1st Dentist Appointment

Yesterday, I took Emma to her very first dentist appointment. I've been meaning to get her in since she turned 1 but it just didn't work out until now. I'm pretty lucky that my work also runs a state-of-the-art dental clinic, complete with pediatric specialists. Kevin and I go there for our dental care and now, so does Emma.

At this age, they primarily check that their baby teeth are coming in as they should, there's no decay present, and educate parents on oral hygiene. The dentist said they'll probably try to get her first set of x-rays around age 2 and start doing in-depth cleanings around 2 1/2 to 3.

Although I was excited to finally get her in, Emma was not happy. I must admit, she did better than I thought she would. She got really scared as soon as we walked back to the dental chair, before anyone touched her. I think part of it was because it was a new environment but there's also such a distinct smell in dental offices- something she had never smelled before. She calmed down a little bit when the hygienest let her pick out a new toothbrush. She chose a red one with Darby and Buster on it (from Whinnie the Pooh).

Thankfully, the dentist said her teeth look very healthy and clean. She has 12 teeth and is in the process of cutting her two upper canines. She goes back in 6 months for a check-up.

On another note, I'm really glad it's Friday. We have some errands to run this weekend, a few last minute things before the baby comes. Also, I'm going to a birthday dinner tomorrow night for my dear frined Jenell. Hope you all have a great weekend!

As Promised

Prego Mandy on Christmas morning

Emma making some eggs and vegetable medley with her new frying pan

The little movie star in her fancy new coat from U. Dave and A. Cort

Just woke up and ready to dive under the tree

All bundled up and ready to go out on a chilly day

Too long!

Wow, I didn't realize it had been so long since I've made a post. I must admit, I've recently gotten into the Facebook craze and have been posting a lot pics and tidbits on there. I will try to give you a bit of an update and will post some pictures when I'm at home.

On the pregnancy front:
My blood pressure has been holding steady. It's elevated a little above normal but at this point my doctor is just keeping an eye on things. I have a c-section scheduled for January 26th. That's 21 days from today and it is approaching fast! I'm really getting excited and can't wait to meet sweet Hannah. It's surprizing to me how different I'm feeling and thinking about this delivery in comparision with Emma.

• I'm not in a hurry. With Emma, I couldn't wait for her to be here. Obviously, I didn't want her to be born prematurely or have health issues but if I thought she could be born at 30 weeks just perfect, I totaly would have been in :) This time, I'm still anxious but I'm trying to relish our last weeks with Emma as our only baby, get things ready at home, sleep and tie up loose ends at work. I know Hannah will be here in God's perfect timing and I'm content with that.
• I'm not afraid of delivery. Not that I'm a "pro" by any means, but at least I have an idea of what to expect this time. With Emma, I would break into tears anytime I even thought about delivery because I was so fearful of what it would be like, how I would handle it and recover, etc. Even though having a c-section is not ideal, my first experience was a good one and I'm not afraid of the procedure itself or the recovery. I think the hardest pary will be the fact I won't be able to pick up Emma for a while. Love and affection aside, she'll only be 16 months and it's still a necessity in daily activites to lift and carry her some. Hopefully she (and I) will be able to get creative and make it through the first few weeks. Kevin will be around quite a bit and I know he'll be awesome at helping with that sort of thing.
• I'm a little sad. I'm not sad that Emma might feel a little jealousy or that her routine may be jostled. Those things aren't great but I know it's part of being a family and being a sibling. I'm just a little sad that she won't be our only baby anymore. From the beginning, we felt in our heart that we wanted at least two children and for them to be close in age. We still feel this is the right thing for our family and have no regrets. I just wonder what it will be like to have two to focus our attention on. Emma truly has been pure joy in our lives and we feel so blessed to be her Mommy and Daddy.

We are so excited about her upcoming arrival and can't wait to introduce her to all of you! My step-mom will be coming on the 25th and will stay for a week to help take care of Emma while Kev and I are at the hospital and for that we are very thankful!!

On to Emma-

That girl is growing and learning so much every day it's crazy! She's 15 months now and is so smart. Here are a few new "tricks" she's learned:.

