24 weeks - 6 months

This week marks 24 weeks, 6 months, pregnant. Where has the time gone? I feel like it's been such a quick pregnancy. Although I'm sure the last trimester will be the longest as it seems to be the most uncomfortable, as I remember, it's still crazy that I am already this far along.

I am continuing to feel good - I get stomach aches quite a bit at night and my back has really been hurting when I get up in the morning. But we are having a new king size bed delivered on Monday so lets cross our fingers that that will help a bit! My headaches have gotten much better but the trade off is that I have begun having quite a few Braxton Hicks contractions where my belly gets really tight with some lower abdomonel pain but nothing too bad and it usually happens at night.

I had a good check up last week and it seems crazy that at the next one I will have the glucose testing and then start going once every 2 weeks already! It literally seems like it's gone so quickly.

Because of Lily's heart "condition" we had a fetal echo cardiogram conducted on this baby as well. I had that last week and thankful everything looks normal. They basically check to ensure that all the chambers, veins, and ventricals are developed and that the two "holes" that all babies have at this point were normal in size - which they were. So, at this point looks like this baby is in the clear. Even though the chances of this baby having anything wrong - 2-5% opposed to the normal 1% I was nervous leading up to this appointment. So we are very thankful for a healthy report and baby, that's for sure!

Other than that nothing new to share. I can definitely tell the belly is growing as it's becoming increasingly harder to bend over, carry Lily, climb the steps, change her diaper, chase her around, etc etc. In fact often times this past week while Jimmy has been gone traveling yet again! I have asked myself what we are thinking having them this close! And then I quickly remind myself that it is such a blessing and that it will be lots of fun as they grow and ares so close in age - right?!

And here's the belly in all her glory......

one year old pictures

We had Lily's 1 year pictures taken a few weeks ago and I love them. I figured I might as well post some here as well. She captured her little personality so well and it's amazing to see how quickly our little girl has changed.

Also notice her ears that we pierced on her 1st birthday - love them :)

brain dump

We have had lots going on around our house lately - house projects, busy work calendars, ramping up for Jimmy to be traveling lots in June-boo!, me getting ready for a work trip as well-boo!, doctor's appointments, garage sales, graduations, etc. So today is going to be a bit of a brain dump - what's been going on around our house lately. Some of them will have their own post later on but for now, this will do.

1. Garage Sale - last weekend I had my first garage sale. Our neighborhood was having a neighborhood garage sale, I had tubs of stuff I needed to get rid of so why not? Well....I didn't realize how much work they are! Luckily I had my mom to help me all weekend. My dad, Jimmy and mom got the tables Wednesday night - we got things set up that night, then opened for business Friday and Saturday. My mom, Jimmy's mom, and a friend put stuff in the sale as well to make sure I had enough stuff! And overall I'd say we did just ok. I wouldn't say I made enough money to neccessarily make it worth it but hey, it was a learning experience, right?!

2. Cleaning out the baby room - over the last week or so I've gotten a big spurt of energy and motivation to get going baby boy's room. I figured while I'm feeling good and motivated to do it I should do it. So, the closet is all cleaned out and new homes have been found for the things that were once there. The guest bed has been disassembled and moved into the now office/guest room, and just yesterday I went fabric shopping for an art project I am working on for his room - more on this to come....So his room is taking shape and it makes me really excitied.

3. I'm almost 6 months pregnant - that seems crazy to me and as I look at our schedule in the coming months I feel like the remaining 3 months are going to fly by! 6 month post with picture to come next week.

4. I celebrated my first mother's day this May - being a mom is truly indescribable and I will forever remember the day Lily made me a mother. More thoughts on being a mama in a later post.....

