Dear Scarlet -- 21 months

Dear Scarlet,

Well, sweet princess, this will be the last time I write to you as my only child living at home.  I want you to always know just how much I love you.  You make me smile every single day and I am beyond grateful to have you in my life. 

There are going to be a lot of new changes happening this next month.  You might feel left out for a little while, but I'm still going to love you just as much as I do now, if not more.  Love is an amazing thing, it just keeps growing.  I know you are going to be an amazing big sister!  I'm so excited to introduce you to your new little brother. 

You have become quite the little talker.  You talk non-stop.  You have started copying a lot of what we say or what your favorite TV shows say.  You also have been working on phonics, colors, and numbers.  We try to work on it everyday.  I love watching you learn.  Your dad and I think you are quite spectacular. 

You are still wearing 12-month clothes and occasionally you will wear 18 months.  You're very petite.  We weighed you last week and you came in at a whopping 20 pounds.  You love to eat just about anything you can get your hands on.  I found you the other day with a giant bag of potato chips from the pantry.  You were trying to get a little baggy out of the drawer to put some chips in.  You looked at me and said, "crackers?"  How could I resist?  You're too adorable. 

I wish that you could stay my "baby" forever, but I know you need to grow and gain your independence.  It's so fun watching you learn and develop.  You really are such an amazing blessing in our lives.  I love you to pieces and pieces. 

Love you forever,

Mom

Pregnancy Update -- 35 weeks

How far along? 35 weeks 1 day
Weight gain/loss? At my doctor's appointment 2 days ago, I was up 15 pounds.
Maternity clothes? The bigger, the better
Stretch marks? Nope, not yet.
Sleep? What's that?  My doctor gave me permission to take Tylenol PM to help me sleep.  Too bad my bladder still wakes me up.
Best moment this week? The best moment was probably when Scarlet looked at my belly and started laughing at me.  Yes, even my 1 year old is making fun of me.
Food cravings? I'll admit that while at the pool yesterday, I smelled the wet cement and I kind of wanted to lick it.  Okay, I really wanted to lick it.  Thankfully I'm not dreaming of wet cement or dirt, but if I smell it, it's another story.  I salivate over it.  Weird and slightly disgusting.
Gender? Still Tiny Todd.
Belly button in or out? Totally flat at this point.
Movement? This is a very wiggly baby.  When I haven't felt him playing soccer for a while, I start to get worried because he is always moving. 
What I miss? Being able to put my shoes on.  I was so determined last night to put my own shoes on and not ask Ryan for help.  It took me what seemed like 10 minutes to do it, but I did it!
What I'm looking forward to:  Spending time with Scarlet, just Scarlet for a little while longer.  Last night she fell asleep in my arms.  I can't remember the last time that happened.  It was divine!  I was in complete heaven.  I love watching her sleep... her tiny little features.  It makes me a little sad that she won't be my baby much longer.  I'm really trying to soak up as much of her as I can before this little guy arrives. 

**So, my blood pressure has decided to shoot up.  I thought something was going on since I had been getting headaches at night for about a week.  I had also mentioned to Ryan a little while ago that I felt like I was getting morning sickness all over again (apparently a sign of high BP).  I had a date with the little orange jug of urine over the last 24 hours to check my protein.  I've also had to have my liver function tests and some other blood work drawn.  I'm hoping all the tests come back normal so I don't have to deliver quite yet.  We're hoping we can make it at least 2 more weeks before he comes into this world.  I'm now super paranoid about swelling, any little twinge of headaches, blurry vision, and all the other good stuff that comes with pre-eclampsia.  No bedrest yet, just "take it easy."  I can almost guarantee I'll be put on bedrest within the next week or two if I haven't delivered. 

48 hours

This last weekend has been awesome!  My cousin, April, and her husband, Mike, came down... but only for less than 48 hours.  So, how do you make a fun vacation in less than 48 hours?  This is how.

First, you drive to Anaheim where we got to meet up with Josh and Megan at the convention center where Josh was doing his big convention for work.  Have I mentioned that I just love when family is in town?  Well, I do.  It makes my life.  We got to enjoy the awesome talent show Friday night at the convention.  Scarlet was shaking her little booty all over the place.  She was in heaven.  That girl loves bands and lights and that's exactly what she got... for two straight hours!

Saturday morning, we got up and decided to go to the Santa Monica Pier.  While we were cooking breakfast, we felt the house shaking.  For a second I thought Ryan was chasing Bella upstairs, but then I realized it was a full on earthquake!  WHAT?  Now we can say we survived the earthquake of 2012.  Let's just hope there isn't one that is bigger and stronger any time soon. 

While at the pier, this guy looked at Ryan and was singing, "You the baby daddy.  You the baby daddy!"  I was laughing so hard.  There were some crazies there, that's for sure.  Crazies = entertainment.

Check out my cute little family!  I can't believe we only have 5 weeks left until we meet our new little brother!  We better pick a name out soon!   

I loved having April here!  Being only 5 months apart in age, we have always been close.  I always loved having a cousin so close to me in age, especially one so beautiful!

