Goodbye, 2010!

Overall, I would say 2010 was a solid year for us. I thought I could take a few moments to reflect on some of the year's biggest moments and memories...

-Finishing my Masters degree and earning Principal certification
-Taking Molly to Disney World for the first time and introducing her to the princesses first hand
-Finding out we would be welcoming a second child - a second daughter - into our lives
-Celebrating Molly's 2nd birthday
-Celebrating a promotion for Bobby at work
-Celebrating the improved health and recovery of my dad from many surgeries and uncertainties throughout the year

As we head into 2011, of course our biggest endeavor will be the birth of Ella. We are so blessed and ready to make her a part of our family. I am thankful that though this pregnancy has had some complications, we have made it through and will soon be welcoming our healthy baby girl to the world. I am grateful also for family who is able to step in and help at a moment's notice, even without being directly asked. There is a definite level of comfort knowing that even though they are not here all the time, they are here when they are truly needed.

Wishing everyone a wonderful 2011!

Hospital Life

Hospital stay, round 2.

I was admitted again on Wednesday for continuing high blood pressure and protein showing up in a urine sample at my appointment. After a third 24 hour urine catch to test the protein, more blood work to check liver and kidney functions, and 30 hours in a hospital bed, I was released with no new diagnosis. The doctor is continuing to call it pregnancy induced hypertension.

The big news of the day is that we decided to set a date to induce labor since my blood pressure does not seem to want to level. So on January 6, we will report to the hospital at 7pm to start the induction process. We expect Ella will make her debut sometime on Friday, January 7.

I am certainly excited to have a date and to know that she will be here soon. I am also on modified bedrest until her arrival, so I will be starting my maternity leave on January 4. It has been nice to have the last two weeks off before her arrival, but it's definitely contributing to the anxiety of wanting her here. Only another week to wait!

Modes of Transport

Molly certainly has her pick of how to get around the neighborhood these days.

Sometimes she scoots...





Sometimes she just inches along...



Sometimes she cycles....

Nursery Update!

We are still waiting on Ella's final piece of furniture to come in, but aside from that, her room is ready for her!







Next doctor's appointment is tomorrow, so we will see how she's doing and update soon!

Merry Christmas to All!

Santa came!

Christmas Eve

This is our first year to spend Christmas in Katy since we have moved here 5 years ago. It's kind of bittersweet. While we miss the traditions of our families back at home, it is also exciting to be in our own home and I anticipate the excitement I will see when Molly wakes up and discovers her presents from Santa tomorrow morning under her own tree.

This evening we decided to go to mass at 5pm. Molly usually goes to the church nursery when we go to mass, but since it was Christmas Eve, the nursery was closed and she came and sat with us. I was really proud of how well she did.

Here she is in her Christmas Eve dress, ready to go to church.



When we got home, we had a nice dinner of gumbo and the company of one of our friends from New Orleans whose parents now live in Houston. After dinner, we let Molly open all of her presents that were under the tree. We figured she would have plenty more from Santa tomorrow.



She had a great time opening her gifts and then playing with them (and with Matt!) before heading to bed for the night.



I cannot wait to see her face tomorrow morning when she wakes up to Santa's goodies!

Christmas Traditions

Every year since Molly became part of our family, we have taken her to see the Kids Crazy Christmas Show at Second Baptist Church. It's a singing, dancing, puppet stage show that she has absolutely LOVED every year, and this year was no different.

After the show, we took a few pictures around the facility and enjoyed a sugar cookie and some lemonade from the church. We were glad to catch one of the last shows since our plans were to take her on Wednesday, which got derailed due to the unexpected hospital stay. Here are a few pics from the show.

More from Ella

Following my doctor's appointment today, which showed a blood pressure reading of 152/99, my doctor ordered me directly to the hospital to be admitted for 24 hour monitoring. We did more bloodwork and a second 24 hour urine collection, both of which came back completely perfect. So while we still are not diagnosing preeclampsia, it's looking like I have pregnancy induced hypertension.

So after spending last night in the hospital, we have our next appointment on Wednesday, December 29. My doctor is leaning toward an induction around 38 weeks, which would be the week of January 4th.

We should know more about our plans to bring Ella home in the very near future.

Ella Update

Miss Ella has grown into quite the chunky monkey! Last week we had some concerns because my blood pressure was elevated and I tested positive for protein in my urine; two signs of preeclampsia. So my doctor ordered me to complete a 24 hour urine collection for additional protein testing as well as bloodwork for my kidney and liver functions. She also wanted to retest my platelet levels, which had shown up low in my last lab work.

So today we went in for a follow-up and an ultrasound to see how baby was growing. The ultrasound tech estimated her weight to be at 7 pounds, 9 ounces already! If she kept on target for average growth, she would be around 10 pounds when I hit 40 weeks!

The good news was that all my lab work and blood work came back normal and some of the potential concerns of my doctor subsided as a result. We discussed my blood pressure since it continues to be elevated, and also discussed potential plans for delivery since Ella is measuring 3 weeks ahead and is so big.

We don't have a definite plan at this point, but an induction around 38 weeks is likely where we are heading. I return to the doctor on Wednesday to check blood pressure and then tentatively again next Wednesday. If things continue on this path, we will likely be setting a date in the near future to welcome Ella to the world.

Here's a snapshot of her from today's ultrasound. She's pretty much out of room in there, so it's the best that the tech could get of her!

