7 weeks is a Tic Tac

This week your baby's brain is growing at a mind-boggling 100 cells per minute within a see-through skull. If you could peer inside, you'd see those tiny brain cells growing and growing and growing (about as quickly as you feel like yours are shrinking and shrinking and shrinking with your "pregnancy brain"!). More high points include:

Your baby's face is becoming more defined this week. A tiny mouth hole (which will be ready to wail before you know it!), tongue, nostrils and ear indentations are visible. His or her eyes are wide open, but he doesn't have irises (the colored part) yet.

Baby's arm buds are growing. At this point they look more like microscopic ping-pong paddles than arms. Baby's leg buds are also forming and will look like tiny paddles by the end of the week.

The umbilical cord—the connection between your baby and the placenta—is now visible.

Your baby is now between 1/3 and 1/4 inch long—about the length of a Tic Tac and about as heavy as an eyelash. While that sounds tiny, he or she is approximately 10,000 times bigger than at conception. Crazy, huh?

My poor family

I have been SO bad about cooking since I got pregnant. I was good for about 4-5 meals a week pre-pregnancy, but now I don't have the energy or desire to cook at all. We have been living off nasty fast food and it really doesn't bother me. Cory and I went to a surprise party for Derek on Thursday night and it was catered by Someburro's. The food was really good and at the end of the night his wife, Natalie was going to throw away all the food because they were leaving town. Cory and I walked out with 4 huge trays of food--beans, rice, burritos, and cheese enchiladas. It was awesome and now I don't have to cook all weekend. We're going to eat mexi food for the next 3 days :)

Switching doctors

I think we're going to switch doctors. I'm not in love with the Valley Women to Women office I've gone to and Misty gave me a referral to see her doctor. His name is Dr. Layton and we have an appointment to see him on July 1st. It feels really far away, but I'll only be 11 weeks, so that's not too bad. The Dr.'s prices are better and I'll be able to have Misty help with my delivery. I'm excited to see another doctor, but just wish I could go in June instead of July.

Feeling the heat

I know that 100 degrees is not that hot in terms of Phoenix weather, but I feel like it's so HOT right now. I have to remind myself that it's just going to get hotter. Today is a day where I want to strip down to my undies and lay on the sofa with the fans & AC blowing on me.

Quiet time

The AC got fixed today and I was so grateful. It only cost $112, phew! I was worried, but would have paid much more to have cold air when I'm pregnant in the middle of summer. I was ready for our afternoon nap and tried getting the girls down. Reese went down right away today and Ryan took a bit longer. I was able to sleep for about 45 minutes, but I kept hearing Ryan rustling around on the floor. She insisted on sleeping on the stuffed dog on the floor and it wasn't working. I finally got up at 1:50 and told her to come out to the family room with me. I said I had work to do so she'd have to watch TV for awhile. Then I started to feel guilty about her just vegging out alone on the couch. I went to sit with her and we're enjoying some quiet time together before Reese wakes up.

Wild Animal Park

We went to the Wild Animal Park in Escondido this past weekend in San Diego and it was a great time. It was Sunday on Memorial Day Weekend and so crowded, but we got there early and avoided the chaos. There were 4 kids and 4 adults, but somehow we (the adults) felt outnumbered. Probably because 3 of the 4 kids didn't want to sit in the strollers. Reese & Ryan love playing with their boyfriends Devin and Curtis.

The four munchkins getting ready to brave the park.

Cory & Ryan

Escondido gets hot, almost Phoenix hot sometimes. The kids wanted to play on the splash pad at the park and we didn't have their swim suits. There was no keeping those kids out of the water, so we let them go in their undies. That's Ryan falling of the tail of the crocodile and Devin sitting on the head. At least there were other kids in the diapers and undies so I didn't feel so bad. It could have been worse--they could have been naked like they are 99% of the time :)

Holy hotness

Our AC went out this afternoon and I am dying!!! It's so stinkin' hot in our house. I looked at the thermostat around 4pm and it read 88 degrees inside. It felt much hotter, though. I don't recommend being pregnant and sitting in a hot house to anyone!

