Santa!!!

Claire liked Santa from far away-
but not up close.
So Mama got to sit with Santa too. :)

Side note: this is the Santa at West Co Mall. He is so great!!!
I asked him about the youngest baby he's taken a picture with and he told me that recently he took a picture with a 3 DAY OLD!!! The parents left the hospital and stopped by the mall on the way home to have their new baby's picture taken with Santa.

Miss Independent

Claire has decided to potty train herself.

Yes, you read that correctly.

And, no, she's not even two years old.

And, yes, I have a one month old to care for still.

We've been talking to Claire about using the potty for about two weeks now because she had started to act interested. Well, Friday night Claire DEMANDED to use it. Like threw a fit when we wouldn't let her at first. So Jeremy sat her on the big potty. She was not happy to get off but we promised to buy her her very own the next day. (I'm pretty sure Jeremy said that when Claire saw it in the store, she started to take off her pants and diaper.)

We bought her a potty and Claire was OVERJOYED to sit on it. AND WENT TWICE before we took her off. What in the WORLD??? So now she asks to use it often and we spend a lot of time hanging out on it. She hasn't used it since but you would think it was the greatest gift she's ever been given. Other than the Cozy Coupe car.

I'll be honest. I was even more overwhelmed and SAD by this development- for ALL SELFISH reasons. I'm trying to juggle a toddler and a one month old- I DON'T NEED AN ADDITION TO THIS ADJUSTMENT! However, after a few minutes, I realized this may really be a blessing: we're already pretty homebound and I need to be thankful that she's so willing and interested. So I'm okay with it now and we're rolling with it.

What I'm thankful for TODAY:

1. My husband. I would have run screaming from this house by now if it weren't for him.
2. Two healthy little girls.
3. That I'm not pregnant anymore. It's amazing how good I feel, physically. I got used to feeling really crappy.
4. That my mom and sister will visit again in a few weeks.
5. That I got two extra, SOLID hours of sleep this morning and a good shower (meaning not running through as fast as possible with Claire saying, "Mama?!" a million times outside the door.)
6. For another friend bringing dinner to us tonight. Delivered meals from so many friends have been such a HUGE and wonderful blessing.
7. Friends who actively love me. AKA: phone calls, emails, texts, visits, presents, meals, and invitations to play. Thank you for reminding me that I'm a functioning member of society.
8. It's FRIDAY!!!!

Happy 4 week Birthday, MJ!

Statements I made today, that I've probably never said, and that are probably only the tip of the iceberg:
1. Claire, please don't spit on your sister.
2. Claire, please don't draw on Mama's phone with your toothbrush.
3. Claire, your sister doesn't have teeth. Let's not try to brush them.
4. Claire, Mary Jane doesn't eat chips.

Things Claire is saying lately that totally melt my heart:
1. Hold you, Mama (pick me up)
2. Hold it!!!! (I want to hold MJ! This is usually said along with her patting her lap.)
3. Yardins! (The Backyardigans- her favorite show)
4. NOSE!!! (snow)
5. Yights! (Christmas lights)
6. Merry Christmas
7. Baby Jesus

Claire has also gotten a bit bossy when it comes to Mary Jane. Throughout the morning she would say, "Baby hungry!" and "Baby night-night". She's transitioning from being horribly jealous of MJ to wanting to take care of her and being concerned. It's very sweet.

Things you will always find in our kitchen

1. Sweet Baby Ray's BQ sauce
2. Peter Pan peanut butter
3. sweet tea in the fridge
4. York peppermint patties in the freezer
5. frozen peas
6. string cheese
7. milk (skim and whole)
8. cereal bars
9. Rold Gold tiny twist pretzels
10. coffee
11. baby carrots

Picture update

"Lights!"
Claire says this a lot. Very cute.

Mary Jane already defending herself from Claire.
Claire loves to "help" change MJ.

How Mary Jane spent the 1st couple days at home:
wrapped in a bili-blanket.
AKA: our Cylon baby

I think Claire was so excited for MJ to sit in the bouncy seat-
which is what she uses as her doll bed.
This was also the 1st time I put MJ down at C's level.
They both survived :)

What I'm thankful for... in no particular order

1. Being redeemed in Christ
2. my two sweet daughters- they're unbelievable to me
3. Jeremy- I couldn't imagine a better husband for me
4. My family in town for Thanksgiving
5. Good health for me and my family
6. a job I love
7. a church I love
8. friends who really are amazing
9. sleep- even though I don't get a lot of it there days
10. a warm house

One week old

Mary Jane's officially one week old!!! We're starting to settle in and things are starting to feel more normal. Claire loves to give MJ kisses and loves to watch her. Claire has also been playing better on her own and is a little bit more forgiving of MJ taking up a lot of her Mama's time. Eventually I'm going to have to figure out how to do housework in the midst of the craziness... but I'm so not worried about that right now!

