Tuesday, December 30, 2014

We Moved Again

So we just finished moving for the 7th time in 7 years. Hopefully we will be here for a long long time.

Let me just say that moving while pregnant is NO JOKE. I hated it. We tried to save a little money and have the movers just move our big furniture and we would get all the little things. Who knew we had so many "little things." It took about 12 trips back and forth and the old house and new house are a good 20-30 minutes away from each other.

Mr. Hunt couldn't always make it to help because he works and we needed to get out of the house as soon as we could since we were breaking a lease, so that meant I had to do some lifting and moving on my own. Don't worry, if it was too heavy, I left it for Mr. Hunt for when he could make it.

The only good thing about moving the little things on our own is that I would basically unpack everything each load. So, we never really had to live in a house full of boxes like we have in the past with our moves.

Other than that though, it was pretty rough. I so glad its done. Well done as in, done moving things. We still have a ton of unpacking left and things are all over the place, but those things are going to have to wait.

So yes, thats about it. Im so glad to finally be in our home that we will hopefully be in for a long long time. It takes the pressure off of feeling like I have to have every room perfect right now. Instead, we can save up for things that we want in each room.

We had my Mom takes some pictures of us in front of our new house for the back of our Christmas cards this year. I made them into Christmas/Weve Moved cards.




Ill show more pictures of the inside as well as a video tour once we are a little more settled in.

Love,
Jennifer

Monday, December 29, 2014

Jane's First Gamecock Football Game

Back in November, we took Jane to her very first South Carolina Gamecock Football game. Im pretty sure Mr. Hunt was the most excited about this. I was a little worried it would be a nightmare trying to keep her seated and distracted from wanting to run all over the place, but I knew this day would come sometime. 

The game was against South Alabama which was good because that meant we would probably win, seeing as this past season wasn't so good for the gamecocks. I wouldn't want Jane's first game to be a loss. Anyway, the game was at noon which was also good for a kids first game so that it didn't interfere with bedtime. Although, it did interfere with nap time, but thats ok. 

Mr. Hunt, Jane, Uncle Dylan, Aunt Jenn, Aunt Jenn's parents, Uncle Dylan, Nana, Pappy, and I were all at the game. I hope to make it some sort of tradition, it was so fun! We tailgated a little bit and Jane loved running around after the football and eating cheese and crackers. 

I packed everything I could think of to distract Jane and I was a little worried they would say my bag was too big to go into the game, but they let me right in. 


Jane loved cheering and yelling "go cocks!" and "touchdown." Surprisingly (because nothing usually scares her) she didn't like the fireworks or when everyone would scream and yell. She usually yelled while everyone else was quiet. She also loved when they played sandstorm. She had a little towel that she liked to wave around.



Me, Jane, and my parents left around the end of the 3rd quarter. We had exhausted all of our distractions and I could tell Jane was super tired. She was starting to get cranky, plus we were winning pretty big. On the way back, Jane fell asleep on Pappy. Poor Pappy had to carry 30lbs of dead weight the whole way back to the tailgate.


This never happens. Jane never falls asleep in random places. Its either her bed, or the carseat, thats it! So she was really tired. I thought for sure when I laid her down in the back of the car she would wake up, but she didn't! Her little nap wasn't long, but it was cute to see her wiped out.


We hung out a little bit more at the tailgate once everyone else got back and then headed home. The day turned out great! Im not sure Jane will remember her first game, but we will, and we will be s
sure to tell her all about it!

Love,
Jennifer

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Thanksgiving

Ok, so Im way way way behind. To be perfectly honest, its getting harder and harder to keep up with the blog while also doing my YouTube Channel. Mainly because I feel like Im repeating myself a lot. Also, I forget what Ive posted on here and what Ive posted over there.

BUT, I know people still love reading this so I still want to keep it up. Also, I know the videos on YouTube will be fun to watch back, but reading these posts in the future will be just as good.

So, here I am with the Thanksgiving post...I know I know, you can skip it if you are so past that. I don't blame you, its Christmas EVE!!!! haha

This year we were with my family for Thanksgiving. I didn't cook a thing! I had plans to at least help with an appetizer or even a dessert, but then I never did. Sorry Mom if you are reading this.

Thanksgiving morning is always spent watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Mr. Hunt kept taking a million pictures on his phone because he would tweet them and kept hoping they would make it onto tv. No such luck!


Jane loved the parade



My Mom and Jane did some crafts. This was one, the pilgrim hat. Jane refused to wear it so I put one on and then put one on Hannah in hopes to get Jane excited to wear it. Instead Mr. Hunt took the opportunity to try to get us on tv again.


