Second Trimester!!!

Baby Ninja Week 14

I Made it to the SECOND Trimester!

Well, week 14 was an interesting one. I felt good most days and was able to accomplish a lot. I even had my second prenatal visit (approximately 6 weeks until I find out if Baby Ninja is PINK or BLUE! – STAY TUNED!). Unfortunately, the food aversions aren’t completely over (although, I’ve been eating more variety) and neither is the vomiting… read on for details.

HOW IS NINJA THIS WEEK? So, my second prenatal appointment went really, really well!!! Nothing out of the ordinary to report. My iron levels look good (this was the thing I was most worried about) and I’ve been staying on top of keeping hydrated (WIN!). Wednesday night was… not fun. I had not gotten sick in two weeks. I was getting ready to go to sleep and suddenly, it hit me. There was virtually no warning. I sat up in bed, hopped out of bed and promptly projectile vomited all over myself and the floor. It was dark and I was alone. I yelled for my husband who was watching TV. He came in and found me in all my glory sitting in and covered with my own sick. I started crying. I couldn’t believe what had just happened. He helped me up and to the bathroom, then he cleaned up the mess I made while I sat in the bath crying. “I’m so sorry…” I kept saying. “Stop apologizing! This happens!” He replied. I still felt bad. He’s such a good man… I’m not sure how many could have handled having to clean up vomit. Anyway… I survived that whole ordeal and haven’t thrown up since… knock on wood. Oh, and I’m still fighting a cough from the cold I had about three weeks ago. Yay.

BABY NINJA STATS: According to my app, baby is the size of a peach! BabyCenter.com tells me that my baby is now making faces (squinting, grimacing, frowning). He can also pee (yes, I have read that babies in the womb drink their own pee… GROSS!). He might also be sucking his thumb. Still waiting to feel his kicks and punches…

J-POUCH STATS: Well, I’m not sure if my j-pouch has calmed down or if I’m noticing the frequency less and less because it’s become the norm… but all in all, I feel fine. I just have to make sure I stay on top of remaining hydrated.

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Baby Ninja Week 15

Not Over the Nausea Yet

Week 15 was mostly uneventful. Except for when my cat, Mr. Darcy, hopped up on the couch next to me, sniffed my belly, kneaded my belly and then sat on my belly and hugged it for a good ten minutes. I think he knows something is up.

HOW IS NINJA THIS WEEK? I still get nauseated, but not nearly as much. I threw up once. I also stay tired. I haven’t slept through the night since the very early days of my pregnancy. I wake up and can’t go back to sleep for several hours. Appetite is better, but there are still some food aversions. Also, my cold is gone, but my cough still lingers. I’ve been getting minor nosebleeds and swollen gums. Which is all part of pregnancy. Yay.

BABY NINJA STATS: My app tells me that Baby Ninja is the size of a navel orange! BabyCenter.com tells me that Baby Ninja’s eyes are still fused shut, but that he/she can see light… who knew that it could see light. I thought it was dark in there… maybe it’s kind of like when you close your eyes in the bright sunlight and you can see the red light coming through your eyelids??? I don’t know. Anyway, Baby Ninja is also forming taste buds.

J-POUCH STATS: Nothing new to report. 

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Baby Ninja Week 16

A Ninja in the Making…

This week was a very notable one. On day one of week 16, I felt a “fluttering” in my abdomen. A few nights

later, I felt some other movement and then, I felt tumbling and somersaulting for about 15 minutes during lunch another day. It was very exciting. I haven’t felt much since then, but that’s ok. It’s still early. 🙂

HOW IS NINJA THIS WEEK? Again, I felt baby. The baby bump is slowly growing. I’ve been eating a lot more… A LOT more. I also got sick once. I go through energy and then exhaustion pretty quickly. Probably has something to do with waking in the middle of the night to empty the j-pouch and not being able to go back to sleep. I also get hungry in the middle of the night. Also, I have several muscles and ligaments stretching to accommodate baby. Not that painful, but also not comfortable.

BABY NINJA STATS: Because I feel like my app is slightly inaccurate in it’s sizing skills, I found a better one. According to BabySizer.com, baby is the size of a can of Coca-Cola. BabyCenter.com tells me that baby is in a growth spurt. And I believe it because I’ve been eating us out of house and home. Baby is also growing toenails!!! HA! As I mentioned, baby has been tumbling around. Probably practicing his or her mad ninja skills (obviously).

J-POUCH STATS: J-Pouch, nothing new to report. Butt burn still sucks and I wake at least once in the middle of the night. Sometimes more.

