Restin' and Relaxin'...

The past week, Bella and I have been enjoying lots of good ole quality mother/daughter time together!  We invited Miss Casi over one morning for a pancake breakfast before school!

We've enjoyed the gorgeous Florida spring weather!  Bella plays...I prop my feet up and soak in some Vitamin D...

Bella has adjusted to her new "big girl room."  YAY!!!  She thoroughly enjoys her "quiet play time" each morning...and then she has successfully learned to nap without paci in the afternoons!  Sometimes, she will just fall asleep in the middle of playing and mommy has to help her to bed...

This past weekend, was our 8th annual girls weekend in Gulf Shores with my 3 best college girlfriends!      

We all met up Friday night...and the unexpected happened...I began having contractions!!!  We hugged and celebrated being together and then quickly found the couch and water...as I put my feet up and the logging of contractions began!  For 2.5 hours, I had contractions that were 2.5 minutes apart and 45 seconds in duration!  So, the doctor suggested I go to labor & delivery just to make sure things were alright!  Road trip...my dear friend Courtney drove me 1 hr to my hospital...and I had dilated 3cm!!!  Jeremy met us there and we waited a few hours to see if things would progress or slow down.  Thankfully, since I was just 37 weeks, things eased up and I was able to go rest at home.  But, my sweet hubby drove me back to Gulf Shores to spend the day with my girlfriends the next day.  He and Bella enjoyed the beach...and relaxing at the beach house with us.  

Bella loved spending time with my sweet friend Julie's baby... precious Graham...he is almost 4 months old.  Bella just doted over him the entire time...singing him all the songs she knew to sing...giving him paci...patting him...and giving sweet kisses...I think she's already got this "big sis" thing down pat! =)

So here I am...37 weeks...wondering when this little guy will make his appearance!  We would really like for him to "bake" a little longer!  I am doing everything I can to keep my feet propped up and rest as much as I can now!  No exercising...no house work...at least not for now!  If I do make it to 38.5 weeks...then maybe I can do a little more "nesting."  But for now...it's time to rest, rest, rest!  Bella has been the sweetest little angel...some days her "quiet play time" extends to 2 hours...and she is just happy as a lark playing with her babies, puzzles, bows, purses etc!  The past couple days when I put her down to nap, I have slept for a few hours myself!  Craziness...but I guess my body needs it...we all know it's best to sleep now cause the next few months will not be full of sleep! =)

Jer snapped this pic as he was finishing up giving Bella her bath!  He has been the BEST...grocery shopping, making breakfast, dinner, doing baths, changing diapers, cleaning bathrooms...all on top of keeping up with the yard work AND working a full time job!  Did I mention that our Disciple Now is this weekend...a full weekend of activities with our Student Ministry which will include about 200 students...SO we know the Lord's timing is so perfect and He is sovereign over every detail of our life.  He knows when precious Jackson is developed and ready to come into this world...but we are praying for at least one more week of "baking" for this little guy! =)  If I do happen to make it another 2 weeks...my induction is set for May 7 at 5:30am.  (Due to my pregnancy history/miscarriages...my doctor doesn't want me to go much past 39 weeks.)  In the mean time, I will be doing my best to rest...and function as I waddle around dilated 3cm! =)

2 years old!

My little Isabella is now a terrific 2 year old! =) I can not believe she is now TWO! What in the world!? It seems like just yesterday I was preparing for her birth and holding her as a tiny 6lb. infant! I remember thinking she would never ever reach 10lbs...in which it did take her 3 months! It is definitely bittersweet to watch your helpless, teeny-tiny infant grow into an active, playful, fun-loving, smart little toddler! I thought I would break down descriptions of her at this stage into different categories...

Physical:

-She loves to run (arms/elbows in position like Pappa taught her).

