a little bit of brady | 26 weeks + christmas sugar cookies

sitting here with the laptop resting on my (giant) 26 week belly.. sugar cookie in hand and brushing sprinkles from the keyboard while I remember the time (and mess) I spent with my girls this weekend.

making memories while making a mess.  this is the last holiday season spent with just girls in the house.  so much is about to change and while I get emotional worrying about all this change, I literally cannot wait to meet this sweet boy growing in my belly.  when imagining how I wanted to celebrate this big ol' bump and the tail end of my second trimester I decided to include the girls and totally embrace the holiday season for all its worth!  

whats more Christmas-y than baking cookies??

I snagged this sugar cookie recipe off Jessica's blog and it was the most simple + basic and delicious cookie recipe I have ever made!  the cookies bake up super soft and perfectly sturdy to hold pounds of icing and sprinkles.

after letting the dough hang out in the fridge for a couple hours it was time to cut + bake + ice some Christmas goodies!

 my belly.  there it is.  

and its legit.  

some days I wake up and I'm "okay" with how big I've gotten over the last several weeks.. and then there are those times at the end of the day that I catch a glimpse of myself in the hanging mirror in our room and I'm like, HOLY MOLY what am I going to look like at the end of all this growing a baby business. 

buttercream icing

1 stick softened, salted butter

2-3 cups powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

pinch of salt

1/4 cup of half and half or milk

Combine all ingredients in a bowl & blend with a hand mixer.

photography by b faith photography

26 week belly + baby update

now that we've covered all the sugar cookie bases, lets talk baby and belly!

Brady's "B" initial hat came in the mail and I about died thinking I'll have my fourth baby wearing this beanie home from the hospital.  all the feels, you guys!! 

I went for my 26 week check up this week which included a sonogram to take a peek at Brady's kidney's again.  last month we discovered some mild pockets of fluid, and while this is really common in boys (apparently from what my OB tells me) its something that will need to be monitored and watched closely.  the sonogram this week showed that there is still some fluid on his kidneys, around the right more than the left, but it isn't too much worry about at this point.  other than that, he's healthy and growing strong! Brady has gained an entire pound since last month- weighing in at 2 pounds + 5 ounces with a healthy heartbeat at 140 bpm!

his little profile + button nose is just THE sweetest and definitely reminds me most of Baker and Parker.

As for this mama, my OB is more concerned at this point about the amount of amniotic fluid I've got..  which is why I look and measure more like I'm 33 weeks (boom) rather than just the 26 weeks I actually am. and also why complete strangers are prompted to share their swirling thoughts about my bump on a daily basis.  apparently polyhydramnios occurs in about 1% of pregnancies and here I am diagnosed again for my second pregnancy in a row.  I had a mild case with Baker, measuring on the high end of "normal" from about 28 weeks through to delivery.  around 34-35 weeks my body kind of figured itself out on its own and levels balanced and we delivered a healthy baby girl at term.

there isn't anything to prevent it, and this time around its happened sooner and with much more fluid than the case I had in my pregnancy with Baker.  my OB mentioned that this could actually be the sole reason for the fluid on Brady's kidneys.  I go back to the perinatologist next week and then I'll be making trips to my OB's office every other week to monitor until my weekly visits start.  I took my glucose test, too!  here's hoping that gestational diabetes isn't the reason for my increased fluid levels:)  

so many parts of my mama heart wants to worry about this.. fret + cry about the thought of something "being wrong" with me or my baby boy.  a google search, which was a big fat mistake on my part, did me no good but freak me out even more when I saw complications like still birth and preterm labor listed under the risks of this diagnosis.  I have so much confidence in my doctor and know that she has everyone's best interest at heart and will watch this and make sure nothing will happen to the best of her 26 years of experience. 

praying for peace in the plans laid in front of us and thankful for the wisdom of the medical professionals managing my care.. and Brady's care, too!  this boy wriggles all day long, so I know that if he stops for a prolonged period of time that I'll be making a trip to check on him asap.

  so thankful for my life right now. the growing baby inside of my, albeit huge, belly and the girls that are running around at my feet.

my cup is full this holiday season. 

so much magic and joy and love to be shared!  

four more sleeps!