36 Weeks

36 weeks pregnant and really wondering where the time has gone. I honestly can't believe how fast this pregnancy has gone by. Everyone told me that it would, being my second pregnancy and then with student teaching and keeping up with Sierra on top of that, it really did fly by!

I am feeling great and my appointment went very well. Everything is perfect and baby "C" is still moving around like crazy. My blood pressure was in the normal range and I picked up 3 pounds in 3 weeks. That is the most I have gained over one period of time for this pregnancy and I am certain the baby is using it to pack on the weight; my belly certainly looks like it anyway.

I saw our midwife, Nell at this appointment and she had to test me for Group B Strep; So while she was "down there" she went ahead and did a cervical exam as well. Fun! Fun! My cervix is still closed and there is no progression to report; however she did say that the head was down nice and low, which I certainly have been feeling these days!

I am pretty confident that our little precious girl is going to be "baking" for a while longer and sometimes might even guess that we will have an early March baby. Only God knows for sure though, so we will see. Just for fun though, I have set up a survey on the blog. It is directly underneath the ticker countdown for baby #2 and directly above the newest post. Back in 2008, my sister Katie guessed the birth date of Sierra right on and her husband Shaun left a cute note about how he thought Sierra would look, that was also "right on." :) Having the survey results are fun and I will be sure to announce the winner after our baby girl arrives. Please take a minute and fill in the survey! Have fun!!! :)

And now for some growing belly pictures:

My Real Job

While I was student teaching, I, of course, got the common question about where I was going to apply and work when I was done with my degree. Granted, near the end of my student teaching experience it was quite obvious that I was expecting, but in today's society of "6 weeks of maternity leave" and too many families needing to live on 2 incomes; It was still assumed that I would be looking for a teaching job after graduation.

Well, as we all know, my "real" job was already waiting to "rehire" me and I am super thankful for that position! I certainly don't take it for granted that I get to stay home with my precious girl; and although I was sad to leave the classroom and did miss it during my first few weeks away, it definitely didn't take long to fall back into my "Mommy/Wife" full time role.

In fact, I think being away has really given me an even better perspective on everything. God has really opened my eyes to the daily moments that I get to witness. Even among the occasional toddler breakdowns and constant training that is taking place around here, Sierra really is turning into such a precious little girl. I thank God daily for the brief glimpses of her heart that I get to see. I have been trying to remember each one and keep telling myself that I need to start keeping a journal (this "baby brain" Mama has trouble remembering all those moments). Unfortunately I have not written any of them down, so I thought I would at least blog about a few of the moments that I can remember. So, here we go...

"Little Mama" - Lately Sierra has been really into pretend play and she is so often seen cuddling her babies and rocking them. It is so cute to witness. She got 2 new babies for Christmas and also a stroller, a pack 'n play, and a high chair. She loves to feed her babies, lay them in their "crib" and push them around the house. Just the other day, she wrapper her baby in its blanket, laid it in the crib and walked away. As she was walking away, she pretended to make a crying sound and quickly ran back to the crib. She picked up the baby, patted it on the back and said "Don't cry, baby! Don't cry!" It was so sweet! She also have been over heard saying "No whining!" to her babies (something she hears me say to her)! And over the Christmas break she witnessed me holding her baby cousin Reid and whispering "shhhh, shhhh, shhhh" in his ear; Sure enough, she has been spotted doing the same thing. Such a little Mommy! :)

Prayers - While I was sorting through the nursery the other day, Sierra was sitting in the rocking chair and reading through some books (definitely a favorite thing of hers these days); I happened to look up and saw that she had her "God's little Princess Devotional" on her lap and her hands were folded and she was whispering lots of words that I am sure only God understood. When she spotted me watching her, she smiled and then said "Amen." So precious!

Reading books - As I mentioned above, she loves to tell stories, sit in the rocking chair, and read her books. Lately it seems that she would much rather read books to me then have them read to her. I love listening to her versions of the story and for the ones that we have read over and over and over again, she sometimes actually gets part of the story correct.

"I love Mama" - While she was brushing her teeth the other night (with her new spin brush that she got from her Great Aunt Julie for Christmas) she looked at me and said "I love wa-wa" (I love water). Then out of the blue, she leaned in close to me, as to give me a hug and said "I love Mama!" My heart melted right on the spot!!! Since then she has used this line several times more; in fact, just today as we were leaving play group she said "Bye Friends" and then said "I love Friends!"

