29 Weeks--Little Brother

How far along: 29 Weeks

 

Due date: October 6, 2015

Gender: A little BOY!!!
 

Size of baby: Apx. 15 inches and around 2.5 pounds

  

Weight gain: 14 pounds
 

Movement: Lots of bumps and nudges from the little guy. I recently have been able to distinguish body parts by how they're sticking out. He loves to camp out on my right side as well as on my bladder.
 

Maternity clothes: Yes

  

Stretch marks: Yes, and I feel so much bigger this time around than I did with Mabel. I have a feeling he's going to be bigger.

  

Sleep: I've had restless leg this time around, so it sometimes effects my sleep. Once I fall asleep I sleep well, but when I wake up my back and hips hurt really bad.

Symptoms: Lots of restless leg and some Charlie horses. OUCH!! Plus, I have horrible heartburn/indigestion every day, which I had with Mabel as well.
 

Purchased baby items: Lots of baby boy clothes (garage sales) and some swaddle blankets.
 

Best moment this week: Having a baby shower that the Law School threw for me. It was very nice!

  

Miss anything: Sleeping on my stomach
 

Cravings: Weirdly, salads and anything fresh tasting.
 

                            Aversions: Still haven't cooked much hamburger. Yuck! And pizza and pasta, especially things with red sauce.

 

 

Queasy or sick: Neither.
 

Looking forward to: Starting on the little guy's room and being able to have a place for everything.

15 Months

I can honestly say that this age right now is my favorite (I've thought that all along, but this one is really great). You are just so fun to be around and to interact with. You continually make your dad and I laugh all the time with your fun personality and you also blow us away with how much you are learning. We make comments all the time about how smart you are, because nothing gets by you. We love that we get to do life with you.


A Little About You:

• Sleeping through the night and waking up around 6:30-7:00, sometimes later.
• Wearing 12 months and 12-18 months.
• Have around 7-8 words that you can say, but you understand SO much. I can ask you any question and you generally know how to answer it. And I understand you a lot!! I give myself lots of credit for being able to decipher the babble/words that you say as well as your constant pointing at things. I've got you figured out. :)
• Your favorite word is "yes" and you always shake your head then laugh when I ask you if that's what you want.
• Will blow kisses and you also make the kiss sound when we tell you that we love you.
• You love to be outside and always point to go out when you get a chance. We love to swing you and play with you in your kiddy pool.
• You hate being changed now. It's always a fun time complete with kicking and screaming. Hey, you can't be great all the time, right?!? ;)
• 8 teeth with 2 molars that are almost all the way in.
• You crawl and scoot everywhere. You also LOVE to crawl up the stairs and then get into the upstairs closet. You pull up and stand on everything and also love to crawl down off of the couch. We also just watched you climb on top of a toy the other day and you just sat there pleased as punch. :)
• Still very much into fine motor skills, including screwing bottle tops on and off. This alone can keep you entertained for minutes upon minutes.
• Loving all foods, except cottage cheese and watermelon.
• We're close to having you weaned off of your bottle. That morning bottle is still really hard to get rid of.
• Still use the sign for "all done" and finally started using "more" after about 8 months of teaching it to you.
• Had our first big Ouchy today complete with blood, when you bashed your lip on your crib while standing. It was so sad, but you calmed down relatively quick.
• You are just a joy to be around and you constantly make us laugh.
• You growl and pant at the dogs and still really like trying to get them as they quickly scamper away from you. Jett still doesn't really like you and I think Jilli just puts up with you. Wait until they realize that we will be bringing home another one soon.
• Took swimming lessons last month and you seemed to enjoy it. We think that it helped you with standing/crawling.

Favorites:

• Music and dancing. You will boogy down to any music or beat that comes on the t.v or radio. Your dad can even make a beat with his mouth and you will dance to it, always with arms above your head. It's so cute!
• Your stuffed animals/babies. You love to tackle them in a bear hug, then scoot backwards until you are leaning against them. It's so hilarious.
• Bath time.

