Author Archives: Chase & Britt
She’s here!!
Our sweet baby girl Chloe Jane McGough was born on April 10th at 10:28 pm!
I know I am a little late on announcing it on here, but things have been super busy with grandparents, aunts, cousins, and friends in town, baby snuggles, chasing a busy toddler, trying to catch up on sleep, and finally getting all the pics I have taken so far (there are lots… ) on my computer. So I apologize (even though I have posted a ton of pics on fb and instagram), but I assure you we have been enjoying Chloe to pieces and trying to soak up every moment of the sweet “newborn-ness” as possible- because it is over oh so quickly.
We are overjoyed to have her as part of our family. She has been such a little blessing. She is SO chill. (just like her daddy) Sometimes when we have her in the swing we forget that she is even here because she just lays there quietly and hardly makes a peep. I know that she is only 9 days old and all of this could change any day, but we are enjoying it for now and praising Jesus for her health and sweet self.
6 lbs. 4 oz, 19 inches and lots of dark hair!
(she left the hospital and was 6 lbs and 3 days later had already gained an ounce! She is a great little nurser! I am sure she will be back up or if not past her birth weight at her 2 week check-up)
There are parts of her that look a lot like Lydia, but at the same time she is her own little person (she actually looks a lot like me when I was born- my parents keep saying that it feels like they are looking at me when the hold her)
Chase is head over heels for his girls. He is such a wonderful girl dad, I am so thankful for him and how he serves our family. We are 3 blessed girls.
Our little family of four! Makes my heart happy. Praise the Lord whom all blessings flow.
Lydia’s reaction to her baby sis could not have been any better… she was so gentle and sweet with her. She LOVES her already. She wants to hold her and kiss her and takes her baby dolls and wants to swaddle them, feed them, burp them and even lifted her shirt to nurse once! We haven’t seen a ton of behavioral differences since we brought Chloe home, however, Chase feels like she has been a little more testy with him and the past few days she has been pretty clingy to me. But overall, we have been blessed with a great big sister for Chloe… can’t wait to see them grow up together and become best of friends!
When we came home from the hospital we were welcomed by all her grandparents (except grandma linda- we missed you!) and Auntie Aubrey! They had balloons and this welcome home sign hung up for us. It was fun to come home to a house full of family and much different than our experience with Lydia. We are thankful that we were able to share this special time with our family.
Chloe – fruitful grace and beauty Jane- gift from God; Jehovah has been gracious
We chose Jane for her middle name because we feel like she is our little gift from God in this season of life. She was a surprise and came in the midst of lots of transition, but such a GREAT gift and we couldn’t be happier. Thank you for your prayers for my pregnancy, her healthy and her delivery.
Hope to post her birth story soon! Until then I will be snuggling a newborn and chasing a toddler around 🙂 Thankful to be these girls momma.
“Behold, children are a heritage form the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. ”
Psalm 127:3
38 weeks {5 days}
We have had a crazy couple of weeks with miss Chloe Jane (yes we finally decided on a middle name!!). At our appointment last week (37 weeks) we saw a different doctor and when she was listening to her heartbeat it was lower than it should have been (112 and then went back up to 120 and 130… ) so she wanted us to go get a BPP (bio physical profile ultrasound test) just to make sure that everything was ok. During the test Chloe did great and her heart rate was back up in the 130s and 140s. Then they put me on the monitor for 30 min for an NST (non-stress test) to have a longer reading of her heart rate. During this time it looked great- she had lots of variability (Aubrey tells me this is a good thing and what they look for- when the heartbeat has accelerations), but at one point she had a slight deceleration (which could have been her sitting on the cord or something else), but turned out to be nothing to be concerned about. However, the on call doctor was relayed incorrect information about the readings and wanted us to come down to the hospital for a longer reading/testing, but luckily there was a mid-wife that came back after lunch that read the strip and heard the report and said that everything looked great and that it wasn’t necessary to go down for more testing that day (Aubs read the strip too and said the same thing- so thankful for her!). They compromised at me going in for twice weekly BPP’s and a growth scan up until she is born. It was such a long day with lots of emotions, but at the end of the day we were super thankful that everything checked out fine and has been great ever since. Even though it seemed like unnecessary worry and tests, I am glad that we got to check in on her and know for sure that she is doing good! Praise the Lord!
