Monday, December 5, 2011

3 months old!!!

My dear sweet Isabella,

You are 3 months old and growing so quickly!!! You look just like Chase did as a baby!

You are such a happy baby! You smile all of the time. You are rarely fussy. When you are fussy, you love to bounce with mommy on the big Swiss ball. Thanks for the tip Aunt JJ! Wish I would have done this with Chase!

You love to lay on your mat and look at the lights. Peek-a-boo is your favorite game to play. You absolutely love to laugh and you get tickled so easily.

You are still working on holding your head up on your own. You can do it for a few seconds and then it starts to wobble.

You still spit up quite a bit, and we continue to increase your reflux medicine. you hate the taste of your Prilosec so we switched to grape flavoring and you seem to be doing a little better with it. I mostly have to mix it in your bottles to get you yo take it.

You have slept through the night four times and we are looking forward to many more!! You usually wake up to feed around 3 am and 5:30 am. You are now officially sleeping in your crib.

I love to dress you up in all of your pretty clothes, but you are growing so fast! sometimes we put you in pretty outfits just to go to the doctor or to drop Chase off at MDO.

Chase adores you! He wakes up every morning and says "How's my little princess?" He hates to hear you fuss and immediately will say "Bella needs something!" He likes to "check" on you and he loves to help with feeding and burping you.

3 months old stats

Weight: 11 lbs 7 oz

Height: 24.5 inches (above the 97th percentile)

Clothes: 3-6 months and 6 months

Diaper: size 2

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

It's been forever

I cannot believe how much time has passed since my last post!! So much has happened. My sweet baby Bella is now 2 months old. She is starting to sleep one longer stretch at night, but still wakes around 3 am to feed again. She is growing so much. She weighed 11 lbs 6 oz at her appointment last week. She is wearing size 3-6 months clothes and size 1-2 diapers. Chase adores her. He always wants to check on her and help feed her, calm her if she is crying, and play with her on her play mat. He says things like "how's my little princess" and "hi baby! I'm so glad you're home!" Completely melts my heart! I am so blessed to have such wonderful children and an amazing husband!

Saturday, July 16, 2011

I'm 30 weeks

I'm 30 weeks!

Pregnancy Highlights:
 
How Far Along: 30 Weeks

Size of baby: Head of lettuce

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Too much to track!

Gender: GIRL!!!!

Movement: She is pretty active! Right now she is head down. Let's hope she stays that way for delivery!

Sleep: Getting up to use the bathroom every 3-4 hours, but overall still sleeping well

What I miss: Wishing I could go shopping for this little lady and hang out with my friends for all of their kiddos birthday parties

Cravings: Still loving the watermelon. Also, have been eating more ice cream! Chase is loving that he gets to eat ice cream everytime I do!

Symptoms: Fatigue and puffiness. Contractions are continuing. Unfortunately, I did not have quite as good of a check up this last week. My cervical length went down by a centimeter and I had some funneling. I had to get betamethasone shots to help develop her lungs in case of early delivery. I will now be going twice a week for check ups.
 
Best Moment this week: I passed my 3 hour glucose tolerance test! Woo hoo!

Friday, July 8, 2011

29 weeks!!!

I am growing by leaps and bounds! I can't believe we have made it this far and I am still at home. Yeah!! Bed rest at home is so much better than bed rest in the hospital. I get to see my little man all the time, which is amazing! I love being able to spend so much time with him and watching him grow and change. He is becoming so independent in everything he does. He is also so smart. He comes up with the funniest comments. One day he was climbing on the ottoman and fell down. I asked him if he fell and was hurt and he replied, "No, I'm stretching!" Nice cover! It will be hard to leave him to go back to work in several months.

I just got the results of my glucose screen and am bummed to find out I failed the test. Now I have to go back and do the 3 hour test. I had to do that when I was pregnant with Chase and it was awful. At least then I had the hospital bed to lay in while I was waiting. This time I will have to sit in the office. Yuck! Also, found out I am anemic and will be starting on iron. I have my next OB appointment next week so we will get to see how baby is doing at that appointment.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Home to be with the heavenly Father

My aunt Judy passed away a couple of days ago after battling cancer. I have so many wonderful memories of her and hanging out at her house as a child. She will truly be missed! I hope she is resting peacefully with our heavenly Father.

