I thought I'd share the journey to getting pregnant, much like I did when I announced my first pregnancy, and update you guys on how the last 17 ish weeks have gone as well as share a few photos. Hope you all enjoy!
Shortly after having Henrik, I knew that I wanted to have another soon ish. Chris was on board with this but we both felt like I definitely needed to try and get through a whole year of breastfeeding before even trying since many women's cycles won't even return until their babies are weaned/many women have to stop breastfeeding after getting pregnant.
Later that year, Henrik's first birthday was fast approaching and I could not get the idea of having another out of my head. Chris was starting to feel ready for another one too so after praying about it, we decided I'd go off birth control and see what happened. My cycle hadn't returned but I thought maybe once going off bc I'd be able to "catch" that first ovulation and get pregnant right away.
Later that month I was having all sorts of weird symptoms that led my OB and me to believe that I was likely pregnant. I took a test Christmas Day and it appeared to be positive. I couldn't believe it. I called my OB and she had me come in to confirm everything. She was so convinced I was pregnant that she started going over all the first trimester info and congratulating me. I was so excited, but wanted to wait until my blood test results showed that I definitely was pregnant before really believing it.
The next day, the nurse called and said that my results showed absolutely no hCG (the pregnancy hormone) in my blood. Not even a little bit. Meaning, not only was I not pregnant now, I hadn't been recently either. No miscarriage, no chemical pregnancy, nothing. I was shocked. So was the nurse. So was my doctor. No one could explain it. The only possibility my doctor said was that my hormones were all wacky from going off bc a few weeks prior and that it somehow resulted in a false positive (which are pretty rare). We were all disappointed, but trusted that everything would work out when it was supposed to.
The next few months were filled with tracking symptoms, a bout of mastitis (thought I was probably going to die haha), and a million pregnancy tests. With no cycle to base anything off of, I knew that I could be pregnant at anytime so I just kept taking ovulation and pregnancy tests. Henrik was night-weaned and only nursing two to three times a day at the most but I still had no period. I had my regular OB check-up in March and she told me my cycle probably wouldn't return until he was 100% weaned and even then it could take a few months for my cycle to actually show up. I figured by April or beginning of May we would be done breastfeeding and then maybe over the summer we'd be able to get pregnant.
About two weeks after my appointment, on March 20th, my period randomly showed up. I was flabbergasted because I was still nursing. I texted Chris excitedly because I knew this meant we had a legitimate shot at getting pregnant now. I inputed my info into Ava (I'll do a whole post on the Ava bracelet another day!) and it predicted when I would ovulate. I knew there was a decent possibility it wouldn't predict correctly my fertile window since it didn't have much data to go off of with only one cycle, but I figured we had nothing to lose by trying.
Lo and behold on April 14th, my pregnancy test came back positive. AFTER ONE CYCLE! Chris and I, again, could not believe it. It took six months to get pregnant with Henrik so I really thought that it would take at least two or three months, but nope. I then realized that March 20th was the first date of my last period before getting pregnant with Henrik as well, hence the Christmas Day due date (again). What are the odds, seriously?
Chris and Henrik weren't home when I found out I was pregnant but as soon as they came back, I went into the kitchen and just smiled at Chris.
Chris: "Why are you smiling like that?"
Me: *still smiling*
Chris: "What did you buy?"
Me: "Nothing!"
Chris: "YOU'RE PREGNANT AREN'T YOU???"
We hugged and then turned to Henrik and told him he was going to be a big brother. He pooped.
I then made Chris go to Target to grab a World's Best Brother shirt for Henrik to wear and we went over to my parents' house to share the good news. I had made a batch of brownies and spelled out "Baby No. 2" in cheerios and was going to unveil it after they noticed Henrik's shirt.
He was wearing a zip-up jacket over his shirt when we arrived so I asked my dad to take it off of him. Which he did. But my dad did not notice the shirt and neither did my mom. Finally, my mom suspected something and asked him to bring Henrik into the kitchen where we were all standing. They then noticed the shirt, we unveiled the brownies, and there was much rejoicing.
We told my siblings over Facetime the next day by having Henrik wear the same shirt. Both couples noticed pretty quickly what his shirt said, so they get points for that. Henrik acted very excited when everyone exclaimed, but he has absolutely no idea what's coming.
