19 Weeks

19 Weeks: Baby O2 is the size of a large heirloom tomato.

This week the baby's sensory development is exploding and he/she may be able to hear us now!  The arms and legs are in the right proportion with the rest of the body. The kidneys are continuing to produce urine and the baby's hair is sprouting. The waxy coating on the skin, the vernix caseosa, is forming on the skin to prevent the baby getting "prune-y."

How far along? 19 Weeks

Total weight gain? Up 7 pounds
Maternity clothes? Nope, wearing all my normal jeans and I'm able to button them.  My dress pants for work though have to have the rubberband in order for them to fit. 

Stretch marks? Nope- lathering on my cocoa butter

Sleep? Sleeping like a baby the whole night- not even waking up for bathroom breaks.
Best moment this week? Having Monday off with Labor Day weekend- we needed a nice short 4 day week!  And we got our first small house project done- building the Phase 1 stage of Trent's closet so I could get all his stuff out of my closet.
Miss anything? Nothing this week.

Movement? Lots of little kicks and flips.
Food cravings? Mashed potatoes so we hit up the Olpe Chicken House :)
Anything making you queasy/sick? Nothing!!
Gender? Don't know and we won't know until Baby O2's birthday!
Labor Signs? No- I'd hope not!
Symptoms? Other than my expanding waistline and the kicks I don't even feel pregnant.  Very thankful to feel so awesome, especially with chasing a 17 month old around!

Belly button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off?  They're off :( But not because they don't fit!  I sent them back with Bob and Lora so the jewelers could make my anniversary band Trent surprised me with this year for our anniversary.  Can't wait to see them done in 4-6 weeks.

Happy or moody? So so happy!

Looking forward to? Getting lots done at the house this coming weekend since it's our only free weekend at home this month! Some of the plans: picking up the barn wood for the nursery, clearing out the nursery of all the random stuff that got put there during the move, and buying all our fencing material for the back-backyard.  The backyard around the pool is fenced but we want everything fenced for the dogs and the kids.

Daddy moment: Love my handyman who is busy scheming up big plans with me for our house!

Big brother Cole moment: Poor Cole had his first ER visit on Saturday night from 12-3 am.  He had been running a low fever all day which we thought was just teething since he has 4 coming in at once.  But when we checked on him at midnight for his scheduled dose of Tylenol he was burning up at 104 degrees and then started throwing up.  We threw him in the car and raced to the ER.  They said that he has croup but we 100% do not agree.  We called Dr. Rita and she didn't agree either so we are going to KC tomorrow to see her and see what she says.

8 Weeks

 8 Weeks: Baby O2 is the size of a kidney bean.

This week the baby's webbed fingers and toes are poking out of the hands and feet, eyelids practically cover the eyes, breathing tubes extend from the throat to the developing lungs, and the "tail" is just about gone. 

How far along? 8 Weeks
Total weight gain? Nada yet
Maternity clothes? Nope
Stretch marks? Fingers crossed that I will get lucky again and won't get them...
Sleep? Kind of restless, have gone to the couch a few nights because I get SO hot with Trent and the two dogs in bed with me.  I forgot how much heat a pregnant lady can produce- it's just radiating off of me.
Best moment this week? Getting to attend the wedding of a teacher friend- so fun catching up with my old team.  I will miss them so much next year! 
Miss anything? Being able to feed Cole and myself without wanting to throw up the whole time.
Movement? Nope
Food cravings? Any food I can stomach to get down.
Anything making you queasy/sick? Everything. 24 hours a day.  Not fun.
Gender? Had my first baby dream and this time... it was a girl!
Labor Signs? Nope
Symptoms? The all day morning sickness is horrible.  Chasing and playing Cole-Man all day probably isn't helping much.  I also experienced the worst cramps of my life this weekend after we got home from a wedding.  I was in so much pain they felt like contractions which scared the crap out of us. I would only sleep for about 30 minutes at a time before I'd wake up rocking in pain.  It was the worst night of my life and not something I feel like reliving ever again.  Luckily, I'm okay and more importantly the baby is fine. 
Belly button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody? HAPPY!!! And so so tired.
Looking forward to? Seeing Cole become a big brother- he is so fun and funny at this age right now.
Daddy moment: I'm so thankful that Trent helped unpack us some because with my all day morning sickness OCD Kala has left the building... she's been replaced with Living-out-of-boxes-is-cool-Kala.
Big brother Cole moment: Cole is all about playing outside right now.  He loves raking and talking to our neighbors dogs through the fence.

