Tick Tock!

I swear I can hear a clock ticking in the background as I go through my day! It's just a matter of days until Harleigh starts Kindergarten! Trey is also going back to Mother's Day Out! And of course, our baby girl will be here in 3 weeks!

I am such a list person, I keep a spiral notebook with me at all times and I am always making lists. I have a list of places I need to go for errands such as bank, post office, feed store. Then, of course there is the Wal-mart list... never ending! I also have a list of things I need to do for work, and now I have added a list of things to do/buy before Lakyn arrives, and things to do/buy before Harleigh starts school! These lists are taking over my life, ha! No really, I couldn't live without my notebook. I have been crossing things off lately and it feels so good!

Yesterday, the kids and I spent the day with my Mom, their Mimi! They were so excited when we got to the mall to meet her. I wish I had taken pictures, but we stayed pretty steady all day and I never thought about it! We also met their Moose, and my cousins Adrian and Krystal for dinner, fun day!

Harleigh's school clothes shopping is finished and we have meet the teacher Friday night. I am really close to being ready for Lakyn, and the things I have left to do are really minor and unneccesary, but I'm just picky! I am really trying to concentrate on enjoying the moment and not thinking so much about what is to come. I tend to rush things, but I'm just SO anxious! :)

Baby Shower

The cake table

Some of the delicious food

Me, Leigh & Jolene

Me, Leigh and Mimi

Me, Paw Paw & Nana

Mommy & Daddy

Josh with his Mom & Sisters

Saturday was our baby shower and it was so much fun! It was at our house and everyone brought their families and we had a bbq. Josh and Kurt made bbq chicken and brisket, my Mom made her famous potatoe salad and veggie tray, Josh's Mom made her famous baked beans and a fruit tray, and My cousin, Leigh, made her now famous green beans. They were so good, y'all... loaded up with bacon and garlic and butter, yummy! LOL! We also had chips and dip and sandwiches for the kids.
Leigh did the invitations and decorations and Jolene ordered a cake from none other than Baking Buddies, our favorite gals! My SIL, Alisha, made a diaper cake and my step-mom also surprised me with one. They are both so adorable, I love diaper cakes!
The party was hot pink and zebra and every detail was FABULOUS! We got a lot of things that we needed for Lakyn and tons of diapers, yay! Thank you so much to all of our friends and family who came out to celebrate with us!

6 Months

I'm a little behind on this post, but I wanted to document it for my records, and update you all on my pregnancy anyways! I do my glucose test and register at the hospital this month and then I start going to the obgyn every two weeks! This pregnancy is flying by!

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 24 Weeks

Total Weight Gain: 9 lbs

Maternity Clothes: I am not liking maternity clothes, but I am quickly outgrowing all of my clothes. I can still fit some larges from XXI and I am wearing a few maternity pants here and there.

Gender: It's a Girl! Lakyn Hope

Movement: This kid moves around all the time! If I drink something really cold she will go crazy, and she also moves a lot at night when I lay in bed.

Food Craving: Anything unhealthy! :)

What I miss: Nothing at the moment! I'm feeling great and enjoying being pregnant.

Sleep: I have been sleeping really well lately, the Total Body Boppy pillow my Mom got me helps a lot.

What I am looking forward to: Getting all of Lakyn's stuff organized and ready for her arrival.

Big Sister & Big Brother: Harleigh informed me today that we needed to go to the doctor to check her baby in her tummy (it's a girl named Sadie) And Trey doesn't call the baby Jack anymore. If I ask him the baby's name he says, "It's Lakyn, Mommy! It's not Jack anymore!" <-- They crack me up!

Gender Reveal Party!

We had our "Gender Reveal Party" last night and it was so much fun! I went to the doctor on Thursday and had the ultrasound technician call my "cake girl" and tell her the sex of our baby. Then she made a cake that was either pink or blue in the center and we met for dinner Saturday night with family and friends to cut the cake. It was so hard waiting for 2 days, but definitely worth it. It was so exciting sharing the news with everyone at the same time! The cake was beautiful and my Mom made little tags so everyone could pick whether they thought it was a girl or a boy. Harleigh and I were on "Team Lakyn" and Josh and Trey were on "Team Cain". Mommy, Daddy, Big Brother & Big Sister!

