What the kids are wearing.....

Here's a a peek at our wardrobes for 2 adorable kids this spring and summer.

1. Our SheSheMade gown and Big Bro shirt

2. Simple polos for Jay- I needed some easy go-to basics that don't require a lot of matching and will be okay for playing around the house, company and going out and about. I got each of these for $5 each and sweet Mrs. Jones monogrammed them for us.

3. Lizzy's gowns

I bought these on a trip to Nashville right after we found out she was a girl. Go to The Little Cottage at the Factory at Franklin if you're looking for daygowns. Its remarkable that I only bought the half dozen I did. The selection was amazing.

I also love all of the diaper covers we've gotten...Another excuse to wear dressy daygowns everywhere we go!

4. We also have LOTS of Orient Expressed outfits from a trunk show I hosted in January. You just can't beat their sweet matching outfits. All of Lizzy's are a 6 Month for summer, so we will post pics once we grow into them!

Here she is!!

Lizzy is here and we have 7 zillion pictures to prove it!

Just before..

And After...

Lizzy came into the world at 12:37 p.m., 20 and 3/4 inches long weighing 8 pounds.

Everything went great with the delivery and I can't imagine things going more smoothly as we transition from a family of 3 to 4.


Friday, March 16
Jay stayed with Aunt Jenn and Davis while we went to the hospital. Dede and Papa waited for Lizzy to arrive and got to meet her, then Charles, Karla, Kelsey and CJ arrived in the afternoon and Jenn, Davis Sean and Weston got to come meet our little Miss Lizzy. We also got a visit from Mr. Pete and Mrs. Gloria.

Saturday, March 17
Dede brought Jay to the hospital and he got to meet his baby sister, although he was more interested in exploring we did manage a few photos and he talked to her a little bit.

Just as we anticipated.

Sunday, March 18
Daddy went to pick up Jay and have lunch, then came to the hospital for a much better visit. Jay was very interested in seeing and playing with his baby sister and even gave her a kiss!

Kate and Malley, Ryan, Brandi, Lily Kate and Layla came to visit while Jay was there and Jay, Malley and Lily Kate had a little banana-eating party.

Mr. Dan and Mrs. Heather came to visit as well, but we forgot to take any pictures.

Monday, March 19
Mommy, Daddio and Lizzy were more than ready to come home to Jay so we got rolling early and were discharged, packed up and home by lunch!

Daddio and his shadow. 

Jay was so exhausted from playing in his new chair that he decided to sleep in it!

Tuesday, March 20

Jay woke up to remember that his baby sister was home and he was so excited!!

All is well on the homefront. We've been to the doctor with Lizzy who was a bit yellow, but that seems to be clearing up. We're working on getting her days and nights straightened out and hoepfully will be on a good schedule soon. Jay is loving the attention and staying busy with Dede.

Just days away..

Lizzy will be here this week. FRIDAY if she waits for our scheduled c-section.

I am basically in wait and worry mode. No to-do's left on the list--except for find a house, have a baby....just trying to occupy Jay so he doesn't pick up on the winds of change in the air. Trying to occupy a 19.5 month old while 3 days from your due date is HARD. I knew it would be and will be so happy once Lizzy is here and the two-week-no-lifting ban is over. I feel like we're just biding our time, waiting for this train to take off...

..if you're wondering, yes, the kids Easter baskets are done. :) I got Lizzy a basket to match jay's from Catherine Burnett at Pink Peeps place. You can find her facebook here and her blog here. She's such a sweet friend whom I've gotten to know through the JLT and she makes great Easter baskets. This is not a great photo, but you can see the other side of Jay's here and Lizzy's matches. More photos to come once the kids open them. They both get new bathing suits courtesy of SheSheMade (Anavini) and Lizzy got another cute pink ruffled suit, sun hat and shades from Target, just like Jay got for his first Easter. They also are getting small toys and Jay has plenty of candy--oh, and this hooded towel from Target. :) Summer here we come!! :)

Jay is sweet and funny these days and busy as a bee. I hear "I CLIIIIIMMMB" many more times than I want to every day. He shouts this as he is climbing on everything in sight as he struggles to keep balance and not get caught. Word to the wise buddy--shouting "I CLIMB" alerts Mommy of your intentions and draws attention, but I really appreciate the heads up as I am moving at a snails pace most of the time.

