Wedding Weekend

So these are a lil late...we went to Ohio for my brother-in-law's wedding the last weekend in April (same weekend my lil nephew was born).

The groom's crew with the new addition - Kari (in white hat)! :)

The three brothers - Setnick, Stephen (groom), and the best lookin one - Septtro ;)

Stephen looking at his bride


Ok I might be a lil bias, but I think Setnick has the best voice of anybody I know.

They gave each other a high five after they kissed - it was cute! :)

In memory of Falefou Sene - wish I could have met her...sounds like an incredible woman!


Septtro pointing to my baby belly that you can't really see in this picture

The new Sene family! Yay I'm not the only white girl anymore!!...but still the shortest by far!


Seriously, what kind of photographer puts a bridesmaid that already looks young on her knees?

Yeah, we're cool


Bride and groom's first dance (Stephen is about 6'6 so, yeah, their kids will be tall) :)

and brother's first dance

quite convenient that my husband has size 15-16 feet at times like this :)


Yay!!! What a fun wedding!

Quick 18 Week Belly Pic

This was at 18 weeks and 5 days

18 Weeks!

Week and day: 18 weeks 3 days

Belly Button in or out: almost flush with my belly now :)

Wedding rings on or off: on but with this hot weather, I'm not sure how much longer that will last!

Food cravings: chocolate milkshakes

Food aversions: not much anymore

Nausea: some mornings I still have to eat often when I get up early for work but those moments are few and far between

Energy level: I am getting more done around the house - don't think nesting has set in yet but I'm sure it won't be long!

Weight gain: total I think is 13 pounds...most of it at the beginning

Mood: weepy willow

Maternity clothes: definitely need to go shopping for some other clothes - mostly shirts...still look funny in maternity shirts cause they're too big

Size of baby: small can of soup

Changes of baby: bones hardening, baby can kick in reaction, baby's ears completely formed and can hear me talkin! Septtro has already been talkin to my belly for a couple of weeks now. :)

Next appointment: May 13th - the BIG one - when we find out if this baby is a he or a she

Other: I definitely feel the baby move now and know that was, indeed, the baby moving several weeks ago. I feel it more and more and I LOVE it! I've noticed my belly is starting to get in the way of things...such as shaving my legs and bending over to pick something up.

Emmory Pictures

Here are some pictures of my sweet, lil nephew Emmory.


This was the first time I held him....about an hour after he was born. :)



He kept stickin his tongue out :)


So I did too


Me with his proud daddy - givin his new son bunny ears (not sure why I can't open my eyes all the way)


This was when he was a day old - Monday afternoon

I didn't get to see him for a whole day...but I went over the next day (Wednesday) and we just cuddled for an hour or so.



Then it was Grammy's turn to hold him

Lil Septtroplex

This past weekend, my sister-in-law, Sheivon, brought some stuff she found in storage. She gave Septtro his passport from when he was about 4 years old and it's SO cute! :)


Isn't that the cutest lil face you ever saw? :)

My nephew is here!!!

Meet my nephew....Emmory William Steenback...born at 2:20pm April 26th..7 pounds 12 ounces and 21.5 inches long. I love him so much already!!

He's only about an hour old here.

This was when he was about 24 hours old. I LOVE his hair...so soft and fun! :)


So, we had quite the eventful weekend. Septtro and I left Thursday evening for Ohio for my brother-in-law's wedding (near Columbus - pics of that to come shortly). Saturday morning, my brother called and said Shawna was having contractions about 10 minutes apart. I was pretty bummed because I REALLY wanted to be in town when he was born. I think he was tryin to hold out for me, though, cause he sure did take his time. :) Septtro and I arrived at the hospital on Sunday an hour after he was born to meet him. My mom did hold up the phone so I could hear his first cries, though - that was precious....made me cry. :)

His dark hair kinda surprised me. I guess I figured he'd have blonde hair. I did, indeed, win the bracket we had goin on when he'd be here and how much he'd weigh and the time he was born. My baby and I will enjoy that big, juicy steak - thanks mom! :)

More pictures to come...

Doctor Appointment

I had my monthly appointment this morning - thanks for the prayers! :) We got to hear the heartbeat and it was amazing! She said it fluctuated between 154 and 156 beats per minute. I asked if she thought I was too big and she said absolutely not - I am right on track, measuring right at 17-18 weeks so yay!! :) And I only gained 3 pounds this time so kudos to me!

