19 weeks with Baby Bennett

How Far Along: 19 weeks

Size of baby: Bennett is about the size of a mango (or 6 inches long and approximately 8.5 oz) according to The Bump.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Stood on the scale thus morning and I'm now at an 8lb weight gain. Whoop. This boy's growin'!

Maternity Clothes: I just got what I think may be my favorite maternity piece this whole pregnancy: it's this long, black, peasant-y Liz Lange Maternity skirt from Target. I've eyed it for a while and it finally hit the clearance rack. Whoop!

Gender: A little brother for Keegan Michael.

Movement: I think he's growing again, because he's resting pretty nice this past week- but I do feel him kicking around as I type this!

Sleep: I think my bladder's shrunk in half this past week, so my sleep has begun to be even more interrupted. Yikes.

What I miss: energy- but that's it! I'm feeling very content (I am knocking on wood so hard right now!)

Cravings: I am SO hungry lately. I know this boy's going through a growth spurt again. I had a small breakfast yesterday morning, but almost fainted during second service because I suddenly got SO starving and light-headed. We went out to Mexican after church and ate my entire combo platter in the same amount of time it took my husband to eat his (and those who know my husband know he eats faster than anyone I've ever met)!

Symptoms: I am starving, as mentioned above, and sleepy! But, I'm also starting to nest like crazy. I'm working hard at putting together Keegan's big boy room, and anticipating being able to adjust the nursery to prep for baby Bennett... But we've got time. However, if the next 18-20 weeks go as fast as the past 19 weeks, then I better get crackin'!

Best Moment this week: We had an anatomy scan with the perinatal center to make sure Bennett's heart is developing properly (my husband was born with a number of heart defects so for every pregnancy we have to go see the specialist to rule out any issues). Bennett looked GREAT and is so handsome. Everything's perfect so far (at least from what the ultrasound and tests are showing). In fact, everything's looking so good, I'm even measuring a week ahead! Whoop! Hoping that means this boy arrives a little early like his big brother!

We like, we like to party!

This year we decided to lay low for Keegan's birthday. We had a rip-roaring big family party (all FOUR sides!) last year, and when you have that big of a family, it's a LOT of work...

Well worth it, but a LOT of work. But, it must be my pregnant exhaustion and dread, but I reallyyyy wanted to just celebrate my favorite 2 year old boy!

Today we decided to celebrate Keegan all day- starting from the moment he woke up!

I surprised him with helium balloons in the morning (he's a balloon monster, especially when we're grocery shopping), and a sprinkle donut for breakfast to in which we lit a candle and I sang him Happy Birthday.

He's been saying, "I two, Mommy!" and it is the CUTEST thing ever.

We then met Daddy for lunch at Chuck E. Cheese. This was Keegan's first time- I haven't gone since I was a little kid, and it was soooo not what I remembered! But Keegy LOVED it. It was so much fun because we had the place to ourselves the whole time. He played lots of games and won tickets and even high fives Chuck E.

He took a GREAT nap and ended up talking to lots of family and friends on the phone, and I read him all sorts of messages and cards for him. He felt SO special!

Keegan requested Tacos for his birthday dinner. So I hit up Taco Bell and we split them on our plates and all enjoyed! For dessert he requested "pie", by which he specifically meant the Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie from Grand Traverse Pie Company... What can I say, the boys got great taste! :) mmm!

Kris and I gave him the Elefun game for his gift. Bless his little heart: he loves it, but loves the cleaning up portion of it the most! He lets all the butterflies onto the floor and says, "A mess! Oh no. Pit out (pick up)! Tean out (clean up), Mommy!" He rushes to pick up all the butterflies (laughing) and starts over again. He also calls the elephant his "Robot." Who knew one little game would be such a hit for none of the intended reasons?!?! Ha!

On top of all this excitement, almost ALL of Keegan's big boy bed was delivered today. We are still working on the room: it may take another week or so until it's ready for his big "reveal." We're definitely pulling a dream home makeover and keeping it a secret from him until it's done.

