16 Weeks

Baby's now the size of an avocado! Watch what you say...tiny bones forming in baby's ears mean she can now pick up your voice. A few more minuscule changes: Eyebrows, lashes, and hair are starting to fill in, and taste buds are forming.

Thanks to increasing blood flow, it's time for some major cash and prizes. Enjoy quick-growing hair and nails, smooth and firm skin, and a healthy glow. One bit of bad news -- your eyes might be feeling a little dry these days.

Things are going well, I am feeling good, and Calleigh is running around so happy! In just a few days, she gets to stay home with Mommy for 2 and a half weeks! And Mommy is SOOO Happy about this! Off to watch Daddy coach basketball! I hope to do a post about Christmas and Calleigh tomorrow!

15 Weeks, 4 days

I'm 15 weeks!
Pregnancy Highlights:

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 15 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby #2 is the size of a naval orange

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 2lbs.

Maternity Clothes: I wear maternity jeans and pants

(and sometimes I can still wear mine!)

but everything else is regular.

Gender:We will find out on January 6, just 4 more weeks!!!

Movement: I have not felt any movement yet but I know it is coming soon!

Sleep: I'm sleeping pretty good! At 8 weeks with Calleigh I had moved to

the couch and as of right now I am still in the bed and sleeping perfect!

What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach and rough housing with Calleigh!

Cravings: Celery, Pickles, and Chips

Symptoms: Not a whole lot, no movement yet, but I have started showing!!!

Best Moment this week: Going to the doctor and seeing our little angel moving around!

What a feeling to see that little life inside you and know that it is doing well!

All aboard the Polar Express!!!

On Sunday evening, Andrew, Calleigh, my Parents and I all took a train ride on the Polar Express. We waitied outside in the cold as we were getting ready to board the traing and it was snowing and it was PERFECT!!! After we boarded the train, we all got comfortable, and in a matter of moments the fun began! Here is a video of Calleigh when the train started moving:

As were were moving the narrator began reading the story of the Polar Express to the children. The conductor then began walking down the aisle punching tickets just like on the movie.
When we got to the section in the book where they talk about the kids having hot chocolate and drinks the conductor yells "Who's thirsty?!?" and all of the kids were so excited. The "elves" on the traing then passed out hot chocolate to everyone and then passed out red and green sugar cookies.

The narrator then began reading the rest of the story. Our train passed through a tunnel and all of the elves told us to make sure and look to the right as soon as we got out of the tunnel because we were almost to the North Pole! As soon as we got the the North Pole, Calleigh was busy looking out the window for Santa! As soon as we saw him her eyes lit up like I have never seen before and she was yelling Santa Claus! It was a moment that I will never forget! He boarded the train with us and gave each child a silver bell, just like out of the movie! Then the children danced up and down the aisles with the elves and each child had their picture taken with Santa and the elves! Calleigh had such a good time, as did I! It is such a blessing as a parent to see the excitement on your childs face when these moments happen!

Letter from Santa

Letter From Santa Just for Calleigh Elizabeth Wibbeler

Week 14

Your adorable little fetus is busy with thumb sucking, toe wiggling, and (not so cute but equally amazing) making urine and breathing amniotic fluid as the liver, kidneys and spleen continue to develop. Lanugo (thin, downy hair) is growing all over the body for warmth.

That's all for now......hope to do a longer, better post with pictures soon! Have a great evening!

Week 13

Baby's now the size of a peach!Your fetus is forming teeth and vocal cords...savor this, their nonfunctional phase. Baby is approaching normal proportions, with his head now only one third the size of his body. And intestines are in the process of moving from the umbilical cord to baby's tummy -- much more convenient.

Just a quick update.........I will be blogging more later!

Week 12, Sleep Training, and Christmas Shopping

First trimester: Check! The nausea, fatigue, mood swings, and bathroom dashes should soon fade, but (sorry!) headaches and dizziness will probably get more intense. The good news: You're about to embark on the second trimester, when mood and energy levels generally peak.

As you move into the second trimester, baby shifts into the growth and maturation stage. After weeks in the critical development stage, almost all of her systems are fully formed.

