Santa at Perkin's

There are no words to describe the pure joy and excitement Phili experienced while seeing Santa. He even shared his beloved dinosaur friend and Santa figurine with him as you can see in the 2nd photo. This is pretty much unheard of as these two "friends" as he calls them are with him 24/7 and not to be touched by anyone else.

My mom just gave him the Santa figurine recently because she knows how much he likes him. Well, Santa accidentally got beheaded last night but as you can see, all is well in Phili's world again as daddy stepped in and saved the day. We almost had a disaster as a 2nd Santa showed up at Perkins but Phili knew "his" Santa was the real deal :)

Philip tried to shove some of his fruit in Santa's mouth but Santa wasn't hungry.

Before we left, Santa said "Looks like mommy has her hands full" hahaha

3rd Trimester!

I am finally into 3rd trimester. It feels good. I made my dad take belly shots of me and I kept handing the camera back to him and telling him to retake them because I looked too big. He said, "Umm...news flash...you're pregnant!" I know, I know, but I don't think I"ll ever get used to looking at pictures of myself big and pregnant. I need to get over it! I am somewhere between 27 and 28 weeks. All of my measurements and ultrasounds put him at 28 weeks so I like to go with that :) Sorry the picture is hard to see with the lighting.

You know you're tired when...

You wake up in the middle of the night feeling nauseous and for at least a minute, you wonder if it's a sign that you might be pregnant.

Then you remember that yes, indeed you are already 6 months pregnant.

25 Weeks

We could not get a good picture of me, as you can tell! But all that matters is the belly, right!?



Sorry about the glare! Here is one without the glare but with the same cheesy face haha...

I feel great! I have gained almost 20 pounds already! But I am working out all the time and not eating too unhealthy so I am not real worried about it. Despite the fact that someone told me today, "I can't believe you have over 3 months left, you are already so big!" Gee...thanks ;)

5 Desires

Just for fun I thought I'd write a list of 5 desires of my heart. 5 things I focus on daily, things I strive for. I wish I could say I achieved these 5 things everyday but nope, sadly, some days I don't even close. I'm curious to know what your 5 desires are? Post them if you'd like!

1. A Faith that's unshakable
2. To be the wife/mom God created me to be
3. Have healthy relationships with my loved ones (meaning no hard feelings, anger, resentment, unforgiveness, just pure honesty and love)
4. A healthy lifestyle (What I eat, amount of exercise, what I let come into my mind and out of my mouth)
5. That my priorities would be in line with God's word and that I'd be a blessing to someone each day

Target

Diapers.....$8.99

Santa Slippers for Philly.....$2.50

Decorative ball that Philly smashed on the floor and broke in a million pieces......$2.98

Realizing that I just walked around Target with half my belly hanging out of my shirt.....PRICELESS!

And I thought that people just really liked my Beatles shirt...no?

My sweet baby Wesley!

The night before the ultrasound, we kept asking Philip if he wanted a brother or sister. "No Sista" is what he kept saying. When we asked him what he wanted he'd say brother or "Wessey" I am so glad that we granted his wish!

I feel like I've been walking on cloud 9 since we found out. It's the same way I felt when I found out Philip was a boy. I love him so much already. I feel like from the beginning I've already bonded with Wesley so if I would have found out it was a girl, I would have been shocked! I am so happy!!

He was quite active for the ultrasound yesterday. He was sucking his thumb, waving and practically doing somersaults. Richie was so proud. He wasn't able to come with to Philip's ultrasound because of work so this was his first experience and he loved it.

Wesley is also quite big! He's just under a pound which is big for his age. They said they may do another ultrasound in 10 weeks to check his growth. I am measuring a week ahead.

He is very healthy and very active. I think Philip is going to have some competition!

YEAH!!!

I am absolutely thrilled to announce that we are having.......




another BOY!!!!!

Big ultrasound in the morning!

I can hardly wait. I will post right away tomorrow. After I go shopping if it's a girl, of course :) I'm still thinking it's a boy, but who knows!!

Too funny not to share

While in Mexico, The Cheech asked me to rub sunscreen on his back.......

Looks like I missed a spot

What? His shoulders were already red. I was trying to even everything out!

Good thing he knew what he was getting himself into when he married me. He wasn't too mad :)

My new do

I posted a belly shot for facebook and thought I'd share. Not bare belly, that's only for you guys :) I colored my hair today for the first time in 4 months which is the longest I've gone in 12 years! It feels so good. I also got out the wax machine and waxed my brows and stache....haha niiiice.

We're very excited for the week ahead as we find out Thursday morning what we're having! I will post right away.

19 weeks!

Almost half way! We find out next Thursday what we're having. I cannot wait!!

Want to hear a good Richie story? Of course you do.

So last night I showed him my belly. He looks at it with HUGE eyes and says. "Did you hear about the woman that gave birth to a 19 pound baby?"

Me: Yes (Not sure where this is heading)

Richie: That could be you!!

Me: blank stare

Richie: Well, you're only half way there, and look at it!

Me: Gee, thanks babe, you always know just the right words to say???

So much better

These last 3 days have been wonderful with Philip. I think having him in his own home with daddy here every night has really made a difference. I haven't had to discipline him once in the last 3 days!

He had a high fever the other night that went away so I am wondering if his 2 year molars are coming in. When I asked him where it hurt, he pointed in his mouth.

I have even decided not to have him to go to my mom's and sisters next week. As tempting as it sounds, I think what he really needs right now is to get on a schedule at home. And although I know I would LOVE my alone time for a few days, I have a feeling we'd have to start all over again when he got back.