Thank you, Nanny!

Molly got a scooter for Christmas from nanny. Bobby put it together last night and she was so excited to see it all put together this morning when she woke up. Tonight after we had dinner, she found one of her hats and started to scoot around the living room wearing the hat on her head. She had a fun time and I am sure she will enjoy it even more when we get a chance to play on it outside!





Nanny also got Molly this fun hooded bath towel that transforms her into a "very scary monster". Here she is after her bath tonight, roaring up a storm!

Santa's Wonderland!

This weekend we had an early Christmas celebration with Granny, PawPaw, Nanny, and Emily. Since PawPaw is having surgery on the 22nd, they wanted to come up and spend some time with us before the holiday. They got here Friday night and gave Molly lots of fun presents. She was so excited to open gifts and play with her new toys!







Saturday we decided to take a drive to College Station and tour the George Bush Library as well as go to Santa's Wonderland, a Texas Christmas festival. We had a fun time playing in their village, complete with Texas snowfall. Once Molly warmed up to the snow, she had fun playing in it!













After playing in the snow, we took a hayride to see all the light displays. We had a great weekend and are glad we got to celebrate Christmas with everyone!

Baby Furniture

We hit a snag in our plans when we got a call a few weeks ago that one of Ella's pieces of furniture was on severe backorder through mid to late January. We had to decide whether to have the pieces that were available delivered separately or wait it out. I guess nesting got the best of me, because the thought of not having the furniture in the room so I could hang the pictures and start to tuck away all of her tiny, pink clothes, was making me a nervous wreck!

So this week we got the crib, crib mattress, and her dresser/changer delivered. We are still waiting on her 5 drawer chest before the room will be complete. Here are a few quick pictures of the furniture...once we get the room set up and more organized, I will post some better ones.





We still have much to put away and organize as well as hang on the walls to complete the look of her room, but the furniture is beautiful. Thank you granny and pawpaw for such a generous gift for Ella!

A Message from Santa to Molly!

Santa Claus has asked me to share this special message with Molly!

Star of the Week!

When I picked Molly up from school today, she very happily ran up to me and told me she got a star today. Then she said she was "star of the week". Now, normally the children get a sticker on the behavior chart daily and at the end of the week, if they had stickers each day, they get a prize from the treasure box. So I assumed that was what she was talking about.

But she was just so happy and excited, that she ran to her cubby and pulled out a certificate proclaiming her as a Star Student.



She told me she got the award for Star of the Week because she was such a good listener in music class. She was so adorably proud of herself and of course, this mama beamed with pride at her girl for being so well behaved and for the celebration of her award. I know in her lifetime, she will be awarded many more times, and I cannot wait to celebrate them all with her!

Big Girl Bed!

Sigh...is there any sight more peaceful and endearing than a beautiful, sleeping baby? I can't believe that only two short years ago, I snapped this picture of Molly as she napped in her crib.



I guess as I prepare for the birth of a new baby, nostalgia is taking its toll. I cannot stop looking at the pictures of Molly the day she was born, pictures of Molly in her first months of life, pictures of Molly that tell the story of a baby girl who has grown in so many ways, yet still lets me rock her, hold her, soothe her, the way any baby depends on its mother to do.

Recently, we converted Molly's bed all the way to a full size bed. It has been an easy transition for her and she sleeps peacefully every night. She is quite excited to have such a big bed and loves that mommy and/or daddy can lay down next to her for a few moments of cuddle time and bedtime stories before the lights go out for the night.

As I left her in bed tonight, I grabbed my camera and snapped a few pictures.







The sight of my baby girl in that big bed just made me smile. She still has plenty of room (and time) to grow.

Because I want to remember...

Tonight, Molly told me that I was her best friend. And it truly melted my heart in a way I have never felt before.

She will never know how much of a blessing she is, and how grateful I am to have her as my daughter. Or maybe she will, one day when she has a moment like this with her own child. That is my wish for her tonight.

Santa Claus is coming to Town!

Molly is starting to understand this year the concept of Santa Claus. If you ask what Santa is going to bring her, she will promptly tell you a bike. And that is all. What a beautiful innocence to see her so satisfied with one item and so excited at the prospect of receiving it.

As every child does every year, we took pictures with Santa. Here is Molly with Santa for the last 3 years. My how she has grown!

Vintage Molly - 2008


Vintage Molly - 2009


Molly - 2010

4D Take Two!

Just like her big sister, she cooperated much more the second time around. So here is Miss Ella in 4D at 32 weeks along. Don't those chubby cheeks look adorable?!?







We cannot wait to meet you, Ella!

Global Wildlife Center

During our trip to Louisiana to celebrate Thanksgiving, we decided to take Molly to Global Wildlife Center to see and feed the animals on a safari wagon tour. We invited all of her cousins to come along, so we had a large group fill up the wagon and head out on safari with us!





Molly had so much fun and had no fear of the animals. When we got to the llamas, they would come right up to the wagon and eat out of your hand. With a little help reaching out, Molly was all about letting them eat from her hands.



It was so much fun to watch her have a fun time and we will definitely have to make plans to visit again!

Baby Bump!

Today I put Bobby behind the lens and asked him to take some pics of the baby bump. I think he did a pretty good job! Here are a few of my favorites from our little photo shoot at 31 weeks along!