It's A Baby, Baby!

.6 Months.

2012-02-01T13:18:00.000-08:00

Wow! Seriously...I can not believe that my little guy is 6 months old.

He has brought nothing but pure joy in to our lives the past 6 months.

Having a little boy has been SO much fun so far. It has definitely been different...especially when it comes to the size of the kid. Holy cow! Carrying him around in his car seat has grown my biceps considerably. With that said...I think it's about time to move him into a convertible car seat.

Today at his 6 month check up, the Dr. was quite impressed with his progress. She said that she hadn't ever seen a baby at their 6 month check-up with teeth that had come in as far as Greyden's. His motor skills are quite advanced for his age as well. He is sitting up VERY well for his age, his back to tummy roll takes him all of 2 seconds if you lay him on his back and the way he is grasping things and getting them to his mouth is impressive as well. She also gave me some hope that the sooner he gets moving the more his weight gain will mellow out a bit. It would be nice if he could stay in one size of clothing for more than a month. **He has been wearing 12 month clothes for a month now.**

-Check-Up Stats-

Weight: 18lbs 10oz (69%)

Height: 27.5inches (79%)

Head: 17.7inches (81%)

I had mentioned to the Dr. today that Greyden seemed to have no interest in baby food. She suggested sitting him at the table with us during dinner time and just starting with some finger foods while he watches us eat dinner. So tonight I went and bought him a high chair and let him sit with us at the table. I gave him a graham cracker, which he devoured. So I decided to try and give him some rice cereal...which he also devoured. That little stinker was just waiting for me to get him a proper seat.

Greyden is the CUDDLIEST and HAPPIEST little baby I have ever met. He gives smiles away freely and can light up a room with his happiness. He still would rather be held then left on the floor without someone talking to him. He will play with his toys as long as one of his sisters is nearby playing as well. I am hoping we aren't reporting at his 9 month check-up that he is taking strides towards walking...but we will see! I want him to stay my little baby for just a bit longer!

.5 Months.

2012-01-12T10:14:00.000-08:00

Greyden is now 5.5 months old!! I weighed him around Christmas and he was weighing in at 18lbs!

I wanted to post a 5 month update earlier, but I have been sick with an ear AND sinus infection the past few weeks.During that same time, Mr. Greyden has been teething! Sleeping has been interesting...thankfully all the antibiotics I have been taking have been transferring to him while nursing so he hasn't been getting anything I have had!

Obviously, he is teething! His 2 bottom teeth are coming in! 1 has poked through, while the other is just making it's way in.

He has been rolling over from back to tummy for a few weeks. He knows how to roll tummy to back, but we don't do too much tummy time around here. Lily is a bit of a terrorist when it comes to her younger brother. Someone has to have an eye on him at ALL TIMES when Lily is around.

He is quite the little snuggle bug. I LOVE IT! I love waking up with him snuggled up next to me in bed and seeing him so peacefully asleep. I also love that his favorite place to be is in Mommy's arms when he is awake as well.

He will play by himself, if he has too. ha ha He can grab toys and put them in his mouth...but he loves to clear everything off of his bumbo tray and make you put it all back on there for him.

He has quite the strong grip. I find myself gasping in pain fairly often when he pinches the back of my arm or my neck. This morning he gave Daddy a nice punch in the face. :) He is a very strong little guy.

I have people ask me constantly when I am out in public how old he is. When I reply 5 months they always say back "Wow! He must be big for his age!" Yes...he is quite big AND adorable!!

We are still enjoying every second with our little guy. He gives the BEST smiles and the most adorable little giggles I have ever witnessed.

I am IN LOVE with this little guy!!

.Baby Giggles.

2011-12-29T19:00:00.001-08:00

.4 Months.

2011-12-12T10:07:00.000-08:00

I LOVE this little guy!!!

Our little man is now 4 and a half months old.

Time has flown by, but we have been enjoying every second with him.

He is such a happy baby and SO sweet!

He LOVES to give smiles to everyone.

His smile is contagious. My heart skips a beat EVERY time he smiles at me.

He is the ONLY baby I have ever met that actually enjoys diaper changes. He smiles at me the whole time I am changing his diaper as if to say "Why Thanks Mom!". ha ha

He is wearing 6-9 month tops (some 9-12 months) and still 3-6 month bottoms (some 6-9 months).

He has a nice long torso like this Daddy, and his legs are a bit shorter...but he is by no means a shorty.

He had his 4 month check up on Friday, here are his stats:

Weight: 16lbs 12oz (76%)

Height: 27in (97%)

Head: 17.5in (92%)

In other words, he is perfect! ;)

He is rolling from his tummy to his back and is SO close to rolling from his back to his tummy.

