Foster, Party of Four!

Busch Gardens

2012-02-06T21:32:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago we went to Busch Gardens for the day. Since we're Florida residents now, we can pay for one day and get passes for the entire year! So it was really nice to go up for a few hours with the knowledge that we could go back any time. Matthew loved, loved, loved the animals. We got to watch the lions getting fed which was really cool. They were right on the other side of the glass the entire time. Matthew thought it was funny to roar at them :o)

After looking at lots of animals, we went to the Sesame Street section of the park. Matthew wasn't quite sure about the characters, but we did manage to get a picture next to Big Bird. He also went on a car ride all by himself, and another ride with Brian. I think Brian may have enjoyed himself more than Matthew!

Playroom Makeover

2012-01-24T23:10:00.001-05:00

After the chandelier redo, I kept the motivation going and gave the playroom a facelift to match it! I'm really happy with how it turned out. As I looked around the room when it was finished I realized that almost everything in there is handmade, which was even more awesome! Here's the chandelier again:

It all started with the canvases that Matthew and Caroline helped me fingerpaint. I wanted to put some verses on the walls that I want my kids to know, and I thought that having them help me with them was even more special. I chose the verses and then cut them out of vinyl with my Silhouette machine. I stuck the vinyl on the canvas and then we fingerpainted over top of it. When it was dry we peeled the vinyl off, and voila! The only problem was when we hung them on our boring white wall, they didn't stand out at all. So we decided to paint! My dad very generously painted the wall this bright lime green, which I love.

The next project was creating a magnet board for the wall. I had seen the idea to use an oil drip pan on Pinterest, but I wanted to make it look a little prettier. I had this green fabric leftover from making a headboard in our guest room that complemented the wall color perfectly. I laid the fabric over the metal pan and ran my fabric wheel cutter around the edge to cut it to the perfect shape and size. Then I used one of my favorite crafting supplies - Mod Podge - and glued the fabric down. To attach it to the wall we just held it in place and nailed right through it. The whole project took about 30 minutes, and cost around $12.

To the same wall I added a bulletin board, which I have plans to put a map of the United States on and mark where my kids have traveled. I also added one of my favorite projects in the room. I had seen this quote (also on Pinterest, shocker!) and loved it. To make it I bought a cheap white frame on clearance at Michaels. I used the same spray paint from the chandelier and painted the frame green. Then I created and cut the quote out of vinyl (again on my amazing Silhouette machine) and adhered it to the glass. To finish it off I did my kids' handprints on white paper to use as the background. I seriously love it! The only thing missing on this wall now is a picture of each of my munchkins on each side of the frame. I'm waiting until the spring when we take pictures again, so until then the frame will look a little lonely.

*If you are interested in making your own frame or a similar project, I sell the vinyl phrase on my website www.cupcakesandjellybeans.com

Above the toy organizer I hung Matthew's Artwork sign that I used to have in his bedroom. I still need to make one for Caroline, but she's not really making any art yet so I guess it's no rush. The quilt hanging on the wall was made for Matthew by one of the teacher assistants at my school in North Carolina. The colors match the room perfectly and it really adds a lot of color to that wall. Notice the cute little munchkin climbing up trying the get the toys out :o)

The final piece of artwork is actually the very first thing I made that got me hooked on crafting. I made it with my friend Amanda when I went to visit her in Kentucky, and it was our first experience with the magic of Mod Podge. We created a Family Rules sign the old-fashioned way (pre-Silhouette) by drawing/writing our family rules on pieces of scrapbook paper and then Mod Podging them to a painted canvas.

The last thing I did was rearrange the toys and furniture to give Matthew and Caroline their own play areas and free up some more play space. Tada! The playroom is now officially made over! The only remaining project I have to do is make a curtain valance out of the fabric I used on the magnet board. At least, that's all I have on the agenda for now ;o)

Chandelier Redo

2012-01-24T10:40:00.002-05:00

When we moved into our house in July, we didn't have fans or light fixtures in any of the bedrooms. We bought basic fans and lights for the rooms we sleep in, but I wanted something different for the playroom. Thus began the hunt for the perfect cheap, old, beat-up chandelier on Craig's List. After a few months of searching, I finally found this gem, for only $10! Here's a look at it's transformation.

Materials Needed:

cheap chandelier
1 can of bonded primer (sticks to metal)
1 can of spray paint
painters tape

I really didn't know what I was doing on this project, so I did a little internet research and winged it on the rest! The first thing I did was take the chandelier apart. I removed the glass bottom and all of the glass discs on the candles. I didn't really care for the discs so I just got rid of those. I also took out the lightbulbs.
Then I primed the entire thing (even the chain!) with bonded primer. I found it easier to paint the top first, and then turn it upside-down and balance it on the candles. This prevented the newly painted side from sticking to the plastic or paper underneath. I had to do some serious contortioning (is that a word?) to make sure that I covered all the angles. It seemed like every time I thought I was done I'd find another area I missed.

After letting it dry overnight, I taped up the "candles" with painters tape. I decided that I wanted to leave them white to add a little contrast. Then I started in with the green spray paint. I again painted the top first, hitting all angles, and then after it dried I flipped it over and painted the underneath.

When it finally dried I put all the parts back together. Then for the fun part - hanging it! Again, we really had no idea what we were doing, but Brian had just hung 3 fans with lights so we thought we'd give it a whirl. Let me tell you, this part was not easy! But it wasn't really because of the wiring, it was more because this particular chandelier hangs in a strange way with three poles attaching to the disc and chain. We had to hold it just right, or one of them would unhook and clang into one of the arms of the chandelier. After this happening about 5, 10, 15 times we finally got it hung, and by some miracle it actually works!

Because those lovely metal poles kept coming unhooked while we were hanging it, I did end up with some dings in my beautiful paint job :( To patch them up, I just sprayed some of the spray paint into a disposable plate and used a paint brush for touch ups. It looks great now! And Matthew loves his new light. In fact, we can't be in the playroom and have it off, even if its the middle of the day!

Mote Aquarium

2012-01-24T09:40:00.000-05:00

One of the days that Brian was off after New Year's we went to Mote Aquarium. Matthew absolutely LOVED it and was literally jumping up and down saying "I see fishes!" We also saw some penguins, sharks, a dolphin, and a manatee. If you ask Matthew about that trip now, he'll tell you two things. One, that he touched a starfish and it fell down in the water. (There was a touch tank and he was a little too rough touching the starfish - hope it's ok!) Two, that the dolphin goes click click click. The dolphin that we saw kept opening and closing it's mouth and making a slapping sound. To remember the rest of the trip, we took some pictures :o)

The Top 5 Moments of 2011

2012-01-05T15:35:00.000-05:00

2011 was a great year for our family! We had so many amazing adventures with family and friends, but here are 5 that greatly impacted our lives.

The Top 5 Moments of 2011...

5. Our little boy turned 2 on May 26th! It seems like just yesterday that he was born. It's amazing to watch him grow and learn new things every day, but I do wish time would slow down a little bit.

4. We reached the light at the end of the tunnel when Brian accepted a job at the Eye Associates! Here he is signing his contract.

3. Scott and Catie got married! We were ecstatic to welcome Catie to the family, and Matthew, Brian and I were all a part of their wedding ceremony which made the day very special.

2. Our house was finished and we moved to Florida on July 1st. We are so happy to be back! It has been great reconnecting with old friends and being able to see family on a regular basis.

1. Caroline Jane was born on April 27th at 1:11pm. She brightens our lives every day, and we can't imagine life without her!

Baker's Gromit

2011-12-31T16:12:00.000-05:00

One of Matthew's favorite things to watch is a British claymation show called Wallace and Gromit. One of the episodes of this show (and there are only 4 that stream on Netflix so we have seen them all countless times) features Wallace as a baker, and of course his dog Gromit saving the day. When I ask Matthew which episode of "Gromit" he wants to watch, he usually asks for this episode, which he calls "Baker's Gromit". With Christmas approaching, I thought it would be fun to have Matthew help me bake a few sweets. We started by just making a loaf of pumpkin bread, and he loved it so much that we ended up making a second loaf of pumpkin bread, cookies, and cupcakes! He did great adding the ingredients and stirring, but his favorite part by far was cracking the eggs. He now asks me to bake every other day, so I'm going to have to stock up on my supplies! I'm not sure if the love of baking stems from his love of watching "Baker's Gromit" or not, but he is definitely a big fan of both.

Why I Love Florida!

2011-12-19T23:17:00.000-05:00

We are really loving our life here in Florida. We love the warm weather, being around family, the new friends we've made, and did I mention the warm weather? We have had lots of fun adventures in the past few months.

In November we went to see UF play Vandy - one of the few games they won. We got to see Kendra, Carmen, and Jordan while we were there. And we were kid-free!

We also went to Biloxi to visit Brian's parents. While we were there we went the a children's museum. Matthew's favorite parts were the train and train table (shocker!)

Caroline has been very busy learning how to sit up and crawl, and working on her first two teeth. She is very very active, and prefers to be on the ground moving around at all times. Here she is in a tutu, and on her 7 month birthday!

We've also enjoyed some family time. The weather has been absolutely gorgeous, so we've had picnics at the park in our neighborhood and taken Matthew to various playgrounds.

A glimpse into my daily life - taking the kids grocery shopping! This outing started out really well, until Matthew thought it was funny to lean on Caroline and squish her. It ended with me carrying her through the store and thinking my arm was going to fall off.

Another neat thing about moving back to Bradenton has been reconnecting with old friends. I've been spending a lot of time with one of my friends from growing up, and she's introduced to me to her friends as well. Now we hang out weekly!

One of the girls had a Christmas party for the kids. Matthew loved decorating cookies/eating all the candy, and really enjoyed the gift he got at the gift exchange. Caroline slept through most of the party, but looked cute in her outfit!

I've also run a few races recently. Mom and I ran the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving, and the Jingle Bell Run last Friday night.

The last photos in this super long post are from last night. We went on a hayride to look at lights in Catherine's neighborhood. Matthew loved hanging out in the hay, and was thrilled with all the lights we saw. Caroline fell asleep in my arms about halfway through. She was a little shocked by the flash in the photos too :o)

Our October

2011-11-05T23:05:00.000-04:00

We have had a very fun but very busy month! We started October with a trip to the farm with our playgroup. Matthew absolutely loved seeing all the farm animals and feeding the goats. He wasn't such a big fan of the hayride though.

