Who Knew?

Who knew that Monday morning, January 27th at 1:07am, when I thought I was having another stomach ache, that I had actually begun active labor.....

Who knew that when I went to the doctor at 1:00pm that same day, that I would be calling my husband and family to let them know our baby girl would soon be joining us.....

I always thought that I had a high pain tolerance, but when the nurse asked me how I wasn't curled in pain after seeing the intensity of my contractions on the monitor, I really learned the extent of my tolerance...who knew?

At 36 weeks and 5 days, being caught off guard a little early, who knew my husband and I would find ourselves like deer in headlights, as it began to settle in, these were in fact our last few hours as 2, and we'd soon become 3.....

Who knew it was possible to feel so much love from the people around you? I mean from the time I arrived at the hospital clinic for my check up, I was met by my aunt Carol, who was in a battle in her own mind, missing her baby boy....yet there she was, my support. Then just minutes after being checked into a room and being connected to IV's and such, people began flooding in! Everyone from my husband, parents, siblings, grand-parents, aunts and uncles, cousins, church family...you name it, anyone and everyone was there.

At 9:31PM, the heat was on, as we began working on getting our sweet girl here. Who knew that I could long so much to hear the cry of a newborn baby? 18 minutes later, by 9:49pm, Londyn Brooke Haney made her precious debut into our world. Her dad and I cried, but quickly wiped our tears that turned into the biggest, cheesiest smiles that seemed permanently impressed on our faces. Holding such a perfect baby girl, and knowing she was ours, it was a bit overwhelming.

As time passed and the doctors ran test after test, who knew that the baby girl God had given us would become a little fighter on her own? See, since she was born before 37 weeks, she was technically premature, and was acting like it. She didn't completely latch on for nursing, and when she did, she couldn't stay awake long enough to get the nutrition she needed. She was burning more calories than she could take in. She lost 14 ounces from her birth weight by her 2nd day of life. That was hard to hear. Then the doctor proceeded to tell us that her bilirubin levels, which are measurements for jaundice, were unusually high. We tried nursing more often, and also tried supplementing formula to help with her weight. This should have helped with weight, as well as flushing of the bilirubin in her system. Should have....

Who knew that even though Londyn was born on Monday, we wouldn't find ourselves leaving the hospital until Thursday? The time in between those days were scary and stressful for new parents. I cried multiple times a day, because it didn't seem fair to me that such a small baby was having to fight so hard, when she had just gotten here. It was tough to stay in good spirits when each time the doctors or nurses came in, they didn't have good news, she was still losing weight, and her bilirubin levels had only risen. I am thankful for one angel of a nurse that God sent our way. Her name was Beth. Though my mom is also angel who helped tremendously, I'm actually talking about a different Beth, at the hospital. She could see I was stressed and scared the last time they came in and told us despite our efforts, Londyn had still lost weight. She mentioned the holy spirit, and told me that I was too tired and needed to hand this battle over to Jesus, Londyn was going to be just fine. Her words brought such a peace over me. It was as if God's voice was speaking directly through her to me. That is when I KNEW, someone at home in my family, or from my church, someone had been praying and reaching heaven for us.

We finally got to go home Thursday, and who knew a couch could feel SO comfortable to sleep on? We got the best rest we could, because we had her first Dr appointment on Friday. The appointment was bitter sweet. We were overjoyed to learn Londyn had gained 2 ounces! When we learned that her bilirubin level had spiked to 18.6, I was terrified. When Mike asked what exactly that meant, the Doctor began to explain, and my mind froze and I drifted into a dark spot hearing a blur of words like "Seizure"..."possible brain damage"...."cerebral palsy"....I had never been more scared in my life. We went straight to the hospital to have tests run, and then shortly after, met with a gentleman to pick up a bili-light phototherapy kit. We were told to leave her under the light around the clock, only taking her out for nursing and changing diapers. That was so hard, watching her lay under such a bright light, just out of my reach. At the same time, I knew it was going to help her, so I did my best to keep her under the light as much as possible.

