Waiting

My never ending to-do list is finally finished.

All the preparations for Cooper's arrival have been made.

So now we sit and

WAIT

I'll admit this part has been difficult for me. I've had a lot of time to think and prepare for our newest addition and I feel completely ready for him to join our family. With Carter, I was much more distracted due to work and not knowing what to expect from a newborn. I was also expecting that he would hold out until his due date (or longer) and he came 8 days early- a total surprise.

I'm 38+ weeks (10 days from my due date) and just 3 days away from my induction date. My last dr appt went well yesterday- I am dilated 2.5 cm and 80% effaced. I was thrilled to find out that my pain has not been in vain! My dr (who isn't fazed by much due to years of experience) was absolutely shocked by how far down Cooper is... I'll spare you the details, but trust me..

he is ready to go!

I'm still holding out hope that I will go into labor on my own this weekend. If not, my induction is schedule for 5 am on Monday morning. Would you pray for us? The last two times I've had to be at a hospital that early were for reasons very different than delivering a healthy baby boy. Please pray for peace and a smooth delivery on all accounts.

Getting Ready...

Our little man will be here before we know it! I am due in less than 3 weeks, but will be induced on Monday, the 15th, if he isn't here before then. Jeremy is supposed to be out of town for work (I know, I know, but it IS the NFL) the 5 days before my due date, so instead of risking him missing the birth ... we decided to schedule an induction a week early. I'm not really excited about the possibility of being induced and am praying Cooper comes before then. I was dilated 1.5-2cm last Wednesday, so we'll see!

Take a look at a few of the special things we have for our sweet boy:

I've been doing a lot of consignment sale shopping these days. Here are some of my favorite finds... Baby Gap, Kissy Kissy (my FAVORITE baby brand), & matching Gymboree vests :)

Possibly my favorite find so far...

a Christmas Kissy Kissy set that I paid $9 for...

Retail Value: $45-55

My sweet sister-in-law made a ridiculous amount of stuff for Cooper...

all of which I am in love with :) Here's a sampling of what she sent:

Fabric book, wipes case, & newborn burp cloths

She also made these matching shirts for my boys. LOVE.

And last but not least, she made this AMAZING quilt complete with chenille, minky dot, & Cooper's name embroidered in the center

I ordered these from etsy. Love love love.

And finally, here's a peek at Cooper's room. The lighting was kind of funny this morning, so I hope to take some better pictures another time of day. It isn't quite finished (missing mostly accessories that can be added later) but it is ready enough to handle a newborn baby!

We are using Carter's old crib, dresser/changing table, & rocker.

I somehow managed to put this room together for less than $150!

{Including paint and supplies}

Seriously.

The bedding and mobile are Pottery Barn Kids via ebay.

The curtains are from Target.

And the letters I made myself ... instead of paying $7-$9 a piece on etsy.

Nearly everything else I had laying around the house. Love that.

Pregnancy Comparison...

This is me (almost) 33 weeks pregnant with Carter:

And this is me (almost) 35 weeks pregnant with Cooper:

30 Weeks

Well, here we are. 30 weeks already? My "Baby Bump" app told me today that we have 68 days to go! Oh my! I'm getting more and more ready to meet this little man, but I am also fill with slight panic thinking of all the things we have left to do before he arrives.

Here's a run down of the latest progressions:

-I still have a decent amount of energy on most days. That being said, I usually collapse into bed each night.. utterly exhausted from the demands of pregnancy combined with taking care of the world's most active 2 year old :)

-Varicose veins. I didn't have these little boogers last time I was pregnant and not only are they unattractive, but they hurt.. a lot! I have a really bad vein on the back of my left thigh... it's twisted and bulging... and causes a lot of discomfort. Poor Jeremy has had to examine more times than he's cared to, but he never complains.

-As I've entered my 3rd trimester, my appetite has tapered off some. Really this means that I'm no longer eating like a starved animal, but just a normal, growing pregnant woman :) I'm hoping my weight gain reflects this change and also starts to taper off. As with Carter, I gained a huge chunk of weight in the 2nd trimester.

