Laundry room organization, fabric....getting ready for baby!

I don't have a picture of my 15 week belly but honestly it looks the same as last week and I am feeling about the same so I am not going to make the effort to take one.

But we did have lots of baby preparation projects going on this weekend! One was searching for bedding/fabric. We started with looking at bedding! We started by going to the traditional stores like Babies R'Us and Target and like I expected baby boy bedding is not as impressive nor do they have as much of a selection as they do for girls. We didn't find anything and so we went the fabric route. We started at Jo Ann's and found some fun bright blue and yellow graphic fabric and were leaning towards that until my mom decided to keep the day going and drive to High Fashion where I fell in LOVE with some fabric! It is brown with white graphic/modern elephants on it! It is so much fun but modern and different. We found some coordinating fabric, some accent color fabric (baby blue) and then a crib sheet to match! I am so excited! We are just waiting to confirm that baby boy #2 is really a boy but once we have our ultrasound on the 19th I will go out and get all the fabric and start sewing away!

The second project was organizing our laundry room. You might be wondering how that relates to baby so here is the story. The baby will be using the study/guest room which means that all my sewing stuff and other stuff that was there needed homes and honestly our laundry room could use extra shelving. When we moved in we had one long shelf and that was it. Not very functional considering the space. So, John added shelving and I was able to put in my fabrics/sewing stuff, clean out the linen closet of the beach towels and put more in the linen closet etc and just have a better space!

It looks so much better!

Next baby project is finding a desk for the master bedroom (I have one in mind but hopefully it is still there when we go this week sometime) and then move out the remaining stuff from the study to our room and then move out furniture etc to the garage so the room is clear and ready to be painted. Still loads of work to do especially when we move everything to the garage and have to sort that mess out but we are making strides and the baby might have a room when he comes!

Rat vs. Rabbit vs. Pig vs. Rooster

So, tonight I took the time to get away and get a pedicure which was much needed and helped tremendously with recovering from the weekend.

Well, of course the lady doing the pedicure asked about my pregnancy and when I was due etc and then proceeded to tell me about the babies Chinese Zodiac sign and then when I told her that I had one at home as well and so she told me about Peyton's sign and how the new baby will be quite different from Peyton.

I looked over my sign, Peyton's, baby #2's and John's and I think that they are all pretty accurate however it is funny/scary that Peyton and baby #2 are listed as incompatible! Hope we survive!

Here it is....

Peyton is the year of the Rat

Occupying the 1st and most prominent position on the Chinese Zodiac, the Rat symbolizes such character traits as wit, imagination and curiosity. Rats have keen observation skills and with those skills they’re able to deduce much about other people and other situations. Overall, Rats are full of energy, talkative and charming but they have a tendency to become aggressive.

Rats are full of good advice but they will never share their troubles with others. They are honest individuals and they enjoy living for the moment. They’re also capable of surviving any situation.

Baby #2 will be the year of the Rabbit

Occupying the 4th position in the Chinese Zodiac, the Rabbit symbolizes such character traits as creativity, compassion, and sensitivity. Rabbits are friendly, outgoing and prefer the company of others. They also prefer to avoid conflict. In confrontational situations, Rabbits approach calmly and with consideration for the other party. Rabbits believe strongly in friends and family and lacking such bonds can lead to emotional issues.

Their serene nature keeps Rabbits from becoming visibly upset. Because they’re serene animals, Rabbits are easily taken advantage of. Their sensitive nature makes them shy away from aggressive or competitive situations. They’re overall conservative and not interested in taking risks.

Classy, sophisticated, expressive, well-mannered and stylish, those born under the Sign of the Rabbit enjoy leaning about cultural issues and learning about people from other countries. Rabbits are most comfortable being home, and their homes are always neat and organized. Home is also where Rabbits prefer to entertain. Rabbits are conservative in their decorating tastes.

