Happy Birthday Chad!!

Yesterday we celebrated Chad's 31st birthday! Unfortunately he had to work while James and I were at home. I am working from home this week due to James day care being closed for the holidays. So James and I had a lot fun making a German chocolate cake for his birthday (his favorite). Now you will notice from the pics below I did use a box cake mix for the cake but that icing IS homemade :) James was such a big help especially with cleaning the mixing bowl and the mixer things. I know they say it is not safe to eat raw cake batter because of the eggs but I always did it as a kid and never got sick so I figured just a little taste or 2 wouldn't hurt! 

We met Chad for a great dinner at Stix where the man makes the fire according to James. It really was so much fun. When we got home we sang Happy Birthday as seen above and opened presents. However we did not eat the cake. Chad has been a little under the weather and James started running a fever yesterday afternoon so neither one wanted a piece of cake. It is still sitting in our fridge untouched :) However it may be our dinner tonight as the egg cooker is feeling worse today and hasn't made it out of the bed. My other child is still running a fever. This New Year's Eve night will be much different than last year for sure! I really hope they both get to feeling better soon. We finally have a weekend at home to ourselves and an extra day off work. I want Chad to be able to enjoy it and I am dying for adult conversation...being a stay at home mom with a sick husband to boot is tough! 

Sidenote: It has been nice to be at home this week and play with our new tech gifts from Christmas. We have really moved up in the world as far as technology goes...we got a flip video (thus the reason for the video added above), we got an iPad and a new MacBook Pro! Now if I could only figure out how to properly use all 3 :) 

Pregnancy Brain is Real

Pregnancy brain or momnesia is what some people relate to the many bouts of forgetfulness women may have while pregnant. Some people will argue that the pregnancy brain is a myth. Well I am here to testify that it is in fact real. I usually for the most part have it together. Here lately a few incidents are evidence that I in fact do not and I am starting to wonder if I should be left alone to care for my child. I have a list of a few examples below:

- One morning found a full sippy cup of milk in the cabinet under neath the kitchen sink right next to the Clorox clean up.
- Arrived at work and went to put my sandwich I had made at home in the refrigerator only to find that I had taken 2 slices of bread, spread mayo and mustard on each side, added a piece of cheese, and some how forgot to add the turkey.
- The same day I forgot the turkey, I went to instant message a friend at work to discuss another co-worker's inappropriate actions and actually typed the message to the co-worker I was writing about and hit enter. I went into panic mode. The co-worker was actually talking with someone else outside of my office so I quickly walked to her desk clicked on the message I had written and immediately closed it out so she  could not see it. I didn't really think through this response as she could have walked up as I was clicking on her computer and wonder what the heck I was doing. Fortunately that did not happen and I passed her on my way back to my office. She said a friendly hello and I said hi luckily she could not tell my heart was about to beat out of my chest.
- Reset my password to my work computer prior to leaving for the holidays and tried to log in this morning and I was totally at a loss as to what I had changed it too. I tried several combinations and nothing worked. This resulted in me calling our IT group to reset and then had to actually make a trip to the office in order for the password to reset.
- Over the holidays I completely left my cell phone in Birmingham and didn't realize it until we were in Montgomery. For 24+ hours I felt so out of touch with the world. Thank goodness for overnight mail and for my mom for using it. It arrived today still in tact...whew!

Is Christmas Really in 6 days??

It has been awhile I know. This post may be all over the place because you see I have been feeling a little like this lately...

It is the holidays and we have been busy I guess just like everyone else. During this holiday season we attended the SEC Championship game (WAR EAGLE!!), had Christmas with the Baldesare's, we have shopped, we have wrapped, we have decorated, we have been to a Christmas party, we have been to the doctor (reminder that we are having a baby in a few short months)...and the one thing I have not done is create a Christmas card. I feel like such a slacker when I open the Christmas cards we receive in the mail. They are all so great and I love receiving them. And every time I open one it makes me regret not sending one so I am making it a goal to work on a New Years card this year. So hopefully I can focus on that once Christmas is over.