I really wanted this day to be special. I want him to look forward too his birthday and understand that it's a day to celebrate him. Plus, this will be his last birthday as an only child and I so wanted him to enjoy the full attention of both his mommy and daddy.

Keegan Michael is the joy in my life. I thank God every day for entrusting him to Kris and I. I can't believe he's our son, but boy am I glad he is.

18 weeks down, 22 to go

How Far Along: 18 weeks

Size of baby: Bennett is about the size of a sweet potato (or 5.6 inches long and approximately 6.7oz) according to The Bump.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I'll be honest, I haven't stood on the scale for the past couple days- I know a couple days ago I was still at the same 7lbs weight gain as last week.

Maternity Clothes: I prefer maternity pants and have found the BEST maternity tank tops from Target. SO soft, and long, and thick (so they don't get so thin that they become see through as your body grows).

Gender: Another sweet baby boy!

Movement: He's been much busier this week than last. Last night he even stretched out and pressed his little back/booty against my belly so hard that Kris could feel it from the outside. Such a little stinker. Love getting to know him from the inside out! :)

Sleep: No naps, but I'm sleeping great at night still other than having to wake up a few times to go potty. My body is much more sore, so it's a little harder to fall asleep.

What I miss: My body is so sore, and I would love to not have sore joints! :)

Cravings: Strawberries, Greek salad with beets, iced tea, and Greek yogurt.

Symptoms: I got my first ocular migraine in this pregnancy this week- it was rough! I only get them when pregnant, and I had just a few with Keegan that only lasted a few hours, but this one lasted almost 24 hours. Ugh! That's got to be my absolute least favorite pregnancy symptom. No matter how many you get them it's just scary when your vision goes and half your body gets tingly! Yikes. No thank you!

Best Moment this week: We are having a great time planning Keegy's big boy room. It is so fun! We figured one way or another we'd have to buy some new bedroom stuff, and we figure our boys will share a room in a couple years, so bring on the matching twin beds! We'll just have Keegan's in his room for the next couple years to give him room to play, but we want to get comforters and head boards now so they match, which we'll store in the meantime. So fun!

17 weeks and counting

Poor Benny-Bear... With Keegan I already had 5 pregnancy posts at this point in my pregnancy. It's just crazy how much less time I have when I'm chasing my crazy little Keegala Peegala around all the time.

I definitely took for granted all of the rest and down time I had when I was pregnant with Keegan.

I'm showing much earlier with Bennett than I did with Keegan. But I suppose that's to be expected!

So here are some current pregnancy highlights:

I'm 17 weeks!

How Far Along: 17 weeks

Size of baby: Bennett is about the size of an onion (or 5.1 inches long and approximately 5.9oz) according to The Bump.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: This morning I stood on the scale and I've gained 7lbs so far. With Keegan I gained 45lbs overall, and I really don't want to gain that with Bennett. I would LOVE to stay under 25lbs weight gain.

Maternity Clothes: I prefer maternity pants at this point, but I love that I get to be pregnant during warmer weather this time. I'm enjoying Maxi skirts and looser dresses already!

Gender: Baby Boy- Baby Bennett (middle name still undecided!)

Movement: I don't feel Bennett the way I felt Keegan. I have an anterior placenta in this pregnancy, so any kicks have to make their way through the placenta up to the top of my belly. Kris has only felt Bennett move once so far, and I don't feel many kicks- I feel MOVEMENT though, and that's what's so confusing to describe to people!

Sleep: I don't get as much rest during the day as I did with Keegy Peegy, so I find that I fall asleep easily (mostly) with this pregnancy. I just wake up frequently to go potty. :)

What I miss: Not too much. Other than having an adult beverage if we go out to dinner, but that doesn't happen a ton anyway! Maybe being able to go up and down the stairs without being winded?!

Cravings: Strawberries, Greek salad(Preferably from Zeus' Coney Island), hummus with balsamic vinegar and feta, and Greek yogurt. Yikes, I just realized how Greek all of those cravings are! Maybe Bennett is more in touch with his Greek heritage than Keegan was?!?! Oh- and iced tea. I LOVE iced tea!!!! Mmmm!

