It's A...(16 Weeks)

We had our exciting 16 Week checkup bright and early this morning.

16 Weeks, 1 Day...James is 1 Year, 10 Months, 1 Week, and 4 Days. :)

When we got to the ultrasound, Baby was sleeping soundly.

In the above picture you can definitely see a spine. Baby is sitting up with face down. We stayed this way for a WHILE...until we really thought we wouldn't be able to see anything!

The ultrasound tech FINALLY got Baby to lay back. Baby kicked back with ankles up in the air and crossed.

We got a few 3D/4D shots. You can see the forehead, eyes, and nose here. Still snuggled up. (For those of you who remember when James was born, we saw EARS this time. With James, we never saw ears so we weren't sure he had any.)

Back view...you can see the back of the head and shoulders here. I think this was is sweet!

Even when the tech got Baby laid back, it immediately put a hand down between its legs. We all laughed and said it MUST be a boy.

Then she poked around a little bit and said she would guess boy, but for us not to buy anything.

And then we got almost 100% proof that we ARE INDEED adding another BOY to our family!

Eddie's wallet is breathing a sigh of relief today. :)

All looked very healthy. We'll have another checkup and ultrasound in 4 weeks. Yea for more pictures!

What in the world am I going to do with TWO little boys?!?! Bunk beds, here we come!

Recipe of the Week...Crockpot Chicken "Chili"

Well, let's be honest about my cooking and recipe posting skills lately, shall we? Food is gross so unless it's potato soup, cereal, or peanut butter, I haven't cooked it in recent memory. I did, however, see an easy recipe on Pinterest the other day and since I had everything I needed at home (and DREAD going to the grocery store), I made it!

(Sidenote, for all of you pregnancy watchers. I'm 16 weeks pregnant today and we go to the doctor bright and early {7:45} tomorrow to have an ultrasound and hopefully find out what this little booger is. Then let the shopping and room decorating commence! I'll post the gender {if they can find out} and 16 week update {complete with a PICTURE} tomorrow afternoon sometime!)

Ingredients:

* Frozen, boneless, skinless chicken breast - the recipe called for tenderloins so I just let mine cook a bit and then cut them up into smaller pieces to cook thoroughly.

* 1 package cream cheese

* 1 can of Rotel

* 1 can of corn, drained

* 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed

* 1 package of taco seasoning (I didn't add this but decided it needed something else and Amy said she does put it in hers!)

* 1 tbsp butter (also from Amy)

1. Spray crockpot with Pam.

2. Place chicken (frozen) in bottom of crockpot. (Assuming you need to cut it up later, I just added chicken and nothing else for about 2 hours.)

3. Add cream cheese, Rotel, corn, beans, taco seasoning, and butter.

4. Total cook time is 6-8 hours on low. (Eddie bumped ours up to high for the last hour.) Turn off and let sit (to thicken) for 30 minutes before ready to serve.

5. Stir mixture and shred chicken.

6. Serve over rice. Mmmm!

This was a winner!

Weekend Update...

We had a super low-key weekend. More feeling yucky, more being lazy. But I've been a super-cleaner tonight. Hopefully I'll keep up this "second wind" and will start to feel better!

We find out Wednesday whether we're having a boy or a girl and I am SO excited. Eddie will not be thrilled with this, but I keep seeing PRECIOUS smocked outfits on Zulily and thinking, if I just knew what we were having I could buy! :)

Thursday night was fun! We headed up to Macon (after a long, horrible afternoon of screaming instead of napping) to have dinner with our friend (and sometimes babysitter) Ashley. She's back in college after a summer of being a counselor at Epworth by the Sea. We had a great time catching up and hearing all of her funny stories. She's such a sweet girl!

Friday night we stayed home. Is there a pattern of that lately, or what?

Saturday I got up before both boys. Shocking, huh? We lazed around the house all. day. long. before finally getting dressed and heading out around 6pm. I was feeling terrible, but I thought we probably needed to go anyway. We set out on a mission to find something for James to wear for game days while it's still hot outside. He has two things for cold weather, but not for hot weather. (Welcome to the south where you have to have something to wear for game days, even if you're not actually attending the game!) We had no luck so we'll continue our search tomorrow. After our search I decided I could stomach O'Charley's (again...for about the fourth or fifth time in a month). As we were sitting there I started feeling worse and worse and worse. We finally just got the waitress to bring us boxes for the food we hadn't eaten (I'd taken about two bites...James was pitching a fit that we weren't letting him finish, though) and we left. I hate feeling miserable, but I hate it worse when I can't get away from the food that's making me feel miserable. I am not an I-love-being-pregnant person, although I am thankful for the process.

Today was a much better day! We went to church and Sunday School and I got all kinds of compliments on my new doesn't-really-fit-me-yet maternity dress. Then, after church, we went with some friends and their kids to eat at the restaurant across from the church. I was a little concerned I wouldn't do well because it always smells fried (and fried is not a friend right now), but I was fine! I got pork loin, macaroni and cheese, peas, and corn and shared with James. We both ate well and I didn't feel bad AT ALL. It was wonderful! I did take a lonnnng nap this afternoon and I've been fighting a headache all day, but I think I've done better!

