How far along? 

18 weeks

How big is the peanut? 

The size of an Artichoke! 14.2 cm long, and 190 grams.

Total weight gain/loss? 

I gained 2 pound this week, making me 133 lbs.

Maternity clothes? 

Still wearing my maternity jeans and leggings.

Sleep?

Not great. I am now wedging myself between two pillows in hopes of preventing myself from rolling over onto my back. Sleeping on my back seems to be one of the only comfortable positions, but it isn't recommended after 16 weeks. 

Best moment this week? 

Feeling little baby flutters. At first I wasn't sure if that's what I was feeling, but when it kept happening in the same spot, I figured that was baby. I don't feel them everyday, but I have felt them a few times here and there. 

Symptoms? 

I had one of the worst headaches I have ever had. I am hoping this won't become a frequent symptom. I have had some minor ones, but when they get so bad, you can't even function, it makes it really hard to get through the day. Also, my hands have been SUPER dry! My knuckles are bleeding they are so dry. I have been putting hand cream on multiple times a day, but it doesn't seem to help. 

Food cravings?

Still craving sweets! I have been really enjoying Cinnamon Toast Crunch in the evenings before bed.

Food aversions? 

Still chicken!! The thought, the sight, the smell...ugh

Gender? 

We find out in 10 days!!

Labor signs? 

None

Belly button in or out? 

In

What I miss?

Wearing my regular jeans. Some of my favourite tops are too short now, and don't make it quite over my belly. It is time to get creative in the outfit making!

What I'm looking forward to? 

Our anatomy ultrasound next Thursday! I can't wait to see little babe again!

Milestones? 

Feeling baby!

Bump?

The bump has definitely popped out more in the last few days.

Travel Diary: New York City

Day 1: Goodbye YYC, Hello NYC!

We arrived in New York around 4pm, got in our cab, and headed to the Upper West Side where we settled into our quaint room at the Nylo hotel. After a not-so-light Italian dinner at Serafina’s next door, we decided to walk until we got tired, which happened to be many footsteps later. We made it to Times Square, stopping at one of my favourite spots in NYC, the Lincoln center. The grand windows all lit up, takes my breath away every time. It’s easy to forget what time it is when the city never stops. It was quite late by this point, all the shops were still open, and there were people everywhere. We headed back to our hotel to get some rest before our first full day in NYC begins!
*Tip of the day: Definitely see the Lincoln Center at night. It is beautiful during the day too, but it stands out more when it is all lit up in the dark. 

Day 2: What’s another 20,000 steps?

I don’t think I have ever walked this much in one day! Our morning started with a great breakfast at a hip little coffee house, Irving Farm Coffee Roasters down the street from our hotel. The subway station was right there, so we got on making our way down to lower Manhattan. We arrived at the One World Trade Center where we took in some great views of the city from up top. We then went to the 9/11 fountain memorials. It’s hard to describe the feeling of being there. Some moments in silence later, we headed to Battery Park where we contemplated taking a ferry around the Statue of Liberty, but the line up deterred us very quickly. Instead, we decided to make our way up the financial district (a must for Anders), and Little Italy, where we ate a mediocre at best Italian lunch. As we made our way closer to the Manhattan Bridge we decided to walk across to Brooklyn. The cobble stone streets, and views of New York City are among the many things I love about Brooklyn. We stopped at One Girl Cookies for an afternoon Americano, and wandered along the water. The sun was setting as we were walking back across the Brooklyn Bridge. Once we got to our hotel, we were all so exhausted! We ate dinner in the lobby, and then passed out!
*Tip of the day: I would not recommend walking across the Manhattan Bridge. The train runs along it, making for a very noisy walk. The Brooklyn Bridge is a way better walk and is more pedestrian friendly. 
*Tip of the day: Avoid eating in Little Italy. We weren't pleased with our meal there, and with New York being full of great food options, it was disappointing eating a lunch we didn't enjoy. 

