28+ weeks...

How far along: 28 weeks 4 days

Total weight gain: As of Tuesday, 14 lbs up
Maternity clothes?  yup. And I finally got my new pair of maternity jeans in the mail this week... along with a super cute maternity maxi dress. That makes two pairs of maternity pants I can wear :-)
Stretch marks? Oh just everywhere... no new ones though.
Sleep: Some nights are better than others. I've been super tired recently so its been better... I slept really well last night except for when Noah woke up every three hours. You think they sleep better as they get older... nope.
Best moment this week: I got my glucose test this week and it came back normal! yay! No gestational diabetes and this time I don't have to take an iron supplement like I did with Noah. I did have to get my RhoGam shot though... didn't know it was done in the glutes. OUCH! With Noah they gave it to me in my shoulder. Rude awakening...
Miss Anything? Sitting comfortably would be nice. But I'm not complaining.

Movement: You bet. Love feeling my little guy move.
Food cravings: This week not really anything.
Anything making you queasy or sick: no.
Labor Signs: Nothing associated with real labor.
Symptoms: Just pregnancy.
Belly Button in or out? Out. This answer won't change.
Wedding ring on or off? On.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy.
Looking forward to: Noah and I get to go to Utah a week from today. Pretty excited about that but sad Jordan doesn't get to come with us.

Oh and I was feeling cute today so here's a bump picture for you... don't mind our lame, wavy full length mirror. Its the only one in the house at the moment.

So other than all that, there's not too much to update on for the last few weeks. Noah is adorable as ever and though he doesn't talk in a language many people can understand, he can now tell you what Thomas the train says if you ask him- "choo choo" (and he's not being shy, which is the case much of the time he's around people other than J and I). And even Lightening McQeen- "dowwwww". He sleeps really well in his toddler bed and is so smart even though he doesn't say many real words.

Jordan is still enjoying working at Amazon, though as any job can be, gets stressed at times. He says he likes the new challenges and he is learning a lot. Anyone who knows my husband well knows how smart he already is so its fun to hear he's learning new things.

I still love being a stay at home mom. Although I love doing massage, I never really enjoyed working in Spas (or working for anyone in general). I feel very at home being a stay home mom and not just literally. It just feels good. But I won't try and downplay how hard it is. Its the hardest job I've ever done in my life but also the most rewarding. I have my days when its extremely hard to even get out of bed, get out of the house, deal with a temperamental toddler, or get anything done around the house. Even getting dinner on the table is damn near impossible some times. But in the end, I wouldn't trade my life for anything. I learn so much every day. I feel so lucky and so blessed every day. I have an incredible little family. Can't wait to introduce our new little guy into our family... Can't wait for there to be FOUR of us!

26+ weeks and blessed...

How far along: 26 weeks 2 days

Total weight gain: I'll keep you posted...
Maternity clothes?  Yes but I did find a non-maternity shirt today that is long enough to fit. Its long sleeved too so... bonus.
Stretch marks? There may or may not be a few around my belly button.
Sleep: Last night was the best sleep I've gotten in a long, long time. Even though I woke up every time I needed to roll over. The night before last I got hardly any sleep due to bad siatic nerve pain and a racing heart... and hunger.
Best moment this week: My mother in law was here last weekend. We love having people stay with us... especially grandparents.
Miss Anything? Not complaining. I am very sleepy though.

Movement: Oh yes. This little guy is becoming very active. I love it.
Food cravings: The usual. Sweet, potatoes, and a new one: cereal.
Anything making you queasy or sick: not really anymore.
Labor Signs: Still those darn braxton hicks.
Symptoms: The newest one is siatic nerve pain. I didn't really have that with Noah. Its super fun though..
Belly Button in or out? OUT. See picture below
Wedding ring on or off? On.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy.
Looking forward to: I have a trip to Utah coming up. I'm a little nervous about traveling with a two year old by myself but I think if I prepare enough it will be ok.

Now, ready for a bunch of pictures? Well... I bunch for me anyway since I hardly ever post any.. here we go. To begin, here is my 1st and 2nd pregnancy comparison photos. They are a day off but who cares...

Noah: 26 weeks 3 days

Baby boy 2: 26 weeks 2 days

My bump this time is a little bigger and rounder. And if you don't mind me saying, I'm a bit more 'curvy' :-)

I don't know if I've ever mentioned this but, Noah LOVES my belly... particularly my belly button. When we're at home having down time (sitting on the couch watching a movie usually) he always wants me to pull my shirt up so he can look at my belly and lay his head down on my stomach. I like to think he's bonding with his brother already. Its adorable...

Noah is fascinated with my belly button. He always starts giggling when he sees it and has to feel it. Its so funny.

And here are a few from Jordan's moms visit and the park today...

Noah throwing rocks with Grandma Hulet

Like father, like son. He wanted to wear Jordans socks one morning

Watching the bubble man at Carkeek Park today.

