We're going for it!

Well, tonight marked the beginning of big girl pants. Emma has been pretty good about telling me when she has to go to the potty, so I decided to take the plunge and see what happens. We are basically camping out at home for the next week to try and "seal the deal." ;)

Please say a little prayer for us as we venture into no-diaper territory! Also, any advice or words of wisdom are more than welcome...

My Belly at 27 weeks!

At long last, here are some belly shots. I took them on Saturday after the bridal luau we threw for my sister. Hence, the dress -- and tired eyes. I don't typically wear dresses (a.k.a. tents) while I'm preggers, but this one is so comfy, I may just sleep in it!

Anyway, still need to take some bare belly shots, but this should do for now. Can you believe I am entering my third trimester already? Crazy!

Fashion Friday: On the Bandwagon

So I finally gave in and bought Miss Emma a pair of Crocs. And she LOVES them.





I have always thought they were totally ugly, but I have to admit they are pretty cute on little feet. Emma is not exactly liking sandals at the moment, so this was my compromise. She puts them on all by herself and no fights to get them on... ever. I wonder if they have them in orange??? :o)


*BTW, I PROMISE to post bump photos before this weekend is over. Promise!*

The results are in...

And I officially do NOT have gestational diabetes. What?!! I know! Crazy seeing as there was a 90-percent chance I would get it again.

I'm trying not to be skeptical and instead, celebrate the good news, but I can't help but wonder if maybe they tested too early. With Emma I was closer to 30 weeks, but I know it is normal to test between 24 and 28 weeks. I'm going to chat with the doctor next week at my appt. about it all, so hopefully that will erase any doubt.

Maybe this will be my easy-going child after all... Hey, I guess anything is possible! :o)

Our First Trip to the Zoo

A few weeks ago, Jeff had a few days off, so we FINALLY took Miss Emma to the zoo for the first time. The day was perfect... a little bit cool in the morning so it wasn't scorching hot by the afternoon.

We got there bright and early, waiting for the gates to open. Little did we know the gates open 30 minutes before any exhibits do. So we walked around and had a snack as the precious minutes before nap time started to count down.

But once the exhibits opened, I swear the animals put on a show just for Emma. The baby polar bear took a giant leap off of a rock into the water. A tiger walked right in front of the window where Emma was standing. And one of the lions let out a mighty roar that even I had never heard. It was absolutely amazing to me. I can only imagine how awesome it must have been to our little lady.

We also went to the Children's Zoo, where Emma walked among some goats and brushed their hair. She petted a sheep, giggled at the loud ducks, and yelled at the horses to come closer. Every time we saw an animal, she kept saying, "More please!" She really did love it.

Unfortunately, she got worn out pretty quickly, so we had a quick (and somewhat crabby) lunch on a picnic bench at about 11:15am and headed home around 12pm. I have never seen her fall asleep in the car so fast. We were barely out of the parking lot and she was out. Even after the 45-minute drive home, she let me transfer her to her crib, where she slept another 2 hours.

As if that wasn't great enough, Jeff then shooed me out the door to get a pedicure while he stayed (read: also napped) with Emma. Life is good!

Here are a few photos of our trip. Of course, none of them compares to watching Emma experience it all for the first time. What a wonderful blessing to see such pure joy and amazement through the eyes of a child. If only we looked at God's creation through those eyes every day!


Passing the time before the exhibits open...



Mesmerized by the polar bears



A mighty roar just for Emma



Brushing a goat's eye...which he totally appreciated!



Laughing with the duckies

Fashion Friday: My Only Sunshine

When in doubt, everything seems to be orange, yellow, or pink. In fact, orange seems to be Miss Emma's favorite color. She can recognize it in an instant. Maybe that's why she was so easy to get dressed this morning... hmmmm...

If that's the case, you will be seeing lots more orange on Fashion Friday!

BTW, the lovely stickers accessorizing Miss Emma's shirt are for going #1 and #2 on the potty!

Prayer Works!

I don't have the results back yet, but I have to thank you all for your prayers and well wishes. Amazingly enough, my 3-hour glucose test went just fine. Not one ounce of sickness! Unlike last time, I was able to use the time to get caught up on some work and Bible study. I actually kinda enjoyed the time to myself.

Honestly, I don't care what the results are at this point... I really don't. In fact, I'm not sure I'll believe them if the results come back negative. But no need to dwell on what I can't control. For now, I'm just praising God for answered prayers. Why do we ever doubt?

25 Weeks and (Kinda) Counting

I've had this post ready to go since last Wednesday, but I was hoping to get a bump picture to post with it. And, yes, here we are almost a week later with no photo to show, but I figured it was time to post before I am actually 26 weeks!

So, last Tuesday was my monthly OB check-up, and as is usually the case at this point in the pregnancy, it was a boring appointment. Weight gain is at about 13 pounds, heart rate is strong, and belly is measuring nice and big. That's about it.

The best part of this appt. was that I got in and out of there in 30 minutes! This has N.E.V.E.R. happened. I love my OBs, but so does everyone else, which is why the wait is usually ridiculous. I could get used to this!

