Be Patient.

Every time I see this commercial, I smile, tell my ovaries to stop twitching, and then I think about how badly I'd like to have a full term baby. By "full term," I don't mean 37 weeks... I mean 39 weeks. 40 weeks. Even 41!

Personally, I think the March of Dimes new "39 Weeks" campaign is brilliant!

Right after Emmett was born, when he wasn't strong enough to eat, regulate his own body temperature, or do anything other than sleep, I wished like anything that he could've just been born five weeks later. Five weeks! That might not seem like much, but a lot happens in those last five weeks. My lactation consultant was always telling me, "you have to remember, he was five weeks early. Wait until he reaches his due date. He will be a completely different baby." She couldn't have been more right. Emmett didn't successfully breastfeed until over a week after my due date.

The sad truth is that the next baby will likely be even more premature than my first two babies. My doctor maintains that our best bet next time would be to try the progesterone shots so that I'd have a better chance of having a full term baby. We shall see. We aren't planning on having our third for awhile, anyways.

I see so many women at 36 weeks doing all kinds of crazy things to try to jump-start their labor, all because they have been told that "37 weeks is full term." Little do they know, a lot of development occurs in those last few weeks! There are so many women who would literally give anything to be able to have a normal, healthy, 40 week pregnancy. Including myself.

So don't rush it! I know you're uncomfortable and huge... but a healthy baby is worth the wait. Besides, you will miss your pregnant belly. Trust me!

If you haven't read  40 Reasons to go 40 Weeks, please do! :) And enjoy every moment of that precious pregnancy. I sure do miss it!

33 weeks

How far along? 33 weeks 3 days.
Baby’s Size: a honeydew melon- 17.2-18.7 inches & 4.2-5.8 lbs.
Total Weight Gain: 30 lbs... well on my way to gaining 45 pounds again this pregnancy, like I did with Elliot. That's fine by me, as long as I lose it as easily and quickly this time!
Bellybutton: Out. :) Aaron is always poking it.
Stretchmarks: a couple more small and faint ones around my belly button :( Surprisingly, none on my butt this time around! I guess it did all it's stretching last pregnancy, haha!
Maternity Clothes: I {still} haven't bought any maternity clothes, isn't that nuts?! I'm just wearing my regular shorts, and my longer shirts and dresses.
Gender: all boy, as we all know. :)
Movement: Oh yes- and he's definitely still breech. His head is always under my ribs and it drives me INSANE. It's incredibly uncomfortable, especially when I'm sitting down.
Sleep: I've been falling asleep on the couch every night by 9 before dragging myself up to bed. We've been busy, it's been hot, and I've been exhausted. So I'm sleeping relatively well- other than waking up to pee.
Symptoms: plenty of braxton hicks, lots of pressure, SUPER swollen feet/ankles, lower back pain... I'm just not comfy these days. I love being pregnant but I'm pretty much over it now. Excited for the next few weeks to pass so I can meet my baby boy and NOT be pregnant anymore!
Food Aversions: Are you kidding me? EVERYTHING looks and sounds good these days...
Food Cravings: ice cream, ice cream, ice cream. And chocolate. Even in the morning! Don't worry, I don't eat any that early... but I certainly do think about it!
Best Moments this week: Aaron randomly turned to me a few days ago and said, "I can't wait for Sully to be here." We're generally so busy right now with Elliot and just... life... that we don't just sit and talk about his upcoming arrival the way we did when I was pregnant with Elliot. So it was really cute to hear him randomly say that. :)
What I miss: I'm ready to start running again, to get my body back, and to be able to sit comfortably.
What I am Looking forward to: OB appointment next Monday, and we are also going to finish up shopping for the rest of what we need for Sully. It's so exciting to be buying "little baby" things again!
Milestones: Only four weeks until full term, and seven weeks until my due date!

let's get real.

I think people often try to paint this perfect picture of their lives on their blogs. I mean, even when all hell is breaking lose, or the world seems to be crumbling apart around them, there they are with their bright, sunny, cheerful posts and pictures!

