Welcome ICLW

Welcome to every one who visits from ICLW!! My name is Krystal, I've been married 9 years, have one son who is five years old (conceived after 2 1/2 years and one miscarriage). I'm 20 1/2 weeks pregnant after trying 3 1/2 years and having 2 miscarriages. My husband is shore duty in the Navy, which has been much nicer on the stress as you can imagine.

I love crafts and designing things, but I don't get much time for it as you can imagine. Life keeps me busy, but I wouldn't have it any other way. My favorite thing overall is photography, I absolutely love photography. I keep questioning how easy it will be to have a 2 month old and 5 year old and go to balloon races but since it's 4 hours away I know it won't happen. Perhaps another year, right? :)

Unfortunately I haven't been blogging much because it's been a bad week. The beginning of last week my computer was having a fit so after many many hours getting things off my computer I finally got it reformatted and back up running. I thought that would be the worst thing that happened that week, until Wednesday the 16th, hit and in the evening my husband and I realized our cat Boots has passed away. I'm still not handling it well either, he was our best snuggler and always acted like a baby. We have his mama Jasmine, found her when she was abandoned in the Navy and pregnant. So we've had him since day 1, March 29th he would've been 9 years old. It's hard losing my furbaby, no less without warning. Took us off guard.

I think that's all to say. I hope you all have an enjoyable ICLW!! Not sure how many I'll see this week, but thanks to all those who visit and take time to comment.

I love crafts

My mother has always been creative and loves crafts. The biggest thing she does is crochet, even when she had surgery on a few of her fingers she had the urge to crochet the same day (didn't though, wouldn't be too good to abuse her fingers right after surgery).

I've always loved crafts and artsy stuff - my biggest is photography, but I do love a lot of other crafts. However... I'm the world's biggest procrastinator. I've bought wire jewelry books and supplies, hardly ever touch them or try. I've gotten yarn and they only get used up when my mother visits and takes them off my hands and crochets us a blanket (you can imagine we have a few!) I was working on a quilt for Aldon - a tigger blanket. Never finished it and it's been 5 years!! I also have bisque ornaments, probably 20 of them all are half finished.

I'm kind of having the urge to do some crafts. Honestly I feel like making baby hats - go figure, right? But after seeing some very cute hats (like the monkey hat) I really want to see if I can follow the pattern and make them. Kind of a challenge when I only know so much about crocheting on my own, but I think it'd be fun. It'd be a change of pace. So I vow that in the next week or two I will update about what I've done!! Just got to get me a nice color brown yarn to start :)

18 weeks

I have to first admit - I'm always shy showing off pictures of me. I'm a little self conscious that I was plump before I got pregnant. But this is who I am!! I've vowed after I have the child I will focus on losing weight and getting healthier. I'm trying to start now, but it's hard when I'm still getting over food aversions.

How Far Along: 18 weeks

How Big is The Baby: Baby is the length of a bell pepper (Length: 5 1/2 inches, head to bottom.)

Total Weight Gain: Ummm... around 6 pounds, give or take a pound.

Maternity Clothes: Switched this past week, had to cave in and buy me some maternity pants.

Sleep: Still feel like I'm not getting enough, but I'm used to that.

GENDER: Finding out in 4 days.

Movement: Last week I felt movement for 5 minutes, the second move made me jump since it felt like someone was jumping in there! Since then nothing noticeable.

Food Cravings: Ice cream and chocolate. Horrible too since there's none in the house.

What I Miss: On and off deli meats, but I'm not sure if it's a situation of wanting what you can not have since I don't normally eat deli meats.

What I'm looking forward to: Knowing the gender and getting the baby room cleaned out.

Milestones: Felt distinguished movement last week. 18 weeks in itself feels like an accomplishment!!

Symptoms: Exhaustion, food aversions, nausea.

Quickening, back pain and pelvis. Oh my!

It's been a while since I've posted. Every one says the 2nd trimester brings so much relief from exhaustion, discomfort, and nausea... they lied. I'm not upset about it (and I'm not complaining - it's more of a documentation, this has been new), but I do miss having energy that's for sure!! Would sure help when we have so much planned for the next few months (landscaping, gardening, nursery, etc).

I know I posted about abdomen pain and back pain. Well I went to see my doctor February 7th and she felt my uterus and said it feels like the baby had a growth spurt (which was what the abdomen pain was probably coming from). As for the back pain she pushed on my pelvis thinking it'd be sensitive there, but instead found out my back cried bloody murder. She referred me to a physical therapist and I saw them last week. He felt around and had me do different things, when he pressed on my pelvis he said the right side is actually turned skewed inward (I'm still trying to figure out how that happened and what it looks like). So I'll be going to physical therapy at least once a week.

