It's a boy...

I did it!! I gave birth to my son, Jackson Ray Konietzki, at 2:09pm this afternoon!

It was a long painful day, but I'm sooo thankful for it- because without it I would not have this beautiful baby boy!
He's 6lbs. 12oz. and 18 1/2 inches long. Not too big; not too little- just the right size! :)

His big sister came up to visit him later this evening...she wasn't really sure what to think of him or of me or of the hospital setting, but she knew who her Daddy was and that made her happy!

Isn't he cute??

It was definitely a different birth than Hailey's...during my labor with Hailey I was able to touch her head and that was like instant love for me, but this time I didn't feel the same way- it took me a little bit to feel that same love, but it definitely got there! I would do anything- even go through labor again, just for this little man!! :) (who is sleeping very contentedly beside me in his little bassinet right now and who nursed wonderfully- for almost 30 minutes just a little while ago!)

small minds...

...are easily amused! :) And Hailey definitely is easily amused these days! She pretty much wants to do whatever I'm doing and as long as she can is as happy as a clam. :) So, with that in mind we've been getting all ready for the baby to come home...we put a little rocking chair for Hailey in the baby's room, right by my rocking chair, we bought her a little baby doll and a little carrier, and I made her a little wrap so that she can nurse her baby right along with me! I'm so excited for her to meet the new baby- it's gonna be great fun and I think she'll make a great big sister! :)

I'm having a hard time...

imagining what life is going to be like with this new little one around! I'm feeling a little bit disconnected from him and really am worrying that I might not love him as much as Hailey! I know, in my mind, that that is not going to happen, but my heart is having a hard time following suit! When we learned that we are going to have the baby on Monday- if not before- I was in shock. I mean, I fully expected to be pregnant for at least one more week beyond Monday and never anticipated that this would be my last week with only one child. In fact, until my friend asked me how I was doing and how I was feeling about that fact it didn't really sink in...but...now I can't get it off of my mind! Seriously- this is my last week with only one child!!! How crazy is that??? Even as a little girl I dreamed of being a mommy and when Korey and I got married we both said that we wanted a large family, but I never really pictured myself with more than one baby! Not that I didn't really want more than that- I just didn't know what that would look like. I know that sounds incredibly strange coming from a girl who had 4 siblings, but I just always had a hard time imagining how a parent could love each child exactly the same and have enough love to go around...my parent's did an excellent job of exemplifying this, so I'm not sure why I'm having a hard time getting it, but...nobody said that a pregnant lady's mind had to make sense! :)

I'm hoping and praying that this transition to a family of four would go smoothly- for all of us! But, I know that realistically speaking it is going to be a pretty big transition and I'm already dreading it....I guess not so much dreading it as being fearful of it! I'm so scared that Hailey is going to have a really hard time sharing her mommy time with Jackson; I'm fearful of going through labor again; I'm fearful that I may not be able to handle life as a mommy of two; but mostly I'm just fearful that I won't be able to love both of my babies the same!

I'm glad that I wrote this, because just as I was writing it a verse came to my mind Romans 8:37 says that, "in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us"! And that is what I'm going to cling to...I am a conqueror- no matter what my circumstance or my fears- through Jesus Christ, because He loves me and all of the circumstances that come into my life are filtered through His loving hands! Thank you, dear Jesus, for taking my fears and turning them into something that can glorify you! Please give me the strength to glorify and honor You through this new adventure in my life!

sometimes it pays...

to have a Daddy that has to bring home a big truck for work!

Especially when he lets you play in it!! :)

She looks so tiny, doesn't she???

Hailey really liked playing in Daddy's "big truck" and was not very happy when I made her get out...maybe she'll be a line"woman" when she grows up...they say that it runs in the family! ;)

Happy Anniversary to the love of my life!

Today is mine and Korey's 5 year wedding anniversary! Part of me just can't believe that we've been married for this long and part of me can't imagine life not being married, so it feels like it should be longer! ;) What I do know, though, is that I am definitely more in love with this man than I was 5 years ago. It's amazing how when you first get married you think that you love them more than you ever could and you think you know them really well, but it only takes a few days to realize how wrong you were- on both counts!

Korey, I love you more today than the day we got married! I love watching you work on our house and I love how good you are at all of it! I love watching you wrestle with our dog and dance with our daugther. I love how you take such good care of me and how you get up in the middle of the night to check on Hailey! I love how you put your hot sauce on everything I make and how you make a Briqs run at the drop of a hat. I love how excited you got when we found out we were pregnant with Hailey and how you cried the day she was born- I will never forget that look of love on your face as long as I live! I even love fighting with you because I know that you fight fair and that you love me no matter what! I so appreciate how you get up and go to work each day and let me stay home and be a Mom to our baby girl...I know that work isn't fun and it means so much that you do it for us! I have enjoyed every minute of these last 5 years and I can only hope that we have at least 10x's that many more left!

