Our Weekend in Pics

Posing for Mamma

Swimming with Carson

Nora getting ready to leave on her first jet ski ride

On the ride and LOVING it!

Sporting her shades on the boat.

Swimming with Mamma

Swimming with Daddy

I Wear My Sunglasses.....

and LOVE them!!! My Mamma thinks they will likely fit me for many years to come =0)

Swimming Lessons

Nora started swimming lessons tonight.

It is a Mommy and Me class and she LOVES it. At first she was a bit clingy but within minutes she was literally jumping off the side of the pool (she was supposed to be sitting on it) and going completely under. She also loved playing Ring Around the Rosey, and like her usual dare devil self had to step it up a notch and flat out let go of my hands when it was all fall down time. Needless to say, going under the water does not phase her. She did so well that the teacher informed me that Nora had completed the end goal of the class (to go under water on her own) and that when others were doing activiites that she was going to go ahead and "step it up a notch" for Nora. I have always wanted a little swimmer so I guess that is what I got =0) Keeping her from jumping off the dock (at the lake) and teaching her that the water is dangerous could be an adventure this summer!! She IS definitely my little dare devil!

Pregnancy, oh how I love all that you do to my body. Or not!

As many of you know, weight has ALWAYS been a struggle for me. I have constantly had to either eat nearly nothing, or weigh more than I would wish to weigh. Unfortunately when I was pregnant with Nora I managed to gain roughly 60 lbs. My goal was to have lost all that weight and then some prior to becoming pregnant again, but hey, things happen and I didnt get there. Instead I still had 30 lbs to lose when conceiving this little bundle. So here I am pregnant again and trying my best to gain the minimal amount possible. So far, I think I have done a fairly good job, however, this morning was a bit of a shocker. I hopped on the scale and low and behold out of nowhere I have managed to gain 9 lbs since becoming pregnant. Since I am only 20 weeks pregnant that means that over the next 20 weeks I am going to have to really watch what I eat. Ugh. My goal is to stay below a certain nuumber, which means that I only have 18 lbs left to spare. Guess I will have to REALLY start eating healthy and get rid of all the extra calorie foods that I have been consuming. Man, why is it that being pregnant makes you really hungry yet it is also the time of my life where out of nowhere I can pack on 15+ pounds. Something about this just doesnt seem fair =0)

The Big News!!

We are having a girl. I am in shock. I was certain this baby was a boy. I am happy it's a girl and even happier its a healthy girl. I have already pulled out all of Nora's "old" stuff and have begun going through it. Pulling it all out and looking at it brings back soooo many memories. It's hard to believe that Nora was EVER that small, or that in just a few short months I will be birthing something that small again! I cannot wait. I am soooo excited to get to work on the princess headquarters upstairs. Our house has two rooms connected by a Jack and Jill bath and it will be PERFECT. I have thoughts in my head of what I want to do, so now I just have to get the handyman of the house to agree to do the work =0) !! Being a Mamma to two girls is going to be SOOO much fun. At least for the next 10 years =0) I think maybe after that I might just go into hiding and come back out after they both have left the home!!!

Tomorrow's the Day!!

I cannot believe it. Tomorrow we will find out what this little bean is. I am SOOOO excited I can hardly stand it. I honestly do not remember being this excited with Nora. Because she was my first child and we had nothing, I think that finding out meant no difference. Either way, we would have a lot to do to get ready and either way, it didnt matter what the baby was because we didn't have one of either sex yet. At this point, I honestly could care less what this baby is, but the anticipation of finding out is killing me.
I am the type of person that does not get excited for never done before experiences. When I have yet to experience something I always have the "it will be what it will be" attitude and never try to get my hopes up or make any assumptions how things will go. Unfortunately after I have had the experience and then get to do it over again I get REALLY excited. I think this mindset is what has led me to being SOOO excited about this baby. I know what it is like to find out what the baby is. I know what it is like to birth a child. I know how my body responds to becoming a Mama, feeding my baby for the first time, bringing it home, losing sleep, watching it grow and change into a little person, etc. etc.
What I don't know is what it is going to be like to be a Mama of TWO kiddos. I honestly cannot believe that I am already a Mama period. Let alone of two kiddos!! Where has time gone? How can I be THIS old? I'm not sure, but I AM sure excited to ride this ride regardless of rather or not this bean is a boy or girl!