The Due Date

After confirming with Dr. Rita that we were definitely pregnant she was amazing enough to schedule an ultrasound for us a few days later before our big move so that we could find out the due date of the baby.  Just like with Cole, we didn't have a clue and were both guessing that we couldn't be more than a month pregnant since we had just started trying.  Turns out we were 6 weeks and 5 days along.  Almost exactly like we were with Cole when we had our sonogram- we were 6 weeks and 4 days with him.  Going back and doing the math that meant that we had been blessed with this baby a week before I threw my pills into the trash... which meant it was a week before Trent got the job and we agreed to start expanding our family.  Lo and behold, God planned everything out for these Type A planners... just like he always does :)

  

The due date for Baby O2 is February 1, 2015!  We both think that's pretty cool since Cole's due date was April 1.  Makes us wonder if this one will come earlier or later than big brother did.

7 Weeks

7 Weeks: Baby O2 is the size of a blueberry. 

This week the baby's hands and feet are emerging from the developing arms and legs- although they look more like paddles. The baby still has something of a small tail which will disappear in the next few weeks. Our little blueberry now measures half an inch long. The eyelid folds partially cover the eyes, which have some color to them. The hemispheres of the brain are developing and a loop in the baby's growing intestines are bulging into the umbilical cord.

How far along? 7 Weeks
Total weight gain? Nada yet
Maternity clothes? Nope, but it's also summer vacation and I pretty much live in comfy clothes for 2 months and avoid doing my hair/makeup at all costs.
Stretch marks? Nope and I just bought some of the same cocoa butter as last time.  I'm hoping since it worked with Cole that it will work for this one!  
Sleep? Waking anywhere between 7-8 am with Cole and sleeping like a rock.  Also napping a bit here and there when Cole takes his short afternoon nap.
Best moment this week? Finishing the basement and saying our goodbyes to our beloved home.  Now we start our new adventure at the rental house in Emporia.
Miss anything? Our house/family/friends in Gardner already :(
Movement? Nope
Food cravings? Just drinking lots of cold, cold water
Anything making you queasy/sick? Everything. 24 hours a day.  Not fun.
Gender? Not yet
Labor Signs? Nope
Symptoms? The all day morning sickness is horrible.  Chasing and playing Cole-Man all day probably isn't helping much.
Belly button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody? HAPPY!!! So excited for this life change!
Looking forward to? Trying to get ourselves somewhat settled/unpacked soon.
Daddy moment: Thank heavens that Trent helps out with dinner.  Feeding Cole is such a chore and all I want to do is throw up the whole time.
Big brother Cole moment: Cole is so resilient and flexible to these changes in his life.  The move didn't faze him one bit.  We set up his room pretty similar to what it was and he was instantly a happy camper!

18 Weeks

18 Weeks- Baby O2 is the size of a bell pepper- 5.5 inches long and almost 7 ounces. The baby is busy flexing his/her arms. The ears are now in the final position, although they are sticking out from the head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is forming around the nerves, a process that will continue in the first year of life as well. 

How far along? 18 Weeks

Total weight gain? Up 8 pounds
Maternity clothes? Still not yet- some pants still fit fine and others require the rubberband trick or the belly band.  

Stretch marks? Nope- lathering on my cocoa butter morning and night.

Sleep? Sleeping awesome and still not using the body pillow yet.  There are some nights where I wake up and grab an extra pillow cause my tummy or back are hurting.  Nothing too major though.
Best moment this week? Having 1.5 days off this week cause Cole's daycare lady was sick- we had so much fun together.  He also got to come with me to the baby's monthly appointment and was such a good boy!
Miss anything? Summer break :) My days off with Cole reminded me how much I love/feel blessed to have that time every year to be at home.

Movement? Oh yeah, pushes and pokes throughout the day.  Have had some bigger ones too but they aren't as frequent yet.
Food cravings? Nothing really.
Anything making you queasy/sick? Nothing!!
Gender? Don't know and won't know until D-day. Sonogram has been set for Sept 19 so I really hope I don't give in on that day.  I don't think I will though.  I pretty much have my mind set!
Labor Signs? No- I'd hope not!
Symptoms? Bigger belly and that's about it this week.

