Oh what a year it's been! So much has happened since January 2011, and so much was unknown to us at that time. We have both gotten new jobs, had a sweet little baby boy, and moved - not in that order, but almost! It's been a whirlwind, with moving literally one week after Henry's birth. We could not have done it without our family, there is no doubt, but all the glory goes to God, who has been so faithful to us, to provide every need and even desire of our hearts this year! I remember thinking how on earth is everything going to fall into place? But it has, it truly has, and I am so thankful.

So looking ahead to 2012 - Henry will be celebrating his first birthday in May, and Abbie will be turning four! Wes and I will celebrate 12 years of marriage, and then Abbie will start pre-K in the fall....and I'm sure we'll go on some vacations here and there, the first one being a trip for me and the kids to Florida. We will try to sell our house (again) in NC, and probably renew our rental contract on the house here in Atlanta.

It's been a great year for our family, and I hope it's been for yours as well. Happy 2012 everyone!

Checking In

Now before we go any further, this post is not going to be me "checking in" with you all, my readers, all 2 of them ( : Nope, it's about Facebook, and "Checking in". You know, the posts you see from someone's smart phone that says "So and So checked in at So and So with So and So". It's taken me a while to get used to these posts from my Facebook friends. I have to admit there have been times when I've seen them and been a little upset, jealous, whatever you want to call it, like wait a minute, she's where with who? And why wasn't I invited? I mean, if I had this function on my phone and used it, I think I might be a little cautious sometimes to check in certain places because I wouldn't want someone to feel left out - you know what I mean? But really, what I wanted to say, was HOLY MOLY, I have this friend on Facebook that I'm considering de-friending, one because to be honest, when he sent me a friend request I had no idea who he was, and had to look at our mutual friends to even somewhat remember him, and two, well he's getting a little out of hand with this whole checking in thing. Yesterday, I guess he was on a trip from Chattanooga to Atlanta. How did I know this? Well, he checked in at every possible place he could, from the BP station to scenic overlooks!! I mean really? There were like 10 places in a period of about two hours. I like knowing where people are sometimes - like I said, I've gotten used to it, but that is ridiculous! I really don't want to be unkind, but why would someone check in at every stop? Ok, I just had to vent a minute about this. I know some days I feel like I'm addicted to Facebook, and maybe I do have a slight problem - I like it, what can I say. But please tell me if I'm an annoying Facebook friend -like I tell you how many times I go to the bathroom a day, or when I'm grocery shopping at Publix, and what aisle I'm on. Ahhh, modern technology. Sometimes it can provide a little too much information into our private lives, wouldn't you agree??

I need to tell you this humorous story before I forget. I think I blogged last time about how the pediatrician told me the reason Henry was waking up (most likely, because we can't really know for sure) was not because he was hungry but because I was feeding him when he did wake up. So about a week or so ago, I got brave and decided to try not to feed him when he woke. Well, he woke up a little earlier than usual, around 11pm, so I really knew there was no way he could be hungry, but anyways, that's besides the point. I went up to his room, and resisting the urge to pick him up, patted him on the back a few times and said "It's ok, Henry, Mommy's here." Well he didn't stop crying. So I walked away for a minute or so and tried again. Still crying. About a minute later, I hear Wes coming up the stairs. He comes in and asks me what I'm doing (not in bad way). I explained to him that I was just trying to see if Henry would go back to sleep without me feeding him. Henry is still crying at this point, and getting more and more mad. Then Wes says maybe he should just pick him up and rock him a little bit. I knew that was the end of my experiment right there....Wes rocked him, he continued to cry, I went downstairs, came back up, and Wes said he couldn't handle it, that he wanted me to just feed him...so I did. And that is our version of "sleep training". The end.

It's Sunday, which means normally we'd be at church about now, but because our lives have been in serious overdrive lately, we decided to take a day off. Well, let's be honest, sometimes we take a lot of days off from church. But I'm happy we've found one at least! We really do like Vinings Lake here in Smyrna, so I'm thankful. Now if we could just meet some people...

