JEH: Week 3 Reflections

We've survived another week with a toddler and a newborn and are continuing to adjust to being a family of four.

JE is fitting in pretty seamlessly and RF has shown great initiative at being a big brother. Seriously, it melts my heart when he walks over to JE and says, "Hi, Ellis" or "It's ok, Ellis" --- MELTS. MY. HEART. 

A few reflections from this past week... 

1. RA and I have realized just how non-stop being a parent to two little ones is. We are pretty much on the go from the moment their eyes open in the morning until the moment they go to bed at night. Once one is fed, changed, and entertained is about the time the other one wants to be fed, needs to be changed and entertained. It's non-stop, but it's so worth it --- so incredibly worth it. 

2. More emotions from me this week. I know that we're only three weeks out, but I've had a few moments this week where I had a breakdown because I felt like I couldn't handle it all - kids, house, work (trying to get things ready for my sub to start next week), etc. I'm hoping that I will start to calm down and let go a bit here soon. I suppose it's the type-A personality in me that wants to handle everything for everyone and sometimes in doing that I forget about myself…working on it, folks, working on it. 

3. Complicating my little breakdowns this week were the fact that I developed mastitis mid-week, had to go to the doctor, and am on antibiotics. Then I woke up with a cold Friday morning. Nothing major, but just enough to have me feeling double run-down (initial run-down is from sleep deprivation, of course). 

4. JE is going through a "I want to be held" phase. There was one night this week where he wanted to be in my arms, literally, all night long. It was a rough night, to say the least. I keep chalking it up to the fact that he was born a little early and technically would still be in my belly had he not already been born, so maybe he is just still wanting that warmth and snuggle of the womb. Perfectly fine with me, little man. I know there will be a day when you won't want me to hold you, so I'll take advantage of it now. 

5. Monday begins my eighth year teaching. And although I am technically on maternity leave, I am excited for a new school year. I spent a good deal of time this summer getting things ready for the few weeks that I am out and am going to truly miss all of the beginning of school-year fun, but I know that once I do go back to work my routine will be very different with getting RF, JE and myself out the door and to school/work on time each day. I'm definitely going to have to spend a week or so practicing how we're going to manage our morning routine once I'm back at work.

6. Speaking of work, I am so thankful for all of my sweet co-workers who have made meals for us this past week. Everything has been delicious and it has been a huge blessing not to have to worry about dinner each day - one less thing on this mama's to-do list has been a huge help. 

7. JEH's birth announcements came in the mail this week and I am so excited to get them to our family and friends. It's on the to-do list for next week. We'll see if it happens...

8. As if I wasn't already thankful for such a helpful husband, having two little ones makes me even more thankful for a man who is so involved in the raising of his youngins'. With two, we feel like we are having to man a one-on-one defense where one of us focuses on RF and the other focuses on JE. And we're trying to rotate who handles what with each little guy. Some nights I handle RF's bath while RA handles JE, other nights RA handles RF's bath and I handle JE. It's pretty much the same with every other child-rearing task. We're a team. Thank goodness I've got a good teammate. 

9. More super sweetness from RF this week towards his little brother. When RF comes in from school each afternoon he looks for Ellis and tells him, "Hi." RF will bring his books, blocks, trains, etc. over and show them to Ellis, too. Without prompting he checks on Ellis, will bring me things I need while I am feeding Ellis, turns his sound machine on in his cradle, and even shows true emotion/concern when JE is upset. RF also held his brother (supervised, of course) for the first time this week. RA asked RF if he wanted to hold JE and RF said, "Yes". RF just smiled and smiled as he held JE. So sweet…so darn sweet. I am super thankful that this transition has essentially been seamless (fingers crossed it continues) for RF.

So incredibly thankful for all three of my boys. Each one of them makes me so proud to be a wife and a mama.

Life is good, folks. Life is good. :-)

Lots more sleeping this week. Well, he had a lot of awake time, but there is something so photogenic about a sleeping baby. I just can't help myself. 

JEH: Week 2 Reflections

JEH is two weeks old. 

