Baby Andersen #2

I haven't posted in a while. Let's just say it's been the last thing on my mind. My mind is a little busy lately. In case you haven't heard(seen the social media announcement) or read the title to this blog...
I'm pregnant! (almost 12 weeks)

aren't these pics just the cutest?? My girliefriend Ashley is so talented! Check out her etsy page: Letters By Ashley Claire. She designed our Christmas cards too.

Btw for those reading this without social media, we announced our pregnancy the day before New Years Eve in a Flipagram and you can view it here. It's a 15 second slideshow video to showcase our 2013 year in pictures. P.s. if you watch the slideshow make sure your volume is at at a reasonable level because it has music in the background =)

I am so happy to be pregnant. I just feel so thankful! When you read down below you will understand more on why. We've never tried for a baby before. (Halli was a wonderful surprise.) So I didn't really know what to expect. How long would it take? What if something went wrong? I was nervous. Life is scary when you think about it. I know it shouldn't be scary because I have faith in God and his plan for me etc. And I know that whatever happens will make me stronger but It's still scary because ANYTHING can happen. That's life. And we have to find the strength to get through whatever we are faced with.
SO here is the story of this pregnancy in journal type entries.


October 9th, 2013 {the day I got my IUD out}
We started trying for another little person to add to our family. I had already been ready to start trying for a little while before my sweet Tyler. He took a little more convincing. It helped A LOT to find out the insurance plan we have through his work covered maternity starting in 2014.

November 13th 2013
Took a positive pregnancy test yay! =) That was fast. (Too fast almost. I'd heard it can take months to get pregnant after an IUD...hmm) It's hard to say how far along I was since I only had a positive ovulation tests to go off of. IUD's make your periods pretty much non inexistent. I figured I was anywhere from 5-6 weeks.

November 16th 2013
I started bleeding =( Not spotting. Bleeding. I didn't know what to think so I prepared myself for the worst: miscarriage. {Insert sobs.} My Mom had three miscarriages and one of them required a D&C =( You never really know how hard miscarriages are until you experience one yourself. I told Tyler before we got pregnant that when I do get pregnant to remember that it is extremely possible to have a miscarriage and to almost expect it. He totally agreed and was so calm when we thought we became a miscarriage statistic. Me on the other hand was so not calm. I felt so many things at once...but mostly that I didn't expect it to hurt so much emotionally when I had been telling myself that it was bound to happen sometime in my life. I started blaming the IUD and wishing we had given my body more time to get back on schedule. My mind was endless with blames and possibilities even though I knew there was nothing to blame.

November 17th 2013
Stopped bleeding. I bled through the night and into the morning but by the evening I had stopped. I had no idea what to think still. Better to think the worst though. Is that horrible? I just didn't want to get my hopes up since I knew that bleeding that much is NOT normal.

November 19th 2013
Went to my Dr.s for them to take my blood and my hcg levels were 13,000mIU/ml. Higher than expected for someone who just had a miscarriage. Still didn't get my hopes up. Even though I had been feeling sick, extra busty and my face looked like I was going through puberty all over again.

November 21st 2013
Got my blood drawn again and my levels were over 18,000mIU/ml. The medical assistant who called with the results told me VERY nonchalantly "so Ann, it looks like you're still pregnant, we'll need you to come in again next week etc etc." I don't think she quite understood that I had been thinking i'd had a miscarriage. I still didn't want to get my hopes up...but how could I not. After I called Tyler I finally started thinking more positively. What a roller coaster of emotions!!! 

November 25th 2013
I did not bleed ONCE with Halli. So why this pregnancy? It makes me really nervous to think that I am continuing with a pregnancy that I started out bleeding with. I do not want to have a miscarriage when i'm farther along down the road. If it's going to happen i'd rather it just happen now. Is that bad to think? I have started hearing lots of stories from friends of friends who's friend's sister bled for the first trimester but still had a healthy full term baby. So it is comforting to think that i'm not alone in this. I beat the odds with Halli and my short cervix by getting to full term so why not again?

November 27th 2013
I've been nauseous every day now for a week so that's a good sign. I got my blood drawn yesterday and got the results today. My hcg levels are over 41,000mIU/ml so that's a huge increase from 5 days earlier. They estimate i'm anywhere from 6-8 weeks pregnant which makes sense because with Halli I was sick from the first day of 7 weeks. They want me to get an ultrasound next week which I am soo nervous for! But excited because it will give me a lot of peace of mind if all goes well.

December 3rd 2013
We got an ultrasound today! Everything is looking good. I held my breath until we heard the heartbeat and it was music to my ears! The only thing kind of disappointing about it was that I was only measuring 7 weeks 1 day. Due date July 21st. I thought I was farther along than that only because I knew when I was ovulating so I went off that but who knows when conception really occurred. Plus i've been sick for two weeks which is way sooner than I was with Halli. Tyler keeps reminding me every pregnancy is different when I start to compare this one with Halli's. I made sure to schedule the appointment when Tyler could come because I needed him there with me if there was no heartbeat. Halli was a wreck due to the appt being during her nap time. She laid next to me on the ultrasound table most of the appt.

140 bpm which wasn't as fast as I was expecting. Halli was 180 bpm but that was at 9 weeks. According to old wives tales, 140 bpm would mean it's a boy =) I will be happy with whatever!
My OB thinks it was a subchorionic hemorrhage that caused the bleeding because she can see remnants of it on the ultrasound. But she isn't worried since I haven't bled since and it looked like it was pretty much gone in the ultrasound. 

Decided I'd take a picture once I heard the heartbeat. I feel like i'm getting bigger faster this time around. I was about that size at 9 weeks with Halli.

December 15th 2013{9 weeks}
Still pregnant! Every day that i'm still pregnant is a miracle in my mind. I just feel so lucky.
This time around I am not so frustrated about being sick. I think I am able to handle it better than I did with Halli. Being sick every day is a reassurance that I am still pregnant. My girlfriend gave me a Sea Band to wear and I think it is really helping since I have yet to throw up. Fingers crossed that I never do! I can handle nausea. I HATE throwing up. Although maybe i'm not throwing up because it's a boy?? Who knows!


So now that i'm over 11 weeks I feel confident sharing this wonderful news with you all.
*still haven't thrown up! Fingers crossed!*

Had my 11 week appointment the other day and everything is still looking good.  The HR was 166 bpm.

I have no clue, no feeling, no inclination if it's a boy or a girl.

I want a boy because: We have the name already picked out. I at least want one boy and one girl(check!).  I would love a mini Tyler. I have a little brother close in age and Tyler has an older sister close in age. We both loved it!

I want a girl because: A little sister for Halli would be so cute and fun for her. I could dress them in matching outfits. I have all the girl clothes needed and they're in the right seasons: summer newborn, winter 6 months etc. 

Really we'll just be happy with a healthy baby!