Final Stretch

It's been forever since I've blogged! It's easy to blame our cute little toddler, or the fact that I'm exhausted...but really, I just sometimes feel like I don't have much to say. Our lives have settled into a pretty normal routine, and while there are definitely days that are out of the ordinary, most of the time it's pretty even keeled around here :)

My wonderful friend, Tara of TLohse Photography, did a photo shoot for us recently, and I think the pics turned out really lovely. We wanted to document E's 2nd birthday, my pregnancy, and get some family shots as well. Tara has a gift for capturing people's emotions, and when I look at the work she did for us, all I see is LOVE.

Nothing much to report on the pregnancy; however, after much consideration and prayer we have decided to go ahead and schedule a C-Section for early November. I didn't have Elli via C-Section, so this has been a totally new (and quite overwhelming) experience. There are many extenuating circumstances behind our decision, and we definitely feel like it's the right choice for our family...it's just that the unknown can be kind of scary sometimes.

We're also in the process of house-hunting. Exciting, right?! After extensively looking into the possibility of building, we've decided to switch gears and look for a house that is already complete. I think the process would go much more smoothly if we weren't so darn picky...oh, and if we could wrap our heads around housing prices out here! They are crazy! So, while we've found a few that we're really interested in, I'm not sure we'll be homeowners anytime soon. We'll just have to see what God has in store for us :)

I just can't get over this picture. Truly, I can't. I just love these two. And I can't wait to see our sweet little boy added to that mix of emotions!

My cup runneth over.

Pregnancy Update

So...here are the pics :) I probably should have asked Chris to take them b/c I just look awkward with the camera/phone!! I think I look bigger in week 24, but I guess it's the shirt. Weird!

24 Weeks Pregnant

25 Weeks Pregnant

How far along? 26 weeks!

Total weight gain/loss: 8 lbs

Maternity clothes? Yes, definitely!

Sleep: Pretty good. I've been waking up a lot more lately though.

Best moment this week: Getting the nursery bedding!! So fun :)

Movement: Lots of kicking and moving!

Food cravings: Sugar and Asian Food...weird!

Gender: BOY!!!!!!!! So excited :)

Labor Signs: None

What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach and cold ham sandwiches.

What I am looking forward to this week: Nothing really baby-wise this week.

Weekly Wisdom: I think I need to revisit my previous Tums investment :)

22 Weeks and Counting

This little baby is rockin' and rollin', so I thought I'd give y'all a little update :) I really wish I had a picture of myself...but not enough to go in the bathroom and take one! I'll see what I can do this weekend. Poor 2nd child, we already don't have as many pictures as we did the 1st go 'round!

How far along? 22 weeks...new due date is early November!

Total weight gain/loss: 5 lbs

Maternity clothes? Yep! And I have to share what happened the other day when trying on a bathing suit at Motherhood Maternity! So, I was dreading purchasing said suit (for obvious reasons!), but when I put it on I thought to myself, "wow, my belly doesn't look half bad....but what the heck happened to my legs?!!" Needless to say, I gained a little insight into why my pants have been a little bit tight lately! My 1st baby was all belly...my 2nd seems to want to "spread the wealth" of weight gain a little lower!

Sleep: Still pretty good, thankfully!

Best moment this week: Rocking Elli one night, and feeling the baby kick at the same time. So fun!

Movement: Some kicking, but mostly a rolling feeling.

Food cravings: Sugar!!!

Gender: BOY!!!!!!!! So excited :)

Labor Signs: None

What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach...and a glass of wine sounds really good at the end of a long day!

What I am looking forward to this week: Celebrating the 4th!!

Weekly Wisdom: Elli is going to be the greatest big sister ever!! I can't wait to see my two babies together :)

19 Weeks Down...

Can I just start out by saying that I'm all kinds of screwed up with this pregnancy! I thought I was 20 weeks along (yay 1/2 way!!), and even told a few people that this week. But then I look again (just to be sure), and nope...I'm only 19 weeks preggo as of today. It doesn't help that my due date has been moved back by 8 days (which I'm pretty sure is wrong, but why listen to the mother??!!). It's just thrown me completely off because, well...I'm kind of a planner (oh, hadn't you heard that before?!).

So, here are my pregnancy stats so far!!

How far along? 19 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Zero. I know, sounds bad! But, I lost 7 lbs in the beginning and have now gained it back...so I'm even. Though if you saw me, you'd swear I'm up at least 15 big ones!