5. Doctor's Appointments - Lily was born with a 4-5mm hole in her heart and due to its location its called a VSD. Because of this we've seen a pediatric cardiologist when she was 6 months and then had a rather in depth appointment earlier this month once she turned 1 year. In short the hole is still there, it's the same size as it was when she was born and we will see the Dr again when she is 2. I've had such mixed feelings about this, while I know she is in wonderful hands and the Dr has assured us it is nothing to be too concerned about it just seems strange that she has a small hole in her heart. We continue to pray that it will close and that by next year this is no longer an issue. However, because of this we have a fetal echo for baby boy scheduled with the same cardiologist today. It's basically just an ultrasound that they do on me but are looking solely at the baby's heart to ensure there are no abnormalities or conditions they would want to know about before he is born. While I have no reason to believe that anything is wrong it still just makes me a little uneasy. So lots of prayers going up this morning as we await that appointment this afternoon. And then my usual 24 week check tomorrow. All of these on top of Lily being sick with a sinus infection and doctor's visits for that - so lately it seems we've spent a lot of time at the doctor.

6. My sister was here - my sister and her 2 boys were in Iowa in a few weeks ago. It was so fun having them here and being able to see them most every day and night for a bit. Her boys are full of energy and Lily loved trying to keep up! They were able to be here for her 1st birthday which was extra special and we so enjoy our time with them. Luckily, it's not too long before we see them next as we have a family trip scheduled over the 4th of July at a lake in NE.

7. Loving this weather - the weather the last few weeks has been so awesome. We have really enjoyed being outside and doing things that summer entails. Jimmy had Monday off so after our usual daily routine we took a late afternoon bike ride, came home and grilled out, and then went and got some Tropical Snow - that is such a summer evening to me and I love it! I've also made a committment to getting back on a regular workout schedule and with this weather it makes it pretty easy for me to get out and go for a run a couple times a week. I have also started a yoga/pilates class at the rec twice a week and am loving it!

Well that's about it for now - this is just some of what we've been up to lately - I have a list of posts I need to catch up on one of these days but this is at least the shortened version. First on the list is to post pictures and details of Lily's 1st birthday party! Fun Fun!

woof

Her latest "trick"

happy birthday lily may!

Today is the day 1 year ago that Lily May entered the world. After being induced around 6am yesterday morning at 12:10am this morning Lily decided she was ready to join our family. And what a year it's been!

Lily is truly a blessing to us - I cherish and adore that little girl more than I ever knew I could. Love for your child is so instant and so deep it's unlike anything I've ever experienced and I am so so grateful that the Lord has entrusted Jimmy and I to be this little girl's parents.

Today we will celebrate her and show her a little extra love so that she may always know how special she is to us. Birthdays were always special in our home growing up - my mom always made us our favorite meal or let us pick our favorite restaurant, showered us with some extra attention and love, made us our cake of choice, and always made sure we had a few fun gifts to open. I want that same thing in our home while our children grow up. I want them to feel loved every single day but know that their birthday is the day that is extra special just for them as it's the day God chose for them to enter our family.

So today we started the day with singing her happy birthday in which she just grinned and giggled, ate some yummy #1 shaped pancakes - she ate 3!, gave her 2 of her 3 presents - a mini zebra print recliner and some books, and now its nap time before more fun this afternoon. This afternoon the plan is to get her ears pierced - you don't know how excited I am for this as I've been begging Jimmy for months!, take her out to eat for lunch, maybe hit up a park and/or give her her 3rd present - a water table - to play with at home, and then off to dinner at Grandma and Grandpa Davis' with aunts and cousins. She will have a fun and busy day and I love that we will be sharing it as a family!

New things for her this past month have been that she now says "baby", her top two teeth popped through on May 3rd and it appears that the two beside it are coming through as well, and the biggest news is that she's walking! She took her first steps on April 18th and first walked across the room on April 27th. She is now officically a walker I'd say as she always starts out walking first and then if she can't get there fast enough she resorts to crawling. She babbles lots and lots, dances all the time, and is still just an easy happy baby - we are so blessed!

She is wearing mostly 18 months clothes, still some things that are 12 months and has grown 3 inches since her 9 month appointment! Weighing in at 24 lbs and is 31 and 1/2 inches long! She sitting about 80% for weight and 90-95% for height.

