She's Here!!!!!!!!

So, it has taken me a couple of weeks to get this post up, but . . . she's here. That's right, Sydney Renee Keck was born at 8:22 am on Friday, November 18, 2011. She weighed in at 7 lbs. 15 oz and was 20 inches long. Sydney was and is absolutely perfect and the C-section went much smoother than I anticipated. Maya absolutely loves being a big sister and just adores her little sister.

I am keeping this post short and sweet mostly just to share pictures of our new little one. In the coming weeks, I should begin to have more energy to post more about the day of our new daughter's arrival, but for now, I want to nap. :) Enjoy the pics!!!

David prepping for surgery. Doesn't he look handsome :)

Sydney's First Pic

Mom (Nana) got to be there too!

Maya getting to spend some quality time with her sister.

Too Long!!

Okay, so it has been forever since I have posted a new blog entry. So sorry for that everyone.

It has been a long two months. I am now in my final days of pregnancy. It is Tuesday, November 15 and I am scheduled for a c-section on the morning of Friday, November 18th. I can't wait for this baby to come out. This pregnancy has been so much more uncomfortable than my pregnancy with Maya was. I am sure this has something to do with the fact that it isn't my first. Contractions have been coming for four days now and I finally went into the doctor this morning to be "checked out," and be sure that I am not in any "real" labor. Unfortunately, no real labor, just a ton of lousy contractions amounting to nothing. Great! Guess I get to have these for a few more days before she comes out. Oh well! :)

Here is the most recent picture of Sydney that we have. This was taken by ultrasound in 3d last Tuesday, November 8. It isn't the best picture, but definately the best we have gotten of her face so far. She actually sat still long enough for them to get a semi-decent shot.

I think that she looks a little like Maya, and a little just like herself. She definitely has very defined lips, which we have noticed in several ultrasounds now. Wish we could tell if she had hair and eyebrows. That was always something that impressed everyone about Maya when she was born, her dark hair and eyebrows. She was such a beautiful baby. We just can't wait to see what Sydney looks like. I am hoping that the two look very similar. I just love when you can so easily tell sisters by the features they share. We are also anticipating her personality. Every time I have an NST (which are twice a week) the nurses/doctors comment on how active she is. At this point, they are also impressed that she is still doing somersaults in my stomach and not just remaining head down. Such a stinker already. They are kind of surprised that she appears to have the room to do so. Maybe she will be a much smaller baby at birth than Maya was. In our last ultrasound they estimated her at probably being around 7.5 pounds at birth (way smaller than Maya's 9lbs. 5 oz.). Only time (and her imminent birth) will tell :).

In other past news, we finally took Maya to the Great Wolf Lodge for her birthday. We had to postpone the trip until October due to her preschool schedule and David's work schedule. It was a blast. Maya had so much fun in the waterpark. It took some convincing to get her to go down the bigger waterslides, but once she did, she loved it! The convincing actually took me climbing up the big water tower with her (8 months pregnant and in a swimsuit) to persuade her that she was brave enough to do it and that she would love it. Towards the end of our stay, David was able to convince her to go down one of the HUGE waterslides on a raft with him. I have to admit that I was a bit jealous that I couldn't do any of the waterslides myself. Not a wise idea at 8 months pregnant. However, I did have a good time floating around in the wave pool on several occasions.

I wish that I had some picture to post of our time at the Lodge, but unfortunately, as I was pulling out the camera at the waterpark to start snapping shots, it died. Not just the battery, but the whole camera! Ugh!!! Of all the inopportune times. (Although better then than when Sydney is born ;)). We have been blessed in that some members of David's family pooled together a monetary gift for us for Sydney so that we could buy a new camera. Good thing since her arrival is just around the corner. We would hate to not be able to snap a million photos of our new little girl and her proud big sister.

Hopefully the next time I jump onto this blog with a new post it will be all about Sydney's uneventful, but wonderful arrival. Please pray for the safe arrival of Sydney this Friday and that the c-section would go well without complication. Also, please pray for my nerves and for quick healing!

