Winter 2010 Pictures

Earlier this month we had Brianna's pictures taken for her 3rd Birthday! And of course we had a few taken of Eli as well! We also had some new family pictures taken for Christmas!

Insights from a 3 year old... and other things I am Learning

Brianna has offered some interesting views on having a baby in the house. Here are just a couple of them.

Brianna had a difficult time understanding why she can't help feed Eli. The first night we were home she threw a fit because she wanted to feed bubby. She has adjusted and accepted the fact that I nurse and has even told us that she can't feed Eli because hers' "are too small."

Buying your 3 year old a camera for her birthday right before you bring a new baby home (which you plan to nurse) might not be a good idea. She doesn't understand that it might not be appropriate to take pictures at certain times!

Stayed tuned for more insights from Brianna! I am sure that with her personality we will have many more!

Changes...

can cause a lot of stress and anxiety in one's life. They can happen smoothly or come with a lot of bumps in the road. I personally do not like change. I have my routine, my sense of normal, that I like to maintain. When this delicate balance is thrown off course, I tend to be the type that becomes very anxious and stressed.

However, with Eli's arrival, the transition has (so far) happened very smoothly! Sure, I don't like not getting much sleep and there have already been a few times when grumpiness has prevailed but he has come into our lives and it seems like he has always been here! He is a much happier/easier baby than Brianna was. Maybe it is because we know what we are doing this time around and what to expect, I really don't know.

Unfortunately, Brianna seems to be like me in adjusting to change...she is very stressed! While she is obviously head over heels in love with her bubby, she is also very jealous! Granted her schedule/routine has been anything but normal despite adding a new baby to the list. She has been fussy and whiny and prone to throwing temper tantrums! We are constantly on her about not being in his face and having to be careful when she is around him. This has obviously led to some very frustrated parents!

But when she talks to him! I feel my heart melt with love and pride! She is always telling "Look at those beautiful eyes!"...something she hears me saying to him. She is very protective and possessive of him. She is obviously well on her way to becoming a great big sister! And this Mommy couldn't be happier!

Introducing....

Elijah Robert! Eli was born Monday afternoon at 1:29. He weighed 9 lbs 2 oz and was 21 inches long! He looks so much like Brianna in his newborn pics it is amazing! He is such a sweet laid back little boy and we are already head over heels in love with him! Everyone is doing well and we are hoping to come home today!

Summer Pictures

Okay, so I know these are a little late but we have been busy getting ready for Eli ever since we got back from vacation. Since he will be here in a few days, I thought I would get them posted! Thank you for the awesome pictures Jada (Eden Photograhy)! You did a terrific job!

Getting Ready for Eli!

In three days, I will be holding our little boy in my arms! I really cannot believe how quickly this pregnancy has gone! We are pretty much ready. I have all the major projects done and several smaller ones! Eli's bag is packed and mine is waiting for clothing that I have to wear for the next few days still so I will be doing laundry Sunday. I haven't even started packing for Bobby and Brianna so I guess I better get moving with that! I have worked Bobby and my Dad to the bone! Thanks to both of you for all you have done! I love the bench my Dad made to sit on our landing to hold bags and such! And Bobby, I know I will be able to enjoy our living room more without looking at all of the toys! I also want to thank Daisy (my mother-in-law) and my Mom and family for throwing me a wonderful Baby Shower! The below pictures are of us getting ready for Eli...including some of my crazy nesting projects! There is also a picture of my "Baby Bump" from about 36 weeks...which was 2 weeks ago. Hopefully I will get some pics up early next week of Eli!

7 weeks!

Eli is scheduled to arrive in 7 weeks on Monday, November 22nd around 1:30! I can't believe it is already that close! He is starting to get very strong and likes to show me that by kicks and jabs that are starting to hurt a bit! It is also very fun to watch him wiggle around inside my belly! He is big enough now that Brianna can feel him and likes to refer to him as a bump (how I described to her how to feel him in my belly)! Nesting is in full swing and has been ever since we got back from vacation so the house is almost ready....except for the 8' long wall I convinced Bobby to build in our living room to separate it from the toy area! I hope to work on that this weekend! After that it is really just getting the carpets cleaned and getting ready from Christmas! I am getting really excited and will keep everyone updated!