We tried rice cereal twice...he didn't really have an opinion on it either way, so we are going to try again in a few weeks.

He loves to "talk" with everyone.

He still is a Mommy's boy and a big snuggler.

He is sleeping in his own bed for part of the night, but still likes to sleep with me most of the night.

LOVE this adorable little face. :)

.My Big Little Guy.

2011-11-14T11:40:00.001-08:00

Greyden had his final jaundice check on Thursday.

His levels were down to 4.3 YAY!!

I was originally told to stop breastfeeding him for 24 hours to ensure it went away when I took him in for his check up last month. I had done research on this particular topic and had actually had the Dr. before tell me that it would clear up on it's own. Her son had breastmilk jaundice as well and she did not stop breastfeeding.

Well, I did NOT stop nursing him and everything has gone exactly as my research had said. 3 months and it is pretty much gone.

At his check up he weighed in at a healthy 15lbs 6oz!! He is now officially in 6-9 month clothes although 3-6 month pants will still fit him...he has a nice long torso like his Daddy.

.Greyden's Blessing.

2011-11-01T20:48:00.000-07:00

Aaron blessed Greyden back on September 25th.

It was a very special day, as this was the first baby Aaron has blessed.

Greyden was wide awake throughout the blessing and didn't make a sound.

Aaron was joined in the circle by our friend/neighbor Preston, Grandpa Cutler, his Dad, all of his brothers, brother-in-law Chase, his cousins John & James (I think...I can't remember for sure) and the bishop.

Afterwards we had a little get together over at Grandma & Grandpa Cutlers.

Greyden with Grandpa & Grandma 'chilles

Greyden with Grandpa & Grandma Cutler

Greyden smiling at Grandma Helen

.3 Months.

2011-11-01T19:27:00.000-07:00

My little boy is now 3 months old!! We are enjoying this little guy SOOO much!!

*He LOVES to smile and gives the best smiles ever. It melts my heart every time.

*He loves to "talk" with Mommy and Daddy. I will lay on the floor with him and we will have little conversations that last a few minutes.

*He has been in his 3-6 month clothes since he was 2 months old. He is definitely growing like a boy. He weighed 1 oz less at his 2 month check up than Lily did at her 4 month check up.

*He loves to be held and demands that I hold him most of the day. I can lay him down now while he sleeps, although I still enjoy it when he takes a nap in my arms every once in a while.

*He is on the verge of learning to laugh...he will definitely be laughing within the next couple of weeks.

.Greyden Smiling.

2011-10-04T14:19:00.000-07:00

This is Daddy's sure fire way to get Greyden to smile, every time.

.2 Months.

2011-09-29T08:19:00.000-07:00

2 Months went by in the blink of an eye.

Luckily, he is still a baby...but man has he gotten BIG!

We went in for his 2 month check up yesterday. I had guessed he was going to be between 12.5 and 13 lbs.

Here are his stats:

12lbs 12.2oz (75%)

22inches (50%)

Head: 16.1in (70%)

I haven't ever had a big baby before, having had girls before him. So it is weird for me to have a baby just about outgrow his 0-3 month clothes at 2 months vs the 4 or 5 months with my girls.

He got the normal 3 shots and 1 oral vaccination. Thanks to his jaundice that he is still showing physical signs of (his chest is still a bit yellow, according to the Dr.) he had to get his blood drawn as well. It wasn't a little heel poke this time either, they had to draw it from his arm. Let's just say, it was emotionally taxing on me. Especially now that they have you hold your little one on your lap while they give them their shots.

I swear, I saw the first needle coming at him and my first reaction was to knock it out of the nurses hand. Good thing she was quicker than me ;)

Greyden has not been big on smiling until about a week and a half ago. Now he will smile at just about anybody, but Daddy still gets the biggest smiles he can give.

I love this picture of my 3 babies. Greyden's face is PRICELESS.

Greyden has been such a blessing to our family. He is such a calm, mellow and loving baby. My favorite time of the day is when he falls asleep in my arms and just wants to snuggle with me for nap time.

Aaron and I have talks a lot about how special this little guy is. He has definitely completed our family (for now) and brought us all closer together. I couldn't imagine life without him.

.7 Weeks.

2011-09-15T12:53:00.000-07:00

The past 7 weeks have been nothing short of amazing. I am so in love with my little man!

Nap Time smiles...my favorite :)

Greyden is a serious baby. He rarely cracks a smile for you and if he does, you had to work pretty hard for it.

He is such a little snuggle bug. He has to be snuggled up as close as he can get to me when he falls asleep at night...or any time for that matter.

He spends most of his day either in my arms (with a tight grip on my shirt) or in the Baby Bjorn. I can sometimes sneak him into his swing for a quick nap, but those occasions are rare.

