Not Much To Say

So I don't feel like there's too much going on right now. We're just chugging along, enjoying our life! Things are going fairly well with us and I don't have any dramatic or humorous stories ... 

I'm preparing for a tough few days though. June 2 marks the 4th anniversary of my sister's murder, but we spent the four days after that not knowing where she was or if she was alive. June 6th is the day her body was discovered. So being hugely pregnant and dealing with a toddler, I am expecting an emotional time. Although you never know when the grief will hit you, because a loss like that is something that never leaves you.

Sometimes I can just be doing something simple like dishes or laundry and I think how much I wish I could call up my sister and just talk to her. She doesn't get to experience the little things with me or see my children grow up and I think that's what sucks the most. So if I'm absent for the next week or so ya'll know why!

Wordless Wednesday

26 Weeks
Last week of second trimester!

27 Weeks
Officially in the third trimester!

Miss Independent

If Sarah could say more than a few words, I'm sure her favorite phrase would be "Let me do it." Our whole routine now revolves around making sure Sarah has something she can do for herself. Whether it be walking into the apartment from the car or making sure she has a fork and spoon so she can feed herself. It's unreal how quickly she's changing. Last night she took the toothbrush out of my hand and started brushing her teeth all on her own. (Of course Daddy did help her some.)

 As time continues to fly by, my baby is acting more and more like a big kid. I know I still have a few years before she can really be considered a big kid, but still. A lot of her "baby" traits are quickly disappearing.  

• She no longer likes to be fed, so I've been working hard on making sure she has plenty of finger foods or things that can easily be speared by a fork wielding toddler. Surprisingly, this has made meals a lot easier because she's happier when she feeds herself. The only downside is the mess. But I tell ya, a mess is much easier to deal with than a toddler that refuses to eat! I mean why else did God give us bibs and bathtubs?
• We're losing the bottle! Sarah has been fed from a bottle since the very first day of her life, so I thought this process would be pretty hard. Until recently, she has flat out refused any milk being offered in a sippy cup. But I guess Grandma worked some type of magic because I decided to just go cold turkey and yank the bottle and so far so good! (Granted it's only day one...) But I really wanted to get her used to cups before the new baby comes so we don't have bottles for two!
• She's starting to fall asleep on her own a few times a week, meaning that Ryan can put her down in the crib awake and she will get to sleep without needing rocking or holding! This is a HUGE thing! Sarah has never been a strong sleeper, and any sign of progress is great! 
• She's so stable on her feet and quick too. Gone are the days of toddling and falling every few seconds. We are full out running, dancing, and spinning in circles. My girl is a crazy mover!
• For her first birthday, Sarah got a little purse in the shape of a flower. She likes to carry that with her when we go to the store or out running errands. She even puts little toys inside and you can tell she thinks she's hot stuff with it. It's pretty fricken adorable.
• She's getting her molars!!! It's about time they popped through! We have been fighting a cranky toddler for a few weeks, so I'm hoping her mood improves some now that they're in. No more toothless, gummy smiles for us ... at least until our son gets here.
• The other day at church, Sarah wasn't feeling well so we decided to bring her in the sanctuary with us rather than put her in the nursery. She fell asleep on Ryan and he held her the entire service. I was struck by how big she looked in his arms. She can't fit snuggly in our arms anymore, her legs dangle and she just looks like such a big girl. I remember how her tiny body used to fit easily into one arm.

I'm sure I could fill up books about all the changes I see in her. But the thing is, you don't always notice things until they add up to a lot of changes. Sometimes, I just find myself looking at her and wondering when my baby was replaced by this cute toddler!

Home Sweet Home

Since becoming a stay at home mom, I have lost my appreciation of a relaxing day at home. If, for some reason Sarah is at Grandma's and I have no errands or appointments, I clean like mad. Other times when it's just Sarah and I at home, I am dying to get out of the apartment because if we stay there one more minute we'll die of boredom! You can ask my husband, I'm always wanting to go out and do something. But I am happy to say that today was not like that. 

Sarah and I have had a BUSY week. Monday we had MOPS, Tuesday was full of errands, and Wednesday was play date combined with a little shopping and then dinner out. So when I looked at my schedule and saw that not one thing was scheduled for today, I was actually happy! The fact that today has been dark and rainy, made me even more excited to stay in.

