I needed this...

My heart needed this today.  Yours might too.

I Want to Run Away

You want to know one of the worst feelings in the world to me? Feeling stuck.

Stuck in a situation where I can’t see things getting better. I look at the next 5 minutes, 5 hours, 5 days and all I see are the same hard patterns being repeated over and over and over.

I try to give myself a little pep rally of sorts and tap into that Pollyanna girl that’s inside me somewhere. The part of me that knows the glass is half-full and chooses to see the bright side. But Pollyanna isn’t there.

Life suddenly feels like it will forever be this way.

And this dark funk eclipses me.

This happened to me when my two oldest daughters were babies. Hope was not quite 16 months old when I gave birth to Ashley. I was thankful for these two amazing gifts. I knew they were blessings. I loved them very much.

But there was this other side of motherhood no one talked to me about beforehand. It never came up at my baby shower or a doctor’s appointment or in conversations with the mommies that had gone before me.

In the midst of all the pink happiness, the dark funk came.

This desperate feeling that life would forever be an endless string of sleepless nights. Leaky diapers. Needy cries.

Forever.

One night in between feedings I went to the drug store to get some baby Tylenol. I pulled into a parking space right in front of the restaurant beside the drug store and stared inside. There were normal people in there. Laughing. Eating. Having fun conversations. They had on cute outfits and fixed hair-dos.

I looked at my reflection in the rear view mirror.

I cried.

This is my life. Forever.

Suddenly I had this crazy desire to run away.

Far away.

And then guilt slammed into my already fragile heart and I convinced myself God was going to punish me for feeling this way and take one of my babies. Teach me a lesson. Smite me for being so stinkin’ selfish.

I cried until I could hardly breathe.

I thought about this the other day when I started feeling stuck in a different situation.

A situation that felt so big and made me so sad. I felt myself on that edge of the dark funk thinking this is the way it’s going to be forever.

But then I remembered that night crying in my car. I realized those days of diapers and no sleep weren’t forever. It was a season. A season that came and went. And this would play out that way too.

It’s the rhythm of life.

The ebb and flow of struggles and victories.

I closed my eyes and whispered, “Are you here God? Hold me. Breathe courage into my weak will. Help me.”

And in that moment I realized all that God ever wants from me is to want Him. Love Him. Acknowledge Him.

In the midst of struggles. In the midst of my victories. “God, I love you. I don’t love this situation. But I love you. Therefore, I have everything I need to keep putting one foot in front of the other and walk through until I get to the other side of this.”

One step at a time. With the full assurance God is okay with me even when I’m not okay with me.

“If you carefully observe all these commands I am giving you to follow – to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to hold fast to Him – then the Lord will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations larger and stronger than you.” (Deuteronomy 11:22-23)

I love how the Scriptures say, “hold fast” to the Lord. The dark funk makes me want to hold slow. Make God the last thing I try when I’m stumbling and falling. But if I close my eyes and simply whisper, “God…” at the utterance of His name He “dispossess” things trying to possess me.

Then I can see this is a season. This isn’t how it’s going to be forever. Though my circumstances may not change today, my outlook surely can. And if my mind can rise above, my heart gets unstuck.

1st Day of School

 This week my big boy started his first day of school!  Okay, so it's preschool, but still. It is two days a week and he goes on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9am to 2pm.  Carter was so ready for something...for structure and for the socialization.  He gets socialization at church but he really needed more, and he has been getting pretty bored at home and I can tell that by my annoyance level with him lately (just being honest here folks!).  Since being at school this week, he has been much more content on the days he has been at home with me.  

The first day of school, he did sooo good.  I had to drop him off in car line on the first day!  At first I was a little disappointed that I couldn't walk him in but once we actually got to drop-off, it went great and I enjoyed not having to get out the car with brother.  I didn't cry in car-line, I was too busy hanging out the window taking pictures.  I finally lost it when I called Chad to tell him how it went!  

But Carter loved getting out of his car seat while we waited in car line and he got to get in brother's face and tell him bye bye and give him kisses.  He thinks it is too cool that he gets to get unbuckled while we are moving in the line.