Oh the sacrifices we make for our kids :)

He's been sleeping really well too. I don't know how Richie does it but he can get him to fall asleep within minutes, when it takes me hours. He had the same touch when Philip was a baby. Richie had to live in Kansas from the time Philip was 4 months until 7 months and he would drive home every weekend (8 hours) to be with us for about 36 hours before he had to turn around and drive back. Anyway, Philip would be a mess all week, sleeping all day and up all night and I was working two jobs then. Needless to say it was miserable. But then Richie would come home for 2 nights and Philip would sleep all through the night. He just needs his daddy!

A new day

Thank you all for your words of encouragement over the last few days. They've really helped. Prayer is such a an amazing thing. I woke up this morning feeling peaceful and hopeful and we have had a wonderful day. He is like a different child (knock on wood).

Richie came home last night, took one look at me and said "I think mama needs some alone time." He is really good about stuff like that. He has been going to bed early every night since he has to wake up at 4am so him and Philip have been going down at the same time which has been really nice! He is such a good dad and husband. I am going to go ENJOY my little boy now!

Lamentations 3:22-23
Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Truth is I am done pretending

Generally when I have a bad day, I vent about it, spend more time with God, get a good work out, wake up the next day and feel great.

Today was different. I woke up this morning with a very heavy heart. Heavier than yesterday. I woke up really sad. That never happens. I am one of those annoyingly positive people that don't like to be around negativity. I don't usually have a lot of compassion for overall negative people and I don't understand them. If my mood starts to turn negative, I can generally turn my thoughts to something good and get out of it quickly. Not this time.

I think it's a combination of people around me hurting, Philip being more difficult than I can even put into words, Richie working so much and oh yeah.. pregnancy hormones. I forgot about those. I wonder... is it Philip feeding off of my mood or is it me being in this kind of mood because he put me here? Whatever the case, I desperately want to get out of it.

My mom and sister offered to take him for a few days next week and initially I said no but they are insisting and quite frankly I need it. I've never done this before but I think it will be really good. They said "I know you'll miss him"...ha....we'll see about that :)

I know that this too shall pass and in the meantime I am going to use it as another opportunity to lean on God for his support because I know I can't do it alone.

Really hoping my next post will be a more positive one. Thanks for putting up with a Debbie Downer but this feels really good not to hold it in anymore.


I will lift my eyes to the maker, of the mountains I can't climb
I will lift my eyes to calmer, of the oceans raging wild
I will lift my eyes to the healer, of the hurt I hold inside

Bebo Norman-I Will Lift My Eyes

This child of mine

I don't even know how to explain the point that I am at with Philip. He has exhausted me more than I ever thought possible. For a while I just thought he was being a normal toddler but the older he's getting, the more challenging he is getting and I don't know what to do.

He bites me, pulls my hair, scratches me, etc. He seems so angry but I have no idea why? Being away from home for a month made things a lot worse so I am hoping they will get better soon. I literally count the hours until Richie gets home so that I can have a break from him and I hate that it's like that. If I was a person who cries when they are mad, I am pretty sure I'd be in tears more than half of the day when I am alone with him.

I know part of the problem is that I've been treating him the same way I did when he was a baby. If he cries, I jump to fix it, if he's frustrated, I jump to fix it. He was such a good baby but now that I'm still treating him like that, he's become spoiled . I'm working on that. Another part is that he won't nap anymore so he gets overtired. I just don't know what to do. I get comments from people and looks from people and I just want to scream.

He is fantastic for Richie so that's good. He's actually really good for anybody else too (when I'm not around). He goes to the Y all the time and they think he is such a good boy so I just let them keep thinking that :) Any advice from you moms who have kids who have been through this before would be really encouraging. I need something. I could really use a glass of wine right about now! *Sigh*

Almost back to normal

In a few short days, our lives will be somewhat back to normal, whatever that may be. I have been staying with my parents for the last month while Richie works overnights. Me and Phili have been going back the one day he has off then coming back to my parent's again.

I didn't mention this in my previous posts but the reason why I haven't felt comfortable staying home with him at work all night is because there have been 2 attempted break ins on our block. Luckily the homeowners had dogs that woke them up and in one instance, the husband woke up to not one, but THREE men trying to get in. Fear got a hold of me and I was terrified to stay home. I told Richie to leave the doors unlocked when he left for work at night so that they could come in while we weren't there and see we have nothing too valuable and not come back! He did leave the front door open on accident one night but nothing happened so that was relieving.

Last week I decided to kick fear in the butt and I stayed home alone with Phili for 3 nights. It actually felt really peaceful and powerful to do it but I am really looking forward to my big strong manly man being home with us at night :)

Me and Phili had a wonderful weekend up at my parent's cabin. We went on a boat ride, went to some neat shops, went to the ice cream shop and the best part of all...Phili slept like a normal kid for the first time in a looooong time (7-7). With all this running around, his schedule has been thrown for a loop and needless to say it spiraled out of control. He would stay up as late as 11 to 1 and then not nap all day but be super naughty and crabby. I tried so hard to get him down at a decent time (usually 8) but he would seriously fight it for hours. It was a nightmare but it has gotten better!!

After posting about how easy this pregnancy has been, I had a huge scare yesterday. I started cramping at the cabin but figured it was probably normal, maybe things were just stretching in my tummy. Well on the way home we stopped and when I went to the bathroom I discovered I was spotting. Eak. Not fun to see when you're pregnant. This went on about half an hour. By the time we got back to my parent's house, I felt better and the spotting had stopped. Being it was Sunday and I'm not at home, I didn't call the Dr. But everything seems normal today so I am hoping and praying it was nothing. I will probably get checked out when I get back home.

