It's a...

A week ago we had our 20 week ultrasound and were able to spend 25 minutes looking at our little peanut. It is the most humbling and surreal experience to see this little life moving and squirming around. Brent was meeting me at the ultrasound so he could get Isla settled with my friend who came to watch her while we were gone. And wouldn't you know... they were ahead of schedule (which never happens) and had me go back before Brent was there. I started to panic a little as the ultrasound got underway, but was relieved when Brent sheepishly knocked on the door.

This little one almost didn't cooperate enough to allow the tech to determine its gender. But after enough poking and pushing, the baby gave an obstinant series of kicks back, and turned enough to see what we were so patiently waiting to see: It's a girl!!! We are so excited to give Isla a little sister, and know the two girls will be good friends as they grow together. Brent and I had not been unable to agree on a boy's name, but have had a girl's name picked out for quite awhile. We're 99% sure this baby will be named Norah Lee Lacey. Norah, because we loved the name (though I did find out that my great great grandmother was named Nora), and Lee after Brent's mother's middle name. The first time we heard the combination, it felt so right and perfect. We can't wait to meet our little Norah!!

A question...

Why do you always feel most inspired to do something when you can't do anything about it right then? My good husband is doing a fitness challenge and has been really inspiring with his dedication to eating better. The problem: I'm almost 5 months pregnant, and getting "in shape" right now seems a little futile. Sigh. Instead, I guess I'll just have to focus my efforts on eating healthy for this little baby and hope the motivation lasts another 5 months.

P.S. It should be against the "rules" for husbands to get skinnier while their wives are pregnant. Just saying. :)

Still here.

Maybe I need to stop recommitting to my blog. It seems to be the kiss of death to any new posts. Knowing it has been almost a year since my last post, the thought of having to play "catch-up" makes me want to scrap the whole idea. So instead, I'll do a quick recap, and then move on.

We're back in Arizona! If you'd asked me a year ago if we'd ever be back in Arizona, I would have given a definite "no". But after months and months of interviewing in Washington, we started to consider leaving our beloved NW. The whole process was inspired and a new, better job fell into place with little to no effort by Brent. We feel incredibly blessed to be back in Arizona, where we left many good friends and lots of great memories. We love our new ward and the great friends we're making. Our house and neighborhood are amazing and Isla is loving all the added space (with a backyard to boot).



To add to the blessings we have received, we found out in December that we're expecting Baby Lacey #2 in August! In another week and a half we find out if Isla will have a little brother or sister. She will be a great older sister and will LOVE having a playmate besides mom.

Speaking of our little Isla... she's not so little anymore. This month she turned 18 months and has definitely become the queen of the house. She loves to "talk" aka ramble on and on with out making much sense. But has slowly begun to add more and more words to her vocabulary. She continues to say "dadda", "hey", "hi", and "Isla" but has recently added "shoe", "key", "bye-bye", "hot", and finally... "momma". She enjoys singing with daddy and has started to sing the ABC's on her own (though we might be the only people who can really tell what she's saying). At her 18 month visit she continued to be off the chart in height and 45th percentile in weight. She loves being outside and really loves when daddy gets home and wrestles with her before bed.



All in all, we have no room for complaint (though I can always find some), and feel very blessed to have a healthy little family. I hesitate to say that I'll try to post more, but I will. We'll see how this goes...

Not so little anymore.

Now that Isla is almost 8 months old, I thought it was time to finally update our blog.



Isla was blessed Thanksgiving weekend. She looked like a little princess in the dress that her Aunt Shannon made for her big day. Both sets of grandparents were able to attend, along with many aunts and uncles. It was a special day.





In December, Isla took her first big road trip to Montana. We had so much fun with Grandma and Grandpa Lacey, Aunt Shannon, Aunt Natalie, and Uncle Justin. Isla almost slept through Christmas morning, but managed to wake up before she missed all the fun. Grandma and grandpa gave Isla a warm snow suit and daddy started the brainwashing by presenting her with her first piece of BYU apparel.





Isla has grown and changed so much in the last few months! She is a very happy baby who always seems to be smiling. She loves to talk and wiggle and is constantly making us laugh. She rolls and sits up and would probably be crawling, if she didn't hate being on her stomach so much. She LOVES to stand, and could easily walk before she crawls. We can't imagine our lives without our little Isla girl. I'm so grateful to be her mom. Happy Mother's Day!!