Are we getting a Lakyn Hope?

Or a Cain Joshua?

Waiting to see if "Our Little Gift From God" is a girl or a boy...

We are so excited about our little girl on the way. Funny how God knows just what you need!

Lakyn's First of many tutu's, I'm sure!

The party was so awesome! It was really special for Josh and me to have all of our family and friends there who have stood by us through so much! The past year has been really hard, and we are so thankful for all of your love and support. I am so excited about preparing for Lakyn's arrival and seeing what our future holds! :)

"Hope" is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul. And sings the tune without words, and never stops- at all.

-Emily Dickinson

5 Months

Today was my 20 week appointment, we're halfway there! My Mom and Josh's Mom went with me to the ultrasound. The baby has a big round head and a button nose, just like all my babies! It was sucking it's thumb off and on thoughout the ultrasound, so sweet! I don't have digital pictures of the baby, so a picture of my belly will have to do!

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 20 weeks

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 4 pounds (yep, finally catching up with me!)

Maternity Clothes: Still loving my Bella Band!

Gender: We don't know!

Name: Lakyn Hope or Cain Joshua

Movement: I have been feeling movement off and on throughout the day and a lot in the evenings.

Food Craving: I am eating a lot of Subway lately

What I miss: My clothes! I am outgrowing everything!

Sleep: I sleep good until I get up to go to the bathroom, and then I'm pretty much tossing and turning after that.

What I am looking forward to: Finding out the sex of the baby with all of our family and friends!

Symptoms: I'm feeling great!

Big Sister & Big Brother: If you ask Trey if he want's a boy or a girl, he says "BOY!" everytime! Harleigh says, "I want a boy so I can be the only girl!" and "If it's a girl, she can have everything purple, cause pink is my favorite color!" (uh-oh!)

4 months!

I have finally entered my second trimester and I'm starting to feel really good! I have a lot more energy and I haven't had morning sickness in a couple weeks. I went to the doctor on Tuesday instead of today. I got my appointment changed because the kids had their Easter Party at MDO today. (More on that later! :) The nurse found the heartbeat very quickly and Dr. Reeves said that everything was going great. He said that my stomach was measuring "very large". Gee, thanks! ha! He said that he isn't concerned and that it just means my uterus is doing what it's supposed to... growing! I lost two pounds last month and gained them both back this month. But I'm super happy with my weight gain so far! I have my 5 month appointment on April 29th and we are going to come up with a fun and creative way to find out the sex of our Hope baby! <--- stay tuned! Pregnancy Highlights
How Far Along: 16 weeks 2 days
Total Weight Gain/Loss: 0 pounds
Maternity Clothes: I LOVE the Target brand cargo capris and I also got a Bella Band, it's awesome because I can wear it over my regular jeans!
Gender: We don't know!
Name: We have decided on middle names! Joshua for a boy and Hope for a girl!
Movement: Not yet!
Food Craving: I live on Orange Gatorade
What I miss: Sleeping through the night
Sleep: Sleep? What's that?
What I am looking forward to: Finding out the sex of the baby with all of our family and friends!
Symptoms: I'm feeling great!
Big Sister & Big Brother: Every time we see a baby Harleigh says, "Momma, do want a baby like that in your belly?" and Trey isn't real into the subject these days but every now and then he will randomly kiss my belly!

15 Weeks

Today marks week 15 in my pregnancy. I am very excited and anxious! I am also fighting off worrisome thoughts and emotions. Everyday, I battle the "This time last year" thoughts. This time last year I was 13 weeks pregnant with Maeson, just begininning to outgrow my clothes and getting very excited about meeting our baby. I never dreamed that bittersweet reunion would be just 3 weeks later. But, like it or not, life goes on. This is a new year, and a new baby. I am 15 weeks, and my baby is the size of a naval orange! He/she is measuring 4 inches long and weighing about 2.5 ounces. My 4 month appointment is on April 1st, I am wondering if I will breathe a sigh of relief when I get past week 16. I sure HOPE so!

