Pregnancy Week 15

Pregnancy: 15 weeks (holy toledo, I always feel like 16 weeks is "so" far along, and I am almost there! This pregnancy is flying by!)

 

Weight Gain: Probably 5-6 lbs. Hard for me to keep up in between doctor's appts because our scale seems to be off. Definietely much fatter than I was with Brayden at this point. I wont even post pictures to compare because its just pathetic. Looking forward to getting IN shape after this one, more IN shape than I have been my entire life hopefully.....I definietely see a post-pregnancy 5k in the mix and hopefully either an 8k, or a bike race or something!

Sleep: Due to a kidney/bladder infection that I dont know why but the anti-biotics just dont seem to be kicking quickly enough, I've been waking up a few times a night to go to the bathroom. But I've been sleeping DEEP at night and feeling like I need at least 10 hours a night to even make it to 9pm every night. Another hard thing is trying to get back to sleep after Mike gets home on the nights he works. That's something new that I hope passes quickly!

 

the next two will stay the same for a little while:

 

Gender: Hoping to find out in February!

Name: Well, I am really hoping to get my way on this, and I would like to keep said name for either a boy or girl a secret until we have him/her. Daddy is the deciding factor in this of course, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he'll let us go for it! We already have a girl name for SURE picked out, and a boy name, we're way undecided on!

Feeling: pregnant, fat, achey, haha :), hormonal at times, pretty darn sleepy and extra clumsy this week. I dont feel like I am clumsy because I am so big or anything, give me a few more months for that, but I just feel so darn CLUMSY, falling on ice, dropping things left and right, spilled my hot cocoa everywhere at the coffee shop this morning, etc.

Health: Aside from the bladder infection, great!

 

Belly: Just chubby. Remind me that I said right now that the "chubby" part of weight gain is my least favorite. I would rather be thin, or largely pregnant than in between. Remind me of that when I am the size of Shamu :) 

 

What I am looking forward to: our gender ultrasound! Mike and I are both wanting to "nest" even though I always feel like that is a silly word that people use. We just want to know the gender to plan names, plan themes, plan rooms, and rearrange our house as needed!

 

What I miss: feeling more productive in the evenings! That's still the case. Not feeling so clumsy! 

Milestones: Nothing yet!

 

Movement: Nothing yet of course! But I am hoping soon! For those of you who have had multiple pregnancies, when did you start feeling your 2nd, or 3rd child move around? Was it sooner than the first?

Cravings: Dill Pickles. So weird. I didnt have strong cravings with Brayden, more aversions to foods or things that overall sounded good all the time. The other night, I HAD to have a pickle, to the point that nothing else sounded good and I could almost taste the pickle in my mouth. Thankfully one of our awesome high schoolers went to the store and bought me a whole jar so I wouldnt have to brave the ice after my fall! I have been snacking on them ever since and wonder what it is about pickles that is sounding so good? Like I told my mom on the phone, I cant think of any food that has a similar taste to pickles, which I think its interesting that I am craving something so unique. Time will tell if that craving continues!

The last two!

A very tired preggy Momma with her Hubby!

Brayden with his new awesome tool bench from Grandma and Grandpa Kraft!

More Fun

The eraser is still Brayden's favorite part of the easel. He thinks its so cool he can get rid of his artwork ;)!

Singing Happy Birthday to Jesus!

With his CD player/microphone set from Grammy

His "Buzz Rocker" (Buzz tent that he calls a rocket)

Christmas Eve and Day

Santa Came! And brought Brayden his very first easel (a HUGE hit)

and ate the cookies and drank the milk!

and brought the doggies bones!

Dottie isn't pictured because she hid with her bone ;)!

Christmas Pics

Who can resist a cute little boy in a Santa hat?

Smirky Smile

"Santa's really going to eat ALL these cookies?!"