Belly Pics!

Can't believe that the second trimester is almost over and the third is about to start! At times it has seemed to go by very quickly and at other times seemed to drag by! I measured my belly the other day to see how big I was already and I was surprised! My belly measured 43 inches! Just for reference my belly measured 47 inches the night before I had Brianna! I figured I better post some pictures up here because I really want to make sure I document as much of this as I can!

8 weeks

12 weeks

20 weeks...Halfway there!

24 weeks...I added this one because I think I got a lot bigger between 24 and 26 weeks!

26 weeks! Do you think I got a lot bigger?

Eli's Ultrasound Pics

Here are the ultrasound pictures from last week. He is just shy of 25 weeks in these pictures! Can't wait to meet him! Only about 13 more weeks!

Profile
Cute little feet
Such a sweet little face

Another Big One!

We are well on our way to another big baby! We went to the doctor on Monday and had another ultrasound. Eli is already in the 85th percentile and weighs approximately 1 lb 14 oz! I guess I can give up on the idea of having a normal size baby! We got some really cute pictures! I will try to get them up here but my scanner is not working to I will have to go to my parents' house and use theirs so it might be a little while! We got some 4D images of his face and he looks very sweet! I am 25 weeks today so hopefully only 14 to go! My OB will schedule the C-section after 30 weeks so I will let everyone know when to expect Eli's arrival! In the mean time, I am going through Brie's stuff trying to figure out what we need for the little man so my house if filled with totes! Wish me luck!

New blog design to come

...because pink isn't going to work anymore! We found out yesterday that Brianna is going to get a baby brother! We are going to name him Elijah Robert and call him Eli. He looked great yesterday and was very active (I already knew that though!). He weighed 11 oz and is already in the 76th percentile! My OB told me to be prepared for another big baby! His nuchal fold measurement was a bit high (6.3mm while the acceptable range is between 5 and 6 mm) but the doctor is not really concerned because everything else looked great. He does want to do a repeat ultrasound for a recheck of this measurement at my next appointment in 5 weeks so just pray that everything checks out okay. We are not worried because we have been praying for healthy child and believe that is what He is going to give us! I will post pics soon and hopefully in the near future have a redesigned blog that is gender neutral!

Baby Update

Okay, just to start our last appointment was over two weeks ago. Sorry it has taken so long to update everyone but we have been incredibly busy! So, yes the baby is fine. It's heart rate was 170 which is quite a bit higher than what Brianna's was at that point. My doctor also asked me if we had already had an ultrasound. I said, "Yes, we have had two." He then went on to ask if they only found one baby each time. I told him yes and not to scare me like that! Evidently I really "bloomed up" quite a bit since my last visit. Anyway, this baby is a lot more active than Brianna was so I am greatly enjoying all the little bumps and kicks I am feeling and can't wait until Bobby and Brianna can feel them too! Our next appointment is Monday and we are hoping to find out if we need to buy pink or blue this time! I will keep you updated!

The Present

This morning Brianna woke up and asked Daddy where her present was. We were both a little puzzled so Bobby asked, "What present?" She said, "My baby present." We thought maybe she was thinking about a present for the baby or maybe she had dreamed about Daddy getting her a present. We asked her again, "What baby present?" She said, "The baby in the potty present with the Mommy." With that the lights turned on for me and I asked her, "Do you mean the Barbie doll we saw at Wal-Mart yesterday with the little girl on the potty?" She said, "Yes."
As a reward for being good in the grocery store we let her look at toys after we finish shopping. Yesterday we looked at Barbie's and there was a Babysitting Barbie that she was fascinated with. I guess she liked it so much that she dreamed we got it for her as a present!

Conversations with Brianna

Brianna has become very talkative lately. Here are a couple of examples of conversations we have had.

Between Brianna and Mommy:
Brianna: "Mommy get that at Wal-Mart?"
Mommy: "Yes"
Brianna:"Did you pay for it?"
Mommy: "Yes"

We have this conversation several times a week. I don't know why she continuously asks me if I paid for it...

Between Brianna and Daddy:
Brianna: "It's not a baby brother in Mommy's belly, it's a baby sister!"