Mommy and Scarlet

Daddy and Scarlet at the pier

I loved this photo of the boys with Scarlet at the beach! 

We totally wore this little girl out.  She did amazing though.  We had her out playing all day long and she was such a happy little squirt.  By the time we got in the car, she passed out. 

What an amazingly fun 48 hours!  I'm so glad April and Mike came down.  It seriously made my weekend.  Now I just have to prepare for the new baby on the way.  I can't believe it's coming so quickly! 

33 weeks 1 day

Today I am having a lot of mixed emotions.  I was 33 weeks 1 day when I delivered Kingston and Scarlet.  I was looking through the photos tonight of that day.  It was so weird to see how perfectly formed and beautiful my babies were even though they came early.  It was strange to think I have a perfectly formed little being in me right now who might look similar to his siblings.  It got me excited to see what he is going to look like, or who he will look most like.  At the same time, I feel a small twinge of sadness.  I ache to have Kingston here with us, living and breathing.  I wonder who he would look like.  I wonder what his personality would be like. 

So, here we go, continuing on with pregnancy, passing my old hash mark of pregnancy success and moving forward.  Hopefully in just under six weeks we will see a healthy, beautiful little baby and get to relish in him.  Hopefully this time I will get to leave the hospital with a baby in my arms.  Here's to a longer pregnancy than the last one!  Yeah!  Starting tomorrow, happy 33 weeks 2 days and beyond!

Pregnancy Update -- 33 weeks

How far along?  33 weeks
Weight gain/loss?  I think I have gained around 15 pounds so far. 
Maternity clothes?  Heavens yes.  Can't you see how large I am?
Stretch marks?  Nope, not yet.
Sleep?  I long to sleep once again.  It is so horribly uncomfortable at this point.
Best moment this week?  Watching the alien belly.
Food cravings?  I want a chocolate shake and/or frosty just about every single day.
Gender?  Still Tiny Todd.
Belly button in or out?  Totally flat at this point.
Movement?  This guy moves all the time!  I love it, but it's starting to hurt.  And he's up in my ribs.  I never experienced that with Scarlet since she was sideways the whole time.
What I miss?  Being able to function like a normal person. 
What I'm looking forward to:  Family coming to town to help with this baby!

I can't believe we are at 33 weeks already!  This is the point I was at when I had Scarlet.  I can't even imagine having this baby right now.  I feel so unprepared still.  I need to wash laundry and pack my hospital bag.  It's just so weird to me that I am now going to be beyond the point I was with my last pregnancy.  Six more weeks and this little guy will make his debut.  I honestly cannot believe it has come up so fast!  Now let's just hope I can get over my anxiety about the c-section.  I'm so not looking forward to it. 

Friends and Disneyland

I was so excited when my friend, Leslie, called me a couple of weeks ago saying she was thinking about coming out to California for a visit before Tiny Todd's arrival. Since I was at my emotional meltdown point, I was more than pleased with this thought. Thankfully all the pieces fell into place and Leslie, Taya, and Baby Drew made the long, 90-minute flight to California. The time they were here went by way too fast, probably because we had way too much fun. We went to Disneyland, saw Tinkerbell, Cinderella, Alice, Mary Poppins, and went on fun rides... oh, and ate delicious corn dogs. Then we went to California Adventure and saw World of Color which was awesome! Scarlet wouldn't stop dancing to the music and kept clapping. She was so hyped up from it, she didn't fall asleep until 10:30, about 3 hours after bed time. We also enjoyed going to the Bass Pro Shop and looking at all the animals, eating In-N-Out, Krispie Kreme, and cotton candy. The day Leslie left, we went to the Aquarium of the Pacific. I forgot my camera when we went there. Scarlet loved, loved, loved the sharks. She could have watched them all day if we let her. She now walks around saying, "kark." It's pretty cute. It was an awesome week with friends here and we will for sure miss them! One other good thing about this week? I now know at 32 weeks pregnant that I can roam around Disneyland for 2 days and not go into labor! I can't believe our little guy will be here so soon though. I'm slightly terrified. (and yes, I noticed I have no pictures on here of Leslie or her kids to prove they were really here. Let's just say that I am horrible at taking pictures.)

Living...

I like to think that this little girl is living enough life for two people.... her and her twin brother. She is so energetic and bubbly. She never wants to miss out on anything. She has brought us so much joy. I cannot even express my gratitude to my Heavenly Father for letting me raise such a beautiful individual. I love having her in our home. There's not a day that goes by that I'm not smiling because of something she has said or done. I feel she has a special bond with her brother and I hope it never goes away. I'm excited for the day when she can understand more about him. We sure do miss our little Kingston. A lot. Like every single day. I like to say I only miss him when I'm breathing. I know Kingston is with our little Tiny Todd now, teaching him all he needs to know about joining our crazy family. I'm so excited that in just two more months, I get to feel the special spirit of bringing a child into this world. The last feeling I remember about the day the twins were born is feeling the spirit of a child leaving this world. It was so overwhelming. I'm grateful for the experiences we have had over the last couple of years, albeit the most difficult time of my life, but how we would know pure joy without experiencing sadness and heartache?