Two Months Old

Here's a glimpse of Anna Reaghan at two months old:

weight:  11 lbs. 3 oz., 75th percentile

length:  23.5 inches, 90th percentile

head circumference:  15.5 inches, 75th percentile

• diapers:  size 1

• clothes:  the newborns are packed away (already?!) and she is in 0-3s!  We are even getting to try out some long-sleeved outfits and sweet cardigans with her dresses now that there is a touch of Fall in the air.  Some 3 months one piece outfits are barely long enough or too short--especially in the legs.
• she has not lost her newborn hair, although it is getting lighter and with reddish highlights (Asa's did the same thing).

• her happiest time is still in the morning after her first feeding, although she now usually wants to nap again about an hour later (Asa did the same thing).
• still loves to be swaddled for naps and nighttime.  I've even seen her smile a time or two at the sight of the swaddling blanket.  That's my girl!
• has made peace with the bath tub and seems to now enjoy it's warmth.
• still usually wants to go back to sleep 1-1.5 hours after waking/eating during the day.  Occasionally we get an awake stretch of 2 hours.

• naps are sometimes down to 45 min.-1 hour which I was reminded in my reading is normal for this age.  Her afternoon nap that often coincides with Asa is the best chance for an extended nap and sometimes she'll go up to 4ish hours between feedings and nap extra long.  I love extra quiet time or extra time with just Asa when that happens. :)
• eats about every 3 hours during the day, unless she's having that long nap mentioned above.
• night time is usually a 5 hour stretch at the shortest, up to a 10 hour stretch at her longest.  The average is closer seven hours between feedings for the first stretch and then about 4-5ish for the second stretch.  Woo hoo!
• we have had some nights all she has done is woken up ONCE to eat.  Those are UNBELIEVABLE.  Then we have nights with air in her tummy that are a bit more demanding. ;)
• naps have been in arms (during wonder week type behavior) or the swing.  Nighttime is in the bassinet.

• she loves the Beco Butterfly II baby carrier.  She falls asleep in it quickly.  I LOVE IT!!!
• her eyes are still blue
• unless she is overtired or hungry, she is pretty happy in the car seat (but do try to keep the car moving, please)
• fussy time has narrowed tremendously in the last month.  She's pretty content unless gas strikes usually in the 10 o'clock or 11 o'clock hour.  We often get to put her in her bed and go to bed TOGETHER ourselves.
• mylicon and gripe water are still quite helpful

• started playing with her ocean fishy playmat right around 2 months.  She just looks at the hanging toys for now, but Asa and I like to make the different parts sing and talk to her during the day.  He loves the toy VERY much. ;)
• she is a pooping champ (compared to Asa)--sorry, it has to be said. :)  Regularly 2-4 times/day.  Still blows out the back at least 1/week (that's much better than multiple times/day like she used to though!)
• smiles at us every day.  I love that she clearly recognizes Matt, Asa, and me--all three of us!
• Asa is still completely enamored with her.

• Is lifting her head up at least 45 degrees when you place her on her tummy
• had her first time in the church nursery during Bible study on Wednesday.  There are only 2 other babies, so it's a calm time to slip away.  I didn't think I'd leave her yet, but the sweet nursery ladies were so excited about having her that I decided to try it.

Five on Friday

1. My mom is visiting!  She arrived on Wednesday, and it's bliss!  And she'll be back SOON--whenever Anna Reaghan is born. :)  With her help, the house/ironing pile are totally being whipped into shape! :)  THANK YOU, Mom! Asa is ecstatic that she is here and asks, "Where Mine-uh?" whenever I get him up from a nap or in the morning... he has to make sure she hasn't snuck off somewhere (Sunday morning ought to be fun when she won't be downstairs waiting for him to get up). He is also occasionally calling her G-Ma! And he's finally referring to my dad as G-Pa! :) It is so fun to see Asa and my mom enjoying each other SO much. Love, love, love.

2. Our new couch for the basement was delivered yesterday... except it was too long to fit into the basement doorway!  It was too tall for a straight shot, and there's a corner near the basement door that prevented any angled maneuvers. We figured any couch (it's not an extra long couch or anything) would give us similar problems, so the store took it back and is delivering a love seat from the same collection instead--tomorrow! The basement will be so homey then as we put down our carpet piece last weekend... but that's a post in and of itself. Let's just say it's a comedy of errors to try to put carpet down when the scenario involves a huge thunderstorm complete with tornado sirens, a lady who's 9 months pregnant, a 15 ft. long roll of 18 ft. of carpet, and the corner that prevented the couch from going down to the basement.... among other things. Everyone survived, we laughed a lot (A LOT), and we all love the cushy carpet under our feet downstairs now.

