39 Weeks

Well, we are finally here! The last week of my pregnancy. We are going in to be induced tomorrow and I cannot wait!!!

At this point, I am very uncomfortable and ready to be holding my sweet baby boy!

My mom flew in on Thursday to help me with Porter and get everything set before we go to the hospital. She is such a blessing. She helps without us even asking and seems to know exactly what to do. Moms are pretty awesome like that. (Especially mine!) Plus, she is WONDERFUL with Porter! He runs around the house going, "NANA". It's just the cutest thing. We'll pretty much be a mess when she leaves, but that's for another blog post!!!

Friday night, Matt watched Porter and my mom and I went out for a nice dinner. Just the two of us! It was so nice to be able to "catch up" with her and chat.

So, tomorrow is it! I'm nervous, anxious, and excited. But, mostly ready. I think I have tried to prepare myself emotionally for all that is about to change, but we will see :)

The next post should be about our sweet second born, Connor! We can't wait to meet him!

Porter at 19 Months!

This month with Porter has been so much fun. Time with you keeps getting better and better!

This month your vocabulary has grown even more and you are able to express when you want us to do something with you and when you want to do something on your own. You are obsessed with the dog and try to get her to follow you around everywhere.

You are not "changing" every month like you were before. I am finding that it is more gradual now. But, when I look at your pictures over the past few months, I cant believe how much you have grown.

You are wearing 18 month- 2T shirts and still 12 month shorts. Hopefully by the fall, you will fit into 18 month pants.

You are going to be a big brother tomorrow and we can't wait. We're a little nervous as to how you will react, but you love babies and talk about them all the time.

Nana is here to take care of you while we are in the hospital and you LOVE LOVE her. You're like two peas in a pod and you love to play with her. We all took you to the zoo today and you loved it. We are soaking up it being your last day as an only child and giving you lots of love :)

We love you little man and know in just a few short months, you'll be 2. Don't grow up too fast! ;)

38 Weeks

 

Well, we have 12 days to go until our due date! But, I'm hoping he comes before that!! At my doctors appointment on Thursday, everything was the same. Still dilated to a 2 and about 60% effaced. I haven't had as many contractions this week, but I am now super uncomfortable. Sleeping is basically impossible. I get up to go to the bathroom a lot and the heartburn this time around is horrible!!!!

The days are alright, I have been trying to walk as much as possible..but it's really hot outside!

My next doctors appointment is Thursday. We will see how things are then! 

Connor's Nursery

Here are some pictures of Connor's nursery! We just got everything put together last night and are ready for whenever he wants to come!

37 Weeks!

Well, I am officially FULL TERM! Connor can come whenever he is ready :) At my doctor's appointment on Thursday, I was dilated to a 2 and my cervix was "very favorable for labor"! She said he could come any day now, but we all know how that goes! He will come when he's good and ready. I would make an estimate as to when I think he is coming, but let's be real..I was wrong with Porter and I would be lying if I said I really know what's going on with my body. I do know I have been having a lot of contractions over the last week. Specifically Thursday and Friday night. At 3 am. None of them truly consistent, though. I have also had A TON of braxton hicks. A TON. They are weird. Because I never had them with Porter.

Other than that we have just been relaxing and getting everything ready around the house! The nursery is finished and everything is packed and ready to go for Connor's arrival. I just can't wait to have another little baby in the house! I can't believe it's already almost time.

I really wanted to get a picture of my belly this time, because I forgot to take one with Porter. So, here it is :)

36 Weeks

We are now in the home stretch at 36 weeks! I am still feeling good. I had some contractions last night, but they didn't last more than 45 minutes. My body is getting ready! I feel like I don't look as big with Connor as I did with Porter.

We are headed to the Children's Science Museum today to spend some quality time with Porter. We are definitely trying to soak up these last few weeks with just him.

