22 weeks: Halfway There

 

Have I mentioned that this pregnancy is flying by? I wish I had time to take a weekly picture for scrapbooking sake, but it just isn't happening at this point. Taking a picture every few weeks will just have to suffice.


Baby girl should be around 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound by now. Babycenter says that she is starting to look like a miniature newborn. Her lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and she's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. Her eyes have formed, but her irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment.
I love getting my weekly emails to keep up with her development and view pictures of what she should look like in the womb. It's all such a little miracle...God's handiwork!

We've been playing the name game around here for weeks. We have two really good ideas, but we just need to take the plunge and decide. Miller Hendrik was decided before we even found out last go around. So, this has been all so surprising to Landon and I that we can't make our minds up. We just love family names and we have some great girl names to choose from:

"Emma Shay"- a double name... her great, great grandma on my mom's side
"Eliza"- her great grandma on my mom's side
Dorothy "Ella"- Landon's grandmother's name
Mara "Jane"- her grandma's name
All of the old fashioned names are back in the mix and now popular. It's amazing to me how they cycle through.
What an honor to be named after some Godly women. Of course, we've always loved Sophie. If Miller was a girl, that's what we'd have named him. I've had some fun on http:///www.nymbler.com mixing and matching names.
We'll announce soon!

Yuletide Recap

A very Merry Christmas it was for our family of three going on four. What a wild December around here, all the partying, decorating, wrapping, baking, and celebrating crescendoed up to the final day...Jesus's birthday!
So here's the recap of our yuletide fun... it's a little long for posterity sake.

We participated in many family traditions that we hope will continue throughout the years to come. One of those traditions every other year, is to enjoy my family's Christmas Eve party with friends that feel like family. We've been doing this for 15 plus years. We ended up spending the night over at Grandmama and Poppy's house with Uncle Clay so we could enjoy Christmas breakfast together. We're taking advantage of doing this as Miller will want to stay at our house in future years.

Landon enjoyed creating a little Christmas fun by phoning the North Pole while Miller was listening to notify Santa of our change in address for the evening. He said that the North Pole operator already knew about the change. Landon also came up with a plan to sprinkle Santa's packages with rain water to make it more realistic. I can only imagine that one of these years he'll actually be stomping and shaking bells on top of the roof for added drama. One things for sure, this little boy of ours makes Christmas so magical for all of us! And, it keeps getting better and better each year.

What a joy it was to watch Miller slide down each stair in his reindeer slippered jammies to find a few surprises from Santa under the tree in the morning. The music was cued up and the coffee was brewing while we watched Miller tear into the paper painfully SLOW!!



Then it was time to watch Clay and Landon's cooking hour making a yummy fritata. It's so nice that they both share the love of cooking. The best gift ever for Grandmama and me! After breakfast, we enjoyed a leisurely 2 1/2 hours of gift giving downstairs. We always take turns in our house opening presents. One person has the floor at a time. I'm sure it will get more chaotic as the years go by. Miller was our little "gifting assistant", he helped unwrap everyone's gift.



I've coined this the "Year of Things That Go" for Miller. Between a flipping remote control car, submarine bath toy, gas truck, recycling trucks, and tall cranes with wrecking balls...Miller was in awe. Grandmama's moving ZuZu mouse also was a big hit for Miller and our cat!!


A big thanks goes out to Uncle Clay who takes the toys out of the complicated plastic packages, and sets them up and tests them out with Miller.

Of course, baby girl wasn't overlooked either. Landon surprised me when he researched and purchased baby girl's first American Girl doll. He even requested a "snowy day" outfit at the store. Landon insists that he had a little help from Grandmama in picking out the outfit. He said that there were quite a few clueless men in the store fumbling around in dolls and accessories. One things for certain, this girly girl has her daddy wrapped around her tiny finger already.


The second leg of our Christmas celebration was just as fun in Knoxville. We unpacked and reloaded the sleigh to journey on up to Knoxville Saturday morning. Miller was thrilled to see Omi and Papa. Their tree awaited with some special surprises as well. We loved our time with Laurel, Chad and Meredith.
I think Christmas is the best time of year to be pregnant because you can eat without any sort of guilt! And, we did our fair share of eating, enjoying three course meals compliments of Omi and Papa. Baby girl appreciated all the appetizers and sweet desserts, I'm sure.


One of Miller's favorite pastimes in Knoxville is reading Papa's train books. Papa surprised Miller with his very own book for Christmas chalked full of real train facts. Miller kept repeating, "This is Papa's train book and here is Miller's train book". I love that they share the same train passion! It's just precious to watch.

