31 weeks

31 weeks---woohoo!! That's so exciting!!

How Far Along? 31 weeks.....it's getting so close I can't stand it!!

Maternity Clothes? Of course

Weight Gain? about 7-8 pounds

Stretch Marks? no new ones

Gender? My first little girl

Sleep? Decent! Not peeing too often these days. Makes things MUCH easier at night :)

Food Cravings? Junk food.......all things snacky

What I Miss? walking quickly, getting off the couch easily, not being scolded over lifting ANYTHING

Symptoms? swollen fingers and ankles, heartburn, short temper (you're welcome).

Movement? All the time. I love it! It's so different than Tommy. With him, the way my placenta was positioned (on top), I couldn't feel much other then his kicks to the side. I was always jealous when people would talk about being able to see their baby roll or seeing an arm or leg swipe across their stomach because I never got that with Tommy. But with Miss Tessa--oh my! On Sunday, she was NUTS! I could see my stomach rolling for about 45 minutes straight and then a little bottom or elbow or knee would poke out the side. It's the coolest thing!!

Belly button? In

Worst Moment of the Week? Stupid 3 hour glucose test. Don't know the results yet but that was the longest three hours EVER. And an OB office should really have some kind of room for women who have to do that test--with a few cushioned recliners and a TV :)

Best Moment of the Week? We had a sono on Friday! It was so nice to see her again. Our first one was at 17 weeks, so it felt like it had been forever since I'd seen her. She was super ornery though. We kept trying to get a face shot and she had her arms and hands by her face the whole time. But it was nice to see that everything was still normal. Oh, I almost forgot!! She weighed 4 lbs and 7oz. She's only supposed to weigh 3 lbs. What?!? Maybe that means they'll deliver her early?? ;)

Scariest Moment of the Week? nothing scary this week--other than waiting for my diabetes test results. PLEASE GOD!!! NO DIABETES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't have time for that :)

Big boy!!

Tommy slept in his big boy bed for the first time on 5/22/12! We decided to switch him to a toddler bed when Tessa comes but I figured it would be better to try to get him accustomed to it now, rather than having a bunch of new stuff happen to him all at once.

Our bedroom is in the basement right now, but it's the only bedroom downstairs. With two babies, we decided to move upstairs and have them share a room and we'll be in the room right next to them.

But until we actually move upstairs (which we're delaying as long as possible), his toddler bed is in our bedroom so that I can keep him beside me to make sure he's not up and wandering around in the night since he can't be confined. Hopefully he'll be used to it by the time we move upstairs and I won't have to worry about him getting out of bed and me not hearing him.

He had a lot of fun checking it out and thought it was SO neat to bounce on it (which we tried to quickly nip in the bud).

He got a little more daring than I would have liked and almost knocked out 5 more teeth by jumping all over it, but hopefully the excitement will wear off and he'll lay off on the jumping.

The first night was pretty good. He rolled out of bed a few times (one time resulting in him rolling underneath his bed and me panicking because I couldn't find him!!). He didn't actually wake up when he rolled, just kind of cried out and kept sleeping. But the last two nights have not been so awesome. Between waking up every 2 hours to pee and him waking up and being confused and scared every 3 hours, I am one tired mama. But hopefully he'll get completely adjusted over the weekend. I bought a side reail last night, so that should prevent the rolling. Fingers crossed that the next few nights are better!

Mother's day

My mother's day was amazing. Even better than the first one :) I guess it was technically my first mother's day as a mom of two--CRAZY!! It was also my birthday, which helped the day to be extra special!

We got up and I got ready for church. Nick watched Tommy so I could go to church and actually LISTEN and enjoy the sermon. It was so good to just sit and listen instead of chasing Tommy around or trying to keep him quiet.

After church, we went to On The Border---um, does it get any better? Tommy was pretty good during lunch. My granny entertained him, so he did okay without any huge fits. I got to enjoy a delicious meal with all of my family. It was so nice. We haven't all gotten together for awhile, so it was fun to have everyone at the same table. And to be at OTB :) It's my favorite. As a matter of fact, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it right now..............

