19 weeks preggo

How far along? 19 weeks
Maternity clothes? Still just jeans and tank tops (I love how long they are).
Best moment this week: Getting to see baby girl wiggle around on the big screen.
Movement: Feeling her move all the time.  I'm starting to think she's going to be our "wild" child.  She already seems to have a lot of energy!  During the anatomy scan the doctor said, "This baby's spinning around like a top."  She wasn't very cooperative!  
Food cravings: Carbs, carbs, carbs
Anything making you queasy or sick: Headache and tired on Thursday.  Our upcoming vacation was just what I needed 
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody? Excited for our trip to the beach but super busy!  Got my nails done and went to Ruth Chris for APHON dinner on Wednesday night.  
Looking forward to:  The beach!
Doctor Appointments:  We had the anatomy scan with Dr. Carpenter (maternal fetal medicine doctor) on Friday, 5/8.  Baby girl looked good (and he confirmed that the blood test was right....she is a girl!).  There was no cleft lip noted, her body measured right on time with my last menstrual cycle (due date September 25th) and her heart looked good.  She does have an echogenic focus, white calcium spot on heart, (which is considered a "soft" marker for downs).  The genetic test that we had done at 12 weeks came back good so most likely this is absolutely nothing to worry about.  I'll be following up with the MFM doctor at least every 4 weeks as well as my OB, so we have lots of opportunities to continue to monitor baby girl.  My uterus is still separated by the septum.  It's the first thing Dr. Carpenter noticed when he started the scanning.  We knew that the surgery I had wouldn't completely fix the issue.....it'll be interesting to see how long I carry this baby girl compared to William.  

Baby is the size of a heirloom tomato.
 I was alone in this picture because of this....

.....we should really do these pictures before bedtime!

Anatomy Scan Time

Working in the medical field I see all kinds of crazy things.  It definitely adds to my pregnancy anxiety.  Getting good news at the anatomy scan is such a blessing from above.  I consider this and making it to 26 weeks two of my biggest hurdles.  One down, one to go.  :)
  

Week 16 = Birthday Weekend

"Week 16" was a weekend full of happy celebration!!  On Tuesday, this super fun swing set was delivered to our house.  It has been so nice to have this in our own backyard!  It was especially nice when all of William's friends were over for his birthday.  Once Anna Grace is here, and it's cool outside again, it will be so much easier to sit outside with her while William plays away.

Swing Set Fun  |  Being The Hulk On His 3rd Birthday  |  Shopping At BassPro Shop  |  Birthday Dinner at Lupe Tortilla (sand for our buddy and a virgin drink for me)  |  Not Too Sure About Flan  |  A Special Breakfast Pancake  |  A Boy and "His" Dog  

Our week/weekend was jammed full of errands, dinners out and lots of time with family.  There's nothing better than celebrating this little boy!

Week 15 of 2015

"Week 15" was filled with lots of fun stuff!  We flew back from Midland that Monday after having a nice and relaxing Easter.  That Thursday William and I had a wonderful day off together.  Things got started with a bang, our little buddy went #2 in the potty for the first time!  It's a work in progress folks.  :)  Next up, William's first Soccer Shots class at school.  To say this kid likes soccer, is an understatement!  He loves, loves, loves soccer.  I'm not sure what it is he likes so much.....kicking the ball, scoring goals, Coach Chris or just getting to do something different for 30 minutes at school.  Whatever it is, it makes him happy.  AND, that makes mama happy!  After soccer we had a little date at Starbucks.  Juice for William, decaf coffee for me and of course a yummy scone.  

The bottom row of pictures are from that weekend.  William got his first 3rd birthday present in the mail from Aunt Ash and Uncle Brandon.  He was just a little excited!  That Saturday night Gordon and I went to a dinner and movie (William had a super fun evening with his #1 favorite, Ms. Melissa).  I was so excited to finally see Insurgent.  Normally, I would have been on opening weekend....but that was the week of my cerclage placement.  Better late than never!  The movie was made better by this yummy icee.  :)  That Sunday I called Gordon while he was at the gym and asked him to pick up Wing Stop on his way home.  Just a little pre-dinner snack.  Too bad I can't hit the gym anymore.....with the foods I'm craving, I'm in trouble!

18 weeks preggo

How far along? 18 weeks
Maternity clothes? Mostly just jeans.
Best moment this week: Daddy coming home after 4 days in Boston for work.
Movement: Lots more moving this week!  I can feel her at different times of the day (versus just in the evening).  I can even see her little body poking out every once in a while.
Food cravings: Sonic ocean water
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing really.
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody? Happy but tired.  Trying to get William to sleep through the night in his big boy bed.  Had leg cramps nearly every night this week (they started to happen off and on at 15 weeks and usually happen at night).
Looking forward to:  One more week before we head to the beach and until the anatomy scan.
Doctor Appointments: While Gordon was out of town I had a little scare and had to go in for a quick check up.  All was well.  Baby girl still looks good in there.  Still haven't started progesterone shots due to not getting insurance authorization.  

This was really taken at 18.5 weeks....we try!  Baby is the size of a sweet potato.

If the cerclage stitch is removed at 36 weeks I could very well have baby girl that day.  I could possibly be half way there!  Who knows?!?!?  I'm like a ticking time bomb....but I wouldn't trade it for anything!  