More updates to come, along with more current pictures. :)

If you hadn't heard...

Introducing Isla Jean Lacey

If you hadn't heard, we had our little girl on September 14th, 2010 at 4:08 am. Isla weighed in at 7 pounds 11 ounces and stretched out to 20.5 inches. It was a very eventful couple of days, leading up to her birth. I'll spare too many details, but Brent and I went in at 8 pm on September 12th and were officially induced the next morning. With lots of IV problems and 3 hours of pushing (fun!), little Isla finally made her entrance into the world.

Within seconds, she was looking for something to eat and latched on right away. By Wednesday morning, we were home and healing.

Now, seven weeks later, all are healthy and happy. It's crazy how the time has flown! Minus the little scare Isla gave us after not gaining weight, she is healthy, happy and gaining as she should. She's still tiny, but she's now cooing and smiling all the time. She has consistently slept through the night for almost a month, and mommy couldn't be happier. :) We love her so much, and can't imagine our lives without her.

Brent and I have felt so much gratitude for the many friends and family who have helped us through this transition. Thank you for making us feel so loved!

I'm not going to lie, and say that our blog won't be all about Isla now, but I can't. She has quickly become the center of our lives and we can't help but brag and show off this little cutie!

There will be lots more Isla to come.

What a day!

It was quite the day today! My official due date was yesterday, and I was very excited to have my 40 week OB visit today. I couldn't wait to hear how I was progressing and when this baby was coming.

I should have known it would be a long visit when I got to the doctor's office and they had double booked my appointment. Forty minutes later, I was in an exam room and being told that I still wasn't dilated! At all! Besides that, the baby was ready and positioned perfectly. So we started talking about options for induction and when I could/should do it. I was told that I would have to come in the night before and receive a drug to help me dilate (which could take up to 12 hours), then I would be induced the next morning.

Okay... sounded easy enough. But then my doctor also wanted me to have a non-stress test done as I mentioned that she wasn't moving AS MUCH. Maybe I should have been more specific. She is always moving. So anything less is probably normal for most babies. So... she sent me across the hospital to have some tests run. Two hours later I managed to freak out my husband, worry my family that I was having the baby, have a very detailed ultrasound (which I loved!) and spent 20 minutes with monitors hooked up to my stomach. The conclusion: baby is fine and healthy. What a relief and thank heaven for insurance!

We did learn some fun things today:

#1- Our baby has hair! It was pointed out to me in the ultrasound and I was so excited!

#2- Our baby may not have inherited the "Platt Melon Head", as the ultrasound tech said it was normal for a baby at 40 week. Thank heaven!

#3- The baby is now weighing approximately 8 pounds, 9 ounces. Exactly my birth weight! Let's hope she doesn't get any bigger.

#4- She's as camera shy as her mother. She kept her little arm over her face the entire ultrasound!

#5- She'll have her mother's chubby cheeks (on her face). :) When you can see them from the ultrasound, you know they're "bad".

#6- This baby will either have a birth date of September 13th, or sooner.

#7- Last, but not least... she's the most adorable baby ever!!

There you have it. My oh-so-exciting day at Evergreen Hospital. We're so glad that she's healthy and that we get to meet her soon!

A little redundant.

I'm really struggling with keeping my blog up, and I blame Facebook. I don't feel that I have anything new or excited to post, that hasn't already been posted on Facebook. Is anyone reading this that doesn't have a Facebook account??

Well, just in case, I'll write a quick post. Today marks week 37 of this pregnancy. I cannot believe how fast the time has gone! At the same time, I feel that I've been pregnant forever. I saw a digital pregnancy test commercial on t.v. today, and got a little reminiscent. We used the same test and I remember how crazy it was to see the word "pregnant" as clear as can be. That was December 26th, and the last 9 months have been full of so many changes for our little family. I'm even more in love with my amazing husband than I was before, and cannot wait to meet this little one.

My doctor informed me today that the baby is dropping and that now it is just a matter of time. How surreal. It looks like the next post will be to introduce Isla Jean to the world.