We stopped by Tom and Esther's on the way home to see them for awhile. We spent about an hour there and gave Nick's mom her present. Tommy was sooooo tired and fell asleep on the way home--bonus! After we got home, Nick and I got to hang out and spend some time together while Tommy was still sleeping. Nick had to work that night, so he left around 7pm and my mom came over a little while after that to have some momma-daughter time.

Nothing too exciting, but a day that I'll never forget. Oh, I got an awesome present for "birthother's day" as my husband called it (birthday/mother's day). He got me a new video camera! I'm so glad because my last one just stopped working and I was freaking out about Tessa coming and not having anything to record some of her first moments. So that definitely made the day even better!

I finally understand what Mother's Day is all about. I'm so glad to be able to call myself a mom. It's the most amazing thing I've ever experienced. The responsibility is scary and more than I ever thought it would be, but the reward is even better. Knowing that I get to come home to Tommy every day--and soon, to Tessa as well--is the best feeling in the world. He loves me unconditionally and I love him in a way I never knew possible. I thank God for my babies every day and can only hope I'm doing a good job as a mother. I love you Tommy and Tessa!!

30 weeks

Can it be that I really only have 10 (at the most) weeks to go?!?! Hallelujah. But we better get going on the kids' room or we'll be living in a messy house :)

How Far Along? 30 weeks!!

Maternity Clothes? Yup....or bigger sizes of non-maternity stuff. Like summer dresses. They make me look like a cow, but feel like a comfortable pregnant lady.

Weight Gain? I've gone back and forth between 6-8 pounds this week. Hopefully it's more towards 6 when I go to the doctor on Friday :)

Stretch Marks? no new ones
Gender? A little lady bug

Sleep? Decent! I've been sleeping pretty well thank the Lord.
Food Cravings? sweets. Of course. I have hardly any cravings my whole pregnancy and the week of my 3 hour gestational diabetes test, I want nothing but ice cream, sugar and candy.
What I Miss? Moving quickly, getting off the couch without counting to 3 and heaving myself forward while holding onto the nearest object to launch myself off

Symptoms? swollen fingers--gone a few days without the ring :(, swollen ankles, heartburn, short temper (you're welcome).

Movement? All the time. Feels much different than I remember with Tommy--more rolling and twisting than just kicks.

Belly button? In

Worst Moment of the Week? Having some spotting yesterday. Had to go in, but they didn't do anything that they couldn't done over the phone (which I just KNEW was going to be the case, but went in anyways). Just told me to "take it sort of easy", call them ASAP if it happens again or I have any cramping at all, etc.
Best Moment of the Week? My shower on Sunday. It was SO fun!! I got tons of diapers, wipes and pink stuff. It was so good to see everybody and catch up with friends and family. Thanks to everyone who helped make it such a special day!!

Scariest Moment of the Week? The spotting---but thank God it turned out to be nothing! Her heart rate was good and she was moving a lot, so they weren't too concerned.

16 months

My little Tom cat is 16 months old and NOT so little anymore. He's getting tall and gangly--losing most of his baby chub :( He just seems like a different kid in the last month or so!!

Tommy, at 16 months you are:


*weighing in at about 26 lbs

*32 inches tall

*in size 6 shoes--how did this happen?!? Your feet are huge!

*wearing size 5 diapers still. Hopefully you'll be in size 5 until we get you potty trained. How are you feeling about that by the way? Cause mom and dad are sooooo ready :)

*repeating a LOT of words (so we're trying to be careful what we say around you!). So far, the ones you say regularly are: mama, dada, dog, uh-oh (this has been your new favorite and you say it ALL the time with your hand help up in the air like you just canNOT figure out what happened), oops (oofs!), yes (yesshh), no (we've taught you to say "No-no!" and shake your finger, but you don't always do that when you say no), ball and bath.