Poor Reese & Ryan took a nap in their room today and woke up looking like they had just showered. Their heads were soaked with sweat. After their naptime the heat inside and out was too much for me to handle with my queasy stomach and I loaded up the girls to go cruise around in the car just to have some cold air blasting on my face. The AC guy is coming tomorrow at 11am and it's not soon enough. I am praying that it's just a minor fix because we can't afford to buy a new unit right now.

I didn't realize...

that being pregnant with 2 toddlers would make for some hard days in this first trimester. I am so excited to be pregnant, but I'm in that state of my pregnancy where I'm so tired, so hungry, and kind of nauseous that it makes it hard to do anything. I really want to go to bed early and veg on the couch in the afternoon, but that's not happening with R&R running around. I totally took for granted how easy it was in my first pregnancy. I could nap when I wanted to, go to bed when I wanted to, eat whatever I wanted to. It's different this time because there are only certain times of the day that I can relax and I have to think about feeding my family healthy. If it were up to me we would eat mac n cheese or Taco Bell every night. Gross, I know, but that's what sounds so good right now. Thank goodness for my mom helping me out. She's been washing and folding our laundry and getting healthy food from Costco. Mimi is the best!!!

6 weeks is a chocolate sprinkle

I'm 6 weeks pregnant this weekend and I'm totally feeling the symptoms of the first trimester. I'm SO tired in the afternoon that I can barely function. This weekend has been so fun with the kids. We've been doing lots of fun things, but I'm feeling a bit worn out. The girls haven't napped for the past 2 days that we've been out of town but I had to snag a nap today. It was a must. I also feel a bit more nauseous, but that comes and goes and isn't too bad.

Here's some information about baby at 6 weeks:

Your Baby
This week starts a period of rapid cellular development for your baby-to-be, who looks like a mini tadpole, with a tiny head and tail. His or her eyes, ears and mouth have begun to form (though they're a little more Discovery Channel "creatures of the sea" documentary than Gerber Baby at this point).

Other exciting milestones include:

Your baby's heart is now beating to a regular beat, although it's still too faint to hear.

His or her arm buds are just beginning to, well, bud. They look like teensy swollen bumps at this point. In a few days, they'll resemble itsy-bitsy flippers.

Your baby has grown to ⅛ inch long—about the size of one of the chocolate sprinkles on your last cupcake (and your last ice cream cone, and your last sundae and your last giant cookie ... maybe there is something to those rumors about pregnancy cravings!).

Something in the water

Cory and I went to Tom & Brittany's wedding last night and it was so funny because 2 of Cory's good friends were also pregnant and due right around the same time. We (the pregnant girls) were all somewhere between 6-8 weeks pregnant and not feeling so hot. It started at 4:30 and they only served appetizers the entire night--no dinner. By 9pm we were all starved. There were about 10 of us that were rooting for pizza and that's just what we did, order 5 pizzas and eat them in Tom & Brittany's driveway. Delish!! You can't have a wedding with 3 pregnant girls and serve only mini hamburgers, stuffed mushrooms, and sushi.

Sleeping arrangements

We are staying with Brian and Claire in Escondido and they have a guest bedroom downstairs that we're all sleeping in. The girls had the option of sleeping in another room, but I was worried that they might wake in the middle of the night and not know where they're at. I opted for all of us to sleep in the one guest room and it was COZY. I was going to sleep with both girls in the bed and Cory was going to sleep on the floor. At the last minute before bedtime we set up a Pack N Play that Brian & Claire had and that's where Reese slept. Ryan and I were in the bed together and then Cory on the floor. Here's Reese in the Pack N Play, barely fitting.The girls decided to join Cory on the floor.

I love the crusty bedhead hair in the morning.