Day 3: Upper East Side beauty

It was early in the morning, we hopped on the subway along with all the New Yorkers heading to work, and got off in Greenwich Village. We grabbed breakfast and coffee, then made our way to Washington Square Park. It was a beautiful sunny morning, making our sit on the park bench over looking the Washington Square Arch, even more peaceful and beautiful. Our morning turned into a walk along the brownstones, to the Flatiron building. We found a cute café, Maison Kayser, for delicious Croissant and a great view. We still had a full day ahead of us. We walked under the stars in the Grand Central Terminal; we peaked inside the New York Public Library (no Jake Gyllenhaal to be found), and then made our way to the Empire State Building. We window-shopped along 5^th Avenue en route to our hotel to freshen up. Our evening started with a fantastic dinner on the patio at Isabella’s, a little Mediterranean restaurant in the Upper West Side. We were all very tired, so more sight seeing by foot was not an option. Instead, we went up the street to the AMC movie theater to catch a late movie. Best movie theater experience ever! Side note: To all Canadians, if you have never been to an AMC theater, you NEED to go next time you are across the boarder! We each reclined in a big comfy seat, while we watched Sully, how suiting being a few blocks from the Hudson River. I could have fallen asleep those seats were so comfortable, but the movie was to good! Our 3^rd day was now over, and our beds were very much needed!

*Tip of the day: Don't miss checking out Washington Square Park. It was one of the highlights of our trip. It is a great little park right by the University. 

Day 4: A stroll in the park

This whole trip I was looking forward to spending some time in Central Park. The concrete jungle had me craving some lush greenery, and a quiet afternoon, but before we headed to the park, we made our way to the Rockefeller Center. After we finished at the Top of the Rock, we walked towards Central Park where we sat down for breakfast and coffee. Our walk through the park led us to the Metropolitan Museum of Art where we spent the early afternoon. Once we had seen enough, we walked back through the park to the Upper West Side to get lunch at the Shake Shack. The boys went back to the room to nap, while my mom and I took advantage to get some shopping in. The rest of our night consisted of another walk to Times Square where we ate dinner, and looked around some more. Another day down, one more to go.
*Tip of the day: It is worth the money going to the Top of the Rock. You can see the Empire State Building so beautifully, along with the rest of the city. Try to get there early in the morning, so you don't have to wait in a long line.

Day 5: Don’t make me leave

It was our last day, and as much as you can’t see all of New York City in just a few days, it sure felt like we had seen a lot! We were pretty tired by the end of our trip, but we put our walking shoes on again, and went down to Central Park. The Belvedere Castle, and the Bow Bridge were amongst the many things we saw that morning and afternoon. On our way back to the hotel to catch our ride to the airport, we stopped at Sugar and Plumm, for some Ice Cream. The perfect finish to our last day! We weren’t ready to leave, but my shins and feet were thankful! I guess over 100,000 steps in a few days will make you feel sore, but it was all worth it! We really enjoyed seeing the city by foot, and being able to take it all in.
*Tip of the day: The Belvedere Castle was one of my favourite spots in Central Park. Great views from the castle overlooking the park and city! 
*Tip of the day: Make a stop at Sugar and Plumm for dessert. The atmosphere is so cute and fun.

Until next time, New York!

Xo,

Alexandra 

Lincoln center

View from Manhattan Bridge

View from Brooklyn

Brooklyn Bridge

Washington Square Arch

Washington Square Park

Morning with my Hubby

Greenwich Village

Flatiron Building

View of Central Park from Top of the Rock

Gapstow Bridge

Central Park

Bow Bridge

17 weeks

     

      

How far along? 

17 weeks today!

How big is the peanut? 

The size of a Pomegranate! 13 cm long, and 167 grams.

Total weight gain/loss? 

After the 5 lbs I lost in the first trimester from "morning" (more like all day) sickness, I have now gained those 5 lbs back plus 3 more lbs, making me 131 lbs now. 

Maternity clothes? 

Most of my jeans stopped being comfortable in January, thanks to the high waisted denim trend. I resorted to leggings and loose boyfriend jeans until I purchased some Maternity jeans and leggings at the end of February, which is all I wear now! I am still wearing my regular tops and dresses though.

