Mr. Ramsey, we're so sorry...

We are Dave Ramsey people. We have always been Dave Ramsey people. We save for a rainy day, we over-insure, we buy instead of rent, we pay double on our mortgages to avoid excess interest, we don't base our decision to have a child (or two) on our finances, we tithe...you get the idea.

When my husband told me he wanted to buy me a nice purse for Christmas, I thought it was sweet, but I had serious reservations about looking like a snob or anyone thinking that I thought a new purse was some sort of status symbol. I've never had a name-brand bag, you see. Walmart, Target, sale racks at Steinmart - that's where my bags come from. Anyway, we went back and forth about it for over a month, and one night, when we were out shopping for Henry, he tricked me into looking at fancy pants handbags with him. Sneaky one, he is.

Ultimately, I gave in. Afterall, he's been trying to take me shopping for one since we started dating in 2006...I figured one Coach purse never hurt anybody. Besides, he said he was 'totally desperate' to find a gift for me for Christmas this year and that every other idea he had was flopping. Since I had such a great gift for him (more on that in a later post), I admit, I felt a little sorry for him and how embarrassed he might feel on Christmas morning if I whipped his butt as bad as I did on our wedding day again (if you were there, you know what I'm talking about).

So, opening up the box on Christmas morning to find this was all within my realm of expectation...it was the note inside that was not part of the plan...

Oh, and did I mention, we DO NOT buy new cars either.

And, we NEVER will. In fact, I was just whining to my sister a few weeks ago that Jared would never spring for a new car, you know, the depreciated value as soon as you drive it off the lot is just sickening to him...blah, blah, blah...wah, wah, wah...

Well, that's what I thought...

...that's what we 'decided' together, anyway.


Accordingly, I can't rightly say how we ended up with this beauty. It has 116 miles on it. It is pristine. It has 'that smell' - you know the one. Leather, wood-grain, DVD player for the babes, headsets, well-placed cupholders, a healthy engine, and he took care of the license plates and registration before giving it to me. In fact, this little secret spent 3 whole weeks being babysat by the dealership and being pimped out and kept hidden. Wise, darling, fantastically stealthy husband...

At this point, I think it's safe to say that the hubs got even with me for my wedding day surprise, and even safer to say that we're probably on Dave Ramsey's s-list for life.

Christmas Eve '09 - photos!

Henry and Nana

Santa's elves burning the midnight oil

Almost finished...

Nana snapped a 29-week tummy pic while Jared was having 'a heated discussion' with the playhouse.

Fin...now off to bed!

Truth is, we stayed awake for over an hour in bed just chatting about how excited we were about everything...and how excited we thought Henry was going to be that Santa came to our house. Shwoooo...we couldn't have even known how much fun the next morning was to be for our little one. And, as it turns out, Santa had a few tricks up his sleeve for everybody in the Chesser house.

Christmas pics to come!

this and that

Does anyone know of a pregnancy-safe, non-drowsy allergy medicine? My allergies don't keep me up at night, BUT if I have to get up for any reason (which, as you know, there are many reasons at this point), something 'shifts' in my sinuses, my nose starts running, throat starts itching, and I have a sneezing attack. After this happens, it takes a LOOOOONG time for me to fall back asleep, and most days, I just throw in the towel and get up for the day. Today, 6:15 a.m. I would love to take a Benadryl, but I'm too afraid that Henry will have a bad night or will wake up 20 minutes after I take it...then I'll definitely lose my Mother of the Year status. I haven't asked my doc yet (mostly bc his office is always closed when this happens...and I forget about it during the day), so I thought I'd check with all my mama friends. Let me know if anything has worked for y'all...

Speaking of my Mother of the Year status, here's a poll for the rest of you striving for the title. How many consecutive times have you played a movie for your tot so that you could get something done? Yesterday, The Polar Express started and finished four times in my house. Four. Of course, he watches it in spurts...intermittently terrorizing my Christmas trees, jumping on my bed, unrolling all of our toilet paper, or banging pots and pans together...but the point is, play was pushed four times. In one day. So beat that, suckas.

Rest assured, all of this movie-watching was not without good cause. We have very special company in our house this week, so I had to have everything ready for her arrival. She - our very special company - is easily the best hostess we've ever had the pleasure of staying with, and this is her very first time to come and stay a spell with us. Despite her fear of flying and the fact that she's never been away from her own children on Christmas, she gave this Christmas to us. And we could not feel more honored. So, who is she, you ask?

