Pregnancy:  Number 2. 
How far along:  24 weeks and 2 days.
Gender:  Boy. 
Weight Gain:  +22 lbs. 
Maternity Clothes:  I just ordered some new ones online! Can't wait to get them in the mail. 
Stretch Marks:  Just the old ones.  
Sleep:  Okay. I get up probably twice a night for the bathroom but every time I stand up I get really bad back pain and a lot of pressure in my pelvis.   
Best moment of the week:  Shopping for new maternity clothes!!  
Movement:  More and more every day. 
Cravings:  Tomatoes, red onion, and avocado...oh and pizza. 
Aversions:  The smell of any candle we own. I've thrown them all away because they make me sick.    
Queasy or sick:  Nope.
Looking forward to:  Figuring out a name...although it may take a while...

Pregnancy:  Number 2. 
How far along:  22 weeks 4 days.
Gender:  BBBBBOOOOYYY!!!
Weight Gain:  Still +19 lbs.
Maternity Clothes:  Squeeeeeezing into my old clothes but it is getting uncomfortable.  Most of my maternity clothes are business casual because I worked right up to the day I went into labor with Gretchen so I really don't have much.  I think I need to just bite the bullet and get some new clothes.  
Stretch Marks:  Just the old ones.  
Sleep:  Really good!  I have been so much better about drinking all of my water during the day so I don't get too thirsty at night and I only have to get up once for the bathroom.     
Best moment of the week:  Finally feeling (pregnant) normal!  I have my energy back (with the exception of being sick right now...thanks Gretty!) 
Miss Anything:  Not having back pain.  I have been having super bad sciatic nerve pain...BUT I would take that over morning sickness any day.  
Movement:  Oh yea!  He is pretty calm during the day and usually gets his groove on right abound 8pm for half an hour or so.  Dave can feel him moving now too which is fun.    
Cravings:  Still pizza!  Luckily I have a clean version of pizza that I make so it is guilt free when I eat one every day for lunch!
Aversions:  Not too bad actually.  I can eat eggs again as long as it is with something like a black bean burger.  Too afraid to eat them on their own.    
Queasy or sick:  Nope.
Looking forward to:  Nesting to kick in!  The house is a mess and I have big plans to purge everything before he gets here.  That can wait a few more months though. ;) 

Pregnancy:  Number 2. 
How far along:  20 weeks 1 day.
Gender:  It's a BOY! I knew it too.  I told the ultrasound tech before he started that we wanted to know but it didn't really matter because I was 100% sure it was a boy.  Lol.  Dave was hoping for a girl just to prove me wrong.  Haha.  
Weight Gain:  Still +19 lbs.  Hasn't changed for a couple weeks now.  
Maternity Clothes:  Why wear maternity clothes when I have David's shirts at my disposal and yoga pants?   I've been too lazy to get all of my maternity clothes out so I have just been grabbing things as I need them.  A few more weeks though and I'm not sure I will be able to wear any of my normal clothes anymore.   
Stretch Marks:  Not any new ones.  I have been super itchy though.  
Sleep:  Awful!  The last couple of nights I have woken up around 3  AM and not been able to fall back to sleep.  AND I am peeing a ton in the middle of the night.  I didn't have to get up much during my first trimester though so I guess it is evening out.  With Gretchen, I had to pee all the time my first trimester and I rarely had to get up in the middle of the night during the second.   
Best moment of the week:  Finding out the baby gender.  David is so excited to have a son to play baseball with and to take hunting and fishing.  And I am excited because I hear baby boys LOVE their mommys!    
Miss Anything:  Not having a super sensitive gag reflex every time I smell something gross and not gagging when I brush my teeth.  
Movement:  More and more everyday!  I feel it most when I am eating.  
Cravings:  Salty foods.  This week it is pizza.  
Aversions:  Nothing too bad anymore.  I am still afraid to eat eggs though just in case.  
Queasy or sick:  Nope.
Looking forward to:  Figuring out what I am going to do with the nursery!  Any ideas?  

