Sunday, May 8, 2011

39 Weeks - Happy Mother's Day!

Today we celebrated Mother's Day, just the three of us and I realized on my way to church that this is going to be the last day Tate, Ava and I will spend with just the 3 of us. In just 3 short days from now, we will be welcoming our new little Brooklyn into this world and our family will be growing by 1 more. It still amazes me when I think about all of the wonderful changes headed our way with her arrival.

Ava has been such an amazing blessing to our family and I can only imagine what the new little peanut will add to our wonderful little life together. While in church today, we noticed a little 3 month old baby behind us and Ava became captivated by her. She watched her intently as the baby was fed a bottle and then cuddled with her mom. She absolutely adores babies and I know she is going to be a wonderful big sister.

As for me, my stomach is as big as they come right now. :) Brooklyn is definitely running out of room in my tummy as she fills it up from my hips to the top of my ribs. She is still very active and gets the hiccups often. :) I cannot wait to see what she looks like and to hold her in my arms for the very first time. It is going to be such an amazing experience for all of us. I can't wait to let Ava hold her baby sister and watch as she checks her out from head to toe.

I hope all of you mothers out there had a wonderful day today, I know I sure did. :)

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

37 Weeks, 3 Days - 2 WEEKS LEFT TO GO!!!! :)

I cannot contain how excited I am knowing that I will be welcoming our little Brooklyn into this world 2 short weeks from today. I have been looking at her ultrasound pictures lately and wondering what she is going to look like. Will she look like her big sis, Ava? Will she have curly hair? Will she have daddy's lips and mommy's good looks? :) haha. I just can't stop thinking about her and also about the wonderful time I will get to spend with my girls this summer.
Ava still thinks she has a baby inside her belly too, even though it looks nothing like mommy's. The other day we were walking back from the park and Ava suddenly raised her shirt and grabbed her tummy and said, "oh momma, the baby hurts.." I asked her is the baby moving and she grunted and said, "yeah, a lot". :) It was the cutest thing ever. She sees what happens to her momma during my contractions and must have picked that up along the way. She is honestly the sweetest little girl ever and always says, "Hi Broken" (her way of saying Brooklyn) and giving her a kiss on mommy's belly. She is going to be such a great sister to Brooklyn.

Today I had my weekly doctor's appointment and found out that I have already started to dilate. I am only at 1 cm so there is nothing to worry about but the doctor definitely does not want me traveling in a car farther than Owatonna for the next couple of weeks. I do have one more doctor's appt next week for my pre-op visit but that is all that's left! It's crazy how quickly the time is approaching when some days seem to last forever. The baby is measuring out around 6 1/2 lbs right now and the doctor is predicting she will be around the same size as Ava, 7 lbs, 6 oz. She has been moving so much lately and keeping mommy awake at night, but it's all so worth it.

I am trying to enjoy the last 2 weeks of my pregnancy feeling her move around and watching my stomach as she kicks and tries to punch her way through. :)

We have all of the baby's clothes washed and put away and we are getting the car seat ready to go in both cars as well. There are just a few more things that will need to be done, but other than that, we are ready to go.

The count down has begun and now I am just hoping it will be above 40 degrees here in Minny on May 11th. :) 

Lots of love!

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Exactly 4 Weeks from Today.....Baby "B" will be HERE!!

It is so exciting knowing that Ava's little sister and Mommy and Daddy's little girl will be born exactly 4 weeks from today! I absolutely cannot wait! The pregnancy has been so different for me this time because I have not had a lot of time to focus on myself since I have a 2 1/2 year old to chase after. Yesterday I took Ava to the park and she wanted to go down the really big, swirly slide. Of course, she would not go without her Mommy so here I am almost 9 months pregnant trying to get into this slide with my 2 1/2 year old. It was a funny site I am sure. :) It is going to be so amazing welcoming our little girl into the world with her big sister watching over her. Ava gives her sister little kisses and tells her she loves her. I hope she still feels that way when she has to share her mommy with her new little sister. In all honesty, I am not too worried because Ava absolutely LOVES babies and she is such a little helper to me already.

