Genetic Consult

So today I went to see a genetic counselor for a consult. She was very nice and basically we went over mine and Matt's complete family medical history. I explained Gracie's diagnosis and told her that we had blood work done and everything came back normal. No traces of a blood clotting disorder or strokes in our family history. She had me speak to the Dr who also concluded that I'm doing everything preventative that I can and he didn't recommend any baby aspirin or blood thinners.

He did however agree with my OB that we would do more in depth ultrasounds to monitor the baby and brain activity. Which I'm more than happy with. Not only does this relieve further stress from me but I also get a sneak peak at our little girl a few more times before we get to meet her face to face.

On a lighter note, I feel this baby is going to be MUCH bigger than Gracie was at just 7 lbs. It seems like overnight my stomach has popped and while my weight gain in on track...my stomach is definitely feeling bigger at 6 months that it was with Gracie at 6 months. I guess we shall see when she gets here.

The name selection is coming pretty close. We are about 80% sure of her first name. I'll make sure to let you know when we are closer to 100%. We still want to pray about it and make sure it's the "right" name.

Well time for Gracie's bottle and bed time. I at least got to update this quickly. Until next time.....

Gracie update

So as many of you know Gracie has been crawling now for over a month. And let me tell you, the girl never wants to sit still. She worked on cruising with her therapist on Tuesday and she said how quickly she is improving and said she will be walking in two to three months. And she said she won't be walking for long..she'll be running. Just in time for her baby sister to arrive.

I have no idea how I'm going to manage a running toddler and a newborn. Each day my anxiety grows, but I am also getting very excited to meet this little girl. We are slowly narrowing down the name selection. I'm sure by the time she arrives we will figure this out. I just think girls names are harder than boys and we care about the meaning of the name as well so we take that into consideration when picking out the names.

Gracie recently got her Bennick glove, which is made of neoprene, and helps to keep her hand slightly opened and her thumb out. She is suppose to wear it during the day but sometimes I forget. She has a purple one and a black one because everyone knows that black goes with just about any thing! :) We have an appt. next week to get fitted for her AFO (leg brace). This one I'm not so thrilled about but it will help her walk and since she is always on her feet these days, it is important to get her in it asap. The therapist explained the feeling of it like a ski boot. I know she isn't going to like it at first but with time hopefully she will get use to it.

I was in the bank yesterday and the teller asked why she had a brace on her hand. It's hard to know exactly how to explain to a stranger why she needs it. I'm sure some days I'll just say something generic and some days I might feel the need to explain. And in time, Grace will decide what she wants to tell people. Gracie's OT is a hemi-peligia and she says she appreciates when people would ask instead of just stare! At the end of the day, I hope that Grace doesn't care what people think of her, and that she can be confindent in herself and her differences. I don't want her to ever feel like she has limitations in life.

I believe her perserverance and her determination (she displays those qualities now) will take her far in life. Everyone that meets her and gets the chance to know her believes she is special, and it's not because of what happened to her brain, it's because of the little person she is today and will be tomorrow.

Here is a short video I took of her when she first started crawling. Her PT and OT said it's not common for a baby with hemi to crawl bilaterally on all fours. We couldn't be more proud!

Memorial Day Weekend!

I'm behind and out of order with my blogs these days but it's hard to find 10 minutes of alone time when I don't have to work or do chores around the house. But I had to blog about our memorial day weekend because it was soooo much fun!

We started the weekend out by headed to the Strawberry Festival in Pungo! I've always heard of this famous strawberry festival but never attended till this year. They had a HUGE parade, strawberry everything..daiquiri's, shortcake, ice-cream, etc. They had a fair, entertainment, rides. It was a big deal. We went with our friends Amy, Kevin, and Gracie's boyfriend Peyton! We were super excited to be able to pick the strawberry's from the fields but by the time we got there was a "All Picked Out" sign up. So we did what many new parents would do, we bought some strawberries and put the kids in the field for a photo op of course. Little did we know there were still some stray strawberries left and the kids found them quickly.





After the strawberry festival we headed home for much needed naps (all of us). Then we headed over to Beth and Andy's for a cookout.

Then on Memorial Day we went to the Norfolk Botanical Gardens with our buddies again. We got some really great pics in the kid's water area and in the beautiful rose gardens.






Overall it was a fun-filled, memorable day. Gracie also had her first grilled cheese sandwhich and strawberries. She loves them both!

Weekend Get-a-way!

