And baby on the way!!

Finally! Finally! Finally! I'm caught up to the point where we announced our news...

William's going to be a big brother!!

We found out our news on Friday, November 6, but held it in until the first trimester was over. Well, we told only our parents and my brother, Hunter at Thanksgiving, then Grandparents and my brother, Holden right before Christmas. As much as I love pictures, we decided to "announce" our news with this adorable little picture of William! We had started talking to him about the baby and that he would be a big brother, so I fell in love with the idea of the book! I love the memory caught in this picture.

So...to begin with my story on this sweet baby in my belly and the pregnancy...HELLO MORNING (ALL DAY) SICKNESS!! For the first 4.5 months I was beyond sick, but couldn't (wouldn't) tell anyone. Call me old fashioned, I just wanted to keep our surprise held in until we reached the "safety" of the second trimester. This explains my sudden lapse in blogging. I simply could not sit at this computer and blog...the screen made me so nauseous. I kept taking my pictures and jotting down scribbled notes in hopes of catching up once the sickness was behind me. Let me back up to say that William's pregnancy was a PIECE OF CAKE! I had no sickness, weird cravings/aversions, no sheer exhaustion, etc. This pregnancy started off totally opposite of my first. Poor Philip, who loves to cook, had to pretty much come to a halt with his passion...the aromas had me running to the bathroom constantly. I just couldn't keep things down, nor did I want to smell ANYTHING. Finally, slowly and surely as the end of January approached, I began to gain an appetite and could handle smells...except bacon, fish and sausage. I was finally beginning to feel like myself again. Finally able to function.

William was an absolute angel during the worst part. He would snuggle and cuddle and tell me "it's okay, moma". He would sleep in late in the mornings and would play quietly once we woke up. He knew something was going on, and did his best to help. I didn't want him to suffer, so I would push through the days still doing our normal "out and abouts" and day to day adventures. I felt it was important that he still had his time with me.

So, now as I finally get to this entry, I am 31.5 weeks along! I feel great, for the most part. I do get tired, but that is to be expected. I can handle most foods and have a pretty good energy level. William has fallen in love with "Baby" and loves to rub my belly and sing to the baby. To recap the past 31.5 weeks... here's what's been happening in regards to this pregnancy....

First Time I felt the baby: 10 weeks, in the tub, late at night

Cravings:

Green Grapes-for the last half of the 1st trimester and the entire 2nd trimester I couldn't get enough...I would eat half a bag of grapes a day!

Clementines...I could easily eat 7 in one sitting!

Apple Jacks. A bowl a day!

Mashed Potatoes...1st trimester only and now on very rare occasions

Pickles. No explanation needed. It's a constant. There were several nights I would eat an entire jar by myself.

Chocolate Milk.

Plain Milk. We (meaning William and Mommy) go through a gallon in about 2 days.

Chicken Picatta with extra Capers. I craved this for the entire 2nd trimester and into the 3rd. Philip so dutifully prepared it at least once a week for me.

Balsamic Vinegar-ON ANYTHING!

Ketchup-ON JUST ABOUT ANYTHING

Spinach-This one is a biggy! I want a spinach salad nightly and have to have it chopped and added to pizza or anything Italian. I also love it wilted!

Fried Mozz. Sticks with Mariana-I craved it, but seldom gave into this temptation!

Pasta! Yummy!

Oreo's-late 2nd trimester, early 3rd trimester

Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches-Not as much as I did w/ William, but oh so yummy!

Coca-Cola or Sprite-at least once a week!

Jello, pudding or yogurt-it's a daily snack!

Broccoli-I could eat plain steamed broccoli until I was blue in the face.

Mexican Corn Dip-I can't seem to get enough of this dish.

Peanut Butter Crackers-the orange ones

Hashbrown Casserole-I want to make it all the time, but don't.

Broccoli and Rice Casserole-this one, I do make a good bit of the time!

Strawberries-especially cold!

Craisins-love them tossed in a salad and covered in balsamic!

Pineapple-I eat one whole pineapple in 2 days...by myself!

Pineapple sandwiches-it's a southern thing.

Pimento cheese sandwiches-3rd trimester only

Baked Lays BBQ chips-could down an entire bag in about 2 days, but I do try to resist!

Wheat Thin Chips, Garden Variety-they are good with anything!

Sweet Tea-it must be McCallister's or Chick-fil-a if it's not my Moma's...although I do make some mighty fine sweet tea!

Chocolate-any will do!

Aversions:

BACON

SAUSAGE

FISH

GRAPEFRUIT

MOST FRIED FOODS

Now, all of my cravings and aversions were foods I already loved, so nothing was out of left field, but just shocking at the intensity of either the desire for or against it.

Baby is carrying much lower than William.

Baby showed much sooner than William.

Baby kicks at different times of the day than William.

This time around:

I do have more severe heartburn.

Hands/feet are swelling some, but not enough to truly complain about...

Round Ligament pains are stronger

Face is fuller (in my opinion)

I do notice I'm tired a lot earlier in the evenings...but I'm the mother of a toddler!

William:

loves to sing to the baby

loves to kiss the belly

loves to rub the belly while he falls asleep

loves to point out his baby items (baby booties, bonnet, 1st outfits,) and declare all for the baby

mainly wants a sister

loves to rub my cheek and tell me "it's okay"

loves to point to the baby

loves to be as close to me as possible (we are quite attached these days, but I don't mind)

LOVES THE IDEA OF A BABY

Philip:

amazing trooper during my worst part!

amazing, amazing, amazing!

patiently held my hair and brought me cold rags, ginger ale, crackers and held me while I cried.

very protective of me in regards to lifting/moving things.

made it to all baby doctor visits thus far.

prays daily for us.

loves to push back on the baby when he feels a kick.

never complains when I have to stop for a potty break while we're on the road.

encourages me beyond explanation.

Me:

HOW DO I PUT MY FEELINGS INTO WORDS?

HOW DO I DESCRIBE THE PAST 31 WEEKS??

I'll give you a little glimpse...

I find myself rubbing my belly constantly, as if to let this baby know I'm here for it all the while being busy with big brother William.

I constantly sing to the baby.

I read to the baby.

I pray aloud for the baby.

I pray silently for this baby.

I quote scriptures for this baby.

I get lost in thought of what it will be like to welcome a new little one into our family.

I take long baths at night just to have alone time to feel the baby bounce around and kick.

I lie as still as possible (whenever I have a free second) to focus on feeling baby kicks.

I take my prenatal vitamins with extra DHA.

I do my best to eat healthy and get all the nutrition needed.

I drink water like crazy.

I exercise, when I can.

I nest, nest and nest some more to have everything perfect.

I have a prayer journal for this baby.

I cry over my ultrasound pictures.

I hold tight to William and spend my time focusing on him, knowing his little world will be rocked (in a good way)...

Okay, I'm crying and crying now, so I must stop.

I am beyond words when it comes to expressing my heart and my love for this baby! We are truly blessed! I am so in love with my sweet baby I can hardly stand it! I am full of emotion at all times. God has blessed our family with such a wonderful little miracle and I pray daily for us as we approach this new chapter in our lives.

Please be in prayer for our family as we get ready to welcome our new bundle of joy and add to our wonderful blessings from above.

OH, AND we're not finding out what we're having!! It's a surprise to all!!

Boy or Girl...guess we will wait and see!