HOLY MOLY BABY!!!!

So, today I am 36 weeks....exactly 4 weeks/28 days until the EDD (estimated due date)!! Can't believe how fast it's flying by!!


Not the best picture, but it's the best I could get Matt to take of me...lol

I love every other Friday b/c Matt has the day off and I get to go to my appointments alone :) Although, I do miss my little Ethan while I'm gone!

Anyway, today they were doing the same thing as always, but are now starting to do the "check" if you know what I mean lol! My personal favorite part....not!

I asked my midwife if she was going to be checking to see if I have started dilating and she said she would if I wanted to know.

I warned her before hand and said, "I started dilating at 36 weeks with Ethan (1/2 cm) and was told that I would have him soon...each week I was more dilated and by week 39 I was already at 5 cm and he was still 6 days past his due date...so I was walking around and still doing great for 2 weeks while I was 5 cm...I could still even cross my legs!"

She checked and said, "well, you're already at 3 cm and 50% effaced". I just wasn't expecting to already be that much, but I still don't think it matters much. She was telling me that it's probably b/c it's my second....but according to how Ethan was, she told me she wasn't going to say anything about her coming early, b/c there really is NO WAY of knowing! :)

But still, just hearing that made it so much more real to me that I'm going to be having another baby!!! And not much longer either!!! :)

Ethan was sleeping when I got home and came running up to me right after Matt took the first picture, so we got one together! He's my little boy :)

one month!!

Wow...it's been awhile since I have written in here!! Sorry!!

Well, there is exactly one more month until our baby girl's EDD! Of course, there is a possibility she could come sooner, or take after myself and her big brother and come late!! Just never know :) Nevertheless, it is coming up soon!! :)

The pregnancy is going along very well! Everything is going perfectly, actually! I have my next appointment on Friday and I will be 36 weeks and then I will be seen once a week until she is born!

I am super excited because unlike when Ethan was born, this time, Matt is actually getting a few days off of work to be with us after she is born! Which will be amazing!! He was only able to get one day off when Ethan was born, so it will definitely be nice to have him here to help me adjust to having two babies :)

Also, the plan is that when I go into labor, we will drop Ethan poo off at our friends house and then sometime after the baby is born, Matt will go pick him up and bring him to the hospital to stay with us! I am so thankful for her!! It is such a blessing that she is willing to watch Ethan for us b/c he is a little crazy and I know he would FREAK haha...plus I am going to need Matt to be 100% there for me so I can yell at him haha j/k!! Love you hunny bun! :)
I am going to be doing everything differently this time around and I am so excited about it!!! Can't wait to see if it all goes the way I plan :)

OH and I wanted to announce that we have picked our baby girl's name!! We LOVE it!! We decided just a few weeks ago, but still keeping it a surprise until we announce her birth! :)

Thanks for reading my loves!!
10-8-10 35 weeks pregnant with our precious baby girl!!

Our baby is a....girl or boy :)

So, yesterday started off as normal, Matt left in the morning to go to work (on base). He thought he would only have to go in for the morning, and be home by noon. Well, they ended up keeping them there all day for some reason, but they let Matt off early!! I mean, hello, I had my appointment at 2:30 to find out the sex of our baby!! :) I was really happy they let him off early, b/c honestly, that is not like them at all to care. So I was very happy!! :)

We get to the doctor's office, which Matt had never been there before, so I was also excited he could be there to see it and also to see the hospital where the baby will be born!!

We go in the ultrasound room and the nurse tells me to lay on the bed. Well, I was under the impression that an ultrasound tech would be in shortly, and from there we would go to an exam room and talk with the OB. Well, an hour passes, and the OB walks in looking very tired and kinda irritated. I was shocked that she was doing the ultrasound b/c I had never had the OB do the ultrasound. She said she was late b/c she had a patient at the hospital who wasn't doing so well. But never received an apology for us waiting an hour with a toddler! And no one even came in to tell us, "oh btw, the OB will be here shortly, she's seeing someone at the hospital". It's totally understandable when things like that happen, I just wish they would have the courtesy to tell the patients waiting, but oh well.

So anyway, we got the ultrasound and Matt was so excited and taking it all in b/c he hadn't seen this baby on ultrasound before, just from the pictures I showed him. He loved it! Ethan also sat right next to me on the bed while I was having it done b/c he is just a mommy's boy and wanted to be right next to me!! lol It kept him from crying, so I didn't mind it at all :)


Outside on the PINK card they gave us with all of the ultrasound pictures!!