The words you've been repeating or that I've only heard you say once or twice are: love you (yub ooo), ouch! (owssss), done, hush! (we say it to the dog when he's barking), yuck (uck), gross (goohhsh), book (ook) and my absolute FAVORITE is................Tess!!! You say, "Dessh!" and then kiss my tummy. Love it!

*climbing on EVERYTHING. Dad sent me a picture a few weeks ago with a caption that said, "We're in trouble." and it was you, sitting on a kitchen chair that you'd gotten up on by yourself. You're climbing over your baby gates and your pack and play. You have a horsey that you've started to play with a lot and you do "tricks" and stand on it's back all the time. It's insane and scary! No head injuries, PLEASE!

*understanding pretty much everything we say. You throw things away, bring us stuff we ask for, know who to take things to when we tell you names, etc. You're a smart little boy!!

*obsessed with your "shows." We watch Pocoyo and Ni Hao, Kai Lan alllll the time. I mainly use them just to get you to sit still for a few minutes. There are some times you are just exhausted and running around like crazy and keep hurting yourself because you're in speedy mode, so I turn on a show and you actually stop moving for 5 minutes and then we turn it off and you seem to be a little calmer. It oddly enough almost helps you regroup :)

*"helping" mommy and daddy all the time. You want to be doing whatever we're doing. You are such a good boy to pick up your toys and help me "fold" (which usually means take everything out of the basket and throw it around the room) and switch the laundry from washer to dryer (which actually is helpful). You love messing with the dishwasher too. You'll still be that way when you're a teenager, right?!?

*hilarious. You have this laugh that you do when you're being silly and it's not your real laugh, but it's SOOO funny!

*mostly over your defiance stage (for the time being, anyways) but are still extremely stubborn. You are doing what we tell you to do, but it takes you a few minutes. The other day you were playing in the trash after Daddy told you not to, so he spanked your hand and it made you cry. Then I told you to tell him you were sorry, so you walked over to him and gave him a big hug and sat on his lap. For the next 5 minutes, you held your hand up and just "talked" to him in this sad little voice. It was SO cute and funny. It's like you were saying, "Daddy, why'd you do that?" and he would tell you that if you listened, we wouldn't have to spank your hand. And then you'd go into another tirade of word-like noises while still holding your hand out to show him. And you interjected a few hugs throughout your speech. I wish SO bad I would have had my video camera out. Priceless.

*really starting to be sweet and lovey. You haven't always been big on cuddling or hugs, but lately, you'll run up and throw your arms around our necks and give us some big kisses. It's the best thing in the world.

*still love being outside. Like, you would live out there if you could. You'll go get your shoes and start pulling on our hands and making us walk towards the stairs when you want to go out. It's hilarious, but frustrating that you aren't content to hang out inside any more because mommy gets waaaaaaay too hot to sit out there for long.

You are at such a busy but fun age. I love to watch your face when you're playing because I can tell you're thinking SO hard about what you're doing. You are starting to pick up things really quickly, which is exciting, but scary. You're a dare devil, but I think you're KIND of starting to understand that when you do some things, it's going to hurt. But you usually attempt them anyways--just a little more cautiously than you used to :) You make me laugh every day and have been in such a good mood lately, so we've had a lot of fun together. I can't wait to see you as a big brother--especially now that you're getting to be more cuddly. I hope you and your sissy are best friends. I couldn't ask for a better son!! I love you, Tom tom.

29 weeks (only 11 more to go!!)

How Far Along?  29 weeks
Maternity Clothes? Of course

Weight Gain? 7 lbs
Stretch Marks? not from this baby
Gender? girl
Sleep? It's not been too bad, thank you God
Food Cravings? those huge pickles from Jimmy John's
What I Miss? not being hot all the time, bending over easily, walking without getting tired
Symptoms? Heartburn, waddling, hip pain, swollen ankles (aka I HAVE CANKLES--yuck)
Movement? All the time, but more so at night. She's crazy up in there
Belly button? In
Worst Moment of the Week? Sigh..........I got told my gestational diabetes test came back 2 points high so I have to go back and do the 3 hour glucose test. Please pray it comes back normal!!!

