It's Time...

I'm 36 weeks and had a doctor's appointment today. I left with a scheduled c-section date. We'll be meeting our sweet Sydney Faith very soon! I've been on bedrest for 30 days this week and have made it one week longer than I did with Amelia. They did an ultrasound to make sure Sydney is ready. As far as we can tell - she is. They can't guarantee she won't need to be in the NICU but they believe if she does, her time there will be very short. Ultrasound actually shows her to be 6 lbs - 4 ounces, so it will be interesting to see how accurate it is. My doctor stopped and gave me a hug as I was leaving today. He said, "I'm going to miss you." I about started crying. He is such a kind, Godly man. He has been so careful to not let my preeclampsia get to the point that it did with Amelia. He has prayed with me through this entire pregnancy (and especially over the last month) and I'm so thankful he's my doctor.

Though I would have loved to have been able to go to church, work on Sydney's room, do special things with Amelia, or just able to "nest" over the past month - this was God's plan for me. Bedrest. I've had so many breakdown moments and even at one point said aloud, "I hate this!!!" But I must say, I'm beyond thankful for the family and friends that have helped us through this. We've had meals brought to us for a full month. I've had blog friends sending "care packages" in the mail filled with things for Amelia and I to do while on bedrest. We had friends out of state that mailed us a gift card to have dinner since they couldn't be here to cook us a meal. Family that has watched Amelia for my many doctor's appointments. Such thoughtfulness. So even though I had moments of being overwhelmed and just tired of this...I've had even more moments of thankfulness. Thankful for the people we share life with - they've loved us well over the past 30 days.

So it's time!! The next post you see from me will be announcing our baby girl's arrival! I appreciate all of you that have been praying for Sydney and me. Means more than you'll ever know.

Love to all,

34 Weeks...

Well I'm still on bed rest and trying to make the best of it. One day I'm ok - the next day I'm so over it. :) I'm blessed to have people who remind me that this is only for a short time and I know it's what's best for me and Sydney. Even though the thought of being on bed rest for 5 more weeks makes me think I might go crazy. My doctor encouraged me to just take one day at a time and to focus on the prize at the end. Our sweet Sydney.

I am beyond impressed with my husband and his ability to go on less sleep (he didn't get a whole lot before this), to run to the store bi-weekly, to run get whatever I'm craving at the moment, to take Amelia to the doctor by himself, to keep the dishwasher loaded/unloaded, to keep the house picked up, to care for Amelia in every way. All the while going to work early (some days at 4am!) so he can work from home from 2-5 for the rest of the day. He is amazing.

I'm also impressed with my little toddler. I couldn't ask for a better child to go through this with. She plays on her own so well and will play in the same room (wherever I am) for the longest time. I'm pulling out little surprises for her each day that I hope make this a little easier for her. It's hard not being able to be up and down, playing with her like I usually do. She's constantly saying, "Mommy, I take care of you" and will bring me a delicious meal that she whipped up in her little kitchen. Melt my heart.

So while this is a hard time...it's also a special time...a happy time. My devotional continues to be exactly what I need each day. Reminding me to be thankful in all circumstances. A few days ago my devotional read, "thank me for the conditions that are requiring you to be still."

It made me smile.

God is good.

Love to all,

Random Thoughts While On Bed Rest...

I have lots of things going on in my head these days. That's what being on bed rest will do to you. Thinking. Lots of thinking. So here are some random thoughts for this Monday morning.

1. I woke up with lips twice the size of what they were last night.

2. My face is three times the size it was last night.

3. I wore my hair down today - in an effort to cover the ever growing lips and face.

4. It didn't work. My nurse mentioned the "puffy face" upon sitting down in her office.

5. I feel like a free woman when I get to leave for doctor's appointments twice a week. Since I've been put on house arrest.

I mean bed rest.

6. After stepping off the scale today, I asked my doctor if it was ok to take diet pills while pregnant.

He said that's the easiest question he has been asked in quite some time.

7. No diet pills for me.

8. I looked at our bank account today. I blushed with embarrassment on how much $ we've given Shake's Custard in the last two weeks. Their strawberry shakes are to die for and I've been craving them. A lot. My marriage almost ended over a strawberry shake while I was in the hospital a week ago. Long story. All I can say about it is...bless my husband's heart. Can you say HORMONAL??

