Soccer Shots

At end of March William started soccer for the first time.  To say this little guy liked soccer is an understatement!   Every Thursday, for 30 minutes, William goes with a small group of kids around his age (he is the youngest) to soccer shots.  When we signed him up we had no idea how he'd like soccer.  Luckily, he's loved every minute with Coach Chris and his friends.  Every day that I drop him off at school he asks me if it's soccer day.  I've gotten the chance to watch him during class a couple of times....it's pretty cute.  He's obviously learning a few basics soccer skills, but more importantly, he's continuing to improve on his listening skills, following instructions and following through with a task.

These pictures are from his last Spring Session Soccer class.  He was so proud of his certificate and metal.  :)  What a little cutie pie!!  These type of things make me so excited for sports when William is older.  Whether that be soccer, baseball, swimming, golfing, tennis, horseback riding or football!!!  

Our Simply Fun Weekends

We had a super fun "week 18".  We kicked our weekend off, on Friday night, eating a little mexican food.  Little buddy loves a beef enchilada and cheese and chips!  Before heading home we made a stop at the candy shop.  This mama can't say no to sour candy.  

Saturday was spent doing our normal stuff.  That evening we went to Kami and John's annual crawfish boil and then headed to City Center for dinner and ice cream.  City Center has a fun lawn area for kids to play in, a band was playing and the weather was perfect.  Unfortunately, I forgot to bring a ball for William to play with.  :(  Luckily, he enjoyed eating his ice cream and listening to the music.  

On Sunday William and I headed back to Kami's for Griffin's 3rd birthday party.  It was the cutest dirt party.  William was obviously in heaven.  There is nothing better than playing the dirt and eating cupcakes.  We had another birthday party that afternoon, but I accidentally fell asleep with William during nap time and we didn't wake up in time.  Another mom fail!  I guess I was tired. :)   

{Dinner at Victor's} {Candy Shop Time} {Doing a little shopping}

{City Center Fun} {Dirt Party!} {Yummy cupcake} {Fun in the sprinkler with Cesar}

As you can probably tell, our weekends are a bit repetitive.....and that's just the way we like it!  We are a pretty simple, easy to entertain group, that like to be at home spending time together.    

25 weeks pregnant

How far along? 25 weeks

Weight Gain:  Up 2 lbs in 2 weeks.  Total weight gain = 17 lbs.  I'm only 5 lbs away from my delivery weight with William.  That number will obviously be surpassed this time around!    
Best moment this week: Celebrating Anna Grace at our baby shower and getting her room and furniture painted!
Movement: I think she's head down again.  Her heart rate was 153 at the doctor appointment.
Food cravings: Nothing special.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody? Busy!  Between driving back from Austin, getting William back into a routine, painting Anna Grace's room, the baby shower and then heading into town for my appointment on Monday morning....I was pooped!  
Other pregnancy symptoms:  Overall, feeling pretty good.  I love sitting on the couch watching my belly move all around.  Nearly every morning William looks at my belly and says, "Anna Grace play with me!"  I just hope he's not disappointed when she doesn't come out playing.  
From the doctor:  I saw the NP this visit.  I drank the yummy glucose drink and had my labs drawn an hour later.  My glucose was good at 106, thyroid levels were good and my hemoglobin was down to 11.3 from 13.  This is considered slightly anemic so they recommended I take an iron supplement....yuck!  Next doctor appointment will be in 3 weeks.  

Baby is the size of Rutabaga 

Turns out he's a good daddy and a good painter.  PINK!

Drink Up!