There she is!!! Our baby girl!! :)

We are soo excited that we are having a girl! We get the best of both worlds!! Ethan is going to be such a great big brother!! We are so excited!! And I am also taking my time with him seriously b/c after November, he's not going to be getting all of the attention anymore!

Time to start buying pink and decorating the nursery and Ethan's big boy bedroom!! :)

Oh, and we haven't picked out a name yet, but we are going to keep it a surprise until she is born! :)

While My Hubby is Away

Distance makes the heart grow fonder...

Matt is a Marine in the USMC reserves. He works one weekend out of every month and then two weeks during the summer and always on call for duty if needed, (which hasn't happened yet, but he will be going in 2012)

I don't complain about him being away b/c it's part of life and it's part of his job. I especially don't complain b/c, after all, it's ONLY two weeks. To some, that is a lifetime, but for us, and all other military couples, that time period is a dream.
Yes, I do miss him A LOT, but I have to look at the big picture. I also think it is good to be away sometimes; missing each other is a good thing :)

I have tried to stay super busy the past week to help kill some time. I came to my parents' house to stay a few days b/c I needed to get away from Dallas, and to be around people. Even if my mom and I have argued the whole time pretty much, it has still been better then being bored in Dallas. Ethan has enjoyed his time here so much! He has had a few play dates, park visits, and his favorite, pool time!! and can't forget, playing with my sisters puppy and cat! lol

I am going back to my house on Wednesday and I am pretty excited, in a way. I can't wait to get Ethan back on a regular routine and I have a lot of things I wanted to get done around the house b4 Matt gets home on the 20th.

I can't wait to go pick Matt up on Father's Day on base! What an awesome day to come home!! I got him a present from Ethan and I'm really excited for him to see my hair, I'm a blonde again!!!

AND we find out the sex of our baby on the 21st!!! I can't wait!!! I don't care what the sex is, I just want to know so I can start decorating the nursery and getting everything ready for the arrival!! And, so I can start telling Ethan! :)

Only 5 more months!!!

OB appointment 5-20-10

Ethan and I left around 1:15 for my appointment, which is about 18 min. away. We only waited in the waiting room for about 10 min. before they called me back. I got my weight checked, which I was 1 pound lighter then last week and my urine sample, which btw, is the most difficult thing to do haha!! After that, Ethan and I went to the room. A few min. later, the nurse came in and got my blood pressure and we listened to the baby's heartbeat! :) She told me, "you're an easy one" as she was looking at my records! haha...I guess I'll take it as a compliment!

After she left, we waited for the OB for 1 hour!!!! OMG I was getting so frustrated!! I had to do things to keep Ethan entertained, and honestly, if he wasn't there, I would have been so bored!!




The OB finally came in and apologized. My main concern was that it was already after 3, and I had to be in Marietta to pick Matt up from work at 4! And my dr. office is about an hour from Matt's work! So I was stressing out a little! The appointment went well, though. She did tell me that I need to be eating more b/c I lost a pound since last week and asked me if I had just been eating salads...ugh. I am eating enough, trust me! But if I'm not hungry, I'm not going to force myself to eat. It was the first time I met her, she was really nice, just hated waiting for an hour.

Here is what the baby looks like right now :)


My next appointment is in 4 weeks and I find out the gender of the baby! I am so excited!! It's so crazy how fast this pregnancy is going!! I am hoping Matt can be there for the ultrasound, but if he can't, we are going to have them write the sex in a closed envelope so Matt and I can open it together when he gets home! :)

Mother's Day!

This Mother's Day was so amazing, and it was just because I was able to spend it all with my husband and son, baby # 2 was there, too, of course! :)

I hadn't planned on going to church that morning, but after I ate a little something and had a cup of coffee, I decided we should go! I'm so glad we did!

Church was amazing, although, I cried like the first half of the service (happy tears) lol. The preacher started this game where he asked who the youngest mom was there, I said to Matt, "omg I'm more than likely going to be the youngest mom here". Luckily, there were two girls that were still 20 (I just turned 21 less than a month ago). They stood up, and he walked over to each and asked what the most challenging part of being a young mom was for them. At that point I was so glad I wasn't the youngest mom because I would have started crying (and I am not one to talk in a large crowd)! I was already on the verge just thinking about it because I'm pregnant and I cry about everything right now!! lol, but if it was me I would have said that the most challenging part is just not being able to share special moments that I share with Ethan, with Matt. Like his first laugh, or first steps, etc. I don't find lack of sleep, waking up 5 times a night, or anything else that is part of being a mom, challenging at all. God would never put anything on anyone that they couldn't handle, and I think I have handled everything with being a mom, very well, even the fact that I never get a break :) Oh and the girls both got Kirkland's gift cards!! A few other people got stuff too, like oldest mom (89 years old) and mom with most kids, which was 5. Every mom there received a rose, that reminded me of my old church in Ohio, which I loved!

