18 Weeks!

Hahahahaha.... hahahahahaahahaha. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

That's me, laughing at the hope that this past week was going to be better. Don't worry, it was, exponentially...

Until Eric got the flu on Sunday night. Hahahahahahahahahahaha. And then James woke up every hour, on the hour, crying. Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha. And since Eric didn't feel well, I got to be the one to go and console him. Every. Hour.

Not to mention, this was an extraordinarily busy week for me and I was going to have to hit the ground running on Monday. And hit the ground running, I did. On minimal sleep.

Monday night was better - James slept through the night and Eric was feeling better, but not by much. Tuesday night was even better and by God, even though I'm still hacking away with this f-ing cough, I am coughing much more stuff up and feeling better about things. THANK GOD. Eric is feeling better, I have more energy, and James seems to be on the mend. Although he has a terribly runny nose and seems to be really stuffed up. Nothing a little saline spray and boogie wipes can't help! Let's hope we have turned a corner!


How far along? 18 weeks!
Maternity clothes? Yep, the belly definitely popped and that's all I have been wearing is maternity clothes. Gone are my regular clothes! Except my pre-preggers jeans. Somehow, those are still fitting...
Weight gain? Not that I know of. We own a scale, but I don't step on it. Ever. In fact, I think it's covered by a piece of scrap carpeting we threw to the side when placing our freezer in the back corner of our closet. I'm sure there will be some since I"m feeling better and I have my appetite back.
Stretch marks? No. I love my Bath and Body Works lotions!
Best moment this week? On Sunday, it snowed. All day. It was so pretty and I took James out for a drive in it. It was very peaceful - just me, my little man, and my little bean.
Miss anything? Honestly, I miss the feeling of being pregnant without any other kids. With James, I could sit on the couch when I got home and put my feet up. Now, I have a toddler I chase around, which makes me even more tired. Would I change it for the world? No. But I miss being able to relax my tired, pregnant body any time I want.
Movement? Yes, lots of pokes and prods and little kicks here and there. I didn't feel them so much today, but I did feel a lot of fluttering. With our luck, Baby Engels probably got the flu...
Food cravings? More like word-triggered cravings. I was watching TV the other night, and something about apple pies came on. All I could think about was how good a warm apple pie would be at that moment. Someone else mentioned french silk pie the other day and my mouth started watering. Hilarious!
Anything make you queasy or sick? No, not recently. Thank God. I'm done with that for now.
Labor signs? No, thank goodness!
Symptoms? Well... not really. Just being generally tired at the end of the day.
Belly button in or out? IN!
Linea nigra? Still nothing. So weird. I can't remember when it showed up with my last pregnancy, but it seems weird that it's not there yet...
Wedding ring on or off? On!
Happy or moody?  Generally happy and concerned for my husband's well-being. He's never sick. Ever. So when he actually is, I know it's pretty serious. We're talking about a man who walked around with a torn meniscus for two years. And the same man who broke his hand, and never went to physical therapy. Just did it on his own. Oh, and used said broken hand to work, even though he wasn't supposed to. If Eric is down for the count, he's down for awhile.
Looking forward to: DECEMBER 19TH!!!!! One short week away and we'll find out what our little bean is! And if it's a girl, that will be karma at it's finest...

19 Months!

Somehow, after two tumbles down the stairs, you have made it to 19 months. Without any broken bones, black eyes, or major injuries.

Tonight, we watched you run around the house in circles until it was time to go to bed. And even then, you still had a ton of energy. But when you crash, you crash, which is awesome.

We have been dealing with a cold for almost a month, and a cough for much longer. It's gotten better, then gotten worse, then gotten better. We had our first stint with the stomach flu, which was.... interesting. But mom-mode kicked in and even at 3 a.m., I didn't mind getting back up to wash more sheets.

You are TALKING so much! My goodness! We're starting to hear more and more "full" sentences. When I asked you where the Christmas Tree remote was (to turn on our lights) you said, "I don't know" clear as day! Then all day, I asked you where the remote was (you like to run around with it and then drop it somewhere), you kept saying "I don't know!" It's adorable and we love hearing it! You ask "Where'd it go?" if you throw something behind the couch, or Kinnick makes a beeline out of the room because he sees you're in it! You said to me, "I want up" tonight with yours arms raised so I would lift you and set you on the counter. And of course, you say, "lights off" or "lights on" depending on if they're off or on! And you talk talk talk all the time, but I can hardly understand what you are saying. It's amazing to me all the things that I can identify that come out of your mouth though! We can have actual conversations and you're starting to really understand everything we say.

