Weeks 12-14!

 Hey hey hey! SECOND TRIMESTER ALREADY PEOPLE! Hard to believe. But each pregnancy goes by a little more quickly, which is bittersweet. Nice to get closer to baby, but it's such a special time, even in the toughest moments, I don't wish it away.

We have had a full few weeks! Starting with, Thanksgiving! We made the drive to my in-laws house in Indiana for the day, which is no small feat with four kids. But we did it! And actually, it went pretty well, all things considered. 

My little plaid girl squad.

Tim's favorite...the family photo! Yes, he is wearing shorts.

Big girl!

Did I mention that my family went through Covid right before the holidays began? My mom, brother, and sister all caught it, not sure how. So my family (who spends a lot of time with them) all got tested, and somehow only little Maeve (our 2.5 year old) caught it? They assured me that false positives are super rare (so they say?), so we all had to basically quarantine in our own house for two weeks. Being pregnant, I tried to be as careful as possible, but when we found out she had it on Wednesday, it seemed like a moot point...we had all tested on Monday (two days prior), and I had hugged her and kissed her a million times between Monday and Wednesday! So anyway, we tried masking in our house 24/7, but gave up after a week. It was nearly impossibly, and poor Maeve was so confused and feeling so left out. We all retested, and we were all still negative. So honestly, who knows. Isn't that the motto of 2020?! WHO FREAKIN KNOWS! Because of all of this, we did a nice long quarantine, but Tim's siblings/families were still not comfortable seeing us on Thanksgiving. So, it was just us and his folks. We'll see how Christmas goes!

Other than that, business as usual! We have had some GREAT weather as far as November/early December in Chicago goes, so we have been taking advantage of that big time. Eileen is still in school full-time (M-Fr, 12:30-3:30) which has been a blessing. We are all healthy and happy, and enjoying these days before true winter hits (if it ever does!) and leaves us homebound (which we will, of course, survive).

Christmas queen

Forest preserve adventures with dad!

Sweet baby!

Babies holding babies...be still my heart.

Cookie monster.

This girl is rotten (and awesome).

Constant bath tub chaos!

JOY!

My sweet book ends!

These two have been thick as thieves lately which is so fun!

More biggest littlest fun!

This baby loves to swing!

Floor forts with the big girls!

Baby elf.

Celebrating my sweet grandpa's 92nd birthday! Woohoo!

Enjoying a day out at the mall! In December?! WHAT?!

So that's us! The only major bummer is that I've had some really wild hormonal anxiety/even a little depression over the last few weeks (and insomnia to boot) that has kinda clobbered me. I seem to be coming out of it (knock on wood) but as a person who has dealt with anxiety/panic attacks off and on most of my adult life, it's never fun to go back to that place. Thankfully I have a lot more tools/tricks than I used to, and that is a blessing. Plus a support network of friends and family! I will be totally fine, and I know that, but it stinks to be down! That being said, I DO believe that I am on the way back up! Thanks for being patient with your mom, Baby Babes!!!

Had a great 14-week check-up on Tuesday, baby was moving all around and HB was 134-150 BPM range. I will be back at 16 weeks for another doppler, and I will go to MFM for the first time at 20 weeks for a more thorough ultrasound. Just a precaution, since this will be my fifth c-section. I am looking forward to extra shots of this sweet baby!

Here's some bump-age for ya!

And my first official bumpdate!

How far along? 14+1! HELLO SECOND TRI!

Clothing? Still in regular clothing, for now! But maternity leggings because, let's face it, I never got out of them. I may never get out again!

Stretch marks? I'm taking this question out next time. Because YES, I will have stretch marks forever! I am cool with it!

Sleep? Have had terrible anxiety-related insomnia for the last two weeks, but slept great last night. Hoping it continues!!

Best moment of this week? Hearing your heartbeat, Babes! An awesomely fun morning at the mall today with my girls!

Worst moment of this week? Anxiety. 'Nuff said. We are moving on!

Miss anything? A little wine as the holidays kick off. But that's life!

Movement? I THINK I felt a tiny flutter the other night, but nothing major yet. I can't wait!!!!

Symptoms? Still SO NAUSEOUS even though I am officially done with progesterone. Hoping that wraps soon! Round ligament pain has started, and some back pain, too. Appetite fluctuates, having some trapped gas pain at night, and of course the anxiety/insomnia stuff. All in all, I hope I'm headed for a break here soon!

Food cravings? These last few weeks, I cannot get enough hot cocoa! And lemonade, always. Powerade too. Oh, and I have been eating a lot of dark chocolate. So, super healthy, per usual.

Gender? I mean, probably a girl, right?!?!? My mom is convinced it's a boy because of how PARTICULARLY rough I've been feeling lately. I actually can't even picture it....either will be AWESOME!

Labor Signs? Nope!

Belly button in or out? That charming innie/outie that comes with many c-sections and a stretched out belly. 

Wedding rings on or off? On!

Mood? Happy. Excited for the holidays! Feeling really particularly blessed this week.

Looking forward to? Cookie baking with my girls this weekend! Watching Charlie Brown Christmas! My EIGHTH wedding anniversary! Christmas Eve//day! 16-week appt.! All the things that make my heart happy!

Until next time!!!