2.0 | 18 Weeks

How far along? 18 weeks 

Baby’s Size: Avocado
Total Weight Gain: 3 ½ lbs. 

Maternity Clothes: For sure. I did some shopping over the weekend and picked up some non-maternity tops that are flowy, maternity dresses, and a few maternity tanks. Not having much luck finding summer maternity pants quite yet. Luckily, it hasn’t been super warm here so I’ve still been able to wear my maternity jeans and pants from when I was pregnant with Evelina. The bella-band still comes in handy as well. 

Gender: We will find out this coming Thursday, May 24th. I’m feeling girl, but I did have a rather vivid dream last week where I delivered a larger baby boy with light green eyes…and the help of an epidural. 

Movement: It is so hard to tell at this stage, but I do believe I’ve been feeling the baby very low. It’s been a combination of flutters, little tickles, and popcorn popping. No strong kicks yet but it is still early. 

Sleep: Definitely better than it has been in weeks. It would be much better if Evelina would stop waking up 50% of nights. We're thinking it could be nightmares; she was quite frantic the other night. 

Symptoms: Minor heartburn and pregnancy rhinitis, which has been much less bothersome due to all of the rain we've been having, but once the sun shines, it is back in full force. Surprisingly, round ligament pain hasn’t been too bad with this pregnancy. 

Best Moments this week: My mother brought her doppler with her when she visited this past weekend so we got to listen to the heartbeat and could even hear the baby kicking around. 

Food Aversions: None to note. 

Food Cravings: Still loving Arnold Palmers, but can now add Cocoa Pebbles to the list and ranch dressing on salads. 
What I miss: Not much really. At this stage, I enjoy being pregnant for the most part. 

What I am looking forward to: This coming Thursday is our fetal survey AND we get to find out the gender!! Hopefully this little one will cooperate for the ultrasound technician.

Baby Names

Don't get to excited, we won't be spilling the beans here!!  You'll have to wait until Siby's big delivery date.  

The Social Security Administration always releases the top 1000 baby name list in May of each year based on previous year data.  We had already come up with a list of potential names for Evelina before the 2009 list was released, but this year we get to take a look at the new list well before finalizing name options.  

All we know is that we will not be naming Siby one of the top 10 names from 2011.  They haven't released any state-level data for 2011 yet, but the top 10 from Massachusetts 2010 list will not be contenders either.  Don't get me wrong, I really like some of the names.  Sophia/Sophie and Olivia would be beautiful with the last name of Ciano, and Chris likes the name Benjamin.  I guess maybe, since I'm a Sarah and went to school with about 100 Sarah's, I want our children's names to be a tad more unique. 

Did anyone catch this NPR article earlier this week?  Pretty interesting theory, but I'm not sure how much truth there is to it.
 

Just for fun, Evelina didn't make the top 1000, as we would have suspected, but similar names are on the list:  

• Evelyn - #24.  #54 in 2010 for Massachusetts
• Eve - #546
• Evie - #644.  Evelina's teachers were calling her this as a nickname for awhile, but I put the kabosh on it.  They were pronoucing it EV, which I really do not like.  Eh-vie would have been nicer at least. 
• Eva - #83
• Lina - #857

Evening Cocktail

Being that I'm pregnant and all, I'm not able to enjoy a refreshing adult beverage or a nice glass of wine every now and then, BUT I do get to indulge in another type of evening cocktail.   

 

You gotta love pregnancy-induced heartburn, constant post-nasal drip and hormones impacting digestion.  Oooohhhh yeah!!  I know you're jealous. 

Silly

23 month silly outtake.  That's our girl!!  

How Old?

Evelina, how old are you going to be?? 

TWOOO!!

23 Months!!

Dear Evelina,

You are 23 months old!!  Only one more month until your big 2^nd birthday.  How much you have grown this year.  It has truly been a joy to witness. 

Here is what’s been going on this month: 

