Bella's quote of the day...

"Mom, your tummy is fat. But I won't laugh at you, o.k."

She's so, um, sweet???

Easter Pics

Not much to say but Easter was fun for the kids. Bella was very pleased with her basket and told me that the Easter Bunny has "great style". Well, thank you, Bella!

It's a...

GIRL! Today we had our 20 week ultrasound. It was exciting to see her on the monitor but the little stinker was not cooperating. I even drank a Dr. Pepper and ate a bunch of candy a half hour before, on advice from a friend, so that she would move plenty and let us take a peek. Well she did move around a lot, even the doctor commented on that but she kept her legs firmly together. The doc kept trying to get her to move and open up but she did not cooperate. He said, "I have a pretty good idea what the baby is though." And then after looking a few more times, still never a great shot that I can tell (but I'm no professional) he said it is a girl. So, we are going with that even though it wasn't the most confidant declaration. We are going to have another ultrasound in a month because he couldn't get a good shot of the back of her brain so we will confirm everything then. The doc said that everything looked good and he saw no problems. Bella smiled really big when she found out it was a girl and kept telling us, "I knew it was a girl!" Now we'll wait to see if baby girl has red hair and blue eyes like Bella also predicts.

So, girl names. Hmmmmm. I had a boy name that I really liked but I am struggling with the girl names right now. Blaine is firm about not naming the babies until they are born but I like to have a clear vision in my head about the most likely name before they enter the world. So, any baby girl name suggestions are appreciated at this point.

I really didn't care if the baby was a girl or a boy. We already have one of each so I was excited about either. But now knowing that it is a girl, I am getting exciting thinking about all the fun girl activities that me, Bella, and baby girl get to enjoy together...shopping, lunches, girl movies, etc. And I am so excited for Bella to have a sister. Poor Ez and Blaine. They are soon to be outnumbered!

Our Family Soon To Be...

This is Bella's depiction of what our family is going to look like when the baby is born. She started drawing with a black pen that she got at Subway in her kid's meal (that is why I look like Elvira). She started to add other colors after she drew me (all of you social workers who have taken a class on art therapy, let's not read into that, o.k.). Anyway, she drew Ez taller than herself because she wanted to draw him as "a big brother". But the best part of this picture is her depiction of the baby. Notice that it is a little girl with red hair and blue eyes. Yep, apparently Bella wants a baby sister that looks exactly like her! We are likely to disappoint!

Bella talks about the baby being a girl so much that I have even become convinced it is a girl. We are taking Bella with us to the ultrasound that we have in a week and a half. I asked her what she will say if the doctor says it is a boy and she said, "I'll just say, that's o.k.". So, we'll see how that all plays out. I have this vision of her starting to cry if the doc says it is a boy but maybe she'll just surprise us.


And here is another preggers pic.

24 hours of us time

Blaine and I enjoyed 24 hours to ourselves in Denver last night to celebrate his birthday, which isn't actually until Monday. Thanks to my parents, we were able to be kid-free. It was a lot of fun just focusing on us and why we like each other so much. :)

Yummo! PF Changs never disappoints!

Homeboy knows how to keep the pregnant woman satisfied! Cheesecake Factory AND Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. O.K...so we ate ALOT during these 24 hours away! BTW, I shared!

And what do you know...more eating! Before we went home we ate lunch at an Argentine Pizzeria that we've always wanted to go to downtown. It was great!

All eating aside, I really am lucky to have Blaine as my husband. He works so hard for his family and although he is frequently gone with work, school, and clinicals, he always finds a way to let us know that we are his number one priority. He does so very much for us and I'd be lost with out him. I am blessed to have him as my husband, best friend, and father to my children. So here is to growing old together! Love you, Babe!

Pics: Preggers and cute kids.

And there's the belly for the inquiring minds that want to know.

Bella and her super cute playgroup princess friends. They love to play dress up.

Ez in all of his cuteness.


Bella is so proud of herself now that she is riding a "two wheeler" as she calls it.

Unconditional Love

I've tried to teach Bella about unconditional love as we've disciplined over the past few years. When she hasn't behaved and I've had to put her in time out, I've explained to her afterwards that even though she makes choices that might disappoint me, I always love her and I will always love her. Well, this morning I was rushing to get us out the door to church and I'll admit it...I was being impatient and probably not so nice. Once in the car Bella said to me, "Mom, do you like me?" "OF COURSE I LIKE YOU HONEY. I LOVE YOU!" I told her. Then she said to me, "Mom, I always love you too. Even when you put me in time out, I still love you." Well, her sweet words pulled me right out of my grouchy mood. I am so blessed to be her mom and to receive her unconditional love.