Thanksgiving on the Ranch

Hey friends!  Last Monday I told you I was signing out for the week and I totally unplugged!  You know those holiday weekends that are just so perfect, you don’t even have a word to describe how wonderful it was?  Well that was our weekend folks.  There aren’t any words, that I’m aware of, that accurately state how perfect our holiday weekend was.  Two weeks ago our entire house was sick, and then last week the Mr was working 20 hours days, 7 days a week (instead of his typical 18 hr days); so to say we have been exhausted lately would be a complete understatement.  But, to get away from reality for a few short days, to gorge on the most delicious food, to celebrate and give thanks, and to be surrounded by our village was............... ahhhhhhhhh so needed and soooooooo appreciated.  The weekend didn’t just fill our bellies, but refilled our energy cups. 

In the days leading up to Thanksgiving, Dutch and I did a lot of Thanksgiving crafts and made sure that he had enough Christmas jammies for December.  I also admitted on Instagram that I am officially a hoarder of festive jammies.  
I spent the evenings after Dutch went to bed, while the Mr. was working, baking a ridiculous amount of calories.  Yummmm!!! On Wednesday, we packed the car and headed out to the ranch.  I don’t know how this happened, but we were out the door on time and didn’t hit any traffic!  It was a Thanksgiving miracle!  On our way, we stopped and had a picnic at a park.  It was a gorgeous day!Dutch had his first experience with sand. 

I don’t think he knew what to think of it heheHad I known that there was sand at this park, I probably would have put Dutch in different shoes, but this little cowboy sure did look cute on the beach with his boots on :-)

I promise you this folks, I am absolutely, 100% addicted to these two guys in my life.  I mean I am head over heels, can’t breath without them obsessed!

Look at these faces though............

Can you blame me?!?!?!

Before Thanksgiving my bestie took a few maternity shots of me and sent me this sneak peak….seriously, Grace Hill Photographer is a magician behind the lens.  I’m shocked that this is me!  Thank you so much for capturing this moment in our lives!!!
Ummmmmm Oh my gosh is this really me?!?!?!

Once we got to the ranch it was time to kick back and relax.  
Leaving reality should always look this good, right?!  
Places like these are great reminders of what it is that we should really be grateful for.If you were to ask Dutch, what he was thankful for this year, I’m certain it would be something along the lines of “trac-tah” or spending time with his cousins.  
Since we got back he has been looking for them all over our house.  For Thanksgiving dinner, we had a roasted and a fried turkey.  It was ah-maz-ing!  I’ve never had a fried turkey before, and to be honest, I don’t think I can go back now that I’ve had the fried version.  It was so delicious; bravo Josh!

One morning the Mr. took Dutch fishing for the first time (while I stayed in the house guzzling my coffee and chit-chatting).  They had a very successful trip and caught several fish.  When the Mr. told me that they caught fish I was just imagining little 5 inch fish or something like that; however, I was very wrong!  He showed me these pictures and I was very impressed!

On the way back into the city we decided to go ahead and pick up our Christmas tree.  We did this last year with Dutch, but he wasn’t even crawling yet (he started crawling on 12/26/14), so I don’t think he got much out of the experience before.  But this year was totally different.  He helped us find the perfectly sized tree.  He went from tree to tree making sure the one we got had the best pine smell hehehe  I have a feeling that this little boy is going to love Christmas just as much as his parents.You know when you get back from a trip, no matter how long you’ve been gone, it seems like it’s been an eternity with the amount of laundry you accumulate?  As soon as we got home I got started on the piles in my house: going through everyone’s laundry, packing up all of the fall decorations, and pulling out all of the bins of Christmas goodies.  We definitely were living by the “you have to mess up to clean up” method.I decided to go a little, no a lot, lighter on the Christmas decorations this year.  If Teeny Peep decides to join us exactly on time, I will be packing up Christmas decorations and getting ready for a newborn with a body the size of a house.  Not appealing!  But if she decides to come early, then I wont be ready AND I’ll have to pack up the Christmas decorations with a newborn, sleep-deprivation, and learning how to juggle an 18 month old and a newborn.  I don’t even want to think about how hard that could be.  Needless to say, there are minimal decorations this year; just enough to know that Christmas is coming, but not so much that it gives me anxiety. 