Baby's heart beat is around 160's. Everything else is doing good - I'll be getting the gender scan in less then 2 weeks!

Oh yeah and 2 days ago I felt quickening. I was laying down on the couch. Felt some weird movement and jumped when all of a sudden I felt a jump in there!! It continued for 5 minutes and then stopped. Was the coolest feeling ever but did catch me off guard!!

I want every one to know, I do read your blogs. I'm always hoping for great news and keeping my fingers crossed. I know I don't always get a chance to respond but I'm always crossing my fingers, keeping hope and praying someday there will be great news. Whether TTC or on an adoption list, I'm thinking of you.

14 weeks

How Far Along: 14 weeks (and 1 day)

How Big is The Baby: From what I've read 3 1/2 inches from crown to rump, roughly the size of a lemon

Total Weight Gain: 2 pounds

Maternity Clothes: I lost weight so I had some clothes that were bigger on me, but now they're getting snug. I need to get a belly band or something soon!

Sleep: Off and on still, wake up a ton during the night for various reasons - peeing and uncomfortable

GENDER: Unknown

Movement: Off and on I swear I feel something, but too soon for solid movement.

Food Cravings: Ice cream and sweets

What I Miss: I never slept solidly any way, so I cannot miss that if I never had it.. can I? Honestly the only thing I wish was my back pain would lighten up.

What I'm looking forward to: Finding out the babies gender in ~6 weeks.

Milestones: I'd say getting to the 2nd trimester is a good milestone!

Symptoms: Back pain, sore breasts, exhaustion, uncomfortable sleeping (I'm a belly sleeper), nausea, food aversions. None of it has lightened up yet.

Been feeling pain

Called my ob/gyn last week because of some uterus pain that felt like someone stabbed me with a knife and back pain. They said it could be a UTI (why I don't know) so they said if pain continued to come in the next day for a urine test. It lessened so I kind of brushed it off, since a urine test for UTI made no sense to me.

I called them today.. still waiting to hear back. My cramping/uterus pain is still on and off but my back pain is getting WORSE. Unfortunately no word back from them yet. I know my ob/gyn should be in this week (she wasn't last week) so hopefully they'll fit me in today. Otherwise I wait in pain for my Monday appointment.

Updated: They still insisted it could be a UTI. Went there for urine and they told me the beginning test (I believe white blood count) came back negative, no UTI. The doctor told them to tell me to take ibuprofen and see her on Monday for my appointment. Gee, pain over the weekend? Great! I'm just thinking maybe my scoliosis is coming back maybe. Don't know how any one could see if my back is out of shape while pregnant.. MRI?

Second trimester

Technically speaking I'm in the second trimester, I'm 13w5d. There's so much confusion on when the 2nd trimester starts that it frustrates me. I always thought once I hit 12 weeks I was in the 2nd trimester and in the "clear", but different places say different things about when the 2nd trimester actually hits. Some places say it's 13 weeks, some say it's 14 weeks. If we go off the whole dividing 40 weeks into trimesters it'd really be 13.3 weeks. Hence my confusion!! So I've decided - I'm in the 2nd trimester!

Honestly I'm still exhausted and still having a ton of food aversions. Do I mind? Only somewhat, I mind exhaustion when I know there's things to get done but I know I need my rest. I do kind of miss eating a variety of foods. Even as of lately I eat something, it tastes good and my stomach likes it then days later I'll eat the same thing and my stomach hates it. Kind of interesting how this pregnancy has been going. I've been enjoying the pregnancy either way, although sometimes even though my symptoms have been so intense I still have those moments that I feel like I'm not pregnant. When a friend asked if I seriously was pregnant I about said no! It still kind of feels like I'm in a dream.

My DH and I have been trying to get our son's bedroom looking like a big kid room. He's 5 on the 14th and it's about time he's out of the nursery setting. I've been asked why we didn't just switch him into another room and keep the nursery, but we wanted it to be simple. In 2 years we'll probably be selling this place so we wanted his room to look like the rest of the house. That and we already have enough room switching to do when we do get further along in this pregnancy. As for our nursery room? We'll keep it the light blue it is no matter what gender we get and just decorate it accordingly. I know I'll figure it out, I always do!!

Promise some day I'll show off some of the "before" pictures, when he had a nursery and now his big boy room. We still have to finish the trim around the ceiling, window and door though before we move his room back in.

It's kind of amazing how time has flown...