Maternity clothes? Oh yeah. Though I was pretty proud of myself for squeezing into a non-maternity shirt today. Side-view might not be so hot, but I went for it anyway :)

Sleep: GREAT...when Elli sleeps through the night!!

Best moment this week: Hearing the heartbeat again. And starting the countdown to find out the gender! T minus 11 days and counting!

Movement: I don't feel much yet...I'll have to go back and see what Elli was doing around this time.

Food cravings: Crunchy Tacos...is that weird?!

Gender: ????

Labor Signs: None.

What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach. It takes me FOREVER to get comfortable now!

What I am looking forward to this week: Nothing baby-wise, but we are hosting a BBQ on Sat., and I'm pretty pumped about that!

Weekly Wisdom: I so miss having a baby-baby in my arms. I'm sooo looking forward to holding our sweet little one :)

Big News :)

A little birdie told me a secret....

I'm going to be a BIG SISTER!!!

So...in case you hadn't heard...we have some very big news in our house :) We are absolutely over-the-moon excited about a new little blessing that will be making his/her appearance in late October!! I CANNOT wait to meet our sweet 2nd child!!

Many of you know about our struggle to get pregnant with Elli. The medication that I took made me a nutcase. Seriously. C-R-A-Z-Y. Night sweats (gross!), mood swings, lots & lots (AND LOTS) of tears, cold spells, & weird cravings. Let's just say it was less than pleasant. So, when we started thinking about having another baby (when Elli was about 6 months old...yes, I'm serious), I was really hoping that I wouldn't have to go through all of that mess again. Well, it didn't work out quite like I had planned (luckily, Someone else already had it all figured out :)

My Dr. prescribed said medication about 2 months before we were scheduled to move, and I'm not going to lie, I worried about taking it every day for 2 solid months. The night before I was supposed to start the meds, Chris & I talked & prayed about it. We decided that it just wasn't a good time, that it would make the move really difficult, and we both felt like there was something pulling at our hearts telling us to wait. So, the next morning came and I didn't take the pill. I cried, but I didn't take it. I beat myself up all morning thinking that I was going to delay everything at least another 6 months (that's how long it would take to get started on the "program" again once we moved), and just really felt sorry for myself. I thought I was in control, that I had a say, that I was the one in charge. The irony of it is that I didn't take the pills because I trusted God the night before...we both did. We were so secure in His plans that we made the decision in faith. Funny how it only took about 8 hours, and the actual "act" of stepping out on that faith to trip me up. Thank you, Jesus, for Your grace in my weakness.

*Fast forward about 16 days*

I took a pregnancy test more to get rid of it (I was in my purging stage of the move) than anything else. In fact, I almost threw the test away before I realized that there was a thin blue line staring back at me! I ran out and got a digital test, one that actually says "pregnant" and took it again. Success!!! PREGNANT was displayed, crystal clear! Tears of joy ran down my face, and I immediately hit my knees.

I am not in control, I have no say, and I am definitely not the one in charge. Thankfully...because I would mess up His perfect plan, without a doubt!!

My sweet girl, waiting on daddy to get home to share the exciting news :)

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you future and a hope."

Jeremiah 29:11

The Stats...

Chris took some pictures of me today since we haven't taken a "belly pic" since I was 22 weeks along. Wow, big difference! And, you know, when I look in the mirror I don't think I look all that big...but holy moly, when I look at these pictures I can hardly believe it! Here are the stats for this week...it's been awhile since I've posted any of these either.

How far along? 38.5 weeks

Total weight gain: 17 lbs

Maternity clothes? Yep, and even those are getting a little snug!

Sleep: Not so much thanks to my hips!

Best moment this week: Hearing Elli's heartbeat again :)

Movement: If her movement now is any indication, we're going to have a wild one on our hands!!

Gender: All girl!

Labor Signs: Some contractions...nothing timeable

Belly Button in or out? In, but barely holding on!

What I miss: A great nights sleep. Oh, I know...I should get used to that!

What I am looking forward to: Her Birth Day!! I can't wait to just kiss her!

Milestones: Finding out that we'll be meeting our sweet baby by Tuesday.

Here's a torso shot...don't I look happy ??!!

And THIS is how I truly feel :)

Movin' On Up!

Sweet Elli's "due date", that is!!

At my OB visit yesterday I was hoping to hear that I was ready to go, and that we could head on down to L&D to check in right then and there!! Ummm, not so much :) He said that things are still lookin' good, but that we hadn't quite made it to "go time" yet. He said that, after reviewing my records, he did think that we'd need to go ahead and get the show on the road a little bit earlier than planned though. So, if I haven't had her by Monday night, our little girl will be born sometime on Tuesday after my induction!