Why have things been so crazy, you ask? Well maybe it's because we have TWO kids, I know, I know, it's really not that many, but I can tell you it's probably going to be enough for us! And then we both work outside of the house, and then there's Wes' travelling on top of it, and then there's just everyday life. Some days I'm really not sure how I get out of the house with all my clothes on, seriously. It's like my friend Kelly said recently, her brain feels like swiss cheese! Me too Kell, me too!! Take for example the fact that I booked my Gram a flight recently from Pensacola instead of Panama City Beach, and it never even crossed my mind until she called from Panama City airport and said they didn't even have AirTran there. Bless her heart - I felt terrible! So we proceeded to drive and meet halfway the next day instead. She hates to fly anyways....

So Henry is well into his sixth month, and what a sweet boy he is! He still isn't sleeping the greatest, which I was basically told by my pediatrician that it was because I was feeding him when he woke up (duh!) so if I wanted him to sleep through the night, which he totally can according to her, I would need to sort of let him cry. I'm working on getting myself ready to do that....we'll see when or if it actually happens. But anyways, he's sitting up now, and reaching forward to try to get on all fours, and if there's something in front of him he acts like he wants to pull up on it. But I think we have about another month before he actually crawls...And at his 6 month appointment he weighed in at 18 lbs even.

Let's start and end on a positive note with Abbie. She is doing great with Henry. Just great. She really doesn't seem to be jealous at all of him still - if she is she certainly doesn't take it out on him. But we've had a lot of behavior issues with her lately. Just whining and crying and sometimes even throwing an all out fit if she doesn't get her way. It's been rough, there's been some spanking (well actually lots) but I am going to be trying some new ways to discipline, because for me I feel like I get angrier when I spank her, which is not good...On a positive note, she is learning so much in school and it amazes me what she can do. She is so good at art - she loves to paint and color and draw - and she really can be sweet a lot of the time too. We just have to stick to it with her and continue to love her and give her forgiveness for being (and acting!) like a three year old!! That was one thing I read recently from Dr. James Dobson- that we must offer our kids lots of love and forgiveness. I loved that!

I must go, Henry is waking up from his morning nap, but I hope everyone out there has a very happy Thanksgiving!!

A and H

They are different - yet in some small ways, the same.

The first difference that comes to mind is size - Henry, just shy of 5 months now, is fully into 6 month clothes, and is already wearing 9 month sizes. I'm pretty sure that Abbie at this age was still wearing 0-3 months - and even now, when 3T is "her size" supposedly, she still has pants that just fall off of her. Point is I've always been able to get a lot of wear out of Abbie's clothes - but not so much with Henry!

Another difference - Comfort when upset. If Abbie were ever upset when she was a baby, nursing would always help - she would latch on and immediately calm down. Not so much with Henry, and he has been like this since he was just a few weeks old. If he's not hungry, he really is not interested in eating. If he's screaming his head off, like he was tonight, he's not going to latch on and be comforted. I can't decide if this is a good or bad thing yet, just different.

Difference #3 - Sleeping. Abbie used to stay up until about 8 or 9 at Henry's age, and wake up once a night to eat. If she woke up before, we had to go in and rock her or give her the paci. Henry is done for the day by about 7, and sometimes if he wakes up in the middle of the night, if he's not hungry, he'll just put himself back to sleep. AND he does not really take a paci (#4). Sometimes he will just to go off to sleep for a nap, but he spits it out pretty quick and doesn't ever need it again. And at night, he doesn't take it at all. I think for now this is a good thing - I like that I am not constantly running around looking for paci's and going in there and giving it to him....

About the only similarity (that I can think of right this second)is that neither one want to sit still. Henry will not sit still for nothing, and I remember Abbie being very similar. He always wants to be rolling around or entertained somehow.

I love, love, love both these kids and love watching them change and grow and develop their own unique personalities! It's truly a miracle, the way God made us all!

Fall Update!

Well, life is just plugging along for us here in Atlanta - Henry is almost 5 months old now, and I haven't even done his 4-month update! We've been to Boston, Hilton Head, and next weekend will be our first camping trip with the kids.

So at 4months, Henry was 15lbs, 10oz.(75th percentile). And I can't recall his exact measurements for height and head circumference, but he was in the 75th percentile for both of those as well! He is a BIG boy - I told Wes last night he is going to have to start walking soon because I can't keep carrying him around! I seriously have callouses on my hands from carrying him in his carseat! I forgot how heavy those things were!

