DSC_0340 _Snapseed

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 35 weeks, 3 days (although, last two u/s have shown baby is measuring at original due date of March 11th which would put me at 36 weeks, 4 days) Size of baby: size of a coconut, weighing an average of 5lbs already! Total Weight Gain/Loss: + 28lbs. Maternity Clothes: You know you are getting close when you start outgrowing your maternity clothes! I went to get dressed yesterday and picked out a shirt that JUST FIT a couple weeks ago and now was too tight for my big ole belly. But I don't mind at all, it just means she is growing and developing into a healthy baby! Gender: We had an u/s done a couple weeks ago to checkup on Hannah's kidneys (everything is working perfectly!) and they gave us a great 3D shot of the female area and said, "Oh... definitely still a GIRL!" At least that's one thing we don't have to worry about being "surprised" about at birth! Movement: She is a little mover! More of a squirmy thing than a kicker and puncher (like Micah was!) She seems to always be making some little movement, which keeps my mind at ease. Sleep: Is definitely going better than it was with Micah, that's for sure. Probably because I am so tired at the end of the day from chasing a toddler around! :) I am waking up a couple nights a week to go to the bathroom, but nothing consistent. Definitely taking advantage of any sleep I can get, before I need to get ready for those 3am wakeup calls again! Cravings: Not a lot of outrageous cravings this pregnancy. I am loving hamburgers more than usual, I think that may be attributed to my low iron level and the need for red meat. Symptoms: Some sciatic nerve pain in the right side of my back/leg. It hurts every time I get up to walk. Also, having lots of Braxton Hicks on and off. I can tell my body is getting closer to labor by some of the twinges I am feeling! Best Moment this week: Always love going to the doctor and hearing baby's heartbeat! And also, some good news that I am progressing - had my first weekly checkup and was told that baby's head is really low and I am dilated 1cm. The countdown is on... :)

//previous updates on baby Hannah: 30 weeks27 weeks21 weeks 18 weeks14 weeks

DSC_0329 copy _Snapseed

DSC_0429 _Snapseed

Just a few more pictures from our maternity shoot last week.

This pregnancy is almost over and I can remember vividly the day I found out we were expecting another baby. I can remember the shock, the surprise, the feeling of being sick to my stomach (but I'm pretty sure that was just a pregnancy symptom, because I had so much joy in my heart!) and looking at my 10 month old, Micah, wondering how I could ever love another child the same way that I love him.

I still wonder that sometimes, honestly.

But the truth is, before I actually gave birth to Micah and saw his precious face for the first time - I didn't really know how deeply I could love. I knew what being pregnant felt like and I knew the anticipation and joy I felt about becoming a mom. And I loved my unborn child, from the very beginning. But I didn't know Micah, yet. And there is no way to describe the change that happened in my heart when I finally met him.

Maybe that's wrong for me to admit, but I think it's also important for me to realize as I finish out these last few weeks of pregnancy. Because what I am feeling right now for our daughter is nothing compared to what I will feel when I finally get to hold her, to smell her, to see her face. I already know how much love my heart can hold for a child, because I have been so blessed to experience that with Micah. And I think that I may be anticipating Hannah's arrival just that much more, because of it.

It doesn't seem real that we will have another baby in the house within a month. The pack n play has been transformed back into a newborn napper and the pacifiers are being dusted off for use again (although they didn't get much use the first time). I feel like I just put them all away. And I picked up a newborn diaper the other day and, I promise, I never remember putting Micah in something that small.

17 months with Micah have flown by like a dream. And for the past 9 of them, I've been pregnant.

And now I have one month left to cherish the bond I have with my husband and son as a family of three, before our love extends to another precious blessing from God.

Oh, the joy and anticipation... I can't wait to meet you, Hannah Leigh. 

DSC_0564 _Snapseed

On Monday we were able to have some maternity photos taken of our family. We've reached the 5 week countdown until Hannah's expected arrival, so I knew it was time if we were going to do them at all. Thankfully we have a beautiful state park, literally in our backyard, that we can walk to. It was a gorgeous day, 80 degrees with a slight breeze, not at all representative of the weather we've been having for most of this pregnancy, but absolutely perfect for taking photos.