Ava's big girl furniture finally arrived last Friday so I was able to move all of her clothes over to her new room. My big chore for the weekend is to get out the box of 0-3 month clothes from storage and begin to wash them all. Of course, I have a few new things to wash too because I can't give baby "B" all used clothes! She needs a few new things of her own too. :)

Monday, March 28, 2011

Baby "B" and Ava Comparison

I was amazed when I saw our little girl's face at her 32 week ultrasound appointment  because it reminded me so much of Ava's 28 week picture.

Here are the two, side by side....can't you see the resemblance??

Baby B at 32 weeks old

Ava at 28 weeks old

Keep in mind, Baby B has had another 4 weeks to grow between the two pictures. :)

I cannot wait to meet her! I am so excited! :)

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Ultrasound at 32 Weeks 3 Days - Our Little Girl is Growing - And Ava's 1st Haircut

Last Wednesday I went in for an ultrasound after my regular doctor's appointment and it was so great to see my little peanut again after a few months. I have not received the official word stating everything looks great, but the doctor told me that if it wasn't I would have heard from him on Wednesday afternoon!

One thing we were able to determine is that our little girl is already 4 lbs and she is not in the 90th percentile so they will NOT be moving up my DD. I am actually really happy to hear that because I want her to stay in until the very end so we do not have to worry about the development of her lungs or any other complications associated with early deliveries. I can handle another 6 1/2 weeks of carrying around this little angel even though I feel she is starting to run out of room! :)

I also had the ultrasound technician confirm that we are indeed having another GIRL. I realized after our ultrasound at 5 months, I never really asked the technician then if she was sure of the sex of the baby so I had her re-check it for us. :) Good thing too because Mommy and Ava have been doing a lot of shopping for Ava's little sister! Don't tell Daddy that! :)


On a side note, big sister Ava had her very 1st HAIRCUT this weekend! :) We made it really special for her by traveling to the Cities and meeting up with my best friend, Melissa and her 3 kids at the Eden Prairie mall to all celebrate Ava's big day. :) Ava was not very excited about sitting in the chair and absolutely did not like the cape they put on it so we had to turn it around like superman. With the help of all of her friends and of course her mommy, Ava made it through her 1st haircut. HOWEVER, after leaving the salon...Mommy decided that we hardly cut any of Ava's hair so I decided (with the help of Melissa) to go back and get more cut off! Yes, that's right, Ava had 2 haircuts for her 1st time! :) I blame it on pregnancy hormones not allowing me to make decisions (kind of like in Baby girl's name). :) Ava was not happy at first, but then she quickly realized she would get 2 suckers so she let us cut it again. :) We finished the rest of the day with our dear friends and made Ava's 1st haircut the most special experience ever. :)








Wednesday, March 23, 2011

7 Weeks To Go!!!

It's hard to imagine that in 7 weeks from today, we will be welcoming our second little girl into this world. Ava has been so excited about the arrival of her little sister and talks about her all the time at daycare. She is going to be such a helper, as long as I can get her to share her mommy with the new addition. :)

Last week I had a little scare at work when my contractions started kicking in and needed to back an unplanned trip to the doctor. The good news was that I was not going into labor, however they did tell me that I need more sleep, rest and less stress. Yeah, right...do they realize I work an hour and a half away and that I have a 2 1/2 year old to take care of? :) We were able to stop my contractions that day and they gave me some medicine in case it happens again. One other thing I found out was that my tummy was measuring out a week and a half ahead of schedule. Therefore, they scheduled me for an ultrasound today, after my regular doctor check up. I am actually really excited to see how our little girl is measuring out and will post the results later on today.

My mind is filled with so many questions like, "how will it be with a newborn and a 2 1/2 year old?" and "will my C-section take longer to heal the second time around?" But, in all reality, all of my fears are put aside when I think about our second little girl and how she is going to bring so much more joy and happiness to our lives. It will be so nice for Ava to have a playmate with her as she grows as well.

By they way, our little girl has been moving around a TON lately. I just sit and stare at my stomach and wonder what kind of gymnastics she is practicing today. I can already tell she will be quite the athlete. :)

Love to all!

