Gabriel's Birth Story

Hello old friend! It is Saturday night and the toddler is watching the World Series and playing baseball with dad, and our newest addition is sleeping soundly on the couch.

Oh yes; I almost forgot...

Gabriel Anthony joined our family last Friday, October 21st at 2:59 am :)

Since the memories of Gabe's grand entrance are still fresh in my mind, I figured now is the time to sit down and document his birth story (just like I did with Jackson).

Our lengthy tale begins the previous week -- I had my regular weekly checkup on Wednesday, October 12th and figured that since I was just at 38 weeks, it would be fairly uneventful. WRONG. My doctor checked me, told me that I was at a 3, and that there was a pretty good chance baby was coming that weekend.

I flat out panicked.

The nursery still wasn't finished.

My parents were leaving for an out-of-state conference.

There was still so much to do!

My doctor told me to take it easy, not do any heavy lifting, and to cross my fingers (and legs) that he wouldn't come this weekend, but that the odds were leaning that way.

After frantically calling Brandon, my mom, and Aunt Nancy (who said she would come watch Jax whenever the time came), and texting a friend as another backup, I felt significantly better... however, my parents still cancelled their trip in order to watch Jax if need be (thanks, mom and dad!).

My family came down that Friday and the next day, we did a lot of walking, visiting, and spicy wing lunching (with my Aunt Nancy and Uncle Rolf), but there was still no sign of baby.

Go figure.

That evening -- as I was laying down next to Jackson -- I felt a weird trickle down my leg...

Could this be it? Did my water break?!

(Spoiler alert: It was pee.)

After calling the after hours line and being told by the doctor to come in if it would make me feel better, Brandon and I hopped in the car and made the unnecessary trek to the hospital. Long story short, my water hadn't broke, I was still at a 3, and Brandon and I walked every square inch of that hospital (for two straight hours) to see if it would help me progress any more.

It didn't and we were sent home at around 12:30 am.

Poor Brandon had to work the next morning, so Jax and I went to church with my family, made a Costco trip, walked every square inch of the warehouse, and then headed home to rest a bit. At this point, I knew that baby wasn't coming that weekend and felt a huge sense of guilt that I made my parents miss their trip.

**3 DAYS LATER**

With toddler in tow, I made my way to my 39 week checkup and discovered that this time I was at a 5...

"How am I at a 5 and not in the hospital?" I asked my doctor.

It was then we talked about induction options (I had been really stressed about when it was going to happen and what we would do with Jackson if it happened in the middle of the night) and my doctor suggested just checking in and having my water broken since I had progressed so much already. So I made my appointment for that Friday at 5:30 am, called my mom to see if she could come down Thursday evening to stay with Jackson, and we were all set to go!

Whew, what a relief! However, a feeling of guilt began sinking in at the thought of induction... I was still at just 39 weeks, so what if he wasn't ready? After weighing the pros with the cons (the pro being that we were guaranteed to have somebody here to watch Jax), I decided it was the right choice and finished prepping for baby.

Thursday was a pretty normal day... Brandon was off work and took Jackson outside to do chores with him while I worked on some articles, then we dropped a meal off to one of my good friends who had just had a baby, and we patiently awaited the arrival of my mom and brother.

This picture gives me the biggest smile -- Jackson got to play with one of his best friends when we dropped off our meal and they were both wearing Batman shirts :)

Throughout the day, I noticed painless contractions here and there and finally realized they were getting closer together... but since I wasn't in agonizing pain, I wrote them off a Braxton Hicks and went on with my day. However, after dinner that night, I had a feeling that we needed to go to the hospital and notified the on-call doctor of what was going on. After hearing that I was at a 5 the previous day, she told me it would be safest to just come in and get checked. 