We are having a little party tomorrow night for a friend of our family's who had a baby girl this summer. I am really excited. After that we head back home. This weekend is my favorite event of the year, the annual Apple Orchard party at my aunts. I will post pictures of Phili in his costume. Trust me, you don't want to miss it!!

Some belly shots!

With Richie's crazy work/sleep schedule, I figured it would be hard to get him to take a shot of me so I took matters into my own hands and stood on Philip's potty chair for a self portrait :) I had my 16 week check up yesterday. She found the heartbeat as soon as she turned the machine on. Phili wanted her to look for the heartbeat in his belly :) We get to find out on October 22nd what we're having!!

Oh yeah!

I forgot to share our baby names in the last post!

Wesley Cooper

Helena Patricia

They are all after a grandparent on each side. Helena is a variation of Helen (Richie's great-grandma)

Poll closed

Looks like boy won the vote! I can't wait to see if it's right. I had a lady say to me last night, "I hope for your sake you have a girl" ....Huh?! I get what she's saying but I honestly truly don't care. I would love a brother for Philip and if I have a girl, well then watch out budget because Target clothes here I come! I still think I'm having a boy but this pregnancy has been completely different from my last one so who knows! It's been so much better, no horrible sickness, no constant bleeding, no miscarriage scares and hopefully no high blood pressure. I will have Richie take a picture soon of my belly, it has most definitely popped!

The good stuff

My aunt had surgery this week and it went well. They did not find any cancer in her lymph nodes. Praise God!! An experience like this definitely makes you love & appreciate loved ones on a deeper level. Especially the one going through it. I don't know how I would handle a situation like cancer happening to me but I don't believe that I would handle it with as much faith and strength as my aunt has. It'd be hard for me to find the words to eloquently describe my dear aunt and how incredible her faith has been through this process but I hope to someday write about it. Within days of finding out she had cancer my aunt said that she wanted to use this as an opportunity to share her faith. Wow. Please continue to pray for her as she goes through radiation. Thank you for the prayers!

Was that a kick?

I am pretty sure that I have felt our baby kick a few times in the past few days. I don't know if it's too early or not. The ultrasound gave me a due date a little sooner than my ticker so maybe it's possible!?

It's fun to see what people guess on my survey. I voted boy!! We find out in 4-5 weeks.

Busy times

It's been busy! In the last week I have done the following...

*Thrown two birthday parties for Philip (1 for neighbor friends, 1 for my family)
*Had my cousin come visit with her hubby and kids
*Had another party just for fun with friends/kids from church
*Went to South Dakota to see my aunt
*Stayed at my parent's house
*Richie started working 72 hour weeks (overnights)
*Celebrated my birthday with Mamie & my mom at Olive Garden and no Phili!!

Seriously, this is all since last Sunday. PHEW! And I wonder why I am so tired!? It was all fun though. Except for Phili has decided that nap or no nap, he will not fall asleep any earlier than...oh ya know, 11-midnight!? Which, mixed with him not seeing Richie for 6 days makes for a naughty naughty boy!

Unfortunately, in the midst of all this, two staff members from our church in ER have been hospitalized (one from a serious car accident, the other had a head injury which resulted in serious injuries). Please be praying for them (Pastor Jeff & Roseanne), as well as my aunt Liz who goes in for surgery on Wednesday and should hopefully have more answers too. She has been so strong and so positive throughout all of this. It is truly admirable. I will post again soon and hopefully it is with wonderful news!!

13 weeks

Please ignore my haven't showered/fixed my hair/worn make-up all day look :) I didn't cut my hair either but it looks like it. My mom and Mamie came down yesterday and fixed up Philip's new big boy room. I'll post pictures soon. They did such a wonderful job. I love it.

The hard stuff

I was cleaning the house yesterday. I was frustrated with the accumulation of dog hair and trying to get rid of it. Philip didn't want to nap so I was a little annoyed with that too. Then the phone rang.

It was my mom. I knew immediately that something was wrong. Unfortunately, I was right. She was calling to tell me that her sister, my aunt, has cancer. Even typing the words doesn't seem real.

I hung up the phone and walked back into the kitchen. Suddenly nothing I had previously been so worried about seemed to matter anymore. It all seemed so insignificant. I sat down on the couch and the flood gates opened. Philip hasn't seen me cry tears of sadness very much so he sort of started to panic. He grabbed my face in his soft little hands and said "No baby" and then he started to cry too. We held each other and prayed for our dear aunt. I haven't stopped praying for her since.

We don't know how serious it is yet. Please be praying for her with us. She is an amazing wonderful woman of God, wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt and friend. She is strong and healthy and I am believing the best for her.

Chocolate Milk and God

I promised Philip chocolate milk after breakfast this morning.

He was delighted and excited and being such a good boy.

He gleefully sat patiently at the kitchen counter awaiting this special treat.

I poured his milk then proceeded to empty the Hershey's syrup into his cup.

But we had a problem.

The syrup was...dun dun dun....empty. Oh no.

Times when Phili will wait patiently for something he is super excited about are very few and far between so I knew I needed to act fast to reward his good behavior.

I quickly wracked my brain to come up with a substitute. After brushing off a few not-so-clever ideas I came up with an idea. Not the best idea but it would have to do.

I took a chunk of a half eaten Hershey's candy bar out of the fridge and put it in a bowl in the microwave to melt which I would then pour into warmed up milk and...there ya have, warm chocolate milk. I used to do it with my coffee in desperate times.

But, my good boy's patience was quickly being tested as he watched step by step my every action. This microwave business was not a part of his plan and clearly, he wasn't having it.

As I patiently awaited the microwave ding, he grew impatiently upset. He started throwing a tantrum and wanted it now. I tried to explain to him that the chocolate needed to melt in the microwave which I'm sure sounded like a foreign language to his little ears. and he wasn't having any of it.

