Half Way There

I can't believe it but as of last week we are already half way there. Time has flown so fast this time. Maybe because when I was pregnancy with Ty I was just sitting around at home and not working. Life is so busy and flying by me right now that this pregnancy is just rolling right on through.

That is good in many ways, but then also sad. I am glad that we are that much closer to seeing and holding our beautiful baby girl Fe Evelyn Gloria. But on the other hand I feel like I am missing out on just enjoying the pregnancy.

I am just so super thankful that we haven't had near the amount of complications that I had with Ty. I feel confident and have been praying for a pretty smooth and stress free pregnancy and delivery. So far so good.

Family Time!

It has been long overdue but we finally made it back to Florida to visit the family.

The grandparents haven't see Ty is a very long time and this if the first time they are seeing me pregnancy with my little baby girl.

It is good to see all the family and friends, even if it is just for a quick weekend. Ty is having a blast meeting everyone and laughing with every one. He and Janelle get along real well and are playing together.

Now we are on the way to say hi to some friends.

Little Princess

So the verdict is in and the cake has been cut.

Chris and I are having a baby GIRL!!!

What in the world are we going to do? I am scared crazy, I have no idea idea how to raise girls.

Okay so technically I didn't know how to raise boys either but I don't know, I was more emotionally ready to handle a boy.

Now we have only 20 weeks to not only re-learn the basics about having an infant but also learn the special technique that is needed to raise a girl.

Any advice?

Wiggly Giggly

I spoke about this the last time with Ty. I think I must be crazy but I for one think that feeling the baby move around inside my tummy is absolutely creepy.

Okay I know, it is beautiful and wonderful and all that magically stuff, but come on, it is weird.

For me each time I feel the baby move it serves as a reminder that there is a human being growing inside of me. While I am so grateful and honored that God has chosen me and Chris again to birth and raise another one of His children the whole process just gives me the willies.

I mean just think about it, a person that will one day be walking and talking and breathing and eating all on their own is inside of me. I am sorry, I just find that so ... crazy!!!

Big Bad Kidney Stone

Good thing about last week: We got to see the baby for the very first time.
Bad thing about last week: We spent about 5 hours in the emergency room waiting to see what was wrong with me.

Wednesday morning while I was at work I started to feel a tremendous pressure and pain on my lower left back that radiated from there forward toward the left side of my stomach. It was so intense that I ended up on the floor underneath the conference table trying to find different positions to lay in to elevate some of the pain. I managed to crawl to the phone to call my sister in law to come save me. Of course she didn't answer her phone so I had to wobble down the hall to her office and fall on the floor in there instead.

She rushed me to the local clinic where they could not find anything wrong and by then the pain and reduced significanlty. I still felt some pressure after I would use the restroom but no where near the level I did earlier that morning. Although they did not find anything to report they did highly suggest that I have an ultrasound done immediately to check on the baby. Especially since we hadn't had one yet.

So Chris left work and came to pick us up to head to the emergency room. We were there for about 5 hours and had a urine test, blood work and the ultrasound. We were worried that somehow we would either see or the technician would see the gender and tell us. But thankfully the little one was so wiggly that they couldn't get to it. They were able to do their major checks and the baby and I were completely healthy.

Based on my description of the pain and experience they diagnosed me as having passed a kidney stone. Praise Jesus it happened as fast as it did and there are no lasting effects.

Not As Expected

Since leaving our last prenatal appointment I have been feeling this little one moving around like a champ. I was concerned for a few weeks there because with Ty I could feel him from around 16 weeks. It took us until 18 weeks before I felt this baby moving. They say typically you can feel your second baby moving sooner but I guess we are out to prove all the stats wrong. Let's recap all the stuff that haven't happened like they say.

Weight Gain: I am supposed to gain more weight with the second baby and faster. That is a big negative. At this point I have gain less than half the weight I did with Ty.

Showing sooner: Last week is the first time I feel that the outside world could finally see that I am actually telling the truth about this pregnancy. I may not have been huge with Ty but I know for certain you would question my status around 14/15 weeks.