Monday finally rolled around, who knew a Monday could make me so happy? See, Mike and I (along with many others) had prayed and were believing for a good report from the doctor later that afternoon. Well....a good report is what we expected, but a GREAT report is what we got. Her weight was up from 6 pounds 9 ounces on Friday, to 6 pounds 14 ounces on Monday! She had gained 5 whole ounces! Phenomenal! Then, we tested her bilirubin levels. Those had dropped from the high 18.6 on Friday, down to 4.8 on Monday! I was beside myself!! I would have been happy for ANY weight gain, and ANY drop in bilirubin levels! But God showed out, and out-did himself! I wanted to shout my way out of that doctor's office!

We quickly and gladly sent the phototherapy kit back to the company this morning, and mom and dad have enjoyed some much needed, and very-much missed cuddle time with our baby girl! WHO KNEW so much love and pride and joy could radiate from our hearts for such a tiny human being?

The love a parent has for their child is truly something special. It is something you could never possibly understand until you become a parent yourself. I believe it puts the rest of life into perspective. Who knew that the things that once seemed important, just dont amount to a hill of beans anymore. All that you care about is the safety, security and happiness of your baby. It gives me a new found appreciation for my parents and the love and upbringing they have given me. Londyn may not grow up with the newest nieces clothes, devices, cars, or whatever....but I can promise you this, she will NEVER go a day without knowing she is loved and treasured as a beautiful princess!

Slow Down, Love.

It has been far too long since I last updated this blog! The holidays and winter weather has thrown any routine in my life out the window! It has been hard finding time to just sit down and take a breath, let alone write a blog! Today though, I am making myself stop, and make note of today's events, even though I'm sure it's something I won't forget.

It started last night. I got home after a long great day of Sunday church, friends and family! We had eaten Jim's Razorback Pizza for dinner, I was full, fat, happy, and satisfied! I went in to change into some PJ's, and realized my little toes and feet weren't so little anymore. My ankles were now cankles, and my once shapely legs looked like tree stumps. My nose had "swollen across my face" as Gamma Rosie Barnett had so eloquently put it, and my wedding ring nearly embedded into my skin. At the direction of my mother, I sat down and propped my feet up, so as to help with the swelling. I attributed the swelling to the amount of water I had been drinking these past few weeks. I probably average anywhere from 150-200 ounces a day. I did tell my doctor about this, but it raised no flags. My gestational diabetes test was not even borderline close to alarming, and up until last night, I had seen no sign of swelling.

I went to sleep, had a decent night of sleep, until 6:15-6:30ish. I was awoken by what I thought was the worst stomach ache I had ever experienced. I started getting up and around for work, the pain seemed to come and go, and intensify randomly! I texted my sister around 7:30 and asked her what heartburn/indigestion felt like, and explained to her what I was feeling. She said what I was feeling didn't sound anything like either heartburn or indigestion. She asked "You aren't having contractions are you?". I told her I wasn't really sure, it hadn't crossed my mind, but now that I was thinking, it would make sense. The pain had only gotten worse, and intensified all morning, no relief in sight. So she suggested I start timing when the pain intensified. Shortly after 8 I did just that. By that point, I knew these were in fact contractions.

They were coming on every 7-8 minutes, then progressed to every 4-6 minutes. I called my doctor and explained to the nurse what was happening, she finally called back, and told me to come in, just in case, and to check things out. I hopped in my car, and put my hazard lights on, (speeding slightly) to the hospital. By this point, my contractions were as close as 3 minutes apart. I was praying out loud the whole way, while also yelling at 18-wheelers to MOVE!!! ;)

I had texted my aunt Carol on my way in to the hospital, knowing she worked there, and knowing I would need a little support until Mike and my parents got there. She met me at the front door and went with me up to the clinic, and met with the doctor. Can't thank my aunt enough for being there, she was my saving grace, keeping me calm! I couldn't imagine being there by myself for all of this. About 15-20 minutes after I arrived, I got to see a doctor! He performed a pelvic exam and gave me some alarming news. Londyn was in my pelvic region, I was dilated to a 3, and 80% effaced.

"You are in pre-term labor"

Those are the scariest words for any mother, let alone a first time mother to hear. He got in my face and assured me that we would either slow these contractions and hold off labor, or we would have a baby today, and she would be JUST fine. He was amazing, and did calm my nerves a bit. My aunt Carol hugged me and prayed with me and assured me everything would be fine. She called Mike, my parents, and sister for me, and let them know what was going on.