One of them is going to be upset!

Baby 2: 6 & 12 week Ultrasound Pics

Here are some of the ultrasound pictures we have had so far. I can't believe how quickly they go from being a "peanut" to looking like a baby! Again, it was very active and kept jumping around during this last appointment. It's heart rate was 165 which made Bobby a little nervous since he is claiming it is a boy (Brianna's was about that). I can't wait to see what this baby is going to be!

Mother's Day 2010

I had an awesome Mother's Day this year! It worked out to where we didn't have a bunch of places to go so we came home from church, took a nap and then went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner! Yummy! We had enough leftovers for lunch too! Brianna also got me a digital photo frame! I can't wait until I can get pictures loaded up on it!

Swing Set

Here are pictures of the swing set we built in April. Brianna (and her cousins) love it! Thanks to all who helped put it together!

Indy Trip

We went to Indianapolis a few weeks ago and visited the Children's Museum and the Zoo. We had a great time! Thanks Brad & Theresa for telling us about this travel package! Enjoy the pics!

So Long First Trimester!

The first trimester is officially over! I am really glad because it wasn't a particularly pleasant few weeks! I never got sick, but I went a few weeks without cooking because just the smell of food cooking made me so nauseous I could not eat. I also got to experience a particularly bad case of insomnia...I can't think of anything much worse than feeling yucky and not sleeping while being pregnant.
We went to the doctor on Monday and everything looks great! The baby was very active and kept jumping around during the ultrasound and was also very intent on chewing/sucking on it's hand/thumb. It is amazing how much it has grown in the past 6 weeks!
We took Brianna with us so she could see the baby and she was very fascinated by everything. When we were explaining to her that the baby on the screen was in Mommy's belly and she said, "No, it's in (com)puter." Now, everything is about her baby sister. We tell her it might be a baby brother but she still usually says it is a sister. We won't know for another 8 weeks if she is right or if Daddy is right (he insists it is a boy). I personally don't care as long as it is healthy. While I would like a boy to even out the family, we will be blessed either way.
I will post the ultrasound pics as soon as I get them scanned.

Exciting Announcement!

November is already a pretty busy month for us with my MIL's birthday, my birthday and of course Brianna's birthday (which are three days apart!) not to mention the beginning of the holiday season but we decided to make it even more crazy. Around Thanksgiving we will be adding another little one to our family! That is right Brianna is going to be a big sister! We went to the doctor yesterday and saw a perfectly healthy baby with a strong heartbeat! We are just shy of 7 weeks pregnant. Our due date is December 2nd but my OB already said it is very likely we will have another C-section so it will probably be born around Thanksgiving (Brianna was born the day after). Needless to say we are super excited and can't wait to see who this baby is!

Update

Brianna seems to be doing better. There are almost no signs of her rash. I took her to the doctor today and he said her ears look great! We are going to take her to an allergist in a few weeks to see if she has any allergies that may be contributing to all of these ear infections. Please keep us in your prayers and I will let you know what the allergist says!

First Trip to the ER

Brianna has been a sick little girl this year. In early January, she went to the doctor for a sinus infection and an ear infection that took 3 rounds of antibiotics to clear up. Three weeks ago, we took her to the Urgent Care because she woke up running a fever and having difficulty breathing. It turns out she had an upper respiratory, sinus and ear infections (it had only been a little over two weeks since her last ear re-check). The Urgent Care prescribed Amoxicillin and it cleared up the respiratory and sinus infections but did not clear up the ear infection. She was still being pretty fussy and since we knew that Amoxicillin did not treat her last ear infection, we called our pediatrician and asked for him to look at her ears. Sure enough, her left ear was still inflamed. So he switched her to Omnicef. The last time she was on Omnicef she developed a rash but the pediatrician thought it was due to the virus that caused her cold. Well, on Thursday I noticed a similar rash developing. By Friday morning, it was starting to spread and she had ping-pong to golf ball size knots on both of her feet. I called the doctor who advised to stop the antibiotic and give her Benadryl for the rash. The rash continued to get worse. This morning she came into our room at 1 o'clock crying and scratching. When we turned on the light to look at her, she looked awful! We called the on-call nurse for our pediatrician and she advised we take her to the ER. After examining her, they administered steroids and Benadryl through and IV. Given the circumstances, she did really well. Mommy cried right along with her when they put in her IV. She feels and looks better today. The staff at the ER did an excellent job! I guess we won't be giving her Omnicef anymore!

