Random Thoughts & Updates/ 17 Weeks Pregnancy Post

Today, my heart is heavy for a couple of families I know.
Yesterday, Jordan and I found out that one of my high school classmates, Gracie, lost her mom, Susan, Friday evening in a 4-wheeler accident. To make matters worse, Gracie was the one who found her mom dead. I simply cannot imagine that. Jordan worked with Ms. Susan at Home Depot up until just a couple months ago, so we were both shocked and heartbroken to hear of her sudden and "untimely" passing. It feels like just yesterday Jordan and I went in Home Depot for something on one of his days off, and we stopped to chat with her. She loved to pick on Jordan (apparently, she always called him "Jordana"). She was such a beautiful, sweet woman; it's so hard to wrap my mind around the fact that she's gone, and I didn't even know her well. I can only imagine what her family and close friends must be going through. Please keep them in your prayers, and pray especially for Gracie. She is so strong, but she has been through quite a lot this year. Back in April, she lost her friend, Loryn, in a devastating tornado that hit Tuscaloosa, and her dad has also been in poor health. Now, to unexpectedly lose her mom, who was her best friend... I am just so heartbroken for her. May God give her and her family peace and comfort that only He can provide at a time like this. Here is a picture of Gracie (on the right) with her beautiful mother, Susan. Rest in peace, Ms. Susan. I am thankful to have known you.

Yesterday evening, I found out that another family I know of lost their baby boy, Tate Jones. I don't know the family personally, but I heard of their story through the momMEtime group I attended at East Memorial Baptist Church. Baby Tate was born on June 7th with a chromosomal defect called Trisomy 18. Doctors did not expect him to survive more than a few minutes after birth (if that, even), but miraculously, God blessed his family with 7 weeks with him. However, Tate had a lot of trouble breathing, especially while he ate (he would often stop breathing during/after eating), and his condition had worsened over the past week. Yesterday afternoon, he went to rest in the arms of his Creator. I am deeply saddened for his family as they mourn his loss, but I rejoice with them in knowing that he is now healed and no longer suffering. Please keep the Jones family in your prayers. You can follow their story through Tate's mom's blog, "The Southern Cricket".

Now, on to some not-so-depressing random updates...
Yesterday morning, my parents drove my little sister, Amanda, and my little cousin, David, to Atlanta to catch a plane to Wisconsin to spend some time with our great-uncle Bob. I can't believe they're both already big enough to ride on an airplane by themselves (with flight attendant supervision, of course). It feels like just yesterday, my brother, David's two older sisters, and I were flying up to Wisconsin by ourselves to visit with Uncle Bob and family. It's hard to believe that was 13 years ago. I was only 8 years old at the time. David and Amanda weren't even alive back then. Anyway, it was the first time either one of them flew on an airplane, so I'm sure they were excited and nervous, but thankfully, the flight made it safely to Wisconsin. I hope they have a great time visiting family (and I know Uncle Bob will keep them "in line" while they're there). I sure wish I could be up there with them. My parents will join them up in Wisconsin next week for a big family reunion, but unfortunately, Jordan, Rylee, and I won't be able to go. Can't wait to see them and hear all about it when they get home in a couple of weeks.

I am really loving getting to spend the weekends with Jordan. I can't remember if I posted about this yet or not, but he recently started a new schedule at Home Depot, so he now works 3pm to 9pm Monday through Friday, and is off every Saturday and Sunday. His work week is definitely long (remember, he also works 5am to 10am Monday through Friday at UPS), but we're so thankful for the consistent schedule (the same hours every day, every week) and real weekends off. Yesterday morning, he made us eggs and bacon for breakfast. I'm hoping it will become a Saturday morning "usual". I like having eggs and bacon for breakfast every now and then, but I don't really like making them because the bacon grease always pops and burns me. So, I just leave that particular meal preparation up to Jordan. He doesn't mind making them every now and then, and I certainly appreciate it.

Yesterday afternoon, one of Jordan's cousins, Carl, whom I also happened to graduate high school with, got married. We attended his wedding and enjoyed visiting with family and friends there for a little while.

Jordan is off from UPS this week (starting tomorrow), so I'm really looking forward to getting to spend some extra time with him.

This evening, Jordan, Rylee, and I got to church a bit early, so we took Rylee to the playground area behind the church to push her on a swing for a bit to pass the time. She loves swinging, so I was able to snap a few pictures of her with big smiles on her face. Below are the pictures. (Please excuse the black areas on the sides/corners of the pictures. I'm not sure what they're from, but I'm thinking the shutter that covers the camera lens must not have completely opened.)

While I'm posting pictures of Rylee, I figured I'd share a few more of the pictures Mrs. Lynne took of her a couple weeks ago. I included a few of them in a previous post, but Mrs. Lynne put all of them on a CD for us, so I wanted to post a few more of my favorites. Please remember, all pictures are copyright of Lynne Richardson, Making Memories Digital Photography. Please do not copy, edit, or cut.