The Kitty - Our cat Neko has become her favorite play mate lately. She can not seem to leave or go to bed without saying bye to the kitty. If it is bed time or nap time, she asks for a "hug and kiss." She also has just recently learned how to say the cat's name - "Neko" and will call out for her multiple times during the day. She can be heard saying "Neko, where are you?" many times and only sometimes does Neko oblige her and make herself known. Thankfully Neko is very sweet and really loves Sierra. She sure does put up with A LOT for this little toddler!

Play groups - Now that I am back at home with Sierra, it has been so wonderful to catch up with friends and watch Sierra play with her friends. We have been trying to get out 3-4 times per week to catch up with friends, especially because I know that it will be harder to get out once the baby arrives, at least for a few weeks anyways. Sierra really does love her friends and I appreciate the time that she and I both get to socialize with friends.

Well, I am sure there are more moments that I should try and document, but these are all I can recall at the moment. I will leave you with a cute video that I took the other night as Sierra was reading her bedtime stories. In the video, the 1st book is her "God's Little Princess" devotional and the character throughout the devotional is named "Gigi" - You can hear Sierra saying "Where are you Gigi?" as she is trying to find the picture of Gigi in the book. The other clips are her reading "Are you my Mother" - one of her favorite books; she loves seeing the birdie, dog, and cat in the book. The last clip is her saying her bedtime prayers. Normally she will fold her hands and pray out loud, but in this clip she is laying in the rocking chair and decided she wanted to pray "silently." Her "Amens" are very cute, but only God heard them this night. :)

Enjoy the clip! We are so blessed by this precious little child!!!

A Glimpse

It has been so cold here, not getting out of the 30's during the day and dropping into the 20's at night...Yikes! I can't handle that cold of weather, even being pregnant with extra padding for heat. I am definitely a 70's - 80's kinda girl! So on Friday when the temperatures "soared" into the 60's - this girl was happy and so was our little munchkin!

It was nice to finally get a little glimpse of what Spring will be like. Sierra and I, along with a few of our friends, were able to get out and enjoy the park. What a blessing it was! Sierra ran around, played on the swings, played with sticks & dug in the dirt (for over 30 minutes), and even went down the big, twisty slide ALL BY HERSELF - 3 times!!! Something that she wasn't willing to do the last time we ventured to the park. I was so proud of our big girl. She is growing up so fast!

I brought my camera to the park, but soon realized that I had left the SD Card in my computer - Bummer! I was able to snap these two pictures with my phone though:

Hope all of you were able to enjoy some warmer temperatures as well. The temps here have gone back down once again; hovering in the 40's. But we are thankful for this quick glimpse of Spring! Thank you Lord!!!

Thirty-one Eighteen: Handmade Designs

A sweet friend of mine runs an online business called Thirty-one Eighteen Handmade Designs.

Her name is Kimberly and she is very talented! I highly recommend you check out her web site and consider ordering from her; as you will see below, she even does custom items!!

Based on the excellent work and creativity I have seen her complete, you can only imagine my excitement when she was kind enough to make some items for Baby Girl #2.

The package of items came late this week and I couldn't wait to see all that she created for us. I took several pictures and I thought I would share them on here. As I mentioned, she did do some custom items for us and although we have not publicly shared this little ones name, I guess you will all now know that her first name starts with a "C." :) So I guess we can start calling her "Baby Girl 'C'." :)

Kimberly made several burp clothes and bibs for us, some out of a precious red, pink, and green butterfly print and the rest out of a purple and white polka dot print (even though it looks a little like navy in the pictures, it is definitely purple). All of the items are so adorable! I simply can't wait to start using them!!!

Here is a package of 1 bib and 1 burp cloth

Here is 1 of the bibs with side snap and 1 pre-fold diaper burp cloth

Here is another bib in the purple fabric and 1 appliqued burp cloth on terry

I thought this print was absolutely precious!

Here is 1 appliqued bib, 1 appliqued burp cloth on a pre-fold diaper, and another decorated burp cloth on a pre-fold diaper

Lastly, we didn't want to leave out "Big Sister" Sierra, so Kimberly made this wonderful toddler size ring sling. It will be perfect for Sierra to carry her baby dolls around in, just like Mama will be carrying around Baby "C" in my sling.

As you can see, Kimberly is so very talented! Head over to Thirty-one Eighteen today and be sure to place an order with her! You won't regret it!!! Even if you, yourself aren't expecting, Kimberly's items are sure to make any Mom-to-be happy! Give some as a gift!!!

32/34 Weeks

I had my 32 week check-up last week and all is looking great! Baby girl is happily head-down, or so my midwife thinks. :) Her heart rate was lower, but still sounding very healthy and in the 120's. I gained between 1/2 - 1 pound, bringing me to a total of 5 pounds gained so far. I was extremely excited about that because God knows I ate way too much food over the Christmas season. Also, my blood pressure was more of a normal level at 122/74.