The past two weeks have been full of fun, full of sleeplessness, and full of much, much L.O.V.E. 

1. I can tell that I'm coming off the high of delivery and the first few days postpartum. I've been very emotional this week and have had a few mini-meltdowns at how tough it is being a mama to two little ones who want my undivided attention. I know it's still early and we are all still adjusting, but man, this parenting two thing is tough. 

2. I'm definitely feeling the sleep-deprivation. Thank goodness for coffee. 

3. RF really is adjusting well. He talks to Ellis and tells him which toys he's playing with and he comes running when Ellis lets out a cry. Ellis was in his cradle yesterday morning and RF was playing in my bedroom while I folded some laundry. RF walked over to say something to Ellis and accidentally bumped Ellis's cradle and Ellis let out a cry. RF started crying too and said (through his tears), "Sorry, Ellis." 

4. The house is still a wreck…it's semi-picked up, but definitely not clean. Maybe I'll get the inkling to truly clean sometime soon. For now, I'm not too worried about it. 

5. I feel accomplished if I take a shower, do a load of laundry and make dinner each day. Aside from the constant cycle of feedings, pumping and diaper changes I think those three tasks are enough for each day right now. 

6. JE's nursery still isn't finished...maybe this week, maybe not, who knows. 

7. The major thing I worried about during JE's pregnancy was logistics and that is what is frustrating me the most. We're only two weeks in, but the planner in me is having a mild panic attack when things are chaotic.

8. We have a weight check tomorrow morning. We're hoping JE is back up to or has surpassed his birth weight. 

9. JE eats well and sleeps well. We are definitely seeing more awake time from him each day. 

10. JE got his first bath this week. He definitely took it better than RF did the first time we bathed him at home. JE was calm, cool, and collected the whole time. And not much smells better than a freshly bathed baby. 

A fun afternoon playing with his blocks...

Some mama and first-born time at Target - or as RF calls it, the popcorn store… :-)

I love this sweet smile…

I love this sweet face, too...

Mom, stop taking my picture…I'm only 2 weeks old and it's already annoying. 

JE's first bath…

JEH: Week 1 Reflections

No doubt there's a newborn in the house again - we are low on sleep, but high on pure love with our new addition.

JE is fitting right in and we are working to establish a new normal for our family of four.

A few first week reflections…

1. Thank goodness I can drink coffee again. Not only am I needing the caffeine jolt, but it tastes so yummy after not having it since December.

2. The biggest thing I worried about while pregnant with JE was logistics - how to handle two little ones who need me to take care of their needs. Luckily, we have had a great deal of help this last week. But today begins our first days and nights of just the four of us. Praying that I am able to figure all of this 'mama to 2 under 2' thing quickly (and without too many tears - mine and theirs).

3. RF has been watching a little more TV than usual this past week in order for me to try and focus on myself and JE. While this makes the teacher in me cringe, I know it's not the worst thing in the world.

4. RF loves to tell his brother to play with him. This week he's told Ellis, "Throw ball, Ellis", "Blocks, Ellis, and "Watch George (Curious George), Ellis".

5. My recovery has been a breeze - knock on wood that this continues. I am so glad to have my energy level back and to be carrying around less weight in his heat.

6. My house is picked up, but not clean. I'm able to keep up with dishes, laundry and general cleaning most of the time, but don't look too closely - the floors need to be vacuumed and mopped and pretty much every nook and cranny needs to be organized, but we've got time to slowly get all of that done. At some point. Maybe. Right now I'll just sit and stare at my two sweet boys. :-)

7. RF is really adjusting to JE quite well. Although the other night I was feeding Ellis and RA had RF and RF was in a mama-mood. He looked at me and said, "Daddy - Ellis. Mama - Franklin." The boy knows what he wants. We're working to make sure that we both spend quality one-on-one time with RF through this major transition. RA usually handles baths and I handle our bedtime routine. Hopefully things this week will be more normal as it will just be the four of us.

