Introducing...

Canaan Barnes Brannan

August 3, 2017 
5:27 p.m.

7 lbs 8 oz 

20 and 3/4 inches long 

perfect.

monkey from big bro

proud Aunt HaHa

the boy who made me a mommy

that smile!!

my 3 guys

sweet visit from Aunt Meg and Isaac

Home sweet home as a family of 4!

"I'm the big brother" :)

Canaan meets Finley

Both boys at 11 days old 

Both boys at exactly one week

Bumpdate #2 {37 Weeks}

Levi's "cheese" face :)

How far along: 37 weeks {See Levi's 37 week bumpdate here}

Size of baby: Large cantaloupe {weighed 6 lbs 7 oz per ultrasound at 36w4d}

Total weight gain/loss: +20 lbs

Sleep: My leg cramps are gone thankfully but still up a lot to use the bathroom and eat my nightly snack of Tums for heartburn. This child better have some hair!! ;)

Exercise: Been walking as much as I can around the neighborhood and just generally staying pretty active with life and Levi. 

Cravings/Aversions: Oreos and milk. Running out of room for big meals. 

Movement: Canaan is active but things are getting pretty tight in there! He gets the hiccups every night and my whole belly jumps each time. 

Labor signs/symptoms: At 36w4d I was 3 cm and 50% effaced. Feeling frequent and strong BH contractions. 

Best moment: Seeing him on ultrasound last week. My belly is measuring a few weeks small so they wanted to check growth. He is measuring right on track (about 4 days ahead actually) and is head down and hopefully ready to meet us soon!

Looking forward to: Seeing this precious child! I can't wait to see what day the Lord chooses for his birthday, who he looks like, and how Levi takes to being a big bro!

What I miss/What I'm loving: I'm excited about birth and have been praying and thinking about it constantly. I'm ready to get this show on the road. It's super hot outside and I'm just ready to hold my baby in my arms instead of in this big ole belly :) I'm looking forward to our new normal and transitioning to life with two little boys, nursing again, getting back in shape, and saying goodbye to the crazy pregnancy symptoms. 

Levi {2 years}

Size: 28+ lbs, 75% for height, wearing 2T and 3T clothes, size 6 diapers, size 7/8 shoe

Likes: Paw Patrol and Puppy Dog Pals, his water table, swimming, cars/trucks/airplanes, riding his red motorcycle and blue truck

Dislikes: haircuts, eating vegetables

Milestones:
~cutting his two year molars now
~preparing to get rid of the Paci-- gonna be tough :(
~memorized his first verse: 1 John 4:8 "God is love."
~Can count to ten
~knows all colors and shapes
~has memorized several books we read regularly and sings lots of Bible songs from memory
~has his very own big boy room in the new house!

Sleep: Still sleeps 7:15/7:30 pm to 7:30 am and naps anywhere from 1-2 hours in the early afternoon. He sleeps with a bunch of stuffed animal "friends" and is still in his crib. Planning to keep him there until Canaan is ready to transition from the rock n play to the crib :) 

Bumpdate #2 {33 Weeks}

How far along: 33 weeks {See Levi's 33 week bumpdate here}

Size of baby: Size of a head of lettuce. At 31w5d Canaan weighed in at 3 lbs 13 oz

Total weight gain/loss: +17 lbs

Sleep: Charley horses have been waking me up every night for the last two weeks. This happened with Levi around this time too. I usually get up and go straight to the bathroom and put my foot on the cold bathroom floor to help it relax-- such a great little trick!

Exercise: Chasing Levi and walking 

Cravings/Aversions: Sweets maybe? I've been wanting dessert more than normal so I'm indulging while I can :) 

Movement: All day and night! Very thankful to feel his little kicks and jabs. His feet are in my right side (also like Levi was at this time) and he is head down. Praying he stays that way! 

Labor signs/symptoms: Braxton Hicks are more frequent now especially after long periods on my feet. 

Best moment: We had a great week at the beach last week with the Brannan fam- our last vacation as a family of 3. In between the rain and clouds we had a good time at the pool and on the beach. It was sweet to see Levi playing with his cousins, having a blast with (and being spoiled by) his Mimi and Papa, and throwing rocks in the ocean and jumping in the pool. It's hard to believe Canaan will be on the beach with us next year!! 

Looking forward to: My next appointment this week. 

What I miss/What I'm loving: I miss my energy. I'm very tired these days-- keeping up with a 2 year old at 33 weeks pregnant is no joke! I feel great in the morning and then crash after lunch time. I try to rest when Levi is napping so I can get a second wind for the afternoon and evening. I'm loving our new house and church and can't wait to start our women's summer Bible study this week! 