-Loves to dance especially to her favorite...Stevie Wonder, "Signed, Sealed, Delivered"

-Recently learned to jump with 2 feet off the ground

-Enjoys putting together her wooden puzzles

-Likes the challenge of inserting various shapes into her box puzzle container

-Loves taking her babies/stuffed animals on walks around the neighborhood while pushing them in her little stroller

-Enjoys bathing herself...mommy tells her what to wash and she does it! =)

-Recently started sitting in a "big girl" chair to eat...unless we are having a really messy dinner then the high chair is preferable!

-Holds her crayons with her right hand and loves coloring and doing projects

Emotional:

-Has a very tender-hearted, sensitive side to her (if she sees a friend or baby crying she wrinkles her face and says, "awww....crying!")

-Definitely also has somewhat of a strong-will too! (from what my parents say - she acts like a mini-me)

-Most of the time she is very outgoing and friendly to everyone she meets...waves, says hi ect.

-Has recently shown hesitation towards people who don't look familiar (old people, handicapped ect)...this has given us opportunity to discuss how we are all created differently

-As her pediatrician described this week...she is very "intense"

-Very creative and imaginative...she loves her 1-1.5 hour "quiet play time" each morning...she rarely every cries to come out but rather plays with her dolls, animals and toys!

Mental:

-Extremely verbal...we joke about how she talks non-stop all day! (every day she surprises us with random new words)

-Speaks in sentences of up to 5 words...maybe more!

-Sings songs...her favorites are: "Oh Beautiful", "Jesus Loves Me", "The B-I-B-L-E", "Signed, Sealed Delivered", "How Great is our God", "I've Got Peace Like A River"...

-Counts confidently to 6 and with just a little prompting to 10

-Recognizes shapes: circle, star, diamond, heart, rectangle (tangle), triangle, (tangle)

-Recognizes colors...but always random...not sure which one she has 100% nailed down...some days she knows lots...other days she mixes them all up!

-Recognizes her name "Bella"...if we writ her name and ask her what it says, she says "By Bella" (cause that's usually when we write her name...at the bottom of a project)

-Quote of the week...her pediatrician looked at me in all seriousness and said, "Whitney, she is extremely verbal...she could definitely learn a second language."....What!?! Are you kidding me...with a newborn about to pop out! Ha! Well, we might start telling her the spanish words on her flashcards and see what she picks up on! =)

Spiritual:

-has a tender heart towards things about Jesus and God

-loves to pray (folds her hands and bows her head)...when we are out and other people don't "fold" their hands...she looks at them like "um, don't you know to fold your hands?!" =)

-loves reading her Bible...her favorite stories are: "Joseph, Joseph" (coat of many colors), "Moses", "Zacchaeus" & "Baby Jesus"...those are her top requests

We've recently stopped using "paci"...it was really only rough for a few days, but thankfully it is gone! Even when cousin Sadie came to visit, Bella didn't try to use it one time! Yay!!! We're now transitioning from her crib to her "big girl bed." She's doing fantastic at night time...but naps are a little more of a challenge. We put up a baby gate...and it usually takes 20-30 min. for her to settle and stay in her bed for nap time...but she dozes off eventually. Some naps are 1.5 hrs and some are 3! =)

Her stats...

Head 19.5 inches 85%

Weight 31lbs. 90%

Height 34.5 inches 85%

She is a growing girl at this stage! Her doctor predicts she could be 5'8" or taller! My doctor said I would be 5'8" and I am 5'6...so we shall see! She is a perfect blend of Jeremy and I...some days she looks just like his toddler pics...and somedays she looks just like mine! I love how perfectly the Lord creates these precious children! =)

Burp cloths...

Needless to say, there are very few options for boy burp cloths in stores these days. Unless you have a thing for dinosaurs or random objects...most of them are honestly not cute! So, I decided I would whip up a handful of burp cloths to at last get us started! Just for the record...I only had to spend $1.60 on each of these...yay once again for sewing! =)

Surprisingly...I asked Jeremy which one was his favorite...you know I try to get him involved in this "baby boy nesting" as much as possible...and he said...the one with a "J" and seersucker! I know...wouldn't you have thought hands-down the guitar one!? He knows "classy" when he sees it! Haha...

