In the Middle

On Thursday, February 2nd I will be 20 weeks along and halfway through this pregnancy. Today we had our ultrasound to make sure that everything is right on track. And we can only assume that it is. Our tech didn't talk a whole lot, but she pointed out the fibula, tibia, took measurements of the head, abdomen and extremities and said everything looked good. We saw the 4 chamber heart beating, and the 3 ventrical umbilical cord. She also pointed out the medula and cerebellum in the brain. Having been through this before it was all very routine. She never mentioned the baby's weight, but did comment that the baby seemed to have a bit of hair already. Can't say I'm too suprised...Leah and Kiersten were both born with heads FULL of hair and I had the heartburn all along, just like the old wives tale.

We took Leah with us to the ultrasound. She did really good at the beginning, but got bored towards the end. She's 3...it was bound to happen. There were a few times that she got excited because the baby appeared upside down on the screen, and one time when we saw the baby's face the mouth was open. We told Leah the baby was saying "Hi" and she got a kick out of that too. She asked if the tech was putting soap on my belly...and asked if it was a boy or girl. We had told the tech we didn't want to know so she played along. Leah asked her "when will God decide if it's a boy or a girl?" This made me smile so we talked about how we have to wait until summer (June) to find out. It was fun having her there. This ultrasound was different because they actually did 3D, but sadly for us little one didn't want to cooperate. The best picture we have (the last one) is of the baby looking down with arms/hands on head...better luck next time.

I had Mitch take a picture of my baby bump this weekend. It's finally emerging, however I still am not wearing any maternity clothes. Sad to say, but most of my clothing from my pre-weight loss are fitting and will for a bit longer. This picture was taken at 19 weeks and 3 days. Mitch and I both agree that in the last week my belly has really changed. It's coming!!! I also felt the baby moving this weekend for the first time. I was laying in bed on Saturday morning and thought I felt it...but Sunday morning I knew for certain and I felt it again Sunday afternoon. I just love feeling all the little kicks. So, 20 down and 20 to go. We go back to the doctor on the 15th.

Princesses in the House!

Is it Staples that has the slogan "yeah, we got that"? Well, that's how I feel about Princess toys. Yeah, we got that...my girls are just princess crazy. It's never ending. The dress up in princess clothes, they play with princess dolls, and even have a princess castle block set. Which is perfect for the Princess Little People set that Kiersten got for Christmas. We are totally on Princess overload.

There is a book for mothers (and fathers) of young daughters called Cinderella Ate My Daughter. I'm beginning to think that maybe it's time for me to read this book. I believe it is about helping your daughters to understand that they can be so much more than a pretty face and helping to navigate them through the media and marketing that can affect them as they transition into adulthood. So maybe I am jumping the gun a bit, but it can't hurt to give it a look. In the meantime a girl wants, what a girl wants... so I will grin and bear it.

Creative Movements

Things are starting to get crazy busy around here!!! We have Dance (Creative Movements) at Richland on Monday. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday Leah has preschool. Tuesday evenings I teach at Lakeland. On Wednesday Mitch and I are in classes at our church to become members, while the girls participate in F3 and play in the nursery. On Friday's we have MOPS and come the weekend we are spent!!! But I guess this is just a little taste of what life will be like for the next 18 years or so with kids...I wouldn't have it any other way.

Anyway, back to Creative Movements. We are so fortunate that Richland Community College has a kids dance program. Leah loves it and it is so affordable. They offer classes from the age of 2 and up, which means Kiersten will be starting in no time. Leah did the beginning tumbling tots with Ms. Jan this summer and adored her teacher...not to mention it was loads of fun. We took the fall off because it conflicted with my teaching schedule but for now we are back at it. She got some gently used dance apparel from Macy and insists that she dress for the ballet before class. She gets so excited and it's so cute. Ms. Jan also does a great job of letting the little siblings participate at the end of class. You can see Kiersten in he middle of the group. They dance with their babies and then sit and gently rock them, swaying back and forth. They smile and laugh the whole time we are there.