We had a Dr. apt. last week and our Dr. tried to find a heartbeat from the outside. After only being able to find my heartbeat he decided that he wanted to do an ultrasound to see the baby. He told us to wait just a moment and he would get the ultrasound tech and be right back. As we were waiting, we looked at each other and somehow knew things were alright. I was not nervous, mostly because this had happened with Calleigh but also because I knew this was out of my hands and God was with me. I had such a peacefully feeling and Andrew and I looked at each other and said "things are ok". At that moment, our ultrasound teach came in, told us she was ready for us and escorted us to the ultrasound room. As soon as she got on my belly our little bean was SUPER BUSY moving around everywhere! The heartbeat was a steady 189 and things looked great! Just like we knew they were going to be. We go back to the doctor on December 9th. We will once again get to see out little angel! In January we will be finding out what the baby is and we plan on taking Calleigh to that appointment.

Over the past few days we have been working on getting Calleigh to fall asleep on her own. I know, most of you have children who have already conquered this but I did not mind holding her until she feel asleep. But recently Calleigh has decided that she does not want to go to sleep at all. We decided to try the Ferber method. We brushed our teeth together, we unmade her bed together, we got her a glass of water, explained what was going to happen, tucked her in, shut the door and left. It was AWFUL........she yelled and cried for a good 15 minutes and then out of nowhere she realized that she knew how to open the door. Out she walked with a big smile on her face. Andrew took her back into her room and just as he shut the door she walked out again. I took her back in and tried again and she followed me out quickly. We decided this was obviously not going to work, so Andrew laid down beside her until she fell asleep and then he came to bed. Last night, he also laid with her and then came to bed. We plan on continuing this and moving away from her each time until we are out of the room completely. Do any of you have any other suggestions? We could use all of the help we could get!!!

We went Christmas shopping and I am almost done....like thisclose! I have a few more small items to pick up but I am about 90% done! Yeah! How are you doing on your Christmas shopping?

I am so excited to put up my Christmas decorations next week and celebrate Thanksgiving with my wonderful family!

Pregnancy Freakout

I am having a minor freak out today, I know this is silly, but sometimes I think I am just going crazy! For so long it was me and just me. I have no siblings and had no one to share my life with. Then for a long time it was me and Andrew. We had freedom to do what we wanted, when we wanted, how we wanted and it was great. Then we had Calleigh and things changed but were able to focus all of our attention on her. She is the center of our world. She has every one's attention all of the time. Our lives are going to change drastically again in a matter of months. I know that I have enough love for two kids, but sometimes I question myself. Am I going to be a good mom to two babies? Do I really have enough love? Am I going to make someone feel neglected? What am I going to do with two kids, I am just one person? These are just a few questions that I already know that answers to but sometimes I freak out a little bit and think what if I fail?

The biggest things in my life are God and my family. I never want to let either of them down. I know I have enough love for tons of kids. I know that I will be the best mom I can be to both of them. I will do my best to never make anyone in my family feel neglected. I am just one person, but God never gives us more than we can handle and if he though I could not handle this he would not give it to me.

Is this normal or do you all think I am crazy? Am I just worrying too much about something that I should not be? Oh, I can't wait for these crazy feelings to go away!

On a lighter note, baby Wibbeler is excellent! We went to the doctor this morning and the baby was all over the place...jumping, moving, kicking.....it was so great to see! The heartbeat was up to 189 today! Things look great and I could not be more happy! Thanks for the prayers!

Calleigh, Baby, and Shopping

I had a good friend, Jaime, send me this picture that she took of Calleigh and I trick-or-treating. It is impossible to ever explain how much you love your child. It is something you both feel, something that is irreplaceable, something that no one else can feel, and something that can not be explained, it just has to be felt. I heard a quote once that says "Our love is like the wind, we can not see it, but we can feel it and we know it is there". I hope that Calleigh always knows that I love her so much and no matter what she does in life that will never change. She is my first little baby, my girl, and there is nothing in this world that would ever change the bond we have with each other. This picture means the world to me and I just wanted to share a little about it.

Tomorrow is the day we go to the doctor again. We get to hear this little one's heartbeat again and I am so excited. It is so hard the first few months to have no clue what is going on in there and doctor's appointments calm my anxiety.

I am doing something this coming weekend that I normally do not do and I am really excited about it........I am going on an all day shopping trip. I have my list of what I am buying for all of my family ready and I am more than ready to get the shopping out of the way. I am not a shopper. I do like to go and browse but I am not one to go out on Black Friday and fight people for presents......It's just not worth it to me. I know there are many of you out there who love and crave that, but I am not one of those people. I crave family time and I am not a fighter so if someone else wants a present that bad they can have it! But I do hope to have 90% of my presents by Saturday evening. And there is no one else that I would rather go with than my momma. She gets me completely, we like the same things, and she feels the same way I do so it is perfect!

