She arrived and we are a busy family of 4 now!

Andi Mae arrived June 14, 2016. She weighed in at 7 lbs 10 ounces. To us, this seemed small since Zoe was almost a pound heavier. I will recap the birth so that I won't forget it years from now! So... here is goes. We arrived at the hospital super early in the morning on June 14th. When we arrived, I told my mom (who was at our house with Zoe) that we would call after they checked me and began the prep to schedule me into the operating room. We signed in and it was now about 6:45 a.m. I was already in my gown and just sitting around when they came in and told Chris and I that we would be bumped to be the first birth of the day! SO... I panicked and called my mom to throw Zoe in the car and head to Washington Regional fast! I had promised Zoe that she could give me a hug and see me before we went back. So, I didn't want to mess that plan up for her. Thankfully they arrived quickly and were able to be with me a minute before heading back. I was alone with just the doctors and room full of nurses/doctor, etc. It was super weird because I was just laying there.... I honestly was more nervous this round because with Zoe it was an emergency and super fast so I wasn't thinking much! Anyway, I can honestly say that once Chris got in there by me and they began everything it went so super fast and I felt a large push and pressure and they immediately handed me my baby on my chest! I didn't get to experience this with Zoe, so I was thankful to have that immediate baby time. We also were able to nurse quickly and Andi is still a nursing champ! (I am not going to fluff and pretend that it's easy though... breastfeeding is still super hard! But, I am just thankful that she does well and my body produces better this round.) SO.... she was definitely a screamer when we returned home! My my what colic she had! haha! There were many nights with no sleep and I am thankful for my mom for coming to the rescue many times just to help me have sanity! I also think I might've struggled with post partum a touch because I was super emotional about everything and often felt those lonely baby blues even though I was equally in love with my precious new baby! Zoe struggled a bit with the transition, but I feel like we are getting the hang of things now! Andi had her first appointment and had already gained up to 9 lbs. I was impressed! And then, we took her to her two month appointment recently and she is a whopping 13.6 lbs! So, she is most definitely a healthy little chunk! Zoe has been calling her "squish or squishy" since she was born, so that might become her little nickname from Zoe. :) We are on a small dose of medicine to help her silent reflux issues that were causing her to have pain when she ate, and things are much better now! She is right at 11 weeks old now, and eating and sleeping like a champ! She sleeps randomly throughout the day, even though we mostly try to stick with naps around 9, 12, and 3 during the day. She usually goes to "bed" around 9, unless we feed her late and then she will go around 11. She has recently been sleeping through the entire night, from the time she goes to bed until around 6-7 a.m. But, obviously this isn't every single night. She has started to smile and coo alot more, and she rolls over from her belly to her back. (She has done this about 4 times total). She LOVES being held and cuddled and she usually likes tummy time. She can hold her head up pretty good now, too. She has never been a spitter uper but recently started spitting up a little when her belly is so full. (I guess she is a little piggie and overeats!) Anyway, she is a joy and I have been able to take off time from work to be with her more. She will be a little over 3 months old when I return to work (I had the summer time, and then 7 weeks of school off). We chose that no pay would be ok, and we would just work it out. After all, this baby was prayed for often and we want to soak her up! Zoe is now in Pre-k on M/W/F and loves it! She is doing great and learning more each day. She has definitely had attitude though and we are working on that and on her not smothering her little sister with kisses. (although it sounds sweet, it's really a bit much! haha!) Anyway, we are excited about this journey and can't wait to watch our girls grow! I couldn't be more thrilled to have two girls! SISTERS!!! I love it! I will try and update this a little more often, but these days.... who knows!

Andi and Zoe,
you girls are a treasure to your daddy and me! We love you both and can't wait to see the girls you grow up to become. We thank God for you both and for giving us the honor to parent and love you!

5 days left!!!