Best Moment of the Week? My birthday/Mother's Day. It was amazingly wonderful with Nick, Tommy and my family
Scariest Moment of the Week? The whole possibility of having diabetes thing. I have NO understanding of it whatsoever, so I REEEEEAAAALY hope my second test turns out fine.

Giving In

As most of you know, Tessa's arrival in our lives was a total surprise. I knew--absolutely KNEW-- that I was pregnant when it happened but had to go through 2 negative pregnancy tests until one finally came up positive on the third try. We certainly weren't TRYING to get pregnant. To be honest, with our busy schedules, I'm not even sure how it happened in the first place ;) But lo and behold, there they were...........two pink lines.

I hate to admit it but at the same time my heart was racing with excitement, it was also panicking with every heart beat. I immediately started thinking about how this baby was going to change our lives, which had just settled into a normal routine after having Tommy.

When I told Nick I was pregnant, we both laughed. For a loooooong time. It was the only way we could process the fact that in 9 months, our world was going to be rocked--AGAIN. I went through ups and downs the next few weeks. I mean, a baby is a baby and I was SUPER excited to know I was carrying a life inside me, but it was just so unexpected. I trusted God was going to take care of everything (at least I told myself I trusted that) but was scared to death at the same time. We had planned that by the time we got pregnant with our second one, Tommy would be out of diapers, talking and halfway through high school (okay, not THAT old, but not 18 months!). And yet, here he was, just learning to walk and use a spoon on his own. He had just started sleeping through the night. Just started entertaining himself. Just started understanding what we were telling him to do.

But the one day I remember more than any other after finding out we were pregnant was a day that I was driving to work about a month later. I'd been through negative pregnancy tests, being told I was probably carrying a blighted ovum (google it), finding out I really was pregnant, going to the ER thinking I was having a miscarriage but really having a bad kidney infection to finally settling into the reality that a baby was coming in July. I felt so jumbled. I hadn't let myself really believe it was happening until that moment. I had tried not to worry yet, tried not to get excited yet, tried not to tell anyone yet. And on that drive in, it just hit me. All the emotions at once. I started panicking thinking about money, sleep, room in our house, how Tommy would be, Nick working 3rd shift while I took care of a newborn--you name it, I thought about it.

In the midst of my panick attack, God stepped up in a big way. This song by Sanctus Real came on the radio. I wasn't really paying attention until the chorus came on and it literally took my breath away and sent me into sobs as soon as I heard it.

Whatever You're doing inside of me

It feels like chaos but somehow there's peace

It's hard to surrender to what I can't see

But I'm giving in to something Heavenly

That was EXACTLY what I needed to hear at that EXACT moment. I literally felt like there was chaos going on inside of me and He was reassuring me that I just need to give in to Him. It's like he slapped me in the face and said, "Really?! You're really worrying when I've trusted you with such a big blessing? Suck it up and enjoy!" He was probably saying it nicer than that, but you get the drift :) Tessa IS something Heavenly and I needed to give in to the fact that I didn't have control and God was doing something awesome in my life. I didn't know it was a girl at that time, but I knew from that moment on I could stop worrying about how our lives were going to be interrupted and start thanking God for sending us this little blessing.

Since then, I've been reminded time and again how awesome it is to be pregnant. Sure, it comes with it's aches and pains (literally), but hearing the heartbeat, finding out it was a girl, feeling her kick and roll inside me.......it's chaotic, but it's perfect and holy and amazing. What a way to be reminded of God's handiwork on a daily basis.

So Tessa, even though you were a surprise, you are so, SO very wanted. There's not a moment of my pregnancy that I would trade for anything. I can't wait to see your face and feel your skin and smell your smell. I can't wait to hold you, seeing the finished product of 9 months of hard work. Hurry up and get here, sweet girl. We love you!