thankful

Today I find myself so thankful for these things. . . 

. . . a husband that has taken over Kason duty and housework along with keeping up with grad school and work related things.   It's not easy to keep up with Kason full time, one-on-one, but he has done an incredible job and I am so thankful.  I am so nervous for him to go back to work Monday, but thankful for all the help he's given me the last week.

. . . a son that seems to understand that momma can't do much right now.  I was so nervous about this, because we are so go-go-go, but Kason seems to be fine with playing at home and in our yard.  I'm sure he will get bored with me over the next two weeks, but I'm glad he's at an age where it's not hard to entertain him.

. . . friends and family that bring dinner and offer to help out in any way.  Oh my goodness, we have been blessed.  We've already had several meals brought to us, and our small group at church has arranged for us to have meals brought 3 nights a week.  I am just in awe of people's kindness and love for us.   This is a huge burden lifted, considering I can't stand long enough to cook, let alone make a trip to the grocery.  I've had so many texts, facebook messages, and phone calls from people wanting to help in anyway possible.  I am so, so thankful for these people and their willingness to help.

. . . understanding clients, and helpful friends.  I had photo sessions scheduled until 37 weeks.  Most people work up until their due date, and because Kason wasn't born until almost 40 weeks, I didn't see a problem with scheduling so close to my due date.  When I got put on bed rest, I still have 3.5 weeks of sessions scheduled.  My clients were so understanding, and most rescheduled for September.  My babies that hit their milestones at that time opted to have my friend Jess shoot their session, while I still edit.  I am SO grateful that Jess was more than willing to help me out with these 3 sessions.

. . . making it another day.  I'm miserable.  Walking is hard, and I'm still contracting 2-4 times per hour. My stomach and back constantly hurt.  BUT she is still growing inside of me.  I will be in pain until 41 weeks if it means she can fully develop inside of me.  Any amount of pain in worth it for our daughter. So, when I find myself in a lot of pain and complaining, I remind myself that the pain means another day.

. . . a God that has made me feel at peace.  If you know me, you know that I am not a calm person.  I get anxious and stressed out very easily.  Through this whole process, I have been relatively calm.  That can only be explained by a God that took my in his arms, and assured me things would be okay.  He is the reason for my peace, and I am so thankful.

And because I don't like posts with no photos, the two people I am most thankful for through the past tough days.

{photo taken a couple of weeks ago.  Kason's first time golfing 9 holes with daddy.}

12 weeks {baby g #2}

First, I want to say how excited we are to be expecting baby #2!  We have prayed so much for this little one, and are just over the moon excited! :)

There's a little discrepancy on my due date this time around.  According to my calculations, my due date is July 8, but both of the ultra sounds I have had show the Baby G #2 is measuring about a week behind.  The doctor moved my due date to July 15, so I'll just go with it.  This baby will come when he or she is ready, right?! :)

I'm going to try my *best* to journal about my pregnancy every 2 weeks again.  I love going through the updates from my pregnancy with Kason, so I know I want to do it again with this baby. I'm sure they won't be on time, due to being a little busier this time around.  

Anyways...I was 12 weeks on Monday (see, already a week behind.:))! 

Pregnancy Updates:

Baby G's size: Baby G #2 is about the size of a plum. 

My size: I haven't weighed myself recently.  At my first appt. at 8 weeks I weighed 114, and at my next appt. I weighed 112, so I lost a couple of pounds.  No worries, I did the same thing with Kason...it all packs on in the end!  In terms of my belly...it's huge.  I think my 12 week belly compares with my 17 week belly with Kason.  It's crrrrazy how much more quickly you start to show the second time around!

Movement: Believe it or not, I have felt a few little flutters.  SO COOL!

Most excited thing: This pregnancy has been SO much different thus far.  Finding out that we were pregnant with Kason was exciting, but SO unexpected.  We were in shock for a couple of weeks. :)  With this babe, we were trying, so I was ecstatic when I saw that plus sign on the pregnancy test.  Probably the most exciting thing thus far is already feeling flutters.  I thought I was crazy, and that it was too early, but the more I read the more I realized that you feel your second baby much earlier.  It's such a neat feeling.  I can't wait to feel those little kicks in a few months!

