Baby #2: 14 Weeks, Hello Second Trimester

This week has been pretty uneventful on the baby front. I have had a little more queasiness but wouldn't say it was full on nausea. I think I just need to eat more frequently. Although on Friday, I made the poor choice of taking all my vitamins then eating something. Bad idea. It's the only time I actually got sick. Lesson learned. I am really looking forward to the tiredness subsiding. I swear it was worse this time around. Nursing Gianna and running after a toddler are probably the culprits. :) The second trimester was glorious last time and I am hoping for the same.

Next week we find out if Baby Angioni is a boy or a girl!!!!! OMG I can not wait. :) With Gianna I had a gut feeling from the beginning that she was a girl. I just felt it in my bones. This time, I have been more inclined to think it is a boy but I have only had one dream about his baby and in it, however, she was a girl. I made the comment that "my girls are a little over two years apart". So, who knows. I guess it's a 50/50 shot, right? One more week, one more week. We started an online poll with Gianna that allows people to guess gender, weight, birth date, etc. We thought it would be a fun way for others to participate so we are doing it again! You can submit your guess here. The more the merrier!

I have been having fun looking at double strollers and am totally in love with the Baby Jogger City Select Double. OBSESSED. I like the black one with the silver frame. We have lots of time but it is fun to imagine what it will be like with two. Gianna rocks her baby when we sing Rock a Bye Baby and she is so sweet. I have been already telling her how gentle we are with the baby and that we don't touch the baby's head. LOL. I am getting her a few Big Sister books to help her learn about baby.


14 Week Update

How far along? 14 weeks
Maternity clothes? Bottoms, but my jeans still fit everywhere but the belly. I put the rubber band on to make it more comfortable.
Sleep: Up 1-2 times a night to pee. I didn't wake up at all one time this week. It was pretty sweet.

Best moment of the week: Gianna can count to 13 by herself! It's adorable.
Miss anything: Not right now.

Movement: Little flutters here and there.
Food cravings: Not yet.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Taking my six pills on an empty stomach - stupid.
Gender: Unknown until next week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Symptoms: Lower back pain, bloating, bloating, headaches here and there, TIRED!
Belly button in or out: In

Wedding rings on or off: On 

Labor Signs: No
Happy or moody most of the time: Happy
Looking forward to: Finding out if Gianna will have a little brother or a little sister!

Baby #2: 13 Week Update

We had two doctor appointments this week. On Tuesday, I met with my regular OB for our monthly appointment and on Friday we had our follow up with the High Risk Pregnancy Center (HRPC). Everything is looking great so far!

Gianna came to the regular OB appointment with us. It was theme week at school and this day happened to be "crazy hair day". Mommy had a little fun. :)

Gianna is also good at showing us her happy face and her sad face. We were having some fun in the waiting room before the appointment. Behold Gianna's sad face. Sometimes she lets out a little sigh when she does it and the bottom lip goes out. No, it's not her angry face...we are still working on that one.  Such a funny little girl!

Later in the week, we had our follow up at the HRPC. We got the results of the first trimester screening and everything looked great. We got to see the little one wiggling around and it's amazing what a difference two weeks makes.

I love that you can see the little fingers in the fist

Close up!

The extra testing I got showed a little something extra for me. It turns out I have two copies of a mutation of the MTHFR gene which can make me more susceptible to clots (particularly vascular clots). Doc says this is quite common and may mean nothing at all in this pregnancy. It could be why my migraines changed to those funky complicated ones though. I am taking a baby aspirin for now and we will see how it goes. Hopefully no more complicated migraines (I had one in week 8 of this pregnancy) but if I get another one, they will refer me to a neurologist just to be safe.

On Saturday night, we had Billy and Ally over for some Chinese food and Monopoly. Gianna was up for the first hour or so and had a blast playing! After she went to sleep the real fun began!

The four of us were so funny playing Monopoly! Marco and I are very competitive and like to win. Marco, naturally, is a great negotiator and was trying to make deals with everyone. It was quite hilarious and a lot of fun. In the end, I was the big winner. I am still basking in the glow of victory...

The end of the weekend brought week #13! One more week until the start of the second trimester. I can not wait. I have been so exhausted and am looking forward to getting some energy back. In two weeks we will find out the gender. I still have a gut feeling it is a boy but only time will tell. We definitely win either way and I am so excited to get the nursery started and start looking at little girl or little boy stuff. Here is the 13 week update!

How far along? 13 weeks
Maternity clothes? Still some shorts and capri's. Bloat belly is easily seen in the picture above.
Sleep: Up 1-2 times a night to pee. I am sleeping on my side/tummy for as long as I still can!