Ok, we have almost made it! We have 5 days left until D-Day!!! We went to our last doctor appointment this morning, and did the routine monitors and stress tests. She looked good and was moving and having a variety of heart beats throughout the test, which showed us a good level of activity! The last visit when we had an ultra sound they mentioned she was already around 6 pounds, so we are curious to see if she is bigger or smaller than Zoe was. Zoe was over 8 lbs, and long! So, we shall see soon! I have been feeling pretty good since I finished school and began summer break. Oddly enough I was able to not be stressed and relax so much my first week of summer break that I didn't even need my Zofran meds for throwing up (which has happened this entire pregnancy again)... which just goes to show how stressful a teaching job can be on a preggo lady! ha! I had to start taking it again the other day though because I guess heartburn and the tightness of this belly just make me constantly nauseous and sick! But, again... 5 days left! I have begun to battle a little with anxiety and becoming nervous about having two children, and having this c-section. I am thankful to know what to expect this go around, and I am thankful that we are not going to have to go through the 36 hours of trauma first and then find out we have to have a c-section anyway! So, the time and stress will be saved this go around! I am just nervous because I know the recovery isn't fun~ eek! Either way, I am happy to meet our new little girl... Andi Mae Latimer! We finally decided on her name and are telling people now! It took 9 months to figure out what we both liked, but we did it! Anyway, Zoe is going to be a great big sister and has been very excited. She has began to act out a little though, and demand constant attention from me. I have already had those normal bouts of mommy guilt! Ahhh!! Anyway, we will adjust and learn this new family thing soon. But for now.... we soak up our big girl and soak up our time as a family of three for the last week. This new journey will be wild and great! I have already started getting excited about being a mom of two girlies! I absolutely can not wait!!!!!



Andi Mae,

We haven't even met you and love you! We haven't even figured out anything about you or your personality, but know that you were meant to be perfectly webbed into this wild family of ours! You have a big sister that will smother you with kisses and boss you around a lot, but also teach you tons! :) You have a mom who is fierce about loving you, cuddling you, and helping you become a new little sister! You have a daddy who will play with you and tickle you silly, and pray with you each night! We can not wait to meet you and learn who you are! We prayed for you for a long time! We wanted you so much and cherish you already! We will see you soon baby girl!!!! Mommy

Three weeks left!

So, as I stated in the last blog post. I am behind. I am behind on everything this pregnancy! It's been a whirlwind of working, managing the house, and chasing Zoe! We have had so much fun this year, and I wanted to reflect a little on Zoe before going straight into the baby news! First off, Zoe turned 4 back in March, and has been such a big girl these days. She is fun to talk to, loves her big girl queen size bed, and is quite the entertainer. She will do great things for sure! She still loves to sing, and is honestly pretty good at carrying a tune! She definitely gets that from her daddy. She has been very much a strong will child lately, and likes to show her sass. We often have to put her in check for this! She is currently in dance and gymnastics, and also plays soccer. She LOVES soccer! We call her our little soccer rocker! Anyway, she weighs about 47 lbs. and is getting SO tall at around 44 inches. She always weighs herself each week when she comes with me to my baby doctor visits, ha! Ok, so on to her little sister now.... We have finally narrowed down names and are mostly... I say mostly... set on the name Andi Mae. We love it, but just aren't sure 100%. It's been the funniest thing to pick out a name this time! Anyway, we have had great check ups so far recently. The baby is weighing around 6 lbs and I am measuring just right, maybe a week early. I plan to still have the same date for our c-section and I am getting very excited about this time around in hopes that we can avoid the massive trauma and scares that we did with Zoe! The doctor telling me there is no options other than c-section since my history and current state have really actually been an answered prayer for this analytical brain of mine! I like it knowing that I will be aware and going into this knowing what to expect. And, at the end of the day, I can't wait to hold our precious miracle! She is loved already and I am anxious to see what she will look like! Who will she resemble, act like, etc?! Will she look like Zoe?! Ahhhh... I am so ready! I am not sure how this life of two kids will look, but I am ready for it! Chris and I are so excited, and we are starting to finally get things going in the house and nursery to prep for a baby! Like I said, we are behind, so it could be ready AFTER she arrives! ;) Anyway, I have gained about 20ish lbs and am definitely feeling bigger in different ways with this one, than Zoe. I am also sleeping in a chair by the bed because my back and hips hurt so much more this round. I forsee many chiropractic visits after the birth! Ok, well that is all for now, and I will update closer to baby time! (Or after!) haha!

