J is for Jordan AND Jealousy

Jordan is excited for a baby brother (I know, it's a girl) and had an opportunity to practice being a big sister this weekend when we finally got to visit Cari Anne, Doug, and Baby Kelly in Kentucky! We had a GREAT visit - minus the 30 seconds when I held Kelly with Jordan watching and screaming "Take ME!" She did much better when I held Baby Kelly AND Baby Jordan (no more big girl, we are back to being a baby).

Karter/Haley isn't even here yet, and I've already learned so much -

(1) When things aren't going according to my plan, I can step back, relax, and realize that they are going exactly to HIS plan - and HIS plan was formed with the most thoughtful intentions, where as my plans often have no logical intentions. (I know, it shouldn't have take me 29 years to figure this out, but sometimes a dead fish has to slap you in the face a few times before you smell it).

(2) J is for Jordan AND jealousy, and we've got a really long road ahead! We hope you'll join us in our travels! (Long doesn't mean bad, it just means that we may never find that paved interstate that folks talk about - but, our feet are getting use to the gravel and mud so we're ready for the challenge)!

Jordan brushing her teeth, watching some morning cartoons, and getting ready for another fun day in KY - does this look like a baby to you?

Playroom

At one point, we had a very sophisticated home office. Over time, toys have slowly made their way into the office, and the room has been losing its identity. Jared and I gave in this weekend - moving the office to the basement and converting this space to a therapy and playroom for Jordan and Karter. (We still plan to change out some wall art and move the toy box from Jordan's room down to the playroom, but that is a BIG project for another day.)

Jordan loves her new space and is especially proud of the blue curtains that she chose and Daddy hung for her!

Way to go Big Sis!

Jordan had her first Botox injection this morning and had to be fully sedated (again). I just got a text from Daddy that our big girl did great! She is awake, drinking juice, and eating cookies. Now Karter/Haley/Baby #2 and I can breathe again - we are so super proud of the big sis!!

~ Thank you for the prayers and support ~

Jordan calls her Carter

Jared and I thought that we were 100% (or at least 95%) on calling our baby girl Haley Kaye. We even thought that Jordan LOVED the name. As it turns out, Jordan loves school and she loves her friend at school name Haley :) She won't budge from Carter for the baby in mommy's belly...

So now we're wondering...

Can we call a baby girl Karter? Does the K make it more femanine? Or is this like the boy named Sue?

We're thinking that if we go that route, we may need to rethink the middle name and use something more girlie...

Karter Elizabeth Rinker
Karter Anne Rinker
Karter Christina Rinker
Karter Haley Rinker
Haley Karter Rinker
Karter Alexis Rinker
Karter Grace Rinker
Karter Reese Rinker

Got an opinion or another idea? Clilck on "Comment" below and leave us your thoughts!

It's a...

GIRL!!!

We are excited to share that Jordan will have a little sister, Haley Kaye! Another big healthy baby girl!

Haley weighs approximately 15 oz and is tracking about a week older than her current due date - the ultrasound tech told us that this doesn't mean that she'll come sooner, just that she is a big girl!!

She was very cooperative with giving us all the views we needed to see her important parts, but she has proven to be a bit less photogenic...

Patience is not for the pregnant!

After my due date moved out for the 2nd time last week, I'm a little nervous going into Thursday's ultrasound! What if we move it out for the 3rd time? What if I slap the ultrasound tech?

A quick comment to note, we will have to schedule delivery for Baby Rinker #2 - and the general guidance I received from the doctor is that we should be able to expect to schedule 1-2 weeks prior to the due date.

So, given the current revised due date of Jan 5, 1 week prior would be Dec 29, 2 week prior would be Dec 22. Hope that helps - cast your vote!

Just for Kicks

I had my 19 week appointment today. The doctor is pleased with how things are progressing - so far, so good! We listened to the baby's heart beat again - loud and strong! We even heard a kick - and he/she is definitely a kicker already!!

But here's the other kicker, my due date has been pushed out 3 days to Jan 5 - ugh, no one likes their date to move in *that* direction (again)!!

Boy or Girl?

We'll find out on Thursday, Aug 19 at 10:30a! I'll be sure to report back promptly with the results!

After 12 votes, 58% of you think that Baby Rinker #2 will be a Boy! It's not too late to cast your vote!

Big Sister-To-Be

In preparation for a busy couple of weeks, we used the weekend to take in a little Pennsylvania sun -
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Jordan is getting ready to be a GREAT big sister - she's talking in full sentences and is learning her manors, saying Please, Thank you, You're welcome, and Excuse me.

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She "can't wait" (her words) to show the baby some of her favorite things to do in the pool like "swimming like Daddy" and "splash Daddy"!

Haley's Room

I think we've chosen baby girl bedding! I love that the quilt can be embroidered, the combination of colors and designs, and that the quilt actually looks as functional as it does cute! I am picturing a pale yellow wall - and accents of Baby Minnie and friends stuffed animals and sit arounds. I also like the idea of stencilling the alphabet and numbers somewhere on the wall! Can we make random work? If so, I love it!
Ironically, Caitlin was one of the names that we considered, but Jared and I could not agree on a spelling.

Carter's Room

Have you ever heard the saying about some kids needing to have pork chops tied around their necks to get the dogs to play with them? Well, it was with that mindset that we chose the bedding for Carter's room. Now, if Carter turns out to be a Haley, we'll have to go a different route, but the thought here is that Jordan is more likely to love the baby if the baby is friends with Mickey Mouse!

Picture this with white wainscoting and a yellow slightly lighter than Mickey's shoes on top! (The baby will inherit Jordan's crib set, which is sort of a medium oak).

Getting a facelift!

If you visit us regularly, you probably already noticed that our blog received a facelift this morning! I chose something cheery, because as of last week (week 17), the morning sickness is finally gone!! I celebrated last Saturday with my first pregnancy facial!

Check out the poll I added to the right side of the page, and be sure to cast your vote! With Jordan, no one was surprised to hear that we were having a girl (including us), so let's see if this baby is just as predictable!