In the middle of the month Brian had to take his oral boards in Boston. We decided that it would be fun to tag along and visit some of my family that was up there. My parents had been wanting to visit also, so they came too! It was Caroline's first plane ride, and Matthew's first plane ride with his own seat. Thankfully they were both very good, but it definitely helped having two extra sets of hands on the flight! Once we got there we went to the Gertz's and spent the next day in Rhode Island. Caroline got to meet her Great Grammy for the first time! Brian headed up to Boston that evening for his test. The next morning we drove to Massachussets and got to see several aunts, uncles, and cousins. Caroline got to meet her Great Grandpa for the first time there, and see her Great Grandma again. Brian joined us again that evening for family time. The next day we visited an apple farm with all sorts of fall activities before heading back to Rhode Island, and our flights home.

Me and Grammy!

Our flight to Providence

Matthew loves his cousin Sofia!

Caroline and the tractor at the apple farm!

The Great Pumpkin

Four generations!

Family photo at the farm

As if we didn't have enough pumpkin fun on our trip, we went to pumpkin festival at Hunsader Farms. Scott and Catie were there too, and we had fun checking out the craft booths, watching shows, and eating deliciously unhealthy food. I tried fried oreos for the first time!

Toward the end of the month we had a few birthdays to celebrate! We celebrated Scott's birthday with a family dinner, and then celebrated mine early a few days later. I think Matthew now believes birthday cake is served on a daily basis.

My and my little brother :o)

Our little munchkin!

Helping Uncle Scott put the candles on my cake

I love birthday cake!

Caroline also turned 6 months old! She is such a joy and at a great stage. She sleeps and eats well, smiles all the time, and creeps and rolls all over the place. She has also started eating baby food several times a day. Quite unlike her brother, she loves all the vegetables but is unsure about the fruits. Another fun trick she enjoys doing is blowing raspberries. She does this all the time, especially while I'm feeding her! When she went to her well check-up she weighed a little over 17 pounds and was 28 inches long. She is in the 99th percentile for height!!!

6 months old!

To end the month, of course we had Halloween! Caroline was a strawberry, and Matthew was supposed to be Wilson from the show Chuggington. Unfortunately he wouldn't put his costume on, and didn't even really want to be close to it! I think he thought that it would come alive like the tv show and was kind of freaked out by it. So we went with plan B. His Batman t-shirt (thanks Scott and Catie!) some black sweat pants and the cape from Cajun's Batdog Halloween costume. Whatever works, I tell you! He still looked adorable and was definitely a big fan of trick-or-treating. This was the first year he could really start to understand what was going on and it was really fun to watch him. I was pleasantly surprised by our neighborhood. I didn't really know what to expect since it's so new, but there were a bunch of houses in one of the other sections that were participating. We probably hit about 20 houses in 45 minutes. Apparently that was more than enough for Matthew, because when we got home he said that he needed to sit down and told us his pumpkin was heavy.

Today's Pinspiration Project

2011-10-03T22:31:00.001-04:00

Like much of the crafting world, I am slightly obsessed with Pinterest! It is such a great way to get ideas for decorating, crafts, recipes, really anything. The only downside is that my crafting to-do list has grown exponentially! I actually have made several things based on my Pinterest boards, so I thought I'd start to share them on here.

This weekend I started decorating for Halloween, and realized that I need some new kid-friendly yet still sophisticated decorations. So, I turned to Pinterest! I saw these candy corn cones and knew I had a winner. I went to Michaels to buy my supplies and made them today during nap time!

I didn't really plan to do a tutorial so I didn't take pictures as I crafted, but they're easy enough that you can just follow the written steps. Here's what you'll need:

Materials:

3 cones of different sizes (I used two paper mache cones and one styrofoam. The paper mache ones were the cheapest, but there were only two sizes so I had to get a larger styrofoam one.)
One package each of yellow, orange, and white yarn (my store had small packages and that was enough to make all three)
Clear tacky glue
Scissors

Now to get started! Me being a planner, I took a pen and put a mark dividing the cone into where I wanted the three colors to meet.

I found it easiest to start at the bottom of the cones with yellow yarn. The first cone I made I just started wrapping the yarn, but found that it kept getting bunched up and sliding. Then I got smart and decided to use a little glue.

I glued the end of the yarn at the bottom of the cone and put some glue going up and down along the yellow section. You don't need a lot of glue, just enough to help the yarn stay in place as you wrap. I made squiggles going up and down so that each time I wrapped the yarn around the cone it would touch the glue in several places.

Then I wrapped the yarn with no gaps to make a single layer covering the base of the cone. Once I reached my mark for yellow, I went back in the other direction but this time I didn't worry about lining it up with no gaps. I just wrapped and wrapped until I liked how it looked. Then I put another small dot of glue to hold the end down and tucked it under.

I repeated the same steps with the orange and white sections - glue, wrap a single layer, then wrap however you want, glue the end down.

Easy, right! Now you have some inexpensive yet still sophisticated Halloween decorations that are also kid-friendly (not breakable and not easily damaged :op) I am thinking of a similar project for Christmas, can you guess what it might be?

Mona Lisa Smile

2011-09-28T15:57:00.000-04:00

We joke that Caroline has a half-smile/smirk that resembles the Mona Lisa. When I was taking her 5 month pictures (yes, she's 5 months old! crazy!) she was showing it in full force. Here are some of the pictures. I know I'm biased, but I feel like I should enter them in a baby model search or something!

We're going on a bird hunt....

2011-09-26T20:31:00.000-04:00

Matthew loves looking for birds, so we decided to go walk around a nearby park and look for some. Caroline got her first ride in the jogging stroller, and Matthew enjoyed the freedom of running around. He has rediscovered a musical caterpillar that I had given to Caroline (all his baby toys are suddenly so interesting again now that she's playing with them) and I stupidly taught him how to push the button and make it play. Now it plays nonstop! Here are some videos of our adventure.

Twinkle Stars

2011-09-22T15:50:00.000-04:00

I know I am super behind on the blogging, but the thought of including everything from the past few months is kind of daunting. Let's just sum things up by saying Brian started his new job and loves it, we are all moved in and settled in our new house and are really enjoying the space, and I have connected with some old and new friends and am keeping myself and the kids busy with all sorts of fun activities. Now for what people actually look at this blog for - photos and videos of the munchkins! Matthew has started singing, but only likes to do it when no one is watching. I finally managed to sneak a video of him singing in the bathtub.

Sweet Caroline is 3 months old!

2011-08-08T22:02:00.000-04:00

Our little munchkin is growing up so quickly! I can't believe she's already 3 months old. Just this past week she has started falling asleep on her own, taking longer naps, and rolling over! I took this video of her doing tummy time on her playmat and made a comment about how she was too little to roll over. The next day she decided it was time to roll! I haven't been able to get video of her rolling yet, but I'm going to keep trying!

Say Cheese!

2011-06-22T15:50:00.000-04:00

Caroline has started smiling! It's so cute to see that little grin on her face. I kept trying to get a picture of her smiling, but was unsuccessful. Then I realized that I could get it on video! So here it is... Caroline smiling.

Family Videos

2011-06-11T20:54:00.003-04:00

I was going to put up some video of Caroline's first time in the pool, and discovered we have several other videos on our Flip that I never even watched! So, here are some recent videos for you to see as well :o)

House Update

2011-06-06T15:46:00.000-04:00

***There are a few more new posts, so be sure to scroll all the way down to see them!***

When we were in Florida we were able to go see our house in person! The last time we were there it was just dirt, so it was so fun to walk through something that actually looks a lot like a house! Our projected closing date is still around June 30th, so we're hoping to be able to at least move our stuff in before Scott and Catie's wedding. The builder has been going out of their way to get our house done quickly and on time, which has been great. We were their first sale in the neighborhood so I think they really want us to be happy. Works for me!

Walking on our new street

Stucco almost done

The kitchen cabinets are in

Master bedroom and sitting room

Master bathroom - tile going in

Our pool!

View from the family room

Matthew's new room

Downstairs bathroom

Welcome home!

Dining room

Formal living room

Eat-in kitchen

Upstairs guest bathroom

Stairs and doorway to playroom

Upstairs guest bedroom

Caroline is a month old!

2011-06-06T11:50:00.000-04:00

Our little girl is a month old! It seems like she has always been here. Matthew has adjusted very well to his little sister. After overcoming some jealousy and clingyness, now he asks for her first thing every morning, gives me status reports on what she's doing during the day, and gives her "bisses" before he goes to bed at night. Caroline has been a great baby so far. She eats well, sleeps well, and is so cute! (I'm not biased at all :o) One thing that has been difficult is she does not like her carseat AT ALL! Unless she's in a dead sleep when I put her in it, she cries, actually screams would be a more accurate word, every time we go somewhere. It's better when we're moving, so I've gotten very creative at finding ways to take the highway and avoiding stopping at red lights. No, I don't run the lights, I just creep up to them as slowly as possible so I don't have to stop until the last minute. She had her one month checkup on the first, and she weighed 10lbs 10oz in the 90th percentile, and was 22 inches long in the 75th percentile. She gained almost 3 pounds in her first month! Well, she actually did gain 3 pounds from her discharge weight of 7lbs 10oz. We love our little cupcake!

Matthew's 2nd Birthday!

2011-06-06T11:34:00.000-04:00

I cannot believe that my baby is now 2! Where has the time gone? I know every parent says that, but it is so true! We had a bit of a low-key celebration for Matthew's birthday this year. We were heading down to Florida for the weekend the next day and decided to have a small family party when we got there. On Matthew's actual birthday we gave him his train table and trains, and he played with them ALL DAY! That night we gave him the rest of his presents from friends and family and boy has he gotten the hang of that! He also has become familiar with the concept of birthday cake after Brian's birthday and was very excited about eating his cupcake. He even blew out the candle all by himself! Once we got to Florida we had a birthday dinner with Matthew's favorite food - hotdogs - and more birthday cake. Then Matthew opened his gifts from Aunt Catie and Uncle Scott, and Baba and Daideo. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of when we were in Florida because they are on my mom's camera and I don't have them on my computer. When I get them I'll try to remember to add them!

Quick Photo Update

2011-05-24T08:56:00.000-04:00

I can't believe Caroline will be a month old on Friday and Matthew will be 2 on Thursday! Where has the time gone?! Here are some pictures of our life the past month...

We celebrated Brian's 31st birthday!

We took both kids to the park.

I took Matthew and Caroline to the botanical gardens at the Atlanta History Center

We went to a Kentucky Derby party

Lunch to celebrate Mother's Day

Caroline's first hair bow!