He is definitely a Momma's boy, but he sure loves his Daddy too.

He knows his Daddy's voice well and will turn his head towards Daddy's voice whenever he hears him.

I assume he doesn't mind bath time too much because he never cries when he is in the tub. Like I said though, he is always so serious so it's hard to tell what he truly likes.

Greyden's Poker Face

We feel so lucky to have this little guy as a part of our family.

.4 Weeks.

2011-08-23T09:33:00.000-07:00

As you can imagine, life with 3 little ones has left me a very small amount of time to do anything except a random status update on Facebook throughout the day.

Here is an update on Mr. Greyden.

At his 2 week appt he was 7lbs 4oz and 20.5 inches long.

He eats like a champ and would eat all day long if I let him.

We took him to the Dr. Sunday night due to the fact that he had seemed a bit congested and we had some family members come down with random illnesses and wanted to make sure that he had not contracted anything. Turns out he is perfectly fine...better safe than sorry. :)

At that appt he weighed in at 8lbs 7oz. So he put on a whopping 19oz in a matter of 10 days. They consider normal weight gain to be about an ounce a day (which would only be 10oz). Proof that my kid is a great little eater.

I haven't really updated by way of what has gone on since he has been home and the whole jaundice situation. That was seriously a nightmare and I would like to think I handled it like a champ.

Greyden ended up being on the lights for a grand total of 8 days. For 5 of those 8 days, I had to get 3 kids ready and out the door by 9:00am to get his levels checked by 10am. I am pretty fast at it now. :)

The first 3 or 4 days he was on the lights full time more or less and the last few days he was just on them as much as I could get him to be on them (which wasn't much). I ended up requesting the bili-blanket for the last 3 days to supplement with since he was constantly wetting himself and I was having to wash the bed cover and improvise with other things MULTIPLE times a day. Also, he wouldn't sleep much unless he was being held and I didn't want to start losing my mind with a fussy baby and 2 little girls that were already acting out due to lack of attention from Mommy. We finally determined that he had breast milk jaundice and had his Daddy's blood type (A+ and I am O+) so that contributed to his jaundice quite a bit.

I had to deal with 4 different doctors due to the fact that his Dr. just happened to be out of town the entire 1st week and a half after he was born. I was actually VERY grateful that things ended up this way. The Dr. that I saw for him the first week (Dr. Jackson) had talked to me about breast milk jaundice and that her son had the same thing. She explained to me the option of formula feeding for 24 hours and just pumping my breast milk. She told me that she didn't stop breast feeding because it is not harmful for a baby to have a higher jaundice level, so long as it stays below 20 (Greyden's has leveled out at a 16.5). EVERY other Dr. since then, even his regular doctor (Dr. Liddle), recommended that I do the formula thing for the 24 hours. I had done a lot of research on the breast milk jaundice since speaking with the 1st Dr. and most of my research came back saying that stopping breast feeding was completely unnecessary as well. So I pretty much told the other 3 doctors what Dr. Jackson had told me and that I would not be stopping breast feeding unless it was medically necessary.

I have to admit, breast feeding doesn't just magically get easier with every baby (maybe it will with #4...but so far I have not found it to be true). It is truly a learning process for Mom & baby every time. Getting a baby to latch on correctly can be a difficult task and painful for Mommy. Even with this being baby #3 for me, I still went to see a lactation consultant due to Greyden's jaundice and his lack of weight gain the first 3 days. I took her advice and modified it as time went on as to what worked best for me and Greyden. The first 2 1/2 weeks were not the easiest with breast feeding and we are now pro's at it. It was not easy, but so worth it. :)

Here are some random little facts about Greyden:

He usually sucks on his lower lip when he is sleeping.
He prefers to fall asleep while being held, forcing whoever is holding him to walk around until he falls peacefully asleep.
He can sleep through MOST of his sisters loud noises, screaming and crying.
He LOVES to sleep in Mommy's arms and sleeps best when being held by someone.
He will not sleep in his swing for more than a few minutes at a time and that is only when you put him in there already asleep. He won't fall asleep in it and will start crying almost immediately after being put in it if he is awake.
He truly only cries for 3 things: When he is hungry, needs his diaper change or just needs some Mommy loves.
He is a dreamer. He is constantly having dreams and even nightmares every time he falls asleep.
He has officially smiled 4 times now. The first time was Thursday night while I was holding him. The 2nd time was Friday at Grandma 'chilles. The 3rd time was Friday night at Daddy. The last time was just last night when he smiled for Daddy 3 times REALLY big all in a row. Seriously, SO adorable!
Up until about 2 days ago he was eating just about EVERY hour during the day. Now he is starting to get on a better schedule and will eat every 2 or 3 hours.
He LOVES to grunt, especially in the early morning around 4am when he is requesting a diaper change.
He is a GREAT sleeper and only wakes up about twice a night to eat.