We were blessed to have one of the sweet students at our church come over and use our camera to take the pictures for us. She has such a natural eye and talent! One reason we have so many pictures of our family is because of the gifted and talented friends and family around us. I believe it is God's little "wedding gift" to us.

Not many people know this, but to make a (very) long story short, we never received our wedding photos. The only photos we have of our wedding day are the ones guests took and the few that I was able to download from an online viewer after they were taken. And even those were unedited and not great quality.

I share all that, because I truly want everyone to know just how much it blesses my heart to have these photos of my family. Photos that I can frame and hang in our home. Our wedding day was just one day that wasn't captured. But, praise Jesus for a lifetime of happy moments to document!

DSC_0200 copy _Snapseed

DSC_0171 copy _Snapseed

DSC_0353 _Snapseed

DSC_0675 _Snapseed

DSC_0770 _Snapseed

DSC_0445 _Snapseed

DSC_0261 _Snapseed

DSC_0867 _Snapseed

DSC_0778 copy _Snapseed

DSC_0911 _Snapseed

DSC_0846 _Snapseed

DSC_0644 _Snapseed

I just hit 33 weeks, and many have asked me how I'm doing at this stage of pregnancy with a toddler. Usually when they ask, I am in the middle of chasing Micah around or toting him on my hip, and it seems like the answer they are expecting is already obvious in the midst of this particular chaotic moment. But I thought I'd take a "mom time-out" to tell you a little about how it's really going. Pregnancy has actually been a lot easier on me this second time around.

Aside from the fact that I think I've contracted nearly every possible cold or stomach bug that's gone around this season, I am feeling pretty great! It could be that my body was so recently pregnant, that it jumped back into the swing of things like an old friend was visiting. But none of the "growing pains" that I experienced with Micah have been as much of an issue this time around. I have told people this a few times already, but I think having a toddler to chase around is actually a great distraction. Sure, my belly is huge and in the way while trying to change a diaper or give Micah a bath, but it has oddly become a nice little cushion while carrying him. And I must say, I think it's by God's grace that my little guy only weighs 22lbs. It's still an arm workout, but I couldn't imagine adding another 5lb plate.

photo (2)

photo (3)

I think the biggest difference this time around is understanding that the real change is coming after the pregnancy.

First-time pregnancy was such a transforming thing to my body physically. I gained 50 pounds, those dreaded stretch marks and my fingers swelled so bad I couldn't wear my wedding rings after the 7th month. But you would never hear me say that then. I did my best to not take a moment for granted and certainly not complain. We had prayed so long to have a baby, how could I?

But now that I have something to compare it to, I am actually very proud of my first-pregnancy self. The physical changes this time have been a lot easier. So far I've gained half the weight, no new stretch marks, and I don't look like an unwed mother walking around town anymore. Maybe it's a gender thing, or maybe (and more likely from what I've heard) it's the case of the second pregnancy.

Second pregnancies have less "pomp and circumstance" than the first. Baby showers and maternity photos are considered luxuries rather than necessities. And if you get them, there's almost the guilt that you are "going overboard" a little bit. At least, I feel that way about my upcoming "baby sprinkle" and I still haven't decided on the maternity photos.

But so far, I have completely enjoyed this pregnancy and... dare I say it, more than the first in many ways. I just feel more relaxed, excited and prepared for what's ahead. I know that labor will be different. I know that it will still be hard. But that's the exciting part! Knowing, and not knowing at the same time. Being prepared for the greatest feeling in the world, yet knowing it will probably feel completely different than the first.

I don't see why this pregnancy or any subsequent pregnancies, shouldn't be celebrated as much as the first. In fact, I think the celebration should just grow with every one! Because in my heart, it has.

So to answer the question of how I'm doing at 33 weeks pregnant with an almost-17-month old toddler, the answer is great. I have double the reason to celebrate this time. When I leave the hospital, I won't have just one baby to love and cuddle and snuggle with. But, two. And no pregnancy pain or ache could take away from the love and blessing that I know I am about to experience.