We hope your family had a wonderful Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

"Glory to God in the Highest and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests"
Luke 2:14

Merry Christmas from our family to yours. More pictures from our most fantastic day spent with family to come once we return from our second stop in Knoxville.

Toasting Marshmallows

The kids on our block had a great time making smores tonight around the campfire. We had a wonderful time at the Holman family's Christmas party. The highlight after dinner, was the fire pit.
Before heading outside into the freezing cold, we made a quick pit stop at the hot chocolate bar complete with toppings. Miller was bouncing out of his down coat to toast his first marshmallow. I love watching Miller exploring new things for the first time. After figuring out that the the wooden skewer was not a sword, Miller picked up how to spear the marshmallow. Oh what fun to hold a stick into the fire...a toddler boy's dream.

Miller didn't know quite what to think when his whole marshmallow lit up like a flaming torch. Mommy to the rescue.




We're thankful for fun neighbors to share in this most joyous season of Christmas!

Pirates Cove

Miller and mommy played, jumped and climbed the morning away at Pirate's Cove. We joined Jack, Sophia, Alexandra and their mommies for a fun playdate.Miller just loved playing and digging in the sand. It's a treat to explore in the sand during the winter months around here.
 

I really had to watch Miller like a hawk with so much going on. I lost him there for a moment. I launched myself into the big pirate ship to search for the little matey. I found him happy as could be at the end of an obstacle course. Luckily, my growing bump hasn't slowed me down yet.
 

Jack and Miller enjoyed exploring the inside of a giant octopus on an undersea adventure. I kept peeking through the holes to make sure Miller didn't get eaten whole by this monstrous creature.
 

Sophia figured out how to fire the ball cannon. Of course, it's girly pink..just her style. Miller wasn't sure about the booming sound.


Miller gabbed a mile a minute about his fun pirate adventures on the car ride home. Our Christmas break is off to a great start already!

Gingerbread House

There's nothing like a warm bowl of homemade chili and a Christmas craft to make a day of rain with a toddler not so bad. Miller loves the traditional Gingerbread Man story, and repeats the famous one liner.."Run run as fast as you can, you can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man."

So when I saw one of my favorite children's authors newest holiday book at the book fair, I just had to grab it! We kicked off our craft reading a new twist to the traditional tale.

And then, it was house decorating time! Miller's eyes were as wide as saucers when I showed him the bare house all ready to be dressed with candy. Of course, I did a lot of the frosting and decorating, but Miller got into it too! I had to restrain myself from wanting everything to look symmetrical. He just cared about the candy sticking, not what it looked like.

There were a few bumps along the way. The iced roof didn't dry all the way and it ended up sliding down the walls looking more like Hansel & Gretel's condemned house. All in all, it turned out pretty cute!

Without further delay, I present to you Miller's gingerbread creation 2009.

Christmas Wishes-2009

Sending all of our blogging buddies a Christmas card from our family. We pray that you enjoy this most special season with the ones you love. Our family is cherishing the last Christmas as a family of three, celebrating old traditions and creating new ones too!!

Sugar & Spice

And, everything nice. That's what little girls are made of! We're ecstatic to announce that we're having a girl, a girl!


We're both pinching ourselves and thankful that this girly girl is healthy and growing nicely so far. She's measuring around April 30th. She was sucking her thumb and opening & closing her hands during the ultrasound. The little lady even showed us her stubborn side when she crossed her legs during the gender test.
Landon has already melted all over the place and to say we're gushing is an understatement!

We shared the news with Grandmama and Miller presenting them with a bunch a girly pink balloons. Grandmama is still in shock! Thanks for sharing in our joy.

"From the fullness of His grace we have received one blessing after another"
John 1:16

Boy or Girl?

Just 3 short days until the ultrasound. There's just a hint of excitement around here. I find my mind racing at night picturing both options for our family of three.

Miller would just love a little brother. Landon never had a brother growing up, so he would be excited to see that dynamic with two boys. And, boys are just the sweetest little things with their mommas. I'm picturing driving a mini-van full of little boys to soccer games etc. Practically speaking, I have ALL the clothes in the same exact season. The nursery would need sprucing up a little with accessories, but not a complete overhaul. We would just keep adding to our collection of cars and trucks in the playroom. What a lucky baby to inherit a stocked playroom of little boy toys?

Now, don't get me wrong, we don't have our hearts set on a boy. There would be no tears shed if it was a sweet bundle of pink. How could you cry over all things lacy, frilly, and girly? I guess I would just have to go out and buy dresses and sweet monogrammed bloomers:)Our little outings as a family would have to include the American Girls Cafe, shopping trips, and tea dates.

