Must have toys for babies!

Bouncer (birth until weight limit is reached or they try and flip over)







Play Mat (birth to crawling) Once they crawl the play bar may need to be removed since they try to pull up on








Music Table (Sitting up- pulling up/standing)









Push Toy (Pulling up to cruising)

Teeth FYI

http://content.revolutionhealth.com/contentimages/nr551869.jpg

Feeling very BLAH about Me

Well it is no secret to the world that I have a weight problem. I always have. I am not sure when it started, but it was well before Junior High. I have vivid memories of every summer planning to lose weight and then buying all the "cool clothes" the skinny girls were wearing. But I never did lose the weight, just kept gaining it.
It took until college to really find motivation and knowledge of how to be healthy. College surely didn't cure me, but it did help me understand that it was something I could control. So I have been on an up and down cycle for the last 10+ years. I know what is healthy to eat and that exercise is essential to staying healthy.
My recent "excuse" is infertility treatments, TTC and being pregnant. My focus has shifted away from ME. So I am a big fat BLOB. I hate being this way. I started this pregnancy about 5lbs more than I did with Lilah. I was hoping to avoid gaining as much weight as I did with her (probably about 38lbs). But the scale is not my friend right now.
I am still in the same old mindset.. "when this baby comes and I can exercise again....". I want to run again, running is something that works for me, mentally and physically. I keep talking about doing it. I just need to do it when the time comes.
For now I need to "get over it" and realize that this is who I am now and I can't change it "yet". So if I can avoid mirrors and scales until this baby is born, maybe I will be ok.
FAT CHANCE!
wahhh wahhh wahhh Woe is ME! :)

LOTS of movement!

Well there is no doubt there is something living inside of me. This little creature is having lots of fun inside me lately. Early movement always feels so strange. It is a mixture of gas bubbles, and feelings of being tickled on the inside... it is just weird to feel.
My belly is huge now. Not that I have ever had a small belly. But it is hard to deny the bumb anymore, not that I would deny it. Sometime soon we will get to meet this little baby. Hopefully that soon is still months away.

Layla Grace

I came across this story last week. I can't stop following the twitter feed or the blog. My heart is breaking for this family.
http://laylagrace.org/

I can't imagine ever being as strong as these parents are being. I can't imagine how you can see positive in such darkness. I have a strong faith and I keep myself sane most days by truely believing that good can come from bad. But why does a little girl have to suffer? Why does this family have to let go of a little girl that they love so much? I am really struggling with this. (which I know is trite considering what her family is going through).
This poor little girl started getting sick when she was Lilah's age. So of course it is hitting way too close to home. But my baby is healthy. And so many other babies are healthy. Why does this poor little girl Layla not get to grow up and enjoy life. Why? Why? Why?
I keep praying for this family, that they somehow find peace. But they are so strong and have already made some peace with this.
I am so sad. This just isn't fair.
Lord please stop this little baby's suffering and please bring some peace to this family.

Lilah is the best!

I have said before how much I adore my little girl. Here are some of my favorite things about her right now.
She loves to hug. She snuggles right in, her face to mine. It is so precious and melts my heart every time.
She loves the kitties. She crawls over to them and lays her head on them to hug them. They aren't so thrilled by this activity, but it is pretty darn cute.
She totally gets the idea of the phone. But she thinks that she can put anything to her ear and say "hello" and it makes it a phone. So she picks up remote controls, mini-alarm clocks, anything that is small and hand held, and puts it to her ear (or the side of her head, sometimes the aim is off) and says "hello". Awwww
She has a play kitchen that has a window in it. She goes to the other side of the window and sticks her head in and squeals with delight. Looking at you threw the window is the greatest thing to her.
She is really a talker. She has many words in her vocabulary and regularly repeats what we say to her. I think there are at least 25 words she uses regularly. I have read that 3 words for a 15 month old is the target. So I am proud of my little talker.
She isn't walking yet. I try to walk with her sometimes she plays along, others she collapses to her knees and crawls. She has been cruising on furniture for a long time. But she just lacks the courage to "let go". (hmmm anyone else have the "let go" problem? ; ) )
She grabs a blanket and lays down and says "nigh nigh" when she is playing in the family room. She has no intention of sleeping, but she knows this gets a laugh, so she plays along.

I am not a good blogger

It has been a long time since I updated. This has been a difficult pregnancy. I have had two major bleeds and it was found I have 1. Subchorionic hematoma, 2. Placenta Previa. Both of these conditions can cause bleeding. Because of these I was put on very limited activity by my OB. She doesn't want me to lift more than 5lbs, or push shopping carts. This ultrasound image below shows the bleed (the dark black on the right).

Having a 1 year old makes it very difficult to limit activity. Lilah doesn't walk yet so we really needed to get some help. I was able to get some help in the afternoon from a young girl. She comes to the house and plays with Lilah and helps me get her in and out of the car. It has been a great help. Lilah gets a little whiney when she can't have Mommy, but she is doing better.

We had another ultrasound on January 22 because I was spotting (all day long for about 18 days). We got to see great images of the baby, but the baby was not willing to provide the "money shot". So we are still unsure what the gender is.

I have recently been made aware of another possible complication with this pregnancy. It seems I have mild preeclampsia. I am worried about this and how the next few weeks will go.

We have an ultrasound on Monday. I hope we can pick a team of pink or blue.