A Big Week

This past week has had a lot going on for all of us. I think I mentioned before, but August has been jammed packed booked! Every day and especially every weekend is super busy. Apparently, everyone wants to host events in August, including us. It's been brutally, and I mean super brutally hot, like 105 degrees, which has made all of our running around more tiring though. I never thought I'd say it, but I' ready for Fall. :)

First things first, Wicker Bean #2 is doing great! I am definitely feeling him move a lot, and even Kevin can feel it now, at 18 weeks, and overall I feel pretty good other than still being more tired than usual. But nothing like what I felt in the first trimester. Goodness, that was the highest level of exhaustion I think I've ever felt! My varicose veins are soo hating this pregnancy. It's making me quite self conscious, but I know it's all worth it, and I'll get them fixed after all these babies.

 We had our level two sonogram with the perinatologist this week at 18 weeks and all looked amazingly perfect. Baby is growing right on track, the placenta and fluid level both looked great, and no abnormalities were seen. And, it's definitely a boy. He sure was giving us some good shots. The  baby measured 18 wks and 2 days and weighed 8 ounces. She also measured my cervix and all is still in perfect shape. She measured it at 4.25 cm, which is ridiculously longer than I have ever been measured. But I was having a focal contraction when she measured it which usually causes an exaggerated cervical length measurement. I usually start at about 3.25 cm, which is probably what I really measured, so I'm feeling confident that at this point I have not gone below that. Based on my history with Preston she said I sit in a 'grey zone' since I did shorten and have preterm labor, but ended up carrying him to term. But given the fact that I'm also hypothyroid (which in uncontrolled scenarios can cause poor growth in the baby) she will monitor me with sonograms once a month until 34 weeks. Good game plan. It sure was lovely to see our sweet baby! He was so active and has the sweetest little profile and fingers and toes. To be able to watch God grow and develop him INSIDE OF MY BODY is truly one of the biggest miracles and gifts of a lifetime. So we will see him again
in a month.

It's a boy!!



Last weekend we did another there-and-back day trip to Houston for my niece, Layla's, 4th birthday party. It truly is exhausting driving 8 hours in a day with a 17 month old, but so worth it to be a part of Layla's sweet life and show her that we love her. I feel like a common thread in all of my posts these day is writing about the exhaustion of being the parents to Preston, but it really is no joke. LOL I'm sure the pregnant part has something to do with it too. But it does make for a truly exhausted Mom and Dad after we go to anyone's house with Preston because Kevin and I literally cannot sit down the entire time we are there. Most peoples houses are not Preston-proofed like ours, so in order to keep him from destroying all of their things or falling down their stairs, we can never take our eyes off of him as he runs their house. This birthday party adventure was no different. Preston has one speed, GO, all the time. So he ran and ran and ran my Pepaw's house relentlessly the entire four hours we were there and tried to pick up every single item that wasn't locked down, including the dog. And since he couldn't pick up the dog, he drug the dog crate around the house. After observing Preston for a bit my Pepaw says to us, " Man, he sure isn't short on energy. Is he like this all the time? ( To which we reply, " Yes".) I sure pity yall!" Okay, the validation felt good, I have to admit. :) But Preston swam and spent time with his cousins, and even got to play with a huge water gun for the first time ( we don't do the gun thing), which he thought was the most amazing toy ever created. It sure was hilarious to watch him carry this ginormous gun around while he ran and played. He refused to put it down.

 Pool time with Dad and Uncle Justin

Sooo happy about this water gun!

 Birthday girl, Layla! Turning four!

 Miss Layla, Uncle Justin and Preston

 Walking the place, which we did over and over and over in the lovely Houston heat with Preston...and his gun. :) Carried it everywhere.

He was quite mesmerized by the pinata.

Now he found a yard stick to tote around.

 Now Mamma and Baby's turn to walk around in the heat. This was towards the end of the day and we both were WORN OUT and hot!

