Baby #2 Bumpdate: 33 Weeks

How Far Along:  33 Weeks

Baby's Size:  Pineapple

Maternity Clothes: I have reached the point where my maternity shirts are getting too short. And this drives me crazy. Why couldn't they just add a couple extra inches onto the shirt??? I hate tugging on shirts all day. Sometimes I am just tempted to let my belly hang out there. Hey I can't really see anything below my belly button, so who cares. Out of sight out of mind :)

Movement: It seems likes she flips and squirms and rolls around all day long. Poor thing is probably running out of room. I think we are both feeling a little cramped.

Sleep: Good. The number of bathroom trips is on the rise though. Sometimes up to 4. It feels like a forklift is practically necessary in order for me to flip sides these days. 

Symptoms: I haven't been feeling the best lately. I have been feeling pretty uncomfortable. I hate to complain about it but I want to accurately record how I am feeling. And I hate the thought of wishing away time or wanting to hurry through seasons. But I feel like I am just in countdown mode and ready to have this baby and be able to breathe again. Especially by the end of the day I just feel super uncomfortable. But I know pregnancy is a blessing and a joy and I want to treasure this time and enjoy the miracle of having a life inside of me. It is a hard balance.

Food Aversions/Cravings:  Nothing new really.

Best Moment this Week: Date night this past weekend and then dinner with neighbors yesterday. They gave us this adorable cupcake hat for Lainey and a sweet pink blanket.

What I miss: Being able to move about easily, breathe easily, feel normal.

What I am Looking Forward to: Having the baby, ha!

Goals: Well I haven't been doing great at goals lately. We did finally get the crib storage this past weekend. I made a lot of progress on organizing Lainey's room too. I haven't gotten around to working on the mobile. I did buy most of the things needed for newborn pictures. I bought some fur type fabric from JoAnn's and with a coupon it was under $5! It seems like all newborn pictures I see the baby is laying in some type of soft fur-filled basket. I also ordered one of those cheese cloth wrap things on Etsy for $5. And of course I had to buy cute matching headbands for Lainey and Cambry to do a sibling pose. Not sure how easy it will be getting a good shot of a 22 month old and a newborn, but we have to at least try. The only other thing I want to get is a cute basket, which I plan to look for at Garden Ridge. Ok, so this week's goals still include working on the mobile and buying a basket.

Like Father Like Daughter

I have mentioned before that Cambry has recently become concerned about cleanliness. She doesn't like food getting on her hands. Sometimes she doesn't like her tray to get messy either. This definitely comes from Greg. He is extremely neat. Definitely neater than me. And I very much appreciate this about him. It is just funny to see it in Cambry. This morning she was having banana and peanut butter and did not like the peanut butter getting on her tray. I mean, look how tiny those drops of peanut butter are! And her concerned face cracks me up. So I handed her wipes and she proceeded to wipe up her tray and hands and face. Well awesome. There goes my job.

Our Weekend

Here are some things we did this weekend...

1. Date night!

We went to Del Friscos for Houston Restaurant week. It was delicious! Our reservations were at 6:15 because we are just awesome like that :) Super romantic when it is broad daylight outside. But we wanted to catch a movie afterward without falling asleep. Even with our early dinner we still didn't get home until almost 11. WHOA watch out people we are pretty wild and crazy.

Speaking of wild and crazy - I had to document this because it will NEVER happen again. We had drinks and a popcorn at the movies. Greg said he was pretty sure this was his first time to ever have a drink and popcorn at a movie. This only happened because we had coupons to get it all free. You didn't think Mr. Frugal McCheapy would pay for this, did you? But really, who can blame him - a small soda was FIVE DOLLARS.

2. We got this climber for Cambry. For free. Woo hoo. When we were driving home from our date it was just sitting out on the curb of a house down the street from us. Score. We haven't cleaned it off yet or showed it to Cambry. Need to inspect it to make sure nothing is majorly wrong with it.

3. We went to a friend's 3 year old birthday party. Cambry had a blast. But she did not want to play in the splash pad. She insisted on playing on the playground where it was approximately 2000 degrees. Thankfully Greg supervised her while I rested my belly.