Well, I try not to do that. After all, the main reason I created this blog was to use it as a sort of living baby book, to document my life when my children were young {since we all know the time just flies by!}. That means I have to talk about the tough times, the not-so-good, along with the great, right? Right.

So, if you don't mind, let's get real for a minute.

Source: sayingimages.com via Jess on Pinterest

Lately, I've been seriously stressed out. This pregnancy is just flying by... I'm almost in the third trimester already {how did that happen?!}. It's been smooth sailing so far, thank God, but... folks, every night I collapse onto the bed utterly exhausted... and that's after a day caring for only one! Although things could change at any time, right now it looks like Aaron will be deploying to Afghanistan as soon as his two weeks of paternity leave are over.... if his first sergeant keeps his word and lets him stay home until after Sully is born. Everyone else is deploying in early May.

Source: trimblecrafts.com via Jess on Pinterest

I'm not trying to complain too much... I knew what I was getting into when I married my soldier. I knew that, most of the time, I'd be raising our kids on my own. But suddenly, it's really starting to sink in. The other day, at the grocery store, I nearly had a panic attack wondering how in the world I was supposed to buy food when there is only enough room for one baby in the cart. I mean, I guess I could wear baby Sully, but still. Then, while doing laundry, I realized that I will either be forced to do it at like 3am when both kiddos are sleeping, or tote them both AND a heavy laundry basket back and forth to the laundry room... which I don't even think is possible. I don't have enough arms or hands! Then there's the matter of bedtime... we've been shortening Elliot's bedtime routine lately, because what if {god forbid} Sully were to cry while I was rocking Elliot to sleep? Would I have to start the whole {rather tedious} routine all over again??

Elliot has absolutely no idea that he has a baby sibling on the way. His world is about to change in a big way, and we have no way to prepare him. He points at the ultrasounds and I'll say, "that's your baby brother!" but I know he doesn't get it. I feel bad, because I think he might resent the fact that this little creature came along and stole his mama from him. He'll enjoy having a brother to play with someday, though. I just keep reminding myself of that. My brother is almost nine years younger than me, and I would have done almost anything to have a sibling close to my age. As a young child, I was lonely and jealous of all my friends who had brothers and sisters. That's one of the main reasons we decided to have our kids close together- for them. I know that, but sometimes I still feel a little selfish. And I worry that poor Elliot will have a tough time adjusting.

Source: shannondarrough.com via Jess on Pinterest

I knew going into it that having two kids under two would be hard, but I guess I always thought I'd have someone around in the first weeks or months, until I get settled into a comfortable routine and have really gotten a handle on the whole "mama of TWO" thing. Now it looks like I won't be so lucky.

Source: Uploaded by user via Jess on Pinterest

I love my husband, I love Elliot, and I love baby Sullivan, even though I haven't met him yet. I also love our little life, and all the doors the Army has opened for us. I guess I just need to remind myself to just take a breath every once in awhile and just relax. Everything will work out. At first, our life might not be perfect... things may be rocky... but it will be perfect for me. ♥

Source: pinterest.com via Jess on Pinterest

To those of you with kids close in age...
how do you do it?
Do you have any tips/suggestions??

sweet & sour

I can't believe I am 23 weeks pregnant today. It makes me a little sad. I don't plan to be pregnant again for awhile after Sully is born, and I'm not ready for this pregnancy to be over yet! I'm working on my birth plan and will be posting it soon.


I realize that I've been a bad blogger lately. If you met my child, you'd understand why. He does NOT approve of computer usage while he is awake/nearby. Not at all. How could you ignore a face like that?


I'd rather enjoy my time with this darling boy, anyways!

Elliot is SO full of personality, and is still so stinking sweet and cuddly. It seems like every minute he is either doing something that will make me laugh or say "awww." Every time he finds or comes across a blanket, he will lay his head on it and cuddle with it for a minute. He also refuses to come out of his crib in the morning until after he has hugged and kissed both of his blankets and his teddy bear. Another thing he really loves to do lately is to brush the dog or cat and give them both kisses. It melts my heart. Don't let him fool you, though- one of his other favorite things? Unrolling toilet paper and ripping it into a million tiny pieces. And dropping things into the toilet.... like my tweezers. Lovely.