Sleep?

Aside from having to get up at least once in the night to pee, I am sleeping pretty well. I am no where near as tired as I was in the first trimester, but I still find myself crawling into bed at 9pm. 

Best moment this week? 

Hearing little babe's heartbeat! 154 bpm!

We also met my OB doctor who I will see for all my prenatal check up's going forward. He is great, and his nurse is the sweetest! I will seriously look forward to my appointments, just to see her! 

Symptoms? 

I still get mild nausea only when I don't eat regularly, so I make sure I keep snacks in my purse at all times! My boobs are still sore, and some how still growing! Hello F cup?

Food cravings?

I am craving more sweet things this week! I caved and bought some Cadbury mini eggs- so good! I am also really enjoying strawberries, and oranges!  

Food aversions? 

Chicken!!

Gender? 

Don't know yet. I have my anatomy/gender ultrasound in 2 weeks! Hopefully baby cooperates so we can find out with our family and friends at our gender reveal party on April 9th!

Labor signs? 

None

Belly button in or out? 

In

What I miss?

Sleeping on my stomach. I haven't been able to sleep on my stomach for a few weeks now, and I am starting to miss it. 

What I'm looking forward to? 

Baby movement! I can't wait to feel the baby kick! My placenta is posterior, so I should hopefully start to feel some flutters soon!

Milestones? 

Making it to 17 weeks! I can't believe we are almost half way through this pregnancy!

Bump?

Yup! The bump doubles in size through out the day making me look 6 months pregnant at night! I love it though! 

We're PREGNANT

Through all of 2016 I never thought I would say those words. After my ectopic pregnancy in September 2015, my body would not go back to normal. My cycles became long and irregular, and all I wanted was to fill the void of losing our first baby. My heart hurt, and I just knew we were going to have a hard time getting pregnant again.

I went to a naturopath to see if I could “fix” my body the natural way. I started a vitamin regimen that I was excited about, and I had hope. Months went by, and I didn’t see any improvement in my cycles. After a lot of research, I started fertility acupuncture, Chinese medicine, and made some major diet changes. Again, months went by and my body wasn’t responding to anything. It was on its own schedule and nothing I did seemed to matter. I was so frustrated! How am I supposed to get pregnant, when I am not ovulating regularly and only have one fallopian tube? I decided to stop everything! No more vitamins, no more gross herbs, and no more acupuncture needles. I wanted to give my body a break. Maybe that was all it needed.

It was now September 2016, and I decided to go to my family doctor to do some medical investigation. With blood work and an exploratory ultrasound, I was given the news that, deep down, I already knew. I wasn’t ovulating on my left side. My right ovary was the only ovary ovulating, and that is my tubeless side. I was heartbroken. I was told the day I lost one of my tubes, that there is still a small chance my left tube can pick up the egg from the right ovary, but it doesn’t happen often.

I had been patient, and I didn’t want to wait anymore. Anders and I made the decision to start fertility treatment. My family doctor put our referral in, and we waited for the phone call. I knew it could take months to get in. We had a trip to New York coming up so I had that to distract me and look forward to while we waited. I remember the day the fertility clinic called. I was sitting at the table with my mom when my phone rang, and when I hung up, I just bawled! This was it!!! We had our first fertility appointment scheduled for January 16^th, 2017. I was so excited; I could finally get some help! It was still October and I knew I had a few more months to wait, but just knowing we had a date made everything better. I relaxed for the first time that year.

