32 Weeks 2.0

We are now less than 2 months away from your official due date. We will soon have to transition from preparing for your physical arrival which includes doing things like getting your room ready, buying you clothes to wear and having plenty of diapers on hand to preparing emotionally for loving you and raising you. One lesson Mommy will teach you from day one is the importance of politeness and honesty as she demonstrated in an example this week. In shopping for a 2-seated stroller for you and your sister, Mommy found a great deal on a fully-loaded ride on-line. This thing was the minivan of strollers so Mommy contacted the seller. He said someone was coming to look at it later in the week to which Mommy replied she'd love to come see it if they don't want it. Given someone replied to the ad before she did, it was only right and fair to let them see it first. We wondered if the seller would maintain that same integrity. He told Mommy she could even come see it earlier and on her way home from work, she found out he had sold it to someone else who came to see it.

You are the size of a head of lettuce this week.

31 Weeks 2.0

As much as it has been raining here lately, it was very appropriate that week 31 started with a Baby Sprinkle thrown by our friends at church. Because you have an older sister, Mommy already has many of the things we will need when you arrive. But in the event that you are a boy, daddy bought you a Pearl Jam onesie on his trip to Chicago this week. You could wear it if you are a girl, but Mommy thinks it looks a little scary. At 31 weeks you should be the size of a pineapple but the doctor says you are measuring almost two weeks ahead of schedule. If you are preparing to come to the world two weeks early, we had better get all of the things we don't already have very soon.

30 Weeks 2.0

30 weeks down, 10 to go until your due date. Mommy had a photo shoot this week, to model her belly for a local photographer. We can't wait for you to see how beautiful you made Mommy look on the outside. On the inside, you are as long as a cucumber. Your sweet sister has started talking to you from outside Mommy's belly and hopefully you're able to hear us read her bedtime stories at night. By the time you are born, she will probably be able to read them to you by herself.

29 Weeks 2.0

At 29 weeks, you are the size of a squash and as you continue to grow, you will start feeling squished in Mommy's belly. Mommy and Daddy are starting to feel squished in bed because your sister A is sleeping with us. Don't worry, we painted her new room this week so hopefully by the time you arrive, she'll be sleeping in her new room and we'll have room for you to sleep in the bed with us.

27 Weeks 2.0

We celebrated Father's Day this week and your September arrival has Daddy already feeling doubly excited. Mommy and your big sister visited friends visiting from Alaska this weekend and Daddy stayed home to get work done around the house. He cleaned out the garage to make it easier for Mommy to park the minivan inside. That will help when she has to get you, Aubrey and groceries out of the car on rainy days. Daddy also cleaned out the room that your Aunt Jessica used to stay in. This room will become Aubrey's room meaning you'll have a room all to yourself when you arrive. At 27 weeks, you are now the size of a cauliflower.

28 Weeks 2.0

Mommy had a check-up with the doctor this week and she (and you) are right on schedule, measuring 28 weeks. She also had a glucose test and the results were perfect, you are exactly and perfectly sweet already. More sweet that all the desserts that Mommy and Daddy shared with friends over the weekend in Charleston. It was more of a food-moon than a baby-moon, but we did buy you a stuffed animal. We ate a lot of good food. You are the size of an eggplant this week. We didn't eat any on our trip.

26 Weeks 2.0

In week 26, you are the size of a head of lettuce. Mommy was a little green this week; she had a little stomach bug. Daddy has been watching the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup finals. Your due date falls in the middle of the Blackhawks preseason schedule for the 2013. That means in the time they get to celebrate before the real work of their next chapter begins, we've got that same time to get some real work done before celebrating the beginning of our next chapter as a family.

25 Weeks 2.0

Mommy had another doctor's appointment this week and everything with you and her is good but she needs to cut down on eating carbs a little. Daddy needs to cut down on carbs a little more. Usually, Daddy does the grocery shopping but this week, Mommy discovered that at Harris Teeter, you can order your food on-line and then pay for it and pick it up right at the front of the store. This has made shopping much easier and healthier. Daddy would often get extra items like cookies and ice cream but with Mommy doing the shopping, we'll stick to more of the healthier options. Like cauliflower, which is about same size as you are at 25 weeks.