New Year - Here's to 2011

So, I have to admit, my views on New Year's has changed drastically throughout the years. My parents can probably all to easily remember me begging them to let me stay up, begging to do some sort of fireworks, begging to hang out with friends, and one year when I was with family in Arizona, begging to go to some party at the local Indian Casino (I was like 12 or 13!!). I even enjoyed trying New Year's Resolutions out and making lists for the upcoming year. Looking at those years, one would have thought I would be out in some sparkly sequined dress, sipping something in a nice glass, with heels and makeup on, staying up to ring in the new year.
And here I sit, after eating cereal for dinner with my favorite 2 year old, bare foot with my hair in messy pigtails, watching The Incredibles with Brayden while my Hubby works. I will definietely be in bed before midnight, and will probably wake up in the morning without a ton of thought about the numbers changing from 10-11.
Now don't get me wrong, there is lots to look forward to in 2011, a new baby for our family, a baby boy turning 3, me turning 25, Mike turning 26, 2 new cousins for Brayden, etc. I enjoy looking back on the last year of our lives and I enjoy looking forward on the next year of our lives, it just seems that my life has taken a turn for the "homebody" lifestyle that I wouldn't trade for the world.
Something that has also changed is my feelings on "resolutions".  Not meaning to offend anyone that makes them or sees them useful, but I really dont like resolutions at all. I think goals for one's self are great and that they really help give us drive and push to accomplish things, but I really see no reason whatsoever to wait for one day to start making changes in our lives. I think if we have an idea that we need to make a change in our life, we need to make it right then and there instead of waiting for a new year. I also think we need to look at the goals we have for ourselves and make sure that they are realistic and actually beneficial.  So, I guess, I support goals, and not neccessarily goals for the "new year" but just goals for ourselves, for our lives. Some of my ongoing goals (that I actually need to really work on) are trying to stop biting my nails, eating healthier, becoming a better cook, balancing and managing my time better, being more romantic in my marriage, working harder to encourage learning experiences with Brayden, reading my Bible more frequently and more in-depthly, making more friends, getting back into managing my pictures better, and pursuing my hobbies with a greater determination. These arent all of them, not even close, but these are things I want to work on and look forward to accomplishing and conquering!

Happy 2011! Above any goals and resolutions, may we all focus this year on how we can better glorify God, how better we can live our lives to serve Him, and how we can better grow to be more like Him!

Tummy Time

Last night, while out to pizza with a bunch of the high schoolers, I noticed a "first" in this pregnancy with my little baby belly, my belly to one side! I dont remember that happening so early with Brayden, so I had a couple of high schoolers look, and sure enough, looked like my belly was a bit bigger on the left than on the right. Then later, when I was getting ready for bed, I noticed it even more so. I'm only 14.5 weeks, so who knows if its that baby was on that side or what, but it was just neat to see my tummy already contorting to this little one!

In other news, I took a small fall on the ice this morning at work. I fell straight on my knees and wrist and seem to be doing ok so far aside from being sore. I am planning on calling my doctor at lunch just to be on the safe side!

Beautiful is....

• spending your anniversary living every day life with your husband. One of these years we will go away for our September anniversary, but every year that we spend it without frills and gifts I am so thankful for the life we have built together through God!
• watching your husband try so hard to blame himself for you washing his cell phone in the washing machine and breaking it, and even moreso, only upset because he planned on giving you HIS phone as part of your Christmas present because he knows you love his phone so much.
• waking up before your husband and your child and listening to Christmas worship music while baking cinnamon rolls.
• listening to your 2.5 year old excitedly sing Happy Birthday to Jesus while blowing out the candle with his Daddy on the Christmas morning cinnamon rolls.
• hearing your child remember to say thank you without being told...
• seeing everyone enjoying the giving part of the Season even more than the getting part
• opening heartfelt thoughtful gifts that make you stop for just a second and really appreciate the finer things in life like family and friends
• the power going out for 12+ hours starting on Christmas night and cuddling on the couch by candle light with my guys
• an extra 1.5 days off work due to a freak power outage in only my building in our entire town, and knowing those days were treasured more because the time wasn't expected

Our Christmas this year was absolutely wonderful and I am so thankful I was able to get a lot of it on video and through pictures which will be coming. I enjoyed being technology free for awhile due to the power outage, and then by choice, just enjoying soaking up time with my family. We really missed the family and friends we couldnt see this year but love each and every one of you and are so thankful for you all as well!!

1st Appt!

