12 Weeks

Baby is the Size of a Roborovski Hamster

(yes I skipped a week, this may happen every now and then, #momlife)

New for baby this week?  Practicing breathing by inhaling amniotic fluid, developing reflexes (would move if poked), about 2 inches long

Total weight gain/loss? Still no gain.

Maternity clothes? No.

Stretch marks?  No.

Sleep? Feeling a little more energized, but still love a good nap.

Best moment this week?  Getting to hear baby's heartbeat via doppler.

Miss Anything? I miss enjoying a morning coffee.  I have had zero problems limiting caffeine since becoming pregnant because it never tastes good to me.  I still enjoy the smell and holding a warm cup in my hand though.

Movement?  Anxiously awaiting.

Food cravings?  French fries. Wings.

Anything making you queasy or sick? This has gotten much better.  

Have you started to show yet? I have a small bump, but nothing too noticeable. 

Gender? I really have this sneaky suspicion this baby is a boy, even though the pregnancy is so different.

Labor Signs? Not for a long long time.

Belly Button in or out?  In.

Wedding rings on or off? On.

How is mama feeling? I am finally starting to feel more like myself. The nausea is slowing down and I have a little more energy. Thankful the sciatica pain has went away, at least temporarily.

Looking forward to?  The second trimester (my favorite) coming soon! Finishing up our half bathroom remodel.

I had my 12 week checkup this week.  I was super excited we were able to pick up the heartbeat via doppler.  It is so exciting to hear, never gets old! It is so easy to forgot you are pregnant when your belly is so small and you can't feel any movement, so it's a nice reminder that all is well.  Everything is checking out great.  All of my blood work is good, and baby's heartbeat is holding strong in the 150's. Bring on the second trimester! And the baby bump.  How long until I can't see my feet?! Or bend?! Just so happy to be feeling better.

Football season is in full swing.  Grandma and Grandpa Roelle came to watch Bran so Joe and I could go to the OSU vs. Oklahoma game.  We went to Jim's tailgate and were so excited to catch a night game in the shoe.  Unfortunately the excitement was short lived because our Buckeyes suffered a sad loss to Oklahoma, 31-16.  This is not a good start towards a national championship.  Baby L 2.0 was really hoping for a "born a champion" blanket next spring.

 The following weekend we took Bran down to campus with us to sell our OSU vs. Army tickets.  Bran did great riding around in his stroller.  He got really excited to watch the band march from the Shoe over to St. John Arena for skull session. But his favorite part was definitely yelling "airplane" everytime he saw one flying and watching the helicopter land at the hospital.

Decked out in his Buckeye gear, including matching shoes from Target.

Future Buckeye?

We also helped celebrate Henry's first birthday.  Bran was surrounded by a lot of one year old babies at this party, he looked huge!  Henry was nice enough to let Bran take a ride in his new wagon.

Bran has been super snuggly lately.  I love every minute! He loves to climb in my lap or next to me on the couch and snuggle up.  He also loves it when I play with his hair. Oh the love I have for this little boy.  I can't wait to see him as a big brother, but I will selfishly love on just him while I still can.

Photo Ops

Is it time for a haircut yet? Getting pretty wild.

Bran loves helping out around the house.

10 Weeks

Baby is the Size of a Tetra Fish

New for baby this week?  Fingers and toes are no longer webbed, diaphragm is growing, eyes moving into their proper place.

Total weight gain/loss? -1 lbs. 

Maternity clothes? No.

Stretch marks? No.

Sleep? As much as I can get. 

Best moment this week?  Labor Day

Miss Anything? Not really.

Movement? No.

Food cravings? No. 

Anything making you queasy or sick? Lack of sleep. 

Have you started to show yet? At night I look like I have a tiny bump, but in general no.

Gender? I think I am starting to be sold on not finding out again.

Labor Signs? No.

Belly Button in or out?  In. 

Wedding rings on or off? On.

How is mama feeling? Tired and nauseous. Every time I get a good day (or two) it sneaks back up on me.

Looking forward to?  Fall. Even though I am really sad to see summer come to an end. OSU vs. Oklahoma game.

Wow, week 10 of 40.  Already a quarter of the way there.  Now that is hard to believe. Even with not feeling the best, this pregnancy is just flying by.  This second round is just so much busier with already chasing a toddler around.  I swear the holidays will be here, then Bran's birthday, and then it will be time for a baby before I can blink. 