-We've been talking to Carter about having a baby brother and I think he understands the best that he can. He regularly lifts my shirt up and says that he needs to "wuv baby Coop." And last weekend, he brought some lotion over to me, lifted my shirt up, and said, "Baby Coop needs wotion." He's also fascinated with babies whenever we see them out in public or in the neighborhood. The other night he ran up to a family taking a walk and proceeded to hug and "wuv" the baby girl in the stroller. This makes me hopeful that he will love and adore his baby brother.

However, I also know how I acted as a 2 1/2 year old when my sister, Ashley, came along... and Carter is very much like me in some of those ways. I LOVED my sister, but was very jealous of the time and attention that she took away from me. Carter, like me, is already very demanding of my attention and I fully expect him to exhibit signs of jealously. He likes to be the center of attention (particularly around family) and baby Cooper may interrupt that just a bit. I am SO thankful we have so much family close by. Family that will dote on Carter and continue to make him feel special during this time.

-Most of all, we are continuing to pray for a healthy baby boy. I am praying for a smooth delivery and that God would continue to ordain each step of the way. Thanks for walking along side us on this journey.

-I hope to post some updated pictures soon! My phone is overflowing with random snapshots of our life :)

26 Weeks

Tomorrow I will be 26 weeks pregnant! It's so hard to believe that I'm almost to my 3rd trimester! Where does the time go?! {Never mind, I know the answer to that... it's a cute 2 year old named Carter... who also happens to be extremely demanding of his mommy's time.} As you can tell by the picture above (sorry about the poor quality again.. blame it on the ipod touch), baby Cooper has grown a lot over the past month!! Here are some of the highlights:

-I'm still feeling really good on most days and haven't yet hit the "I feel HUGE" point of pregnancy ... YET.

-I'm thankful that (for the most part) the heat has held off in TN. I'm not really looking forward to being huge and hot :)

-I am still trying to workout 3-4 times per week. My parents have a treadmill at their house, so I'm making good use of it these days. It works out nicely because I can go in the afternoons while Carter enjoys some playtime at Bella's! I'm also going to the gym when I can at night.

-I haven't had any real "cravings" other than food in general :) It seems that I'm always hungry and have the appetite of a horse, but unfortunately, not the room to hold it all. I've found that eating several small meals a day is better than indulging all at once.

-We've picked out a paint color for the nursery called Pistachio Ice Cream. I'm REALLY hoping it looks good because I've had a rough time finding a green color that isn't mint, sage, or yellow-green. We'll see :) Cooper's bedding is ready to go. It's called Farm Patch by Pottery Barn Kids. I love it and am currently on the hunt for some art prints to match! There is still lots to be done on the nursery, but I'm slowly making progress in transitioning it from a guest bedroom. Pics to come!

-Overall, I've been more relaxed with this pregnancy than I was with Carter. I think it has a lot to do with God's grace and mercy in calming my anxiety, but it also helps that having another boy requires a lot less preparation than it did the first time around. Thanks for your continue prayers!

It's a . . .

BOY!

We are THRILLED to announce that Carter is going to have a little brother!

We had our big ultrasound on Monday and everything looks great. We prayed for a healthy baby, no matter what the sex, and by the looks of everything-baby boy is just that. His heart rate was 142 and though he was cooperative in showing us that he is all boy (see picture below) ... he was rather shy for the rest of the ultrasound. He would squirm away from the camera, hide his face with his hands, and pull up his knees. Precious.

Here are a couple of the pictures ... they aren't quite as clear as the ones we got with Carter, but still amazing:

We have decided on the name, COOPER, but have not yet chosen a middle name. I pretty much think Carter and Cooper make the cutest brother names I've ever heard!

I've started on his nursery and am excited about pulling it all together. I scored some adorable Pottery Barn Kids bedding on ebay (for a STEAL)... I just hope I love it as much in person as I did online!

Thanks for your continued prayers for this little one.

