Welcome Hannah Rosalie!

This has definitely taken me longer to post than I imagined it would! I've written two posts and Blogger managed to delete both... So here we are, one week old, third try is a charm!

Hannah's birth was amazingly easier than Ethan's - from delivery to recovery. I'm happy to share more of the story privately, but I will say my doctor almost didn't make it in time! My doctor's practice is connected to the hospital I delivered in, and she had to run across the hospital to get there -- that's how quickly we progressed at the end. 

The two days at the hospital dragged on forever. The first night was torture because our recovery nurse - inadvertently - woke us up repeatedly when Hannah was asleep. It was awful, especially because she was a really nice person and I really struggled to be nice about the sleep! Ha! The second night was better but we were so tired from the first night that we look like zombies in our first family picture:

And while the reclining bed is awesome, it's also a little inconvenient, and being in a small room with little storage will make you crazy.

Ethan is warming up to Hannah and is generally concerned about her whereabouts, why she is crying (if she is) and wants to help us rock her (terrifying because he isn't gentle), get her car seat when we are getting into the car, and give (throw) her a pacifier if she is crying. So we need to work on being gentle, but overall, he cares about her and we think it's pretty sweet!

She's a calm, sleepy little sweetheart, a pretty good eater, and she does not have her days and nights backwards like her brother did, which is a bonus!

We are unbelievably blessed by her. We can't stop snuggling her, we love dressing her up every day, and we love her sweet demeanor! We can't wait to get to see her personality develop over the next few months!

And yes.. We are totally blown away that she is already a week old!

xo,

Elizabeth

{Hannah}: 38 weeks!

We are getting SO CLOSE to meeting Hannah! I could say that I am worn out, exhausted, not sleeping, and in pain, and that wouldn't really cover it. Pregnancy is no joke. I'm just trying to keep an attitude of gratitude: thankful that she's healthy, active, and that so far this pregnancy has been good for her. I'm thankful we live in a country where I can assume that she and I will be taken care of with the best medical technology available if something does go awry!

We went to another gorgeous wedding this weekend - this time it was for Austin's step-sister, Chelsea, and her new hubs, Evan. It was wonderful and beautiful, and an excuse to pull Austin's nose out of his books!

We also celebrated Austin's 29th birthday with family (you can start sending in 30th birthday celebration suggestions now, I'm already working on it!!).

He joked that he didn't want to have to share his birthday with Hannah, and now we won't have to worry about that since it's already passed!

In all, it's been a good week, but I am completely worn out. Exhausted.

This week, Hannah is the size of a ukulele... Preferably a pink one. ;)

How far along? 38 WEEKS AND THREE DAYS!!!!!!! Just four more days til we are full-term. WHOO HOOOOO!

Maternity clothes? 90%, and breaking out some flowy fall tunics that's aren't maternity

Stretch marks? Nothing new
Sleep: not getting much. You come anytime, Hannah. Nothing will change. 

Miss anything? Bending, sitting and sitting up normally!
Movement: sometimes vigorous, usually just slight movements.
Food cravings: anything I didn't cook.
Anything making you queasy or sick? Not lately.
Gender: Girl!
Labor Signs: Now dilated to 3 cm, and 50% effaced. Doctor said, "see you in a week - if you make it that long." We all know that doesn't mean I'll have a baby before next week... But I won't complain!
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time? Exhausted, so probably moody.
Looking forward to: HANNAH'S BIRTH! Anytime you want, baby girl.
Prayers this week:

For Austin: that he would be able to focus and remember the principles he is re-learning. It's a struggle for him to be away from us to study so much - I know that the pictures I send him of what Ethan and I are up to sometimes make it harder for him to continue studying. I'm proud of him for persevering, I'm prayerful that he would pass his test so we don't have to endure this mess with TWO kiddos in the spring. 

For me: I had a major anxiety attack this week when I couldn't get Hannah to move during one of the times I'm supposed to check her movement (one of the times that she usually chooses to move). Pray against that kind of anxiety an that I would TRULY cast my cares upon the Lord, both now with her in my belly and when she arrives. (Yes, she moved - after I called my parents AND my doctor). I could also use a little motivation and energy. On Friday I attempted to boycott all house work, but it didn't work. So finding some form of rest when caring for a 2 year old solo would be good, too.

For Hannah: for her health in the womb, through delivery and postpartum (and mine, too!), and that she would be a little girl who is passion all for Jesus.

