Cautiously Introducing...

Baby Loving #3.

We have kept this secret for some time now, but after our loss in September, we wanted to wait to share the news until we saw our little bean with a strong heartbeat--something we never saw last time.

Well, yesterday we saw just that!

My doctor did an informal ultrasound (the perks of your OB being a friend of the family) to see the heartbeat. No sooner did our bean appear on screen, did the doc say 'and there's the heartbeat'. It was music to my ears. We also saw our bean wiggling around and at one point we could make out its little arms. :o)

So, while I know we are not out of the woods, I felt that it was time to share our exciting news!

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I probably won't do this every week but here are some details:

Due Date? October 2nd

How far along? 9 weeks today

How big is baby? the size of a green olive  

Weight gain? +1

Maternity clothes?  Not yet but I can tell my pants are getting a bit tighter

Stretchmarks? nope  

Sleep? waking up to pee a lot, which I remember with the other two. I also have a hard time falling back asleep once I wake up.

Best moment this week?  definitely seeing out little bean with a strong heartbeat. Keep growing little one!

Movement? not yet  

Food cravings? nothing really. I am just always hungry.

Gender? The plan is to not find out what this one is. I had high blood pressure (shocker) at my appointment yesterday so if at the end I have to have more ultrasounds, it might make keeping the secret a tad more difficult. :o/

Labor signs?  no! please cook for at least another 28 weeks!

Belly button in or out? in

What I miss? nothing. I plan on fully enjoying being pregnant. I felt like with Colson I complained a lot. But since this is for sure our last baby, I want to try to enjoy being pregnant.

What I am looking forward to?  Making it to the 2nd trimester and starting to feel the little bean move.   

Milestones?  we saw the heartbeat!

Next doctor's appointment?  March 18th--2 days shy of 12 weeks

5 Things

I saw this over on my bestie, Sara's blog.

5 things...

...you will find in my purse

1. Lipgloss or Chapstick

2. My wallet or at least my license and debit card

3. Aspirin

4. A pen

5. My phone


...you will find in my bedroom

1. Clothes on our dressers because they are way too small (they were my childhood dressers--we really need some larger dressers!)

2. Photos of Hannah. We are bad parents and have not updated the photos in our frames to include Colson :o(

3. Chapstick on my side table

4. Ponytail holders on my side table

5. Hampers


...I've always wanted to do

1. Travel somewhere west of the Mississippi River. Every vacation I have ever been on has been east the the Mississippi.

2. Canopy glide through the rainforest.

3. Work for Disney as an animator

4. Go on a little trip with my bestie--just the two of us-- to somewhere fun.

5. Go on a family vacation where our parents and siblings came along--maybe a cruise or renting a beach house


...I'm currently loving

1. Cadbury eggs

2. Old reruns of Boy Meets World

3. Julep

4. My new camelback bottle I got at Target today

5. That the kiddos play together


...quirks I have

1. I always have to have Chapstick or a lipgloss with me.

2. I hate doing laundry and I will keep on running it through the dryer just to avoid having to fold them

3. If I mess up while writing a list, I must rewrite the whole list over. I can't stand scribbled out things.

4. I love to start new projects but I have a hard time finishing them.

5. I have this deep desire to be organized but I have no idea where to even begin. So therefore our house remains rather cluttered because I have to idea where to put half of our crap.

Doctors Appointments

The kiddos had their doctor's appointments yesterday.

I'm not sure what I was thinking when I scheduled them both for the same time??? But my mom was able to go so that helped a lot! Otherwise, I might have gone crazy.

Anyways, here are Hannah's 4 year stats:

Weight:  37.8 lbs   61st percentile
Height:  41.5 inches   70th percentile


And here are Colson's 2 year stats:

Weight:  24.7 lbs   10th percentile

Height:  32.25 inches   5th percentile

So, yeah, my kids are pretty much opposites of each other.

The doctor said that if they continue to be close to the same percentiles as they get older, Hannah is looking to be about 5'7"-5'8" and Colson will be 5'6"-5'10" with the 5'10" being if he goes through a rather decent growth spur when he's older.

I know those are all just estimates but I think they will be close to those numbers. 

Hannah is already getting too tall for her 4T pants so I knew she was going to be up there in the percentiles for height. 

And well, Colson...he is just small. Has been since he was 1 year old and it wouldn't surprise me if he stayed on the smaller side.

