32-33 Weeks

Hey all!

This blog entry is a little bit late because we were in Utah for the end of my 32 weeks and the beginning of my 33 weeks. I think I'll probably just combine both weeks for this entry as I am measuring in between both anyway.

Utah was a wonderful experience and I loved every minute of it. Seeing family on both sides was fantastic and being able to explore the interesting things of Utah was quite fun. I really enjoy being there and kind of hope that we may end up there eventually.

Finch got spoiled rotten. Oh my goodness, that boy, he is such a flirt and such a ham. EVERYONE loved him and everywhere we went he was getting comments and giving smiles and I think he was successful in winning the affections of everyone he encountered. He is so infectiously cute with his smile, his personality, and his love that it's hard not be affected by him when he is near.

Ben and I got to see Big Hero 6 for the first time, and I cried like the pregnant hormonal conglomerate that I am the entire time. We are definitely going to be buying that one for Ben and I will just have to learn to control my tear ducts when I watch it. I told Ben that we need a Baymax so I can have big soft marshmallow hugs whenever I want and for a robot to carry me around when my back hurts.

As for my pregnancy, things are interesting. Pelvic pain wise, I am doing much better. I still have days of pain and waddling like a little witch from a fairy tale, but after seeing a chiropractor twice last week, I am feeling much better and I feel human again. When my chiropractor first worked on my back it sounded like my back was run over by a truck. So many pops and cracks. Finch was very concerned about me and seemed to be very weary of Dr. Egbert. It was pretty funny because the next appointment I had, Finch was very serious, not a single smile, and totally sassy with everyone and he watched me like a hawk. I tried a pelvic girdle and that proved to be more of a nuisance than a help because Rosemary has dropped and all of the pressure is around her rather than underneath her so I was cramping whenever I wore it. So I don't wear it now unless I really need to.

As we were traveling I began to get the ever joyful swelling that comes from riding in a car too long, or walking too much, (or hardly walking), or just existing as a pregger mama.  Unfortunately, my swelling isn't in my feet, but in my legs, my abdomen, hands, and face, all signs that show my swelling is more indicative of Preeclampsia than water retention from pregnancy.  Yesterday, I started to get headaches, and my blood pressure started to go up, getting to 142/92 which is definitely high for me. My doctor asked me to stay in bed the rest of the day, and today we discussed my options. We are keeping an eye on things and I'll see him every week instead of every two weeks to make sure we keep an eye on my blood pressure and my protein levels in my urine. I feel very blessed to have such an attentive doctor, and to have the skills to be able to check on my blood pressure at home and to know what is okay and what is not. We're not in the red zone, but definitely are proceeding with caution as my preeclampsia started pretty gradually last time with Finch and then jumped so quickly that he was induced within three days of starting to spill proteins (which indicates organ damage) totaling a period of 4 weeks. Any prayers or well wishes would be greatly appreciated in our behalf. We are totally ready for Rosie to come if she has to come early, but I would love to get her as close to term as possible before she comes. Finch was about 37 almost 38 weeks when he came and was just fine and I know that she will be fine whenever she comes but the later the better for little babies.

Rosemary is currently between 4-5 pounds, and around 17-19 inches long. She is moving a lot still, and I get some nasty jabs every now and then which sometimes stop me in my tracks. I am glad she moves so much though, and sometimes when I ask her to change positions for me she does which makes things much better when she settles down on my bladder and I almost wet myself. I am getting so anxious to meet this little one, and to hold her and I keep thinking about what it will be like to have my heart expand once again to let another life altering person into it. I see the love I feel for Finch, and I see the joy he brings to me and I know that our home will only get more happy as we have two littles who make us so happy and whole.

So this week I will be resting more and keeping an eye on things. Please keep us in your thoughts. As mentioned before, we would love to keep the preeclampsia at bay as long as we can so Rosie can stay in the oven as long as possible.

Until next week :)

Love,

Liz, Ben, Finch, Rosemary, and Zola

31 Weeks, 9 to go!

Okay so it's been a great and challenging week of being 31 weeks! Also, my birthday was wonderful. So wonderful. Ben surprised me with dinner with friends and then when we got home after spending the day looking at whatever I wanted to look at ( and buying me some beautiful porcelain birds to keep in our room) and going to a pet store so Finch could look at animals (he loves animals) I found that our bedroom was decorated with 36 roses in a heart shape with beautiful notes from Ben to read. He had asked a friend to decorate while we were gone and it was so beautiful and so far, being 24 has been wonderful (all 8 days so far).

