First Trimester Recap

on June 3, 2014
in First Tri, Little One, Pregnancy

First of all…

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Thank you all so much for the well-wishes.  It is so appreciated.  In particular, I really loved the comments from people who have been reading since before K and I got married – it’s so lovely that you’ve followed my blog and my family for so long.

 

Obligatory mirror selfies shall now commence!

photo 3

They say that every pregnancy is different, and so far – that’s true for me. Round 2 is way different. Little One knocked me on my butt for a few weeks (this was a big reason why I fell off the proverbial health wagon a few months back – I just couldn’t explain it fully then). I know that, relatively speaking, my morning sickness wasn’t too bad; it’s more the exhaustion that did me in.   I took some notes on my phone so I would remember what was happening and when – here’s a few highlights (and lowlights):

 

Tested positive five days before missed period – just like I did with Henry!

5 Weeks 1 Day – Really, really bad puking and digestive symptoms.  Horrible.  Glued to the couch.  All I want is French fries and fountain drinks.

5 Weeks 5 Days – I wrote down this:  “I have serious, soul-crushing exhaustion.”

7 Weeks – Nausea and gagging.  Smells are terrible.  The full trash can is my nemesis.  Dirty diapers are my other nemesis.  Exhaustion is getting worse.  I want to nap all the time.

8 Weeks 6 Days – I luckily feel awesome on my 30th Birthday!  I cannot get over how pregnant I already look…

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9 Weeks 4 Days – I give up.  I am getting the maternity clothes out of storage.   None of my clothes fit me anymore (already?!).

10 Weeks – Insomnia is starting.  It’s strikes around 2 AM and I end up starting at the dark ceiling for 2 hours.

11 Weeks – We hear the heartbeat for the first time!  It’s amazing.  Heart is 170 BPM.

12 Weeks 4 Days – Ughhh, please go away, morning sickness.

14 Weeks – I feel SO MUCH BETTER overall.  I only gag when I brush my teeth or eat something weird (like a mealy apple – gross).  And I’ve noticed that I don’t usually get insomnia on the days that I work out. So… that’s a good reason to exercise!

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Here’s one thing that is the same about this pregnancy:  I stopped running with Henry at 16 weeks, and I’m thinking the end is near for this baby, too.  Running is getting more and more challenging. I don’t mind going slowly (and taking a lot of walking breaks); the real trouble begins after I’m done. Running knocks me on my ass. I did 4.5 miles on Friday, and I was so exhausted by that evening that I went to bed at 8:45 PM.

 

I was SUPER proud of myself for Saturday’s 1 mile open water swim, and swimming is a lot more fun overall because I don’t ‘pay’ for it later.  I’m going to switch to mostly swimming for my cardio workouts after this weekend…   I swam until two days before I delivered Henry, so I know that it’s a workout that can last me through the duration of pregnancy, assuming everything else stays normal.

 

Some FAQs…

 

I thought I’d answer some of the questions that I got in the announcement post / things that I bet people are wondering!

 

How did you tell Kristien / Does Henry know?

 

I told Kristien by making Henry this shirt!

photo 1

He came over from work and played with Henry for a few minutes before noticing.  He was super shocked and excited.  I recorded it just like I did when I told him about Henry.  I love those videos!  He gives me the best “OMG” face both times.

 

And yes, Henry knows!  I’ve been telling him since Day 1.  I have no idea if he really knows what going on, but he’s much more into little babies now when we see them at the store, etc.  Occasionally, when I say, “Mommy is going to have a baby!” he pouts and says, “Henry da baby!” Awwww…

 

Are you going to find out the sex of this baby?

 

Yes, we are definitely waiting.  I wrote out the reasons why we wait (and the drawbacks) in this post.  We really loved not knowing Henry’s sex until birth and cannot wait to experience that again.  I have no real premonitions of whether this baby is a boy or a girl, and I have zero preferences.  I think it would be pretty amazing either way – I think Henry would enjoy a brother, and I like being a mom to a son, so another boy would be great.  And a girl would be fun, too, just in other ways.  I don’t take healthy babies for granted, so that’s all that I’m focusing on.

 

Are you going to do the Bradley Method again?

 

(Just an FYI: Bradley Method is a technique for a drug-free childbirth – here’s my Pre-Birth Review and my Post-Birth Review.  Bradley totally “worked” for me as I had the drug-free delivery that I wanted.)  Yes, I am going to do Bradley again.  We are not going to do the classes again because we simply don’t have the time, but I’m going to read all my books and ‘study’ the method again.  I enjoyed my birth experience overall and would love it if this baby was basically a repeat (although the pushing stage could go a little faster, please and thank you).

 

What does this mean for the blog?

 

With Henry, I did weekly updates.  I mostly used the updates as a way to address a variety of parenting topics that were on my mind as a first-timer, so I don’t think I’m going to rehash the weekly updates – I’m not sure that I’ll have anything new to say about pregnancy/parenting every week!  Maybe I’ll do an update every two or three weeks?  We shall see!  I guess it also depends on what you guys want – I know some of you would like the more frequent updates and others would rather skip it.  Personally, I enjoy reading other bloggers’ weekly updates even if it’s just “this is how big I am!” pictures, but I’m in a mommy stage of life so…

 

How do you feel about going from 1 child to 2?

 

We are really happy. Obviously, this pregnancy was very much wanted.  I do feel strange about going from 1 kid to 2 because I am an only child. I have no frame of reference in my own childhood about what it will be like.  I mostly worry about stupid stuff, like how we will do bedtime.  But I try to balance that out by thinking about the kids growing up together – taking family vacations and playing in the backyard during the summer and rowdy dinners at home.  In general, I think that 2 kids will be CRAZY FUN.  

