35+ Weeks

Well, Little Miss has not been acing her tests like we had hoped. They added in a sonogram every Monday on top of the monitoring twice a week. I didn't think a whole lot of it until I went to see my doctor after and she just warned me that I might want to have a bag packed because at any point they may decide she is better off out in the world. WHAT?!?! Needless to say, my sweet, sweet Mom and grandma made a quick trip to help me get a little more settled in. They unpacked boxes and cleaned and then raced home to get stuff done in case they had to turn right around to come meet baby girl. I felt a LOT better being a little more settled and our house mostly functional. We got baby stuff clean and ready for a baby. 

This picture was on Sunday as we were about to leave for church. We knew that there was a possibility (even if it was a slim one) that it could be our last day as a family of three. Josh felt pretty certain that Monday would go great, and I did to, but still couldn't get it out of my head that there was still a chance. 

I held my breath as the nurse did the sonogram yesterday. She said that everything looked good and they will do another growth sonogram on Monday. I will be 36 1/2 weeks so past the point I had Hensley---which is CRAZY!! We are obviously praying for a great report but I also feel better if I make it past 36 weeks. I love the fact that my doctor does not panic but has laid out some scenarios for us. She did tell me last week that me just waiting around and going into labor is probably out of the question. If I were to make it, we will have a c-section on July 17th but I have a feeling she may make an appearance before then….maybe not though :)

My sweet Hensley Sue coming over and holding my hand while I tried to get a picture. 

Oh how I love this girl. 

Our life has been INSANE the last month or so, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I love this man more and more every day. He is the hardest worker and best provider for our family. He has gotten up early, been to class all day, gotten home in time to eat, play with Hens for a little bit, then studies till around midnight every night for the last few weeks. He doesn't complain and gets up to do it all again. Throw in moving, closing on houses, day to day stuff he does, and a baby who is ready to come out in the world and meet us---he should be stressed beyond belief and no fun to live with. Yet the opposite is true. I know he stresses a little about his tests but for me, he is a complete rock. He has kept me sane and calm and I wouldn't want to do life with any one else by my side. Hensley, Baby Girl and I love you, Josh Tanner. We are proud of you and all you have accomplished. 

20 Months

Oh this sweet girl is becoming quite the little mess. I think moving and kinda getting off our normal routine has affected our sleeping a little….getting up a little earlier and shorter naps have equaled some not so fun days but I still wouldn't trade it for anything. I know little ones sense change even if they aren't fully aware of what is going on so I am hoping to settle in before sister comes along!

Daddy taking some pictures while I got the chalkboard ready

Love this--looks like she actually knows why we are taking her picture

**Notice we started out with just the giraffe…***

…And then she politely asked for her 1700 other stuffed animals that she has now decided she must have. We sleep with half of them and must know where they are at all times. Hilarious. 

First time at the park-- June 24th :)

Loved the slide and swing

You may also find our other obsession in the photos below:

---Just to clear things up--my child does not have a vision problem. We just LOVE glasses ;)

Can't believe it's been coming up on two years since this crazy girl entered our world. We LOVE you, Hensley Sue!

33 Weeks

(I had this all typed and went to add some pictures from my phone and it deleted…GRR)

This was around 33 weeks. I was hot and exhausted. Moving while 8 months pregnant is not the most fun I have ever had. Throw in monitoring twice a week and chasing another baby--well, I'm just saying, I have a reason for looking this exhausted. :)

But, I wanted to remember the sweet story of why I took the picture of those lyrics. As I have said, I am being monitored twice a week and having sonograms every two weeks to make sure she is growing. At the sonogram this week, the nurse was having trouble getting her to show her face because she is SO low that they can barely measure her head. She tried and tried and right when she did I hear this song in the background. I LOVE this song but the lyrics took on a little different meaning---it was right at the point that says…."Just you wait and see and you will be amazed". As I sat there and watched our sweet angel on the monitor I thought, "We are about to get to see the glorious unfolding of this little miracle of life". I may complain about the heat and being uncomfortable, but I am truly honored God has chosen Josh and I to be this baby's parents. We can not wait to meet her and now that we will be amazed as we see her life play out. Thank you, Lord for this gift you have given to us. 