I think when he told me that her new "birth day" would be September 1st, my heart got so excited that my head couldn't really think straight. It wasn't until a few hours later that I realized what it really meant. If you remember, a few blog posts ago I said that Chris and I had decided that we weren't going to induce. We made that decision prayerfully, and we were comforted by the belief that God's timing would always be better than anything that we could plan ourselves. We still feel that way. Though my doctor emphasized to me (numerous times) that this was the best idea for both me & Elli, I couldn't help but feel like I was somehow dictating & directing what was supposed to come naturally. After much prayer, and some very good advice & support from our family & friends, we are finding peace in that this too is in the Lord's grand design...it just might look a little differently than we had imagined. This verse helped calm my anxious heart:

"When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You." Psalms 56:3

I know that no matter when, where, or how our sweet girl makes her debut into this world, it will be absolutely perfect. I'm so looking forward to that day...be it tomorrow or on the 1st!!

Need A List?? I'm Your Girl!!

Well, the blog has changed a little bit, but I'm still contemplating about whether or not I like the new title. I'm afraid I've hit a creative roadblock, and can't come up with anything more exciting than "The Duncan Diaries". I like it, but I don't...I think I'm just indecisive. I'm all ears if anyone has any other suggestions! Oh, and I'll be changing everything up again in a few weeks (hopefully) when Elli arrives because the AWESOME Jen has given me the name of her fab-o blog designer, and I want mine to be cute like hers! I'm waiting til Elli gets here so I'll have some cute-ums pictures to display :)

I tried my absolute hardest to make my own header...FOR HOURS!! I really wanted to make it myself, and I would have been so proud had it actually worked. But alas, I am not the computer goddess that I dream of being, and I finally gave up about the time that thoughts of my computer sailing through my window started sounding like a good solution. So, out-sourcing it is...and no, I'm not ashamed!

Thanks for all of the encouraging posts about Elli's chunk-status (I say that with all the love in the world!). After praying about it, we've decided that unless it is absolutely necessary, we're not going to induce. Check back with me in about a week though because this whole "heel to the rib" thing is really starting to get a little bit old :) We're ready though, emotionally & physically. Well, if you can ever really be ready, I guess. Our bags are packed, the car seat is strapped in the car, the nursery is finished, her bows are organized...I threw in that last one to see if you were really paying attention! At this point I think I'm making myself nuts with stuff that doesn't really need to get done, but fills up my time. There are lots of lists happening...recipe lists, grocery lists, must-have lists, don't forget lists, a list to remind me to look at my lists. You catch my drift?! Can you just see Chris? He's lovin' the fact that his wife has officially gone off the deep end! But, I'm just anxious. Anxious, excited, and oh-so-happy. I just can't wait to meet our daughter...so what if I've gone a little bit crazy??!!

Baby Scoop

I had another Dr's appt today w/ my fab-o OB to find out when Miss Thang might make her grand appearance. The first words out of his mouth when he walked into the room were, "Well, Mrs. Duncan, looks like you're going to have a BIG baby!", after which he proceeded to chuckle quietly. I failed to find as much humor in his comment as he did!!

Let me back up a little bit...

At my appointment last week, he said that I was 1cm dilated, and was 50% effaced. Since I had no idea what that meant, I quickly went home and googled it. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE google?? Anyway, I found that it basically meant nothing...could have a day, could have another 5 weeks. But, since I was only 35 weeks and in no hurry, I just took it as a good sign that things had started happening. He also ordered another ultrasound for me so that he could get a good estimate of how big our sweet girl might be getting...and, of course I was excited to be offered another chance to see her!! So, I went in yesterday and the tech said that our little Elli was weighing in at a healthy 6lbs 11oz. Hmmm, that seemed a little on the large side, but the tech seemed fine w/ it so I just focused on the cute chubby cheeks that were dancing across the screen.

That brings us to today, and the aforementioned comment by my Dr. In all the baby books that I've read, I must have skipped the part about babies gaining 1/2 to 3/4 lbs during the last weeks in the womb. How could I have possibly missed that?? So, let's just say that I go full-term...she could weigh over 9 lbs! I know that plenty of women do it, I was just hoping that I would be staying (a little more comfortably, I might add!!) in the 6-7 lb club. But, I know it's not in my hands, so there is no reason to stress...and, those cheeks are pretty cute...yeah, I should definitely focus on that :)

And, despite my usually very accurate gut instinct, I am still only dilated to 1cm. I could have sworn that she was coming last week...just a lot of changes & fun labor symptoms that I'll spare the details on! It is great to know that she's ready, in position, & obviously pretty healthy, though! I can't really ask for anything more :)

On my mind...