Friday, March 11, 2011

2 Months Away Until Our Little Girl Joins Us!!

It's hard to believe that our second little girl will be born exactly 2 months from today. We are getting so excited to meet her and Ava is very proud to mention to everyone that she is going to have a little sister. The other night Tate was feeling my tummy and Ava got a little upset and said, "No daddy, that's my mommy." She then proceeded to tell him that she had a baby in her tummy too and unzipped her jammies so he could feel the baby. :)
Our little peanut is moving around in my tummy so much lately and getting stronger by the day. I feel as though she has really grown these past couple of weeks, however at my last doctor's appt last Tuesday, I found out I had lost a lb. I am pretty sure that is because of the fact that my stomach has been pretty touchy still and I am limited on what I can eat but the doctor assures me that our little girl is growing perfectly. Each day it becomes a little more difficult to do the every day things like get out of bed, sleep through the night and hold Ava for long periods of time but it's worth it to know our little one is growing bigger each day. :)
Now, if we could only have some nice weather here in MN so I could get back outside with Ava and get back to my walking schedule with Ava and Bailey. :)

Saturday, February 12, 2011

27 Weeks - 1 week away from 7 months!

It is hard to believe I am almost 7 months pregnant with our precious little girl. Of course, each day as I check out my growing belly,I feel like I am already 9 months pregnant. :) I received my test results back on Wednesday from my glucose test and all of my numbers were right in line. However, I did find out my iron levels are low most likely due to the fact that I am unable to eat a wide variety of food. However, the good news is, this will not affect the baby at all. It will just make me a little more tired (yippee) but we will both be just fine.

The baby now weighs about 2 lbs and is measuring out at 15 inches long. She is going to have her sister's strong legs and she loves to start kicking mommy right at bed time. However, I don't mind at all, I absolutely love to feel her moving around in my tummy.

On a side note, Ava is finally giving up her nuk. We cut the tip of it off and she thinks Bailey (our dog) broke it. It's so funny because she gets mad at him and says, "naughty Bailey, you broke my nukie". :) It's so darn cute and I am happy to have the nuk part of the past, especially with the baby only 13 weeks away. :)

We are getting close to finalizing the name of our little peanut, but not quite ready to announce it yet. I absolutely can't wait to meet her and to introduce Ava to her little sister. She is going to be the best big sister ever!

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

26 Weeks 2 Days - Doctor Appt and Glucose Test

Everything went really well at my doctor's appointment today. My doctor said I am measuring out exactly at 26 weeks she said our little girl's heart beat is strong and around 153 beats a minute. She even managed to kick the doctor a couple of times while she was listening to her heartbeat. What a little stinker. :)

I had my glucose test today and unfortunately part of that process is me having to drink this sugary drink and then wait for an hour before they draw my blood to check my levels. Well, the drink tasted just fine, however as you all know my acid reflux is in high gear lately and I had all I could do to keep the darn drink down. My stomach was so upset and nothing made it better. I was determined to keep it down so I could finish my test, otherwise I would have to do it again. My doctor got to witness my acid reflux symptoms in high gear and she felt horrible for me. They have decided to give me a prescription for Zantac and she is hoping that will really help me going forward. So, keep your fingers crossed!

My next doctor's appt is in a month and after that, I will be heading to the doctor every 2 weeks. It's so amazing to realize how far along I already am. This pregnancy has definitely gone by faster now that I have a little one to run after. Now, we just need to start checking things off our list; for instance, getting Ava a new big girl bedroom set, new bedding and of course a freshly painted room. :) Lots to do and I am starting to realize time is running out! :)

Monday, February 7, 2011

26 Weeks - 1 Day - Preparing for the glucose test tomorrow

It is hard to believe I am already 6 1/2 month pregnant, but I am! :) I have my monthly doctor's appointment tomorrow as well as my wonderful glucose test. Since my diet has been very limited lately due to my acid reflux, I am hoping that the extra carbs I am forced to eat (because it's the only thing that doesn't give me acid) will not throw off my sugar levels tomorrow. I can definitely tell you, it would not be because I am able to enjoy extra pieces of cake or candy, all of my favorite goodies hurt my stomach way too much.

