a special weekend

Crazy as it seems, we are left with only a couple weeks/days as a family of 3! I've officially made it past when I had Liam and feel grateful that this baby girl is continuing to grow healthy and strong until she's ready to join us! In the mean time, the final thing on what used to be a very long list of nesting projects was completed on Friday and it gave us the perfect opportunity to have a special 3 day weekend with Liam. We had our carpets cleaned and needed to be out of the house bright and early on Friday morning so we packed up some bananas and a loaf of homemade zucchini blueberry bread that Nic's dad made for us and headed straight for the park to have breakfast.

It felt impossible to keep Liam from sprinting to the slides the moment we pulled up but even our little picky eater couldn't resist Papa's yummy bread. We spent the next hour chasing him around the playground before it started getting too hot to stay. Keeping with the theme for the day of trying to squeeze in everything that Liam loves, we headed to the library. The boys played Lego's and magna-tiles together while I picked out a few new "beep beep" books and a big brother one about ways to help take care of a baby. ;) The library also had a safari exhibit going on with so many fun animals! Liam's favorite of course was the GIANT snake. I don't know where he gets that from ...

We picked up his favorite yogurt for lunch (picky eater) to bring along to Cafe Rio and laughed as he asked to go to the bathroom 10 times throughout our meal, each time walking in just long enough for the door to close and then saying he didn't have to go. Parenting patience at its finest!

We snuck him home for his nap but our carpets were still very wet so Nic lounged on the couch in the middle of our kitchen (haha!) while I got spoiled with a pedicure! I've actually never gotten a pedicure this pregnant before and I couldn't get my seat to recline so it honestly wasn't the most comfortable situation. Not to mention my cosmetologist was talking my ear off about her first baby who she claims was born 9 weeks early, weighed 14 pounds, and was 23 inches long ..... I'll let you formulate your own opinion about that one instead of inserting mine.

Between the heat, quite a bit of walking, and the flip flops I had to wear after the pedicure, my feet were incredibly swollen by this time of day. Definitely not my favorite part of pregnancy. When Liam woke up though, back out we went because our carpets still needed time to dry. We stopped at our local pet store, McKee's, where they have a fun petting zoo for kids! Liam heard his very first donkey sound in real life and kept repeating "heehaw" every where we went for the rest of the day! haha We enjoyed a long and surprisingly relaxing dinner at Pizza Pie Cafe where Liam didn't ask to go to the bathroom a single time.

  

Saturday was even hotter than Friday. I really needed some exercise so we squeezed in a long walk at the beginning and end of the day but spent most of the rest of it inside relaxing. The last week and a half or so I've avoided most forms of long strenuous exercise because I was feeling quite a bit of Braxton Hicks contractions in the night and didn't want to end up putting myself into labor too early but I had to laugh when we jumped back into it on Saturday morning and I felt absolutely nothing. In fact, I feel better walking than sitting/laying down these days!

I love how much he snuggles me when we watch movies together ...

Saturday evening we felt a bit cooped up from the day. A small business opened up near our home this past week called "The Soda Barn" and after hearing all the hype from friends, we decided to check it out for ourselves. They carry a ton of different Italian soda juices and flavors to mix with pop, cookie dough flavors you can get scooped into a bowl, and cookies. We each tried a cookie and they were heavenly! 

There is nothing better than watching the sun go down with that view ... on daddy's shoulders! 

We'll always remember these special weekend moments we've shared as a family of 3 and hope Liam does too.

Life Lately

Life lately is starting to slow WAAAY down, even on the weekends. Most of the time, that would be a very good thing but when you're 100 weeks pregnant in the heat of the summer and struggle to sleep longer than 30 minute stretches after the sun goes down, time doesn't quite feel on your side. ;) I'm really trying my best though to make the most of what little time I have left with just my boys.

One of my favorite moments of every week day right now is when Nic pulls in the driveway from work ... Liam does his signature hop skip run to his car while cheering "da da, da da, DA DA!!" and he helps him drive into the garage. He loves his da da and his da da's beep beep so much, it it the cutest thing!!

