Progression

Well I guess since I get random questions from strangers now, I feel okay with posting some belly pics, ha!  My favorite conversation was with a drug store checker a couple weeks ago that went like this:
"Oh wow...when are you due?"

"Around November 18." (maybe Nov 21...but I have a feeling I'll deliver early either way...but babies never arrive on time, ha!)

"OH. my. gosh.  You are barely halfway?!" (big buggy eyes at the size of my belly)

Okay, okay.  I know I have some a lot of extra padding.  But gosh, the things people say, haha!  I should also mention the fact that Baby C was measuring a tiny bit larger for his gestational age.  Surprise, surprise--look at his ginormous brother.

Here is the first photo I took on March 28; about 6 weeks pregnant.  I hate, hate, hate posting pictures of myself.  Hate it.  Especially ones that show more than my head & shoulders.  But this is all in the name of cherishing memories.

No pictures in April. This was taken May 16; about 13 weeks pregnant.  Not a huge difference at all.

I took this last night (July 6) with Robbie's iPad; about 20-almost 21 weeks pregnant.  I wish I would've remembered that switching to the self-photo lens meant the picture turning out opposite of what it looks like on the screen.  Oh well, I might figure out how to flip it in Photoshop, ha!

Definitely a bump there.  More baby than pudge, haha!  According to BabyCenter, the average baby is the size of a banana at this point.  A banana!!  Second time around and the miracle of creation is no less amazing.

We started cleaning out baby's room last night since the reality hit that we are a little over halfway through this pregnancy.  Our perfect size house has a master, and 2 bedrooms.  Both of which were storage rooms...but when Mav came along we cleaned & transitioned one out...and now we've started with the other room--much to Mav's delight.  This room was the place where we put all the stuff we didn't want him to touch/bother, but didn't want it deep in storage.

I love how I'm taking things from the room downstairs to the basement, and bringing up all the baby stuff we had stored down there.  Double love it!

The plan is to get a bigger bed for Mav (he still sleeps in his crib converted to a toddler bed) since it would be so silly to buy another crib.  We've taken him out a couple times to look at big beds and he loved it.  I don't think there will be any trouble making the switch.

Mav still doesn't quite get the whole idea of another kid living in his house, haha.  We talk about his baby brother in mommy's tummy all the time, and how he will be here just in time for his birthday.  I'm sure Mav will do great though.  Maybe I'm still in denial about another baby coming.  I am not stressed about it whatsoever.  Almost feel like I'm not preparing enough...but not really, ha!  But that's kinda my personality.  Just go with the flow, chill out, and enjoy life. 

Like Pete the Cat--it's "aaaaallllllllll gooooooooood". 

All mommas of preschoolers/preschool teachers out there know who Pete the Cat is.  And if they don't, they will soon!  I recommend reading the book "I Love My White Shoes" with the audio clip on HarperCollin's website. The song really gets stuck in your head.  "I like my bluuuuueeeee shooooooooes...."  

It's a Boy!

Well, it's finally sinking in...we are expecting a BOY!

To say we were shocked would be an understatement, ha!  I totally thought girl.  Robbie totally thought girl.  Everyone totally thought girl.  And while I do admit a tiny sense of sadness that I won't get to experience the cute clothes, pigtails, painted nails, and sundresses...I'm sooooooooo excited for Maverick to have a little brother!  (We only plan on 2 kiddos, unless God decides otherwise!)

My hope is that they will be best buds like my sister and I.  No one believed we were sisters because we got along so well.  We even had our own secret language.  Granted, there were a few fits in there (mostly when she borrowed my clothes without asking, agh!!!!).  I expect that Mav and little Bro will duke it out a nerf gun fight or two.

Another really great thing is that we literally don't have to buy anything new except for diapers and wipes.  Mav's birthday is November 26, and I'm due with this one around November 22.  So, perfect match of clothing size with season!  I'm excited that I get to use all of Mav's super cute clothes again!

So the appointment went well, and I really felt everyone's prayers all day and through the appointment.  I was (and still am) at such peace about it all, and trust that God will bring us through step by step--as always.  There almost wasn't an ultrasound though!  We went in and the machine wasn't working correctly; the keyboard wasn't inputing into the computer.  Even after a reboot it still wasn't working.  So I thought..."Okay, for whatever reason God doesn't want us to see in there today"...but the 3rd try was a charm.