Growing So Big:
At your 15 Month Check-up last week you weighed 21.1 pounds and were 30.3 inches long. Still quite a small girl.

13 Months

I've loved doing these monthly updates so much that I plan to keep doing them for as long as I can. Not sure what life will be like once there are 2 babies, but hopefully I can keep it up. :)

I am really loving life with you at this age. You are a joy and a delight to be around and you are always making your dad and I laugh. You're very expressive and have a way of letting us know what you want or don't want. It's almost always through a mix of facial expressions, screams and some hand shaking/signing.

You are very much a people person and will say "hi" a million times when we are out and about anywhere. You love it when people say it back to you, and how could they not, when you say it with such a sweet little voice, smile real wide and wave your chubby little arm. You kill me. :)

A little about you:

• Still sleeping through the night which is awesome sauce!!
• Wearing 12 months and some 12-18 months.
• Babbling up a storm. I feel like at any moment you're just going to start talking in full sentences.
• You have 8 teeth that we know of in the front (4 on top, 4 on the bottom) and I think you have at least 2 more in the back, but you won't really let me take a look.
• You are super mobile now and into everything, but you're doing it your own way, because you're too cool like that. If you're on your bottom, you scoot by using your hands to pull you and then slide your legs, kind of like a frog. If you're on your stomach you do an army crawl, plus rolling to get where you want to go. It's hilarious, but incredibly efficient.
• You love to dance to music and also recently started humming along when a song plays.
• Still have the sweetest disposition that melts my heart all the time.
• Some of your food favorites recently have been blackberries, raspberries and raisins.
• Haven't made the full switch from a bottle to a Sippy cup yet, but we will need to do that soon. I dread it, but I hope that you will do fine with it.
• You use the sign for "all done" for everything. It doesn't matter if I ask you if you want more, or a drink, or whatever; you use that sign and it's hilarious!

Favorites:

• The dogs still. I'm pretty sure that they are the reason you finally started crawling, just so you could snag them. :)
• Playing outside & swinging in your swing (we plan on getting you a pool for the summer)
• People!

We love you sweet girl and could not imagine our lives without you in it. We have 4 months until baby brother arrives, so I am soaking in every minute I have with you before things change for a bit.

18 Weeks (Baby #2)

How far along: 18 Weeks

 

Due date: October 6, 2015

 

Gender: Not sure yet. We find out on 5/22. Yippee!!!!! I'm so excited to know.

 

Size of baby: Apx. 5 1/2 inches and 7 ounces! :)

  

Guesses: I really don't know, but if I had to take a guess I would say that I am 60% sure it is a boy... With Mabel I was so certain that it was a girl, but this time around I haven't felt that certainty. The only reason I think it's a boy is because the heart rate is much lower than Mabel's was, and of all the "old wives tales" the heart rate one is one I actually believe. So, we will see soon.
 

Weight gain: I think I actually lost a little bit of weight when I was weighed at my last appointment. 

 

Movement: I've felt baby off and on since 10 weeks, but here in the last 2 weeks I've felt him/her every day. I absolutely love this part of pregnancy.
 

Maternity clothes: Everyday. All the time.

  

Stretch marks: No new ones, but it's still really early, lol.

  

Sleep: No changes there, but each night varies depending on Mabel and her sleep. Recently she's done well, but you just never know.
 

Purchased baby items: Nothing yet for this baby. We're waiting until we find out the gender to decide what all we will need to buy.
 

Best moment this week: Having our 18 week appointment and getting to take Mabel with me. She was so cute and sweet the whole time. (well, she's like that all the time anyway, but it was just special to be there with her) :)

  

Worst moment this week: Having a sick baby (ear infection). 

  

Miss anything: I don't really miss anything yet.
 

Cravings: Breakfast foods like scrambled eggs, sausage & egg biscuits, and Jimmy Dean breakfast bowls with sausage and eggs and gravy!! I eat it at least 2 or 3 times a week. I can't stop myself, even though the thought of some it would normally gross me out. Ah the wonders of pregnancy! :) 

 

Aversions: Red meat, particularly hamburger. I have not cooked hamburger since I found out that we were pregnant and I can't even bring myself to buy any. Barf!!!

