Words just can't describe how much I love my husband.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
"baby butter"
According to Laurelei, we are adding a "baby butter" to our little family!
That's right, its a boy!
And the name?? Abbott
I know, I know, I told you a couple of weeks ago that we'd be having a 'Henry' if its a boy. Well, we didn't so much as change our mind as Matt finally agreed to my persistent calling of the baby Abbott over the past few weeks. :) I have loved this name for awhile, and finally Matt does too! He is working out the middle name as we speak. He had free reign on the middle name since the first name was originally my choice. We'll keep you posted on that one! (Though I promised he could have 24 weeks to decide if he needed it, so it may be awhile!)
Laurelei seems excited, though its hard to tell. She has been a little confused over where the baby is currently located. We had a detailed argument in the car on the way home over whether the baby was in her belly or mine. I eventually won the argument though. Unfortunately it was to the tune of her telling Matt, "Mommy's belly is big with a baby in it, and hers shirt is really little." I guess stating the obvious is as good as conceeding, right?
Monday, April 25, 2011
16 Weeks!
Baby Highlights:
How Far Along: 16 weeks
Maternity Clothes: My new love are stretchy spring dresses. That and mom went shopping with me and we found some great long dresses for the summer at Old Navy. I plan to live in them when school gets out!
Gender: We go to the doctor tomorrow and I am just so hoping to get an ultrasound. I would love to find out a little bit early. Matt isn't in to the 'Baby Belly' thing. Anyone else try that?
Movement: I am pretty sure I am feeling the baby down in my lower left abdomen. There are some pretty consistent flutters happening down there!
Cravings: In a weird way I feel like I have completed reverted to the 1st several weeks of my pregnancy, I am feeling a little nauseated again. This has made my go-to basics pretty bland, but nothing the occasional chocolate milk shake can't fix!
Baby Planning: I am still anxious to start on the nursery. Matt and I have already settled on the idea of board an baton for the nursery, dark furniture and some sort of vintage theme. If its a boy, we are thinking globes? We have been wanting to start a globe collection for a while and this seems like a good opportunity?
Prayer: That I can find a way to lower my anxiety level. I am coming home from work with cramping almost everyday now. I don't think its too much to worry about, but it is starting to worry Matt. We are just both glad we get to speak to the doctor tomorrow about it. I definitely didn't have this much pain with little Laurelei.
Baby Planning: I am still anxious to start on the nursery. Matt and I have already settled on the idea of board an baton for the nursery, dark furniture and some sort of vintage theme. If its a boy, we are thinking globes? We have been wanting to start a globe collection for a while and this seems like a good opportunity?
Prayer: That I can find a way to lower my anxiety level. I am coming home from work with cramping almost everyday now. I don't think its too much to worry about, but it is starting to worry Matt. We are just both glad we get to speak to the doctor tomorrow about it. I definitely didn't have this much pain with little Laurelei.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Happy Easter!
We have had a terrific week of Easter festivities. This is truly one of my favorite times of the year! I absolutely love the meaning of Easter. Thinking about the resurrection of Christ always brings an overwhelming peace through our household. And this year it is even more meaningful as Laurelei has really started to understand who Jesus is, which just warms my heart! Today when I picked her up from the nursery she told me, "I am with you always." This has been her bible verse for the month and this week I guess she just felt like repeating it. How wonderful it was to hear such a sweet reminder come out of her mouth!
We started our celebrating on Thursday with the annual egg decorating at mom and Greg's. It is always such a great time decorating with them and the boys, and this year Laurelei really got into it! She took her egg dying, decorating and stickering very seriously.
Before we went to church, we had a little egg hunt and Easter baskets at home. Laurelei got really into this year! Her searching for eggs was hilarious, she got SO excited everytime she found one!
When we finished up here we headed back to mom and Greg's for an Easter dinner. We got there and of course, mom had another egg hunt all ready for Laurelei. This one was a challenge since she actually HID the eggs!
They also put a music set in L's basket. She serenaded us all night. She thinks the moroccas are drum sticks. This makes for one LOUD drum solo, but L was having a blast and we all enjoyed it too.
We started our celebrating on Thursday with the annual egg decorating at mom and Greg's. It is always such a great time decorating with them and the boys, and this year Laurelei really got into it! She took her egg dying, decorating and stickering very seriously.
Afterwards, we got ready for church in our Easter best. Laurelei looked so sweet in the smocked dress my mom bought her a few months back.
