tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61504109592750488732024-03-19T03:47:07.335-05:00Anchors Aweigh Chelsea Phelpshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16547103356876265384noreply@blogger.comBlogger1025125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6150410959275048873.post-87495872666640536762021-12-18T06:00:00.005-06:002021-12-18T06:00:00.385-06:00Type 1 Diabetes: A Letter To Myself on Diagnosis Day<p><br /></p><p><a href="http://www.anchorsaweighblog.com/2019/04/a-life-changing-diagnosis.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">March 23, 2019</a> will be engrained in my memory as long as I live. As much as I would give anything to turn back time and somehow change the events that unfolded that day, I know it will forever be one of the hardest days of my life. Almost 3 years later, here's what I would say to myself then:</p><p><br /></p><p>It seems unbearable. It is unbearable. You were just told your child has an incurable disease that could kill them, and you're now expected to pick your jaw up off of the floor and soldier on. You get to learn about insulin, basals, boluses, hypoglycemia, and glucagon- all words that were foreign just 24 hours ago, and you would have been perfectly happy keeping it that way.</p><p><br /></p><p>Grieve. Grieve for your child. Grieve for the many shots and finger pricks your child is going to endure. Grieve knowing your child may very well feel "different". Grieve for a piece of their childhood innocence being taken from them. Grieve for yourself. Grieve the carefree visits to the swimming pool where you didn't have to worry about your child's blood sugar dropping too much from the activity. Grieve being able to put your child to sleep and not worry about their blood sugar reaching a dangerous level. Grieve sleeping through the night, because you won't be doing that anytime soon. Grieve your peace of mind. Just grieve. </p><p><br /></p><p>And now, be thankful. It feels like there is absolutely nothing to be thankful for right now, and that is okay. But hear me out: be thankful. Because there is, in fact, so much gratitude to be had. Your child is in DKA and hooked up to IVs galore, but the diagnosis came just in time. There wasn't much time left to figure out what is wrong, and the doctors caught it in time. Your child is alive. Before 1920, Type 1 Diabetes was a death sentence, but it's not anymore thanks to the discovery of insulin. Inventions like insulin pumps and glucose monitors are luxuries people didn't have fifty years ago. Be thankful, even now. Be thankful. </p><p><br /></p><p>It's going to be a long time before life feels okay again. Everything is so scary, and it will continue to be scary in the days and weeks to come. Now, here comes the 60 second pep talk. This awful thing just happened that you have absolutely no control over, and it feels so unfair. But, you have the power to write the narrative from here. You can let this overwhelm you and overtake you, or you can face the challenge head on. You are braver than you know, and so is your sweet, beautiful baby who's life is forever changed. You owe it to him to learn as much as you can about this diagnosis so that you can still give him everything in life you always wanted to. So choose today and every day not to let diabetes win. Acknowledge it. Respect it for the life threatening disease it is, but face it head on and show your son that his circumstances do not define his opportunities. He can still do anything and everything he puts his mind to, and the first person to teach him that is you. Soldier on, and in the words of my Nana, stay strong, little warrior. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEicsBBPLUiQ4PorsnYb9YqjzKAl-CRLmbDgRjbpFRb8X3WwaTLYTcq_F4I8nEEWCjl7cB4MLjLzDVAv6RprESgaEB5I5WemuSKoV4qLwlICD9umPmpREg7wcf86oZAdZ8zhGkDen6wY0W45knMzW6tMPKNdqDDWefkdhk8Iak8xSgYVIlCvJxkdpHMwIA=s960" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEicsBBPLUiQ4PorsnYb9YqjzKAl-CRLmbDgRjbpFRb8X3WwaTLYTcq_F4I8nEEWCjl7cB4MLjLzDVAv6RprESgaEB5I5WemuSKoV4qLwlICD9umPmpREg7wcf86oZAdZ8zhGkDen6wY0W45knMzW6tMPKNdqDDWefkdhk8Iak8xSgYVIlCvJxkdpHMwIA=s16000" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Chelsea Phelpshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16547103356876265384noreply@blogger.com51tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6150410959275048873.post-68133783251709829952019-08-21T21:43:00.000-05:002019-08-21T21:43:48.603-05:00Harrison TaylorWell, it's been three months since my last blog post... oops! The last post I wrote was my 36 week bumpdate, and now I am snuggling my sweet two month old baby as I type this.<br />
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Meet our son, Harrison Taylor Phelps.<br />
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He is the sweetest, best baby we could have asked for, and we are so in love. Thank you to everyone who prayed for our family and our newest miracle. We feel so blessed that God chose us to be his parents!<br />
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I always love hearing what people name their babies, so I thought I would share the story behind Harrison's name. Well, I use the word "story" loosely because Harrison is not a family name or a name Parker and I have talked about for years and planned to name our child. We had one boy name that we talked about before we had kids, and that was Preston. When we found out we were having another boy, we were at a loss for what to name him! We have about 10 girl names ready to go that we will probably never use, but boy names are hard for us!<br />
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Our front runners were Austin (Parker's favorite) and Collin (my favorite). We both vetoed the other one's favorite, so that was cool. I threw out the name Harrison one day, and we both liked it. The more we thought about it, the more we liked it. Honestly, we never came up with anything we liked more, and now that we see the name attached to our sweet boy, we absolutely LOVE it! This baby is definitely a Harrison, and I couldn't love his name more.<br />
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His middle name is Taylor after his big sister in Heaven. We love doing family names for middle names (Taylor's middle name is also my little sister's middle name and Preston shares a middle name with Parker). We were in church one Sunday, and I looked over at Parker's notes, and he had written "Harrison Taylor Phelps" at the bottom. He showed it to me, and I opened my mouth in shock at how perfect it was. I honestly couldn't believe I hadn't thought of it! From that moment on, we knew Taylor would be his middle name.<br />
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We are loving life as a family of four and are praising God for this new blessing!Chelsea Phelpshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16547103356876265384noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6150410959275048873.post-3892782930812133272019-05-22T04:00:00.000-05:002019-05-22T04:00:07.190-05:0036 WeeksTap tap, is this thing on? I really intended to blog every week of this pregnancy like I did with Taylor and Preston, but diabetes happened and these weekly updates (and all blogging for that matter) took a backseat. I am going to write more about our journey on the diabetes front later, but for now, I want to write a little pregnancy update on this sweet baby boy!<br />
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I have been doing ultrasounds every 3-4 weeks to make sure baby is still healthy and growing, and he is! This is purely a precaution due to "my history" as my doctor says, but I struggle to see the need for the extra ultrasounds because what happened with Taylor happened at conception. But, I do love seeing so much of our sweet baby up on the screen!<br />
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Overall, this baby is not measuring nearly as big as Preston was, so I am interested to see how much he weighs when he gets here! He has been measuring pretty much right on track!<br />
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I am up 18 pounds from my pre pregnancy weight, which really surprised me! I gained 32 pounds with Preston, so I attribute the lower weight gain with this baby to chasing a toddler around and growing a normal sized baby. ;)<br />
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It's hard to believe I am officially 9 months pregnant, and as hard as pregnancy can be at times, I have loved carrying this sweet boy. I feel every bit of 9 months pregnant and have indigestion pretty much 24/7, but we are nearing the end of this beautiful journey, and I will miss it.<br />
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Because Preston was a c-section, we have elected to do another c-section instead of a VBAC. There are risks to both, but overall we feel safer with the c-section and are comfortable going that route again. That means we have a date that we will meet him if he doesn't decide to come early!<br />