Fun at the Zoo

I've been really bad about doing our weekly updates.....maybe I'll catch up soon.  For now, I'll share one of William's favorite activities, the zoo!  When William was just a year old he cried when he saw the elephants.  Now, they're his #1 favorite.  He loves watching them get a bath!  During their bath time the trainers will give the elephants a snack when they do tricks.  William would stand and watch for hours if you'd let him.     

The monkeys, carousel and ice cream are also favorites. :)  This past trip the bear really caught his attention as well as the jelly fish.  Hopefully, Anna Grace will love the zoo as much as we do!    

Showering Baby Z

There must be something in the water......two of my co-workers (and obviously myself) are pregnant and all due within 4 four months of each other!  Lindsey Z's baby boy is due in just a couple of weeks.  This obviously meant it was party time!  LZ and I have worked together for 2 years and become great friends.  Our little ones love each other and I'm sure our new little lovies will too!  

We had the best morning celebrating Baby Z.  I personally love breakfast, so I thought this was an awesome baby shower.  Donuts, OJ, yogurt parfaits and breakfast casserole....yummy!  We can't wait to meet this precious little boy.  :)

Hot Diggity Dog 3rd Birthday

To say I have fun planning a party is an understatement!  This party was super easy to put together.  With a little bit of planning and help from family it all turned out perfect.  I have found that if I plan far in advance it all comes together nicely (with less stress involved).  It will be nice having William and Anna Grace's birthdays 4-5 months apart.  It'll give everyone a chance to recover from the crazy fun birthday weekends we tend to have!

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from William's 3rd birthday party.  I'll do another post on the "birthday party details" for anyone that cares to know where I got things from.  I knew this was my last year to throw William a party without him having a real opinion.  So, I picked Mickey Mouse!  William loves "hot dog" but is slowly turning into a little boy and starting to show interested in Spider Man, Hulk and Iron Man.  .....let the super hero parties begin....next year...... 

William was in love with everything about "his party".  This little guy loves to have his friends over, so this was a much anticipated day.  

• Posing with Hot Dog and Papa
• Checking out the Hot Diggity Dog Bar
• Family of three, going on four
• He was one happy little boy
• Singing happy birthday
• Blowing out his 3 candles
• "Look Mama, it's my cake!"
• Laughing at his friends

{watching the balloon artist} {he loved his new big truck} {some of the guys} {William broke his plane and JB was figuring out the bean bag game} {playing on the new swing set} {tire swing fun} {family dinner at Dekkers} {fun with Friends} {being a superhero with Uncle G}

To this day, a month later, William is still asking me if he can have "his party" again because "it was fun".  He was so excited to take the leftover cupcakes and cookies to school with him on Monday morning.  His teacher said he told her all about his party.  This little boy loves having all his family around.  Uncle G is the best play buddy a boy could ask for, my parents brought his favorite puppy, Massy (aka "Fifi"), and everyone got to check out his fun new swing set.  He is such a loved little boy.  We can't say thank you enough to all of our friends that joined us.  We had the best day and I know that William felt extra loved!!!  There's nothing that makes a parent happier.  :)

Easter 2015

For the first time in probably 8 years we spent Easter in Midland.  We had an extra good reason for heading to West Texas this year.....baby Brecken had been born just 2 weeks before!  As always, we had a great time visiting with family, eating at my favorite restaurants and just relaxing.

William painted Easter eggs for the first time this year.  We had a blast, and of course, William had lots of opinions regarding what colors the eggs were.  #toomuchlikehismama

As you can see, this little boy is all or nothing with the camera!  He will either cheese it up or refuse to look at the camera.  Luckily, William was in a great mood on Easter.  Even without a nap he stayed cheerful.

It's hard to believe that we will soon be a family of four!  It's even harder to believe that Easter was my due date for the last pregnancy.  Time is just flying right by.  I still can't wrap my head around having a newborn in our home again.  ;)  It's exciting and scary all at the same time.  

Kisses for Brecken | Sweet baby | Grandsons and Cousins | 

Giving GG a check up | Walking into church | We are growing...family of 8.5 now!

We were pleasantly surprised when William handled me holding Brecken like a champ.  Over Thanksgiving, anytime I held baby Katherine William would have a complete meltdown.  Four months later, he could have cared less who I was holding and what the baby was doing.

We are so blessed to have all of these people that love us in our lives, to have our health and have the opportunity to spend time together.  Easter is the perfect day to remember just why we have all of these blessings.....Jesus!  

17 weeks preggo

How far along? 17 weeks
Exercise: For now, running after William is my exercise
Sleep: Feeling great in this department.  Staying up later and not napping during the day (when I'm off work).
Best moment this week: Fun family night in Galveston
Movement: I'm feeling her move a lot more (mostly in the evenings still).  Best. Part. Of. Pregnancy.
Food cravings: crackers, goldfish, chips/salsa, and blue ocean water from Sonic
Anything making you queasy or sick: Still not into eating meat. Still having headaches.
Labor signs: Still having the pelvic pressure but otherwise nothing new.
Belly button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody? Happy
Looking forward to: Spending a whole week at the beach soon!
Other: Helped host a baby shower for a friend over the weekend and spent an evening in Houston for a birthday party and dinner at the park.  AND....Gordon felt baby girl move for the first time on Sunday, April 26th!