Happy Halloween!

We took Hannah to her grandparent's houses yesterday for trick or treating.

We got her all dressed up in her costume. Her costume was the same costume I wore when I was 18 months old. It was really great to have my little girl wear it!

She looked so stinkin' cute!

I'll scan a photo of me in the costume sometime this week and I'll do a side by side. :o)

But once we were all dressed up we headed over to my parents house.

Then we headed over to Nick's parents house.

We also made stops to Hannah's GG's house and her Auntie Mandi and Uncie Travis's house.

Needless-to-say, Hannah had a blast and has been enjoying her candy! I couldn't get over her cute little pigtails and how cute she looked in the costume. It definitely brought a smile to my face to see her so excited about everything. :o)

Hannah's 2 Year Stats

Hannah had her 2 year wellness visit this past Thursday.

Here are her stats:

weight -- 24.9 lbs

25th percentile 

(+1 lb from her 18 month visit)

height -- 34 1/2 inches

60th percentile 

(+3 inches from her 18 month visit)

So we've got a tall, skinny-mini one our hands! :oP

The doctor said she looks great!

Colson's Bedding

While Sara was in town for Hannah's birthday we took a trip out to Babies R Us with my mom and sister. I had to get a few things for Hannah, plus I wanted to look at crib bedding for Colson.

I felt like I was lost as I was looking at the bedding. While I changed my mind many times with the bedding I wanted for Hannah, most of the girls bedding sets were cute. But in trying to find something that I liked for Colson, I realized that the boy bedding was just awful! I was having a hard time even finding something I liked. There were parts of sets that I liked but there was something about each set that just prevented me from actually getting it.

Well, as I was about to throw in the towel and just get a brown bumper and separate sheets, I saw the bedding set that I wanted forever ago...like when I was 8 weeks pregnant. The only website I could find it on was Amazon so I thought it had been discontinued and pretty much threw it out as an option.

But there it was, on the top self, in the back corner of the store. The Kenneth Brown Jumping for Joy bedding set.




I loved the colors even more in person! I decided that this was the bedding I was going to get!

My mom bought the display set so we got an extra 10% off! Then as we were waiting to pay, the store manager told us to take 20% off since we were waiting in line for so long. Awesome! Plus, on top of that 20% off, my mom had a 20% off coupon. So a bedding set that started out at $99 only cost us about $60!

I also found the changing pad covers in the clearance aisle so I got two of those for the price of one! It was our lucky day and we got a great deal!

I'm still not sure how I am going to paint Colson's room. I love that it is more muted colors but it still has the browns, greens, blues and oranges, so I am thinking maybe a dusty green color. I like the paper lanterns they have hanging in the picture so I'll probably get a few of those. I'd like to do some sort of accent on the crib wall so I might do something in a darker shade of paint that the other walls. I'm thinking I'll just have to browse through some websites to see if I can find some inspiration! :o)

So YAY! We have Colson's bedding! I can't wait until I can finally start getting his room in order!

The new name is....

We have decided, after going back and forth, that we are changing out little boy's name. As much as we loved Grayson, we just couldn't get past the name calling that could potentially come along with it. If our last name was anything but Loving, we would stick with the name but with both names together, we just couldn't do that to our little boy. I would feel really awful if he came home from school one day crying because kids were calling him names and we had talked about changing his name to prevent such name calling.

Now, we're still perfectly aware that our new name could also have some bad nicknames. We're happy though, that it won't be the nickname we were concerned about with Grayson.

So... drum roll please...
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Our little boy's name is:

Colson David

Colson means 'son of Nicholas' so I find it rather appropriate! :o) Plus, I think it has the same feel as Grayson. I love that it's a bit unique but Cole as the shortened version is a common name.  David is not only Nick's middle name but it is his late grandpa's name and my dad's name so Colson will have a solid family name as well. (Just like Hannah's middle name is my middle name: Danielle)

So there ya have it!
It feels so good to have finally made the decision and be able to call him by name! :o)

Hannah's 2nd Birthday Party

Hannah's birthday party was great!

Here's the sassy little birthday girl.

The child would not sit still for a photo so this was the best I could do.

We had her family and friends come celebrate her birthday and she had a blast. 

She wasn't too sure about the singing part (even though she will sing Happy Birthday to herself) but she did blow out her own candle which was very cute.

She, of course, loved the yummy bumblebee cake.

After the cake we opened presents. She did much better this year with opening them herself but she still got easily sidetracked with the toys. It took some time but she did (with the help of mommy) manage to open all of her presents.

Her last present was a giant box that was made into a little house. It was her gift from her Aunt Alayna and Aunt Kate. It was covered in bumblebee paper. I think this was, by far, her favorite present of the day. :oP We currently have it set up in the corner of our living room and she'll go in it and close the doors. It's too cute!

We are so thankful to everyone who came to celebrate Hannah's birthday! Thank you, thank you, thank you for your generosity and for sharing in this special time. It really means a lot to us that you were all there!

24 Weeks

Sorry this is a day late.