Feeling the baby move: Already stated, just recently starting to feel the baby move. In fact I remember that Chris was able to feel the baby move weeks after I could and he felt Ty around 18 weeks. I am not 20 and Chris felt this baby move for the first time last night. Awesome experience. You should have seen his face.

Less engaged in the development: Okay I have to give you this one. They say with that with each child you have the excitement and hype is just not as strong. I would have to agree. We are certainly excited but I don't think we have done as much this time around. And time seems to be going a lot faster also.

Overall, not the pregnancy experience that I have been expecting but I am not complaining at all. I will take the smaller stomach, smaller weight gain and actually less creepy baby movement anytime.

To Know or Not To Know...

To know or not to know, isn't that a question every expecting parent runs into? Well, here we are. Now I know a couple of parents who chose to wait till the delivery to find out what they were having. When I asked them, why and how could you wait, they just said that there aren't that many surprises in life anymore. To that I say, so true.

Then we have those who found out at the 20 weeks ultrasound, which included us, and the reasoning is a simple one, preparation. So here we are. We are looking to have our 20 weeks ultrasound next week where we'll, hopefully, if our little belly fruit cooperates, find out if Ty will be getting a baby sister or brother. Now when we were having Ty, we made the decision to find out what we were having for the reason of preparation and well, we couldn't wait.

Now, I was listening to a radio station and the topic of the different ways of finding out came on. One way stood out to me and made me say hmmmmm. It's called a Gender Cake Party or Sex Cake Party. The second name always gets people attention for some reason :) So here it goes. You go to ultrasound and you tell the technician you don't want to know the sex of the baby, but please write it down on a piece of paper. Then, you take that to the baker and tell them to bake a cake with the inside to match whats on the paper. If it's a boy, the blue type insides and if it's a girl, then pink type insides. Frost it with white icing and decorate it with a question mark. Then, invite family and friends over, have a little get together and then cut the cake and share the surprise. Pretty interesting huh?

I think it's the perfect middle ground between knowing right away and finding out later. What you think? We're pretty amped! Except for my sister who just insisted on knowing right then. She wasn't there for Ty's ultrasound, but now she has a chance to share in this experience. We both agreed, she could be the first to find out.

We'll keep you all posted. Stay tuned...

Baby Gender Poll

Welcome to the Channers Second baby blog. For many of you this is the first post you are seeing about our journey of bring a second child into this world. We are all super excited and looking forward to the joys of raising two young children at once. When you have the time go ahead and read the few posts we have up so far. You can see how much fun we have been having.

As you may know we are in our 18th week of pregnancy and are scheduled to have the big ultrasound in two weeks. Well we didn't want to keep the fun all to ourselves. So we decided to set up another gender guessing poll for this baby. Unlike with Ty who I knew was going to be a boy, I have absolutely no clue what this baby could be so your guess is as good as mine.

So join now and get your votes in before it is too late.

All entries must be in by Dec 16 at noon to be included.

Strongest Heartbeat Ever

Very exciting time today. Chris, Ty and I all piled in the car and headed to our third prenatal visit. Chris wasn't feeling all that well today, but he was a trooper. The past few weeks I have still been filled with fears and concerns about the babies safety. Because we have only heard one heart beat and because I have been so small and haven't felt much baby movement I am constantly questioning whether the baby is still safe and sound. I feared we would enter this appointment and leave not hearing a heartbeat and being worried and rushing to the emergency room.

Well the first portion of the appointment was just your typical appointment. Besides the fact that we actually got whisked in right away, no waiting at all. I barely had time to get my weight before they were ready for us. Then we had the usually small talk, how things are, what are my questions, etc. And she got out the goods and instructed me to get on board for hearing the heartbeat. I prepared myself for a good five to ten minutes of trying again. She jelled up the unit and put it on my stomach and immediately (no exaggeration) we heard the loud strong heartbeat at a mighty 152 beats per minute. I loved it. It was like God said .. 'There ... now quit whining Philippa.' So I am done being a big worried baby.