3.  This week I worked to set out larger baby gear items for Asa to get used to. The big swing is now set up (I put it in our room so Anna Reaghan can nap in there with some sound separation from Asa if he's playing in the living room or we're eating a meal while she rests, etc.). The bouncy seat is currently also in our room, but only because Asa is ENAMORED with playing music on all the baby gear and we're trying to spare the fresh batteries we put in things. :) The travel swing is upstairs so there's a place to put her besides on the floor if we're up playing in the kids' rooms or the loft (or eventually sewing?  Someday?  I know I'll have to take a hiatus, but I also remember how refreshing it was to sew again when I got around to it after Asa was born). Asa seems mostly to have quenched his investigative desires to try pushing the swing really hard, sit on the bouncy seat, etc. the first day they were set up. Now he likes to put Anna Reaghan's stuffed hippo into them, turn the music on, and cover hippo with a "cozy" blanket. What a sweet big brother he is already! :)

4.  Matt was supposed to be traveling to California this weekend--I'm pretty sure I mentioned how that wasn't my favorite since it's so close to our due date ;)--but this trip was canceled!  He still has to go next week, so please keep praying Anna Reaghan stays put. I'm thankful we eliminated one of the times Matt would be gone though.  We're down to a 36 hour window next weekend.

5.  I'm feeling well for being almost 37 weeks pregnant! I take it easy getting up off the floor when I've been playing with Asa, and I ask for Matt's help with little things I *could* do but it's easier to ask for help on (picking something I've dropped it, etc.), I'm tired but not exhausted (don't worry, I know that's coming ;))... the biggest change I've noted is that I have reached the stage where I am hungry at meals, etc. but Anna Reaghan is too big to allow me to eat very much. I eat about half of my meal and just can't take another bite I'm so stuffed. So I stop and if I get hungry later I have a snack.  I vaguely remember this with Asa, but not as strongly.  Then again, they think she might be up to 1/2 lb. bigger and I think I'm carrying her higher... she must be squishing my stomach  more than he was!

That about catches you up on us!  Stay tuned--the official "place your bets" invitation is coming very, very soon.  Start thinking---what day will Anna Reaghan arrive, how much will she weigh, how long will she be, and if you want bonus points you can follow Brad's lead from Asa's guess collection and even include an estimated TIME of birth! I won the weight/length guess last time--I was SPOT ON!  We were all off by daaaays with Asa's birth date of course (today is the anniversary of his due date, by the way). ;) It will be fun to see who's closest this time!

Weekend Rewind

We had a BEAUTIFUL weekend!!  And we spent a LOT of it outside. :)  I'm so thankful we could do that since we're expecting rain every day this week.  Then again, the highs where we lived in FL are 97 all week.  At least we can find pockets without rain (I hope!!!) to check the mail or take a quick walk.  I do find myself being rather sentimental about FL as pregnancy hormones surge, the 1 year mark of living in Ohio is quickly approaching (June 1--HOW is that possible?!?), and making final preparations for Anna Reaghan reminds me of making final preparations for Asa's arrival.... in Florida.

Friday:  I'm pretty sure we had something lame for dinner that Matt was undoubtedly very sweet about. :)  Oh, I know what it was. In Florida, we ended up with a tradition of having pizza on Friday nights.  Publix would periodically have Freschetta pizzas BOGO, so I'd pick 2 up we'd have them on Friday over the course of a few weeks.  The grocery store here had them on sale (which I have not seen happen much), so I picked one up (see, sentimental for Florida, I tell ya).  It was kinda fun to have our old routine, and Matt was excited about it.  The sentimentality of it was sweet.  The taste was NOT like I remembered... not after having made homemade pizza on Friday nights for us for much of the time we have lived in Ohio.  It tasted soooo processed and artificial.  Funny how you are clued into such things after not having them in a long time.  Anyway, it's the thought that counts, right?  Asa was really excited about having "pizzas" for dinner (the most dairy thing we ever let him have--the cheese on it--and we go back to STRICTLY dairy free for days afterward to get his tummy settled back down).  Due to one thing or another, it was late when we finished eating and I knew after just eating and being excited Daddy was home, there was no way Asa would go straight to bed (even though it was already at his latest bedtime).  We went for a walk before the sun went down--Sammy in tow (Asa loves when Sammy tags along).  We played a little bit in the loft ("bunnies" which = Calico Critters--actually Sylvanian Families animals and a few chairs and beds that were mine when I was little.  Asa loves to make them sit and lay down, and I've shown him how to put a "blanket" on the beds and tell the animals they are "cozy."), and then we got him in bed.  He still talked a LONG time and was up until at least 9:30 just entertaining himself in bed (we usually shoot for 7:30, 8:00 at the laaaaatest).  Matt got us ice cream for dessert (our new OH Friday night tradition is ice cream on Fridays) and we watched more of Dr. Quinn.  See how exciting we are?!? :)