9. I wonder why I've been gaining so much weight lately?

Such a mystery.

10. This is the second week that friends and family have been bringing meals to us. I haven't cooked a meal since I was put on bed rest. Every day a meal is dropped off and I close the door and want to cry. We are blessed to have so many people who love us and want to serve/bless us in this way - when we need it the most.

11. I went to Target right after my doctor's appointment today and bought hand soap and dish soap. We've only had one bottle of hand soap in the house for a couple of days and I've been carrying it from bathroom to bathroom or to the kitchen to wash my hands. I was only at Target for 5 minutes but it was so much fun.

12. I miss Target.

13. #11 was more of a confession.

14. Dr. S, if you read my blog...I'm sorry I broke the rules and went to Target.

15. My baby girl is up from her nap now...time to move from the bed to the couch.

Love to all,

A Time To Rest...

Just as soon as I make plans - something happens that throws them out of whack.

Few things about me:
I'm a planner.
I love lists.
I love to check things off a list.
I love to plan a party.
I love for parties to go as planned.

God started showing me a few year ago that I was so wrapped up in planning the party and stressing about things going as planned that I was unable to actually ENJOY THE PARTY. Not something I enjoyed hearing but it was SO TRUE.

I didn't want to be a Martha - all up in the kitchen, frazzled about the details and unable to enjoy my company.

I wanted to be a Mary - sitting down to enjoy the ones I took time to invite into my home in the first place.

Allowing God to change my heart in this area changed everything. It's not that what Martha was doing was unimportant - I believe she had a servant's heart - she just lost focus of what was MORE IMPORTANT. She let worry and anxiety about everything being "just right" for Jesus and His disciples distract her. And Jesus called her out on it.

I guess you could say Jesus called me out on it too...through my husband's wise counsel. :)

Few more things about me:
I have the gift of hospitality.
I love to cook a good meal for someone.
I love to make it special in some way.
I enjoy serving others in that way.
A fun party to me is in the smallest details - that's my way of making it special for those who attend.

I've been wanting to spend special time with Amelia before Sydney arrives. I'm so excited for her to be a big sister and yet I have this need to soak up our last few weeks of her being an only child. I want to make the most of every minute - right down to forgetting the laundry for a bit and doing simple things like coloring together.

One of the things we've been so excited about is her Valentine party. We picked everything out together. She even picked out a lot of things on her own. I've laughed at the things she says she needs at the party. She has talked about this party for months. She knows every single guest that received an invite and talks about them every day. I love to hear her say, "is today my balentine party?"

One day she'll pronounce her V's and talk like the rest of us...I see no need to correct her...it's too cute hearing her talk right now.

We were running errands yesterday morning (for the Valentine party) and I started having some major abdominal pain. The pain brought me to tears and lasted for a few hours. I went to the doctor yesterday afternoon and they ended up checking me into L&D to run more tests for preeclampsia. They made me stay the night.

Couple of things about today:
Amelia's Valentine party was today.
We had to reschedule it.
Party didn't go as planned.

Old Martha made an appearance and I had a mini-meltdown.
I got distracted and started getting anxious...worrying about the details.

Worrying that Sydney would arrive before she was ready. Worrying Amelia would be heartbroken and think I'm a liar because this is the 2nd party in her short life that we've talked about for months and didn't go as planned.

I was sent home this afternoon and I'm officially on bed rest until Sydney arrives. We started steroids to prepare and we're praying my body will cooperate so Sydney can stay put for a couple more weeks.

After a little minute (or 24 hours) I realized:
It doesn't matter that Amelia's Valentine party will take place three days after Valentine's Day. She just wants to eat cake and have friends over to play.

I also realized:
My sweet Sydney is God's child, not my own. He will take the very best care of her.

How many times over will I have to learn that lesson? I can't even tell you how many times He has reminded me of this.

Not knowing exactly what my body is going to do can be terribly frustrating.
Not being able to care for my husband & daughter in every way makes me sad.
Not being able to cook for my family is something I already miss.
Not being able to wash my own laundry is terribly humbling.
Not being able to go to the store to run a quick errand is a bummer.