Just over 7 weeks left!

We have just over 7 weeks until we welcome our next baby into the family! I have been so "behind" on everything with this pregnancy. As I read back the posts from when I was pregnant with Zoe, it made me a little sad. Mostly because I have been so "scared", "worried", or "hesitant to believe" this is all real again for us. I think that we waited so long to really confirm that I was pregnant, and then we definitely waited a while to begin announcing it that we are just doing everything a little later than we did with Zoe. I also laugh because we haven't finalized her name yet! It's been a different situation for sure! But, none the less... we will have lots of love ready for her! Here are some things that I am feeling at 32 weeks pregnant....

-tired!
-tailbone and hip pain like NO other!!!
-nervous and constantly wanting to feel more kicks (my placenta is low and in front this time...)
-still having morning sickness, still taking meds each day to keep me able to go to work
-growing a pretty large belly! :) I have gained about 15-20lbs so far.
-excitement! I am finally getting really excited and eager!
-discouraged at moments because I have gestational diabetes again with this one...
- busy! We are a busy family! So, keeping up with daily life has been hard when pregnant and toting a toddler around.
-Thankful.... I am feeling thankful daily for this blessing.

Although pregnancy is NOT my strong point in life, it is a blessing that I treasure daily. I am thankful to have the opportunity to give birth to another baby girl, and I am thankful to have another child for our family. It's not easy on my body, I am not one of those ladies who "pop em right out", and I am not one that glows on a daily basis while pregnant. Instead, I wake up each morning for 9 months and throw up, take my blood monitor test that has made my fingertips raw, eat something while I take my nausea meds, and then get ready to go to work. It's not glamorous at all... but I promise I am happy to do this all again for what our family will get to have! It is interesting to see though how some hormones in women effect each of us differently. This pregnancy is very similar than it was with Zoe. Other than the fact that I am bigger and showing a lot more this time, the symptoms and reactions my body has is about the same. I am not positive, but I can probably say that my body will be done after this one and this will complete our family... at least for now. Now, on to the sweet stuff... here is information about Zoe and the baby!

-Zoe is SO excited to be a big sister. And she will be the BEST!
-When the baby does move, it tends to flutter around on my right side.
-I crave fruit again... and definitely still love salads. So hopefully this baby will love fruits and veggies like Zoe did.
-My doctor appointments show that the baby is moving all around, despite the fact that I can't feel her all the time.
-Zoe likes to tell everyone she is having a baby sister! (Let's hope she really is a girl!!! One more ultra sound in 3 weeks will confirm that for sure!)
-I tend to crave more steaks this time... Chris is loving that. So, maybe this little one will like meat, too.
-This baby girl is currently the size of a head of lettuce, and weighs about 4 lbs right now.
-When I do feel kicks it's at the top of my ribs AND the very bottom of my stomach... so I am betting she will be long like her sister was!


Ok, that's about all that I can think of right now. I am still busy teaching first grade and I definitely have "preggo brain" and forget things alot! I am ready for summer time, and I am ready for maternity leave just to recover, chill, and figure this all out! Right now Chris is still pretty busy with being the worship pastor, and much of our time is spent with church events. But, once summer comes, I am hopeful we can all have more family time to relax and enjoy our newest bundle!!

Back to blogging! The last year and a half!

So, as crazy as it seems I have not posted since Zoe was 2 1/2 years old!!! EEEK! It's definitely been a busy year and a half, and things have definitely changed around our home. Zoe is turning 4 this week..... 4 years old! My sweet little baby girl will be a big four year old. In the past year and a half here are some things that have rocked our world, and made our world!

