Bringing Baby Girl Home

The older I get the faster the time flies by.  I wish it would slow down!  Since I have no control over that.....I'll just take a million pictures so I can remember all of these precious moments.

The rest of our hospital stay was semi-uneventful.  Since I seem to keep everything "complicated and interesting" baby girl decided to follow in my foot steps.  Our first night with baby girl went pretty well.  We didn't get to sleep until after 1am, but luckily she was a good baby and we all got some sleep.  I learned early on that baby girl loves to be touched.  When she's upset you can just lay your hand on her chest or touch her forehead and she calms down.  #sosweet  Poor little baby did keep spitting up/gagging on clear fluid that the nurse said was amniotic fluid.  Being the nurse I am, I of course worried about her choking/aspirating.  Luckily, I would hear her making funny noises in time to get it suctioned out of her mouth.  {I say we got sleep....haha....I should say Gordon got some sleep and I closed my eyes.  Life of a mommy.}

The first thing I did Saturday morning was order breakfast!!!  I hadn't eaten since Thursday night, and this mama was hungry!  Around 9am the nurse came in to do Anna Grace's 24 hour bili check, her hearing test was done around this time and I finally got to take a shower.  She failed the hearing test in her right ear but the next day eventually passed.  Unfortunately, her bili level came back critically high.  They came in and told us the bad news around noon.  Soon after she was placed under the bili lights and on a bili blanket.  We weren't able to have the in hospital pictures done since she had to stay under the lights as much as possible.  :(  I had put so much thought into the outfits I picked for her hospital stay....instead baby girl could only wear a diaper while she was under the lights.  *Again, that's what I get for planning.*  I could still hold Anna Grace to feed her as long as I kept the blanket under her.  

As you can imagine, no newborn wants to be uncovered, unswaddled and not held.  This made the next 20 hours hard.  William had to be under the bili light as well.  The difference is, he was hooked to monitors that told us his heart rate etc so he could be placed on his belly.  Whatever made him happy we did (and he was negative two months old).  This was obviously not the case with Anna Grace.  I was able to keep baby girl calm most of the day but the night time was a different story.  Her stylish sunglasses were bugging her and her little arms were just flailing all around.  There wasn't much sleeping going on in our room that night.  Gordon and I did have a nice evening watching the Texas Tech game and eating our "celebratory dinner" from the hospital.  After some tears that night and lots of prayers that her bili level would be low enough to stop the lights, my prayers were answered.  At 48 hours old her bili level was actually the same but since she was older it wasn't in the critically high range {more on why Anna Grace's bilirubin was high in my next post}.  She also passed the oxygen test that they now do (to test for possible heart problems).  Once Anna Grace and I were each seen by our doctors we were given the okay to go home!!!!
 
William and I had a hard time saying goodbye to each other on Anna Grace's birthday.  So, we decided to not have him visit on Saturday.  Instead, he had a super fun day with my mom!  As soon as we got the okay to go home my mom and William headed to the hospital.  Seeing my little William made a great day even happier!
      

{A bili blanket is better than the NICU} {Our sweet baby girl} {Getting some sun}

{Baby girl in her first dress} {Proud big brother is ready to bring her home.} {Day 1: meeting sister}

{Packing up to head home} {My little helper pushing us to the car}

The drive home went great.  I think Gordon and I were in shock to be driving her home only 50 hours after having her!  Such a blessing.  My mom picked some lunch up for us and then we all laid down for a much needed nap.  It was one of the happiest Sundays I've ever had.  

On our drive home Blake Shelton's song Mine Would Be You came on the radio.  I love, love, love this song.

Baby, if I had to choose

My best day ever

My finest hour, my wildest dream come true

Mine would be you

What's the greatest chapter in your book?

I asked Gordon what his greatest chapter was....as we drove down the road with our two little lovies he told me he was living it right now.  I couldn't agree more!  I know it's weird that I refer to songs so often....for whatever reason they help me remember special moments, and this day folks will always be one close to my heart.  

