Pregnancy "Milestone"

Well I had my first "Charlie horse" early this morning while I was still trying to sleep a little before Ava woke up. It was the first one I've had this pregnancy and "Wow" is all I can say. My calf has been so sore today as though I did an intense workout yesterday using my right calf only. So, yeah, that's my new "milestone."

Here's my 29 week picture:

I can't believe I have so much more growing to do!

Ava's Birthday & 28 Weeks

Ava had a GrEaT second birthday. She had a wonderful day and got some fun new toys. Her favorites include a tent with a crawl through tunnel attached (she already slept in it last night), a train set, and some cars. She helped me make the same "Applesauce Healthy Cake" that I made last year for her birthday and it was quite delicious again. Along with this wonderful two year milestone, however, has come a "no" phase that is driving me crazy. Sweet little Ava is getting quite a few "booty pops" each day to help her adjust her attitude. She knows exactly what she's doing, understands exactly what I tell her, and is responding well to discipline. It's just exhausting to be calm and consistent all day every day. (I'm sure any good mom with a toddler can relate.) Sometimes I just wanna check out and say go ahead and throw yourself on the floor screaming no, I don't care. :)

I am 28 weeks pregnant today and had an OB appointment yesterday. Baby Girl sounds great on the doppler with a heartrate of about 150 bpm. She is moving all the time. My belly is measuring on track for the number of weeks along, my blood pressures are great (100/70), and I have gained about 20 pounds. I did my glucose test also and will be receiving the results in the mail. I am feeling really good aside from one varicose vein starting to come out on one leg. I didn't have any with Ava, so this is a new "problem," but it really only bothers me if I'm on my feet all day without resting and elevating my legs. I'm trying to exercise (walking and some light weights), drink tons of water, and put my feet up a few times per day. I've also been going to a chiropractor, which is so amazing and helpful, and makes me wish I had found a place in Kansas to go through my pregnancy with Ava. I've gone throughout my life but I think it's especially important to keep healthy and in proper alignment during the major body changes pregnancy brings.

Anyway, that's pretty much it I guess. I will try to post a couple Ava birthday pics later.

No Way

Ava is going to be 2 years old on Wednesday! What!? No way.

Big Girl, Ava!

Quick little update:

Ava has been staying dry through the night almost every night for about 2 weeks now. She has only had one accident in that time. We should be saying goodbye to the overnight pull-ups in the next month or so --- before the next baby arrives along with lots of tiny diapers! Woohoo!

Ava has also been pretty interested in babies lately. She has a little doll house with different furniture and people including a baby with a stroller and a crib. She pushes the baby all around in the stroller or she tucks the baby in the crib with a blanket and says "Shhh, baby's sleeping." (She's really learning how to pretend, it's so cute!) I got her a baby doll that has an extra change of clothes and a pacifier for Christmas. (I had her play with a few different ones at the store to help me make my choice.) We were watching TV yesterday and A Baby Story came on TLC. She was watching so intently and kept saying "baby!" every time they showed one. I know she's going to be awesome with Baby Girl #2 (whom we are working on naming, by the way).

I will probably post a new preggo picture tomorrow sometime.

Pregnancy Questions

How Far Along?
25 weeks
Maternity Clothes?
I'm definitely in maternity pants now, but mostly regular shirts (that are longer) still.
Stretch marks?
none
Sleep?
I get up multiple times a night to visit the bathroom but other than that I'm still able to get comfortable and am sleeping pretty well.
Best Moment This Month:
Seeing the baby so healthy on the ultrasound yesterday and finding out that my placenta is up and out of the way now!
Movement:
Baby Girl is super active. She moves often and forcefully. :)
Food Cravings?
Lately I have been wanting anything and everything sweet and/or chocolate.
Labor Signs?
None but I have been having plenty of Braxton Hicks contractions.
Belly Button In or Out?
Well... it's kind of in or flat on the bottom and out on the top. hehe
Wedding Rings On or Off?
On
Exercise?
I have been mostly walking and doing some light free weights lately. I miss my kick butt workouts but don't have the stamina for them anymore.
What I Miss:
Sleeping on my stomach and feeling really athletic.
What I am Looking Forward to:
Getting into the 3rd trimester.
Milestones:
At my appointment yesterday the nurse practitioner told me with the baby weighing about 1.8 lbs and being healthy, she would most likely be able to survive even now if there was some kind of emergency that required an early delivery.

Good News

I am 24 weeks and 6 days pregnant today and had an appointment at my new OB's office this morning. I had an ultrasound and the baby looks absolutely perfect. Her heart rate was about 140 bpm and she is measuring about 1.8 pounds right now and is right on track with her growth. In other great news my placenta has moved up and out of the way, so that is no longer a concern! My weight and blood pressures are great also, and I'm feeling wonderful overall.

Ava is doing very well also. She is growing, changing, learning, challenging, testing, etc more and more every day. A couple days ago she slipped on the kitchen floor chasing the pups in her socks and busted her face pretty good so she has a nice black eye now. I'm going to the chiropractor tomorrow and think I'll probably get her adjusted too while I'm there. With all the running around, falling down, and wrestling with pups she does, I'm sure her little body could use some realigning too. :)

Everything else is going great around here. My next OB appointment is 22 December and I will be doing my glucose test then as well. I will update here again then if not before. I need to get some videos of Ava on here before she grows up overnight. :)

Ultrasound Pics

These are 2 pictures from the ultrasound on October 25.

