Loving Big Brother

A couple of times a day, Mark gives Lima Bean a kiss by kissing my stomach.  Yesterday, he did this while I was sitting on the couch with Henry.  Henry saw Daddy lift my shirt a bit and kiss the baby.  He must have thought this looked fun, because he proceeded to copy Daddy.  He lifted my shirt and gave Lima Bean a big ol' wet smooch!  Then, seeing the reaction he got from Mark and me, he did it again and again and again!  After giving the baby a kiss, he would look up at Mark, give a huge grin, and clap his hands!  I thought I would die from the cuteness.  It was the absolute most adorable thing, and I even teared up in my emotional pregnant state. 

A few photos of the adorable big brother, who has been a little neglected on this blog during all of the Lima Bean posts.  Not to worry, though, he is definitely not hurting for attention from Mark and me!

Hidden Hiller Chronicles: Week Seventeen

I had no memory of wearing this sweater in the 15 week picture until I uploaded it.  Ah, well: at least you can see how much bigger the bump is two weeks later!

How far along: Seventeen weeks as of Wednesday, February 5, 2014. 
Size of baby: Lima Bean is about 5 inches long from crown to rump and weighs about 5 ounces, as much as a turnip.
Maternity Clothes: I tried to wear a pair of maternity jeans this week, but they were too baggy because I stretched them out so much last time.  They literally wouldn't stay up.  So, still wearing regular pants.  I can wear one pair as is, and the rest I have to wear with a belly band.  I have plenty of long tops, so no need for maternity shirts yet, although I have a couple that are shorter that I have worn.
Movement: Still feel movement, and it is getting stronger and more frequent. 
Sex of baby: We will find out in less than three weeks!
Sleep: Fine.
What I miss: Deli sandwiches and soft cheeses.
Cravings: Finally feeling like Mexican food!  It was so funny--it's all I wanted during Henry's pregnancy, but this time, I have craved Asian-inspired and Italian food.  This week I made honey lime enchiladas and they were outstanding.  Still have that "sweet" undertone I have been craving, though.  Also, deli sandwiches.  I want a turkey sandwich!!  I already have my order ready for my first post-baby lunch: Boar's Head spicy chicken, pepper jack cheese, honey mustard and onions on sourdough.  Mmmm...just have to wait approximately 23 more weeks!
Symptoms: Tiredness, bad skin, some sharp waves of abdominal pain that I think is round ligament stretching.
What I'm looking forward to: The anatomy scan.  Soon!

Hidden Hiller Chronicles: Week Sixteen

How far along: Sixteen weeks as of Wednesday, January 29, 2014. 
Size of baby: Lima Bean is 4.5 inches long from crown to rump, the size of an avocado, and weighs about 3.5 ounces.
Maternity Clothes: I have worn two sweaters so far.  I can still fit into four pairs of pants, two that are made of extra stretchy material and two that are normally too big, and still are too big, actually (although I suspect not for long!)
Movement: Still feeling Lima Bean a couple of times a day.  Mostly when I am going to bed at night, probably because I'm relaxed and still.
Sex of baby: We will find out in four weeks!
Sleep: Just fine.
What I miss: Over easy eggs, soft cheeses.
Cravings: Salads, mint oreos (to counterbalance the salads), barbeque chicken.  This baby is all about dishes with sweet undertones.
Symptoms: Mostly just horrible skin and a little extra tiredness.  Some days are worse than others, even if I get the same amount of sleep the night before.
What I'm looking forward to: The "big" ultrasound where we see Lima Bean again!

Other notables: I had my 16 week appointment this week.  Mark had a work obligation, so I took Henry on my own.  He has gone to every appointment so far, because I keep scheduling them on days I don't work!  He does great because I always bring crackers for him to snack on and he gets fawned over by everyone at the office.  We heard the heartbeat again (152 bpm) and I had a pretty long discussion with my doctor about attempting a VBAC.  For now, that is the plan.  Henry's C-section was the result of a multitude of circumstances that all aligned to make it very hard for me to have him normally--my water broke, so I had 24 hours or so from then to give birth; I wasn't dilating on my own so I had to be on Pitocin; Henry's cord was wrapped around his body, so the increased Pitocin contractions were squeezing him too much and causing his heart rate to decelerate.  Anyway, all that to say, my doctor thinks the C-section wasn't because of my physical body structure, which was great to hear.  I know VBAC rates aren't great, but I am hoping I can achieve it.