NEW PHOTOS THIS WEEK:

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Baby Ninja Week 17

Halfway Ultrasound Scheduled…

So, this week wasn’t so bad (besides the butt burn) until on Friday when I apparently got a stomach bug. We’ve scheduled my mid-pregnancy ultrasound. They’ll be checking for any problems with baby’s organs and also be determining the gender. I posted a graphic earlier this week asking people if they were team pink or team blue. Seems most of them want to see a baby girl! My husband and I are releasing a video reveal next Saturday, the 18th.

HOW IS NINJA THIS WEEK? This week wasn’t so bad… but as I mentioned, the butt burn got out of control and I caught some kind of bug. The butt burn might be caused by a really vicious bout of what my ostomy nurse referred to as “butt fungus.” You can read about the time it got out of hand a couple of years ago by clicking here. Threw up THREE times in one night and the j-pouch spit out nothing but water. I did not sleep well on Friday. I am still reading my book about childbirth and hoping to prepare for a natural one. I want as few medical procedures as possible. I’m praying the labor goes smoothly, but as you know, fear likes to take hold. Chronic illness patients get so used to things going wrong.

BABY NINJA STATS: According to BabySizer.com, Baby Ninja is the size of a large order of McDonald’s french fries! (See? Aren’t these more fun than fruit?!) BabyCenter.com says that baby’s bones are now becoming harder. The sweat glands are also starting to develop! Gonna need them for the tough ninja workouts! In addition to feeling baby move last week, I felt him/her move this week! Lots of fluttering and thumping around in there–especially at night! It feels like muscle twitches or something.

J-POUCH STATS: Typical stuff, only it was not happy when that stomach bug hit. The butt burn also got me down, but that’s ok. I have my trusty Calmoseptine as well as a few soothing homemade creams that work well.

NEW PHOTOS THIS WEEK:

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Baby Ninja Week 18

Putting a Face & Name to Baby…

This week was relatively uneventful as far as how I felt. Definitely awesome. And this week I got to see baby’s “face” for the first time. I loved it! The tech who was conducting the ultrasound did what she needed to do (looking for baby’s organs and whatnot) then she let me see baby. When she turned the screen and found baby in my belly, the first thing I saw was a little skull with its mouth wide open. I had to laugh because it reminded me of my husband who makes the exact face nearly every time you photograph him. See the comparison photos below. I won’t get the report from what was found as far as how baby’s organs look until later. I will keep you posted on that. BUT! We are 90% sure we know Baby Ninja’s gender. See the link to the Gender Reveal Video HERE.

HOW IS NINJA THIS WEEK? I’m feeling pretty good. Better appetite, more energy. I feel my ligaments and muscles stretching, which is uncomfortable, but not unbearable. Also, the bottoms of my feet are starting to get uncomfortable. Even though I haven’t gained a bunch of weight yet. I chalk it up to all the pregnancy hormones raging through my body.

BABY NINJA STATS: BabySizer.com tells me that Baby is about the size of a Starbucks coffee cup, and according to BabyCenter.com Baby is flexing her muscles a lot. For now, even though we are 90% sure, I will be calling Baby Ninja a SHE. However, next week, I’m hoping to complete a blood test to be 100% certain. During the ultrasound, she moved a LOT and practiced several of her Ninja Flips. We had a hard time keeping up with where she was. Despite all her moving, she was very bashful. She has been SUPER active tumbling around in my belly (especially at night) and I felt one good kick. Life is really incredible.

J-POUCH STATS: My J-Pouch seems to have calmed down a little. The butt burn also seems to have improved.

NEW PHOTOS THIS WEEK:

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Baby Ninja Week 19

What’s in a name?

Nothing out of the ordinary to report this week. As you know the week before we revealed Baby Ninja’s gender. We’ve also picked out a name: Piper. However, we were a little concerned over whether or not the ultrasound was read properly, so we decided to do a blood test to make sure little Piper was in fact a she. I can confidently say that YES! Baby Ninja IS a she.

HOW IS NINJA THIS WEEK? I’ve been feeling fine for the most part. I have been eating more and feeling less and less nauseated (knock on wood!). My feet swell a little sometimes and there are times where I feel slight aches and pains in my feet and legs. But nothing serious. Ninja Hubby claims that I’m glowing–HA!

BABY NINJA STATS: According to BabySizer.com, baby is the size of a hot dog and BabyCenter.com says baby’s senses are developing. Baby can also hear my voice and possibly my husband’s. So we’ve been talking to her every night. Her hair is also starting to grow on the top of her head. She’s also been very squirmy this week and even got in a few big kicks that my husband was FINALLY able to feel.

J-POUCH STATS: Same ole same ole… I’m thinking that my J-Pouch has actually calmed down! WIN!

NEW PHOTOS THIS WEEK:

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Baby Ninja Week 20

Let the Nesting Begin!