As soon as she started looking around, I knew I saw a little thingy.  I looked over at Robbie and I could tell by the look on his face that he saw it, too.  We both started smiling out of disbelief.  The ultrasound tech said she likes to see it 3 times before confirming it...this was the picture she took, ha!  No question about that one, huh?!

As far as indications of Down Syndrome, we received a pretty great report.  Of course, there is always the possibility and only at birth can there be a for sure answer.  Only about 40% of DS diagnosis occurs with an ultrasound.  But here is what the ultrasound tech and my doctor examined and reported to us.  The clef and nose looked to be developing normal; the thickness of the neck looked to be developing normal; the size of the stomach looked to be developing normal (DS babies tend to not swallow well in-utero); the umbilical cord had 3 vessels (DS babies tend to only have 2); and his hands were unclenched and moving well (this isn't an obvious/telltale sign but tends to be correlated).  Since I have an anterior placenta (with slight previa) they didn't get the clearest picture of his heart, so I am going again on Tuesday for a level 2 scan at the big hospital just to confirm his heart is developing normal.  But from what they could tell, it was doing great.  I'm looking at it as another chance to see my little guy!

No matter what though, doesn't he look handsome?!  He clearly was like, "Mom you need to relax and trust God!" and demonstrated his ability to chill out with his arms behind his head.  :)

The more I think about it, the more excited I'm getting about 2 boys around here!  Also, we think we have found a name for little bro.  The names we were tossing around just didn't feel right.  But this one does!  It just feels perfect.

Okay, so Maverick has been a little more than neglected on the blog lately, ha!  He is just so fun right now!  I'm loving this age!  I'm a little sad that he doesn't need us to go to sleep anymore.  Gasp, I can't believe I just said that!!!  He just walks right in, waits to be tucked in and kissed, and tells us to "go oder dare" and points to the hallway, ha!  He is growing up waaaaay too fast for me.

How about some cute pictures of him at the little fair we went to?  We went up to the mall parking lot carnival with Nana, Papa, Aunt Jo, Uncle Jon, Noa, and Malia.

As I expected, Mav was not keen on riding any rides.  On his own will anyways, ha!  If I didn't have to observe this rule (pic below), I would've at least tried carrying him on the carosel or ferris wheel.  Usually once it gets started he's fine.  But I can tell pretty quickly before the ride starts if he's too terrified and will try climbing out!

He had lots of fun watching all the rides though.  He almost got on the bumper cars. 

This picture cracks me up!  I have a feeling I'm going to get the "Moooooom!" face a lot as he gets older.

He liked pointing to the parts of the rides and naming the engine, gears, etc.  Such a mechanical mind already!

I thought for sure the lure of the steering wheel would get him on this ride, but he quickly realized what was going on and scurried out of there!



So we watched cousin Noa drive.  Mav laughed hysterically everytime Noa came around!

These high flying swings were by far his most favorite, favorite ride to watch.  He kept coming back to watch them go round and round, waaaaaaay high in the air.  I don't think I would've been brave enough to ride!





Boy or Girl?

Well friends, Monday is the big day!  Hopefully...baby cooperating and all, haha!

For fun, I thought I would answer some "old wives tales" about gender prediction to see what they tell us. :)

Chinese gender calendar:  Well, this was a wash.  Half the calendars that came up on Google said girl, half said boy.  Guess that's right about accurate for odds. 

Cravings: Started out sweet--ice cream; but the past few weeks it's been salty--ramen noodles, pickles (I've been keeping a jar handy at work) and hot dogs.  They say sweet for girl, salty for boy.  Goodness gracious this child is throwing a wrench in this quiz, haha!

Hair: My hair is not strong, full, and shiny which indicates girl.  My hair was so beautifully thick and shiny with Maverick...

Morning sickness: All day, everyday for 17 weeks.  Now that I'm 18, almost 19 weeks it can catch me out of the blue if I'm tired, stressed, or empty-stomached.  More sickness indicates girl.