We have another BUSY week ahead. I actually looked at my calendar today from now through October and we are busy almost every weekend from now until Halloween. How does that happen?!?! Busy is better than being bored, though!

Sorry there aren't any pictures...I could give you pictures of James screaming bloody murder during naptime or pictures of me with my head on my pillow, but that would be the extent of it! :) I hope to report next week that I'm feeling GREAT! 

15 Weeks...

Another week of no picture. Maybe I can convince Eddie to take a picture of me after church on Sunday.

Size of Baby: Navel Orange

Total Weight Loss/Gain: -0.6 pounds

Maternity Clothes: For the most part, I’m in them…but only for comfort. I tried on a pair of regular capris last week and they still button BUT they aren’t pretty!

Gender: 1 more week!

Movement: Maybe? Now I’m just not sure.

Cravings: NOTHING. I’m back to not liking food. Potato soup has been a favorite thing lately.

Symptoms: Still don’t like food. No more all-day nausea like before, but I cannot find ANYTHING that I really want to eat. I think I could happily be vegetarian this time around.

Sleep: Still ok. I’m getting up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, but I’ve been going back to sleep. I’m a tummy sleeper and I’ve really had to make an effort to stay on my side. I still sort of roll over on half my tummy but this week I’ve realized that’s not quite as comfy.

What I Miss: EATING NORMALLY. Cooking!

Best Moment This Week: A date with Eddie! Just to Ballard and Ikea and a drive home from Atlanta, but it was nice!

Gender Prediction...

I haven't been nearly as worried or uptight or anxious about finding out this baby's gender as I was with James. I'm assuming that's because I don't have all the time in the world this time around to sit and think about it. Eddie and I talked names on the way home from Atlanta the other day and while we came to some conclusions on a few things (for instance, we have a girl's name - either first or middle and we're certain about a boy's middle name), we're not nearly there yet. Plenty of time, though!

I did gender prediction with James online and using Old Wives' Tales and thought I'd do it again for this go 'round. To see James' results, click HERE. I think it was pretty much split down the middle.

According to the Chinese Gender Chart, we're seeing: PINK (same with James...)

According to the Old Wives' Tales Gender Prediction Method, there's a 64% chance we're seeing: PINK

Based on our most recent visit and the heartbeat count we got there, we're seeing: PINK

Another quiz at "Just Mommies" told me that we have a 75% chance of seeing: PINK

I'm still thinking BLUE, but the results above are funny to me. We' have less than a week until we find out for sure! (Hopefully!) Maybe then we can think of a more definite name! If you haven't voted in the poll, make a guess! You have a 50% chance of being right! :)
I haven't done the needle/ring test this time, which I've been told is THE only way to predict early. It DID work with James. :)

Make a guess! We're down to five days!



James at Twenty-Two Months...

I cannot BELIEVE we're only two months away from the second birthday. You'll all be shocked and amazed that I haven't even started working on his birthday party yet. Aside from knowing the date and the theme, nothing is planned. I should probably try to nail down our location! (Because of this post, I called MaraDare to pencil us in to use the Activities Center as our back-up location!)

James weighs around 28 pounds and is probably 34 inches tall.

He has just moved up to a size 5 diaper.

He gave up his paci (fingers crossed!) two days before he hit twenty-two months.

James is in size 2T and his newest shoes are a little big at size 6.5 Lots of growing room! (Sidenote: I am TICKLED because I bought a pair of John Deere boots {plain brown pull-ons} on Zulily yesterday for a whopping $0. Woohoo! They were originally $56, marked down to $13.99 and I had a $30 credit that paid for tax and shipping! Yes!) James LOVES to wear his own shoes, wear other people's shoes, and insist that everyone have their shoes on!

I'm pretty sure he has ALL his teeth for two years old. I haven't been able to count, but those molars are there! He likes the idea of brushing his own teeth, but when it comes down to it, he's not a fan. In the mornings I let him brush his own teeth sitting on my bathroom floor. At night he brushes his own first and then he sits in my lap, I sing, and Daddy brushes. It's difficult to make it through without tears.

James goes to bed sometime around 9pm every night and usually sleeps until 8am (unless we have to get him up to go somewhere). He'll still take a morning and afternoon nap (and often NEEDS both) if we're home and are able to do that. If not, he's good on one mid-afternoon nap.

He's gotten SO much better about trying new foods. Our big thing right now is that he doesn't have to eat something, but he needs to lick it to see what it tastes like. :)

James' vocabulary has EXPLODED over the last month. While not everything is sweet, I am glad he's verbalizing a bit more!

* "Daddy, boog!" (Daddy, there's a bug! Get it!)
* "No, Mama!" (His answer to most everything these days.)
* New animal sounds this month - moo,
* "A baby!" (In his belly button or in my belly button.)
* "Hi, baby!" (When he sees another child.)
* "I nee Mama" or "I nee Daddy" (when he wakes up from a nap - I need Mama or Daddy)

He's learning to count to ten right now. He gets a few of them right. I'll start out and say - One, two, three, four, {he gets five, six, sometimes seven, and eight} and I finish nine and ten!