A dose of nausea

We are traveling to San Diego today and drove straight to Lake Henshaw to visit Cory's family. We drove the back way to get to Lake Henshaw, which meant we took two-lane, narrow, curvy roads. I was in the backseat with the girls and I thought I was going to yak. I never ever get carsick, but my nausea was in full effect today. We finally arrived without me barfing and I was so happy to be out of the car.

Cory's cousin, Joel and his wife Jenna just had twin daughters a month ago--Paisley Dawn & Kadence Grace. They were adorable and reminded me SO much of Reese & Ryan at that age. Reese was so sweet because she stayed inside with the babies the entire time (Ryan went exploring outside with Daddy & Grandpa). Reese held Paisley and said, "Look at my baby. She's sleeping." and "SHHH, you have to be quiet. My baby is sleeping," She wanted everyone to look at her and see her "baby". "Grandma, look at me. See my baby?" She's way more into the baby thing than I thought she would be. I thought it would be the other way around and Ryan would be the little snuggler with the babies. They always throw you for a surprise.

Copycats

Reese & Ryan have me laughing so hard sometimes that my stomach muscles hurt. Today was one of those days. I love spying on their private conversations. This was what I overheard today:

Ryan: I have a baby in my belly like this (lifting up her shirt and showing Reese her belly button)
Reese: In there?
Ryan: Yeah, like this and then the baby comes out.
Reese: You have a baby in YOUR tummy and I have a baby in MY tummy.

How they know this stuff I really don't know. We've talked about a baby in my tummy, but haven't explained the process of how the baby comes out. When I ask them if they want a little brother or sister, they say "SISTER". I think it's because they know they are sisters and don't really understand the brother thing. I'm sure they'll change their minds 50 times before the baby arrives.

On the road again

We are heading out of town today to San Diego. It's going to be a fun weekend with family and friends. We're planning on seeing Cory's family today when we arrive. Cory's cousin just had twin daughters about a month ago and I can't wait to squish some little babies. Last time we visited Jenna was pregnant w/ the twins and they were watching Reese & Ryan in awe. I'm sure they were thinking, "Is that how crazy life will be?". Um, yes, it's so fun and so crazy.

We are in the car right now and Reese started asking to get out of her car seat in Maricopa. It's going to be a long ride. Thank goodness for DVD players in the car. It's the key to my sanity.

Mrs. Hungry came to town...

And she's ready to eat. I've been SO hungry the past 2 days and I feel like I can't get full. I had appointments today from about noon to 3pm and I ate a late breakfast so I wasn't hungry for lunch at noon, but by 3pm--watch out!! I was starving. I was in Phoenix and asked my client where I could get some good fast food. She said there was a Pei Wei down the road and I was so excited. I left my appointment dreaming of Dan Dan Noodles and drove to Pei Wei. When I pulled into the parking lot I realized I grabbed the wrong purse (pregnancy brain) and didn't have my wallet. Aagggghhhh! I called my mom and told her of my hunger woes and no money. She said she was making the girls mac & cheese and decided a double batch was in order since I was coming home hungry. I got home and wolfed 2 bowls of it, probably about a box to myself. It was SO good. So Mrs. Hungry is here to stay for awhile and I'm sure she'll get her fair share of bean burritos, mac & cheese, & In N Out cheeseburgers. Of course I'll throw in some fruits and veggies, but thank god for Prenatal vitamins getting me the nutrients I need because I'm pretty sure a box of mac & cheese doesn't have the daily serving of folic acid and iron that's required..

Two 2 1/2 year olds

This past week the girls hit the 2 1/2 mark. They are full of surprises every day and say some of the funniest things I've ever heard. They love forts and making little hideouts. The latest is an oversized chair in the living room that they take all the cushions off of and call it the rocket ship. They pretend to push all the buttons and blast off. It's hilarious and I'm not sure where they come up with this stuff.