Belly button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody? Happy!!  We had a three day weekend spent with both sides of our family, shopping, and unpacking... lots of fun!
Looking forward to? Finishing our unpacking.  We have made lots of progress but still have lots to do.  All in good time.
Daddy moment: Getting lots done around the house- especially since he had a 4 day weekend. He is also excited to have his beloved Mustang back with us.  We had been storing it at a friend's house in Olathe but we were finally able to bring it home this weekend.

Big brother Cole: At the appointment for the baby, Cole heard the heartbeat and started grinning ear to ear.  He also got new shoes, clothes, and some toys this weekend during our KC shopping trip.  His favorite part?  The shoes of course since he's such a shoe lover.  Wore them all day/night today... even with only his diaper.

Baby O #2

Oh yes, we're at it again!  Baby O Dos will be joining our family on/around February 1, 2015! Kinda funny since Cole's due date was April 1st. The story starts a few months back...

In March 2014 one of our best friends, Wendy, talked to Trent about joining her in the chemistry lab at Wolf Creek Nuclear Power Plant.  We talked it over as a family and figured he could send in his application and it wouldn't hurt anything.  All the meanwhile I was making big plans about opening the new middle school with my best teacher buddies and was sooo excited.  We both didn't think anything would ever really develop and figured God knew what was best for our family.  When Wendy approached Trent we were very torn if this was right for us.  We had such a wonderful and happy life in KC and didn't see us uprooting that unless it was an amazing opportunity for our family.  In the end all the pros outweighed the cons that we could come up with.  We kept telling ourselves... it's only an hour away from our life/family/friends up here if he should end up getting it.

When Trent got the call in late April that he got an interview, it definitely made it real that our lives could drastically be changing soon. I happened to call right after he talked to Wolf Creek to tell him I got to see my new classroom at the new school and it smelled so good.  Ironic timing that those two things would be happening at the same time.

Trent had his interview the last week of April and we were told we wouldn't hear anything for 1-2 weeks which made me a nervous wreck since I needed to know... do I start packing my classroom for a move to a new school?  Or for a completely new town?  He thought the interview went great but they had told him they still had a few other candidates they were considering as well. On Saturday, May 3 as we were about to head out with Trent's family for the annual city wide garage sales (round 2 of the day), Trent got the call that changed everything.  Holy crap, he got the job.

Telling family/friends/co-workers that weekend and next week was full of highs and lows.  We'd be super pumped one minute and then I'd be in tears the next. Talk about a hot mess. But I will say, one huge pro about this job was we could start trying for a baby much sooner than we had decided was best for our family.  Jo. Co. childcare= not cheap! The day he got the job was the day my pills went into the trash.

So fast forward through May which was spent finishing our basement, packing my classroom, packing up some of our house stuff, taking a load of stuff to our storage unit in Emporia every Saturday morning, looking at houses every Saturday afternoon, not loving the 5-8 houses we'd see, and trying to get lots of family/friend time in while we could.  It all went by in a blur.

On June 3, I spent the whole night on the couch not feeling well cause I had really bad stomach cramps.  I was thinking that my dinner or the snocone treats we went and got that night didn't set well and went to bed hoping I'd feel better the next day.

Cole and I had a busy June 4 planned.  We started our morning with a trip with Jobeth and Maddy to the Overland Park Arboretum.  It was the perfect morning- absolutely gorgeous out, the kids were great, and we got some quality K-Jo time in.  But even though it was a nice cool morning I noticed I was getting hot and going through my water bottle quickly.  I assumed it was my reaction to heat cause of my thyroid, ugh so dumb.  Around 11 we headed to Lowe's to order the carpet for the basement and pick up the new door that had just been shipped.  Of course they couldn't find the door (it was up front at the register all along, grrr) so me and Cole had to wait for half an hour.  I had to entertain Cole- who did awesome- and keep my mind off of food because I felt like I was starving and hadn't eaten in days.  It was just noon by this point so I couldn't figure out why I was so hungry.  After finishing at Lowe's, I picked up lunch from Pizza Shoppe and took it home to chow down.  That afternoon we played at home, Cole took a nice long afternoon nap, and I finished packing up all of our kitchen stuff.  Fun times.