Running around at the park on this gorgeous day. Seriously,  Seattle... when is it going to rain?

Lately I've been trying to pay more attention to my blessings. Today, I feel so blessed. I have an incredible husband who loves and supports me. He has a great job and is able to support his family with more than enough. I get to be a stay at home mom to the most amazing little boy. And I'm about to have another amazing little boy to adore and love. We live in a beautiful place. We always have enough to eat and enough activities to fill our days with. I really do live a good life and even though there are days when I can barely get out of bed, I couldn't ask for anything more. Today I especially love my life.

24 weeks...

Heres a tired looking, no make up wearing, 24 week pregnant me.

How far along: 24 weeks

Total weight gain: Not sure. My next appointment is at 27 weeks (yay for the glucose test and Rhogam) so I'll let you know then.
Maternity clothes?  yep and I'm even growing out of some of my maternity clothes... starting to wonder if my jeans will last to 40ish weeks.
Stretch marks? No new ones... yet.
Sleep: Gets worse every night.
Best moment this week: We got another dog. But she's really shy and skiddish... and not great friends with Noah... I'm hoping it works out but right now I'm not sure...
Miss Anything? My sleep. But then again I'm going to be missing that for the next year and a half or so. Once baby boy is here I won't mind so much. Some people complain about having to wake up to feed baby several times a night but I love it... especially nursing.

Movement: Yes and I love feeling him from the outside. I fold my arms over my belly sometimes when I'm sitting down and he'll kick me. Its fun.
Food cravings: Candy. Always candy. Chocolate mostly though. This boy has a sweet tooth just like his mama.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Italian food.
Labor Signs: Not yet. I'm hoping to go into labor on my own this time though. When I was induced with Noah the doctor told me I probably would have gone into labor that day anyway since I was at 3.5 cm when I went in that morning. Bummer.
Symptoms: Heart burn. Hip pain. Big belly... ya know.
Belly Button in or out? OUT.
Wedding ring on or off? On.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Depends on the day.
Looking forward to: My mother in law is coming out next week and we're really looking forward to that.

Aw crap. Not again...

Some people are so funny around pregnant women and say the funniest things. Here are a few I've had with this pregnancy:
So I was able to go grocery shopping alone yesterday (well half of it was alone... the first half we attempted to go as a family. Noah hates grocery shopping no matter who goes).  As I was checking out at Albertsons the cashier asked if I needed help out. I politely declined. And then he got all serious and stopped and looked at me and said in a very serious tone as if he was delivering some news I didn't know about, "are you sure? You're pregnant." I wish I was witty on the spot like my husband and had looked alarmed and said something like, "aw crap. Not again!" But I'm not so I just smiled and agreed with him.
And then there are the people who dont know how to act or know what to say to a pregnant woman. Sitting at dinner a few months ago with some of Jordans coworkers, the waiter brought over a sample of their brew of the month (we were at a burger place/pub) for everyone to try. I gave mine to the person across from me and she asked if I was sure I didn't want it. After I explained that I was pregnant (and that I dont drink), one of jordans coworkers looked at me and said, "so like, when is it, like, coming out?" Very awkward and I couldn't stop laughing.
And then there are those people who don't have any tact and just say whatever they want with no filter! Last weekend we were at carkeek park just walking along the shore line of Puget Sound. It was around 10 in the morning. Well, there was a couple there who were obviously loaded and having a grand old time (one reason why I don't understand drinking... is it fun to make yourself look ridicuous?). Anyway the woman yells to me "you're pregnant again right? Cause see, I've had kids so I know but my husband just thought you were fat." And then they started laughing hysterically at eachother. Wow... some people. And then add being drunk on top of that and you've got a class act!
Anyway, I didn't really get comments like that while I was pregnant with Noah (except from some of our friends in Germany but they have a different sense of humor) :-) Fun times when you have a giant belly! I'm looking forward to the comments I'll get when I'm even bigger!

23 weeks...

How far along: 23 weeks

Total weight gain: Up 7 lbs total.
Maternity clothes?  fer shrrrr...
Stretch marks? I thought I had a few new ones above my belly button but I think those are still old ones..
Sleep: Terrible. 
Best moment this week: Last weekend was really good and relaxing. Also, the rain yesterday morning. Also, I think we settled on a name... it starts with... wait wait... too much detail... you'll just have to wait until January. so.far.away. :-)
Miss Anything? Nope. Feeling pretty good.

Movement: definitely. This baby is a lot more calm than Noah was though.
Food cravings:Chocolate... and cinnamon bears... all day. Everyday.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Italian food.
Labor Signs: nope. Except those lovely braxton hicks that I've been feeling since 14ish weeks.
Symptoms: Pregnancy.
Belly Button in or out? Out and getting more out everyday.
Wedding ring on or off? On.
Happy or Moody most of the time: I wish I could say happy. Well I am happy. I'm happy with my life and my incredible husband and darling boy and I'm happy that I'm pregnant and having another amazing son. But I'm depressed at the same time... if that makes any sense. Depressed for no good reason (like I have been so often in my life). So I'm trying to find things to do to distract myself in the mean time. I know I'll feel better soon. Like we say often in our house, everyone has bad days.
Looking forward to: Projects. My mother-in-law is coming out to see us next week. Possibly taking a trip to Utah next month. The rain.