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<br />Chelsea Phelpshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16547103356876265384noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6150410959275048873.post-49193216342807401562019-04-09T04:00:00.000-05:002019-04-09T04:00:12.866-05:00A Life Changing DiagnosisI wrote this post on March 27th but am just now writing it out on the blog. A lot has changed since then, but I wanted to document the raw emotion we felt that day after coming home from the hospital. Here we go...<br />
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I’m not sure where to start, so I’ll start from the beginning. Last week, Preston woke up Tuesday morning sleepy and lethargic. He continued to be sleepy and lethargic the next couple of days, so we assumed he was going through a growth spurt while fighting off a little cold of some sort. By Friday, all he could do was sleep and his breathing was very labored. We took him to Urgent Care Friday night, and he was diagnosed with exudative tonsillitis. They said after a few days of antibiotics he would be good as new. Saturday morning, he woke up with even more labored breathing. His little body was working so hard to breathe, and my gut told me something else was wrong.</div>
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After a lot of prayer and gut instinct, we drove to the ER of the Children’s Hospital Saturday morning. Preston slept while he struggled to breathe and threw up right as we arrived. In my heart, I knew he didn’t just have exudative tonsillitis. It didn’t explain every symptom he had. I had an out of body experience walking up to the ER holding our sick baby. I felt like we were walking in slow motion with no idea what was about to happen, and I said a prayer that we would all three walk out of there.</div>
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We were immediately admitted and they started running tests. They gave him breathing treatments, did x rays, and hooked him up to a machine to help him breathe through his nostrils. He hated it all but was too weak to fight it. He threw up again. The x rays showed he was severely constipated. The doctors told us constipation combined with the tonsillitis was what was causing the labored breathing and other symptoms. They also started talking to us about him being a mild asthmatic. I was so frustrated and held back tears. In my heart, this still didn’t provide all the answers. They gave Preston an enema to help him poop and prepared to send us home. The doctor came in after the enema and looked concerned. He said the labored breathing should have subsided after the enema, yet it was still just as bad. He ordered blood work, and an hour later, we had our answer. Two doctors walked in with very serious looks on their faces. One doctor looked down at us and said “We know what’s wrong with your son. He has Type 1 Diabetes.”</div>
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My world completely stopped. I was shaking, couldn’t breathe, crying, yelling through the tears, gagging... how in the world could God let this happen to my baby?</div>
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We were rushed up to the pediatric ICU where they immediately put Preston on insulin. His blood sugar was 593. A normal person’s blood sugar is 90. He was in a state called Diabetic Ketoacidosis, and he was literally fighting for his life.</div>
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We stayed in the PICU for 2 days where they pushed insulin and fluids and checked his blood sugar every hour to make sure it was coming down. Preston wasn’t sedated, but he was basically sedated. He was so lethargic and out of it, and he was still struggling to breathe. His body was working so so hard. After 2 days in the PICU, his blood sugar was down, and he was no longer struggling to breathe. His little spirit was so broken, and he had no idea what was going on.</div>
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We were transferred out of PICU and onto a regular floor for the next 2 days. They started teaching us how to give him shots and check his blood sugar. He cried every time. So did I. He gets at least 9 finger pricks/shots per day, often more depending on his blood sugar. It’s awful, and at just 25 months, Preston doesn’t understand why we keep doing this to him.</div>
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I keep praying we are going to wake up from this nightmare, but we never will. I don’t want this to be his life. He doesn’t deserve this. Our lives now revolve around counting carbohydrates, designating specific foods to be eaten at certain times in the day, checking blood sugar, administering insulin, and hearing our baby cry every time.</div>
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As much as I don’t understand why God chose this path for our sweet boy, I spent some time walking around the PICU while we were there. There were parents who would trade their diagnosis for Type 1 Diabetes in a heartbeat. There are parents that would give anything for this to be all they have to deal with. Perspective.</div>
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Lastly, amidst the heartbreak, there are many things I am truly grateful for. God answered my prayers, not necessarily in the way I was expecting or wanting, but I prayed that all three of us would walk out of that hospital, and we all did. I am grateful for Parker. He has been our rock and learned the ins and outs of everything we need to do while I was too emotional to take it all in. We are in this together, and he has been one heck of a teammate. I’m thankful for my mom and sister who dropped everything the second we got the diagnosis to come stay with us. Their help and support has been invaluable. We’ve told very few people about this so far, yet the outpouring of love and support we have received has been incredible. This is a lifelong journey that we never could have predicted, but God is good. Our baby is alive and well. He was diagnosed just in time. He very literally could have died, but God led us to a hospital that could help him and gave the doctors foresight to run the right tests and give us a correct diagnosis.</div>
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Today was our first full day at home, and we all survived. We covet your prayers as we enter into this new phase of life. We are still immensely blessed, our baby is smiling again, and we will all get through this one day at a time.</div>
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Chelsea Phelpshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16547103356876265384noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6150410959275048873.post-429472954242259362019-03-21T04:00:00.000-05:002019-03-21T04:00:02.951-05:0027 WeeksIt's been a hot minute since my last bumpdate! Parker was away on a Navy-sanctioned field trip for a couple of weeks, so I had nobody to take my picture. Apparently I am too lazy to use the self-timer on my phone, but here we are at 27 weeks- the last week of the second trimester! I will include updates from weeks 25 and 26 in this post too just to make sure I get it all in.<br />
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I had an ultrasound, and baby looks great! The head is in the 80th percentile, so we have another big head Fred on our hands! He was wiggly during the whole thing. Parker has gotten to be at every ultrasound so far which has been so fun since he missed all but one with Preston.<br />
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I am officially up 13 pounds from my pre pregnancy weight. My goal is to stay around 30 pounds like I did with Preston, but honestly, I am eating well and moving every day, so if I go over that number, that's just what my body needs to do to make a healthy baby. I am not worried about it.<br />
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We potty trained Preston (fun stuff) during this period, and I joke with Parker that it was the perfect time because he and I are on the same schedule. We both have to pee every 40 minutes. ;)<br />
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Bloody noses have been a pregnancy symptom for me for all pregnancies, but I have had at least one a day for the past week or so. I am prone to them anyway, and it's by no means the worst symptom you can get, but it's getting a little excessive!<br />
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I get very short of breath lately. I think baby might be hovering over a lung or something because I have trouble breathing a lot.<br />
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Baby's nursery is still a guest room for the next month, but I ordered a wooden cut out of his name to go over the crib when we get everything set up, and I can't wait to see it in the nursery! I really love his name and can't wait to share it.<br />
