I had a photo shoot this past weekend for a friend of mine. What heartbreakers these two boys are going to be! The little guy wasn't feeling too well, but we got some great shots out of him anyway - with a little coaxing from mom. :) It was so nice to be outside enjoying the beauty of God's creation on a wonderful Fall afternoon. I have watched these two grow up, and it just amazes me how time flies by. I look forward to capturing some great shots of Ella Beth and Landon in the years ahead.
No...it's not twins! We signed a contract to build a house today that should be ready March 28th (ish). How exciting! I can not begin to explain how happy I am to be building a bigger house. The plan we have chosen is a wonderful one story house with an open floorplan, wonderful kitchen (designed by my cute hubby, of course), enough rooms for an office AND guest bed/bath, on a full basement. I am not going to kid myself thinking that it won't be a little stressful with Landon and the house being "due" so close together, but I am excited nonetheless.
Now we just need your prayers. We need to put our house on the market relatively soon. However, that does pose a little bit of an issue: what if it sells too fast? Of course, there's always the issue of it not selling fast enough. That's why we would so appreciate your prayers that the timing for everything will work out for us. We do have an option if we had to move out early, but it's not a great one. Scott's great-grandmother's old house is available - drafty, slanting floors, squeaky doors and all. It's about 100 years old, and in bad shape. But, his aunt and uncle lived there while their house was being built - so it's do-able. Just not desirable. Please keep us in your prayers that things go well in all areas. Thank you!
Other than that little bit of stress, I AM SO EXCITED to start planning. We meet with the design lady sometime next week to choose the outside color-scheme, paint colors, carpet, etc. Scott is doing a lot of stuff himself, so that leaves even more fun stuff for us to pick out.
Okay...no pictures this time. Just more exciting news. :)
Landon Scott Castleberry is coming!!! Yes, he's a HE! I've known it since the second I found out I was pregnant - I never waivered once. I guess minority rules this time. It's still sinking in that we're having a boy, but we are very excited!
I had TONS of questions for our sonographer this morning relating to Down's screening. We learned so much from the "false positive" with Ella Beth, that we knew just what to say and ask this morning. Everything looks perfect; nothing looked even remotely questionable. That was such a blessing! No bloodwork for me this morning. :)
Anyway, Ella Beth stayed with Scott's mom and dad this morning while Scott, my mom, and I went to the appointment. When we got back, I changed Ella Beth's clothes. I had taken a blue shirt and a pink shirt to change her into, and that's how Ella Beth "told" what the baby is. I know the picture isn't great, but Ella Beth was very much into playing kitchen this morning. It's actually the best picture we got b/c she wouldn't be still. Oh well...that's a toddler for ya!
Well, thanks for celebrating with us in this fun news. I'll take any boy advice I can get! (And I already know I'll get peed on!)
Looking at these pictures really makes me feel huge. Although, I'm still just about the same size as I was with Ella Beth at this time (19 weeks), I still feel huge. For me, it was easier as my belly got really big (7-9 months) b/c I was SO obviously pregnant. Now I feel as though people just wonder if I've kept on the baby weight from Ella Beth - that makes me cringe. Oh well, nothing I can do. Here are pictures for your "enjoyment." I know y'all just like seeing me get fat...that's why you keep "reminding" me to take pictures...all you mommies out there who finally lost all of your weight. I'll get there again...at some point...I HOPE!
I'll post sometime on Tuesday letting you know whether baby 2 is a boy or a girl along with his/her name. I can't believe it's already time to find out. This pregnancy sure is flying by. That's starting to make me nervous! Oh well, nothing I can do about that either!
--On a completely different note...if you went to church at BBCC this morning, were you as completely blown away as I was??? I always take something away from Andy's sermons, but today was one of the most powerful messages I can remember. If you didn't hear it, listen to it online. I promise that it was amazing!
Meet little Miss M - 1 month. Our photo shoot went really well the other day, and I just wanted to share some of the sweetest pictures. Yummy! I can't wait to see how beautiful her birth announcements turn out!
Okay, so I feel as though I need to submit myself to Parenting Magazine's "Confession of the Month" column. I clean Ella Beth's high chair after every meal and snack. Honestly - ask Scott. However, I've never thought to clean under the seat mat. There is just the ONE TINY hole where the buckle comes through, so I never imagined that stuff actually got in there. Oh My Word!!! When I took the high chair outside on the deck yesterday to rid it of cracker crumbs (the worst!), I decided to just wipe under the seat for good measure. Oh My Word!!! There were things under there that Ella Beth hasn't eaten in weeks...dried peas, hardened mac-n-cheese, fig newton goo, yuck! How in the world did that stuff get there? I'm telling you, the buckle hole just isn't big, and the thing is taken up with the buckle! Well, now here's a dare for you: Go look under your seat cover and see what you find!