On Thursday (yesterday) we had our second BPP for the week and as the ultrasound tech was looking for Chloe’s head she instead said, “Ummm, thats the baby’s bladder…” and I responded with, “What?!” because the position of her bladder was in the same spot that her head was in on Monday… she continued to move the wand up toward my ribs and said, “yup, there’s her head. This baby is breech!” I could not believe what I was hearing! I was in TOTAL shock. That little stinker had somehow turned herself around between Monday and Thursday and is now no where near the correct position for birth!! Everything else looked great though.
So we went down to see my doctor afterward and discussed our options. We talked about doing a version to externally try to get her to flip around, going to a chiropractor or getting acupuncture. We decided that we didn’t want to force anything that could cause risk to Chloe (even if the risk is low), so we decided to go for praying (and maybe doing some fun gymnastic type moves at home) to get Chloe to flip on her own and if she doesn’t then we have a c-section scheduled for 9:30 am on Thursday, April 10th! If she happens to be head down that morning then we will induce and try to have her vaginally but if she is still breech we will get to have our sweet baby girl in our arms before lunch on Thursday!!!
I have lots of mixed emotions about all of this. Mostly still in shock– didn’t think she could actually flip this late in the game esp when there is NO room left! Of course a c-section was not at all what I had in mind for this birth and so I am having to come to terms with it and all that it entails. It is a blessing that we are living with my mom and to have her help. I was really looking forward to laboring with my sister and getting to experience it again with Chase, but I know that it will be just as special and just as sweet when we get to hear her cry and hold her for the first time. I am thankful for a healthy baby and excited/nervous for next week! Chase keeps telling me that I love a plan and now I have one, so that’s a positive too!
How far along? 38 weeks (5 days)
Total weight gain: I think I am up to 25 +/- lbs now! – just can’t seem to resist having dessert every night… !
Maternity clothes? yup, and sick of them at this point
Stretch marks? I found a couple :/
Sleep: been sleeping pretty good except for potty breaks
Best moment this week: when Lydia kissed Chloe and gave her milk from her baby doll’s bottle… cannot wait to see her reaction to her baby sister! (hoping and praying she adjusts well…)
Miss Anything? laying on my stomach and back- regular clothes
Movement: apparently lots since she did a summersault to face the wrong way!
Just saw this comment from last time… guess I spoke too soon!! We went to the doctor today and she is head down, back up and in perfect position for birth! Hoping she stays this way and just continues to move downward 🙂
Food cravings: steak, yogurt with fresh fruit, popsicles
Anything making you queasy or sick: not really
Gender: girl!!- this has been confirmed several times in the ultrasounds
Labor Signs: I was 1 cm and long yesterday… which now I hope I just stay the same since I can’t go into labor and have her breech anyway… still having Braxton Hicks daily thou.
Symptoms: sore back, cramping, big belly!
Belly Button in or out? out
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: happy and nervous about the c-section
Looking forward to: kissing and holding Chloe on Thursday!!
Lydia at 18 months…
Its been a while since I have blogged about our sweet Liddy Bug. She has been changing so much lately – its crazy how fast time flies. I wish I could bottle her up at this stage and keep it forever. She is just so.much.fun.
She is full of energy, is non-stop from the moment she wakes up to when she naps to bedtime. (well except for about 10-30 minutes of snuggle time during milk and cartoons in the morning and after nap) She keeps us on our toes and makes us smile and laugh EVERYDAY- a true blessing especially in the midst of a tough transition season for our little family. She plays really well by herself as long as you are in the same area as she is. When she plays she skips from one toy or object (plastic cups and lids or spice jars in the kitchen) to the next within a matter of minutes- like I said a busy happy girl.