Pics

12 weeks (of poptart eating)

21 weeks 5 days

We were about to get in the shower. Ava had to get in the shot (and she was very full, haha). :)

Settling In

Well it's official: I "live" in GA again... at least for a while. Ava (and the pups) and I are staying with my mom for this deployment. So far the adjustment has gone quite well. Ava is a little more clingy ("Where'd Mama go?" every time I leave the room) as I am now her only real constant, but that's to be expected. We've had so much fun already. Ava plays Shane's drums and the piano all the time and we've played outside a lot, taking advantage of the beautiful days we still have left before the "cold" really hits. She LOVES going to the playground, particularly because she likes to swing. Like, she'll go down the slide once or twice and want to swing the whole rest of the time. BB, Pancake, and Roman are having a blast together. I'm singing in the choir at Mom's church, which is something I didn't really realize I've missed. I enjoy actually reading music and blending with many other parts, etc. I've also been making a conscious effort to eat well and get plenty of rest/sleep. I've been napping with Ava almost every day since we've been here, so that's been nice. Baby Girl has been moving A LOT. I really am going to post an0ther pregnancy picture. I just keep forgetting to get Mom or Shane to take a picture of me. I went to a new Primary Care Manager yesterday to get a referral to an OB/GYN so hopefully I will be able to get an appointment soon to stay on track with my every 4 weeks appointments that I've had thus far. I'm anxious to see the results from a repeat sonogram in a few weeks; hoping my placenta is moving up a little each day!
I just got off the phone with Richard and he is doing well. He is settled in where he's going to be for the year so now he will just be getting into a regular work routine as the rest of the unit arrives.
I'll update again as soon as I have a new picture or anything else interesting to post!

Smart Little Bug

So I just have to say that Ava might be a little genius. Yes, I'm a little partial as her mom, but still. :) We read books all the time and she can identify so many things that are hilarious and ridiculous. (astronaut, accordion, anchor, banjo, dinosaur, drill, easel, eagle, flute, flamingo, guitar, hay, hippopotamus, harmonica, iguana, jump rope, jewelry, jack-in-the-box, kazoo, koala, laptop, lock, nutcracker, needle, porcupine, starfish, unicorn, vulture, whistle, wrench, x-ray) Those are just the ones that are funny to hear her say or are funny that she knows at all (from one of her books). She knows all her basic colors and can correctly identify them. Ex: "Ava, what color is your shirt?" "Green!" She can count to ten and can identify about half of the letters in the alphabet. Usually when she sees me on the computer she wants to sit on my lap and point out the letters on the keyboard. Right now she is outside playing with Uncle Jordan and Uncle Shane. :) She is starting to understand plurality and tenses. Ex on tense: "BB tooted" instead of "BB toot." She is also grasping the concept of time in some capacity. We were driving the other day and she wanted a snack. I couldn't reach the goldfish and we were going to stop soon so I told her "You can have a snack in a little bit. We need to ride in the truck for a little bit longer and when we stop you can have a snack." And she added "Not yet." "That's right, not yet." Really!?!?
Mom says I was very much like that at her age and that I knew all the books of the Bible by age three, haha! Anyway, she's such a cutie and learning every second of every day. I just had to brag on her a bit. :) 21 week pregnancy picture coming as soon as I get someone to take it.

Richard Update

Well I finally got to talk to Richard today (for the first time since last Monday). He called me this morning and said he is out of the hospital, feeling fine, and should be heading on to Iraq tomorrow. This is what he said happened *to the best of my understanding and in summary*: Wednesday he was feeling bad throughout the day and felt like he had a fever coming on. He took some Tylenol early on and that seemed to keep the fever away for a while but later he was still feeling bad and Tylenol wasn't helping. So when he got off the plane in Kuwait he was feeling really bad, kind of a little faint and nauseous, so they checked him out and discovered his blood pressure was abnormally low. They sent him to the hospital where he was given some IV fluids and Phenergan (sp?). He was feeling much better but when they took the IV out he felt like he was going to pass out. This brought on further monitoring and they discovered he had a low heart rate. After 24 hours or monitoring his heart they determined that he has a "1st degree AV block," which basically means that the electrical impulses from the atrium to the ventricals are slower than normal. This condition doesn't have any symptoms, "is common in well trained athletes, does not usually require treatment, and is prevalant in the normal young adult population." So basically they discovered the stuff about his heart by accident while treating him for what seems to have been some kind of virus or something unrelated. It shouldn't be a problem in the future and there is no treatment necessary at this time. Richard will see a cardiologist in Baghdad once he moves on to Iraq just to keep an eye on things to make sure everything is still good. Praise the Lord! Thank you for all your prayers.

It's A...

I had an ultrasound Monday afternoon. We're having another girl! Ava's going to be awesome with a little sister. :) Anyway, Baby looks great. Everything is measuring and developing normally with her precious little body. My placenta, however, is lying low right now. It's not blocking my cervix but it's closer than they'd like it to be so I will need to have another ultrasound in 6-8 weeks to check the position of the placenta again. My midwife said that it is not totally unusual for to have a "low-lying placenta" at this stage in the pregnancy and that 9 times out of 10 it moves up in the uterus as the pregnancy progresses. So, it's nothing to worry about now but it is something we'll need to keep an eye on.

