Look at those ANIMALS!

I can't believe it's been a month since I posted last. Really. I mean, where does the time go? Next thing you know I'm going to have another baby or something and then NEVER post!!! Sheesh. I am surprised I haven't gotten slack from the grandparents... horrible I know.

I thought I posted pics from Emma's first zoo visits, but apparently the baby brain has done it again. It's amazing how this tiny little boy has drained so much out of me... next thing you know I'll be leaving my keys in the refrigerator.

We took Emma to the Reston Zoo three or four weeks ago. She had the greatest time and got to meet some new animal friends. I think she liked the chickens best. She got to feed them and pet them and listed to mommy yelp when they pecked her finger looking for more food.

She also got to feed the goats...


And meet a turtle...



We got drenched in a down pour and couldn't see all the big animals in Reston so we took Emma to the National Zoo with Andy and Stacy the following weekend to make up for it.


We got to see a giant panda, two elephants, a zebra, some gorillas, baboons, a lion, a tiger and oh my gosh so many more really cool animals.


Uncle Andy got to spend some quality time with miss Emma....

As did mommy and daddy...



I think Emma's favorite part of the day though was the giant plastic pizza. The poor girl cried so hard when I made her leave.

It was a great day for all of us... and I am sure going to miss having Andy around when he leaves.


The pregnancy is going pretty smoothly this time around. The only real noticable difference is that I'm bigger sooner. At six months I feel like I did at 8 with Emma. I don't know if that means he's going to be bigger, but man, my appetite sure has taken on a mind of it's own with this one. I've only gained about 8 lbs so far but I feel like I could eat a house at every meal and snack on a few trees in between.

Sadly, I haven't taken any belly shots in a long time. I'm almost 24 weeks and I have really been slacking in that department.

Last weekend I got to take a refresher weekend by myself in New Orleans. My grandfather is very ill and my mom, step-dad and I thought it'd be a good idea for me to go visit and spend some quality time with him. Mom and I spent a few hours there each day with him. He's doing okay, but definintely needs some prayers, he's so weak. But, as short of a weekend as it was, it was nice to see him.

While in NOLA I also got to spend some time at the pool, went to the French Quarter for beignets and the French Market, and had some yummy crawfish at Jeager's. You just can't go to New Orleans without crawfish and beignets! Thanks to mom for showing me a good time and giving me a much needed weekend of fun.

Dave, Emma, Andy and I are headed up to Michigan this Thursday for a full week home. I am so excited. My cousin Scott is getting married Friday night in Detroit and the rest of the time I am going to relax and enjoy my time at home. Wait... forget that... I own a business... vacation? ha. NOT.

The following Friday we're on the road again on our way to Indianapolis to visit my best friend. She just had a baby a few weeks ago, Elsie Jeanne, and I am so excited to meet her. I'm stoked to get to see Nikki, Mark, Drew and the Buedels too. It's been a while and I miss them all dearly.

Then, Sunday it's back to reality. Shucks.

Love to all.

ultrasound pictures

Here are some of the numerous pictures of our 20 week ultrasound. We picked the best ones, as hard as it was :)

Here's a simple profile... Dave already thinks he has cheeks!

He's giving us the thumbs up:

Here's a 3D with his hand on his head, awe!

And finally, the proof that we have a little boy on the way!

Happy Memorial Day everyone, we're headed to the zoo!

We're having a BOY!

I wish I was better with words to tell you all how overly joyed I am today. This little life growing inside me taught me yesterday that God is truly amazing and that Dave and I are extremely blessed. In all my wildest dreams I would have never thought that knowing I am going to be the mother of a boy and a girl would be one of the most special feelings I will ever endure. Not only is this new little boy going to carry on the family name, but he's fulfilling my every wish as a mom. My little girl is the light of my life and now this little one has shown me that my world is so much bigger than I ever imagined. It may sound corny, but I am just so proud to be me today.

Our ultrasound was flawless - he's growing right on schedule and due to arrive on October 8th. He's weighing approximately 11 oz. with heart, kidneys, brain and other organs in their proper places and doing what they're supposed to do. In a short 20 weeks we'll get to meet the little guy for the first time. If yesterday was any indication of how I am going to feel that day then I am here to tell you that I am going to be a sobbing mess.

We've decided to hold our little boy's name hostage until he's born. So far we've gotten recommendations of Smedley, Liggett, Calvin, and Phineus, most definitely ones I am going to ignore. :)

We bought miss Emma her first baby doll in hopes she'll understand when the little guy arrives. We're trying to teach her to be gentle, but her little fiery personality is something to reckon with. Ask Cooper, he's lost many a hair to her quick little fingers.

