Name battle begins

So the baby name battle begins. With MJD we had a name before we even were close to finding out if he was a he or she. This time around, call it being the second child, mommy's exhaustion, or just the lack of inspiration, but we've still got nothing officially debatable yet.

So here are some of my musings.....not sure where I stand on all of them, but we have time.

Liam
Harper
Owen
Lucas
Holden
Gavin
Brody
Brady
Colton
Cole
Cooper
Anderson
Grayson

Not sure if we'll use the "James" for a middle name again. I kind of like the idea of both boys sharing middle and last names, especially since there were no boys to officially carry on the James name, but we'll see, I'm not sold on it for sure.

If you have a cool boy name that can hold up to Mason feel free to pass it along!

Goodbye.....Hello......

Goodbye First Trimester!

While it's been great building this tiny little baby over the last 13 weeks, I am so happy this trimester is over. I'm happy to be passing the season of building blood volume, night time queasiness, complete and utter exhaustion, my face breaking out because of floods of hormones, and overall yucky feeling.

Hello Second Trimester.....

I will embrace the maternity clothes. Sadness set in this week at not fitting into things, so my regular clothes were boxed up and but out of sight. I will see you again when my little bean is in my arms and not my belly.
I will embrace the tiny baby kicks I have finally started to feel.
I will embrace the bizarre need to eat at weird times.

This past Thursday night we had an appointment with our OB for blood work and an ultrasound. I wasn't able to get my blood drawn at my first appointment due to scheduling, so the tech had to drawn a ton of blood this time :( Worst part of pregnancy. On the flip side, we had our ultrasound to determine risk of Down Syndrome, and all the fluids and measurements looked perfectly healthy, praise God.

(The smushed part above the nose is a hand that came up, the nose is formed beautifully, at least from another photo it was.)

I asked the technician if it would be possible to determine the baby's gender this time around. She said not for certain, but pretty close. So when our little bean showed up on the big screen t.v. we were watching, we got a perfect view of our...........drum roll please.............................
BABY BOY!!!!!!!!!!

He's healthy and beautiful. He wanted to be onery and decided to turn and flip a few times, so we didn't get a perfect picture of him or all his parts, but we did get to see him drinking, his little heart beating, his spine all formed and our first view of him showed he was going to be a little brother to our little man Mason.

To be honest, this pregnancy has been so incredibly different from Mason's that I was convinced it was going to be a girl. So I was a tad disappointed at first, only because of selfish reasons of wanting pigtails and pink ribbons. I also liked the idea of getting to shop all over for a baby, but I know we will get some new things for this one too.

But the honor of getting to raise two little boys truly humbles me. I can't even begin to imagine what my home will be like with the two of them running around and playing. Mason is so excited about a little brother that he woke up this morning and climbed into bed with us. He woke me up asking, "Mama, my baby?" I told him the baby was sleeping and in my belly, and he said, "My boy."

Each and every time I think of him, I feel such a surge of love and pride for him. I can't wait to meet this tiny little man who will change the course of our lives and I can't wait to experience this wonderful plan God has ordained for him.

Now the name battle begins.....

Holly & Aaron

I got the privilege to take some photos of Casie's sister, Holly's wedding party last night. It was a beautiful party and a joy to see newlyweds celebrate.

I really should be....

Doing laundry....
Putting away dishes....
Dusting...
Vacuuming...
Sorting through bags and boxes....
Finishing some presents I need to make....
Getting dinner ready.....
Or sleeping myself

But instead I've sat here and just held this sweet little sleeping man for the last hour and half. I couldn't resist.
He'll wake up in a bit, then we'll cuddle and get to work later. :)

Embracing 3

Ahhh. Little man is 3! For whatever reason 3 sounds so much more like a big kid than 2. Something about 2 made him still seem like a little baby/kid rather than just a big kid. But alas, 3 is here and now we embrace the joys and struggles of the year!

Joys....
Cuddling in the morning when he wakes up because he wants mommy or daddy to be with him.
Listening to him make up stories and songs in the back seat of the car.
Watching his little eyes and brain process things when we talk about things.
Hearing him negotiate for things like when I say one M&M and he says 2 :)
Eclectic styling decisions in the morning. (Yes, yesterday to avoid a fight he left the house with Handy Manny pajamas, fireman boots, cowboy hat and his leaf blower lawn tool.)


Struggles......
Negotiating sometimes ends in tears when he doesn't win and has to take a minute to process our reasoning.
Sharing seems to work when he wants someone to share with him but not when he has to share with someone else :(
Trying to understand where he comes up with some of these bizarre little stories and wondering what it is he's telling people outside our home???
Explaining non-tangible things to a 3 year old.

Seasons

Perhaps it is too early to be writing about this beautiful change in season, but I'm holding to the hope that fall is on it's way down south. The change of weather caused me to think about how many other things are changing seasons in my life.


My season is changing....
in my body as it grows
in motherhood
in pregnancy
in work
with my husband
with some friends
with family members
with God in my faith


As all these seasons shift and change I have to remind myself to let go of the past, put away fears and embrace the new season in life that God has in store for my life. It's sometimes hard to move out of our comfort levels, especially if you have lived in one season for a while, but each new season brings new joy and new adventures to be embraced.

Hapy Birthday Mason!

Happy 3rd birthday my little goober!!!! It's early and you're already up and going playing with Tia and the dogs. Today is going to be such a busy day filled with a lot of excitement and fun. But before we being all the partying, I wanted to take a minute in the semi-quiet house to just think about you for a minute.

This is your last birthday in our house where you're the only little one! The thought of that brings tears to my eyes because while I know we will be greatly blessed by your little sister or brother, it also makes me a little sad that our time together as a family of just three won't last forever. We've had an amazing time together in our little family.

So as we go into this next year, I want you to know how incredibly amazing you make my life. Even in the midst of your tantrums and challenges, throwing fits, invoking your will or whatever else we face together, my world has been turned upside down since the day of your arrival and I can't ever imagine my life any other way. You grow me, challenge me, brighten my world and show me God in a new way every single day.

I am so proud of the little man you are becoming. So proud of your kind heart towards friends, even though sharing can be an issue at times. :) Proud of your understanding. Proud of your open heart toward God and your sweet spirit. Because I know in my heart those are the qualities that will grow you into an amazing man.

Today we're going to have a giant Cars party for you, at your insistent request. And if you get only cars toys this year it is because that is all you've told people for months! The theme is "Racing into 3" which is quite fitting for your little life as you race toward everything in life to enjoy it and grow in it. Today I want to thank God for you being in my life for it has shaped me and shown me purpose and passion. Thank you for being my sweet boy. I so look forward to everyday God grants us together. My prayer is I will have a long and healthy life to see you become His amazing man.

Happy 3rd birthday my little man!

Love,
Mommy