God Speed

    Friday was such a stressful day for me. My husband broke his finger last weekend, and he ended up needing surgery on Friday. At 5 a.m. 45 minutes away. I knew sitting in the surgery center with a 20 month old was going to be impossible, and we don't have family here. One of the other Marine wives offered to help, but it was kind of just a "play by ear" situation. I ended up going in with Adam, and then Connor and I went home until the doctors called me. Adam was done, and I was back to pick him up by 8 a.m., and we were on our way home by 8:30. Once I got home, I had to turn around and go to the baby doctor, (All is perfect), and then I had to drop Connor off at home for a nap and run errands. Phew, I thought my day was rough. My mom called me when I was in Wal-mart and informed me of the CT shootings...
    I don't think I really understood what she was saying. I had obviously not been on facebook, and I was so confused. "What do you mean someone shot up an elementary school?!" She was misinformed for sure.. No. I came home and immediately put on the news. I was in complete and utter shock, and all I could do was just hold my baby tight. Friday night I went to bed with the tragedy on my mind, and woke up with a soaked pillow. I had a nightmare about the shooting and sobbed in my sleep, waking up with swollen eyes. Same thing on Saturday night. I had  a dream about someone dying, and I woke up to a wet pillow and swollen eyes. I have been going about my days with my family, but I cannot shake the sadness that is so overwhelming, and the tears are flowing at night. There is a poem I read online today, and as I was reading it to my husband I broke down. I couldn't read it without crying. My heart aches with sorrow and sympathy for those poor families. There is no greater love than that of a parent, and theirs was ripped away from them because of a selfish, horrible, tragic act. What do you say at a moment like this? I will never understand why people commit such horrific crimes, and I hope and pray to God that I never have to go through the pain and suffering that these parents are going through right now at this moment. Right before Christmas. Their Christmases will never ever be the same. Nor will any day of their lives. All I ask is that everyone prays. Pray for a these families who lost their babies. I know these sweet babies are cloaked in God's loving arms, but at this time, I know the parents of these children would rather be the ones holding their babies tight. I am so thankful for my sweet little boy that runs up to me so I can swoop him up in a hug, and I am so thankful for the kicks in my belly from baby boy number two. I will never forget what happened on December 14. 2012. May these precious angels rest in peace. God speed. <3

14 weeks 5 days and boy oh boy...

IT'S A BOY!

   Sweet Austin James Hill will make his appearance in May, and I am so excited that we found out already! I had to go see a Specialist/High Risk doctor today to discuss my previous pregnancy with Connor and delivery. They did the ultrasound first, and the first thing the sonographer said was, "do you want to know gender?" Adam wasn't there, but he told me if they could tell me to find out anyway. And, I knew it was a boy when it didn't even take her 2 second to ask the question. hahaha. It was clear as day. I got to see my baby boy kicking and squirming around for a while before the Doctor came in. I looove the doctor, but fortunately for me, I won't have to see her except for the anatomy scan at 20 weeks! She looked at Austin some more and said he was a perfect little 4 oz bundle. Then, we got down to business. She asked me about the blood clot in my lung, and I told her everything that happened. She said, "THEY GAVE YOU BLOOD THINNERS?!" I told her yes, and that after everything they couldn't find a clot. She said that if there was a clot that it would be visible even after the hemorrhaging because clots don't disappear, they shrink overtime. She also said that if I did have a clot, they would have sent me home on meds for weeks. Then, we discussed the gestational thrombocytopenia. She thought I had ITP, which is thrombocytopenia while not pregnant. I don't have ITP, I had GT. (I even brought in my blood lab work from June to show her my platelet count was normal then. I'm on top of these things, and she was impressed, lol). I may have GT again, but she said it was mild so it isn't a huge concern. So, clearing that up we moved on to the pre-eclampsia. She said my risk for getting the pre eclampsia is about 15%, but since it happened so late in the 3rd trimester that they will monitor me, but I don't need to come back and see her for anything other than the 20 week anatomy scan January 7th! I cannot tell you the range of emotions that are flowing through me right now. It is such a HUGE relief to hear that everything is great. I have prayed and prayed, and while I have been excited about the pregnancy, I couldn't help but worry too. Now, I feel like I can breathe, relax, and enjoy this pregnancy! :) But, seriously, what am I going to do with 2 boys??? 

13 and 14 weeks!!