"Phili, if we take it out now, it will be all chunky and not as good"

Didn't care. No part of him wanted to wait and at that point, neither did I. So, I took it out of the microwave and poured it into his milk. Lo and behold, it was a chunky mess.

If he would have just waited a little bit longer I could have given him a much better, much smoother chocolate milk. But, he wanted it his way and on his time.

Hmmm...hits a little close to home for me and my relationship with our Father. How many times does God have something wonderful in store for me but I impatiently take my own path thinking that my way will be better? I shudder to think about how many times I have made a decision based on impulse or impatience when all along God was patiently waiting for me with a plan much more wonderful than I could ever imagine.

The older I get the more I realize, I cannot make it through a day without God.

Sure I stumble and fall everyday. I say things I regret or spend too much time on something that isn't very fruitful, but one thing I know is that He is there to lift me back on my feet with a love and grace so amazing that I can't even begin to imagine yet I will humbly accept it.

I like, or should I say I need to wake up before Philip and spend time with God in the morning. This morning Philip woke up early so I wasn't able to do so and to be honest it just doesn't feel right. Something has felt missing all morning. I know what it is and I am so thankful that when I am finished with this post, He will be right there waiting for me. What a gift. I want to leave you with a verse and a saying that mean so much to me.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

“I'm not where I need to be, but thank God I'm not where I used to be" ~Joyce Meyer

Baby Names!

I LOVE talking about baby names. Whether I am pregnant or not it is one of my favorite things to think or talk about. My sweet parents bought me a Baby Name book and I have been looking through it everyday.

I only need to look through the girl names because we have had a boy name picked out since long before I got pregnant. It is Richie's grandpa's middle name. Here are the names we like for a girl and of course I will share our boy name! We have a couple middle names picked out but I don't want to share them yet because they are all after family so if we decide not to use one I'll feel bad.

Our boy names is...

Wesley (Please remove any thoughts about icky Wes from the Bachelorette from your mind)

Some girl names we like....

Bella
Lilian (My Grandpa's mom)
Helena (A variation of Richie's Great Grandma Helen)
Lainey
Estelle

Lilian is up in the air as we would no doubtfully have a "Phili and Lily" which would be cute now but not when they're 16.

Our girl names could certainly change but for now, these are our favorite. I am confident that Wesley will not change. Ever since Philip was a baby we have talked about that name and now that I am pregnant we can totally see Philip having a baby brother named Wesley which makes me think we're having another boy which also makes me SUPER excited!

We picked the name Philip Russell really early in my pregnancy last time. I remember a few people saying I shouldn't share the name in case we changed our mind but I knew in my heart that we had already fallen in love with our Philip Russell.

I will be equally as thrilled if we have a girl but my mind automatically goes to having a little Wesley when I picture this baby. This could very well be because we are used to having a boy but we shall see! If you have girl name suggestions, feel free to share them! That is if you won't be using them of course :)

Such a fun weekend

I am pretty convinced that we live in one of the neatest places in the world. My Dad and Mom came down this past weekend and spent the night. We had so much fun and got to learn a lot about the history of Red Wing.

First, we went and had lunch here...... Then we did a little shopping and got to see the world's largest boot here.........
We finished our afternoon activities by taking a scenic/educational trolley ride through downtown Red Wing. We got to see old beautiful homes and learn about the history of a lot of the town.

It was a weekend I will never forget. We had so much fun having my parent's down here! Philip was on his best behavior having "Nama" and "Papa" down here. He has been asking for them ever since :)

Belly pics!

We had a wonderful weekend with my parents down here. I will post more about that tomorrow but first I thought I'd quick post some belly pics! I was horrible about taking them with Philip. I was not too excited that I was getting bigger and bigger everywhere. But this time I figure it comes with the territory so I am going to relax and enjoy it!

They are a little backwards but the second one is my 6 week bloat and the first one is from tonight so 10 weeks. I look bigger in person than I do in the pictures. At least I think so anyways! Excuse my crazy lazy eye. I didn't feel like doing a redo so whatevs. haha.

Wish me luck!

So I have been feeling pretty good lately other than a little nauseous here or there, but nothing compared to what it was like with Philip which has been very nice.

That is, until I get in the car, mainly long car rides. Big time nauseous. I have been avoiding any driving unless it is just in town because it brings on the sickness pretty strong. It doesn't matter if it's me or Richie driving.

Well a few weeks ago my, ahem, wonderful hubby rsvp'd to his friend's wedding without my consent. It is today. And it is 2.5 hours away. Oh.my.gosh. And unless we want to stay here.....

....it's going to be round trip. Meaning 5 hours in the car today. This is the only motel/hotel in the entire 30 miles radius of the town. Wish me luck!

Tears of joy

I had my first Dr. apt today. It didn't go as I expected but in the end it turned out great. After doing my pelvic exam, my Dr. said something didn't seem right. She didn't think my uterus felt 8 weeks pregnant. She asked if I was sure about my dates and I said yes, positive. She said she wanted me to have an ultrasound done because I don't have another appointment for 4 weeks and if something were to happen between now and then it could be really bad.

So off to the ultrasound room we went. As I sat in the room waiting for the tech. I prayed out loud. God if they can't find anything on the ultrasound I will be okay. I trust you and your plan for us.

Not sure where that came from because up until the appointment I have been a nervous wreck. Last night I asked for God to give me peace with whatever I found out at the appointment today and that he did.

The ultrasound technician came in the room and it dawned on me that she might have to give me bad news. I started to feel sad for her so I also told her that if she couldn't find anything that I would be okay. Not sure why but I just wanted her to know too I guess!

