Pregnancy Update with Baby #2 (Weeks 1-17)

This pregnancy is already going so much more quickly than Claire's did! I will give a little update about how I'm doing now and then work my way backward a little. I am currently 17 weeks and feeling pretty good! I definitely have bad days still (with nausea/headaches) and do not feel great most evenings, but I feel so much better than the first bit of pregnancy. Hallelujah! Last week we got to find out that we are having a baby BOY! We were both super surprised, I think Sam and I were both pretty sure we were having another girl. More about the gender reveal in another post, but bottom line is we are so excited to have a baby boy! 

**Info below will mostly be based on weeks 1-17. I'll try to be more regular about updating from here on out. The beginning of pregnancy for me is always just a big blur of exhaustion and nausea, not much fun or positive to report during that time. :)I will say that this pregnancy felt almost identical to Claire's, to the point I was sure I was having another girl.

How far along: 17 weeks

Total weight gain: 6 lbs. (I started this pregnancy about 5lbs. lighter than I did Claire's, so that was nice. Hoping I can be better about managing the weight gain this time, especially in the third trimester! Haha! It's so hard :/ But I have been working out, mostly doing the elliptical and walking, 3-5 times a week this pregnancy, something I did NOT do with Claire, so hopefully that will help!)

Notes from Dr. Appointment(s):  I have had three doctor appointments so far and one ultrasound (at 8 weeks). The heartbeat has been in the 150's every time if I'm remembering right. We are excited to have our big ultrasound at 21 weeks and get to see our little guy again.

Maternity clothes: Yes! I feel like my belly really popped this time around 14-15 weeks, which seemed a little earlier than with Claire's pregnancy. I can still wear some of my normal pants, but I hate the feeling of anything pushing on my stomach, so I am pretty much rocking maternity pants and undergarments all the time :) My sister-in-law Kori is letting me borrow a bunch of her maternity clothes, and that has been a life-saver! I didn't get much with Claire and was pregnant during a different season.

Stretch marks: I got pretty bad stretch marks the very last week I was pregnant with Claire :/ They are still there, but nothing new to report.

Sleep: Sleeping ok. I get up to use the bathroom at least once and toss and turn quite a bit. Like I did last pregnancy, I have been taking Unisom at night to help with nausea. I tried cutting it in half a few days ago to start weaning off of it but felt terrible the next day, so I'm going to wait a bit. Unisom is a sleep aid and usually knocks me out about 30 min after I take it. I go to bed pretty early these days, usually around 9 or 9:30 and sleep until Claire wakes up the next morning around 7:30 or 8. 

Aches/Pains: I have had quite a bit of heartburn the last couple of weeks, something I didn't have much with Claire. Maybe that's a boy thing! Other than that, not many aches or pains. I get headaches fairly frequently, and my neck is usually pretty stiff from sleeping on my sides. I have started having a little round ligament pain here and there, but not too bad.

Best moment so far: It has been so fun to share this pregnancy experience with Claire. She is so into it, very conscientious of me and so sweet. She frequently puts her face by my stomach and says, "Hi baby! It's your sister!" 

Miss anything: Not feeling nauseous :/ 

Movement: I haven't felt a lot of movement yet, but I'm pretty sure I've felt some flutters here and there, especially after eating candy :)

Cravings/Aversions: Fruit, anything sour/tart/vinegary, water (I am always thirsty!). I don't feel like my aversions have been quite as strong this pregnancy, and my digestion has worked much better this time around. With Claire, I felt like if I ate salad or raw vegetables it was almost like my body couldn't digest it, and I got really sick. I am not sure if this time has been better because I am having a boy or if it is because of some probiotics and supplements I have been taking this time. Maybe I will go into that in a different post!

Looking forward to: Our 21 week ultrasound!