Symptoms: Tired, my sciatic nerve is acting up, I am still going potty every half hour (which maybe is because he's sitting so far back?!), my nails and hair are growing like crazy (whoop!), extreme heartburn/acid reflux.

Best Moment this week: I've been so overwhelmed trying to figure out which double stroller to get... We love our City Mini Single stroller, but the double was much more expensive, and I heard it was just much more wide. We finally decided on the Combi Twin Sport Side by Side. It had GREAT reviews, and could fit my Graco infant car seat without any additional attachments to install... And we got it on sale from $260 down to $180 and free shipping! Whoop!!! Albeebaby.com- I'd never used it before, but what a deal! I'll update as we use it, but I'm pretty pumped!

What I like about you...

Keegan has become SO funny and here's a list of my favorite Keeganism's as of late so I never forget:

Fake laughing: He's awesome at it! We say, "Keegan, laugh!" And he gives out the heartiest belly laugh on demand. Bahahaha! It will brighten even the worst day.

"Assage?": Keegan loves our massage chair thing. We keep it behind our arm chair and almost daily he stands asking for an "assage?! Meeee (please)?!"

The silent/fake cry: My sweet son. He will dramatically silently cry and throw his head in his hands. It's fabulous.

Fake sneezing: Keegan's Papi taught him to fake sneeze. Now he does it all the time and sometimes changes it up. Most of the time it's your standard, "Ahh, ahh, ahh, CHOO!"... Yesterday it was "Ahh, Ahh, ahh, SCHOOL BUS!" What a comedian.

"Titty Tat's": Yes, you read that right he loves Titty Tats. But not how you're reading it (although its probably the funniest thing he's ever said)... He loves kitty cats, so much. He says that this ones a BABY Titty Tat:

What's in a name?

As many of you now know, Kris and I are excitedly welcoming a new baby into our family, expected around mid to late September. We are thrilled. Becoming a mom was that pinnacle defining moment in my life when I realized why I was put on earth. God is so good.

We wanted another, but I'll be honest, after finding out I was pregnant I had all sorts of trepidations arise. Would I really be able to love two children as much and as hard as I love Keegan Michael? What if it was boy? Could I handle TWO little boys (this fear was made much more real now that Keegan is in the full blown terrible twos and literally runs laps around our house screaming)? Could I handle a little girl and all of the drama that comes with her as she gets older?

So many what if's were going through my head.

And of course, as soon as you tell friends and family you're expecting, all of the name suggestions start coming. Ha! Some of my favorite suggestions were "Farty" and/or "Fruity." Unfortunately we decided to pass on those... Ha!

Our impatience was through the roof and we decided to head over to Baby Envision in Brighton for a 3-D/4-D ultrasound this past weekend. I figured the sooner I knew who was in my belly, the sooner I could start planning (Type A personality anyone?) and get to know this little Baby Bop... and we could narrow down names, as our list was pretty lengthy.

So ladies and gentlemen, without further adieu, I'd like to introduce you to baby Bennett:

Definition of the name Bennett: (English origin) BLESSED

He is 100% boy, and looks JUST like his big brother Keegan at this age.

We are still trying to decide on a middle name, but I'm so thrilled to have two little boys. As soon as the ultrasound tech put on the monitor, I could tell, even from the profile view that he was a boy. A flood of relief came over me. My confidence increased, and I have such peace knowing that I can "do" boy. I've done it before, and I'll happily do it again.

I remember crying as I was putting away all of Keegan's newborn and 0-3 month clothes and praying for another little boy to wear those clothes again. I feel so overwhelmed by joy to have these little boys and know that it's only by God's grace. 

Thank you for all of your prayers and well wishes. Please continue to pray us through this pregnancy! 

Hopefully I will have a little more time coming up where I can update this blog a little more and give Bennett some more In-Utero attention like I was able to with his brother. However, let's be real. It's so much harder to get a minute to do ANYTHING with a crazy (almost) two year old running around!