Introducing.... Martha Anne!!!

Our sweet Annie joined our family on July 17, and we are so thrilled to have her in our lives. Her sister Jane was a tad bit excited that morning...

She had to give her baby one last kiss before Mommy went back for surgery.

One more family picture before we grow!!!

What are they doing to me?!?!

My surgery went well, and at 10:07 AM, we heard and saw our sweet baby girl for the first time! We were sooo happy to finally see her beautiful face!

Jason cut her umbilical cord, and it was HUGE! 

Messy baby!

Annnnd, surprise surprise!!! We had another huge baby! She weighed 9 pounds, 9 ounces, and she was 19 3/4 inches long.

Annie meets her big sister and her Mamie and Papa.

Daddy and his sweet girls.

Cleaned up baby waiting to meet her Mama.

Everyone couldn't wait to see her again!

I was so excited to see Annie and nurse her while I was still in the recovery room. She really did a great job right away!

Big sister and baby sister. Both are happy happy girls!

Mamie got to hold Annie next!

Janie couldn't resist and had to join in on the loving.

Papa's turn was next!

Getting hungry again...

Ty finally got his turn to hold his baby sister.

We were so blessed to have some special visitors while we were there. Our Pastor Bill came to hold Annie and pray for her.

And Aunt Shannon came to visit!

Back to hanging out with her big sis!

Counting her fingers...

Reading her a book...

And giving her lots of hugs...

Then Daddy got his girl back.

We really love this baby girl! More pictures to come...

Pregnancy Update: 28 Weeks

How far along: 28 weeks... except maybe not! I had a sonogram done yesterday and tiny baby is not so tiny. I'm measuring at 30 weeks and 5 days... the baby should be about 2.5 pounds but is already 3.5 pounds. The technician said it could mean my due date is wrong or it could just mean that I have big babies. I guess we'll talk about it more at my next appointment. With Janie, I was pushing for the latest possible due date so I could wait as long as I wanted, but this time, knowing I have to have a c-section and knowing how large Janie was, makes me think that going early would be okay.

Total weight gain/loss: I only weigh myself at doctor's appointments, so my total loss is still 13 pounds.

Maternity clothes: I'm really loving dresses these days so I don't have to deal with a  waistband.

Stretch marks: Just old ones.

Sleep: Much much better since last week. In fact, I just woke up from a nap! 

Best moment this week: Seeing my big baby on screen yesterday - it is truly a miracle :)

Miss anything: Being able to turn over in bed easily.

Movement: This baby is a mover. The ultrasound technician even commented on it.

Food cravings: Fruit, popsicles, ice cold water, milk, cold and sweet things. I was also craving a Publix sub after talking to my sister today. No Publix around here!

Anything making you queasy or sick: I've been feeling pretty good this week :)

Have you started to show yet: Oh yes!

Gender: I still think it's a boy. I've been thinking about it so much since yesterday. The technician said she could tell what it was and it was so weird knowing that she KNEW but we still didn't ask. 

Labor signs: Nope.

Belly button in or out: Still working its way out... still weird!

Wedding rings on or off: On.

Happy or moody: Happy. Moody. I'm pregnant :/

Other weird and random pregnancy related things: Can't think of anything right now. Oh there's one. I forget everything, all the time. This is not so unusual from my normal state but it is rather annoying.

Looking forward to: Now that we've seen pictures and watched sweet baby moving all around, I just can't WAIT to be holding him/her in my arms. It is sooo exciting!

Milestones: I'm now in my 3rd trimester! After this next visit, I'll started seeing the doctor every 2 weeks. BabyCenter says that I should have gained 11 pounds by now... I'm just 24 pound behind that. What to Expect says that the baby is about 16 inches by now. I bet this baby is 18 or 19 already.

From Janie's perspective: Janie was a little bit confused by the ultrasound pictures. She recognized right away it was a baby in the pictures, but didn't seem interested in looking at them/talking about them. Today when I showed her again, she thought that it was a dog in the pictures. I guess it does looks a little strange. She still continues to be very interested in her baby dolls. The other day I went to pick her up from Mamie and Papa's house after school, and she was still napping. When I peeked in on her, she had both of her baby dolls laying facedown on her chest, like you would hold a real baby if you were taking a snooze with them. It was so so sweet :)

Pregnancy Update: 27 Weeks

Well! I meant to do this every week, not every 20 weeks! Wow, time flies when you're busy. I have sooo much updating to do but while all of my photos are uploading, I thought I'd do a pregnancy update!

