3rd Trimester Update

Well, the bulk of my third trimester was consumed with recovering from a broken ankle and surgery.  So it was not a typical third trimester, to say the least.  I did, however, have some "typical" pregnancy symptoms during the third trimester.  Mainly... heartburn.  Holy moly.  Like to the point of nausea.  Also, just general un-comfortableness and an inability to bend over to put on shoes or pants.  I thought it was my ankle that was holding me back from being mobile.  Then, I was able to "walk" in the boot and discovered it was mainly the pregnancy and my big belly that made me uncomfortable and immobile.  It was quite a revelation!  I was so ready to meet Clara because i just couldn't wait to see and hold this baby.  But I had other, more selfish, reasons for wanting to meet Clara and finally being at the end of this pregnancy.  But, in all, considering all that happened and all I put Clara through this pregnancy, my heartburn and being uncomfortable were just ,minor inconveniences and I really can't complain.  I can't do anything but be thankful that not only my ankle is fixed and I am recovering, but most importantly that Clara is healthy and perfect. Thank God.

Total length of pregnancy:  40 weeks and 5 days
Total weight gain:  48 pounds
Movement:  This girl is a mover... and I knew that early on in this pregnancy.  And then starting with the NST in the hospital the day of my accident, every time I had an NST or I was hooked up to monitors, Clara would go crazy.  She would kick directly at the monitor like she knew exactly where it was on my belly.  My last NST on 5/2/14, a routine NST since I was past my due date, the nurse came in about halfway through and asked how I was feeling.  I smiled and said fine, and she said that what she was seeing on the monitor, she thought I was in active labor.  But she said that the baby's movements can falsely show up as contractions.  That's how much Clara was moving throughout the whole test!  I had an ultrasound that day, too, where we couldn't even see anything in 1 shot because Clara was so big.  And the tech said that she was moving so much more than she would have expected with how big she was and how far along I was.  She's a little acrobat, somersaulting and kicking.  I loved feeling her moving around, and I will never take that for granted.  I was able to feel both of my girls kicking and moving about in my belly before they were born.  Such an incredible feeling.  At 32 weeks pregnant, an ultrasound tech confirmed that Clara was head-up.  Clara must not have known which way was up or down while I was on bedrest!  But don't worry, she flipped (probably more than a few times!) between then and delivery.
Sleep:  The biggest annoyance was how often I had to get up at night to pee.  Seriously.  I would get up at least 2-3 times at night.  And that is not easy when I had to have Carl wheel me to the bathroom in an office chair right after my surgery.  Or when I had to use the walker to hobble (more slowly than I would have liked) to the bathroom.  It wasn't very easy to get comfortable, but I always slept pretty soundly so I'm thankful for that.  And since I was working from home, I was able to sleep in most days until 7am-ish.  Some days, I chose to get an early start on work.  But thankfully I didn't have to commute, so I really did get a lot of sleep during my last trimester.
Doctor's Appointments:  At 32 weeks, I had a checkup and an ultrasound.  The ultrasound was ordered when I was 28-29 weeks along because the tech thought she might have seen fluid around the baby's heart.  At 32 weeks, the high-risk specialist in the practice (Dr. Ambrose) came in (which worried me at first) and took a look for himself.  He said it was simply a shadow from the spine and that the baby looked healthy.  Thank God.  Best news we had heard in several weeks!  That week, we met with Dr. Slugocki who was on call the week of my surgery and looked after me and worked with my surgeon while at the hospital for the surgery.  I was on blood thinners and wanted to make sure I clearly understood the plan for that.  She said that I was to be on blood thinners until I was up and walking in a boot.  What this meant was I had to give myself a shot every night in my stomach.  Not my favorite thing to do, for sure.  In fact, I hated it.  And I'm not scared of needles.  Just hated it.  And to think I grew up wanting to be a doctor.  Anyway, I was to continue on with the Lovenox until I was 36 weeks.  The reasoning was that at 36 weeks, I could feasibly go into labor.  And if that happened, they would need to reverse the blood thinner.  And you can't reverse Lovenox, so at that point they would switch me.  When my 36 week checkup came, Dr. Butler knew I was far away from going into labor and had me continue on with the Lovenox until 37 weeks when I was in the boot.  After my 32 week checkup, everything was very normal with my checkups.  Just routine.  In fact, Dr. Butler told me one week that my pregnancy was going very smoothly and beautifully.  Seriously.  I laughed about that with Carl after that.  Nothing about this pregnancy, in my mind, was smooth or beautiful.  At least not compared to how easy my pregnancy with Audrey was.  But, from Dr. Butler's perspective, it was smooth and beautiful.  Baby was healthy.  I was healthy.  Everything was going according to plan.  She poked fun of me and my knee walker and then even more when I came walking in the office with the old-granny traditional walker.  We laughed about what my delivery would look like in a cast or a boot.  But thank goodness we were able to laugh about it and we had no real issues.  Everything really did go smooth.

