Baby #2: 18 Weeks & 1st BUMP photo!

Totally off topic but this is my 500th post!! WAHOO! :) What a journey this blog has been, and I'm lovin it and all of the friends I have made!... moving on:

How can I already be 18 weeks (actually I was 18 weeks on Friday-Dec 14)?! I mean I'm almost half way to my due date already!! I can not believe how fast this pregnancy is going!!

Dec 8-14

Here is what we have been up to this week:

Weight Gain:  down about 10ish lbs total but I think that will all be changing soon- I am finally getting my appetite back!

Maternity Clothes : not because I need them... I have thrown on a few shirts and pants here and there just because I already had them but they look and feel huge on me.  I'm more comfortable in my normal clothes (that are now too big since I've lost so much weight-- I know that will change soon though)

Sleep: It has been taking me a long time to fall asleep (meaning I stay up way too late) but once I'm asleep I sleep great-- from midnight until 8ish

Best Moment of this week: Two date nights in 7 days?! We went to our friend David and Morgans wedding last weekend and this past Saturday we went to K's company Christmas party.  Both nights we had a sitter and it was nice to have some adult time :)

Movement: I think I have felt a little kick or punch but honestly I'm never sitting still long enough to really pay attention. Last night laying in bed I thought I felt a little twitch.

Food cravings:  I feel like I am back to normal eating for the most part (thank heavens!!) My nausea is down to a minimium (usually only happens when I get overly hungry)-I bought some sour patch kids at the grocery because they looked good ;)  I have also really enjoyed breakfast foods (read: Ihop) ...  K has treated me twice and both times I nearly ate two eggs, two pieces of bacon, strawberry french toast, and a huge bowl of grits.  mmm making me hungry now!

Food Aversions: Avocados (omg ew! seeing or talking about them makes my stomach turn! and I liked these pre pregnancy a lot!). Hot dogs (the smell even grosses me out!) Crab cakes and seafood things seem to be turning me off also.  I feel like I have turned into a picky eater!! I can never decide what I want to eat- therefore cooking is happening even LESS than before (which was rare anyways!)

What I miss: nothing :)

Symptoms: the headaches have been much better this week--only one or two here and there.  I'm still tired a lot but not to pure exhaustion like previously.  I have noticed more abdominal stretching/cramping when I'm heading to bed and in the morning  if I roll over or stretch funny. My belly seems somewhat normal in the AM but by night time its hard as a rock and I already feel huge ha!
Oh and this is totally awkward but burping... thankfully no heart burn (yet- I had it terrible with RG)- I seriously could compete with the teenage boys! (anything and everything -even water- makes me burp!) Stuffy nose-- last week it wouldn't quit running now I feel like I struggle to breathe... always something isn't it?

Gender: We can't wait to share!!! :) SOON!

What I'm looking forward to: Christmas in a WEEK;  feeling  more movement; the gender reveal :)

 Baby bump: 

I did take a photo at 17 weeks so I will post that one and the one from this week. I had originally wanted to take some really "cute" bump pics weekly but is all I can do to snap a selfie in the bathroom mirror these days ha! don't judge! ha

17 Weeks
(please ignore the messy mirror and my lil munchkin cruising around ha!)

18 weeks

Christmas Blog Swat Show and Tell!

Hi everyone!

We are so glad that you linked up for our Christmas Blog Swap!  We hope that you had fun exchanging gifts and hopefully meeting a new blogger/finding a new blog in the process.  

Now is your chance to link-up and show us what you received from your partner!  Be sure to include a link back to your partner's blog in your post so your readers can check out their blog and see what you sent your partner. :)

This link-up will be open until Christmas.  We hope this will give you enough time to link-up in the event that you have not yet received your gift, etc.  If you have any questions/issues/concerns, please e-mail one of us.  

Thanks for playing along!  Link-up below via the linky tool and have fun checking out what everyone sent and received!  

                                                             Merry Christmas!!!
                                                                (from all of us:)

                                                 Allie from Living the Adventures
                                                      Mallorie from Happy Home
                                                       Cait from The Blessed Life
                                                 Natalie from Extraordinary Love                                                       
                                          Beth Ann from My Life More Abundant

Prayers for Newton

Today was another day that just shook our country, our core. How on earth can someone do such a thing? K had gotten home from work early and I was fixing us all lunch as Raleigh Grace was being her cute self just wandering around the living room playing, cuddling with her daddy.  So glad he was home to play with her.  And then it all happened- my friend Mallorie sent me a text wondering if I had heard about the Elementary school shooting... I had not and I immediately asked K if he had- he had not... we turned on the news and watched as the horrific news unfolded.  

As a teacher, and especially as a mother this hit so close to home for me.  I kept thinking about my own daughter and all of my students. I kept thinking "how could this happen? What would I have done?" etc. etc.  The thoughts have brought tears to my eyes all day-- I can not imagine what the whole community is feeling there. My prayers and thoughts go out to everyone - everyone. Whether directly or indirectly affected. but please, please pray for the victims and their families, the survivors, and their families and also the police, EMTs, first responders, firefighters, and all of our nation.  

Christ come back soon!! 

Blog Swap Show and Tell

Hi everyone!

We are so glad that you linked up for our Christmas Blog Swap!  We hope that you had fun exchanging gifts and hopefully meeting a new blogger/finding a new blog in the process.  

Now is your chance to link-up and show us what you received from your partner!  Be sure to include a link back to your partner's blog in your post so your readers can check out their blog and see what you sent your partner. :)

This link-up will be open until Christmas.  We hope this will give you enough time to link-up in the event that you have not yet received your gift yet, etc.  If you have any questions/issues/concerns, please e-mail one of us.  

Thanks for playing along!  Link-up below via the linky tool and have fun checking out what everyone sent and received!  

Merry Christmas!!!

Allie from Living the Adventures
Mallorie from Happy Home
Cait from The Blessed Life
Natalie from Extraordinary Love
-and-
Me! 

Prayers for Reesey: EMERGENCY prayer request!

UPDATE: 
Here is an update from EJ (Daddy) from this morning: 
What started out as a trip to the ER to see if Reese was sick, has turned into the hardest phone call I have ever received. Let's start with the ER trip. Reese had a very small amount of vomit this morning around 3:00 AM. As per our instructions, we called and waited for instructions on what we should do. Amanda and I felt it was needed to head into the ER just to check if anything was wrong. Children's in Dallas did a CT and an x-ray to see if there were signs of anything causing problems. The initial read was nothing out of the ordinary, and that the vomit was related to the medications she was on. no signs of sickness. So, Amanda and Reese headed on back home. around 1:00PM this afternoon, I received a call from our neurosurgeon, Dr Price. Honestly, I thought it was a follow up call to say that all was looking good and that the scans were okay. What I got was a completely different conversation. I was told that the tumor has grown again and that the type of chemo Reese is receiving is not having any impact on the tumor. The tumor is growing much faster than they expected and they are looking on how to best treat this thing. The first thing that they want to do is switch reese to a much stronger type of chemo that they believe will begin the shrinking process and ultimately the destruction of the tumor. But in order to say that this will help, there needs to be a surgical approach as well to help eliminate as much of the tumor as possible to give the chemo a fighting chance. The surgeon said that she would be able to remove about 40% of the remaining growing mass. The problem is where the tumor sits. There is about a 20% chance that the surgery could impact her ability to speak and the damage may leave Reese speaking the way she does now for the rest of her life. This is the best course of action that they have. For a supposedly benign tumor, this thing does not act like it. The other option is to continue with our current treatment which based on how this has tumor has reacted so far could mean we have a couple months with Reese; something I cannot stomach. We have elected to go with the surgical option and to change the chemo to the more aggressive type. Our hope is that the surgical team does their job extremely well and there are no ill effects, followed up with the chemo treatment that begins to cause serious destruction to this tumor. If I could have one wish this christmas, it is that these steps are successful in treating Reese. You often hear of some of the bravest men and women coming back from battle fighting for our country and developing PTSD. I know that this does not compare to what they have endured and witnessed in protecting us here, but I believe I have had a taste of what they go through. This is a massive blow to our spirit. We are hopeful, still. We have to be. As RGIII stated, 'No pressure, no diamonds'. Well, I think that we should have a diamond bigger than the Hope diamond when we are through with this.


If you all have been following these prayer requests (and if you haven't been) I beg you to pray for my friend, Amanda, her daughter, Reese, and the rest of her beautiful family... 

They got some unbearable news tonight and my heart is literally breaking for them. 

The tumor is larger. The chemo isn't working. Read her blog below.

**Can you please share their facebook page: PRAYING FOR REESEY with all of your friends on facebook? 

**Can you please pass along their blog and facebook info on your blog? 

Here is Amanda's blog: 

http://www.thisyearslovewilllast.com/2012/12/i-am-broken.html

****please please please read this post and PRAY!****

They need everyone in the world to rally around them in prayer!! 

God IS able. He is a miracle worker!

Matthew 17:20

Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”