Well, Jared's Nana, of course!

We've got many days and nights together, and I plan to pick her sweet little hostess brain to pieces while she's here. Seriously, you have no idea what this woman can do with a home or in a kitchen...it's just uncanny. Mission #1 - score her recipe for Chicken 'n' Dumplings a.k.a. Perfection on Plate...

Hello world, I'm James...

After 27 long weeks of waiting, we were thrilled when sweet Baby James came out of hiding yesterday. We've tried at least 5 times before to get a look at his face, but he has stubbornly shielded his face from the parental paparazzi every time. This, coupled with my hands being so full of Henry every waking minute, has led to this pregnancy feeling so surreal to me. Many days, I forget that I even am, and yes, I know that sounds crazy.

However, after my appointment yesterday, everything has changed. We have a face (that we love) to go with a name (that we also love), and it's official, we are completely attached to and in awe of this little sweetheart. Without further ado, I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of our family.

Hi, everyone. I'm James. Look how adorable I am...

Some say I look a little bit like my big brother...

I'm still a little bit skinny to really tell, but you can see that I definitely have his same nose.

One thing is for sure, I'm reeeeally comfy in here.

Everything to do with the pregnancy is moving along perfectly right now. The baby is measuring right on track for his mid-March due date, and I am feeling fantastic. After I finally kicked that nasty virus, my energy level shot back up and we've just been having a ball around here.

We have some special friends coming over this morning, so I've got to get off of here and get myself presentable. James says that he's enjoyed meeting everyone this morning, and can't wait to see you all this spring. ;)

We got crafty today...

With all the rain and horrible weather, I've had to busy myself inside for the past few days. One would think that I would use this time to be truly productive and clean my messy house...but, alas, 'twasn't meant to be. Instead, I got our Christmas cards addressed over the weekend and in the mail this morning. Then, this afternoon, I got crafty. Yes, me. I can hardly believe it either.

Before I show you the finished product, please take a gander at Henry's 'crafting' from earlier this week.

Let me bring it into focus for you...

Clearly, the boy and I have differing opinions on what makes a cute (and appropriate) Christmas tree ornament. Ahem...

Now, grandparents, divert your eyes if you want to be surprised by this part of your Christmas gifts. Here's what I spent Henry's naptime doing today...handprint/footprint tree ornaments. I think they turned out pretty darn cute!


Can you believe Christmas is only 11 days away?

17 months old

Happy 17 month old birthday to our boy!

Where, oh where, is the time going?!?!

At 17 months, Henry has hit all of his normal-kid milestones and he's getting lots of 'Wow, he's truly ALL boy' comments. He's reckless and spastic and likes to throw things around. He wrestles with his daddy, jumps on my bed, and he's finally figured out how to climb up on every piece of furniture I own. All of those things give him the giggles. He loves Christmas - most especially our 'wow wows' (Christmas trees) and the Christmas lights that are adorning many of the homes in our neighborhood. He also loves snowmen, and he talks and waves to them like they are real people. Still hates Santa Claus (pics coming soon). One of his favorite things to do right now is 'hold hands,' and he especially loves holding hands with two people at the same time. My mom discovered that he likes to try to 'sing along' to slow, operatic songs, so lately, we've been opera-cizing every song we know for his enjoyment. Jared is the only one of us with any kind of vocal talent, so we're breaking windows left and right for our little angel's pleasure.

Speaking of singing, he has several favorite songs. We've sung "You are my Sunshine" to him for his entire life, he likes "Itsy Bitsy Spider" still, and the "ABC's" and "Silent Night" are in the mix too. Well, since he knows that we all know these songs, if anyone starts singing one of them, he immediately stares down anyone in the room NOT singing. If his stink-eye isn't enough to prompt the singing, he'll start babbling and squawking at the offender (often calling them by name in the middle of the scolding) until he gets the full chorus he wants. Hello, bossy!

His vocabulary is growing by the second, and he's stringing lots of words together. I've noticed that most of the sentences he can make are bossy too...i.e. Mommy hand! (Mommy, give me your damn hand so we can hold hands and walk), Uhh dattt? (repeated louder and louder until an answer is given), Fall down! (hello, idiots, don't you know this is the part of the song where we ALL fall down!), etc. etc. We've also been introduced to our sweet boy's new favorite word - NO! He says no about things that he doesn't want to do (get into his carseat, have his diaper changed), to things that scare him (dinosaurs that roar and stomp too much), and about things that he anticipates but doesn't like (i.e. if we're following him walking in the street, he starts looking back, thinking we're coming to get him to take him inside, walking faster, and saying NONONONONONO!).