Saturday:  Asa didn't really sleep in despite his late night on Friday.  Matt mowed the front yard, Asa had a nap.  Then we gathered our things to attend a cook out/get together.  The ladies from my spring Bible study small group were having a get together, families included. :)  We drove out into the country, which Matt loooooved, and spent the afternoon visiting, watching kids traipse all around the yard, hearing Asa call both dogs at the house "Sammy" and pestering them (they were super patient with him wanting to pet them all.the.time.... I'm sure they weren't sad to see him leave), and watching Asa try out a little bubble mower (we've been thinking of one for his birthday, but he hadn't played with one before)--he LOVED it. :)  We got home, let Asa cool off a little from being out in the sun all afternoon, and then got him in bed.  Matt mowed part of the backyard, and then we just relaxed the rest of the evening.  I actually spend the evening with my foot propped up as I fell down the stairs first thing Saturday morning.  I was carrying Asa, somehow a foot slipped out from underneath me, but my legs went behind me as I fell backwards (?).  I slid down the stairs on my lower legs/ankles with my legs bent at my knees.  Nothing broken or sprained, just a little swelling a a really bad rug burn on one ankle.  That is what's sore as I lost a couple layers of skin.  It was scary  more than anything, but we are alllll fine, praise the Lord!  I'm so thankful I fell back and not forward!

Sunday:  Sunday was my first turn to work in the nursery.  I was placed in the newborn room since I'm not supposed to lift over 20 lbs. (a general pregnancy guideline).  Three of us were volunteering and there were only 2 babies, but I got to hold a sweet 2.5 month old baby boy the last bit of the service and pat him to sleep.  Worship was a blessing, and while it's toooootally not about me, we sang several songs that are very praise-ful/worshipful to me.  Asa barely napped 1.5 hours after church, so it was a bit of a longer afternoon for him. ;)  But we filled it up by playing outside.  Matt emptied the rice from his little table in the basement and took it to the back deck where we filled it with water instead.  Asa probably played for at least an hour straight.  Splashing, filling and pouring (aka "duuuuump") cups and pitchers of water, making the little trains that go with the table connect and drive around, filling them with water, pouring water on his head, and dunking his face in the water (alllll his idea!!!).  It was hilarious.  I'll have to make a post this week with pictures from his water play time.  He MUST have enjoyed himself, b/c he asked to go out and "play water" again this morning.... in the rain. ;)  We took him straight to the bathtub (he was already wet, why not?), played inside, had a yummy dinner of sweet and sour chicken, hung up the Anna letters of Anna Reaghan's name (still need to hang the Reaghan part)--well, Matt did that while I played with/read to Asa and "supervised." ;)  We also had the WONDERFUL revelation that the reason the house would not cool past 77 degrees... even when it was much cooler outside, was because the condenser was on a different circuit breaker than the blower, and the condenser breaker was turned off over the winter while the house was vacant.  Matt flipped the breaker, and we have cool air!!!  I mean, I know we kept the house in FL between 78 and 80, but electricity costs there were INSANE.  And we had ceiling fans in every room to make up for it.  And even when it was 80 inside, it was near 100 outside and you appreciated the difference of being inside.  And we just used to it.  We didn't want electricity bills that were 100s of dollars.  But it seemed silly to live in OH and be stuck in a hot house again. Without ceiling fans.  And everything was becoming increasingly muggy.  I'd to go get Asa some crackers, and unless the pack was twisted up SUPER tight, they'd be kinda mushy.  It was because when we turned the "a/c" on, we were just blowing air around.  Once Matt flipped the breaker, you could tell the humidity in the house went down significantly.  And I slept with covers on for the first time in nights. :)  I told Matt he was a smarty-warty. :)

Today I am 34 weeks pregnant and Asa is 23 months old as of today.  It is amazing to me how quickly time is flying.  I feel like I've been pregnant the whole time we've lived in Ohio, and I wonder what it's like to live in Ohio and NOT be pregnant. :) It's not really true.... I got here in June and we got pregnant in October.  I think I was just in such a fog the first few months trying to adjust (and it rained all the time, hmmm) that last summer just runs together in a blur.  So many changes in one year!  We are thankful for God's provision at every turn, and thankful He is near as we prepare to hold Anna Reaghan in our arms and celebrate two AMAZING years with Asa. :)

Weekend Rewind?