You are such a helper, oh my goodness. If I didn't know better than to look a gift horse in the mouth, I would say it's slightly on the annoying side. You help me unload the dishwasher and put all the silverware and pots away. You watch as we fill up your humidifier every night and then carry it yourself to your room. I don't know how your little body carries something that weighs more than a carton of milk, but you manage. You get your milk out the fridge for me to fill your sippy cup and you put it back. You always, and I am talking 99% of the time, put your toys, or whatever else you've gotten out, away. And if you don't, it's because I forgot to ask you to do it.

We braved putting ornaments on the tree, even though everyone told us not to with a toddler, and taught you to "touch nice." And you do, if you do at all. Tonight, you took a present out from under the tree and I asked you to put it back. You did, after you showed it to me, in the exact same spot. Maybe I should stop, because like I said, I probably shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. It's just so amazing to me.

I am also going to quickly mention that you throw things away. In the trash. And i'ts awesome. Anything I ask you to throw away, you do, with glee. Usually with some sort of giggle and/or squeal. It's awesome. Diapers, kleenexes, wrappers, whatever. When we ask you to give us something, you do. It's amazing. I hope the terrible twos NEVER hit!

I took you to the doctor a couple of weeks ago, and you were approximately 34 inches and 32 pounds with your little snow boots on. So it will be interesting to see what you actually are next week at your appointment. You're a big boy, I can tell you that much!

You love love love riding in the car! On Sunday, when it was snowing all day and your daddy was snowblowing the driveway, we took his big truck out to fill up with gas and make and emergency diaper wipes/diaper run (oops!) And we just drove around, through the falling snow, somehow through the Culver's drive-thru to grab a peanut butter malt (for Baby Engels, of course), which we drove around and shared. It was an awesome moment and I loved it!

That's all. Each age seems to be my favorite age, but you are really starting to blossom into my little pal. My little man, who loves to cuddle with his mama, play with his daddy, read books, eat dinner like a big boy off a plate and with silverware and god forbid we give you anything different than what we eat.

I hate dropping you off at daycare in the mornings, but I love picking you up. Always the highlight of my day. :) I love you little man.

17 Weeks!

I thought last week was trying. Hahahahahahahahahaha...

First, I had to get through the holidays. And not just any holiday. But holidays with Eric's family. Don't get me wrong, I love the holidays, and I love Eric's family, but those are three indecisive boys with a very indecisive mother and for this agenda-driven woman, it drives me absolutely batty.

But, we made it through, unscathed and with a pretty enjoyable time.

I was so excited to get home, have a relaxing Sunday, and SLEEP on Saturday night. But James had other plans.

About midnight, he began throwing up. Yep, the stomach bug hit our little man. And it was messy. Eric and I finally got to sleep about 4 a.m. and on Sunday, we were pretty much zombies.

But I am not a nap person, and Eric had to work and get things done, so walking around like a zombie it was.

Luckily, James slept all of Sunday. But then Monday hit. I was fine at school and looking cute in one of my new maternity outfits! And then I started getting nauseous. At first, I thought it was maybe a touch of that second-trimester nausea that hits pregnant women every once in awhile. So I went and laid down in the nurse's office.

I felt a little better after about 10 minutes, so I went back to class.

Until a little while later, I had to go back to the nurse's office. I only had a couple hours of school left, teaching lessons, so I knew I had to push through. Until my principal saw me and popped his head in.

"Go home."

Sweet music to my ears. I got up and headed out and as soon as I got home, the stomach cramps started. About 4:00, I started puking like I was back in my freshman year at ISU. And then the shits started. Oh my god.

At one point, I was shitting in the toilet and puking in a trash can in front of me. At another point, I coughed (because yes, people, I still have a cough) and had to run to the bathroom so the puke coming out my nose could make it somewhere. Needless to say, there are quite a few things in our bathroom that have yet to be cleaned...

Monday night was like a delirium. I remember a couple of times waking up to the bathroom light on. Once I woke up and it was off, but our closet light was on. At one point, I woke up with my arm hanging off my bed and drool running down the side of my face.

