The Ultimate Back to School Checklist

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Guys, I got kind of silly here and made an ultimate checklist of everything to think of before school starts. I’m really taking this “mental load” idea to heart. Haha.
Enjoy!

Now, you’ll see that I list “Purchase School Supplies” as one of the first things to-do. That’s a given, yes? Chances are your school/teacher has given you a list of specific items your child will need to bring in to school. Therefore, I didn’t include a list of school supplies. But I do want to pose a question, have you ever thought about ordering your school supplies online? Why leave the house with cranky kids in the hot summer when you can just order exactly what you need online and have it delivered to your door? Genius.

Amazon has an entire “Back to School” section on their website. This could also cut down on the amount of time it takes your six-year-old to decide which folders/notebooks/backpacks/lunch boxes they want. I’d like to think I know my kids pretty well and sometimes I think I know them even better than they know themselves.

Does this ever happen to you? You walk into a store knowing that your child has been obsessed with watching Paw Patrol at home every single day, and then they are asked to choose which item they want: the Paw Patrol cup or the Star Wars cup (you know, that movie they’ve never seen) and they choose the item they don’t know anything about!!! My kids do this to me, a lot. But if I just come home with a magical Paw Patrol cup they’ll love it forever and ever. But if I deny them that Star Wars cup in the store, they’ll be bitter with me forever, j/k. I hope not.

Anyway, cut out the decision making for your kids and get them something they’ll like on Amazon, without ever having to show them the other options. Just wait til they get to school and tell you how so-and-so has an awesome Star Wars folder and they don’t. Ha.

Other things to do on the mother-of-all-lists:

Write your child’s name on their belongings.
Make sure your kids’ immunizations and physicals are up to date and that the school has all the records.
Plan a few healthy lunch box ideas that you know your kids will eat and hopefully not trade with other kids at school. Check with the school to see if there are any allergy restrictions.
Confirm Bus Details – Make sure you know when and where your kids will be picked up and dropped off each day. You can ask for the route that the bus will take. Also, a really helpful idea for first-time bus riders, is to request a trial ride around the neighborhood. Our daughter, Evelyn, rode the bus for the first time last year and that trial ride was very helpful. Probably more so for mommy than Evelyn. It was also an opportunity for me to see the booster seats that they used. (Obviously, that doesn’t apply if you have older children on a bus without seat belts.)
Organize! School supplies, homework stations, calendars, and keepsake folders; which will be on the blog next week 😉 You can even make an All About Me printable for your kids’ teachers and a special Back-to-School Time Capsule.
Practice your morning, afternoon, and evening routines, if you can. Not easy to do, especially when you’re savoring those last few days of summer, but it’ll help get you in the groove if you can at least start setting up the morning routine one week before school begins.

Liam's Haircut Before & After — Before & After Liam’s Haircut this week

Haircuts! Turn those summer wildlings into preppy academics with a haircut one to two weeks before school. Make an appointment, because the salons will be booked leading up to back-to-school, and waiting at hair salons is the worst.
Charge your camera! AND clear up the memory space! I am constantly swiping through photos on my phone and trying to delete the fuzzies and blurries in my haste to free up space so I can take more photos of my children in the moment. Then I miss the moment completely! (Please raise your hand if you do this, too, so I’m not alone!) So anyway, I make sure, way in advance–not the morning of–to clear off that memory card (storing the other 1,000 beautiful photos of my children on my computer) and charge the camera/phone (whichever you’re using.)
Take those precious First Day of School Photos and post them on social media so everyone can ooh and aah over your adorable children.

That’s it, folks! Unless I missed something, in which case, comment below and I’ll add it to the list!

Download the pretty, check-able pdf version here: Ultimate Back to School Checklist

Or right-click and save the jpeg below. Have fun getting ready for school!

Oh, and feel free to take Second Day of School pictures, too!

To my mom

When I think about my mom and her true essence, I think of the sea. Not because she loves the sea but because she’s so much like the water. Ever-changing, ever flowing, moving in and out of all of life’s circumstances with strength and grace.

Mother’s Day is not just a day to show appreciation for my mom outwardly but to reflect inwardly on how she’s made me into who I am today. That includes how my mothering has been influenced by her. I know that I’m a worry-wort just like her, and I see her worry about her grandchildren now the same way she worried about my sister and I as kids (and even now, I’m sure.)

But I also know she let me grow on my own, always there to help when I needed her, but never interfering in my exploration of the world.