So, this week has been an interesting one. I’ve had an insatiable desire to clean (and organize)… EVERYTHING. I put up some curtains in the baby’s room, but I still have so much more to do. We are moving my husband’s man cave to a different part of the house and we have to redo some walls in order to do that. Once we finish with the man cave, we can fully move the guest room. The current guest room is going to be the nursery. Things are moving slower than I would like them to, but I still have plenty of time and faith that it will all get done in a timely manner.

HOW IS NINJA THIS WEEK? Loads more energy. Which is probably why I’ve been cleaning EVERYTHING. I’ve thrown out so much junk and scrubbed so many things I’d put Cinderella to shame. I’ve also been eating us out of house and home. I actually broke down in tears because I went over the grocery budget (thanks hormones!).

BABY NINJA STATS: BabySizer.com says Baby Ninja (Piper) is the size of a pint of Root Beer. Piper is also practicing swallowing a lot more according to BabyCenter.com. Supposedly this prepares her digestive tract (which I’ve been praying very hard for her to have a healthy one). She’s also been kicking and squirming a lot more. She’s mostly active at night.

J-POUCH STATS: My J-Pouch has good days and bad days, but it seems that it’s behaving more now that the hormones have leveled off.

NEW PHOTOS THIS WEEK:

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Baby Ninja Week 21-24

Not too much to report…

Sorry for my lack of updates. While baby is still growing big and strong, there hasn’t been much new to report and I’ve been super busy with nesting and planning for baby’s arrival. Baby Ninja loves to kick and keep me up at night. She loves it when her daddy speaks to her and sings to her. She seems to move from one side of my belly to the other, following his voice. When he stops singing or speaking, she seems to “look” for him by squirming around more. Babies really are more aware of things than we give them credit for. It’s adorable to watch her move beneath the surface and feel the strength of her kicks and tumbles gather force over time. Life in the womb amazes me.

HOW IS NINJA DOING? I’ve been feeling pretty good. A little indigestion at times and some butt burn due to j-pouch frequency. I’ve been madly cleaning and preparing the nursery (photos to come). I’ve also been extremely distracted by this whole pregnancy thing. Therefore my blog has suffered slightly (sorry, guys!). Despite my distractions, I can promise that I’m not going anywhere. I will continue to be here providing support, encouragement and laughter. I feel this is my mission in life. I can’t tell you how divided my heart has become since becoming pregnant. I’ve had a HUGE inpouring of gifts for baby. I’m humbled by the friends I’ve made online. All because we share a disease and experiences. I am so blessed to have all of you in my life. Thank you always for your support.

BABY NINJA STATS: Baby is growing big and strong. According to BabySizer.com, baby is the size of a bag of Oreos (MY FAVORITE!). She’s also getting fatter and weighs about a pound and a half and if I was able to see it, I’d be able to discern her hair color. She gets stronger and stronger every day.

J-POUCH STATS: My j-pouch still has good days and bad days, but nothing alarming. As long as I have my trusty Calmoseptine, I’m good.

NEW PHOTOS THIS WEEK:

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Baby Ninja Week 25

Things are getting real… and hard… emotionally.

This week I’ve been reading a ton of natural birth stories. I believe I’ve mentioned before that I’m doing my best to avoid a c-section. I’ve had more surgeries than I really care to deal with, so going the natural route has always been more appealing to me. After all, my body was created and designed to give birth. However, knowing this doesn’t make childbirth any less scary (again, I blame freaking Hollywood for scaring women!). If you would, PLEASE keep me in your thoughts and prayers, guys. I’m going to need it.A At week 25, I’m well on my way to the third trimester.

HOW IS NINJA THIS WEEK? Emotionally? Afraid. Always hungry. I get worn out fast and I’m still nesting like a crazy person. I also started getting another cold… this is my second one while pregnant and let me tell you, it sucks. I can feel my flexibility leaving me in the abdominal area. I can’t bend over properly. I can feel myself beginning to waddle. I’ve gained about 15 pounds though, which I’m pleased about because for a while there I wasn’t gaining anything.

BABY NINJA STATS: At 25 weeks, baby is the size of a bag of microwave popcorn! She’s about 12 inches long from head to toe, so she’s clearly running out of room. She moves around a lot and is still keeping me up at night. Next week I have another prenatal appointment. My last monthly one before I move to an appointment every other week!

J-POUCH STATS: Thankfully, it’s been a pretty good week. Just a little butt burn here and there, but nothing I can’t handle. In fact, I feel like sometimes my BMs are a bit thicker… that could be all the wheat cereal I’ve been eating though.

NEW PHOTOS THIS WEEK:

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Baby Ninja Week 26 (STAY TUNED!)

Check back next week!

Week 25 Details Go Here

HOW IS NINJA THIS WEEK? (STAY TUNED!)

BABY NINJA STATS: (Info Goes Here)

J-POUCH STATS: (Info Goes Here)

NEW PHOTOS THIS WEEK: