Yes, it is true- We are the soon to be mommy and daddy of three! We were blessed with this news in September while Greg was at Tailhook with the squadron. We were video chatting with him and Ava held up the pregnancy test and said, "Daddy what's this? We have so many of these in the bathroom!" He said, "Wait WHAT is that?!" and then celebrated by showing it to all his fellow drinking buddies. I am one of those women who just know immediately when I am pregnant. Well pregnancy tests just don't know as early as I do. I took one pregnancy test and got a very faint second line. I took SIX more negative pregnancy tests after that one. I had just about given up when finally my eighth test was positive again. Neurotic behavior? You bet. I was relieved when we had our first ultrasound and found out that the baby was very healthy, right size, great heart beat, etc. The funny thing about the ultrasound was that the baby was dancing. He or she would not sit still for ANY pic. We had wiggly arms, legs, and a bobbing head. A future America's Best Dance Crew member?
This is the baby caught in mid-summersault. We have nicknamed this baby "Teeny Babe". Ava's nickname is Babe and Ellie's nickname is Mini Babe. We are due May 26, 2012. With my past pregnancy history I am predicting a birthdate of June 1st.
Do you know how fabulous it is to be pregnant during Halloween?! I have been pretty ill during the first trimester and have had a lot of food aversions plus morning sickness. That has not stopped the cravings though! My first was Ben and Jerrys. My second was Tropical Smoothie. (Do NOT judge in this picture below. I am not drinking two smoothies, one is for Greg). Lately I am on a Sprite and Twizzler kick. Luckily, I am still able to get my daily walk in so my cravings have not started to physically show yet.
Greg has gone above and beyond with our pregnancy. He is cooking for the family most nights, putting the girls to bed when he is home, and partaking in my cravings. We call the baby sometimes "Teeny Grump" because he or she wrecks me physically every night after 6:30 PM.
I have decided to do monthly belly bump pics. Here I am at 8 weeks visiting the Browns in California. We felt a little bit like DirtBags taking the expectant mothers parking spot with me only being in the first trimester. We justified it by having a newborn and toddler in tow with us. Let's be honest, those boots are NOT made for walking either :)
We have two VERY excited expectant big sisters. If you have a 3 minute conversation with either of them they will notify you that a baby is on the way in the Valdez house. We learned the hard way with them that there are NO secrets with toddlers and preschoolers.
Miss Ava is already a master at being a big sister. It is just so sweet how patient she is with babies. She is our mother hen of the house so I know this baby will be spoiled rotten by her. She is rooting for a baby boy. She claims that it is not fair for Daddy to be the only boy, so if this turns out to be a girl she wants us to have another baby for Daddy. I informed her that after this baby I am RETIRED from the baby making business and our family is complete.
Miss Ellie is rooting for a baby girl. Her favorite thing to do right now is to play hairdresser with my hair, Daddy's hair, Pop Pop's hair, etc. She thinks a baby girl will be her own little baby doll to dress up. What shocks me is how sweet and gentle she is with babies. She talks in a soft voice to them, gets stressed out when they cry and wants to make them happy, and loves to hold them. I know she is going to be such a great big sister. We are all assuming this baby no matter the gender will be another red head. We will be SHOCKED if that is not the case.
We found out yesterday that we will be moving to Lemoore, California at the end of December rather than in March. The news comes with mixed emotions. I am THRILLED that I will not be driving in my third trimester and we will be settled in when the baby arrives. I am also relieved that Greg will not have to drive cross country twice (once by himself). Also, I am hoping it will be easier to get Ava into a new school in January rather than March. We found out that we are second in line on the base housing list so hopefully we won't be living in a random month to month property too long. However, I am so sad to say goodbye early to our beloved family and friends in Virginia. We are upgrading our credit card rewards to frequent flyer miles so that visits will not be too far apart. We are happy also that we at least get to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with the family in Northern Virginia. I am nervous traveling in the winter but I know it will be nothing short of an adventure. Our house in Virginia Beach is another complicated situation but we are going to tackle that with our realtor this weekend. Thank you all for your continued support and prayers for our family. We are truly blessed with an amazing support system.