• You have made great strides with your color identification.  You can accurately point to colors when asked, verbalize the correct color and sign the name of the color.  You even enjoy proclaiming the color of things, unprompted.  Your go-to color is still the color blue, but you know better and can correct yourself most times.  
• You really love when we count and you will join in with us, repeating numbers after we do, or continuing the counting sequence.  Your favorite sequence from 1 to 10 is 8, 9, 10. 
• You like pointing to letters and saying what you think is the correct letter.  Sometimes you are right, but we still have A LOT of work to do.  
• When we sing the ABC song, slowly, you will join in with us at certain sections.  ABCD...G...JK....P....TUV...XYZ (while signing Z). 
• You enjoy using the pet names that Papa and I use for each other.  We will often hear you saying “Hey Beb” or “Hi Honey”.  It is hilarious.  
• At long last, you have started to say your name.  You especially like to look at pictures of yourself and point out "Nina"....aka...Lina.  
• You are just the sweetest little thing on the planet.  Always offering us hugs and kisses, or asking for them, running to us when we pick you up at school.  You really know how to put a smile on our faces.  
• Ever since we got your new play set, you can’t get enough of your “wee”.  If we let you swing 24/7, you would.  When it is time to go inside, you always look at your “wee” and say “bye bye wee” in your cute voice.  So sweet.  
• You are extremely bossy.  Always telling us where to go or sit, telling us to play with you.  
• You are always concerned when things are out of place/messy, you have an accident or do something you aren't supposed to.  You look at us and say "Oh, no" endless times a day.   Really, it is okay!! 
• You adore trucks, trains, buses, and airplanes, and once we see one, you will ask for “more, more”.  It breaks our hearts that we can’t produce them out of thin air for you.
• When you smell something stinky or when we are changing a dirty diaper, you will proclaim, “P-U!!” 
• You can now hop without holding onto anything, and you think it is the BEST thing.  
• You can walk up and down the stairs with little help, although, we still stand by in fear of you falling.  
• One day this week I brought you to school.  When I was taking you out of the car seat, you reached for my hair and I thought you were going to pull it, but instead you said “Mama Pretty” with a smile.  It made my heart melt.  
• Speaking of car seats, we took the plunge and you are now forward-facing.  You love it so much and really enjoy looking out the window and telling us what you see.  We wanted to keep you forward-facing until you turned 2, but you just seemed so uncomfortable (and cranky).  
• Whenever Papa or I (or anyone for that matter) leave the house without you, you will run over to the window, climb up on your stool and watch us drive down the driveway while waving and smiling.  You think it is so exciting.
• Our neighbor’s kids, Abby and Mitchell (Mitchy as you like to call him), are two of your favorite people.  You constantly look out the window hoping they will be outside so you can play with them.  
• There are some words that make me laugh every time I hear them come from your mouth:  Bagel = “Bagee”, Mail = “May”, Orange = “Ornie”, Blueberry = “Bluebee”.  If you didn’t know how to sign the color orange, I would have never known what “Ornie” meant!!  
• A few of your favorite books this month are:  Hippo Has a Hat, DOG, and Alphabet. 

We can’t wait to celebrate your 2^nd birthday milestone with you in just one month!! I thought you may have some hair by then, enough for a barrette, but I was mistaken. 

You are the sunshine of my life,

Mommy

2.0 | 13 Weeks

Written on April 12, 2012

Siby at 12w5d

How far along? 13 weeks- hello 2nd trimester!! YAY!!

Baby’s Size: Peach

Total Weight Gain: ?? – Next midwife appointment is for 4/25.

Maternity Clothes: No, but the bella-band may need to make an appearance sooner rather than later. I’m still using the hair tie trick to fasten my pants though and only wearing loose tops since I haven’t broken the news to work yet.

Gender: TBD, but I’m feeling girl.

Movement: None

Sleep: I sleep like crap, but not because I’m uncomfortable. I’m just extremely restless, wake up easily and have to pee about 3 times a night. It doesn’t help that Evelina enjoys waking up at least once a night yelling for Papa….can you say frustrating? SLEEP CHILD!!

Symptoms: Not many, other than restless sleep, fatigue, moodiness, slightly sore girls…especially when Evelina climbs all over me, very minor heartburn and the ever present congestion that plagued me while pregnant with Evelina as well.

Best Moments this week: Our 12-week ultrasound where we got to see our little one moving around, opening/closing his/her mouth, sucking his/her thumb. A nasal bone was present and the NT measurement was a mere .9mm, which is awesome. I’m still having blood work completed to check for the odds of downs syndrome and neural tube defects, but so far, so good. Also, we told most of our friends and family which is exciting!!

Food Aversions: My food aversions for the most part are gone, but I still don’t ever know what I really want to eat. It is kind of a pain. I’m not eating very healthily either which is concerning me a bit, but I’m hoping I turn a corner when the weather finally decides to warm up for more than a day.

Food Cravings: Sweets.

What I miss: Not much. Although, I wasn’t pregnant during the Summer the first time around so I think I’m going to miss refreshing margaritas and summer cocktails.

What I am looking forward to: Starting to show, feeling movement, re-decorating Evelina's nursery.

2.0 | 10 Weeks

Written on March 22, 2012

 

How far along? 10 weeks- double digit weeks…YAY!!

