2nd Trimester Check In: Week of July 9th

ChocolateIsLife

Hi ladies! I hope you don’t mind that I’m starting this on Sunday this week. I have finals tomorrow so I know I will be a basket case and probably forget to post.

How was everyone’s weekend?

This is a weekly check-in for those in their 2nd trimester: weeks 14 through the end of week 27.

Congrats to all the strong ladies who have made it this far! It's such a great feeling and we've all accomplished so much! We are now 1 week closer to the end of this especially long journey we call "infertility."

Please post below a little about yourself, how many beans you have growing inside, if you have found out the sex(es) and what your EDD is. Please also let us know how far you've made it on your journey and when your next appointment is and what for. If I'm missing anyone from this list, or you are new to the 2nd tri, please let me know and I will add you.

Please let us know when you have graduated to 3rd trimester so that I can update our list! 

Mommies to be:
@emgem819 EDD 10/5/17 with TWIN girls!
@ChocolateIsLife EDD 10/21/17 with 1 girl!
@mous-2 EDD 10/22/17 with 1 boy and 1 girl!
@Joslynj11 EDD 10/26/17 with 1 girl!
@hopeby2015 EDD 10/31/17 with TWINS boys!
@Polythene Pam EDD 10/31/17 with 1 boy!
@sasha92-2 EDD 11/08/17 with 1 bean!
@LeFemmeViolette EDD 11/16/17 with 1 girl!
@srh18  EDD 10/6 with TRIPLETS!!
@hibiscus118  EDD 11/11 with 1 girl!

@Jeansis EDD 11/30 with 1 bean!

@PoeMasque EDD 12/8 with 1 boy!

@stella_700 EDD 12/17 with TWINS!

@wabash15 EDD 12/25 with 1 bean!

@takethelongway EDD 12/28 with TWIN girls!

@mountainlady-2 EDD 12/8 with 1 girl!

@klake42 EDD 1/2 with TWINS!!

@ryannenikole EDD 1/8 with 1 boy!!

QOTW: Do you have any hobbies? If you have a hobby that is décor related, will you be making something for the nursery? Example: crochet/sew/painting etc.

ChocolateIsLife

Sorry if I didn't reply back to the check in last week. I seriously loved looking and hearing about everyone's fur family. We are all lucky to have these furry hearts by our sides.   

I'm 25w2d, and so far its been a lovely and uneventful week! One of our dogs has severe anxiety with storms and fireworks, so after another visit to the vet we ended up changing her medicine dosage and it worked perfectly. I have a checkup on Wednesday, and I'm hoping that the placenta previa is getting better. Oooh we worked on the nursery this weekend and I'm in love with it. 

QOTW: I like to crochet, and I think I'm going to make a quilt for baby girl that has crochet intertwined in it. It is a beginner project so I think (and hope!) its something I can handle!

Here is my nursery and lettering that I made, and I am so freaking excited with the end result! 

Polythene Pam

@ChocolateIsLife good luck on finals!! And GORGEOUS nursery! I love the floral N and seriously that is a gorgeous room. I'd love to make quilts, my mom made one for each of us kids and I still have it. 

Almost 24 weeks here, we had a recovery weekend from our family reunion. Stayed home and taped the nursery so I can paint it this week. My daughter heard me and was "helping" so this is taking longer than I'd hoped I'm feeling major pressure on my bladder and get back aches so I'm finally writing a list for my hubby to help me out a bit more (he wants to wait till oct... nope haha)

QOTW I was a fine arts major and drew all my daughters nursery art so I hope to do the same this time! I also crochet but am SLOW... my grandma made my daughter a beautiful crochet blanket but has since passed away so I hope to make one for baby boy. Hopefully by the time he turns 5 at the rate that I can do it

srh18

OMG @ChocolateIsLife what a gorgeous nursery!! Love that letter you made!!! 

I missed last weeks' check in but just went through and read everyone's updates. It always makes me so happy to hear how everyone is progressing. We're getting there ladies!!!!!