34 weeks & 3 days
(check out the sweet knee walker!)

36 weeks & 3 days
(notice the granny walker)

38 weeks

39 weeks & 1 day

39 weeks & 4 days

And just for fun, here is a comparison between pregnancy #1 and pregnancy #2.  Though they're different angles and different seasons (short-sleeve dress vs. sweater), I can still tell that I was showing more out front with Clara than I did with Audrey.  And my belly button had popped with Clara, though it never did during my pregnancy with Audrey.  I look like I'm showing a little bit lower with Clara, too.

Left: Pregnant with Audrey at 35 weeks
Right:  Pregnant with Clara at 36 weeks

Ankle Recovery

Original update after surgery on February 24th, 2014:

9 screws and 1 plate later, they say the ankle's fixed. They were able to do the surgery with just an epidural, which was safest for the baby. And they really closely monitored the baby during the surgery and throughout my hospital stay. So thankful for that. I really was in the best hands. We were discharged Tuesday around 12noon, the day after surgery.  Pain management has been the toughest part of this. Tylenol just wasn't cutting it. They put me on a good schedule of Norco and that did the trick. I sleep really well and it really relaxes me and takes away the pain. Once I got ahead of the pain, I was able to drop down to just 1/2 dosage so that's encouraging for me. Anyway, the pain just means it's healing, right?  No driving or putting any weight on my ankle for 6 weeks. Then, hopefully I'm in a boot and I start walking on it. Probably will be delivering new baby in a boot. Should be interesting.

Update as of May 27th, 2014, a full 3 months after surgery:

Well, it's been a full 3 months after surgery.  I am miles ahead of where I was since my last update after the surgery.  But still not 100%.  To catch up...

I was in a soft cast for 2 weeks.  For those 2 weeks, I spent my days and nights on a hospital bed setup in our family room downstairs.  "Aunt" Shirley had a hospital bed that she allowed us to use.  Cannot thank her enough for that!  Chief went to stay with my parents and everyone just waited on me hand and foot.  I couldn't be luckier and more thankful for the support that I had.  Carl took on everything around the house, including taking care of Audrey and getting her to and from daycare.  Carl's parents picked Audrey up from daycare everyday and even cooked us dinner to send home with Carl every night.  (Joyce continued cooking us dinner up until the baby was born.  She insisted, even though I was more capable and self-sufficient at the end of April.)  They even had our cleaning lady come and really deep clean our house, which it needed badly.  I really don't know what we would have done without our parents taking care of us during that time!

Then on March 11th, after those first 2 weeks, they removed my staples and stitches and gave me a hot pink fiberglass cast.  Another 4 weeks non-weight bearing.  But I was able to convince the doc to let me return to work (from home of course).