So, my mind has been a little preoccupied lately...

We're praying for a healthy baby and we are beyond excited to see what God wants to give us!

Live Nativity

Our little man may think Santa is scary, but he surely wasn't afraid of Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus. He marched right up to Joseph in the stable and greeted him with all smiles in true Miller fashion.

If lap visits and professional pictures with Mary and Joseph were offered, I think he'd have gone for it! We've been reading the Christmas story with our advent calendar for a couple of weeks, so to be able to see what Miller thought was the real thing was a pleasure. Isn't that the joy of Christmas?



Miller was thrilled to participate in the "Christmas Packages" event at "Grandmama and Poppy's big church on Johnson Ferry Road" as he calls it. It didn't take long for him to enjoy all the animals at the petting zoo around the stable. We saw pigs, sheep, goats, miniature horses, bunnies, and chickens as we listened to carolers sing Silent Night.


Another station at the event housed live reindeer. Too bad these beautiful animals were off limits to touch for the little man. We hopped from station to station and even enjoyed a quick pit stop for cookies and cider. Mommy ended up making the reindeer tree ornament while Poppy chased Miller from room to room. It's so nice to have all kinds of extra hands at events like these. How will we ever keep up with two?



On our way home, Miller said, "I talked to Joseph mommy." However, I think he's confusing the two Joseph's in the Bible. He commented that Joseph's brothers threw him into a "deep dark pit". I guess we'll hide his Coat of Many Colors book during the Christmas season to avoid confusion!

Santa Nostalgia

I thought I'd dig through the archives and post our visits with Jolly Old Saint Nick from Christmas' past. These are the only Santa pictures that will grace our blog this year as Miller has developed a most peculiar case of Santa phobia.



In 2007, we journeyed to the Avenue with our friends the Thrashers to sit on Santa's lap. I know what you're thinking...Miller has bare feet. I promise, ya'll it must have been 75 degrees that afternoon. I was sweating in my turtleneck.
As you can see, no Santa phobia from the little guy. At 9 months, we just expected him to sit there contently, and he did for the most part. Cute Santa Baby!

Last year, our family had a great experience in Woodstock meeting "Hippie Santa" as Landon coined him. We traveled a wee bit north to the cutest little cottage where we met Mr. and Mrs. Claus. Miller was in awe of all the lights and scenes set up outside to tour. We even got to tour the inside of Mr. and Mrs. Claus's kitchen and train room. Eveywhere you looked their were vintage decorations galore. It was a sight to see!
Let's just say the lap visit was a slightly uncomfortable place for Miller to rest. He enjoyed watching the other children's turn, but didn't like Santa up close.
About a month later, we read in the Cherokee Tribune, that this "Hippie Santa" won a local lottery. He commented that he was going to buy a new $200.00 belt. Landon said that he should purchase new teeth:) One thing's for sure, we'll be back for the light show this year!

Thanks for joining me on a trip down memory lane. When we chatted up a visit with Santa this year, Miller's response was, "Miller no like Santa...Santa is scary!" Anyone know of a site that I can virtually put a smiling Miller on Santa's lap?

Feeling Festive

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

">

Thanksgiving Week

We have really enjoyed our time as a family this week! It was so nice to have the whole week off of work to catch up on managing this house of mine. Cleaning, playing, decorating, addressing, cooking and a little door buster shopping kept us all busy. Not to mention, we enjoyed two Thanksgiving dinners with both sets of grandparents.

We kicked off the Thanksgiving festivities on Tuesday evening at Grandmama and Poppy's with a traditional meal. Of course I requested my favorite side, broccolli salad. Miller SO enjoyed his Uncle Clay's companionship. Miller chases him around the house comanding his full attention.... "Upside down Uncle Clay", "Whatcha doin Uncle Clay?"


We gobbled until we wobbled all the way up to Knoxville on Wednesday morning. Traveling and road trips are so much easier with a toddler. We're enjoying it while we can, before we'll have a newborn in tow again. Miller's always excited to see his Tennessee family. He also talked about Omi's rescue truck in the car nonstop. He even named his favorite toy at their house "rescue truck Fokens"! To Miller's surprise, a new stuffed friend Curious George was waiting to be discovered in the pack n' play. What a joy to play with 6 month old cousin Meredith! There was no time wasted in breaking out the Christmas clothes. We dressed them in their Christmas PJ's from Omi on Thanksgiving Eve. Miller leaned over and smooched Meredith. It was too cute!


Miller loved being "Santa's Little Helper" while trimming the tree with Omi. I think he was more fascinated climbing up her step ladder than handing her each poinsettia.

