Belly Shot- 8 Months

With the construction of the new house under way, and the closing date on our house approaching, I finally feel like I have time to focus on the arrival of the little lady. And WOW. I am getting so excited.

I have finally started picking up little items of clothing for baby girl. It helps to take my mom along shopping with me because the woman just can't keep her hands off the cute clothes. She just keeps chucking little outfits in the cart. Very fun.

Of course, I still don't have a room to decorate, or even a dresser to put the clothes in, but I am caring about that less and less. I've decided that until the new house is ready to move into baby girl can sleep in my room in the pack n' play that we currently have. And the changing table that Ben no longer needs can work as a make-shift dresser if I can find some pretty little baskets for it. Just thinking about little things like that gets me so excited. Being able to plan and sort and get ready for another baby. It just makes me overwhelmingly giddy.

I think baby girl senses my excitement lately because she is rolling and kicking nonstop. It is so fun to watch my belly bounce. The other night I had the boys put their hands on my belly so they could feel her hiccups and their eyes became big as saucers. They want her to come out RIGHT NOW, and I have to explain to them over and over that she isn't ready yet and that we want her to stay put for a while longer so she can be healthy and strong. Still, it is hard for them to wait. I must say, I know how they feel.

It's Time

Now that the craziness of last week is finally over with I thought it was about time to deal with the matter at hand. You have been ready for a while, my boy. I know you have. You picked out your unders, your special seat, and your yummy treats. And then you waited patiently for mama to tell you it was time. We waited for you to get used to your big boy bed. We waited for school to finish. We waited for our house to sell. We waited to start the construction on our new house. And now that all of that is under way we will wait no more.

On the potty you go, my man!
You were so excited to try it. And so proud of yourself.
And then, of course, the fear set in. You were not so happy anymore. Just like your brothers, you took to peeing into the potty like a champ, but were terrified of sitting and pooing. If only I could reassure you of how much you will someday love to sit on the potty with a magazine. It seems to be some people's favorite pasttime. You can ask your daddy.

But you just didn't like it.
Your brothers even tried to entertain you with a few fancy dance moves to the tune of Boom Boom Pow. But it didn't help.
You just didn't want any part of it. You wanted off!
So, knowing for sure that you really did have to go, mommy turned into a big meany and told you that you couldn't come off the pot until there was something in the toilet. And we sat. And sat. And sat.
And FINALLY! You did it! Sure you screamed and cried through the whole thing, but you did it! And then later that night you did it again! This time with far less screaming and crying and sitting. Woohoo!!
AND, for the second night in a row, even though you had a pullup on you were dry the whole night. SUCH a big boy. Quite an accomplishment, my man! Way to go! I'm so proud of you!

(And don't worry. I edited out any photo that may have shown a little too much. Everything is hidden in the pictures and the only thing that you may see is the toliet paper that we stuff between his legs to keep him from peeing on himself. So, no need to worry about any pervs out there.)

WW- Not Yet

We close on the new house tomorrow. And though we won't be needing any moving boxes for another 3-4 months (until the construction is done) the boys sure do enjoy putting them to good use.

The Poll

This week will prove to be one of the busiest we've had in a while, though recently we've had some real doosies. I don't feel much like talking about it now so I'll just ignore it. They do say that ignorance is bliss, yes? I tend to agree. Perhaps I'll have the energy to fill you in on the details tomorrow. But it is a rainy Monday today, and I have loads of laundry to do, so I'll keep this post short and sweet and ignore the hysteria that will most likely be coming this week.

Thank you all for your input on our girlie names. It was so fun to read your thoughts on our favorites. Here are the ones that are making it onto the poll, and the reasons why:

It looks like Grace is your favorite so far, which is very exciting for me. I know some were concerned with it's gaining popularity but it isn't even in the top twenty in our area and the only Grace we know is 90 some years old. And there were far fewer Graces last year than the year before in our area. So, I am less concerned about the popularity of it than I was before. I also liked what TAC had to say about it. "Having a 3-year-old "Grace" of my own, of course my vote will be Grace! It is becoming popular, but every time you tell someone her name, they always 1)love it 2) say how pretty that name is 3) have a story about a Grace they once knew!!" I've discovered the same thing in telling people we are considering Grace. Plus, there is the added bonus of little lady having the same initials (if we go with Grace Marie) as my mom. I think that is neat since all of the boys' middle names are after their grandpa or dad. And then of course you factor in my longtime obsession with the name, and it is clear that Grace is in the lead in my mind.