You forget how tiny they are | My whole world in one car | Nothing sweeter than this!

Holding baby sister | Can you tell he's happy?!? | Night #1, night night angel 

To say that William loves this little girl is a drastic understatement.  I knew he'd like her but I had no idea just how much.  He was instantly in love with her.  It gives the saying love at first sight a whole new meaning.  Nothing has ever made my heart happier than seeing him kiss her and whisper, "I love you, Anna Grace."  Life is good.  God has been good to us.  The stressful pregnancy and scary delivery were so worth this precious little gift!!!   

Family Filled Weekend

Week 24 was another fun week filled with lots of time with family.  William was in Midland at the beginning of the week, so we got a couple of date nights in.  I had to go into town on Monday for an appointment with my MFM and then the dermatologist.  Gordon and I met up afterward for dinner at Jonathan's Rub.  We love their salads (and the mac 'n cheese)!  Tuesday evening I got my nails and then we went to see Entourage...which, by the way, was pretty funny (and a good change up from Disney shows).  I headed to Austin on Thursday to meet my mom and William.  :)  We got to meet my cousin's new baby girl, Ellie, and visit with my aunt.  William was super attached to me for the next few days.  He had lots of fun in Midland but was glad to be back at "his home".  What can I say, all three of us are home bodies!     

Meeting Baby B | My handy helper | Painting baby girls room

Fishing with the boys | They caught a BIG fish! | Daddy caught an alligator

Happy birthday, Papa | Celebrating Anna Grace | Dinner at Lupe!

That weekend we got Anna Grace's room painted pink and painted the furniture we bought back in February white.  Everything turned out perfect!  We are so lucky to have had help from my mother in law, dad, mom and of course William.  Haha.  The hardest part of painting the room was keeping William out of the area.  Sunday was my dad's birthday and the day of Anna Grace's baby shower.  It was a fun filled day spent celebrating two of my favorite people!  

It's no wonder this pregnancy is just flying by....every day/weekend is filled with something to do.  Going to the dermatologist had been on my to do list for a while.  It's a great feeling to get much needed things done.  I had a suspicious mole biopsied during the visit.  Luckily, everything came back okay!  Please remember to check your skin and see your dermatologist every year!!!  Life is too precious.  :)  

  

Trip to Midland

"Week 23" was full of fun!  William and I had Monday off together.  We spent the morning perfecting his potty skills and playing with play-doh.  For lunch, we headed into town to meet Daddy at my favorite place, Barnaby's!  This was the week I tried out bedrest for a couple of days.  I got some good Grey's Anatomy time in.  :)  

That Friday William and I headed to West Texas!!  I can't say how proud I am of William for being a super duper travel buddy.  He always minds so well and makes flying with a toddler seem like a breeze!  We had a pretty laid back weekend.  Lots of time by the pool and eating at some of my favorite places.  We even got to see Pop and GG (my grandparents),

As you can see, William thought his new baby cousin was a fun new play buddy!  I'm not sure if the feelings were reciprocated!  LOL.  Poor little Brecken looks terrified.  Good news is....William could care less about me holding Brecken.  He's too busy doing big boy stuff I guess!
That Sunday evening I head back home and left baby boy with his Nana and Papa for a fun week of getting spoiled!  Leaving him behind is not easy for me, but I know it's the best thing for both of us.  William learns that being away from home (and away from "mamadaddy") is okay AND fun!  He grows even closer to his family and Gordon and I get some alone time.
I still can't believe the next time we're in Midland we'll have 2 little ones!  Hopefully we'll make it back sometime during football season.  Just thinking about football season makes me giddy.....a new baby, COOLER weather, maternity leave, pumpkin lattes and of course FOOTBALL!    