First day I picked him up I could see him waiting for me to pull up and he was just a dancin' saying "Mommy!!"  It was precious!  I get the best greeting : )  The recap of the first day involved the following conversation:

Me: Hey Buddy!!  Did you have a fun day??

Carter: YEAH! I have fun at my school!

Me: Alright!  Did you meet any new friends?

Carter: Yeah, I met Braxton.

Me: Wow!  Did you eat your lunch?

Carter: I eat brownie.

Me: You didn't eat your sandwich?

Carter: NO.

Me: Fabulous. Well, what did you learn?

Carter: I not know.

Later, I was able to get out of him that he learned the letter "B", but I'm pretty sure she probably started with "A". Today he said he learned "R", so he may be pulling letters out of the air.  I also asked him if he learned a Bible verse today and he said yes, and then repeated the blessing : )  God love him!

Also, when I picked him up today  he had play-doh on his back, chocolate on his face, wet/sweaty hair, and his shirt was tucked-in in the front and not in the back.  He was a hot mess!  But he had fun because they got to go out on the playground.  

I am looking forward to the field trips I get to go on with him...they are going on 3 this year.  They are the Pumpkin Patch, the Circus, and the Zoo!  And of course I signed up to be Head Room Mom...I couldn't resist.

Here are some pictures below, one of Meet the Teacher with Mrs. Heather and the rest are the first day of school.  Sorry if you have already seen them on FB!

Carter and Mrs. Heather

Ready for School with his book bag on!

Thumbs up Mommy!

Just got out of the car!

My baby walking in : (

I love that sweet boy, and while I hate seeing him get bigger, I am enjoying watching him experience new things...and getting to experience them with him.

New baby + 1 toddler = Blogging Hiatus

Last post I did I was 30 weeks pregnant...fast forward just a bit and I am now the Mommy of a busy 3 1/2 year old and an 8 week old!  Sheesh!  Sorry for the delay, I mean, you know, I haven't had one second to do ANYTHING been that busy.
Quick version of Max's birth...he was born on June 20..3 weeks before his due date.  Holy mess, I had no idea he would be that early, NO IDEA.  Surprise Mommy!  I went into labor in the late evening but didn't realize I was in labor until early morning.  We got to call a grandmother in the middle of the night to come and stay with big bro while we whisked off to labor and delivery.  Mind you, I had nothing packed or prepared so I was running around the house at 3am battling contractions and trying to think about what I wanted to wear after I popped this watermelon out.  Fun times!  No seriously, fun times!  I have always wanted to go into labor or have my water break in the middle of the night, just makes it exciting.  I was so happy that the Lord surprised me with my secret wish : ) HE is cool like that. 
After about 14 hours of contractions at the hospital (none of which were "changing" anything), Dr. went ahead and decided it was time for Max to come.  It didn't really matter that I wasn't dilating (story of my life) since I was having a scheduled section, but since they were consistent and weren't showing any signs of slowing down, they made the call.  Also, there were some things going on with my blood work, of which I will not bore you with the details, and that was also the main deciding factor that Max needed to come. 
C-section got scheduled for 4pm that day and we were so pumped he was coming!  The surgery was absolutely flawless, and I was not one bit uncomfortable.  It was quick and I heard that sweet cry in no time!  I can honestly say I enjoyed every minute of it!  It was such a change from my section with Carter.  Let me just tell you, I had what I like to call a "laundry list" of prayer requests for this pregnancy and birth.  It covered the entire sheet off one of those magnetic pads- you know the ones you put on the fridge- and then a little on the back : ) Every time I read my Bible I would just pray over those worries and requests, and I did this for MONTHS folks.  MONTHS.  After I got home from the hospital I looked over that list and was able to put a check mark next to every single request...every SINGLE one.  How thankful I am that I am HIS child and He hears my cries and He cares about my fears!  The Lord was there for all of it, just like I needed Him to be, His hand all over Max's birth.  It was amazing, and I will never forget his presence in bringing both of my boys into this world.

SO, fast forward 8 crazy weeks of nursing, diapers, spit up, doctor appointments, a 48 hour Children's Hospital stay, tears, a lot of a 3 year old's questions, countless hours of being up all night, frustration, headaches, first smiles, sweet cuddles, lots of brotherly love and here we are...finally...a somewhat normal functioning family of 4!