Now I need to get some work done! Happy Wednesday everyone!!!!

Week 11 and Happenings in our world

We are getting closer to getting past the first trimester.......what a sigh of relief! Here is what is going on this week:

Your fetus currently enjoys a 1:1 ratio between body and head, and has skin so transparent that blood vessels show right through it. But fingers and toes are no longer webbed, and hair follicles, tooth buds, and nail beds are forming -- setting up a significantly more attractive future.

We have been so buys the past few weeks. With deer and basketball seasons in full swing family time is a little hard to come by right now. Andrew teaches all day and the goes to practice. If he is not practicing he is deer hunting. Calleigh and I are spending a lot of time together in the evenings and that is nice but I am already looking forward to February when deer season is over and basketball season is wrapping up.

We get to go to the doctor on Thursday and hear our sweet little baby's heartbeat....and I can't wait! It is such weight off my shoulders when I get to go to the doctor these first few months. I know before long the appointments will get closer and closer and I will get to feel the baby moving but right now I have to put my trust in God and know that everything is in his hands and he will take care of us.

Happy Halloween and Week 10

With bones and cartilage starting to form and vital organs beginning to function, baby is making major progress. Body length will almost double in the next three weeks, and arm joints are now working. (Soon, legs will start working too.)

Now on to my other baby......Calleigh was a baker for Halloween! She was such a sweet little Trick-or-Treater!

We had such a good time this year with Calleigh. She knew how to say "Trick-or-Treat" and "Happy Halloween"! She knew exactly what was going to happen when we went to each place and she was so excited when we got to a new house! I love her so much and I am so proud to be her mommy! She makes me so happy! I did realize that this is the last year we will have just one Trick-or-Treater!

Week 9 and Calleigh at the Pumpkin Fest

Your little embryo has now officially graduated to fetus-hood. Adding to the excitement, a Doppler ultrasound device might be able to pick up the beating heart. With basic physical structures in place and increasingly distinct facial features, baby is kind of starting to look like... well... a baby!

Last weekend we went to the annual Pumpkin Fest at my husband's aunt and uncle's house. Here are a few pictures from many of the things that we did that day: Painted Pumpkins, went on a hay ride, had a marshmallow fight, and ate some really good food!!!

We had a lot of fun that day! Calleigh has been sick with a cold for about a week and she just can't seem to shake it! We have been pumping her full of good healthy foods and some meds to take away the congested feeling. Andrew has been busy hunting deer and gets started this week with basketball practice. We are looking at a couple of busy months ahead! I am working like crazy, getting things caught up, and feeling pretty well. I am glad that so far with this pregnancy I have been nothing more than a little tired. Here's to a busy week and hope for a good week!

Week 8

So here are some of the stats on the baby:

Your baby is growing like mad, putting on about a millimeter every day and continuing to straighten out in the trunk. Though you can't feel it yet, baby is moving those little arms, legs and (now only slightly) webbed fingers and toes like crazy.

I am feeling well and things are going smooth so far! Keep us all in your prayers!

My best friend is also being induced in the morning with her second child so keep her in your prayers also!

Giveaway

Lindsey over at A Work in Progress is having an awesome giveaway, just in time for cookin' some chili! Go check it out!

Tuesday's List-Crock Pot Meals

Our family has little time to prepare meals so out Crock Pot gets used a lot! I am always looking for new recipes, so I decided to share a few of our favorites and I got some new ideas!

(1) Crock Pot Meatloaf

Andrew LOVES meatloaf and I am not the biggest fan. However, I decided to try this just for him, and it was actually pretty good. Below is the recipe.

What you need:

2 lbs of ground chuck

2 eggs

2/3 quick cooking oats

1 pkg dry french onion soup

1 cup of ketchup(reserve 1/2 c. for topping)

What you do:

Combine and mix ingredients in a bowl. Spray your crock pot with Pam. Form your mixture into a loaf and place in crock pot. Top with remaining ketchup. Cover and cook on low for 6 1/2 hours. Let cool somewhat before removing from crock pot. Enjoy!

(2) Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Lasagna

Buffalo Chicken Lasagna is a new favorite in our home! It is so easy to make and so yummy! Enjoy!