Week 1 almost down

Things I've learned this week-Things I had forgotten about newborns- Things I love right now:

1. Newborns sleep a lot
2. Newborns eat a lot
3. I'm going to have to get used to spit up in my hair if it's long
4. Claire would kiss MJ all day long if we let her
5. Claire has moved from being horribly jealous to being obsessed by her sister
6. Claire has stopped calling Mary Jane, "Emma" for the most part
7. Claire has learned to say, "Bless you" when you sneeze
8. When Claire burps, she says, "burp" right after
9. Claire rocks her baby doll and sings, "Rocky, rocky, rocky..." over and over again. She's now attempting that with MJ in her bouncy seat...
10. Mary Jane is such a cuddly little girl... I love it. And I love it that Claire is wanting to cuddle now more because of that!

Seriously?!

This may have been one of the craziest experiences ever. Because it was so normal.

On Monday I went to the doctor. She told me that MJ had dropped very low and that she thought I would go into labor in a week or two.

At 2am THAT NIGHT my water broke. Yes, like in the movies. I woke up Jeremy and we headed to the hospital. It was that simple.

13 hours later, we met our sweet, little Mary Jane. Everything was so textbook and simple. COMPLETELY different from the days leading up to meeting Claire. I'm thankful for my sweet girls, and for the great and opposite birth stories I have with each.

Btw, MJ is "glowing" in the first picture from a bili-blanket we had for about 24 hours because she's a little bit jaundice. She gets checked again in the morning and, hopefully, it won't be an issue anymore!

Things that have made me laugh in the last couple of days...

1. Pulling up to a drive-thru yesterday to pick up lunch and Claire yelling, "Coke!" I've spent way too much money on fountain cokes from McDonald's during this pregnancy!

2. Claire has suddenly taken to ordering around Jack and Diane. "No, Jack!" "Go away, Jack!" "No, Di!" "Stay away!" Maybe I should watch my tone with the pets....

3. For a few nights in a row, Claire has ASKED to go to bed. Like at 6:30pm.

4. When Claire wants both me and Jeremy it turns into one word, "MommyDada."

5. I bought Claire a toy umbrella stroller for her doll. She has now taken to sitting in it, scooting around the house, and sitting in it to draw on her chalk table.

6. She loves dumping out her blocks and yelling, "Boom!"

7, Claire and Jeremy fist bump and she says, "Dynomite!" in her cute little Claire voice.

8. Claire loves ice. She always wants water with ice and will insist on in until she can hear it in her cup.

9. When Claire says, "Book," it kind of sounds like she's German.

10. Claire would eat pretzels all day long if I let her.

11. She LOVES to "dip" her food. She loves ketchup, BQ sauce, honey mustard, hummus, it doesn't matter. It's all about the process.

Long day...

I should have known first thing this morning that this would be a long day when Jeremy brought Claire down from her room, wrapped in a blanket, and said, "Guess who took off her pants and diaper in the middle of the night?"

Claire's been into everything today; thankfully we hung out at the Coalier's house all morning to break up the day and hang out with our friends. I'm grateful for friends that I can hang out with and just BE, especially since I'm 36 weeks pregnant and am not feeling great.

How cute are the girls in this picture??

There's no place like home

Home. I'm glad to be sitting on my couch, watching the CMA awards with the husband playing video games in the same room and the kiddo upstairs asleep. (The same kiddo who said, "Night-night" at 6:30pm and proceeded to take herself upstairs to bed.)

Here's the run-down of this week so far:
on Monday I went to the doctor for a check-up. My blood pressure was up (150/100) and didn't go down after I laid down for a bit. The doctor sent me upstairs to the labor and delivery floor to get checked out and immediate blood work. Contractions got closer together and I was in a bit of pain. I really hadn't felt good the past couple of days. The doctor was able to stop the contractions and keep me from progressing any further into labor with a Tributelene (sp?) shot. A shot that makes your heart race and makes you shaky for about an hour. I was then admitted into the hospital to figure out what was up with the pain I felt. After another day and half in the hospital, we found out my gall bladder is inflamed. And all the JUNK I've been eating this pregnancy has not helped.

I got to go home this afternoon with orders to stop working, stay on bed rest, and stay away from super fatty foods.