They also made this cute Indian headband that she actually liked to wear, until a little later when she tore off all the feathers.





We ate a later lunch around 4pm once Jane woke up from her nap, we didn't want her to miss out on all the good food. My Dad had some company while carving the turkey.


After we ate, my Mom and I took Jane to a tree house playground and then we went to go visit my little brother who was working on Thanksgiving. He is a fireman, so to the forestation we went.

It was a great Thanksgiving, but it was also fun to think that next year, we will have a 7 month old little boy with us too. Crazy how much difference one year can make.

It's A.....

Most of you already know what we are having, but if you want to see the video I made for the gender reveal, you can check it out here! 

Thursday, December 18, 2014

16-20 Weeks Pregnant

16 WEEKS


Total Weight Gain/Loss?: still 5 lbs
Maternity Clothes?: Yes. Maternity everything unless its a loose shirt that I already had. Its just more comfy this way
Stretch Marks?: Nope
Feeling Sick?: Not sick and Im getting my energy back some this week. A few times I felt great tired wise, and then all of the sudden I felt like I got hit by a brick wall and I could close my eyes and fall asleep standing up. I think some of it is just being tired and stressed with our move in TWO WEEKS
Best Moment This Week: We went to see my grandparents on my Dad's side this week. Jane had only met my grandmother once awhile ago and my grandpa had never met her. They all had so much fun with her. Also, we threw a surprise birthday party for my Mom this past weekend which of course was really fun as well. I also had an appointment
Food Cravings?: nothing
Gender?: Don't know yet, but we will find out on December 10th
Labor Signs?: No
Belly Button In or Out?: In
Wedding Ring On or Off?:  On
What I Miss?: I can't think of anything
What I'm Looking Forward To?: Getting this move over with so I can concentrate on the holidays, Jane's birthday, and this baby! I am of course also looking forward to finding out if we are having a boy or girl in just three weeks
Anything Else?: So when I was pregnant with Jane, I felt her move around 18-19 weeks. This time though, at 14 weeks, I swear I felt something, but I wasn't sure it wasn't gas. Then this past week, I have FOR SURE felt little baby in there about 10 times. Its crazy how much earlier you can feel the baby move the second time around. I don't feel the baby all the time, but there have been several times I have felt him/her kick. The appointment went well. I got to hear the baby's heartbeat, it was on the low side of 137 (I say low, because Jane's was never lower than 150). Maybe that means boy? I also had to give blood for the AFP screening and will get results soon.

17 WEEKS

Total Weight Gain/Loss?: 7 lbs
Maternity Clothes?:Yes. I'm finding it hard to find warmer things to wear this time around, good thing I don't have to look good for a job everyday 
Stretch Marks?: No
Feeling Sick?: My energy is finally back! And Im feeling great!
Best Moment This Week: Having my FAITH tested and being set free from stress, sadness, and worry (See my "Rough Week Post)
Food Cravings?: Anything vinegary. I dipped my fries in vinegar and also Im obsessed with pickles right now. Good thing Jane is too, she's my pickle buddy
Gender?: We will be finding out sooner than expected.....very excited about that
Labor Signs?: No
Belly Button In or Out?: starting to be flat
Wedding Ring On or Off?:  On
What I Miss?: Having slower days, we are so busy right now
What I'm Looking Forward To?: Having a few answers soon.
Anything Else?: Like I said, please read my "rough week" post. We've had a stressful time lately.

18 WEEKS

Total Weight Gain/Loss?: 8 lbs
Maternity Clothes?: Yes. Thankful for Mr. Hunt's shirts right now
Stretch Marks?: No, not yet. Also not feeling very stretched either, so hopefully that's good
Feeling Sick?: No, still feeling good. Its hard to imagine I would have felt better after that horrible first trimester
Best Moment This Week: Seeing baby Hunt on the ultrasound and hearing that he looks healthy. Still waiting on another blood test for 99% accurate result for a definite answer, but things are looking up.
Food Cravings?: still vinegary things
Gender?: We know We know!!! Ill share soon!
Labor Signs?: No
Belly Button In or Out?: flat. It never got to be an outie with Jane, but I have a feeling it will this time. Im not even half way done, and its starting to poke out a tiny bit when Im standing up
Wedding Ring On or Off?:  On
What I Miss?: slower days again. Cant wait to be moved in and settled down for a month or two before our lives are turned upside down again with another baby
What I'm Looking Forward To?: Announcing if baby Hunt is a boy or girl and also getting the blood test results back
Anything Else?: Were moving!!!!!