But they are both healthy and right on track developmentally and that's really all that matters! :o)

They won't go back now until Hannah is 5 and Colson is 3.

Colson's Birthday Party

Well, last week got away from me but I finally found time to post photos from Colson's birthday party.

Colson was super excited about his party...and his fun flannel and overalls. :oP

 This was the 'apple orchard' set-up.

 Colson had a red velvet cake...that was delicious!

 Plus I made mini apple pies and apple pie pops.

 This was a food set-up.

 We also had chicken wings, pigs in a blanket, and meatballs.

Colson did a great job blowing out his candle! 

He opened his gifts all on his own. He wasn't a fan of the clothes though. He would just toss them out of the bag then look up all disappointed because there wasn't a toy with them. It was pretty funny!

I was able to get a decent family photo...of us all in our flannel! :oP

And then here is a group shot! :o)

It was a really great party and I think everyone had fun.

Thank you to those to came out to help us celebrate! :o)

What I'm Loving--Etsy Style

We're not super big on Valentine's day around here but I thought it would be fun to post some things that I am loving right now--all courtesy of Etsy, of course!  :o)

1. stackable rings--love these!

2. rustic chalkboard--perfect for the kitchen!

3. address stamp--I've been wanting one of these for a long time!

4. downloadable glitter paper--for a blog redo, perhaps?

5. embroidered initial necklace--super cute as a gift for Hannah.

A Rustic Barn Party

Colson's birthday party is just 2 days away and I am busy getting everything together!

I still need to do some last minute grocery shopping and some last minute decorations but I feel good about where everything is right now.

I do not have tons of food prep this go around so that is really going to help the stress level! :o)

Here is the menu:

The Dairy Farm: assorted cheeses and crackers

The Cow Pasture: meatballs

The Chicken Coop: BBQ deep fried chicken wings

The Pig Pen: hotdogs wrapped in croissants

Chicken Feed: Chex Mix and carmel popcorn

The Vegetable Garden: assorted veggie with dip

The Apple Orchard: mini apple pies and apple pie pops, along with Colson's red velvet birthday cake

The Watering Hole: pop and lemonade


And here are some ideas that I pinned so you can get an idea of the feel I am going for. :o)

Source: onecharmingparty.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Source: thebridalpartyllc.blogspot.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Source: adventuressheart.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Source: penandpaperflowers.blogspot.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

I will definitely post photos from the party next week (flannel and all!) so be sure to check back! :o)

February Snow

Well, it finally decided to snow here is Indiana. And while it was in February, the kids didn't care...they were just excited to be able to go out and play in it! :o)

Happy 2nd Birthday, Sweet Boy!

Colson,

How in the world are you 2 years old already? It feels just like yesterday that we welcomed you into the world...

and now, here you are...TWO!

You are an adorable, spunky, funny, and very affectionate little boy and we couldn't love you more!

You are still tiny. You can still rock some 12 month clothes but are mostly wearing 18 month now.  24 month and 2T clothes are no where near close to fitting you yet.

You are in a size 4 diaper and a size 5.5 shoe.

We are working on your letters and you know the sounds of most of them. We are now just working on the visual recognition part.

You can count to 5 when you want to but most of the time you stop at 4.

You can't seem to grasp colors yet even though I have been working with you. You still say everything is blue and I am trying to not freak out about my irrational fear of you possibly being color blind.

You do not like to pronounce the first consonant of any word... although with learning your alphabet, I can tell that you are slowly getting better.

You are still not speaking in full sentences but you can repeat almost everything we say.

You have a very good memory and can remember things that we told you yesterday...like different types of animals, etc. Which is why I have that crazy fear of you being color blind, because you just cannot seem to grasp your colors... :o/

You love food, although you have definitely become more picky these past few months.

You love Minnie Mouse.

You love cars and blocks. You have more than any one child should ever need.

You love your Bama's (grandma's)...to the point where no one else exists when you are with them.

You can throw a tantrum with the best of 'em but we try to not acknowledge you when you do. Because of this, you seem to get over very quickly whatever it was you thought was worthy of a tantrum and you move onto something else.

You are a great little brother! You put up with your sister's crap and you still hug her and love on her.


You have been a joy in our lives, Colson, since the day you arrived. You have become a wonderful little boy and we are very lucky that you are ours!

We love you!
Mommy, Daddy, and sissy Hannah