How far along? 24 weeks

Weight gain/loss: +16 pounds total. 

Maternity clothes? Pants all the time. Tops most of the time.

Stretch marks? Nope!

Sleep? Better! I only get up maybe 2 or 3 times to pee now instead of 4 or 5! :o)

Best moment this week? We finally decided on a name! A separate post will come soon. We also got his bedding...which is different from the last one I posted about so I will do a post on that as well! :o)

Food cravings: Nothing really...just maybe all of the Halloween candy.

Gender: BOY! :o)

Belly button in or out? In

Movement? All the time, especially in the morning though.

What I miss? Being able to lay on my stomach. It's also getting hard to breathe so I miss not being able to be comfortable in that department.

What I'm looking forward to: Getting the basement far enough along so we can move some stuff out of our current office and I can paint the walls of the new nursery.

Milestones: Baby boy C weighs over a pound and is about 12 inches long from head to heel. His brain is growing and his lungs are starting to produce surfactant.

Happy 2nd Birthday Hannah!

Two years ago today, Nick and I were blessed with one of the greatest gifts we have ever received: our baby girl!

It is so hard to believe that it has already been two years. Two years since we were in the hospital holding your tiny little body...you were so small and so innocent. We could have never imagined then just how fabulous our lives would become just by having you, Hannah. These past two years have flown by but we wouldn't change them for anything in the world. They have been without a doubt, the best two years of our lives.

Happy 2nd birthday Hannah! Mommy and daddy love you more than you will ever know.

Lyrics | Mark Harris lyrics - Find Your Wings lyrics

Your Three Words—Birthday Party

Hannah's 2nd birthday party is tomorrow. We'll be having friends and family over to celebrate. I have been busy this past week getting everything together. I've got decorations. I've got food and drinks. Now all I have to do is clean the house, put up the decorations and make the food.

I can't believe that I am even planning Hannah's 2nd birthday party. My little girl is going to 2 years old! It's crazy! I think I might be in a bit of denial about Hannah turning 2. While yes, it's just a number, the number 2 just seems to be such a big one in the world of children. 

Hannah has changed so much even in the past month. She is such the little lady. I love her more than words could ever even begin to explain and I think now that we have found out that we are having a boy, it is even harder to imagine my little girl...my only little girl...turning 2 years old. 

I want to capture every little moment in a bottle so I can look back on it and remember how little she was. I want to remember the cute little things that she said or did to make Nick and I look at each other and just laugh. I want to hold her so maybe, at least during that brief instance, time will stand still or at least maybe just move a bit slower.

Hannah turning 2 is a bit more emotional that when she turned 1... at least for me anyways. I think the main part of that has to do with what I stated above...that she is now our only girl. With every outfit I pack away, it's an outfit that will no longer be worn. But no matter the number of candles on her cake...Hannah will always be our LITTLE girl! :o) And that may just result in a bit more spoiling! :oP

So tomorrow we celebrate and Hannah will have a blast! :o)

I will definitely be taking pictures and video so I will post an entry about the party when I have the chance.

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Play along with Y3W over on Jenni's Blog!

Maternity Coat

Do I really need a maternity coat??? Maybe. Maybe not. Will my old coat fit over my belly come December and January? I don't know. I also don't know how many times I'll actually leave the house to where it really matters if I can zip up or button said coat. So can I get by? Most likely.

With that being said, Old Navy has a 50% off coupon for outerwear only. This makes getting a coat rather tempting, regardless of if I NEED the coat. I mean 50% off! That's awesome!

Do I freeze rather easily? Yes. So maybe it's a good idea to get one? Maybe a more light weight one so I can wear it now? I don't have a nice Fall jacket.

What about this one? It's like a hoodie but nicer. It's a nice jersey fleece material. That would keep me warm...maybe even into part of winter. A duel purpose coat, if you will. Just add a scarf in the winter and I'll be good to go!



And it's only $38.00. Not a bad deal. And with the half off coupon it's an even better deal. It's almost like the coat is TELLING me to buy it.

But sadly, that isn't the case and therefore I only get to look at this nice, warm coat on the screen of my computer. *sigh*

Maybe as I'm writing this the money fairy can see me...or maybe that money tree will rain money down in our front yard. Because then I would stop wasting time writing about this coat that I WANT but probably don't really NEED, and I would just buy it already.

Stupid 50% off coupon. You are mean and evil...making me think that maybe for one minute I had the extra cash to buy this coat. URGH!

23 Week Bump with an update

Here is my 23 week bump. Sorry it's a day late.

      Hannah                           Baby Boy L


I also had a doctors appointment today. My blood pressure was 124/78 so the medicine is doing it's job! :o) YAY! I go back in 5 weeks for a check-up and an ultrasound to make sure our little boy's growth is on track. My appointment is on Nov. 24th...the day before Thanksgiving.

How the heck is Thanksgiving 5 weeks away??? Holy crapola!

Fun in the Leaves

Sometimes the best things in life are the simple things...

                like watching your daughter play in the leaves.

playing in the leaves from Jennifer Loving on Vimeo.