AFM, my triplet boys are hanging in there! I'm 21+2 today! Cord flow is still steadily intermittent, which the MFM says is good, but baby C's fluid was just slightly over what's normal (8 is normal, his was 8.2). MFM said she is not worried, and my Google searches didn't even turn up anything that low for slightly elevated fluid. So, fingers crossed that everything will continue to look good! I only have one appointment this week (yay for a break!) and it's with the MFM tomorrow. I also have two baby showers this week (one at work and one my MIL is hosting), so getting excited for those!

I've been feeling the triplets a lot the past week which has been exciting. I'm still waiting for the second tri energy spike; at this point, I'm assuming it's not going to come. I have to nap a couple of times to get through a work day lol. Also having trouble with acne and carpal tunnel at this point. I wake up throughout the night not only to pee but also because my arms get tingly and stingy and fall asleep.  I've also started to swell in my hands and feet.  Joys of pregnancy!!  

QOTW-I'm not a terribly crafty person, but I wanted to do painted alphabet letters for the nursery and when I saw how much they cost on Etsy I decided I would do them myself. They look great so far!  The only hobbies I would say I do have are baking, reading, and Netflixing. When I stop working around 26 weeks (carefully negotiated with my OB and MFM, who wanted me home at 20 weeks), I'm looking forward to knocking a bunch of stuff off my to read and to watch lists. 

Excited to hear everyone's updates! Sorry for the novel lol...I didn't realize I had so much to say. 

PoeMasque

@ChocolateIsLife ❤️ Your nursery! We have a tiny office that is going to have to work as a nursery and we haven't even started turning it into a nursery yet (mostly because my SO is still trying to figure out a way for his computer to keep 'its room' - NOT happening). Anyway I feel like I would Instagram your nursey and tag it with #nurserygoals 

AFM: 18 weeks and feeling movements much more often now. Especially after eating or drinking anything sweet! We just started a huge backyard project and our entire yard is in shambles with an excavator parked in the middle of it, but I can't wait for the finished product! This weekend we also tackled one of three eye sores in our front yard - a garden bed covered in river rock. We spent 6 hours today removing all the rock, tilling the clay soil, adding amendments, planting, and mulching. It looks amazing, but I'm afraid the deer are going to eat all of our plants....which is what they did last time I planted a "deer proof" flower bed. I'm pretty sure this will be my last labor-intensive project, despite drinking tons of water and taking breaks, I got pretty light headed for the last hour.  

QOTW: I am pretty crafty, I've already made tons of blankets, burp cloths, swaddles, crib sheets, and even a bunch of rompers from my SO's old t-shirts. I'm currently knitting a baby sweater and will likely do a couple more just to use up my yarn stash. I love that I am able to make some baby items for our son, but I've realized that it's usually cheaper to just buy these items (except for the t-shirt rompers). Kind of sad! 

srh18

@PoeMasque wow I'm super jealous of your crafting abilities!! So cool. 

ChocolateIsLife

@Polythene Pam thanks girl! I think I'm going to celebrate after I finish this class tomorrow. I hate math.  Yay write that list for the hubby! I feel like October would be way too late to wait to work on stuff. We are only going to get bigger and more tired.  Make sure you put a back rub on the list too.  That is so neat that you drew her nursery art! I love personal touches that that we can hold on to and give to them when they are older.

@srh18 Thank you! I got the inspiration for the letter from Pinterest. The projects I choose from Pinterest are usually hit or miss, meaning I mess them up horribly, so I'm so happy this one worked out.  I'm glad your doctor wasn't too concerned about the fluid levels, and it sounds like everything is going beautifully with your little ones. Sometimes I feel like my baby is having a dance party, so I can only imagine how much movement you are feeling with 3 in there! I hope you have fun at your baby showers this week! As for 2nd Trimester energy, I haven't actually had a spike in energy, its been more of a not as exhausted as 1st trimester. Its still less energy compared to pre pregnancy. Baking, reading and Netflixing are all wonderful hobbies.   

@poemasque this was our old office room too! Ahh I love looking at landscaping before/after projects!! I hope you share an update once finished! Make sure you're taking lots of breaks and relaxing too! Here in Houston I seriously get dizzy walking across the parking lot because its so hot, so we have been neglecting our yard work. 

LeFemmeViolette

Helloooo!

I am 21w4d today. And today's QOTW is perfect, because DH and I spent all weekend putting up a plank wall for our baby girl's nursery! It turned out wonderfully.