This was taken on my birthday before we left to go window shopping :)

As for being pregnant, I am doing my best to cope with the raging hormones, the fatigue, and the challenges of having babies so close together. My body is tired, and I get tired much faster than I used to. I think of those moms who have multiple back to back babies or just have lots of kids and I marvel at it because pregnancy is so hard for me, so everyone, you should give those ladies a pat on the back or watch their kids for a bit so they can rest! At 31 weeks, Rosie has been getting bigger and heavier and is apparently as heavy as a coconut or just a little heavier now that we are at the end of the week. She is also able to open her eyes and is practicing breathing amniotic fluid so she can breathe better outside of me.

I have started developing some pubic symphysis pain (the pubis symphysis is the cartilage between the front part of the pelvis that is basically the pubic bone in the front of the pelvis. Rosie is right at the bottom of my pelvis (she's been dropping for a bit now) and the loosening of my ligaments anyway from the relaxin hormone that prepares the pelvis for delivery, has made my pelvis feel very unstable and laying down, walking, stepping, stretching (basically moving or not moving) is getting more and more painful and my pelvis basically feels like it is glued together with elmers glue and has no strong base to keep it together anymore. I hear that there really isn't anything to do about it besides use a pillow and possible bed rest and that just makes me want to cry some days. We see my doctor this Friday and I'm hoping we can talk about what my options are because it is getting hard to do anything and with a while left to go and with a baby boy to chase around, I'm wondering what can be done or what will happen in labor with my pelvis being so unstable. Any prayers are appreciated and I hope this doesn't sound like complaining. I hurt my tailbone in labor with Finch and I wonder if that has possible exacerbated some of the issues I'm having since I didn't get a lot of time in between pregnancies to recover. We'll see. Any suggestions are welcome.

On a much happier note, we are getting so excited for Rosemary to come and be a part of our home. She loves to listen to us and is so responsive. Anytime Ben talks to her or around my tummy she starts to wiggle and to move and does it the entire time he talks to her. She also loves to hear Finch and when he giggles, she moves a lot, and she gets really active if he is sad and is crying or whimpering. She seems quite sensitive to him and I'm interested in seeing how they respond to each other in person. Zola will snuggle all the time with my tummy now and when she purrs, Rosemary starts to move and gets quite active. I guess she is pretty interactive now and will probably be the same way with us outside of the womb. I keep thinking of what happiness she will bring to us and our home and I am excited for her to be a part of our home. On the nights when I hurt the most or I can't watch a commercial on hulu without crying nonstop I focus on her movements, and how much I know she is worth it all.

31 week bumpie :)

I think of how hard it was with Finch when I started getting symptoms for preecclampsia and then I remember when I held him in my arms after he was born and I just threw all of the pain, the stress, anxiety, and the fear out the window. I would have done it over and over again and I still feel that way now when I look at him and I am doing the same thing for Rosie now. I think sometimes looking outside of ourselves is the only way we can get through tough times and I know that I have felt so grateful for the love and support I feel from my husband and son, and from family and friends, and I am also grateful for the closeness I feel with God during these times as well. I know that there are days when I am able to cope and to walk and to (waddle) through what I need to and it's from His love and support that gives me the ability to look outside of myself and to find the peace I need to take care of the things I need.

So, here's to another week on the countdown! As I start week 32 tomorrow, I will try to gather more interesting and exciting stories about the funny things of pregnancy and focus less on the painful and uncomfortable parts of it. We go to do maternity/family photos today and I am so excited! Last year my pictures were so beautiful and I am hoping to add more to my collection to show my children when they are older! Have a great week and a fantastic St. Patricks Day on Tuesday (I'm Irish, and it's a pretty big deal here in my house so I know we will be going crazy!).

This was just too cute not to share: Finch's first trip to the park and first time in a swing was a crazy success and he was so so happy! Look at those little teeth and that smile! I just swoon whenever I get to hold this little guy and play with him. I am definitely a smitten mama!!