This morning was my very first OB appt for our second pregnancy! Finally got to meet our doctor and our little one (on the screen)!
First off, huge kudos to the man 5 years ago tonight I was dying to say I do too, and who tomorrow, will celebrate with me the anniversary of our humble marital beginning that now has grown into 5 beautiful years of love! It is so important to Mike to be at every single appt this pregnancy since he missed out on a lot of the beginning stuff with Brayden. Kind of hard when we work two totally different schedules, but we finally got a date that worked so we could both go...it just meant Mike would get less than 4 hours of sleep and then have to be up almost 20 hours straight, working again tonight. But he didnt complain not once, and really made me know how happy he was that he could go to this appt. I love him :).
Second off, the appt info! After waiting awhile, we got in to see the doctor, who briefly went over my health history with me, then did the routine appt, and did a quick ultrasound! We were just dying to see this little one because I have said it a couple times, but by this time in my pregnancy with Brayden, I had already seen him numerous times because of my complications! Mike was so surprised at how "big" the baby looked and how much the baby actually looked like a baby, that it was adorable. He stood up out of his seat immediately to look at the monitor and I could tell by the look on his face how many emotions were going through him! That quick minute of looking at our little miracle together were priceless. The perfect Christmas and Anniversary present! Doc measured baby head to toe and baby measures just 2 days shy of my actual progress, which is A-ok. Due date is SET at June 24th, 2011!  I have uploaded a picture to facebook and will post it on here as soon as my computer cooperates!

Now we wait one month till our next appt, in the meantime when I get over yet another UTI, and hope that my blood results dont show any anemia and thyroid problems like my pregnancy with Bray! Then, in roughly 6 weeks, we will have our "gender" ultrasound if all goes to plan! No date set for that but I will keep everyone updated!

Brayden still doesnt understand quite yet that the baby is in my belly, which is a pretty darn abstract concept for a 2 year old to get ;). I think he will understand it more as Mommy gets bigger and he can eventually feel the movements. For the meantime, we're not worried about explaining it to him, but he knows there is a baby and will gladly tell you all about the ultrasound picture :)!

A couple of shots

from our webcam tonight...

Baby belly at almost 14 weeks. 3 1/2 months already and already a baby bump.....

A lot easier to get Brayden to  "cheese" if he can see himself ;)!

Finally some CHRISTmas stuff!

Trying to snap a shot of the deliciously yummy peppermint oreos Mike and I made earlier. Loved the recipe, loved that it turned out great the first time we tried it, and loved that my hubby was such a sport and spent the time baking with me while Brayden was napping and it was Mike's last but of "down" time before he went to work.

Our beautiful Christmas tree, or am I just biased?! I absolutely LOVE our tree this year, minus the trouble we have had with our lights. And no smart remarks about all the presents, they are most definietely not all from us or for us either! We seem to have Santa's workshop going in our home for a few different people!

A closer shot of the tree. I was trying to time it when all our flashing lights were on, but that just seemed impossible after a couple shots. Next year Mike and I are going to go sans flashing lights because we have decided we both like how fully lit our tree looks when all the lights are on and not flashing back and forth. But I was so happy with our tree this year, so happy with the place we bought it for a great price that I was even able to afford a fresh wreath for our front door, and I just love how many meaningful ornaments we have collected throughout the years!

And, how could I not post a picture of this Christmas cutie? Wearing his adorable Mickey feetie Christmas jammies that he just loves, but unfortunately you can't see. And holding his newest proof of knowing how to pull at Mommy and Daddy's heart strings. I have been wanting to get Brayden a pillow pet, and I think Mike just thought they were ridiculous and that he already has a pillow. Today at the grocery store they had some (and we've been seeing them everywhere) and for some reason they caught Mike's eye more this time and we stopped to look, did our shopping, and then found ourselves in front of them again. When I saw this dragon one, I couldnt pass it up. I had been wanting to get him a doggie one, but when I saw this one and it was the only one they had, I just had to have it for Bray because I had never seen a dragon one before. He loves dragons since we watched How to Train Your Dragon. Anyways, Mike and I bought it with the intention of wrapping it and putting it under the tree. And obviously you see the picture, Brayden won out. Crying out "dragon dragon" while we were trying to get him to nap, and sobbing uncontrollably surely helped his case. It made us feel better about giving in when we checked on him together and saw him asleep with his head on the pillow, and his hand holding on to one of the ears. He keeps running around the house with it tonight making "whooshing" noises telling me it's "fies" (ph-eyes) for flies. Precious :)! And look, a picture that I had to do a million takes of to actually get him to smile!