He has just started baby foods in the last couple weeks too - to my delight his pediatrician said we could go ahead and start him -so he is getting used to that. I think his stomach is still adjusting, but overall he does pretty well. His favorite so far is pears. Not a fan of carrots...

He is rolling all over the place, and even scooting almost. I think we are going to have a crawler before too much longer! He laughs a lot now, and loves loves loves Abbie and Wes so much! He gets so excited when they talk to him and just pay him any attention (which hardly ever happens of course!)

His hair is dark and his eyes are a dark green - I'm still not sure if they will be brown or not - but they sure are pretty right now. His smile is the cutest thing you've ever seen, and he's still a complete twin of Wes.

Now for an Abbie update - she is just as wild and crazy and energetic as ever! She is very much THREE and does not let us forget it. It's a good thing I have friends who have 3-year olds, so we don't feel so alone with the challenges we face with her -but she still makes us laugh, loves to sing, and can act out Tangled like you wouldn't believe! I really think I'm going to have to get her into drama. She is adjusting to school - I haven't had much chance to talk to her teachers yet about how she is doing - but she is learning songs in Spanish, as well as songs about colors, days of the week, etc. Her favorite songs on the radio are Stronger by Sara Evans, Stuck Like Glue by Sugarland, and (unfortunately) she has just started singing Justin Beiber!! We really have no clue where she has heard his music.

As for Wes, he is staying very busy with his job and will be taking on a new territory here closer to home soon, which of course brings added responsibility for him. He is also going to be traveling a lot this fall, which I am not looking forward to -but we'll survive!

My job is going well -I love having flexibility, being so close to home and the office, and the kids - I am very busy with it but that's a good thing.

We are still very happy here in GA and are looking forward to cooler weather and a fabulous fall!!

3 months and other big stuff coming up!

Henry was 3 months old yesterday. What a sweet little guy he is! He is already busting out of his 3 month clothes and tonight I put 6 month pjs on him thinking they'd swallow him but nope, they fit almost perfect! He's such a good baby these days, and has adjusted really well to me going back to work and going to the babysitters each day. He loves his sister, (and the feeling is very mutual!) The last couple weeks he has not been sleeping for as long at night, but he's still pretty much just waking up once a night to eat.

Abbie starts preschool tomorrow! She is so excited and I cannot wait to hear all the stories she will have to share with us!

Things are going great here in GA - my job is good, the babysitter is working out, Wes's job is going well, the kids are happy. It's hot here for sure, but fall is just around the corner.

We are headed to Boston this week to see some family and I am so excited for the vacation! It will be Henry's first plane ride - hopefully he will be a great little traveller just like his sister!

Quick update

I felt like I better blog before even more time gets away from us! Henry is almost 10 weeks old, meaning my maternity leave is almost over - just a few more days and it's back to work. I am definitely feeling emotional this week, sometimes looking forward to going back to the working world but mostly feeling scared of leaving little Henry. I'm not too concerned about Abbie - she adjusts so well and I know she will probably be happy to get out of the house more and play with other kids! She will start preschool in a few weeks, and her and Henry will both be staying with a stay at home Mom who has a baby and a 3-year old daughter. I'm so glad they will be together, in the afternoons at least, and then I will be able to go see Henry at lunch too because my office is really close to the lady keeping them.

We took Henry to the doctor yesterday for his 2-month check up. He weighed 12lbs, 14 0z - which was about 80% on the growth charts! Wow! I knew he was gaining but I didn't realize he weighed that much. And everything else looked great with him too. He had to have 3 shots which I wasn't excited about, but thankfully he handled them well.

He is waking up around 3:30 to eat at night and that's it - he goes back to sleep until about 6 or 7. I'm sure I'll be worn out going back to work at first but hopefully he'll start going longer soon.

That's about it for the kids updates. Despite how hard it's been on some days handling the two, I'm really going to miss being home. I am so happy I have had this time with both of them, and that we've really been able to enjoy Atlanta even in the heat! We've had lots of time at the pool, and play dates with our neighbors. It's been a great transition for me down here because being off I've been able to get to know more people around town. We are really liking it here and feel like this could definitely be a long term place to live!

