January 27th, 2011

Janauary 27th, 2011 .. the day Freeland and I have officially been dating 6 years.

6 whole years and 2 babies later. Crazy. We're going on a hot date tonight to celebrate.

Also, its officially the day that both Freeland & I felt baby #2 kicking in my tummy. (there's a party in my tummy.." sorry I couldnt help myself. Im a mom. Its a Yo Gabba Gabba song for those confused.)

Ive been feeling it for a few days but I felt it from the outside for the first time last night. And I of course woke Freeland up and made him feel. His words as he rolled over half asleep were "its way to early.. umm wait never mind thats a baby moving" It was a sweet moment laying there together. I love that we both got to feel it. And I laid there the rest of the night (not sleeping) trying to feel it again.

I felt River at 14 weeks and now this baby at 14 weeks too.

My little heart is full.

tummy pictures

here are the only pictures I have so far. Im really going to try to be consistent with these .. at least as consistent as I was with River. But that means most of them will probably be right as I think about it before bed so please excuse the tired/exhausted face. Also, you know that prego peeps look larger at night right? At least that what Im telling myself.



I am in my 14th week of pregnancy now. Which I suppose means Im in my 2nd trimester already. Crazytown!

Im feeling better these days. Dont let me lie to you though, Im still tired and feel like I want to throw up at any random moment. But those moments are less and less throughout the day. It used to be all day long and now its just off & on. So Im grateful. And I actually had the energy to do the dishes, cook dinner, and even do laundry a few days last week and this week so Im feeling pretty much like super woman these days.



I have lots of the same crazy symptoms I did last time. For example, my ear is all sorts of messed up. It hurts and echoes all the time. (this is also one of the reasons I knew I was pregnant before I even took a test.. so strange!) My teeth are super sensitive again.  Some smells bother me. Thankfully it doesnt bother me to change Rivers diaper! (amen!!) but if the dogs walk past me I want to pass out because they smell so bad! ha.  I still prefer bland food. And I need to eat something the minute it sounds good because if I wait 2 minutes it wont sound good anymore. But I dont really have any cravings or anything. I am trying to pick healthier food to eat this time around. I wouldnt say Im always successful - but Im trying. I felt River kick really early last time so Im wondering if any day now I will feel this little one bouncing around.



I feel like my heart is growing and growing for this little baby all the time. Im thankful the Lord is preparing both of our hearts already. And Im much more focused on the joy it will be to have 2 little ones who can grow up together than the chaos of having 2 little ones so young at the same time. Im really grateful that by the grace of God Im able to see a little glimpse of His plan in all of this otherwise I would probably have a daily anxiety attack. I dont really have a gut feeling about the sex of the baby. And even if I did - I wouldnt trust it based on last time! ha.



Some people asked if I will have a c-section again. I definitely will but I'll write about that later because this is getting really long! Congratulations if you made it this far! :)

lounging

if River is cuddling more than likely he is tired or doesnt feel good. Usually he is just tired.

if he is laying on you like this without moving at all:



he is exhausted... and we are taking full advantage of it and letting him lay all over us until he pretty much starts to pass out



its almost worth keeping him up late every night just to get those moments.

and I LOVE those pajamas. (old navy if youre interested)

9 months

Well, lets see how fast I can do this because I have a little 9 month old grabbing at the computer trying to do his first blog post and I'm pretty sure Dad wouldn't enjoy coming home to a broken laptop.

This month it seems like so much has happened but I cant recall it all at the moment.

The biggest thing that sticks out is that you eat ALL THE TIME! However, you would never know that by your weight.. only 18.6lbs (17%) Its not like you just snack either.. but I guess I'll just enjoy that you fit in your clothes longer and wish that I had your metabolism. I love all the new foods you will eat and you definitely prefer to feed yourself. You still don't like your sippy cup though but I just let you play with it hoping one day you enjoy it.

You FINALLY started to crawl. (umm at 9 1/2 months!) Forever you just scooted backwards and then last weekend you finally figured out how to get up on those knees and move forward. And even though the doctor told me to practice with you I know youre going at your own pace and you'll take off all the time when you are ready. (what do doctors know anyway. just kidding Freeland)

You also finally are starting to move from 3 naps to 2 naps. A few days here and there you still want to take 3 and Im okay with that. But Im definitely enjoying a 2 nap schedule much better! We can do so much more! With 2 naps you also want to go to be a lot earlier. Which Im also fine with.

We're working on your bad habit of waking up anywhere from 4:00-6:00am and wanting to be put back to sleep instead of falling asleep on your own like the rest of the night. You're fine not eating if your dad goes in there so I know you don't need to eat. (clearly - you're almost 10 months old!) If I let you cry - you cry a lot but its getting better. And its all my fault that you got into the habit so we'll see how long it takes to break. (feel free to pass along tips!)

You also are starting to repeat words.. barely but its cute when you do. Sometimes you will repeat mama and dada.. but its especially awesome when you repeat other words like kiki and doggy. Oh and you have officially learned to shake your head no. I dont think you know what you are doing (yet) but you know it works when you dont want a certain food. And Lord help us you started grinding your teeth.. so lets just say your pacifier is my best friend right now. 

