Monday, February 26, 2018

Mommy Monday {21 weeks}

What a week! We had a two-hour delay last Tuesday due to an Ice Storm and I felt like that made the week completely drag on. I was so thankful for the weekend. I'm finally feeling so much better now and think I have kicked my sinus infection {insert praise hands emoji here}.



How far along?  21 weeks, 4 days
Total weight gain/measurements: I haven't weighed myself, but I'm sure I've gone up by at least a pound. Let's just guesstimate 13 lbs.  
Maternity clothes: I am still wearing my Bella Band in order to fit into my regular pants, but they are super uncomfortable especially when I sit down. The zipper digs in and just no. I think I may have to retire my regular pants until after baby arrives. 
Stretch marks: None to report and hoping to keep it that way. I'm lathering my belly in Burt's Bee's Mama Bee. I will probably add The Honest Co. Belly Balm sometime soon because I'm pretty sure that stuff is the reason I didn't get any stretch marks last time!
Sleep: Sleep has been a bit better now that I'm not as congested.   
Exercise: Beachbody On Demand is still my go to workout and I got in two workouts this weekend. I always feel SO much better after I have worked out. I wish I had more energy for after work. I did take Lennon for a walk today after work because it was too nice out not to!
Best moment this week: Booking our Spring Break trip and buying a new mattress for when our house is finished! I so look forward to both!  
Miss anything? The hot tub thing is STILL really bringing me down. 
Movement:  She is definitely a little wiggle worm! I can tell she is getting stronger by the day. 
Food cravings: I still am really loving my lemon ice every night before bed. I figure since I work out 3 times a week, I can eat it every night, right?   
Anything making you queasy or sick? Bell. Peppers. Still. Yep. My co-worker has some in our fridge and I got a whiff today and man, I cannot handle it. 
Gender: Girl #2!
Labor signs: No and let's keep it that way!
Belly button in or out? In, but sneaking it's way out. 
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody most of the time: This week was MUCH better than last in the mood department. 
Looking forward to:  Spring break {even though it's still a month away!}. 

Until next time!

Monday, February 19, 2018

Mommy Monday {20 weeks}

This is going to be a short and sweet post. I'm still pretty sick. I'm talking massively horrible sinus infection that isn't getting better with antibiotics {don't worry, the medicine is safe during pregnancy}, but I am just miserable. I will be going to bed as soon as I post this because all I do is toss and turn all night. The sinus pressure is insane. I have a call into my doctor and I'm hoping to hear back from them tomorrow!


How far along?  20 weeks, 4 days
Total weight gain/measurements: I was pretty close with my prediction from last week. I have gained a total of 12 lbs so far. With Lennon at this same time, I was up 14 lbs, so I'd say I'm doing a bit better.  
Maternity clothes: I am still wearing my Bella Band in order to fit into my regular pants. They are becoming increasingly more uncomfortable though. I have no idea how some people can wear their regular pants all the way through pregnancy. No clue. 
Stretch marks: None to report and hoping to keep it that way. I'm lathering my belly in Burt's Bee's Mama Bee
Sleep: None. It is non existent due to my horrendous sinus infection.  
Exercise: Beachbody On Demand is still my go to workout, however I didn't work out all weekend because I felt so terrible. I plan to go to prenatal yoga on Wednesday, given my sinuses have no more pressure. 
Best moment this week: Seeing baby at our anatomy scan was pretty exciting! We also took Lennon to the YMCA to go swimming on Saturday. They have a water slide and splash pad area that she loves.  
Miss anything? The hot tub thing is really bringing me down. 
Movement:  Still feeling her kicking all the time and they are definitely becoming stronger. 
Food cravings: I didn't really have any in particular this week. I did, however, find some Boom Chicka Pop at Costco and that was really exciting.  
Anything making you queasy or sick? Bell. Peppers. Still. Yep. 
Gender: Girl #2!
Labor signs: No and let's keep it that way!
Belly button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody most of the time: I've been moody all week. Being sick for 2 weeks straight really brings you down.  
Looking forward to:  Feeling better. 

Until next time!


Monday, February 12, 2018

Mommy Monday {19 weeks}

Sorry for the lack of Mommy Monday last week. Lennon came down with a cold and soon after our entire house was down for the count. What a week of fevers and no sleep. We are all finally feeling better and actually left the house this weekend! Thank goodness for small favors.



