Stained Glass by Mia

Addison has the bestest, most creative, and talented Mia (my mother) ever!! Mia made a very special stained glass for Addison, check out the photo below. I cannot wait to see it in person and hang it up for all to admire. The colors will go perfectly with most any room too!

Mia: Thank you for your time and effort to make this for Addison. This will surely be something she treasures forever and it will be a wonderful way for us to tell her all about her sweet Mia!!

New Routine, The "Wise" Series Way

The wise series of books ("On Becoming Babywise" "On Becoming Babywise II", "On Becoming Toddlerwise", etc) all stress the importance of a routine so your child knows what to expect next ultimately building self-confidence, self-control and so much more that I cannot do it justice to list. Part of what the series encourages it to actual write out the routine, but know that you MUST be flexible. Flexibility is key because it gives you freedom AND teaches your child that THEY are not the center of the universe. In fact the series encourages you to break the routine, particularly to serve others (invite them over for dinner, do something for them at their home, etc.).

I say all of this to share Addison's new routine (in photos below). We do NOT live and die by this routine nor am I in any way saying THIS WAY is the BEST way. I tell everyone "do what is best for your family's unique situation" and for us, it is this and the wise series :) Our goal was to provide Addison a routine that provided her as many learning opportunities as possible inlcuding opportunities to learn independence and self-control. Many of you may think this is silly to write all this down in such pain staking detail, but I confess some days I just run out of constructive things for us to do. This routine helps me in those moments. And lastly, establishing a good daily schedule for Addison now will make adding Manna so much easier. I can look at the needs of BOTH and *hopefully* be better at accomplishing what everyone needs in a day. It's kinda like a lesson plan a teacher would make :)

We will be revising this when the morning nap is finally dropped and when school begins (September 13 I believe). The school routine will also incorporate several "versions" of Manna's routine but we will have to see exactly how Manna's routine plays out when he/she arrives.

Now everyone knows what I do all day long!!

Spaghetti Squash Manna at 22 Weeks!!

I say this every time I post but time is flying by; I cannot believe we are 22 weeks with baby #2 already!!! The pictures below are the closest comparison I have for now, I will take another one at 24 weeks for better comparison. Check out how low Manna is compared to Addison, WOW!

22 weeks, 1 Day with Lil Manna

24 weeks with Addison

Once Manna started to move where I can feel it, he/she hasn't stopped yet. There is literally very few moments (when I am actually sitting still) that Manna is not bouncing and kicking and flipping around. Manna better enjoy all the room and fluid while it can because if this one is anything like Addison, it will run out of room FAST and be BIG.

Here is a lil info on Manna:

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

How I am Feeling:

Overall, zero complaints. I love it!!!! I am occasionally a little tired but I think that is from Addison, not Manna :) I LOVE this part of the pregnancy...I LOVE feeling movement!

Prayers:

Father, please continue to grow this baby big, healthy and strong. Thank you again for this honor and privilege. Thank you for your blessings. Thank you for every little movement whether comfortable or not, we know each movement is the reassurance you bless us with that everything is going well!!!

Matthew's Birthday

Matthew's birthday was last week and although he does not like a big fuss over his birthday, I wanted to at least do something special :)

I made him a special dinner of shrimp alfredo with fresh salad, a personal sized cake and a tiny lil gift of an angry bird's shirt (he LOVES to play that app on his phone, kinda gift to be funny about). His real gift was clumped in with his anniversary gift--a guitar hanger for the wall and a new strap.

Happy Birthday to my love!! You are the bestest!!!

Nearly 21 Week Ultrasound and Doc Visit

Today all three of us were able to see our little Manna on TV!! AND we had our opportunity to find out gender....BUT...we resisted again...YAY!!!!!!! We cannot wait to meet Manna in October now!!!

My favorite part of the ultrasound portion was when the tech turned on the heat beat sound, LOUD, and Addison smiled and looked around for the sound. I would love to think she smiled because she knew it was her sibling, but I know she is clueless :)

Ultrasound Overall: Since we opted for no genetic testing and for a somewhat late anatomy ultrasound, they spent extra time checking things out and taking measurements. All praises to our heavenly father, everything appeared to be normal. The tech (and later on the doctor) said there was tons of fluid in there and Manna has plenty of room (mostly likely cause my pregnancies were close together)! My suspicions that this baby is LOW was also confirmed today!

Doctor Visit Overall: Very uneventful since we had just finished the ultrasound AND had no testing done. Just listened to the heartbeat (153) and chatted about delivery a bit. We discussed whether we would be encouraged to induce earlier this time since Addison was so big. The doctor said they would not encourage it any earlier unless there was a medical condition (high blood pressure or decreased fetal movement, etc.), but I should be prepared for a possibly larger baby in the 10 pound range. "Fine by me" I said!

I feel great so there was not much to talk about. We go back in a month (July 5). I love the monthly visits vs. the bi monthly visits at the end, BLAH.

Here are some pictures of our Lil Manna who is about the length of a banana now:

Spine!!

Look at that NOSE!!!

Hi Feet!!

This was about 20 weeks when Matthew and I went on a lil overnight trip to Dunleith in Natchez, MS where we got married. These are the same steps where we said "I do" a little over two years ago.