19 WEEKS

Total Weight Gain/Loss?: 9 lbs. My doctor said she wanted me to gain .5 to 1 lbs a week and according to her, Im over bit! oops!!
Maternity Clothes?: Yep!
Stretch Marks?: No
Feeling Sick?: No thank goodness because this last week has been non stop. no time for feeling icky. Im so ready to be done moving!
Best Moment This Week: Getting the test results back and hearing that Baby Hunt is perfectly healthy. Nothing at all to worry about! Thank the Lord! God is good!
Food Cravings?: lemonade this week and normally Im not a lemonade kinda person. 
Gender?: Im announcing very very soon! We are very excited!
Labor Signs?: No, but I swear Im feeling braxton hicks contractions already. Is that too early?
Belly Button In or Out?: flatty
Wedding Ring On or Off?:  On
What I Miss?: having slower days. Ill say that until we are done with this move. I miss Jane and my slow days where I don't even have to put her in the car. 
What I'm Looking Forward To?: More Christmas celebrations with Jane. We have some fun things planned. 
Anything Else?: Jane will be 2 next week! Ahhhh! With the last few stressful weeks and a move,  haven't bought any Christmas or birthday gifts. I haven't even thought about Jane's party. I feel so bad, but hopefully I can pull something good off!

20 WEEKS

Total Weight Gain/Loss?: 10lbs. Hopefully I can stick to the 1 pound or less gain per week.
Maternity Clothes?: Yes! And Mr. Hunt's shirts
Stretch Marks?: No
Feeling Sick?: Yes. This week I have been nauseous on and off. Im not sure if Ive over done it with our move or whats going on. Its not every evening, but about ever other evening. Hope it goes away soon. Also, Ive been getting some braxton hicks contractions. Very rare, but Im definitely getting them.
Best Moment This Week: Finally being done with moving! Still have things to unpack, but were done going back and forth and moving big things
Food Cravings?: Anything vinegary like pickles! YUM!
Gender?: Its a BOY!!! you can see the gender reveal video I made here 
Labor Signs?: No but still having the braxton hicks! ugh!
Belly Button In or Out?: flatty, almost an outy
Wedding Ring On or Off?:  On
What I Miss?: Not worrying about if Ill be nauseous at night or not. 
What I'm Looking Forward To?: Jane's Birthday is TOMORROW!!!
Anything Else?: We are having a birthday party for Jane on Saturday and her birthday is tomorrow (Friday). Cant wait to celebrate with her and see how excited she gets!

Friday, December 12, 2014

Very Rough Couple of Weeks

So we had a little bump in the road these past few weeks. Great timing, seeing as we had Thanksgiving and moving all at the same time. I am a true believer though that God puts things in our path for a reason, and I feel like he was trying to tell me to SLOW DOWN and be thankful for the things we have and not focus solely on how behind I am in packing or all the things we have to do. I tend to make my busy life seem horrible. When in reality, the reason I am busy is because HE has blessed us. We are busy packing and moving because He has blessed us with a beautiful home. Anyway, I'm going to try to make a long story short here, but really a lot has been happening.

At my 15 week appointment for baby #2, I had blood drawn for my AFP test. You can google what that is, but basically it test for three things, down syndrome, trimsomy 18, and spinabifida. Last week I got a call from the doctor (first bad sign because usually the receptionist or nurse calls when everything is ok). She first told me that my blood work came back negative for trisomy 18 and spinabifida (which are the two worst out of the three). Then she went on to tell me that I was "flagged" as "high risk" for down syndrome and we needed to take further action. At that point all I wanted to do was cry and hang up. She kept talking, and to be honest, I don't remember everything she said.

Let me back up a bit. I don't want anyone to think that I was upset about having a child with down syndrome. Honestly, my first thought was that I had done something wrong or I had failed the baby. I also kept trying to picture our lives with a child with down syndrome, and I would just get overwhelmed with how different things would be and how the attention would really veer away from Jane. I of course would love the baby just as much and I would take whatever the Lord gives us, but it was just scary at first.

So, back to the doctors phone call. After she rattled off a bunch of numbers, she told me that she would send my blood work over to a genetic specialist and they would call me. That was it. Then we hung up. So I was just left with all this info, and then there I was having no idea what to think.

That day was very rough. There was a lot of crying and googling going on. I tried to stay positive the whole time and remember that God has a plan for everything.

Once I settled down a bit I actually called my doctor back so she could give me the numbers again since I wasn't really paying attention the first time. Here's what I was told.