For Ethan: he's getting to be more clingy, so our prayer is that he would adjust well to Hannah's arrival, and love his little sister well.

xo,

Elizabeth

{Hannah}: 37 weeks!!

We spent most of this week fighting off a cold. I hate colds. They're obnoxious, and Ethan seems to get them an awful lot. He's mostly fine, but he sure is oozing some snot, and he sounds pretty congested. I try to be cognizant about spreading it around, so this week we have avoided MDO and small group, where he would be in close contact with lots of other kiddos. It sure can make you stir-crazy!

Hannah, we have made it a long way together! I'm getting more excited to meet you as I get more and more exhausted by pregnancy. (Add cramps to the list of things keeping me awake at night.)

Right now, Hannah is considered "early term". 37 weeks used to be considered full-term, but sometime in late 2013, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists changed this to 39 weeks (Ethan was born at 39+1). Research shows that babies born at 37 weeks have more of a risk of complications, such as difficulty breathing, than those born just two weeks later. (More info: http://m.acog.org/About-ACOG/News-Room/News-Releases/2013/Ob-Gyns-Redefine-Meaning-of-Term-Pregnancy?IsMobileSet=true.) For this reason, as "done" as I feel, and as exhausted as I am, I really want Hannah to hang out for two more weeks! (And then she can come!)

Hannah is currently the size of a tackle box (that one's for you, dad!), 19.75" long and weighs around 7 lbs.

I forgot to take a picture before Austin left, so we squeezed this one in - jammies again!!

How far along? 37 WEEKS (and 2 days)!!! Just under 2 more til we are full-term. 

Maternity clothes? Mostly
Stretch marks? No new ones
Sleep: mostly awful, occasionally ok!

Miss anything? Sleep
Movement: lots, when she wants to!
Food cravings: anything easy!
Anything making you queasy or sick? Nothing too bad since they changed my heartburn regimen for the 3rd time.
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: I'm still just dilated to 2 cm, and 50% effaced - no further progress this week.
Belly Button in or out? In, and I think it'll stay that way.
Wedding rings on or off? On, no swelling
Happy or Moody most of the time? Just tired!
Looking forward to: Austin & Sarah's birthdays, and a family wedding this weekend!Prayers this week: praying that the end of this pregnancy would be healthy and as smooth as it can be, as well as the delivery! We will meet our girl SO soon!

xo,

Elizabeth

PS - you may remember the Easter Bible Study I posted a discount link to earlier this year. I was able to preview a Bible Study by the same author for Advent, and it was an awesome experience for me. You can pre-order your copy of the Advent study from Sacred Holidays today. They also have Extras for Families, Individuals, and Small Groups - plus, you can order beautiful prints that highlight the study! There is even an Advent devotional for teens this year {along with a leader’s guide for moms and youth leaders}. You can preview or purchase the products at www.sacredholidays.com/shop. Be sure to enter in my promo code when you check out to get 10% off your entire order: ELIZABETH10.

{Note: I do not benefit from the sales of this study in any way}

{Hannah}: 36 weeks

This weekend, we went to Dallas briefly to visit one of Austin's best friends from college, and see my childhood bestie get married! I DO NOT recommend being the driver for a 3.5 hour road trip at 36 weeks pregnant (I did it so Austin could study). However, we made it there and back safely and Hannah stayed put, which was awesome :)

I'm SO glad I convinced Austin to try the bow tie. He pulls it off so well!

This week, Hannah is the size of a Cabbage Patch Doll, is about 19.25", and weighs 6 lbs 7 oz according to her ultrasound from today!

Hannah is perfectly positioned for birth, her organs look great, her weight is great - rejoicing that everything looks good with her.

How far along? 36 WEEKS!!! 3 more til we are full-term. 

Maternity clothes? 90% of the time. The shirt I'm in above is actually not maternity but it is forgiving, to say the least.
Stretch marks? No more new ones... yet.
Sleep: Terrible. Toss, turn, hydrate, bathroom, repeat.