Good thing my husband married me for my sense of humor.

Somewhere in there, I was able to call in sick for the next day. When I awoke the next morning after puking until about 4:00 a.m., I had a text message from a co-worker. It asked, "Do you have sub plans."

I think I text something back like, "Idk. Just give them study hall." I think that's what happened.

I had an OB appointment later in the afternoon, so after shitting and puking some more, I headed there. I hadn't done either in a few hours, and I could feel the stomach cramps beginning to subside, so I wasn't too worried about it. But I was so weak.

The OB appointment was less than exciting, but I could tell she was worried about me. I was worried about me too. I cried through the entire appointment until the end, when she suggested I go get some fluids.

But how the hell was I supposed to do that when I had to take care of James that night when Eric needed to work late?

Luckily, our babysitter stepped in when I went to pick him up from daycare and took care of him. Thank the Lord for small favors. I went to urgent care, since the ER would cost me a pretty penny.

Urgent Care was packed. I was miserable, hadn't showered, brushed my teeth, hair, taken off make-up from the previous day, or really changed clothes. I'm positive I had puke somewhere on my person.

I waited an hour for them to tell me they had run out of IV Fluid bags and they were sending me to Ankeny. Are you fucking serious? I wasn't about to drive another 20 minutes to sit for another hour to get fluids. So I just came home, had a little bit of soup, and went back to sleep.

Soup was the first thing that I had had in over 24 hours, and it did not sit well in my belly. The stomach cramps were back, and I was miserable until well after midnight. Again, I took a sick day and here we are. 17 weeks. Jesus, I hope this week is better.


How far along? 17 weeks!
Maternity clothes? Besides the sweats I have been in for the stomach flu, not too many. Just the regulars that I seem to be pulling out all the time.
Weight gain? This is where I was really concerned yesterday. When they weighed me at the doctor's office, I was at 7 pounds below my previous weight. Granted, I had had nothing to eat in 24 hours, but at the same time, 7 pounds is pretty significant weight loss for someone who is pregnant. I am also trying to stay more active, but I haven't seen the weight I saw at the doctor's office since I was so sick at Waukee. The OB looked at me and said, "You have been really sick, to have lost that much weight in such a short amount of time." But even watching my 7th and 8th grade concert, I noticed that I looked really trim, and at Thanksgiving, my (soon-to-be, I'm almost positive!) sister-in-law commented that I looked really good. But looking good and being mommy-rexic are two very different things, and I want to stay away from the latter.
Stretch marks? No. Still lotioning away!
Best moment this week? My OB appointment, even though I cried through the whole thing, especially when it took them forever to find the heartbeat (which was 164!). But at that appointment, we were able to schedule our ultrasound and we were able to get it before Christmas! Wahoo! So excited!!!
Miss anything? Feeling that second trimester spurt of energy. Oh, spurt of energy, where art thou?
Movement? About every night at 9:30 or so, Baby E starts making his or her movements. They are so much fun to feel!
Food cravings? Interestingly enough, last night, I had a craving for a Jimmy John's sandwich, even though I hadn't had anything to eat in over 24 hours. But that was the first thing I wanted, which I also knew, was going to be the first thing to take me back to the toilet should I have it. So I passed. But instead of the typical chicken noodle or tomato soup, I made Eric get me broccoli/cheese soup. Holy smokes. So good. I might go downstairs and make some more...
Anything make you queasy or sick? Hahahahahahaha...try the stomach flu!
Labor signs? No!
Symptoms? Between the puking, shitting, and generally feeling awful, I have no idea if I have second trimester pregnancy symptoms!
Belly button in or out? In!
Linea nigra? Still nothing yet. And tonight, I had a FLAT stomach. FLAT. Even after dinner. So I'm wondering when that will start to show. And i hope I don't get stretch marks along with it!
Wedding ring on or off? On!
Happy or moody?  Moody, tired, sad, occasionally happy, but moreso, just sick. And sick of being sick.
Looking forward to: Finally decorating our Christmas tree, being able to be a good mom to James, and most importantly, the end of the semester, which means the anatomy ultrasound! December 19th, here we come!!!

