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. 

Bumpdate #2 {13 Weeks}

Well, here we are again folks! By God's goodness and grace, we are expecting another little Brannan baby due July 30, 2017! We are so excited to grow our family and can't wait to see Levi become a big brother. 

From day one, this pregnancy has been totally different than Levi's. I feel like I had every symptom in the book first trimester with him (nausea, fatigue, soreness, etc.) and this time my only symptom has been nausea in the evenings. My nausea was unrelenting with Levi and nothing seemed to help. This time it hits me every day in the early evening around dinner time and I have a hard time forcing anything down. Thankfully it's manageable and the Lord has been merciful to spare me of any crazy symptoms since I have a toddler to chase this time around! I prayed for that specifically before I was even pregnant and He has been gracious to answer that prayer. 

Just bloat right now but I know that bump is coming!

How far along: 13 weeks {See Levi's 13 week bumpdate here}
Size of baby: peach
Total weight gain/loss: +3 lbs
Sleep: Sleeping great --- 8-9 hours a night with a few bathroom breaks :)
Exercise: I plan to keep up my usual running routine 4 days a week {about 15 miles a week right now} for as long as possible. 
Cravings/Aversions: Give me all the vinegar!! I went through this phase with Levi too. Pickles, salt and vinegar chips, collards with apple cidar vinegar... I want it all... with a glass of orange juice. 
Movement: n/a
Labor signs/symptoms: n/a
Best moment: We had our 12 week appointment last week and heard the heart beat-- 150 bpm. The time before it was 176 bpm. 
Looking forward to: Gender ultrasound on January 31st!! 
What I miss/What I'm loving: I'm loving Levi saying "Baby!!" when I ask him what's in my tummy. It's the sweetest thing ever. I'm also doing the same pregnancy devotional journal that I did with Levi called "Waiting in Wonder." I'm excited that both of our kids will be able to have these prayer journals as keepsakes one day. What I miss: eating normally! 

Levi {19 months}

Size: Wearing mostly 24 month clothes (and I'm starting to buy some 2T things), size 6 shoes, size 6 diapers, weighs 25 pounds

Likes: Mickey everything. Loves hitting the ball with his bat and getting in his "batting stance." It's pretty stinkin' cute. Playing basketball with Daddy. Climbing on all furniture. Loves taking showers-- or as he calls them, "sharers". Giving hugs-- seriously my favorite thing ever. Loves his new golf set he got for Christmas. His new favorite song to dance to is JT's "Can't Stop the Feeling" and requests it all day. He also really loves wearing his pajamas. He would wear them all day if I let him. He loves "choo-choos" and pointing out every truck he sees... especially "Dada's truck."

Dislikes: Resists the car seat sometimes and now sits in a normal seat instead of a high chair when we are at a restaurant.

Milestones:
~As of 18 months old, he can now eat dairy!! He is now free of all food intolerances and has a normal diet-- thank you Lord!!!
~He knows all of his animals and sounds. He learned by taking all of the wooden animals out of Noah's Ark. He can also name Noah!
~Working on colors
~Robust vocabulary and learning new words all the time
~Has all of his teeth, for now (2 year molars up next!)
~Now tells us when he has gone #2 and needs to be changed. ;)

Sleep: Sleeps 7:30 pm - 8:00+/- am and naps 1:30 pm - 3 pm. If I'm lucky he will nap for 2+ hours but it's usually around 1.5 hours. After we read, pray, and sing a hymn, I lay him down and he always says "night night Mama" and I melt into a puddle every.single.time. When we got home from Colorado he had some trouble readjusting after the weird schedule, napping on the go, time change, traveling, etc. and fought going down for naps and bed and woke up in the middle of the night a couple of times. Thankfully after about 4 days of CIO, he finally snapped back into his normal sleep routine. :)

Popcorn- his favorite bedtime snack just like my dad's used to be :)

Daddy's little helper

Levi's first sick visit. :( He was sick for the first time ever in December. Started as croup then turned into the stomach bug. What a trooper!

All the heart eyes :)

Colorado and Christmas 2016

The sweetest blessing under our tree

Give the boy a ball and he's happy!

Checking the dog's heart with Levi's new doctor kit

Ridin' in style now!

Cool new tent from my mom 

Homemade birthday cake for Jesus!

Church Christmas morning

My boys :)

Christmas Eve service

Lights at the Zoo

Breckenridge

8 years

When I was a little girl, my dad and I used to turn the music up loud and dance together in our living room. When we were in the car, we would turn on our favorite song and roll the windows down and sing. We shared a mutual love and passion for music. To this day, I can hear a James Taylor song or the first note of Van Morrison's "Have I Told You Lately" and instantly, I'm dancing in the living room with my dad again. Now that I have a child of my own, I think it's one of God's sweetest and kindest blessings that Levi's absolute favorite thing to do is turn on the music and dance with me every single day. 

