6 Weeks Late and Still Behind...

Ooops! I guess life caught up to me! I'm really frustrated that I haven't blogged in 6 weeks, but at least I've taken all my pictures... minus one.  

Life has been pretty hectic around here. Between work and home life, I feel like we've been going 

90 mph lately and I'm ready for it all to slooow down. Michael is in one of the best stages yet and we have so much fun together. He absolutely loves being outside and playing with all sorts of balls. His favorite thing to say is, "I hit the ball!" We took him to his first MLB game last week and he got to watch Derek Jeter play during his last season. I'm sure one day he'll appreciate that :) 

As for "Baby E," HE is growing like a weed! I'm still in shock that we're having another boy and I honestly couldn't be more excited. I can't wait to see Michael with his little brother and to watch them grow up with one another. I pray every night that they grow up as best friends and can depend on one another as they get older. I can't wait until August to finally meet his little face. 

This week I'm actually 21 weeks, but, I have no one here to take my picture. It will be included in next weeks post :) We went to the doctor this week and little man is doing just fine. He's a mover, so it was hard for her to find his heart beat, but once she did, it was strong! According to my sonogram my due date is August 12th and not the 19th, so we decided to make it the 16th. Due to having another c-section, he will hopefully be here sometime between the 8th and 12th. Now for all the fun stuff...

How far along? 20 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 9 pounds... I gained 6 pounds in a month. oops!!!

Maternity clothes? yes and I'm proud of it :) I never wore maternity pants with Michael, but I couldn't resist this time around. They are so comfortable and I wish I would have worn them sooner.

Stretch Marks? Nope 

Sleep: great sleep

Best moment this week: seeing him during our sonogram last week and feeling him more and more everyday

Miss Anything? sometimes a glass of wine sounds nice

Movement: I'm feeling him more often, but he doesn't get too crazy until I lay down for bed

Food cravings: all I want to do is eat everything in sight... still. Which is why I gained 6 pounds.

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope

Gender: BOY

Pregnancy Symptoms: nope

Belly Button in or out? out

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: happy but exhausted

Looking forward to: this weekend and Easter next week!

He was writing "weeks" for me :)

I couldn't leave big brother out, so here is my silly boy!

15 Weeks

How far along? 15 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: not sure, but it seems like more than 5 

Maternity clothes? nope, but I'm definitely going to buy a new belly band this week. My pants are no longer buttoning and I fear that my students will see my zipper half way up! That would be awful.

Stretch Marks? Nope 

Sleep: wonderful sleep, but would love more

Best moment this week: every time Michael hears the word baby, he lifts my shirt up and kisses "his baby." It's definitely the cutest thing ever.

Miss Anything? I want a tuna sandwich soooo bad!

Movement: I feel him/her every once in a while and Brandon actually felt it the other day :)

Food cravings: all I want to do is eat everything in sight 

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope

Gender: not sure :)

Pregnancy Symptoms: my face cannot stop breaking out... It's terrible and I feel like a 7th grader going through puberty.

Belly Button in or out? mostly out

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: happy happy

Looking forward to: beautiful weather this weekend and the countdown until Spring Break! 6 more school days!!!

During my pregnancy with Michael, Brandon couldn't stand the fact that I wore a different shirt each week. He would tell me that it was hard to see a difference in my belly, because different shirts make it look bigger/smaller. His only request with this pregnancy was that I wear the same outfit for each picture. Therefore, I'm sorry that you have to see me in this boring grey shirt each week. He won. 

Here's my big boy enjoying his cereal :)

Here we go again!

Wow, I cannot believe I haven't written in over a year and a half!! Time has flown by and I really got lost in the action. Michael has grown so much and is an amazing 20 month old little boy. He's into EVERYTHING, loves to play hide-n-seek and wrestle with his daddy.