One Last Thing:
As I was typing this, ERic was laying in bed next to me, reading it as I typed. He would critique me on things, tell me about others, and make sure that I made it out like he was not the absent father, leaving his sicker-than-sick wife at home with the child. In fact, quite the opposite. On Saturday night, Eric took James duty while I cleaned up mess after mess after mess that James left in his stomach-flu wake. Without any sleep on Sunday morning, Eric worked until the wee hours of Monday morning. He slept in, but still worked all afternoon, taking a break only to take care of James after daycare while I was heaving my guts out. He took James to daycare on Tuesday morning after only a few hours of sleep, worked all day and well into the night last night. Tonight, he finally got the job done and is just now getting out of the shower. To say he has been super dad, and super husband, is an understatement. I am grateful for him, and everything he did for me during the first trimester, and all that he has done for me while I've been so sick otherwise. I am truly a lucky girl. :)

16 Weeks!

It has been a trying week, to say the least.

Thursday, I took two students to an honor choir. That night, it rained. And not just any rain, but freezing rain.

To put a damper on it even more, I had a 9 pound child come out my vagina. Things aren't the same anymore. As in, not the same. So with my debilitating cough, I had to wear maxi pads. And not just panty liners, but I'm-12-again maxi pads. Which meant I had to give up my thongs and wear real underwear. Needless to say, that in itself was uncomfortable. But let's get back to the freezing rain, shall we?

So while at this honor choir, I was trying so hard to stifle my debilitating cough during the concert, and squeeze my legs together as tight as possible so I wouldn't pee as much when I did cough, that the person sitting next to me asked me on more than one occasion if I was all right. I took over 100 "hits" off my inhaler during that concert, and still, nothing. Oh, did I mention that I was diagnosed with viral-induced asthma? That would be the reason why every year, when I contract the common cold, it becomes some horrible, debilitating cough. Because normal people will cough up the nasties, but my bronchials are so tight (like someone with asthma), that nothing will come up. So the bacteria just manifests itself and grows and gets nastier.

After the honor choir, I walk outside, thankful that I will be enjoying a three day weekend, to find that it has been raining for most of the concert. Two hours. That's a lot of ice accumulation. So in my debilitated state, with a cracked rib, I scraped the windows and prayed that the van (which I accurately described to my students as something that we had taken on an epic road trip, and this van is the aftermath of that road trip...) would get me back to Des Moines.

It did.

But when I got back to the bus barn, I had to scrape my SUV's windows. Then I had to run to Target to get more cough syrup. It was a terrible night.

Friday, I woke up feeling mildly better. Debilitating cough was still lingering, but at least my spirits were up some. I had a conference, but spent a large portion of the day in bed. Hopefully, my administration doesn't read that. Although the Wednesday prior my principal did stop me in the hallway and say, "Laura... you should be at home resting." To which I replied, "I would love to Mike, BUT I have to get your daughter ready for an honor choir." Which was true. And it was his daughter whose concert I sat through, hardly able to breathe.

Saturday, I was feeling even better yet, and my best friend stole me to go shopping. But as the day wore on and we continued to go in and out of the cold weather, my cough got worse, and I was getting more and more worn down. By the time I got home that evening, I was spent. I could hardly move to go up to bed. But, I made it and woke up Sunday even worse that I think I was the night before.

I tried to talk Eric into letting me (yes, read: letting me) go to Urgent Care, but he doesn't really believe in that type of thing. Just like my dad - just take vitamins, drink lots of fluid and rest, "you'll be fine." I had a measly 30 puffs left on my inhaler, to which I was like a crazed drug addict trying to carefully time each puff so it would last until I went to the doctor on Monday.

I cried about three or four times on Sunday, simply frustrated with the fact that I was just not getting any better. I was still peeing almost every time I coughed, I was still putting my head between my legs and cradling my cracked rib every time I coughed. I was frustrated that I couldn't be the parent to James that I want to be, and I was frustrated that I couldn't do anything but lay in bed, cough, and pee. And drink lots and lots of water.

So Monday I woke up, called into work, and made a doctor's appointment. And I was so emotionally distraught from not being back to "normal" that when it was time to leave for the appointment, I couldn't find my keys. Eric had driven my car on Sunday and has a bad habit of taking the keys out of the ignition. We don't have a spare set, so when I couldn't find them on Monday morning, I started freaking out. Simply because, I had to get to the doctor, and there was no other way I could make it there.