While listening to the heartbeat, you could sometimes hear this scratching type noise. It was like, "bu bum, bu bum, bu bum, eeeaaggghhrrrr". She said that was the baby moving around. I couldn't feel it but it was fun to "hear" the baby moving around. How incredible it was to hear the heartbeat...I almost asked her if she was sure that wasn't my heartbeat. :) When will this feel real?

I asked about my sleeping positions. I do start off on my left side but inevitably end up on my back - which I guess isn't good for blood flow towards the latter part of a pregnancy. She said I should be fine until around 20 weeks but then I might want to put a pillow under my hip so if I roll over, I won't be completely flat.

So we scheduled the next ultrasound - when we find out if we're having a girl or boy. We go back exactly 3 weeks from today...May 13th! She said I could come back in 3 or 4 weeks so obviously I chose 3 weeks. I'm so excited! What are your guesses? I think it's a girl for some reason and so does my mom and Septtro and most everybody at work. Although a girl I met last night said it's a boy and she's never been wrong...we shall see!!

16 Week pics a lil late

So today I'm officially 17 weeks - or unofficially, depending on how accurate you think the doctors can determine how far along you are.

These pictures were taken at 16 weeks and 5 days. And PLEASE, as much as I love comments, don't tell me how huge I am. Yes there really is only one baby. Maybe I'm starting to wonder what I used to look like and if I'll ever look like that again. I honestly only eat when I'm hungry - promise! And I do try to eat healthy now that I'm not feeling as sick.

Speaking of sick, I think I may have jinxed myself in my last post because I got sick two days in a row last week which has NEVER happened before. But I've been fine since then. Guess there will always be those more difficult days but that's just fine with me!

This is just normal...well maybe I'm tryin to suck it in a lil :)


But I sure can pooch it out too

Quite a difference huh? :) Maybe I should have taken one more where I was just standing there normal. Oh well.

My next appointment is tomorrow morning at 8:30AM. Please keep me in your prayers if you think about it. I'm still nervous about going and probably will always be nervous about going. Knowing who is truly in control, though, sure does bring a sense of relief.

16 weeks

Week and day: 16 weeks 2 days

Belly Button in or out: not much of one left

Wedding rings on or off: on

Food cravings: steak!!!

Food aversions: still some types of chicken by itself

Nausea: hardly at all anymore!! yay!!

Energy level: no naps since last week - hello second trimester! I got a lil freaked out Monday cause it was like I woke up and didn't feel pregnant anymore.

Weight gain: I'm not sure how much I've gained but I don't have to eat as much now because 1 - I don't have the room and 2 - I don't feel nauseous

Mood: I feel like I've been letting myself start to enjoy this pregnancy - singing and dancin around the house instead of snapping at Septtro for every little thing because I'm so nervous

Maternity clothes: down to one normal pair of pants that still fit because they sit so low but have been wearing maternity pants more and more - got some shirts from Shawna so I'm not always wearing t-shirts :)

Size of baby: avocado

Changes of baby: baby's eyes are closer to front of head now, head is more erect, toenails forming, heart pumps about 25 quarts each day

Next appointment: April 22nd - to hear the heartbeat...no ultrasound

Other: I keep feeling like maybe I can feel the baby move. I felt it for the first time last Monday (April 6th) - felt like somebody was waving their fingers inside my tummy and it only lasted a couple of seconds. Then it's started to feel like a rolly polly feeling and lasted longer. It's still so faint and those moments are few and far between so I'm always second-guessing myself. I'm a lil nervous to assume it's the baby in case it's not for fear of me lookin silly. :) Oh, and BIG plus, I can sometimes go through the night without having to get up to use the restroom - depending on how late I have something to drink. Oh, and my tailbone has been VERY sore lately - maybe I should get a doughnut pillow. :)

Easter Sunday

We had my parents and brother and sis-in-law over for lunch for Easter Sunday. We all brought some food, used paper plates for quick clean up, and just enjoyed each other's company. It was a beautiful day!