So, given all those stats, things are continuing to go well. I was actually 33 weeks pregnant at this check-up (I missed the 32 week window due to Christmas and being out of town). Since I should have had another appointment at 34 weeks, we decided to fore go that appointment and just meet up again at 36 weeks, which is also when I will have my Group B Strep test done.

I have been feeling really well; just a little tired from not sleeping very good due to 8 month pregnancy symptoms. I also have been feeling some soreness in my groin area and I did ask my midwife about it and she assures me that it is completely normal and sets in for almost all pregnant women around 31 weeks. She says I probably just don't remember it during my pregnancy with Sierra; and I can assure you, I don't remember it. It is similar to the soreness that I experienced following Sierra's birth; mostly just sore "down there" when I get up and down off the couch, in and out of bed, rolling over in bed, or going up and down the stairs. I was sure it was because I stopped student teaching and starting doing A LOT more lifting of my near 30 pound toddler, along with A LOT more going up and down the stairs; however, that occurred at the same time that I turned 31 weeks, so who really knows! It certainly isn't anything to complain too much about, just worth mentioning and noting.

Emotionally, I seem to be very sensitive lately. The impending birth and leaving Sierra continues to bring tears to my eyes and the feeling that we are not physically ready AT ALL around this house to welcome a new baby, is making me very anxious. Brian's current schedule is not conducive to helping me get anything done and when Sierra is in bed or napping, my energy level finds me right on the couch; trying to get some rest. Yikes! Hopefully my mom will be able to come here for a couple days in early February and help me a little; also hopefully soon Brian's schedule will slow down a little bit and he will be around more to help as well. Our biggest undertaking is to prepare the guest bedroom and make it a toddler bedroom and then "train" our toddler in her new "big girl" bed. Prayers are definitely accepted on that front! :)

Thankfully, I was looking back at old blog posts and at 34 weeks pregnant with Sierra (which I am currently), we had nothing purchased/ready/done, etc. I am sure that God will not give me more than I can handle and this baby will stay put for a while longer so we can prepare a bit more. :) Here's praying for that!!!

Well, speaking of finding energy, my sweet 21 month old toddler is waking up and saying "I get you, Mama" over the monitor. My cue to get up and go get her!!! :) As I mentioned, we have our next check-up in 2 weeks; so until then, thanks for the continued prayers!

Oh, and what is a "Prego Post" without a Prego Pic?!?! Here is the baby belly at 33 weeks:

Stylish

If you thought your outfit today was stylish, check out this get-up!!!

An outfit with a bell necklace, a bib for a cape, a winter hat, and one of Mama's shoes...now that is what I call accessori-ZING!!!

2nd Christmas!

This year is Sierra's 2nd Christmas and what a joyous time it has been. We have loved watching her grow and change and really get involved in all things Christmas this year! It has been so fun!

Each year, her Mimi and Papa have given her a special ornament for Christmas and it is so special to hang on the tree. Last year I was able to take a picture with her holding the ornament, this year though, she would not sit still. So, here it is hanging on the tree!

Here is Sierra with her ornament from last year! My, what a difference a year makes!

Merry Christmas to all!!!

Merry Christmas & A visit with Santa

I know there are so many varied opinions out there about how Christians should and shouldn't celebrate the Christmas season. There are many "religious" customs and then "pagan" customs, as a parent it is really hard to decipher which ones to accept, embrace, make traditions, etc.

First and foremost, we will undoubtedly be teaching our children that the TRUE reason for Christmas is to celebrate the birthday of our Savior, Jesus Christ. That is of utmost importance to us and that will never change. Brian and I know and understand that the best gift of all was Christ, who was sent here to Earth to bare our sins and provide us everlasting life. He was God incarnate, Emmanuel, “God with us.” What a great sacrifice! I think about my own precious children and can't imagine how Mary and Joseph must have felt knowing that their son would be the Savior of the world and would eventually die for them, for me, for all sinners. What a selfless, perfect, wonderful gift! Brian and I sincerely hope and pray that you will know that true gift this season and if you haven't, you will accept it today. Jesus was born and died for YOU! A free gift and when accepted, it will grant eternal rest with Him in Heaven. This is why we really celebrate, this is why we can sing praises to the Father during Christmas time especially!