From there I went to the emergency room and was hooked up to monitors and IV's of medicine and fluids. Mike arrived, and shortly after my parents and little brother were all there too. Mom even brought her camera, "just in case". My contractions continued to slow down and become less intense over time. After a few hours, I received the fantastic news that I could go home! They said to take it easy and rest as much as possible. The doctor in the ER informed me that it's possible I could be back in as little as an hour, or I could hold out a couple more weeks! At this point, it's just a waiting game. I time any painful contractions I may have, and anytime I feel "off", I am told to stop what I'm doing and relax.

Relaxing is hard to do for me now, because I feel like I have SO much to do to prepare for Londyn's arrival! I made a list for our hospital bag, and with the help of my sweet husband and mother, I'm getting all laundry caught up and our room cleaned and prepared for baby Londyn. I also am making a point of washing my hair every night BEFORE bed, and making sure I have my make up bag handy, so that when the time comes, I won't go in looking like a hot mess again like I did today lol.

For the friends and family who may be thinking "You should have texted or called me!"....I promise when the real thing happens, everyone will know! I just didn't want to alarm anyone prematurely, and quite frankly, I was too scared and nervous to even THINK about informing people. Safety of my baby was all that was on my mind. For those that did know, thanks for all your prayers and encouragement! Our God is SO good, and SO faithful!

Do You Hear What I Hear?

I can tell that Londyn responds to sound now. 

She recognizes music and begins to dance.

When I wake up in the morning and grumble, her elbows scrape across my stomach.

When her daddy gets home from work and kisses my belly to say hello, she starts doing aerobics.

It's amazing how even though there are still 3 months until she makes her appearance, she has already made her presence known, and is somewhat aware of what is going on around her. 

This girl is definitely growing like crazy too. I've had numerous people tell me "Well didn't you just pop out over night!?" The most significant sign that makes me realize she's growing though is Mike saying "Man, you really have gotten a lot bigger this past week". He sees me everyday, so its hard to notice changes, but even he can tell lately. 

I can definitely tell too. She has some hard kicks and elbow scrapes at this point in my pregnancy. Monday, she lodged herself right up by my ribcage, to the point that it hurt, and I had to help her work her way back down.  From that day, I've noticed my ribcage area has been extra sore. It started mainly on my left side, but has moved to both sides now. Mainly when I am sitting down, I get a sharp pain right under my bra line. I can get complete relief with a pressure point though, so it's manageable.

It has really began to hit me lately that this isn't just a cool experience. I'm not just counting down time to an event, like a child does for Christmas each year. The anticipation continues to build, and 3 months from now, that anticipation will transform into an overwhelming excitement. From that point, it will be a complete whirlwind of emotions and experiences, for the rest of our lives. I absolutely can't wait. For me, I think one of my favorite things, is watching Mike and Londyn interact. He is an amazing man, outstanding husband, loyal friend, hardworking employee, inspiring trainer, but in 3 months, he will add the title of loving father to his list of attributes that make me fall in love everyday. He already loves talking about and talking TO his princess. He's already all about spoiling her too. He's definitely very protective already too. It really has been a joy to watch him form the connection with her. 

Our connection as a couple has transformed too.  We've grown so much closer as a couple; I've learned to trust Mike as my leader, and drop the "Miss Independent" status; We have learned to trust God and watch him come through, in every circumstance. Soon we will learn how to be parents, together, to a sweet baby girl. Life is so much fun with him!!

A lot has happened in the past few weeks! Mike was offered and accepted a job within Sam's Club that allowed us to move back to Northwest Arkansas. Initially we thought that I would actually have to stay in Tulsa alone until about mid-January. It wasn't ideal, but until God opened some doors, due to insurance, and our lease agreement, it seemed to be our only choice. Sparing a long story, just trust me when I say God opened a whole bunch of very specific doors, that allowed us to move back to Northwest Arkansas TOGETHER. There is no way we could have made this happen without God's divine intervention and favor on our lives. (One door that was opened by "man", was my parent's door. They are so graciously letting us stay with them until Londyn is born and we are able buy a house, without rushing into one. This is a bigger blessing and stress-lifter than I can ever put into a blog. So mom and dad, thank you so much. You guys are a God-send. Not many people can live with their parents, or in-laws. We are truly blessed, and love you more than we can say!)

