Daddy's Little Girl

Yes.  My heart is just one big puddle these days.

Napping Beauty

Nap time has a new look at our house....

I promise more photos and stories are coming.  We don't have a laptop, and sitting at the computer has been....well....ouch!  I can't wait to share more though.  Sophia's birth was so peaceful and wonderful.  Okay, and really ouchie, but still beautiful. 

Thanks so much for all of your congratulations and prayers!!  I can't tell you how much they've meant to me.

P.S. I can't believe shes' here!!  I kind of want to pinch myself....and her.  The double chin and pudge just make me want to squeal. 

She's Here

Her name is Sophia Mae.  Isn't she beautiful?

Born at home on Wednesday.

7 lbs 13 oz

20 in

We're soaking her in....

every last beautiful, wonderful bit of her.

Morning Me

I probably should refrain from posting photos of myself fresh out of bed, but the pretty photos I'd planned on never happened.  Did I mention it's ridiculously hot out there?  Totally drains the energy out of a gal. 

I'm down to just a few outfits and my pajamas are barely fitting now.  With less than 4 weeks to go, I'm hesitant to buy new stuff.  But, if my wardrobe selection gets any slimmer you might find me perusing the maternity racks.

A Full Belly....36 1/2 weeks

Our midwife came for a visit yesterday.  Levi was her "big helper"...measuring, and checking on the baby.  After she left, "Where's my Miss Norma?"

P.S.

While I'm seeking advice, how does one go grocery shopping with two munchkins?  It is beginning to sink in that I am soon to be outnumbered.  The fact that my husband's work schedule is crazy and involves 12 hour work days for a whole straight week now scares me.  In case you need me to do the calculations for you....add about 2 hours for commute and you get me home alone with TWO children for 14 hours straight....for 7 whole days.  He doesn't get much time off in between either, so it's not like I'll get a whole lot of breaks.  Oh, I think I should quit thinking about this.  My head is beginning to spin.

Bed Sharing With Two?

The earliest sleeping post I have marked is here...a little over a year ago.  Can you believe his tinyness? 

His favorite sleeping spot is still snuggled up next to mama.  Sigh.  Where are we going to put a new little one?  Levi says the baby can sleep next to him.  Ha!  Not happening little squirmy worm.  Any tips on bed sharing with two?  I'm at a loss.  We have a twin bed set up right next to ours.  Levi thought his bed was cool for about a nanosecond.  And, then he was back in between us.

Oh, August....

....how I wish I could love you....but I don't.  Your heat sucks the life out of even the non-pregnant.  A heat index of 115 F is intolerable.  And, the mosquitoes?  Really, something should be done about them.  Maybe you could see to it that the rest of the month is at least a tad milder.  M'kay?
                                                                                      xoxo,
                                                                                      Madeline

Seriously though, this heat is getting to me.  It's hard enough to move quickly while pregnant, but in this much heat it's impossible.  I've felt the need to sleep....a lot.  My camera, my blog, the entire internet, and all housework have been sorely neglected.  I'd be okay with this, except that I'm so hot it makes me irritable.  If I step outside, it takes the rest of the day to cool back off again....something about a personal heating system rocking away in my tummy.  Sigh.

On a semi-good note, storms are moving in.  The temperatures will now be in a "reasonable" early to mid 90's.  Of course, rain means more humidity.  Can our air feel any more like split pea soup?  Oh, yes, indeed.

And, entirely unrelated to the weather, if you're in need of a good read this week check out Erin's latest post.  I'm bookmarking it, so I can reread and remind myself of this stuff post baby.

Hope y'all are enjoying your week and staying cool!

Tired

There are now 6 weeks left....if this little one is on time.  Please, please, please, please, please don't be early....or terribly late.....m'kay little bean?  There's too much to do between now and then.

The past few days have been filled with packing, cleaning, moving (yes, loads of my stuff is still parked at my old house...a big thank you to my patient parents), pulling out old flooring, putting in new flooring, keeping Levi out of the way and entertained for this, driving...lots and lots of driving.  I'm whooped.  Today, there was more driving and more driving and unloading of stuff and some shopping (how could I pass up the $1 sales at two consignment stores?).  Now I'm more tired, and tomorrow, there's more packing and loading and unloading and, of course, driving to be done.  And, it's supposed to be 102 F!!  Oh, have I mentioned that Levi and his very hefty self still insists on being carried EVERYWHERE?  And, what do I do?  I carry him.  I'm a sucker for "Mama, Mama, Hold you me!"  Sigh. 

