In Case You Didn't Know...

and if you can't tell....her big sister is BEYOND excited about that fact!

The proof shot...

View looking up at the thighs/buttocks from underneath.
There isn't squat in between those little legs, is there?!

View of legs and feet crossed at the ankles (feet on right side of screen). If any of you remember, her big sister constantly had her ankles crossed as a small baby. :) So sweet.

Growing baby means, growing tummy...

belly shot at 22 weeks

We went for our ultrasound last week right before Mara Kate and I left for our trip to Birmingham. It was nice to find out the gender a few days before going to a big consignment sale here in Rome. I had lots of fun picking out some cute girly things for this Summer baby. Mara Kate was a tiny baby in the fall and winter, so it was fun to get some different items for this little one!

Lots of PINK!
The beginnings of her wardrobe.

Close up of a cute cupcake onesie I found.

Cute smocked dress with matching bonnet for only $5.

And a baby blue Feltman Bros. smocked dress for only $3.

Since I was out of town the entire week following our ultrasound we delayed "celebrating" our news of a GIRL together as a family until this weekend. We went out to supper as a family, then on a little shopping trip to buy something special for the baby.

We came home with this soft, cozy pink blanket and these cute "mary jane" socks.
We settled on this particular blanket because Mara Kate has one just like it that is purple. Kane thought it would be so sweet if they had matching blankets, just different colors.

We asked Mara Kate on our way to supper if she knew why we were going to eat. She said, "To celebrate that the baby is a GIRL!!!" :)

We would have celebrated just the same if the news had been of a boy (we are just thankful for this baby, this pregnancy and news that everything looks healthy so far!)---but in Mara Kate's mind the simple fact that it is a GIRL (which is what she was hoping and praying for) was definitely the entire reason for our outing!

Cousins

While we were in Birmingham we had to take a "cousin/grandchild" picture of all the kiddos while they were all in the same place at the same time!

All 8 from Left to Right--in order of age (except for Lily) is:
Lily (newborn), Alley (11), Liam (9), Dresden (4), Grant (4), Mara Kate (4), Olivia (2) and Megan (1).


This picture will only be up to date for a few months when our baby arrives!

Tadpole: Take Two

For Christmas Mara Kate got a Grow-A-Frog kit from her Aunt BeBe and Uncle Choonghwan. The kit comes with everything BUT a tadpole. Included is a certificate you send off when you are ready for your tadpole to be sent to you. So, a few weeks ago Mara Kate's tadpole arrived. Of course it arrived by US mail and Kane was at work when the mailman knocked on our door and handed me a little Styrofoam box that said, "Live Tadpole or Froglet" on the label. So fun---for Mara Kate that is!

If you know me at all, you probably know I'm not a huge fan of sea life, fish, things that swim, swarm, creep or crawl. And, of course the instructions said that it needed to be dealt with quickly and fed, so the responsibility of moving the little swimming thing from it's sealed water-filled pack into it's new aquarium-type habitat fell to ME! Since I'm the wonderful, caring and sweet mother that I am, I placed all feelings of grossness aside and determined to move the thing for my sweet, excited anxious daughter. So, I called Kane, put him on speakerphone and had him help walk me through each step as I read the directions. (Hey, I needed all the help/support I could get).

So, the tadpole successfully settled into it's new home on top of Mara Kate's bookshelf and lived happily ever after.....for about 3 weeks.

Then it died. Mara Kate and I were actually out of town when it happened and Kane came home from work one evening and noticed it had sunk to the bottom and was laying upside down. He realized fairly quickly that is had perished, so feeling like a terrible Daddy, he went about flushing it and cleaning out the tank.

After talking to the folks at the lab where the tadpoles are shipped from he found out that we (meaning him as I really didn't want anything to do with the thing or the responsibility of feeding/cleaning it) had incorrectly cleaned the tank the first time. Apparently you can't dip any foreign object (i.e. a measuring cup) into the water to remove it, but instead are only supposed to pour old water out and pour new water in. Never actually touching the water itself. Who knew?!