He's very passionate these days about firetrucks, and he can make the woooo-woooo siren sound perfectly. He knows where our local fire station is, and he starts talking about it a mile before we ever come to it on the road. The other day, he spotted a parked firetruck across a crowded (with cars and people) parking lot from his carseat. It took me several seconds to figure out what all the squawking was about, as my grown-up eyes clearly do not see the magic halo that surrounds all firetrucks (said: I could barely see it). He has several firetruck Christmas ornaments which he prefers to hold...rather than hang. We've heard that Santa Claus knows about Henry's firetruck love, too, so we think Christmas morning will be extra exciting for him.

Moreso than any other time, he has become a little buddy and companion to me. With his growing ability to communicate and 'do' things, we've been out and about a lot lately. The 'getting out' has been great for both of us, and our daily adventures have become so precious to me.

Oh, and saving the best news for last, he spontaneously asks Jared and me for "uggs" (hugs) all the time now, and if we're extra lucky, he throws in big huge unsolicited but much appreciated open-mouth kisses.

In our lives together as the Chesser family, there just hasn't been a better time than now. We love 17-months old...

**pics from our recent snow day!**

uhhh dattt?

Who knows how long Henry's been asking this question. However many weeks it's been, I finally understood it on Monday. uhhh dattt = "What's that?"

Duh, mom.

In my own defense, it just didn't 'sound' like anything but baby babble...until he put accompanying finger-pointing with it. Then, at long last, it clicked. Since I've actually been able to 'answer' him - now that I know what the question is and all - I've noticed a huge shift in his mood, frustration level, and general behavior. Last week, I had a tantruming, angry, pissy boy on my hands almost every single day, and this week, he's making me look like Mother of the Year. Thank you, thank you, Henry.

To think, the key to an angel babe (for this week anyway) is answering a redundant question that, nine times out of ten, he already knows the answer to.

So, uhhh dattt? It's a freaking Christmas miracle, is what it is.

#2 has a name...

...phew, and we figured it out with 14 weeks to spare.

We are so excited to tell you that we will be welcoming a little boy named Jameson Brett into our family this March. He will be called James.

Henry and James...ahhhh, do I need to even mention my love for classic names, or is it THAT obvious?? :)

Once again, we have chosen a name with layers and layers of personal significance to us. James was always our favorite and definitely our first choice for #2, but we couldn't figure out how to piece it together with other names that we liked. It is a family name, of course. James is also Jared's favorite book in the bible, and admittedly, said book is chock full of verses that appeal to my very own heart. More on that in a later post. We love the cuteness factor, we love that it grows up into a man name, and we really love the way it sounds coming out of our mouths. Some of you may recognize the full name Jameson from writings I posted many months ago, and it is no coincidence that our baby will share a name with that special angel we once knew and were inspired by. I will share more on this in a later post as well.

Brett should be obvious for anyone who knows my husband. Here's a hint...Favre. Boy, oh boy, my sweet hubs can surely NEVER say I didn't give him anything. :) We considered Bretton James for awhile, but Bretton just didn't conjur up the rough, tough, real-stuff of #4. So, Brett it became.

Oh, and just for funsies, I will add that #2 is slated to join us precisely 9 1/2 months after we spent a weekend at the beach for the 2009 JAMES Family Reunion...ahem.

So, there it is folks. Jameson Brett Chesser. Now, how to occupy my mind for three more months while we wait to meet this little one? Oh wait, scratch that...I have no mind left...and even if I did, a certain 17-month old eats it for lunch everyday. :)

Sucks to my assmar.

Just when it seemed like the plague couldn't get worse, I went ahead and tried to drown in my own lung nastiness last night. I've had asthma my entire life, but it hasn't been triggered in over 5 years...leave it to chasing Henry around while pregnant with #2 while trying to fight off a horrible virus. It wasn't a scary attack or anything, just a gradual 'hey, it's getting hard to breathe' while Jared and I were internet shopping for Henry's Christmas presents. Thank God for my OB...he called in an inhaler for me at 11:00 p.m. as a last ditch effort to avoid a trip to the emergency room. Within 5 minutes of taking my two puffs, I was a new woman...and spared the motley crew that we all know hangs out in the ER late at night.

