Time for an update

Well, I am officially "over due."

So not fun.

This little one is just soaking up time in mommy's belly.  I wouldn't mind so much if it didn't mean I continue to gain weight and grow increasingly larger by the day.  The skin on my abdomen feels like it is stretched to the max and will rip any day now.

My doctor won't let me go a week past my due date so if this little one doesn't come soon, she will be forced out!  There is something about being induced that makes me slightly anxious.  The main reason I believe is that your given a date on the calender where your life is about to completely change.  There is nothing spontaneous or relaxing about that.  I remember being on bedrest with Makayla on a Saturday and knowing that on the next Monday we would be parents...I went through so many emotions...happy to sad, excited to bummed, confident to anxious, etc, etc.  I remember watching a movie with Cornell and I kept looking at him, thinking, "this is the last weekend it will EVER just be me and him!" It was kind of an overwhelming feeling.  Our world had revolved around ourselves for so long.  But now when I look back at that stage in our life, I realize how God's timing is always perfect.  To the outside world, it probably didn't seem like the best time to bring a baby in the world(i.e finances, busy schedules, no family near us, etc) but it was such a gift from God to give us Makayla.  Our lives have so much more joy in them with her here, and sometime this week, it is about to double!  I feel so blessed!  But also have the moments of feeling sad for Makayla...I want her to continue to feel so loved and special.  I have fully enjoyed this past one and a half years of us being the three musketeers. 

She is going to be such a great big sister.  She has been so great with her baby doll lately...rocks her, pushes her in the stroller, gives her a bottle, and wraps her in her blankie.  It's fun to watch how she is naturally very motherly.

I know I say this often, but I really enjoy this stage Makayla is at(21 months now).  She has gotten so vocal and is able to express herself so well to us.  She loves to run around the house, dance with her daddy, eat chocolate, and just laugh.  One of my favorite things she is doing now is her "routine" with expressing love to us...we can never just hug or kiss...it has to be a hug, a kiss, a high-five, and then a fist bump(which she says, "pound it.").  All of those at once!  She also got transitioned into her big girl bed this month.  We had to do it before baby came so that way she didn't get a new sister AND her bed taken away.  She has done great, we've had no issues so far, she continues to sleep through the night and in the morning I can hear her saying..."MOM-eeeeeeee or Daaaaddy!"  She seems to not have figured out that she could get out of bed herself if she wanted :)  But I'm okay with that!

One other update on our life is that Cornell graduated with his Master's in Christian Leadership last month!  I am so proud of him and still have to remind him that he now has 3 degrees! 

Here's Grandma Wick with Makayla at the graduation ceremony...

And Cornell grabbing his degree...



Just a couple pics from our days at home...

Watching Dora and eating "num-nums"(aka M&Ms)

And taking a break from her "bouncy-bouncy."

More of Makayla(18 months)

Get excited.
I got real creative and did another post with bullets and facts about my beautiful daughter.  But hey, at least this time there are pictures included!  My time is limited and the weeks(aka life) continues to fly by, so I just have to do what I can with this blog!

• I wrote last time that she is great at saying "tank two" for thank you...yeah, that went out the door randomly.  She used to say it after everything...now says it only after I ask her to and if she feels like it.
• Tantrums.  Where in the world did these come from??  She doesn't go to daycare and therefore hasn't witnessed it from other children.  We don't have cable and she only watches a kids show once a day(Dora the explorer, Sesame Street, Care Bears, etc), which means I can't blame it on tv.  So?  I have no idea.  But she does the whole whine/cry, throw herself on the floor, and flap her arms and legs thing.  Does this mean it's time for more discipline?  Where's my parents manual when I need it!

Good thing she is cute :)

(Daddy and Kayla on the boat at the cabin this summer)



• More LOTS of teeth coming in.  She had 4 teeth on the top and 4 on the bottom for the longest time.  Now she is practically getting all her molars and other teeth at the same time.  Handling it well so far though.  I just never realized how LONG the "tooth coming in" process really is.
•  Has had a runny nose this week...not sure if it's a sickness coming on or just from her teeth but her nose drips like a faucet.  She actually started to "blow" when I put the tissue up to her nose yesterday.  Today when I was getting ready for work in the bathroom, she was in there playing too...and I looked down at her at one point, she had pulled toilet paper off the roll and was putting it on her nose and just blowing away.  So cute and funny.  Snot was everywhere but like any mom, I was so impressed how smart she is!!  Only a mom would overlook boogers everywhere to get excited at their child.



This is from last month sometime-when it was still nice enough to wear a romper and sunhat!