Because we got out of church around noon, we decided we'd use the timer on our oven so the baked mac and cheese would cook while we were at church and it'd be all ready to go when we got home. Septtro tested it the night before and it came on when it was supposed to so we gave it a shot. Unfortunately, it didn't work. I ended up making box mac and cheese but mom and dad claimed they liked the "crunchiness" and both ate it.

Suka and Tillman ran all over the place but they took some time to relax on the hammock.

Dad helped Septtro plant the garden. We'll have corn, green beans, cucumbers, eggplant, lettuce, tomatoes, and cantelope. I can't wait!!

The ladies...Shawna, mom, me, and Gramma. I guess I didn't get the memo to wear pink.

Awww, brother and sister Easter picture - just like the good ol days


Septtro would hit the wiffle ball and the dogs would chase it and fight over who should have it.

Suka won this time.


Tillman had a hard time grasping the ball in his mouth.

The dogs liked chasing the foam golf balls too. Tillman liked to run right in front front of Mark before he took his swing - made us very nervous.


This was that night...she was tired. "Turn out the lights...I'm tryin to sleep!"


Mom also brought plastic eggs and put dog treats in them and hid them around the yard. Yeah we know, weird - but that's what Easter is like when your kids are grown and you don't have any grandchildren yet right? :) I have a video but I'm not sure how to get it off my video camera yet.

Delivery Prediction

I saw this on somebody else's blog and thought I'd try it. Here's the prediction for the day of delivery...pretty funny...

The day you deliver, outside will be sunny. Your baby will arrive in the mid morning. After a labor lasting approximately 5 hours, your child, a girl, will be born. Your baby will weigh about 4 pounds, 2 ounces, and will be 18-1/2 inches long. This child will have light violet eyes and curly black hair.

So I seriously doubt my baby will only be 4 pounds but I wouldn't mind labor only lasting 5 hours. I already kind of think it may be a girl...not sure where that's coming from but that's my guess. The violet eyes is just ridiculous but I suppose curly black hair is possible.

Here's the website in case you're expecting and wanna see what crazy things it says for you...

P.S. I thought maybe I felt the baby move yesterday. It was a different feeling than I've felt before but it's so hard to tell.

Beautiful Weekend!

Finally, a weekend without rain! Woo hoo!! I know we need the rain but it's much more fun to be out and about on the weekend. On Saturday, my mom and Shawna came over. We went for a walk, fed the horses some carrots, grilled some steaks (and ever since I've wanted another one), and watched Fireproof (good movie!). Here's some pics:

Shawna is due April 22nd!! Yay!! I'm 14 weeks and 4 days.


I think Tillman thought the horse was a big dog - he wanted to play but the horse wasn't too pleased. He was a bully anyway. He wouldn't let us feed the other one and when he didn't get a carrot, he'd kick and bite the gate.

Tillman runnin in the field near the pond.

She kept eating the grass - weirdo.

Lil Nugget

So I was thinking about Romans 13:8-10...

" ⁸Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. ⁹For the commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,' and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' ¹⁰Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law."

What if I really did love my neighbor as much as I love myself?

14 weeks!

Ok so I don't really know if this is my first week in my second trimester or my second. I've read so many different things. Anyway, here's what's happenin:

Week and day: 14 weeks 0 day (confirmed as of last Wednesday!)

Belly Button in or out: still hangin in there but the top part is already starting to try to pop out

Wedding rings on or off: on

Food cravings: spaghetti sauce, most breads

Food aversions: some types of chicken by itself (must be mixed in with something)

Nausea: this is getting better although I had a pretty rough morning with it yesterday

Energy level: still takin naps as much as possible - can't wait for that second trimester energy boost I keep hearing about

Weight gain: yeah about 10 pounds...I know, kinda a lot for my first trimester but hey, I'm carryin half a Samoan!

Mood: I can cry very easily for sure and still kind of feel like I might be trying to hold some excitement back

Maternity clothes: Been wearing just one pair with the big elastic band - very comfy! The other pants are still gettin the hair tie trick but that is already starting to feel uncomfortable

Size of baby: lemon

Changes of baby: baby can make facial expressions and even suck their thumb, baby has fingerprints, skeletal and organ development is complete and progressing every day

Next appointment: April 22nd - to hear the heartbeat...no ultrasound

Other: my nose is getting more and more stuffy - I probably sound like I have a cold sometimes; still burp a lot and can feel my heart beating faster, especially after I lie down after being up and about

Baby Sene's first pictures - and video

Here's our sweet bundle of joy - only about 3 inches long:

I think it's funny the baby has their hands over their ears...considering it's an ultrasound - which emits sound waves (not that baby could really hear it but it's funny to think about, nonetheless).