Best moment of the week: Getting a look at our little peanut!
Miss anything: Beer

Movement: Little bubble popping flutters, mostly at night before bed.
Food cravings: Not yet.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Little flutters make me feel a little queasy. No morning sickness though.
Gender: Unknown

Symptoms: Lower back pain, bloating, bloating, headaches here and there, TIRED!
Belly button in or out: In

Wedding rings on or off: On 

Labor Signs: No
Happy or moody most of the time: Happy
Looking forward to: Finding out if baby Angioni is a boy or girl!

Baby #2: 12 Week Update and Our Staycation

Well, I posted it on Facebook, so that must mean it's really happening! LOL! We shared the news this week and the amount of well wishes and happiness was overwhelming. We really have the best people in our lives. Thank you so much for all the sweet comments and messages about our new little one!

I knew I wanted Gianna to be the one announcing this to the world. She is going to be such a great big sister. I found a cute print online (Only Child: Expiring February 2015) but wanted to have the sonogram picture and her in her Big Sis shirt, too. After doing some thinking, I thought it would be best if the printouts were in frames so she wouldn't rip them.

This week I went for the blood work for the first trimester genetic screening. I didn't do this with Gianna because my nurse practitioner messed up the dates and we missed the window. In addition, my high risk doc wanted me checked for a few other things. Little did I know it required SEVENTEEN vials of blood! Say what?! I went during work because there is a Quest Diagnostics down the street. I took a picture to commemorate losing that much blood on purpose. :)

  

We also had a wonderful staycation at the Westin at Lake Las Vegas. We absolutely love going there. It's like getting out of the city and away from it all without being too far away. We lived at the pool for three days and Gianna loved the cabana we rented. She had a blast!  

The beautiful view from our balcony

Hamming it up!

She loves to brush her teeth (thank goodness!)

Lounging under the "umbella" coloring and reading with daddy

Our "home base" the first day. It was nice in the shade.

The "beach". G walked through the sand and went in to the water. Last time she didn't like the sand. I still couldn't get her to take her water shoes off to walk in it but maybe next time.

We got a snack of hummus and veggies. She loves hummus and used the carrot as her "hummus stick" to scoop it out. It took a few tries to get the hang of it. We dare not eat the actual carrot though! LOL

The cabana was so much fun! TV, misters, fridge, fruit, lounge chairs!

She was much better at it the next day.

Mom, leave me alone, I am trying to play!

Organizing everyone's shoes :)

She loves her guacamole! :) She ate most of this bowl herself. 

The next night at dinner, this kid was starving! All the fun in the sun worked up quite an appetite. She even tilted the bowl so she could get the last few pieces. She cracks me up!

12 Week Update!

How far along? 12 weeks
Maternity clothes? Some shorts and capri's. I haven't popped yet but the bloat belly is in full effect.
Stretch marks? No 
Sleep: Up 1-2 times a night to pee.

Best moment of the week: Our staycation. I really needed a break from the craziness of work.
Miss anything: No

Movement: Little bubble popping flutters, mostly at night before bed.
Food cravings: Not yet.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Little flutters make me feel a little queasy. No morning sickness though.
Gender: Unknown

Symptoms: Lower back pain, bloating, bloating, headaches here and there, TIRED!
Belly button in or out: In

Wedding rings on or off: On 

Labor Signs: No
Happy or moody most of the time: Happy
Looking forward to: We have two doctor appointments next week. Excited to see this little baby on ultrasound again!

Our First Glimpse of Baby #2!

We had our first High Risk appointment with Dr. Iriye at the High Risk Pregnancy Center and it went well. I was so anxious to have this appointment because I really needed to see this baby. I know I peed on a stick and it was positive. I know my blood work has confirmed this. But there is something so REAL about seeing your little bean and hearing the heartbeat of the baby that is growing inside of you. I need this tangible evidence to feel connected to this little life. 

When I scheduled the appointment the woman checked my dates and told me we would be in the window for the first trimester genetic testing. Turns out we were short by about 2 days so I could only get part of it done and I need to go back in two weeks. They were able to do the blood work in the office so we will go back for the ultrasound when I am closer to 12 weeks. They'll be able to do an immediate assessment of the risk, if any.

We had Gianna with us for this visit which made things a little more complicated. She was very interested in walking around the exam room and checking everything out. While we were in the waiting room I had told her that the doctor was going to touch mommy's belly with a magic wand and we were going to watch the baby on the TV together. I showed her Google Images of what I was talking about. She doesn't like when doctors touch me (even for blood pressure) so prepping her for what to expect has done wonders. I try to get her excited and then when the time comes she knows what is going on and wants to be part of it. She wanted to sit with me up on the table, which was cute.

