28 week sonogram

Last Wednesday, I had an OB appt and a sonogram.  I love sonograms.  Such a great opportunity to catch a glimpse of your sweet little baby.   Clara looked healthy and appears to be developing right on track.  The doctor estimated her weight at 3 pounds, 3 ounces.  This puts her about a week ahead of the actual 28 weeks and 5 days I was into the pregnancy.

During the sonogram, the technician switched to 4D mode and we got the special treat of looking at her sweet little face.  So cute!!  Although adorable, I was struck by how much she didn't look like her brother.  This was kind of a surprise since everyone tells me that newborn siblings tend to look very much alike.

Later that evening I was still thinking of her beautiful face and trying to figure out who she looked like.  I decided to look at Jackson's sonogram pictures and see what the big difference was.  Boy was I in for a surprise.  First, I noticed that we had a sonogram with Jackson at exactly 28 weeks, 5 days.  What a coincidence!  Then I noticed that at Jackson's sonogram they estimated his weight to be 3 pounds, 4 ounces- one ounce larger than his little sister.  Finally, when looking at both sets of 4D pictures I was blown away by how similar they looked!  Its a good thing the pictures were dated because otherwise it was very difficult to know who was who.

We can't wait to meet little Clara.  We know she will have her own distinct look and personality and we can't wait to watch as she grows and unveils her uniqueness.  However, it was kind of neat to see how similar she and Jackson are in size and appearance at this stage of pregnancy- especially since the pregnancies have been so completely different.

On Friday (the 20th) I'll start my 30th week. The countdown officially begins.....just 10 weeks until baby girl's arrival!

Pregnancy Round 2

Last Friday (the 23rd), I reached my 26th week of pregnancy. Everything is going well so far. Luckily, no signs or symptoms of PIH (pregnancy induced hypertension) or preeclampsia which I suffered from during my pregnancy with Jackson. I started bed rest with him at 30 weeks. However, there were concerns it was headed in that direction long before we got there. We are hoping things keep going well and I can reach 40 without any complications or bed rest. I can't even imagine being on bed rest...how in the world would I keep up with Jackson?

Just shy of 27 weeks

We had our anatomy sonogram at 20 weeks and baby Clara looks awesome. She is growing and developing right on schedule. The doctor said she looks perfectly healthy! We are so thankful! For most of the sonogram she sat quietly with her legs crossed (she must have been napping as still is typically not her MO). Good thing they told us at 16 weeks baby was a girl! Below are a couple of the sonogram pictures.

3D picture of baby girl's face...almost looks like she is smiling!

Baby girl with her little legs crossed....right side is 3D

This pregnancy has been entirely different than my first. Other than the bed rest, my pregnancy with Jackson was symptom free for the most part. I didn't get sick and felt great most of the time. Not so fortunate this time around. I was sick with nausea, vomiting and terrible headaches until several weeks into the second trimester. I still occasionally get sick, but for the most part I'm feeling good now. My sleep patterns have also been different. I slept like a baby the entire nine months with Jackson. I am finding it very difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep during this pregnancy. On a positive note, Clara is much more active than Jackson was. We may have a little gymnast on our hands! I love all the movement, it is by far my favorite part of pregnancy.

Pregnancy is hard. That's why women do it (he he j/k).  Regardless of all the aches and pains, the end result is so worth it! I can't wait to hold our baby girl and watch her grow.

giving sister some love

Redecorating the nursery

Construction is under way on Clara's nursery. I love decorating so I'm in my happy place. I also love preparing for a new baby's arrival by creating a space especially for them. I think it is the way I nest. The first change we made was to add bead board to the bottom portion of the walls. I thought it would add a sweet touch to the room. While J and I were visiting family in Texas, Cole worked tirelessly to hang it as a surprise. It looks great! What a sweet husband I have! Since then, we've painted the room (a light shade of aqua) and purchased a picture to hang above the changing table. The chair and bedding have also been ordered. Its still a work in process but here is a sneak peek:

A few Saturdays ago, Cole and Jackson converted the toddler bed back to a crib. J loves helping Daddy with his tools. I couldn't resist snapping a couple of pictures of my boys hard at work.

Now that the crib is complete, I am reminded of why we moved J to the toddler bed at 19 months. Our little monkey is constantly climbing in and out of it. Here's hoping he tires of this activity before baby sister arrives!

Baby Girl

As I've already mentioned in previous posts, our family is expecting a baby girl in October. We could not be more excited! Well, we have officially grown tired of calling her baby girl and decided on her name- Clara Elizabeth Dennard. Clara is named after my maternal great grandmother AND Cole's maternal great, great grandmother. Jackson (Jack) is a family name on both sides and we were pleased to find a girls' name, also on both sides, that we liked and could agree on.

The other name in consideration was Aubrey Kate (after my paternal great grandmother). Cole and I were torn and couldn't decide. Then one morning Cole called her Aubrey and Jackson looked at him and said, "Thats not my sister's name. My sister's name is Clara." Cole looked at me as if to say, "does he know something I don't?" I just shrugged my shoulders as I had no idea where J's decisiveness was coming from. Cole pushed it further and said, "No, her name is Aubrey." Jackson countered with Clara and on and on it went for days. Eventually, since we hadn't been able to decide between the two names and because Jackson was so adamant we chose Clara. After all, J knew she was a girl from the beginning why shouldn't he also know her name? Now that the decision has been made we wouldn't have it any other way. The name Clara is perfect. We can not wait to meet you Clara Elizabeth!