She is a pretty good eater and will try most things. We could for sure increase her intake of veggies (this is a fault from her momma since I am not a huge veggie fan, esp. preggo- we are trying!) Some of her favorite foods include:
- hummus with carrots or pita chips
- beans of any kind
- cheese
- Spanish rice
- guacamole (she doesn’t like avocado by it’s self, but add a Mexican twist and she is sold)
- blueberries
- plain yogurt
- pizza
- Clementine oranges
- veggie soup
- Chicken tortilla soup
- green beans
- gold fish
- cinnamon raisin bread
- Special K Vanilla Almond cereal with milk & strawberries
- hard boiled eggs
- Mac & Cheese
- Fried eggs (she hasn’t been liking scrambled eggs lately- which she used to eat two at a time!)
- Spaghetti
She has been trying to talk more and more these days. It is so cute! I know that it won’t be too long before she is non-stop talking…. poor Chase- he will have two talkative women in his life 🙂 I just love seeing her try to listen and then think about how to say it and then actually attempt saying it- what a joy as a parent to see your kids learning! Some of the things she is saying these days are:
- Momma
- Daaaddy
- Bye-byes
- Hi
- bubbles
- shoooes
- babrey (for Auntie Aubrey)
- purple
- blueberry (she says this so cute- not sure how to “write” it out)
- cheese
- No-no (she shakes her finger back and forth when she says this one)
- tate-to (thank you)
- yeah
- yes
- ease (please)
- go
- two
- wow
- ballon
She loves making animal noises. Our family favorite is her “meow”- she looks like a pirate/ally cat by winking her right eye as she meows (pictured below). She does monkey noises with the arm motions, says “quack quack”, “woo-woo” for a dog noise, “baaa” for sheep, and snorts for a pig.
She love LOVES to dance! (I know, a girl after my own heart!) Anytime there is music on she is dancing- wiggling her hips, shaking her fingers back and forth, moving her shoulders up and down, kicking her legs, spinning around- just basically grooving to the beat. Lately she has even gotten better at dancing to the correct rhythm of the song. Her favorite songs to dance to are “Happy” by Pharrell Williams, the “cu-pig shuffle” from her dancing/singing Valentine pig from Nanny & Pappa, country music, JaJu’s 70’s rock music, and “Let it Go” from Frozen. Anytime she sees our computer she yells “gooooo!” and puts her arms out and says please meaning she wants to watch you tube videos of “Let it Go” and of course we give in and let her. (most of the time)
She has started throwing little dramatic fits by throwing herself on the ground and laying there for a bit, so the past few weeks we have tried the “time out” discipline method. Chase puts her in a chair for like 10-15 seconds and tells her to stay and she actually does! Usually she is crying, but it stops whatever dramatic fit she was just throwing. And then we hug her and tell her we love her and she gives us hugs back. Who knows if she knows what is going on, but she will eventually! We also have spanked (yes I said spanked!) her hand if she is doing something we have told her not to do several times. Its a trial and error learning phase for discipline at this point (and I am guessing for all of parenthood), so we will see what works for her! Can’t believe we have to already discipline, but when you were born a sinner it makes sense! Thank goodness for God’s grace and patience with us all.
She is a pretty good sleeper, which has been such a grace to us in this stage of life. She naps (and 99% of the time goes without a fuss) anywhere from 1 1/2 – 3 hours (please keep this up when Chloe comes!) and goes to bed between 8 and 9 and sleeps till 8:30 or 9 am! At night after we say our prayers and she has 3 paccis (yes 3) in her crib with her and her blanket on we ask her: “do you know momma loves you? do you know daddy loves you? do you know that Jesus loves you and is always there for you?” and after each questions she nods her heads and looks up at us while laying down… so sweet.
She has 12 teeth and has 4 making their way as we speak! This makes it easy for her to eat all sorts of stuff- including popcorn at her first movie, Frozen, that we took her to about a month ago. Such sweet memories.
learning how to wash cars with dad and jaju
She is super flexible and a great traveler, but very particular at the same time. She has gotten to where she likes a routine (but can go with the flow when there is none) and likes to have everything in its place (not sure where she got that from?? not me! 😉 ) She has a plan and tries her best to communicate that plan to us– her new thing is to grab our hands and walk with us to wherever she wants to go and do what she wants to do. Its pretty cute.