This was my favorite shot from last year's photo shoot (courtesy of Amber Cardinet Photography) and I just love it and hope to be able to share pictures like this with my children someday. Even if it doesn't feel like it some days, pregnancy is so beautiful and I am grateful to have these memories to cherish after years of worrying with my health issues that I wouldn't be able to.

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Liz

30 weeks down...Ten (ish) to go!!

Oy vey! It's been a very long time since I last posted on our blog and I am sorry for the immense delay! Let's just say things have been hectic the last few months and especially this last month in particular.

Ben's work has taken some hits with budget cuts and with hours changing when work isn't coming in and we weren't able to keep up with the hits and had to leave our beloved home in Teton and are now back in Rexburg. We miss our old home and still almost drive all the way back to Teton when we do our errands because it was our home for the longest of any of our homes.

We live now in downtown Rexburg (if you've ever been to Rexburg, downtown doesn't really mean that much) and are only a five minute walk from the school and Ben can walk to both of his jobs in a few minutes time and we are saving a lot of gas with our car. It's a cute little place. Definitely smaller than our last place but very cozy and cute and just what we have wanted and needed. We love it and are loving the close proximity to everything. Ben is able to come home now every day for lunch and I love that. It's a nice little moment for all of us when he comes home and we can chat for a few minutes before he is off to his second job. (Btw, both jobs are doing much better, we have been immensely blessed and I can't even begin to describe how the Lord has blessed our lives with this move!)

Now that we are settling into our new home, I felt it was time to start writing up on the blog again and to begin the 10 week countdown again to when Rosemary will come into our lives officially and permanently (as if it hasn't felt permanent yet, I can say the 8ish months I have been carrying her are official enough!). Just as I did with Mr. Finch, I will do a weekly blog about how we are doing and how I am feeling with my pregnancy. Things began to change pretty quickly with Finch around 35ish weeks and we are being cautious and preparing in case things go the same way with our little Rose and she comes sooner, so this may be a 10 week countdown, it may be less or more depending on how my health continues :)

So here goes:

I am 30.5 weeks along now and am doing pretty well. Rose has already dropped a little bit and I feel her sitting at the base of my pelvis and boy, let me tell you, I am already tired of it! I feel like I have been riding a bike and have the bruises on my tailbone and pelvic floor from being out of shape (no I haven't ridden a bike, my poor pelvis would die), and I also (sorry if this is too much info) feel like I have been kicked between the legs if I move wrong. I'm sure a lot of the women reading this post understand what I'm talking about.

30 weeks along!!

Besides that, and some scary water weight I had that took us to the doctor to make sure I wasn't getting preeclampsia early (don't worry I ended up being okay and the water weight is going away again) I am doing really well and I feel my little bird kick and move all of the time. She is very active and is all over the place. I am going to miss feeling her roll over and move my tummy, but probably not the times she headbutts my bladder and I almost wet myself in public.

My sleeping beauty. During our ultrasound a couple of weeks ago, she was asleep but her umbilical cord kept floating in front of her face!! IF you look behind the cord, you'll see a nose that looks like mine and some lips and an eye. She is just so lovely and such a sweet baby (in my tummy already). She responds when I talk to her and if she is hurting me I can ask her to stop or to move and there have been a few times that she responds and moves for me. This has been the case since week 16. 

At this point, she is about three pounds (she was almost that two weeks ago so she may be a little bigger) and the size of a large head of cauliflower. I am so excited to meet her and have gone crazy making her headbands and getting her side of the nursery ready.

As for the wonderful men in my life, Ben is very busy with work and with school. I don't know how the man does it all and still manages to be the greatest friend and husband and father I could ever ask for to me and to Finch. He is still studying special education and is now looking for ways to incorporate American Sign Language into it because he loves sign language. We have been learning some words so we can communicate with Finch and with my partial deafness in my right ear it has been so helpful for when we are in public and I can't hear when someone or when he is talking to me. It's been a huge blessing and we are excited to see what we can find to help make this a part of his career.

Look at my handsome men!!

