It's a...

...Girl!!!!!!

That's right...another bouncing baby Girl!!!!

At 21 weeks (October 12th) we were given the wonderful news that God has blessed us with another beautiful, healthy, baby girl!!!!

Words can not express to you how thankful we were to see her bouncing around on the screen and to see how healthy she is growing. We were able to capture the entire ultrasound on DVD and we will now have that keepsake for years to come. Sierra was also able to be there with us and it was a wonderful family moment. Sierra didn't really understand what was going on, but having our whole family a part of this new blessing is very important to us and we can't wait to watch our two sisters grow up together. I am confident that Sierra is going to be a great big sister to her little sister! Oh how joyful that makes me feel, to say the words "big sister and little sister" - I am so excited that these two will have each other. I don't know how I would have gotten through wedding planning, the loss of a spouse, pregnancy, nursing, and just plain life without my sisters! Sisterhood is so precious! We are praising God for our two little precious girls! Now, we just can't wait to meet our newest one!

Here is a great shot of our beautiful baby girl. Again the u/s tech continuously commented on how "cute" she is with her little button nose and cute profile; Brian and I thought it was funny, because these are the same comments that the last u/s tech said to us, 2 year ago. I can't wait to see if this precious girl looks like her big sister!!!

To recall what Sierra's 21 week ultrasound picture looked like...click HERE!

We did not meet with our midwife that day, but they did check my weight and I am finally on the positive side of things - I picked up 1 pound since my 16 week check-up. Everything else checked out perfectly and I am also happy to report that the vomiting has finally subsided (around week 22 - about 3 weeks ago). I go for my 24/25 week check-up with my midwife tomorrow and I will be sure to update when I get the chance.

Thanks for your continued prayers over this little one growing in my womb. We appreciate them so much!!!

PS - Baby Girl Miller is still unnamed. :) We aren't even close to naming her yet and praying that God will point us to the perfect name soon. For we know and trust that He already has plans for her and He already knows what her name will be. :)

18 Months Old / 20 Weeks Gestation

If you are feeling frustrated with the fact that you are unable to keep up with our lives via this blog – Well, welcome to our world!!! I am having trouble keeping up with my own life as I live it, let alone blogging about it!!! The promise of being busy while one student teaches has proven to hold true, through and through.

The good news about being so slammed with work, school, and life is that time is rolling on past and although I don’t see the light yet, I am certain that the end is nearing. I can’t wait to get home to my “real” life; hanging with my darling girl and hubby!!!

Speaking of our darling girl, she is growing like a weed and just turned 18 months old yesterday. She is growing so fast and continues to bring joy to our lives. She is talking up a storm and pretty much is communicating for her every need and want these days. It definitely is a work in progress and requires lots of reinforcement from us too; but there is nothing sweeter than hearing her say, “No thank you Mama” or “Night-Night Dada.” So sweet!!! Also, she knows where Mama’s baby is and will gladly lift my shirt to show anyone my belly if you ask “where is the baby?” – Even when we are in public – (yikes)! She happily kisses the “baby” and is just so sweet about it. She is already showing great “big sister” habits!

However, we have seen some negative behavior issues since she has been away from home on a daily basis the past month and a half, and we are having a hard time balancing discipline with being away from her so much. It is very difficult and another reason why I can’t wait to get back to being with her full-time. Proper training is so very important to us and raising a child who is loving, kind, sensitive, and polite is very important. The Bible teaches about how training is an important part of being blessed with the life of a child; and we strive to make the Lord proud and teach Sierra how important it is to obey Mama and Daddy and the Lord’s commands. It just is so hard for us to train properly when we are only with her for 3 (awake) hours a day. Thankfully Brian is now able to be with her more, as his schedule allows; but she needs the stability and constant routine; just another reason why I can’t wait to finish up this internship.

Here are some shots of Sierra at 18 months old: loving her baby doll, showing how not to hold her baby, imitating Mama (who does A LOT of computer work these days), and sitting in her big girl chair that Daddy got her, eating a snack all by her self! :)

I really wanted to do a 16 week update (4 weeks ago!!!!) and never got around to doing it. Now, we are almost 21 weeks pregnant and having to “share” a posting about Sierra and this growing baby. Already this new baby has to “share” with his/her big sister, even when still in the womb. O’well, I guess such is life when you are #2.

After my 16 week check up, several weeks ago, I looked back at this post and saw that basically everything was the same. I had no weight gain at 16 weeks and I am currently still throwing up about 1 time per day. I went a week with no sickness, but it returned and has been hanging around and causing me to get sick about once every morning for the past couple weeks. Here’s hoping it will subside completely soon. The baby’s heart rate was between 140 and 150 beats per minute and s/he even kicked the monitor, just as I was asking my midwife if she thought “kicks” was really what I was feeling. I didn’t feel Sierra move until after 21 weeks or so, but this baby has been pretty active lately, generally in the evening hours. I didn’t really feel consistent movement until about 18 weeks, but I have really been enjoying it and look forward to even more movement in the weeks to come. Also, we have again decided to decline any and all fetal testing, so we made sure to sign all the papers for that during our last appointment as well.

Here is my pregnant belly at 21 weeks:

So, that is about it for us, our 18 month old munchkin is doing great and our 21 week old peanut is growing. As many of you know, tomorrow afternoon is the big ultrasound and we CAN NOT wait to see our little one on the screen. I am excited to see a healthy heart and growing peanut. Believing all is in the Lord’s hands and thankful that He is protecting our growing little one. We are also hoping to find out the gender of our newest addition and will be sure to share as soon as I have time. I will also (hopefully) have time to post some cute pictures from the u/s.

Thanks for checking in with us and continuing to keep our family in your prayers. God bless!!!

Welcome Reid Thomas Arnold!!!

The Lord has blessed us with another baby boy! My sister Katie, her husband Shaun, and our nephew Pierce welcomed home a sweet precious gift from the Lord on Tuesday, October 6th. Weighing in at 7 pounds and 13 ounces - Reid Thomas Arnold. We are so excited for Sierra to have another cousin to play with and we can't wait to meet baby Reid!!! He is so precious and adorable in pictures, we are counting down the days until we can meet him in person!