The Mr. & I also decided that we weren’t going to put up our normal Christmas ornaments.  Like I said, last year Dutch wasn’t even crawling, but this year he is running, so I don’t want a bunch of breakable ornaments on the tree that could get broken & hurt him.  We purchased this super nice kit from Costco, in the red and gold, for only $20.  It is a 50-piece set of shatter-proof plastic ornaments and decorations.  It seemed like a perfect fit for us.  We probably would never have had something like this before, but this is just right for right now, when we have a little elf rearranging the tree constantly.  Before we left for Thanksgiving I recorded the Macy’s day parade, and we watched it as we were decorating the tree.  Dutch was captivated by the musical theatre pieces and loved to watch the singers.

The rest of the weekend was spent fairly normal: we went to the grocery store and to church, the Mr. put up the outside Christmas lights, we wore slippers (because it finally got cooler in Houston), we watched the Steelers game (because it was actually playing on TV for Houstonians), & we got to skype with “Aunt Nana”. 

Our Elf on the Shelf, Sheldon, returned to our house this weekend.  We don’t do much with Sheldon except read his book and play hide and seek with him.  Dutch really enjoys his new buddy Sheldon. 

This weekend Dutch also shocked us with some potty training behaviors.  While at the ranch his cousin was being potty trained so I think he saw it a lot, but when we got home he told us twice that he needed to go and actually went.  The Mr. and I just stood and stared at him because we were so shocked and we didn’t know what to do.  So I guess that means we’re potty training now?  I wasn’t going to even start this for another 8 months, but I guess I might need to start thinking about this haha

I also got to spend time in the mornings & the evenings when it was still dark just starring at the Christmas tree.  Does anyone else love to do that?

I hope that y’all had a great Thanksgiving week with lots of food and family fun.  Now we have Christmas coming up and I’m looking forward to that.  It’s kind of like Christmas for the first time with Dutch.  He was here last year but he was so young that a lot of the traditions were just sensory stimulation, this year already seems to be different and more fun

What are some things that you do with your toddlers for the holidays?

Thanksgiving Signing Out

Well friends, the gorging culinary week that we look forward to all year has officially arrived. We're planning to spend our weekend with our Houston family that we love so dearly, and we're definitely looking forward to it. I'm out for this week, but wishing you all a very festive and delicious Thanksgiving with a table full of your loved ones.   And since I wouldn't be a true blogger if I didn't include a picture of some sort, I will leave you with this short video.  I've got this playing on repeat for the entire week to remind me that Thanksgiving is not just this week, but the entire year.

See you in December!

Much love and blessings!