We all love our little guy and he has been such a blessing to our family. He brings us lots of smiles and has filled our home with so much love. Not to mention, he is one handsome little man.

.Dear Jaundice.

2011-08-01T14:43:00.000-07:00

You are not my friend. :(

This morning I had to take all 3 kids with me to get Greyden's weight and his bilirubin levels checked. I somehow made it out of the house 10 minutes before I was planning. Not only that, but the girls were SO good. They didn't fight at all and stayed right with me the whole time. The ride there and back was nice and peaceful as well considering the girls both had full access to Greyden with him being in the middle of both of them. Luckily they left him alone most of the ride and he slept through any of the touching and loud sounds he had to endure.

Greyden's jaundice levels have gone up a bit more. So...still on the lights for at least another day. I truly thought that they wouldn't have gone up anymore due to the fact he gained 5 ounces in 2 days and he had been having PLENTY of wet and dirty diapers.

The Dr. is thinking that it is due to Aaron and I having incompatible blood types, so we will be checking his blood type tomorrow along with his bilirubin levels again. I am hoping we don't have to do this too much longer.

.The Last Saturday.

2011-07-23T07:52:00.000-07:00

Here it is...my last Saturday of sleeping in for a while before Baby Boy get's here. I am up before everyone else and can't fall back asleep.

I woke up to A LOT of nudges in my belly and decided to get up and just feel him move around. Enjoy and savor these last few moments of being pregnant and uncomfortable. :)

4 more days of this and we get to see who has been beating up my insides for the past few months.

The emotions that are running through me are indescribable.

I do know one thing...I feel incredibly lucky that I have the opportunity to be able to create a new life and enjoy all these little moments that some women never do. The pain, the emotions and everything that goes along with it is SO worth it in the end.

.The Final Dr. Appt!!.

2011-07-20T18:29:00.000-07:00

Today was my last Dr. appointment before Baby Boy gets here!!

Dr. Hebert ended up being in a delivery and I was lucky enough that I was the only pregnant woman that was far enough along to be seen by her nurse. So I waited for about 3 minutes before they called me back and was out of there within 15 minutes.

I am 2cm and the nurse didn't say how effaced I was. Either way, I am pretty sure we won't be having this baby before next Wednesday unless something drastic happens.

I was 2cm for 2 weeks in a row with Lily before I went in to labor 6 days before her due date. Ironically enough, my induction is scheduled for 6 days before Baby Boy's due date.

Labor is just a guessing game that no one is very good at. So I am prepared to wait it out and I am ready for next Wednesday!! Well, as ready as one can be.

.38 Weeks.

2011-07-19T09:35:00.000-07:00

38 Weeks!!

We are almost there!! 8 more days until we get to meet our little Boy!!!

I am getting very nervous and extremely excited.

The nesting bug FINALLY hit me yesterday and I got almost all of my house organized. I paid for it last night and am still paying for it a bit this morning. It's pretty much done though, so I can put that task behind me.

I have started to feel like I could just be pregnant forever. It's weird to think that I won't be pregnant 2 weeks from now. I will be home with a brand new baby and 2 very helpful little girls. Daddy will have headed back to work that morning and I will be left to myself managing these 3 little ones. I am not too worried about it, but I know it won't be the easiest thing I have ever done.

I can't wait to see what this little guy looks like!!

.36 Weeks.

2011-07-07T16:40:00.000-07:00

We are officially in countdown mode!!!

19 more days until we get to meet Baby Boy!!

*Unless he decides to come early or they have to move my induction date back a day. Let's hope he decides to come just a bit earlier. :)*

I had my Dr. appt yesterday and I am dilated to 1cm and 30% effaced.

It's nice to know my body is making progress a bit earlier than it did with my other 2. It gives me hope that I will get to meet this little one sooner rather than later.

We are OFFICIALLY ready for baby in every possible way.

It is weird the things that get you excited/make you nervous the 3rd time around.

Buying diapers for example...I put it off until last night because in my mind that meant that he could be here any time. That was the biggest thing I would need for him when we came home.

All of his clothes are washed and mostly put away.

The bassinet is set up next to our bed.

The car seat is all washed and ready to be installed in the car.

I guess there is one thing that I could add to my to-do list...but my nesting period didn't last quite as long as I would have liked. A nice deep clean of the house wouldn't be a bad idea. We have only lived her for a month though, so just making sure all of my laundry is done and keeping everything else clean will have to be my goal for the next few weeks.

Brookie & Lily are probably just as anxious as I am to meet their baby brother. I think Daddy is just as excited too, but more nervous as to the lack of sleep he will be enduring. He doesn't do so well on little to no sleep. :)

.34 Weeks.