When we arrived, the floor was packed and instead of being sent to the regular triage room for monitoring, we were shown to a spacious delivery room, where I was monitored for the next hour. Since my contractions still weren't the strongest, the nurse wasn't quite ready to admit me. When we explained that we were coming back at 5:30 the next morning for induction, she told us they would probably just let us stay over night, to which we were extremely relieved. As the time rolled on, things were seeming more grim and the nurse notified us that now the doctor would probably send us home if I didn't progress more. 

And that's when the contractions began getting stronger and stronger...

After another couple hours of monitoring, I was at a 5 1/2, which -- according the nurse -- probably still wasn't enough to stay, which is when I began to panic. By this point, I was sitting on an exercise ball having to breathe through contractions... what was I going to do if they sent me home?

It was FINALLY at around 12:30 am when the nurse came in and said that it looked like I was staying until I had the baby and I was SO relieved. We were then introduced to our new nurse and I began pushing harder for an epidural (#priorities), to which she assured me was coming soon.

She lied. 

The contractions had gotten to the point of unbearable (those of you who have ever delivered a child know exactly what I'm talking about) and I could no longer keep my eyes open during them and would shake and sweat through the entire grueling 60-90 seconds (with a 60-90 second break between each one). That's when my nurse finally took my blood -- and got blood all over my shoes and the floor :/ -- had it sent out for testing, and then contacted the anesthesiologist. 

I'm sure that what seemed like 5 hours was only a half hour or so, but I literally cried when the anesthesiologist walked through that door with his cart full of spine-numbing goodies. 

"Whoa... what's going on with your back?" He bluntly asked.

(For those of you who don't know, I had back surgery when I was a senior in high school to place a rod on my spine in order to correct my Scheuermann's Kyphosis and I still a pretty large scar because of it.)

"Are you sure they let you have an epidural with your first one?" 

"OMG YES! Just hurry up and give me the effing shot" I wanted yell, but couldn't because another awful contraction was coming on.

It seemed like another 3 hours, but he finally gave me the shot and sweet relief was in sight. 

That epidural was nothing short of euphoric. 

I could breathe again.

I could talk. 

I felt so happy and relaxed. 

By this point, it was close to 2:30 am and at last check, I was only at a 7, so I figured that now was the time to kick back and try to take a quick nap. Our ditsy but sweet nurse (who despite getting blood all over my favorite Toms and crushing my legs beneath the bedside tray while raising my bed for blood work) was now my angel, and I finally felt up to visiting with her, which is what we did for maybe a minute and a half before I felt a huge gush and wetness against my legs. 

"I think my water may have just broke..." I announced.

Sure enough it had and I was beginning to feel a weird sensation in my lower stomach. 

"Are you sure this epidural is working? Something doesn't feel right."

She assured me that I was still hooked up and that I could push the button every 10 minutes, which is when I felt the undeniable urge to push. 

"He's starting to come out and I really think I need to push," I warned the nurse, who slowly walked around the bed, not believing that it was time. 

To paraphrase what she said:

"The doctor is delivering another baby right now, but if it is time to push, I think I can do it... Oh shit!"

She yelled for Brandon to press the call button, quickly told the nurse that baby was crowning, and sternly told me not to push anymore. 

(If you have been in this situation, you know that it is extremely difficult to not push when your body is telling you it's go time.)

Fortunately, the doctor had just finished delivering another baby (and was actually planning to come to my room right after to break my water) and the room was quickly filled with several new machines and nurses.

After 3 relatively painless pushes, all 6 lbs. 10 oz. of Little Brother Sandmeier was here! As I have discussed before, I spent 9 months stressing out over having a new baby and whether or not I could ever love another child as much as I love Jackson, but the moment the nurse placed him against my skin, my heart doubled in size. 

I loved this little boy so much. 

Ignore the exhausted woman with the chapped lips...

He looks nothing like his dad...

The rest of the morning consisted of the usual: Brandon slept on the uncomfortable plastic recliner, I cluster fed the baby for 2 hours straight, and then couldn't sleep from all of the excitement. 