After church, we went to Kroger to get some stuff for a picnic. I wanted to go to the park to have a picnic lunch and then let Ethan play. Well, church let out kind of late, and by the time we got home from the store, it was already about 1:30. Ethan also fell asleep on the way home from Kroger, so he took a nap and we just ate lunch at home. Then Matt finally mowed our field of dandelions haha, and I just cleaned the kitchen and living room.


When Ethan woke up, we left for the park. I had never been to this park, but it was awesome!! AND only 2 miles from our house and I never knew it!! It had three ponds, a huge lawn and open walking trail and a huge park for the kids and more! Ethan loved it and it was also the first time Matt had been to the park with Ethan!





Matt saw "Tasty Time with Zefronk" on Disney...and he said he wanted to make pita pizza, so he made some of those for dinner, here is a pic of Ethan who either didn't like it, or was just so ready to get down and run around haha!


This was the best Mother's Day ever! I love being a mommy and a wife! <3

It's life....get over it!

Life isn't always great and most definitely not easy. Anyone who tells you otherwise, is in way over their head and have yet to be "on their own".

When you are mature enough to get married, that means you are also responsible enough to not be a dependent on anyone else, but yourselves. My strings were cut completely from my parents when I got married. My point, Matt has worked his ass off to get where we are now. We didn't think we would be homeowners at the age of 20, less than a year after we got married, but because of his hard work, we were able to buy a beautiful house! My priorities changed drastically when I got married, and especially after having a baby. I no longer put myself first. I never ask for things anymore. Ethan's well being and happiness outweighs anything I could ever have. That's what being a parent means to me, making sure that my children are healthy, happy, and safe. Sure, I would love to get my hair done professionally, but the guilt of spending $60 plus doesn't sit well with me anymore. There are more important things to spend (save) our extra money on than my hair or being tan! It's funny, all of the people who judge me on materialistic things are still living at home with hardly any financial responsibilities. I don't take credit for Matt's hard work, not for one second. I say "we" b/c we are married. But, I owe everything we have to him!

I'm a stay at home mom, and that job title does not just mean, watch a baby all day. I also have to keep up with the house. I have never asked Matt to do laundry and never asked him to help me clean. Why should I? He works 5 out of 7 days, sometimes 12 days in a row. Sometimes he cooks dinner, but I don't ask him to, he just wants to, and of course I have to clean up the mess lol. I enjoy living in a clean house and I always have. I'm not a neat freak, I just like things to be clean.

I don't have a lot of friends anymore. The few friends I kept in touch with after high school are in college doing their own thing, not thinking about my kind of lifestyle for a few more years. I met a few moms, but didn't really hit it off with anyone to the point where we ever hang out or see each other. I got a facebook to keep in touch with family who I never even hear from. I just sometimes feel like my husband is my only friend, my only true friend. I don't need a lot of friends, but it would be nice to know that I could have someone to lean on besides my husband. Let's face it, he doesn't always want to hear everything I have to say lol. Oh well. I think I'm just being an emotional pregnant woman!

Married life is amazing!! Being a mother is also very amazing! I wouldn't go back or trade it for anything in the world. I love my husband and my children more than anything! THEY are my world!

<3

I wish I never had to deal with Doctors!! lol

So, I switched to a different OB office. Idk why, but I am a lot pickier this time around. I just had a horrible experience when I was pregnant with Ethan and while I was at the hospital and I wanted to make sure I did everything the way I wanted this time. I was originally driving an hour to Woodstock to an OB who told me I was going to need to schedule an induction (closer to the due date lol) the first time I met her! I don't want to be effing induced! Only if it's life or death...but I want to go into labor naturally. The fact that I already have a child should not make a difference in that. Also, the hospital I was going to deliver at is in Atlanta (Northside Atlanta), which is also an hour away. SO...I did some research and I found this very small hospital about 20 min. away from us and I took a tour and fell in love with it! They recommended some OB's and I made an appointment for May 11th! Their office is also about 20 min. away...so already, I love it more! I still can't believe I am almost in the 2nd trimester!! Having Ethan around is making the time fly by lol!

