side of my tummy, which is exactly where my OB found the heartbeat at my first appointment. I felt Kaya at 15 weeks, and supposedly you feel your second even earlier, so I think it’s totally possible.

Round ligament pain seems a whole lot worse this time around, and I’ve already had an achey pelvis from time to time. I am actually pretty amazed at how much earlier I’ve had these pains this time around. It’s nothing unbearable though.

Hopefully I’ll be starting “bump” pictures this week (although I really think there is nothing to show, just like last time at 18 weeks)!