Snuggles

Just some moments that I'd like to hang on to...

Ignore the laundry on the couch and the unmade bed. We live here.

Yet Another Sweet Reunion

Stephan was at work Friday evening when Levi came home, so they didn't get to see each other until the next day. When Levi woke up, he was thrilled to find Stephan asleep in the bed with all of us. So thrilled that he promptly woke him up to say, "I love you." I think Levi might have set a record for "I love you's". He must have said so to Stephan at least 500 times. Totally heart melting.

In honor of Levi's return home Stephan took off part of Saturday. We ate at Chick-fil-a and even let Levi play on the playground. Shameful, I know, but that doesn't happen too often around here.

After stuffing ourselves with "health" food we headed for the park to feed geese and hang out. Note the hugging...that's been happening non stop around here. No one's complaining though.

 

Before heading out for the day, we gave Levi a train set. He had a one loop track already, but we wanted to get him something a little more versatile. As he and Stephan were putting it together, Stephan declared that more train tracks were absolutely necessary. So our outing ended with a special trip to Target for another train set which ended up including more tracks, more trains, and a crane. That afternoon the two fellas spent at least an hour setting it up and playing with it. I'm not sure who was having more fun...Stephan or Levi.

I keep imagining that some day those two are going to collect enough train tracks to run rails through the whole house. Oh. my. As long as they clean up after themselves.

One Year Down...

60+ wonderful years to go.

We have certainly had an adventurous start to things. Moving, renovating, having a baby (at home!)...quite a special year...although, I could totally do without the renovating ever again.
Stephan, I'm so glad I married you. I can't imagine a better fella to spend my life with. I love you. :)
Happy Anniversary!

P.S. To those of you curious about Sophia, she's doing really well now. The staph on her lip is completely gone, and the rest of it is beginning to heal very nicely. So far, the only side effect from the antibiotic is a mild diaper rash (praying it stays that way). We've been doing a few new things to counteract the winter dryness, and even her eczema is starting to get better. Yay!

A Christmas Video

Awhile back I happened across a couple of blog posts about The Jesus Storybook Bible.  It came so highly recommended that I decided to buy one for Levi.  I am so glad I did.  It's our favorite children's Bible.  This morning I found a video that is based on the Christmas story from The Jesus Storybook Bible.  I just had to share it.
Y'all, I can't wait until Levi wakes up!  He's going to love this.  I have a feeling we will be coming back to it often.

Hope your Christmas preparations are merry and blessed!

Real Love

This video has been making the facebook rounds.  It's well worth your 2 minutes 43 seconds.  Mr. Narayanan appears to be Hindu, but I think he gets Christ's message much more than many Christians...myself included.

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

1 Corinthians 13: 11-14

She's Sunshine and Sweetness

I could spend all day squeezing her...oh, wait, I do....
those cheeks are just too irresistible.

And, that smile!

It's like falling in love.  I just can't get enough.

Happy (almost) 3 months, sweet Sophia!

A Good Kind Of Messy

Two and a half months ago we were three...

Now we are four...

There's a lot more laundry...a whole lot more.
But, there's also a lot more love and joy...totally worth the mess.

I Love How Bright Her Eyes Get When She Smiles

It took me two bloomin' weeks to catch this smile on camera...

Her first was at 4 weeks.  It was aimed straight at her daddy.  Yes, that's him wrapped tight around that little pinkie of hers.  ;) 

What We've Been Up To...Part II...The State Fair

Thanks for the sweet comments on yesterday's post.  I'm feeling much better about things....possibly because Levi isn't here this weekend.  The break from parenting two combined with missing him have changed my perspective a bit.  Some weeks might be harder than others, but I'm really a very lucky gal.  I'll try to remember that upon his likely dramatic return when I get the honor of listening to more whining and tantrums.  I'd rather have those than the silence of him being gone.  Like a lot of life, I'll take the bad so that I can have the good.  Because when it's good, it's really very good...

*I made the sling Sophia is snoozing in.  We love it.  It's a self-lined version of Levi's sling.

Daddy's Little Girl

Yes.  My heart is just one big puddle these days.

Baby Bump: Week 28

Wow, I can't believe it's been so long since my last official baby bump update!  We had an appointment with our midwife Thursday.  Stephan's mom got to be there and to hear the heartbeat....very cool.  She also brought some of Stephan's baby things and a gorgeous old quilt (but that's for another post).  :)

The baby is growing as expected, and has turned which explains the recent wonderful lack of drop kicks to the bladder.  Although, it's too early in the pregnancy to know if s/he will stay that way, my midwife thinks it's likely.  We're keeping our fingers crossed.

