Life's Little Souvenirs: February 2014

Age: eighteen months, one day (pictured).

Weight: 19 pounds, 12 ounces.

Height: 31 inches.

Favorite food: All foods, except green beans.

Loves: to drag all of her toys out and leave them around the house, bath time or any time spent in the water, and Minnie Mouse aka "Mimi".

Dislikes: having her diaper changed and not getting her way.

How many teeth: I now have TWELVE teeth!

Why, hello there friends!

It has indeed been awhile since my last update; six months if I do believe!? Well I can say this, it has been an amazing six months and those months have been full of both good and not so good moments. We enjoyed the good moments and got through the not so good ones. The Felda Family is doing wonderfully and I am extremely thankful for that.

So what is new in the household?

Well, we are currently going through our first deployment. We had a trial run with a six week training cycle that consisted of Brian being away in California. It was tough, but we all survived. After he made it home in mid-November, we made sure to enjoy every little minute we had together with the impending deployment.

D-day has come and gone and so far all three of us are adjusting well. We have almost made it a week without Brian here and I am very proud of not only how well Ava has adjusted, but how well I have adjusted. I am feeling confident that this deployment will fly by and that before we know it Ava and I will have our "man of the house" back. We miss him so very much already, but thanks to modern technology we are able to talk to him and see him very often. I plan to keep everyone updated through blog posts as far as how Brian is doing and what new things he is getting to see.

That aside, our little Avalyn is EIGHTEEN months old. She is six months away from being TWO YEARS OLD! I can not believe how quickly time is going by...I really wish time would slow down a little bit so I can enjoy my little baby being a baby a little longer.

At her recent well visit we learned that Ava officially hates all of the doctors and nurses; she screams and thrashes around like a crazy baby when she has to be examined or have her weight checked. I am not going to lie, I was kind of embarrassed with how she had acted considering she has never acted out that way during doctor visits before. She is just so independent now and apparently hates being restrained. We were able to determine her weight and height and she is doing extremely well for being a premature baby. Thankfully she did not have to have any vaccinations at this appointment! I hate seeing her in pain during those darn shots. It just breaks my heart. But regardless, she is a very healthy little girl! We have her six month check up on her eyes next month and I am curious to see if she will need glasses like her daddy and I.

This little girl has changed so much in the passed six months...she is talking, walking, playing, running, etc. It amazes me everyday how far she has come since her birth. I just know she is going to be a great big sister!

What's that you say?! BIG SISTER?!

Photo credit: Jessica Clark Photography

That is what I said!!!

This September Avalyn will become a big sister! We are currently expecting our second baby! Brian and I found out I was pregnant a few days after Christmas. I had the pregnancy confirmed on the 30th of December and my first doctor appointment was February 3rd. We got to hear baby's heartbeat and see baby via an ultrasound. It was at that appointment that I was told I would be paired with an actual doctor instead of a midwife.

I had my first appointment with my doctor on the 20th and am extremely impressed with how she plans to handle my pregnancy. She has declared me as high risk, so I am not allowed to do any strenuous work or exercise. I am scheduled to come in every two weeks to have my cervix measured. If my cervix begins to dilate at all, I will be scheduled to have a cerclage. A cerclage is the placement of stitches in the cervix to keep it closed. The procedure will have to be done in the operating room and will be removed at 36 weeks. I am hoping that I will not have to have that procedure done, but I am preparing for it regardless.

At 16 weeks I will start getting a shot called Makena; which is a hormone shot that is used to prevent preterm labor. This is another preventative measure that will be taken to keep me from going into preterm labor.

I will also have my thyroid levels checked every 13 weeks (every trimester) to make sure that my levels are staying balanced.

Aside from all of that I will have all of the usual pregnancy procedures done...the glucose test, the Rhogam shot (because I am A-), the anatomy scan, the genetics tests, etc. etc. Overall I am very excited and feeling extremely confident that I will have a full term pregnancy! I love my doctor and how well those at the naval hospital are treating me already considering my previous pregnancy.

Baby Felda at 8 weeks.

Baby Felda at 11 weeks.

How far along? 11 weeks, 2 days.

Total weight gain: 8 pounds; I am allowed to gain up to 8 pounds per trimester so I am doing pretty well so far.

Maternity clothes? 50% maternity, 50% pre-pregnancy clothes

Stretch marks? Yes.

Sleep: Tossing and turning at night, but mostly because I can't get comfortable.

Best moment of this week? Seeing baby via surprise ultrasound.

Miss anything? Missing the hubby.

Movement: Not yet.

Food cravings? McDonald's french fries.

Anything making you queasy or sick? Morning sickness has subsided for the most part, I got a whiff of a hot dog today while at the store and I thought I was going to hurl. Still can't really drink coffee like I used to.

Gender: To be determined.

Labor signs: None.

Symptoms: Still some nausea, fatigue, cravings have been off and on, and my belly and belly button have been itching and driving my nuts.

Belly button in or out? In.

Wedding rings on or off? Still wearing them.

Happy or moody most of the time? Very happy for the most part!

Looking forward to: Skype dates with Brian over this weekend and my next doctor's appointment (hoping to see baby again!).