Backside of baby


Baby wasn't moving a whole lot - even in the video...I think he/she was tryin to sleep. :)


Look at the size of that brain!


so sweet!! :)

So here's how the appointment went:

We only waited in the waiting room about 10 minutes, then we were sent directly to the ultrasound room. I was a little confused cause I thought I'd have to change but there was nothin for me. She said she was gonna do the ultrasound on top cause I was about 14 weeks but I said I thought I wasn't that far along so the plans changed. She said she was going to start some report and she'd be back. She didn't come back for probably 5 minutes. Those 5 minutes seemed like an eternity! I told Septtro I was nervous and kept asking what was taking so long. He started to ramble on and on about what his plans were for the yard. I remember, at one point, thinking to myself, "This is like a sitcom moment". I was not listening to a thing he was saying as I was so nervous but he was doing all he knew to do to keep my mind off being nervous. :) I still have no idea what he said.

The tech finally returned and asked how I was. I told her I was really nervous and she said she could tell - really, I thought I was hiding it well? (sarcasm sarcasm). She asked if I had any children at home and I started to choke up. She asked if this was my first pregnancy and before she learned of my miscarriage, I was already in a full-blown sob. She came over and hugged me and said we'd take this one step at a time. She said she didn't want me to look at the screen - let her get her bearings and we'd look at it together. I agreed. She pushed the screen in front of me...then Septtro leaned forward. Nobody told him he shouldn't look right away right? :) Great...so I just closed my eyes. Within just a few seconds, she pushed the screen back and said, "Well there's baby!". I started crying again - this time for very different reasons....relief, joy, disbelief, hope...

I can't really explain how incredibly humbling it was to watch that precious life on the screen. I'd like to say I would have felt the same way without losing Peanut but I'm not sure I would have. I'm not entitled to anything on this earth that is good. I don't deserve it. But praise God for his infinite grace for allowing me to have this experience!

I'm still trying to convince myself there's really a little human inside me. When will it start to actually feel real? I guess it hits every woman at different stages. What I do know is, the creation of life is simply amazing! Praise God!!

Here is our lil one - tryin to get some sleep I think. :)

1st Ultrasound

Praise the Lord - all looked GREAT at my first ultrasound!!! The tech said it got a gold star!! :) The baby's heartbeat was 162 beats per minute and I'm 13 weeks and 1 day - due September 24th!! I'll post pictures soon and give more info on how everything went. Thanks so much for all of your prayers!!

11 weeks, 4 days - I think

So my first appointment is tomorrow at 8:30am. Then I'll know for sure how far along I am. This was taken at 11 weeks and 4 days - according to my calculations.

Yes I'm wearing maternity pants...they're just more comfortable now. I need to get more shirts because most of mine are just too short.

If you're reading this, please know I covet your prayers - especially tomorrow morning. I've been struggling with fear a lot lately; so much so, that last week, I really had no desire to even go to my appointment this week for fear of what I might hear or see (or not see). I have some verses (thanks Shawna!) that I will continue to meditate on but I know - especially tomorrow morning - the fear will return. My desire is that I will focus my thoughts on what I know to be true...God is good, He is in control, and His grace is sufficient.

I know there will be tears in the ultrasound room either way but my hope is that they will be tears of joy. Oh how my heart aches to be a mother...how I long to see my precious child that morning...alive, healthy, and performing all kinds of acrobatics for our entertainment.

Shower for Emmory!!

This past Saturday, my mom and I threw Shawna a shower...we're not very good party planners but it somehow came together. :) Thanks to Joelle and Maggie for all your help!!!!

The cake was so stinkin cute! AND it tasted GREAT...chocolate cake with raspberry and fudge in the middle...mmm mmm! If you ever need a cake made, April is the one to call!!

I loved the zebras - so cute! :)


Of course, Emmory got baseball outfits...this one was one of my favorites.




Shawna, me, and Sara

Shawna, me, and mom