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We officially have a scheduled c-section date! Because Preston was a c-section, my doctor, Parker, and I all feel the safest route is to have another c-section. I laughed when I wrote down the date because if this kid is anything like his brother, he's going to come early anyway. ;)<br />
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<br />Chelsea Phelpshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16547103356876265384noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6150410959275048873.post-88667072231581654662019-03-03T21:38:00.001-06:002019-03-03T21:38:15.481-06:0024 WeeksYay viability! 24 weeks is the week doctors say this baby could survive if born. It's a fun milestone, but please stay in for a while longer, little man. I can also officially say I am 6 months pregnant, which is crazy! It's flying by but at the same time, I feel farther along than just 24 weeks. I look bigger than 24 weeks too. ;)<br />
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I can see and feel kicks from the outside now, which is awesome! Parker can feel the baby move and we can even see my stomach move from time to time. Little man is growing in there!<br />
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We've reached the point in our program where I have to pee all. the. time. It's a little inconvenient when I am out and about with my toddler and I have to find a bathroom every hour.<br />
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I've started feeling some pelvic pain since I am carrying so low. I had this with Preston too, but I don't remember it starting this early.<br />
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I forget how much my stomach protrudes and constantly run into things. Oops!<br />
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Lastly, and so glamorously, bloody noses is a weird but normal pregnancy symptom that happened a few times this week.<br />
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I am still feeling short of breath, but I don't think that one is going away as I continue to get bigger and bigger!<br />
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<br />Chelsea Phelpshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16547103356876265384noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6150410959275048873.post-55927396489790149922019-02-20T04:00:00.000-06:002019-02-20T04:00:00.419-06:0023 WeeksI celebrated 23 weeks of pregnancy by turning 30! I celebrated with a margarita and a wild night out on the town... obviously this was not the case. ;) I celebrated with a handful of chocolates and a 9 PM bedtime. It did not disappoint!<br />
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I am feeling this little boy kick all the time which is so fun! He sits SO low though... right on my bladder. I don't remember Preston sitting this low but maybe he did? I just know that having something sit on your bladder isn't the most comfortable feeling in the world.<br />
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At my latest doctor's appointment, baby's heartrate was 157 bpm!<br />
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I am up 6 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight. Last month, I was back up to my pre-pregnancy weight, so I gained 6 pounds in a month. Baby is healthy and growing, so that's all I care about!<br />
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I have been getting indigestion at night, but thankfully it's just at night before I go to sleep and not all of the time.<br />
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I experienced a lot of shortness of breath over the last week, and I think it was my body's way of telling me to slow down. Parker worked late every day that week, so I had Preston by myself, and my body was just tired.<br />
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<br />Chelsea Phelpshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16547103356876265384noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6150410959275048873.post-53832695302237535732019-02-07T14:34:00.000-06:002019-02-07T14:34:32.232-06:0021 WeeksThis second trimester is flying by, and I think it's a combination of chasing a busy toddler and loving this stage of pregnancy. Yes being pregnant is more exhausting than not being pregnant, but it is just so nice to be able to eat food and not feel nauseous. I get to feel kicks and eat a cheeseburger... life is good in the second trimester!<br />
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The most exciting thing that happened this week was that my first niece was born! My twin sister had her baby, and meeting her with this little baby still in my tummy was amazing. It made me so ready to meet our baby! She is beautiful and perfect, and she and our son will be less than 5 months apart in age.<br />
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I noticed this week that my belly button is completely flat. Bye bye belly button, see you... ?<br />
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Parker and I can't believe how big my belly is getting (I don't know why we are so surprised... my belly was giant with Preston too!). I am feeling so many kicks and movements and love it so much.<br />
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It feels amazing to be calling this baby by name. It was odd calling him by name the first couple of times I said it out loud because we struggled with his name for so long, but both Parker and I now call this baby by name at home and it feels so natural and so right. It makes things that much more real to know our son's name, and I really cannot wait to share it.<br />
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The only other thing this week that stood out is the hunger. I have been so hungry! I eat every couple of hours and need more than just a small snack. I love big sandwiches, avocado toast, yogurt with granola, smoothies... the more filling, the better!<br />
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<br />Chelsea Phelpshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16547103356876265384noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6150410959275048873.post-90417384215304992522019-01-30T04:00:00.000-06:002019-01-30T04:00:10.646-06:0020 WeeksWhoaaa, we're halfway there! I can't think of 20 weeks without singing that line from "Living on a Prayer". This week marks halfway through this pregnancy and halfway to meeting our son! We are so excited, and it is starting to feel more real!<br />
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We had our anatomy scan, and everything looked good! He is still a boy and was very wiggly on the ultrasound! My babies have always taken after their father with heads measuring big, but this little boy's head was measuring smaller, but still normal. I've never had a kid with a normal sized head before! Even Taylor, who measured small the entire pregnancy, had a disproportionately large head! ;)<br />
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Parker felt the baby for the first time! We were laying in bed, and the baby had either his head or rear end pushing up against my stomach, so there was a hard bulge at the bottom of my stomach. Parker was able to feel him- it was really neat!<br />
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We found out at the ultrasound that I have an anterior placenta, which we suspected. It's perfectly normal, but it means the placenta is between my stomach and the baby, so it makes it harder for me to feel the baby move. I have finally started feeling the baby pretty consistently though! Parker even got to feel some kicks a few nights after feeling the initial head/butt bump he felt earlier!<br />
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Our highlight for the week was settling on a name! We are pretty sure we know his name, and we both absolutely love it. I came up with the first name, Parker thought of the middle name, and we both just think it fits. We are so excited to be calling this baby by name now! We will wait until he is born to share it on the blog... no fun, I know! :)<br />
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<br />Chelsea Phelpshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16547103356876265384noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6150410959275048873.post-82543420872075238182019-01-18T04:00:00.000-06:002019-01-18T04:00:14.187-06:0018 WeeksNow that I am out of the first trimester, this pregnancy is absolutely flying by. June still seems very far away, but the weeks are flying and this sweet boy will be here before we know it!<br />
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I had a doctor's appointment this week, and the baby's heart rate is 147! I am back to my pre-pregnancy weight, so I technically have not gained any weight yet. I lost 5 pounds in the first trimester, and I have officially gained those back. I feel like my stomach is giant and have no idea how the number on the scale is the same as my pre-pregnancy weight, but I think it will definitely go up by my next appointment!<br />