The "ladies" (I feel the need to censor, my dad reads this, ha!): I don't remember them being this sensitive with Mav.  Not only are they more sore, but they've been sore since the beginning.  Which indicates girl.

Heart rate:  Again, I've read some mixed reviews on Google.  But it seems the majority of quizzes say slower than 140 bpm means boy, faster than 140 bpm means girl.  Everytime we've heard baby's heart it's been in the mid 140s.

Carrying low or high: It feels lower, and I guess looks lower.  Which indicates boy.

Pillow position: Facing north, indicates boy; facing south indicates girl.  We sleep with our heads almost directly south.  What do you do if you are east or west?  Ha ha!

Mayan Legend: If the age of the mother at conception, and year of conception are both even or odd--girl.  If one is even, one odd--boy.  I am (and was) 28 and due in 2012...girl.  (Can we trust Mayans with any sort of calendar?)

Key: Place a key on your preggo belly.  If your husband picks up the narrow part, it's sugar and spice; if he picks up the wide part, it's snips and snails.  Robbie picked up the wide part.  Boy.

Out of 10 questions...well the first 2 are a draw...so let's say out of 8 questions:  6 indicated girl, and 2 indicated boy.

Can't wait to find out on Monday afternoon!!!


Speaking of which, if you happen to read this before Monday...could you say a prayer for us?  I hesitated whether or not to blog about this, but I feel like it's okay to open up about it. 

So, a couple of weeks ago I took a routine quad screen blood test.  I didn't do this with Mav since I didn't start receiving prenatal care until well into my 2nd trimester.  And honestly, I don't know why I did it this time.  When my doctor first had me sign a paper to accept or decline various tests, I asked her what most of her patients do.  She said most people do the quad screen and go from there.  So that's what I signed up for.

So a week after I took the quad screen test my doctor called to tell me that everything looked pretty good, except that my risk for Down Syndrome came back abnormal for my age.  She said for my age the typical risk is 1/700, and mine came back 1/223 which is 0.04% (or less than one-half percent).

She further explained that quad screens do not diagnose, it just presents a risk statistic.  I'm trying not to focus on numbers, just focus on God.

Honestly, I've been all over the spectrum of emotions.  In my heart I know, that I know God's plan for us is perfect no matter what.  He will walk us through every moment, just as He always has.

I've been meditating on verses that promise God's peace when I'm overwhelmed with worry.  Sometimes I feel guilty for worrying, because I know that I should trust God always.

Sometimes I feel guilty for worrying about having a child with Down Syndrome.  Part of my career is working with children who have Down Syndrome, so I know the immense joy they bring to my life, and the lives of everyone around them.  But as one parent of a child with Down Syndrome told me after I shared this with her, she told me not to feel guilty--it's natural to feel this way.  It's not something we would choose for our child, but if it's what is chosen for them, it's perfect.

Anyways, I'm pretty sure I'm going to be an extra ball of nerves come Monday, specifically about 2pm.  I don't want to be overwhelmed with worry when we walk into our appointment.  I really need God's peace so that I can focus on our beautiful child, no matter what an ultrasound may or may not show. 

Everytime I feel this sweet, precious baby move I know that he or she is a beautiful creation.  And that is what I want to focus on now, and beyond delivery day. 

This and That

Hallelujah, I think the worst of the nausea is over!!  In the past week I've only been feeling sick if my tummy is running on empty.  I am getting my appetite back, which is good since I'm still not back to my prepregnancy weight.  No biggie though, I've had the weight to spare! ;)

Let's see, today is Sunday...and on Wednesday I'll be 17 weeks.  Last week I went to the doctor for my 16 week check up and even though I've had no symptoms whatsoever of anything being wrong...it was sort of a huge mental relief for me to hear that sweet heartbeat again.  This time Robbie was able to make it, and he heard it for the first time.  Also, my mom was able to come with us and hear it for the first time, too. :)

It was in the 140s range again, which makes me think it's another boy...but who knows?!  We simply cannot wait to find out!  I know there has to be something so special about finding out when the baby is born...but there is no way I can have the self control, haha!  Robbie and I have both been thinking girl from day one.  We are solid on a girl's name for sure.  In fact, Robbie keeps calling the baby by the girl name.  ...which means it will be a boy, ha!

