So here are my 25 week updates

• I am weighing in at 184 185, last time I checked which is up 18lbs since the start.  It’s a little high for where I wanted to be but still down from where I was at this same time last pregnancy.
• I joined the local gym and have started working out 4 days a week on the elliptical machine so hopefully the weight gain will slow down, I am also limiting desert type food to once a day
• I recently have been laid off not just once but twice, I had two jobs, with in 8 days of each other so now I am on extended maternity leave/unemployment
• We have an offer on our house $15,000 so we are waiting to hear back from the bank right now it’s been 24 days since we submitted the offer and our realtor doesn’t expect us to hear anything for at least 30 we hope
• If we do hear back within the 30-45 day range with good news we are probably going to move before the baby comes
• I have my car for sale and we traded in our Vue and just got a Ford Flex and I love it!
• I am going to be starting Hypnobabies soon and I am very excited about it since it seems like we are in so much limbo I don’t have anything to do to prepare for this little one

See this is what happens when you go to long without blogging you have a long list of updates.

Here is what’s happening at 20 weeks:

• I am feeling movement a lot, I think by the end of the week you will be able to feel it from the outside
• I weight 177lbs, that is up 10lbs from the start of this pregnancy
• I am walking 5 days a week and I am going to start doing yoga too
• Heartburn is kicking in and so are food cravings, which I need to ignore
• I am sleeping with extra pillows and my hips hurt when I wake up

Here is what I look like at 20 weeks pregnant with baby boy #2

On a not pregnant note, my life has been crazy the last few months and I am hoping for a few small changes to make it all the better very soon.  We have our house on the market and we have been having lots of people look at it but no one has put in an offer yet, so I am hoping that happens soon.  Also do to being overwhelmed and just not capable we have given up all of our three dogs.  I am very sad over this whole thing but in the long run it will mean a lot less stress on me and the kids and D.

I am back to writing down everything I eat which I find is a real help with keeping me accountable for what I am putting in my mouth and curbing cravings.  I have to remember that I don’t need a bunch of carbs and I do need lots of vegetables and protein. So I am trying to focus on eating mostly vegies, fruit and protein and only having a carb at two of my meals and avoiding carbs when snacking.  I know that most don’t follow this type of plan but I think I mean a different thing than most when I talk about avoiding carbs.

So a sample day is like this.

• Breakfast: 2 eggs, whole wheat English muffin
• Snack: carrots and hummus
• Lunch: lamb and salad
• Snack: Kind Bar, 1/2 apple
• Dinner: Steak and Shrimp, green beans, corn bread
• Snack: small ice cream

Weeks 8-16 = 1lb gain, 167lbs

Weeks 17-22  = 2lb gain, 169

Weeks 23-24 = 1lb gain, 170

Weeks 25-40+ = 1lb gain per week ending pregnancy at 186

What do you think, I also planned this out with my first pregnancy and once the second trimester hit I stopped weighing myself and just gave in to eating whatever I wanted to.  I am really dedicated to not gaining a bunch of weight this time and to really being conscious all the way through about what I am eating.

1. Track food everyday- actual 2 days
2. Drink 64oz water per day- yes
3. Exercise 3x this week, running- swam once
4. Weight next week 166- current weight 165.8

Overall I didn’t do to well last week on my goals.  I kind of feel like I am slipping already and I need to really stay focused on each week and following the plan.  I have a lot of obstacles coming up over this pregnancy including two vacations so I will have to be extra vigilant with both of those, I can easily gain 5+ pounds on a week vacation not being pregnant.  It’s really important to me that I stay within my goals this time around and don’t set myself farther behind where I already am.

On a side note last pregnancy I posted pictures of my pregnant belly starting at like 6 weeks and going until I was 41 weeks.  I might give one or two pictures when I do get a belly and not just looking extra fat but I’m not feeling all that confident in my abdominal area.

This is the official post to let you all know that I am pregnant again!

We are due on October 31st and this time around I will be continuing to post food and weight topics here but general pregnancy updates will be posted at my other blog, Mothering My Way.

Since I am considered overweight going into this pregnancy I am going to aim to keep the weight gain at a minimum around 20 lbs total.  So I am going to do this goal style and each week list goals I would like to accomplish including weight gain goals and follow up throughout the week to see where I am.

Last pregnancy I stopped really weighing myself around week 12 and I think that was a big mistake, I had a few months where I put on way to much weight in one month and overall I gained 60lbs which I am still 5lbs away from loosing all of it.  I would really like to not have to spend most of next year trying to get back to where I am now just to still have another 30lbs to loose.

Goals for this week:

1. Track food everyday
2. Drink 64oz water per day
3. Exercise 3x this week, running
4. Weight next week 166

So for my last meal I had some McDonald’s and I mixed the castor oil in my strawberry shake.  I took all of this about 8pm and nothing really happened so I went to bed around 10:30 since I was so tired.  Then I woke up at 2am with stomach cramps and after several hours of being up and down and up and down in the bathroom I believe that labor started around 5:30-6am.  I woke Dave up around 7:30 am, I had been timing the contractions at 3 minutes apart but they weren’t very strong.  I keep questioning whether it was really labor or not, I have a fairly high pain tolerance and was just in disbelief that it was really happening.  But at 8:30 I called my mom and dad to let them know something was happening but I didn’t want them to come over yet.  Since I hadn’t slept all night Dave talked me into laying down and at least dozing for some time to see what happened if the contractions stopped or if they picked up. I laid down for about an hour and a half.  When I got up they were stronger and I called the midwife who suggested I take a bath and try to relax.  I called my mom to come over around noon and we left to go to the birth center around 2:30, by this time the contractions were getting really strong still 3 minutes apart and the car ride was really bad.  I thought I was going to die in the car it was like being in a cage.

Once we were in the hospital I had a whole zoo of visitors including my mom and dad, Dave’s mom and rich, Erin, Josh, Eric and Rebbecca, even grandma Nancy came.  But I didn’t really notice or care that any of them were there, I continued to labor for the rest of the day into the night.  I walked the halls and bounced on a ball, I sat in a squatting chair and hung out in the shower with almost no concept of time.  At one point I ate two grilled cheese sandwiches while in the shower with Dave.  And right before labor got intense Dave and I were in the shower talking about how it really wasn’t that bad after all.  Then i got in the tub.

This is where it got rough, right before getting in the tub she checked me and I was dilated to 6.  I got in the tub and for the first 10-15 minutes it felt really nice but suddenly it got really hot in the room and my body was doing something I had never felt before and didn’t understand.  It was pushing.  I demanded to get out of the tub know and I wanted to be checked, I was afraid that I would be pushing against a not fully opened cervix and it would swell it.

As I got out of the tub my water broke with a splash all over the floor and everyone cheered.  Then Sarah checked me and I was a 10 and ready to push, 35 minutes after getting in the tub.  I pushed on my knees leaning over the bed for about an hour and then rolled over because my legs fell asleep and only 30 minutes after rolling over Xander Kent Hoekzema was born at 11:53pm December 24th.

It was amazing and I would do it all over again, totally natural and I have been loving every minute since.

Xander 8lbs 9oz 21inches born 7 minutes before Christmas.

From Xander

I have been feeling nauseous all day and this morning I was really crampy. Hopefully this is my prelabor and we will be moving things along at some time today.

• I sleep well most nights
• I had about 4 hours of practice contractions on Sunday, 8-10 minutes appart lasting about 1.16 minutes each
• There is a new midwife in my practice and I really like her
• With only 8 days until Christmas we are not planning on going out for the holiday
• I feel blessed every night I get a full night of sleep

Here is my glorious belly yesterday 40 weeks pregnant

From Baby Xander Kent Hoekzema

Here is the underside of my glorious belly at 40 weeks pregnant

From Baby Xander Kent Hoekzema

• I am officially full term now, 37 weeks, although the due date isn’t until December 17th.
• I was checked at 35 week appointment and she said I was 80% effaced and not dilated at all
• I started evening prime rose oil 1,000mg a day orally at 35 weeks, added 500mg vaginally at 36weeks and will probably increase this after my appointment next week. I also should be walking every day and spending lots of time on the birthing ball i.e. exercise ball to help the baby move down.
• I am tired of being uncomfortable in pants that aren’t yoga pants
• My hips hurt a lot, but besides those two downs I feel really good as long as I get in an afternoon nap

Here is my 37 week picture with exposed belly, if you look close you can see my small spots that are stretch marks on my hips.

Here is another shot of me from the side with my shirt down.