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I have started feeling the baby a little bit more consistently when I lay down, so that's been awesome! I still don't feel this baby near as much as I did with Preston. I am anxious to see if I have an anterior placenta, meaning the placenta is between the baby and me. My sister had this with her first baby, and all it means is it's harder to feel the baby because the placenta is blocking him. We shall see! I miss feeling the kicks but love feeling the little movements that I currently am!<br />
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A little big brother update: Preston loves pointing to my belly and saying "baby". However, he has absolutely no idea that this "baby" is coming home with us in June. He is going to be an amazing big brother, but I don't think he is going to see this coming. ;)<br />
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We have sort of tabled the name conversation as of now, but we will eventually figure out what to name this guy. I feel like I know his name in my head and think of him with that name, but we haven't settled on anything.<br />
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18 weeks is a special week in pregnancy for me because, according to her dating, it is the week Taylor Grace went to Heaven. It's the highest week that I got to carry all three of my babies, so it's just special for me.<br />
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Here is a little photo collage of me carrying each of our children at 18 weeks!<br />
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<br />Chelsea Phelpshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16547103356876265384noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6150410959275048873.post-31269546486046027532019-01-11T04:00:00.000-06:002019-01-11T04:00:09.679-06:0017 WeeksWeek 17 was one of my favorites so far! I feel like I have hit that second trimester sweet spot where I am in between the first trimester sickness and the third trimester can't-breath-because-too-big stage. All of pregnancy is a blessing, but the weeks where you feel like a real human being are something to shout about. ;)<br />
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I made fish tacos this week and accidentally undercooked one of the pieces of fish. I didn't realize it until I had already eaten a few bites, so naturally I did what any pregnant person does and freaked out that I somehow hurt the baby.<br />
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I have been so thirsty this week and am guzzling water by the gallon it feels!<br />
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I still have a fetal doppler from my pregnancy with Taylor Grace, so I decided to try to find the heartbeat so I could hear it. I found it for a few seconds before little man swam away, but it was a magical sound!<br />
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For the first time in my life, I have noticed that I don't have oily hair! I usually have to wash my hair every other day, and by day 2 it is pretty greasy. I can go 4 days without washing it now... what?! Is this what life is like for people with dry hair? If so, sign me up because this is amazing!<br />
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I have felt the baby move here and there a couple of times, but I know I was feeling Preston more consistently at this point. I am starting to wonder if I have an anterior placenta, which makes it harder to feel the baby early on. He is alive and growing, so I am thankful for that! I just wish I felt him more!<br />
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<br />Chelsea Phelpshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16547103356876265384noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6150410959275048873.post-5315819072364303042019-01-04T04:00:00.000-06:002019-01-04T04:00:16.288-06:0016 WeeksI realize it's a little silly to post my 16 week update the day after my 15 week update, but 15 weeks fell over Christmas, so I wrote that post a week late! Next week, I will be all caught up and start posting just one bumpdate a week.<br />
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Week 16 was one of my favorites so far! We were still home with family for half of it, and I got to kick off 2019 16 weeks pregnant!<br />
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The best thing that happened this week was that I felt the baby move at 16w0d! I was laying on the couch at Parker's family's lake house and felt the little flutters. It was amazing. This is the part of pregnancy that I just love. The sickness is brutal, but now that I am (mostly) past that, I am reminded how much I love being pregnant.<br />
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I have been craving sushi so much, and our small town doesn't have a sushi restaurant, so I went to sushi twice while we stayed with my parents. Parker and I got a much needed sushi date night, and then I actually got to go to sushi dinner with just my twin sister. That never happens! I of course ate all cooked sushi, but it was delicious!<br />
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Parker and I spent most of our long car ride home talking about names for this sweet baby, and we just don't have a clear winner. We have a name that we both like, but we aren't sure like we were with Preston's name.<br />
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I got to see my best friend from high school and meet her sweet one month old daughter, and Preston lost his ever loving mind at the sight of me holding a baby. He clung to my arm and sat next to me the entire time. June should be fun. ;)<br />
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I hadn't told anyone at Preston's daycare that I was pregnant because I really wasn't showing too much before we left for Christmas break a couple of weeks ago. I walked in this week and the first thing they all said was "Are you pregnant?!??". There is no hiding this bump now!<br />
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<br />Chelsea Phelpshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16547103356876265384noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6150410959275048873.post-65488107636148735862019-01-03T04:00:00.000-06:002019-01-03T04:00:00.322-06:0015 WeeksThis week, we spent time traveling to see our families over Christmas! I was 15 weeks at Christmas, which was perfect because I was past the sickness but not quite to the indigestion... ahh the second trimester. ;)<div>
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Pregnancy brain, which is now muddled with mom brain, a deadly combination, apparently hit this week. I went to make Parker some oatmeal, microwaved it, and handed it to him without looking. I started to do something else, and he called back "Have you ever made oatmeal before??". I thought "well duh I have made oatmeal before", but as I looked into his bowl, I realized that I had heated the oats for a minute with no water. Oops!</div>
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This was the week of the avocado toast and paninis! I am still craving fresh foods and can eat almost anything at this point with the exception of fast food and BBQ. I am pretty sure those things will make me feel sick for the remainder of the pregnancy. </div>
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I keep waiting to feel the baby move because I felt Preston move at 14 weeks, but so far nothing. Hopefully soon!</div>
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We have known this baby is a boy for over a month and aren't even close to knowing his name. We knew Preston would be Preston from the get go, so it stresses me out that we can't decide on a name for this baby. I really want to start calling him by name! Naming a human is hard, yall. </div>
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Chelsea Phelpshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16547103356876265384noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6150410959275048873.post-44151046401542725772018-12-21T04:00:00.000-06:002018-12-21T04:00:05.336-06:00Weeks 1-14Now that we have announced this pregnancy, I want to do weekly bumpdates again just like I did with Taylor and Preston! They are fun to look back on and really help me keep things straight from week to week. I am going to do a blanket post on the first trimester and then start weekly updates with week 15. I announced our pregnancy at 14 weeks, so I kept notes on my phone of each week leading up to it.<br />
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Here's the first trimester with this sweet baby in a nutshell!<br />
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Week 4<br />
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We found out we are pregnant! Still feeling good and trying to eat as many vegetables as possible in case the nausea hits soon!<br />