First, let me just start out with saying how blessed I still feel to be Zoe's mommy. About 2 or more years ago we started trying to have another baby and for Zoe to have a sibling. Things just weren't working out, and time was flying by with a bunch of negative pregnancy tests and expensive doctor visits. Last summer we found out that we were pregnant, and thought this was the end of the "trying journey" and stress. Without going into much detail, we sadly mourned the loss of our pregnancy and baby at the 10 week pregnancy mark. It's one of those moments that you can't plan for, and you can't plan your emotions or triggers that follow. But, you just deal and choose to move on to whatever you can to help you cope. I honestly wanted to just stop trying for a while and be done because I was upset, mad, sad, frustrated, etc. One of the moments that I feel like I need to write down is the weekend we had to make the decision to "start the labor process" to finish the miscarriage. (This in itself was awful!) Anyway, we did this the last day of July 4th weekend, after a church event and I stayed home and cried and laid in bed waiting for the medicine to work and put me into labor. After most of the pain and hard stuff was over, I laid on the couch and Zoe had come back home. We laid there on the couch and she overwhelmed me with the sweetest, most loving cuddles. I remember her snuggling to my face, telling me she loved me, and just being plain sweet and loving. It's moments like these that I know God shows us love in special ways. I needed that so much and I even took a picture of us that day to remember that reminder of true LOVE from Him and of course from my precious daughter! So, the weeks after this were rough, but later we began to come around and think about the process some more.

Fast forward to October 2015. So we hadn't really thought about taking the tests anymore, doing the ovulation treatments, etc. And one day I just thought I should take a pregnancy test to see since I had forgotten when I was supposed to start. ( Like I said, I had quit counting the days and tracking this...) Anyway, the test showed faint pink lines.... and I was really shocked. I told Chris, but he wasn't buying it much. lol. I didn't really either, but I took another one and then called and made a doctors appointment for blood work. The blood work said I was positive for the pregnancy hormone, but after a train wreck of events and ER visits and family emergencies, I wasn't quite sure this pregnancy would last either. ( I were confirmed to be 6-7 weeks pregnant when we went to the ER to find that I had a large cyst on my ovaries, and at first they thought it was another miscarriage... so needless to say we weren't really feeling super certain about this.)  Nonetheless, by the end of the visit the ER doctor said it was ok, and the cyst would hopefully not mess with the pregnancy.  So,here we are.... in March 2016 with a big belly and a kicking baby girl! And I am just now able to process that we are pregnant! Geez... it really is crazy being a woman and a mama! :) So we are here, 27 weeks pregnant, and excited to have a baby girl in June 2016!

So... that's  somewhat caught us up on the wild ride since the last post and our journey! I definitely want to remember these things because I want to remember that God is a good Father and everything doesn't always pan out how we think.... but it works out for His plan and purposes. I will let my next post share all about sweet baby things and Zoe things!

"For I know the plans I have for you... plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future."  Jer 29:11

Zoe is 2 1/2!

Well,
Not much change after the last post other than adjusting to the new home, being land lords, and starting back to school. Zoe gets smarter and funnier by the day so I figure it's important to note these little things so that someday we can remember them all!

Zoe, here are some things about you these days:

-You LOVE to sing. All the time, anywhere and everywhere. You definitely love music like your mommy and daddy. We aren't quite sure who your talent will come from yet though! ha! You currently choose to reenact and dance to Frozen songs... along with all of your little toddler friends! You stand by any closed door and start saying "Do you wanna build a snowman", just like the movie and you do this silly giggle at yourself! You also know and recognize all of the worship songs you have heard us listen to and daddy sing. It's pretty sweet because anytime you hear a worship song come on or we have them playing you raise your hands up and start smiling and singing!

-You LOVE sweets. Unfortunately we have to try and not give in to this, but when you do get your sweet treats you enjoy every morsel! You get this honest, I am afraid.

-You talk and you talk clearly! I have never in my life heard a two year old talk as much as you, and actually make sense of everything! I carry on long conversations with you, and you seriously are fun to talk to! Me and your daddy often wonder if you have such a great vocabulary because we talk so much too, ha! But, you love to tell about your day, and what you played with, and who your friends are, etc.

-You love being outstide. Still. This has never changed, Any chance you can to play outside with sidewalk chalk, or ride your toy cars/bikes, you take.

