25 Weeks

25 weeks (and 2 days 8/2)

Wow! Where did that belly come from? The belly is definitely getting harder to dress. Even some of my maternity shirts are too small. :/

My last Dr.'s appointment (7/21,23 weeks) went well. Baby girl's heartbeat was nice and strong and everything from my ultrasound looked great. Kinsley loves going to the doctor with me. I figured out it's because she gets a sucker every time. The next appointment will be pretty eventful. I will get my Rhogam shot (since I have O negative blood), do my glucose test and other lab work. I am not looking forward to the Rhogam shot! It burns so bad!

This week we got to meet the newest member of the family, Bennett! He is such a cutie. Kinsley and I got some good cuddles in while he was here. It was so fun to see how Kinsley interacted with Bennett. She wanted to hold him, gave him kisses, and sang to him a couple of times. She wanted him to jump on the trampoline with her....maybe next time. I think she is going to be a great big sister!

I'm going to have to get used to two kids on my lap!

How far along: 25 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: I gained 6 more pounds. That's 18 total *sigh*. The good news is I didn't double my weight!
Maternity clothes?: Yes. Do you see the shorts in the pic above? A friend let me borrow them! They are a little shorter than I normally wear but when it is hot I don't care!
Stretch marks?: Nothing
Sleep:  I was so tired this week. I felt like I could sleep all day! I have been making myself get up at 7 and do some kind of exercise which usually makes me feel more awake during the day.
Best moment this week: Getting to meet Bennett
Movement: Yup! There have been a couple of times where it almost tickles.
Food cravings: I can't make up my mind what I want. One minute I think I want Mexican, then I decide I want Chinese, then I think maybe I want pizza. Notice none of those options are healthy. :/
Gender: Girl! The bedroom has been at a standstill for the last week or two. I need to find where Chris put his motivation and give it back to him!
What I miss: Caffeine for these sleepy days.
Milestones: Passed 24 weeks- chances of survival are pretty good at this point. I'm not near ready so stay in there for a few more months baby!

From BabyCenter:

How your baby's growing
Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — 1 1/2 pounds — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

Kinsley 2 Years

It is hard to believe that sweet little baby is already two! We have had a busy year with all kinds of changes and fun things going on. 

Kinsley got to ride on an airplane twice this year. The first trip was in August to Nashville/Huntsville. Chris had a class for work that he went to so Kinsley and I tagged along. We had all kinds of fun running around town while he was at his class. Since we were so close, we spent some time with Nick and Danae. Kinsley did such an awesome job on the plane. She slept during both flights and only fussed a little.

First time on a plane

Fancy dinner out

Hanging out with Uncle Nick

The second airplane experience did not go quite as smoothly. Kinsley and I flew to Colorado for Audrey's 1st birthday in May. It was much more difficult going by myself. Kinsley did not sleep at all even though I purposely booked flights during nap and bed time. She still did pretty good and we had a great time visiting Audg in Colorado.

Such a big girl carrying her own bookbag

Matching at the zoo

Kinsley loves her cousin!

In November Kinsley got to be the flower girl in Kim and Josh's wedding. That weekend I realized I could no longer deny that my baby was now a toddler. She walked down the aisle like a pro, danced all night and even tried to catch the bouquet. 

Walking down the aisle!

Dancing with the ring bearer 

Dancing with the bride

Trying to catch the bouquet. I'm going to have to watch this girl!

Each holiday has been so much more fun this year. Kinsley really enjoyed each of them and we got to start some fun traditions.

For Halloween Kinsley was an owl. She even learned how to say "Whoo Whoo" like an owl. At first she did not want to wear her costume, then she saw other kids with their costumes on and decided she wanted to wear hers. It's a good thing because that thing took some time to make! Just before Halloween we took a hayride to pick out a pumpkin at the pumpkin patch. I thought painting pumpkins would be easier than carving them. Kinsley really enjoyed it and was very particular about her painting. I tried to turn the pumpkin to a clean spot, she got mad and turned it back.

Hayride

Finished product.

Cutest owl I've ever seen!

Thanksgiving was spent with family and eating turkey. Kinsley also got to sit in the living room, eat her breakfast and watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Eating breakfast while watching the parade. Doesn't get much better.

MMMM turkey leg!

Kinsley had so much fun at Christmas unwrapping her gifts and helping pass out gifts to everyone else. On Christmas Eve Kinsley got to open her Christmas Eve present (new pj's, a book, an ornament and a sweet treat) and set milk and cookies out for Santa. Unfortunately, Santa couldn't eat all of his cookies so Kinsley finished them the next morning for him.

Christmas Sunday

She loves her new jammies!