But I'm choosing to give my worries/anxiety to God. Because all worry/anxiety does is take my focus off Him and I start trying to handle it all on my own.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 4:6-7

After my reading this afternoon, I also realized I must find ways to be thankful during this time.

Something I'm thankful for today:
I'm thankful that I'm not having to spend these next several weeks in the hospital (which my doctor will totally do if I don't cooperate) and can rest at home with Amelia.

He requires one thing of me...to simply surrender it all to Him...to make Him the center of my every day life...to surrender my worries/anxiety to Him on a daily basis.

“My strength is not found in how intensely I struggle...but in how completely I surrender.” -Ken Gire in Intense Moments with the Savior-

I WILL FIND JOY in this time of rest.

Love to all,

32 Weeks...

I had my 32 week appointment yesterday. It didn't go as I had hoped. I'm starting to show signs of preeclampsia. 32 weeks is when I started showing signs of it with Amelia as well. My blood pressure was up, I had gained 10 pounds in 5 weeks, I've been having some pain in a certain area that concerned my doctor, and he couldn't help but notice my puffy face. Sooooo...I now have to go twice a week to see my doctor. They're going to see if it gets any better and if it doesn't, we'll start steroid shots to prepare Sydney for an early delivery. I cried most of yesterday afternoon. I really don't want her to have to spend time in the NICU like Amelia did. I don't feel prepared for her arrival in regards to her room and things like that, but mainly I just want her to be able to stay put for as long as possible. I learned with Amelia's birth that her room is the least of my worries. :) We were supposed to set the c-section date yesterday but my doctor said he didn't want to do that. He feels like it's going to be earlier than what we want regardless. I've been instructed to take it easy, drink lots of water, and put my feet up while laying on my left side for at least an hour every day.

By now, Sydney weighs about 3.75 pounds and is about 16.7 inches long. She'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb.

I could most definitely sit and worry and let my mind go to all of the "what-if's" but I'm choosing to give it to God every time I'm tempted to worry. My devotional a few days ago spoke about how we have to ask the Holy Spirit to control our thoughts, for the mind controlled by the Spirit is Life and Peace. It went on to say, we can have as much of God and His peace as we want, it all starts with the many choices we make during the day. We'll never run out of things to worry about but we can choose to trust Him no matter what. (Jesus Calling - February 5th)

I'm giving it to God each and every time my mind starts to wander - I'm choosing peace over worry.

"The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace." -Romans 8:6

Love to all,

27 weeks...

I cannot believe I'm in my 3rd trimester already! I've started shopping for crib bedding. I've found a few that I like. I'm not going custom made this time around. I don't have the energy to go to the fabric store. That was one of the hardest decisions of my life - choosing fabrics for Amelia's nursery. Too many choices...too many options.

We'll start cleaning out Sydney's room (currently the guest room) this month. We're having the crib painted. It has several teeth marks on it from our sweet Amelia. :) Amelia will move to a queen size bed. I'm just praying she loves it. She keeps asking for her "big girl bed" and seems excited.

I'm thinking I'll keep the color in the guest room the same for the nursery and just give it a fresh coat.

Or I'll paint it gray.

But probably not.

I love color. I don't know that I could walk into Sydney's room every day if there weren't color on the walls.

I have a look in my head that I want for her room and I'm determined to do it on a budget.

The only thing Alex has requested is a comfortable chair. He loves to read to Amelia and rock her to sleep every night. He has spent HOURS UPON HOURS in the chair that's in her room. It's not the most comfortable - so he's requested no matter the money - it must feel like a LA-Z-BOY.

I need it to be cute.

So we'll see if we can find something that meets both our needs.

I still can't imagine her being here with us. Outside of my belly. She kicks so hard and so often and with each kick I think to myself, "we're going to have another baby!" Yet it's hard to imagine her actually here. I'm excited though. I can't wait to see Amelia with her. She has started calling her Baby Faith and talks to her and gives her kisses. Pure sweetness. We talk about her helping me feed Sydney and helping me change her diapers. I want her to feel a part of the whole process. I told her that Sydney would be arriving at the hospital and Aunt Joy would bring her to see us while we were there. She thought for a minute and said, "is Sydney ok?" We have spent many hours at hospitals over the past several months, seeing family members who were there for quite some time. We would tell her they are sick and we were going to the hospital to see them. I think she immediately put that together and was concerned about our new baby. I'm amazed at how much she understands. She's going to be a wonderful big sister - I have no doubt.

