Fah-reaaal??

So, L went to bed at 7:30, as per usual. She talked and talked and talked, as per usual. She yelled for me a requested everything she could possibly think of to accompany her in bed, as per usual.

BUT THEN!

She walked to the door of her bedroom, in a slightly different outfit than I had put her to bed in, struggling to add a new top to her ensemble. I kid you not.

The child went to bed in this sweet pajama set that she wears often...

And emerged from her room in THIS!

 

I am the first to say let creative beings do what they will, but seriously? Changing our clothes in the middle of bedtime? What monster have I created!

You'll probably have noticed the chocolate chip cookie in her hand by now. In no way is this a good punishment for escaping the confines of ones bed and gallivanting around at night time in new clothes, but I had to do something to calm her down after the few minutes we both spent giggling on her bedroom floor. :)

{I love that little bugger.}

Hush little baby...

Let me start by saying, I am currently watching American Idol and this guy Scotty is doing absolutely nothing for me. I cannot believe this is the finale! Am I alone or is anyone else just a little less than excited about this season?

Anyway, moving on. Recently I was reading this sweet book to Laurelei:

I remember the lullaby from when I was a child, but it struck me completely differently as a parent. Particularly as a parent who is currently experiencing night time whoa's. 

Ever since Laurelei started sleeping in a toddler bed, night time has been hit or miss. We, (ahem, Matt, ahem), made the mistake of laying in bed with her in the beginning. That was difficult to break for sure.  Eventually we got out of her room and were permitted by the toddler to only 'sit on the stool' outside of her door. Lately, since its gotten brighter outside at night, Laurelei has developed a really bad habit of taking about one million and one toys to bed with her. We have certainly gone wrong somewhere, or many different places over and over again.

So, as the story goes...this has become our life from 7:30-9:00pm each evening.

"Hush little baby, don't throw a fit...anything you want, mommy will get...

And if she can't get it, you'll throw a fit...
And if you throw a big enough fit, anything mommy can't, daddy will get...

And if its simply not good enough, well then, the night will be rough!"

 It reads a little different now that I am a mom. :) I think it might be back to the drawing board for us on bedtime routine. We have let the accommodating get a little out of hand...

 And Matt and I are just a little exhausted!

Though the outcome is always the same, I would love to see the nights end a little more peacefully!

Please, enlighten me...how do you make bedtime work EVERY night?

19 Weeks!

Baby Highlights:
How Far Along: 19 weeks

Gender: Baby boy Abbott Matthew.
Movement: He  is moving a lot more and I cannot wait for Matt to feel it too. It seems like Abbott stops every time I bring attention to it. What I felt like was major kicking in a certain area was confirmed a the doctors office when the ultrasound showed his position. I am glad to know I was right!

What's Abbott Up too? His 5 senses are developing this week. He should weigh around 8 and a half ounces, but is closer to 8. He is 6 inches from his head to his bottom.

Cravings: One day this week I texted Matt telling him if I didn't have a chocolate bar I might scream. That counts, right? He is the best of course, and bought me four that afternoon!
Baby Planning: Well, now that the sun is back out our focus has shifted temporarily back to the yard. I do think I have narrowed down a paint color though. Our next step is to finish cleaning out Abbott's room, paint and get the board and batten up.
Prayer:  This past Tuesday we had our big 20 week anatomy scan where they check to make sure everything is good with Abbott. He was measuring right on track, just a few days small. Everything looked great, but they couldn't see a few things. So, we will have another ultrasound at the next visit! We have seen Abbott at every doctor appointment so far, and I am excited to see him again. Just praying that the things they couldn't see are just as perfect as the rest of him!

Baby Abbott's on T.V...

Today we went to the doctor for Abbott's 20 week anatomy scan. This is the overwhelming ultrasound where they look at every single nook and cranny and determine if the baby is whole. :) Since it coincided with my day off, we took Laurelei to see baby Abbott for the first time. She has been talking about it all week! Despite being a little scared, she enjoyed most of the experience. She was concerned about the 'soap' they put on my belly, which she was very upset made me yucky. But seeing baby Abbott on T.V. was a hit overall.

I tried to catch her on video recounting the incident, which she did about 50 times today. Unfortunately, I was a little late and it turned into more of an interview, but at least we can remember the memory together! I love how she still thinks Abbott is a secret, and always talks about him in a whisper, which you will notice in this video!

In other news, Abbott looks to be very healthy! He is growing right on track (yay!) only measuring a few days behind schedule so far. Unfortunately they couldn't get some important shots, which means we will have have another ultrasound next visit. That will make 6 ultrasounds in 23 weeks. Crazy huh? At least we keep getting to know our little guy better and better. And it will be reassuring to see that he actually has two feet and nostrils (among the other things that were not able to be seen in the scan today.)

 

Isn't he cute? I think he takes after Matt already. :)

Guilty Pleasures...

Sometimes it's hard to admit our guilty pleasures, isn't it? You're careful about what you admit around certain people because after all, you feel 'guilty' about indulging in certain things. As I was sitting here thinking about this tonight, I thought I would share a few realizations I had about my own guilty pleasures...

1) The Bachelorette. The new preview for this season captivated me as I was quietly listening to Laurelei fall asleep in her room. Its trashy, ridiculous and just oh so much fun to watch. I can tell you just where I will be the next few Mondays, while Matt secretly enjoys the show in the background. I am confident he will admit this someday!

