Baby B: Halfway Point!

I am slacking again! Here are weeks 20-21 (sans picture...again!)

Halfway done! Wow, it feels like this 2nd pregnancy has gone SO much faster than the first.  We had such a great checkup last week. Baby B is developing right on track and she is so healthy looking.  What a praise this is! We have picked out her first name, but are still working on a middle name.
She is a thumb sucker, and a squirmy gal! She had her arms and legs going all over the place.  Her profile almost looked identical to Ashlynn's sono pics!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 20 weeks

Size of baby: 6 1/2 inches long and 11 oz., about the length of a banana

Weight gain: +2 (Dr. E has said that is a little on the low side and that I need to enjoy a few pieces of holiday pie!)

Maternity Clothes: Yes

Gender: Another sweet girl!

Movement: Yes! She is one active little girl.  During the sono, she was kicking her feet and waving her hands everywhere. I can feel move her more often, and Mark was able to feel her kick last night!

Sleep: Insomnia, trips to the bathroom, thirsty and needing to use a body pillow for comfort

Symptoms:  Hungrier, tired, round ligament pain, a few Braxton Hicks, thirsty, and moody (I feel bad for everyone around me...I am MUCH moodier this pregnancy!)

What I miss: Multiple cups of coffee

Cravings: Fruit, bread, vegetables

Best moment this week: A healthy checkup and finding out the gender, as well as watching my brother graduate from college!

What I am looking forward to: Enjoying a few fun Christmas festivities with Ashlynn this week!

Dad and Big Sister: Mark had a long week of work while Ashlynn and I headed off to watch my brother graduate from college.  She loved all of the attention from family!

-----------------------------------

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 21 weeks

Size of baby: 3/4 of a pound and 10.5 in long, about the length of a carrot

Weight gain: +3 (Dr. E has said that is a little on the low side and that I need to enjoy a few pieces of holiday pie!)

Maternity Clothes: Yes

Gender: Another sweet girl!

Movement: Yes! She is one active little girl. Ashlynn always consistently kicked in 1 place, but Baby B is a mover and a shaker! I can feel her kicking and hitting all over my belly! She can also be felt (sometimes) from the outside. 

Sleep: I have been much more uncomfortable when I sleep this past week.  Between my tailbone, round ligament pains and headaches it has been off and on.

Symptoms:  Hungry, moody, headaches, round ligament and tailbone pain

What I miss: Sleep

Cravings: Fruit, salad, chicken

Best moment this week: Beginning to celebrate the season of Christmas and Christ's birth with our sweet family

What I am looking forward to: Ashlynn's first Christmas and a much need vacation!

Dad and Big Sister: Mark has been adjusting to and getting excited about having another girl! Ashlynn got to go look at Christmas lights for the first time this weekend.  She loved them, and was so quietly curious in watching them!

Santa Attempt #2

Last night we attempted to take Ashlynn to see Santa again.  We met up with Papa and Nonnie, Uncle Shane and Alicia at Bass Pro. Unfortunately, they were out of passes to see Santa. Thankfully, Ashlynn is 11 months old instead of 4, and did not care!

Instead of seeing Santa, we....

rode the reindeer merry go-round,

shopped with Dada,

posed with a polar bear (close enough to Santa, right?!),

and maybe even gave him a kiss...!

Then we posed for a few extra pictures. She was really excited about that.

And we enjoyed getting lots of love!

Hello Santa!

A few weeks ago, we met up with some friends to enjoy lunch and a visit to Santa!  This was Ashlynn's first time to visit him, so we were unsure of what her reaction would be.  Mark guessed that she would pull on his beard and try to eat it.

At first she was just curious about who this was.

Then she was happy.

And then....the tears came!

Unfortunately the camera was messed up, and she was having to sit longer than normal as they fixed it  Otherwise, I think we may have avoided tears.  Because the camera was broken, they did not get a picture of her smiling, but I bought one anyways to remember the occasion!

Baby B: 18 & 19 Weeks

I missed blogging about week 18, so here is a little (picture-less) catchup on weeks 18 & 19!