Picture with Santa

We did some crafting for Valentine's Day. Kinsley loved painting the canvas and her hands! The huge mess gave me a little anxiety but she had fun making it. We gave one to each grandma and kept one for our house. Kinsley got a couple of little gifts like a new book, new Valentine's day shirt, balloons, and a new plate. All of our meals that day consisted of heart shaped foods. 

What a mess!

I love the final product!

Easter was so much better this year! Kinsley actually enjoyed getting in the grass and hunting Eggs. We also decorated and dyed a few eggs. Kinsley got an Easter basket full of goodies (book, book bag, crayons, bubbles).

Family Easter picture with all FOUR of us ;)

Hunting Easter eggs

dyed Easter Eggs

Matching Easter dresses

During the winter and spring Kinsley was a busy girl with all of her activities! She had playgroup on Monday, Story time at the library on Tuesday, Bible study on Wednesday and gymnastics on Thursday. In between all of her activities we found time to walk to the park, bake, play in the snow and walk to the shop to visit Daddy. Kinsley loves having things to do.

Headstand at gymnastics

Making cupcakes

Playing in the snow

Yummy snow!

One day after playgroup Kinsley decided she didn't want to hold my hand on the way to the car and thought instead she would run across the parking lot. It is a terrible parking lot with a blind corner right where she decided to run. I went and grabbed her hand and walked her back to the car. She was not happy about having to hold my hand so she threw herself to the ground. I picked her up and put her in the car. She was still crying but I could tell it was an "I'm hurt cry" not an "I'm mad" cry. I couldn't see anything obviously wrong with her arm so we headed home, ate lunch and took a much needed nap. When Kinsley woke up she was still holding her arm and wouldn't let me move it or touch it. I called the Doctor's office and they said it sounded like a Nursemaid's elbow which would need to be fixed in the office. Five days, two office visits, an X-Ray, a couple of suckers and a cute sling later she was back to normal. I felt really bad but now she almost always asks me for my hand before we go into a parking lot.

What a pitiful face. 

The biggest change this year was finding out Kinsley is going to be a big sister! She is so excited to have a little sister. She already talks to the baby, sings to her, gives her hugs and kisses and wants to hold her. I can't wait to see how she does when the baby actually arrives. Hopefully she is just as excited. 

"Super Sister"

Kinsley is a sweet, outgoing, strong-willed, independent little girl. She gives the best hugs and kisses, yells "HI!" to everyone she sees, and likes to do things all by herself. Although we have had some rough days (or weeks) I have truly enjoyed spending so much time with Kinsley and getting to see her personality take shape. I am so excited, and a little nervous, to watch as she grows even more. 

On our way to birthday dinner

Two year pictures

Age: 2 years

Weight/percentile: 26 pounds/42nd percentile 

Height/percentile: 35.5 inches/89th percentile

Head circumference: 18 inches/22nd percentile

Eye color: Blue with green in the middle

Hair color: Light brown or dark blonde with some curls around the edges. Kinsley has had about 4 haircuts. The back always grows faster than the front.

Teeth: Kinsley has a full mouth of teeth. 

Diaper size: Size 5. 

Clothing size: 24 month or 2T.  Size 6.5-7 shoes

Favorite food: I think cottage cheese or "hot cheese" as she calls it may be her all time favorite food. She really isn't picky and will eat most things I put in front of her. She doesn't really like ground beef and will immediately spit out crab ragoon (maybe it's the texture?)

Favorite activity: Swimming, swinging, jumping on the trampoline, riding her new bike, "playing with kids", riding the train.
Favorite TV show/Movie: Kinsley loves 'Sofia the First' (she calls "beeta") and 'Frozen' (she calls "first time ever"). We have the Frozen soundtrack and listen to it anytime we are in the car.

Movement: Kinsley is running, jumping, kicking and throwing a ball. We are still working on catching.

Sounds/talking: Constant! This girl does not stop talking. She loves to call people on the phone and just chat away. Most of the time I can understand her 4-6 word sentences and we communicate pretty well. Sometimes I think she takes random words she knows and puts them together to make a sentence. It might sound something like "Ball outside in the corner at church play with kids".  My favorite sentence is "I wudjew Mommy". Kinsley can count to 10 with no problems and is working on counting to 13 (she leaves 12 out). She is also working on spelling her name. Right now we have "K-i-n-s" and then the rest of the letters come out randomly.

22-23 Weeks

22 weeks (and 3 days 7/13)

Not much has changed in the past two weeks but I figured I better at least show you all a picture to prove it. This last week Chris found some motivation somewhere to start cleaning out the office/junk room and start turning it into the baby's room. So far we have moved the humongous desk out, moved everything out of the closet, took the wallpaper off the walls in the closet, bought paint and shelving for the closet. As soon as we paint and get the shelves in I can start organizing everything and putting it back in the closet, hopefully leaving enough room for baby things. Now that we know we are having another little girl I have started looking into ideas for her room and a name for her. If you have any suggestions on either I am open to it! Kinsley thinks we should name her Baby. It's fitting!
I have another appointment on Monday (7/21). Crossing my fingers I didn't double my weight again!