And to keep the fun going.....I am a Pig

Occupying the last position in the Chinese Zodiac, the 12th, the Pig symbolizes such character traits as diligence, compassion, and generosity. Pigs enjoy life and because they are entertaining, others enjoy their company. Pigs are giving souls and reap much enjoyment when they’re helping others, but sometimes they give too much. Honesty is what Pigs give and it’s what they expect to receive in return.

Pigs seek peace and will do what is necessary to maintain it. This trait, while admirable, sometimes makes it easy for others to take advantage of Pigs. Pigs are always doing for others, helping anyway they can, but rarely will they ask others for help. This can overwhelm and stress them, but Pigs don’t mind.

When it comes to money, Pigs enjoy spending more than saving. They gravitate towards name brand items. Thriftiness happens only occasionally, but Pigs do know how to find great deals.

John is a Rooster

Occupying the 10th position in the Chinese Zodiac, the Rooster symbolizes such character traits as confidence, pompousness and motivation. Those born under the Chinese Zodiac sign of the Rooster are loyal, trustworthy individuals who are blunt when it comes to offering their opinions. Their bluntness stems not from being mean but from being honest; a trait which Roosters expect from others.

Roosters are extremely sociable and prefer being the center of attention, always bragging about themselves and their accomplishments. They continually seek the unwavering attention of others which can be annoying. Roosters are as proud of their homes as they are of themselves. They’re extremely organized individuals as evidenced by the fact that their homes are always neat.

Rabbits should work at building more self-confidence and self-worth so they can feel more secure. The desire for remaining in safe, comfortable environments keeps Rabbits from taking risks which sometimes causes them to miss out on good opportunities.

Baby #2: 14 weeks

How Far Along: 14 Weeks- WE ARE IN THE SECOND TRIMESTER!

Size of baby: About the size of a lemon

Total Weight Gain: 4 pounds

Gender: 80% it is a boy....find out for sure on October 19th

Movement: I have been feeling some stuff that could be movement but felt a for sure kick tonight! So much fun!

Cravings: Nothing really but I am getting my appetite back and actually wanting to eat. I am only occasionally nauseous and am not vomiting anymore which is great!

Best Moment this week: I have multiple ones!

The first was at my monthly appointment a week ago when I got to hear the heart beat and since Peyton was with me she got to hear it as well. When I asked her later what it sounded like she made a really strange but kind of accurate sound! Also, when the doctor came in asking how the baby was, Peyton lifted up my shirt and proudly pointed to my belly saying, "baby." She wanted to make sure the doctor knew there was a baby in there!

The second was from this weekend. The band at our high school retreat was filled with some married, some not married guys but none of them have children. Well, I guess during a set the keyboard player said to the lead singer while pointing at me, "isn't it awesome that she has a baby growing in her. How cool is God to design it like that." I agree! As much as I hate pregnancy (if you didn't know that, I really do dislike being pregnant, I am not one of those this is a wonderful experience kind of people) I do love seeing this life grow and develop and then be born and it always makes me marvel at how awesome our God is.

Busy Weekend

This past weekend was crazy full!

Friday, Peyton and I did not make it to gymnastics because I didn't want to wake her up again as I had done pretty much every day that week so I decided that I would let her sleep and if we woke up in time we would go but if not it would be fine! She slept in, I slept in and that was for the best given how busy the rest of the weekend was!

I left Friday afternoon for our Mpact weekend which is the fall retreat that we do for the high school students. So, around 184 students, 27 leaders and about 10 support staff all headed up for Carolina Creek Christian Camp in Huntsville, Texas! I left a little earlier than the kids so I could get up there and set up or that was my intention but Houston traffic put me there only a couple of hours before so it was a little crazy! But as tiring as the weekend was, it was so amazing to watch all these students worship God, experience God and be moved, changed and molded into more like His image! It was awesome! We had a great speaker, Joseph Turner from Sojourn Community Church in the Heights area of Houston and an awesome Indie Rock band from Abilene called Words in Windows. And I personally LOVED the staff at Carolina Creek! I know that the students didn't really see all they did but for me, who was doing most of the behind the scenes stuff, they were amazing! They had such joy in serving us and it was an awesome testimony to the power of service and how you really do show God's love by service. They were amazing!