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours. We sure are thankful to have such wonderful friends and family like you!

Popping Out: 16 weeks

Poor baby number two. It flys by all too quickly. I must admit that the weeks are ticking by and I have to look at my calendar to remember just what exact week we're on. Thank goodness for Babycenter's weekly development update that pops up in my inbox each week. This baby's already had more caffeine and a few feta cheese crumbles than Miller ever did. And, I don't freak out if I realize in the morning that I forgot the oh so fun prenatal. Ok, so it's happened twice. Poor number two.

To make it all better, baby number 2 does have one thing Miller did not have... a blog! And, momma's sporting around designer maternity jeans. A brand new purchase for me and baby number 2. You have to have something to boost your spirits when nothing else fits!

I had my 16 week appointment today and received a great report from Dr. Huffman. The heartbeat was 150. Hearing those thumping sounds is so wonderful to my ears. Since I can't feel any movement yet, hearing the heartbeat is reassuring.




Here's a picture of the bump. I've definitely "popped out" this week. You can't tell from the front, but the profile view is oh so telling. I'm in maternity pants most of the time, or the bella band is helping me transition nicely into the second trimester. Overall, I'm feeling more like myself. I'm craving veggies and southwestern dip, vegetable soup, and salsa. Landon makes a black olive, cucumber, tomato and red wine vinegar Greek salad that I could drink out of the bowl! I can't believe I ate a whole half jar of Claussen pickles the other day and washed down this salty snack with a few marshmallows.

The countdown is on for the big ultrasound on December 9th. That's the date when all the guessing will be over. Landon is already planning our big night out where we open our baby envelope. We'll find out if this baby is a he or a she...just in time for Christmas!
We keep asking Miller if he wants a baby brother or sister and he keeps telling us that he wants mommy to have a "baby truck"! He's in for a rude awakening!

2 years 7 months

Dear Miller,
We breezed right by the 2 1/2 year mark without a post to celebrate such a milestone age. All I have to say is that we started off the 2's with a bang, tackling sharing issues, and full out tantrums. Reading our manners book each night about "Me first Megan", "Look at me Leo", and "That's mine, Mark" really helped you learn how to be more polite. Within no time, you were asking for things with a please. It's amazing what mommy turned Super Nanny did for you. If only mommy could stop you from laughing when you burp, we'd have it made!

You quickly changed our attitude about this wonderful stage of development. You came full circle this summer into the mid two's and you are such a pleasure & joy. Once you started speaking in longer phrases and now sentences, the frustration over how to communicate your needs ended.

You notice all the little details in the world around you. From the tiniest bug on the ground with a "fuzzy back" to the wind blowing in the trees. Mommy loves it when you notice the colorful buttons on her shirt or comment on my earrings or jewelry. As Miss Karen says, "Nothing gets by Miller". You appreciate God's creation around you and take time to notice the little things. Mommy loves looking at life through the wonder and expression in your eyes.

You're our little social bug. Your whole face lights up when you see old friends and meet new friends. You have a special way of greeting your friends with, "What are you doing?" Instead of, "How are you doing?" When older boys on our street are playing, you run to play with them thinking you can keep up with their mature play. You love all the action on our block. We never cease to smile and are entertained daily by just what you pick up and say. What a happy countenance you have! This stage ranks right up there with six months as one of my all time faves with you, little boy.

Speaking of favorites...Some of your faves include: Curious George, flipping through toy magazines and making special requests, cars and trucks, eating out at restaurants, reading, and singing. Music is in your genes little man. You love it when daddy sings "Into my Heart" every night at bedtime. Your new favorite request is the Uga Chakka "I Can't Stop This Feeling" song. Mommy and daddy sing it in rounds for you. One day, very soon I'm sure, you'll be embarrassed by all of our antics.

You are learning so much! Grandmama gave you a lower case alphabet puzzle for Halloween and you've mastered choosing and naming every "little letter" as you call them. The lowercase, p,q,d,b, still give you trouble. We'll learn how to position them just right with time. You love to recite passages from your favorite books back and forth with daddy over dinner. We love to hear how you model daddy's expression in his voice.

Waiting by the door each afternoon for daddy is so much fun for me to sit back and watch. You're so patient! "Listen for the garage, momma!" "Daddy's home, momma!" When you stand with your nose pressed to the door, you say, "Back up, daddy's gonna hit you" (with the door)

I can't believe a whopping 2 years and 7 months have passed since daddy placed you in my arms. You were such a beautiful, screaming burrito all swaddled in the pink and blue hospital blanket. My how you changed our lives for the better. You taught us so many things about being a mommy and a daddy. You are our independent first born, and you have been the son to introduce us to parenthood.