Jackson Samuel's Little Nursery...

I thought I would go ahead and post pictures of Jackson's nursery! I've always loved madras and seersucker fabrics...so we decided a while back to go with a "nautical" theme for the nursery!  I found some great deals on fabric and loved sewing the bedding...it was a learning process for sure!  Jeremy and his dad have so many wonderful memories together on the bay..fishing, kayaking and just relaxing together.  So, I thought it would be sweet to use some of Pappa Chip's "nautical/fishing" decor. in the nursery!  My dad also spent lots of quality time with my grandfather ("Paps") on the water...they loved fishing together.  It just made sense to use special memorable items in Jackson's room...we look forward to sharing with Jackson all the many, many stories and memories of his daddy, grandfathers and great-grandathers that were spent on the water!

Here are a few pictures of the room...

This is taken as you walk in his room...(the oar in the corner was from Pappa Chip)...

(I appliqued/sewed the flags above the crib...)

Maternity picture that Jeremy's mom took!  We did our photo shoot on a cool dock with big shrimp boats in the background...wearing our seersucker and navy of course. =)

The fish mounted on the panel of wood and the fishing lures was created by Pappa Chip (he had this hanging in his special "man room" at home)...

Our friends and family gave us lots of fun nautical decor...and the fishing net was Jeremy's great-grandfathers...

My dad is hoping to find just the perfect oil painting done by his dad...my grandfather ("Paps") so that we can hang it in the nursery too!  We can't wait to show baby Jackson his new room!

Happy Easter!

We worshipped together on Easter morning with Linz, John, and Mamma Lloyd. So much to be thankful for this Easter day!

After church we enjoyed lunch together as a family and then Bella had fun hunting for eggs! But, I really think she had more fun eating her goodies "Lucky Charms" out of the eggs! =)

Happy Birthday Bella!

Friday morning we woke up early....6:00 am was when little Sadie and Bella were ready to start their day! We had so much fun decorating for Bella's little Elmo party and spending sweet family time together. We haven't been together since Christmas...so it was such a special treat for us all to be together! Sadie and little Maddy have not even met each other.....so they had lots of "catching up" to do! =)

I was taking pictures all day long trying to capture every little moment! Seems that's what a mamma does best....tries to hold on to all the sweetness for a as long as possible! =)

Welcome to the Party!!!

Love this sweet birthday girl...

She's a daddy's girl for sure!

Sugar for Pappa...

Smoochie...Smoochie Mimi...

Kisses for She-She...

Cousin Sadie...

Cousin Maddy...

Sweet Birthday girl!

Celebrate! (cute hats from that She-She made)...

ELMO!

When you ask Bella what she got for her birthday...she quickly responds..."Elmo cake...Elmo cupcake!"

Love my sisters...so special when we can be together!

Playing outside...

Pin the nose one Elmo!

Bella's turn...

Maddy's turn...

Sadie's turn...

Loving her new Nike hat from Maddy...

Birthday girl!!!

Eating her cupcake on the table Uncle John made her! =)

Loving Auntie Bub's birthday gift...

Happy 2nd Birthday Isabella!

Monday, April 2, we enjoyed a small celebration with our little family and with my parents!

Daddy surprised Bella with a Birthday Elmo balloon!

We went to an Easter brunch in the morning with some friends which was so much fun!

Then, we came home just in time to catch a quick nap before Pappa and Mimi arrived! Bella was finishing up her nap when they arrived and Pappa quietly peeked in on her...Bella's little eyes popped open and her mouth was wide open with a big gasp! She was so so excited and surprised to see her Pappa and Mimi on her birthday!

One of our sweet friends, Anna, brought Bella some "Elmo cupcakes" and a pretty bow...

We enjoyed Bella's favorite dinner..."sgetti"...

And finished the evening with an "Elmo cupcake"...

Bella was so cute...all day long she was singing..."happy birthday to bella...happy birthday to bella...happy birthday to bella...happy birthday to bella." =)