Hard to believe we're in the final stretch with our newest little miracle!

28 Weeks - Third Trimester (June 27)
The final trimester! It actually doesn't feel like this pregnancy has gone any faster than Aiden's, but I'm definitely more preoccupied. I'm no longer counting the minutes until my due date. Just taking it day by day and soaking in these last precious days with my little Aidy Grace.

We have decided on a boy name! This has been quite the adventure, since we both feel like we "settled" on Aiden's name. However, it's also a relief knowing that the name doesn't really matter because even though we didn't love her name, she is such an Aiden Grace now! We've been specifically praying for God to give us names, because - to be honest - the process was just getting annoying. So here it is... Ezekiel "Zeke"

We both loved the name Zeke, but Adam wouldn't agree to just Zeke - he wanted Ezekiel. I was like "uh, NO" so we kind of took that name off the table. But, because that's the way He works, God put the name back on my heart and I've spent some time reading a specific story from Ezekiel in the Bible. It's one of Adam's favorites - Valley of the Dry Bones - and I've really come to love it, as well (who doesn't after reading it??).

29 Weeks - Happy Birthday, America! (July 4)
I got a call from my OB on Wednesday saying I failed my one hour glucose test. I was pretty shocked! I never had to deal with that when I pregnant with Aiden. Went in for my three hour glucose test on Thursday and I have to say, I was nervous. Thank you Jesus, I got the call Friday that I passed! Hooray!

32 Weeks - Two Months Out! (July 25)
Still no girl name. Not as uncomfortable as the past few weeks, I think maybe s/he dropped a little bit (thanks, kid!). Very surreal to think we'll be welcoming a new babe in two months! Trying to soak up every.single.minute as a family of three. Adam finished painting the nursery and we moved the furniture in there. Now it's time to decorate!

35 Weeks - Coming Up Quick (August 15)
Our favorite little gymnast is running out of room, but somehow still managing to make my stomach look like an alien is about to burst out. I can almost fully grab his/her little hand or foot when it sticks out. It's pretty crazy! Aiden was pretty chill compared to this babe. Nursery is probably as close to done as it's going to be, unless I get a kick of inspiration or nesting in the next few weeks. Trying to continue walking, but it's just.so.hot. Still no girl name! Experiencing Braxton Hicks and pelvic pain (yay, end of pregnancy discomforts!). Excited to meet this little nugget, but also enjoying these last weeks before his/her debut.

37 Weeks - No More Events! (August 29)
I had my last big event before the babe on Sunday - Give Me Five. I can't believe I was able to be on my feet for 12 hours and not go into labor! All in all, I felt pretty great the whole day. Monday was a different story - I was so sore all over and beyond exhausted. Last night I was in bed by 7:15pm and I feel like a new woman today. Hard to believe this babe will be here in a matter of weeks!

38 Weeks - Zero Patience (September 5)
I am so ready for this baby to be here! I thought this annoying unknown part at the end wouldn't really both me with the second one. I WAS WRONG. Could you just give me like a three day window, babe? I think it's mostly frustrating because I've been having contractions for a couple weeks now. Hoping my water breaks with this one so I can at least know it's go time. Trying to rest in God's perfect plan and timing. Sigh.

We have a girl name! Emerson Charlotte. Emerson is a fun name we both liked, meaning "brave". Charlotte is after my Mamabear who went to be with Jesus at the end of July.

39 Weeks - See You Soon (September 12)
No baby, but I (think?) I've calmed down a little bit with the anxiousness. Every moment I spend with Aiden I look at her and think "everything is about to change". Makes me want to cry happy AND sad tears at the same time! This baby drops and jumps so much - one minute s/he is in my ribs, the next I'm confident s/he is going to fall right out. Gross Update (but so is having a baby): lost some of my mucus plug last Wednesday and Thursday, so we figured baby would be coming over the weekend. Then we thought baby would come yesterday with the barometric pressure drop (Thanks, Hurricane Irma). WE WERE WRONG. I've also been diffusing clary sage oil (and maybe covering my body with it) for the past week. Nada. The wait continues.

Differences this pregnancy
-I got a lot bigger a lot faster! Definitely more stretch marks this time around.
-Prenatal yoga has really made a difference in my comfort - I feel like I'm able to breathe again.
-Overall, I've been a LOT more uncomfortable this pregnancy. I'm sure it has nothing to do with raising a toddler while simultaneously growing a human.
-I was pretty religious about walking when I was pregnant with Aiden and went to the gym (to walk) almost daily. With a toddler, no gym membership and the heat of the summer - I really haven't been able to walk nearly as much as I would like. I think that's been a big factor in me being uncomfortable.
-This baby kicks a lot harder and more often than Aiden did. I feel like I'm growing an octopus alien.
-Lots of early labor signs the last month. Contractions, mucus plug lost earlier, etc.