During week 18 I had to run by Dr. E's to get some blood work done. I found out that I can stop taking the meds that I have been on! Such a blessing that my hormone levels are up.  While there, they wanted to check the heartbeat, and I sure wasn't going to complain about that!! Apparently we have a very squirmy, active baby already. (Surprise, surprise!) They had to chase him/her all over trying to get a heartbeat for more than a second! They finally got a good reading at 154 bpm.

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 18 weeks

Size of baby: 5.6 inches long and 7 oz., about the length of a bell pepper

Weight gain: -4 (not sure how since I have a belly starting to form!)

Maternity Clothes: Maternity jeans and now some shirts

Gender: TBD December 12!

Movement: YES! A few late nights/early mornings I have been able to feel a little movement :) It is such a beautiful thing to feel this new life squirming around!

Sleep: Insomnia and more trips to the bathroom

Symptoms:  Exhaustion has returned this week, hungrier, hormonal, and round ligament/tailbone pains

What I miss: Sleep

Cravings: Fruit, chicken, brownies

Best moment this week: Hearing Baby B's heartbeat!

What I am looking forward to: Only a week and a half until our big sono!

Dad and Big Sister: Mark is back in his groove at work and is excited about our sono in a couple of weeks! Ashlynn is into everything this week, and is constantly entertaining us.
-----------------------------------------------

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 19 weeks

Size of baby: 6 inches long and 8.5 oz., about the size of an heirloom tomato

Weight gain: +0 (not sure how since I have a belly starting to form!)

Maternity Clothes: Maternity jeans and now some shirts

Gender: TBD December 12!

Movement: Yes! I can feel him/her move when I am laying down, or when I am rocking Ashlynn (such a funny time, I guess Ashlynn is cramping their space!)

Sleep: Insomnia, trips to the bathroom, thirst and needing to use a body pillow for comfort

Symptoms:  Hungrier, tired, round ligament pain, a few Braxton Hicks, thirsty, and moody (I feel bad for everyone around me...I am MUCH moodier this pregnancy!)

What I miss: Sleep and coffee

Cravings: Fruit, chicken, sausage balls

Best moment this week: A date night with my husband

What I am looking forward to: Finding out if we have a he or a she baking in there on Wednesday!

Dad and Big Sister: Mark has been busy, busy at work.  Ashlynn got to meet Santa last week, and has been loving all of the lights and bells that come with Christmas.

Happy 11 Months!

Sweet Ashlynn,

You are 11 months old! We truly cannot believe how quickly the time has flown, and it does not seem like we should be getting ready for your 1st birthday.  This month has been a big one in personality development and independence.

You currently wear size 12-18 month clothes, size 3 & 4 shoes, and size 3 diapers.  You have 6 teeth and are working on numbers 7&8. Your schedule has changed some this month. You now eat breakfast before a bottle.  You have 3-4 9 oz. bottles each day, and eat primarily all solid food.  You have also dropped out a nap and only take 1 nap (1-3 hours) each afternoon.  You normally head to bed around 8, and sleep 12 hours (minus the waking up in the middle of the night...) At nap time and bedtime we can now lay you in your crib awake and you will go to sleep on your own!

This month your stubborn side has emerged.  You are very independent, impatient and determined.  We think you will be our "strong-willed" child.  At the same time, you are such a joyful girl! You love smiling and waving at everyone.  We have already begun praying that the Lord would teach us how to guide you in using your personality for Him :)

You are a talker! You now say: Mama, Dada, dog, hey (which is HILARIOUS!), duck (guck), book (ook), no, go, and more (mo).  For some reason you say dog,book and go multiple times (dog-dog, book-book, go-go-go) You also wave hi and bye and sign more and all done (in your own way!)

We have had to mega-baby proof this month.  We have set up a little baby area in the living room and keep most doors closed. You love to try and climb out of things.  You also love to play in the toilet (eww!), and flush the toilet.  We have to keep an eye on you 24/7!

You love books! 10 Little Ladybugs was your favorite, but you read it/looked at it so much that it tore up.  You can also turn pages when we are reading.  Your favorite songs are "Head and Shoulders" and "ABCs". When music comes on you will start bobbing and dancing.

You can walk around the room as long as you have something to hold onto.  You also LOVE to "FaceTime", and do not like it when we are on a regular phone call where you cannot see the person! 

We love you so much Baby A, and cannot wait to see what this last month of your first year holds!