Ava and I dropped Richard off on Monday morning to leave for Iraq. It was very hard to see him leave this time. Ava was standing in the front seat of the truck with me while Richard was taking his bags inside and when she couldn't see him anymore she asked "Where'd Daddy go?" Ugggghhh. I'm going to be saying "Daddy's at work" a lot this year. :(

I got a call yesterday with news that Richard got off the plane in Kuwait having chest pains and not feeling well. They checked him out and he had abnormally low blood pressure so they took him to the hospital in Kuwait City for further testing, etc. The latest update I have gotten (this evening) is that his heart rate was abnormally low as well and they have him on a heart rate monitor for 24 hours to make sure that it returns to normal and stays that way. I feel semi-good knowing that he's being cared for and is in the best place he can be right now, but it's torture just waiting for phone call updates from the people who are supposed to keep me informed. Please pray for Richard, the doctors, the people who are calling me, me (and my sanity) and everyone else involved.

Just Another Ava & Baby Update

Ava is still doing great with her mattress on the floor. However, we're starting to see what time she really wakes up. While in her crib she would have to stay there and play and talk to herself until I got up around 8am. Now she gets up to play and talk to me (and Richard if he's home) closer to 7am. She comes walking into our room saying "Mama? Dadda? Wake up, Mama!" Then when she sees me open my eyes she says "Mamaaa!!! Hello, Mama!" Then it's on to "Potty. Juice please. Breakfast?" etc... Oh man, I love that little girl.

Not a whole lot to mention on the pregnancy right now. I've been feeling him/her move a lot the last couple weeks and those little flutters are getting stronger and stronger, so that's cool. I have an appointment with my midwife and an ultrasound on Monday next week. Richard will already be on his way to Iraq, so it stinks that he will miss that, but he should be able to call me sometime that day and find out if we're expecting a boy or a girl. He keeps warning me that I better not try to be funny and not tell him or something, hehe. Of course I'll tell him! But for anyone else anxious to know, sorry but I'm not telling until Richard calls me and gets to know first. :)

New Sleeping Arrangement

Quick Ava update:

Last night was Ava's first night out of her crib. We took the crib down and put the mattress on the floor where the crib was. She did great! She went right to sleep and didn't get up at all until the morning. It was nice for her to be able to come and get me this morning instead of yelling "Potty!" from her crib, hehe. She did great at nap time too. Went right to sleep and stayed put until time to get up. Hooray for a smooth transition (so far)!

Right now Ava and Richard are reading a couple books together before bed. She still LOVES reading as much as ever, probably more. She's such a sweet, smart girl. :) And I love to see her and Richard spending good quality time together, especially in these last couple weeks before he leaves for another year. :( It's going to be really hard to see him leave her this time. I am NOT looking forward to that, but I know the Lord will provide the strength I need when the time comes.

As Requested & Promised

16 weeks

16 Week Appointment

I had an appointment with my midwife yesterday and all is well. My weight, blood pressures, etc are great, and Baby's heart rate was at 155 bpm. After the appointment I had some bloodwork done and went down to the ultrasound department to get that scheduled. They don't do the main measure-and-check-everything-and-find-out-the-sex ultrasound here until 21 weeks now, which would be November 4th for me, but Richard will be in Iraq by then. So, we pleaded with the main tech there to please please schedule me for just before he leaves! Since it'll be a little earlier than 20 weeks she's not sure she will be able to see everything she needs to see (for whatever the doctor or radiologist wants to have measured and recorded) but she's going to try, and we should be able to see everything we want to see (boy or girl!?). So my next OB appointment and the ultrasound appointment will both be on Monday, October 25. Woohoo! That's really all for now. I'm going to have Richard take a belly picture of me later this week. :)

Big Changes on the Horizon (Maybe)

First of all, there is nothing much new to report on the baby/pregnancy right now. I am starting to feel a little bigger and, while I am still wearing all my normal clothes, I definitely have to unbutton my pants most times I sit down. I feel pretty good and almost always hungry. (Hope I haven't gained too much weight in these last 4 weeks, hehe!) I have an appointment with my midwife tomorrow and will update again after that. (Oh, and I haven't taken any belly pictures yet... guess I should do that soon as well.)

Ava is doing great. GREAT. She is getting so big and SO smart. I think we could read literally all day. She is learning the ABC song (she loves to sing) and is getting better at her colors. We have started talking about the new baby a little bit. I don't expect her to really understand yet, of course, so it's mostly like "You have to be very careful and gentle around Mama's belly cuz there's a baby in there." Then she touches my belly gently and says baby. She gets kind of rough sometimes climbing on me so we're trying to make her more aware.

In other news, the title of this post refers to the possibility of me, Ava, BB, Pancake, and Baby #2 (in utero) moving to GA for this coming deployment. I already had one baby with no husband and no family around for most of the time and would rather not do that again with a toddler in the picture too. Our families have already missed so much of Ava's life! I would love for her to know them and for Baby to be around them as well. So we are really praying about, researching, and comparing all of our options and plan to decide for sure sometime this week.

More Exciting News

Yesterday and today have made for two great days! For those of you who don't know, my brother (Jordan) and his wife (Stephanie) are expecting their first baby, due date January 20. Yesterday they had an ultrasound and found out they are having a boy! Jaden Lee Seckinger. I am SO excited for them and am also excited to be an aunt and for Ava to be a cousin! I plan on making a trip to GA this winter so it'll be fun for Stephanie and I to be big and pregnant together. :) Hopefully I'll be able to stay until little Jaden is born before I have to come home for my own preparations.