We are so thankful we will be able to give birth to and raise our daughter surrounded by friends and family. It's going to be a blast! Ok, so to close tonight, I have a very special feature from Londyn's daddy, and the love of my life. I asked him just to email me a little something for tonight's blog. I told him it could be anything he wanted.....and this is what he sent, unedited......

"Well with each passing week this Daddy is getting more and more excited to meet his little girl! It's hard to contain the excitement knowing we are only 13 weeks away. While you don't know this yet we have moved you from Tulsa, OK back to Fayetteville, AR. (Our hometown) so that means you will be born in our home town and Razorback country around the family which we are very excited about! Your poor momma is having problems sleeping because you are getting so big. It doesn't bother her too bad though because she knows that means you are getting closer to being out here with us! Baby girl, daddy loves you SO much already and can't wait for you to be here with momma and I! Praying for your healthy development sweet girl! See you soon! :) 

-Daddy"

Adrenaline Junkie...The Ugly Side of Pregnancy....and Hulk Smash.

My whole life I have been an adrenaline junkie. I absolutely live for a rush. Whether it be bungee jumping, parasailing, riding the ejection seat, or finding the fastest, scariest roller coaster; I just love the feeling of those few seconds that I have no control whatsoever.

I know what some of you are thinking, especially if there are any men reading this...."You're crazy, women never like to be out of control of a situation". Okay, so maybe the adrenaline rush is what makes me crave those out-of-control experiences.  Either way, I can't get enough of the high.

Recently I've learned something new. There is absolutely NO rush, like that of feeling my daughter kick, elbow, knee, and prod me with her tiny limbs. Every now and again she'll break out in dance and do the worm, causing my whole belly to jiggle. Normally "jiggle" is not a word I want to use to describe my body...but when it's caused by her, it brings me joy.

I've never been super-sentimental, touchy feely, or lovey-dovey. I've always been the joker, the independent girl, and every now and again show a hint of sarcasm. (see what I did there? lol)

So when people would talk about how "there is NO feeling like being pregnant", and that it was just "impossible to describe, you have to experience it...".....I may have smiled and agreed politely that I just "couldn't wait" to feel that. However in my head, I was rolling my eyes and thinking "Ok, really, you just described the feeling of tasting chocolate for the first time, theres nothing like it, and you just have to experience it yourself to understand the magnitude of it's imperfection."

My goodness I couldn't have been more wrong. It really is a feeling like no other. To try and wrap my head around the fact that there is a human being that is half me, half Mike, growing inside of me....it is harder to comprehend than college trigonometry for a girl like me. It's mind baffling. Then, when I seem to feel her swimming around...or when she decides to ball up on one side of my stomach, though it gets uncomfortable, I can't help but smile and hold my stomach as if to hold her. I think my husband might get tired of me constantly grabbing his hand and saying "did you feel that?".

Aside from the excitement of feeling her frequent movements, there have been a few "ugly" sides to the pregnancy thing, lets just keep it real.

Remember my last post about the pain I was having in my lower back, that I attributed to some sort of kidney pain? Well, if you remember, they ruled out infection/kidney stones. However, they never did an ultrasound on my kidney, which in retrospect after talking to nurses at my doctor's office, when I was in labor and delivery, they should have done that. As of this week, I have had NO more episodes of pain. Up until this week though, it was consistently happening every 2-4 hours, and the only relief I got, was getting in a warm bath. Heating pads did nothing, it was something about the weightlessness of water. So what has changed this week? I'll tell you what. My daughter, before this week, constantly balled up on my right side. I mean, the girl must have found it warm and cuddly over there, because I was always lopsided and hard as a rock on my right side. This week, she has shifted to my left side, doing the exact same thing.