 

Hey, can I have that cake recipe? / Oh man, I thought the double layer meant twins!

cake

It’s Betty Crocker’s gluten free yellow cake mix – two boxes, the top dyed pink and the bottom dyed blue.  And sorry that I psyched some people out regarding twins with the double layer – haha! I didn’t even think of that.  And actually, we haven’t had an ultrasound yet, so I guess anything is possible… Twins would be ironic considering that I April Fools the Husband into thinking that was the case!

 

Just for fun:

 

Henry’s Pregnancy Announcement

Henry’s ‘All the Baby Details’ Post

All of Henry’s pregnancy updates

Henry’s Birth Story

 

For the other moms -  Did you run through your pregnancy?  Were your more tired with subsequent pregnancies? How did you feel about going from 0 to 1 and from 1 to 2?

{ 106 comments }

 

  • Beth June 3, 2014, 7:29 am

    I hope some mom’s chime in with experience going from 0 to 1. I’m anxious about it, and would like to hear some experiences!!

    Congrats again!! You threw me, because there were a few posts about wine! Also, I vote for weekly updates!

  • Regina June 3, 2014, 7:34 am

    I love weekly updates, especially for the pictures! It’s fun to see how other peoples pregnancies are and sort of follow along on the journey. I actually read your updates and pictures throughout both my pregnancies.

    I ran until I was 33 weeks pregnant with my first son. Then it was just more comfortable to walk (and he was an August baby and the heat sucked). With my second son I ran until 22weeks when I was put on bed rest for preterm labor. I was exhausted with both pregnancies and had horrible morning sickness both times. With my 2nd I was throwing up through 17 weeks and nauseous 24/7 and even puked at 22 weeks. It was so bad I ended up in the er once for leaking keytons. We were so excited to have another children and blessed that we got pregnant easily. However it was rough physically to care for my toddler while puking my guts out. I couldn’t sleep when I was exhausted without having a toddler crawl all over me, ride his toys over my body and stick his fingers in my eyes, mouth and nose laughing hysterically. The further along we got the more I started freaking out about not having as much time and attention to give to our oldest. But I’ve always known he was meant to be a big brother. Even in labor I thought about him and how much I missed him. I wondered if I could ever love anyone like I love him. And then I became a mom of 2 and just like the first time, my heart melted and I was consumed with an unexplainable, incalculable, unconditional love. And watching my oldest as a big brother makes my love for him grow even more. He loves his little brother! Sometimes it’s overwhelming, when both kids are screaming because they’re hungry or tired, when both simultaneously have poopy diapers, when I just got the baby to sleep but he’s nursing and moving him will result in death screams and of course the toddler just woke up or when the baby had 7 wake up calls during the night and just finally fell into a peaceful slumber 15 minutes ago and it’s now 5am and the toddler is ready to go for the day despite the fact you can barely open your eyeballs. But really, it’s the greatest thing in the world to be a mama of 2 and watch your children interact with one another. And of course as they grow up it gets better and easier.

    Congratulations again!

  • Amy @ForDGRedial June 3, 2014, 7:36 am

    Early sickness and early showing…twins sounds potentially very possible…

  • Jenny June 3, 2014, 7:37 am

    Congratulations, Boyle family!!!!!! I don’t often comment, but I love reading the blog. So happy and excited for you 🙂 My kids are 3.5 and 20 months now, and before my second was born, I constantly fluctuated between two big fears: how I was going to love another baby as much as I loved my son and if having a baby was going to take away from my relationship with him. A wonderful woman told me that she had felt the same way, but as soon as her daughter was born her heart doubled 🙂 So reassuring, and so, so true.

  • Mia June 3, 2014, 7:40 am

    You look absolutely beautiful! I personally love all the updates and posts, so as far as I’m concerned, you can do whatever is best for you! I do like seeing bump picture update comparisons to show the difference between Henry and this baby, bump wise.
    Im right with you at 14 weeks and just over the past week and a half have a bump that is official. My husband can notice and close friends notice it, but strangers probably can’t tell. All I know is that only running shorts, dresses, and maxi skirts fit. I’ve purchased tons of long tanks and a new swimsuit so far.
    For exercise, I haven’t run since getting pregnant due to some other issues, but hopefully I get cleared at my OB appointment this Friday for light jogging and jumping…..not that my endurance is there anymore. Oh well, healthy baby please! 🙂

  • Angela @ Eat Spin Run Repeat June 3, 2014, 7:40 am

    Congratulations again Caitlin! I’m so excited for you and your family! You’re always so creative with reveals of big surprises and I love the story about Henry’s shirt. I am always impressed by your ability to blog with a family to look after, so even if your post frequency drops I will still enjoy each and every one! 🙂

  • genna June 3, 2014, 7:41 am

    Congrats! I absolutely love the cake! I love the shirt and sorry to ehar running just wipes you out!

  • Annie June 3, 2014, 7:41 am

    Congrats to you three! Very exciting! I jogged through my first until about 32 weeks and then it was just uncomfortable. I am pregnant with my second (13 weeks along…they’ll be 15 months apart!) and am hoping to do the same. Also I’m so excited to go to two kiddos, but absolutely terrified as well! Congrats again!

  • Beth June 3, 2014, 7:45 am

    Congratulations to your sweet family! I have been reading your blog from the beginning and have really enjoyed following! With my first pregnancy I ran through 16 weeks (she is 2.5 now) and with my second I ran through 25 weeks (she is 4 months). I felt way different the second time arosimilar to your experience; I showed super early, lots of sickness, but in the evening through 20 weeks or so and was way more exhausted with #2. I really think the exhaustion was just keeping up with Livie and really not having time to rest and take naps like with my first.

    Having two kids under two is wild and so much fun! Everyone wants something from you at the same time and it can be a little stressful at times, but watching the two grow together is worth it! I too was an only child so having two and watching sisters is truly an amazing experience for me. Also, they say hat #2 can come really quickly and they sure do – My water broke at 8 am, arrived at the hospital at 9 am and had sweet baby girl at 10:44 am! I also had two natural births following hypnobirthing and all was awesome – love the entire child births experience so much (yes, I am crazy, ha)! Enjoy the ride and I can’t wait to hear all about it!

