Apparently...

Apparently big pregnant bellies work great as felt story boards for retelling "The Very Hungry Caterpillar..."

And apparently Josie is quite ready for her baby sister  (and has not let this baby doll leave her side since her Grandma bought it for her yesterday)...

"pregnant mommy"

Josie's drawing of me with her in my tummy that she did all by herself and couldn't wait to show me.

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first ballet class...

...in pink and pig-tails, thanks to the best dad a little girl could ever hope for.

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Bedrest Report, 33 weeks & counting...

It's week three of strict bedrest (and thirteen weeks since the initial modified bedrest mandate). After another great doctor's appointment today, the preterm labor signs are slowing down and the bedrest is working.  Our first big goal of 34 weeks gestation is in our sights & we are all so excited!  While mandated bedrest might sound like winning the lottery to some of you, trust me - it stinks! It's painful, frustrating and oddly exhausting.  I'm not going to complain because, as I've said lots of times before, we are willing to do just about anything to become a family a four. But, suffice it to say that spending 23 hours a day horizontal is no picnic.  Luckily, I have the best husband and daughter on the planet and they've both been unbelievable through all of this. We've had lots of help from family, friends & neighbors and once again we are reminded of the importance of gratitude. 
I've been using all my extra time to get caught up with friends, spend (probably too much) money shopping online, organize lots of things on my computer (like thousands of pictures from the last four years), teach myself how to really use my camera, and of course create the new blog. In that sense, it hasn't been all bad. The funny thing is that when I do look back at pictures, they're all taken from the couch.  Funny stuff. Here are some shots of Josie practicing different faces for the camera.  I love this little girl!

 Lou captured some couch cuddle time - which is another perk of bedrest.

 And here are a couple moments courtesy of Josie that just make me smile. 

A nap for Daisy & Minnie

Hard at work with the stencils

Keep those good vibes coming my friends. They are working!  In other exciting news, we've kicked into full-time baby mode here at the Schneider Ranch.  All the baby gear has been unearthed from the basement and we've taken stock on what we still need; the crib, bedding, stroller & car seat have all been purchased; the plan for the girls' bedroom is moving from theory into action; the changing table & co-sleeper are set up in our bedroom and (in short) it's all happening!  And these are the things that I thought we'd never get to do again. And for each of these things, we are extremely grateful!

Welcome!

Welcome to our new & improved FOUR SCHNEIDERS blog!  

We are so happy you are here.  

This new blog will pick up where Three Schneiders left off and kick it up a notch from there.  The biggest change is the list of tabs just below our header.  I get asked a lot of questions from friends and family about a number of topics and this seemed like a great place to collect and hold all those great links, books, products, etc. Take a look around and feel free to make suggestions for things we can add. 

You will also find Josephine's birth story and the new baby's birth story ("to be determined") as well as old favorites like the "Things We've Learned So Far" list.  We have also honored our journey from a family of three to a family four in the "On Hope and Loss: Our Road to Four" tab.  This page will link you back to the posts from Three Schneiders about our struggles with infertility and loss.  One of the hardest parts of miscarriage is feeling alone, and I hope this page will be a place that brings some solace and peace to anyone else who unfortunately has to experience the loss of a child.

So...welcome aboard!

We'd love to hear your feedback, comments & suggestions.

Thanks for taking the next step of this exciting journey with us.

Four Schneiders Photo Shoot

After Josie's birth, I really regretted not having professional maternity photos taken. After all of our problems with infertility and miscarriage, I grew to regret this decision even more because I was sure I would never be pregnant again. I vowed to get pro photos taken if we did miraculously ever get pregnant, but once we did I still kept dragging my feet. I guess, like so much else over the last 9 months, I was afraid to book the shoot because it felt too risky. It's been so hard to let ourselves get excited and nothing about this pregnancy has been normal or uncomplicated. We are just very guarded and getting these photos taken was a big step toward acceptance and letting go. Finally, I did it. I purchased a "bump and first year" photography package from Krysia Photography and I started to get really excited. And then the bedrest happened.  I seriously wanted to scream out to the universe - Come On! Really?! - and the vision for the family photo shoot started to slip away.  Luckily, the photographer we hired had experienced pre-term birth of her twin sons and completed sympathized with our situation. She willingly came here - to our house - complete with backdrops, camera bags and lighting - to help make my dream of capturing the miracle of this pregnancy come true. And honestly, we could not be happier with the results!  (If you are looking for a family photographer, definitely check out Krysia Photography. I will be keeping a link to this working-mom's business here on my blog and under the "Things We Love" tab.)

Like most great photographs, I think these images speak for themselves. Enjoy.

 

Looking Ahead

This is the future site of the Schneider family after the birth of our second child. :)

Here's a photo from the day we reserved this site -