After talking to my doctor again at my last appointment, and after reading up on several medical forums with women who had the exact same symptoms/relief methods as me...I think basically the way Londyn would lay on my right side was pinching off the tubes and what not that let my kidney release fluid. So my other kidney made up for it, which may be why no infection showed up on the initial test. My kidney was probably backed up with fluid and swollen, and that is why the weightlessness of the water helped relieve pain. Anywho, I don't care what it was, the pain is now GONE, and baby girl is FINE! :)

Lastly...can we just talk about the effect it has on my mood? I get so stinking emotional....and sometimes just grouchy. It comes out of almost nowhere too. Sometimes I can feel it coming on a little in advance because I feel myself getting irritated over silly things...so in those cases, I will try to warn my husband and apologize in advance for the hulk in me that may come out. If I want a certain food....if Mike doesn't want to get it for me, I need him to tell me, so I can just go get it myself. I'm not into the begging or patience business when I'm in these modes lol.

Taco Bell in Broken Arrow Oklahoma was at the receiving end of my hulk-smash last night. Lets just say if I go there again, I need to watch them prepare my food, for a couple reasons. One, so they understand that I really mean ONLY cheese on the top of my mexican pizza...and two, to make sure they don't spit in my food, because I wasn't so nice last night. Hey Jack, it was the 6th consecutive time they messed up my order, they had it coming. lol.

Alright, I think I've bored you long enough now!

To close, I just want to say to you Londyn Brooke....that I hope that I make you proud as a mom. I promise that I will do my best. I want to raise you to be a responsible, contributing citizen, and most importantly, a God fearing young woman. I also want to be your friend. See, with my mom, your Mimi, I feel extremely blessed. We have a very unique and close relationship. I know it has a HUGE part to do with how she raised me. That is the kind of relationship I hope to have with you little lady. I love you so much.

A lesson on what NOT to say to a 1st time mom at 22 weeks

So this past week has been very eventful. Lets start with the beginning shall we?

Last weekend I was in Fayetteville visiting family, and for Amanda's baby shower. Well, I didn't know it would be the start of a fun little story. Saturday morning, around 1:00 a.m. I shot awake with an excruciating pain in my lower back, just on the right side. Those who know me, know I've got a really high pain tolerance. This pain had me crippled. I called my poor husband crying because I was in such pain. I got up and went to the restroom, chugged some water, and finally 45 minutes later, the pain subsided enough that I could go back to sleep. I was glad that was over.

Or was it?

Nope. 2 hours later, I woke up in the same pain, except it was twice as bad. Never knew a pain like that. I hobbled to the bathroom, tried to use the restroom again. It didn't relieve anything. I got my phone out and started trying to search the internet for what could be causing the pain. Anything I read, led me to either kidney stones, or kidney infection, or water on the kidneys. None of which sounded fun or safe for little Londyn. I read that lemon juice would help dissolve the kidney stones if that is in fact what the issue was. I was willing to try anything at this point. So I found a bottle in mom's fridge, and drank 3 oz of straight lemon juice. I thought it was helping a little. I went and sat on the couch in the living room, assuming my sleep for the night was over. I even managed to wake my poor dad up, and after convincing him I didn't need to go to the emergency room, he went back to bed. So then again, about 45 minutes later, the pain subsided enough to get back to sleep. Surely it was over now.

Guess again.

Around 6:30a.m. I had my 3rd episode. I could not believe the pain could possibly be worse than the first two times. By this point, I was scared to death, all that could go through my mind, was that if I am in this much pain, I can't imagine the stress I must be putting on Londyn. I cried and cried and cried and prayed and prayed and prayed that God would protect my sweet baby. I couldn't imagine anything happening to her, which is why to this point I still wouldn't take any medicine in fear of harming her. I told myself first thing Monday morning as soon as I was back in Tulsa, I would call my doctor.

Saturday and Sunday throughout the day, about every 2-3 hours like clockwork, I would have another episode. It seemed as if I was either getting used to the pain, or it was possibly getting better! I still decided to try and call my nurse to see if they had a 24-hour phone line. They did, but it was for emergencies only, and I was afraid my situation wouldn't be considered an emergency and they'd charge me an arm and a leg. So I just decided to grin and bear it, and stick to my lemon juice routine until Monday.

Finally Monday rolls around, and I called my doctor Monday morning before work to leave a message. I didn't receive a call back, so I called my doctor after work again, and spoke with one of her nurses. She had me explain my symptoms, and said she would talk to my doctor and then call me back. Before I could get out of the parking lot, within 2 minutes, she called me back, and said the words that inspired my title of tonight's blog. These are the words you don't say to a 1st time mom at 22 weeks pregnant, with no explanation....