The "big" ultrasound is scheduled for June 25th, so about 2 weeks away!!!!!  First and foremost, obviously we are most looking forward to everything being healthy.  Which brings me to a side note for a minute--I read an article online that really made me rethink the phrase "boy or girl doesn't matter, as long as it's healthy".  Honestly, I believe there is nothing intuitively wrong with saying this.  All of us parents pray and hope for a healthy baby, we always want the very best for our kids. 

The author of this article was just bringing a deeper meaning to the phrase because many times, the baby is not healthy or typically developing.  She is the mother of a child with special needs.  Her words were, "and what if it isn't healthy?"  I believe she just wanted to share her heart and let people know that it will be OK if things aren't "normal".  I wish I could find the article to link it in this post.  It's very positive and heartwarming.

Sorry for no pictures again in this post.  I have a bazillion pics on the camera to dump on the computer, just haven't gotten around to it.

Mr. Maverick has been up to a lot lately.  Mostly being Mr. Independent.  Everything is "Maverick do it!!!!!!!!!!!!" and he wants no help from mom and dad.  Which is mostly an awesome thing. (sometimes it is a disadvantage, ha!)  He is great with following directions and being a help around the house.  Going to the store is actually pretty fun now because I can tell him to put something in the cart and he does!

Now more than ever we really need to commit to this whole potty training thing. I'm praying this independent mindset will make it go easier...Lord help us, haha! I've always kinda had age 3 as a soft mark for being fully potty trained, just from using my experience working with preschoolers for a living. But now that we have a baby due exactly when Mav will turn 3, I know that could spell setbacks. I'm hoping that he will see how cool & big boy-ish it is to use the potty compared to the baby...but I also know that there is a possibility he could be jealous of the attention the baby gets when it has its diaper changed. All in all, I know he'll at least be potty trained by college. :)

His personality continues to delight me every day.  He is hilarious!  The things he says sometimes gets me and Robbie cracking up.  He is ALL boy.  His favorite thing to do for hours and hours, is play in the backyard dirt with his dump trucks.  He loves playing with his T-ball set, and doing somersaults.  He also loves to read.  There are about 5 books he regularly loves, and now he says, "Maverick read it?"  And will recite parts of the story according to the pictures.  I know, genius right?  Well...maybe just to his mommy.  ;)

His most favorite thing ever, ever, ever, ever in the whole universe are cars and trucks.  Mostly fast (and expensive) cars.  Every time we are in the car he points out the BMW's, Mercedes Benz's, Porche's, and in the rare moment--Ferrari's.  I'll never forget the day Mav and I were coming home from the store and he said, "Ferrari!" and I was like "yeah right".  But sure enough I looked over to see a Ferrari piercing down the highway.  Robbie likes to drive him out to the fancy car dealerships and they drool over the nice cars.  Mav prefers Formula 1 racing, but will do with Nascar if it's the only thing on. :)

Mav also loves going out and fixing the Jeep with Dad, and occasionally Grandpa.  Grandpa is the lifesaver around here.  I have some cute pictures of Mav getting all greasy from being "under the hood" with the boys.

Is it bad that I'm not freaking out about having 2 kids?  I feel like I should be stressing about the huge life change happening 5 months...but I'm not.  Despite knowing no 2 babies are the same, I'm feeling sorta confident about the next baby.  Like, been there and done that.  Is that awful?  Am I just setting myself up for disaster?

Probably.


      

12 weeks yesterday

Hello bloggy world!

I have great aspirations to start doing fun weekly pregnancy updates...but morning all day sickness has decided otherwise.  I am just about as sick with this pregnancy as I was with Mav...maybe it's another boy?

Anytime that I have free, all I want to do is lay on the couch.  I'm tired of being sick, and sick of being tired.  I just breathe slow, and focus on the awesome little baby growing inside me and the fact that this will hopefully be a short thing to endure.  My all day sickness ended when I was about 16 weeks with Mav, so I'm hoping the end is near!!