How precious are those chubby little legs and feet in the sand/water? I just love my little girl to pieces!

Last, but not least, it's time again for a pregnancy update. Today, I am 17 weeks pregnant with Baby R (whether it's a boy or a girl, the name will begin with an "R"). I don't think I actually have much to update on. I haven't really experienced much of anything new (other than still wondering if I'm feeling slight movements every now and then... it's so hard to tell for sure). As far as I know, everything is still going well, and overall, I'm feeling well, so I can't complain. Tomorrow, I go to the doctor for my next check-up. I'm really looking forward to hearing the heartbeat again (my favorite part of every appointment, unless we get to have an actual ultrasound), finding out if I've gained any weight (and how much), and scheduling my next appointment, when we'll get to find out if the baby is a boy or a girl. I am definitely counting down the weeks... I am just so anxious to finally know exactly what has been "cooking" inside of me. I really wish they would do an ultrasound at each appointment. Anyway, I reckon that's about all I've got for now. Here are me and Baby at 17 weeks:

I Dream of Baby... Sorta

Last night, I had my first dream about my pregnancy. In the first few weeks of this pregnancy, I had several very weird dreams that are common during pregnancy (I had plenty of them while I was pregnant with Rylee as well), but they were all very random and were not at all about me being pregnant. Last night, however, that finally changed. It's no big deal, of course, but it's kind of exciting to me in a silly way, because it makes the fact that I am pregnant feel a little more "real" to me.
In the dream, I was in labor. I'm not exactly sure where I was, but I know I was not at a hospital. As weird as it sounds (to me, anyway), I think I was at my granny Greene's old house in Florida. She hasn't lived there in years, so I'm not sure why on earth I dreamed I was there - especially while I was in labor - but I'm pretty sure that's where I was. Anyway, like I said, I was in labor, and I was lying in the middle of the living room floor. I know Jordan was there with me, and I'm pretty sure my mom was there as well. I think several other people (family members) showed up over time, but I can't remember who now. After a while, a doctor showed up, but I didn't recognize him. He kept telling me to push, but the baby just would not come out. I didn't even feel like I was in labor - I wasn't having contractions or feeling any pain, but yet it was time for the baby to be born. No matter how much or how hard I pushed, though, the baby wouldn't come out. Then... I woke up.
Whoop-dee-do, right? I felt almost a little frustrated when I woke up, because I wanted to see the baby. (I guess maybe the reason the baby wouldn't come out in the dream is because, in reality, it's nowhere near time for the baby to be born yet.) I wanted to know if it was a boy or a girl. Obviously, I realize that just because I dream it's one or the other doesn't mean that's what it's actually going to be (when I was pregnant with Rylee, I had several dreams that she was a boy, even after we had already found out she was a girl).
Anywho, that was basically the extent of the dream. No big deal, I know, but I still wanted to blog about it to remember it. I'm sure I will have more dreams that will get more interesting and detailed as my pregnancy progresses.

An Unexpected Special Delivery

This afternoon, around 3:30, Rylee and I were playing in the living room, and suddenly, I heard a knock on our front door. I wasn't expecting any company, so I was curious to see who it was. When I opened the door, a sweet woman from Jenilyn's Creations, a local florist, was standing in front of me with a smile on her face, holding this:

A beautiful, fresh bouquet of flowers. For me. I was quite surprised, to say the least. I have never had flowers personally delivered to me before, and it's not my birthday or any other special occasion, so it was totally unexpected. I thanked the woman, and after closing the door, I opened the card that was attached to the bouquet. It read as follows:

I know I'm not home a lot; I wish I could spend every minute with my girls. I love you so much, and I'll see you this evening.
Love with all I have,
Your husband

My sweet, thoughtful hubby sent me flowers for no reason other than the simple fact that he loves me. How blessed am I to have a husband like that? To say that I was touched is an understatement. I couldn't help but cry. I feel so undeserving of all he does for me every day. Lately, I feel like I've been extremely selfish when it comes to my husband. He works a lot between his two jobs (at least 55 hours a week), so we don't get to spend much time together, especially during the week (he has weekends off now, praise the Lord). So, when he's not working, I want him to spend every second of his time with me, but I often fail to take into account the fact that he still has things that he wants and needs to do. Most importantly, he needs to rest. He is up from 3:30 in the morning until at least 10 o'clock at night Monday through Friday, and when he gets home from work, all he wants (and needs) to do is go to bed. I certainly can't blame him for that, and I know he needs to rest, but sometimes I still have a hard time with it, because I just want to have my time with him. I often get upset with him if he falls asleep when I want to spend time with him, making him feel guilty for being tired. That is not at all fair to him, and I feel absolutely horrible for making him feel that way. "Guilty" is the LAST thing he should feel after working hard all day long to take care of me. I often find myself focusing on my own wants and needs before his, and that is not at all Godly. My husband is honestly one of the most selfless people I know. He is ALWAYS thinking about other people before himself. I know without a shadow of a doubt that there is nothing in this world that he wouldn't do to take care of me and our family, and I often take that for granted. I truly love Jordan with ALL of my heart, but I do not always show him that love the way I am called to. I want/need to be a more selfless, loving, honoring, submissive wife to him - the wife I promised him I would strive to be when I married him two years ago. My husband is one of the most precious gifts God has blessed me with, and I want to treat him in such a way that he is reminded of that every single day. I want him to know how much he means to me, and how much I appreciate every single thing he does for me and our family. I truly feel that I have the best husband in the entire world, and I am eternally grateful that God called me to be his wife, even as undeserving of that blessing as I am.


Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1st Corinthians 13:4-7

Date Night/ 16 Weeks

Yesterday afternoon, my mom came over to watch Rylee for Jordan and me so we could go out on a little date. We haven't been out since we got home from our vacation to Tennessee over a month ago, so I was ready for some one-on-one time with my hubby again.
First, we went to the movies to see the last Harry Potter film. Although not a big deal to most people, this was quite a treat for us, because we haven't been to the movies in probably over two YEARS (since before I even got pregnant with Rylee). We love to go to the movies, but it has just gotten so expensive these days, it's ridiculous. A few months after we got married, we decided we would just get a Netflix account. I don't mind waiting a few months for a movie to come out on DVD before I can see it... I'm not going to spend $10 to watch a movie ONE time. However, since we were on a date, and it is the LAST Harry Potter movie, we knew it would be exciting to see it on the big screen. Even still, we made sure to take advantage of our local theater's super bargain matinee showing, so our tickets only cost $5 a piece. Here's a picture I snapped of Jordan and me in the theater, waiting for the movie to start:

The movie started at 4:45pm, and we got out of the theater just after 7pm to head to dinner. We went to Las Casitas, a yummy Mexican restaurant just minutes from the theater. I can't remember what Jordan ordered (we never get exactly the same thing), but I ordered my "usual" - a chicken quesadilla with chopped tomatoes, sour cream, and enchilada sauce on the side. I put the tomatoes and sour cream inside the quesadilla, and then pour the enchilada sauce all over it, and it is SO yummy. If you've never tried it like that before - and you like that stuff - DO IT!
After dinner, we stopped by Walmart really quick (hey, it's not a real date if you don't end up at Walmart at some point, right?) to buy some NUK Gerber Graduates bowls and sippy cups for Rylee (I had coupons for them), and some socks for Jordan. Then we headed home. We had a nice time out together; hopefully we can do it again soon. (Special thanks to my mom for watching our girl for us!)

Now on to part 2 of this post...
Today, I am 16 weeks pregnant with "Baby Price #2". I wish I had a sweet little nickname for the baby, but sadly, I just don't. I don't really like "Peanut" or "Bambino" or any of the other common nicknames that pregnant women tend to call their babies, and nothing has just come to me that feels right. I guess I like to know the personality or know what the baby looks like before I can assign a nickname that feels right to me. Maybe I'm just not very creative... I don't know. I don't remember ever having a nickname for Rylee while I was pregnant with her, either. At this point, I reckon I might as well quit worrying about trying to come up with a nickname and just wait until we find out if it's a boy or a girl next month. Then, I can just start calling him/her by an actual name.
I still don't think too much has changed since my last pregnancy update post, other than the fact that my stomach is continuing to grow (of course). I have a noticeable little baby bump now, which you will see in the belly picture I upload at the end of this post. Most of the time, I actually look much bigger than I do in my belly pictures, because my stomach blows up like a balloon when I eat. It did the same thing when I was pregnant with Rylee. It's pretty funny.
I'm feeling pretty good lately, overall. I rarely get nauseous anymore (thank you, Jesus!).
I still like to take a nap if/when I can, but I usually only end up taking about 2 or 3 a week.
My sciatica is still behaving for the most part... for now.
I have gotten a few headaches over the past week or two (including yesterday) - a common symptom of pregnancy. They haven't been too terrible, but still bad/annoying enough so that I broke down and took some Tylenol.
I lose count of how many times I go to the bathroom during the day, but so far I'm still sleeping through the night (except for when I wake myself up by tossing from side to side).
I don't know what I'd do without my body pillow. I started sleeping with it when I got pregnant with Rylee to help support my back and knees as my belly got bigger, and I haven't slept a night at home without it since. I think Jordan gets a bit jealous of it sometimes because I'm always wrapped around it instead of him. (Just kidding... sort of...)
I am still wondering if I have started feeling the baby move a little bit here and there. I mean, I know the baby is moving PLENTY, but I don't know if I'm actually feeling it yet. I know I'm feeling something, but I'm not sure if it's actually the baby, or just stuff in my stomach moving around as usual. It's really hard to tell in these early weeks. I really do think I might have felt little baby movement a few times, though. I'm just looking forward to a few more weeks down the road when I can feel something and say, "Oh yeah, that was DEFINITELY the baby." I know I say this in pretty much every post, but the movement is by far my favorite part of pregnancy, and I can't wait to start being kicked and jabbed all over the place - even if it is a bit uncomfortable sometimes. It's totally worth it.
Anyway, I think that's about it for now. Here are me and Baby today:

See the little bump? Ain't it cute?!