Today, I still feel like crap - just not like suffocating crap, so I guess that's good. Now, if only I could figure out how to make a full recovery by tomorrow morning...this labored breathing is SERIOUSLY affecting my ability to eat like I need, ahem, want to for the holidays!

A Disney holiday...

Guess who got to go to Disney World for the first time in his whole entire life????

This handsome little man...

His Grandpa came along for the fun...isn't it cool how a castle grew right out of the backs of their heads? Weird, right?

Henry thinks his Grandpa is hilarious...

...and he loved riding the train with him.

Mommy and Henry at the most magical place on earth...

Despite a crazy cold front coming in and a little rain hiccup in the early morning, our trip to Disney was exactly what we hoped it would be. Henry loved everything (except the scary Snow White ride...picture omitted for the sake of all parties involved), but his very favorite ride was It's a Small World. The look of awe and amazement on his face going through it definitely made up for the song being in all of our heads for the rest of the week.

He also loved the carousel and the Dumbo ride. The whole time we were in line for Dumbo, he would just look at the flying elephants and make his big elephant sound while waving his arm around like a trunk. So cute. He is still a little apprehensive about meeting characters (who can forget our Santa Claus experience last year?!?!), but he was thrilled to watch them from afar signing autographs for other kiddos. Maybe next year for us...

Looking back on our memories from it all, we feel so incredibly thankful that we were able to take our Henry to Disney this year. We knew it would be a long day (weather, pregnant, AND a stroller-hating toddler), but we pushed through for the sake of making just a few more memories with the little man before his baby brother comes along. As the third trimester approaches, it's amazing how much more aware we are of savoring every single second we have with him by himself.

Since the day he was born, he's been our very pride and joy...and he always will be...it's just becoming so bittersweet for Jared and I to watch how quickly these days are flying by. Our baby is growing up so fast. Our new baby is almost here. We wouldn't have it any other way and we love the adventure - always have - but we know there's a part of us that's really going to miss this. *Sniff, sniff*

TAGGED

My friend, Jenna, tagged me this week on her blog. This means I've got to answer 5 questions for all the world to read on mine. Here goes...

1. What were you doing ten years ago? Ten years ago, I was in my very first semester at Ole Miss. I had just transferred there from TLU that fall to play golf for the Rebs. I was loving my roomie, Sue, who is still one of my very best friends. In many ways, I was a fashion disaster...wore my jeans too tight, belts with everything, didn't know the meaning of an untucked shirt (including 'going out' shirts), my roots were always too long, and I still had braces on my teeth. Sexy, I know.

2. What are five things on your to-do list? 1. Finish Christmas shopping; 2. Do the many many loads of laundry piled on my bedroom floor; 3. Get a trim & highlight for the holidays; 4. Christmas cards; and 5. decorate the house for Christmas.

3. What are snacks you enjoy? Too many to name - I especially love french fries, flavored coffee creamer, anything sweet-and-salty, and I've really been craving a peppermint milkshake from Chik-fil-a (even though I've never had one and I usually don't like peppermint).

4. What are the places you have lived? NOLA, Kingwood, Seguin, Oxford, Cambridge, Jackson, and Orlando.

5. What are five things you would do if you became a billionaire: 1. Build our dream house; 2. Buy Fiddler's Green for Jared; 3. Pay off my student loans; 4. Give a ridiculous amount of money to cancer and EB research; and 5. take my entire family on an amazing vacation to an exotic, remote place.

Now, I tag Kate, Sara, Karen, Kara, and Mandy. Copy the questions, and post your answers, girlfriends!!



We're still sick, sick, sick over here, so pictures will have to wait a few more days. Hope everyone has a relaxing weekend before the Thanksgiving insanity begins!!

And we're back...

We've had a rough go of it this week, folks. We made it to Disney as planned, but the rest of the time we were in Florida didn't play out as we had hoped. Henry. Stomach bug. 5 days straight. Enough said.

All of us are some degree of sick right now, so bear with us while we recover. I'll try to post a few pictures by the end of the week.

The best made plans...

Just when I was getting excited about the possibility of taking Henry's Christmas card picture at Disney this week, he went and ate pavement in front of our house. Seriously, I had the outfit planned and packed...the good camera ready to go...and now, this.

