Breadcrumb Week 21

How far along: 21 weeks!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: -1 pound from prepregnancy weight. Another big gain; looks like I'll be above my prepregnancy weight by next week!

Symptoms:

• food aversions, specifically protein. Still only eating meat about once a week
• tiredness
• loss of sex drive
• constipation
• getting winded easier
• super vibrant dreams
• heartburn / acid reflux - this only lasts a few moments and I can usually make it go away by drinking water
• I had a Charlie Horse on Friday night. I've had one before pregnancy, so not sure if necessarily a pregnancy symptom, but it was still horrible. My calf still hurts today! 

Maternity clothes: All day, every day.

Stretch marks: Nothing new!

Sleep: I miss sleep, I feel like I could pass out at any moment.  

Best moment last week: We were able to drive up to Memphis on Friday to see Keegan's cousin dance. He dances with a theater out of NYC, and this is the first time they've been close enough for us to see the show, it was so cool to see! 

Movement: Feeling something every day! Keegan still hasn't for sure felt anything from the outside, so I'm anxiously waiting for that to happen. Friday and Saturday, Breadcrumb was being lazy and not moving much which made me really nervous, but as soon as we got home, he started kicking up a storm. Apparently he doesn't like Memphis!   

Food cravings: Water and hot chocolate from the cafe across from my work. Since I'm not drinking caffeine, hot chocolate is my little pick me up for the day.  

Gender: Our little man!

Labor signs: Zilch, thank goodness.

Belly button? Getting shallower!  

What I miss: Coke, and not peeing every hour.  

What I am looking forward to: Last consignment event of the season on Wednesday and going to the first car show of 2014 over the weekend!  

Baby Buys: While in Memphis, we went to a Carter's store and bought a 3 piece set. Buying stuff from the carter's store is expensive, I'll stick to buying it when it's on sale from Target or Khols! 

Not necessarily a baby buy exactly, but Keegan sanded and repainted the bookshelf for Breadcrumb's nursery

Milestones: Only 3 weeks until viability!

 

Breadcrumb Week 20

How far along: 20 weeks!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: -4 pounds from prepregnancy weight. I think that's the biggest weight gain in a week this entire pregnancy.

Symptoms:

• food aversions, specifically protein. Still only eating meat about once a week, it's the last thing I want to eat most days. 
• tiredness
• loss of sex drive
• constipation
• getting winded easier
• super vibrant dreams
• heartburn / acid reflux - this only lasts a few moments and I can usually make it go away by drinking water

Maternity clothes: All day, every day. 

Stretch marks: Nothing new!

Sleep: I have the bladder of a goldfish, so sleep is done in 1.5 hour increments. 

Best moment last week: Hitting the 20 week mark!

Movement: Feeling something every day! Keegan thinks he may have felt something, so I'm excited for the kicks to get stronger so he can feel them often.  

Food cravings: Water, that's about it. 

Gender: Our little man! 

Labor signs: Zilch, thank goodness.

Belly button? Much shallower! Still thinking it'll be an outie by the end of pregnancy. 

What I miss: Coke, and not having the bladder of a goldfish.

 

What I am looking forward to: Not so much baby related things, but our next few weekends are going to be busy with seeing people and doing things. There's also the last consignment event of the season the first week of April that we're going to. 

Baby Buys: We had a lot of baby buys this week! We went to a consignment event on Wednesday and got 12 pieces of clothing (onesies, shirts, shorts, pants,) a cart seat cover, two bibs, three towels, 4 Melissa and Doug puzzles, a Melissa and Doug block stacker, and 9 cloth diaper soakers for $84! 

We also went to Hobby Lobby yesterday and got...

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A poster of the US made out of license plates similar to this (and I just realized our doesn't have Alaska or Hawaii!) 

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as well as a red Corvette sign and an end table that has "Route 66" made out of vintage license plates (Hobby Lobby doesn't have the pictures for some reason.) With Keegan being so into cars, as well as our friends from college, Breadcrumb is pretty much destined to be into classic cars. 

A local furniture store was closing, so we went in today and got a chocolate brown rocker recliner for the nursery at an amazing price. We're close to finishing the nursery, we just need linens and little decorative touches now! 

