Hannah's going to be a big sister!!!!
We're having a baby later this year - due on November 18th - and we sent Hannah off to the sitter's one morning last week in her new tee-shirt to share the news. We had a quick photo-op before she left the house at 6:30am (when this picture was taken) so I could have Mother's Day cards made for the grandmas. I ended up making "Happy Mother's Day....a new grandbaby is on the way" cards for both grandmas. Then, because there were so many cute designs, I went ahead and also had other cards made to send to the aunts that included the picture and the news.
We're not entirely sure that Hannah understands what is going on at this point. What we do know is that we are unsure of how we have been able to keep this secret, considering that we took Hannah with us to our first doctor appointment in mid-April. Since I go to a high-risk doctor (who is usually running late), I scheduled my appointment for 3pm before Jon was even out of school, figuring we might be called back by 4pm. Well, for the first time - EVER - that I have had an appointment with him (other than when something was wrong and he moved other patients aside to see me), I didn't wait long at all. By 3:20 I was called back....and was worried because Jon wasn't even set to arrive until 3:30! I figured I might be in the room awhile, which tends to happen, but at about 3:35, Dr. Ruedrich came in to see me and I told him that Jon was actually on his way.....so he went to see another patient to make sure Jon could be there for the whole appointment. When Jon and Hannah arrived about 5 minutes later, I already had the paper sheet around my lap. Hannah thought that was kind of interesting and kept saying "Mommy go to doctor and take off her pants." When my doctor came back, Hannah wasn't too sure about him, but for weeks afterward, she'd frequently comment about Mommy and going to the doctor and taking off her pants....in fact, for at least one week, every night when I got home from work she asked if I'd been at the doctor. Hilarious!
At any rate, since I know you may be wondering about the risks with this pregnancy....my doctor is proceeding as if there are no risks. He is treating me like any normal patient for now. He doesn't worry if there isn't a reason, and doesn't want us to either. While having a partial placental abruption (which is what ultimately was going on with me last time) does increase the risk of having another, the odds of having more than one are actually low....since you get a new placenta with each pregnancy. And, while one you have pre-term labor the odds do increase substantially that you'll have it again, we are assuming (for now) that my PTL was caused by the placenta problems and are planning on a healthy, full-term birth. Of course, I'll be monitored closely and at my 20-week ultrasound they'll pay close attention to the location and development of my placenta, but for now, all is well. Dr. Ruedrich told me to plan for going 42 weeks and having a super-long labor this time : )
This pregnancy is certainly different than the one with Hannah. With Hannah I was working (a lot...or more than a lot - 60+ hours a week) and wasn't sick at all - no nausea (except occasionally when I'd brush my teeth), no cravings, no slowing down. This pregnancy - well, I tease Jon that Hannah was a Folger - our rhythms were in sync, she gets up early, goes to bed early, is a little OCD, etc. This baby is a Woolley - our systems just aren't entirely in sync, and as a result, this one is a challenge from the beginning : ) I have been extremely nauseous this time around - fortunately I haven't been throwing up, but from weeks 5-14, I was nauseous all day long - it didn't decrease after the morning was over, and evenings were really bad after a long day at work. I'd spend most of the night on the couch. (I'm so thankful that Hannah goes to bed at 7:30pm - I could fake a little extra energy for her....although not much.) No food tasted good (or smelled good). By the time we went to the doctor at 8 weeks, I'd been feeling yucky and Jon asked if there was anything we could do about it. My doctor told Jon that if the only thing I could stomach for the next month was potato chips, to just eat potato chips. He told me that something is better than nothing, and we can work on a healthy diet later on - that for now I just need calories in my body and he wasn't going to be picky on how I acquired them. So, Jon took that to heart, and at least 3 or 4 different nights he brought me a bag of chips to eat while I was laying on the couch. Not my usual idea of a snack, but at least it was food. For a number of weeks the only thing I could actually think about eating was cereal (plain Cheerios, anyone?), chips, and crackers. At one point, I was so exhausted that I had about 5 loads of laundry that I washed and dried, but never got folded piled up on the couch in our bedroom...I just kept piling stuff up planning to get to it eventually. At some point, I didn't have clothes for work and resorted to picking an outfit from the pile and throwing it in the dryer for 15 minutes with a wet washcloth while I did my hair and makeup so I wouldn't have to iron. I'll admit that I did that on more than one occasion before Jon and I finally got to work on the pile - I sat on the floor folding and he put everything away. I can't remember being this tired in a long time. Fortunately, the nauseous phase did finally pass and I got my regular appetite and my energy back!
We're really excited about being pregnant and everything looking good and healthy so far. We actually started trying to get pregnant again right after Hannah turned 1 (although we did take a small break after the miscarriage last summer), so this baby has been eagerly anticipated for some time. We honestly have no preference as to gender this time around. If our last pregnancy taught us anything, it's that healthy is REALLY all anyone wants (or should want), and that's really all that we care about. Last time around we both thought we wanted a boy, but God knew that girls do better in the NICU and He gave us a girl. We got a tender, loving girl who loves hugs and kisses, is funny and energetic, a great helper around the house, and who will make a great big sister to this baby. What a blessing that we don't always get what we think we want.
Jaidyn smiling!
I think Jaidyn was "talking" when I was taking this picture....and Hannah was really interested in what she had to say.
After we got home from the park, we took Susan out for a birthday dinner....since her birthday was coming up next week. We ended up having a great dinner, and we went early enough that we were put in an almost separate room with one other family with a kid, so we didn't have to worry about disturbing other diners. It worked out wonderfully.
All ready to go!
Jon took the time to show her different lures and he got her pole all ready for her.
Hannah's first cast...she wasn't quite sure about what she was doing!
Hannah and Daddy getting ready to reel one in!
Hannah holds up her crappie...she actually liked touching it.
One cast and one fish was enough for our girl....we then retreated to the blanket for a cookie.