4. I got a lot of organizing done in Lainey's room. You know how things have to get worse before they get better? Well this is them getting worse.

Thankfully it is already looking better. We moved Cambry's changing table in there and moved a chest of drawers into her room. Then we switched a bunch of stuff between the 2 closets and organized a lot of clothes. I still have more work to do but I feel a lot better about the progress.

I also think I doubled in size this week. Ok not really, but I just feel so uncomfortable. Sometimes I find myself googling "is it possible to discover twins at 32 1/2 weeks pregnant?".

And that's a wrap for our weekend.

Baby #2 Bumpdate: 32 Weeks

How Far Along:  32 Weeks

Baby's Size:  A large jicama. What is that? Let's just say 3 3/4 lbs. and almost 17 in. long

Maternity Clothes: Yep! Loving all things stretchy :)

Movement: Lots of movement. My doctor said she was still head down. I love seeing the movement from the outside. She is quite active.

Sleep: Great. Usually a couple bathroom trips a night. It is hard to flip sides these days.

Symptoms: Good overall. My belly does feel huge and heavy though. I have to sit down a lot. I get braxton hicks throughout the day.

Food Aversions/Cravings:  Nothing new really.

Best Moment this Week: Day trip to Austin on Saturday.

What I miss: Being able to move about easily. I think I may stop taking my Lift workout class. I went today and I could barely do anything even with lots and lots of modifications. I just felt like I had no energy and I needed to sit down. Maybe it was just an off day. We'll see. Hopefully I can at least continue to walk or do something active.

What I am Looking Forward to: Date night on Friday. Trying to squeeze in lots of these before Lainey comes. We may even go to the movies if we can find something decent in theatres. Last time we saw a movie together (in theatres) was circa 2011. Yep.

Goals: I have not been doing great on my goals lately. I haven't been able to find under crib storage that is short enough to fit under there. I haven't bought any photo props yet although I have saved all my favorites on Etsy. My goal for this week is to work on Lainey's crib mobile. I am trying to make it similar to this Pottery Barn Kids mobile (no longer available). It won't have flowers, but it will have different types of white ribbons. So far I have just been trying out how to get 2 different sized metal rings attached with fishing line to hang evenly. This is a feat of physics. The whole thing could be a disaster. We'll see.

My Bio

For Houston Moms Blog we are supposed to write up a short bio for ourselves. This will be shown on the blog next to our pictures. I told Greg the other night that I was trying to work on my bio. He said he could write it for me no problem. I go into the bathroom to get ready for bed and 5 minutes later this is what he texts me.

Jana is about 5 foot eight and friendly. She loves crafts. She likes a few other things but she really loves crafts. She's married to Greg who is quite charming. She has made one baby girl who was delivered via natural birth. She became pregnant again on March 28 around 9 PM and expects to have another girl soon. She is nice and can make you any craft. Stay tuned for more blog updates from her.

I was cracking up at this. Oh and by the way when he says natural birth he means non-Cesarean. I absolutely had an epidural :)

So there you have it. That is me.

Girly Girl

This weekend we went to Austin to celebrate my Dad's Aunt Thelma's 90th Birthday. Can you believe 90th? Even at 90 she is super sharp and looking and dressing beautifully. She LOVES Steinmart and always has nice clothes and fun jewelry and purses. We had good food, cake, and she got lots of fun gifts.

We left in the morning and Cambry got a nap in, then we drove back around bed time so she slept the whole way home. I told Greg that traveling will never be this easy again :) Once we throw another little one into the mix things could get tricky.

We had a lot of fun seeing so many family members. I have no idea how we are all related, I think they are all some type of cousins, once, twice, 15 times removed. Who knows. But somehow we are all connected on the family tree and it was fun to see everyone.

Cambry had the time of her life. There were so many kids there. She wore herself out running around, playing dress up, having tea parties, doing arts and crafts, swinging, playing in the play house, and trying to keep up with the big kids.