Oh you will also finally drink formula! For months you absolutely refused it.. so we are very grateful because ummm the other supply was quickly running out. Thankfully I stored up an embarrassing amount in the freezer so you are still drinking half B.Milk and half formula.

You also had your first real babysitter this month too. I know that's ridiculous that it took us so long. But without family living close I guess that what happens. You dont really have stranger anxiety (yet) but you do want someone with you all the time.

I love the little boy you are becoming. Your personality is starting to show more and more and its absolutely precious.

vintage books

Freeland's dad is always so great at handing things down to us. Anytime he gives us a gift more than likely he has included something that belonged to him or someone in his family. I love it! I would much rather fill our house with things that belong to our family members & were special to them than stuff we just bought.

So note to family: please dont throw anything away.. I'll take it.

Moving forward. This year he gave River some Mother Goose books that have been in their family. Oh my gosh I love them.



check that out:

it says Christmas 1915!!



I love everything about the books. The fact that they belonged to Freelands dad.. they have writing in them.. someone colored on some of the pages.. the illustrations.. the stories & how crazy they are because their old.. and lots more





I dont think you would EVER find things like this written in childrens books today:



and another example:



Im so thankful River has these. He also passed down his baby spoon & fork .. and a few other things. Its always special to be able to have these things. We're going to try to put a shelf in Rivers room so these can be up there. Obviously, I wont be letting him rip these books up like he will his other ones!

independence

I was working on letting River play by himself no matter if he fusses or not. He's normally good at this but the last 2 or 3 weeks he only last a few minutes then wants us on the floor with him. (which obvisoulsly I do all the time as I think its important and the reason I am home with him - but its also important he has a little independence. Especially since soon he wont be the only child that wants to be held.)

But I cant help it. He just scooches on over and wants to sit in my lap and play. Its the most adorable thing. So we'll work on being independent when he is 16 and doesnt want me to take him to school anymore or kiss him on the cheek in front of his friends.

Also, Im currently filling out an application for a gym membership. its been a long time. we'll see how it goes. 

We finally had River's 9 month appointment yesterday. it was my least favorite as they drew blood that was required by our insurance. Nothing big just standard stuff. But oh my gosh please dont ever make me hold him down again while they search for a vein or draw all that blood. saddest thing ever.

Big Pimpin

every time I see that last picture I think of the song "baby, cause Im a thug" (shout out to Meagan)

Poor little guy is still sick. But still has wet diapers & according to the doctor thats all we need. So I'll just enjoy all the snuggling he wants to do. 

12 week pictures

sorry they are of the baby .. not me. Im not sure which you were expecting! I actually havent taken any yet! woops.

I went yesterday and had my 12 week sonogram done. River went with me and played on the ground while baby #2 had his/her picture taken.

So far the baby looks exactly like River looked at 12 weeks. which isnt saying much:


this is actually the same pose River was in also






already shy!

if youre intersted here is River's sonogram at 12 weeks. We put them side by side and the bone structure looks the exact same. Im sure all babies look the same at this point though? The heart beat was good and I just kept telling River that was his baby brother or sister. He just stared and me and kept eating the snacks I put in front of him! Poor kid has no idea whats going on!

We're off to celebrate Freeland's birthday tonight. (finally!) woo hoo! 

why we have pets

First of all the snow is crazy outside. dumping. I love it. But Im not enjoying the idea that I have to get out in it.

Second, this kids laugh has to be the best thing Ive ever heard.

daily.

Freeland always has him rolling like this from the minute he gets home from work.

but now Eddie can get him to do it too:



thankful that Eddie enjoys playing like this and doesnt mind how much you pull on him. But Im thinking we need to teach River that most cats dont enjoy this! oops.

*dont worry.. Eddie doesnt actually scratch even though it looks like he would and I say during the video he better not.. thats me being a typical mom I guess. We wouldnt let him play with River if he did :)

freelands 29th birthday

lets just say Im pretty sure Freeland will be okay forgetting this birthday.  And Im really thankful it was his 29th and not his 30th.. because it may be the worst birthday yet.

Saturday I woke up with the intention of starting a weekend of celebrating Freelands birthday. But instead had crazy cramping in my stomach. I didnt think much of it because the doctor said that would happen b/c of the scar tissue from my last pregnancy. But by 3:00 I was throwing up. I Still thought maybe it was pregnancy or just food poising.

Dont worry that at 5:00 we were having people over & we also had friends in town to celebrate their engagement .. and I was upstairs asleep. So Freeland pretty much ended up throwing his own birthday get together that night. He worked his tush of preparing the food, serving everyone, and cleaning up for 15+ people. And I sat there trying not to run to the bathroom.

Sunday pretty much the same story. I dont think I got out of bed except to tell Russ & Corinne bye.

Then Monday on his actual birthday we woke up at 1:00am with me laying on the bathroom floor and River throwing up all over his crib. Happy Birthday Freeland!!!

