36.5 Weeks Baby 2

Here's the latest picture of my belly!

I looked back to see how I was feeling with Lucy and it seems like I am doing better than I was at 36 weeks back then.


I took the two pictures at different angels so it's a bit hard to tell, but I think my belly is about the same size? At this point with Hank I have not had much swelling at all. I have definitely noticed some, but I can still wear my wedding ring most of the time and there are only a couple pairs of shoes I can't wear (with Lucy I could only wear 1 pair of my shoes because my feet were so swollen). I am however starting to feel very stretched and like there isn't much room left in my belly for this boy to grow. It often feels like he's kicking his feet up into my ribs and when he gets into a weird position it feels like my skin is about to rip apart (oh great... here come the stretch marks).

I think I've gained a bit less than with Lucy at this point too... I'm at about 32 pounds, where I think I was closer to 36/37 with Lucy.

Sleep is sometimes good, sometimes bad. I usually get up to use the bathroom 1-2 times per night and sometimes I get back to sleep no problem, sometimes I lay awake for about 1-2 hours. I haven't been to exhausted (mentally anyway) though, I think God prepares our bodies to start getting used to being up all night. But I do think I am sleeping better than with Lucy and I have a lot less back pain. It's amazing what not sitting at a desk all day does for your body.

Can't believe we are in the final stretch, I am so excited to meet this little boy and to see what life with two kids is like. But I think I'm most excited to see my toes again :)

We're Ready For Hank!

This is a little bit of a catch-all post, but as I was looking through my pictures I realized they all had to do with one thing: preparing for the arrival of baby Hank! This past month I have been in major nesting mode- getting the nursery ready, washing newborn clothes, installing the car seat, and setting up the bassinet. Here's some pictures from along the way...

The big sister... she may not really know what's about to come, but we talk about Hank a lot and being a big sister...




The below picture may not look like it has a lot to do with Hank, but if you look closely you can see a sling on Ben's arm. That's right, at 35 weeks pregnant, we thought it'd be a good idea for Ben to have surgery on his shoulder! Ben had a tear that he just found out about and since Hank is coming soon, we decided it would be smarter (financially) to have the surgery this year, since our deductible will be met with having the baby. It actually hasn't been that bad and after only a week Ben is feeling great, able to have a lot of motion with his arm and has already gotten back into the swing of helping with Lucy and the house (even it if it is with one arm at times!) Which is good, because I'm only getting more and more immobile and uncomfortable as this little boy grows!


Lucy moved to her big girl bed! And is loving it... in fact, she often asks to get up in her bed during the day just to lay around for a little bit. I'm not sure if this is because this is the only place she can have her paci's or if it's because she loves the bed, but either way, I'm just happy she likes hanging out in there. We had no trouble with the transition and she has only gotten out of bed a few times and as soon as I put her back in bed she doesn't get out again. She'll even just lay in bed and play after she wakes up! I was really sad to move her out of her crib (my baby girl is growing up!) but the fact that she loves the bed so much has made it much easier.

Here she is playing one day...






And here she is all curled up at night...


Some how she always escapes out of her covers, so I usually go in to tuck her back in. Look how tiny she looks in that big bed!


And so of course that means... Hank's crib is ready! I originally didn't think we'd move Lucy to the big girl bed till after Hank was born, but after talking with the doctor and some friends, we decided to move her before he came. So now I will get to really start decorating and hopefully have the room somewhat ready by the time he arrives... here's a look at what we've done so far!


And the latest thing I got set up was our bassinet for Hank. With Ben only having one arm, and with my strong nesting instinct, I've learned a lot about how to assemble things in our home! I guess it's probably good I know how to do a couple things around here :) While I was getting things set up, Lucy of course wanted to check things out for herself...


We're ready for your baby Hanky (as Lucy calls him) and can't wait to meet you!

Hank's Sprinkle

Last week our Bible Study surprised us by throwing a "sprinkle" (i.e. smaller shower) for baby Hank! One of my prayer requests at our previous study had been to be less anxious about all the stuff we still needed for Hank, and they totally heard my prayer and responded - what an amazing group of friends!

