Pregnancy, the 2nd Time Around

The first time I was pregnant, with my daughter Lexi, I have to admit I was a miserable mess. We were only 19, we had been married 7 months when we found out, and neither of us had a clue. My emotional ups and downs were severe, due partially to money stress and just the vast void of unknown, and my poor young husband had no idea how to handle it, or me.
Between the two of us, it was one long, miserable time.

But this is round 2. And it was SO much better.
For starters, we both have an idea of what we're doing. We're 23/24 now, which while still young, has given us several years parenting experience. Time to mellow out, get organized, and develop a plan based on our built up parenting skills.

A big part of what has made this pregnancy so much smoother is that I didn't gain nearly as much weight as I did my first time. At 19 I had never weighed over 112 lbs. Sick I know. I was rail thin by nature and I was in no way prepared for the changes that were about to consume my previously taut body, and transform it into a scarred, flabby mess. I had never had to work hard to stay thin, I just was. And I couldn't mentally process the changes it was going through. So I cried, a lot. I gave birth to my daughter weighing 166 lbs. Quite the jump there.
This time I started out at a toned 135 lbs (I had been going to the gym regularly, and a lot of that was muscle; husband makes a good gym partner!) and am finishing off at 160, which is only a 25 lb weight gain, perfectly with the range set by the doctors. And while it's only 6 lbs less than my end weight last time, I'm far thinner than I was then. Last time it was 54 pounds of fat, that I carried just about everywhere, including my face. This time it's 25 lbs, that I'm carrying mostly around my mid-section. So momma's feeling good about herself. And when momma feels good about herself, all is well!

Another huge part of this pregnancy going so much better has been my husband.
Last time he was a scared 19 year old boy with no experience with babies, or children, or pregnant women. Or really, women at all. Because I was a scared 19 year old girl, turning into a mother, not a woman yet. He didn't know how to deal with me, my feelings, his own feelings, the idea of having a baby, being a father...and because he didn't know how, he just didn't. I felt completely alone most days.
(You may have picked it up at this point, but our first was an un-planned pregnancy. I can attest that birth control is only 97% effective)
This time? So different. He has been a father for over 4 years, and that changes a man. Last time, he didn't know he could love a small, crying, pooping, "potato". And this time, well he can't imagine life without her, and I think that helps him. He knows that this little one will become just as big a part of our lives as Alexis has been.
He is excited, he is helpful, he is on my team, and we are on the same page. It has made such world of difference, never feeling alone in this. And seeing him get excited about things, even small things, is the best feeling. That's really key to an easy pregnancy, great support!

As stated before, we were very young. And an enormous part of what has made this pregnancy easier, is just being older. My hormone levels are much more balanced (zero mood-swings this pregnancy!), my body is more built to handle the physical stress, and we are at a more comfortable and settled place in our lives financially and otherwise. Those are all huge factors in pregnancy. The less stress you have going on in your life, the smoother this period of time is going to go. And being older has helped with that so much.
In fact, even though I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes this time, this pregnancy has been SO much easier, I know that if it had been this way last time we would already have more little ones.

The biggest factor though? Experience! We've already done this. And in worse circumstances than we're in now. We know we can handle it. We know how to prepare. And we have a tiny adorable 4-year-old distraction to help the time pass.

So good luck fellow mommies. I hope your pregnancies are smooth, and you have plenty of support. My next post will be after Talon is here, because tomorrow is the induction! ♥

We're MOVING

So, do you remember how excited we were to buy our first house? Do you remember how hard we worked on it? Do you remember how much we l.o.v.e. it?
Did I not share all that with you?
My bad.
Well, none of that matters anymore.

Cameron's job in Organic Food Distribution was good. It was family oriented which we loved. He enjoyed his work. It had great benefits. It paid the bills.
But that was IT. We've lived on no extras for the nearly 4 years we have been married.
For instance:
I have no makeup other than what my sisters/mother-in-law have given me of their leftovers.
We do not go out to eat ever.
We go grocery shopping once a week and aside from bills that is the only money we spend.
My daughter almost didn't get summer clothes, and I was going to cut the sleeves off of her long-sleeved shirts, and the legs off of her jeans, but my wonderful mother brought over a bag of brand new summer clothes for her so that didn't have to happen.
This was not working anymore to say the least.

Sooooo, Cameron has decided to become an Air Traffic Controller.
The closest schooling for that is 2 hours away. So guess what? We're moving 2 hours away.
Byebye house.
*sniffle*
Hello apartment.
*sniffle*
And room-mate.
*sniffle sniffle*

Yep. We're renting out the house we love. Signed the lease agreement with the renters two days ago.
And we move on SATURDAY.
That's in 3 days.
3 DAYS.
Everything is happening SO fast!
We've spent the last three weeks looking for renters, creating lease agreements, looking for apartments, filling out applications, packing, filing for financial aid, registering Cam for classes, and driving up and down the 4 hour round-trip drive to the place that will be our new home.
Our first home away from our families.
It's scary.

I still don't have my license which makes it scarier, but I am working on it. Got my permit renewed (again), and I drove around our neighborhood the other day.

On top of all this, Cameron had to have emergency surgery to have his appendix taken out.
This was an ordeal in itself because he was in extreme pain for nearly 24 hours before they figured out what was wrong.
They thought we were trying to scam pain meds. =/
Not cool.

Anyway, I'm hoping to start posting more often now that I've revamped the blog. Stay tuned!