Sunday, September 11, 2016

Maybe I should blog this...

I've been feeling a little guilty lately that I've hardly documented my pregnancy at all.  Truth is...we kept it on the DL, telling friends and family as we saw them so the usual social media postings didn't happen.   I also have this crazy fear of telling my Dad I'm pregnant.  I literally loose sleep over how I'm going to tell him.  I'm a HUGE Daddy's girl and I feel like telling him I'm pregnant comes out to him as "I have sex with Adam" and I've done something wrong.  I know, bizarre.  And of course when I finally get around to (forcing my Mom to tell him for me) telling him, he's the happiest and most excited of anyone.  Outside of that ridiculousness, chasing around two boys and working has left little time to really sit for any extended amount of time to write/type anything down.
I'm a little bummed now though because I think - what would have been better than a journal my own mother had kept of her pregnancy with me to look back on when the time came to start having my own babies.  I skipped it for the most part with Aidan because I spent nine months and then some being shocked I was pregnant and then actually gave birth to something I had to keep alive.  Round two, I felt a little more settled, had waited five years to do it again and Aidan was at least in school in the mornings giving me sometime to record things.  But Kellan most likely isn't going to want to look back at what my cravings were and how much weight I gained when I was pregnant with him.  A daughter, might.  This may be the only most that ever sees the light of day on the subject but Hey! It's something and better late than never right?
This picture is from the last week in August (Preggo week 26) but it hasn't been posted anywhere else and I haven't grown much so it works! 

Weeks:  29! This is by far the fastest a pregnancy has ever gone.  I feel as though I say to Adam every week, she's coming so soon.  We only have 14 weeks, 12 weeks, I'll be full term in 8 weeks technically! 

Weight Gain:  I almost can't believe I'm typing this but I've gained ZERO lbs this pregnancy.  Has nothing to do with exercise or luck and everything to do with being over weight and there being plenty of room for baby to grow without me needing the extra L B's.  I would be lying if I said it hasn't freaked me out though. My Dr. says as long as we are measuring OK it's nothing to worry about.  And I'm measuring a week ahead every week! 

Baby's Size:  The good ole' app on my phone says the baby is the size of a small cabbage (17in 2.9lbs).  Have you ever seen a cabbage that size? Maybe I'm shopping in the wrong produce department.  

Sleep:  Surprisingly, I'm sleeping alright.  My biggest issue is catching myself laying on my back and then taking several minutes to roll over to one of my sides. And this babe loves to party at night so I'm often woken up being jabbed in the side.  

Maternity Clothes:  My Mom took me Maternity shopping for my birthday which was so sweet and I bought some super cute pieces that are good for now and can be layered through the fall.  I of course love my staple items from Target.  Liz Lange for life!  But I wear a lot of leggings with tops and dresses.  Some of my non-maternity jeans still fit too!  

Food Cravings:  I've been on a Buffalo Chicken Wrap kick.  I was shocked to Google "best buffalo chicken wrap in Charlotte" and get a list of the top 17 places.  Needless to say, we've been on a buff chic wrap tour around town.  I feel like it's a step up from my craving for the first five months which was Stuffed JalapeƱos with four ranch's from Jack in the Box.  I would never feed that crap to my kids but apparently I will feed it to my growing fetus.  Are you wondering how I haven't gained weight? 

Food Aversions: Luckily, none. With the exception of just wanting the food gone from my sight when I am done with it.  I get full so fast and find myself eating several small meals a day. 

Symptoms:  I'm tired. I could sleep all the time and luckily my family is very understanding and don't mind if I grab a few power naps a day.  We've always had a family quiet time in the afternoons so the boys can decompress from school/spend some QT together and I can just enjoy some time with them without feeling like I need to get stuff done and we've been using it for Mommy's nap time.  Put on a movie for the kiddos and snooze before we do dinner.  I have the worlds worst heart burn.  If there is such thing as a baby being born with a Pepcid addiction, this kid will have it.  My boobs ache, I have to pee all the time and I've noticed a few stretch marks on my belly but Adam claims they aren't noticeable.  He's really too kind.  I was so, so sick all the way in to my second trimester (I threw up in the car once-that really happens to people) that I'm really just so happy I'm not throwing up anymore.  It's not morning sickness it's all day sickness and it was awful. 

Doctors Appointment:  I saw Dr. Deane on Friday.  Measuring a week ahead (mentioned that I think).  Tried to skip all my blood work this pregnancy and she busted me-have to do my O'Sullivans diabetes test this week.  I have a needle phobia. I'm getting sweaty talking about them. Not fun. She shares the sentiment that this has been the fastest pregnancy. We joked we both feel like it was just yesterday we were chatting about the thought of us trying for baby #3.  Heartbeat was in the 140s.

Gender: Our sweet baby GIRL.  We are having our first daughter and we are thrilled.  We didn't care if it was a boy or a girl (truly) but we are all very excited to be getting the experience of having a baby girl around here.  We certainly know better than to have been trying for a girl even though every person who we shared our news with assumed that's what we were hoping for to the point I was feeling the pressure of leaving a lot of people disappointed had it been a boy.  We were trying for a third baby because we have felt there is a missing piece to our little family and we are trusting God is placing the perfect baby for us in our home and it happens to be a baby girl.  A baby boy would have been just as amazing.  We love, love, love our two boys and they are going to make the most amazing big brothers.  