I hope that one day my children will look back on their childhood and realize not just how much I fretted over every decision I made regarding their childhood and their development, but how much I actively tried to help them grow into strong, kind humans without hovering over them.

I know looking back at pictures of my mom and me I feel a rushing wave of assurance and comfort that only a mother’s love can conjure.

Dear Mom,

Thank you for being my mom and for every moment you’ve devoted to parenting me.

Do more. Oh My Goodness, I’m Turning Thirty!

Did you check out that awesome Ariel birthday cake from my sixth birthday? I so wish I could still have Disney Princess cakes! I digress.

I’m going to be forty!!! In ten years, that is. As I approach my 30th birthday tomorrow, Meg Ryan’s voice from When Harry Met Sally keeps ringing in my ears. I’ve always approached birthdays with excitement and I’ve celebrated that I’ve been blessed with another year of life. But when June hit this year (out of nowhere I might add, I had no idea it was coming up so soon) I was surprised to find that I did not feel ready to celebrate turning thirty. All of a sudden I realized that three decades of my life were over, and I’ll never get that time back. I’ve been looking back over the last thirty years in my mind and trying to figure out what I’d change and what I want the next thirty years to look like.

So I’m making my lists of things to do better or more of or less of or for the first time. I’m also taking stock of just how far I’ve come as a human being.

Evelyn

Liam

Mom Skills

I’m pretty proud of my mom skills most days but parenting better will always be on the list. My children are growing up waaaaaay too fast. They’re not babies anymore. I promise in the next ten years I will finish their baby books. I just want them (the books) to be perfect, but the time really does go by so quickly and I know that pretty soon I may not remember everything as clearly as I’d like. That’s a scary thought in itself.

Read more to Evelyn.
Do more puzzles with Liam.
Give them more grace and patience.
Give myself more grace.
Introduce them to more vegetables.
Be more active with them.
Cuddle with them more.
Help them to be independent, strong, confident, and full of faith.
And on and on it goes…

Health

For years I thought it was “my battle,” but in the last two years, I have had a “healthy-living” enlightenment. I’m fighting for health instead of against myself and my personal demons.

Learn more about good nutrition every day.
Be a nutrition and fitness lover, and be okay with that being a part of my identity. I am not the overweight girl I used to be.
Exercise regularly. For a purpose. Not because I have to, but because I get to.
Stop reaching for a number on the scale. Reach for taking more pictures with my family without being self-conscious.

Self Worth

Value Myself. When I was about 11 years old, there was this very pretty girl, (you know the one,) she was popular and perfect in my eyes (most other girls were, I was the only weird one) and one day at recess I literally went up to her and asked her, “Are you my friend?” Can you believe it! She said yes, and I just didn’t believe her. Somewhere deep within me, I was sure she was lying to spare my poor, fat girl feelings. Maybe she was. Maybe she wasn’t. I’ll never know. But I was so embarrassed by myself that I don’t think I ever spoke to her again. I just could not believe that someone like her could ever be friends with me.

I was a very insecure girl. Over the years as I made new friends my confidence grew, but the insecurities never truly disappeared. Participating in choir and theater in high school gave me a creative outlet and an escape from family troubles.

That little girl is inside me still, full of doubt and insecurity. There is still a piece of me that wants to ask people, “Are you my friend? Do you really like me?”

Find value in my own self-worth.
Learn to appreciate myself and the gifts I have to offer. And offer them.
Be confident despite fear of failure. Or the fear that people won’t like me.
Speak my truths and censor myself less.
Advocate for things that matter to me.
Invest in my relationship with the Lord more. Focus on my faith.
Value my worth as a mother and a wife.

Do More

The sky is the limit. I hope that in the next thirty years I will do more. Go more. See more. Appreciate more. Prioritize better. Follow through. Set goals, achieve goals, repeat. Volunteer more. Help more. Learn more. Forgive more. Love more. Be more open and honest. Share more. Give more. Listen more. Be a better mom. Be a better wife. Focus on my husband, appreciate and value him as my best friend, partner, and other-half, always. Be a better daughter, sister, and friend to others.

Let’s get this party started, Thirty, because before I know it, I’m going to be forty!

P.S. We are half way to Christmas. Woot woot!

