Camryn's Newborn Pics

Checkout my blog: Candid Xpressions By Leisa to check out a few of her newborn pictures I took. :)

Camryn is a sweet sweet baby--much different than Miss Bailey was as a newborn. You don't hear a peep from Camryn unless her tummy is hurting her or unless she is hungry! WOW! I've been able to get more sleep..I have the best husband. We take turns feeding her through the night. I am so blessed to have such a great husband AND beautiful girls!

Bailey has been a little terror the past week, but after much tears and heartache, I think between, me, Keenan and my mom...we've figured out a solution. Since Tuesday evening, things are MUCH better in our household with Miss Bailey....we are hoping we have turned a corner and are headed in a much better direction than where we WERE headed. :)

Pics soon of Bailey's first day of pre-school!

Welcome Camryn Reece

Our beautiful baby girl is here!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Finally getting around to posting pictures of the past 9 days.

Camryn was born Aug 19th, 8lbs 4oz, 20 in long. She was just 1 oz less than Bailey's birth weight. She was jaundice causing several doc appointments checking her bili levels, but other than that minor set back, she is as beautiful and as health as can be! It was such a blessing to be able to hold her after her birth, and have her with us the entire time, NO NICU and bring her home with us after our 3 day stay! SUCH A BLESSING!

One of my best friends delivered her son the day before Camryn's arrival so we were just down the hall from one another. My other best friend was my night shift nurse for my entire stay. Melissa you are awesome-and I can't thank you enough for taking such good care of me and my baby girl! THANK YOU!!

I received my first massage ever on Wed. A friend from high school bought me a 1 hour post natal massage, and the therapist came to my house! OMG! It was awesome. She even did edema massage due to all of my edema from the IV's....the next day I was fine and have been ever since. I highly recommend the massage services on the 3rd floor of TWH. Fantastic!

Thank you also, for all of the cards, gifts for the girls, texts, emails & visiting in the hospital. We all appreciate it very much!

Bailey loves her new baby sister and is super gentle and sweet with her. She's only held her the one time. We are not pushing things on her. If she wants to help with her fine, if not, fine....at her pace. :) Enough of my rambling......enjoy the pics!

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Pre-baby update (Bailey Aug-2010)

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Just wanted to post a slideshow of what we've been up to this month. Not a whole lot due to the heat, but we try to get out when Keenan get's home since it's been so hot during the day. This big ole mama can't take that heat! We got Bailey her 1st big girl bike a few weeks ago. Needless to say, she LOVES it! Took her a bit to get use to pedaling it vs. her tryke, but she's got it figured out now. Only one crash...she got going a little too fast then made a hard turn and tipped over. No injuries. :)

Just been trying to take in all of the special time the 3 of us have...taking lots of pics and cherishing every bit of it. My back has been hurting quite a bit, so I mostly sit in the good ole camping chair with an ice pack while Keenan and Bailey play, but at least I still get to interact even though i'm not right in the middle. :) I've been sweating a lot out there with them, it causes decreased appetite for me too. I didn't even gain any weight at my last doc appt. Seems like all I do is drink water or juice. Oh well, it's tasty. :)

Bailey is getting really excited about little sister's arrival. Talks about her ALL of the time. ALways addresses her when she speaks to K or I...this am we heard her in her monitor tell her "bunny & blankey" about getting to meet little sister in 2 days! So precious. However, I keep asking her what is the first thing she's going to do when she meets her..."give her a hug and kiss"?..Bailey: "No, I'm going to feed her milk!" Oh dear, not sure how we are going to cover that if I am nursing her. Supposed to wait a few weeks before the bottle and the poor kid, that's all she wants to do for her. She perseverates so bad on things, she won't let it go. TRUST ME! Hopefully, she'll just be happy with hugs and kisses. :-D

Camryn update: She will now be arriving Thursday Aug 19th at 3:30pm. We will be accepting visitors anytime on Fri or Sat, just not Thurs the day of surgery due to be so late in the day. :) Just got the call yesterday that they had to change the day on us. Major bummer! Now Bailey is going to be stuck at the hospital with the grandparents during my surgery. Makes for a long day for a kiddo. I just really hope I don't have my usual nasuea/vomiting after my epidural. (TMI-sorry). I just don't want Bailey to see me like that. :( Really starting to get nervous. We've gotten so use to our schedule the past almost 3 years, it's going to be hard being awake every 2-3 hours. Yikes! I'm going to try hard to "nurse" Miss Camryn. Bailey was unable due to being a wee bit premature. Hopefully, Camryn will fare much better in that department....give her better nutrition while we are saving money. This will be an overall different experience for us, especially, if I can nurse + we are going to be doing cloth diapering.