The Week Houston Flooded

We had just made it back home, from our trip to East Texas, when the weather got crazy!  Soon after putting William to bed the lighting and thunder began....and it didn't stop until after 4am.  My phone alarmed all night long, "Flash Flood Warning".  I was more worried about William waking up from all the noise outside.  I had no idea what we'd wake up to!  Luckily, William slept through the entire storm. :)  Gordon had to be at a job site early in the morning so he was out the door by 6am....without ever turning on the TV to see what he was about to drive into....WATER!  Long story short, many of the school districts shut down, which meant daycare shut too.  Gordon was stuck in town, unable to make it to his job site, so William and I had an unexpected day together at home!    
As the week went on we got one surprise after another.  I came home to a sick little boy after "moms night out" with my good friend Rachel.  After a traumatizing doctor's appointment the next day, the little guy was diagnosed with a sinus infection.  We didn't get to see our usual doctor that day.  :(  Poor little William is still talking about how the doctor hurt his ear {she did in fact scrape the inside of his ear, making it bleed, when she was trying to get a little piece of wax out}.  Luckily, 48 hours later, just in time for the weekend, he was feeling 100% better!

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Back home Memorial Day evening...before the rain | Lots of cuddling on the couch when he was sick

Little Gym Fun |  Heading to get a snocone | Can't forget any of your toys at the pool!

That weekend, we finally took the plunge and started potty training!  For the past 9 months I could get William to randomly pee pee on the potty, but most of the time he would tell me, "No, it scares me!"  He was still waking up most mornings with a wet diaper and not acting too upset about having a wet diaper during the day.  Regardless, we decided it was time!  The first day was obviously the hardest (but not as bad as I expected).  At one point Gordon compared it to having a new puppy.  LOL.  On Sunday, we went to church, out to lunch and to get William's hair cut....all the trips to the bathroom were harder on this preggo mama than him!  {I may have toppled over at one point....William giggled and said, "What happened, Mama?"  Oh nothing sweetie, my center of gravity is just a bit off!}   Luckily, I didn't have to work on Monday so we had some extra time to perfect his potty skills.  His first week of big boy pants at school didn't go to well.  :(  But, the next week he did fabulous!  Since then he hasn't had a single accident and wakes up in the morning with a dry pull up 95% of the time.  WAY TO GO WILLIAM!  We are so proud of how well he's done.  He made a scary task seem like a piece of cake.  

Here's to hoping our next little one is easy to potty train too!!!!!  

Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day weekend seems like a lifetime ago for some reason?!?!  Here's a little recap of  "week 21 of 2015".  

We had just gotten back from our annual beach vacation in Rosemary Beach.  I started the week off with a trip into town for a doctors appointment.  My other day off work was spent with this little cutie at the zoo.  It was an extra special trip because the Houston Zoo had just opened the new gorilla exhibit.  They had a week when only zoo members could check things out....so we had to go (before it got crazy busy)!  As always, we had an awesome time.  William thought the gorillas "talking" was funny, we got to see the elephants get a bath, William got sprayed with water by one of the elephants (he thought this was hilarious), and he really took a liking to the fish (I liked the air conditioned room!).    

Where are you Mr. Gorilla?  |  There you are!  |  Crawling through the fish tunnel

Carousel time  |  My little elephant lover, drum player  |  Look Mama!  

On Friday night we headed to Texarkana for the long weekend.  Although we'd just been with the Gooding side of the family, we decided to make one last trip before baby girl makes her appearance!  Our trips out of town are numbered since AG could come anytime (if she takes after her brother).  We hadn't been to T-town since November, so we were over due for a trip to East Texas.  

We had a fun weekend being lazy!  William loved getting to fish.  He even got over his fear of touching them.  I was shocked to see him grab the first fish he caught!  He even touched the worms they used for bait.  He's becoming such a BOY!  This mama and daddy even made it out to dinner one night with some friends. :)     

It's hard to believe that we'll have 2 kiddos the next time we visit Texarkana!!  I can only imagine how loaded down our car will be when we add a newborn to the mix.  :)

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.    

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!}

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!

