JINGLE BELLS - NEW BABY ON THE WAY!

We are getting very close to Christmas now. Owen is very excited. He get's the whole Santa thing complete with presents, cookies and (hopefully) some snow! We are excited for some new updates coming in 2013....we are having another baby! Due date is July 2, 2013. Our Christmas cards are our big reveal this year, however, a few people already know. Christmastime coincided with the end of my first trimester so I figured it would be a fun time to break the news to friends and family.

This time around has been different. The hype of having a second baby is a little more subdued. Not our excitement by any means, but mostly surrounding the preparation. We are more relaxed and confident that we know what minimal items we will want to have on hand. We saved a bunch of things from Owen's birth but we did sell a few too so we will want to acquire those things again.

I was symptomless with Owen. This time around I have felt a little nauseous but never sick. I really can't complain. Usually a little breakfast does the trick. We will use our local Bellingham OB GYN & Associates in hopes to have a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarian). Upon my first visit, I was told I was a good candidate, however, because Owen was OP and yet still would not come out even after a last resort vaccuum attempt, the OB thought it was possible that I simply have too small of hips. WHAT?! crappy! OA is actually the optimal positioning for baby and that now makes me confused whether Owen was OP or OA. I'll have to check at my next OB appt.  I thought, maybe, if I do prenatal yoga and lots of "opening/widening" exercises that would help. We will just have to wait and see. For the most part I am really looking forward to having a VBAC so that I can be with Ash and baby immediately after the birth and not laying in a recovery area by myself for 1-2 hours. I also, of course, want the benefits for baby that come from being squeezed through the birth canal. I want to lay a freshly born baby on my naked chest and snuggle with it. Wouldn't that be nice? I've never had that.

At my first appointment I got a quick ultrasound where they measured the embryo (not even a fetus yet at that point, I don't believe). Here is a pic.

I am now 12 weeks along. We finally took our first picture.

So, we're off on another adventure. Ash is extremely happy at his nursing job at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett.  He's currently working nights and it's working well so far. We are lucky that his floor (Progressive Care Unit) is a floor that gets to write their own schedules. Hopefully that will help out once baby arrives.

Hope everyone has a happy holiday season. Merry Christmas. xo