It was a very long night, but our name-less baby was here and he was absolutely perfect. 

The next morning, my mom and brother brought in Jackson, who did about 2 million times better than I had anticipated. (Brandon and I acted the same as we always do and Jackson got a kick out of seeing the baby, laying in the hospital bed with mom, stealing mom's chocolate milk, and opening his new VTech digital camera from his brother!)

Grammy in her element.

Exhausted but oh so happy!

At around noon -- before Brandon, my mom, brother, and Jackson all left to go to lunch and take Jax to get his haircut -- Brandon and I decided we had to nail down a name. My entire pregnancy, I was stuck on the names David, Matthew, and Patrick, but he just didn't seem like any of those. We had been bouncing names off each other that entire morning (I like Braden and Gavin; Brandon liked Christian and Jacob) when I finally looked online at baby names and came across Gabriel. 

For the first time ever, Brandon actually agreed with me on a name and we had it narrowed down to either Gabriel or Jacob. 

To decide, I did what any logical person would do and wrote both names on different slips of paper, put them into an unused barf bag, and told Jax to draw one. It took a lot of coaxing, but he finally reached in and grabbed out the slip of paper that said Jacob.

It was settled. His name was Jacob.

However, something just didn't seem right... he just wasn't a Jacob to me. Brandon could tell I was having second thoughts and said we should name him Gabirel and that he also thought he seemed like a Gabe. 

(Since Jackson's middle name is Lee, which is also both Brandon's dad's and Brandon's middle names, I asked from the get-go if we could use one of my family's names for his middle name, so we went with Anthony in honor of my dad.) 

The rest of the afternoon was spent resting, visiting with family, drinking lots of chocolate milk (my major craving), and cuddling with sweet Gabe. 

Aunt Nancy and Uncle Rolf

Joe (my brother)

My dad came in Friday evening after work! 

Gabe's first bath with our favorite nurse, Maxine (during his 24 hour check up... at 3 am!)

 

Saturday was our discharge day, so after Gabe's early afternoon circumcision (and a visit from a few friends), it was time to go home!

Terrible quality but a lady brought by some homemade hats for Gabe and Jax couldn't help but try one on!

Our friend Sondra and her daughter stopped by Saturday afternoon to meet Gabe!

Post HUGE breakdown... postpartum hormones are crazy... more on that later this week. 

Time to get these munchkins home!

The adjustment to becoming a family of four has gone way better than I could have ever imagined, which I will talk more about later this week! Thank you all so much for the prayers, texts, calls, and well wishes -- we are so incredibly blessed by our two sweet boys!

26-31 Week Bumpdates

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh... I'm once again lumping together several weeks worth of bumpdates... But, in my defense, we did just move and I try to sleep whenever I have a few extra minutes during the day!

I have definitely gained A LOT more this time around than I did with Jax (I was just over 20 lbs. when Jax was born), but it sounds like Little Brother is measuring right on track. I have had two different doctors appointments since I last blogged -- one a few weeks ago for my glucose test and then another one Wednesday for my (now) standard every two-week checkup. The doctor told me I passed my glucose test with "flying colors" (whew!) but am slightly anemic... she said it isn't anything to worry about (and if memory serves me correctly, I was also slightly anemic with Jax) but was just something to be noted.

At Wednesday's appointment, they did the standard heartbeat check (which gave Jackson the biggest smile ever -- he is so into babies right now and loves poking/talking to his brother) and measurements (I guess he is measuring a little big, but the doctor said it could be because we caught him during a growth spurt -- they'll check again in two weeks) and everything sounds like it is going well! Little Brother sure does like to move and still wiggles and kicks the most whenever Jax and I lay down to read.

Other than that, there hasn't been anything too eventful happening, so on with the bumpdate!

Messy master bedroom at the old place (and an adorable photo bomber) -- Week 26 

Messy master bedroom at the new place (sans photo bomber) -- Week 30
Yes; I wear this crazy comfortable maternity shirt from The Loft a few times a week!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I was up about 23 lbs. at Wednesday's doctor appointment.