Teeny Peep Bumpdate- Week 30

Bumpdate with Dutch at 30 weeks

Date: 11/14/15
How far along: 30 weeks
Fruit-size comparison: A cucumber
Developmental milestones: Her brain is getting nice and wrinkly…..this is where we all want wrinkles!  She is about 3 lbs now which is just so crazy to think about; she’s growing so fast!
Maternity clothes: Still a mixture of both maternity and my regular clothing.
Weight gain: I think I’m up a couple more lbs.  I am going to guess that I’m +13 or +14 lbs since my pre-pregnancy weight.  I have an appointment this week so I will have an official weigh-in to report on.
Stretch Marks: I've got plenty of kisses from heaven from carrying Dutch.  I applied lotions and such daily with that pregnancy, but to be honest I don't think I'm even going to try to prevent future stretch  marks.  I absolutely love these badges of honor and I'm so proud to wear them.
Sleep:  I’m sleeping great this week.  I can fall asleep without a problem and stay asleep except for when I need to use the restroom (3-4 times a night) and then I’m immediately back to sleep.  I’m cherishing these nights filled with sleep.
Best moment of the week: 1- This week The Mr. was talking to Teeny Peep through my stomach and we were feeling her dance around in response to his voice.  It was so cool to watch them continue to get to know each other.  Watching my husband as a father makes me fall more in love with him every day.  I never thought when I married him that I could love him as much as I do now.  I thought that I loved him a lot on our wedding day, and I did, but not this deeply.  Seeing him in the role as a dad who is thriving and loving on his children makes my love for him deepen more than I ever could have imagined. 2- Dutch finally graduated from his infant car seat.  We were waiting on him to reach either the weight or height limit and he finally did.  So we now have his big boy car seat AND Teeny Peep’s car seat installed in the vehicles.  WHAT?!
Movement:  This girl is busy tumbling around.  She does a lot of rolling and you can see big body parts moving on the outside.  You can also feel where she is in my stomach: there are harder spots and softer spots. So it is easy to tell where Teeny Peep is and where fluid is.  It is the craziest feeling to have another being do cartwheels in your body.  Dutch was never like this; he was more relaxed and had gentle kicks.  Teeny Peep is gentle but she does full body movements, and she also has the hiccups at least once a day.
Cravings: I think my cookie cravings have tapered off and there isn’t really any one thing that I’ve just got to have.  I like to eat in general these days (which probably explains the big weight gain this week), but nothing in particular.
Gender: Baby girl!!
Belly button: I love my new outtie :-) 
Wedding Ring: Still on and not feeling tight yet thank goodness
Anything making you queasy/sick: Nothing except how long my to do list is growing ahhhhh!
What I miss:  Nothing
What I’m looking forward to: I know I say the holidays every week, but it’s true, and I really am.  But, also this week I’m looking forward to our appointment to check-in on Teeny Peep.  I’m hoping to get a good look at her and I’m praying she flips head-down soon.
Labor signs: I had more Braxton Hicks this week, and my chest has already started producing colostrum, so I know that my body is getting ready for this baby.
Symptoms: I’ve definitely started gaining weight, and I feel it mostly in my face but my bump is getting in the way now too.  I’m running into things a lot because I forget how far my stomach sticks out.  My body is beginning to get more creaky.  The Mr. has been so kind to give me a back and a foot massage every night for the past week.  I think he feels sorry for me with all my waddling by the end of the day.
Nursery: There isn't going to be a new nursery.  We plan on having Dutch and Teeny Peep share a room.  It's not that we don't have the space; we do have another bedroom, but we would like our kiddos to share a room when they are younger.  We're thinking this will be a great opportunity to continue building character with our children.  And to be honest, Dutch didn't move into his nursery until he was eight months old, and even then only for a few hours a day until he was 11 months old, so the new baby will probably stay in our room about the same amount of time and then we will do a transition of some sort.  Of course we don't know what it is like to have two children and exactly what it will be like, but this is how we think we are going to try to start.
Emotions: I feel full, my heart is full.  Typically during this season I’m so joyful, and I would say that this year is no different.  My heart is completely jam-packed with joy, but I’ve also got some new feelings that are cooking on the back-burner.  Realizing that we are about 10 weeks away from meeting Teeny Peep has me getting very excited but very very anxious.  I have so much to do and we are not at all prepared.  It’s finally hitting me that we are bringing a baby home really soon, and I’ve got like 2 months to get this house together.  I don’t feel like I’m having mood swings or anything like that, I’m still joyful, but I am aware of some back-burner emotions.

Butter Bell

Happy Monday y’all!  I hope that you had a great weekend.  The weather in Houston is finally becoming more pleasant, so we spent the weekend outside.  Aside from the epic mosquitos, it was glorious.  Yes, I said mosquitos…..in November!!!!  Insane!

Okay, I know that it is Monday, and I should really wait to post this on Wednesday, for a “What I’m Lovin’ Wednesday” post, but I just can’t wait another 2 days to share this with you.  I’m a butter addict.   Also if you’re thinking of a Christmas gift for a family member or friend who is a foodie, this is the gift for them!

Have you heard of a butter bell?  We’ve had one for a few years and have always enjoyed it, but since becoming pregnant with Teeny Peep, I have REALLY loved this thing……like could be a problem.  A butter bell is just a dish that you use to keep butter in, and to keep it at room temperature.  That sounds just like a butter dish, right? Well it’s a little bit different. You place your softened butter into the top & then place the top upside-down into the bottom.  Because the bottom has water in it, when the butter hits the water it creates a vacuum so that your butter stays softened & free of germs.  All you have to do is replace the water every couple of days, and you have softened germ-free butter!  I have loved this for my english muffins in the morning, for corn on the cob this past summer, for my pumpkin bread this fall, for cinnamon raisin bread, for warm dinner rolls ….I mean folks you’ve really got to get one of these things if you don’t have one already!

