Popping in!

Hi friends! It's been awhile, but we are back from our Hawaiian vacation and ready to get back into the groove of things. 

I would love to do a whole vacation recap for you, but I haven't had a chance to upload our pictures yet. I've also been super sick...which really put a damper on the end of vacation. I started feeling sick on Wednesday last week and thought it was a combo of too much activity in the hot sun and 3rd trimester morning sickness coming back so I barely left the hotel bed for the rest of vacation. However, by the time we got home on Sunday night it had been a solid 3 days of not being able to keep ANY food or liquid down. After a truly horrific Sunday night (I'll spare you the details) we called the doctor first thing Monday morning and they recommended getting right into the hospital. 

We were whisked right up to Labor and Delivery and they started fluids immediately. The doctors think I might have picked up a little something on vacation and then being so dehydrated just slowly made things worse and worse. Anyways, as we were being discharged I made it all the way to the car before I fainted (apparently the combo of being so dehydrated and all the fluids didn't sit well with me) so back up to L&D we went! Baby G is okay and doing great. The highlight of the day was being hooked up to the monitors and getting to hear his sweet heartbeat all day long. 

It was a LONG day for everyone. Hannah was SUCH a trooper. She stayed at the hospital with us the whole time and everyone kept commenting on what an amazing baby she was to just be content with sitting in a hospital room for 8 hours. 

I was so grateful for my mom to spend the day with me and occupy Hannah, and for Noah who was stuck at work but texted and called every half hour to make sure we were okay. 

Anyways...we are home and getting some much needed rest, so uploading vacation pictures is on my to-do list...but after some sleep! 

One last thing before I go....I FINALLY have a due date for my research paper...November 30th. I was just recently informed that if I don't finish my paper by the end of November, I will need to repay for the class....sooooooooo the next 2.5 weeks are going to be busy busy busy. I'm excited to finally have an end in sight and know I just need to get it done...but I won't lie when I say that I am stressed to the MAX thinking about everything I need to get done in these next couple of weeks. Eeeek! 

Anyways...I'm procrastinating enough! Talk soon, friends! 