Finch is now 10 months. Yes, I said that correctly, TEN MONTHS!!! My sweet little man is getting so big and is so mobile. He is crawling and standing on everything and is getting so so close to walking. I love it and I love seeing how he is growing and learning so quickly and what an incredible little boy he is. He is the master of escaping and is so quiet about it you have to watch because he is like a velociraptor and is always looking for the weakness in any set up for his escape. I love it and hate it all at the same time, but it has made for some hilarious and impressive stories. He loves his daddy and he loves to cuddle with me and is so curious about Zola, and loves babies. I think he will love Rosie a lot and will probably just try to love on her a little too much. We are excited for them to be best buddies though.

My little mini me in looks but Ben's mini me in personality. He is just wonderful and so happy. We can't go anywhere without someone stopping us to tell us what a beautiful child we have or what a happy boy he is. I love it, and I love him!!

This was taken during one of our quieter moments. He is so busy and all over the place but sometimes he will crawl into my arms when he is ready to sleep and just passes out. I love this more that words can describe and I love that he feels so safe in my arms.

Finally, look at that smile!! Yesterday in line for a cookie, he kept smiling at the lady in front of me and she asked me if he is always this happy and smiley. I said, pretty much from day one he has been this way and we love it. I mean, come on, look at that smile and that face!

So that's pretty much it for a recap and for week 30. My birthday is this weekend and I am sure I will recap for you all on how that went when I write my blog for week 31!

Love you all!

Sincerely,

Liz, Ben, Finch, Rosie, and Zola

The Beginning of a New Year

Happy New Year everyone! It's been a while since I last wrote, but I am happy to report that things are going very well in the Davies household these days.

After a great Thanksgiving in Utah, we were preparing for a fun and low key Christmas in Idaho and found that that's just not how it works for us. A week before Christmas, I had a gallbladdder attack (it feels like your chest is being crushed and it doesn't let up and kind of like having someone kick you in the chest while having a heart attack) and went to the ER and the next day went into surgery. Sounds fun, right?

This was taken in my hospital room while we waiting for my surgery.

I was teaching my husband and mother-in-law the joys of being Swiss and making Bratsleigh!

Three weeks later, I am doing much better. My tummy will never be on the cover of Sports Illustrated or Cosmo with my new scars (but let's face it, I have never been in a place for that to work anyway) but it's still growing nicely and my scars are almost completely healed.

Ben has started school and is busy juggling two jobs along with 13 credits. He is a busy man, but we have been very lucky to get him into three online classes so he only has two classes he has to be at school for and they are on the same day. He is now working on his education courses and is so excited about them. To see the purpose in his studies is absolutely amazing. I know that he will be an incredible special education teacher someday.

Finch is 8 1/2 months old now and is the light of our lives. He has golden strawberry blonde hair growing quickly out of his head, and is the king of army crawling all over our home. There are things I never even knew existed on our floor until I had a child that was attracted to the bad things he shouldn't be touching. I have learned the art of peripheral parenting and never letting my sight completely leave my son while still being productive. Finch can also sit up from laying down and is trying to stand up against things and is getting pretty strong. He is also signing a little with us. With my hearing impairment and with Ben's degree of Special Education, we feel that using sign language is a great tool in our home and with helping our children learn to communicate earlier. Yesterday, Finch signed "Please" twice and is getting very good at it. Also, I am learning the realities of being the possessor of the yummiest food in the house...I have found that if anything is on my plate, it is instantly more delicious than anyone else's in the building. Finch has to try anything I have on my plate and loves sharing with me whatever sauce I have in my meal. He likes pizza sauce, and he loves ranch. It's fun to see the expressions he makes when he tries new things. We have found that anything to do with cinnamon is a no no for Finch. He freaks out and won't close his mouth and just sits there helpless until we get it out of his mouth.

Finch loves his daddy and knows that daddy is "dada" and asks for dada all the time when he is gone at work or at school. Whenever Ben comes home he gets so so excited, and he is my little buddy. His new favorite song is "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by IZ and he enjoys watching me do my makeup and hair while we talk and chat in the mornings. Each day I spend with him I fall more in love with him and rejoice that I get to be the lucky lady who is his mama.

