It's a... Boy!

Today we found out that Player4 is a boy! We are so excited to meet Mr. Ryker Paul! Originally we were scheduled to go in to the doctor for our anatomy scan next Friday, however after experiencing some cramping this week the doctor decided to have us come in a week early just to make sure everything was ok. Praise God, everything turned out to be just fine! Ryker's right kidney was slightly dilated (4.4 mm with 4.2 mm being 'normal'), however the doctor was not too concerned. We'll have another ultrasound in a month or two to check it again, however it's more than likely nothing to be worried about. We are so glad to have a happy and healthy little boy on the way! We've been having so much fun feeling Ryker kick over the past few weeks. He definitely is an active little guy! Besides the cramping this week, I've been feeling pretty good. I've struggled over the past month or two with some severe migraines, however the doctor suggested daily neck rubs and it seem to be helping quite a bit. I won't complain (about the lack of migraines or the nightly neck massages)! We are definitely looking forward to March and introducing Ryker into our little family!

7 Months

All of a sudden our sweet little baby is 7 months old! When did she get this big?? Ilyana is growing bigger and stronger every day. This past week she has been working hard on learning to sit. She has figured out how to get in and out of a sitting position, now she just needs the core strength to hold herself up. It's amazing to see how much stronger she gets every day! She has fallen in to a good 3 nap routine and has been sleeping 7 pm - 7 am most nights, which is great! She continues to love playing with other babies and with toys that she can bite or are musical. She's also become really interested in eating, if we eat in front of her we had better be prepared to share (if it's something she can have of course)! Her (and daddy's) favorite part of the day is watching outside for daddy to get home from work, as soon as she sees him get out of his car a big smile spreads across her face and she tries to leap out of my arms to get to him. It's adorable! She's entered into a bit of a clingy phase where mommy (and usually daddy) are the only people who can hold her. I'm just enjoying the love while she's in this season though!

Ilyana loves: Mommy and Daddy, other babies/kids, scratching different surfaces, putting everything in her mouth, eating, being thrown in the air, chasing Nala around.

Ilyana doesn't like: being held by other people, being told 'no', laying still for diaper changes.

Weight 13.5 lbs

1 down, 2 to go

Today I got to hear Player4's heartbeat for the first time! It was a strong 158 bpm and the doctor found it right away (maybe player4 won't be as stubborn as miss Ilyana!). Player4 was also moving around a lot while the doctor was trying to listen, I suppose they have to keep up with big sister who doesn't want to stay still! I was sad to find out that my usual OB was out of town for a family emergency and it sounds like she won't be back for a while. I'm hoping to try out a doctor that a friend recommended at my next appointment and assuming I like her, stick with her until my doctor comes back. We are now (almost) done with the first trimester! I have been feeling pretty good lately, I usually have a day once every week or two where I feel pretty nauseated, but I can't complain too much, this has been a fairly easy pregnancy. Jake and I have narrowed down names, which has been fun, but we won't share officially until we've fully decided on both of them. As for Player4's gender, we've decided this time around to go team green and let it be a surprise at birth! I'm so excited to find out in this way, I really think it will be a very special experience! We're so excited to meet you, Player4!

Ilyana's half birthday!

It's hard to remember what  life was like without Ilyana but it's also hard to believe that she is already 6 months old! Ilyana is such a sweet, funny, curious, and joyful girl. She loves to scoot around exploring everything (especially things she's not allowed to play with like power cords, daddy's belt, and her favorite: plastic bags). She is constantly chasing Nala around the house and always gives her the biggest smile when she sees her. Nala definitely has her boundaries of how close Ilyana can get, but I think she secretly enjoys the attention. The other morning she even played with Ilyana, rolling a ball back and forth. Ilyana is working hard on learning to crawl, developing fine motor skills (like putting food in her mouth), and constantly adding new sounds to her vocabulary. We're also working on teaching her some baby sign language; we're currently working on: milk, eat, and all done. She tends to think that it's really funny. We've also been having a lot of fun exploring all sorts of new foods. This girl loves to eat! So far she has loved everything we have given her to try. I think her favorite has been a combination of apples, carrots, and parsnips. I couldn't get the next spoonful in her mouth fast enough with that one! Ilyana has been doing great with sleeping lately. She generally sleeps about 12 hours at night, sometimes waking up for one feeding, and she usually takes 3 naps a day. We are so lucky to have such a sweet, smart, and happy girl!

Ilyana likes: Other babies (she's going to be such a great big sister!), Nala, musical toys, food, anything that she can chew on, plastic cups, mommy and daddy, and the animals on her mesh crib liner.

Ilyana dislikes: having to sit still, having to be patient, being tired.

Ilyana weighs: 13 lbs.

