Pink or Blue, Who are you?

Exactly one week from today we will find out if we will be bringing home a baby boy or a baby girl in March.

I can hardly wait!

A few weeks ago Caleb and I were out on a date and we took our envelope with the baby's gender marked inside to Macy's. We carefully picked out a boy outfit and a girl outfit and handed both outfits to the lady at the counter. When I explained to her that we didn't know the gender and that we wanted to open a gift on Christmas morning, she was beyond excited and willing to help us out. She got SO into it! It made the experience SO much more fun for us!

After handing the outfits to her, we left our credit card and walked away while she picked out the correct outfit, placed it in a box, and taped the box shut so we wouldn't be tempted to peek inside. We were very careful to pick two outfits that cost the exact same. Not only did we successfully leave the store without knowing which outfit had been placed inside the box, but we will always have a great memory from that night. I will never forget how much fun we had, and the expression and smile on the lady's face at the counter. She even wrote us a very sweet little note that read:

"Hi Mr. and Mrs. ________: Thank you for letting me help... :) it's my sincerest pleasure! Best wishes and blessings for a healthy baby- and a wonderful future filled with love! My name is _____ - please feel free to call me after you open the box" and then she left her phone number. Isn't that sweet?!

We took the box home and wrapped it and now it's sitting under our tree-just waiting to be opened!

It's been a while since I have updated everyone on my pregnancy, so here goes.
Yes, I know I look much farther along than I actually am. I guess that's what happens when you're short and you have a short waist.

How far along: 24 Weeks and 3 days.

Size of Baby: Baby is about a foot long (about the size of an ear of corn) and weighs just over 1 pound.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I hate sharing this part- I've gained 16 pounds.

Maternity Clothes: Definitely- and still growing. Even some maternity shirts are beginning to look small on me.

Gender: We'll be finding out in 7 days! We had that ultrasound 6 weeks ago, and it's been hard to wait.

Movement: Constant movement these days. I feel baby move many times throughout the day. This baby is strong!

Sleep: I'm sleeping pretty well these days. It's getting harder to roll over in bed and I have to get up a few times throughout the night to use the restroom.

Symptoms: Strong movement from baby on a regular basis. :) This baby is also active. My sense of smell is still very strong too.

Best Moment This Week: When Caleb put his hand on my belly and said "Whoa, that was definitely the strongest kick I have felt so far".

What I'm Most Looking Forward To: Finding out who this new little person is growing inside me and calling him or her by name.

We will definitely be sharing our news on here after we share with our families. Want to make a guess? Just leave me a comment.

I don't know if I'll be back on here before Christmas, so if not, I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

Happy Birthday Baby!

Two years ago today, my life was changed forever. Elliana entered the world and I became a mom. Although it was a shock to the system at first, I quickly fell in love with this little gift and I can honestly say that she is one of the best gifts I've ever been given. I feel so blessed and proud to be her mom.



I can't believe that today, Ellie is two. The past two years have brought about the most challenging and the best days of my life. I am a better person today because of Elliana.


They say that the time flies when you have children, but it's one of those things that you don't really fully grasp until you experience it yourself, either through your own child or a close relative. I have enjoyed Ellie so much these past two years and especially lately as I watch her learn and grow by leaps and bounds. She is constantly talking and exploring the world around her and I love the way she makes me see the world through new eyes.




We celebrated Ellie's birthday by going to Chuck E Cheese's on Sunday night. We invited Elliana's aunts, uncles, cousins, grand-parents and great-grandma. She had the time of her life! Her eyes were so wide with excitement and she wore a huge smile on her face.



We started out by exploring the place, Ellie had never been to Chuck E Cheese's before. As much as she loved the slides and rides, I think she enjoyed the singing and dancing from Chuck E and the crew the most.




After eating pizza, we sang Happy Birthday (which happens to be Elliana's favorite song these days), ate cupcakes, and opened gifts. We couldn't believe that Ellie refused to eat her cupcake after how much time we spent working on and talking about the cupcakes.




Ellie got SOOOO many wonderful and perfect gifts! Seriously, she didn't get one single gift that wasn't perfect for her. We left feeling so blessed by our family and truth be told, our daughter was a little spoiled. :)




After playing games, riding rides, and going down the slide with her cousins, Elliana came back to where we were sitting.

Ellie adores her cousins, especially the older ones. She never left Devyn's side, and Devyn is SO good with her.