What you need:

2-4 boneless chicken breast

1 box of traditional lasagna noodles

1 jar of prepared pasta sauce

1 c. buffalo wing sauce

1 yellow pepper

1 red pepper

1 green pepper

1 15 oz. Ricotta cheese

2 c. shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheese blend

1/4 c water

What you do:

The night before, we need to put your chicken in a crock pot and let it cook overnight.The next morning, drain all the water off and chop the chicken into small pieces. This recipe is designed for a 5 qt. crock pot, if you are not using one, cut back on your ingredients.In a large bowl, combine cooked and chopped chicken breast, pasta sauce, and 1 c buffalo wing sauce. Ladle a big spoonful of the sauce into the bottom of your crock pot, cover with a layer of uncooked lasagna noodles. You'll have to break them to get a proper fit. Add a smear(a spoonful or 2) on top of the noodles. Add a layer of the bell peppers. Sprinkle on a handful of shredded of cheese. Repeat layers until you run our of ingredients. Put 1/4 c of water into your empty pasta sauce and shake the jar, then pour the mixture over the entire lasagna. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or on high for 4-5 hours. When cooking time is complete, unplug and take off the lid of the crock pot. Let is sit for 20 minutes before cutting into it or it will fall apart.

If you do not have time to cook this in a crock pot, you can cook the chicken and when you get home in the evening, follow the same directions and using the same ingredients except exchange traditional lasagna noodles for over ready ones and bake it on 350 degrees for 1.5-2.5 hours. Let it set for 10 minutes out of the oven before cutting to prevent it falling apart.

There you go......such a fast and easy way to make a good meal! Go check out the others......it's well worth your time! Enjoy!

Pregnancy News

So, here is the scoop on our very welcomed surprise!

We have wanted and have been trying to have a baby for about 10 months. I finally decided that when God was ready he would give us a baby. Was I disappointed......of course. But I know that in God's perfect time he would give us another child, whether it was naturally or through adoption. Andrew and I had a talk on the Friday before and we decided that maybe God was holding out for several different reasons. Then on Sunday I had a talk with my mom and she reassured me that it was ok if we were only able to have one baby. And I was ok with that. I had accepted that. I have a WONDERFUL, BEAUTIFUL little girl who has already blessed my life in so many ways. I had let Go.

Then on Sunday night I was trying to figure out when things should start happening. And I was over.....way over my days. On my way to work on Monday I decided to stop and buy a test. I took that test in the very same stall I took the test with Calleigh. And I could not believe what was right in front of me. I called Andrew right away and he was in total shock also. We decided to wait a week so that we could tell our close family and friends. We told everyone that week and that weekend we had a big scare.

****This part is a little graphic so don't read the next paragraph is you have a weak stomach***

I woke up on Sunday morning around 4 to use the bathroom and when I did so there was blood. Not gushing or anything just like that, just evidence of it. Andrew got up, took me to the ER. They took some blood and did a pelvic exam. The doctor we had seemed to think everything was going to be alright. He said if I was having a miscarriage there would be more blood and when he did my exam he said there was something that would be open and when he checked it was closed. I was not having any cramping, which is a good thing. They said they think it was just something that happen and not to be too worried. My doctor was contacted by the ER doctor and said for me to do more blood work today so I went Tuesday morning and had them done.They schedueled appointment for last Thursday for an ultrasound and Dr. Beckman said we would go over my blood results then. If things go as planned, my blood work should show an increase in numbers and the ultrasound should show our sweet little baby. I know that no matter what happens things will be ok and I do feel like things are fine. I have not had any more bleeding since that morning and I have not had any cramps. The ER doc also told us that 50% of women have random bleeding during pregnancy.

I went to church that morning when we got home, and somehow God knew just what I needed. I was listening to the sermon and started thumbing through my Bible and stopped here:

2 Kings 4:26

“Are you all right? Is your husband all right? Is your child all right?”

“Everything is all right,” she said.

It’s nice to know that I have God on my side. And I do feel like it’s all going to be all right.

I got a call on Tuesday evening that my blood work had come in and my numbers went up, they actually almost doubled! I went to the doctor on Thursday and we got to see our sweet little baby. Things are fine. I am still not completely out of the woods, but things are looking so much better. Dr. Beckman told me that when something like this happens 95% of people go on to have healthy babies.

I have an appointment this Thursday again, so please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. I know that God has big plans and he is walking with me thorough this whole journey.

As of right now:

Baby stats:

I will add pictures next week. I am feeling super blessed right now. It's still hard to believe.

Calleigh's News

In May, Calleigh will be a big sister! She just wanted to share her news with everyone! We are all super excited! God is SOOO good!