Bump Update: Weeks 22-25

Weeks 22-25

How far along? 25 weeks....105 more days to go! I can't believe we are almost down to the double digits....eeek! 
Size and growth of Baby? Baby G is 13.5 inches long, and weighs a whopping 1.5lbs. He is roughly the size of a rutabaga. He's starting to gain some bebe fat so his little wrinkled skin is starting to smooth out. I'm picturing that....and it just makes me laugh. Too cute. 
Maternity Clothes? Oh yes....this baby belly isn't fitting into normal people clothes anymore. ;) 
Weight Gain? Hmmm...I'll know for sure next Tuesday at my next appointment, but we've had a growth spurt these last couple weeks and I think I am up a total of close to 20 pounds. Um...wow. Again, I'll verify this next week. 
Stretch Marks?  Nope.
Gender? Blue, blue, blue.
Movement? So much! His movements and kicks are visible from the outside now and its funny to see my stomach just randomly jolt in one direction. He's super strong though and his kicks are already starting to become uncomfortable. He moves around the most at night when I lay down to relax....but he doesn't really keep me up, which is nice. He isn't kicking super low yet (thank goodness....that is the painful part!) but when I sit down, he definitely is reaching up there in my ribs and those pokes and punches to the ribs are always surprising. 
Sleep? Relatively good! I'm having less random bathroom breaks throughout the night. I have to flip from side to side several times in the night, but other than that...sleep is pretty good! 
Food Cravings/Aversions?  Still craving my regular chocolate milk every night before bed. I can't really pin point any regular cravings. I've been a lot more lenient with what I eat this time around...I've had a couple sandwiches, hot dogs and even some soft cheese with crackers....not a lot, but still more than I ever dared to even look at with Hannah. 
What I Miss? Nothing! I really do love being pregnant...despite being uncomfortable and having my first "I'm over this pregnancy" episode last week, I really do enjoy everything about being pregnant and when I start feeling overwhelmed with pains, I try to remember how much I missed being pregnant and feeling Hannah move after I had her. 
Symptoms? Exhaustion, back pain, heartburn, braxton hicks contractions, emotional...typical stuff. I have been having a very strange symptom....I've been super confused lately. Like can't remember my own birthday, confused. I will go into the kitchen looking for a cup and open several different cabinets and drawers until I actually find the cabinets that we keep the cups in...despite them living in that particular cabinet since the day we moved in! I drive to totally random places...ending up nowhere near where I was intending to go. I have to write everything down. I forget what I am saying in the middle of saying it. I honestly felt like I was losing my mind. I randomly brought it up in passing to my doctor but not as a serious question. Fast forward to this week...I had my glucose testing and got my results yesterday. Apparently I am hypoglycemic with a very low blood sugar level. My doctors nurse practitioner actually wanted to make sure I even remembered to take the drink! I'm not totally sure what this all means right now, but from what I understand, I can maintain my blood sugar levels on my own by making sure I eat every two hours on the dot. If I can't, then giving myself shots might be in my future. :/ Anyways, she said that symptoms of hypoglycemia are shakiness, dizziness, extreme confusion and exhaustion....and said that my memory loss and issues with that are very typical of a hypoglycemic person. Interesting...but at least I have something to "blame" my memory loss and confusion on....I honestly thought I was going insane! 
Best Moment of the Week?  Lots! Seeing G move from the outside; taking Hannah to the pumpkin patch; reaching week 25!, and starting to pack for Hawaii! Oh, we also officially "broke ground" on the nursery and started clearing out the room. It's funny...by this time in my pregnancy with Hannah, we already had all of her furniture and bedding, and it was all set up. She had a full closet and plenty of toys already. Poor little guy has a handful of clothes...but that's about it! I am super excited to actually start nursery planning as soon as we get back from Hawaii.
Worst Moment of the Week?  Getting bad news from my school (luckily it got straightened out for the most part :/) and getting the results from my glucose test. 
What Noah is saying...  "I can't wait to get some lego's for G!" <-----he's really all about the Lego's apparently. 
Other Thoughts? I'm anxious for my appointment next week. I was measuring about a week ahead at our last ultrasound almost two months ago...I'm pretty sure G went through a growth spurt these last few weeks because I've really "popped" and have gained almost double what I was expecting to. I'm hoping my doctor can check to see if G is still measuring ahead and if I should be prepared for a January birthday. ;) I've also been given an official deadline to have my research project in for school....I have one month. I'm feeling overwhelmed...and not sure how on earth I can finish it in that time (especially since I will be in Hawaii for 10 days)....but it needs to be done....and I'm honestly sick of talking about it (as I'm sure you are sick of hearing about it ;) So I'm looking forward to just having it done, done, done!

Pumpkin patch fun!

We had a jam-packed weekend of fun, and even though I'm sad to see it end; I'm excited to get this week moving!

Noah came home from his business trip in Vegas on Friday and Hannah and I were so excited to see him. He had been gone for almost the whole week and its safe to say that this Mama was exhausted! Hat's off to single Mama's and military mom's....its hard work holding down the house, raising babies and being pregnant by yourself!

Saturday morning, Noah took Hannah to "Daddy-Daughter Pumpkin Painting" at Hannah's school. It was so cute watching the two of them get ready to head off. Hannah and I get plenty of "mommy and me" time, so I was so happy that Hannah's school makes a special effort to include time for just the Daddy's. I was definitely waiting for the full report when they got back home and it sounds like it went really well! Hannah was so excited to show off her school to Dada; she showed him her favorite slide and the rice table and of course...the baby corner. ;) They brought home an adorably decorated pumpkin and Hannah gets excited every time she see's it.

After a quick nap and some lunch, we headed off to the pumpkin patch. Last year, Hannah was only 4 and a half months old and had no idea what was going on....but she had a blast! She got to take a ride in a cow tractor with Dada and then loved stampeding around the pumpkin patch. She kept pointing to random pumpkins and grunting. Eventually Noah picked out a few and lined them up in front of her to pick one. She was pretty darn adorable and we kept talking about how excited we are for NEXT year when we will have our family of 4!!

After our pumpkin patch fun we headed over to a friends house for their gender reveal party! I didn't get any pictures, but they are having a little boy! So far that brings our tally up to 2 boys and 1 girl for the next wave of babies in our playgroup.

Our 1 year anniversary was on Sunday, but we decided to celebrate Saturday night. We put the munchkin to bed early and Noah picked up some takeout from one of our favorite "fancy" restaurants in town. We exchanged gifts and ate and chatted by candlelight in the comfort of our own home! It was perfect.

