Baby Bowling #2...so far

Well, I'll be honest...I've been ready for Baby #2 for quite some time, but Mr. Bowling took a little convincing. :)  (Sorry, Honey!)  FINALLY (haha), we were both on the same page and as ready as we'd ever be.  On November 7th, I finally got the news I was hoping for.  Maybe not the news, but the visual proof, anyways.

The line is faint, but it is there.  Apparently, I was less than 4 weeks pregnant at this time, so it's a good thing the line showed up at all!

I thought I would DIE before I could tell someone.  The story is hilarious, but I'll not share that on here...(ask me in person).  Anyways...I had to tell Daniel, so I got Bentley a shirt monogrammed that said BIG BROTHER, and he was wearing it when Daniel got home from work.  Pretty cute!

When Daniel came in, Bentley said, "I gonna be a big brother!"  I think Daniel's response was something like..."Huh?  No way!"

Then, we had to tell the Grandparents.  With Bentley, I did a big dinner and scavenger hunt, but I just couldn't wait or think to make big plans, so Bentley told the news with his bedtime prayer.  The video was sent to all the grandparents that evening, and they were all very excited!

Bedtime Prayer - Baby News

 

Everything seemed to be going pretty well.  With Bentley, I started getting sick at about 6 1/2 weeks, which continued until about 18 weeks.  When I say "sick," I mean "very sick."  I could hardly keep anything down, and I was miserable all the time, from the time I woke up, until I went to bed.  With this little munchkin, I've had a few days where I felt absolutely horrible, but it's been much better, for the most part.  My "sick" time has been mostly in the evening, starting about 6:30.  Now, I seem to be past most of that, but I start feeling really crummy when I get hungry.  So, as long as you feed me, I'm alright.  Exhaustion has been taken to a whole different level, though.  I'm not sure if is because I have Bentley, so I can't really just do nothing, or if it's just worse.  I don't think I've EVER been this tired before.

We had our first appointment at about 6 1/2 weeks, which is really early.  So early, in fact, that the baby looked like a bean.  All was well, though.  Everything seemed to be just fine!  The doctor contacted a specialist (because of my preterm labor with B), and we made a plan for this pregnancy.  I just felt better know we were on top of things and going to be proactive.

The first look at Baby Bowling.  It's seriously, SO tiny here!

At about 9 1/2 weeks, we had a major scare.  I had a really good day.  I didn't feel bad at all, so when I started bleeding, I was terrified.  Apparently, some bleeding is normal...this bleeding was not.  I'll not share the gory details, but it was enough to scare Daniel and me pretty badly.  Bentley was in the bed, so Cyndel came to stay with him while we went to the hospital.  We arrived there a little before 9:30, and they put me through triage, took blood and urine, and then we played the waiting game.  We were finally called back around 11:20, more tests were done, as well as an ultrasound.  At this point I was so scared.  I was bleeding, cramping, and had convinced myself that I had a miscarriage.  Finally, at about 2:20, the doctor informed us that there was a heartbeat.  According to the ultrasound, the heart rate was low at 108 bpm, and the baby was about a week and a half behind in growth.  I still just had this awful feeling after hearing these stats.  This can't be good!

The following day, I called the doctor, she reviewed my chart, and kept my appointment for the following Monday with instructions to take it easy and continue pelvic rest.  Well, we were going to Gatlinburg, but I took it as easy as I could. :)  Monday came, and we went to the doctor for my monthly appointment and a follow-up from the previous week's issues.  The nurse came in with her handheld doppler to hear the baby's hearbeat, and she couldn't find it.  So, she tried a different machine.  Couldn't find it.  She got another nurse to try.  Couldn't find it.  Okay...pregnant lady is getting a little freaked out!  Dr. Kakani knew I was nervous, so she sent me to ultrasound.  What did we find, you ask?

A perfectly healthy, growing baby that measured a day ahead of gestational age and had a heart rate of 170 bpm.  Oh my goodness!  The elation and relief I felt.  Apparently the ultrasound tech in the ER had not measured correctly, so my scare from her stats was unnecessary.  I am absolutely amazed that at 10 1/2 weeks, there is a baby with arms, legs, fingers, and toes growing in me.  This, my friends, is a miracle, only created by God!

