Holiday Parties.

Nothing like a few holiday parties to get you in the Christmas spirit. We went to a Christmas Sweater party at our friend's, the Willis', house early this month. It was actually a lot harder to find an ugly Christmas sweater than I thought. We bought Miles's sweater and the stocking on it at Goodwill and I sewed that Santa stocking on. I bought Caiden's sweater from the girl's section at a children's consignment shop and took the sleeves off. I actually hard the hardest time finding him a turtleneck, which was both annoying and kind of made me kind of happy because I don't think anyone should be wearing one for real. I found my sweater at good ole Walmart. The party was a lot of fun and the Willis' were the greatest hosts. Last week Miles and I went to his work's Christmas party. It was Great Gatsby/roaring 20's themed. I started looking for a dress as soon as the theme was announced in November. I wanted to be sure to find something that would work. His office doesn't take parties lightly, every one dressed up and that made it so much fun. Caiden helped me make my headband. Miles was looking awfully dapper. They had a photographer there which was nice because I didn't want to carry my big camera in. It was fun meeting his co-workers. The only bad part was the line for food. We probably waited close to 30 minutes to eat, and to a pregnant woman that feels like at least 2 hours. They had dancers perform and had a DJ. Once I finally got some food in my big ole 19 week belly I was a happy camper. It was nice to have an evening together without distractions. 

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree.

I think we may just have a Christmas tradition of getting a baby tree. We've done it for the last 3 years. But with the number of ornaments we have it just works better. Plus you can't beat the smell of fresh pine in your home so at $25 a baby tree is the best bang for your buck! Caiden was so excited to go pick out a tree again this year. He was running up and down the isles in giddiness. This kid is my holiday spirit I tell you. He gets me so excited for Christmas. Each morning he asks "mommy we go to Neticut [Connecticut] for Cistmas [Christmas] today?" and when I say no he says "ohhh dang it" Yeah, we've learned we have to watch what we say around our parrot. Dang it is his favorite phrase. After picking out the perfect baby tree we headed home, turned on the Christmas music, munched on some donuts, and started decorating. Caiden redecorates the tree almost daily. He likes to keep it interesting.

2nd Pregnancy.

oh the difference in size between my first and second pregnancies.

Our original plan had been to start trying for another baby in September, then it got pushed to October, then November.. we just kept pushing it because we weren't ready. I was having so much fun just me and Caiden and I was scared to interrupt that. But after talking to several friends this summer that suffered from secondary infertility, I got really nervous. So we decided in July that we would start trying in hopes that we would be pregnant by November. That was not the case, we got pregnant in July. It's a little earlier than our original time table, but we are excited. I spent the first few weeks crying every time I thought about how my relationship with Caiden will change. I'm still really nervous about it. Hopefully it will be a smoother transition for all than how I picture it in my head.

This pregnancy is a lot the same as Caiden's and also a lot different. With the symptoms lining up with Caiden's with just a few extra things I've allowed myself to be hopeful for another boy. I'll also be happy if it's a girl. Most of my family thinks it's a girl. Caiden keeps telling me it's a baby tiger. He's also taken to telling me that "baby gone mommy" which has been incredibly nerve wracking.

My Pregnancy at 19 Weeks
* My food cravings have been exactly the same: chips and salsa, turkey sandwiches (oh the torture), grapes with cheese, feta and spinach omelets, and one new one: cheeseburgers.
* My hair gets greasy so fast. I used to be able to wash it every 3 days, now it needs to be washed every day. Dang hormones!
* My leg hair virtually stopped growing, and I'm not complaining about it. This is pretty much the only perk so far.
* Morning sickness wasn't too bad this time around, only lasted about 2 weeks.
* Maybe it's because I'm chasing Caiden, but I'm so much more tired this time around. I get exhausted around 11 and again at 2 and am ready for bed around 9.
* Crazy acne break out. This has been the hardest for me. It made my first trimester miserable. It's cleared up now, but did a serious number on my self confidence and my desire to ever be pregnant again.
* Felt baby move for the first time around 17 weeks. I felt Caiden move around 14 weeks and he was active constantly. I guess I assumed that was normal. So when I wasn't feeling baby move at all and Caiden kept telling me "baby gone mommy" I started to believe him. It was nice to hear the heartbeat again at 16 weeks to reassure me. Hopefully this baby is just more peaceful and calm than my boy. He has 2 speeds: full speed and asleep. It's a lot of fun but keeps me busy! A relaxed baby would be a welcomed change.
* I started showing around 8 weeks verses 20 weeks with Caiden. Thankfully I haven't grown too much since then though, I thought for sure I'd be a blimp by now. Around 12 weeks I had to start rubber banding my pants because I couldn't do up the botton anymore! And I'm already wearing maternity dresses to church because my skirts just don't fit. I bought a pair of maternity leggings and they are life altering I tell you.


All in all we are very excited. Caiden has taken a particular liking to our friends baby boys in the last few weeks. He asks me if he can "touch der cute baby toes" at church, has to be standing or sitting near a baby if they're around, sits with his arms around them, hugs them incessantly, and just generally loves to be around them. He gives my belly kisses and tells people he has a baby in his belly too. I can't believe I'm already 19 weeks. Hopefully the next 21 will fly by and crossing my fingers this baby will come all on it's own this time.