So I'm not going to do a weekend rewind for last weekend.  It was rainy.  Matt was out of town.  It doesn't feel like the weekend if we don't get to pal around with Matt.  Weekend errands aren't as fun without Matt to talk to... I run errands without him all during the week.  Don't get me wrong, the weekend was fine.  It had it's long/lonely moments (like waiting 1 hour and 20 minutes for our pizza to be delivered?), but he made it to Baltimore and back just fine.  We even got to all go to church together on Sunday because Matt got home late Saturday night.

What have we been up to this week?  What thoughts are rolling around in my head?

• I am 33+ weeks pregnant today.  I feel like Anna Reaghan is definitely growing!  My stomach is getting harder and harder as she fills out more and more space.  Knock on wood, I'm still not feel digging into ribs or anything like you usually hear.  She hopefully will follow Asa's lead and have plenty of room inside my 6 ft. tall frame. ;)
• I am still wearing pre-pregnancy jeans.  I'm not sure if this speaks more of how much too big they were before I got pregnant (Asa was still nursing, my weight fluctuated a bit as a result, and I didn't want to buy new pants until he was done nursing and I could see what size I settled at), Anna Reaghan riding higher than Asa did (I think I had switched to jeans the next size up with him at this point).  I mean, I'm sitting crossed legged on the couch, and I have the top button of my jeans undone for comfort, but that's it!  It kind of boggles my mind, because I KNOW she's growing and I look pregnant.  The doctor even thinks Anna Reaghan might end up a few ounces bigger than Asa was (although, who knows!).
• Further proof that the pants thing is really weird:  Today for the first time in this pregnancy I noticed new little stretch mark extensions.  There are 2-3 places stretch marks (which I didn't get until the verrrrry end of Asa's pregnancy) from my first pregnancy have grown by the tiniest margin (think 1 cm).  Anyway, I know some women really worry about stretch marks.  Honestly, I'm not planning on ever wearing a bikini or anything that would show the stretch marks, so it doesn't bother me too much.  I just find it interesting in light of how many of my maternity clothes are still too big.  Again, maybe I'm carrying ARK higher, and so the skin is stretching (earlier) in different places than it did with Asa?  Beats me!
• I CAN WASH DISHES AGAIN!!  The disposal up and quit working a few days ago.  Matt used the handy-dandy hex key to free the motor, but it bound right back up with just WATER running through it.  Our landlord agreed to let us pick one up and Matt installed it tonight.  We were at the point where the kitchen sink was not draining well if we ran any water down it, so I have a HUGE stack of dishes, pots, and pans to wash.  I have to pat myself on the back that when nesting is really, really hitting (I cleaned the laundry room floor on my hands and knees this week b/c it just bothered me suddenly), I have stayed really calm and relaxed about piles of dirty dishes mounting in the dishwasher, on the counters, and slowly running out of clean pots and pans to use.  I am really excited to run the dishwasher tomorrow (we thought it was connected to the disposal, but during the installation tonight Matt determined it is not after all) and let my pots and pans soak before scrubbing them clean and washing everything away!  Woo hoo!!!
• Asa has said some funny things lately.  Matt carpools with a coworker named Simon most days.  Several times early in the arrangement Asa would become rather confused that Matt's car was still in the garage (on days Simon drove) but Matt was not home.  I just told him Daddy was at work but he rode with Mr. Simon.  Now every morning Asa tells me, "Dada work... Simon."  Tonight Matt ran to get the disposal and I was putting Asa to bed while he was still at the store.  Asa told me, "Dada... bye... Simon."  Apparently, Matt & Simon go EVERYWHERE together. :)  As I mentioned, I ordered pizza for dinner last Friday when Matt was gone so we could have an easy dinner and even have left overs later in the weekend.  I ordered it online, and I do believe Asa was sitting next to me on the couch when I did that.  This afternoon I was checking weather radar online to see if it was clear to run to the grocery store (we could hear lightning), and Asa told/asked me, "Order pizza."  He only saw me do that once!  He kept insisting that we order pizza while we were online.
• Asa recently noted that on a set of magnets he has, you can see men operating construction vehicles.  He now checks pictures of trucks for "men," puts all sorts of little figures into his cars and trucks so they have "men," and he even took a sticker of a "man" (it was a knight), stuck it right over the cab of a bulldozer sticker, and told me the "dozer" now had a "man."  Loooove all the connections he's making and how his play (LOOOVE imaginative play!) is becoming more and more elaborate.  He is changing and learning and growing at lightning speed right now.  It's amazing, oh so fun, and it keeps us giggling a LOT of the time to see how he sees the world and pieces things together. :)
• Anna Reaghan was RIDICULOUSLY active for about 1-1.5 hours straight this evening.  Nonstop, LARGE movements (some borderline painful as, well, she can't just bust out through my stomach... as much as she was trying).  The constant movement was wild.  It was followed by a short time of hiccups, and then she must have gone to sleep.  It's interesting to me to note her patterns.  Asa's evening active times in the womb definitely correlated with his active/awake times as a newborn.
• Lastly I'll close with the news that we checked on our little robin family tonight, and the baby birds have hatched!  It rained a bit yesterday (the first day in the window of expected hatching), so I didn't check then.  Tonight we saw three little birdies with necks outstretched and beaks uplifted when their mom hopped away as we approached.  Asa's eyes got SO big when he realized the nest had tiny birds in it, and he asked where the eggs went.  We will try to get a picture tomorrow.  I'm so glad all the birds hatached!  We have about 2 weeks they'll live here before they learn to fly and take off!