So, Sunday afternoon I headed back home and was exhausted but the weekend was not over at all for me. I rushed home, jumped in the shower, got dressed and out the door in twenty minutes and headed to church for Group Link! We are starting a new adult small group and Group Link (our connection event to get people into group) was that night! John was already up there, I ran in and got set and then started meeting new people interested in group. This was the largest Group Link with just under 500 people looking for a new group!
In the end we ended up with 5 new couples plus John and I and our co-leaders, the Lutz's for a total of 14 people! We are so excited to get to know these new couples, do life with them and grow closer as a biblical community and closer to our Lord! I love seeing how God puts groups together and can't wait to see how His hand was in this new group! As excited as I am.....I will be honest we are a little scared! It is always a nervous feeling when you walk out with these new people entrusted to you by God and by the church....and as John said, "well, now we have to depend on God to somehow mold this group to be fully devoted followers of Christ." Very true!

Finally after Group Link we picked up Peyton from our friends house and I received the biggest hug ever from her. All she kept saying was, "Momma, Momma." I loved it!

I am super tired today and it is raining so we are relaxing on the couch, catching up on blogging, emails and being lazy. We will probably venture out for some groceries this afternoon and but what I am really looking forward to is NAP TIME in approximately 3 hours!

Happy Monday everyone!

Baby #2: 13 Weeks

Today I am 13 weeks...the last week of my first trimester! I am really hoping that like Peyton, this is the week I start feeling better. I haven't been too sick lately and actually am just now battling nauseousness which is better but I would like to start wanting to eat!


Some new things this week was that I made it to the gym! I went and did 30 minutes of cardio and wore my heart rate monitor to make sure we were taking it easy. I have been having problems sleeping and just feeling restless and it helped so much! I am hoping to make it again today after a nap!

I am starting to really stress for some reason about the lack of progress preparing for baby. Maybe it is knowing we are 1/3 of the way through or that a large portion of my pregnancy will be consumed by the holidays which are busy in of itself but I am trying to relax and remember we have tons of time and that we will be fine. But I do have some organization projects that need some attention!

We had a super busy weekend....I hosted a shower yesterday, attended another shower and then we all attended a amazing and successful benefit for John's Aunt Cheryl....so, I have tons more posts to do but for now...I am off for a nap!

Oh BOY!

Yesterday we started our First Trimester screening and got to have an ultrasound of our precious baby and yes the title of this post has a lot to do with what we found out! I was so nervous that how sick I have been and how poor I have eaten would have affected the baby but all is well and our little baby is healthy as can be and just like it should be!

Seeing ultrasounds always reminds John and I both of God's amazing power and detail in our lives. What I loved most about yesterday was how much it corresponded with what Peyton has been learning at church. This week they were learning how God Knows You and we were to read Psalm 139 this week and talk about God forming them in Mommy's belly and talk about how she was born. Peyton and I just read Psalm 139 the day before and all throughout the ultrasound I was reciting pieces in my head, specifically, verses 13-16,

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

I loved being able to come home and explain that God knew her before she was even formed in my womb and that God knows and loves this baby. I don't know how much she got because all I got was baby...point to belly....but I love that I was able to try to explain God's deep love for us and magnificent power.

Back to the ultrasound....I loved hearing the heart beat (155 bpm), seeing the blood flow through the body, see a strong and good placenta and just see the baby move, kick and be like God has designed it to be! I am so beyond blessed and so thankful for another healthy baby on the way!

Some big news of the day was when the technician asked if we wanted to try and see what the gender was. With Peyton they said they wouldn't try so we were not expecting that question. She tried and tried to get the baby to move and finally it did and she said there is an 80% chance it is a BOY! We will know for sure in 6 weeks when I go back October 19th but for now they are pretty confident on boy, there was defiantly a placenta and then something else in a different area! Crazy! So, I am a little freaked out because I am the oldest of three girls and know NOTHING about boys expect what I have learned since being married but I guess that is how John felt being the oldest of three boys and having Peyton! I am very excited for the much anticipated boy and I think Peyton will do amazing with a brother!