Stay tuned. I will be sure to fill you in!! My appointment is tomorrow at 1:30!!!

A Shower for a Great Friend!

My dear friend, Kari is having a baby girl. She is due in July. She already has the CUTEST little boy, whom Nora adores, Aiden, so I cannot wait to meet Miss Maisy Jane. Today is her shower. I am excited. I stewed, and worried, shopped around and could not for the life of me find the perfect gift until all of the sudden it hit me to make her a diaper cake. I set off to Wal-Mart to get the supplies but I had NO idea what I was going to put on it other than girly things. I left Wal-Mart dissapointed and with NOTHING to use for decorations. It wasnt until I got home and saw Nora's little tea set that it hit me that one of those would be PERFECT. Her shower is a tea party theme AND she had said she could use little girl toys (plus I know she hasn't bought this yet =0) )

I hope she loves her present as much as I loved making it. I hope little Miss Maisy grows to love her tea set as much as Little Miss N already loves hers. Congratulations on the little lady, Kari. We can't wait to meet her!!!

Hanging Out With Daddy is Tough!!

Today was my friend, Kari's baby shower. Since it was during the middle of Nora's nap I decided to leave her home with Daddy.

When I came home this is what I found.

Something tells me she didn't mind being left behind!!

Maybe I should do this more often =0) Too bad I miss her like crazy when she is not around!

One week from today...

I will find out what you are little one. One week from today, so many things about our future will be known. I will know rather or not you are (insert boy name) or (insert girl name). Nora will know rather or not you are a "gull" or "boy". We will know what to do with your room and we can begin preparing for your arrival. As this time nears, the reality of you truly existing is becoming more and more real. I have been feeling you move around A LOT lately. You move sooo much more than Nora did already that I am nervous you just might not be the laid back little baby that she was. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that you can learn a few things from her though, and that this will not be the case. Either way, we will love you!
It seems like I have been pregnant FOREVER already, but at the same time I cannot believe we are already half way there! In a mere 21 weeks we will get to meet you for the first time. I cannot wait for this time to come! For now though little one, we will look forward to learning the secret that only you and God know; Are you a boy or a "gull"?

Purple

Yep, its true. The little lady is learning her colors. I am soooo proud of her, and honestly have yet to figure out how she has picked up on this one. Yesterday she and I were coloring when all of a sudden I heard her saying something. I thought she was saying Papa, so I said to her, "Nora, Papa's not around, where are you getting Papa from"? She responded, "No, Mamma, Purple". Sure enough sitting in her little hand was the purple crayon. Since then she has also learned the color green. This morning, I tested her again to see rather or not it was a fluke and sure enough she knew what color both green and purple were. Once again little lady, could you please slow down? Your Mamma isn't quite ready to have a big girl yet =0)

"No, Mamma" and Time Out

Nora has become quite the independent little lady lately. She wants to do EVERYTHING on her own and if I try to help her she will quickly respond "No, Mamma". Needless to say although she is quite capable of doing many things on her own, she is ONLY 21 months old and therefore some things just need a little of Mamma's help. For instance, Nora likes to push her highchair to its "storage spot" after she is finished eating. I am fine with this, however, since her steering skills are not up to par, I like to help guide the chair in the right direction. She does not like this and so the "No, Mamma" is quickly put to use. Last night she was overly full of "No, Mamma's" and I had had it so I told her, "Nora, if you tell Mamma no one more time you are going to time out". Her response?  She immediately stopped pushing the highchair, turned around, stated she was going to time-out and sat herself down in time out. Apparently time-out is a fun place to be at our house. Now to find an effective form of discipline at our house has been added to my to-do list. Silly little girl, when is the orneriness going to stop?