When church was finished we rushed to Louisville so we could celebrate with Matt's extended family. Laurelei looks forward to seeing her cousins and we always get to enjoy a fun Easter egg hunt there too. This year the rain kept us inside, but we had just as much fun!
We had a yummy dinner and headed back to the house for bed time. It was a perfect day. I had the best time with all of our family. I love holidays!
I can't wait to share an update of week 16 soon! We are scooting along, and looking forward to our doctor's appointment Tuesday. Maybe we will even get another sneak peak at the baby, could I be so lucky?
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Thinking about age...and an update!
Lately I have been contemplating "age." Mostly because when people find out I am pregnant they assume it's my first child, and seem shocked when they find out it's actually my second. Sure it doesn't help that I look shockingly like I could be a cast member on one of the hit shows "16 and Pregnant" or "Secret Life of the American Teenager."
Anyway, I have been thinking about age because it's hard not to. I am young in my career, young in my life style, young in most of my circles of friends. Matt will tell you I had some major anxiety about my age when we were thinking about announcing our pregnancy. His take is that it doesn't matter, and rightly so, but I still have a hard time not being slightly worried about it.
I guess the thing is, deep down I don't really care. What I really care about it that we are a happy family. That though Matt and I didn't really choose to start our family this early, we are growing and thriving and getting stronger everyday. There is no denying that we aren't really following suit with our generation, but who really cares? (Besides A LOT of people who voice there opinions otherwise. Maybe I should say WHY would I care who cares...?) I have spent a few too many moments obsessing about the wrong things. This cannot become one of them!
Anyway, I have been thinking about age because it's hard not to. I am young in my career, young in my life style, young in most of my circles of friends. Matt will tell you I had some major anxiety about my age when we were thinking about announcing our pregnancy. His take is that it doesn't matter, and rightly so, but I still have a hard time not being slightly worried about it.
I guess the thing is, deep down I don't really care. What I really care about it that we are a happy family. That though Matt and I didn't really choose to start our family this early, we are growing and thriving and getting stronger everyday. There is no denying that we aren't really following suit with our generation, but who really cares? (Besides A LOT of people who voice there opinions otherwise. Maybe I should say WHY would I care who cares...?) I have spent a few too many moments obsessing about the wrong things. This cannot become one of them!
So, on from that....time for a little update! (A fellow blogger I follow did this during her pregnancy, and I thought it was a great way to record things I otherwise wouldn't think much of, so here we go!)
(15 weeks and looking very pregnant!)
(15 weeks and looking very pregnant!)
Baby Highlights:
How Far Along: 15 weeks
Clothes: Yes please! I can squeeze into a few things, but let's just say its better for all of us if I give in! My go to after-work staple is my yoga pants!
Gender: Waiting to find out, at least one more week til we know the news.
Movement: I am feeling slight flutters, but I am not convinced its the baby yet. I cannot wait until I the kicks are more prominent. It makes me feel so connected to the baby!
Cravings: I am loving bread and butter pickles and am drinking a lot of orange juice. Both a little unusual for me. And the past couple of weeks I cannot get my favorite Ramsey's veggies out of my mind!
Baby Planning: I am so anxious to start on the nursery. Currently in the plans is some nice board and baton and I am ready to get it started. I am so unsure about paint colors. Neutral, gender-inspired, out of the box? Any ideas people?
Prayer: That God continues to protect our sweet baby and pregnancy, specifically protecting my belly from abruption. I can be a little paranoid :)
Baby Planning: I am so anxious to start on the nursery. Currently in the plans is some nice board and baton and I am ready to get it started. I am so unsure about paint colors. Neutral, gender-inspired, out of the box? Any ideas people?
Prayer: That God continues to protect our sweet baby and pregnancy, specifically protecting my belly from abruption. I can be a little paranoid :)
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
10 Ways Pregnancy is Different the Second Time Around...
1. The Bump.
Not only is it there earlier, it is there is full force. I am talking hello ready for the maternity pants at 14 weeks force. (And that is only because I have been kidding myself that if I wore my normal pants fashioned with a rubber band through the buttonhole for the last 3 weeks, I was somehow less huge!)
2. The Cute Belly Shots.
I remember with L I wanted a new picture everyday. Oh how I was glowing in my sweet pregnant body! This time around? Well lets just say I VOW to get up early enough at least one day this week to actually fix my hair. Then, maybe we'll take a picture or two? And besides just being a little too tired to look cute at the moment, I am having a hard time convincing myself that people won't be talking about how huge my belly looks for being 'only' 14 weeks along!