Next on the docket- the gallery wall which will go on the opposite wall of the plank wall.  @ChocolateIsLife- I love that flower letter! I'm planning on doing something similar, except with twigs. We'll see how that turns out, haha!

In other news, baby girl was kickin' around  quite a bit last night so I had DH come over and feel and he was able to! He was really happy to finally be able to feel our little jumping bean.

As far as new pregnancy side effects... got two new ones this week, and they're related. 1) Tingling in my hands and feet (esp in the morning). Apparently this is due to swelling putting pressure on nerves? And 2) because of the swelling, I'm having to leave my rings off. Has anyone else had to take their wedding rings off yet? It feels so weird. I'm thinking of going to the mall later this week and getting cheap "placeholders."

srh18

@LeFemmeViolette I had to take my rings off about a week or so ago. They got tight and the first time it was rough for me to take them off, I left them off, figuring that was better than having to get them cut off or something (I never take them off, even to sleep, so I figured my worst nightmare would be to wake up one morning with giant sausage fingers and it be impossible to take off my rings lol). I put them on my pandora bracelet so I can still wear them. The tingling issue is getting tough for me too. My OB recommended increasing water intake, but I already drink 80-100oz/day so I'm not really sure how much more I could drink! 

PoeMasque

@LeFemmeViolette love the plank wall!! We want to do that in our bedroom. I also love the crib! We are getting a free crib from a friend, it's not at all our style, but it's free haha. 

wabash15

16 weeks today with our pistachio. I have a Midwife appointment tomorrow. @PoeMasque I am jealous of all your energy! I weeded our rock bed yesterday morning when it was cool  but it got hot fast and I had to rest on the couch!.  I'm getting some energy back but its mostly in the morning and fades quickly in the afternoon. 
   @ChocolateIsLife good luck with your final today! Your nursery is beautiful
@Lafemmeviollete my fingers naturally swell in the summer heat and its worse being pregnant. So if I am spending a lot of time outdoors I have to take my rings off. By the last month of my twin pregnancy (in the winter) I had to take my rings off too). I love that wood wall!
@PolythenePam When I first started knitting I planned to make baby blankets for two friends but wanted to start with a scarf... it took me 2+ years to finish that scarf! I've gotten faster but if I want to knit a blanket for this little one I had better get started!
@srh18 I'm glad your doing well and so are the boys.  gosh its crazy that in just over a month you'll have to stop work, time is flying!

so as for my crafting ability its marginal, I can knit basic things/patterns and go in fits and spurts. I made a mobile for the twins out of paint cards. it actually turned out better than I thought it might. DH is the one with the artistic talents. 

ryannenikole

Hey ladies! I get to join you this week!

@ChocolateIsLife Can you add me to the list?

EDD is 1/8/18 and I'm 14 weeks with a little boy!
No appointments for another 2 weeks for me, so I'm using the Doppler now and then. I'm feeling good though! This morning was actually really pleasant for a change and I hope it keeps up so I can put yoga back in my routine. 

I'm so jealous of the nurseries! DH and I are building a house and will likely not be in before baby arrives so no nursery for me.  I'm a little upset about it even though my practical side keeps pushing the big picture (our dream house) and reminding me that he won't even remember if he has a nursery or not. But still. I'm a little disappointed.  Would it be wrong to tell people I don't want a shower and want them all to build me a house instead? Lol. 

Hobbies? My main hobby is reading. Give me all the books! I can be crafty now and then but I don't have space or time right now. I wanted to make nursery prints though, so we'll see if I get around to it. 

stella_700

17 weeks with the twins. 12/16 for the babies if it was a singleton, I'm shooting for after Thanksgiving. : ) One thing that bums me is that I haven't felt anything I could definitely say was the babies yet. If it weren't for the (TMI) nipple pain and the dry heaving...