7 Weeks!

Today Henry is 7 weeks old! He is getting so big and and developing a little personality already, and it's so much fun. I know it just gets better from here, and as much as I love and cherish those first few days and weeks with a newborn, I have to say I am looking forward to the next few months and watching him grow....and sleep better! Ha! A few days ago I thought he was on his way to waking only once a night, because he went from about 9 or 10 until 2 or 3 in the morning, but the last few nights he has been waking up twice again. It's mostly gas that is waking him up, because he hardly eats anything. I think I am going to try giving him the paci instead of nursing him to see what happens...

We also have been trying to get him to sleep in his bed during that first stretch, and then because his room is upstairs and ours is down, I just take him down with us after he wakes up the first time, and he sleeps in the pack and play in our room.

He is a great eater and seems to go a lot faster than Abbie, which is nice at night because I'm not up for an hour each time like I remember with her.

He is starting to recognize us now, and grab at things, and pay attention to the mobile on his swing. He loves to be in the Baby Bjorn, likes sleeping on his belly, and definitely has a fussy time in the evenings. He's also not a big fan of the car seat right now.

His eyes are still blue, but I'm still pretty positive they are going to change to brown. His hair is dark, and he has an olive skin tone.

He is pure cuteness!!

Wes

We celebrated 11 years on Friday.

I can still remember the first time I saw him, sitting on the back of a truck, getting ready to go fishing in Daytona Beach.

I can still remember the first time he flirted with me, whistling as I walked by in the gym at Western.

I can still remember how I felt when my friend Rachel came up to me one night and said Wes said to tell you that you have the best legs he's ever seen.

And then finally, the night I got the nerve up to make the first real move and talk to him.

I remember he sent me yellow roses about a week later.

And took me on our first real date that week too. We drove over to the Nantahala River and went fly fishing (imagine that.) And to my surprise, we met his Mom for dinner afterwards. I remember my hair was a mess from riding all that way in his Jeep with the top off, and here I was, straight from fishing with a ball cap on, meeting the woman who would be my future mother-in-law!

And the rest is pretty much history. Sure, he got scared at one point and broke up with me for about 24 hours. It was the worst 24 hours of my life, as I recall. But then he came to a friends house where I was and told me he was sorry. And about a week later, in his parents basement, he told me he wanted to get married.

We had known each other for about 5 months. Everyone probably thought we were crazy, but somehow most of my friends knew that I had never been this way with any guy I'd ever dated.
I love thinking back to that time, because falling in love has to be the greatest thing. When you don't care about eating, sleeping, or anything else but being with that person all the time.

I feel so blessed to call Wes my husband, and even more, I know that he loves me now more than he did back then. He is so faithful, so true, so devoted. And pretty darn good looking too!

Sweet boy

5 Week Update!

Henry is five weeks today, and I just wanted to jot down a few updates on what he is doing as of now!

He eats every 2-3 hours, and seems to want to eat a lot in the evenings. He takes a good nap in the morning, and then usually a "marathon" nap in the afternoons. He sleeps a lot, it seems, a lot more than I remember Abbie ever sleeping at this age, but maybe I just don't remember!

He has a lot of gas and going to the bathroom problems right now. He has had it pretty much since he was born, and that tends to wake him up a lot from naps or at night. I am really praying this goes away in a few weeks - and if anyone has any advice I will take it. We have tried mylicon but it doesn't really help. It doesn't make him mad all the time, but there is usually about one or two times a day when he gets really upset. As I write this right now he is in the pack and play fussing about his belly...

He loves the Baby Bjorn, and we carry him around in it a lot. I think the upright position is comfortable to him because of the gas thing too - and at night I tend to hold him on my chest so he can go to sleep. His first stretch at night is his best and most restful, and that is usually from about 9-12. Then after that it's very sporadic, depending on his belly that night.

At his last appointment he weighed 10 lbs, 5 oz, and was 22" long - I am pretty sure they said that was 50 % for both. And he had to have his first hepatitis B vaccine. Broke.My.Heart.

And lastly, I think he looks like Wes. He is absolutely gorgeous, with blue eyes and dark hair. He has three dimples, one in each cheek and one in his chin, which runs in my side of the family. He has long fingers and long thin legs.

I will post some pics soon!!