8. JE has two nicknames right now - Early Bird and Frog. "Early Bird" because he decided to arrive early and his last name is Hawk. And "Frog" because when he has the hiccups he sounds like a frog - seriously, the hiccups are super loud and super high pitched. It's the funniest thing.

A week's worth of sweet baby faces...

RF swimming like a fish - this kid LOVES Papa Tad and Lola's pool. 

Lola hosted a "Sip and See" get together for us yesterday at Kitchen on George. 

JE had to spend about 48 hours on a blue light for jaundice. We are so thankful that his bilirubin levels came down into the normal range. Being hooked up to that light made snuggling, feeding, changing diapers and every other newborn activity much more difficult. 

I'm thinking...

Joseph Ellis Hawk's Arrival Story and Photos

Joseph Ellis Hawk - 7/20/2014 - 6 lbs. 15 oz. - 20 inches long 

I cried putting RF to bed last Saturday night (a blubbering, ugly cry)…I wonder if I instinctively knew that that would be the last time I would put my little guy to bed before his little brother arrived?

Earlier Saturday I had begun to feel some cramping that slowly morphed into more contraction-like pain. I called the on-call doctor about 8:00pm and after describing my symptoms was encouraged to take a warm bath, lay down and see if things pass. If not, come on in to the hospital to be checked out. The warm bath helped a bit, but by midnight things were getting much more intense. I didn't really get any sleep from that point forward. By 4:00am it was obvious that I was in severe pain. RA and I decided to head on to the hospital and left the house about 30 minutes later. Luckily, Mrs. Margie and Mr. Joe are in town and were able to keep RF for us. The car ride to the hospital was quite painful. I really thought I was going to loose it as we crossed over the railroad tracks on Dauphin Street - O.U.C.H. At this point the contractions were coming every 3-5 minutes, but were staying pretty stable in terms of intensity - intense. Arriving at the hospital we were the only folks in the ER area so we were able to get upstairs to L/D really quickly.

I got all hooked up and a nurse checked me out about 5:45am and told me that was not in labor - no dilation and no effacement, but that I was having very real contractions. A few tests led to finding out that an had a urinary tract infection, which more than likely caused the contractions to begin and was dehydrated, which made the contractions a bit worse. They wanted to monitor me for a bit and let the on-call OBGYN from my practice check me out when he made rounds later in the morning. Things were getting more intense (painful...very, very painful) so my nurse encouraged me to drink a ton of water. But the extra hydration wasn't helping with the pain...at all. Each contraction made me want to scream at the top of my lungs and say very bad words (but I managed to keep it PG). I was really beginning to think that there was no way that I could manage much longer. I wanted them to make it stop...now. My nurse checked me again about 9:00 and I was still not dilated at all. When the dr. from my practice made his rounds he wanted to check me again since things were still crazy painful (seriously...there are no words to describe it). He checked me at 11am and shocked us all when he said that I was 7cm! SEVEN centimeters...from nothing to seven centimeters in less than two hours with no pain medicine. OUCH. Big, big OUCH. The dr. told us that we were having a baby…today. Unbelievable, truly - unbelievable. I just remember that I kept saying, "What is happening?" "How did this happen so fast?" RA started notifying everyone that things were happening…quickly. 

The first thing on the priority list - epidural...now...please, please, please. I was terrified that I would miss the window for getting the epidural, but luckily the anesthesiologist on call was super quick and was able to get to me within 15 minutes. 

Thank goodness because now I was freaking out - this baby was going to be a month early…a premature baby. 

Would he be healthy? Would he be able to come home from the hospital with us? 

So many questions swirling around in my head that I was still having trouble believing that I was in full labor at 35 weeks and 6 days. 

The anesthesiologist was able to get the epidural in and I began to feel much better (i.e. he made the pain go away). 

Getting ready to have a baby and looking a little rough…it had been a long morning.