Milestones: Reaching the half way point! 

March ICLW

Hello ICLW-ers! Thanks for stopping by my little space of the interwebs. I used to do ICLW every month, but I fell off the wagon, purely because I kept forgetting to sign up! I'm happy to be back and to find some new blogs to read.

My name is Aislinn, and I've been married to my husband Keegan since August 2012. We currently live in Mississippi due to K's job, but we both call Missouri our home. We have two cats,

Mika

and

Carbon

and we spoil them way too much. 

September 2012, I was diagnosed with PCOS and insulin resistance after my period mysteriously disappeared after going off of birth control in April. We did months of Metformin and a low carb diet, which caused me to lose about 40 pounds. After a year of timed intercourse with Metformin, I convinced my OB to start me on Clomid. Cycle 1 was a bust, but Cycle 2 brought us our little Breadcrumb who I'm almost 20 weeks pregnant with. You can read about how we found out here. 

We were one of the lucky couples who became pregnant right before moving onto more intense treatments. We met with our RE the day after I ovulated the egg who eventually became Breadcrumb. If that cycle had not worked out, we were going to move onto IUI with injectables. 

Currently, we're trying to navigate pregnancy and the hope that we will become parents in August. It hit me recently that come August, I will not be pregnant anymore, and will have to live with my body that doesn't ovulate on its own again. I recently wrote a post asking if any ladies out there have navigated the waters of infertility after pregnancy, and if they went back on birth control. If you have any advise or suggestions, please let me know! 

Infertility After Pregnancy

It hit me the other day on my way to work that come August(ish) I won't be pregnant anymore. My pregnancy will be over, and I'll be back in my whacked out body that doesn't ovulate on its own.

I was thinking about what I'm going to do after pregnancy with this broken body of mine. I could go back on birth control to force my body to cycle each month, but my gut is telling me this isn't the right option. I can only imagine how difficult it'll be to remember to take a pill every day with an infant around, and we don't want to rule out the possibility of a "normally" conceived pregnancy.

I could just let my body do its thing without the help of medications, but how do I know when the "no period after birth" period has ended, and when my body not cycling on its own has started? The only reason my PCOS was diagnosed was because my body didn't cycle on its own for nearly 6 months after coming off birth control.

My body does seem to cycle on its own while on Metformin, but I don't think that's safe to take while breastfeeding, which I hope to do (still need to talk to my OB about Metformin and breastfeeding.)

Keegan and I have decided that if we're going to be lucky enough to have another child, we want to try and have him/her be close in age to Breadcrumb, so we'd start trying again after a year or so. We've also decided that we'll try three cycles "naturally" (probably with the help of Metformin,) but if we're not successful in that time frame, we'll go back to our RE.

But then I start thinking about driving the 3 hours to an RE appointment while having a baby. We have no family in town, so we couldn't drop Breadcrumb off at his grandparents. There's a chance he'll be in daycare/preschool, but I'm trying to shift my work schedule around so he won't have to be (most of the daycares around here are anything but trustworthy.) Even if he is in daycare 3 out of the 5 days of the week, what are the chances of appointments falling on those days, especially if we have to move to IUI or IVF?

We've also discussed adoption. Adoption is very close to both of our hearts, and something we want to pursue eventually, but giving up so much control scares me. Just from reading blogs, I've learned that some birth mothers want their child to be the first, or the only child in the home, so would having a biological child lessen our chances of getting matched? There's also the fact that we'd have to give up the idea of having Breadcrumb be close in age to his sibling, depending on what age range we decide to look into.

I know I should be thankful for the little life growing inside of me, (and believe me, I am!) and I shouldn't worry about something that's months and years in the future, but it's hard. It's hard to realize that we won't be able to just have sex when we feel the time is right to add to our family. I'm going to have to go back on medications, getting poked with needles, early morning dildo ultrasounds, miles of driving. Adding to our family is much more complicated than the "normal" couple out there, and it scares me.

Any one else out there figured out what they're going to do after pregnancy? Any mothers have advice or suggestions? I know this is something that really needs to be decided between myself, Keegan and my OB, but any advice would be appreciated.

