Twice as nice - Part 1

Those of you who have been reading my blog posts recently could not have missed the love that has been floating around the Renegar house.  Is it any wonder that God chose this time in our lives, when we are so full of love, to bless us with another child?  It doesn't surprise me in the least.

If you know my history, you'll understand why I'm beginning this post on July 7th (yet again doing something other than celebrating the anniversary of my marriage to the best husband I could have) and you will not be reading it for several weeks or months. Still, I want to write as I'm experiencing rather than writing as I'm looking back as I did with Whit.

Keep in mind that it's hard to tell exactly where you are in pregnancy as all of the information is calculated in just a little bit of a different way.  Usually, you are considered X weeks when that week is completed, but if your baby was created a little later than "average" you could be several days behind.

Week 3 (June 16-22)

Baby - The embryo is going through a lot of basic growth with the beginning development of the brain, spinal cord, heart and gastrointestinal tract.  It's amazing how much is happening when the Mama doesn't even suspect she's having a baby!

Week 4 (June 23-29) & Week 5 (June 30-July 6) 

Week 4 was completed around June 28th, just about the time that we headed home to VA for a long visit.  With all of the hustle and bustle, it would be several days before I realized that there was a possibility I might be pregnant.  Spoiler Alert: Surprise!! 

 Kirk, in all innocence asked me in casual conversation "Why, are you pregnant?" and my answer was "Yeah, I think so..."  What a way to break the news to your husband, right?  I wasn't sure, but I abhor lying, so I wasn't about to tell him "no" and have to change that a week later.

Baby - Arm and legs buds are visible, but not clearly distinguishable.  The heart is now beating!! The placenta has begun to form and there is movement of rudimentary blood through the main vessels. The baby (embryo) is 1/4 inch long by the end of week 5.

Week 6 (July 7-13)

So here we are at the start of week 6 as I begin this blog post.  I will most likely be updating weekly and publishing when we feel it's time to share the news with the world.  

We (mostly Kirk) put together Whit's big boy bunk beds on Thursday when we returned from VA.  The crib got relocated to our bedroom instead of the attic. It's a good thing because come March we're going to need it!  I already feel a kinship with this child as he or she is joining the family in the same way that I did.  My parents have often told me "You weren't a surprise, really... you just came a few months sooner than we planned."   I'm feeling quite good, no true pregnancy symptoms yet and a decent amount of energy.  I had a few days of tiredness as I cut the final bit of caffeine from my diet; something I started a month or so ago because I knew we were going to expand our family soon and it's not healthy to consume a lot of caffeine during pregnancy.  I think my energy level has been helped by my nearly daily run or walk which, again, I started so that I would be in better physical shape before and during my pregnancy.  I'm glad I started when I did! 

Baby - This week begins the formation of the lungs, jaw, nose and palate.  The hand and feet buds have webbed structures that will become fingers and toes. The brain continues to form and you might be able to get a heartbeat via ultrasound.  (we haven't even scheduled our first appointment, so I doubt that is happening!)

Big Brother - We have started asking Whit "... where is the baby?"  It is our intention to teach him this in the next 4 weeks so that he can be the one to share the news with our immediate family.  Tonight, the second time we've asked him, Whit replied "In the box!" and pointed to his toy box... not sure where that answer came from!

Mama - Mama is feeling so good it's hard to tell I'm actually pregnant. Of course, I don't remember having much morning sickness with Whit either so hopefully I can be as lucky this time. Obviously I am pregnant, those little pink lines don't lie, but I'm anxious to get to the midwife next week so that I can have someone other than a piece of plastic and cardboard tell me the news.

Looking Back - Here's a link to our 6, 8 and 10 week ultrasounds of Whit.  I doubt we will have as many this time around so enjoy!

Week 7 (July 14-20)

It's hard to believe that it's week 7 already! This week has been nerve wracking for me and not just because of baby.  It's been both very long and at the same time has passed quickly.  This week we met our potential care providers and are trying to make a decision, its both mine and Kirk's last week of school and our last real week home before school begins (hard to believe, right?)

Baby - At 7 weeks, every essential organ has begun to form.  The elbows and toes are more visible as the trunk begins to straighten out. The baby begins the seventh week about 4 mm and more than doubles in size by the end of the week. The brain continues to grow and brain waves are present.  Arms, legs, hands and feet become more distinguishable.