Had friends from medical school over to visit

Matthew completed his Little Gym class!

Matthew holding Caroline for the first time

Our cute little princess!

We took Matthew to Thomas the Train Live! for his birthday. He was very enthralled!

Watching Thomas

Out for a morning drove on the balcony

I'll post more pictures later this week or weekend of Matthew's 2nd birthday!

Photo Card

2011-05-10T19:35:00.001-04:00

Monogram Melody Pink Baby Announcements

Shutterfly has personalized baby birth announcement cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

Caroline Jane Arrives!

2011-05-08T19:38:00.000-04:00

We are very excited to announce the arrival of our daughter, Caroline! She was born at 1:11pm on April 27, 2011 weighing 7lb 14oz and measuring 20.5 inches long. Here are some photos of her arrival!

We got to the hospital at 7:30 Wednesday morning for a scheduled induction. After a bit of excitement that included a ridiculously low blood pressure and a fainting episode, I was hooked up to the pitosin around 9:30 or 10:00. I went ahead and requested my epidural shortly after labor started, and it was a much better experience than the last time! Mom and Dad brought Matthew up to the hospital for a little bit while we waited for labor to progress. Then around 12:45 I started feeling some pressure, and sure enough it was time to push! Mom and Dad went to the waiting room at the hospital instead of heading back to the apartment as we originally had planned. 20 minutes later, Caroline was born!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-25T13:41:00.000-04:00

We had a great time celebrating Easter yesterday. Our last holiday as a family of three! Matthew was very excited to see what was in his Easter basket and has become quite an expert at egg hunting! Here are some videos from our day.

Nesting with No Nursery... Part 3

2011-04-18T16:47:00.000-04:00

In addition to making things for our new arrival, I've also been making things for Matthew to play with. A few months ago when he started pointing out numbers everywhere, my teacher personality kicked in and I decided to make him some felt flashcards. One set with numbers and one with shapes. They came out really cute, except for the fact that Cajun's dog hair sticks to them like crazy!

Then a few weeks ago he started identifying letters, so I thought I should make something with those on them! 26 flashcards on a ring wasn't exactly an option, and then I remembered I had bought some Cars fabric a while back and had nothing to do with it. Alphabet bean bags were born! I painted uppercase letters on one side and lowercase letters on the other with fabric paint. Matthew loves them. He tries to carry as many of them in his arms as he can at one time! He transports them all from the table to the couch (handfuls at a time) and then takes them from the couch and throws them on the floor. All of this picking up got old fast, so I decided I needed a bag to keep them all in. I had a little fabric leftover and made a matching drawstring bag!

I have one last project that I want to complete before the baby comes, so hopefully I'll have time in the next few days. I'll keep you posted!

Construction on Our New House!

2011-04-17T16:59:00.000-04:00

Brian and I are very excited to be building a house in Bradenton! After spending a week looking at resales and not really finding anything we liked, we decided to go with new construction after falling in love with one of the builders in the area, and discovering it was actually less expensive to build! We told the builder that we would be moving at the end of June, and they assured us that the house would be done on time. We are/were very skeptical about this, but were willing to take the risk. They broke ground on our house on April 4th, and just 13 days later they are almost about to put the roof on! Maybe it will be done in time after all...

Here are some pictures of the progress:

April 4, 2011

April 17, 2011

Nesting with No Nursery... Part 2

2011-04-05T17:58:00.000-04:00

This is something that I've been wanting to make since I saw it on a crafting blog (How Does She) about 6 months ago. I told myself that I would do it before Matthew's 2nd birthday, so that I could start measuring his height every year. Well, that deadline was fast approaching so I thought I'd better get to it! And while I was at it, I made one for the baby too even though I probably won't be measuring her height for quite some time. I took pictures as I went so if any of you crafty people out there want to try it you can! I made both of mine while Matthew took his nap this afternoon, so in about 2 hours. One of the things I like about it is that you can take it with you, so when we move again in the future we won't leave behind the measured marks on a door frame or wall never to be seen again.

Supplies you'll need:

3" wide x 1"deep MDF board cut in half. The boards come in 10 or 12 foot lengths, so I just had the guy at Home Depot cut in half for me, and then I had two! Perfect for making two charts :o)
Wooden topper
Acrylic paint
Tape measure
Ruler or straight edge
Pencil
Permanent marker
Numbers 1-6 in vinyl
"Watch Me Grow" phrase in vinyl

First I made the decorative topper. You can use a square board and put a vinyl design on it, or you can use ready-made wood cut-outs. I opted for the ready-made option and bought my wooden toppers at Michaels for 99 cents each. Then I painted them with acrylic paint.

The next step is to mark the measurements on the MDF board. Now keep in mind that the growth chart will not start from the ground up - it will be about 10 inches off the floor. This is so if you have baseboards it will still be able to hang flat, and it also allows you to get more height on the chart. I did my measurements by placing the topper where I thought I'd like it, leaving space for the "Watch Me Grow" phrase, and then starting with my highest measurement. My charts go up to 6' 2", but you can make yours go taller or shorter depending on the height in your family. I am slightly anal and didn't want to mess up, so I used a pencil to make all of my marks first. I used the tape measure and just marked inch increments. At this point I didn't worry about where the numbers would go, I just marked all the way down the board.

Once I had marked all the way down, I went back with a black permanent marker and a straight edge. I made the lines that showed a foot longer than the other inch marks. I also counted as I went to make sure that my measurements were going to be accurate!

I have a Silhouette machine, so I used it to cut out the numbers and words from vinyl. I made the numbers about 2 inches high, and the entire "Watch Me Grow" phrase was 3 inches wide and 4 inches tall. If you don't have a Silhouette machine you can hand write everything, or you can visit my crafting site www.cupcakesandjellybeans.com and order just the vinyl to put on your growth chart. Place the numbers directly next to the longer lines and the phrase at the top! The font I used for the train chart is called "A Little Pot" and the font for the butterfly chart is "Rolina".

The last step is to glue on your topper! I did this last in case I ended up needing to move it up or down to make more room for the numbers or phrase. Use wood glue and just stick it on!

The last step is to put a picture hanger on the back! You can buy one at Home Depot, or if you're like me you have random things around your house and already own one. Just hammer it into the back once your wood glue is dry, and you're all done. Now all you have to do is hang it on the wall! But don't forget to measure from the ground to the 1 foot mark to make sure your measurements are accurate when you hang it!

Nesting with No Nursery... Part 1

2011-04-02T14:14:00.001-04:00

Since I have no nursery to decorate, I've been making things for our baby's future nursery and for Matthew as well. Last week I made this super cute hair bow holder! I also thought it would be fun to include a step by step for how I did it, in case any of you other creative people out there want to make your own.

I was originally planning on buying a cheap, open frame for this project (since you paint it anyway) but I stumbled upon this 12"x18" shadow box in the "As Is" section at Michaels one day and thought it would be perfect! I think it was in there because the glass had broken and was gone, but I didn't need the glass anyway. It only cost me $6.00! It's hard to tell in the picture, but the frame stands out about 3 inches from the back, and the background was made as a pegboard or corkboard covered in fabric.

The first thing I did was remove the back from the frame and paint the frame brown to match my fabric. Ideally I would have used spray paint, but since I have no garage or driveway, I just used regular acrylic paint. You could use leftover paint you have in your garage as well.

While the frame was drying I made the inside. I laid the frame insert on top of a piece of corkboard and used box cutters to cut out a section that was the exact same size. Since it has to fit in the frame, it is very important that it's exactly the same size. (I forgot to take a picture of that step!) Since the shadow box I bought was already made out of corkboard, I only used one thin piece. If you are using an open frame or a regular frame, you will want to cut two pieces of corkboard and hot glue them together to make it thicker.

Then I laid out my fabric, put the piece of corkboard on top of it, and cut out a section of fabric that was three inches wider on each side. To cover the corkboard I folded the fabric over the edges and secured it with pins. It is very important to pull the fabric tight and make sure the pattern is straight on the other side, so the pins give you a little flexibility if you need to make adjustments.

To permanently fasten the fabric you can use either a staple gun or (if you're like me and don't own a staple gun) hot glue. Just make sure that the fabric stays pulled tight while you glue. Once the fabric was in place, I put the newly covered corkboard and the original frame backing back into the frame!

This is now a cute decorative pegboard that you could really use for anything. I decided to make mine into a hair bow holder, so here's what I did next! I had been looking for some cute, coordinating pins to use but hadn't found anything that thrilled me. Then I realized I can make my own! I had some old, flat tacks in a drawer that I used as a base. Then I went through my crafting supplies and found some things that I could glue to them. I made two bows, a flower, and two jeweled pins.

To actually hang the hair bows in the frame, I used three strips of ribbon that the bows can be clipped to. Right now I just have three ribbons, but as I accumulate more bows I can add, change, and move the ribbons around as needed. That's the beauty of the corkboard! I didn't need to two pins with bows yet, so I just used them as a decoration in the corner for now.

Clip on your hair bows, and voila! Cute hair bow holder! Unfortunately mine is now sitting in a closet until we move and I can hang it in the baby's nursery. One other thing I am planning to add is her first initial either in the bottom corner where the bows are or at the top in the center. Since she doesn't have a name (and won't until she's born) this will have to wait a bit.

All in all this project cost me $8.00 for the frame and corkboard. The rest of the supplies I already had at home. I hope you enjoyed my post, and maybe I've inspired you to make something as well! If so, leave a comment and link below so I can see your cute ideas!

Matthew at 22 months

2011-03-31T09:20:00.019-04:00

I recently bought a book called "One Line a Day" where you write down one thing you want to remember for each day. I love it, because I felt like Matthew was learning and doing all sorts of new things, and didn't want to forget them. Plus, writing one thing for every day is totally doable as far as time goes. I was looking back over some of the things from the past month, and thought I'd blog about them!

At 22 months, Matthew...

...loves: Thomas the Train! He wakes up asking about him, mentions him countless times throughout the day, and carries around these two Thomas bath toys I bought him at a consignment sale. They come with us to bath time, bed time, meals, errands, outside, child care, basically everywhere. They are actually in the picture above! He also loves cars, trucks, fire trucks, basically anything with wheels. Recently he has decided it's fun to try to carry as many things as possible at one time. This morning he was carrying around two trains, a cell phone, his stuffed doggie, and a blankie. He also tried to fit all 10 jumbo crayons and 4 regular sized crayons into his hand while coloring today.