2) Pickles. There was a time in my life where I pretended I was allergic to them. What was I thinking? Bread and Butter pickles, yum! I could eat a whole jar at one time. Not that I ever would...

3) Sneaking into Laurelei's room at night. I know, I know, the old adage says "Never wake a sleeping baby." Well, you have a little girl as precious as L and tell me you don't think its occasionally a good idea to put her in bed with you, even if it does end badly 99% of the time.

4) Checking Facebook. The first among us not guilty cast the first stone. Ok, I am kidding, but I do love to see what my friends are up too. I love looking at the pictures of what's going on with people I am to distant to see.

5) Candy. Nope, can't blame this one on the pregnancy. Sweetarts seem to be a particular favorite of mine right now. Along with just about anything chocolate. Ooo, like a Caramello. ummm...

6) Sleep. I may or may not have gone to sleep before 8:00 once or twice this month.

7) Pictures. Can you tell? I LOVE to take a sweet picture of L. Having a good picture of my family is even better. Looking at a memory right there in ink is just so intoxicating. I could spend hours, literally, hours looking at pictures of special times. Matt might not understand why I take at least 50 pictures of the exact same thing, but hey, I just LOVE getting the perfect shot! I am currently obsessing over this one!

 

Please tell me I am not alone! You have at least one guilty pleasure, right?

18 Weeks!

I have been just a little behind this week. Matt and I seem to come home from work everyday with about a million things to do...Thank goodness school will be over in 13 days. I am feeling VERY ready for this summer!

Baby Highlights:
How Far Along: 18 weeks

Gender: Baby boy Abbott Matthew. That's right, he has a middle name now. And I couldn't be more happy to have a little one carrying my sweet husbands name.

Movement: I have felt Abbott in a few quiet moments this week, but Matt still can't feel him from the outside. I can't wait to share that experience with him. We had so much fun with Laurelei, sitting on the couch and watching my belly move.

Cravings: I am back to pickles and Popsicles. They never hurt anyone ever, right? Even if it is a whole jar...
Baby Planning: In order to move Abbott into his room, we have to move all of my craft stuff and the office stuff into the laundry room. In order to move the craft stuff into the laundry room, we had to do some serious cleaning, which we accomplished this weekend, woo hoo! I've also been on a little shopping kick, that lead to a few too many newborn sleepers hanging in a certain someones closet...oops. I must say it is awfully fun to shop on both sides of the store now though.
Prayer: We have our big ultra sound on Tuesday to check all of the babies vitals, etc. (And L is coming with us!) Just praying for baby Abbott's continued growth and healthiness. 

 

(Mother's Day)

Little Misses "I wear my shoes to bed..."

We have gotten into letting L pick out her jammies at bed time. Its an easy time to let her express her fashionista side, and its inevitably a hoot every single time! Anyway, this has led to a really bad habit... wearing shoes to bed.

 

I know, I know... this is probably a bad idea for so many reasons. It's just want it got started, its been nearly impossible to say no to. The girl loves shoes.  I can't say I blame her. I mean chances are this is something she inherited directly from me! I LOVE shoes and love the buy shoes. I have spent a good part of her two short years convincing her to like one pair or shoes or another that I have bought her. It seems now that all my poking and prodding finally just stuck. Oops.

With it being Mother's Day and all, this got me thinking. It was pretty easy to pass on my love of shoes to L. All it took was L observing me, watching me, mimicking my like and dislikes. Kids are so impressionable and she caught on so quickly. It got me thinking, what else does she pick up on? The good and bad? My anxiety? My frustration? My fears? What am I 'passing on' to her without even knowing it? With another sweet baby on the way, I feel the need to be more aware. How do you know when you are passing on all the right things? Setting your child up for success?

Matt often says L is like a miniature of me, walking around with all that attitude! I hope I am passing on enough of the good too...

It's like she knows...

It's as if L knows when I have had a bad day...

I pick her up and am snuggled with extra hugs and kisses...

I hold her and she brushes the hair out of may face while she talks to me...

She responds with extra sweetness every time I say I love you with the perfect, "I love you too mommy!"

It's like she knows I needed to reminded of all the blessings in life no matter how hard the day has been...

Or maybe...

It's just that God knows...

17 Weeks!

Baby Highlights:

How Far Along: 17 weeks

Maternity Clothes: Pretty much solely now!

Gender: IT'S a BOY! We are so excited to welcome baby Abbott to our family in October.

Movement: I felt a wee little kick the other night while we were enjoying the Lexington Philharmonic. I think the baby likes Rachmaninoff. :)

Cravings: This week its back to the fresh fruits. Yum! I am sure my doctor would love to hear that since she so kindly shared with me her surprise over "how well I was gaining..."
Baby Planning: We took Laurelei shopping for baby stuff the other day. Of course she is the only one who got anything! We did narrow down a few crib options and I think I am set on going with the same bedding we used with L, only the boy version of course.
Prayer: Different circumstances are causing me to have a lot of anxiety, and in turn my body responds with low blood pressure (am I wired right?), so I am just praying for peace! 

The doctor was so reassuring about how well baby Abbott looked to be doing. She is not even going to take blood work again until 28 weeks! I am just looking forward to seeing little boy on a screen again in just a couple of weeks.