Kelly's Belly Week 27 1/2

Reflections on this week:
*I need a highlight!
*I am so thankful to Kristy B. for lending me some clothes!
*I think it is funny that I am wearing a pink shirt and am having a boy. It felt rebellious or something!
*I really wish that I didn't have 13 more weeks of weight to gain. EEK! I am not doing so well in that regard.
*I am feeling good. Not too many aches and pains yet!
*Caleb's room is all set up to be a nursery and big boy room. The dresser drawers have been divided up, and one side is full of little tiny baby outfits- onesies and sleepers and newborn size diapers. Caleb remains very enthusiastic about sharing his room with Luke.
*I am fully expecting to have this baby early since Caleb and Abby were early. That leaves us with less than 10 weeks. If he is on time/late, I will be shocked!

Delightful Daffodils

I didn't do any work to plant them. They could have died in the freeze several weeks ago. They could haved died because of our poor watering skills. Yet, with no effort on our part, they are popping up in our front and back yard. They are a sweet reminder of life moving forward, of God's beautiful and magnificent creativity. They are simply delightful!

I took this picture in my parent's backyard back in November. The kids are looking at my mom, who is bringing out more Skittles to them... typical Grandma! I love seeing the look on each of their faces. Caleb has mentioned Grammy several times lately, and it has made me happy to think of him having these memories of her. He was telling me yesterday about how he remembered dancing in her room with Abby and Merek. That was the same trip as when this picture was taken. My mom had her ipod playing Christian music in her room nearly constantly, and even when it was off each of the grandkids seemed to know how to turn it on. That particular afternoon my mom, sister, and I turned up the music and danced with the three older grandkids. We acted silly and had a great time together. Even then I knew that it was going to be a time I would look back on and remember fondly.

Nearly every time I come home, I feel like I should have a message from mom on my answering machine. She called often, and I miss those calls and conversations. I miss seeing the blinking light and knowing that it is surely a message from Mom. It is crazy to think that I will never hear her voice in a message again. Jon and my former roommates can attest to the thousands of messages that she has left for me over the years. I wish I could have just one more message.

Caleb asked me yesterday who my mom was. I told him that it was Grammy, and he asked if I was in her tummy at one time. It reminded me of how much a mom is to their child from the very start of life. As an adult I cherished always having my mom to talk to. I miss that close relationship. As time goes on, God comforts and sustains me, but I definitely miss Mom a great deal.

Parktime

Post Nap Entertainment

This box kept us entertained for a good long while yesterday afternoon. There were a few fights about whose turn it was to be in the box, but there were a lot of smiles and laughing too. Peekaboo!

She's been a busy two year old for one week now. In that one week, she has:

-fallen down flat on her face three times- notice the bruise on her forehead
-learned how to say Mickey correctly- Mic-key instead of Mic-Mey, and she is actively working on all of the other Disney characters' names
-said "All Mine" anytime I mention doing something with her friends (great, huh?)
-thrown multiple fits about wanting to sit in Mommy's lap during mealtime
-helped Mommy rub and pat Caleb's back when he wasn't feeling good- this was all initiated on her own... so precious!
-started saying Amen after every single prayer
-asked her Daddy to sing to her before putting her in her crib at night
-woken up early to sneak in and play with Caleb's trains while he is asleep
We definitely have a two year old in the house again! She is a character!

Lukey Lu

I haven't given much of an update on this pregnancy at all, so I figured it is past time for one. We are fairly confident that we have decided on the name Luke for our baby boy. The last several months of pregnancy have been really great (hello- second trimester!). I am currently 26 weeks, so I will be starting my last trimester next week. With Abby and Caleb both coming early, I am planning on having to slow down a good amount towards the end of this pregnancy. One day this week, I ran a bunch of errands and came home with very swollen feet and legs- not fun. It went away quickly, but I know that I am going to need to be careful to keep this baby in as long as possible. The most exciting thing in my mind about having the baby is finding out what color his hair is! Caleb is convinced that he will be another redhead, which is quite sweet. Luke will share a room with Caleb, and we have put the crib up with all of the doggie bedding that was in Caleb's nursery. I still have the project of moving the pictures and other wall things around to make it look good with the new furniture, and we are in the market for a nice sturdy bookshelf. Also I need to figure out how I am going to fit two boys clothes in one (currently very full) dresser. I am not super motivated to get all of this done... maybe when the nesting comes I will get going. For now, we have a letter L to add to Caleb's C, and we are just counting down the weeks until little Luke will be here!

Abby is TWO!

Our sweet Abby is two! She is showing it to us too! I love having a boy and a girl just because they are so different from each other. Here are some of the things that Abby is up to lately:
*Abby loves to cuddle and be held- especially by me! She just needs some "laptime" everyday, but she likes it to be wild and crazy with lots of tickling and wrestling.
*Abby is already acting like a little momma. She loves to go get Caleb his shoes, to help me unload the dishwasher, and to tell her brother when he is doing something wrong. The other day, he was kicking the back of the driver seat, which was something that he has been warned not to do. Without any response from me, she started yelling at him "Daddy's seat, Daddy's seat". She also told Granddad Pace that he was sitting in Daddy's seat at the table while he was here. So when Daddy was home, Granddad sat somewhere else.
*Abby has started the fit thing- the throw yourself on the floor, scream at the top of your lungs, and kick your feet fit thing. It is completely irrational, but I suppose it is what two year olds do!
*Abby eats a huge dinner, but never seems to want to sit down for breakfast. She still wakes up and wants milk immediately though. One of her favorite snacks is popcorn.
*Abby's vocabulary has just exploded lately. I love hearing her using new words, phrases, and even sentences everyday. It is amazing how language works!
*Abby's favorite toys are her doll strollers, her new kitchen, and her doll house. She is started to object to Caleb taking over during playtime. We are all working on learning to share and play together!
*Abby's baby brother will be here in 3 months. I imagine that she will want to be very involved in taking care of him and that she will want lots of mama time to herself too.
*We love our ABBERS!
Here are some pictures from her birthday party:

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl! We love you!

Blustery and Cold

Its a stay inside, wear your jammies, and play trains kind of a day...

The Power of Popcorn and Public Programming

So keeping it real, sometimes this mamma just needs some alone time. I hate to use the TV as the babysitter, but it does happen just the same. Caleb and Abby have a new found love for popcorn while viewing one of their "kid shows" which include Blue's Clues, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and Imagination Movers.

Hewwo!

Waco Today

 

FACES

Bubbles...

bring out the silliness in us all!