Week 14 baby #7

SECOND TRIMESTER!

 At 14 weeks baby is the size of a navel orange.

 

Sleep is going okay. I drink a lot of water around 128oz a day which means I'm going to the bathroom all the time during the day and night. It's so important I stay hydrated with my irritable uterus being dehydrated will make me more likely to have contractions. Even this early on my doctor has pointed out a contraction I was having during an ultrasound. 

Nausea came in waves during the first trimester, vivid dreams and exhaustion were big symptoms for me. I wouldn't say I'm craving anything this pregnancy. It's more so that if I get something on my mind I can't stop talking about it until I have it. 

Sometimes in bed or when I'm sitting still I feel what I think is a little tap from baby boy. After looking back at week 14 with my previous pregnancies I was feeling some movement. My placenta is in the back which is great because if it was in the front it could grow into my csection scar and that would be very dangerous. Since it is in the back that means I will feel movements earlier too! 

Home doppler ranges from 152-158BPM 

I feel a huge relief making it to the second trimester and I am thankful to be carrying such a strong, healthy baby boy! 

Baby #7

Yup, you read that right! Baby number SEVEN is coming in early March 2023.

I am so excited to share my pregnancy journey on here. It is something I really cherish looking back on. Back in August I did a blood test to check for the top genetic disorders and were blessed that all came back low risk as well as the baby's gender!

We are all thrilled! I feel like I'm a pro at being a boy mom at this point. 

Vivian at 15 Months Old

Vivi just had her 15 month appointment and weighs 22lbs 6oz (65th percentile) and 30.75 inches (53rd percentile) definitely one of the biggest any of our kids have been at this age! Honestly, I was a little worried she wasn't gaining weight because she can't have dairy. The usual foods like mac and cheese, grilled cheese and  yogurt that our kids always enjoyed at this age she can't have and of course not having a big bottle or sippy cup of milk a few times a day like most kids have, she can't. I've tried oat and almond milk she just pushes it away. I am still breastfeeding Vivian whenever she wants during the day she just signs to nurse and always right before bed. At night she sleeps from 6/6:30pm to 6am with no wake ups and then she naps once during the day around 11/11:30am with Brooks. 

In her 12 month post I  mentioned that we did a blood test to find out more about her allergies the results said she was now only allergic to milk and no longer had a peanut or avocado allergy. Per her allergists directions I gave Vivian a little bit of peanut butter with her morning oatmeal and she immediately broke out in hives around her mouth and shortly after her whole body was covered in the hives. At her check up yesterday Vivians pediatrician said those blood tests can be wrong unfortunately and it's best to go off of her reaction and its obvious she's allergic to peanuts. 

Vivian is walking all over the place she's so fast! It's hard to keep up with her! Vivi is constantly learning new words and can say Dada, Mama, woof woof, Bye, Hi, Wawa and Mwah! 

In other news we are moving! ... Again! 

We are moving back to where we moved from luckily we were only short term renting this house because our hearts stayed where our old home is! I have been homeschooling our kids for the past few months and now that our older four are fully vaccinated we feel as comfortable as we are going to about sending them back in person. I am excited for them and for Brooks and Vivian to get more alone time with me!

Happy Holidays! 

Vivian at 12 Months Old

August 24, 2020
5:06PM

OUR VIVI GRACE IS ONE!

 When I found out I was pregnant with her it was January 2020 before COVID. She has brought so much light to such a dark time, I'm so thankful for the joy she brings our family every single day. 

This past year has been SO special having everyone home. I know it has been hard on so many families, but I have decided to look at the positives and that we have been able to all soak up every moment of our first year as a family of eight!

I could tell Vivian was going to be a calm little one when she was growing in my belly. I worried while I was pregnant with her not only because Vivian is our rainbow baby (baby after a miscarriage), but because she hardly ever kicked. If it weren't for her daily hiccups, I wouldn't have even noticed her growing in there! 

