15 Weeks

 

How Far Along:   15 Weeks

Baby's Size:   Navel Orange  Average size: 4 inches, 2.5 oz.
Legs are finally longer than arms...

Total Weight Gain:
Home scale:  Down 2.6 (which means I actually gained about 0.5 lbs this week... definitely feeling better!)
Doctor’s scale:  No measurement this week
Weight gained with Grant at this point:  2.6 lbs

Maternity Clothes:  I have to admit I have broken out the belly band a couple of times for my uniform work pants.  They are the not so attractive, high wasted sexy kind and frankly it has been a tight squeeze on some days.  Although, I haven't worn it everyday nor I have I worn it with any of my personal pants.

Baby's Movement:   Still feeling lil' nugget move here and there... nothing too consistent yet though.

Food Cravings:  I am sooo looking forward to Blanck's tomorrow!  I also came across a coupon for funfetti cake and icing and of course had to make the purchase but I haven't actually baked the cake yet.  Otherwise, there have been no specific cravings but I have been feeling better and starving!

Food Aversions:  Leftovers!  Yuck! 

Sleep:  I am still sleeping pretty well although it may be time to break out the body pillow pretty soon.  And that stinking nightly potty trip really ticks me off.

Symptoms:  Knock on wood it has been a good week (minus one throw up incident) and I have been STARVING.  I have found that if I have the slightest inkling of being hungry and don't eat then I get nauseous but usually as soon as I get something in my stomach I am good to go. YAY!!! I can't begin to explain how great that feels.  Having not felt good for the past 11 weeks... I feel like a new person.  Unfortunately, I have still been very tired (i.e. I was asleep on the couch by 7:00 last night!). 

Best Moment(s) This Week:  We organized the office/toy room and it felt great!  I decluttered and threw away tons of stuff, packed away toys Grant doesn't play with, and rearranged. 

What I Miss:  Right now I can't really think of anything other than having energy.  I am feeling good (other than the cough/colds that have hit Matt, Grant and myself this week).  I have no desire for a cocktail (actually the thought repulses me).  I am eating what I want when I want and doing what I want when I want. 

What I Am Looking Forward To:  Getting my hands on the "spare room" aka soon to be "nursery."  I have started envisioning what I may want it to look like but of course knowing the gender will be the true key to design scheme.   

What's Different This Time:  Looking back in my pregnancy journal from Grant I would say not very much.  I had very slight nausea with him that had worn off by this time and I was still pretty tired at this point with him as well so I would say it is pretty even par right now. 

Next Appointment:
November 1st - 16 week appointment  One week!  Can't wait to hear lil' nugget's heartbeat again!  It has been forever it seems!
November 16th Gender Reveal!   Don't forget to get your vote in... Only three more weeks. 

14 Weeks

 

Comparison picture coming next week...

How Far Along: 14 Weeks

Baby's Size:  Lemon  Average size: 3.4 inches, 1.5 oz.
Liver, kidneys, and spleen are continuing to develop...

Total Weight Gain:
Home scale:  Down 3.2 lbs (same as last week)
Doctor’s scale:  No measurement this week
Weight gained with Grant at this point:  2.2 lbs

Maternity Clothes: Nope, not yet...

Baby's Movement:  Yes!?!  I know it is early and early on sometimes it is hard to tell if it is really baby or just a gas bubble :) This has definitely been baby though!  A little earlier this time around... I didn't feel Grant until 16 weeks. 

Food Cravings:  We have our Blanck's trip planned for October 26th so I am looking forward to the yummy food.  Otherwise, I have been eating a lot of string cheese which seems to help settle my stomach.  I could also really go for some Zaxby's but of course that craving won't be fulfilled anytime soon :( 

Food Aversions:  Ground beef, chicken of any kind, and grilled stuff are a couple that stand out this week. 

Sleep:  Still sleeping really well.  Although, I am very ready for a break from the nightly bathroom trip.

Symptoms:  Just as I think I am feeling better I have a couple of bad days... as in I almost didn't make it to the bathroom at work and that would not have been pretty.   

Best Moment(s) This Week:  Feeling lil' nugget move!  It still doesn't seem real in many ways so being able to feel baby moves helps. 

What I Miss:  Proper dental care... Anything mouth/dental related has been rough.  I have switched to an electric toothbrush which seemed to help with Grant because you don't have the back and forth, in and out motion in your mouth.  However, I can't floss or use mouth wash without gagging/throwing up (and sometimes do with brushing... twice this week actually).  I have a dentist appointment on Tuesday so hopefully I can make it through that without any episodes. 

What I Am Looking Forward To:  Nesting and getting baby's room ready.  I had off of work on Friday and got caught up on some things around the house but not any of the organizational stuff I really want to get my hands on!

