Finally Done!

Thank you all SO much for your packing suggestions! Keep 'em coming as things may come to your mind! I currently have a list going of literally everything appearing in the comments. Chapstick...I didn't even have that the first time around, and in retrospect, I wish I would have! Nice one, y'all! Tonight, Jared and I finally finished Lily's room...well, except for shampooing the carpet, but that will happen tomorrow night. ALL of the bedding and accessories were HANDMADE by my mom. I cannot tell you enough, momma, how incredibly special these 'things' are to me! You did such an incredible job! All we're missing now is a sweet little girl to fill the empty spaces! Tuesday's coming...

This fabric is where all of the madness started! I saw it and fell in love long before we were pregnant. We went and bought all they had the day we found out we were having a girl!

Part of the shoe rack from Daddy...he's a good man!

Couple a great Craigslist find with a new, coordinating seat cover, and you've got yourself the perfect little rocker for a little nursery!

My absolute favorite things in the room...Jakob and Jared's artwork for Lily complete with the verse and song lyrics from where her name came.

Lookin' For a Little (okay, a LOT) of HELP!!!

Three years and two months ago when I had Jakob, I swore that I would never forget a single detail. WRONG. I have forgotten so very much from that time in life. (Enough of that part. I'll be bawling in no time if I continue down that train of thought!) However, this week some things have slowly but surely started to come back to me. This morning Jared and I took Jakob on a tour of the hospital (with a tour guide, of course!) where we will be next week. I am so glad that we did it. When we first arrived, Jakob was expectantly shy and clingy. We could tell he was very unsure of the surroundings and where he would be leaving mommy. But, after about 15 minutes he was telling us he wanted his own hospital! I am hoping that his anxiety will be calmed next week at the hospital. MY anxiety, though? It grew by leaps and bounds today. I started packing a few things this week as they came out of the dryer in an attempt to keep this week as low-key as possible. As we were walking those halls today, I realized something: I DON'T REMEMBER WHAT I BROUGHT TO THE HOSPITAL! I DON'T REMEMBER WHAT I WISHED I WOULD HAVE HAD LAST TIME! HELP!!! Here is where you come in! Tell me what you took that was a huge help, what you wished you had in the hospital, or just the obvious things! Trust me, my mind is gone! There is no suggestion too obvious! I'm counting on YOU!!!

My Snoogle Bug

I don't know who is loving this pillow more...me, Lily, or Jakob!

Jumping on the Wordless Wednesday Bandwagon

Just a Little Off the Top

Today was Jakob's first real haircut. His entire sweet, long life has been spent under the novice, learning scissors and clippers of yours truly. Poor kid. Jakob doesn't do so well, though, with new experiences, so we didn't want to take our first-timer into the barber shop/salon thingy during a peak time. You all know I don't do well with menacing glances in public places! So, anyway, this morning Jared needed a haircut also (as we know that we are about to be taking a LOT of pictures!) so we decided that first thing in the morning would be a great time. Much to our surprise, Jakob did awesome! He had a few moments with 'that look' in his eye, but he was so great! He flirted with the stylist...a sure sign that he is comfortable! He has been checking himself out in windows, mirrors, and clean cars all day long. So cute! When all was said and done, this was his response, "Wow. I look four." There you have it.

Not so sure about this, mom.

This is my sad face. Remember? Goodness, he looks apprehensive!

Daddy's got a death grip!

Seriously! Jared totally has him in a head lock! Whatever it takes!

All that for a blue Dum Dum?! Oh, well...I do look four.

