23 June 2011

Last Days

Today, I discovered that we have amazing morning light in our bedroom so I took advantage and snapped some black and white photos of my girl.

We are soaking up these last days, she and I, of just being she and I. Baby girl will be arriving soon- possibly as early as Tuesday so I am really trying to take advantage of my time with her. We have been snuggling and reading lots of books together. Today we went to the mall and shared a pretzel. We sat at the table like old friends chatting away.

She has changed so much these past few months... I knew she would but it is still amazing to watch. Back in October, when we found out I was pregnant, I can remember telling Sean "she will be so different by the time this baby arrives." And she is. She is inquisitive and bright and asks why about a hundred times a day. Her vocabulary is absolutely exploding and we hear new words and phrases everyday. She is independent and wants to do everything herself- "I do it myself, mama." From choosing her hair bows to putting on her shoes to getting her own cereal bowl... she wants to be in charge. And despite the recent temper tantrums and exertion of power, she is just a sweetheart. Full of hugs and kisses. I love it when she pats the spot next to her on the couch and says "sit mama, sit."
We are on the verge of a major change and though a part of me is so sad to say goodbye to this little family of three, I am equally excited to say hello to our family of four. I am excited for our daughters to meet.

19 June 2011

"Happy Daddy Day, Daddy"

This morning Kennedy gave Sean a big hug and said "Happy daddy day, daddy." Our girl has been more than a little challenging lately and unfortunately, daddy has taken the brunt of the two year old "tude." She seems to have snapped out of it a bit this weekend though and returned to our sweetheart of a girl who loves to snuggle and cuddle with daddy.

I love, love, love that he is her dad. What a lucky girl she is. And, please make note of the fake, cheesy smile she gives the camera now... two year olds really are funny little creatures.

38 Weeks


Alright baby girl, feel free to come out anytime! I am officially 38 weeks. With exactly two weeks until my official due date, I am so excited to meet you! And, I am just feeling a bit pooped out and wouldn't mind having my body back to myself. :)

When I was pregnant with Kennedy, I actually kept a pregnancy journal and documented every phase of the pregnancy. Needless to say, that was not the case this time around. With the exception of the few photos I have taken, I haven't written anything down! So, I thought it might be nice to jot down a few things I would like to remember about this pregnancy because I know I may not remember the little details.

*** First and foremost, this has been a GREAT pregnancy. I really can't complain. There have been absolutely no complications and I have felt really good for the majority of it.
*** I found out I was pregnant on October 24th, 2010.
*** I had a slight bit of nausea in the beginning but it was completely gone by about 11 weeks.
*** I walked and did the elliptical 3-4 times per week until my eighth month when we moved and I got too distracted by unpacking and getting settled.
*** I started wearing maternity clothes at 16 weeks.
*** We found out we were having another little girl at my 18 week appointment (January 31, 2011).
*** We moved into our new house when I was 32 weeks pregnant. The move and subsequent unpacking prompted a nice case of tendonitis in my feet which took about 2 painful weeks to heal.
*** I have had a handful of nighttime charlie horses in my calves. Ouch!
*** No major cravings which was true of Kennedy's pregnancy as well... I am just more likely to cave into my normal cravings (i.e. macaroni and cheese, ice cream and muffins to name a few)...
*** I did better with my overall weight gain - 30 lbs this time versus the 50 lbs I gained with Kennedy.
*** My favorite part of pregnancy is feeling the baby move- it is pretty amazing.

Despite all the great things about this pregnancy, I really am ready to wrap it up! Stay tuned for baby news (hopefully sooner than later!).

Marji + Nick

Sean's stepsister, Marji got married this weekend and with the exception of chasing our very energetic daughter around the building, we had a great time! Congrats Marji and Nick!

the happy couple
 Kiki and Rocky ... all dressed up

 Sean and his uncle John
 Sean, Harv and kiddos
 Jessica and Rachel- adorable flower girls!
 David and Heather's newest addition, baby Jaxson (7 weeks old)
 Kennedy and Auntie Amy


 And most likely, our last photo as a family of three! (C'mon baby!)


14 June 2011

Recommendations

I read a lot and people are always asking me for book recommendations so I thought I would start posting some of the great books I read on the blog!

I just finished this book and it was great- different from what I usually read. It really held my attention- I finished it in two days.



I also cook quite a bit and have gotten so many great (and easy!) recipes off of this website: http://www.melskitchencafe.com/ 

Last night, I made this great chicken pot pie recipe:

And, throughout this pregnancy I have craved muffins for some odd reason! So here are two great muffin recipes as well!

Enjoy!

Haircut

Kennedy got her very first haircut today! Kind of hard to believe at almost 2 1/2 years old but it has just been growing and I just haven't ever gotten it cut. I took her to a cute kids cut place and though she did not cry, she was very serious throughout the whole experience. With the exception of this first picture, she literally did not crack a smile the entire time!

the "before" shot





the "after" shot- a few inches shorter and they even did the CUTEST "headband braid" across the front!
enjoying her hard-earned sucker :)

Baby Shower

Heidi threw me an awesome baby shower last weekend with a few close girlfriends. I had been a bit hesitant about having a shower because it is my second baby and I am having another girl but she insisted and I am so glad she did! It was so much fun to get together and celebrate our new baby girl! Thanks Heids- as always, you are such a great friend! We didn't take many photos but here are a few...

Amy and Mckenna
Margaret, my mom and Mckenna


07 June 2011

Little Monkey at Little Gym

We have been taking Kennedy to little gym since last fall and with only two weeks left before she is finished, I thought I would post a few photos of her showing of her tricks. Little gym has been so great for her and she has learned a lot. It has been a fun Saturday morning activity for Sean and I to do with her!


Last week, they had a climbing wall up which was a huge hit! Kennedy LOVES to climb on everything so she was in heaven!


When she first started little gym, her little hands could not even hold onto the bar. Now, she can dangle and pull herself up!
Her usual "position" during bubble-time... ever since the class when they told the kids to pop the bubbles on with their bellies, she has taken this position . :)
And, arguably the best part of Little Gym class- stamps at the end!

Next up... swimming lessons! Sean is going to start taking her to Saturday morning swim lessons beginning the end of June. I think it will be a nice one-on-one activity for them especially once the new baby arrives!