By this point it was about noon. The on-call dr. paged my dr. and she was sweet enough to come in and deliver our little one. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE our OBGYN. Once my dr. arrived and checked me it was about an hour or so before we were ready to start pushing. Seriously, everything was happening at lightening speed. I started pushing at 12:50 and at 1:05pm we set our eyes upon our new little one and heard his first cries. They immediately put him on my chest and I looked into his eyes knowing that he was here safely. He was whisked away to be checked out, but we were told his APGAR scores were 9 and 10, even at a month early. We are so thankful that he is healthy.

Here he is! 

First photo of our family of four…

RA and I were able to spend some time together just the three of us until he was taken to be checked out more throughly. We were then able to bring in family to meet him and we were moved to our recovery room. Lots of emotions, lots of smiles, and lots and lots of love happened for our family on Sunday, July 20.  

Monday morning JE was checked out by our pediatrician who made it clear that he hasn't seen a healthier month-early baby in a while. Have I mentioned how thankful we are that he was healthy?  We spent the day Monday bonding and resting.

Sweet boy...

Both nights in the hospital were pretty uneventful. RF came back Monday night with Mr. Joe and Mrs. Margie and did really well with Ellis. He would say, "Hi, Baby Ellis" and even gave him a few kisses.

Brothers. 

Tuesday morning we were given another clean bill of health for both JE and myself. We were discharged just before noon and strapped our new addition into the car to head home. 

A daddy and his son...

Papa Tad saved the day and was able to get us a coming home outfit for JEH...

Take me home, mama and daddy. 

RF was waiting for us when we got home and was excited to see his brother. He knelt down next to JE's carrier and said, "Hi, Baby Ellis." I am so thankful that RF is taking to JE well - let's hope it continues.

Settled in at home...

It was close to RF's nap time when we got home on Tuesday and after saying our hellos I took RF upstairs to put him down for his nap. Two days of mommy not being at home with him had me ready to spend some 1 on 1 time with my first-born. He was just perfect - we talked for a few minutes and then he drifted off to sleep - happy as can be. RA and I napped with JE while RF napped and then we spent the afternoon getting a few things done around the house since we were a bit unprepared for JE's early arrival - mainly setting up JE's sleeping arrangement in our bedroom and the pack and play/diaper station downstairs.

RF opening his "I'm a Big Brother" present from JE - a new puzzle. 

While we were completely surprised byJE's early arrival, we are settling into our new normal as a family of four quite well. Our days and nights consist of an endless cycle of feeding, changing and sneaking in a few minutes of sleep in between chasing around RF - lots of fun happening in the Hawk house right now! :-)

36 Weeks...oh, wait - just kidding! He's here!

Joseph Ellis Hawk decided to make his debut a little early - 4 weeks and 1 day early.

6 lbs., 15 oz. --- 20 inches long --- 1:05 pm

Short version...

We decided to come on to the hospital about 4:30am Sunday as I was having some pretty painful contractions. We found out that I had a possible UTI and was dehydrated. After being checked by a nurse I was assured that labor had not yet started. I continued to have really painful contractions (seriously, RA's fingers are probably really sore today if not actually bruised) and when the on-call OBGYN checked me again I had progressed to 7cm...in two hours...with no pain medication. Within an hour and a half from that moment I was ready to start pushing and 15 minutes later (seriously, 15 minutes later) we laid eyes on our new little man and heard his first cries. 

What. A. Day. 

Long version...

One day later this week I'll post the more detailed version - lots of emotions yesterday, lots of emotions, especially when I saw RF after having JE. 

24 hours later, we are all happy and healthy. 

RF was a little too over stimulated to sit still for a family photo Sunday evening, so we will try again tonight. 

35 Weeks.

How far along? 35 weeks on July 14 

Joseph Ellis is the size of…a COCONUT!

Maternity Clothes: Feeling ok this week and keeping with the status quo.

Stretch Marks: Nothing new here again, keeping the status quo.

Sleep: Three for three on the status quo - flipping and flopping all night long.

Best Moment Last Week: Maternity photos that included RF. One of the mommy blogs I follow talks about how one of the greatest gifts you can give your child is a sibling. I cannot wait to see RF and JE interact with one another and see them develop their own special relationship as brothers.

Movement: Still an active little boy. He likes to give his mama a few jabs here and there - he's a strong little fella. 

