Bleh!

This post was written sometime in October when I was feeling like crapola, but couldn't vent because no one knew about baby #2. I remembered it in storage and just thought I'd share it in the event you actually had an appetite and wanted to eat something :) Things are much better now,...maybe too much better!

Rob's pumpkin...

 Bleh. That's how I'm feeling these days. Just bleh.

When I was pregnant with Faith, I was never nauseous. No cravings either. Just an extreme aversion to meat, especially ground beef. Bleh.

This time around, I figured it would be the same. Cue tiny baby inside my tummy laughing hysterically. Since about week 7-8 or so, I have been on the verge of tossing my cookies/hurling/worshiping the porcelain gods/insert cliche for puking here.

If you were about the hand me a Dixie cup and say, "If you're gonna spew, spew into this," forget it. I don't ever actually throw up, but just feel like I'm going to during pretty much all my waking hours.

Bleh.

There are certain foods that I can't even think about because they literally give me the willies.

First it was yogurt. Normally, I eat one cup a day. Now, I can't even go in the dairy aisle because the texture of yogurt is so appalling. Next it was black beans. My beloved black beans, how could you betray me? If I eat these again before I die, it would be nothing short of a miracle.

Then, most recently, I have developed a hatred for spaghetti. Rob even had the audacity to bring it up as a dinner idea last week. It is to the point that if someone says that word, I have to channel breads and cheeses to stop my lunch from returning. 

The ONLY upside of all this is that things have really picked up in the cravings department. Here's what usually happens. I try to decide what to eat by thinking of things that don't gross me out. I come across something like "Pizza Hut cheesesticks." Then, I MUST. HAVE. PIZZA HUT CHEESESTICKS. I can't get them out of my mind. I'm like Taylor Swift and the cheesesticks are like little high school boys I've dated. Needless to say, I've been going to lunch by myself a lot lately to get my fixes. Five Guys. Taco Bell. I drove 20 minutes round trip the other day just to buy two chicken flavored Ramen Noodles and American cheese slices. The last time I ate this was probably my junior year of college.

And the other day I ate something from................ McDonalds. There, I said it.

Bleh. I HATE McDonalds (ice cream not included).

Before you go feeling too sorry for my husband, you should know that he takes advantage of me. No, not like that.  I mean, he uses my pregnancy cravings and aversions to eat at fast food restaurants. My guard is down, my salt cravings are up and when I want something I usually want it RIGHT THEN. Fast food caters to McPregnancy.

Point Ronnie Mac. Damn those Golden Arches anyway...

It's a GIRL...and we couldn't be happier!

It is not an "it" anymore. She's a she. A sister. PINK. And as Faith and I like to sing in our bathrobes, "GIRLS RULE."

At our 20 week ultrasound for baby #2, we had the tech write the sex of the baby down on a piece of paper and seal it in an envelope. We then took that envelope to our local Hy-Vee and ordered a half-dozen cupcakes to be filled with pink or blue icing depending on what was written on the piece of paper.

Thankfully, they were able to turn our treats around in less than 24 hours, so we didn't have to wait too much longer than the ultrasound. We let Faith do the honors of biting into the cupcake, which ended up being the worst video ever since it took about five Faith-sized bites to get to the middle. But once she finally got there, there were lots of squeals, hugs and one little girl who desperately needed a glass of milk.

We kind of had a hint it might be a she since the doctor reviewing our tech's measurements/pictures called her a she, then quickly said, "he or she." Since they were using the he/she pronouns interchangeably before they even knew the sex, we weren't sure it was an official slip up and didn't want to ask. Between that and the fact we didn't see any "third arms" in the ultrasound pictures, we both thought pink filling was in our future. And we were/are really happy about that.

I didn't have a preference going in. The thought of having a boy was exciting because it would be different and new, but having a girl meant SISTERS and the opportunity to reuse most of Faith's adorable onesies that I've been storing for 2.5 years. Rob says he didn't care either way either. I know he'd have been happy to see blue filling since he's the last male Lindquist in his family, and there's that whole father/son bonding thing, but he was genuinely happy for another baby girl too. I know because I asked him.

I feel the need to talk about this because of some of the reactions that we got upon sharing the sex of our second child. It seemed like everyone assumed we wanted a boy since we already have a girl. They also assumed that since we aren't having a boy, we're automatically want to have more kids. Pardon me while I take a moment to say WTF?

This is our family we're talking about here. We are just happy to be bringing another life into this world. A healthy baby. We were so excited to find out more about HER, and are now excited to meet and get to know HER, our second daughter and baby girl, in a few months. For someone to automatically dismiss that and act like we didn't get what we were supposedly hoping for and to basically say, "oh, so I guess you'll want to try for another one," makes me angry. This sounds defensive and probably because it is. I love this unborn daughter of mine already. I feel her kicking everyday. She already has a special place in my heart at the young age of 22.5 weeks. I know she'll have the same effect on everyone else once she's born and not just an idea in their minds. She's a person, folks, as evidenced by her expanding real estate in my belly.

