Sticker Shock!

Okay, I hope I'm not the only new mom out there who has felt this way...

First of all, I don't consider myself a "cheap" person. I mean, sure, I love to find a deal, but I have never prided myself in only buying things on sale, etc. Basically, if I like it, I buy it. Unless it's outrageous, of course. I mean, I am a smart shopper, but probably not always as frugal as I could/should be.

Anyways, I said all of that to say...I decided this week that Sadie needs a pair of good shoes. She has really started cruising around, and I feel like it's only days before she is going to walk by herself. Plus, when she's at church and stuff, I want her to be able to "walk" around the nursery without slipping on her tights, etc. So, I have always heard that "Stride Rite" has great shoes. Good quality, good looking, safe, etc. I got a coupon in the mail for $5 off a pair of "new-walker" shoes, so I thought "hey, Sadie is basically a "new walker", AND she needs a new pair of shoes, so why not?"

Well, I'll tell you why not!

I obliviously walked into the store today and this nice girl came up to help us. We took Sadie out of her stroller, she measured her little feet, and showed me a whole display of shoes that qualified as "new walker". There were probably 20 pairs or so. All different styles, colors, etc. The salesgirl said that they were all the same quality and price, so she just told me to pick which style and color I liked best. I was getting so excited, because like any girl, I love, love, love to go shoe shopping. And, even though they weren't for me, getting them for Sadie was just as exciting! Our first shoe shopping trip together. I picked a precious pair of pink and white shoes that I thought would probably go with most of her clothes. The salesgirl said that they'd last at least 3 months or so, since Sadie's foot will continue growing over these next few months. So, she went in the back to get Sadie's size so that she could try them on. In the meantime, I dig out my coupon and am so proud of myself, b/c I think I'm about to make a great deal. I then decide I better flip the shoe over to see what a great deal I'm getting...that's when I about fell out in the floor of the shoe store!

Are you sitting down??????????? They were $47!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Did you hear me???????? $47!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me! A flippin' pair of shoes that are no bigger than my hand, AND are only supposed to last her for 3 months? Are you kidding me???? So, I pulled myself together, and when the salesgirl came back with the pair of shoes, I went ahead and let Sadie try them on and walk around in them, etc. Then, I ever so deceptively told the salesgirl that I would gladly "be back tomorrow to purchase the shoes." I know, it was a bold-faced lie. But, what was I supposed to do? Tell her that I couldn't believe that stupid pair of shoes was almost $50!!! I don't even spend that much on shoes for myself!!!

So, if anyone has any suggestions of other places to buy a good quality pair of shoes for under $50 for a 10 and 1/2 month old, I will gladly take the advice!

Baby Brother????

That is what the early assumption is! We went to the doctor on Friday for my 12-week check up. Unfortunately, Dr. Adkins couldn't find the heartbeat. So, after 40 agonizing minutes of waiting for an ultrasound, we got to go back and see that everything was okay. But, for that small amount of time, my little heart was just breaking. I was holding a slip of paper for the ultrasound that said "decreased fetal movement". It was horrifying. All of a sudden, my maternal instincts kicked into overdrive, and I was fighting back tears with all that I had in that waiting room. I kept thinking..."this baby HAS to be okay...it HAS to be okay". I just prayed and prayed. We kept hearing a little baby crying somewhere in the dr. office, and I just wanted to go and grab it and make it all well. It was a strange 40 minutes, and I can't stop thanking the Lord that everything turned out okay. Once we had the ultrasound, we saw that the heartrate was super, and the baby was moving all over the place. It was the greatest feeling in the world. And, to top it all off, we found out that it might be a little boy! The ultrasound tech asked if we wanted the sex of the baby to be a secret, and we both said "no". She just gave us a little grin, and I said "WHAT? Can you already tell what it is???" She said that they're not supposed to predict at this early stage what the gender is, but she said that if I were her daughter, she would tell me it was definitely a boy. She showed us tons of different angles and it looked like a boy to me too! Unless it's a little girl with a tail! ha ha
Since it's still so early, we didn't rush home and call everyone in the family to say "It's a Boy!" But, that's what we're going to assume for now. We'll have another ultrasound in about 2 months to find out for sure, so we're not painting the nursery blue quite yet. But, it is quite exciting to think that we might have one of each! A perfect little foursome! You can judge for yourself by looking at the pictures below. The first one is of underneath "his" legs, and you can see right between them. The second one is just a side view of the whole body that I thought was pretty cute.

