Wordless Wednesday (Baby Boy)

The arrow is pointing to a tiny white half circle that is Baby Boy's tongue.

23 weeks and still going ...

Easter Recap

We had a wonderful Easter this year! The best part about it, is that I will most likely remember this one. Last year, we came home from the hospital on Easter Sunday and it was all a blur of family and visitors. It's really hard to remember any of the details of that day. I know there was a big dinner (lunch) that I must have eaten some of, and that we all met at my mom's house.

This year, we all met at my in-laws' house for lunch. I'm so thankful that my side of the family and Ryan's side get along! No one wanted to miss Sarah's first egg hunt, so we just decided to do a joint celebration. I'm sure both grandmas like it because there is less cooking that way! There is always so much yummy food at Easter though, mmmm hash brown casserole....

Anyway, Sarah seemed to really like her egg hunt. This kid is addicted to being outside. She would LOVE it if we stayed outside all day, every day! And what's the best thing about being outside you ask? ROCKS! Sarah likes to find and pick up all kinds of rocks. She hands them off to everyone saying "dan yoooo". This means thank you. (Whenever she hands me something that she's found outside or on the floor, I always say thank you. Hence why she says it now.) As far as the eggs went, she was slightly disinterested. I tried to get her to pick them up and put them in her basket. Instead, she shook them and opened them up. She quickly realized that the eggs held candy and then that's all she wanted. NOTE TO ALL OTHER MAMAS: SUNNY DAYS, CHOCOLATE, AND WHITE DRESSES DO NOT MIX.

In my defense I did not hide the eggs, one of her uncles did. And he didn't think about her dress because he's one of five boys! Anyway here are some great pictures of Sarah that her grandpa got of her hunting down those eggs (and rocks).

Rock in hand and big smile!

Still holding a rock. 

Two rocks in the basket and adding another.

The melted chocolate bunny...

She squeezed it and I held her hands while Daddy ran to get a wipe to avoid chocolate on the dress.

Back to hunting eggs.

I LOVE this dress.

Finding the last egg.

Thankful Thursday

I feel like I really need to take the time to just reflect on my blessings and what I'm thankful for. I've been pretty down and stressed out the last couple of days. Yesterday was especially rough on me. Sarah is cutting molars and was pretty cranky and inconsolable. She cried straight for an hour and a half and there was nothing I could do to make it better. Needless to say, yesterday was a bad day! One of those where nothing goes right and every small thing just adds more stress and frustration. If you mix that with my crazy pregnancy hormones (which are way crazier this time around), you get one frazzled Mama who feels like she's failing at everything! So I decided that instead of dwelling on the negative aspects of my last couple of days, I would make a list of things to be grateful for. Because "in the middle of my little mess, I forget how big I'm blessed."  (Francesca Battistelli - This is the Stuff) So here is my list of things I'm grateful for/my blessings.

1. My healthy daughter who is so smart and funny! Just the fact that she maintains good health is a blessing in and of itself. There have been way too many stories of sick kids lately. My heart goes out to families that have such a heavy burden on them.
2. Sarah's personality! She's such a curious and funny little girl. She knows how to get a laugh out of you and she does it right when you least expect it/need it the most. I need to learn to be more thankful that she WANTS to learn about everything around here. She's always exploring and constantly on the go.
3. My wonderful husband who has put up with my emotional breakdowns and my anxieties and tears over this new baby and the one we already have! Too many times I let the little things get to me and I overlook all he does for our family. He is truly a good man, husband, and father. We may not always see eye to eye on things, but we both want the best for our kids.
4. My small group from church! These people are truly inspiring and incredible. It's a group of young married couples and we are currently reading a great book that has proven to be really beneficial to my marriage. Rocking the Roles Honestly, if you are looking for a good read on how God wants your marriage to look and ways you can strive to achieve it, check this book out.
5. Tax refunds! Because it's always nice to have a little extra money in the bank.
6. Living close to my family. I know I have mentioned how both sides of our family live fairly close to us. I'm talking like within 15 minutes. I'm so glad to have that support system close by. I honestly don't know how people who have family scattered all around do it. I love the fact that my in-laws and my family can get together and do holidays together so that we don't have to do any complicated juggling of families! Easter Sunday will be great because we are all getting together and both sets of grandparents will be able to see Sarah on her first egg hunt and the grandmas can split cooking duties!
7. Napping babies! Honestly, they are truly a blessing from God. I love Sarah to death, but naps are a much needed time for both of us to get rest. She's asleep and I can take some time to myself. 