That's all for now!! Next post will be pics of our baby girl, Camryn! :-D

Camryn's Scheduled Arrival Date.....

After much thought on the "delivery" situation, Keenan and I chose to talk to my doctor at the appointment today regarding the already scheduled amnio. It was scheduled via the specialist at 37 wks 3 days on Aug 16 to check baby C's lung maturity. I have already had 2 rounds of steroid shots to "speed" up the process in case she were to come earlier than planned. The more we thought about it, the more we didn't understand why we just couldn't wait 4 days until i turn 38 weeks and schedule the section then. So, we brought this up to my doc, and he 100% agreed with us!!! Long story short, Camryn will arrive Friday, Aug 20 around 1 pm or so. I have to get to the hosp at 11a that day...(I'm going to be one hungry mama not being able to eat from midnight on!) It's bad enough when you have an early surgery appt. Yikes! :-D

Anyways, we are super excited to finally have something in stone...now we can better plan how Bailey will be cared for while the grandma's are at the hospital for the delivery. They weren't able to be there for B's birth due to it being unexpectecd at 3:35am. Now just really hoping that little sister doesn't follow in big sister's foot steps and decided to come before 38 weeks. I am doing all that I can to try and prevent this child from having to be in the NICU. I would love more than anything to actually be able to hold my daughter after she is born, to have her in recovery with me, and to have her in our room! That would be so awesome. We'll just have to wait and see.

I finally got an opportunity to do something for myself.....I went on Monday and got a cute haircut and highlights..MUCH needed. Then on Tuesday for our monthly mama's night out...Melissa and Jessalyn and I went to Eva's to get a pedicure (1st one since my wedding!!!). I even got an adorable flower on my toes, which Bailey is loving! After that, we went to zuki for sushi of course! Jessalyn and I are VERY close in our pregnancies and will more than likely be in the hospital at the same time having our babies! So exciting!!!!!

Another doc appt. Thursday....I can't beleive it, here I thought today was the last one! LOL. I've never made it this far to know any different. :) How exciting this is.

I REALLY wish they performed the pre-pregnancy TAC's at TWH or St. Mary's for that matter. I would LOVE to be a spokesperson for them! I have a pretty big fan base at TWH though, i've been told that pretty much everyone there knows my name. I think I'm already considered a success story considering my history, and I still have 2 weeks to go. IF ANYONE, knows of anyone who has incompetent cervix like me, and has had a loss early in the pregnancy...please give them my info so I can get them in contact with my doc in Chicago! I would hate for awesome moms, to choose not to have any more kiddos for fear of the dreaded micro preemie delivery etc......

Well, I need to go lay down and attempt rest while B is "supposed" to be resting up for her swim lessons tonight. I have a feeling he and I will be up late putting together Bailey's "early" birthday present. A new bike! :-D She is all about bikes these days and riding her tryke...didn't want to wait till the end of October to give it to her because winter will soon be here. Give it to her now, and let her enjoy it. She won't know the difference come time for her birthday. ;-D

Cloth Diapers!!!

Before you say,"SHE'S CRAZY..." :)

I have done more research and video watching & talking with my friends that cloth diaper enough to drive a person crazy. I did all of this because this is an investment. Keenan was pretty anti- to begin with. All we had known was the horror stories of what our mama's told us of cloth diapering us. After I showed him a few videos of how the "cleaning" is done of the diapers, he was willing to give it a try. I then ordered 6 to try out on Bailey this past spring......