He's learning his A, B, Cs, but can only sing A and B in the song.

His favorite songs to sing are "I'm Bringing Home a Baby Bumble Bee," "The Wheels on the Bus," "The B-I-B-L-E," and "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." He LOVES to sing and will make up his own tunes - especially in the car when the radio is on.

He is losing more and more of the baby look. He has gotten SO independent and helpful around the house. He's sweet, but I the terrible twos are definitely upon us and I think we're seeing a glimpse of raising a teenager. I must hear "NO!" over 100 times a day. (My mama is thinking, "PAYBACK!")

Weekend Update...

When last we left off it was the middle of the night and I'd been up with a sick toddler. Let me just say that last week was mis.er.able. Miserable. Between our air conditioner problems (not lack of, but a leak), a toddler who had learned to climb out of his crib, being sick, and having a sick child, I was ready for a do-over.

Before all of the middle-of-the-night-illness, we gave James a MUCH needed haircut. It's still long enough to curl in back but it is out of his eyes and pretty much off his ears. I gave him a sucker and we put him on his stool in the bathtub. That didn't last long and he wanted me to hold him.

After all of Thursday night/Friday morning's craziness, I finally fell asleep around 5 AM on, only to hear James not long later. Eddie got up (James hadn't gotten sick again) and put him in bed with us. When he got up between 6:30 and 7, James decided to get up with him. Thankfully, Eddie is a saint and let me sleep while he showered and James toddled around the bathroom. Eddie left for work around 7:45 and I'd hoped James would go back to sleep but he was up for the day.

I called his doctor's office as soon as they opened and spoke to a nurse. One of the great things about the practice that we use is that they don't always want you to come in. Yippee! She and I both decided if we could get his head dried up that all of the other symptoms (feeling bad, throwing up, diarrhea) would subside as well. She called us in some sort of decongestant.

James decided he was sleepy mid-morning so he slept from 9:30 to 11:30. This would've been a great time for me to get in bed, too, but I was waiting for the air conditioner man to arrive. He was supposed to get there by 11. I woke James up at 11:30 so he wouldn't sleep all day and not take another nap, but the AC man still hadn't come.

Friday was a lonnnng day. Eddie came home for lunch when the AC man finally arrived - at 2 or 3, I think. I laid in the bed while Eddie watched James. Exhaustion is no fun at all! James and I both took a nap from about 5-6 and when we woke up the AC man was STILL in the attic working. I know it must've been 200* up there. Hopefully it is fixed for good!

We obviously didn't go out on Friday, but chose to stay at home and eat sandwiches instead. We got James to bed a little later than normal because of our late naps, but he had medicine in his system and we had our fingers crossed for a better night.

We all slept until 7:30 on Saturday morning. When we got up we pretty much lazed around the house for a bit before deciding James was feeling a little better and we may as well keep our plans to head to Atlanta. He had a major meltdown about not being able to have milk for breakfast, but other than that he acted like his normal self.

He took an impromptu old-man nap at the table at snack time since we wouldn't let him sleep before we left.

We finally got showered and packed and ready to leave by 1:00. We had to run into town to go to Eddie's office, the post office, the drug store, and to grab lunch before we left so we wound up not leaving until almost 2pm.

Ready to go! He has his cup, sunglasses, book, wubbies, and a cellphone in the cupholder behind the cup!

The whole drive to Atlanta I second-guessed my decision to go. James just looked absolutely pitiful. He looked like he felt miserable and he had a hard time falling asleep. He never cried, he just rested his head on the side of his seat and stared. :( Poor boy!

Once we got into Atlanta, he perked up. We got to Dad and Laura's right around 4 o'clock. We enjoyed walking in the gardens, riding the tractor (AND the lawnmower), picking grapes, and visiting Mr. Billy's goats and chickens. We had dinner later at CPK and that was fun as well! Then we went to visit Me-mommy (Grandmommie) and MiaMia (Mia, her dog). James had a great time!

We were all exhausted Saturday night so we didn't stay up late. James decided he wanted to sleep in Anna's bed (she wasn't there) so he and Eddie laid down on it until they both fell asleep. I woke Eddie up later and we moved James to his pack 'n play. He slept until 6:30 Sunday morning.

We wound up staying much later on Sunday than we'd planned. After Mickey Mouse waffles for breakfast we found out Anna and Lance were stopping by for the day. We waited on them to get there so that we could all go to lunch together. Eddie and I probably left around 3.

He LOVES to ride my old spring horse when he goes to Papa and YaYa's. He says "Yee-ha!"

I think he might be looking at Anna's hand and telling her "No, no!"