Visit With Santa

pictures from a week ago. Hopefully they work!

A picture of a picture never turns out the best, but if you wanted to see Brayden with Santa this year, this is what you will get!

The super cute book he got from his visit with Santa

the adorable ornament Brayden made with Mommy's help

Brayden is not a fan of getting his picture taken these days and makes the most awful faces. So this is the only picture I got of him with his ornament, but I still wanted to post it because its him sporting his new snow boots we got for him this year that he is SO excited about. He loves stomping around in them everytime we put them on him!

Baby Baby Baby Oh!

This will make my sister-in-law Katie very happy. Everytime I sit down to do one of these pregnancy posts, the Justin Bieber song "Baby" comes to my mind and I ridiculously sing it to myself while typing out the latest news with Baby K #2 :)! Just had to throw that out there!

Pregnancy: 12 weeks today!

 

Weight Gain: Around 3-4 lbs. I'm horrible in that I didnt know exactly how much I weighed when I conceived, but I am estimating between 125-126. I stepped onto the scale at the doctor's office (no real appt, just medical history stuff) on Wednesday to weigh in at 129.2. 

Sleep: So very very sleepy! I've been trying to chug through homework the last couple nights and its been very challenging because I just want to camp out on the couch and cuddle with Brayden! Not sleeping horribly through the night, but am getting up 1-2 times to pee a night!

 

the next two will stay the same for a little while:

 

Gender: 2 more months till we find out! We're expecting to know right before Mike's birthday! I wanted to try and schedule the appt on his birthday, but its a Sunday, so thats a no-go surprise gift!

Name: Well, I am really hoping to get my way on this, and I would like to keep said name for either a boy or girl a secret until we have him/her. Daddy is the deciding factor in this of course, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he'll let us go for it! We already have a girl name for SURE picked out, and a boy name, we're way undecided on!

Feeling: more and more pregnant! Pants getting tighter, hair changing, skin changing, etc.

Health: Still chugging. Feeling pretty darn well :)

 

Belly: Starting to show a little, maybe! Only after I eat but it is starting to show. I asked Mike earlier this week if he thought I was starting to show (which I am not anxious to do but expecting to come sooner rather than later) and he said "no, just chubby" gotta love that man. It just made me giggle when he said that!

 

What I am looking forward to: my first ultrasound!

 

What I miss: feeling more productive in the evenings! It's hard getting off work and wanting to give my all to Mike and Brayden and just not feeling up to doing much! Trying to work on pushing through it but come 8 or 9, I'm just about done!

Milestones: 12 weeks today!

 

Movement: Nothing yet of course!

Cravings: Bagels, Soda (which I actually dont drink often) sour candy and salad with italian dressing!

New Symptom for the books!

Funny thing happened this morning. I woke up with an awful taste in my mouth. Not totally uncommon for me to wake up with bad breath (according to my loving hubby ;) ) but it just wouldnt go away. I ignored it and pressed on and made it to work, where I started to munch on my breakfast. My apple didnt taste right. Not at all. Wierd. Ok, my water tastes awful. I know I left it in my water bottle at work overnight, but it should not taste this bad. Hmm. Back to work. Ok, my cold pizza (super healthy, I know) definietely doest taste right. Let me put my finger on it. It tastes....like metal?! Let's google it. I am self-diagnosing here, but it appears I have dysgeusia. A fairly normal pregnancy symptom, much like morning sickness that is a metal taste in your mouth until it goes away sometime in the 2nd trimester. I never had anything like this with Brayden at all, very interesting how different each pregnancy can be!

http://www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/symptoms-and-solutions/metallic-taste.aspx