Pregnancy Highlights
How Far Along: 15 weeks
Total Weight Gain/Loss: -2 pounds
Maternity Clothes: I actually wore a pair of maternity jeans to the office Friday since I was sitting all day. So comfy!
Gender: We don't know!
Name: We have 3 girl names and 3 boys names and we can't decide!
Movement: Not yet!
Food Craving: Ugh! I crave junk food! I never want to eat anything healthy, but I'm working on it. (Kind of! :)
What I miss: Pueblo Margaritas (yep, I said it!)
Sleep: I don't sleep well at all! I have to pee every night and have a hard time going back to sleep after that. And I'm wide awake at 6am, even when I really want to sleep in!
What I am looking forward to: Hearing the baby's heartbeat on April 1st
Symptoms: My belly is starting to "pooch!", I'm less tired and I can tell my appetite is coming back, uh-oh!
Big Sister & Big Brother: Harleigh tells everyone that I have "a baby in my belly" and that it's a girl! If you ask Trey where Momma's baby is, he points to himself!

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12

11 Weeks

Yep, time is flying out here on the Prairie, I'm one week shy of 3 months! My little Hope Baby is the size of a lime! I am feeling better every day. I can tell that the morning sickness is starting to subside, and I'm feeling less sick in the evenings too. I don't have a lot of energy and I'm having a hard time keeping up with these crazy kiddos! I'm heading to Humble today to find some pregnancy workout videos, yoga or pilates. I'm hoping this will help with my weight and energy levels. I have another ultrasound in a week and I can't wait to see our little baby again!

Things have been pretty crazy around here the past few weeks, Harleigh got really sick with RSV, and not long after, Josh got viral meningitis. Thank goodness Harleigh was better by the time Josh got sick. He was in the hospital for 5 days, and he has now made a full recovery! Thank you all for your prayers and concerns. Trey and I have somehow managed to stay healthy through it all! I am very thankful for that, and thankful that we are past it. Today will be a busy day for us, the kids have Mother's Day Out and then Harleigh has dance from 4-5 and t-ball from 5-6. I'm officially a chauffeur! I'll post pics tomorrow.

"Hope"

Josh and I are very happy to announce that I'm pregnant! I am due on September 16th, 2010. I will be 10 weeks tomorrow. My little baby is the size of a prune! I have been to the doctor three times and had three ultrasounds. At my first appointment, they couldn't see the baby on the ultrasound so I went back the following week and there he/she was! It turns out I wasn't far enough along the first time to see the baby yet. I was 3-4 weeks and the baby was the size of a poppyseed! When I went back for my two month check-up, the nurse couldn't find the heartbeat with the doppler, so I went for another ultrasound! And there he/she was again! Much bigger than the last time and just a wiggling around. I was 9 weeks and the baby was the size of a green olive! Needless to say, I cried like a baby when I heard the heartbeat! It has been a pretty emotional couple of months. I am so excited to have this little life growing inside of me and I can't help but get excited for what is to come. But it is also very difficult. It is not at all a replacement for Maeson. He is very much a part of our lives and will continue to be. We miss him very much and I think about him and long for him always. I am very nervous about this pregnancy, but I also have a good feeling about it at the same time. My emotions are a wreck right now. I have another ultrasound at my 3 month appointment in March. My doctor wants to do some extensive tests on the baby. This puts me at ease. I know that God's Will will be done with this baby, but I hope that the extra precations we are taking will somehow help. I find myself saying that a lot. "Hope". I am hoping to make it to that 20 week ultrasound, you know, the big one, where they tell you everything is okay. I am hoping for a healthy baby. I hope to be able to enjoy this pregnancy and leave it up to God. This is our "Hope Baby" and I can't wait to see what the future holds.