I got an e-mail today that Connor's bedding is on it's way!! I ordered it from etsy and I can't wait to see it. I'll post nursery pictures as soon as everything goes in this weekend. We are trying to get everything done by 38 weeks, just because that's when Porter came and if Connor decides to come early, all will be ready :)

I have a doctors appointment on Thursday and they will start checking me then! Eeek! I can't believe it's almost that time!!!!!!

18 Months with Porter

Porter- I cannot believe you are 18..almost 19 months!! You bring more joy to our lives every day than we ever thought possible.

This month you are:

- Saying SO many words. There are way to many to write down. Your favorite words are "No no" and Mine. Imagine that! You also say "Thank you" after we give you something every time.

- Loving the movie Toy Story. We watch it together at least once a day! You're mesmerized by the toys. Thank goodness there are 3 different movies to choose from ;)

- Napping once a day for at least 2 hours in the afternoon.

- Asking for Mama and Dada when you wake up.

- Wearing 18 month shirts and 12 month pants.

- Still in a size 3 diaper!

- Loving playing and wrestling with your daddy. You do it almost daily!

- ALMOST A BIG BROTHER!

Porter, we love you so much. One of your favorite things to do right now is go over to David and Cathy's and play with the toys over there. You could literally spend hours lining up cars and playing with Buzz. You also love Brian. He loves to play with you, too! They love it when you come over.

I can't wait to update next time. You will probably have a little brother to share monthly updates with!

35 Weeks

35 Weeks and still feeling good. It's getting a lot harder to pick up Porter and do things, like give him a bath. But, other than that, I can still do most things around the house. It is so hot outside that we mostly do indoor activities at home.

I start going for my weekly check up next week and can't wait to see how I'm progressing. I remember it meant nothing with Porter, but it's exciting to see how things are starting to go! I can't believe Connor is almost here. For right now, Matt and I are trying to soak up every chance we get to play with and cuddle Porter as an only child!

34 Weeks

Last week was super busy, and I didn't have time to take an official 34 week picture! But, here I am at 34 weeks with Baby C! I took it in our hotel room in Nashville :) 

I went to the doctor this week and everything looks great. We got a sonogram and Connor looks perfect! He is head down and moving around like crazy in there. He is weighing in at around 5 pounds. I go to the doctor again this next week to start my weekly visits now. I can't believe we're almost to the end! Will update with a 35 week picture soon! 

32 and 33 Weeks

Well, I can't believe we are here! At 33 Weeks! I feel like it's going by SO fast now.

We had our family maternity pictures Saturday and they were so fun. Porter was pretty good, considering the circumstances. No melt downs, thank goodness! :) Our photographer is AMAZING and I can't wait to see all of the pictures. I just know she will be phenomenal for our newborn pictures when Connor is born. She's so good with kids!

We are going to be super busy these next two weeks getting ready for Matt's sisters wedding! I am the matron of honor and Porter is one of the ring bearers! I just know it will be so much fun, we just have a lot of last minute things to do to prepare.

I go to the doctor on Thursday and we will get a sonogram before I fly (for the wedding). My doctor just wants to make sure everything looks good and my cervix is closed and I'm not dilated at all. I CANNOT wait to see Connor again. I feel like it's been forever!

Not too much longer! 6 and a half weeks!! We are almost done with the nursery. Just waiting on his bedding to get here, which should be early September. Woo hoo!!

31 Weeks

31 WEEKS AND GROWING!

Porter at 16 and 17 months

16 months

17 months

My sweet boy, you have grown to much in the last two months. You are becoming such a big boy and are so much fun!

Here is what you have been up to these last two months:

-Sleeping 11 hours at night.

-Still in size 3 diapers.

-Wearing 18 month shirts (at 17 months) and still in 12 month shorts. You wear a size 5 shoe.

-Speaking of shoes, you love them. You always try to wear daddy's and love you try and put yours on.

- LOVE Cars and trucks. Oh my goodness, you love them so much! Any time you see one, you point it out and get very excited. You have also recently started saying "dump truck".

- Getting 4 teeth at once. The "I" teeth. They have been a booger and have kept you up many nights. They have been coming in all of the 17 month.