Birthday girl puckering up and posing for her picture.



We also went to Preston friend Chamblee's first birthday party this weekend. Preston has been making the rounds, I tell ya. Seeing him in social environments always amazes me. He is so awesome, yall. He is incredibly social. He navigates though oodles of people in crowded rooms all by himself, never scared or looking for Mom or Dad, and walks up to strangers and interacts and giggles and gives them books to read to him and he'll happily sit on their lap ( albeit for five seconds, as he has to move onto other things) and let them read him a book. HE LOVES BOOKS. He carries one around most of the time and "reads" them. He stays happy the entire time and entertains himself. Yes, we have to watch him to make sure he's not pulling fun things off of shelves and so forth, but he's very independent. I watch him share toys, play nice with the other kids, and take direction from us so well while he's playing with others, and he even cleans up his toys and puts them back in the toy box before getting another one. Yes, I'm super duper biased, but I'm just so impressed by our lovely man, and think he's the gem of all gems. He always just seems such a step above, if I dare admit that. :)

Big girl, Chamblee, turning one!!

Camera died, but I did get a few pictures of Miss Chamblee opening her gifts. :)



I'm sure you gathered, but Preston is doing super well. He's IS A SPONGE and is learning brand new things, seriously, daily. It's totally cool! So we are taking this opportunity to teach teach teach! I don't know that he's ever been in such a fast and obvious learning period. He is just soaking up every single thing and showing off his new skills. So amazing!

Here's what he's been up to:

He can sign the letter, 'A' and 'Z' and say ' Z'

He is showing us that he definitely likes order. He almost won't play with his toys in the toy box without encouragement because he wants them to stay all in the toy box ( HE DID GET SOMETHING FROM ME!) And when he's done with one, he puts it back in the toy box..and not just thrown in Oh, no, he doesn't want it hanging over the edge, it has to be all the way inside. He will go back and fix it if he notices it. He was playing with a toy today, we were standing in the kitchen as I offered him something else to play with. He looked at the new toy, ran into the living room to put his 'old' toy that he was currently playing with back in the toy box, and then ran back to me to get the 'new' toy. So crazy! We do sing the ' clean up' song together and pick up his toys and put them back in the toy box, but I've never made him play with only one toy at a time. So this is not from us, this is all my little OCD baby. :)

He is signing, " No' like crazy

He tells the dogs to " Go" and points for them to go ( I guess he's seen this a time or two)

He puts his finger up over his lips now when he says, " shhhhh"

We are working on the signs for, " cookie, share, banana, and night night ( sleep).

He has mastered  signing 'please' and offers up a please before we give him anything that he asks for.

We count aloud a lot for him and sign numbers, but he isn't quite onto the counting, but he is starting to recognize colors though and be able to point to them.

He signs "Daddy" all the time. Anytime the dogs start randomly barking he runs to the garage door entrance and giggles and says and signs, " Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!". He know that when the dogs typically bark it's because Dad is home and they have heard the garage door open. He loves his Daddy.

He likes to take a wipe and help wipe himself when you're changing his diaper

He loves, loves to give, " big hugs" to us and the dogs. It's super sweet. He also loves to share with the dogs whatever he's playing with or eating. He takes a bite and then lets them have a bite--even if it's a toy.

Today he had a toy and I caught him lifting Eli's paw trying to put the toy into Eli's " hand". Oh my, melt my heart, people. Adorable.

 Sure loves him some Glory

She is so good at tolerating him. :) He just wont leave her alone.

 Big hugs for Glory

One of his favorite places to be, Glory's crate

In and out, in and out...



Preston is such a sweet, sweet boy. He's definitely an explorer and busy, but wicked smart. I just love his mild mannered spirit. He is already so loving and giving, and very open to interacting freely with others. I love these qualities about him.


Well, gotta run, folks, off to Just Between Friends consignment sale today!!! Whoo hooo! It's like a mini vacation! Time without Preston to go shopping for a few hours!