Christmas Love

A lovey, dovey, overdue post about my hubby and marriage. I was talking with a dear friend earlier this week about marriage, the beauty of it, the trials of it, and how God is so ever present in it and has such great desires for our marriages. Each and every marriage has seasons of passion, seasons of friendship, seasons of hardship, seasons of learning, seasons of growth, and so many more. 5 years ago, I would have heard that from someone and smiled, thought about it briefly and moved on. Now I sit here, with over 5 years with Mike at my side, almost 5 years ( in 20 days! ) since our beautiful private wedding, a child upstairs sleeping, another one growing within me, and realize how beautiful and needed and awesome each and every season is. Marriage is more beautiful than our culture, even we, give it credit for. Taking two totally different and separate people, combining them together as one (which is a CONSTANT process), creating a family through them, and growing them together for their entire lives. Marriage is a commitment that is so overlooked these days for the beauty that it really is, that 50, 60, 70 year old marriages and all the seasons they have gone through together, survived, and flourished, and stayed side by side, for the awesomeness that is shown through that. Even when its not make-out sessions, romantic dates, and hand holding under the table, even when its just knowing someone is always there, even when its just being friends, even when its just the commitment to getting through the hard times, it's beautiful, it's monumental, and I am so extremely grateful that God has put and continues to put such an emphasis on the importance of it.

Wow, that was a tangent. That being said, my God-given husband (which is the most loving and endearing thing I could ever say about him, simply resting on the beautiful fact that God created him perfectly for me!) came home for a break tonight and had me listen to this song he heard on the radio. With tears in his eyes, holding my hand, we listened together, silently, and just smiled at each other. It's one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard because its exactly what I needed to hear, exactly how I feel, and brought back so many wonderful, beautiful, awesome memories of 5 years ago as I prepared to marry my Mike :). I hope this blesses you all, and its something you can bring your spouse over to listen too and go down memory lane together too!!

Busyness

If you're friends with us on Facebook, you know we're all alive and well (minus colds) but have fallen off the blogosphere again. Right now its crunch time for college, less than 2 weeks left (AHH!) and I have one class to finish and Mike has two.

After talking with Mike and getting his approval, I made the decision to forego Christmas cards this year. I love taking pictures, and I love family pictures and I love Christmas cards. But this year, I'm spending a little more time focusing on how I am feeling about things and realized I was so stressed about Christmas cards, pictures, making them, getting them, sending them out that I had to take a step back and say "Why do something if its causing you stress?" Most of our loved ones follow our blog, talk to us somewhat often, and are friends with us on Facebook. Having said that, most of our loved ones know anything that I could say on any Christmas card, and will see more recent pictures posted before they even get our Christmas cards! Mike couldnt have agreed more, and said let's just skip them. So, look forward to our card next year with the family of FOUR!

Also, I've been posting to blogger, I swear I have, cute pic of my Mom with Bray, couple cute stories, pics from our wonderful Thanksgiving, and blogger and I still seem to be having a tumultuous relationship. I dont have the time to sort through the issues, so until school is over we'll wait to see whats going on. In the meantime, look for pictures in email/facebook format.

Lastly, a cute story about Brayden and his quirky personality, from Friday night. We went to a local town's little Christmas shindig with Mike's mom and little sister (thanks you two!) and Katie, Brayden and I went on a horse drawn carriage ride around the town square. Brayden just loves horses and all animals for that matter, so he was SO excited to be "riding" one (we were in the wagon behind it of course). He didnt have a great view behind the driver, so he was craning his neck whichever way would give him the best view of the horse the entire ride. Telling the horse "good boy" "hee haw" and numerous other cute sayings.  Then as we were getting ready to get off, I asked if we could pet him and the driver told us absolutely. So I took Brayden up to the horse's face, expecting him to watch me pet the horse and with no reservation, he reached out and started petting the horse and giggling under his breath. It was so cute to watch and I wish that we hadnt had to hurry the experience because it was starting to drizzle and we were hoodless. Needless to say, I think a horsey will be on his Christmas list ;0)! Santa didn't go off so well, which was fine with me. We waited over an hour in line to see him, but I still chalk it up to a very nice experience. Free hot cocoa and as many cookies as we could eat, really nice free books from Santa, $5 to get a picture but you could take one for free, free ornament making, and a goodie bag from Santa with more ornaments to make at home, stickers, candy etc. Mike's Mom and Sister again were huge troopers to wait with us so long only to have Brayden have a meltdown as we neared Santa due to tiredness/being overwhelmed/ and still being a little scared of Santa. We took a picture of Brayden and I sitting together at Santa's feet, and then came home for Brayden to be all excited to watch Santa on the TV ;), silly kiddo! My kid who will pet horses fearlessly, but is cautious around strangers. I love his little quirky personality and wouldn't trade him for the world!