15 Weeks

Today, I am 15 weeks pregnant. The weeks are slowly but surely passing by. I say "slowly", but in some ways, I really can't believe I'm already 15 weeks. I stay so busy keeping up with Rylee that my days tend to run together, and before I know it, it's Sunday again. Yay for Sundays!
I don't really have too much to write about in this week's update, because I don't think too much has changed yet (since last week's update).
As I have already mentioned, my nausea started wearing off a week or two ago, so overall, I've been feeling much better, allowing me to finally get stuff done here and there (I have loved my "nesting" kicks so far). I do still get nauseous every now and then, but not near as often, and not near as badly, as long as I stay on top of eating regularly.
I take a nap during the day when needed (when Rylee's napping, of course), but not every day anymore (although some days I miss a nap when I really could use one).
Thankfully, I still haven't had any major trouble with my sciatica. Every now and then, depending what I'm doing (usually when I'm laying down), I'll move a certain way and feel a bit of pain, but so far, it hasn't been bad enough to make me literally scream out loud like I often did when I dealt with it while pregnant with Rylee. That was NOT fun, and I pray it doesn't get that bad again. Time will tell.
I have to visit the bathroom pretty often (to pee) during the day (definitely more often than I usually go), but so far, I haven't started waking up in the middle of the night to go. We'll see how much longer that lasts.
I'm still sleeping pretty well overall, but I sure wish I didn't toss and turn so much. I usually sleep on my left side, my legs tucked up towards my belly a bit, with a body pillow between them, and I stay that way all night. Since I got pregnant, though, I am constantly flipping from side to side, and it frustrates me, simply because I don't understand why. I'm not feeling uncomfortable yet, so I don't know why I feel the need to keep changing positions. Oh well. I can't help it, apparently, so there's no sense in dwelling on it.
With each passing week, I get more and more anxious to start feeling the baby move and to find out if "it" is a boy or a girl. I don't think I've felt any movement yet (it's still a bit early), but every now and then, I'll feel a little something and wonder if it was the baby or just "bubbles". When I was pregnant with Rylee, I didn't start feeling her move until I was around 18 or 19 weeks, and even then, I didn't know for sure it was her until we had the ultrasound done at 20 weeks and saw her moving around while I was feeling movement. Until that point, I was confused, because the movement didn't feel like a "butterfly", as most people describe it. To me, it felt like gas bubbles moving around in my belly, and I had never heard it described like that before, so that's just what I thought it was - gas bubbles. I didn't think it was really Rylee. Now, I know a little more of what to expect, so I'm hoping maybe I'll notice the movement a little sooner this time. We'll see.
I don't know if I've gained any weight since my last doctor's appointment (remember, I weighed 105lbs. then, which was two pounds less than I weighed at my first doctor appointment) because, although we do have a scale in our bathroom, I really don't get on it much (not that I'm afraid to see the number staring back at me), and even if I do, I think our scale differs a pound or two from the scale at the doctor's office, so it wouldn't be very accurate. I'll be interested to see if I've gained any weight (and how much) at my upcoming appointment.
My next doctor appointment is two weeks from tomorrow (August 1st), and the appointment to have the ultrasound to find out the sex of the baby should be four weeks after that, so, although we don't have it scheduled yet (we'll do that after our appointment on the 1st), I'm expecting it to be on the 29th. I wish I could just fast-forward to that day so we can know. I know it's silly, but I feel like a child counting down the days to Christmas or something. I am just so excited to find out what this little miracle is. I want to be able to start calling "it" by a name (yes, unless something changes - and I'm not planning for anything to - we have names picked out). I am still REALLY hoping it's a boy, but I know once we find out what it is, I'll be happy and excited no matter what. I just hope Jordan will feel the same - he wants a boy desperately! (I know he'll be happy too - he wanted Rylee to be a boy, but he wouldn't trade her for anything in the world now.) When we do find out if the baby is a boy or a girl, I really want to have a little "gender reveal" dinner or something with our families and maybe a few close friends, but I'm not sure if we'll do that or not. Knowing me, I probably won't be able to wait to start telling people. We'll just have to see. We still have a few weeks to decide/plan.
Anyway, I guess that's about all I have for this week's update. Maybe I'll have something new to mention in next week's update. For now, here are me and Baby at 15 weeks:

Rylee's 12-Month Photo Shoot

Yesterday, Jordan, Rylee, and I met with our photographer, Mrs. Lynne Richardson, to have Rylee's 12-month pictures taken. Mrs. Lynne has been taking pictures of Rylee since she was still in my belly (she took my maternity pictures), and I can't believe a year has already passed. I know I say this often, but time is just really going by way too fast.
At the age and stage of life Rylee is in right now, it's really hard to get her to stay still and "pose" for us, but Mrs. Lynne is so great about working with her and just going with the flow, and she's constantly snapping pictures, so she's sure to get at least a few good ones.
If you're looking for a good photographer, please check out her website or her Facebook page. Thanks, Mrs. Lynne, for putting up with us and braving the ridiculous heat yesterday!
Below are a few of the shots Mrs. Lynne got of my sweet girl yesterday. I'm sure there will be many more to come, but these are some of the ones she's already put up on Facebook. *All pictures are copyright of Lynne Richardson, Making Memories Digital Photography. Please do not copy, edit, or cut. Thank you!*

giving herself a kiss in the mirror

She did not like standing on that gravel.

14 Weeks

Yesterday, I entered the 14th week of my pregnancy. Hello, 2nd trimester! It is SO NICE to see you! I LOVED the 2nd trimester of my pregnancy with Rylee, so I am very excited and relieved to be here in this one. Over the last week or so, I have finally started to feel a little better. I do still get nauseous if I go too long without eating something, but I don't have to eat quite as often as I did, and when I do start to feel nauseous, it's not as severe overall as it was.
I'm starting to get some of my energy back, and I don't feel like I HAVE to take a nap every day, although most days, I do still like to take one, simply because I can. I have really grown to love taking naps.
I was a bit surprised to experience some "nesting" instincts with the return of my energy. (When I was pregnant with Rylee, I don't really remember the "nesting" ever hitting me until maybe the very end of my pregnancy, and even then, it wasn't very strong.) For weeks, I feel like I didn't get ANYTHING at all done around the house, because I just wasn't up to doing anything. I didn't feel well at all, and it was all I could do just to keep up with Rylee until it was time to put her down for a nap so I could try to rest for a bit until I had to get her up again. Now that I'm starting to feel better, there are so many things that I want and need to get done. So far, I have:
- sorted through and put away a huge storage bin full of hand-me-down clothes I received for Rylee (praise the Lord for hand-me-downs!).
- cleaned out and organized Rylee's closet.
- FINALLY washed the dirty sink dishes that had been piling up on the counters for WEEKS (gross, I know, but I'm telling you, I just couldn't bring myself to do them while I was feeling really sick, and Jordan has no time whatsoever, thanks to his crazy work schedule).
- done a few loads of laundry.
- swept and vacuumed some of the floors.
- and moved a rocking chair (the one I posted about on Saturday) into the living room so I can start rocking my babies.
I got a few other odds-and-ends things done as well, but those are the "major" things so far. I know that might not sound like much to some people, especially since all of that was spread over a couple of days, but it's a good start for me, and I have many more things on my mental to-do list that I can't wait to get done.
I am really REALLY starting to get anxious about finding out if this baby is a boy or another girl, and we still have 6 weeks to wait until we can find out. I think I am going to go crazy! I know I was excited to find out if we were having a boy or a girl when I was pregnant with Rylee, but I think this time around, I'm even more excited since we already have a girl now. I hope it's not bad of me to say this, but I SO BADLY want this baby to be a boy (and so does Jordan, and most everyone we talk to), and I think that's why I'm so anxious to find out. I just want to know so I can start getting used to it, either way. I want to know so I can stop calling "it" an "it". Is "it" a "he" or a "she"? Please don't get me wrong - if this baby is another girl, she will be just as loved and treasured as Rylee is. I'm just ready to know! Hopefully the six weeks will FLY by, and we'll be headed to the doctor for the ultrasound before we know it. In the mean time, I look forward to starting to enjoy this pregnancy more and more as I feel better and better. I cannot wait to start feeling this little miracle move! That is just the most incredible feeling in the world, and I'm so excited to get to experience it again soon.
Here is the belly picture Jordan took of me and Baby last night at 14 weeks exactly:

Every Mommy Needs a Rocking Chair

On Thursday, I posted an update on Rylee. At the end of the post, I said I was probably forgetting to mention something, and sure enough, I did. I can't believe I forgot to mention that Rylee is finally "broken" from the bottle, and is now exclusively drinking from a sippy cup! Yay! It only took about two weeks to transition her, and she has done so well. I am so proud of her. She is getting to be such a big girl. Here is a recent picture (taken June 26th, I think) I took of her laying in my lap, drinking out of one of her sippy cups:

Another thing Rylee recently started doing is almost too precious for words, but I'll do my best to explain. My husband, Jordan, works varying hours during the week at his second job, and some days, Rylee doesn't get to see him at all, because he leaves early in the morning before she is awake, and sometimes doesn't get home until hours after she's gone to bed for the night. Rylee loves her daddy, and lately, she's been "talking" about him non-stop. All I hear all day long is "Dada". It's pretty sweet, for sure (although I certainly wouldn't mind hearing a "Mama" mixed in there every now and then). Well, yesterday, Rylee was "looking" for her "Dada", and the next thing I know, she crawls over to our bedroom door (which is off of our living room), flattens on her little belly on the floor, and looks under the crack of the door to try to see if she could find him in there. It was so adorable. After a minute, she looked back at me (I was sitting on the couch watching her) with an expression as if to say, "I can't see him, Mommy." I hated to have to tell her that he wasn't in there. It was just so sweet. This morning, after Jordan left for work again, I asked Rylee where Daddy was, and she did it again. I grabbed the camera real quick and got a picture of it. Here she is, looking for her daddy:

And here she is, sitting outside our door, waiting for him to come out (even though he wasn't really in there):

And here, she's trying to get the camera from Mommy:

I sure do love my sweet girl. She is such a mess. A couple more quick updates: Rylee has recently figured out how to climb onto the hearth of our fireplace, but has NOT yet figured out how to get down. At this very moment, she is sitting up there, looking at me and squealing - her way of asking/telling me to get her down. Here she is:

And, suddenly we have breaking news! No sooner did I type that she hasn't figured out how to get down, and she lays on her belly and scoots to the edge and puts her feet on the floor. I guess she got tired of waiting on me to get her down. Now, she has climbed up into the rocking chair my mom gave me (the real reason I'm writing this post... I'll get to it more in a minute).

You're getting the play-by-play today, people. Anyway, one other thing she has figured out how to do, just in the last day or two, is pull herself up onto our big couch. She is really starting to get all over the place. She definitely keeps me on my toes.
Now, on to what I originally intended to post about today... about a month ago (while Jordan and I were on our anniversary vacation), my mom brought an old rocking chair over to my house for me to rock my babies in. It's not just any rocking chair, though. It's the same antique goose-neck rocking chair my mom used to rock me in when I was a baby. I have wanted a rocking chair since I was pregnant with Rylee, but we couldn't afford to get one. I thought I wanted a glider rocker - which would be nice to have, to get me wrong, but now that I have this rocker from my mom, I wouldn't trade it for anything. It's just what I need, and it's special to me. I feel so relaxed and comforted when I rock in it. Thank you, Mom, for passing on such a special gift to me. It means more to me than I realized it would. Here's the rocker (I covered it with a crocheted afghan my grandma Parker gave to me):

Rylee is Walking! (And Other Updates)

I feel like I haven't written a good update post on Rylee in a while. She is getting so big so fast. Sometimes I look at her, and I just can't believe she's the same little girl I brought home from the hospital a YEAR ago now. Where has the time gone?
I spend all day every day taking care of her, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I realize more and more every day how blessed I am to have the opportunity to be a stay-at-home mommy, and I'm so thankful to have a wonderful, supportive husband who works so hard to ensure that I can continue to stay home and raise our children.
Rylee has been on a good eating/sleeping schedule since she was about 4 months old, thanks to an outline and some encouragement/guidance from her wonderful pediatrician. We start our day bright and early at 6 in the morning (okay, so I might hit the snooze button until 6:15 or so... a few extra minutes never hurt anyone...). I drag myself out of bed (something that has become a lot harder to do since I've gotten pregnant again), get Rylee's breakfast ready in the kitchen, and then make my way to her room to get her up, change her diaper, and get her dressed for the day. Every now and then, I wake her up when I walk into her room, but most every morning, she is already awake and waiting for me to come get her. She always greets me with a smile or a squeal or some slew of "words" that I have yet to understand. After I get her changed and dressed, I take her into the kitchen to feed her breakfast consisting of cereal and fruit or yogurt. After breakfast, we go into the living room and watch some good ol' re-runs of Saved By The Bell on TBS (oh come on... you know you still watch Saved By The Bell. I've seen every episode probably at least 50 times, and I never get tired of it.) while we play on the floor with Rylee's toys. Here are some pictures I snapped of Rylee this morning during play time:

that's our cat, Haiti, in the background

Around 8:30, Rylee starts rubbing her eyes, and it's time to put her down for her morning nap. I let her sleep until about 9:45, and then it's time to play some more until lunch around 11:15. Her lunch "menu" varies now that she's allowed to eat "real people" food. We still have a few jars of baby fruits and vegetables that we need her to finish up, so she usually eats one of each of those for lunch. Today, however, she ate chicken nuggets and grapes with Mommy. I can't believe she can eat the same food I can now. And believe me, she has no problem eating the food right off my plate. Forget that I have a growing baby inside of me that I need to be nourishing as well. After lunch, we play some more (lots of playing... sounds like a tough day, huh?) until it's time for her afternoon nap around 1. I try to take advantage of her naps times and work on stuff around the house, since it's my only opportunity to do things while I don't have to keep up with her, but more often than not lately, I've been snagging a nap myself while she's down. Being pregnant and keeping up with an active one-year-old can certainly take its toll on a woman. Nap time has become a dear friend to me the past several weeks. I wake Rylee up from her afternoon nap around 2:45, and the playing continues (surprise, surprise). Sometimes I'll treat her to a popsicle... she LOVES popsicles. Finally, around 5:15, I feed her dinner, and the rest of the evening is devoted to even MORE play time and wind-down time until bedtime at 7. It's a day full of smiles, giggles, dirty diapers, singing Bible songs and nursery rhymes, playing with Daddy's matchbox cars, picking food out of her hair... and sometimes mine as well, tickling, and so much more. And I love every single second of it. I am so thankful God has blessed me with such an incredible gift - motherhood.
Rylee is such a sweet girl, but she certainly has her "moments" just like all other babies. Right now, we are really struggling with her hitting and biting. I don't understand where she learned this behavior from, as she certainly doesn't see Jordan and me hitting or biting each other. It's pretty frustrating, because she's not quite old enough for us to start spanking her (when that means of discipline is necessary), but popping her hand doesn't seem to be doing the trick, and I'm afraid we're sending her mixed signals. We tell her "NO HITTING!", but then we hit her hand in return as punishment. Is that right? I don't know, but I don't know what else to do, and we don't want to just let her get away with this behavior. As for the biting, it's not quite as much of an issue as the hitting - YET, but it's a problem nonetheless. She only has two teeth right now, but I'm afraid it'll get worse as she gets more teeth and figures out how to "use" them to her advantage. We will definitely have to figure out some way to "nip" these two bad habits of hers in the bud soon, before she starts hitting and/or biting other people. I don't think that would reflect too well on Jordan and me as parents. We're certainly doing the best we can, but as my dad often reminds me, "You don't have to teach a baby how to sin." It's crazy/unfortunate how early/easily our sinful natures come out. Thanks a lot, Adam and Eve. You just HAD to eat the fruit, didn't you?
On a more positive, exciting note, Rylee has started walking! Lord, help me! She started taking steps a couple weeks ago (I wish I had written down the exact day she first did it, but of course, I forgot), and she is getting more and more daring with each passing day. At first, she would only take a couple steps to me or Jordan or whoever was waiting to "catch" her, but in the past few days, she has started "venturing" out more, walking from the couch to her Exersaucer, etc. I just can't believe my baby girl is starting to walk. I tell you, I am REALLY going to have my hands full with her once she really gets the hang of this whole walking thing. She is going to be ALL over the place, getting into EVERYTHING. And in January, I'm going to have a brand new baby to take care of ON TOP OF keeping up with her. How on earth am I going to do this? Thank the Lord I have six months to TRY to prepare myself. Each day will definitely be an adventure, but I am looking forward to it.
One other thing Rylee has really started to do lately is "talk". She has been saying simple things like "Mama" and "Dada" for several months now (more-so "Dada" than "Mama", unfortunately), but recently, she has really found her voice. She will look at us with this intent, determined expression on her face and just "talk" and "talk" and "talk" like she's trying to tell us something important, and it's so funny, because we have absolutely no idea what on earth she is trying to say. Sometimes we think we can make out certain things she's saying, but we have no real way of knowing for sure until she learns how to pronounce her words better. In the meantime, we are getting a kick out of all her gibberish. We love having conversations with her - they can get quite interesting and animated sometimes.
That's all the major updates on Rylee that I can think of to mention right now, although I'm sure I'm probably forgetting something, as it seems she does something new every single day. For now, though, I'll leave you with a short video clip I shot of her this morning during play time walking to her ExerSaucer. It's shorter than I intended it to be because the memory card suddenly got full and cut off on me, but you can still see her walking, which is the focus of the clip. Enjoy!