I am also excited to find out how I am measuring out tomorrow at my doctor appointment. I feel like I have grown so much in the last month so it will be nice to see where I am at according to my due date.

We are still trying to finalize the name of our little peanut, but our list is pretty short. It's much harder to figure out the name of our second girl than it was with Ava. But, I am confident we will figure out the perfect name for her. :)

I will update everyone after my appointment tomorrow, wish me luck!

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

23 Weeks - Play Date with Melissa and the Kiddos

On Sunday, Jan. 15th Melissa and her three kids were finally able to make it over to our house to celebrate Christmas and hang out with Ava and I for the entire day. We had so much fun! We played hard for 7 hours straight and all of the kiddos stayed awake during nap time. :) Needless to say, they were exhausted when they left and Ava fell asleep at 7 PM that night. :) While Melissa was here, we decided to take a few pictures of me and my growing tummy. I have to say, Melissa did a GREAT job on this picture (I kind of felt like a pregnant model) Ha!

Besides taking modeling pictures, we had a dance party, watched parts of a movie and all took turns feeling the baby girl kick her mommy. :) I can't wait for our new little addition to join our future parties. We always have so much when we are together.

Thanks again Melis for coming, I can't wait for our next play date in March!

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Doctor Visit - 22 Weeks, 3 Days - Due Date is Officially Established

I had my doctor's visit yesterday one of the main goals I had for this appointment was to lock down the DD. Since I am going to be having a scheduled C-section this time around, I am able to pick my DD as long as it is within the 1 week time period of my actual DD. My original DD was 5/15/11, however my doctor wanted me to come in a week early to avoid having to do an emergency C-section if I were to go into labor early. I don't think there is much chance of me going early, because Ava was very happy staying inside mommy's tummy, but nonetheless, I need to follow doctor's orders.

After discussing with my doctor, we agreed on the DD of 5/11/11 which will be a Wednesday. They are already booking me for surgery that day. Hearing the doctor actually say he was booking me for surgery gave me quite the thrill to know our little girl's arrival is not that far away. Now both of our girls with a their birthdays on the 11th of the month. :)

Baby girl is doing great and her little heartbeat was beating loud and strong for the doctor. I asked the doctor about my acid reflux and he basically told me there isn't anything else I can do besides taking Zantac and Tums. He said I just have to stay away from the foods that irritate it even if that means I am on a soup and toast diet. LOL! I told him the only things that don't seem to bother my tummy are carbs (breads, crackers, etc) and he said that is just fine and that the baby will get all of the nutrients she needs. So, it looks like I am stuck to a carb-filled diet for now.

Tate and I are starting the discussions of baby names, but we (meaning, I) still need to do some additional research. :)

This is such an exciting time for us and I am enjoying feeling our little girl moving around.

Love to all,

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

We are having.....................?

Another GIRL! :) Tate and I decided to welcome in the New Year on New Year's Eve by opening the Christmas card from our doctor with the gender of our little peanut. The card read: "Congratulations, It's a Girl!" I am currenly 22 weeks pregnant (5 1/2 months) and growing by the day. I have been feeling our little girl moving around so much lately, letting me know that she is growing and doing well. She weighs a pound now and just about 12 inches long. I had a business trip to Austin, TX last week which went well, but I was definitely feeling much more tired and worn out after a long work day. I have started feeling the famous "Braxton Hicks" contractions which are pretty normal now but it was important for me to get some rest this past weekend and to keep myself hydrated.

We saw little Linc man and Auntie Jenna on Saturday and it was so fun to watch Ava and Lincoln running around the house playing together. They are like two peas in a pod. It's definitely "monkey see, monkey do" with the two of them. Ava was playing so hard with Linc that she wasn't watching where she was going and ran into the corner of a kitchen table. Our little princess looks more like a boxer today with a swollen eye and the start of a nice bruise. I have to admit, we have one tough girl. Much tougher than her mommy.

It feels so good to be back home again and to spend time with everyone.

I have my next doctor's appointment this afternoon and I already have my laundry list of questions for the doctor ready. :) I am hoping to lock down the DD with my doctor today so I will keep you all posted. :)