They are growing like weeds. They wore size 7 shoes for about a minute and are now in size 8. Wearing mostly 3T in everything, weighing about 28lbs., and approx. 36 inches (it's hard to get an accurate read because they are so squirmy). Our babies are definitely growing up.

I took photos of the girls every month their first year and I'm so glad I did. It's fun to look back and see how much they changed throughout that first year. This photo below was taken on May 15th, 2007 on their 6 month birthday. I can't believe how fast time flies by.

6 months

2 yrs. 6 months with Daddy at Sesame Street Live

I don't do this enough

I rarely take it easy during the day, but today I had to. I was out showing houses from 9-1 and I am TIRED. Look at my poor feet. I have indentations from my work shoes and I need a pedi BAD. That may be my treat to myself soon.

UTI

Bummer!! I have a UTI or bladder infection. It came on yesterday and I could feel the symptoms creeping in. This exact same thing happened when I was pregnant with Reese & Ryan. I called my doctor and explained my symptoms. They prescribed Macrobid, which is safe to take when you're pregnant and is what I took when I was preg with R&R. I'm in pain and I hope the symptoms clear up quick. It's kind of miserable and I hate taking medicine when I'm pregnant.

Night Owl

It's 11:30 and Reese is still awake. What the heck?! She is such a night owl. We have been trying to get her to bed for the past 3 hours and have finally surrendered. She's in our bed and will probably sleep here all night. Neither Cory nor I have the energy to fight the battle tonight. I just heard a yawn escape from her cute little mouth. I think sleep is approaching. I like when our kids are in our bed, I just wish it wasn't almost midnight.

Visiting the Dulanys

We went to the Dulanys over the weekend and it's fun that Sonya and I are both pregnant right now. She's 16 weeks pregnant with twins and thinks they'll arrive at the end of September. We talked about taking a vacation with the kids before our babies arrive. Cory said, "We need to travel now while there's 3 kids because soon there will be 6 kids when we all get together". So crazy!! That will take travel to a whole different level.

5 weeks is a sesame seed

I'm officially 5 weeks pregnant. It's still so early but I'm feeling more preggo every day. Definitely tired and hungrier. Here's some info I found about baby's development at 5 weeks:

Your Baby
Your baby's microscopic heart begins to beat this week—although it won't be detectable with one of those cool Dopplers for a few weeks, so you'll have to wait a little longer to hear that satisfying "whoosh-whoosh" you're so anxious for. Here's what else is under construction:

With the beating of the heart, blood will begin to circulate throughout the body. Your baby's first organ system will be up and running!

The beginnings of the brain; the cardiovascular, nervous and reproductive systems; as well as all other major systems are under way.

Your baby's new digs—the amniotic sac and the placenta (aka the hotel and the restaurant)—are still forming at this point. (Maybe you should send a housewarming gift.)

All that high-speed development and your baby is only 2 millimeters long—about the size of a sesame seed (check one out next time you're chowing down on a bagel—you won't believe how tiny it is!).

Dulanys welcome the Whyte trash

We went to the Dulanys for a BBQ and we brought the ruckus. We showed up an hour late because the 101 was closed. The girls had no shoes on and within minutes they were butt naked in the play pool. Tim & Sonya have Austin, who is 18 months old, and they are expecting twins this fall. We thought we'd break them in and give them a good idea of what life will be like in a few years. Our girls are crazy and naked and everyone that knows us, knows that's how they are. It's just funny to look at these photos because it seems a bit WT.

Austin doesn't know what to think. I'm pretty sure he's wondering, "Who are these girls, why are they playing with my toys, and where are their clothes?"

We made homemade pizzookies and I gave the girls some of the ice cream.

More naked shots, eating ice cream.