24 Weeks 2.0

One week a year, every year, Mommy and Daddy take a trip to Edisto for family vacation at the beach. This year, week 24 was that week. Your sister still isn't completely into fun in the sand and surf but hopefully you were able to feel a little warmth from the sun on Mommy's belly and were soothed by the sounds of the ocean. You're about as long as an envelope this week, and this year as it seems every year, our week at the beach wasn't long enough. We can't wait to take you there next summer!

23 Weeks 2.0

Mommy had an ultrasound this week so we got to see your face, fingers and toes. We did not find out if you are a boy or a girl. You are the size of a small doll. Your sister has been playing with dolls and also been saying hello to other babies when you are out shopping with Mommy. We are pretty certain she is very ready to be a big sister. Mommy and Daddy have a lot of work to do before you arrive but we are very excited and ready to meet you, especially after seeing your sweet smile.

22 Weeks 2.0

This week, we've had a lot to celebrate. Mommy and Daddy had their 5 year wedding anniversary. On Sunday, Mom's everywhere were recognized for all they do. You went to a banquet in honor of Mommy's with MiMi and Mommy. At 22 weeks, we are more than halfway to celebrating your arrival and you are now about the size of a 1 lb. box of sugar. You are already sweeter than 1000 boxes of sugar.

{Five} Years

five years ago we were here and thought we couldn't be any happier.

 

 

and then this happened.

 

 

and now this is happening.

 

 

the past five years haven't always been perfect but who needs perfection right?

soul mates. love.

we can conquer the world you and I.

 

21 Weeks 2.0

Daddy traveled to Boston this week so MiMi came to visit and help Mommy with Aubrey and the dogs while he was gone. Daddy took a class at Harvard and wants you and your sister to realize he is very smart and probably right when he tells you both to do something and you don’t understand why. You are the size of a banana this week and we are going bananas waiting for September.

20 Weeks 2.0

We were blessed with getting a quick look at you this week. Mommy had an appointment with her doctor and they performed an ultrasound. Daddy thinks you look just like your sister. And like we did with your sister, we told the nurse that we didn't want to know now if you are a boy or a girl. We know that even though you are the size of a small cantaloupe, you still have plenty of room to move around in mommy’s belly. Daddy was finally able to feel you move this week. You were no doubt dancing to the music heard at the Zac Brown Band and Kenny Chesney concert we went to in Columbia at Williams-Brice Stadium. 

19 Weeks 2.0

You have been growing for 19 weeks in Mommy’s belly (for much longer in our prayers and hearts) and this week, you are the size of a mango. Coincidentally, we traveled to the Citrus State this week as well. Mommy, Daddy, Aubrey and Uncle Philip took a plane ride to Orlando, Florida. We stopped first at your Great Grandmother’s house then drove down to Grammie’s to celebrate Aunt Kate’s engagement. The plan ride back home was a bumpy one, but you are probably used to bumpy rides by now. Mommy is now very used to feeling you bounce and bump around in her belly. Daddy still can’t feel you yet. 

18 Weeks 2.0

You are the size of a cantaloupe in week 18. Hearing your heartbeat at a doctor’s appointment this week was music to Mommy’s ears. And to keep you dancing in Mommy’s belly, we went to hear jazz in the park. Later in the week, we visited Mommy's cousins Chuck and Heather to spend some time with their new baby Camden. Your sister Aubrey and cousin Jameson played together while Daddy feasted on grilled meats and sides.

17 weeks 2.0

17 Weeks complete. Mommy can really feel your turnip-sized body bouncing around in her tummy. She much prefers that feeling to the queasiness she still occasionally feels despite being in the second trimester. For the second straight week, Mommy and Daddy looked at minivans and finally brought one home for good. We are very excited to already think about this being the car we will bring you home from the hospital in.  

16 weeks 2.0

At 16 weeks, our little Pork Chop is the size of avocado. While still small, we are already preparing to make more space for your arrival. Mommy and Daddy are looking at minivans. We bought Mommy the Explorer for Meatball but with 2 car seats, it won’t give us the room to travel that we thought it would; for example, on family trips to the zoo, like the one you went along for the ride on this week with your sister. You’ll surely enjoy the zoo more when you’re on the outside of Mommy’s belly but you were probably excited to now be able to hear voices and sounds. We listened to the country music awards together as well this week.