 

Queasy or sick: Not sick anymore, that ended about 4 weeks ago, but boy do I have horrible heart burn and indigestion. Plus, I've had digestion issues this time around that cause a lot of bloating and cramping pain. It's probably all the sausage. ;)
 

Looking forward to: Our 20 week appointment. I'm just so excited to see our new little peanut and find out what we're having. It's such an exciting time.

Oh Baby!

Well, where do I even begin...

To say that this baby was a surprise would be the understatement of the year! ;)

I guess it can all go back to before Mabel was born. Dan and I tried to conceive for a year and a half with no luck. Just when I had started to give up on the idea of having a biological baby, BOOM, we got pregnant with Mabel. So, I just figured that the next time we wanted a baby that it would be the same as before.

Well, as you all have probably guessed by now, that was not the case this time around.

I really should have seen the signs, but I was so distracted by my 9 month old that being pregnant was the furthest thing from my mind. I had a sudden aversion towards meat, had random heartburn, which I only have when I'm pregnant and some cramping. All very obvious signs, but I completely missed it.

I finally took a pregnancy test just to rule it out before going to my doctor to see what was wrong with me, lol. The whole time I was taking the test I was chastising myself for being so silly in taking a test. I waited the appropriate 3 minutes and glanced at the test just in time to see it say "pregnant." The only reaction I could think to have was to laugh hysterically and to say over and over "You're kidding me, so that's what I did for about 5 minutes. Looking back on it now, I just giggle at myself and how oblivious I was.

I was actually supposed to meet Dan right after work that night, so I quickly pulled myself together and went to meet him. I wanted to wait and tell him in a really cool way, but I just couldn't wait. I told him when no one was around and his reaction was quiet shock for about 5 seconds and then he said "Ok" and we both laughed and hugged and got excited.

Even though it's been almost 4 months since that day, I still catch myself kind of amazed at the fact that in about 5 months we will be the parents to 2 precious babies. I feel so blessed that we didn't have the struggle this time around that we had before Mabel, so I am thankful for that, but it's still kind of crazy. I'm currently 18 weeks along and as far as we can tell everything is going just like it's supposed to.

We are truly blessed people. My heart is full and God is good.

One Year

Well, the day came and went in the blink of an eye, but you my sweet one have turned the big 1! It's amazing the difference a year can make, not just in how much you've grown but in how much our hearts have grown and expanded.

             One Year Ago. Our first family picture!

        On your birthday!!

A little about you:

• Sleeping through the night! Can I get a hallelujah?!? ;)
• Still in a few 9 month clothes but mostly in 12 months.
• Quite the talker with more words/phrases added almost weekly. Your recent obsession is saying "Hi" to everyone, even the dogs. You recently started saying "Hi Dett" for "Hi Jett." It's super cute. You chatter all day long now.
• 6 teeth with another one peeking in.
• You roll everywhere now and also love to scoot on your bottom. You'll pivot completely to get to whatever it is that you want. You're also starting to get on your knees and scoot that way as well. We are about to have to put the baby gate up because you are getting interested in the stairs to the basement.
• You've still got an obsession with food. Your favorite fruit is definitely blueberries and you still love eggs.
• Just switched over from formula to real milk and you didn't even seem phased by the difference. Still trying to figure out why we're trying to take your bottle away, but hopefully you get the hang of it soon.
• You enjoy brushing your teeth and never fight me when I scrub them down. :)

Favorites:

• Being outside and going for walks in your stroller
• The dogs, especially Jett
• Daddy snuggles
• Laughing and being goofy
• Dancing and clapping to music.

At your one year check up you weighed in at a whopping 19 lbs. 14 oz, and are 29 3/4 inches long. Still a pretty small girl, but we love it.