It has been a pretty low key week for us.  Work, errands, and the normal routine just seem to make the days fly by.  Joe was on second call Labor Day weekend and spent a lot of time at the hospital.  Luckily these call weekends are spread out but we sure do miss him when he gets stuck at work. I am not looking forward to juggling these kinds of weekends by myself with a newborn and toddler, but I am sure those days will be short lived. Joe did got some time away Sunday afternoon.  Just in time for Grandma Roelle, Aunt Renee, Uncle Aaron, and Jaden to visit.  We had a cookout at our house and enjoyed the sunshine (which was appreciated after a couple cold/rainy days). We all went to Handel's for ice cream after dinner.  Bran was a riot.  He kept going from person to person to get a bite of ice cream, although I think Grandma's orange sherbet was his favorite.  We let him run off some of the sugar at the park afterwards.  Of course he immediately went for the biggest slide on the playground, and then that was all he wanted to do.  This kid has no fear.

Apparently I need to buy his own pair of Buckeye shoes since he was obsessed with Uncle Aaron's.

Don't tell Mom but Aunt Renee stole me a bite of potato salad.

Although it isn't officially fall, the cooler temperatures have sure made it feel like it.  Plus Buckeye football has started, and we got our first win over Indiana! This little man is going to be sad to see the warmer temperatures slip away.  He sure loves to sneak outside in just a diaper whenever he can, which he took full advantage of one toasty afternoon (which has been rare these days).

9 Weeks

Baby is the size of an Eastern Tailed Blue Butterfly

(Joe reminded me I need to get back on the bump pic routine, next week I promise!)

New for baby this week?  1 inch long, no longer an embryo, officially a fetus, organ systems are forming and dividing, baby is developing tiny muscles and making tiny reflex movements

Total weight gain/loss? Still even.

Maternity clothes? No.

Stretch marks? No.

Sleep? So sleepy.  I have been trying to sneak in a few naps.

Best moment this week?  Anniversary.  

Miss Anything? Having an appetite.  I can eat and hold stuff down, but nothing has been sounding very good.

Movement? No.

Food cravings?  No.

Anything making you queasy or sick? Still battling the underlying nausea. 

Have you started to show yet? No.

Gender? Lots of people thinking girl.  Which makes me want to guess boy.

Labor Signs? No.

Belly Button in or out? In.

Wedding rings on or off? On.

How is mama feeling? Tired. 

Looking forward to? This first trimester wrapping up and hopefully starting to feel a little better.  I thank Bran all the time for being such an easy baby on me while he was in my belly.  I never would have known I was pregnant with him until I started showing.  It has been a much different experience this time around.

Joe and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary. It was a very low key day.  It's funny how life with kids changes that. 
1) First Anniversary-long weekend trip to Chicago
2) Second Anniversary- floating the river in Asheville
3) Third Anniversary- pregnant with Bran, enjoyed a fancy dinner out
4) Fourth Anniversary- took Bran to Local Roots for dinner with us
Our fifth anniversary fell on a Friday and we both worked, so by the time we got home and got Bran settled I was exhausted.  Joe ordered us a nice arrangement (haha) from Donatos for dinner which really hit the spot (especially since not much has been tasting great lately).  I promised Joe a kid free weekend sometime before Baby L 2.0 makes an appearance, so I really need to get on planning that.  Joe surprised me with a new anniversary band to go with my wedding set.  I love it.  He really spoils me.

It is so hard to believe how much can change in five years and how quickly those years really do fly by.  But I am happy with where we have settled.  Building a family is busy and has its challenges, but I couldn't imagine life any other way at this point. Fast forward to later anniversaries and I am sure I will be wondering where the pregnancy/baby/toddler years went. 

That same weekend we went over to Dayton to the Siefkers end of summer party.  We also got to catch up with the Burgers and Browns, and had a good time seeing all of the kiddos.

Bran continues to be a total ham.  I just love this kid's personality.  He is so outgoing.  He has to yell "hi" to everyone we cross paths with (even when they are way too far away to even hear him).  His vocabulary is massive and sometimes I am amazed at how many words he knows and how clearly he can say them. We have really lucked out with this kid.  Great eater, great sleeper, minimal "toddler moments" (tantrums). I guess we'll keep him.  

Hanging out watching a show.  Jealous of his baby tan.