Happy Day

Brayden just grabbed my hand and led me behind the couch where he was playing (our couch is in the middle of our living room if you havent been in our house) and say "Look Mommy, Happy Day!" and pointed to where he had built a birthday "cake" with two of his small toy boxes, and he put single mega blocks on top to look like candles! Did it all on his own and decided it looked like a "Happy Day" which is what he calls cake most of the time. Super cute!

Thanksgiving: Family Life

This article blessed my socks off this morning and I hope it blesses yours too!!

Thanksgiving Day after Day
by Barbara Rainey
He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me.
Psalm 50:23

Join us 2-11-11

Has it ever seemed surprising to you that God made the Israelites wander in the wilderness for 40 years just for grumbling and complaining? My kids may have spent 30 minutes in their rooms for griping, but 40 years? That's some severe discipline!
One thing is crystal clear from this biblical account: God is obviously not pleased with grumbling, ungrateful hearts. And we should not tolerate grumbling either--in ourselves or in our children.
Being grateful is a choice that we readily and ritually express on Thanksgiving Day. But what do we do on other days of the year when the mood is less festive or the atmosphere is more ordinary?
I like the contented way the Pilgrims approached life. They did not allow their feelings or circumstances to determine whether or not they would exercise gratitude and thanksgiving. They believed that God was in control--"providence," they called it. Following this belief to its logical conclusion, they responded to challenges with a perspective that said, "God has allowed this for our good." They chose to believe--rightly so--that their dependence on a holy, faithful God was well placed and that even though much was against them, there was always much more for which to be grateful.
Developing a heart of gratitude is essential to growing a stronger faith. As John Piper stated in his book A Godward Life, "If we do not believe that we are deeply dependent on God for all we have or hope to have, the very spring of gratitude and faith runs dry."
Make the choice today to take your eyes off yourself and your circumstances, gratefully acknowledging who God is and what He is doing. Deny yourself the right to complain, embracing instead the deep-seated joy of thanksgiving ... in all things.
A grateful heart pleases God.

Decorating...

for CHRISTMAS in our house tonight :)! Going to get our tree this coming Sunday, but with the way Mike's work schedule is working out, we want to get as much celebrating/festivities/decorating in this year as we can! Really Really Really looking forward to it this year, since Brayden has been getting a big kick out of the holidays so far! Looking forward to how he reacts to everything Christmas! Last year as a family of THREE!

Brayden-isms

• Mike and I have decided that Brayden's clumsiness and tendency for injury is not entirely his fault.  He has a gigantic noggin, and we have decided that that is partly to blame for his ceaseless injuries.  Right now he has a goose-egg and bruise on his temple (thankfully mostly covered by hair) from falling on the hardwood floor from running too fast. He has a cut on his ear from who knows what, and still some minor roadrash on his cute little chin from his tree incident last week. But after watching him run and fall repeatedly today, and then, like I was telling my sister on the phone earlier, watching him trying to stand up and bonk his head 3 separate times on the entertainment center, we just digressed and decided to allow his huge head to be his excuse for the time being.
• Second, he may be deciding for a career behind the pulpit as we speak.  I just watched Brayden take "The Pursuit of God" by A.W.Tozer out of our book basket on the fireplace, proceed to stand up on top of the fireplace step, open it, and "read" it aloud to the dogs, with hand gestures and everything.  I am now wishing I could have grabbed my video camera in time, but you'll have to trust me that it was one of the cutest things I have ever seen :)