Oh, and I've been trying to enjoy my time with the other man in my life, too... especially knowing that he will be deploying again soon, which makes me really sad. Elliot's face lights up whenever Aaron comes home from work, and he immediately either crawls over and clings to his legs or {if I'm holding him} launches himself at him. He sure will miss his daddy.


Daddy's home!

I love all three of my little men... but let's slow time down a little bit so I can enjoy my precious time with Aaron and Elliot before Sully arrives and Daddy leaves!

22 weeks!

click HERE to read my 22 week post with Elliot.

How far along? 22 weeks!
Baby’s Size: a papaya- 10.5 to 11.8 inches & 12.7-20.8 oz (he was 16 oz at 20w5d)
Total Weight Gain: 11 lbs, still doing good so far!
Bellybutton: still in! Goes flat when I lay down :)
Stretchmarks: nope!
Maternity Clothes: still none, but wearing my bella band with jeans.
Gender: a little brother. :)
Movement: allll the time. Judging by where I feel the kicks, I think he is breech like Elliot was.
Sleep: No complaints. I'm exhausted when my head hits the pillow and sleep until about 8am, when Elliot wakes up.
Symptoms: nothing to complain about, feeling braxton hicks regularly.
Food Aversions: none, really.
Food Cravings: chocolate and ice cream, yum!
Best Moments this week: getting to see little Sully going wild on the ultrasound, and finally deciding on his name.
What I miss: I miss my flat tummy every once in awhile, when I put one of my favorite shirts on and it just looks... awkward. I love my little belly most of the time, though.
What I am Looking forward to: getting so close to viability!
Milestones: 5 1/2 months pregnant! wooowwww.

elliot + baby in my belly + sunshine = love.

Look mom, I picked a flower for you!


... maybe I'll EAT IT instead.

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, it has been hot and sunny in Texas, so Elliot and I have been spending most of our time outside.

I had an OB appointment yesterday. Baby boy's heartbeat was 142. My OB was thrilled with my weight gain, and everything looked good, other than the fact that my blood pressure was low. I told her about my braxton hicks contractions, but she didn't seem too concerned at the moment. Hopefully baby boy doesn't look to his big brother as an example and try to come super early like Elliot did!

Tomorrow is my anatomy scan with the perinatologist. I pray that baby boy looks healthy and they don't see any birth defects or problems!


Yesterday, while I watched Elliot crawling around and exploring in the grass, I wondered how it is even possible to love such a little guy so much. Seriously. And then it occurred to me that I have another on the way. I think my heart may explode!

it's a...

Well, I originally wanted to wait until we decided on his name, but it's obvious that we aren't going to magically decide right this minute. We're getting closer, though! So, I won't keep you waiting any longer.

Baby number two is a...

BOY!!

I won't lie. I was disappointed at first. But now, as the idea of having TWO little boys is starting to sink in, I'm excited. I hope this baby will be a cuddly mama's boy like his big brother. If so, I don't know what I'll do with myself. I don't know how I'll be able to handle so much cuteness all at once!!

We've narrowed down our list to five names:
♥ Sullivan Grey (Sully) {Sullivan is my maiden name}
♥ Emmett James {Too close to Elliot??}
♥ Finnian Jude (Finn)
♥ Milo Benjamin
♥ Cyrus Grey

18 weeks!

Click HERE to read my 18 week survey with Elliot.

Sorry I haven't been blogging, guys. I've been home in Michigan on vacation, and didn't bring my laptop with me, so I haven't uploaded any pictures yet. I've been trying to simply enjoy my time with family- taking a little blogging break has been nice. You can expect LOTS of pictures soon!!