Maternity clothes: Yes! I still haven't bought too many of them, but I basically live in the maternity shirts I do have (as seen above) as well as baggy shirts I already owned, maxi skirts, dresses, yoga pants, and over-sized shirts I received during high school and college. 

Stretch marks: Negative.

Sleep: I didn't have too many issues up until week 30, when the dreaded nightly body aches/not being able to get (or stay) comfortable kicked in... However, I ordered a memory foam body pillow off Amazon this afternoon and look forward to receiving it and taking up both Brandon's and my sides of the bed with it. 

Best moment last week: Best moments in the last month would have to be Wednesday's doctor visit and seeing the look on Jax's face when he heard the baby's heartbeat, our family trip to the mountains, moving/closing on houses/buying new furniture, and just the random time we have gotten to spend with extended family. 

Movement: LOTS of moving! 

Food cravings/aversions: I could eat fruit, fruit flavored candy, and mint Oreos for every meal and not complain.

Gender: Little Brother! 

Labor signs: No, thank goodness. 

Belly button - in or out? I'm carrying really high (again), so the top half of my belly button pops out. 

What I miss: Sleeping through the night and being able to get/stay comfortable. 

What I am looking forward to: We are actually going back to the cabin with my family in a few weeks which should be a lot of fun! 

23, 24, & 25 Week Bumpdate

Another one... two... and three weeks... another bump date. Yeah, there is definitely shame in my blogging game.

To be completely honest, these past few weeks have been some of the hardest in recent memory. My Great Aunt Millie (who I have been talking about my last few posts) passed away last Wednesday and we have her funeral this morning. I know that it was her time to go, but it's just hard... on top of that, I have never been around somebody on a nearly daily basis who is sick, so it was extremely difficult to watch her go from the feisty, independent, wine drinking, poker playing, red sports car driving 96-year-old to how she was during her last days. If you knew my Aunt Millie, you know that there were little-to-no stops for her in terms of getting into heaven... she was an amazing woman who loved her faith, family, and friends and we are going to miss her dearly. It's still hard imagining a world without Aunt Millie in it, but I am blessed to have so many amazing memories to look back on (like the time she took my brother and I skiing for our first time... when she was 80). I am hoping to get some sort of a memorial written on here over the next few weeks, so stand by!

In other news, I have a secret... I have been thinking about starting a new Catholic faith-based lifestyle blog for the last year, finally started working on it back in February, and completely shoved it to the side after getting busy with life and pregnancy fatigue... but after much prayer and thought, I am getting fired up about it again and hope to launch by the end of this summer! That being said, the formatting around here may be changing some... Annie One Can Cook will probably become strictly what it has been for the last year -- a place to share stories and updates about our family -- while this new one will be a place to write about faith, encouragement, home decor, simple recipes, entertaining tips, and so on. I thank you all for your patience as I make this transition -- I hope that you will stick around.

Okay, and now the reason you're here: my 23, 24, & 25 week bumpdate!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I was up 15 lbs. yesterday at my doctor's appointment. 

Maternity clothes: YES and I am kicking myself for not buying them sooner! I finally bought a belly band for my jeans, two tops during The Loft's big 4th of July 50% sale, and some other large shirts that are a joy to wear. (The pictured dress is actually a junior's large from Walmart, but it is about the most comfortable thing ever!)

Stretch marks: Notta one. Thank you, genetics! 

Sleep: These last few weeks have been rough... I wake 3-4 times a night to use the restroom and usually can't go back to sleep after my 3:30 trip. Oh well.. it gives me time to research my articles and buy crap on Amazon!

