How I've Spent November.

Well, besides chasing Claire, picking food out of the carpet, and singing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" over and over again, of course.

It's been a productive past three days. Which is weird, considering I've also spent the days pouring over five hours of Pride and Prejudice. It makes the laundry much less of a chore.

Five hours of the ever delicious Colin Firth? Yes please.

It's been such a pleasant way to spend my "me-time", perhaps I'll spend the rest of the month watching flicks I'd never force Ross to watch with me. Nap time just became all the sweeter.

Quotes From The Loveland House.

Claire had wandered off one evening while I was cooking dinner. I heard the shower curtain ruffle and knew exactly what she was doing.

Me: Claire, come out of the bathroom, please.
Claire: Uh-Oh!


Me: Is Big Bum Guy Crazy Guy's Dad?
Ross: Big Bum Guy would have to be like 70. There's no way he's Crazy Guy's Dad.
*We bust up laughing*
Jake: Those are actually really descriptive names. Now that I've met them, I know EXACTLY who you're talking about.


Me: Claire, say "mama".
Claire: DA DA DA DA DA DA. *She then laughs like she's heard the best joke."


Jake: I'm so glad I'm not a pregnant woman.


Captain America Movie: "Hile Hydra!"
Jake: It's like they're on a roller coaster!



We've had a lot of laughs this week. Claire's little personality is growing funnier and funnier each day, and having Jake live with us just adds to the fun.

What's In A Name?

It'll probably be a while before we even start discussing names for this little lady. Ross likes unique names, while I prefer "old lady" names. We have such different taste, it really is the compromise of all compromises.

With Claire, we each made a list of twenty names we liked. From the list, we pulled the ones we had in common, 5 from Ross' list I liked, and he was supposed to pick out five from my list, but he honestly HATED every name I came up with.

From the new master list, we researched where the name was from, the meaning, paired it with potential middle names and eliminated them one by one. Typing out the baby naming process makes me feel a tad ridiculous, but it really was fun!

Growing up, I knew a family where the mom got to pick all of the kids' names. I'm starting to think this is a grand idea.

I'm going to start writing up my list of names. And you can bet I'm going to include Beatrice, Eleanor, Lucy, Alice, and Penelope. All of the ones I like, but will probably end up being pet's names through the years. Wish me luck!

Sugar And Spice, So Nice We're Doing It Twice!

We decided we just couldn't wait any longer to find out what our little bean is and went in for an early ultrasound.

Ross called it before we even went in. This morning I asked him what he thought and he wasn't sure. I asked again while we were waiting and he said, "It's a girl." He knew that Claire was a girl before the ultrasound, too. He's amazing.

This little lady was stubborn and bashful. She had her little rear shoved as far as she could against the wall, trying to hide, and would not budge. After a few tries of jiggling, we finally got a clear shot. Claire's going to have a little sister!

We couldn't be more thrilled. I was certain we were having a boy, so it was a wonderful surprise. I am so excited to bring in a whole lot more pink and ruffles. I am determined to have very girly girls who love Barbies, pink, ribbons, lace, princesses, and everything girly and sweet.

I'm already planning out how to make the nursery even more girly for my little ladies. Poor Ross is getting overrun and outnumbered.

You Know You're Pregnant When...

Last pregnancy, I was enthusiastic about working out. I'd walk every night on my treadmill while watching music videos on my laptop.

Confession: I really enjoyed working out to Eminem. I gotta say, it has a nice beat.

Well, while watching the Mockingbird video, all of a sudden I couldn't see the screen anymore. Yup, I was having one of the pregnant bawling episodes. I was crying because of an Eminem music video. I couldn't listed to that song for 4 or 5 months after.

A few months ago I started crying because my s'more tasted just so dang good.

Today, a friend posted a video of a girl finding out she's going to Disneyland for her birthday. You guessed it, I was a gonner!!

I love watching TV shows or movies where one of the gals is pregnant and really plays up those stereotypes. I can TOTALLY relate and I get a great laugh. And I am so grateful Ross is never ever home for these preggo episodes. haha I'd never hear the end of it!