As promised, but late as usual, here is the pic from 18 weeks.

Mother's Day was a blast this year. Dave, Emma, Cooper and I went to Old Town to walk around int he afternoon. We ate at La Madeline and sat by the fountain. It was a beautiful day. Later that afternoon we on a walk to the Dairy Godmother for ice cream, so yummy! Emma and Dave bought me some beautiful flowers and a Mother's Day balloon, which Emma is still playing with.




Here's little miss with her favorite of toys (aside from things that are NOT toys)...

She's also a big fan of trying to carry as much as she can in her arms. It's hysterical to watch her gather up four and five things, take them to the opposite side of the room, set them down, only to pick them all back up again and carry them back to the place she got them. She does this over and over again until something else catches her eye. She's so busy!


I'll post sonogram pics later today. Love to all!

We're doing pretty well over here... just jammin' away day after day pondering how we're going to fit four adults in this time room we call an office. I hope my brother isn't claustrophobic! But seriously, it's going to be a real test to see if Dave and I can get even more creative with our work space and fit one more breathing, moving body into this cave. The positive side of this is that I will get to spend a lot of time with Andy, something I haven't had the pleasure to do in years.

We went down to Fredericksburg last weekend to celebrate Katie, Barbara and Scott's girlfriend Sunny's birthdays. Emma's highlights included actually eating and liking birthday cake, dancing, and toting around balloons, her new favorite toy.




I could NOT get enough of how cute she was with thise balloons.


Week 17 update

Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

Hmmm... A turnip? I'm not even sure I know what those things look like let alone how big they are. I'll refer to google for this one...


Ahhhh... a turnip. Bigger than I thought, but then again I'm no horticulturist nor do I eat those beet like things. Wait, are they beets?

The best part of the week by far has been that I can now feel the baby moving around. It feels much more pronounced than with Emma and with each kick I get more and more excited to meet the little one. Knowing how precious babies are and what they grow into it makes being pregnant again so much more rewarding and fulfilling. The little person will be here soon enough, but in the meantime I am going to count my blessings and look forward to all the little kicks I get from inside. I'll take heartburn, sleeplessness and all the pains in the world to remember this feeling forever.

Love to all.
Amy

Daddy update and more

Dave's surgery went well but the outcome was much worse than we anticipated. I spoke with Dr Branch just minutes after surgery and he told me that not only had Dave completely torn one of the tendons in his rotator cuff off the bone, but also had a bone spur in his shoulder. Recovery went from 3 months to 6. I am due in 5 months and I am just scared to death of having to carry Emma around the last trimester. She's already over the recommended weight limit and getting bigger every day. I guess little girl is going to get a lot of practice climbing stairs!

The wait in the hospital felt like an eternity. It's times like those that you really remind you how much you love your husband. Two long hours passed, which felt like eons, as I waited in anticipation for the doctor to call me in to see Dave. He was pretty groggy from the anesthesia but within an hour we were headed home. The first two days were the worst, and after it all I have no clue how anyone can raise a family alone. Between cooking, cleaning, feeding, walking the dog and all the other mundane tasks I had it was plain chaos.

Dave did alright after surgery but the first weekend was rough. He ran out of his pain meds and they wouldn't fill the good stuff over the phone. He settled for a less potent pain killer and struggled through the weekend until we could meet with the doctor again Monday. He resorted to icing down his shoulder every 30 minutes for three days stright and managed to give himself a small case of frostbite. He's now doing much better and weening himself off the medications, which has been a long process. He's going to therapy three times a week until further notice but if you ask me he's doing much better than I thought. He's even testing his wife's patience by lifting things he's not supposed to lift. Men.

Here's a pic with daddy amd Emma just a few days after surgery:


We went to Fredericksburg for Easter this year... Emma loved the little plastic eggs and looked simply sute in her Easter dress.




We went to Fredericksburg again this past weekend and Emma got her first baby doll. She is so in love and I often find her kising her baby.



Poor girl is missing naps consistently these days because she's teething (molars) which makes for sour afternoons. If this video is any indication of how tired she is at the end of the day....



She was a little happier when we got home...

And one last one to make you smile...


I'm feeling pretty good these days. I'm less tired and have more energy to get things done. The bathroom is still a mess but my savior dad is coming to help in a few weeks. Yay for dad!

Here's the update for this week. I promise I'll have belly pictures soon!!!

16 week update:
Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

Yeah for the avacado!!!!
Love to all!