Bella is another favorite of yours. And while it is probably my second favorite it seems that every time I turn around someone has named their dog Bella. Hmpf. AND, when people ask the boys' names I always go in order; Joseph, Thomas, and Benjamin. Add Bella to that and the Benjamin, Bella thing doesn't sound great to me. Plus our last name begins with a B (and is two syllables) and then it just becomes a tongue twister or something. Still, I can't bring myself to take it off our list just yet. I love the name. Isabella (which a few of you have suggested using as a formal name for Bella) was #4 in our area (and has been used by two of my friends already) which is way too high up on the popularity list for me. And I can't hear Isabella without thinking of my brother's crazy, round as a barrel, springer spaniel that they affectionately nicknamed Dizzy Izzy. So Isabella (though it is a pretty name) is not an option for us. Just Bella. And Bella isn't even in the top 100 so far. Yep. I still like Bella.

I was surprised by how many of you loved Lauryn. I have loved that name for a long time but every time I bring that name up to people I've gotten mixed reviews. It was nice to see that there are a lot of you out there that really like it too. I guess the only problem I have with it is the meaning of the name is pretty weak and the nicknames aren't my favorite. Still, it is definitely going on the poll.

The last one added to the poll is Audrey. The hubby is rolling his eyes right now because he doesn't even like that name very much so that should immediately disqualify it. But it doesn't. Cause I love it, and now I know you do too. So there. ;)

And those are our top four that make it onto the poll. I still love all the other names on the list but there are reasons in my mind that they don't work. I think they will still all make it onto the list we take to the hospital (and maybe even some we haven't thought of yet), but probably aren't real contenders.

Knowing how I feel about the names, and taking into account your feelings of each of the names, which of the four is your favorite? Please scoot on over to my sidebar and cast your vote now!

Hmm. This post wasn't as short as I'd intended it to be. Long winded much?

PSF: Stopping To Smell The Flowers

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek
It has been a pretty stressful time around here. Not just with selling the house, construction and remodel projects, busy school life, expecting a baby, and busy work schedules. But with the things that really matter. Long time marriages falling apart. Families being torn apart. Serious health problems. So much has been thrown into our laps this past month that Todd and I repeatedly find ourselves tossing our hands up in the air and declaring that the whole world has gone mad.

I think it is especially important at times like these to see all the good things in life too. And what better time to stop and smell the flowers than on the cusp of summer.

They are everywhere, if you just take the time to see them.

And speaking of the good in life. If you haven't already done so, please stop by my last post and give me your thoughts on my list of girlie names. We are running out of time!

TT: The Name Game

I have had the same girlie name picked out for my imaginary daughter ever since I was about 8 years old and I heard it on Little House on the Prairie. No, don't you worry. It isn't Nellie. ;) It is Grace. Baby Grace. The minute I heard it I fell in love and said, "I want a baby Grace!"

For a long time I never thought I would get the opportunity to use that beautiful name. And now I have the opportunity, and guess what. I don't know if I'll use it! Todd loves it, and I still love it too. But now that I have the chance to name a baby girl all these beautiful names keep popping into my head. The list seems never-ending. Where did all these gorgeous names come from? The possibilities are endless!

So, for today's Thursday Thirteen I thought I would give you the top thirteen on my list and have you help me to narrow it down. Only a couple months to go and we have to have a name ready! Help me out!

Here they are:

1- Grace: Still in my favorites list. I love all of the different meanings of the name; God's blessing, graceful, God's favor, quality pleasing for it's charm or refinement, seemingly effortless beauty or charm of movement. So pretty! And I love the nickname Gracie. So sweet. The only drawback is it's recent popularity. When I first heard the name it was very old-school and seldom used. Now it is really gaining popularity. It isn't in the top ten, which is good, but in the top twenty. Hmm...

2- Bella: Yes, I am hugely obsessed with Twilight, but that is not why I love this name. I love the name meaning on this one too. Beautiful. Very sweet and feminine. And I like the possible nicknames of Bells or Ella. The drawbacks are that people will assume I named her after the Twilight character, and that I know so many people who are naming their pets Bella. Is it more of a pet name? I don't know.

3- Lauryn: This one has been at the top of my list since high school when I was obsessed with Lauryn Hill of The Fugees. Love her (although I recently heard that she has gone kind of cuckoo). And I think it is such a pretty name and I love "L" names. I like the Lauryn spelling better than Lauren (remember I spell my name Kathryn, so that is kinda cutsie, huh?) too. The drawback is that the meaning is "from the laurel". Lame-o. Name meanings are important to me and that one I don't like. Plus I am not a huge fan of any of the nicknames for Lauryn, and I am a big one for nicknames.