A Forgotten Post… About Being a Mom

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Very often I start writing a blog and then I save it as a draft and come back to it later. I’d say 1 out of every 5 blogs I write actually gets posted. I realized that I haven’t posted in a few months and thought it was time to get to it! Low and behold, while skimming through old, unfinished posts I came across one that I titled “I’m a Mom.” Now folks, when I say it’s an old post, I mean it. I wrote it over a year ago. And just like reading an old journal entry it was interesting to see where I was at the time compared to where I am now. I thought it might be interesting to share the old, forgotten post and then follow up on it today.

Without further ado.

“I’m a Mom” – July 2013

For the past three years, essentially since our wedding, we have been getting on a budget, paying down our (my) debts, and becoming adults. You know: starting a family, buying our first house, all those very “grown-up” things. You’d think that being married with two children would make me feel like an adult, but in truth sometimes I still feel too young and ill-prepared to handle being an adult.

I have two children and I am a stay-at-home mom, but the reality that I am someone’s Mommy is still surreal to me. I was given the title the moment she was conceived, and I earned it through nine months and one tough labor and delivery. But while I identify myself as a daughter, sister, wife, friend, musician, and artist, I’m still astounded that I am also a Mom. Even more astounding that I am a mom of two! Perhaps it will hit me when my children call me by name. For now Evelyn calls everyone Dada. That’s not one bit frustrating… I digress.

I am a Mom. And by all means, my age and life choices, I am an adult. I make adult decisions. I have adult responsibilities. I am a role model to my children. I am judged by parents and non-parents alike every time I enter Target or Publix. How will her children behave? Some days passersby marvel at how well behaved my babies are. Other days… Well, let’s not think of those days.

Dave Ramsey calls the stage we are in living like no one else, so that later we can really live like no one else. It means that we are attacking our debt with every dollar we earn. It means we live on less than we make. It means no movies, no dates, no travel, and no unnecessary purchases. It means people look at you funny when you pull out a stack of envelopes filled with cash and choose the one labeled FOOD when you buy groceries. It means saying no to yourself a lot. Every day. But every time I say no, I feel a little bit more like an adult. I know that in three years when we are debt free I will thank myself for saying no and I am so looking forward to that financial freedom.

Present day –

I am a MOM!!! And I feel like it. What a difference a year can make. Both my babies call me mama and it’s the best sound in the world. I have navigated my way through two and half years of dirty diapers, first foods, nap times, playground boo-boos, midnight fevers (and ER trips), MRI’s and numerous Specialists, and come out the other side a much more confident, stronger person. Dare I say it, an adult. There are still days filled with parent-doubt, mom-guilt, and fatigue, but overall I can say that I’ve grown as a human being.

I’ve set a new goal to read one non-fiction book per month for the next year. This month’s book is The 10 Habits of Happy Mothers by Dr. Meg Meeker. The first chapter alone has struck a chord with me. It’s about accepting my value as a mom and understanding my self-worth. We, moms, are in a constant state of worry about our children: their health, their safety, their happiness, and if we are getting it all right as a parent (all the while knowing we are doomed, because there is no way to get it all right. Not to mention that we all have a different perception of what is right.)

It is liberating to read that my value to my children is simply my being with them and not how many words they know or how much organic food they eat. We each have strengths and weaknesses, and as a mom, it’s a relief to know that even if I’m not getting it all right I can still celebrate my strengths as a mom and work on my weaknesses, too. So I want to take a minute to boast. It’s unlike me to do so, so bear with me. It is so easy for me to recognize all the things I wish I did better as a mom, but instead, I want to recognize five things that are important to me as a mom that I feel like I’m doing well with my kids.

1. Schedule – My kids (and I) love a good routine. We have our routine down-pat and we are all happier when we follow our routine. But if we miss a nap… watch out! (Notice I said we.)

2. Reading – My kids love books! I can’t take credit for Evelyn, I think she would read books all day long even if I wasn’t there. But I’m so proud of how excited they get when we read books. It’s the best part of every day.

3. Clean/Messy Ratio – Kids will be kids and that means that messy = fun. That said, I think we’ve been doing a great job of learning to clean up the fun at the end of every day. They’re learning the difference between messy and organized. And why it’s important to stay organized (Evelyn thinks it’s so you can always find the book you want to read. So true, so true.) And I’m learning why it’s important to get messy, to have fun, and laugh more.

4. My nutrition and health – Getting my kids to eat healthy food will probably be an ongoing process for many, many, many years. Some days they do very well, other days it’s PB&J and Mac n’ Cheese. However, I’m proud of the progress I’ve made with my health since my children were born. In the last year and a half (since Liam was born) I’ve lost over 70 pounds. Learning to live a healthy lifestyle doesn’t happen overnight, but because I have two happy children looking up to me every day I’m making huge strides.