Anna Reaghan's Room

Anna Reaghan's room is still lacking the wall art we have planned, but we finally moved the glider into her room and rearranged the furniture.  I figured enough of her room was in place that we ought to give you a sneak peek. :)

This is your view to the left as you walk through the doorway.  You are seeing the changing table immediately on your left, past that is the glider, then the new table, closet door, and the curtains we made (going counter-clockwise)

Straight in front of you as you walk through the doorway:  crib and curtains.  A bookcase will be going in the "blank" wall space between these two.

A better view of the reading/rocking/nursing area :)

Better view of the changing table wall

Standing in front of the window looking back at the doorway

This is the basket I found on clearance at JoAnn's and made a liner for which matches the curtains

Anna Reaghan's crib

Another view

Dresser drawers:  sleepers, onesies, and swaddling blankets

bibs, shoes, socks, tights, and hair bows, oh my!

A peek in Anna Reaghan's closet

Asa checking out Anna Reaghan's bed

He's dancing with her owls

Showing Anna Reaghan how to lay down in bed :)

;)

31 Weeks

Instead of doing the weekend rewind today, I thought I'd do a pregnancy update.  Watch for the rewind tomorrow. :)

So here we are at...

31 weeks!

Growing, growing, GROWING: Anna Reaghan should be over 3 pounds now!  I can feel it. ;)

Maternity Clothes: I'm still my weird pregnant self--I can wear some of my smaller maternity clothes, but a lot of them still look ridiculous on me.  I also still wear my regular jeans.  The ones I wore at the end of Asa's pregnancy (just 1 size up) are WAAAAY too big.  I accidentally put a pair on the other day, and they kept falling off--good thing we just stayed at home that day. :)

Movement: Anna Reaghan gets hiccups regularly and I feel her moving every day.  It seems like her movements are becoming "larger" as she takes up more space and does her somersaults and pirouettes. :)

Cravings: occasionally something sweet and/or chocolatey

Aversions:I can now eat tomato based things more regularly, but I CANNOT smell the leftovers.  Ugh.

Symptoms:  Heartburn is here to stay and Tums are my friend. :)

Other updates:  We found Anna Reaghan's coming home outfit!  We had one possibility, and I think she'll probably wear it at the hospital at some point, but I wanted something just a smidge dressier for coming home.  As soon as I saw it, all the bells and whistles in my head went off.  I considered trying to copy the design and make one myself, but I didn't like any of the fabric at Joann's and the outfit WAS on clearance, so I got the green light to buy it.

I found a basket to hold diapers, bibs, diaper cream, etc. on sale at JoAnn's and made a liner for it that matches the flowered part of the curtains in Anna Reaghan's room (the JoAnn's HERE had a remnant the same fabric we bought in TN!).  It adds JUST the right splash of bright colors to that area of the room.