And in other baby related news:

: : I have gained a whopping 22 pounds.  I'm sort of in shock.  With Levi I gained a total of 25 pounds.  I still have three more months to go before the final tally is in on this one.  The part that really has me bumfuzzled is that I am not nearly as hungry with this one as I was with Levi.  In fact, for a while there I was afraid I wasn't eating enough....um....wrong.  We're just hoping this one isn't destined to be a 10 + pounder.  Oh, and, Stephan, being the sweet husband he is, when I told him how shocked I was over all of that weight gain, said, "Good.  I was afraid you were losing weight."  Either he's just being nice, or he needs his vision checked.  Has he seen that belly?!!

: : Levi has recently revealed that he believes this baby will be moving in with Nanno and BawBaw once it gets here.  Oh, my, is he in for a shock.  There's no preparing or convincing him.  Even Nanno got in on trying to correct his view on this one.  No luck.  He's determined.  My only guess is that he remembers living next door to them, and he thinks that's what babies do.

: : This new little munchkin already has opinions.  S/he is seriously opposed to me slouching.  Apparently, s/he likes his/her room because every time I slouch, s/he kicks me really, really hard in a hey-give-me-some-more-room-in-here kind of way.  Also, when we tried to hear his/her heartbeat with the stethoscope, sh/e kicked the stethoscope every single time...dead on excellent aim, too.

: : We are still working on boy names.  I think we might be coming closer to a decision.  We'll see.  So far everybody thinks it's a girl....even strangers.  I'm going to laugh when a boy comes out, and we don't have name for it.  Any suggestions?  I tend towards Old Testament names.  Stephan tends toward New Testament and non-biblical names.  A happy medium has yet to be reached.  There have been a couple of first names agreed on, but finding a middle name is tough.  Josiah and Abel are in the top running.  But, every name we put with Abel makes it sound like a sentence.

By The Lake

Stephan had a couple of days off this week.  One beautiful afternoon, he took us to one of his favorite lakes.  Lots of exploring ensued...

Levi told us he "Reeeeyeeee needs a fishing pole."  I think he might be right.

The Morning Pile

This is what our wake up call looks like....

There's generally a bit of a pile up with an exuberant munchkin on top....almost always bouncing...

And, then there's the eye poking.  Morning eye poking has been Levi's thing since he became coordinated enough to put finger to eyeball.  Is it awful to say that I'm kind of glad someone else gets some of the eye poking attention now?  ;)

So, there you have it...our morning in a nutshell...and me with no makeup on. 

What's your wakeup call?

Weekend Loves

Things I'm loving this weekend....

: : Corinne's post on lust.  I 100% agree with all of her reasons for loving/lusting over her hubby.

: : Erin's fabulous post on pregnancy and wondering.

: : This adorable story book puzzle how-to.

: : Anyone else a nut for Nutella?  This is so very tempting.

: : I think Levi would have fun with this glow in the dark slime.

Hope your weekend was beautiful!

Happy Two and a Half

Someone, please, explain to me how over the course of a mere 2 1/2 years this....

became this....

Y'all, he runs.  He jumps.  He plays hide and seek with his shadow.  He makes up crazy stories to go along with whatever he happens to be playing with be it toys, sticks, or quarters.  He has a sense of humor.  He laughs the most lovely of laughs.  He wants to be read to ALL of the time.  He loves to cuddle and give kisses.  And, instead of "I love you." he almost always says, "I love you, too." 

Sigh.  He makes my heart smile. 

This is another one of those weekends.  He's away at his dad's.  But, it's getting easier.  The weekends don't seem so dreadfully long now.  I still miss him, but I know he'll be back in my arms tomorrow.  I'm just happy that he's mine...and that he loves me, too.  ;)

Week 23...The Bump

This pregnancy is rolling right along.  I can't believe we're already well beyond the halfway point.

And, looking mighty pregnant....

I've given up on having the energy that I had during Levi's second trimester.  Something about chasing a wild two year old and growing a life seems to be making me extra tired.  Other than tiredness, all is well.  This little one moves like nobody's business....possibly more than his/her older brother did!  And, except for all of the times that s/he drop kicks me in the bladder, I love it!  Seriously, though, note to baby #2: Please find another area to kick.  M'kay? 

A Little Outdoors Brought In

We did end up taking that second walk yesterday which turned out to be just as wonderful as the first.  I'm pleased as punch that Levi ditched the stroller.  I hope it sticks.  Wandering aimlessly with him by my side is more fun than taking a set path while pushing a stroller.  It feels more like home this way.

After our walk, we meandered through the yard a bit.  Levi could spend forever looking through a one foot patch of earth...just discovering new things, watching ants, asking what this is and what that is.  We brought some of his discoveries inside to make a mini nature table...vetch pods, acorn caps, a stick, and an unidentified seed pod of sorts... 

He was so stinkin' cute carefully arranging his finds...

Haha...don't go thinking I have some mutant little boy.  Most of this neatly arranged set up was demolished within seconds of me putting my camera away.  But, isn't that half the fun of it?  ;)

This Morning, Today, and Some Gratitude

Ahem...today, I might have gotten off to a bad start.  I might have been grumpy and snappy.  I might have banged a few dishes around while making breakfast, and I just maybe was slightly ill tempered.  But, my husband was still nice to me, and Levi was actually in a good mood, and things started to look brighter.  So, I've been thinking about what I'm grateful for today, and my mood has improved.  I like that thoughts can change a day from cruddy to good.