Final Guess - Boy or Girl?
Before the big day, it's time to make note of what we think this little lamb is! First things first, it has been so fun not knowing! I think we'll totally go this route with any future kid(s), too. But ask me again then. :)

I think it's a boy, for sure! Which kind of makes me think it's a girl (if that makes sense?). Almost everyone has guessed that it's a boy, but I wonder if that's just because we already have a girl? I'm pretty sure Kalyn is the only one who thinks it's a girl! My mom has sworn up and down it's a boy since the day we told her we were pregnant. She's even bought boy clothes already.

On one hand, a boy would be so fun because we already have a girl and - let's be honest - of course Adam wants a boy! On the other hand, I always wanted a sister and would love to have two girls so close in age - built in besties! Overall, I truly don't care. I know God has had this child handpicked for us since the beginning of time, and what an honor to be trusted to raise another one of his precious children! The absolute privilege of my life.

I get goosebumps thinking of the moment when we finally meet this babe and find out! I'm so excited!!

Baby #2 Updates

In typical second child fashion, I haven't been keeping track of hardly anything! Sorry, baby!

15 Weeks and Feeling Great! (March 28)
I would say my nausea completely stopped last week, but I had continually been feeling better since about week 11 or 12. Much better than with Aiden! I still have random rough moments (and still get carsick), but overall I'm feeling awesome! So awesome that I often forget I'm pregnant. I almost poured myself a glass of wine at my mom's house the other day!

By the way, they're right - that second one pops a lot faster! My pants haven't fit for a few weeks now.

Maggie got me this amazing pregnancy journal/devotional, Waiting in Wonder. It's a great way to get my morning's started - I really love it!

I'm starting to feel the little one flutter every now and then, which is exciting!

18 Weeks - The News is Out! (April 18)
Chris "Ludacris" Bridges was the Honorary Chair at this year's Taste of the Nation, so I took it upon myself to thoroughly creep him out so he could be part of our official announcement. Seriously, how cool is this?!

19 Weeks - Cruisin' (April 25)
Headed out on our long-awaited week long family cruise on April 22. I hung out on the boat the whole time (thanks a lot, Zika), but it was a great trip!!

Baby is really moving and grooving in there - I've felt the little pipsqueak a few times from outside my belly, and Adam thinks he has, too! Makes it seem so much more real.

20 Weeks - Don't Assume My Gender! (May 2)
Holy cow, halfway already! We went in for our anatomy scan on Thursday, May 4 and successfully didn't find out if our little babe is a boy or girl! It was a fun experience! The ultrasound tech told us to look away when she "went between the legs" and after I asked if she knew what we were having and she said, "I do!" Kind of weird that someone knows and not us. And most importantly, baby looks great and is measuring right on time! (Actually, his/her head is measuring like 2 days behind the rest of its body, so maybe that means this ones noggin won't be in the 98th percentile and easier to push out - cough AIDEN cough. The midwife thought that was a funny way to look at it.)

Sucking his/her little hand!

21 Weeks - Moving and Grooving (May 9)
Adam for real felt the little one move the night before Mother's Day (May 13)! Even though my placenta is in front again, I definitely started feeling this little one sooner and much more frequently. Celebrated my last (and second) Mother's Day with only one babe earth side!

24 Weeks - Feeling Huge (May 30)
How in the world am I supposed to fit 16 more weeks in this belly? Already feeling huge, but making it a priority to walk 20-30 minutes a day (read: making it a priority does not equal success). I also started doing these 10 minute prenatal yoga videos very night and I LOVE it. I feel very relaxed afterwards.

Baby #2

Blogged in January and February

I'm pregnant! Still can't believe it. Holy cow. While this baby wasn't as shocking as Aiden, it was still a funny surprise. God works in amazing, perfect ways and we are thrilled!

I just knew I was pregnant, so decided to take a test five days before my missed period (I sound like a pregnancy test commercial!). As if that wasn't a bizarre enough idea, I also decided to take the test on Friday morning (January 6)... Adam had left Thursday night for Arizona and didn't get home until Monday night. Which means Aiden and I had to hang on to this secret all weekend long! Anywho, I took the test and went about my business, then I poked my head in the bathroom and saw it was positive. I didn't even go look up close, I just laughed and shook my head, then went to go get Aiden from her room and told her she was going to be a big sister! (THAT is what's making my head explode. I cannot believe my baby girl is going to be a big sister!)