When Vivian was born she was an itty bitty 4 pound 10 ounce baby. I can proudly say she's now weighs a over 20lbs. I am still breastfeeding her around 5-6 times in 24 hours. I try to give her 3 meals a day with one snack, but she isn't always interested. With Viv's allergies we have been very slow to give her foods, but her favorites are almond milk vanilla yogurt, spaghetti with meatballs, broccoli with grilled chicken, breastmilk popsicles and apple sauce. No new teeth this month just her two front bottom ones, but I feel like her tops two will be cutting through any day! 

Vivi got a blood test done last week to see how bad her allergies are and if she has outgrown any. The results are that she no longer has a peanut allergy, since the skin test was positive the allergist recommended holding off giving it to her until March. The same goes for avocado the blood test was negative, but the skin test was positive so to hold off. We also tested for shellfish since Oliver has a allergy to them and it was negative, but since she has not been exposed to shellfish yet that might be why it was negative according to her allergist your body usually needs to build up a response before having a reaction. The huge one we wanted her to have outgrown was milk which unfortunately was positive for skin and blood.

Rose has wanted a baby sister since she could talk and it truly fills my heart to be able to watch their bond together. They are currently sharing a room and Rose is thrilled about it, though the different bed times and wake up times is a little tough. 

Current schedule is:

6am wake up

9am nap

1pm nap

630/7 bedtime

Weight: 20lbs 9oz (60th percentile)

Height: 28.5 inches (25th percentile)

Clothing size: 12-18 month

Eyes: Hazel

Hair: Light brown and straight

Teeth: Botton two center and top two are coming soon

We are so happy you're here Vivi Grace. Happiest birthday to you, our sweet baby girl. 

Beautiful captures by Katy Hayes Photography

Vivian at 11 Months Old

WE MOVED! We now live about 45 minutes from our old house. It’s been a very busy week, but I really want to keep up with these monthly Vivi updates.

Literally the day after I posted Vivian’s 10 month update she got two teeth! We were on vacation at the beach and she didn’t sleep well, nursed a bunch and was so clingy for about a week during this time. 

Vivi has been pulling herself up on everything! New this month Vivian says “no” by shaking her head, wawa, more and all done (sign language.) She loves to dance! Vivian will clap and move her body whenever she hears any song. 

Just this past week she’s been eating a solid meal a day. Her favorites are chicken and cashew cheese and meatballs with sauce. We luckily haven’t had anymore allergic reactions and she will be going next month for a blood test to see the extent of her allergies to peanut, dairy and avocado. 

I’m still nursing Vivian around 5-6 times in 24 hours. I’ve read online mothers nurse as little as twice a day (only morning and night) to every 2-3 hours during the day so I think it just varies for each baby. Vivian with her allergies hasn’t eaten many solids until now so it was important I kept up nursing her often. I’m waiting for this allergy test before deciding when to wean. 

Viv naps twice a day around 9am and around 1pm though there have been a few days she will just take one long nap mid day. 

When I weighed her about two weeks ago she was 19lbs! I can’t believe our little Vivi girl is turning 1 year next month!! I’ve been so busy that I haven’t been able to think about it, but I know when things settle down in the coming weeks I’ll get emotional about it! 

Vivian at 10 Months Old

This past month has FLOWN BY. We have been looking at houses and even put in a few offers, but unfortunately haven’t had any luck! Our four oldest kids who did virtual learning all last year ended school mid June. Between having them out of school all day, a toddler and Vivian who is all over the place, while house hunting/packing needless to say we are very busy over here! 

Vivian is doing well though and her eczema has really cleared up this past month. I’d like to say she’s tried a bunch of new foods, but we really haven’t besides kiwi (which she didn’t really care for.) I’m nursing her on demand still with usually one wake up at night. It’s hard to believe our baby girl was only 4lbs 10oz at birth. Vivian now has gained over 14 pounds weighing 18 and a half pounds!!! I’m so proud that our nursing journey has gone so well and she’s healthy. 

Viv is crawling very fast and loves to explore everything. She never stays in one place too long and I've caught her pulling herself up to a stand a few times. Vivian loves to yell and babble and doesn't have any teeth yet. I can't believe in just two short months we will have a one year old. This year has gone so fast and at times slow. When I think back to bringing her home from the hospital it feels like forever ago, but yesterday all at the same time.  We love her so much! 

Happy 10 months Vivi!