Playing dress up seemed to come naturally for her. She started twirling when she had her sparkly dress on. I love how girly she is and that she will have a sister to play dress up with. Looking forward to lots more of this in our future!

This little girl put on a "concert" for us and sang every word to a Taylor Swift song. It was adorable.

What a fun weekend!

Cambry 20 Months

Well this is a few days late, but you are 20 months old! You make us laugh daily with your fun, silly, and sweet personality. 

Skills: You understand so much it is amazing. And you can communicate with us so well. It seems like you are able to repeat just about any word we say. You do have a hard time with your name though. You can't say Cambry very well but you can say Paige! You just love to talk all day long. I love it when you use your hand expressively and babble something in baby language with a few real words thrown in there too. You are getting better at knowing your colors. I think your favorites are purple and yellow. You also know what most of my make up is for, ha! You like to go through my make up bag while I put it on in the morning. You know the blush goes on cheeks, the mascara goes on eyes, the lip gloss goes on lips, and the small brush for eyebrows. You are starting to try to dress yourself. You love to try to put on shorts and also to try and put on your own shoes. You haven't been too interested in sitting on the potty lately but you are getting good about telling us when you have a dirty diaper. The other day you walked backwards right up to me and said "Check!". So I checked, and yes, it was time for a diaper change :) You also know to pray before meals and will do it even if we forget. You fold your hands, bow your head, make little whispering sounds and then say Amen! It is the sweetest thing.

Likes: Of course Wheels on the Bus is still at the top of your list. You sing the song all the time and watch the show pretty much daily. You love your babies still and are always caring for them, kissing them, etc. You still love chapstick too and will always go to my nightstand to find it. You like to dance and spin and just run around like crazy, especially in the evening. You like dogs a lot. Darby stayed here for a week while Gigi and Pa were in Arizona, and you always wanted to pet her. As soon as you woke up each morning you would ask about Daddy, and then about the dog. We are also noticing lately that you like to be clean. If things get on your hands/fingers while eating you hold them out for me to wipe off. You will fuss if a few drops of milk or water spill on your arm until I wipe it off. If something spills or drips on the floor you want me to wipe it off immediately. I guess this is a good thing that you like to be clean! You also love to play in Daddy's truck (while it is off with the windows rolled down while supervised). And when we go to the grocery store if there is a cart with an attached car you HAVE to ride in that one. And I am so proud to say - you like bows!! You have always been good about keeping them in but now you hate to have your hair in your face so if it is down and in your eyes you will get frustrated pushing it back and yell booooooowwwwww! Every morning when I get you out of your crib the first thing we do is grab a bow.

Struggles: You do not like for anything to be "tight". Sometimes you complain that your clothes are tight, or your car seat buckle is tight, etc. I try to explain that it is not very tight but you insist tiiiiiight!!! You still are not a big fan of vegetables.

Schedule: You wake up usually between 6:30-7:00. You have been wanting to go down for a nap earlier than 1 pm lately. If we are just hanging out at home and you haven't had any power naps in the car while running errands, you usually can't make it past noon. There have been a few times where you have fallen asleep at your high chair in the middle of lunch because you get so tired. You always fall asleep on the way home from church. We just give you a pouch on the way home so at least you have something in your tummy before you fall asleep. Your nap length is unpredictable. Sometimes just 1 hour. Other times 2 1/2. Bed time is 7:30.

No new teeth. I think you have all of them for now until your 2 year molars come in. You wear 18-24 month clothes and size 4 diaper. You wear size 5 or even 6 shoe.

You are our beautiful little girl and we love love love you. I wish you would stop growing up so fast!

Baby #2 Bumpdate: 31 Weeks and a Name!

31 weeks. Whoa. 9 weeks left (give or take). Nine. Single digits. That is feeling close. The good news is we have a name - Lainey Reese. YAY! She has this chalkboard in her nursery and also a really big L that will hang above the changing table. 

How Far Along:  31 Weeks

Baby's Size:  Coconut

Maternity Clothes: Yep! Loving all things stretchy :)

Movement: Lots of movement. The other night she was doing something crazy. I almost got worried she might have flipped head up because it felt like something wild was going on inside me. But I still feel the usual movement all around my mid belly area so I think she is still head down.