What a busy week we had!  I swear the reason pregnancy goes by so quick is because there is so much to do when you are getting ready to add a person to your family (not to mention all the time spent going to the doctor).   :)

24 weeks pregnant

How far along? 24 weeks (June 5- June 11)      

Best moment this week: Getting lots of alone time with Gordon, seeing William after 4 days apart and getting a look at baby girl on the big screen.  :)    
Food cravings: Nothing special.  The mac 'n cheese at Jonathan's Rub on date night was extra delicious.  OH and....I'm always craving something sweet after I eat.  
Anything making you queasy or sick: I did feel kinda yucky a few mornings in a row.  
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody? Happy to see my little buddy but really tired from all the traveling!!  I flew home from Midland on Sunday evening and then drove to Austin Thursday afternoon to meet my mom and William.  We visited with some family in Austin and then drove back Friday morning.    
Other pregnancy symptoms:  Crazy dreams.  I'm sure most of this was due to being nervous about being away from William.  Trusting someone else to care for your child is one of the hardest things I've ever done.      
From the doctor:  I've completed a month (4 injections) of progesterone.  I saw my maternal fetal medicine doctor on Monday.  Basically, he does an entire anatomy scan at every visit.  He makes sure baby girl is growing appropriately, he checks on my placenta, the umbilical cord etc.  We tried to get a good picture of her face/profile but she was right under my belly button so there was a shadow across her face and she kept turning away from us.  She is not cooperative.  Her head was up and feet down.  This probably explains some of the weird feelings I'm having against that stitch.  Based on all her measurements she is in the 43% and weighs about 1lb 8oz.  Of all the measurements, her head was the smallest.  It only measured 2 days behind but this is a huge difference from her big brother. :)   

William at 12 weeks

Anna Grace at 12 weeks

 Here are a few pictures from the appointment.  The top picture proves that she is indeed still a girl.  The bottom picture shows my "funny" (bicornuate) uterus.  On the left side of the picture, by the RT, you see a white sticking looking thing.  That is some part of baby girl (I think her leg).  She is in the right side of my uterus.  Then you see more white in the middle of the picture followed by LEFT.  The white in the middle of the picture is the separation in my uterus.  This is what makes my uterus "funny".  Most people don't have this separation, they just have a big open space.  Yes, I did have uterine surgery to help this separation......we knew it didn't get rid of it....who knows how much it helped and/or how much more room she has in there versus what William had?!?!  Between the surgery, the cerclage and the weekly progesterone shots hopefully she'll stay put longer than he did. :)  If we can avoid the NICU we will be ecstatic.     

Baby is the size of an ear of corn

I'm really trying to soak everything up this pregnancy.  It's hard to believe we are already half way there.  When I lay in bed at night and feel her move around I try to engrave every kick and jab into my memory.  Pregnancy can feel like forever but in actuality it's such a short time in our life....and with my history, you never know when it's going to come to an end.  When William was born early I remember laying in the hospital bed at night holding my belly, like I did when he was inside of me, wishing he was still there instead of upstairs in a NICU incubator.  So, although pregnancy can have some yuck days, I'm trying to stay positive and grateful!
  

23 weeks pregnant

How far along? 23 weeks (May 29-June 4)  Weight: up 1 pound in 2 weeks

Exercise:  Still can't.     
Belly Button:  It's out and even noticeable when I wear a tight tank top. 
Movement: Most movement is 5-6am and early evening.    
Food cravings: Still not super hungry.  Cheese sounds yummy.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope
Wedding rings on or off? On
Best Moments This Week:  Although it's not a lot of fun....getting the potty training process going.  It will be nice to only have one baby in diapers!  William and I got so much done on our day off together.  :)  We ran lots of errands and had lunch with Daddy at Barnaby's.   
Happy or Moody? Nervous.  I'd been feeling some funny things for a few days and feeling her moving really low down.  It felt like she was going to kick right out of me.  Dr. Z asked me to come in on 6/2.  They did a TV ultrasound to measure my cervix.  It was 4cm (this is the longest I've ever been!  I was 2.6 at this stage with William).  The cerclage seems to be doing it's job.  Dr. Z asked for me to try bed rest for a few days to see if it changed anything.  So, the next day, I did as he asked but the "feelings" I was having didn't change at all.  So, I've decided, I'm feeling her move against that stitch and it's not a sensation I'm used to.  I'll admit.....I'm a bit paranoid.  I'd rather be overly cautious than lose my baby girl.  I think I'll be able to relax a little once I make it to 26 weeks, 28 weeks, 30 weeks.....Dr. Z made me feel better when he said that I've never been a complainer (about post op pain, baby being in NICU, severe nausea when my milk came in, etc, etc) so I should trust my instincts!       
Other pregnancy symptoms:  Had heartburn a couple of nights and my back has started hurting.  Since the left side of my uterus isn't being utilized, baby girl is mainly on my right side.  So, when I sit too long the right side of my back starts to really feel uncomfortable.  Putting pillow behind that side of my body usually helps a lot!  