This is truly astonishing...at 10 1/2 weeks and maybe 2 inches long, this little baby is real.  It was kicking and moving during the ultrasound.  Thank you, Jesus!

I look at this picture at least once a day in amazement and in love.  I try to imagine how much it has grown, and I wonder if I'm carrying a boy or a girl.  Who knows and who cares, for Pete's sake...as long as the baby is happy and healthy.

I'm now 12 1/2 weeks along now and I'm feeling a little better already.  I still feel bad when I'm hungry or don't sleep good, and I'm still tired, but overall, I think I'm getting better.  I haven't gained any weight, but my pants are fitting a little more snug.  Jean are just uncomfortable!  In the mornings I look pretty normal...maybe a touch thicker in the waist, but in the evenings I look pregnant.  I guess my breakfast, lunch, and dinner create a pretty good "food baby."  haha

Oh, for the record...Bentley says I'm having a boy.  He talks to the baby through my belly button, and he often says there's a baby in his belly button.  I ask him daily if I'm having a boy or a girl, and he says, "It's a boy."  I'll say, "What if Mommy has a little girl?"  He usually replies, "It's a boy."  in his matter-of-fact voice.  Time will tell!

Please continue to pray for us.  I've been scared enough for one pregnancy, so we will just hope that everything goes as planned and I feel good through it all.  Thank you ahead of time!  More updates to come!

Fall Family Photos and a Bentley Update

***This was written at the beginning of December, so excuse some of the stuff that seems late.  I'll try to be better about posting, but my computer at home is on the outs, so I have to blog when I can find time elsewhere. :)***

I'd like to share our family pictures we recently - not so recently -  had done, as well as share some funnies and happies from Bentley.  It's been a long time since I've posted about what he does, things he says, and memories we've made, so I'll do that now.  Enjoy!

Bentley is now 32 months old - that transfers into MORE than 2 1/2!  Seriously?!?!  Where did time go?  He's not anywhere close to being a baby anymore, and it's hard to watch.  At the same time, though, it's amazing...

My little guy was just a little bean, then a newborn that required help for every single need.  Then, he grew into a baby with a personality, likes and dislikes.  Man, I remember some of those days...learning to sit up, learning to crawl, first words, going to school for the first time.  Then, he was walking.  We all know what that means.  One B.U.S.Y. Mommy!  Goodness, he grew so fast, and he talked so soon, I just feel like my baby was not a baby long enough.  Before he was one, he had so many words.  By the time he was 1 1/2, he was speaking in sentences, and before he was two he was potty training.  Yes, developing quickly is good, but, my oh my, does it take a toll on a  Mommy's heart.

Now, Bentley is closer to three than he is two.  He will be THREE in April, which I'm pretty sure constitutes him as a preschooler and no longer a toddler.  He is hilarious, too!  I cannot even begin to share all the things he says and does right now, but I'll try to share some of my favorites.

First, here's his latest stats...

Height: 35 inches
Weight: 25 pounds
Shoe Size: 7
Favorite Toy: Not a favorite currently...he plays with so many
Lovey: Yes!  He still has to have his blanket and bunny to go to sleep
Favorite Activities: Riding lawnmowers, bounce houses, playgrounds
Bedtime: Routine starts at 7:00...usually in bed by 7:30
Daddy or Mommy?: It depends...He's even started requesting Daniel at bedtime sometimes. :)

Bentley has always been a talker.  He spoke so early, and he tried to repeat everything we said when he was just 14 or 15 months old.  I would get so tickled trying to get him to say certain words.  Now, we are at that age where he still says some things funny (and super cute), but I wonder if I should correct him.  The teacher in me says, "Teach him to say it correctly."  The Mommy in me says, "Let him be little."

For example, on words that start with s blends (st, sc, sl, etc.), he leaves out the first s.  So, school sounds like 'chool, and snake sounds like 'nake.  I sometimes correct him, but not always.  He will get it in time.  Last night we got so tickeled.  We got a couple of ice cream blasts from Sonic, and Bentley kept saying, "I want a shakemilk."  So funny!  I couldn't bare to correct him.  He has a lot of funny little saying and ways of saying certain things.  I hope I can get some on video so I'll always remember his sweet little voice.