Monday, I'm giving up.  We're going to just have fun for a couple of days.  I'm determined. 

In the midst of all that I did squeeze in time to piece together 11 rows of this quilt, and I started knitting a wool soaker for the new bambino.   Making stuff keeps me sane.  It might be classified as an addiction. 

What keeps you sane when life gets oh, so very tiring?

Yes, I Know I'm A Little Crazy...

What I'm currently working on...

Yes, that would be the beginnings of a baby quilt.  No, this is not an indication that we have any clue what's cookin' in that tummy-o-mine.  Instead....only because I'm apparently getting overly nesty...I've got two baby quilts on the agenda.  One for a girl.  One for a boy.  Now, I just have to find some good boy fabric.  Believe me, I've been a huntin' with no success....yet.

This one is actually made of vintage sheets found here.  Gotta love Etsy.

32-ish Weeks

Yesterday was one of those freak out pregnancy days...tell me you know what I'm talking about.  You know the ones when you wake up, and NOTHING fits, and you are unbelievably tired and maybe cranky, and then you go shopping only to find that somehow NOTHING fits, and then you are even more tired and maybe even more cranky?  Ugh.  Well that was yesterday.  I might have nearly cried once or twice in a dressing room or two.  And, I might have viewed myself more as a beached whale than a beautiful pregnant lady.  

Thankfully, today is a little different.  I am tired but not cranky.  And, although, nothing fits....still....I don't feel quite as whale like.  And, I even almost feel pretty.

You've had those days, right?

Exactly 11

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As of today there are exactly 11 weeks left to go.  

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Well, that is if this munchkin is on time.  Still that number 11 seems so much smaller than 12.  I can't believe that in a few short months there will be another baby taking his/her place in our family.  Levi will become a big brother.  Stephan will get his first taste of being a daddy to a newborn....oh, boy, is he in for some surprises.  ;)  And, we will officially be parents to TWO little ones.  I have a sneaking suspicion that there really is no preparing for this.  

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There's a part of me that can't wait...to meet and greet and snuggle...to smell that lovely new baby smell.  But, then there's a bit of me too that wants to hold on to what we have right now just a little longer. 

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More of the Baby Belly

These first two are from 27 weeks.  Levi's stethoscope obsession led to lots of "checking" the baby's heartbeat...

And, these are from 28 weeks.  My sister was in town over the weekend, and took a few shots while we were wandering around the farm....

More here.

Baby Bump: Week 28

Wow, I can't believe it's been so long since my last official baby bump update!  We had an appointment with our midwife Thursday.  Stephan's mom got to be there and to hear the heartbeat....very cool.  She also brought some of Stephan's baby things and a gorgeous old quilt (but that's for another post).  :)

The baby is growing as expected, and has turned which explains the recent wonderful lack of drop kicks to the bladder.  Although, it's too early in the pregnancy to know if s/he will stay that way, my midwife thinks it's likely.  We're keeping our fingers crossed.

And in other baby related news:

: : I have gained a whopping 22 pounds.  I'm sort of in shock.  With Levi I gained a total of 25 pounds.  I still have three more months to go before the final tally is in on this one.  The part that really has me bumfuzzled is that I am not nearly as hungry with this one as I was with Levi.  In fact, for a while there I was afraid I wasn't eating enough....um....wrong.  We're just hoping this one isn't destined to be a 10 + pounder.  Oh, and, Stephan, being the sweet husband he is, when I told him how shocked I was over all of that weight gain, said, "Good.  I was afraid you were losing weight."  Either he's just being nice, or he needs his vision checked.  Has he seen that belly?!!

: : Levi has recently revealed that he believes this baby will be moving in with Nanno and BawBaw once it gets here.  Oh, my, is he in for a shock.  There's no preparing or convincing him.  Even Nanno got in on trying to correct his view on this one.  No luck.  He's determined.  My only guess is that he remembers living next door to them, and he thinks that's what babies do.