Fun with the cousins

Nora spent the day with her cousins (my sister Stacie's kids) the other day and got her hair cut. Here is a pic of her with them sporting her new "do".

Happy Mother's Day

Dear Nora,
I know that since it is Mother's Day you should be thanking me for all that I am. However, since you are only 21 months old, I have a feeling it will be a while before this happens. Hopefully you will not be like me and have difficulties with telling people your true feelings and this will come easier for you. Since you are unable to thank me, I am going to thank you. Where to start is a little difficult. I feel like I should thank you for everything that I am. Since you were born, I have had a purpose in life. Not just a job that I love, but meaning. A reason to wake up, a reason to feel loved and to know, that without any doubt I have somebody in my life who no matter how many times I may screw up loves me no matter what. For this I love you. I hope that you will always know what a special little girl you are and that we think the world of you. Everyday your "I love you, Mamma's and "Thank you Mamma's" make me feel so proud. I am sooo thankful that at this early age you have learned to respect and show emotion for others. I love that you are always asking about your close friends and familly and stating that you love and miss them. Despite the occasional temper tantrums, your Daddy and I couldn't have asked for a better little girl. You have made this whole being a Mamma thing seem waaaay too easy. Thank you for being the BEST little girl any Mamma could ask for! I love you more than you will ever know!
Love,
Mamma

21 Months

The little lady is 21 months old today. I CANNOT believe it. As each month passes and we get closer to her turning two my heart breaks. I never thought time could possibly go as fast as it has. In just THREE months I am going to have to say "shes two". So many things about her are not baby anymore. My little baby truly is turning into a "big gul". So much so that she is doing so pretty neat things:
-she uses please and thank-you appropriately a lot.
-she can walk up and down the stairs well enough that the gates are gone from the stairs.
-she speaks in full sentences. My favorites: "Thank-you, Mamma" and "I love you, Mamma".
-she knows several people's names and asks about them on a regular basis.
-she LOVES her "Papa's"
-playing outside is her favorite thing to do. She LOVES playing "bball" with her Daddy.
-She talks about "Mamma's baby" and tells it "I'm big sisser, loves you and "nigh nigh".
-She is getting pretty good about telling the difference between a boy and a girl.

18 week check-up

Went to the doctor today. Nothing new or exciting. Everything checked out good. I declined my testing to determine abnormalities the baby may have. I understand people have differing opinions on rather this is a good idea or not, but for me it is something I  am strongly against. I guess working in the MR/DD field all these years has made me care less. In my opinion why would I want to find out now so that I can spend the next 20+ weeks worrying about the severity of their condition? If my child is "abnormal" I guess we will find out when it is born, and love it just as though he/or she was "normal".
During the appointment I also heard the baby's heartbeat, scheduled my next appointment and scheduled our sonogram. The big one... the one where we will FINALLY find out what this baby is. Sono is scheduled for May 20th. I can hardly wait. Anybody want to make any predictions? I've got mine =0)

Nora's 1st Haircut

Nora had her first haircut today. As much as I didn't want to cut it it was getting really stringy and she had a mullet. Although it seems like we cut a TON... I don't think we really did.....here are some pics. Thankfully the haircut was a success. For Nora, having an Aunt who happens to be a hairstylist definetely made things better! She loves her Aunt Stacie.

Here is a before pic:

During:

After:

Tomorrow is a Big Day

Tomorrow the little lady is getting her first haircut. I am NERVOUS as hell. I KNOW it will be cute and I have no plans of a major haircut, just something to make her mullet free. I am hoping the cut will spring up her curls a little and eventually allow the front of her hair to even out with the back. I am just nervous!  Cutting her hair is just one more of those things that make her not a baby any more.  Wish us luck. Hopefully after it is all said and done, we won't have something that looks like a baby boy!