20 weeks and a life update!

I am 20 weeks! Maternity Clothes- yes! Movement- They are getting stronger and stronger by the day! Mike, Lyla, and my mom have all felt some good baby kicks! Gender- ITS A GIRL!!! I have had a feeling it was a girl from the moment I found out we were pregnant! I am over the moon that Lyla and this little one will each have a sister! My sister is my best friend and I hope they are so close!  Morning Sickness- Just as I thought I may be getting over morning sickness it came back with a vengeance! Holy smokes this last week was really hard! Cravings- My most recent craving is an egg white delight from McDonalds (these cravings are not a joke!) Favorite Moment- Lyla felt the baby kick for the first time this week! It was so sweet and a little funny she was confused wondering how I had done that to her, I told her it was the baby! And then she gave my belly big open mouth kisses. I hope she is this sweet when the baby actually comes!

We are loving this time of year with Lyla! Seeing her experience and recognize the magic of Christmas is so rewarding! I took President Nelson's challenge to read the Book of Mormon from start to finish from October until the end of the year. I have never read the Book of Mormon this fast and it has been amazing. Something I have noticed is that I have been praying, hard, for extra patience with Lyla. She is at a difficult age right now. She is VERY head strong, and is finding her boundaries by making insane messes, spilling everything- milk, lotion, food, etc; screaming, and hitting! It has been hard to make it through a day with her and stay happy and calm. Over the last two weeks I have felt this divine peace within myself. I have been so much slower to frustration with her, and I have felt like things she does just don't bother me as much. I completely attribute this to a blessing from following the counsel of our prophet! Something he promised in his talk was- "As you prayerfully study, I promise that the heavens will open for you. The Lord will bless you.." what a blessing it has been to see this happening in my life. I am so grateful for a living prophet, for a loving Savior who is involved in the details of our lives, and for the opportunities they give us to be obedient. Something else that has resulted in my lesser frustration is a nicer child. She is more loving towards me and seems to be getting easier! I just feel so blessed and don't ever want to forget this experience!

Lots of love,
Brookey

Build Update

Mike and I were so excited when our offer for a condo was accepted back in July! Its been a long waiting game to get this condo built, but we are getting closer! We are so excited to have a place of our own. A place to bring home another baby, a place to keep our girls safe, a place to make memories in! We hope its a place where people feel welcome and safe from the demands of the world! We hope its a home where we will invite the presence of the spirit and the love of Christ. We feel so blessed to have this home and are so excited to move in when its finished in a few months!

Lots of love,
Brookey

Week 19 bumpdate

I am 19 weeks this week! The baby is the size of a puffin! Maternity Clothes- Yes! Morning Sickness- Yes, but SO MUCH better!! I only throw up like twice in a week now, which is relieving compared to the dark days I survived for the first 17 weeks of pregnancy- the toilet and I were rather frequent acquaintances. Cravings- The craziest craving for Subway sandwiches right now. Turkey with pepper jack cheese toasted, with ALL THE VEGGIES!!! I have started making them at home and had one for breakfast yesterday haha! Its a crazy craving and I CANNOT quit it! I still am loving green smoothies, nacho cheese doritos, and popcorn- those have been consistent for a few months. I am grateful for some healthy cravings among all the unhealthy ones!  Movement- This last week the baby's movements have gotten SO much stronger and noticeable! I love it!! Gender- we had a long ultrasound with my aunt at the hospital a few weeks ago and we are pretty sure its a girl! The little stinker NEVER stops moving and would not cooperate. But it looked like a girl and I just feel its a girl!! We will hopefully get a better view at our appointment next week! Funny moments- I have made an honest effort to stay active this pregnancy, I am attending a high fitness class once a week, and I typically go do 4-5 miles on the elliptical 2-3 days per week and then on the 5th day I will walk and do some weights! It has made a huge difference in how I feel and I wish I would've been better with my last pregnancy! But this last week I had some major growth in my belly area because after I went to the gym and walked a briskly for just 40 minutes, I was SO SORE the next day and same thing after my high fitness class. SO SORE. So weird! We will see how long I can keep up with my fitness routine. It may just be elliptical weights and a slower walk for the rest of my pregnancy. 

I haven't posted Halloween or Thanksgiving yet either! We have had a wonderful start to the holiday season! I love our family time and doing all the fun traditions each year! We are so blessed and I am so grateful for our family!

Lots of love,
Brookey

Week 13 bumpdate and a pumpkin patch date

Maternity clothes- my regular pants are TIGHT, maternity pants won't stay up. I'm in that awkward in between stage. Morning sickness- Yes, unfortunately! Its not quite as bad as it was with Lyla, but the toilet bowl and I are too close of acquaintances right now. I'm just hanging on because I know it will end soon. haha! Cravings- Fruit, sorbet, and Gold fish- I don't think I had eaten gold fish in years.. so that's a little funny. Movement- I started feeling faint fluttering last week only when I was laying down!! This is hands down my favorite part of pregnancy and I can't wait for it to get stronger and for Mike and Lyla to feel it too! Gender- We would be so happy with either! But I have a hunch its another little girl!  Favorite memory this week- Finally sharing our news! Also watching the baby move all over during our ultrasound.