Ugh. The photo does not even begin to do the road-rash justice. It's swollen, red, goes from the top of his forehead into his mouth, and it's definitely NOT going to be healed up in time for our visit to the happiest place on earth. While we're moping about this together, let's go ahead and add insult to injury - look how great his face was looking just a few hours earlier (he has discovered sock-puppeting this week). Again, ugh.


We're all packed and ready...flight leaves mid-morning tomorrow. Fingers crossed for a sleepy, calm, pain-free-eared child. See y'all next week!

Halloween Photos, part 2

Henry playing with his pumpkin.

A wittle wion and his wighted pumpkin...

Henry loves Aunt Stephanie and Uncle Jonathan!

King Henry...

That's all, folks. We're off to Florida mid-week, so we'll be taking a break from blogging until later this month!

Skype us, baby.

Hi Jared. Here's your obnoxiously obtuse hubsy blog shout out. Hope you likey.

The big man in our house...the daddiest daddy in all the land...best husband in the whole, wide world...provider of fabulous, creative, and much-needed/desired things...has recently presented me with the mother of all just-because presents. Wait for it...wait for it...and....it's a brand new laptop!! This thing is the Rolls Royce of home workstations (especially compared to what I was workstationing with before), and it came complete with internal webcam, microphone, and many other sweeeet features that I haven't even discovered yet!!

I mention the webcam and microphone, in particular, because it brings me to the subject of this blog post. See, one of Henry's best friends (his Paw Paw) left for a work assignment in Miami for six months starting last week. The separation has not been easy on either of them. On our end, this has led to setting up search parties for 'paaaaaaaawwww-pawwwww' as soon as we enter the front door of my parents' house, inconsolable weeping as we pull out of their driveway, and random running over to Paw Paw's bye-bye window at our house just to see if he's out there. All of this, as you can imagine, is sad to watch. We needed an interactive way for Henry to see his Paw Paw, stat, and this is where the title of this post comes in.

Prior to this week, we had heard of Skype, but we didn't have the webcam and other stuff necessary to start up. Now, thanks to the awesomely amazing Daddy Pants, we do. So, after trudging through the somewhat tedious set-up yesterday, we are now proud owners of a Skype account. It took us awhile to figure out what the heck we were doing, but we have also now figured out how to have a video conversation.

In our one practice session, we also learned a few things about Skyping with a 1-year old. First, when he's done with Skype, he's DONE. No amount of calling him back or trying to engage him is going to work. Also, when he's ready to get up, my tummy bears the brunt of his efforts to do so - which is obviously bad for business. Two, 1-year olds cannot keep conversations going. No, that's got to come from the other side...and it's got to be damn good to keep him into it. Hand puppets, songs, dances, and lots of easy questions highly recommended. Lastly, he totally doesn't 'get' that you can see him. He stares like a zombie at the screen...and he's completely engaged by it...but it probably doesn't look that way from the other end. Do not be dismayed. If and when he is no longer interested, he'll tell us.

So, there you have it. The man of our house is THE MAN, and we're up and running. Our contact name is elizabeth.chesser. Skype us, baby!!

Halloween Photos, part 1

Here is a start to Halloween '09. My family got better pics on their cameras, so I'll update with those as soon as I get them...

The evening before Halloween - Henry loving the firetruck that showed up at our Fall Festival.

Mommy and Henry (after he got annoyed with the costume but before he was ready to leave).

Halloween night...with Uncle Jonathan!

This little lion loves Snickerdoodles...and also loves his great grandmother for having them ready for him instead of candy (which she knows he doesn't love at all).

Mommy and Henry on Halloween night.


For those of you who came to my bridal luncheon on the morning before our wedding, you may recall this delightful couple hosting it at their home. I trick-or-treated at their house every year of my childhood...and here's my little lion keeping that tradition alive. Is it just me or does my mom look my same age?? I think she does...

Same pose as last time, but I wanted to prove to you that this child actually smiles from time to time. It's just that if he's smiling, he's usually moving...so all of my smiley pictures from Halloween are blurry. One day, when we grow up, we're going to get a really bitchin' camera that can outsmart wiggly toddlers. On another subject, there's my 21-week bump. I know, not impressive...I'm sure it'll really pop in the next couple of weeks (it was around Week 27 with H).

More pics to come soon!

