29 Weeks

You guys!

Seriously.

This face.

I can hardly stand it.

Dimple

Smile

The cute. It burns.

Gypsy Boys

Nestled in my stocking this Christmas was a beautiful scarf. It’s purple and black and really soft.

I have no idea how to wear it.

Okay, that’s not entirely true. I did wear it like a wrap yesterday over the tank top I was wearing. Because face it, December in NW Ohio doesn’t really bring tank top appropriate weather. And sure, there are all sorts of tutorials on how to tie/drape/origami a scarf on Pinterest so I can probably figure out how to wear one.

I’m not quite convinced I will be able to pull it off.

My boys however, look striking in it.

IMG_2744

IMG_2746

IMG_2752

I mean seriously. Don’t they look like gorgeous gypsy children?

Wishing You…

Whatever you may celebrate this time of year, my family and I wish you the happiest moments and memories with the ones you love—today, tomorrow, and always.

2011 Christmas Card—probably my favorite yet.

2011 Christmas Card—probably my favorite yet.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween from my family to yours.

IMG_2400

IMG_2478

Enjoy your tricks and your treats tonight!

Pumpkin Man

IMG_2312This is Isaac.

He is part of my husband JQ’s band, The Eight Fifteens.

They have a show tonight and this is part of what he will be wearing. Sure, the pumpkin is definitely a nod to Halloween but trust me, this is not the first time Isaac has dressed up for a gig. It won’t be the last—holiday or not.

The Eight Fifteens. Catch a gig if you can—you never know what you might see.

One Photo

As I scrolled through the literally tens of thousands of pictures on my laptop Sunday evening, trying to pick one photo that captured a particular meaningful moment, something dawned on me. The big moments in life—birthdays, weddings, holidays—are important, but it’s the little everyday moments that make life meaningful. Don’t save your camera for a special occasion—capture the everyday and those moments will be special occasions when you look back on them.

IMG_2282sm

Taken on Sunday, this is an “outtake” of sorts from a series of photographs I take of my children to document them growing up. Each week—up to their first birthday and then each month—I take a picture of my kids sitting next to a stuffed monkey. Each one has their own monkey and it serves as a constant in the photos to see how the kids grow over time. Those weeks and months quickly add up, and these photos are evidence that time really does fly by.

On Sunday Huggy Baby turned 6 weeks old and as I snapped a few shots of him and his monkey G-tot sidled up next to his brother. So I took a few more shots of the two of them.

And when I look at that photograph I see a moment of pure love.
A new baby.
A new big brother.
The beginning of a life long friendship.
My two boys who will grow up too fast all the while experiencing countless everyday moments with each other.

I plan to capture as many as possible.

This post is sponsored by Kodak. October 17–23 is Free Kodak Prints week—a week long event designed to help you unleash your photos from your hard drives and Facebook albums by offering 20 free 4 x 6 inch prints when you “like” Kodak on Facebook. Additionally, to help celebrate Free Prints Week, Kodak is partnering with the popular Tumblr blog, My Parents Were Awesome, as a way to encourage people to print and share recent photos and those of the past.

Beginning the Journey of Baby’s First Year

24 days old.

24 days old.

I have a new writing gig over at Babble. Now that Huggy Baby is here I’m done writing for Babble.com’s Being Pregnant blog. Makes sense, right? Now I’m writing for their Baby’s First Year blog. I’ll be writing about life with baby number two and the ups and downs of parenting in general. It’s going to be fun.

Here’s what you missed so far.

I make my introduction in The Second Son.
Talk naps—or lack there of in I’m Supposed to Sleep When?.
Boob Pain. It’s real. And it hurts. Oh My Aching Boobs
How much has this baby grown in a month? Checking Up—One Month
One day at a time. Finding Our Normal
I really should get the ball rolling on these things. Especially number one. Five Things I Still Haven’t Done Now That I’m Not Pregnant
Seriously considering learning how to make these. DIY Fleece Childrens Hats

I’d love it if you joined along in my journey.

The Dimple. A Yawn.

Totally in love with this kid.

The dimple.

IMG_2200A Yawn.

IMG_2201

23 Days old—taken on 9.27.11.

Growing Older and Growing Bigger

35weeksToday I turn 35.

Today I am 36 weeks pregnant.

Today I am thankful for both of those things.

I will not be celebrating with cocktails this year. I didn’t on my 30th birthday either. Somehow I managed to be pregnant on both my 30th and 35th birthdays. I will not be repeating this trend for my 40th.

I also won’t be celebrating with my traditional key lime pie made by my mother. The one I eat slice by delicious slice with a cup of coffee over several days. Gestational diabetes has other plans for me this year. I’m guessing eating an entire pie by myself would be frowned upon by the dietitian.

How will we celebrate? I really have no idea.

And that’s okay by me.

Brotherly Love

huggylovesmall

“It’s for the baby.”, G-tot declared as he put the sticker on the ever expanding belly of my dress.

Man do I love that boy. Every night and every morning his little hands push around on my belly feeling for Huggy Baby. He hugs my belly and talks to the baby—sometimes really loudly. He is going to such an awesome big brother.

We’ve been reading books together that have to do with bringing another baby into the family. They are sweet and endearing and will often invoke a wide-eyed look from G-tot when we get to the end. As if he is thinking, Hey, that’s going to be me soon.

G-tot has officially decided that he wants the baby to share a room with him. I am constantly humbled by how unselfish this child is that I’m raising. When he outgrows something the first words out of his mouth anymore are, “We can keep this for my baby.”

His baby. Swoon.

I hope his little brother realizes how lucky he is to have G-tot in his life. I know I am.