"You need to go straight to labor and delivery"

My....heart....dropped. I couldn't even form the word "why?"....I just hung up, called Mike and told him, and then cried uncontrollably. He left work to meet me. I gathered myself enough to then call my dad (mom was in a plane in the air still). As soon as I heard his voice, I cried again. I've never been more scared in my life. I didn't know why I was going to labor and delivery at 22 weeks, I didn't know what she thought the pain was, I just knew I was scared. I could only imagine the worst, that my body was trying to deliver the baby too early....something was wrong.

I got to the hospital and they checked me into a room, ran a few tests on me and baby. Hearing her heartbeat was the sweetest sound I could hear in that moment. She told me everything with the baby was completely fine. Now they just needed to figure out what was wrong with me. 2 hours later, tests came back. No infection...no kidney stones. So at this point I was letting a huge sigh of relief! At the same time...I was wondering what in the HECK could cause such pain?

My doctor's diagnosis? Well, she wasn't quite sure, all she knew was I was clear of any infection. She concluded that I had probably severely pulled a muscle in my back, and it was cramping up. She also told me I was calcium-deficient. So I was told to get better pre-natals, and prescribed hot baths and cold ice therapy at home. She even told me that I could take aspirin for a couple days if need be, since I was in my second trimester, it was okay for just a couple days. I haven't felt comfortable enough to do that. I have however continued having these episodes of pain, which have resulted in daily (sometimes multiple times) hot baths. Simple sitting wrong, or taking an awkward step will drop me to my knees. (In fact, midway through this blog, I had to run a hot bath and take a break because I had another major episode)The difference now, is I know our sweet baby is okay, so I'm okay. I can manage pain as long as she is okay!

Our God is so GOOD! We had quite the scare...I was picturing and imagining the absolute worst case scenario, and fairly so in my opinion since that nurse didn't tell me the reason I was going to labor and delivery. Turns out it was because they could get immediate test results rather than wait 2-3 days if I had went to my normal doctor's office.

All in all, everyone is okay, I'm fine, Londyn is fine, and Mike is fine now that he knows how to help a raging preggo manage her pain lol.

WE LOVE YOU LONDYN! Absolutely cannot WAIT to meet you and kiss those little cheeks!!

142

142. Never knew I could have such an obsession with a number. That is the number of beats per minute little Londyn's heart beats at 20 weeks.

At the most recent ultrasound, for her anatomy scan, we got to not only HEAR the heart beat, but SEE the heart beat, all 4 chambers, and the blood flowing through the heart. It is mind-blowing to see such detail in such a small being. Every single minute of everyday, I have 142 things to be thankful for. Those precious beats are Mike and I's entire world.

Another fascinating thing we learned was exactly how Londyn "breathes" right now. See, its something I had never really thought about. I mean, I knew she didn't actually breath in and out while inside of me, because she is in fluid, and her lungs haven't expanded yet. Mike asked the doctor how that process worked. She explained that the baby is getting all of her nutrients through the umbilical cord while she is in me, including oxygen. Mike understood and made his realization aloud. He said "So, when she first enters the world, she immediately takes her first breath, using her own lungs that have expanded for the first time. That must be a lot of change for the body go through for such a tiny human. No wonder they cry." We kinda had a little laugh, but a thought hit me immediately.

In our walk with Christ, we go through a phase of growth and development; similar to the time the baby spends in the womb. God spends time forming our vital parts, training our hearts, and filling us with purpose that we will one day discover. All of our spiritual nutrients comes directly from Him through reading the word, spending time in prayer, and worship. Without him, we simply couldn't continue to grow and develop. Then, there comes a day where we must learn to take our first breath. God has already given us the lungs we need, we just have to do the work now. So as we are thrown into our calling, we take a big breath. Sometimes it's hard, sometimes God has to smack our back to get the gunk out. Sometimes he has to shake us up. Eventually though, we take our first breath. It's scary, and new, but we quickly find, each breath becomes more familiar, and a little easier. Suddenly we are doing what we were made to do, with no thought at all, it just happens. As a baby grows older, it continues to breath. Maybe she eats something a little too fast, and her breath stops until the obstruction that is choking her is dislodged. Maybe her breath is briefly taken away when she falls into the water, unable to swim. Remember though, she didn't forget how to breath, and as soon as Mommy or Daddy, or a by-standing family member  saves her from harm, she continues breathing. The same principal applies in our spirit walk. No one ever promised that we wouldn't have times that the breath gets knocked out of us, or that we wouldn't choke, but God always saves us, and we continue breathing, just we we always have.