So here we are again, with a new bump-date! We are so excited to be pregnant again and can't wait to meet our new little "bean." We've been trying to get pregnant since Michael turned one, so when it finally happened, we were both in shock! Michael loves the fact that mommy is going to have a baby and loves to kiss my belly. However, I'm a little concerned that once the baby gets here, that might change... So with the new baby, comes a new look to the blog! I was tired of looking at the same boring colors and I needed some inspiration to get this started! My best friend, Cassie, rose to the occasion and totally updated and transformed my page and I love it!!! I'm now super excited to share what's happening in our crazy world each week and bring exciting new bump-dates to you :)

How far along? 13 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 2 pounds

Maternity clothes? not yet... but I definitely feel like my belly is growing at a faster rate than last time

Stretch Marks? Nope 

Sleep: wonderful sleep, just wish I could get more

Best moment this week: this was the most laughable moment... one of my students told me that I needed to stop "snacking" because I didn't want to look like I was having twins... thanks. 

Miss Anything? caffeine

Movement: not yet, however I sometimes feel like I'm feeling her/him, but I'm still not sure

Food cravings: everything 

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope

Gender: not sure :)

Pregnancy Symptoms: nope

Belly Button in or out? it's sometimes out, but it never went all the way back in after Michael

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: exhausted

Looking forward to: Valentine's Day with my boys and the weekend :)

Months 3 and 4

Wow, time sure does get away from you when you're playing with a little one! 

I swore when Michael turned 3 months that I would write a blog... 3 weeks later, nothing had been done! So, I said 4 months.... 2 weeks later, here we are! I find myself never having time to sit down and open the computer. I come home from work to play with my boy, make dinner, give him a bath, put him to bed, do the dishes, prepare for the next day and before I know it, it's 10 o'clock! 

This past month and a half has been super fun! Michael is no longer the little baby that lays around all day. He now wants to play with everything, knock things over, ROLL over, sit up and look at everything around him! When he was first born, I read another blog where the girl said she loves each new stage her baby comes to. At the time I didn't understand, because I never wanted Michael to grow up and start doing things on his own. I already wanted him to depend on me for everything and the thought of him becoming independent at 2 months old, scared me! Well now, I completely understand what she meant! Although I loved Michael being a newborn and cuddling with him 24/7, now that he recognizes our faces, laughs, rolls from his tummy to his back, sits up on his own (for the most part), and falls asleep each night all by himself... I can't help but love each of these new stages! The idea of him being able to sleep on his tummy soon and discovering new things, excites me so much! I don't know why I ever had the feeling of him not needing me, because he does need me more and more each day, just in a different way. 

When four months came, so did the discovery of food! Since the day Brandon and I decided to try for a baby, we discussed baby food and we both agreed to make it ourselves. I've been so lucky and blessed to be able to nurse Michael and now he gets to discover new taste! Although he's only four months and he doesn't receive barely any nutrition from the food, I love seeing his face when he tries something new. We first started out with bananas. Some friends of ours gave us an awesome baby food processor and it works like a champ! We put in one whole banana and some of my breast milk, so he would have a familiar taste. The first time, he was not feeling it! He spit out everything we put in his mouth... I think we enjoyed it more than him! A few nights later, we tried sweet potatoes. This time, we just did a sweet potato with water, to make it the right consistency. This was definitely more of a success! Each time we feed him, he gets super excited and tries to attack the spoon and bowl! Yesterday I fed him smashed banana right from my finger and I thought he was going to eat my hand! 

In these next 2 weeks, before Michael turns 5 months, I'm hoping we'll introduce some more great foods, visit a pumpkin patch and we'll get to celebrate Michael's first Halloween! I can't wait for everyone to see his adorable costume!

Weight:

Birth: 7 lbs. 13 oz.

Month 1: 9 lbs. 11 oz

Month 2: 11 lbs. 10 oz.

Month 3: 13 lbs. 4 oz.

Month 4: 14 lbs. 2 oz.

Length:

Birth: 19 1/2 in.

Month 2: 22 in.