I love me some sweet newborn baby, but I am glad to be past those first few weeks of "get to know ya".  Nursing is going great this time, didn't go so great with Jr. #1.  I am getting everything I want out of nursing, this kiddo will take anything you stick in his mouth, so I am able to use bottles/formula/pumped breast milk while we are away from the house, and I can nurse him at home.  He has done this successfully since 2 weeks old.  I know not all babies are that versatile, but Max has been great at it so far.  So I don't feel like a prisoner in my own home, and he gets mostly breastmilk...it's a win win, right??

I am finally getting some decent sleep.  Starting at about 6 weeks he started sleeping from 10pm to 3am and then from 3am to about 6am.  Since 6 weeks we have even had a couple of sleeping until 5am nights...hey, I call that sleeping through the night, jack!  So, now that I am not sleep deprived I can finally maintain a somewhat normal household.  Clean house hold?  NO.  Functioning house hold?  YES.  Don't judge me by my toilets folks.

As for Maxwell (not his real name but me and Chad (and sometimes C) call him that), he is pure sweetness!  He doesn't cry much, mostly just grunts when he wants something.  If I am quick to answer his gruntiness, he rewards me with no tears.  He looks a lot like Chad when he was a baby, but still favors big bro a lot!  Definitely his own little person though.  He has blonde hair and I am waiting to see if he is going to have Chad's blue eyes (fingers crossed)!  Is it bad to pray for blue eyes?  Is that vain?  I've considered it.  Don't judge me, you know you would too. 
I think he is going to be much chunkier than Carter was, he seems to be growing out of things much faster.  And of course, we are cursed with the dreaded reflux.  Unfortunately, I am no stranger to this horrid disease.  It is the thorn in my side!  Thankfully the meds are helping, not making it perfect, but helping.  When Carter had it, he didn't get on meds until like 7 weeks old...I knew better this time and Max has been on them since 3.5 weeks.  Pat on the back for this Momma.

Big Brother is doing wonderfully!  He has done great with the adjustment, and LOVES little brother.  So much that I have to tell him to get out of Max's face at LEAST 7 times a day.  And when I say "get out of his face", I mean he is literally 1 inch away from his nose.  Carter gives Max his cars all the time, and alerts me when he is crying, awake, asleep, lost his paci, being loud, or pooting.
I am also learning how to use a 3.5 year old to my advantage. I have taught him how to put Max's paci back in!  Because, you know, at this age it pops out every 10 to 13 seconds.  At first, Carter was a bit rough and when Max didn't promptly open for it Carter would try to screw it into his mouth.  After much practice, we finally got it right.  C is also my diaper "thrower awayer", and he knows how to efficiently work the Diaper Genie.  His other job is to tell me what Max is doing while we are riding in the car, for example, "Are his eyes closed?", "Are his eyes open?", "Does he have his paci", "Is Max sad?", "Is Max happy?", etc.
His next job will be to entertain Max...that is, whenever Max cares anything about being entertained.
The key here ladies, is to use that older sibling to your advantage!
But on the sappy side of things, my heart swells when I see him loving on his brother and I am so thankful he has a sibling to share life with!  I love these two boys, they are my heart.

Going from 1 to 2 kiddos is quite the adjustment, hence the hiatus from blogging for 8 weeks.  I think we are finally getting it down pat, even though most days are still an absolute circus. But it is becoming more normal...our new normal.  It's great.  I love it.  And I love seeing pictures of us as a family of 4!  Precious times and precious babies.

Next post will be on my big boy!  He starts 3k, 3 weeks from today!  It's only 2 days a week, but this is huge for us : )  I will get some Mommy and Max time and Carter will get in some play time with new friends and start learning lots of new things.  He is so ready for it, and cannot wait.

Since this post was so incredibly long, I will just leave you with a few pictures.  I actually edited and printed out all these pics today to frame in our house!

Pure Sweetness

Blonde hair!

No words.

Family of 4!

Nursery

 When I hit 30 weeks, I figured I better get a move on, so for the past 3 weeks I have feverishly been working on Max's nursery...and it is all complete except for one shelf for his closet!