GROW

announcement video

Its been a while since I've documented anything on here! This is a good one!

This summer, Mike and I talked a lot about when we would like to have another baby. We both felt it was appropriate to stop prevention at the end of June, and we had scheduled our fertility appointment for the end of September, so we could start the process of trying for another baby! We expected it to take us quite a few months to conceive. We hoped that the next baby would be about 3 years younger than Lyla!

At the end of July and throughout August I wondered if I could be pregnant, despite the low probability. I was experiencing morning sickness symptoms and mood swings. So I took a test at the beginning of August and it was negative, I took another a few days later, and it was negative again, so anytime I felt like I could be pregnant after that, I would dismiss it.

At the beginning of September my nausea was getting bad, I had woken up in the middle of the night for two weeks, just to eat a piece of fruit so I could ease the nausea and fall back to sleep. On September 5, Mike came home to an exhausted, grouchy me. And I started crying over the silliest thing. We went for a walk and came back and I told him I NEEDED mint ice cream. He told me to get a pregnancy test while I was out- I rolled my eyes and told him I had already seen two negatives. At 9:30 pm, I begrudgingly took a pregnancy test, sure, that I could not be pregnant.

It was positive. I sat there speechless and shocked. All I could say loudly enough for Mike to hear was oh. my. gosh. He came running. I was flooded with SHOCK. Shock that we conceived naturally, shock that I had been pregnant for a few weeks without knowing, shock that I WAS PREGNANT. I felt happiness, love, and fear all at the same time. This baby is due right before Mike's finals, it is also due right as we are supposed to be moving into our new home!

We had our first appointment at 7 weeks. We heard a good steady heartbeat from the ultrasound! That was relieving, but we still weren't in the clear with this new pregnancy. I was already showing an early sign of preeclampsia. My blood pressure at that appointment was 157/92- which is very high! Back in March during a routine check up with this same doctor, my BP was 109/74 so in the normal range! The doctor told me to cut out all caffeine, and eat a diet low in sodium and high in protein, and to maintain a regular exercise routine. He also told me to take a daily baby aspirin. He told us that it was more than likely we would need an early induction for this baby, and to plan on it being at least 3 weeks early again due to preeclampsia risks.

We went back to the doctor on the 25th for another ultrasound. The baby was much bigger this time than the last, the doctor was able to get a much more accurate reading, and determined the baby was 9 weeks, so he set our due date for April 30th! My BP reading at this appointment was MUCH better, I am not sure if its the aspirin, the diet, or the fact that I was a lot less nervous for this appointment, but I was so happy to see that something was working!

We had another appointment today at 12 weeks- yet another ultrasound just to make sure things look good! The baby passed and the doctor doesn't need to see me for 4 weeks- which is GOOD news! We are hoping to avoid preeclampsia this time around! Or if that isn't possible, that I will be able to carry the baby at least into the month of April!

I am so full of gratitude that there's a sweet little baby inside of me. Growing. Developing. AND I LOVE IT. Fiercely. I cannot wait to meet this little one. I am so excited to watch our family grow and change. And, I believe in an all knowing, all powerful, God. Who loves me, Mike, Lyla, and this little one. I know that we have followed spiritual promptings to get to this point, and I know that God has a plan for us. I am trusting in that plan.

Here's to a growing baby, family, and belly!
Brookeydee

Happy First Birthday Lyla!

I have so many emotions about Lyla turning one tomorrow.  This birthday is full of happiness and excitement, and some sadness because the baby stage is coming to an end.

I made a video of Lyla's first year, posted here.

This has been a year full of so much learning. I had no idea that parenting would include such high highs and some low lows. I had no idea how much it would require me to change. I had no idea my heart was capable of so much love for my family. I had no idea how much I would celebrate the littlest things, like dancing, a high five, eating independently, SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT (LOL)

Having Lyla join our family was the greatest blessing. The early months of her life felt really long. I was sleep deprived, healing, adjusting to mom life, and she needed SO much from us all hours of the day. But after we got into a routine, time started to fly right by!! Being her mom is one of the best things in my life. I cherish it. And I wouldn't trade it for anything.

I can't wait to see what the next few years bring. I can't wait to watch her continue to learn and discover this great big world.

I love my Lyla Bug SO much,
Mama Brookey

Spring Break in San Diego

My sweet parents rented a beach house and invited us all down to San Diego for Spring Break this year! Brackin and Erika couldn't make it, because they had a different spring break and spent it on their honeymoon! We sure missed them. But we had a blast! I love that Lyla bug gets to see her little cousins so frequently! She loves Roo and Jordy!

The week was full of morning walks on the prettiest ocean cliffs, a trip to the San Diego Zoo (which was by far the highlight of the trip! It was amazing!!), a day at the beach, lots of food, and lots of fun! The beach house was SO CUTE! And had the prettiest yard! I loved the little lemon tree, tree swing, patio, and firepit back there! We love making these memories with our family! Thanks Nana and Papa!