5. Memory keeping – I’m doing my best to stay somewhat organized so that my kids will have tons of photos, videos, and books to look back on their wonderful childhood. (This is probably mostly for my sake, though.)

Now I’ll go work on our organic meal plan just to throw it aside and have mac n’ cheese.

What strengths are you proud of as a parent? Comment below and we can empower each other!

Dear Evelyn

Tomorrow you will be six months old. I can’t describe how much you’ve changed my life and how much I’ve learned from you in such a short time.

The day you were born my heart grew three sizes. A new world opened up to me that I’d only dreamed of and imagined before. I’ve watched you grow with amazement, as you’ve tackled each milestone: smiling, staring at objects, reaching for objects, holding up your head, doing push ups, and more.

It’s fascinating to watch you learn new things each day. I’m so proud of you. I love that you giggle when I play with your feet or laugh at me while I sing and dance in the kitchen. I love that the sillier I am, the more you love it.

Six months ago, to the day, I didn’t know how to change a diaper, or nurse, or give an infant medicine, or burp a baby even. I’ve learned that I can survive on one hour naps and that I have more patience in me than I ever thought possible. I never knew I could go so long without a shower (sorry, it’s true). I am now immune to spit-up, drool, snot, urine, and all forms of poop.

I’ve loved watching you discover new foods and I feel extra special because you agree with me – green beans are icky and sweet potatoes are delicious.

Bath time is the best time of day. You absolutely love the water and I can’t wait to get you in a swimming pool.

Your presence in my life has helped me to relearn old life lessons and evaluate what’s important to me and who I want to be as a mom, wife, daughter, friend, and person. You make strive to be more and do more.

Every day with you is a blessing. I look forward to learning new things with you every day for the rest of my life.

Love you Boo-Boo,

Mommy

Evelyn is Five Months Old!

Evelyn is five months old! She is babbling with vowels, can hold her head up on her own, and is very close to rolling over on her own. She loves staring at fans and mirrors. She can be a bit cranky at times and it is still hard to figure out why. She is incredibly sensitive to gas pains and cries nearly every time she farts. Or at least it feels like it to me. We started her on some rice cereal a few weeks ago. It was pretty interesting because she did really well eating and it seemed like she loved the stuff, but when she was finished she would scream forever. We moved on to sweet potatoes and I think she really liked them, i.e. no post meal screaming. This week we tried green beans, which she was okay with, but the smell made me queasy.

So much has happened in the last few months, I know that I won’t be able to update about everything. I’ll try to be brief and concise. In June, we spent a day in Sarasota visiting Evelyn’s great-grandparents and her maternal grandfather. It was about a three hour drive and she slept through most of it and then she spent her first night in a hotel! We had a great time visiting them and seeing the sights of Sarasota. In July we made an even bigger road trip of almost 8 hours to Panama City to visit more great-grandparents, and uncles, aunts, and her six year old cousin. She had a blast, not only did she do really well on the car ride there but she slept well at night and stayed on her nursing schedule! Then we headed to Columbus, Georgia to visit our friends from Bed, Bath, and Beyond and St. Mark’s Methodist Church. It was a very quick weekend but we had a lovely time and I think Evelyn thoroughly enjoyed all the love and attention. In August we made a very short trip up to Daytona Beach so that Evelyn could see the ocean for the very first time. The following picture is one of my all-time-favorites already, it’s priceless.

On July 1, Evelyn and I were baptized at Lakeside United Methodist Church in Sanford. It was a beautiful day and Evelyn did a great job remaining calm throughout the experience. She wore her grandmother’s christening gown. I won’t say how old it is, my mother would kill never forgive me. It was a wonderful experience for us both. I’m so glad that I was able to share that unforgettable moment with her.

We found out a few weeks ago that we are expecting again! I’m currently 11 weeks pregnant and due on March 18th, 2013 (Evy was born March 25th). And, to answer many peoples’ question: we weren’t expecting to expect again so soon, we just got lucky. Who knew that after a year of trying to conceive Evelyn we would be this fortunate again so soon? I would not have known I was pregnant if not for the terrible morning sickness, which is twice as bad this time around. My unscientific hypothesis is that it’s worse because I’m still nursing and therefore have way too many hormones going on. That’s the story I’m sticking with. Boy or girl? I’m guessing it’ll be a boy. Barkley wants a girl so we can reuse Evelyn’s clothes and things, lol.