Around 5 o'clock I noticed that the same cramps were back from the night before and I was hurting pretty bad.  I thought of everything that had happened that day- got hot easily, drank water like crazy, starving, and now the cramps.  Instantly I knew... we were totally pregnant. I had had those early uterine cramps with Cole and knew it felt exactly the same.  Since Trent was just about to get off of work at Wolf Creek and start the hour and 10 minute drive home I sent him a quick text telling him that we were definitely taking a test tonight because the cramps were back and I was pretty confident that we were pregnant.  But as soon as I hit send I realized I had accidentally hit a group message thread that had been with Trent's parents and Trent, not just my text thread with Trent.  Oh crap. So they immediately texted back with smiley faces and ? marks and knew I had definitely not meant to send that to them.  When Trent called a short five minutes later I explained what I had done and I'm sure he shook his head at me :)

Right after Trent got home, Ashley and Jeryn swang by and they had sonogram pics... but it wasn't pictures of our newest niece like we had been told the previous week.  Oh no, these were pictures changing Baby Gorney to a BOY!  We were so excited and couldn't believe that Cole and his cousin would only be 1.5 years apart in age.  How fun!

We ate dinner and while I cleaned up Cole and the dinner mess he ran to Dollar General to buy a test. But he brought me back the tests that are literally one dollar.  Big spender ;) I figured he'd at least buy the $5 test... but I wasn't going to send him back or anything.  Trent was changing Cole's diaper in his room and I went right across the hall in the guest bath to take the test.  The whole time I was taking it Trent was saying, "There's no way, we just started trying, you're just anxious about the move, etc."... and in the middle of all his nay-saying... the test instantly turned positive and I squealed.  With a half dressed Cole, Trent ran over and the shock on his face was priceless.  I'm pretty sure I said I told you so in the middle of hugging and celebrating.

Since I'd already spilled the beans about the possibilty that we were pregnant, we went ahead and told our immediate family the news that night and everyone was absolutely shocked!  All the in town family we drove over and told in person, but the out of towners got a picture text and then phone call. Definitely not as planned out as last time, but what can ya do?

So Baby O2, that's the journey of how our family started to prepare for you.   It's definitely been a crazy season of change for us but we wouldn't have it any other way... because now we have you!

Big brother Cole can't wait to meet you!!

Cole 6 Months: October 4, 2013

6 months. 182 days. Half a year already... just like that. Thank you for blessing us everyday with your sweet, smiley self, Cole-Man.  I know we're biased and all but you really are the best baby that brings so much joy to anyone you're around.  May you always carry that trait with you in life!

Height: 27 inches, 69%
Weight: 18 pounds, 5 ounces, 66%
Head Circumference: 17.5 inches, 69%

Diapers: Made it into the 3s now.  Boo to having less diapers per box... but woo-hoo for using less diapers in a day compared to newborn/early months.  Guess it evens itself out there.

Clothes: Depending on the brand, you are wearing 6 months, 6-9 months, and 6-12 months.  I LOVE all the fall outfits we have for you.  I especially love putting you in all your plaid button up shirts for church. You look like such a dapper gentleman!

Food: Your eating schedule is the exact same as last month cause it's going so well.  You have 2 servings of solids at three meals a day- breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  You also nurse or take bottles 6 times a day.  We got the go ahead from Dr. Rita to give you any stage 1 or 2 foods during your solids meals.  I think we've tried almost every single option and so far you love anything and everything... minus the peas still. Smart boy! Meats, fruits, veggies, combos, rice cereal, oatmeal, etc... you like a big variety.

Sleep: This was probably the worst month of sleep you've had so far in your life.  We're trying to stay positive and remind ourselves it's not terrible compared to other stories we've heard but it's definitely an adjustment to what we've been used to.  Things could always be worse... that's what we are telling ourselves.  About 50% of the nights in a week you cry your head off until we comfort you by picking you up and rocking with you.  We tried really hard not to do this so you didn't become accustomed to it... but how could we not?  We asked Dr. Rita about letting you cry it out and she didn't recommend it... but we've heard/read that it works so we feel really torn on what to do.  I fully admit that you're manipulating us because we can see it on the video monitor- you'll cry your head off like there's no tomorrow, stop, then look at the doorway to see if anyone is coming.  If no one comes to your rescue then it's back to your screams.  If we do come in you give us a big ole grin to show just how happy you are to see us.  Manipulator!  We need some major help on what to do about this. Naps are about the same as last month.  Miss Wendy swears up and down that you don't want to sleep because you're afraid you'll miss something.  I have no idea who you get that from ;) You're still taking around 3-4 cat naps randomly throughout the day.  You do nap better at home on the weekends so we know you can do it!  This month you became a big time sleep mover- all over the place like you're always done but now you'll switch directions and also move back and forth from your back to your tummy.