How far along? 18 weeks.
Baby’s Size: a sweet potato :) 5.6" and 6.7 oz.
Total Weight Gain: 7 lbs. I've been eating a lot of junk since going home for the holidays, so I expected more!
Bellybutton: in... but I think it will pop out this pregnancy.
Stretchmarks: not yet!
Maternity Clothes: Still wearing all of my regular clothes. I think I'll be able to go longer without maternity clothes this time around.
Gender: we'll find out in only 5 days!!
Movement: I can feel baby moving all day long now, and I love it! He/she seems to kick a lot when I'm holding Elliot.
Sleep: Elliot's sleep has been fitful since we're away from home, but I'm still sleeping alright.
Symptoms: Nothing to complain about right now. I've been leaking colostrum, though, which never happened during my pregnancy with Elliot. Maybe I'll have a better supply this time?
Food Aversions: Nothing, really.
Food Cravings: I've been craving healthy breakfast foods lately- fruit & yogurt Special K cereal, strawberry yogurt, bagels with cream cheese... yum!
Best Moments this week: Being home with family and seeing Elliot interact with his grandparents. It's also been great to feel the little one moving so much lately.
What I miss: Not a thing!
What I am Looking forward to: My ultrasound on the 11th. I can't wait to get another look at this baby and to find out what we're having! For me, once you find out the sex of the baby, everything seems much more "real." You can name the baby, and even just being able to say "he" or "she" is much better than always saying "the baby" or "he or she".
Milestones: first time flying with a toddler while pregnant.

14 weeks!

HERE is my 14 week update with Elliot.

How far along? 14 weeks 3 days... that is going off my old due date. At my ultrasound last week, the baby was measuring over a week ahead, so I could actually be 15 weeks. They aren't officially changing my due date until my next ultrasound, though, so for now I'll stick with the old one.
Baby’s Size: The size of a lemon, 3.4" and 1.5 oz.
Total Weight Gain: 3 pounds.
Bellybutton: innie.
Stretchmarks: no way!
Maternity Clothes: Nope, still wearing all of my regular clothes.
Gender: Although I'm still thinking it's a girl, at my ultrasound the tech very hesitantly guessed boy... but she said it was still too early to tell. So who knows.
Movement: I finally started feeling movement! I usually feel the little one moving while Elliot is getting a bottle (and cuddling my belly) and when I'm laying in bed.
Sleep: Elliot has been sleeping through the night reliably, which means I'm getting a full nights' sleep for the first time in over a year. It feels amazing.
Symptoms: I'm seriously feeling GREAT!
Food Aversions: Meat, mostly, and for some reason I couldn't eat the pudding that I made last night... and I LOVE pudding.
Food Cravings: French fries and dark chocolate!
Best Moments this week: Seeing the baby on the ultrasound, hearing that everything looks normal so far.
What I miss: Not missing a thing!
What I am Looking forward to: Finding out the gender on the 11th!!!!!!
Milestones: Well, Elliot, baby, and I went to our first Tastefully Simple party last night, and we will be hosting one next month.


sorry for the bad quality!

baby #2 update (after nt)

I had my NT scan today, and it went wonderfully! The first thing they noticed, right away, was that the baby was larger and more developed than they expected. Originally, my due date was June 8th (based on my LMP). Then, after my first ultrasound, they changed it to June 10th. By that due date, I am 13 weeks 4 days pregnant. On the ultrasound, however, the baby measured between 14 weeks and 14 weeks 3 days. In addition, the NT fluid was already dissolving and almost gone... which doesn't happen until the fourteenth week of pregnancy. I have a follow up ultrasound in four weeks, so they will probably change my due date (to the beginning of June or even late May) based on that.

What was left of the NT fluid measured normally. Once the ultrasound technician was done, she brought the doctor in and told him that our son had gastroschisis. After hearing that, he also closely examined the brain, heart, and facial features, and everything looked normal, as far as he could tell. THANKFULLY, the belly was also properly closed with the intestines tucked safely INSIDE. :)




14 weeks (ish) belly!

It's starting to look a lot like Christmas...

It was a rainy, cold day, so we decided to finally decorate our tree. I had visions in my head of all of these beautiful pictures with Elliot in front of the tree... but as it turns out, he wasn't in the mood. He was WAY too distracted by the tree to sit still for any pictures. So far, he hasn't tried to pull it down, thankfully. Since he isn't standing or walking on his own yet, all he does is crawl up to it, sit down, and touch the branches. He likes to take the ornaments off, though. He broke two of them. We since moved them all out of his reach, hopefully solving the problem.