15 & 16 weeks preggo

How far along? 15 weeks
Best moment this week: Second trimester is here!
Movement: Some, when I'm sitting or laying down in the evening.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Still nauseous at the beginning of the week but feeling much better by the weekend.
Happy or Moody? Happy and busy getting ready for William's upcoming birthday.
Other: William loves talking about Anna Grace.  When we are sitting on the couch he'll tell me he wants to see her (aka my belly).  He pulls up my shirt and rubs the little baby bump.  He says sweet things like "awww, she cute!" and then he'll cover my belly back up and say, "Night night, Anna Grace."

Baby is the size of an Orange

How far along? 16 weeks
Total weight gain? Up 2 lbs in past 2.5 weeks (total gained 5 lbs)
Maternity clothes? Only one pair of jeans.
Best moment this week: 2 days off work this week.
Movement: About the same as last week.  Feel her in the evening.
Food cravings: Sweet tart jelly beans
Anything making you queasy or sick: Don't have a big appetite.  Unfortunately, the things I do want are carbs!
Belly button in or out? In but it won't be long before it's out.

Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody? Excited to have family in town.  My parents and Gordon's parents arrived to Houston on Thursday evening for William's birthday weekend.
Looking forward to:  Excited about the anatomy scan in a few weeks
Doctor Appointments: Seen by NP on Thursday.  Baby heart rate = 160.  Ultrasound done.  Mostly saw her back and profile.  I will be starting weekly progesterone shots soon.  My doctor will order medication, we'll wait for insurance approval and then it will be delivered to our house.  Gordon seems to think he should be the one to give me the shots.  :/

Baby can now hear my voice

13 and 14 weeks preggo

How far along? 13 weeks
Maternity clothes? Jeans.  So much easier with the expanding belly!
Fun moments this week: My mother in law came to town, William got a big boy bed and we had dinner with Grant and Emily Saturday night.
Food cravings: Chips and salsa and hamburgers
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nausea is still in full effect.  Most meat sounds yuck and still not a fan of sweet potatoes
Labor signs: Still having pelvic pressure.  Starting to wonder if I'll be able to work 12 hour shifts with the VAT team.  Trying to stay off feet as much as possible when at home.
Belly button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody? A little nervous about the pelvic pressure.
Looking forward to: Easter in Midland
Doctor Appointments: At 13w6d I went back to doctor for my post cerclage follow up visit.  They did a quick ultrasound during the visit.  You could see the stitch in place and baby girl squirming around.  Her heart rate was 162.  The doctor thinks the pelvic pressure could be from the stitch irritating me?!?!  

Baby is the size of a Peach

How far along? 14 weeks
Total weight gain? Up a pound since week 12 (total 3lbs)
Exercise: Can't.  We've been so busy with parties, having company and going out of town I hadn't had a chance to miss it too much.
Sleep: Still up once a night to use restroom.  I seem to have more energy this week (actually staying up past 9pm).
Best moment this week: Meeting out new nephew, Brecken, and feeling baby girl move for the first time!
Movement: YES!  On Easter Sunday, April 5th.  :)  As I was falling asleep I felt some little thumps.  April 5th was our due date with the miscarriage baby.  I think God and our little angel babe were telling me things would be okay.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nausea even worse this week.  I'm still so shocked that even the smell of coffee makes me want to vomit.  
Happy or Moody? Happy!
Looking forward to: William's 3rd birthday is around the corner and "project baby girl's room" is under way!
Other: We were happy to see William do so well around Brecken.  Back in November, when I met baby Katherine, he would not let me hold another baby.  Four months later....he could care less!  Fingers crossed he'll keep up that attitude when Anna Grace arrives.  

As you can see, William is a bit moody when it comes to our weekly picture taking.  We took the 14 week picture right before we headed to the airport.  We were in a hurry, I was makeup-less and obviously someone was grumpy.  Toddlers!