I decided to get Aiden a Big Sister shirt to surprise Adam with the news when he (finallllllly) got home. I even put a sweatshirt over it, just in case his family decided to come in when they dropped him off from the airport. I had him take off her sweatshirt and he did not notice. He spent a solid ten minutes just playing with Aiden (they were having the best time!) while I finished dinner. Finally, they came in the kitchen and I said, "Aiden, do you think daddy is ever going to read your shirt?" He saw it and lost his mind. I wish I could bottle up Adam's reaction when I tell him I'm pregnant. Both times it has been absolute, pure joy. It was so exciting to see him get excited and definitely made it feel more real!

Overall, I feel great! Just crampy and tired. Morning sickness kicked in right at week six last time, so I'm praying for a much smoother first trimester this time around. I want to be able to soak in every last moment with Aiden as an only child. (I'm really kind of having a hard time with this. I can't believe she will never remember how it was just her and how she completely changed our lives. Motherhood. Sigh.)

UPDATE
Morning All day sickness reared its ugly head at week six (same with Aiden). I decided to not go the Diclegis route this time and try some more natural options. Unfortunately, nothing really works (and it's real tough being sick, working, moving and taking care of a toddler), but I have definitely found some things that help! Eating crackers before I get out of bed, eating protein first thing in the morning and Sea Bands! Seriously, the Sea Bands have been so great.

We had our first appointment at 8 weeks and our little nugget looked perfect! Heart rate was 177 BPM (at 7 weeks, Aiden's was 139 BPM). When we went in with Aiden, I thought I was 8 weeks 1 day, but I actually measured 7 weeks so they pushed my due date back a week. This time, I went in at 8 weeks and I measured 8 weeks 6 days, but they wouldn't change my due date. Boo. Maybe that means this babe will actually be on time?? Due date is September 19 - the day before Jude's 3rd birthday!

This pregnancy already seems to have already gone by so much faster than the first pregnancy. I can't imagine why? It's not like there's anything else fighting for my attention. :) Oh, and we're not going to find out if it's a boy or a girl! Eeeeek!

My baby truth

Ok, I feel like I need to clear something up about having a baby - or at least my experience. Leading up to the birth, everything you hear is about this instant love. How your heart feels like it's going to burst into a billion pieces the moment you lay eyes on your babe. After 48 hours of labor and 1.5 hours of pushing, "love" isn't exactly the word I would use to describe those first feelings. I like using the word "surreal". That's what it felt like to me. I could not believe this beautiful baby had just come out of me. I could not believe that after 9 long months of waiting, she was here. I could not believe I was finally meeting my daughter and seeing her for the first time. I remember staring at her and just thinking "WOW, hi!" Stunned is another word I would use to describe it. It's just so foreign. There is nothing you can do to prep yourself for the moment you meet your child, and sometimes when I looked back I felt like a failure for not feeling that instant love right away. Then I started reading blogs about women who felt the same way. I think this is probably a totally common way to feel, but society today makes us feel like we MUST feel this love IMMEDIATELY or we're just the worst humans, ever. I read something recently that I loved..."The life you see here on social media isn't reality, it's everyone's highlight reel." Now that is some TRUTH, people.

The announcement I put on social media even said something about "we're so in love" - because that's just what everyone says after they have a baby. (Let me look up exactly what I said.... "We are so in love and totally in awe of God's miracles.") I'm pretty sure I crafted the caption before she was even born (oh my gosh, I'm so embarrassing). We immediately were (and still are) totally in awe of God for creating this perfect little human, but "so in love" was stretching it when we were only a few hours in. I'm going to rewrite it now....

"We are in a foggy state of surrealness that we created this baby, waited 9 months for her, and pushed her into this world (after going through quite a lengthy and painful labor). We need a couple days to catch our breath and soak her in. We'll be back with a verdict soon. In the meantime, here's a picture. Also, God is so real. That's apparent by looking at our daughter who is here and breathing and crying and perfect. WHAT'S GOING ON??"

Now, in the hours/days/weeks/months since her birth I have experienced that overwhelming love. It truly is overwhelming and indescribable, and I don't understand how my love for her grows exponentially every single day. There are no words to describe the love a parent feels for their child. I tell Adam all the time that I'm nervous about (God willing) having more kids. HOW in the world is there room in my heart for anyone else?? But I hear this too is a totally normal thought, and apparently it happens because there are lots of second, third, fourth children in this world. You guysssss, I really don't know how hearts handle this!