So today we will celebrate the sweet blessing of our baby girl Lily May who has brought so much joy into our home and hearts! May you always feel cherished and loved by your mommy and daddy and, most importantly, by Jesus baby girl because you are so so special - we love you - happy birthday!

our first family picture

right after she was born - my favorite picture of her that night - wide awake and alert!

our 1 year old

1 year ago

I remember exactly where I was a year ago today. I was 9 days overdue, I got up about 5am – Jimmy called the hospital to verify that it was ok for us to come in that day, after we heard a “yes” we prayed, I showered, and out the door we went – leaving our family behind sleeping in our home – to start a LONG day of anxious anticipation of the arrival of our baby girl.

I remember the car ride there and the giddiness we both felt with a tone of underlying nerves as we thought about the uncertainties of the day. I wondered if I would be able to do it – was I really capable of delivering a baby? And I often think about what must have been going through Jimmy’s mind - as a man’s experience of pregnancy is totally second hand up until this point – how would he deal with seeing me in pain? And then the constant uncertainty of how we would be as parents – would we know what to do that first night when they leave the hospital room or send us home?

So many things of parenting are unknown and things you just learn as you go, no matter how many times someone tries to tell you something. However, this past year has been the most rewarding year of my life as Jimmy and I have navigated through parenthood.

I honestly cannot believe Lily May is a year old already. How can it be that our teeny tiny baby girl whose sweet soft breath, chubby little hands, slobbery kisses, and contagious laughter has taken up such a huge chunk of my heart that I never knew I had? Lily has helped me gain patience – something I was very short on before, helped me see the world in a whole new way, made me laugh and/or cry every single day this past year, and brought so much joy to our household.

The love you feel for your child is truly indescribable unless you are a parent yourself. I will never stop loving that little girl that entered this world slowly and painfully one year ago not today but tomorrow……

So more to come tomorrow – on her actual birthdayJ

the night before - ready to go!

walking on sunshine

Lily May started walking this past month. I documented that her first steps were taken on April 18th and she first walked across the room on April 27th. She now walks daily but still knows she's faster crawling so resorts to that often. Another sign my baby is growing up....sigh.

PS - this isn't a great video but is the only one I've gotten to date. I NEVER have my phone handy when she trotting along.

20 weeks

I really cannot believe that I am already half way through this pregnancy!


We had a wonderful 20 week appointment  last Thursday week where we were able to see our healthy baby growing just fine inside my belly as well as discover that baby #2 is a BOY!


It's fun to think about how different it will be to have a boy and I am already loving looking at all the fun little boy things. Now we all know I am a sucker for hair bows, dresses, and everything pink but the thought of a little punk rock spikey haired boy is getting me just as excited!


We knew either way we would be thrilled. We know, God willing, we will have more children so it wasn't a case of "we really want a boy because then we will be done" it truly was us just hoping to see a healthy growing baby inside my belly and that we did.

I continue to feel good. My nasuea has gone away pretty much altogether but headaches have started to creep their way in! I had a few really bad, migraine type, headaches when I was pregnant with Lily and they are definitely not any fun. I'm someone who gets headaches frequently when I'm not pregnant but Excedrin usually takes care of them - unfortunately I can't take that when pregnant so I just have to deal with it. With Jimmy traveling alot this has been more of a challenge this time around while taking care of an almost 1 year old but I will take it compared to other symptoms some women deal with!


Other than that everything is good - I am starting a yoga and cycling class at the rec and I am looking forward to having that to keep me accountable for getting workouts in. It seems when Jimmy is gone that is the one thing that's easily put on the back burner but I know how important excercise is during, and after, pregnancy so I want to be sure and keep it up.

We have had just a few short conversations about names and although we may have a tough time agreeing on one :) I think we will have plenty we like to choose from, which is fun. And although Jimmy is a 3rd James in his family he has told me we do not need to name him James so we will, more than likely, use that as the middle name instead.

I have already started turning my wheels on his room - I really really love decorating and putting a room together so for me that's one of the best parts. I have already accumulated a few fun things and I'll keep you posted as it comes together. Think lots of fun bright colors :)

Anyways - that's about it for now. My weekly baby updates tell me he is about the size of a banana. He is very active and I love feeling him move inside me throughout the day. I'm anxious for the day that Lily will feel him as I know she's too little to comprehend what's going in - I still think that's something she would smile about.

That's all for now - until next month. Enjoy the pictures of the expanding bump (you can also, sort of, see my new short hair)!