Baby is the size of a large mango

This was probably my most emotional week so far.  I feel like we are so close to my 26 week goal.  Sometimes my fearful thoughts get the best of me....but I always try to remember this.....She does not fear bad news; she confidently trust the Lord to take care of her.  -Psalm 112:7



A Weekend Of Fun

Nearly 2 months ago (yep, I'm behind) we had a super fun overnight vacation in Galveston.  Since having William I haven't been to Galveston.  We decided to take advantage of Gordon having a 2 day work conference right on the beach.  So, William and I made our way down to Galveston on Thursday night.  William was so excited to see Daddy, stay in a hotel and to see the beach!  We had to explain to him that this was the "Texas beach" since it's so different from the "Florida beach" he is used to.  Regardless, baby boy was in heaven!  He sure didn't mind the murky water and seaweed filled beach.  :)  

We had dinner at Gaido's Thursday night and then took a little walk on the beach.  The next morning Gordon went to his meetings while we spent some time playing at the beach.  It was really cloudy but luckily didn't rain.  William had so much fun playing in the sand!  He was not a happy boy when we had to leave to meet Gordon for lunch.  Luckily, we had our upcoming Florida beach vacation to bribe him with.  We had a fun lunch at The Spot before William and I headed back home.  Their black bean burger was still as yummy as I remembered.     

Our weekend was filled with lots of fun celebrations!  We had a baby shower at our house for one of my close friends and then went into town, on Saturday afternoon, for Britton's third birthday party.  Thankfully, we had absolutely nothing scheduled for Sunday.  :)  That evening Gordon felt baby girl moving around in my belly for the first time.  Although, this pregnancy has caused us some worry and stress it really is going by quickly!!!       

{17.5 weeks with baby girl}  {Hanging with his first love}  {Bounce house fun}

{Baby bump}  {Playing at Memorial Park after dinner at Beck's Prime}  {The best pic we got!}

22 weeks pregnant

How far along? 22 weeks 
Maternity clothes? Jeans, shorts and a few tank tops.
Exercise:  Still can't.     
Belly Button:  It's pretty much out!  William told me one morning that he wanted his belly button to "pop" too.  #preggoproblems
Best moment this week: Getting lots of cleaning done on Houston's "flood day"  The Tuesday after Memorial Day Houston got too much rain, too fast.  Water was everywhere!  So, no school meant daycare was closed which meant mama had to stay at home with baby boy.  
Movement: Still lots!  Although I feel her throughout the day I feel like she is the craziest at 5 am!  
Food cravings: Not feeling super hungry this week.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody? Happy.  Had a fun dinner date with a girlfriend on Wednesday night but was sad to come home to a sick baby.  I took him to the doctor the next day (more on that in another post) and he was started on antibiotics for a sinus infection.      
Other pregnancy symptoms:  I woke up Monday morning at 3am with the worse pain on the left side of my abdomen.  I turned over to the other side thinking that would help....it's didn't.  When I got up that morning, just moving caused it to hurt more.  Luckily, it started feeling better around noon.  I'm guessing it's just round ligament pain?!?!  It's happened a few more times since then, but never as bad as that morning.   

Baby weighs about 1 pound and is the size of a spaghetti squash.

