Pregnancy Update - Week 28

I am now 28 weeks pregnant. We lost Will at 28 weeks, so that has been on my mind a lot this week. We are thankful for a healthy baby girl and continuing to pray for her health and safety as we get closer and closer to her delivery date. 

Here is a quick update on the plan for baby girl. We had a specialist appointment about 4 weeks ago and the specialist is wanting to be a little more cautious than my regular OB. So with that said, we are delivering at 36 weeks by c-section, no traveling past 30 weeks, and will be given steroids at 34 weeks to help baby's growth. He also wants regular ultrasounds at least every 4 weeks to track her growth. We did have a very detailed ultrasound at the specialist office and she is perfectly healthy and right on track with growth. We have also had another ultrasound since and she again is right on track with growth (2lbs 7 oz. as of July 16th). We thank God for her everyday!

We will be having a scheduled c-section on September 17th as long as nothing changes with me or the baby's health. 

I am feeling pretty good. Now that I am in the 3rd trimester I am starting to feel really tired again. I am eating like crazy and still can't get enough of fruit, raw veggies, and dessert. :) As of July 16th I have gained 16 pounds. I am still dealing with low blood pressure and my blood sugar dropping, but again it is still manageable. As of the last ultrasound she was head down and boy can I tell. I feel a lot of pressure and my belly feels very heavy especially the days I am doing a lot of housework. She is still crazy active, which I love! People keep asking me if her nursery is done and the answer is absolutely no. ha! We are not even close. I did finally pick out fabric for her curtains and will go to get those made next week. I do have her bedding, but no crib. The crib won't be here until after she arrives. We have gone through Canon's things to see what we could use and I have washed a lot of those things, but that is about as far as we have gotten. This is totally against my personality since she will be here in less than 8 weeks, but oh well. It's good for me (at least that is what I am telling myself). 

A few prayer requests:

1- The dr.'s are still very concerned about my health regarding a uterine rupture. I can not go into labor on my own. Please be in prayer that I can make it to Sept. 17th without any labor contractions. The words they use is catastrophic for me and baby if I were to have a uterine rupture. A uterine rupture could happen if I went into labor. This is why they are delivering her so early.

2- Because she is going to be born 4 weeks early please pray she is fully developed and she has absolutely no complications or side effects from being born early. The doctors have already prepared us she will be in a special nursery for observation and possibly up to a couple of days. 

3- Pray for peace of mind for Jess and me as we get closer and closer to her arrival.

4- This is not as serious of a prayer request, but due to not being able to travel past 30 weeks I will not be able to be in my best friend's wedding at the beginning of September. We have been friends since birth and this is devastating for us both. Pray that we will both have peace about this through our disappointment. 

Thank you for being in prayer for Jess, Canon, the baby, and me. 

28 weeks

Sweet Summertime

  Another Trip Home

Jess, C, and I headed to my parent's again for the weekend. C and I were thrilled Jess was able to go with us this time. We had a wonderful visit and enjoyed being with family and being outside on the farm. We again enjoyed the harvest from my dad's garden every meal. Dad grilled out every night and made home made ice cream. Mom worked hard in the kitchen making and preparing pickled cucumbers, squash casserole, home made chocolate cake, corn on the cob, fresh fruit, etc. This is a pregnant girl's dream. :) 

We went swimming, paddle boating, 4- wheeling, dad got the tractor out for the kids, spent time in the garden, and enjoyed being outside fellowshipping with family. I was also able to see my grandparents and spend a little time with them. 

This is the last time I will be able to visit home before the baby arrives, so we made memories and had a great time!


Dad showing C the tractor.

Saying C loves the 4-wheeler is an understatement. 

Excited to be taking a ride with his daddy.

The bucket of tomatoes C, my dad, and I picked. I took most of them home with me. :_

Paddle boating at my parent's house. 

My niece, mom, C, and my sister.

Thanks for a great visit!

Canon at 2 years and 9 months

I haven't done an update on Canon lately, so I thought I would document some things for my own records. 

Canon continues to be a busy busy boy. He is full of energy and has a fun and infectious personality. He is still a strong willed child which presents challenges in parenting, but we are praying we will help channel this personality for the good. He is very social and loves to be around other people. He is also very compassionate and sensitive towards others. Canon is still a daddy's boy and wants to be just like him.

Here are a few other things about Canon.