On Sunday we laid low for most the day. But we did get to go over and celebrate Miss Presley Kay's first birthday...of course I didn't take pictures at that either, but it was a blast and such an adorable party. :) It's been so much fun to watch my friends baby's grow over the year that we've been parents. It's such a fun time in our lives!

We had a jam packed weekend but it was so much fun. Like I said, I'm sad to see it end...but we have such an exciting couple weeks coming up so I'm just excited to keep on trucking along. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Hannah: 16 months!

Baby girl,

You are already 16 months old! I honestly can't believe it! I feel like it was just your 1st birthday, and then I blinked and now here you are....16 months old!

You are doing so many amazing things right now, and I have to say.....I think this might be my most favorite age yet! You are so interactive and silly, but also so caring and loving. 

At your 15 month check up you measured in at 31 inches and weighed in at 26 pounds. You are still rocking the 90th percentile for both height and weight. ;) We always get comments on what a big baby you are, but I think you are perfect! Just enough squishy rolls to smother with kisses. 

Let's see....you started walking when you were 10.5 months old! You are now running everywhere you go. Your favorite game is to play "chase" with Dada. You love running up to him and tapping him on the arm and then laughing and running to hide behind the chair or kitchen table. 

You also love playing peek-a-boo. You will cover your own eyes and then pop your arms out and say "waaaaaaa!!!!" Sometimes you even like covering Mama and Dada's eyes and play peek-a-boo that way. You also love scaring us and will hide behind furniture and then pop out and yell. It's pretty funny. 

You've always been a book reader, but even more so, recently. You like picking out books and bringing them to Mama and Dada and then tapping the ground (telling us to sit down) and then you climb in our laps and we read. It melts my heart when I'm cooking dinner and look over to see you laying on your tummy reading your books. We've been frequenting the library lately and you go crazy! You love scanning the aisles of books and we always pick out a stack to take home. 

You aren't talking quite yet. But you are so effective with other modes of communication...and you are SMART! You listen very well and will shake your head no, or nod it yes when we ask you questions. We know you know what we are saying, because your answers are always accurate. We ask if you need a diaper change and you will nod your head yes if you do! You tap the ground when you want us to sit next to you; open and close your hands when you want to be picked up; wave "come here" when you want us; and you point to everything. Lately we've been working on animal sounds and you say "woof" whenever you see a dog....it sounds more like "fffffff!!!!!" It's so darn cute. We aren't counting it as a word quite yet because its so new and I'm waiting to see if it sticks. 

You love coloring, climbing through your tunnel, playing with your blocks, playing with your instruments, dancing and singing, playing in your house, and playing with baby dolls. You have one baby doll in particular that you LOVE. We call her "baby" and you are hardly without her. She's an interesting looking doll....and I'm kind of already excited for you to look back on pictures and your doll when you are older. You are very protective over Baby and if Mama forgets to pull her out of the crib after nap time, you will start whining and pointing at Baby. One time Baby was sitting on the couch and Dada threw his coat on the couch, on top of Baby. You.were.not.happy. You immediately stood up and ran over to the couch and started yelling at Dada. We "rescued" Baby and you hugged her and kissed her and kept patting your hand over her face and holding her close. Dada and I were dying laughing. You are going to be one good Mama someday. :) 

You've recently been giving the best bear hugs. They come out of nowhere sometimes and are so sweet, my heart just melts into a thousand pieces. You will literally just come over and wrap your arms around my neck and lay your head down on my shoulder and squeeze. I love it. I always close my eyes and try to memorize everything about the moment....the way you smell, the little hum sound you make while you hug, the feeling of your arms around my neck and your little body squished against mine and the feeling my heart is making. I want to treasure these little moments forever and remember what they feel like because no amount of pictures will ever convey that moment. 

One funny thing about you....you are cleaning obsessed...just like Mama. You love picking up your toys. If I give you a washcloth or a baby wipe, you will go around the house randomly cleaning spots. If you find anything on the floor (a crumb from lunch, lint, etc) you will pick it up with your little pincher fingers and bring it over to Mama to throw away. You hate the dents in our hardwood floors and get so frustrated with them that they won't "come off" when you wipe...me too, sweet pea, me too. One time when we were grocery shopping, you were being exceptionally quiet and I looked down to see you picking lint off my shirt (since my big belly was right there in your face, anways ;). You hate being dirty and won't go anywhere near finger paint or markers. You don't like having crumbs on your fingers and will hold out your hands wide after you finish eating until we can clean them off for you. 