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

Here, there and everywhere!

Ashlynn has been a mess since she became mobile! She is such a curious little thing.  We love that she is so interested in things, and have gotten a few laughs because of her lately!

If I am taking a shower, she now tries to climb in the shower with me.  She will also play peek-a-boo in the shower.

We have had to relocate the toilet paper roll. She somehow got it all of the way off and I caught her playing it it! We tried turning it the other direction, but she figured it out and just rolls it backwards.  If we catch her with something she knows she shouldn't have, she drops it really fast and gives us a big smile.

Her favorite activity during the day is to stand at the window and talk/bang.  She especially loves looking for "Dada dada dada"! The blinds stay up 24/7 now so that they aren't destroyed.

One day she fell in her toy basket, and couldn't figure out how to get out, so she just sat in there and played!

Our tv/laptop are in one corner of the room. I have been trying different ways to "fence" it off during the day.  It always seems like after a few hours she finds a way to wriggle herself through.  We laugh and say she needs cat whiskers because she always tries to fit through tiny spaces that she can't get through.

Baby B: 17 Weeks

As of last Saturday, we are 17 weeks pregnant with Baby B! My stomach is definitely starting to pop out.  In just 3 short weeks we will find out whether we have a he or a she growing in there!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 17 weeks

Size of baby: 5 inches long and 5 oz., about the size of a turnip

Weight gain: -4 (not sure how since I have a belly starting to form!)

Maternity Clothes: Maternity jeans and now some shirts

Gender: TBD December 12!

Movement: I may have possibly felt the baby this weekend, but it was such a light flutter I am not sure

Sleep: Insomnia and crazy dreams. With Ashlynn, I had scary/bad dreams, but with this baby I have dreams where I stress out about something that happened that day. Ex: Tossing and turning all night because I dreamt that the only food we had was stuffing and Ashlynn was starving

Symptoms:  I am pretty tired once night hits, have a weird appetite, and very hormonal

What I miss: Nothing! 

Cravings: Fruit, chicken, coke and candy

Best moment this week: Celebrating Thanksgiving with my sweet family

What I am looking forward to: Introducing Ashlynn to the fun of Christmas, and more importantly the reason we celebrate!

Dad and Big Sister: Mark had 4 days off of work, so we enjoyed spending quality time with him! Big Sister Ashlynn must know I am tired, because she has been sleeping better at night!

Thanksgiving 2012

Thanksgiving was so special this year. We have so much to be thankful for in sweet Ashlynn, in our marriage and in sweet Baby B on the way.  The Lord has blessed us beyond what we could ask or imagine, even through the tough times.

This year, we had a very restful Turkey Day.  Ashlynn and I spent the night at my mom's on Tuesday night to see her and my little brother. Ashlynn loved spending time with her Uncle Shane!

Breakfast at G-Ma and Gator's!

Learning to climb the stairs like a big girl!

 On Wednesday night, Mark joined us and we got the chance to do dinner at my dad's house. It was great to catch up with everyone there! 

On Thanksgiving Day, we slept in and watched tv while we cuddled and food baked in the oven.  Around lunchtime, we headed over to Mark's parent's house for food, football and fun! 

It was so nice to be able to be lazy and enjoy time spent with family! We are so blessed to have the families/in-laws that we do :)

Wearing Uncle Mike's hat!

 The rest of the long weekend was spent doing a big fat NOTHING! Friday evening we had a family dinner out and then checked out a new outlet mall.  Ashlynn was dancing to the Christmas music, and it was cracking us up!  Saturday we cleaned, and then watched football all day.  Sunday was spent fellowshipping with sweet friends.  It was just what this little family needed.  We all felt so refreshed....

Sitting by the door looking for her dada!

...except, someone REALLY missed her DADA come Monday afternoon ;)

Baby B: 16 Weeks

We are finally getting caught up on these posts! We are now 16 weeks pregnant.  It seems that this pregnancy is flying by much faster.

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 16 weeks

Size of baby: 4.5 inches long, about the size of an avocado

Weight gain: -4

Maternity Clothes: I wear maternity jeans, not out of necessity, but because I was pregnant last winter and all of my jeans are maternity! Some tighter shirts are looking a little tighter.