I did get my order for my gestational diabetes test, so that's next on the list. At my request, I am skipping the 1-hour test because A. I don't think it's accurate, and B. I always flunk it, so I might as well go for the real 3-hour deal.

I'm not usually negative, but with the odds NOT in my favor, I'm assuming I have it again. This means I am also anticipating a horrible reaction to the test. When I did it early on in this pregnancy, it went fine, but then again, I tested negative. When I did have it with Emma, I had a pretty bad reaction. I'm assuming positive results mean total sickness for me. We'll see. I'm supposed to go for my test on Tuesday, so I'll keep you posted.

Baby is moving fine, but definitely not as much as Miss Emma. Maybe that's a good sign? I have to remind myself that this amount of movement is probably more normal.

Other than that, nothing else is really all that new with Baby B #2. In fact, this pregnancy is flying by. With Emma, I counted the days until I reached a new week, and now, boom... I'm 25 weeks already! I think part of me doesn't want this to be over yet because it might be my last pregnancy. Actually, let's not talk about that now. I'll just end up getting sappy.

I'm feeling pretty darn good and enjoying every minute of alone time I get with Miss Emma before she has to share me. It would be nice if she chilled out a little bit so we wouldn't have to fight for half the day, but that is the life of a mom with a strong-willed child. We do the best we can, and love them for every ounce of their determination. I'm curious to see what God has in story for me with this new baby!

Until then, here is a photo of my first baby that should have been posted on Friday. We left at 7am Friday morning for a short weekend get-away, so I do have an excuse. Sorry it's late!

Fashion Friday: Little Miss Independence

Update on Baby Seth

I've been wanting to post about Baby Seth for days, but I wanted to read through the email I got so I could make some sense of it. So, here is an edited version of the info I received from my girlfriend:

The doctors are all in agreement that little Seth has a cancer known as neuroblastoma. One of their doctors would like to see his scan again to decide whether or not they should start chemotherapy.

The positive thing about Seth's prognosis is that he is so young, and the crucial tests came back with the numbers the doctors wanted to see. Other than high blood pressure, the symptoms on paper give a positive picture. The unfortunate part is that when you see Seth, his belly is so obviously full, that there are concerns.

At this point, it is possible that Seth could be one of those babies who have this condition and then it actually slowly dissipates. The way to deal with this is to watch him closely, measure him daily, do scans weekly, and decide based on those answers if he is one of those 'miracles.' If in the midst of the waiting there is any significant change, they would most likely begin chemo.

The other scenario would mean doing the chemo now, with the hope that it would shrink the liver as well as the tumor. Although the lay person's response is usually to just do the chemo, the medical community believes that avoiding the effects of chemo are worth it if at all possible simply because there is proof that Seth could be a miracle based on his situation.

The family has asked that you pray for patience and energy as they wait for some answers. I will keep you posted on what I hear from my girlfriend. In the meantime, the family says: "…we will just be grateful for our little big-bellied babe. We all agree that it just makes him look more like his papa!"


We are praying Baby Seth!

Since we're on the subject...

I thought I might as well tell you that Emma is starting to NOT pee in her pants. Well, she is still peeing, but in the last 3 days, she has peed and gone #2 in her potty two times each!

The funny thing is that I wasn't planning on starting the whole potty training thing until after the baby was born, but Miss Emma had been showing signs of being ready. After talking to my mom I decided it wouldn't hurt to give it a try.

So on Saturday morning, we tried and she did it! She got a sticker and we made a really big deal about it. Yesterday morning, she peed, but we had to go to church, so I didn't push #2. But this morning, she did #2 again. We'll see what the rest of the week brings...

I'm not going to push it because at 22 months, she is still fairly young, but if she's acting ready, I also don't want to miss my window. We've had the potty out for her to "play" on for a while so we could have some discussion about the whole concept, and lately, she really seemed to understand more than before. Plus, her wet diapers have been spreading out, she has scheduled bowel movements, and she wants me to change her as soon as she goes #2. I don't think the pee bothers her at all since her diapers are so absorbent and I change her pretty often, so that may be our hurdle. Still, I figure one thing at a time. None of this was planned, so I'm not going to freak out about it or make it a big deal.

But...

How awesome would it be if I only had one diaper to change instead of two?!!!! I know they often revert after a new baby, which is why I was going to wait. But, I might as well try now that she seems open to it. I have to admit part of me is sad that this might really be happening. She's growing up so quickly -- but I know this is just the beginning of many stages that will make me miss those early days. Let's not even mention the fact that her birthday is almost a month away!

Both Jeff and I are really in shock at how fast it has all gone by. It's so bitter sweet how proud you are of them, yet want so badly to make it all stop. It's like when I peek in Emma's room and she "reading" her book to herself, pointing out pictures and naming them. I get these overwhelming feelings of pride and sadness. I want her do it by herself (especially so I can get a few things done), but part of me wants to run in there and read her the book myself. I can see how parents can smother their kids. It's just so tempting!

But I know there are times when I need to step back and let life happen. Even if it means letting my baby grow into a little person. There's always eternity!