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Saturday, June 27, 2015

Feeding the Giraffes

Today, while I was at a friend's bridal shower, M took Lucy to the zoo, and she got to feed the giraffes...


In case she has not told you, giraffes are Lucy's favorite animals. Getting to feed them was a dream come true. She can't stop talking about it.

That's all. Happy Weekend!

Friday, June 26, 2015

34 Weeks

34 weeks! I am starting to get more anxious / excited for Baby Sister to arrive. But we still have about 6 more weeks to go!



Baby Sister is about the size of a pineapple, weighing almost 5 pounds. She is anywhere between 19 and 22 inches long. She is beefing up for her arrival, putting on the pounds. Fortunately, my own weight seems to have leveled off a bit. I have weighed in at 138 lbs. at my last two doctor's appointments, which puts me right in the healthy margin for pregnancy weight gain. Woohoo!

As far as symptoms go, I have noticed some mild, abdominal cramping, which is apparently my body's way of preparing for childbirth. I have also been experiencing some crazy fatigue. Some days, I have bouts of extreme nesting energy, and I am very productive. Most days, however, I am exhausted. I feel like the simplest tasks are super daunting, and I just want to close my eyes. From what I read, this is fairly common in late pregnancy. Poor Lucy is being a good little sport!

Yesterday, I had a doctor's appointment in the morning, and then yesterday evening, we had our hospital tour. At my doctor's appointment, I voiced my concerns about induction. My doctor was extremely supportive, and even though she is still concerned that my labor will go really fast this time around, she told me that it is 100% my decision. At this point, we have decided not to induce, to let Baby come when she is ready. I am a tiny bit nervous about a potentially faster labor. I don't want to be one of those people who end up on the news because they gave birth on the way to the hospital. Still, I'm not worried enough to feel comfortable with induction. We will just make sure to get to the hospital as soon as I know I'm in labor.

Speaking of the hospital, it is pretty swanky! They have just remodeled the Mom and Baby floors, and the rooms are super nice. Not that I will notice much when I'm back there, you know, giving birth. I'm sure I'll have other things on my mind!

Walking down those halls and peeking into the hospital rooms was so surreal. I can't believe I'll be back there so soon, that we will finally be able to meet this baby girl.


During my random bouts of nesting energy, I have gotten quite a bit accomplished. The other day, I was down on my hands and knees scrubbing all the baseboards! I have the sudden desire - even more than usual - for everything to be clean and organized. Baby Sister's clothes are washed and already stashed in the nursery. All the baby gear is out of storage and ready to be used. I cleaned out and organized the nursery closet. My bag is all packed for the hospital, with extra towels in the car just in case. I will post more on all of this later, but suffice it to say, we are now ready for Baby to arrive any time she wants to show up. Hopefully, she will stay in there a little bit longer!

Monday, June 22, 2015

Happy Father's Day!

{M and Lucy, 2013}

I am so thankful for this man. He is such an amazing father, and I thank God that our girls will have the love and devotion of a man like him. The way he respects and values our daughters will teach them so much about their own self-worth, to respect themselves and to one day seek husbands who respect and value them in the same way. Most importantly, the sacrificial way in which he loves his family points us all to the way that we are loved and cared for by our Heavenly Father. 

Parenting can be challenging at times, and I am so thankful that he is my partner in this life. I think we make a pretty good team. :)

Your girls love you so much! Happy Father's Day!


Also, I want to wish a very happy Father's Day to my own dad, who has had my heart from day one. Thank you for letting us shoot you with Nerf weapons, for bouncing us high on the trampoline, for taking us on roller coasters and jet skis and giving us such a healthy love for adventure. Thank you for always supporting and loving us unconditionally, for allowing us to be ourselves, and for letting us know that Christ is enough. I love you! 


Lucy would like to wish a very happy Father's Day to her Pop Pop and Papa Bear, and to her Uncle John and Uncle Taylor, and to her Big Daddy! We are so thankful for all of you!



Thursday, June 18, 2015

Dance Class

This morning, we took Lucy to her first "dance" class...