...says: everything we do! He is quite the little parrot and copies two or three words from every sentence that we say. One of my recent favorites came when we were outside with Cajun and Brian told Cajun to go poop in the ivy. Then Matthew kept repeating "poop, ivy". Gotta love the bathroom humor already! He likes pointing out things and telling you what they are over and over again until you repeat the word back to him. I guess he wants us to acknowledge that he's saying the right word! When we can't figure out what he's saying, he gets very frustrated and upset (I wonder where he gets that from...). He has also created two of his own words. "Shada" means any kind of truck, and "Fwee" means sip. We have no idea how he got these two words from the actual word, but we think it's hilarious! In fact, the poor kid will probably think fire trucks are actually called shadas, because that's how we refer to them now!

...sleeps: like a champ! He goes to bed at 8:00 and wakes up around 7:30 every day. He also still takes a great afternoon nap. I've started putting him down at 1:30 instead of 1:00 because he doesn't seem tired yet, and most days he sleeps until 4:30. He also goes to bed without his paci now! I think he's substituted it for toys that he likes to take to bed with him, but that's fine with me. He has recently started crying when we put him down, because I think he'd rather keep playing than sleep, but it only lasts a minute or two. He also asks for stories before nap and bed time now, and has already tried coaxing one more out of us when we tell him that it's time for bed!

...eats: pretty much everything we give him. He loves fruit, but is not such a fan of vegetables. I have found the best way to get him to eat his veggies is in vegetable soup or chili, or by sprinkling cinnamon on them if they're just plain. He knows the words for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and when I tell him it's time to eat he runs to his chair and repeats whatever meal it is. He also likes to ask for a snack and milk or juice in his cup throughout the day.

...has learned: his numbers 1-10, several letters, and most shapes. Most of these things he learned on his own, and surprised us when he randomly started identifying them! The teacher in me feels like I should start working with him to learn the rest! He also can distinguish between all types of vehicles (car, truck, bus, fire truck, bike, motorcycle, airplane, helicopter) and points them out whenever he sees them. He knows his colors, animals and their sounds, and the characters on his favorite shows! (Thomas, Percy, Elmo, Cookie Monster, and Big Bird are his favorites.)

...has grown a lot! He currently wears size 2T in clothing, is around 35 pounds and about 3 feet tall.

...has his own personality! He already knows how to cut his eyes when he's about to do something he shouldn't, and has a mischievous face that he uses a little too frequently if you ask me! He definitely has his share of temper tantrums when things don't go his way, but they have gotten a lot less frequent recently. I think he realized that we ignore him and screaming isn't getting him anywhere. He loves wrestling with Daddy and being tickled, and laughs and squeals with delight while they play. He is also very loving, giving kisses and hugs, and on occasion asking for them. Another of his favorite things is "uppies" and being carried and held. I think he may know that things are about to change and as a result is becoming a little clingy. I can't say I mind the snuggling though!

All in all he is a happy, healthy boy and we love him to bits! We can't wait to see him with his new baby sister in a few weeks!

Return of the Coupon Queen

2011-03-14T11:26:00.000-04:00

When I started working part time a year and a half ago I learned how to coupon in order to save money on our tight budget. It's amazing the kind of high you can get when you save as much as you spend on groceries! In Winston-Salem I looked forward to double and triple coupon weeks at Harris Teeter, where I could get tons of stuff for free or under a dollar. When we moved to Atlanta it was a little harder to save that much, because Publix only doubles coupons 50 cents or less and never triples. I still only spend an average of $60 per trip to the grocery store and go about every other week, which I feel is pretty darn good! It also helped that I started getting our produce at Costco every other week or so. One part of couponing that I've not enjoyed, but that you can save a lot of money doing, is drug store couponing. It seemed that every time I would get organized to go they would be out of one or more of the things I was planning to buy, which resulted in me not being able to get the deals I planned on (to coupon at drugstores you have to check out with multiple transactions and use their store dollars in each one to save the most money, so if one is gone you're SOL!) and leaving empty-handed or spending more than I intended. Talk about frustrating! So as a result of this I had been a lot less motivated to coupon lately. But...

This past week I got some really awesome deals with coupons and renewed my motivation! Here's what I got:

CVS Trip: 2 bottles of shampoo, 2 large tubes of toothpaste, laundry detergent
Total value: $27.65
I paid: $4.16
Savings: 85%

Publix groceries: 2 large boxes of diapers, strawberries, 4 lunchables, 1 lb deli meat, 3 pkgs shredded cheese, 5 boxes cereal, butter, cottage cheese, sour cream, 3 tomatoes, 1 green pepper, cilantro, 2 loaves of bread, 2 boxes graham crackers, 2 boxes corn bread mix, 3 packages Steamfresh frozen vegetables, 2 Yoplait smoothies, 2 boxes frozen pancakes, box of dishwasher detergent, roll of paper towels, mandarin oranges, canned pineapple, bottle cranberry juice, 2 bottles V8 Splash juice, 2 4packs of YoPlus yogurt, butter, peanut butter, jar of pickles, tortillas, ketchup, and A $50 GAS CARD!
Total value: $223.69 (without gas card $173.69)
I paid: $137.18 (without gas card $97.18)
Savings: 39% (without gas card 44%)

Target: Swiffer Wet Jet starter kit, Swiffer Wet Jet refills, 2 bottles of Pledge furniture cleaner, toddler toothpaste
Total value: $40.02
I paid: $15.87
Savings: 60%

Overall for the week
Total value: $291.36
I paid: $157.21
Savings: 46%

This is actually a little more than I normally spend in a week, but I did get $50 in gas, 2 boxes of diapers, several cleaning supplies, and toiletries in addition to all of my groceries. People often ask me if I end up buying things I wouldn't normally buy using coupons, or if the only food I get is processed. The answer to both questions is no! As you can see by my groceries most items are things that everyone buys at some point in time, and I plan my dinners around what I'm going to be able to get cheaply at the store that week. Hardly anything is processed, and couponing has actually made me try a lot of different things that I normally wouldn't! Frosted Mini Wheats are now my favorite cereal, which I never would have tried were it not for coupons. People also assume that store brands are cheaper, but when you line up coupons and sales correctly the national brands are much better deals. I still buy a store brand if I need something that isn't on sale or I don't have a coupon for, but those items are few and far between. As far as toiletries and things go, when we are running low on something I just keep my eye out for good deals and buy a few at a low price. A lot of times I have one or two extras of something on hand because I could get them so cheap, and this also eliminates having to buy something for full price because we ran out of it.

Anyway, just thought I'd share my thoughts on couponing for the week! When you're living on a budget it's a great way to save money. And it's kind of fun to give yourself a spending goal for the month and try to beat it with coupons. Happy couponing!

Matthew Loves Numbers!

2011-03-01T13:36:00.000-05:00

It's amazing what Matthew picks up without me realizing it. A few weeks ago we were playing with his shape sorter, and all of sudden he started picking up the shapes and saying numbers. Sure enough, each shape had a different number on it and he knew them all! I decided to see if he could identify numbers that I wrote on the Magnadoodle and sure enough he did. He knows 2-10, but for some reason has a hard time with the number 1! He can show you one with his finger, but he doesn't like to say it. Now he points out numbers wherever we go - from price stickers in the store, to the channel number on the tv, to our apartment numbers - everywhere! Here is a video of him saying some of his numbers.

Helicopter Tour

2011-02-21T12:04:00.000-05:00

For Christmas I got Brian a 2-person helicopter tour of downtown Atlanta, and we went on Saturday. It was awesome! It just seemed like we were floating above downtown. I'm not too keen on flying in small planes (and the smallest one I've been in still seats about 30 people) but for some reason flying in a helicopter didn't scare me. But, as my husband so kindly pointed out minutes before takeoff, it is apparently more dangerous to fly in a helicopter than a plane. Well, we survived! While I did have to fend off thoughts of us leaving Matthew parentless if something bad happened, it was quite an enjoyable experience! Here are some pictures and videos from in the air.

Balloon Boy

2011-02-01T21:10:00.000-05:00

Think we could get famous by broadcasting these videos?

Baby Girl Update

2011-01-25T14:09:00.001-05:00

My friend Jennifer had this on her blog, and I thought it was such a good idea that I copied it! Well, not her answers of course :o)

How far along: 26 weeks and 3 days

Size of baby: Almost 2 pounds, and about the length of a cucumber!

Totally weight gain/loss: I only weigh myself at the doctor, so as of my last appointment I have gained 12 pounds.

Clothes: I pretty much hate maternity clothes, mainly because I can't find any jeans that fit me! They are all either too big in the hips and fall down, or are too low in the waist causing them to squeeze the baby and again, fall down. I prefer to spend the day in yoga pants, and pretty much only put jeans or nice clothes on when I leave the apartment.

Gender: A baby girl!

Movement: She definitely moves differently than Matthew did. I feel her much lower, usually below my bellybutton, and it feels more like stretching and moving instead of the kicks that Matthew did. Hopefully I won't experience the same feeling of my ribs getting bruised!

Sleep: I am always tired so I sleep a lot! I usually sleep 10 hours at night, and most days have to take a nap while Matthew does. I feel like I'm still in the first trimester, and am really not sure what I'm going to do when I'm up all hours of the night with a newborn!

Symptoms: Aside from the tiredness, I have Braxton Hicks contractions pretty regularly.

Cravings: I cannot get enough cheesy or salty foods! Vegetables, what are those? I have been forcing myself to eat healthy things, but what I really want is pizza and macaroni and cheese.

What I miss: Being able to lay on my stomach, working out without contractions, and wearing clothes that fit!

What I worry about: How am I ever going to give both kids enough attention? How am I going to survive on no sleep with a toddler? And how exactly do you do things with two kids?

What I'm looking forward to: Our 4D ultrasound coming up in a few weeks, and of course meeting our daughter!

We're Moving to Florida!

2011-01-22T07:48:00.000-05:00

After 12 years of training and hard work, Brian finally has a "real" job! We are so excited to announce that we are moving to Bradenton in June! Brian will be a cornea specialist at The Eye Associates starting on August 1st. Brian had to decide between 3 different practices, but in the end we just couldn't pass up the amazing opportunity to live near family. Of course my parents are beside themselves, and Scott can't wait to see his nephew (and soon niece) more often. Not only will our kids be around one set of grandparents, they will also get to grow up around some of their cousins! (No pressure, Scott and Catie!) It still hasn't really sunk in for either of us, but I'm sure it will in the next few months as we start looking for a place to live and receiving a wonderful stipend from the practice every month :o) I know I am a total cheeseball, but I made Brian have his picture taken as he was signing his contract :o)

My New Career Endeavor!

