Baby G2 Belly - 24 Weeks

How far along? 24 Weeks

Baby size? Five. Five Dollar. Five Dollar Foot Looooooong. About a foot long and weighs about 1-1/3 pounds

What's going on with the baby? Her see-through skin is gradually becoming more opaque and it's got a new pink glow, thanks to the small capillaries that have recently formed.

Total weight gain/loss: Joe refers to me as "Godzilla" as I stomp my way through our toy-filled living room.

Maternity clothes? Or as I like to call them... clothes. I'm going to wear these elastic dream pants forEVER. My goal is to forget how to zip pants. 

Stretch marks? Nope

Sleep: What's that? I wake up to flip over to a more comfortable side about 37 times a night and about 3 of those I get up to pee. At least I'm burning calories?

Best(?) moment this week: Baby is now "viable" which means baby could potentially be delivered!!! But at the same time... it would mean a LOT of time in the NICU... Which is the scariest thing ever to me. This baby is officially "grounded" until the late 30's weeks of pregnancy. 

Awkward moment this week: Conversation with stranger at bank:

Man: When are you due?

Me: January

Man: WHOA! That far away?!?!

Me: Yup

Man: Is this your TWELFTH kid?!?!?!

Craziest dream this week: I decided to add this category because my dreams are getting nuts. 

1) I was in a circus, dressed as a clown and when our show ended, we all jammed into a tank and went off to fight in the military. It was intense. And hilarious.

Miss anything? Copious amounts of caffeine

Movement: Lots of taps & kicks. Mostly when I'm driving and ESPECIALLY when I'm driving the electric gem cart around campus at work. It's especially bumpy and the bouncing must jolt this baby awake!

Food cravings: Ice cold coke and anything salty.... So this belly is likely 10% baby and 90% bloat

Anything making you queasy or sick? Random days I get nauseous. But I power through and eat a solid bajillion calories anyway.

Have you started to show yet? I've been asked twice in the past week if I'm having twins. 

Gender prediction: Girl

Labor signs: Negative.

Belly button in or out? In, but threatening otherwise.

Wedding rings on or off? On. Sometimes a little TOO on. Like, omg this might not ever come off. I give it another month or so, then I'll have to take it off before the jaws of life get recruited.

Happy or moody most of the time? Moody. If you see me on the street, look out I might bite. 

Looking forward to: Cooler, Fall weather. Plus the layered clothing and hot drinks that come with it!

Baby G2 Belly - 24 Weeks

Baby Hailey Belly - 24 Weeks

I mean, I get why people keep asking if I'm having twins. Baby G2 sure is spreading out in there!

Baby G2 Belly - 22 Weeks

How far along? 22 weeks

Baby size? About 11 inches long and weighs about a pound

What's going on with the baby? She/he is forming little nipples; the face is fully formed and just needs some extra fat to fill it out; they're listening to my heartbeat, and voice 

Total weight gain/loss: Well, my feet are still visible... if I kind of lean over a tad.

Maternity clothes? Score of the week: Found a maternity Giants top to last me through the season!!! Which is great because plan B was to wear a bra and paint my belly black and orange every game.

Stretch marks? Nu-uh

Sleep: Sure would be better if we didn't have a 2-year-old sleep regression going on! But can't blame that on Baby G2 ;-)

Best moment this week: Nesting! In the attempt to avoid total toddler traumatization when baby arrives, we're trying to start the new shared sibling room layout early. For now, the goal is to move Hailey from her crib-turned-toddler-bed into a new toddler bed and turn her crib back into a newborn crib for Baby G2...

Dad builds furniture, I build life. Even Steven.

Final Product...

Ta Da!!

Not a bad room for two kids right? Well in the eyes of my toddler, WRONG! Hailey has decided she wants nothing to do with the new toddler bed and sleep is for the weak. Insert 2 year old sleep regression here... ugh.

Miss anything? My award-winning sleeping toddler. And wine. 

Movement: Plenty :) Mostly on the lower half of my belly.

Food cravings: ALLTHEFOODS

Anything making you queasy or sick? Iron pills

Have you started to show yet? Sure have!

Gender prediction: I'm throwing this one to Hailey this week... asked her if she thinks she's getting a baby brother or baby sister. Her response: buduh. So boy.

Labor signs: Nada.

Belly button in or out? In. 

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Happy or moody most of the time? Is tired a mood?

Looking forward to: Getting back my stamina to chase after Hailey. Thank goodness newborns can't run.

Full disclosure: this week's belly pic was taken in the afternoon after a full breakfast & lunch (rather than the typical 1st thing in the morning... so some of that is baby, some of that is Chipotle... 

Baby G2 Belly

Baby Hailey Belly

Baby G2 Belly - 20 Weeks

How far along? 20 weeks. Halfway Baked!!!!!

Baby size? 6-1/2 inches from head to bottom, 10 inches from head to heel, and 11 ounces

Total weight gain/loss: Pleading the fifth.

