Easter weekend

Our weekend festivities started out on Saturday afternoon with an egg hunt at our church. Father did a blessing of the food, which was kind of neat... people from the congregation brought their Easter feasts in baskets to be blessed and then after, all the kids split up to hunt eggs all over the outside property. Sam waited very patiently.

And their off!

He got the hang of it real quick, and managed to score 5 eggs. Although, it was so warm here... the goodies inside were all melty.

Coloring the eggs!

We had a very interesting night, Sam took a big step toward boyhood and gave all his "babas" (aka pacifiers) to the Easter Bunny. He was a real champ! I was expecting the absolute worst, crying and all night tossing and turning. Nope, he packed them all in his basket, marched outside, gave 10 last sucks to his favorite baba, waved goodbye and never looked back. He slept great for the last two nights and even took a nap today. It hasn't been totally easy. It takes him a lot longer to fall asleep, but he is really trying. The motivation is a big boy bed, he really, really wants a big boy bed. So, we got him some big boy blankets, sheets and pillows for his big boy bed. I told him that when he learns to sleep all by himself in his crib without his pacifier...we will get him a big boy bed. Operation BIG BOY, phase 2 is looking successful! Praise Jesus!!

Easter morning was lots of fun, he really gets it! And we had a lot of fun too.

First chocolate bunny! At 8:00am...breakfast of champs.

Big boy bed "Lightening McQueen" set!

Checking out the "cozy" factor.

Outside of church after mass, we were starving!

Easter afternoon we headed down to the Hauckies for dinner. The boys had a great day out in the sun, playing hard in the water. The main activity was making "Mickey Cakes" out of mud in the garden. They were filthy and happier than three little pigs.

Hamp and Uncle Hamp

16 weeks!

I am cranking along at 16 weeks.

I had my doctors appointment yesterday and it went well. It was pretty mellow, they just listened to the heart rate. It was 150 bpm. Sam came with me and really enjoyed the whole process of watching me get weighed, taking my blood pressure, pee in a cup and the best part for him was watching me get a "SHOT". They needed to take blood to finish all the chromo testing that is standard for these early appointments.

I am still down 6 pounds, but my appetite is slowly returning...so I am sure I will begin to gain again shortly. I don't "need" maternity clothes yet, but I find the pants to be more comfortable around my waist. I am hoping to keep it around 25 pounds, with Sam I gained about 28-29. I am still tired, the whole energy hasn't returned yet. I find myself needing a little nap time everyday, even if it is just 20 or 30 minutes. I am anxiously awaiting movement! Sometimes, I think I can feel the baby roll...but I am not totally sure. I haven't taken any belly shots yet, I keep forgetting to ask Cody to do it.

We have a very beautiful Easter weekend to enjoy. The weather here is a pleasant low 80's. I am LOVING it. I hope we can start our garden next weekend.

Holly, Dennis and the boys came up this morning for some dental appointments. Holly is 34 weeks, and all the boys are very excited for their new baby and cousin. Sammy is showing the baby how much he loves s/he already. Holly looks great!

Holy Wednesday

Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, "What will you give me if I betray him to you?" They paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he began to look for an opportunity to betray him.

Matthew 26:14-16

So, it is a really special week for us Christians. And, I felt compelled to a do a little post on how I felt today. This passage from the Bible, and it reads differently in a couple different books...always gets me thinking. It makes me remember the one and only time I was betrayed by a friend. I won't go into the juicy details, because it was a long time ago and frankly it stirs nasty feelings within me. I think about how enraged, hurt, and vengeful I became, not a pretty picture, not one of my proudest moments. I still occasionally have dreams that take me back to that time and I wake up feeling many of those same "icky feelings".

JC handled it so differently. And, he was betrayed with a kiss! How two-faced is that?! Gosh, if only he could have been one of my roommates at the time.

After, so many years...I am finally letting it go. And, if I ever see this girl again (or if she facebooks me...lol) I am gonna let her know that I have forgiven her. After all, my hurts were so microscopic in comparison to the hurts suffered by Christ.

Happy Easter everyone! And also, for my Jewish friends Happy Passover too, I hope the Matza was delish!

Pilot Mountain, NC

We got out for some beautiful weather yesterday, and did a bit of hiking. We hadn't been out to Pilot Mountain yet to explore, which is only about a 40 mile drive from our house. It was lovely! We hiked, we picnicked, we sunbathed....so happy to get some spring!

Enjoying the view and having some PB&J!The hike was around the top summit, I wish I could have gotten a shot of the mountain itself. It is a bizarre formation in the middle of an otherwise very flat area. The summit is a little less than 3,000 feet above sea level.
It was a great day, and you can almost make out my pooch. I will be 15 weeks tomorrow. Time is going by much faster with little bean, than with Sam. I am feeling really good now. My energy is picking up, and my appetite is also. My body is doing the same thing it did with Sam, I am down about 5 pounds. Even the belly shots I took at those weeks look pretty similar. It is kind of comforting to know what to expect. Now, if I can just keep my cravings for chocolate brownie sundaes under control.

