Baby Bower #2 Is On The Way!

We are thrilled to announce that Baby Bower #2 is on the way!  My due date is September 29 and we are thrilled!

 People have been asking us lots of questions, so I'd figure I'd answer some of them here:

- How far along are you? I'm 14 weeks today.  Hello, Second Trimester! 

- Was this baby planned?! Yes, actually!  But that's the short answer.  It took a lot longer than we would have liked to get pregnant with James (you can read about that here), so we didn't really know what to expect when we wanted to get pregnant again.  My problem getting pregnant is that I have very long and irregular cycles.  Most women have cycles that last around 28 days - this means that an egg is released every 28 days or so and there is a chance to get pregnant.  My cycles last around 60-100 days and sometimes an egg is never released, so there's less chances to get pregnant.  Thankfully, Ray and I were both very much at peace about the timing of our next child.  We knew we wanted another child, but we didn't really have a timeline, thankfully.  Ideally, I wanted our kids to be 2-3 years apart.  I knew that I did not want to be pregnant before James's first birthday.  However, shortly after his birthday, we decided that we would be happy if I got pregnant.  Imagine our surprise when less than a month later, late in January (in the middle of a very long cycle), I started feeling nauseous.  It wasn't horrible nausea, so I knew it wasn't the stomach bug, but it wouldn't go away either.  So after talking to Ray on the phone, I decided I'd go to the store and grab a pregnancy test.  While I was walking through the grocery store with James, the smells were getting to me and I began to feel dizzy.  But I was convinced that my mind was playing tricks on me.  Just as I got home, Ray arrived home too.  Ray played with James while I took the test in the bathroom.  Once I was done, I came out with the test and set it down on the rug in the living room where they were playing.  I honestly didn't expect the test to be positive at all.  So when that line (the one that shows that you're pregnant) came up in a bold pink color, I was shocked!  I said, "Um... Ray... There are two lines!" in a very freaked out tone.  He was so excited.  I was shocked.  All I could say was, "How did this happen?!  How was this so easy?!"  But I obviously know how it happened and we are just so thankful that it was so easy.  I know what it is to wait and I was ready to wait if that's what needed to happen, but I gladly embraced being able to get pregnant without waiting. 

- Have you seen the baby yet? Ray went with me to get an ultrasound on February 18th.  According to my crazy cycle, I was supposed to be 14 weeks 3 days, but thankfully I chart my cycles and I know better than to believe a due date based off of my last missed period.  So when we we had the ultrasound, I told the ultrasound tech that I should be measuring 8 weeks and 1 day.  When she did the measurements, it came back with exactly 8 weeks and 1 day.  So that's how we came up with the September 29 due date.  I'm so glad we have the correct due date!

- How are you feeling? It was horrible, but now that I'm in the second trimester, I'm feeling better.  Just like with James, weeks 6-12 were filled with lots of nausea, dizziness, and tiredness.  I never threw up this pregnancy (so far), but I was on the verge of throwing up almost all day everyday.  The evenings were the worst time for me.  Thankfully, Ray is beyond understanding and he takes great care of me.  Since the smell of food cooking is enough to make me gag, we went out to eat and got take out a lot.  My favorite places to get food were Zoe's Kitchen and Panera.  I craved anything that was fresh and healthy.  Fried food made me feel much worse.  At least my cravings are healthy!  I'm still not feeling 100%, but I'm able to drink lots of water now, I've cooked a little, and I can go on short walks.  These are all huge improvements compared to previous weeks!

- Are you showing? Oh yes! I brought out the maternity pants when I was 8 weeks.  I embrace those pants.  No reason to feel uncomfortable, in my opinion!

- Have you felt the baby move? I might sound crazy, but I think I may be feeling some movements.  14 weeks is early to feel the baby, even for a second pregnancy, but who knows!  I didn't feel James until the 18th week, but you typically start feeling the second baby earlier. 

We are so so so excited and a little (sometimes a lot) overwhelmed!  Are we crazy to have two kids 22 months apart?  Maybe.  But I'm hoping that they will be great friends and play mates in a couple of years.