23 Weeks

 This week has been a little challenging for me. I woke up Sunday morning with severe lower back pain and some major cramping in my pelvis area. It was so bad that I could hardly function. So, Davy packed me into the car and off we went to Labor and Delivery. We got to the hospital and got all hooked up to the monitors and baby Remington was doing just fine. He had a normal heart rate and was very active. They checked to see if I was having contractions but they were very mild and nothing to worry about. They received the news that my urine culture came back and all that I have is the beginnings of a uti. What is frustrating is that I still have the pain in my lower back. I guess we will wait and see at my appointment next week what is going on in my body. My pregnancy with Jackson was literally so perfect. I had no health problems and in fact felt better than ever during the pregnancy. Obviously, that is not the case now. Even though I'm having some pain and had to deal with uncontrollable nausea for 10 weeks in the beginning, I wouldn't change this for anything in the world. It's just so worth it.

Here's the update!

 How Far Along: 23 weeks

Total Weight Gain: I'm down about 2 pounds now.

Sleep: I'm in pain and sleep intermittently. I go to sleep really early and toss and turn trying to get comfortable.

Stretch Marks: The same ones I received from Jackson growing in there, I think  :]

Best Moment This Week: Jackson woke up last night and got into my bed with me, snuggled in close and said, "I love you mommy". He sure knows how to make everything better

Movement:Oh yes. He is one crazy active little child. His movements are also a lot stronger and he loves to kick me in the bladder

Food Cravings: I'm feeling nauseous this week so the only thing I'm craving is Tootsie pops and jelly beans.

Gender: He's a BOY!

Labor Signs: Just some Braxton Hicks contractions

Belly Button: Still in but it's slowly progressing outward. It's getting smaller and smaller by the day!

What I Miss: This week I miss not having pain in my back :( I wish I could just go back to my normal pregnancy.

What I'm looking forward to: I'm looking forward to finding out the exact day this little man will come into the world. He has to come 7-10 days earlier than his due date because of a repeat c-section. So, for now the last day he can be an inside baby is July 25th.

It's a ....

BOY! Another handsome baby boy will be joining our family at the end of July and we can't wait. He was not shy at all for the ultrasound and he is perfectly healthy with a heart rate of 150. He's measuring two days ahead, at about 5 1/2 inches and 9 oz, he's already a big boy. His name is Remington Joseph. Davy and I both love his first name and his middle name is after my dad, which is something that is important to me. We've had some mixed reactions to the name Remington, but from the moment that we decided on that name (before we were even trying to conceive him, by the way) it has just felt right.

He has also been kicking and squirming a lot more lately and I'm sure we will have another active little guy on our hands pretty soon. Jackson loves to say baby "Brutha" and "Eminton" is how he says his name. A few days ago he came up to my belly and rubbed it and said "Ohhh cuuuute baby mom". I have an adorable 2 year old.

Update on Jackson: He is getting SO BIG! He's 33" tall and weighs about 27 pounds. He is also getting too smart for us. He "sings" the alphabet to the best of his ability, but it comes out with a lot of D's and P's, haha. He can also count from 1 to 18 but sometimes skips a few in the middle. He recognizes certain letters and numbers and makes sure that you know it. He knows and recognizes all of the shapes and colors but most of the time he tests you to see if you're paying attention to him by teasing you with telling you the wrong color. It's kind of hilarious. He has also started the dreaded "WHY?" phase which is also quite funny. We started just answering "Because." every time regardless of the question because he would never listen to the real answer anyway. Now when we ask him "Why, Jackson?" He tells us "Cuz!" He makes us laugh every day, multiple times a day and I can't imagine life without him. What a great blessing he is to us.

Well, I'm now 18 weeks along, so here's another update:

Sweet Potato

How Far Along: 18 weeks

Total Weight Gain: I've lost 8 pounds so far.

Sleep: I always sleep pretty well. I'm able to go into REM sleep quickly (I think) and I dream A LOT. I have some of the strangest dreams.

Stretch Marks: The same ones I received from Jackson growing in there :]

Best Moment This Week: The ultrasound was amazing. I cried (happy tears) when they told me I was (undoubtedly) having another son. Surprisingly, as much as I wanted a girl, I think I'm just as excited for this second little guy coming into our lives. Also, Davy feeling the little man kick him for the first time.

Movement: Oh yes! He's a really good little mover. Davy was actually able to feel him kick my belly yesterday. What a strong little guy we already have!

Food Cravings: Mexican food, Italian food, french fries, chili cheese fries, grapes, apples with peanut butter, cupcakes, vanilla ice cream, fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, meatball sub, chicken parmesian.

Gender: He's a BOY!

Labor Signs: None. I have been feeling some Braxton Hicks but they're normal.

Belly Button: Definitely in!

What I Miss: Not having to pee every 1/2 hour to an hour.

What I'm looking forward to: Seeing Jackson meet his little brother and watching them grow up together. I am just really excited to hold this little one in my arms for the first time. I know it's quite a few weeks away, but I'm already so in love with him, I can't help it!

