11/6/08-Wow, its been a LONG time since I updated this page!! Rayna is growing up so fast, time is just flying. I find myself wanting another one NOW, even though I know that isnt in the cards just yet :)

Rayna started walking at about 8 1/2 months. It blew us away. She is still such a tiny little peanut though. At her last doctors appt (at 9 months) she was 16lbs, 6oz. She is in less than the 10th percentile. I think the doctor was trying to make me worried about it. Im not, at all. I was a tiny baby too. At a year old, I was only 17 lbs--so by that standard, Rayna is growing just fine!

She says "Da-Da, Ba-ba, and Uh-Oh" so far. The little stinker refuses to say "Ma-ma". Im pretty sure she is messing with me though...

She still has ZERO teeth, though she thinks she has a full mouth. She wants to eat big people food, which I let her if its soft enough.

Colin is such a great big brother. I could not ask for better. He is constantly spending time with her, shares his toys...he even watches her so I can get dinner started, shower, etc. Obviously we have a "safe" place for them where she cant get into anything! We have the whole living room gated off from anything that she shouldnt get into.
10/3/07

RAYNA DANIELLE IS HERE!! 7LBS 7OZ 20INCHES LONG!! BORN 1/21/08 AT 1:08PM!!!!!
birth story is under the "children" tab!!

Well, I was one of the ones affected that lost their whole pages! and google didnt have mine stored, of course :(

so, i start anew :)

My name is Melani, and i found out I was pregnant with my second child about a month after my son turned 5..We had planned on having a child, but hadnt actively started trying..I went off BC and BAM, it happened..

The beginning of the pregnancy wasnt so much fun, lots of "all day sickness" but that ended awhile back...I am in my second trimester now, and i found out i am having a GIRL!!!!!

I have just LOVED shopping so far, and cannot wait to have a baby shower to get more girly stuff...

This is Mikes first child, so i know his family will be spoiling the crap outta this little one.. :)

The name of the week this week is Lainey...I really really like it...her middle name will be Danielle, after my little sister.
other names we have pondered are Madison, and Abigail..we decided against Madison since Mike and I both have M names, and Colin will be the only one without one then....


10/4/07

I booked my appt to get a 3D /4D ultrasound on the 11th..I cant wait!! I want to make sure she is a girl, and see her cute little face! ( i just know she will be cute, i have a pretty good feeling ) :)

My little sister comes in for a visit from the navy on the 13th, so I will be able to share the DVD with her ..she will absolutely love that...She is the one that the middle name is being named after....She has turned around her life in such a positive way recently..i couldnt be prouder.