Zofran has been my closest friend!  I try to only take 1 a day, but sometimes I can't stop throwing up until I've had one.  I hate to keep comparing it to Mav's pregnancy, but that's how it was with him too.

On Tuesday I went in for my 12 week check up.  Everything looked great, and the baby had a nice heartbeat of 150 bpm.  Although he/she was being a stinker and kept moving whenever the doctor would get a clear signal.

Due to the extreme nausea, I've lost weight since my last appointment (just like with Mav).  Not a huge deal since I'm not a skinny minnie, lol!  But the doc would definitely like to see me start gaining soon.

No food ever, ever, ever sounds good to eat.  Except some form of ice chips.  Snowcones, shaved ice, and popsicles are marvelous.  I often walk around work with a giant cup of ice chips and a spoon.  Also, I really like dipped cones from Dairy Queen.  That's about it.  Everything else I do the best I can to keep it down.

Alright, back to the couch. 

Also--we are on baby alert for my SIL Johanna.  She is due this Sunday, on Mother's Day.  Last I heard, no signs of progress.  Little Miss Malia is a bit too snuggly in there I guess.  :)

Baby #2 {The Details}

I've been writing this post since the day I found out we were expecting another baby--March 24th, to be exact.  It has been such an awesome secret to keep, but now we can't wait to share our joyful news with the world!  Here are all the little details I wanted to share, but mostly keep for our memories. :)

I apologize, it's a long post, haha!

Also--I wanted to answer a question that a lot of people might be curious about but are too embarrassed to ask.  When we announced our first pregnancy with Maverick, my mother told me a lot of people were asking her if we had used fertility treatments or In-Vitro Fertilization because of Robbie's testicular cancer.  While those options are certainly an honorable (and difficult!) choice for those that may be in that situation, we were blessed with Maverick (and New Baby C) the old fashioned way despite being told having children could be quite difficult after surgery and intense chemotherapy.  God has blessed us more than we ever imagined! 

The news still hasn't quite sunk in yet.  I still cannot believe that God has blessed us with another baby!!!  I am beyond excited with a sprinkle of the normal worries.  Will Mav be a good big brother?  How am I going to handle a toddler and new baby?

Before the test confirmed it, I had a peculiar feeling that I was pregnant.  Not really symptoms...mostly, through a quirky set of events.  First, was a very, very, vivid dream I had the week before I took the test.  You know--those dreams when you wake up and thinking it was real life, and you're all out of breath?

I was at some big party that was also a Blues hockey practice.  First--that is so funny to me since I don't really follow hockey, ha!  It was in some sort of lavish backyard...that was also a hockey rink.  There was lots of people there, but nobody that I knew.  But I was having lots of fun! 

Then a whole bunch of us sat down at a high bar table, front row to the hockey game.  All of us had a huge, bare cupcake in front of us.  Like--those huge cupcake molds that are actually for making a big cake.  Mine was chocolate cake.  All of a sudden this lady appeared with the icing.  She told us that she would spread blue or pink icing according to what gender baby we were having.  In my dream I wasn't freaking out because I already knew I was pregnant, and I was excited to find out what color icing I would have.

Finally it was my turn, and she squeezed one of those big icing bags over the top of my cupcake. 
The icing was pink.

(this was the best web photo I could find)

Then I started crying so hard in my dream, tears of joy.

And then I woke up, heart beating hard and feeling like I had just bawled my eyes out.

I didn't take too much stock in the idea of the dream.  But still, it kept coming to mind.  They say dreams about being pregnant don't necessarily mean that you are--but that a big change is possibly coming in your life.  A new idea, a new job, etc.

Now that I know I'm pregnant...is it a girl?  Honestly I would be very ecstatic for Mav to have a brother.  Brothers have such a unique bond and that would be so cool!!  But I would also be so very excited to have a girl!  Like, I would probably ugly cry if I found out we were having a girl, ha!  Either way, just so blessed beyond measure. 

Robbie said from the moment the news sunk in, he thought girl too.  And he's been calling it a girl from day 1.  Only because of the vivid dream that inspired me to take a pregnancy test, I'm thinking girl too.  I'd feel awful if it was a boy, only for the reason we thought it was a girl! :)

Another thing was that Mav kept saying there was "a baby in mommy's tummy".  Which, didn't really phase me too much because we've been teaching him that his Aunt Jo has a baby in her tummy for a long time now.  Plus, he kept lifting up his shirt and saying there was "a baby in Mamick's tummy".  But still...piqued my thoughts.