Clockwise from top right:  My first look at my leg and ankle; Smaller incision with stitches;
Larger incision with staples; Another look at the staples

I promised Audrey a hot pink cast,
so a hot pink cast is what I got

They got me a "knee walker", which is basically a scooter with handlebars, wheels, and a basket on front.  I just put my leg up and wheel around.  I wasn't able to use it right after surgery, as soon as it was delivered.  Because of the pain and the swelling, I wasn't able to bend my knee to put my leg in the correct position to use the walker.  Took me almost a week and then I was able to use it and there was no turning back. Lifesaver.

Source

It was another 4 weeks of no walking or driving.  Carl would work from home and from the airport on Tuesdays so that he could be available to take me to doctor appointments (OB appointments and Orthopedic appointments).

Next appointment was April 8th when they took off my pink cast and gave me a walking boot.  Very nice.  However, I was a little naive about what I would be able to do with that walking boot.  I wasn't able to fully walk on the boot without a walker until after a week and a half.  I felt like I was learning to walk again during that time.

Just a couple days after I felt comfortable walking in the boot, I went back in for another checkup (on April 22nd).  And would you believe that the doc said no more walking boot, gave me a brace, and told me to wear supportive shoes (gym shoes), and sent me on my way.  He wants to see how much range of motion and strength I can build up just by walking in the brace.

And that brings us to today, May 27th.  I'm wearing the brace and gym shoes, but I am able to walk around without the brace (at least around the house).  My range of motion is much better and my strength is better.  It also helps that I instantly lost about 20-25 pounds when Clara was born.  So much easier to walk after that.  I'm able to go on walks, though they are very short walks.  Yesterday, Memorial Day, I walked farther than I have in a long time.  We went around the block and then walked to the park so Audrey could play at the neighborhood splash pad.  We love summer around here!  So thankful that it's summer and there is no more ice and snow!  I iced my ankle last night, but I feel like it's more sore today.  I go back to the doctor next week, on June 3rd.  I will have been in the brace for 6 weeks.  We'll have x-rays I'm sure to make sure everything still looks okay.  And I am going to ask for physical therapy.  I want to recover as soon as possible.  I don't want this summer to pass me by without being able to go for walks and enjoy the park with the girls on my own.

So that's where we're at.  As I said, light years ahead of where I was, but I've still got a ways to go.

Broken ankle at 30 weeks pregnant

Original update from Saturday, 2/22/14:

Last Wednesday (2/19/14), I arrived at work just like any other normal day.  But that day was different.  I got out of my car, stepped onto the sidewalk leading to the door, and a few steps later slipped on some ice and severely dislocated and broke my ankle.  I don't remember anything about how I fell, how I did not land on my belly or my wrists, how I even landed.  I was carrying some bags (my laptop, a bag with a change of shoes to wear inside the office, my purse, etc.), so I might have landed on one of them?  And I now believe that I fell the way that I did because I was instinctively protecting my baby.  I didn't have any pain in my belly or anything indicating that I had fallen on my belly... so much that I didn't even think about that possibility until the EMT asked me about that and if I had felt the baby move since I had fallen.  I just remember lying on the ground and looking up at my ankle that was now deformed.  My foot was almost perpendicular to my leg bones.  It just wasn't right.

There was a guy that was walking up to the door that I flagged down and told to run inside and get help.  I was able to reach my purse, so I called 911 right away and asked that they send an ambulance.  It was right at 8am and there were a number of people arriving at that time, so over the next couple minutes a number of people had gathered around.  There were some nice people who put my bags back in my car.  There were also a number of close work friends who were around offering to go to the hospital with me or call anyone I needed.  My main thought... Carl was on an airplane on his way to Denver for a conference, and I knew immediately that I would call my in-laws and see if they could come meet me at the hospital.  In this day and age of cell phones, I don't know anyone's phone numbers!  So it was just easier that I call the people I needed to once they got me into the ambulance.  When the ambulance arrived, the EMT said "this is going to suck for you because we have to move you and I can't give you anything for pain since you're pregnant".  Yeah, I figured that.  I was prepared for that.  And at that point, I can honestly say that I was in shock or denial or something.  I could feel my ankle and feel some pain and that it just didn't feel right, but it wasn't throbbing/piercing pain, so I could really think clearly and keep it together.  Once inside the ambulance, the EMT took off my shoe and sock and wrapped my ankle in a pillow.  I looked away while they did that.  I knew what it looked like with my sock and shoe on, and I certainly didn't want to see it without my shoe and sock on.  So, I distracted myself and made some phone calls.  Big Carl left work immediately and met me at the ER.  I also called my Mom right away, mostly just to inform her.  But she cancelled any plans she had, packed a bag, and got in the car to drive up to the hospital to be with me.  I don't know what I would have done without them at the hospital with me.  So thankful for them.