Lots to do in January. Let the room transformation begin!

Love to all,

24 weeks...

So I'm 6 months along in this pregnancy and as of right now, I feel amazing! I continue to say how much easier this pregnancy has been on my body than my first pregnancy. It has been a nice surprise. We have several things to do to prepare for Sydney's arrival but have plans to start working on that list in the new year. By this time in my first pregnancy - I knew the color of the room, the bedding was on order, and I was purchasing little outfits to put on my baby girl. This time around, I realized Amelia didn't even sleep in her room for the first 7 months of her life and neither will Sydney. I'm more concerned with having a good double stroller so I can leave the house with my girls and the only other necessity I can think of is diapers. I plan on purchasing some special little things for Sydney and we do have plans for her room but I guess I'm just more laid back this time around.



Sydney, we can't wait to see your sweet face. I've started imagining who you might look like. Your sister looked SO MUCH like her Daddy when she was born...maybe you'll look your Mama? We'll just have to wait and see. Love you, sweet girl.

Love to all,

19 weeks...

Our sweet baby currently measures 6 inches (about the size of a large heirloom tomato) and weighs about 8 1/2 ounces. :)

Love to all,

Pink or Blue...

We headed to the doctor this afternoon for a big appointment. Today we found out if we're having a boy or a girl! Even more importantly, we were able to see if everything was okay with our sweet baby and from all they can see on ultrasound, our little one is 100% healthy!!



When we've asked Amelia if she's having a brother or a sister, she always says "boy." We've never prompted her - this is just always her answer. I've felt from the beginning that it was a boy and was eager to see if I was correct.

Well.......we're proud to announce that in March 2012, we'll be welcoming a baby GIRL!!!! Amelia is going to have a sister! We're so excited and are thankful that all is well with our sweet girl. She refused to look our way and stayed face down the entire time. She's going to have to get used to having her picture taken but there's plenty of time for that, I suppose.

We're almost 100% certain on her name. We'll share it soon! When we ask Amelia what we should name her baby sister, she says, "boy." HAHA! I think we can come up with something better than that. :)

Love to all,

18 weeks...

I'm 18 weeks today! This pregnancy seems to be flying by. I've been thinking about names...mainly girl names...just in case my feeling of BLUE is incorrect. Alex and I both come from families with six children. There are 3 boys and 3 girls in each of our families, so the thought of Amelia having a brother or a sister makes me extremely happy!

I've starting feeling things but still unsure if it's the baby. You would think I would know since I've been pregnant before but I really have no clue. Maybe in the next couple of weeks I'll be able to tell if it's the baby or just my food digesting.



Our sweet baby currently measures 5 1/2 inches (about the length of a bell pepper) and weighs almost 7 ounces. :)

Love to all,

16 weeks...

I'm 16 weeks today! I'm feeling pretty good. I still have nausea off and on but more than anything, I'm just really tired. I'm back to cooking dinner every night, so that's a huge improvement from how I felt during my first trimester. I feel like I'm showing more every day. I'm wearing all maternity clothes because they fit and are comfortable. I'm not one to try and squeeze myself into regular clothes while pregnant. I need to be able to breathe.

We started discussing baby names. We've had our boy name for years but really weren't sure if it's a girl. To my surprise, we actually came up with a girl name over the weekend that we both agree on! We'll keep discussing but it's nice to have one that we both really like. We won't be sharing the name choice until we find out if we're having a boy or girl. So sometime next month! :)



Our sweet baby currently measures 4 1/2 inches (about the size of an avocado) and weighs 3 1/2 ounces. :)

Love to all,

14 weeks...

This is the first pregnancy post I've done since announcing my pregnancy. The second time around truly is different. For me anyway. I took weekly pictures starting very early on in my first pregnancy but haven't felt like it this time around. I think being sick along with chasing my almost 2 year old around every day has something to do with it. I'm just tired by the time Alex gets home and haven't thought about having him take a picture. But since I'm officially in my 2nd trimester now, I decided it was time to start posting! I took a picture of myself in the bathroom mirror so it's not the greatest pic but it shows the belly. That's all anyone cares about anyway. How big is the belly getting!??