I wouldn't say that I am a "GREEN" person by any means. While I think it is a good thing, we've haven't been the best environmentally sound people. :( However, with cloth diapering...it is not only GREEN BUT...IT SAVES A TON OF MONEY! And that my friends..is music to my ears. I am just a wee bit of a tight wad! Today, I am proud to say, that Camryn's stash of Bum Genius 4.0's arrived today!!! She should be set until she is potty trained! These diapers fit from 8lbs-35lbs. with a bunch of snaps that allows for her to "grow." We had bought a few back for Bailey for her to use at night time prior to being potty trained...and they were not hard at all!

We will use disposables for the first few weeks while we are trying to get used to another little munchkin in the house....and probably for traveling too..I don't know yet...but overall, we will be solely cloth. You wash every day or every other day. We will probably wash every other day as I now have about 22-24 cloth diapers. These are so so soft on the baby and you don't get diaper rash with them!!! NOR are you allowed to use diaper creams because the water proof barrier will ruin the diaper and not make it absorb moisture. It cost a few hundred dollars to get the "stash" of diapers...but over the next 3 years...think how much money we will save!!!!!!!! Also, if you plan on having more kiddos...these will last through them too! US--I believe little "C" will be it. :)

I'm excited about this not only will it be more comfortable for Camryn and help prevent diaper rash, BUT we will save a couple thousand dollars on disposables over the course of time. Being a stay at home mama, I feel it's the only way to go, as we have not found that tree with money growing on it yet!

The mother load!

The Newborn setting

Showing all the different settings as your baby grows...

Bubble Madness--Our Friday Night! :-D

When you have a family....this is what a Friday night consists of. I LOVE IT...and wouldn't have it any other way. :-D...Well, "MAYBE" a little cooler. ;-) My camera was fogging up when I was trying to take pics, i'm surprised they even turned out!

Keenan makes the best and biggest darn bubbles. I am SOO jealous. Everytime Bailey asks me to do it, I try until my arm hurts and they pop every time! He loves doing bubbles, he is such a big kid. I love it that he takes such joy in playing with his kiddo!!! I should've taken a picture of the nice designs he drew in the street for the girls (Bailey & Aubrey) tonight... The girls loved it!!

Finally an update!

I chose to make our family blog private because i've heard from a lot of people that predators in your town can find you that way. If it is public, which it was, they can google and find all they need to know. I've had several friends switch theirs to private and we chose to do the same. Apparently, I stepped on a few toes by doing this. For that I am sorry-that was by NO means, my intention.

We've been keeping busy as usual. I am glad to say that I have FINALLY taken a break from my business until the end of September. It is hard maintaining 2 full time jobs 7 days a week while being pregnant. If there were more hours in the day, I'd gladly do the other job when my baby was sleeping. Can't really take pictures in the middle of the night though. I am completely booked up for the rest of 2010!!! April of 2011 is nearly booked up. I have added new packages for maternity, milestones and MILITARY! If you know of anyone fitting these descriptions...send them my way. www.candidxpressionsbyleisa.com I'd really appreciate it! Thank you!

We have been trying to enjoy outdoors, because after all, it IS summer. BUT with pregnant mama (who is happily still on my feet) is struggling with the heat/humidity & these heat advisories. We spend a lot of time inside, which is NOT Bailey and I. We are happier outdoors. Keenan has spent a great deal of time cleaning and organinzing the garage, and we go out there a lot in the evenings to play, let her ride the trike, cast her fishing pole and draw with chalk. Those are her favorite activities at the present. Keenan also gets out the big bubble wand and makes some GINORMOUS bubbles. So jealous. Mine always pop. LOL!

We've taken a family trip to Lake Barkley, had our 6 year wedding anniversary, continuing with swim lessons, gone to the movies, tried new playgrounds, learned to ride our trike FINALLY, wash cars with daddy & try new foods. We recently took Bailey to Zuki for her first time. It was papaws first time as well. WE ALL LOVED IT...even nonny, who is NOT a fan of Japanese food, but turns out she loved it! Zuki is good stuff people!