Hidden Hiller Chronicles: Week Fifteen

How far along: Fifteen weeks as of Wednesday, January 22, 2014. 
Size of baby: Lima Bean is about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs about 2.5 ounces, the size of an apple.
Maternity Clothes: Nothing except one maternity sweater I purchased from Ann Taylor Loft.  It is not long at all, though, and I doubt I will be able to wear it past 21-22 weeks.
Movement: Finally feeling a little bit of movement again!  It is very infrequent, not even every day, but the pulsing sensation is back.  It is always a big relief to feel Lima Bean moving and shaking.
Sex of baby: Leaning towards girl.  We will find out in about five weeks!
Sleep: Just fine.
What I miss: Sodas and over-easy eggs.
Cravings: Oreo desserts.  Milkshakes, McFlurries (which I would never usually order), you name it.  I am going to have to rein in the eating or I will gain too much weight!
Symptoms: Fatigue is getting better.  I still try to get over eight hours of sleep a night, but I don't feel the need to nap all of the time like I used to.  Skin is still bad.
What I'm looking forward to: Hearing Lima Bean's heartbeat again at my 16 week appointment.

Hidden Hiller Chronicles: Week Fourteen

How far along: Fourteen weeks as of Wednesday, January 15, 2014.  Officially out of the first trimester and into the second!
Size of baby: Lima Bean is stretching out.  She is 3.5 inches from crown to rump, about the size of a lemon, and weighs about 1.5 ounces.
Maternity Clothes: No, but I had a heck of a time finding something to wear to a client meeting this week.  I work for an awesome law firm that allows us to wear jeans, which I do nearly every day.  So, I have a closet full of business casual clothes I never wear unless I am taking a deposition, going to court, or meeting with a client.  I tried on every suit I own the night before the meeting, even the ones that are normally too big in the waist, and none of them fit!  I ended up wearing a top with an elastic bottom that kept the suit pants up while unbuttoned!  I made sure it wasn't noticeable first, of course.  But I am thinking I will need to invest in a maternity suit.  I hate spending the money on something I won't wear for long, but I know I will need it at some point during this pregnancy.
Movement: No movement yet.  Hopefully I will feel Lima Bean in the next couple of weeks!
Sex of baby: Thinking girl, but we'll see. 
Sleep: Sleeping fine.
What I miss: Having dressy work clothes that fit!
Cravings: Sweet foods.  Chocolate chip cookies, mango, strawberries.  I found a recipe for honey sesame chicken and literally drooled thinking about it for two days until I finally made it.  It was just as delicious as it looked.
Symptoms: Fatigue, bad skin.  Eating sweets probably isn't helping my cause.
What I'm looking forward to: Warmer weather so I can wear dresses.  Unfortunately, with the way this winter is going, I don't think I will get my wish for quite some time.

Hidden Hiller Chronicles: Week Thirteen

How far along: Thirteen weeks as of Wednesday, January 8, 2014. 
Size of baby: Lima Bean is nearly three inches long, about the size of a pea pod, and weighs nearly an ounce.
Maternity Clothes: Staying out of maternity wear for now.  I am down to four pairs of pants that fit.  Luckily, long tops have been in fashion for awhile so I'm set with those.
Movement: Haven't felt anything for awhile.
Sex of baby: Thinking girl, but we'll see. 
Sleep: Sleeping fine.
What I miss: Options for lunch at work.  There aren't that many places to eat near my office, and now that I can't eat deli meat or prepared salads (chicken salad, tuna salad, etc.), I am really limited.  I have been grabbing a veggie sandwich and soup from Subway nearly every work day.  That is going to get old soon!  Maybe I should just start bringing lunch from home.
Cravings: Chocolate pie with whipped cream.  I wanted this so much that I took it upon myself to purchase ingredients and make it.  Not that it was difficult: I used a pre-made pie crust, chocolate pudding, and whipped cream in a can.  But it was still delicious!
Symptoms: Fatigue, bad skin.  Hoping the fatigue will ease up as I enter the second trimester.
What I'm looking forward to: Telling people our happy news.  I haven't told many people yet, mostly because I have just been so busy.  When I'm not at work, I'm chasing after Henry, and once he is in bed, I am too tired to do anything except sit on the couch and read.