The Sleep Trials

I've been meaning to write this post for the last couple of days, but keep putting it off or forgetting and it's about time I journal it for memory's sake.  A little while back, citing my friends again, my friend Casey posted about the hard time her young baby was having sleeping through the night and the time old discussion of crying it out, or not.  I appreciated her words on the topic, especially her decision to forego crying it out, knowing what is best for her little girl.  I remember going through the same trial with Brayden, though I have to admit, thats been one of the easier aspects of Brayden, he loves sleep like his Mama.  He has plenty of other more problemsome things, like his stubborn streak, like his aversion to almost all foods, and also his contentment with how he does things instead of a drive to want to learn how else to do it (walking, crawling, talking, etc!).  But back to sleep.  Brayden has always been a pretty good sleeper with some hiccups along the way including colic, waking up for feedings, being sick, etc.  About a month ago Brayden went through a week of NOT sleeping well. Coupled with the stomach flu for all of us, and Mike and I not being quite sure how to handle it, it took two nights of Brayden sleeping in bed with us, one night of us all sleeping on the couch, and a few nights of getting up throughout the night to calm him down to get through it.  But I learned something from that time.  Brayden actually did better when I didnt come in to calm him down.  I ended up being a catalyst for the problem.  Instead of making it better, the fact that I came to Brayden and then had to eventually leave again, no matter how long I stayed, made him even more upset.  I understand crying it out is sometimes neccessary, and Mike and I even have had to do it a handful of times with Brayden, and there is something just so unnatural about listening to your child being upset, and not tending to them.  But it was when I realized Brayden got even MORE upset when I left, that I had to pick the less of the two evils and go with that.  Sure enough, it took a couple nights, and each night a little less time, for Brayden to calm down, and he was sleeping through the night again.

Well, this week, it started back up again.  And, unfortunately, I end up being the person that sometimes has to learn a lesson more than once.  I was caught off guard that Brayden was doing this again, and the first night, I went in, and when I couldnt calm him down, I ended up "not" sleeping with him on our guest bed all night (why do kids toss and turn so much?!)  Mike and I talked the next day and both agreed we would have to treat this as the last time and tough it out with Brayden.  The first night, Brayden cried off and on for over 30 minutes. It was rough.  The only saving grace I had was that every single time I almost got out of bed, he would calm down. It was like 5 minutes on 5 minutes off, of him being upset. And on a side note, its not him screaming and crying the whole time, I couldnt handle that and would just cave. It's more of him crying some, calming down, talking and whimpering some, calming down, and every now and then a temper tantrum thrown in there.  But, I didnt go in, and actually took the time to lay awake in bed and pray over him, for God's comfort and peace to cover him, for him to get rest, and for me to get rest as well.  The next night was only 15 minutes, and last night, nothing at all.

Parenting is SUCH a journey isn't it? The number one thing I think I have learned is that you have to be willing to adapt and change with your child. Everything seems to be a stage, and you have to find what works best in that stage. Crying it out when Brayden was a baby, just wasn't what worked, consoling him was for the most part, surefire.  Now that he is older and understands more, it just confused him to have me come in there. I just wanted to journal this, so one day, when he's having sleeping problems with his own kids, he'll have this to look back on!

Let it snow!

This weekend we're expecting snow, every day :) Probably less than a foot total, but man oh man am I looking forward to it! Supposed to start, according to NOAA (national weather service, MUCH more reliable than Weather Channel, at least where we live!), at around 3pm! Mike and I got Brayden a new jacket, that came with a beanie and fabric mittens too, and thankfully a lot of his gloves and beanies still fit him from before. But my Aunt Judy also scored Brayden another winter jacket and two more pairs of gloves that we got in the mail yesterday.  I'm hoping we have enough to build a snowman this weekend, but only time will tell. Mike is going with the Youth Group on Sunday to cut down Christmas trees for a camp fundraiser, so they should have fun in that! Thankful for our truck so he can drive out in the woods and not get stuck! Pics of our Winter Wonderland to come!

Pregnancy: Week 9

Pregnancy: 9 weeks today!

 

Weight Gain: Havent stepped on the scale.  Feel like I'm at my regular weight!

Sleep: Still sleeping ok throughout the night. Sometimes I have to get up a couple times to go pee ;).  The other new development this week, is that when Mike gets home from his night shift, I used to just roll over, say hi, and fall asleep, now I am staying awake for a good 30-45 minutes after, ugh!

 

the next two will stay the same for a little while:

 

Gender: It will be a few months, but no, we're not keeping it a surprise.