Bailey just had her pre-school physical. She weighs 31lbs and is 36 inches tall! Good report there. The next day was to finish up her allergy testing for foods from when she was 4 mo old. She was tested for tree nuts and shell fish. Proud to say she is OK! She enjoyed a snickers with me and LOVED IT! However, 2 days later, I made a real treat for lunch. PB & J's!!! I hadn't had one since she was born, worried she'd have a reaction if I gave her a kiss not knowing if she was allergic. ANYWHO...SHE HATED THE PB & J! Doesn't like jelly now, all of a sudden. Grandma Hape was here and asked me to make her a plain PB sammie, so I did. She did better with that. YUCK! MY girl is silly!

I have recently started nesting. YIKES! That is a crazy feeling, especially when you HATE to clean. More like despise cleaning! I also made up a TON of food to freeze for when Camryn gets here and I know I will be too wore out to cook and I don't want to live off fast food. We have had several people offer to bring us food. We are so appreciative in advance!! :)

I need to go wake up the monkey get her fed then off to swim...I am going to TRY and get better at making postings!!!
Camryn will be arriving in 3 weeks. 3 WEEKS!!!!!! I am scared to death...but so very excited to meet our new baby girl at the same time. Lord, let Bailey be a good big sister!!!


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Maternity Session..Awaiting Baby Camryn!

A dear friend of mine was ever so sweet as to take my maternity pictures for me. It is kind of hard to take them yourself. :) She did a fabulous time even though we were pressed for time and our little angel Bailey, was a STINKER despite what the pictures showed. I am ever so great-full to finally have maternity pictures, as I've wanted to get them with the past 2 pregnancies. Thank You GRETCHEN!!!!

Not only did we get them, we got them on our 6th wedding anniversary. Makes them, in our mind, a little extra special. :) I just placed a huge order of enlargements to go in our bedroom. I can't wait to see them! :-D

I plan on paying back the favor and taking Gretchen's family pictures this fall. :) Gretchen is also the photographer at The Women's Hospital and a night shift RN (that's how we met, back in 2005.) Upon Camryn's cooperation (unlike Bailey's), Gretchen plans to be in the O.R with Keenan and I when Camryn is born to take rated G photos for us! She was going to do the same with Bailey, but she decided to come EARLY and at 3:35AM. :) Camryn so far, is scheduled to arrive around the 2nd week in August pending a good amnio result, despite my Sept. 3 due date.

Bailey will be starting pre-school Aug 31 at USI 2 weeks after Camryn is born. YIKES!!! Think I might be a little emotional? :) We are only having her go Tues & Thurs half/day just to give her some "ME" time esp with a new baby in the house. My friend whose son goes there too, recommended I get on the waiting list last winter, GLAD we did! We got a call early this spring and they are taking Bailey a little early since you are supposed to be 3. So, we lucked out, or she would've had to have waited another year. I've already gotten the paper work (almost) filled out, her lil toddler backpack ordered and her 3 ring binder! That's right, a 3 year old needs a 3 ring binder...geeze....They start them early! It makes me sad to be sending her, as I said I would not send her to preschool, but the more I thought about it, she will gain a LOT from doing this. Especially with her not getting mommy's FULL attention as she gets day in and day out. Fingers crossed that this rocky transition in our lives will go SMOOTHLY! :-D

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Summer Fun Part 2!

Another hodge podge of pictures via slideshow....better than nothing though, right?

I've included pics from Bailey flying her first kite, spending an afternoon outside with Bailey's great-grandma, who is recently at Cypress Grove Rehab Center, bless her heart. Pics from our campout here at the house (in practice to do a big fun camp-out with friends, but it got too hot too quick..

Memorial Day Cookout with our awesome friends who just so happen to be my monthly mama's night out girls Jessalyn & Melissa...(MNO consists of one night a month, us 3 get to go child free to Zuki and enjoy some awesome sushi, quiet, relaxation, conversation etc! :)

Also have pics from Part 2 of our mini vacation to Dinosaur World & Chaney's Dairy Barn. We were supposed to do several other things that sounded awesome, but the heat/humidity told hubby and I otherwise. We didn't want me to go in labor or get dehydrated. So, we cut the trip short, came home early and finished Camryn's room (all but the fun decorations!)

