15 weeks, 2 days (The Fourth Month)

Depending on the source, the second trimester of pregnancy either begins at 12 weeks or 14 weeks. There may be another way to figure it out, but either way you shake it, the chance of miscarriage decreases to about 1%. Some of the pregnancy books that I read tell a story of the second trimester (2t from now on) being the "honeymoon" period of pregnancy. I have found this to be true - to a certain extent.

There have been many things that have changed in the past month or so - starting with nausea. Many women begin to lose the early symptoms of pregnancy at about 12 weeks, when the placenta takes over hormone production. I noticed a decrease in my symptoms a bit earlier than that, when either a) the placenta first began ramping up, or b) my body adjusted to the onslaught of hormones that happens during pregnancy. I think it may have been a little of both. Whatever it was - the nausea started to go away - thank goodness!

When we went home at Christmas (10 weeks), I felt relieved that the constant gagging and the intense food/smell aversions had lessoned. My energy levels seemed a bit up, too. Over the past month, I have felt better and better. The most nagging and lingering symptom was heartburn, which sometimes would start at 10am and hang around all day. Not a pleasant feeling, let me tell you. The past few days, however, the heartburn has been almost gone! I don't know if it is because it has simply gone away, or because I started taking B6 again.

I consulted with the herbalist at Herblore and she recommended a couple of things for heartburn. One was take something to increase digestive enzymes, and the other was to take Slippery Elm. I have some B6 in the house, so I started to take that three days ago (it helps with digestive enzymes). What. A. Relief. I am going to head out to a vitamin shop to pick up the Slippery Elm, and I hope that with the combination of the two, my heartburn will be taken care of. At least until I am so huge that my stomach is squished up into my throat!

Speaking of big - I am at that funny stage where I haven't really "popped" yet, but I am definitely expanding and growing. In my mind's eye, I don't look pregnant - but I don't really feel all that fat, either. Granted, I have my moments of feeling huge, but I am not complaining, really (unless I happen to be really tired and grumpy). What bothers me, though, is that I just don't "feel" pregnant right now. I know that this is a common remark often muttered by a pregnant woman during the early 2t, but man - it is a head trip. It doesn't help the "PAL" brain, either. You see, I consider myself a PAL - someone who is Pregnant after Loss. What that means is that every little twinge, or lack thereof, has the potential to trigger the fear of another loss. So - here is a dangerous combo for a PAL:

no popping + no symptoms + no movement (too early) = something must be wrong

These past couple of weeks, my main fear is that my baby is not growing. Now, my wise mind - the rational side of me knows that for a woman in her first pregnancy, it is common that she will "pop" sometime around 18 weeks. My PAL mind is not having any of that nonsense. So, I pray - I talk to the soul of my unborn child and express deep gratitude for every passing day that I share with this baby. I thank the soul of my uterus for providing a rich, nourishing, and protective environment for this special cargo to grow and flourish. I look to the Universe - something greater than myself - and I ask for safety, strength, and protection. And I hope, with all my heart and soul, that next week, at my 16 week check-up, all will be well. Oh - and I also hope that I pop soon or feel the baby.*

In the meantime, here I am tonight - at 15 weeks, 2 days:




*I actually think I might be feeling some movement, but what with this being my first & all - I am not sure - it could just be gas. **blush**

Bathroom Facelift - You look 20 Years Younger!

A couple of posts ago, I mentioned that we decided to give our guest bathroom a cosmetic face lift. We (and by we, I mean Mike) started by tearing out all of the old fixtures from the bathroom, including the lighting, the fan, all of the hardware, the medicine cabinet, the glass shower doors, and the vanity. The project ended up being a lot more work than anticipated, but Mike still managed to get it done in about a week.

We decided to keep the original pedestal sink, mainly for budget reasons. A new vanity may be installed sometime in the future, but for now we are so happy with the upgrades. Coordinating towels and wall art are the final touches left at this point. Hopefully we will have that done in the next few weeks.

In the meantime, here are a few before, during, and after pictures of the bathroom.

Before - This was when we first looked at the house & it was still "staged"

Painting is complete, all fixtures removed, except for the shower & tub hardware.