In other exciting news, today is the start of my second trimester! Woo-hoo! I've been feeling SOOO much better and have much more of an appetite for regular foods again.

-How far along? 13 weeks (3 months)
-Maternity Clothes? I'm still in all my regular clothes, although I feel the need to unbutton my pants when I sit down now. Another plus side to being smaller and in better shape when I got pregnant this time is that I think I may be able to use some of my old too-big pants for a while before I have to move to maternity pants. I never really wore many maternity tops last time; just wore my longer, stretchier tops so that will probably be the same this pregnancy.
-Weight Gain? Probably a couple pounds up now that I'm not sick anymore, although I'm not weighing myself at home so I don't really know.
-Sleeping? Not sleeping well at all lately... but I think some of that may be feeling a little anxious for Richard to come home any day now. (And we don't know when exactly, so that's frustrating.) Oh yeah, and Ava has been waking up screaming in the night lately. ??
-Baby Movement? Haven't felt anything definite yet.
-Workouts? I'm back to my pre-pregnancy workout routine but I get tired a little quicker and am having to modify some of the movements. I can feel my ab muscles separating a little already, which is of course earlier than the first time around.
-Food Cravings/Aversions? I'm really open to eating anything and everything again, although I still don't feel like cooking it myself. No real aversions right now! (We'll see how the bacon goes when Richard gets home, hehe.)
-Baby Gender? We don't know yet and, while I like the idea of being surprised, we will probably find out again. Since it is very possible that Richard will not be here for the birth again, he definitely wants to know and be a part of all he can while he is here. (Right now it looks like he will be here for the 20 week ultrasound, so let's hope all this deployment stuff stays on schedule.)

That's pretty much it for now!

First Midwife Appointment

I am 11 weeks and 4 days pregnant today and had my first appointment with my midwife, Kyanna, this afternoon. It was great! She did a sonogram (again, unexpected since they never did that at the regular appointments in my last pregnancy) so I got to see Baby and was given some pictures to take home. Baby was super active moving all over the place while Kyanna was trying to get some basic measurements. It was so awesome to see! Also, I told Richard last night that my appointment was at 3pm today and to try to be available for a phone call around that time if he could. Where he is at training he only gets cell phone reception in certain places, and not in any buildings, so he kept walking outside to check in with me every few minutes until we were ready to listen to the heartbeat via doppler. Baby's heart was thumping about 170 beats per minute and Richard was able to hear it on speakerphone. (Next best thing to being there, right?)

My next appointment will be September 27, my birthday!, so I will definitely update again then if not before.

Done?, Airport Trip, Testing

After my wonderous hospital experience I had a couple days of stomach turmoil and yuckiness but now... I think... I might be done with the morning sickness phase!?!?!! About the last four days I have been HUNGRY and eating like a champ. I feel a tad bit queasy at night still but it is barely noticeable. I even worked out a couple days ago and went for a neighborhood walk last night; it was amazing. It was so awesome to have my dear friend Meredith here for almost a week too. She was an immense help with Lil A and the pups when I was feeling bad, and then we were able to play and have fun when I magically felt good all of a sudden. Ava and I took Mere back to the airport and kind of made a day of the trip. I took a bunch of books for the ride and when we stopped in Topeka on the way I got her a new book and a See 'n Say that spins and makes a bunch of animal sounds. We had lunch and Ava got some playground time in the mall on the way. We stopped in Topeka on the way back, too, for an early supper and a little leg stretching. 2+ hours each way is a long time for a 20 month old to endure the carseat. She gets genuinely bored now (and probably uncomfortable sitting in the seat for so long). Long gone are the days of sleeping peacefully for hours straight on our road trips. Makes the idea of our upcoming winter road trip to GA seem like a very daunting task right now.
Anyway, I am loving this stage in Ava's life. She is SO smart and constantly learning and trying to figure out new things. Everywhere we go she is pointing at things, identifying them or wanting to. I think she pointed out every boy and girl at the mall today. We saw one little boy carrying a sippy cup and Ava said "Boy!" followed by "cup" and then "juice please." She is making so many connections, it's crazy. She has also started testing me a little more in the last few days. For example, her recorder and tamborine were on the kitchen floor and she walked over and stood on her tamborine with both feet. I said, "Ava, you don't need to step on your tamborine. You might break it. Don't step on your tamborine." She looked at me and lightly stepped on it with one foot. I said, "Ava, you need to listen to Mama. I said not to step on your tamborine. Look at me. If you step on it again you will get a spankin because you're not listening." So she stood there for a second and then lightly stepped on the recorder instead. Seriously!? "Ava, you don't need to step on your tamborine or your recorder. We don't step on our toys because we might break them." She stood there another few seconds and then very slowly and lightly touched her foot to the tamborine again. So she got a little spankin, cried it out for a minute, and then moved on. Lesson learned: Mama means business and she really will do what she says. I really need to listen. CONSISTENCY IS THE KEY! (No matter where we are or what we're doing.)