I am sure I have some pics stored somewhere that I've missed...but this is an idea of what we've been up to. I've been so busy taking pictures of my clients that I am a bit burned out to pick up a camera to take pics of my little girl. :( Hope that changes SOON!

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Brown County State Park: Part 1 of our mini vaca 2010

1st off: We absolutely LOVE our new mini van. We were so reluctant to go that route. Nearly bought a Tahoe, for the 2nd time in a year....but our main reason for getting rid of the trailblazer was the need for cargo space. After talking with some friends with kids that have Tahoes, we wouldn't be gaining a whole lot without having to take out the 3rd row and store it. So we decided to spend half as much money and have the 3rd row fold flat to the floor, add the 2nd row captains chairs and we have TONS of room to take trips in, especially to nonny's when the baby gets here. Bailey loves the ability to watch a dvd or stretch her legs after a potty break all done in the van! It will be perfect during icky weather AND on our big trip to Florida with our friends next spring/early summer!!!!. SO SO SO glad we got a mini van. I have now joined the club I said I would never join. LOL! :)

We decided to take a little road trip north to Brown County State park and stay at the Abe Martin Lodge. We got our indoor waterpark passes included with our room so we could not pass it up. Afterall, this trip is intended for Bailey. We were wanting to try and do some fun fun family things with her before Camryn arrives. Too bad, this can't be a bribe for good behavior when the baby gets here. You never know...Miss B might surprise us. Regardless, we still wanting to do some fun & affordable things with JUST her. So far on part 1 of the trip, she had a blast! Enjoy the slideshow! :)
We made some progress in the potty department. As she has been potty trained since November for #1, she would occassionaly go #2 on the potty. She went at the lodge and when we got home. On her own terms! I doubt it lasts, but we are still thrilled! She stayed dry the entire trip AND for the first time EVER was dry when she woke up our first morning at the lodge. No such luck the 2nd night as she coughed most of the night and we were all up from 3:30a-4:30a trying to get her to quit coughing. Finally, a dose of Benadryl & vicks on her feet did the trick then we ALL overslept our last morning there. Oh well, we obviously needed it. :)

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Spring/Early Summer Catch Up Slideshow!

Trying to do a little catch up: These are a compliation of pics from 1 of my computers. I'll have to work on a slideshow from my other computer. Organized? I use to be. I've been so incredibly busy the past few months it's unbelievable. I just need to learn the word, NO once in a while, and I probably would be ok. :)

It's been a rough go for all of my family on my mom's side. Mother's day weekend, my grandma fell and broke some ribs. After her hospitalization she was sent to Cypress for rehab. I was thrilled, one of my good OT friends works there & she's fantastic with alzheimer patients. My grandma hasn't taken the transistion very well to the alzheimer's unit...but who would? She has her good days and she has her bad-bad days. Then, last week, my grandpa ended up having an emergency surgery due to a hernia protruding through his bowel and rupturing it. The docs didn't appear to positive for his prognosis due to his age and the type of surgery he had, but all of the prayers from around the country and his strong will...he made it and is doing well, considering. He is super weak from his hospital stay and was transfered to Cypress today to get some rehab. The girls will love working with him!!! My uncle & aunt has been running and doing for my grandparents for months now. We are so thankful that he's been so caring & giving to do this for our family. Just hope he is taking good care of his own self!

We've done a little bit of everything the past few months...lots of play dates with Aubrey our neighbor, and Addie & Lydia good friends of ours. We've picked strawberries, flown kites, have been taking swim lessons for weeks now. The instructor says B has one of the best flutter kicks out of the other kids her age. The other types of kicks, are just average. :) She is a little water rat. LOVES to swim. We've gone fishing on daddy's boat, where she wrangled a fish with both hands and tossed it in the water before we knew what happened! Lucky she didn't get finned! I have video but don't want PITA knocking on my door. LOL.

Keenan has finished painting Camryn's room. Now we just need to decorate, clear out the "toy room aspect of it" YIKES...move Bailey's furniture to the baby's room and buy Bailey new furniture. UGH. lot of work!