After much deliberation and about 1.2 million paint swatches, we decided to leave the walls neutral.  Any color on the wall would have just been too much with the bedding I had picked out...and it ended up working out well because it makes the room so bright and airy.  It is so fresh when you walk into it and I LOVE that.  With his bedding being whales, I decided to accent with some beachy items, and it turned out cute : )  Here are some pictures below of the finished product...can I just say that pictures do not do it justice to how fresh and bright it is!

Curtains came from my friend Shannon, props to her for making them for me!  You can't tell here but they are green and blue polka dots.

Found these 3 frames on sale for $4.99 each at Michaels.  I got 3 different green patterned scrapbook papers, and cut out letters from orange scrapbook paper...taped them on top and framed them.

My chair was also recovered by Shannon with the same fabric as the curtains on the windows- it turned out great!  The blanket basket in the corner is the same I used for big brother Carter in his nursery (as is all the furniture!)

The lamp and lamp shade were actually a thrift store find!  Just spray painted it orange (it took about 15 coats, but we got it done!), and it was ready to go.  The canvas is one that was in Carter's nursery, I just painted over it and put a new verse.  The verse was actually one that the Lord gave me when I was dealing with my miscarriage, and it really helped me get over the hump.  It reads "But I trust in Your Unfailing love...I will sing to the Lord for He has been good to me!" Psalm 13:5-6.  Two months later I was pregnant with Max...so I knew I wanted to incorporate the verse somehow.

Carter had one of these shelves in his room and still does...I love it because it is perfect to hang bags, coats, and hats.

  I loved looking for things to display on top of the shelf and decorate with.  I found the sailboat on clearance for $12 at TJMaxx.  It was originally all brown and I painted it blue and white to match.  The "M" I found at the thrift store and just repainted it...the frame was on clearance at Michaels for $4.99 and it currently has his ultrasound pic in it.  I already had the jar/sand/ and shells-FREE is my fave!...and I found the sea gull at Michaels 1/2 off for like $6.  I love the sailboat and seagull because their paint job looks distressed and old...love stuff like that.

Love his ship wheel!  Found it at Michaels also, but it wasn't on sale : (  Still not a bad price though for $12.99.  It was originally wooden, so I sprayed it orange to go along with the other orange accents.  Also, if you didn't notice in the bedding, it has orange ship wheels in it also.

Cross for his door made by Carter's sweet Sunday School teacher!

My thoughtful Mother n Law just recently bought this for us to hang on the hospital door when Max is born!  I haven 't ever seen these before, they are so precious!!  It is that burlap that you paint and it's stuffed so it has that 3D look to it.  Love it!

His closet is ready all except for a 3 shelf bookcase that will go right in the middle.  Carter has one in his closet also, and it is great for books and toys.  I will be getting that next week. 

This is on one end of his closet, it is full of onesies and cotton shorts/pants from NB to 9 months.  Love this organizer!  Carter has it too : )

Inside the crib...his little friends are ready!

The complete room...Praise Jesus for a bigger room, don't think we could have done all this at our old house.

Here is Carter practicing with the new Travel System.  We sold Carter's at a consignment sale because there were some things I didn't like about it..biggest thing was it didn't use the latch system on the base and that irritated me, and it was a little too large for my liking.  Love this Graco "liteweight" and the colors- green, teal, and orange!

I had my baby sprinkle last weekend and it was so fun!   Opening baby stuff NEVER gets old.  Here are just a couple of pictures from it...

32 Weeks

Lots of Loot!!  Thanks to everyone who came, it was so fun! LOVE my friends and family, God couldn't have blessed me with better.

I realize this is a really long post, but I haven't updated in a while.  I am 33 weeks today..so only 6 weeks to go before my scheduled section.  My last appointment I was able to have an ultrasound to check on his growth.  My belly was measuring a few weeks behind ( I can't imagine how, but whatever), so OB said he didn't care how my belly was measuring as long as Max was measuring on time on ultrasound.  Sure enough we get in there and he is a big ole boy weighing around 4lbs 3oz...and measuring a WEEK ahead- ha!  So all was good... AND he has hair!  We saw hair on the ultrasound, it looked pretty long to me, but we will see what it looks like when he comes out.  Carter didn't have much at all, so it would be funny if Max came out with a head full.  And I wonder what color it will be??  Chad and I both had light hair when we were little....
  We are keeping a close eye on my blood pressure since I had Pre-E when I was induced with Carter.  Still in the normal range but it has crept up to be a little higher than it has been at all my other appointments.  I go tomorrow for my 33 week check up so we will see what my BP is then.  I may have to start monitoring it at home.