We have Asa's new reading chair (it was delivered on Saturday), so now we just need to move the glider to Anna Reaghan's room.  Her door is a smidge more narrow than the other bedroom doors, so Matt would like to take the door off before we try to move it in just to make sure we have as much clearance as possible.  I have set her quilt on the back of the glider where it waits in the loft for its new home, and it looks so sweet!  I can't wait to see it all put together!  The last big steps are getting the chair in place and hanging Anna Reaghan's name letters.  Matt is working on CAD plans to make specialized bookshelves for each of the kids.  Asa's new bookshelf will be themed as a firehouse and Anna Reaghan's will be like a dollhouse.  He'll make Asa's first (while it has some REALLY cool details, it will be more simple and faster to construct), and then Asa's current "plain" bookshelf will move to Anna Reaghan's room until he makes the dollhouse bookshelf at some point.  Other than that, I'm deciding what I want to make to store/display Anna Reaghan's bows and any other wall art I want for her room.  It's REALLY coming together which is REALLY exciting to me. :)

I have started taking an iron supplement for the anemia that showed up through my lab work.  I am hoping it might give me a little energy boost!  But that might be wishful thinking this far along. :)  I'm working on a few more sewing projects for Anna Reaghan (becoming more comfortable sewing from "real" patterns is making it kind of hard to stop.making.new.things).  I have a few more dresses, shirts, and pants I want to try.  And I'd like to make some kind of lacy or more feminine/dressy sweater to go over our baptism gown.  And I still want to try some hair clips and maybe little baby booties.  So many crafts, so little time. :)

We are so thankful for another pregnancy that is smoooooth and uneventful thus far and praying it stays that way!

Five on Friday

1.  Our week has been mostly low-key.  Matt's parents came up last Saturday and stayed until Tuesday morning.  It was so good to spend time with them, show them our new house, let them see Asa in his natural environment, etc.  He showed them all his favorite things to play, adjusted their names (Poppy = Poppies and Nana = Nonny currently) :), and was his sweet, adorable self. :)  We also took a yummy trip to Taggarts and each enjoyed a delicious ice cream treat on Monday when Matt took a half day.  Mmmmmmmm.

 Playing with his Easter train ("Eater tane")

 silly smile

 favorite activity:  reading (he snatched the journal where I record something he does/says everyday and pretended to read it)

2.  We found out on Tuesday that I passed the glucose test for gestational diabetes, but we were surprised to find out I'm anemic.  I was so bone-achingly exhausted during Asa's pregnancy but NOT anemic that I figured there was no way I was currently anemic.  I mean I'm tired, but it's nothing I don't just push through.  With Asa I napped all afternoon every day. Seriously.  Looking back some things make sense--I've snacked more with this pregnancy, both to keep nausea at bay and for little boosts of energy (I did not snack in front of my students during Asa's pregnancy).  And I'm super winded just going up the stairs or after a quick-paced conversation and I have to sit down during worship--standing + singing  makes me very light-headed.  The anemia explains those things.  So now I'm adding an iron supplement 2x/day to the prenatal vitamins I take.  Hopefully it will give me the boost Anna Reaghan and I need!

3.  I finished my first dress for Anna Reaghan.  I've had the material for a long time--for sure since before we knew Asa was a boy.  Maybe even before I was pregnant with him.  It was on clearance, adorable, and I just knew it would make a cute dress for SOMEone.  I didn't know that someone would be OUR baby girl!  I am really happy with how it turned out. :)  I'm almost done with a second one (made from a different pattern), and deciding what's next on the crafting docket. :)

4.  We are so thankful a family from our Bible study invited us to have Easter lunch with them.  They do not have family nearby either, so it's a blessing for all of us to have someone to celebrate with.  God has sweetly provided fellowship with Believers each Easter since we've been married--in FL we spent one in Orland with Uncle Randy and Aunt Janie, a couple with the Eubanks family, and Asa & I spent our last Florida Easter with 3 other families at the Frenches' house.  Those are sweet memories, and we look forward to making new ones this Sunday.

5.  Asa is learning new words ALL.THE.TIME (seriously, on a daily basis).  TOO fun.  And we've been able to introduce him to special phrases.  My current favorite, in light of the season, is "Zanna! (Hosanna)  Sus-jee is risen (Jesus is Risen)!"  Hallelujah!

Pregnancy Update: 29 weeks

I can't believe we're just a week away from the "30s."  It is unbelievable!  With Asa, hitting a 3 in the tens place really felt like we were on the home stretch.  I can't quite wrap my head around already being that far with Anna Reaghan, but I can feel that we're getting closer. ;)  It also makes me tear up just to peer into her room and imagine a tiny baby in our home, hearts, and lives again.  What a gift!!