I am just PROUD very PROUD to still be on my feet now at 28 weeks! With Bailey, at this point, I was already on bedrest for a MONTH! Very thankful at this point. My U/S have been great as well. My last appointment it measured at 6.0. The girl even had another girl come in to verify due to my history, she didn't trust her measurements! She said that my cervix is just as long as "most" pregnant women with no problems....Fantastic! I met with the specialist a month ago, and they are going to give me a steroid shot for the baby's lungs at 34 weeks. Then do an amnio on Aug 16 at 37 weeks to test baby's lungs. If they are ok, then they may deliver me that day, or wait a day or 2. They are not wanting me to go much past 37 weeks due to how many surgeries I have had--it puts me at risk for uterine abruption. We don't want that. All in all, this pregnancy is going great, I just have low blood pressure, making me a little dizzy upon standing at times. If I can get to 30 weeks (my goal) I will breath a huge sigh of relief! The baby will for sure be ok if born early. I am SOOO glad that I was proactive in my healthcare in getting the TAC up in Chicago last July. WHile the recovery was quite painful, it was MORE than worth it. I am sure some friends/family & probably my own doc thought I was a little nuts driving all the way up there to get a not so talked about surgery from a doc I never personally met...I had a feeling and I went with it. I knew if I didn't give this a try, we were not going to try and have anymore kids. This has been so worth it, and I just hope and pray I make it to 37 weeks. How awesome would that be? How awesome would it be to actually, get to hold my child after birth without her being whisked away to NICU..? Would love to be able to hold her and take her home within the normal amount of time for a c-section baby. REALLY hoping 3rd time is the charm, and Miss Camryn Reece will arrive in this world safe and sound! I've got amazing support from my close friends and family! It means a lot!

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It's a GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!

We are VERY PROUD to announce that we are having a little girl, Camryn Reece. We are all quite shocked, even though during the u/s Keenan asked if I had a last minute guess and I said girl. She was being quite stubborn just like her big sister. She was breech and making it very hard to see what she was. :)

Mommy and Camryn's measurements looked great. I'll go back in 2 weeks for another u/s at 23 1/2 weeks. I also requested a referral to the new MFM specialist at the hosp. From all of my nursing friends, he is AWESOME. I just want to get established with him in case something were to happen. He is familiar with the TAC which I had placed in July. So that is comforting. I am my doctor's first patient with the TAC. I should be seeing Dr. Fitzpatrick sometime in my 24th week. That is the time when I've had my problem with both of my other girls. I am looking forward to meeting him and hearing what he has to say.

Keenan had to leave tonight after work to go to Indy for meetings for the next couple of days. He happened to stop by Bass Pro Shops in Louisville on the way there tonight and he was the 1st one to buy Camryn a outfit (he got Bailey a shirt too) :). So precious! I love him...and he loves his girls!


I have been SUPER busy with my business this and next month before I take off until the baby gets here. I am ALREADY booked up for September and October. Which is going to be even crazy busier with a newborn! It is going to be a challenge for sure! My mom has been up here staying with us for 2 weeks and it has allowed me to go all of my shoots, all of my editing AND build my new website. Thanks mom for all of your help, it is VERY much appreciated!

Bailey's In Swim Lessons!!!

A good friend of ours signed her kiddos up for swim lessons and I thought it'd be a great thing for Bailey too. We were fortunately able to get her in private lessons vs. the group lessons and she is responding VERY well. She talks about going swimming nearly every day now. The sad part is, it's only on Thursday evenings, that's a long time to make a little girl wait. :)
The first lesson, Keenan got in the water with her and the instructor, and the most recent session, I got in the water with her. We were having a great time! Towards the end, the instructor asked me if I was "ready" for her to go "under." I said, sure as long as it's safe. So.....the instructor and I talked to Bailey about it then we each took turns going under to show her it was ok....THEN the time came. Luckily nonny and pawpaw were both in town and got to see Bailey go under for the first time! I was quite shocked, I thought she was just going to put her face under...as you can see from the pic, she got dunked! :) Bailey was a trooper, no crying and didn't even get choked! But, she didn't want to do it again and hugged me after it was over. I think all of us clapping and cheering for her made her get over "what just happened."
I am THRILLED she is in swim lessons. I think it is one of the most important things to learn, especially since our main recreation as a family is fishing on a boat!