This last week was pretty monumental in our little world. I joined LA Fitness and started swimming, which was so refreshing. And I went back to work at Hot Pots part-time. The biggest hurdle was allowing Evelyn to stay with strangers at the gym’s kids’ club for an hour while I swam. I was worried she would be fussy the whole time (it can feel like she never stops fussing at home) and instead they said she was a complete angel and didn’t cry once. There were a bunch of kids there and I think she was too interested and fascinated to get bored or cranky. My relief came mostly from knowing that they handed her back to me in one piece. We followed up that experience by leaving her in the nursery at church during the service and she did very well there, too! It was definitely difficult to be away from her so much this week, but at the same time it gave me some much needed relief, exercise, and perspective.

All my love and thanks to everyone for reading and for your support.

Meet Evelyn

To all my family and friends who have been patiently waiting for me to call them and gush about my daughter, I’m sorry if I haven’t called you yet! Needless to say, my days and nights are a little occupied and I haven’t adjusted fully to the major life change. Hopefully, Evelyn and I will be in sync soon and I will get on top of all the things I need to do: including calling you. I hope you understand!

In the meantime, this blog will kind of suffice as an update for everyone on the events of the past two weeks. I started to write a blog shortly before Evelyn was born and I was never able to finish it and post it, so I’ll start by inserting it here and then I’ll update from there!

March 20, 2012 – The Unfinished Blog…

Evelyn is due in almost four weeks, but she really could come at any time now. That’s right. At any moment I could be in agonizing pain that could last an indeterminable amount of time. The emotions involved are indescribable. I’m ready to hold her in my arms, and I’m ready to sleep on my back, because my hips are killing me. (And yes, I throw the word “sleep” out there very casually; I know it won’t come often.) My visit to the doc today revealed that I’m already dilating, and I’ve been having cramps for the last two nights. My guess is she’ll be here in the next two weeks… eeks!

We’re getting fully prepped — as prepped as we possibly can be. The crib is in place, the clothes are washed, the dresser is filled, the diapers are stacked, the bouncer is awaiting its first bounce, the hospital bags are packed, and oh my goodness, what else is there? We went to a Breastfeeding class at the hospital two weeks ago, which was very informative and hopefully will turn out to be very helpful in the long run. We’ll have to wait and see. Tonight we went to an Anesthesia class, which helped calm my nerves a bit about having an epidural. I’m certain already that I don’t have “what it takes” to go through a natural labor. Next week we’re going to a Newborn Care class. I’m incredibly anxious to have the Newborn care class before she arrives. I haven’t changed a diaper since I was fifteen. I’ve never given a baby a sponge bath or cared for an umbilical cord stump. I’m so nervous and so ready to dive in at the same time.

I know I should be wishing that she makes it to the full forty weeks, but I’m more and more anxious to have her here. Barkley has been extremely helpful, including forcing me to relax more often so my feet won’t swell up at the end of every day…

Fair warning: this is a complete description of the events that took place during labor and delivery…

I woke up on Saturday morning, March 24th, at 6 am to find that my water broke. Weirdest sensation ever. Indescribable. An hour later Barkley and I arrived at Altamonte Hospital. Barkley joked on the way in that he was going to tell the front desk that he was there for his tour of The Baby Place (what they call the labor and delivery area) because he never got to take his tour, and then mention on the side that my water broke, too. We were all smiles on the way in.

I was set up with an IV and given antibiotics (routine, if the baby is delivered before the results of my 36-week labs came back,) and then waited patiently for my midwife to arrive at the hospital. I couldn’t eat or drink anything until she showed up and gave me the go ahead to have a slice of raisin bread and some water. After a check of my cervix around 10 am, she found that I wasn’t dilating any further than I had at my doctor’s appointment four days earlier. Since I was not yet in “active labor” she gave me prostaglandin to induce me, followed a few hours later with a Pitocin drip. After the meds, I started having contractions very irregularly. Around 2 in the afternoon I started asking about the epidural. However, my midwife believed that since I still was not in “active” labor that if they administered the epidural it would slow down labor considerably, so she advised against it. Around 3:30, the anesthesiologist came in and said that he had to be in the OR for the rest of the day so they put in the catheter for the epidural but did not give me any medication. For the record, while the epidural was absolutely vital for giving birth (in my case) it was incredibly uncomfortable, terrifying, and painful in itself. Especially when he scraped my spine. That said, I’d do it again.