Judy Fay Parks, 65, of Plainfield, IN passed away June 19, 2011. She was born June 16, 1946 in Lynch, KY to the late Floyd and Esther Wilson. She was a master assembler in the parts department at United Technologies Carrier for 34 years. Judy was also a member of United Steel Workers Local 1999. Funeral services will be Wednesday, June 22 at 7:00 pm in Hampton-Gentry Funeral Home, where friends may call from 4:00 pm until service. Graveside services will be Thursday, June 23 at 2:00 pm in Emlyn Cemetery, Emlyn KY. Survivors include a daughter, Jacqueline (Kevin) Turner; sons, Scott (Susan) and Jack (Cami) Parks; brothers, John and Don Wilson; sisters, Velma Tuttle, Sue Attkisson and Bea Reeves; 7 grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her half sister, Wilma Quillen.

Judy Fay Parks
(June 16, 1946 - June 19, 2011)

Monday, June 20, 2011

I'm 26 weeks!!!

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 26 Weeks
Size of baby: cucumber
                                                 Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 27 lbs
                                          Maternity Clothes: anything that keeps me comfy
 Gender: GIRL!!!!
                                   Movement: She's been kicking and jabbing for several weeks now!
                                     Sleep: I'm loving our new mattress and getting much better sleep
                                       What I miss: Being able to get up and go whenever I want
                                           Cravings: Watermelon!!! I'm also still craving cereal.
                                  Symptoms: intermittent contractions and a basketball shaped belly
                Best Moment this week: Love when Chase gets down and sings to my belly! So sweet!

Monday, April 25, 2011

18 weeks

I'm 18 weeks!

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 18 Weeks
Size of baby: Baby B is the size of a sweet potato!
Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 18 lbs
Maternity Clothes: Still Fit in some regular clothers, but maternity clothes are so much more comfortable!Gender: GIRL!!!!
Movement: I've been feeling the baby a lot more lately!
Sleep: I'm so tired and most nights I sleep pretty good unless I have contractions
What I miss: Life outside of bedrest
Cravings: Cereal (eat it for breakfast everyday and sometimes for dinner too!)
Symptoms: Right now fatigue, weight gain (boo!,) and intermittent contractions
Best Moment this week: Having my wonderful friends come visit! Thanks Mary, Heather, and Allison!!!

Friday, April 22, 2011

Ressurection Buns

I'm linking up to GOODE TIME GIRLS http://goodetimegirls.blogspot.com/2010/03/resurrection-buns.html for a fantastic idea that you could do with your young children.

These are so much fun to make with your kids, even if they are a little too young to understand the meaning. I love Easter. The deviled eggs. The yummy food. And hiding eggs. SO. MUCH.FUN.
Happy Easter!
INGREDIENTS:



Cresent Rolls



Melted Butter



Large Marshmallows



Cinnamon sugar


Give each child a triangle shape of the crescent roll. The triangle shape is to represent the cloth that Jesus was wrapped in. Read Matthew 27:57-61 1. Give each child a marshmallow. This represents Jesus. 2. Have him/her dip the marshmallow in melted butter. This represents the oils of embalming. 3. Dip the buttered marshmallow in the cinnamon and sugar which represents the spices used to anoint the body. 4.Wrap up the coated marshmallow tightly in the crescent roll (not like a typical crescent roll up, but bring the sides up and seal the marshmallow inside.) This represents the wrapping of Jesus' body after death. 5.