13 Weeks

On Sunday, I entered the 13th week of my pregnancy. The last week of the first trimester. I think I hear a hallelujah chorus. I am really looking forward to my second trimester... that is, if it is anything like my second trimester was when I was pregnant with Rylee. I felt great. I looked great (other people's words... not mine). It was just a wonderful experience for me.
The past few days have been better days for me overall, thankfully. I still have my up-and-down moments where I don't feel very well and I just want/need to lay down for a little while, but I have noticed my nausea has lightened up a bit. I still have to stay on top of keeping food in my stomach, or the nausea comes quickly, like the flip of a switch. It's pretty annoying, honestly. Hopefully it will continue to lighten up, though, and if I'm lucky, it'll be completely gone in the next week or two.
I have already worn a few maternity shirts. I can still fit into my regular pants - for now, anyway, but I feel like I look bloated/fat in some/most of my shirts, so I figured I'd go ahead and take advantage of the maternity clothes that have been passed down to me. Somehow, something about a maternity shirt actually makes me look pregnant, and not like I'm just putting on weight. I like that.
Today, I had a check-up with my OB/GYN. It went well, thankfully. My blood pressure was good (94/60... might sound a little low, but it's actually good, because it'll raise as my pregnancy progresses), and I weigh 105 pounds, meaning I've actually lost two pounds since my last appointment (which is pretty normal/common in the first trimester). My favorite part of the appointment was, of course, when we got to hear Baby's heartbeat. It's been a long six weeks since we last got to hear it during my 7-week ultrasound, so it was definitely music to my ears. The thing that surprised us about it, though, was how fast it was. It was nice and strong at 160 beats per minute, which is about 30 beats per minute faster than it was last time we heard it. For those of you familiar with the old wives tale about fetal heart rate indicating the gender, this changes what we originally thought this baby is. At 7 weeks, we got excited. "It's below 140 beats per minute!" we said. "Sounds like it's a boy!" Today, however, it sounds like we have another little girl on the way. In reality (as you all hopefully know), the fetal heart rate has no relation to the gender; it simply fluctuates/increases as the baby grows, etc. So, we'll just have to wait seven more weeks to find out what's really "cooking" in my belly.
For now, I'm thankful that we have a healthy, growing baby on the way. I can't wait to start feeling him/her move.
Here is the belly picture Jordan took of me on Sunday:

Swinging, Swimming, and More

I have been a rather terrible blogger lately. I've had plenty to post about the last few weeks, but I just haven't had the time or felt like taking the time to actually sit down and write lately. I'll keep saying to myself, "I'll just post about this tomorrow," and then tomorrow comes, and I'll put it off another day and so on. Now I've got three or four things I need to post about all in one. So here it goes.
First of all, Rylee and I went to Peach Park with my parents and sister this past Thursday, June 30th (four days ago). Jordan had to work (as usual), so unfortunately, he wasn't able to go with us. We all ate dinner there (chicken fingers, pulled pork, waffle fries, etc.), and then we walked around for a while and went to the playground area before going back inside to get some homemade ice cream for dessert. While we were outside on the playground, Rylee got to have some fun in a swing for the first time. She thoroughly enjoyed it. I took some pictures of her in the swing, and I also shot a video of her. On a normal day, I would include both the pictures and the video in this post, but to be honest, I don't feel like sitting here all night waiting for the video to upload, so I'm just going to share the pictures. If you're one of my Facebook friends, you can view the video on my profile. Anyway, here are the pictures I took of Rylee at Peach Park, swinging for the first time:

The next day, Friday, Rylee and I went over to my parents' house for a while in the late morning/afternoon to visit with my mom and sister and go swimming. It was Rylee's first time in a pool, and I was anxious to see how she'd do. Thankfully, she loved it. She didn't fuss at all, and she even kicked her feet a little bit. I was so proud of her. Here are the pictures I took during our time at the pool:

Aunt Mana and Rylee, ready to go swimming

Rylee swimming with Nana

my adorable water baby

giving Nana a kiss

chilling out on the pool steps with Nana

Later that afternoon, Rylee and I met Jordan in Prattville when he got off work so the three of us could head to Montgomery to visit some friends of ours in the hospital who just welcomed their third little girl, Jovie, into the world on June 30th. We had a nice visit with them, and of course I enjoyed getting my hands on a baby for a while. I can't believe I'm going to have another baby of my own again in just six "short" months. Here are a couple of pictures of me and sweet baby Jovie:

Saturday was a pretty laid-back day.
Yesterday, Sunday, we went to church (thankfully, I was feeling well enough to go), and afterward, we had lunch with Jordan's aunt and uncle. The rest of yesterday was pretty relaxing. Jordan and I actually played a couple of board games (Battleship and Mall Madness. Yes, I said Mall Madness) together last night after we put Rylee to bed, which was fun. We haven't done that in forever. I beat him at both games.
Today, on our great country's Independence Day, we had lunch with Jordan's family, and then we went to my parents' house later in the afternoon to go swimming and eat dinner. It was a nice day spent with loved ones.
Yesterday, I entered my 13th week of pregnancy (the last week of my first trimester - yay!), but I want to wait until tomorrow to do my "update post" because I have a check-up with my OB/GYN tomorrow. So, be on the lookout for a post tomorrow with a new belly picture (taken yesterday) and updates on how I've been feeling and how the appointment goes. We should get to hear our little miracle's heartbeat again. Can't wait.
Be back tomorrow.