ER Trip With a Silver Lining

So I've talked some about my nausea in previous posts. I said that it was definitely present and annoying but not debilitating and not constant puking. When I did throw up I would feel a little better and would be able to eat again. Well... as of Saturday morning all of that changed. I didn't keep down anything I ate all day. I slept literally half the day with no energy to function. (Thank goodness it was the weekend and Richard was home.) Sunday morning God granted me a reprieve just long enough to sing at church and then it was back to throwing up the rest of the day. Richard left for JRTC (for a month) at 4am today. I got up when he did so I could eat a snack and see him off. Well about 20 minutes after getting back in bed I lost that aforementioned snack. Breakfast and morning snack went the same way. I turned on a DVD for Ava and went back to bed. At this point I was feeling exhausted and achy on top of the nausea. Finally I called my friend Anne-Marie to come and get Ava. She took her for the day to play with her son, Carter. I slept a lot more and tried nursing down some chicken broth, crackers, and Powerade Zero with some success for a little while but then it all came back up again. Finally I decided I needed some help so I went to the Emergency Room (6:45pm at this point). The doctor said I was not deathly dehydrated to where he would demand that I get IV fluids but that I could definitely benefit from them, so that's what I did. After about an hour of IV fluids and some Zofran I felt much better. During the IV process the nurse came in with an ultrasound machine to see if she could check out Baby. (This was totally unexpected as I am only 9 weeks and 4 days along and they practically never do "unnecessary" ultrasounds at this hospital.) Well it was awesome. The picture was not clear at all and the nurse's sleeve was blocking my view half the time but I got to see Baby's little flutter of a heartbeat! 136 beats per minute. And to top it all off, Richard called to check in while I was there and I got to fill him in on everything. I don't know how I'm going to make it through the last month of this trimester without him but I'm taking it one day at a time. And I've got awesome girlfriends around who are always willing to help. In fact, my BFF and college roommate Meredith is flying in tomorrow afternoon! This trip was planned before I even knew I was pregnant but now it's as though God knew I would need a little extra help with Richard gone. :)

So now I am home and am about to attempt to eat some cereal or something. My neighbor Emily took BB and Pancake to her house to play with their dog Sookie while I was at the hospital. They are worn out now. :) Ava had an absolutely awesome day at Anne-Marie's house and is spending the night there. All I have left to do is rest and recover. It's weird and quiet without Richard and Ava here.

Anyway, despite the obvious yuckiness of the past couple days I have experienced blessings as well. I know the Lord will provide for my ever-changing needs. I am so thankful for my friends. I so love my husband and am looking forward to our family time when he gets home before the deployment. I love my sweet girl Ava and can't wait to see her tomorrow!

Long Overdue Videos

6-10-10 Reading & Getting Situated on Pancake

7-6-10 Feeding Fallow Deer at KC Zoo


7-7-10 Hotel Workout

7-27-10 Pool Talkin'

8-4-10 Chasing BB

8-8-10 Scowling & Singing

First Appointment

Well I had my first appointment at the OB clinic today. I filled out tons of paperwork (personal info, medical history, etc), got some informational papers and a booklet about how things will go throughout my pregnancy at the hospital here, got my baseline height and blood pressure, and did my initial blood tests and urinalysis. My due date is March 17, just as I had already calculated.

I will have my first appointment with my midwife August 30, at which time she will do a physical exam and use the doppler to hear Baby's heartbeat! That's the appointment I'm looking forward to, although I'm a little bummed that Richard is going to miss hearing the heartbeat for the first time. (He missed that with Ava too.) He'll be at a month long training out of state in preparation for this next deployment. I'm really hoping he will be here for the ultrasound appointment around 20 weeks!

I've been feeling a lot better. I feel mostly normal in the morning, start getting a little queasy in the afternoon, and often feel the worst at night. But I've found that if I keep eating... constantly... and never let my stomach get empty, it's much more tolerable.

Obviously, since you're reading this right now, this whole thing is not a big secret. However, we're not quite going facebook public yet, so thanks for keeping any pregnancy comments off my wall, hehe. I guess that's about it for now. I will definitely update again on the 30th if not before. And I have some video of Ava that I need to get on here. :)

Pregnancy Update

Well I am 6 weeks and 5 days along and have been sick for about a week now. Some days have been worse than others. I didn't keep down much of anything I ate on Saturday. Sunday was a little better. Yesterday I only threw up once, and today I actually feel about 80% normal. I'm afraid to do anything, though, because I don't want to mess it up! So far I haven't been nearly as bad as I was with Ava, so I am very grateful. I am extra glad that Ava is potty trained now because I don't have to deal with dirty diapers! And I am SO glad Richard is here for now because without him Ava would probably be eating mostly saltines and Cheerios like me, hehe. He handles all the food preparation for him and her. And I told him (like last pregnancy) that he CANNOT cook bacon in the house or I might die, so he has been making it outside on the griddle. :)

Here's what's happening right now:

Showing: not yet

Weight Gain: none yet (maybe a loss)

Symptoms: nausea, vomiting, slight headaches occassionally, tiredness, overall weak feeling (probably due to not being able to eat enough or keep down enough food for energy)

Food cravings: (these aren't really cravings but they're all I've been able to eat) Cheerios, Crispix, saltines, saltines with cheddar cheese and milk, peanut butter toast and milk, chicken noodle soup (just the broth), white rice, occassionally turkey lunch meat, ice cold water with lemon, smoothies, peppermint tea, occassionally grapefruit

Food aversions: bacon, the sight or even thought of raw chicken, really most meats (besides the occassional turkey lunch meat), pretty much anything that's not bland like my survival foods

More Potty Talk

Since my last potty post Ava has done awesome. We took Shane to the airport last week, which is about 2.5 hours each way, and she was accident free all day. I just have to plan ahead in a different way now; like where and how often I need stop for her. Oh, haha, she is a smart little booger too. We always respond quickly when she says she needs to go potty because when she needs to go, she needs to go. Well, she apparently knows this and tried using it on our airport trip. Example: We're cruising down the interstate with nowhere to stop and she's bored in her carseat. "Out! Down! Out! Down please!... Potty?" Haha, nice try, Ava. Anyway, she also did well in childcare on Sunday while we were at church. No accidents.