Movement:  My placenta is in the front this pregnancy which is a real mind game  for me.  I feel her a lot around "the edges" as the nurses like to say.  Her kicks are stronger now but it took until almost 24 weeks to feel anything significant and that was tough.  Adam loves to lay in bed and feel her go wild.  Aidan has felt her a few times but Kellan always looses interest before we can get her to do any tricks.   But tonight, he laid his head on my stomach while we watched a movie as a family and she kicked me so hard he sat up and pointed at my belly and laughed.  We tell him his baby sister is in Mommy's belly but I'm sure he doesn't fully understand.  

Favorite Moment of the Week:  Even though Kellan doesn't fully understand what's going on with the new baby coming...whenever we bring it up to him he gets the biggest smile and says "princess Tessa".  We've never called her a princess (to him) or talk about princesses on a regular basis...that's just something he came up with on his own and when he says it it's the cutest thing you've ever heard.  Adam and I just melted.  Runner Up: Aidan got in the car after school one day this week and exclaimed : "Bryce told me the baby is  gonna come out of your BAGINA! But don't worry, I told him that's not true, it comes out of your butt.  Have you seen the size of Kellan? He couldn't have come out of there! (Lovely) And Lucas said, lots of things come out of your butt (lovely again) and it all made me think I really don't want to be there anymore when the baby comes (he was never invited but don't tell him)."  I literally turned bright red.  I was so mortified.  But it made for a good laugh when I told Adam and my mother and a mental note that we should probably fill Aidan in on the truth about where babies come from.  

What am I Looking Forward to This Week:  I'm hoping Adam will get the nursery painted this week.  The weeks are flying by and we have a lot of work to do to get the nursery completed.  If he paints, I can set up the crib and start to feel a little bit more prepared.  

What I Miss: Crazy as it sounds, I'm already missing our time as a family of four.  There is no way you can prepare yourself fully when it comes to adding a new member to the family, but I know a little how it will feel like from when we had Kellan.  I'm a sucker for soaking up every "season" of our lives and this "season" becoming a family of four was amazing for us.  We watched Aidan become a big brother!  We soaked up so much baby time with Kellan!  Although there have been bad times right along with the good ones, it's been so much fun growing together and as excited as I am about the new baby, I know how it feels to never be able to go back in time with these little people.  Soon enough I won't even be able to remember what life was like when it was just the four of us! 

Well, that's the latest on the baby front.  Longest baby post of all time but I did have some making up to do! 






Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Aidan Turned 9!

Gosh it's been so long since I've even been to this blog. Just typing that out makes me realize how much I miss writing.  But life happens and some things take a back seat.  I'm recording less but feel like I'm present for more.  I'm less concerned about great photos for the blog and more concerned with engraving memories in my mind.  I'm glad I have this place to always come if I want.  
I used to write letters to Aidan here on his birthday or for big milestones but I was laying in bed tonight thinking that his ninth birthday had come and gone and although I have probably spoken plenty of words of love to him, I love the sentiment of something being in stone for him to read if he ever wants to.  So here it goes...


To My First Born (around the time of ) on his 9th Birthday,
Aidan...I really am in awe of you most of the time.  You spent the first 5 1/2 years of your life an only child and I don't know if there has ever been a child that transitioned in to big brother more gracefully than you.  Daddy and I have always known you were an amazing boy but it's through your relationship with Kellan we really get to see the depths of your heart.  It's bottomless and we are all blessed to get to be loved by you.  You always think of others before yourself and you are constantly wanting to do for others.  It's inspiring. 
You are so smart. A sponge.  You find something you are interested in and dive in and you can recite information for hours on end.  Sometimes we act bored with it, but truthfully we just can't keep up with you.  You far outsmart us.
You are creative.  I think you get that from me.  But maybe Daddy too. Ha. You love your Legos and I live to pass by your room to see you creating something out of your own imagination.  It's amazes me the places your mind goes and the things you think up.  It doesn't stop with Legos...anything you put your mind to...you find a way to create and we love it. 
Your other family and friends and teachers all love you as we do.  They see what we see and we feel so lucky you are ours.   Your biggest fan is your baby brother Kellan though.  He opens his eyes every morning and I am sure before he even realizes where he is, he calls out to you.  My hope is that you two will always be as close as you are now.  I know you will always lead him in the right direction and love him unconditionally. 
You are getting ready to become a big brother for the second time.  As a matter of fact as I type this, your new sister is kicking away in my belly and I can't wait for you to meet each other.  As crazy as it may sound,  a big part of the decision to have another baby was because we know how amazing of a big brother you are and will continue to be.  Daddy and I feel like we have such a strong teammate in you when bringing another sibling in to the world.  We know we can count on you to love them and care for them like you do for Kellan and we will always be so grateful to you for making these experiences that much more enjoyable for all of us.  We know you will guide Kellan lovingly through the process of not being the baby any longer but being someone worth looking up to.  
You are one of a kind Aidan.  Grandpa sometimes calls me and says "Hap, is just such a truly great kid" and if you don't know by now, that means a lot.  But it doesn't surprise me because I see it first hand, everyday.  If there was anything in my life I had to pinpoint that makes me proud, it would be you.   
I believe that before we even knew you were going to be our son, you chose us to be your parents.  Thank you so much for choosing us, Aidan.  We have cherished every moment since we knew you would be ours.  I won't ever take you for granted.  I know you are a gift.  My hope before anything else in your life, is that you know how loved you are.  You made us parents and you started this family with us.  You will always be our first born and the one that opened our hearts to more love than we ever knew was possible.  Every year on your Birthday I'm brought back to the moment you were first placed in my arms (you know, before Daddy took you for himself) and no matter how much I try, words will never do it justice.  I can only hope these letters scratch the surface.  Happy 9th Birthday sweet boy...we love you so much. 
Love always,
Mommy