Sugar Sweet

When I was in the hospital after having Maggie, I checked my email on my laptop. Waiting for me was an email titled "My offer still stands." Couldn't remember the name Jennifer Weintraub or what her offer was, but I clicked to open the email. That email helped change my life. In it was the request to become my newborn baby's photographer. She left a link to her website which I promptly checked with my mom. And I was hooked. Her AMAZING talent blew me away. I knew this woman had to photograph my baby girl.

What I didn't know was that photography session would set in motion one of the best friendships (which turned into an entire GROUP of women lovingly called "The Posse") of my life.

I can never repay Jen for the gift of her talent in my life. From the pictures of my new, fragile family with a ten day old grieving a missing 22 month old to the fun, funny session of a laughing four year old touching my pregnant belly, Jen has been there with our family. Jen IS a part of our family. So much so that she will be joining us on this next part of our journey--photographing Katie's arrival into our lives.

Now, I have the chance to help Jen a little bit. Recently, she qualified to enter a photography contest with 43 other photographers for a photo contest. Each photographer was given the same dress to put their own talent and spin on a picture.

Jen is a finalist!!! Voting continues until Sunday and I really want her to make it to the next stage of the contest. So, I ask my many blog friends to help me in some way giving back to my incredible friend. I ask you to go online HERE and vote for Jen. PLEASE!! When you see the picture, you'll be blown away. Read a little about the story behind how she got the PERFECT shot. Given that I've seen her lying on the ground sideways to get the perfect shot of my child, I'm not surprised she braved getting on a merry-g0-round for her work!

RULES: Voting is done by adding your favorite photographers to your shopping bag and then checking out. You can add as many photographers as you want to your bag, but don’t waste your time adding a photographer a million times to your bag because multiple votes for the same photographer in one bag are ignored. Also, you can check out only once from your IP address. Checking out more than once from your IP address will not be counted in our system. Voting will end Sunday, December 6 at midnight. Voting takes place on the Matilda Jane Clothing website.

Oh, when you hit Submit, a confirmation page appears asking you to double check everything. You must hit Submit one more time on this page for your votes to register.

Thankful

Blog friends--I am here! I do still exist, even though I haven't typed a thing in three weeks. Life has busily been moving in our family. I'm now 32 weeks (EEEK!!) pregnant and finally getting things prepared for our newest little girl. Everything with the baby is progressing well.

Since it is still just a few days past Thanksgiving, I am going to share my gratitude. Just like I did last year. I have much to be thankful for in my life. Here's my list:

• The four loves of my life--my three girls and the man I am proud to live my life with each day and raise my children with. Allie, Maggie, and soon to be Katie are the greatest blessings. I know that Katie will complete our family. I believe she is the person we have been missing. We can't wait for her arrival. Allie was and continues to be life changing for me. Maggie is indescribable. She makes me laugh, smile, and melt every day. She warms my heart. The BEST snuggler who loves to curl up with me and love on me and my belly. I couldn't ask for a better daughter. And of course, there's Andrew. He's the rock in my life. My constant. I have loved the last ten years of marriage and consider myself continually lucky to be his wife. He makes me laugh every day. He supports me through decisions, loves me with a sweet gentleness, and makes me a better person. Andrew is a great dad and our girls are lucky to have him.
• My sweet mother--I don't give her enough praise here. My mom rocks. She is the best grandmother for my children. She loves my daughters unconditionally and never hesitates to spend time with them. She is there for us and willing to help us with babysitting with no questions asked. We realize how lucky we are to have her. Friends tell us all the time. My mom is one of the most kind, caring, and loving women you will ever meet.
• Our entire family--from my brother and his sister to the beautiful and fun cousins, we have a wonderful family on both sides. Andrew's mom and I have a wonderful relationship, and one that I am thankful for each day (especially hearing other MIL horror stories!). I have the utmost respect for his sister and brother in law and adore their children. I'm lucky to have my grandmother living with my mom. One of my favorite things is to do things with all four of us--it's awesome to have four generations of women enjoy something. Our next outing is to take Maggie to see 101 Dalmatians at Music Hall in December.
• My awesome, hilarious, supportive, crazy, loving friends. Finding "The Posse" has been great. We've had quite a year for us, both good and well, exhausting to say the least. We lost one who decided not to remain a part of the group, but gained one new one who fits with us and we love completely. Jen, Amy, Tracey, Debbie, and Deanna bring so much happiness to my life. When I found out I was pregnant, I called Andrew, hung up the phone, and emailed them. Major life events for me include sharing them with the Posse. When I needed help with sorting through the (ohmygodsomuch) buckets of baby stuff, Debbie and Deanna came to my rescue today. I have to have unlimited texting with these girls--texts are a MAJOR form of communication. When we're together? There is so much laughter that my belly hurts afterwards. I couldn't imagine my life without this family we have built. I can tell you one thing--these girls know what it means to be there through the good and bad. And I'm just lucky to be one of them.
• Heroes for Children reaching FIVE years!! Just this past month, we celebrated a HUGE milestone--Heroes for Children is now FIVE. We even threw a birthday party to celebrate. I'm honored that our small little organization has become something huge. We've provided 2.5 MILLION dollars worth of program services to cancer families in Texas. We now have eight employees--four full time, four part time. These women give their heart and dedicate so much to the organization. Our volunteers are awesome. We have some of the best men and women who give of their time and talents to bettering our organization and helping families. Some of my best friendships outside of the Posse have come through Heroes for Children. My life wouldn't be the same without Larissa, Allan, Christie, Cameron, and all the others.
• My sweet, crazy dog. My family isn't complete without Brandy. In the last eight and a half years, she has been a constant companion. She's my first baby and my sweet love. When I hear others complain about their dog being a burden, I have nothing to contribute. She may make us crazy with her sock stealing and her continuous begging (seriously, she was NOT a begger dog until Maggie started eating solids!), she is nothing but a joy to have around. She's grey around the face, a reminder to me of her aging, but still such a beautiful and loving dog.
• This blog--for the past five and a half years, I have turned to this blog (well, this one and www.scotthousehold.com of course). It's been such a great tool for me. It's been my therapy at times. It's brought tears, shared some of the worst news of my life, and delighted in some of our greatest joys.

Looking at this list, I'm a bit weepy. Good tears thinking of the many people in my life. Because really, it's about the people, not the things. I have so many people to be grateful for and I hope I never forget that. I hope I remember these blessings not just on Thanksgiving but each and every day.

To those special people in my life--know I love you and you make me a better person.

28 weeks

In less than 12 weeks, we will have a sweet one in our home. To be honest, that *kind of* freaks me out! I'm excited to meet her, thrilled to have a new member of our family, and ready to not be pregnant anymore (I don't do pregnant well). However, I'm not sure I'm fully prepared (are we ever??) for how this change will be for our family. Of course, the change is going to be great, but it's still a change, and a big one at that.

I need to start realizing that she's coming soon. I did my first wash of Maggie's baby clothes. Maggie and I enjoyed going through them together, with her sweetly saying, "Oh, look how little" or "Oh, Katie will look SO cute in this!!" I teared up more than a few times watching my big four year old go through her baby clothes. She was so excited that Katie will wear some of her things. I need to get other things ready, such as registering her for the school Maggie goes to and finishing Maggie's big sister room. There is just so much to get done!

I'm 28 weeks and 2 days along now. Feeling pretty good for the most part. I'm constantly exhausted and my schedule is not slowing down. Sadly, there are no opportunities for naps. My days at work are busy, our weeknights are busy, and our weekends are insanely full with family activities. We seem to have something every hour most weekends. My MIL is having Maggie overnight Friday, so I think Andrew and I will get a date. Of course, I wouldn't be surprised if the date ends up as a night on my couch!

I found out on Friday that I failed the 1 hour glucose test. This is the first time I've failed it. My other two pregnancies I breezed right through it. So, tomorrow morning, I go in for the 3 hour test. I'm not really worried about whether or not I will pass or fail. If I fail, I'll do what I need to do to control it. What worries me is the process. I have to fast tonight and then need to drink water but nothing else until the nasty drink (which makes me dizzy). Due to my morning sickness (which yes, I still get it if I don't take my Unisom/B6 pills at night before bed), I HAVE to eat in the mornings. I'm afraid of getting sick tomorrow after not eating and then drinking that nasty sugar concoction. Hopefully, it will all go well, but I still worry about it.