They took me to St. James Hospital in Chicago Heights because they have an OB there and they'd be able to check and monitor the baby appropriately.  I waited just a little bit in the ER before the doc came in to talk with me.  He explained that they were going to take x-rays and that they had called ortho because they would be the ones to reset my ankle.  He didn't elaborate much on too many details.  I think he didn't want me to know how bad it all was.  Which is a good thing.  In fact, when my mom came, she took a look at my ankle and I told her that it was just dislocated.  We laugh about it now, but she said that she knew there was no way it was only dislocated.  There was a cut on the top of my foot where the bone started to come through the skin.  Bad news.  Pretty funny now when we look back on it.  Again, I continued to be in denial.  I was concerned, though, about the baby and how we would be able to manage my pain and not affect the baby.  The doc said they could give me morphine.  By this time, Carl had landed in Denver.  I had no cell phone service in the ER but Big Carl did, so I asked that Carl call my doctor to inform her of what had happened and ask about the safety of morphine.  She said morphine, in small amounts, was fine and harmless to the baby.  And then she was insistent that we get an ultrasound ASAP.  She wanted to know how the baby was doing after the fall.  I kept feeling the baby move so that was good news to me, but I was in agreement with my OB doc... I wanted an ultrasound to be sure.  We expressed these concerns to the ER doc and he said he would work on it.

Not long after, they took me in for an x-ray.  And of course, since I'm pregnant, I had to sign a scary waiver explaining the health risks and impact on the baby.  Very scary.  But they needed x-rays so they could see how bad it was.  The x-ray techs were so nice and they quadruple shielded my abdomen.  They had 2 aprons that they folded in half and placed over me.  They got quite a few shots and I had my eyes closed the entire time so I didn't have to see my ankle.  They were being as quick as possible, but it still took a little bit of time and by that time the pain was setting in.

Here is one of the first x-rays they took that shows just how badly dislocated/broken my ankle was:

Once they got me back in my waiting "room" in the ER, the nurse came and was able to give me 4mg of morphine.  That relaxed me for a little bit but wore off quickly.  The ortho doc still hadn't come, and I was concerned about the pain associated with him resetting my ankle.  I thought we had missed our window.  The ortho doc finally came between 12:30-1pm I think (after we had been there for 4ish hours!).  They were able to give me more morphine, but I was in a lot of pain and it just didn't help that much.  Thankfully, he was able to give me a local anesthetic to numb the pain while he reset it.  I could still feel pressure, but no stabbing/throbbing pain.  They had me move to the edge of the bed with my legs dangling off.  And the doc was talking to me asking me about Audrey and about the new baby... basically distracting me.  But nothing can distract  you enough when someone pulls on your broken ankle to put it back in place.  Holy cow.  Again, so thankful that my mom and big Carl were there with me to encourage me.  Once the ankle was reset, the doc put a [really heavy!] plaster cast around it.  It was soft around the outside top layer, but hard on the underneath.  Then, I had to get more x-rays.  There was a possibility that he would have to redo the reset if the x-ray didn't show what he wanted, but thankfully he didn't have to do that.  He said that I needed surgery within the next week, as long as my OB doc approves that and they can come up with a plan to keep the baby safe.  We were hoping for that because the other alternative would be to wait until after the baby is born (10 more weeks).  And at that point, they'd have to "be creative".