Everyone brought over some food and lots of clothes for Hank. I was so excited to have a chance to celebrate this little guy.


Our small group:


Going through all the clothes after everyone left...


I mean is this boy spoiled already or what???


I think we're going to be set on clothes for awhile! We are so thankful for such an amazing group and feel so blessed to have each one of these people in our lives.

32 Week Pictures

Ok - so I'm actually now almost 34 weeks, but I took these pictures early last week, so they were pretty close to 32 weeks... I've given up trying to get the picture on the day of! Still feel overall great, and I think better off than when I was 32/33/34 weeks pregnant with Lucy.

With Lucy I was reporting: "32 weeks and definitely feeling it! Symptoms of pregnancy currently: lots of back ache (although I've gotten 2 massages in the past 2 weeks!), stretched belly button, sleepless nights (I've found the couch is the most comfortable place to sleep), and trouble breathing. The third trimester is in full swing!"

But with Hank I have not had any back pain (except when I overdue it, I end up having to rest and put heat on my back the next day), no stretched skin feeling (I'm guessing that's because of the stretch marks Lucy gave me, my skin was already ready to expand for Hank) and I've been sleeping pretty well (up until this past week, I've had a really bad cold and have been coughing throughout the night, leaving me extremely exhausted!).

Here I am at 32 weeks with Lucy (look at the snow on the ground! I'm thankful it's been in the 80s here this past week, perfect weather!):


32 weeks with Hank:

3D Pictures with Hank

Last week we were lucky and got another glimpse of our little guy at a 3D ultrasound. I switched practices from when I had Lucy and so far have really enjoyed the new practice and new doctor I am seeing, and to top it all off, they offer their patients a free 3D ultrasound at 30 weeks... pretty sweet!

Hank wasn't being super cooperative, so the pictures didn't turn out great, but you can definitely make out some more distinguishable features on the 3D ultrasound versus the regular one.

On the below two, you can see his hands are up next to his cheek...




And here's a little more of a profile shot...


We also had her check to confirm again that it's a boy... and he is! So we are feeling confident about the clothing/nursery colors we've picked out :)

The day before I had a regular 30 week appointment that I took Lucy to. While the doctor was listening to the baby's heart beat I asked Lucy who we were listening to and she shouted out "Hanky!"... it was pretty precious. We talk about "Hanky" all the time these days (like last weekend when we toured the hospital and she called it "Hanky's home"), but I still think Luc has no idea what's in store. I do think she's going to love this guy so much and I can't wait to see her as a big sister, but I also wonder what she will think of having to share mommy... I guess only time will tell!

Getting Ready for Hank!

Being in the third trimester, I of course am starting to get a little stressed about all we have to get done before the baby comes. Fortunately I was relieved to look back at my blog post when I was 28 weeks with Lucy to see that I was just as stressed then, and we got everything done before she came. So I have to take a few deep breaths every once in awhile and relax! Plus, I was looking back through my phone pictures and realized we've actually made a lot of progress. While the nursery may not be painted yet, we have taken several steps to get our home ready for Hank.

1. Get baby gear out of attic

Of course, Lucy had to test out all this "new" stuff that we had!

2. Pack up all clothes and pink baby stuff that we don't use for Lucy anymore (this was a really sad thing for me! I can only hope we have another little girl someday who can wear all of Lucy's adorable baby clothes that she only got to wear for a short time)

Lucy wanted to try on clothes as I was packing them up. Here she has on two fleece shirts on top of her t-shirt... what a goof ball.

3. Buy a double stroller

Found one on craigslist! And Lucy already loves it. I actually had to pack it away because she wanted to use this stroller instead of her single one.

4. Buy bedding, nursery furniture and clothes

I was so excited last week to finally pull the trigger on some crib bedding for baby boy, I ordered it online from Target and loved it even more once it came in the mail. You can also see our new bookcase that Ben set up for me and a growing closet of blue! I've been trying to stock up on sale items and use old giftcards, so fortunately I haven't had to spend too much yet... but having kids of the opposite sex sure is expensive! Hoping that I can find some good deals at garage sales, or borrow from friends so we don't break the bank.