So a little update on baby #2. I am now officially in the 3rd trimester. I can't believe it honestly. This pregnancy has gone by so fast and I cannot believe we only have 11 weeks left until we get to meet this precious little miracle growing inside of me. At my 28 week appointment we had an ultrasound and the baby weighs approx 2lbs 9 oz if it continues to grow at the same pace he or she will be approx 8 1/2 lbs at full term. James was 8 lb 7 oz so this one will probably be almost the same size even though it feels so much bigger than James did. I am measuring 30 weeks which doesn't necessarily mean we will have the baby earlier just that my baby bump is bigger :) And I definitely can tell. Sleeping at night is becoming more challenging and my energy level continues to decrease but other than that I cannot complain. Chad and I continue to think it is another boy and James insists he will have a little sister, not knowing really is so much fun and exciting despite the planner inside me dying to know so we can prepare accordingly. I do hope this baby doesn't decide to join us until my actual due date because I really need all of January and February to get things ready. I still have not purchased one thing for this little one and the nursery is not even close to being ready. Currently we call it our "wrapping room". Baby bump update at 29 weeks:

And Christmas. I am not going to lie I have been a completely stressed lately and at times a bit hormonal but I am finally starting to enjoy the holidays. We still have a couple of gifts to purchase and a few more to wrap but we have accomplished so much the last few days. James is really loving Christmas this year and has been so much fun to watch. He loves Christmas lights, Frosty the Snowman is his favorite Christmas show and song, and he loves Christmas trees. This year we even put a little tree in his room that he decorated himself. The ornaments are mainly concentrated in spots but he is so proud of it so I haven't touched it. He also insisted his tree have a star on top so of course we got one.

Yesterday we took him to see Santa. It went ok. He was all excited about it and couldn't wait to tell him that he wants a big blue dinosaur for Christmas but when we got close to him he became really shy and wouldn't let go of my arm. We convinced him it was ok enough for us to get a picture atleast there were not any tears. Here is the series of pics below.

And today we had breakfast at the Grand in Point Clear with Meme and Papop (they came in town this past weekend which was a huge help) and it was beautifully decorated for Christmas. Inside the dining area they had a Gingerbread house that is a replica of the hotel and property. It was so neat!

They also had a 20 foot tree that was stunning.

 

I wish I could decorate well. I try but our decorations our minimal. We do purchase a real tree every year and fortunately the past 2 years that experience did not turn into an argument. The first year we went together to pick one out was quite comical and I don't think Chad and I spoke to each other for several hours afterward. I just realized I do not have a picture of our entire tree. Next year we are going to need to lights on the outside of our house we decided.

It may be after Christmas before I have more updates so until then we wish all of our friends and family a very Merry Christmas!

The things he says...

James is at the age where we can carry on mini-conversations with him and the conversations can get quite comical. I need to start documenting them so I do not forget them especially funny ones. Here are a few examples:

James eating some "pumkin" bread. Me: You know Pop loves pumpkin bread. James: " I wike pumkin bread. You wike pumkin bread? Papop wike pumkin bread?" Me : Yes Papop likes pumpkin bread too. James: Papop had to weave. Me: Yes he had did have to leave. James: Papop went to Pubwix.

James has never been to Publix with Papop nor has he heard that Papop goes to Publix. Can you tell James has a hard time pronouncing his "Ls"?

Morning greeting every morning since he has been sleeping in his big boy bed. Me: Good Morning, James! James: I get another toy? I sweep in my big boy bed!

We have started turning the tv off during dinner time because James get too distracted from the television no matter what is on. The other night before dinner a football game was on tv. I think it was NFL. To James any football on tv is Auburn football. I am walking over to turn off the tv so we can sit down and eat. James: mommy, turn that Auburn football off, please. I turn it off. James: Thank you.

Lately if you ask James a question that you know he knows the answer to his response is "I don't know, the answer" For example. Me: James what color is the stop sign? James: I don't know, red.
Me: James what is in your cup? James: I don't know, milk. I think he likes the phrase "I don't know". Sounds like his meme to me. She always responds with "no" before she answers your question whether the question required a yes or no answer. Me: Mom, what are you cooking for dinner? Meme: No, we are having tuna.

James describing his experience watching Toy Story 3 every time he picks up the dvd case. James: I not like Toy Story 3. That monkey he's a bad guy. He scared us! Member that? I not like Toy Story 3. I like Toy Story 2. I like Toy Story 1. I not like Toy Story 3. Ok.


