Baby H #2 Update: Weeks 25 & 26

   Happy Tuesday y'all! Or 'A' day for Pretty Little Liars fans(I'm probably way too excited about it, but hey it's been 6 years!). It's not raining like it was yesterday, in case you haven't been outside yet. Which made it nice for going to and from my doctor's today. I don't know anyone who enjoys going out in the rain haha. If you're one of those people who enjoys being out in rain, let me know!
    So I had my weekly doctor's appointment today, yay! Seriously, I feel so blessed to have such a kind, genuinely concerned doctor as well as his staff! It makes this whole scary process so much better.
    Today's visit was also for my glucose test. Now with James I actually never got around to doing this test. I think I had it scheduled for the next appointment that I didn't make it to, but honestly I can't remember. Blame it on the pregnancy brain. So this was a whole new experience for me. I asked my girlfriend, who's due any day now, about what to expect and that really helped. Not only was it helpful to know that she fasted, but it also eased my fears about the ordeal test. Most people act like it's the most horrible thing you'll do during pregnancy, but I can now let y'all in on a little secret. It's not nearly as bad as they tell you haha.
   For starters, the drink doesn't taste that bad. I went with the fruit punch flavor(my friend's suggestion!) and it tasted pretty good at first, after a while though I was ready to be done with it. It's actually clear now, which surprised me. Good news for the pregnant ladies with dye allergies! One downside is it's more to drink than I thought. It's about the size of a small water bottle. I did have an upset tummy afterwards, but no nausea. Then about an hour later they tested my blood and I was done! They don't even have to test your blood beforehand. I should find out my results tomorrow, so please say a prayer for me!
 

Here's Baby H #2 at 25 weeks and a day!

And again! I think his nose will be a cross between Dillon's and my mom's!

   When I went to my doctor's last week (25 weeks) I also saw the specialists. Baby H #2 weighted 1 lb. 10 oz., and according to my pregnancy app he should weight more than 2 lbs. this week and be 14 inches long. His eyes are starting to open around this time, and he can even sense light in there. Which seems crazy to me that he can now tell that. At this point most of his development is all about putting on weight and height. If you need a visual of where he's at you could equate him to....

I don't think I've ever heard of this, but the Parisian bakery theme is my favorite. Probably because I'm always hungry...

So cute!

    I am curious as to how I'm going to expand any more to accommodate Baby H #2. At this rate at 9 months my stomach will be entering a room 5 minutes before I do. People still wanna know if this is just one. Even if they have asked before haha. One lady I know thinks it could be 2 or 3. She's serious.

The bump at 25 weeks and a day last Tuesday!

The bump today at 26 weeks and a day! Man, I wear a lot of dark blue!

   Symptoms are just the same, no decrease and no increase. I go back this Friday for an ultrasound. I had a little concern over his lack of movement during the glucose test, which if you didn't know sugar usually makes babies move a lot. My nurse and doctor did a non-stress test, and everything looked great for a 26 week baby. But my doctor still wanted to see me Friday as a precaution. Oddly enough he started moving quite a bit towards the end of the appointment and after. Go figure! I'll keep y'all posted on the glucose test! Thanks for reading y'all!

P.s. Don't forget to 'like' my Facebook page for the latest updates!
  
June Is Busting Out All Over!

Baby H #2 Update: Weeks 4 To 22

Things I'm Using In My 2nd Pregnancy

Baby H #2 Update: Weeks 23 & 24

A Look Back On 2 Years Of Marriage

 

  2 years. 24 months. 104 weeks. 730 days. That's how long Dillon and I have been married. It doesn't feel like it's been that long to me. It seems like just yesterday I was browsing through Pinterest for centerpiece ideas, my biggest concern being how would I find time to decorate the reception.
    Since that day so many unexpected things have happened to both of us. Mostly good, you can probably guess the bad. But even in the bad times our bond hasn't been severed. We've experienced things that no one should have to go through but we've made it to the other side. Don't ask us where this other side is, we're not really sure ourselves. But it's a place where we're together. What we've gone through could drive any couple apart, but by the grace of God and our love we're more bonded than 2 years ago.
    I've heard a lot of women say "I never knew how much I loved your daddy until I saw how much he loved you". Well for me that couldn't be more true. Seeing Dillon hold our first son, knowing there would be no more moments like that one, I fell in love with him all over again. There was no better father James could have in his short time on earth than Dillon.
    2 years ago I didn't know what we were promising to each other. I knew what our vows meant of course, but I didn't know how they would translate for us. I suppose no couple really knows. I now know "denying all those that would come between us" would be the part of our vows to be put to action the most. While it's a shame how often it is remembered, it would be more a shame to forget it, for without each other I don't know where we'd be. You'd be surprised by the people you could do without when you find the only one you can't do without.
    So to my wonderful husband on our 2 year anniversary. I love you more than I did then, and I didn't know I could. I chose you 2 years, I choose you today, and I chose you every day. You are my home, my future, and so much more than you realize. I could, and I will love you forever.

  

Baby H #2 Update: Weeks 23 & 24

   Hey y'all! I hope everyone's week is going well. I went to see my doctor yesterday for our weekly visit and everything looks good! So my week is going very well so far. Happy baby, happy mommy!
   I'm 24 weeks as of this past Monday. Baby should be measuring about 13 inches long and about 1.5 lbs. When he measured my belly yesterday I was 26 cm, which is good because you're suppose to be a cm for each week you are pregnant. So technically I'm ahead of the game haha!
   Speaking of how big our little boy is, I just noticed on my Ovia pregnancy app that they now have the option to change what they equate your baby's size to. Usually it's fruits and vegetables, but they now have the option of fun and games, weird-but-cute animals, and Parisian bakery. So he's now the size of a....

 

This would be the Parisian bakery theme!

  

Fruits and vegetables!

Fun and games! If a G.I. Joe came out of me I'd be slightly frightened to say the least.

Finally, weird-but-cute animals! I wonder how the puffin feels about that distinction? Definitely a backhanded compliment  to me!

    I've been feeling pretty good. I'm tired a lot(big surprise), my indigestion has picked up a little, and I'm noticing a few more stretch marks. But if that's all I'm dealing with, I'm happy! I did have another time when I went to see my doctor before my scheduled appointment last week. Everything turned out fine though. I was super shocked when this week's appointment rolled around and I hadn't been to the doctor before my scheduled appointment. Another win! Don't get me wrong, I love my doctor, he's so nice and never is bothered by my coming in before my appointment even though I see him weekly. But no one wants to go to the doctor twice in a week.

Here's the bump at 22 weeks and 5 days on July 18th!

Here's the bump again at 23 weeks and 4 days on July 24th!

   While I was writing this it hit me. My last appointment with James was at 25 weeks. At first I thought it was at 24 weeks, but it was 25. I had an appointment with the specialists, they released me, I saw my doctor after, everything was fine. I was measuring 2 weeks ahead as well. I have an appointment with the specialists and then my doctor afterwards next week. 25 weeks. It's hard not to be uneasy about different points and dates in this pregnancy. All I think about is getting pass 29 weeks. Every week feels like some sort of countdown to 29. It's still hard to believe that's all the time I had with James. I'm very hopeful about things but it's still a struggle to remember that I'll have more than 29 weeks with this little one. This is my second pregnancy but in many ways it's like I was never pregnant before. Sometimes it just feels like one long pregnancy. This journey hasn't been what I expected from motherhood at all so far, but then again I guess motherhood has a lot of surprises, both bad and good. In spite of all the fear and worry though, I'm incredibly excited to meet our second child. Not a day goes by that I don't take time to remember how blessed we are to be having a second child.
   On a lighter note, I think I felt my first ever baby hiccup last week! I had never felt any with James. Then I was talking to my friend who's like 37 weeks and she was talking about funny it feels and I asked her to explain it to me. Well baby must have heard because about 20 minutes later he had a little hiccup. So funny!
   That's about it right now. Thanks for reading y'all! Don't forget to 'like' my Facebook page and 'follow' me(on the right side of the page) as well!

Mondays With Mother: 3

   Hey y'all! I hope everyone had a great weekend. Well I haven't done a Mondays With Mother in a while, so I thought it was due. Here's just a few amusing things my "mother" has said lately.




"Mother" and me at Nags Head back in May.

Me: "Can you turn it up?"
Mother: "I can't get my chocolate out."
(Okay then, not really sure what that has to do with the volume being down, but whateves.)

Mother: "It makes me crazy!!!"
(Taking her necklace off. Taking her necklace off makes her crazy.)

Mother: "Do they still have throwback Thursday?"
(I then had to explain to her that it's not like a television show like it can get cancelled.)

The other day we were about to get out of the car and go into Walmart. "Mother" usually has a waffle with her to keep her blood sugar level. Well I put the waffle on the dash as I get out and she tells me to put it in my seat. I ask why? She says:
Mother: "I don't want people to see I have a waffle. They might break in."
(Because every time I see a waffle in a car, I think to myself "man, I need to break in and get that waffle. Maybe I can sell it on the black market!")

Mother: "I'm going to get this, but I don't think you should have any."
(Is that what we're doing now when we get food from the store? If I knew that's all it took to have doughnuts to myself I would have done that years ago!!!)

Mother: "Be careful when you walk, always."
(Well this is actually good advice.)

This one is from a little while ago.
Mother: "What are you doing?"
Me: "Oh I'm looking up recipes on Pinterest to make your own baby food!"
Mother: "So nothing right?"
(Alrighty then.)

Mother: "What are you doing here without Dorinda?!"
(Okay so it's not really something my mom just said. It's from The Real Housewives of New York haha. My mom loves it, I'll watch it occasionally. But this has got to be the funniest line ever. Everyone in our house has been saying this for about 2 weeks. Yes we don't get out much.)

Here's a clip of what my "mother" was quoting! It's worth the 4 seconds to watch it.

 I hope y'all enjoyed hearing about my "mother". Have a great Monday y'all!

 P.s. Don't forget to 'like' my Facebook page for the latest updates. Also you can follow my blog over on the right side of this page!

Things I'm Using In My 2nd Pregnancy

    This pregnancy has definitely been a different experience than my last pregnancy, at least so far. More doctor visits, more ultrasounds, more things I never even worried about with James. But that's for another day and another post. Today I thought I'd share with y'all some of the things I'm using with this pregnancy that I didn't use with my first one.

• Body Pillow

    I never had any issue getting comfortable enough to sleep until about 26 weeks with my first pregnancy, so I never got a body pillow. With this pregnancy I was uncomfortable at about 8 weeks haha. We got this one at Walmart for $10, which is way better than paying $60 for one of those pregnancy pillows. The body pillow also comes in handy as a barrier between me and hubby since he like to roll over on me in his sleep. Not fun.

• Fetal Heart Doppler

    This has been such a comfort to have. I use it every morning. I ordered it off of Amazon for about $45. It requires batteries but you don't have to change them that often. I just bought some lubricating jelly to use with it, although it did come with a small tube of jelly. If you're planning to buy one you can bring it to your doctor or midwife and they can show you how to use it. But there's also a ton of videos on YouTube where they show you how to use it, which is what I did. I was able to hear Baby H #2's heartbeat with this at about 9 weeks. If I could only recommend one thing to someone newly pregnant, this would definitely be it!

• Water Bottle

 

   Now I drank plenty of water with my first, but as most of you know I'm sure, they just had a huge recall on bottled water. Yay(not). But I still need to drink plenty of water. So I got this^! I found it at Target in the dollar section for $3. It holds about 28 fl. oz., which equates to a little over 3 servings of water. I also love my Brita filter pitcher. I would have included it on this list but I was using it before both pregnancies. It was a wedding present from one of Dillon's aunts. We didn't even register for it, but it has become something we use everyday!

• Up & Up Prenatal Gummy Multivitamins

    I was looking through the aisle of vitamins at Target, specifically prenatal vitamins, and was at a loss. There's just soooo many options. With my first I had such horrible indigestion, partly from the vitamins I was taking. So I switched to Flintstones gummy vitamins. They definitely helped with some of the indigestion I was having, but I wasn't sure I wanted to continue them with this pregnancy. So back to the vitamin aisle. I was still looking when a mom with 2 kids, one of them under a year picked up these^ vitamins. I asked her how she liked them, and she said she loves them! She used them with both of her kids and they never made her feel any different. Score! I picked some up and I have to say, she was right, they're great! They're basically the same as Vitafusion's prenatal gummy vitamins. Only these are $7 instead of $10. There's 90 in here, and you take 2 a day.

    I hope you enjoyed reading about what I'm using with this pregnancy. Happy hump day y'all!

Home Decor Trends I'm Loving

   Happy Monday!!! I hope everyone is having a great one, okay at least a manageable one haha. If you are having trouble coping with the weekend's absence, just remember you're now one day closer to the next. Today I'd like to share some home décor trends I'm currently loving.

1. Chandeliers
  

   Not the Sia song(although I love that too), but actual chandeliers. They may make you think of hotel ballrooms, they make me think of pure elegance. Plus now they're accepted in any part of your home! Over your bed, over your kitchen island, on your front porch, I've even seen one over a bathtub! There are so many different styles to choose from as well, glam, rustic, antique, eclectic, you name it.

2. Plate Walls
 

  This is a great way to showcase those hand painted plates that were your grandma's! Or if you don't happen to have any plates worthy of your wall you can find plenty of pretty and unusual plates at thrift stores. It's a super easy and inexpensive way to bring life and character to your home. Stick to one plate pattern or choose a certain color, or simply pick plates that speak to you and make you smile!

3. Faux Sheepskin Rugs

   I really, really love this one!!! I have to keep myself from picking one up at HomeGoods every time I'm in there(they have ones around ^ this size for about $13!!!). You can find them in big area rug size but I like the smaller size best because you can use it anywhere. I've seen them over chairs, in nurseries, and under a Christmas tree! They just seem super cozy to me.

4. Fresh Flowers

    Fresh flowers make me think of happiness, cleanliness, order, and warmth. Whether they're placed in your favorite vase, a water pitcher, a mint julep cup, or a mason jar, they just complete the home to me. I don't know if they're truly a home décor trend, but they should be.

5. Tulip Tables

    Now this is more of an investment piece than say the plate wall. They also come in smaller sizes to use as an end table but I like them best as a dining or kitchen table. They can be styled ultra glam or more funky. They come in white, black, and my personal favorite, marble!

   Well I hope this made you feel inspired today, at least to change it up in your home. Thanks for reading y'all, and don't forget to 'follow' my blog, as well as my blog's Facebook page!

Three Summer Salads

   Hey y'all! I'd like to share a few summer salads with y'all today you can make at home. Whether you've just been invited to a cook-out this weekend and don't know what to bring, or just want something different for dinner, these are some great salad options!

Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:

2 large cucumbers
2 large tomatoes
1/3 cup vinegar
2 or 3 packets of sugar(or Splenda)
Salt & pepper

1. Chop cucumbers and tomatoes in desired shapes.
2. Mix all ingredients together in bowl.
3. Chill until ready to serve!

Pea Salad

Ingredients:

1 bag frozen peas
1 bag sharp cheddar cheese
Lettuce and romaine mix
Three cheese ranch dressing
Salt & pepper

1. Take peas from freezer and run them under warm water.
2. Clean lettuce and romaine.
3. Once peas are thawed enough to eat mix all ingredients. Voila'!

Tortellini Salad

Ingredients:

1 bag frozen tortellini
1 can fiesta corn
1 can diced tomatoes
Sun dried tomato pesto dressing
Salt & pepper

1. Cook tortellini as directed on package
2. Open cans of corn and tomatoes, drain thoroughly.
3. Mix all ingredients in bowl.
4. Chill until ready to serve.


  I hope y'all will enjoy these salad recipes. Please let me know how y'all like them!

Baby H #2 Update: Weeks 4 To 22

   Hey y'all! I hope everyone's having a great Tuesday. I'm not ashamed to admit I'm most excited about Pretty Little Liars being on tonight. I was extremely disappointed to remember it wasn't coming on last week only an hour beforehand. I thought I'd give y'all an update on me and Baby H #2. But since I wasn't blogging from the beginning with this little one, let's start all the way back at 4 weeks.
    I took a pregnancy test on March 8th 2015 since my period was due any day then, but it was negative. Then just a few days later, on March 11th, I took another, and that test was positive! Of course being the girl I am I kept doing tests for a week. They were all positive. I'm OCD, so sue me!


This test is a week after I first found out.

5weeks 4days. (This is mostly bloat)

   I didn't have any symptoms before I found out since I was only 4 weeks and 2 days along. My first symptoms showed up around 5 weeks in the form of cramping, breast pain, headaches, and nausea. No actual throwing up, just constant, annoying nausea. Which in my opinion I'd rather just throw up.


   My 1st doctor appointment and ultrasound was at 7 weeks and 4 days on April 3rd, Good Friday! Everything looked good, but my doctor said he'd like to see us back the following Friday just to be super careful. In the first ultrasound all you could really see was the yolk sac but just a week later Baby H #2 was starting to look more like a fetus!


Here's the bump on April 6th at 8 weeks.

Here's Baby H #2 at 8 weeks and 4 days!

Here's the bump on April 14th at 9 weeks and a day. I popped really fast!

 

    We finally told everyone I was pregnant on April 23rd at 10 weeks and 3 days. We pretty much waited as long as we could but as you can see above, I was showing quite a bit haha! We did tell later than we did with James, with him we let people know at about 6 weeks, although I thought I was 8 weeks.

                             

Here's the bump the day before we told everyone. Yeah there was no more time to wait!
 

    After that the next big thing to wait on would be Baby H #2's gender. We opted to do a new test that tests for different conditions early in pregnancy but it also had the benefit of finding out the gender at only 12 weeks. For a long time I felt like we were having a girl, but for a week or two before we found out I just knew it was a boy. I get the call on May 4th, and I was right! Dillon says he knew it was a boy too but I remember him saying in the beginning he thought girl, but whatever you say honey....


The bump the day after we found out it's a boy!!!

The bump on May 8th at 12 weeks and 4 days.

 

The bump on May 16th at 13 weeks and 5 days. This was my mom's birthday and the day before mine!

 

   It was pretty much smooth sailing around this time, not too many aches and pains. I started to feel movement around the latter part of the 16th week, no full on kicks, just fluttering. But now he's progressed to much bigger, harder kicks!
   Then at 17 weeks and 4 days Baby H #2 and I had our first ER trip. I was sitting in the living room around 6pm and I started experiencing some cramping and tightening of my belly. It kept on so to the ER we went. Everything turned out just fine, it was only Braxton Hicks contractions, although it was a little early to get them so they put me on bed rest for a few days.


Here I am at my doctor's office the next day, clearly relieved!

 

Baby H #2 at 19 weeks and a day.
 


   Our 2nd ER visit came at 20 weeks and 6 days due to spotting. I was taken to labor and delivery to be monitored. Unfortunately they had no one there to read an ultrasound. Okay. So my doctor(LOVE HIM) called and said he'd see me in the morning for an ultrasound in his office. Everything was fine, no early dilation and I had no more spotting.

20 weeks on June 29th.

 

20 weeks and 5 days on July 4th.

21 weeks and 3 days on July 9th.

   I did have a slight issue yesterday(I sound like a broken record haha) where I thought I could be leaking water, which is obviously bad. Thankfully my doctor could see me and was able to determine my waters were intact. So fingers crossed I have no more scares!
   I saw my doctor again today and the specialist(this appointment was scheduled weeks ago) and everything looks great! Baby H #2 is growing as expected and is already weighting a full pound!!! As for me I've been having major back pains since last week, nothing to be alarmed by though. Oh and indigestion started to rear it's ugly head at about 18 weeks. It's still here.
    Sorry for all the pictures, there was a lot of bump updates to include. Thanks for reading, and please keep us in your thoughts and prayers!
  

22 weeks and a day today!

 

10 Uses For Apple Cider Vinegar

   Hey y'all, happy hump day! Whether you feel like the week is basically over or maybe not over soon enough, I hope you'll find some joy in today. I choose to believe it's actually November and Baby H #2 is about to arrive. Or has arrived. I'll settle for either.
    Anyways, I wanted to give y'all a post filled with great tips that hopefully are new to you. In case you haven't heard apple cider vinegar is like the fix all you've been waiting for. I've been using it for a variety of things for about 3 years now. My mom actually turned me onto it. So now I'm passing it along to y'all. Some of these tips or ideas are things I've used and some are ideas that came from my online research. Well here we go!

1. Drink a tablespoon or two
    Now before you start downing your apple cider vinegar I must warn you that you have to dilute it with either water, juice, or soda. It does have acid so you can't drink it straight. Trust me. When I drink it I usually put it in cranberry or apple juice. It helps with your digestive system, losing weight, for hiccups, bloating, lowers cholesterol, lowers blood pressure. I could go on!

2. Various cleaning products
    With all of the different, pretty much unknowable, chemicals in a lot of cleaning products you may be thinking of making your own. Well apple cider vinegar is a great antiseptic so it can be used all over your home. Just take a look around Pinterest for five minutes and you'll stumble upon a homemade cleaning product that involves apple cider vinegar.

3. For sunburns
   I personally thought this was an awesome tip for this time of year. I wish I had known this as an ten year old lobster. Apparently you just rub apple cider vinegar all over the sunburned areas and it prevents blistering and peeling, takes away the pain, helps it to heal, and will turn your burn into a tan! I thankfully haven't had a sunburn this summer, so I have no opportunity to try it. But if you find yourself in this miserable place, give apple cider vinegar a shot!

4. As a facial toner
   I really liked this when I used it. Basically all you have to do is take equal parts water and apple cider vinegar, put it in a water bottle, and tab it on your face using a cotton ball. That's it. It's only two ingredients, all natural, and a money saver. I call that a triple thread!

5. A hair rinse
    All you need to remember is 1/3 apple cider vinegar, 2/3 water. You can put it in a spray bottle, or just put it in a cup. I just use a cup. You saturate your whole head with the mixture when you get in the shower, making sure it gets in your roots good. I leave it on for five minutes, rinse, then shampoo and condition as usual. It takes out all the buildup that your hairs hangs onto from your hair products and leaves it's much brighter. I've been using it for a while, and I love it!!!

6. For eczema
     Now I've never used it for this reason so I can't say it's good enough to stop seeing your dermatologist, but it's worth a try! What you do is take 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar and 3 cups water. Take a cotton ball and dab the mixture on the affected areas, or you can use a spray bottle. The article says it does burn like crazy so blow on it. You can dilute with more water but the healing process is longer. Do this every morning and night. That mixture is what the woman who wrote the article used on her child. She says that after using it for a year they only have to use this every three or four months, so I'd say that's a pretty successful story! Please note this is not a substitute for seeing a doctor about this condition and I'm not trying to give out medical advice. Just something I thought a lot of people might benefit from knowing about!

7. As a doggy wash
    Apparently this is suppose to prevent itching for your dog. It's just 2 cups warm water and 1 cup apple cider vinegar. Mix well, pour over your dog from back of neck to tail avoiding their eyes. Do not rinse out, dry your dog as normal.

8. As a natural weed killer
    If you have doggies or kiddos you might be worried about using the store bought weed killer. Here's one you shouldn't have to worry about. It's a 1/2 gallon of apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup salt, and 1/2 tablespoon Dawn liquid dish soap. Simply pour in spray bottle, and get spraying!

9. As a foot soak
    This is another of my favorite uses for apple cider vinegar. Take 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/2 cup mouthwash, and 1 cup warm water. Mix in a bucket or whatever you usually soak your feet in. Leave your feet in it for about 10 minutes. Once you take your feet out, dry them off with a towel, rubbing off any excess skin, then moisture with your favorite lotion. It's so tingly and feels great on your feet. It leaves your feet so soft, I was shocked the first time I tried it! You may have to use a little more water to have it over your feet, which shouldn't dilute the mixture too much.

10. Bee stings
     Last but definitely not least is using apple cider vinegar for bee stings. All you do is dab apple cider vinegar(no water added) onto the stung area with a cotton ball. Be sure to hold the cotton ball on the area until the initial pain is gone. You can use this for wasps stings too!

    I hope y'all found at least one of these 10 apple cider vinegar tips and ideas helpful! If you happen to use apple cider vinegar for other things I'd love to hear! Have a great Wednesday!

Bereaved Parents Month

   Yesterday I was searching out new blogs and I stumbled upon a post was about something very close to my heart. I don't know if any of my readers have heard of Bereaved Parents Month, I know I hadn't. This month, July, is Bereaved Parents Month.

    When your child dies, a part of you dies. I know that sounds bleak, but it's true. A little bit of light is gone from your world and you wonder where that light may be. You see the world much differently then before. Why wouldn't you? The world is different when you become a parent and it doesn't stop being different just because your child is gone.
    This probably sounds very strange to people who haven't experienced the loss of a child, but it helps to hear other people's stories. It makes you feel more human, at least it did for me. Not because you want other people to know this dark pain, no one wants that. But because you see everyone else around you with seemingly fine lives and you wonder why you're not fine. I say seemingly because if you talk to people long enough you'll hear a little heartbreak in everyone's story. My parents have had this kind of heartbreak, so they were the perfect people to talk to, for they really have been through a lot when it comes to something like this. By that I mean they have had 5 children born severely disabled and all 5 have since passed away.
   I was shocked by how many people I had known for years had children pass away. It can be so easy to feel like the marked one. You just have to remember that you're not the first person to feel that way.
    I've also seen a lot of people on different forums online talk about how they didn't know anyone that had a child die. If you're experiencing the loss of your child and needs to hear from someone that's been there the internet has a ton of resources such as the just mentioned forums. I also read a lot of blogs where people told their story, and I found them very healing.
    Also your friends and family that haven't experienced this pain can be wonderful support systems. Sometimes people don't know if you wanna talk about it, so you might have to tell people you need to. I'll always be very grateful to the friends and family that listened to me question and vent. And of course my husband was and is definitely a huge support system for me, I hope to be the same for him. If anyone can know the pain you're going through, it's your child's father or mother.
    Wherever you find support, just find it. Don't feel like you have to keep all the pain to yourself. If you don't feel comfortable talking to someone you know there are support groups, therapists, pastors, and of course who was there for me even when I doubted, God.

   Here's the link to the post that made me aware of Bereaved Parents Month. Thank you so much Erin for sharing something so important!

   Here's the links to the story of our baby James here, here,  here, & here

  Here's the link to the Bereaved Parents Month website here

June Is Busting Out All Over!

   Hey y'all! I can't believe I've been out of blogging for 2 months!!! Maybe I got a little burnt out or uninspired after blogging every day (except Sundays) in April with the A to Z Challenge. Anyhow I'm hoping to get back into my blogging routine, I've missed it. But first I guess I should share some exciting news...I'm pregnant, again! And it's a little boy, again! Most of y'all reading this probably already know this. As of Monday this week I'm 20 weeks along (halfway there!!!) and I'm due on November 16th! A little Thanksgiving and Christmas baby.
   Dillon and I are so happy, as well as incredibly nervous given our first child's passing. But we're somewhat put at ease by the fact that my doctor will be keeping a very close eye on me and our child. I've also been seeing the specialists since about 12 weeks along. We would greatly appreciate y'all's prayers.
    Not too much other news in our household right now. The past 2 months are kind of a blur of doctor appointments and a little home improvement. Oh wait! We did go on a short vacation to Nags Head, which was great since we haven't been since our honeymoon and my parents haven't been in about 6 years. So it was really nice to go back, lots of family memories there! Plus it was neat that we ended up staying in a house our whole family had stayed in about 12 years prior.
    Here's some pictures from our trip, pictures of Baby H #2, and some of the home improvement hubby has done! Have a great Tuesday!

I was about 15 weeks along during our vacation! Baby H #2 was the size of  an Avocado!

Dillon put in a new floor and toilet! He actually ended up doing the same in my parents bathroom, and all because he tried to change a faucet haha! We try to improve and everything just starts to fall apart....

  

And finally here's our little boy at 19 weeks 1 day!!! He about the size of a zucchini here. Is it weird to equate our children to fruits and veggies?...