Bumpdate- 8 Weeks

Here is baby h2o at 8 weeks!

Originally written on March 31, 2012: Well here we are! Baby h2o turned eight weeks on March 28th and I had my second appointment the day after. (I went in for my first appointment on the 16th where the pregnancy was confirmed.) We were so happy to have an ultrasound to get a glimpse of the newest member of our family swimming away. h2o’s heartbeat was 168 bpm and the tech said everything looked perfect. Thankfully I had been keeping track of my periods and it seemed out dates were spot on. Linc and Carter were able to come for the first part of my appointment and watch “baby” on the screen. Afterward, they went home for nap time and I stuck around for my physical and other women stuff. Six vials of blood later I found out I am immune to chicken pox and otherwise healthy! My blood pressure was 120/60 which was surprising since I was pretty sure my heart was going to explode. I talked to my midwife about my annoying all day nausea but opted against medication because Zofran gives me migraines and I’m not sure that side effect is worth it!

h2o and Baby H (Carter)- 8 week Ultrasounds

At eight weeks I have gained about four pounds (the doctor’s scale only says two but I'll stick with my one at home since I can step on it every day…) but I attribute that to the fact that I am no longer running every day and am so bloated by the end of the night! I am still counting calories and trying to be smart about my first trimester weight gain. With Carter I had ice cream every night, only played tennis once a week, and even though my weight gain was within the acceptable range, it was SO hard to get it off and this time around I want to be smarter. I haven’t had any true food aversions but the thought of eating makes me sick hahaha No cravings either for that matter. I have been taking a nap while Carter sleeps because I cannot sleep through the night. I get up to use the bathroom at least 3-4 times already! Yikes!! Other than that and the nausea, things aren’t so bad. Looking forward to my appointment on April 23rd when we can see our little bean again!

A Birthday Announcement

Linc and I had been debating how and when to tell the parents when we found out we were expecting. Everyone was in town for Carter's birthday party so it seemed like perfect timing. I had been pushing to wait until Easter since it was still SO early into the pregnancy, but since we weren't totally sure we'd all be together again I caved and we made a plan. Linc bought a "Big Brother" shirt from Gymboree and we wrapped it up as C's last birthday present. The whole family was gathered around the living room watching C open presents but my dad kept leaving the room. We stalled for a while and then finally got everyone's attention. I had C sit on my lap and we carefully unwrapped the new shirt.

I held it up to Carter and said, "What does it say?"

I turned the shirt around and made eye contact with my mom first. She gasped. Then my dad burst into a huge grin and started laughing. Both my sisters were in disbelief but they were so excited.

Linc was snapping pictures as everyone got up to give hugs- laughing, smiling, and congratulating us. I am glad we were able to find the shirt so we could tell everyone in person while we were all together. Such a fun surprise and a great way to end Carter's big day!!

Surprise!! Baby #2

Towards the end of February I was due to start my period and since I was feeling a bit crampy I assumed it was on its way. That night when it still hadn't come (I usually start in the morning like clockwork) I took a pregnancy test just to ease my mind. It came up negative so I thought I was just going to start in the next day or so. When four days passed and I still hadn't started, Linc made me take another test. After peeing on the stick and standing around for a few minutes we read the results with a big, "What??"

We couldn't tell if it was positive or not! The lines were so faint, did that mean it was negative? When we held up the test the lines went away all together. Did that matter? We were so confused that Linc ran out at 11pm to grab some digital tests so we could be sure. I was still in disbelief and my mind was reeling!! We couldn't be pregnant. We hadn't even started trying yet! We were going to wait until after my nephew's first birthday in May. This was so much earlier than we had "planned!" Linc finally got home from the drugstore and I took a second test. We anxiously hovered above it waiting for the little timer to stop flashing. Linc covered the digital read with his hand and we gave each other a big hug. When he took his hand away we saw………………………………………………………………………………….

"No………!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I said.

It's hard to convey the confused excitement I was feeling, but I was so shocked that it came up positive. Linc was beyond thrilled and we started hugging and kissing and laughing right away. We tried to figure out when it had happened and immediately started calculating to see when baby “h2o” would be due (We called Carter Baby H when he was in the womb so the new nickname for baby #2 seemed fitting). Thank goodness for iPhone apps because we were able to type in the date to my last period and come up with a due date of Nov 7th (still unsure when we actually conceived though). We went to bed that night trying to decide when/how we should tell our families. I was just over 4 weeks pregnant so I thought we should wait a while but the excitement we were feeling was hard to contain! We couldn't believe that C was going to be a big brother and that before the end of the year we would be adding another member to our little family. I laid down trying to think of creative ways to share the news and drifted off to sleep cradling my belly and thanking God for this surprising miracle!

An Amazing Surprise- March 1, 2012

We’re “Egg”specting!

Sorry for being MIA lately..

More info coming soon!

Twins on the Way

My beautiful friend Shari is expecting twin boys any day now! I had the privilege of taking her maternity pictures a few weeks back and she was simply glowing! Her c-section is scheduled for May 14th unless the little boys decide to make their debut earlier. I know she is so ready to meet them but is both nervous and excited to go from a family of three to five overnight. Hang in there mama- it will all be worth it in the end!!

Get ready Spencer! Your baby brothers are on the way!

Staycation

When Kristin and Nathan came to visit for Easter, Carter and I decided to stay at my parent’s house too! Since N takes two naps a day, it was easier for us to wake up there so we didn’t miss out on valuable play time. Carter loves staying at Hattie and Poppy’s house and asks to go there all the time. While we were visiting, C got lots of quality time with Hattie. He helped her cook in the kitchen, built forts, played outside, and went fishing! It was such a nice “staycation” and I’m thankful that we were able to spend so much time with everyone! Thanks to H&P for letting us crash for the week, we can’t wait to come back!

No girls allowed in this fort!

Easter Carnival

The Saturday before Easter my parent’s club threw an amazing outdoor carnival and egg hunt! We rounded up the whole family, got decked in our pretty Easter clothes, and spent the day together eating yummy food and enjoying the activities. The petting zoo was a big hit and Carter really loved the balloon animal maker. He went through about four balloon swords before we cut him off! I was so proud of my little man for riding on his first pony (even though it only lasted about 15 seconds) and for holding his own against the “big” kids in the egg hunt! Thanks to Hattie and Poppy for arranging such a fun day.

The Family (minus Alex who took this great pic)

Hoppy Easter!

And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.

He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” Matthew 28:2-7 ESV

I wish I had gotten more pictures on Easter Sunday but

here is a photo of our little family and one of the Morgans too!

Sprinkling the Mama to BEE!

The other week the Baby Brigade hosted a sprinkle for mama to bee Shari! She is expecting twin boys in May and we couldn’t wait to show her babies some BB lovin’! Krissy was gracious enough to host our group at her house and everyone chipped in to bring appetizers and desserts. We also were able to get Shari a gift card to Buy Buy Baby and hopefully it helped stock their closets with diapers! The whole group decorated onesies for the boys and we had a great night sprinkling Shari and the babies!

My very first attempt at making diaper cakes!