About those funny sayings...Bentley is hilarious.  When he does something we don't like or behaves badly (since he is two, after all), we will say, "Bentley, we're not playing this game."  So, when we do something he doesn't like (like make him get out of bed in the mornings), he squenches his eyebrows up, pokes his lips out, and says, "We're not playing that game!"  So funny!  Just the other night, I was looking for a toy of his that has apparently gone M.I.A.  Bentley was helping me look, and I kept saying, "Nope, not in there.  I can't find it anywhere."  Bentley put his hands in the air and said, "Me either, Mommy.  I can't find it anywhere."  While Daniel and I were in the kitchen a week or so ago, Bentley was playing in the living room.  Out of the blue, he piped up and said, "What's wrong, y'all?"  He does this all the time now.  I have no idea where this came from.

One of his latest funnies has to do with dancing, which in any other setting, might be a good thing.  I was a dancer, so it's only natural for me to want my child to enjoy dance, as well.  Well, he has taken this to a whole new level.  The other night, I walked into the kitchen to find Bentley stark naked, standing on a rug he had flipped over, dancing.  I said, "Bentley Bowling, what are you doing?"  In his matter of fact little voice, he said, "I just dancin' on my dance class."  Not exactly what I had in mind...

Bentley is not much of a singer.  I've heard him sing his ABC's all the way through once, and he WILL NOT do it again!  He can sing Twinkle Twinkle, but he rarely does it for an audience.  He asks me to sing Cruise every night when I lay him down, and he LOVES to hear it on the radio.  A couple of weeks ago, I laid on the couch and said, "Bentley, I'm so tired."  He covered me up with his blanket, and said, "I will pet you."  He patted my back and started singing, "Baby, you a song.  Roll my windows down. CRUISE!"  Hilarious!

At night when we say his prayers, we have to do two prayers..."Now I lay me" and "the food one."  I know that "God is great..." is for blessing our food, but Bentley apparently uses it as his outlet for talking to God.  So, that's fine by me.  He changes up his story, periodically.  Right now we are reading Twas the Night Before Christmas a.k.a. "the Santa book."  For a while he was stuck on Love You Forever, which is one of my favorites.  Sometimes he says the whole rhyme, "I'll love you forever.  I'll like you for always.  As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be."  Most of the time, though, he just says, "My baby you'll be" or "My Mommy you'll be."  Melts. My. Heart.

Pretend Play...he is a master!  Bentley absolutely cracks us up with his imagination.  The other day he pretended there was a TV in the dining room, and he told all about the show he was watching.  He also said he had animals under the table, and we needed to feed them animal food.  So, we had to go to his kitchen, get animal food in his tractor, and take it to the pig and horse that were under the sofa table.  This all lasted about 10 minutes.  Strictly pretending...so much fun!  The last few times we've gone to the grocery store, Bentley tells us there is a cat in the aisle.  We've had purple cats, blue cats, and yellow cats, so far.  He thinks it is all sorts of fun to pretend there are spiders coming out of the rug.  Mommy squeals when that happens. :)  It is so fun to see that he can use his imagination.  We often take this for granted, but as a teacher, it's easy to see the benefits of pretend play.  I love that he can play with things besides toys and television!

Potty training...we are almost completely there (knock on wood).  Bentley decided to start potty training about a month before he turned two.  (His idea, not mine.)  He did really well with pee pee.  Of course he did better with me than he did at school because there's a lot less distractions at home.  During the summer, we had mastered going pee pee in the potty.  He hardly ever had an accident, so I thought we were home free.  As soon as he started back to school, he backtracked.  I stuck with it!  I'm a strong believer in once you go to undies, you stay in undies.  With persistence, he got it.  He rarely has a pee pee accident anymore, and if he does, it's after he's had a large amount of juice or water.  Now, while he did well with pee peeing, pooping was a different story.  For the longest, he simply didn't care.  He didn't mind having dirty pants, so he could just poop in his pants (undies and all) and not care.  At some point, he understood it was a no no to poop in his pants, but that wasn't enough to discourage it.  I tried everything...praise, reprimand, rewards, consequences.  Whether you agree with my methods or not, that's what we did.  Finally, when Bentley turned 2 1/2 it clicked.  He finally gets that he is supposed to poop in the potty, and it doesn't take an act of congress to get it to happen.  Now, he will hold it for days before going, but when he needs to go, he goes in the potty.  It's been a long road, but he's done well.  He's even at the point now, where he will take himself and just go!  Thank the Lord!  New feat...three days ago, he decided he doesn't want to wear a diaper to bed anymore.  My rationale for the diaper?  He's still in a crib, so even if he did wake up and need to go, he can't go on his own.  Well, not anymore.  So far, we've had two successful nights and one night of an accident as he was waking up.  He said, "It's okay, Mommy.  We just wash my bed in the washing machine.  Oh no, it won't fit.  It's too big!"  So, we will be converting to a toddler bed during Christmas holidays for this reason here...no more diapers!