: : This new little munchkin already has opinions.  S/he is seriously opposed to me slouching.  Apparently, s/he likes his/her room because every time I slouch, s/he kicks me really, really hard in a hey-give-me-some-more-room-in-here kind of way.  Also, when we tried to hear his/her heartbeat with the stethoscope, sh/e kicked the stethoscope every single time...dead on excellent aim, too.

: : We are still working on boy names.  I think we might be coming closer to a decision.  We'll see.  So far everybody thinks it's a girl....even strangers.  I'm going to laugh when a boy comes out, and we don't have name for it.  Any suggestions?  I tend towards Old Testament names.  Stephan tends toward New Testament and non-biblical names.  A happy medium has yet to be reached.  There have been a couple of first names agreed on, but finding a middle name is tough.  Josiah and Abel are in the top running.  But, every name we put with Abel makes it sound like a sentence.

Week 23...The Bump

This pregnancy is rolling right along.  I can't believe we're already well beyond the halfway point.

And, looking mighty pregnant....

I've given up on having the energy that I had during Levi's second trimester.  Something about chasing a wild two year old and growing a life seems to be making me extra tired.  Other than tiredness, all is well.  This little one moves like nobody's business....possibly more than his/her older brother did!  And, except for all of the times that s/he drop kicks me in the bladder, I love it!  Seriously, though, note to baby #2: Please find another area to kick.  M'kay? 

Baking Up A Storm...A Few Levi-isms And Such

: : Levi takes everything literally.  Katie bar the door if, while baking, I happen to slip up and make mention of us "baking up a storm."  "No, No, No, NO!  Des NO storm, Mama!!  No storm!"  And, don't even try to explain it to him.

: : Yesterday, we met Aunt Annie for lunch.  This was the first time Levi had seen her in all of her aqua haired glory.  I warned him before we walked in that Aunt Annie looked a little different.  Needless to say, he had to warm up to her.  Extreme hair changes definitely throw this kid off.  But, it didn't take him too long to decide that it really-o-truly-o was indeed his "Ah-Annie".  Halfway through eating, he says, "I love my Ah-Annie! She's a different."  :)  Yes, Levi.  Yes, she is.  We love her just the same.

: : If you come over here wearing stripes, be forewarned, you will be called a zebra.  My mother had a black and white striped shirt on.  Levi looked at her, grinned, pointed, and said, "She's a zebra!!"  He's also done this to strangers in public.  It makes me laugh.

: : Levi is still fascinated by the baby in my tummy.  Unfortunately, he is also under the impression that there is a baby in his tummy too.  There's a small chance I contributed to that by calling his belly a baby belly every time I kiss it and blow raspberries on it.

: : God was using his thinking cap when he created plenty of good packaging to surround babies in utero.  That fascination with the baby in my tummy equals loads and loads of hugs and kisses for the baby.  By hugs, I mean that Levi squeezes the heck out of my tummy, and squeals, "I love you, Baby!!"  

: : Last night, as I was getting him to sleep, he poked me in the eye and said, "Open your eyes, Mama, so we can talk!"  When did complex sentences make an entrance into our daily lives?  Oh, how often do I neglect to notice firsts until they've become just another thing he does?

What fun things have your munchkins said or done lately?

Halfway There!

Thanks for all of your sweet comments on yesterday's post.  Your kindness and prayers mean a lot to me.  :)  Now back to regularly scheduled blogging...

So this week I hit 20 weeks...the halfway mark!!  I love pregnancy beyond this point.  Don't get me wrong, I was glad to be pregnant during the previous 20 weeks, but pregnancy really gets fun now.
This little munchkin's teeny, tiny feet are already creating visible bumps in my belly when s/he kicks.  Stephan was even able to feel him/her move on Wednesday....so incredible!  Sigh.  I'm glad to be a woman.  I think men miss out on the whole carrying a baby thing.  Okay, maybe not in the first trimester, but still, babies are so cool!
Levi is very curious about this growing belly of mine.  He  likes to "feel" the baby.  Although, he has yet to actually feel a kick.  That doesn't seem to bother him though.

I think Levi is well on his way to being an awesome big brother.  He's already "reading" to the baby...

He takes his job very seriously.

Ha! Levi just woke up, took a look at a couple of these photos, and recognized me from my belly.  "That's mama!!" followed by, "It's a baby!!  I need to see de baby!  I need to kiss it!"  :-)

An Easter Belly

My sister, Annie, was sweet enough to do a little baby belly photo shoot this weekend.  If you want to see more you can go to my flickr page. 
I don't think it's grown much since week 14...of course there's always the chance that I could be lying to myself.  In that case, please, don't burst my bubble.  :) 

She even caught a little big brother sweetness...