Food cravings: Still hungry…really hungry…all. the. time.

Gender: It's a BOY! 

Labor Signs: Still feeling a few intense BH contractions, but still nothing consistent.

Belly Button – in or out? Out 

Wedding Rings – on or off? Back-up wedding band only. 

What I Miss: Being able to see my feet when I stand up.

What I Am Looking Forward To: First weekly dr. appt. is next Tuesday and I am excited to begin finding out if we have made any progress toward's JE's arrival. 

Milestones: Making the hospital bag checklist. Planning to pack it later this week to have on the ready for the big moment of JE letting us know he's ready to meet us. As I was looking at the list it was pretty comical to me the things that I realized I didn't really need this time around that I had packed last time (like a cute post-birthing a baby outfit - I never changed into it. I stayed in my stretchy, yoga pants and PJ's pretty much the whole time we were in the hospital) and the things that I didn't pack last time that I now realize would have been helpful (like a pillow and blanket for RA since he FROZE in our L/D room).

JE @ 35 weeks…
That big belly is sticking straight out…large and in-charge.

34 Weeks and 3 Days + The Fun Days of Summer with a Toddler

How far along? 34 weeks on July 7 

Joseph Ellis is the size of…a BUTTERNUT SQUASH!

Maternity Clothes: The weather this past week hasn't been completely unbearable, so shorts, tank tops and flowy dresses have been working for me.

Stretch Marks: Same old, same old. And my belly is starting to itch like crazy. Weird, I know, but just part of pregnancy for me. Same thing happened with RF about this point, too.

Sleep: Not the best, but not the worst. More flip-flopping from one side to the other and being woken up multiple times a night because my arm or hand has fallen asleep…fun, fun, fun.

Best Moment Last Week: I was putting RF to bed one night last week and he was rubbing my belly while JE was moving all about. Brothers bonding even before they officially meet…I love it.

Movement: Still an active little boy, just like his brother. 

Food cravings: Nothing major this week, just same old wanting to eat everything in sight feeling…sigh…

Gender: It's a BOY! 

Labor Signs: Haven't felt as many BH this week, but the few I have felt has been zingers - enough to make me squeal and one in particular that made RF say, "Mommy, ouchie."

Belly Button – in or out? Out 

Wedding Rings – on or off? Back-up wedding band only. 

What I Miss: Wine. I miss being able to sit down at the end of a long day with a nice glass of wine and just veg-out. Again, superficial, I know, but I'm pretty sure I'm to the point where I'm ready to meet JE, begin adjusting to our new 'normal' and enjoying all the things that I can't enjoy while pregnant (mainly coffee and wine).

What I Am Looking Forward To: Doing a blog post of JE's nursery and our upcoming weekend maternity session with Papa Tad and Lola. Can't wait to share the photos of both with everyone. 

Milestones: Last two week dr. appt. is scheduled for July 22nd - from then on out it's every week…definitely realizing that the end is upon us…maybe I should pack our hospital bags…yea, I should probably put that somewhere near the top of the 'To-Do List'.

JE @ 34 weeks + 3 days…

Please forgive the large stain on the bottom of my tank top. Apparently I made a little bit of a mess cooking dinner and had no idea the stain was there until I saw this photo…tells you how big my belly is right now...

The Fun Days of Summer with a Toddler 

RF has been a barrel of fun so far this summer. I have been taking him to school a few days a week so that I can get some things accomplished at home and rest, but our mornings and afternoons/evenings have been chalk full of FUN (with a few 'I'm a toddler and like to have meltdowns/tantrums' thrown in there). 

His vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds everyday and it is so nice to feel like I can actually (most of the time) communicate with him about what it is he wants/needs. Although, most of our meltdowns/tantrums are occurring when he is fully aware of what he wants, but doesn't know the words/hasn't realized that he can use his words to tell me what it is that he wants/needs. 

Even with those moments, I am loving soaking up the moments with him right now. He is such a cool, curious and sweet little boy. 

 Saturday morning fun - picking up daddy's hats and trying them all on... 