• she knows her hair, eyes, nose, ears, tongue, teeth, belly, arms, legs, feet and butt
• she knows the sign motions to Itsy Bitsy Spider, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, The Wheels on the Bus, If you're Happy and You Know it..., and Santa Claus is Coming to Town.
• she says Mama, Dada, Emma, thank you, shoes, eyes, no, yes, bye-bye, bubbles, bath, ball, uh-oh, more, Jack, Baby, kitty, yum-yum, binky, and so many more. She picks up new words every day and we're constantly looking at each other and saying, "Did she just say _____?!"
• The girl can dance! She used to just bounce a little bit when she heard music. Now she has a repretoire of moves. She shakes her hips, stomps her feet, she'll spin in circles, wave her arms, bounce, or any combination. She's got soul but I don't know where she got it!
• She's learning how to help "clean up" She knows where her shoes and books go and will help me put them up. I try making it fun and like a game and so far I've got her fooled :)
• She's starting to pretend play. She is totally a girly-girl. She has a bunch of those plastic rings that interlock together. You know, they ones that make a chain and you can attach other toys to them? Yeah, well she's discovered that they make good bracelets. I don't wear bracelets nor have I ever showed her how to put them on her wrist but she's figured it out. She'll put several on each wrist, put a purse on her arm and wrap an article of clothing around her neck like a boa and strut around the house. It's adorable and she's totally decided to do it all on her own. She's also started babying her babies. She will now wrap a blanket around her kitty and lay him down like he's sleeping. Super cool stuff.

I could go on but you're probably sick of reading! I'll post some pics from Christmas and my ever-growing belly. I promise I'll try to update more often (at least for the next few weeks until I'm in zombie mode) Hope all is well with each of you and that we see you all soon!!

Time to be upbeat

I realize I've been complaining alot when really I have much to be thankful for. Namely, my precious girl Emma!

We really had a great Sunday. This morning, we got up for church and heard an awesome sermon on "Servin' it up!" In order to become more like Christ, we have to be servants to one another. We talked about how Jesus washed his disciples' feet in the upper room and also the passage that speaks of, "...that which you did for the least of these..." It was really uplifting and has inspired me to look for ways I can serve others.

After church, I took Emma to the mall to get her some new jammies and pants. She was so sweet the whole time we were shopping. I got her some cute jammies from Children's Place that were on sale. Bonus. I also got her some Jumbo Crayons and she colored us a picture when we got home that is proudly displayed on our fridge. We visited with Kev before he went to work and then she took a bath and got ready for bed.

I normally rock her every night for a few minutes before lying her in her crib. Tonight, she hopped up in her rocker by herself with her Lovey and Baby Bible. She was trying so hard to rock her self and kept head banging in to the back. In this pic, she's showing me where her belly is. :)

We're amazed each day at how smart she is and all the things she's learning. When we say it's bath time, she walks to the bathroom on her own and starts trying to undress herself.

When we tell her it's time to change her diaper or, "Change your butt," as Daddy says, she walks straight to her room and changing table.

She can follow lots of simple commands and is starting to learn the motions to some songs. Her favorite is the Itsy Bitsy Spider. It's crazy how fast she's growing and turning into a little girl versus my little baby. Oh, and to think there's going to be a new baby in the mix soon...that's crazy.

Hope y'all had a great weekend. I'll post an update after my appt with the doctor on Wednesday

I'm sick of "Grrr's"

I really don't want to complain, but come on! Thursday, my doc's nurse called to say that my glucose tolerance test was abnormal by TWO POINTS! 2 lousy points but I still had to do the three hour tolerance test at the hospital. This is annoying but wouldn't have been too big of a deal except for the fact she said it had to be done in the next 3 days (before I hit 28 weeks). Basically I had to have it done by Monday at the latest. With such short notice and it being flu season, there wasn't any way I could miss 4 hours of work on Fri or Mon so I had to do it today (Sat).

Sigh. I had planned on going to Wichita this weekend to meet my baby niece Isabelle Grace. I was so bummed out that I couldn't be there when she was born but was really looking forward to going this weekend. Now, it couldn't happen. It really stinks and I'm having a bit of a pity party right now.

I'm not worried about the glucose; I'm sure the results on Monday will be fine. When I was pregnant with Emma I had to do the 3 hour test because the first one was a few points out of range. I just wish I could be one of those lucky gals who have easy, blissful pregnancies. Oh, well, the end result is worth it.

Yay!!!! and Grrrrrr!!!

First the yay:
Kevin and I got a package in the mail yesterday. It was a birthday present (mine's the 7th, Kev's is the 11th) from Dave and Cort, Mae and Ian and Joe and Jill. It is a Wii!!!!!! We were so super surprized and excited. Now we need to get Mario Cart and then we can have mad family racing wars even though we all live in different states.

Huge thank-you's to all of you, you guys rock and we love you. Oh, yeah, Emma really loves the box too!