It was Christmas Eve morning, my period was a day late, and I knew I had ovulated two weeks before (a miracle in itself!). This was our last chance to get pregnant on our own before starting fertility drugs the following month. I believe in a very gracious and miraculous God, and I know that He can do wonders. Anders was still sleeping, I went to the bathroom, and pulled out a pregnancy test. As much as you can prepare yourself to see a negative result, and I had seen a TON over the last 16 months, it still sucks, and hurts so much! I didn’t think I was pregnant at all, but I decided to take it anyway even if that meant feeling sad around Christmas. Usually when I take a test, I wait the 3 min to look at it, but this time, I couldn’t put it down. I stared at it as I saw the pink lines start to form. LINES!! What?? There were two! That second pink line came up so fast and strong, I couldn’t believe it!!!  I put it down and cried! I was pregnant!!! After so long, after all the trials we had been through, my prayers had been answered. I managed to contain my excitement and let Anders sleep in a bit. I went into our living room and just sat there, in shock, praying, and thanking God for this amazing Christmas miracle.

Anders joined me on the couch a little while later and, with his birthday being Christmas day, I wanted to give him the positive test as an early birthday present. He was being so stubborn as he insisted he wait until tomorrow. Obviously, I couldn’t wait a whole day to tell him, so I just pulled out the positive pregnancy test and showed it to him. He was definitely in as much shock as me! We were so happy! We told my parents Christmas morning (how perfect!) and then headed to Banff for our 23^rd Christmas at the Rimrock Resort to relax and celebrate. Best Christmas ever!!

When we got home a few days later, I knew I had to go to the doctor. Due to my previous ectopic, I am considered to have a high-risk pregnancy until the baby is found in the correct location. I had to have my blood drawn every two days to make sure my pregnancy hormone levels were increasing appropriately.

It was New Years Eve when I went to the lab to get the last of my three blood tests done. That afternoon Anders and I were out with a friend. The first trimester fatigue was starting to hit me, so I decided to sit in the car. As I was sitting there, I started feeling some cramping in my uterus. I didn’t think much of it, but I wasn’t feeling great, so I texted Anders and told him I was going home to sleep for a bit. As soon as I got home, I went to the bathroom, and had spotting. No, no, no!! All the emotions of my first pregnancy flooded in! I was 5 weeks when I started spotting with my ectopic, and I was exactly 5 weeks by this time as well. How could this be? Everything seemed so different with this pregnancy. I was already having symptoms; my pregnancy tests were darker than they were with my ectopic. What was going on? I called Anders immediately then I drove to my parent’s house to drop Bear off. Anders met me there and we went straight to emergency. I prayed the whole time; I didn’t want to lose this baby! I couldn’t imagine going through another miscarriage. Once we got in, the doctor gave me my HCG (pregnancy hormone) results from all my blood tests. My numbers were high and increasing perfectly! What a relief! He then pulled out the bedside ultrasound machine to look for the gestational sac in my uterus. As soon as he put the ultrasound on me, I could see a tiny little sac in my uterus! I was ecstatic! That gave me peace of mind, knowing the baby wasn’t in my remaining fallopian tube. The doctor couldn’t see the fetal pole so he wanted to send me for a thorough ultrasound before releasing me. During that ultrasound, we were able to see the beginning stages of our baby measuring 2 days ahead! Our sweet baby! Out of curiosity, I asked the ultrasound tech if he could tell me which side I ovulated from. He said the corpus luteum (cyst that occurs on the ovary after ovulation) was on my right side. WHAT?! If this baby wasn’t already a miracle to us, then it sure was now!! My left fallopian tube swooped the egg from my right ovary! Our bodies are so amazing! We finally got back to my parents house at 11pm, an hour before the countdown, where we celebrated this amazing miracle, and rang in the New Year with so much hope and joy!

Today, I am just over 14 weeks pregnant! We were able to see the heartbeat on our second ultrasound which just so happened to be the day we were supposed to start fertility treatment, January 16th. My heart had never felt so full! We had our 12 week ultrasound a few weeks ago, where it was confirmed through blood work and measurements, that baby is healthy, and strong! We are over the moon excited to meet this sweet baby in 6 short months! 

Words can’t describe how happy I am, and how much I love this little one! I don’t understand why we go through the things we do in life, but I do know that everything happens in His perfect timing. This is the baby we are supposed to have. I won't ever forget the emotions, struggle and heartbreak we went through after losing our first baby, but it all seems better now. 

Thanks so much for reading!

Xo, 

Alexandra