We headed to Ballard and Ikea to look at a few things and return something we'd bought for James. Can I just say that after my second trip to Ikea in the past few months I officially think it is a NIGHTMARE to shop there? Thankfully this time we didn't have a ton to look for and we knew right where the item we were exchanging was housed. We did browse through the kids' stuff upstairs to see if we could find anything fun. There are WAY too many people there, though. It's just not fun to me. Maybe we should go on a week day well after college has resumed. ??? I don't know how you could make it better, though. Oh well. It's a fun concept! (I kept telling Eddie it reminded me too much of waiting in lines at the airport!)

We headed south after our trip to Ikea and stopped by the Trains when we got back in town. We'd met Lauren's sister at Ikea to pick up some things to take back with us so we made a delivery when we arrived. We had no plans of even going in their house since I'm still sniffly but she asked us to and we wound up staying an hour and a half! Wow! We had a great time chatting with them and watching Champ lick AM to death. :)

Monday I had a "day off" of sorts. James was still in Atlanta and went to "work" with YaYa. She didn't actually work, just visited. She's wanted to take James to work with her since he was born and we're just never in Atlanta on a week day. He got home around 4pm. I tried to get a few things done on my day off but I wasn't very successful.

Today we skipped school again. He had a gross nose again this morning but I think now that his medicine just hadn't kicked in by 9 because it hasn't been bad this afternoon. Maybe by Thursday.... Preschool is expensive when you don't go!

On a positive note, he hasn't had a paci since the middle of the night Thursday night.  Have I lucked up or what???

 

I'm behind on posts...James was twenty-two months on Saturday and I'm 15 weeks pregnant. Too many milestones at once! :)

We're Out of Clean Blankets...

I feel like I probably should've waited until Friday to do our random weekly highlights since most of them were whining and tonight certainly fits in.

It is currently 3:24 AM and I've been awake since 12:58. :) Someone is a sick little boy. He woke me up screaming and almost as soon as I walked in his room he threw up everywhere. I think it had already happened once but I didn't realize it at the time. He has no idea what to think when he gets sick (especially if it wakes him up) so he just melts down. I yelled for Eddie over the monitor and he hauled a screaming, sick baby to the bathtub to be cleaned up. In the meantime, I peeled off his sheets, mattress cover, pulled out the mattress and got the dust ruffle...everything. It's been washed twice now and is currently on a second rinse with OdoBan.

After he was clean and smelling fresh again he got in bed with us. And that is where, about 20 minutes later, throw up number two occurred. *Sigh* Back to the bathtub, more stripping of sheets. Luckily for us (because our other set of sheets hasn't been washed yet), I had a third spare set of king size sheets stowed in our closet. We haven't used or washed them in three years, but it's better than nothing.

After bath number three for the evening we all got back in bed and James decided he was WIDE awake. Eddie fell asleep quickly and I stopped talking to James in hopes that he'd wind down. We'd already rocked and Eddie had already rocked him but he was just wound up. Finally, around 2:45 I asked him if he wanted to get back in his bed. Last time we had a throw-up episode Dr. W. said the best thing to do is to get him to go back to sleep. Since that wasn't happening in our bed, I thought it might happen in his. I put his clean sheet on, grabbed him some jammies, and was ready to put them on him when he started crying. Assuming I knew what was going to happen, he and I made a beeline for the sink where he got sick for a third time. At least this time didn't require a bath! I asked again if he'd like to get in his bed and he said yes.

We're currently on our last clean set of sheets, he's on his last clean set of sheets, he's on his last clean wubbie, and we're all exhausted. I, of course, can't sleep because I'm worried I won't hear him if he needs me again (we're both notorious for sleeping through cries on the baby monitor, unfortunately!). Eddie apologized for not helping more but I assured him that if I was up all night he could just burn a sick day tomorrow and be on call then. :)

I'm assuming this is probably related to all of the crud he and I have in our heads right now. I feel certain it's a childhood thing to throw up anytime you get sick. I seem to recall doing that almost anytime I had bronchitis or something throat-related. I'll call the doctor in the morning, but ours is so laid back I'm betting we won't even have to take him in.

Two good things of the evening: 1. James got a MUCH needed haircut. You'll be shocked to know that I even trimmed the back. It can no longer be put in a ponytail. (It was looking VERY much like a mullet.) I might've pouted about trimming it but he looks SO handsome. Pictures to come, I'm not about to worry about that right now. 2. James is currently asleep WITHOUT A PACIFIER. He asked for one (after we'd been through two) and I told him he'd thrown up on them and they were all dirty. We do still have a few more but they're all in the dishwasher. Maybe I'll be able to keep this up? Something tells me he isn't going to go for it at naptime tomorrow but we'll see! :)

Random Thoughts About Our Week...

1. James woke up with a runny nose on Sunday.

2. I woke up with a sore throat on Monday.

3. James was well on Tuesday and able to go to school, but I felt worse than I've felt in a long time.

4. Also on Tuesday James learned to climb out of his crib. He'd been put in timeout by Daddy and decided he just didn't want to be in there. Three times he just walked right out of his room.

5. On Wednesday, James let me know he was awake and up for the day by knocking on his bedroom door.

6. James is now tall enough to reach the counters in our kitchen. He's also learned that if he pulls his stool up to the counters in the kitchen he can reach even more. Food has not been safe left out this week. Neither have grocery bags.