Baby Rose is 22 weeks today and she is doing very well. Her last ultrasound showed that she was super healthy and super on track with her development (yay!). She is the size of a spaghetti squash today and kicks me all of the time. She is very active and enjoys nudging my bladder, and likes to congregate on the left side of my body. Finch was on the right side so I'm guessing they are already the polar opposites of each other or else the yin to the other's yang. I guess we will see. I have found that I am already showing pretty well and I am so glad to be over halfway done with this pregnancy! My projects for her include a lot of really cute receiving blankets for her. I am finishing up a strawberry blanket that I started when I was 12-13, and I am also working on a beautiful set with poppies on them (poppies are my favorite flower) and I am so excited to wrap her up in them when she is here. My nausea is pretty much all gone since the surgery and although I am dealing with another possible uti and lots of fatigue, I am doing much much better.  I am trying to be careful, knowing that my chances of getting preeclampsia are pretty high with pregnancy number two. Today, I found out my blood pressure is starting to rise again, so we are definitely going to keep an eye on it and I will start to rest when I can even more to keep my blood pressure low most of the day (let's see how far I get with a little man to keep me busy!)

Rosemary's Strawberry blanket

20 weeks

21 weeks

22 weeks (current week)

Apart from surgeries and pregnancy, I am just enjoying being a mama. I spend my days with Finch and we play, watch Grey's Anatomy (we don't have cable, we go with what I have in my dvd collection), and learning to crawl. My hair is back to it's pre-buzz cut length and I am loving being back to the old looking but new me. I keep getting stopped at the store or on the street by really nice people who compliment it and it makes an old married mama with a baby bump feel better. Ben is wonderful to compliment me, but sometimes it's just nice to get told how nice you look when you don't feel as pretty after life has been hectic for a while by someone who doesn't know you.

This was my buzzcut after it was done, in July

This was my hair as of yesterday

Things are going so well in our home. We love our home, our ward, and after 5 years being in Rexburg, I am feeling very much at home here. We've been in our little house for seven months (the longest we've spent in any place) and we are feeling very proud of ourselves right now.

So, that's pretty much it for us here in the Davies home. I hope that everything is going well for you all and thank you so much for reading :)

Love,

Liz, Ben, Finch, Rosie, and Zola

What I'm Grateful For...

Hello All!

Seeing everyones' beautiful posts of what they were grateful for yesterday was so very sweet. Many times I wanted to post my gratitude, but I really wanted to wait for today.

For the most part I am sure our news of a baby girl joining our home is pretty well known since it's been all over Facebook and Instagram (we get around ;) ) But I wanted to share what I'm grateful for and SHE is definitely a part of what has made this Thanksgiving week so special.

First off, we have been with family this weekend and how sweet it has been. Being away from loved ones is doable, but it's not until you are reunited that you realize the hole that was there while away. Spending the weekend has been so fun, and the love and the positive energy has been wonderful. Seeing Finch play with his cousins and his aunt and uncle and grandparents has been so neat, and the love they share for him warms my heart. For any parents out there, I'm sure you can agree that seeing others love those you love so much brings a lot of happiness. Last night we digested and watched "How To Train Your Dragon 2" which I bawled the entire time. Toothless looks like my cat and I lost it anytime he was in trouble. Part pregnancy hormones, and part missing my baby kitty, I was a wreck by the end of the movie.

Then I couldn't sleep. Because we had made an appointment a month ago to see an ultrasound studio here in the Utah valley while in town for Thanksgiving. Even though our doctor is doing our regular anatomical ultrasound in two weeks, I felt a strong need to find out sooner. I would have been so happy for a boy or a girl, but for some reason, I have felt a very strong need to know about this special spirit who is in my tummy and Ben agreed to keep the appointment for my Christmas present.
Anyways, after a long night of poor sleep because of jitters, we left for the studio and got there way too early and killed time while we waited for our appointment. Poor Ben, I was like an impatient little kid and he had to put up with a lot of freaking out and over the top emotions as we prepared to go in.