So since down syndrome is more likely in older women, there is a ratio for each age group. For my age, my ratio is 1/820 chance of having a down syndrome baby. My blood work combined with that came out to be a 1/163 chance (which is significantly lower than my age and also lower than the test "cut off" which is 1/250), so I was "flagged"

Those odds still aren't so bad, but they are definitely lower than my age ratio. So, the genetic doctor called and scheduled an appointment for me to come in and have a meeting as well as an ultrasound to see if we can find any soft markers or characteristics of down syndrome in the baby.

We had to wait a full week to see the genetic counselor and let me tell you, it was a LONG week. BUT, my faith in God and his comfort really put me at peace. I was actually surprised at how calm and collected I was all week. I kept thinking about what people who don't believe in God do when they are in tough situations. I like knowing all things are out of my hands and in the hands of my Heavenly Father. Praise Him!

So at the appointment, we met with a Genetic Counselor. She basically just explained the test results a little further, gave us options for further testing, and talked about our family health history. Then we went into the ultrasound. I was so excited to see Baby Hunt since we hadn't seen the baby since 7 weeks and the baby was just a little dot. BUT, I was also super nervous about what we would see on the ultrasound.

The good thing is that unlike a normal ultrasound where normally the ultrasound tech can't really say much until they speak to the doctor, this ultrasound tech explained everything she was looking at and said whether it looked good or if she was concerned about something.

Long story short, Baby Hunt looked perfectly healthy according to the ultrasound. We were so relieved. BUT the ultrasound is only 60% accurate. So even if we were told Baby Hunt looked great, there was still a 40% chance, he/she still could have down syndrome. So, I opted to take another blood test while there that is 99.1% accurate in detecting down syndrome. I would get those results back for another week though.

While getting the ultrasound, we had the tech write down if we were having a boy or girl on a piece of paper and put it in an envelope. We then opened it right away in the parking lot! haha! We just wanted to concentrate on the baby's health while in there instead of celebrating the gender. So all in all the appointment went well. We had good news from the ultrasound and we also got to find out the gender earlier than expected.

Fast forward one week later we got a great phone call saying that Baby Hunt is perfectly healthy and that he/she definitely does NOT have down syndrome. We could ignore the AFP results. Even though I already had a feeling everything was fine, this was just the last little weight on my shoulders.

Im not really sure how this post is coming off. Its hard to explain your emotions on the Internet. Basically I say this. We were scared, we were worried. BUT, our faith in our God had us ready for anything. We knew that He would NEVER EVER stray from his plan for our family. We would get exactly what he wanted for us and it was all out of our hands. Also, our family really stepped up in making us feel confident in raising a special needs child if it came down to it. We have the best family!

SO, there we go. My very stressful, rough couple of weeks.


Thursday, November 13, 2014

13-15 Weeks

13 WEEKS




Total Weight Gain/Loss?: Ive gained one pound since the beginning
Maternity Clothes?: Umm yeah...Its starting to get cold here. I thought for sure Id be able to wear my non-maternity leggings for awhile and get away with it. It was wrong. I tried on three different pairs the other day and all three were digging into my growing belly and I couldn't do it. The one pair of leggings I had from Jane's pregnancy have a hole in it. Great. I can still wear non-maternity shirts though.
Stretch Marks?: No
Feeling Sick?: not sick anymore. Thank goodness. BUT I am still tired. Very tired. I think I was actually more tired this week than any other week so far. Not sure if its just because we have a lot going on or its just because Im pregnant. You never know
Best Moment This Week: Seeing my Aunt and other family members I haven't seen in awhile. Jane is so happy and loving and NOT shy. Its fun to see her with the people you love.
Food Cravings?: nothing really this week. 
Gender?: Don't know yet
Labor Signs?: No
Belly Button In or Out?: In
Wedding Ring On or Off?:  On
What I Miss?: energy energy energy. That it all
What I'm Looking Forward To?: My next appointment. I feel like my last one wasn't good enough. I had intentions on seeing little baby on the ultrasound since I did at my second appointment with Jane, but instead we just heard the heartbeat on the doppler. That was fine and all but it took her forever to find it (which was scary) and then when she finally found it, I was flustered and we only heard it for like 2 seconds. That was it. Now I have to wait 4 more weeks. Since I can't feel the baby move quite yet, I just feel detached or something. 
Anything Else?: Like I say every week. We have A LOT going on. Are you sick of me saying that? Who doesn't have a lot going on ever right? But, we are moving in ONE month and we will only be home for one weekend. That means packing needs to start right now. And remember.....I don't have energy. At least Im not feeling sick right? Knock on wood.