16 Weeks

I've heard that your second pregnancy goes by much faster than your first- and boy is that the truth! I can't believe we're already at 16 weeks! Here are some of the highlights:

-I'm feeling pretty good most days. Still tired, but I've decided that this might be my permanent state of existence for the next, oh, 20 years or so :) In order to not feel weak or nauseous, I have to keep something in my stomach at all times. I've also struggled a bit with headaches (something I never had with Carter), but they seem to be getting better.

-I am trying to exercise (at the gym) 3+ times a week, as I did during my pregnancy with Carter. I usually use the elliptical or treadmill and try to do some light weights as well. As much as I would love to be lounging on the couch during this time, going to the gym was one of the best things I did during my last pregnancy so I'm determined to continue it this time around. It helps me manage my weight gain, gives me more energy, and provides some much needed "alone" time for mommy.

-We are really excited to find out the sex of this baby at our next doctor's appointment! I'm thinking it is probably a boy, but I'm not completely sure. I had a dream last night that we were having a girl, so we'll see. We're really just praying for a healthy baby on all accounts.

-And here are some of the weekly pictures we've taken (excuse the poor iPod Touch camera quality):

11 Weeks

12 Weeks

14 Weeks

15 Weeks

-And now, if you will allow me a few moments to rant about a huge pregnancy pet peeve...

I absolutely cannot stand when people complain constantly about being pregnant. I don't care how many times you threw up, what you threw up, or how much you hate being pregnant... and I'm not sure why people think that all of their facebook or blogging friends would care either! I think I feel this way for two reasons:

a) As someone who has suffered two pregnancy losses, I'm very aware of the fact that thousands of women would LOVE to be pregnant, not to mention being pregnant with a healthy baby.

b) As someone who is also completely phobic {and that's not an exaggeration} of throwing up, it only gives me reason to worry that my pregnancies will turn out the same way. I have enough things to worry about... I don't need all of other people's problems, complaints, or ailments added to the list.

I'll stop now before I say too much. But I will finish by admitting that I am a "complainer" by nature. Maybe it bothers me so much to hear other people complain because it's something I don't like within myself. I don't ever want to be ungrateful for the miracle growing inside me. Just a thought.

Oh, Baby Baby

Yes, it's true... today I am 12 weeks pregnant! Carter's brother or sister is due to arrive this August and we are very excited! Here's an update on this pregnancy so far:

- This picture was taken at 10 weeks

-In many ways, I have physically felt the same way that I did when I was pregnant with Carter. My first trimester symptoms have included exhaustion, nausea, moodiness (like PMSing on steroids), oh and did I mention the nausea?! However, this time around they have seemed more prevalent than before. When I was pregnant with Carter, I was working full time and "mentally occupied" for most of the day. These days I am busy chasing around a 2 year old, which gives me a little more "freedom" to think about how yucky I feel. Does that make sense?

-We've had a doctor's appointment at 6 weeks, an ultrasound at 8 weeks, and another appointment at 10 weeks. All is well!

-Something I struggled greatly with during my first trimester with Carter was worry. This pregnancy has been no different- and in some ways, worse. As you probably know by now, our first two pregnancies ended in miscarriages. By the time I got pregnant with Carter (pregnancy #3), I was utterly terrified and yet so weak in my fear that I had no choice but to relinquish everything to God. As Creator of the child inside my womb, only HE can take life. Nothing was out of His plan. Because of what we had been through, Carter's birth was nothing short of a miracle to me. I felt as though God had truly blessed us in the most unbelievable way- and I still feel that way every time I look at my son. I love him more than life itself.

For whatever reason, it has been really hard for me to believe that God would bless us with another miracle. I have been guarded in my excitement over this pregnancy out of sheer fear that my excitement will somehow "jinx" the pregnancy into absolute devastation. I realize how ridiculous that sounds and am probably being too transparent in the shallowness of my faith. In my heart of hearts, I know God is in control. I know that... but why don't I live that way? I am praying for this child, just as I did for Carter. I know God is working in me- and once again bringing me to a place of complete dependence on Him. And for that I am thankful.

Your prayers are appreciated. More updates to come!