Maternity clothes? Yep. Stretchy shirts and a hardhat has been my uniform at work all month.

Stretch marks? Nope

Sleep: Up once or twice a night, sometimes for a while but pouring into my kindle helps with that, so no major complaints.

Best moment this week: The 20 week anatomy scan! Found out our baby is healthy and growing and even has a three vessel cord! (Hailey only had a 2 vessel cord, which was fine but of course I was worried about it) So hooray! 

Hi Baby!!!!!!!!

Miss anything? Biking. The three (and a half!) of us went for a family ride on the weekend, Hailey in her Trailer and the parents on our bikes. My belly is officially big enough that I have to ride with my knees flailing out like duck wings. As graceful as I look, I'm excited to get back on the bike after having this baby. Well, maybe not IMMEDIATELY after having this baby, but you know what I mean. haha!

Movement: Plenty of belly "pops". And a couple of times they were pretty regular, so I'd like to think it's hiccups!!! My FAV!!!

Food cravings: Just about anything in mass quantity. Extra points if it rhymes with "Flaming Hot Meetos"

Anything making you queasy or sick? Iron pills. I tend to get a little anemic with pregnancy so I'm trying to amp up on the Iron, but man do those pills suck.

Have you started to show yet? Sure have!

Gender prediction: Boy. or maybe girl. or maybe boy. Definitely human.

Labor signs: Nada

Belly button in or out? In. 

Wedding rings on or off? On. 

Happy or moody most of the time? Moody. Work's been a little crazy lately (my end-of-summer rush to finish construction before students move in has hit) and Hailey's emerging 2 year molars are making us a little... well bitchy. Poor Joe. He needs to go buy stock in Children's Tylenol and Ice Cream for us gals. 

Looking forward to: Putting together a game plan for the nursery! And miraculously adding about 500 square feet of baby space to our house. A mama can dream can't she?

Baby G2 Belly - 20 Weeks

Baby Hailey Belly - 20 Weeks

Baby G2 Belly - 18 Weeks

How far along? 18 weeks

Baby size? 5 1/2 inches long (head to rump), 7 ounces

Total weight gain/loss: If there was a way for me to hide this information from my doctor, I would.

Maternity clothes? Due to the "if it fits, I sits"policy, yes. Because nothing else fits.

Stretch marks? Nope.

Sleep: Only up about once a night for the most part! Thanks mostly to second trimester goodness and the HUGE benefit of our portable AC unit that we finally set up over this week's past heat wave. 

Best moment this week: Hailey's 2nd Birthday Celebrations! I was JUST righting these posts about HER in my belly and now she's two! AHHH!!!!

Miss anything? VINO!

Movement: Confirmed!!!! And even Joe felt it for the first time with a few hard baby knocks lying in bed one night!!! Greatest feeling ever when he can experience it too. Happened about a week earlier than last pregnancy this time :)

Food cravings: 

Anything making you queasy or sick? Anything that comes out of Donald Trump's mouth. Other than that, not really :)

Have you started to show yet? Only if you have eyes that work.

Gender prediction: One of the electricians on my construction site this week asked what I was having and I told him we were keeping it a surprise. He then told me I was having a boy based on my belly. WHICH is exactly what people told me about my Hailey belly, so I'm definitely having a girl this time. Definitely. 

Labor signs: Nope. 

Belly button in or out? In.

Wedding rings on or off? On. 

Happy or moody most of the time? Happy! Loving second trimester, Hailey's generally in great spirits, I love my job and I my husband is amazing. Also, I just ate a huge delicious meal which MAY be affecting my judgement as I'm typing this.

Looking forward to: More kicks, big enough for Hailey to feel! I'd love to see her reaction.

Baby G2 Belly - 18 Weeks

And just to confirm how much bigger my belly is this time.. Here's what pregnancy #1 at 18 weeks looked like. 

Baby Hailey Belly - 18 Weeks

Baby G2 Belly - 16 Weeks

How far along? 16 weeks

Baby size? 4.6 inches long (head to rump), 3.5 ounces

Total weight gain/loss: I try to avoid knowing this number as much as possible. You should too.

Maternity clothes? Oh yes. And I've got about five giant bins of clothes from half a dozen girlfriends. I cannot WAIT for winter when I can wear a bunch of their cute long sleeve bump shirts. With Hailey born in the heat of August, I basically dreaded having to wear any clothes at all, so I'm pretty stoked to cozy up with some long sleeve winter maternity tops this time!

Stretch marks? Nope.

Sleep: I'm up about 2 times a night. Fortunately it's only because I have to pee, and NOT because Hailey's up. I'm praying that this baby is as good at sleeping through the night as big sister is!

Best moment this week: Moving Hailey out of the crib and into a toddler bed! This was a step that we were dreading before baby G2 arrived but Hailey handled it like a pro! Just one less transition we have to worry about when these two become roommates!