What's happening around here...

Yesterday Henry was 4 weeks old. I have to say I can't believe it's already been 4 weeks, even though some days seem to drag by. It's been an adjustment with the move and having a new baby and having Abbie home with me full time. I am not going to paint this perfect picture of our life and say it's a cake walk, because it's pretty hard and my patience wears thin on a lot of days. But I am learning about my limits and adjusting and with a lot of prayer and a little wine, I think I am managing ok! I truly love these two kids so very much, and my heart has totally made room for little Henry!

Abbie is going to a church camp next week for a few days, which will be great for her and me. I'm looking forward to a little bonding time with Henry, and Abbie is so excited already!

That's about it for now!

Introducing....

James Henry Ledford!!

This post is way overdue, about 2 weeks actually, but wow, life with two kids is busy!!

Henry was born on Friday, May 6th at 4:48pm. He weighed 7lbs, 12 oz, and was 21" long. He is absolutely perfect in every way and we are loving him so much!

So here is how the day of his birth went - I had a scheduled induction for Friday, the 6th, because of Wes and I's situation of living apart, plus the fact that I really didn't want Abbie and Henry to have the same birthday. So anyways, I went in at 6am, and it took a good couple hours to do paperwork, bloodwork, get my iv in, etc. So by the time they started the pitocin it was about 8:30 or 9. They also put the line in for the epidurral but I opted to not get the medicine in until I made some more progression(when I got there I was between 1-2 cm dilated). I started having pretty good and steady contractions almost right away, but wasn't making a lot of quick progression with dilation, so they broke my water around noon. It wasn't much longer after that until I got the medicine going for the epidurral - I was about 4cm at that point and the contractions were getting much stronger with the pitocin. I think the next time they checked me I was about a 5, and then, just like with Abbie, I progressed really quickly to over a 9 and it was about time to push! From there it went so fast! I pushed through about 4 contractions, and he was here! I couldn't believe how much quicker the pushing part went with Henry, it literally took no time at all once he was ready. Oh and also the epidurral had numbed me up a ton, like too much, and they had turned it off about an hour before I started pushing, so thankfully I could feel enough to push. They layed him on my chest, and my first thought was he looked just like Abbie when she was born. I was able to nurse him right away, and he had no problems and was really in picture perfect health! I immediately fell in love with Henry, just as I had with Abbie.

This time around it was just Wes in the delivery room, but my grandmother and Aunt Debbie were at the hospital all day waiting, and then Wes's parents were taking care of Abbie, and they brought her to meet Henry later that evening.

Since Henry's birth, things have been a little crazy, but we've made it through! We were able to come home on Mother's day, which was a wonderful present in itself, and then we had a few days before we started packing up our stuff and getting ready for our move to Atlanta! We celebrated Abbie's 3rd bday on the 13th, and then the following day made the move down here to our new home. We had soooo much help from family, and couldn't have done it without them.

So now we've been in our new home for a week, and things are great. We are loving the area, Wes is back to work and is so happy to not have to drive to NC every weekend, and just be able to come home and have a normal life again, and I'm adjusting to being at home alone with two kiddos!! Henry is a great baby, he hardly ever cries! Abbie is doing great with him. She loves him so much and wants to hold him and kiss him all the time. I do think she goes a little stir crazy being here at home with us so I try to get out and keep her as busy as possible. She's used to going to Pam's house every day, so I have to keep reminding myself this is a big change for her too. Thankfully we live in a kid-friendly neighborhood and town, so there are parks and all kinds of things for kids to do. I've also enrolled her in a preschool that starts in August, and she'll go to a couple morning camps in June and July.

So that's about it for now! We are truly so thankful that our family is together again and that everything went so well with Henry's birth! Enjoy the pictures and I'll try to be better about posting!

Oh and just for a stat update too - Abbie went for her 3-year check up Friday and weighed 30 lbs and I believe was 3 foot 2" tall. And Henry, at 2 weeks, weighed in at 8 lbs 9 oz.

We did it!

I feel like singing the Dora song and dancing! We did it - we made it to the end of this separation and Wes is home and now we just have to wait on the baby to get here and we can move down to GA together, as a family. There still might be a few days where Wes has to go on down there before me, but overall, we've made it to the end, and it seems unreal to me almost. I keep thinking, well, today is Friday, and Wes has to leave Sunday or Monday, but no, not this time! He's here and I couldn't be happier. Next update? Might be about baby boy, we'll see!!

