The 7 Month Belly!

We are 26 weeks pregnant as of the day after Thanksgiving, and instead of doing an update and being tempted to complain about how the heartburn has returned with a vengeance and the fact that I've probably gained weight this week, I thought I'd share instead all the fun things the little man in the belly has been up to the past week or so:
Here is our end-of-6-month belly picture... two trimesters down, one to go! (And yes, I do feel huge!)

Last week we were in Florida with my grandparents, and we took Kenna (and Matt!) out on their first sailboat trip (lots more about this trip to come!). This is me trying to find a life jacket that will also fit baby brother:

And we think Kenna is starting to understand that there's a baby in Mommy's belly. She istrying to call him by name already, and loves to give him lots of kisses:

Oh, and one more! Hiding under the apron while Momma bakes at Thanksgiving:
PS- If you happen to think of it, please be in prayer for us on December 9th as we go to be checked for gestational diabetes. I'm a little concerned that this may end up being an issue for this second pregnancy, especially being tested right on the end of Thanksgiving/2 birthdays week!

Happy Birthday Lindsey!

Lindsey comes from a long line of intelligent and creative women. Here is a picture with three generations of these McKay ladies:

Today is her birthday! What you may not know about this beautiful lady, is that she is an ever-changing and beautifully complex woman. She is a lover of Jesus Christ. She is a well-versed and traveled lady. She is fluent in French and craftiness. She is an artist who seeks to redefine her style and craft daily. She is elegant and classy in so many ways and steals your attention when she enters a room the way that Grace Kelly used to steal scenes from Cary Grant. She is a mother who patiently sacrifices her days and nights to take care of Kenna so that I can work and go to school. Lindsey rarely complains and always works hard to teach Kenna wonderful new lessons about life, love, and God. Lindsey is a student at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary taking classes to help her better minister to a lost and dying world around her. She is also carrying our second child which is a feat unto itself and a daily job. She cooks, cleans, budgets, organizes, decorates, prays for, and seeks to create a life that is exciting and honoring to God daily. I am blessed to know her and, if you are reading this blog, then you are blessed to know her (or of her) too! Please join me in wishing her a wonderful birthday!

Happy birthday to the most wonderful woman I know! May your day be filled with tons of these!:

Happy Birthday Momma bear!

Happy Birthday, Baby!

Exactly two years ago today this sweet precious newborn joined our family:

I can't imagine a more sassy, empathetic, silly, fun-loving, adventurous, playful, chatty, inquisitive, or loving thing than this wild little girl. It is so amazing to watch her become the person God made her to be, and we couldn't possibly be more thankful to be her parents!

Happy Birthday, Kenna!

25 Weeks!

How Far Along:
25 weeks! Only 15 weeks/105 days left and officially the first week of 3rd trimester. Can I say again how insanely fast this pregnancy is going?

Size of Baby:
a rutabaga- although I'm not sure I've ever seen one of those in real life.

Total Weight Gain:
Miraculously still at 11 pounds... but a week-long vacation, Thanksgiving, and Kenna's & my birthdays are all in the next few days!

Maternity Clothes:
I'm about ready to give up attempting any kind of waistband, and just go straight for the yoga pants for the next 15 weeks. Although I did have some success making a maternity skirt with a pair of maternity jeans that were too short in the leg (but they were free, so I wanted to use them!)

Gender:
Little brother man!

What I miss:
Nothing really- till amazed at how quickly the weeks are going!

Sleep:
Can't complain! I still can't quite make it all the way through the night without having to get up for the bathroom, but at least it's usually only once!

Symptoms:
Feeling lots more kicking and flipping- this is one active little boy already! I'm craving ham in a major way (isn't that random?), and have had a little more indigestion, but nowhere near as bad as it was with Kenna.

Best Moment this Week:
Settling on a definite name and how Kenna wants to "kiss baby" by kissing my tummy in the mornings. So cute and sweet.

What I'm looking forward to:
Decorating his nursery, especially getting a monogram up on the wall! I also found out this week that my awesome Sunday school ladies are going to throw me a shower in January, which I think is just the sweetest thing- I wasn't expecting one for a second baby! I can't wait!

Wordless Wednesday: with a little help from my friends:

(naptime: 2 pillows, 2 pacifiers, 4 blankets, 5 stuffed animals- and she can and will ask for them all by name!)

Free with Coupons

This was going to be a wordless Wednesday picture, but I did my shopping a little later in the week than originally planned. All of these items were free with coupons this week at Target! Normally I don't think of Target as all that great of a place price-wise for groceries. However, because you can stack coupons (use one Target one and one manufacturer one on the same item) and because they have a large travel/trial size section, I ended up getting some freebies!

The one-load Tide pouches are great for traveling when you're staying in a place where you can wash your own clothes (as opposed to a hotel). The little Johnson & Johnson mini first aid kits are great (I carry one in my diaper bag) and PERFECT for Operation Christmas Child boxes, when you're not sure of the type of medical services the recipient of the box might have access to. The Hello Kitty band-aids are a big favorite around here and probably will end up in somebody's stocking!

The marshmallows... well the marshmallows didn't even make it home before we were snacking on them! Praise God for his provision of the big and the little!

Halloween Preview!

This is just a preview since our pictures turned out terrible! Matt's Dad took some really great ones on his new camera and I'm so thankful since the light is strange in all of ours (and it is IMPOSSIBLE to get an almost 2 year old to hold still for a picture!).

Kenna's very first time trick or treating! (with Daddy on the assist):

I'm pretty sure Kenna thought she was in heaven at our church's fall festival- this is right when she saw the arbor of balloons we were about to walk through to get to the giant bounce houses!

We are dog people to the core, but I have to say we are madly in love with this little black cat! :)

23 Weeks!

So, as predicted, I'm not doing too well with this weekly thing! We're already over halfway there to meeting our little boy- the weeks just seem to be flying by so quickly. I think after having experienced the miracle that is pregnancy and birth once already, I feel even more amazed at what God does in our bodies as women and how precious the tiny life is that he sustains in there at is grows!

Baby Boy is 23 weeks old, and in searching for real-life photos of what a baby at this age looks like, I found this article about a baby girl who was born at 22 weeks and survived. According to most hospitals, a 22 week old "fetus" who does not survive birth either because of early labor or abortion, is not considered a life- it is placed in a bio hazard waste receptacle and does not go to the morgue. It is not illegal to end the life of a 22 week old baby in the womb, but if you walk into a neonatal unit and end the life of a baby of the same age there, it is murder. Does that seem strange to anyone besides me? The baby girl in the article weighed only 10 ounces and is about the length of a ball point pen. Her skin is dark because it is barely fully formed. I encourage you to read the article, the photos are amazing! What an amazing gift to be able to serve and worship the God of the universe that holds the mystery of life in his hands.

Instead of trying to catch up from 19 weeks, let's go straight to 23!

How far along:
23 weeks!

Size of Baby:
Just over a pound- a large mango!

Total Weight Gain:
11ish pounds. Still working on staying under 25 total!

Maternity Clothes:
Nothing fits the same way this time as it did with Kenna. "Under the belly" stuff in particular is not so helpful! I feel much bigger, much earlier than I did with Kenna.

Gender:
Boy oh boy! And we are SO excited.

Movement:
Little brother moves less often than his sister did, but when he moves he moves big! Especially in the evening after dinner (also when Kenna was the most active) and sometimes first thing in the morning... just the beginning of him waking me up early!

What I miss:
Nothing really! I'm trying to enjoy this time being pregnant with our little man because it's going by so quickly!

Sleep:
I've actually been sleeping a little better recently- less tossing and turning and less bathroom trips.

Symptoms:
Noticeable stuff the past 2 weeks or so: increase in stretching ligament pain (low belly pain), some braxton hicks at night when i've been really active during the day, indigestion, and clumsiness! Clumsiness is apparently a big symptom of pregnancy for me, especially as I get physically bigger. I have a self-imposed ban on lifting my laptop now, not because of the weight of it, but because when I drop and break it I will be so bitter at myself! Also, I've still been out of breath a lot.

Best Moment this Week:
Dressing Kenna up for Halloween and thinking of ideas for two kids' costumes next year! Dorothy and the Lion, little Bo Peep and her sheep, Alice in Wonderland and a bunny...

What I'm looking forward to:
Pretty much all of November! I have a craft show this weekend, then my Dad is coming in town, then we're going to Florida for a few days to see my grandparents, then Kenna's and my birthdays, then Thanksgiving! YAY!

5 Month Belly Picture:
We've been so busy I had to settle for a quickie mirror picture (and I forgot to hold up my 5 fingers!). Hopefully I can replace it with a real one soon, before I get any bigger!

Parents Say the Darndest Things.

Everybody loves to tell you about the cute thing their kid just said. What they don't as readily admit is what crazy things you say to your kid when they are pre-talkers and you have no idea how much they truly understand of what you're telling them or why they've done the crazy thing they just did.

So I've been compiling this list for a few days, crazy and embarrassing thought it may be (these are all as verbatim as I can remember). I give you, Crazy Things We've Said to Our Daughter:

"Kenna, we don't pull all the stuffing out of our pillows, baby."

"Pontouf doesn't need lotion on her face, Kenna."

"Kenna, do not pry the cabinet open with your spoon."

("Mommy, toes off!")
"no Kenna, the baby's toes don't come off."

... and my absolute favorite?

"Kenna, we don't play with Mommy's breast pump cups like a trumpet. Go put them back please."

Classic.

And just to keep the record fair, though we've had lots of "no, mine!" around these parts, here are a few of the cute and sweet things Kenna bear has been saying recently.

Yeah to everything. Do you want some juice? "Yeah, juice." Do you want to get in the car and go to the store? "Yeah! Cahr! Stow!"

"there it is!"/"here it is!"

pappies = paci

butts= blanket/blankies

taaaaa! = ta da!

night night = pillow

mommy nam = yes ma'am mommy

and my favorite:
happy = cookie

We love this wild crazy girl:

Wordless Wednesday: Beginning to look a lot like Brother!

(PS- found this that we bought on a whim probably a year ago... now funny and very appropriate for Baby Boy considering my apple cravings!)