Now that we have a plan for the ankle... how about the baby?  The ER nurse had come in at one point to hear the baby's heartbeat, which we heard very faintly.  But still no ultrasound or true monitoring yet.  They didn't get me up to OB until 3pm-ish.  They hooked me up to 2 monitors, 1 to monitor the baby's heartbeat and 1 to monitor contractions.  Heartbeat was strong, clear, very good... in the 150s, which is what it has been throughout my pregnancy so far.  But... I was having regular contractions.  I had 3 contractions within the first 5 minutes she had me hooked up to the monitor.  Not good.  They gave me ice chips, a huge cup of water, hooked me up to an IV, and then ordered me dinner hoping it was just because I hadn't eaten or drank anything since 7am that morning.  (I was so thirsty, but they wouldn't let me drink down in the ER for fear I think that I would get sick.)  After about 4.5 hours of monitoring, thankfully the contractions stopped.  It ended up that I really was contracting only because of a lack of food and water.  Thank God.

While I was waiting there being monitored, I talked to Carl and he said that he was able to get on a flight that night so he could come home.  I assured him that all was ok, but he said that he really needed to be here.  And my mom and big Carl agreed.

We got home from the hospital about 8:30-9pm, and Audrey was already in bed.  Joyce had picked her up from daycare and took care of her thankfully. She was surprised when she woke up in the morning and saw Grammy there.  And then when she came downstairs and saw me with a "boo boo", she was kind of alarmed and scared I think.  Very hesitant around me.  She's warmed up a little, but still a little hesitant.  Look at the card she made me at daycare.  So cute and thoughtful of her teachers to help her make that for me!

I met with an orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Baylis, yesterday to discuss the plan for my ankle, and we have surgery scheduled for 7:30am Monday morning at Chris in Oak Lawn.  He came up with a plan with my OB doc and the doc on call to have an OB nurse with me for the entire surgery, monitoring the baby on a fetal monitor.  So that's really good.  They'll probably keep me overnight on Monday night so they can closely monitor me and the baby as I recover.  I feel really comfortable with the surgeon and the plan that he and my OB have in place.  I know I'll be in good hands and at a great hospital with the greatest care.

It will be quite a long road from here.  6 weeks in a cast after surgery with no weight on my ankle, and then a boot after that.  Maybe I'll be out of the boot by the time I have the baby.  We will see!

I have great support here in Carl, my parents, and my in-laws.  We're doing pretty well!  Considering...

Week 29 Update

Post from February 11th, 2014

Today I had another doctor's appointment, to meet with the doc and to have another ultrasound.  They never told me why they scheduled this ultrasound as a follow-up to my Level 2 ultrasound back at 21 weeks, and my doctor said that she hadn't heard that anything was wrong so it was merely a formality.  

Carl comes to all appointments with me where we have an ultrasound, which is so nice and supportive.  And I think it helps him feel connected too.  I'm always glad to have him there at my appointments.  We went back to the ultrasound room, and as I was getting ready for the ultrasound the tech tells me that my glucose test results came back high.  She caught me off-guard because I thought she was only going to do the ultrasound.  Well, she told me in so many words that she wasn't supposed to be telling me these results.  Her exact words... "act surprised when the doctor tells you."  And no wonder, because the specific results she gave me were wrong.  She told me that my score was 133, and that the cutoff was 140.  And then she proceeded to lecture me on how to be more healthy during my pregnancy and that I need to avoid white starches.  I just bit my tongue and kept saying, "uh-huh" and "ok".  But who the hell is this woman?  She has no idea about my history or my health or my pregnancy or my anything.  Really rubbed me the wrong way and upset me.  I held it together through the ultrasound.  Seeing pics of our baby girl and her moving all around will make anyone's mood better!  The baby had a strong heartbeat at 152ish beats per minute, and even though she couldn't say exactly what she needed to get more pictures of or why we were there for that ultrasound, she said that the baby looked really healthy and all was good.  Here are some pics:

[Pictures coming soon]

My doctor was on call that week, so we saw the Nurse Practitioner Julie.  She confirmed that my glucose lab results were high.  My true score was 142, which is just slightly higher than the cutoff of 140.  She made me feel better about failing the 1-hour test by saying that usually when people score in the 140s or 150s for the 1-hour, they almost always pass the 3-hour test.  Everything else was good.  She feels good about how the baby is measuring and my weight and overall health.  So that's encouraging.  I still left feeling discouraged and annoyed that I had to take the 3-hour test.  But oh well.

So then I get back to the office and my phone rings.  It's the receptionist at the doc's office saying they want to schedule another ultrasound.  When I asked why, she said very nonchalantly, "they just want additional views".  And that's it.  She couldn't give me any more information.  I lost it at that point.  I told Carl and told him that I would call back later to get more information, but I just couldn't right now because I couldn't quit crying.  I was discouraged and felt like I was getting smoke screens regarding the health of the baby and my health.  Carl called the doc right away and talked to the Nurse Practitioner we had met with that morning, and she explained what had happened and apologized that they didn't give the information up front.  She explained that the ultrasound tech thought she saw some fluid around the baby's heart.  The high risk doctor who reviews all the ultrasounds wasn't in the office that day and he wasn't able to review the ultrasound images until after we had left.  He wasn't alarmed, but thought it was a good idea for us to have another ultrasound in 2 weeks just to get some additional looks and to be sure.  

Usually I look forward to my ultrasounds and checkups, and I know it could be a lot worse so I feel like I'm over-reacting.  But I just want this baby to be very healthy, and it's upsetting that there is any doubt about that.  Will update after my 3-hour glucose test and the next ultrasound...

Week 25 Update

Post from January 15, 2014

Weight: 25.5 lbs
I've gained A LOT more weight so far than I did with Audrey. Ugh. And if I gained 39 lbs with Audrey, I bet I will end up around 45-50 lbs with this one. Tough subject for me, but I'll admit, I've been eating a lot of crap and I've only worked out twice in 6 weeks. 6 weeks! I struggle to find a routine that fits with busy/demanding workload and picking up Audrey from daycare. Or maybe we just need to move to a warm climate so I don't have to rely on the gym as much. Here's what I hope...the baby is born healthy and at a healthy weight. I will kick my ass back in shape, I know it can be done because of what I accomplished after having Audrey. I don't mind sacrificing my body/weight for a short time for a healthy baby girl!

Size of baby: weight of a rutabaga

Gender: Girl!

Symptoms: heartburn, shortness of breath when I carry Audrey up the stairs (but I think I'm just out of shape!), stomach bug (again!) 2 weeks ago which took a little time to bounce back from, general tiredness from not sleeping through the night (for a # of reasons). Oh, and really dry hair/scalp. Feeling pretty good, though, overall.

Movement: I felt this little girl move really early on, and about 5-6 weeks ago Carl felt her for the first time! I thought it might be too early, but she was kicking hard! I'll feel her down low and up in the ribs, mostly on my right side, simultaneously. She's a mover.

Sleep: I haven't slept through the night for a few years now. This is due to Audrey sometimes (even though she's a pretty good sleeper overall), but mostly just because I have to go to the bathroom, or I have stuff on my mind.  Most nights I fall asleep on the couch. I'm trying just to go to bed when tired, but that would mean going to bed really early! Ha.

What I miss: Getting my hair done, though I guess I'm saving a bunch of money so that's good! I'm rockin the ombre look.

I'm ready and anxious to meet this little girl! I don't want to wish away any time... but... is it April yet??

It's a Girl!