Obviously, with all of the big changes that are coming up in our lives, I have quite a bit on my mind. I thought I'd just post some of my questions/concerns/worries/ideas here for y'all to ponder and perhaps help me out with. Some are silly, some serious...feel free to be as honest as possible, I need all the help that I can get!!

1. Vaccinations. Where do I even begin with this one? Any good book recommendations or suggestions? Are there any pro-vaccine people out there? Con-vaccine people? Just don't really care people?? This has been on my mind frequently lately!

2. Our child's name. Holy moly, how hard can it be to come up with one that we both like??? I'm seriously starting to consider Amy Jr.! (We've already got 3 Amy's in the family, why not add one more?)

3. Sleep Routine Books. "The Baby Whisperer", "Baby Wise", "Parenting for Dummies"? Any suggestions? And if you do have one, can you tell me why you like it?

4. Vinyl Wall Designs/Letters. Yes, I'm thinking about these...A LOT! Do I use them? Do I not? Has anyone seen any cute ones? What do you guys think of the one below? Remember that the room will be Pink/Brown/Green :)

5. Car Seat/Stroller. Why is the ONE car seat/stroller combo that we really like sold out of every store in America? Anyone have a Chicco Keyfit 30 combo in Romantic...if so, I'll pay just about anything for it!

6. Houses. We're still in the midst of our house search, with one promising lead. We have the sweetest lady in the world working on it for us, but I'm still just wanting something to be settled already!

Hmm, I guess that's all for now. Like I said, feel free to give me some honest feedback...I promise you won't hurt my feelings if you think I'm a complete mess for thinking about all this stuff!...I'm fully aware of my mess-ness!

1 Samuel 1:27

When I was a little girl, I would play "house" with all of my girlfriends, and we would all fight over who got to be the "Mama". From as far back as I can remember, I've wanted to be just that....a mother. As I've gotten older, my desire has only grown. I just love everything about children; from their sweet chubby fingers and toes as infants, to the precious way they have of making everyone around them smile as they grow into their own personalities. They are such a light to this world, and I have always dreamed of having one of my own.

Chris & I started talking about having kids right after we got married. Well, let me clarify...I talked, Chris listened :) In his defense, just like every good husband, he wanted to make sure that he could take care of me (a BIG job, let me just say!) before he could even think about bringing another life into this world. Eventually, we got to a point where we felt comfortable and ready to start talking about it seriously.

Well, it didn't happen immediately. In fact, being the drama queen that I am, I thought that it might not happen at all. I saw doctors, had tests run, became frustrated...okay, okay, I got a little obsessed. I thought that this was supposed to be easy. I mean, everyone else seemed to be having babies easily. (Hello post-deployment baby-boom!!) I was so excited for all of my friends, but at the same time, my heart was hurting. That's a horrible thing to admit, but it is my truth. Finally, my Dr. prescribed some medication. The first type didn't have any effect at all, and the 2nd brought with it some VERY not fun side-effects. It was at this point that I gave it all to God. I literally got on my knees and asked Him to take the hurt, frustration, stress, and doubt away from me, and to replace it with fruitfulness of my spirit. If a child was not in the cards for us right then, or ever, I asked that He let my heart be okay with that. It was hard to lay that desire down at His feet, especially for this sometimes overly-controlling girl. But I also prayed that He not let me pick that burden up again...and He didn't.

"Then Jesus said, 'Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest."' Matthew 11:28

At the first of January I had what I thought was a stomach bug. I missed a New Year's Eve party b/c of it, and I was honestly a little annoyed! On a whim, I took a test...you know the one. And can you guess how this story turns out?? It was positive! Tears of joy flooded down my face. I can't even describe what I felt that day, I don't think that my emotions can be put into words. I immediately (yet, sneakily) told Chris, who was equally as excited and overwhelmed with joy! We then set up a web-cam call w/ all 4 sets of our parents to share our news. We wanted to see their faces, and I must say, it was absolutely priceless!

Needless to say, our year has started out on a wonderfully happy note. We are expecting a little one on September 5th, and we are so thankful to have been given this amazing blessing!! Praise God, He is so good!!

"For this child, I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him."

1 Samuel 1:27