Baby’s Size: Prune

Total Weight Gain: 0 pounds

Maternity Clothes: No, but many days I use the old hair tie trick to fasten my pants button so I’m comfortable. I’ve also been wearing every loose top I have in my wardrobe since my belly isn’t as flat as it once was. I wouldn’t say I’m showing but a small bump is starting to form. Plus, 1st trimester bloat is the enemy.

Gender: TBD, but I’m feeling girl.

Movement: None

Sleep: I’m tired. I tend to go to bed between 8:30-9p most nights. This week there were two nights that I went to bed after 10 and man did I hurt the next day. I’ve started to take some Benadryl before bed as well so I can be certain I get enough sleep or else I literally want to go in my car during work and nap.

Symptoms: This week the girls have started to be slightly sore and I’ve noticed a little bit of growth. Thankfully, the nausea I’ve felt over the last few weeks has subsided slightly, but I will still feel a little nauseous or dry heave if I am hungry (or brushing my teeth). Last week, I was reading Evelina a story at bedtime, I had to stop, run to the bathroom and dry heave, worrying I was actually going to throw up. Poor thing followed me and didn’t know what to do. So sweet she is. My other horrible symptom is major acne. I seriously look like a teenage boy going through puberty. My forehead is an absolute mess. Ugh.

Best Moments this week: I had my first prenatal appointment this past Monday with the same midwife who delivered Evelina. She wasn’t even going to attempt to try to find the baby’s heartbeat with the Doppler this early, but I pleaded with her since I had more spotting last week and really wanted some reassurance that all was okay. She didn’t have any luck so instead she checked in with the ultrasound tech to see if she could sneak me in for a quick check. She agreed, so I got to see the baby for a few minutes and heard the beautiful heartbeat. I don’t know how fast the BPMs were and I didn’t get any pictures (stupid me should have taken a picture off the screen with my iPhone) since she just snuck me in off the record. It was still fun to see the baby though, a head, legs and arms. He/she was SO much bigger than when we saw him/her for the first time at 7w4d. In only 2 weeks he/she transformed!!

Food Aversions: I feel like I am constantly searching for something that I actually want to eat. It is a struggle each day (just ask wonderfully patient husband). I ate a salad for lunch almost every day before finding out I was pregnant, but just the thought of them makes me want to gag these days. Thank goodness I still like fruit.

Food Cravings: I could eat fresh mozzarella, tomato and basil salads/sandwiches every.single.day. So yummy!!

What I miss: Having some energy to get things done. Man, am I lazy.

What I am looking forward to: Our next ultrasound scheduled for 4/10/2012. This is the scan where they perform the nuchal translucency screening along with blood work to determine the risk for downs syndrome. Fingers crossed and lots of prayers that all looks good!!

2.0 | 8 Weeks

Written on March 7, 2012

Siby at 7w2d - Gummy Bear-ish

Today, I’m 8ish weeks pregnant!! I’m not exactly sure of the specific week/days. We had our first ultrasound on Monday and saw a healthy nugget with a heartbeat going strong at 152-155 BPM. It was SUCH a relief since I’ve been spotting and even had some red blood make an appearance over the weekend (cue my streaming tears). The first trimester is so incredibly stressful. On a very happy note, the baby was measuring 7w4d which would put my due date at 10/18/2012.  I’ll wait until my first midwife appointment in a couple of weeks to get the final say on due date (based on my last period, it would be 10/20/2012).

I’m so incredibly tired today. It is 3:00p and I don’t know how I’m going to make it through the rest of the work day, pick Evelina up at school, make dinner, and complete the bedtime routine without fuss. I would love to nap right now. The thought of work makes me want to gag, so instead, I write this entry.

Pregnancy is such a happy time, but right now I’m just feeling a lot of anxiety. Until the spotting and bleeding started, I was sure all was going to be alright, but now I’m more nervous (even though I spotted a lot with Evelina and look how she turned out…perfecto). Yes we saw the baby and a strong heartbeat, but I’m still filled with anxiety. We just want a healthy, bouncing, baby to arrive in October 2012. It also doesn’t help that my HCG betas have been running on the high side and evil Google says it may be an early indicator for Downs Syndrome. Really!? I need to worry about this now? I was already a little bit worried because of my age for goodness sake. Needless to say, I’ve been saying lots of prayers lately. 

Deep breaths......

2.0 | 6 Weeks

Written on February 22, 2012

How far along? 6 weeks

Baby’s Size: Sweet Pea

Total Weight Gain: Don’t think I’ve gained anything and we don’t have a scale.

Maternity Clothes: No, but by the end of the day I feel bloated enough to unfasten my belt and/or unbutton my pants.