2011-06-23T09:10:00.001-07:00

34 Weeks

It is crazy to think about how close we are to meeting our Baby Boy. Time has flown by and crept along all at the same time. The past few weeks have been flying by considering how busy I have been with the move and getting our new place organized.

I feel HUGE and I clearly look huge as well. I constantly have people making comments about how I must be due any day now...the awkward look on their faces after I say I still have about 2 months left is worth the comments. It leaves them speechless most of the time. Even Aaron has lost track of how much time I have left and has even told people I am due in less than a month...that was 2 week ago. :)

I was getting ready for church on Sunday and put on a button up shirt over a tank top and had to leave the bottom buttons unbuttoned. I asked Aaron how it looked and he replied "It makes your belly look huge." So I changed my shirt to the one in the picture and then walked into the same room he was in without saying anything. His jaw literally dropped and I said "Yes, my belly is just huge. Thanks."

.Hiccup!!.

2011-05-13T11:26:00.000-07:00

Yep! That's what Baby Boy was doing this morning at 6:30 AM.

It would seem he was also practicing some sort of gymnastics as well.

Lack of sleep may be an issue today.

.28 Weeks.

2011-05-12T10:26:00.000-07:00

22 Weeks compared to 28 Weeks!!!

We are now in the homestretch...sort of.

I had my Glucose test and my Dr. Appt yesterday.

I won't know my test results for 4 weeks, but I haven't had a problem with it before. I am going to assume that I am not going to have a problem this time around.

My blood pressure was great.

Baby is measuring right on schedule.

Baby's heartbeat is great.

My weight gain...ugh!!

I am not gaining too much or anything. I am right on track with my personal normal weight gain for pregnancy. I still hate seeing the numbers on the scale go up every appt and wonder where all that weight is really going. I keep telling myself to not even stress about it. I eat healthy and the baby is getting the nutrition he needs...but gaining weight isn't fun for ANY reason.

.27 Weeks!!.

2011-05-03T09:07:00.000-07:00

I am feeling quite excited today...because I only have 13 more weeks left...which calculated out is 91 days!

I am pretty sure it will only be about 12 more weeks, but we will see what kind of timing Baby Boy has in mind.

Yesterday was not such a good day. Sunday night, Lily decided to be a bit dramatic and fell down the stairs when we got home from picking up Brookie from her Dad's. She fell down the last half and it appeared as though she had hurt her right arm. I did all the checks and had her wiggle her fingers and move her arm around. Everything was working correctly, so nothing was broken. She just cried for about 10 minutes afterwards wanting no one to touch her but Mommy.

With that said, she kept waking up crying saying her arm hurt throughout the night. Which amounted to a MASSIVE lack of sleep for me and for her. 7am came and Aaron got up to get ready for work. Lily joined him while I attempted to get back to sleep.

At 7:30 I figured that I would not be sleeping very long and just went out and laid on the couch.

Not long after that, Lily started crying saying she wanted to go night night. Aaron quickly scooped her up, letting her know that Mommy was no where to be found and got her back to bed before he left for work.

I quickly fell back asleep on the couch right after thanking him for getting her back to sleep for me. Brookie didn't wake up for another hour and I woke up feeling slightly refreshed...then I tried to get up. My entire body was sore, especially my back. It made for a fairly long day.

This morning, I sat down to eat my breakfast and Brookie tells me "Mom, you don't look so good." I replied back to her "Mommy is just tired honey. I am fine." She quickly says back "No Mom, you look sick."

I couldn't help but laugh. I am actually feeling great today...I would have expected that comment yesterday.

Gotta love children and their honesty!

.Awkwardly Uncomfortable.

2011-04-29T09:12:00.000-07:00

I don't recall, with either of the girls, not being able to sit just about any way I wanted while pregnant.

Well, this morning, I sat down to eat breakfast...the same way and same place I do EVERY morning. I leaned over to take a bite of my cereal and immediately noticed it was EXTREMELY uncomfortable. I couldn't slouch over and eat my bowl of cereal. I had to sit straight up and HOLD my bowl to eat.

I guess the baby decided he was taking up to much room in the front and has decided to start moving up farther into my stomach.

I don't know how I feel about this...

.26 Weeks.

2011-04-26T08:28:00.000-07:00

This picture was actually taken at 25 Weeks and 4 Days...but I can't imagine my belly has grown that much in 3 days...at least I hope not!

I have been feeling pretty good lately. I have been getting more sleep at night and waking up feeling pretty refreshed every morning. I have had a bit more energy and been able to get more done during the day without feeling like I ran a marathon.

My muscles in my lower body have definitely been loosening up and that is not a fun process.