I love you more than a whole room full of books and a comfy sofa! (and that's a lot!) ;)

all the rest can wait...

Hailey is not feeling well these days...she's had a fever for at least 2 days, now, and she's been incredibly snuggly and tired pretty much this whole week. My Mom even said today that it's nice to have the "snuggle time" with her, but it's so sad to see her so sick! :( So, needless to say, I have been doing a lot of snuggling and rocking of Hailey the past few days! Part of me has been loving every minute of it, but sometimes it's hard not to think about all the other stuff that needs to be done around the house. This evening Hailey woke up burning up and crying about an hour after she went to bed so I took her into our bedroom, turned on the a/c and spent an hour just snuggling with her in our bed. She fell asleep almost immediately and didn't even wake up when the dog jumped in to join us. It was such a sweet time for me, especially, when I started thinking about how little time I'll have to do that after Jackson makes his appearance! So, I just didn't think about the fact that the bathroom needed scrubbing, the floors needed vacuuming, the dog needed bathing, the dishwasher needed emptying, and the laundry needed doing and just focused on the sweet sleeping little princess clinging to my neck and prayed that God would give me more times like that!

GratiTuesday!

Today I had my 37 week check up!! First of all, I can't believe that I made it this far- it feels like just yesterday that Korey and I were begging God to give us a baby and now I am only 3 weeks away from having our 2nd child! It's a huge blessing and I'm still in awe of His grace to us through it all!! It has definitely been a lot rougher being pregnant with an active little male child, when your 1st one is 18 months old, than it was just working and being pregnant with one very quiet little girl! :) But, I am loving the thought of having another little one hanging out at our house soon!!!
But, what I'm really thankful for today is the fact that my doctor gave me some great news sy my appointment...he said that if everything looks good next week at my check up I may be looking at possibly getting my membranes stripped a week before my due date!! And, that is the most exciting news I've heard all week! My back has been killing me and I've been having a hard time walking- let alone picking up Hailey or putting her in her crib and the thought of getting this little guy out of my belly and taking some of the pressure off of my hips and back is very appealing! (especially since he's full grown and looking good!)
So, I'm really thankful for this little man that I'm carrying, but I'm super thankful for the fact that I may be able to meet him sooner rather than later! :)

pregnant bellies are beautiful???

Baby Jackson and I had a "photo shoot" with my friend and personal photographer, Sheila Stark, the other day! Here are some of the cute photos we got... ;) I'll let you decide if pregnant bellies are beautiful or not and I'll just reserve my judgement for the child inside of it, since I really don't have a choice!

I hope this little boy knows how much he is loved and adored already...I wouldn't take pics of me looking like this for just anybody! ;)

I just love these little shoes...I found them both at a consignment sale and I'm really looking forward to putting him in them! :)

I like these two, 'cause I'm faceless... ;)

aren't the shoes adorable?? He's gonna look like such a little man!

I guess this is how you know you have a big belly- if you can spell your child's name on it with blocks!! Yikes! At least I couldn't get Jackson on there... ;)
Thanks, Sheila, for taking these and for sharing this special time with me!! I love you!!

a little girl and her truck

Isn't this cute??? I had gotten a box of Korey's trucks up for a friend's son a while back and just forgotten to put it away and Hailey found it yesterday! She had a really good time driving this semi around the kitchen and living room. I didn't let her get all the trucks out, 'cause I didn't want her to break any of them for Korey, but she really didn't seem to mind.

I don't know if she heard my friend's son making "vroom" noises or what, but she even did the right noises as she pushed her little truck around.

It makes me wonder what kind of a girl she's gonna turn out to be...she loves to put on shoes and clomp around the house in them and she loves to change her clothes, but she also seems to really enjoy playing with trucks, being outside, and chasing after bugs...hmmmm...I guess only time will tell! :)

goodbyes are always hard

Yes, we finally said a true "goodbye" to our trailblazer and "hello" to our new minivan, yesterday! It was actually a rather hard goodbye for me. I loved our trailblazer, it was the nicest car I'd ever owned and I just loved driving around in it! :) But, it's such a blessing to "have to" have a minivan! Korey and I prayed for 2 1/2 years that God would bless us with a child and instead of just 1- He blessed us with 2...and we'll see where He takes us from here!! ;)

"For I know the plans I have for you', says the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you; plans to give you a hope and a future." (Jer. 29:11)

This verse is the verse that always makes me think of my sis and bro in law, 'cause they used it at their wedding, but lately I have been thinking about how God has made that verse a huge part of my life. I didn't understand His reasoning when we couldn't get pregnant and I had to cling to the hope that He did have a plan for me and now, even though we have the child we prayed for, it is still a struggle to continue to remember that He does have a plan and a purpose for everything that we go through-hard or easy!