Luckily that wasn't the case.

Heartbeat.

She said very matter of fact like.

I got to see our tiny little beautiful baby on the ultrasound as well as the heartbeat. He/she is even measuring 3 days ahead of schedule and not behind at all. Thank you God!!

8 Weeks

I know I'll look back at this post and laugh but I can't believe I'm already 8 weeks! I've known for 4 weeks now that I'm pregnant and it still doesn't seem real some days. I haven't been quite as nauseous lately. I have my Dr. appointment this Thursday so I am really excited for that. I just found out two of my friends from down here are pregnant too and one is only two days behind me so that's fun. I'm going to try and be better about taking belly pics this time since I was awful last time. Hopefully I won't have to start taking them too soon :)

Well that was easy!

My mom and sister came down this week with the kids. They brought all the food for the two days they were here and on top of that made all the meals. They left the house cleaner than it was when they arrived and I also got an awesome back rub. I usually love to host and cook or bake for my guests but they made sure there was no room for any of that. Being pregnant definitely has its perks :) Thanks Mom & Mame!

Family pics

My wonderfully talented cousin Rachel took some pictures of us a few weekends ago. It was a spur of the moment photo shoot and I was pretty nauseous all weekend so I wasn't expecting much but I was very excited and pleased to see them! Isn't she good!? Thanks Rae!

http://brisham.wordpress.com/2009/07/20/mary-richie-and-phili/

I want Chi-Chi

That's what Phili has been saying when he wakes up in the morning. When we were in Mexico, he heard all the kids calling Richie "Chi-Chi" a nickname that has been around since my niece and nephew were little and couldn't pronounce Richie. It is so cute. Or he'll walk into a room saying, Chiiii-Chiii?" I love it.

We are super excited to dog sit for Mitch & Abby's Pug. We get to have her for a little over a week. Philip is going to be so happy!

We had a fun week this week. We got to visit my aunt and her daughters. She was kind enough to let Philp take a little car home that he wouldn't give up and needless to say, he is now obsessed with it. He has even given up Elmo for bedtime in exchange for the car. That says a lot! He brings it in the car, to the the Y, everywhere around the house. It's so funny.

Richie's birthday is tomorrow. We are going to go to a vineyard in Cannon Falls to see a solo-acoustic guitar player who sings classic rock but mainly a lot of Beatles songs. Couldn't be more perfect! I have already checked him out on YouTube to make sure that he won't botch any of the Beatles songs. He is good!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Food on the brain

I seriously can't stop eating. I've been really nauseous and the only thing that helps is if I eat....not good! I swore I wouldn't eat a ton this pregnancy because I did a lot with Philip. But so far, I've been just as bad. I am obsessed with peanut butter English muffins even though they smell like dogs to me.

I have been pretty drained at night but Richie has been helping out a ton with housework. I've managed to still work out about a dozen times since I found out so hopefully that will balance some of the overeating! I have my first appointment two weeks from today. I am really excited for that. According to the nurse over the phone, I am due march 7 but we will see when I have an ultrasound!

Fun news!

It's a little hard to read but it says "This little monkey is going to be a big brother!"


Yes, you read that right :) I found out about a week and a half ago that I am pregnant! We couldn't be more excited. I am about 6 weeks. Due the beginning of March. I have been feeling tired and nauseous but that is good! I have taken 4 pregnancy tests over the last week and a half. haha. I HAD to take a digital one that reads "Pregnant". I've been trying to wait to tell people, but ha, who am I kidding! Richie has been super excited to tell people. Like he says, we exchange our Christmas gifts in November, so....we aren't very good at keeping surprises :) We are SUPER excited!

Much better

Phili is doing much better. As soon as his attitude came back I knew we were back in business :)

Thank you all for caring & loving on him! He took 3-5 hour naps all week. I bring him back in next week to make sure he's healed from everything.

I've been reading The Happiest Toddler on the Block. It has a little quiz to see what temperament your child is. Turns out Phili is "Spirited"....ha...big surprise!

Some of you may remember the post I had in November about our car accident. I sort of feel like life has been a bit like that lately. Riding along joyfully than boom...out of nowhere your world is turned inside out.

Actually, it's not that dramatic but I'm not sure when Phili went from being so sweet and innocent to, well I guess so spirited. Don't get me wrong, he is a good natured, loving boy and my mom is probably mad reading this about her Phili right now :) But, he's just been a lot more challenging lately. I like to think of him as my polite little bully.

On one hand he is excellent with his manners. I am so proud of him because that is one thing I have tried really hard to instill in him the way my mom did in us. He has his "peeeeas & dank yous" down pat and uses them frequently without being asked. I love that.

On the other hand, get him around other kids and he will show them who's boss....even if they are twice his size. He starts to puff out his chest and follow them around and literally bully them. It is so embarrassing! I honestly don't know how to handle it. Nothing I've tried seems to work.

I have been checking out books like a mad woman reading up on toddlers but I've got nothing. The latest book I'm reading actually suggests that kids his age are like little cavemen and you need to talk to them like that when they are throwing a tantrum. I tried it tonight and he just immediately stopped crying and gave me a really dirty look. haha.... oh boy!

Poor Phili

Philip has had a cough the last week or two but it's only been at night and he hasn't showed any other symptoms so we've just been waiting to see if it gets better. It hasn't. Late yesterday afternoon he felt really warm after his nap so I took his temp. It was 100 so I gave him some ibuprofen. We waited to see if it brought his body temp down but it didn't, it got worse.

Last night we took it again and it was 105. We rushed him out the door to the ER. They checked his heart rate and the alarm started going off showing a cause for concern. I guess it's common for the heart rate to be up when there is a fever but I didn't know that so I sat in complete fear & worry.