You love climbing up the stairs and are pretty good at them. You haven't gotten the hang of sliding down the stairs on your tummy and prefer to walk down them like we do...so that's still a little scary. We hold your hands and you take the biggest steps down and laugh the whole time. 

We had a couple weeks of a tantrum scare. You were hitting and biting and screaming in anger. I couldn't figure it out (and honestly still haven't!). I could tell something was "off" but didn't know if it was a stage we were entering or if it was due to you having a cold and teething at the same time. Either way...its subsided for now and you are back to my smiley and happy girl. 

Speaking of teeth...you have 16!!!! Your 4 incisors just popped through...and boy was it rough, especially mixed in with having a cold. You were definitely in pain...and honestly if that's why you were having tantrums, I don't blame you baby girl. Though you definitely got spoiled during that time; staying up past bed time, extra treats, and getting to sleep with Mama and Dada. Now that you are better we are having a little trouble getting back into our regular routine and getting you to stay in your own bed all night. Whoops! 

You are a thinker, my little lady. You smile a lot...but you also have a serious face that always gets a lot of comments. You concentrate so hard and I can tell you are going to be like your Dada and be so smart. 

You and I have been particularly attached the past few months. While you definitely LOVE your Dada, you've always been a "Mama's girl". I'm the first person you want to snuggle in the morning, and the one you reach for when you are upset and sad, and the one you want for your last kiss and snuggle at bedtime. You love being silly with Dada, though. You play with him and get more active with him than you do with me. I've also been feeling more attached and can't bear to be away from you. You recently started school on Monday's that Grammy takes you to, and I just count the minutes and stare out the window waiting for you to come back. 

You are too young to understand that you will be getting a baby brother in a few months here, but I know you are going to be the BEST big sister. You are so loving and caring, always sharing your toys and giving hugs and kisses to other babies. I can't wait to watch you interact with Graham. 

I love you so much, little monkey. You are just the most favorite thing I have ever done and I can't imagine life without you. You are my whole life. I love you to the moon and back, my sweet girl. 

Love,

Mama

Monday Random's and a Picture Dump

Happy Monday!

We had a super low key weekend due to me being on bed rest....:/ 

Last Thursday morning I had two contractions within 30 minutes. I called my OB right away and they put me on "limited bed rest" through the weekend and until my appointment this Tuesday. Basically it meant that I could walk around my house and play with Hannah...but I had to spend most of my day laying down and resting. The worst part...I couldn't lift anything, including my sweet girl who loves being held and carried by her Mama. I'll find out more information at my regular check-up on Tuesday...but its serious stuff as we aren't quite at our week of viability yet. :/ Keep on cooking, G-man! 

Anyways, so we really had a low key weekend. Noah went to the annual Coug game in Seattle with the fam on Saturday, while Nan's and I stayed at home and rested. It was pouring rain and we lost...badly...so I don't feel too bad that I missed out. 

On Sunday we spent all day watching football...and I have to say that the Seahawks game definitely got my blood pressure going. Did anybody watch?! Definitely a nail biter. 

In other news...Hannah has learned to unlock my phone by sliding the bar over (apparently I need to put up a lock code ;) and has been making Facebook statuses, Tweeting, and sharing pictures that the lovely Jillian posted. Suspiciously my phone has now started making strange buzzing noises and I'm not sure how long its going to last. So I dumped all my pictures from my phone to my computer just in case it totally dies....I found some great ones of the last couple months that I wanted to share with you all. 

Relaxing with Dada in her "spot"

Coloring with Baby

Love this

Thank Goodness for the Costco double seat carts

Hugs for Baby

Working

My little seamstress

Love that pouty face

Sick baby gets to stay up late and read books

2am picture when a sick little monkey wanted to come in with Mama and Dada

Bundled up for Stroller Strides

We pulled out her hats and gloves to see what fit her and she wouldn't take them off

Last week of swim lessons

Working on our kicks

Not happy with Mama after her "dunk"

Love her facial expressions

Visiting Mama's school

Bell Square Play Space

I hope everyone had a great weekend! Happy Monday, friends!