Other notables: I had my 12-week appointment with my regular doctor this week.  It was pretty uneventful, with the exception of hearing sweet Lima Bean's heartbeat!  Going strong at 161 bpm.  The nurse also commented on how busy Lima Bean is--it took awhile to get her to stay in one place long enough to get a good heart rate.  Oh, no, what are we in for?!  I also got tired of waiting for the results of the first trimester screening, so I called and asked for them.  Lima Bean has a less than 1/10,000 chance of having trisomy disorders, which was great to hear.

Hidden Hiller Chronicles: Week Twelve

How far along: Twelve weeks as of Wednesday, January 1, 2014.  Entering a new year, soon to enter a new trimester!
Size of baby: Just over two inches long, the size of a lime, and about half an ounce.
Maternity Clothes: Still no, but I am taking advantage of my comfy, stretchy leggings and long tunics.  I can wear a few pairs of pants still, too.  I also bought a new pair of "skinny" maternity jeans at the mall while shopping with my mom.  Now that's an oxymoron if I ever saw one.
Movement: Well, the pulse beats I had been feeling stopped.  So maybe it wasn't the baby moving after all.  The strange thing is that I was talking with a coworker, who happens to be due with her second baby two days before I am, and she said the same thing about fetal movement.  She thought she felt her baby really early at 10-11 weeks, but then the feelings stopped around 12 weeks. 
Sex of baby: Thinking girl, but we'll see.  I honestly don't care.  I would like to have a daughter to have a shopping and movie buddy, but I would also love for Henry to experience having a brother.  So either way, we will be happy.
Sleep: Still sleeping like a rock!
What I miss: Being able to have a glass of wine when going out to dinner.
Cravings: Chick-fil-a chicken strips.  I had to have some when my mom and I were shopping at the mall, and I scarfed down all three in a matter of minutes.  Also, Indian food and spaghetti and meat sauce, and my soup and sandwich kick is going strong. 
Symptoms: Still tired, still have acne.
What I'm looking forward to: Getting the results of my blood work back. The screening ultrasound went well, but I want to have the comfort of the percentages, too!

Other notables:

We had our first trimester screen ultrasound this week, on January 2.  The place we went for it was packed when we arrived.  Plus, the office was short-staffed, probably because people were still out for the holidays.  We had to wait over an hour to be seen!  Not only were we bored, but I had to have a full bladder for the ultrasound and I was about to burst by the time we were called back!  But other than that, we had a wonderful experience.  This place specializes in ultrasounds, so their equipment was much better than we had seen before in doctor's offices.  The image was much clearer, and they had a huge projector screen, so Mark and I didn't have to look at the tiny computer monitor to see Lima Bean.  Lima Bean looked great.  Heartbeat was 167 beats per minute.  She has a clear nasal bridge and little fluid behind the neck, so the risk of Down Syndrome or other trisomy disorders is low.  Plus, we were able to see her spine, and it looked good, so hopefully the spina bifida results will be negative.  We also saw her brain, which looked normal.  The ultrasound tech commented on how busy Lima Bean was--didn't want to stay still!  I am only slightly joking when I say I worry about whether this kid is going to be one of those kids who never sit still!

We asked the ultrasound technician if she was able to wager a guess about the sex (but not to tell us if she could), and she said sometimes she can tell this early, but she couldn't with Lima Bean.  Looks like we will have to wait another 8 weeks to find out!

Some photos of our sweet baby:

Close-up of Lima Bean's head and profile.  Look at that adorable nose and lips!

Lima Bean from head to toe.

This shot is showing the neck and fluid level.