Big Sister in Training

Ella Grace is going to be such an awesome big sister! Today I decided to make a "practice Emmy" so Ella could get an idea of what she will look like/be like when she comes home. With Ella's hospital cap and a pink swaddle blanket, we created the perfect baby. {Minus the crying, moving, and dirty diapers of course.} :)

I was seriously amazed at how well Ella took to her. She immediately grabbed her and held her close while whispering, "don't cry, sweet baby" in her ear. Y'all, it was so stinkin' cute!!! Now, being a doll made her a lot less threatening I'm sure, but still. ;)

Then the real fun began. Ella was in full big sister mode for the rest of the afternoon...

This makes me smile. Can't wait to see how she does with the "real deal" in a week!!! We are ready for you sweet Emerson!

Lately...

Well, blogging has definitely taken a back seat here lately! With the rain and little miss Ella feeling under the weather we have not been up to very much. With that said, we have still had plenty to do, but they were just not that "blog worthy". :) There have been a few things that I would like to post, but have not been able to catch them on video. {E is obsessed with looking at the video screen!} So, here are some future postings in the works and also things I don't want to forget...

*Ella Grace has learned to count to 10 (and sometimes 11 and 12)
*She can recognize and say the letters of the alphabet when looking at them

***More updates to come in her 18 month post in a few days. :)
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I did start MOPS at my church last week and it is so much fun! It gives me the chance to connect with other Christian moms twice a month and enjoy great conversation, food, and friendship. Ella has a great time too! Here are a few pictures I took of her before we left the other morning. She is usually WAY too busy to stop and look at the camera, so action shots it is!






Zach went dove hunting for 3 days last week, so when Friday rolled around we were ready for him to be home! We were excited to spend some family time together for sure. Since the weather was suppose to be gloomy all weekend, on Saturday we decided to make a trip to Central Market to pick up fresh ingredients for white bean chicken chili. CM has the best produce so we knew it would be delicious! We noticed that Ella was not acting like her normal upbeat self on the ride back, and when we got home found that she had a fever. Poor thing is still running a fever off and on, but isn't showing ANY other signs of being sick. No runny nose, tummy ache, etc. She has been a little more fussy than normal though and very clingy, so we have had plenty of cuddle time (in our jammies!) the past few days. Selfishly, I love it...not that she is not feeling well, but that she wants to snuggle with me. :)

Here she is with our favorite pink blanket watching Elmo.


Other than that, we are still rocking along! Miss Emerson is growing and beginning to move a lot more in the past week. I absolutely LOVE feeling the little thuds inside! I go to the dr. again next week, but for now the only thing I have to report is that she is now the length of a banana. :)

***Oh! If you remember when I was pregnant with Ella, my OB was also pregnant and due about a week ahead of me. She ended up delivering 3 days before me, so I had another dr. actually deliver Ella. Well, this time around we joked with her about not getting pregnant so she could deliver Emmy, and come to find out she is pregnant again! This time she is a month behind me, so she should be able to be in the OR this time. :) I love that she is always prego the same time as me though because we get to share stories and feelings that we are going through at that exact moment. Who knows, maybe she will have another boy and we could arrange a couple of marriages??? Ha!

Hope you are all having a great week!

20 Weeks = Cantaloupe

Miss Emerson is growing fast, and I have started to feel movement. :) Not a ton, but enough to know that she is there!

19 Weeks

Sweet baby #2 is the size of a mango at 19 weeks!

Emerson's First Gift

Today we received a sweet surprise from the Howrys for little Miss Emerson Lane. It was in the cutest box, and I couldn't wait to see what was inside! I was excited to open it and find the most adorable winter hat with fluffy pink tulle on the top. I cannot wait to try it on her pretty little head in January...she will definitely need it then! This girl isn't even here yet, but she is loved more than she knows! Thank you so much Howry Fam...we LOVE it!!!

Thank Heaven For...

Little GIRLS!!!




We found out today that Ella Grace is going to be the proud big sister to a sweet baby girl! The sonographer said that everything looked wonderful and she is measuring right on track for her January 26th due date. (I will have another c-section though, so it will be before that!)
I do believe we have also decided on a name...Emerson Lane. (Lane is Zach's middle name)
Little miss weighs a whopping 9 ounces and looks to be as healthy as can be!

I grew up with two sisters and there is nothing else like it. I can't wait to see the bond that these two girlies will share and all the things that they will have in common. Knowing how close my sisters and I are makes me so happy to know that Ella will have that same special sisterly love for the rest of her life.

We can't wait to meet our precious Emmy!!!

18 Weeks = THE Week!

Woohoo! The week has finally arrived where we will get to find out if Baby C #2 is a boy or a girl! Friday cannot come fast enough. We think we have narrowed the names down to a few so hopefully we will be calling him/her by name soon. {Of course if we can actually agree on the few that we have chosen!} Check back on Friday afternoon for the big "reveal". :)

Our little "sweet potato"...

17 Weeks

One more week until we find out the sex of our onion! :)

I am counting down the days until next Friday! We get to see our precious baby again and find out what to call him or her. :) Yay!!!

16 Weeks

I just love these fun comparisons for the growth of Baby C #2! At 16 weeks we have grown to be the size of an avocado. Still waiting to feel that movement, even though I think I might be feeling flutters here and there. :)

15 Weeks and Bye Bye Paci - Day 2

***Update at the bottom...

Wow! I cannot believe 15 weeks has come and gone so quickly. I cannot wait for a few more weeks to pass so I can feel him/her moving around. Love that! Also, we get to find out the sex of baby #2 on August 28...a little over 3 weeks away. Woohoo!