My dad actually said it best. I told him about some of the reactions we got and how they upset me. As the father of three girls, I knew he could sympathize. He proceeded to tell me that upon the birth of his third daughter, the doctor basically asked him point blank if the fact she was a girl meant another baby was in the future. He said he found the question odd, because he NEVER wished any of us girls was a boy. He emphasized the word never just like I did above and I could tell in his voice he meant it. Sure, we're all girls, but we are all very different people. In a good way. I love them so very much!

I cannot wait to see the similarities, but moreso the differences, between Faith and her little sister. I'm also excited for them to share the sibling bond, something I've always wanted to be able to give my children. So yes, it's a GIRL. A girl we are very happy about.

Last but not least, I want to end this post by sharing that Rob was able to feel Baby Girl kick for the first time Thursday night. I was lying on my right side and mentioned she was quite active. He asked if I thought he could feel it, and I said, yes, they were powerful enough now that he could probably feel it from the outside. He put his hand on the bottom of my belly and sure enough, she stopped kicking. I flipped onto my other side and then back again and told him to try one more time. Rob likes to stare at me as this is happening to see if what he feels is indeed a kick or some sort of indigestion. I like to look down as it's pretty awkward to be stared at. But once I feel a kick, I'll look at him. After about 15 seconds, I turned and looked at him and his eyes got wide. We both knew he felt the baby kick and the look on his face was priceless. The experience was just as amazing for both of us as it was when he felt Faith kick on Easter Saturday in 2010. We love our second baby girl, and we don't even know her name yet...

A He or a She, A Him or a Her?

Dear baby #2,
First of all, sorry I don't have a better nickname than baby #2 at this point. I've never been a fan of "the bean" or something weird like that. And since we don't know if you're a he or a she yet, we can't really pick a name at this point, not that your dad and I agree on anything anyway.

So, I feel like this blog hasn't done you justice and instead is a constant stream of stuff your sister says or does. Sure, she's cute, and pretty hilarious as you'll soon come to find out, but you deserve some positive press yourself.

We had our 20 week ultrasound yesterday. You did not want to cooperate with the ladies trying to take pictures of your face and instead buried your head in my placenta pillow -- hope that's not too embarrasing for you. Being a worrier, I had a lot of anxiety going in to the appointment, even though you've been providing me with plenty of kicks to let me know things are going well in the womb. I cried just sitting in the parking lot. That's when it hit me. The reason this pregnancy hasn't seemed real to me is because I can hardly believe how much God has blessed our family. Working in the medical field -- and knowing about so many things that can go wrong -- it makes one well aware that babies are a miracle and that means you too. The minute the ultrasound tech turned the machine on and I saw you, I knew that no matter what they said from there on out, I was going to love you no matter what.

I guess that brings me to my point. Why we wanted to find out your gender. Some people find out because they want to decorate their nursery blue or pink. Some find out so they can decide on a name. That's not why we're doing it. After my miscarriage, I yearned to know more about the baby I lost. I want to know as much as possible about you as soon as possible. I feel like it allows us to have an even stronger bond if I can picture you in the living room with the rest of us on Saturday mornings.

In just a few short hours, we will know for sure if you'll be a Robbette or a Nicholas (don't worry, I promise you won't be a Robette if you're a girl). Faith will bite into a cupcake that will have pink or blue filling on the inside and we will know if we're bringing home a boy in blue or a girl in pink on May 29. I cannot wait to know more about you today, and learn more about what makes you you when we bring you home. For now, stay comfy in there and just know that we loved you before we even officially met.

Here is one of your first baby pictures!

That's What She Said

It's time for another round of things Faith said that cracked us up.

(upon discovering my bra on the couch downstairs)
Faith: "Heyyyy, there are boobies down here!"

Me: "Faith, who should we pray for?"
Faith: "Mommy, Daddy, Faithy and Howie."
Me: "Awwww."
Faith: "And birthday cake and frosting and sprinkles and candles."

(goofing around one night)
Faith: "You are drivin' me NUTS!"
cue Rob and I looking at each other like "where'd she hear that?" and realizing she hadn't been to daycare in two weeks and it was probably from one of us

(upon waking up in the morning)
Faith: "Mommmmmm, I had a REALLY GOOD NAP!"
Unfortunately, the best sleep of Faith's life (8:30 p.m. - 7 a.m.) is coinciding with the worst sleep of mine due to congestion. Ugh!

(every day when talking about her dreams)
Faith: "At first it was a monster. Then it was a friend."

(another daily request we get)
Faith: "Wanna come in my bow-tique?"

(and when we pick her up from daycare)
Faith: "What you got for me?" aka "Where's my snack for the ride home?!"

Me: (after Faith made a random comment about snow) "Faith, are you ready for summer?"
Faith: "And Luke. You forgot Luke."
(We have friends named Summer and Luke.)

after dropping Howie off at the vet  for a dental cleaning and walking out the front door.
Faith: "I miss Howie."
cue tears welling in my eyes

And now for words Faith uses and their meanings
Nosey wiper = Kleenex
'Nola = Granola bar
Scootie Goggles = the name of her play car
Mac and Cheese a Roni =Kraft Macaroni and Cheese ONLY (don't waste your time on the good homemade stuff)
Dip Dip = Ranch dressing, and lots of it

That's all I can think of for now. Til next time!