Memorial Day weekend in Texarkana

21 weeks preggo

How far along? 21 weeks

Weight Gain:  From 16 weeks preggo to now I gained 9 lbs (8 of those happened in the first 3 weeks!).  Total weight gain with baby girl so far = 14 lbs.  I saw the nurse practitioner this week and the first thing she said was my weight looked great.  I guess if the doctors happy, I should be happy too.  :)      
Best moment this week: Feeling rested from vacation.  Took William to the zoo to see the new Gorillas!  
Movement: She moves so much that the poor nurse has a hard time checking her heart rate.  She is always on the move!  Her heart rate was 156.  
Food cravings: Trying to cut out my morning cereal (I'd eat Lucky Charms all day long if you'd let me)....changing it up with eggs, PB toast and grapes.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody? Happy.   
Other pregnancy symptoms:  This was probably one of my best weeks.  No pregnancy acne, no weird leg pains, sleeping good, and good energy.  I did have quite a few contractions while we were walking around the zoo (nothing painful, just a lot of tightness).  Still up to bathroom once a night.  
From the doctor:  Not too much news from the doctor.  They were happy with my recent weight gain, since I didn't gain much at first.  I'll go back to my OB in 4 weeks for a check up and the yummy glucose test.  I finally started my progesterone IM injections on May 21th (at almost 22 weeks).  Better late than never I guess.  I was really nervous about this!  Number 1, I hate giving and getting IM injections.  Number 2, I heard this injection, in particular, hurts pretty bad (during and after).  I'm happy to say, I was pleasantly surprised!  It wasn't bad at all.  :)

Baby's fingers are fully formed and can grasp things.  She is the size of a banana.

Look who was happy for a photo session.  This little boy loves Anna Grace!  He loves to lay on my belly, kiss the belly, touch the belly, talk about the big belly.....we're praying he loves her just as much when she's actually here!!
 

20 weeks preggo

How far along? 20 weeks
Weight Gain:  Things are not going good in this department.  LOL.  They weighed me at my anatomy scan appointment and I'd gained 8 lbs in 3 weeks.  Yikes.  I can honestly say that nothing has changed in my diet to cause an 8 lb weight gain in such a short time.  So, it is what it is.  My body must've thought I needed the extra 8 lbs.  :)   
Maternity clothes? Same. Jeans/shorts and tank tops (I love how long they are).
Exercise:  I really enjoyed riding our bikes around town all week and getting some walking in on the beach.  I'm sad to say that just this little bit of exercise made my calf's sore.  Getting back into shape after she arrives should be fun....but well worth it!   
Belly Button:  Half out...it won't be long!   
Best moment this week: Being at the beach all week long!  It was great to get some rest and spend so much time with William and Gordon.  
Movement: She's still a wiggle worm (she seems to be up and moving more than William ever was).  It was fun to lay back on the beach, watch her dance inside my belly, while Gordon and William built sand castles.  
Food cravings: Trying to keep it healthy and resist the Cheeto cravings.  I was really into applesauce this week and sour candy.  Having a candy store right down the street all week was perfect! ;)
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody? Happy, although I did wake up really grumpy from a nap on Sunday.   
Other pregnancy symptoms:  Happy to say the pregnancy acne that made it's appearance at 12 weeks was finally clearing up.  Still up to bathroom once a night.  

Baby is the size of a small cantaloupe

He loves giving Anna Grace kisses.  He's going to be the sweetest big brother!

William's Three Year Stats

Here's what our little buddy is up to at THREE years old!

Weight: 29 lbs (up 6 lbs in one year) 16% on growth chart (up from 4% last year)
Height: 36 inches (up 3.5 in in one year) 16% on growth chart (up from 13%)

Eating- William is still a pretty good eater.  He'd rather eat veggies and fruit over meat but he sure does love Chick Fil A nuggets!  He loves tomatoes (he calls them "mimi's garden" since he picks them in Texarkana).  Squash and green beans are his favorite veggies but he also loves asparagus and brussel sprouts (he's so my child!).  His favorite fruits are watermelon and grapes.  He finally got burned out on oatmeal....if I'd let him he'd eat mini pancakes every morning.  For breakfast he usually eats peanut butter toast with banana, vanilla yogurt, ham and cheese wrapped in a crescent roll or oatmeal.  Unfortunately, he still doesn't like eggs. His favorite dinner foods are soup, mac 'n cheese and spaghetti.  Ranch is his new favorite dipping sauce.  