And my favorite statement from James occurred this morning as I was wiping his mouth after breakfast. I kissed him on the cheek. James: mommy, you are my best friend.

I am going to remind him of that one when he is 14 and doesn't want to have anything to do with me! For now I will enjoy the moment and his way of appreciating the things I do for him, for example, cleaning his dirty hands/faces, wiping his dirty bottom, and listening to those dramatic temper tantrums when he doesn't get his way!

Birthday Celebrations, Halloween and More

Ok I have so many pictures to go through that I want to post on here before time gets away from me. This is going to a long post with lots of pictures. Hope it is not too boring. We have been on the road ALOT lately which has provided good quality family time but also has caused us to almost kill each other on several occasions :). Anyway we had an opportunity to stay home Halloween weekend when had already planned to be in Birmingham so we jumped on it and persuaded my family to come visit us. 1) Because we needed to celebrate mine and Aunt Anna's birthday (we have the same birthday, Nov 2nd hers much more significant than mine this year. she turned 21!! I took a friend's advice and stopped counting at 29) 2) Because Papop so graciously finished James headboard for his big boy room and I really wanted it to finally be set up in James future room plus I couldn't wait to see it. So Friday night Chad and I treated the birthday girl to dinner. It was not a wild and crazy 21st celebration since I couldn't truly "celebrate" with her but it was fun none the less. Saturday we began assembling the big boy bed.

I love how it turned out! Papop did an awesome job and exceeded my expectations. I know James is going to love it especially since it was made by Papop just for him. We still have some things to add to the room and still need to actually move James in and let him sleep in his new bed!! Crossing our fingers that transition goes fairly smooth! I will post more pics once the room is complete.

Saturday night Chad cooked a wonderful dinner on the egg of course...starting with buffalo wings (anna's favorite) and the main course, steak fajitas. I made her favorite dessert, pumpkin bread, not a traditional birthday cake but it was her request! And during the night James enjoyed a surprise visit from these special guests

Buzz and Jesse

Big Buzz and Little Buzz

Have I mentioned my parents can be crazy?? We couldn't stop laughing and James LOVED it. The Buzz's were flying around the house and constantly shouting "to invinity and beyond". James was disppointed when they took their costumes off...

The next day was Halloween and Big Buzz, Jesse and Aunt Anna had to head home before we began our Halloween festivities. This year since James is totally obsessed with Toy Story and each character (buzz, woody, jesse, rex, ambians (aliens) and mr. potato heads we decided to create a Mr. Potato Head pumpkin instead of actually carving one. There was no mess (makes me happy) and James thought it was a great idea!

That afternoon we had a little photo opp in front of our house before heading over to the Parks' house for chilli and trick or treating!

I thought he made the cutest Buzz Lightyear ever!

Trick or treating started off a little slow. James can be a shy little guy sometimes...

However once he realized he was getting real candy (have I mentioned the child gets so excited about candy??) he was running or should I say "flying" from house to house thanks to his way cool jet pack with wings that light up :)... 

On the morning of my actual birthday I was greeted with this...

This little guy tests me everyday but moments like this are why he has me wrapped around his finger.



War Eagle!

Wow! The Auburn Tigers have really given us fans an exciting season thus far. James is really loving the excitement too and learning the words to the theme song for the season, "All We Do is Win Win Win". I have included a you tube video of the Auburn student section from the Auburn vs. LSU this past weekend. We were celebrating my cousin's wedding in Dahlonega, GA so we missed out on this game but heard the crowd was insanely loud. I can only imagine! We did ride through Auburn on our way home this past Sunday and James got to see Toomer's Corner covered in toilet paper. He was amazed and slightly confused as to why the toilet paper was in the trees. He has only seen it on a roll usually close to a potty :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rm0TC6FlV5U

This little Auburn fan is even putting his hands up at the right time and moving them up, down, up, down. We love it. Please don't think we have corrupted our 2 yr old. He calls it the "Auburn Song" and we listen to it in the car to and from school everyday by his request.

Since this post has an Auburn theme I have included a couple of pictures we took while in Auburn for the AU vs. Arkansas game. It was also a very exciting game and we were glad we got to go!!