Soon this precious little girl will be THREE!!!

Yep!

We are sooo very close to this chapter being over in our lives! This week will mark the last week of Wes being gone and after that, it's baby time! Induction is currently set for Friday, May 6th. My appointment went well on Thursday - I found out I am dilated 1cm, but he still has a long way to drop, much to my disbelief. I pray he waits until either next Thursday or after, or if we have to wait until the induction that will be fine too. I can't believe we are so close!

There are some other things going on too - the job situation is looking promising, and we might might might have someone interested in buying our house - but we'll see how those two things pan out. For now I'm thankful for the events that took place so very long ago that give us reason to live today. I hope you all have a wonderfully blessed Easter, and don't forget the reason we are celebrating!

Getting Closer!!

This morning Wes left for Los Angeles, and he will be back Friday - I was sad to see him leave after only being home a day and a half, but when he gets back, we'll only have about 2 more weeks of living apart! Yippeeeeee!! I will be 37 weeks this week - and I go back to the doctor Wednesday to start weekly appointments. I have no clue if I am dilating or not, but I've definitely felt a lot more pain and pressure this last week or so. I will update you guys and let you know how things are progressing! Overall I am feeling great though, aside from just having to bend over so much with Abbie and being pretty worn out at the end of each day. On the job front, I had a phone interview Friday for one of the two sales positions opening up with Eaton down in Atlanta. I think it went well, and I am just holding out hope that they will hire me for one of the openings! I am not sure at this point if I will know before I have the baby or not, but we've waited this long so what's a little longer???!! And Abbie's babysitter is off this week so I've got family coming here to help out with her, so that will be awesome! I think that's about all the news I have for now! I will try to update after my appointment Wednesday. Hope all you locals are enjoying this beautiful spring weather!

4 weeks!

Yep, that's how much time we have left until we have this little baby boy! As long as I'm progressing a little bit, the plan is to induce me on May 5th or 6th! We are doing this because Wes is living in Atlanta and we don't want to risk him not being here, and also because I didn't want the kids' birthdays to be on the same day or that close together, if I could help it. I would love to go a little earlier on my own but we'll see. Of course the baby's health is most important. I seriously can't believe though that it's only 4 weeks away! I am very ready to not be pregnant anymore. Just the last few days I've gotten pretty miserable, waking up more at night, and just being worn out by the end of the day. Bending over is sooo difficult, and having an almost 3 year old makes it pretty impossible to not bend over a lot! We are still set to move in our new house May 1st, and Wes will begin taking stuff down there then, and about 2 weeks after I have the baby the rest of us will go. Just in the last two weeks a couple new positions have come open with Eaton down in Atlanta, which is really exciting. While I don't want to get my hopes up too high, I'm completely qualified for at least one of these, so if the timing works out and they like me, I could possibly get a position down there and be able to start after my maternity leave. That would be ideal. That is what I'm praying for. It's the same position I had in Salt Lake w/ Eaton, which I loved and always wish I could do again - so please pray with me that it works out! The next couple weeks will hopefully go by fast - Wes is travelling to Florida this week for a few days, then he leaves for Southern California on Easter for a few days! I'm jealous, of course, and wish I could tag along! But I'm also very proud of him because both of these trips are great opportunities for him in his position. Abbie is doing great - today we went to the Parris' kids b-day party, and she must have gone down the huge inflatable slide about 25 times, and then proceeded to NOT take a nap! I couldn't believe it. Tonight we took the front part of her crib off so it's like a day bed, which is kind of a big step, but I really think she will do good with it. My only fear is that she will fall out, because we don't have a rail there at all. I think I might have to go get one tomorrow so I can rest easy! We had been planning to transition her into a "big girl" bed when we moved but now it's several months later and we still haven't moved, so we figured we'd better do it now before we get into a new house (change!) and before the baby gets here (less sleep for us, more change for her!) We have had more showing activity on our house the last couple months, but still no offers or anything, which is very discouraging. So we've just placed it up for rent through a property mgt company. It's hard to believe we've had it up for sale for 7 months now with NO offers! And I think for now that's about it - we are getting closer to all of this separation coming to an end and I'm so happy for that! I will try to post again before the baby gets here!

