Oak Island 2011

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Ultrasounds, Puggles & Summertime Fun

McKenna Love!

We had our 20 week tummy check and ultrasound just about a week ago and it felt like the longest month ever leading up to that appointment! We were all so anxious to see if our baby was healthy and growing at a good pace. I was nervous since my thyroid levels had been so drastically off the first part of this pregnancy and the Dr. said it could really effect the baby's ability to grow properly. As it turns out, the baby was measuring right on for most of the measurements (especially around the head) and was measuring about 3-4 days behind everywhere else. Baby weighed in at 11oz and the heartrate was 152 bpm.

Noah went with us to that ultrasound along with the grandmas, all of us hoping to find out the big news...girl or boy?!?! He was so well-behaved, he was looking up at the monitor on the wall with his little mouth hanging open as he sat on Daddy's lap and said, "I see baby." "I see heartbeat...buboom, buboom, buboom." "Baby so cute!" Luckily, once he was bored of that scene, Grandma Wolfe has brought along grapes and Scooby snacks and Noah was content to munch and sporadically count my toes while I was up on the table. But he did really well and we were so glad he was able to be a part of that experience and see images of his little sibling for the first time.

Everything looked great on the ultrasound, and with a LOT of pushing and prodding at my stomach, most of which made me more nervous that my bladder was going to empty itself on the exam table more than disturbing the little one growing inside of me...baby finally uncrossed it's legs...and there was no denying it...IT'S A GIRL!!!!! McKenna Dawn Wolfe is on her way and growing perfectly! We feel so blessed to complete our family with a beautiful baby girl. And we could not be more excited for her big brother who is already one amazing kid. Both of our angels from Heaven! Praise be to God, we are eternally grateful!

The Dr. met with me afterward for my regular tummy check and all was well there as well. It turns out my placenta is a little too close to my cervix so I will get another ultrasound at 3o weeks to ensure everything has moved up at least 1 cm. If not, the Dr. said there could be talk of a c-section but I'm nowhere close to actually having placenta previa and they aren't labeling it as such. He said there's about a 99.99% chance everything will move up into place so no need to worry. And considering how very quietly and smoothly this pregnancy has gone compared to Noah's, despite some early insomnia and lots and lots of nausea for 15 weeks, I have every reason to believe everything is going to be just fine! I go back again at 24 weeks for a tummy check, 28 weeks for my glucose test, and 30 weeks for the next ultrasound.

I have been really bad about taking belly pics and journaling this pregnancy, but I finally did get a baby book filled in for Miss McKenna and I have some belly pics as well. I will have to post those next time because our scanner has decided to stop working once again..no fun! I know every Mommy of more than one child has told me the second pregnancy is different, and I echo that truth whole-heartedly. Although I have to say, in some ways it is an amazing experience. Because I have much less time to read the week-by-week pregnancy books and am just trusting the process God put into motion. I have every faith McKenna is going to be a beautiful, healthy baby girl and this time is able to be devoted to Mr. Noahman and soaking up these last months of just one kiddo to snuggle, so we can have twice the snuggles come this fall! Watching our baby boy grow up into such a great kid just makes us so much more excited to hold McKenna and watch her grow into her own as well. Little miracles!

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On another note, and I hesitate to document this experience only because I have terribly mixed emotions about it...it is still a part of our family journey and it's something to look back on from time to time. Through no real pressure or desire of any of ours, it has worked out circumstancially that we have given Spencer to a new home. We picked up Spencer at 7 lbs and all curly-tailed and puppy breath adorable in the Spring of 2006, when he was just 8 weeks old. He has been a part of our family for the past 5 years and we have shared many family experiences with him and have come to know his personality undeniably well. He truly became just the dog after Noah was born, but he and Noah interacted great together and we have lots of video and pictures of those experiences that we will definitely cherish. It turned out my Aunt was looking for a dog and had had two really bad experiences trying to find a good fit for her home. She and Spencer have always been buddies and the timing worked out perfectly for both of us, as we were all headed out of town for a week. So we took Spencer to my Aunt's house last Saturday along with all of his belongings and boy, they have created quite the bond already. I am really sad that I know he is getting more attention than he had with us and is probably, in some ways, much better suited for a kid-free, and judging by his personality, other doggy-free environment with 100% one-on-one attention. I guess the maternal part of me is sad I didn't try harder to give that to him, but I'm also excited for him and my Aunt to really love each other and enjoy each other's company. And we will have another dog someday...way down the road when our kids are older, but we just felt this was best for everyone involved. If he hadn't gone to family we would have never considered giving him up to anyone else, and this way, we know where he is and can still visit him from time to time. So, Spencer James, Pencies, Puggly, Doodle, Noodle, Doodle James...we love you, Noodle-head and we really miss you like crazy and hope we did the best thing for you.