By the way, we are on week number 17 now.  And, this baby is shaping up to be much like the bigger munchkin.  S/he is definitely a mover.  S/he's gone well past fluttering and straight into teeny weeny pokes, kicks, and jabs.  Sigh.  I just love, love, love it.

So far we've only managed to pick out a girl name.  We can't agree on a boy name...for that matter we also can't agree on the color of our living room.  Yikes.  Luckily, we don't get too feisty over it.  We're just left with no resolution.  Ha.  My mother has even gotten in on the naming action.  She sends me suggestions via facebook.  Still no luck. 

We've had two appointments with our midwife, and can I just say that I love the whole midwife experience?!  I feel so much more at ease this go round.  There's no one politely telling me that I'm being dumb for not wanting an epidural, drugs, and an episiotomy.  Instead our midwife is joyful about birth.  Don't get me wrong my doctor was sweet and happy, but not joyful about the actual process of birth.  She seemed much happier with surgery than with vaginal birth.  Run, if you have one of those OB's. 

One of the coolest perks of a homebirth is that you can opt to have all of your visits at home.  This, y'all, is a wonderful thing.  I cannot imagine trying to wrangle Levi in a waiting room monthly and later weekly.  There just aren't enough crayons in the western hemisphere to keep this boy in one place for that long that often.  He'd be screaming to go outside or to ride in the car...anything not to be stuck in a room full of strangers.

As far as how I'm feeling goes...uck...is the fatigue ever going to end?  With Levi I had plenty of energy by this point.  Granted, I wasn't chasing Levi then either.  I'm guessing munchkin chasing has more to do with it than the munchkin cookin' inside of me.  Morning sickness is, thankfully, long gone.  I thought it was going to last forever.  However, dry eyes and super dry skin...those seem to be here for the long haul.  Oh, and, I might be a tad overly emotional with this one...just a tad.  Poor Stephan!  He actually deals very well with the sudden springing up of tears and slight moodiness.  Luckily that seems to be slowly but surely leaving as well. 

Really, I shouldn't complain.  I'm happy to be well into the second trimester.  The first is not my cup of tea.  In fact I downright just plain ole' don't like it.  But, the second trimester...fatigue and all is starting to look much brighter.
 

Thinking Back

This pregnancy is so very, very different from my pregnancy with Levi.  But, there's one similarity that I cherish.  Both of these munchkins kicked on the same week....lucky number 14.  I think with Levi that would have been around May or early June.  I had been awake for a few minutes, but I was still lying in bed enjoying the way the light was pouring through the window.  The stillness of the morning was so very nice....and, then I felt this flutter like a butterfly had been let loose inside of me.  I thought for sure I must be imagining things, but I felt it again.  I knew it was him in there.  Floating around and kicking to his hearts content.  If I had to make a list of unforgettable moments in my life this would be near the top...right behind the first moment I laid eyes on my sweet little boy.  

It wasn't long before the flutters turned to full fledged kicks and then to complete acrobatic workouts.  Oh. my. stars.  This child could not have moved any more than he did.  He was almost never still, and I loved every moment of it....okay, I didn't love the hiccups, but other than that movement was bliss.

Now we're on to baby number two.  Where does time go?  This one's movements took me by surprise.  I thought for sure I wouldn't feel this little one so early.  I mean, really, what a fluke to feel them at 14 weeks!  But, then, one day, I was sitting at the computer browsing through blogs, and oh. What was that?  Sweetness!  Little tiny baby flutters. 

Sigh.  I just love it.  I've felt those fluttery kicks once more since then.  I wonder if s/he will be a mover like big brother was.  I hope so.  With all of the differences I hope this one thing stays the same...minus the hiccups.  Poor Levi was plagued with them even after he entered the world.

When did you feel your babies move?  I'm so curious. 

Spring!!

This is the only bit of Spring in our yard.  Me thinks we need to plant more!

On another happy note, I felt the baby move yesterday!  I just love those first fluttery thumps.  Although this pregnancy is super different from Levi's, the two bambinos are the same on this.  They both kicked at 14 weeks.