This morning is my NT Scan. I am 13 weeks 3 days, so at the very very end of my "window." Hopefully they can still get the measurement. I'm not looking forward to getting my blood drawn again {last time they took EIGHT vials!}, but I'm dying to know what's going on inside my belly. I've been praying this whole time for a healthy baby and a smooth, "normal" pregnancy. This will be our first chance to screen for any birth defects. Please pray for good news! :)

EDIT:After we got Elliot set up with a sitter, drove all the way to main post, circled the hospital parking lot(s) for 15 minutes, walked from the furthest parking spot ever in the freezing cold, we arrived at my appointment just to be told that there was a "scheduling conflict" and my NT scan was rescheduled for tomorrow morning. Wow, would've been nice to know that ahead of time...

And now, for a few festive pictures! I hope to get much better ones in the next week or two.

13 weeks, new names, & my Ellie belly.

First of all, thank you for all of the suggestions and votes on our names yesterday. I also asked for help on facebook {if we're not already friends, you can add me here.} By the end of the night, my status had 65 comments! In all, Aaron and I have over FIFTY new names to look over. I like a lot of them, but I'm sure Aaron probably won't, so it should be easy to narrow it down a little. I'll be updating our name list within a day or two- I'll let you know. :) Some of my favorites, off the top of my head, are Ada, Lenora, Loralie, Eden, and Elyse. I'm also toying with some of the really unique ones, such as Ender, Monroe, and Finn + Sawyer (as girls' names).

Second, today I am 13 weeks pregnant! Almost in the second trimester! Praise God! If you know our history with miscarriage, then you understand why I am so happy to have those first 13 weeks behind me.

Last, but CERTAINLY not least, some pictures of Elliot. Can't forget about him!


{excuse the nose crusties. He has a cold, HATES getting his nose wiped, and I didn't even notice how gross his nose was until AFTER I put the camera down, of course}




His new favorite toy. Thank you, Target!









I haven't asked in awhile. Could we get a vote? Comment that you voted and I'll vote back!!

hi there, belly.

Yesterday, at 10w4d, I suddenly realized that... woah... I have a baby belly! It just appeared out of nowhere!

Pregnancy #2: 10 weeks!

As you probably remember, I did one of these surveys every week when I was pregnant with Elliot. Now that I'm pregnant with baby #2, it's been fun to be able to look back at those. I also enjoyed doing them, so I think I will do them every 5(ish) weeks this time around. :)

How far along? 10 weeks 1 day.
Baby’s Size: The size of a prune, about 1.2" and .14 oz
Total Weight Gain: nothing so far.
Bellybutton: innie.
Stretchmarks: not this early!!
Maternity Clothes: Nope. Still wearing my pre-pregnancy jeans (from before I had Elliot!)
Gender: Although I'm not as confident as I was early on with my first pregnancy, I think I'm guessing a girl this time around. I'm about... 65% sure. :)
Movement: Not yet, can't wait!!
Sleep: Well, other than waking up for Elliot, I've been sleeping great! That's what happens when you're exhausted!
Symptoms: nausea, lower back pain, headaches, fatigue, digestive system is crazy.
Food Aversions: Pickles and red meat. YUCK!
Food Cravings: Anything sweet and dessert like.
Best Moments this week: Celebrating Veteran's Day with good friends at Applebee's :)
What I miss: Being able to go longer than an hour or two without eating, and not feeling like I'm going to vomit.
What I am Looking forward to: EVERYTHING! Can't wait to find out what we're having and decide on a name!! Plus I have an OB appointment next week.
Milestones: Already a quarter of the way through with this pregnancy.


10 weeks 1 day pregnant with baby #2. I feel like I was showing more when I was 10 weeks with Elliot. What's up with that? I thought it was supposed to be the other way around!

eating healthy for a healthy baby

I'm 9 weeks pregnant today. Yay! Pretty soon, I'll be 10 weeks, which, to me, feels like the first big milestone in pregnancy. If you tell someone that you're ten weeks, they will no longer stare at your gut bloated belly with a mixture of surprise and disdain on their face.
Speaking of bloated bellies. I'm making it my mission to eat much healthier this pregnancy than the last. You see, the last one started off well. In fact, I was even eating mostly organic in the beginning... but then we found out about Elliot's condition, and it all flew out the window.


