Pure Joy!

Today I had to take Rocky to the vet and my neighbor, "Mrs. Patty" offered to keep Nolan for me (different neighbor than the one who kept him while I was sick- I have the BEST neighbors!). I was more than happy to leave him . There is just nothing like trying to keep a 18 month old and active dog under control when you are huge-pregnant! When I came home I found Nolan running in the sprinklers having the time of his life in nothing but a t-shirt and diaper! He seriously couldn't have been happier. The pictures don't do him justice, but he was also covered in dirt. Sounds like a good afternoon to me! :)

On a fun side note- today I was on the phone with a friend who is a missionary overseas (A&G) and when I got off the phone Nolan said "Bye". So I explained to him that our friends were over there telling people about Jesus. Nolan kept saying "Jesus, Jesus" (which sounds more like Jeeze, Jeeze). Now this child WILL NOT/cannot say Mama or Dada, but wants to say Jesus. I'll take it!! :)

18 months

It's a rare morning at our house. It is 7 am and I am the only one awake...including Rocky! But, I am just at that place in pregnancy where sleeping is more a chore than anything. AND it has been a rough week around here. Monday night Nolan woke up with a stomach bug- which is the first time in his little life so I was washing sheets, etc. until 2. He had fallen asleep on Jerel and all seemed to be over. Wednesday at 3 in the afternoon it hit me like a freight train- but I was so thankful that my sweet husband was home to take care of me and our child. That lasted all of 2 blissful hours until he got sick as well. I don't think that I have ever been so sick in my life and Jerel still feels like his ribs are bruised. It was violent. Nolan kept bringing me books to read him, and I was just thankful that I have them all memorized. We survived by the grace of God until 7 when I could put Nolan down for the night. He ate ritz-bits and cheese for dinner. That was all I could muster up. Then next morning one of my neighbors came over and took Nolan for the morning and I slept the entire day. I am so thankful for great neighbors, that is one of the reasons that we decided on this house. So, it's two days later and I feel...ok. I think that recovering from something like that when you are 8 months pregnant is just a little tricky.

In the middle of all of this was Nolan's 18 month milestone. Lets just say, there was no celebration. :) I have been reading that 18 months is where you start to see a big developmental change in your child. It really is true. It amazed me how much he comprehends. However, he is a little delayed on his speech and is fairly frustrated that he can't communicate what he knows he wants. We have a speech therapist, whom he loves, and he is making strides in this area. I am so thankful for sign language. He picks up on that really quickly. Food is still a difficult subject. He use to gag on most solid things, and now that he no longer does that I think that he is just afraid of food. We have a therapist for that as well!! :) It is going to be a long, slow road. He did start to eat PB&J which was HUGE, but has refused that for the past two weeks now. Such a bummer. I just try to not stress over it and trust that he is getting enough nutrition. Other that that, he is a perfect, normal little boy. He makes me laugh all the time, loves to dance, will have me read to him all day, has no time for TV, he would have to actually sit down to watch it, and loves loves loves his daddy and dog! This poor little guy's world is going to be rocked in a few months! :) One day he will thank me for his little brother! I took him for his well check yesterday and he weighed in at 27 lbs. (66%) and is 34 inches long (97%). I totally can't carry him for very long.

Well, the husband and dog are up and the little boy is stirring. Time to get the day started. Hope you have a good weekend.

Still Cute...

At least in my humble opinion! :)

The House- Part 1

Here are a few rooms. I just can't tackle blogging the whole house at once. So, consider this my first installment. We are gutting the kitchen in 2 weeks...walls, floors, counters, appliances. You name it, it's getting ripped out. So, I will make sure to get the old ugly kitchen in the next post. It's going to be fun around here. Anyone want to bring me a meal??? :)

This is the back of the house. On the left is the screened in porch, then the longer windows are the play room and our master bedroom is on the right.

LOVE the big, flat, fenced in backyard. I think that I fell in love with the yard before I loved the house. It's just missing a swing set!

The front porch. My parents just gave us money to get rocking chairs for our anniversary. The fun part is that every time we sit out there we meet new neighbors!

The den. When we moved in the walls were white and all the wood was natural like the beams. It was so dark in this room and I hate white walls!! I am so much happier with the built-ins and trim being white. I have been promised a mantle by Christmas! :) The french doors go out into the play room.

Play room

There is still a lot that I need to do in here, but it is just nice to have an area for the toys. The paneling out here was ugly and natural. The paint has really brightened it up.

Back screened in porch that you can walk through from the play room or off the kitchen. The window above the couch is where my kitchen sink is. I love that I can see the backyard from the kitchen. I look forward to the day when I can say, "Boys, go outside!!".

We love sitting out here. We have two ceiling fans, and until recently it has stayed cool enough to be out there anytime. This pregnant lady is looking forward to August being over!

This is all for now. We have been really busy, I just haven't been taking pictures. I am going to work on that! I need to do a Nolan update. He is becoming such a big boy. Until then...