My belly has just really popped over the last two weeks! I got my first, "oh wow, you must be having a baby any day now" comment. Um, no, thank you I have 12 more weeks! I've gained more than I would have liked by this point. More than I have with my other girls.

Maggie is still as excited as ever. I think Andrew was more than a little appalled when he found out that I honestly answered the "How will the baby come out of your body?" question this weekend. When she asked me, I asked her "Well, how do you think it will happen?" She told me that maybe my belly would explode. What a freaky image!! I'm all about telling her the truth. Of course, she promptly ran to Andrew and said, "Mama will push the baby out of a hole in her PRIBATES!!" The look of horror on Andrew's face was classic. Maggie constantly asks questions about Katie. I love when she wonders what Katie will be like--"Will she have blue eyes like me?" "Do you think she will like being a princess?" "Will she be a chubalub like Allie or a tiny peanut like me?" My belly is kissed 15 plus times a day. Every time she comes in for a kiss, I fall in love with Maggie just a little bit more. It is seriously the sweetest thing. I know that it will be so awesome to watch her with the baby.

I wonder what little Miss Katie will be like. Guess will find out soon!

Fabulous Four

On Monday, my little peanut turns four years old. Maggie is just a whirl of fun. She continues to be an absolute treasure and love in my life. She's fun and precocious with a real flair about her. I can't believe my baby is turning four.


Let me tell you a little about my funny girl lately--

• Girlfriend is a self proclaimed "wockstah." Any chance to shake her booty, she seizes the opportunity. She moves her hips and busts a move as soon as she hears music. At night, she likes us to turn on the music using our DVD player (Pandora hooked to our DVD--it's awesome!). We usually play something old school (one night she was booging to Rump Shaker!). I love watching her dance so much. Makes me smile instantly



• In an effort to get her out of the habit of crawling in bed with me in the middle of the night every night, I instituted a little reward system. She now earns marks for sleeping in her own bedroom all throughout the night. We made a little chart on a dry erase board and she gets to make the marks herself. The first time, she had to earn seven marks to earn a trip to Target. She did it easily. Now she is working on earning ten marks. It's working so well for her. My girl loves her a trip to Target!



• The WHY questions are in full force. Car drives anywhere are peppered with why questions. Some are simple enough--"Why do you like to talk to Aunt Bobby?" "Why do you and Daddy work?" Some questions are a bit more challenging "Why do I have a Mama?" "Why do people not come back from Heaven?" or my recent favorite question "Why is there magic?" Her curiosity is so great. It's exhausting at times, but I love it.


• We never know how we will find Miss Maggie at night when she's gone to bed. She has a timer that allows her quiet play time in her room after our bedtime routine is complete. Once the timer goes off, she is supposed to be in her bed. Of course, this doesn't always happen. She's been sleeping on her floor with pillow and blankets lately. The other day, I found her sleeping on the floor with cowgirl boots and holding the pumpkin she got at the pumpkin patch. Silly girl.


• She is very interested in the baby coming. She talks about Baby Katie constantly. She loves to kiss my belly. If she bumps into me, she will immediately say, "Sorry Katie!" She's discovered that people find it funny so that she now continues to bump me in the boobs and declare "Sorry MILK!" Yeah, it's pretty cute.

Oh how I could go on and on about my girl. She is such a joy and delight in my life. She makes us so incredibly happy. The past four years with Maggie have been incredible. We look forward to this next chapter with her and bringing her sister in the world.

Happy birthday to our beautiful Munchie Moo!

I blame Twitter

Blogging takes time. Twitter takes me a quick minute. I typed 140 characters either on my computer or on the iPhone and I head about whatever it was I was doing. It's a quick distraction. My blogging skills have been more than a little lacking. So sorry!

It's crazy busy. Maggie and I have both had viral infections this week and next week is really crazy at work and then her bday party.

So, for now, I'll blame Twitter for my absence but leave you with a link that you'll be sure to love--our annual Sugar Photography photo session!! http://www.sugar-photography.com/blog/index.php/2009/10/15/maggie-katie/