Another funny thing Ava has been doing lately... We have different kinds of consequences for different kinds of misbehavior. For example, if she is whining and crying for no reason or because she wants something she can't have we make her sit on the landing at the bottom of the stairs until she calms down and stops fussing. We say something like "You're not going to act like this. When you want to stop fussing and act like a big girl you may get up." If she gets up still crying we take her right back. On the other hand, if she blately ignores us when we tell her something that she definitely understands, then she gets her little booty popped. So, the funny thing she's been doing is asking if she's going to get a spankin'. Just a minute ago she was standing on the couch, which she's not allowed to do, and I told her to sit on her booty. She looked at me with raised eyebrows and said "Spankin?" (If I don't do what you said, am I going to get a spankin?) "Yes, Ava, if you don't listen to Mama you will get a spankin." And she sat down.

Basically, I am learning every day that babies and toddlers are way smarter and more capable than many people give them credit for. :)

First Appointment Coming Up

I called this morning and set up my 8 week appointment for Monday, August 9. All they really do at this hospital is give you a booklet and some other information at the first appointment (no seeing a doctor, no physical exam, no ultrasound, etc). So I won't really be too excited to be going in until my 12 week appointment at which time we should be able to hear a heartbeat. I found out the midwife from my first pregnancy is still working here, so I will definitely be trying to get her again!


As of yesterday morning I haven't been feeling totally great. I haven't thrown up (yet) but I felt nauseous a few times throughout the day yesterday and so far have just nibbled on some dry cereal this morning. (Actually, as I write this Richard and Ava are eating our usual big breakfast of eggs, sausage, and oatmeal but I can't even think about it today.) I haven't really felt anything else out of the ordinary yet.

Maybe Not Quite Done

So Ava has done amazingly well with potty training. She pretty much always tells us when she needs to go and we can take her anywhere we go with confidence..... Well she had a little set back at church on Sunday. I told the childcare ladies that she has been doing great and tells us when she needs to go but I didn't know if she would understand that she needs to tell them when we're not around. So she had an accident there. I guess what I need to help Ava understand now is that 1) there is going to be a potty pretty much anywhere we go and 2) anyone who is watching her can take her. I also need to be better about taking her in the night. I've been taking her when/if I happen to wake up needing to go, but I don't think that's consistent enough to help her get it. So anyway, she's still doing awesome but some new challenges have just popped up. :)

Pretty Much Done!

Well our potty training is pretty much done! Ava had a few accidents the first couple days but now she is going all day (naps too) accident free! She wears tiny little panties every day now and tells us and/or runs into the bathroom when she needs to go. I have been putting her in a diaper at night, which is a little wet by morning, but I guess that's to be expected when she's in bed for 11ish hours at a time. I think I may start getting her up in the night to go. That should get her used to the idea of waking up on her own when she gets the feeling of needing to go. I'm so proud of her; what a big girl!!!

Exciting News!

We are expecting Baby Ezell #2!!!! (2 lines = positive!)

After church today I went to the commissary. I am a few days late for my period and we have been hoping to get pregnant before this next deployment, so I decided to pick up a pregnancy test. It was positive! I am about 4 1/2 weeks along. I obviously haven't been to the doctor yet but my due date should be around March 17.

So far I am feeling pretty normal. Not too tired, not sick. (Hopefully I will not be super sick like I was with Ava!) I've been working out very regularly so I intend to continue my usual routine as long as possible with some modifications as I get further along in the pregnancy.

I haven't even called for a doctor's appointment yet, but I will probably have one around 8 weeks. I really hope my midwife from last time is still working at the hospital here!

More to come!!!!!!!!