Well that is about all the updates for now, and I am impressed with my post because I have been battling a bored 3 year old while I type this!

Getting ready...well, sort of

I finally have put some effort into working on the baby's room...although it is a sad bit of effort.  I can't do much until the toys have been moved out of the room, and husband promises that will be done next week.  He promises he will do that along with getting the painting done and baby furniture moved upstairs.  Carter's old baby clothes Max can fit into and the new clothes that have been bought have been washed and stacked according to size.  I have bought clothes hangers and started hanging some things, and all random stuff is sitting at the top of the closet.  That's progress, right?  Below is a picture of my efforts.

Annnnd here is what the room still looks like...

I had my 28 week appointment yesterday.  Everything went well. I have started rotating to see a couple of different OB's in my practice, and the lady I saw was super sweet.  I have now started my 2 week appointments but the doctor said since everything looked good and since I passed my sugar test (YEAH!), that I could schedule for 3 weeks this time instead of 2.  

Carter went with me to the appointment and he was so good and content, I was proud of him. He was so funny talking to the doctor telling her that "we had to check on Max" and he made sure to ask me if I felt better when we left. 

So as a surprise he got to go to Target and pick out a new Cars 2 car and he got 5 Guys for lunch : )

Here are a couple of 28 week pictures...

My View from above

26 Weeks

I am one week away from trimester #3.  I am really excited, and getting ready for him to be here.  I think I am most excited to see how Carter reacts to him and how Max reacts to Carter as he grows!  Last doctor visit was about 2 weeks ago and I did my glucose test.  Apparently I passed it because I have not heard back from the doctor and since it's one of those "no news is good news" deals, I take the silence as a pass.  YAY!  Super pumped about that.  Although, I did get the "watch it" speech with my weight gain.  But when you go so long without eating and nothing sounds good and then all of a sudden that does a total 180...you're bound to gain a few lbs.  I have slowed it down though and I am watching what all I'm taking in and have been using the treadmill for the last 3 weeks.
Sleeping is still going pretty well, although I expect that to start changing any week now.  Aside from the normal potty breaks, I have been able to fall asleep and stay asleep.  I am so tired by the time my head hits the pillow.  It seems like by this time with Carter I was already having sleep issues (and I think my belly is much bigger this time), but I'm pretty sure now that I am actually chasing around Carter it is making me a whole lot more tired than it was when I was just sitting behind a desk.
Pretty sure Max has flipped and he is head down.  I think he was more-so horizontal in my belly, but last weekend there was A LOT of movement going on and now I can tell by hiccups, kicks, and movements that he is head down...and sometimes he lays downwards-diagonal.  I can really feel where he is when he stretches!  I can also now feel the hard spots in my belly, like where he is sticking his butt out, or a heel or knee or something.  So I know he is growing because that is new!
In nesting news, the poor baby's room is still a playroom.  Everyday I tell myself I need to clean the closet out, but I guess I'm not frantic enough to do it yet.  One day it will hit and I will be freaking out throwing toys out of the room.  I would be more motivated if we would get the paint or something, but we have had so much going on with friends getting married, fixing up the yard, and other activities that it has just been put on the back burner.  I have a lot of the stuff to go in the room, it just hasn't been done yet.  Within the next month though, it will be started.  I have a lot to do.  By 21 weeks with Carter, his room was almost completed!  Poor second baby...Max, mommy promises she loves you just as much, it's just hard to get motivated chasing around your big brother...and I'm not taking all the blame, Daddy is not motivated either  : )
My next doctor appt. is in 2 weeks and I will be 28 weeks...I am assuming it will be going to appointments every 2 weeks after that. 
Below is a 25 weeks picture.  I haven't taken a 26 week pic yet considering I just turned 26 weeks today.