Next stop, reading the newspaper sale ads to Charlie...

And then it was time to wrestle with Snuggle bear...

I made brownies one night for RA and gave him the bowl 'dispose of' the leftover batter. I walk into the living room to check on RA and RF and this is what I find…CAUGHT! 

Then when I come back a few minutes later, RF has the bowl and the spoon on the floor and is making sure RA didn't miss any drops of batter. Isn't it great what dads and sons bond over? 

We had a playdate at the splash pad in Robertsdale last week, but this is about as close to the water as RF was willing to get. 

He decided instead that he was hungry, found a picnic table and said, "Eat." 

Two huge busses of middle-school aged kids showed up at the splash pad in Robertsdale, so we packed up the boys and headed to the fountain at the Eastern Shore Center instead. RF was a little more interested in the water there. 

That smile…EAT. IT. UP. 

Yea, this is much more fun, mama. 

(Apparently it was more fun than the other splash pad. We ended up crashing at Papa Tad and Lola's house for nap time because I didn't think we would make it back to Mobile before he zonked out and I was right - he took a three hour nap after his fountain fun day.) 

33 Weeks

How far along? 33 weeks on June 30 

Joseph Ellis is the size of…a DURIAN FRUIT (whatever the heck that is…)!

Maternity Clothes: If it were socially acceptable to spend time scantily-clad while pregnant, I think I would do it. I'm getting to the point where tank tops, shorts and flowy dresses aren't enough to keep me cool…yay for the Mobile summer…just, yay.

Stretch Marks: Same old, same old.

Sleep: Not the greatest right now. Experiencing some pretty intense hip pain the last few nights. No matter which side I sleep on, I find myself being completely uncomfortable within a few minutes and end up flipping back to the other side. This process repeats itself about fifty times a night…fun, fun, fun.

Best Moment Last Week: RA and RF reading Polar Bear, Polar Bear. Well, RF was really telling RA the story instead of RA reading it word for word. RF can identify all of the animals in the book (even the leopard, the flamingo, and the peacock) and when you get to the end of the book he says, "Again." We usually end up reading the book five or six times before he is ready to move on to something else.

Movement: JE's movements have gotten to the point where they hurt. Not everytime he moves, but more often than not he will give me a good kick or jab that isn't super comfortable.

Food cravings: Pizza. I've really been craving pizza this week - haven't indulged yet, but I may not last too much longer. 

Gender: It's a BOY! 

Labor Signs: Same old, same old.

Belly Button – in or out? Out 

Wedding Rings – on or off? Back-up wedding band only. 

What I Miss: Back to really, really, really missing my coffee. I was on my way to work last week and found myself wishing I had a little cup of joe to savor during my 10 minute silent car ride that I get between the time I drop RF off at school and the time I arrive at school. Again, just a few more weeks...

What I Am Looking Forward To: Completing a few nursery projects and hopefully (next weekend) getting things moved in and set up for JE. 

Milestones: July is the last full month of us being a family of three. Come August, our lives will drastically change. Wow…only a few more weeks.

JE at 33 weeks…

Feeling uber-large right now…really, really large…

RF enjoying a homemade yogurt popsicle…trying to stay cool in this heat. 

Who knew multi-colored popsicle sticks could be so entertaining. RF was really quiet one afternoon - usually a tell-tale sign that he is in to something he shouldn't be - and this is how I found him. 

We were playing with the iPad one afternoon and I asked RF to show me his teeth. He grinned really big to show me his pearly whites. 

Too much cuteness for one photo. RF found one of RA's hats by the front door, put it on and proceeded to walk all over the house saying, "Daddy's hat on head".

We enjoyed a play-date last week with a friend at Kangarooz in Spanish Fort and this is the best photo I took of RF - he was all over the place - more proof of his amazing energy level. 

32 Weeks + Our 7-Year Anniversary

How far along? 32 weeks on June 23 

Joseph Ellis is the size of…a SQUASH!

Maternity Clothes: The Mobile heat is already brutal to this 7-months pregnant lady so I'm continuing to keep things light - tank tops, shorts and dresses.