Here's the down on how things are going...

How Far Along: 29 weeks

Maternity Clothes: I can wear some of my smaller maternity clothes without looking like I have a tent on, but I don't *have* to wear them.  I'm using the rubber band trick on my regular jeans (as of 2 weeks ago)... it makes them a smidge too big when I'm standing and walking around but just right for sitting. :)  Regular shirts.  I was the same way with Asa. :) (I wear maternity shirts/dresses when I want to accentuate Anna Reaghan's presence, like at her baby shower last weekend). 

Movement: Anna Reaghan is moving more and more.  She made me eat my words and gets hiccups frequently--I had previously commented that Asa had them all the time (at least twice/day at this point) and she never had them.  Ha ha.  She continues to be shy and stops moving the minute I put my hand on my stomach to feel her acrobatics from the outside.  But she is moving aplenty!
Position:  judging by the hiccups, I THINK she is head down, but I'm not sure.  If she is, hopefully she'll stay that way! :)

We heard the heartbeat again at our appointment on Friday.  It thump-thumped loud and strong at 145 bpm.  I get the impression our doctor does not think she'll be bigger than Asa (especially since he "cooked" 2 extra weeks).  So the current guess is that Anna Reaghan will weigh in the mid- to high 7s.

Heartburn has been present since earlier on than with Asa and it has taken up residence full time. :)  How fun if she has as much hair as Asa did--hairbows from the very start!  But we have some stretchy handbands to clip bows to if she doesn't have enough/much hair. ;)  We're bringing the Southern bows to NE Ohio either way!  I can now occasionally eat spaghetti (I never know ahead of time if it will sound good, but if it does sound palatable it's yummy)--Matt has rejoiced about that.  I am loving seeing Anna Reaghan's room coming together and can't wait to post pics to share with you.

We're all doing fine and praising God for no complications--easy and smooth so far, just like Asa.  I'm starting to slow down a smidge and trying to listen to my body's nudges to sit down when I need to and get back to taking a short nap while Asa naps.

Thank you for your excitement and prayers as we prepare to welcome Anna Reaghan into our arms and family.  We can't tell you how much we appreciate it!

Routine Check Up

I am SO confused on my days this week!  After last week's whirlwind of moving, Matt's weekend trip, and then his WONDERFUL extra day off yesterday, I am all turned around. :)

But thankfully I did remember that today was my monthly check up on Anna Reaghan with our doctor.  We switched to the office that is now closer to Matt's new office (his company moved to a new building a few weeks ago).  He was very excited that the new doctor's office is extremely convenient for him to get to.  It takes me about 40 minutes to get there now, but hubby out of the office for less time = hubby home sooner at the end of the day. ;)  It's a trade off I'm willing to make!  And amazingly enough, Asa did NOT fall asleep in the car on the way there or the way back!  Thank you, Lord!

Everything checked out great with Anna Reaghan.  Her heartbeat was 141 and the loudest we have heard it.  She must have been in a good position. :)  The doctor said I am measuring right on track and that she feels like just the right size--not feeling like a giant baby or a teeny tiny baby.  We're far enough along that doctors and nurses ask how big Asa was at birth for comparison, and they seem to think we're on the same track (he was 8 lbs. 3 oz. 22 inches).  My blood pressure was 105/50-something, thank you for the low blood pressure genes, Mom!

Next month I'll have the glucose tolerance test.  With Asa I passed with flying colors and lots of room to spare when the numbers came in, so hopefully we're in the same position. I was thankful to find this office, like the midwives', gave me the glucola bottle to bring home with me. That way I can drink it at home (chilled + with a straw to help get it down in time) and not have to spend quite so long sitting around the office.  They had several different flavors, but since I kept the orange down last time with Asa I went for orange again.  If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

