1-2-3's

Isabella has started something new...she can count to 3!

It is the MOST adorable thing I have ever heard. It goes something like this: "oooo, twoooo, teeeeee!"

She gets so excited and claps, I love it and I am so proud of my big girl.

The only downfall that I've managed to find with this is that now when I count for her to come to me, she'll turn around and do her adorable counting.

*sigh*

I am such a sucker--I must have it written on my forehead.

I wonder if she can read now, too?

She Loves to Get Pampered...

=.Isabella's latest obsession is adorable.

She loves her hair to be brushed. I'm not talking to just fix her hair in the morning--I'm talking about sitting on my lap for a LONG time and me just brushing and brushing and brushing.

It doesn't matter what kind of brush, either. Hers, mine, toy brushes. They're all the same to her.

If I stop too soon? Oh, boy, do I hear about it from her!

She got spoiled in Missouri when my little sisters/her fun aunts would brush her hair at bedtime. Forever. They would brush it until it was their bedtime. Or until Bella chewed up the gel handle on Annie's brush (sorry, Annie!).

She. loved. it! She would even start to doze off a little.

What can I say...she's a girl after my own heart....I'm in heaven when I get my hair brushed or washed at a salon.

I just need to teach her to brush my hair...she tries but it usually consists of her hitting my head with the back of the brush. Hey--it's a start, right?

Zoo Fun in Missouri

So Hard to Say Good-Bye....

We head back to Mississippi tomorrow morning. And I've already been crying about it.

I adore and love spending time with my family. We went to Silver Dollar City, the zoo, gymnastics, nature walks, Target, and my mom and I went and got our hair done together today.

I truly wish that we lived here. When we are back in Missouri I am happy again, full of life, happiness and I just feel so fulfilled. Isabella had so much fun with her fun aunts, her Mema and Papa, her uncles, her Great Nena and Papa and her God Parents. It was so nice to see her with everyone and old enough to play and have her Bella conversations with everyone.

So, to everyone that made us feel like we were, indeed, at our home....thank you! We loved spending every single second with you guys. We love you so much and are already counting the days until Addison (um, we changed the baby's name to Addison in case you are wondering!).

Now we are just on a countdown until August when we'll see you all again!

I Love it Here....

We made the trip on Saturday to spend spring break with my family in Missouri for a week. We got here in record speed--our fastest time ever--and we are so happy to be here!

I love Missouri, especially the city I lived for most of my life. It's not too big, not too small and everytime I come home I get this happy feeling that just feels good. I can't wait to move back here once Leo retires....

I hope everyone has a great week and hope you enjoy your spring break.

Sweet, sweet smiles

Give Me a Tomato Slice with Salt/Pepper Please!

As my faithful readers know, the first part of pregnancy was rough.

And that's an understatement.

I swear morning sickness was much worse this time around although my mom swears that I was that sick with Isabella, too. Maybe I don't remember because I was so sick?

Although--quick fact--I read that the older a woman is the worse her morning sickness will be. Who knew?

Anyways, I am proud to announce that I. feel. marvelous!

More energy throughout the day, an enormous appetite (not again!) and if it weren't for Miss Olivia doing her marathon sessions of cardio and gymnastics, I sometimes would forget I was pregnant at all! Except when I just want a margarita on the rocks or glass of wine and remember ohhhhh....I'm pregnant!

My cravings have been strong the past week. They include the following:

* I have to have fruit. Especially plums and raspberries. Those are a must.

* And pasta. Anything with marinara sauce = pure bliss for me. Seriously. Funny the first trimester that was one main culprit that made me feel like curling up and never moving again.

* Lets not forget tomatoes with salt and pepper. Yum!

* And the past few days? It was chocolate. But only certain things and not a lot of it. No bake cookies, brownies. Oh--and something not chocolatey is a strawberry milkshake from Bop's Frozen Custard. No Sonic or Whataburger knock offs for me. I want the good stuff!

That's it as of today. My main craving culprits. Very similar to what I wanted with Bella. Except with Bella I craved lemons, too. Yummy, sour lemons. And Sour Patch Kids or Sour Straws.

Now I feel like I need something sour!

Sharin' the Loot

By now Leo and I have realized that Isabella is a true loot lover.

I continue to find little treasures in the strangest places. I honestly think she has forgotten about a majority of this loot because when I find it and marvel at how we have found the long lost comb, toothpaste, toothbrush, etc her whole face lights up like it's the greatest gift she's ever received.

Anyway, the other day I gave her a bunch of plastic kitchen utensils for her kitchen that we already have. She was so excited! (Nevermind that she just spent a good while screaming and throwing them around the living room...for reasons unknown to me...)

She then decided to share her loot with our cat, Boo. Boo was sleeping in her corner of the loveseat. I say her corner because if anyone dares to sprawl out on the loveseat to watch tv she'll sit on the floor and stare at you....and stare at you.

Isabella took this opportunity to pile all of her loot around Boo....kind of like a fort. It was piled so high we could barely see poor Boo. But Boo took it like a champ and continued to lay there while the loot piled up. She had kitchen utensils, stuffed animals, books, tea sets, and random toys.

Isabella was satisfied that Boo didn't try to move the entire time and I was happy that you could see our living room floor again. It was a win-win situation for us all!

Until Boo got up (maybe an hour later) and Isabella realized that her beloved cat had left her fort. Toys, books, loot were suddenly thrown everywhere along with a little girl yelling the entire time.

I seriuosly love this age Bella is at--her temper cracks me up and how she deals with her frustrations seriously makes me laugh sometimes....next time will be caught on video!

The Big Ultrasound Reveal!

I got an urgent e-mail from my sister this morning. She told me it had been nearly a month since I had posted last.

Really?!

A month?

Where has the time gone?

I can honestly say that I have been relaxing and enjoying time with my family. We took a ride on a friend's boat in the Gulf to a secluded island where the sand was white and the water was crystal clear. Isabella had a blast collecting seashells and having a picnic on the beach. It was heaven.

We've enjoyed days at the park, trips to the ice cream shop and shopping downtown.

Time really seemed to just stand still the past few weeks and I've loved it. Snuggling with my little girl and feeling Baby G kick and play in my tummy.

Heaven.

Back to my original post though....(I swear, I have the worst case of pregnancy brain!)

I am now 20 1/2 weeks pregnant--a little over the halfway mark. Unless this little one decides to make a late debut like their older sister.

The ultrasound went wonderfully. I was so nervous the entire time...the tech was pretty quiet and I was just there on the table daydreaming away and praying that everything was okay.

He then went and got Leo and Isabella where we got a couple of cute pictures and chatted. The baby weighs 13 oz and is right on for size. Heartbeat was in the mid 150's.

Then we found out the sex....

We...

are......

having........

a..........................

GIRL!

We can finally call her by her name, Olivia Diane.

And I just can't wait to meet our little Olivia!

We are beyond thrilled, blessed and just grinning ear to ear. What a great St. Patrick's Day this was!