Addison's going to be a big sister!

We had been debating about having another baby for a while now. Even before Addison was born, I had always wanted kids that were about 3 1/2 years apart. Our biggest fear was to have a baby too close in age to Addison. I never wanted to miss out on any of Addison's firsts (first words, steps, etc), because I was tending to another baby. I wanted Addison to have her own experiences as a baby, and even as a toddler, without having her overshadowed by a new baby. I also knew that in the long run, I think there would be way too much competition if they were too close in age. 

To have kids that were 3 1/2 years apart, would've meant getting pregnant in August. We had only been living in our house for a month, and with all of the painting and patching, cleaning and whatever else we had, it would've been too much. I would've had to move out with all of the painting we were doing. Lol! So, when late September rolled around, we started to think more and more about Addison turning 3, and how a lot of the major stuff had been done on the house. Don't get me wrong, there are still major things that need to be done, but for the most part, the essential projects were complete. I am such a nerd so I downloaded a fertility app on my phone. I know, crazy! But hey, it worked on the first try. 

During the first ultrasound at "9 weeks" according to my doctor, the baby measured exactly 8 wks and 4 days. Perfect, because that is exactly what my calculations worked out to be. I went to my 13 week appointment on Thursday, and was of course freaked out because the doctor said it is rare to hear the heartbeat around that time, but they try anyway. Anyone that has been pregnant knows that the heartbeat is the first thing you want to hear at every appointment. I was surprised to hear the baby kicking! I didn't even know that they could pick up on that, but he said it's obviously a very active baby. He keeps joking that Addison is so beautiful and so perfect, this next one may be just the opposite...active! Imagine?

The baby is due July 5th! I am hoping he/she doesn't come late, because of course, I want it to have it's own birthday, and not a birthday associated with mine. At the same time, let's hope he/she isn't born on the 4th of July. Yuck! Nothing worse than having a holiday birthday! So far everything is great! He said I am a model patient, and all of my numbers are perfect.

And now, for those of you who got our Christmas card, you will understand why I looked like I was retaining about 100 gallons of water. For some reason, the first month makes me puff up like a fish, but during the 2nd month I go back to normal, and end up losing weight. Thank goodness for all day sickness, known to some people as morning sickness, and for the lucky ones, just nausea! It didn't hit me as hard this time, but the dizziness was nothing I had ever experienced. But, I know too many people that would be more than happy to be throwing up and dizzy, so I definitely try not to complain too much!

And thankfully, my friend Lindsey is due EXACTLY three weeks before me. It has been so great to share our "lovely" experiences with one another, especially since the second pregnancy is so different!

Addison is ecstatic, and started talking about her "brothers and sisters" before I was even pregnant. Little does she know, there won't be brothers or sisters. Lol! She loves to kiss my stomach and tell me how much she loves the baby. I'm sure that will change once the baby is here. If she does something wrong, she will hug me, and then tell me that she wants to tell the baby sorry. She has been amazing through all of my sickness. She will tell me that she wants to hug me so I will feel better. It truly has been a blessing to have a calm child during this time. We have been doing a lot of reading, watching movies, playing with dolls, and playdough.