The Snoogle Bleeds

Today, although it was Father's Day, Jared let me have some time off! After church, I went to the mall to do some last minute shopping before I refuse to leave my home again while Jared and Jakob stayed home to nap and 'take a break' before we all went to the golf course this evening. Jakob had to nap in our room due to a sword fight incident that involved the ceiling fan and light bulb just before nap time. That's another story. Anyway, Jared thought that Jakob was out and went to the other room. However, Jakob was not out. He silently proceeded to go through my side table drawers and make himself at home. Among the things he found and explored were my ever-present Tums collection. I can't get a straight answer as to whether or not he ate any, but he's pooped since then and hasn't shown any crazy sign of delirium, so I'm guessing we're okay. The worst, though, was my red toenail polish. All things considered...you know, a three-year-old, unsupervised, red nail polish...the outcome could have been MUCH worse. However, now it looks as if the great Snoogle got cut...or worse! So, before we go to the hospital, I'm hoping to find a Snoogle pillowcase! He got in big trouble from his daddy. When I came home, Jakob said to me, "I'm sorry I hurt your Snoogle, mommy. I didn't know it would bleed. Please don't be sad at me." Truth be told...I kinda like the new polka dot look!

On a different note, Jakob is as funny as ever. As you all well know, we're in the throws of potty training. Today was a GREAT day...again, another story. Anyway, last night at bedtime, Jakob asked to talk to Lily. So in his own way, he lifted my shirt and said these words straight to my belly button: "Lily Hope, they don't let you wear diapers around here anymore." Truer words have never been uttered.

True Art is a Process...

...as clearly proven by my 3 year old! I am done with Lily's room! (pictures coming, I promise!) The only thing that is lacking is some art that I wanted Jared and Jakob to do. Tonight was the night, and my oh my, Jakob delivered. It may take 2 full weeks for that poor canvas to dry! He kept saying, or yelling, while he was painting, "Lily is going to LOVE my snakes I paint her!" I could see the snakes at the beginning, but after that, we went to a smiley face, and then to all out collage. Jared's is thought out and precious, but he wasn't nearly as messy, so the pictures weren't as good! :-) These canvases are my favorite things in her room now...even more special than the Mood fabric!

The finished masterpiece!

The Many Faces of Jakob

My camera has been dead since the end of May, thus, the lack of blog posts lately! On Monday, though, Jakob asked me to take his pictures. Surprisingly, he was in the mood, so this is what I got from my little 'model' when asked for the specific faces. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a goober on our hands!

...happy face...

...sad face...

...mad face...

...sleepy face...

...dancing face...

...silly face...

...surprised face...

...Daddy's face...

...singing face...

Two Steps Forward...

...fifteen thousand steps back! How's potty training going? Well, this time last week, I would have said, "Great! We're still having some accidents, and poop is a no-go, but really...we're doing great!" Fast forward to today...we're doing horribly. The last two days, he has refused to wear big-boy underwear and asked for a 'diaper.' We haven't ever called pull-ups diapers, and all of a sudden, he has figured out what they really are and that he would prefer to wear them. Yeah. I am currently trying to stay calm and non-frustrated as I feel time crunching down on me! When we started two weeks ago, I really felt certain he was going to have it down and done before Lily was born. (Yes, I was and am quite prepared for great regression when she arrives.) Now, though, who knows. I don't want these last two weeks before she is here to be spent in utter frustration and poor experiences. I want us (Jakob and me) to have a great time together. We'll see. I'm not giving up...I'm just going back to the drawing board. Any and all suggestions (with regard to the fact that I am so out of my mind tired right now...please be polite! :-)) are more than welcome! Here is Jakob helping Jared mow yesterday. Those aren't shadows on his inner thighs...soggy thighs and the negative effects from said event...yep, that pretty much sums up my week so far! :-)

Now I Lay ME Down to Sleep

Okay, so really, I have no complaints about pregnancy right now. Today, I am exactly one month away from Lily's arrival. Sure, I've got heartburn at night, a bit of lower back discomfort, and short fuses, but really, not that bad at all! This week, however, I have been the non-sleeping zombie. I can't seem to fall asleep at night, and if I do, I can't fall back asleep after I get up to pee...again! I'm tired. Part of my problem, I think, is just that I'm not really comfortable. So, I saw this pillow at Babies R Us and honestly rolled my eyes, thinking that there was no way that was necessary for $65.00. Then, I saw it for $40.00 at Baby Depot, still rolled my eyes (only a bit this time) and forgot about it. Around 3:30 this morning, however, I wasn't rolling my eyes. I needed to try something. So, this afternoon, I took myself and my 10% off coupon that I stole, I mean borrowed, from a magazine in my doctor's office, to Baby Depot and bought a Snoogle Pillow. I am laying with it right now trying to hold my eyes open and suddenly, all is right with the world. I recommend it to anyone, with or without a bun in the oven!