Sleep: Great. Althought it takes a ton of effort now to flip sides or get out of bed. It seems like my belly weighs a thousand pounds.

Symptoms: I feel good, just tired and heavy all the time. I am so thankful for the expectant mother parking spot at Kroger. When I step out of the car and it is approximately 250 degrees outside and I lift my 27 pound toddler and rest her on my enourmous bump I am glad I don't have to walk far because my legs barely work in this August heat. My feet swell a tiny bit by the end of the day but really not bad at all. I am so thankful for this because when I was working full time during my first pregnancy they were crazy huge (due to sitting at a desk all day). I still get braxton hicks throughout the day. I haven't gotten the linea nigra yet but I am expecting it soon.

Food Aversions/Cravings:  Nothing new really.

Best Moment this Week: Meeting Lindsay's baby boy.

What I miss: Having energy, being able to maneuver easily, sleeping on my back and tummy.

What I am Looking Forward to: Celebrating my Dad's Aunt Thelma's 90th birthday this weekend and seeing lots of family.

Goals: We painted the chalkboard and the L for Lainey's room. I haven't bought storage bins for under the crib yet but plan to go this afternoon to get them. I haven't bought any props for Lainey's newborn photos yet either. There are just too many options on Etsy. Ok, so this week's goal is to buy newborn photo props.

A Few Things Lately

1) This weekend I went to a shower for my friend Julie. She is expecting a baby girl in September so we are only about a month apart. She got so many fun gifts and it was fun to see her and celebrate and she prepares for the baby.

2) I have been loving the pool lately. There is a public pool right by our house which is great. Unfortunately it doesn't open until 1pm and then it closes from 5-7 for swim lessons each day. But we have gone several times lately in the afternoon and it feels so good. If I go around 4pm there is a bit of shade on the edge of the pool so we hang out there :)

3) I put Cambry's hair in a real pony tail for the first time and I thought she looked so cute!

4). I have not had any consistency with Bible reading lately so I decided to start reading through Chronologically using my Bible app. I have the Bible app by Life Church and there are a bunch of different reading plans. Here goes day 1! I am looking forward to it. I usually get behind on reading plans but that's ok. It is still a good guide to keep me on track.

5) I probably say this all the time but Cambry is such a joy to us. I love this age. She has so much personality and she just cracks us up. She likes to hide behind doors and for us to find her. She gets so silly sometimes and just runs around the house flailing her arms and legs and spinning in circles. I wish I had some of that energy!

6). Today I got to meet my BFF Lindsay's precious little boy Cameron. I did not take a picture, oops! He will be 1 week old tomorrow! He was so tiny and adorable and it made me so excited to have a newborn again. Ok well also a little nervous to take care of 2 and the sleepless nights and the painful nursing and the recovery from labor BUT at the same time babies bring so much love and joy and they are a blessing from the Lord so I am just going to focus on the positive :)

Baby #2 Bumpdate: 30 Weeks

Now that I am in the 30's (week wise), I feel like I have hit a major milestone. Only 10 more weeks! Give or take. 10 weeks sounds like an eternity when I think of my belly expanding for that amount of time and also waiting to meet this precious girl. But it sounds like nothing when I think of all the things still left on my baby to-do list. It definitely seems close when I am working on things like registering at the hospital and calling about donating cord blood. Every time I drive past the hospistal I think WHOA I will be there soon delivering a BABY.

How Far Along:  30 Weeks

Baby's Size:  Large Cabbage

Maternity Clothes: Yep! And several friends have recently let me borrow/have some maternity clothes so I am thankful to have some new things.

Movement: Lots of movement. At my last appointment the Doctor said she thought she was head down.

Sleep: Great. At least one bathroom trip a night though. It also seems like I have so many dreams each night.