My dreams have been OUT OF CONTROL! They have been weird and last ALL NIGHT! I seriously wake up feeling like a crazy person every morning wondering how my mind comes up with these scenarios.

Thanks to all of my dreaming, I have been talking in my sleep more too. Which means that Aaron now has to listen to, not only Brooklyn, but me talking all night too.

Aaron and I were talking about when we are going to be moving while we were driving home on Sunday from out Easter weekend up at Aaron's parents. I was suddenly struck with a mass amount of anxiety just with the thought of how short of a time we have left until we have a 3rd little one joining our family. 3 months is definitely NOT a long time by any means. I have been keeping myself pretty busy and every week just flies by as it is. Throw moving into a new place into the mix for the last month of pregnancy and Baby Boy will be here in no time!

I can honestly say, going from 1 to 2 kids was a SLIGHT adjustment.

Going from 2 kids to pregnant with #3 has been a large adjustment.

Going from 2 kids to 3 kids...has me feeling slightly inadequate.

I think I let my emotions get the best of me at times and I worry too much.

I worry too much about what others are thinking.

I worry too much about others opinions.

I know a lot of it is just my hormones getting the best of me at the moments that are already hard for a normal Mommy.

With all that said...I am still SOOOOOO excited to meet our Baby Boy and have him join our family. The girls are both very excited and talk about him all the time.

Lily has become such a little Mommy to her cousin Clara and is seriously adorable when she is around her. She talks to her in baby talk the way the rest of us do and likes to be right there with her whenever she is in someones arms.

Brooklyn has always had the little Mommy mentality. Hers is quite different from Lily's though. She is always wanting to make sure that YOU are doing what she thinks Clara needs. I thank Katie for putting up with it when she watches them for me. I am sure it is enough to drive anyone crazy. ha ha

August 2nd can't come fast enough...or slow enough. :)

.22 Weeks.

2011-03-31T20:02:00.000-07:00

I feel more like I am 36 weeks.

My back hurts ALL the time. I reach my level of exhaustion WAY sooner than I would like. My patience wears WAY too thin some days. Hormones...I WANT MY BODY BACK!!!

Now on to the good stuff :)

I can feel Baby Boy kicking and moving around ALL the time!! I absolutely love it. He usually wakes up at about 7am every morning as Aaron is climbing out of bed to head to work.

The other morning, Aaron laid in bed with me for a few extra minutes just to feel our little guy kicking and moving around. I hope it made his morning the way it makes mine every single day.

It seems like the weeks are just flying by. I don't think I will be able to believe it has actually been 9 months when the time comes to meet this little one.

.20 Weeks.

2011-03-16T18:59:00.000-07:00

There it is...my belly at the halfway mark!!

That's also a baby BOY in there!!!

I am SO excited I feel like I could go around telling complete strangers that we are having a baby boy.

Don't worry, I haven't done that...nor do I plan on doing that.

It seems that when you are obviously pregnant, people ask you enough what you are having and when you are due.

Baby Boy looked great at the ultrasound. He is measuring exactly with the dates we originally had.

I went in to the ultrasound 19 weeks and 6 days along...and left the ultrasound with baby measuring at 19 weeks and 6 days. He is weighing in at 11 ounces.

Yes, we do have a name picked out. We have told family the name, but we aren't planning on sharing it with everyone else until he arrives. That part will just have to remain a surprise. :)

.18 Weeks.

2011-03-01T19:11:00.000-08:00

Well...this baby definitely has grown a lot in the past 2 weeks.

I am still feeling the same as I was 2 weeks ago.

Not really having any cravings, just feeling big. Starting to feel a little fat! :)

I am still eating normally, not a lot of sweets. I do have dessert once or twice a week. I haven't been as hungry at night before bed lately. I think my body is starting to adjust to pregnancy pretty well.

This morning, while laying in bed, I was laying next to Aaron and put his hand on my belly. The baby hadn't been kicking or anything, but it kicked Aaron's hand as soon as I had put it on there. Must have known Daddy was there. :)

My fears of having 3 kids come and go by the day. Some days I wonder "How in the heck do people with 3 kids leave the house?" ... those days tend to be the days that the girls are living up to their nickname of

"Mommy's Little Monsters"

We find out what we are having on the 14th!

What do you think?

Girl?

Boy?

.It's A Mystery.

2011-02-17T17:12:00.000-08:00

Well....I wish I had different news...

The baby was cooperating..in a sense. It was kicking like crazy and I even felt it's kicks while I was seeing them on ultrasound. So, it looks like I was wrong about the baby maybe being A LOT more mellow than Lily. I am pretty sure baby #3 will be another ninja in the making.