5. Practice changing tiny baby diapers

Well not really, but I love that Lucy tries to put a diaper on her baby doll. I can't wait to see what a big helper she is with the baby. Of course, she probably won't be able to help out with diapers for several more years... but I guess that's where I come in!


We have so much more to do, but I do feel pretty accomplished about what we've done so far. And I love that Lucy has been helping all along the way!

28 Week Belly (but actually 29)

Ok - so I say this every post, but this belly picture is a little late again!! This time I really am actually 29 weeks and 2 days, so I'm not really even close to 28 weeks... oh well! It's hard to grab pictures this pregnancy because I want to wait until I've at least showered (which usually isn't until late in the day) and by then I'm usually showering and getting ready in such a hurry because we are heading out the door.

So I've included a 28 and 30 week picture with Lucy. Baby boy's belly picture is sandwiched in the middle!

(Lucy 28)


(baby boy 29)


(Lucy 30)

Looks like I continue to grow about the same! Although, one nice part about being pregnant during most of the summer is the nice tan I get to keep for most of my pregnancy :)

Weight gain is actually the exact same, unfortunately! I have gained about the exact same weight that I am number of weeks, which is how I was with Lucy. I was trying so hard to gain less this time, but I just don't do well with exercise and proportions when I'm pregnant I guess! Looks like I'll be back doing Insanity after this baby as well.

Feeling really good still, things are getting more tiring and harder to do as my belly grows, but I still feel pretty mobile. Baby boy moves around a ton, so I feel like he is growing strong. I did have one concern at the doctor because I get side cramps a lot easier this time around, so he checked my cervix to make sure my body wasn't preparing for labor. It wasn't, so all is good! I guess I'm probably just walking more this time around so I notice the cramps more.

One last update - we have officially decided on a name! Henry Benjamin Wehner, but we'll call him Hank for the most part. We had debated on the name for a while- although it was the first and only name we loved for a boy, we soon found out after picking it that our good friends were naming their son Henry as well! We debated for about a month if we wanted to stick with the same name as our friend's son, but in the end I couldn't think of any other name that I loved as much. Plus we chose it in the exact same way we chose Lucy (I gave Ben a list, he picked his favorite and we went with it, clean and simple), so I wanted to stick with our gut feelings. And ultimately, our little boy will go by Hank and theirs goes by Henry, so they practically each have their own name!

We refer to everything at home that is baby boy's as "Hank's" and Lucy talks about "Hanky" in mommy's belly, so I'd say it's pretty safe to use that from now on :) We can't wait to meet you Hanky!

24 Week Belly - Baby 2

Ok, so I was actually 25 weeks when I took this, but for the sake of comparison, I'm going to call this 24 weeks! Still feeling really great, noticing my belly getting bigger, but not at all uncomfortable yet. I even sometimes sleep on my stomach still - which is amazing, because it's what I miss the most during pregnancy.


And for comparison, here's me at 24 weeks with Lucy... looks about the same!

23.5 Week Survey - Baby 2

Ok, so I am actually almost 24 weeks, but I did this survey when I was 23.5 weeks with Lucy, so I wanted the titles to match!

Week and day: 23 weeks and 6 days

Belly Button in or out: almost fully out, well as much as it probably is going to be, I don't think my belly button goes as far out as others, but I definitely noticed it popping out early this time.

Wedding rings on or off: On, so far, but they are pretty uncomfortable during these hot summer days. Plus I don't think my fingers every went back to their original size... wondering if I'll need to get the rings re-sized.

Food cravings: Salty stuff, but also I've noticed a strong desire for chocolate/peanut butter foods... even if that means taking a piece of baking chocolate and dipping it in a jar of peanut butter... whatever works!

Food aversions: none

Nausea: none - I really feel like my normal self, besides a little extra around my belly

Energy level: energy level is great! although I do find myself tiring easier than normal, i.e. today I took a quick nap while Lucy was sleeping and I find myself doing that about once a week or so. Most days I'm full of energy, but some days I'm just dragging...