We haven't done much work on the nursery yet other than to get the nasty carpet up and a fresh coat of paint on the walls. We need to do some touch ups there and then get the flooring in. We did visit the stores and decided what to register for. That was fun but I overdid a bit that day, my lower back told me so. DH has now limited my physical activities to two hours at a time before resting for half an hour. He might be a teeny, tiny over protective right now, its so cute. Ladies if you know of a great chair that is big enough to hold/feed twins in let me know. I didn't see much of anything in the stores this past weekend that I though would work. Right now this is the one in my sights: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I2HDG9A?colid=12Q0ZHU6V28WV&coliid=I2LIAKYS1QNJ7V&ref=br_ADD_TO_CART_title_link

Got an appointment this week, hoping to learn the sex of the babies. We know from blood work that at least one of them is a boy. I bought a couple of baby outfits. I've begun looking at the sale/clearance rack for clothes that they can wear next summer.

I crochet and am currently working on a blanket that is in the round, its all these lovely fall colors that all blend together. I never really was comfortable working with knitting so just crochet for me, my husband is more crafty than I am by far.

@ChocolateIsLife Love the nursery, seems so wild that you got it almost completely finished already!

@srh18  So excited that your boys are doing so well.

@LeFemmeViolette The wall looks amazing. I like the crib also. That bronze finish really works.

PoeMasque I bow before your crafting skills.

wabash15

@ryannenikole we didn't really have a nursery for the twins either because  we were in a tiny apartment and so we had a crib in the guest room/office but it was such a tight fit and we moved into our house when they were 6 months old. Honestly I missed getting to do a "dream" nursery but they were in our room till they were 6 months so we didn't use it until they got older. I hope you'll have fun getting to decorate the room once its done but don't worry too much about having something before their here because in reality you wouldn't likely use it for a while anyways. 
@stella_700 a good twin nursing pillow such as my breast friend twin will be the most help, otherwise you do it individually or if your bottling you can just prop them up on a pillow on the floor or couch . (also see my comments in december...)

PoeMasque

Here is a pic of one of the rompers (sewing is not my forte in the crafting realm) I made. It was definitely more complicated than I'd anticipated! 

srh18

Went in for my MFM appt today and discovered that my cervix shortened to 1.7 and I'm having contractions. They admitted me to L&D for meds and monitoring. I would appreciate prayers! At this point the Dr is hopeful that we caught it in time and that I can hopefully keep these babies baking for a good long while!

love that romper @PoeMasque!

@stella_700 I'll be using a my Brest friend twin pillow and my bed/the couch. I'm in a bfing multiples group and it seems to be the going recommendation based on space and comfort for us. 

Polythene Pam

@srh18 many hugs, keep us posted! I'm glad they caught it early, hope you can rest a bit!

LeFemmeViolette

@srh18 thinking good thoughts for you. Stay in there, babies!

Joslynj11

Happy Tuesday Everyone!! So excited to be joining you ladies for another check in this week. So sorry that I was absent on my check in last week but just had a crazy week at work with the holiday and really only had time to read your wonderful updates!

@ChocolateIsLife I love the room you all are using for the nursery. I love all the light that the windows provide and I love the decor you have started with! Good luck with finals

@PoeMasque Wow sounds like ya'll had a big weekend. Glad you could still take it slow to finish the project and it's great that you are so crafty, love the romper!!

@srh18 Thinking of you girlie!! I hope those boys can hang on!! Keep us updated 

Hi, this week I am 24+5 today with Little Girl Riley. She has been so active lately and I am loving it! No appointments until the end of the month which will be the dreaded glucose test and I am worried I will not be able to drink that drink. I am thinking about changing my early morning appointment to the afternoon to give myself a better chance of finishing it  We shall see if they have the time to make the change for me. 

On another note we started painting and getting work done on the nursery this past weekend. I know a few weeks ago we were thinking about the sea foam with brick paneling but last minute changed to Orange (loud I know haha) but so far we LOVE it!! I have a pic of our work in progress 

ETA QOTW:
DH and I try to stay pretty creative but we haven't really decided yet what we will make for decor and what we will craft. I think we will know more when we finish painting!

Jeansis

Hi everyone! I missed last week somehow.  All is well with me. Noticing movement much more frequently and easily now with my little one. Next week is my anatomy scan, so hoping to find out if I am having a boy or a girl during that appointment. DH and I have been working on the nursery over the past week. We got the room all cleared/weeded out and donated over 150 books! Amazingly, we still have two full bookshelves after that. It's our thing that we hoard haha. Everything is falling into place though. DH built the changing table and he is going to work on the crib and dresser next, and I have been working on decorative touches. Hoping to have the nursery mostly together by the end of the month so that I can check that big item off my list. (Love the nursery pics @LeFemmeViolette @ChocolateIsLife and @JoslynNJ11 ! Will share one of my own eventually.) Otherwise, not much new with me. 