The baby parts weren't really visible enough for a definitive answer as to the gender of the baby. March 18th we should have a DEFINITE answer as to what this baby is.

Until then...we shall all wait in suspense.

.16 Weeks.

2011-02-16T17:44:00.000-08:00

(Please excuse my dirty mirror)

.16 Weeks.

My belly really hasn't changed much in the past 2 weeks...via pictures at least. I guess I am actually starting to "look" pregnant now, as my brother in law Tenney pointed out the other night. :)

I feel great! I have random moments of exhaustion that hit me out of nowhere, but that is the worst complaint I have. I don't really feel pregnant, except for the obvious growing belly. I am enjoying the fact that I have enough energy to get my house back in order AND enjoy the beautiful weather we have been having.

Tomorrow is another Dr. appointment. I am PRAYING the suspense will end and that we will find out if this baby is a boy or a girl. I seriously need to start mentally preparing now for either one. Brookie has told me that the baby is a girl baby and she won't even consider the fact that it could be a boy. I know she will love the baby either way.

She LOVES babies and will point out how cute ANY baby is that we see.

She LOVES commercials with babies on them and makes sure that I am looking and watching them with her when they are on.

She asks me almost daily if she can feel the baby kick yet. I feel bad having to keep telling her that it will be a few more weeks before she can feel it. I mean, even I am still waiting to feel the baby kick and not wonder if I really just felt that little flutter inside my tummy.

That's one thing I didn't expect to STILL be wondering with this being baby #3. I always 2nd guess myself when I feel a little flutter/kick in my tummy. So I have yet to say to anyone, but my husband, that I have felt the baby kick. I remember feeling Lily kick at 15 weeks...and she turned into quite the little ninja in there. Here's to wishful thinking this kid might just be A LOT more mellow than Lily. ;)

Cross your fingers that baby AND Dr. cooperate tomorrow and we get to find out what this little baby inside of me is going to be!!

.Baby Dr. Appt.

2011-02-16T17:28:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is another Dr. appointment for Baby #3!!

I was told at my last appointment they would be measuring baby again, via ultrasound, to verify my due date.

Here's to hoping we can find out what we are having!! Cross your fingers!!

.14 Weeks.

2011-02-01T21:15:00.000-08:00

The past week has been pretty awesome.

My morning sickness has been 100% gone since last Sunday.

My energy level went from 0 - 100 almost overnight.

My house is finally not a COMPLETE disaster area...the laundry is still not under control, but is it really ever under control?

Dinners have been more creative and I have started to enjoy eating again, some days a little too much.

I still prefer real food over any sort of junk food. I would rather have left overs from dinner than a bowl of ice cream for dessert.

I can get through most days without a nap, unless I have really pushed myself. Then it is almost necessary.

Bedtime is my favorite time of day. I love cuddling up in bed with my girls and falling asleep. (Daddy moves them to their beds when he comes in to bed. We got used to the fact that we don't get much alone time a long time ago.)

.1st Baby Doctor Appt.

2011-01-20T09:53:00.000-08:00

Our first Dr. Appt for Baby #3 went great.

Due to it being close to nap time for Baby Lily, it took 3 Dum Dum suckers to get her through the appointment.

I really liked our doctor and the whole staff.

It's also quite nice that it is in the hospital.

If you have had your blood drawn, you probably know that you can get a Medical Assistant in a regular Dr. office that isn't the best at drawing blood. Getting my blood drawn is something I don't do well with as it is. With my Dr. being at the hospital I just walk 2 doors down the hall right to the lab. They draw blood ALL DAY EVERY DAY and the pain is so minimal it takes my fears away immediately. Not to mention, with this being Baby #3, I know the routine and am fully aware of how many times I am going to get poked with a needle. So I feel like I made a great choice in choosing a Dr. at the hospital.

Dr. Hebert, pronounced "A-Bear", was very personable. She started out talking with the girls and getting to know them. She was very easy to talk to and was right there with me getting the girls involved. She made sure the girls could see the ultrasound and even printed up a picture of the baby waving and gave it right to Brookie.

That picture is now "Brookie's Picture" of the baby. :)

My weight gain so far is 4lbs. Honestly, I feel like I have gained 10lbs! So seeing a 4lb gain on the scale made my whole day! I have never really stressed about weight gain in pregnancy. It was just a number and I figured the weight would go away at some point. Nursing definitely helped that a lot with Brookie. The baby weight from Lily, well it fell off due to me being so sick after she was born. Yeah, I don't recommend that one.

With this being Baby #3 though, I am feeling like I need to be a bit more conscious of what I am eating and how much weight I am actually gaining. I am aware that I am still young and that helps a lot, but I would rather be safe than sorry. So once my "All Day Sickness" is 100% gone, I am planning on starting a very mellow work out routine. I feel as though chasing around 2 young children while pregnant may be enough though.