Miss anything? Wine. And I miss it WAY more than last time. I think having a toddler has something to do with that because one of my saviors after a temperamental Hailey going to bed used to be a nice heaping glass of Merlot. But hey I'll settle for ice cream ;-)

Movement: Possibly? Or maybe that was just gas. I'm trying not to read too much into it and after working all day and chasing around a toddler all night, I'm not exactly waiting around to analyze each bubble in my stomach... Ain't nobody got tie fo' dat! 

Food cravings: Pickles. Dill Pickles. Cold, delicious Claussen Dill Pickles. Also, anything that contains calories. MMMMMM food.

Anything making you queasy or sick? First Trimester wasn't great. Milk (again) was the main culprit but I'd say it was similar to if not slightly more intense morning sickness than my last pregnancy. Again, I had to constantly snack, as any sign of an empty stomach would send me to barf town. Thankfully I've entered the glory days that are second trimester! So long morning sickness! 

Have you started to show yet? Yep. Belly exploded super early this time, I probably look a good month or two ahead of where I was at 16 weeks with Hailey. Of course, 1st-time-pregnant Jen was a heck of a lot thinner to start with than second-time-pregnant Jen, so I've go that going for me. 

Gender prediction: Changes daily hourly but I've been having more boy intuitions lately. 

Labor signs: Negatory.

Belly button in or out? In.

Wedding rings on or off? On. I was hoping that a winter baby might give me a fighting chance at less swollen fingers, but unless I step away from the bloat-inducing pickle jars, I'm going to have to start looking for some trendy wedding ring necklace chains.

Happy or moody most of the time? 99% dependent on how well my 2 year old is behaving that day. 

Looking forward to: Feeling some movement! I remember how often Hailey had the hiccups and even when she gets them today, I get nostalgic.

Weekly Photo (and playing catch-up from the beginning)

You'll notice it's laundry day and I'm not wearing the same tank from my previously planned photos. So we'll just nix that whole cute same-bi-weekly-outfit idea!

12 weeks - We were on vacation so that one's missing :) 

Love Hailey's Expression here

Summer Road Trip Part 2: SoCal & DISNEYLAND

Back on the road (which may have involved a 12 hour stomach bug for one toddler in our car, resulting in vomit EVERYWHERE) we were forging on! Thankfully Hailey made a quick recovery and the puke smell was eventually detailed out of my car. However, this episode DID result in Hailey getting her pacifier, which she otherwise only gets at night, and rather than re-train her out of it on our vacay, she's got paci-face in the ensuing saga of vacation pictures. 

Once we reached LA (pit stop visiting my awesome family in Santa Monica) I was eager to see UCLA and the changes on campus since I hadn't been back for about 5 years... plus I had to show Hailey her future school ;-) 

Here are a few highlights from our college tour:

Obligatory Bruin Pic!

They grow up so fast!

One of my favs... Hailey chasing me. And yes, I run like that. 

Can you find us??

Checking out the UCLA swag.

Next stop: DISNEYLAND!!! This was Hailey's first trip and Joe hadn't been since he was about 5, so this was his first memorable time being there. It was a big deal.

SMALL WORLD! Hailey's liked the ride more than her expression shows it.

Toon Town Sillyness

Playing in Minnie's House

Playing in Mickey's House

We met Mickey! Hailey only freaked out shortly after this shot was taken.

Dumbo Ride! And Mommy didn't throw up! SUCCESS!

Waiting for the Buzz Lightyear ride

Easily my favorite ride. And thanks to a handy applesauce pouch, Hailey loved it too.

Submarine Ride!

My husband is a PRO at sleeping through pictures. I may have to make an album of his blink pics.

We bought this hat for Hailey and once it was on, she FINALLY took a nap. Best $30 ever spent. 

 Walking around the park, we decided to check out the Tea Cups...

What are these giant cups and why am I not in one?

Sheer Joy

 Hailey discovered her FAVORITE ride. EVER. Thankfully there was no line, so Daddy & Hailey continued to ride different cups SEVEN times in a row. Mommy played photographer on the sidelines to avoid covering every rider in vomit.

Tea Cups Ride #6

Waiting to ride!

She has no idea what's coming...

Whoa! Everything's in 3D now!

Discovering a Bug's Life

Hailey has since referred to this "bug" picture about 999 times.

Carousel!

I'd say Disneyland was a success! And exhausting to say the least. I'm thinking next time we're going to bring grandparents as reinforcements :) Thankfully our wonderful Santa Monica family took us in for a night to recover from all that walking!

Unfortunately this is the only pic I have with our Santa Monica Fam. Hailey has learned the art of spraying Aunt Karen with the hose

After we were packed up the next day, we were back on the road. Not to be out-colleged, Joe made sure we visited SLO on our return trip. We got the added bonus that it was Thursday night, which meant Farmer's Market night!

mmmm Corn on a Stick

Hailey's a sucker for walking teddy bears

Whew! Not bad for a family road trip. Now if only we could get a vacation to recover from our vacation...