Breadcrumb Week 19

How far along: 19 weeks

Total Weight Gain/Loss: still -8 pounds from prepregnancy weight. Dr. L didn't say anything about my weight on Thursday, so I guess I'm doing well.

Symptoms:

• food aversions, specifically protein. I actually had a craving for a Longhorn burger this week, so maybe this is getting better?
• tiredness 
• loss of sex drive
• constipation 
• getting winded easier
• sugar lows
• headaches - I get headaches and my vision goes black when I get up from laying down. I talked to Dr. L about this at our appointment and she said it's a normal pregnancy problem where blood rushes from your head if you get up too fast. She reminded me that I'm pregnant and need to start slowing down! 
• super vibrant dreams - Thankfully I've only had one nightmare the entire pregnancy. 
• Sunday night, after I posted my week 18 update, I hoped in the shower. I don't know if I had the water too hot or what, but about halfway through the shower, I got light headed, my arms felt really week, I was super nauseous, and I felt like I needed to sit down right then and there. Unfortunately I still had conditioner in my hair, so I quickly rinsed it out, grabbed my towel, and walked towards the bedroom to lie down on the bed. I only made it so far as the carpet next to the bed when I really really needed to sit in fear of passing out. Thankfully after sitting, cooling down, and drinking some water, I felt better, but the weak feeling stayed with me throughout the night. So strange! 
• I've noticed lately that my back is hurting in my work chair. I do primarily sit at work, but I'm up every hour or so to walk to the bathroom. Has anyone swapped out their traditional work chair for a yoga ball? I was thinking about doing it later in pregnancy when I was more uncomfortable, but earlier might be better. 
• I like to sit in my work chair crossed legged (probably why my back hurts!) and I've noticed lately that I can't use my lower ab muscles to get my legs up. I have to actually lean down and hoist them up now. 
• I'm one of the lucky PCOS ladies who has hair growth on her chin. Before pregnancy, I was able to wax it maybe once a month, but since becoming pregnant, I've noticed it's been growing much faster to the point where I have to wax every other week or so. I haven't noticed my leg hair or the hair on my head growing any faster, so maybe this is a side effect of being off the Metformin? 

Maternity clothes: All day, every day. I'm still able to wear my normal PJs to bed, but I can see myself borrowing K's shirts by August!

Stretch marks: Nothing new. I have noticed my belly gets itchy at night sometimes, so I just slather on whatever lotion I have handy.

Sleep: I actually had a night this week where I only got up once to pee. It was amazing! All the other nights had multiple midnight trips; I'm getting really good at maneuvering our bedroom and bathroom with my eyes half open.

Best moment last week: Our appointment where we found out Breadcrumb's sex. I'm also feeling more movements.

Movement: Yep! Thinking I may have seen a few from the outside, so hopefully Keegan can feel them soon as well.

Food cravings: Water. Haven't had too many other "cravings" this week. Figuring out what I want to eat each day is the biggest pain in the butt.

Gender: Breadcrumb is a......

Boy! I can't believe it! I would have bet money on Breadcrumb being a girl, but it was so obvious he's a boy that I could even tell before the ultrasound tech said anything. I think I'm still wrapping my head around having a son, I don't know much about the world of trucks and dirt!

Labor signs: Zilch, thank goodness.

Belly button? Much shallower! I predict it'll be an outie by the end of pregnancy.

What I miss: Coke, that's really it!

What I am looking forward to: A consignment event on Wednesday that I can actually shop for clothes at. Knowing the sex makes things so much easier.

Baby Buys: Nothing this week, but we've been trying to make progress on our registries. My boss also bought some cute boy clothes since we found out the sex.

Milestones: Almost half way, and finding out the sex!

Boy or Girl? Old Wives Tales

1. Morning sickness - apparently if you're super sick during pregnancy, you're having a girl but if you had no morning sickness, you're having a boy. While I didn't throw up often (so far only once the entire pregnancy!) I was super nauseous for weeks and ended up losing 14 pounds. I'd say girl.