The Best Has Yet To Come.

Two years has flown by! It all started 6 years ago at a stake dance, followed by years of a secret crush, a long friendship, and jokes about how funny it would be if we really ended up together. Well, joke's on me I guess!

People are always shocked when I tell them that Ross and I never actually dated. We were friends, best friends, best friends who liked each other, and then we were engaged! Two years later we're still the best of friends. I can't think of anything better.

After the actual wedding, we enjoyed a soup, salad, and bread sticks lunch at Olive Garden, and then took off to do a corn maze. Usually people are shocked at that, too. I mean, who goes through a corn maze on their wedding day?! We do! We decided then and there that we would celebrate our anniversaries by sharing our soup, salad, and bread sticks and getting lost in a corn maze. Last year was so fun, and we're excited to share our tradition with Miss Claire this year.

I'm so grateful for the gospel in our family and for temples. Another year down and it's never going to end! Each year is better than the last, and I'm sure the best has yet to come. Happy Anniversary, Ross. I love you!

We're enjoying dinner without Claire this evening and then going to Cornbellys as a family later this week. Last year I forgot my camera, but this year I'll be sure to take lots of pictures!

The Second Time Around.

Really, I'm just delaying the inevitable to-do list for today.

This pregnancy is FLYING by. It might just be that Claire is very, very mobile and keeps me running all day, but I'm already 1/3 of the way done!

My last appointment was last week. It's been the most exciting appointment of all! First off, I adore my midwife. She came in and gave me the biggest hug and kiss on the cheek. I've missed her a lot. She's like a really great friend. I had taken Claire to a friend's for a play date, and Jennifer, my midwife, was actually really upset about that. The office actually LOVES when you bring your kids. They love to hold them and play with them and know every single child by name. That was the first thing I noticed the first time I went into the office. I loved it.

Anyway, after the reunion with my sweet friend, I was told that my levels from the blood draw were really high. I had gotten an ultrasound at my first appointment and there were two blobs, but the tech told me one of the blobs was just a big yolk sac. I guess we'll find out. I'm measuring exactly how I'm supposed to though, and we only heard one heartbeat. We're 90% sure there's just one cooking in there. Let's hope so!!
hardly stand the sigh
I'm also on the high risk list. I think it's from all of the preterm labor I had with Claire, but with the high levels, she thinks I might be showing early signs of it happening again. Not to worry, she just wants to watch it for a little while and maybe I can graduate from the list!

This pregnancy is completely different than Claire's. I haven't worn real jeans since I was 5 or 6 weeks. But I did find some cute, cheap full panel skinny jeans from Old Navy that I'm pretty much living in.

Things I Love:
With Claire, I wanted candy, brownies, and everything sweet I could get my hands on. I can hardly stand the sight of sweets. I am loving fresh fruit and veggies. My counter and fridge is always stocked! And lots and lots of Orange Juice. Anyone who knows me knows I've always been an OJ guzzler, but now it's even worse.

Marshmello Mateys. The generic Lucky Charms. I won't even share them with Claire. That's Mama's cereal.

Dreyer's Lime Fruit Bars. NOT the variety pack. Just the box that has 6 lime bars. Those are my FAVORITE.

Sonic Ice. Yup, I go through the Drive-Thru just to order a bag of ice. It costs just as much as a bag of ice from the store, but it's the pebble ice. Plus, I don't have to get out of my car. Laziness at its finest.


I can't believe I'm already going to be into the 2nd trimester this week! It's been so nice not having to spend the days hugging my porcelain throne. I've only thrown up maybe 3 times. HUGE difference from Claire! It's been wonderful. Though that might change if Claire keeps getting into the cat food.

I think I've gotten over the shock of having 2 this close together and I'm really, really excited. It's been so fun having Claire around to make the time fly. Before we know it she'll have a new best friend to play with! I'm sure two babes will keep me busier than ever. Hopefully it'll help take off the baby weight, too! :]