30 weeks

Well, I'm just shy of 30 weeks, so went in for my check up today.  Here is just a quick run down of our appointment!  Baby continues to do great, and like last time, I'm measuring about 2 weeks ahead (32 wks), which isn't uncommon I don't think.  All that I take that to mean is that my baby bump is big, which I already feel :) Kincaid measured similarly and was 2 days past his due date, so yeah!  Baby's heart rate was down to 135 today where it had previously been pretty steady at 150ish in the last visits.  Maybe this is because I had to have my glucose screening today which meant the only thing I consumed until 3pm today was some mixed nuts and water.  Fingers crossed all those cookies and other sweet treats I devoured over the holidays don't cause me to have a positive test for gestational diabetes!!! No news is good news, so hopefully that will be the case :)  I need to get a picture taken to capture this growing bump, so maybe I'll add that to my to do list for the weekend!  So, just a quick update, and so thankful that little baby is growing right on track and we're both doing well!  

Have a great weekend! 

19 months & 11 Weeks

Well, our sweet baby is now 19 months old, and I'll soon have to stop calling him my baby (though really he always will be!)!  It's like that kids book says, "I'll love you forever, like you for always, as long as I'm living my baby you'll be."  We have been having so much fun with him, and really are working as a family to make the most of the time we have together.  This means less electronics and more intentional time which is definitely worth it!  

We had amazing Christmas celebrations this year!  The three of us spent much of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day just hanging out together and making memories.  We also had dad, Tyson, Kathy, my aunt/uncle and Grandma C up for lunch and the afternoon on Christmas day!  We had a great time with delicious food that Jon and I had a good time cooking together, and the best part was that it was EASY!  We had already decided to go the easy route by doing breakfast for lunch, and it really turned into an amazing breakfast feast :) loved it and the time we got to share with the fam!  Kincaid was spoiled by them all, of course!  He got loads of new toys and they each hit the nail on the head, gifting him things that he loves!  

The following weekend, we spent a couple of days with mom, John, Cait, James, Gma and Gpa S., and Zay for more Christmas family time!  Again, the kiddos got lots of love and fun new toys that they really enjoyed!  It was so fun to see them interacting together and quite the eye opener to how Kincaid will likely react to having a new baby in the house, on his turf :) He has some growing to do when it comes to sharing :) Pretty typical of his age though! 

Kincaid spent a week with Zayley at mom's place, and they had a blast together with lots of playing, hugs, and love yous.  They also had their share of pushing, telling each other "no no," chasing, tears, etc :) Kincaid picked up on Zay's common use of "thank you" which we've been trying to get him to say consistently forever (until now, it's been sporadic!), so we are very happy with that!  

Jon had a nice Christmas break, though not long enough for him, and he and Caid got a good amount of quality time in on the days they were home together!  You can sure see the love that K has for his daddy, and I'm so grateful for it!! Jon is an awesome dad and you can already see how special their relationship is!  

With Kincaid gone for the week, Jon and I got to spend some much needed quality time together the week of New Year's.  We missed K a ton, and had to FaceTime him every night :) but it was so good to just hang out together, take care of some of our projects at the house, set some goals for our future, and go on a couple of dates!  

This week, we're back to the grind...kind of!  Jon was back to work a couple days last week, and then had the day off today due to the bitter winds and frigid temps!  He didn't mind, and Kincaid had fun spending half his day with his daddy!  We aren't big on new year resolutions, however, Jon and I have both been working towards some personal goals that we will continue to focus on for 2014!  We can't wait to see God's continued work in our lives and pray that He shows us how to be the best instruments possible for His mission.  It's comforting to head into this new year knowing that our focus is on Him and growing in Him personally, as a couple and as a family!  

As I've hinted at, Kincaid continues to do well and is more likely to tell us what he does or doesn't want with each new day!  :) He also said his first 3 word phrase, "go away Gace (aka Grace)."  I believe this is a product of spending the week with Zay and the two of them being surrounded by 2 giant dogs and one yippy dog constantly in their faces, trying to steal food and lick them :) They learned fast they have to tell the dogs what's up! With K turning 19 months and the baby being just 11 weeks from joining us, I want to slow time down!  Since I don't have that power, each day, I have a stronger desire to just be present and enjoy each snuggle, giggle, chase, noses (aka eskimo kiss), hugs, etc. that I have with Kincaid. To enjoy each phase of this pregnancy, even though I already feel 9 months preggo!  To soak in the kicks, nudges and rolls of the newest baby vk!  To not wish away the next 11 weeks as we anticipate meeting this newest addition to our family because I know it means rushing life with my guys right here right now!  So, we'll slow down and be present and enjoy and be grateful for this moment in time that is already too fleeting!  

Speaking of baby vk!  I have my 30 week appt on Friday, and will start going every two weeks after that.  That will really make time fly!  I feel like this pregnancy has definitely started to separate itself from my first.  Perhaps they are much more similar than I can remember, but I feel more pregnant earlier, and less comfortable sleeping/sitting earlier, feel that baby is taking up more space or at least positions him/herself in less convenient locations than Kincaid!  Maybe it's just that I've gotten whinier :) that is probably closer to the truth lol!  Thankful that overall I do feel pretty well, but am still just as eager to meet this little one!  

Jon got me some new books for Christmas on parenting.  Since Kincaid joined our family, I've had my eye on a few books about raising up well rounded boys, and after picking up a Dobson book on raising girls during my lunch break about 6 months ago, I've been eyeing several parenting books in preparation for Kincaid growing older and moving into a new phase of parenting but also in preparation for our expanding family!  So, when Jon told me he got me one of the boy books I'd picked out I was super pumped!  I gleaned so much info from the book on girls/parenting tips in the most recent one I read, that I can't wait to get this new one and apply it to how we parent Kincaid!  No doubt they will both be useful as we move forward in parenting both of our kiddos as I strongly believe that parenting books, regardless of whether they are aimed at boys or girls, can be applied to all kids in one way or another whether directly or in helping them to better interact with other boys/girls.  I'm kind of a nerd when it comes to this area!! :) He also got me some fun books on cooking!  I hope they get here soon so I can get to reading!!

That is our last few weeks in a nutshell!  Sorry no pics tonight!  We do have plenty to share, but they are either on the camera still or not convenient enough for me to pull them up! :) I will get some posted soon!  

With love,

Vks