Maya's First Day of School

Well, that day has finally arrived. The first day of preschool. We all knew this day was coming, but I can't believe it came so soon. Maya was so excited for her first day of school. She dressed in one of her favorite dresses and packed her backpack with her favorite teddy, ready to head to school. When we got there, she was a bit leery at first, but then jumped right in. David and I were one of just a few parents that didn't stay with their child that day. However, I feel that this was the best decision for our little girl.

After we left, I felt a feeling of loss. It was so weird to leave my little girl behind and head home for 2 hours. I didn't know what to do with myself. There was no little Maya following me around asking me a million questions, needing to eat, making messes as she goes. I missed it all! I also found myself crying intermittently the whole two hours. Just missed her more than I thought I would :).

Since then, she has been to class several times and has loved each time. At the end of each preschool day she is so excited to tell us about what she did and the new friends she has made. As many of you know, she is quite the social butterfly, and we knew that preschool would be the perfect outlet for that.

So, here is to Maya's first year of preschool!

Maya's New Haircut

So we took Maya to Bellevue Square today to have her hair cut. We took her to the Dooz salon up by the children's play area. She had quite a fun filled day full of breakfast out with Daddy, playing at the splash park, playing at the kids area at the mall and then an awesome haircut. The lady who cut her hair told us that Maya was her favorite kid of the year. Well, of course she was :). I think Maya's ability to carry on a 20 minute conversation just cracked her up. It was all very cute. She is just so grown up. The best part for her was that she got to pick out a brand new hairband when she was done!

Yes, she is totally at that stage of crazy smiles :).

On another note, I had my first gestational diabetes appointment today. The appointments went well and I will be spending the next 10 weeks testing my blood sugar 5 times a day (and probably for a few weeks after she is born). It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Honestly, it is virtually painless (praise God!). I will go back in one week so that my blood sugar levels can be reviewed and they can assess if I need further treatment such as medication or insulin. I am praying that the change in diet will be all that I need. However, I will do what it takes to keep this baby healthy. In 3 weeks I will have an ultrasound to check on Sydney's growth. Hopefully we will get some really good pictures of her that I can share with you :).

Gestational Diabetes

So, I will start this entry with something funny before I get serious. Lately Maya has gotten into the habit of coming up to one of us and saying, " hey (fill in the blank), did you know I could do this?," and then she either does or shows you something new that she can do. Today it was, "Hey, Mom, did you know I can fit two fingers in my belly button." No, I did not, but I guess I do now. How many fingers can you fit in your belly button? :)
Also, I caught her doing the "robot" in the car yesterday. She was doing the weird, jerky arm movements as she said in a monotone voice, "my name is Maya. I am a robot." I have no idea where she learned it, but it was hilarious!

Ok, on a more serious note: It is official, I have gestational diabetes. I am so upset over the whole thing. Truly, I thought that I would pass that second test with flying colors, but that was not the case. Next week I have to meet with a nutritionist and then the gestational diabetes specialist who will show my how to test my blood sugar. I know that there are many women who have had and have to deal with this in their pregnancies, but I still think it sucks. Honestly, the worse for me isn't even having to watch what I eat and prick my finger, but the worry and stress over the health of my unborn daughter. I can't help but research like crazy about this disease, read the possible side effects it can have on the baby, and just stress and panic. On top of all of that, I have an overwhelming feeling of guilt. Guilt in that I can't provide a healthy, safe place for my unborn baby to grow. Guilt that I had done something wrong. I know that isn't really true, that it isn't something I did, but I still feel that way.
It has only been a day since I found out the news and am still trying to wrap my head around it. I need to get over the emotional distress of it all so that I can start to take care of it. Most of all, I know that I need to trust that God will protect my child, better than I ever could, and need to rest and have peace in that truth. As always, your prayers are appreciated as I approach this new hurdle in pregnancy. Just 11 weeks to go. We can do this.

The First One

So, this being my very first post, I should probably write something incredible, noteworthy, etc. However, that really isn't going to happen. I am not an english major, not good at creative writing and am bound to make quite a few grammatical errors. But, hang with me, I promise to keep you entertained on what is happening in our lives. I figure that my writing will be more like a conversation rather than a story. At times my blog entries will probably seem a bit random and scattered, kind of like my conversations.

I am looking forward to not only sharing what is going in our lives, but also pics of the girls and new projects I am working on. Keep checking back for new entries :).