Halfway There!

Today I am 21 weeks and we have reached the halfway point this past week. Crazy! This pregnancy seems to be flying by possibly because we have super busy lately and still have a few road trips in our future. This past Tuesday we had our 20 wk ultrasound and got to get a sneak peek at this precious little baby. We held strong and did not peek at the lower region so the suspense rising and really is fun to wonder! If you want to leave your prediction in the comment section we would love to hear it!

(it is a picture of a picture so I apologize for the quality)

This little one is currently weighing approximately 12 oz and seems to be perfectly on track! It is a little squirmer to say the least. I knew I felt it moving constantly throughout the day but seeing it move during the ultrasound confirmed all those little movements. The ultrasound tech had to take her pictures quickly for measurements before it moved to a completely different position. The little one gave us a sweet little wave and showed us he/she definitely has all 5 fingers. I wish she would have gotten a picture of the wave but she just wasn't quick enough. We compared the pictures above to James' ultrasound pictures and the profile is very similar but to be honest it is so hard to tell with these pictures.

I am still feeling great and really cannot complain. Sleeping at night has become slightly more difficult. And for some reason I feel more uncomfortable than I did before. I also feel enormous at times which makes me nervous because we still have a long way to go. Oh and I did get my first comment from a random person last week and it was a good one. It came from an middle aged man in the elevator. His exact statement was "so you got you a little poochie?!" Seriously! First, what middle aged man uses the word "poochie" and especially to a stranger. Secondly, you want to ask a lady if she is pregnant and THAT is the best you could come up with. I honestly did not know how to respond so I just smiled and nodded my head and anxiously waited from the doors to reopen so I could escape from the elevator. Below is pic I took today (21 weeks). It is a self portrait so don't laugh. I wanted to make I snapped one before another week elapsed. I guess it is pretty obviously now that I do have a little poochie :)

In other news James is counting down the days until Halloween and we are too! Have I mentioned before he wants me to be Jesse from Toy Story since he is going to be Buzz...I hope I do not disappoint I am not sure I can bring myself to dress up but we will see. Also he is becoming a whiz at puzzles. Loves them and doesn't seem to get too frustrated. I love that he is using his problem solving skills!

Also have to say it is great to be an Auburn Tiger! War Eagle! I hope our tigers come through tomorrow as we have a big game against those other Tigers from Baton Rouge...LSwho? We are super nervous but even if we lose it is always great to be an Auburn Tiger and we of course are huge fans of Cam Newton...All we do is win win win!!



Pumpkin Patch

This morning it felt very much like fall outside and I am loving it so much. I actually turned on my seat warmer and enjoyed my pumpkin spice coffee as I drove to work. This weekend I think the weather is going to be perfect and we are so excited about traveling to Auburn to watch them play Arkansas. It is a big game and it would be great if we win but we are just excited about being there. We are leaving James at home with KK and Pop and I am kind of sad he is not going with us but I am pretty sure we will not be missed.

This past weekend we met our friends Holli and Taylor and their 1 yr old twin babies, Hudson and Stella at a place called Wales West. We had never been before but had heard great things about it. For the fall they have a Halloween theme train ride that takes you to a kid friendly haunted barn and you can pick out a small pumpkin to decorate and then you ride the train back to the main building. It was a huge hit with James! Well except for the haunted area of the barn. It was dark, had strobe lights, it had scary music playing in the background and it had scary skeleton manikins that slightly moved. I had to carry him through and the whole time he kept saying "I not like that, I not like that". I kept thinking we were horrible parents for taking him through it especially since once you got in there was only one way out and that was to to keep walking through. No escape. He soon got over it once he saw all the kid size pumpkins and a blow up Tigger.

Below are the pumpkins we decorated. James likes to point out exactly whose pumpkins is whose. (from L to R mine, James, Chad's)

Here are some pics from the train ride.

And this was our attempt of a picture of the kiddos. Hudson and Stella were on the move and James was concentrating on eating his pumpkin candy sucker.

On Monday when James returned to preschool he described his day to his teacher like this "My mommy and daddy took me on train ride and we picked out pumkins and I not like that thing that spin around" We will be back for Christmas to take a train ride to see Santa!