Liam Michael

My handsome boy is growing up! 😥

Bryn Hanstein (middle name undecided)

So the pregnancy is still going well! Mommy is still sick daily but the good news is I’m FINALLY up 6 whole pounds! About time considering I’m 25 weeks. We are so excited that this new addition is a little girl! It’s especially meaningful to my in laws family, who in all actuality I consider my real family. My husbands family hasn’t seen a Hanstein baby girl in over 25 years! Our mum-mum is beyond excited and even cried when she heard the news! She said she knew because as we called Shirley Temple came on TV which she considered a sign! Sure it’s a bit terrifying for both me and my husband… We’ve only had a boy so I know a little girl is going to be very different this time around. On the upside I’m hoping her energy level doesn’t quite compete with her brother’s! I’m loving using a midwife this time around and we are so lucky to be able to get ultrasounds every month! She’s measuring perfectly, has super long legs like daddy and a normal sized head unlike her brother! Woohoo! Easy delivery for me… Well, hopefully! It’s been ridiculously fun buying girly clothes, almost too fun! Overall if you can’t tell… We are ecstatic! And she will arrive right before what will mark 8 years that my husband and I have been together! What better gift could we receive?! In other news I’ve been having some health issues of my own and was finally “released” from the godforsaken hell that is Comcast. I have a good three months to find something I can actually enjoy doing and be able to sleep at night. No amount of money is worth sacrificing your dignity, happiness or integrity. It’s so nice to have this time to spend with my family of 3 before chaos ensues. Also it helps tremendously since I have a never ending list of doctors appointments and Liam has also started some speech and occupational therapy. He is speech delayed, has some slight sensory delays and has become a ridiculously picky eater which is extremely difficult. When we first found out I didn’t want to tell anyone… I would cry and think “what could I have done differently? Is this my fault?”. I’ve since embraced this is my son, he will have struggles in life and this is only the first of many. He’s extremely intelligent, his motor skills are off the charts, which is comforting, and he loves his therapists! I’m just thankful a free program is in place to help Liam get to the level he needs to be. I’m very confident he will get there as he’s already made a ton of progress. Still it hurts from time to time… But ultimately this kid is healthy, happy and has the most loving family he could ask for. So we absolutely consider ourselves extremely lucky. The tremendous amount of support we’ve received from family has been amazing! Until next time!

So if you haven't noticed I've taken a bit of a break with my photo project. I've been taking pictures just having trouble keeping up with uploading... Hopefully I'll catch up on it soon. It's fallen by the wayside along with most of my usual daily routine! My first pregnancy was rough, no way around it. I experienced Hyperemesis (severe, violent morning sickness which affects a small percentage of women) literally up until the point in which Liam was born. From what I read online, not much is known about the cause of this reaction... But some suggested that any subsequent pregnancies may be easier. I was surely hoping that to be the case but no dice. Food has become my mortal enemy and weight seems to be hard to keep on for once in my life. Although I was sick with Liam, I had moments of pure gluttonous mayhem. This made it easy to pack on MORE weight than I should have gained. So this is new to me as my appetite has yet to spike, and seems like it most likely won't. On the upside I am eating rather healthily when I can eat. All I really crave are salads and fruit. Also severe nausea/vomiting is an extremely good sign of a healthy pregnancy, so that is surely comforting. Though I'm trying to not be such a pessimist, it's hard to ignore how incapacitated I actually am. My apartment is a chaotic mess... My poor husband tries to help but doesn't know where to start! When I do feel up to tidying I usually can do one small room and then have to stop. So with a destructive 2 year old running around it's practically like not cleaning at all! On top of that I've been out of work as well. It's nice to have the time, but I worry about the transition back. Leaving the house is now worrisome, I worry about having to puke while out and about or in the car. It's also a lot different dealing with all of the pregnancy symptoms and dealing with a toddler in the height of his terrible twos. I worry about Liam feeling left out or being jealous when the new baby comes, but I know deep down he'll be a great big brother and adjust well. So as of now from a medical standpoint the pregnancy is going swimmingly! Ultimately that's most important even if I have to endure another brutal 5 1/2 months.

20

19

18

17

16

15 - Happy Birthday to me! 🎂🎁

14 - I'm behind

13

12

11

10

9

8