Other exciting news is we already scheduled to have our ultrasound done in two weeks from now.We are super excited and can't wait to find out the sex of the baby.

Ty's Birthday Party Montage

Took a little time, however here it is, a montage of Ty's 1st birthday party. Hope you enjoy it. He really had alot of fun and so did everyone. Thanks to everyone who made that dayso very special.

There is Life After All

For weeks now I have been concerned because I haven't gained much weight at all and you can not tell I am pregnant at all and we are already 14 weeks along. Especially in the morning, my tummy is as flat as ever. I have had no reassurance that everything is okay because I haven't felt the baby move yet and we haven't needed an early sonogram and our last appointment at 10 weeks it was too early to hear a heart beat. So all this time I have been operating on faith and confidence that everything is great.

But finally this past Wednesday we had our second prenatal check up. We went in saying that basically if we didn't hear from the midwife that one, the baby is the right size and two we hear a heart beat, I was scheduling a sonogram right away. Well after minutes of poking and probing and two Dopplers later we finally picked up a small drum roll of a heart beat.

This little baby has picked just the oddest position to rest in. Apparently my uterus is in a Retroflexed position. Here is a little blurb about that and what difficulties it can cause during my visits:

Diagnostic Difficulties

Uterine position can cause some difficulties during examinations. During manual pelvic examinations performed by a family physician or gynecologist, a retroverted or retroflexed uterus may be more difficult to feel. Retroflexed uteruses can cause examination difficulties during early pregnancy. The baby's heartbeat may not be heard as early in the pregnancy as with an anteverted or retroverted uterus. Retroflexed uteruses may be difficult to image during the abdominal portion of a pelvic or early pregnancy ultrasound, whereas a retroverted uterus may be more difficult to image using transvaginal ultrasonography. These difficulties arise because portions of the uterus are farther away from the transducer, or ultrasound camera.

Read more at Suite101: Uterine Positions: Normal Variations and Associated Difficultieshttp://www.suite101.com/content/uterine-positions-a141677#ixzz14Q64wlYa

 So you can imagine my relief of why it took so long to find the heart beat. This positioning would also explain why my stomach is so small on the outside. I can feel my pants are tighter but didn't really see anything. That is because the baby is growing up and downwards and not toward my tummy. But the good thing is this isn't permanent. My uterus will change to the anteverted position (which is the ideal position) as the pregnancy goes a long and the baby gets bigger. Kind of like a balloon inflating.

10 Weeks and Counting

This week we reached the ten week mark and things are getting exciting. On Wednesday we had our first prenatal check up at BirthCare in Virginia. Originally Toya was going to come with me but things worked out that Chris was home and able to come with me instead. The appointment was a normal first check up, urine test, blood test, pap smear and the first attempt to hear the heart beat. We tried but the baby was just too tiny for the Doppler to pick up the heart beat. Our next appointment isn't for another four weeks and I will be 14 weeks then so maybe ... fingers crossed. We were thinking of doing an ultrasound around now, like we did with Ty but because the insurance is different up here they may only cover one ultrasound so I think we would just go ahead and wait until the big 20 week ultrasound.

Besides that, things are as expected. I am almost always, tired and always hungry and always feeling woozy. I had my first episode of emotional breakdown ... which compared to this time with Ty is a lot better. In the middle of the week, after the appointment I was just looking around at all the stuff that wasn't getting done properly (or at all) at work, at home and just everyone. I was feeling very low and ashamed. Since then things have certainly improved. I have caught up a lot at work and my boss is so caring and understanding that he has given me Monday of next week off. And my home is in much better order thanks to Chris' help and Ty's cooperation. Things aren't perfect but at least I don't feel like a failure right now. Which is nice.

Cheese Burger Anyone?

I just wanted to share with you that it seems that this child has a strong desire for cheese burgers. I strongly believe that I have just finished eating my tenth cheese burger for this entire pregnancy. And seeing that I am only 10 weeks along, that isn't good.