     Tomorrow I will be 14 weeks, so I'm rolling it all into one post. I would have posted last week, but we were in the hospital with our sweet Connor. He has RSV, and let me tell ya, that is an awfully mean virus! My poor baby was so sick. He had diarrhea, fever, vomiting, cough, runny nose, trouble breathing. You name it, he had the symptom. We spent Monday through Wednesday in the hospital, and then we got to be home for Thanksgiving! :) However, I was miserable because I quickly got sick as well. It is impossible to avoid an illness when all you do is comfort and snuggle your sick baby. I wouldn't have it any other way though! It sucks being pregnant and sick. I can't take anything for it, and benadryl is out of the question because I have to keep up with my toddler who quickly went back to being busy busy busy! We had his follow up doctor's visit today, and she told me that RSV usually lasts 2 weeks. Ugh, but he is doing much better and back to his Connor ways :)
    I had my appt Nov. 16th, and all was great! My doctor pulled out the U/S machine incase we didn't hear the baby's heartbeat, but we didn't need it. Within about 30 seconds, we heard that sweet heartbeat at 147! Such a beautiful sound! I get an U/S next Monday when I go see the specialist for my consultation. At first, I was upset that I had to go see a specialist. I thought, "really?! I'm 24, and I'm healthy," but I quickly reminded myself that I want to take every precaution that I can take. :) Every pregnancy is different, but I'd rather the doctors be overly cautious than not at all. I'm excited to see my baby again! I wonder if they'd be able to determine the sex.. 14 almost 15 weeks? Hm, I may ask. Anyway, here is the survey for week 14. Can't believe I'm already 14 weeks tomorrow!

How far along?: 13 weeks 6 days
Sleep: I am struggling right now with the cold!
Best moment this week: Having my baby boy home for Thanksgiving!
Movement: Maybe! I think I feel something every now and then!
Symptoms: Just a big ol' belly already.
Food cravings: Tomatoes.
Food aversions: Not so much anymore.
Gender: Don't know yet.
Labor Signs: Oh no, no.
Belly Button in or out?: IN.
What I miss: wine.
What I am looking forward to: Next Monday's appt.
Weekly Wisdom: Rest rest rest. If you don't feel well, rest. The house can wait.
 Milestones:
This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb.
In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. His body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Your baby's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.

10 weeks Pregs.

How far along?: 10 weeks 1 day.
Total weight gain/loss: +1
Sleep: I am having a hard time sleeping on my side.
Best moment this week: Halloween with my family!
Movement: of course not.
Symptoms: The nausea has gotten better and the headaches have started..
Food cravings: Tomatoes.
Food aversions: Everything.
Gender: Don't know yet.
Labor Signs: Oh no, no.
Belly Button in or out?: IN.
What I miss: sleeping on my belly.
What I am looking forward to: Getting out of the 1st trimester.
Weekly Wisdom: Try not to feel guilty about your child's cabin fever. Connor has been so cooped up, but he's been a good sport, and I really beat myself up about everything.
Milestones:
Though he's barely the size of a kumquat — a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, your baby has now completed the most critical portion of his development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in his body rapidly grow and mature.
He's swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including his kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function, though they'll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy.
If you could take a peek inside your womb, you'd spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin.
In other developments: Your baby's limbs can bend now. His hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over his heart, and his feet may be long enough to meet in front of his body. The outline of his spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from his spinal cord. Your baby's forehead temporarily bulges with his developing brain and sits very high on his head, which measures half the length of his body. From crown to rump, he's about 1 1/4 inches long. In the coming weeks, your baby will again double in size — to nearly 3 inches.

11 weeks...

How far along?: 11 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: +1 or 2.
Sleep: I am having a hard time sleeping on my side, but I'm tired ALL.THE.TIME. My social media family doesn't know yet, so it's hard concealing the exhaustion and hormones, but I think I'm doing a pretty good job.
Best moment this week: We had family pics today, and we did an awesome pregnancy reveal photo! I can't wait to share it. It is hilarious. Con was having a major meltdown (Hello terrible 2s), and well, you will have to see for yourself, but it is very much REAL LIFE. Screaming child, laughing parents about to bring another screaming child into the world. hahaha... Lawd.
Symptoms: The nausea has let up, but the exhaustion has not.
Food cravings: Nothing really..
Food aversions: Depends on the day.
Gender: Don't know yet. I feel like it is a girl. The heartbeat Monday was 143, and I feel much different. Either way, I'm HAPPY! :):)
Labor Signs: Oh no, no.
Belly Button in or out?: IN.
What I miss: well last night I could have used a beer. (election night)
What I am looking forward to: Getting out of the 1st trimester.
Weekly Wisdom: Do in your heart what you feel is right. I was in the ER monday b/c I spotted a TINY bit sunday, which proved absolutely nothing, but the feeling I got when I heard my sweet baby's heartbeat and learning that all is perfect helped me realized I made the right decision.
Milestones:
Your baby, just over 1 1/2 inches long and about the size of a fig, is now almost fully formed. Her hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under her gums, and some of her bones are beginning to harden.
She's already busy kicking and stretching, and her tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. These movements will become more frequent as her body grows and becomes more developed and functional. You won't feel your baby's acrobatics for another month or two — nor will you notice the hiccupping that may be happening now that her diaphragm is forming.

12 weeks!!