  • Elsa H June 3, 2014, 7:49 am

    Such exciting news! I was wondering if this would happen soon . Personally I like reading other bloggers pregnancy updates – I love seeing those bumps grow!

    I ran until about 16 weeks as well – mainly because I just didn’t feel comfortable anymore.

    I’m looking forward to reading all your updates!

  • Rachel June 3, 2014, 7:55 am

    Congrats again! I’ve been reading since the “See Bride Run” days. I have twins about the same age as Henry and am due with our 3rd in January. I am so excited to follow along with your 2nd pregnancy. I’m only 7 weeks right now, but the exhaustion is killing me. It is so much harder with 2 kids at home!

  • Elizabeth {Positively Healthy} June 3, 2014, 7:57 am

    So excited just reading this post!! I am so excited for you!! I make that GF cake all the time and LOVE the Betty Crocket mix! 🙂

  • Tara June 3, 2014, 8:06 am

    Congrats! Having two is seriously so much fun (a lot of work, yes, but totally worth every second)!

    My second pregnancy was definitely harder on my body. I “popped” very early on the second time too, so even though we didn’t announce it until 14 weeks, anyone that saw me knew I was pregnant! I was definitely more tired with my second and it took me until about 20 weeks for the nausea to subside. It also took me longer to recover postpartum, but I feel like I was a lot happier postpartum in all other areas because we’d been through it before. We had a confidence that we were missing the first time around!

    The biggest challenge for me going from one kiddo to two was how my firstborn would react. He had 2.5 years of being the center of our world. Bringing home his baby brother would mean so much change for him. The first couple of weeks were really hard, because although he loved the baby right away he definitely knew he wasn’t getting as much attention and that was rough on all of us. Thankfully we all adjusted and by a month in, we found our rhythm and couldn’t imagine not being a family of four! The best part is now they are older (17 months and almost 4) is the playing together. They totally love each other and are two very rambunctious boys! I love it!! It’s very cool to see your first baby grow into the big brother role and look out for his younger sibling. It makes me so proud! : )

  • Leanne June 3, 2014, 8:06 am

    Fellow only child and the thought of two FREAKED ME OUT! I didn’t understand how I could love two babies as much as I loved our first. I couldn’t wrap my head around the concept of siblings. Mine are currently almost 21 months and four months. (Yes, I’m crazy!) I also couldn’t wrap my head around stuff like bedtime, napping, and all the crap I was going to need to lug around for 2 under 2.

    Four months in and it’s nowhere near as crazy as I anticipated. My daughter looooves her baby brother and always wants to “help”. I’m sure Henry will be the same way from what I read on your blog. I’ve also learned that two children with the same parents can be opposites in so many ways! My daughter was a high maintenance baby- she had acid reflux, always wanted to be engaged, and was an awesome sleeper. My son is Mr. Chill, eats like a piggy, and is up every two hours at night because he’s hungry. There are days I want to tear my hair out and fall into bed at night without changing my clothes or getting a shower but the majority of my days are spent in awe of these two little people I helped create! Congratulations and best of luck!

  • Brittany (Healthy Slice of Life) June 3, 2014, 8:15 am

    WAHOO! Of course being in the mommy phase of life, I love pregnancy/mommy updates too 🙂
    I can tell you I’m only two weeks into the two kids thing, but it’s wonderful. I’m so excited for you! <3

  • Abby June 3, 2014, 8:21 am

    Such an exciting time! I didn’t run through my pregnancies. I did a lot of biking, swimming, and hiking though. And also for my 2nd I did yoga which I contribute my having a vaginal birth after caesarean to. For the tiredness I think I remember being more tired with my first. I think it’s because I had more time to think about it :). I have 2 girls 17 months a part. During the time of my second I was watching a 7-12 month old too! Going from 0-1 was an exciting time as was 1-2. Everybody kept saying how hard it would be going 1-2. I have to say it didn’t really make an impact for me until maybe a little later when #2 started crawling and moving. And I can say I have a skewed outlook since I do in home daycare. After my 2nd I took a few months off then took on 5 month old twin boys! It made having 2 look super easy! 😉

  • Mary June 3, 2014, 8:27 am

    Sending love from Canada! I’ve been a reader since May 2009, and LOVE following your story. Even my husband will sometimes jokingly ask, “so what was HTP up to this week?” And I’m all “ya, I don’t know…” to which he says, “ya right, you do too!”

    Congrats again! I have a 9 month old and ran through to 30 weeks pregnant. I think scheduling exercise while pregnant is much trickier with a toddler running around!

    I think you’ll be good going from 1-2 kids, I always hear that 0-1 is the hardest 🙂

    • Caitlin June 3, 2014, 9:08 am

      Hahahha thank you!

  • Jillian @ Reshape Your Life June 3, 2014, 8:38 am

    I love pregnancy posts! Maybe it’s because I’m pregnant, but I would love to read weekly posts, even if it is just bump pictures and a rundown of how your feeling!

    I also have a question, if you don’t mind answering, you announced so early with Henry, is there a reason you waited this time around?

    • Caitlin June 3, 2014, 9:07 am

      I had early ultrasounds with Henry because of bleeding so I felt confident about announcing early on. I think this time around just felt different because we still haven’t seen the baby. So I waited until the second trimester.

      • Jillian @ Reshape Your Life June 3, 2014, 11:27 am

        Totally understandable. We didn’t go public until 12 weeks even though we had an ultrasound at 8 weeks (just because I’m a worrier) and everything looked good. 🙂 I’m also trying to get as few ultrasounds as possible, we’re team green too and I’m so worried we’ll accidentally find out or the tech will slip!