I recently switched Ethan to a new pediatrician, also. I wasn't too fond of the staff and his old pedi, so I decided to switch. It sucks, b/c I don't like the new one either! Luckily, there are about 6 to choose from, so when he needs to go in for his 18 month check up in July, I'll ask for someone else...I'm sure there will be at least 1 out of the 6 that I like hah!

I am just so excited that we are having another baby!! I hope these next 6 months fly by!! We haven't talked about names yet, but I don't think I will tell people the baby's name until the birth! :)

OB Appointment

Well, I had my first official OB appointment yesterday (the one I had before was more of a "womens visit" lol)
It started out with an ultrasound (I guess the baby is still too small to hear the heart beat with the regular monitor). The baby looks a lot bigger than two weeks ago! I love seeing the little heart beating and of course that sound!! :)
Ethan freaked out during it lol...he just does not like it when some strange person is doing something to me! lol...oh and I also had the ultrasound on my tummy this time!! It's crazy b/c I'm not showing at all! She said if I was any bigger she wouldn't have attempted it! lol
After the ultrasound, we went back in the waiting room for about 15 or 20 min :( where Ethan kept me very busy...then finally got to go back to the room. Got my weight..which I am 1 pound lighter then when I was at 7 weeks! I got asked a bunch of family history questions and about my pregnancy with Ethan. Met the Doctor for the first time. Then I had to go get some blood drawn for a bunch of tests! ETHAN FREAKED!! The lady at the front desk had to come help (b/c I couldn't do anything) and he kicked and screamed the whole time! She tried giving him stickers and showed him her phone, nothing worked lol!! I seriously didn't know boys were so dramatic!! lol! So, we kinda think he has separation anxiety! The only way to get him through that is to spend a little time here and there away from him! Fine with me :) lol I need a break for sure! and he definitely does, too!
But good news, everything is going very smoothly with the pregnancy and with my health!! I couldn't be happier! :) Ethan's 15 month check up is on the 19th!

I have a big boy now!!!

It's official! Ethan is a big boy! He is fully weaned!
After I found out we were expecting baby #2, I decided it was time to kick the weaning process into full gear! It was just taking too much out of me to be pregnant and to continue to nurse. My goal was to have him weaned by around his 1st bday, but he had a really hard time transitioning to a sippy cup. It took two months longer, which I was fine with! I tried to quit cold turkey and went 30 hours without nursing, but yea, that pretty much hurt like a biotch! haha! So, I nursed him one time, then only did it one time for the following two days! So it's been about 5 days now! He's such a big boy now!!! :)

I LOVED breastfeeding!! There is just something about it! Nothing can ever come close to being able to feed your baby something so natural and specifically designed for a baby!
I had many complications with it at the beginning, and I'm not going to lie, I thought about giving up! But I'm so glad I didn't!

And the best part (besides it being super healthy for my baby and myself) was that I lost TWENTY THREE pounds!!! AFTER I got down to my pre-pregnancy weight!! I never worked out...and honestly ate whatever I wanted! I was losing around 500 calories a day while nursing, so I had to eat a lot!! A lot more than when pregnant! You really are "feeding for two" when breastfeeding!

It will be nice to get a 7 month break from it, but I'm so excited to nurse my next baby! :) Now that I am more educated about it, I'm hoping I wont have any trouble in the beginning like I did with Ethan!

Expecting Another Miracle!!

Babies are miracles, all of them, and especially unborn babies! Seeing a mother carry her unborn child is the most beautiful thing in this world! And I am so excited that I will be doing this for the second time!!

Matt and I knew we wanted more kids after Ethan and we are super excited that it is happening so fast! They will be around 22 months apart! :)

So I had my OB appointment this morning at 9! It went really well! Besides the fact that Ethan takes a nap at 10...and we didn't leave until 10:45...so he was a little cranky after awhile.

I got an ultrasound done, and found out we are expecting just one baby! Which I have to say I am relieved it's just one! lol and I'm 7 weeks! So the due date is November 12th!! SOOOOO EXCITED!!! :)
I also saw the heartbeat and got to hear it as well!! I love that sound! Just goes to prove to those pro-choicers out there that life DOES begin at conception!!

