Baby!

Okay, so it's been FOREVER since we updated our blog. I think it was May. I had every intention of doing it when we got back from our trip to our parents (see post below), but on the car ride back, I was so exhausted I couldn't keep my eyes open. I kept thinking to myself on the way home "hmm. I got plenty of sleep while we were gone. Probably more than I get at home, or at least as much. Why am I so tired? I have only been this tired one other time in my life, and it was when I was pregnant with Liam...." So when we got into town, we stoped to buy milk, and I ran in by myself. I picked up a pregnancy test and took it the next morning (without telling Josh at this point...I didn't want to get his hopes up!). And sure enough, it came back positive! I wrote a note to Josh from Liam, telling him that he was going to be a big brother, and snuck it into Liam's room while he was still asleep. My goal was to have Josh go get Liam out of his crib when he woke up, and see the note with the pregnancy test sitting on the changing table. Liam had other plans. He was so exhausted from all of the travel (he did NOT sleep as much as he does at home!) that he didn't get up until 11:00. Josh had to be at the clinic at 10:00, so I had to give him the note myself. Not as exciting, but still lots of fun!

We weren't going to tell anyone until I was out of the first trimester, but we had a trip to Florida planned with my family, and we knew that we might have to tell before then, because if I was as sick as I was with Liam, they would know. Just about a week after we found out, the sickness hit, so we called our parents. The sickness wasn't as bad as it was with Liam, it was WORSE! I didn't think it could get much worse, but it was. I was so sick I couldn't get out of bed for a couple of weeks, until I was put on Zofran, a medicine that is intended to help Chemo patients deal with their nausea, but is used for morning sickness all the time. The Zofran made a WORLD of difference, and kept me functional until the morning sickness went away, around 13 weeks...5 weeks earlier than it did with Liam, so it was worse this time, but shorter.

I am currently 21.5 weeks pregnant, and due March 10th, and we just found out last Monday that we are expecting a GIRL! We are so excited to have one of each! Liam doesn't have any idea what's going on, although he likes babies and always points them out to me when we see them. I tell him there's a baby in my belly and he lifts up my shirt and says "Hi" and that's about it. We are currently discussing names...I'll let you know when we choose one!

So, I am so sorry for not posting this sooner...I had every intention!

Liam has changed so much since our last post! He's growing up so fast, I can hardly keep up! His vocabulary is expanding, and he's turning into a little copy cat. I was changing his diaper this afternoon and showed him the Mickey Mouse photo on it and Said Mickey Mouse, and he repeated it. He loves to get his diaper bag and go to the door and tell my Bye Bye.

We just got him the booster seat (in the first photo, it looks kind of like a potty, but it's not!) and he loves sitting at the table with mom and dad to eat. He FINALLY says Mama...he went from calling Josh Dada to Daddy way before he ever dreamed of saying Mama.

He LOVES playing outside, and is so much fun to be with (most of the time...ha ha). He's been helping me bake a lot lately- mostly just dumping the measuring cups full of ingredients into the bowl, and stirring some. I just wanted to include these two pics, because I love them!

Enjoying the leftover pumpkin after baking pumpkin muffins

Playing outside on a nice fall day

Trunk-or-Treat

Once again, our church did it big for Trunk or Treat. This year, the theme was books come alive, and unfortunately, I don't have any pictures, but it was amazing! We didn't have to stand in line for hours this year, because I volunteered to help with line entertainment, and the volunteers and their families get to go first!

Liam was a turtle, in case you can't tell, and enjoyed himself very much. After you walk through the display, you go from trunk to trunk, collecting candy, and all of the trunks are decorated...some of them VERY elaborately! The first time someone dropped candy into Liam's plastic pumpkin, he looked at the candy, then looked up at us and smiled the BIGGEST smile. It was so cute, and I'm glad he had fun-- he wouldn't let go of his pumpkin all night, even when it was overflowing, and we had to help him carry it, because it weighed too much for him!