How far along: 23 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: I'll find out Monday...
Maternity clothes?: Yup! My only pair of regular shorts officially don't fit.
Stretch marks?: None yet
Sleep:  I am having a hard time getting comfortable already. Most nights I still sleep pretty good.
Best moment this week: Getting ready for this little girl to arrive
Movement: They are getting pretty strong. I think she is going to be a kick boxer!
Food cravings: I think about food from the moment I wake up until I go to sleep. It's not a good thing! Lately the sweets are calling my name. Especially strawberry Poptarts and sugary cereal
Gender: Girl! I went through Kinsley's newborn (summer) clothes and pulled out things I thought we could make work for this (winter) baby. If people  *cough cough* Nana and MiMi *cough* buy clothes for this baby like they do for Kinsley, she will have plenty of clothes!
What I miss: Comfortably reaching my toenails to paint them. I desperately need a pedicure!
Milestones: Another week closer!

From BabyCenter:
Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about the size of a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.

Beau or Bow now we know!

Well, It has been a busy week with vacation and parties. Just this week we had a bridal shower for JanMarie, a reveal party for Baby I, plus vacation in Tulsa for 4 days AND Fourth of July on Friday. We took a big risk this time with the reveal party. My ultrasound appointment was at 3:15 on thursday and the reveal party started at 6. The pressure was on! Baby I had to cooperate, and thankfully did without any problems.  I am measuring just a few days ahead of my due date and the baby weighs about 1 pound. Kinsley kept making the funniest comments; I couldn't stop laughing! I pointed out the baby's eyes to her and she said "glasses?" So funny!
With all the busyness I didn't do very good at taking pictures of the party. We had mustache and hair bow pins that people could wear to show their vote on boy or girl. The food was boy and girl themed. Boy food included my famous BBQ meatballs, pigs in a blanket, and macaroni and cheese. Girl food included Chicken salad sandwiches, hair bow pasta salad, and fruit salad. There were cupcakes for dessert. At Kinsley's reveal party the "reveal" was in the cupcakes. Multiple people thought it was the same this time and were afraid to even touch the cupcakes!

invitations from Etsy

Since the reveal party was the day before the 4th of July I thought we would do some kind of firework. I initially thought about doing a smoke bomb but I wanted everyone to be able to participate. We ended up doing party poppers. While I was laying by the pool getting all tan on vacation, my family was removing the inside of 48 party poppers and filling half of them with blue tissue paper and the other half with pink tissue paper.

PINK!

First, I might have stopped the video for a second (oops) so sorry it's a little choppy. Second, I thought the pink and white would look cute but it turns out it is harder to see the pink in the video. Either way it was a great time!

Excited to add another girl to the family!

This weeks stats:

How far along: 21 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: I had some good food on vacation... I don't want to know how much I gained.
Maternity clothes?: Yes. Still wear one pair of regular shorts. I just can't get myself to spend $40 on a pair of shorts I will wear for a few months.
Stretch marks?: None yet
Sleep: My dreams are crazy!
Best moment this week: Finding out we are having another girl!
Movement: They are getting stronger everyday
Food cravings: I ate so much this week I don't think I will crave anything for a little while.
Gender: Another girl!!!
What I miss: Laying on my stomach.
Milestones: Another week down

From BabyCenter:

How your baby's growing:

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — about the size of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now, and if you're having a girl, her vagina has begun to form as well.

20 Weeks

20 weeks (6/26)

I am half way already! This pregnancy has gone by so much faster than the last. I am probably just a little bit busier this time around. Saturday (6/21) we celebrated Kinsley's 2nd birthday. That girl is just amazing. I will have more on that in a different post...hopefully.

All dolled up for birthday dinner

I have been busy working the past week or so. A lady I work with needed to trade nights and I had already picked up a shift at St's so I ended up working 5 days in a row. I just had to keep reminding myself that in one week I would be on vacation. (FYI I'm typing this on vacation, it's pretty amazing). I had my appointment with Kim and again everything sounded great. Kinsley loves to hear the "choo choo".  My weight on the other hand, not so great. :(  I was a little disappointed. I thought I was doing so well this time but I gained 6lbs in two weeks! Yup, that is 3 lbs per week! Several things could have happend: I/the baby had a growth spurt, It is a difference in scales, I hadn't slept in almost 20 hours so my stomach didn't have time to digest, or I just ate too many sweets and fried foods. No matter what I need to be careful not to continue on that 3 lbs per week routine. After vacation, and Fourth of July I will watch my diet a little better...maybe.