Headed to Fredericksburg

I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Easter. The Simpson clan is headed down to Fredericksburg tonight until Monday morning for a little r&r, yummy Grananny cooking and birthday celebrations. We're celebrating Dave's, mine and Scott's birthdays. Maybe Emma will like cake now, hmmmm.

This post isn't just to wish a happy holiday, but more so to tell everyone that I have the most wonderful husband in the world. For my birthday he took me to Mike's American Grill in Springfield, while Barbara stayed late to watch Emma. Just after we ordered dinner he gave me my present. This was not just any present, it was the best birthday present I have ever gotten aside from my engagement ring. Actually, it's pretty darn close.

I opened the box, roughly the size of a shirt box, to find a bound book. I turned it over and immediately started crying. In fact, I'm welling up just thinking about it. My dear husband hired our friend Anas to design a coffee table book for me based on this blog, following my entire pregnancy with Emma. Together they spent three weeks gathering, copying and laying out this book that follows my blog from the first post to the post just after we brought Emma home. I still cannot believe that he thought to do something so touching, something that I will cherish the rest of my life. It's truly amazing and I wish I could share it with each and every one of you. Well, if you're a follower you know what the book says, but just to have it in my hands is more special than anyhting. I am so grateful to have a husband that knows enough about me to know that that gift was absolutely perfect and touched my heart. I am so blessed. I will post pictures of it later next week.

For Dave's birthday I got him Family Tree Maker software. He's been very interested in tracking his family tree lately and thought it would help keep it all in digital format. In fact, we've started it with not only his family but mine as well. I am so anxious to sit down with my grandparents and other relatives to fill it in - there's so much to learn and I know our children will appreciate it later in their lives. I never knew much about my ancestry and it's conforting knowing that I now have the tools to learn, as time allows, and create something for my family that I can pass down through generations. We hope to gather stories and pictures of relative long past so if you have anything that you think we'd find useful please let us know.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday weekend. Don't eat too many peeps!

The 12 week ultrasound

All went well with the ultrasound last week - baby Simpson 2 is right on track with a revised due date of October 8. This 12 week ultrasound is called a nuchal translucency, which tests the fold at the base of the neck for risk of down syndrome. All is clear with a measurement of 1.4. Anything above 3 is considered risky.

All the other measurements were great, and the heart beat was a steady 167, a bit higher than Emma's which was 158 at 12 weeks. If you believe the wives tales about heartbeat then this one's a girl, but everyone seems to think boy this time, including me. I'm not sure why - I guess because I am craving different things this time (salt and vinegar pototo chips - yum!!!). Of course, we're just happy it's a baby and regardless of it's gender we'll be ecstatic to meet him or her. Our next appointment with Dr Ferrier is on the 14th for our monthly follow up.

Here'sour little one at 12 weeks:

I'm feeling pretty good aside from having a hard time sleeping. Dave is dreading the anaconda pillow that's neatly stuffed under Emma's crib but I think it's going to see the light of day sooner rather than later. I just can't get comfortable. I think it mostly has to do with our 15 year old bed, but I do remember feeling this way with Emma too. Other than that I'm a little more nauseous this time around and actually made a b-line for the bathroom once. Cinammon toast did not like me that day. I'm still in my regular clothes although I have resorted to the stretchier pants and loose fitting shirts. I can't imagin it'll be too much longer before i give up trying to not look pregnant! Expandalbe waist line here I come!

Here's the BabyCenter weekly update:
Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head — which makes up just a third of her body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce.

Shrimp. It's a good name for a little 2" person don't you think?
The bathroom is coming along nicely, just not as fast as Dave and I anticipated. Between Emma naps, meals and bedtime it doesn't leave much time to work. The bathroom backs to Emma's room and any sounds wake her up, especially the wet saw. We're still showering with plastic covering the walls and the smell of mortar wafting the air. You're lucky if you don't walk out of the bathroom with plaster stuck between your toes. We're praying to be done by this weekend but it's going to make for a pretty hectic week over here. Dave's surgery is quickly approaching and after "s-day" on the 16th you can pretty much assume the bathroom is going to stay unfinished for a while if it's not done! Um dad????

I tried to snap some pics of Emma before she went down for her nap this morning but as you can tell she wasn't really in the mood. The camera bag was much more appealing than mom's squeaking noises to get her attention.




She's like..."moooooooommmmm, really????" But, just look at the outfit though... dahling!


Emma's sporting 8 teeth with quite a few brewing. And that hair... it's growing but barely. I simply can't wait to put it in ponytails although with her personality I'm sure they won't last long. I'm surprised she even keeps her clothes on! And shoes... man, the second she hits the car seat they're as good as gone!

Love to all!