Lots of stuff < 8 weeks away

So at this point, there are a lot of things that are about 8 weeks away:

1) Our baby boy is due in less than 8 weeks!

2) Our sweet Abbie will be 3 in less than 8 weeks!

3) AND we are set to move in our new rental home in Atlanta in less than 8 weeks, provided no one else snags it from us this week!

4) And all of the above means that in about 8 weeks our family will finally be under one roof again permanently! AHHHHH! That is probably the best part of all.

Now whether or not I will actually be in our new house in 8 weeks remains to be seen, but May 1st is the date we can move in, so Wes will be able to move in either way! Exciting stuff. The plan is still for me to have the baby here in NC and then go down to GA as soon as I'm physically able.

We've had some activity on our house here but no offers yet - I'm still holding out hope that something will happen, but if it doesn't we are planning to rent it out through a property management company...

AND I still don't have a job yet but at least I have my position here with Eaton now which I will hold onto until my maternity leave runs out -

So yes, there are a lot of unknowns but I know that everything will work out as it's supposed to.

Sometimes this whole process of being apart seems to crawl, but lately the weeks have really flown by so as much as I hate to wish away the days, these are days that I pray go by quickly so we can be a real, normal family again!

Baby boy is doing great, and I just had my 32 week check up on Friday. Now I start going back every 2 weeks. There really isn't anything to report on that end, except that we have had very uneventful appointments (a good thing) and I am of course getting bigger and bigger and a little more uncomfortable, but I'm not to the misery stage yet!

Abbie is a crazy almost 3 year old, with her own mind and independence and of course the attitude sometimes...but she is really doing good and for the most part doesn't give me too hard of a time when Wes is gone. We took her to Disney a few weeks ago and she had a great time. It was a short trip over there but it was still worth it to see her get really excited about her favorite space ranger - Buzz Lightyear.

So that's about it I think - once we get the house in GA for sure I'll let you know more details and I will post some pictures of it soon! I think we are really going to love the location and the house itself!

A Valentine's boogie with Joseph....

And then walking to lunch in ATL on Sunday w/ Daddy -

I was going to rant and rave in this post about some things, like trying to sell our house and trying to find a job when you are pregnant, but I just decided to show you these sweet pictures and move on! Hope you are all doing well out there in blogger land!

Hello!

How cute is this little peanut??!!

Well, I wish I had some sort of exciting news to report, but I don't. Oh, other than the fact that I passed my sugar test! Yahoo! Seriously God knows me better than to make me stop eating sugar right now - that would be something I could not handle, and I agree with what the Bible says, you know the part that says He won't ever give you anything you can't handle? So anyways, that is some exciting news!

It's February 7th, and I feel like we are sort of winding down this pregnancy. I will be 27 weeks this Friday, so I know I still have a little bit to go, but I think I am almost in my 3rd trimester, right? What is that timeline again? We are headed to FL in one month! Wes will be down there for a trade show with Grainger, and then Abbie and I will join him for several days, and the plan is to go to Disney one day! Yep, I am starting to think I am crazy, but it's just one day, and Wes will be there to rescue me if I collapse in the middle of Frontierland, or whatever...Point is, I'm getting big and uncomfortable and I'm getting looks when I tell people I'm not due til May. Yesterday someone said, "Early May, right?" Funny stuff.

We have a back up plan, I think. A plan to be together when the baby gets here even if we go broke. I don't want to be alone here with Abbie and baby boy. I mean, I'm sure I could handle it, but I'd rather be broke and happy and together with the four of us than living like this still - so we have a plan to do that if we need to come May.