Most annoying thing:  Probably just the tiredness.  I wouldn't even say annoying, but I am 10 times more tired than I was with Kason.   I know it's because I'm chasing a toddler around, but man, it's exhausting.  I feel bad because I know I can't do as much with Kason because I get so worn out, but it will pass!  I can't imagine how it would be if I was still working full time.  Yikes!  On another note..my skin is broken out like a girl going through puberty.  Also highly annoying.

Cravings: Weird, because I rarely have healthy cravings, but I'm craving salad like nobody's business.

Sickness:  NAUSEA!  UGH!  With Kason, I would get sick a few times during the night and be done with it.  With this baby I am nauseous ALL day and rarely get sick.  I would much rather just throw up and get it over with.  I know it won't last, and I'm thankful for it even though it's annoying.  I know that means that the pregnancy is progressing just like it should.  

Next appointment: I go back to the doctor on the 17th of this month.  The same day I sign Kason up for pre-school..big day!  I'll be 14 weeks at that appointment, so the following appointment will be another ultrasound and the big gender reveal! :)

And a little comparison. . . 

Last One?!

I had Duane take a 39 week picture today even though I normally only make him take my picture ever 2 weeks.  I did this in hopes that this would be my last pregnancy picture for a while!  I'm officially on maternity leave, so I'm REALLY hoping that Baby G will decide to join us sometime this week.  If not..I guess I'll be posting a 40 week update a week from today!

{Hello there chubby face..UGH!}

This girl...

Is ready for her baby brother to come out and play with her!  She is SO excited the weather is nice today..now she just needs a little boy to chase around the yard! :)

Happy Saturday!

You Know...{Part 2}

You know your baby is full term when. . . 

...Your hospital bag is packed and ready to go!  Just in case your little guy decides to come a little early!

...Bending down used to be difficult, now it's near impossible.  Kaia has gotten to eat a lot of people food because her mama is too lazy to bend down and pick up any food she drops! :)

...You are nesting like crazy!  Everyday I am trying hard to finish up every little detail of Baby G's nursery.  I've also been nesting at school, running around like a crazy person trying to get everything ready for the sub that will take over my classroom for the remainder of the school year.

...You have lots of contractions throughout the day and are constantly trying to time them.  Unfortunately, they don't come in intervals yet..so I will have to wait a little longer!

...You get a pedicure because you don't want to have gross feet when your in labor! Ha! :)

...You have a lot of difficulty getting up off of the couch.  Duane has to help me up if I've been sitting for a while.

...You waddle.  Enough said! :)

...Your baby is so low, it feels as though he might just fall out at times.  Such a wonderful picture, I'm sure! 

...When you go to the bathroom in a public restroom, the stall door runs into your stomach.  Ugh!

...You are SO ready to see your baby's kicks on the outside of your stomach as opposed to the inside.  They will be a whole lot less painful! :)

...You wear a t-shirt that is designed to look like a piece of notebook paper and your husband says the paper looks like wide rule instead of college rule.  He says he meant it lovingly..I'm not so sure!

...You are really starting to get anxious about your baby's arrival.  Duane and I are both a little on edge since we have no idea when it will happen.  It could happen tomorrow or it could still be three weeks away.  I'm just trying to be patient and leave it in God's hands.  That's about all I can do at this point!

Just like I said in my post here I am even MORE excited and nervous about Baby G's arrival.  I can't wait to see his sweet face and finally be able to hold and snuggle him.  I literally cry every time I think about meeting him.  I can't imagine how emotional I'll be when the day actually comes.  

It seems like yesterday I was saying 3 months seems so close..now it's just 3 WEEKS!  We can hardly wait! :)

Baby Shower #2 {Couples Shower}

This weekend some of our best friends threw us a couples shower.  I've never had a couples shower before..but it was so much fun!  My best friends Lauren and Carrie hosted the shower and everything was perfect!  They made a yummy mexican meal along with delicious oreo balls and cupcakes.  I definitely ate way too much!  The decorations were SUPER cute!  Here are a couple of pictures...

{Carrie made these cute flags that hung in the doorways and over the fireplace.}

{Loved all of the Mason jar decorations!  These were centerpieces on the tables}

  After dinner we played a funny and interesting game.  Carrie and Lauren gave every couple a HUGE (too big if you ask me! :)) picture of Duane and I.  Everyone had to cute out different features (ears, nose, eyes, mouth, etc.) that they thought Baby G would have.  Some of the outcomes were very interesting!  I hope Baby G doesn't end up looking like these pictures!

{Lauren and Steve's creation..YIKES!}

{Woody and Paula's creation..kind of resembles a monkey!}

After the game (and lots of worry that Baby G will look like those pictures) we opened presents.  Once again we were so blessed by everyones generosity.  When Lauren and Carrie sent out the invitations, they gave the girls a letter and asked that all of their gifts start with that letter.  I thought this was so creative and it was fun to see what people found to go with their letters.  The guys were asked to bring different sizes of diapers.  We got lots of diapers which will be SO useful in our near future!  

{Some of the presents}

{Very cute Nike track suit!}

{Not sure what was so funny..but I love that Steve is cracking up in this picture!}

{This baby has so much Purdue gear!  Daddy LOVES it!!}

After presents we had dessert and sat and talked.  I'm so glad lots of our close friends could come to celebrate our sweet baby boy!  Baby G is already SO loved!  

{With our friends Nate and Olivia.  It was my goal to get a picture with every couple, but I failed!  Ha!}

{With Megan and Brandon.  Megan is having a little boy just 2 weeks after me!}

{My friend Kaila and I.  She is our wonderful photographer and also a great friend!  She is 13 weeks pregnant with a sweet baby!}

{Paula (Lauren's step-mother-in-law) and I.  She is pregnant with identical twin boys.  She will most likely have them about the same time I have Baby G, even though she's a few weeks behind me.  There were FOUR pregnant ladies at this shower!  Baby G will have lots of friends!}

{Duane and I at the shower.  Hard to believe we will have a baby in our family picture in just a few short weeks!}

{With the host!  I love these girls so much and am SO thankful to have them as friends.  They threw us such a wonderful shower!}

Random Ramblings

{At least we had some blue skies and sun today..it made for some pretty pictures!}

Well this is snow/ice day #3 for me.  Just found out that tomorrow will be #4!  I am currently watching the weather and we're supposed to get 1 - 2 inches of snow this weekend and then 3 - 4 inches early next week.  That's on top of all of this ice!  Enough already!  I am longing for spring like you wouldn't believe!!

This is going to be a pretty random post..but I have a few things I've been meaning to blog about so I thought I'd just throw them into 1 post!

#1 . . . 

This has been my favorite pregnancy snack for the past few months.  I have always loved chocolate milk , but I recently discovered these Z Bars (Cliff kid's bars) and they are so yummy.  They are also very healthy and give me an energy boost.  Now I'm not a huge health nut or anything, but I have tried to eat a little healthier throughout my pregnancy.  Mainly because I want Baby G to be a healthy boy, but also because I don't want to blow up like a blimp! :) 

 Today I was lucky enough to score this HUGE box of Z Bars at Target (my favorite store EVER). . .

Usually a box of 6 Z Bars is like $6..kind of pricy.  Today at Target I found this box of 18 for $8!   I was pretty excited about my find!

#2. . . 

At my first shower, my sister had everyone bring a book instead of a card.  Being the teacher that I am, I LOVED this!  Baby G got hooked up with quite the library.  One of the ladies at the shower got me this book. . . 

It is written by Tony and Lauren Dungy (the former Colts coach and his wife).  I had never read it before and it's really cute!  The coolest part about this gift was what was on the inside cover. . . 

Patti had Tony and his wife autograph the book!  So cool!  She even gave me pictures of Tony and Lauren signing the book.  Now I know Dungy is no longer the coach, but if Baby G is a huge sports fan like his daddy, he will think that this book and autograph is really cool someday! :)

#3. . . 

