Surprise!

Generally with your second pregnancy/child, you don't get a baby shower and with us, that was OK because I have all of the clothes and stuff from when we had Braxton. The only thing I was needing/wanting were diapers and wipes! Well, my mother-in-law decided to throw me a surprise baby/diaper shower! To say I was surprised is an understatement! It was so awesome to get those diapers and wipes but it was even better to see the love and support we have! It's hard for me, sometimes, because I don't feel like I have a lot of friends in the area (which I don't) but the ones who showed up- they'll never know how much I appreciate it. :) I still can't believe my husband (and mother-in-law) were able to keep a secret like that but as for my husband, he's a pro at secrets. 

There's just a few pictures. I have an amazing family and friends and I couldn't be more blessed to have them all in my life! Thank you, all, again!! Love to all!! <3

32 Weeks

Baby Lisk is now the size of a Florida pomelo (what is that??), so in other words, he's about the size of a squash. :) He is probably sucking his thumb and sprouting some peach fuzz on his head (which is probably all he'll have when he's born because I think I have bald babies..and they're adorable!!) He's also rotating into the birthing position, which is hard to believe with all the somersaults he still does. He's now measuring close to 18 inches and weighing about 4 lbs. He's still working on packing on the baby fat so he looks nice and cute when he's ready to join us! We have so much to do before little man gets here that I need to get my butt in gear. That's definitely easier said than done. I think I'm too big and too tired to really do too much but I need to so bad. :/ Let the stress begin..
How far along: 32 weeks

Total weight gain: 25 lbs (well, my weight loss didn't last long :( )

Maternity clothes: it's all I wear. 

Stretch marks: yes, but I've noticed that my old ones are not as bad as when I was pregnant with Braxton, so I guess that's good. I did get some belly butter to use, though. 

Sleep: what is that? ;) Although I'm exhausted the majority of the time, I still have a hard time sleeping.   

Best moment this week: photo shoot!!  
Symptoms: nothing really "new" except constipation is back (great..) 

Miss anything: energy is a big one right now because I'm starting to stress about not having anything done and ready for when Baby Lisk decides to arrive. 

Movement: all the time..somersaults have actually taken over lately which is getting to be uncomfortable now that he's getting so big.  
Labor signs: just the lovely Braxton Hicks contractions.. 

Food cravings: BBQ this week- thankfully Heath brought me to a good BBQ restaurant by us. :) 

Started showing: more than I ever imagined. I look like 35 weeks pregnant going off of my belly pictures of when I was pregnant with Braxton. 

Belly in/out: yeah, it's really starting to poke out there..
Mood: hasn't been bad, lately! Braxton has been decent so that definitely helps. I'm more upset and frustrated with myself more than anything. 

Looking forward to: photo shoot! our next doctor's appointment (Tuesday), getting our maternity pictures done!! :) (which will hopefully be next week!!)

31 Weeks

Baby Lisk is getting so close to his birth height, but he still might have about 3-5 lbs to go in weight gain. He's about close to 17 inches tall, the size of a head of lettuce, and weights over 3 1/2 lbs. His brain and nerves continue to develop under his head, which is still very soft so he can pass through the birth canal. He's flexible in his neck and joints which helps him make all of his movements. (gee, ya don't say..) 
I'm pretty sure we have a karate kid in there, because although he does kick and move around, I swear he still karate chops me or something. It's insane! 

Dr. Update: We had a doctor's appointment on my birthday, last Tuesday, and everything is till looking good! :) I actually ended up losing a lb when the assistant took my weight (I was pretty excited!) and my blood pressure was nice and low (like it normally is) and my belly was measuring great. She did, however, say I need to try and drink more water..which I then told her, I knew that and I've been trying to do that. So, she told me to just keep doing what I'm doing, then. She thought I had about 5 lbs of water in my body since I'm not filtering it out. I don't really like water..so she said flavored water was fine, too..so I've been drinking pink lemonade that you mix with water and I think that's actually helped quite a bit! I took my weight while down at my parents and lost another 2 lbs (which I'm thinking is just the water weight I had). So, I'm pretty excited! I'm not sure if she thought my legs/ankles were a little swollen or something and that's why she mentioned it but I'm trying! I think that's what really counts. Also, I've noticed that I've had like "restless ankle syndrome" instead of the Restless Leg Syndrome, which Heath said it could be because of the swelling. I've noticed them not bothering me as much, either! :) yay! Other than my water intake, though, everything is great and right on track. 

How far along: 31 weeks

Total weight gain: 22 lbs (yeah, I lost some!)

Maternity clothes: all the time, everyday!    

Stretch marks: Heath thinks I'm getting some new ones so belly butter is a must now! 

Sleep: less and less. Besides the fact that I have insomnia and it takes me forever to get comfortable..I no longer sleep through the night now. Rolling over is a chore in itself.!  

Best moment this week: spending the weekend with Papa, Mimi, and Aunt Becki. :)
Symptoms: nothing really new, I don't think. Just the same ole pregnancy symptoms! 

Miss anything: just sleep and energy! If I got more sleep, would I have more energy? I really kinda doubt it. 

Movement: all the time!  
Labor signs: just the normal Braxton Hicks contractions. 

Food cravings: fruit, fruit, fruit! I'm SO glad that my mom got all kind of fruit and made some dip for it- it was amazing!  

Started showing: just a little :P 

Belly in/out: it's starting to poke out more and more.
Mood: pretty decent- I get tired a lot more often and a lot more frequently which then makes me kinda crabby (which is hard with a toddler who wants attention..) but hanging in there! 

Looking forward to: not too much going on this week, so I don't know.? Sleep? maybe...

I always said I wouldn't be like my mom..

What a joke. I'm so much more like my mom than I thought I'd ever be. Parenting-wise, I mean. I think I'm a pretty laid back type of parent and I'm not super strict, which could change considering Braxton is only 2 1/2. You don't realize what you say is all that bad until you hear your child say it and you are suddenly aware of what you say when you're around them. I try not to lose my temper, but I do. I try not to swear in front of Braxton, but I do. *and it's usually because I've lost my temper and patience.* But I try.. As a teenager, I always said I'd never end up or be like my mom..and that's exactly what I've become. It's not a bad thing, don't get me wrong, she's an amazing mom and one of my best friends. I just find it funny how much things change when you grow up and have kids of your own. I'm constantly asking for her advice, even when it's not what I want to hear, I know she's usually right. :) She's a great mom but an even better Mimi to the kids. And in all honesty, I actually try to be like her and parent like her..which I'm not exactly succeeding at, but maybe someday. ;) 

   

These are just a few pictures of Braxton with his awesome Mimi! :) 

I don't think you realize what an awesome mom you have until you're older, anyways, and start to really cherish the time you have together. I love watching her with Braxton because the love she has for him is unconditional and so much different than what I've ever seen. Yes, she loves her children but I think grandchildren have a different and special place in grandparent's hearts- I can tell you that I can definitely tell a difference with my dad. ;) He's a sucker for these cuties!! Ha-ha! 

Moral of the story: I will be quite alright if I end up like my mom. That's what I strive for and hope for. Yes, she's made mistakes but she's human and I've made my fair share of mistakes already, too and I still have so many more years to learn. But if I'm half the mom she is, I'll be a decent mom and I'll be happy. :) 

30 Weeks

We're at 30 weeks pregnant so only 10 weeks left of cooking this sweet boy! I can't believe how fast this pregnancy went! Baby Lisk is still growing like a weed! He measures about 18 inches long and weighing in at about 3 1/2 lbs already. He's going to start putting on a half of a pound each week until delivery, now. He also rotating towards the birth position and growing like crazy!

We had our 3D ultrasound done and I have to say, it was pretty awesome! :) I'm glad it was something we could experience since we didn't do it when I was pregnant with Braxton. Little baby Lisk didn't cooperate a ton but we did get to see his little face and limbs. He loves moving around in there so I was surprised he was so calm. He's already showing his Lisk attitude/stubbornness! ;) Afterwards, we met up with my sister, Becki, for some delicious dinner! Chattanooga has many more options for restaurants so I was pretty excited. We went to O'Charley's because 1. we really do enjoy their food and 2. it was Free Pie Wednesday! Hello! Can't go wrong there..and I have to say- it was delicious! :) Plus, it was nice to have some of my favorite people around me all at once, just talking and enjoying the company. :) Spoiled? Yeah, you could say that..but I wouldn't have it any other way!

How far along: 30 weeks

Total weight gain: 24 lbs

Maternity clothes: all the time, everyday!    

Stretch marks: just the same old ones, no new ones showing through, so that's always good. :)

Sleep: about the same as usual..insomnia & hard to get comfortable.  

Best moment this week: our 3D ultrasound! seeing some of our maternity sister pictures. :) 
Symptoms: nothing really new this week..just numbness in the very top of my belly. 

Miss anything: just sleep and energy!    

Movement: all the time. I feel like this baby moves a LOT more than Braxton ever did! 
Labor signs: just the normal Braxton Hicks contractions. 

Food cravings: nothing in particular. 

Started showing: of course.  

Belly in/out: the top part of my belly button is starting to poke through a bit.
Mood: pretty good, so far. I'm starting to get pretty anxious because I have so much to do before baby gets here and have no energy to do any of it. :/  

Looking forward to: going to the see the Nashville symphony with my mom and sister this weekend (Girl's Night!!) and our next ultrasound which is Tuesday! :)

29 Weeks

Baby Lisk is about 2 in a half pounds now and a little over 15 inches long (which I have no doubt about at all)! He's about the size of a pineapple this week. His movements are supposed to be getting less violent and more regular as he's growing, but he's still pretty crazy in there! He still has a lot of fat to pack on before he makes his entrance into this world..which worries me a bit since I'm putting on weight like crazy! 

We had a doctor's appointment on the 31st, right before we left for our quick WI trip, and she said everything is looking great. It was my glucose testing appointment so that was a fun one! ;) I really don't mind the drink that much, it's the whole waiting and not being able to eat/drink that gets me more than anything. I'm still waiting on the results which would take up to a week to get back. 

I asked her about induction and everything because I was induced with Braxton because when I went in for my visit, I was already 4cm dilated and she didn't want me to go home and not be able to make it back to the hospital in time. She also didn't want me to have a baby bigger than around 7lbs because I have a small pelvis and she didn't think I could have him otherwise. I was worried about this baby because 1. it's the second baby and they tend to be bigger and 2. since it's a boy, it'll more than likely be about a half of a pound bigger than Braxton. She said that since I've had a successful delivery, I can have a bigger baby now. She won't induce me until I'm at least 39 weeks because the baby's lungs aren't fully developed until then. As much as I hope I can do it more natural this time around, I told her I would rather be induced than have a c-section. (Which she totally understood). So, when the time gets closer, we'll see how this all plays out! 

How far along: 29 weeks

Total weight gain: 23 lbs

Maternity clothes: it's all I wear!  

Stretch marks: I guess my old ones are starting to show through. :( I need to go get some belly butter stuff. 

Sleep: what's that? ;) still having some wicked insomnia and it's just impossible to get comfortable. 

Best moment this week: being able to go up to WI and spend time with family and celebrate Christmas- I think we all had a great time but it was far too short of a trip. :( I wish I could stay up there for like a week or so. 
Symptoms: all of the same ones as before PLUS RLS and leg cramps. 

Miss anything: just sleep and energy!    

Movement: all the time.  

Food cravings: nothing in particular. 

Started showing: of course.  

Belly in/out: the top part of my belly button is starting to poke through a bit.
Mood: my moods have been pretty good lately. I just get tired more easily and more frequently. 

Looking forward to: going up to WI, sister maternity shoot, 4D ultrasound! :)