I thought I would do something different this time around and share different things each week, other than the size of the baby. I found this idea on Pinterest (one of my favorite sites) way before I was pregnant and thought it was a neat idea. This week I'm sharing what I've been craving over the past 14 weeks!



Our sweet baby currently measures 3 1/2 inches (about the size of a lemon) and weighs 1 1/2 ounces. :)

Love to all,

What's Going On...

It has been forever and a day since I last blogged. I've been nauseous. Very, very nauseous. Pretty much from the time I wake up until I go to bed. I've also felt like I could sleep all day long. Taking care of my girl takes every bit of energy that I have right now. I know this will pass, so I'm just trying to make the best of it until it does.

I had a little scare last week. I woke up with bleeding and cramping. My doctor asked me to come in so he could check things out. He couldn't find the heartbeat so he ordered an ultrasound immediately. They found the heartbeat as soon as they started the ultrasound. Music to my ears. The baby was perfect. The ultrasound showed blood under the placenta - that's what's causing the bleeding. No worries. So thankful.

Amelia had her ENT follow-up appointment. She's had her tubes for 6 months now. She wouldn't let the ENT look at her ears until he checked her baby's ears (which he thought was pretty funny). He played along and looked at both of her baby's ears and then she agreed to let him look at hers. Both tubes were still in place - no signs of coming out any time soon. She hasn't had an ear infection since getting them, so I want them to stay in as long as she needs them.



She did so well at the doctor so we celebrated at Mimi's over some scrambled eggs.



After leaving Mimi's we went to Target to pick out a new toy. She chose a Minnie Mouse handbag and glasses. She makes this face every time she wears them. She looks like a little old lady. Makes me laugh.



We made a quick trip to my parents on Friday evening and then drove back on Saturday night for church the next morning. The Hogs played on Saturday and WON!! Amelia wore her Razorback dress to church on Sunday. Sweet girl.



I need to do a pregnancy post...I'll be in my 2nd trimester soon! I feel like I already look 4 months pregnant. Every one has told me this is normal with your second pregnancy. Good to know.

Biggest news of all...Amelia has gone two days without her paci! I decided last week to cut a hole in the top of it. She chews on it and then hands it back to me saying "I no like it." If she goes this entire week without it - she gets to go to Build-A-Bear at the end of the week. I know her paci has been such a comfort to her while sleeping. Now she sleeps with three of her babies and that seems to have taken the place of the paci. My baby is growing up. I'm so proud of her!

Love to all,

Baby on the way...

I had my first doctor's appointment today! My OB walked into the room with a huge smile on his face and immediately gave me a new name. He said I'm now "Fertile Myrtle." HA! He checked me and said my uterus was larger than with my last pregnancy. His next question was "do twins run in your family?" Little did he know...twins DO RUN IN MY FAMILY. Alex started laughing...he was getting a huge kick out the fact that I was about to have a heart attack. I pretty much held my breath until they took us to ultrasound. And what did we see!??

One little peanut. :)



We were able to see that sweet flutter on the screen. The baby's heart rate was 144 bpm and as soon as I heard it - I cried. The u/s tech asked if this was our first baby. I had the same reaction when I heard Amelia's heartbeat for the first time. Every life is such a miracle. It's just amazing. I measured 7 weeks/2 days.

We met with my doctor after the ultrasound. We discussed possible c-section dates. He gave me a date for the end of March. Of course the closer we get, the date could change. I'm praying for a healthy, uneventful pregnancy this time around. Before leaving he prayed with us. He prayed for us as parents, the baby, and for Amelia. I love my doctor.

Everyone asks if I have a feeling on if it's a boy or girl. As of right now, I really feel like it's a boy. Of course there is no way to know until I'm farther along but as of right now - I'm team blue! :)

Feeling very blessed.

Love to all,

3+1=4

Amelia loves her magnadoodle. She has 3 of them. She brings them to us every day and asks us to write her a "note." As soon as Alex walked through the door yesterday, she said "Daddy, note!" He came over, sat on the couch, flipped the magandoodle over, and was truly SHOCKED at what he saw...