We put Lizzy's bed up this week (can't you hear Jay shouting as he tries to climb in??) Jay just saw it and said "Lizzy bed." yes, buddy that's Lizzy's bed. It seemed too easy, I am waiting for the moment I find him in it or on it any day now.

The time changed this week and trying to adjust for Jay and re-train his bedtime while 40 weeks preggo is for the birds. The reality is that Mommy and Daddio will be at the hospital all weekend and bedtime will be up to Dede anyway. I'm not going to fight it, we'll work on that later...like in 3 or 6 months when Lizzy has an actual bedtime and it's time to change back again. :) Take that, folks who decided we should change the time back and forth twice a year. Ha. 

Bags are packed, I think Jay is prepared (sort of) for us being away for a few days...and now we wait. This pregnancy has been smooth, fast and a tad more painful (lots of movement from this little gal PLUS everyone says 2nd, 3rd and 4th pregnancies are just more painful than the one before....no one tells you that before you conceive again, by the way). No blood pressure issues this time--a). It's not the middle of summer, b). I'm a full-time mom now instead of a full-time employee of the Alabama Athletic Department, c). I chase a toddler all day--I really don't know the reason, but I am glad for a healthy 40 weeks and continue to pray for a sweet, healthy daughter at the end of the week.

I appreciate your prayers for all of us as we transition from zone coverage to man-to-man defense.

P.S. we also had a fun trip to the Zoo this week to celebrate our cousin Davis' 3rd birthday!

Naptime Project: First Time Bow-Making

While at Hobby Lobby this week I ran across this brochure about bow making. Ribbon was half-off, so I decided I would give it a whirl. If it didn't work out I could always use the ribbon when I make Lizzy's bow holder, so I had nothing to lose.

Here are the results from my first attempt...

 I learned quite a bit by just playing around with these and using the basic instructions from the booklet. No plans to become a professional bow maker, but these will work and I needed these colors for a few outfits we may wear in the hospital and didn't want to wait on having them custom made. I think it's a win.

One note-the pink/purple/white bow is the Triple-Stack bow from the brochure and I used the Xyron to fuse the ribbons together. This bow is pretty heavy due to that step.I think for a tiny baby I would skip the Xyron step and just use single layers at least on the solid colors where the front/back are the same.

19 Months and 37 weeks!

Sounds like a lot, huh?
















Life is so full, busy, take-your-breath-away kind of busy these days, I feel as if this may be my last chance to catch up on things before everything changes.

1. Lizzy is head down and sitting on go this week. We're still 2 weeks and 2 days from our carefully planned c-section, so I hope she's content, although I can't wait to see her precious face and hold her. (oh, and dress her. I still can't believe how adorable little girl clothes are!)

2. Some things I forgot to mention from Jay's 18 month update
-We've ordered new shoes for Spring in a size 9 Wide. He has a little man's foot all of the sudden. It is just crazy.
-We've introduced peanut butter with no issue, so he literally can eat anything and everything now, although it seems that his tolerance of many foods is decreasing instead of increasing.(Ironically, he also tried Salmon patties this week at Dede's and LOVED them. We're on day 3 of leftover Salmon patties, but the kid won't eat mac-n-cheese. Hilarious.)
- He's officially changed daddy's name to "Dally". Dally calls him Dilly, and they are inseparable. We still call Jay Turkey all the time. Thankfully, he'll answer to just about anything.
- We hear a lot of "Uh-oh, I okay!" these days. Anytime he stumbles, trips, falls, or bumps into anything he's shouting "Uh-oh, I okay!" before he really hits the ground. Very entertaining.

