25 Weeks

When I was pregnant with Jack, I took a picture and journaled every week. Well this pregnancy I have done a very poor job with regard to pregnancy pics or any journaling for that matter. I decided to find some general questions and do some pregnancy journaling every couple of weeks for the remainder of this pregnancy.

How far along? 25 weeks 5 days

Total Weight Gain/Loss? So far 18lbs. but that was the day after coming home from AZ where we were eating out everyday so I feel that was a bit on the higher end.

Maternity Clothes? You betcha! My favorite capris and shorts have the long elastic band that goes up to your boobs. While they fit the best I am trying to figure out how they are going to be bearable in the summer heat.

Best moment this week? I was able to hold and cuddle our neighbors one week old baby girl! I totally forgot how little they are and how quickly they change! I am still enjoying my baby from the inside though!

Miss Anything? I hadn't attended Zumba in almost two weeks with traveling and being busy so I decided to drag myself in for a much needed cardio. Zumba has become increasingly difficult with all the quick dancing and hip shaking and I find myself quite sore after a workout like that. I finally went yesterday and it was AMAZING! I called Andrew immediately after leaving the gym and gushed about finally being back to Zumba!

Movement? Lots and lots of kicks, somersaults, and dancing! I'm beginning to notice times of baby's increased activity and it looks like he is starting to get himself on more of a schedule. I did mention to my chiropractor that I felt way more movement this time around than with Jack. She said that subsequent pregnancies and already stretched muscles allow mom to feel way more each time she is pregnant than the previous time. The only downside to this is that many women start feeling more and more pressure on their cervix earlier than first time mom's...that sounds uncomfortable!

Food Cravings? Nothing in particular. I've always loved sweets so it doesn't surprise me that occasionally I want a DQ Cookie Dough blizzard with chocolate ice cream and extra cookie dough!

Anything make you queasy or sick? Last night Andrew and I stayed up later than usual, almost 12 am and I started to get sick from my prenatal vitamin. I try to always eat when I take it at night and usually fall asleep before it starts to hurt my stomach but last night that was not the case.

Have you started to show yet? Apparently, yes! I've had more people ask me about my due date and what I am having in the last week than throughout my pregnancy to this point.

Gender? Still a boy I hope!

Labor signs? Nope. Occasionally when I workout or am active for a while I may get a Braxton Hick. I am still enjoying my pregnancy and and perks of the second trimester and hope it continues for a while!

Belly Button in or out? Is flat an option? Just like with Jack, my bellybutton never popped out it just got flat.

Wedding Ring on or off? It's still on!

Happy or Moody most of the time? Happy I would say. This pregnancy makes me a little weepy occasionally but never really moody like with Jack. I will also credit my prenatal yoga and Zumba for keeping me level.

Something I can't live without? I created this question because throughout this pregnancy I am always finding things and scream "Why didn't I know about that last time??!" This week I can't live without Trader Joe's Coconut oil. Thanks to my husband and our friend Ashley for bringing this awesome product to my attention. I started using this to help moisturize my skin and prevent (more) stretch marks. I'll be the first to honestly say yes, I have stretch marks. Luckily, they have all been lighter ones and no deep purple ones that make you look like you got clawed by a bear. I've also been cooking with it and occasionally taking a spoonful or two for health benefits. I recently found a blog that listed 50+ things to do with coconut oil. You can check it out here.

Looking forward to? I am really looking forward to a class called Belly Mapping on Mother's Day...stay tuned!

Our Trip to Arizona

We decided to tag along last week on Andrew's business trip for Lifetime to Phoenix, AZ. We figured we could get away one last time as just the 3 of us and would probably have no other reason in the future to travel to Arizona. We initially intended on visiting the Grand Canyon but after finding out it would be about 6 hours each way and that there was a heavy snow storm mid-week, we opted for something easier--a trip to Tucson, the Phoenix Zoo, a wildlife center, U of AZ, ASU, and finally hung out by the pool.