I had some blood work done (which was awful...I hate needles but have awesome veins apparently but this time she missed and had to dig around and then redo it...I cried) and then will be back in 5 weeks for more blood work (fun) and 6 for the ultrasound. This is all to check on any genetic disorders, Down Syndrome and just make sure everything is growing like it should so we can be prepared if it isn't. So far everything looks perfect though especially since today was mostly looking for any early indications of Down Syndrome. The next one is to look for any issues with anatomy/development.

And...by the way I am super excited that this babies profile picture looks NOTHING like Peyton's....maybe this one will look like me a little bit or maybe I am just hoping...ha ha ha!

Pictures in the Park

This morning I took advantage of John being off of work and took Peyton to try and get some fun pictures of her now that she is two!

Well, pregnant mommy had a really hard time keeping up with her, staying ahead of her and having enough energy to capture shots of a two year old while paying attention to lighting. I got some decent shots but will be planning another shoot soon (when it is cooler so maybe more like November) to get some more and maybe some editing will help with a bunch of the ones I did get. Peyton was a trooper but as you can see from her red cheeks was getting warm and tired like mommy!

Baby #2: 12 Weeks

I am 12 weeks today and praying hard that I start feeling better in these next couple of weeks! I am tired of being sick! Ugh!

I finally did a picture and I didn't think I was that much bigger than I was with Peyton but John as nicely as he could said I was a lot more noticeable than last time and even asked if I was sure they didn't see two in there. Hmmmm....

Here are the comparisons and you can decide and keep your opinion to yourself (if you think I am a whole lot bigger)!

Here are the pregnancy stats as of now....

How Far Along: 12 Weeks

Size of baby: About the size of a lime

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 1.5 lbs (but by looking it's more like a whole lot more)

Maternity Clothes: Not yet...still getting by with doing the whole Belly Band/pants undone but not for much longer

Gender: Should find out in about 5-6 weeks

Movement: Not yet

Sleep: I am not sleeping well which is weird, I am not uncomfortable just restless!

What I miss: Food...eating....not throwing up!

Cravings: None at all because everything is disgusting to me. Food in general is my craving!

Symptoms: I'm still sick all day every day and even my new B6 vitamins help reduce the sickness but not completely.

Best Moment this week: When I told Peyton I loved her and she was my baby she told me, "NO," lifted up my shirt, pointed to my belly and said "baby" and then giving the baby a kiss. When I asked her if Daddy had a baby she very strongly told me NO!

Anyways, we are super excited to have an ultrasound on Tuesday! I can't wait to see the little baby and see how much it has grown and just hear that it is healthy! Please pray for a healthy baby and that the doctors see whatever they need to!

Birthday Skirt

One of Peyton's friends gave her an adorable hand made skirt (well, his mom made it)! It was such pretty colors and looked adorable on her when we went to church this morning. Thank you to Sarah at My Spare Time! I love that she made her son model the skirt to ensure it would fit and I love even more that it fit her 8 month son and was just a little loose on Peyton but it fit!

Check her site out, she makes beautiful baby quilts (I might have to commission her to make one for our nursery since I am probably making a majority of the bedding/curtains etc but don't have enough skill for a quilt).

Seeing how cute it was kind of made me want to try to make one but I should probably finish lining her curtains, making the bed skirt, sewing together the duvet for her room and the pillow case dress that I have fabric/supplies for. Hopefully I will get that second trimester energy/nesting and get to work!

Thanks Sarah and Ben for a cute skirt! She looked adorable and got lots of compliments!

A Shrek-tacular birthday!

We had a wonderful time celebrating Peyton's birthday today and we had a Shrek-tacular time with friends and family and felt so blessed to have so many people we love and have been such a support and encouragement to us during these past two years celebrating Peyton with us!

I had such a hard time coming up with a theme for her party, we started many months ago with Elmo, then went to Curious George and then settled with Shrek although she might a little more into Toy Story now! Such a kid!