So, since the little things are guaranteed through the metamorphic stage they quickly shipped tadpole #2 out to us. I didn't have the heart to tell Mara Kate that her tadpole had died while we were visiting my sister, so I waited until we got home from our trip for us to talk to her about it.

When Kane got home that night (minutes after we arrived and before MK had even had a chance to think about going to check on her tadpole) he picked her up, carried her in her room and explained to her what had happened. She was of course sad and wanted to know why it had died and she gave Kane a big hug around her neck, then wanted me to give her some more hugs. After we told her it had died we also told her that they were going to be sending her another one in the mail soon and that she could be waiting for it.

Well, tadpole number two arrived yesterday---during the day when Kane was at work. The mail man brought it to the door (as there are instructions not to leave it in the mailbox) and said to me when I answered, "Didn't you just get one of these a few weeks ago?" I said, "Yes, but it died." He said, "Do you have a little one in your home?"---and I explained that it was for our 4 year old daughter. He said that was great and that he had gotten the grow-a-frogs for his daughters when they were younger and told me that they had also released butterflies. SO nice to have such a personable mailman! (again, another reason I love living in a small town).

So, here it is in all it's glory! Tadpole #2! We are hoping this one lives long enough for us to watch it actually turn into a frog. Maybe I'll post more pictures as it begins to change!

Welcome Lily Jane!!!

Mara Kate and I spent all of last week in Birmingham. My sister Heidi was ready to have baby #3 (a girl) and we planned to be there for her arrival!

She had a scheduled induction last Friday, but was showing signs that she might have the baby before that. So we went and just hung out for a couple days with her. My mom and my oldest niece Alley were also already in town helping out with things while we waited for the baby. The baby ended up coming on induction day and the delivery was fast and easy. Heidi was induced around 6am and Lily was born at 10:04am.

She is a beautiful baby girl and as sweet and as precious as can be! I was so thankful I was able to be there for her delivery---what a miracle it is each and every time.

So, WELCOME to the world, Lily Jane. We are so glad you are here!

Here are some pictures of sweet Lily and of our time in Birmingham.

sign on the hospital door

moments after birth---before her first bath

Aunt Jana with my newest niece

Lily with Mimi

Lily meeting her big brother (Grant) and big sister (Olivia)

All wrapped up like a present! Love that big bow!!!

Lily with Uncle Kane. Thankfully Kane was able to drive in for the weekend to spend some time with us and to meet Lily!

Mara Kate with her new cousin. I think holding Lily made her more excited about when her own sibling will be born in a few months.
I think seeing Heidi go to the hospital, etc. helped her to understand in a more tangible way what will happen when it is time for our baby to be born.

Big brother, bis sister and two cousins anxiously awaiting Lily's arrival---she was on her way home from the hospital!

She's now safe and sound at home and getting lots of loving from everyone!!

*Kane had to take my camera home with him for something he needed to do at work, so I didn't get to take any pictures of when my Dad, older sister and her children were there. Once I get a few of those emailed to me, I'll be sure to post one of all the cousins together---8 in all!

*Also, a special thank you goes to Patrick and Laren (my sister and brother in-law) who gave Mara Kate and I a place to sleep while we were in town for all the excitement! We really appreciate your hospitality!!

Sweet, Thoughtful Man

I am married to a sweet, thoughtful man. On occasion Kane and I do date nights "in" rather than out. Our usual drill is for me to put Mara Kate to bed while Kane runs out and picks up a cheap $5 Hot n Ready pizza from Little Ceasar's and then we sit on the couch while we eat and watch a movie together. It's a fun thing to do on occasion and it's especially easy on the budget.

The other night he left to get the pizza and came back saying they were running a special---"flowers when you ordered pizza"-- Yeah, right. :) He had made an extra stop while out to pick up these pretty tulips for me. I've really enjoyed them the past few days---thanks for thinking of me, Babe!

A Little Effort for A Lot of Happy

Mara Kate asked me to make 2 rugs for her doll houses so while I was already sewing for my hallway project I whipped up a couple of felt rugs for her. It took less than five minutes to make both and just a tiny bit of effort to make her happy. She is thrilled with the new accessories for her doll houses and I hope I always remember to simply take the time to be the kind of mom willing to do those little things to make my kiddos happy---just because!