Wordless Wednesday

That's a play mushroom from her play food set. Sometimes she uses it as a substitute pacifier.

Semi - Wordless Wednesday (Action Shots)

My father in-law got these shots of Sarah. The ones on top are newer. But it was all rapid fire with his camera that takes like 100 shots a second or something crazy like that. So these pictures are like a frame by frame of about 10 seconds. I'm a fan of them!

Sarah's One Year Stats

So we went to the pediatrician last Monday for Sarah's one year check up. I don't look forward to these appointments, not because I don't like Sarah's doctor, but because I hate watching Sarah get shots. So I scheduled this appointment for late afternoon so Ryan could come with us.

The appointment itself wasn't bad, she took her shots well and only cried for a minute. What was awful, was the wait. Our appointment was 3:45 and we weren't even seen until close to 4:45. Now I know doctor's offices run behind, but an HOUR! Sarah was having a melt down. We got back to the room and had to strip her to her diaper and then wait another 20 minutes for the doctor to get in there. I'm hoping this was an isolated thing because I do like our pediatrician, but trying to entertain a one year old in a tiny room is not easy!

Here are her stats!

Height - 28 3/4 inches - 40%

Weight - 19 lbs 9.6 oz - 20%

Head circumference - 45 3/4 cm -75 %

Overall she is pretty small for her age, but she's got a big head like Mama! Developmentally, she is ahead of schedule in nearly everything. The pediatrician was impressed with her motor and speech skills. She's doing things that most kids won't do until about 19 months or so. Our little girl is still a little peanut, but she's a smart cookie, hence the big head. It's nice to know that we must be doing something right to have a healthy, smart, and pretty little toddler on our hands.

Half Baked

Baby boy, that is. Technically, we are a little more than halfway there because the 20 week mark was Wednesday. But if this kid takes after his sister, I don't plan on having him anywhere near our due date. I'm hoping my blood pressure stays nice and low so we can avoid an induction this time. Anyway here's the 20 week survey.

1. How far along - 20 weeks and 5 days
2. Total weight gain - I regained 4 of the 6 lbs I lost. So total I am still at    -2
3. Maternity clothes? - Yep, and finding ones that are good for spring/summer weather has been challenging.
4. Sleep - Still doing pretty well here. I have between 4 and 5 pillows at night and I have one between my knees. I have been going to bed earlier than usual for me and waking up whenever Sarah does. Today I woke up super early at 6:15 and I couldn't get back to sleep, so I'm kind of dragging a little now.
5. Best moment this week - Finding out that we were having a boy last Tuesday! I was so shocked.
6. Movement- I have been feeling it here and there but my anterior placenta makes it difficult to feel him on a regular basis. It makes me kind of sad, because at this point Sarah could be felt from the outside.
7. Food cravings - Candy and fruit
8. Labor signs - Nothing yet (he needs to bake a while longer, like 20 weeks or so)
9. Belly button in or out - in
10. What I miss - Hmmm, I'd really like to go back to the days of a normal sized bladder. Having to pee every few minutes is slightly inconvenient. 
11. What I'm looking forward to - more movement and Ryan being able to feel baby moving. Also maybe picking out a name soon. It's kind of difficult to find boys' names.

