26 Weeks

How far along?  26 weeks

Total weight gain: up 13.5 lb.  Yes, you read that right!  I gained 6.5 pounds in 2 weeks.  I see a nutritionist at work and she has been concerned about my weight gain (or lack thereof) my entire pregnancy.  I kept telling her the weight would come.  She was very excited to see that it finally has.  

Baby is the size of:  The Incredible HULK!

Maternity clothes? At least half the time.  I need to do some shopping.  I didn't realize how little maternity clothes I actually own and how much my style has changed in the last 3-4 years.  Most of what I bought with Coop was winter stuff which doesn't really work this time around.  Plus I loathe most of it anyway.  Hoping to find some more non-maternity dresses since the Oklahoma summer heat is just around the corner.

Stretch marks?  No new ones.  I think I should replace this question with "Varicose Veins?".    Although that would get very depressing very quickly.  Moving on...

Sleep: Should be tanking up while I can, but it just seems there is always something to be done.  Work is absolutely nuts right now, plus the whole "you're having another kid and it would be nice if she had a nursery that wasn't packed to the ceiling with castoff furniture and craft supplies that you will never have time to use" thing.  Always something. 

Symptoms: I would never know I was pregnant if it wasn't for the incessant kicks to the cervix.  Baby Girl is a low-rider!  Haha!  But seriously, this pregnancy has been a little more uncomfortable than my first.  More foot cramps, more aches and pains, more ridiculous, real contractions way to early in the game.  While they have slowed down from where they were when I was put on brief bed rest, I am still having them relatively frequently.  I notice that I have them a lot more often on days that I walk more at work.  Sometimes it's just easier to walk down the hall than to make a phone call, but I think those days are numbered.   

Movement:  Only all day everyday.  Miss Priss is a wiggle worm.  Just like her big brother, she is very active during the sermons at church.  On Sunday, I found myself giggling at a really inappropriate moment because she was being so squirmy.  Hope I'm the only one who noticed.  

Food Cravings:  Still trying to make the Salty Dog happen.  I saw a Salty Frog snow cone flavor.  I feel that might warrant some further investigation. 

Miss anything? I miss the days when my boobs didn't touch my belly.  I seriously need to go bra shopping.  These poor girls are in desperate need of some encouragement.

HE IS RISEN!

So......I feel like I missed Easter this year.  It bums me out a little because I love observing Palm Sunday and spending Holy Week preparing to celebrate Christ's resurrection.  I have been fighting a bad cold or something (I'm pretty convinced I picked Human Metapneumovirus at work) for over a week.  This year, that means my birthday was no fun and all of Holy Week is a blur of snot, coughing and exhaustion.  I didn't get to do some of the activities I would've liked to do with Coop, but we did decorate some eggs yesterday morning.

Simplest way ever - just use watercolors!

Foolproof approach and gives a pretty marbled look.

Completely unprompted, Cooper said he painted a cross on this
one for Jesus.  Heart smiles from Mommy! 

Apparently it helps if you stick out your tongue. :) 

The finished product. Pretty!

I'm pretty bummed that I didn't have the energy to make carrot cake sandwich cookies- click here for the recipe.  They are amazing, little, carrot, oatmeal cookies filled with cream cheese frosting.  Like an oatmeal creme pie only infinitely better.  Maybe once I'm feeling better I'll make some just for fun.  For now I think I'll settle for a Cadbury Egg.  

If you have never heard the message of Easter or you are curious why some of us celebrate more than eggs and bunnies, please comment or contact me.  I would love to tell you more about Jesus and what he has done in my life. 

If you are looking for a little musical inspiration today, check out this song from Kari Jobe.

Happy Easter!

Baby Girl Has A Name!

We are proud to announce that our baby girl has a name!  For at least the last 10 years, Tanner and I have two baby girl names that we loved - Chloe, and Claire.  Both feminine and sweet.  We thought if we ever had a girl, we would be set.  And then we found out we were actually having a girl, and the strangest thing happened.  Neither of our beloved girl names felt right.  We still love both names; should we ever have another girl, they may both be in the running. Just didn't seem to fit this time. 

So we started searching the internet, pinterest and the recesses of our brains in search of the perfect name.  I have always like the name Kate, but could never convince the Tan-man.  We had thrown the name out to our family for opinions; they all seemed to like it, but we weren't entirely convinced.  We couldn't decide if her name would be C/Katherine, Caitlyn, just C/Kate, or none of the above.

Then we had a conversation with my father-in-law.  I knew he had lost his father and his baby sister in a car accident when he was very young, but it's just not something we ever really talked about.  He sat at my kitchen table, and opened up for the first time I can remember.  It wasn't a long, drawn out speech.  Just a moment of him remembering his family.  He said, "Now don't let this affect your decision, but you know Kate is a derivative of Katherine.  Catherine was my sister's name."  Tanner asked if it was Catherine with a C.  Steve said yes.  I started crying and immediately knew immediately that my daughter's name is Cate.

I always love when names have significant meaning in some way.  Whether it's the meaning of the name, the origin, or the name itself, I think it gives kids a heritage.  I want my kids to know that they have a legacy of family, faith and fun.  I want Cooper and Cate, and any additional children God chooses to bless us with to know that they are loved by generations and that many people have invested in their lives from before they were born.  They are prayed for, needed and precious.  Cate Rachelle, you are carrying the name of your great aunt and sharing a middle name with both your Mommy and Nana.  Carry yourself with pride and wear your name well, my dear girl!

Oh and by the way, if anybody ever tries to mess with you, they'll have THE HULK to deal with!



24 Weeks

How far along?  24 weeks

Total weight gain: up 7 lb.

Baby is the size of:  ??? - Sorry Baby Girl, Mommy was completely pooped all week. No pic today.
Maternity clothes? About half the time.  Still have several pants and dresses that fit.

Stretch marks?  Couldn't care less.

Sleep: Every precious wink I can get.

Symptoms: Runny nose, cough, congestion, headache, sinus pressure, exhaustion, you name it. 

Movement:  Only if I have to...

Food Cravings:  Nose is so stopped up I can't taste anything,

Miss anything? Breathing through my nose.

If you can't tell, I've been sick.  It started with a little bit of a scratchy throat on Saturday.  Sunday just felt terrible, but no real symptoms.  By Monday, I was coughing, sneezing and snotty.  Today has been rough; so congested I can't breathe through my nose, but if I breathe through my mouth I cough.  Had a ridiculous coughing fit while speaking on campus at a local university about my work in pediatric pharmacy.  It was a little embarrassing.  Ended up coming home early to try and get a little rest before Tanner and Coop got home.  Tanner had band practice tonight so I had to suck it up.  Needless to say, we enjoyed our Netflix and had an early bedtime.  I know I'll survive, but being sick and pregnant is NO FUN!!!

22 Weeks

How far along?  22 weeks

Total weight gain: up 6 lb.

Baby is the size of:  A toddler baseball bat.

Maternity clothes? I'm wearing maternity clothes about half the time.  I still have jeans that fit, and a few pairs of work pants.  I just hate most of my dressier maternity pants so I'm trying to avoid them as long as possible.    

Stretch marks?  no new ones. :)

Sleep: I'm sleeping well at night {fingers crossed, knock on wood} and not falling asleep on the couch nearly as often.

Symptoms: Still no relief from the dry skin.  Although I did get one of those battery-operated spinning brushes from Mary Kay and I LOVE it!  It has helped slough off the dry skin more than anything.  Get one - trust me on this.

Movement:  She is still a little wiggle worm. Still living pretty far south so the boys haven't felt many good kicks yet.  

Food Cravings: Still fruit.  Eating lots of pears.  Just like with Cooper, I would kill for a Salty Dog from Northside Drug.  That's the pharmacy and soda fountain that has since gone out of business, but was a very large part of my small town childhood.  My best friend and I would clean our older siblings' friends' vehicle  getting paid in the change we found in each.  We pooled our earnings and that was our soda fountain money.  We would walk downtown to Northside Drug and get a Salty Dog (crushed ice, a little simple syrup, lime juice and salt...and now I'm drooling), Cherry Limeade or some kind of milkshake.  Oh the charmed nostalgia of childhood. I was so blessed to grow up in such a safe town.  I traveled the world as I knew on two feet or two wheels just as long as I was home before the street lights came on.  I'm a little sad that my kids will never know that kind of life.  Although they will, I'm sure, have fond memories of playing til dark in the street with the other kids on our cul de sac.  I pray their childhood memories bring as much joy as mine.  Wow - really chased a rabbit there!  Anyway, still loving all things tart/sour. 

Miss anything? Apparently I miss my childhood! Haha!