Big Brother - Whit is continuing on as normal this week, he's been very Mommy-centered which makes me wonder if he isn't more aware of what's going on with Mama than everyone else.

Mama - Morning sickness arrived this week.  It actually has not been too bad, I'm still running which is helping to stave of both fatigue and nausea.  Otherwise I'm feeling good and ready to be in the 2nd trimester! (still 6 or 7 more weeks to go!)

 Weeks 8, 9, 10 & 11 (July 21-August 17)

Baby - (8) The ears are continuing to form and everything that is present in an adult is present in the tiny embryo. The bones are forming and the muscles can contract.  The facial features mature and the eyelids develop.  Sometime in the next week spontaneous movement begins.(9) The baby is no longer an embryo and is now officially a fetus (meaning small one).  Many of the integral developmental stages are passed, all major systems are present although many are still developing and just beginning to function.  This week male or female sex organs are present although still much too small to see. (10) The biggest accomplishments this week are that the tail has disappeared (really just the end of the spinal cord) the eyes have fused shut and the heartbeat can be heard via handheld doppler. (11) This week the fingers and toes have completely separated, the taste buds are starting to develop and baby can stick out his or her tongue and swallow.

Big Brother - Whit is acting older every day.  His language continues to develop along with his physical and social skills. See more on this in my Wonderful Words series. Whit truly enjoyed his vacation weeks, first at the lake with the Brevard gang and then at Myrtle Beach with Nana, Papa and Uncle Eric (Ek-ick).  You can see more about that here.

Mama- I think these four weeks marked the pinnacle and beginning descent of morning sickness and fatigue for me.  I had a hard time hiding how I was feeling while on vacation and I'm not sure that I was successful.  But thankfully as I wrapped up week 10 I began having a little more energy and a little less nausea. My biggest pregnancy symptom?  I'm craving meat! I managed to get through all of my pregnancy with Whit and a couple of years nursing him without adding animals back to my diet. Not this time.  This baby wants protein and some days I wander around the kitchen searching for something, anything other than what my heart is telling me I really want.... A big steak or a nice ham biscuit! I've been able to substitute eggs, beans and nuts often, but the other day I craved and added a stack of ham to my mac and cheese.

....and then reality kicks you in the stomach

I'm not sure if this feeling is unique to me or if it is universal among parents.

As a little girl I often thought about being a mother.  I'm sure the majority of young girls spend countless hours playing dolls, house, etc. I surely was among them. I can recall being a teenager and talking with my friends about having kids and watching all of those TLC baby shows on the weekends with my own mother. (thanks, TLC, for the complete lack of reality about how childbirth really goes...)  I can even recall one very hazy memory my freshman year of college when I told my mother that it didn't matter what sort of career I had because all I ever really wanted to be was a Mom.

Prior to getting married Kirk and I discussed having children, the when, the how many... you know how those discussions go.  And when we had our first, and then our second heartbreaking experience the idea of being a mother seemed so very far away.  When we conceived Whit  I was hesitant to tell anyone that we were expecting and I scarcely let myself believe that I was pregnant.  The entire time it seemed as though I was pretending.  Yet my belly grew bigger and about the time the fact that I actually had a child inside of me became a reality, it was time for him to enter the world.  Those first few weeks operating on little to no sleep made the experience seem like a dream.  As Whit got older people would comment on how cute he was.  I would agree and then wonder to myself when his parents were going to show up to get him.

When my students ask if and when I want more children, I shrug, struggling to accept the fact that I have "children" at all.  Wow! I have "a child."  That must make me a grown up.  So why do I still feel like I'm 18, or even 21, and I'm playing pretend with someone else's kid?

Now that Whit is nearly 2 1/2 years old the reality is finally beginning to set in.  Still, I have moments, especially when I am away from Whit and speaking of him to friends or students, that it all seems made up.

The other night I experienced a bit of a revelation.  It was about 2 am and I was wedged in bed with Kirk on one side of me and Whit on the other (with his feet in my face).  About that time reality kicked me in the stomach. 

I had better come to terms with being Whit's mom because I'm about to become a mother of two!!