• Potty training,
• We started July 1st and it's going okay. Some days are better than others. When we are at home all day it goes really well, but when we are out he a lot of the times just pees in his diaper (he still wears diapers when we go out at this point). The first week was the hardest and he didn't have the best attitude, but now he isn't fighting it as much. We have talked a lot about having a good attitude even when we don't want to do certain things (good reminder for me). He has been getting stickers every time he goes and we put them on a train chart. He also gets one piece of sour patch candy after he goes, but only if he asks for it and he hasn't been asking for them lately. Once he fills up a chart he gets a dollar prize from Target or the Dollar Store. The other day we were at Target picking out a dollar prize and he spotted a nicer toy (a B toy dog guitar) and wanted it. So, I told him if he could fill up two sticker charts and do it with a good attitude he could earn the guitar. He earned that guitar in a week and a half and did it with a great attitude! Yesterday we went and purchased it. We aren't doing any type of boot camp potty training. That really isn't my personality nor do I think Canon would strive too well with that approach. We are doing what works for us and I think it is going pretty well. 
• Loves to swim and started swimming lesson yesterday (July 17th). 
• We are doing a child/parent class. It is a little below his level, but it is good for him because it is disciplining him to do things for 30 minutes for 2 weeks that we don't necessarily make him do every time we go swimming. He is practicing blowing bubbles in the water as he uses his arms and legs to kick while I hold on to him. Today he went under water which he doesn't like. He is learning how to float and how to crawl out of the side of the deep end of the pool. If anything the lessons are great practice and getting him comfortable with the water. We are both enjoying it. Canon for sure has his opinions if he wants to do something or not, but he is doing a great job so far!
• Loves anything transportation - trains, tractors, airplanes, trucks, etc. 
• Can say anything and everything and pronounces things pretty perfectly most of the time. I do love when he says things wrong though, because he doesn't do it very often.
• He is very witty and says the funniest things.
• Still loves anything music especially the drums. He drums on everything, and I mean everything. He even uses corn on the cob to drum on the cabinets. That was a mess to clean up. :)
• Is so excited for baby sister to be here. Talks about her daily.
• We have the best conversations at night when we are praying and singing before bed. Yes, we still rock him before bed (not to sleep, just to read, pray, and sing. He asks hard questions about God and he will not let you forget to pray before bed.
• Loves to be outside.
• Still sleeps with his blanket and doggie along with Mr. E and lots of different stuffed animals and blankets. And he does notice if you take one out. :)
• Is still a good eater. He loves any and every type of fruit you can give him. Between Canon and me we can not keep enough fruit in this house. I go at least two times a week to get fresh fruit. 
• Has an awesome memory and reminds us of things we did last summer. 
• Is very grumpy when he wakes up in the morning and after his nap, even when he gets really good sleep. It's almost comical some days and other days not so much. :)
• Wearing 2T pants, 3T shirts, size 7 and 8 in shoes, size 5 diapers

We love our little boy and look forward to how the Lord is shaping and growing him. 

A trip home

July 5th through July 8th Canon and I headed to my parents house for a visit. We hadn't been in a while, so the visit was long over do. We had lots of fun, good food, and Canon had a good time being on the "farm".  Since my sister and her family just live right next door we were able to spend a lot of time with them as well. Canon took 4-wheeler rides daily with Pops, helped picked vegetables out of the garden, played with the cats, ate ice cream every night, played hard with his cousin Emma, and took a paddle boat ride in the pond. We always know we are going to eat well too. Fresh corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, home made ice cream, grilled ribs, and hamburgers were all consumed during our visit. One afternoon my mom, sister, niece, Canon, and I headed to the pool to cool off. It was very hot, so it was nice to be in the water. 

On Saturday I headed to St. Louis all day to help my best friend wedding plan while Canon hung out with my family and went to the pool again. I had a great time being with Brook and helping her with the wedding details. I will not be able to be in her wedding due to not being able to travel past 30 weeks (I will be 34 weeks when she gets married), so this was my chance to be a part of her big day. This is devastating for both of us and we cry every time we talk, but it is out of our hands. I can't imagine not being there when she gets married, but it is out of our hands. I am thankful that I can still help and celebrate her wedding from afar. 

Thankful for a wonderful trip back "home" and glad that we get to go again in just a few short days. Jess will be joining us this time. This will be my last time to travel there before the baby comes. I am glad Canon gets to make good memories at my parent's house as I have many great memories as well. 

Canon and my dad's nightly 4-wheeler ride.

Getting ready to take a paddle boat ride in the pond. 

Canon can't wait to go back!

Fireworks and Fellowship

July 4th Celebrations

On July 3rd our church had a booth/tent out at the Freedom Festival in town. Jess was busy all day setting everything up, so Canon and I joined him that evening after dinner to enjoy some snacks and games before the fireworks. 

Here is Canon riding a pony. Last fall we tried to put him on one and he refused to get on, so we tried it again and he liked it. He is almost a spitting image of Jess in so many ways, but he is very cautious about things at first and is has a serious demeanor when trying new things like his momma. :) 

After eating a lemon ice, funnel cake, and hanging out with Grace Church people the fireworks began. This was Canon's first experience with fireworks (except for seeing them really far away) and he wasn't too sure about them at first. He sat on my lap or Jess's lap through them and wanted us to hold his ears. Toward the end he relaxed and really enjoyed them, though he still wanted his ears covered. 

When I was younger we would go as a family to see the fireworks, but I remember one July 4th when my dad and I went together. I remember my dad holding my ears the entire time because they were too loud for me too. 

On July 4th we headed to the pool in the morning and then headed to a cookout in the evening. We had a great family day and also enjoyed hanging out with friends.

Canon's First Movie

On June 9th we took Canon to see Madagascar 3 for his first movie at the theaters. He is such a busy body that we weren't sure how it was going to go. We had been playing it up for a week, but unfortunately Canon was in a foul mood before we left for the movie. We were crossing our fingers this was going to go well. :)

We went on opening weekend, so we got there early to make sure we could get an aisle seat. We got popcorn and drinks and settled into our aisle seat and thankfully he was in a better mood. He was not sure about how loud the previews were and thought one of the previews was scary, but once the movie started he was excited and enjoyed eating his snacks. About 45 minutes into the movie he started getting restless and kept getting up and down out of his seat. Then he started wanting to jump on the stairs. Jess took him out a couple of times to walk around, but C was pretty much done. We packed up our things and headed out of the door, but Canon then got upset because he was missing the movie. We went back in and finished the movie. All in all it was a success, but I think we will wait a while until we go see another one in the theaters. The movie was super cute and I am sure we will be buying it when it comes out.

Canon in mid chew.

What a great family day!!