I found my keys and got into my car. Depressed my brake, shifted into reverse and started rolling down the driveway. Wait, that's not supposed to happen. Yes, that's right, on top of all of that, I had no brakes.

So I drove using my parking brake, and 3rd and 2nd on my drive shaft (thank God I have owned and driven 5-speeds before, otherwise I'd never know how to rev my RPM's to slow my car down). It was a hairy mile to the doctor's office (our neighborhood is within 2 miles of everything we could need, including an amusement park), but I made it and stumbled in, bawling my eyes out. I was absolutely done with it all.

The doctor really wanted to run chest x-rays to rule out pneumonia (what??) but obviously, x-rays are not safe for pregnant women. So instead, she listened intently to my breathing for awhile, looked in about every crevice on my face, and decided to instead put me on heavy-duty schedule b (as in, safe for baby), antibiotics and steroids. For my debilitating cough, she happily refilled my inhaler.

When I went to fill my prescriptions (still without brakes, mind you, which was interesting), I found out that since I'm actually not asthmatic, my insurance would not cover my inahler for another eight days. That's right. They will only cover a refill every 20 days. So they expect you to take 10 puffs per day, maximum. In the words of my doctor, "So you've been using your inhaler more than twice every four hours?" Umm, yeah.

It would be $70 to refill the inhaler without insurance. I just wasn't sick enough to justify that, so I just went with the heavy-duty steroids and antibiotics.

I started them immediately and instead of going back to bed, made a phone call to my mechanic, then took my car out to his house. In the freezing cold. Looking like hell. And coughing the entire time.

On Tuesday, I headed back to school. Everyone told me that I needed to go back home and rest, but I had several reasons why I shouldn't:

1) It was the last day before Thanksgiving break. I needed to see my kiddos before I wouldn't see them again for another 5 days. This was because 2) I hadn't seen them for five days prior to that, thanks to the honor choir, conference, and being sick on Monday. I also knew it would be an easy day because 3) there was "violent threat" made to the general K-12 student population on a bathroom wall, so over 250 of the 400 students were gone for the day. Out of the 80 students i have standing in front of me on any given day, I had about 40. And in another class, I had 10. And finally, 4) it's me. My sudden burst of energy on Monday told me I was going to school on Tuesday. Not to mention, I need all the maternity leave I can get, so I don't want to take any more sick days!!!

So there you have it. And on Tuesday, as I was sitting there feeling sorry for myself because my mechanic called and told me it would be $700 to fix my brakes, something amazing happened.

I felt Baby Engels for the first time. And while I still can't make it through a sentence without coughing, I still have to bend over and cradle my ribs when I do cough, and I still pee a little every time, to feel those movements again and know that my little bean is ok means everything. It washed away all the pity I was feeling for myself. It (almost) washed away the $700 car bill I was going to have to pay. It was lovely.

So here's to 16 weeks. Let's hope the wellness boat continues to sail!

How far along? 16 weeks!
Maternity clothes? Considering I spent most of this past week in bed, my sweats and old t-shirts have been working just fine for me. I did wear to school a non-maternity sweater and regular jeans, but at this point, what's the use? It was sort of uncomfortable.
Weight gain? I went to the doctor on Monday and they weighed me with boots and sweats and jacket on. I didn't care. And I was still under my pre-pregnancy (James) weight. Unbelievable. I have a feeling that will change with the steroids and Thanksgiving food.
Stretch marks? No. Still lathering on the lotion.
Best moment this week? It's a toss-up between actually starting to feel better and going shopping with the bestie on Saturday without our children. I loved it, even though by the end of the day I wasn't feeling so hot. BUT it was worth it and so awesome to see her. I love spending time with her and wish we could do it more often. We're just so busy with so many different things, it can be really difficult. However, when we do spend time together, it's always more meaningful because of that.
Miss anything? Again, breathing without coughing. Speaking full sentences without coughing. Just breathing normal in general.
Movement? Yes, a very definite "pop pop pop" that was absolutely Baby Engels. Super exciting!
Food cravings? Still stuffing my face with frozen fruit bars. Delicious. And they make my burning esophagus feel better. And I've been craving those Mexican roll-ups? Some peopel make them with cream cheese and AE Mexican Dip, or some use cream cheese and ranch dressing? Either way, I use the latter, and add pimentos, green and red peppers, and green onion. Delicious. I made those today for Eric and my Thanksgiving feast tomorrow, and I've already eaten two tortilla shells full of cream cheesy goodness. I can't help it, they're delicious. I can't wait to have more tomorrow.
Anything make you queasy or sick? Not really this week. More like feeling sorry for myself!
Labor signs? No!
Symptoms? Is feeling better a symptom? Thank the Lord!
Belly button in or out? In!
Linea nigra? Nope! Nothing yet!
Wedding ring on or off? On!
Happy or moody?  Very moody, but rightfully so, I'd say.
Looking forward to: Thanksgiving with my boys tomorrow. I can't wait to spend the day watching movies, and hanging out, and not have to worry about the bullshit of family that will come on Friday night/Saturday. And being able to teach next week without a cough! Hopefully, it's gone by then!