Spring Has Sprung

Lots of fun things have been going on since the weather has turned pretty. Haven't got pics of most things, but i've got a few. I'm starting to slip in the photo taking department when it comes to Bailey! :( I need to start working on that! Our 1st trip to the zoo this year was with our dear friends the Knights. A rare photo of all 3 girls looking at the camera! :) Had a great time on a beautiful day and Bailey climbed the big spiderweb for the first time. Now she doesn't want to leave that part when we go there. :)
I am sure I am leaving out a ton, but the pregnancy fog is a real thing! If I remember by my next post, I'll add it all then! :-D

Bailey FINALLY got her 1st haircut at 2 1/2 years old. I am sure that is late for some, but i'm ok with that. She did AWESOME and had her trusty dinosaur with her the whole time to keep her company. She did not fuss or whine the entire time! She even enjoyed getting her hair blow dried and getting her 1st french braid!

Bailey sporting her 1st french braid with her 2 daisy clips!!! She's VERY proud of those! :)






Sunday was a gloomy/rainy day so we decided to do an Easter egg activity. Keenan and I haven't dyed eggs since we were little, so that was kind of fun. The real fun started when Bailey got to decorate the eggs with her stickers. I think she spent almost an hour perfecting her art of sticker placement.










Bailey sat still long enough for me to snap a photo of her and daddy cuddling. He of course was glued to the tube watching the Elite 8. :)


We recently went to a new "jump and bounce" place instead of Pump It Up and we LIKE it way better. We met Bailey's little friends, Addie and Lydia there and the girls ran and bounced off a lot of energy. Bailey even climbed and went down the HUGE slide ALL by her self. I of course, did not bring my camera...will have to next time. Such a neat place! We'll be going back VERY soon.

I'll be posting more pics soon as we are having an Easter egg hunt at our friend's house on Wed. I can't wait to see how much fun the kiddos have. I think my job will be snapping the pics. :-D
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I had another doctor's appointment today...i'm finally at 17 weeks! I had been having a little bit of anxiety. I've been having some round ligament pains, growing pains or something....and to be honest, I've NEVER had any discomfort in my pregnancies until I reach the 24 week mark...So, I kinda didn't do much this weekend due to some worrying. After talking to some dear nurse friends of mine, they assured me it'd be ok if I requested an ultrasound today just to make sure all is well and give me some reassurance. My doc was totally cool with it and they got me right in. I am PROUD to say that my cervix looks perfect. Probably like a normal pregnant woman. The band that is placed is super high which is perfect! Everything looked great. We will get another ultrasound on April 26 and it will also include an anatomy scan of the baby in addition to cervical measurements. If the baby cooperates we just might be finding out if Bailey will be having a baby brother or baby sister......
Fingers crossed that I continue to have doctor appointments with the same GREAT results!

I started my 17-P shots last Monday. I will continue to get them weekly for the next 20 weeks. One of our very good friends (RN at Women's Hosp) is graciously coming to the house to give them to me on Monday evenings. Keenan voiced he wanted to learn to give me the shot and she showed him how last Monday...he must've took good mental notes. Tonight, under her supervision, he gave me my shot! He did awesome. I was so proud of him. That stuff is SUPER thick so it is a little tricky, but he did it all without hesitation! Thank you Melissa and Keenan both!

