Today we went to Morristown for our 20 week ultrasound.  It was so interesting to see all the baby's body parts.  This pregnancy seems to be going so fast.  Anyway, we were told the baby is about 13oz at this point & looks like the due date is about a week & 4 days ahead of schedule.  I was telling everyone my due date was September 26th but in all actuality, on paper, the date is October 2nd.  If we calculate back.....the due date would actually be somewhere around September 22nd.  I know, this baby will come when it wants to come.

Ok now I guess anyone reading this is dying to know if we are having a boy or a girl.  Well to our surprise........

we are having a boy!  Joe was dying to find out this time around.  I started to cry when I found out.  I have no idea why.  I have to say they were happy tears but it was a weird feeling because I couldn't control it.  Love those pregnancy hormones!  We both thought we were having a girl but of course that is what I thought with Gavin up until about 7 months.  We are very happy with whatever we are blessed with.  Glad that Gavin will have a playmate & we will be pros dealing with boys after this one.  LOL.

My 19 week appointment was this Friday.  Joe met me there since he was working.  We were suppose to see Dr. Goldstein for the first time but I received a call at 8am that she has pink eye.  We saw Lisa who is the nurse practiioner.  I am glad we saw her.  She was extremely thorough.  She measured my belly & told us that the heart beat was at 153.  The old wives tale is if the heartbeat is over 140 it is a girl. 

I gained 4 pounds again this month.  A total of 14 pounds.  Lisa told me that I am at the exact weight at the exact time as I was with my last pregnancy.  She says I am doing great.  I will agree if I don't gain 30 pounds the last half of this pregnancy. 

Gavin is so cute......he is telling everyone mommy's belly sounds like a choo choo (when he hears the heartbeat). He also tells everyone that he is going to have a sister.  Every night he pulls up my shirt & kisses my belly & says "hi baby".  He once pulled up Joe's shirt & said "baby".  Daddy explained there was no baby but daddy was just fat.  Now Gavin says "daddy fat".  Pretty funny if you ask me.

Today the family went to see Dr. B.  First things first.......I gained 4lbs this month!!!  That is just not right!   I told him that I have not been over eating which is the truth.  The problem is that I am eating whatever I crave & that is mostly carbs (pasta, bread, Italian subs, pizza, Auntie Anne's pretzels w/cream cheese, Shoprite snack pretzels w/cream cheese & McDonald's chocolate chip cookies).  Ooops I guess I better watch going ahead.  I really need to eat more like I did with Gavin.  Healthy & alot of veggies & salad.  I am HOPING things will change with the warmer weather.  I do have to say that I feel like I am drinking a ton more than I did with the first pregnancy.  Hopefully I won't have the swollen ankles this time.  Wishful thinking??

First thing Dr. B did was measure my belly with his hand.  He said I was right where I was suppose to be which made me feel good.  One plus & one minus!  Next he listened to the heart beat.  Joe picked up Gavin so he could see what was going on.  Dr. B told Gavin that mommy's belly sounded like a choo choo train.  Gavin smiled & kept making choo choo noises.  He was so cute!  I felt so much better once we heard the strong heartbeat.  Now we have 2 pluses & 1 minus.  I guess it was a good visit. 

I asked the doctor when I was suppose to feel movement.  How easy we forget the first time around.  He said anywhere from 2 to 9 more weeks.  I was a bit worried because I thought I felt a bit of fluttering here & there & then it stopped.  Maybe it was just stretching or gas or something. 

Within the next week I will be going for a blood test to check for Spina Bifida. 

I am also planning on donating my cordblood if they let me.  I say if they let me because last time around I was rejected.  They rejected me since we had been on a cruise, before gettng pregnant, which stopped in Costa Maya, Mexico.  They stated that area had an outbreak of Malaria & I wasn't eligible to donate.  This time I am hoping they will let me since I had Melanoma.  We will see.  I probably won't know more for 2 more months or so.

Well, I do have to say that it is alot harder to concentrate on this pregnancy this time around.  Having a 2 year old is a wonderful distraction .  I am hoping this pregnancy goes pretty quickly.  I can't believe how quickly Gavin has grown already.  With that said, that is the reason why there has not been any pictures.  I really have to take the time to download & post some.  I promise before next month.  I also am finding that I am alot more nervous this time.  Or at least I don't remember last time.  I keep thinking about how labor is going to go this time around.  How sleep deprived we will be.  That really was the worst.  Joe & I fought so much since we were both tired & stressed.   I am looking forward to having his help this time with Gavin.  Joe is a wonderful help all the time but life with the boys can get stressful.

Next month we will have our ultrasound on May 12th & our doctor's appt on the 9th. 

On March 10th Joe & I saw Dr. Bissinger again.  He listened to the baby's heartbeat.  Gavin came along this time for the visit as well.  Dr. Bissinger scared me a bit since he was having a very hard time finding the heartbeat.  The baby is hiding way down low.  He asked me if I had felt any movement & I told him I thought I felt some fluttering but then again I thought it may be too soon for that.  Joe thought it was too soon as well.  It turns out that a staff member wrote on my chart that I was 19 weeks & not 11 weeks which changed things a whole lot.

The good thing is that I only gained 2 pounds this month.  If I can keep that up then things will go great.  With the first pregnancy I gained 47 lbs & I am hoping to keep this one closer to 30-35 lbs.  I am starting to now wear some of my maternity clothes.  This is alot earlier than the first pregnancy.  We are going to try & take pictures around the same time as we did when we were pregnant with Gavin so we can compare. 

I have been meaning to post some pictures of our trip to Mexico as well as pictures of our progress in this pregnancy.  I haven't got to it because I have not been feeling well at all.  As most of you know, I began with joint pain 6 weeks after giving birth to Gavin.  It started in my knees & would move to other parts of my body like my hips, wrists, ankles etc.  I have since been to my GP, a Rheumatologist & a second opinion.  The reason for the second opinion was because the first doctor wanted to put me on Methatrexate when all my blood work was coming back negative.  Anyway, in 2 yrs I have had 5 sets of blood work testing me for everything from Thyroid, RA, Lyme, Parvo virus & NOTHING.  My mother in-law suggested I may have Fibromyalgia.  I asked the GP & the RA doctor & they both said no.  In the meantime the GP had me on Vicodin.  Not something you want to get used to taking or take while you have a toddler running around.  I took it upon myself to do some research as to what vitamins & herbs would help with inflammation.  Now that I am pregnant, I can't take any of these remedies.  I am truly suffering now.  My skin is irritable.  Feels itchy & red when I get out of the shower, itches in the morning on my hands & feet because they are inflammed, my muscles are sore, I am not sleeping, dizziness, depressed since I am not sleeping.....need I go on anymore.  Anyway, this is the reason why I haven't kept things too up to date.  The last month & 1/2 has been hard.  On top of it all I have been periodically sick from this pregnancy.  My first pregnancy was alot of nauseusness.  I mean alot.  I would be nauseous until I ate something.  (Maybe that is why I gained so much weight & look at Gavin now.....he is a peanut!!)  This one is very different. 

Thank GOD for my husband this time around.  He is very supportive.  I couldn't ask for a better husband.  Of course no husband is perfect...but he helps out ALOT & tolerates alot.  LOL.  Biggest part is he tries to understand.

Our next doctor's appt is April 11th & our Ultrasound is planned for May 12th.  Who knows if we will find out the sex of the baby.  I think Joe would like to find out this time around, which is fine with me.  I just hope the baby is happy & healthy!!!

More soon & thank you for taking interest in our growing family. xoxoxo