To add to the dream and Mav's funniness, I was so out of character emotional.  The littlest things would make me tear up and cry.  The night before I took the test, I was watching some biography on PBS about one woman who made it her life's work to get women the right to vote.  At the end when it finally happened, I was crying my eyes out!!!  Lol!  Robbie just happened to call right then and was wondering if I was okay, ha!  Little did we know...

March 24th, another day that will live in infamy!
I woke up earlier than I wanted to...it was Saturday after all!  I laid in bed trying to will myself back to sleep.  Not happening.  I kept thinking about the dream and the nagging feeling of taking a test followed. 

Finally getting up out of bed, I decided to just take it.  It would be negative and the world would go on as normal...or would it?  I just couldn't shake the intuition.  Sooooooooo...I took it.  And it turned very positive, instantly!

This time I wanted to tell Robbie in a more fun way than crying in the bathroom, ha!  So I kept a poker face as he went off to work and headed out with Mav to find a Big Brother shirt.  I thought finding one would be really easy, but it took a few stops at different stores.

The plan was to have Robbie see Mav in the shirt and wait for a celebratory response...except it went nothing like that!!  My in-laws were out of town and my job was to change the kitty litter box.  Well, preggos aren't supposed to do that.  So I texted Robbie to see if he could come and help me change the box after he got off work (I think I said it was too heavy or something). 

Mav and I were waiting anxiously inside when he came in the door and went straight to the litter box.  Didn't even look at me or Mav...  He said, "Okay, sooooo what do you need help with?"  And I just sort of paused with a goofy grin on my face.  He picked up the little scoop and was like, "What the heck is this for?" and tried handing it to me but I backed away, putting my hands behind my back.

Then he was like, "Dude, what is the deal?" and I said, "I can't really touch any of that stuff." (still smiling)

And then it clicked.  He dropped the scoop and very quietly asked, "Are you pregnant?!"

After the initial freaking out (happy), he was like, "WHY did you tell me through cat poop?!!"  Of course I told him my plan, and it was him that messed it all up. :)

Today (April 11th) was my first prenatal visit for Baby #2!!!
It was agonizing to wait until today!! I was so nervous that everything was okay. Not because I was having any symptoms to actually warrant worry, but the natural mommy worry that seems to always kick in. It's funny that even though I've had a baby before, I get the same jitters!

Also, I didn't quite know what to expect at the first visit for a few reasons. First, with Maverick we did not have health insurance and made too much money for any assistance.  My doctor at the time (who delivered me, funny huh?) was so, so gracious about seeing us for free when I was about 12 weeks to let us hear a heartbeat and did a basic physical exam. But we didn't do any bloodwork, ultrasounds, etc. A couple months later we finally learned about, and were accepted into a clinic through a local hospital. By then I was about 24 weeks or so, and it was a whirlwind from there. I am so grateful for the program & services they provided, but it came with a lot of stress and headache of having new doctors each and every visit and not knowing who would deliver me.

Secondly, I am with an awesome new doctor now (Lord thank you for insurance!!) and was unfamiliar with their office practices. Some doctors do routine early ultrasounds, while others wait a few more weeks. I was hoping that we would do an early ultrasound, but didn't want to get too excited just in case we didn't. As the nurse walked me into an exam room with the ultrasound machine my heart was so excited!

After what seemed like a million questions she said, "Okay, let's take a look!"

As soon as she found the baby, I could immediately see a teenie tiny muscle moving rapidly. I asked her if that was the heart beating and she said, "You took the words right out of my mouth! Let's listen." (she is a very sweet lady) And then we listened to one of the most amazing, beautiful sounds this world can offer--the heartbeat of our new baby!! It was 145 bpm. If I recall, the first time we heard Mav's it was 140 bpm.

I was completely amazed that my baby's heartbeat could be seen and heard at only 7 weeks 3 days old!  The miracle of life is truly amazing. 

