Halfway There!

20 weeks today! Can't believe we're already halfway through this pregnancy. Feels like just yesterday I posted this about Laila.

In other news...Laila apparently loves grates.

Chistmas Party Time

Last night our friends the Shafers hosted us for a little family Christmas gathering. You can't get around it being a pretty crazy evening with 5 kids between 16 and 19 months, but we had a blast getting our families together! Below are the best of the photos we got.  All of the hubbies were taking pictures, so eyes are going every which way, but still great memories to have :)

laila, adam, hayley, kai and carter

me, sara, jenn, sarah and alex

the mamas and their kiddos

A Besties Playdate

Laila had a another playdate with her bestie Adam the other day. I got to watch him while his mama was at an appointment. It was good practice to keep an eye on two kiddos! Laila and Adam really do play very well together, with only minimal need for intervention by the sharing police (me).

feeding her doll baby

wanting whatever Adam has. it goes both ways.

close up

taking turns pushing each other in her car

sitting in the bouncy seat

goof ball - about to sit on Adam's lap

adam aggressively pushing her off of his lap

he laid down and rolled around...

...so she had to too...

Baby Update and Prayer Request

I had my 20 week checkup today.  Baby's heartbeat sounds great, my blood pressure and weight gain are good, but I got the results back from the ultrasound I had last week.  Almost everything was perfect except for one thing.  My doctor told me I have a "marginal cord insertion" which basically means that normally the umbilical cord grows up and out of the center of the placenta.  Mine is growing out of the side/edge of the placenta.

 

 

The biggest concern when this happens is growth restriction of the baby due to lack of blood flow/nutrients. It's not a given that this will occur, but it can, so my doctor is requiring extra monitoring throughout my pregnancy to keep an eye on our baby girl to make sure she is growing and getting the nutrients she needs.  I go back in 6 weeks (at 26 weeks) for another ultrasound and if all is well then, I go back again 6 weeks later for another (at 32 weeks), then again at probably 37 weeks.  If at any point during these ultrasounds they see reason for concern, I will most likely be put on bed rest and also have to go to the hospital 2x/week for monitoring to make sure the baby is doing OK and fluid levels in the uterus are good. Not sure what would happen past that point - if they would deliver baby early, or what - but that's what I know so far.

So, I am not overly concerned at this point but would love your prayers for our little one that she continues to grow as she should and get all of the blood flow and nutrients she requires, and that she can stay in her nice cozy home for as long as possible! And also for me (paranoid mama) to stay calm and stress free throughout the 2nd half of the pregnancy, as I can tend to be a worrywart due to our history of baby making.


*images from www.radiopaedia.org

Christmas Photo

This is the card we sent out this year. It was a tri-fold from Tiny Prints.

...and baby #2 is a GIRL

I had my 20 week ultrasound today (at 18w4d) and all is well. Baby is measuring right on track, with the exception that her legs are measuring a week ahead! Laila was the same way, I believe. I guess we just make long legged kids. The technician was also able to confirm that this baby is a girl, so Laila will have a little sister :) A small part of me was really hoping for a boy, but I am super excited that Laila will have a little sister so close in age.

Overall we are just super thankful to have a healthy baby growing in my belly. I can't believe this pregnancy is almost halfway over already. I am not feeling as anxious about this pregnancy being over as much as I was with Laila. While I am very excited to meet our new one, I am also relishing the time I get to spend one on one with my precious buggy.

Here's a few photos from the ultrasound:

 {profile shot}

 {great shot of the bottom of the foot and toes}

 {a shot of the hand and fingers}

{the money shot}

{ultrasound video. about 12 minutes. not super exciting}

Ready to go to Boston

As Laila is getting older and developing a mind of her own, we are slightly concerned at how our long flights to and from Boston are going to go in a couple of weeks. Because she loves Elmo's World, we have put a bunch of episodes on our iPad, and we just got her these adorable panda bear toddler headphones for her to use on the plane. We are going to keep letting her use them off and on until our trip to get her used to them. She was pretty intrigued the first time she got to wear them!

Making Pizza

Tonight we decided to include Laila in helping us make dinner. She did a great job and LOVED being able to make her own pizza.  She even got to wear her cute apron that her Auntie CoDi got for her in South Africa.

spreading the sauce:

sprinkling the cheese:

adding her toppings of choice - chicken, baked beans and green pepper:

waiting for her pizza to bake:

checking out her cooked pizza - she started clapping when it was done:

and finally, getting to eat her pizza. She devoured it:

It was so fun to realize that she's now old enough to participate in things like this and it makes me want to make more of an effort to include her in other things I do. She is such a willing helper and enjoys spending time with us and doing fun, new things. She's a very quick learner too. 

Thanksgiving

For Thanksgiving this year we were graciously invited to join Grant's in-laws and their family in Santa Barbara, so we drove up there on Thursday morning, enjoyed Thanksgiving and then got to spend Friday morning with Grant and Ahnika before heading to Ahnika's baby shower. We really enjoyed getting to see everyone and loved having Laila spend some time with her Uncle Grantel and her Auntie Ka.

just chillin on the drain

laila and her pseudo-cousin, will

swinging at the park

checking out the ducks and turtles in the pond

watching the ducks with dada

preggo sisters 

(approx 31 weeks and 17 weeks)

auntie ka, laila, and uncle grantel

 

family shot

oh yeah, and molly shannon was at the park too

(most photos taken by Grant or Ahnika)

A Toddler Love Affair

It's no secret that Laila and Adam are in love, but today we got proof. Please notice the nice line of saliva between their mouths in the 3rd photo. It was a legit kiss my friends. I heart toddler love.

p.s. my child is shirtless because they had just been playing in the water table outside and she got soaked.

Fun with Photobooth