Mother

My mom has come to see us! I've been missing my family for some time and it's a great comfort to have my mom around. She's been enjoying Savannah sites and downtime with Piper of course. She is even enjoying baby belly movements now and then. Piper wakes up looking forward to seeing Grandma everyday. It will be a shame to send her on her way. We will savor these days together... until next time.

Moving on Up

Broc was promoted to a First Lieutenant today. The ceremony was short and sweet, just the way we like it. I'm so proud of my husband and his accomplishment. He may not turn out to be a lifer in the military world, but it is such a huge commitment of time and flexibility on his part. He has shown us much love to commit to this lifestyle and I am so grateful.

Piper stood nervously holding her banana, and shying away from anyone who thought she was cute, but I can't blame her for being coy around folk with big tanks, trucks and helicopters.

Update

For over a month now I've been watching a baby girl 3 days a week. She is an outstanding baby who is completely entertained by Piper. It's been a privilege to get to know this family better and an honor that they feel so comfortable leaving their daughter with me. Though it's not a full time job, it leaves me me feeling busy and worn out. Pregnancy might have something to do with that as well. I hope to get a boost of energy soon here, but for now blogging is not high on my To Do list.

In mist of having a baby around, I've decided that there is never going to be a convenient time to potty train Piper, so we've been at it for 2 days nows. This is what I'm learning: training paints are too similar to diapers, so they aren't affective, potty training is messy go figure, so roll up the rugs and lastly, there will be many accidents before successes. Our hope is that she'll be a potty pro before her 3rd birthday.
Other updates are that we are slowly working on our baby boy's room, still pondering name options, possibly planning a trip to the Jacksonville zoo or a sea turtle hospital/exhibit, and my mom is coming to visit next month. Woo hoo! 

Here are some fun shots from our last day at the beach.

things are happening

We have the most beautiful hydrangea bushes in front of our house, which just happen to be my favorite! Broc's green thumb has come in handy these past few days since we've decided to clean up the garden and plant some vegetables. Can't wait!

We are so happy to share with you some baby and belly photos. It's just become pretty obvious to acquaintances and even strangers that I'm sprouting a belly. People will hesitantly ask me if I'm... (pausing as they look down at my stomach). That's usually as far as they get for fear of offending me and my beer belly. I'm now 18 weeks pregnant with a boy. To celebrate Broc and I went out to find some clothes for our little buddy.

This pregnancy has been a struggle as I am dealing with nausea and vomiting still. Yes! Even several weeks into my 2nd trimester! It's a bummer, but it has not squashed my joy. Since carrying Piper was so similar, I suppose I should just expect to be a sickly pregnant lady.

For whatever reason Piper likes to honk the baby, which is what she is doing in the picture below. Sometimes she'll give my belly a kiss or a friendly "hi little baby," but mostly it's a push and an imitation car horn.

In the second ultrasound photo, it may be helpful to think butt shot. The legs are straight up on each side and there lies a little evidence in between. Our ultrasound tech was telling us without any doubt that it is most definitely a boy.

Easter Morning

A year has come and gone, thus the need for another Easter Egg Hunt video. There are many of you who requested it... and promised great bodily harm if it wasn't done... so with no further ado!

That is that! We are learning that Piper doesn't buy into the hype so much about Easter and Christmas that is worth forsaking sleep... which is awesome, but also is a parent buzz kill! There were about a dozen and a half eggs to start, she plowed through them in under 10 mins, which left me a proud father... the worry is starting to set in on whether or not we found them all... i guess a couple of weeks will tell.

We will close with the Piper quote of the day, "I found all the eggs, I need more candy!"

Sleeping Beauty

Oh, so much to share. Last week was a full one with many family members coming to visit. Broc's aunt, uncle and two cousins made it out for several days of shopping, eating seafood and kicking back on the beach. At the same time my aunt, uncle and two children came to Savannah to visit, and yes indeed another cousin came to stay with us for her whole spring break. With all the commotion and family fun it didn't even register to pick up the camera, which really bums me out.

Having been fearful to say goodbye to Piper's beloved "suckie," (which is our word for a pacifier) I needed a little nudge from my darling husband. Fearful only for selfish reasons of course, I didn't want to deal with the melt downs and the sleepless nights of crying for her bedtime companion. Well, it has begun and there is no going back now. We told her that there are babies who need her suckies and that seemed to go over well, until bedtime. It took a few hours, tears and compassionate snuggles for her to fall asleep, but she did and believe it or not, it did not kill her! Phew! I think (and pray) it will become easier after a few more nights of this. Sayonara suckie!

We wandered over to our local farmers market on Saturday, which I have been waiting and waiting for. We all enjoyed eating some locally grown, pesticide free strawberries. Broc and I were thrilled to find a local coffee roaster featuring his newest blend. Yum

Keep'n It Simple

this is to meet your video needs...

one of the beach!

one of our family dance offs



Love broc