• Goes down the slide at the park all by herself now!  She used to only go down if mom or dad was helping(holding) her.  But Cornell sent me a little video last night of them at the park and she went down, and then did her cute little "i'm excited" dance at the bottom.
• Is still a major mommas girl.  Always wants me to hold/carry/hug her.  I'm just soaking it in.  I'm sure when January hits and her little sibling pops out, daddy will be her favorite.
• Still a great eater.  Her favorites include oatmeal, cereal, any kind of soup, spaghetti, and fruit smoothies.  Oh yes, and EVERYtime she sees a McDonalds, she does the "choo choo" motion with one arm but says "Shake, shake" while doing it.  LOL.  Maybe I did go through a chocolate shake phase this pregnancy but it wasn't THAT bad?! ( so I thought).  I gave in yesterday and stopped to get her one just because it's so cute when she does it!
• Here signature dance move is the "gitty up." (as Cornell would say).  She dances around like she's riding a horse.
• Loves to grab Charlotte by the collar and lead her around the house while giving commands.  haha.  Poor Charley, looks at me with sad eyes everytime Makayla starts grabbing her collar but she's a good sport and goes along with it.

And a little pregnancy update: I'm huge, everyone at work stops me and says "when are you due again?" or "are you sure there aren't twins in there?"  I feel like saying "only a couple weeks left!"
("a couple" can mean 10, right?)
But baby is doing great and that's all that matters! So active in my belly...I do enjoy this stage in pregnancy, when you can practically feel them doing somersaults in there.  Much better than at the end when you feel like an alien is shifting around.

Hopefully more of an update on life next time...moving, Cornell's new job, recipes, baking, etc!!

17 months

As I mentioned a couple posts ago, I am totally loving this stage that Makayla is in.  She's so fun to hang around(unless it's around nap time!) and makes me laugh all the time.  She's my little sidekick.
Some updates to her world...

• Obviously is walking. I'm a horrible mom and didn't document the exact date she started but it was between 14 and 15 months.  She still gets a little out of control if she tries the fast toddler walk/run but only has had a few wipe outs.
• Is a total girly girl! Likes necklaces and bracelets.  Does not like to get dirty.  She comes up to me if she has even a piece of lint or a crumb on her hand and says "duuurty, duuurty" with a sad face and waits for me to wipe her hand off.  She also does not like bugs...the other day she was sitting in her high chair and a fly was buzzing around her.  She was fine just pointing at it but then it randomly landed on her nose...I flicked it off quickly and said, "oops Makayla, you had a fly on your nose."  She says, "BUG? Nooooose." and starts BAWLING!!  It was very tramatic as you can imagine :)  Today we were outside and saw a very small spider, she ran and latched onto my legs and in her saddest voice said, "bug, bug!"
• So smart.  I know every parent says this about their child but it is just amazing to see them process things on their own and think for themselves.  I am constantly amazed at the tasks she watches me do and then trys to imitate me.  She loves to carry around her shirts or pants and try to fold them after watching me fold our laundry.  I can ask her to go throw something away for me and she will toddle over to the garbage can and throw it in there.  And when I say, "momma has to go potty" she heads to the bathroom with me, pulls tiolet paper off the roll, proceeds to wipe the side of my leg with it, and then flushes the tiolet, all while saying "Butt, Butt."  All I can say is, "Well, thank you so much Makayla!"
• Along with imitating our actions, she is great at mimicing our words.  She will say just about anything you ask her too.  Today I had to chuckle at her..I saw a friend at Walmart and I must have said "I'll see ya later" because Makayla then begins yelling down the aisle "SEE YA!"  She also makes me smile everytime she says "AAAA-mean" for "amen" after we pray, even yells it outloud at church :)
• Great at saying thank you, although it comes out like "tank two."
• Shy some days around strangers, other days she finds it necessary to say "HI" to every.single.person we see.
• Continues to be a great sleeper.  Goes to bed around 8:30 and wakes up between 8:30 and 9.  Then takes a 2-3 hour nap around noon.

I love watching her laugh.  I love watching her turn in circles when she's trying to dance.  I love when she lays her head on my shoulder and just wants to be held.  I love hearing her say "mommy" and "luv you."

I've been a little emotional the past week, not sure if it's pregnancy hormones or just mommy hormones, about her.   I cry because I just love her so much, I cry because I just don't want to miss anything she does, I cry because I feel so lucky that God gave me the chance to be HER mommy-this beautiful, perfect little girl.  Sometimes at the end of my day, when I'm laying in bed, I get mad at myself for trying to get her to entertain herself while I do laundry and the dishes quick.  Why didn't I just put the housework aside and spend that time with her?  How do you balance enjoying your child, being a wife, working full time, spending time with the Lord, running a household, and also fit in taking care of myself? 
Good question right?! :)
The life of a mom...it's a hard job, but the best job.

*sorry for no pictures! I have some cute ones on my computer but no internet yet since we have moved! :)  Soon hopefully!

Yesterday, Makayla and I were hanging out at home and I asked her to smile for Grandma since I was going to send a quick picture of her to my mom.  This is the result...

She loves to say "CHEEEEESE!" and make that face when asked to smile.  It's hilarious and makes me smile along with her.

Right after that, I was brushing my hair and she said "momma's hair?" and I said "yes, momma is brushing her hair."  Then she replied, "PRETTY!"

My heart melted.  I am constantly amazed at how much I just love her.  She is so sweet and quite smart if I do say so myself ;)

Our exciting news...

Labor day weekend seems like an appropriate time to finally announce that Thomas Baby #2 is on its way!!

We are so very excited!  It happened a bit quicker than expected, but I remind myself that Gods timing is always perfect.

