30 Days- Day 18- My biggest insecurity

Day 18- Post a picture of your biggest insecurity

Stretch marks!  This is not a picture of my tummy, but this is an example of what mine look/looked like.  They have faded a lot by now so they are not nearly so dark, but they are still quite unattractive.  The whole tummy region is just NOT what it used to be, but I feel like that's generally to be expected after having a baby- especially when you have such a short torso like I do.  I can deal with my new tummy... Brennan is worth it!

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30 Days- Day 17

Day 17- Post a picture of someone who has made a huge impact on your life recently

Ok... so as you can see this is a tiny little baby!  Unfortunately, I do not have a picture yet of the baby that's currently in my belly so instead I posted a picture of their brother.  I think they probably looked pretty much the same at 8 weeks anyway!  Baby #2 has made a huge impact on me.  I've been sick, uncomfortable, and a bit stressed out while being happy, anxious, and excited at the same time.  Funny how such a tiny person can make such a big impact!  I'll be able to post an ultrasound picture on September 6th, when I have my first ultrasound.  I'll be around 11 weeks at that point (and we'll get a better idea from the size of the baby) so it will be fun to see.  Ironically, September 6th will mark the 9th anniversary of Ryan and my first date which happened back in 2002!



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Brennan's new accomplishments!

Boy, has Brennan grown up a lot since my last 'B' update.  I thought it would be fun to share a few of his new developments. 

1. Brennan now follows up every high five with a fist bump or two.... we have yet to get him to 'blow it up', though.
2. Brennan says and waves bye bye.
3. He can say a few words clear as a bell including "Emmy" (that's our dog), "Mama", "Daddy", "Owie", "All done", and "Bottle".  There are many more that only we would understand!
4. Brennan's kisses aren't sloppy anymore and they make that adorable "Mmwah" sound.  I get hundreds of kisses on my face, arms and legs everyday. 
5. He also blows kisses now, too!  It is one of his newer tricks, so the look on his face when he does it is just priceless.
6. Brennan has turned into a monkey.... Actually, he's always been a monkey, but now he's just much stronger.  I need to keep a close eye on him or I'll find him standing on a stool or in the middle of a table.  Luckily he still stays in his crib and hasn't found an escape route yet!
7. Brennan loves "Wheel of Fortune"... I guess we'll have a little man with a big vocabulary.
8. He can now stack his 'big lego' blocks really well!  It's so fun to see how he's got that toy figured out.
9. He isn't extremely far off from 'real' potty training.  Lately, whenever we take his diaper off, he makes a break for it and tries (emphasis on tries- sometimes Mommy just isn't fast enough) to pee somewhere before the dry diaper goes on.  A couple of times that somewhere has been his little potty!
10. Brennan has an insane arm for a baby!  I think he's definitely going to be a baseball pitcher.  I can personally attest to the speed at which he throws things.  I've been hit in the face with wooden blocks.... they come at me awfully quickly!

Well, those are just a few of Brennan's new skills.  I bet I could write one of these a week!  They sure learn stuff fast at this age! 

Oh!  And I wanted to let everyone know that I'm going to be doing another review and giveaway really soon!  It is for a fabulous little Etsy shop and you'll have a chance to win one of any of the crocheted hats she sells in her store!  It's a great giveaway!

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30 Days- Day 16

Day 16- Post a picture of someone who inspires you

This is Faith.

Faith is an almost 9 year old lab/chow mix and as you can see, she has only 2 legs.  Faith was born this way, a stay, and because of it, was even rejected by her own mother.  After being rescued, Faith needed to be carried at first, but with lots of time, practice, and peanut butter, Faith incredibly learned to walk on her hind legs!  Now Faith has become an inspiration to millions of people.  She and her owner, Jude, travel around the country giving people hope and 'faith'. They have been to countless Veteran's hospitals to cheer injured soldiers and to military bases to inspire soldiers about deploy or just coming home. 

Faith is a stunning example of how we should all try to make the best out of a crappy situation.  It is a lesson that we should reteach ourselves everyday.  Even against huge adversity, Faith thrives.  She is really an incredible animal who deserves a ton of respect and admiration.  That being said, lets not forget who made this remarkable recovery possible in the first place- Reuben and Jude Stringfellow, who saved her from what would most likely been a short life and miserable death and taught her to walk, giving her a purpose in life.  This story really gets to me and I think we can take something really important from it. 

To read the entire story about Faith, which includes a few more pictures, check out this article: Faith Walks.



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Our Little Family is Growing- Take 2!

Hi, everybody!

It's for real this time!  Last time I posted a blog with this title I had everyone thinking I was pregnant!  Well..... now I am! :)

It became official when we found out on July 20th.  I was 3 weeks and 4 days along.  As of today, I am 7 weeks, so it is still early, but we're very excited.  We are due on March 31st.  In this picture, I am wearing one of my maternity shirts from my pregnancy with Brennan.  My mother-in-law made it.  It says, "Due in March".  I didn't think I'd get lucky enough to get to wear it again!

I've already been battling morning sickness for a couple of weeks,  with a couple days being terrible, so I can't wait to have that 'joy' of pregnancy over.  With Brennan, I had morning sickness for the ENTIRE pregnancy.  The doctor ended up starting me on a combination of Vitamin B6 and Unisom to combat my severe sickness.  It helped immensely.  I've been taking it this time around, too, but it didn't seem to be doing the trick.  Now my midwife has started me on Zyrtec and B6 instead, and the last two days have been better.  The mornings have still been a little rough, but the afternoons have been wonderful!  I hope the mornings keep improving.