19(+) Months

Well I'm a little late in posting but couldn't completely miss her 19 month blog. Things are still a little crazy around here but it really hasn't been too terrible. We are half-way packed up and some of it even moved and the rest is a lot of stuff we won't be able to do until the very end. Miss Priss really does keep me laughing all day, MOST days! She has the funniest personality. I know, typical mom statement, but she really does make us laugh. I think some of it is that she doesn't say a whole lot but between her signing and what few words she says--she gets her point across.

Probably one of the things that makes me laugh the most is she nods her heads ALL THE TIME. She nods to get permission. She nods when she knows she really shouldn't be doing something but she thinks its ok and is trying to convince you it is. She nods when you tell her to chew and she has a mouth full and wants more. She also says HI all the time. She says it when she sees you but also when she knows she is about to be in trouble---she will smile sweetly, say hi, and then usually run at you with her lips pursed for a kiss. Yes, I know we may be in trouble. 

We have become obsessed with our baby doll and have it with us most of the time. She wants to nap and sleep with it. Its the first thing she says in the morning and if she isn't playing with it she will usually stop in the middle of playing and yell and sign BABY and go find her. She wraps her up, feeds her, pats and ssshhhhh's her, takes her for a ride in the shopping cart, shares her food---it really makes me excited to see her with her new sister in July! She is going to be the best big sister! 

Just in case we ever lose the curls (I HOPE NOT), I wanted to be sure and get a picture of how curly it is!

At 19 months:

-she could live outside in the dirt or on the sidewalk with some chalk

-2 more teeth have come through so we are up to 14!

-still LOVES books

-wearing size 4 diapers

-wearing 18 months and some 24 months

-sleeping about 12 hours a night
-one nap and its actually been over 2 hours a few times! (This is HUGE!)
-loves stuffed animals and dolls--especially her dolls lately
-loves puzzles
-has really starting enjoying coloring and playing with playdoh
-karate kicks 
-jumps 
-makes a noise (kinda like gagging) if you say anything is "dirty", "nasty", "shooey"
-still doesn't say much but signs a lot
-says BABY and DADDY constantly. She has started trying to say more but those are the two she will say consistently and very well (and very hick sounding!)

M.I.A….but only because God is SO amazing :)

Not that I am the most consistent blogger by any means but I do have a pretty good excuse for being more absent than normal! 

As I mentioned in the pregnancy update, I now get to go weekly to be monitored in hopes of preventing another pre-term delivery. So that was two weeks ago today---we came home a little nervous, praying that everything would work out and I would keep cooking this baby as long as possibly. The next day, Josh was off to a physical for the last step in getting hired on at the Lubbock Fire Department (for those of you that feel like you have missed something…..it has been a YEAR long process!!). Everything went great and he knew when he left he passed his physical. So now he had an official job offer! We called our amazing realtor, Judi, and told her we were ready to put our house on the market! She got it done that afternoon and we were anxious to see if we had any "bites". 

**Let me take a quick step back and say why we were in such a hurry to get it on the market. We absolutely LOVE our home, love Josh's current job and everyone he works with. We love our neighbors and have been blessed beyond belief here. It is SO bittersweet to be leaving. Buuuutttt, for our family, moving back to Tahoka is just the answer. Every day that Josh is not on shift, he drives to Tahoka to farm. I am also 30+ weeks pregnant and due at the end of July. When he starts his new job, he has to attend the Lubbock FD Rookie School/Paramedic Class and will be in class Monday-Friday, 8-5. Add in drive time and he will pretty much be gone 6:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. every day until the middle of November. Now, I am all about staying at home with two babies but I also know in reality, I am going to need some serious help somedays :) Moving back to Tahoka puts us near all his family, friends and people he grew up with…it is just what we felt like needed to happen. I didn't want to go in to labor with him in class, me with Hensley by myself and try to figure it all out with his parents 30 minutes away. (Yes, I know people do it all the time--but if I didn't have to, I didn't want to!)**

So needless to say, we were praying that God would open doors that needed to be opened, close the ones that needed to be shut and that everything would work out how it was supposed to. Wellll, a few hours after putting the house on the market, our realtor calls at 10:30 that night that we have an offer with a contract on the way…..these people hadn't even seen the house yet. WE WERE STUNNED. They came the next day, loved the house, we signed the contract…..all in about 24 hours. We then started re-looking at some homes in Tahoka we had briefly looked at. (This was FRIDAY of the same week we got the news about my cervix). The next Monday, we went back to the doctor and got a GREAT report and we put in an offer on a new home. Last week, we officially got a contract on the house, our house got inspected and appraised, and we started packing LIKE CRAZY!!! 