20 week Belly Pic

Family Fun

Today we decided to take a family trip to the local farmstead. It was nice and hot outside and very busy, but still lots of fun. Sarah got to visit a petting zoo for the very first time and I think she really enjoyed it. At least, I hope she did. She didn't cry, so I'm going to say she had fun.

Anyway, our first stop was the baby goat exhibit. You could go in and pet them or feed them bottles. Ryan and I opted out of getting a bottle for Sarah to feed the goats because I figured she would get confused and try to drink it herself. But she enjoyed walking around and petting the little guys. Then as a family was leaving a boy came up to us and gave Sarah the rest of the bottle he had used. I thought it was really nice of him to do that, so we gave it to Sarah and she knew exactly what to do. Well, more like the baby goat next to us knew exactly what to do.

She really liked the ear tags they had.

Grabbing the ear tag again, I thought she would end up taking off one of their ears.

Notice the milk dripping onto the goat's face.

Feeding the goat all by herself, she's getting so big!

After the baby goats, we visited some baby pigs and some big goats. They weren't as big of a hit. Shortly after that, Sarah got fussy. She was ready for some lunch and a nap. (Not to mention 90 degree weather.) All in all, I would say our family outing was a success.

Baby #2

We had our ultrasound yesterday to check on how Little One was growing and we found out that we are having a little BOY! I was shocked but excited! I had convinced myself that it was another girl, even though I had a feeling it was a boy at the beginning.

Anyway our little man was measuring just perfect. Everything looks good, although he refused to give the ultrasound tech a profile shot of his face. His heart, legs, kidneys, stomach, and everything else indicate that we will have a healthy son around August 24th! We got two perfect shots of his "goods", so we know for 100% that he is definitely a he.

I had been a little concerned that I hadn't felt as much movement as I remember feeling with Sarah. Our ultrasound confirmed that I have an anterior placenta so that explains the lack of movement. Basically that means that the placenta is on the front acting as a cushion between me and baby boy. In a few weeks I should start being able to feel him more when he gets bigger but for now I just have a few flutters here and there. I've also regained 4 of the 6 pounds that I lost.  That means I'm still down 2 pounds from my starting weight but at least I'm not losing or staying stagnant! My belly is measuring right on track and little man was 13 ounces, so he is obviously getting all he needs.

I'll post some ultrasound pictures later once I get them scanned.  Sarah will have a little brother which means that Mama has got to get some shopping done before he gets here!

Last Day

Just a reminder that the poll on Baby #2's gender closes tomorrow! Our anatomy scan is at 2:00 pm tomorrow and then we will officially know if Sarah will have a baby brother or sister. So get your votes in before 1:59 pm!

Pictures from Sarah's Party

Sarah's party went so well! She had a lot of fun and really seemed to enjoy the gifts she got! I'm really glad I didn't stress and was able to just enjoy the day. Overall I would say her birthday was a success. We had two baths and two outfit changes but that's to be expected with cake and a water table. Enjoy the pictures ... I'm sure there will be more later. We have our 1 year check-up today so I'll post those stats later as well.

One Year Ago

Ryan and I were packing up our hospital bags and getting ready to meet our baby! We went to the hospital at 8:00 pm on April 1, 2010 to start our induction. It's hard to believe that it wasn't last week! As Sarah's first birthday has crept closer and closer, I find myself in disbelief that she's a "toddler" and not a baby anymore. In fact, we are headed to go get her one year pictures taken at 3:00! She has the CUTEST outfit for them too!

I am so excited for her party tomorrow! Ryan and I were working on some decorations last night at my mom's house. Since the party is going to be there, I wanted to see how things would fit. My mom is making her cake and my mother in-law is making the butterfly shaped cookies for party favors! Honestly, I am so so nervous about things going well. I know it's silly to worry because she won't remember it, but I can't help but want her to love the experience anyway. All we need to ensure that tomorrow is a good day, is a good nap. So anyone who can spare some good nap vibes ... send them our way! Be on the lookout for party pictures and a birthday post.