Thanks the Lord that I am also eating plenty of fruits and veggies to balance out the McDonald's attacks.

Ty Can Talk

Did I tell you that my son can communicate with us?

Okay so he isn't speaking actual words yet but Chris and I, along with the support and help from all the lovely ladies who take care of him while we work, have successfully taught him several baby signs. Ty has not only learned but perfected the use of the words 'Please' and 'Thank You.' He also has 'Hello' and 'Good Bye' down but uses them very selectively.
All of Ty's signs learned so far.

1. Please
2. Thank You
3. Hello
4. Good Bye
5. More
6. What is that (Pointing)
7. Excitement (Clapping and moving feet quickly) 

Right now I have set myself a goal of introducing at least two new signs to him each week. Now I understand that teaching them does not mean that he will automatically pick them up and start using them right away. But the more we teach and show him the faster he will start to pick them up.

It is so fun watching him learn, and I know that he feels and experiences the sense of accomplishment when he learns them also. You an almost see the pride in his little smiling face when he does a sign and we respond to it. He feels so much better knowing that he actually communicated with us a need or desire he had.

I can't wait to see how much this help his further development. And I can already see him encouraging his little sister (or brother) to learn the signs also. How fun!!!

While we haven't used the program mentioned in this video, I found that this is a good explanation of the benefits of teaching our babies signs for communication.

Nine Weeks and WE HAVE A MIDWIFE!!!

So after weeks of searching we have finally found a midwife that will work with us. After much praying and consideration we have decided to go with BirthCare midwives in Virginia. The only condition is that my sister law would need to come with my to all my appointments so I don't have to drive alone.

I just can't believe we are already into our ninth week. This time around is just so different from with Ty. Because I have him, I am working full time and now I have a home that I need to up keep it is much harder on my. I am much more tired and weak ... oh and hungry.

There are some things that are similar though. Mainly my need for cheese and meat. I can't tell you how many cheese burgers I have had in the past two weeks. It is crazy.

I don't remember, but I am about to look back to Ty's blog, but I don't think I started to show this early last time. It is not huge and most people probably wouldn't see it but I can certainly feel and see it.

Poor Ty

This weekend poor little Ty was running a fever again. We discovered the fever on Saturday night. It cleared it self not too long afterwards but then returned again later on that night. All day Sunday he seemed to be fine but then Sunday late night the big bad fever returned. Chris and I were up with him and just watching him for a while but it didn't seem that his fever was breaking this time. We took his temperature around 1:30 am and discovered it was a mighty high 103.7. We were concerned so we rushed to the ER. Thankfully there they gave him some infant Motrin and it started to break. They didn't discover any problems but had us follow up with his doctor.

So the next day I stayed home with him and we went to the doctor. Within moments we discovered that he did in fact have another ear infection, this time in both ears. We were prescribed some antibiotics which he is taking now. Poor little guy had a slight fever again that day but no where near the levels as before and I can tell a change in him already. It wasn't until he started to get better that I realized just how much his attitude and personality changes when he is feeling sick.

Weaning Time

Since Ty turned one years old this month I decided it was time to start actively weaning him from breast milk. And thankfully so far the process has been pretty smooth.

I technically started the weaning process a few months back when we started to feed him regular solid food. He really started eating dinner with us at about ten and a half month when he started walking. We started with dinner, and then slowly added lunch also. As of today we are now down to only breast feeding before bed time and middle of the night hunger moments.

First thing in the morning we have breakfast together ... eggs, peanut butter & jelly, oatmeal ... we like to change it up each day. Then he has his big boy lunches and big boy snacks throughout the day. Then we all eat dinner together at the table.

I am very proud of him for accepting the changes so well and not being demanding and expectant of much else. I think he is rather enjoying the feeling of Independence and growth.

Back to the Drawing Board

So Chris and I were this close to securing the perfect midwife for our birth but now it seems we must go back to the drawing board. We are approaching the ninth week and are really cutting it close. We need something ... yesterday.

