20 Weeks - Small Fry #2

Check out my 20 week post with Alexander HERE

How many weeks: 20 weeks and 5 days (halfway there already!!)

What size is baby: banana, 6.5 inches and 10.6 oz.

Movement: Just like Alexander, I first felt #2 start moving around 14 weeks. It's been pretty consistent movement ever since. It seems like we've got TWO active boys in our future! Arthur hasn't felt him move yet but it's only a matter of time.

New symptoms: Although my nausea was much better this time than it was with Alexander, the exhaustion has been much worse. The nausea faded after the first trimester but the exhaustion still lingers. Could it have something to do with the fact that in addition to being pregnant, I also have a very active, very demanding toddler? Perhaps. My back is doing OK. I know not to push my limits and try to limit my walking to no more than 10 minutes at a time.

Cravings: As with Alexander, I haven't really had any CRAZY cravings. They seem to be more about what I can't get here in Norway...cheddar cheese, spaghetti squash, candy corn, to name a few.

Sleep: Not so great. It's not that I'm making trips to the bathroom, I'm just not sleeping very deeply. The same thing happened with Alexander but once he was born I was so exhausted for so long that I think I slept deeper those first few months than ever in my entire life!

Rings on/off: on

Best memory of the week: We have the sonogram pictures on the fridge of Baby #2. Xander loves to point them out every morning and "oooooh"s every time. We try to then show him that the baby is in mommy's tummy but I'm pretty certain that concept is WAY over his head! He'll probably be surprised when the baby arrives that he's not black and white!

Looking forward to: getting past week 25. By that point last time I had really started to decline a LOT physically. I am really anxious to see if I'm going to be as bad. I feel like these next few weeks are going to be very telling and I'm praying that my body can be stronger this time!

Alexander - 15 months

Xander turned 15 months old in Rhodes, Greece and there have been so many changes in the last 3 months since I've updated. I figured since he's over a year old now I would switch to quarterly updates rather than once a month...momma needs a break!

One of the major developments is that he is now walking. He took his first steps around his first birthday, but it wasn't until we spent time with our cousins in England that he decided that walking was a whole heck of a lot better than crawling. He is now very sure-footed and can walk almost at our pace.

It is such a joy to hear his little footsteps pitter-patering around the house and he loves to explore. We've had to kid-proof all over again (especially in the kitchen) as he is very skilled at reaching way above his head.

He has been such a world traveler in his 15 months and has now been to 6 different countries...France, Spain, England, Greece, England and the U.S. We've seen a lot of beaches in all our travels this summer but Sola Beach (just a short drive from our house) certainly tops of the list of the most beautiful. It's not warm, but the pure white sand and clear blue water was a lovely way to enjoy a lazy Saturday afternoon together.

As usual, Xander picked our trip back to the U.S. to pop out 4 new teeth. He has a grand total of 14...maybe more since I don't dare stick my fingers in his mouth anymore to check. It was a rough 4-5 week of drooling and crankyness. I saw this deadpan look way too much during those trying times.

Xander started barnehage in August. Overall it has been a great experience with one major drawback. All those kids together mean lots of germ swapping and September was a rough month for all of us. Xander would bring home a bug and then a few days later Arthur and I would catch it. No fun!

The best part of our new house (and that's saying a LOT because I LOVE this house) is Xander's playroom. It's right off the living room and full of beautiful natural light and probably the room we spend the most time in. Sometimes Xander will even go in on his own and play for a while!

Of course one of his favorite "toys" is a box that we cut and decorated.

Another big development in the last few months is that he has officially weaned. While I was prepared to nurse throughout my pregnancy I certainly wasn't looking forward to it. He was only nursing twice a day (before nap and bedtime) and my body was already going through the hormonal changes that come with pregnancy, so he wasn't getting much anyway. So one night we stopped, cold turkey, and he never asked again. And that was the end of that. 14 months in the books! Somehow just that change made him seem much more grown up.

Although I don't want to admit it, he's definitely a toddler now! He's chatty (now says up/down, yes/no, bye in English and Norwegian), opinionated, helpful, silly, and downright adorable.

Alexander, you're such a fun little guy! It makes me excited to add another little boy to our clan. Happy 15 months!

Baby Stautz #2

When we finally decided we were ready to have a baby nobody was more surprised than I! But finding out we are having a SECOND so soon? Well, that was a total shock. I think Bob Ross expresses it best...

Arthur and I knew we wanted more kids...for sure! I mean, Xander is pretty much the most amazing thing to happen to either of us. And hes just so damn cool! But I was still very much recovering from his pregnancy. My back pain had finally reached a level that I could function without it being a constant distraction and I was looking forward to easing into a more active lifestyle this fall. But the pregnancy and the recovery afterwards was such a terribly traumatic experience for us both that we were seriously looking into and praying about other ways of having another child...either surrogacy or adoption. But my heart wasn't in either.

So while I was back in Texas I did what every expat does...I LOADED up on cheap stuff. Stuff I didn't really even need but that I might have a use for down the road. For some reason, in the middle of all the junk food and clothes and medicine I also bought a few pregnancy tests. Just because they're so expensive here in Norway. And a few days after returning from Texas I had a funny feeling...so on a whim, I took one.

Now picture this...I've literally got Xander balanced on my hip, we've just moved into a new house (...more on that later) so we're all living out of suitcases, Xander and I are both jet-lagged to the max...and the test comes back positive. Um...? Huh? I take another one. Positive. At that point I'm shaking, I text Arthur a picture and tell him he needs to come home NOW! Poor guy!