Mary Jane is great. All week she's had a super strong heart beat and hasn't slowed down her movement.

So now I'm at home, grateful to be here and continue the pregnancy. I'm still in some pain which is really uncomfortable but I'll live. I'm more annoyed by the fact that my throat is starting to hurt...

Randomness

1. This week Claire has started using "please" and "thank you" appropriately. Some times. And it sounds more like "peas" and "tank you". I feel like just hearing those words has made my life more enjoyable.

2. I'm 35 weeks pregnant and MJ will be here in 4 weeks.

3. Claire is obsessed with playing with her baby doll and doll stroller.

4. Claire likes her new room and has been sleeping well in it.

5. I'm now only eating McDonald's once a week... the craving is subsiding.

6. Claire loves playing with her legos, toy cars, and play kitchen.

7. Claire has also learning the word "mine" which makes me want to rip my hair out. Maybe that's why I'm so grateful for #1.

8. Claire constantly says the names "Emma, George, JJ, and Amy". Over and over again. Every child her age or younger is "Emma". I think she likes the way all those names sound. Of course, she constantly says "mama and dada" as well. Did I mention over and over again?

9. When Claire hears music she loves dancing to it.

10. I'm growing more and more uncomfortable every day and am ready to meet MJ! Thankful Claire is a fun distraction. (most of the time)

Claire's little sister

When Claire says, "MaryJane," it sounds more like, "My-Jane-a."

How cute is that?

I love technology

This is one of Claire's favorite past times right now:
watching YouTube videos with her Daddy.
She really loves Muppets videos and they watch some music videos.
I think Claire just likes cuddling up and doing something her Dad's doing.
Could those giant headphones be any cuter?

Oh and apparently Claire has picked up on my phone obsession.
She picks it up and pretends to swipe her finger across it.
I really love my new toy but I need to stop using it so much in front of her!

My Ode to Peach Rings

I have been obsessed with this candy during my entire pregnancy. At any given time, for a few months, you would find it in my bag or house. Seriously. It's been one of my strongest cravings, along with Coke. They remind me of my friend, Rachel, who has always had a love for them. I've always liked them but this pregnancy has brought on a constant craving. In fact, I'm going to have to stop by the store at some point today...

It's amazing that I passed my glucose test a few weeks ago.

Also, this post is dedicated to my good friend, Greta, who has insisted that I document the randomness of this craving :)

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

We love Halloween around here. Jeremy has invested a ton of time and energy (and money) into making it great- and I love that about him. He's very creative and enjoys this time of year so much.

However, the Halloween party is definitely a 2 day ordeal. It takes one entire day to set up. Then you stay up super late having fun (p.s. 2am is way too late for a 34 week pregnant girl. I definitely shouldn't have had a coke at 7pm that kept me up). The next day is spent sleeping in a bit and taking it all back down. And it really does seem to take 2 solid days.

I'm not complaining though. I do think it's worth it. Remnants of the night before also crack me up: a giant mustache, gray tufts of hair from a costume, green finger prints, spider webs in weird places... I know people had a great time and it's fun to remember the effort folks put into their own costumes to also invest in our party.

If you didn't come this year, we hope you join us next year. You better start thinking up a way to beat "the Admiral's" costume from this year. :)

Wild child

It's 8:45 am. Claire just took off her own pjs. I changed her diaper. She then took said diaper off, ran through the house, literally dodging me (like crawling and jumping away from my pregnant self), and climbed on to the kitchen table to dance around, naked.

I have a picture, so you can ask me about it sometime, but I'm not posting it here.

I love mornings at home. (I'm not being sarcastic)

Do-over

Can I please have a do-over this morning?

Claire has entered the "mine!"-tantrum-"no!"-stage. I do not love it. We discovered that time-outs actually work for her and calm her down. This morning she was so crazy that I put her down for a nap- and she fell asleep immediately. After sleeping 12 hours straight last night. (I'm not complaining about this sleep, trust me!!!)

On top of feeling very pregnant this week, my patience is at an all-time low. I'm tired of everything. My back is killing me. Basically, I'm your typical 33 1/2 week pregnant girl who is chasing after a toddler.

So my do-over will start after Claire wakes up from her nap this morning and I get a shower. Maybe a lunch date with my girl....

My love-hate relationship with allrecipes.com

One of my biggest pet peeves right now:

People who rate recipes 5 stars on allrecipes.com but they basically re-write the recipe in their review. People, you made up a new recipe with your 15 changes; don't rate the original!

Thanks :)

Hanging in there...