Name: Well, I am really hoping to get my way on this, and I would like to keep said name for either a boy or girl a secret until we have him/her. Daddy is the deciding factor in this of course, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he'll let us go for it! We already have a girl name for SURE picked out, and a boy name, we're way undecided on!

Feeling: like normal me, with a little more tiredness thrown in there, and a bit of nausea.  The past 3 evenings the nausea and exhaustion have been even worse,  back to the no eating dinner, just lightly snacking.

Health: Still chugging. Feeling pretty darn well :)

 

Belly: Non existent!

 

What I am looking forward to: going to the doctor (but not the bill!). Due to scheduling and the OB being in high demand up here, I wont see a doctor until I am 11 1/2 weeks along. That blows my mind and kind of worries me, but since I am feeling so healthy and taking my prenatals I know I need not worry. I know a lot of women dont even find out till they are a few months along that they are pregnant, and the doctors office assured me it is ok as long as I feel fine.  Plus, most importantly, God's got this little one in His hands!

 

What I miss: feeling more productive in the evenings! It's hard getting off work and wanting to give my all to Mike and Brayden and just not feeling up to doing much! Trying to work on pushing through it but come 8 or 9, I'm just about done!

Milestones: Nothing yet!

 

Movement: Nothing yet of course!

Cravings: Bagels, Cream Cheese, Icees (which Brayden loves now too), Poptarts :) I even managed to scarf down a couple apples this week which made me happy since fruit hasn't been sounding all that good!

Favorite Things

My buddies Casey (jcmfamily.blogspot.com) and Elissa (melafamilyblog.blogspot.com) both posted a cute little list of favorite on their blogs and I wanted to join in on the fun! Here I go!

Flowers: Gerbera Daisies.  They always make me smile. I just think they are so bright and beautiful and full of life that they cheer up a whole room :-)! Plus, they look gorgeous on my dining room table!

Color Combination: I have to say, I love the blues/antique whites/whites that cover our bedroom. It's romantic, relaxing, and exactly where I want to be at the end of a long day! That being said, Mike just re-painted like 70% of our entire house to be the beautiful gold/yellow that I wanted, so I love me some bright colors too!!

Celebrity Couple: Like my friends, I could care less, and I honestly wouldn't know who to pick or who is even together!

Favorite Theme Song: Hehe, this would be it right now, because theme song means from a show right? I dont know that the shows Mike and I normally watch have themes, but I love the veggietales theme song and always find myself singing along and dancing around when Brayden watches them!

Favorite Magazine(s):

I love this magazine, I haven't gotten it in a couple of years, but I remember when I did, I would read them and re-read them and highlight and cut things out of them.  They were just so relevant to what I was feeling/needing/going through!

And Parents magainze :) I get it monthly and love it every single time :)

Favorite Thing about Fall: FAMILY TIME! I posted this before, but I feel like my soul just feels at rest during Fall. I get to recoup from a really busy Summer, watch the leaves change, and snuggle with two of my all time favorite people :).

Favorite things about being a Mom: Knowing Bray inside and out, what makes him tick, what makes him laugh, what can get him out of a funk, his deep belly laugh, there is nothing like it and it makes his whole body shake and convulse and his smile engulfs his entire face, rocking him, just because he wants me too, when he needs me too, when he's tired or scared, and watching Mike and him together, there is no better feeling in the world!

Favorite things about being a Wife: knowing that I have the man I love with all my heart, at my side, for my entire life. Lots of people never find that and most people don't find it as young as I did, I am truly blessed! I love to watch him sleep but he'll tell you that that creeps him out! I like being able to warm my cold feet up on him when we are in bed, because I can't sleep with socks on, but my feet always start out cold! For all the memories we've made and the ones we have yet to make!

About blogging: first and foremost, it's my diary. I wonder if people believe me about that. I have a pretty darn bad memory, I have to read things or look at pictures to remember exact events and this blog has given me that outlet to be able to preserve all the memories I dont take the time to sit and write down! To be able to keep up with people I love, meet new people I would have never known, and for community, like Elissa said, I can bounce questions off people, read others advice, and really learn from lots of other Christian women, moms and wives!

More Park Fun

In the Leaves

More Beauty

Daddy snapping a couple shots of Mom and the boy

Took this off the bridge, looking down. It was simply BREATH-taking.