We'll keep everyone posted!!!

My Baby is Growing Up!

I thought this was the sweetest picture, and I just had to share it. Grammy (aka Dennis' mom) bought Sadie a pair of pink princess shoes. They actually say "Princess" on them. She brought them over last Friday, and we put them on Sadie. It's her first real pair of shoes that she has actually gotten to wear and walk around in (with assistance, of course). She was playing at her little table, and she kept just stopping what she was doing and looking down at her new shoes. She was so proud of them!

She also started to crawl this week. After 10 and 1/2 months, she started crawling! Right when we think she's going to walk, she figures out a new way to get around, which I hope doesn't delay her walking now. We were at "My Gym", and she just climbed out of my lap and took off crawling across the floor. It was hilarious!! The funniest part is that she only crawls with one leg, so she just drags the other leg along. It is pretty comical to watch. I told Dennis that she looks like the Hunchback of Notre Dame or something. Too funny!

We also switched her to a "big girl" carseat this past weekend, and she loves it! She just gets a big grin on her face every time I put her in it. She looks so tiny in it right now, but I know she'll grow into it before we know it.

What a week! It seems like a lot has happened over this past week. I go to the doctor for my 3 month appt. tomorrow, so hopefully all will go well, and we can put "miscarriage" out of our vocabulary again this time around! Yeah!

Almost There...

Well, I am knocking on the door of Trimester #2! I'm praying that the "magical" 12 week mark will lead to better feeling days, more energy, and less heartburn! But, I'm also realistic in the fact that during my last pregnancy, Trimester #2 brought kidney stones, extreme exhaustion, and lots of weight gain!!! So, I'm holding out hope that this time will be different. Actually, I know this time will be different. I just know it!
I had an ultrasound last Friday and all is well with Baby Phillips #2. We could see arms, legs, and "it" was moving its hands in front of its face. It was so neat to watch. It just makes all of those crummy days worth every bit!
I think the hardest part is "needing" Sadie to grow up faster than I would like her to. I find myself constantly thinking of ways she "needs" to grow up before the new baby arrives. She just seems to be growing up faster every day. I just want time to stand still. I don't want her to grow up. I just "need" her to grow up. Does that make sense? I keep thinking things like: she needs to be rid of her pacifier before August, so that she won't try and steal the baby's pacifier all of the time...or, I need to get her to where I don't have to rock her at all before naps and bedtime, because I don't think I'll have that precious time to rock her while taking care of a newborn...or, she needs to be really good at "playing" by herself, so that when I'm feeding the baby, she can entertain herself, etc. The list goes on and on. These are the types of things I lay awake at night and think of.
Then, the Lord speaks..."Anna, do you not know that I have all of this taken care of? Why are you worrying? Be anxious for NOTHING! This is the plan I have for your life. I will take care of you AND of Sadie AND the new baby! I would never give you more than you can handle. Just trust me.
Then, I'm able to go back to sleep. What would I do without HIM? How do people live a day without HIM? I have no idea...
Anyways, I do find myself getting more and more excited about the new addition. At first, I was a little scared, and still am at times. But, the excitement is now outweighing the fear. It will be so much fun. And, to experience the miracle of birth again just about blows my mind. I replay Sadie's birth in my head a million times a day. That very first second that I saw her face is irreplaceable, and I get to do it all over again with another one! What a blessing. I absolutely cannot wait! I know it will be a long, hot, hot, hot Summer, but it'll be worth the wait.

8 Things About Me (Sadie Jane)

My cousin McHaney tagged me...I have to tell you 8 things that are special about me...hmmmm...I'm only 10 months old here. Bear with me...

1. I have no teefies! Yes, that is right. I'm 10 months old and I still have no teeth!!!

2. I love to eat. I will eat almost anything you put in front of me, which is kind of hard, considering #1. (the "no teeth" thing)

3. I really like it when my mommy makes animal noises. My favorite right now is the rooster sound! "Cock a doodle doo!!!" My mommy looks crazy when she does it, but I still think it's real funny.

4. I love "Itsy Bitsy Spider". My mommy could sing it all day long, and I'd be a perfectly content baby.

5. Tuesdays are my favorite days, because I get to go and see all of my friends at "My Gym". We have so much fun playing together!

