17 weeks

I am being a terrible blogger this time around!  I'm jumping back in this morning...something that I have been saying for the past month.  Oh well.  

So this morning I woke up at 6:00 a.m., finished Reese's birthday invitations, and got them to Adam to mail out today.  I designed and printed them late last week, got the envelopes yesterday, and printed labels today.  This is how it turned out (of course all of the info was changed on this sample).  I wanted to go with the  hot pink and teal blue theme since we will be revealing the gender of baby #2 at her party.  She LOVES dogs so we are doing a dog theme.  Snoopy, Go Dog Go, Odie, Scooby, Clifford, favorite dog books, Goofy, Pluto, etc. etc. etc.

So, things are getting underway with party planning.  After my doctor appointment yesterday we ran to Hob Lob and picked up a few decor items.  Glad it's coming together because I had no clue what I was doing a week or so ago.

Speaking of my appointment, I had an unexpected one yesterday.  I called to let them know that I had some Braxton-Hicks contractions this last weekend and was not sure how normal this was since I'm only 17 weeks (I had them at 16).  They wanted to see me so we went in yesterday.  It turns out that I have a few infections (yeah!), but everything else is great.  She didn't think that I had a UTI again (I've had two), but then after realizing my bladder was completely full and I had just gone to the restroom she thought otherwise.  I am having SO many symptoms that I had at the END of my pregnancy with Reese.  This time is so much different.  She listened to the heartbeat and then sent me to have a sonogram to make sure everything was good there.  I had one scheduled for Wednesday anyway.  All was great.  Little sprout is measuring a week ahead and they said he/she would be bigger than Reese more than likely...another "smart baby", which is another way of saying another baby with a big head :)

We were able to see the four chambers of the heart and that the little heart was beating 140 bpm.  He/She was moving all over the place.  It was great to see.  We told him that we wanted to wait on knowing the gender so he had us not look.  He said that he could tell the gender and we decided to come in a week or so before Reese's birthday to reconfirm.  From there he will put it in an envelope and we'll take it to the bakery.  It's crazy to think we could have found out yesterday and that we are waiting three weeks or so, but it will just build the suspense even more :)  No big rush anyway.  I was just happy to see a healthy baby.  Crazy as it is this STILL has not sunk in yet!  I see myself getting bigger, I hear the heartbeat, and I see the baby on the screen, but all I'm thinking is, "that baby isn't in me...I'm not pregnant.." I do not know why I can't wrap my mind around it.  I'm super excited, but I feel like I was just pregnant so sometimes this doesn't feel real.  Wonder when it will all sink in?!  Actually, last night, as I was laying on the couch and feeling movement it started becoming very real and I got a rush of excitement.  Oh and I have felt movement for the past week or so.  Before this sonogram I had prayed that God would let me feel a little movement just for peace of mind.  That evening I felt the first kick.  Amazing.  Our pastor did a message about blessings.  He described how God has rows and rows of blessings for us in Heaven, stored up for us, but so much of the time we don't ask him for these blessings.  He WANTS to bless us, but we don't ask.  He said basically that when we get to heaven there will be all of these blessings that we never asked for that God truly wanted to give us.  Lately I have been asking God for different things, with a more faithful heart, and it's been amazing to see God work.  

Another thing I have prayed and asked for is that Reese would find the connection when it comes to potty training.  One of the first days of training I prayed with her, in the restroom, that it would all make sense to her and start clicking.  That day she went several times and was so proud of herself.  She has been doing great for the past few weeks.  In fact, yesterday she wore her big girl underwear all day without an accident.  Even when I put her in a diaper during nap time she did not go.  She is not 100% trained, but she is getting there.  So proud of her!  I am seeing such a loving, sweet heart already as her personality grows.  Last night, Adam was taking her to bed, and she ran to me to give me a hug and told me "night night Mommy".  Then she ran to her bean bag, which she gave a hug, her Snoopy, and her little dog that was laying on the floor.  Then, she ran to Adam with her little arms extended, ready to go to bed.  When I leave her room, after putting her down for a nap, she blows me a kiss every time, and says, "Night Night Mommy", but not before she puts her little hands together and says, "Pray...Pray"  She now reminds me at mealtime and before she goes to sleep that we need to pray.  She will put her fork or milk down and put her hands together ready to pray.  She is amazing me each day and already teaching me so much.  I cannot believe she'll be two next month!

Well, here are a few picture updates!

16 weeks..definitely bigger this time around.

LOVE this family picture from Christmas :)