So I'm 33 weeks pregnant. Crazy! It's really weird to think about because I was 33 weeks pregnant when I got sick with Claire. I went into the hospital at 33 1/2 weeks and delivered her at exactly 34 weeks. So far so good this time around though! I'm going to the doctor every week just to make sure everything is okay with me. And I'm actually resting and taking good care of myself. Really, I am. I'm learning a lot and I'm enjoying Claire so much. And I'm not anxious about HELLP coming back; I can't stop it and the Lord will take care of us.

With that said, if you feel compelled to pray for Mary Jane and I, I would be appreciative. I would really love to meet her when she's full-term and no earlier :)

Mom's new toy

I am now officially the owner of a new Droid. I LOVE it!

My old phone was 2 1/2 years old and not working well. My computer is working again (thank you husband and John!) but the battery life stinks and it's getting up there as well.

The husband did some research and took me to the Verizon store yesterday to pick out a shiny new toy. THANK YOU!!!

Btw, I might be a little obsessed. I'm pretty sure I had 3 or 4 separate dreams about my new phone last night.

New Fall Fave

My girl loves a whole apple.
Minus the skin, please.

Little Mama

Claire's going to be a great big sister. She has already had practice over at the Peel's with baby Emma. Jill has taught her how to be "gentle" with her baby girl and has even let Claire give Emma a bottle! I'm grateful for such a great friend who also cares for my girl one day a week.

Claire has also been practicing at home. A few months ago I showed Claire how to give her doll a bottle and she's been doing it ever since. Then about a month ago I swaddled her doll and we instantly had a new game. Yesterday, I watched Claire climb her changing table, doll in tow. Claire laid her doll down and pretended to change her diaper pulling out a wipe and everything. No lie. I was totally floored!!!

Well, tonight I realized she had gotten awfully quiet in her room. I walked in to find her tucking her doll in to sleep in the bouncy seat. Claire was putting covers around her and saying, "Night night." It was absolutely adorable. I managed to get a pretty good picture as she played next to her "sleeping" baby before Claire got tucked in herself.

Echo Valley Retreat

Two weekends ago Jeremy went on our church's Men's Retreat. Our House Group all (well almost all) went down the second night and met up with our guys when the retreat was over. We had a great time! It was a really nice place outside of Cuba, MO in the middle of nowhere. Claire loved wandering around and watching all of the kids.

She really liked sitting on the two big tractors. Claire loves anything that she can pretend to drive these days.

We're still here...

I'm 31 weeks pregnant. That's my excuse for not blogging.

Here's what's been happening in the Martin household:

1. I'm still nesting like crazy. It's rubbed off on the husband. We've cleaned out a ton of stuff from our house and it's really awesome. We still have a bit of work to do in Claire's room, though, before we move her.

2. Claire said, "Amy," really well this weekend and even called out her name when Amy and Jeremy came back from an errand. So cute. The "Aunt" part throws her off but this is a good start.

3. Speaking of Claire talking, it's ridiculous how much she is saying. I really love it.

4. Claire's going to be a ladybug for Halloween. I had to hide the skirt that goes to her costume because she was so excited about it.

5. We're slowly getting ready for our Halloween party. We would love for you to come, let us know if we forgot to send you an evite. All are welcome.

6. I'm going to the doctor every week now to have my blood work checked in order to catch HELLP syndrome as fast as possible if it decides to come back. Everything is good so far!

7. I really love my job. I love that I get to do that and be at home majority of the time. I'm really thankful.

8. Speaking of thankful, I'm grateful to have a supportive and helpful husband. He told me last night that I needed to be really lazy for the duration of this pregnancy to take care of myself. Um, okay. :)

9. Mary Jane is an active little baby. Some folks have told me that their active babies during pregnancy have turned into very chill babies after they're born. Praying for that!

10. Apparently, I'm suddenly "showing" a lot! Every time I turned around today someone commented on my belly or asked my due date. It doesn't bother me one bit.

Oh, Claire....

My favorite new thing Claire is doing:
Attempting to wink. It's the most adorable thing ever. She squints both eyes and kind of turns her head. We'll get a video ASAP.

My least favorite thing Claire is doing:
Getting angry if you even glance at her while she eats. She will tell you "no" and want you to turn away. This isn't an "all the time" thing but she's doing it a lot.

Shoes

My friend, Greta, brought Claire a whole bag of shoes that her girls have outgrown. As you can see from the pictures, Claire loved it! Thanks, girls!!!

Nesting, nesting, nesting

It's out of control.

And I have very little energy and need to rest.