I broached the topic of going overdue with my doctor and was pleased with her answer.  She is not one to force an induction at the due date or even 41 weeks.  She'll let me go past 41 weeks if necessary to try to give my body a chance to get things going on its own.  She doesn't think it'll come to a late induction like with Asa now that I've had a baby and my body knows the drill.  But she said if it does, inductions with subsequent babies are usually faster than with first babies (again, your body has labor/delivery muscle memory, so to speak, that should kick into gear).  And I've told Matt I want our bags packed and everything ready by the first week of June.  I can just see the Lord's sense of humor expressing itself in 2 weeks late Asa followed by an early bird little sister.  I do not want to be caught by surprise!  I'd really love to make it to our due date or even go past a little.  Our midwives had a poster in their office that, if I recall correctly, at either 37 or 38 weeks the baby's brain is 75% of the size at 40 weeks.  That's a LOT of growing the baby is still doing at the very end!  I have no qualms about July 4th coming and going without a baby in my arms, just as I had none about Asa.  I expected it then, and honestly I expect it again now.... but we're going to be prepared just in case she wants to share her brother's birth month instead of her dad's. ;)  I am also praying I am not in the hospital on Asa's birthday (June 23) if you want to pray for that with us. :)  I'd rather not be on Matt's either (July 1), but I feel like Asa already got short-changed on his first birthday because we had just moved.  It would make my mommy heart sad to think he missed out on his first TWO birthdays.  I know he won't remember though if it DOES come to that.  It will all work out. :)

So that's the latest on our little one.  She is dancing all around every day.  I still have somewhat of an unsettled although not nauseous stomach.  Definitely still have heartburn this pregnancy--from even earlier than in Asa's.  I am starting to show--we'll probably take a picture soon.  I can feel the changes in my hips and that has affected my walking gait.  But everything is progressing normally and as expected, praise the Lord!

Anna Reaghan's Room

We are starting to piece together decisions about Anna Reaghan's room.  At this point, I USUALLY change Asa's diaper on the floor.  It's easier than hoisting him up onto the changing table, and he's really pretty long for the changing table now that he's 20 months old (eek!).  Anna Reaghan, on the other hand, will be much lighter and smaller and fit on the changing table just right. ;)  So we decided that our current changing table AND crib will be in Anna Reaghan's room.  They are a matching set that was passed down to us from one of my mom's friends, and it's not just that they're the same wood stain or something.  They are an antique white with beadboard ends and some stars and moons carved in the end of the crib and drawers of the changing table/dresser.

That meant we needed to decide where Asa would sleep.  As I mentioned on Friday, he loves his bed!  I have several friends having babies about 2 years apart, and I think the majority of them are moving their firstborn to a bigger bed.  I just didn't want to add that transition to Asa's life in addition to moving and adding a baby to the family.  And I didn't want to take a crib from him when he's so happy there AND safe--if I am nursing Anna Reaghan in the morning or after a nap when Asa wakes up, I know he'll enjoy playing in his crib with his sound machine and lovies until I can get to him.  We decided to get another crib.  Then there is NO pressure to get Asa switched and acclimated, no battles about staying in bed when I'm either 1) tired from being pregnant or 2) tired from being up with a newborn.  I found several options I thought looked nice and showed them to Matt.  This is the crib he liked the best.

It has been ordered, and Asa will go ahead and start sleeping in it when we move into the new house.  It's shaped and styled very similarly to Asa's crib, but in a wood finish instead of antique white.  I love having solid ends on his current crib and really wanted them again.  It makes it easier to sneak it and check on resting little ones without being spotted. ;)

We also decided on bedding for Anna Reaghan's room.  Back when we were deciding what to do with Asa's room, we liked working around a theme that included birds whether we had a boy or a girl.  We chose woodland forest animals for Asa's room, as you know. :)  We are continuing with more birds and trees by using this bedding for Anna Reaghan's room.

I plan/hope to recreate the tree mural I made in Asa's nursery in Florida, but on a piece of cloth this time.  We can hang it nicely on the wall or "frame" it with wooden moldings, but that way it can move with us/we don't have to repaint since we don't own the house we're moving to. ;)  Anna Reaghan can have some bird houses like Asa did, and I'm sure we'll find some soft, feminine touches to finish off her room as well.

Our glider will start in Asa's room when we move in but slide down the hall to Anna Reaghan's room before she comes.  In the meantime, we're looking for a comfy upholstered chair for Asa's room so we'll still have a nice little reading nook--he LOVES to read!  We need to find another little side table, touch lamp, and maybe another small bookcase as well, but we might be able to arrange the our other bookshelves such that we can move one we already have to one of the kids' rooms.

There's a snippet for you!  I'm excited to see what other decor we come across for Anna Reaghan's room like we did for Asa's.  I'm debating making curtains for her room like I did for Asa's.  We'll see how the unpacking and settling in goes--i.e. how far along I am when I have time to get to it. :)  And it would be fun to find a beanbag animal or something like that for her room like Asa has his raccoon.  We'll be sure to post pictures when we really have the room coming together!