Molars...oh molars...why do you show up now? Ella Beth has been sleeping beautifully, and then you come a ruin it. Of course, all of Ella Beth's teeth have come in one-at-a-time. Not surprising that her molars would do the same. Her bottom right molar is almost half-way through, her bottom left molar is swollen, and her top molars are non-existent. Which means we have to go through the cutting of molars FOUR times. It's been rough. Since molars have 4 points, that means that they have to break through the gums 4 times...and not at the same time in Ella Beth's mouth. Poor little girl. She has a fever, as with every tooth, and I'm guessing that her fever will be around for at least a week or two. With her last two teeth, she had a fever for 11 days. It never gets in the "dangerous" category, but it's enough that the doctor tells us to give her a fever-reducer (Tylenol) during the day and ibuprofen at night. Say a prayer for the three of us if you remember. We would all appreciate it. :)
And...due to a majority of "yes" responses via comments, emails, and even a few phone calls (all except my mom...sorry mom), we will share our baby's name next Tuesday. There are only 2 people who think this baby is a boy - one being my 4-year old neice. We'll see if majority rules there. Can't wait to find out and let everyone know! I'll be sending out a belly shot soon. Maybe tomorrow if I remember to get Scott to take it. Seeing as how I didn't remember yesterday or today, don't hold your breath! However, if you've seen me lately, you know that my belly has offically "popped". This little one is super active, so I wouldn't be surprised if we see my belly start to move soon. This baby is already more active than Ella Beth was...and I always felt as though Ella Beth was swimming laps constantly. This baby must be training for a marathon. We are in for it come March!
So my friend, Ashley, posted her "looking back" memories and encouraged me to follow suit. Oh boy...here goes:
10 years ago: I was a freshman at Berry College. I had a good friend from high school as a roomie. She got a little too carried away with the party scene, so I was a DD more times than I care to remember. It's interesting that even in college surrounded by SO many people drinking, I never once even felt the temptation to drink. I don't know what it was in me either, but I sure hope to pass that on to my own kiddos. I had viral meningitis during my first semester, and I missed two weeks of classes (which was a huge deal b/c from Kindergarten until graduation I never missed a single day of school...you can ask my mom!). I had to stay in the clinic on "confinement" so that I wouldn't pass on any germs to anyone. I had really awesome professors (all but one) who would visit with me for a little while and bring my assignments twice a week...many of which I never really had to do. :)
5 years ago: I was dating my husband - how fun is that to say! I was teaching 6th grade at Otwell Middle School to a strange bunch of kids. We had some who were really sweet, and we had some girls that were the most stuck up that I have ever known. Thank goodness none of my other years of teaching had to deal with such girl drama. Yuck! I bought my first vehicle - a black Nissan Xterra. Hated it. It was just not a comfortable ride. However, it did whet my taste for SUVs...and I'll never go back!
1 year ago: I was the mother of a 2 month old with horrible GERD. She had yet to be put on the correct medicine, and I bounced and walked her around the house for hours and hours each day. She hated her swing, as most babies with GERD do (don't ask me why...my pediatrician just told me that), so I was her only comfort. I remember Scott coming home and I would meet him at the top of the stairs just holding Ella Beth out to him. He would say, "Let me wash my hands and change my shirt." I would always reply, "Please hurry." It's interesting that such a trying time can really lend itself to bonding. Ella Beth has been glued to me since the day she came home from the hospital. I never really liked for anyone else to hold her...and still don't in some ways. I think about that when I look ahead to the arrival of baby 2. Will I be like that with this baby? How will I hold Ella Beth? I guess that is why God gave me two arms. :)
1 month ago: I was enjoying cooler Fall weather. It was nice all day, and never got too hot in the afternoon. I'm wishing those days back!
1 week ago: I drove out to Publix to pick up a turkey sub for lunch. I have been craving Publix subs now for about 3 weeks. Subway will not do. It's always the same: Publix turkey on wheat, lots of lettuce, a little bit of oil, salt, and pepper - nothing else. I always pick up some chicken fingers for Ella Beth - Publix has the best. The breading just falls off, and all that is left is delicious white chicken. Ella Beth eats them up!
1 day ago: I had a friend call me and ask me to take pictures of her 1 month old for birth announcements. I am very excited. I go over there tomorrow afternoon. I can't wait to meet Marissa and catch up with her mommy and daddy. I'll be sure to share a few good pics. :)
1 hour ago: We were getting Ella Beth ready for her bath. She had her nightly "naked baby alert" where she runs around the house completely naked. It is my FAVORITE time of each day! She just laughs as she runs around, and I go behind her tapping her booty! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it. :)
So that's my history in a very brief nutshell. Thinking back 10 years really makes me realize how much time has gone by. I just love getting older. I hope I always will.
