6 Months

I'm nearly 27 weeks now, just over 6 months.  Time has really flown by. It's hard to believe in just a few more months we will have a brand new baby boy.  It's really starting to sink in that there is going to be another baby in the house.  I'm getting super excited! I love how babies smell, and the cute little noises the make.   Here is what baby center has to say about where I am at now in this pregnancy:

How your baby's growing:

The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. He's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air. And he's continuing to put on baby fat. He now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel.



It's crazy to think he is nearly two pounds now and 14 inches long.  He is going to start beefing up over the next few weeks and getting some of his baby fat! Prepare for my belly to POP! So far I've gained 10 lbs, and I'm sure I have another 10 to go before I am done.  It's not fun getting bigger but it is nice knowing he's a healthy, growing boy.  Here is how I look today:



I have started to get some really strong Braxton Hicks contractions.  They are beginning to last longer and become more frequent.  They say if you have more than 4 in an hour you should be alarmed.  Usually mine aren't in any sort of rythm and are not that frequent.  They are strong however, sometimes causing me to stop what I'm doing and take a few deep breaths.  I joke with Marcus that if they don't stop getting stronger, we may have ourselves a Christmas baby. :) Kayden was 3 weeks early, so I guess that's not all impossible really. I'm hoping he stays growing as long as he can though. I'm in no hurry. I just want him to be healthy. :)

Canada

What a nice weekend we had this past weekend in Canada. This is the first time Marcus and I have been away together (besides the UK) since February of this year so it was very nice just to relax and just enjoy each others company. MUCH needed, and long overdue.

His cousin Melanie's wedding was on Saturday.  It was a beautiful wedding.  She's a very pretty girl with such a cute, bubbly personality.  I really enjoyed getting to know some of his family. It was entertaining listening to them speak Greek and trying some new foods. This was my first trip to Canada as well.  I really liked it because I felt like it was a good mix of English and American.  English candy, American road signs and driving! I felt like I was in America still with the way things looked, but with little things I recognized from the UK as well.  I had a really nice time.

Marcus and I went to see Niagra Falls.  Amazing!. I've never seen anything like that before. I snapped a few photos from my phone below:

Decorating Madness!

I love decorating!!! I'm having a hay day with this house, but there is just so much house that it's hard to feel like I am making any progress.  With my little house I could do a room at a time and you actually noticed a difference. That is not the case with this house. It is massive and needs a lot of decoration. Not to mention I am DYING to paint the walls. The color in here is a greenish gray color and it's so dreery and depressing. It needs something else, something lighter, or color.  It's honestly a gorgeous house with so many angles and fun walls. I can't wait! I just have to keep telling myself that little by little we will get this thing done, and I'll just try and enjoy it along the way. Here are some recent photos:

Happy Fall!

 Master Bedroom:

Kitchen and Living Room:

Upstairs Family Room:

Dining/Sitting Rooms:

Entry:



Balancing Act

Wow, tonight I am tired.  It was a very long and busy day at work. Even after I left work I never stopped.  I picked up the kids, made them dinner, bathed them, read to them, and now they are in bed.  Then I had to finish up some stuff from work that I didn't finish before I left.  I've got a 6 page research paper due on Wednesday and I am so drained I can't even think straight enough to work on it! Whew. Deep breaths!

Being a mom to two young kids, working a full time job, going back to school after nearly 10 years, and being 6 months pregnant on top of it all, really catches up to you!  Not to mention Marcus is in California for the next three days.  I don't think I realize just how much he does to help me when he is here.  Every little small thing he does helps! I am very lucky to have him around. :)

Life is busy and gets hectic at times, but all together I'd say life is good. The only thing we don't have that would make things complete are Marcus's boys here.  I know how much he misses them and wishes they were here.  Oh, and one healthy little baby boy at the beginning of next year. :)

 Goodnight!

Thankful

This morning I came in to read an email from a coworker of mine that nearly sent me to tears. I think sometimes we get so caught up in the little things in life that we forget what is truly important, what we should really be thankful for.

My coworker is the same age as me. She and her husband tried for years to conceive and when they were unsuccessful they went through a series of fertility treatments.  After learning that they were finally pregnant they were informed that they would be having twins. As you can imagine they were over joyed and announced the wonderful news to everyone. 

Things went smoothly with the pregnancy until her 20 week check up when the doctor noticed something wrong.  After multiple scans and tests the parents were informed that one of the twins had a rare disorder causing the internal organs to form outside of the body.  This disorder is extremely uncommon, and in all reported cases the child with the disorder does not survive.  I can't imagine how she felt when she learned that one of the babies she was carrying, was never going to have a chance at survival.

When I first met this girl she was just 24 weeks along.  She was bubbly, and happy and had such a refreshing attitude.  She was simply excited to finally be pregnant!  It wasn't until a few weeks later that I learned of her situation. When she told me what was going on I nearly cried, yet somehow she was so positive and thankful.  She never complained, she never wanted pity, she was just so incredibly strong. I absolutely admired her for that. This past Friday she went into preterm labor at just 31 weeks.

The email she sent today reads as follows:

Hello everyone,

First off, thank you for the flowers and gifts while I have been in the hospital. I delivered Friday at 230 am. Landon weighed in at 3 lb 11 oz and was 17 1/4 inches long. He is in the NICU and is doing very well. Aiden weighed in at 2 lb 11 oz and was 14 1/2 inches long. He lived a short 13 minutes. We got to spend some time with him. He was so precious and handsome. We miss him a lot. Thanks again for all the support. I will try and send pictures when things settle down.

So today I sit back and think how thankful I am for the things in my life that truly matter.  What's important to me is not how big my house is, what kind of car I drive, or how much money I make. Life to me is about love.  It's about being thankful for having good health.  It's about my kids.  That's what is truly important. :)

Love This!

Last night I went to parent teacher conference for Ambria.  Her teacher had lots of great things to say about her like she is one of the best students in both math and reading and always willing to help.  We looked over some of her tests and things she has done in class so far this year. Each of the students had written and illustrated a book. The teacher then handed me this:

I couldn't help but laugh!

Although the story had absolutely NOTHING to do with football, or the college rivalry, the cover still cracked me up! What a clever little girl I have! I love you Ambria Dawn!

Private or Public?

I've decided to be back public again with my blog.  I thought long and hard and decided this for really two reasons. First, I really enjoy blogging. It's kind of a release for me. I enjoying sharing things about my family and my life, and I've decided I don't want to blog for anyone else, I just want to blog for me. :) Second, I really don't care what anyone else seems to think about me, or has to say.  I've learned that people are entitled to think and feel what they choose, whether I let it affect me or impact me is my decision, and I choose not to! So for those who would like to judge and make comments, feel free to not come to my blog. :) I am sure there are better, more productive things to do with your day.

Happy Friday y'all!