A Gift from B to You

Sweet Baby,
Brother Benjamin is VERY excited to bring you a little gift, just from him, when he gets to meet you in only 38 more days. Today Mr. Benjamin chose two very special things all by himself that he can't wait to give you. And he's been practicing how to say "Welcome to the world Brother or Sister".....

He's ready to be a wonderful, loving, and very cool :) big brother! :) In his own words following our shopping trip... "when Baby coming out Mama?"
We'll see you soon!

A Proud Papa's Day

As if you knew exactly what to do....you joined in dancing and kicking like crazy as big brother Benjamin, Stanford and Mama brought Papa breakfast in bed for Papa's Day (Father's Day). This was yet another special year as we anticipate your arrival and the growth of our little family. Your Papa just beamed all day long!

 Papa is so very proud of you and can't wait to hold you in just 39 more days. He LOVES, LOVES, LOVES being your Papa!!

Checking it off the list....

Your Papa is so excited for your arrival that he has already started checking things off the to-do list even before we reach your birth month.
Mama and Papa laugh when we think back to all the hours we spent learning how to install a car seat (literally in a state mandated class) before your brother arrived. Your Papa is now most certainly an "expert" in all things baby gear and had your seat perfected in a matter of minutes.

Look at that big ol' smile! And brother Benjamin is ready to share all of his backseat reading library with you as soon as you are ready :)
It sure is crazy seeing TWO seats back there now!

Touched by Angels

We had quite a thunderstorm on Thursday night and with your brother Benjamin in his big boy bed Mama now has the ability to lie down with him when he gets scared in the middle of the night.
He felt better touching Mama as he fell back to sleep - something I cherish beyond words.
So I lay there in the dark with your brother, with his small hand stroking my cheek and eventually landing half way on my cheek and eye with a small finger nestled just slightly in my nose.... (some of the little things I love about being a Mama) and just as he began to doze off you began to dance.
You always love being around your brother - you two make quite the pair already :)
I couldn't figure out if you were trying to reach out to comfort him or if you simply were enjoying a midnight dance.
Either way I lay there in that bed with the realization that I was being touched by angels - both inside and out. One warm hand mushing my face and one small hand or foot batting my bladder, stomach, etc. I don't think there is any where else I want to be but in this moment...with my miracles.

Mama Spider and Me

In a Charlotte's Web-esque moment I have quietly enjoyed the company of a Mama spider who decided to create three egg nests right in the window next to my bed. I've watched her work so hard and just yesterday the first of the nests opened. She is now the very proud Mama of what looks like hundreds of tiny little spiders...with two more nests yet to open.

I tell her some mornings that I clearly have nothing to complain or worry about with the addition of one more :) when she has her hands...aka legs quite full! :)
We Mamas have to stick together (no pun intended)..I may be asking her for advice in 38 days :)

Brotherly Love

My sweet Benjamin, and your big brother, simply adores you little one. He is always asking to give you kisses,

patting Mama's belly and loves to cuddle with you (now that there is no other way to get around the baby belly :)).

Today he walked out of the laundry room holding one of the mop buckets up to his belly and said, "look Mama, I have baby belly too" :)
You have a VERY excited big brother (and Mama and Papa too) waiting to meet you. In the meantime brother loves when you give him a little kick while you are cuddling together...and your Mama loves her little chicks loving each other SO much!

A special birth month and year!

This year, your birth month - July - has 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays and 5 Sundays. This happens only once every 823 years!!  

This is called money bags....for reasons described below.
Your 2011 birth year is also special because we're going to experience four unusual dates:

1/1/11, 1/11/11, 11/1/11, 11/11/11 and that's not all...
If everyone takes the last two digits of the year in which they were born and then adds them together with the age you will be this year everyone's results will be 111 - everyone in whole world! 

Because of this, your birth year is the year of the Money. 

And YOU are my prize this year little sweet one! :)

Feelin' the heat...

With the heat index it is has been over 100 degrees the last few days and....it's BLAZING hot for Mama Preggo! I typically feel around 100 degrees internally on the coolest days (lots of baby magic working in there and heating stuff up!) but with these temps I feel approximately 300 degrees and counting.

I find myself singing to sweet baby...
"Feelin' hot, hot hot"
 "It's a cruel, cruel, cruel summer"
"Hot tamale, hot tamale"
"In the heat of the night"......this could not be more appropriate after last night's temp around 11pm was still 83 degrees!

Our temps are nearly 15 degrees above normal for this time in June and I had prayed that we would have a more "normal" June saving the heat until those last couple of weeks in July. But....looks like the weather man had a different idea in mind.
So until you arrive, Mama, you, and Benjamin will be floating comfortably (for more hours than we can count) in the club's pool...attempting to be blissfully unaware of the heat.

8 MONTHS!!

32 WEEKS!!! 8 MONTHS!! You will be here in 52 more days! Your time in Mama's belly has gone so incredibly fast! And despite all the running to keep up with brother Mama has cherished all of our moments together. I am SO excited for you to arrive!
Our updates tell us that you will be gaining weight like crazy these next 7 weeks - keep that baby sugar growing and growing because Mama and Papa are going to eat you up when you arrive.
We love you Sweet Baby!

A very special night...Memories and Future Moments

June 6, 2011
My first baby Benjamin is sleeping soundly for the first night ever in his big boy bed in his new big boy room and your Mama is sitting in your nursery looking at an empty crib....in disbelief that you will be sleeping there sooner rather than later in less than 7 weeks (52 days to be exact!).
Your brother has grown so fast - I remember our first days and nights with him when he arrived and I remember when he began sleeping in the crib. The memories flood back to me of my little baby sound asleep on my shoulder while I absorbed as much of one of the most beautiful smells in the world...his baby breath on my cheek.
I have been waiting so long to hold you and I just can't believe that within a blink of an eye you will be here, in this crib, in this special nursery just for you, rocking with Mama. I will cherish every minute with you too my sweet beauty.
Until July 28.... :)
I love you.