        • Caitlin June 3, 2014, 12:33 pm

          Yay Team Green!!! Congrats 🙂

  • Katy @ KatyHaveYouHurd June 3, 2014, 8:57 am

    When you found out you were pregnant with Henry, my husband and I had just started trying for our first. It was really awesome to watch you go through your pregnancy and hoping that I would be there soon too! Our son (he’s also Henry!) was born almost exactly 1 year after your Henry. While I’m not quite ready, my husband is anxious for Baby #2! I would love to hear about how this pregnancy is different from your first and how you feel physically and emotionally compared to the first time around. Also, I would love to hear about how you’re preparing for two children. I’m also an only child so I really don’t know what life is like with two kids! I’m looking so forward to your posts! Thanks for sharing 🙂

  • Jackie June 3, 2014, 8:59 am

    I love weekly updates! Would love to hear yours!

  • Colleen June 3, 2014, 9:03 am

    We were more nervous about going from 0-1 kid and 2-3 kids then 1-2 kids. Strange I know. But with the first child you have absolutely no idea what is going on, so when #2 comes along the fears aren’t there (besides going from tag-team to man-to-man with parenting) and you have twice the fun. When we went from 2-3 kids it got scary because they were out numbering us (zone defense all the time), but it was been great. A little part of me wishes my daughter had a sister (a #4) to play with, but that feeling is gone in no time when I think about only having two more months of daycare experiences left (after 8.5 years) and the activities and adventures we are able to do now that the kids are older.

  • Bobbie June 3, 2014, 9:21 am

    Congrats again! I loved reading your little updates about how you were feeling those first weeks.
    Well, I am not going to lie..going from 1 to 2 is hard at first. Of course we accidentally went from 1 to 2 in a year! oops! So I had a 1 year-old and a newborn. This was rough but we all adjusted and now we have 3!
    I will just say that there is a HUGE difference between having 1 child and more than one child. However, just like anything else you get used to it and you don’t think much about it after the initial adjustment. I wouldn’t change having my 3 girls for ANYTHING!
    As for running during pregnancy, I was never a fan. It was hard for me from the start. I stuck with the elliptical and walking during my pregnancies. Good luck to you and I hope it’s smooth sailing from here!

  • Nikki June 3, 2014, 9:29 am

    Congratulations!!! I love the weekly updates – it is fun to follow along!

  • Carlee B June 3, 2014, 9:35 am

    Yay! Congrats, so excited to see this! Our son, Gregory will be 2 in July and we aren’t ready to start trying yet, but I can’t wait till we are. So it will be fun to see how everything goes for you and your family. I did end up being able to run through my whole pregnancy; Gregory was born on a Saturday and my last 3 miler was the Thursday before. I hope to be able to when we have a 2nd; Gregory loves the jogging stroller, so that piece of the puzzle would fall into place.

    Also, I am an only child too, so I totally get what you are saying about a frame of reference. It’s one of my biggest curiosities and (sometimes) worries.

  • Amber @ Busy, Bold, Blessed June 3, 2014, 9:44 am

    I’m not doing the baby thing yet, but I still love your pregnancy updates! I’m trying to learn as much as I can beforehand haha.

  • Julie June 3, 2014, 9:46 am

    I am 14 weeks but stopped running at 9. I hadn’t been running much this year and decided that the build-up can wait. I’ve been active most days, though!

    We are also not finding out the sex. I love to speculate, though!

  • Sarah Anne June 3, 2014, 9:48 am

    I am SO excited for you guys! Congratulations! I am a long time reader but a bit of a lurker, and your last pregnancy and birth was so inspiring for me! I am a new birth doula and I am on class 4 of the Bradley Method and LOVE it. I am excited for your new journey! Thanks for sharing it with us all!

  • Joey June 3, 2014, 9:51 am

    Couldn’t be more thrilled for you and your family! Love these last two posts!!! Can’t wait to continue reading about the pregnancy. <3

  • Sarah LJ June 3, 2014, 9:55 am

    I am pregnant with my second one and am sooooooooo tired, too! I was exhausted during the first trimester and slowly got strength/energy back. However, I am in the third trimester again and the tiredness is coming back. Good luck with Baby #2! It’s an exciting time!

  • Kwithme June 3, 2014, 10:04 am

    Congratulations! Everything is going to be fine going from one to 2. I think the best way to approach it is to pick the best solution (to what ever issue) for the whole family. My second took alot of naps in the living room because it took too much time to put her down in her crib and my 3 yr old wanted some attention, too.

    The other thing that will be weird is the season difference. I have kids born in Nov and June. My second was at the park at two weeks old because I was not keeping my 3 year old from being able to play outside. For you it will be the reverse, fortunately your winters are not as harsh as our northern ones.

    Congrats!

    • Caitlin June 3, 2014, 12:38 pm

      Oh I know!! I have thought a lot about the seasons. On one hand I am glad we will be trapped inside anyways but i am scared of Henry feeling stir crazy and of course cold and flu season.

  • Lauren @ alovelysideproject June 3, 2014, 10:09 am

    Congrats again Caitlin!!!! I’ve been reading your blog for some time. Love the positive energy. Couldn’t be happier for you or your family.

    xo, Lauren
    http://www.alovelysideproject.com

  • Chrissy June 3, 2014, 10:12 am

    Just went from 1 to 2. A lot less nausea with the second, a lot more tired. But I was able to be a lot more physically active this time around. I gained the same amount of weight with both, but it came off way easier with #2. I am 5 months postpartum, and was down to my prebaby weight at 3 months. Still nursing too. I ran the whole time, and did a half marathon when my new one was 14 weeks.

    • Caitlin June 3, 2014, 12:37 pm

      Dude you are amazing! You are my inspiration!

  • Jade June 3, 2014, 10:14 am

    The exhaustion is the worst and unlike #1 you can’t sleep when YOU want to because there is another little body to look after! We have major mommy issues with #1 so I’m very scared to how he will react when #2 gets here even though we talk about it, i know he doesn’t really understand. With #1, I ran until week 20, this time I made it to about 24 and now I get too jarring of sciatic pain so I’m stopping. I don’t know how others make it right until birth!