As the sun starts to go down, it cools off in the evenings and it is the perfect time for our family walk. I've had some pretty intense Braxton Hicks contractions and a lot of pressure and swelling the last few days (doing our best to keep her in there AT LEAST 2 more weeks!) so we've stayed close to home instead of our usual long walk with the stroller. Liam loves it because he gets to ride his wiggle car around the neighborhood and Nic and I can barely keep up he is SO fast these days!

I secretly hope his bear ear hoodie fits him through this fall again so that he can get a twinning picture with his baby sister in her bear ear sweater. ;)

Speaking of fall, his trick or treat bucket is his favorite bath toy holder. haha It is also super convenient for one big dump over the head to rinse off his soap! (p.s. Doesn't that shark toy look creepy real?!) It was Nic's as a child. He has a whole rubbermaid bin full of animals that we usually keep in the basement for playing while we work out down there but the shark made his way upstairs to the bath tub.

This is definitely not my favorite picture of myself but I didn't take a single one today during the solar eclipse! Liam and I went and watched it with our friends and as you can tell by him wandering around in the grass behind me, he could have cared less about the whole thing. haha In fact, as the moon crept in front of the sun and it grew darker outside, Liam came over to me with his sunglasses in hand and said, "Here mom!" and wandered off again to the playground. haha My personal favorite part about the whole experience was the 15 to 20 degree drop in temperature outside! Heaven for this summer pregnant momma!! It was also crazy to see a star out during the day time!

Besides updating our gallery wall and getting our carpets cleaned on Friday, I'm thankful to have most of the organizing, cleaning, and nesting finished around here! We're down to weekly doctor visits and last minute things to be packed in our hospital bags and we'll be ready for this baby girl! The days can feel physically long to get through but life is so good right now! XO

second baby bumpdate | 36 weeks

I know it has been a minute since I've posted anything in this space. I typically set aside time during Liam's nap or in the evenings after he has gone to bed and truthfully by both of those times of the day I have ZERO energy left. I've been needing to nap when Liam naps and squeeze in a 20 minute friends episode with Nic in the evenings before I'm off to bed for the night. It's like the first trimester all over again! haha ;)

Anyway, here we are at 36 weeks!! Part of me can hardly believe I'm saying that right now and the other part of me is like, "Hallelujah!" The "nesting list" is down to only a couple things left on it and then we are ready to meet this baby girl!

How Far Along ...

36 weeks

Gender ...

GIRL! 

Maternity Clothes ...

I wear dresses or a nightgown all day every day because even leggings are too hot. I am definitely looking forward to fitting back into my old wardrobe! Especially because it will be my favorite time of year, FALL! 

Belly Button & Wedding Ring ...

Belly button barely in, looks more like an outie (you can totally tell in the small mirror in the picture above!). Ring off (sad day, darn you swelling!).

Sleep ...

Sleep is so rough. Most nights I wake up every 30 minutes or so either from a kicking baby, a full bladder, or an aching body that needs repositioning. I honestly think at this point I'll be getting more sleep after the baby is here! haha At least a more restful 2 hours in a row. I am also having crazy anxiety dreams all night long. Mostly about going back to work/teaching??

Best Moment(s) this Week ...

Our best moment with baby girl ... our doctor appointment this morning! We heard her heartbeat right away (that has't happened most of my pregnancy, they usually have to search for it which gets nerve wracking), she's head down, I'm 2 cm dilated, and everything is looking great! Our best moment with Liam ... hearing his vocabulary taking off! He finally started mimicking this last week and says a few new words just about every day now. We couldn't more proud! 

Miss Anything ...

I miss sleep and feeling comfortable. My feet tend to swell from the heat and my back hurts pretty bad by the end of the day. 

Movement ...

Oh my goodness, she's been getting the hiccups!! Liam never did that and I always wondered what that would feel like. It cracks me up every time! She still saves a lot of her active time for when I am sitting or laying down but I love being at that point in the pregnancy where I can watch my belly move and practically see or feel a foot or her hand sticking out! I started having a few Braxton Hicks contractions around 34 weeks which made me so nervous because I had no idea how real they feel!! I never had them with Liam and only know what real contractions feel like and they are so similar just irregular. Thankfully they are few and far between.  

Cravings ...