Pregnancy:  Number 2. 
How far along:  19 weeks 1 day
Gender:  We find out on the 21st!  I am so excited.  STILL convinced it is a boy.  I just know it!  I need to really get serious about finding a boy name!
Weight Gain:  +19 pounds.  Not exactly happy about this.  HOWEVER, I have been so much healthier this time.  Since my morning sickness subsided I started walking 3ish miles every day and I have been eating super healthy with the exception of Christmas break time.  That being said,  I am not too worried about my weight gain.  I am going to trust that my body knows what it is doing and knows what it need. This happened last time too...I gained almost ALL of my weight in the first 18 or so weeks and then didn't gain any more weight until 32 weeks so maybe I just gain all of my weight in the beginning.  
Maternity Clothes:  Slowly getting them out but mainly living in yoga pants and David's tee shirts.  Most of them are too big now too!  I need to invest in some new maternity clothes...just a few staple things though because I don't really mind wearing yoga pants every day lol.  
Stretch Marks:  No new ones yet.  I have been using BiOil daily mainly for the itching.  It's weird, with Gretchen I NEVER got itchy...this one, my belly itches all the time AND my nipples have been super itchy which is weird/embarrassing lol.  
Sleep:  Getting up usually 3 times a night to go to the bathroom AND I have been having CRAZY dreams.  That is the one thing about pregnancy I will never get.  Last time it was a reoccurring dream that I was breastfeeding a rat, this time it is a dream I am getting attacked by my in law's cats...and they don't even have cats lol.   
Best moment of the week:  I am starting to feel more and more movement.  Usually at night or while I am eating.  Hopefully this baby likes food as much as Gretchen and won't be picky either.  So far we are off to a good start.  :)
Miss Anything:  Pregnancy wise...no.  The SUN...yes.  
Movement:  No kicks or anything.  Just lots of fluttering and the occasional roll.  
Cravings:  STEAK!!!!  Like crazy!  And egg salad sandwiches. And grapefruit.  
Aversions:  Eggs any way that isn't hard boiled and tortilla shells.
Queasy or sick:  NO!!! I got over being sick around 17 weeks and then right after that I got a nasty cold that is FINALLY starting to go away.  I am still blowing my nose (and Gretty's nose) several times a day.  I am so ready for it to be over!
Looking forward to:  Finding out the gender!  Yay!!!

Pregnancy:  Number 2.
How far along:  14 weeks 3 days
Gender:  We won't know for sure until January BUT I am convinced it is a boy and here is why...my pee has changed.  Lol.  I know it sounds weird, but it is kind of bubbly and it has NEVER been like that before.  I also just feel like it is a boy.
Weight Gain:  +12 pounds.  It is more than I was hoping for at this point, but on the bright side I am still below my pre pregnancy weight with Gretchen AND last time I gained the majority of my weight in the first trimester and only like 3 pounds the second trimester.  Maybe that is just what my body does.  I am trying not to freak out at all and just listen to my body the best I can because I want what is best for my baby...even if that means I gain 50 pounds...but cross your fingers that doesn't happen.
Maternity Clothes:  I am in that weird stage where my regular clothes are too small but maternity clothes are too big which means I have been living in pajamas, yoga pants, Dave's basketball shorts, and leggings when I go out.  Haha.
Stretch Marks:  No new ones.
Sleep:  It is okay right now.  I get up around 3 times a night to go to the bather.
Best moment of the week:  Gretchen went to nursery for the first time yesterday and she is so good with the other kids!  She is going to be an amazing big sister!
Miss Anything:  I miss not being able to smell everything.  My downstairs constantly smells like cabbage which is disgusting (although I am the only one who thinks this) and when I try to cover it with a candle or something it is way to strong.
Movement:  Nothing yet.
Cravings:  Grilled cheese with kraft singles and tomato soup.
Aversions:  Cabbage, chicken, ground beef, and anything raw.
Queasy or sick:  Yes.  Not as bad as it was with Gretchen.  The vomiting has gone from everyday to a few times a week or dry heaving depending on what is in my stomach.  I learned a lot from the first go around and have been trying my best to eat every hour to avoid feeling too sick.
Looking forward to:  Getting my energy back!

Ingredients
Filling

• 1 lb. ground beef, raw
• 1 cup carrot, finely chopped (about 1 carrot)
• 1 cup onion, finely diced
• ½ cup celery, finely diced
• 1 clove of garlic, finely diced
• ½ cup of beef broth
• Salt and pepper to taste

Topping 2 sweet potatoes, peeled & diced


Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Filling

• On medium heat, in a frying pan, sauté carrots, onions and celery. Cook until the onions are translucent.
• Add the ground beef, garlic and sprinkle generous amounts of salt and pepper.
• Cook until the beef is cooked.
• Add the broth and barbecue sauce. Cook on low for 10 minutes.
• Place everything in a 6 x8 oven proof dish.

Topping

• Place the sweet potato in a pot of salted water. Turn to a boil and cook until tender and you can easily poke a fork through.
• Drain and mash the sweet potato.
• Drop spoonfuls of the sweet potato over the beef mixture. Then spread it all over. 

Bake for 30 minutes. Broil on high for 5 minutes.
Serve warm.

Wow it has been too long.  I say this every time, but I need to be better about blogging especially since I am doing it for Gretchen...I want her to be able to go back and read everything.  Let's just say I have about 10 half done blog posts so expect some backdated posts sometime in the future.  LoL.

ANYWAY, for the fun stuff - we had family photos taken a few weeks ago by our favorite photographer, Chelsie Lilja, and they turned out amazing as always.  Here are some of my favorites.

















Merry Christmas!!!