Ilyana's height: 26"

Marzen Player 4

Life has been a bit crazy keeping up with Ilyana so I haven't had a chance to write this blog post until now, but Jake and I are excited to announce that we are expecting! We had been hoping to get pregnant again rather quickly after having Ilyana. Having siblings so close in age just sounds like so much fun! Our bold prayer had been that we would be pregnant again by mid-July. By the end of June I was starting to get discouraged about becoming pregnant again, I hadn't even got my period back so we had next to nothing to work with, timing-wise. I can remember on the night of June 30th lamenting to Jake about how discouraged I was feeling and praying together that something would happen soon. The next morning I woke up feeling nauseous and tired, I didn't even think about the possibility of being pregnant and just accounted it to fighting off some sort of bug. By mid-morning I was starting to feel better and that's when it started to dawn on me that maybe I was pregnant. I decided to take a test that afternoon. I knew how unlikely it was that we had gotten pregnant before my cycle had even returned. Most of the time the first few times a woman ovulates after pregnancy she's not actually fertile. Before testing I prayed for God to protect my heart and give me peace no matter what the results were. As it turns out, the test immediately turned positive! I couldn't believe my eyes! I ran downstairs and had little happy freak out with Ilyana and immediately called a close friend, I had to tell somebody! After celebrating the good news with a friend, I used a plain white onsie of Ilyana's and painted on "Big Sis". I texted Jake and told him that Ilyana and I had made a craft and asked if he would like to see it. He said "of course" and I sent him a picture, he was ecstatic and couldn't believe that it was true! To announce to family, we used the "Big Sis" onsie as well. Everyone was so excited! It was fun to watch the realization of what it meant wash over everyone's faces. On 7/13 I had a dating ultrasound and found out that Player4's due date is March 4th 2016. We were even able to see a little heartbeat on the ultrasound. We are so excited to meet our newest little family member!
So far, this pregnancy has been a bit of a roller coaster. I had about a week of miserable, unable to function, morning sickness. Since then, most days have been pretty manageable as long as I don't think too much about food. However there are still the occasional days that I feel horribly sick again. With Ilyana I definitely felt sick more consistently but didn't feel as horrible. Some other differences this pregnancy have been having a lot more heartburn and feeling a lot more exhausted (I was even taking care of 3 kids when I was pregnant with Ilyana!). Jake has been so wonderful with helping me out. I'm excited to continue to keep everyone updated on Player4!

5 Months

I can't believe my itty bitty baby is already 5 months old! Ilyana is now rolling all over, trying so hard to scoot, and loves to smile, laugh and babble. She is such a joy to be around. She has been learning a lot about the control she has to manipulate the toys that she plays with and over her own body movements. She also has started to eat some solids, so far we have tried rice cereal, avocado, and peas. Now that we've made it through a sleep regression and weaning her from a swaddle Ilyana is sleeping great! She goes to bed at 7 and usually wakes up to eat around 3-4 am (although she has made it all the way to 6!) and then goes back to sleep until around 7 or 730. We're currently working on nap training and shooting for 3 naps a day. Another exciting development this month has been Ilyana learning to respond to her name! We are so proud of our smart girl!

Ilyana likes: Standing, looking at her reflection, listening to mommy and daddy sing, playing peek-a-boo, rolling everywhere, watching the cats, and putting everything in her mouth.

Ilyana dislikes: Being hungry and being away from mommy.

Weight: about 12 lbs.

Baby Hacks

There is a lot of work that goes into taking care of a baby! Here is my list of "baby hacks" that we have found helpful!

1. Double up on sheets
To make middle of the night crib sheet changes easy, layer your crib like this: mattress protector, crib sheet, mattress protector, crib sheet. Then all you have to do is rip off the top layer and you're done!

2. Prepare night bottles ahead of time

If you're formula feeding, instead of having to fix a bottle for every night feeding, plan ahead and keep pre-filled bottles and pre-measured formula nearby at night so all you have to do is pour and shake!

3. Drink cold water while breastfeeding

I had already quit breastfeeding before I had heard this hack, but during the early weeks when breastfeeding is painful, I've heard that taking a sip of ice cold water while latching the baby on can help get your mind off of the pain! Even if it doesn't work, staying hydrated is always important during breastfeeding!

4. Use less wipes

When your baby poops, instead of using a ton of wipes, use the dirty diaper to wipe away most of the poop before using wipes. As an added bonus, most of the stinky poop is folded up in the diaper too!

5. Starting solids

When you're starting solids, if you're having a hard time getting baby to eat off of a spoon, let them suck the food off of your finger!

6. Pants under a onsie

For a cute chic look, try snapping the onsie shut over the pants! I especially like this look with patterned pants!

7. Reusable changing table

Instead of buying a changing table that you'll be done with once you're out of the baby stage, use a dresser and a changing table pad on top of it! Bonus hack: If you live in a 2 story house, keep diapers/wipes on the other floor too!

That's all for now! But keep an eye out for a very special blog post tomorrow!