Tablet Learning

A lot of people already know I'm a teacher. And I love tricking my students into learning. I love seeing the light bulb come on when they finally understand a concept, and I love knowing that I helped them make it to that step.

I'm the same way with James.

The other night, I was walking through Target getting necessities for my family, and saw a mom with three kids. Two of which were crammed into the shopping cart, one with an iPad, the other with her phone. The third walked alongside the cart.

I'm not one to judge, and I don't have three children. I could not imagine what it would be like with three children, considering we're done after two. I do know, however, what a pain in the ass it is to bring your kid shopping to the store with you when that's the last thing they want to do.

But watching her children as she walked alongside me down the main aisle got me to thinking. One was playing some car racing game, the other a game that was similar to SIMON, if you've every played. But it got me thinking...

We have a Nexus 7. We did a ton of research into tablets (I am a research guru... a couple weeks ago, I researched glow sticks for two hours on the internet - their toxicity, how long they glow after the liquid is exposed to air etc - all so we could have glow-in-the-dark drumming at the Variety Show). We didn't want an iPad because everyone had one, we wanted a tablet that would suit our needs. I didn't want something so big that I couldn't carry it in my purse, but something big enough where I could type and do work on it if I had to.

So there you have it - the Nexus 7 it was. We got it home, opened it up, and one of the first things I did was research Apps. Not for me, but for James.

I downloaded three - a coloring app, a counting app, and a shape/numbers app. And the second thing I did was find James and introduce him to these apps.

He got pretty far on the counting app. He touched whatever was being counted (one bus, for example) and the automated voice (who is British, I believe), says, "One bus!" Then we got to two cats, three forks, four pencils... and so on and so forth.

Then we tried the shapes/numbers app. He touched whatever number he needed to and dragged it to the appropriate spot on the screen. These apps were great!      

Until James got bored of them the next night. What?! How was that possible? They were the free versions, so not that great, but James was done with them.

Then I realized it was because they were stimulating him anymore. All he had to do was press something on the screen, for every single app. I started researching more apps, and more times than not, it was simply touching, or touching and dragging. James would rather put something other than a ball in his bouncing hippo/dinosaur toy and see how it bounces, than sit and stare at a screen where all he has to do is touch it over and over and get a similar result.

Which made me think of the value of these apps. And what we're doing to our children when we actually give them to our kids. All my kid learned from those apps, was simply that he had to touch the screen in the right spot and something would happen. But more importantly, after he got bored, he learned that if he put his cars on his racetrack that Eric attached to the railing leading into the basement, the cars would make it all the way to the end, hit the wall (which has left some interesting marks on our maple trim) and bounce somewhere. But he never knew where. And then he learned that if he wanted to do it again, he had to climb down the stairs, fetch his cars, and climb back up the stairs to try and position them just so.

Tablet learning, I'm sure for some parents, is the way to go. It's a good way to distract your child and it's nice to be able to get things done while they are distracted. It's not something Eric and I have never done. But we've never done it with a tablet.

After that, I deleted the apps. James still comes after my tablet every once in awhile, just to shift the screen back and forth, but quickly loses interest when he realizes that's the only thing it does.

Maybe I haven't found the right app yet, but for me, Tablet Learning is just that. Learning to touch a screen to make something happen. Is that really what I want my toddler to be learning?        