Yesterday afternoon, we took Ella Beth to the Kinsey Farm. She had a great time looking at all the pumpkins, riding the hay-ride, eating pop-corn, and just being outside. I took a lot of pictures, so here is a sampling:
I can't believe how hot the weather still is in the afternoon. I was really enjoying the all-day-cool-weather about a week back. It's so funny how it changes so frequently. Hopefully, it will cool off and stay that way for a while. Fall weather is my favorite, so I am READY!
Okay...here's a random question: We can't decide whether or not to tell our baby's name. We have both a girl name and a boy name picked out, so that's not the issue. We just can't decide whether to keep it a secret until the big arrival. What are your thoughts/suggestions? (Only 1 week until we find out if this baby is a girl or a boy!)
Scott designed the kitchen for a house in Oak Forest (a very upscale subdivision in Dawson County), and was doing some work there Saturday morning. Well, he had forgotten something at home, so Ella Beth and I drove over to the house. You can't imagine the size of the house - you just can't! It's 3 stories on a full basement. We're talking about a 10,000 sq. ft. house. And, guess who will be living there??? A family of 8, maybe? Oh no...two people in their 60's. CRAZY!!! Why in the world would they want to have to climb 3 floors of stairs to get to places in their house - not including the basement?!? I just don't understand. However, the view from the 4th floor (3rd floor on basement) is amazing. You can see NC from up there, and I'm not exaggerating! The mountain view is amazing! Here are some pictures that I took of the kitchen that Scott worked hard on. The kitchen has every up-grade you can imagine. It has things I've never even heard of...such as a vent that comes up out of the granite for the stove-top and a warming oven to place food in once it's out of the TWO ovens. Don't even get me started!
(don't know why the second picture won't post vertically)
Anyway, we had a wonderful weekend as a family. We didn't really do anything exciting, but it was just a really nice weekend. It has been a little warm again lately, but the days were definitely beautiful. Scott and I also got to serve on Host Team together for the first time Sunday morning. It was fun to do that together, but it will be a while before we are able to again. Here's a funny story...once we were "relieved" of our Hosting duties, I had to go back inside to pick up my purse. Scott was in charge of watching Ella Beth. Well, I come out about 5 minutes later and see him over to the left talking to our friend Jennifer and a student that they had both taught. Where is Ella Beth??? She is about 15 feet away with her face COVERED IN MUD. If only I had a camera that I carried everywhere!!! She had discovered a patch of dirt that quickly turned into mud with her slobbery hands. It was way too funny to get upset - especially since the shirt Ella Beth was wearing was brown with pink flowers (had it been her light green dress from Pottery Barn Kids, it may have been a different story). We just laughed at the sight of her! She's a cutie even covered in mud. :)
Oh yeah...I've updated some recent photos of Ella Beth in the "growing up" album!
My friend, Meredith, introduced me to Atlanta Area Mommies www.atlantaareamommies.com a few days ago. It's a fun site where mommies can connect with other mommies who are close by and going through many of the same things. I joined the North Metro Area group in order to find out about fun events going on with other SAH moms in the area. I encourage my mommy friends to join. It would be lots of fun if we could find outings to attend together with our little ones!
Also, how cute is this...
just a little something I created after learning about it from AAM!
So I realized that I forgot to give a pregnancy report/update from my doctor's appointment on Friday. Oops! Well, I am 16 weeks pregnant. I gained 5 pounds last month. Wow! It's kinda invigorating to know my weight gain b/c with Ella Beth I always stood backwards on the scale so that I wouldn't know my weight progression. However, this time I decided to take it all in, and it's been fine. All of my aches and pains were completely "normal" as I figured they would be. I remember most of them from Ella Beth; I would always call the nurse to ask questions. This time, I'm going by my own experience - especially since it hasn't been that long ago.
How about some comparisons:
With Ella Beth the smell of our dishwasher made me gag. Same with this pregnancy. Scott thinks I'm crazy, but I can't stand the smell. I will even run orange gatorade through the dishwasher to try to mask the smell. Now...you may think I'm crazy!
With Ella Beth I couldn't eat Mexican food. Same this time.
With Ella Beth I craved ice water. With this pregnancy I crave Granny Smith Apples...I eat at least one a day.
With Ella Beth I couldn't stand sour candy. With this pregnancy, I love sour candy. My poor teeth may fall out!
During my first trimester with Ella Beth, I gained 11 pounds. WOW. During my first trimester with this pregnancy, I only gained 1 pound. Now, that's a difference I can handle!!!
I've been very tired with both pregnancies, but I feel much more "winded" this go around. Probably from chasing a very active toddler around all day.
I don't remember craving any specific type of food with Ella Beth, but now I am craving Italian food. Bring on that garlic!!! (and breath mints!)
That's about all I can think of right now. Besides the whole hair issue...refer to previous post. We'll see how the comparisons add up in 3 weeks when we find out if this baby is a girl or a boy. Anyone care to guess???
