Treasuring These Things: August 2009

Sunday, 30 August 2009

My little Picasso

Not only does he want to remove ALL articles of clothing lately.....but he likes to draw too!

What can I say? It is NEVER boring around our house! ;)

Our big 20 week ultrasound. Even though we weren't finding out the gender, we were still excited to get a sneak peek out our little one. We had prayed for this baby fervently, even before we were surprised with our miracle. What an amazing God we serve! We are praising Him that everything was healthy and normal! And measuring right on time, just like his/her big brother!

It was a big day, and BIG BROTHER Layton definitely had to join us! The baby was wiggling, and looked like he/she waved at him. He then said, "Hi, Baby! Hi, Baby!" It was too precious. One of the best days, ever.

Sweet boy, you are getting a sibling. I pray this blessing continues to make your life sweeter for years to come. You are my first baby, and always will be. I hope this gift is one that you will cherish forever. You are going to be the best BIG brother!

Friday, 28 August 2009

A little about...baby #2!

A little about our "little bean"....coming soon!

Since the announcement, I haven't blog about our newest addition for many reasons. But this week marks the HALF WAY point, and I feel like I want to say something about Layton's little brother or sister!

I commonly refer to this baby as our miracle because he/she wasn't suppose to be. Well, at least medically speaking. You see in February we were in this place, filled with confusion and sadness after my second miscarriage. The next few months were very difficult with thoughts about what we lost (again), but we remained focused on God's plan for our family.

In April, I was already looking ahead at May....the month we were going to be able to try after the miscarriage. When I noticed something odd, I wasn't ovulating. I called the doctor and they said to come in for a blood test on day 22 of my cycle to confirm whether or not I have, in fact, ovulated or not. The next day, the nurse called with the results....it was negative. No ovulation = no baby.

The next few weeks involved a trip to Georgia to see family, which really lifted my spirits. I lost track of my days, which was good for a change. When I returned home, I realized it was already May! I counted up the days since my last cycle and I was on day 37! I couldn't believe it! What was going on? Are my cycles now off? Sarcastically, I thought "great" something else to worry about. Then it dawned on me.......what if? What if I could be pregnant? The odds were slim, but maybe? I woke up at 5:30, drove to Kroger got a pregnancy test, immediately drove home and took the test. To my absolute surprise - - - - - - - - - - - - it was positive!

I kept walking around the house saying, "Can you believe this?", "I'm pregnant, and I'm not suppose to be!" "What a miracle!"

This is was truly God's timing....even my doctor said that he was surprised!! What an awesome God we serve!

Then I realized it was my Mom's 54th birthday! What a special day! So, I decided to email her these pictures and wish her a happy birthday!

then a picture of the pregnancy test.....and then.....

Needless to say, she and I were both in tears.

The next few weeks were followed by great HCG numbers, that were not only doubling, but tripling! And finally an ultrasound that showed us the most beautiful little bean, with a tiny flickering heartbeat! Little Man was with us for the appointment...it was one of the most special moments of my life.

The first part of the summer went very slow but as days and weeks passed; I began to realize that this may really be happening! Until 12 weeks, Blake and I tried to act very normal, with the exception of little winks and smiles about our secret that no one except family and very close friends knew about. We just counted down the days until the next appointment, hoping and praying that everything was alright. Then at the end of June, we felt it was time to share our special news. But I wanted Layton to be able to announce the upcoming arrival of our miracle....which we he did quite well!

Since then, we have been on cloud nine, praying for our little one each and everyday.

When we ask Layton, "What's in Mommy's belly?" He says, "Baby!" Then we ask him if it's a brother or sister, he says.....nothing!! By the way, Little Bean's gender is still a secret! We are not finding out until January! :) Fun, fun! Either way...boy or girl, we feel truly blessed!!

Oh, I bet you like to meet our Little Bean................here he/she is:

For You created my innermost being; You knit together in my mother's womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made."