3. Fatigue.
The doctor laughed at me today. It has something to do with some ridiculous comment I made about not normally coming in for a cold, but I was just SO tired and rundown this time. She looked at me and said, "Is this your first pregnancy?" (followed closely with a look like, you poor naive thing, you will be tired when your pregnant...) I innocently replied, "No, it's my second." I think she felt bad when she laughed out loud, then felt the need to proceed and tell me that this is normal for the second time around. After she checked me out and sheepishly told me that I do in fact have a sinus infection and a 'mild' case of bronchitis I felt a little more validated. That being said, I haven't shaken that 1st trimester haze yet...it seems to be hanging around a little longer this time!
4. Nesting.
I know the motherly instinct will kick in, its just taking a little longer maybe? My normally picked up house has taken a turn for the worst. It seems to be taking a lot of determination to get off my butt and do something. Why is that? Maybe that is just the fatigue talking...
5. Worry.
With L, I was totally care free. Heck, We were living in a foreign country, we had no jobs to come home to, no home to live in, nothing! Looking back I don't think I batted an eye. Now, I worry over everything! Money, space, my babies growing up too quickly, my age... The list goes on and on. In some small way I like to think this is me being cautious and prepared. I don't necessarily think Matt sees it that way...
6. Baby Style.
I might have said I wanted my nursery decor to be 'different' last time around, but as soon as I looked through baby catalogs I swooned over the lavenders, pink, and everything I had always dreamed a nursery would be. It was EXTREMELY baby traditional, and that fit my first pregnancy. This time around, I am so ready to think outside the box and create a nursery that is more our style.
7. Being Prepared.
I was so scared of labor, bringing home baby, etc. the first time around. Matt likes to think I am crazy because immediately after having L, (we are talking maybe 2 minutes?) I told him I was ready to do this 10 more times. Ha! All that fear for what? The adrenaline and excitement of bringing a baby into the world, (hardship, pain, worry, struggle, crisis and all!) was unlike anything I could have imagined. I feel so prepared to do that part again, which is saying something after my post a few days ago...
8. My Modesty.
This isn't something I want to share a lot about, but if you are a mom you know what I am talking about. Let's just say this time around it's not so hard to be very 'candid' with my doc!
9. Our Commitments.
I am not saying I wasn't committed to the first pregnancy, our family, or L by any means. I just don't think I realized what the most important things were in raising a family. I had ideas and books I'd read and a vision of what I wanted. Now though, after a few years of marriage and one awesome kid, I think Matt and I have a real handle on what we need to be commited to as a family. I think our committment to raising a healthy, God-centered family has grown stronger with baby #2. Maybe it's just that I realized that if I am going to make it as a mom, wife, and teacher through all the uncertainty, hardship, excitement, growth, joy and sorrow I better be leaning on and commited to the right thing.
10. Love.
I had NO idea how much I could possibly love a little human before Laurelei. We were so excited about the pregnancy and our baby, but finally bringing her into the world totally overwhelmed my emotions! I love that in this second pregnancy I can feel even more connected to the little one on the way because I get to experience L every single day. And loving 2 children this way, it just makes my heart want to overflow!
(Thought this picture-less post needed a little jazzing up. This is sweet Laurelei holding baby #2's picture, pre m&m bribery! I think is captures the essence of "Mom, you have to be kidding me?")
Not only is it there earlier, it is there is full force. I am talking hello ready for the maternity pants at 14 weeks force. (And that is only because I have been kidding myself that if I wore my normal pants fashioned with a rubber band through the buttonhole for the last 3 weeks, I was somehow less huge!)
2. The Cute Belly Shots.
I remember with L I wanted a new picture everyday. Oh how I was glowing in my sweet pregnant body! This time around? Well lets just say I VOW to get up early enough at least one day this week to actually fix my hair. Then, maybe we'll take a picture or two? And besides just being a little too tired to look cute at the moment, I am having a hard time convincing myself that people won't be talking about how huge my belly looks for being 'only' 14 weeks along!
3. Fatigue.
The doctor laughed at me today. It has something to do with some ridiculous comment I made about not normally coming in for a cold, but I was just SO tired and rundown this time. She looked at me and said, "Is this your first pregnancy?" (followed closely with a look like, you poor naive thing, you will be tired when your pregnant...) I innocently replied, "No, it's my second." I think she felt bad when she laughed out loud, then felt the need to proceed and tell me that this is normal for the second time around. After she checked me out and sheepishly told me that I do in fact have a sinus infection and a 'mild' case of bronchitis I felt a little more validated. That being said, I haven't shaken that 1st trimester haze yet...it seems to be hanging around a little longer this time!