Little Red Riding Hood

Yesterday, Jakob and I saw something on TV about Little Red Riding Hood, and so we talked about it all day. Everything went back to LRRH. Yesterday afternoon, however, I needed to go and get a couple of things from a couple of places to help in the house organization. So, off to Dollar Tree we went to get two more baskets for Lily's vanity. Jakob asked to hold one, and then proceeded to skip, no, all-out-sprint to the other side of the store while screaming, "My mommy's the big bad wolf!" Our shopping excursion went down-hill from there, but nothing else was funny, and I don't want to remember it today! This is one fairy tale where the big bad wolf won...take that Mr. Red Riding Hood!

My Greatest Accomplishment in the Making...

...is a potty-trained son! I know so many of you can relate! I consider myself to be an accomplished woman: I am married to my very best friend and the love of my life; I have a beautiful son and lovely daughter on the way; I absolutely love my 'job' and the work that I do. Accomplished. But NOTHING in this world, short of salvation, may compare to the joy, nay, absolute delerium that is creeping into my life with each and every potty prize! June was officially declared as potty month at our house. This was the time when I knew I would be home with no where to be, completely focused with Jakob on crossing the single greatest milestone of his life! (Okay, slightly over-dramatic, but still!) We started yesterday, and I am proud to say that he has not had a tee tee accident since! Poop...different story, BUT I hear that pooping is the battle for a lot of toddlers, so I am refusing to get discouraged about it! He is so proud of himself and excited every time we hear the tinkle. We even braved a public restaurant today and used a real potty...twice! I know we have a long way to go before I dare call him 'potty trained,' but things are really going well, and I am so very proud of him...and of me! Thank God for Jared who comes in for reinforcements at the end of the day when holding Jakob and Lily seems impossible. What a team! Thank you, babe! With all of this excitement, there is this sadness in my heart that he is SO not a baby anymore. Today I was taking off all of the tags from Lily's clothes, blankets, and what-not when Jakob came in and asked to help with Lily's stuff. He stayed with me for nearly 20 minutes (an eternity in Jakob's world!) putting clothes in the hamper, tags in the trash, and toys in the toy basket. It just hit me what a great helper he is going to be with Lily. He is really getting excited about her being here, something I'll expand on in a later post. He is so precious to my heart, and I have absolutely loved being his mommy. While I really have a hard time wrapping my mind around sharing my time and attention with him and Lily, I am so excited to get it going and see my sweet Jakob with her.

Save the Date!

I love modern living! Only in 2009 do you sit down with your doctor, your husband, and three day planners via cell phones to decide which date is most convenient for your child to be born! Gotta love it! That's what we got to do yesterday, though! July 7 it is...Lily's birthday, unless someone like God has other plans! :-) (That would be fine too!) We are so excited to have a date set for her arrival and a deadline set for our to-do list. I am considering posting my to-do-before-Lily list on the blog and checking it off here for accountability purposes! Regardless...we are pumped! In the next month, I plan on stuffing this poor blog with Jakob's baby pictures as I am growing ever anxious about adding to our clan. Jakob and I are trying hard to potty train this week...I need these pictures to remind me that I do love him and he is an adorable little man. We'll see what kind of crazy stories come out of this week on the toilet! Should be fun!

Jakob at one day old wearing my favorite hat!

Swaddling was never an option for Jakob...he worked those arms and legs out from the very beginning. Don't fence me in! The arms above the head were a sure sign of real sleep.

Our favorite Jakob-baby face! Those lips made our days...ooooo!

I am so thankful for my sweet little boy!

Jakob's first day to church at 6 days old. Good grief! Argyle never looked so cute all hidden under the harness straps!