Almost there!

Well, we've nearly made it to 39 weeks, but there's an end in site!  I won't be pregnant FOREVER!  Unless I go into labor on my own in the next 24 hours, my doctor is going to start inducing me tomorrow night.  So, more than likely, Natalie's "birth"day will be June 7, 2011.  We are soooo ready!  This will be my last pregnancy blog post before Natalie's arrival.....

Nearly 39 week belly shot. 

How big is baby #2?  Natalie is probably around 6.5-7.5lbs, but it's anyone's guess!  I feel like I'm carrying around a big watermelon!

How is Mommy feeling?  Well, I'm feeling very pregnant at this point.  It's hard to bend over, I feel like my stomach is in my throat, my legs feel like sausages at the end of a long work day, and I can't sleep at night due to frequent trips to the bathroom and other discomforts (preparation for many sleepless nights ahead, I suppose!)  But believe it or not, I have definitely had a suprising burst of energy these last few weeks.  I feel like I've cleaned the house a dozen times, organized and reorganized stuff, grocery shopped a zillion times, and worked my tail off at work, all in preparation of Natalie's arrival.  I wanted to feel totally prepared this time around! 

What is Mommy wearing?  Anything that still fits!  HA! 

What is Mommy craving?  I've definitely be on a yogurt parfait kick this last month... greek yogurt with fresh fruit and granola.  YUM!  Maybe my body has needed calcium? 

How much has Mommy gained?  31 lbs.  (I pretty much weigh exactly what I weighed when I had Avery, which is wierd since I've made it 3 more weeks.  I started off smaller this time around, though.)  

 Going to church this morning for the last time as a family of 3.  We couldn't get a smile out of our little angel...

It's hard to believe in just 2 days, our life is going to change so much.  We've tried to prepare Avery for what's about to happen, and she seems to be excited about "baby Sissy," but I still don't think she really understands how much her world is about to change.  We hope and pray that she will love her baby Sissy, and will be sweet to her.  We hope that they will eventually play together, share everything, and be the best of friends.  Only time will tell... I'm sure there will be good days and bad days, especially in the beginning.  I'm just hoping for more good days! 

Pray for a smooth delivery and a healthy baby girl!  I'll update my blog as soon as I can!

Baby Showers...

I recently transferred to a family medicine clinic about 4 months ago, and I am blessed to work with an amazing group of physicians, as well as nursing and support staff.  This week the nursing and support staff were so sweet to throw me a baby shower luncheon. 

As you can see, Natalie was well-stocked with diapers, wipes, clothes, and all sorts of little goodies.

 And today the 8 physicians that I work with hosted a social gathering/baby shower for us at one of their homes.  Kids were included, so Avery had fun playing with lots of girls.  I think we might have even gotten some baby sitters out of the deal!  They can't wait to see Avery again!

 The men got to play a little diaper game, where they had to guess what candy bar was in the "dirty diapers." Ha! 

And we came home with more goodies for Natalie. We are so incredibly blessed to be surrounded by so many family, friends, and co-workers who have been so generous and thoughtful, helping us to prepare for Miss Natalie's arrival.  Now all we need is our sweet baby girl to make her debut!  Not much longer....

A little comparison...

Left ....Avery (35 weeks, last belly shot before she arrived at 35 6/7 weeks)

Right....Natalie (36 weeks, who knows when she will arrive?)

My weight at the time each picture was taken... Exactly the same.  

I think my belly looks pretty much the same, maybe a little lower this time around?  What do you think?   

Due date is June 14th... What are your predictions for Natalie's arrival date? 





36 Week Update!

I suppose it's time for another pregnancy update, since we're in our last month... and it could be any DAY now!  Woohoo! 

How big is baby #2? Natalie probably weighs nearly 6lbs now.  My belly is HUGE!  I'm about ready to pop!  She moves like crazy, you can see knees and elbows everywhere. 
How is Mommy feeling?  Exhausted, uncomfortable, swollen (all the normal complaints of someone that is 36 weeks pregnant). 
What is Mommy wearing? Any maternity clothes that still fit!  HA!
What is Mommy craving?  I think I've about lost my appetite, now that I'm out of room.  Yogurt and fruit have sounded good though. 
Weight gain so far? About 30lbs

Progress?  Weekly checks have been good.  Measuring perfectly, good heartbeat, no cervical changes yet.  No more shots!  Woohoo!  The nursery is ready, my bag is partially packed, just waiting patiently now.... 

Can't wait to meet our Natalie in the next month!  Here are a few maternity pictures that Ted took this weekend....

Me and my sweet girl.

She loves hugging her Mommy.

Pointing to baby sissy

Kissing baby sissy.

"That's Mommy's baby."

Ready to pop!

Avery is 21 months old!

I wasn't able to post this on Thursday, so here is Avery's 21 month posting!
Another month has gone by, and our Avery continues to grow into such a fun, happy, smart, and sweet little girl.  Her teacher at daycare and her teachers at church call her sweet, sensitive, and compassionate which warms my heart.  We try our best to raise a loving, affectionate, and caring girl, and so far she is all of those things.  She continues to learn so much, we are just amazed at her vocabulary now.  She tries to say anything that you tell her to.  She says lots of three word sentences now.  She loves to give hugs and kisses and say I love you!  It is so sweet.  She loves to be outside, loves playing at the park, blowing bubbles, reading books, doing artwork (coloring, stickers, painting), playing with her babies (she calls them Bobbies), and taking baths.  She has learned how to take her clothes and her diaper off.  Fortunately, we haven't had any messy situations... or at least not yet.  When she wakes up in the morning, she will now yell Mommy, Daddy, Mommy, Daddy until we go get her.  It's pretty cute. 
She weighs about 25-26lbs and continues to wear size 4 diapers, size 6 wide shoes, and 24 month clothes. 

 She's such a happy girl and so much fun to play with!

 Our rough and tumble girl always has a new scratch on her face or a boo-boo somewhere!

 Sweet girl.

 She learned a new fun game this weekend from her Nana... riding down the driveway on her pony.

 As soon as we got home from church today, she had to go outside and ride her pony!  (Thanks Mom!  haha)

 Weeeee!

 Is that a bow that my girl is wearing?!?!?

Nope!  No bows on this girl!  I try....

Our Sweet Avery

 We can't believe... in just a matter of weeks...

 our sweet Avery won't be the only little girl in our lives...

 She brings us such joy and laughter...

 She is the light of our lives...

 We can't imagine loving anyone else as much as our sweet girl...

But if Natalie is anything like her big sister, I'm sure our hearts will find love for both of our sweet girls!

Preparing for Natalie... and some random pictures of Avery

Today we pulled down all of our baby stuff to prepare for Natalie.  I can't believe she will be here in just 6 weeks or less!  If she arrives as early as Avery did, we will be bringing our baby home in just 2 weeks!  CRAZY!  Which is why we decided we better start getting all of our last minute preparations done... just in case we have any sudden suprises. 

 It was so much fun going through all of Avery's old baby stuff.

 Just 4 loads of laundry worth of Preemie, Newborn, and 0-3 month clothes and baby supplies!  Have I mentioned how happy I am that we're having another girl and can re-use a lot of Avery's stuff? 

 Avery had to check out all the baby supplies!

 I think she's a little too big for her old carrier!

 Silly girl!

 This is her favorite way to brush her teeth!

 She's so independent!