Week 13

Some big things happened in our house during Week 13.  Little William graduated from his crib to a big boy bed!  Although, it was time to make this transition I wasn't too excited about it, for a couple of reasons.  #1 My baby isn't a baby anymore  #2  William loved his crib so I hated to "fix something that isn't broken"  #3 He didn't/couldn't crawl out of his crib  #4  Change is hard.
Mimi just happened to be coming into town the weekend his big boy bed was delivered.  Talk about perfect timing!  She was a great help getting William's big boy room set up and the crib moved to the baby room.  I'll post before and after pictures of William's room soon....and give an update on how the transitioning has gone!  

We had a fun night out the first night Mimi was in town.  We had dinner at Dish Society and then grabbed some yogurt next door.  We spent the weekend getting lots of projects done and even got to see Emily and Grant for dinner one night.  That Sunday we tried to go see the Easter Bunny....William wanted nothing to do with the bunny.  He cried his little eyes out and screamed, "He scare me!"  Maybe next year.  :)  Sunday evening we did William's favorite thing, went to a movie!  If you haven't seen Home yet you must go.  Super cute with a good message!

12 weeks preggo

Warning.  This post is a little lengthy......the 12th week was a busy one!  We'll start with the fun stuff, a picture of Baby G!!

How far along? 12 weeks
Total weight gain? 2 pounds (up 1 over the last 3 weeks)
Maternity clothes? Not yet but my waist line is definitely growing. 
Exercise: As of this week, I can't work out for a while.
Sleep: Having a hard time going back to sleep when I wake up in the middle of the night.
Best moment this week:  Waking up from the anesthesia alive!  I have a fear of dying while under anesthesia.  Finding out the sex of the baby!
Miss anything:  I don't miss it yet...but I will.  Working out!  I love staying in shape.  It makes me feel healthier and happier.  But, this is best for the baby.  :)
Movement:  Not yet. 
Food cravings:  Cheetos (really any kind of chip)
Anything making you queasy or sick: Coffee and sweet potatoes     
Labor signs:  I've had a lot more pelvic pressure this week (before and since the cerclage was placed)
Belly button in or out? In 
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody?  Happy but anxious for the procedure to come and go.  Super excited to find out if another little boy or little girl will complete our family. 
Looking forward to: Mom being in town, seeing friends during the gender reveal and the Houston Rodeo.    .
Other: We bought William mattresses for his big boy bed that will be delivered in a week!  We told my brother, Dustin, and sister in law and officially announced that we were pregnant.
Doctor Appointments:  Genetic test on Monday, 3/16/15.  Baby's heartrate was 177 and he/she was sleeping away with it's little legs crossed at the feet.  All the measurements they did looked good and we later found out the genetic tests came back good.  I saw Dr. Zepeta after the genetic appointment and the baby was waving it's little hands around.  You could see all five little fingers on one of it's hands.  Later in the week I had my anesthesia pre-op appointment.  By the time the actual procedure came on Friday I'd already been stuck 3 times.  My veins were getting grumpy.

In PACU after cerclage was placed

So here's the deal with a cerclage.  What is it?  Here's Wikipeida's definition of a cerclage.  The decision to place the cerclage was made for several different reasons.  #1 the maternal fetal medicine doctor agreed it would be a good idea  #2 My cervix shortened at 29 weeks with William  #3  I've had a premature baby  #4  After the surgery on my uterus, in August 2013, Dr. Zepeta was pretty sure I had an incompetent cervix.  #5 I have a messed up uterus.  The risks from placing a cerclage scared me (rupturing membranes etc) but having a baby too early, that wouldn't survive, scared me more.  So, the decision was made!
At 4:45 in the morning, on Friday, March 20th Gordon and I made our way to the med center.  After 3 attempts to start a peripheral IV they were finally successful.  For a minute there I thought I was going to have to start my own IV.  :)   Next up, checking the baby's heartrate.  The nurse searched and searched and nothing.  She called a labor and delivery room nurse.  She had no luck either.  At this point Dr. Zepeta came into the room to say hi.  Gordon informed him that, "Lindsey is freaking out."  I was.  Dr. Zepeta took over and found the heartrate right away.  177  Nice and strong.  After a million more questions were asked by lots of different people I was taken back for the procedure.  This was probably my least fun "falling asleep" experience.  As I was falling asleep I remember my IV burning from the medicine (I was of course worried it was infiltrating....the nurse in me never stops), the sweet nurse next to me said she would take good care of me (this meant the world to me at that moment) and the bad part.....this awful loud ringing in my head.  I remember thinking please fall asleep, please fall asleep......and then I did. 