Big changes will be happening in our family soon. Daddy and I feel so blessed that we'll have invested a whole 3 years with just you, Miller. We can't wait to watch you become a big brother.

Love you to the moon and back (just like Nutbrown Hare),
Mommy

My Little Shipmate

Happy Halloween to all from our little sailor. There's just something about a man in uniform. And, when my lil man got all dressed up tonight, it just about made my heart melt.
Miller is so proud of his daddy's sailor suit. He just stands a little prouder and taller when he's wearing the suit. I even caught him smiling in the mirror admiring his new look. Landon wore it when he was three years old. Omi and Papa have special pictures of Landon when he was little toddling around in his finest dress blues. It's been hanging in the closet, just begging to be worn by Miller for quite some time now...and what a perfect occasion to don the suit and proclaim heave a ho there sailor.

So this was the best I could do, capturing our man in full costume. Anyone know if they sell toddler bottom glue? I even pulled out all the stops, bribing him with candy to get the perfect shot!!
With all the rain, we should have gone ahead and purchased the ship and gathered round to sing "Anchors Aweigh". Despite the soggy weather, everyone on the block came out to trick or treat. Grandmama and Poppy stayed behind to pass out candy, while we voyaged to each house in and out of the rain. Miller didn't seem to mind. When we all took a break under daddy's big golf umbrella, Miller kept chanting "Go to next house".

Miller and Grant and the other kids on the block were knock-knock pals, adventuring door to door for candy treats. Miller was in awe of the whole experience, costumes and decorations.
There was no slowing down this man in uniform. He was sprinting between the houses. The only one heaving and a "ho" ing was this momma with her own growing pumpkin in tow.

Some of our favorite memories of the night included Miller helping Grandmama and Poppy pass out candy to all the kids at our door. He waited with great anticipation for the next treater and stood with his hands full of candy to share. With each ring, he came tearing around the couch to do his little job shouting, "more kids?"

The Scoop

Thank you for your well wishes for baby Fokens number 2. We're thrilled as can be, and appreciate all of your prayers and excitement for us.

SO here's the scoop. Probably more information than you want to know. Of course, I love to document lots of details on the blog.


*My due date is May 4th, but since this baby will be a c-section, we'll expect to deliver the last week of April. Our family is fond of spring babies. The warmer weather and a LONG maternity break straight into summer just works for us.
We found out about our little bundle the day before our fourth anniversary, August 26th. There's just something about our anniversary that always holds good news. On our first anniversary, we announced that Miller was on his way. And, now three years later, another surprise greeted our family.

*At six weeks, we had our first ultrasound and heard baby's heatbeat. That sweet rythmic thumping is music to my ears. There's nothing like seeing that growing jelly bean on the screen.

*With the first trimester almost behind us, I wanted to reflect on these past 13 long weeks. Morning sickness and exhaustion hit me like a truck around 8 weeks. This time around I felt nautious all day long. The only thing that would bring relief is to snack and eat small meals throughout the day. Thankfully, I've rounded a corner and feel great on most days. I still need an afternoon nap on some days.

*Some friends have asked if Miller really gets that he'll be a big brother. We sure do talk about it a lot. I'm pretty confindent that by age 3, he'll start processing the big life change around here. I keep reminding him that the baby will sleep in his bed and Miller will get a new big boy bedroom. He loves to pat my tummy and kiss the baby. So sweet!

*I've had different cravings this time around. For the first 5 weeks, I couldn't get enough of tomatoes covered in Ken's balsamic dressing. I think I wore that craving out. Another craving has been oranges or grapefruit juice first thing in the morning. I also can't get enough of raisin bread for breakfast. I always eat an afternoon salad or carrot sticks with ranch dressing. Right before bed, I eat three peanut butter crackers to coat my stomach for the not so fun prenatal. Like clockwork, if I skip this snack I get sick first thing in the morning.
The first pregnancy, I couldn't look at or eat chicken. This time around, it tastes just fine! It's so amazing how each pregnancy can be so different.

*Oh the joys of pregnancy! My wonderful pregnant glow has been masked by preggo acne that you can't treat as well because of the medication. Also, ocular migraines have returned this time around. Seeing spots and white flashes can be kind of scary! It all is worth it in the end!

*We can't wait to welcome this brand new addition. Thanks for celebrating with us!

Miller's Little Secret

The secret is out
Let the FUN begin
Miller's going to be a BIG brother in 2010!
Our family of three will be a party of four
We're blessed beyond measure to be adding one more

"The Lord has done great things for us,and we are filled with joy!" Psalm 196:3