We never knew how much this year would change us when we welcomed you into the world, but we feel so blessed and humbled by all that God has done in our lives by bringing you to us. We pray that you will continue to grow and thrive and that one day you will seek Him in your life. We love you Mabel Evelyn and cannot wait for what the future holds. :)

11 Months

Well, it's so close now that I can almost taste it. You're 2 weeks away from turning ONE!

Life has been a little hectic recently with some family things, but I am slowly getting things prepared for your little party. It will be such a fun day of celebration.

Plus, we made this huge announcement this week!! :)

 

We are beyond excited to be adding another little one to our family. (I'll write another post on that later this week.)


A little about you:

• Sleeping around 10-11 hours at night with the occasional waking to eat.
• Your favorite toy is still you little baby that you sleep with. It's cute how much you adore her.
• Still wearing 9 months but mostly in 12 month clothing.
• Still super chatty. It seems like it happened over night. You mimic every word I say and are pretty good at letting me know what you want. It's amazing to see how much you understand.
• A few words you say now are: "Hi" "Uh-Oh" "All-Done" "Ni-Ni" (for night night) "Ma-Ma" "Da-Da" "Up"
• Still a fantastic eater. Just recently gave you yogurt for the first time and you used your spoon to scoop it into your mouth. Sooo cute!
• Rockin' 4 teeth now. Your top teeth make me laugh because they are so cute with just the perfect little gap and it changes the way your face looks so much.
• You are now a roller!!! You roll from tummy to back all over the living room and into the kitchen. It's like you finally realized that you could roll to whatever you want. We knew it was only a matter of time, but we are so happy that you have finally figured it out.
• You love throwing things off the bed or couch and saying "uh-oh".
• You are still the sweetest little girl. You love to give kisses and just have the sweetest disposition.

Favorites:

• Swinging in your new back yard swing.
• Being outside on nice days. I really hope you will be my little garden buddy. :)
• Food!
• Bath time

You are going to be an amazing big sister, I already know it. :)

10 Months

Another month down and I still can't believe it. You are getting so big, so fast.


I just recently ordered your first birthday invitations and I'm busy planning your party. I can't wait to celebrate your wonderful life with our family and friends.


I think it's pretty easy to say that your dad and I are completely enamored with you. We love learning and growing with you and we can't wait to see what the next few months will bring.


A little about you:

• Still sleeping through the night for the most part. You randomly have bad nights where I'm up every hour with you, but normally once you go down around 8:30 or 9:00 you stay asleep until 7:00-7:30. I think a lot of it just depends on what all has gone on in your day and since I'm not there to see what's going on, I have no way to really gauge how your nights are going to be.
• You sleep with your favorite doll and owl toy every night. No matter what mood you are in, each of these toys can make you get the biggest grin and giggle when you see them.
• Wearing some 9 months and now in some 12 months.
• Super chatty with sounds/words of "Da-Da" "Ba-Ba" and "Ma-Ma" and just recently started saying "Hi" (it comes out more like "I") and "Uh-Oh" (which just sounds like "Oh-Oh").
• Still a whistler.
• Still a lover of all things food. Have yet to find anything you won't eat.
• Some of your favorite foods right now are:
• Still loving scrambled eggs
• Any pasta and veggies
• Blueberries
• Cottage Cheese
• 2 bottom teeth with your top ones yet to make an actual appearance. They are sooo close though.
• Will roll over to the left or right when on your tummy. Still no where near crawling, but you love to sit and are so content to just be. You are very much a fine motor skills kind of girl and there are often times that we talk about how smart you are.
• You love to hand me things and always beam with pride when I tell you "thank you." It's super sweet and oh so cute.
• I can ask you for a "kiss-kiss" and you will lean in, sigh a sweet sigh and open your mouth super wide. I melt every time.
• Your favorite game is to take all of your toys out of the toy box, then put them all back in. It can keep you entertained for a good half hour.
• Obsessed with phones, tablets, remotes; pretty much anything that lights up and/or has buttons.
• Lots of beautiful blond hair on your head. Still slightly curly at the base.
• You love to dance when you hear any music now. You will bounce up and down and shake your chubby little arms. I die every time. :)
• You love to look at "the baby" in the mirror. You smile, giggle and wave at her.
• Started screaming lately and it is awesome (note sarcasm). It's normally if you're frustrated with something or bored, but man oh man, it gets our attention. I wonder if this is just a girl thing or if boys do it too?

