Santa comes to town

Santa visited Andrew this past Friday - 12/10/2011. This was the 2nd year in a row that Santa came to see Andrew. Last year Andrew was all tears. This year he was nervously shy about Santa. He did not want to let go of Aha! Santa was great. He talked to Andrew about Sam and gave Andrew a gift! He got a reindeer pillow pet. Andrew loved the present but was still unsure of the situation. Maybe next year will be the year of full joy and excited for Santa. All in all it was a great memory.

24 months - 2 years old

Andrew is now a 2 year old. I will say it for the 24th time - WOW! I can't believe my baby is 24 months old. He is a pure joy. Owen and I are so lucky to have him as our little man. Some things he is doing right now are:

* He love trucks, firetrucks, trains, and balls
* He doesn't really have a favorite food but likes basic type food. He does like hummus and will eat any kind of fruit. He is still picky about vegetables.
* TV Shows he likes to watch are Thomas the Train, Bob the Builder and a new one - Fireman Sam.
* He is very verbal and is great at giving out instructions. For example..."mommy move", "mommy sit", "daddy do it", "mommy read" and so on...
* He can say his last name and knows what Owen's and my name are. He is shy when you ask him to say these things in front of other people.
* He is such a talker at the house but when we are around others he gets shy
* He fits in so well with his new class. All the kids seem to get along great with each other and I am so thankful for that.
* He is learning how to sip from a cup and is pretty good at it.
* He doesn't use a booster sit at restaurants anymore and He is actually pretty good at eating out.
* He does not wake up starving right now. He can wait 30 minutes or so before wanting breakfast. I actually like this b/c we can be a little slow to get started on the weekends.

His birthday was on a Saturday this year. We woke up at our normal time for weekends - around 7 am. Andrew opened his gifts which were Elmo themed and he got a toddler bounce house. We blew up the bounce house for him to play in it for a while. Then we went to breakfast at I Hop for pancakes. Andrew loves pancakes and their chocolate milk. After breakfast we came home and played, took naps (Andrew did) and then Aha and Mick brought pizza over for lunch. Then our friends Ms. Amanda, Brantley and Emery came over for cake and ice cream and to play in the jump jump. Aha and Mick got Andrew a slide for outside and Brantley and Andrew enjoyed every minute of going back and forth from the slide to the jump jump. It was actually the perfect Saturday and a wonderful birthday.

We just love him and love watching him grow up.

36 weeks pregnant with Sam

I am 36 weeks pregnant with Sam. I feel like I am definitely at the end of the pregnancy. He is still pretty high, but have noticed him moving down a little each day. I am not dilated but his head is low.

This weekend I started thinking about the week of his birth. I can't believe it is in 3 weeks (22 days to be exact). I have been going back and forth with my thoughts in December b/c of Andrew's birthday, party and Sam. I guess this is how it will be for the rest of my life. Worried and thinking about the two of them. To say I am emotional is an understatement. I have wanted two children (well...really I wanted 5 children...but have since changed my views on that) so being blessed with a second child overwhelms me. I can't wait to meet him. Love him. Kiss him. Cuddle with him. I am even looking forward to him needing me so much in the beginning. What I am having a hard time with is wanting to give him all of this attention and giving all the same attention to Andrew. I try to visualize what my day will look like when Sam is here and Andrew needs me. I never put Andrew down as a baby. I did most everything for him. Sure, Owen helped - when I let him. I was definitely a little controlling when it came to feeding, bath, bed time, etc...I am better now...but have a feeling it will kick in again with Sam. But I am scared to death about that b/c Andrew will need me too. I am so nervous and overwhelmed about how to balance it all.

In other news...Sam's room is complete. I need to take a picture of it. It turned out cute. I have packed his bag for the hospital, but not mine. I guess knowing when he will be born I don't feel the rush to pack mine b/c the mystery is gone. Sure, something could come up...but I just don't have that gut feeling that it will.

In closing...I am very anxious about the unknown yet super excited for my family to be complete. I am not sure how I deserved this good life...but it is times like these that I am so very thankful for the opportunity to be a mom and look forward to seeing Andrew and Sam grow into little boys and men...and praying they are best friends along the way.

Thanksgiving 2011

Another fun and festive Thanksgiving has come and gone! I love Thanksgiving. I love the food, spending time with family and watching football (well watching MSU vs Ole Miss). This year did not disappoint. My parents came into town and we all went to Owen's cousins house (Connie) for Thanksgiving lunch. The kids had so much fun. Andrew played with the big kids and had the best time. His 2nd cousins range in age from 5-15. They played so well with Andrew and he loved every minute of it. Connie's family raise and show pigs and goats so we got to see their barn and the animals. Another favorite of Andrew's.







Grandmom and Granddad brought Andrew some of the brio train set that Uncle Adam used to play with as a child. Andrew LOVES this train set and has played with it every day.



As you can see...Andrew was not the only one who enjoyed playing choo choo trains.

Friday we went to the Munton's for the Annual Italian Night. Owen's mom started doing this after their trip to Italy and it has stuck. Italian food is always good so it is a favorite of ours.

Also on Friday we put up our Christmas decorations. This is the 3rd year we have decorated after Thanksgiving. Having the long weekend makes it easier to decorate before all of our birthday and Christmas celebrations. We also had my parents in town to help - and they were such a big help!

The rest of the weekend we relaxed and did things around the house.