This is not a good combination!

My sweet husband keeps asking what he can do to help.

But I'm learning that "nesting" is unique in that you really just want to do it all yourself. It's not enough for someone else to do it.

Oh, third trimester, you are not my friend these days.

On a good note, though, I haven't had contractions like I did last weekend and I'm feeling pretty good other than completely exhausted. My check-ups are good and Mary-Jane (and I) are growing!

6 whole years

Two of the funniest conversations I've had in awhile:

Texting between my BFF Cami and I on Tuesday:
Me: I just found out that Jeremy has never heard the song "You never even called me by my name" by David Allen Coe. I even sang part of it for him.
Cami: How did you marry him? Didn't he live in Georgia for a while?
Me: Yeah, I can't believe it. I think you have to know every word of it before you graduate from high school.
Cami: I'm pretty sure it's part of the driving test.

Talking to Jeremy last night. He mentioned "Voltron":
Me: What's Voltron?
Jeremy: You're kidding me. (I think his heart stopped for a minute)
Me: Um, no.
Jeremy: How did I marry you?!
And then he went into a lengthy description that included singing the the theme song, and I still had no recollection. There was also mention that my lack of knowledge was from not having a brother, therefore, Claire and MJ would need more siblings.

There are a million reasons why I'm thankful to be married to Jeremy, despite our differences in music and cartoons.

Happy 6 year Anniversary, husband! You're a great husband and dad, and I love you!
Here's to lots more years of laughing.

The Joy of Cooking

This weekend I made this recipe from allrecipes.com. The meatballs turned out great and I'll be adding it to my recipebook!

My pregnant-self did make a few unintentional changes: I totally forgot the onion and I didn't have Italian seasoning. And I realized I only had plain bread crumbs. I just threw in some basil thinking that might help. :)

I was cooking for a few kiddos so I didn't add as much of the red pepper flakes, either.

I baked them on a rack that I put inside of a jelly roll pan to drain the grease since I didn't use the leanest ground beef (90/10 just isn't as good in meatloaf or meatballs if you ask me). Worked out great. And I doubled the recipe. I think I would do that again even if I wasn't just cooking for my family; I bet they would freeze really well.

• 1 pound extra lean ground beef
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 dash hot pepper sauce (such as Frank's RedHot®), or to taste
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/3 cup skim milk
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Place the beef into a mixing bowl, and season with salt, onion, garlic salt, Italian seasoning, oregano, red pepper flakes, hot pepper sauce, and Worcestershire sauce; mix well. Add the milk, Parmesan cheese, and bread crumbs. Mix until evenly blended, then form into 1 1/2-inch meatballs, and place onto a baking sheet.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, 20 to 25 minutes.

Enjoy!

We made it 18 months!

My baby girl officially became a year and half old yesterday!

I know everyone says and thinks this- but time really is flying by.

Claire's talking more and more. Since my post on all of her words, I'm realizing she's saying much more. And she loves her play kitchen and to run her little cars around the house. Shoes also make Claire very happy. Although taking them on and off every 3 minutes is not making her mama very happy. :) Greta gave us a bag of shoes that her girls have outgrown; it was like Christmas for Claire. We gave all of the ones that were too small to Emma but Claire tried on every other pair within 5 minutes. I have some great pictures that I'll post when I figure out how to upload pictures to our desktop computer. (sidenote- my laptop may be resurrected!!!)

In other news, Mary-Jane is growing and growing. We're 28 weeks along and into the third trimester. Gotta love that ushering in at the doctors office: a flu shot, Rho-gam shot, and a glucose test. At least it's all over with at once, I suppose. This pregnancy has flown by- I'm really looking forward to meeting our new baby girl. (but not too soon!)

Still here...

So you know you've neglected your blog when you can't even remember the web address. I literally had to go to two other blogs until I found a link to my own. Oops.

The biggest news around our house (other than me being 27 weeks pregnant- YIKES) is that Claire has suddenly started talking. Yes, she's said a few words here and there but now it's more of mutual communication. It kind of freaks me out. The first time this happened was last week when Claire ask, "More?" at breakfast. I replied, "Would you like more fruit?" And she said, "More." Again. I was totally shocked. You can tell she's understood things for a while but it's fun to have her use words to communicate back. She repeats a lot of things but has a pretty solid list of words she frequently uses.