Vacation & Milestones

We have had the best time in the last week! Richard had 10 days leave and we didn't want to make a major trip (like going to GA) but we wanted a little vacation, so we went to Kansas City for a few days. We did a lot of cool stuff but just chilled out and rested a decent bit too.
---Monday we took our time getting to Kansas City with a stop in Topeka (halfway to KC) and a good bit of time spent in Cabellas (a little outside KC). After we checked in to the hotel we went swimming for a while; just playing and hanging out. We drove around the city that night, trying to find our way around, and picked up pizza and wings to eat. ---Tuesday we went to the Kansas City Zoo, which was awesome. It wasn't too hot so we weren't miserable and most of the animals were active. We saw a "Keeper Chat" at the elephant exhibit where the keepers talked to us and showed us some of the training stuff they do. We also saw a sea lion show in which the trainer had the sea lion do jumps, tricks, barking, etc. Ava really liked watching that (and of course we did too). Anyway, we spent a good 3+ hours at the zoo and then went back to the hotel for Ava to take a nap and us to do a workout (DVD that we played on the laptop). Tuesday night we ate at a good BBQ place and then picked up McFlurries to eat by these cool fountains downtown. ---Wednesday we went to an art museum. You could literally spend days there if you really looked at everything and read all the descriptions and stories behind the pieces. Obviously, Ava does not have that kind of attention span yet, so we kind of sped through there "appreciating" what we could along the way. After the museum we went to the Crown Center area and had a snack by some other cool fountains and then took Ava through a Clifford (the Big Red Dog) exhibit in the mall area. She liked it for a while but there were a lot of kids there (most older/bigger than her) and she was a little overwhelmed. Mom, Kevin, and Shane met us in KC Wednesday night and watched Ava while Richard and I went to a nice romantic dinner at a revolving restaurant ("Skies") overlooking the city. We each had a delicious KC Strip Steak. ---Thursday we had breakfast and got packed up. While we were packing up Ava saw her little potty seat sitting by the door (ready to be put away). She picked it up and ran to the bathroom with it so we put her on the potty and she went! (She went a couple times on the trip but we had still been using diapers all the time.) Anyway, after we got packed up we went to the WWI museum in KC. Like the art museum, you could seriously spend days there if you really read and absorbed everything. So, we took in as much as we could and then went to Oceans of Fun (a waterpark). We all had so much fun there and Ava did great playing in the kids' area. Other parents and the lifeguards were all amazed at how brave and carefree she was playing in the water. She went up the stairs to go down all the little slides by herself and even if she went under the water she didn't cry or freak out. She was definitely the littlest one running around on her own like that. Such a big girl! Anyway, after Oceans of Fun we ate dinner and then made the trek back home. ---Friday was the start of Ava's hardcore potty training. I had her wearing panties or training pants (basically thick panties) all day and set her on the potty frequently. She had many successes and a few accidents. Mom and I did a DVD workout with my friend Kim (and Ava, of course) and Richard, Kevin, and Shane went to the gym to lift. I made Ava some "weights" out of some used up toilet paper rolls and she gets them out and starts dancing around, doing squats and stuff if I even just show her the case for one of my DVD workouts. It is so funny! I ask her what the DVD is and she says "kout" for workout. :) We went to the commissary in the afternoon and Ava had a successful pee in the potty there! Woohoo! (When we take her out I put a diaper over her panties so she can still feel the uncomfortable wetness but not make a mess everywhere else if she has an accident.)
---Yesterday we spent a few hours at the pool. Ava went on the little kiddie pool slide a thousand times and we took in the big pool a good bit too. She also peed in the potty there a couple times! She liked watching Shane jump off the diving board doing different tricks. Richard had her out in the big pool watching the people jump and she fell asleep on his shoulder out there. So we laid her in the shade on the side of the pool and let her catch a nap for about an hour+. We continued with the potty training, just taking her frequently and cheering her successes. Last night she ran up to me and said "potty" so I took her and she went. She really knew and did it on purpose! Overnight she woke up a couple times pretty upset (which is very rare for her) so I went in to soothe her. It worked for a minute the first time but didn't last long. So the next time I thought maybe she needed to go potty. I took her and she went right away. She went back to sleep pretty soundly for another couple hours and then the same thing happened again. I think maybe she is conflicted with the feeling of needing to go potty and wanting to stay asleep and getting upset.
---Anyway... this morning I put Ava on the potty first thing (dry diaper!) and she peed and pooped right away! She is really getting it!!!!!!

No More Highchair

As of Wednesday evening Ava is no longer using a highchair. I got a booster seat for $5 on rileybookoo.com (like a local craigslist or online yard sales) and it is perfect for our needs. It has two heights. Right now we need the highest notch but as she grows we can move it down a notch until she's ready to sit in a plain old chair. She is also using a fork quite well. She has been for a while but she's really getting good at it now. Sometimes she tries to sneak and use her fingers but all it takes is a little raised eyebrow from Richard or me and she smiles and uses her fork. I can't believe we have a toddler who is quickly becoming a little girl! Below is a picture of Ava's first meal at home on her "new" booster seat. :)

Added Words

Some of these were left off the previous list, some are new:

street, car, truck, leash, blanket, jacket, slide, baby
hot, cold
Mimi, Pancake, Roxy (neighbor's dog)
hello, yes, yeah
grapes, banana, cheese
cheeks, weights, potty, poop
jump, bounce, knock

Potty!

Last night Ava peed in the potty for the first time! It was just a little bit and she startled herself with her great and unexpected accomplishment, but it was a step in the right direction. I am not really working with her on it or even having her sit on the potty super often so this "first time" was very exciting. I still don't plan on really trying to get her trained right now but she's showing more and more signs of being really ready, which is cool.

Oh the things that I think are "cool" nowadays... haha!

Words, Words, Words

So Richard and I were making a list of all the words Ava can say now with some degree of regularity. Some are only understandable to us but most are pretty clear. I need to get some talking on video! Here's the list (with more being added daily!):

Mama, Dadda, BB, Sookie (neighbor's dog), I, you
cow, bird, cat, tiger
hi, please, thank you, no, nap, up, down, see yah, bye-bye, ni-night
more, water, snack, juice, cereal, cracker, milk, all done, all gone
eye, nose, ear, toes
kick, sit, rock, shake, beep
chair, book, vacuum, hat, glasses, shower, shoe, socks, diaper, keys, trash
oh shoot, yuck, good girl, uh oh, side (for outside & inside), whoa, gentle, sorry, stop it, watch out, hush (those last 3 are said to BB and Pancake)...