Still Plugging Along

Well, I am still here in NC w/ Abbie, and Wes is still in GA. And we are still trying to take it day by day and week by week, and now month by month (ugh!). It's tough, let me tell ya. Although managing Abbie and work and just doing it by myself has gotten a little more routine for me, being apart from Wes is tough. And that part is not getting any easier, for any of us. We aren't losing hope or faith that it will eventually work out (I mean, it has to at some point, right?), I guess we just never thought it would take this long. As of now we don't have any prospects for our house, to sell or rent, and nothing has come open yet for me for a job w/ Eaton. Being pregnant sort of gets in the way of finding a new job at this point - and please don't get me wrong, this pregnancy and baby is nothing but a true blessing to us, and I wouldn't have it any other way, but I can't very well get a new job at 6 months pregnant. Or at least I don't think I can! So we just try to be patient and enjoy the time we do have together, which is every weekend, and those moments are critical to our hanging tight. We don't do much else with our weekends aside from just spend time together, the three of us. So as we get ready to start a new month, I am praying for new hope and new opportunities to get our family together again, under one roof. Thanks for listening, and encouraging!

A few more snow pics....

Here are a few more snow pics for my family since they aren't on Facebook : )

And the last one is just because.

It's a balmy 41 degrees today so hopefully it will be melting a little bit!

Abbie playing the piano half-naked at Mommom's and PawPaws in Florida....

Here's a little belly pic - we were getting ready to go out to eat and see the Avett Bros. on NYE...

Since I am home for the second day in a row because of the crazy snow storm we've had here in Western NC, I figured maybe I'd blog a little. Abbie and I spent this past weekend down in Atlanta with Wes in his "new" home for a little while. He is living with a friend of ours until I can get down there, which is much better than a hotel. It's a great house, in a really urban area of Atlanta. You walk most places to eat, there is a market on the corner, a bakery, etc, and everyone is young and hip, it seems. Not a lot of families and kids. But we did drive around down there and find a few neighborhoods we like. See we can't live out in the suburbs of Atlanta, really, because that won't be convenient for Wes. So we probably, when we move, will be living in one of those little urban areas of the city, but for the sake of our kids, I do want to find somewhere somewhat family friendly, where I can take the kids and not be stared at like I'm disrupting everyone - that is sort of what happened when we took Abbie to a few places this weekend right around where Wes is living now...

So anyways, as far as updates on my move down there, a few job opportunities have presented themselves in the last week. Well, really just one so far, and I could hear today, any minute in fact, that it's kaput, but I am holding on until I hear otherwise. And I have applied for several positions where I feel like I might get a call back. We'll see. I truly hope and pray that God works something out soon for us! We are both over being apart! And Abbie is too, of course. We both cried Sunday as we left Georgia - Abbie calls wherever Wes is Georgia, by the way. Like everytime we would leave the house last weekend, she'd say, "I want to go back to Georgia!"

We also took her to the Georgia aquarium Saturday - it was pretty awesome. I have only been to the New England Aquarium before that, and it was nice and all, but this one was really, really impressive. And it was only 2 miles from where Wes is living. So very cool.

Let's see, what else. Oh potty training. It's going great. Really great. I think anyways. I mean she has accidents, mostly just pee accidents, but she recently has started being able to go on big potties, like when we are out in public and stuff, which is wonderful. She even pooped at a rest area on our way home from Atlanta Sunday! I was pretty impressed with that, considering I wouldn't even do it!! She definitely doesn't stay dry at night, but I also don't limit her milk or anything else before bed. I just figure her bladder will develop on it's own. She is still in a crib too, and probably will be until we move, so there is no point in getting her up in the middle of the night to go.

Oh and I almost forgot to update you on baby boy! I went back to the doctor last Thursday for another ultrasound - last time they couldn't see his heart really well - so anyways, they were able to see all four chambers this time, which I was very thankful for, and everything else looked good, even though they really didn't look at anything else. But he's definitely still a boy. They did say something about me possibly having a bladder infection, but told me they'd call if I tested positive, and I haven't heard, so I am assuming I don't have one. I told her I'd been getting dizzy here and there, and she told me it was because I have low blood pressure, so I just need to be sure to drink lots of water and keep food on my stomach at all times. I am definitely feeling him move a ton more, and it's much stronger this time around because I have a posterior placenta instead of the anterior like I did with Abbie, where you have the cushion.

So that's the latest on what is going on here - is anyone else ready for spring already like I am? We might as well just move back out west if you ask me, since at least there you can snowshoe and get out in this stuff! Here we are sort of just stuck because the road conditions!

Happy January, I suppose!! I will keep you all posted if I hear more on job or house stuff.