Here is a list of Claire's current vocabulary:
**"flop-flops"- flip flops (and you have to stick your tongue out as you say it)
**"mama", "mom", "mommy"- when she says "mom" it's about 15 times in a row and trying to get my attention
**"dada", "daddy", "papa"- and she asks for him a million times a day
**"water"- which actually really sounds like water
**"milk"- same thing
**"night night"- bedtime, naptime, or goodnight
**"no"- this is becoming her favorite response
**"appy"- apple or sometimes other various things
**"di"- Diane, our cat. she chases her around yelling "DI!" very funny
**"jack"- the dog, of course
**"more"- this is her asking for food
**"peas"- her favorite vegetable and the one or 2 times I've gotten her to say "please"
**"binkie"- the love of her life. she only gets a pacifier when she going to sleep. she knows where they are and will bang on the drawer when she's tired.

And her list of animal noises she can do:
cow, monkey, sheep, horse, pig, kitty

Long time, no blog

My laptop completely bit the dust this week. This explains the lack of posts. For some reason it's just not as convenient to post from our home computer. And I'm not sure how to transfer pictures from our camera to this computer. I'll try to put together a post tomorrow to commemorate my 30th birthday, though.

Animal sounds

Claire has been eating like crazy. Definitely a growth spurt.

At one point tonight, I told her, "You're as hungry as a horse!"

Her reply: "Neighhh!"

She then repeated that response as I told Jeremy about it over dinner.

So cute.

Up until now her animal noises have included monkey and cow while occasionally "meowing" when she hears Diane complaining to come up from the basement.

2 more...

So apparently my sweet husband and I disagree on our favorite pictures of the end of the deployment. These are his 2 favorites- and the 2 I happened to leave off of the first post.

Joy

An empty basket and your favorite pink skirt.
Pure joy.

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
Romans 5:13

On to the next chapter....

Today was my last official group at McCallum Place. I'm getting everything in order before I go on "bed rest" in a few weeks.

And it's totally bittersweet. Although I'm feeling pretty bummed about it today. (leaving MP- I'm kind of looking forward to being forced to rest!)

I really loved working there but know I'm in the right place now. Working for Riverside Counseling is a huge blessing and I LOVE it. Really love it.

Anyway, that's it. I'm so grateful for the amazing opportunities I've had so far here in St. Louis. And I'm unbelievably excited to FINALLY send off my LPC paperwork NEXT WEEK!!!

Oh say can you see...

This American flag is hanging in our family room. You've probably seen it next to our front door.

For a long time, I pushed that flag around, not thinking about where it came from but not knowing what to do with a cheap flag. I mean, you can't just throw it out, right?

Then I finally asked Jeremy one day about it. I somehow missed the fact that this was the American flag I was holding when Jeremy came home from Iraq. And I somehow missed the fact that my sweet husband had saved it all this time.

So I framed it a few months ago. I'm going to hang some pictures with it soon.

You can see the flag in the picture below, too. I absolutely love these pictures and remembering that day and night.

The pictures are a bit out of order, but you get the idea.

I'm so proud of Jeremy.
This will always be one of my greatest memories.

Thanks for sharing it with me.
And now you know the significance of THIS particular flag. I love how it looks framed. I imagine our girls treating it with such importance and value some day.

Growing Babies

I know I'm a broken record these days... but I really am amazed at how different this pregnancy is. I was telling a friend, Katie, earlier tonight that Mary-Jane already has such a different personality. I know this isn't necessarily an indicator of how she will be after she's born (who knows- it might be), but the girls really are different in this stage. Claire moved a good bit but I just felt her shift a lot and her bottom always stuck out of my right side. Mary-Jane kicks and moves like she's trying to escape. Last night I couldn't fall back asleep because of her activity.

I'm not complaining... just relishing in these two baby girls. And finding it even harder to understand how people would have trouble believing in God if they've experienced pregnancy or have been blessed with a baby. To me, there is no other explanation for this craziness.

^{Psalms 139:15-17
15} My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

¹⁶ your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!

Greta's Giveaway!

My friend, Greta, is one of the most creative people I know...

If you want proof, go here and you won't be sorry!!!!!!

Happy Tuesday

Miserable

Yes, I'm miserable.

I went back to the doctor today. Since Friday, I've had the worst headache I've ever had in my life. I've never been prone to headaches but this pregnancy has been a different story. Tylenol wasn't doing a darn thing and it wasn't going away. With the concern of HELLP Syndrome coming back, the doctor's office told me to come in today to make sure everything else was normal.

HELLP is what I developed at 33 1/2 weeks with Claire. You can look up all the scary, yucky details. I got it pretty early, although it doesn't develop earlier than the 3rd trimester. I have to be cautious now.