2. Cravings - according to some websites, if you crave sweet things, you're having a girl, but if you crave sour or protein rich foods, you're having a boy. So far I've craved potatoes and mac n' cheese pizza, so I don't know if that falls under either category. My sweet tooth has come back, but I'm still avoiding meat, so I guess girl?

3. Heartbeat - if your unborn baby's heartbeat is 140 beats per minute or higher, than you're carrying a girl. A heartbeat lower than 140 means you're carrying a boy. At our 9 week OB appointment, the heartbeat was 176, and although I can't remember what it was from our 13 week appointment, it has consistently been over 140 on our doppler (however accurate that is.) I'd say girl.

4. Body Clues - apparently if girls "steal your beauty" so if you have acne and skin blemishes, you're having a girl, but if you have dry hands and cold feet, you're having a boy. I don't have a lot of acne, I never have, but I have had a pimple or two pop up. However, my feet are always cold, even before pregnancy, so I'd say this is a draw, neither boy or girl.

5. Chinese Gender Chart - I put my information into this Chinese gender chart generator, and it came up as boy.

6. Mayan Gender Chart - The Mayans use a method that looks at the age at conception (24) and the year the baby was conceived (2013.) If both are even or odd, it's a girl. If one is even and one is odd, it's a boy. This one says boy!

7. Sympathy Weight - If your spouse has been indulging in your pregnancy cravings and gains a bit of weight, apparently it's a girl. I'd say Keegan has been partaking in my "cravings," but he hasn't added any weight. I'd say girl.

8. History of Parent's Kids - if you're the first born, you will have what your mother had but starting with her second child. If you're the middle child, you'll have what she had, but starting with the third child. If you're the last child, you will have what she had, in the exact order. Well, my mom had 3 girls, so this one points to girl!

9. What Does Mom Think? - apparently 71% of the time, mom to be knows what she's having.* I've said it's a girl from day one, so we'll see! +1 for girl

10. The Ring Test - take off your wedding ring and tie it to a string. If it swings in a circle, it's a boy; if it sways back and forth, it's a girl. We tried this and it swung back in forth while spinning, so I'd say it's inconclusive.

Honorable Mention: Drano - apparently if you mix a your urine with a tablespoon of Drano and the liquid turns green, it's a girl, but if it turns blue, it's a boy. I didn't test this one out because it sounds dangerous, and some websites warn it can actually cause an explosion!

Totals:
Girl: 6
Boy: 2
Inconclusive: 2

According to the old wives tales, we're having a girl! We find out tomorrow, but won't post it here until we tell all of our family and friends. If you're dying to know, you can follow me on twitter! Anyone have any guesses either way?



I took a lot of ideas from this website.
* Statistic taken off of this website.

Breadcrumb Week 18

How far along: 18 weeks

Total Weight Gain/Loss: -8 pounds from prepregnancy weight (I somehow lost weight this week?!)

Symptoms:

• food aversions, specifically protein. I did eat 3/4 of a burger as well as some chicken wings, which is more than I've eaten this entire pregnancy.
• tiredness - I have good nights and bad nights, getting up 4 times per night to pee isn't helping!  
• loss of sex drive
• constipation - I will never take pooping for granted again!  
• getting winded easier
• sugar lows
• headaches - I get headaches and my vision goes black when I get up from laying down. I'm really hoping this isn't a blood pressure problem, it's too early to worry about that! 
• super vibrant dreams - I've had them all throughout pregnancy, but they've gotten really strange recently. I read somewhere that you can remember your dreams more frequently during pregnancy because you often wake up during your REM cycle which is when you dream. 

Maternity clothes: Wearing maternity jeans all the time paired with maternity tees. I finally found a few maternity tank tops from Old Navy that will hopefully last me the rest of pregnancy. 

Stretch marks: Nothing new here thank goodness

Sleep: My days of sleeping through the night are gone. This last week, I've been up at least three times a night to pee, my record so far has been 5. Whenever I get up to pee, I'm super thirsty, so I drink half a bottle of water which just ensures I'll be up again in a couple of hours.   