So much to do!

I had a hard time sleeping last night. I woke up around 2:00 and thoughts just kept flooding my head. I don't think I managed to fall back asleep until close to 4:00.

As the end of October nears, I can't help but think about how our baby boy will be here in a little over 3 months. 3 MONTHS! What the heck!? There is so much that needs to get done in those 3 months and with the holidays thrown into that mix, I am starting to freak out!

I don't want to wait until the last minute to get baby L's nursery (yeah, we still have decided on a name) in order because who knows what this whole high blood pressure thing is going to decide to do at the end of those 3 months. I was hoping to have an empty room to work on but I'm thinking that I might have to repaint while we still have our office set up. Ugh. It's so not the ideal situation.

Also as time get's closer, I feel like there are so many things that we have to buy. We go from the obvious: crib and bedding (which my mom is getting) and dresser; to things that seem obvious: diapers and clothes; to things that are not so obvious: baby blankets and toys that aren't pink. We are well on our way in the clothes department (thanks to Nick's wonderful mom) but everything else is a work in progress.

I really wish we could go back in time about a month, then I would feel better that we still had 4 months to go. But time just keeps ticking away. AH! I feel like I need to be doing something, like I need to be getting something accomplished but I just don't know what there is for me to do right now.

I definitely need to order that bedding so I can decide on a paint color. Maybe after Hannah's birthday I can at least move everything away from the walls in the office and get it sanded and painted. Then I would be able to cross something off of our very long to-do list! :o)

Sorry for the randomness of this post. I'll post a video of Hannah playing in the leaves later on today! :o)

Crib Bedding

I have changed my mind on bedding...which should come as no surprise because I think I changed my mind 2 or three times with Hannah's bedding.

I have decided against the brighter colors and have picked a more neutral palette. I love Hannah's room so I wanted our little boys nursery to be in calmer colors as well.

I have decided on this bedding:


The quilt is a little much but I love the rest of it. I could paint the walls in a nice dusty green or grey blue color with the crib wall being an accent wall. I think the prints I posted about yesterday would look really nice with this bedding set as well.

So I told my mom that we need to buy it asap or I might change my mind again!  :oP And who knows, I might find a different bedding set before we order and change my mind again. I'm so indecisive. :o/

Adorable Prints

I think these are a must get for the new nursery! They are just too cute! I love the little crowns.



They are by this fabulous etsy seller: trafalgarssquare who I have been eyeing for quite some time.

Mini Panic Attack

Yesterday morning I had a mini panic attack about the name Grayson. I have come to love the name Grayson and I can picture our little man as a Grayson, but yesterday morning I had a major fear overcome me and now I'm not sure what to do. Oddly enough, Nick said he too was thinking about the name Grayson yesterday morning.

We have a rather 'sissy' last name, if you will. It makes for naming a boy rather difficult. Nick and I have thrown tons of boy names at each other and Grayson was the one we both fell in love with. Now that we have had a chance to enjoy the fact that we're having a boy and actually call him by name, we're now afraid that Grayson is an easy target for name calling. The major one being in reference to gay-son loving.

We know every name has bad nicknames but if you combine Grayson with our last name, it's like a double whammy. Kids are mean and I realize that no matter what you name your child, they will find some way to make fun of a name. But like I said above, combine that with Loving and I just see a recipe for giving our poor boy a complex.

We're really just stuck on what to do. I mean, we can hope that our boy grows up to be a strong young man and can let little things like name calling roll off of his back. But at the same time I don't want my son to come home crying because kids were making fun of his name with me knowing that I could have prevented this specific name calling.

So right now we are being open to finding our little man another name. One that we love just as much. One that we can picture as our sons name. If we can't find one, then Grayson was meant to be and Grayson is what he shall be named! :o)

Who knows, maybe I am just being overly hormonal with all of this...   ???

22 Weeks

How far along? 22 weeks

Weight gain/loss: +13 pounds total. 

Maternity clothes? Pants all the time. Tops most of the time.

Stretch marks? Nope!

Sleep? Better! I only get up maybe 2 or 3 times to pee now instead of 4 or 5! :o)

Best moment this week? I bought some boy clothes for our little man.

Food cravings: Nothing really

Gender: BOY! :o)

Belly button in or out? In

Movement? All the time.

What I miss? Being able to lay on my stomach.

What I'm looking forward to: Getting the bedding so I can pick out paint colors. I changed my mind on the set I'm getting. I'll post about it soon.

Milestones: Grayson weighs over a pound now. He's also around 11 inches long from head to heel.

Pumpkin Pickin' 2010

Yesterday we took Hannah to the pumpkin patch to pick out some pumpkins.

Last year she couldn't walk so we just picked from the already picked pumpkins.

This year Hannah was actually able to walk around the pumpkin patch and pick out her own pumpkins. :o)

Needless-to-say, Hannah had a blast. I think that if we hadn't stopped her she would still be there picking pumpkins. :oP

We ended up with 4 pumpkins! :o)

I think our little pumpkin family is just too cute!