How far along: 27 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: So far I've lost 13 pounds... weird I know, but that's what happened when I was pregnant with Janie too. 

Maternity clothes: Lots. Some of them are even too small already so I've graduated to the "really pregnant" maternity clothes.

Stretch marks: Leftover from last time still.

Sleep: Well neither Jason nor I have been sleeping well lately, but that's not because of the baby - it's because of Janie having the chicken pox and being up allll night on Sunday and Monday.

Best moment this week: Feeling the baby move SO MUCH! Wow, he/she is a dancer in there!

Miss anything: Being able to walk up a flight of stairs without losing my breath :)

Movement: So so much!

Food cravings: Fruit, popsicles, ice cold water, milk, cold and sweet things.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Random things, but mostly just waking up in the morning. Barf.

Have you started to show yet: Four people commented about it to me yesterday!

Gender: I think it's a boy. I have no idea why. I also thought Janie was a boy, so obviously my instincts are not accurate :)

Labor signs: Nope.

Belly button in or out: Working its way out... it's so weird!

Wedding rings on or off: On.

Happy or moody: Generally happy but I can't deny being moody more often than I'd like. I love you, Jason :)

Other weird and random pregnancy related things: Last week, I had to go to the doctor because of my pain in my abdomen. I automatically assumed something terrible was happening but then - turns out I just have very very bad heartburn. Lovely!

Looking forward to: We have our second sonogram on Friday, and I CANNOT WAIT!

Milestones: Baby weighs two whole pounds and can recognize my voice. So fun :)

From Janie's perspective: Janie is so ready to be a big sister. She talks about it nonstop. Lately, she's been doing so much with her baby dolls and I love watching her "practice," except when the practice involves letting the baby "pee" on the potty and then accidently dropping her in there. Yuck! :) She also has started to bring the baby books and toys. She brings them over to my belly and lays them facedown so the baby can enjoy whatever it is she has. It's so so sweet!

Pregnancy Update: 7 Weeks

How far along: 7 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Still staying off the scale until my doctor's appointment.

Maternity clothes: Got a few more pairs of pants out, and I bought some shirts and sweaters. I decided - who cares? I'm pregnant! Ha!

Stretch marks: No.

Sleep: I'm still very tired. Jason has been so great at encouraging me to lay down when I need it. I've been having a hard time getting to sleep at night sometimes too but overall, not too bad!

Best moment this week: Spending the mornings hanging out with Janie and Jason in bed. Janie loves to cuddle with us and with the baby.

Miss anything: I miss my family, especially because of Thanksgiving.

Movement: Not yet!

Food cravings: I've been eating cinnamon toast every morning and lots of clementines. Yum.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Just food in general. Bleh.

 

Have you started to show yet: Not particularly.

Gender: We're still feeling like it's a girl. Jason thinks we will only ever have girls - we'll see!!!

Labor signs: No!

Belly button in or out: In. 

Wedding rings on or off: On.

Happy or moody: Still moody but this week has been better, as I am able to sleep when I need it.

Other weird and random pregnancy related things: Still having headaches - yuck. Also, I have been having a hard time catching my breath and having some sharp pains in my side. I was worried but then I found this online and felt relieved.

I sometimes feel short of breath now that I'm pregnant. Is this common?

Yes, many women experience this sensation as their pregnancy advances. You may even notice it early in pregnancy, although at that stage it's more often sensed as a heightened awareness of the need to breathe.

You need more oxygen during pregnancy, and your body adapts to meet this need in several ways. An increase in hormones, particularly progesterone, directly affects your lungs and stimulates the respiratory center in your brain. And while the number of breaths you take per minute actually changes very little during pregnancy, the amount of air you take in with each breath increases significantly.

Looking forward to: Same things! Going to the doctor to hear the heartbeat of this little one, watching my belly grow, and seeing Janie learn to become a big sister.

Milestones: The baby is the size of blueberry! Aw! He/she is generating 100 new brains cells per minute. He/she is growing arms and legs and working on the final set of kidneys this week. It's pretty incredible to read these things each week!