This week our little one has grown to be the size {length} of an...
Orange. :)


I also wanted to update on how Ella Grace has handled being without her paci...She slept through the night last night and woke up at her normal time this morning. She was very upbeat and happy until her morning nap time rolled around. About that time she started asking for her paci, so I put her in her bed without it to see what would happen. She didn't scream or cry, but she was jabbering away and kept saying, "want up". SO...I am thinking this will be the beginning of the end of her morning nap. { Hopefully this means a longer afternoon nap though! :)}
With that said, I put her down after lunch at around 12:45, and I could hear her playing in her bed for about 15 minutes, then SHE WAS OUT!!! Not one time did she cry or even ask for paci. Yay!!! I feel so encouraged by this and can only hope she has lost interest this fast. We shall see how tonight goes!

Thanks to all my momma friends for their advice and for checking in on us throughout this process. :) You girls ROCK!

***Update: Ella went down tonight with NO issues! She didn't ask for the paci at all and didn't even want to be rocked very long. She was ready for bed. :) Woohoo!

Elmo's World, Baby Update, and Crazy Monkey

Well, I got Ella on camera this morning singing Elmo's World. I use the term "singing" very loosely though. :) More like filling in words, but I still think it's cute!

***Please ignore my crazy morning voice! :)

Update on Baby #2...Our dr. appointment went very well on Wednesday. We were able to see our sweet baby #2 again and he/she was flipping around like nobodies business. Along with that we saw it sucking its thumb and stretching out several times. It is truly amazing that all of that is going on and I can't feel a thing! Our dr. also tried to see if she could determine the sex , and we have a guess, but at 14 weeks we are not banking on anything. Especially since Ella was supposedly a boy at 16 weeks. :) Here are a few sonogram pictures showing the face and tummy:

Ella news...(This is mainly for me to record so that Ella can look back and see just what kinds of things she was up to when she was little.)

Yesterday while I was in the restroom for all of 30 seconds I noticed that Ella was pretty quiet. As I walked out I heard the clinking of our candy jar lid and knew something was up. {A little back story before I go on...I had to move the candy jar from the coffee table to the bar and then to the dining table so Ella could not see it, or get to it, or so I thought.} Anyway, walked into the dining room to find my little monkey ON TOP of the table helping herself to some m&m's!!! She had climbed up into the chair and then onto the table in a matter of seconds. Once I saw that she was okay I had to laugh {nervously, of course} at the serious face she had because she just wanted some candy. She got it alright!

Looking forward to a very busy weekend! Tonight is our get together with our sunday school class, tomorrow night we are cooking fish {from Gulf Shores} for our family, and Sunday is the circus! We are so excited to take Ella to the circus to see all the animals. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

14 Weeks

I am officially 14 weeks, and we have an appointment today to check out our...

LEMON. :)

Our Little Peach

Well, today marks 13 weeks...officially out of the first trimester! (Or close to it...depends on what you read) This pregnancy seems to be going fast. Maybe it's because I don't have as much time to sit around and think about it as much as I did with Ella. This time around I am chasing a 16 month old and staying busy with summer activities. Doesn't mean I don't already love our "little peach" to pieces though! According to The Bump, that's about the size he/she is now.

Ella has been obsessed with her baby dolls lately. She carries them around the house with her everywhere she goes. She even has to have them in her bed at night. If we forget, she is quick to say, "Want babies", as we put her down. I love that she adores her dolls. Every morning I hear her on the monitor talking and saying "goo" to them. :) When we walk in her room, she immediately holds them up and says, "Awwww, see baby", and gives them a hug. Sure hope she has this warm and fuzzy feeling for her new brother or sister!

Randomness

Ella has found some new loves this summer:

1. Kiwi


2. Sonic ice...just like her mommy!



3. Popsicles


4. Ketchup


5. And finally, Food...wait, she has always loved this, but she has seriously become a little piggy! I have to get a lock to put on our pantry door handle because she is always in there bringing me food. She will say, "Want this!" as she hands it to me. Most of the time it is right after I take her out of her highchair!!! Little stinker.


These next few show the many faces of Ella being a little ham (while eating I might add).
She cracks herself {and me} up constantly.





As for Baby #2, he/she is growing nicely. I am now 12 weeks along, and the bump has started to make its debut! A lot earlier than with Ella, but I guess the second one will do that to you. :) We have our next appointment on the 29th, and I am hoping to maybe get a guess as to what this little one might be. It's probably way too early, but it can't hurt to ask! Whatever it may be, it is the size of a plum now. Isn't that a cute comparison? I found a website that shows the size of the baby each week in fruit...Love it!

We have had a fun girls day today. Ella and I had a lunch date together at Chick-fil-A, and she was absolutely perfect! It always makes me a little nervous when I venture out to a restaurant on my own. She ate well, laughed and waved at people, and made great conversation with me. Seriously, we talked the whole time. She named all of her fruit as she ate it, pointed out the balloons, lights, babies, and cows that she saw. I am loving this stage that she is in right now! Then we shopped a little. I found two baby gifts, plus I bought Ella's Christmas dress for this year. Yes, I said Christmas. I got a great deal on the cutest smocked dress, and I could not pass it up. {Thinking about going back for the Thanksgiving one too!}
I feel good about my 6 month in advance purchase. :)

Today we also won tickets to go see The Wiggles live at Nokia theater. My nephews and niece have been to many of their shows, and they love those silly guys. E is going to be mesmerized by all the sights and sounds. {hopefully!} I am so excited to take Ella to her first show. Zach, not so much. He hates the Wiggles...they annoy him to pieces! I guess he was exposed to them way too early with all the kids in the fam. Ha!