Bumpdate #2 {29 Weeks}

29 Weeks at New River Church

How far along: 29 weeks {See Levi's 29 week bumpdate here}

Size of baby:  butternut squash

Total weight gain/loss: +14 lbs 

Sleep: Just fine but wake from heartburn or to use the bathroom usually once a night. 

Exercise: Packing and chasing Levi are my cardio at the moment. :)

Cravings/Aversions: None really-- just chugging water all day every day

Movement: Canaan rolls and kicks most hours of the day. Grateful for the constant reminder that a little life is growing inside of me. 

Labor signs/symptoms: Still dealing with heartburn, back aches, and frequent nose bleeds. :( Definitely starting to feel more fatigued. The move/transition to Lake Wylie + third trimester= exhausted. 

Best moment: Passed my glucola test at my 28 week appointment and Canaan was measuring right on track. 

Looking forward to: Being settled in our new home and decorating the nursery and Levi's big boy room!

What I miss/What I'm loving: I miss my energy and being able to run but I'm loving that we are now 11 weeks away from meeting this sweet baby boy!

Gamecock graduate

On Friday my little sister will walk across the stage and receive her degree from the University of South Carolina. I'm not sure where all the years have gone or how they have passed so quickly, but we are so very proud of her and the woman of God she has become. We've been so fortunate to have her live with us during her senior year and get to see her every day. It has been nothing short of providential that God would allow us this quality time together before we both embark on separate journeys in different parts of the state. She moves to Charleston in a few weeks to start PA school at MUSC. I know no one is more proud of her than our dad smiling down from Heaven. 

I got to take her graduation pictures last week at the Horseshoe-- it was a beautiful day on campus to capture her last week as a USC student. Here are some of my favorites:  

Two of her dearest college friends 

Pi love <>

Graduation Day: 

Congratulations, "HaHa!" We sure do love you. 

Bumpdate #2 {25 Weeks}

How far along: 25 weeks {See Levi's 25 week bumpdate here}

Size of baby:  cauliflower 

Total weight gain/loss: +11 lbs

Sleep: still good! 

Exercise: Ran a 5k race and Ryan ran his second half marathon last weekend. Staying active :)

Cravings/Aversions: No real cravings- just hungrier these days. 

Movement: Lots of movement all day long!

Labor signs/symptoms: Started getting heartburn about two weeks ago. Popping Tums (and daily Zantac) like candy. 

Best moment: We had a great visit to New Bern to see Mimi and Papa and are grateful for this beautiful Easter Sunday. He is Risen! 

Looking forward to: Third trimester! 

What I miss/What I'm loving: I miss sleeping on my stomach but I'm loving my growing belly. 

Bumpdate #2 {22 Weeks} & Levi {22 Months}

Canaan's profile {and same nose as his mama!} at 20 weeks

How far along: 22 weeks {See Levi's 22 week bumpdate here}

Size of baby: spaghetti squash 

Total weight gain/loss: +8 lbs total

Sleep: is great :)  

Exercise: I'm running less now because I started feeling frequent and intense Braxton Hicks contractions at 18.5 after heavy exercise. So Levi and I usually take a 2-3 mile walk (almost) every day instead of running. The doc checked to make sure the BH were not causing me to dilate and assured me that it is normal to feel them earlier and stronger the second time around. I just feel better taking it a little easier.

Cravings/Aversions: Sour gummy worms!
Movement: Been feeling lots of movement from Canaan- he's an active little guy just like his big bro. Ryan got to feel him kick for the first time at 21.5 weeks. 

Labor signs/symptoms: n/a

Best moment: Great anatomy scan at 20 weeks! We got to see little Canaan and all of his perfect parts. So relieved and thankful to God that he is healthy and growing!

Looking forward to: Seeing Mimi and Papa in New Bern over Easter week!

What I miss/What I'm loving: Loving feeling him kick and move around in there! Also loving this time with Levi as our only child. We are soaking up every second and really savoring our time as a family of three-- adventuring and enjoying life together. 