We can’t wait to see Lydia as a BIG sister (even though she is still our baby- I know she will seem so much bigger compared to a newborn). We know that it will come with lots of joys, tears, laughs, excitement and challenges, but we are ready for what the Lord has in store for our little family. Even though we are ready to be out of this transition phase in life, we are thankful for the quality time we have had with family and that they have gotten to share in our joy of Lydia at this stage.
Liddy bug,
We know that life is about to change big time for you as you transition to being a BIG sister! But we know that you will do great with whats ahead and we know that you will fall in love with your baby sister. We pray that you two will become best friends and will always be there for each other. Thank you for being such a joy and so much fun to call our daughter. We love you more than you could ever know!
love, momma & dada
Showered with love
March 8th my mom and sister, Aubrey with the help of my mother-in-law, Glenda threw Chloe and I a gorgeous baby shower! We were so blessed and spoiled by everyone who came and all the gifts Chloe received!
The theme was owls with the colors pink, turquoise, green and gray. All colors matching the quilt my mom made for Chloe. It was so cute with such fun details. We made sugar cookies for the favor and there was a diaper raffle- if the guests brought a package of diapers then their name got entered into a drawing for a fun prize!
The food included lots of my favorite things: tomato basil bruschetta, chocolate covered pretzels, fresh fruit with a yummy pineapple cream cheese fruit dip, green chile pin wheels, cupcakes and raspberry sherbet punch, and decaf coffee with whip cream!
It was fun to get to see everyone pregnant this time! For Lydia I was thrown a sip and see after she was already out- so no one got to see me preggo 🙂
Of course Lydia made an appearance and was a hit! She loved “helping” me open all the gifts and she even got a few gifts of her own. (notice her pouring her new baby bottle into her milk cup)
Gramzi!
My girls with two out of their three wonderful grandmas… we are so blessed by these two!
Nanny!
Auntie Aubs! (we missed you Auntie Brooke)
Am so thankful that I get to be these girl’s momma! What a great task I have ahead of me to raise them and teach them to love the Lord and be women after His own heart. I pray that the Lord will go before me and prepare me to do this well. Can’t wait till I get to hold both of these sweeties in my arms.
36 weeks {5 days}
How far along? 36 weeks (5 days)
Total weight gain: I think I am up to 25 lbs now! – just can’t seem to resist having dessert every night… !
At doctor toady my belly measured right at 36.5 cm! and her heart rate was around 130 bpm… so thankful for a healthy growing baby girl.
Maternity clothes? yup, and yoga pants, a t-shirt and tennis shoes is my fav thing to wear these days!
Stretch marks? I found a couple :/
Sleep: depends on the night and how much I have to get up to pee!
Best moment this week: setting up Chloe’s “nursery” area in our room and getting lots done this week to prepare for her!
Miss Anything? sitting and laying comfortably
Movement: yes, pretty much every time she moves now I have to go to the bathroom! I can really see her body moving and changing sides when I look down at my belly now.
We went to the doctor today and she is head down, back up and in perfect position for birth! Hoping she stays this way and just continues to move downward 🙂
Food cravings: salmon, sweets at night
Anything making you queasy or sick: just feel queasy randomly some days… not quite sure why…
Gender: girl!!
Labor Signs: some! at 35 weeks I started having painful contractions (or Braxton hicks) with cramping and back aching… they would happen every 3-5 minutes but only last an hour… this has happened several more times in the past two weeks. I am hoping this is just getting my body ready and when they check me next week that something has happened… trying not to get my hopes up though (although I am pretty sure I will cry if I am at a 0- I have been way more uncomfortable and in pain with this one than Liddy- so hoping that means something!)
Symptoms: sore back, cramping, lots of Braxton Hicks
Belly Button in or out? out
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: happy and ready to meet my baby girl!