People ask me all the time "What's the most surprising thing about being a mom?" I love this question (and I think it's a great one!). I always have the same answer... I always heard about how tired I'll be and how I won't get any sleep for the rest of my life. I didn't hear about how when I'm up in the middle of the night feeding/snuggling my sweet baby, I just stare down at her and feel so much love and pride that it hurts. All she wants is to be close to me (or her daddy). She is 100% dependent on us, and we gladly answer that call. Don't get me wrong, there are nights when I am thisclose to losing it and I hand her off to Adam or have to put her in her crib and sit on my bed to collect my sanity. But for the most part, it's just love. (Disclaimer: I really don't know how single moms do it. I know they somehow do, and they are my new heroes. Being a parent is HARD with an amazing support system - I can't imagine doing this without one.)

Anyway, that's my story about how that real love grew (very, very fast!), but certainly wasn't immediate. I know I'm not alone in this.

Here's a picture of the source of that love. I could seriously EAT her. (Apparently that's a totally normal thought to have, too.)

Aiden: One Month!

I can't believe Aiden is one month old! On one hand, it feels like she just got here yesterday. On the other hand, it feels like she's been here forever. (This is probably the most cliche statement for all new moms, but I finally understand it.)

I have my moments where I get sad about her growing up. For example... packing away my maternity clothes, packing away her newborn clothes, driving past the hospital where she was born (we were so ready to get out of there, but sometimes I wish we were back and she was still itty bitty!). For the most part, I'm just excited about every day with her!

Some highlights of month one:

• Well, everything! We went from nothing to a full blown human over night, so it's all new to us.
• She found my hair and likes to get a good grip on it.
• She keeps her fists closed most of the time (like most babies her age), and Adam has started calling them "armpit hands". They are smellllllly.
• She's starting to understand that her arms are attached to her, and likes to touch our faces. It's all really cute until she accidentally punches you in the face in the middle of the night. (That's one way to wake me up!)
• She's been giving us "sleepy smiles" for awhile, but in the last couple days we've gotten some smiles with eye contact! Melt my heart.
• She's becoming more vocal, and not in the crying way (thank goodness). Her little coos are possibly the cutest sounds, ever.
• People still comment on how long her fingers and toes are. Fun fact, my mom was reading my baby book and she said those were their "first thoughts" when I was born. 
• She sleeps in our bed, but will take a few (short) naps in her crib every once in awhile. She hates her bassinet, so that's basically turned into next-to-bed storage.
• She's been wide-eyed and alert since the moment she was born, and continues to be that way! She likes to open her eyes really wide - my mom said I did the same thing as a baby.
• She's pretty good at holding her head up when you have her on your shoulder. 
• She burps and farts like an old man. Seriously, they could wake up the neighbors. 
• She hates to be swaddled and loves to stretch out.
• She's starting to lose her hair and has the cutest combover, ever.
• She's officially out of her newborn clothes, except for a few onesies that I still force on her. Adam kept making fun of me for trying to keep her in newborn pants... "Her pants are now capris!"
• We still can't decide who she looks like! She looked just like her daddy when she was born, but now we get mixed reviews. 
• She loves music - it's one of the surefire ways to get her to calm down. Specifically the Contemporary Christian channel on Pandora.
• Breastfeeding has been a great experience. She latched on right after she was born and has continued to do awesome! I just started pumping once a day last week, and am still figuring out that schedule.
• I think she's going to be a tummy sleeper. She sleeps the best (and longest) when she's on her tummy. I know we're supposed to put her to sleep on her back, but she's been able to roll onto her side since day one and it stressed me out that she would fall on her face and suffocate. Turns out she just really wanted to be on her tummy!
• She has her good nights and bad nights. We've noticed her worst nights are when she gets baths, so we're going to change bath time to the afternoon and see if that helps. For the most part, she'll sleep one four hour stretch and then a couple two-three hour stretches. Lately, it's been roughly 10:30pm - 2:00am, 2:30 - 5:30am, 6:00 - 9:00am. 
• It's crazy how much I don't get frustrated when she's fussy and won't go to sleep. I just stare at her thinking I'm the luckiest person in the world! (Ok, so that's 99% of the time. There have been some breakdowns, of course.)
• When she falls asleep on my chest I could just about die. It's the greatest feeling in the world, and she can do it as long as she wants. It won't be long until she doesn't want to be near me, so I'm soaking it all in.
• As I imagined, watching her with her daddy just about makes my heart explode. They already love each other so much, and it takes everything in me to not break out in tears about it constantly.

As of her one month check up, she weighs 9lbs (36%) and is 22.25 inches tall (93%). Love our growing girl!