Red rug for living room

Green (of course---her favorite color) for a bedroom

A Bit of Decorating

When we moved into this house back in the Summer, I left the wall in the hallway blank. I didn't have anything that naturally went there and I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with the space. So I did nothing, until now!

Recently our friend Bobbi Jo came to Rome to do a super awesome photo shoot of our family and after we saw the proofs, Kane suggested that I hang some pictures from that photo shoot in the hallway, since it was still completely bare. So, his suggestion really got my creative juices flowing. First I decided I'd just pick several of my favorites from the shoot and do a collage of pictures framed in various sized black frames. I thought that would look really nice. So, after purchasing the frames and deciding which prints should be included in the collage, I put Kane to work hanging the pictures. Thankfully he is a math guy and has no problem measuring, leveling and centering to hang everything just the way I want it. He got it on the wall and I really liked it...but, my juices kept flowing and this is the final product:

I bought an inexpensive black curtain rod and had Kane install it above the collage. Then I got thick ribbon and sewed loops at the top and let the ribbon fall from the rod to the pictures. Then I hung the pictures on top of the ribbon, cutting a small slit in the ribbon for the nail needed to actually hang the pictures. I'm really happy with the way it turned out!

Twenty Down, Twenty To Go

Well, I'm halfway through this pregnancy---2o weeks today. I do think the time has gone by faster so far than the time did while I was pregnant with Mara Kate. I think one of the main reasons is that I have a 4 year old to take care of day in and day out and that distracts my thoughts a lot. Also, I think having the holiday season thrown in there helped time pass without me stopping to think too much about it.

I am feeling a lot better than I did early on. I have more energy now (except for the need for an occasional nap) and most foods sound good again. I've also been cooking regularly, which I know everyone in this house is thankful for. I know the 2nd trimester is when you usually feel your best, so I've warned Kane that things could go downhill again in a few weeks. We are just enjoying everything seeming mostly normal around here while it lasts.

I am officially feeling kicks and movement from this little one. I think it started several weeks ago, but this week there have been lots and lots of little kicks. I LOVE it when you can start feeling the baby move inside...it is very reassuring to me. I look forward to when the kicks are strong enough for Kane and Mara Kate to feel them from the outside too. I think that will be SO neat for Mara Kate when that happens.

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On another note---sorry the blog has been pretty silent as of late. There hasn't been a lot going on around here.

This past week I spent time going through all of Mara Kate's old baby clothes deciding which items I'm ready to part with. Even if we have another girl (we don't know the gender yet), there are certain things that are the exact opposite season from what Mara Kate wore. So, fleece things that will fit this baby when it's 12 months old won't work as that will be happening next June when it is HOT outside! So, I began the process of washing, hanging on hangers and tagging the items I'm really finished with and will be selling them at a consignment sale here in Rome in the coming month. It was a big undertaking and literally took me ALL WEEK to get the items ready to be sold, but it's done now and organized, so I feel good to have that behind me.

Also, my sister Heidi is very pregnant with her 3rd baby and could go into labor anytime. Since she lives in Birmingham my plan is to jump in the car and get to the hospital asap as soon as I get the call that the baby is on the way. Right now she has an induction planned for next Friday, but we all know she may not make it to that date. So, we are just waiting at this point. And, I'm getting really excited about meeting my newest niece soon!!

Also, I'll try to post a baby bump pic again soon and will try to do that every 5 weeks or so if I can get it together, so be watching for a 20 week shot in the near future.

Day Trip and Visitors

On Saturday we spent the day in Atlanta. In the morning I helped host a baby shower for my friend Christy and it was really fun! It was great being there for the shower and it was also fun seeing a lot of Atlanta people that I hadn't seen in awhile.

The guest of honor (Christy--in center) with the hostesses

After the shower we went to the Jensen's to hang out for the afternoon. We hadn't seen them since November, so we were very overdue for a visit. Mara Kate and Ella Ann played so well together that we barely even knew they were there and little Rane sort of attached himself to Kane, which was sweet to watch. Kane ended up playing Wii while Katie and I chatted, which worked out just fine.

