Our Little Ham

Singing to me in the morning



Loving his yogurt mustache



Haming it up in his sister's glider



Letting me know naptime is over



Trying to get Daddy's attention at the park



This may be one of my favorite ages yet. John Parker is quite the little ham. He has a new found love of his nose and wrinkling it. He loves to sing at the top of his lungs. He imitates so much of what we do. He wants to ride the slide just like daddy. He loves to sit in the rocker just like mommy. His faces and expressions make me laugh. I love his animation and character.

Serenbe-Our Getaway

John and I were able to get away for a baby moon a few weekends ago. It was just what we needed. It's was refreshing to be able to pull away from the fast pace of life and just be. I was reminded of how much I much I love my hubby. Sometimes it's easy for me to get hyper-focused on being a mom that I lose the joy of being a wife first. I think weekend getaways like this help to put in all in perspective.

Serenbe is this quaint community in South Atlanta that started back in the early 1990's. We'd heard so many great things about it from friends that we thought we'd check it out for ourselves. The owner coined the name based on her desire to have visitors experience "Serenity" and just "Being". We felt like we were visiting Seaside on the Farm. Adorable homes and eclectic restaurants and shops line the streets. If you are looking for a great little getaway while in Atlanta, you definitely need to check it out.

Pregnancy Ponderings

Tonight, I wanted to take a few minutes to reflect on how this pregnancy has been different from the last. I love that this blog allows me to document and remember--something that I will treasure for years to come.

I've craved such different things--bean burritos from Taco Bell, Jamocha Shakes from Arby's, french fries from Chick-fil-A, and pineapple just like last time. Thankfully, these cravings have subsided as the pregnancy has progressed. I have definitely put on weight much faster this time. I really started to show around 14 weeks. At my 36 week visit, I had passed my total weight gain from last pregnancy. I'd like to think that that's normal. I had a nice bought of acne early on and some wonderful morning sickness from about 6-10 weeks which made for very long days.

Caring for John Parker has definitely caused this pregnancy to fly by; I really haven't had much time to think about how I was feeling. I have been preoccupied with keeping him entertained. I have been far less vigilant about my diet as you might have noticed from my cravings. I allow myself to have a coke or two each week. I haven't worried about my feta or turkey intake like I did last time. I can honestly say, I have really enjoyed this pregnancy. It's been nice not to worry and to just enjoy the little life that is growing within me.

I am so grateful that I didn't have Gestational Diabetes this time. I was convinced that if you had it once; you would have it again. It has been such a relief not to have to take my blood four times a day and track my meals for the last couple of weeks. The Lord has been so good to me.

Honestly, the only real negatives that I can think of have been sleeplessness and lower back pain. I look at the current sleep deprivation as preparation for the months ahead. Sleep is always a luxury those first couple of weeks. I imagine once I drop some of this access weight and really start to exercise again I'll hopefully lose the lower back pain.

Thanks for letting me share my reflections with you. I can't wait to post pictures of our precious little girl in a few weeks.

Evolution of my Belly

I realized today that I've not posted much about this pregnancy on the blog. We've done our best to take picture of my growing belly over the last couple of months. John is always so sweet and willing to document this amazing miracle of life.

Here are a few shots from over the last couple of months. I'm due on March 1st, so we only have 28 more days!!! Lord willing, we'll soon be holding our little girl in our arms.

Enjoy!

7 Weeks--My two little babes!



9 Weeks--check out the pillsbury pop



12 Weeks--one of my only belly shots; I got wise this time around and didn't show much flesh!



14 Weeks-my sister and I were pregnant at the same time (she had her little one the next day) :)



19 Weeks-almost halfway there! :)



22 Weeks--sporting our little pumpkin



24 or 25 weeks-Feel like this could be an awkward family photo shot! :)



27 Weeks--Pregnant with some of my favorite small group girls



29 Weeks-Ugh, looking quite ugly here...



30 Weeks-our last Christmas pic as a family of 3



33 Weeks-glad I can hide behind scarves this time...



34 Weeks--family picture at our new home