Best moment last week: We didn't tell many people about it (because we didn't want to worry everyone), but during our 20-week anatomy scan, our doctor found a small cyst on Little Brother's brain. We were assured that it was probably just part of the growing process and that it should go away on it's own (since I'm not considered to be high risk and our genetics testing all came back normal), but there was a chance it could mean there were chromosomal abnormalities. Brandon and I both kind of decided from the get-go to not worry about it (growing up, my dad always assured me time and again that God would never give you anything He didn't think you could handle, so I knew that if our baby was born with special needs, it was meant to be and we would love him unconditionally), but it was confirmed yesterday that the cyst has disappeared and that baby looks healthy all around! 

Movement: He's still a mover (and still does it the most whenever Jax and I lay down to read or Jax jabbers for a long period of time)! 

Food cravings/aversions: On the cravings front, mostly just fruit and fruit flavored candy. 

Gender: Little Brother! 

Labor signs: No and it can stay that was for another 15 weeks.  

Belly button - in or out? When I wake up after nap, it looks like it may pop, but so far it's stayed in. 

What I miss: Aunt Millie :(

What I am looking forward to: Having the buying/selling/moving process completed at the beginning of next month! 

19, 20, 21, & 22 Week Bumpdate

Yeah, my blogging game is really, really weak... sorry, S.B.B. (who we are now referring to as "Little Brother.") Last week, we put in our first offer on a new home and had it ACCEPTED, resulting in us having to put the home we are in now on the market that same day... between back-to-back showings, being essentially homeless, and then the Father's Day fall (more on that in a sec), things have been pretty chaotic. The good news is that we had ELEVEN offers on our home and were under contract within 3 days, but now the stress that comes with packing begins.

Anyway, back to the fall. Two weekends ago, my sweet great aunt let us crash in her guest room since our house was being shown all weekend. That Sunday morning (Father's Day) I was woke up at 7:20 from a phone call from Brandon -- who had just left for work -- saying that as soon as he opened the door, my aunt's dog ran out. Still being half asleep, I grabbed my phone and shoes and darted outside and for the first time in my LIFE, wasn't looking down as I walked. Long story short, I slipped on some cotton from a nearby cottonwood tree, fell really hard on my knees, completely shattered my iPhone screen, AND landed on my stomach. I wasn't exactly sure what to do at this point (since the dog was still missing), so I turned around to head back into the house... luckily, my mom was in the bathroom when I walked in, so I told her the dog ran away and that I'd fallen, so she went out trying to find him. Around this time is when it finally occurred to me that I had landed HARD on my stomach, so I began feeling around and lightly pushing in hopes of feeling a kick or a wiggle. Nothing.

About one minute later, both Brandon and my mom walked into the house (with the dog, thank goodness) and I broke down because I couldn't feel the baby. Brandon and I then went into the bathroom, where he tried calling my OB, but since it was a Sunday, the office was closed. That's when we made the decision to just get up and go to the ER down the street. Fortunately, Jackson was still asleep during all of this, so my awesome parents stayed back at the house to watch him for us.

We were the only people at the ER that morning, so as soon as we walked in (all while I'm choking back tears), we had our own room and were seen by a doctor. It took awhile for them to find Little Brother's heartbeat (scariest. thing. ever -- and even when they did find it, they didn't bother telling us! They kept saying it was mine we were hearing), but once I found out they had it, I broke down in relief. Since they have an on-call ultrasound technician, we had to stay in the room and wait awhile, but were fortunately kept busy by both HGTV and by looking at new phones for me.

Once the ultrasound tech arrived, things got better and better -- Little Brother looked PERFECT, I was showing no signs of early labor, and I was assured that everything looked great. Earlier, the doctor had recommended we go into my regular hospital for a 4-hour monitoring, but after being reassured by the ultrasound tech that everything looked great (and that they were just going to do the same thing at the hospital), Brandon and I talked about forgoing in order to get home to Jax. When the doctor came back to the room, I asked her if she thought it was really necessary, to which she seemed offended and answered yes.