Looking forward to: these last few weeks with just Lydia and to meeting our sweet Chloe! Can’t wait to see what she looks like!!
baby bump pics of Chloe
last Sunday we went to the park to try and get some belly pics before I felt too large and uncomfortable and before Chloe decides to make her debut 🙂 Unfortunately it was super windy and c.o.l.d. that day, but I still feel like my brother-in-law, Nate, and sister, Auburey were able to capture some fun pics (despite my wind blown hair- its all about the belly anyway right?) (oh and I am 34 weeks preggo in these)
Here are a few of our favs…
Lydia was more interested in eating teddy grams (our bribe to get her to sit still for pics- didn’t work much) and dancing/”singing” in the park than posing for the camera… but what more can you ask for from a 17 month old?!
34 weeks!
Chloe is the size of a cantaloupe this week!
… this pic shows my life these days 🙂 (attached to my hip)
How far along? 34 weeks (March 2)
Total weight gain: I think like 19 ish?
Maternity clothes? yup, but lots are starting to not fit anymore!
Stretch marks? I found a couple :/
Sleep: ok- started to wake up several times in the night this last week, plus I have been waking up around 7 am and can’t go back to sleep! :/
Best moment this week: taking maternity photos (even though it was cold, windy and our 17 month old was not so much into taking pics 🙂 ) … will post some soon!
Oh and finding Girl Scouts selling cookies in front of Walgreens- yes, I had a very pregnant moment when I bought them- I was so excited and told them I had been looking for them everywhere & that baby was wanting thin mints! ha
Miss Anything? being able to carry Lydia wherever, whenever without my back hurting!
Movement: yes, esp. at night
Food cravings: thin mints, graham crackers & milk (I have been have this as a bedtime snack everyday this week), and steak
Anything making you queasy or sick: the thought of food because I am so full and I have no room sometimes makes me sick
Gender: girl!!
Labor Signs: Nope
Symptoms: sore back, shortness of breath and achy body
Belly Button in or out? out,
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: emotional, happy & in a nesting mood
Looking forward to: my baby shower this weekend and Chase’s parents come in town to visit!
31 weeks
love seeing the red dashes… time is flying!
How far along? 31 weeks (on Feb. 9)
Total weight gain: I think like 18 ish lbs?
Maternity clothes? yup and Chase’s shirts and sweatshirts- probably my favorite to wear right now
Stretch marks? I found a couple :/
Sleep: pretty good- just waking up once to go to the bathroom
Best moment this week: I am honestly having a hard time remembering this past week- I have been without Chase so its been busy with Liddy, but I am loving all the rolls and jabs from miss Chloe
Miss Anything? Lydia being able to snuggle close in my lap… I seem to have run out of room!
Movement: she is more roll-y and every time I look down at my tummy it is in a different shape from her moving.
Food cravings: chocolate, pizza, spicy food, fruit smoothies… all in small portions- I am getting so full so fast lately
Anything making you queasy or sick: just from the 6 hour stomach bug I caught last week
Gender: girl!!
Labor Signs: Nope
Symptoms: about 6:00 every night I am just worn out- achy back and shortness of breath. I have also had a lot more braxton hicks contractions lately
Belly Button in or out? out, unless Chloe moves and she flattens out my belly button
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: emotional
Looking forward to: my baby shower in March that my mom and sister are throwing me and Chloe. And going to Florida for a conference with Chase (without Lydia – gonna be hard!) next week! (it will be kind of like a 2nd baby moon 🙂 )
Here and Now
I thought it was time to do a little family life update on this…
As I sit here thinking about what to write I am worn out thinking about all that has happened in the past year. I have had a hard time deciding how to put “on paper” what all has happened, explain how we are doing and share what is next. Hopefully by the end of this it will make sense and give a sufficient update for you all (sorry if it doesn’t! I’m still processing and working through things in my heard/heart).