Month 4: 24 in.

Advice Needed: 

Since Michael was 2 months old, he's been sleeping through the night. A little over a month ago, he started putting himself to sleep. I would lay him down and he would talk to himself for about 30 minutes, then pass out. In the past week or two, he has started waking up in the night. Usually I can go in and comfort him for a minute and he'll pass back out, but recently that's not the case. He wakes up and wants to eat, then he'll pass out.... I don't mind waking up and feeding him, but I don't want this to become a habit. How do I stop this?!? On top of that, last Thursday he stopped putting himself to sleep! Now when we lay him down, he screams and screams. I know people say to let him scream it out, but how long is too long? It hurts my heart to hear him crying, when I can easily pick him up and comfort him... But again, I don't want to start a bad habit! If you have any advice, please let me know! We're desperate! 

Now to leave you with a few pictures :)

They're kinda blurry... but you can see Michael and his best friend Jags love each other!

Attacking his sensory ball

Look at those baby blues... Melt my heart!

Two Months

Two months have come and gone and I can't believe how fast it went! Each day Michael changes so much and I feel like I can't keep up! He is growing into an amazing little boy and it brings us so much joy to see his personality starting to come through. 

In his second month, he has done so many new things... He has slept 8 hours here and there and he is now smiling and laughing! Just the other day he started to recognize mine and Brandon's faces :) When I walk into his room in the morning, I'm greeted with a huge smile as soon as he sees me. There is no greater feeling... Here are a few more of his second month accomplishments: we've had our first sleep over with Michael's buddy Mitchell... we celebrated his first Fourth of July... we've stayed at both grandparents houses... we took his first road trip to Houston... he experienced his first thunderstorm... he went swimming for the first time... AND he has started to sit in his Bumbo!!! With all that excitement happening in only one month, I can't imagine what's going to happen in the third! 

Michael continues to be one happy boy and only cries when hungry or dirty :) This momma can't complain! He loves to be read to and loves to be outside. If he begins to get fussy, all we have to do is walk outside with him and he perks right up! We still can't believe he's our baby boy and we grow more and more in love with him each day. 

Surprisingly enough, Brandon's already talking about baby #2... Yikes! 

Michael on Brandon's baby blanket

Michael on mine and my brother's baby blanket 

Weight:

Birth: 7 lbs. 13 oz.

Month 1: 9 lbs. 11 oz

Month 2: 11 lbs. 10 oz.

Length:

Birth: 19 1/2 in.

Month 2: 22 in.

One Month

Oh my! I cannot believe my baby boy is already ONE MONTH old!! Where does the time go? This experience has been the most amazing time of my life and I can't wait to see where our lives go from here. 

Like I predicted, Michael didn't come on his own... We were induced on Tuesday, May 29th at 7 in the morning. After 12 hours of labor, I ended up having an emergency C-Section due to Michael's heartbeat. Michael was born at 8:13 pm weighing 7 pounds 13 ounces and measuring 19 1/2 inches long. When he was delivered they realized he was facing forward with the cord wrapped around him, so his head was stuck in my pelvic bone... which is why he never came on his own! I knew my baby boy wasn't stubborn, just in the wrong position! 

The entire birthing process was an amazing experience and I'll never forget the moment I heard him cry for the first time. As soon as they showed me his beautiful face, I knew the word "No" was no longer in my vocabulary... This little boy has me wrapped around his finger so tight! 

Since we've come home, it's been one heck of a roller coaster ride! We've transitioned from him sleeping in a cradle in our room, to the Nap Nanny in our room, to him sleeping in his crib in HIS room! :) We've gone from feeding every 2-3 hours to every 3-4 and sometimes a little longer at night. However, one thing we struggled with, was his bed time... For the first 3 weeks, Michael would not go to sleep before 11 o'clock. It didn't matter what we did, he would be asleep and the second I would feed him, he would be bright eyed and wide awake! We began to implement a routine at night and things have become way easier! 