So what did we do today? Well for starters, we stayed in our pajamas for a good portion of the day. Sarah woke up and really didn't want to do much but cuddle with me on the couch. I was more than happy to comply, because her snuggles are becoming more scarce as she gets bigger. Then we had breakfast and soon Sarah was ready to go back to sleep. There's something about rainy days that makes my girl sleepy and if I'm truly honest, I sometimes look forward to rainy days for that reason.

After her morning nap (and mine) we set up a picnic on the living room floor. I laid out a blanket and broke out some cheese and crackers and the restaurant leftovers from last night. Sarah actually stayed sitting on the blanket and ate a good portion! I was impressed, considering that when we have picnics with our play group she can barely sit long enough to get a cracker! After lunch, we just played together until she wanted to go down for another nap. And now, here Mama sits blogging while Sarah sleeps. 

Sometimes, everyone needs a rainy day to remind them of the good things in life. For me, those good things are my family, my home, and the ability to stay in my pajamas all day if I want to! What are yours?

It's Always Different at Grandma's ...

So it's no surprise to anyone that Sarah has really developed a strong personality! (At least it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that knows me.) Well, this girl definitely knows what she likes and what she dislikes and I have been keeping a little checklist of those things. For example:

LIKES

• Milk in a bottle
• Water in a sippy cup
• Applesauce pouches (Really these things rock and they taste FANTASTIC)

• Soothie pacifiers
• Putting things inside of other things (You know because everyone needs bagel pieces in their shoes ...)
• Being outside
• The dogs (Although the dogs don't always have warm cuddly feelings towards her.)
• Playing in water

DISLIKES

• Milk in a sippy cup (Cup gets chucked across the room and Mama gets the stink eye)
• Eating meals (Ugh such a stress for us, really it is)
• Swinging at the playground
• Getting her nose wiped
• Diaper changes
• Being told no

These two lists are things that anyone watching Sarah should probably be informed of right? My mother in-law watches Sarah for us every week while we have Bible study and I tell her if anything new has been added to these lists. Well, I might as well just chuck the lists like the sippy cup of milk!

Everything on the "Dislike" list is on the "Like" or "Tolerates Without Throwing a Tantrum" list at Grandma's house! We came to pick up Sarah after our date night (Bible study was cancelled) and I walk in to see my child eating an apple and drinking milk from a sippy cup! WAIT, WHAT? How did my mother in-law do that? I'm going with it's magic!

Seriously, Sarah willing does everything/tolerates ALL of the stuff on the dislike list for her! They went to the park and Sarah didn't want to get out of the swings. When I put her in the swing, she cries! She eats everything in sight, takes milk from a cup, doesn't cry when her nose is wiped or her diaper is changed, and she doesn't act like the world is ending if Grandma says no! I was shocked when my mother in-law told me this. I mean, here I am thinking I'm giving Grandma all these great inside tips and my daughter goes and flips everything on me. It's kind of funny really! I guess it's just the change of scenery, and at least this way I know she'll eat A LOT at least once a week!

My silly girl just likes messing with me! I'm sure of it. Just when I think I might have a handle on this whole mom thing, she changes things. Although I'm sure those changes are only for Grandma and she'll still fight me on all those dislike things.

Things That Sound Good Right Now

1. A big old pitcher of Southern sweet tea! Ever since my honeymoon in Charleston, SC I've missed the true sweet tea of the south.
2. Warm, clear weather. We had a few days of glorious almost summer like temperatures and now it's in the 50s and rainy again. So goes Kansas...
3. A cleaning service, because sometimes I just don't want to or can't do it all. Although, now I have a great little helper. Sarah loves using the Swiffer!
4. A limitless supply of food in my pantry/refrigerator. No, not because I am pregnant and I'm always hungry! I want this because I have a VERY picky toddler! One day she likes something, the next she doesn't. Trying to find foods that she will eat consistently makes for a big grocery bill.
5. $100,000, because everyone needs a little extra cash. Student loans and credit card debt would be all gone and we'd even have enough to get our own house and go on a very much wanted vacation!

Gotta love wishful thinking. Honestly, life isn't bad right now. Things are going very well with our little family. Sarah is doing amazing! She is finally sleeping through the night on an almost nightly basis. (Let's hope I didn't ruin our streak.) She's always learning something new and she's just so smart it amazes me! We are in a play group on Wednesdays now and Sarah loves getting to be around the other kids. Plus, it gives me something to look forward to, because I get adult interaction. 

Baby Boy (who is still nameless and probably will be until he's 2) is growing right on track and moving around like crazy! He's really low though which accounts for my recent waddle instead of walking. The only bad news is that I have my glucose tolerance test soon and my Rhogham shot. (Ick needles.)

