My Big Boy

Sometimes, it seems like just yesterday that I was kissing Clark for the first time. He was so tiny and adorable, and it took a while for it to sink in that he was ours. God had used us to create this perfect little human being.



Then I blink my eyes, and he's starting preschool!



What happened? Where did the time go? All of a sudden I'm dropping him off at school, kissing him goodbye, and he's off to play with his friends. I felt the tears welling up in my eyes as I watched him exploring his new classroom, checking everything out, and enjoying this new adventure. I didn't; however, want him to see my cry. I didn't want him to think I was sad, because I didn't want his happiness to be affected by my (silly) temporary emotions! I was mostly worried that after I left, he would want me and I wouldn't be there, but I also knew that he has great teachers who would take wonderful care of him.

Evans walked me out to the car, then I cried! I cried most of the way home (which is only 10 minutes, I didn't cry for hours!), but once I walked into the house and heard the silence, I was better! It was wonderful to have a few hours to relax a little, and get a few things done without keeping up with Clark at the same time. I was able to get so much accomplished, and I'm really looking forward to this time alone (until December when the baby will be here)!

I'm so proud of how well Clark did during his first week, and can't wait to see what all he learns this year!

Little Miss Creative

For those of you who don't know, I have a little business...Little Miss Creative!

I would love it if you headed over to check out my blog or look us up on Facebook!

To touch or not to touch?

So the last time I was pregnant, I didn’t mind people touching my belly. Scratch that, I didn’t mind people I knew touching my belly. This time around, I hate for people to touch my stomach. There were several times, as soon as we started telling people we were pregnant, I had people walking up and putting their hands on my stomach.

Umm…I’m not even showing yet, so please take your hand out of my space.

And even now that I’m showing, I’m still not of fan of the un-welcome “tummy rub.” Maybe I won’t mind it as much once they can feel the baby move, but for now I feel like there’s no reason for someone else to rub all over me!

That sounded a little like a rant…I’m really not that mad about it, just a little uncomfortable with it. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to politely tell people to keep their hands to themselves?!?

Potty training blows...

Well, we didn’t find out at our visit on Monday…but that’s okay. I was aiming to have the nursery cleaned out by the time we knew if we had a boy or girl, and I could totally use another month to get ready!

On another note, do you think it would be okay if Clark went to high school wearing diapers? I mean, what’s the harm?!? Potty training is by far the most difficult thing I have done as a Mom. For real.

We gave it a go in February, but taking care of a sick husband, and a child who had no interest in using the potty created a recipe for disaster. I decided to wait and give it a shot when Clark actually seemed to care. Since then, he has asked to use the potty, and done so successfully several times. Even though he doesn’t have to be, I would like for him to be potty trained before he starts preschool in the fall, so we gave it another shot this week.

We had a doctor’s appointment and errands to run on Monday, so we waited until Tuesday to start. I decided to let him go nakey the first day so that he would be more aware, or at least start to realize the sensation of needing to use the bathroom. Also, Clark is very independent, so he was able to run to the bathroom and get started without me. He did great. We only had one accident all day, and that was right before bedtime when I decided to try “big boy” underwear in between bath time and bed time for a few minutes.

Wednesday was not so great. Actually, it was absolutely horrible. We started off trying to wear “big boy” underwear. That didn’t go so well. We had 5 accidents before lunchtime. I’m talking, he would use the bathroom, put on a pair of underwear, and pee in them 5 minutes later. What is going on? As soon as I put him in the bed for naptime, I ran to the computer in search of advice. I came across a blog written by a woman who has also written a book on potty training. Lucky for me, there was a question from a lady who was having the same problem as we were having. Her child does great when nakey, but has accidents non-stop while wearing underwear. Great…so I’m not the only crazy one out there! The lady writing the blog suggested that you “sacrifice” a pair of underwear, cut the crotch out, and let them get used to wearing underwear like that for a few days. Whatever, at this point I will try ANYTHING! I ran and grabbed a pair of underwear, cut out the appropriate area, and would have them prepared as soon as he woke up.

Only he didn’t want to go to sleep. After an hour and a half, he was still laying in the bed talking. “Are you kidding me,” I thought to myself. Then things got even worse. I felt my stomach start to turn, and ran to the bathroom as fast as I could. And got sick. Three times. Ugh. Great. Now I have a child that won’t sleep or pee in the potty, and a tired and sick Mommy. And where is Daddy, out of town. (Not that he could help it. He was out working hard so that Mommy can stay home with the little monster!)

