tick tock

This week brings me to 6 months pregnant.
I can't believe that I'm over half-way through with this pregnancy. 

I feel like I just found out yesterday that I was expecting.

Baby Girl is kicking and grooving up a storm these days.

Thankfully, she settles down at night and I'm still able to get a good night's sleep.

(Except for the 5 times a night I have to get up to pee!)

We have decided on a name (no, I'm not telling)
and it's fun to talk to/about her like a real person now,

instead of referring to her as "the baby."

Sam is getting used to the idea of another sister...
although he's still praying that she will come out a boy!

And Ava, she's totally clueless.

However, she is very, very interested in her newborn cousin.

And wants to be touching and playing with her whenever she can reach the baby.
So, I'm sure once her little sister arrives, Ava will be all over her!

Speaking of Ava...

she is walking all over the place now
and tries really hard to keep up with her big brother.

Her favorite questions are, "What's that?" and "Who's that?"...

questions she asks a hundred times a day!

She also says, "WOW!" about anything that catches her eye.

She has perfected the temper tantrum,

and looks up at us out of the corner of her eye
to see if we're watching her do something she knows is wrong.

She is obsessed with cell phones and, if there is one in a 20 ft. radius,
she will have it in her hands in 1.6 seconds.

The moment music hits her ears, she wiggles and jiggles like she's dancing for her life.

And she manages to wrap everyone around her little finger in a matter of moments.

I'm just wondering...what happened to my newborn? 

shocked

Well, the results are in and it's a

GIRL!

We are all shocked and surprised.

Sam is a little sad.

Poor guy, I know how he feels.

I wanted a sister more than anything, and got a brother...twice.

But time will ease the disappointment.

And by the time the baby is here, he will be excited to see her.

Otherwise, she is healthy and right on target according to the ultrasound.

She is very wiggly and even sucked her thumb for a second (just like her brother).

Whether or not she has CF, still remains a mystery.

We have opted not to do an amniocentesis (same as with Ava).

But the ultrasound markers were clear, which is a good sign.

Thank You, God, for another little life!

tomorrow

is the day that I find out the sex of babe #3.

Marko and Sam are totally rooting for a boy.

Honestly, I'll be surprised if it's not a boy.

My pregnancy symptoms have almost been identical to what I had with Sam.

And nothing like what I had with Ava.

Sooo, we'll see.

I'll keep you posted!

 

in other news

Alternately titled: Random thoughts that have nothing to do with each other.

Tomorrow I will be 18 weeks pregnant.

Now that I am fully into my 2nd trimester, my energy has returned and my stomach has settled.

My tummy is starting to pop out a bit and the maternity clothes have come out of hiding.

Can I just tell you how much I love wearing maternity clothes...cute ones, anyway?

I love them.

I love that I can have a tummy and people look at me with a twinkle in their eye,

instead of giving me the stink eye because they think I've had one too many twinkies.

Just kidding. I don't really normally get the stink eye.

Only if I'm walking passed a gym eating twinkies.

Sam has finally decided that he is okay with the boy name that we've most likely chosen.

Whew.

Now he wants to name the baby Charlotte Leah, if it's a girl.

Not our first choice, but it sure beats Gator!

Anyways, my 20 week ultrasound is coming up soon and all mysteries will be revealed.

Speaking of Sam, his mouth is healing well.

He had his stitches removed yesterday, and the scabs have all fallen off.

Unless I look into his mouth, I can hardly tell that he was a bloody mess one week ago.

His teeth have not shifted back into place yet, and I'm not sure that they will.

I'm just happy that they are all baby teeth, that will eventually come out anyways.

Ava is taking her first steps, and will soon be on her way to full-on walking.

She has also acquired several new words and has become quite a chatterbox.

She is fascinated with babies (baby dolls, specifically)

and anything with a face-that is smaller than her-is a "baby."

The S.W. Florida version of fall is finally here, which means pumpkin patches and fall festivals. 

It also means weather that is NOT scorching hot! 

I'm thrilled that our highs are in the 80's and the lows are in the 60's.

Outdoors, here we come!

i wonder

I had my first OB appointment a couple of days ago

and it got me wondering...

...why you wait for an hour and a half to be seen for 30 mins?

...why they can't come up with a better name than "Advanced Maternal Age"

to describe those of us that are over 35 and pregnant?

...why all the cute maternity clothes in the pregnancy magazines cost over $100...I mean really, for a t-shirt?

...why the office scale always says I weigh 4 lbs. more than my scale at home does?

...why "the cup" is the size of a thimble?

...why the paper on the exam table induces butt-sweat?

Any answers?

a little sad

Being pregnant again has landed me in new territory...
the "I have kids close together in age" group of moms.

I mean, Sam was 4 when Ava was born. We had 4 uniterrupted years to experience all things "Sam."
 All the snuggles and cuddles and rocking to sleep,
all the book reading and bath times,
all the outside discoveries on our walks...
my focus was concentrated solely on him.

By the time I got pregnant with Ava, I was ready to experience the whole cycle all over again.
I was looking forward to the extended nursing,
the baby cuddles,
and watching her experience her world of firsts.

But now, in this new territory, I'm feeling a little jilted for her.
By the time Ava is 18 months the new babe will be here.
And there will be very little exclusive "Ava time." 
Already, due to pregnancy hormones, nursing her has almost come to an end.
It makes me sad.
I am cherishing every quiet moment I have with her,
 knowing that all too soon my attention will be divided.

I used to wonder why my sister-in-law (who has 6 munchkins ages 7 and under) tended to baby her little ones for so long.
Now I know.
I kind of feel like I need to make it up to Ava for taking away my undivided attention so soon.

Has anyone else felt like this?

I mean, it's not that I wish I wasn't pregnant.
I am excited for this new life and looking forward to adding a new little one to our family.
I have just been caught off guard by the melancholy feelings that have surfaced in this area.

I guess I should just blame it on the hormones!
What do you think?

back where i started

The answer to this:

is this:

Yep, baby #3 is on the way!

It has been almost a year since I started my blog, and what a year it has been!

I started blogging because I was pregnant,
unable to sleep,
and bored!

Fast forward...

I am pregnant again,
just getting back to a good night's sleep,
and now trying desperately to find the time to blog!

waiting...for YOUR will to be done?

I don't like to wait.

I don't like to wait for people who are late (although I am some times one of those people.)
I don't like to wait in line too long (whatever my definition of "too long" is at that moment!)
And I don't like to wait if the "waiting period" should be over.

Case in point: I am due with our second child. I have been "overdue" for several days now. I am DONE waiting! There is nothing I can do about it. Yet, I have convinced myself that this waiting period should be OVER! I told my husband today that our little girl should be here already, and his reply, "If she was supposed to be here, she WOULD be here. It's not time yet."

And he's right.

For whatever reason, I have not gone into labor yet. And although there may be a physical reason for the postponement of this birth, I think the greater reason is the refinement of my character and surrendering to the sovereignty of God. You see, this is usually the way things work between me and God. I get an idea stuck in my head about the way I think something "should be" and He totally unravels that theory until it is clear that He has a completely different plan in mind. A plan that goes above and beyond my my short-sightedness and reaches to the depths of the real issue at hand. In this case...waiting.

So I ask myself, "Who's will do you want to be done?"

Ultimately, the Lord's will. He knows the perfect timing for this child to be born. He knows the possible complications that might prevent her from being born right now. He knows that this is a teachable moment for me, and will not shorten it until His perfect work is finished. He knows all these things and more...so I will wait.

"But those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength..." Isaiah 40:31a