Milestones and Firsts:
-We survived our first time with having Dad gone for a business trip.  He was gone for an entire week to Boston and we both were SO happy to have him back at home with us.  I found a whole new appreciation for single moms, military moms, moms who have hubbies who travel all the time, etc. It was really hard work being a working single mom trying to do everything on my own.  Thank goodness you're a good baby- that at least made it easier on me!
-You went to your first Blazer game as a part of my 10 year high school reunion weekend.  I can't wait to see you proudly wear that Blazer blue someday!
-You are an official army crawler! Wow. It's been unbelievable to watch you master this!
-While army crawling you'll try to "real" crawl too by getting up on all fours and rocking back and forth.  You also get into the "bear crawl" position up on your tip toes but don't really go anywhere.
-On 9-20 you got to attend your first wedding rehearsal for Uncle Kurty and Jennie.  You didn't make it to the wedding but we'll count the rehearsal instead.
-You now have some big boy toys that require you to sit up and you can play for any length of time sitting up now.  The lights and sounds still mesmerize you and you bang away on them all day long.
-Since you have no problem sitting up we started doing some baths with you sitting up in your baby tub and you play with your "Super Duck" from Grammy the whole time.
-We baked you a cake for your 6 month birthday and let you have a tiny lick of the icing.  I think more came out than made it down though. The neon blue icing definitely got drooled out and all over you!
-If we stand you up and lean you against something you'll keep yourself propped up to jump up and down.

Likes:
-Skyping with Daddy was fun cause you got to see/hear him and wanted to eat the phone. 
-Screaming.  Both of us and Miss Wendy commented that you've always been a chatty one but this month you increased your volume.  Yikes. Another trait I might have to blame on me for.
-We started having you wear a plastic bib since you're so messy and this fascinated you.  The first night you ate the bib more than the food and ended up wearing it as a cape cause you played with it so much.
-You find our faces to be fascinating.  You'll touch, tug, and pinch all over while holding open your mouth in curiosity.  Then you'll bring our face to yours for the sloppiest open mouth kiss ever and I absolutely love it- even more than I did last month :)
-Watching Dad play softball.
-Playing peek-a-boo or getting scared by us hiding then jumping out with a big, "Boo!" gets you to laugh hysterically. 
-"Tasting" the air every single time we are outside by opening your mouth and sticking out your tongue.
-Anything exciting makes you kick your legs like a mad man!
-Snuggling- you are a lover and still enjoy being held and cuddled whenever you're feeling sleepy or lovey.

Dislikes:
-Seeing us eat when you aren't- man oh man do you grunt, fuss, and arch your back out of your seat to get our attention.  And, if we give you a sample you'll demand more because one taste wasn't good enough.
-Your shots were a few days before your 6 month birthday and they gave you a fever of 101.  You were so hot and sad that whole day.  All you wanted to do was snuggle and sleep with me which of course I loved.

Mom's Favorite Moment:
Watching you learn how to army crawl completely blew me away this month.  You are all over the place and it's shocking how fast babies learn and take in their surroundings.  We laugh at you a lot because you have a very unique army crawl we enjoy watching.  You use your hands and arms to steer yourself but when it comes to your feet to help push you along, you only use your big toes. You curl the rest of your toes in and push as hard as you can by digging your big toe in the carpet, wood floor, etc.  It seems to work for you so we get a kick out of it.  It's the little things like this that I hope I'll always remember as you continue to grow and change.

Dad's Favorite Moment (in Dad's words):
I think my favorite moments have been watching you crawl to your toys. Once you get there your face lights up and you giggle. We can actually set you down by your toy workbench and you'll sit there and play with it like a big boy. It makes me ready to build you your own workbench in the garage that way we can spend some quality man time together in the man cave!