Eating a snack while watching TV with my feet up. Basically, all I did every day while I was on bed rest.

I'm an emotional eater in the first place, and then my OB kept telling me how small the baby was, that I needed to eat more so the baby needed to get bigger and stronger. I really took that to heart. In fact, I basically ate anything and everything in sight. I gave in to all of my cravings- no matter how processed, greasy, or sweet they happened to be.
Stuffing my face + laying around all day on bedrest = weight gain.
In the end, I gained around 45 pounds.


36 weeks pregnant with Elliot.

Luckily, I lost the weight easily and quickly, but I know I might not be so lucky this time around. Now that I'm back to my starting pre-pregnancy weight, I'm trying to do it right this time. I want to eat healthy both for myself and the baby. I keep reminding myself that whatever I eat, the baby eats. He or she deserves nutritious, delicious, healthy food! Sure, I'll still give in to the occasional craving... I'm not superwoman, after all! Overall, though, I hope to eat plenty of:

lean meat:

Source: kalynskitchen.com via Ashley on Pinterest

salad:

Source: lindawagner.net via Dani on Pinterest

fruit:

Source: tumblr.com via Camille on Pinterest

vegetables:

Source: gettyimages.it via Edna on Pinterest

yogurt:

Source: annies-eats.net via Sara on Pinterest

and whole grains:

Source: glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com via Shannon on Pinterest

Halloween weekend recap: a big scare and lots of treats

I figured it was about time to update you on our whirlwind of a weekend.
Friday we went to the Task Force Odin Halloween night on post. Aaron was busy working in the haunted house most of the time, but there was lots of good food and company. I enjoy meeting and socializing with other army wives. They had a trunk decorating contest and the kids got to trick or treat. Elliot met lots of other cute babies in costumes, and the best part? We entered him in the costume contest and he won SECOND PLACE for his age group! :) I was one proud mama. I guess I wasn't the only one who thought he was the cutest cow baby around!! He won a cute teddy bear in ACU's, a halloween cup, spoons, a bib, some jars of baby food, and some lollipops.




Smelly Ellie the cow.


Elliot and mama trick or treating.

Saturday morning, around 5am, I woke up because Elliot was crying and realized that I was covered in blood... a lot of blood. I had soaked through my underwear, pantiliner, shorts, sheets, and a bit of the mattress. I had been spotting lightly for a few days before that, but it was nothing compared to this! I woke Aaron up and we rushed to the ER. On the way there, I had this sinking feeling. I could still feel the blood coming out of me, and I was convinced I was having a miscarriage. I just kept praying that the baby would somehow be okay. Several hours, four attempted (and one sucessful) IVs, a pelvic exam, and ultrasound later, we found out that the baby was alive and well. I've never been so happy to see that little flicker of a heartbeat on an ultrasound in my life! The bleeding seemed to be slowing down, so I was sent home with instructions to drink lots of water and rest, so I did just that. Elliot blessed us by taking a 3 hour nap (probably because we had to get him up so early!) so we all napped together. We had planned on going to a pumpkin patch at a nearby Christmas tree farm, but decided to postpone until I was feeling better.


discharge papers.

Sunday Aaron got up with Elliot and let me sleep in until 9! When I woke up, the bleeding had stopped, and I felt much better, so we decided to take Elliot to the pumpkin patch. Unfortunately, Elliot's late nap meant we missed our opportunity to go to the farm that I wanted, so we had to settle for a church pumpkin patch instead. He still had a blast though.


Look mom, I found a gourd!



He was absolutely OBSESSED with the straw and cried whenever we tried to pick him up. He cried so hard as we finally left (after he played in the straw for over 30 minutes!), poor guy. Maybe after the new baby is born I'll just buy him a bale of hay to keep him occupied, haha!





Monday was Halloween. We had fantastic weather. Elliot wore his cow costume again and we went trick or treating in the neighborhood. He got lots of compliments and you should've seen the look on his face everytime he got to reach into a candy bowl! It was priceless.











Well, there you have it! A busy, scary, and (mostly) wonderful weekend! How was your Halloween??