So, I ran with the Shrek theme and was surprised how hard it was to find ideas and party goods but we worked hard and I was really pleased with how it all came together! The main colors were brown, green and then pops of aqua with the table cloths and some balloons. I am glad I went with the aqua because it helped the green and brown pop.

Of course the main way to incorporate a Shrek theme is in the food choices and names, I really took time to come up with various foods and name them and then made labels this week for them. We had: Leeches on a Log (celery sticks with peanut butter and raisins), Swamp Sticks (pretzel sticks), Princess Fiona Fruit, Worms in Dirt (two kinds of pudding with gummy worms), Donkey Droppings (chocolate rice krispie treats rolled into balls), Puss in Boots Kitty Chow (Chex Mix) and then pizza...Weed Rat Pizza (chicken), Ear Wax (cheese) and Pimple Pepperoni. I also had Swamp Scum (green kool-aid with gingerale) but forgot to take pictures of it!

Some other touches was our centerpiece of onions because Shrek claims that Ogres are like onions, they have layers. We also had Shrek ears for the kids to wear to be an Ogre for a day!

I had some other ideas I wanted to do but being pregnant and so sick cut into my planning energy so I had to nix some ideas like my, "Beware of Ogre" signs outside.

Here is the birthday girl waiting for her friends. She desperately wanted some balloons and I told her she couldn't have them until her friends came, we had the party and they left! So she was wanting them to hurry up!

A family of Ogres all ready to party! Peyton was not too happy and it was hard to get a good picture of all three of us.

One of the cutest party guests! I love him!

As our activity for the kids, I set up the table to make Gingy from the movie! They had gum drops, icing and sprinkles and sugar cookies cut out like gingerbread men. We originally intended to do actual gingerbread men but the dough and molasses made me sick causing me to throw away the first batch, John attempted the second batch and I got sick just smelling it so this morning I threw together a batch of sugar cookies and it worked out great. I think the kids liked the taste of them better anyways!

I had a very hard time determining a cake for the party because I didn't want to pay a fortune for a custom Shrek face or something elaborate and decided to go with green and brown with polka dots to add a girly touch. I ordered it from Kroger and was super pleased with how it looked! It was just what I wanted!

Last year Peyton cried when we sang to hear but this year she LOVED the attention and smiled...she occasionally hide her face but overall loved it and even clapped and cheered for everyone. She also did a great job blowing out her candles. Whenever she has hot food I ask her to help me blow our wind on it so I told her the same thing and she did great!

She was super ready to eat cake and when we were done tried to stick her hands in it! I managed to quickly stop her and got it cut. She ate it up and surprisingly didn't finish it!

Then it was present time and she was super happy! I don't have any pictures of that but Uncle Shawn got some so I will add them when I get them. She did great opening, occasionally saying thank you! She was on a roll until she opened a Veggie Tales movie and wanted to watch it NOW! We managed to divert with telling her to look under the present table for the present we got her...a Radio Flyer tricycle. It worked, I hid the DVD and we were good! She was a very spoiled little girl and got tons of nice gifts!

One of the last gifts was a University of Texas cheerleader outfit and as soon as she opened it she insisted to put it on and starting to take off her dress. So, she got naked, changed clothes in the middle of her party. I can't wait to get those pictures and show her when she is older! It was super funny and I loved it! Such a Peyton move! I want this on now and I don't care how it will happen!

We had a wonderful party and a wonderful birthday! I am so thankful that God blessed us with the opportunity to be parents to this precious little girl. I continue to pray for wisdom and guidance to help raise her into the woman that God has destined her to be and so excited to see what this year has in store and see her grow into the role of Big Sister! Peyton, we love you so much and hope you had a wonderful birthday!

As you can see, we had one very tired birthday girl afterwards! We let her watch her new Veggie Tales movie while we cleaned up so she could start to unwind for nap time then the whole family had nap time, watched the Texas game and just relaxed and played with our new toys!