We met with and really liked Joey of Scared Journey Midwifery. She came to the house and answered all of our questions. Things would have worked out perfectly. The last thing to confirm was that our insurance would cover it and how much of out of pocket costs it would be. Well it turns out that she is out of network which my insurance will not cover. So we would be responsible for the entire costs out of pocket. Which honestly isn't too bad ... a total of $3,800 for all prenatal visits, post delivery visits and the actual delivery. That is a lot to think about. Chris and I are praying about it, because it would truly be the best birth situation for all of us but we are suppose to be buying a home next year also.

So keep praying for us ...

The Search Continues

Here we are at eight weeks and we still do not have a midwife to deliver our baby. I have continued this tiresome search but everywhere I turn we are running into some sort of wall. They are either too far, don't have a birthing center, costs too much or require that we deliver at a local hospital that I just don't like. Hey maybe we can move within the next 7 months ... :) highly doubtful.

But I haven't given up all hope. I have been praying very hard for us to find the perfect solution and I know that the answer is near.

I have been re-evaluating myself also. Questioning if I am making a big deal out of something that in the end really may not matter. What is really important is that I bring a healthy baby into the world ... how we get there may not be all that important.

Or is it.

Chris and I watched this video after we had given Ty the best birth we thought possible. And now we just want to give this baby the same experience. It isn't so much for me as it is for the baby.

BirthCare Visit

Recently I got to experience my first baby related appointment. Ever since Ty's birth I have been dreaming and hoping for the opportunity to deliver our next child in the comfort of our own home. In Florida, we knew the right people and midwife that could make that happen. Well needless to say, we are no longer in Florida and do not have those people to rely on any more. So since we moved, and long before we found out I was pregnant I have been researching and calling around to find a midwife that would be willing and able to come to our home to deliver our child for us. I met with a few early on but for each of them I was out of their radius of travel. To make matters worse, not only was I not finding one to come to the house, the ones that were local did not have an actual birthing center, we would have to go to the hospital with them for the birth ... Boooo!!

Well finally after months of searching I found a midwife organization that has not just one but six midwifes and would actually be able to travel to my home for the delivery. I went to their information session were the get to meet and greet couples that could potentially be new patients and share information about their practice and home births in general. I was so glad that attended, they offered everything I was hoping and praying for. You can check them out whenever you like, they are called BirthCare Center out of Virginia.

The only concern that Chris has, which is completely valid is that their office is located in Virgina, we are in Maryland and for each of the regular check ups leading to the birth I would have to go to their office.They will come to the home for the birth, but not for the regular appointments. I took the metro when I went recently and it was about an hour and fifteen minute ride, each way. And considering that I was on bed rest so much with Ty, and that will more than likely happen again, I would still need to travel to them. Chris doesn't like me traveling that far, alone, and pregnant. And I agree.

All that to say, I love them, but we have to keep our options open. I am not going to begin looking into the local midwifes to see what birthing in the hospital is really like ... what does that mean ... and how involved is the hospital staff. Fingers crossed that it works out to be the same experience we had at the birthing center last year.

Ty's First Real Injury

A few weeks ago before, right before Ty's first birthday, I allowed my son, through pure neglect and just bad mothering to obtain his first injury.

We were at work and on our lunch break. As usually I went to the nursery to pick him up for about 20-30 minutes just to spend some time with him and bond a little before getting back to work.

We rode in the elevator up laughing as he has finally figured out the joy behind pushing a lot of buttons. When we arrived on our floor I set him down to talk. We stepped out of the elevator and there waiting were a few co-workers of mine, all of which love and adore Ty. So we hung out for a few moments while they got to love on him.

Well in that time the elevator sounded to signal that it was now closing and going back downstairs. Ty heard the noise, turned around and started to go back into the elevator. He then stopped right in the track of the closing door. Which usually wouldn't be a problem for a normal person but not for a tiny 1 year old. The elevator didn't sense him there and kept trying to close. The poor boys biggest little tiny toe was on the track and the elevator bounced off of it, finally sensing him and opened again.