2011-01-11T17:24:00.000-05:00

As you may know if you received my email earlier today, I have started my own mini crafting business! Check out this link - www.cupcakesandjellybeans.com

Christmas 2010

2011-01-03T12:39:00.012-05:00

We had a wonderful time celebrating Christmas with family here in Atlanta. My parents came up on Thursday and stayed until Sunday night, and on Sunday Brad came for a few days. We didn't venture outside much, since it was in the 30's and actually snowed on Christmas day! But we had a great time staying in and watching movies, baking cookies, playing with Matthew's new toys, playing board games, and just spending time together. It was so much fun to watch Matthew open presents this year. He actually still doesn't care too much for the opening part, but every toy that he got he would investigate and play with for a while. His favorite things all involved cars and pushing buttons. Shocking, I know! Hahaha. He also loves the cooking pot that he got from Uncle Scott and Catie and likes to stir up the food, scoop it out with his spoon, pretend to eat it and say "UMMMM!" really loudly. We have some great videos from Christmas day that I'll post once I upload them to the computer, but here are some pictures in the meantime. Once Brad was here we also took a trip over to Birmingham to see family there. It was a short trip, but it was great catching up with most of Brian's aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Life as a Stay at Home Mom

2010-12-29T13:48:00.002-05:00

When I started on this venture back in June, I wasn't sure that I was completely cut out for it. We had just moved, and as a result I didn't have anyone to hang out with or anything to do. Matthew was still taking two naps a day, so I was pretty much stuck in our small apartment all day long. Now 6 months later I wouldn't choose any other job! I absolutely love watching him learn new things every day, and I don't miss any of them! He has just turned into this little person with a sense of humor and personality that makes me smile. I love when he comes over to give me kisses or takes me by the hand to show me where he wants to go next. I have also become his translator as he is learning more and more words every day, but they aren't always easy to understand. We definitely have to watch what we say now, because he's a little parrot and repeats everything - even sound effects! As we approach April and the due date for our baby girl, I am both excited and anxious for how our lives are going to change again. I know that one day I will go back to teaching, but for now I'm content to stay at home and spend time with our little munchkin.

Little Gym Show

2010-12-14T15:08:00.003-05:00

Today was Matthew's last gymnastics class of the semester at the Little Gym. This was their "show" week to share with all the families what they have learned, and at the end they had an awards ceremony. Matthew absolutely loves gymnastics, and I'm not sure what we're going to do for the next few weeks until it starts up again in January. Here are some videos of him playing today. Unfortunately I didn't get any of him doing forward or backward rolls because I had to spot him and couldn't video at the same time. You will notice that he is having a great time until it's time for him to get his award. This is because I spent the previous 10 minutes preventing him from climbing up on the "throne" while other kids were getting their awards, and then when it was his turn he was upset because I wouldn't let him take the camera up there with him!

Matthew and his friend Sam

Doing chinups on the bar

Matthew LOVES the balance beam and Miss Kelly!

There's a low beam behind the mats that he walks back and forth on every week

Exploring simple machines - the ramp!

My kid is already a ball hog!

A future physicist?

The award ceremony!

a fun game

2010-12-13T16:10:00.002-05:00

Baby Girl Update

2010-12-07T15:47:00.003-05:00

We are about halfway through the pregnancy right now. I had to go to the doctor twice today - once for my normal 20 week checkup, and then our followup ultrasound with the perinatal specialist. I am happy to report that our baby girl looks healthy! My favorite view of the day was when we could see her hand with her fingers outstretched, like she was giving us a high five. She is measuring a little larger than her actual gestational age, which is pretty much par for the course considering Matthew was a big baby. We are very excited to be welcoming this little girl into the world in 4 short months! As for her name, we have it narrowed down to four names but aren't sure if we're actually going to name her before she's born or not.

Baby #2 is a...

2010-11-19T21:16:00.002-05:00

Click on the link to see our video announcement!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_eTcegZW1g

My New Hobby

2010-11-08T22:43:00.004-05:00

Today I used my new sewing machine for the first time! After I spent an hour figuring out how to wind the bobbin, thread the needle, and checking the manual about 100 times I decided to make a reversible tote bag. Here's how it came out!

Our apartment ghost

2010-10-30T15:52:00.003-04:00

Every evening between 7:00 and 7:30 we have a ghost that haunts our apartment!

To find out or not to find out... That is the question!

2010-10-25T16:17:00.003-04:00

Brian and I are trying to decide if we should find out if the baby is a girl or a boy at our 20 week ultrasound. I'm leaning toward yes, he's leaning toward no. What do you think? Give your input in the poll to the right.

Chicago

2010-10-24T10:02:00.006-04:00

Last week we were able to visit Chicago for several days for Brian's AAO conference. We had a great time seeing the sites of the city, and made lots of fun memories with our friends. The first night we were there we got authentic deep dish pizza from Lou Malnati's which was delicious! Then on Friday Matthew and I went to the aquarium with Lauren, Andrew, Casey and Taryn. We met Shaun for lunch at the Rainforest Cafe, and then he came back to our hotel to hang out while Matthew took a nap. That night we all walked down to Navy Pier for dinner and had fun exploring. Saturday morning Casey and I took the kids to the Children's Museum which was a huge hit! Matthew and Taryn had a great time playing and running around. We went back to the hotel for nap and lunch time, and when Brian got back around 3:00 we met Shaun and Lea at their apartment. We walked down to the Lincoln Park Zoo and then back toward our hotel. That night we went out to dinner at English for Jeremy's birthday. Sunday we went to Milennium Park to see the silver bean and other sculptures. There was a playground in the park as well, and Matthew, Andrew and Taryn enjoyed playing together again. For lunch we got Chicago dogs at Portillo's and discovered that Matthew doesn't like hotdogs! After Matthew's nap he and I took the shuttle to the convention center to meet Brian and some people from the practices he is looking at. The Wake Forest alumni reception was that night as well, so we took the shuttle over to the Marriott. We hadn't had time to eat dinner, so after the reception we had dinner at Big Bowls with Jacob and Steve. Our last day in the city we got to spend with Brian! We started the day with brunch and then went up in the Hancock Observatory. The views were amazing! We let Matthew have a quick nap and then headed to the airport for our flight home. Matthew is a great traveler and we had an uneventful trip back. We hope to return again soon!

Matthew at 16 months

2010-10-20T19:58:00.003-04:00

It is amazing to watch how much Matthew learns and grows each day. Just this evening we were playing with some cards that have different animals on them, and we were practicing making the animal sounds. He was able to quickly mimic the sounds, and then whenever he saw the picture of the animal he made the sound. Then we decided to see if he could pick out the correct animal from a group of cards, and he could! Anyway, I decided to write a post about all the things he is currently doing, because I'm sure in a few years or even months I may not remember.

Right now Matthew is:

running all over the place
walking backwards
trying to jump by crouching down and walking
pointing at everything
doing his "more" hand signal (right hand grabbing left wrist, arm, or shoulder depending on how urgent the need) to mean more, please, help me, I want that, etc.
doing his "all done" hand signal (hand on his head) to mean all done, stop, get me out of here, I don't like this anymore, etc.
suffering from separation anxiety when we leave him in any type of childcare setting
spitting milk (a habit we are working to break)
making animal sounds (quack - cack, meow - noow, woof woof - foo foo, moo - moo)
pointing at cars and saying "vroom vroom" whenever he sees one
points to eyes and says "eye"
points to nose and says "nose"
drinking out of a regular cup with assistance
waving goodbye
clapping
blowing kisses

Right now Matthew says:

keys
milk - "mil"
shoes - "soosh"
cracker - "cacka"
eye
nose - "no"
mouth - "mouw"
ball - "bawl"
bottle - "bobble"
bubble
book - "boo"
dada
mama
cajun - "caja"
car
banana - "nana"
moon

Needless to say, we love our little man and are so thankful for him!

3 + 1 = 4!

2010-10-12T20:40:00.003-04:00

Brian and I are very happy to announce that we are expecting another baby! Of course, I'm sure most of you that read this blog already know that, but now it's up on the world wide web so I guess that makes it official :o) My due date is April 29th, which makes me 11 1/2 weeks pregnant right now. This pregnancy has been pretty similar to the last one. Some nausea, lots of headaches, and I pretty much need to take a nap every day in order to function. One difference is that I'm already starting to show a little bit, which I hear is normal for the second pregnancy. Last time I didn't show until I was like 18 weeks along. Guess I need to find my maternity clothes! I went to the doctor this morning and was able to see the baby again on ultrasound. Here are pictures from 7 weeks and 11 weeks.

Matthew loves Gymnastics!

2010-09-07T20:29:00.002-04:00

Every Tuesday Matthew goes to gymnastics at The Little Gym. To say he loves it is an understatement! Today when he woke up from his nap I told him we were going to gymnastics and he started clapping his hands. He loves running around on the mats, walking between the parallel bars, and playing with the balls and bubbles. Here is some video footage from today.

A Round of Applause

2010-07-27T11:36:00.003-04:00

Matthew just learned how to clap and we got some video footage of him!

We have a walker!

2010-07-17T16:33:00.003-04:00

Matthew has really taken off walking lately. It's actually very difficult to get him walking on video because as soon as you turn the camera on he comes right at it and tries to grab it and then proceeds to have a melt down when I don't give it to him. So, I managed to get this one because he was preoccupied with following Cajun around with his leash.

Apparently I should own a Lexus

2010-07-13T21:30:00.010-04:00

We've been back in Atlanta for 2 weeks now and are getting adjusted to city living again. Aside from the traffic, the only other major difference I've noticed is that literally EVERYONE drives some type of luxury car! That could be because we're living in Buckhead, but it's really funny to look around our parking garage and be the only Toyota and Volvo around! Even though we lived here for 4 years, the part of the city we're in now is completely different so I still don't know where anything is! Thankfully our friends haven't changed, and we've had a great time catching up. Between time at the pool, cookouts, trips to the park and aquarium, we've managed to unpack everything and get settled in our new home. While our condo is only 2 bedrooms, we feel like we have plenty of space and it's great to have a pool and workout room here as well.