At this point, L.B. was kicking like mad and I wanted nothing more than to get back to Jax, so I walked out into the main area to nicely tell the doctor that we just wanted to get home to our son and that everything felt great. I know this will sound like an exaggeration, but I swear it isn't: the bully, shattered-ego doctor gave me the nastiest look I have ever seen and told me "Fine. But if you go into an early labor or miscarry, that is on you, not me," and continued to rudely tell me that I had to sign release papers refusing her professional opinion. I was shocked. I wasn't exactly sure what to say at this point, so I just told her "Way to make me feel like a terrible mother," and walked away. The nurse (who was sitting next to the doctor during all of this) ran after me and actually apologized for how rude the doctor was and I told her it was fine and that I just wanted to go.

After returning to my aunt's house, seeing Jax and getting him ready for church with my parents, changing out of my pajamas, and brushing my teeth, we decided to head over to my regular hospital (since they were expecting us anyway). I was hooked up to the monitors for about 30 minutes before the doctor came in and told me it wasn't necessary for me to be there in the first place (since I already had the ultrasound at the ER, everything looked great, and the simple fact that they don't recommend the monitoring until after 24 weeks), which resulted in me being even more annoyed with the ER doctor.

(You can bet that later that day I sent an email to the administration and filled out their survey -- you don't tell a pregnant woman who is already shaken up that she's a bad mother!)

And that, my friends, was one Father's Day that we will never forget! If you are still reading, thanks! If not, I understand... but here's my regular bumpdate anyway:

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I haven't been to the doctor in a few weeks now, but I'm guessing about 15 lbs. 

Maternity clothes: No, but I really, really need to! One of my good friends (who is also pregnant) recommended checking Zulilly for their flowy and forgiving tops, so I plan to do that this afternoon. 

Stretch marks: I thought I saw a few the other night, but it was just indentations from my shorts. 

Sleep: Not too bad! I still wake a few times to use the restroom, but can usually get back to sleep right away *knock on wood.*

Best moment last week: Best moment in the last four weeks? Probably all the family time we've been getting with my parents (and great aunt, who is still here!) and my mom's and my Vegas trip. 

Movement: All. the. time. I can especially feel him whenever Jax and I read or when Jax starts jabbering non-stop :)

Food cravings/aversions: None of the above... I just like to eat! 

Gender: Little Brother! 

Labor signs: Nope! 

Belly button - in or out? In, but the other day it looked like it may pop.  

What I miss: Fitting into my regular clothes and not being exhausted by the end of each day. 

What I am looking forward to: Brandon leaves for a Vegas trip with a few of his buddies next week, so Jax and I are taking our own little trip to my parents! 

17 & 18 Week Bumpdates

Okay, I swear that I'm trying to make the time to blog... but these past few weeks have been even crazier than usual :/ Like I always say, *hopefully* things will slow down soon, but who knows if that will happen... ugh, too busy! Anyway, I wanted to make it a point to get both this and Jacksie's next update written this week and figured I'd start with my bumpdate because it would be shorter and easier, ha! Here is what S.B.B. and I have been up to the last two weeks.

Sorry... making the bed, cleaning the mirror, and picking things up was just too much to ask!  

How far along: 16 weeks, 4 days

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I had a regular doctor's appointment last week and weighed in at 149, bringing me to a 12 lb. weight gain. 

Maternity clothes: I splurged on a few maxi skirts (pictured) and am kicking myself for not doing it sooner! They are so comfortable and forgiving... I was told by many that I'd gain faster/show earlier with this second baby and they weren't kidding!

Stretch marks: Nada.

Sleep: Eh... I still get up at least once a night to use the restroom and have about a 50/50 chance of immediately falling back asleep... we FINALLY got Jax back into his own bed at night too which has been a comfortable blessing for all! (More room = happy mamma!)