What's Different This Time:  Feeling baby earlier.  I also intend on visiting the chiropractor on a regular basis throughout this pregnancy (I don't visit one normally and it wasn't until I was pregnant with Grant and we found out he was breech I made my first visit).   As some of you may or may not know, Grant was frank breech and I had to have a c-section.  We tried everything to try to get him to turn including hypnosis, chiropractic adjustments, pelvic tilts, and an external cephalic version (ECV) which was painful to say the least.  I fully intend on having a natural (which I wanted with Grant as well), VBAC with this baby and essentially nothing is going to get in my way this time!  There will be another post on that to come soon but it is my hope that regular visits to the chiropractor among other things will make sure this baby is in the proper position come birth time. 

Next Appointment:
November 1st-16 week appointment
November 16th Gender Reveal! Don't forget to get your vote in!

21 Months

 

Grant using the oven mits becuase it was hot

Growth:  According to our home scale Grant is weighing in at 25.6 lbs!  That is up another pound so we are happy to see some positive movement after so much negative and stagnate weigh-ins.  According to his growth chart, he is just over 33” so that would put him up about 3/4-1”.  Grant is wearing 18-24 month, 24 month, and 2T clothes, size 6 shoes, and size 4 diapers.

Teeth:  No new teeth this month… still holding steady at 16

Language/Comprehension:  Grant has still been developing his use of longer sentences.  He usually talks in at least two or three word phrases but is expanding more and more to three and four word sentences.

Some cute words/phrases from this month:  Says bless you after someone sneezes, big pumpkin (emphasis on bigggg!), says I love you (very often un-prompted), tractor house (our shed in the back yard), tractor ride, guitar (anytime he hears music), no-no mommy/daddy/Bucky/Monty (using sign language, pinching his fingers together and saying it at the same time), and our absolute favorite this month tomato soup which sounds more like "no-no boop."  He loves to greet us with “hi baby” or “hi morning” regardless of the time of the day and I think he has picked the hi baby up from me.  When I go into his room in the morning and he pops up out of bed usually the first words out of my mouth are “Hi baby, good morning.”  A fish also apparently says “bubble, bubble, bubble.”

So here goes my first video attempt.  It is a little longer than I wanted because I couldn't edit it down at all but it is just a sampling of some of Grant's words that he would cooperate and say. 

 

Mobility:  I would say mobility is still about the same.  He is just working on fine tuning all of his skills now.  Walk, run, climb, crawl, jump… He practices them all on a daily basis.  His throwing has also become much more coordinated.  As coordinated as he thinks he is, he still has some work.  He took a tumble down the stairs this month.  I was upstairs in the bathroom and Matt had gone downstairs and didn’t realize Grant was following him.  Well next thing you know we hear several thumps and crying.  We still aren’t sure exactly how many he fell down but after just a couple seconds of crying, no visible bumps or bruises he was ok. 

Grant-isms:  Grant loves having his sleeves rolled up and will insist "sleeves-up" (even if he has short-sleeves on or even no shirt).  He also loves sitting on his smaller, not made for sitting toys ie his John Deere metal tractor and his little caterpillar.  Another favorite is standing in front of the refrigerator with all his magnetic letters and rambling off random letters of the alphabet.  He no longer thinks he needs a bib and as soon as you put it on he is saying "no, no, no" and ripping at the velcro.       

Riding his caterpillar

Things he likes:  Grant likes to find “mommy’s baby” by pulling up my shirt and kissing my tummy.  He also loves talking to baby but his mouth has to be right on my tummy.



Feeding the goats

We went to The Little Farmer this month and Grant got to feed the goats which he loved.  He drove the tractor, rode the bikes, climbed on the hay and played in the pumpkins… all in all a good day!




Showing off how strong he is to impress Addie

Peek-a-boo

Grant also loves turning lights on and off.  He has discovered one set of light switches that are near the stairs and he knows that if he stands on the 2^nd stair he can reach the switch himself.  Needless to say, he thinks it is a fun game but it has gotten him in trouble a time or two when he doesn’t listen.  

Grant also loves doing the motions to itsy bitsy spider (favorite is washing the spider out) and loves the song “you are my sunshine” and will ask over and over for “more sun.”

Funniest moment(s) this month:  Matt and I gave each other a smooch and in the background Grant said “I Love You.”  It was so sweet!

At a wedding we were at this month, there was a gentlemen in a bright orange shirt and Grant pointed to him and said “bigggg pumpkin!” 

 

Talking about the big pumpkin Grant is terrified of one of our fall/Halloween decorations.  A big plastic pumpkin meant to be outside but it has been super windy so he has found a home in the foyer.  Well, Grant avoids that area at all costs and will say "no pumpkin" when we try to take him close to it.  In order to alleviate this fear, the pumpkin has been eating supper with us and we have been feeding him which has actually helped Grant's aversion to it! 

 

Biggest change(s) this month:  We have been noticing Grant use his left hand more and more.  When he colors/draws or throws something he is still very dominant with his right hand but when it comes to eating I would say 95% of the time his spoon/fork is in his left hand.