    • Caitlin June 3, 2014, 12:36 pm

      We have major mommy issues with Henry too. Which is cute and nice now but I worry about it later… Like when he won’t let anyone but me hold him, take him out of his car seat, read his books etc. you should check out ahealthysliceoflife.com today. She had a post about how she talks to her newborn about her toddler and it makes a lot of sense!

  • Kathleen Ojo @ My Ojos June 3, 2014, 10:15 am

    Congratulations! You were pregnant at the same time I was (Henry is 6 weeks older than my Amaliya) so following your blog at that time was really special to me… and now reading this post gives me total deja vu! No #2 for me though…. yet. I hope you update us regularly. I’m very much in the mama stage of life too, so I love all things pregnancy/baby! Plus you always have such a healthy, balanced approach to things. So happy for you!

  • Ashley June 3, 2014, 10:24 am

    Oh man, I feel you on the second pregnancy! Your recap is exactly what I experienced, only my morning sickness actually peaked around weeks 14-18 (yuck). So glad things are going well for you! We didn’t find out with our first and don’t plan to with this one, either. People think we’re nuts, but I love not knowing. Team Green forever!

    PS I worry about bedtime too.

  • Morgan June 3, 2014, 10:45 am

    Exhaustion was killer for me during the first half of pregnancy. I switched from running to walking/eliptical almost from day one because of exactly what you described but around 20 weeks I had a huge surge of energy and was able to get back into running for the next 10 weeks. After that I had to stop for fear of peeing my pants 🙂 Congratulations!

  • Kristina June 3, 2014, 10:53 am

    As a longtime reader, I am SO damn excited for you. <3 Congrats!

  • Megan (The Lyons' Share) June 3, 2014, 11:34 am

    Just wanted to say that I’m so happy for you! Have been a long time reader (2010?) and have loved your journey. Also recently listened to your Inspiration with Val podcast (a bit late, I know) and for some reason was thinking about whether you’d be expanding the family soon! Congrats!!!

    • Caitlin June 3, 2014, 12:34 pm

      I think I said something about my “children” in that podcast. The moment I said it, I was like OOPS! LOL 🙂 thanks for reading!

  • Lekki Frazier-Wood June 3, 2014, 11:43 am

    Congratulations 🙂 I would LOVE frequent updates. Even if it is rehashing old material – I soak mummy stuff up like a sponge 🙂 You look amazing and I hope you feel as good as you look very soon. Oh – just curious why you waited 14 weeks to announce, but 9 with Henry? Sorry if that is nosy…

    • Caitlin June 3, 2014, 12:32 pm

      It’s not nosy 🙂 I had early ultrasounds with H so I felt more comfortable announcing early. I waited until the traditional second Tri marker with this baby since we haven’t had an ultrasound.

  • Cecily June 3, 2014, 11:55 am

    First of all, congrats on the new addition! I would love love love to see as many baby updates as possible! I completely understand that you’ll have less to talk about/less time in general for the updates, but I loved traveling through Henry’s birth story and would love to follow along with this one too! 🙂

  • Jessi June 3, 2014, 12:07 pm

    Caitlin! I am just so excited for you guys. This is incredible. I rarely comment but I just wanted to say congratulations.

    I started reading your blog when I was 16 years old and in my junior year of high school. I’ve read your blog through my high school graduation, all of my college years, my college graduation and my transition into full-time employment as an engaged woman. You motivated me to be an active college student – I achieved my best fitness ever during college! In high school I was sluggish and never exercised, I’ve since trained for and won a fews 5ks and completed a half marathon! My fiancé and I are aiming to run a full marathon during our first year of marriage.

    It’s hard to believe that I’ve been reading your blog since I was just a kid and I’m now where you were when I first started reading – a young college graduate who is about to get married! I can only hope that my life will follow the same lovely pattern yours has, and I’m so thankful that you’ve recorded your experiences for me to have a reference on how to stay healthy as a newlywed and eventually as a first-time mom! Thanks for sharing life with us!!!

    • Caitlin June 3, 2014, 12:31 pm

      Awww this is so sweet!!! Thanks for reading for so long. It really means a lot to me. Congrats on your wedding!

  • Kim June 3, 2014, 12:10 pm

    Congratulations! I had the same reservations about going from 1 to 2 since I grew up as an only child. But it isn’t so bad. You’re a seasoned pro when it comes to babies so you’ll have a much easier (and relaxed!) time with your second. No more first time mom freak-outs. The challenge (at least for me) was caring for my toddler. She went from being the only to now sharing attention with a baby. Dad’s main duty was to spend quality time with the big kid while I worked on getting settled with the new baby. And after awhile, you fall into a routine and everything works out… even bedtime. 🙂

    Funny that you’re showing already – the same thing happened to me. I actually thought I was just gaining weight and didn’t even think I could be pregnant!

  • Ingunn June 3, 2014, 12:11 pm

    I’m 25 weeks along with my first now, and I had to stop running around 20 weeks because of round ligament pain. I’ve kept hiking though, and hope to continue doing so, but now I have SPD…a maternity support belt really helps when I walk (it might help you too if you want to try to keep running for longer, or just take the weight off once in a while, I got the Gabrialla one), but then I can’t really walk the rest of the day! It’s definitely making me wonder about having more children, since going through this while taking care of a toddler would be difficult. Then again, I don’t know for sure that it would happen again.

  • Stephanie @ Whole Health Dork June 3, 2014, 12:58 pm

    Love all the details! It seems like more exhausting than the first time around? I’m guessing because this time you also have to chase after a toddler! How long did you hide it from family and friends if you were showing so early (or did you just wear bigger clothes?)?
    Congrats, again! Can’t wait to follow along!