I'm not going to lie - I'm in shock as well.



We decided to stop using birth control at the beginning of July. We've been praying about it and figured it would take awhile to get pregnant on our own.

Um...it didn't.



And because two lines just weren't enough. I needed a digital message that spelled it out for me. It's the infertile in me. I tried eating a chicken sandwich yesterday and couldn't eat it - I had to throw it out. I was the exact same way when pregnant with Amelia. As soon as I threw it out a little voice in my head said "are you pregnant?" According to this little stick...YES...yes,I am.



We rushed to the store to find a big sister shirt before Alex got home from work. I was thinking that's the way I would tell him but then thought to myself...he's not going to even look at what she's wearing...you better write a note on the magnadoodle. Is she not the cutest big sister ever?



So it's official...our family of 3 will have an addition, March 2012. We'll be a family of 4. Unbelievable.

I know lots of people who wouldn't announce a pregnancy this early on, but this baby/pregnancy is in God's care and I want to trust Him with it. We're excited and thanking Him for this miracle baby!

Love to all,

35 weeks...

A doesn't have much room to maneuver now that she's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Her kidneys are fully developed now, and her liver can process some waste products. Most of her basic physical development is now complete — she'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

I had my doctor's appointment last Wednesday. I wasn't able to see my doc (he was on vacay) but I did get to choose who I wanted to see, so I picked Dr. B. My bp was up, so he ran some blood work (all came back okay). I had to do a 24-hour urine analysis yesterday...seriously, collecting your urine is so gross. I'm sure everything will come back fine, since the blood work came back okay. They are just watching me closely since we're getting so close to my due date. I see my doctor again tomorrow. I start going every week now. CRAZY!! I feel like I'm getting a cold - woke up with a cough. My doc's office told me to go get both flu shots. I still haven't. I'm trying to find a place to get the H1N1 vaccine. Neither my OB or primary care have it.

My sister and I had a big job last week. It was a 2-day event that we were catering. My Mom came in to help us with the job and THANK GOODNESS she did. We have the best time together. We laughed A LOT...cried a little...happy tears of course. :) I seriously have the best Momma in the world. She was up at 5am every day and working until midnight helping us get things together for the next day. She's awesome and I love her to pieces. There is no way we could have done it without her. Thank you Momma...you're the best!!

I had my 3rd and final baby shower yesterday. It was at my church and it was fabulous! I will post pics this week. I received several items that I really needed and then some really cute things with A's name and monogram!

Everyone says I should have my bag packed. I've been asking people what to pack. Any suggestions on what to throw in the bag?

I will post more soon. I lost the cord to my camera, so I can't put any of my pics on the computer. That's why I didn't include a belly shot in this post. Just imagine me very large and swollen. HA! My S-I-L sent me all of her pics from the shower though, so I will post those soon.

Love,

34 weeks - nursery accessories - gifts

I'm 34 weeks...WOW!! We're getting so close. The belly is definitely growing. Now every time I go out, someone asks when I'm due. I guess I look like I could deliver at any moment. HA! Some days I feel as though I could! I go in for my next doc appointment this Wednesday. Only two more weeks and I start going every week. Hard to believe. I'm getting so anxious to see her. I want to see who she looks like. Does she have lots of hair?? Does she have full lips?? I told Alex that I can't tell one thing by that 20 week u/s photo! :) She is kicking all of the time. A lot of times it takes my breath away. She got the hiccups for the first time, last week. At least this is the first time I was able to actually feel them. She had them for about 5 minutes. I just sat there and laughed...it was the coolest thing.



A now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which she'll need to regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever.

I still have several things to do in her nursery, but not stressing about it. Alex has assured me that he will help me finish up. The seamstress comes tomorrow to pin-fit the fabric for the chair. She told me that she will put me at the top of the list, so that I have my chair before A arrives. We mainly just have to get things on the walls. Oh, and I also have a special piece that I'm going to put in her room. My Grandpa Mc made my Mom, as well as me and my sisters a hope chest when we graduated high school. I had him keep mine a natural wood because I couldn't decide on what color I wanted it painted or stained. I graduated...well...many years ago and it's still natural wood. I'm going to have Alex paint it and we're going to use it as A's toy chest. My Mom is going to make a cushion for the top, so it will also serve as extra seating. It means a lot to me to have a piece made by her Great Grandfather in her room.