 

My poor big boy isn't getting much spot light on the blog these days.  He is doing so good and is growing into himself everyday.  It is becoming more and more apparent to us what a tender heart he has.  I know this is what the Lord made him to be and I plan on helping him develop that tender heart to do great things for the Lord.  We just finished a Bible Study called "Creative Correction" and the thing that stuck out to me the most in the study was capitalizing on our children's strengths and personalities and developing them so they know how to use them for the Lord.

God created a tender heart in him for a reason, so I pray we can help him to become the man who the Lord has called him to be.

In this world, and as a boy, I know his tenderness will also be judged as a "sissy", "weakness" or "wimp", but I feel like in the coming years I have got to be ready to explain to Carter that those are lies from the Enemy and be ready to explain to him what it means to have a tender heart and that it is a gift from God and not a personality flaw.  I know the future may hold many heartaches and hurt feelings just because he does have such a sensitive spirit, but I have a peace knowing that as long as we help him feel secure at home and secure in the Lord and realize who God made him to be, we won't have to worry too much about those things.

Didn't realize I was going to get into that tangent- haha!  But, it was just something the Lord revealed to me recently so I thought I would share.  So, if you have children, think about their strengths.  What are they and how can you help develop them for the Lord?  Do you for-see any negatives that could come from that strength, and how can you help your child overcome them?

Below are a couple of pictures of Carter from this past Sunday.  It was Palm Sunday and his class got to walk around to each Sunday School class and wave palm branches saying "Hosanna!"  They were precious!  Love my boys.

Don't trust the Old Wives...

Because they are WRONG!  We had a wonderful ultrasound on Friday that clearly revealed to us that we are having another healthy little BOY!  OH how precious he was.  I am going to go ahead and admit to you that I completely thought it was a girl...mostly because my pregnancy has been weird and different from Carter's pregnancy.  I was pretty set on that thought, but I started getting a little nervous that I was wrong closer to the ultrasound.  I think I was nervous that I would be disappointed because I had thought girl for so long (I guessed correctly on Carter, that he was a boy, and I was nervous I would be disappointed with him if he had turned out to be a girl...but I was right so I didn't have to worry about that for long!)  Well since I was wrong with this one I shortly discovered that I was not at all disappointed!  I am so excited!!  As soon as I saw his boy parts I just knew that he was exactly who God made him to be and the Lord created Him to be our child and it is His Will for us to have 2 little boys, and I will rejoice in His plan for our family!  Chad and I have the important job of raising two Godly men, and what a big job that is going to be.  Oh how I dream and pray that they will be men after God's own heart! 
Not to mention...I adore the boy name I have picked out..."Max"  I believe we have decided to use my maiden name as Max's middle name, so Max Daniel, but we will just call him Max : )

Carter is excited to get a brother (I think), and I know he will love having someone to teach the ways of Lightning McQueen.  I know they will have such a special relationship, and I'm glad they will have each other to share life with...and we will have to see down the road if we add #3 to the crew ; ) 
Carter and Max will be opposite seasons so we will have to do some shopping for baby clothes (Oh darn!...do you sense the sarcasm here?)

Here are some of the great pictures we got at the ultrasound:

 My Max

Feet!

Look Mom and Dad...I'm a BOY!

17 weeks

Can someone please tell this baby that it is 17 weeks gestation age and it's time for Mama to start feeling better?  So I think I'm finally going to have to admit to myself this is going to be a rough pregnancy.  I have been telling myself..."maybe tomorrow", "maybe next week", "maybe after 18 weeks"...but I think I need to stop fooling myself so I won't be disappointed...I feel like POO most days!  Don't get me wrong, I do have good days and I can definitely function more normally than I could in the 1st trimester.  I remember having more energy in the 2nd trimester with Carter, I am still very very tired with this little one.  I get pretty bad headaches, I get dizzy really easy, and if I don't eat every 2 hours on the dot my sugar starts to get really low and I feel faint.  It is hard to plan the day around having to eat a good protein rich meal every 2 hours.  I still throw up 3 or 4 mornings out of the week, and 2 weeks ago I was at an unexpected doctor's appointment feeling awful and found out I was dehydrated...then it took me a week to get over the effects of the dehydration.
We go through a lot to get our little ones here, don't we??
On a very exciting note, two weeks from tomorrow we find out what our little booger is!