His new word is "Candy"...he points at the pumpkin sitting on our kitchen counter and says "Candy...Candy.." until we tell him no and find something to distract him.

Before we left for Trunk-or-Treat, playing with his trucks in his room

Let the candy collecting Begin!

At the Farm!

I'm part of a Mom's group at my church, and have made so many wonderful friends. We took a "field trip" to the living farm in Canton. The kids got to see, pet and feed goats, cows, chickens, rabbits, kittens, and sheep. There was a butter making demonstration, and the kids got to take turns milking the cow. Then we went on a hayride, had some free-play time after lunch, and finally went on a pony ride. Liam wasn't being so cooperative on this day, so he missed most of it- namely the feeding the animals, the cow-milking, and the pony rides.

In the first picture, you will notice the mud all over the butt of his made-for-the-farm Carhart overalls. It would have been bad enough that he decided to sit in the middle of the biggest mudpuddle on the farm, but to add to it, this was within the first 5 minutes of arrival. We had to change his clothes...that kind of set the tone for the rest of the day! And yes, those are tears in his eyes. He looked at the mud all around him and burst into tears, because he HATES being dirty.

With his friend Macy on the swing.

On the hayride. The part of the farm I DID get to enjoy!

Florida

In August, we got to go to Florida with my parents and my brother. At this point the morning sickness was pretty bad, so I wasn't feeling all that great, but it was nice to be out of the house and have some help with Liam so Josh could do some fun things too! We stayed at a beachfront condo in Ft. Myers and hung out on the beach some- it was REALLY hot!.

My goal was to see a Manatee in the wild, so we went out to several spots where they are supposed to be prevalent. My dad saw 3, Josh and my brother each saw 2, and I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, because I didn't see a single one.

I thought Liam would have a blast on the beach, and he did in the end, but it took the whole week for him to get used to the sand. At first, when he touched it, he hated it. He looked up at me when a little got on his hands and said "ewww!". He wouldn't dream of walking barefoot in it, and playing in it was out of the question. So much for the idea my mom had of building sandcastles with him all week! By the end of the week, he was comfortable walking in it with his beach shoes on, and that was about the extent of it, but he did love splashing in the water.

We also had access to a pool that we used quite a bit, and we went mini-golfing- and found out that the only people I can beat at golf are my dad and my brother! Over all it was a great week, and the first time I have been on vacation with my family since high school! Unfortunately, we don't have a ton of pictures to document this trip, as nobody took any :0)

Hanging out at the pool with Uncle Matt (my brother)

At Parrot Key eating with my family (Mom is not pictured)

In the pool as a family

Walking the beach with Mom

Trip Home

At the end of June/ beginning of July, we had the opportunity to spend some time with our familes. We began our trip by visiting Josh's sister and her husband in Cuba, MO for a few days. We got to meet Liam's very first first cousin, Taylor, who was 3 months old at the time. We had such a wonderful time with Amy and Brandon! We went to Grant's farm despite the fact that it was 100 degrees outside, and spent another evening with the kids at the lake, swimming to keep cool!

From there, we went to Senath, to see Josh's parents. Liam spend a lot of his time there in a blow-up pool that they bought for him- he's not used to the Missouri heat, so he needed something to keep him cool!

After that, we went to Carbondale, to spend time with my mom and dad for a couple of days before heading back home. Liam went to his first Southern Illinois Miners baseball game, and We got to spend the 4th of July there, which was fun, even though it was rainy and Liam was terrified of fireworks. Here are some photos of the trip:

Time in the pool with Mema and Grandma (Josh's Grandma and Mom)

Cooling off with some water at the Miner's Game

A hot day with Grandpa (Josh's Dad) at Lambert's Cafe

Grant's Farm with the Crew
Having fun at Grandma's house (my mom's)
Feeding the goats at Grant's Farm...these are aggressive little guys!
With Daddy and his new cousin Taylor!
With mommy and his first sparkler
With Grandma (my mom)...see how Muddy he is!