It took us a good 48 hours, a lot "oh my gosh"s, some tears, and prayers to process the new road we were now on. But we both immediately knew that this child was a result of God's plan because it certainly hadn't been ours. And all we had to do was look at Xander and we both KNEW that this was right for us.

I am now well into my second trimester I still can't believe that there is a perfect little life growing inside me. Especially when I thought I would probably never experience it ever again. Now, there are certainly days that I don't want to be pregnant, that I'm terrified what having two children under two will look like. We are both scared about what this means for my recovery...so far I am doing OK. But I'm so incredibly thankful that God is the writer of our life story. I have so much faith that this new road we're on is a million times better than what we had planned for ourselves...no matter what happens to my back. We will have our babies. Our family will be complete.

So we are so excited to announce that we will be bringing a baby BOY into our family next March! We ask that you continue to pray for my health and the health of this little boy.

Welcome Baby Stautz #2!

England Trip - Summer 2015

Xander and I only spent 5 days in Norway between Texas and England. I was regretting the quick turn-around because I was VERY exhausted and was no where near recovered from jet-leg yet. But Xander was ready to go!

 We were honored to be a part of the celebration of our cousin's wedding.

 It was a beautiful day and the most fun wedding we've been a part of in a long time.

 After the marriage ceremony, all the close family and friends headed to the boardwalk in the little beach town for ice cream and a pint. Arthur enjoyed his Mr. Whippy very much!

 Our cousin Inzi looked like a total rock star with his blue lips!

 Then we headed to the reception. It was what us Texans would call pot-luck style so the food was amazing. There was wonderful live music and an adorable kids tent, which Xander loved!

The best part of the day was his cuddles with his Godmother, Aunt Kim. She knew it was rare and told me "hurry! get a picture of this!!!" :) 

 The celebrations kept coming...the next day was our cousin Otis's first birthday! We sang "Happy Birthday" and watched him blow out the candles on his adorable caterpillar chocolate cake. And then we all indulged...birthday cake for breakfast! :)

Unfortunately, Arthur had to leave that morning to head back to work in Norway. But I kept Xander distracted with sugar and sunglasses. I think it worked.

That afternoon we joined the rest of the family for a big birthday celebration. Xander found a buddy who spent the entire afternoon hanging out with him. It was nice for him because he was so happy! And nice for me because I could relax a bit without having to chase him all over the place!

 We took a family trip to the pub for dinner. Xander and Otis were back seat buddies.

 And Xander hit a major milestone while we were at that pub. He finally decided that he was going to walk! He took his first steps the night before his first birthday but had still been pretty hesitant to use that as his main form of transportation. I think spending so much time with Otis and Inzi made him realize that this walking thing was really the way to go!

 The next day we went to another pub out in the country with a beautiful view. Of all the delicious things we could have ordered Xander and I decided to share a bowl of french fries.

Check out that view!

 Our time in England passed far too quickly but we had such a blast with our incredible hosts, Nina and Martyn. A HUGE thank you to them for opening their home to us and letting us impose during our time in England. It was a circus with all those boys under one roof but it was delightfully crazy! I Somehow I didn't get any pictures of Nina...but let me say that we are so incredibly thankful that love joined our two families together. We had so much fun watching our boys play together and I hope we will all continue to make memories with each other in the future.

Xander and I decided we had spent way too much time on airplanes this summer and I think he was ready for us to keep our feet on the ground for a while. Next stop...Norway! 

VanEss Visit - April 2015

We were so very excited to have my best friend and her family come visit us in Norway this past April. Brannon was so excited to see his "best buddy" Xander!

 We spent a long weekend in a cabin and the kids loved the ferry ride on the way to the island where we stayed.

 Xander and I were up early before everyone else so we went to explore. I thought it was just jet-lag...little did I know it was the beginnings of all of us getting very sick for the next week. I guess that's what happens when you throw 3 kids together with germs from two continents and international airports :(

 Enjoying the sunny morning before the virus caught up with us!

 This was our favorite Norway cabin so far. Too bad we had to nickname it the Throw-up Cabin!

They finally made it up...a little worse for the wear, and we took some cute family pictures. 

 Anne Marie and I did our best to recreate this ridiculous senior picture we took 13 years ago sitting on a bridge looking into the water together at the Whitte Museum. This time we had our kiddos which made it a lot cuter!

 All of my favorite people in one picture! :) 

 Our little trouble makers!

 On the ferry back home from the cabin.

 My little buddy, Brannon. I think this was a morning that the rest of his family was sick so we had fun hanging out.

 Maci rocking her fine motor skills

 The kids were excited to take a trip to the beach...the ice cold water and gale force winds didn't seem to bother them at all.

 Maci the beach babe!

 Our crazy clan!

 Walking the kids through the streets of Stavanger.

 Fjord boat tour...not exactly the best place to take a baby but we still had fun.

Anne Marie's mom was able to join us in Norway after Peter went home. One their last day we took them to one of our favorite places, the candle factory. It was raining most of the day but the skies opened up just so we could take a group picture :)

 It was so amazing to have my best friend here in Norway. Things can get lonely so far away from home, it was nice to wake up to my favorite people in my house every morning for two weeks.

 Getting ready for the trip back home. Love you guys and hope you come back soon!!!