27 weeks...

I woke up this morning and did my normal scripture study and lazy reading on my iPhone while Skyler was getting ready for work. I like to start my days slowly. I ended up checking my BabyCenter app knowing that today marks 27 weeks and wanting to see the latest updates on Summer's growth.

For some reason seeing that she is 2lbs and knowing that if she decided to come any day in the next 13 weeks that she would be healthy and happy, made me crack into gear. I have so much to do before she comes!!! And I am so excited to see her!

My list of projects and such for Summer is completely doable, I just know I need to focus more on it rather than other things. I have been sucked into the house buying frenzy and have been letting that take my free time. The idea of having a house for my family that is our own and not a rental apartment makes me so happy I find myself singing about it...(my own songs, and "If you're happy and you know it).

I don't want it to sound like I haven't been excited for this pregnancy, because I have. This little girl is already such a blessing to our family and we are so incredibly excited to welcome her into our home. Her little kicks and hiccups are so fun to feel and to imagine who she will be and how much she will be loved is often what I end up thinking about in my quiet moments. I know the time will fly between now and her arrival.

Summer, we love you and are looking forward to the special day when you make your appearance. Now I'm off to start the laundry, sewing, and hypnobabies practice!

26 weeks...

1 March (26.5 weeks, photo courtesy of Savvy)

I feel like I have definitely "popped" more in the last while. The view is much more accurate from my eye level as I can no longer see my toes when standing straight up. I continue to feel great. I'm regularly starving for food but can't seem to think of what I want to actually eat and then when I eat the amount of food I can consume is not equal to the level of hunger. There just isn't room!

Next week is the glucose test. I have to drink the soda at 7:30 in the morning. Orange soda is almost always gross, but I bet at 7:30 it will taste great... No worries though as I'm quite certain I don't have gestational diabetes since I consume a bowl of ice cream nearly every night without negative results in the least. What can I say? I love ice cream and so do my babies. Savvy was a "death by chocolate girl" Summer loves "rocky road". And I love making them happy!

Valentine's Day...

Highlights of the day:

• pink heart-shaped pancake & strawberry breakfast with Daddy
• heart-shaped balloon and box of chocolates for Savvy
• festive story-hour at the library
• quick at home photo shoot & a holiday card for friends and family
• books and chocolates from the Tanner family

Overall it was a sweet and simple day, but the best part was Savannah's reaction to it all. She came down the stairs after her bedtime routine and asked for me to hold her. She wasn't sad or fussy in the least and just gave me a big hug all the way up the stairs. After we sat in her rocking chair she said "Thank you way much for my happy Valentine's Day!" Then she asked for just one song and to go back in bed. She is the sweetest thing to just want to have cuddles to thank me one more time. Love my little Valentine.

Valentine...

Happy Valentine's Day!

Savvy's perspective...

Savvy has taught herself how to use our little point-and-shoot camera. It was a blast to watch her try to arrange things and stand at different angles to get shots without being prompted in the least. We had a great laugh as we looked through the photos and were able to see the world from her perspective a bit more. The world is very different through the eyes of a two-year-old!

Savvy's foam letters

dining chair, kitchen, oven door

piano wall, heater, crayon jar

Makeover...

As of February we are at 22 weeks!

Feb 4th

I love being pregnant for many reasons, mostly the miracle of it all, but this week I was really struggling with not feeling like I look my best. Just a funk I'm sure, but pregnancy can emphasize it all. Skyler spoiled me and brought me rocky road ice cream (still hooked) and flowers. It means so much to me that he feeds my silly cravings--he even adds chocolate chips to it for me--and then spoils me more. That same weekend Skyler was very kind and sent me to the salon. I was able to get my hair done (now it is back to a brown, but with auburn hue), eyebrows waxed, and was given a fun make-up lesson. I even came home with new make-up treasures. I now feel much better and have loved having the little pick-me-up.

Big girl bed...

Little Miss Savannah has moved into a "big girl bed." She has always been such a good sleeper, even with all of our moves, that we didn't want to push our luck and put her in a bed without rails before we were all ready. (In the interest of fairness and full disclosure: Savvy does still hate sleeping in the car seat for long periods of time and sometimes struggles when we are out of town, but not more than is to be expected and more than likely it is in part because we tried to avoid those things when she was little. But who really likes sleeping anywhere other than their own bed anyway?) Despite our uncertainty and my desire to keep her little forever, we decided we should probably give the big girl bed a whirl before things get too crazy preparing for baby number two.

To make the change we just transitioned her crib to the daybed so she would still be close to the floor if she happened to fall out. The evening Skyler did it all Savannah couldn't wait to go to bed in her big girl bed. She was so excited! And much to our surprise, she didn't climb out of bed at all. She has made the transition so easy it is a little ridiculous that we ever worried. I was especially nervous to put her down for her first nap (Skyler usually sings to her at bedtime and I do naptime). The first day after lunch I just said "Now it is time to go upstairs to read our three books and get ready for our naps." She replied, "Okay, sing me to sleep please, Mommy." I was sure to sing her the normal song by her bedside (instead of in the rocking chair like before) and she was thrilled that I had the routine down the same as Daddy. She even took the normal 2.5+ hour nap!

A few days into it all we wondered if she would start to realize she could get up and play if she dared. One evening as we settled down to our routines we heard one of her toys singing on the monitor. We both just looked at each other with the oh-boy-here-we-go face and Skyler tiptoed upstairs. As he peeked in her room Savvy was still in bed. He made sure it didn't look like she had just dashed into bed as she heard him coming and then he noticed that the toy was glowing inside of the toy box (evidently I forgot to switch it to off and it was pushing against another toy). Skyler walked over and turned it off. Savvy turned her head to see Skyler and he just whispered, "That was silly!" and she said "Yeah" and went back to sleep. First thing Skyler said when he came downstairs was, "Lest you ever doubt your angel child, she was still sleeping..." and relayed the story. Wow. Why did I doubt?

Now that we are a couple weeks into it we can say it has been smooth and simple. Savvy now periodically wakes around 7:15 am instead of her previous 8:30 am, but will come and cuddle with me or go down and have breakfast while Skyler gets ready to leave. She woke tired this morning at 7 and later came to me at 8:45 and gave me three books and asked me to help her go to sleep. So right now she is sound asleep at 10:30 am. I love that she isn't afraid to admit that she is tired.

Now for the testimonial. I know that Savvy's sleep habits have little to do with me and more to do with her (I believe that each child is different), but I will say that all of the hard work, missed play dates and fun with my own friends and family is completely worth it when I see how much consistency has paid off. This transition has been so much easier than I expected and I am so grateful that Skyler and I stuck to our plan when Savvy was younger. We didn't implement everything by the book, but "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" worked for Savvy and there is no doubt that recognizing her cues and being consistent were our initial keys to success.

(January 18, 2012)