This exciting new adventure of owning a van is part of Korey's and my future and it's gonna be fun to see what God is going to do with us and in us through this van!! Two things I know for sure is that we're gonna be able to take more than just our two kids with us when we go places and we don't have a car payment anymore, and for those two, I'm incredibly excited!

so tired...

Since last Friday we have been running like crazy...back and forth to Wisconsin Rapids every single day and spending most of the day there! For the most part it has been really fun and worth every minute of it, but it has left us all exhausted! My feet are swollen and my ankles are nowhere to be seen, Korey's been snoring to beat the band at night, and Hailey actually let me rock her to sleep a few nights in a row! (and, that is an amazing feat for a baby who doesn't even want to sit on your lap long enough to read a story)

Needless to say...I LOVED every minute of my time spent rocking my baby girl!

Even last night when she woke up...maybe from a bad dream, 'cause she was shaking like a little leaf when I picked her up...I treasured my time spent rocking her and holding her!

The only problem...my BIG belly! Poor Hailey barely fits on my lap with that belly in the way. In fact, last night I just let her rest her head on my belly and we were both a lot more comfortable!! (until the itty bitty bladder started acting up...) :)

family fun

Korey's brother, his wife and their son are up from Texas visiting Korey's Mom and Dad for a few days, so we've been spending a lot of time in our hometown hanging out with the Konietzki family this past week! It has been a blast and Hailey has loved every minute of it!

from playing with Aunty Kelly and the beagle puppies at Grandpa's house...

to watching her cousin Jace play "monkey" on the tree branches...

to hanging out with her second cousin, Austin on the porch steps and jamming to some music...

to hammin' it up and acting like the sweet little girl that we know she can be...

and watching Daddy, Uncle Will, Jace, and Aunt Kelly play on the go karts with Grandpa

It has been a fun filled last few days and we're hoping to have a few more great days with them before they start on the long trip back to Texas Thursday morning! Carin(my sister in law from Texas) and I are both pregnant and being outside in the heat has been pretty rough, but today we pampered ourselves and got pedicures, so that pretty much made all the heat worthwhile for me! I LOVE how great and relaxed my feet feel- plus, they are pink and have an adorable little flower on each big toe! Hopefully it'll last until I have the baby--it'll give me something cute to look at during labor! ;) hehehe...

a little girls best friend

...or favorite play toy! I'm not sure that Allie would say that Hailey is her best friend or favorite play toy, but Hailey sure loves her "doggie"! She has to show everyone who comes to our house the doggie, even if she's in the bedroom or locked in the mudroom and when she wakes up in the morning the first thing she looks for is her doggie!

fortunately, Allie is a rather big dog, so she can take a little bit of "baby" abuse from Hailey, 'cause a few of her favorite things to do are lean on her when she's hanging around and "pet" her on the head! Poor Allie pretty much takes this all in stride, but she does enjoy "hiding" on our bed- the only place where Hailey can't follow her! :)

these two really are like siblings, though...I can't go to the bathroom without them both following me and if I shut the door Allie will push it open and they'll both come in and fight for the place right by my legs! If I sit down to read Hailey a story Allie will come and place her head right on my leg- just to let me know that she's there, too! If we feed Allie something Hailey will come and "beg" for something, too! The worst, though, is if I take one of them outside- the other has to be close at my heels so there's no chance they can be left behind! Poor Allie has definitely gotten the short end of the stick since Hailey's been born, but who wouldn't love this sweet little thing who says, "bye-bye Allie" everytime we leave and she's at home and races to the door when we get home to see her "doggie"??

switch it change it- rearrange it!

That's what I feel has been the "theme" for the Konietzki house the last few days! We've been rearranging furniture, switching the kids bedrooms and generally just creating a lot of chaos for poor Hailey! I'm not sure she knows what to do with all the "change" going on here...so, I'm glad that we did it all about a month before the new baby comes and really upsets her life! :)

Welcome to Hailey's "big girl" bedroom:

My dear friend gave Hailey the adorable "girly" bedroom set and we created the room around that! Thanks, Christina!

I brought in a few of her old pieces- her crib, dresser, diaper pail and toys, but all the rest is new! (even the new pink toy basket)

My sister painted two beautiful flowers and "Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so" on the wall for Hailey! It turned out incredilby adorable!

Hailey was so helpful and cute while we did her room! She used her eraser on the wall, when I was erasing the lines, she tried to hang a piece of paper on the wall while I hung up the frames and she stole the hammer and tried to pound stuff everywhere after I had put up the clock!

And, now that Hailey is out of the nursery it was time to set it up for Jackson! Welcome to his new digs:

we got a football and a baseball hook set and some fun stuff at IKEA...put in a new dresser, changing table and crib added a blue valance, instead of a pink one and it feels like a new space!

Hailey was incredibly intrigued with trying out the swing and bouncy seat! (and carrying the tiny little diapers all over the house...)