   I can't believe I am already 12 weeks. 2nd trimester!!! Woooo. Feels like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. I have an appointment Friday, and I will publicly announce the pregnancy when I get the pregnancy reveal photo back. Honestly, I am so excited, but I'm kind of hesitant to post it on facebook because, well, I saw a bunch of statuses today that said, "everyone is pregnant, blah blah." I duno.. I'm obviously going to post it, but I'm not in a hurry to blurt it out. Anyway, I feel much better these days. Those first 10 weeks were rough. Now, I can actually enjoy being pregnant... and this big ol' bump that seems to have appeared. Anyway, here is the survey for this week!

How far along?: 12 weeks :)
Total weight gain/loss: +3 wah.
Sleep: Still pretty tired.
Best moment this week: Today.. being in the 2nd tri!!
Symptoms: The nausea has let up, but the exhaustion has not.
Food cravings: tomatoes and mozzarella!
Food aversions: Depends on the day.
Gender: Don't know yet. I feel like it is a girl
Labor Signs: Oh no, no.
Belly Button in or out?: IN.
What I miss: picking up my baby without worrying about what I might strain..
What I am looking forward to: Getting our family photos back, so that I can announce this pregnancy already.
Weekly Wisdom: meh.
Milestones:
The most dramatic development this week: reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder.
Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in your baby's brain, synapses are forming furiously. His face looks unquestionably human: His eyes have moved from the sides to the front of his head, and his ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over 2 inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce.

We're growing by 2 feet! ...9 weeks...

     This post won't be public for a few more weeks, but yes!, we are expecting Baby #2!! We found out the morning I left for VA, wasn't even 4 weeks yet. I went to the doctor around 8 weeks, and everything looked great! Saw our sweet baby and the tiny heart beating away. I am still keeping it a secret until we go back to the Doctor Nov. 16th, and then I will publicly announce it. I went to this OB way back in June to discuss my issues I had when I was at the end of my pregnancy with Connor. I needed to be re-assured that what happened to me didn't NEED to happen. My OB was completely shocked at the way the hospital and my previous OB handled everything. He assured me that there was no reason that the same problem should occur, and that he and the new hospital I will deliver at will take care of me. I'm not sure if I'm considered "high risk" yet, but I am going to see a specialist Dec. 3 to go over everything, and to take pre-cautions. I feel great about this pregnancy, and we knew we wanted more than one baby. I prayed about it, and I am letting God take this one. We are very excited, although, I do have to say I am also very exhausted. :) It's hard chasing a toddler, being tired, and feeling like you are going to throw up all day. BUT, it's worth it, and you just kind of do it! I am almost out of the first trimester in a few weeks, so I just have to hang on until then. My nausea has gotten a tad better, but some days it's worse than others. For a few weeks, I constantly felt like I was going to hurl every 5 minutes. I don't want to eat anything with nutritional value, and I already look 15 weeks pregnant. Thanks to the second baby belly that apparently appears a lot faster. (It does, at least for me)! I've gained 1 lb. Not excited about it, but I'm not surprised, considering I have more aversions to the healthy food. I have been eating tomatoes like apples though! haha Yummm! I was going to wear a ball gown to the USMC ball that my bf let me borrow, but it doesn't zip, so I ended up ordering one from ASOS maternity, and I LOVE it! It isn't super fancy,but it is perfect for me! Anyway, there really isn't too much to say, considering nobody is going to see this for a few more weeks, so I will post a pic of my already baby belly.

How far along?: 9 weeks 3 days.
Total weight gain/loss: +1
Sleep: I am having a hard time sleeping on my side.
Best moment this week: The weekend with my boys!
Movement: of course not.
Symptoms: soooo nauseous!
Food cravings: Not really.
Food aversions: Everything.
Gender: Don't know yet.
Labor Signs: Oh no, no.
Belly Button in or out?: IN.
What I miss: a glass of wine :)
What I am looking forward to: Getting out of the 1st trimester.
Weekly Wisdom: I always wondered how I could possibly be pregnant with #2 with a toddler, but you just do it. Don't worry about that because your motherly instincts kick in :) I don't have time to think about it. However, the nausea doesn't let up!
Milestones: Your new resident is nearly an inch long — about the size of a grape — and weighs just a fraction of an ounce. She's starting to look more and more human. Her essential body parts are accounted for, though they'll go through plenty of fine-tuning in the coming months. Other changes abound: Your baby's heart finishes dividing into four chambers, and the valves start to form — as do her tiny teeth. The embryonic "tail" is completely gone. Your baby's organs, muscles, and nerves are kicking into gear. The external sex organs are there but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks. Her eyes are fully formed, but her eyelids are fused shut and won't open until 27 weeks. She has tiny earlobes, and her mouth, nose, and nostrils are more distinct. The placenta is developed enough now to take over most of the critical job of producing hormones. Now that your baby's basic physiology is in place, she's poised for rapid weight gain.