Just for fun let's see what the Old Wives have to say about baby #2 being a BOY or a GIRL...
It's fun to pass the time by guessing a little!

1.  Sleep Position

Left Side- Boy

Right Side- Girl

2. Bad Nausea

Yes- Girl

No- Boy
(side note, I had horrible nausea with Carter too...actually Carter's nausea seemed a little worse, so not sure how accurate this question is for me)

3. Soft or Dry Hands?
Soft- Girl
Dry- Boy
NO CHANGE

4. Food Cravings

Sweet, fruits, and Citrus- Girl

Meats and Cheeses- Boy

5. Adult Acne

Breakout- Girl

Clear Skin- Boy

6. Mood

Moodiness- Girl

No change- Boy

7. High or Low Belly
High-Girl

Low- Boy

I am carrying VERY low...much lower than I did with Carter...so I think it might mean the opposite for me

8. Weight
Carried in Front- Boy

Spaced over Middle- Girl

9. Pendulum Test

Back and Forth- Boy

Circle- Girl

10. Model your hands
Palms up- Girl
Palms Down- Boy

11. Toddler Advice- get advice from a boy toddler about gender...
Toddler Ignores Belly- Boy
Toddler Shows interest in Belly- Girl

12. Even and Odd Numbers-

If your age and year of conception are both even or odd- Girl

One Even, one odd- Boy

13. Baby's Heart Beat

Greater than 150- Girl

Less than 150- Boy


BOY= 4/13
GIRL= 8/13

Looks like PINK is winning with the Old Wives, I guess I'll have to wait 2 more weeks to find out for sure ; )

14 Weeks and a Happy 3 year Old Birthday

I am 14 weeks 1 day today!  Yay 2nd trimester!  Sickness is much much better and pretty much non-existent except for sometimes at night.  I'm still having some food aversions...mostly to chicken type stuff...chicken fingers is the biggest "gag me" right now.  New symptom of the second trimester...almost passing out, yay.  I have had about 3 instances where I have almost hit the deck!  Not to worry though, passing out is apparently very common in pregnancy, so I'm told by my nurse and doctor- go figure.  Just goes to prove my point that I am a disaster in pregnancy...I also would like to say that my children try to kill me while in utero. 
I am also eating us out of house and home.  I have to eat a lot, or apparently I pass out.  I actually need to go eat something now, but I'm trying to finish out this blog post.  AND I JUST ate chick-fil-a.  It is seriously ridiculous, and I don't feel like I had to eat this much with Carter.  And YES, it is just ONE baby.

I had my 14 week appointment today, and it was very QUICK.  It was at 10:15 and I was on my way home by 10:37!  Props to my doctor's office.  I think it also helps that my appointments are on Fridays, and they close at 12.  So I'm sure they have to stay on schedule to get their half day :)
Dr. Johnson found baby rather quickly with the doppler, and it's heart rate was a strong 150.  He started smiling really big when he found it and said "there it is!".  I wonder if the doctor gets nervous at these appointments when they are trying to find the heartbeat?  I bet they are relieved when they find it.  I'm sure there are some women he has to tell bad news to or send to ultrasound for a closer look.  I am thankful I got to hear that little thumping sound today.
We scheduled the big ultrasound today for February 17th at 8:30AM!  I think we're going to take Carter with us.  Not that he knows what is really going on that much, but we can still point to the screen and say "that's baby" and he will repeat it : )  Well, I don't know, he is 3...maybe he knows more than I give him credit for!
Here is a 14 week belly picture. 

 

That's about all in baby land...I have a big boy that turned 3 last Friday!  I can't believe I have a 3 year old.  We had his party at our church in the Kid's Area...and it was a double party with his cousin Owen!  It was so much fun, and Carter loved every minute of it.  It was CARS 2 themed so that made it even better.  He is just a little bit obsessed with anything Lightning McQueen.  I love my sweet little boy.  I am discovering that he has such a tender heart and is really starting to care about others and put them first (one of my prayers for him!).  He is still my laid back little guy that loves his naps and still often wants to be held by me.  His Daddy and I love him more than he will ever know...so here is to a Happy 3 years Carter Steven!  

Here are some pics from the party.