Another bit of POSSIBLE good news. The baby is measuring big and the doctor may be moving up my due date a few days. Right now, I am 12 Weeks and 1 Day due August 2nd. The baby is measuring to be 12 Weeks and 6 Days due July 27th. We will find out for sure what the final decision is on that at our next appointment. So, for now, I am going to stick with my original dates to avoid getting my hopes us.

.12 Weeks.

2011-01-18T19:57:00.000-08:00

.10 Weeks. .12 Weeks.

I am now carrying a soccer ball instead of sporting a "bump".

I have random cravings, but nothing that lasts.

I wanted pickles for 2 days before buying this (except they were spears)

I ate about 6 of them and it made me sick.

I am done with pickles for a while.

I can now eat tomatoes as long as they are cooked in something.

For example:

Homemade chili ... SO DELICIOUS.

A salad with fresh tomatoes ... I'll pass

(or eat around the tomatoes)

Still not a fan of chocolate.

Especially in candy form.

I can handle it mixed in with Ice Cream, like Mint Choc. Chip :)

I was tricked into thinking my "Morning Sickness" was gone.

Nope, it just went into hiding for 2 days.

It is still lingering and seemingly worse than before.

I have a feeling I will be dealing with it for another few weeks.

TOMORROW is our first Dr. Appt!!

The girls will get to hear baby's heartbeat with us. :)

I am SO excited!!

.Baby Dreams Part 3.

2011-01-07T11:21:00.000-08:00

Last night felt like the longest night of my life.

Lily wasn't in the mood to sleep soundly, at all.

I spent 45 mins trying to fall back asleep after a horrible dream.

After finally falling back asleep, I had another baby dream...

This time, it was a girl.

Her name was Ella. She had dark hair, but looked nothing like a baby of mine. I had the worst nurse of ALL time and literally went crazy and demanded she leave the room and not come near me the rest of my time there. I honestly do not remember what she did exactly, but I was pretty worked up about. I just remember her telling me to NOT nurse my baby under any circumstances. It was all because she didn't believe in it.

The rest of the dream went on awkwardly and made no sense at all.

.10 Weeks.

2011-01-05T11:19:00.000-08:00

.10 Weeks.

Morning sickness has seemed to be the worst this past week then it has been the last 2 combined.
I have started to show as of 10 weeks, to the day.
The exhaustion has been creeping up on me. Daily naps are starting to become a necessity.
I need at least 10 hours of sleep a night to feel even slightly rested.
Thanks to water retention I can barely even squeeze into my jeans. I wore my pre-pregnancy jeans up until my 6th month with both Brookie & Lily.

Baby #3 sure has been a different experience so far.

.Baby Dreams Part 2.

2010-12-31T10:09:00.000-08:00

It didn't take long for the baby dreams to start for me.

Last night was the mark of my first official baby dream.

We had a perfect little baby boy. The dream was actually fairly upsetting as I realized pretty far in to it that I had left my sleeping newborn in the car while I spent a good 20 mins in the grocery store. I woke myself up right after realizing this for fear of what I would find walking out to the car.

I honestly do not recall if I had any dreams about Brookie or Lily being little boys.

I do recall having a dream about Brookie being a girl in my first baby dream of my pregnancy with her.

Pregnancy dreams are definitely more interesting then any dreams I normally have.

.Baby Dreams.

2010-12-28T16:58:00.000-08:00

It seems most pregnant women have crazy dreams about their baby or babies on the way.

Not all the dreams are crazy, but you dream about them none the less.

Well, so far I have yet to have a baby dream. I am sure this is normal. What isn't normal...

Aaron had a baby dream last night...BEFORE me.

All I can say is...can I share the rest of my pregnancy symptoms with him? :)

.It's A Baby, Baby!.

2010-12-28T16:55:00.000-08:00

Baby #3 - Due August 2nd, 2011

9 WEEKS

Aaron and I found out on the Sunday after Thanksgiving that we were expecting again. We decided we wanted to keep it a surprise and tell everyone over Christmas.

I have had, what they should have called, "All Day Sickness" since 7 Weeks. It has honestly been more annoying than anything else. I haven't felt like I just wanted to sleep all day and not get out of bed like I did with Brookie & Lily. I just have to constantly be eating small things all day or I just have an upset tummy.

Aaron & I are both certain it is another girl.

The ONLY things that make me think it MIGHT be a boy...

*The decreased level of Morning Sickness

and

*I can not STAND chocolate right now. Even just the thought of it makes me feel queasy.

(If you know me, you know I love my Tootsie Rolls and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups)

We are excited and nervous all at the same time.

The adult to child ratio will no longer be in our favor.