So this is what I would tell you if you were here.

so...can i show you what I'm most excited having for the baby? i mean, I know its silly but its just taken me a while to get excited for girl stuff but today...I am really excited. So this is the dress I bought today that she'll be blessed in. I knew I wanted smocking but can't afford the price tag for most of it but I found this today on sale and knew it was what I wanted. This is the dress my mom bought for her (me) the day after I found out it was a girl. It was the only thing I could picture in my head for a long time. I got this to come home from the hospital in. I wanted something soft and comfy that I really liked. The yellow dress was either grandma dee's or older but something I got from her years ago.

These are some of the other things i've picked up that I liked and were on good discounts or were given to me. The tights were like $1. I probably went a little overboard but I've just been to some good sales since christmas.

These are all the hand-me-downs we've gotten. I haven't had a chance to look through all of it but I am so thankful for all of it. It makes me so happy to go and flip through these things.

well, if you were here I wouldn't have to say this because you would see it but I went from this...

to this.
I would also say that my sister found out that she's having her 2nd baby girl 3 months after ours and that Brittany just texted to tell me her mission call came in and I burst into tears. now my head hurts. We'll find out where she's going tonight!

this is one of those posts where i want lots of comments

another advice post. i just trust and depend on y'all's opinions and experience so much and i've been obsessing over this question.

Is a fancy double stroller worth it?

Here is my situation. I sold my travel system once Sam grew out of it. I never loved the car seat. it was hard to operate. I figured I made it last for 2 kids, they're not supposed to be used for more than like 5 or 6 years, so i might as well get my new car seat for my 3rd kid.

Now I can't decide if I should buy a car seat + a nice double stroller or just a regular travel system for one infant. We have a double umbrella stroller. I like it because it folds very small and we don't use it a ton. I'm a gym member and so most of my exercise is done there but there are times when I'll take 2 kids out. The umbrella stroller however shouldn't be used with kids under 6 months (so they say). In that time I'll be going on 1 or 2 beach trips (thank you parents!) and my gym will only take babies over 3 months, so I think a good stroller will be important.

A single travel system runs around $250. The phil and ted's stroller double stroller runs about $350 + $30 for car seat adapter + $100 for just the infant car seat. That's a huge difference.

The reasons i've been looking at the phil and teds is 1) it folds up very small comparative with other doubles--brent says that doesn't matter if we have a van but to me space is a big deal. who is right? 2) its easier to push than the cheaper tandem strollers. i hear they are not only bigger but much harder to push. I'm not stuck on the phil and ted's though if there is a better option price/functionality.

Sam and this unnamed baby girl will be closer in age than sam and jackson. maybe i'll use it more? What kinds of stroller systems do y'all have?

Did I write more than you were willing to read?

i just have a lot of new things to think about

Hey check out the poll and vote

Jackson has been telling people for months (maybe a year) that he loves his sister even though she's not born yet. When we'd tell him we might have a boy next his response was "that's so silly. i already have a brother."

We're thrilled. Can't wait to meet you on-or-before-but-hopefully-not-after March 16th 2012 Eva/Oliver/Elisabeth/Lucas/Rachel/Grant/Ollie/Scott/Pearl/

Monroe/Hazel/David/Dorothy/Douglas/Sylvia/Isaac/Sarah/

Charles/Ila/Thomas/Mary/Matthew

I can't help it....I just have more girl names right now. Sophia/Melanie/Ellen/Paige/Molly

10 days

So many many thoughts.

Who are you little baby? You're hurting my back but I don't care. Well, I care but that's not the reason I want you to come right this minute.

We're all trying to get ready for you. Jackson is getting better at pulling up his own underwear and pants. And supposedly he feels bad everytime he plays too rough around my belly but let's be honest, it's freakin' HUGE!

I've set up the crib and laid out stuff to take to the hospital for you. It's the booties aunt robyn made and the blanket grandma jan made for jackson's blessing. I think they're both perfect. They're both white and crocheted or knitted (I don't know the difference.) I love picturing you in white.