Yesterday they took measurements for her costume for the spring recital. RECITAL!!! All Leah heard was costume and she was in for sure. She can't wait but doesn't quite grasp the concept of spring, which means she has to wait until mid-May. It's rough being a 3 year old sometimes. This should be interesting and I'm excited to watch her skills progress.

Who is Who?

I just had to add this one quick. The day I got the girls dressed and ready to go outside I though to myself...hmmm, this certainly seems familiar so I pulled up a picure from January 2010 and sure enough I had put Leah in the same mix of pieces. So cute...I wonder if someday baby #3 will be in the same get-up, ha...if it's a boy it certainly wouldn't be appreciated :)

Winter Blah's

See what I mean about January...It's been over a week and I have nothing to blog about, UGH!!! Our weather has been up and down and all over the place. Seriously, one day it's 50 and the next it is 15. We have had two bouts of snow, but even weirder we have had two major thunderstorms that have included tornados. It is January, right??? The thunder and lightning have been fun to watch but come on. This past Friday we have icy, rainy, snowy mix that made for some dangerous conditions out on the road. Earlier last week we had low teens with freezing cold wind chills...I bundled up the girls and let them have at it. They lasted a little over 30 minutes and you can tell how cold it was from the bright pink nose and cheeks Kiersten has in the "undressing" picture. But they LOVE playing in the snow and I just can't say no, it's good for them and as you can tell they are really bundled up.

Leah had so much fun making snow angels...even though there was hardly enough snow. They both wanted to jump on the ice covered trampoline which was a huge failure, but I let them give it a try. And the best part was seeing Kiersten...yes, Kiersten decide to have a snow ball fight. I happened to look out the window and see her hurling chunks of snow at her sister. It made me laugh so I went out to snap some pictures. Sure enough she was making "snowballs" and lobbing them in her sisters direction. Leah did not approve, and I had to laugh...it didn't take long though and she was hurling them in my direction. I shrieked in horror and ran around with both girls chasing me and it was good fun for about 5 minutes, before I decided it was much too cold for me, sans coat and I headed in. Here's to hoping for more fun in the snow!

Weather Mix-up

Mother Nature must be seriously confused, because that is the only explanation I can think of for the weather we have been having. It's crazy! Who would have thought that in the first week of January we would be having temps anywhere from 45-60, YES I said 60! For 6 days straight the girls have been able to play outside, they love it and I'm not going to lie...I love it too. It's so great for them to get outside and burn off some energy. A couple days they have been playing outside in the morning and in the afternoon. Of course the trampoline is still a favorite. There were a few times I looked outside and Leah was helping her baby sister on and off of the trampoline. It made me so happy, they are really starting to be best friends and playing so well together. Of course the trampoline is short lived for Bug...she jumps down, and goes to the slide, then the trike, then the baseball bat, then back to the slide. She is all over the place, but that't good. She is exploring, and checking it all out.

Now today the temperature is 19 and we are in a winter weather advisory...HUH?!?!? Come on Mother Nature, make up your mind. This is tough stuff after no coat and playing outside for days on end. It's even more difficult for me because I am not a fan of January to begin with...or February for that matter. They are just so blah. You are coming down from the holiday highs and all the excitement of visits with family and giving and receiving gifts. The wonderful temps tricked me into thinking that spring was almost here, or at least on the way. Now we are back to dreary old winter. Yuck! Oh well, thanks for playing tricks on my mind. Gotta go get the girls ready to play in the snow.

16 Weeks

Today I am 16 weeks pregnant! I have to admit that this one was tough to keep quiet. I managed to get past 12 weeks when we finally shared our good news. You probably saw the picture we sent out in our Christmas card a few posts back. It was so fun to share our good news that way, but the anticipation was almost too much! Funny story...I put our Christmas card in the mail on a Tuesday night (6PM) and at dinner that night Mitch decided to talk to Leah about the fact that we are having another baby. I didn't mind. Afterall I wasn't sure she would get it. The next day my mom was watching the girls while I was teaching, and our family friend Cece stopped by. Leah told her loud and proud that there was a baby in my belly and she was a big sister...my mom didn't know what to say. Of course she already knew, I had told her a week earlier, but she thought it was still a secret. Good thing the cards arrived in the mail that day, ha!