 

We have also noticed that when we pray Grant will bow his head instead of looking around the room.  He can also get each of his fingers interlocked in order.   

We are also getting more and more glimpses of the “terrible two’s.”  More and more often Grant will throw himself down and scream or cry anytime you tell him no or stop no matter how small or trivial the issue is.    

Firsts:  We traveled to Tomahawk for a friend’s wedding and had an amazing time.  We even got to see a few snow flurries.  Grant danced a little but was pooped by 10 o’clock and couldn’t fight the battle anymore.    

Illnesses:  For two months in a row and officially being 2 months post-op and transplant… NONE!!!  We are saying prayers that we have a quiet fall/winter on the illness front and we can make it through with no illnesses that would require the use of antibiotics.  Our pediatrician and specialist in Chicago agree that it would have to be a pretty severe situation to merit the use of an antibiotic just because of Grant’s susceptibility and not being too far out from all of our troubles. 

Playing in the leaves

13 Weeks

 

Unfortunately I did not take a picture every week with Grant.  It is my goal to do so with this lil' fish and on the weeks I have a comparison I will post that. 

How Far Along:   13 Weeks (Good Bye 1st Trimester, hello blissful, happy, not nauseous and pukey 2nd trimester? Please!!!)

Baby's Size:   Peach  Average size: 2.9 inches, 0.81 oz.
Teeth and vocal cords are appearing...

Total Weight Gain:
Home scale: Down 3.2 lbs
Doctor’s scale: No measurement this week
Weight Gained with Grant at this point: 1.2 lbs

Maternity Clothes:   Nope, not yet...

Baby's Movement:   Still none

Food Cravings:  I took care of that pizza craving but it really didn't taste as good as I had envisioned.  Otherwise, nothing to really speak of this week as far as other cravings go but I have been starting to think about eating at Blanck's more and more.  I want to wait until I feel 100% though because I don't want to waste a good steak, french fried lobster, and cheesy hash browns. :)   

Food Aversions:  Still quite a bit but the thing that sticks out to me is sweets.  If you know me, you know I like my candy/sweets and several times when given the option this week I have passed up sweet treats. 

Sleep:  Like a baby but back to being up every night for the bathroom... just once and then I fall right back asleep.

Symptoms:  This week has been riddled with heartburn, headaches, and nausea usually reserved to the afternoons and evenings.  It also seems the fatigue has been back with a vengeance this week.  And don't forget the crazy dreams!    

Best Moment(s) This Week:  As a family we enjoyed a night away for a friend's wedding.  In some ways I feel like we need to cram as much in with our time left as a family of three because I know the dynamic will change greatly after April.   

What I Miss:  Hasn't changed... feeling like a normal, awake, healthy human being.   

What I Am Looking Forward To:  Feeling caught up around the house.  Matt has been wonderful with helping out but it is just not the same as some of the stuff I do versus the bare necessessities.  A housekeeper and a cook would be amazing right now :) The desire to nest and sort Grant's clothes and start moving furniture is there but the motivation and energy absolutely are not.   

What's Different This Time:  Still the biggest difference has been how I feel.  I am hoping my 2nd trimester is as blissful with this one as it was with Grant.  

Next Appointment:
November 1st-16 week appointment
November 16th Gender Reveal! Don't forget to get your vote in!

12 Weeks

 

How Far Along:  12 Weeks

Baby's Size:  Plum  Average size: 2.1 inches, .49 oz.
Almost all vital systems are fully formed...

Total Weight Gain: 
Home scale:  Down 3.0 lbs
Doctor’s scale: No measurement this week
Weight Gained with Grant at this point: 1.0 lb

Maternity Clothes:  Nope, not yet...

Baby's Movement:  Still none

Food Cravings:  Pizza... twice this week at work people have had pizza so I am pretty sure I know what is on the menu at the Fisher house tomorrow night!

Food Aversions:  Still grilled stuff and leftovers (among others) big time!  I had a relatively good week except for dinner Monday night (and Tuesday morning) .  We had grilled pork tenderloin (leftover) and it made me run to the bathroom and vomit.  I handled it ok on Sunday night but I guess the combo of leftover and grilled put me over the edge.   

Sleep:  Like a baby but still with the usual nightly bathroom trip (I had 2 nights without a potty break this week so hopefully that is on its way out as well).  I fall right back asleep though.

Symptoms:  Just when I thought I was on the verge of feeling better this week I got hit pretty hard on Monday night/Tuesday morning.  It seems I have been having somewhat better days overall though so hopefully feeling well full time is on the horizon. 

Best Moment(s) This Week:  My couple days of relief from the nausea... 

What I Miss:  Feeling well

What I Am Looking Forward To:  Feeling better  (see a theme here?)

What's Different This Time:  So far the biggest difference I can pinpoint is how I am feeling.  I remember being tired with Grant but I was never this sick. 

Next Appointment: 
November 1st-16 week appointment 
November 16th Gender Reveal!  Don't forget to get your vote in!