"sister"

this journey has been very similar and yet very different than it was with henry.  i expected we were having a boy because, like with henry, i didnt have any morning sickness.  i just assumed since my pregnancy was moving along in a similar way that i would be having another boy.  so we were pleasantly surprised to find out that we are having a girl.  then i braced myself for her "sucking the beauty" out of me.  but for the most part, i havent felt particularly unattractive (and if you think otherwise, keep that to yourself, please and thank you).  in fact, i feel very confident in my current condition.  when i was pregnant with henry i had no idea what to expect.  i did a lot of reading and research about what is/was going to happen and i ended up working up myself or anticipating things that never happened.  chasing around a 1 year old has kept me distracted but mostly i have been trying to take of myself and be confident that my body will do the rest.  we eat much healthier and cleaner than we did before henry was born and i have been doing some prenatal yoga this time around to keep myself a little more fit.  

30 weeks pregnant 
left: with henry in september 2012
right: with sister in june 2014

pregnancy update: 

• currently at 34 weeks = 8.5 months
• sister should be about the size of a cantaloupe, right around 4 3/4 points and 18 inches long.   
• movement:  she has been moving around a little less this week but i think she might be running out of room 
• food cravings:  nothing too bad.  i eat a lot of breakfast foods and i lean towards sweet.  we keep ice cream in the fridge and i eat a blueberry bagel (from the bakery at target) with loads of cream cheese every morning.  
• sleep:  i have been sleeping pretty good.  i wake up a few times a night to switch sides but i usually can make it through the night without a bathroom break.
• comfort:  i can tell my rib cage is expanding.  is it weird that i can feel the pressure? in the past week or two, i have just started needing to more assistance getting up and down.  playing with henry on the floor requires me to roll over and get on all fours before being able to stand up.  
• heartburn:  its there but nothing i cant handle
• mood/emotions:  i have been more stressed this week about figuring out childcare and a few other things but im pretty sure i would be the same amount of stressed even if i wasnt pregnant ... maybe a little more moody and dramatic.  
• energy level:  trying to keep this up.  i did an instagram yoga challenge in march and i started another one for july.  i hope this helps with my energy level.  i want to be walking but its too hot out to be doing that right now.  
• belly button:  in
• stretch marks:  no
• swelling:  just a bit starting this past week
• wedding rings:  still on for now.  (i had to take them off at 24 weeks with henry)

frequently asked questions/comments: 

1. was sister planned?  yes and no.  i mean, we did not sit down and decide to start trying and plan out how we could make it happen but i am very aware of how the birds and the bees work.  husband and i were feeling very nostalgic when henry turned a year old and we felt ready to have another baby in the house.  i am excited about them being so close in age.
2. 2 under 2 ... scary?  yes and no.  i expect the first six months to be a rather exhausting time of adjustment.  henry still needs a lot of direction and supervision but he is learning to be more helpful.  as scary as it can be, i am blessed with a very attentive, patient and awesome partner is this life.  i thank God every day for my husband!  
3. do we have a name picked out?  we have a first name but still deciding on a middle name.  i dont think we will share with anyone outside of our immediate family until she arrives. 
4. do we have the nursery ready?  we are preparing a shared nursery for the time being.  sister will sleep in the yellow crib that henry, myself and my brother slept in (see photo below).  for now henry is sleeping in another crib that was handed down from some friends.  i hope he continues to sleep in a crib for another 6 months or so.  the only things left to do in the nursery is find some coordinating sheets for them to tie the two spaces together and put up the collage wall.  
5. what does henry think of all this?  well, honestly, our little guy doesnt have a clue.  i try to tell him there is a baby inside my tummy.  sometimes he will even say "baby" and then he sees something shiny and couldnt care less.  i think he is going to be rather shocked when we bring sister home.  when we brought klaus (our new kitten) home a few weeks ago, henry was completely indifferent.  now, he cannot get enough of the cat.  although this usually involved him poking at his eye or pulling his tail.  needless to say, we will be watching him closely with his sister around :)

things you should know

1. henry is 1 and a half years old!  can you even believe it?  it felt like just yesterday that i was posting pregnancy photos.  life with a toddler is the most awesome and exhausting thing ever.  our little guy is developing such a huge, amazing personality.  
   