Matt and I recently went away for the weekend to celebrate our 4th anniversary. This was our first weekend away from Grace so we didn't want to go far. We ended up at a beautiful B&B in Nags Head, NC. It was great but we really missed Grace a lot!

Before Grace and baby girl to be we traveled a lot. We have been to Mexico twice (once on our honeymoon and loved it so much went back 6 months later) and then celebrated our 2nd anniversary in Punta Cana, DR. We had been planning our third anniversary trip to Italy when we found out that we were pregnant with Grace. But who can compare the two..obviously Italy can wait...we were so thrilled with the news of Grace's birth.

Now with Grace getting older and traveling even better than she did last summer, we just want to take her everywhere with us. She is the queen of road trips. At just three and half months old we took her to GA, TN, and AL for a 10 day adventure. I couldn't believe how well she did! I think she is going to love road trips like her mom and dad. :)

Now with baby girl #2 on her way, we new if we didn't get away now just the two of us, it might not happen for a very long time. It was nice to get away with no agenda or schedules. We went to a late movie, slept in, ate good food, and layed on the beach and relaxed all day. However, the topic of many a conversation was GRACE! We were at dinner one night when I saw the cutest little girl...a few months older than Grace....laughing and hugging her Grandpap...when all of a sudden...I started crying! At that moment, Matt and I realized that as much as we needed our time away that we wanted to take Grace everywhere we went. We wanted to experience all our vacations and get-a-ways with her. So as much fun as we did have I don't know that we'll do again anytime soon.

The McClain Clan isn't just the two of us anymore..it's the four of us!!! That is still so crazy to think about. In less than two years we are going from two to four! And we couldn't imagine life any other way!!

Happy 4th Anniversary to the Love of my Life!

I often blog about Grace and being a mom but today I want to talk about my husband, Matt! Grace and baby girl to be wouldn't even exist if it weren't for my wonderful husband who, despite my crazy quirks and lack of common sense, decided to marry me four years ago today!

It's crazy to look back on your life and all the mins, hours, days, weeks,months, and years that led you to where you are today! I remember praying for my husband to be and just praying period that the Lord would bring the right man into my life to be my husband and the father of my children. I remember days where it seemed like that day might never happen. I had to slay a lot of dragons to get to my prince! But on March 21st, 2003, in a very unlikely place ( if you don't know the story of how we met you'll have to ask me later..that's another story) God brought us together. We weren't even ready for each other at the time but after much time, struggles,joys, and hurts....He took two messed up individuals and made something wonderful out of them..husband and wife! I can't even fathom my life with out Matthew McClain! He has brought out the best in me and has made me want to be a better woman, mother, and wife.

Here are some pics of us throughout the past four years!!

I love you honey! I can't wait to spend many many more years with you and our kids! Thank you for choosing me and for putting up with all my imperfections. You are an amazing man and father and I couldn't be more blessed to have you in my life. I am so proud of you! Happy Anniversary!

A Big Day!!!

Gracie started crawling today!! This is a huge accomplishment for any baby but especially for Grace as the strength and mobility on her right side isn't equal to that on her left side. Her Physical Therapist and her Occupational Therapist both said she would be crawling very soon and they were right. She is only 12 months old ( well 13 months next week) and we are just soooo proud of her. She has the best personality and is such a joy to be around. We really are so optimistic about her future and know there is no obstacle in life that she won't be able to overcome and accomplish.

She has started a lot of firsts this week. She has a new face and if I was fast enough with the camera to catch it I would put it on here. It's kind of a pouty, mean, faker face. It is sooo funny. She has learned to high five, clap her hands (which we've been working on for months now), standing up in her crib, and now crawling. It's amazing how fast she is growing and changing. She isn't a baby anymore! It's sad but exciting to witness!


Last weekend Grace had a full day of Weddings. We went to Jennifer and Matt's wedding in Newport News, VA in the morning! My parents were at this wedding so you could imagine their excitement to get to see Grace too.



Then we spent the evening at Joe and Natalia's wedding. Grace love the live band and danced with half of the wedding party and guests. She was a huge hit. Despite the long day she didn't cry one time. It was a fun filled day and we are so happy for both couples as they start their lives together!!

It's another Girl!!

We found out that we are going to have another little girl!! We are so excited and can't wait to meet her. Gracie and baby girl #2 are going to be 18 months apart!! We hope that they will be great friends. We don't have a name yet but I'm sure we'll have one by the time she is born.

We are expecting her arrival around Oct. 3rd. I'm 20 weeks so we are halfway there. Can't wait to meet you baby girl!!