Here are a few accessories that are in her room. This is the lamp that I've decided on. It's a white linen shade w/black trim on a silver base. I am contemplating putting her monogram on the shade. I love monogrammed things but at the same time, I don't want her room to have her name everywhere. There are already a few places/items that will have her monogram or initial. What do you think? Monogram on the shade or not? One of the places with her monogram is on a tiffany blue pillow that my friend, Nitzia made for me. The tiffany blue pillow will go in the rocker and the one with the ruffles matches her bed skirt (not sure where I'm going to put it yet, but I love it :) The back of the ruffled pillow is in the same hot pink that is on her bumper.



Here are a few things that A has received over the last week. My S-I-L gave her this little robe w/her initial on it (it even came with slippers!) and she also gave her the white sweater with her initial. LOVE THEM!! My Aunt Sandi bought me this diaper bag...LOVE IT as well. She offered to have it monogrammed but I'm still trying to decide if I want to do that or just keep it the way it is. I have cute bag tags to put on her things, so I may not have it monogrammed. And the cute little Uggs were a gift to A from me. I couldn't resist. :) Aren't they so cute!? If she has big feet like her Mommy, she will be able to wear them sooner than later.



That's all for now! Hope you all have a fabulous week!

Love,

33 weeks and counting...

I'm not even going to tell you what my husband was saying while taking this pic. He was totally making me laugh. I WILL tell you that I'm 33 weeks and counting the days until November! :)


Here's what little miss is up to this week!

This week A weighs a little over 4 pounds (like a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. She's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and her skeleton is hardening. I'm relieved to know that A no longer looks like an alien. (LOL)

Fall is officially here and I'm lovin' it! My parents were in town for a couple of days. They had to leave Saturday afternoon, but before they left my Mom put out my fall decor. I'm still experiencing some serious swollen feet/legs when I'm up for more than a few hours at a time. We had been out for a while and the feet were feeling it. She brought me back to the house to lay down while she decorated. Thank you, Momma!! I'm going to post pics of my fall decor soon. :)

My little niece, K turned 1 on Saturday! I remember that day like it was yesterday. On the day she was born, I was struggling to hang on to hope. The pic below is our first picture together...she was just hours old. I had just gone through a 2nd cycle and was on bed rest. I remember going to the hospital, holding her in my arms, and the tears started falling. I remember my family just giving me that moment with her. It was a happy day, but at the same time, very hard for me. I wanted so badly to be holding my own baby. Just a week later, I found out that I was not pregnant. It seems like my cycles always fell around the birth of a niece/nephew. I know now that God was in that. He was in every little detail and was doing a work in my heart with each failed cycle. I had no idea that in just a year, I would be weeks away from having my own baby girl. The waiting was hard. But I still wouldn't change a thing about our 3 year journey up to this point. His timing is perfect. He brought me to a place of finding joy in my infertility. A place of thankfulness. And then He blessed us with our miracle baby.


K shares a birthday with my Grandma Mc, so they had a joint party. It was a gorgeous day...perfect weather to be outside. By the time of the party, I had been up for a long time. My Uncle snapped the pic of me with my eyes closed...I could have totally fallen asleep there on my Daddy's shoulder. That was around the end of the party...I promise I didn't sleep through the entire thing!! :)



I hope you guys have a great week!

OH....I will be posting the 1st giveaway for my favorite Christmas things, this week! You won't want to miss it!

Love,

Labor & Delivery...