Good news, though, because everything is normal and I have a migraine. I finally had some relief this afternoon after taking Excedrin which my nurse practitioner suggested I take. Now it's worn off and I can't take anymore because I'll be up all night due to the caffeine. Luckily, the headache hasn't interrupted my sleep. Just normal pregnancy-induced insomnia does that. :)

So I type all of this NOT to try to make you feel sorry for me or to get remedies or anything of the sort. I type this so that you might say a prayer if you think about it, praying that I would remain healthy so that Mary-Jane (yes, our youngest daughter) would be born at the best time for her- preferably full-term.

I was reminded today as I went to the doctor about how precious and fragile pregnancy really is. I complain about it a lot and don't always love being pregnant. But thank the Lord He's given us two children that we get to take care of and enjoy. I try to not take that for granted and appreciate this great blessing. Headaches and all.

Deeply Offended

Yes, that's right. I'm deeply offended.

By who, you wonder?

All of you people who have loved the show Veronica Mars and have held out on saying ANYTHING to me about it.

I started watching the series about a month ago.

And, yes, I'm addicted. And super sad that I'm in the middle of the 3rd and last season.

Shame on you for not sharing this great show sooner. And THANK YOU to my wonderful co-worker, Courtney, for sharing the love.

Thank you, swiffer....

for giving me 10 quiet minutes to finish putting dinner together.

Look out!

Look out, get out of my way... I'm nesting like it's NOBODY'S BUSINESS. Seriously. I pulled out a mop at one point last week and I think Jeremy said something like, "You're mopping again? You're definitely in your second trimester..." (And he was annoyingly right although I'm pretty sure I denied it at the time. Sorry, honey)

I'm actually supposed to be doing paperwork in my office (well my office for the afternoon), and all I can think about are the projects I'm finishing at home.

Here are the random thoughts going through my head:
*I need to wash the kitchen floor BETTER from when Claire dumped out her sippy cup of milk in a giant puddle this morning. (I can't say I blame her- it makes a giant, fun mess when her Mom forgets to put the valve in it.)
*Paint over a painting with chalkboard paint. I'll post pictures of this project I'm excited about.
*Move guest bed out of room that will soon be Claire's.
*Sand and re-paint window frame I bought in MI.
*Hang pictures above bed.

Those are the highlights today. Maybe now that I've typed them out and released them into blog world, I can focus on the paperwork at hand.

Stepstool?

Well, he doesn't seem to mind it.

My little monkey

So earlier this afternoon I said to Claire, "Come on, let's go change that stinky diaper."

Claire took off towards her room and I followed.

She then proceeded to CLIMB HER CHANGING TABLE and then lie down on top of it.

SERIOUSLY?

Yup, there's no doubt that she's a climber and completely fearless.

You can be jealous...

Homemade banana pudding.
Delicious.

Sugar and Spice

It's true: we're having another GIRL!

I'm really excited.

I'm excited for Claire to have a sister. I'm excited to see two little girls running around.

I'm most excited for my husband to be the father of two girls.

I have the same feeling I did when our good friend, Dewitt, and his wife, Jordan, found out they were having a daughter during their first pregnancy: more little girls need good daddies.

I have this thought any time I find out a friend is having a girl.

Maybe it's because I'm a therapist. Maybe it's because I had a great Dad.

Jeremy will be an amazing Daddy (already is) to our girls and I cannot wait to see our family grow together.

I have to include my three favorite quotes from Jeremy after we were letting the news of our newest little girl settle in:

"I need to make more money." (girls are expensive)

"We definitely need to put that bathroom in upstairs sooner than later."

"I need to buy more guns."

Have I mentioned before that I love him???

By the way...

If you want to see some great pictures and more details from our week, check out Missy's blog.

More Michigan

As you can see, Claire loved our trip. She was totally in her element: other kids to play with, a few adults, eating icecream and popsicles, playing with bubbles, digging in the rocks outside the house, playing in a giant sandbox, and playing in the water with her daddy. Claire also slept like a champ the entire week (except for a nasty fever that caused her to snuggle with us during our last night). She would occasionally give kisses before the trip, but now thanks to her buddy Wyatt, she has learned the fun of giving them freely. Her top molars cut through at the end of the week but that didn't slow her down too much.

We had a really great time and look forward to another family vacation next summer!

A little more beach

I'm not feeling ambitious enough to upload anymore pictures from our trip or work on a proper post yet. That will come soon. Isn't she just so stinkin' cute???

Family Vacation

Can you tell that we have a little beach baby on our hands?
Her mama is VERY happy!
More later...