Now, tonight's blog ventured off a little bit from what you're used to reading. This is how I know Londyn is meant for greatness; because I know you came to get the updated story of her little life, and while you did get a bit of that, I believe some of you were led here because God wanted to remind you of something. What he called you to do, he already formed in you a long time ago. You haven't forgotten how to breath, so just inhale his blessings, and exhale his praise as you walk in the anointing and calling placed on your life.

Londyn Brooke, Mommy and Daddy love you so much. I know we say it a lot, and Mommy writes it a lot. I know we overload Facebook at times with photos and statuses about you at times. Baby, its only because we haven't yet been able to SHOW you how much we love you. Sure, we can buy you things, and talk about you all we want, but nothing will compare to the first time we can hold you, kiss you, and raise you in the Love we have learned through Christ. We can't wait to meet you sweet love, you're beautiful, and meant for greatness.

19 Weeks and Counting...(You see what I did there? lol)

This week on 19 weeks and counting.....

So it's been a little while since I last blogged! A lot has happened I feel like, but I don't know where to start, what to share, and what to spare!

How about starting with last weekend, Londyn's first big shopping spree! My sister, Stefani and I went to Rhea Lana's re-sale consignment event! We got into the pre-sale for "Mommies to be"! I was so excited! All in all, I spent just under $150 and got all of the following items you see in the photos! Stef also got some Christmas gifts for the kids, and some SUPER cute Joe's jeans for Annabelle! We couldn't believe no one had snagged those puppies up, with tags and all. Of course, I expect them to be passed down to Londyn in the future ;)

Dad was pleasantly surprised with everything I was able to get for that amount! The clothing downpour doesn't stop there though! Just last night I got pictures from Aunt Stefani showing us everything Annabelle would be letting Londyn borrow once she is here! There are PILES of stuff! Clothes, shoes, headbands and bows, toys, blankets, the works! Londyn is going to LOVE her cousin Annabelle and Aunt Stef for spoiling her!

Aside from the shopping, little Londyn Brooke has been an active, and growing baby! She has been stretching mom all out, which can be painful at times! Ligament pains, back pain, hip pain, and headaches galore! I'll tell you what though, I wouldn't trade it for the world! Nothing a warm shower can't help. Plus,  Dad has been gracious enough to rub Mom's back a few nights as she tries to go to sleep!

I also discovered that Londyn is going to be a lot like her momma. She doesn't like seat belts like her mom. See, Mike always has to remind me to wear mine or I won't put it on half the time. I've been better since being pregnant because its not about me, its about this sweet little girl. Well, every time I click my seatbelt, she starts kicking and rustling around like crazy! Cracks me up! Another thing that leads me to believe she'll be a mini-me, is her sense of humor! She likes to pick on dad already! He laid his head down on my belly the other night to try and listen in on her. As soon as he sets his head down, she kicks him, right in the ear! It was too funny! Then tonight, we ran to Krispy Kreme to get a FREE hot donut! (Who can turn those down?) Its like as soon as that hit my belly, she was up and at-em again! If I remember right, Krispy Kreme is also what got cousin Greyson up and moving when he was still in Stef's belly! If she loves donuts as much as her mom and Greyson, I better start stocking up now!

It is so hard to believe that 19 weeks have come and gone! Next week, October 2, is baby girl's big 20-week anatomy scan! She gets 2 special appointments in one day! One with her normal doctor, and one with the anatomy scan doctor! She likes the camera, so I'm sure that will make her happy! Mike and I sure are excited to see her again! 

Londyn, we love you sweet girl, and can't wait to hold you in our arms! We're almost half way there! 

How about another closing 2-cents from dad?

"Londyn, you must already have me wrapped around your finger, because anytime you get a craving, mom lets me know, and what baby wants, baby gets! Also, thanks for kicking me in the ear the other day!"