Not So Much a Baby Anymore

This post will make the most sense with pictures and captions but here are a few notes on what's new to start out with... First, Ava is 17 months old... WHAT!?!? How is this possible!? Second, I have started getting her familiar with the potty. We got her a little seat that fits on the regular toilet and I've been having her sit on it a few times a day; pretty much whenever I'm changing her diaper the old one comes off, she sits on the potty for 5 minutes or so, then a new diaper goes on. I just want her to get used to the idea of being on the potty for now. Third, a few days ago I realized that Ava hadn't played with anything in her toy box in a few days. She is not interested in those little things anymore. She is interested in whatever we are using/doing/interested in. She likes "helping" me sweep, checking the mail, pulling weeds, playing the recorder, etc. So on Memorial Day (since Richard was off work) we went to Topeka to go to the zoo and do some shopping. The zoo was awesome; most of the animals were active and clearly visible (not sleeping in the far corner hehe). After the zoo we went shopping and got a couple new toys for Ava: a little popper thing that she can push around, a toddler sized broom, and a mini vacuum that lights up and has sound. So cute! Fourth, we went to the pool today. The water was very cold but it was still fun. :) Okay, so here are the pics:She actually enjoys sitting on her little potty seat, as you can see.

Playing the recorder while relaxing on Pancake (best dog ever).

Face to face with a gorilla. What is she looking at in this picture, though? A little black bird that was hopping through the exhibit. "Bird!"

She kept roaring at the lions.

Yes, those are real flamingos. That's how close we were able to get! She really wanted to touch them.

Looking at the North American Black Bear with Daddy.

She fell asleep in Target, which was our last stop after the zoo, lunch, the mall, and Toys R Us.

Running around at the pool. She did not like the cold water but got used to it eventually.

Cutest little booty!

Helping me clean up with her new vacuum. She loves it! We are keeping it right next to the real one in the laundry room. (And her little broom is with our real broom and mop too.) Big girl!

GA Trip

Well it has obviously been far too long since my last update, so I have a lot of catching you up to do...

Our trip to GA was great! Ava flew like a champ both ways. It was great to see our families (and many other new things for Lil A). We went to Jordan's basketball game, a couple of Shane's baseball games, the Yellow River Game Ranch, and the park. We saw some horses and played on a playground. It was cool for Ava to finally see so many of the animals we have been reading about and making sounds for. :) She also got to play the piano and drums with Uncle Shane. It was a busy yet relaxing trip. Ava did so awesome despite being out of her usual schedule and surroundings. She played hard, slept great, ate okay (a little struggle with sudden pickiness there for a few days), and overall had a super fun time!

Flying

Ava and I are flying to Georgia in a couple weeks! I am super excited and can't wait for all the family to see how big and smart Ava is getting! (It'll have been six months since our last trip and Ava wasn't even walking yet last time we were there, so she is a whole different little person now.) I'm a little bit nervous about keeping little bug occupied and quiet on the plane for two hours, but I think she'll be okay. My friend Anne-Marie has flown a few times with her son Carter (who is two weeks younger than Ava) and she gave me some flying-with-a-baby tips after coming back from her most recent trip a couple weeks ago. I plan on feeding Ava a whole meal, coloring with her new crayons and coloring book, reading books, and people watching. Hopefully that will fill plenty of time without her throwing a fit wanting to get down off my lap and walk around. Miss Independent doesn't really want to sit on my lap much anymore unless we're reading so we'll see how it goes. :)

Any more advice on flying with a 15 month old would be much appreciated!

Videos Finally

2/27/10 - stomping & pups wrestling

2/27/10 - uh oh, snake, & sitting on Pancake

3/8/10 - animal sounds, body parts, "so big!"

3/8/10 - peekaboo, "so big!" & uh oh

Little Mirror

Ava is really starting to imitate me now. She is really like a little mirror. For example, when either of us have an "uh-oh" moment I often widen my eyes, cover my mouth, and gasp a little... Well she is doing that very same thing now. If she "drops" (aka throws) something off of her highchair she will gasp, cover her mouth with one tiny hand, and look at me with big wide eyes and say "uh-oh!" It's so amazing! And it is showing me quite clearly that she will learn how to react to almost every kind of situation FROM ME... talk about a huge resposibility!

In other news, we have reached another little milestone. For a couple months I have only been giving Ava her paci during naps and bedtime. Well for about the last week, she has been 100% paci-free! She gave it up so much easier than I had anticipated, too! I decided to try it one afternoon for a nap. I needed to take a shower and it was coming up on her usual nap time, so I just put her in her crib with a couple books to see what she'd do. (I pretty much expected her to read her books for a bit and then get fussy when she got tired of them.) Well when I got out of the shower I peeked in on her and she was just lying there (not asleep) kind of talking to herself. So as I got dressed and everything I kept an ear out for her and before I knew it she was asleep! So I tried it for the next nap, and then bedtime, and now here we are - she never even seemed to miss it. I guess she was just"ready" to give it up. And I had been dreading what I thought was going to be a battle to ban the paci!
Well I know I need to get some more videos on here.... I will try to capture some good stuff within the next week or so. :)