12 and 16 Week Appointments

The day before we left for our CA adventure to help my mom move, I had my 12 week appointment for Cub. I was able to listen to Cub’s little heartbeat, which was 160 bpm. ^_^ Healthy and strong. I got my blood results back from my previous appointment, and it all looked good. Like when I was pregnant with Kayley, my thyroid level was near boarder line for having hyper thyroid. It’s what I expected, and we might have it checked down the road in pregnancy.

Today, I had my 16 week check-up with M. Cub’s heartbeat today was 156 bpm. My uterus is measuring right where it should be at this point too. Basically everything is going really well. M commented that my weight gain has been good and on the minimal side, and that I should keep doing what I’m doing. I don’t really know exactly what I’m doing, but I’ll do my best to keep it up. Hehe

As for nausea, I realized I haven’t talked about that for this pregnancy. Well, I’ve had it, but it’s been different and yet similar to what it was when I was pregnant with Kayley. Thankfully I have no felt like throwing up, or have had a gag reflex. But my stomach has been more sensitive, which has really been annoying. Basically my stomach would hurt really bad when I was hungry and after I ate. I felt like my stomach was constantly in pain. I tried eating different portion sizes, eating more frequently and less frequently, but none of that helped. Thankfully I am past that stage of pregnancy (though I have a sensitive stomach in general and a few allergies I get to continue to deal with).

My nose wasn’t nearly as sensitive this time, but we did ask some friends to help provide some meals for us (thank you so much!!!). I’m not 100% out of the stage of not wanting to eat food that has been at our home for more than 3 days, but have practically passed it. And I think I’m almost out of the clear for really wanting to eat something, eating it halfway through or less, and then loosing complete interest in it. That has been super annoying.

This little Cub though loves bean burritos with no cheese from Taco Bell. I know it’s not much, but they have recently been the best burritos I have ever eaten. One time I could have sworn my burrito was the best thing I had ever consumed in my whole life. Pregnancy cravings, go figure.

Well, in case you’re wondering what the bump has looked like these past months, here’s the pictures!

1 month

2 months

3 months

4 months

Also, if you look to the right near the top of the blog, you will notice there is a poll for you to cast your votes on if you think Cub is a girl or boy. We’ll (hopefully) find out on June 8^th during our scheduled ultrasound and let you all know. But go ahead and make a guess. You could end up being right, after all, you have a 50% chance of being right! ^_~

Happy 1st Birthday!

Yesterday was Kayley’s first birthday. It’s hard to believe she’s already a year old. We wanted to make it a day to remember (even though Kayley probably won’t remember it…). Thus Kayley and I started the day by picking my mom up and going to the Imagine Children’s Museum.

Kayley loved it! They had all these different play areas (i.e. Vet, tree house, Italian restaurant, farm, trains, water play, glow room, construction, music, etc.), and Kayley had fun exploring them all. We let her wander around and explore at her own pace mostly, but then a large group of children showed up for a field trip, so we started guiding her from place to place a bit. I was very impressed with how she transition from area to area. I would just say “It’s time to say bye-bye to ____ so we can go play with something else,” and then she’s wave bye-bye and moved on. This was just hard to do when we left the water play area (her favorite area since she got to splash around), and when we left the museum (she was totally ready to eat and take a nap).

Here are some pictures of our time at the museum. 

Leaving the tree house on the wood bridge

Kayley was dancing to the music as the camera caught her motion and put our images up on the wall

Clapping for the balls as the came through the air-tube

Going down the firetruck slide

The smocks in the water play area were a little big for her

Splash, splash, splash!

Riding the horse at the farm

The glow room. Yes, that blur is Kayley

Playing with a drum in the rooftop play area

Slide time with Maimie

She really likes slides

Checking out the stegosaurus with mama

Riding a car in the construction room

Hitting keys on the piano to make music

Taking care of the animals at the vet (aka. stealing their food bowls to knock together and make noise)

Picking out lunch for mama at the Italian restuarant

Petting the bronze dog statue outside

For lunch we ate at the Mermaid Market Café (yes, I picked it. I couldn’t resist because of the name). It had wonderful food.

Then we headed back to my sister’s place (where my mom is currently living too), and Kayley got to open a few gifts. She got some blocks, clothes, a baby doll, and an electronic turtle learning toy. She has been playing with them all morning so far.

Opening gifts from her aunty and cousins

Opening gifts from Maimie

Right away she gave her new doll a hug

Andrew was able to get off work early, so Kayley and I headed home to have some family time before going out for Kayley’s special dinner at the Rainforest Café with her playmate Kaylin and my friend Hsin-I. We were happy that the gorillas and thunder storms in the restaurant did not scare the girls. Kayley was most fascinated with the elephants and fish, and Kaylin really liked watching the fish too. For the first time, we order a meal for Kayley off the kid’s menu. She was at first curious and then excited to eat her own mini hamburger and fries. Before we left, our waitress brought the girls balloons, and sang happy birthday with some other waiters. Kayley clapped for them when they were done singing.

