so these photos are now over a week old but you get the picture. :) plus, i wanted to document. at 15 week the baby is the size of an apple.

that didn't last long

so tomorrow i will be 16 weeks! this is the part of the pregnancy i probably go a little crazy. in the beginning you feel sick which is awful but you are reassured you are pregnant and the little one is healthy. then, you start to feel better. which is great but where is the reassurance? i need to feel my baby kick! once again i have to put my trust in God that everything is okay and it's out of my control. but, i can't help it that my mind starts to wonder if that jump avery just did on my belly caused something to go wrong. not to mention, i'm not really showing despite the 7 pounds i've gained. every pregnant woman's dream, right? today there was a lady who was talking about how she was pregnant. i could tell but wasn't going to ask. once she announced i inquired when was due and she is just a couple of days ahead of me. i told her i was pregnant too and she looked at me and then my belly and said really? this was the third time this week i've gotten a look of disbelief. luckily, i took a picture of when i was pregnant with avery at 16 weeks and realized i look the same. *sigh of relief* we go to our 16 week check-up tomorrow and i can't wait!!!

with avery. 16 weeks

baby boy. 15 weeks and 5 days.

guess who's 20 months old today!!! to celebrate avery got to watch cartoons while i cleaned out the fridge. of course that only last so long before she was going bananas inside and into everything! i tried to clean her stroller and she climbed into the shell. i tried to clean the highchair cover and she was hanging on the tray. and naturally she was trying to get into the trash! her vocabulary is really starting to grow! her new words for the week so far are buh-bye (we used to say it but stopped), mine, broccoli, and oh boy.

my husband rocks! we got a babysitter and took me out to dinner! he never even read my previous blog post!

i took some pictures of avery today in her new outfit from grandma gaye! let's not wait until friday to enjoy these!

this was about picture #10. her telling me she wants to eat!

no i did not pose her!

she was really into it!

i thought i was suppose to embarrass avery. whenever avery has to go to the bathroom or when i am in the restroom she says "poo poo". it's cute until you're in a public restroom and clearly she's in diapers and your kid is saying (yelling) "poo poo" with such excitement! next word to be learned is pee pee!

i told avery to put her pants on this morning. of course she can't but today she actually tried. i sent the picture to mark whose response was "what a big girl!!!"

i promise non cell phone pictures are coming soon!

this is her saying cheese!

lately i have been wanting to go out and do something. i love facebook but sometimes after i read my friend's posts about going here and going there and doing what sounds like really fun stuff i just think i want to do that too. most don't have kids but some do and do it without their children. mark and i are not the greatest at going out and doing things with just the two of us and we know that. we don't do things on a monthly basis or go out to dinner very often. (we are good at taking little vacations thanks to avery's grandmas!) i'm not sure what i would even want to do but multiple ideas have crossed my mind. i have been talking about getting my nails but instead tried to paint them at home. that was a big fail when i couldn't get the bottle open and then my strong armed husband somehow broke the bottle. (still not sure how this happened) but avery got a great pedicure out of the deal. :) then i booked a facial with a gift certificate but decided to cancel because i had a photoshoot that afternoon and didn't want to be away the whole day. i quickly realized i could do those things that everyone else does, i just choose not to. so, i shouldn't be jealous because it is my choice. i've been thinking about this for a couple of weeks and this past weekend we went to a birthday party. the couple started talking about a concert they were going to see and how it had been so long. then we started talking about movies and they couldn't tell you the last movie they went to. without hesitation i replied, you know in five or ten years you are not even going to remember what movies were out. but i promise you will remember what your kids were doing and the time you spent together. i have been thinking about this for the past couple of days and maybe i should listen to myself more often. don't get me wrong i think alone time with your spouse and yourself are very important. i think a happy marriage is most important. but i don't think you are going to find happiness in a movie theatre or the nail salon. as i look at my nails and the horribly crappy job that avery because i let her paint my toes, i'm happy.

thanks for reading my rambling thoughts. and if you don't have kids yet, maybe go to the movies this weekend because you can!