It was too late though, the damage had been done. For a few days his little toe was a pretty rainbow of red, blue, purple and black. It has finally cleared up now but I still fear that as the weeks go back his toe nail will eventually fall off. Creepy!!!

Pins & Needles

I was hoping that this time around I would be more relaxed and not worry as much about the safety of our little baby but that is not the case. I find myself worry just as much if not more than I was when we first found out we were pregnant with Ty.

Each and every little pinch or tweak I feel in my stomach causes concern. If I go too long without 'feeling' pregnancy I start to worry. I can't go to the bathroom without being concerned about finding some spotting or any other sign of miscarriage.

But I am trying to relax and to not think about it and just enjoy this time. Not before long we will have a full household and will be busy beyond extreme. We will have plenty of time to worry about the little baby then.

Here We Go Again!

So I just found out this morning that Chris and I are expecting baby number two. Wow! That is strange and exciting at the same time. We made the decision early on that we were going to leave it on God's hands to determine when the next baby arrived but I think we still had expectations of waiting at least another year or so. Well here we are now with another little sweet angle growing inside of me and already I am anticipating the journey of watching and feeling this baby grow and finally meeting her/him around May of next year.

Our goal is to be just as active and excited about this pregnancy as we were for baby Ty. I hear that no matter how much you try to avoid it, the focus and attention the second and third babies get is always different. So we will see.

Take That First Step

Oh we are just so close. Everyday now Ty is getting closer and closer to finally taking that first un-assisted step. He has become a pro at walking around furniture and people. And you should see him on a walker ... cutest ever.

Here are some videos of him crawling and then walking with toys at church.

See Him Now!

Here are a few pics of the little man now.

Ty is Amazing

I am so amazed and and in awe each day as I watch my son grow and learn. He is only 10 months old now but he has the heart and mind of an experienced toddler. He has grown so much in the few months that we moved to Maryland. I feel that being around all the other big kids in the church day care has really had an effect on him and has pushed him and encouraged him to do so much more.

He already has 4 shinny white teeth.

He crawls and cruises like a pro.

He is standing on his own and will cross back and forth between furniture and people.

He is eating almost everything in sight. I am still breastfeeding him but he is sampling everything that daddy and I eat.

Oh and he makes the cutest baby noises ever. Clicking his tongue, trying to blow kisses, trying to whistle (he almost got it).

His birthday is coming up soon and I can't wait to see how that all plays out. We already have all the details planned out so no we just have to watch how it all comes together.

Time is Flying

Okay I have so neglecting this blog ... poor Ty.

So much has happened for him since Thanksgiving ... my little man is growing up so fast. He is still teething a lot, no teeth have broken the surface yet but they are really starting to get to him. He is still the ever so peaceful, pleasant and cheerful baby. He just gets a little frustrated in the early evenings from his gums.

He's really starting to roll around now and be really involved with his environment and the people around him. Everything, I mean everything within arms reach of him will end up in his mouth. He's starting to really reach for toys and faces well and controlled. Oh and he has TONS to talk about. I love to walk up in the mornings to see him staring at me and just talking and laughing to himself. Only wish I knew what he was telling me ... what ever it is, it is funny.

Oh he starting to be a shot expert. Of course the first initial 20 seconds after the shot are explosive, but then he looks at me and daddy, sees that we aren't panicked or fussed, realizes the pains over and smiles.

Did I mention that he is trying so hard to sit up on his own. He raises his little head and neck and shoulders but just can't manage to get the rest yet. With a tiny bit of our help he is up though. Now we just have to get him to stay up and stop falling over. He can tripod for a few moments, maybe even a few minutes, but once something outside his view gets his attention and he needs to turn the concentration is gone and he goes a tumbling (which he finds to be the greatest sensation in the world, he loves falling over).

We have kind of slowed down on the picture taken lately, but I promise to take some again soon.

Hopefully it won't be another 2 months before I come back again.