Second, Christmas is a time for not only believing in Christ and the gift that He was to us, but also a time for believing in the goodness of others, believing in Hope for a better tomorrow, Peace, and Love. So, with that said, we will certainly be teaching our children about St. Nicholas and the real meaning of generous giving. The true story of St. Nicholas was that he was a devout Christian and he embraced Jesus' teaching of "sell what you own and give the money to the poor."

Of course the legend of Santa Claus has been told through the centuries and wrapped up into the Christmas Season. As a teacher and witnessing the innocence that children now-a-days lose so young, I am not opposed to a little imagination when it comes to Christmas traditions. Clearly Sierra is still much too young to understand the concept of Santa Claus, but that doesn't mean that we can't begin sharing it with her now. As she grows and begins to ask questions, we will see at that point how much we want to tell her (i.e. - a jolly 'ole elf who comes down your chimney, etc.) Right now though, Santa is a real joy for little imaginations and we intend to build on that imagination. I came across this book recently and I intend to purchase it, it certainly does look good and insightful - "St. Nicholas: A closer look at Christmas".

Now with all that said, I wanted to share with you all some pictures that I took during our visit with Santa this year. Sierra wasn't too sure about the nice old man sitting in the chair, but she did eventually warm up long enough to sit next to him and smile - much thanks to the lady at the mall with the puppet trying to make her laugh! The Santa exhibit is very large at the mall that we go to and the whole theme is "The Polar Express" - so of course there are trains and whistles and lots of fun things for kids to look at. Sierra especially liked the life-size snow globe that actually had snow falling from the top. She and her friend Jordan danced around in there for a while as we were waiting in line. Oh the joys of being a child!!!

And just because I am feeling nostalgic these days for Sierra's "baby" moments, here is her picture with Santa from last year (@ 8 Months Old)! :)

From our family to yours, we pray that you have a VERY Merry Christmas, filled with many of God's blessings!!!

No snow here!

There is no snow here! In our neck of the woods, we have just been getting LOTS of rain over the past month. In fact, this is what it looked like outside our door during the November Nor'easter. Craziness!!! The water clears out in less than 24 hours, not sure I can say the same for 15 inches of snow; so for now, we will just enjoy the rain. Everyone else can have the snow! :)

Thankfully though, this is the JOY we have been seeing inside!!!

Sierra in front of our tree

After we took one of her in front of the tree, she insisted that her "Baby" get a picture taken too!

Cozy

Nothing says "Christmas time" like a fire in the fireplace and a beautifully decorated tree.

(And a toddler running around amidst a room full of toys)! :)

Christmas Blessings & Memories

I just ran across this video in my Picasa album and I am not sure that I even posted it last year. With the passing of my Grandmother just a few days after Christmas and a horrible stomach flu plaguing my parent's entire house, life was pretty hectic. So, I thought I would post it now. Being pregnant and way more emotional then I ever remember being with Sierra, I have found myself crying so many tears of joy for how the Lord has blessed us in the past year. With two new nephews, wonderful and healthy family, happiness, jobs, and another baby girl on the way it is hard not to cry out with praises to the Lord at this time of year and always. This video makes me long for the days of having a "baby" around again, but also so thankful to see Christmas through the eyes of our toddler this year as well. Enjoy the pictures and remember to praise God for all the blessings we each have; especially the GIFT of JESUS CHRIST!!!!!

"She gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

~Luke 2:7-11 (NIV)~

20 Months old

Wow! Where does the time go? I have such a hard time keeping up with these "update posts" on how Sierra is growing and developing. We can't believe she is 20 months old already and growing into such a big girl.

Being away from her the past 4 months has been the hardest, but I am so thankfully to be back with her full time now and really continue working on her development and discipline. She is such a social butterfly and LOVES to talk! When home with us, she talks almost non-stop and has more words than we can count. She is also working on learning her numbers, colors, and ABC's. It is funny to hear her count or say her ABC's though because they are all sorts of out of order. It is too cute! I am confident she will get it soon!

She has been very sensitive lately to others feelings, especially her baby dolls. Anytime her babies fall on the ground (sometimes even thrown down on purpose) she says "okay?" in a very sensitive voice, as if she is asking "are you okay?" Then she will pick up her baby and hug her and pat her back....so sweet! She also has learned to say "Bless you" and does so when ever she hears someone cough or sneeze. Hearing her say "Bless you, Mama" is one of the sweetest things I have ever heard. I could never get enough of that!

Speaking of being a social butterfly, whenever we go out shopping she has to say "Hi" to everyone she sees. The funny thing is though, if she says "Hi" and the person does not acknowledge her, she just keeps saying it louder and louder and louder, until they respond. It is very funny and I constantly try to remind her that people are busy and trying to shop and that is why they don't answer.