As I started to come to I heard a nurse say, "Baby's heartrate 155."  Thank you God!  The baby was okay.  When I woke up I looked at the clock to get an idea of how long it'd taken.  No more than an hour.  My throat hurt from being intubated and I had the same yucky taste in my mouth I always have after anesthesia.  BUT, I WAS ALIVE and so was THE BABY.  :)  As soon as my eyes moved away from the clock I found Gordon's eye and burst into tears.  So happy, so scared, so ready to have our little one here...happy and healthy.  Don't get me wrong.  I. Love. Being. Pregnant.  I'd have 6 kids if Gordon, God and our pocket book would let me.  But my body says otherwise.  Dr. Zepeta told Gordon he was glad we'd done the stitch (2 stitches actually) because my cervix was already open and shortening.  The nurse practitioner described my cervix as open and floppy.  Lovely.  Not gonna keep a baby in like that!  We are so glad the stitches are in so that this little one has the opportunity to grow and grow.  I was warned that I'd be in some pain and really uncomfortable for a few days.  Dr. Zepeta even wrote admission orders.  He said most people have to be admitted to the hospital after this procedure.  And people thought I had a low pain tolerance.  ;)  No way was I staying.  I was ready to get out of that hospital so I could get home to see my other baby!  Gordon and I made it home just in time for nap time.  Talk about perfect timing!  We were all in need of a nap.

So, from here on we pray, go to the doctor a lot and I'll be on pelvic rest for the remainder of the pregnancy (most likely).  I have to take it easy!  Not something I do well.  I followed up with Dr. Zepeta 10 days after the procedure and will go back again at 16.5 weeks.  I'll start seeing the high risk, maternal fetal medicine doctor, around 18 weeks and continue with him every 2-3 weeks until I give birth.  Cerclages are usually removed at 36 weeks.  If my doctors think I'll deliver immediately after the stitches are removed they will wait until 37 weeks (which is September 8th).  Obviously, I'd love to carry the baby this long but I'm making short and long term goals for this pregnancy.  The first goal has been met.  Cerclage successfully placed.  Next goal, make it to 26 weeks.  Then, 28, 30, 32....and anything after that will make me a happy mama! 

Look at that precious baby boy!  Love him to pieces.  :)  Here's to at least 14 more weeks of pregnancy.

Preggo Week 8-11

Here's a little run down of Preggo week 8-11.

I took a "brand new pregnant" picture in July when I found out I was pregnant...but somewhere along the way I lost it in the hundreds of pictures I take.  This picture was taken in May, in Rosemary Beach, right before we started trying for Baby #2.

Although I started off this pregnancy weighing less than I did with William, I'm a lot less fit.  Don't get me wrong, I'm happy with my body after carrying a baby and being on bed rest for a month.  I didn't expect it to be the same for a very long time, if ever again.  I'd rather spend time with my loves than go to the gym 6 days a week.  Anyways, the lower weight is just due to less muscle.  Because of that (no ab muscles), I've started showing much sooner with Baby #2.  

Week 8:  The pregnancy fatigue started setting in.  I was in bed asleep, every night, by 9.  My nausea was lasting on/off all day long.  With William it ended by lunch time.  I wasn't nearly as hungry as I was with William but did have to throw in an extra snack between breakfast and lunch.  Loving carbs, not wanting meat and still can't stand the smell of coffee.