She loved it. The class was a mixture of dance, yoga, and play time. The teacher got out hula hoops and colored scarves and all kinds of fun toys for the little ones to play with. Lucy got to practice some of her dance moves, but she also got to play games like "Ring Around the Rosie". At the end of class, the teacher rolled up all the kids in their mats, which Lucy loved. 

Even though it was pretty far from traditional ballet, Lucy had so much fun. She can't stop talking about it. I'm sure we'll be back next week.

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Lucy Ballerina

Lately, Lucy has been obsessed with ballet. I know that all little girls go through this at some point; I just didn't know it would happen at age two. 


I have been unable to find a local ballet class that accepts two-year-olds. Most classes begin at age 3. I am taking Lucy to a toddler dance / yoga class on Thursday. It sounds ridiculous, but it was the closest thing to a ballet class we could find for her age! We'll see how she likes it. 

Monday, June 15, 2015

32... Almost 33 Weeks

Is it just me, or is this pregnancy flying? I certainly did not feel this way when I was pregnant with Lucy. I'm not sure if it's because this is my second pregnancy, or if we've just been so busy. Probably both. Either way, I'm super pregnant right now.




Tomorrow, I'll be 33 weeks. Baby is about the size of a head of lettuce, almost 4 lbs. and 19 inches long. These numbers are blowing my mind. Lucy weighed 7 lbs. and was 20.5 inches when she was born! Little Sister doesn't have much longer to go before she is fully cooked. About 7 more weeks of cooking. 

The only new symptom (besides the frequent bathroom trips and Braxton-Hicks contractions) is my extremely elevated body temperature. I just feel hot. All. the. time. I know it's summer, and everyone is hot, but I feel like my tolerance for heat is just about nonexistent. Nothing gives me greater pleasure than blasting our AC when I go to bed at night. If it's not freezing in our bedroom, it's not cold enough. 

I feel like there is still so much to do to get ready for Baby's arrival. Later this month, we will be touring our new hospital. We have to get Lucy's infant car seat out of storage and make sure it fits in our back seat with Lucy's car seat. I have to get my TDAP vaccine. All that fun stuff. But it's exciting to think that Baby will be here so soon.  



At my last doctor's appointment, we got some frustrating news. Because of my super fast labor with Lucy, my doctor wants me to be induced this time around. Obviously, this was not what I wanted to hear. I take my doctor's recommendations very seriously; however, the more I think about being induced, I am just not comfortable with it. At the end of the day, I have to make the decision that's best for me and for Baby, and I can't help thinking that it would be so much better to wait to go into labor naturally, if possible. 

When I was pregnant with Lucy, I remember trying everything to send my body into labor after my due date. Of course, I was so over being pregnant and so eager to meet Lucy, but nothing I tried worked. I learned the valuable lesson to let nature take its course, and sure enough, Lucy arrived when she was ready. I know that induction can be beneficial and even life-saving in so many situations, but I can't help thinking how glad I am that I didn't induce with Lucy (not that my doctor offered, anyway). I went into labor when my body was ready, when Lucy was ready, and it was a very positive experience. I think I am afraid of induction because I worry my body, and Baby, will not be ready. 

Ultimately, I feel comfortable voicing these concerns to my doctor, and hopefully, she will respect my choices. And, obviously, if there is a legitimate, medical reason to induce, I will reconsider my position. 

OK, enough of that. Somebody shut that pregnant lady up. 

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Grandparents Come to Town

M's parents came to visit for a long weekend. We had such a wonderful time with them and miss them so much already!


{Family Selfie}

While Lucy's JuJu and Papa Bear were in town, we went to the zoo, spent an afternoon in Boulder, and ate lots of yummy foods. Even though we had crazy weather (crazy for Colorado, that is), we did not let it slow us down. Fortunately, the sun came out for the last couple days of their visit, and we got to play outside. Yesterday, we had brunch downtown at Union Station, and then Lucy got to play outside in the water.


Afterwards, we had to take JuJu and Papa Bear to the airport. We were so sad to say goodbye, but we know we will see them again soon. 

We love you, JuJu and Papa Bear! Thanks for coming to see us!