7. Needless to say, sickness + naughty toddler = worn out mama.

8. The stool is out of his reach.

9. On Wednesday afternoon, naptime was a disaster. I put him in his bed, closed the door, and laid on the floor outside his room to wait to see his little feet hit the floor. After several times, a few pops on the heiny, and lots of tears (more for being fussed at than being popped), he stayed in his bed. I cannot decide what discipline to use now. We used to put him in timeout - in his bed. So now what?

10. James woke up with a runny nose again this morning so no school for him. Of course, I didn't know that until I'd showered, fed him, and got us both ready for the day.

11. Instead of school, we ran errands. Starbucks, Hobby Lobby (Obby Yobby!), Target, and the bank were on the agenda.

12. Eddie and I have been looking at and pricing video monitors. I decided I wanted one with Baby #2 anyway (they've made them MUCH better and more practical since James was born...isn't it wild how much things change in two years?!) but we'll be using it with the little man.

13. The Big Boy room is going to be moved up. Instead of Christmas, like I'd planned, it will be done in the next month or so.

14. I'm obviously looking at bed rails and door knob covers now, too.

15. Living with a toddler is tiresome.

16. But I get a break from him this weekend. :) (I'll still miss him.)

17. I've eaten potato soup twice this week because I felt so horrible that I didn't want anything else. It was fantastic and made me feel better.

18. I've also had a LOT of apple cider. It is my new favorite and it's only seasonal for Keurig. I hope they bring it back soon!

19. I got an email today about Bible Study starting back and I'm VERY excited.

20. I can't think of anything else. Hope you're all enjoying your week!

14 Weeks...

I haven't taken a picture today. I sort of feel like I don't look like I change much week-to-week. Maybe I should do it every other week? Or would I like it week-to-week all at the end? Don't forget to vote boy/girl on the poll on the right hand side. Two weeks left!

I got James dropped off at school this morning. He was excited on the way there but very quiet as I dropped him off. I don't think he's quite used to it yet. He had the sniffles over the weekend and I, of course, wound up with them yesterday. I know I'm just a germ magnet right now. I haven't felt this bad in forever. I'd JUST turned the corner on nausea and now I have a sore throat, headache, and drippy nose. And I can't really take anything that will do me any good. Maybe I'll catch a break instead of germs at some point! :)

Size of Baby: Lemon (last week a peach, this week a lemon? I thought peaches were larger?)

 Total Weight Loss/Gain: +0.2 pounds (I found my appetite this weekend!)

Maternity Clothes: For the most part I'm in my smaller maternity clothes now. Still regular dresses. I wore maternity jeans for the first time Sunday night and I forgot how comfy they were!

Gender: 2 weeks to go!

Movement: Maybe? Now I just don't know...

Cravings: No big cravings this week. I made blueberry muffins the other day because they sounded good. Still feeling carby. I asked for Wendy's twice this week. Wendy's! Eddie couldn't believe it. It was sooo good, though.

Symptoms: I'm just going to whisper this but I *think* I've turned a corner on nausea. I had a few days of feeling yucky last week, but I felt MUCH better than I had! This ended the same as it did with James! (Can you tell I'm thinking blue?)

Sleep: Still ok, once I get to sleep. I am awake for a while at night and if I wake up at any point during the night or early the next morning I have a hard time going back to sleep. Eddie has been waking me up in the mornings (accidentally) and that NEVER happens. I rarely hear him until he's walking out the door.

What I Miss: Laying on my tummy. Eating without feeling grossed out. Not having a hyper-sensitive nose. Feeling good. I feel like I've gained 20 pounds. I get out of breath and worn out quickly and it's embarrassing!

Best Moment This Week: Feeling a little better most days!

Weekend Update!

Well we had a fantastic weekend! It was busy and quick like it usually is, but it was packed full of fun!

On Friday morning James and I got started as soon as Eddie left for work. James had a little breakfast and I picked up the house and got a quick shower because we were having FUN company come over! My sweet cousin, Susana (James' babysitter), emailed me on Tuesday to tell me that Aunt Susie (her grandmother, my daddy's sister) wanted to visit! I was thrilled! We decided Friday would be our best day. James was excited about the prospect of new attention and I was just thrilled to see them both. Cacky joined us later in the morning, too, and we had fun laughing at James and visiting. I hope we have visits like that more often!

After Aunt Susie and Susana left, Cacky stayed because Poppy was coming through from Atlanta and wanted to eat dinner with us. James was even more excited that Poppy was coming. He loves all of his grandparents, but I don't know what it is about the MEN. He gets SO excited to hear that he'll be seeing Poppy, Papa, and Granddaddy! Poppy arrived around 5:30 and he and James had a big time playing while we waited on Eddie to get home (and then inspect a leak in our house...it was bound to happen...we've not had any major home issues in a while!). We had dinner at Longhorn and enjoyed visiting there, too.

Silly boy playing with Cacky after his nap. Driving and talking on TWO phones!