Ella Ann & Mara Kate---the only picture I was able to take of them as they were TOO busy playing the rest of the time

In the evening we dressed up and headed out to attend a wedding and reception of some friends from our previous home group. It was a beautiful wedding and the reception was a lot of fun too. Mara Kate especially enjoyed the dance floor!

Slow dancing with Daddy--so sweet.

She also found a dance partner that was more her size.

Anna--the beautiful bride

The bride with her groom

Beautiful cake...

...and a close up shot of the detailing.

We had brought Mara Kate's pj's and after we left the wedding we changed her in the car. She was wiped out from all the dancing she had done, plus it was past her normal bedtime, so she fell asleep literally one minute after we started driving and slept all the way home. We easily transferred her to her bed and she slept soundly the rest of the night. On Sunday afternoon Kane's parents arrived for a quick overnight visit. We had a fast visit, but it was really fun. Mara Kate went with Kane's dad to tour Shorter College, Kane's office and lab so that was fun for them. While they were gone Kane's mom and I ran several errands and she helped me pick out some fabric I'll be using to make a valance for my kitchen window, so it was great to get that fabric bought. I actually ended up sending it home with her as she is going to sew the valance for me---which was a nice treat. I am looking forward to getting a pretty window treatment on that window soon. She also helped me alter a pair of my maternity pants to help them fit better, so we did several little things that just needed to be taken care of. Before they headed home last night we met Kane after work for Mexican at the place in Rome we've found we like the best, so that was fun too.

For some reason I literally took one picture while they were here...

It's of Mara Kate with her Tuie.

They were out in my flower bed digging up weeds. Kane's mom was teaching Mara Kate how to dig with her new gardening tools Santa brought her.

A Post Holiday Update

We are home again from all our travels. We had a great Christmas at home, then in Knoxville and then in Kansas City. We got to see almost all of our family in a 2 week span which was crazy and wonderful!

We loved spending Christmas Eve and Christmas morning at home together (a first for us). I had a blast cooking a nice Christmas Eve meal and also a special Christmas morning breakfast too. We enjoyed the morning opening presents and stockings together. But, once our fun was over we packed it up and headed to Knoxville arriving there late Christmas afternoon. That evening we had a family get together with Kane's extended family and then opened gifts from one another the next morning. We had a really nice, relaxing time there.

The Monday after Christmas we packed the car once again and started the long trek from Knoxville to Kansas City. We made it in one day, although we were in the car for 13 hours that day. Thanks to Heidi and Jeph we had a borrowed DVD player for Mara Kate which helped keep her sane all those hours in her car seat. We were sure thankful for a warm bed that night!

We spent a lot of time in doors because it was just SOOO cold (between 0 & 10 degrees alot of the time). The few things we did do out and about were fun though. They included a Burton extended family Christmas get together with yummy food and games. We also all ventured out to eat Smokestack BBQ, which is a must when we are in KC. Mom and Dad also treated Kane and me to supper out on the Plaza one night to celebrate his graduation---we had supper at P.F. Chang's, one of Kane's favorite places. Kane and I also had a date night one night, which was fun in spite of the frigid temps. Kane and Mara Kate also got to go sledding with my sister's kids and my two uncles, which was a treat for Mara Kate since Georgia doesn't see enough snow for sledding probably ever! Overall, we had a great time just being together.

There are of course too many pictures to post here, but you can click here and here to see ones from Christmas and our time with family.

I have been busy since the minute we got home getting the Christmas stuff packed away and trying to get our home back to normal after being away. I've crossed a lot of those things off my to do list, but keep thinking of more that needs to be done. I keep telling myself that I have until June to get this house completely in order before the baby arrives, but my personality is one that wants to get it done NOW! I'm trying to pace myself though---I guess we'll see how that goes.

17 week Baby Bump

We are currently still visiting family for the holidays and have lots of pictures to post of our Christmases at some point, but thought I'd go ahead and post a pic of my current baby bump that has begun to pop out over the past few weeks.

I'll officially be 17 weeks along tomorrow