Best moment last week: I'm 99.9% sure I'm feeling the baby move! It feels like bubble popping under my skin, and I can tell the difference between a baby move and a gas bubble. Still haven't felt him/her on the outside yet, but hopefully that'll come soon! We can also hear the movement when we use the dopper. 

Movement: Yep! Excited for the day when Keegan can feel it.  

Food cravings: My love for the cheesy spuds from McAlisters is waining, however, I still love their lemonade and lots of water.   

Gender: We find out on Thursday, assuming Breadcrumb cooperates.  

Labor signs: Zilch, thank goodness.

Belly button? Much shallower! I predict it'll be an outie by the end of pregnancy.   

What I miss: Coke, that's really it!

What I am looking forward to: Finding out Breadcrumb's gender on March 13. Hopefully having my mom and sister down in two weeks.   

Baby Buys: I went to a consignment event on Wednesday and got a used black Moby wrap for $20, a Melissa and Doug boat shape sorter for $5, and 7 white onesies for $7. All in all, I spent about $34 after tax, which is cheaper than a new Moby. I didn't get much because we still don't know the gender, but I'm sure that'll change at the next event in two weeks. 

Melissa and Doug Noah's Ark Shape Sorter

Milestones: Almost half way, and going to my first consignment event. 

Breadcrumb Week 17

How far along: 17 weeks

Total Weight Gain/Loss: -6 pounds from prepregnancy weight. 

Symptoms:

• food aversions, specifically protein.  
• tiredness - I have good nights and bad nights.  
• loss of sex drive
• sneezing 
• constipation - I will never take pooping for granted again!  
• getting winded easier
• sugar lows 
• headaches 

Maternity clothes: Wearing maternity jeans all the time; as soon as I get home, I'm either in yoga pants or PJ pants. So excited to wear maxi dresses.

Stretch marks: Nothing new here thank goodness

Sleep: I have good nights where I have to get up to pee once a night, and then nights, like last night, where I had to get up 4 times. I don't understand why I have to pee every other hour at night but I can go 5 hours during the day.  

Best moment last week: Our Atlanta trip! Friday we went to Atlanta to see Alton Brown's live show (which was amazing!) and went to Babies R Us to start our registry. We also stuffed our faces at the Cheesecake Factory and went to Ikea for the first time. Ikea wasn't what I expected, but it was an experience for sure! We almost brought home a new desk, but my car wasn't big enough, unfortunately. 

We also went to a friend's gender reveal party on Saturday and found out she's having twin girls! Keegan and I have thrown around the idea of doing a gender reveal party, but we feel like not many of our friends down here would care. I might do a tiny one with my mom and sister if they come down this month, we'll see.

Movement: Still thinking I might have felt a few pops here and there, but not 100% sure. 

Food cravings: Still loving cheesy spuds and lemonade from McAlisters as well as lots and lots of water.   

Gender: We were supposed to find out on Thursday, but our appointment got canceled at the last minute. You can read all about it here.  We now find out on March 13. 

Labor signs: Zilch, thank goodness.

Belly button? Much shallower! It's only about half as tall as the first knuckle on my pointer finger, if that makes sense.  

What I miss: Coke, that's really it!  

What I am looking forward to: Finding out Breadcrumb's gender on March 13. Going to a consignment event on Wednesday, and potentially having my mom and sister down here in late March.  

Baby Buys: Found a gender neutral sleeper on sale at Old Navy as well as a 5 piece elephant onesie set and 5 piece white onesie set at T.J. Maxx.    

Milestones: We started our registry! 

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Question for you mommies: 

Keegan and I have been debating about getting a stroller. We want to do a lot of baby wearing, and we honestly don't go to a lot of functions where a stroller would be helpful. The only time I can think of a stroller being necessary would be some of the car shows we go to, but, since they're so crowded, it would be difficult to maneuver a stroller. Also, I lifted up many of the strollers, and they're so heavy! 

We're currently registered for a car seat that can snap into almost any Graco stroller if we decide after the baby is here that we really want one, but if other mommies love their strollers, we'll register for one on the off chance that we'll get it during a shower. 

So, our question to you is, are strollers worth it for one baby? If you baby wear, do you find yourself baby wearing or using the stroller more?