Sleeping-  Since moving to a big boy bed this department has gotten a little tricky.  He's been waking up between MN and 2am and coming down to our room.  Luckily, he doesn't put up a fuss and goes right back to sleep.  Depending on the day, William is in bed between 8:00-9:00.  Most mornings he's awake by 6am.  Nap time is still 12-2.  Most weekends we run behind schedule and don't get him down for his nap until 1 or 1:30.  Thankfully, this little guy is pretty good about rolling with the punches!  Give him his lovie and blanket and he's a happy man.        
Development- We were able to answer yes to all the questions at his yearly checkup.  William can tell you his name, speak in 3+ word sentences, climb stairs (using alternating feet), he can hold a crayon, he washes/dries his hands on his own and uses spoon/fork well.  William knows all of his colors (his favorites are orange and blue).  He knows almost all shapes (oval, octagon, triangle, heart, moon, star, circle, square).  His favorite is an octagon.  Any time he sees a stop sign he says, "It's an octagon, has 8 sides!"  He recognizes that he and daddy have blue eyes and that mama has brown eyes (he thinks Anna Grace will have either brown or pink eyes!).  He knows, remembers and recognizes family/close friends faces in pictures.  He knows that Nana and Papa go together (along with "Fifi") and then Mimi/Grandad.   
William still gets words mixed up like shut the door when he means open the door.  It's pretty cute.  
His imagination is growing leaps and bounds.  Shadows are now dinosaurs, squash looks like snails and he can make up some funny stories!      
Personality- William is still a sweet cuddly little thing but age 3 has brought with it many challenges.  And by challenges, I mean emotional breakdowns over nothing.  Something as simple as sitting down next to him can set him off?!?!  We usually take him to his room and tell him when he calms down he can join us again.  This usually helps a ton.  He loves telling us stories and talks about his family all the time.  Overall, he's a happy little boy who follows most instructions without a fuss, will sit still and cooperate during a doctor visit and will do anything for a MandM and chocolate ice cream.               
Clothing size- As I type, we are in the active stages of potty training.  Before now William's been in a size 5 diaper, but we are now onto pullups and big boy underpants.  William is wearing a size 6/7 shoe right now (up from last years size 4).  Most of his shirts are still 2T but 3T works too.  3T shorts/pants fit pretty well length wise but he has some room to grown in the waste.  
Things mommy loves- 
Everything!  He may have his toddler melt downs but overall he is just precious to us.  I love the little serious face he has, while holding perfectly still, for a hair cut.  When he gets out of the bath he likes for me to dry his hair with the hair dryer while he brushes it....when we're done he yells, "It's dry now!"  
William tells me often "I'm happy, mama."  Those three words make my heart want to explode.  He is such a joyful little soul.        
I love that he wants to hold my hand when he's laying down for a nap/bedtime.    
When Gordon or I am away from him he's always asking where we are.  If we are both gone he refers to us as one person "mamadaddy".  The love he has for us, and vice versa, is immeasurable.   
Mommy stuff- Although a lot of things have calmed down over the past year (no moving, unpacking etc)....things have been hectic.  I am happy to say that we really started getting into a healthy routine since moving to the burbs.  We were both loving the YMCA (until pelvic rest started in March) and our weekly trips to Little Gym are super fun.  
Since William's second birthday I've basically been pregnant.  There's been lots of doctors appointments, a couple surgeries, sad news, happy news and most recently a "big belly" (those are William's words!).  William found out he was going to be a big brother to a little sister and has welcomed 2 new cousins.      
Things WJG loves- This little guy still loves being outside.  His favorite thing to do is "help" daddy.  He loves pulling weeds and watering the flowers.  With all that being said he also really likes to be clean.  If he falls down and gets muddy he wants to be "cleaned up" ASAP.  He hates for food to get on him and he always wants his hands clean (he's a bit OCD likes his mama I guess).  
He loves riding his truck to the park and swinging and climbing on his new playset.   We finally started letting him watch some TV after his second birthday.  This little guy is a movie lover just like his mom and dad.  Luckily, he prefers to be outside playing but he is definitely a kid that will sit and watch a show while you cook dinner (I'm so thankful for that).  Mickey Mouse and The Avengers are his favorites.   
He loves cooking in his pretend kitchen, playing with trucks and coloring.  Currently, his favorite books are  One Fish, Two Fish and The Duckling Gets A Cookie.  He is still obsessed with vacuuming.  He has his own little one that he gets out while I'm vacuuming....it's a team effort. 
Riding on Gordon's shoulders (which he calls doing "Giraffe") and getting a horse back ride on daddy.    
Things WJG doesn't like-  There really isn't too much.  He still doesn't like eggs.  Some mornings he'd rather just stay home with me rather than go to school.  What can I say, some days I don't want to go to work either!    
Favorite Things To Say- These are some of the things I wish I could keep trapped in my mind forever!  "Again" and "Why" are probably his favorite words.  "School again?" "Night night again?" "Oh no!  Not again!"  
William has excellent hearing....he'll hear a dog barking far away and immediately stop and say, "what's that?"  With that excellent hearing comes "It's too loud for me!"  Sometimes that means he can't hear the radio or TV (and he's trying to say it's not loud enough) but most of the time he really does mean that something is too loud.  It could be Gordon hammering something or even me talking too much and he wants some quiet time.  :)  haha.  
He's always telling us, "Look at me!"  He can be super proud of his big boy skills.
My favorite is "I'm happy!"
"It's a match!" He says this whenever colors match, pictures match, he sees two bugs on the side walk, etc. 
"Yee-haw!!!"  I'm not sure where he got this from, but it's hilarious!  If he's excited to go somewhere he'll let out a Yee-Haww!!!   
Every morning the first words out of his mouth are "The sun's up!"  He's always sad when the sun goes down.  He'll say, "The sun went bye bye again?!?"  He quickly moves onto saying he wants to see the moon.
Thankfully he's learned to say "excuse me" when he burps or toots.  Hopefully I can catch it on camera one day because the way he says it is too cute.  Being the true boy he is, after he burps he'll laugh and say, "I wanna do again!"  
He's turning out to be quite ticklish.  I'm always hearing "It tickles me!"  :)  
Funny Dad Moments- Watching Gordon be a horsey every night before bed is truly priceless.  My two boys warm my heart!  William is so lucky to have such an involved, attentive daddy.    
Here are a couple funny conversations I've overheard recently:

W: I want choc milk!!  (in a much too demanding voice, at the end of a long day) 
G:  I need a whiskey drink. 

W:  But why? (why is his other favorite word)
G:  Because someone's got to do work around here.
W:  I do work!

W:  I want my shoes off first.
G:  You want a small fish????
Me:  laughing 
W:  It's not funny, Mama!

First time- I can't really think of too much.  He is now a cousin and soon to be big brother!
From the Doctor- William did great at his 3 year check up.  They took his blood pressure for the first time since he left NICU.  He wasn't too sure about that.  He kept telling me, "It squeeze me, Mama."  He does such a good job when the doctor examines him.  He holds really still and follows all instructions.  They did an eye exam on him at the end of the appointment.  He lost interest pretty quick.  From what we could tell he has great vision.  In my rush to get William dressed and out of the doctor's office I forgot to button up his shorts.  When we got to the parking lot William started saying, "Oh no, what happened mama?"  I looked down and his little shorts had fallen down to the ground and were around his ankles.  I couldn't help but die laughing.  A month later, William and I still laugh about his pants falling down in the parking lot.  

There are no words to properly express my love for this child.  He is our everything.  Even when he's driving me crazy I adore him.  When he says,  "I love you, Mama" everything in my world sparkles a little more.  I'm so proud to call him mine.