Now the Grrr:
This last week or so I have begun swelling in my legs and hands. I was about this far along in my pregnancy with Emma when I started to swell. Then my bp started creeping up. Then I started dumping protein in my urine, then bedrest, then an early c-section, then continued bp issues requiring to me to be re-admitted to the hospital when Emma was 6 days old. Ugh. I have been so optimistic that this pregnancy was going to be a breeze and has been thus far.

I went for my monthly check today and my glucose tolerance test. My bp was up a little bit but nothing crazy (134/72) From week 1 of pregnancy to week 23 I gained 9 lbs, which is great. From week 23 to today, week 27, I've gained another 9 lbs, which is bad. My doctor is going to keep a close eye on things and is having me come back in 1 week for another check. He said he's not too worried yet and that this may just be a "blip in the screen" and I'll be fine from here on out. I hope so.

I know God is watching over me and the baby and that He will take care of me same as he did last time. It's just a little disappointing to think I may be headed down this path. Please keep me in your prayers and I'll post an update after my appointment next week. Grrr

Glutony- A Deadly Sin

"This is what it looks like to hand a 1 year old a FunSize Three Muskateers bar"

"This is what it looks like when the 1 year old smears it everywhere, including her eye"

"This is what guilt and sloth looks like after the 1 year old realizes what she's done"

Happy Halloween!

I feel like I haven't updated the blog in a while and now that I have cute costume pics of Emma I'm motivated to sit down and type a post. :) So, where do I begin?

Last Saturday, Kev, Emma, and I headed to Wichita for the imminent birth of our new neice! Turns out, birth wasn't so imminent. Kev and Emma headed home on Sunday but I stayed until Thursday, knowing, that baby girl would come any second. Alas, I still am not an aunt. I am fairly confident that will change in the next day or so. Please, please pray for Mae and Ian that they have a healthy baby girl and that Mae can find strength and comfort in labor. Ian and Mae are going to be great parents. (And I will be a fabulous aunt!)

Emma is becoming a pro at walking. She is everywhere! It is so amazing to see her toddling around the house. She's also starting to talk a lot. She sounds like she is speaking full sentences- in another language. She is so sweet to us and loves to cuddle and give kisses. The other night I asked her if she would rub my belly and she did so and then laid her head on it like a pillow. I'm taking this as a sign that her and Hannah will be best friends and get along all the time ;)

Trick-or-Treating last night was alot of fun. Emma really enjoyed walking up driveways and waving to the people answering the door. The first house we went to Emma smiled really big and waved and really won the lady over. She put like 3 handfulls of candy in Emma's pumpkin! The best part is that there are very few candies Emma can have a bite of which means Mommy and Daddy get the rest. Sweet! By the end of the night, she was pretty exhauseted and all Treated-out. She passed out and slept until 9AM this morning which I think is a record.

We're just hanging out at home today and enjoying some time together. Emma is napping right now and Kevin is going through some paperwork. We hope all of you had a great Halloween and are enjoying your weekend!

Her name shall be...

In my family, it's sort of a tradition that Dad picks the name for the kids. My siblings and I were all named by our dad, my mom and all her siblings by their dad. As many of you know, Kevin chose Emma's name (and a great selection it was!). We thought there's no reason for this baby to be any different so he has been compiling a list of names for our new daughter.

We had been toying with the idea of the name ending with the "uh" sound, like Emma. We also have been fairly certain that the middle name would be the same as my mom's, who passed away in December of '06.

After much deliberation, a decision has been made. Our new daughter's name will be........

Hannah Sue Costello

I don't know why it is so comforting to have her name chosen; maybe because it helps her feel more real and like she's here with us already. Whatever the reason, I am excited to begin calling her Hannah when I'm rubbing my belly instead of "baby girl".

In other baby news, Kevin's sister Mae is getting very close to having her baby. Her actual due date isn't for another 5 weeks or so but it seems she will probably make her debut a bit sooner. We can't wait to hold her and give her kissies. Please keep Mae and Ian in your prayers that the rest of the pregnancy goes well and that the baby doesn't feel too rushed make an entrance ;)

Busy Weekend

It has been a very busy but fun weekend. Saturday we got up early and met our friends Dave and Kellie for breakfast. They have 2 beautiful children, Ashlyn and Carter. We then all went to Celbration City. Emma took her first ride on a Merry Go Round and absolutely loved it. She kept saying, "ooooh, oooohhh!"

Later in the day I got a Drumstick ice cream cone (my favorite.) Kevin was holding it out for Emma to take some licks when she reached out and took it! It was so cute because she was sticking her whole face in it. I think she was surprized by how cold it was because after taking a bite she would shudder a little bit and make a funny face.