The next few weeks were a blur. I was exhausted and extremely nauseous all the time. It was really discouraging and difficult to deal with, especially since Henrik is so active. I would literally just lay on the couch most of the day and watch Henrik play in our house and read books to him. If we wanted to go on an outing, my mom usually had to come over and help me get him ready because I was so weak. My anxiety levels were also really high for about three weeks, which resulted in a lot of tears and me simply not feeling like myself. Mercifully, Henrik essentially weaned himself a week or two after finding out I was pregnant so I didn't have to deal with feeling horrible and still breastfeeding him.
The only thing that seemed to stave off the nausea was eating, but nothing sounded good (one of the great paradoxes of pregnancy). Occasionally, I would have a craving for something specific and would feel better after eating it, but not often. Some of my cravings included: Chocolate, popcorn, ice cream sandwiches, fruit smoothies, yogurt, graham crackers, Panda Express, chicken salad sandwiches, waffles and Nutella, cheese, and chips.
Overall, I am feeling much better but I still have rough days here and there. My symptoms are similar to what I experienced with Henrik, but they are much more extreme and have definitely lasted a lot longer. I'm cautiously optimistic that the worst of it is over, but I don't want to jinx it. I am incredibly grateful that Chris was able to help so much once he got home from work and on weekends and that my parents live so close. They were an enormous help to me as were a few friends who knew about the pregnancy (and some who didn't). I honestly don't think we would have made it without everyone's help. Henrik was well-taken care of during my dark days and that was such a blessing.
In a few weeks, we will find out if it's a boy or girl! We will be so excited either way. I have a hunch about what it is, but I have been wrong before ;) So we will see! It's been fun to celebrate this pregnancy even more now that I'm feeling better. I think once we know boy or girl it will feel more real as we can start planning, picking out names, and making any necessary purchases. That ultrasound can't come soon enough! I'm also very much looking forward to graduating from lumpy, how-many-tacos-did-she-eat belly to cute, definitely pregnant belly. I started showing MUCH sooner than I did with Henrik and am already having trouble fitting into my non-maternity clothes. I love summer, but will be happy when the weather cools down a bit and I can just wear leggings everyday.
In the meantime, I am soaking up every day I get where I can solely focus on Henrik. He is truly the most incredible little boy and he never ceases to make me smile and laugh. Chris and I are so obsessed with him and love this stage he is in. I know that he is going to make an incredible big brother.
As always, thank you all for the love and support you have shown us! We really enjoy getting to share our lives with all of you and appreciate all that you have done for us. I will keep you guys posted on gender as well as how these next few months go! Stay tuned :)
And now, for some photos!
I could probably become a professional brownie-decorator.
Cutest big brother in the whole universe.
Mother's Day 2018, trying to artfully hide my bump.
We were so lucky our Florida trip (which we had planned MONTHS ago) happened at a good time to take pregnancy announcement photos! We obviously wished we could have had Henrik in the pictures with us, but it was really nice to have a week just the two of us (our first couple trip since having him!).
Belly belly belly
My friend Kim (check out her photography site here!) and I had planned this photoshoot before I was pregnant so once I found out, she was one of the first people I told so we could do the shoot before my bump was too noticeable. She's the best!
Same story with this shoot I did with my friend Victoria! She had asked me to help write and pose for a blog post about what brides should wear to their bridal shower (check out the post here!) so we had to do the shoot ASAP and make a few alterations to some of the outfits and get creative with my poses so my bump wasn't as prevalent (hence the jean jacket). She will also be doing our birth photos again and I can't WAIT!
We were so lucky our Florida trip (which we had planned MONTHS ago) happened at a good time to take pregnancy announcement photos! We obviously wished we could have had Henrik in the pictures with us, but it was really nice to have a week just the two of us (our first couple trip since having him!).
Belly belly belly
My friend Kim (check out her photography site here!) and I had planned this photoshoot before I was pregnant so once I found out, she was one of the first people I told so we could do the shoot before my bump was too noticeable. She's the best!
Same story with this shoot I did with my friend Victoria! She had asked me to help write and pose for a blog post about what brides should wear to their bridal shower (check out the post here!) so we had to do the shoot ASAP and make a few alterations to some of the outfits and get creative with my poses so my bump wasn't as prevalent (hence the jean jacket). She will also be doing our birth photos again and I can't WAIT!
Craving: Some really good chips & salsa.
Happy: That Chris is back after being gone all week!
Planning: To have dinner with friends this evening.
Days Until Christmas/Baby #2: 164!
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