Pregnancy: Round 2

I feel like I have all sorts of things to update you on... life events, opinions, random thoughts. You just might be getting a little bit of everything in the coming weeks. 

But first up:  a little recap of this pregnancy so far.

Here's the most recent picture I have. High-quality, I know.

When I was pregnant with Ella, I posted weekly how things were going. I obviously haven't done that this time around, but I also feel like there isn't a whole lot changing each week. So that would probably bore you. And me. 

Overall, the pregnancy has been going really well. I can definitely tell some differences from the first time around, but let's be real-- growing a baby is growing a baby. So it's just about the same.  Same sort of weight gain. Same right hip pain (which by the way, I now have a friend who specializes in prenatal chiropractor-ing, so I'll be seeing her soon). Same nausea and acne at the beginning. The main difference that I notice is round ligament pain. I get it much more frequently than I did the first time around.. perhaps because boys carry lower? Maybe that's a myth, I don't know. Perhaps I'm having more pain this time because I'm more active and things are getting stretched more. Who knows.

I'm still kind of craving ice cream, but not quite as much as Round 1. More just my normal-life ice cream wants. I've been saying that I'm not really craving anything, but I have noticed that I'm drawn to cereal more than anything else, and more than usual. A bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats can really make my day!

One thing I'm trying to make different this time around is the weight gain. The day I went into the hospital to deliver Ella, I had gained 51 pounds. That's a little ridiculous, and I didn't want to repeat that. I started this pregnancy in pretty good shape physically, and 10 pounds less than when I got pregnant the first time. Because of that, I didn't think I would stay under the generally recommended 25 to 35 pound mark. But certainly not 51 pounds! As of right now, I'm 29 weeks and I've gained 28 pounds. If I can keep it under control for the next several weeks, I'll be happy. I'm shooting to keep it under 40 pounds-- 35 would be great! But I'll really have to keep my food and exercise in check. Time will tell!

Oh, and in case I didn't mention.. we're having a boy this time around. And no, we don't have any names picked out yet. Literally, none. If you have any suggestions, send them our way!

Updates. Grand Updates.

Well, you guys proved me wrong. I'm surprised how many people have viewed my last post and sent messages. So I guess I'll give this whole regular-updating another try! 

I'll try to get you up to speed on what's been happening since Easter. I'm sure I'll leave some things out, but I'll do my best.

Baby on the Way!

We found out a few months ago that we'll be adding another Wierzbicki to the world. We're having a boy, and Ella is excited to have a Baby Brudder! I'm due January 7th; currently 28 weeks along. Other than monitoring a few odd things, the pregnancy has been going really well. I'm trying to stay active and avoid the donuts and ice cream - I don't want to hit the 50+ pound weight gain mark that I did with Ella. (So if you hear me talking about cookies, tell me to lock it up!)

Still Working

Mike is still working at Penn State doing marketing in the athletic department. He's still in charge of marketing for hockey and the ice arena, and they've added lacrosse, golf, and football. It's safe to say he's a busy guy! Ella and I try not to be too needy when he's so busy, but we're not always successful :)
I'm still working at the rehab hospital part-time. There are some weeks I work only one day, and some weeks I work nearly 40 hours. It all depends what Mike's work schedule allows and what the hospital census is.

Ella is still going to the same in-home daycare, and she's still loving it. She gets along really well with the other two kids and the caregiver. Some days when she hasn't gone for a while, she'll even ask if she gets to go play there! 

Iowa/Nebraska Trip
The summer began with a Memorial Day Weekend trip to Iowa. My family's annual fish fry was scheduled for that weekend, so we decided to make a trip of it. Even though the fish fry was cancelled last minute, we had a great trip anyway. We got to see a lot of family and friends, including a trip to Omaha!

Minnesota/Wisconsin Trip

We also took an early summer trip to Wisconsin for the wedding of two friends who live here in Pennsylvania but are from Wisconsin and Minnesota. It was a beautiful wedding, and we were able to make a quick trip to St. Cloud (where we lived in MN before moving here to PA) while we were there!

Michigan Visitors

In early September, we had some road tripping visitors from Michigan. Mike's mom, grandma, aunt, and cousin came to visit for a few days. We had a great time hanging out, visiting the arboretum, and refereeing toddler play.

Iowa Visit

In late September, Ella and I took a fairly impromptu trip to Iowa. Our annual family fish fry had been rescheduled for a weekend in September, and I wanted to spend some time with my childhood bestie.

Play Time!

I promise we did more than travel this summer! We spent a LOT of time at the local parks and pools and playing outside. 

Ella Turned Two!

In early October, our teeny tiny little baby girl turned two! I have no idea how two years have passed, but they've definitely been a fun two years. 

Because we didn't have any family visiting, we didn't have too exciting of a celebration. And Mike has been very busy working, so we thought a low-key family night was the way to go. Per Ella's request, we had pizza and 'yellow' cake. Seriously - those were her requests. What a goof! 

A few days after her birthday, she saw a leftover cupcake and requested a candle to blow out. So we had a mini celebration in the middle of the kitchen floor -- candle, Happy Birthday song and all.

Pumpkin Patches

There are a lot of fall festivals around central Pennsylvania, so we took advantage of a couple different ones. Ella and I went to a fruit farm with some friends, and we came home with orchard-fresh apples and a big pumpkin, as well as great memories. The next day, we went to another fall festival with my family that came to visit. We came home with a couple pumpkins to carve (which hasn't yet happened) and some more great memories. 

Family Visit from Iowa

Just last week, I had some family road trip the 17+ hour trek from Iowa to visit for a week. We visited a fall festival, went to a hockey game, and did some sight-seeing. We had a great week, and of course ate entirely too much food.

That just about brings us to the present. As you can see, it was a fun, eventful few months since we've last chatted. I'll try to keep you posted with our goings-on in the future! (Unless, of course, no one reads it....)

**LOTS of pictures to be added soon.

To Continue or Not to Continue...

That is the question.

I realize I haven't posted since Easter. That's kind of pathetic. But to be honest, I wasn't sure if anyone was even reading this. I was getting very few page views, and I wasn't sure it was worth my time to post photos and updates.

But since then, I have had a few friends and family members ask if I was ever going to update again. And ask how they're supposed to know what's going on. And request pictures, since they weren't getting them on here. So may it IS worth my time to update??  We've also had a lot of things happen in the past few months, and some more exciting things to come in the coming months.

So my question to you is... Should I continue to post updates? Or not?

I'll check out my page views in a week or so, and I'll decide from there. If you're reading this and you want continued updates, shoot me a message! I'm more than happy to share photos and updates, but not if it's just going to the crickets in the corner of internet-land.

Ok, thanks.
Maybe see you soon.
Maybe not.