Happy Birthday Peyton Pumpkin!

New School and Pregnancy Brain

Two random and completely unrelated posts but here they are... Peyton started her new school this week at our church and she did amazing! The first day she just gave me a kiss, ran on in and apparently did great! The second day she was equally excited and ran into the school from the car and kept trying to say Pee Wee (the name of her school) the whole way there!

On the first day...I LOVED that our day started off with thunderstorms and rain at home and when we go to the church, the sky had cleared and there was a perfect, full rainbow over the church! I know it meant a whole lot more to me than to Peyton and I was almost in tears (probably due to being pregnant). I have been so nervous about switching schools, the change for her and whether this was the right thing and to see that was a reminder that her getting into Pee Wee School only a couple of weeks before school after being on the waitlist was God orchestrated! It was a nice morning and even better was that I only had to walk upstairs to go to work was pretty sweet!
Now onto the pregnancy part of life....I am LOSING my mind! Seriously, I can't remember anything it seems. Here is a summary of my absent mind-ness...at least what I can remember!

• Making baked Ziti...say to myself, one teaspoon of nutmeg...put in one tablespoon of cinnamon and didn't realize until we started eating! Sweet John didn't say anything until I brought it up and kept eating!
  
• Went to change Peyton's diaper....no more diapers! Found one in my purse but seriously, I have never gotten to that point. I have a system where there is always one extra box in the closet and when we open that I go and buy one. Must have forgotten that I opened the box and forgot to buy another one.
  
• Going to the grocery store....bought diapers because we didn't have any....right? Only to come home and be told that we bought some yesterday.
• Grocery store again....excited to see dog food on sale and you get a $5 Target gift card for buying...pick some up. Come home, John looks at food and says, "you bought Titus the wrong food," not like he hasn't been eating the same stuff for 5 years! At least the bag was the same color!
• Grocery store again....I think we should stop sending the pregnant lady grocery shopping! Besides the forgotting everything or messing up stuff, I come home with three times the stuff on my list because when I pass something it sounds like I might like it, only to find out when I come home that I don't want to eat anything! Anyways...I went to pick up whole bean coffee for John....got whole bean coffee but DECAF! I tried to play the excuse of the label wasn't clear but John stated that the bright green label in the largest font on the package was hard to read. The next morning I looked at it and had to agree.
• I came home...again from the store, with new razors. I told John that I got him green ones this time as the last time he had to have pink disposable razors because they were on sale. John looked at me and asked why I bought more razors when we still have two bags? I told him we didn't because I looked for a hour the other day for one and they were nowhere to be found. Then he told me that I moved them to a different place in the bathroom because it made more sense....hmmm....forgot about that and apparently it doesn't make more sense!
• I am sure there are more but I am no longer keeping track or remember!

Other pregnancy stuff...I am pretty noticeable now! I feel like I am huge but John says I am not too far off from what I looked like with Peyton. I will start taking pictures this week since I started with Peyton at 12 weeks. Currently I think I look more like I did with Peyton at 15 weeks so I am about three weeks ahead in terms of the baby pouch but at least I really didn't have long at the akward...is she pregnant? phase!

One thing I learned this time around is that molasses is not a pregnant girls friend! I was trying to make gingerbread men for Peyton's birthday party tomorrow (it is Shrek themed and we are decorating our own "Gingy" like the gingerbread man from the movie) and as soon as I opened the molasses I almost lost it. I tried working through the recipe and just had to throw it out half way through because I couldn't take it. Then tonight my wonderful husband is making it for me and I had to hide out in our room because the smell is too much for me!

Well, off to bed as we have a super busy and exciting day tomorrow! It is precious Peyton's SECOND birthday! I am still in shock and I am sure super emotional pregnant me will cry lots tomorrow that my sweet little baby is now such a big girl in comparison. Great...already getting teary eyed! I love the little strong willed, opinionated, silly, dare devil, fire cracker, sweet and loving girl she has become! Anyways more on my adorable little girl tomorrow and all the details from her Shrek-tacular birthday!