and because all posts need pictures. here's one from today. i can't be mad at that!

avery is still loving the little gym. she started a new class this semester with the big kids. well, compared to avery they look big. it's 19 months to 2.5 years which is a pretty big range. but, she's proving she can hang with them! this morning we went to the inflatable zone and she climbed all the way up the big slide and then slid down by herself. pretty soon i'll be one of those moms sitting on the bench watching or i'll be too big to climb up! :)

these are from her class yesterday. her daddy bought her the shirt! :)

today i'm thankful to be pregnant. thankful for a healthy pregnancy so far. mark and i are fortunate in this department. we didn't have a struggle to become parents. we tried, but not for nearly as long as many couples do. if you've tried to conceive you know it's not as easy as they make it look on 16 and pregnant. those girls aren't doing any tracking, they don't pee on sticks, they aren't taking vitamins. it can be stressful. but, it's exciting. i have friends that have/are struggling to become pregnant. i have a group of women who we share our stories, worries, and problems. many spend years trying to get pregnant. some get pregnant the first try and others never do. they explore other options. i hear these women and think they would be better mothers than myself. so why do they have such a hard time when they are doing everything right? but, then i hear that same woman who tried for 2 years, took drugs, had multiple miscarriages and in the end they have a healthy baby. and i know when that child in your arms, you forget the journey it took you to get their. you forget the stress, the tears, the fight. even for those who adopt or someone else carries their baby, your heart does not know the difference. it only knows love because that is your child. as i listen to friends i just wanted to share that everyone struggles in their own way. some more than others. but everyone has their own journey and in the end it's worth it.

i have been writing notes to this little baby boy since we found out we were pregnant. it's fun for me because as the weeks progress, you quickly forget what it felt like when you found out. kind of like you forget what it was like to try and conceive. so here is one of my notes. i don't usually share but clearly i'm in a sharing mood today. each note ends with a verse that i find specific to what i am feeling at that time. :)

conceived: 4 weeks

it’s official! we are going to be parents again. i’ve never been more excited to see 2 pink lines. i couldn’t stop smiling today and was jumping up and down. i told avery she was going to be a big sister but she doesn’t understand yet. but, don’t worry, she will someday! i already imagine you both playing together and fighting. your dad already came up with a name. it’s a boy name so only time will tell. i have a feeling you’re a boy too. regardless of your sex you will probably wear pink because your sister is a girly girl. i pray you are healthy and grow stronger by the day. although your heart won’t beat for another 2 weeks mine is beating for the both of us.

your dad and i have prayed for you, asked our friends and family to pray for you. our prayers were answered.

“For this child I have prayed” 1 Samuel 1:27

preschool update: the suspense was killing you, right? well, we got in! one day a week on fridays! not so helpful since mark's new job now has every friday off and it was our last choice but it will be good for her! half the price, half the germs, we'll take it! but, we're still on the waiting list for the tues thurs slot. not to mention mark and i can probably go out and do stuff with just the baby since he'll be a lot easier to do things with 1 instead of 2! :)

when did preschool become so hard to get into to. seriously! i signed up about a month ago and we will find out tomorrow. meanwhile, i filled out another application at another school today and we'll find out in a couple of weeks. i called another place that opened registration today and by 5:30am they were full so we're on the waitlist. ummm, where are your children while you are camping out at the preschool? i just wish you could sign up and they would say you're in. i just hope she gets in...somewhere! i honestly wouldn't mind having her at home another year because when you think about it, it's only 2 days a week for a couple of hours. include drive time and nap time and i will maybe have 2.5 hours to do something. but that's 2.5 hours i am able to spend with the new baby. for avery though, it's probably 3 hours of playtime and interaction that i know she will love. i wish they could see how much she loves being with other children. not to mention, she's the cutest kid ever so why wouldn't you want her! :) well, i guess i'll keep you updated on the preschool search! wish us luck!

it's cold outside. mark has our car so we are having a fun day at home!

i'm not sure whether to be mad or proud. i was making lunch in the kitchen when i heard her counting. she counts before she jumps.