Oh! And, a very "Happy Birthday" to my little man up in Philly. Little Dam turned two and whooped it up at his Sesame Street party which we missed because I was to chicken to drive up there by myself right now. Hopefully the cool firemen I got him made up for it! Big birthday kisses from all of us!

My little Green Bean

Happy St. Pat's!

For each petal on the shamrock

This brings a wish your way-

Good health, good luck, and happiness

For today and every day.

Oh! And a very happy 4th birthday out there to a super special Paddy McBirthday and his mommy for surviving another year in the crazy world that is motherhood. Love you guys.

12 weeks? 13 weeks? No one is really all that sure...

So, we have finished the first trimester! Yeah, moving on from greenish and sleepy to hungry and sleepy. I had my ultrasound on Wednesday, everything went peachy. They did several measurements from crown to rump, and the tech is convinced my due date is more like September 18th or 19th. My doctor is keeping it at the 13th, based on LMP. Deja vu, anyone? This was also the case with Mr. Sam, who ended up clinging to my womb for dear life because he was not yet cooked (or so I believe). Ah me, modern medicine. We are gonna need a magnifying glass to see this kid when s/he pops out. Just kidding. Kinda. I am just going to cross this bridge when I get to it. Hopefully, they will allow me to plan my C-Section as close to my due date as possible. They typically will take a baby a week earlier than the due date with a C-Section.

Anyway, they were able to get great measurements and images of all the organs and appendages (except fingers and toes). The baby is showing all signs of typical development. No sex yet, but they did give me a hint on which way they were leaning. I will have another ultrasound at 20 weeks for sex determination. The heart rate was at 154 BpM.

Eclipse Trailer

Nerd, I know.

Just Sayin'

For all my fellow Twi-hards, the teaser trailer comes out tomorrow.

March 11, Thursday at 6 am.

I'm setting my alarm.

News of the week!

Sam is doing great with the potty! We are having lots of success. There haven't been any poops in the pants or diapers since last week. He is definitely getting the hang of this, I can't believe how it just clicked for the little monkey. Today, he woke up from nap and told me he had to go! I was amazed. I think we have the right combination of reward, a tattoo and a dumdum lollipop. Thanks for all the encouragement friends, I couldn't have stayed sane without all your advice. I feel a bit guilty complaining so much. I guess potty training is a lot like nursing, once you get through that first week or two, it just gets easier and easier.

I am struggling through these last weeks of the first trimester. I am half way through 11 weeks. I have had a lot more good days than bad days lately. I am mostly just tired, which I think makes me feel more nauseated. After I dropped Sam off this morning, I got sick on the side of the road (lovely experience). It comes in waves. I am trying to stick with bland foods, lots of cereal and bread. I have had a hard time making meals. Tonight, I am gonna steam some artichokes and grill Turkey burgers. I find if I talk myself into it all day, I can manage to pull it together. Cody has been so patient with me, God bless him! If I am having a bad day, he just packs Sam up and we head out to the diner. No questions asked. I knew I married that guy for a reason.

We are finally starting to see a few signs of spring, despite the snow fall we had yesterday. My crocuses are popping up, as well as the daffodils. The weekend forecast is calling for some sunny, 60 degree days! Hallelujah!

We are also looking forward to some company. Cody's mom is flying in from Arizona to spend a bit of time with us. She will be celebrating her 60th birthday next week too. It will be a great catch-up, we haven't seen her since Thanksgiving of '08.

Finally!

We are finally making some progress with the little guy and the potty!

It has been a few weeks now, and he hasn't has any pee-pee accidents. He stays dry all day and even wakes up from nap dry most of the time. Last night, we had our first success with making a poo-poo on the potty!!!!!!!!!!! We laughed, we danced, we sang, we (I) cried! I think he had his "A-ha" moment. He got a Cars tattoo, and a Mac truck. He has walked around with his arm hanging out of his shirt because he is so proud of himself and his poo-poo prize.

I am praying he keeps up with the momentum.

It's official

I can finally breathe. It is official. We are having a healthy little bean. I went for my check-up and found a perfect round gummy bear floating happily in my womb. Here is all the excitement to share.

This is a picture of the heartbeat, a strong 166 Bpm
Here is the spine, all perfect and spiney. The oval is the back and the line running down the center is the spine.This is a frontal 4D view, you have to use your imagination a little. The baby is laying on his/her back facing us with his/her hands closed over the chest.

A view from the side, you can see the little feet and toes on the left side of the picture.

The doctor gave me a due date of September 17th, which makes me 9 weeks and 4 days pregnant. The only bad news is I will miss my favorite double cousin's wedding, which is on September 18th. I promise to get her a killer gift to make up for it.

I am feeling a lot different than the first time I did this preggo thing. I had so many adversions, I couldn't put anything down. Now, I am able to eat... and feel nauseated after the fact. I really want bready things and would kill for a Wawa Shorti. And, I am so tired. I am not sure if that is from baby or toddler. It is kind of suspect. I am still making it the gym a few times a week, with a pilates class here and there. I had to give up my hot yoga. OH! And I am also suffering from a nasty metallic taste in my mouth, mostly at night, when I am trying to sleep. It is lovely. What do you do for that?