Weight gain: About 20 pounds, I have been watching this very, very closely and I think I'm doing pretty good. Last time I seemed to have gained the same amount of weight that I was in weeks (i.e. at 32 weeks I had gained 32 pounds), I'm tracking a little under that this time, so yay!!

Mood: I definitely am more aware of my temper this time around - last time I think I didn't realize how moody the pregnancy had made me, I just thought that was my normal... now I realize that Jess off of pregnancy hormones is a different person than Jess on pregnancy hormones... things seem to make me angrier quicker and/or I get sad about things quicker... funny, this time around instead of it all being directed at Ben, I have found myself getting angry/sad about friend and family stuff more often... lucky Ben!

Maternity clothes: shoot, I think I broke these out around 8 weeks!

Size of baby: Almost an ear of corn! A foot long and just over a pound. (just left this from last time... I'm assuming it's the same!)

Changes of baby: Brain and taste buds developing, lungs develop respiratory "branches"

Next appointment: Today, got a little teddy bear with baby boy's heart beat to bring home - cool! but Lucy doesn't like it :)

Other: Last time I mentioned how strangers congratulate me on the pregnancy - this actually doesn't happen often, maybe people see me with a kid and just assume I still have a little left over from the first baby! I feel like I had so many other things to say here that I wanted to remember about carrying baby boy, but I forget now... ahh pregnancy brain! 24 week pictures to come soon!

It's a boy! And 20 Week Pictures

We went last week to our 20 week ultrasound and found out that baby 2 is going to be a little boy! While Ben and I were both excited I think we were both very surprised too. I didn't realize it until then, but I was really thinking this baby was going to be a little girl... I guess that's the only thing I've experienced so far, so that's the only thing I knew to expect. I'm excited to see what life brings as we add a little more testosterone to our family, and I'm especially excited for Ben to have a little football player he can coach in the back yard.

It wasn't until I went grocery shopping after the ultrasound that reality really set in and I realized the amount of pink things in our home and the amount of blue things we'll need to load up on - clothes, blankets, nursery decorations, etc. And I think being able to picture a little boy in our home just made reality set in even more that we were soon going to become a family of four! And all that still needs to be prepared for the arrival of our little boy - his room is full of stuff that needs to be moved out and then we need to go buy stuff to fill it back up! Needless to say I've been spending lots of time online since the ultrasound looking at nurseries and furniture and trying to decide how we can best maximize our space and the furniture we already have while creating two adorable spaces for our new little boy and his big sister.

Fortunately my mom has already got us on our way and bought us our first baby boy clothes, blankets, bibs, a robe and a teddy bear. I have a feeling this little boy is going to be just as spoiled as his big sister!

And here is an updated picture of my belly!


And as a comparison... here I was with Lucy at 20 weeks... looking about the same!

Baby 2 - 16 Weeks Update

I'm a little over 16 weeks now and feeling great! Once I hit 12 weeks my body has been feeling almost normal, besides my growing belly and being a little more prone to headaches. This is again, just like Lucy - fortunately I remembered getting headaches in the beginning, but not the entire time, so I'm hoping my almost daily headaches will go away soon. Baby is healthy so far, and we get to find out the sex of the baby on July 6th!

Baby 2 - 12 Week Update

I'm way behind on my blogging, as I've been wanting to get an update on Lucy and and update on the pregnancy on the blog for the past couple weeks, but somebody has been keeping me very, very preoccupied (more on that in the next post). For now, I wanted to report on the happenings of baby 2 and the pregnancy so far. As I mentioned in my previous posts, some of the immediate symptoms I had before taking the pregnancy test were the same as with Lucy, and it turned out that the entire first trimester has been almost exactly the same. Same cravings - salty foods, McDonald's french fries and same aversions - coffee (convenient since I gave it up anyway!) and sweet things don't really sound that appealing (don't get me wrong, I'll have dessert, I just don't care for it as much as I did before). I also get in the mood for random things at random times and that is pretty much the only thing I want... that seems to change daily.