It turns out he has Pneumonia & an ear infection. He wasn't dehydrated so he was able to come home with a really strong antibiotic. He was such a little trooper. He's been really lethargic all day & just wants to cuddle. He's taking a nap right now. Really hoping he gets better soon.

Summer

It's been a fun & busy summer. We've been busy unpacking and settling in since returning from Mexico. We've had a lot of company & a lot of help (especially from my mom). It's been really fun. We are so blessed!

Richie continues to enjoy his job. He is still in training at Xcel & he loves the challenges of learning new things.

I have been wanting to work PT for a while now so I starting applying for jobs last week. A few different factors played into this decision. The main reasons are that I would really like Philip to go to a daycare to have a chance to interact with others & I would really like to get out of the house & have a little of my own income.

I've been hired at a Medical Spa in the St. James Hotel. I started training this week. I'll mainly be doing front desk, consultations & setting up payment plans. I will only work a couple days a week and some weekends which I think is perfect. We'll see! Philip will be going to a Church Daycare those two days. I am really hoping it will be a good fit for all involved. I will keep you posted!

I hope you're all enjoying your summer. We had my brother's wedding reception last night. It was such a wonderful night. I'm sure you all know that my 3 brothers all married cousins. Last night was a really special night to have both sides of the family come together again. It was a great bunch of people!

The Toddler's Creed

This is so perfectly fitting for this stage in Phili's life!

If I want it, it's mine.
If I give it to you and change my mind later, it's mine.
If I can take it away from you, it's mine.
If I had it a little while ago, it's mine.
If it's mine, it will never belong to anybody else, no matter what.
If we are building something together, all the pieces are mine.
If it looks just like mine, it is mine.

Composed by T. Berry Brazelton

The gorgeous couple!

Busy

We're settling into our new home & had a great time in Mexico. What a busy couple of weeks, but all fun so I can't complain! I will post pictures soon. I am not going to say I lost my camera attachment. It is just...ahem....missing. I will find it in some random place like I always do.

The wedding was absolutely beautiful. It was such a blessing to have all of our family down there together. Phili loved the ocean, not so much the plane. I have zero desire to ever take him on a plane again! He turned into that kid on the plane & screamed his head off for about half an hour. It was my worst nightmare leading up to the trip. I have so much more sympathy for mom's of screaming kids than I did before. Especially before I had kids, I could never figure out how a mom couldn't get her kid to stop screaming, I get it now!

Phili continues to be fun & crazy. Some days I laugh at him all day while other days he just makes me want to cry or scream or both. He has quite the personality in that little body of his. Everyone says that he's just a boy or that he's just a one year old but that doesn't satisfy me. I need him to be calm & patient, is that too much to ask!? :) Kidding.

I'll post pictures of Mexico soon. Putter & Lindsey looked absoultely stunning!

Fun update

We are home owners! We had our closing yesterday. It went smooth like butter & we are so excited!

We went to the house afterwards so Richie could mow the lawn. Phili was beyond excited to have a yard to run around. He put his hands over his mouth and screamed out of pure excitement. Richie looked at him and said, "This is all for you buddy!" awww so cute.

Enjoy this weather! Something about this time a year makes me so incredibly happy. I'd say I'm pretty happy throughout the year anyways but I love seeing other people outside enjoying life. Bonfires, ball games, bike rides, people being together as a family. Love it. Life is good.

Life

Okay, so after the headache of trying to invite you all to my blog, I decided that I would just go back & edit the posts that name the town where we live since that was what I'm most concerned about! Big sorry to everyone who emailed me about getting an invite!

In other news, so much is happening in our lives right now! We are moving into our house this weekend. Very exciting! Then in two weeks, we leave for Mexico for my little brother's wedding. It will be our first family vacation ever (my family)! I can hardly wait. Phili gets to come too. I just can't imagine not being with him for a week! All the kids will be there so I'm sure he will love it.

Once we are all settled in, we are getting a puppy this summer. We still haven't decided what kind but something small. And cute. Of course. I'd like to just dog nap my brother's pug but him & his wife wouldn't allow that :)

I had an absolutely fabulous Mother's Day. We got to spend time this weekend with both our moms so that was really nice. Richie isn't usually one for buying gifts but he bought me a very sweet Willow Tree figurine of a mother & her little boy, which of course melted my heart! He even made a homemade card, not cheesy homemade, he spent a lot of time on it and it was very nice. He just made me feel really special & loved and it was a wonderful day! I had to work last year on Mother's Day so it didn't feel like anything special but this year made up for it :)

I hope you are all enjoying the weather. It is so much fun to see people outdoors being active. We probably won't have Internet for a few days during our move, but I'll update when we are all settled in!

Shocked, I'm sure

I don't think this story will suprise any of you.

I finally devoted some of Philip's naptime to making my blog private. I spent a good chunk of time setting up all the emails in my invite tool to send you. I had my msn page on one screen, my blog on the other. I had to keep hitting the back button on my msn in order to get all the emails to copy & paste. And then.....I hit the back button on my blog page on accident & just like that.....every single email address was gone.

It may be a while before I get to it again!

Lord Move, or Move Me

For whatever reason I am feeling like this lately. I couldn't find the words to express how I've been feeling but when I heard this song, it spoke right to my heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBc2K6wv_-I

It never fails, as soon as I finally start to feel at peace in my walk with God, I suddenly start to feel so very far away. I don't like this feeling. But, the good news is I know where it is coming from & I know our God is bigger than anything that is trying to get in the way.