Psalm 139: 13-14

Friday, 21 August 2009

Let's p.a.r.t.y!

The 2nd birthday party...

The most beautiful summer morning with family and friends, an awesome cake made my Grammie and Uncle Bryson, a new swing set (that Daddy built!), bouncy house, and a swimming pool = a GREAT DAY!!

The party was a farm theme because he loves ALL animals, especially cows and horses! So, it was the perfect theme for this year.

At the beginning the the party, Layton was so excited to see all of his favorite people in one place. I think he was a bit confused and overwhelmed at first, but he soon realized that it was all for him!!!

Grammie and Grandaddy came in with the amazing farm cake, make with fondant and a graham cracker barn and silo. We were all impressed!

My mom and I made the cupcakes that looked like little pigs and sheep! We were up at 1am laughing at how silly some of them turned out. It was a cute idea, though!

Singing HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

(which he as sung everyday since, to himself!)

Blowing out his 2 candles...

A few of Layton's closest little friends came to celebrate! :)

Playing on the new swing set that Daddy built! Way to go, Blake!

Playing on the Bouncy House

Taking a dip to cool off from all the fun!

He had the best time! Can you tell?

His favorite new toy of the day - ESPN Better Batter!

He loves baseball!! Reminds me so much of his Uncle Bryan at this age.

Check out that batting stance, pretty good, huh?

All the little boys!

Making a birthday wish and letting the balloons go!

It was so much fun that everyone, including the Birthday Boy, was a little tired!

The Big Birth"day"!

On Layton's actual birthday, traditionally, Blake and I always take the day and devote it entirely to him! I realize when he gets in school that this won't be possible, but hey, we have at least 3 more years of this, right! :)

We decided to go to the Zoo, which was perfect because he is truly intrigued by ALL animals big and small!!!!

Once we got there, he said, "Look, mommy, look!", a thousand times...all day long!!! As captured in this picture, he was making sure that I was seeing this!

His excitement made us absolutely thrilled that he was so overjoyed with seeing all the animals that we read about in books everyday. It was like he couldn't believe his eyes that they had come to life! Sometimes he would even be out of breath trying to get my attention to "look" at all the different animals!

Then he started waving at all of them saying, "Hi, elephant!" "Hi, giraffe!"

On a side note, I thought this was a cool picture. I guess I never realized how giraffes drink water with such long legs. It was neat to watch him inch out further and further until he quenched his thirst.

Picture taken at 11:32 am.....exactly to the minute Layton was born! (something crazy I do every year!)

Climbing up the fence to peek over...

Here are my "LIVE ANIMALS"!!

I have always said that Blake has extremely long arms...this proves it!

Me and my Birthday BOY! I enjoyed the day, but being 5 months pregnant....it was a hot day! I think I drank 5 bottles of water while we were there! :)

Once we reached the end of the zoo, there was a Splash Park for young children. It was a perfect end to a hot summer day! There were geysers shooting water up every few seconds, water guns, and a boat with a several water slides. At first he was timid, but after a few minutes, he was loving it!

Taking a break from all the action!

I was so proud of him for going down the water slide - by himself! He loved it and went MANY more times!

The end of the day was topped off with a delicious dinner with Uncle Bryan and Aunt Dani at the California Pizza Kitchen. We enjoyed visiting with them since it had been a while, and more importantly, we got to get our baby bellies together and the three cousins got to officially meet for the first time...sort of! It was a great day!

Needless to say,

big birthday celebration w/ a trip to the zoo +

fun at the splash park +

dinner with B and D =

a very tired Birthday boy

Thursday, 20 August 2009

Great idea!

I'm loving this idea!!

Since I have been a delinquent scrapbooker lately - this is the next best thing! This website takes your blog and turns it into a hard covered book! Each entry (pictures included) is a page or two, with your words describing that particular day. It makes me want to be a better blogger. Easy way to record memories and have something tangible to show for it.

I found this awesome idea on a blog.....click and check it out!