She explained to me that everything about the gestational sac and the area surrounding the baby looked "perfect". Overall everything was wonderful and she said she saw no reason for any concerns. Lord, thank you!!!!!!

I know Baby C is only the size of a fingertip here, but look at those cute little arm & leg buds!  The top is the head, and that little halo around the body is the gestational sac (eventually the placenta takes over).


Okay--now we're finally current with today (Apr 25)! 
Today I am 9w3d technically, even though according to my dute date I'm 10w3d.  Everything is off by exactly a week.  But we know, that we know, that we know when the miracle occured.  I'll spare you the details (you're welcome Dad), but let's just say the prior week an awful stomach bug was still raging in the house; plus I know my body's symptoms/cycle very well.  Not too TMI, right?!  :)

Although...Mav came a week early...so I figure I'll just stick with Nov 18th instead of the 25th, haha!  Yes, November is going to be birthday month for us.  Crazy, crazy.  But it will be fun!

Also, I felt kinda nervous about spilling the beans earlier than 12 weeks.  We waited until then to share the news about Maverick.  This time that was the goal, but my intense all-day nausea made it very difficult to hide.  People at work were starting to get concerned, haha!  So this time we waited until after the first doctor's appointment.

I made these cute cupcakes for our staff meeting at work, to make the big announcement.  Cupcakes were appropriate, I thought. :)

Of course I got a few immediate, "I KNEW IT!!!!!" responses, haha!

Okay, I'm just about worn out from all this blogging.  I'm planning on doing weekly updates to have for our memories.  Here are some cute pictures I took of Mav in his shirt.  :)

Praying for a healthy pregnancy and baby!

Easter...a week late, ha!

Hello All!  Well, those couple of you who have faithfully hung around, haha!  Blogging has taken a back seat lately since we've been busy with holidays and stuff.  I promise to get better about it.  ;)

Anyways, so here is our family Easter...about a week late.  Family get-togethers are always really fun with my family--never a dull moment!  You know the Griswold holidays?  Yep, that's my family, lol!  And I wouldn't trade it for anything.  Just lots and lots of fun!!

We went to my Aunt Chris' house (or Aunt Kisses as Mav says, ha!).  She has 5 children--my "little" cousins.  Except for Jamie (my twin), they are all boys (well, almost all men now) that tower over me.  My late Uncle Jimmy (their dad) was 6' 5" (taller?) so they all inherited his tall genes. :) 

You know what's the best thing about having all those giant boy cousins?  They love playing baseball outside and entertaining a certain toddler! Also, they have a giant trampoline.  Maverick was in heaven!!!!

I enjoyed a tasty Easter lunch on the porch with my other "little" cousin Hannah (who I'm pretty sure is taller than me now, sigh).  We had fun talking & catching up while the boys played below.  It was nice!

The boys are always playing baseball or hockey.  Thankfully today it was baseball...don't need Mav playing hockey just yet. ;)

Every few pitches or so, they would stop and pitch to Mav.  Someday he'll be able to show those boys up, haha!

Then came time for the egg hunt.  Maverick loved it!!  I was relieved since the egg hunt at church was another story.  But I think he was overwhelmed with the amount of kids and the lure of the buses.  Grandpa did the honors of helping Mav with his basket.  The older kids (myself included) hunted for eggs too, it was fun!  All the eggs had a little candy and cash in them.  I donated my money to Mav's fund...but enjoyed his candy. :)

There is my happy boy!

He totally got the whole idea, and even tried putting a few whiffle baseballs in his basket, ha!



After the egg hunt, straight to the trampoline again!



Don't get any gift ideas Grandpa!  Unless it's at your house. :)



Mav's loot!  Is he spoiled, or what?  My parents got him the baseball themed basket; My Aunt Linda got him the Cars toothbrush set, bowl set, and Cardinal cookies; My Aunt Chris got him the Hotwheels, bath toys, and bubbles; plus the money from the egg hunt.

 

Of course Easter isn't about the gifts, just like Christmas.  Just a small, fun part.  Easter morning we read parts of the Easter story to Mav from his Bible.  Our prayer is that someday he will come to know the Lord. :)