By 6 pm I was starving so the nurse brought me the nastiest broth I’ve ever had and a purple popsicle, also nasty. I was so hungry that it was worth it. My contractions remained irregular but grew steadily more and more painful and exhausting. By 8 or 9 pm I was asking my midwife about the epidural medication again. I didn’t care if it slowed down labor, I wanted medication as soon as possible. She still advised against it. At 11 pm, a wonderful anesthetist named Stacy, visited me and said that she was concerned that the catheter had been in too long without anything running through it (almost 7 hours) and that she wanted to run a low dose of the epidural just to make sure that it would still work properly when the time came. She saw that I was in a considerable amount of pain and gave me the ability to give myself a “booster” of meds, once every thirty minutes, without telling my midwife. She was a blessing. Immediately I felt a ton of relief, even though it was the lowest dose of medication possible. By 12:15 am, on March 25th now, I managed to fall asleep! At 1:30 am multiple nurses came rushing in the room and had me move on my side because apparently, Evelyn’s heart rate was dropping (they monitor everything from outside the room). Lying on my side helped her out somehow and her heart rate went back up. By 2 am I was 6 cm dilated and the contractions were getting worse again. On top of that Evelyn was pushing on my hips in such a way that I was in excruciating pain. I once again asked for the full epidural, but now Stacy was in the OR. At 4 am, Stacy finally made it back to me, and I was given the full dosage. I was 9 cm dilated. My midwife went across the hall to deliver another baby that had been on the same track with us all day and night. She returned just before 5 am and it was our turn to start pushing. Thank God for the epidural!

Babies are supposed to be born head first with their face down. The normal procedure at this hospital is that upon delivery the dad gets to cut the umbilical cord and then they place the baby on mom’s chest for immediate bonding. In our case, Evelyn came out (at 5:34 am) and surprised my midwife by being face-up. Which, apparently, she wasn’t expecting based on the way her head was tilting. I, of course, had no idea what was happening. My midwife screamed, “Nursery!” then cut the umbilical cord herself, turned and ran Evelyn to the 10 nurses that rushed into the room. I watched from afar as they got her crying and cleaned her up. She was perfectly fine! What felt like thirty minutes later, after getting her first diaper put on by Daddy, she was finally placed in my arms. Best moment ever.

She weighed 6 pounds, 15 ounces and was 20 inches tall. She was three and a half weeks early. The rest is a blur. Over the last two weeks, we’ve been learning how to breastfeed every 2 to 3 hours, which has been a bit of a struggle, but we’re getting better every day. She’s sleeping very well, and I’m sleeping an average of four hours (multiple one-hour naps) every twenty-fours. At her first visit to the pediatrician she was diagnosed with jaundice and we had to supplement her with formula and put her in indirect sunlight for a few hours every day for a few days. Her weight dropped to 6 lbs 5 oz and the doc said that it was a little more than he would’ve liked but as long as she was close to her birth weight by her two-week visit that she would be fine.

Our two-week visit was this last Monday. She passed her exam with flying colors! She surpassed her birth weight at a whopping 7 lbs and 5 oz, and grew an inch! And her jaundice is finally on its way down but she will likely be a little yellow for a few more weeks. It’s hard to fathom how quickly she is learning and developing. I feel like I can’t keep up with her!

20-Week Baby Bump

I finally took an official “Baby Bump Photo!” I’m twenty weeks today, and feeling pretty good. My biggest complaint is heartburn, so that’s not too bad. Besides, everyone says that heartburn means a baby with a full head of hair, so I look forward to seeing if they’re correct!

This will be a short post, I just wanted to put up the new picture. I’ll be posting again next week with big news!

p.s. I’d like to add a little shout out to my husband. It’s no secret that I’ve always wanted to be a mom and how important it was to me to find a loving husband that I thought would be an adoring father, too. But Barkley has surpassed every dream I ever had.

I knew right when I met him that he was amazing, but he continues to surprise me every day with his love. It’s not just how hard he works to support our family; it’s the little things he does like taking me out for ice cream when I’m moody.

Yesterday he came home from a long day’s work and shared with me that he found himself daydreaming about next Christmas, when he and the baby would be able to go Christmas shopping for me. Maybe it’s the extra hormones but that thought just makes me want to cry. How sweet is that? And how did I get so lucky? Just amazing. I’m so grateful for my wonderful husband and I hope he knows it.

I love you, Barkley. You’re going to be an amazing Daddy.