The baby is measuring 10w5d, which is exactly what I was that day. Right on track for a February 22 due date. It is such an overwhelming feeling seeing your baby. It doesn't get old and I got teary when I saw him/her for the first time. The heartbeat was strong, in the high 160's. When Dr. Iriye came in he made us feel really comfortable right off the bat. He is so personable and friendly. He also gave us a special treat and showed us the baby in 4D! This will be super cool further along but still neat to see it now, too. The HRPC doesn't print out sonogram images anymore. They email them to you after your appointment. This is great because it also includes video. Here are the first images of Baby Angioni #2!

Here are some video's of our little baby stretching his/her arms and legs. I love the little feet!

This is the 4D video. I'm not sure why it's in "fast forward". Maybe Baby Angioni will be an Olympic swimmer. :)

Next steps: After our discussion with Dr. Iriye and filling him in with my history, I am being sent for a battery of tests.  He wants to be sure I don't actually have a clotting issue which is causing the complicated migraines (and that they are really not TIA's). Also, he will send me for a different gestational diabetes test this time. He wonders if I actually had it with Gianna and it was undiagnosed. (I failed the first test but passed the longer one last time.) He's getting a full workup and I am fine with that. Anything to make sure both baby and I are doing fine with as little complication as possible. We follow up in two weeks!

Baby #2: 11 Week Update

With my first pregnancy, lots of weird things happened in my first trimester. I had a subchorionic hemorrhage, I got my first complicated migraines, a hernia developed, etc. (You can read a little  more about that here.) We had our first ER visit at 6 weeks and by the time I was 10 weeks we had been there like 3-4 times. 

Well, for this pregnancy it hasn't been too much different. Halfway through week 8 I got my first complicated migraine. I was at work and all of a sudden the headache came, light spots were everywhere, and I was numb on the left side of my face. Luckily, I did not lose my speech this time. That always freaks me out the most. 

The beginning of week 10 started with me catching the stomach flu Gianna had a week prior. What a miserable experience. I went to Urgent Care to get checked out because the cramping was so bad. I figured I may be a little dehydrated, too so I wanted to get looked over. I drove myself because I didn't see the point is dragging Marco and Gianna with me to sit there for who knows how long. When I got there, the nurse took my blood pressure and said, "That can't be right." She took it again and didn't say anything. I told her it's usually a little low. When the doctor came in she told me my blood pressure was 89/54 and she couldn't believe I wasn't about to pass out. Whoops. Guess I shouldn't have driven myself.  I got hooked up to an IV for fluids and waited for them to kick in. My blood pressure went back up to 101/58 so that was better. I went home and took the next two days off to recover.

Overall, I have been feeling pretty good. The exhaustion hit at about week 7 and has been brutal. I think nursing has something to do with it. My body needs to make milk and also grow a baby and placenta. I am looking forward to week 14 and the second trimester.

Some differences and similarities I've noticed so far:

This time, my sense of smell went into overload early on (didn't happen with G). No morning sickness but I need to eat something in the mornings when I wake up so I don't get light headed (same as with G). I feel movement already. It's like little bubbles popping and it kind of makes me feel queasy. I can feel it right before I go to bed when I am still and it's quiet. I recognize the feeling but was really surprised it was this early. No kicking yet, obviously, but those early little flutters are there (flutters with G around week 15, first kick at 18 weeks). My boobs hurt with Gianna, but nothing this time (not complaining!). I'm not sure if that has to do with nursing or not. Bloating sucks. A lot. I hate it. It was bad the first time and it's worse this time because of the hernia. I know I need surgery to fix it and I wish I had it done already. It should become more comfortable once the baby moves up into my abdominal cavity but right now I have a deformed belly with a golf ball looking thing sticking out above my belly button. LOL!

Moving forward, my OB is referring me to the High Risk Pregnancy Center again. We went there with Gianna for the last six weeks or so because of the issues with excess amniotic fluid. He wants me to be monitored throughout this pregnancy because of these random issues, along with the fact that Gianna was 9lb, 5oz, and I will be 34 years and 8 months old when this baby is due. Apparently, that is just too close to being 35. :) We have our first appointment scheduled soon and I can not wait. We have not heard a heartbeat for this baby yet nor have we seen him/her. With Gianna, I had an ultrasound at 6 weeks because of the bleed. I NEED to see/hear this little bean!! We will also be getting the first trimester genetic screening done.


How far along? 11 weeks
Maternity clothes? I actually wore a pair of maternity shorts and a pair of capri's because the bloating and hernia were so uncomfortable. Today, I am wearing my regular jeans which fit just fine still. Just depends on the day.
Stretch marks? No

Sleep: Not bad. Up about once a night to pee.
Best moment of the week: Getting over the stomach flu and our first High Risk appointment
Miss anything: Beer. I like beer.