Ralphie enjoyed the company of all of us being home most of the week. I wanted to make sure I put a picture of my first baby boy. He turns 4 this New Year's Eve.

34 weeks Pregnant

I am 34 weeks today! 43 days to go! So there are 41 days until Christmas.

I have been feeling pretty good. This pregnancy has been different in a way where little things have happened that have caused pain or discomfort. Like the sciatic nerve and the iron issues. But other than that I have felt good. I have felt like I can move around and keep up with Andrew. However this weekend - not so much. It is hard to walk. I feel like Sam is going to fall out of me. He is moving around all the time - which I love but he hits my ribs and my bladder a lot. Apparently my nasal passage is very blocked b/c my snoring has been compared to a lumbar jack - personally, I think the jury is still out on that :) This weekend I became extremely tired. I took two naps on Saturday and fell asleep watching the State and Alabama game during the 2nd quarter. Basically when I sit down - I want to sleep.

We got his two Walter Anderson prints and I am going to look at frames today for them. Once we get those in we will start hanging items on his wall.

I have personally been overwhelmed with welcoming a new baby into our life. I know it sounds crazy because I am over joyed with love that we will have a 2nd son but scared to death at the same time. To say I have been stressed about this is an understatement. It consumes most of my thoughts during the day and night. But this weekend while in church I got an overwhelming sense of peace and clarity that everything will work out. I am taking that peace and running with it. We have so much to be thankful for and having Thanksgiving and Christmas in the same season as our new baby is a blessing. I am making an effort to stop and look at the big picture of our life and am so thankful for everything we have, for our families, for our sweet Andrew and for the moment when we get to meet Samuel. I can't wait to hear his cry, see his face, hold him, nurse him, and love him. I can't wait for Andrew to meet Sam and hopefully watch those two have friendship like no other. I would be lying if I didn't say I am still uneasy about the unknown but I am no longer stressed by it. I am so thankful that I can listen to God and that I know he does speak to me in little ways. He is behind this miracle and is trusting me with another human being. I am grateful for his confidence in Owen and me.

So here is to 43 days of waiting and praying for continued peace, love and harmony as we enter into the 2011 holiday season and Sam's birthday.

Game Day Attire

I like to put Andrew in MSU attire on game day. This Saturday was actually a little cool so he got to wear his dog outfit! I think he really liked it and he liked wearing the hood. We are still getting dressed to Bob the Builder and it is working like magic! Thank goodness :)

Charity Ball 2011

This past Friday was my first Charity Ball as a member of Hattiesburg's Junior Auxiliary. I had such a great time. It was fun being at an event that I loved to go to before and this year being there as a working member. Owen and I both had a great time.


My friend Kelly and me


This is a picture of my provisional class - with 2 people missing.

So I don't forget

Well...since I bragged earlier this week that the time change did not effect Andrew, I decided to give a little update. The time change HAS effected him - I hope or we are in the begging stages of the terrible twos. He comes home from day care so tired, cranky and hungry but is so emotional about all of it he just cries. Trembling crying. I am at a loss...this is not typical of him. He did start the new class this week and the time change was this week so I think those are two really big things in his world. I do realize that I am not good at going with the flow. I tried to be funny with him and to change to subject, but that did not work. So I am in uncharted territory but I am telling myself this is a phase. We will both get the new routine down once he gets used to the new class. With all of that said I am glad we are going through this change now instead of in 2 months when he would have been moved. I can't imagine a newborn and a 2 year old in uncharted territory.

23 Months

My baby is 23 months old. In just 3 weeks he will be 2 years old! Andrew is so fun. Some things that are new this month are:

* The time change did not effect him at all - He just picked up with our schedule like nothing had changed.
* He is in a new class now. Today is his first day. I think he will do well in the class. He is the youngest but only by a couple of months. This class they sit in chairs (not in an enclosed table) and they start drinking out of big kid cups.
* He is very verbal. He repeats and learns new words daily. He can tell you what he wants to drink, what cup he wants to use and if he wants ice.
* He is very opinionated and when he wants something he does not say it once. He says it multiple times until you give it to him. This is not good when the answer is no. He does not forget as easily as he used to.
* He likes to scream on demand.
* He LOVES playing outside and is becoming a fast runner.
* He likes to watch the sprout channel and has just discovered Bob the Builder.
* I have started to use Bob the Builder as my morning time distraction. Andrew has been very opinionated what "outfit" he wears - so opinionated that we were having full blown out Oscar winning temper tantrums about it. But now that I use Bob the Builder as my distraction I can put on the clothes I want Andrew to wear. This has been going quite well for us.
* We think he is going through a growth spurt right now. His appetite is great and he is sleeping great. He used to wake up around 5 or 5:30 and stay awake, but now he sleeps until 6 maybe even 6:30. This weekend he slept until 7! I couldn't believe it. I know that schedule will change again.
* He is becoming very good at saying please and thank you. He will even say please and thank you with out us prompting him. Again...it is hard to tell him no when he says please. I am just happy that he is learning to be polite.

We will have his birthday party on Dec 11. It is going to be an Elmo party! I am looking forward to it and hope Andrew enjoys it.

Halloween 2011

Yesterday Andrew trick or treated for the first time. We practiced saying "trick or treat" and he would say it quietly. Brantley and her mom and sister came over to go trick or treating with us. It was so much fun to have friends share the night with us. We walked up and down our street. There are 38 kids that live on our street so it felt fun and festive with everyone out. Andrew and Brantley were just too cute! This Halloween was definitely a memory maker.