2. speaking of pregnancy photos ... we are having another baby!!!  "sister" is due August 7th and we are super stoked.  
   
3. we have a cat now.  his name is klaus.  he is pretty much henry's favorite toy at the moment ... poor kitty!!! 
4. if you are wondering where i went, this post explains exactly why i havent been around these parts in a while.  

and that about sums up whats been going on these past 6 months.  i hope to post a bit more but im not making any promises :)  

happy july! 

oh, if you dont follow me on instagram, here is a photo dump of a few of my favorite moments you might have missed.

3 months, continued

updates:

• 11.8 lbs
• squeals, gurgles and coos (see below)
• recognizes and responds to our voices 
• blowing some bubbles and drooling a lot
• holds up his weight on his legs
• neck is getting stronger and is able to hold his head steady most of the time
• bats and kicks at toys
• flaps arms and legs like he is trying to fly away :)
• currently, he is getting over a cold so he is sleeping a lot in the swing and car seat
• is not a fan of "the bulb" aka, booger-sucker-outer

first day back

ready to have a great day!

today was my first day back at work and henry's first time staying with someone other than me or husband.  since it was my first day i got a lot of "did you cry?" or "wasnt it so hard leaving him?" etc.  the answer, of course, is yes.  it was extremely difficult to not be with him all day long ... i missed him terribly but i am proud to say i didnt cry.  i was able to have peace throughout the day.  all i could think about when i was driving away is how very blessed i am.  i know that i left him in a stable, friendly and Godly environment.  i know that he will be kissed and hugged and when needed, disciplined.  i also know that our friend's little girl will be a good friend to him and that he is so lucky to be able to spend the afternoons with his dad.  i also realize that i am so blessed to have a good job to go back to with great benefits.  

i kept all these blessed thoughts in my head and i was able to have a really good and productive day.  im thinking thats a pretty great start to the year, no?  i plan on staying positive and working hard to help the days go by quickly and then focus on my family when i am home.  

yay for the new year and all its possibilities!!!!

photo sent via text from husband: "nap time"

grant is 6 months old

a couple of weeks ago, tara and i read about oak view park on the goodnight raleigh blog.  i have been on poole road so many times and never once noticed it and neither had she.  we thought it would be the perfect spot to spend a saturday with grant for his 6 month old photo shoot.  and it was ... a perfect day that is.  

here are a few of my favorites: 

grant & those other two people ...

ok, so i know their names are nate and tara, BUT grant is definitely the main event!  this little guy is one of those babies that make me want one real bad.

(dont get too excited mom)

yesterday, i had the opportunity to take some photographs of this beautiful family.  here are a few of my favorites:

ps - thank you williams family for your patience and most of all tara, for your friendship! 

a day at the beach

on saturday, mom, brother, sister, baby and i all crammed into brother's truck and headed for carolina beach.  this is not the first time vincent has been to the beach ... but its the first time ive been with him.  im pretty sure he has never been this dirty.  we were relieved when he finally decided that he liked the ocean, so he could be rinsed off.  

these are the days i love more than anything ... family, fun and sun.  

the little man that stole my heart ...

i was able to spend some time with my family this past weekend.  we had a good time as always.  when i was driving home, i just kept thinking how blessed i am.  

as always, i was soooo excited to see my nephew, vincent.  mom tells me this is the best thing next to having your own child ... and she is right.  i could watch him entertain himself for hours, its hysterical.  he is so silly and loves to make you laugh.  below are some of my favorite pics of v.  

photo above by christine hall

nate & tara = grant

tara and nate were troopers!  tara is from upstate ny and is still adjusting to our nc summers.  at 32 weeks pregnant in the smothering heat, she still managed that beautiful smile.  it is such a blessing to have tara as a friend.  i wish her, nate and grant all the happiness in the world!!!