Oh, and about going private, I am getting to that!

incognito

I am going to be going private on my blog. Please email me at marylockwood11@hotmail.com if you would like a blog invite, otherwise it won't allow you to read it. No specific reason why I am going private, just lots of creeps in the news lately who use the internet as a tool & it's freaking me out a little bit! :)

Other than that, life is good!!

What to write....

We are having a fun time staying at my parent's this week. Philip had his 18 month check up today and good news.....his body finally caught up with his head. He got a shot & didn't even cry or flinch, he just gave the nurse a really dirty look. Oh that boy....

I'm noticing more & more the different ways he's like me & Richie. These are the things that remind me of Richie....

* He absolutely loves to learn about anything & everything
* He is hilarious
* He is very active
* Loves to be outside, running around
* Loves and I mean LOVES animals, especially dogs

These things remind me of me

* Super stubborn
* Sassy
* Loves to bust a move any chance he gets
* Loves people
* Independent

This is by far the most fun, and the most challenging age. He is learning so much everyday but he is also quite set in his ways and is not afraid to tell you if he doesn't like something. Some days I feel like it's Phili's world & I just get to live in it!

I was telling his pediatrician some of the concerns I have about how he handles getting frustrated & he looked at me with a straight face and said, "This is when I usually refer patients to a Psychiatrist". I nervously said....."Okay".... He starts laughing and says, I'm kidding! He sounds like a perfectly normal 18 month old! Woofta! He really had me worried for a minute =)

After I put him to bed at night, I reflect on the day and all the cute & silly things he did. Suddenly any naughty behavior is a distant memory and my thoughts always come back to the same thing. I really can't believe how blessed I am to be his mommy. What a wonderful gift. I love this little boy so much.

The unfortunate case of the husband with his foot in his mouth

Let me preface this by saying that Richie is a wonderful, supportive, encouraging husband.....who happens to put his foot in his mouth, a lot. Last night was one of those times.

For the record, he does know that I am blogging about this. He still sees nothing wrong with what he said & thinks I'm silly for overreacting. Overreacting? You be the judge. =)

I got the bug to do a little swing dancing with my, ahem, wonderful husband last night. Where the urge came from, I don't know. Maybe one too many Dancing with the Stars episodes. I cleared the room & instructed him that when I run & jump, I want him to swing me to his left, his right, then down the middle. Fun, right? Not so much.

While his dancing skills were quite impressive, he should have kept his feet on the ground, not in his mouth.

"I can't believe how heavy you are!" He says (Insert foot into mouth)

"I mean, you're body's so deceiving! You're like the black hole, small but heavy!" (Foot stays in mouth)

The only hole I see is the one you're digging yourself in buddy.

I of course, respond with the ever so mature comment, "Maybe you're just a wimp!"

"I don't mean it bad, it's just that I was expecting a feather & what I got was a bowling ball!" (Foot has been in mouth entirely way too long)

"Here, let me take my cardigan off," I say as if that will make a difference.

"Okay", Richie says & continues with "But Phili, you better watch out, there's going to be a lot of big things moving around!"

At this point, I'm not sure if I should

A. Punch him in the face

B. Cry

C. Realize that in his own crazy way, he actually really believes that he was giving me a compliment.

I chose C. Even when he told me I was a slender tree made of lead. The foot still remains in his mouth, & the hole continues to get deeper but that's all a part of the charm of the "Cheech" we love!

Now ladies, tell me, am I overreacting? I didn't think so!

This & that

I've had a super fun & busy week. My niece Paige came and stayed with us from Sunday-Wednesday. It was so much fun! Her & Phili played really well together. It almost made me want another kid. I will post some pictures later!

We are set to close on our house the end of this month! We are so excited. It's not too far from where we live now. We are most excited about the fenced in backyard & the park nearby. We are still debating what kind of dog, stay tuned. Oh, I can't wait for summer!!

We've met a lot of new people lately too. Mostly from the YMCA & Church. Since it's the same church my aunt & uncle's family went to, we've met a lot of their friends from when they lived here which has been super fun. We're getting back into Youth Ministry too so that's exciting. I thought it would be hard to find a church down here but we absolutely love First Covenant & it already feels like home to us.

It has been so much fun to see God's hand in all of this. This is the last place I would have ever pictured us moving to but we have honestly never been happier. We feel very blessed to be where we are at. When we lived in B, ER always felt like home to us. Now, when we go back to ER, it feels like my hometown, not home, RW is home. I love love love it.

Of course we know that God's plan for our life could change down the line but for now we are thoroughly enjoying this season in our lives. Blessings to you all!

Duh, I forgot to mention a huge thing! My cousin Katie had a beautiful baby girl on Sunday morning. She has two boys and now a precious baby girl. And, holding Addison defintely did made me want another baby momentarily. Stay tuned for that as it changes everyday :)

Some fun pics

All 5 kids at Sammy's birthday party (Plus Richie & Naomi)

Phili trying to look too cool for baths....

When he actuallys loves them

Two of my favorite people

Somebody doesn't like sharing Daddy.......

Happy Baby Brighton (My cousin Rachel's baby)

Philip & his Canadian girlfriend on the Amtrak

Got yerrrr ticket?

Sweet, sweet love

As I mentioned earlier we've all been sick lately. Finally I decided I'd go to the dr. because I was having a really hard time breathing. Figured out what it was, Bronchitis & ear infection so I got some drugs & inhaler and I am doing good! We've all been a little tired from sleepless nights. I've mentioned before that Phili is not a cuddler but when I got home, I walked in to see this.....

Sick

We've all been sick this week. Philip has croup & I've got something of the like. Not sure what's going on with Richie but it isn't good!