Daddy's really excited but he doesn't talk about it a ton. I think he's trying not to decide in his mind what the gender will be. You know he's all about surprises.

I can't stop trying to picture what things will be like in the hospital, at home, with Jackson. Thoughts? Stories?

here i am!

That's what my camera said when I found it yesterday. It had been hiding for the whole month of september. I decided to celebrate winning hide and seek by posting. just cause.

So yesterday I grounded myself from the computer so I'd get some things done. (like finding my camera) it had been sucking out my soul. I had a lot of cleaning to do so I wasn't finished when Jackson woke up from his nap. I kept telling him to follow me and he could help me with my chores. He just wanted to go play in his room. Then he comes in and says "Mommy come on! I made a BIG BIG MESS!" these are words I fear.

This is what I found. He'd knocked over his stack of library books, added a blanket, pencil, and puzzle piece to the "disaster." Yeah, sometimes its nice to have a child that wasn't more creative with his I'll-get-moms-attention-by-making-a-mess scheme.
I don't have a scanner so I just took a picture of my ultrasound. We did this a few weeks ago. We've decided to wait to find out the babies gender. We found out with Jackson but thought this would be fun. I know its just an ultrasound. A black and white picture of a baby that could be anybody's. I get all emotional though looking at it. I'm so so excited. I think more so with this one than Jackson because I have a clue about what mommy love is. With Jackson I didn't know how to interpret my feelings and nerves and stuff. With number #2 though I can attach this strong feeling of love that I've experienced before to this new person I haven't met and I just stinkin' can't wait. I'm crying now. typical. I love you baby!

preparing for the real thing...

Three days a week I've started watching one of Jackson's friends from nursery Iris. She's about 6 months younger than Jackson which I didn't think Jackson would even notice a difference. He does though and it has given me glimpses of the type of big brother he will be. It's funny to see my characteristics/behavior in how he treats her. Now imagine this in a high imitating mommy type of voice, here are some of my favorites..."Honey, you want some juice." "Are you drinking juice? say yeah. say yeah." "Who am I? I'm Jackson. say Jackson." (when she picked up the remote control) "that's not for you Iris." "that's not safe Iris." He'll pick out books to show her and teach her how to... well jump on the bed or play red light/green light (a new favorite since our fhe on obedience.)

I know its not exactly the same but it's an idea of maybe how things will go and it makes me more excited. I'm grateful to see the patience and kindness he has shown her. I think, really I do, he'll be a great older brother.

It wasn't a dream!

You may or may not remember my nightmare soul crushing post where I cleaned but then realized it was all a dream. Well today it was all real! I washed 3 loads of clothes and put them all away, cleaned out the car (which was no small task on its own), washed the dishes and put them away. I know its not much for normal people but for me these days it was huge.

So when Jackson asked, as he does every day, "mommy, good day?"

I could easily say, "yeah buddy! good enough to cut up half a watermelon for just the two of us."

Well, except for feeling totally skammed by a Farragut fundraiser. Six bucks for 9 pieces of candy! really?!?!

I'm pregnant!!

So a few of you know just how exciting that phrase is it to say. We are absolutely thrilled. I'm horrible at keeping it a secret. I know lots of people don't tell until after the first trimester. I haven't even been to my first appointment yet so I don't even have a real due date. Our guess is late January or early February. I've thought for a while now about the different ways of announcing it on the blog. The truth is though, I've gotten sicker sooner and frankly I feel my creative energies, as well as all other energy has been zapped out the window. So I'll share the differences between the first and second pregnancies.

Typical early pregnancy snack right?

This time around with a little twist.
And what happens when we share a snack with a 2 year old? That's right, a cracker in our drink.

Thankfully there's no picture for the second story. No more throwing up alone. Jackson was right there with me, holding his own hair, trying to do the same. yuck. I know.