Some Updates on our "Rocky"

You guys... I cannot put into words how incredibly overwhelmed and humbled we continue to be by the love, support, prayers, and well-wishes we've received after sharing our news about #2 and our journey to get here.  I had no clue that so many people were behind us, praying for us, rooting us on... and while I feel totally undeserving of such support, I promise with all of my heart that I will forever try to pay it forward.

As for #2, I also love that so much people, near and far, best friends and strangers, affectionally call this little one "Rocky," our fighter. :)

It's well-known now that this pregnancy has been a DOOZY so far.  The debilitating nausea and sickness started right at about 6 weeks.  My poor CK has spent more time indoors and in front of a tv/iPhone over the past two months than she has throughout her entire life.  I was pretty nauseous when I was pregnant with her, though this time seems to be much worse.  It's also still lingering around.  At this point with CK (15 weeks) it was pretty much gone, but with Rocky I continue to have some rough days.  As of last week I'm not having to take Zofran as regularly, so I'm hoping that means it's on its way out.

Because of the morning all-day sickness, what I have been able to eat has been very limited.  And usually, I'll think of one thing I can imagine stomaching right before a meal, and T will immediately go and get it and we'll cross our fingers that I'll still want it when he gets home!

Some consistent foods I have wanted are string cheese, boiled peanuts, blackeyed peas, cotton candy (does this count as a food?), ice cold water with lemon, caffeine-free Coke, cheese pizza, strawberries, salt and vinegar chips, hot dogs, bacon-egg-and-cheese biscuits, English muffins with cream cheese, sushi (which I obviously can't eat) and cold deli sandwiches (which I also can't eat).

Other than that it's all hit or miss.  Meat is pretty much out of the picture, especially chicken.  Things that have a strong smell are also out, and if there is anything in our fridge or pantry that puts off a strong odor, I have to get rid of it immediately.  Like with CK, I keep wondering if I'll ever like food again!

I guess you can say I've officially switched to maternity clothes - yes, already!  As everyone warned me, things started changing pretty quickly with the old bod.  I'm not sure if it's because this is technically my fourth pregnancy, but whew, things are growing and spreading like crazy.  I have to say that I honestly don't mind it one bit - I LOVE seeing my bump pooch.  Though I could do without this hip pain - it was rough with Cameron, too, and it often wakes up me multiple times throughout the night.

I'm finally getting back to exercising a bit, though I won't do anything too strenuous because - to be honest - I'm scared to sneeze, much less workout.  But I'm walking 3.5 miles as often as possible while I push CK in the jogging stroller.  And last night I finally started to do some lunges/squats/leg lifts/etc. and I almost died.  Being horizontal for the past two months has left me pretty out-of-shape.  But when I pulled out the "big girl underwear" I bought while pregnant with Cameron and realized they already fit, I decided it was time to burn and not just inhale calories.

I *think* I have felt Rocky a little here and there.  I felt CK very early on, and supposedly you feel your second even sooner.  At my last checkup, when the doctor was checking for the heartbeat, she could hear him/her moving all around on the doppler.  Her words were, "Have you felt this baby yet?  If not, I think you will really soon.. and when you do, you're gonna be in for it.  This is one ACTIVE baby!"  Which was music to my ears.  Feeling the baby is something I dream about - and when we thought we'd never have another baby, it was something I mourned.  I think I've felt what they call "quickening" here and there, and I cannot wait until it turns into kicks and jabs.

At my last checkup, we had some genetic bloodwork done.  Unfortunately, my nurse called a few days later and said that even though I'm considered a "habitual aborter" (multiple pregnancy losses), insurance won't cover the bloodwork and it would be almost $2,000 out-of-pocket.  So, we're going through this pregnancy completely "blind" in terms of chromosomal abnormality risks.  With Cameron we did the NT Scan, but my small-town doctor's office doesn't offer that.  You can get referred to a specialist to have that particular test, but at the time we decided we'd just do the bloodwork.  Now, however, we aren't armed with any information concerning the health of the pregnancy in terms of genetic issues or missing/extra chromosomes.  I know a lot of people opt not to do any sort of screening, and to be honest, the reason we wanted to was for preparedness... so it's a little unsettling to not have any sort of knowledge at this point.  A lot of times they can detect issues at your anatomy scan, which we should have in about a month (we won't even talk about how nervous I'll be when that date approaches).  For now, though, we'll just have to keep on keepin' on.

And if you're wondering... NO, we will not be finding out the gender. :)

So, those are my only updates for now.  I'll try to get back to regular-ish blogging soon, as many of you have requested!!  As always, thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers.  I keep thinking that with the passing weeks, I'll feel more calm and at ease with this pregnancy.  Truth is, every single day is fraught with fear, anxiety, and worry.  At this point, I don't know how not to worry that something bad is going to happen.  But I do know how to hope, and how to pray - and we are definitely hoping and praying with all of our might... <3