I have my first prenatal appointment on August 16th and I can't wait.  For this pregnancy I'm going to see a midwife at a nearby hospital that does VBACs.  She also does waterbirths!  I'm hoping to have a much smoother labor and delivery, and if all goes well, maybe I'll be able to have a natural waterbirth!  Wow!

We're hoping for a girl this time, although I'll be happy with either a boy or girl!  I'd also love to say that Brennan is very excited about becoming a big brother, but honestly, he is clueless and I expect him to remain that way until I'm holding a new baby that just doesn't go 'home'!  I'm sure he'll be a good big bro after the adjustment period.

I'll keep you all posted!  As always, I appreciate any thoughts and prayers for a healthy, and hopefully very enjoyable pregnancy!

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30 Days- Day 15

Day 15- Post a picture of something you want to do before you die.

Before I die, I'd like to see a lot more of our amazing planet.  There are so many unique and beautiful places and hundreds or thousands of different cultures we can learn about!  I think it would be neat to see what else is out there- beyond our little bubble that we're so accustomed to.  I'd especially like to see Australia!



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30 Days- Day 14

Post a picture of someone you could never imagine your life without.

There are a lot of people I can't imagine not having in my life, but Brennan probably stands out the most.  My life has changed so much since having Brennan a year and a half ago!  I definitely have many more responsibilites than I used to, including always having someone else to put first.  But it is worth it.  All of the hugs and the kisses make every moment worth it.  I love my little guy so much.  He makes me smile every single day and every day he learns something new that makes me proud.  My world really relvolves around him and I can't imagine my life without him anymore!



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30 Days- Day 13

Day 13- Post a picture of your favorite band or artist.

I guess I'd have to say that Faith Hill and Tim McGraw are my 'forever' favorites, but my new/up-and-coming favorites are probably The Band Perry.  It's a hard question, though.  I like all sorts of music.  For example, I really like Green Day.  But for the most part, I'm a country girl.  Anyway, Tim and Faith are both super talented singers and actors... they are so multi-talented.  I think they are a couple of the very few famous couples that are actually 'truly' in love.  They seem to be loyal to eachother and treat eachother well.  They live as normal a life as possible with their three daughters and I think they are genuinely kind people.

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30 Days-Day 12

Day 12- Post a picture of something you love.

Alright... so the Internet is really a hard thing to post a picture of, but you get the idea.  I really love the Internet!  I've always been a naturally curious person, so whenever I wonder about something or think of a question I need answers to, I'm on the Internet and Googling it.  I love the fact that you can find or do almost anything Online.  I love that you can connect with people from around the globe in the blink of an eye.  I understand the general concept of the Internet, but how it all ACTUALLY works is beyond me- mind boggling!



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30 Days- Day 11

Day 11- Post a picture of something you hate.

Wow!  This is soooo the easiest day so far!  I'm petrified of needles.  I hate shots and blood draws and avoid them like the plague.  I need to use a numbing cream on myself before having any needle procedures done to prevent me from kicking the nurse or technician trying to stab me.  My parents/husband have had to hold me down in the past during needle procedures.  It's a darn good thing I'm not a diabetic!  You may wonder how I possibly made it through having a child with such an irrational fear.  Let me tell you, it wasn't easy!  There were a lot of tears and dread involved before tests, but by the end, I had definitely improved, mostly thanks to my amazing numbing cream, my sympathetic and understanding husband, and very patient and nice doctors and phlebotomists.  Here's a word to shudder at and love at the same time: epidural.



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30 Days- Day 10

Day 10- Post a picture of the person you do the most messed up things with.



This is my little sister, Haley.  I don't think I do a ton of 'messed up' things nowadays, but I defintely used to.  When we were growing up, Haley was the one by my side doing even more messed up things than me.  We used to make up ridiculous songs (Haley, you know the one I'm specifically talking about, but it doesn't really need mentioning...) and dances.  We'd do things to make absolute fools of ourselves.  We'd even have stupid nicknames for eachother.  I remember going for quite a while just calling eachother 'Clyde'.  Childhood was awfully fun with Haley around, especially when she wasn't beating up on me!  That's right.  Haley liked to lay a good beat-down on me and for the longest time she got away with it since she is five years younger than me- that is, until Mom caught on.    But now and then her over-aggressive attitude paid off.  I specifically remember her telling off a much older boy at the McDonald's play place when he wouldn't let me through the entrance.  She got right up in his face (at probably 3 or 4 years old), looked him right in the eye with an intimidating scowl and warned him, "YOU LEAVE MY SISTER ALONE!"  He took off so fast!  She's really something!

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Wordless Wednesday #11

Priceless expressions...

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30 Days- Day 9

Day 9- Post a picture of the person who has gotten you through the most.



This category is also hard for me!  It is really a toss up between Ryan and my Mom.  My Mom helped me get through the huge adjustment of going from a parochial school to high school.  She helped me cope when Ryan left for his first year of college and we had to start a long distance relationship.  She was there for me during all of the ups and downs of high school.  The biggest thing she has helped me through was my miscarriage.  Ryan and Mom both were such huge sources of support during what was probably the most painful and difficult time of my life.

Ryan helped me transition from living at home to moving away, which was so hard for me.  He has supported me in my decisions to go back to school and then to stay home with Brennan.  And speaking of Brennan, Ryan helped me through the horrible weeks of morning sickness I had and helped me recover after my c-section.  There is so much more that they both have done for me that I haven't even mentioned!

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30 Days- Day 8

Day 8- Post a picture that makes you laugh.



This picture makes me laugh!  Enough said!

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