He made it back to bed for a few hours since he had to be back up at 4:00am to get ready to work. Which he did. But by 8:00 I had to call him and ask if there was any chance of him being able to come home because I couldnt help River and throw up at the same time. So he had to leave a full day of surgery (which he really wanted to be there for) and then I had to cancel the babysitter we had for that night. ;(

In summary, he spent his birthday taking care of 2 sick ones at home. eating left overs. cleaning up River's throw up. and cleaning the house.

Really glamorous.

Thankfully Drew came by and brought him a coconut cream pie. So he kinda saved the day there.

I think we are all on the mend now. Hopefully Freeland wont catch what we had (and gave everyone else) and we can go celebrate later this week. I did go to the doctor yesterday since I couldnt keep liquids down for 2 + days... just to check on the baby. All is well - heartbeat was nice & strong. And Im able to keep stuff down now. Freeland is back at work & River finally had a wet diaper again & isnt throwing up so far this morning!

So lets just pretend to hit the rewind button and do this all again later!

But for now - Im going to take another nap.

we arent messin around

My friend Meredith wrote on facebook: "Congratulations! You're not messing around" and it made me laugh. I suppose its true too! We arent. :)

(I know its a strange picture. its the only one they gave us. basically you are looking at the placenta over the baby in a 3d image)

as of today I am starting my 12th week. The due date is July 29th.

River was 6 months old when I got pregnant so our kids will officially be 15 months apart. (but really almost 16 months.. and that sounds better)

yes, that makes my heart jump. and then makes me want to take a nap.

We found out on Thanksgiving morning.. which I love. I'll never forget Thanksgiving morning sitting on the kitchen floor with the turkey in the oven .. Freeland holding me praying over our 2nd child.. tears pouring down my face.

I knew the entire week I was pregnant. But Freeland kept saying there was absolutely no way. (warning TMI: I knew since the first month River was born that I was able to get pregnant again if that makes since so we were actually taking steps to prevent getting pregnant again for the time being  .. that is why Freeland thought there wasn't a way for me to be pregnant. As if we can control these things! ha)

But I just knew. Mostly because I was EXHAUSTED. Seriously - ready to go to bed at 5:00 in the afternoon.. if not earlier. And my face looked like a peperoni pizza all the sudden. On top of all the same feelings I had the last time I was pregnant. I was positive.

Even though it was a HUGE shock. We are extremely thankful and definitely have a peace about having another baby. We trust the Lords plan for our lives and our family. And even though we are hundreds of miles away from family & support I know that we will be able to make it. People do it all the time. And we definitely aren't the first!

I feel okay. I got SUPER sick towards the beginning.. pretty much right when I found out I was pregnant.. so I guess right at 4 or 5 weeks. Which is much earlier than I was with River. But Im feeling much better now. Still nauseous on & off but mostly just tired now. In so many ways this pregnancy is exactly the same with River and its also completely different.  No major cravings. (except I'll always take a glass of chocolate milk) And of course Im already showing. But seeing as I never lost all the baby weight to begin with Im not surprised by that.

Thank you again for all your encouragement and for being so excited for us. Yall are all to sweet & it means a lot that you would celebrate with us.

oh christmas tree, oh christmas tree

Thank you SOOO much for all your sweet comments & encouragement on our big news. We are excited and I promise to answer all your questions tomorrow. Im just kidding - none of you asked questions. But I will share all the details tomorrow just because :)

First I had to share these.

Now that Christmas is over .. River is interested in the tree. Of course.

So it looks like I just might have to keep it up for a while now. Oh twist my arm.



















we'll see how long it last for. but trust me, I have zero problem leaving the tree up for as long as it entertains him.

Rivers favorite Christmas gift this year!!

becoming a big brother ..









Baby Ackley #2 arriving July 2011

christmas around our house

every year I post pictures of the new decorations we acquired throughout the year. Normally I would have posted these before Christmas but seeing as that didn't happen here they are now.

Obviously the biggest addition to this years Christmas was this guy:



but around our house here are the things we added.

(to see all the other things .. if you care .. you can click here, here, & here  because there is WAY more than what we have in these pictures)


river got his own stocking .. also the mantle got a lot more decorated.

and the animals got moved:



lots of new wreaths. this is just one of them.


antique ornaments that freeland found me


more ornaments freeland found


a cookie plate for Santa that was Tracy's & she gave us at River's baby shower .. Im so thankful that she did.


an ornament that Tracy also handed down to us from her family & is now on the tree


more of rivers first christmas ornaments from my mom


(not River in the picture in case you were wondering!)



and last but not least:


a baby stocking for River that my mom MADE herself. She stitched the entire thing & I love it. My brother & I both have one from when we were babies so she wanted to make sure River had one too. I think it turned out amazing.


not a decoration but just love Freeland & River on the ground playing together.



New Years has been wonderful. David has been in town visiting and we've all had a blast. If you are keeping track this is the FOURTH time he has come to visit... so Im pretty sure that means he loves us.