- You say MANY words. You also repeat words that you hear very well.

- You recently started saying please and thank you. At first, we would tell you to say it. Now, you are starting to say it on your own. Sweet boy :)

- Your favorite foods right now are pretzels, chicken, watermelon, and cantaloupe. You can't seem to get enough right now. Especially watermelon! Yum!!

- You like water. You like to swim in the pool and you took swimming lessons for about a month. You can go underwater like a big boy and hold your breath. You can also kick your legs very well! Maybe next summer you will put it all together and be swimming! 

- You started saying Connor's name at 17 months. We got it on video. You love to say his name and you often call random things Connor!

- You love your stuffed animals. You call them "Maddie". You sleep with SEVERAL in your bed every night :)

- You also love your dog Maddie. You love to be near her, chase her, and torture her. I think she secretly loves it!


We love you so much Porter and cant wait to see you be a big brother in September!!! 

30 Weeks!

Here is my 30 week picture. I feel like my belly has grown SO much in the last week!!

I am feeling good. I am now getting up about 4 times a night to go to the bathroom, but other than that sleep has been okay.

I now feel Connor move all the time, big movements too. I feel little feet a lot. At about 9 o'clock, he loves to come alive and moves around a TON! Matt loves to watch my stomach and talk to him. Porter has also started saying "Connor". He calls things Connor and when we ask him to say it, he says it so excitedly! I tell him that Connor is in my belly, but I don't think he understands yet. He does like to feel and push on my belly though, he also uses it as a step stool often :) That stops as soon as it starts, haha!

Connor,

We cannot wait to meet you little guy. Only 9 more weeks, if that. I often wonder if you will come early like your brother or stay until you are good and ready. Those questions will be answered soon enough! Your Nana and Papa are here for your shower this weekend. While they are here, they are painting your room. They can't wait to love on you and spoil you!!!!!! We can't wait either. We love you so much already.

Mommy, Daddy, and Porter

Third trimester

I am officially in the third trimester! I can't believe how fast this pregnancy is going by. I am trying to soak up every bit of it..But I am so excited to have another little one around again.

I have started going to the doctor every two weeks now. Connor is measuring a little big, but so did Porter. Maybe that will mean he'll come early too? :) I can't wait to see him again. We will get our third and final sonogram at 36 weeks.

27 Weeks

Here is my 27 week picture! I feel a lot bigger than I think I look. Connor is now 2.5 pounds and 16 inches long. He's getting bigger! :)

I can now feel all kinds of body parts as he moves in my stomach. He is most active at night and mid morning. Connor, you love it when your brother is near. The other day we were taking a nap together and Porter wanted to snuggle next to my belly. Right after he did, Connor gave him a BIG kick! Sibling rivalry already ;)

This pregnancy I am definitely a lot more uncomfortable. I didn't reach being uncomfortable with Porter until around 37 weeks. I feel it a whole 10 weeks earlier now. But, I know it will go by quickly, so for now I need to TRY and enjoy it.

I will leave you with a sweet sweet picture I took of my guys this afternoon! I can't wait until Connor is here and playing with them too!!

25 Weeks

Here I am at 25 weeks! I am pretty much living in sun dresses these days because it's so stinkin hot. Let me tell you something. Being pregnant in the summer is no joke! Thank goodness for AC and swimming pools!!

Connor has started moving so much lately. Much more than Porter did! Especially at night. I wake up to him moving around in there like crazy. Which is different, because Porter never did that! Last week, Connor got the hiccups for the first time. It is so cute. Like a little thumping :) I remember when Porter would get them and how fun it would be to imagine him in there with them.

This week I started something new, Physical Therapy! Apparently my SI is out of joint along with my pubis symphonis (sp?) which basically means any time I move my legs up or down, in or out, I am in pain. So my doctor suggested Physical Therapy. I go twice a week and they are teaching me exercises to keep my pain level down at home.