22 weeks, comparison, & labor day...

How far along: 22 weeks

Total weight gain: Stay tuned for next weeks update... I have a dr's appointment then.
Maternity clothes?  Still yes. I got my new stuff from Old Navy in the mail last week... its nice to feel cute again :-)
Stretch marks? No new ones.
Sleep: I wake up several times a night. My hips hurt every morning. Fun stuff. I'm not complaining though because I know I'll miss being pregnant when this baby gets here... even though I can't wait for him to finally get here. 
Best moment this week: The three day weekend. Jordan got Monday off... like most people. Its sooo nice to have him home.
Miss Anything? Nope. Feeling pretty good.

Movement: Yes. And this morning I got to watch my belly jump around with his movements. Its awesome seeing him move from the outside.
Food cravings: Potatoes. My boys seem to love potatoes when they're in the womb :-)
Anything making you queasy or sick: Pizza.... yuck.
Labor Signs: Nope. Just braxton hicks still.
Symptoms: Oh all kinds of things. You name it. Except still no morning sickness... thank goodness.
Belly Button in or out? Oh its out. And Noah thinks its so funny. He wanted me to walk around with my shirt lifted up yesterday so he could see my belly button.
Wedding ring on or off? On.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy.
Looking forward to: Getting my other projects started. I have a few sewing projects I want to do for this baby. I just finished his car seat canopy and I'm making him a blanket like the one I made for Noah. I'm also going to make some ties and bow ties, pacifier clips, and a crib sheet (and possibly and crib skirt...) crib bedding sets are so expensive and I can't find one that I absolutely love. Plus we never even used half the stuff that came with the set we bought Noah.

Here are comparison photos from my first pregnancy and this one... both taken at 22 weeks. The pictures are pretty different so its hard to tell, but my belly is definitely bigger this time.

This past labor day weekend was nice and relaxing... for the most part. It was really fun that Jordan got the day off and we got him all to ourselves yesterday. I don't know if I've ever mentioned it but his days (and ours) are pretty long. He leaves for work in the morning at 7:30 and doesn't get home until 6:15-:30 usually. So when he gets the day off its the best. Saturday we took a trip down south to Southcenter and went to the mall and a fish store Jordan wanted to check out. If any of you reading have toddlers or children age two or close to two you'll know that its hard to go anywhere without some stress. But it was fun to get out of Seattle for a little bit even if it wasn't that far away. Sunday was a typical Sunday... we went to two hours of church which mainly consisted of me hanging out in nursery with Noah. He still hasn't adjusted yet and doesn't like being left in there without us... we'll get there one day hopefully. Jordan is a primary teacher for the 10-11 year olds so he did that. Yesterday we stayed around here and went to lunch and ran a few errands. It was just nice to have Jordan home. 

I love my job...

This week I'm not going to post a pregnancy survey because really, nothings changed from last week. Other than babys movements are getting pretty strong and they will get even stronger in the next few weeks(loving it... this is my favorite thing about pregnancy) and I've been craving fries... I think I'll go get some from kidd valley today. Here are a few bump pictures... I never ask Jordan to take pictures for me so you get phone pictures. I think I look slightly bigger this week (and I mean SLIGHTLY. Some people will probably say no, I look the same in both)... especially considering that the first picture was taken at the end of the day when my bump is usually bigger and the second was taken this morning. This is a huge difference between my bump with Noah and this little boy. Next week I'll post my comparison photos from my first pregnancy and this one...

20 weeks

21 weeks 2 days

Anyway, Noah is the cutest little boy ever and a little terror at the same time. One minute he'll be so cute and cuddly, giving me hugs and kisses. Or he'll be hyper, running around in circles and wanting to wrestle or crashing his trucks into things. And the next minute he'll throw a huge fit and have a meltdown over the slightest thing. It never gets boring at our house. But I love being a mom more than anything I've done in my life.
I also love being married to my best friend. Its exciting to think we're going on five years... ok so maybe we're only at 4 years and 3.5 months but still! Time flies when you're having fun. I've never felt so supported as I do with Jordan. He's really an amazing man and I'm so glad that blind date worked out. I hope I can raise my boys to be just like their dad. I'm a very lucky girl.
Well, theres the mushy stuff I've been thinking about. We're still loving Seattle. The weather is changing and I'm excited for fall... I didn't think I'd say it but I'm even excited for the rain. I have a bunch of projects I've been working on and thats been fun. I hope to one day be one of those women who can make any craft and have it turn out perfect... its still on long way off. Practice makes perfect!