Second Trimester!

At week 14, your baby is 3.4 inches and 1.5 ounces, he's almost doubled in weight since last week and keeps on growing.
He's probably sucking his thumb and wiggling his toes in there!

His kidneys are making urine, and his liver and spleen are doing their jobs, too.

And he's growing lanugo, a thin, peach-fuzz-like hair, all over his body -- it will help him keep warm!





How Far Along: 14 weeks 


Total Weight Gain: I've lost 5 pounds so far. It's not unusual for me to lose weight in the first trimester.

Sleep: It's good. I have to get up and pee at least once per night and I have 2-4 crazy dreams per week so that's always interesting.
Stretch Marks: The same ones I received from Jackson growing in there :]
Best Moment This Week: Reaching the second trimester!
Movement: I've been thinking that I've been feeling some wiggles but I will probably never know for sure until I feel that first, unmistakable kick. That doesn't stop me from laying on my back every night and pressing on my belly to see if baby will squirm for me.
Food Cravings:  Mexican food, ice cream, chips, apples and peanut butter, grapes, chocolate, sugary cereal, french fries, muffins, nacho cheese (on chips),

Food Aversions:  Lunch meat, bread, hamburger, chili, cheese, anything canned
Gender: We don't know yet. I'm hoping to be able to find out in the next few weeks! (I can't believe I'm at that point already!)
Labor Signs: None. Thank goodness.
Belly Button: Definitely in!

What I Miss: I miss being able to look in my fridge and not want to gag at some of the food. There is nothing really strange in our fridge, but when I think about certain foods or combos of foods I get queasy.
What I'm looking forward to: Feeling this baby MOVE and I cannot wait for the ultrasound. I want to make sure baby is healthy but it will also be nice to know if we're starting a new adventure with a little girl or if Jackson gets to have a sweet little brother.

[{Baby News}]

Baby Crockett #2 is on his or her way! We are SO excited and love dreaming up names and guessing the gender. This baby has been making me quite ill, so our big plans of announcing to my family had to be changed at the last minute. Here's the story:

Every year on Christmas Eve, my family gets together and has a huge dinner. There are usually 15- 20 family members and there is so much good food. Unfortunately, my little baby wasn't having any Christmas Eve dinner. I was just about finished with my plate when I felt the dreaded "Oh no, I'm going to throw up" feeling. So I sat there and tried to just let it go away. (Because no one knew about the pregnancy, I didn't exactly want to announce it by getting sick) Well, it didn't go away. I ran into the bathroom and made it to the toilet. My parents' bathroom is not too far away from their dining room so pretty much everyone heard. How embarrassing. When I came out there were worried stares and glances and a few "Are you okay? Are you just not feeling well, have some sort of flu or something?" That's when we brought out Jackson in his shirt that says he's going to be a big brother and let him show everyone the ultrasound of our new little trouble maker. That's not exactly how I wanted to tell my family, but it will be a good story to tell this new little one when he or she is older. But for now, thanks baby. Mama loves you.

Be ... Happy?

You know the part during your wedding vows where you are asked to promise "for better or worse, in rich and in poor"? Well, we've been living with the "worse" and the "poor" for a while now. It's been tough at the Crockett residence. Sometimes I'm in sheer panic mode where I don't know what to do and how to cope with things, other days I lose myself in just trying to be happy with all the things in my life that are right.

This post isn't about all of my woes and hardships. This is about finding happiness when it seems like there is none to be found. The little things like chasing Jackson around the house and making him giggle like a maniac. The little (big) things like the fact that we now have health insurance (YES!) and it's not going to cost us all that much(even better). The little things like being able to kiss my husband every day and know that he's safe. The fact that despite working 40+ hours between two jobs, I get to spend every single morning with my son, just me and him.

About 2 months ago, I was searching all over for a new job. A 40 hour/week job that pays well with good benefits (yeah, right!) I interviewed for two different jobs and didn't get either one of them. Needless to say, I was disappointed and frustrated with everything. A couple of weeks later, I was promoted to floor manager at one of my jobs. This position gives me a pay raise, more responsibilities and quite a few more hours. Upon leaving my manager's office that day, I realized that Heavenly Father is watching over me. He loves me and knows me and he wants me to develop my talents in the area that I'm in right now instead of starting over with a new job. Sometimes it's so hard to let go and say, "Okay God - I'm leaving it all up to you, please just help me in whatever way you know is right for me." I know that prayers are answered and I'm so thankful for that knowledge.

Other things (and people) I'm loving right now:

Pinterest: I'm addicted. If you don't know what this is, go to www.pinterest.com RIGHT NOW.
Pandora: My favorite channel? Glee Cast Radio. The.Best.Station.Ever.
Pinterest & listening to Pandora = love.
Coupons: Still loving the coupons and the free or really cheap stuff I can get. Such a blessing.
Jackson: Love my baby who is going to be TWO YEARS OLD in just 3 short months.
Davy Crockett: Love that man. He's doing the best he can and stepping up to take care of Jackson when I can't be there.
My new church calling: 2nd Counselor in YW. There is so much potential and talent in our group.
My family:  I hope you know I appreciate you.
My friends: You know who you are and thanks for sticking by me even though I'm almost always unavailable and can't answer the phone.