15 Weeks!

How far along? 15 weeks!
Maternity clothes? The jeans are still working for me. But for the most part, I'm wearing leggings and dresses to work every day. Which is awesome because they are so incredibly comfortable.
Weight gain? Again, not that I know of. I think it's moreso just my belly expanding. I wore one of my concert dresses as I had a 7th and 8th grade concert last night, and it was significantly looser in the arms and bust than when I wore it last May. So I would say I'm probably still not really anything for weight gain. Not to mention I've been unbelievably sick, so I'm sure that hasn't really helped.
Stretch marks? No. My last pregnancy, I lathered my belly with Bath and Body Works lotion and last weekend, I went and stocked up (got $60 of lotion for only $30! Plus a free lotion on top!) so hopefully, that works for me again.
Best moment this week? So far, this week has actually been pretty miserable. I've been incredibly busy with school functions, so I haven't been able to take care of myself and rest like I should. So I got incredibly sick and boom, cracked rib from all the coughing. It's been pretty terrible. One bright spot in all this is that on Saturday night after the Variety Show, since Eric's mom was visiting, we went out for a late dinner at Jethro's. It was awesome to spend some one-on-one time with him and I am very thankful for little moments like that! Another bright spot? I am the proud owner of a bright red inhaler. No more coughing attacks where I can't catch my breath!
Miss anything? Breathing without coughing. Although that is slowly being replaced by coughing up phlegm. Praise Jesus.
Movement? None that I know of, but every once in awhile I'll feel a twinge and think, "Was that it??"
Food cravings? Hilariously enough, I was waltzing through Target and saw that they had FROZEN FRUIT BARS! Which isn't that funny, until you realize that this time in my pregnancy with James, that's the number one thing I was all about, all the time. Delicious, delectable frozen fruit bars. Mmm, mmmm, mmmmmm.
Anything make you queasy or sick? Tonight when I tried to eat broccoli, I thought i was going to vomit. Too much food makes me feel sick, and too much BAD food makes me feel sick. Otherwise, I'm feeling much, MUCH better than I did in the first trimester!
Labor signs? No!
Symptoms? Not a ton of heartburn this week, but nausea and feeling generally worn out, which I'm sure has something to do with the fact that I've been incredibly sick this week.
Belly button in or out? In!
Linea nigra? Nope! Nothing yet!
Wedding ring on or off? On!
Happy or moody?  Generally happy, but very very tired, so not normally as happy as I usually am. And sometimes, I can get very moody. Being exhausted on top of being exhaustingly pregnant, is... exhausting. On top of that, I can barely do anything without severe pain. So maybe moody is more like it...
Looking forward to: Getting over this stupid cold/bronchitis (which is just inflammation of the bronchials people... not as bad as it sounds), and this COUGH! And healing my fricken rib! And hopefully putting up the Christmas tree with James this weekend, unbeknownst to Eric... muahahaha...

14 Weeks!

How far along? 14 weeks
Maternity clothes? Yes, almost all the time, except for the jeans. All my clothes fit higher up on my waist and since its true that you show faster the second time, I am still good in my jeans.
Weight gain? None that I know of. A lot of my clothes are fitting quite loosely. I guess we will find out at your 16 week appointment just how well, or not well, these pizza rolls have been treating me!
Stretch marks? No.
Best moment this week? My best moment this week was Talking with parents at conferences about baby e and not having to hide my tiny bump!
Miss anything? Eric. He has been working some crazy hours, as have I. Its been one thing after another and very hard on our family. I can't wait until he is back working regular hours.
Movement? Not really this week.
Food cravings? I have been chowing down on the pizza rolls! Anything salty, which males me think we are having another boy.
Anything make you queasy or sick? Ugh... my students. Again. I have incredibly strong senses to begin with, for some freakish reason. 20/13 vision, impeccable hearing (that throws my students for a loop when someone in the back row asks their friend a question and I answer), and incredible smell. That sense of smell has been heightened and if I get too close to a student that smells bad, my gag reflex kicks in and I have to back away!
Labor signs? No!
Symptoms? Nausea, fatigue, and surprisingly, heartburn I didn't get heartburn with James until well into my third trimester, so I thought that was interesting.

Belly button in or out? In!
Linea nigra? Nope! Nothing yet!
Wedding ring on or off? On!
Happy or moody? YHappy! Stressed!
Looking forward to: Eric's mom is coming down Saturday to watch James while we are at the Variety Show. I cannot wait for her to watch him on Sunday and for both Eric and I to relax! We need it!