Thoughts like these:

~I married a really sweet fella who still hugs me and tells me he loves me even when I turn into a grumpy, overly emotional pregnant lady who cries at random (and dumb) moments.

~Levi has been kind of grumpy for a couple of days now, but today he's been in a good mood!

~Even better than that second one: Levi is currently napping!!  Naps have become a tad trying lately, and the past two days...oh. my.  Lets just say, Levi without a nap = grumpopotamus.

~The sun is all shiny and beautiful today.  We spent the morning kicking a ball in the yard.  Levi calls it the neighborhood ball.  I'm not sure where he got this, but it's cute.  And, true.  The ball mysteriously appeared...probably from one of the three neighboring yards.

~We have an incredible array of bird life in our backyard.  I'm surprised every time I walk out there.  How is it possible to have more birds in a neighborhood than when we lived out in the country.  I think I need a bird book.  Any suggestions?

~Levi actually took a walk today!  As in on his own two legs without insisting on being in the stroller or being carried.  It was oh so very nice.  He's been scared of walking around our neighborhood since we moved in.  The dogs barking scared him (not sure why since my parents have dogs).  The cars on the road outside of our neighborhood scared him....just the sound of them.  We almost never actually see cars moving inside of our neighborhood.  Everything was new to him, and he's hitting that time where fears are setting in.  But, today he conquered those fears...or at least ignored them.  Today he was fascinated by the street.  The spots on it, rocks on it, green patches of grass and moss on it...the whole thing was mesmerizing to him.  He chased butterflies (and a wasp).  He smelled flowers, and even picked a clover just for me. :)  I think we might attempt another walk after nap time.  It was nice to see those little legs moving.

~I'm getting a car!!!  My parents have been planning to lend us their spare car, but it's been in the shop for months now.  My mom called me this morning to tell me that it was FINALLY out, and they are bringing it to me this weekend.  Thank you!!!  Stephan works 12 hour days for 7 days straight, and he never has more than 3 days off in a row...usually not even that much.  So, spending entire weeks housebound is pretty much enough to drive me and Levi crazy.  Especially since it's Spring, and parks and duck ponds and trips to Nana and Baw-Baw's house are calling us!  Now we'll be able to answer.

Life is good.  Sometimes I just need to remind myself of that.  Especially on days when the pregnancy hormones take over and turn me into the grumpopotamus.

Sweet Dreams: Finally

Yesterday was a tiring day...not bad...just tiring.  When nap time rolled around, I was so happy at the prospect of cuddling up with Levi and catching a few z's myself.  Ha!  After two hours of trying to convince him that napping with mommy was a good idea....I'm persistent when sleepy....I finally gave up.  We had a snack, read books, and eventually this oh, so exhausted mama resorted to you tube videos.  Levi's current faves:

Mumford & Sons - Winter Winds

The Avett Brothers - I And Love And You

She & Him - In The Sun

Hmmm...how odd...he has his mother's taste in music.  ;-)  Anyway, it worked.  He fell asleep in my arms.  Of course, being the doting mommy, I stared at my sweet angel until my arm fell asleep, and I had to put him down.  What is it with us mamas and the need to stare at and cuddle with our sleeping children even after we've been praying for hours that they would fall asleep?

And, yes, I took pictures.  Note the pile-o-stuff in the bed.  The days of sleeping with one or two strange items are gone.  Now it's a whole flock of craziness...books, puppets, toys, even very large dragons.  This shot doesn't cover the half of what was actually there.  It's a miracle that Stephan and I fit in between it all.

Sigh. Love.

Halfway There!

Thanks for all of your sweet comments on yesterday's post.  Your kindness and prayers mean a lot to me.  :)  Now back to regularly scheduled blogging...

So this week I hit 20 weeks...the halfway mark!!  I love pregnancy beyond this point.  Don't get me wrong, I was glad to be pregnant during the previous 20 weeks, but pregnancy really gets fun now.
This little munchkin's teeny, tiny feet are already creating visible bumps in my belly when s/he kicks.  Stephan was even able to feel him/her move on Wednesday....so incredible!  Sigh.  I'm glad to be a woman.  I think men miss out on the whole carrying a baby thing.  Okay, maybe not in the first trimester, but still, babies are so cool!
Levi is very curious about this growing belly of mine.  He  likes to "feel" the baby.  Although, he has yet to actually feel a kick.  That doesn't seem to bother him though.

I think Levi is well on his way to being an awesome big brother.  He's already "reading" to the baby...

He takes his job very seriously.

Ha! Levi just woke up, took a look at a couple of these photos, and recognized me from my belly.  "That's mama!!" followed by, "It's a baby!!  I need to see de baby!  I need to kiss it!"  :-)