Symptoms: Low energy, feet swell a bit by the end of the day, restless legs, sometimes leg cramps at night, and braxton hicks each day. Also pregnancy brain :) Yesterday at BabiesRus I picked up a box of overnight diapers since we were almost out. I just picked up ANY box. I did not even think to check the size. HELLO??!! Did I grab the right size? Um no. Add "return diapers" to my growing to-do list. Also I STILL have a cold. Been more than a week. I think it is a sinus infection.

Food Aversions/Cravings:  Nothing new really.

Best Moment this Week: Taking Cambry swimming at our neighborhood pool. It felt so good. Until I came out of the water and then it felt like I gained 50 lbs. :)

What I miss: Having energy, being able to maneuver easily, sleeping on my back and tummy.

What I am Looking Forward to: Getting rid of this cold! I am sooo congested.

Goals: Curtains are hung and I bought a big frame for the room. I haven't decided on a monitor yet. New goals for this week: Paint a couple accents for her room and buy some under crib storage boxes. And if I have time buy headband/bloomers/prop for newborn photoshoot.

You Never Know the Last Time

Cambry a few weeks old

Cambry 18 months

One day last week Cambry woke up less than an hour into her nap crying hard. She usually wakes up and just stands up and starts babbling or fussing slightly, so this was unusual. I went to her room and picked her up. She was crying so hard and wouldn't calm down. I talked to her, sang to her, and rocked her. Finally after about 5 minutes she calmed down. I am guessing maybe she had a bad dream. She has done this before where it takes her a while to snap out of it. It makes me wonder what her bad dreams could be about at this age. What bad things does she know of?

I could tell she was still tired so I rocked her back to sleep. I was about to lay her back in her crib so I could go do stuff - clean the dishes in the sink, check emails, rest, etc. But then it occured to me that all those things can wait while I enjoy these moments and let her finish her nap in my arms. It was just so precious having her sleep on me and I haven't done that in a long time. With little sis coming I know my opportunities to do this with Cambry will be even fewer. 

I was thinking about something I heard a while back. A dad was talking about how he was at the mall with his teenage daughter and saw another dad walking through the mall carrying his child. He rembered those days when his daughter was tired of walking and would want to be held. He was tired with his hands full but would give in to her request. But now that season was over for him. His daughter was past that stage and would never ask to be carried through the mall again. And you often times don't know when it is the last time you will do something.

I think of this with even the smallest things. I probably didn't know when it was the last time I would wake up to nurse Cambry in the middle of the night. Or the last time I carried her against my chest in the baby Bjorn. Or the last time I swaddled her. 

I am sure there will still be plenty of times in the years ahead when she will fall asleep in my arms. But since I probably won't know when that last time will be, I want to enjoy it as it comes.

So for this nap I just enjoyed cuddling her and praying over her and thanking God for her. I prayed for her salvation. I prayed for her future husband. For protection from sin. For a joyful spirit and a generous heart. 

Oh my precious girl.

This post is probably super sappy. I blame the pregnancy hormones :)

Houston Moms Blog - Coming Soon!

I am so excited that Houston Moms Blog will be launching soon!! I posted a while back about how I was hoping someone would start the blog and...it is finally happening! A girl named Kelly Davis is starting it up. She is super excited and has some great ideas and I think it will be such an awesome resource. I am thrilled to be one of the contributors, along with a bunch of other lovely ladies that I am looking forward to meeting.

This blog will have all kinds of fun stuff. I am looking forward to learning so much from it. For example, today I just learned from a friend that the skating rink on Dairy Ashford has toddler skate Fridays. Kids 7 and under can skate (or just run around if they are young like Cambry) on the rink for $5 from 10am-noon. They can bring all kinds of push toys (little cars, shopping carts, toy lawn mowers, toy strollers, etc). I joined some friends today and took Cambry and she had fun pushing her little shopping cart around. I feel like that is the kind of thing I would have already known about if we had Houston Moms Blog. I bet there are a million other fun things around town to do that I don't know about. But now we have a place to all share our knowledge!

So go check out the facebook page and like it so you can see all the exciting updates there. There will be fun events in the future, giveaways, reviews of products and local places, and tons of helpful blog posts. And definitely follow the blog once it is launched!