3. Potty interest- There really is no rhyme or reason, but some days Jay asks to go to the potty. Actually now he says, "Tee-tee potty candy-candy." I am not actively potty training him nor am I thinking that would be a good idea with our little Lizzy on the way, but when he asks we go sit on the potty and he successfully tee-tees. I bought a clear candy jar, filled with M&Ms and if he goes, he gets candy. Fairly simple. I am not setting timers or asking him, but I did want to reinforce the positive behavior when he shows an interest. That being said, once he goes he will continue to ask every few minutes and go sit on the potty and make himself dribble out a little tinkle just for the candy. I have been letting this go on two or three times then move on to something to distract him. The truth is as pregnant as I am, its really a lot of work to hurry to the potty, undress the bottom half, help him up on the potty, cheer him on, wash hands, give candy, redress and celebrate too many times in a row. It is what it is. :) I hope things remain this positive when training time actually comes (don't ask me when that will be). If Mimi was feeling better, I would go ahead and potty train him now, she's a pro and I do feel like he's pretty much ready; but since she's still sick and won't be here to help I am taking the easy way out and delaying until after we're all set with Lizzy and some sort of "new normal" schedule.

4. I also want to take a moment to remember how lucky we are to have the support of our amazing friends and family these days. To write down just how crazy life has been over the past several months would be altogether overwhelming. For those of you who know us you know we've been through the sale of our home, the move, a quest for the "right" home for our next move and my mom's illness all while preparing to become a family of 4. I cannot say enough about our friends who have been praying with us and for us. I literally have felt God's presence over the last few weeks and have experienced the feeling of being carried through some of these days. There have never been so many unknowns in my life, but I know that all of God's plans are perfect. If you've never been in a situation where God has had to carry you through each day, know that you are blessed beyond measure-but be comforted by the peace of knowing that it really happens, just when you need it and it's a peace that really can't be described.

Speaking of peace, can you believe this little guy?? He looks so full of mischief here. What in the world was he up to?

17...and 18

SO many changes!

Jay's 18 month appointment went great!
36" tall
30 pounds

Can you believe it??

And at 18 months, 2 days Jay graduated to his big boy bed!

Slept "like a baby" (ha!) all night from the very first night. Jay was SO excited to help Daddio put up the bed with his play-tools and once the mattress was in place climbed right up and said "Bed, Bed, Bed" while bouncing around. We spent most of the afternoon in his room making the bed and climbing up and down while playing toys. I hoped he would be really comfortable for the transition and it worked like a dream.

His morning naps are going well in the bed, and afternoon naps had become a struggle in the crib anyway. (Maybe the light at that time of day, this time of year? Maybe our schedule being busier? Maybe the fact that he's 18 months old and no longer needs 2-2hour naps every day??) So, some days we take two naps and some days just one. Its been tough to keep on schedule this week because Jay came down with a bad respiratory virus and hasn't been feeling great coupled with a mid-week trip to Nashville for three days/two nights in a hotel.

The most notable change about this age is Jay's vocabulary. Seriously. He blows me away with all of the things he says/tries to say, what he remembers and little sentences he's stringing together. Just today Daddio and I realized he now has full conversations with you, not repeating what you say but answering and asking questions. I can't believe my ears some days.

His love for trucks, tractors and all things that go Vrrrooom seems to intensify every day. I'm also becoming quite the tractor-spotter myself and have been known to purposely slow down on the interstate so a garbage truck can pass us so Jay can tell me all about it as we ride along. I LOVE IT.

Jay's eating habits have become quite predictable as toddlers go. Lots of chicken nuggets, soup, crackers, goldfish, snack cookies, yogurt, toast and FRUIT FRUIT FRUIT these days. His veggies are down to corn and refried beans mostly, so I promise, once he gets better, we're upping our veggie intake one way or another. While he's been sick I have introduced Fruitables juice boxes because I've been a bit worried about his nutrition this week and trying to cut back on dairy because of the drainage and cough. He still loves water and has enjoyed this little treat of a bit of juice this week. Maybe we'll stick with it, maybe we won't.

I'm just so proud of our busy, big little Turkey these days. He's really been a trooper with the changes we're going through and is the best little buddy I could dream of.


**I've been terrible about taking pictures. It is what it is. Life is happening all around us and is full to say the least.