Gender: TBD December 12!

Movement: I am sure the baby is moving, but I have not felt it yet

Sleep: Insomnia has kicked in a few nights this past week

Symptoms:  I go in spurts from having tons of energy to being exhausted.  I am also hungry and thirsty more frequently, and have been having some headaches. I also unfortunately got a UTI this past week.

What I miss: Nothing! 

Cravings: Fruit, salads and chicken nuggets

Best moment this week: Hearing the sweet heartbeat and having a great checkup! The heartbeat was at 138.

What I am looking forward to: Ashlynn's first Thanksgiving

Dad and Big Sister: Mark has been busy with work and is getting excited to find out the gender. Ashlynn is keeping us on our toes with her newfound and much loved mobility!

Celebrations!

My birthday was a few weeks ago, and we had a lot of fun celebrating! On my actual birthday, we watched A&M beat Alabama, and then met up with my family at Cracker Barrel (Yes, that is what I requested for my birthday dinner!)

Having fun in the "Country Store"

We also met up with my mom for a little lunch at Olive Garden the next week.

And then a fun lunch with Mark's mom and her best friend (AKA, his second mom!) Somehow I did not get a picture of either of them.

The next week, Mark gifted me by watching Baby A while I went to see the new Twilight movie with my bestie.  That night my dad babysat Ashlynn while we enjoyed a dinner out celebrating birthdays with friends!

She loves her "Daddy Time"

Fall Fun

We have had a fun and busy fall!

In October, we went to the Arboretum with friends. And we adults probably had as much fun as all of the kids! While there, a few of us took family pictures.  One of ours was used here.

"Queen for a day?"

Sweet friends

Ashlynn and her bestie Kelynn!

So happy being outside!

Last week, Ashlynn and I met up with friends to picnic and visit the new park they have built over the freeway in Dallas.  It is such a great addition to the city and we all loved it!

We also got the chance to take Ashlynn to her second Mavs game.  Mark was excited because she spent most of the game staring at the court in awe! Looks like we have a little sports lover on our hands.

Baby B: 14 Weeks

Here is a recap of weeks 14&15 of our pregnancy with Baby B!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 14-15 weeks

Size of baby: 3.5 inches long, about the size of a lemon to 4 inches long, about the size of an apple

Weight gain: -7 (which puts me at the same weight I was at 14 weeks with Ashlynn, even though it was a +1 then)

Maternity Clothes: I wear maternity jeans, not out of necessity, but because I was pregnant last winter and all of my jeans are maternity!

Gender: TBD mid December

Movement: Not yet

Sleep: No problems with sleep (minus having a sweet 10 month old!)

Symptoms:  I have finally gotten my energy back.  Foods do not seem to bother me as much, but I do already find myself getting full faster.  I also have occasional back and round ligament pain.

What I miss: Nothing! 

Cravings: Fruit, salads and chicken nuggets

Best moment this week: Being able to cuddle and rest with my sweet girl

What I am looking forward to: We have our next checkup next week!

Dad and Big Sister: Mark is still shocked and so excited. Poor Ashlynn is sick this week, and has no clue what is about to hit her!

Halloween 2012

I am a little behind, but wanted to record a few memories of Ashlynn's first Halloween!

Mom! What am I wearing!?

We started our fun off at Grandpa Tony's work for a little trick or treating! Ashlynn was a little unsure of her hat and shoes. Uncle Mike, Grandma Cindy and Mark all joined in on the fun.

Who needs candy when you have a slinky!

On Halloween, we went to the Arboretum with friends! We enjoyed a picnic lunch and played in the pumpkin patch.

Princess Leia, a ladybug and a ballerina

Wearing the hat= serious face and no smiles

All the fun made for one tired ladybug.

The biggest accomplishment of that day was fitting 3 adults, 3 carseats and 4 strollers in our car!

For Halloween night, we stuck close to home.  G-Ma and Gator came up and we checked out a Fall Festival down the street. We walked around for a bit, and Ashlynn checked out the petting zoo.

She loved the animals, except for the crazy looking chickens!

Since 10 month olds don't really appreciate trick or treating, we headed out to dinner instead! All in all it was a very fun, successful first Halloween for our sweet little ladybug!