I thought for sure that my day was getting better when he finally fell asleep after lying in the bed for a little more than 2 hours. I plopped down and got a little rest, and felt much better when we both woke up 2 hours later. “The rest of this day is going to be better,” I told myself. Oh no. Not so fast Mommy. Clark came into the bonus room after getting up, and I was so excited to show him his new special underwear, until I smelled poop. And then I saw it on his hand. Nasty.

Anyway, after cleaning up that disaster, Clark was still a little hesitant about the new underwear, but wore them for a little bit. We made it through the day, especially since Nana and Papa came over and brought dinner  I seriously considered giving up potty training, and just letting him wear a diaper forever. Or at least until elementary school. Or maybe high school.

And then Thursday came, and Clark woke up asking to wear his “special” underwear. Maybe this will work out after all…

The differences in my 2 pregnancies

While my pregnancies have been somewhat similar, there are some things that have been totally different!

1. Eating habits: During my last pregnancy, I ate NON-STOP from the moment I found out I was pregnant, until the day before he was born. And it was all bad food. I had at least 1 double cheeseburger a day, loved milkshakes, and craved all kinds of fried food. This time, I’m not hungry at all. There are some days where I’ll eat breakfast, then don’t even think about food again until my stomach starts to growl at dinner time. Oops….didn’t even realized I skipped lunch! While I don’t really have any cravings yet this time, when I’m hungry, I’m more likely to want fresh fruit, cucumbers in vinegar (I know, Evans thinks it’s gross, too!), or something light like a sub.

2. Weight gain: This obviously is being affected by #1, but by this point in my last pregnancy, I was up about 6 or 7 pounds. This time, I’m still down about 8 or 10. I have a little bump showing, but it’s nothing like it was last time!

3. Attitude: My attitude is all over the place this time! I was a little emotional last time, but I even surprise myself some days! I feel sorry for my husband 

One thing that I hope will be the same….finding out the baby’s sex on the day after Father’s Day! We found out Clark was a boy 3 years ago on the day after, and we have an appointment next Monday! Our doctor says it may be a little too early, but he’ll try to tell. Here’s to hoping!

Hot, Hot, Hot!

Well, summer has arrived! I feel like we went from comfortable temperatures and afternoons playing outside, to 100 degree temps and sitting inside eating popsicles on a towel!

I’m not complaining though. I would MUCH RATHER have it hot than cold. I have totally been able to tell already this summer that if I don’t drink enough water, the heat just wipes me out. We went to Lowes this morning to grab a few things, and came back to water plants, play a little, and clean off the patio. I was WIPED out! Wow!

I have a feeling we’re going to be looking for lots of indoor activities this summer!

Here we go again...

Once again, I have let the blog down. I have a pretty good excuse this time, though. I have been too tired to write, since I’m busy growing a baby, and all!

That’s right…the hubs and I are super excited to add another baby to the mix. “Little Bit” is due in early December! I’m actually 12 weeks today….so to catch you up on the last few weeks…

The day after my birthday, April 8th, was a lazy Friday around here. We had a date night the night before, so after picking Clark up from my parents Friday morning, we came home to relax. Evans was in Charlotte working, so I took a rest while Clark was napping. I couldn’t fall asleep, and started thinking about having a baby. (Now…for several weeks before this, I had probably taken 3 or 4 pregnancy tests, all obviously with a negative). I figured, “What the heck?!?” and headed to the bathroom for another shot. When I came back 3 minutes later, I stood there in total shock….WHAT?!?! I guess I assumed it would be another negative.

It took me a few minutes to get over the shock, and then I thought, “How in the world am I going to tell Evans?” Last time he just got a scream from the bathroom, so this time I wanted to do something creative.

As soon as Clark woke up from his nap, we scooted over to Michael’s and grabbed a few things, rushed back home and got to work. I knew by the time we got back home that I only had about 30 minutes before Evans got home, so I started working quickly. Instead of a shirt that said “Big Brother,” Clark ended up with a shirt that said “Big Bro.” It still got the point across. Evans’ face was priceless when he walked in the door. We both cried, and then I decided I wanted some pizza….let the cravings begin!

Since then, we have had 3 ultrasounds. The doctor thought there may have been some complications in the beginning, but everything is a-okay now! We went for a check-up on Monday, and the baby was measuring 11 weeks and 5 days, right on track!
Our next visit is June 20th. It may be a little early, but the doctor said he would try to tell us the sex at that visit. If he couldn’t tell yet, we’ll definitely know in July!

So stay tuned…lots of exciting things coming soon!