On Saturday Eddie worked in the yard. I woke up not feeling great (which was sad because I really thought I'd turned a corner on all of this morning sickness stuff) so I did what I could but mostly just laid around. We had a pool party with our Sunday School class on Saturday afternoon and had the BEST time. James, of course, wanted to be right in the middle of the action. We are DEFINITELY doing swimming lessons next summer because I was a wreck trying to keep him away from the pool. He really thinks he's bigger than he is and that he knows how to swim. He only had to be rescued from the pool once. :) We had so much fun with our friends and it was nice to visit. We wound up staying way later than we anticipated, but fortunately James is a little social butterfly and couldn't care less if we're out past bedtime. He was just enjoying playing with Mary Charles! They're about 8 months apart but have really started playing together well. She's a little mama and SO precious! I'm hoping Mary Charles' mom will post the pictures that she took soon so I can steal a few.

Sunday morning we went to church but skipped Sunday School. It was promotion Sunday and the parents have a ceremony they have to go to. Because we're one of the only couples in our class without school-age kids, we just skipped. We got home, packed the car, and headed to Lake Blackshear for the day. More fun! James fished and splashed in the water and climbed up and down the stairs and drove the boat. He was exhausted by the time we left!

 

He loves to fish but his face in this picture tells exactly how he feels about being close to or touching the fish. He was brave enough to touch a tail twice. (I think they caught four fish.)

We got home from the lake with enough time for me to shower and get ready to head out and pick up a friend to go to the late showing of The Help. We met five other friends there. The movie was FANTASTIC. We laughed and cried through the whole thing. If you've not read the book, it is a MUST READ. It's phenomenal. The movie was fantastic as well, but you just get more detail from the book. Has anyone else seen it? My favorite character is Celia from Sugar Ditch. :) It's a must read and a must see! I kept thinking that I'd love to be able to show it when I'm teaching To Kill a Mockingbird and we're learning about Jim Crow laws. I was amazed the first time I taught it because the kids didn't really have a clue that those kinds of laws were in place. I think they're really two generations removed from it now. My parents remember segregation and integration but their parents were in school 15-20 years (and more!) after all of it. They'd learn about it from their grandparents. It would be a great movie to show!

The only bad part of our weekend is that James has had a cold. I fully expected all kinds of back-to-school illnesses so it's no surprise at all. He definitely acted like he felt bad yesterday (especially last night when we got home from the lake) but seems ok this morning. If only I can get rid of this runny nose before school tomorrow! He was so congested on Saturday night that I was up with him three times, I heard him crying but he put himself back to sleep twice, and Eddie got up with him at 5:15. He finally just put him in the bed with us but we were all awake for the day by then. I got so tickled at him because he would lean over to me in the bed and whisper, "Mama!" and then point to his nose to tell me he couldn't breathe. When Eddie got up to get a shower for church James followed him to the bathroom and asked to blow his nose. He's finally learned how which makes it MUCH easier on us. I hated that he felt so icky but it didn't stop him from enjoying himself yesterday!

Silly Boy Funnies...

It's been a while since I've posted a list of recent "funnies" that James has come up with here are a few:

The other day James was watching Sesame Street while I was in another room. I could hear them singing "Nuh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh - A!" spelling a word (I'm not sure what they were spelling). He started singing along - "Uh uh uh - A!"

He has totally "gotten" TV lately (maybe because we've watched so. stinkin'. much this summer!). On PBS the other day they had a song between shows that said, "Jump up and down, throw your hands in the air!" We were sitting on my bed and he stood up, jumped, and waved his hands around. He did NOT want the song to end and kept signing "more" to me.

And that's another problem we've run into! He wants "more" of a TV show if he especially likes something. Arthur is over? More! That song was funny? More! The problem is that we respond to his "more!" when we're in the den because we have DVR. He doesn't get that we can only do that in the den, though! We're just as guilty of it. Eddie says all the time (jokingly if we're in another room - although it does cross our minds), "Back that up! What did they say?" We constantly rewind when we're watching DVR.

One of James' favorite things to do is get in our bed and snuggle or "read." A few days ago I asked if he wanted to read with me so he got his books and we went to my room. I sat on one side and he sat on the other side and we read. He isn't a huge fan of being read to (which is heartbreaking for me! I love to read out loud!) but he does like looking at his books by himself. He stays interested longer. I read my book and he flipped through his for a while! "YaYa" (Elmo) books are his favorites right now!

James is an expert at cleaning. If something spills he runs to the kitchen like a mad-man to grab a towel and wipe it up. If he can't find a towel he finds the closest thing to one - shirt, pajamas, etc.

He is slightly obsessed with ice these days. If he hears me in the freezer he shouts "Ice!" and comes running. (It really sounds like "Owce.") He loves it if I accidentally drop a piece. He gets it, licks it, and throws it in the sink.

He knows all about his car (dar) and lawnmower (maw-mowa). The lawnmower has a gas can on it but he uses it for the lawnmower AND the car. Smart boy! He says "Das!" and pours it in!

He "spells" everything "A-Y." Not sure why those are his favorite letters.