Other than that, I have been enjoying summer with Porter. We have gone swimming almost every day in our neighbors pool, which has been so fun.

I go back to the doctor for my glucose test next week, so we will see how that goes!

My (no longer there) appendix!

Let me give an update on what has been happening this past month, cause it's been a crazy one!!!

On May 20th, we left our house very excited and ready for our family vacation to visit my dad and stepmom in Florida.

On the way to the airport, I started getting weird stomach cramps. I told Matt, but figured it was nerves from being so anxious about flying. Anyways, we got to the airport and I thought maybe I needed to eat something so I would feel better. We got food, I ate and we headed to our gate. At that point, I literally had to run to the bathroom and started to throw up. It didn't stop there. I continued to throw up for THE REST OF THE FLIGHTS. Both flights to be exact. Pretty much the entire way there I was either throwing up in a bag or in the bathroom. Worst day ever. Oh and Porter noticed that things were off, so he was being a giant toot the entire way there from San Antonio. But, this mama did not care because I felt like I was going to die.

So we land. and have to sit on the tarmac for ONE hour because of the weather. I'm not kidding when I say worst day ever.

When we get to the carousel to get our luggage, I decide to call my nurse and tell her what's going on. At this point, I am trying to keep down gatoraide,but it's not working too well. She tells me she will call me in medicine, but if it gets worse to go to the ER.

So we get in the car and head to their house. At this point, I am almost in tears with the worst stomach cramps I have had in my LIFE and I've been in labor. Much worse than labor. I start to feel like I'm having small contractions and we all decide it's best if I go to the ER and get help.

When we get to the ER, I get all checked in (a pretty long process) and by this time it is around 10 o'clock at night. We both kissed Porter goodbye in the car because we know that this will be the first time we are away from him for a night. Little did we know it would be two nights and three LONG days. Not the kind of getaway we were envisioning. But, anyways, the nurse evaluates me and tells me I am super dehydrated and I am having small contractions. All seemed well with Connor though, so that's all that mattered in my mind. At around midnight, she gives me medicine and tells me to try to sleep.

Around 2 am I am continuing to throw up and am throwing up my medicine, too. It was horrible. I have never felt so awful in my life. Around about that time I start having severe pains in my right side. I cannot turn on either side to sleep because it is extremely painful. The nurse comes back in and tells me that it's not good. She mentions, "Well, I'm not the doctor so I can't diagnose you, but I think it may be your appendix." UM, WHAT?? I never even thought of that. I just thought I had a bad stomach bug.

All my thoughts from there were crazy. How on earth are they going to get it out? I mean, I'm pregnant. To say I was scared was an understatement.

The nurse told me that as soon as she could get a hold of the doctor, she would get me pain meds. Around 5 I got the pain meds. They were good, but she could only give it to me every 4 hours and it would start to wear off around 3 hours in. You can imagine the pain I was in.

At 8 o'clock the doctor came in. He asked me some questions and then pushed around on my stomach. I just about JUMPED off the bed when he poked my appendix. OMG. He then told me they were going to take an ultrasound of my stomach.

Not to go into too much detail about that, they saw nothing. So the surgeon comes in to evaluate me. He does the same thing the doctor does, and once again I just about jump out of the bed. He then tells me that he's pretty sure its my appendix, but they are going in blindly, not sure what they will find. We schedule the surgery for 3 pm. Those were the longest hours of MY LIFE. They were behind in surgery, so I actually didn't get to go back till 4.

They came to get me, wheeled me back in the bed (kind of cool) and took me to get prepped for surgery. Matt was able to stay with me through that, so that was comforting.

They made a special cocktail of anesthesia since I was pregnant, but there is always the chance of something going wrong. At this point, I wasn't nervous at all. I had given it to God and knew that the surgery had to take place for me and Connor.

Side note- Anesthesia is no joke. It knocked me out in like 2 seconds! Then, it was surgery time.

When I came to, they informed me that my appendix had partially ruptured. They went in laparoscopically and took my appendix out through my belly button. The scars are relatively small and I was really impressed. I had many visitors because I have a lot of family there. My nana, uncle and aunt all came. As well as my dad.