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Week 5<br />
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I stopped craving sweets but otherwise feel okay!<br />
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Week 6<br />
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Aaaaand, nausea. Full on nausea hits, and I start having trouble eating anything. We travelled to Houston and told my family the good news! They were so excited! This week also started a 5 week trend of gagging every single time I opened the refrigerator.<br />
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Week 7<br />
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Still feeling really sick but craving fruits, fresh foods, and donuts. We got to see Parker's family and tell them the good news in person! They were excited too! I felt emotional this week and teared up really easily... hormones. ;) I also threw up for the first time ever in any of my pregnancies.<br />
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Week 8<br />
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I lived on yogurt parfaits. We flew to Virginia to see friends and had the best trip! I was sick, but honestly the nausea wasn't as bad in Virginia as it had been at home. There were different triggers at home that always made me feel sick (the refrigerator, all of the fast food restaurants in Kingsville, etc), and once I was in Virginia, I was away from those. I wanted to stay forever! Not 15 minutes after we got home from our trip, I threw up again. Welcome home. ;)<br />
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Week 9<br />
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Feeling nauseous and fatigued, and I found out at my doctor's appointment that I had lost 5 pounds. I was supposed to have an ultrasound this week, but the tech wasn't at work that day, so I found out at my appointment that I would have to wait another week. I am embarrassed to say that I started crying in the office. I apologized to the nurses for being so ridiculous, but hormones were through the roof and I was so sad I wouldn't get to see our baby that week! My doctor also told us that they would let me do the early chromosome blood test because of my history with Taylor, so they took blood for those tests. The tests would tell us if the baby is healthy and would also reveal the gender!<br />
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Week 10<br />
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Parker and I finally got to see our baby on the ultrasound! The heart rate was 167 bpm, and baby was the wiggliest little thing! It was amazing. I was still sick this week and wanting mostly sweet things. Lots of yogurt, fruit, and toaster strudel. I also got a phone call and found out we are expecting another healthy baby BOY!! We were thrilled!! We were also shocked! Because my cravings had been so different this time than they had with Preston, we were convinced we were having a girl! Another baby boy!!! (side note: I am literally 0-3 in predicting our children's genders. I thought Taylor was a boy, Preston was a girl, and this baby was a girl. I have terrible intuition)<br />
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Week 11<br />
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I am still sick this week but starting to feel slightly better! Yay!! I am usually in bed by 9 and asleep by 9:30 each night. Growing a human is hard work!<br />
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Week 12<br />
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I am feeling like a real human being again and craving any fresh food that I can get my hands on!<br />
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Week 13<br />
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As long as I eat every couple of hours, I feel like myself again! Praising God for a healthy first trimester and to be through the sickness. I truly love being pregnant, but being sick every second of the day for 2 months straight was tough, especially since I had a toddler to take care of. I know so many people are way sicker for way longer, so counting my blessings that it ended around week 13. I had another doctor's appointment, and the heartrate was 163 bpm. I gained 3 pounds since my last appointment but am still 2 pounds shy of my pre pregnancy weight.<br />
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Week 14<br />
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Eating avocado toast and paninis like they are going out of style, and I also made 2 batches of <a href="http://www.anchorsaweighblog.com/2015/09/ambrosia-salad.html" target="_blank">ambrosia salad</a>! Parker has been gone for 2 weeks, and single parenting while pregnant has me feeling very tired! Without a doubt, the biggest difference between this pregnancy and last pregnancy has been caring for a toddler. When I was pregnant with Preston, Parker was deployed, so all I had to focus on was laying on the couch and growing a human. With this pregnancy, Parker travelled or worked late hours a lot of the first trimester, so taking care of Preston while feeling sick was tough.<br />
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That's the first trimester in a nutshell! If you made it through all of that, thanks for reading! ;)Chelsea Phelpshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16547103356876265384noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6150410959275048873.post-12357787819796464042018-12-18T04:00:00.000-06:002018-12-18T04:00:01.552-06:00Finding OutThank you for the sweet comments and well wishes as we announced the <a href="http://www.anchorsaweighblog.com/2018/12/coming-in-june.html" target="_blank">upcoming arrival of our newest blessing</a>! We are so thrilled to be expecting a sweet baby boy! Pregnancy was definitely the reason for my recent blogging hiatus... hello first trimester sickness! I plan to share weekly updates about the pregnancy just like I did with Taylor and Preston, so feel free to follow along for all the baby news and updates!<br />
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For today, I thought I would share how we found out we are expecting and how I told Parker. We had been trying for 4 months, and the weekend before I took the test, we were in Houston visiting my family. There were a couple of little signs that something was off. We bought Play-doh for the kids, and the smell was absolutely killing me. My nephew also threw up that weekend, and as I was cleaning it up, I started to gag. I am a mom, so that stuff typically wouldn't have bothered me. I told Parker that Sunday night when we arrived back home that something was just off, and I wondered if I was pregnant. I just had a feeling that I was.<br />
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The next morning, Parker was already gone for work, so I decided to take a test before going to get Preston. Clear as day, that plus sign immediately appeared! I couldn't believe it! I was pregnant!! Even if you are trying and hoping to be pregnant, there is no way to describe the feeling of staring down at a positive pregnancy test. It is pure euphoria.<br />
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I went to scoop up Preston and told him he would be a big brother, and I told Jenny she was getting another sibling too. Both, as expected, were completed indifferent, so that made for a really special moment. ;)<br />
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Parker wouldn't be home until early evening, but I didn't plan any Pinterest-worthy ways to tell him the news. I just wanted Preston to hand him the pregnancy test, but I knew that would still be so special for both of us. He got home, and I told him to wait in the living room because Preston had a new trick. I gave Preston the test and told him to go give it to Daddy, and he dutifully marched right into the living room and handed Parker the test. Parker thought that Preston was just handing him a toy or something, so he said an emphatic "Thank you!" to Preston without looking down. Then, after a couple of seconds, he finally looked down at what he was holding. He gasped and started laughing and was so excited.<br />
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These next two pictures are screenshots from a video I took, so not the best quality, but I am so glad I caught his reaction on video!<br />
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It was a special little way to find out the good news, and we celebrated that night and about 4 calm days after before the nausea decided to move in and stay for a while. I enjoyed not being sick for the few days it lasted, but that's a story for another day!<br />