- You are pretty pottytrained. I say pretty because we still have poop accidents! But it's ALWAYS at a Chick-fil-a or play date. Which clearly just tells us that you are social and will not give up your play time to poop! lol

-You still take 2-3 hour naps everyday and sleep at night from about 8:30pm-8 or 8:30 am. We have never complained about your love of sleeping and staying in your crib. You still LOVE your crib and have never fought us about this. Therefore, I know that soon I will put you in a big girl bed, but it isn't because we have to. :)

-You love little babies. Every one of our friends that have little ones know that you want to pat the babies head, or go and sit right in their face and smile at them. We are still working on having you a little brother or sister! Hopefully someday we can let you have one of your own to play with! I am hopeful when we do that you will be sweet and caring to it.... sometimes you scare me when I see you throw your babydolls across the floor or give them spankings! lol

-You eat so much better these days. You still try and tell me everything is too spicy, but you don't realize that I am smarter than you and can trick you into eating things anyway! Your staple foods remain to be black beans, snap peas, corn, green peppers, oatmeal, cereal bars, sometimes mac and cheese, string cheese sticks, peanut butter sandwiches, grilled cheese, and all fruits still. You also still say your favorite food is my spaghetti, and I have recently gotten you to eat chili by telling you it's basically spaghetti without the noodles. :)

-You love learning things and reading. You read books with us and Miss Amy and you like to retell them to us, which is really entertaining! You still like to do things, "All myself." And haven't changed from being Miss independent!

-You are very loving and give THE BEST hugs I have ever had. I tell you they are the world's best. And I can't lie when I say that I cherish those little tight hugs each day! I think daddy might get jealous because I sometimes get more! ;)

-You weigh about 34 lbs and are pretty tall! (I think you are right at 35 inches.) You wear sizes 3-4T and size 7-8 toddler shoes. Your hair is super long and we haven't cut it yet.

-Now that I listed all of the lovely things about this age of yours... here's the flip side! You have a mind of your own, and definitely push your limits! You like to pretend that you are pouting and will lay on the floor to tell us that is what you are doing. You will also purposely be "not smiley" to someone that we want you to say hi to or smile to. lol. If it's not your idea, you will create your own scenario! Also, you throw your fair share of fits. And we have learned we have to be very consistent with you in order for you to turn it around. You aren't phased much by spankings, but you hate time out and no attention! We still do both and try our best, even though you are pretty darn cute when you apologize and pout. Overall, you are honestly my child! Your mims attests to the fact that you act very much like I did as a child!

-Miss Amy still keeps you three days a week and she has been coming to our house to watch you the last several weeks. We love her and you absolutely are loved! Between Miss Amy and your Mims keeping you each week you are loved and cared for and are learning great things from them. We are blessed to be able to work, and know that the hours we are gone you are being loved on!

Ok, one final story to end the post. Here is something that I can share when you graduate highschool to embarrass you! You had some friends over the other week, and you were all playing with your water table and play kitchen on the back porch. We look over and see that you start taking a play shovel to scoop things up. Your little buddies are all helping you, too! One of the other moms starts telling me she thinks it's poop. When I look closer, I see that you have pooped on the patio and have started "cleaning it up" with your shovel to throw it away. OMG! I was in shock and started laughing and freaking out at the same time. I went over and got you and all of the moms started interfering with the kids to help everyone "stay away from the poop!" We got the water hose and hosed down you and the porch and then I got liquid soap and scrubbed the porch floor! After about 20 minutes everything was clean and you look at me and say "It's gonna be ok, mommy. You not need to be worried. It's poop." Oh geez! You are a mess! But, this story sums up your desire for fun and play, rather than pooping on the potty! You are such fun and we love you dearly!

A new house, a two year old, and potty training!

