23 Week Updates: Baby 2.0

How far along? 23 weeks today!

How big is baby? We got to see her last week at an in-depth heart ultrasound appointment (yes- it's another girl! Haven't gotten around to a post related to that reveal yet). Thankfully all looked great and healthy and our little lady measured around 1 pound, 2 ounces- everything right on track for our end of July due date.

One of my favorite shots from the ultrasound- baby girl chowing down on her little hand

How big is Mama? The weight gain has slowed to a steady crawl: I am up just a little over a pound from last week (1.4 pounds) for a total weight of 130.4, so 20.4 pounds total gain in the pregnancy so far. Seeing pictures of my belly lately astound me; it is definitely out there for the world to see!

Fun fact: the room I took this photo in will eventually be the baby's nursery!

I LOVE this shot my brother took at Easter. This is the expression Iyla had when I asked her to 'hug her baby sister.' Ha!

Sleep? I'm falling asleep pretty easily, but in the last week have been waking at some point in the very early morning (I never let myself look at the clock) and having trouble falling back asleep.

Food cravings/aversions? Nothing specific. The food that rocked my world over the Easter weekend was my mom's shrimp dip (served with good 'ole Lays potato chips) and the monkey bread I made for Easter brunch. All super naughty and delicious holiday treats!

Symptoms? 

*I'd forgotten to mention in my last update that around my 20 week point the Braxton Hicks contractions began. They aren't too bad or frequent (yet) but definitely make themselves known upon arrival. 

*Having the same issues with my hips and thighs… if I sit too long or stand too long I end up waddling around feeling tight and in pain. Lying down is really the only thing that alleviates this, so I've been trying to recline on our couch as able on and off throughout the day. 

*I've been experiencing increased energy over the past week, which is a welcome surprise!

Big sister? Iyla is full of energy, creativity, joy, & feist these days. I guess that equates to your typical 3 year old! She is such a conscientious, empathetic, intelligent girl… and we just adore her. Some items of late to note:

*She has been really into rhyming lately, and is quite good at it! She'll ask me things like "do sew and doe rhyme?" and definitely knows the difference between rhyming and non-rhyming words. Future poet perhaps?

*One really sweet thing Iyla's been doing for quite awhile now that I keep forgetting to record: when she first sits down on her little floor potty, she always wants to "snuggle" BC or I, which looks like her wrapping her arms around our necks and giving us a big hug as she does her business. As soon as she is done she'll release us and go about singing and playing for as long as we will let her sit there.

*She is very methodical in her room organization and routine. In her bed she has a tall pile of blankets and assorted stuffed animals at one end of her bed (and knows exactly which animals are to go where), and has recently been making a 'cave door' at her bed's opening with stuffed animals. Her water has to be JUST SO at the base of her bed, and all doors need to be strategically shut before we leave her room for nap or bedtime; first her closet, then the bedroom door, then the locking of the gate outside her bedroom. She is definitely an organized little lady who likes her routines.

Here are a few shots from her past week:

This was how she spent the entire Easter weekend: putting on 'shows' with her feather boa and pom-pons

Ready for breakfast with Papa before school drop-off

Little mermaid waiting for her swim lesson

Ice-cream date! She wanted sprinkles and gummy bears on her sundae

Post ice-cream sugar high ride

Her class got to try on their recital outfits at dance class this week. She was SO excited!

Most looking forward to? Figuring out and finalizing our trip for the end of April. Due to recent budget changes we are having to rethink everything, and it is proving to be a creative challenge! I'm curious to see what we end up with. The goal is for BC and I to have a quiet week with just the two of us connecting and relaxing.

In parting, a couple sweet shots of my little lady and I. We hardly ever get good pictures of the two of us together, so I am loving having several from our Easter weekend!

Love love LOVE this shot my brother took at Easter

That Easter photo reminded me of this sweet one from 3 years prior

Easter 2016

We have a track record for hosting infamous Easter celebrations here at our home, and this year was no different.

The first year after Iyla was born (2013), I ended up taking her to an after hours Emergency Clinic the day of our celebration due to her relentless crying & discomfort. After enduring a catheter, lots of poking and prodding and many tears, I was told she must be teething (which is hilarious in retrospect, given she was 4 months old and didn't get her first tooth until 15 months!) . She spent the rest of our celebration clinging to me in misery.

2014? Thankfully and miraculously drama free.

Then on the eve of our 2015 celebration, Iyla ended up splitting her chin open on the way to bed and we spent 4 hours at the ER, where our poor little lady had to get 5 stitches.

This year? At least for once it wasn't Iyla bringing on the excitement... it was BC.

The night before we were to host 16 family members at our home, he announced he hadn't been feeling well for most of the day. I promptly sent him up to bed and told him to stay away, rest, and wash his hands religiously.

He ended up spending the ENTIRE day of our celebration sequestered in an upstairs bedroom sick with some kind of achey/feverish virus. Which meant I had to assume the hosting duties for the both of us. My parents thankfully came up early and were a huge help, but I was still exhausted from it all. Being almost 6 months pregnant (and looking/feeling more like 8-9 months pregnant) + being on my feet all day + entertaining left me incredibly sore and spent.