Am I still going to have bad days? You bet. Do I have to let the bad days cast a shadow over the good days? Absolutely not. I've come to realize that the little things in life mean the most to me. Now, the trick is to always remember that and cherish those little things.

                                                                                                  Something to think about ...

{[Coupons]}

Retail: $103.61 I Paid: $16.45

As most of you know, I'm into using coupons. Like, REALLY into it. I'm not a freak like some of the people on TLC's Extreme Couponing, but I do go shopping every week and I refuse to pay retail. Retail: $66.70 I Paid: $20.30

A lot of people ask me why I do it and my answer is that I have to. It's not something that I can just turn off. Now that I know that I don't HAVE to pay the prices stores want me to pay, I simply can't go back.

Retail: $26.28 I Paid: $6.30

Growing up, we always had a fully stocked pantry, refrigerator, freezer, toiletry closet, etc. We never had to worry about not having anything to eat or having no shampoo and conditioner because my parent's made it a priority to have an over-abundance of the things we needed. I am simply doing the same thing, only I'm paying a fraction of the price to do it!

Retail: $50.00 I Paid: $11.78

This is the reason why I use coupons: I love saving money, A LOT of money. I love the thrill of getting $50 worth of groceries for just $5. I also love the fact that my stockpile keeps growing week by week with only a little effort on my part.

The concept and idea behind using coupons is that when something is really cheap or free, I "stock up" on it by using coupons. I stock up enough so that I won't have to buy any more of it for 3-6 more months.

Here's a scenario: Let's say that pasta sauce is $.25 this week by using coupons and a store sale. I go in and use my ONE coupon and go home with one bottle of pasta sauce. How long do you think that pasta sauce will last me? One meal, maybe two. Now, if I go to the store and use 10 coupons, and "stock up" on that pasta sauce. I'll have enough pasta sauce to last me at least 3 months. The next time I need pasta sauce, rather than running to the store last minute and paying $3.00 a bottle, I simply open my cupboard and "shop from my home". I will save myself $2.75 every time I need pasta sauce.

Since I began using coupons, my weekly grocery bills have went from $70 to $5-$20 depending on the week. That's a savings of over $200 per month. The best thing about it is that I come home with MORE than I ever did before I started to use coupons. I have laundry soap, deodorant, body wash, shampoo and conditioner, toothpaste, toothbrushes, pasta, pasta sauce, cereal, etc. to last us 6 months to 2 years.

If you want to know how to properly use coupons, just ask! I'd be happy to help you get some great deals, too!

Babies.

I am envious of all you pregnant ladies out there. Seriously. I wish I could be pregnant pretty much every day for the rest of my life. I never felt better than when I was pregnant. Even when I was HUGE and swollen I felt beautiful and I really miss that. ( I also miss the sweet little baby at the end of the pregnancy but that's a whole other topic for a later date.)

I have two sister-in-laws who are expecting babies later this year and I have to say that while I'm a little bit jealous I also know that now is definitely not the time for us to add to our family. I have mixed feelings about this because my female mommy hormones are screaming at me to jump on my husband and make a baby, but my brain is telling me not yet. I'm not a patient person and it's really hard for me to not get what I want, when I want it, regardless of consequences. I'm just that kind of person. I usually act on something before I think it through completely and that has gotten me in trouble a few times.

On a positive note: we do have a date set for when we will be trying to conceive again and I am just counting down the (hundreds of) days. No, I'm not going to tell you when, nice try though. :) I want Jackson to be my one and only "baby" for a while longer. He needs my undivided attention right now and I would prefer to have him potty trained before another baby comes along. I can't imagine having two little ones in diapers!

Jackson. He is growing up so much. I think every day he learns a new sign or word and actually uses it when he's supposed to. He talks to us more and when we ask what he needs, he can tell us. I love that he can do this. He has started running instead of just walking and is learning to climb up on our couches and get into more things. Here are his achievements so far:

Words:
Cracker
Ball
Mom, Mama, Mommy
Dad, Dadda, Daddy
Book
Cook
Dog
Grandma (Gama)
Grandpa (Ganpa)
Bottle (ba-ba)
Mmmmm (food)
Num-num (while eating food)
Banana (na-na)

Signs:
Cracker
Fish
Dog
Food
Please
Hurt
Baby
Juice
Banana
Milk

He will also point to his belly when you ask him where his belly is and he'll point to himself when you ask him "Where's Jackson?". He "stomps" and bonks his head on command which is super cute. I know I'm totally bragging about my kid, I can't help it, he's just so dang smart!

He fell asleep on the hard floor. Poor little guy was worn out!

Our little family is doing well. We can't wait for spring and summer and the new babies (that I get to snuggle, yay!) that are to come late summer. In the meantime, we are staying busy and always finding ways to count our blessings!