Jet Setter

If you'll remember back a few months ago, Kirk and I were amazed by how well our then 23 month old child traveled 18+ hours to Anchorage, Alaska and back in less than a week. 

Perhaps it's turning out that Whit is just an expert traveler.  This past weekend we took our first LONG car ride to Woodbridge, VA (Just 15 miles outside of Washington, DC).  Kirk's post-graduate roomate was getting married and it wasn't something we were going to miss. As our last family visit with Hunter and his yet-to-be-fiance occurred before Whit was even conceived, he obviously needed to come along for the ride.

I'll give Nanny Christine some credit here for being a champion nap adjuster keeping Whit up just long enough for us to get him into the car for a wonderful 2 hour nap that began just 10 minutes into the trip.  After a short wakeful period for dinner and some running around it was back in the car for bedtime and the remainder of the 6 hour trip (without stops!)

Granted, we had a few hiccups with nap time (it's just so much fun to play with all of the 20 and 30 something childless adults, they have so much energy) but overall Whit was a trooper the entire weekend.

We had some fun playing with the dog. (sorry, no pictures!)

We saw the sights in the capital....

Including a visit to the transportation section of the Museum of US History.

And we finally came out of our shell the last 10 minutes before we left the wedding reception and got a few good dance moves in.

All in all, I think Whit's favorite part of seeing our Nation's Capital was the opportunity to point out countless busses, firetrucks, ambulances, helicopters and airplanes.  A little boy's dream!

Catch Phrase

Another post in the Wonderful Words series.

Yet again Whit's linguistic development continues to amaze me.  He's putting together sentences and has a few phrases that are just too funny not to share.

Some things that Whit says that crack us up:

"Hey, what are you doing here?"
"I play mini-golf"
"You gotta be kidding me!"
"I LOVE _____"    The  blank is often filled with "baseball" or "Sarah"
"Up and Adam!"    Yelled with his hands 'cupping' his mouth after he tells you to "Be asleep!"  

 Two things that remind me of stories I've heard about my sister for as long as I can remember: 

"Whas that?" This is slowly changing to, with indignation, "What IS that?"
"Hey Babe" or "Honey" As he calls up the steps for me...      

These can be the most frustrating phrases as they are often relayed as an order: 

"I eat" 
"I have" 
"I do" 
"I wake" 

It is still interesting to see at what times these orders come out.  The other day Whit said to me "No, Mom, I have it." I cannot even recall what he was "having" but I do know that this particular phrase resulted in a very serious conversation between us.

Catching Up

Can it be true that my last blog post was over a month ago?

I suppose so as we went back to school a few weeks ago and the days are just slipping away from me.  Nothing says "August" better than starting school.

I had such grand plans for the summer, most of which went by the wayside when I decided to complete 9 hours of graduate work toward my Master's of Education and teacher licensing.  Although I still have one involved assignment left, I can say that I'm truly looking forward to a year in which I can use my plan to actually plan instead of do homework and a semester that should be significantly easier for me to teach than last year was.

Speaking of school, Whit began Mother's Day Out/Pre-school this week.  I can hardly believe he his big enough to use the word "pre-school!"  With the amazing transition he's had this week back to full-time Nanny care, I can only say that he's ready.  Every day this week as Mom and Dad trudged off to school with sleepy eyes and sad hearts, Whit ran into Nanny Christine's house to see his pseudo big brothers with no tears and a cheerful "Bye Mom, by Dad."  More to come on the first weeks of school.

I can't say that the summer was a total loss as we spent nearly a month on "vacation."  It was good to bookend our summer with first a trip to Alaska to see my parents and then a trip to the beach to visit with the  Renegar family.  Still, all of the school work, vacationing and preparation to go back to school again has left me in what feels like a constant state of catching up.

Catch up on sleep, catch up on laundry, catch up on housework, catch up with friends and family.... catch up with blogging....

I am a creature of habit and I know once I adjust back to the school schedule I will feel much better.  Sometimes I think that Whit is the same and other times he seems to just go right along with whatever is happening, so perhaps his need for a schedule is completely (or in part) imposed by my needs.

I'm including some summer photos from the last few weeks in this blog but look for more to come as I finally get all of my thoughts down from our busy busy summer!