Pregnancy Survey
How far along are you::	24 weeks and 2 days
Cravings so far::	Yogurt, Flaming Hot Cheetos
Things that make you sick::	The thought of seafood
Boy or girl::	GIRL!!
Babys name::	not sure yet.....still debating
Advice for other pregnant women::	dont take cranberry pills!!
Baby Daddy::	Mike
His reaction::	happy, wanted a boy though :P
Greatest memory so far::	ultrasounds..
Biggest fear::	unhealthy baby
Strange symptoms::	none
Advantages of being pregnant::	you can eat what you want!
Weird dreams::	yeah, tons of them....im not sharing!
Emotional outbursts::	yep
Breast changes::	yep
Waist changes::	oh god, yes
Things you quit for baby::	smoking, drinking
Most uncomfortable time::	nighttime--my fingers go numb when i lay on my side
Worst part of being pregnant::	the worrying
Best place for maternity clothes::	Target sometimes...
Taking parenting classes::	nah, been there, done that
Pregnancy necessities::	drink more water!
Grandparents reaction::	excited
Aunts? Uncles?::	2 aunts and 2 uncles
Godparents::	probably none..Colin doesnt have any
Where will you deliver::	LCMH
When::	hopefully in January!
Will you breastfeed::	yes
Will you use cloth diapers::	nope
Books you're reading::	no pregnancy books!
10/9/07 I cant wait till Thursday! my stomach is in knots im so excited to go see her in 3D! I have finally convinced Mike to start working on moving the spare bedroom downstairs...I asked him to have his friend come over on the 19th and paint the room the color of Colins choice...then on the 20th, I will move all of Colins stuff back there...weeee!! then its time to start the baby's room!! Here is the set that i REALLY want for the little girls room .....and i found out my shower is the 4th of next month...so soon!! Im hoping i get everything on my registry..hehe.. 10/11/07 Ive come to vent today...Here i was, all excited to go to the ultrasound tonight, everything is great...and then i get an email...From Colins dads current girlfriend..She is expecting as well, and wants the kids to know each other..oh, and that I might be getting some child support soon, but "you know how he is" she says...AHHHHHHHH!! why now???!! Everything is great..Colin does not even remember his dad...at all... On the other hand, how cruel is it to let two kids grow up so near each other and be related and not know each other. ...at this point though, letting him into his life is NOT what I want..He hasnt done anything for Colin, and doesnt even deserve to know him...ugh so yeah, there is my turmoil for the day..I wrote her back but didnt send it yet....Im not 100% sure if what I said is what I want to convey. 10/18/07 Time for an update! So, I wrote back Colins dads girlfriend and let her know that it wasnt a good idea to "get to know" each other right now..That Colin knows his life, and its not fair to upset that for someone who left him. I also told her that being a single parent is hard, and she will more than likely end up there...I wasnt mean, I was just forward! I also asked that she keep me updated, because I am interested in her child, being that it is Colins sibling..... We are getting started on the rooms this weekend! Colin is excited to be moving to the back room, im sad to have him go though! The back room is so far away from me at night! I check up on him so many times during the night! We went paint shopping yesterday, I picked a pink color for the little girls room, and Colin picked a blue for his room...They are getting painted on Friday! I plan on moving Colins stuff back into his new room on Saturday, though he is spending both nights away from home.. I got my glucose test done the other day. I forgot how nasty that stuff tastes..I didnt get orange this time though, I got citrus. It was just as gross :P 10/30/07 I found out I am getting paid 65% of my pay while im one leave..WOO HOOO!! I didnt expect to get paid anything, so this is awesome :) One of the guys I work with had a baby (well, his girlfriend did the birthing part :) ) on Saturday..I am going over to see little Meghan Ashley either tomorrow or Thursday..Jenny (the girlfriend) only put on 17 lbs her whole pregnancy! Meghan was a healthy 8lbs 6 oz too!! Im so jealous that I dont have genes like that! Im gonna have to work hard after this pregnancy to lose weight by the first week in May..one of my best friends is getting married and im standing up in the wedding! They still havent decided who is going to cover my job while I am gone yet..Hopefully they get it figured it...Im the only one that knows how to do my job, so it will be interesting if they dont figure it out in time :) The baby shower is this weekend! Im excited to see what cute stuff my little girl is gonna get!! 11/06/07 So, my baby shower was on Sunday..It was good... I got TOOONNS of stuff, but surprisingly there was alot I didnt get..Oh well, I am happy with what I did get, definitely! Below are some pics of Colins room before we moved him to the back, and then the same room, painted pink and filled with the baby shower stuff...The bags of clothes are all sorted 0-3 month 3-6 month and so on...there was ALOT of clothes...(most of em pretty cute too!)

11/14/07

Ugh!! Its so frustrating that Mike doesnt ever like ANY baby names I come up with!! I want her to have a pretty/unique name...but NOT obscure!! When I mentioned Aurora the other day, he says "Oh, Ive heard that name"--I dont care if he has HEARD it!! Im NOT making a name up for my child, she will have a REAL name, I will just not KNOW anyone with that name...He suggested Zamira the other day..AHHH!! He is hopeless!! I know I have 11 weeks to go, and she doesnt need to have a name RIGHT now, but I would love to be able to agree on something!

11/26/07

Well, I havent updated in awhile, so here it goes!! I am feeling pretty darn yucky these days..EVERYTHING hurts..mostly my legs and my back, all of the time.

I know it will all be worth it, but geez, does it have to hurt this much all the time? I have made absolutely no progress on our little girls room yet...oh well..

Colin and I put up Christmas decorations outside on Saturday..it was fun, but COLD out!! We all did the tree together on Friday..

I have to go to the doctor on Friday again..Im hoping he will say im measuring big and we should induce a week or two early? I know, fat chance, but I can hope right? My birthday falls on the 17th..to have her already would be a wonderful present!! :)

12/19/07

So, went to go visit Colins grandparents yesterday so they could give him his Christmas presents..It wasnt too bad..Its just insane over there..there are 10 kids, only 2 dont live at home...Its nice though, cause Colin has uncles who are just a few years older than him, so he was playing with them..and had a great time.