There's something kind of nice about being sick. Before you think I'm crazy, let me explain. Every other ordinary, meaning non-sick day, I put a lot of pressure on myself to get different things done. If I don't do one little thing, I am full of guilt. When I am sick, I feel like I have a free pass to just cuddle with my sweet boy & not worry about anything else.

Obviously I'd prefer if none of us were sick but for now I am going to stay in my pajamas, not do my hair & watch cartoons with Phili. Actually, now that I typed that, it does sound a lot like a typical day around here, well the first two :) hehe

Our new home!

Things

I left my camera at my parent's house (big surprise) but when I get it back, I will post about the train ride & put up photos.It's nice to be home & back in our routine of things. I sure do miss little Brighton though! The first few days after we got home, Philip would wake up asking for "baby" So cute.

A lot has been going on since we've been home. My sweet friend Esther is in the hospital doing her best to keep her twin baby girls growing inside mommy just a bit longer. She is only 23 1/2 weeks pregnant. Please pray for her & her hubby. They are two of the nicest people I know.

My nephew Sammy boy borrowed Philip a bunch of his trains, which if you know Sam, it's a huge sacrifice. Needless to say, I can finally get some stuff done while Philip's awake because he's pretty much mesmerized by the trains.

On a different note, we are putting an offer in on a house Saturday. It's in a nice little neighborhood here in town and it has everything we hoped for. We are going to get a dog once we are settled in!

In case you are wondering about my new photo, my cousin Rachel took pictures of us while we were in Chicago. She did awesome! She is very gifted. I love ALL of them, but here are some of my favorites.

We're back!

We are back & we had a wonderful time with my cousin & her adorable son. The train was amazing. I will post more about it later but first I am heading home to celebrate my wonderful nephew Sammy boy's 5th birthday. I love this kid so much!!


Just a quick story about Sam.
A few months ago, him & Richie were arguing over a saying in a cartoon. They bet 25 cents on who was right. Richie forgot all about it until Sam came to him recently and said, "Richie, you know what I realized....I was wrong, you're right it does say.......whatever it says in the cartoon. What five year old does that!!!??? He captured my heart the day he was born & I love him more & more each year. Happy Birthday buddy!!

Gone for a while!

I'm heading out tomorrow morning to go back home & work at the salon for the weekend and then Sunday night, me & Phili are off to Chicago with Rachel & Brighton! Wish me luck as I'll be traveling home with him alone on the Amtrak train for 6 hours. If you have any suggestions on how to keep him busy, I'd love to hear them! Have a great weekend everyone!

My handsome little Phili Pie

I gave Phili his first haircut today! His mullet was becoming unruly. He sat pretty well. He looks so much older! Here is a before & after....

I surrender all......

I love this song. It echos my recent prayers practically word for word. God is so good and I love Him so much.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1PNhv1iPYI

Light at the end of the tunnel!

I found this post from the beginning of summer last year. I thought I'd post it again to remind us all of some of the good things we have to look forward to! Feel free to post some of your favorites too :)
These are a few of my favorite things about this time of year....

*Stays light out longer

*Hearing birds chirp

*Kids playing outside

*People going for walks, bike rides, etc.

*Not having to bundle up Phili

*Campfires

*Grilling food

*Outdoor sporting events

*Not having to wear socks (flip flops)

*Being on the lake

*People golfing

*Construction being done & knowing a lot of laid off people have work for the summer

*Being at my parent's house

*The smell of fresh cut grass

*Feeling the warmth of the sun when I get in my car

*All of the beautiful flowers outside

*Garage sales

*Graduation parties, weddings, etc.

*Lilac bushes ( My favorite!)

I took this picture on a warm May day back when Richie & I moved into our 2nd apartment (it was right across the hall from our 1st one but had 2 bedrooms hehe). It was such a wonderful day. Spring time to me represents hope & good things to come. I can't wait!!!

Treats for Mommy's heart

The other night at dinner, as I was getting plates prepared, Richie & Philip took a seat at the table. I heard Richie go "Awwwww", clearly happy about something. I looked over and couldn't have been more proud when I saw Philip had bowed his head & reached out to hold Richie's hand, patiently waiting for Daddy to pray.

Richie is truly such a wonderful Dad. When he is with Philip, nothing in the room besides Philip gets his attention. He won't turn on the tv, read, go online, or do anything else that doesn't involve Philip. He is always thinking of fun things to do with him & always involves him in whatever he is doing.

At one point when Richie & I were engaged, he said that he would be happy just being the "fun uncle" and never having kids of our own. Little did he know that his best little buddy was just a few years away....

I'm not a very good blogger

Sorry for the lack of posts. I really don't know what to write about! We love living here. We found a Church yesterday that we really like. My aunt & uncle & their kids used to go there when they lived here. The minute we walked in, everyone was very warm & welcoming. I'm excited to go back again. They also have a Beth Moore Bible study that I'm hoping to join when it starts up again.

We had a fun filled weekend. We took Philip to a story telling Saturday morning at a really neat bookstore downtown, then I watched Richie & him ice skate. It was so cute! Yesterday we took him swimming at the Y. That kid is not afraid of anything. He wanted to swim by himself in the pool. In the deep end. I don't think so buddy. He loves having all of this family time together. It has been so nice having normal weekends again. I feel like a regular person =)

This move has been wonderful for us in so many ways. We have a nice routine of going to the Y on weeknights. Philip gets to play with other kids while we get to work out. Richie is getting home cooked meals every night which wasn't the case when I was working FT. It's hard to fully enjoy everything right now, knowing others are hurting & deeply affected by the economy. At least now I have more free time to pray for everyone and I truly do think it will get better......I have to stay positive.

If you want to see what's inside my heart

It's my Dad, who I love so much.