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We also had the opportunity to visit my sister, brother-in-law and niece for a week while Tony was away on a mission trip with the youth group. Our days were filled with walks, shopping, a visit to a local rescue zoo with the CUTEST baby goat and baby bear ever, art projects, lots of messy meals, the "Ah!" game between the two kiddos...let's just say it got loud...and lots of snuggles, hugs and great memories!

I had a glimpse of our not-so-distant future with two carseats in the backseat of my car!

Baby Billy Goats

At the zoo!

Art Projects for Father's Day...and yes, my son is painting his foot!

We even had a Seester night out thanks to her amazing hubby, so fun and refreshing for us both!

Noah's Home Videos

Capturing some of Noah's most typical and hilarious moments...enjoy!!!





Chasing the dog...or being chased by the dog...we are never really sure, is a favorite game of Noah's. Especially right before bedtime when he gets his last big burst of energy! You can also hear him calling roll call for his favorite Thomas characters if you listen closely...too funny!

(Sorry for the poor lighting -- taken from my phone -- they are running laps around the coffee table)







Normally when the toddler is quiet he is doing something he should not be doing. And sometimes that is the case, don't be fooled by the red-headed, blue-eyed angel who could sprout wings at any second. However, more often than not, we find Noah in this very location doing the very same activity for about an hour at a time...zooming a car back and forth in the windowsill. Wonder what the neighbors think?!





This video is pretty self-explanatory...but in case he ever makes American Idol someday, this would be great footage to show on the big screen!

12 Weeks

Today, I am grateful that our second little one was hiding out and the Dr. was forced to give us an ultrasound. I'm even more grateful that everything is okay, because it was definitely scary to not hear the heartbeat through the doppler. I thought for sure it would be easy by twelve weeks, so I was more than surprised and caught off guard. But God has an amazing way of making small worries turn into big rewards...because this was the coolest ultrasound!

The ultrasound tech was even excited to get me on the table because she said no one ever gets a twelve week ultrasound and they are by far the coolest. You can see EVERY feature of that little life and they still have lots of room to wiggle and move like crazy so it's completely entertaining! Our little one is so, so very active, it took quite awhile for her to "catch" the baby long enough to capture the heartbeat, and as it was, she only got a partial image across the screen before baby was off and moving again. But we did see it and got to hear it and the heart was beating at a fast and strong 175! WOW!

It was so awesome to see all the little human features...head, torso, spine, heart, legs, arms, facial structure, fingers, and toes. So very tiny! If any Mom ever thinks there's not a little life in there at this stage, I have news for them, that baby is alive and well...a tiny little angel! I was so in love with the image we saw on the screen today, just amazing!! Baby waved a couple times at us and flexed it's little legs about. So precious!

When the tech went in for the heartbeat, the baby started crawling and reaching for the top of my uterus, obviously trying to run away from the crazy weapon that was trying to push is out of its comfy place....and to be honest, I don't blame baby, I'm not real fond of that thing either! HA

But, at any rate, it was an awesome, awesome experience I got to share with my Mom. The images we have below are so great, although they don't do justice to watching the movements, for twelve weeks, they are beyond amazing!

Baby Wolfe measuring 12w3d...5 days ahead of schedule!

Head, Left arm, fingers, and little piggies!

What a little Stud!

Noah was the cutest little ring bearer in the Kiko wedding this past weekend. He and another little boy (who was a little older and much better behaved -- he walked down the aisle with dignity and poise -- Noah's experience, however, is noted below) were asked to be a part of the couple's big day and we felt so blessed to have him share in their joyous occasion! And he looked like the most handsome little guy in the World! After seeing him in his little tux, I have to say, two boys sounds pretty good, I was very proud of both my boys this weekend as Tony was the officiating minister as well, it was a celebration to remember!

Hanging out with Aaron right after arriving at the church

Smiling for the camera!

Precious little angel

Calming down with Grandma before the ceremony began

One last burst of energy! Noah continued this trend when he came down the aisle full blast yelling something about a racecar, I think. He actually chased the last bridesmaid about halfway down the aisle, but she played it off really well. There was no stopping him! And when he reached the end of the aisle runner at the bottom of the first step, he set the pillow on the ground with authority, turned around and looked at the audience, and just sighed and grinned a huge grin. It was hilarious! He was about to take off back up the aisle when he saw me coming for him since he clearly was enjoying his moment in the spotlight. I was forced to do a lunging Mommy-snag and grab him by the suitcoat to keep him and I from both running back up the center aisle. Everyone laughed, it was just what the couple was hoping for, a little something to break the ice, and it definitely did!

Ornery Grin!

My boys!

Family!

Reception Time!!!

Another Little Baby Wolfe to Love!!!