6. I have recently learned how to be mobile, so I never stop going. Ever. Unless it's to eat, of course.

7. I do not like going to the church nursery unless I am in the "bye-bye buggy" the whole time. And, I mean it...the whole time. Don't you take me out of there, or you will see why...

8. I almost forgot! I'm going to be a big sister in about 6 months! I can't wait!!!! I'm going to be the best big sis ever!

Well, those are my 8 things. I think I'm supposed to tag some more people, but I honestly don't know who all reads this, so I'm going to stop there...Not bad for my very first blog, huh?

Thanks for listening!

On the Road Again

Those are the words that come to mind when I think of being pregnant again! I honestly cannot believe it! It seems like only yesterday when I was going through all of this, and here I am again, just a short 10 months after Sadie was born. Never in a million years would I have thought I'd get pregnant again so soon!!! But, we are so blessed, and so excited about this new addition to our family. When I took the pregnancy test, and it said "pregnant", I literally laughed out loud. I was in such disbelief. I didn't know what else to do. I kept it a secret for a little over a week, because I wanted to surprise Dennis on Christmas morning. So, for a week, I had to hide the nausea that had once again taken over my whole body. I had to hide the emotions that were welling up inside of me. I had to hide the excitement. And, I had to come up with a way to surprise him. I couldn't wait another day, so I ended up telling him a few days before Christmas. To be honest, I couldn't hide the nausea anymore. I just knew that he already suspected it, b/c I had been saying all week that I felt sick. So, I told him on Saturday morning before Christmas. I told him that I wanted him to open one present that I thought he could use over the weekend. He had asked for some pajama pants, so his first thought was that it was some pajama pants for him to lounge around in over the weekend. Boy, was it NOT pajama pants!!!!! So, I gave him the present and he opened it. This is what he saw...He immediately started to cry and jumped up and gave me a big ole hug. It was a very sweet moment. It was so much fun to finally get to experience the "surprise" factor of getting pregnant. Last time we went through this, everything was marked on the calender. Month after month, we knew what each day meant. This time, we had no clue what was happening when, and it was so much more fun this way. We got to surprise all of our family and friends over Christmas, and that was a lot of fun too. I think everyone was as shocked as we were, but everyone seemed so excited!
Since the last pregnancy is so fresh on my mind, I can already tell that this one is different. For one, the sickness is different. I am not throwing up nearly as much as last time, but I feel like the nausea is 10 times worse. It is so strong, and it haunts me from the time my eyes open in the morning until the time my eyes shut at night. It's absolutely horrible. Totally worth it in the end, but horrible at the time. It's like there is no relief. I feel a slight tinge of relief while I'm eating, but other than that, it's pretty strong. Also, I have that "metal taste in my mouth" that so many pregnancy books talk about. I don't remember having that last time. It's pretty disgusting. My pants don't fit ALREADY, and I'm only about 2 months along. I think last time, I wore my regular clothes until I was about 4 or 5 months along. Whatever!!! The food cravings are about the same. I want much more salty than sweet, and I want nothing to do with anything healthy whatsoever! I told myself last time I was pregnant that "next time, I will eat so much healthier". Yeah well...now, I remember why I ate so bad last time. It's because fruit, veggies, etc. make me want to barf. Unless they are mashed potatoes with lots of milk and butter...Yum!
Not to mention, this time around is much harder trying to take care of another human being! Last time, being sick was a great excuse to leave work early, come home, pass out on the couch all afternoon, and do a bunch of nothing. This time, I cannot allow myself to let the nausea take over. It takes everything in me to be a good mommy, but I just have to wake up every morning and pray!! I don't want these last few months with Sadie and me to be anything less than perfect. I want to enjoy every single moment I have with her while it's just the two of us. Her world is going to turn upside down when baby #2 gets here. I know eventually she will love having a playmate, but I'm sure at first, it'll rock her little world.
Anyways, that's all for now. I'm sure this journey over these next few months will bring many ups and downs, and I hope to be able to capture them all on this blog. Last time I was pregnant, I would get up every morning, have my Bible study, and write in my journal about the pregnancy. Since I don't really have time to do all of that these days, I want to make sure I have some records of "journaling" throughout this pregnancy, so that's what I'm going to use this blog for.