15 weeks 2.0

We are so happy and lucky and blessed to announce we’ll be joining the “two under two” club. With Aubrey’s help and her “I’m the Big Sis” tee-shirt, we announced to family that our newest, sweet little Pork Chop will be arriving in September. Joy and excitement have been the dominating emotions since we found out. Mommy is 15 weeks along and that means you are the size of an orange but Mommy has been feeling pretty green. Morning sickness has had its fair share of say so far, along with all of the happiness surrounding your announcement.

Daddy-Daughter Day

“We are each of us angels with only one wing, and we can only fly by embracing one another.” Titus Lucretius

Roo and I had a long overdue date scheduled this week, making the most of a work trip she had to take to Asheville. She had a quick training in the morning after which we planned to see the Biltmore and spoil ourselves with good food and most likely a lot of chocolate. Unfortunately, her training got rescheduled thus she had to go to work in Charlotte instead. I had already taken the day off to spend with Roo so I turned it into Daddy-Daughter day. Of course, the day I am home with A, she decides to sleep late. I was tempted to poke and prod her, cough and make noises to stir her, but she was sleeping so peacefully and beautifully that I just couldn’t wake her. I patiently got caught up on my Bible reading (I’ve been reading the chronological reading plan since early 2012) and waiting for her to wake. As soon as she did, we snapped a few quick ‘good morning’ pics (it took a few takes) to send to Mommy. Next came breakfast where I ate more Cocoa Pebbles than a man my age should probably eat. We watched Mike and Mike on ESPN debate what LeBron James has to do to be on the same level as Michael Jordan. Aubrey laughed as I yelled the answer at the TV (LeBron just needs to win an NCAA title and 5 more NBA championships to be worthy of comparison to MJ). More challenging that scoring 63 points versus the Celtics in a playoff game, I next had to dress Aubrey. I can handle her attire on days when Riley is headed out to run errands and A and I are just lounging around the house but we had big plans today to I needed to dress her up. Her Star Wars tee-shirt was dirty, and I had put all of my eggs in that basket. Thus thirty minutes later, with most of her clothes scattered on the floor, I had her in a pink shirt, jeans, socks, shoes and pig tails. We were out the door and headed out on our date. Our first stop was Target, I had a small list of needs plus we like to just walk around. Aubrey is fascinated by the toy aisles and I like to look at cute clothes that I hope she never grows up to fit into. I like her at this age where she is able to communicate with us via a few simple words and signs. She fits and sits nicely in the shopping cart. She for the most part, eats and sleeps well, without talking back or telling me she met a boy. She doesn’t have a driver’s license or a college she wants to attend. But I’m getting ahead of myself a bit. Riley and I have been watching too much Parenthood on Netflix. Back to our day: after Target, Aubrey and I went to the Children’s Museum. Roo signed us up as annual members but I have never been with them before. I didn’t know arts and crafts time was 10:30 on Wednesdays. We got there at 11:30 when it was ending so there were a lot of kids still around for Aubrey to socialize with and then shortly, before noon, the museum emptied out so we had the whole place to ourselves. It was fascinating to watch our little girl explore, and learn and question and laugh and play. I could have stayed there all day…but it was lunch time. I pondered potential lunch spots for us but having been out of the house for a couple hours and just now realizing that I had no idea if there were wipes in the diaper bag, I decided we’d do lunch at home. We shared delicious leftovers from dinner the night before. While A snacked away on some string cheese, I took a quick glance at my personal email. Great news…a London royalty has $500,000 in lottery winnings he’d like to share with me, he just needs some help moving the money through red tape. I’ll be sure to get back to him later, I don’t have my bank account information handy and I made a promise to A (and myself) not to spend a lot of time on my phone today. I was quite proud to see that by lunch time’s end, I had 24 push notifications on my work email app…meaning I had 24 unread work emails that I wouldn’t read for the rest of the day. And the rest of our day didn’t involve much rest, perhaps the excitement of Daddy being home was to blame, but Aubrey refused to nap. So we played with her toys, took in a bit of BabyFirstTV and greeted Mommy at the door when she got home from work in the late afternoon. We had a nice family dinner and since no nap, Aubrey (and Mommy) went to bed early. I ended my day freeing the world of digitally armed angry teenagers by playing a few rounds of Call of Duty. Duty called the next morning and it was back to the office for me, refreshed after a great day at home with my daughter. Epilogue: The next day, Roo and Aubrey took me on a lunch date for Valentine’s Day. Two Valentines are better than one!