Levi is now 22 months-- two months away from turning 2! 
Size: 27+ lbs, size 7 shoe, size 6 diaper, size 24 month or 2T clothes 
Likes: Trucks (especially "Dada's white truck" and his slew of little toy trucks), choo choos, keys (aka making the car go "beep beep"), taking Finley to Clemson Ext., going on walks, the zoo (his favorite are the giraffes by far and talks about them often), Mickey and the Roadster Racers, sleeping with stuffed animals (Mickey, Blue Bear, Dog Dog and Mr. Giraffe), checking the mail and watching the trash truck, bird watching, loving/harrassing Finley (aka "dog dog"), listening for fire trucks (aka "woo woo trucks"), police cars and ambulances. Favorite foods are chips, pizza, peanut butter filled pretzels, noodles, and go-gurts-- you know, the healthy stuff. 
Dislikes: Mostly not getting his way-- when we take our keys away from him, when he can't go outside, when he can't have his paci (which he affectionately calls his "baa" and can only have when its bed/nap time.) 
Milestones:
~pee-pee'd on the potty for the first time on Feb. 24 and has been going every night before bath. He's just practicing for now- not sure yet when we will go full steam ahead.
~knows about 8 shapes and about 10-12 colors and can identify all kinds of trucks properly (dump truck, trash truck, monster truck, mail truck, school bus, big trucks/semi-trucks, tractors, etc. His love for trucks is strong.)
~sings and does the hand motions to "Deep and Wide" 
~saying countless new words and phrases but my favorites are: 
"where did it go?" often sounding like "wha dit it doe?" :)
"silly mama/dada/haha/dog dog"
Sleep: Sweet angel is still my champion sleeper and I pray little bro will take good notes ;) He still goes to bed around 7:30 pm and ever since the time change, he has been waking up around 8:30/8:45 am (about an hour later than his norm). He naps anywhere from 1.5-2.5 hours every afternoon--usually averages about 2 hours.

Trucks on trucks on trucks every.single.day.

Buds.

Safety second ;)

Bumpdate #2 {17 Weeks}

It's there, I promise ;)

Is that not the cutest little boy you've ever seen or what?!

How far along: 17 weeks {See Levi's 17 week bumpdate here}

Size of baby: Size of the palm of my hand 

Total weight gain/loss: +3 lbs

Sleep: Sleeping well with fewer trips to the bathroom now- hooray! I'm trying my hardest to start sleeping on my side but somehow I always manage to wake up on my stomach. 

Exercise: Running 3-4 times a week {usually 3-3.5 miles each time} and Levi and I take a 1-2 mile walk together every morning :) 

Cravings/Aversions: I can eat again!! No more nausea and no real cravings or aversions right now. I do feel like I'm hungry more often and definitely need more snacks to keep my blood sugar from dropping. 

Movement: I felt first flutters at 15.5 weeks!

Labor signs/symptoms: n/a

Best moment: Finding out the Levi is going to have a LITTLE BROTHER!!! Canaan Barnes Brannan. :) Canaan named after the promised land, "the land flowing with milk and honey" {Numbers 14:8} & Barnes in honor of Ryan's precious and beloved "Poppy," Robert Barnes. 

Looking forward to: The anatomy scan in a few weeks to see baby Canaan's growth and development. 

What I miss/What I'm loving: Don't miss much of anything at the moment- just thankful to be feeling well. I'm loving that both of our boys have biblical first names and middle names after amazing men of God in our lives. The meaning and sentiment behind each of their names holds a special place in my heart. 

Jesus Calms The Sea

Our church recently launched an awesome new ministry called Moms Connect where moms of all ages gather together twice a month to be refreshed by the Word and to fellowship and pray with other moms. During our first meeting together, the story of Jesus calming the sea was presented from Mark 4:35-41. 

In this story, Jesus and his disciples are on a boat when a great windstorm arose on the sea. The men panicked at the sight of the waves and the water filling the boat. Meanwhile, Jesus is asleep below deck. They were so overwhelmed by the storm that was about to overtake them-- forgetting momentarily that Jesus (!!) is with them on the boat. Jesus was asleep, yes, but not unconcerned with their peril. We learn quickly that He was asleep with plans to emerge at just the right time.

The men awakened him saying, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” Perhaps we've asked God the same question. But Jesus rebuked the wind with His voice: “Peace! Be still!” The wind ceased and Jesus asked the men, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”

As I've let this passage marinate in my mind over the last few weeks, I can't help but fall more and more in love with the practicality of this lesson for our lives today. No, we will not find ourselves on an actual boat with Jesus in a windstorm. But what if the proverbial storms we encounter on a daily basis are opportunities for us to trust His great power and practice great faith? Through life's rough seas we are faced with two choices: we can panic like the men on the boat or we can, by grace, seek Jesus and claim His perfect peace. 

What I love about this story is that Jesus is already on the boat. He's not on land somewhere, far away from these frightened men. He's simply below deck. What a beautiful truth: Jesus is already on the boat with us. He is ever-present and near to us with no plans to let us perish. The same loving God who leads us by still waters is the same Captain who leads and guides us through tumultuous seas. 

God promises in Isaiah 43:2 that He will be with us when we pass through the waters and they will not overwhelm us. Though at times it may seem we are in uncharted waters or that our life is somehow off course- we can trust that Jesus is at the helm. Just as it was for the disciples on the boat; those who trust in Christ as Lord have absolutely nothing to fear. 

The wind and waves obey Him. Oh, what joy and peace we can experience in the midst of the storm when we obey Him too. 
   

Myrtle Beach's 65th Ave-- my favorite, most peaceful spot in the world.