Overall, she's a pretty content baby and we love learning more about her and her personality everyday! It is truly my greatest honor to be her mom, and I can't believe we get to raise this precious little babe.

First Weeks Home

Well, we've survived the first three weeks! The memory space on my phone cannot say the same. It was hard picking out pictures for this blog - I have so many already! And of course I think she looks like the cutest thing in the world in all of them!

Uncle Mitch came in town to meet Aiden on her third day of life!

Kisses from Daddy!

Dominica meeting her little love!

Madi came, too!

Attempting a one week picture. She looks so adorable here I can hardly stand it.

She was born at 6lbs 2.8oz, but dropped down to 5lbs 13oz by her first doctor's appointment on Friday. They told me I needed to start waking her up every two hours to feed her so she could start gaining some weight. Of course, I was over-diligent about this, and we even tried to weigh her with a food scale and strainer over the weekend (see picture below… it was unsuccessful, but funny). Lucky for us, our little piglet was up to 6lbs 10oz by her next appointment on Tuesday (four days later!). The doctor was thrilled - no such thing as too much weight gain for a little babe! (We then went back the next Tuesday and she was up to 7lbs 5oz!)

Jude meeting Aiden for the first time! He wasn't thrilled that Grandma was paying attention to someone else.

Our first outing - to Grandma and Grandpa's.

Baker babies

The picture on the left is Adam as a newborn, and Aiden is on the right. You can't really tell in this picture, but they look exactly alike at this age.

Adam snapped this picture on the way home… Motherhood is tiring.

She gets more beautiful every day.

All dressed up for her second doctor's appointment. (She loves her daddy!)

First bath at home!

Daddy's been waiting for this!

What a difference two weeks makes! 

40 weeks pregnant vs. 1 week old

This onesie is the first thing I bought when I found out I was pregnant. It was pretty surreal seeing her in it. (And could she be any cuter?!?)

Ruthie is getting more and more interested in her baby sister.

First time cutting her little baby nails. One of the more stressful moments in my life, but we all survived.

Little love bug!

They love each other.

Aiden and her neighbor, Finleigh! Fin lives two doors down and was due four days after Aiden, but was actually born July 31. (Aiden was a little hangry for the photo op.)

I love this picture so much. Daddy's making up lullabies.

First college gameday! She was still too little to fit into any of her UGA gear.

Sleepy smiles!!

We had her newborn pictures taken when she was 12 days old… and the photographer kept the room at a cool 90 degrees. The heat made for a very sleepy and cuddly baby. :)

Sneak peek… We can't wait to see them!

My little bug. I am so in love.

We went to see our Bradley Method teacher, Suzanne! We love her.

Christine came in town!

"Mom! What is on my head??"

Her first real bath! (Adios umbilical cord… that bad boy fell off at 15 days.)

First walk in the stroller, and the weather has been beautiful!

This is the onesie I used to tell Adam I was pregnant. It was probably one of the more surreal moments in my life to actually see her in it.

showering baby causey

I can't wait to look back on this in a few months and say "Remember when we used to call him Baby Causey?". Meagan and Nathan have decided on a name for my nephew, but have chosen not to share it with anyone (wise decision). In the interim, he has been lovingly called "Baby Causey", and Kelsey and I threw Meagan a shower to celebrate him on Sunday!

We decided to go with a book theme because A. we know Meagan loves to read and will love to read to this little bundle, B. there were so many food options to go with it and C. it was cute, of course!

You can't even tell she's pregnant from the front! Seriously, the cutest.

I think the mantle was my favorite part! It was so simple to execute, but turned out so adorable.

Kelsey was in charge of food and she ROCKED it out!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar: cupcakes in the shape of a caterpillar

The Cat in the Hat: strawberry and banana skewers

The Stinky Cheese Man: cheese and crackers

One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish: goldfish

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs: meatballs

And our favorite part, Pregatini Punch.... with drowning ducks. Haha - they would not stay up!

Guess Baby Causey's birthday! I guessed September 21 so I can forever sing him September by Earth, Wind and Fire.

For the guest book, we had people write him a message in "Oh, the Places You'll Go".

Our "game" was to have everyone pick a few alphabet letters and draw a corresponding picture to make him his first alphabet book. I should have taken some "after" pictures, but I forgot. Needless to say, some are more artistically inclined than others (I purposefully sat this one out) - but it is filled with love!

For the party favors, we wrapped up chocolate chip cookies to go with the always-relevant "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie". Kelsey did the adorable wrapping - bravo!

We love you Baby Causey and we can't wait to meet you!!! And it'll be nice to finally know your name.