Bentley is so lovey with us.  He loves hugs and kisses, and a lot of times, just out of the blue, he will say, "I do love you."  Man, if I could bottle that up!  I love when he looks at me and says, "You're so pretty."  If you ever get a hug from him, you will always get a kiss because they come in pairs.  Be prepared!  He loves to snuggle.  We've made a habit of sitting down together after dinner to watch a family movie.  (With the season, there's lots of great family movies that come on.)  So, we usually end up with 30-45 minutes that we get to sit and snuggle while we watch TV.  That's probably my favorite time of the day!

Although we have a lot of good in our lives with Bentley, we all know that with the good also comes bad.  He is a little head strong, and he is pushing boundaries a little more than he used to.  Tantrums are not common, though they do exist.  Daniel and I both swear there's nothing worse than a two-year-old tantrum.  Thank goodness they are rare!  That's all I'll say about that!!

I hope you've enjoyed the update on Bentley.  It's been so long since I posted some of the funny things he does and says, so I had a lot to say.  I'm sure I left something out, but maybe that will come to me on another post.  Till then...have a good one!

Oh wait!  There's more!  

Bentley is going to be a BIG BROTHER!  Daniel and I found out in early November, and we are due July 19th.  I'm so excited about our little addition, but there's not a lot of time to think and plan for number two when you work full time and still tend to number one!  Haha!  More on Baby Bowling later.  For now, enjoy our announcement photo...

  

I'm SO behind...

I know, I know!  I said I'd be better about keeping up.  That didn't happen.  The bad news, this will be a long post...the good news, if you're into pictures, you'll be happy!  We've been very busy since I last posted, so here goes...We've been busy this fall. 

To start, we had a birthday celebration for Daniel's Grandmother Frances, and I got some really cute pictures of the Bowling kids.

I am in a Bunco group with some of the great ladies I worked with in Huntsville.  October was my month to host, and we had a great time.  Vicki Hestley "Goosey" helped me decorate, so of course it was really pretty.  I made chili, potato soup, cornbread, and a fresh apple cake.  Delicious!

On of the most fun things we did this fall was going to Gullion Farms with Anna Scott and her family.  Bentley had a WONDERFUL time.  He absolutely LOVED the hay jump, hay ride, and hay maze.  His favorite thing, though, was the HUGE slide.  Of course my big boy was totally fine with going down the slide "my byself."  The only thing about that trip that was bad was Bentley getting his first bee sting.  He cried, I cried...it was awful.  Thank goodness we were "down on the farm."  One of the workers brought us some Benadryl cream and "snuff," which apparently takes the sting out.

We also celebrated Nana Reg and Mimi's birthdays.  A fun Sunday afternoon with good food, family, and friends.

Then it was time for Halloween.  We prepared with carving our pumpkin.  Bentley wasn't too sure about the guts, but he came around.  We joked that our pumpkin had freckles because he wanted to "cut it" and "poke it" with the tools just like Daddy.

Finally, Halloween arrived.  My little Handy Manny was adorable!  We went to the Fall Festival at Gilliam Springs Baptist Church on Wednesday night.  Bentley was SO excited.  One of his most favorite things in the world is a bouncy house, and there were a ton of them there.  He had a great time.  On Thursday, we did our normal Trick-or-Treating with family and friends.  Bentley was allowed to have one piece of candy at each location, so it was the one night of the year that I was a horrible mother and didn't make him eat a real dinner.  Candy for dinner on one out of 365 days...that's not so bad.  :)

Well, that's all.  Hopefully, you've enjoyed the pictures enough.  I know I usually put captions on my pictures, but I think my little man is about to get up.  I better click "publish" while I can.