Stretch Marks: Lightening some - I've been using some Cocoa Butter Oil on my belly as it's been itching quite a bit and in the process, the stretch marks have been lightening. Interesting.

Sleep: We're getting back into a routine in the sleep department - thankfully. RF seems to be getting over his major sleep disruptions so hopefully things will continue to get back to normal.

Best Moment Last Week: As I was putting RF to bed one night last week he (without prompting) put his hand on my belly and said, "Night Night Baby Ellis."Melt. My. Heart.

Movement: Still all over the place - having fun in there all day long and LOTS OF FUN at night while his mama is trying to sleep.

Food cravings: Nothing major this week and my appetite has had some ebbs and flows this week - some days I'm starving all the time and other days food isn't interesting to me at all. 

Gender: It's a BOY! 

Labor Signs: More BH contractions this week - surprise, surprise. I don't know if it's that my body (and my brain) now knows what they are after having already gone through one pregnancy or if they are just more intense this time around, but either way I love thinking about the fact that my body is prepared to do this again. It's almost like it's telling me to worry about something else, I got this. :-)

Belly Button – in or out? Out 

Wedding Rings – on or off? Back-up wedding band only. 

What I Miss: This weekend RA and I missed RF a whole bunch. Friday afternoon Lola picked him up from school and kept him until this morning. First time in his life that we have been away from him for three nights in a row. And while we really enjoyed time to ourselves, we really missed that little stinker boy.

Happy to have you home, buddy!

What I Am Looking Forward To: Dr. appt. tomorrow, which means hearing that sweet heartbeat again. 

Milestones: Only 8 more weeks. I cannot believe we are already that close to the end of this pregnancy.

JEH @ 32 weeks…
Bummin' it at home today with my little family...

And happy anniversary to my handsome husband. Seven years ago today we officially became husband and wife. I am so thankful to have such a wonderful partner in this journey of life. Thanks for picking me, RAH. We make a darn good team. :-)

31 Weeks.

How far along? 31 weeks on June 16 

Joseph Ellis is the size of…a PINEAPPLE!

Maternity Clothes: Nothing new…just trying to keep cool.

Stretch Marks: Same.

Sleep: We kept our rough sleep thing going this week. RF really only had two nights where he slept well. Hoping it's just a sleep regression and in the meantime I am thankful this is happening over summer break (if it had to happen) and before JE arrives. Hoping that we will be able to get back into our normal routine here soon.

Best Moment Last Week: Getting to see JE again via ultrasound. We had our last ultrasound last Tuesday and he put on a little show for us as he was constantly moving and had the hiccups while we watched.

Can't wait to kiss on this sweet face...

Movement: Yep, he's a squirmer. He's still letting me know that he's happily enjoying his little home.

Food cravings: Still on the lemonade kick, but also have really been craving fresh fruit this week. 

Gender: It's a BOY! 

Labor Signs: Same with the BH contractions. Nothing new.

Belly Button – in or out? Out 

Wedding Rings – on or off? Back-up wedding band only. 

What I Miss: I've really been missing coffee this week. More than likely this is the result of the sleeplessness we have been experiencing with RF, but I was in the grocery store recently and I had to just stand next to the coffee grinder for a minute and smell the freshly ground coffee that a lady was bagging. I'm sure she thought I was the weirdest person ever, but eh - who cares. 

What I Am Looking Forward To: Setting up JE's nursery and putting our little family-centered, love of history touches on it. I know that he will spend his first weeks home in the bassinet next to our bed, but I feel like each baby deserves their 'space' in the house. Slowly but surely things are getting done…slowly but surely.

Milestones: Hot and waddling. I've entered the "I want it 60 degrees in my house" stage and then "Wiggle-waddle to and fro" stage.

JEH @ 31 weeks…

 Three things I notice in this photo…I am large and in-charge looking, RF in action - running down the hallway with his shoes in his hands begging us to put them on him so that he could go outside, and I really need to clean the air in-take vent - yuk.