Kayley: What is this? Am I allowed to touch it?

Taking a bite by herself

Watching the elephants with dada

Balloon!

Kaylin checking out her balloon

Group photo!

I think Kayley had a wonderful first birthday celebration that we will remember for a long time. She hasn’t had her first cake yet, but we’re saving that for her upcoming birthday party. So, happy birthday my sweet baby girl!

Newborn Kayley

Cub's Ultrasound

Originally written March 27, 2012

We brought Kayley along to the ultrasound so she could see her new little sibling. Andrew held her and pointed at the screen where they would watch Cub. Cub was squirming around, and the black and white image and movement caught Kayley’s attention and held it. She was even stretching out her arm to point at Cub to make sure her daddy was watching and expresses “ooOooohhhHhh” every once and a while too. It was so precious to watch as I laid there with the goo on my belly for the ultrasound.

Cub was very cooperative for being measured and even getting a few screen shots. The measurement that the technician got goes right along with “counting the days.” So our little one’s due date is October 24, 2012! We’re excited! It’s fun to talk about little Cub to Kayley, even though at her young age of 10 months she cannot comprehend that she is going to be a big sister. Hmm, maybe I shouldn’t point at my tummy too much and say “baby,” she might start to think that all tummies are babies. 

This is what Cub looked like the first time Kayley saw her sibling.

First Midwife Appointment

Originally written on March 21, 2012

I met my midwife today. Yup, that’s right, I changed from an OB to a midwife. Not that I didn’t like Doc. S., or my first pregnancy experience, it’s just I want to try something a little different for our second baby. Plus, since we’re on the eastside now we figured we should choose a physician and a hospital closer to us (I’ll be delivering at Evergreen). And so far I really, really like my midwife. We will call her M (no, not James Bond’s M of course).

Our first appointment went splendid. I really like the staff, and as I said I really like M. Everyone was really welcoming and were really easy to talk to and open up to – something I think is important during pregnancy. You need to feel you can trust and talk to those who are caring for you about everything relating to your pregnancy or can relate to it. The question M asked us that Andrew and I liked best was “what do you want to be different about this pregnancy and delivery compared to your first one?” At first I had no idea what to say, but M helped us both think through a few things and come up with answer. I also liked how she answered my question: what’s the difference in what an OB and a midwife do and what are the main differences in their philosophies? I’ve read answer for this, but M answered this is such a clear understandable way.

During the appointment there was an attempt to hear little Cub’s heartbeat, but as M explained, it can be really hard to hear it with the device she was using. The Doppler she was using cannot hear a heartbeat behind bone, and this early in pregnancy the baby is typically behind the mother’s pelvic bone. I was a little discouraged that we didn’t get to hear Cub’s heart. My logical side of my brain totally understood why, and that there was nothing to worry about. But my pregnant side of my brain was yelling “is my baby okay?!?! Why can’t I hear my baby’s heart beat?!?!”  But then she pulled in a portable ultrasound. ^_^

We got to see Cub for the first time today. ^_^ Our little blob of a baby even wiggled around for us! Oh it made me so happy to see Cub moving around, because a moving baby is a baby who is doing well. This also made M suspect I am farther along in pregnancy than counting the days since my last period shows (by counting we just started week 9). So next Tuesday we have an appointment for an ultrasound where they do all the measurements to figure out a better guestimation for when your little one is due. We did this with Kayley too, and my due date shifted by almost a week and a half. Of course then she was stubborn and came nearly two weeks late. We’ll have to wait and see if Cub will be stubborn too. 

Our little Cub

All that to say, I am so happy that we saw our baby today! And we have this picture too. I look forward to meeting with M more as we get farther along in my pregnancy, and seeing how Cub grows and develops. I can’t wait to see Cub again on Tuesday!!! ^_^

Danger!

Kayley loves to explore. And I love to watch her explore and learn, and explore with her too. Recently, with all this exploration, we have been trying to teach her the word “danger.” Usually it’s in reference to the wall heater and outlets, but recently something else had been added to the danger list. Kayley has discovered how to stand on the rail-handle of the oven drawer that holds the cookie sheets, while she grabs onto the oven’s rail-handle. And she has discovered she’s able to reach up and feel and grab at things on the stove-top! Scary!!

DANGER!!!!!

We have an electric stove top (I so wish it was a normal gas one…), so the burners stay pretty warm for a while after they’re turned off. Plus, when it’s near snack time I tend to grab a cutting board and place it on top of the unheated stovetop and slice up pears, cantaloupe and more. You can see the danger she can get into. Not to mention she could slip right off the rail-handle and fall, or accidentally pull the oven door open.

We have thus moved our baby gates and have made the kitchen area a baby-free zone, except when it’s time for her to eat in her highchair. I’m hoping once she starts understanding language more, and what danger means, that we can open the kitchen back up as a play area. I enjoy having her around me while I prepare our meals. Plus, it’s one of the only non-carpeted areas where she can play with her wheeled toys.

Smushy face

Looking through the gate into the kitchen