Still have to have something sweet in my day whether that be fruit or our new favorite discovery, Halo Top sea salt caramel ice cream! 

Feelings & Emotions ...

Definitely a lot of highs and lows! Some days I can tell my hormones have completely taken over and I'm super emotional and feeling sad. Other days I can hardly believe I'm 36 weeks because I feel so great!! I'm feeling so much more prepared for this baby than I was with Liam (I've even made some extra meals to save in the freezer for when she comes!). Most of all, we are just getting so excited to meet her! We all talk about her every day and even Liam will put his hands on my tummy now to try and feel her move! He will be the sweetest big brother. 

Looking Forward to ... 

Baby girl being in our arms in 4 week for less!!!

back to school | toddler boy style

It is hard for me to believe that at the beginning of September, Liam will be going to preschool for the first time! It will be so good for him to spend time learning with other kids his age and he is more than ready! My biggest worry all along has been his ability to communicate to his teacher and peers but I have seen him make so much progress over the last 6 months in speech and I feel like he is at a point in his development that he can communicate his needs and can only benefit from hearing other kids his age talking. He also learns so much better from someone other than "mom" so, here we go! We went school supply shopping for toddler sized blunt scissors and washable markers. You know, all the preschool necessities. ;) Last but not least, a few back to school clothes ...

Lightening Bolt Long Sleeve | Vest | Buffalo Check Button Up

Joggers | Cargo Green Skinnies | Jeans

Boots | Backpack | Beanie

Last year, the weather here was warm well into the fall and we wearing shorts at Thanksgiving (haha!) so I imagine his current summer wardrobe will be what he continues to wear for the beginning of the school year. He does however need a backpack for the first day so we'll start there! Until then, these are definitely a few cute styles for later fall to winter. 

Happy Back to School shopping! XO

maternity & family pictures

We had a professional photographer take maternity pictures for us when I was pregnant with Liam and a few weeks later (after Liam was born) we found out that they had been saved on one hard drive that had gone bad and all the images were lost. We were definitely disappointed because at that point there was nothing that could be done and those final special moments captured of just Nic and I awaiting the arrival of our first baby together had slipped away. While we don't have a lot of the two of us together, thankfully we were pretty good at documenting his pregnancy. 

Now as we await the arrival of our second, it felt just as important to me to capture the special bond we share as a family of three in maternity/family pictures. I don't claim that either of us are professional photographers by any means but we decided to try taking our own and I am so happy with how they turned out. There is so much love and beauty found in each one and I'll never forget this season in our lives ...

Our days with just Liam are numbered and we have been making the absolute most of them but I'm thankful that between the one-on-one dates we'll have together in the future and the love we've built over the last (almost) three years of his life, that timeless bond won't have to change even after adding a sibling to his world ...

We found a beautiful little hillside tucked by the side of a windy road to take these pictures and Liam had a blast playing in the rocks while we were there!

See what I mean?! Surround a little boy with tiny rocks to throw in the air and his day is made!

Carrying two of my babies ... 

We didn't have a very long time before the sun was going to disappear behind the hilltop and in our final 20 minutes or so, another photographer showed up with a big family that she had said she brought in from Boise for pictures that day and planned to shoot in the same location. In the moment, it was definitely frustrating giving up that spot to her because the light was completely gone by the time she was done. This was the last picture we hurried and captured before she moved on in which is why it ended up being a little out of focus with our self timer. 

However, that sweet husband of mine was determined to find a new location for us to get a few more with that beautiful golden light!

I can't even tell you how excited I am to be this little girl's mom. I know that in just a few short weeks I'll miss her kicks from the inside but I really just can't wait to meet her! 

These handsome boys of mine completely have my heart ...

Lovely work out capri tan line I'm rocking this summer ... (covers eyes in embarrassment) haha 

One of our last pictures as a family of three ...

It amazes me how much Liam has grown in the last few months. We were sent a school supply list for him this week and I can hardly believe he'll be a big PRESCHOOLER this year! That infectious smile and sweet spirit are going to make a big mark on this world, I just know it! I couldn't be more proud to be his mom!

Six weeks until baby girl's due date! We are all so excited to meet this new little person who will change our world! XO