From Janie's perspective: Janie REALLY loves to kiss and hug the baby (well, my belly). She tells everyone where the baby is. Lately, she's been lifting up her shirt and putting her finger in her own belly button - I think she's just trying to figure this whole thing out :)

Choo-Choo!

Jason got his Christmas present yesterday and couldn't have been more thrilled! He's been looking and looking into buying a train set for under the Christmas tree, and I told him he had to go out yesterday and just BUY ONE! He did, and he has been having so much fun with it since last night. I hear him downstairs now being a conductor again :) The set he bought makes noises and smoke, and it is very realistic. Janie absolutely loves it as well!

Thanksgiving 2011

Look at this! Thanksgiving was only 2 days ago, and here I am - posting pictures already! Wow! We spent Thanksgiving Day at Jason's sister's house. We love going to Julie's and spending time with her, and the day went by way too fast!!!! Janie was a little charmer the whole day long - snuggling up to people, being very funny, and eating LOTS. And I made 2 homemade pies and Granny's potatoes.

Hope you all had a very Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

The Big News!

When I was pregnant with Janie two years ago, I ate an enormous amount of Chocolate Cheerios. I ate them for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and for snacks. (I also ate Spaghetti-O's but that's another story.) I ate SO MANY  Chocolate Cheerios, and then after she was born, I never wanted them again. So fast forward to this past weekend... I was shopping in Big Lots, and I came across a GIANT box of Chocolate Cheerios - I had to have them! I thought nothing of this until the next morning when I poured myself a big bowl of them, and BAM - I knew. I must be pregnant.

Except for the fact that I had already taken two pregnancy tests, and they both said no! But I just knew... the Chocolate Cheerios had decided for me, coupled with the fact that I had taken about 5 naps over the weekend. So Monday morning, we found out that I was right - I am pregnant, and the baby is due on July 16, 2011!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are so thrilled! We also were so excited to be able to announce the news with Janie, so we did just that for our families.

Well my childhood friend Lauren is expecting her first baby, and I have been keeping up with her progress through her blog and her baby blog. She does this very fun weekly questionnaire to keep her friends and family updated, and I want to do the same for my friends and family. So I will start on this week, the 6th week of my 2nd pregnancy.

How far along: 6 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: I guess I'll find out at my next doctor's appointment but I feel like I've gained 20 pounds in 4 days for some reason!

Maternity clothes: I have to admit that I did get out a pair of maternity jeans already due to the answer above...

Stretch marks: These didn't show up until the last month of being pregnant with Janie... here's hoping for the same this time!

Sleep: I AM SO TIRED. ALL THE TIME. I have a cold and took off one day this week. I took naps with Janie whenever she did. So one time I put her down, then went to my room to lay myself down. Here's what I found... (Guess I'm not the only tired one!)

Best moment this week: Telling our families, then friends, then students, then bell choir, then everyone we've ever met. :) We really did have fun telling everyone!!!! 

Miss anything: Just feeling well rested would be nice.

Movement: Not yet!

Food cravings: See the picture of the giant box of Cheerios above? Yep, that's pretty much it so far. Oh and the ice cream that Jason went out and got for me one night. Which I never ended up eating because "it's not as good as the Meadows." Oh boy.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Eggs. Just like last time. 

Have you started to show yet: Hahaha. Well I like the fact that I can use the excuse, "I'm pregnant!" now when I'm feeling not so thin :) Also, remember the maternity jeans I already got out?

Gender: We will wait until he/she is born to find out again but Jason and I both think it's a girl again.

Labor signs: Not for a long time, I hope!

Belly button in or out: In. It never came out last time.

Wedding rings on or off: On!

Happy or moody: Depends on who you ask I guess, but I'd say MOODY with all capital letters.

Other weird and random pregnancy related things: I have had a killer headache for the past 3 days. When I was pregnant with Janie, I never had a headache, so I was hoping for the same thing this time! Also, my skin has been so itchy and I couldn't figure out why. Just got an email about itchy skin. Guess that's another symptom!

Looking forward to: Going to the doctor to hear the heartbeat of this little one, watching my belly grow, and seeing Janie learn to become a big sister.

Milestones: Baby is developing jaws, cheeks, a chin, ears, kidneys, liver, and lungs this week. Pretty cool!!!

From Janie's perspective: Janie has learned to point to my belly when we ask her, "Where's the baby?" She also likes to kiss the baby goodnight each night. I know she's going to be an amazing big sister!!!!