3rd trimester here we come!

27 weeks down, 13 to go. I can't believe we are in the 3rd trimester already. That means we are getting closer by the day to meeting this little baby and giving it a name. YAY!!! I am still feeling great. There are days that I suppose forget I am pregnant, that is, until I go and try to find something to wear!! haha! My clothes are getting tighter, but honestly, I am feeling great. I credit that to still working out 3 times a week. I am doing Stroller Strides 3 days a week, and now I have added a Yoga class with Stroller Strides on Saturday mornings. I am still teaching dance 1 night a week and still chasing and playing with a 22 month old! So all in all, I feel wonderful.

I also had the blessing of seeing the baby this week via ultrasound (pics to come soon). A local radiology clinic needed to do a 2nd trimester scan, and a friend suggested me, so I got to go see the baby. It was AMAZING!! I love being able to see the baby move around. I'll write more when I post the pictures.

Well, I gained another pound this week, it was probably all the cookies Mia and I made this week!! Oh well! :)
Here are the pictures of the week.

The bare belly!
And just for fun, here is a view from the front.

Our Little Artist

So one of the ideas I had for when I have my maternity pictures done is to let Mia paint on my belly. However, Mia HATES being dirty and so I figured it would probably be a no-go. So I decided to buy some finger paints and see what she would do. Here is how the evening progressed.
She started by only using one finger, dipping it carefully in a color and then making a small dot on the paper...
This was followed by mommy showing her how to make a snake and some serious giggles...

Then she realized how funny it was to paint on her own belly AND the paper...
And it was even more funny to get to paint mommy's baby...
Here she is looking at the paint she put on mommy's baby...
And we finished with lots of giggles, messy bellys, messy hands and a bath!
It was so much fun to see her do this and I am really hoping we can get a cute professional picture of the event as well.

I got a Doula!!

So I am really excited about this. For those of you that don't know what a doula is, here is information from the DONA International site.

What is a doula?
The word "doula" comes from the ancient Greek meaning "a woman who serves" and is now used to refer to a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after birth; or who provides emotional and practical support during the postpartum period.

Studies have shown that when doulas attend birth, labors are shorter with fewer complications, babies are healthier and they breastfeed more easily.

A Birth Doula
*Recognizes birth as a key experience the mother will remember all her life
*Understands the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a woman in labor
*Assists the woman in preparing for and carrying out her plans for birth
*Stays with the woman throughout the labor
*Provides emotional support, physical comfort measures and an objective viewpoint, as well as helping the woman get the information she needs to make informed decision
*Facilitates communication between the laboring woman, her partner and her clinical care providers
*Perceives her role as nurturing and protecting the woman's memory of the birth experience
*Allows the woman's partner to participate at his/her comfort level


The doula I am using is finishing her Doula Certification and so I am getting the service for free. I feel like this is really a GOD thing because I really feel like a Doula will help me achieve my goal of having a VBAC, however, we weren't sure we could afford one. I am meeting with her soon to develop my birth plan.

Everyone I have talked to that has used a Doula, has highly recommended using one. So I will keep everyone updated on my thoughts, but I am expecting them to be great!!

26 weeks and 22 months

And here is my final post of the night. 3 in one night, that must be motivation!! :) So I thought I would start this post with some pictures of Mia on her 22month birthday. I can't believe that today (2/22) Mia is 22 months old! She is at such a fun age, but let me tell you, taking pictures is getting harder and harder. I told her to sit next to her bear....the one I've taken her picture next to since she was born and instead she put her "stink" over it, so it could go "night night"!

And her famous "cheese" face. Man, I just love this little girl to pieces.

Here is mommy (26 weeks) and Mia with our matching boots. She loves to talk about boots and shoes, so she thinks it's really fun when Mommy and Mia have boots on.

And here I am 26 weeks pregnant. I am still feeling great, continuing to feel more and more movement, sometimes to the point it keeps me up at night, or even wakes me up from sleeping. I gained 2 pounds this week! Oops!! Oh well. That's okay, that's still only 9.5 pounds. So here are this weeks pictures.

And the bare belly!

Our little Fashionista

So, if you haven't noticed yet, I LOVE dressing Mia up. Maybe it's because she lets me and maybe it's because I just can't help myself...I think she's ADORABLE!!! So I dressed her up for church on Sunday and decided I needed to take some pictures of our little Fashionista. Here is she is with her lollipop (and no, she didn't eat that whole thing, which had 92 grams of Sugar. Actually she took about 5 licks and then mean mommy took it away).

Cheese! Check out those wings on the side
Strutting her stuff. Seriously, this is like America's Next Top Model heading down the runway!

I love her face here. Isn't she too cute?

Hmm...I think she's thinking about hard it is to be that cute!

Okay, so I know I'm biased, but I just think she is so cute. Her personality probably makes it even cuter, but these pictures make me smile lots...hope you enjoyed them too.

"Upcakes", Marriage and Working Out

So, if I haven't said it before, I'll say it now. Mia is "strong-willed", in other words she knows what she wants, when she wants it and has a hard time waiting for things. We especially see this when she is hungry or isn't getting the attention "She" thinks she deserves. So we have started having her help out more with things that mommy and daddy are doing (putting about dishes, throwing things away, putting things in the fridge, and setting the table) She seems to LOVE these activities. I think she loves being a "helper" but also it distracts her from whatever was making her sassy.