Yep, there's Ryan licking the bowl. We had so much fun, but I'm pretty sure that Sonya and Tim cried themselves to sleep thinking about how insane their lives will be when they go from 1 to 3 kids in a few months. Hopefully Baby A & B will be super low-key like their brother :-)

Best Friends

I love that I'm pregnant with my 2 best friends, Dana & Karen. It's such a fun feeling to know that our kids will be weeks or days apart and will hopefully be best friends too. I can't wait to see what Dana and Karen are having. I have my gut feelings and we'll see if I'm right in a few months. Of course, Cory & I are going to be surprised and everyone will have to wait to see if Baby Whyte is a boy or girl.

I had a feeling

I had a feeling this would happen. I knew that Ryan would like the frilly princess stuff, but oh my goodness. This little girl is spending 24/7 in the outfit. No joke. She wore the outfit all day Friday and that evening to Mimi's house. This photo above shows the pink princess outfit over her pajamas on Friday night. Don't worry--she slept in it and I couldn't get it off her the next morning.

We went out to lunch on Saturday to celebrate Bryson's MBA graduation and yep, she wore the princess top over her dress.

She's so happy eating her corn on a stick, hair falling out of her bow in her pink princess shirt. As you can tell, I've totally given up.

Here's Reese in mommy's sunglasses, chillin' with one leg over the side of the highchair.
What a ham!

My best friends

I love that I'm pregnant with my 2 best friends, Dana & Karen. It's such a fun feeling to know that our kids will be weeks or days apart and will hopefully be best friends too. I can't wait to see what Dana and Karen are having. I have my gut feelings and we'll see if I'm right in a few months. Of course, Cory & I are going to be surprised and everyone will have to wait to see if Baby Whyte is a boy or girl.

So cute

Last night Ryan found the blue & brown onesie that I bought Mimi to tell her that we're expecting. It's been sitting on the counter since Monday and Ryan picked it up and Cory asked her what it was. She said, "This is for my wittle brother. I dress him in his pajamas." So sweet. R&R are understanding the whole baby in the belly thing much better than I thought they would. Of course, they are brilliant, so why would I expect anything less :)

I'm going to save the outfit and take it to the hospital if it's a boy. If not, one of my friends will be getting a little boy ensemble.

Reminiscing

It's really fun to be pregnant again and I find myself trying to remember every detail of the first pregnancy with Reese & Ryan and how I felt compared to how I'm feeling now. I know it's so early and the only thing I'm feeling right now is TIRED. I remember that from the first time around. I am so happy that R&R still sleep in the afternoon. I love taking an afternoon nap with them and I kind of can't function without it right now. They slept for 4 hours yesterday and I slept for 2 of it. Cory thinks I shouldn't let them nap so long because sometimes they're up until 9 or 10, but it's necessary for my survival right now.

Even though this is my second pregnancy, I still feel like there is stuff that I need to learn. I gave away a few of my pregnancy books to friends and now I want them back so I can read up on what changes are happening with my body. My mom reminded me yesterday that at one point in my first pregnancy I told her that the book said Reese & Ryan were the size of garden beetles and we thought that was hilarious. I found my favorite book at Target last night, Your Pregnancy Week by Week, and it had some of those same comparisons. In a few weeks--week 8, the fetus will be the size of a pinto bean. I just love those little analogies.

What to do this summer?

It's officially hot. The kind of hot where you have to turn the car on right away to get the AC going and the seat belt burns your leg. I've been slamming down bottle after bottle of ice water while I ponder what to do w/ our girls this summer. Last summer we were signed up for swim lessons, Rolly Pollies, Baby signs class, and one other class through the city. I'm tired just thinking of last summer. This year I think we're going waaaaay low key. The girls are in this phase where they never want to leave home. It's such a battle and I think I'm being a good mom by exposing them to new classes and adventures, but the reality of it is they just want to stay home and play with their toys. When I say, "Let's get ready to go to _____", Reese always says, "No, Mommy, I stay home wiff my famiwy". They are both super clingy to me right now, which I enjoy most of the time, but it makes it hard to be alone with two 28 lb. girls that want to both be held.