He "counts" with letters. I've been working on 1-5 with him but he hasn't quite caught on. He can get three and five (somtimes) in their appropriate places, but if he's counting by himself he uses letters. I caught him recently counting spilled goldfish and he was saying "A....Y...." He even mimicked the drawn-out sound I make when counting - "Onnnne, Twwwwo, Threeee." Ha!

And a couple of recent videos for you...(I wish I could edit out this boy's mama's annoying voice...just ignore it!)

Fishing for Granddaddy.

James and the whistle.

I tried to upload a third but I think I'm over my size limit here. I'll post it in another post.

Baby #2: 13 Weeks

Size of Baby: Peach

Total Weight Loss/Gain: 0 pounds!

Maternity Clothes: Yes in shorts. I hate the constricting feeling of anything else right now. Lots of dresses and jersey skirts. My shirts are really getting too short. I'm at that really weird stage of pregnancy where my real clothes are too small but my maternity clothes seem HUGE. It's almost as much fun as the last few weeks of pregnancy where maternity clothes seem too small!

Gender: 3 weeks to go!

Movement: I'm almost certain I've felt movement.

Cravings: Peanut butter. Toast. Lots and lots of carbs. My favorite meal this past week was an English muffin with tomato and cheese. Mmmm. I had several.

Symptoms: Still feeling really sick. I'm worthless. Poor Eddie. No medicine recently. I just don't think it's doing anything for me.

Sleep: Still ok, once I get to sleep. I lay awake for a while wondering if I'll ever fall asleep. Then if I can stay asleep I'm fine. If I wake up, I'm up for a while! I've gotten up early several mornings in the past week.

What I Miss: Laying on my tummy. Eating without feeling grossed out. Not having a hyper-sensitive nose. (I smelled a smoker on Monday at Publix from twenty feet away. I slowed down my shopping just to get away from it. Bleh!)

Best Moment This Week: Doctor's visit #2! I so look forward to going to the doctor!

I got really dressed up to take my picture today. Ha! This is my "Drop James off at school and come home to clean" look. I feel like my tummy looks smaller this week. (I have lost a teensy bit more weight but not enough to make me shrink...)

And in case anyone cares, here's my hair before and after! I do LOVE how my long hair looks, but I do NOT like how it feels - especially in this HEAT. (Please note that in my "before" picture I'd just washed, blow-dried, and hot rolled my hair. None of that was done in my "after" picture.)

Willow House Wednesday...

I haven't talked about Willow House in a while but we have some FUN things coming up that I wanted to share in case you're interested.

First, we have a great new catalog for the Fall. You can view it online by visiting my website. If you'd rather have a copy that you can hold, send me an email.

We have lots of new items this season, so I thought I'd highlight a few of them for you. Here are my very favorites:

Athena Crackle Vase

Isn't this GORGEOUS. I love the bright turquoise color! This item sells for $34.96.

Monarch Grand Lantern

This thing is HUGE. It measures 18.5 inches tall. It's pictured with a vase inside but you could use it as a real lantern as well and put a pillar candle in it. It can be hung. This sells for $109.96. (If you'd like to host a party that's a great way to get this pricy-er item! Hostesses can earn FREE, 70% off, and 50% off items!)

Jolly Holiday Stockings

These are precious and EVERYONE loved them last year. In fact, I may be updating our mantle this year! They sell for $26.96 each OR $49.96 for two. If you order the set of two you can get a third for half-price! I know it's early to be thinking about Christmas but I remember these getting low in stock last year so don't wait until the last minute if you love them!

Let me know if I can help you with anything Willow House related. There are some fun ways to join my team and host a party so let me know if that sounds like something you'd like to do!

First Day of School!

My big man went to school today! I tried my best to take pictures before we left but he wasn't interested.

He's holding a sign that says "First Day of Preschool - 8*9*11" but he wanted to look at the words instead of showing them to me. They obviously didn't turn out.

Showing off his new lunchbox!

He would NOT look at me and when he actually did, this was the face I got.

He had a great day as far as I can tell. We arrived right at nine and he walked right on in. When we got to his room they had a baby gate in the door to prevent a crier from escaping. His teacher scooped him up and took his bags and whisked him into the classroom. He looked a little shell-shocked but didn't cry. I slipped down the hall and talked to a friend before leaving. I think I was there under five minutes.

I ran to Wal-Mart and then home to put catalogs into envelopes to mail out today. Eddie and I had lunch together (a date?!?) near his office and then we went to pick James up together. He was smiling and laughing when we got there and we were stopped by at least three other teachers who told us how funny he was. James has BIG personality if you've never been around him before. His teacher, Mrs. Sheila, turned music on and he danced and danced. I'm THRILLED that he had a good day but he's usually very adaptable so I wasn't that worried.

I am NOT good at doing my birthday pictures but this was too cute not to include. Please don't get your feelings hurt if I haven't done this for you! Today was YaYa's birthday! I think she turned 30. :)

We spent a little time outside tonight while Eddie grilled supper. It had POURED earlier so of course James was filthy (but it was COOLER!). Eddie let James smell the basil and I commented that Papa would try to eat James if he was there and could smell him. Mmm. Basil smells delicious!