After that wholesome nutrition she had her first few bites of cotton candy, too. It was not a good day in Mommyville but I figured, "Hey, that's what amusement parks are for, right?"

We left the park around 2:30 and went home to change for a wedding. Kevin had to head in to work so he wasn't able to come with us. One of the nurses I work with was getting married and the ceremony was absolutely beautiful. Emma did pretty good with only a few outbursts. It's asking a lot of a one year old to sit quitely in a pew for 90 minutes so I was really happy with the way things went.

After the wedding, we stopped by my friend Christen's house to wish her a happy birthday. We finally got home around 8 and Emma was pooped.

This morning we went to Sunday School and church and have just relaxed the rest of the afternoon. I'm pretty sleepy and will probably turn in early tonight. Ugh, it's back to work tomorrow. I hope everyone had a great weekend and has a great week!

Happy Birthday to my Big Girl!

Last Friday my sweet Emma turned 1! I can not believe how quickly time has passed and how much our lives have changed. She is the greatest blessing given to me and I'm so thankful for this awesome privellege to be her Mommy :) We celebrated in Wichita with Kevin' family and had a wonderful time. Her Grammy and all her aunts and uncles love her very much and spoiled her proper. She got some cute outfits, shoes, and fun toys. She LOVED her birthday cake and did her best to eat every crumb. It is so cool to see the bond she has with family; I think that even babies have the instinct to sense those they are safe with, that love them and are familiar. She loves her family and they love her; for that I am thankful.

We also celebrated the upcoming birth of Kevin's sister's baby. Mae is due the first week of November with a sweet baby girl and we can't wait to meet her. Unfortunately, the Mommy and Daddy will not share the name with us but they're playing a little game that allows us to guess. Given the current clues, I am guessing the baby's name is Abba Babba. :)

Mae looks glowing and beautiful and the pregnancy is going as it should. The family will be traveling to Wichita for Thanksgiving to meet the sweet girl and give her lots of kissies.

In other "baby" news, the physician I work with adopting from China has returned home safely with their new daughter. They have all bonded and are adjusting tremendously well. She is a beautiful and sweet 6 year old girl and we are so thankful to God for making them a forever family.

And...yes, there's another 'and', our friends Brad and Missy have their sweet boy from Vietnam. They are hoping to return to the States on Friday. Trust me when I say he is so gorgeous. I can't wait for them to bring him to church so we can all "ooh" and "aww" over him. Please pray that God continue to bless them on this journey as they finalize paperwork and travel home safely.

I think that's enough for now. Hope all is well with each of you!

Toto, I think we're back in Kansas

We are headed to Wichita, KS today to visit with Kev's family and do some celebrating. First, it is Emma's 1st birthday and 2nd, we're having a baby shower for Kev's sister Mae. It will be so nice to get away for 5 days and re-connect with everyone. I'm also pretty stoked to add another state to my list of places visited (I've never been to Kansas.)

Please pray for safe travels for all of Kevin's siblings (we're blessed to have the shortest commute). I'll definately have lots of fun pics to post when we get back!

Good Morning Vietnam!

We are so excited to report that some friends of ours from church have received approval to travel to Vietnam and adopt their son. The wait has seemed like forever but the time has finally come. We are so thankful to God, for bringing Brad and Missy to this point and can not wait to see the things he has in store for their family. Congratulations, guys! We will still be praying for the three of you and can't wait to see that sweet boy in your arms!

Drum roll please..........

It's a Girl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Emma will have a baby sister. Everything looked good today. Baby is growing as she should be. I'll try to post an ultrasound pic tomorrow after I scan it.

Celebration and anticipation

This weekend was very exciting because Kevin's sister, Genevieve, came to visit us in Springfield. It was an extra exciting visit because it was her first time meeting Emma! Gen is a surgical PA and lives in Miami Beach. I know, we're jealous too. She stays pretty busy but we're so thankful she was able to come to town for Labor Day weekend and spend some quality time. Emma loves her aunt Gen; I think she knew right away that she was family and loved her instantly. We're hoping to take a trip to visit her next summer.

We also have much anticipation tonight because we are getting our first ultrasound tomorrow! I can't wait to see our baby's little face and find out if Emma is going to have a baby sister or baby brother. My appointment is at 2pm tomorrow and I will be counting down the hours. I pray that our baby is healthy and growing well. Time is moving so much quicker this time; I feel like we waited for an eternity to have our ultrasound with Emma. Now, it's almost alarming how quickly the days are going by.

I will be sure to post the big announcement tomorrow evening. Stay tuned! (by the way, please say a prayer that we're not having twins!)