Place in a 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. (The oven represents the tomb - pretend like it was three days!) 6. Let the rolls cool slightly. The children can open their rolls (cloth) and discover that Jesus is no longer there, HE IS RISEN!!!! (The marshmallow melts and the crescent roll is puffed up, but empty.)
Now read Matthew 28:5-8 Explain: At the tomb, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary saw an angel, who told them not to be afraid. No one had taken Jesus' body, but He Had risen from the dead! The angel told the women to go and tell the disciples what they had seen, that Jesus had risen from the dead. They were so excited, they ran all the way home to tell the disciples the good news! He is risen from the dead! After that Jesus appeared in person to Peter, then to the 12 disciples and after that, to more than 500 people. Jesus' appearance to eyewitnesses, those who saw Him with their own eyes, would give support and prove that Jesus rose from the dead. (1 Corinthians 15:3-6).
By rising from the dead, Jesus proved once and for all that He was the Messiah, the Savior of the World, the Chosen One, and the Lamb of God. By dying on the cross and rising from the dead, Jesus did what no other had ever done before. As both God and man, He overcame sin, death, and hell. And now because of what Jesus has done, these things no longer have any power over those who believe in Jesus and allow His Spirit to lead and direct them.
Rather than being slaves to sin and death, Christians ( those who love and believe in Jesus) are free to obey God and do good ( Romans 6:17-18). The Bible says in John 8:36, "If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed." However, we will only obey God if we listen to the Holy Spirit our helper. He enables believers in Jesus to do the right thing. It is important that we read the Bible (God's Word) because one of the ways the Holy Spirit helps us obey God is by reminding us of what He says to us in His Word. God's Spirit will never go against his Word. In fact, when we read God's Word, we are listening to the Holy Spirit.
Of course, you won't always do the right thing; the Bible says this ) 1 John 1:5-10). But that is why we need to continue to confess our sins knowing that God forgives us, based on what Jesus did on the cross.


Chase absolutely loved making these! He did not fully understand what each step represented, but as he gets older this can be something he looks forward to doing and when he gets what it represents it will be an amazing day!

Happy Easter!!!

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

BOY OR GIRL???

I just had my 17 week ultrasound and appointment. Everything is going smoothly. I am definitely eager to be off from bed rest, but still have a long way to go. I have been getting ultrasounds every 2 weeks to check my cervix/cerclage as well as the baby. Matt could not make it to my appointment today so we had the ultrasound tech check the sex of the baby and she concealed it in a sealed envelope. When I got home I entrusted the envelope to Steph (our nanny) who agreed to make us a special gender reveal cake. The cake was either to be pink or blue depending on if it is a girl or boy. She baked the cake and iced it in white icing with cute Easter decorations since Easter is right around the corner. I had to wait all day long for Matt to get home from work before we could slice into that cake and find out if we are having a boy or girl. As soon as he got home we called our parents and sisters and sliced in. The cake was PINK, which means we are having a baby girl!!!!! I'm so excited and cannot wait to start planning the nursery and finding all of the cute outfits.

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 17 Weeks
Size of baby:
Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 17 lbs. so far. That's a pound a week!!!
Maternity Clothes: Still can squeeze into some regular clothes, but maternity pants are much more comfy
Gender: It's a GIRL!!!!
Movement: feeling some kicks and flutters here and there
Sleep: I have been sleeping much better now that I only get up once to pee 
What I miss: going out in public, shopping, seeing everyone
Cravings: nothing in particular, but I've been eating well!!
Symptoms: contractions here and there, hence the bed rest
Best Moment this week: Finding out we are having a GIRL!!!!

Thursday, March 10, 2011

BABY ON BOARD

Well, I guess now is a good time to announce that WE ARE EXPECTING!!!! I couldn't be happier. We have told a few people already as we have seen them, but have not made an announcement. I wanted to wait until I was at least 12 weeks so we could feel a little more secure. We have told Chase and he likes to say he is having a "baby sister!" We will see if he is right. I feel like I have so much to get done, but so little energy to do any of it! I'm just hoping to stay out of the hospital with this pregnancy. As many of you know I spent about 3 months hospitalized when I was pregnant with Chase. Although it was well worth it in the end, I would hate to have to go through that again (especially with Chase at home this time around!) Here is a snapshot of what's going on.
Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 12 Weeks
Size of baby: Baby B is the size of a lime
Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 11 lbs Boo!!! (luckily didn't gain any from 8 week appt! Whew!)
Maternity Clothes: Not yet but I'm going to need them very soon
Gender: Can't wait to find out!
Movement: Not yet
Sleep: I'm nauseous all night and get up to pee about 2 times a night 
What I miss: my energy- I hate being sooo tired!!!
Cravings: Mexican food (Qdoba, Chipotle, tacos at home!)
Symptoms: I'm still sick all day every day but it seems to be getting a little better!!
Best Moment this week: Hearing the heartbeat at my appt today