Week 9:  I was super ready for our 9 week check up.  I was definitely feeling more pregnant than I had during the last pregnancy but I didn't want to get my hopes up too high.  Our appointment went great!  Baby's heartrate was 191 and I'd gained one pound.  I was still feeling sick all day long and preferred to eat carbs, soups and cheesy things.  I actually made it to the gym 3 times this week!  We told Gordon's family the happy news on 2/23.

10 weeks: I was still getting up once a night to use the restroom and was asleep by 9 PM.  The nausea got better towards the end of the week.  I had a dream that Baby G was a girl.  Gordon says I'm crazy, that we'll have all boys.  Either way is fine by me.  A brother would be fun for William and a girl would be a perfect addition since we don't have one.  :)

Baby is the size of a large strawberry

Week 11: I had this one random week of feeling better.  Not much nausea?!?  It kinda freaked me out.  Being the worrier I am, I convinced myself that I was miscarrying again.  (luckily, I was wrong)  I started having dizzy spells when standing up too fast or getting up from the floor.  Applesauce sounded delicious and I was super thirsty.  I made it to the gym twice this week and we had a fun family day at the rodeo carnival.

Baby can suck, swallow and yawn.

Third Times A Charm

Third times a charm.....fingers crossed and lots of prayers later we are hoping our third pregnancy will be a happy and healthy one.....and most likely our last, if all goes as planned!
If you follow my blog at all you know in September 2014 we had a miscarriage at 9 weeks along.  Although my head told me that SO many couples go through this heartbreaking experience, that God had a plan for us, I was sad for a while.  At the beginning of October I still wasn't given the okay to start trying again.  I was so frustrated and just ready to put the miscarriage behind us.  At the end of October my body finally got on the same page as me!  I finally got a negative pregnancy test right before Halloween (you get a positive pregnancy test after a miscarriage until your HCG levels are less than 5...give or take).  I didn't have normal cycles the month of October or November.  By December things were normalizing and I seemed to be a little more relaxed about the whole process.  We stayed super busy during the holidays and Gordon and I booked our trip to Lake Tahoe at the beginning of January.  We figured a vacation away, just the two of us, was just what we needed.  And then bam.....a positive pregnancy test!

My parents were in town the weekend we found out.  I didn't find out until late Saturday night, January 17th.  Gordon was already asleep so I waited until the next morning to tell him.  When he woke up I was holding the test.  A big smile spread across his face.  I think 1,000 pounds of anxiety lifted off of us that weekend.      

I got the positive test when I was 3 weeks 4 days pregnant.  We decided to wait and tell our families after we'd been to the doctor.  Here's a little run down of the first few weeks of pregnancy with Baby G #2 (well, technically #3).

Week 5:  I was getting up once a night to use the restroom (better than 3X a night with William).  I started feeling a little nauseated in the mornings.  Eating a couple crackers usually helped.  Over the next two weeks I kept getting right sided "side stitches".  Kinda random....I had this with William too!

Week 6:  Skiing in Lake Tahoe!  Still up once a night to use restroom and pretty nauseated while skiing.  We did a lot of eating on this trip and took lots of rest breaks for snacks.  While Gordon gambled in the evening I got extra rest and reading in.  We also got a lot of movie watching in during this trip.  Everything a pregnant girl could want!   I'll make sure to drink an extra Bloody Mary on top of the mountain on our next ski trip.  :)

Week 7:  The day after we got back from Tahoe we had our first doctor appointment.  2/10/15.  The baby's heartrate was 150 (William's was 140 at 7 weeks).  My weight hadn't changed since having the miscarriage.  I was still under my pre-preggo weight with William but up several pounds since getting pregnant in July.  This is the week my strong aversion to coffee started.  I guess this isn't a bad thing since I don't drink much/if any caffeine while I'm pregnant.  I told my parents we were pregnant while visiting Midland over Valentine's weekend.  They got this in their card this year....