Not much longer and we will find out if this baby is a boy or a girl!

Here are a few comparisons for you:

9 weeks

20 weeks




20 weeks with Kinsley

How far along: 20 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: In 2 weeks I doubled my weight gained. Up to 12 now.  *sigh*
Maternity clothes?: Yup! I have had to bump up to Medium t-shirts
Stretch marks?: Nope
Sleep:  I don't do well sleeping during the day. I'm lucky to get 6 hrs, usually it's 4.
Best moment this week: Getting through that 5 day stretch alive!
Movement: Yup. Some days more than others.
Food cravings: I did get that Casey's pizza I was wanting a couple weeks ago!
Gender: We'll know really soon!  AHHH starting to get a little anxious.
What I miss: Sliding through tight spaces. I have hit my belly so many times because I forget it's there
Milestones: Half way!

From BabyCenter:

How your baby's growing:

Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — about the size of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)
He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

17 and 18 Weeks

17 Weeks (and 3 days 6/8)

18 Weeks (and 2 days 6/14)

Well, it has been a pretty uneventful past couple of weeks. The picture on the right is right before Kinsley's 2nd birthday party. It was Chevron themed so I had to wear my teal chevron scarf. I even did a cute chevron design on my toes! Looking at that picture I feel like I have a lot of arch in my back already. I might need to start working on that.
My next appointment with Kim is Monday (6/23). And my ultrasound is on July 3rd! We are planning a gender reveal party that evening so I hope this baby cooperates! Anyone have any guesses?

How far along: 17-18 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 6 lbs gained according to the scale at the gym at almost 18 weeks. Not too bad!
Maternity clothes?: Yup! Maternity shorts are terrible! Looks like its going to be a warm summer. I acutally have one pair of shorts that still fit. I wore them just shortly after I had Kinsley
Stretch marks?: None
Sleep:  I have the craziest dreams! It's quite annoying actually
Best moment this week: Spending quality time with Kinsley and treasuring time with just her.
Movement: YES! Two kicks were hard enough I could actually feel them on my hand!
Food cravings: My aunt mentioned Casey's pizza and it has sounded amazing ever since!
Gender: We'll know soon!
What I miss: Fitting in to my old shorts
Milestones: More and more movement!

From BabyCenter:
Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long, and he weighs almost 7 ounces (about the size of a bell pepper). He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

16 Weeks

16 weeks (5/29)

I have really "popped" the past couple of weeks! A week or so ago I wore a black shirt with a cute teal chevron scarf that I got in San Antnio to church. Just like at Easter, I got a lot of compliments on my scarf. You could tell they were starring straight at my tummy and just didn't want to say anything.

14 weeks (5/18)
What a cute little bump

This baby has already gotten to ride on an airplane twice! Kinsley and I flew to Colorado to celebrate Audrey's 1st birthday! Both Kinsley and the baby did great on the "hairpain" as Kinsley calls it. We had a great few days in Colorado. We went to the mountains on one day and to the Denver Zoo our last day. I found out that Kinsley does not do well in the car for more than 30 minutes :/

Kinsley loves her cousin Audg!

I had my second appointment on 5/20 (14w5d). Everything sounded great and I got to schedule my anatomy ultrasound (where we find out the sex) appointment! I'm a little bummed it's not until July 3rd! First, I will be 21 weeks by then which seems really late. Second, we are going on vacation just a few days before and it would have been nice to do some shopping for the baby. Oh well, I am still excited to find out and preparing Chris for another girl!
Now that I am well into my second trimester I thought it was probably safe to let the world of Facebook know. I have been trying to think of a clever way to share the news and decided to have Kinsley do a little video with her "super sister" shirt on. Here was the script I planned:
Me: Kinsley, what does your shirt say?
Kins: Sister! (she has said this plenty of times before)
Me: Are you going to be a big sister!?
Kins: Yes!
Two words Kinsley, that's all you have to say. It's quite simple really. I tried to get the video one day and after several attempts I decided to give it up and try again another day. A few days later we tried again while Chris was home. She didn't follow the script but I think we got the message across.

How far along: 16 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: Only 3lbs gained at my almost 15 week appointment!
Maternity clothes?: Yup! And I am looking into investing in some shorts!
Stretch marks?: None
Sleep:  I love my body pillow!
Best moment this week: Sharing the news with the world!
Movement: Yes! It's not everyday but the movements are getting stronger and more noticable.
Food cravings: Things definitely taste different this go around. For example, hot turkey and cheese sandwich tastes terrible.
Gender: Preparing Chris for a girl, secretly hoping for a boy. :)
What I miss: Energy! Seriously, I thought I was supposed to feel like a whole new woman as soon as the second trimester hit.
Milestones: Well into the second trimester!

From BabyCenter:

How your baby's growing:

Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.