Miss anything? SLEEP!! And more than one cup of coffee per day. Ugh. If I can't have one, can I have the other?!
Movement: still a good amount, but I can tell space is getting tighter.
Food cravings: food I don't have to cook. I'm getting lazy.
Anything making you queasy or sick? The addition of Zantac to my Nexium seems to be helping (hooray)! But I still need Tums close by.
Gender: Girl!!
Labor Signs: I'm dilated to 2 cm, and 50% effaced!
Belly Button in or out? In, and I'm wondering if Hannah will make it pop out (Ethan couldn't)
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time? Long car rides, when pregnant and driving, make me moody. Otherwise I'm just tired.
Looking forward to: our nephew's 3rd birthday party this weekend, Ethan seeing Unca Macka (Matt) this week sometime, and Austin's step-sister's wedding next weekend!
Prayers this week: I felt like I had really started to accept the idea that Hannah could be late (I was in total denial for a while because of the misery with the constant heartburn issues). And then this weekend wore. me. out. So praying again that I would be patient. Also praying for a healthy baby girl and a safe, easy delivery! She will be here before we know it either way.

xo,

Elizabeth

{Hannah}: 34 weeks | {Ethan} 2nd Birthday Party

We had Ethan's birthday party this morning and it was a blast to have a house full of family & friends!

There were lots of tears and pouty faces today. Ethan really wanted to take his new trains EVERYWHERE. He loved all of his (many!) new toys... We may be a skipping gifts at Christmas this year as a result of the outpouring of presents today! There's no question - he is VERY well loved.

Now for miss Hannah!

I'm experiencing heartburn/reflux issues again. If waking up for the restroom or for water doesn't keep me up (sometimes for hours at a time), then reflux keeps me from going to sleep. Or both. I already have heartburn/reflux issues in pregnancy, but it is worsened by my iron supplement. I can't really stop taking that prescription, and we haven't found a prescription heartburn med that is safe for pregnancy AND helps me overcome my symptoms.

Y'all, I am tired. I know my sleep won't get better with a newborn, but I feel like having a little girl in my arms will at least feel more rewarding than this does. I cannot WAIT for the end of October to roll around. I'm not even going to think about her being late at this point.

How far along? 34 weeks! ~6 to go...
Maternity clothes? Yes.
Stretch marks? Hopefully nothing new, I'm out of my lotion and haven't gotten more yet!
Sleep: What is that?
Miss anything? Sleep.
Movement: Getting restricted! She occasionally rolls from the left to the right, and I feel smaller kicks and flutters.
Food cravings: something savory...
Anything making you queasy or sick? Everything. A glass of OJ before bed kept me up last night.
Gender: Girl!
Labor Signs: None, but the Braxton-Hicks contractions are getting to be more frequent
Belly Button in or out? In,but flattening. We may see it pop out this time!
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time? Sleepy.
Looking forward to: Doctor appointments for Hannah & Ethan on Thursday! It's Ethan's actual birthday, but I think the most celebrating we might do is to go to dinner out somewhere.
Prayers this week: Just a little relief from these symptoms would be excellent. I am really looking forward to having some input from my doctor when I see her!

xo,
Elizabeth

{edit} I forgot! Hannah is about the size of a basketball hoop this week, and weighs around 5.5 lbs.

{Hannah}: 29 weeks

I know this is a Hannah post, but this week has been amazing for Ethan! (Insert Kanye's 'Imma let you finish' meme here.) he has started to put more words together - forming sentences - spontaneously. I'm so impressed by him! He's said some two-word sentences for a while (all done; all gone; bye bye dada) but today he said "bye bye Daniel Tiger" and is repeating after me when prompted to add 'please' to items he is asking for ("crackers, please"). He even identified a star-shaped sticker as a "sticker star"! I have no idea where he is compared to other kids his age for vocabulary, but seeing this develop over the course of one week has been awesome. #mombragover

This is me at 28 weeks with both kiddos! (Left is Ethan, Right is Hannah)

I also found a much cooler, new way to track Hannah's growth. This week, she's the size of a Barbie convertible... And I'm about as comfortable as a woman with a Barbie convertible in her belly could be.

On Monday, I went in for my Gestational Diabetes testing, and really expected to pass. (I'm glad I re-read my blog on my pregnancy with Ethan because I totally forgot that this appointment takes so long. So I took some toys for Ethan to play with, and he handled himself really well!) I did end up "passing" that test, but I came back with an iron deficiency, which I didn't expect. I've been more tired lately, but I chalked it up to pregnancy, chasing a toddler, and watching Ethan solo more often than before (Austin is spending most evenings & weekends studying). So I was relieved to learn that there was more to it!  I'm a vegetarian, so sometimes it's easy to forget my iron (though we do eat a lot of spinach), but there are a host of other possible reasons why I'm iron-deficient. I received a prescription for iron pills, so I'm thankful that there's a solution for the problem and that the doctor found it!