I spent one night recovering in the hospital.

I cannot brag on Matt enough. He took care of me like a champ. I'm so glad that God picked him to be my husband because that man is wonderful.

Porter was VERY WELL taken care of by my stepmom while we were in the hospital. He did great for them. Napping well, sleeping well, and eating well. Of course! ;)

Overall, I am recovering very well from the surgery. About one month out and I feel like a normal person again. I couldn't hold Porter for one week. Matt took care of us the week we came home too. He was a huge help.

Here are some pictures from the hospital!

The hospital in Florida

Going down to get prepped for surgery. Trying to smile through the pain!

 

 

 

Ready to go into surgery

Ready to go home! Listening to instructions from my nurse.

This is how Porter spent his nights with the grandparents. I think they all had fun :)

23 Weeks

Here is my 23 week picture! We are almost at the 6 month mark. I love this stage in pregnancy. I feel like I am the perfect size and still feel comfortable enough to do most things.

I can now feel Connor kick and move ALL the time. He is very active, just like Porter was. At the doctor on Thursday, they said he was Transverse. Hopefully in the coming months he makes his way head down! But, for now he has lots of room to stretch and kick!

My next post will be about our "vacation" to Florida to visit my dad and step mom. It was quite the adventure! :)

Porter at 15 Months

Porter, you are 15 months! (This post is a month late, but you were 15 months in the picture!) You have come alive with personality this month and I swear I could watch you play all day (which is pretty much what I do!). At 15 months you:

- Are completely weaned and drinking about 3 full cups of whole milk a day. You LOVE LOVE whole milk!

- Have eczema :( Pretty bad. But, we keep it under control with coconut oil and your steroid cream. The heat has made it worse which I hate!!!

- Traveled to Florida this month! You were an absolute toot on the way there. But, with mommies appendix rupturing, I think you could tell things were off. You kicked and screamed almost the whole flight there. Luckily mommy didn't care much about the people around us cause she felt like death! (That's for another blog post though)

- Spent 2 nights with your Gran and Grandaddy in Florida while we stayed in the hospital. This was your first time to be away from mommy and daddy at night. You did GREAT! They loved on you tons and of course enjoyed every minute.

- Say LOTS of new words- including, car, fish, wa wa, play, gabba, cheese, and flower. When we say words you are like a little parrot. You say a lot of things back to us, mostly just once. You are learning :)

- LOVE THE WATER. When we were in Florida you loved the beach and the waves. You would run in and your great uncle Eric had to pick you up every time so you wouldn't get swept away!!!

- You weigh in at 20 pounds.

- Are still picky about what you eat. You love blueberries, cheese, yogurt, cantaloupe, eggs, bacon, and bananas.

- You sign all the time. Still milk, more, eat and all done.

- You understand more and more every day. This morning I asked you how your hands were today (because you had an eczema outbreak) and you looked down at them. You also know where your eyes are and can point to them when we ask.


You are seriously the best thing in the whole world. Watching you grow up is the absolute joy of our lives.

Every day just keeps getting better.

20 Weeks

Here I am at 20 weeks! It also happened to be Mother's Day. Matt and Porter took me out to Southlake and we spent the day shopping and just spending time together. It was wonderful!

I am still feeling good. I think that I am growing a little faster this time around, but I'm guessing it's because my body has done this before. It's kind of funny because I haven't gained as much weight as I did with Porter. Go figure.

We are offically starting to clean out our guest room and make it into Connor's nursery. It's so fun doing all of this again! We are doing the colors grey, navy and green. There will be chevron pattern incorperated into the theme, as well as elephants! I can't wait to start. It will be so different from Porter's room, but cute just the same :)

18 Weeks and It's a BOY!

Here I am at 18 weeks with Baby #2

We announced today that we are having another BOY! We are so excited!!! Because they will be so close in age, I hope that they will be best of friends.