I told y'all it has been a CRAZY TWO WEEKS! But Josh and I can not quit thinking how mighty our GOD is and how GREAT his plan is. We know houses don't just sell in hours without ever being looked at. We know it takes some people lots of time to find a house and negotiate a contract. We know people don't always get great reports at the doctor and things like bed rest are necessary for some women. We are completely BLOWN away by how He is working things out. And I looked at Josh the other day and asked him why we EVER stress about anything? Obviously, he has every detail of our life taken care of…so why do we ever worry about the future? I know we are human but these last two weeks have truly been such a blessing. Weight is being lifted off our shoulders daily. If I listed all the prayers he has answered, this would be more of a novel than it already is. 

And that is the main reason I wanted to write this all down. I know life will happen and things will get crazy. I know that I will find something to stress about in the future. So I wanted to take a few minutes and write down so I would truly remember all the great things He has done. How he has turned this event that we dreaded, into a testament of His glory and power. Like I said, we are so sad to leave this town. We have met amazing people and Josh has had the best experience at the Brownfield FD. But on the other hand, we are SO excited for this next chapter. We will be next door to some amazing people that I know will be a huge blessing to us. We will get to go to his home church and be with his family more often. We will get to go visit Hensley's great-grandparents more easily than we can now (having to work around naps/eating and drive-time is sometimes the pits!). We can go take Josh lunch on the tractor on the days he is working. The list could go on and on and on. We are just SO thankful for the doors God has opened. We know this was all His doing! 

Thanks for letting me ramble and share what's going on. And while I have you here, prayers for the rest of this pregnancy and the move are appreciated! :) 

30(+) weeks

Well its been a crazy two weeks to say the least! 

I went to the doctor for our normal appointment 2 weeks ago where we got to see Baby Girl again. We had a little bit of news when they told me my cervix was a little shorter than average…shorter than they were comfortable with. So I now get to go back weekly to be monitored, in hopes we can prevent another pre-term delivery! I'll post more about the craziness in another post ;)

How far along: 30+ weeks

Size of Baby: Butternut squash

Maternity clothes: Yes or athletic clothes :)

Weight gain: Pretty sure I'm up to like 25

Gender: SWEET BABY GIRL

Movement: Yes more and more throughout the day

Sleep: Eh---I still sleep but I wake up hurting and uncomfortable

Food cravings: Notta--my sweet tooth is pretty bad though

What I miss: Sleeping on my back

Symptoms: Belly!! Movement, getting tired pretty quick

Best Moment of the week: Nothing big just enjoying pregnancy

What's different this time: Still feel like they have been pretty similar. I feel like I am getting bigger faster but other than that pretty much the same. 

Besides being tired, there really hasn't been much different in this pregnancy. It is starting to get HOT outside and I'm not a huge fan. I am starting to get pretty uncomfortable but really no complaints besides that. 

28 Weeks

I'm not sure how I am in my THIRD trimester!!!! I can not believe it although when I look at my belly I'm glad that I don't have too much longer. It is growing quite rapidly and I'm starting to get really ready to meet this little sweet thing. 

We go back to the doctor on Monday and get to see our sweet baby again. I have started taking progesterone shots to hopefully prevent an early delivery. Hensley did great at 36 weeks but if we could get another couple weeks in my tummy we know that would be better :)

                                 

How far along: 28 weeks

Size of Baby: Head of cauliflower

Maternity clothes: Yes or athletic clothes :)

Weight gain: Ugh--I don't know--18-20?

Gender: SWEET BABY GIRL

Movement: Yes more and more throughout the day

Sleep: Eh---I still sleep but I wake up hurting and uncomfortable

Food cravings: Notta--my sweet tooth is pretty bad though

What I miss: Sleeping on my back

Symptoms: Belly!! Movement, getting tired pretty quick

Best Moment of the week: Nothing big just enjoying pregnancy

What's different this time: Still feel like they have been pretty similar. I feel like I am getting bigger faster but other than that pretty much the same.