A few things I learned on this first BIG family trip:
1) Never take a moment of silence and togetherness with just your spouse for granted while on a family vacation. Sure Andrew and I traveled together with Jack, but I assure you we did not get anytime to unwind and relax at the end of the night
2) Eating out for almost every single meal sucks, and sucks even more with a toddler
3) Just because we looked like A+ parent's for having a content and sleepy toddler on our flight down to AZ did not guarantee us the same results on the way back
4) Maternity swimsuits may or may not be on my list of pregnancy necessities, this week it was not
5) Sharing a king size bed with a toddler who is not accustomed to sleeping in the same direction as his parents leads to late-night head bumps and startling kicks to the face!

Besides the things I learned on this first big family getaway, we really had a great time. Sure we were more tired after a week of vacation than when we left but it was truly all a great experience.

First, we headed to Tucson, AZ. It was about 2 hours away from Phoenix and with two well-rested parents just beginning vacay we decided to attempt the trip. We had fun visiting a great Mexican restaurant called El Charro. They are rumored to be the oldest Mexican restaurant in the entire United States going back to the 1920's and I promise the food was amazing. We then headed to the University of Arizona to walk around, it was a gorgeous campus!

The second day we had what I like to call an 'expedited' trip to the Phoenix Zoo. We were torn on whether or not to go because it was the nicest day in AZ and we really wanted to hang by the pool too. Andrew and I decided Jack probably would really enjoy the giraffe's, elephant's, and rhino's (things we just don't have at the MN Zoo). To be quite honest with you it was so hot and humid I don't think Jack cared one bit about seeing the animals and didn't once ask to get out of his stroller to see them. After about 1 1/2 hours we headed back to the resort for some R&R at the pool.

Our last full day in AZ was filled with a trip to a wildlife center about 40 minutes outside Tempe. It was well worth the drive  and money because it was such an interactive place. We went for a chairlift ride above the animals, a train ride through some exhibits, fed the giraffes, petted the wallaby's and even fed giant tortoises cucumbers and zucchini. We really enjoyed our time there and got up close and personal with some animals usually kept at a distance. Later we hit up Mill Ave and ASU to have some lunch. It reminded me a lot of Dinkytown by the U of M but way less ghetto and more family friendly.

For our final night of eating out Andrew and I were desperate for a kid friendly establishment, even if that meant Chucky Cheese. We found one close to our hotel and headed there for some not so great pizza and  quite the amusing crowd. Chucky Cheese showed me a whole other side of parenting I hope to never see again and also was the only place I have ever seen Mexican Cola on tap.

Finally, our trip came to an end with a very difficult plane ride home. By the time it was all over, Andrew and I were exhausted and Jack had finally fell asleep at baggage claim. All in all we had a wonderful family trip and will always cherish the memories we made with our sweet Jack.

She's having a baby!

11/29/2011-Positive pregnancy test

Yes it is true! We are expecting our second baby boy around August 6th, 2012. The night we came home from our honeymoon things didn't feel quite right. I was having some odd cravings for cabbage and lemon juice on one of the last days of our honeymoon, some heartburn, and more than usual queasiness on our flight home. Granted I was only a little over 2 weeks pregnant by that point  but I was convinced that while my symptoms said something off there was no way I could get a positive test at night over a week before I was due for my monthly visit. Well obviously I was wrong, the test went positive right away. I got teary-eyed and came into the living room screaming at Andrew that I was pregnant!! We were overjoyed at how quickly we did get pregnant since this was the first month of trying for us, but we had also been natural family planning for over a year so I was also surprised I never got pregnant before then.

Baby at 8 weeks

We went in a few weeks later for a confirmation of the pregnancy and were able to see baby and a strong heartbeat. There was no denying now that indeed our family was on a journey to welcome a new baby. I have to admit though that this 2nd pregnancy has made me face a lot of my fears with birth and baby and I just may be more nervous to become a mom and second time around than I was the first time.

I keep this "due date" of August 6th very tentative in my mind because I do not want to feel that August 6th is do or die. Andrew and I decided before this pregnancy ever happened that things would be very different from the birth of our son Jack. For those of you who do not know Jack's birth story here's a quick breakdown:

Daddy with Jack just minutes old

First, I was a patient at Mayo Clinic in Rochester (something I would never recommend to anyone looking for a natural birth and humane treatment) and considered "high risk" due to my previous open heart surgeries--okay fine. I was put on blood pressure medication at 15 weeks as a "precaution" for my normally higher blood pressure. I was then sedentary my whole pregnancy and gained close to 60lbs. By the time of Jack's birth I was exhausted and totally not in control. I was admitted for contractions and high blood pressure at 39 weeks and basically induced. I got the epidural, oxygen...blah, blah, blah and assumed everything would turn out fine. After 24 hours of labor, with NO support from the on call OB to NOT use forceps at my birth, and little communication of our situation when I finally hit 10 cm I had an emergency c-section. I pushed once and Jack's heart-rate dropped to 50, I was flipped over onto all fours and wheeled into the OR. Andrew was not allowed in, I was put under general anesthesia, and my baby was out in 10 minutes. I had a very rough and painful recovery not just physically but emotionally. I struggled with breastfeeding, bonding, and ended up with A LOT of post traumatic stress and postpartum depression.

22 weeks with #2, right before heading to Zumba

While I have never actually sat down and written out Jack's birth story detail for detail, I reflect on it a lot and use it as inspiration to maintain our new path to the birth of our 2nd baby. From the very get go things have been different. I first and foremost decided to VBAC (attempt a vaginal birth after c-section) after weighing all the risks between a natural birth or repeat section. I found an OB in Hudson, WI (45 minutes away from our home) with a 92% success rate with VBAC moms and a very supportive hospital staff. I have continued my workout regime of Zumba and yoga and have only put on 18lbs. this pregnancy at 24 weeks. I have also kept my diet appropriately portioned and focus a lot on nutrition and not just eating.

Another aspect of our birth has been the decision to go completely natural and God willing have our baby in the water--no drugs, but a peaceful waterbirth. While many people have a similar approach, I am truly preparing for it. My OB allows waterbirth for VBAC moms, I hired a doula (more on that decision later), and Andrew and I will be attending a Natural Birthing Intensive class in June for more insight into the journey we are taking. But most importantly, the prep for my natural approach has been maintaining a positive attitude and staying active in a VBAC support group. There is a lot of fear often instilled in mom's who want a VBAC and technically I should be considered even more high risk this time around with my scar and heart surgeries. It is a constant battle to maintain self-reassurance that I am capable to birth my baby and that we have a back-up plan if things are truly going "wrong".

Our sweet baby boy's face at 20 weeks

We don't know exactly what God has in store for us when it comes to the birth of Baby #2 but I can tell you  God has helped me heal in many ways throughout the journey of my second pregnancy. This topic will come up more and more in the coming months but for now it's just one day at a time.

What have we been up to?

I created this blog a while ago but again got wrapped up in family, school and life and left it to sit  until coming back to it recently. The biggest event our life since my last post has been finding out on 11/29/2012 (yes, the night we arrived home from our honeymoon) that we were expecting a new baby!! This news has been so exciting and just 5 weeks ago we found out we are expecting another healthy baby boy--more on that later.

I also have been doing the stay at home mom (SAHM) thing since December and went back to school for my M.A. in Organizational Leadership in October--PHEW!! Andrew has been working on his Master's through the University of Texas at Tyler and will be finished in a few short weeks. He then will begin a PhD program through Tyler that begins in June. We anticipate by spring 2014 we will BOTH be done with school for a looonngg time.

A few last great triumphs in the Scott family plan has been the purchase of our first home and finding a church home in Shakopee, MN. In December 2011, we finally moved into our new house.This home has opened so many doors to great new friends and connections to a wonderful community. We are so grateful to our neighbors who invited us to their church, Brookwood Community Church shortly after we moved in. Wewill be attending their membership class this coming Sunday.

These achievements and triumphs over the past few months have allowed us to reflect on how crazy life can get, yet how thankful we are to receive such different gifts of family, friends and community. Now that everyone is up to speed we hope to start sharing more as these events unfold.

Welcome to our Blog

We decided to open up a blog to help keep family and friends updated on our lives and to have a place to share all of our special events. I also recently decided to commit to blog  in an effort to keep my family's life organized, and retain some sweet stories and memories along with all of our pictures.

It wasn't too long ago that I was blogging about my 1st pregnancy and birth of our son, Jack. Big surprise I'm sure, that once baby came, blog amongst many other things I enjoyed doing disappeared. We hope you enjoy the happenings of our family and sharing in our journey as the Scott family. Not to mention, now I finally have a place to blog about successes, shortfalls, disappoints, wins, disasters, and triumphs.