While I was getting my ultrasound done, Ethan was sitting on the chair and I gave him the little baggie with his cheerios and fruit loops...and what did he do! He threw them all over the floor! Luckily, the nurse thought it was funny! Me..not so much lol!
Then we had to go back in the waiting room for like 30 min. I was due for a pap smear, so I went back to get that done. This is when Ethan became very cranky! A nurse came in to help so that I wouldn't have to worry while seeing the doctor. He didn't like that idea and screamed and cried and pushed her away..so he laid on my chest while I got it done! haha...which is exactly what he did for my postpartum appointment when he was like 5 weeks old! lol

SOO anyways...we are very excited!! Ethan has no idea yet, but he will get it soon enough! :)

Ethan's Birth Story

I never wrote a birth story for Ethan, and it's better late than never! :)

Matt's best friend, who was stationed in Japan, was home for his Christmas leave. He requested another week off for leave so he would be able to be here for Ethan's birth. His due date was January 9th, 2009. Ethan decided to be stubborn and not come on time, and Matt's friend had to leave. I felt so bad that he took extra leave to be here, and wasn't able to see Ethan.
I had an OB appt on Monday, January 12th, 2009. The doctor scheduled me to be induced for Thursday, January 15th and told me to call the hospital at 6:30 am to see when they would be able to get me in. I was already 5 cm dilated and had been for the past week or so! I really didn't want to be induced, I wanted to go into labor naturally, but I was so over being pregnant and just wanted to meet my son!!
Well, Wednesday night, around 9, I decided to do some more things to induce my labor. My mom had been telling me to do nipple stimulation for the longest time, and I never did. I was desperate! I really didn't want to be induced! And, it worked like a charm! I started having contractions just a few minutes apart, and I told Matt we should go to the hospital! I thought he would freak out and try to rush us out the door, but I think he was so excited and filled with emotions, that he didn't know how to act. I was at the door waiting for him, with my bag, and he was in the bedroom just taking his time! lol
We finally got in the car and went to the hospital. Because I wasn't in pain, they took me to a little room (not the birthing room). They hooked my belly up to some monitors. After being in there for about an hour, they told me my contractions were increasing so they were going to take me to the birthing room. Matt then called his dad and my parents. Matt's dad showed up first, and Matt went down to the main floor with him to get something to eat. My midwife told me she was going to break my water, so I called Matt to see if he wanted to be there for it. He said it was ok to just do it without him. Well, I had the midwife in front of me, and two nurses on each side of her, and I was about to have my water broken, when all of the sudden Matt...and his dad...start walking in the room!!! I screamed and tried to cover up fast and the midwife and nurses quickly got them out! Luckily there was a curtain, but I saw their feet and that's why I screamed lol! So, they asked Matt's dad to leave, and Matt came in. I will never forgot the look on his face when they broke my water haha!
After my water was broken, labor started! My contractions came really fast and started getting really painful! It was around midnight at this time. I tried to go without pain meds for as long as I could. I decided to just take the one where it would just take a little of the pain away and make me a little sleepy. After awhile, I told Matt I wanted to just get the epidural. I just remember having our families in there, and it was so uncomfortable for me for them to see me that way.
I asked everyone to leave because I only wanted Matt in there. I fell asleep for a little bit, and so did Matt. Around 5:30 or 6...I woke up and was ready to start pushing! I remember at that point, I knew it was real! I was about to have a baby! Matt stayed down by my feet the whole time and helped me push! It was just hard b/c I couldn't feel a thing with that stupid epidural! I really feel like it took away from the whole experience! But anyways, after pushing for maybe...idk like 10-15 min. Ethan was finally out! I looked up at Matt crying and I asked him what was wrong..I didn't know that Ethan was out! I could barely feel him...that stupid epidural! Once I grasped the fact that he was out, they put him on my chest and I will never forget that moment! He felt so slimy and so fragile, but so beautiful!! He was 8 lbs 1 oz and 20 in! And I never had to be induced! :)
We then went up to my recovery room where we stayed for the next two days. I was so happy on Saturday afternoon when we were able to go home! I was so glad to be leaving that miserable hospital! Kennestone Hospital in Kennesaw, GA will not be where I will deliver my future baby(s)! I wasn't too fond on the nurses there, and the fact that barely any of them were pro breastfeeding, was difficult to deal with! I found a hat that I will put on my next baby to wear in the hospital and it says, "No bottles please, I'm a breastfed baby" and has a circle with a bottle and a line through the middle!