Despite all of that we did manage to have a lovely celebration. True to my Easter tradition I had the meal catered (thank GOD!)- and Iyla was absolutely on Cloud Nine all.day.long, being bathed in love and attention and sugary treats.

Iyla had fun helping me decorate our Easter eggs in preparation for the big day:

On the morning of our gathering, I took Iyla with me to a client appointment (BC was supposed to be watching her during this, but alas, was too ill to help) and then out to run a few last minute errands. While we were at Target Iyla spied a fancy pink Easter dress in the toddler section and point blank told me that THIS was what she was going to wear for Easter. Never mind that I already had a dress purchased and waiting in her closet; I knew better than to tempt the Toddler Gods and the dress came home with us (thankfully on sale).

Iyla was absolutely thrilled to wear it, and insisted that I style her hair in a bun to complete the look. Then, when I inquired about which shoes she wanted to wear, she promptly informed me that "bears don't wear shoes." 

Alrighty then!

She then declared herself a "pink bear" and wore this ensemble for both days of the Easter weekend:

Mimi and Grampy brought her a special Easter basket, and her favorite spoils from it were gummy bears, a Sofia the First Clover bunny, and a wand toy:

When the rest of the family arrived, it was all I could do not to literally eat up our little cousin Samantha. So much cuteness!

Here, a few more shots from our gathering (where we also celebrated Uncle Doug and Shanny's birthdays):

We had our family celebration on the Saturday before Easter, and on Easter proper the "Easter Bunny" dropped off another basket for Iyla:

Hands down her favorite things in this basket were the new books: 101 Dalmations, Beauty and the Beast, Ella Bella Ballerina and Cinderella, and a Mermaid sticker activity book. Mimi, Grampy, and I took turns reading to her for the rest of the morning:

And much like Jesus, BC had his own miraculous resurrection on Sunday- arising from his sick bed with enough energy to go play golf with the boys (!).

So there you have it, another infamous Easter in the books!

Bluebonnet Baby 2016

On Good Friday, Iyla and I met up with friends at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center for our yearly pilgrimage toward obtaining Bluebonnet flower photos.

Here are the results:

Iyla had a blast running and playing throughout the gardens during our visit. I wouldn't say this is the most vibrant or beautiful patch of Bluebonnets I've seen, but nonetheless- we came, we conquered, we photographed!

Bluebonnet photos 2016: CHECK.

22 Week Updates: Baby 2.0

How far along? 22 weeks today!

How big is baby? Baby is estimated around 11 inches in length and 1 pound in weight. Baby is now sleeping in cycles- up to 12-14 hours/day. I definitely know when she is awake due to all the kicks in various locations around my tummy! This little one doesn't stay in one place; I was reading back to Iyla's 22 week updates and noted that I always felt her on my right side. This one? Right, left, up, down- she definitely likes to boogie in there.

Weight gain? I wasn't able to weigh in last week due to our trip to Wimberley, but this morning the scale read 129 pounds- so only about a 1.4 pound gain during the last TWO weeks. Definitely a slowdown, though my belly continues to grow. 19 pound total gain so far in this pregnancy.

And no, I don't have white smears all over my pants! This mirror always gives off strange light reflections.

Sleep? Overall still doing well there, with the occasional restless night. I slept really really well in Wimberley, and not so well during our time in Houston (due to a certain 3 year old roommate I had!)

Food cravings/aversions? I continue to have aversions to seafood and anything complex in flavor. I crave sweet things on a daily basis- nothing specific, though the thought of hot fudge sundaes does make me swoon.

Symptoms? I think I have finally gotten used to my sore hips and thighs. I do nightly yoga stretches and also roll out my back with a ball to alleviate the tightness and pain. Yesterday evening I was in a LOT of pain, which is usually my body's way of telling me I overdid it during the day and was on my feet too much. It doesn't take a whole lot to push me into the pain threshold, so I definitely have to take it way easier than normal these days!

Big sister? Iyla seems to have grown up quite a bit in the past week. Her language skills are advancing a lot, and she is now trying to negotiate things on a daily basis. And if she doesn't get her way, LOOK OUT! Full on pleading "pleeeeeeeeeease" quickly followed by very emotive tantrums. These usually revolve around her wanting to watch "just one more itsy bitsy video."

Iyla loves helping me decorate for Holidays, so I put her to work designing our Easter window display and helping place bunnies and chicks around the house. She's actually been a really good helper overall lately, happily helping clean up her toys, set the table, and fetch things upon request.

She also likes to occasionally ask me "am I going to be a big sister?" It's the sweetest, and I truly hope that when the time comes she genuinely enjoys this new title and role! 

Most looking forward to? I have a special ultrasound tomorrow morning to look at baby's heart (there wasn't anything alarming prompting this visit- it was an optional appointment recommended by my doc due to IVF babies having a higher risk for heart defects). I'm excited to see the baby again! I am also looking forward to date night with BC Thursday, as it's been over two weeks since he and I were able to connect sans toddler interruptions.