4- Sabrina: I love the movie Sabrina. And I think the name is just lovely. However, it is well known because of the super depressing poem Sabrina Fair. So I'm not sure how I feel about that. Plus it means From the River Severn. What the crap is that?

5- Layla: There go the L sounds again. Just a pretty name. The meaning is night, or black. No great nicknames either. Plus Todd immediately thinks of the Clapton song and it puts him off a bit. Still, I think it is pretty.

6- Lola: See what I mean about the L names? Love them. Unfortunately the name means sorrow. Don't like that. Plus Todd says she would have to be a showgirl (the Manilow song). "Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl". ;)

7- Lily: That is a great L name. But it is SOOOO popular where we live. I do love flower names for girls. I think that is very sweet. It doesn't really have a nickname though, does it? And Todd isn't a super fan.

9- Rose: This one is the boys' favorite. They love the name Rose. I like it too, but not as much as the others. Another pretty flower name. Todd doesn't like it at all because it makes him think of Rosie O'Donnel (who he can not stand).

10- Audrey: A very old school name. I think my interest in it is strictly because of Audrey Hepburn. Can ya blame me? Love her. And it means Noble Strength. How cool is that? Very. Can't really think of any nicknames for it though.

11- Anna: Just such a sweet name. And it works great for a little girl or a grown up. It means Gracious or Merciful. That is beautiful. And I love my biblical names (as you can tell from my boys' names). BUT, my sister's name is Anne, and I don't know if I'd want to give her a big head. ;)

12- Elizabeth: Always a classic. Means God is my Oath. Very nice. So many nicknames to choose from too. Just a great name all around. Very old school, but not widely used right now. I'm not even sure I've brought this one up to Todd so I don't know how he feels about it. I think it is very pretty.

13- Sierra: A bit more modern than the rest of my old school list. I think it sounds exotic and beautiful. Todd doesn't like it that much. It means mountain. Umm. Okay. Not great. And nicknames? Can't think of any. Still, very pretty name, though I'm not sure it works well with the boys' names.

Okay. There you have it. I'm sure I'll think of more names down the road. Todd and I always take a name list to the hospital and then pick a name from the list once we see baby. But I think only once was the name that we chose high up on the list. It seems like once we get to the hospital we think of a name that has not come up before or that was lower on the list. We're weird like that.

We are thinking the middle name will be Marie, after Todd's grandmother. And Hello! We are Catholic, people! Have to get that in there somewhere. ;) If we chose Grace, baby girl would have the same initials (GM) as my mom. I love that. But if we chose Bella than we might change the middle name to Grace because Bella Grace just sounds so good. Decisions, decisions!

So, what are your favorites from the list? Are there any names that I should have put on the list? Any personal favs of yours that you'd like to share?

I will take the top 5 or 6 names and put them in a poll on my sidebar next week. Thanks for your help, all!

Timing Is Everything

The past two weeks have been absolute madness. Between massive amounts of showings for our house, and major crisises (what is the plural of that? crisi? crisises? whatever) happening with family and close friends we have been going nonstop. But hopefully, after this past weekend, things will be slowing down.

We have accepted an offer on our house. There were two couples competing for our house and the final offer that we accepted was over our asking price. Not only that but they are trying to close as soon as possible to get us the cash equity right away, and then giving us the option to rent the house until the construction on our new house is finished. How perfect is that?

Once we put our house on the multiple listing for realtors to see everything started moving very quickly. It has only been three weeks since Todd's friend became our realtor and we already received multiple offers. So good. My mind tells me that perhaps we should have gone the realtor route a long time ago, but then we wouldn't be getting the remodel house in my dream neighborhood, so my gut tells me that everything has happened in the right order. I thought the first house was a dream house, but this one is even better. Timing really is everything.

Now all we are waiting for is the appraisal on the construction property, and we will schedule the closing so we can begin the remodel as soon as possible. It is all very exciting, really. I can't wait to show all of you the pictures of the fixer-upper. You may be a little shocked at the before pictures (so much work to be done!), but I know it will be great when it is finished. The house is gonna ROCK. Woohoo!

Thank you all for being patient with me. I know I've been absent for a long time but I'm looking forward to catching up with y'all and getting back into the bloggy world. See ya soon!