We have been busy enjoying the warm weather here in Virginia. It has been so nice to go outside and sit on the porch while Hallie writes with sidewalk chalk. Hallie is getting so smart these days. She can say pretty much any word it’s just understanding her that gets a little tricky. Her memory is amazing and she never ceases to amaze me at how demanding she is. I seriously feel like I have two kids already because we have to take care of her baby doll like it is real. (Besides her throwing it down the stairs every now and then.) We feed the baby all it’s meals with a bowl and spoon (plus the occasional bottle), we dress it and then undress it so it can sit on the potty, we put the baby to sleep on it’s belly and cover it with a blanket, and we take the doll everywhere we go. I think she will like her little brother for about one week until she realizes he is sticking around. Even with that said I know she will be a great big sister.

Here is a little taste of our spring/summer fun.

Enjoying a birthday party cupcake with other “older” kids

Playing with bubbles at a birthday party. (Thanks for inviting us Cheata!)

Flying a kite with Daddy.

Just so cute!! And grown up!

BOOM!! I told you I was bigger than that last picture depicted!! haha There is your proof! Ben took this picture last week at 28 weeks but I haven’t had time to post it until now.

Things are still going great with this pregnancy. I started having a little bit of trouble sleeping with my big belly in the way but it’s not as bad as it is going to get so I’m counting my blessings. No more sleeping on my belly or even my back. (Which bites!) I experience cramping a lot but I think it is because I bend over so much and pick up Hallie. Everything is going great with my hypnobirthing and my midwife. I can’t believe I am to the point where I go in for a checkup every two weeks. That is crazy to me!! The baby moves all the time. I used to think he was super calm because he would only move at night when I was going to sleep, but now he is constantly moving. It’s making it more real to me. I finally feel like I’m starting to bond with him and I’m getting excited to meet him.

Two weekends ago we decided to set up Hallie’s big girl bed. I figured it might be the type of thing that would be “the sooner the better” with the transition of the new baby only being three months away (and one of those months will be spent largely in Utah). Hallie didn’t know quite what to think of her “new” bed. At first she loved to play on it, especially since dad told her she could jump on it just like she did mom and dad’s bed.  (She’s our little jumping jellybean!) When it came time to go to sleep, however, she was hesitant and wanted her old bed. (Pack’n’play) That first night Ben convinced her to sleep in her new bed and she slept through the night like an angel. I thought, “Wow that was way easy! What was I worried about? Maybe Ben’s right I stress too much!”

Fast forward to the next few naps and nights…they were a nightmare! Suddenly I HATE the big girl bed and want it brought back downstairs into the basement. Hallie loves playing “Nye,Nye” (night, night) with her and her dolls. She lays down, covers herself up with her “B” (blanket) and then acts like she is going to sleep. (She does the same thing with her baby who is sleeping right next to her.) This lasts all of 60 seconds until she gets up, rearranges things and repeats the whole process.  This goes on and on. Because of this she has had to sleep (much to her protest!)  in her pack’n’play more than her big girl bed. We try to give her the option but when she won’t settle down and go to sleep we decide for her. Her tears have pulled on my heart strings and I have decided to hate the big girl bed!!

With all of that said… after two weeks of tears occasionally we have success. OCCASIONALLY!

She’s so stinkin cute!!!! Butt in the air and head against the wall.

I still don’t like the big girl bed. Bed time and Nap time were so much easier before. However, I know that we have to keep with it because she can’t sleep in her “baby” bed forever. Wish us luck! 🙂

Here are a few of the new recipes I’ve tried recently.

Homemade Mac and Cheese

Slow Cooker Orange Chicken

Sweet Potato Pizza

Stacked Burrito Pie

Chicken and Black Bean Soup

Easter Egg Layered Cake

I SWEAR my belly is bigger than this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don’t know if I was doing some serious sucking in or what but I’m telling you my stomach sticks out at least 4 inches further than this picture depicts!!

On a long side note: The shirt I’m wearing is one of the new ones I got from Burlington Coat Factory. I HATE looking for maternity clothes!! My body is so different from anything I find that it gets me depressed and I have been known to cry when trying on maternity pants. However, with that said I swore to myself after I had Hallie that my next pregnancy I would buy more maternity clothes. (We were so flat broke last time that I only bought like 4 things TOTAL) So anyway, this time around I knew I needed to search high and low to get some good clothes so I could feel good about myself. I went to Burlington Coat Factory and low and behold they had several  (4) shirts that fit me and even a pair of shorts. I got all of it for….$60 bucks. For maternity clothes that is steal!!

Like  I said in the last post I dedicated to my 2nd pregnancy- this time around things are so different. I thought about my little Hallie all the time but with this little guy I’m so busy that I have to remind myself to talk to him and enjoy the stage of being pregnant. I’m not able to forget I’m pregnant as often anymore. My belly gets in the way a lot and every time I bend over now I get the sensation to throw up. YUCK!  Hallie still keeps me busier than ever and she still lets her little brother know who’s boss by kicking him and sitting on him all the time!! I swear all of a sudden my stomach is a magnet to her. She is constantly sitting on my belly…which is not comfortable.

At my last midwife appointment I was 9 pounds over my pre pregnancy weight. However… after this past week I’m sure it is much higher than that! The holidays really bring out the sweet tooth in me. My hypnobirthing has been coming along beautifully and I get more excited every day for the birth of my new little guy. (Which is saying a lot if you know my labor story with Hallie!) With hypnobirthing there literally is NO PAIN!!! Yes I will say that again NO PAIN!! When you tense up your uterine muscles can’t naturally do what they need to do. They fight against each other and that causes pain and usually a longer labor. With Hypnobirthing you train yourself to deeply relax so that when surges (contractions) come you let your body do what it needs to do while you are relaxed. It’s not about controlling the pain or checking yourself out mentally so you don’t feel pain. There literally is no pain. Don’t believe me? You should look into it and I will tell you my success story in 3 months. I’m a believer! 🙂

Yesterday my friend Lindsey and I took our kiddos downtown to the Cherry Blossom Festival. It is just another reason why I love spring so much-SO BEAUTIFUL!  It was a nice, yet windy, day and we were able to just go with the flow and relax. (Mind you both of us are pregnant-Lindsey happens to be 36+ weeks)

Hallie being the independent girl that she is. Mom can’t even have her hand on the stroller!!

She LOVES bikes and thinks every one she sees is “Hallie’s”

Lindsey captured this tender spur of the moment kiss. Man I love my little stinker!

Hallie insisted that she throw sticks in the water. (Like 7 of them!)

Cute little Hallie Bug

Hallie and Payson. Payson is 1o months-Hallie is almost 20 months. Notice not much of a size difference.

Hallie and Payson kissing!

Beautiful pictures Lindsey and I managed to take. She’s a much better photographer than I am!!

This is me and Hallie LAST YEAR at the festival. Man how things have changed! She’s so grown up now!