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<br />Chelsea Phelpshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16547103356876265384noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6150410959275048873.post-87145449521851235262018-12-14T04:00:00.000-06:002018-12-14T04:00:01.010-06:00Coming In June...We are thrilled to announce that we are expecting another sweet baby BOY!! We are so grateful for this sweet gift and cannot wait to meet him in June! I've been blessed thus far with a healthy pregnancy that I will share details on in the coming weeks. For now, we are overjoyed to share our good news and praising God for this new blessing!<br />
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"For this child I have prayed, and the Lord has granted the desires of my heart."- 1 Samuel 1:27<br />
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Chelsea Phelpshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16547103356876265384noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6150410959275048873.post-368427658556065052018-12-10T04:00:00.000-06:002018-12-10T04:00:06.069-06:004On November 23rd, we celebrated the anniversary of our baby girl getting her wings. <a href="http://www.anchorsaweighblog.com/p/taylor-grace.html" target="_blank">Taylor Grace</a> has now been in Heaven, alive and healed, for four years.<br />
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This day is the hardest day of the year for me, but it's also the only day that I truly let myself feel the weight of losing her. I am a firm believer that you can't spend your whole life grieving, but on this day every year, I let myself feel as sad and angry and heartbroken as I want.<br />
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This year, her birthday fell on the day after Thanksgiving. We have a little morning tradition that we have done every year since she went to Heaven. We wake up, light a candle on a cupcake, and sing her "Happy Birthday". I have never made it through that short "Happy Birthday" song without crying, but it is one of my favorite family traditions that we have, and as long as I live, I will always sing her "Happy Birthday" on November 23rd.<br />
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It's crazy that four years have passed. I remember everything about losing her. It's funny how much we forget in our daily lives, especially now that mom brain has taken over, but I can recount November 23rd and the few days following it to a tee. I don't think that will ever change. I've never felt closer to God but farther from people than I did in those few days. It was an indescribable week but the most faith-affirming time of my life.<br />
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Four years later, I still miss her. She would be 3.5 years old. I still think about what her life would have been like. I still cry on Sunday mornings in worship because that's the day her heart stopped beating. But, life goes on. The pain of missing her will never completely go away, but the promise that I get to meet her and hold her in Heaven is enough to make me smile. Loss is so temporary compared to an eternity in Heaven, and if I didn't have that promise to hold onto, losing her would have been unbearable.<br />
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Happy four years in Heaven, angel girl. I love you so so much.<br />
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<br />Chelsea Phelpshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16547103356876265384noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6150410959275048873.post-49856880745198873352018-10-28T04:00:00.000-05:002018-10-28T20:46:14.215-05:00What Would You Grab In A Fire?Happy Monday! I used to dread Mondays a little bit more than I do now. Sure, it's nice to be off work on the weekends and to have Parker home, but you can't truly unwind and relax when you live with a one year old. ;) Basically, Monday isn't so bad when you have the same responsibility 24/7/365!<br />
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Today's writing prompt is simple and probably way overdone, but I always think it's an interesting question. If your house was on fire and you had 30 seconds to grab something, what would you grab?<br />
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Assume the obvious is out safely... husband, kids, pets. Obviously, we would all grab our children and our animals, but what you grab next is where I think it gets interesting. I thought a lot about what I would grab if my house were going up in flames, and I came up with one thing that I would really want to save.<br />
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Preston's baby book.<br />
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This book is where I recorded all of his milestones from the first year, when he got each tooth, what foods he liked, what we did during the day... it holds everything that I want to remember. Some of those details are committed to memory, but many of them will only exist in this book as the years pass on. If I lost this book and those carefully recorded memories and moments, I would be so sad.<br />
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I actually took a picture of each page right before we moved just in case the Navy decided to lose it. It arrived in tact, but I am glad I took the pictures as a back up! Even so, if I had 30 seconds to save something from a fire, I would save this book.<br />
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And after the book, if I had another 10 seconds to spare, I would grab my wallet and car keys since we all know replacing car keys/credit cards/IDs is a major pain. For convenience sake, I would definitely love to save myself the agony and grab my wallet and car keys.<br />
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If my house were truly going up in flames, everything is replaceable except for Parker, Preston, and Jenny. Getting them out safely is all I would truly need. Everything else (even that coveted baby book) would be icing on the cake.<br />
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And if you're interested, I have the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/C-R-Gibson-Milestones-Beautifully-Illustrated/dp/B00HWIWRSQ/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1540776789&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=cr+gibson+baby+book&psc=1" target="_blank">CR Gibson 5 Year Memory Book</a> and LOVE it! It has the monthly milestone pages and different pages to record birthdays, daily schedules, shots, baby showers, announcements, etc. I will use this book for any baby we bring home! There's even a section to write about the grandparents and the story of mom and dad!<br />
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<b>If you had 30 seconds and anything with a heartbeat was already out, what would you grab in a fire?</b></div>
Chelsea Phelpshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16547103356876265384noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6150410959275048873.post-53843540373740035932018-10-24T04:00:00.000-05:002018-10-24T04:00:09.210-05:00Recent Reads: OctoberWith all the Halloween festivities going on next week, I thought I would do my monthly book post a little early this month! Once again, I read three books and really enjoyed reading all three. None were out-of-this-world amazing, but all kept me entertained.<br />
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Here's what occupied my nightstand this month...<br />
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<b>Modern Romance</b><br />
<b>By Aziz Ansari</b><br />
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I became a fan of Aziz when Parker and I binge watched Parks & Rec. When we saw he had a book, we decided to listen to the audio version for a long road trip. It's basically a giant analysis on how romance has changed and how much technology has played a role in the way we meet, interact, and enjoy each other. He was really well researched and kept it funny and interesting. If you are an Aziz fan, listen to the audio version of this one for the full effect!<br />
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<b>Bachelor Nation</b><br />
<b>By Amy Kaufman</b><br />
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I have been watching The Bachelor since the beginning and just can't seem to quit #noshame. I love the silly franchise and get into the love story each and every time. Being the fan that I am, I knew I would love this book. Amy Kaufman is a journalist for the LA Times that worked closely with the franchise, so she has an inside scoop on the inner workings. She also interviewed many past contestants on the show and printed those interviews in the book, which made it all the more intriguing. The book analyzes why America has such a fascination with this franchise and what really happens to contestants at every stage. If you aren't a big Bachelor fan, skip this one. If you love The Bachelor, pull up a chair and dive right in.<br />
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<b>The Wedding Date</b><br />
<b>By Jasmine Guillory</b><br />