  • Stacy June 3, 2014, 1:14 pm

    I don’t have babies yet, but I love, love, love the weekly updates.

    Please do them!
    Stacy

  • Lisa June 3, 2014, 1:36 pm

    Aw, I am just so happy for you! I’m glad to hear you are going to be surprised. I am due in Aug with my first and we aren’t finding out the sex either. As of now I have no intuitions of what this baby will be, and like you said it’s all about the health of the baby.

    I’m a little nervous and excited, we start our bradley classes tonight.

    I loved reading your weekly updates with Henry and would love if you continued them with this pregnancy. From what I have heard, each one is different.

  • Kinnereth June 3, 2014, 1:43 pm

    Yay!!!! I was out of town and didn’t see the original announcement! I have been loving your blog for about a year now 🙂 I am expecting our first child in December (29th) and we are going to wait to find out the sex of the baby. I am starting to notice how gender specific SOO much baby stuff is! It is hard to find stuff that is neutral. Congrats again!

  • Dominique June 3, 2014, 2:13 pm

    Just wanted to say congrats again. And from my partner’s standpoint, he’s an only child and the only thing he sort of regrets is not having a sibling–especially when he spent hours playing with GI Joes by himself lol. I’m sure Henry will be a wonderful older brother. I can’t wait to read more about your updates whether weekly or otherwise.

  • Stephanie C June 3, 2014, 2:23 pm

    I kinda wished you would continue weekly recaps. I’m in my first trimester and it would be nice to follow along. I’m hoping this morning sickness ends soon.

    • Caitlin June 3, 2014, 2:24 pm

      Feel better soon! Have you tried SeaBands? They really worked for me.

  • Breanne June 3, 2014, 2:36 pm

    Congratulations again! Maybe it’s something in the air, but with a couple other friends that have just announced pregnancies they got hit with SERIOUS exhaustion this time too. Glad you’re already feeling better!

    I love reading updates, so however often you’d like I’m happy to read. 🙂

    How soon did your bump “pop” – right around that maternity clothes note? It definitely seems sooner than with Henry (though I hear that’s usually the case with 2nd babies).

    • Caitlin June 3, 2014, 2:43 pm

      Like 8 weeks, I think – I have a pretty noticeable bump in that birthday picture. I mean, not so much that a stranger would think I was pregnancy (I dont’ even think that would happen now necessarily unless I was wearing the right shirt), but enough for me to notice.

  • Caitlin P. June 3, 2014, 2:46 pm

    I hope you continue with your post updates, posts on having a second, and really anything you’re willing to share! It really has been so wonderful to follow you for years and babies are the best! Congrats again 🙂

  • Lauren June 3, 2014, 2:47 pm

    We’re in the midst of going from 1 -2 now too, and I’m so worried about bedtime! haha..Oh, and losing all the routines we have set up now. My 23 month old takes really long naps on the weekends, those will no longer be mommy nap times too, right?

  • Angie June 3, 2014, 2:48 pm

    Yay you for not finding out gender in advance! We have 4 kids, including a surprise bonus baby 10 years younger than the oldest, and we never found out in advance.

    I only started running after my 3rd was born. Since #4 was a surprise, I had already signed up for some races. So I trained for and did a half marathon (very slowly) at 26 weeks. And then ran maybe twice afterwards 🙂

    I think each pregnancy and addition to the family had its own challenges. I will note that I was just really really tired during all but my first pregnancy because I had to take care of the other kids while growing one inside me. In my opinion, the second trimester “burst of energy” only really happens during the first pregnancy.

    Going from 1-2 was emotionally challenging because of my 2.5 year old “only child” having the attention taken away. The closest I think I came to postpartum depression was after #3 where I had been on bed rest for 16 weeks and was just physically drained by labor and parenting 3 kids. Adding #4 (the only one with severe food sensitivities, leading me to an almost 2 year extreme elimination diet) was hard because I was working and trying to ferry 3 kids to their activities while dealing with a newborn. I guess what I’m saying is that it’s never as easy or as hard as you think it will be…

    Congratulations and hope the morning/all day sickness stays gone.

  • Lara June 3, 2014, 3:09 pm

    I’m excited to follow your journey with #2! Congrats again!

  • Aishah June 3, 2014, 3:37 pm

    You are beautiful and glowing 🙂 Your blog makes me so happy. I’m SO excited for the rest of your pregnancy news and especially excited to hear about Henry as a big brother. His “Henry da baby” pout killed me… too cute! Do you worry about him getting jealous? He’s such a sweetheart and I know he is going to be the sweetest big brother- just look at how much he loves his fur-siblings 🙂 My friends who have kids told me the second one was hard only because they panicked about not being able to love another baby as much as their first. Do you feel that? FYI- they always end up being absolutely in love with both 🙂 I’m sure it’s every mom’s worry during the second pregnancy. So excited for your family!!! <3

    • Caitlin June 3, 2014, 4:22 pm

      I do feel that. I have been reading a lot about the ‘can you love your second one as much as your first?’ and it seems like the overall consensus is that your heart multiples, not divides. I guess it’s just hard to imagine because I love Henry so much!! I do worry about him getting jealous but I think he’ll do okay – we are going to start him into preschool so he’ll have some big boy activities to occupy himself with, and hopefully, when he is home, we can have some mommy-henry alone time still. I am sure he will adjust – after a month or two, he’ll forget he was ever alone!! LOL

  • Theresa June 3, 2014, 4:19 pm

    Congratulations! I am so excited for you and your beautiful, growing family!! I love all the baby/pregnancy/family posts so keep them coming! Yours was one of the first blogs I started following (found via Operation Beautiful) and I adore it! You’re such an inspiration. Congrats again! I love the way you announced too 🙂

    • Caitlin June 3, 2014, 4:22 pm

      Thanks 🙂 🙂

  • Jen June 3, 2014, 4:36 pm

    Congrats!!! Best wishes for a healthy pregnancy and baby!!!

