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.

12 weeks

 People are not joking when they say you show sooner with your second baby.  You could hardly tell I was pregnant with Carter until I was around 22 weeks!  I was actually about this size!!  For comparison sake, below is a picture of me pregnant with Carter at 21 weeks...

Crazy, right?  I have heard that if you have one baby that your muscles are already separated, so everything is able to expand out easier than the first time (I just must have had really strong ab muscles before I got pregnant with Carter- ; ) yeah right, haha).  But there has got to be some kind of truth to the muscles being separated because this baby is only about 2 inches long right now!

My nausea has calmed down quite a bit since my last post (knock on wood and thank the LORD).  Still sick at some points during the day but it's not nearly as intense and my nausea meds usually clear it up quickly.  I am still pretty tired though and have not hit the stage where I have gotten my energy back yet.  I still just want to sit on the couch.  When I start to feel completely better, I want to start walking on the treadmill at least a few times a week and I hope to follow some round-abouts of the gestational diabetes diet.  I wasn't diabetic with Carter, but I just think the diet would be something healthy to go by for the majority of the pregnancy.  Now, I'm not going to be lame enough to say that I will follow this diet to a T...given I just ate a bunch of M-n-M's, but I want to try to eat healthier than I did with Carter (hey, don't judge my M-n-M's, I'm still in the not feel good stage).  I think all of us Moms know how hard it is to get that baby weight off postpartum....

Maternity pants are still a little big, but wearable.  My normal pants are a no-go though...so I guess I'll just have to look frumpy for a few weeks.

My next appointment is January 12th.  I'll be 14 weeks and we will just get to do the doppler to hear the heartbeat and a normal office visit.  Next ultrasound will be in the middle of February and we will get to find out what baby is : )