Best moment last week: It has actually been a very bittersweet week. My amazing 96-year-old Great Aunt Millie (who only lives a few blocks away from us) was given a few days to live so we've been over there daily entertaining her (with Mr. Personality, Jax) and visiting. The initial diagnosis was a week and a half ago and she's still going strong -- and still as feisty as ever -- so we've been enjoying this special time with her. 

Movement: Not really... but I can feel those weird little hardening/softening of the uterus contractions a few times a day so it's easier to tell where he is. 

Food cravings/aversions: Aside from fruit, no real cravings... we've just been overeating!! (My parents have been staying the night at Millie's this week and we go out/order in almost every night.)

Gender: BOY!!!

Labor signs: No, thank goodness!

Belly button - in or out? In. 

What I miss: Being ahead on work... ha! 

What I am looking forward to: Mom and I leave for Vegas early Thursday morning :D 

Jax Has Something To Tell You...

Jackson has some big news he would like to share with you...

That's right! Jackson is going to be a big brother come late October and we couldn't be more excited :D 

It's actually a pretty funny story how Baby #2 came about... Brandon and I always talked about wanting to wait until after our Mexico trip to get pregnant (if it was God's plan), so once we were back and settled in, we decided to consult my chart to find out which days were best for conceiving. Anyway, I thought for sure I was pregnant a few weeks after returning from Mexico -- I was so stinking tired all the time, was having strange dreams, super sensitive to any/every smell, could cry at the drop of a hat, and was just overall miserable. Anyway, you can imagine my surprise when I "discovered" I wasn't pregnant and how down in the dumps I felt thereafter. (Side note: I know how crazy and selfish that sounds, especially when there are women out there who go through this month after month -- I am praying for you strong and amazing women!) 

We were going to try again the following cycle, but after getting sick with the world's worst sinus infection, we decided to just hold off and try again this summer (so that Jax wouldn't have to share his birthday with the new baby -- like that really mattered! *rolls eyes at past Brandon and Annie*). 

You know the Woody Allen saying, "If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans"? It couldn't be anymore true. 

The week I found out, I was feeling a little off, but didn't think much of it because my period was a matter of days away... when I noticed (TMI) a little bit of spotting a few days before my period, I still didn't think anything of it -- after all, we weren't trying to conceive anymore and didn't do anything on my most fertile days (since I was sick)! Finally, on February 19th, when I was a day late, I took two pregnancy tests:

To be completely honest, I was shocked. Brandon and Jax were in the living room when I took the first test, so I basically walked out smiling with my hand over my mouth and handed the (capped) stick to Brandon. After a few moments of celebrating, panic/irrational pregnancy hormones set in... Was I betraying Jackson by having another baby? Could I possibly love this new baby half as much as I love Jax? What about our house... was there room for the baby in our small house?! 

Needless to say, it's been an emotional/hormonal roller coaster, but I know that this baby has been in God's plan since the beginning of time and that Brandon and I will love him/her with all our hearts! Jackson is also beginning to grasp the concept of what a baby is and is always wanting to go up to them and talk/wave/smile -- he's going to be the best big brother! 

My friend and I were joking around about how the biggest downside of NFP is finding out almost immediately when you're pregnant and then having to wait forever to see a doctor... I finally got in with our AWESOME new doc on March 22nd and am happy to report that everything looked great with both the baby and me! (I was also shocked by the fact that they gave me an ultrasound at my first appointment -- back in Kansas, I didn't get to see Jax until I was almost 20 weeks!!!) 

Since my appointment was on a Tuesday afternoon at 1pm, Brandon wasn't able to get off work -- but fortunately for Hammy and me, Grammy was already in town and was able to go to the appointment with us and see the baby!!

Thanks for helping watch Jax, Grammy! 

When I first found out I was pregnant with Jackson, I was able to draft a super long, in-depth blog post that I then published when we made it "Facebook official" -- this time around, it has taken me over a week to write this alone! Seasons of life, I tell ya... Anyway, I am planning on posting bumpdates again this time around, beginning this Thursday (12 weeks), so I will "see" you then!