    With your Henry pregnancy, I loved when you would post side by side comparisons of different pregnancy weeks. It was fun to see the changes. I think it would be fun if you did that this time around, but also if you compared how you look this time with how you looked with Henry for the same week. (For example, Week 24 with Henry next to Week 24 with the new baby).

    Again, congrats and best wishes!!

  • Lauren @ Focused To Be Fit June 3, 2014, 4:51 pm

    This is so exciting and you have the cutest bump! I remember following the first pregnancy, I’ll be curious to see how this one is different for you.

  • Jessica R June 3, 2014, 4:55 pm

    I ran until 29/30 weeks pregnant. I am now 35 and a few days. I really hoped to make it to the end but my body had different ideas. I got really slow and couldn’t go as far but I was really happy to be out there. Running is my favorite form of exercise so that’s probably why I stuck with it as long as I did. If I swam before getting pregnant I probably would have done more of that.

  • Dana June 3, 2014, 5:21 pm

    Glad to hear you’re feeling better! I’m 10 weeks with my second and I’m exhausted. So so so exhausted. Definitely feeling more tired and nauseous.

    My biggest fear is how I can share my love and making sure my son still knows how much I love him.

    I ran some with my son, but I mostly did CrossFit. I worked out until delivery!

  • Amber K June 3, 2014, 5:32 pm

    I’m still impressed that you’re patient enough wait to find out the sex. I’m just not like that at all!

  • AshinMT June 3, 2014, 6:22 pm

    First, Congrats!
    Second, this is totally selfish but please do weekly or at least regular updates? I am almost twelve weeks with my first- really terrified and not sure where to start with research. I have been reading girlfriends guide and a weekly book I received from my doctor- but am curious about methods (ie: bradley) etc and am not totally sure where to start/sift through.

    Ha. Your old posts have been helpful, as have BERF ones. Regardless, psyched to read about your journey as I work on mine 🙂

    • Caitlin June 3, 2014, 7:25 pm

      Congrats 🙂 🙂

  • Rachel W June 3, 2014, 7:47 pm

    Congrats! We share a due date!!! December 1st… But this is my 3rd. Just like the first two Ive been soooooo sick and have to cover over pics of your food. : ) HA! But starting to feel a bit better now that I hit 14 weeks.

    CONGRATS again… excited to follow along.

    • Caitlin June 4, 2014, 7:50 am

      Congrats 🙂 Sorry you are so sick!!!

  • Lori June 3, 2014, 8:30 pm

    Congratulations!!!!!!!!! I don’t know if I have ever commented on a post, but I have followed your blog for probably 3 or 4 years. My first son was born 4 months after yours and I loved reading about your pregnancy since I was just a few months behind. I am currently 14 weeks pregnant with my second too!! My due date is Dec 3rd!! I hope you do weekly preg posts again!! 🙂

  • coco June 3, 2014, 8:36 pm

    Congrats Catlin! So happy for you!
    Could you also share how you planned for this pregnancy? did you have any particular gap between Henry and this next one? was getting pregnant easy?

    • Caitlin June 4, 2014, 7:50 am

      I wanted to wait until around the 2 year mark, and I wanted to do the Half Ironman first. Getting pregnant was thankfully easy, as it was with Henry. We are very grateful!!!

  • Emma June 3, 2014, 9:16 pm

    So excited to follow along this time! I didn’t find your blog till Henry was almost born. Keep those cute bump pictures comin’!

  • Beth June 3, 2014, 9:46 pm

    Congrats! i just announced my pregnancy on my blog today as well!

    • Caitlin June 4, 2014, 7:49 am

      Congrats beth!!!

  • Runner Girl Eats June 3, 2014, 9:48 pm

    Congrats!!! So happy for your growing family. Can’t wait to follow along!

  • Cathy June 4, 2014, 1:59 am

    So excited! The more updates the better!
    I especially like to hear about your workouts while pregnant since that’d be important to me when i start having babies 🙂

  • Laura Ann June 4, 2014, 9:06 am

    Congratulations! I love how your family is always adding new animals and humans. 🙂 When you wrote about that week of falling off the healthy eating bandwagon, I was totally hoping an announcement was near!
    Just curious – have you thought of trying a different childbirth class for the sake of comparison? We just started week one of Hypnobabies (born out of Hypnobirthing, Bradley, and some other techniques), and we both love it. Would be so interesting to read about your take on it.. I hear what you are saying about schedule though. It is definitely a time commitment.
    Also – going through my own pregnancy now, I often refer to your old weekly preggo updates. Love them!

    • Caitlin June 4, 2014, 2:08 pm

      Probably not… just because of childcare/timing issues. Also, I don’t think Hypnobabies is “for me.” I’m just not the kind of person that can get all into my mental space like that. I feel like me doing hypnobirthing would be a terrible failure!!! LOL Congrats on your pregnancy and I hope you get the delivery you want!!

  • Heathers Looking Glass June 4, 2014, 9:20 am

    Congrats! I have been struggling with running and I am 23 weeks. I have TERRIBLE round ligament pain when I run, then I also pay after for 24 hours with lots of soreness, and like you, I am utterly exhausted all afternoon if I run in the morning, so I have been run/walking, powerwalking, and on the stationary bike mainly!

  • Ali June 4, 2014, 10:02 am

    I couldn’t run through my pregnancy either. The round ligament pains were horrendous when I would run and they started early on. I’m hoping I can run a little longer my second pregnancy, but we’ll see. Congrats again!