Thank you all for your much needed thoughts and prayers!
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April 24 is the big day...March for Babies....Up to this point, we've raised $340!!! Quite short from our goal...the great thing is, is that Keenan's company will MATCH our total up to $1000!!!! That is awesome....so if you are able, ANY amount is much appreciated. It is for a much needed cause. I am still unsure wether or not I will participate in the walk besides raising money. That is a long time for me to be on my feet....we will see. I am looking forward to our annual cookout after the event for those that helped our team raise money. It's kind of a "thank you" cookout! I'll keep you posted on our final total raised. If you are interested, there is a link at the top of the blog! :)
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My business has taken off faster than I ever dreamed! I have 6 clients booked for April and 8 for May. That has been part of my anxiety and not being able to wait till the end of April for the ultrasound. I am going to be super busy the next couple of months! I am taking off the summer with only a couple of "babies" to photograph in July if I am still on my feet. The parents are super suportive and said if need be, the pics can wait until after the baby gets here. I am already booked for September and October too! November just has a few spots left. I'll hopefully, be having the baby in August sometime, and NOT any sooner...I have a feeling I'm going to be pretty exhausted for September's clients not getting an 8 or 12 week maternity time off...but at least it is just 1-2 hours photographing the client then I can spend the 5-8 hours editing the pics on my own time and in between mini-naps. :) This is so awesome, I am so excited. Next year I will def. schedule more clients each month, but 6-7 this spring will be hard enough on me while still wrestling a 2 1/2 year old and "taking it easy." I have a feeling I'll be requesting another ultrasound in 2 weeks just to make sure everything is still ok. The doc said, if I feel I need it for reassurance, just call and he'll get me in!
If you haven't checked out my website yet, click here Candid Xpressions By Leisa.
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ALSO, a few weeks ago, we decided after MUCH thought and consideration....to start using cloth diapers for the new baby. I went ahead and bought some I caught on sale to use with Bailey during the night since she stays dry during the day and for naps. They are working out wonderfully, no leaks, and are REALLY easy to use. The money we will save on diaper will be HUGE! I figured it is the least I can do while being a stay at home mom. One of my good friends, Jessalyn, has given me all the info and tips I need on cloth diapering, her and I are due around the same time and she will be using the same ones on her 3rd child! Wow, the money she has saved! Fuzzi Bunz is the brand that she recommended I buy. Love the snap closures! The velcro is nice too on the Bum Genius BUT it won't last as long as these snap closures.
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Just wanted to say congratulations to our neighbors, Cheven and Jason on the birth of their baby boy today. Charley Merritt May arrived at 9:41 this morning! He weighed 7 pounds 12 ounces and is 21 and 3/4 inches long. Mom and baby are doing great. Bailey can't wait to meet her best buddy, Aubrey's little brother! Congratulations, Cheven and Jason!

Bailey's Announcement

Bailey would like to announce that she is going to be a big sister "hopefully" this August and not anytime sooner than that.

I found out I was expecting Dec. 22. I got the idea to take this pic, about an hour before Keenan got home. Notice Bailey's crazy hair, and messed up shirt! :) I got it printed and wrapped in a box. When I said we didn't get each other a gift this year, I fibbed. This was our gift. :) The best gift. My mom and Wendell were coming to stay with us Christmas Eve, so I gave Keenan his present to open when he got home on the 22nd. We told our parents Christmas morning. The first time we have ever been able to tell them to their face and they were all here at the house at the same time. It was great!


Baby Hape's due date is 9/3/10. We went to my first doctor's appointment today and I was thrilled when he got me in for an ultrasound. He normally doesn't do that this early. I had told Keenan NOT to come to the appointment because it was just going to be blood work and chatting with the doc. When he said I would go for a U/S...I was instantly texting Keenan, he flew out of work and got there in the middle of the ultrasound. As soon as he looked at the screen she sounded the heart beat. I am SOOO happy he was there to hear it with me for the first time. We absolutely LOVE that sound. Amazing how a baby so so very tiny can have such a strong heart beat of 178 bpm.

My doc in Chicago had a phone conference with my doc here last week so everyone is up to speed with how to handle my care since I've had the surgery. My doc has never had a patient with a TAC...not too much different than caring for a patient with a regular cerclage like the one I had in with Bailey, apparently.

I really wish I could "enjoy" my entire pregnancy like "most" people I know. No worries, doing whatever they want, going on trips..... Not all, I know many people who have gone through the loss of a baby, preterm babies, months of bedrest. months and months of worrry as well........Really Really hoping this go around is different. Really hoping for an "uneventful" FULL TERM pregnancy! I just really hope that I can continue to take care of my little Bailey throughout this time and not have to enlist the services of my mom or Keenan's mom to help out the further along I get. But, we all know, I will do what I have to do to get this little baby here safe and healthy!