30 weeks!

I can't believe I'm 30 weeks pregnant today!  I've been a slacker... I haven't done a pregnancy update in 6 weeks, so lots to catch up on! 

How big is baby #2?  Natalie is about the size of a head of cabbage! (15-16 inches, 3lbs) My uterus is the size of a basket ball... you can't miss it!


How is Mommy feeling? Pretty good, just tired and a little uncomfortable.  I have daily contractions, but nothing regular.  Still getting weekly progesterone shots from hubby.  Definitely suffering with heartbearn, but Zantac and Tums help.  Going to the doctor every 2 weeks now.  Blood work, measurements, and cervical checks have all been normal. 

What is Mommy wearing? All maternity clothes! Finally getting some wear out of all my summer clothes from last time =) 

What is Mommy craving? Not really having any cravings at this point.  Just trying to eat healthy foods.  I think I'm running out of room....

Weight gain so far? About 25 lbs. 

Best part of this month? Feeling Natalie move like crazy and watching my belly move.  Starting to prepare for Natalie's arrival... we ordered her crib, dresser, and bedding, and bought some pink paint!  Now all we need to do is clear out the guest room, and put it all together.  We also did our 3D ultrasound, which was amazing! 

 30 week belly shot

Can't believe I will be holding 2 little girls very soon!

 Our sweet Natalie...

 Making faces...

 She liked having her hands by her face.

 She looks a lot like her big Sister Avery.

 Moving her hands and feet around.

 A hand and a knee.

 So sweet =)

 She did so good =)

Kicking herself in the head. 

What an amazing gift!  We can't wait to meet Miss Natalie in the next 10 weeks!

Happy Birthday Grandma

We celebrated my Grandma's 85th Birthday last weekend with a big old party.  We are so incredibly lucky to have such a wonderful influence in our lives.  I am so thankful that Avery has gotten to know her and love her.  And Natalie will soon! 
Kathy was the photographer.... I hope she doesn't mind me sharing some pictures from the big day!

 The Birthday Girl!

 Our Family

 Avery chowed down on a couple pieces of cake.

 Playing with PaPa.

 She found a baby in the nursery to push around.

Me and My Girl...  

Avery's Surgery

As many of you know, our sweet Avery had to have surgery on her neck last Friday....  We had been watching a little mass on her right neck for a few months, hoping it would go away, but when it kept getting more red and irritated, her doctor sent us to ENT.  After a CT-scan, he decided to explore it to see if it was a cyst that needed to be removed, or some sort of atypical infection from a lymph node.  So, our brave little girl went into surgery on Friday morning.  Everyone was so nice and the surgery went very smoothly, taking only about 45 minutes.  At this point, it looks like it was some sort of atypical infection that needed to be drained.  She has a little incision on her neck that is healing, and you would never know she had surgery.  She's doing great!  So, thank you all for your prayers for our little girl!  We are so glad this is over with! 

 Waiting to go into surgery...

 Her cute little fish gown.

 Recovering from the anesthesia on Daddy.

 Our sweet girl.

 Once she started to wake up, this was the first thing she wanted off!

 At home, finally enjoying some breakfast!

Donut holes fix everything!!!

19 Months!

As of yesterday, we have a 19 month old!  These months just seem to fly by...
Avery now weighs 26lbs (50th percentile), wears 18-24 month clothes, size 6 shoes, and size 4 diapers.  She refuses to wear bows, and hates to have her nails cut or her diaper changed... I usually have to chase her around to comb her hair or trim her nails, and diaper changes sometimes consist of kicking and screaming.  She is so independent and strong-willed.  She wants to do everything by herself now, whether its putting on her socks and shoes, brushing her teeth, picking out her food from the refrigerator, or buckling herself into her booster seat.  Her speech has really taken off in the last month too.  She will now try to say any word you tell her to say... she is probably saying 50 words now.  She loves to tell you everything she is doing.  She can point out different people and body parts.  She continues to be very affectionate, giving kisses and hugs to everyone. 
Her favorite activites include playing at the park or doing anything outside, playing with play-dough, playing dress up with her box of shoes, hats, and bracelets, cooking in her kitchen, taking care of her baby dolls, and reading books. 
She is busy, busy, busy.... but so much fun! 

Playing after church.

Driving her car around the house.

Enjoying some indoor activities on a rainy Saturday morning.

Eating breakfast with "Bee-Bee" and "Blanky."

Me and My Girl before church.

Ted and Avery

Swinging!

Saying "All-done."

Saying "Bye!"

24 Weeks!

Today, I am 24 weeks pregnant!  Another month has flown by... and we're getting closer and closer to meeting Natalie! 
How big is baby? Baby #2 is about the size of an ear of corn! (8.5 inches, 1.5lbs)  My uterus is the size of a soccer ball... you can't miss it!

How is Mommy feeling? Pretty good, just starting to get a little uncomfortable.  Heartburn has definitenly set in.  Still getting weekly progesterone shots from hubby. 

What is Mommy wearing? All maternity clothes!  I'm excited about the warmer weather, so I can get some wear out of my favorite capri's from last time. 

What is Mommy craving? Cheeseburgers, a weekly cinnamon roll or donut holes (bad, bad, bad!).

Weight gain so far? About 16 lbs

Best part of this month? Feeling Natalie move like crazy and watching my belly move.  It still amazes me!  I think Avery is finally starting to notice her Momma's growing belly too.

 24 week belly shot

My 1st purchase for Natalie and Avery.  Can't wait to see them in their matching outfits!

18 months!

I can't believe that Avery is already 18 months old!  Didn't we just celebrate her 1st birthday?!?!  The months just keep passing on by....
It's amazing how much she has learned in the past 6 months.  She is such a big girl now, so independent and strong-willed.  I wonder who she gets that from =) 
Recent accomplishments - Feeding herself with a spoon or fork (she LOVES to feed herself yogurt and applesauce!), putting her socks and shoes on by herself (and taking them off ALL day long!), pointing to all her body parts, baby sign language (more and all through are her favorites), brushing her teeth all by herself with her Hello Kitty electric toothbrush, doing simple puzzles, playing with play-doh, learning more words. 
She now says about 15-20 words/phrases... Momma, DaDa, Daddy, Nana, doggie, hi, bye-bye, all through, more, thank you, I love you, I pooped, Cooper, Shelby, Sissy, A-choo, Hmm, roar, yes.  She also sings like crazy... usually the ABC's or she makes songs up. 
She is such a sweet little girl.  She loves giving hugs and kisses, saying hi and bye to everyone, sharing her snacks, trying to help Mommy and Daddy (whether it's sweeping or doing the laundry), hugging the dogs and giving them treats, and she LOVES smiling and laughing.  She's getting such a cute little personality.  We just love her to pieces. 

 Helping Mommy with the laundry this morning.

 Oh my...

Snow Day!

Last Friday was a SNOW DAY!  We don't get these very often in Central Texas, so we have to make the most of them.  So, as I headed off to work, Ted and Avery (and the dogs!) checked out the snow.  As you'll remember, Avery experienced her first Snow day almost a year ago. 

Well, this year, at nearly 18 months, she was able to really experience the snow! 

 OK... my hands are cold!

 Daddy, I don't like it any more!

The dogs LOVED the snow... Especially Cooper!