Nausea and fatigue were pretty much the same too - fortunately, as with Lucy, I never actually got sick, I just felt nauseated if I didn't keep my stomach full. Ben and I joke that I usually have 1st breakfast, 2nd breakfast, 1st lunch, 2nd lunch, dinner and then a bed time snack. Unfortunately, as with Lucy, this led to weight gain in the first trimester which is not ideal! At least this time I knew that I would gain the weight this first trimester and then things would slow down once my appetite went away (which it already has!) So, I've gained about 10 pounds so far, which is far too much for an average pregnancy but I guess for my pregnancies it is normal, because that's exactly how much I gained with Lucy.

Although the tiredness was the same, it still felt miserable! I had forgotten how tired the first trimester really makes you. Except this time around, one benefit of being at home instead of working, I got to take naps when Lucy napped or at least rest a bit when she rested. The tiredness lasted for about 6 weeks (I'm starting to feel a lot better) and honestly in the midst of it, I literally felt depressed. We had a really rainy April, which I think made my mood even worse, so I felt like doing nothing. At least when I was working, I was forced to go do something every day, see people, act normal. This time around, I was too tired to make plans, but I got so tired of sitting in the house... watching the rain come down. So I was in a pretty bad mood about my situation (the hormones probably didn't help). My internal clock also seems to have switched, like with Lucy - I'm exhausted and ready for bed at about 9pm and up in the morning at 7/7:30am ready to go (normally I'm more of a night owl).

Back to the hormones - I felt emotionally about the same, on the verge of tears any time I read or see anything slightly emotional and I've felt just the slightest bit more on edge... luckily Ben was ready for it this time! Tiny things seem to bother me and I find myself getting annoyed easily. It's funny, I know when I'm being bothered that it's totally irrational and that I'm only upset because of the pregnancy... but that does not seem to make me feel any better or make the situation any less irritating!

The biggest difference this time around is that my belly has already started to pop out. I looked back at my "15 week survey" and saw that I wasn't even wearing maternity clothes yet. This time around I broke out my maternity pants at around 9 or 10 weeks! It just felt wrong keeping them locked up when my regular pants were starting to get too uncomfortable.

Here's my belly so far with baby 2 (this is supposed to be 12 weeks... but it's actually 13!)


I think that pretty much sums up the last 12 weeks - thankfully I am beginning to feel so much more normal, and am very excited to enjoy the honeymoon phase of this pregnancy!

Big Sister

We have some news to share...

Lucy's going to be a big sister! I am 12 weeks pregnant today - we've told most of our family and friends, but now that I'm officially done with my first trimester I thought it was time to share the big news on our blog.

We found out around 5 or 6 weeks - I had come home from volunteering and told Ben that, "I may be crazy, but I feel like I'm pregnant." I had woken up that morning feeling kind of dizzy in the shower and nauseated before I ate breakfast. Then while I was down at the Shepard clinic I started getting hungry again (I always had to eat 2 breakfasts when I was pregnant with Lucy). And to top it all off, I had driven by a McDonald's the day before and had this strong desire for their fries (my favorite food while I was pregnant with Lucy). Granted, all these things could have just been in my head, so I told Ben I was going to take a test, but I was 95% sure I wasn't pregnant.

Boy was I wrong! We were both so excited to see the positive result on the test, and I was personally so excited that getting pregnant had been so easy this time around. It had taken us about 6 months to get pregnant with Lucy, so we just assumed it would take that long this time around. In fact, I had made an appointment to see the doctor to talk about why my period hadn't come back after stopping nursing. Well... turns out it hadn't come because I was pregnant! Needless to say we were planning for the babies to be closer to 2 years apart, but since the pregnancy came a little faster they will be more like 20 months apart. Baby 2 is due November 24th (Thanksgiving).

I plan to take some pictures of my belly to post along the way - probably not as many as with Lucy, but I'll probably do a monthly update. And of course share how I'm feeling... more on that to come in later posts. For now, we just wanted to share our excitement. We can't wait to meet our new baby in 6 short months!