A few happy spring things...

Hello! 

It's been awhile and there is so much to catch up...big things, and small.

I'm not sure if I'll be able to catch up on all that has happened over the past couple of months, I hope to, but we have to start somewhere. 

So here are some little recent updates. We are celebrating warmer weather, improved health, a baby girl that kicks, and of course two rambunctious little boys who fill our days with joy and adventure...

Soccer + Swim

Our weekends and evenings have been busy getting the boys to their various sports. 

Max played his 2nd season of soccer, they named themselves the "Darth Vaders" (Max has no idea who Darth Vader is, but he still voted for this name), and it's been a fun team to be a part of. 

Proud of our soccer boy!

Both boys are also taking swim lessons and it has quickly become their favorite activity! They both love to be in the water and they are picking up new skills each week. 

We look forward to lots of time at the pool this summer, and hope these two will be swimming independently soon (at the moment Eli likes to jump right in to any and every body of water he happens upon, so hopefully the other skills come quick). 

Hi Eli!

Big jump!

Bye Bye Diapers

I'm going to miss this print. Eli calls them "Tejay Diapers"

Eli is potty training and we are (hopefully) saying goodbye to diapers for a little while. 

HOORAY!

Spring outings

We have been soaking up the sunshine every chance we get. My mobility continues to improve and I try to take get out and about as much as possible. We've been spending lots of time at our favorite play date spots.

Max holding his present for a friend behind his back so he can surprise her :)

A beautiful day at the Botanic Gardens

Mother's Day Round 2

It snowed on Mother's Day.

It's no secret that I am not the biggest fan of winter; I really start to get antsy when it extends into May. I ended up not feeling very well on the actual day anyway, so we planned a Mother's Day re-do, which went much better!

We filled all of our planters and vowed that this is the year we keep flowers alive all summer. 

Wish us luck, we really need it, our track record with plants is abysmal. 

I am so grateful for these two precious boys who call me Mommy. 

It was also an extra sweet celebration this year since we also got to celebrate some big news about baby #3...

It's a girl!

This is likely old news at this point, but we are so excited to be expecting a BABY GIRL in September!

After all of the complications I've had with this pregnancy, my only concerns going into the 20-week anatomy scan were that baby looked healthy and that growth was on track. I've lost about 10-12 pounds since being hospitalized and I've worried a lot about the impact on baby. 

We were overjoyed that all of baby's organs, measurements, etc looked perfect! She is actually measuring a little bit ahead as far as growth, which really put my mind at ease. It was also confirmed that I no longer have a placenta previa, which is a huge relief considering I will continue to be on blood thinners for the duration of this pregnancy and 6+ weeks after delivery. 

In the middle of the ultrasound, we also received the unexpected news (for me at least), that our baby is a girl! I asked the ultrasound tech a few times if she was SURE that she saw girl parts, I was expecting another boy. 

Julian and I both had no preference for gender, we just feel blessed by this this pregnancy and are so grateful that baby has hung on through so many trials. 

I've heard different statistics, but the consensus seems to be that after two of one gender, you are more likely to have that same gender again. I guess I internalized that and figured there was a high chance we were having another little guy from the very start. 

I had even referred to baby as "our boy name"! 

Poor baby girl! 

It's taken a couple weeks for the news to really sink in and I've had to reorient myself a bit. I feel  similar to how I felt when we found out Max was a boy (I thought he was a girl). I remember thinking to myself, "What will I do with a boy?" We were so excited to meet him, but I didn't really know what to expect with a boy. I felt nervous and unsure of how to be a great Mommy to a little guy. Well, now here we are 4 years + 2 boys later and I'm feeling that same mix of excitement and uncertainty about raising a daughter. 

I am especially excited that Julian gets to experience a Father/Daughter relationship, it has been sweet hearing his thoughts as he will randomly announce little tidbits like, "We can take her to the American Girl store", "I get to walk her down the aisle at her wedding", and "I'm going to have to learn how to do ponytails". 

Of course, each child has their own unique personality and we look forward to meeting and getting to know our daughter in a few short months. 

We finally get to use a name that we've held close to our hearts since the early days of pregnancy with Max (when I still thought "he" was a "she"). Her name is special to us; the nickname is used in a book that we both love and the full name is inspired by a song that my Nana grew up singing and playing on her accordion. This song has a way of popping up on our important days- like the day I graduated from Caltech and on our wedding day. 

Baby girl's first book, which Max and Daddy are reading in anticipation of her arrival. 

Lucia Noelle, Lucy, we cannot wait to have you in our arms. 

A little DVT Update

I want to thank everyone for being so diligent about checking on me, I am happy to report that I am finally making some progress with my recovery. While I was in the hospital, the doctor told me it would take 6-8 weeks for the clots to slowly disintegrate and scar over, she told me to expect improvements in the level of pain at about that point. It seemed unimaginable that my legs would continue hurt (terribly) for that long, but sure enough she was right. Over the past couple of weeks my pain level has been decreasing, my mobility has been increasing, and I have been able to sleep for more than one hour at a time. I am so grateful for these improvements. 

I am getting used to injecting myself into the abdomen, and the Lovenox shots every 12 hours haven't been as bad as I thought they would be. I continue to wear my compression stocking whenever possible (totally feel like a granny), and I am closely monitored by my OB, a hematologist, a perinatologist, and I have weekly appointments with my physical therapist and acupuncturist.

It's a lot.

 I am so thankful though, I was spared even worse complications due to my extensive clots in both legs, I truly was very lucky. My team of doctors anticipate smooth sailing from now until 34 weeks, when we will make some changes to my regimen in preparation for what will be a "high risk" delivery. 

I really appreciate all of the continued thoughts and prayers, I hope to be better about keeping everyone updated in this space!

Signing off with a special song for our little GIRL!

Still can't believe it.