Gender: TBD

Movement: None

Sleep: For the most part, I’m tired, but not fall-asleep-on-my-desk-exhausted…YET. If I get 10 hours of sleep every night, I feel great. Otherwise, I’m tired. I got 10 hours one night this past weekend and I felt like a new woman. Most nights, I go to bed before 9, fall asleep pretty quickly, and then wake-up around 2am only to be plagued by insomnia. It is no fun.

Symptoms: Not many symptoms which of course has resulted in some anxiety on my part. I went through a similar period of no symptoms while pregnant with Evelina so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that everything is okay. Some symptoms I’ve had include: painful face acne, back acne, constipation, gas, bloating, some nausea if I’m tired or hungry, stuffy nose, dry lips, achy breasts, tiredness, frequent urination (but, I drink a TON of water). All of these symptoms come and go on a daily basis.

Best Moments this week: Shared the news with my mom!!

Food Aversions: In general, I don’t have much of an appetite but when I am hungry, I will eat anything.

Food Cravings: Not really

What I miss: Not dealing with 1st trimester pregnancy anxiety every moment of the day.

What I am looking forward to: Seeing the baby at our first ultrasound and sharing the exciting news with family and friends.

Yowza!!

Written on February 8, 2012

I seriously can't believe that this morning I saw this!!  

Could it really be that Baby Ciano #2 is on the way!? Evelina is going to be a big sister!!  As much as I was hoping this would happen sooner rather than later I am scared out of my mind!!  Anxious beyond belief.  Are we crazy, how will we manage 2 little ones, will Evelina be able to cope with not getting ALL of our attention, will our house be big enough, where will our guests sleep, will I survive more sleepless nights, will I be able to breastfeed, will we send both children to daycare or get a nanny?  The list goes on and on. 

No matter what, I am so so so excited!!  Yay!!  Praying for a healthy 9 months and a healthy baby. 

2.0 | 16 Weeks

How far along? 16 weeks

Baby’s Size: Avocado 

Total Weight Gain: 3 ½ lbs. 

Maternity Clothes: I have started to wear some of my maternity jeans and pants since they are more comfortable than using the bella-band every day; although, the bella-band is my most prized possession at this point. I may go shopping this weekend for some staple items. 

Gender: We will find out on May 24th. I’m feeling girl. 

Movement: I may have felt some flutters, but still not certain yet. I felt my first flutters around the 16 week mark while pregnant with Evelina. 

Sleep: A little bit better than in previous weeks, but still not great. I sleep so lightly that I wake up lots and this usually results in a bathroom run. 

Symptoms: Pregnancy rhinitis that won’t quit (ugh, I HATE it), minor heartburn, and headaches…something I never really suffered from the first time around. 

Best Moments this week: The feeling of a tickling sensation below my belly button, it must have been the babe. Also, we received the results of our genetic testing and everything was negative; odds of Down Syndrome is 1 in 50,000. 

Food Aversions: Not many. Although, I’ve been trying to avoid any food that could have the potential of making my heartburn flare up in the evenings. 

Food Cravings: Arnold Palmers – lemonade mixed with ice tea; my version of a Summer cocktail.  
What I miss: Staying up happily until after 9pm. 

What I am looking forward to: Finding out the gender!! 

My first belly picture with Siby, taken last week.  Compared to my belly pictures with Evelina, I look almost 20 weeks pregnant already. Oh boy!! 

Expanding!!

Not only is my belly expanding (not from DQ runs mind you), but the Ciano family is expanding!! 

Many of you who read the blog already know the exciting news, but I haven’t made an official announcement to everyone yet. I’m a cautious one, must be where Evelina gets it from. Here are a few questions that I’m sure you are all dying to know the answers to: 

When are you due? October 18th, 2012. 

How old will Evelina be when the new baby arrives? 28-29 months. 

Have you told Evelina the news yet? We have not. I’ve read that it is best to break the news when a belly is visible so we will wait a few more weeks. In preparation, I’ve bought her a few big sister books that I will wrap up to give her. She loves getting new books. 

Will you be finding out the gender? Yes we will. It will be a surprise to us whether we find out during an ultrasound or find out on delivery day. I also think it will be nice to share the gender with Evelina so she is more informed about whether she will have a little brother or little sister. 

How are you feeling? I’m feeling pretty good for the most part…now that is. I wrote posts about every 2 weeks starting on the day of my positive pregnancy test. I will be publishing them shortly.

Evelina’s nickname was Cashina during pregnancy, does this baby have a nickname? We are calling this baby “Siby”, short for sibling. At our first ultrasound around 7 weeks, the baby looked kind of like a gummy bear, but we weren't convinced to use it as a nickname. 

Will you be sharing the name you choose before the baby’s birth? No!! We haven’t even really discussed names yet, we plan to wait until we know the gender. Although, I do have a running list of names ready to be shared with Chris.