Crabapple McNasties

See the title of this blog post? That's what I have today. Leave me alone, stay out of my way, and don't DARE mention the word Jared invented earlier this week.

Well, do so at your own peril...heehee.

Henry has been awake since before 2 a.m. Again. That's right...he slept for almost 5 hours...total. This is two nights in a row (the first, he was up for 3 hours with a low-grade fever)...and at least 15 nights since the first week of October.

He refused to be put back in his crib.

He refused to fall asleep next to me in the guest bed.

He wasn't hungry, wet, dirty, cold, or hot. He was Motrined before we got him down for the night.

After three hours of failed rocking, singing, snuggling, an episode of Sesame Street, and a bottle, I finally gave in and let him sleep (or, more appropriately, thrash around, whine, and climb all over me) in our bed at 5:30. At around 7 this morning, he had the stinkiest, most horrible diaper of his worldly existence, and at 7:30, Jared gave me his support and permission to have a breakdown.

Instead, I threw some water on my face and put the coffee on (all you don't-drink-caffeine-while-you're-pregnant haters can eat the aforementioned diaper as far as I'm concerned).

At 8:30, I remembered that some of my girlfriends have told me bad diapers and low-grade fevers can be teething...so I allowed my finger to venture into the only two remaining toothless spots in his mouth. Sure enough, we've got one top molar through and the other one working its way. I guess I'm thankful for an explanation. I guess.

So, grandparents, there you have it -- we're at 15 1/2 now. If we make it to 16 before I lose my ever-loving mind or actually turn into a crabapple mcnasty, it'll be a success by any measure.

The Great Name Debate

Baby #2 remains nameless. 21 weeks...nameless. 19 weeks to decide...tick, tock, tick, tock...

It's just so much pressure!! We knew Henry's name before he was even conceived. It has soooo much family significance, and for that reason (and the obvious cuteness factor) it was such an easy choice for us. I just knew from the moment I met Jared that I wanted to name our first son after him, and I have known forever that I wanted my first son to 'go by' the name of his great-grandfather (my grandfather), Henry. It was added bonus that Jared's grandfather was also a Henry, and he was also a person of enormous influence on Jared's life. Hence, Jared Henry Chesser.

Now, for this new sweet babe, we don't have a family name that we love (and, believe me, we've considered ALL of them)...we don't know his face, personality, etc...and we're just so 'guck.' We've thought we had it a few times, only for me to change my mind a few days later. Sometimes I just think we need to check into the hospital armed with our favorites, and once we see him, we can give him the name that seems to fit him the best. But, but, but...if we do that *sniff, sniff*, how will I satisfy my positively sinful love for all things monogrammed?? heehee. I kid, of course.

19 weeks...4 1/2 months...surely we can figure it out in that time...

Halloween pictures forthcoming...uploady wire missing...again.

Wordcrafting

Somebody get Merriam Webster on the line. Jared invented a new word tonight, and it's seriously brilliant. It belongs in the next edition...no kidding.

Defensitive.

adjective.

a description for the unique human condition of defensiveness coupled with sensitivity....sometimes (no admissions here) brought about in women by one's elevated hormone levels, as is common in pregnancy or during certain times of the month...severity of said condition known to be substantially aggravated by the following: hunger, standing for too long, being too hot especially while trying to sleep, general insomnia, cleaning for hours only to watch your efforts be destroyed in a matter of seconds, untimely sexual advances, and being asked or told anything more than once or in a tone that implies mockery of, judgment of, or even slight disagreement with one in the grips of the condition.

WARNING: Men are advised not to utter this word in the presence of their significant other...especially if she could, in any way, fall into one of the aforementioned categories of women potentially described thereby.

Awww, my hubs...love him...darling little wordsmith that he is.

Not tryin' to brag, but...

...how cool is this pumpkin?!?! Seeing as I spent over two hours gutting and carving it without a carving kit, I think it's PRETTY AMAZING. Now, if I can just get Henry to sit next to it without putting his hand into the candle for a photo, we'll be golden.

Earlier this week, I made a spice cake for a Halloween girls' night that I hosted at our house. After I iced it, but before I had finished the multitude of chores that needed to be done around here before anyone could be allowed in for the par-tay, Henry started climbing my legs and begging to be held. I needed to create a distraction for him, but NOTHING was working. So, I went ahead and pulled out all the stops and gave him the icing that was left in the tub to play with, paint with, and eat. At first, he was totally impressed...