How far along? 29 weeks! ~11 to go!

Maternity clothes? Yes! Or stretchy non-maternity clothes. 

Stretch marks? No new ones yet. *crossing fingers & applying lotion*

Sleep: Pretty good. Weird dreams continue!

Miss anything? Caffeine. Abundant caffeine. 

Movement: Yes!! She moves the whole belly around now!

Food cravings: Someone just mentioned French toast on TV, so, that. 

Anything making you queasy or sick? Despite taking my prescription for heartburn, I had a touch of it today, which is never fun. 

Gender: Girl!

Labor Signs: None

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On! All repaired and shiny. 

Happy or Moody most of the time? Mostly happy. Is tired an option?

Looking forward to: Seeing my family this weekend!

Prayers this week: Praying that the iron pills do their job & Hannah stays healthy! Also starting to pray for things to come at the end of this pregnancy: patience for me (if she is late), for a smooth delivery (!), and praying for peace that everything will work out. Austin's (huge) test is Oct 30, Hannah is due Oct 31: as long as she doesn't come ON Oct 30 we should be ok... ;)

xo,

Elizabeth

{Ethan}: 22 months | {Hannah}: 26+ weeks

I just had to tear myself away from the first baby book I've opened in preparations for Hannah's arrival. I'm soaking up this info, as this little girl is due in 3 months and 5 days! (ALMOST the 3rd trimester, y'all!!)

{Ethan}
In the 22 months since Ethan was born, it's been easy to forget the newborn phase and its demands as we adapted to the next phase of Ethan's babyhood. Looking back, the time has flown by. I imagine that I will have a two and four year old in no time. That said, it's also sort of hard to believe that we have less than two months left before he becomes a two-year-old big boy. He's hilariously adorable in smiling BIG for the camera or phone, mimicking our words, counting to three, and singing his ABCs (especially L-M-N-O-P, which is 'lalalalala'!). We also try to find hilarity in the less-than-adorable moments... you know, for sanity's sake. There's a lot of whining lately, but at least he actually says please and thank you now (and signs them!). For several months, he was saying "mo" (more) and signing "please". Glad we straightened that one out!

This weekend, we took the little man to Austin. We love to visit the Thinkery, their children's museum, and we also LOVE to visit our friends Alex and Stephany, and their two adorable sons. We met Alex & Stephany in college, and we love getting to do this phase of parenthood with them. We're just sad that 2.5 hours separate our houses! We went to Zilker park, enjoyed a COLD spring-fed pool in a heat advisory, had a picnic lunch and rode the Zilker Zephyr train. We took a ride on Grammie's golf cart, explored several parks, ate great BBQ and got to play in the dirt with friends. It's almost enough to make us wish we lived in Austin. Almost. ;)

he loves trains

when concentrating, one MUST stick out one's tongue

all fruit are apples, all colors are yellow. this is Ethan's law.

getting ready to play with water!

that tongue again

Alex, Stephany and their adorababies

Alex teaching us to feed geese

trucks and trains at dinner at the Salt Lick

cruisin in a golf cart

more trucks

album cover

we seriously love this expression.

6'7"

I'm 5'10", and Hannah is 14-15", and weighs between 1.6 and two pounds.

How far along? 26 weeks - 14 to go, ONE WEEK left in the second trimester!!!

Maternity clothes? Yes!

Stretch marks? No!

Sleep: Pretty darn good, though Ethan did wake us up last night. Thankfully, that's rare, and all the more reason to re-read these baby books and refresh my memory on how to have a good sleeper!

Miss anything? Being on vacation ;)

Movement: A lot! And I love the reminder that she's there.

Food cravings: Anything that won't make me feel bloated.

Anything making you queasy or sick? I took my heartburn pills this week, so.. no!

Gender: Girl!!

Labor Signs: None

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time? Happy, but harping on things when I'm not. Trying not to be a 'harper'.

Looking forward to: time with my mom before she goes back to work (teaching), White Linen Night this weekend, and an Astros game tomorrow!

Prayers this week: Still focusing on being quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to become angry. Sorry if that's redundant (it feels like it to me, wish I could flip a switch!) but I believe that He's working it out!

Happily hitting the hay now, friends.

xo,

Elizabeth

PS- Am I the only one who thinks the veggie/fruit comparisons don't do the baby justice? This week was zucchuni. Sorry, but a 14+" zucchini is rare, to say the least.