Now, we're a month into this and things are running very smooth! We have some what of a schedule and it's working great for all of us! We start our day around 9 o'clock, because little man likes to sleep in, then we play and have tummy time! He usually takes a nap around 11 and wakes up around 12 for another feeding. Usually from 12-3 he's wide awake! This is always the time when I want to take a nap, but he never even acts sleepy! We feed again at 3 and 6, each followed by an hour or so of play time and an hour or so of nap time. Around 8:30/9 it's bath time! I read a girl's blog each week and she recommended giving a bath each night. She said it soothed her baby to sleep, so I thought, why not?!? So now, we give Michael a bath every night and he LOVES it! He can be so grumpy and the second he hears that bath water running, his eyes pop open and he's as calm as a clam! After bath time we feed and then have story time. As soon as I read him his story, we say our prayers and I lay him down in his crib. He usually falls asleep by 9:30 and then wakes up around 2 or 3 to eat again. From there, things get a little shaky depending on his mood, but around 9 in the morning, our routine starts again! I'd say for him being a month old, this schedule isn't too bad! 

In this first month, he's already working so hard to hold his head up, he already straightens out his legs to stand on them and his eyes are becoming more and more focused each day. He never cries unless he's hungry or has a dirty diaper and he loves to hang out with dad and watch the Yankees. He also likes to sleep with socks on and if I forget to put them on him, he fusses until they're on! Last Saturday I weighed him at Baby Earth and he weighed in at 9 pounds 11 ounces! Wow, has my baby grown!! 

When I look at Michael my heart melts. I've always heard that having a child is an indescribable feeling, and I must say it's true.... There is absolutely nothing I wouldn't do for this little boy.

40 Weeks

Holy Cow, how did I make it this far?!? I thought for sure I would have my baby boy here by now, but nope... he's still holding on tight! After last weeks appointment I just knew he would come. I was having contractions and I didn't feel well at all... Little did I know, I would still be pregnant a week later! We went to our 40 week check up today and our doctor was surprised to see us, even she thought he would be here by now!!! She went ahead and scheduled us to be induced next Tuesday, but she doesn't think I'll make it until then. Although I do not want to be induced, knowing that there is an end in sight, really makes me feel better. However, I'm really hoping Michael will come on his own and we'll get to experience the thrill of rushing to the hospital and all the excitement that comes with that! Today was also my last day of work until next year :) If Michael doesn't come in the next couple of days, I'm looking forward to relaxing, catching up on tv, and reading my new book... Who knows when I'll be able to do these things again?!?!?!

Oh, and the most exciting thing about posting this blog, is knowing that next time I post a picture, my little man will be here!!!! YYYYYYAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!

How far along? 40 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: I was at 19 today... so we're just going to say I gained 20 pounds during this pregnancy

Maternity clothes? a few and I'm so excited to not wear that belly band again!!!! even though I know it will be a while after he comes

Stretch Marks? Nope

Sleep: rarely... I continue to become very uncomfortable in the night and nothing makes it better. Usually when I lay on my back (for a few minutes) I feel better, but now my back is beginning to hurt terribly.

Best moment this week: getting our recliner and ottoman in for Michael's room!! I was so excited to receive that phone call, because I thought Michael might beat it here! 

Miss Anything? not this week

Movement: yep 

Food cravings: COOKIE CAKE!!!! someone posted a picture of one on facebook the other day and now I can't think about anything else!! haha

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope, but the other night I was cooking turkey burgers and they kinda made me queasy.... I got over that real quick!

Gender: Baby Boy 

Pregnancy Symptoms: cramping and contractions here and there. I've had a few "big" contractions and we think it might be time, but then nothing happens... so we'll see

Belly Button in or out? Out 

Wedding rings on or off? On.. I will definitely be rockin' my ring during my delivery!

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy Happy and ANXIOUS!

Looking forward to: meeting my little man.