"Ucky!"

...that is one of Brianna's favorite words to describe things. Most of the time she uses it accurately, sometimes not. If she were to say it now in reference to how the two of us feel it would be dead on! We took her to Urgent Care on Sunday after she woke up at three in the morning running a fever, breathing heavily and asking Daddy if he got the phone because it was ringing. Once there, they diagnosed her with an upper respiratory infection, possible sinus infection and possible ear infection and gave her some amoxicillin. I was shocked that the doctor could not identify an ear infection! Maybe it was just in the beginning stages Sunday morning, but all he told us was that it looked red. He did not even tell us about the URI, we read that on the discharge paperwork! I have decided that no matter how sick she is I will call and schedule an appointment with her pediatric after hours clinic (which I would have done in the first place if I had known that her after hours clinic had switched to seeing patients by appointment only)because I just was not satisfied with the care she received. Not that it was bad, it just wasn't good for a toddler. I have since confirmed that she does indeed have an ear infection when our family doctor kindly took a peek in her ears when I went this morning for sinus pressure, congestion and a sore throat. Now I am on antibiotics too! Plus additional allergy medicine.
After our last go-round with an ear infection (it lasted about 6 weeks and took 3 rounds of antibiotics to get rid of) our pediatrician said if she was back in a few weeks with another one we would probably be sent to a specialist. That was two weeks ago last Friday. Bobby and I talked and feel that although we would rather her not have to have surgery, we don't want her to keep suffering with these ear infections. So if we get sent to the ENT, we are not going to fight it because with spring coming on us and the strong possibility that she has allergies it probably is not going to get much better soon.
Please keep us in your prayers, we have been fighting one illness after another literally since the beginning of the year. Pray for complete health to be restored to all of our bodies! Thanks!

Camera Dump!

Here are pictures from this fall and winter. I have been busy, preoccupied and lazy so I am just now getting these up! Since I didn't want to overload the site with a bunch of pic uploads in one day I thought I would just combine everything in one post. So there are quite a variety of pictures here including her birthday and Christmas.

Big Girl Bedroom Makeover!

Brianna moved into a big girl bed this month! So of course that meant Mommy got to redecorate her room! Yea! I think it turn out really good!

Too Busy!

That would describe our lives the last few months! Oh, and sick too! I think Bobby has been to the doctor three times since around Thanksgiving! And I have been twice in about the past month! Anyway, I subbed at our church's pre-school for my dear friend Tina who was on maternity leave and who happen to have her little girl, Lucy Claire, on Brianna's birthday! I want to express a huge amount of admiration to all the working moms out there! I only subbed three mornings a week and felt like there was never enough time to get everything done! I really enjoyed the experience and I do miss the kids but I am so glad to be back to my normal schedule!
Brianna had an awesome 2nd birthday! We threw her a Dora themed birthday party and she got a lot of presents. Daddy was off on her actual birthday so we took her to Build-A-Bear for the first time then out to lunch at every kids favorite place to eat McDonald's. Then there was Thanksgiving and of course the whole holiday rush.
Christmas was awesome! Brianna really got into opening presents this year! Maybe a little too much because she kept asking for more! Again, she got way too much! She helped Mommy bake Christmas cookies this year too! Now every time I need to mix anything she wants to help! Bobby was also off during the Christmas break so we got lots of family time in!
We had our first snowfall that Brianna was able to play in. Unfortunately, although she thought it was "pretty" she didn't want to play or walk in it for that matter! Oh well, one day she will love it! We also took her to see her first movie this weekend, The Princess Frog and she loved it! She wanted to go back in and watch it again after the movie was over! I told her we will buy it for her when it comes out on DVD.
We also started potty training around Christmas. She is doing pretty well! She goes most days without having any accidents but she refuses to go poopy in the potty! We are working really hard on this but I know it will happen when she is ready.
Anyway, I just wanted to update the blog! I know it has been awhile since I last posted. I hope to post some pics soon, but it may be awhile!