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This was a chick flick in a book. Although it was fairly predictable from the beginning, it was so fun to read, and you instantly liked both characters. A chance meeting in an elevator turns into a date at a wedding where they "pretend" they are together. The pretending leads to real feelings, and the book takes a few more twists and turns from there. This was an easy, enjoyable read that kept me happy the whole time.<br />
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<b>What are you reading and loving lately?</b></div>
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Chelsea Phelpshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16547103356876265384noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6150410959275048873.post-77741715304723916452018-10-19T04:00:00.000-05:002018-10-19T04:00:07.829-05:00My Passion ProjectSince moving back to Texas, I've really had the itch to do something that will make a positive difference. If you know me in real life or have read this blog long, you might know that I am a huge fan of rescue dogs. Our pup is a rescue, and my heart has always gone out to those shelter pups that so badly want a family. Parker jokes that if I were rich and single, I'd have a giant farm with 100 rescue dogs. He's probably not wrong. ;)<br />
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A couple of months ago, I stumbled across an organization in my new town called <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Kingsvilleanimaladvocates/" target="_blank">Kingsville Animal Advocates</a>. They basically take pictures of the dogs at the local pound and then network these dogs to rescues before their time is up. This is unfortunately a kill shelter, and most of these dogs wouldn't have a chance if it weren't for this awesome organization. I loved what they were doing and wanted to help. I really wanted to foster, but with a toddler at home and a dominant Jenny, that just ended up not being the right fit.<br />
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A few weeks ago, I joined their transport team, and it has been so much fun! When a rescue claims a dog, I get to go pick him up from the pound and drive him to safety (which is usually the vet, where the foster will pick him up later that day).<br />
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I seriously love it! These dogs really seem to know they are being rescued. They are so sweet and so loving and so grateful to get out of there. I always love on them and then say a prayer that they find their perfect family. Each transport takes 40 minutes out of my day but completely makes my week. I get giddy with excitement when I check my messages and realize there is a dog that has been claimed by a rescue to leave the building.<br />
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I thought it'd be fun to document the pups I've gotten to meet through this adventure!<br />
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My first transport was Lisa, a 4 month old puppy. She insisted on riding in my lap to the vet and gave so many kisses!<br />
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My next transport was Rocket, a lab mix boy who was so excited to be leaving! He gave lots of kisses too and loved riding shotgun in the car.<br />
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This bully boy is Pepper, who I called Mr. Handsome. He was such a handsome dog! He refused to ride on the sheet in my front seat and insisted on riding in the back. He knew what he wanted but was also so sweet and loved being loved on.<br />
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This girl is Frost, and she is on her way to North Texas Boxer Rescue. I get attached to all of the dogs, but this is the first one that I seriously would have taken home had it not been for Jenny. I absolutely adored her. She was so sweet and loving, yet so calm.<br />
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So that's my little passion project! The people who run the organization and the people who step up to foster are the real heroes, but I love the small part I get to play in these dogs' happy endings.Chelsea Phelpshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16547103356876265384noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6150410959275048873.post-46161309203857600982018-10-17T04:00:00.000-05:002018-10-17T04:00:11.490-05:00Life LatelyIt is officially Fall in south Texas, and life lately has been full! Here's what's been going on lately in our neck of the woods...<br />
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When you live in south Texas, weekend entertainment includes going to the kiddie rodeo. Preston got to pet a goat and run around in the dirt. It was a great way to spend the Saturday as a family, and we got home just in time to watch the Aggies beat South Carolina!<br />
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Without a doubt, my favorite part of being stationed in Texas again is proximity to family. Here's a picture of my parents feeding Preston his third Reese's of the evening... He's not spoiled or anything. #grandparents<br />
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On our most recent trip to visit my family, Parker and I snuck away for a much needed date night! We enjoyed free babysitting and delicious sushi, neither of which exist in our small town of Kingsville, Tx. ;)<br />
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This picture sums up Preston's two favorite things in a nutshell: the outdoors and his mama.<br />
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You know what, strike that last comment. Preston's actual favorite thing is the swings. The outdoors and me are a not so close second and third. We heart swinging!<br />
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The base put on a fire safety event for the kiddos, so I took Preston. He got to climb in a fire truck and push all the buttons. Not a bad day for a one year old!</div>
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We had dinner with our friends, and they had a bounce house for the backyard. My kid was in heaven!<br />
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Enjoying Texas' finest cuisine with the world's cutest dinner date.<br />
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And no life lately post would be complete without a little Jenny update. Jenny is living her Jenny life. She sleeps 20 hours a day, loves walks, and kisses Preston all day long. We love her so much.<br />
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My friend posted this yesterday and I was cracking up. Because honestly, how true is this?!<br />
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<b>That's life lately!</b></div>
<br />Chelsea Phelpshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16547103356876265384noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6150410959275048873.post-65948167686323200862018-10-15T04:00:00.000-05:002018-10-15T04:00:08.353-05:00Let This Be The GenerationThere are about a million things that are so fantastically wonderful about babies, but one of my favorites is the way they see the world. They aren't born knowing hate or war or stereotypes. They are a blank canvas for acceptance and love.<br />
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The other day, Preston and I were reading one of his favorite books. He has about 50 books, but of course the free one called "I Love My Family" that he got from the pediatrician is his favorite. Riddle me that. Anyway, we were reading it for the fourth time that day, and all of a sudden he pointed to the man on the cover and said "dada!".<br />
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He proceeded to say it 3 more times while pointing right at the man, "dada! dada! dada!". The man on the cover is black. Preston's dad is obviously white, but he didn't see a difference. To him, that man looked like daddy. And that's when it hit me. Racism isn't innate. Babies aren't born seeing a difference in skin color. Those differences are taught, which means with this new generation, we have the power to emphasize that they're right. That there isn't, in fact, a difference at all.<br />
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We've all heard the term "experiencing the world through a child's eyes", and that's been one of the coolest parts of motherhood. I have fallen in love with the simple things and learned how to stop and smell the roses again thanks to my wobbling toddler. And thanks to little moments like my child exclaiming "dada" at this book, I have also been reminded how easy it should be to love and accept others. Babies aren't born seeing the differences. Let this be the generation that never sees a difference.<br />
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<br />Chelsea Phelpshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16547103356876265384noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6150410959275048873.post-72799823651698615552018-10-12T04:00:00.000-05:002018-10-12T04:00:00.745-05:00Pumpkin Patching With my CrewHappy Friday! This past weekend when we were in town visiting my family, we made our annual trip to the pumpkin patch! We found a neat pumpkin patch that had hay rides, inflatables, and a petting zoo and were so excited to go check it out.<br />