After a few more minutes, he just seemed over-sugared.

But it bought me the few minutes I needed, and that's what counts, right??? **hiding my head in shame**

I didn't have my camera out at the party, so I have no photos to share from that. If any of the girls who came over send me some of their pics (hint, hint), I'll be glad to post them so you Florida folks can see some of our fun new friends AND know what our house looks like over here.

15 month stats

My child could not be a worse patient.

The crying and kicking and screaming begins as soon as the doctor walks into the examination room...and doesn't stop until we are halfway home from the office. This happens whether he gets shots or not. Unbelievable.

Today, when our sweet Dr. Butler pulled out her stethoscope and said, "I'm just going to listen to your tummy for a sec, okay??" Henry leaned into her face and screamed "NOOOOO!!!" at the top of his lungs. How wonderful.

Nonetheless, here are the stats:
Weight: 30.4
Height: 33.5
Head Circumference: 20

I have no idea where this puts him percentage-wise. All I know is that he's huge, heavy, and hard to carry with my disappearing waistline.

Have a great weekend!!

Daddies are for Snuggling

One night...two new teeth. Needless to say, it was rough. Henry whimpered for most of it in his dreams, and he finally woke up and cried at a little past 4.

Bless my dear sweet husband for taking the night shift last night and letting me sleep. He often helps me with the crummy middle-of-the-night wake-ups, but I can't remember the last time he popped up first, turned off the monitor in our room, and told me to stay asleep because he had it. I soooo love him.

When Jared's alarm went off at 7 this morning, I realized he was still upstairs with the boy. I crept up there to see what was going on, and I found the two of them snuggled in the guest bed - sound asleep. Jared was on his side, facing away from the middle (wise man, he is...sleep facing towards Henry and you are sure to wake up with a punctured kidney and/or a fractured rib). Henry was kind of on his side and his back, backside-to-backside with Jared, both arms over his head, with his legs stretched out as far apart as they would go. They were breathing deep and slow and perfectly in sync. Ahhhh-dorable.

Thankfully, J was able to get him to fall asleep just a few minutes after he got up there.

After Jared left for work this morning, I checked H's mouth to see if we had a culprit...and that's when I found the two new chompers. This brings us to 14, grandparents. The two newbies are still hurting him today, as evidenced by incessant whining and his going down for his nap almost two hours early. My poor baby.

So, we're just going to hang around the house today, he'll be taking his Motrin around the clock, and we will both be anxiously awaiting the homecoming of our very favorite snuggle buddy. Hope this lets up a little before his pediatrician appointment (and accompanying shots) tomorrow.

19 weeks...everybody's lookin' good!

**UPDATE** Since originally posting this, it has come to my attention that I said "everybody's lookin' good," however, I did not include a picture of every...body. So, in celebration of being almost halfway there and as an expression of my gratitude for not being hounded about these every week by the bump patrol (you mamas know who you are), scroll down to the bottom of this post for a little (or not-so-little) surprise. *I took these myself in my half-bathroom mirror, so PLEASE, no judging the quality of the photos or the cleanliness of that ne'er used room!!

As you all know, we got another peek at the littlest Chesser yesterday morning for the 19 week anatomy ultrasound (a.k.a. the BIG one). Although our sweet one was not interested in showing his full face for a 3D shot, he was very cooperative for everything else. He let us know that he is measuring about a week ahead (just like Henry did), he weighs approximately 11 ounces, his nose/lips are continuous, all extremities checked out just fine - 10 fingers, 10 toes, and yes, he's definitely still a boy, and lastly all of the internal organs we were looking for/at are present and functioning. Amen.

After the ultrasound, we enjoyed some BBQ and family time together to celebrate the day's many blessings. Henry's not sure what his biggest blessing of the day was, though -- a healthy brother...or a sweeeet backpack. With his latest obsession with 'bags', I thought it was high time that he had one of his own. I'd say he agreed.
We've got H's 15-month well-child appointment this week....look for his hugeness stats on Friday. Now, for the update photos...

My left side...

...from the front...not sure what's going on with the shadow on this one??...my right side...So, there you are. Those may be the only official, posed ones you get this time around...I hate being in pictures these days. I personally think the best thing about these is Henry's cute blonde head hovering just at counter-height in photos #2 and #3...he's my little shadow. Have a great week, everyone!