Brian is loving his fellowship so far. He was able to do a surgery on the first day, and has done several since then. It's also been awesome that he can walk next door to the office. Because he's so close he's been able to come home for lunch a few times, and when he's done with work at 4:30 or 5:00 he's home 5 minutes later without having to deal with traffic!

I'm adjusting to life as a stay-at-home mom. I've been trying to keep myself busy by taking Matthew on an outing every day, but some days I feel a little stir crazy. I'm hoping to connect with some other SAHMs soon so I have someone to talk to besides a 13-month-old!

It has been so much fun to watch Matthew learn new things every day. He is now walking more than he crawls, and is so pleased with himself when he reaches his destination without falling! I've started to let him feed himself with a spoon, which is always entertaining and also quite messy. By far his favorite thing to do is climb on, play with, and throw the ball for Cajun. He gets a ball in his hand and literally starts shrieking with excitement. Sometimes he gets so excited that he can't even throw the ball and just falls over! We have also been losing a lot of things lately, because one of his other favorite things to do is take objects and put them inside things. This week I found the remote in the basket of hand weights, a tootbrush in the dresser drawer, his plastic coins in the remote holder, and one of Cajun's balls in the toilet! There are about 4 pacifiers missing too, and I don't even know where to begin looking for them!

Here are some pictures from our recent adventures

Fun at a nearby park

Enjoying some yogurt

Looking at the whales at the Georgia Aquarium

Celebrating our 7th anniversary with a picnic on the Chattahoochee

Matthew helping us unpack

Matthew's first haircut!

Renters and Moving

2010-06-02T20:36:00.002-04:00

Our lives have been incredibly busy lately, but we've been enjoying our last days here in North Carolina. At the beginning of May we decided that since our house hadn't sold we would try to rent it so that we wouldn't be paying rent and a mortgage next year. About a week ago we were headed out for a walk and saw a car sitting in front of our house. The couple inside got out, and were interested in renting the house. They were planning on coming back later in the week to see the inside, but we went ahead and invited them in and gave them a tour. After an hour of conversation, they were convinced and the next day we found out they wanted to rent it! They will be renting it for 2 years, but the only problem is they are moving in June 16th and our condo won't be ready until June 28th! Thankfully we have wonderful friends who have offered their homes to us, we just have to figure out what to do with all of our stuff in the meantime. Now we have 2 weeks to figure out movers, storage units, and temporary housing, and to pack all our stuff! I can't believe our time here is coming to an end, and I know the next few weeks will be filled with ups and downs and lots of sadness and excitement. Here's to hoping we can keep it all together!

Visit to Boston

2010-04-21T12:19:00.009-04:00

Whoever said that when you have a baby you stop doing things like traveling has never met us! A few weeks ago we were able to take a wonderful trip to Boston. Brian was going to attend ASCRS, which is a cornea conference, and since we have several family members that live nearby Matthew and I decided to join him! It also helped that Brian won an award that paid for the entire trip. We flew in Friday night, and after a somewhat interesting flight we arrived safely in Boston. Brian had other obligations on Saturday, so I dropped him off at the conference around 10:30 and then headed to Rhode Island to see Aunt Sandy, Uncle Barry, Lauren and Grammy. My mom flew up for the weekend as well, and it was great getting to spend time with her too. Matthew got to meet his Great Grammy, and LOVED her! He kept smiling and pointing at her, and loved grabbing her necklace. We had wonderful family time, and then headed back into Boston with mom. Sunday afternoon we ventured out again, this time with Brian too, and headed to Westborough to visit the Goodliffe family and Matthew's other Great Grandparents. He was quite the celebrity! Matthew had a great time crawling around and playing with Brendan, and charmed all of the adults. Aunt Sandy and Lauren were able to come and join us for dinner as well. The next two days we spent exploring in Boston. On Monday Brian and I took Matthew on the T and spent some time in Boston Common and walked part of the Freedom Trail. When he had to go back to conference that afternoon Matthew and I ventured out on our own and visited the New England Aquarium. Then we met Brian, Jeremy, Kevin and Patrick for dinner at Atlantic Fish Company. Let me tell you, carrying a 22 pound baby halfway across Boston is tiring! (Not all of the T-stations have elevators so bringing the stroller when I was by myself wasn't an option!) Tuesday morning Matthew visited Fenway Park for the first time! We took a tour and got to sit in the press box, go to the top of the Green Monster, and see all the different parts of the stadium. Then it was time to head back to the airport for our flight home. Thankfully the return flight was very uneventful, except for seeing Ben Stiller's parents in the airport!

Raleigh Rocks Half Marathon

2010-03-28T09:46:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I ran my first half marathon! I know after completing it that I will never, ever run a full marathon. 13.1 miles is a long way, and my legs and feet are reminding me of that every time I move! It was a great goal to set, and I'm glad that I did it. Will there be another one in the future? Not sure.... but for now I feel very proud of myself for accomplishing a half marathon.

Sunshine Escape

2010-03-19T16:08:00.011-04:00

This past weekend we took a trip to Florida so Matthew could visit his grandparents and Brian could take a look at a practice nearby. We had a wonderful time celebrating Dad's birthday (his 44th according to him) and spending time with family. Brian, Scott and my dad went golfing on Saturday while my mom, Catie and I went shopping at the outlet mall. We all bought Coach purses for 70% off! Then on Sunday we went to Robinson Preserve and walked around while Brian went kayaking. Matthew loved crawling around on the tile and pulled up to standing for the first time while we were there! Here are some pictures from our trip.Just stood up alone!
Dad opening his birthday present
Crawling around is so fun!
The kayaker!
About to eat sand... didn't like it so much.
Hanging out with Uncle Scott
Hanging out with Mommy in the morning
Giving a big boy hug to Daideo
Our Coach purses!
See you soon!

Crawling Baby!

2010-02-26T20:57:00.004-05:00

I really thought that Matthew was going to be one of those babies that just didn't crawl. He had already moved on to skills like pulling up and going from his belly to a sitting position, so I thought that I'd be able to enjoy an immobile baby until he started walking. Well, as it turns out, I was wrong! He started crawling last night and is very proud of himself! I'm sure that I won't be sitting down for the next few years of my life, but that's ok. He loves being able to move and is so cute when he's crawling! Here is some video footage of his new accomplishment.

So far in 2010

2010-02-17T16:55:00.014-05:00

So far our new year has been off to a wonderful but incredibly busy start! Since 2010 started, we have been working hard getting our house ready to put on the market. We have cleaned, organized, given things away, put stuff in storage, painted, pressure washed, cleaned the carpets, and had our creaky floors fixed. The house has been officially on the market for a week and a half now, and I must admit that putting the for sale sign in our yard was really painful. I am so excited about moving back to Atlanta, I just wish I could take my house with me! We are still waiting on our first showing and in the meantime have to keep the house picked up and spotless at all times. While this seemed like it was going to be very difficult to do, it's actually kind of nice because I never have to spend all day Saturday cleaning anymore! Here is a photo as a tribute to our cute house!

This winter has also been one of the coldest in recent years, and has the most snowfall! While I can't compare our snow to places north of us, it's a lot for us. So far we have missed 4 student days and had several delayed openings. And then, in case I couldn't get enough snow here, we went to Atlanta last weekend and it snowed 4 inches there! Apparently I can't get away from it. Matthew seemed to enjoy himself in the snow though, and we got lots of cute pictures!

Speaking of cute pictures, while we were in Atlanta we stayed with our friends Michael and Jennifer and their son Caleb. Michael is a wonderful photographer and he took some pictures of Matthew. You'll see a couple of them below. Matthew and Caleb had a great time together, and while we were unsuccessful in getting Matthew to crawl, Caleb enjoyed bringing Matthew whatever toy we had placed just out of his reach. We are really looking forward to this summer when the boys can play together a lot more often! (And so can their mommies!)

We can't believe how much Matthew has grown in the past few months. He now has 6 teeth and is working on two more. Thankfully teething hasn't been especially terrible for him, so we are still getting to sleep all night! He has learned to feed himself both a bottle and finger foods. He especially loves bananas and we just started feeding him mandarin oranges a few days ago which he is a big fan of! Yesterday morning I went in his room to find up sitting up in his crib, and he repeated this at the end of his naps so we decided it was time to lower the crib. He has yet to crawl forward, and I feel like I am partially to blame for this since I never crawled as a child. However, he is quite good at going from all fours to sitting up and back down to his stomach again. If he could only figure out how to make his backward movements work for him he'd be much less frustrated! He is still as happy as can be though, and every time we go somewhere people comment on what a happy baby he is. We are so blessed!

8 months old!

Exploring Linville Caverns

Having fun dumping out all my toys!

2009-12-22T10:36:00.001-05:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

We're Moving to.....

2009-12-10T08:05:00.002-05:00

Atlanta! Brian matched at Atlanta Eye Consultants for his fellowship, so we'll be moving back to the ATL this summer. We are very excited! It will be hard to leave Winston Salem, but at least we get to go somewhere familiar and a place where we already have friends!

6 month update

2009-12-04T14:03:00.003-05:00

Ok, so I know that I've been really behind on the blogging lately. I think my New Year's resolution will be to start blogging once a week. The past few weeks and months have really seemed like a whirlwind! I'm not sure when it became December, but I'm not quite sure that I'm ready for it. I'm definitely not ready for the cold weather!

Speaking of time flying, Matthew is already 6 months old! I can hardly believe it. He is such a joy to watch as he grows and explores new things, and flashes that adorable smile. While I am very thankful to have a part-time job, I really wish I could spend all day every day with him. He is now sitting up somewhat by himself, babbling and talking, making high pitched squeals (he especially likes doing this in public), eating solid foods, rolling all over the place, entertaining himself, reaching for and successfully grabbing everything he can get his hands on (I do not recommend holding a flight boarding pass in your hand while also holding him), charming everyone he meets, and drooling like a mad man as he cut his first tooth. He has begun to develop his own little personality, and lets us know when he likes or doesn't like something. Vegetables are definitely not his favorite thing! Check out the video below for parental entertainment and baby torture :o)

Brian and I are very eagerly awaiting next Tuesday when we find out where he will be completing his cornea fellowship! Check back next week for the news!

Visit to Atlanta

2009-10-27T22:01:00.011-04:00

The past few weeks Brian has been very busy traveling all over the country interviewing for fellowships. He has been everywhere from Portland to Minneapolis to Baltimore, and he's only half-way through! I was very excited to be able to travel with him to Atlanta when he interviewed at Emory and visit with friends. He actually flew to Philadelphia and back for another interview while I stayed there. Here are some of the highlights from our trip.