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This year with Preston was easily the most fun we have ever had at the pumpkin patch. He is almost two and so interactive and FUN! He loved the pumpkins and the petting zoo, and sliding down the inflatable slide with mama was his favorite thing ever.<br />
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We went with my twin and her family and my mom, who was taking this picture. The hay ride was so fun, and Preston sat still and took the whole thing in!<br />
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When Parker found out there was a petting zoo, he was all in. He was so excited to take Preston to the petting zoo. They pet goats and pigs. Preston thought it was kind of fun. Parker was a kid in a candy shop.<br />
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Kisses for Grammy before we went to indulge in our fried oreos, fried cookie dough, and fried poptarts! We didn't get to do the fair this year, so apparently we compensated at the pumpkin patch. I didn't get pictures of the 5000 calorie food, but how sweet are these two? We just love our Grammy so much.<br />
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Since Preston was a bit too young to climb up and go down the slide by himself, I went with him. He LOVED it! I will say that the narrow middle section of the inflatable where you climb up is not meant for a grown woman holding a toddler, but hearing his giggle every time we slid down made climbing that thing worth it. So fun!<br />
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His thing this year was sitting on the pumpkins. Why? Who knows? But to him, it was a perfectly acceptable place to take a sit.<br />
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Since the first Fall after Taylor Grace went to Heaven, I have been picking a white pumpkin for her. This was my fourth year in a row picking a white pumpkin for our angel girl, and we also got a cute orange pumpkin for Preston. I love my babies.<br />
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The pumpkin patch killed it this year, and I can only imagine how much more fun Preston will have next year. My favorite Fall family affair did not disappoint!<br />
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<br />Chelsea Phelpshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16547103356876265384noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6150410959275048873.post-91511477999094738102018-10-10T04:00:00.000-05:002018-10-10T04:00:02.778-05:00Our Love LanguagesWe've all heard about the 5 love languages, right? It's a book based on the principle that we all give and receive love differently, and what one person needs is not the same as the next. I admittedly have not read the book, so I won't speak too in depth about it, but Parker and I have talked a lot about our love languages throughout our marriage.<br />
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<b>The five love languages are: acts of service, physical touch, words of affirmation, quality time, and gifts. </b><br />
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Parker is an affectionate guy, and we both knew pretty quickly into the conversation that his love language was physical touch. He loves to cuddle on the couch or hold my hand or give me a hug, so physical touch seemed like the obvious choice for him. It wasn't until about a year or so ago that I had an epiphany and realized physical touch wasn't Parker's primary love language. Sure, the guy loves to be close, but the love language he most gives is words of affirmation. He's constantly complimenting me, and he loves it when I stop and tell him that he looks handsome or that he's funny or that he did a good job.<br />
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Unfortunately, words of affirmation is not my love language, so I have to consciously make sure I am giving that to Parker. It's always nice to hear nice things, but I care much more about the time someone gives to someone else. Parker and I realized early on in our relationship that my love language was quality time. I think someone taking time out of their day to spend it with you is the ultimate compliment and what builds relationships.<br />
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Ironically, a few months ago, we realized my love language is not quality time, but it's actually acts of service. I do love quality time, but what I really love is when Parker does something nice for me. Clean the kitchen, take our son so I can go relax for a few minutes, etc... that's what keeps me the happiest! It's also the love language I like to give.<br />
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I feel like the love languages talk is one that should be brought up again and again in marriages. I mean, in our mere 7 year marriage, we have both already switched love languages. Our love languages aren't the same, which makes it fun but it also means we both have to make an effort to give the other what they need. I don't care as much about compliments, but he does. He doesn't care as much about someone making him lunch or doing the dishes, but I do.<br />
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Marriage is the ultimate adventure, and I am a firm believer that knowing your partner's love language and knowing your own proves invaluable over the course of time.<br />
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<b>So tell me, what is your love language?</b><br />
<br />Chelsea Phelpshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16547103356876265384noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6150410959275048873.post-26298823437995495372018-10-08T04:00:00.000-05:002018-10-08T04:00:04.169-05:00Baby Let The Games BeginThis shouldn't come as a surprise or count as a riveting confession, but I am obsessed with Taylor Swift. I have every album and just think she's the greatest. She's such a talented songwriter and entertainer, but beyond that, I like that she has stayed true to herself since becoming famous. If I had a daughter look up to Taylor Swift, I would count that as a win with so many less ideal role models out there. <div>
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<a href="http://www.anchorsaweighblog.com/2015/10/taylor-swift-weekend.html" target="_blank">My twin sister and I went to TSwift's 1989 concert back in 2015</a>, and it still ranks as one of the top 5 greatest moments of my life. I wish I could relive it! When Taylor Swift announced her Reputation Stadium tour earlier this year, I called my sister and said "we have to go". So off we went!</div>
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We had a running joke that there must be a pole in front of our seats or something because the tickets were a lot cheaper than they should have been. We got there and just about died. Right in front of us was a fairly non-obtrusive but still very much there giant pole. Nailed it. Oh well!</div>
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I will admit that Reputation isn't my favorite album that Taylor has done, but it's still amazing, and the concert was off the hook fantastic! She just puts on such a good show. Like the 1989 tour, she dabbled in some motivational speaking about being yourself and banding together in this world. She also took time to thank her band, dancers, crew, and all of the people that work at the stadium for making the experience possible. I don't go to a lot of concerts, but I feel like most artists wouldn't take the time to do that, so I love that she does. </div>
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One unique thing about this tour was that she did a surprise song at each location. She went back to the archives and did old hits or sometimes old songs that weren't even really released as singles on the radio. Danielle and I were so excited to see which one she selected for Houston because we really do know all of her early stuff. The song was Wonderland, which was a bonus track on her 1989 album that wasn't on our version of the album that we own. That really is probably the only song she could have picked that we wouldn't have known every word to... you win some, you lose some! We still knew the song a little bit and loved listening to her play it!</div>
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All in all, it was such a fun night. Taylor Swift knocked it out of the park, and I am so glad we were there to witness it! We were also so grateful for Grammy and Aunt Natalie who were the real MVPs of the weekend. Thanks for watching the littles for mom's night out!</div>
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Chelsea Phelpshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16547103356876265384noreply@blogger.com3