The title of this post is fitting... three major events all in the last three months since I blogged. Clearly, it's been a little busy around here. Blogging gets the boot whenever there are other things going on. :)
About 4-5 months ago we tossed around the idea of building down the road from our current home, and starting the investing of owning a rental home and our new home. We thought that this could be a great time and investment for future and retirement, etc. SO, we went forward with it, and God willing, we began the process of it all. Right after looking into it, and beginning the building (well really just picking out our choices and options of a pre-built floor plan we found), things got crazy! We found ourselves really saving our pennies, diving into our budget options, meeting with people and banks, and working with the building company to get what we liked and stay in budget. This is something that we never have done together, and I am pleasantly surprised to find out that we didn't kill each other in the process. :) It actually wasn't bad. There were some opinions that differed, but the more stress related issues came when closing and waiting. We were very excited with the outcomes. Ok, SO, during the midst of this all happening, we had Zoe's birthday party in March. She turned TWO! We had family and friends come, and we kept it fun and simple. She loved Sesame Street characters, so we decorated and had fun with that. Easter, Mother's Day, and Chris' birthday have always gone on in the last several months, so it's been fun! She is a big girl now, and it was pretty funny to see the immediate changes that come with two. Zoe, here are the things you now do as a big two year old:

• TALK.... you've talked for a while now. But you speak in clear sentences now. And you are LOUD! You love to sing and talk and talk and talk and talk.... :) You get this from your momma! 
• You love to be independent. You want to do everything yourself. "Me do it, or my turn, or Zoe's turn."
• You had a picky phase, and are somewhat still in it. You call every new food "spicy" and then when you finally try it you get really excited and say, "It's not spicy!"
• You say "I love you" to me and daddy all the time. We soak this up every single time!
• You are really silly.... You walk around the corners in the house and pop out saying "Prise"! You like to surprise us all the time.
• You ask your Mims something when mom or dad have already said no... you are learning how to play us all! :) 
• You pray before bed every night and list of every.single. friend..... :) Then you give us kisses and say how you love us. Of course we give you loads of kisses back!
• You talk about Jesus and the other day in the car you said you see him in the sky with God. You said that you love him. And it never fails that you still call Noah from your bible book, Santa. Every time.... lol.
• You say that your daddy is your best friend. And then the next day it is Mickey Mouse! ha!
• You absolutely love playing outside still and it is a very sad day if it's raining all day.
• You always need kisses on your boo boos, and a kiss always makes it "all better now".
• You have never sat and watched Frozen, but somehow you walk around singing it at the top of your lungs.
• You have recently been potty training now that mommy is home for the summer, and you have done great! We are only on day three, but you have only had a total of 2 accidents in three days.... and both of those times have been when you were playing with your friends. You have gone on the potty several times by yourself. I am pretty hopeful! We are trying not to stress it, but you seem to be excited about it so I am going to continue to "no diapers" except at night time as long as we can until it all clicks. You have done wonderful, and so far have made this an easy process. * fingers crossed!
• We brush your teeth and get all the "cavity bugs" off of them. You laugh the whole time because it tickles you when you brush.
• Your favorite foods are still: pizza, spaghetti, green beans, peppers, watermelon, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, strawberries, blueberries, french fries, veggie pouches, and milk/apple juice/water. You also love Popsicles and snow cones since it is summer time!
• You love to swim and will be going to the lake soon for a fun family vacation! 
• You are a good girl, but a stubborn little girl. You most definitely have a mind of your own! You have also decided to look at mommy or daddy and put your hands on your hips when  you say "no". This doesn't end well for you. You also act way dramatic and have been known to throw yourself on the floor and make noises if you know someone is listening. We are learning to walk away and leave you there to be your own dramatic self! It's always a little comical, but we try to not let you see us laughing!
• You look like you are a bouncy ball when you run, but you have yet to fall over! You literally just bop and bounce as you run... similar to a bobble head doll with pig tails! :) We all think you are going to fall over, but you never do. Quite the opposite... you are very coordinated and love gymnastics and dancing! I am going to try to get you into some classes for fun this summer.

So, you have turned two, you are now potty training, and to finish off the post, we are in our new home! You love it and love your new big bedroom. Your toys have a ton of space now, and we are currently going through all of the applications and people that are interested in our previous house to rent. We are praying for the right renters, and know that the ones that didn't pan out were because God was protecting us from that! He is in control of this crazy life of ours, and we are excited to be observing and acknowledging the blessings he has given. I am off of work for the summer time, and am in much need of rest and relaxation with my little family! I can't wait for the many swimming days, play dates, and fun that I will have with my little two year old baby girl over the next few weeks! Here are some pics from the last few months!