The toilet tank removed, medicine cabinet gone, and vanity pulled out and in storage (a.k.a., the guest room!)

All fixtures and hardware installed, along with our new shower curtain! The light above the shower is also a fan - and it is so quiet!

The finished product, including new fixtures in the shower and a curved shower curtain rod, to give our guests a little extra space!

The few things that I really love about our "new" bathroom are the double towel bar, the oval medicine cabinet (see below), and the tub sans the gold-trimmed glass shower doors. What with a baby on the way, I just couldn't see navigating bath time with a big glass door blocking access to the tub!

The medicine cabinet - the inner oval that you see is from the flash! Interior of the cabinet has a ton of great space - for all your toiletry needs!

Drumroll Please . . .

Mike and I are so happy to announce that we are expecting our first child in July of this year! Our little Kennedy baby is due July 23 - just a few days before Mike's bday! 2008 was our year of loss, and we are hoping with all our hearts and souls that 2009 will be a year of life, tiny clothes, endless diaper changes, and sleepless nights!

I just entered the second trimester, so I made it through our milestones of loss with a healthy little bun baking away! I was sick and tired for much of the first trimester, and now I am starting to enjoy the "honeymoon" phase of pregnancy. Over the last couple of weeks I have enjoyed a significant decrease in my symptoms, which I am thankful for! My energy levels are also much higher. Which reminds me - remember that big gap of time that I didn't post??? Well, I was stuck on the couch with sheer exhaustion and pure yuckiness! So, now that I have some energy back, I am also returning to many of the activities that I was enjoying prior to the beginning of the pg.

We have a wonderful OB, who has been very supportive during these first anxiety-filled months. The last time I had an appointment was just over a week ago, at 12 weeks. We saw the baby and got to hear a strong, clear heartbeat!

So, here are a few early belly shots for your viewing pleasure:

12 weeks, 2 days

13 weeks, 3 days

Please keep us in your hearts, thoughts, prayers - or whatever it is that you believe in! I will keep posting updates as the weeks continue on and my belly continues to grow!

Redondo Family Pictures

Mike and I spent Christmas and New Years in Southern California, visiting my family. My brother and his family were out from Vermont, bringing the whole family together. The last time we were all together was for our wedding - over eighteen months ago!

We spent part of our time in Simi Valley, and part of the time in San Diego, where my sister lives. While we were in San Diego, we had family pictures taken in La Jolla.

I took a peek at the slide show in "preview" mode, and for some reason the pictures are a bit off center. I am not quite sure how to fix it, so I apologize! To see the picture on Webshots, simply click on it during the slide show. You should be able to see the full picture, not all funny off center! Enjoy!



Family Photo 2008

Home Improvement

Our little house was in great shape when we bought it. Although it was originally built in the mid 1950s, previous owners had done a lot of upgrades in the late eighties, early nineties. So, the house has many comforts, but some of the design is a bit dated. The bathrooms are the two rooms that really scream 1989, so we decided to change things around a bit.

A full bathroom remodel is out of our budget right now, so we are going for the next best thing: cosmetic upgrades. Mike started work on the guest bathroom this week. He tore out all of the existing fixtures, including the vanity. The towel bars and the sliding glass shower doors are all gone - thank goodness! What really dated the bathroom were the gold fixtures - so just having all the gold removed from the room makes it that much easier on the eyes.

He is working on painting the room, in a chocolate brown. We thought it was going to be a bit milkier, but the end result is quite pretty. I am hoping that with new lighting, possibly a new vanity, and brushed chrome fixtures, the bathroom will be sufficiently spruced up. I will post pictures once I have a few to post!

I am still here!

Wow, has it really been over a month since my last post?? I think that I am nearing the 2-month mark, actually!! It has been a busy holiday season, with trips to Simi Valley and San Diego. I have a bunch of pictures to post, and hopefully will get to that in the next week! I am still catching up from being gone for a little more than a week - both at home and at work.

The big news around town is that we got a Wii and a Wii Fit for Christmas. I have a few games that I've played and I love it! The Wii Fit is a kick in the pants, and gets me moving! I am trying to get in some activity each day - I guess a resolution of sorts.

Stay tuned for some more pics in the coming weeks!