Pretend like you don't see those weeds!



Eddie grilled pork chops and corn on the cob tonight. James enjoyed the corn but didn't like the pork chops. I got tickled at supper because Eddie garnished my plate with more basil. I said something about "rabbit food" and asked if they called the parsley (?) on the plates at Shoney's (hahahaha!) "rabbit food" like we did. He didn't even look up from his plate when he responded, "No, we just called it useless." Hahaha! Oh, it made me laugh.

Hope y'all had a great day as well!

Weekend Update...

Thursday night I got my hair cut and colored for the first time since APRIL. Gracious! I've had a nightmare hairstylist adventure. In April the girl who has cut my hair forever (except for a brief time in college) told me she'd be moving. She's actually not moving too terribly far from us (she was originally in Tifton) but won't be cutting hair there yet. She's just cutting in Tifton on Tuesdays and Fridays and it's just not the most convenient for me. So I set out trying to find an interim hair person. I called a girl my cousin uses and she couldn't get me in very quickly. I told them I'd call back and I just never did. So I decided at the beginning of July that I needed to get it cut. I called a friend of a friend and she couldn't see me for two weeks. I made an appointment anyway just to have something. A few days before the appointment she called to reschedule the time. No problem! The day of the appointment her assistant called to say she was sick. That was fine but she couldn't get me back in for THREE WEEKS. I told her I'd be finding someone else. The assistant seemed shocked but I'd already waited two weeks for that appointment. Ridiculous. So I called a few other places and no one could see me for a minimum of two weeks. Finally and at last I called a friend's recommendation and I happily went to see Alicia Thursday to get a new cut and color. Hallelujah! It looks and feels 100 times better! Thank goodness! (Before and after pictures tomorrow...maybe? I know you all come here for pictures of me!)

Friday I let James get a "new" toy out of a box of toys I'd put away a few months ago. I had great intentions of cycling his toys and I just haven't done it. But Friday he chose one and had a ball playing with it. He set it up in the foyer, found me and said, "Cheese!" So I got my camera out and took pictures!

The face above is exactly how I know when it's naptime. He gets so frustrated so easily with everything and just melts down. Pitiful!

On Friday night we stayed home. There's obviously been a lot of that lately. We'd planned to go out but I was just feeling awful. In fact, I haven't felt great all weekend. The nausea is getting better, but I've still had bad headaches and I'm just exhausted! The boys had Zaxby's and I had the supper I've had three days in a row - an English muffin with tomato and cheese. Mmmm. That's been almost the only thing that has sounded appealing recently!

James had a weekend date in Atlanta with Papa and YaYa but Papa called Friday afternoon and had strep throat. So they planned to come on Sunday for lunch instead. And then I chickened out because I didn't want strep germs to jump on me. When I was pregnant with James I had bronchitis and it took a HORRIBLE shot and two rounds of super-low-dose antibiotics to make a dent in how I felt. I think I was sick that time for almost a month. SO...I called Saturday night and canceled our date. The good news is that James has rescheduled his date and will get to spend TWO nights instead of just one. :)

Saturday Eddie got lots and lots done around the house. He woke me up early and said he and Scout were going on a walk. James and I slept in while they walked (we should've gotten up and gone but Eddie admitted he enjoyed having time to get things done while we were sleeping! Ha!). He cleaned out our cars and then - to add further proof that James is no longer a baby - he turned the carseat around to the front! We could've waited three more months but his legs are getting a little cramped. We have met so much resistance about keeping him rear-facing for so long. I have been blown away by the number of people who have scoffed at our decision to keep him rear facing (and statistically safer in a wreck!!!) for so long. So be it. He wasn't unhappy and he was safe. Baby #2 will remain rear facing for as long as he/she can as well so get ready! He acted excited when we went on a test drive, but it could've been that he was feeding off of me acting excited. Maybe he doesn't even notice. I don't know.

James and I napped later in the day and I spent a good part of the afternoon in the bed reading. I am ready for the yuck to be OVER.

I sent the boys to church on Sunday without me. I did, however, try to be productive while they were gone. I worked on my to-do list and tackled a few things that needed to be done weeks ago. Slowly but surely maybe I'm getting my house back in order. It has been neglected! I napped while James napped and read a good bit, too. Eddie let me sleep when James got up and they played. I need to brag about poor Eddie for a minute. He has been super-husband/dad the past few weeks. Last night he washed ALL the dishes, wiped down the counters in the kitchen, and vacuumed all the hardwood in our house. He's WONDERFUL. He does a lot anyway, but he's totally picked up the slack.

We have a BUSY week ahead. Tonight was Open House at James' preschool and tomorrow is the BIG DAY. I can't believe I have a preschooler! Wow! We met his teacher tonight, Mrs. Sheila. There are five little boys and one little girl in the class. Poor little girl! Hopefully she's tough! James enjoyed playing with the toys in the classroom. I have my fingers crossed that our first week goes well!