A year ago, we were in America visiting our friends and family and introducing Lydia to everyone for the first time. What a joyous time that was to get to spend her first Christmas with family. We were returning to Oman with an unknown future concerning where we would be living, what business the government would allow us to pursue (we had attempted two business ventures that both came to a hault due to government regulations) and what the next years of our time overseas would look like. It was a difficult season for us. However, by the spring the Lord had made it clear where we would be moving, what business we would be pursing, and even what house we would be living in! What a praise and blessing it was. By May we started renting a new home and officially moved in by June. So May was filled with chasing a newly crawling baby and boxes…
Once we settled in, we finally felt like we were in the town we were supposed to be in, living in the neighborhood and amongst the neighbors we were supposed to be. We were loving where we were. For one of the first times I had a true peace and joy each time I stepped outside my door to visit neighbors and explore our new city. Chase and Drew were excited about their business venture (a soccer complex with a Brazilian coach starting up a soccer academy) and worked hard all summer long and through our second Ramadan (a much better one than our first) to get the necessary paper work and approvals from the government (not an easy task!)
In the beginning of August we got a call from Chase’s family that his mom was in the ICU and sedated, we did not know her condition or what the future held. After much prayer and council we decided to hop on a plane the next day to go be near the family and help out in any way we could. Chase had a business conference at the beginning of October already planned so we decided to just stay till then, help with family and work on business capital raising state-side. Praise the Lord, Chase’s mom is doing much much better and is on the road to full recovery! Oh and during this time we also found out (by surprise!) that we were expecting our 2nd child!
Just a few days before we boarded the plane to head back to Oman we found out that Chase’s dad had been diagnosed with stage four NASH (a non-achoholic cirrhosis of the liver) and that the doctor had given his condition a 2-3 year life prognosis. As you can imagine this was very difficult information to take in and process just days before we were heading back over the ocean. We left knowing that we needed to return home, we just weren’t sure of when. We spent the next few weeks in Oman processing, crying, praying and seeking council about what to do. Our hearts did not want to leave and were breaking because we felt the Lord calling us back. However, we also had a peace knowing that we wanted to spend as much time with Chase’s dad as possible.
The beginning of November we got another bad news phone call from the family saying that his dad’s condition had progressed even further than they had hoped and that there was an 85% chance that he would not make it another year… Since Christmas was just a month away we decided (after much prayer) that we should try and return before Christmas to be with him during this time. So the day after Thanksgiving we starting the packing, selling, and throwing out process. We had three weeks to pack up our lives over the past three year into 50 lbs suite cases and say good-byes. Whew- what a process that was. I didn’t think it would happen, but it did! We currently have 12 trunks waiting to be brought over the next 4 months (thank you to all those that are lugging them across the ocean for us)
Since we have been back we spent the first weeks in Dallas, then a week in Oklahoma and again in Dallas. Now we are in Albuquerque with my family where we are settling in and going to have Chloe. We decided to stay here until the baby is born for several reasons:
- we have an established doctor here (and my sister is an L&D nurse at the hospital we will deliver at- major perk!)
- we have a free place to live with lots of room (my mom’s house)
- we have extra help as we transition back and prepare for baby #2
- we felt this was the best place for us to work through the past year and what the Lord is leading us to next.
During this time Chase is continuing to work with Drew in Oman on capital raising and networking, along with business planning and writing. He will also be researching information about liver transplants and transplant centers for his dad as well as applying for jobs in the DFW area. He will be all over the place between here, Lubbock and Dallas meeting with people and hopefully interviewing.
At the beginning of the summer we hope to relocate to the DFW area with a house (or apartment) and a job. We felt this was the best location for us to be in order to help serve, spend time with and care for Chase’s family during this time. We desire to continue to work with international students and help them feel at home here. We hope to stay connected to whats happening in the AP. We hope that Chase’s dad is able to receive a new liver, and finds healing. We want to enjoy being near family and friends. We hope to find healing as we mourn leaving our lives overseas. We want and hope Romans 8 is true. In fact we trust it. At least we are trying to.
Thank you for walking this journey with us. We love and appreciate all of you.
our last morning living on the beach
Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. We’ll keep you updated on how things go. Thanks for being on this journey with us.
last pic in front of our home
a fun last evening in Dubai with our besties… miss these two already
365 for 2014- new location
I started a 365 photo project again for this year! I am so excited to use my camera again and learn new things, plus capture everyday things. However, I decided to post these pics on Flickr this year. It is much easier to upload them and keep them all together in one spot.
Check them out and follow me here! Hope you enjoy and that I can keep up with it this year 🙂