Post from 12/17/13

Today we went to the doc for our Level 2 ultrasound.  I am 21 weeks along (tomorrow), and feeling pretty good.  All went well at the ultrasound and the ultrasound tech said that the baby looked healthy and already weighed over 1 pound! And we're still on track for April 30th due date.  Here are some ultrasound pics:

[Pictures Coming Soon]

We chose not to find out the gender of the baby at our appointment, but rather later that night when Audrey came home.  So we had the ultrasound tech put the tell-tale ultrasound images that said the gender in a sealed envelope for us to open later.  I bought both pink and blue balloons and a pink cupcake and a blue cupcake, and then we opened the envelope together.

It's a... Girl!

[More pictures to come]

Audrey's excited to be a big sister, and I'm excited for her to have a sister.  I love the relationship that my sisters and I have, and I know that Audrey and new baby sister will have a great relationship, too!

Now we must decide on the perfect name for our baby girl...

Week 16

(This is as of Friday, 11/11/13)

How far along:  16 weeks and 2 days
Size of baby:  Baby Larson is the size of an avocado.
Total weight gain:  10 pounds
Maternity clothes:  I need maternity jeans!  I have some Kohl’s cash and a 30% off coupon (of course I do), so that’s where I’m headed tomorrow to get some jeans.  I may pick up some other shirts, too.  Although I feel that I’m pretty good on shirts and sweaters for right now.  I think.
Gender:  I really truly believe that we’re having another girl.  Of course I’m no expert and we haven’t seen an ultrasound that gives any indication since 11 weeks which is way too early to tell.  But I believe from the “nub prediction” – so weird by the way – that it’s a girl!  And also the Chinese gender chart and heartbeat both point to girl.  I also feel like this pregnancy is SO similar to my first with Audrey that it has to be a girl.  We find out in 5 weeks, so we will see.  And of course it HAS to be a girl because we have no idea what we will name her.  We are decided on a boy’s name, but that would be too easy, right?
Movement:  I swear now I’ve been feeling the baby.  I feel him/her really low usually in the afternoon while I’m sitting at my desk at work.  I felt enough of the movement yesterday that I put my hand on my belly to see if I could feel anything from the outside.  Of course I can’t!
Sleep:  I’ve been sleeping pretty well.  Well, that is when Audrey is sleeping well.  We’ve been having a tough go at things ever since the time change almost 2 weeks ago.  She used to go to sleep really easily.  We could walk out of the room and close the door with her in bed and still awake and she would fall asleep by herself.  Now, she screams bloody murder when we leave her room and if we close the door.  I’ve read that some children go through a phase around 2 years old.  It’s a combo of separation anxiety and not being able to tell imagination from reality.  She only woke once in the middle of the night last night and I was able to get her back to bed, but she told me to “sit” [in the chair in the corner].  She just doesn’t want to be left alone.  Oh, and she won’t sleep in her regular bed.  She HAS to sleep in her chair-turned-bed that Amber got her for her bday.  It’s on the floor between the chair and her regular bed.  After the first of the year, I would like to get a twin bed so we can put the crib back to normal.  We’ll get new bedding for the twin bed and hopefully Audrey will get excited about that and want to sleep in a regular bed again.  We will see.
Cravings:  Food.  Haha.  Still craving a lot of carbs, but that includes a lot of fruit and yogurt which is good.  Nothing else really specific I don’t think.  
Symptoms:  Headaches over the past couple weeks.
Best moment of this week:  Last week I didn’t post, but I want to mention that we went to a Blackhawks game in the Milhouse Theater Box seats.  That is the way to see a game, whether it’s hockey or basketball or whatever.  Big buffet that was open almost all game and open bar (which of course I didn’t take advantage of).  Pretty awesome.  This week on Wednesday night, Audrey’s daycare rented out Jump!zone in Mokena.  It’s a big place that has 6 (maybe 7?) big jumpy things.  Audrey loved it!  It was a great time!

No pic this week, but I feel like I'm showing so much more.  Will post a pic for week #17 or #18.

View 1st pregnancy week #16 post here.