In those moments, I can't help but think of my dad. On this day 8 years ago I told him "I love you" for the last time. So much has changed in those 8 years, but God has not. He is still the same loving God that He was on November 22, 2008. I still miss my dad every day, but the Lord has rooted invaluable truths deep within my heart that have helped me carry on over the years and have drawn me closer to the heart of Christ. In the words of Charles Spurgeon: “I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the Rock of Ages." It is through loss that I gained a fresh perspective on what and Who will never change: 

1. God is Sovereign. And nothing and no one can interfere with that. "I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted." Job 42:2

2. God is good. Even when the loss is great. "For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly." Psalm 84:11 

3. God is more concerned with our character than our comfort. "...but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." Romans 5:3-5 

4. God's plans are perfect and better than ours. And it's ok if we don't understand... because we will- one glorious day. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord." Isaiah 55:8 

5. We were made for eternity. This earth is not our home. Hallelujah! "He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end." Ecclesiastes 3:11

6. There's nothing like a father's love. My dad was an amazing, godly man who showed me and told me every day how much he loved me. How much more does our Heavenly Father love us! "See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are." 1 John 3:1

7. His grace is sufficient in all things. "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." 2 Corin. 12:9 

8. This life (and the one to come) is about His glory. "And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high." Hebrews 1:3

I miss my dad. Plain and simple. I wish I could tell him I love him one more time. I sure wish Levi could have met him. But through it all, the Lord has used my dad's passing to give me a laser sharp focus on what is important in this brief life. It means we rest in and rely on the faithful Rock of Ages. We hug a little tighter, blow bubbles in the yard a little longer, say I love you often, laugh and let the little things go, take more pictures, invest fully in those we love, and turn the music up loud and dance. 

I'm eternally grateful that over the last 8 years the Lord has used the absence of my dad to help reveal His presence to me. What a good, good Father. I can't wait to hear that heavenly music play and dance with him again. 

"Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ."
 Phil. 3:8

Levi {17 months}

The weeks and months keep rolling by and our baby grows more and more into a little boy every day. He has the biggest personality, the best facial expressions, and always keeps us laughing. He is silly and sweet and continues to learn new things every day. He is a mover and does not sit still for long-- just like his daddy. He cuddles with me in the morning while I drink my coffee and watches Mickey and loves to hand you a book and crawl in your lap to read. He is happiest when he is outside and when the music is playing. He has started to exercise his own will and can challenge us at times-- mostly when he doesn't want to get in the car seat, doesn't want to eat his food, when it's time to stop brushing teeth and I take the toothbrush away, or when we tell him he can't play with our phones. Otherwise he has a sweet, happy disposition.

Levi has learned to fold his hands to pray and says "amen" and it is a wonderful reminder of what life is all about. This is the good stuff for sure. I love spending my days with him and watching him grow. Ryan and I say all the time how much fun the last 17 months have been watching him learn new things and getting to love him with a fierce kind of love. So grateful for the blessing he is and for this sweet, sweet season of life. Thanks be to God!

Size: still in size 5 diapers, wearing mostly 18 month clothes-- he has short legs so he wears size 12-18 months in pants and 18-24 months in shirts. Weighs approximately 24.5 pounds.

Likes: Finley! This boy loves chasing, petting, hugging, taunting, hitting, loving and playing with Finley. They are usually never more than a foot from one another all day long. He also loves any kind of ball to kick or throw, being outside (we are usually outside most of the day either in the backyard or at the park playground), blowing and chasing bubbles, brushing his teeth, playing cars, Family Feud (this child will come running when he hears the theme song start playing and loves to clap along with the players. It's really very funny.), Mickey and the hot dog dance, dancing to music (he points to our bluetooth speaker and begs me to play music several times a day. His favorite song is Brand New by Ben Rector and My God is so Big from his Bible songs), when Daddy comes home, when Daddy throws him on the bed, and just Daddy in general. He wants to be anywhere and do anything his daddy is :), his pacis and loveys (within the last month he started wanting to sleep with his Mickey and his loveys and it melts me. He also has to sleep with a paci in his mouth and one in each hand). He still eats lots of veggies (loves squash and zucchini) but his favorite foods right now are: Chick-fil-a waffle fries, potato chips, and fruit cups.

Dislikes: his car seat and sometimes his high chair, getting his hair cut- he cries and clings to me like he's being tortured. And the fun part is his hair grows super fast so we get to do this every 6 weeks. Fun times. He also doesn't really like meat (I can rarely get him to eat any meat. I try to give him beans and peanut butter for protein), being dropped off at Sunday school (he still screams when I drop him off- but only for a minute or two), gets shy when he has an audience or a crowd

Milestones:
~Levi can now eat soy!! We started a soy trial on Sept. 23. He had some runny diapers for a few days as his stomach was adjusting, but they cleared up quickly and he has had no other reactions. Such a HUGE answer to our prayers!!! He has been eating Belvita bars, teddy grahams, animal crackers, and other similar soy filled snacks :)
~His vocabulary really blossomed over the last month and I feel like it grows every day. These are the words he uses regularly: dada, mama, water, sit, drop, hot, no, no ma'am, down, God, where is it?, ball, dog, hi/hey, sky, amen, Holley, see ya, cheese, choo choo, tree, socks, shoes, and roars when asks what sound a lion makes.
~He uses sign language as part of his daily vocabulary as well. Here are the signs he uses regularly: more, please, thank you, help, milk, down, hot, rain, water.
~Has 12 total teeth and working on #13 and #14.

Sleep: Sleeps 7 pm - 8:30/9 am and thankfully continues to go down without any trouble. We read books, pray, lay him down and walk out and he is usually asleep within 5 minutes. He takes an afternoon nap (usually 1.5 hours or 2 hours) from 1:30-3 or 2-3:30. Nap time varies depending on what our schedule is for the day but I try to put him down in the early afternoon.

A boy and his dog

Night in the Boondocks

Our little Halloween penguin

Levi loves his Aunt Holley. Hugging necks is his new favorite thing and it melts us all.

Our little punkin

Celebrating Holley's 22nd birthday at Tsunami

How Levi prefers to eat his dinner. 

Train ride with our best buds

Fair time 

Zoo with my mom- he adores her. 

((Psalm 13:6))

I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me.