Anyways, I am so excited to be back on the baby train. I love being pregnant, even with all the nasty yucks in the begining.

Snow day

Although we haven't been pounded by snow after snow like our friends in the north, we have had our share of little snow falls here and there. On Saturday, we woke to 2 inches and Sam was very excited that "it actually snowed"!

The boys took to building a big, huge snowman. Sam really loved this, and had a lot of fun decorating his face. We used gumdrops and sticks. We named him Norman.

A very happy boy!

These boots are made for walking...

Nothing like trying to walk in your daddy's cowboy boots! He was quite proud of himself that he managed to get them on all by himself.

Lessons I have learned this week...

*** Oversensitive, automatically flushing public toilets and potty training two year olds are a bad combination. It causes both a freak out and a new fear of public restrooms that transcends the icky germ factor.

*** No amounts of bribery, heart to heart talks, or food will make said potty training two year old relaxed enough to go poop on the potty. Moving on to more risky tactics, such as no underwear and lots of fiber.

*** Although, February is the shortest month of the year... it is technically the longest month, or at least that is how it feels. Spring can not come soon enough.

*** When you don't like a book after the first five chapters, the chances of it improving aren't really that likely. Although, I know this fact, I still cannot quit a book once I have started it.

*** Potty training is the most frustrating part of parenting thus far.

Snazzy!

We went to a cocktail party this weekend, and it was black tie. I got to put on a new dress and strut my stuff for a few hours with friends. I had fun dancing, it has been awhile... and my feet are still sore.

A bunch of my friends down here, we met up for snacks and drinks ahead of time.

2 years ago...

I took this picture two years ago exact to the day. How insane to me that Sam is so different and yet still the same. Crazy. He is officially 2 and half years old. My time with him has been wonderful! I am really enjoying our daily routines and activities, he is a lot of fun. I love the conversations we have, and it never ceases to amaze me what little sponges they are at this age.
It has been dreadfully cold the last few weeks. A record low has settled over the state for several weeks, but thank goodness we are coming out of it starting tomorrow. We are supposed to go back to the 50's for a few days. I can't wait. I have literally been shivering. I can' t seem to get warm. Sam and I are both stir crazy with no outdoor time. We did manage a walk this afternoon, but he didn't even want to stay out. He has played outside twice in two weeks.

"Uncle" Ryan came for a visit with his lady friend last weekend. We didn't do a whole lot, just hung out and did some site-seeing. Sam really had a fun with Ryan, who was a fantastic playmate. We got a sitter for Saturday night and took them out for some good ole' southern food and saw 'Avatar' in 3D. I loved both!

Tonight, I am working on a new dish, Creamed Butternut Squash soup! Hope it turns out well.

He Did it!

Tristan is officially an airman, and no longer a trainee. He graduated from basic on New Year's Eve down in San Antonio, TX. My folks were able to go down to see him and spend the weekend with him. They said he looked really happy (but tired), he seemed incredibly proud of what he had accomplished, and so into it.

He has a few weeks in a holding company till he is placed in school. He had some flight physical stuff that got all messed up in the great military health system. So, now he has got to shuffle through different avenues to have it all straightened out.

Mom and Dad reported that he was very tired and very hungry.

I am so proud!

Resolutions!

Happy New Year one and all! Sadly, at the top of both mine and Cody's list is to lose another round of 15 pounds... boo, hiss... what can I say. We like to eat!

Heather's: To give up artificial sweeteners for good (and this includes my love affair with diet coke), learn to drink coffee like a real woman (black), and to read more from the classics.

Cody's: ???? He hasn't really expressed a whole lot of resolutions other than lose the holiday weight. He keeps walking around talking to himself, saying "I'm not hungry, I'm thirsty!" It is his new mantra.

Sambo's: Learn to use the potty and pick up toys like a big boy.

So far so good, for me. I am down to just plain cream in my coffee, hoping to get to skim milk by next week. I've had one soda, but I was hungover a bit from all the new years libations and needed the sugar/caffeine.

And, Sam has been on day 2 with underwear. Accidents were minimal yesterday, today explosive. He doesn't seem at all interested or motivated. I am gonna give it a few more days, and see if we make any progress. Any of you mommies have tricks, let me know.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

Our holiday was very low key, we ate a wonderful supper of Boeuf Bourguignon on Christmas Eve and relaxed around the fire. Margie knocked our socks off with Julia Child's famous recipe.

Sam was a geared up for dreams of sugarplums dancing.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care...
In hopes that St. Nick soon would be there!

Christmas morning didn't come too early, Sam slept to nearly 8:00 that morning. The first time he wasn't up at 4:30 the whole week. He had lots and lots and lots of presents. His grandparents, uncles and aunts really spoiled him good.

The rocket ship!

Grandpa and Oma rock out with Sam and his new guitar.

Oma got Sam some special rain boots to slosh around in the backyard with! He wants to wear them everyday.Watching McQueen with Uncle ScottThe guys!

A treasured and rare family shot, the little dude never looks at the camera.