My sweet baby boy will be here in just 6 short weeks!  When he gets here he will be one stylin' little guy!  Check out two of my favorite things Baby G owns. . . 

A girl I graduated high school with made this for Baby G.  I saw that she was making them on her facebook page, and had to have one!  I love the way it came out and think it will be SUPER cute in pictures.  If you want her contact info. let me know! :)

Baby G has so many pairs of shoes I often forget about some of them.  I was organizing some stuff today and came across these.  I bought them on black Friday and completely forgot about them!  I can't wait for him to wear them! :)

#4 (and most important). . . 

This is the most recent picture of our sweet baby boy.  Since I was so sick last week the doctor wanted me to get another ultrasound to make sure Baby G was still healthy in his mama's belly.  There was no objection from this mama!  I was so excited to see that cute face one last time before he is actually here.  The quality is not the best, but I am seeing a lot of Duane in this one.  He also looks a lot like his cousin, Korbin.  Can't wait to see and hold this little guy! :)

I told you that this would be a random post!  That's what cabin fever does to a pregnant lady!

Happy Thursday! :)

Icy Tuesday and Maternity Pictures!

Well for once the weather people got it right!  We got slammed with freezing rain last night here in the midwest and this is what our door looked like this morning when we woke up. . . 

If the ice gets much thicker on our back step, we won't be able to open the door!

  Kaia was pretty funny this morning when I let her out.  At first she was pretty unsure of the ice but after a while I think she liked it.  She was running (ok, sliding) around trying to get the frozen sticks out of the ground.

She was so confused as to why she couldn't get her ball and play with it.  It was frozen into the ground!

Although the ice is miserable and I would MUCH rather have lots of snow, it does look pretty on all of the trees around our house.  Since I of course was off school today, I (even being 33.5 weeks pregnant) went out and got some pictures of this pretty (but nasty) ice.  (Don't worry Mom, I was very careful and only slid a couple of times!)

{Our yard is literally an ice skating rink!  I've never seen anything like it before!}

Supposedly, the worst is not over and we are supposed to get hit even harder with ice and snow this afternoon/evening.  We're bracing for the worst but really hoping we don't lose power!

On a happier note, we had maternity pictures done a couple of weeks ago and they are posted on our photographer's website!  I don't have them on a CD yet, so if you want to check them out head over to Corner Cafe Photography Client Proofing.  The password is Gibbs (make sure the G is upper case).  I loved the way they came out and can't wait for Kaila to take pictures of Baby G in just over a month! :)

Well I'm off to get our candles out in case we lost power tonight!  Have a good Tuesday!

Random Tuesday and the Stomach Flu

First off, let me start by saying I'm sick.  I picked up some awful stomach bug this weekend.  Yesterday, after seeing my OB for severe stomach pain, I was sent to labor and delivery to be put on a monitor.  Sure enough, I was having fairly often contractions due to my dehydration.  I hadn't eaten anything all day due to the fact that I can't keep any food down.  They gave me IV fluid for a few hours and sent me on my way.  The contractions have slowed down somewhat, but they are still happening much more frequently than normal.  I've been trying my hardest to stay hydrated.  I can't stand the thought of Baby G not getting the nutrients he needs, but my doctor says to not worry so much about food but instead focus on drinking LOTS of liquids.  Ugh, easier said then done.  I've never had a virus as bad as this one and of course it would come during the 8th month of my pregnancy.  Through this nasty flu there has been lots of this. . .

Laying around


TV watching


Netflix watching


Internet browsing


Gatorade drinking


And lesson planning (because a teacher just can't take 3 days off of school without being up to her ears in lesson plans!).


And can I just add that this guy is the best husband in the world. . .


Last night I got so sick that I couldn't even make it to the bathroom.  I got sick all over the floor in our bedroom (I know, like a 5 year old).  Duane was there right after to clean it up.  Not any husband would do that for his wife.  So glad I am married to my best friend and I can't wait to see him be a daddy to our baby boy.

Hope your Tuesday is looking a little brighter than mine! :)