Once it was time for us to go back we met our technician and boy, was he great. He told me I looked too young to have two kids (thank you very much, in Rexburg, I feel like a mature woman next to all of the baby freshmen who are fresh out of high school) and asked me what I thought we may be having. I was hoping for a girl and honestly have had strong feelings lately that we had a little girl on the way and not a little boy. After I said so he began to look. Apparently 80% of mothers are right about the gender. I guess mother really does know best. ;). We started the ultrasound and immediately there was a HUGE difference between this baby and Finch. Finch was so active and was bouncing and flipping around. She was sleeping and refusing to move. Like at all. She was stubborn. After a few minutes of trying to get her to move, he asked me to roll onto my side, and then we forced her to wake up and we saw her face. Then she refused to move again and I had to move to the other side and finally after a few more minutes she relented and began to move. At this point he was pretty sure it was a girl, but said that in his 30 years of work he never told a mother the gender until he was sure it was right. So then we tried to get a profile shot of her and a bum shot of her. It took a while and she continued to be stubborn/shy/determined to make me sweat and then I felt like I should say the name we had for a girl. I said, "Come on Rosie," and she finally listened and spread her legs for us to see. There was a definite lack of manly parts, and then we got the profile shot he needed to confirm it. Then she showed off her hands for us (long fingers, great for piano playing!) and began to squirm. I was amazed that she responded. I said her name a few more times and she was so much more responsive. Really cute, right?

It's a little blurry, but it says, "It's A Girl!"

So after getting twice the amount of pictures we paid for, and almost crying in the office because I was so happy, we left the studio with an envelope filled with pictures of our sweet baby girl. (Oh just to do a shout out, if you are ever wanting to get an elective ultrasound, I really recommend the "Fetal Studio" in the Southtowne Mall in Sandy, UT. Seriously, we had the best experience there and our technician was so great.).

We are so excited and even though pretty much everyone in our family was convinced it was a girl, everyone was so happy.

We are naming her Rosemary and we call her "Baby Rose". For those who wonder why we have picked this name here is the reason:

When I was little I had a mouse doll that I named "Rosemary" because I thought it was the most beautiful name I could imagine as 7 year old. I lost Rosemary a lot and would pray a lot to find her. Every single time I lost Rosemary I would say a prayer and Heavenly Father would tell me what to do or where to find her. I found her every time and I still have Rosemary in our nursery. Everytime I see her I remember that Heavenly Father loved me so much that He helped me find a stuffed mouse doll time after time after time. She may have just been a toy, but she was a way for me to grow closer to Him, and I learned to trust in Him, and that He would always listen to and answer my prayers. I can't think of a more beautiful reason to name my child something like "Rosemary" than that. This baby has been another miracle baby for us and she is so loved already. We feel so grateful and so blessed to have her as a part of our family and I can't wait to meet her. I have been feeling her kicks for a little while now and having her quiet nudges of love help me a lot.

So here's to Rosemary and the joy she has brought to us this year.

I am thankful for my son as well. This year has brought so many blessings and everyday when I look at Finch I see the joy of life and the reason I am who I am. Finch came into our lives after a heartbreaking miscarriage and was the dream we worried we'd never have. He made me the mom I am and the woman I am becoming and from the moment I held him in my arms, I knew, I would never feel more complete than in being his mother.

I am thankful for my husband, Ben. He is my bestest best friend and the love of my life. I never knew such a companionship was possible and everyday I fall more and more in love with him. He has taught me selflessness, to dream, and to love myself. He brings love to all he does, and I have never been so completely whole as I am when I am with him. Eternity doesn't seem long enough when I think of my sweet sweet love.

I am thankful for my cat and the companionship she brings to me. She is so sweet and attentive and has been so healing after so much. She truly is an answer to prayers and the greatest furry friend I know.

I am thankful for my family and friends. The support and the love I feel from you all lifts me up and I am so grateful for the memories I have made and continue to make with you all. I think of eternal families and know that God truly wants His children to be happy and I rejoice in the blessings of eternal families and marriages.

I am lastly but most importantly grateful for the gospel, and for my Savior, Jesus Christ and for the peace it brings in my life. I finished reading about Christ's life the other day in my scripture study and it was so perfect before Thanksgiving to be able to realize and appreciate even more His life and atonement for me and the bonds of physical and spiritual death He has broken so I can return to God's presence someday. I am who I am because of this gospel and I am so grateful to know I am a daughter of God.

I hope your holidays have been wonderful and that as we approach this Christmas season you feel the love that is out there. I am grateful for you all and I look forward to what this year and next year brings. Thanks for reading.

Love,

Liz, Ben, Finch, Rose, and Zola :)

For those of you who have worried about us lately :)

Good Evening, Friends and Family!

I just wanted to thank all of you who have kept me, and my family in your prayers, well wishes, and positive thoughts. We have felt them a lot and appreciate it so much. (Please keep them coming!)