Favorites:

• Jett!! You love that little doggy dude, but he isn't quite sure what he thinks of you.
• Daddy, of course. :) He can get you to laugh like nobody else. 
• Food!!
• Splashing in the bathtub with your toys.

8 & 9 Months

Well once again I am behind on getting this post out, but I guess I should just be glad that I'm getting it done.  I'm just going to cram both the 8 & 9 month posts into this one since we're already 2 weeks into your 9th month. Craziness! :)

December was a crazy hectic month with Christmas festivities and the New Year, but we had a blast celebrating these holidays with you. On Christmas you weren't really sure of what to do with your gifts, so most of them were opened by me, but we loved getting to see you in your Christmas jammies and "tearing" paper from your gifts. We also got to spend lots of quality time with our family throughout the entire Christmas season. 

On New Year's you didn't quite make it to midnight, but we had tons of fun ringing in the new year with lots of friends. :)

Now that we're well into the new year, we're actually talking about the planning of your 1st birthday party. GAHHHH!!! I seriously cannot wrap my brain around that idea. You are 3 months away from your 1st birthday. Where has the time gone?!? I have many thoughts on this topic, so I will save that for another post. So for now, I will just list some of the milestones you are at right now and be thankful for this season that we are in. 

A little about you:

• These past 2 months with you have been some of the best. Your little personality has really come out here recently and we are really loving it. You smile and laugh at so many things and have such a silly personality. We soak it up as much as we can. :)
• Started sleeping through the night just this week. (I hope by writing this I'm not jinxing the 9-10 hours you've been sleeping) It's great to get uninterrupted sleep again.
• Wearing some 6 month clothes, but mostly in 9 months and some 6-12 and 9-12 months.
• Not as interested in the bottle recently, but we still try to get you to eat 4-5 ounces 4 or 5 times a day. It normally takes you a few tries over a couple of hours to finish the bottle, but normally you get it down.
• Eating LOTS of "real" food. We feed you whatever we are eating plus some purees or fruit. You love food and do so well with whatever we give you. I still haven't found anything that you won't eat.
• Some of your favorite foods right now are:
• Scrambled or hard-boiled eggs
• Blueberries
• Freeze dried yogurt drops (you go crazy for these)
• Rockin' 2 bottom teeth and currently getting your top teeth in too. Lots of crankiness right now with those teeth moving in. :( Teething is serious business and is not for the faint of heart. *Sigh*
• Starting to tolerate being on your tummy but not for very long still. 
• Will occasionally roll over on your tummy while in your crib to sleep. You often wake up screaming though because you can't roll back over. 
• You will sit and play by yourself for quite a long time, as long as we have plenty of toys for you and as long as you can see us or hear us. 
• You've just recently started to cry if we leave your sight.
• Lots of blonde hair all over. It looks like it is starting to curl at the base of your head. It's super fuzzy and oh so cute. 
• Babbling all the time along with some singing and growling. Also, you whistle occasionally. I don't think you realize what you are doing, but it's still pretty funny.
• You wave "Hi" and "Bye."
• You have the sweetest disposition but you also let us know what you want or don't want. You can get loud pretty quick but don't really stay upset for long and have taken it pretty easy on us.

Favorites:

• Food! :)
• The dogs still make you laugh and you reach out to them when they are nearby.
• Still only have eyes for your daddy.
• Love love love your Grandpa Randy and it's sooo sweet!
• Splashing in the bathtub with your toys.

Growing so big: Just had your 9 month appointment and you are 17 lbs. 14 oz. and 27 inches long. Such a petite little gal. 

Cuddling with Grandpa Randy.

 Our little fluffy bear!