Monday, January 16, 2012

Pregnancy Number 2!

There are so many things that I want to remember about this pregnancy. I can't believe that it is almost over, yet I am so ready for it to be over. It has been so different the second time around, yet the most important things are still the same. I still feel 100% completely and utterly connected to my little girl already. I still feel ultimate amazement every time I feel her move. And I still spend my whole day and night dreaming about holding my baby girl. Time flies so quickly; I know I need to capture my thoughts about this pregnancy now, or I never will!

While Kaiah was a surprise, this pregnancy was definitely planned. Jer and I are both under 18 months apart from our younger siblings, so we knew that we wanted our kids close together, too. We had been trying for several months, but I didn't wean Kaiah until she was 1 year (March). On Jer's birthday I was thinking that I might be pregnant, so I went and bought a test while he was at work and, sure enough, it came back positive! I couldn't believe it - I was thrilled. I bought a birthday card for him and wrote that he would have to wait 9 months for his present. :) We were living with Jer's brother while we finished buying our house, so we had to be careful to keep it all under wraps. We waited until about 12-13 weeks before telling our friends and family.

Everything happened so much quicker this time. I got sicker quicker and bigger faster. I was really nauseous the whole first TWO trimesters, but I dealt. It was definitely harder this time - between working full-time and being a mommy to a toddler, I was much more worn out. Thank heaven for a fantastic hubby!

There was a little scare in there. At our 19 week ultrasound, the tech found that baby's head was not measuring right compared to the rest of her body. We scheduled another ultrasound a month down the road, and the same concern was present again. They referred us to the Maternal and Fetal Medicine specialty unit to do a third ultrasound. We were terrified. I have a history of Down Syndrome in my family, and all that I could think about for the weeks leading up to the ultrasound was how we would change our lives if there was a problem with this baby. Luckily, after months of worry, everything came back normal from the specialists. It was literally one of the best days of my life.

Since we did have three full ultrasounds, there is absolutely no question that baby number 2 is a girl! Both Jer and I were thrilled - I wanted Kaiah to have what I had in Kamie growing up. It seems so right to be adding another girl to our family.

One thing that makes this baby different from Kaiah: She is definitely a little mover! She has always moved more and bigger than Kaiah did. It is nice - gives me one less thing to worry about! One thing that makes her the same: stubborn as ever! Today is my due date, and the baby is not here! We will see how my appointment tomorrow goes, but up to now my doctor has repeatedly said that she was "way" high and "no where near coming." I couldn't be induced because she is so stubborn!

It has been weird - Jer and I haven't decided if we will have another baby or not. This may be my last time being pregnant, which makes everything so much more . . . I don't know. It is just weird.

We are so excited to have her join our family. Kaiah can say her name and is now constantly pulling at my stomach and telling her to come out! I can't wait to see how she completes our family!