4. Nesting.
I know the motherly instinct will kick in, its just taking a little longer maybe? My normally picked up house has taken a turn for the worst. It seems to be taking a lot of determination to get off my butt and do something. Why is that? Maybe that is just the fatigue talking...
5. Worry.
With L, I was totally care free. Heck, We were living in a foreign country, we had no jobs to come home to, no home to live in, nothing! Looking back I don't think I batted an eye. Now, I worry over everything! Money, space, my babies growing up too quickly, my age... The list goes on and on. In some small way I like to think this is me being cautious and prepared. I don't necessarily think Matt sees it that way...
6. Baby Style.
I might have said I wanted my nursery decor to be 'different' last time around, but as soon as I looked through baby catalogs I swooned over the lavenders, pink, and everything I had always dreamed a nursery would be. It was EXTREMELY baby traditional, and that fit my first pregnancy. This time around, I am so ready to think outside the box and create a nursery that is more our style.
7. Being Prepared.
I was so scared of labor, bringing home baby, etc. the first time around. Matt likes to think I am crazy because immediately after having L, (we are talking maybe 2 minutes?) I told him I was ready to do this 10 more times. Ha! All that fear for what? The adrenaline and excitement of bringing a baby into the world, (hardship, pain, worry, struggle, crisis and all!) was unlike anything I could have imagined. I feel so prepared to do that part again, which is saying something after my post a few days ago...
8. My Modesty.
This isn't something I want to share a lot about, but if you are a mom you know what I am talking about. Let's just say this time around it's not so hard to be very 'candid' with my doc!
9. Our Commitments.
I am not saying I wasn't committed to the first pregnancy, our family, or L by any means. I just don't think I realized what the most important things were in raising a family. I had ideas and books I'd read and a vision of what I wanted. Now though, after a few years of marriage and one awesome kid, I think Matt and I have a real handle on what we need to be commited to as a family. I think our committment to raising a healthy, God-centered family has grown stronger with baby #2. Maybe it's just that I realized that if I am going to make it as a mom, wife, and teacher through all the uncertainty, hardship, excitement, growth, joy and sorrow I better be leaning on and commited to the right thing.
10. Love.
I had NO idea how much I could possibly love a little human before Laurelei. We were so excited about the pregnancy and our baby, but finally bringing her into the world totally overwhelmed my emotions! I love that in this second pregnancy I can feel even more connected to the little one on the way because I get to experience L every single day. And loving 2 children this way, it just makes my heart want to overflow!
(Thought this picture-less post needed a little jazzing up. This is sweet Laurelei holding baby #2's picture, pre m&m bribery! I think is captures the essence of "Mom, you have to be kidding me?")
A little family vacation...
Over my spring break we decided to take a little family vacation to Chicago. Matt and I both value family vacations so much. My mom has always made it such a point to take us somewhere every year. The memories I have with my sister and brothers from each vacation will certainly last a lifetime, and I was eager to make new memories with my own little family! So, we picked Chicago, some kid friendly activities and a great hotel to spend our little vacation in style. We had so much fun! here is a little catalog of events we enjoyed while we were away. (And yes, we sure packed in A LOT of fun in just 4 days!)
Our first stop was the Rock and Roll McDonalds, L loved it!
After some shopping (when L insisted on buying a new pair of shades) we went to the park.
When we finally checked into our hotel, L was VERY excited about her big bed!
After a long first day and swimming in the hotel pool, L was zonked and fell right to sleep.
Our second day started with a long visit to the Shed Aquarium. L had such a good time, but particularly loved the Dora 4D Experience!
After the Shed, Matt and I got to enjoy a quiet 3 hours at the Chicago Art Institute as L napped in her stroller. Afterwards she was ready to explore more of the city!
Including the "moon" as she called it. "Look daddy! I holdin the moon!"
On our third day, we started with a long walk down Michigan Avenue and a stop at the Lego store. This was the best picture we could get with L and Woody. She was excited to see him, but a little busy at the time...
We also visited the Hershey store, L loves chocolate!!
After our stop, we headed to lunch at the Rainforest Cafe, easily the biggest hit of the trip!! We asked to sit right next to the elephants and L just sat in amazement the entire time. She was beyond excited about the environment. I wish we could go back again and again!
We ended the afternoon and our trip at the Chicago Children's Museum. It is an awesome museum! I wish we had something this wonderful in Lexington. L loved every second of it. And Daddy was the best playmate she could have ever wished for!
It was a great trip. Now we just can't wait for the beach! Hopefully summer will come quickly!
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