How far along?  19 weeks, 4 days
Total weight gain/measurements: I'm not even going to pretend to know how much weight I've gained. I'm guessing it's probably around 10 lbs, but I will for sure know on Wednesday. 
Maternity clothes: I am still wearing my Bella Band in order to fit into my regular pants. I did dig through our unpacked boxes in the basement and found some of my staple maternity clothes.  
Stretch marks: None to report and hoping to keep it that way. I'm lathering my belly in Burt's Bee's Mama Bee
Sleep: Last week was rough. As I said before, Lennon was sick and had a mild fever, so I slept on the couch with her for three nights. Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep and was totally dragging all week. 
Exercise: Beachbody On Demand is still my go to workout. I went to one Yoga class, but then had to skip last week so that I didn't get everyone else sick. I will be going again this Wednesday. It is seriously heavenly. 
Best moment this week: All of us FINALLY feeling better. I also had to buy a new straightener because my Chi just completely died, so that was pretty exciting.  
Miss anything? I still really am missing being able to go in a hot tub. 
Movement:  The little kicks and flutters are the best. 
Food cravings: I didn't really have any defining food cravings last because due to being sick. I guess I did just want some soup, but who doesn't when they are sick? 
Anything making you queasy or sick? Bell. Peppers. Still.
Gender: Girl #2!
Labor signs: No and let's keep it that way!
Belly button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody most of the time: Despite all the sickness, I've been decently happy this last week.  
Looking forward to: Our anatomy ultrasound on Wednesday! 

Until next time!


Sunday, February 11, 2018

No More Suffering in Silence

I've been sitting on this post for months now. Trying to find the right words, the right way to say what I want to say. I've been struggling through a lot of stress for many different reasons, but the greatest stress directly relates to my sweet Lennon.

I'm just going to come right out and say it. Lennon had a seizure. I've had an immense amount of PTSD ever since. I have been unable to sleep the same way or even go through the day without worrying. I'll start from the beginning.

As most of you know, we moved across the country from April to June. The Mr. had to leave earlier to start his new job and Lennon and I stayed behind because I had to finish my school year. Well, Lennon got sick in May. I'm talking flu sick. Throwing up, high fever, just miserable. I took her to the doctor and she seemed to get better. That was just the beginning of a month long battle of fevers. When they started happening, I wasn't too concerned. They were getting as high as 102-103, but the doctor said to bring her in if it got to 105. It never did.

The school year ended, and we started to pack up our life. The movers came and we went to stay with one of my friends. We were headed up to our co-workers cabin to spend some quality time before it was time to go for good. When we got up there, Lennon had a low grade fever, 99 something. I went to the local store and got some children's tylenol. The fever went down. The next day, she seemed fine. Not quite as hungry, but acting like her normal self.

Well as the night progressed, so did her fever. She refused to go to sleep and I got so frustrated. We were up super late trying to get her fever down, luke warm baths, cool compresses, sleeping in just a onesie, but to no avail. She finally went to sleep, but then woke at 3:00am. Her fever had spiked to almost 104 and she let out a terrible scream. She made a sound like she was going to throw up and started to seize.

Reliving that moment in words is just something that I cannot do, so you can imagine it in your minds. I'm sobbing just writing this post.

I called 911 and it seemed like the longest 5 minutes of my life. All of my co-workers surrounded us and were my rocks. I couldn't have survived that moment without them. Her seizure lasted about 30 seconds, but she became unresponsive afterwards, which I learned later on is completely normal. In that moment, though, I was terrified. The first responders arrived and she came to. We got in the ambulance and rode to the hospital. I still have no clue what caused her to have such a high fever. They tested her for the flu and strep, both were negative. They said it was likely a virus.


The kind of seizure was a Febrile Seizure and is actually quite common. According to Mayo Clinic, "A febrile seizure is a convulsion in a child that may be caused by a spike in body temperature, often from an infection." It doesn't matter how high the fever gets, it's how fast it gets there. Lennon's fever spiked so fast that it was almost inevitable. 

The kind EMT gentleman gave me some amazing tips, because his son had previously had Febrile Seizures. He suggested that I ALWAYS have a temporal thermometer, children's Tylenol, and children's Motrin on hand. As soon as we left the hospital, we went straight to walmart and I put together a fever care pack to have with us at all times. 

I've become quite obsessive about checking Lennon's temperature, she actually knows how to do it herself now. As soon as she exhibits a fever, I start alternating Motrin and Tylenol. This flu season has got me on edge and on alert. We have been taking Elderberry Syrup every day to try and avoid getting sick. We all had colds this last week and I will tell you that I bawled my eyes out when Lennon got a low grade fever. We are trying to manage, but I don't think the stress will ever fade away entirely. 

I write this post, not for pity, but to speak the unspoken. People are so afraid to talk about things, but in reality it actually helps to process and heal to TALK to others! It helped me when I had a miscarriage, because I am 1 in 4 and I am not ashamed of that! It helped after Lennon had a seizure. Just by talking to my friends, I realized that some of their kids, or even themselves, had Febrile Seizures. We need to not be afraid of speaking out. More often than not, someone else is going through the same thing and just wants somebody to talk to. Join together, be supportive, talk to one another!

Lastly, I want to thank my friend Jen who was there for me in the hospital when I had my miscarriage and who drove behind the ambulance when Lennon had her seizure. I am so grateful for her friendship and unwavering support. We all need friends who will stick by you through the awful things that you sometimes go through in life. 

Let’s not suffer in silence any longer! 


Until next time,