Growing and Growing....and Growing

We've hit the double digit count down!  Just 83 days to go till we meet this little lady.  I met with my doctor last week and we decided that 12/07/12 is as good as day as any to schedule the C-section.  My reasoning for picking this date is that Zach has 2 weeks paternity leave, and if we do the surgery on a Friday morning, the doc said we could go home around Sunday afternoon, which means Zach doesn't have to use any of his days off in the hospital.  We can all be home together for 14 blissful days.  So mark your calendars for December 7th!

Since we only have 83 days to go, thought I would post a few pics of the bump and baby growth so far.

approx. 14 weeks

approx. 16 weeks

20 weeks 

22 weeks

 

23 weeks 

24 weeks 

25 weeks

A Much Needed Weekend Getaway

This past weekend we were lucky enough to get out of town for a few days with some close friends.  Our friend has a cabin at Odell Lake, about an hour outside of Eugene and we couldn't have asked for a better weekend.  While it was 99 in Portland that weekend, it was sunny and 88 on the lake.  We had a boat, a kayak, good friends and lots of sun, it was perfect!
Here are a couple pics:

Half way there!

I can't believe this little girl is half way cooked.  This pregnancy is really going by so fast.  Technically, I'm more than half way there.  We opted to go with the scheduled c-section and our doctor chooses to do those at 39 weeks so you don't go into labor before the scheduled date, otherwise it's considered an emergency c-section.  At first I was nervous to take the little girl out before she was ready, but after weighing the pros and cons, we both decided it will be best for our mental health if we can eliminate some of the stress and having a scheduled due date definitely helps with that.  It would put us over the edge if I go into labor and something goes wrong again and I'm wheeled in for another emergency c-section.  Too many scary memories.  So as of right now, we will be having this little girl on Decemeber 6th or 7th, depending on when we can schedule the surgery.  

We also decided to paint the nursery, well my dad painted it for us..thanks pops!  We wanted to change it up a little so it feels fresh and new for this new little girl.  I was feeling a little upset that we were painting it.  I know it's just a room, but it was a room meant for Ella and a part of me felt like we were wiping away a little piece of her from our house.  But I know Think Ella would approve of the new color and is happy to be passing down her room to her little sister.  We painted a little lamp in the color of her old room, so there is a little bit her style still there.  

Boy or Girl?......

Well baby Clark had it's anatomy scan this past Friday.  I'm not going to lie, we were both a nervous wreck, as you can imagine we hate tests/screenings.  For most couples this is an appointment that brings excitement and the fun news of finding out the gender, but for Zach and I, this appointment brought stress, worries and of course a little bit of excitement.  We were terrified we might see something wrong.

As soon as we saw the image of our little bean, there was movement, which caused our heart to stop for a minute, thinking the movement was not normal and it might have been seizure like activity, but the ultrasound tech assured us everything was normal.  After that, we were able to breathe a little easier and we were able to just enjoy watching our newest baby move around in there while the tech measured every limb, toe and organ.  We're happy to report that everything looks great so far!  This baby is a mover and shaker.  Seeing all this normal movement brings us so much reassurance because we didn't really see a lot of movement with Ella, we were always told she was sleeping, so I will gladly accept and enjoy every rib kick and bladder punch with this little one.

Oh and we're also over the moon to report that we are having another little GIRL!!!  I thought for sure we were having a boy, as well as many of our friends, but Zach and our parents knew it was a girl.  We both wanted another girl so bad, but were really just hoping and praying for good news of a healthy baby so far, so we are feeling so blessed and thankful that we get the experience of having another daughter.  We take comfort knowing Ella is watching over her little sister and always will be.

Team Clark Becomes 4

I want to start off by saying that this whole blogging thing makes me feel a bit vulnerable.  Zach and I are pretty private people, so sharing our life for everyone to see is a bit odd for us.  That being said, we know there are so many of you who love us, who are just curious how things have been going these days and want to be a part of our lives in anyway you can as we embark on this next journey.


As most of you know, the Clarks are expecting another little one due in the middle of December.  We have been trying for a few months after Ella and could not be more excited and more terrified at the same time.  It's amazing to have hope again, but we're careful to take just one day at a time.  Things like the nursery and names and finding out the sex aren't as exciting as they were with Ella because, as sad as it sounds, we don't want to get our hopes up.  The blissful ignorance one has, has been stripped away after having and losing a sick baby.  But like I said, we're taking it one day at a time and could not be more excited for Ella's little brother or sister to arrive just in time for Christmas.  Needless to say, this Christmas will be one for the books around the Clark/Montgomery/Turtura households.  

Baby Clark at 12 1/2 weeks.  Lips just like his/her big sister's.

We will to use this blog to keep our family and friends informed of updates, announcements, and milestones about the little one as well as some updates of our busy life lately with both of us in school, Zach's new job and my student teaching experience...I could entertain you with those stories everyday!


Love,
Steph, Zach, Ella and Baby C