 I'm just a bit over 5 months pregnant and time is flying by so fast.  When I was pregnant with Makayla, I knew exactly how far along I was the whole time, this pregnancy I seem to forget from week to week.  I think having a busy 17 month old has something to do with it :)

.Makayla is excited too...

How about that hair?! LOL...I'm working on a post now too about all the new things she has been up to.  I absolutely LOVE this stage she is at.  So fun!

Here's a quick picture from our time in Minnesota.  So fun to hang with cousins :)

More to come soon...

SUmMeR 2011

 I've been MIA once again from my blog( feels like I say that alot, sorry).

Here is a little update on our life through random pictures on my IPhone.

This actually goes back to May...I got to go to Seattle for my job and went down to the market that is always on the movies.  Here is where you normally see them throwing the huge fish around and people catching them.  I waited for awhile but no one bought any when I was there, the guys working did sing a song or two.  Kinda a smelly place ;)

There were barrels and barrels of fresh, gorgegous, HUGE, tulips.  My favorite flower of course.  I think a dozen was like $5.00 or something crazy.  If I lived there, I would have them in my house constantly!

My little Makayla.  It's been so hot down here, one day I filled her little plastic kiddie pool so she could sit and play in it.  Wasn't too interested...kept venturing over to play with the rocks.

Another hot day, we stopped at Sonic to get a slushie before heading to our friend's pool.  My best friend, Anne, got her that little bikini for her birthday :) So cute.  Hard to hide the swim diapers underneath though!

I have created a monster.  She LOOOOVES to hold her own popsicle, ice cream cone, push-up, etc.  But doesn't quite understand that they melt and she can't just carry them around forever.  So this is the end result...very upset little girl at the mean mommy for taking her melted ice cream cone.

I got to see my long lost friend, Ashley, when she came to Nashville in June.  Glad she got to meet Makayla finally too :)

I bought organic sunscreen for Makayla.  It turns her white for a little while until it soaks in( you can see it on her arm).  It's an interesting task putting on a one year old...they don't sit still long, at all!

Then the exciting birth of my new nephew, Isaiah Alan Wick.  He's so cute and has a pretty awesome big brother :)

Love this picture of her! I finally can fit her hair in pigtails and she lets me do it too :)

Spaghetti for dinner with daddy.  This little girl LOVES to eat!

Noah hanging out with Grandma Wick.  I believe they were watching someone mow the lawn. LOL.  And I don't think that was Grandma's idea ;)  Noah is such little boy!

Makayla looking for the "DOG-eeeee"

I was nice enough to make Cornell's eye exam along with mine, so they had us in the room together.  This is how he repays me...taking mean pictures and video while I found out how blind I really am. :)

Just figuring out the water bill.  Very interesting apparently :)

More later...

13 months old

(fyi...i wrote this post 2 months ago but forgot to publish, so just a little late!)

Before I became a mother, I never understood the whole saying your childs age in the number of months thing.  I understand before they are one years old, you have to say 6 months, or 8 months, etc.  But after that?  If your child is 18 months, say "she's a year and a half."  That makes it just easier right?  None of this, "oh, my child just turned 37 months."  

BUT, now that Makayla has past the one year mark, I can see myself totally doing it!  Lots can change in a months time.  They grow so fast, it's just the way our mom brain keeps track.  Although if I start going past lets say, 24 months, someone please say something to me! lol.

Lets see, what's going on in Makayla's world? 

She's still not walking.  And no real interest in it.  She'll hold onto our hands and take some steps, or even push around her toys, but I still don't see your being independent anytime soon.  Everyone continues to ask "is she walking yet?"  Sometimes I get tired of saying "no," because for some reason, then I feel like something is wrong with her if she's not yet.  I think maybe I'll just start saying "yep."

Here she is yesterday in her little wagon from Grandma Wick.  The first second thing my mom said when she saw this was, "doesn't she have the seatbelt on?"  LOL.  So just in case anyone else has that thought in their mind...no children were injured in the photographing of this picture.

haha :)

Once a mother, ALWAYS a mother.

 (just teasing ya mom)

Makayla says a few more words now too, but it's kind of sporatic.  Some days she will mimic lots of things I say, and other days hardly any at all.  She will say fish now (comes out "ish"), "hot", and some form of "juice."  She also started doing the sign for "eat."  It's funny how I would do that sign over and over, but she seemed to pay no attention to me.  I stopped doing it for a week or so and then all of a sudden the other day, she did it for every meal.  I was so excited.  There is nothing like seeing how incredibly smart your child is! :)

She also goes "ooooooooooh" and makes this face...

(I was letting her feed herself yogurt for lunch)

Also, the past couple weeks she has been so clingy.  ( I don't mean that in a bad way at all).  If she's playing, she would rather play while sitting on my lap.  If I am doing anything in the house, she wants to be right by myside.  I can forget going into another room quick without her because she becomes absolutely hysterical if she can't see me.  So, we bake together, clean together, fold laundry together, sweep together, all of it together.  My little sidekick. 

BUT, I am not complaining because I know there will be a day when I wish she wasn't so independent.