14 WEEKS




Total Weight Gain/Loss?: 4lbs oops I may have eaten too much Halloween Candy
Maternity Clothes?: Bottoms yes. Anything not maternity for bottoms is just way too uncomfortable. I can get away with regular shirts still. I need to go shopping
Stretch Marks?: No
Feeling Sick?: I felt like I was getting better but then I had a few waves of nauseous this week. Wasn't very bad, but it was disappointing. Also, I was a lot more tired this week than any other week. Maybe I just over did it this week or something. 
Best Moment This Week:  Trick or Treating with Jane for the first time. She loved it
Food Cravings?: Not really having any
Gender?: Don't know yet, but thinking boy still
Labor Signs?: No
Belly Button In or Out?: In
Wedding Ring On or Off?:  On
What I Miss?: Being comfortable. I can't get comfortable and Im not even big yet. 
What I'm Looking Forward To?: My next appointment and getting this move over with
Anything Else?: My belly popped out major this week. Maybe that would explain the alb weight gain. (or the candy)


15 WEEKS




Total Weight Gain/Loss?: 5lbs. So i guess the albs last week wasn't just the Halloween candy
Maternity Clothes?: I finally went shopping and got some things. I definitely have to wear maternity pants, or REALLY stretchy yoga pants (some are still too tight). I definitely have a little belly now too so some shirts are starting not to fit so good
Stretch Marks?: No. I didn't get any last time so Im hoping to stay in the clear
Feeling Sick?: Feeling ok. I had some pretty bad headaches this week but Im not sure it was because Im pregnant. Maybe, just maybe my energy is coming back a little, but I need to knock on wood
Best Moment This Week:  Although I missed them very very much, Mr. Hunt and Jane left for three days so that I could rest and pack. Its hard to pack when Jane is awake so that only leaves a small window of time to pack during the day. I also got some good rest. 
Food Cravings?: Ice cream this week. 
Gender?: Hopefully we will find out in about a month
Labor Signs?: No
Belly Button In or Out?: In
Wedding Ring On or Off?:  On
What I Miss?: I think for once Im not missing anything too much
What I'm Looking Forward To?: I have an appointment on Thursday. I always look forward to those
Anything Else?: Im so ready to be moved into our new home and getting into the Christmas spirit. We have a lot of fun things planned for the rest of November, but Im just stressed. 

Monday, November 10, 2014

Squeak

Better late than never, but here are some of our Halloween pictures from this year.

Last year, Jane was 10 months old and just learned to walk, so we didn't take her trick or treating. So this year was the first year she got to go, and she LOVED it. Im not sure why I thought she wouldn't get it, but oh, did she get it.

We went in my parents neighborhood where pretty much everyone participates and makes a big deal of Halloween. Most people actually sit in lawn chairs in their driveway and hand out candy there. So the first few times, Jane didn't even go to a door.

This got her a little confused though because then she kept going up to random people who were trick or treating themselves and saying "trick or treat" and expecting candy. haha

Then the few times we did go to a door, she tried to walk into the houses. Besides all that though, she really enjoyed it. She was also interested in all the scary things. She wanted to get close to scary things and look at them, but she made sure she was holding her Daddy's hand and repeating "its ok" the whole time.

She loved trick or treating so much, at one point, she wouldn't stop skipping down the street. She also got very concerned when Mr. Hunt took out some of her candy from her pumpkin. He wanted to make sure it wasn't too heavy, but she thought he was stealing it.

So, I originally wanted Jane to be dressed as an elephant since she loves them right now, but I couldn't find a costume that I like or wasn't $50 or more. So, I resorted to the mouse costume. It was actually pretty cheap because I just bought grey sweatpants and a sweatshirt (something she can wear again) and bought the ears, tail, and nose (which she didn't wear) separate. I felt a little bad for "skimping out" on her costume, but I also know that starting next year, I wont have much say on what she will want to dress up as for Halloween.

Enjoy some cute pictures of our cute little mouse.

















the tail....too cute


Before we went trick or treating, Jane found some candy that her Nana was planning on handing out. We told her she couldn't eat any quite yet because we hadn't eaten dinner. So she resorted to licking each and very piece, over and over. I think she was hoping it would eventually unwrap itself or something.


This is blurry, but here she is looking and inspecting the scary things.







Inspecting her candy. I thought we would only make it to a few houses, but she didn't want to stop. She got a lot more candy than I expected her to.




Hope y'all had a great Halloween as well.

Love,
Jennifer
 

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