I think the journey to conceiving our second bundle of joy seemed much more up and down than the journey we took to conceive Noah...and this time, ironically, was much shorter. With Noah, we waited about a year and a half and our new little bundle only took about six months...but I think when you already know the joy of having one, the anticipation of two times the love is just harder to wait for...and we don't have to wait any longer!! I knew a few days before I actually got brave enough to take a test, or three, that I was actually pregnant, but there's just always that nagging though in the back of your mind that you could just be making it all up. Knowing for about 5 weeks before the news went public was so difficult, I don't know how people wait until the end of their first trimester to share the good news. I admire them.

Plus, the end of week 5 began my journey of nausea and more nausea, so it was especially hard to keep quiet at work...I'm sure I looked (and still look) like a complete zombie. This sickness is more constant and relentless than with Noah but I really feel like I am much more prepared to manage it, and as long as I eat every hour or two, I'm okay and I haven't actually gotten "sick" yet. The problem is, working second shift and having a toddler, means short nights and more snacking than ever before. I feel like all I do these days is eat, and to top it off, this pregnancy also did not come with the utter exhaustion I had with Noah. Nope, this time, I'm an insomniac, never sleeping more than about 3-4 hours at a time, which means every time I wake up, the nausea hits me hard, and I'm eating all night as well as all day! I'm honestly at the point that I'm running out of foods I want to eat and really, I'm just tired of eating in general, but I can't really do much about it...so eat, it is!

I've also discovered that I only sleep comfortably on the couch, which is sad because I miss my bed! I'm sure Tony's living it up and hogging all of the sheets, and the couch isn't bad, but I'm really hoping once this first trimester is over, I can move back in...move over Tony, you didn't get rid of me forever!

The only other new-ness I can think of so far with this pregnancy is...I had to go to the dentist during week 6 of my pregnancy because of this searing pain I was having whenever I tried to brush my teeth. I mean, I have a pretty high tolerance for pain, and if I even touched my tooth with my toothbrush it was immediately nauseating, goose-bumps head to toe, doubled-over PAIN! It was the weirdest thing...the verdict...I have pregnancy-induced gum trauma...really?! So, I switched to Sensodyne and am working on my Vitamin C and Calcium intake. Oh, and I had to swish warm salt water 4-5 times a day, try that when you are nauseous...gross!

And finally, after a VERY long prenatal appointment, which I was thrilled Tony could tag along for, it was our date "day" for the month of March...how romantic...the other new news we received is that this baby has given me a "pretty loud" (in the words of the NP) heart murmur. I guess this is common in pregnancy, although I never had it with Noah, and they are sending me to a cardiologist at Aultman Hospital for further testing/monitoring. Always something interesting with my pregnancies, but it's nothing we can't handle!

Well, I mostly needed to write all of this out so I wouldn't forget the significant parts of my first trimester with this little one...although there's still more time left of this part of the pregnancy, which is fine, I'm not wishing any of it away. Being our last, I'm determined to enjoy every second of it, even if it means I'm as big as a house by the time I deliver because all I can do is eat for the next nine months.

We will definitely find out if it's a boy or a girl, we can find out sometime mid-June, and I honestly up to this point don't "feel" like it's one or the other, but, admittedly, we are both really hoping for a girl. I know everyone says it's much more economical to have a boy, and from a clothes/toys/experience viewpoint, we totally agree. But given the fact that our only remaining empty room has pink walls and even pinker carpet, it sure will cost a lot more to recarpet than it will to buy some cute pink clothes and barettes! And I've always dreamed of having a little Princess that would be protected by her big brother. But hey, if we have two boys, then I get to be the Princess, so that's not such a bad deal either!

As far as the boys go, Tony is over-the-moon excited and although I chose one of the worst days to be due -- youth Sunday -- in perfect youth minister's wife fashion -- he already can't wait to cuddle with our new little bundle and see what he/she looks like! And Noah...well, although he's too young to understand yet, is not real happy about the news. Whenever we try to get him to understand there is a baby in Mommy's belly, he scrunches up his eyebrows, points emphatically and declares, "No, Mommy, Not!" And he hits my belly when he gets mad at me...but at least we have awhile before he really needs to be on board with the whole concept. I mean, he will have had us all to himself for almost 3 years and 9 months by the time this little one comes along...can you blame him?! But it's really cute when he says, "Big Brother" and he did smile at the ultrasound picture on Friday when we brought it home, so that's progress!

Our family of three is about to be a family of four and we are so grateful God chose to hear our prayers and give us the desire of our hearts. Praise be to God!!!

Just Me and My Chewie

This is me with my favorite Pal in the whole World...my Chewie! I've had him since the day I was born and we are best snuggle buddies. I'm really only supposed to have him in my bed, but Mommy let me have Chewie AND my binkie during morning cartoons...just this once, so we had to capture it!

This is me and Chewie saying our best, "CHEESE!" for the camera!

And this is just Me being little adorable Me!!