I wanted to apologize for any concern that my post may have caused to anyone who did not see my comment about my bladder infection. I tried to not be too vague in my initial post (because I knew I would start crying from hormones, fatigue, and discomfort and say a whole lot that people just don't want to read) but realized soon after that it was the right kind of post to cause concern. For those who have reached out to me or my family in concern, thank you for loving me enough to ask, and again, I am so sorry for anyone who was afraid something had happened to me, my family, or our unborn baby.

So just to clear things up, I just want to explain what has been going on the past few weeks.

I don't like to blog to complain, and I hope that this does not come off showing such a sentiment.

First off, Baby Bird #2 is doing really really well. He/She has a very strong heartbeat and is the size of a peach and is already so loved and appreciated in our home. Going to the temple on our date night, I felt our little spirit very closely and it was so nice especially after the roller coaster I have been on with this pregnancy and I'm only at the beginning of my second trimester.

I thought that my pregnancy with Finch was difficult and it definitely was, but already, this one is proving to be probably the hardest trial I have faced, (baby is not the trial, my sick pregnant body is) and it takes a lot of encouragement from the Lord, my sweet husband, my little boy, and family and friends to get through the tough times.

I got a cold last month and just when I was over that, I got terrible sciatica to the point that I was on my hands and knees for 45 minutes waiting for Ben to get home. It took a few days for it to cool off and be uncomfortable but manageable. Then after that I started in with my major nausea that I had with Finch and now with this baby. It's terrible trying to eat when all I want to do is go into a coma for the next few months until I feel better. Then (Doesn't this sound like a soap opera? I feel like "General Hospital"/"Days of Our Lives") I got my bladder infection and that has been a lot to handle for the past week and a half.

First my antibiotic didn't work so I was prescribed a second one whilst still feeling sick. Then I got a major allergic reaction to the second antibiotic and woke up with hives, itching, and trouble breathing. Tonight I start my third antibiotic and I am hoping with all of my heart that it will be what I need to get over this hump and move on with my life.

We have been exceedingly blessed though. I have a great doctor who is so patient with me and has been trying all he can to get me better, and I feel very safe in his care. I have a very well behaved child (it's a little scary how well behaved he is) who lets me rest and just likes to play quietly beside me while I rest or snuggle (it's my favorite) and then, I have my incredible husband who does so so much to keep me happy, helps me to feel loved and comfortable, and who serves me every moment of everyday, and last but not least, I have a sweet little baby I can't wait to meet who I know is worth every day of pain, sickness, fatigue, and nausea. I love him/her already so so much.

I may be going through a very hard time but I have so much to be grateful for too and I just wanted to give a picture of what I'm dealing with so those who are worried may know that I may be miserable but very very okay. My family is safe, and we still have a little baby on the way.

Thank you so much for reading, for your love, encouragement and prayers in my and in my family's behalf. We appreciate it and feel it every day.

God bless :)

Love,

Liz Davies

Mr. Finch

With all of the excitement concerning baby bird #2, I forgot to give an update on my growing little man, Finch!! A couple of weekends ago, my little Finch, my best little buddy and partner in crime became a six month old baby boy.

Eek! Did I really just say six months??? I mean, wasn't it yesterday that I was throwing up and dying during my pregnancy for him? Wasn't it just a few hours ago that I held him for the first time, and maybe twenty minutes ago when we took him home for the first time?

This totally just happened, didn't it??

It feels like that and even the many nights we have spent waking up and feeding/diapering him and the many hours of loving service we have shared with him seem like they have just barely happened. I'm not ready for my sweet little man to become a little boy so soon. But, alas, as all children do, they ignore their mommies and grow up anyway.

So in commemoration of his six months, I want to share the fun and wonderful quirks of my sweet little boy.

1. Finch is the happiest kid (and probably person) I know. He always greets me with a smile, and always smiles at anyone (especially, women, the little flirt!) around him. Until you take him away from me and then he stops smiling and starts crying and squealing instead.

2. Finch is very sensitive and intuitive. Whenever anyone is sad or crying he immediately hones in on them and tries to touch them to see if they are okay. He loves to look at other babies and gets so concerned if one is having a hard time. It's pretty much the sweetest thing ever.