So the other day I decided to make some muffins and thought I'd have her help...She LOVED it! She kept talking about the "upcakes" (Cupcakes) she was making. She lined the muffin pan with liners, poured the milk in the bowl and helped mommy stir. It was adorable!! I loved it!
Here she is stirring the muffins.

So proud of herself
On Friday, Josh and I attended Marriage Enrichment night at church. This is an evening put on once a year through the church, celebrating marriage. They cater in dinner, have a program, and close with a dance. Josh had to work, so we didn't stay for the dance. This is the 6th year we have attended. Once again, it was amazing. It is amazing to belong to a church that celebrates marriage, that talks openly and honestly about the joys and struggles of marriage. They talk about keeping God at the center of your relationship and how important that is. At the end of the evening, you have a chance to recommit to your vows, even sealed with a kiss. Every time I leave, I feel refreshed and renewed. I realize how lucky I am to have been blessed with such an amazing husband. It is even more amazing to sit at this event carrying our 2nd child and reflecting on our good we really have it.
Here are Josh and I after dinner.Here I am almost 26 weeks pregnant, all dressed up for the night.

Mia dressed up in her White Sox Jersey (thanks Kerri) and my heels for the night!

And just to make you smile here are Mia's "Jane Fonda" pictures. She is in a photo contest and we had to come up with a theme, so since Josh and I both enjoy working out, we thought this would be funny! This isn't the actual outfit she is wearing for her photo shoot, but it's close. Enjoy!

CHEESE!

Posing in her workout gear!! haha!

Valentine's Day - 25 weeks

It's Valentine's Day! Josh and I don't normally celebrate Hallmark Holidays, but I did want to take a minute to just talk about how amazing my life is. If you ask me 10 years ago where I thought my life was headed, I would have had a very different answer than I have now. However, in 2002, my enitre life changed. I went on a "blind date" with the most amazing man. Just over 2 years later I would become his wife. The past 7 years have been a roller coaster, blessed with good times and tested with the things life threw at us. So many times I think we get caught up in the day to day and forget to remember and reflect on the blessings of our lives. I am so blessed to have met and married my best friend. Josh is the most patient, caring, hardworking man I know. He is 110% dedicated to his family and is the most amazing daddy in the world. He has taught me what it means to love unconditionally, even at times when the other seems unlovable! So in honor of Valentine's Day, to show my hubby how much I love him, here is a picture of us at our wedding, October 16, 2004. I can honestly say I loved him so much that day, but I NEVER imagined I would love him as much as I love him now.
Okay, enough with the sappy!! haha!! Today marks 25 weeks completed. It is amazing to think that in less than 15 weeks we will be meeting this baby. We are so excited. I continue to feel the baby move more and more. I didn't gain any weight this week!!! YAY!!! That is very, very exciting!! That means I am still only up 7.5 pounds. What a deal! Here is this weeks belly pics.

And just for fun, here is another comparison between my pregnancy with Mia and Baby #2. Mia is on the left, Baby #2 is on the right...I'm not sure there is ANY difference. Hmm...I wonder if that means girl, or if I just carry my pregnancies the same!

24 weeks = V-DAY

Making it to 24 weeks is something very special...V-DAY. And no, that doesn't mean Valentine's Day. V-DAY at 24 weeks actually refers to Viability Day. This means that if the baby were to be born now, they would have the chance at survival, although they would spend much time in the NICU. This is just such a blessing to know that we are getting so much closer to meeting this baby and that everyday this baby has a better chance at being born healthy.

The baby is kicking more and more, and it is such an amazing feeling every time I feel the baby move. We have decided on names for a boy and a girl. We are excited with our choices and can't wait to meet this baby and call them by name. Don't ask...we aren't sharing! :) Mia continues to love talking to the baby. Every morning she says Hi to Mommy's baby and gives the baby a kiss and a hug...then she pulls my shirt down to cover my belly and says "Night Night Baby" (that means we are done talking about the baby, haha.)
Here is a picture of her kissing my belly. I pray she loves this baby as much when they arrive!

Speaking of Mia...I wish I could put into words how truly amazing she is. She will be 22 months on the 22nd and is amazing us more and more everyday. She is talking a ton (although sometimes we have NO idea what she is saying) She loves to talk on the phone, build block towers, play with her farm from Aunt Lindsey and still LOVES to read books more than anything. She is constantly cracking us up with the new things she says and does. We have to really watch what we say, because she is in complete parrot mode. Here are some recent pictures of little Miss Mia.
Here she is saying "CHEESE". Don't mind the messy hair and her crazy wings! :)

And here she is hanging out in her Dora chair, watching some Curious George, and holding her new monkey. Doesn't she look like such a big girl here?

So back to this pregnancy, I gained a pound and a half this week, I knew the weight would come at some point. To date I have gained 7.5 pounds. At this stage with Mia, I had already gained 14 pounds, so I am hoping I can keep the weight down this time. My belly is continuing to grow and my shorts keep getting shorter. Here are the pictures from 24 weeks.
And the bare belly, definately getting bigger.