  
At this point in the pregnancy we were excited but guarded.  We didn't talk to William about it much and only a few people knew we were expecting.  I just couldn't let myself get too excited.  Thinking about getting our hearts broke again definitely kept me awake at night.  Thank goodness for first trimester exhaustion.  :)  Every night I say a prayer of thanks for at least letting us get this far.  You can never be thankful enough.  Even in the sad times, there's always something to be thankful for.  God is good.  

Brad Paisley at The Rodeo

We had two fun days at the Houston Rodeo this year.  The first was the carnival.....the second was the actual rodeo!  My mom was in town that weekend for the procedure I had that Friday and we had our Gender Reveal party the day after.  It was a busy weekend, filled with lots of fun!  Luckily, we had a good parking pass so the rain wasn't too bothersome.  William was super pumped to see the animals and wear his new cowboy hat and boots.  

Staying dry with daddy  |  Crazy guys  |  There's nothing better than ice cream in a cowboy hat  

Listening to some good music  |  The best family pic we could get  |  Telling Nana all about the rodeo

Having fun!  |  My little cowboy

I'm always shocked at how well William does at these type of events.  He will just sit and watch everything.  He loved the bull riding (not a good sign) and he couldn't stop talking about how fast the horses could run.  During mutton bustin he told us he wanted to ride....he's been practicing on daddy every night since.  LOL.  Brad Paisley did a great job performing.  William loved watching him play the guitar.  Basically, this night is William's dream come true.  Animals, music, guitars, ice cream, pizza, and popcorn.  It doesn't get much better than that!  The only thing we were missing was Papa.  He was out of town hunting.  As you can see, we took lots of pictures to send him!

Houston Rodeo Carnival

This year, we decided to fight the crowd and take William to the Houston Rodeo's Carnival.  William's been to the actual rodeo but never to the carnival.  He was in heaven!  As soon as he saw all the rides he started saying on repeat, "I ride that!"  Unfortunately, most of the rides require you to be 36'' and our little buddy was just a hair under that.  He was able to ride some of the simpler car rides.

Our first stop in Houston that morning was Barnaby's.  This was our favorite breakfast place when we lived in town.  Our waitress even remembered us!  After filling our bellies we headed to the carnival.  We did beat some of the crowd since we got to the carnival around 10:00.  First up was a camel ride!!!  William kept saying, "We're up high!"  After the camel ride we headed to the pony rides.  We were a little nervous that he wouldn't want to get on the pony alone....but he did great!  As soon as I put him on the pony he asked if he could touch his fur.  He loved how soft the pony was.  Although, the little guy was disappointed he couldn't ride many things he still had a blast on the trucks and motorcycle (which went surprisingly fast).  Before heading home we had my favorite, dip 'n dots, and cheese popcorn!  YUM.  

We had such a fun family day!  Our 12 week check up was the next morning and I'd been super anxious about the appointment.  This was just the day I needed.  FUN, FUN, FUN!    

Week 11

We had a nice week around the house during "week 11".  On my day off work William and I made it to the YMCA and to Little Gym.  William has really grown leaps and bounds since starting Little Gym a year ago.  He loves to run around, hang on the high bar, catch and pop bubbles and instead of mastering a front roll, our little guy does fabulous log rolls. :)  We sure do love our days off together!

{Baby Bump} {Bubble Chaser} {Getting Crafty} 

{Donut Date} {My Little Buddy} {Dinner at Dekker's}

While Daddy got some extra sleep on Saturday morning William and I had a donut date.  Afterwards, while at the YMCA, I calculated how many calories I'd ingested.  Donut holes alone = 1,000 calories.  OMG!  I texted Gordon that we'd be at the gym for the next 3 hours.  LOL.  I'm glad we had our donut splurge then...it's looking like my gym days are over until baby #2 gets here!  The rest of our weekend was filled with super fun family stuff.  We had a yummy dinner at Dekker's on Saturday evening.  The weather was beautiful and the live entertainment kept William quiet.  We spent Sunday at the Rodeo Carnival....more on that soon!