Matthew and Caleb meeting for the first time. About 10 seconds later Caleb tried to climb in the car seat with Matthew!

Dinner with friends at O'Charleys

Caleb and I are best friends :o)

Since Jennifer, Katie and I are all huge football fans, we had to put the babies in their gear and take a picture of all of them! Of course we all know who looks the cutest (Go Gators!)

Dustin and Casey got to meet Matthew also. Dustin enjoyed hanging out with Matthew and making him laugh.

Matthew's Baptism

2009-10-13T13:29:00.007-04:00

One of the things that we love about Winston-Salem is our church home. We joined First Presbyterian Church last year in September after attending regularly for several months. Our dearest friends Jeremy and Casey are also members of the church, and we thought it would be really special to have our babies baptized together. So, on September 20th Matthew and Taryn were baptized! Of course Matthew decided to fall asleep about 5 minutes before he was supposed to be baptized, so he was woken up by water being dripped on his head! He looked confused for a minute, and then got a little mad. Thankfully he calmed back down and fell back asleep. We were very fortunate to be able to spend this day with friends and with our family as well. After the church service we came back to our house and a had a little party for the occasion.
Getting baptized
Trying to calm him back down after
The Fosters and the Bonkowskes

The whole family!

Ready to celebrate! Loving the faces in the background of this picture.

The beautiful babies! (And future husband and wife :o)

A Whirlwind Update in Pictures

2009-10-12T20:24:00.013-04:00

I am WAY behind on the blogging, so I'm just going to post some pictures with captions to catch up on everything that's been going on!
Matthew really enjoyed watching his first Gator game. So far he is undefeated as a Gator fan!

Matthew also participated in his first golf outing! His grandparents were very proud of him for making it all 18 holes! He did sleep from hole 7 to 16, but he was very good!

We love making our little man smile!

Four months old! Wearing my first pair of jeans too.

I just rolled over for the first time and am so proud of myself!

Back to Work and Other August Adventures

2009-09-20T19:44:00.009-04:00

Well, I started back to work part-time at the end of August. I'm working from 9:15 to 1:15 every day, and I spend two hours in a 3rd grade class and two hours in a 2nd grade class. I'm very happy that I made the decision to work part-time, because I don't think I could stand being away from Matthew all day every day. I was also fortunate enough to be able to share a sitter with our friends Casey and Jeremy, so every other week Matthew stays at our house while I'm gone. Having a sitter every day was definitely an adjustment and I finally had to realize that no one is going to take care of him the way I do, and that he is perfectly fine while I'm gone. Here are a few pictures taken toward the end of August.

We can't believe how big our little boy is getting already!

We were very excited to have Brad come visit us at the end of August! He got to meet Matthew for the first time, and then he, Brian and Jim went on a guys trip for the weekend.

While Brian was gone on his trip, Cherie came to visit! I was so excited to meet Tyler, and we can tell that he and Matthew are going to be great friends :o)

Matthew really enjoys his play mat, and has become quite good at squealing and laughing while playing!Even though you can't tell from this picture, Matthew has started to enjoy hanging out on his tummy!

The Zoo!

2009-08-01T22:09:00.007-04:00

We had a very busy day today! After having a yard sale in the morning, we went to the North Carolina Zoo with our friends Casey, Jeremy and their daughter Taryn, and Kevin and Lauren. It was ridiculously hot, but we still enjoyed seeing all the animals! Matthew did very well. He rode around in his stroller, and of course spent time up on one of our shoulders when he got fussy. He has been lots of fun lately, starting to talk and coo, and smiling and laughing a lot. On the way home we ate dinner at America's Roadhouse. We were slightly skeptical when we pulled in and saw a giant eagle on the front of the building, but there were lots of cars in the parking lot so we figured it had to be good. It was, and it was really cheap too!

Family Photos

2009-07-13T17:13:00.011-04:00

As a shower present, our awesome friend Rachel gave us a free photography sitting. We went to Graylyn early on Saturday morning, and she took lots of pictures for us. Here are just a few of our favorites. Thanks Rachel!

Videos

2009-07-13T12:11:00.003-04:00

One of the things Matthew has enjoyed lately is playing on his mat. He especially likes the light-up ball that you see in the video. While we have found that the sound the ball makes can be rather annoying after 20 minutes, at least it's not a song that gets stuck in your head!

He has also begun to smile and laugh recently! We're not sure he always knows what he's doing, but he seems to in this video.

Matthew is a Month Old!

2009-06-29T11:59:00.008-04:00

I'm not quite sure how it happened, but Matthew has already been here for a month! Everyone always says how fast the time goes, and now I know what they mean! At his one month doctor's appointment he weighed 11 lbs 6 oz and was 23 inches long! Matthew has had lots of new experiences this past month. He has been to several stores and restaurants, gone to church, attended his first concert, had his first real bath, stayed with a babysitter, visited his other baby friends, had lots of visitors, and strolled around downtown Winston-Salem. He has also begun holding up his head during tummy time, tracking things that make sounds, laughing and smiling randomly, and perfecting his "I have a gas bubble" scream. He is only waking up once at night now, and is going right back to sleep afterward which makes his mommy very happy :o) Here are some photos of his recent adventures.

Adventures in Parenting Begin

2009-06-13T16:59:00.006-04:00

Brian and I have been making the transition into parenthood the past few weeks. We have learned that babies can fart louder than adults, sometimes they cry for no good reason, and they make really funny faces when they're sleepy. While we are both tired, we are enjoying our new roles and our little man. When we went to the pediatrician on Friday he weighed 9 lbs 12 oz, which was 11 oz more than he was a week ago! Needless to say, he has the eating thing down. It was also great to have my mom here this past week. She was a tremendous help with things around the house, and had the magic touch to make Matthew stop crying! Here are some pictures from the past few weeks.

2009-05-28T20:01:00.002-04:00

He's Here

2009-05-28T18:37:00.007-04:00

Just when we thought he would never come (mostly Erika)... He's here. Erika had a doctor's appointment on Tuesday afternoon and the baby was 9 1/2 pounds. After the ultrasound, Dr. Lewis shook Erika's hand and seemed like he was about to leave the room. Erika said "can you strip my membranes or something? He said "I'll do you one better, go to the hospital." Erika got checked in and monitored up and I arrived after getting our bags from home and letting Cajun out.

They started oxytocin and she started having pretty strong contractions pretty soon. After about an hour of good ones coming every couple of minutes Erika quit being a hero and got an epidural. After that it was pretty amazing because she was texting and chatting on the phone during pretty strong contractions... the miracle of modern medicine.

It seemed like about an hour but really about 8 hours later Erika started pushing. The doctor showed up within 25 minutes and he didn't wait long. Erika asked the nurse if his birthday would be the 26th or 27th. She said it would be a miracle if he was born on the 26th. Within 20 minutes he was out, at 11:56pm... and way bigger than I expected! It was like the movies where the baby comes out as a toddler!

All the tests and exams for mother and baby checked out beautifully and we left the hospital this afternoon after a day and a half. Matthew slept most of the day yesterday. He's been really good so far. I'm especially impressed by the wonders of swaddling. It's like an off switch for crying.

We read a book about acclimating your dog to a new baby. I think it was a waste of time because Cajun has been about as good as you could expect from any dog. We brought Matthew home and and then let Cajun out. Cajun gave him a couple good licks on the head and then looked up at me to say "He's cool, let's play, I haven't seen you in two days." Erika thought it would be funny to get Cajun a shirt that says "Big Brother".

I guess due dates are just suggestions...

2009-05-25T10:45:00.002-04:00

So today is officially my due date, and so far no sign of the baby. I guess I should have seen this coming, since I was 10 days late when I was born. Alas, I couldn't help but let wishful thinking get the best of me. Thankfully I feel fine, and am not a miserable pregnant person. The only thing that really stinks is that every time I call someone they assume I'm in labor, and I am forced to think about the fact that the baby is not here yet, and probably won't be for at least a few more days. I think I'm going to stop calling people until he arrives or I go into labor! The baby is being very considerate though. He has allowed me to get everything on my to-do list done and to enjoy some time resting and catching up on my sleep, which I'm sure I won't have much of in the weeks to come. I don't have much else to report, but hopefully I'll be adding a new post with pictures of the baby in a few days!

4 weeks left!

2009-04-27T21:40:00.007-04:00

The past few weeks have really flown by, and now we find ourselves 4 weeks away from our due date! Hopefully we will be able to find time between all of the preparations to enjoy the last few weeks as a two-some before number three arrives! We will be getting another ultrasound sometime next week to see how big the baby is so far. My fears will either be confirmed or dissipated, depending on what we find out! Here are some recent pictures both of me and of the nursery.

Baby Shower

2009-04-02T19:28:00.007-04:00

Things have been busy around here, and I haven't updated in a while. We have now finished the nursery (for the most part) and as soon as I finish putting away the boxes that are on the floor, I will take some pictures and post them! Last weekend Brian and I went down to Bradenton, where my mom threw us our first baby shower! We were able to visit with lots of friends and family, and celebrate the new life that will be joining us in about 8 short weeks! We were also very thankful for the many things we received in preparation for the new arrival. Here are some of the pictures. There were a lot more of family, but for some reason they didn't copy to my flash drive and I don't have them. I'll have to get them from mom later :o)

Under Construction

2009-03-02T08:00:00.007-05:00

This weekend we painted the nursery! I wanted to stripe it, but was worried that it would come out looking like a circus tent. Thankfully it didn't and it came out great! Here are the different stages of painting.

Trip to Washington, DC

2009-02-22T19:57:00.008-05:00

For Valentine's Day I took Brian to Washington, DC. I wanted to go while we still lived within driving distance and before the baby comes, so the timing was perfect! Even though it was freezing cold and I thought my legs were going to fall off from walking everywhere, we had a great time and were able to see everything we wanted! I hadn't been to DC since 8th grade, so it was nice to go back as an adult. Here are some pictures of the trip.

Free Ultrasounds are Awesome!

2009-02-11T19:47:00.003-05:00

Today I began my modeling career, and was an obstetrical model for students learning how to do sonograms. That meant that we got to see our baby again for free! It was at Baptist, so Brian was able to come downstairs and take some video of everything. I had one ultrasound tech overseeing everything, and then three students all practiced on me. We got to look at our baby for 45 minutes! Here are our three favorite videos from the experience. In the first one you can see the heart beating and the diaphragm jumping because he had the hiccups! The second one is a profile view and he's sucking on his hand, with his foot up by his head. The third one you can see his face and his mouth moving while he again sucks on his fingers. Apparently we will need to invest in several pacifiers!