  • Ali June 4, 2014, 10:13 am

    Wow – I haven’t been around in a bit and I sure missed this announcement! Wow, congratulations! So exciting! I followed your previous journey with Henry as I was trying to get pregnant for about 6 months before you announced your first pregnancy. We’re still working on it but have been faced with fertility struggles. I guess, from this point of view, I’d like to see weekly updates, but maybe not on the same page (I think Oh She Glows has been doing an amazing job with combining the baby and the blog). I have had to stop reading a number of healthy living blogs because the baby/kid stuff really smacks you in the face and it can really affect the positive attitude I’m trying to keep up. It’s nice to be able to choose when to see that stuff when you come to a blog hoping for healthy living tips. Just my two cents. Congrats again!

    • Caitlin June 4, 2014, 11:46 am

      I’m so sorry about your fertility struggles… I’m sending you positive vibes.

  • Rebecca June 4, 2014, 11:25 am

    YAY!
    I was almost three when my sister was born, so I don’t remember much of how things went for the first couple years, but I know two is different from having one. I have a cousin who is going to have a third in October and just announced it, and another who is due with her second (another boy; older one is five) in a couple of weeks! I have friends and two cousins who have four kids, and at that point I don’t think it’s too much different from three, lol!
    One of my art professors just had twin boys last week, and those are their first kids, so we’ll see how that goes for them! I didn’t even know she was pregnant until I saw the photo of the babies. (But I haven’t seen her since probably the very beginning of the pregnancy so…)

  • Nancy June 4, 2014, 1:58 pm

    I love pregnancy updates! I have been following you before Henry and love to see your family grow. My daughter is 8 and I have no plans to have more, but for some reason I love to hear about other’s pregnancy, weekly is awesome! You are awesome!

  • Amy June 4, 2014, 6:14 pm

    I know you show earlier with the second pregnancy but being such a fit person, I really wonder if it is twins. I was in maternity pants by 8 weeks and tops by 11 weeks with my twins…

    • Caitlin June 4, 2014, 6:17 pm

      Oooooh boy.

      • Lori June 5, 2014, 2:17 pm

        I wouldn’t worry about this. I was showing at 8 weeks and hooking my jeans with a rubberband already with my 2nd pregnancy. I think being thin in the first place is part of the reason WHY we might show so early. I was afraid of twins, but it’s not. There’s just one in there. My belly just got bigger earlier this time around. People are still saying “are you sure it’s not twins?”. It’s annoying 🙂

  • Lori June 4, 2014, 6:44 pm

    Yesssssssss!! 🙂 I’m a little late to the game… CONGRATULATIONS!! I have had a feeling this would be coming soon!
    I’m 29 weeks along with my 2nd. They’ll be 22 months apart. I’m scared about all the “how will we do bedtime?” and all of that stuff too. But I jsut tell myself that it will work out, because it will. At times I get into my own head too much about feeling bad that my little one won’t be the only focus of our attention anymore, but I try to stay rational and just think about what a gift a sibling is in the grand scheme of things. My sisters and I are best friends. It’s hard to prepare my little one though, because of his age, and, he’s barely talking yet (though I know he understands A LOT). And we don’t have friends with babies, so I just ordered children’s books about bringing a new baby into the family, and he likes those. I’m sure he still doesn’t really know what’s going on, but I suppose the advantage to that is mAYbe he’ll be a little too young to really get jealous.
    My pregnancy has been the same this time around except for the exhaustion that comes with taking care of a toddler AND being pregnant. My back hurts from carrying the toddler and stuff. Also, yes, you show so much earlier with subsequent pregnancies. Mine belly got big way faster. For weeks now I’ve looked like I did toward the end of my last pregnancy.
    We found out te sex with our first, but we aren’t this time. So exciting!! Congrats again!!!

  • Haley June 5, 2014, 10:47 am

    Keep running! I’m 26 weeks with #1 and am loving running lately. Second trimester running is a lot different. I had a harder time with it during first trimester and totally get what you mean about feeling tired after…. But that seems to have gone away now and I end up feeling waaaay more energetic days I do run!

    I love pregnancy updates, I vote keep them up! If people don’t want to read weekly updates they can skip them 🙂

    • Rose June 12, 2014, 11:51 am

      Agreed! Keep running! I am 27 weeks with #2 and running is much easier now (even though my belly is a lot bigger) than at week 14.

  • Nicole @ Broken Road Creative June 5, 2014, 6:36 pm

    Omigosh, I’m pregnant with my second too (due Sept. 1) and it’s been way tougher on my body this time around. Even though in the second trimester I had more energy than the first, overall, I still am generally more fatigued, feel more pains, a lot more Braxton Hicks contractions, etc.

    The last time I was pregnant was five years ago, so I’m chalking it up mostly to age. I would say maybe I was out of shape but I was probably in better shape going into this pregnancy than I was with my first!

    Anyways, congratulations Caitlin! I’d love to at least see a monthly update!

  • Zara June 8, 2014, 1:43 am

    Huge congrats to you and your family Caitlin!!! I started reading your blog around the time you had Henry so super excited to follow your journey with the next one and wish you best of luck! And as a doting big sister myself tell Henry he is joining a great club and will have someone to boss around the rest of his life 😉

  • Paige/catnip June 9, 2014, 12:30 pm

    Congrats on the pregnancy!

    I was in the best shape of my life when I got pregnant (16:56 5k) and ended up taking two weeks off toward the end of the first trimester because we had a vacation planned. Afterward, it was a little tough getting back into the running routine, but I was feeling more energetic (relative to the first tri…) and ended up getting faster from weeks ~13-20 which was a lot of fun! I ended up running off and on through week 35, gradually fading into more walking than running and eventually just the Wii, haha.

  • Liesl June 29, 2014, 2:00 pm

    Hi Caitlin!
    Congrats on baby #2! An exciting time for you and your family for sure.

    I’m 21 weeks pregnant with my first and I can totally relate to how you feel after running. It kicks my butt too. Pretty much since about week 14 I started run/walking (2min/1min) intervals, that has seems to help a ton! It allows me to catch my breath, correct my form, and just feel how my body is responding.

    Since you like swimming though, that is a great cardio option!
    Looking forward to the updates on the second pregnancy!

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