Claire's box

I found Claire in the hallway last night just hanging out in this box with a book. So cute. We brought her into the family room, and she just continued on "reading".

Strike a pose

Claire grinning for the camera, after her bath and right before bed.

And Claire falling down right as I tried to snap another picture.

This picture cracks me up. It might be a new favorite.
Could her position be any more amazing?
Claire definitely wasn't posing; it was the luck of our timing.

Pregnancy on me

Why this pregnancy is much different from my first:
1. I have eaten more peach rings and gummy bears in the last month or so than I have my whole life.
2. #1 also may apply to my fast food cravings. Particularly McDonald's.
3. I'm carrying differently, a lot lower.
4. For pretty much my whole first trimester (and some after) I would get a pretty bad headache around 2pm every day. Like clockwork.
5. I developed a few migraines. I've never had a migraine before, much less that many headaches.

How this pregnancy is the same as the first:
1. Eggs gross me out.
2. Cooked onions gross me out.
3. I was sick every day until about 16 weeks.
4. Coke is amazing... I crave it and it's one of the only things that make me feel better.
5. Insomnia. The worst.

For the love of shoes

Claire LOVES shoes. Loves them.
She always wants to wear them.
Hence, the sandals she insisted on wearing over her pjs.
No, she did not sleep in them.
The other night Claire pitched such a fit about taking off her shoes, Jeremy had to start a bath to distract her into wanting to take them off.
The girl may love baths more than her shoes.

On another note, we've also discovered the culprit of our fussy, not herself, baby:
molars. Yup, they're coming through. Poor baby.

So I'm 18 weeks pregnant which is beyond crazy to me.
We find out on July 27th if it's a boy or girl- we can't wait!
I'm tired of saying "it" or "he or she".

Goldilocks

Claire's first hair-do.
A little necessary because her hair gets in her eyes a bit.
She left the hair tie in until I took it out at the end of the day!

4th of July

We may be some of the few people is the St. Louis area who actually had a relaxing, easy 4th of July weekend!!! And I couldn't be more thankful that we did. My sister came to visit which was really fun and a nice little break for me. We all napped a bit, watched movies, took Claire to the park, went to the zoo, ate out some, made homemade pizzas, only went to one party, and saw fireworks. It was GREAT.

Quotes of the Day

Favorite husband quotes of the day (he's working from home):

"You really must be in your 2nd trimester: you're MOPPING."
(my response: "Yeah, I do clean every now and then." And to be fair, I never mop. Yuck.)

(This was during our discussion of how much cleaner our floors are since shaving Jack.)
"Can't we just inject the cat with some disease that will make her lose all her hair? I mean, nothing fatal."

I love him.

Sleep... or lack there of

Claire's transitioning from two naps to one. I'm not a fan. I would love to have the one nap in the afternoon but this transitioning is taking it's toll on her and my pregnant self. And probably the husband.

That's the reason of lack of posts, lack of housecleaning, and lack of cooking, amongst other things. These are just low on the priority list these days! And a good lesson for me.

Obsessed

I have an obsession.

I re-arrange things in my house CONSTANTLY.

I didn't realize anyone noticed until my friend, Ally, pointed out that it was normal for her to come over and something be in a different place.

I know it's because my house isn't exactly the way I want it to be. I know what I want but getting there, on a budget, has been a process. Plus, now that I'm settling into mommy-hood and have my work schedule under control, I'm itching to get creative and make things for the house. Which may be the hold up because I don't have a sewing machine yet and I have a 1000 ideas I want to try, all at once. And I'm realizing that what I want for this house is pretty different from my old house in GA. (Even though we've lived here over 2 years now)

Plus, there are a few things I just can't get right in my house. For example, the wall above the couch and my entire bedroom. And the fact that I want new couch pillows and to paint our entire front room.

The design blogs I've been stalking are definitely not helping. I'm not looking to re-design my house; I just want to be surrounded by things I love and that make me happy. Especially since I'll be more home-bound with #2 coming in December.

So I thought blogging about it might help alleviate some of my obsessive thoughts as I chill out and watch some TV. I'm trying to remember things my good friend Greta has said: "Don't over think it" and "Don't get too matchy." She's overflowing with creativity and her house is a product of it.

So back to my TV watching.... after I move the picture from above my couch.

Per Amy's Request....

16 weeks pregnant with #2

Claire's chair

So I've noticed, at other people's houses, that Claire really likes kiddo-sized chairs.
I found this one today on a clearance shelf at Home Goods and had to get it.
Claire LOVES it!