Kicks and Punches

2009-02-08T21:10:00.003-05:00

Our little boy has been doing a lot of moving and kicking lately. It seems that every time I sit down he starts moving. It has been lots of fun watching my stomach bounce, and I find myself just staring at it hoping to catch a glimpse. I think this has been my favorite part of pregnancy so far. I can already tell that feeling him move is something I will really miss once he is born. It is just so amazing to think of the person that God is knitting together inside me, and to imagine how he looks and grows each day. I like trying to figure out where he is and what direction he's facing when I feel his movements.

Time keeps on ticking...

2009-01-31T10:08:00.004-05:00

I am so glad that tomorrow is the first day of February, because January has seemed like the longest month of my life! My friend Cherie told me that weeks 20-30 of pregnancy seem to crawl by, and boy was she right! I can't believe that it wasn't even a month ago when we found out we were having a boy. I am getting very impatient to meet the little guy, and there's still a long road ahead of me. I've been trying to focus on enjoying the time Brian and I have left as just the two of us. That helps a little :o) I also recently discovered that my ankles and knees enjoying swelling each day, so I have been spending a lot of time with my feet up when I'm at home. Fun times! These pictures were taken yesterday, when I was 23 1/2 weeks pregnant.

We're having a boy!

2009-01-08T19:08:00.002-05:00

We went for our 20 week ultrasound on Monday, and found out that we are expecting a little boy! We are both very excited and can't wait to meet him! And Brian is really enjoying rubbing in the fact that he was right, since I thought it was going to be a girl :o) It was amazing to see him moving around on the ultrasound. We were able to see him moving his arm, giving a thumbs up, and making chewing and sucking motions with his mouth. On the ultrasound pictures, the top left is his profile, the top right is his arm with the thumb sticking up, the bottom left is proof that he is a boy, and the bottom right has his face and rib cage. Enjoy!

The holidays have come and gone...

2009-01-03T17:42:00.009-05:00

Well, I think I may have finally hit the stage where I look pregnant, not just fat. At least I hope so :o) Don't let the horizontal stripes on the sweater fool you, I really am 19 weeks pregnant!

As for other happenings in our lives, we have been doing a lot of traveling for the holidays. We went to Biloxi for Thanksgiving, and then spent Christmas in Bradenton. It was great to have a break from the cold temperatures of North Carolina and be able to wear shorts outside! We were able to share Christmas with my parents, brother, and three grandparents, and then saw several friends at Mike and Alina's wedding in Tampa. Unfortunately our visit was too short, as it always seems to be, and we wish that we could have seen other friends and family as well. We were back in Winston-Salem for the new year, but decided to go see Band of Horses in Atlanta for New Year's Eve! We went with our friends Jeremy and Casey and had a great time. Like our trip to Florida, it was very short and we wish we could have spent longer in our old stomping ground.

On the way to Atlanta for the concert we had another exciting experience. Brian got to feel the baby move for the first time! I had been feeling what I thought were movements for the past few weeks, but wasn't sure if it was actually the baby. While we were in the car I felt them again, so Brian put his hand on my stomach. A minute later the baby kicked harder than I've ever felt it, and Brian was able to feel it too! It was quite amazing, and now I enjoy feeling the baby move each day.

Here are some pictures from our holiday travels. Sorry about the 2 sideways ones, for some reason they wouldn't rotate even though they are saved vertically!

North Carolina Mountains

2008-12-24T21:17:00.006-05:00

Back in the middle of November, Brian and I drove to Lake Toxaway to spend a weekend in the mountains with our parents. I know these are late coming, but since I haven't had a camera (the 3rd one to go missing or break in a year) I had to wait and get these from my mom. Here are some of my favorites!

2008-12-04T20:02:00.001-05:00

After feeling like my abs were ripping apart, my stomach is starting to show. This is at 15 weeks.

One Down, Two to Go!

2008-11-21T17:39:00.003-05:00

I completed my first trimester in the middle of November, and went back to the doctor for my 12 week appointment. Brian came too, and we got to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time. It was amazing! Here is a picture of me at 12 weeks. I'm not really showing yet, but if I stick out my stomach and hold my shirt a certain way, you might be able to see a little belly ;o) Don't mind the fact that this was taken early in the morning and I'm not quite awake yet.

Our First Ultrasound

2008-11-21T17:28:00.002-05:00

I went to the doctor on October 15th to verify that we were indeed pregnant, and received my first ultrasound. I didn't realize how nervous I was until that morning when I woke up and couldn't eat anything. Thankfully everything was great, and the doctor told us we had a healthy, happy baby growing. We got the see the heartbeat fluttering on the ultrasound. Here is the first view we have of Baby Foster. It's a bit like a blob, but apparently the head is on the right side and you can make out some legs and arm buds. Oh, and the other circle is NOT another baby. It's just the yolk sac.

We're Pregnant!

2008-11-21T17:19:00.003-05:00

On September 11th I decided to take a pregnancy test because I hadn't been feeling well the past few days. Brian was heading to New York that evening for a bachelor party, and even though it was 5 days early I decided to go ahead and take the test because I knew I couldn't wait all weekend. At first I thought the test was negative, but after a second glance I noticed another line appearing. It was faint, but it was definitely there. I waited on the front porch for Brian to get home, and as he pulled into the driveway I ran to tell him the good news. Then we decided it was necessary to verify with another test, so I took one of the digital ones that actually spells it out for you. Sure enough, the word pregnant appeared! We felt that was pretty conclusive. Here are pictures of the first and second test. You can tell that we are really excited, since I am holding the pregnancy test upside down :o) We actually sent the picture of the two of us to our parents in a frame to tell them that we were pregnant!

Someone forgot to tell Europeans that smoking is bad for you

2008-07-26T11:53:00.002-04:00

Last night after we returned from Pompeii we went on a night walk through Rome (as I'm sure you noticed with the pictures below). The city was much cooler and a little bit calmer at night, and we got more of a taste of Rome. This morning we went to the Vatican, and had a bit of an interesting experience there. I had reserved a guided tour before leaving for our trip so that we could avoid the ridiculously long lines, but I hadn't paid for it yet which I thought was kind of strange at the time. Anyway, we got there and found our tour guide, and after we'd been standing there for 40 minutes waiting for the rest of the group to arrive he handed out our headsets and immediately the Italian police came over and started talking to the guide. Then they questioned a guy in our group, and the guide came over and told us that he couldn't take us on a tour. Thankfully we hadn't paid him any money, but we were worried that now we'd have to wait in line for hours. We walked up to the Vatican museum, and miraculously there was no line at all! We walked right in, and ended up saving ourselves quite a lot of money! The Vatican was amazing with all sorts of art and intricate detail. And of course, the Sistine Chapel. We also went into St. Peter's Basilica and saw the tombs of the popes. After returning to Rome we visited another museum, took a nap, and then headed back into ancient Rome. We saw Mamertine prison where Sts. Peter and Paul were held, an amazing monument to Italy's first king, and St. Peter in Chains church. Talk to tomorrow on our last day here!

2008-07-26T11:50:00.000-04:00

Sitting on the Spanish Steps at the end of our night walk through Rome. Then we tried to take the subway back and it was closed, so our walk continued a little farther.

2008-07-26T11:40:00.000-04:00

About to throw a coin over my shoulder into the Trevi Fountain

2008-07-26T11:37:00.000-04:00

A mosaic shrine and frescoe in one of the Pompeii houses

2008-07-26T11:34:00.000-04:00

In the middle of the main square of Pompeii

2008-07-25T15:22:00.002-04:00

We spent today exploring the ruins of Pompeii. I had no idea how large the city was! I was worried that we'd have trouble filling the 4 hours we had to spend there, but it turned out that we actually had to skip a few important parts and probably only saw between one third and one half of the ruins. We also saw basketball great David Robinson! He was super tall. We just ate dinner near the Pantheon, and are about to take a night walk to the Spanish Steps. We haven't really spent a lot of time in Rome yet, so hopefully we'll start to get a feel for more areas of the city that we haven't seen. Tomorrow we're going to the Vatican and more sight seeing around Rome. We'll update more tomorrow!

2008-07-24T15:37:00.001-04:00

I don't know why I thought it was a good idea to make a face, but this picture makes me laugh. Plus, the Colosseum looks really cool in the background. Oh, and this was taken from inside a park that we almost got locked into. That would have been fun!

2008-07-24T15:36:00.000-04:00

Brian with the Roman Forum in the background

2008-07-24T15:34:00.000-04:00

Inside the Colosseum

2008-07-24T15:30:00.000-04:00

The view of Florence from the top of the Duomo

I love my Crocs

2008-07-24T15:25:00.002-04:00

We made it to Rome! Our feet are killing us, but other than that we made it unharmed. No, we didn't walk here, we climbed the dome of the Duomo this morning before leaving Florence (all 463 steps!) and then walked around and saw the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, and the Roman Forum. Tomorrow we head to Pompeii for the day, and I am very excited about that. It was fascinating to see all the ruins of Ancient Rome, and try to imagine how they used to look. Pretty much everything used to be covered in marble, and now none of it is. I'll try to post as many pictures as I can, but it takes a while and I only have 15 minutes (I sweet talked the concierge into giving me 15 minutes for free). Miss you all!

2008-07-23T15:02:00.001-04:00

A view of Florence from the top of the Boboli Gardens. They are part of the Pitti Palace.

2008-07-23T14:59:00.000-04:00

Watching the sunset on Ponte Vecchio. Imagine music in the background...

Gelato is Delicious

2008-07-23T14:40:00.002-04:00

Florence has more of the masterpieces than any other city, and I think we saw every single one! We are very tired but also very content after a delicious homemade italian meal. After updating the blog we'll be finding some dessert and then probably going to listen to one of the street musicians in the Vecchio square. (This is Erika now.) As much fun as Florence has been during the day, I think the night is my favorite. Last night we watched the sunset over the mountains from the Ponte Vecchio bridge while listening to a guitarist, and then walked over to another square for some more street music. It is definitely a different atmosphere here than in London. We are taking more time to relax, moving at a slower pace, and sampling lots of gelato along the way :o) Tomorrow we head to Rome, and I am sad that it will be our last city. We will be in touch when we arrive, and look forward to talking with you soon!

2008-07-22T13:12:00.001-04:00

The view of the Duomo from our hotel room window!