Last night was a LONG ONE. I had a lot of errands to run and was on my feet most of the day. I should know better by now. Whenever I spend a lot of time on my feet, I pay for it. Around 5pm, I started having really bad cramps, terrible back ache and finding it hard to catch my breath. This was all while sitting on the couch with my feet up. Fast-forward to 10pm and the cramps hadn't let up. Alex is out of town on business all week, so I was trying to figure out what to do. I'm not one of those patients that calls about everything. For some reason, I feel bad for bothering the doctor (especially late at night). My sister came over and took my blood pressure. It was 154-110. I think it was up and down all day while running errands. My head would start hurting and I would get flushed, but it would eventually go away so I ignored it. Once she checked my bp, we called the doctor on call. He wanted me to go to L&D to get checked. While there, I continued to cramp and have shortness of breath. They said the cramping was "irritability" (contractions that are less than 40 seconds). The shortness of breath is from her growing and me running out of room. Just something I'm going to have to get used to - because she's not going to stop growing. :) The back pain is from the weight gain...I'm just not used to carrying this much extra weight. My bp eventually came down. My uterus is closed and I am thinning very little. We left the hospital and got home close to 2am this morning. They gave me an ambien before leaving the hospital, so that I could get a good nights sleep. AND BOY DID I! I slept until after noon. I think A slept really well too. She didn't kick all night. She actually didn't start kicking until late this afternoon. No worries though, she's making up for lost time at this very moment. :)

I went to see my doctor today. His main concern is my blood pressure. It was normal today, but continues to go up and down. Not sure what's up with that. He said our goal is to make it to 36 weeks and anything after that is just icing on the cake! He said that if my blood pressure continues to do this, I may not make it to 40 weeks. I definitely want her to stay in there for as long as she needs. He measured her and listened to her hear rate and everything looks/sounds good. He said she's probably 3 1/2-4lbs. She is head down at the moment. I'm scheduled to go back in two weeks. I've been instructed to stop catering and to do very little from here on out. I'm supposed to take at least 2 hours each day, lay on my left side, and put my feet up. He's hoping this will help with my swelling and the blood pressure issue. This will be the hardest thing for me to do. I still have plenty to do before she arrives. I just have to limit myself to how much I do each day. I drink over 2 liters of water every day. Not sure if that's a lot or not...think I should be drinking more??

7 more weeks and we get to meet our baby girl...I'm getting excited!

Love,

32 weeks and 2nd baby shower!

By now, A weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama)and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in the uterus. She'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.

Yesterday was my 2nd baby shower. My S-I-L's threw me this shower and it was wonderful! It was mostly Alex's family, my sisters, and some of my girlfriends came as well. A received some cute outfits and toys! I received my first package of diapers as well...lots of fun stuff. :) Here are a few pics...

Me and my S-I-L's and some of our sweet family & friends...


How cute are these cupcakes (from one of my favorite cupcake shoppes) and cookies with her initial!? My S-I-L, Jen made the cookies! By the way, Jen is pregnant with her 3rd baby girl in February, so A will have another cousin very close in age...we're so excited! My M-I-L gave us this precious plate with ISamuel 1:27 on it. It's already sitting in her room...I love it.


Me and my sisters & nieces and some more of our sweet fam & friends...


Thank you to my S-I-L's for making this a very special day!! I love you girls!

On the pregnancy front...it's official. I'm swole-up. Seriously, my feet, hands, face, everything is swollen and hurts. I have officially gone up one shoe size...that alone is tragic. So many cute shoes in my closet and I can't wear them. I had my doctor's appointment last Wednesday. I gained 12 lbs in the last month. Yes, you read that correctly. That's a total of 31 lbs weight gain, so far. My bp was high, so I'm going back this week to have that checked again. I get to see my doctor this week....YAY!! I've been seeing all of the other docs for the past few months (my doc's office makes you do this, incase you go into labor and another doc is on call). All of the other OBs were super nice, but I'm ready to see my doctor again. I will start going every two weeks for the next month and then go to every week. This pregnancy has flown by. We're so close to meeting our baby girl! It's getting harder to sleep. I just can't get comfortable anymore. I'm like a roly-poly trying to get out of bed. I started having my first BH contractions today. It was like really bad, low cramps and my stomach got really tight...definitely had to sit down when they hit me. Only 8 more weeks to go! :)

The nursery is coming along. I have ordered the fabric for the chair and it will be shipped directly to the seamstress, so she can get started on that. I'm just praying it is finished in time. Other than the chair, I just need to buy/hang the drapes and get things on the walls. I know what I want, I just have to do it. My sis and I have a big catering job in October and then I'm going to have to stop helping with that. Being up on my feet for long periods of time is no longer possible.

The weeks are seriously flying by. LOTS TO DO before baby girl arrives!!

Love,