So....that's the tentative plan, doing nothing. Of course, we'll do Rolly Pollies as always and maybe swim lessons once a week in the evenings, but that's it. There's a few places that I'd like to check out with the girls, but nothing is officially scheduled. We're going to keep it open this summer, fly by the seat of our pants, and have some very happy campers that get that get to stay home with their mommy.

Saving up for baby

Since we don't have maternity insurance we are paying cash for the delivery and all our Dr. visits. We did this with Reese & Ryan and it's not a bad way to go because they cut you a deal when you pay cash. The OB care will be $2250 if we pay in full in the first 30 days, which we will do. Each ultrasound will be $250 for a total cost of $750. The hospital will be $6250 for a C-section, epidural, and 3 night stay. There will be some misc. bills for blood work, the pediatrician when they are born, and the anesthesiologist. I'm planning on the total bill for everything to be about $11,000 when it's all said and done. Yikes!! Good thing we have a few months to prepare.

Saving up for baby

Since we don't have maternity insurance we are paying cash for the delivery and all our Dr. visits. We did this with Reese & Ryan and it's not a bad way to go because they cut you a deal when you pay cash. The OB care will be $2250 if we pay in full in the first 30 days, which we will do. Each ultrasound will be $250 for a total cost of $750. The hospital will be $6250 for a C-section, epidural, and 3 night stay. There will be some misc. bills for blood work, the pediatrician when they are born, and the anesthesiologist. I'm planning on the total bill for everything to be about $11,000 when it's all said and done. Yikes!! Good thing we have a few months to prepare.

It's official!

I went to the Dr. today and they confirmed the pregnancy. I am 4 wks. 3 days pregnant according to their calculations, which put my due date at January 16th, 2010. They drew blood at the doctors office today and I will get the results in a few days. I weighed in at 116 lbs (but it was afternoon, after lunch, and I had all my clothes on ;) My next appointment is set up for June 10th and they will do an ultrasound to check the baby's heartbeat and growth progress. It's all so exciting and so new. I don't feel pregnant at all, but I have to keep reminding myself that it's really early.

The good news

I just found out this morning that I'm pregnant. We are expecting baby #3 and I'm so excited! A little scared, but more excited than anything. I woke up at 6:30 this morning and took a home pregnancy test. The + sign was right there after about 30 seconds. I showed it to Cory and he couldn't believe it. I think he was a bit more surprised than I was, but he's excited too. If I calculate my due date right, our baby will be born mid-January. I'm going to the doctor tomorrow to confirm everything. Yeah!

Little mother hens

I think Reese & Ryan need a baby brother or sister. They could not get enough of baby Lane this past weekend. I think what surprised me the most is how Reese behaved towards him. She was so enamored with him and kept doting on him. I thought that would have been Ryan's role, but once again, our girls are switching personalities on us.

Blackmail

Misty and I have so many photos of our kids naked together that will for sure be blackmail someday.

We will have so much fun when they're all in high school and we can bust out photos of them naked in the bathtub. Look at Zackary's tush in this photo below. What a cute little bum!

I had fun bathing three kids at once and I got completely soaked while doing it.

Reese was having waaaay too much fun!

Look at that gap tooth grin :)

Zackary was really good at dumping cups of water on Reese's head. She didn't seem to mind.

Into the wild, sort of

We went to Pinetop this weekend with the Allans and had a great time. It was so nice to get out of town for a few days and enjoy some fresh, clean mountain air. The kids had SO much fun playing together.

Ryan, Reese, & Zackary heading out on our nature walk.

We turned over almost every rock to see what kind of creepy crawlies we could find.

I had the bug catcher open and ready.

Cory found a lizard that crawled up his pant leg.

Then he got the little guy on his hand, up his arm, around the back, and into the bug catcher. The kids were so excited!

We had one lizard, four crickets, a few potato bugs, and a worm.