We chose a name for baby boy- Connor Joseph. We both just love the name and agreed on it pretty easily, yet again!

Now to get started on the nursery. We sold the furniture in the guest room to start Connor's room. It's a complete mess right now, so we'll have a lot to do over the next few months! But, I have to say, I am so excited to have all the stuff we used with Porter to give to Connor. Even though I'm sure family will want to buy Connor his own stuff!

Dear Connor,
We are so excited that you are a boy. You are going to add such a wonderful dynamic to our family and give Porter a fun playmate. We saw you today in the sonogram and you are the cutest little thing! You look very similar to how your brother looked at that stage in pregnancy. The lady said you look a lot like your daddy and I'll have to agree! Two handsome boys that look just like their dad, what more could I ask for. We love you so much and can't wait to cuddle you and love on you in 5 1/2 short months!

Love,
Mommy, Daddy and Porter

14 Months

Porter, you are so much fun right now! This month we have definitely noticed that you are looking more like a "big boy". Here are some high lights of this month.

- You still sleep through the night. Usually 7:30 or so to 7:15.

- You are wearing size 3 diapers and 12 month clothes.

-You take one nap a day, usually in the afternoon. Even though right now you are fighting naps pretty hard. Maybe because you don't want to miss anything??

- You LOVE animals, especially dogs! You love to pet and hit Maddie. We are trying to teach you gentle hands! :)

- You say lots of words. Hi, Bye-bye, dog, duck, hot, mama, and dada. This month you picked up the words car, Papa, and you mimic lots of words we say. You have said fish, don't, and more.

- You can sign! You sign more for almost everything you want more of (even things other than food), eat and you are beginning to sign milk. It's pretty awesome and cuts down on the frustration.

- You still love bath time!

- You are going through a mommy phase right now, so you don't want to be away from me a lot.

- You flew on a plane to Colorado this month and you did great. You slept most of the way and then played with apps on the iPad the rest of the time! You even got a compliment from a man on the way there saying you were so quiet, he didn't even know you were on the plane! Way to go! You're pretty awesome like that :)


Overall, you are so fun to be around. You have so many people who love to be around you because you make everyone laugh!

WE LOVE YOU LITTLE GUY!!!

15 Weeks

I am a little behind on posts! I was 15 weeks on April 5th and felt the baby move for the first time on April 7th. In Sunday School! I felt it much earlier this time. I think one of the most special things about being pregnant is being able to feel the little miracle inside your tummy move around.

I am feeling great right now. I hope it lasts!

Easter Sunday 2013

We had such a wonderful Easter this year! It was definitely different than last year, because Porter could actually enjoy getting a Easter basket and hunting for eggs.

When Porter woke up we showed him his Easter basket and he loved it. He absolutely loved the little chicken cup he got and carried it around all day! That was fun to share that with him.

                                     

After that, we got ready for church. On the way to church, Matt tried to explain to Porter the true meaning of Easter. It was so cute. Hopefully next year he'll be able to understand the wonderful miracle of Easter and Jesus!

The service and music was wonderful! We took Porter to the nursery, and he usually will last about an hour before they call us and say he isn't doing well. But, today when we dropped him off, there was lots of kids crying so I was pretty sure he wouldn't last long. He didn't. I went to check on him 20 minutes in and he was crying at the door hysterically, so I took him. Poor thing. It's a hard thing for all of us right now!

After church, we grabbed lunch at a little Deli just the 3 of us! It was really nice. Then we headed home for a little play time and nap.

Our neighbors Cathy and David have lots of family here, so they invited us over for a little Easter egg hunt with a couple other kids. Porter loved it! He didn't get the concept of going and getting the eggs and putting them in the basket, but he loved to hold the eggs and bang them together.

Afterwards, Matt's parents came over for dinner and playtime with P! It was a wonderful Easter!

Showing him how to put the eggs in the basket

"Mom, I just wanna hold them!"

Our precious little boy

Porter and his friend Emmett

Happy Easter from our family to yours!