Blessed again!!

Did I tell you this was a whirlwind adventure, or did I tell you?!?!

As it turns out, all of this fatigue, heartburn, inability to blog, and emotional-ness wasn't just staying up too late (again), the BBQ we ate too much of (again), my incessant writer's block, or my nostalgic nature rearing its ugly head, respectively. Nope, not at all. In fact, there is a much more obvious and fun explanation for all of it.

The explanation looks a little something like this right now.But, hold on, I don't want anyone to be fooled by how tiny this sweet thing is. That "sweet" thing packs a MEAN punch, and I am admittedly down for the count and have been for awhile now. I am 7 weeks along, and we've been given a March 17th due date. That may change slightly after a re-measure ultrasound next month. Don't we know our dates, you ask?? Well, no, not exactly. This happened on our very first month off of b.c. and nursing, so all we have to go by are measurements and the dates of our first positive hpt. If this still doesn't make sense to you and you are curious, please email me and I'll explain the nitty gritty of it there.

Anyway, Jared and I are thrilled beyond measure about the new addition to our family. We can't say for sure how Henry is doing with it, because he is teething and got shots this week so we're a little bit afraid to go near him...let alone shatter his plan for world/home domination. hehee. I know he's going to be a wonderful big brother, though, and I can't wait for the two of them to play together and love on each other like only siblings can.

We have absolutely no preference for a boy or a girl. Brothers less than 2 years apart would be so special, and by that same token, having one of each would be a lot of fun too. So, our only real hope is that this babe is as healthy and vibrant as humanly possible.

Thank you for all of your well-wishes and support during this beautiful time for our family.

In other news, Henry went to the doctor for his 1-year well baby appointment today. He is still a hoss. He weighs 27 pounds and is 32 inches long, which puts him above the 97th percentile in both categories. The pede said that his gums look terribly swollen right now and that we can anticipate all four molars to come through in the next week or so. One of his gums looks like a volcano about to erupt, so I'm guessing that one will be through today or tomorrow. He is really miserable with this round of teething - whimpering in his sleep all night and during naps and crying much of the time he is awake. Motrin is doing very little to comfort him either. It is so very sad to see him like this.
So, anyway, we're hunkering down and riding out this molar madness and morning sickness as best we can for the next few days/weeks (said: lots of Sesame Street, extra milk bottles, and lolling about). Wish us luck!!

I'll be back to regular blogging as soon as possible.

A little behind...

One more "before" shot...a little blurry, but you get the idea.
During...

AFTER!!! What a cutie! The lollipop worked miracles...
And, in honor of being just a little "behind," here are two of my favorites of those...
It's been a busy couple of weeks people. First, Henry's Nina (Jared's mom) came to visit us for Henry's birthday. We had lots of fun adventures with her, and thoroughly enjoyed the time we had together. From birthday parties to grocery store shopping to first haircuts to yummy restaurants (like Chuck E. Cheese!)....I'd say we rocked it out. She even went with me to the DPS to help with Henry so I could change all of my Florida stuff to Texas. Other mamas, you KNOW how hard that type of errand is to run alone. Thank goodness for my MIL!

Then, the day after she left, we packed up and shipped out to Orlando for the wedding of two very special friends. I will share more on that in my next post. I even remembered the camera for the wedding, so we got a few shots with the couple! We got back on Sunday afternoon, and we only had a few short days in our quiet home before Jared had to bust on out of here for a work trip. He's been gone since yesterday morning, and he won't be back until tomorrow night. Sigh.

Oh, I've got so much else to catch you all up on...but I hear a chatterbox coming over the monitor just now. I promise...I'll fill y'all in soon on everything.

Some photos from the weekend!

This weekend, I learned a very important lesson: 1-year old birthday parties are C-R-A-Z-Y. I tried to keep it low-key and simple. I only invited a few of Henry's baby friends to come, and the rest of our guests were family members...and still, C-R-A-Z-Y. So, here are a few photos from the weekend. I haven't gotten the rest from my sister, but I'll post again once I do!

A little table decor!

Henry waking up to a cribside surprise after his afternoon nap.
Mommy and Daddy preparing for the Ball Party!
Showing Aunt Heather how much he loves her birthday cake masterpiece...
The finished product. Way to go, Heather!
Nana sent Henry some birthday money, and with it, we purchased THIS fantastic school bus ballpit! He loves it soooo much!!
Henry's friend, Jayce, partying it up in the living room!
Hannah, Jayce, and Brady play in the presents!
Henry looking slightly overwhelmed...
Brady and Henry...birthday buddies! B turns one this week too!!
Henry playing with birthday toys.
Henry's first cake...better pics to come soon!
Henry's prized possession.
Mommy and Henry enjoying a new birthday book from Maw Maw.
Daddy and Henry building block castles (you should see H tear them down!).
A glimpse of something to come tomorrow...
Looky, looky...here's a much bigger hint.
Nina holding Henry while we wait for the big event...another baby milestone...
"After" pics to come tomorrow!!

Just pics...

We've had a big, busy week! Grandpa came to see Henry for many days, and we had all kinds of fun adventures. Here are just a few....

Henry's first Star Wars experience...

Kingwood's 4th of July Parade. He was hot...and tired...but loved watching all the action...
Grandpa took Henry shopping for birthday presents too. The two of them just couldn't wait to get home to open them up...here they are playing in the car...
And here's Henry telling us what he thinks about early birthday gifts!Henry showing Grandpa his newest skill...WALKING! He took his first steps last week, and he's just been all over the place since then. Don't let the hand-holding fool you...he's great by himself too!
Grandpa and Henry after a fun week together.

We've got birthday fever around here. Only 3 days until someone around here turns 1. Will try to post pics soon after the party!! :)

Backseat inspiration

When Jared and I were dating, we had a recurring conversation about what body language - and particularly facial expressions - say about a person. We didn't focus so much on the facial expressions one makes while engaged in conversation or while knowingly under the watchful eye of someone else. No, our focus was on the language your face speaks when you aren't aware of anyone else even noticing.

You know, what do you look like when you're walking from one class to the next by yourself? What do you look like as you drive a long stretch of open highway? If someone popped in on you while you were, say, washing your hands in the bathroom...or watering your yard on your quiet street...or as you walked the mall, what could the someone tell about you by the way you were holding your face?

We named this face - the one you make when you think nobody's paying attention to you - your Default Face. And then we decided (only Theory by J&E...no scientific evidence whatsoever) that a person's Default Face gives away their true state-of-mind. Here's Jared's, at 2... I can't tell you how many times we'd say to each other, "hey, your Default Face is looking really mopey/angry/sad/etc....is everything okay?" Now, we just say some variant of "what the h*** is your problem today," but I digress. Here I am at 3... Yesterday, I was reminded of this three-year old conversation as I glanced back to check on Henry in the car. He was quietly looking out the window. His sweet, little face was all aglow - eyes sparkling with curiosity and life, mouth slightly open, cheeks flushed with excitement awaiting the next amazing thing that would fly by his moving room with a view, and the most subtle hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He looked happy. content. at peace. completely in love with his life. Now that's the kind of Default Face I want to see on my son forever and ever.

And, you know, that's the kind of thing that inspires me to eliminate stress from my life and to seek out the kind of Happiness that leaves me smiling when no one else is looking. Thank you, Henry, for that Tuesday afternoon, backseat inspiration. So, what do you think? What's your Default Face looking like these days?