Anyway, here's hoping the weekend is full of more good times for us!

Wordless Wednesday (Water Fun)

I love the look on her face. She totally knew she was going to get Uncle Connor all wet!

Water Baby

I'm sure I've mentioned before that Sarah absolutely LOVES water. And our afternoon outside just totally reaffirms that fact. We had a few errands to run today and when we finished our shopping I headed over to my mom's house to borrow something.

Once we got there, Sarah started begging to go outside. (She loves being outside also.) I have no problem taking her out to play, but we were in a heat advisory today and I really didn't think it would be the best idea. So after distracting her for a little while, she went back to the door and begged to go out again. So we slathered on the sunscreen and went out to play in my mom's front yard.

I picked up the hose to water some flowers while Sarah was playing with her car and here comes my water loving baby! She ran into the stream of the hose, and planted herself there for the next half hour. My mom and I took turns spraying her with the hose and letting her play in it by herself. Her clothes were soaking wet and her little feet were coated in wet grass cuttings. She had a BLAST!

The only downside to her love of water, is when it's time to come inside/get out of the water. This afternoon was slightly ridiculous. I had to chase her down and get her clothes off before I wrapped her in a towel to come in. Her clothes had to be wrung out and I left them to dry outside. She screamed bloody murder and threw a full out tantrum because she needed to come in. Normally I would let her play until she was too tired to play anymore, but despite the heat advisory, her lips were turning blue and she was obviously cold.

So the tantrum and struggle to get her dried off and changed went on. After getting her dresses, I was able to wrap her in a light blanket and snuggle with her for a few minutes. Then it was obvious that naptime was just around the corner. (I don't have Sarah on a very strict schedule, I just kind of follow her cues.) So I loaded her into the car and back home we went. Luckily she fell asleep in the car and I was able to get her inside and down in her crib for her nap!

So the point of this whole post? I cannot wait for the pools to open this summer. I can see my afternoons and days going much smoother when the pools open because I will have something she loves at my disposal. My pregnant butt will be camped out there in order to keep my easily bored daughter entertained. Since I have a water loving kid, I guess it's time I find a maternity swimsuit. I just don't want to spend lots of money on one....

Mother's Day

Let me start off by saying that I had a wonderful day yesterday! My family spoiled me and my husband was fantastic. He not only took care of Sarah for the entire day (which isn't unusual on the weekends), but he did dishes, cleaned up, got me a great gift, and helped make dinner! Yes, I was truly pampered yesterday. The only thing that was required of me was showing up.

Last year, Sarah was just barely over a month old and I was still in the "survival" mode that most new moms are in. I didn't really feel like I had earned the title of Mommy yet and that there wasn't a reason for everyone to be celebrating me. But this year, I feel like I earned my day. I truly feel like I have come into my own as a mother and learned so much in the past 13 months.

Now I know the difference between a fake and a real cry and I'm learning how to handle it when Sarah gets a bloody lip from falling. Those are just a couple of things the last year has taught me. But it also taught me how to be more loving and patient. I don't always succeed, because a cranky baby can make a cranky mama. I work hard everyday at being the best I can be for my family because a mother's role is to love. Honestly, who I am is totally different from who I was before Sarah's birth. And I think that's a good thing. I feel so much more compassion and love towards those around me now that Sarah is here.

With a second little one on the way, I can only imagine that those feelings and life lessons are going to multiply! I'm ready for it. (Maybe not all the sleepless nights again, but the squishy new baby...) I am so glad that God chose me to be in the family I am in and gave me the gifts of my husband, daughter, and soon to be son.

I Believe

... that a baby that sleeps in makes for a happy family!

... in telling your husband exactly what you would like for Mother's Day so he isn't clueless! It also avoids any potential disappointments.

... the play date group I went to on Wednesday has great potential to be a new group of friends. I'm really excited to see where it goes and I know Sarah loved playing with all the other kids.

... that one day Sarah will have enough hair for me to pull it into a ponytail! (Even if said ponytail is teeny tiny.)

... that listening to a toddler talk to you is quite similar to listening to a foreign language. BUT, Sarah's verbal skills are getting better and her vocabulary is always growing!

... in taking some "me" time. I always feel guilty taking time for myself, but afterwards I am so much happier!

What do you believe? Link up with Exploits of a Military Mama and let us know!

Wordless Wednesday