We happened to be sitting right by the "stage" where Chuck E and the crew were singing, and Elliana danced. and danced. and twirled and danced. It was my favorite moment of the night! Those are the moments when I see how full of life and how care-free Ellie is. She enjoyed dancing even more after she put on her new fairy dress given to her from Uncle Jon and Aunt Jenn.




I simply had to share this video of Elliana and her cousins dancing:


All in all, it was a great night and a great birthday party. Unfortunately, the night ended with Elliana waking up in the middle of the night and vomitting all over herself and her crib. :( We don't know if she was sick, or if all of the food, excitement and dancing was too much. Either way, she was back to her happy, chipper self immediately after emptying her stomach.

Every night when I pray I thank God for giving Elliana to us and for giving her the personality that she has. I so look forward to watching her grow, and to celebrating each milestone and birthday with her. For now, I'm happy that she's still small and we can still hold her and play with her. :)



Happy Birthday my sweet girl!

Our Ever Expanding Family

Over the course of a year, our family will have added 3 new family members-again!

I guess this is how my family does it. Two years ago in December, we added 3 new family members over the course of two weeks. First, Elliana was born, then exactly 7 days later my sister Courtney got married to Jeremy, so Jeremy was added in as a brother-in-law, and then 8 days later my niece Reagan was born. It was a crazy and busy time, but a December that we'll always remember.

Now here we are two years later, and it appears that we are doing the same thing all over again-just a little more spread out this time.

First, 9 days ago my niece Ashlynn was born.

Then, last night, my sister Allison became engaged to a wonderful man named Brian. Brian is a strong christian man, he loves the Lord and it's obvious how much he loves Alli and that he really wants what's best for her in all things.

We are so thrilled for them. They are a great couple and a great match for eachother. We're excited to be adding another (and the last) brother-in-law to the family.



I got to hear the proposal story from Allison this morning and Brian did a fantastic job planning out the proposal. It was very romantic! My sister Courtney described it on her blog.

Here is a view of Alli's absolutely GORGEOUS ring! Didn't Brian do a great job?!



The two of them are planning a September wedding. I'm a little jealous. I always wanted a fall wedding. I've said many times that Fall is my favorite time of year and I know it will be a beautiful time of year to get married. For anyone that knows our family, you know we (the sisters) will all be involved in helping to plan the wedding. It's going to be SO fun!

So anyway, that's 2 new family members, and in about 4 months or so, Caleb and I will be adding a new family member of our own. That makes 3! I only wonder how we'll keep up with this trend considering there won't be any more weddings to plan. Maybe the next sister that gets pregnant will have triplets! Please not me. Ha!

CONGRATS again to Alli and Brian!!

Another Short Story

I don't have a picture for this post, although I really wish I did! I simply had to share this story though. This is a little snapshot into how funny our little Elliana is, and one of the reasons she always keeps us laughing.

I was putting Ellie to bed last night. The routine went as usual. Caleb read to her and brushed her teeth and then handed her over to me. I prayed with her and then sang a few songs to her and then I put her down in her crib.

A few short minutes later she started crying and calling for me, saying things like "Mommy, where are you"? It always tugs at my heart. We always wait for several minutes before going back into her room to give her time to settle herself to sleep.

The crying and calling became louder and then turned into her just talking to herself. Then she became quiet. I decided she was too quiet too quickly so I just peeked into her room.

I saw stuff on the floor. This was not unusual. She usually throws her blankets and/or baby doll out of the crib when she wants us to go back into her room. I looked closer. It was her diaper and pajamas. As soon as I realized this, I looked back at Ellie and she was jumping and running around in her crib. Naked. And having the time of her life!

It was all I could do to not laugh out loud.

It's times like this that I wonder how we're ever going to transition her into a big bed. I like that we can keep her confined in her crib right now. Otherwise, we might have a naked toddler running around in the middle of the night.

Welcome Ashlynn!

I became a proud Aunt again today.

Our newest addition to the family, our niece Ashlynn Rose was born today at 1:10 PM.

She weighs 6 lbs, 8 ozs and is 19 inches long. She is beautiful and healthy and has a full head of dark hair. She looks a LOT like her sisters (mostly Devyn).

I was very thankful to have the opportunity to watch the birth and it was an amazing experience. I spent most of the day with Jenn and with the family.

Jenn and Ashlynn are both healthy and doing very well. Everyone is so happy that she is finally here! Praise the Lord!