3. Finch is so so curious. He is always looking around at everything and observes as much as he can around him. Now that he rolls and scoots, he is grabbing onto things I don't even realize are there and tries to eat them. It freaks me out. When he starts to crawl or walk I am in big big trouble. This kid is going to give me real grey hairs.

Finch, eating leaves....

4. Finch loves water! Giving him a bath gets wetter and wetter for me because he has learned how to scoot to the bottom of his bath chair and then slam his feet into the water so a huge splash goes everywhere. He thinks it the greatest thing since sliced bread and does it over and over until I finally take him out of the water because a) I am soaked through, b) I am afraid he'll suddenly propel himself into the water like the water baby he is, and c) most of the water is out of the tub anyway.

5. Finch loves to sing. I am the assistant ward choir director for our church and Finch loves to sing along with the choir. He squeals and babbles along and has the biggest smile. He loves it when I sing to him, and is so responsive to music. IZ's "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" is his favorite song and he stops everything he is doing to listen to it. He loves primary songs and "I'm trying to be like Jesus" seems to be his favorite one at the moment.

6. He loves phones. He always wants mine so my mom mailed me an old phone I used in high school and Finch tries to eat it. Whenever he hears familiar voices on the phone (especially his daddy's) he gets so so excited.

7. Finch loves his Daddy. Ben is seriously his best friend and they have so much fun together. They speak the same language and I love to see the friendship those two have.

8. Finch is a "Mama's Boy" and I love it. I enjoy it as much as I can now because I know eventually I will have to let go so he doesn't end up living in my basement when he's 35 taking care of all of my cats. But for now, it's totally fine and okay for him to be my little shadow and to want to snuggle with me and to be held by me whenever it is possible.

9. Finch loves bedtime stories. Reading a story before bedtime is a huge tradition in my family and we have a library of childrens' stories in our house for him. (Go to thrift stores, we got ours for like .25-.50 cents each.) He especially loves, "Where the Wild Things Are", "The Gruffalo", "Georgie the Ghost", "There's a Nightmare In My Closet", and "Alligator Pie". "Alligator Pie" is the funnest one to read as a parent.

10. Finch loves to eat his hands, and toes, and enjoys applesauce. He hates squash, and tried carrots last night and survived. Sometimes when I am naughty I will dip his pacifier in my ice cream and he loves it. Sorry but I'm not sorry. If you see Finch, you'll see that he loves food. He's 18 pounds now and we couldn't be prouder, especially since he had a hard time gaining weight for the first couple of months of his life.

11. If you are ever having a hard day, come see us. Finch will love you until you feel better. I have never felt such a pure and Christlike love like the love Finch has. He is so forgiving, so tender, and so kind. He lights up any room, and when I am having a hard day and don't feel well or I feel like being pregnant is too hard to handle, we snuggle and he helps me to find hope again.

12. He is dramatic. Finch definitely got my flair for being an awesome person until we are freaked out, upset, or unhappy. We get dramatic. We crack up whenever he gets upset because it is very unique and creative and I don't look forward to the temper tantrums we'll have in the grocery store. I guarantee he will reenact a Shakespearean soliloquy and then fall "dead" because he hasn't gotten the cheerios he needs to live. You think I'm being dramatic, but I have found one to take the cake and his name is Finch. We love it though, and I guarantee we will have many years of laughing, crying, sighing, and blushing faces. I can't wait :)

I dub thee, "Sassy Finch"

13. He is a chatterbox. He talks and talks and talks. I love it. He has so much to say and so much to share and I know that he will have so many incredible things to share when he can express his ideas and share his world with me. I love seeing the emotion he has even now when he tries to talk with us, and I look forward to all he will say when he can.

14. He likes monkeys. If you ever want to get him something he likes, he is a monkey man. Oh, and he likes blankets. He likes them all over his face. It freaks me out a lot, but apparently his father is the same way so I guess I'm off the hook, kind of but not really.

15. Finch is super ticklish and has the greatest laugh. It is enough to make you happy and smile even if you have made a contract with the devil to never smile again for a million bucks. You'll smile. We always do :)

So there you go, that's a glimpse into the fun life we share with this magical little person. We love you, Finch, and can't wait for all of the adventures we will share with you. Thank you for making me your Mama, I couldn't imagine a better way to spend my days :)