We are also starting to "think" about potty-training. God knows how wonderful it would be to have this sweet child potty trained before baby girl #2 arrives; however, I am not banking on it. Sierra definitely knows what a potty is, she sees us use the potty, and she has a general idea of what goes in the potty; but that is about it. She has been telling me for several weeks now when she has poop in her diaper, but generally it is after the fact. She did tell me one time that she had to poop and she ran to the potty, so I got her all undressed and sat her on it and all she did was pass some gas. Close, I guess...but still not 100% sure she is ready. We hope to really start talking about it more and implementing more potty time after the first of the year. Please pray for us! :)

Sierra continues to be so sweet, but this also seems to be the age of pushing limits, picky eating, and full blown fits sometime. We are working on these things and I really am excited to be done with school so I can start spending more time working on first-time obedience and a well-mannered kiddo. Seeking the Lord for much guidance on this one...the task is certainly not easy and my patience is worn thin sometimes.

With all that said though, she is a precious blessing and we just can't imagine life without her! We praise God every day for her life and are so blessed by her!!!

28 Weeks

28 weeks of pregnancy came and went...much like the rest of this pregnancy has done. I have been so busy with student teaching and keeping up with Christmas and Sierra, etc. I sometimes almost forget that I am pregnant! But alas, pregnant I am and I certainly have a growing belly to show for it!

My 28 week check-up was just great! I had to miss school to go to this one because it had to be in the morning - this was the appointment where you drink that oh-so-yummy glucose drink and then they test your blood sugar an hour later. The drink was not as tasty as I remembered it being, but thankfully my blood sugar was perfect! They also tested my iron level which was perfect as well! Thank God for Nutrilite Vitamins!!! :)

I gained 2 more pounds, bringing me to a total of 5 pounds gained so far. I am very happy with that total; although I think this little girl wishes there was more room in there at this point. :) She moves soooo much!!! My blood pressure was low, but better than last time @ 102/68 and everything else checked out great; including a healthy heart rate for the little girl - averaging around 150 bpm.

I was happy to have Brian attend this appointment with me; however, Sierra had to go to the sitter. (No they have not lifted the ban yet!) :( Bummer!

My 32 week check-up is scheduled for just after the 1st of the year and then I will start going to the office every 2 weeks! That just seems crazy to me. I really can't believe in about 9 weeks time we will be holding another precious miracle in our arms! We can't wait!!!!

These pictures were taken around 30 weeks, rather than at 28 weeks, but I thought I would post anyway. Hope to get back on track with the belly pictures now that I have a little more free time on my hands! :) I love documenting this wonderful miracle God has blessed us with!

Seeing Christmas...

Seeing Christmas through the eyes of a child .... PRICELESS!!!

Shhh...

Sierra is growing up so big and so fast, it is moments like these that I remember how truly blessed we are to have her and try to savor every single second.

Our little sleeping princess....hugging her baby doll as she dreams!

Special Day!

Although some people don't necessarily find an important need to remember the birthday of those that have passed on before us, I believe it is an important part of the (my) healing process.

There has never been a day since Daniel has been gone that I haven't thought about him. Even if it is just a passing thought because I will see something or hear a song that reminds me of him; or the occasional thoughts that I experience, wishing I could tell him about how God has blessed me. I would love to be able to share with him the happiness I have in my life now, the joy that Sierra is, the 2nd little miracle growing in my belly, my schooling and how well I am succeeding in my classes - preparing for graduation in just a few weeks, how blessed my marriage to Brian is, things like that. All things that I know he hoped and prayed for, for me. Aside from him being my husband, people often forget that he was my bestest friend for 6 years; when that goes away, it is easy to feel a void in your heart.

Regardless of all that though, there are a few days every year that have a special place on my calendar, today is one of those days. Today, Daniel would have turned 31 years old. His last birthday that we celebrated on this earth was so very special and I will forever be thankful for those memories.If there is anything I can share with you today, it would be to cherish every moment you are given. When you are told that your life might be cut short, everything changes. Daniel shared with me often that his prayer was to live until he was 30 years old. He wanted to hold his own child and see his younger brother and sister get married. None of these prayers were answered on this earth, but Daniel had a way of really cherishing the moments that he was given. He loved life and he was thankful for the 27 years that he did have.

I pray that we all will live life in a similar way and always be thankful for what we do have, especially those of us that are healthy, happy, and still have a chance to LIVE - No matter what age we are!

Happy Birthday Daniel! I know the celebration in heaven is better than any celebration we could ever imagine. Enjoy Jesus for us!!!

~Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!~

~2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV~