Almost 15 Weeks Pregnant!

I am so glad to finally be in my 2nd trimester! The first trimester was exhausting and everything was so unappetizing. I lost 5 pounds but have now gained 2 of those back. Over the last week I’ve noticed my pants have become tighter, so I got out the maternity clothes today. I know everyone shows differently, but I’m hoping & praying that my hips don’t spread like peanut butter on sliced bread. I can’t wait until I feel the baby move; that is by far the best part of being pregnant!

Shawna

Our Summer Staycation

So we had our summer vacation planned for quite some time. We were going down to Pensacola to visit family and then heading over to Destin and my hometown Fort Walton Beach. But as the oil spill crept closed we got worried about our long needed and wanted beach vacation. It was not recommended for pregnant women and little children to be in the areas where the oil had reached, and since our family fit both those categories we felt it was better not to go down there right now. The whole oil spill thing makes me sick to my stomach! It is so sad to see the families and animals it has affected. So we didn’t go there, but we stayed here! I planned out the entire week but things changed as we went along. You know it hasn’t rained much at all until this week it decided to become a flippin monsoon. So there went our pool days. Oh well.

On Monday we planned to go to Ripley’s Aquarium in Gatlingburg. We have been there numerous times and were so excited to take Makayla for the first time. It took us 2 hours to get there just to find the Aquarium was packed! The entrance to start the exhibits was at a stand still, and we couldn’t even stand near each other. Boo-hoo! Tim got us a refund and we went home. On the way home we talked about how it wasn’t such a bad day because we were together as a family. So true…family time is the best time! And at least we had some yummy pancakes and the Pancake Pantry.  

Here is Makayla..she is glad to be out of the car!

Here is Tim in line to get our $ back!

 

Tuesday, we went up to the school to work in my classroom and then went to visit my parents.

Thursday was awesome! We went to the TN Aquarium in Chattanooga! It is a place not to be missed! ! I will never forget the excitement and wonder in Makayla’s eyes as she saw all kinds of animals for the very first time. It brought tears to my eyes. My very favorite place at the aquarium was the butterfly exhibit. The penguins were pretty neat too! We will definitely go again and next time we will probably stay a few days. There are so many things to do in downtown Chattanooga. Knoxville definitely needs to take some notes.

And finally, Friday we went to the pool. Makayla loves the water, but likes to be held close when she’s not in her float. I was so busy slathering sunscreen on my baby girl that I totally forgot to put any on me! And of course Tim would’ve refused it anyway. I got home later and thought to myself, “Good no sunburn here!” only later to see this dark pink sunburn show up on my back and shoulders…arg! My skin is so mad at me right now. Tim and I dropped MG off at Nana and Granddad’s and then went to see a late showing of ‘Inception’. By late I mean 8:30 P.M.…lol. It was a good movie, but they could have left out the cussing.

So that’s about it! Nothing elaborate about our staycation but we had a nice, relaxing time together. We captured many memories on camera and in our heart that we will always hold dear.

God Bless,

Shawna 

Picture at the TN Aquarium

Soon to be a Mother of Two

 All my babies in one photo! Love it! What a blessing from the Lord! 

Wow, just saying ‘mother of 2’ makes me excited and nervous at the same time! I am so happy Tim and I have finally told everyone that baby # 2 will be here in January. It is difficult to keep such exciting news from people, but at the same time it’s kind of special for Tim and I to share that by ourselves for awhile. We waited till the 2nd trimester with Makayla too and it was very nice. We had that time to talk about it, dream about her, and make our own decisions without input from others. Once the “cat is out of the bag” is when you get all the advice from everyone including strangers…lol. But so far I haven’t had much advice, just congratulations. I guess when people see that your first child is doing okay they realize you might know how to do it after all. But honestly, I have received some tremendous advice from friends and family that has proved to be very helpful; especially from my Mom. Thanks Mom! Now I find myself giving advice to first time moms…ironic isn’t it….because I’m certainly not an expert at this mom thing! I'm sure I'll be the one asking for advice soon enough...haha!

Anyhow, I am so excited for Makayla to be a big sister! I just know that she will adore this new little baby (okay I hope). I heard that MG will be too young to be jealous…but I guess we will eventually find that out. Tim and I always wanted our children to be close in age, so this has turned out to be great for us. Makayla and her little brother or sister will be just under 18 months apart. Uh…my thoughts just turned to diapers…and diapers…and diapers. Nah, maybe MG will be potty trained early!

Well, that’s all I have time to write right now. I will leave you with some cute new pictures.

Until next time,
Shawna

 8 Week Ultrasound

I love this picture!! This is when we told Makayla she was going to be a big sister! Honestly, she seemed to know what we were saying...lol.

12 Week Ultrasound

It's amazing how fast the baby has grown!

Makayla Stats at 1 Year Old

Weight            24 lbs 12.5 ounces       93% Wow!

Height             30.1 inches                  80% Wow again!

Favorite new word: Milk (sometimes it sounds more like Mi)

Favorite song: Sesame Street theme song

Favorite doll: Elmo (our dog got a hold of Giraffe! Boo!)

Favorite person: Mommy and Daddy of course

Favorite place to visit: Nana and Granddad’s house

Favorite Foods: Grilled chicken, sweet potato, cheese, waffles, watermelon, and guacamole. Oh yeah, she likes ketchup too.

Makayla has an awesome sense of humor and loves to make us laugh. She does really well with our daily schedule, although I know it’s going to be messed up when I go back to work in August. She rarely ever crawls anymore; she walks! Makayla took her first steps right at 11 months and has progressed since then. She still takes her milk in a bottle, but we are working on that. She will drink water and juice from her sippy cup, but she just throws the cup when I put milk in it. Haha!

I will go ahead and include a few pictures from our 4^th of July celebrations too! Enjoy!

 Happy 4th of July!