@LeFemmeViolette Yes! I had to stop wearing my wedding rings over a month ago. I have been wearing a right hand ring that DH got me as an anniversary present because it is a full size larger than my wedding rings. I was a little sad about not being able to wear my usual rings, but having the placeholder does help. 

QOTW: Love this question! I am a dabbler in several crafts, but mostly I knit and crochet. I am working on a couple of blankets (one yellow and one multicolor). The multicolor one will be a decorative throw and the yellow one will be a useable baby blanket.) I am also going to be making this flying key mobile: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wyvv5eVOLao Just got the keys and other supplies to make it the other day. I think it will be a nice touch for my Harry Potter theme.

Hope you are all having a lovely day!  

ChocolateIsLife

@srh18 I am so sorry you had that scare! I'm glad that your doc feels confident that it was caught early. Will they have you on bedrest the remainder of the pregnancy? I'm sending big prayers to you that they stay in a keep baking. How are you feeling right now?

ChocolateIsLife

@lefemmeviolette Oooh I love love love that crib and the wood !!!! I'm having off/on swelling in my hands and feet as well. I'm thinking of getting one of those silicone bands to put around my finger, that way they don't get stuck.

@wabash15 FX for your midwife appointment today! I love the idea of a knitted mobile, that sounds so sweet!

@poemasque omg I love the Metallica onesie!!! I need to show my husband this. They are his favorite.

@ryannenikole Welcome to 2nd Trimester!!! I'll be sure to get you added asap! Building your dream home sounds amazing though, and I agree that the big picture will be so worth it! A fresh home to build memories in as a new family. What sort of books do you like to read? I think we should create a thread on book recommendations sometime.

@stella_700 ahh how exciting I hope you find out the sex this week! I love to crochet too, although I am very beginner level, it is a great stress reliever for me. Knitting is beautiful too. Yeah it honestly feels great to have the nursery off the check list. I get anxiety especially when I feel like my to-do list is building up, so now that the big things are taken care of, I feel a little bit more in control, lol. 

@joslynj11 ahh I love the name Riley! And I love that she was dancing for you! It's one of my favorite things to experience so far. That is going to be such a cool nursery! I can't wait to see more pics! FX on your glucose test at the end of the month. I have mine in about 3 weeks. I read from other ladies that they preferred the test in the morning so that they could eat all the food afterwards. I think some doctors limit what you can eat the day of so that is probably why. 

@jeansis I love how crafty you are! That mobile is so unique I love it! What a great idea. FX on your anatomy scan next week!

AFM: Finals went great, and I have a 2 day break before the next summer semester! Little Natalie kicked my bladder the entire test though...she already has a sense of humor. 

wabash15

@srh18 I'm so sorry that your cervix was starting to shorten already and that you were having contractions. I hope that things have settled down.Hugs and keep us updated
@ChocolateIsLife I'm glad your finals went well

ryannenikole

Thanks for the welcome ladies!

@srh18 gang in there! Keep us posted!

@ChocolateIsLife Glad finals went well! I loved being in school...don't miss finals. Lol. I like historical fiction, crime/thriller...I just read Harry Potter too (no judgement! I had a sheltered childhood) and loved the series. Philippa Gregory is one of my favorites, Kay Hooper, and Kathy Reichs  (the Bones creator!). My boss is an avid reader too and provides and endless stream of good stuff that I would never have found otherwise. Oh! And The Red Tent is at the top of my all-time list. I like books and the library is my favorite place. I'm also married to a hairy man. So I'm basically Belle. 

srh18

Thanks ladies! Things are stable now. I'm home now and on complete bedrest. I go back on Tuesday for another cervix and contractions check. That's our first goal--to get to Tuesday! Then, it's to get to viability. Then 28 weeks... just keep swimming!! 

wabash15

@srh18 thats right just keep swimming. Hang in there mamma and we are rooting for you and your boys

Joslynj11

@srh18 Let's meet these goals! Bake baby boys bake!