The ultrasound went really well! Here's the video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8-EqIS_kbM

It's not the best quality and I apologize.  I used my iphone and the room was pitch black so I would've blinded my OB with the flash hahaha.  It had trouble focusing.  But at the 5:30 mark you can see him moving his mouth a whole bunch and toward the end you can see it's definitely a boy in the lower left corner, head up in the right side.

Everything is going really well.  He's moving like crazy and seems pretty happy in there! We're estimating anywhere between Dec. 23rd-Jan. 8th.  My official due date is January 3rd.  There's isn't enough of a difference to change my due date so we're leaving it as is.  I prefer kind of having a range rather than a specific date, so that was nice.

Definitely still a boy! I'm wondering what life is going to be like with two boys :) I really hope Conrad adjusts well.

Ultrasound tomorrow :) 18 weeks!

I have the anatomy scan tomorrow morning at 9am.  I'm just a few days shy of 18 weeks.  We were able to go to a keepsake ultrasound place nearby and we found out the gender (It's a BOY!) right before I was 15 weeks :)  I'm so excited to see how much he has grown!

When I had my last ultrasound, the baby was measuring on the big side which may change my due date.  I'm currently due January 3rd but his measurements were putting him closer to December 31st.  Regardless, this will certainly be an eventful holiday season.  Ohio has some rough snow storms.  We're crossing our fingers for a mild winter and for an easy labor and delivery, too of course.

With Conrad, we had a larger living room and we were able to have a swing and a pack n play in one area.  This time around, our living room is much smaller.  We're thinking about just having the swing in the living room and using a bassinet in our bedroom for a few months.  Conrad's bed is his original crib that we converted to a daybed.  We're going to get him a larger toddler bed and convert the crib back again and move it into our bedroom.  This time we have larger bedrooms which is nice.  We plan on having our little one room with us until he's sleeping through the night, then we may have them int he same room together.  We know the bassinet will only be for about 2-3 months so the plan is to get the new toddler bed for Christmas.  Conrad will be 4 and a half :)

He's starting to kiss my belly now and talk to the baby.  It's incredibly cute.  We're all getting really excited.  Things are going to pick up around here soon.  Tom's new promotion involves a few schedule changes in August and I'm waiting to see if I'm accepted to a few different schools to finish my bachelor's degree.  Lots and lots of exciting things :)

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How will big brother adjust?

I'm a full time stay at home mom. I attend classes online or at night a few times a week. I've had my entire summer off and I'm waiting to hear back from a few colleges to see if I can complete a bachelor's program. Conrad does not attend preschool or daycare. I'm nervous he isn't going to adjust well to having a little brother. We talk about it all the time. He pats my belly and talks to "his baby" and it's so adorable. He helps me around the house all the time and for the most part he listens and takes direction well when it's needed. I hope the trend continues and he'll be willing to help me when I need something for his little brother.

 I know he enjoys his time with me and I hope I can figure out how to balance everything. My husband will be able to take 12 weeks off to be home with us and have his own bonding time. We are so thankful. I think it will really help. My concerns are after he goes back to work full time and I'll be doing this on my own half the day. Don't get me wrong, I'm very excited. I'm just also very anxious.

 Depending on finances, we may enroll Conrad into pre-school next Fall, or we may be able to enroll him directly into kindergarten. I need to look into it. I have a lot on my plate trying to figure out where my life is going to be in the next 2 years. I'm going to try to finish my bachelor's degree before Conrad is in the 1st grade. It's my goal. I'm really hoping I get accepted into an online program and the financial aid is enough to help us out. I want to be home as much as possible with our kids.

 For those of you with more than one child, how did your oldest adapt from being the only child to the older sibling? Any tips or advice you can provide? Thanks!

Almost 17 week belly picture :)

I need to get a new memory card for my camera so I can post some decent pictures! But for now I have one from my phone.  I'm in love with my belly already.  I wish it wouldn't get much bigger than this, but I know it will haha.

I can no longer see my feet when I walk down the stairs.  It's time to take things super slow and be extra careful.  Our son is getting more excited since he can tell my belly is growing larger.  He talks about "his baby" all the time and he is currently going through his toys in the basement to find his baby toys so he can share them with his little brother :)

They say every pregnancy is different....

And I would be inclined to agree.  On Saturday night I was out shooting pool and seeing a local band with my mom and a few of her friends.  Without warning I fainted.  I was reaching for my purse across the table, all of a sudden I started falling to the right and I smacked my arm on the table on the way down and slid down a wall, then thumped onto my spine right above my butt.  OUCH.

One of the bartenders I know there called 911.  No I wasn't drinking.  It's just a fun place to go and hang out and I've been there several times.  The ambulance showed up in record time.  The EMTs checked me out and all my vital signs came back normal, but I still wanted to go to the hospital.  I was given two liters of IV fluid and was monitored for a while.  My pulse and blood pressure fluctuated a lot.  I still feel a little off today, two days later.

I followed up with my OB and he told me it's rather common during pregnancy.  My blood flow is like a river and the baby is like a reservoir off to the side and the pregnancy was an open door to that reservoir... so my blood pressure will probably remain low for quite some time.  He told me to increase my salt intake and to stay really well hydrated.  The salt will bring my blood pressure up a little bit which would help a lot.  So we'll see how this goes.  I'll be "at risk" for fainting up until 30 weeks, but he doesn't expect it to happen again now that I know some prevention measures.  I'll be 17 weeks in just a couple of days.  I see him again the 31st for the anatomy scan.  Hopefully this pregnancy won't be very eventful! With my son, I was just fine.  Didn't really have any issues at all.  This is surprising.

Cloth Diapering

When I was pregnant with Conrad we were in the process of moving and we wouldn't have a washer and dryer in the apartment with us. At that time we decided disposable diapers were our best option. This time around, however, we have a washer and dryer in our basement and I'm leaning toward cloth diapering. We're looking at one-size All-in-twos with removable liners. It seems like the best choice. We can keep the same diaper cover on all day as long as it doesn't get soiled and just change out the soiled inserts. Have you had any experience with cloth diapers? Give me the details on the good, the bad, and the ugly. I'd love to know more. Thanks!

He's going to be 4!

Where has the time gone? My baby boy is going to be 4 in just 8 days! He is growing into such a gentleman. He is very polite but he still has his moments of toddler tantrums. Thankfully it's getting much better. We are still working on potty training and I've been slacking on my part from the exhaustion of pregnancy. I'm really hoping to get him fully potty trained before his little brother arrives. It's our long term goal right now. I've been researching different tips and tricks on Pinterest and I have a few ideas up my sleeve that I'm willing to try very soon. He's sooooo incredibly excited to be a big brother! I had a bit of relief when we found out that we're having another boy, because Conrad didn't want a little sister as much as a little brother :) It will be fun to have them room together when they are older. I'm excited to start this new chapter with two little men in the house!

16 weeks!

I can't believe we're going into our 5th month of pregnancy already. I'm almost halfway done! It feels like time is flying. I uploaded recent pictures of my ultrasounds and belly on instagram a couple days ago. I'm starting to feel movement!! It's so amazing. My husband can't wait until he can feel him move on the outside. It's such a unique bonding experience. We are thinking of names and haven't settled on one quite yet. We think we know the first name but can't decide on the middle name yet. Our son Conrad is so excited to be a big brother. Just yesterday he was playing with his stuffed animal polar bear, acting like he was a little baby. Cradling him, feeding him an imaginary bottle, etc. It's so adorable. He's going to be a great helper!