So, I am so ready for this baby to come out...I want the worrying over already! I feel her moving around like crazy--and I know she is safer inside right now, but I just want to see her and hold her!

Colin is testing in TaeKwanDo tonight for his white/orange belt..he is super excited about that. Its so cute...Expensive little activity, but I dont care. He loves it.When I was younger, we didnt really have the money to do sports/activities for longer than one session..or we moved so the activity wasnt available any more. I want more for him, I want to give him everything I couldnt have because I grew up in a larger family that moved alot... I really dont care if everyone thinks I spoil him either..He is not a brat, AT ALL. He is a good boy, and the most loving child ever..

I actually find myself worrying sometimes about this little girl on the way. There is no way she could be as sweet as my Colin...Im due for a devil child, arent I? :)

12/27/07

Ive decided im going on maternity leave on January 18th..Thats if she doesnt come before then!! I figure a week to relax before my due date might be nice...

My normal ring size is a 7, I think I am about swollen up to around a size 10 now. Needless to say, im not wearing much jewelry these days!!I feel VERY bloated. I try to stay away from salts, but thats hard since its what I crave!!

I need to get started on our little girls room SOON!!

12/28/07

So, talked to the doctor today..told him I dont like how I feel rushed in and out of there every time..He apologized and said that he assumes sometimes that people who are not in their first pregnancy just know what is going on..I reminded him that it has been 6 years.

I dont have to get the GBS test done since I was a carrier with Colin...I just automatically get treated for it. He also told me my due date is January 24th, not the 26th...hmm..somehow I missed that one. I asked about their policy on induction..they dont go past 41 weeks...so...no matter what I will be having a January baby!

He also told me that I should probably go to the hospital quicker than last time...so, im not waiting till my contractions are 5 minutes apart...last time by that time, I was already dilated to 7.

I cant wait to meet my little girl!!!!

1/2/08

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! and with the new year here, I finally finished her room!! Its not perfect, but at least its ready now!!!

1/9/07

So, I had to go re-new my drivers license today..who wouldnt want to renew their picture when they are 9 months pregnant, right? I swear, I think I have more than the allowable 2 chins in the picture...waaaaaaa!!! We have decided on Rayna Danielle as our girls name..Im pretty sure we are sticking to that too! I went to the doctor on Tuesday, wasnt checked or anything, but lost 4 lbs! cant complain about that! I go back again on Tuesday, not sure what they will do, they dont seem too big on checking for progress...I guess even though I want her out now, I can be patient..She is due in 2 more weeks, so it cant be much longer than that!

I cant believe how much time I have spent on this site for the last couple of months...It has really helped me pass the time moaning and whining to other preggos who feel just like me!!

I am officially on Maternity leave as of Monday...its wonderful..I feel a bit guilty for not staying at work until the baby is born, but I needed some time with Colin before she comes....We have been enjoying our time off too!! He sleeps till 10am or later each day now that he doesnt have to go to Mikes moms house when I leave for work!! Im finding myself waking him up cause im bored in the morning!!

1/15/07

So, if my little girl doesnt come on her own by Sunday the 20th, we are going in at 8pm to be induced! I am already 2-3 cm dilated!! weeee!! I cant wait to meet her, I know I say that alot, but its all I think about at this point...I cant wait for the 9 months of worry that she wont be okay to be over!

My birthday is Thursday this week....wouldnt it be nice if she came early for me on that day? That would be an awesome birthday present!!

1/29/08

I love being a new mom...I forgot how sweet they are when they cant talk back! hehe...Colin has been great with his new sister, the only part that I think bothers him is that I am not 100% yet. He wants me to go outside and run around, and with the stitches and all, im not quite there yet.

I wish I could, I tell him. I think things will be fine once im healed and can get back to some "us" time. Its been just us for so long....we were both spoiled in our time with each other!

Rayna is such a peanut. She gets mad when its time to eat, and she rarely goes more than 3 hours without eating. She is gaining weight fast! We had to take her to the doctor for a follow up biliruben test, and she had already gone up 7 oz from her hospital weight 3 days prior!!

Her jaundice levels were borderline, nothing to be worried about, but since I left the hospital after 24, not 48 hours, they wanted to check them again....