Movement: Little bubble popping flutters, mostly at night before bed.
Food cravings: Not really. When I had the stomach flu I really wanted a Dunkin Donut. Ridiculous. I did not have one.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Little flutters make me feel a little queasy. No morning sickness though.
Gender: Unknown

Symptoms: Lower back pain, bloating, bloating, headaches here and there, TIRED!
Belly button in or out: In

Wedding rings on or off: On 

Labor Signs: No
Happy or moody most of the time: Happy
Looking forward to: Making the announcement that this little baby is joining our family and Gianna is going to be a big sister.

Coming Soon! Gianna Lucia: Big Sister

Well, friends, it's official! Gianna will be a BIG SISTER this February. I am due on February 22, 2015 and we could not be more excited!

We found out on June 12th, the day before we left for London. It was two days before my missed period and I was only three weeks, four days along so it was super early. Here is the back story:

One of the "side effects" of nursing Gianna was that my period didn't come back after I had her. This is normal and it makes its appearance at different times and everyone is different. For me, it took 27 months (Jan 2012 - April 2014) for it to return. We wanted to start trying for another baby but without a period that can be challenging for obvious reasons. I tried a combination of things to get it to return. It started in February with night weaning Gianna and that took about 2-3 weeks. Still nothing. I tried reflexology, massage and eventually acupuncture and supplements. It returned in April and I started tracking everything. (Hooray for apps that do this!) I got one more period in May and a positive test in June. I know what a blessing this is and am so thankful for the opportunity to be a mommy again. 

I had planned to test on Saturday, but that was the day we were supposed to land in London and also the day I was supposed to get my period. It was Thursday and Gianna was at school, Marco was at work, and I was home getting us packed and ready to go. I was sitting on the couch watching the funeral of Las Vegas Metro Police Officer Igor Soldo and I was balling. Balling. It was so sad. Then I was on Facebook and looking at posts and videos of random things. Balling again. I was an emotional mess. I literally cried on and off for like two hours that morning. When I stopped to think about it, I realized that I had also been up multiple nights that week to pee during the night...not a normal occurrence for me. I decided to test and use the Dollar Store test I picked up a few days before. 

Now, I was prepared with a "real" test and had a Clearblue Easy digital test with a weeks indicator ready to go. I figured I'd try the Dollar Store test first so I didn't waste the good test. So silly (and I clearly did not learn anything from the first time around). I did the Dollar Store test and could not tell if there was a line or not. OMG, seriously?! I swear there was a super faint line but I couldn't tell if I was psyching myself out. I took a pic of the test and posted it to the November 2012 Mommy Group I am part of on FB. Some ladies there can invert the pic to a negative (I don't know how to do this) and it's easier to see if there is a line. So I posted the pic and someone commented immediately that she saw a line without the fancy negative thing and encouraged me to do the Clearblue Easy test. Luckily, I still had pee in the cup (I panicked for a sec till I realized this) and I put the stick in and waited. Longest. Three. Minutes. Ever. Stupid hourglass... Then all of a sudden it popped up....PREGNANT 1-2 (weeks). I just started crying and sat on the floor. I was so overwhelmed and excited and overjoyed, really. But I was home alone....so now to figure out what to do next.

We were trying to get pregnant and I thought it would be really cute for Gianna to have a Big Sister t-shirt. I had ordered one for her on Amazon and, funny enough, it was actually delivered the day before. I did not tell anyone I bought it- not even Marco. I had to go to Marco's work that afternoon to pick something up from him so I decided to pick up G from school first and bring her with me. I dressed her in the shirt and we drove to his office. I called Marco and asked him to come down "because there was a weird light on in my car all of a sudden". When he came out of the elevator Gianna and I were waiting for him. He saw the shirt right away and was so surprised! He was so excited and picked me up and spun me around. It was super cute. 

The day we found out Gianna was going to be a big sister!

That evening, I had dinner with my mom and brother and had G wear her shirt. When we arrived, I asked my mom to put the dogs outside because Gianna was sleeping. Then, instead, I sent her walking in with her new shirt on. Here is what happened next:

We shared the news with both our families and then boarded a plane for our European adventure...which was now a dry event for me. Another trip abroad with no beer or wine. Sigh....but for the best reason ever! It's a good thing gelato doesn't have any alcohol in it! :)

We made it "Facebook official" at 11 weeks and had some fun sharing the news. Gianna wore her pink Big Sister shirt to school and we gave her class some Dunkin Donuts Munchkins to help celebrate our new little "munchkin". I also brought some to my office an wrote something similar on the boxes. Here is the picture we used to make the announcement on Facebook:

And so, the next adventure begins!!!