I had my first doctors appointment on November 21st. We had an ultrasound to confirm our pregnancy and Dr. Morissetty said that everything looked good. I was 9 weeks along by then. And really I can't complain too much about the first trimester. Really the only symptom I has was tiredness. I was REALLY tired! Like, I HAVE to take a nap everyday, tired. Luckily that started to disappear around 10-11 weeks. I really didn't struggle with morning sickness at all, so that was a definite bonus.

My second Doctors appointment was on Dec. 22nd. I was 13 weeks along. I don't know how they know but Dr. Morissetty examined my stomach and said that my uterus was measuring right on target and doing well and that he was very happy with the baby's heartbeat. You can't ask for more than that. At my 13 week appointment I had gained 2 pounds...shocking since we had just spent Christmas in Minnesota :)

Now, I am 16 weeks and not showing a bit. I think I just look chubby. You can decide for yourself from the picture below. I go back to the doctor on Wed. January 18th. I will be one day shy of 18 weeks and at that time we will schedule our appointment for our ultrasound. Everyone keeps asking...do we want to know, boy or girl? Truthfully, we haven't decided. We knew with Leah. She was our first and we were just so excited that we HAD to know. With Kiersten we decided to wait and be surprised and it was special in a very different sort of way. I liked not knowing, and having Mitch tell me boy or girl after all was said and done. Of course, this time is our last go around. Ideally, I think we want a boy...that would be great, but at the same time I think about how wonderful the bond would be between 3 girls, and come on...we know how to do girls!!! I just can't decide, which is probably a good thing. I guess it means I will be happy either way, which I know we will. So do I really need to know??? Probably not. So stay tuned, only 5.5 more months until the big reveal, ha!

Reflecting

Happy New Year! The past few days, as I have been working on our 2011 photo book, and our 2011 Family Blog book I have had time to do a lot of reflecting: both on what was, and what is yet to be. I loved looking back over all the things that have happened in the past year. Looking at pictures from our time in New Jersey, seeing pictures of the massive snowstorms that we survived last year on the East Coast. Reading about Kiersten's first steps. Looking at pictures of the girls playing in our former backyard and neighborhood park. We've come a long way in the past year. And it was honestly what we dreamed of. We couldn't wait to get back closer to our families. But it made my heart ache a little. Even though New Jersey wasn't the place for us, it holds a very dear place in my (our) hearts. That is the house that we brought both of our precious baby girls home too. That is where they took their first steps and said their first words. We enjoyed many a day playing in the lush backyard and enjoyed so many good times there.

But looking ahead, I cherish all the memories that we are making in our new home. Celebrating birthday's and holidays with all of our family here, Sunday dinners at my parents house and more. We are blessed...and I can't help but think about what 2012 has in store for us. Most of all the newest little addition to our family. I think of the memories we are about to create in our new home. What awesome love will bloom and grow in this house. How our family will continue to change and grow together. There is so much to be thankful for and to look forward to. The anticipation is building. I'm enjoying the new memories we make everyday.

For instance....On January 2nd. We had the fist snow of the New Year. It was the second snow of the season. But the first one was on the ground when we woke up...this time we got to watch the beautiful snowflakes fall from the sky. Leah was so excited, she couldn't contain herself. She was running from room to room looking out windows and the back door. I pulled up the blinds in the front room and I swear, the girls sat in the front window watching the snow for a good 15 minutes. Kiersten was so excited. I'm sure she didn't know exactly what she was excited about, but Leah's excitement was all she needed to know that the snow falling was good stuff. I love it! Memory stashed away, in that special place where memories like these go. So Cheers to the New Year, may the memories be many and may we all continue to be blessed in 2012!