I really like plain white dishes, so there is nothing to my butter bell. HOWEVER, there are some really pretty butter bells out there.  Here are some of my favorites:

Blue Bell – Glass Bell – Everyday White Bell – Red Bell

Bird Bell – Marble Bell

Seriously, these are awesome gift ideas for the foodie in your life…..or maybe even a gift for yourself this holiday season :-)

Happy Monday friends!

Teeny Peep Bumpdate- Week 29

Keep’n it real!

Y’all this is real life lol

Dutch absolutely loves to have me read him books, all day everyday. 

This is usually what it looks like as we’re trying to get our weekly bumpdate picture. 

Doesn’t this look a little like last week too? hehehe

Bumpdate with Dutch at 29 weeks

Date: 11/6/15
How far along: 29 weeks
Fruit-size comparison: Butternut squash
Developmental milestones: Baby girl is about 2.5 lbs. already (and this number will probably triple by birth).  Her skull is growing to make room for what I know is going to be a gorgeous brain.  Teeny Peep’s skeleton is beginning to harden and prepare for life outside of the womb.
Maternity clothes: This is probably the same as last week: a mixture of both maternity and my regular clothing.
Weight gain: I’m up 11.5 lbs so far
Stretch Marks: I've got plenty of kisses from heaven from carrying Dutch.  I applied lotions and such daily with that pregnancy, but to be honest I don't think I'm even going to try to prevent future stretch  marks.  I absolutely love these badges of honor and I'm so proud to wear them.
Sleep: I’ve definitely been exhausted & can go to sleep without a problem. However, this week it has been a little bit harder to stay asleep.  I’m getting up a lot to use the restroom of course, and her movements are getting stronger and waking me up, but also I am just restless in my sleep.  My brain is working on over-drive these days.
Best moment of the week: 1- We finalized our birth team this week and I started working on my birth plan.  I am so much more excited about labor and delivery this time.  I think last time I was looking forward to after delivery and I cognitively knew about L&D but I wasn’t really looking forward to the process.  This time I am definitely more motivated and looking forward to the results as well as the process. 2- Remember last week I said that I was really committed to making the decision on Teeny Peep’s scripture?  Well I made my decision, and I’m excited to share it with you soon! 3- Dutch and I spent some time going through my consignment sale shopping piles for Teeny Peep.  He helped me organize by size so that I could start washing.  He loved putting clothes in “sisters” bed.
Movement: Teeny Peep’s movements are getting much bigger and you can see my stomach moving A LOT.  Since my stomach is smaller than my pregnancy with Dutch and she is growing really fast, you can see all of her movements, but her movements are also just much bigger than with Dutch.  I wouldn’t say that she is stronger, because her jabs generally aren’t painful or hard, they are just way more frequent & larger.  I think she does more rolling around, whereas Dutch was more of a kicker.  However, I will say that Dutch never woke me up from sleep with his movements (except one time when he flipped head-down at 27 weeks) but she definitely has with a swift jab to the bladder.  Based on her  movements right now, I think she is in a transverse position, so I’m still praying that she makes the big flip soon.
Cravings: Sweets….yummmmmmmm! I finally got my glucose results back last week & thankfully they're fine so I can keep eating my cookies :-)
Gender: Baby girl!!
Belly button: I think that I can officially say that I’ve got an outtie :-) 
Wedding Ring: Still on and not feeling tight yet thank goodness
Anything making you queasy/sick: Nothing except how long my to do list is growing ahhhhh!
What I miss: Sushi!
What I’m looking forward to: The holiday season has me thrilled, but I’m not wishing time away at all.  I’m enjoying one day at a time..
Labor signs: I had more Braxton Hicks this week, so it looks like my body is getting ready for labor again.
Symptoms: I am starting to definitely feel very large, and things are getting much harder to do on my own (without grunting).  I am having to use the restroom a lot more because of how low she is getting and all of the pressure that is building up on my bladder.  Every time I stand up, I have to use the restroom simply due to gravity.  My heartburn has been flaring up again despite taking my meds morning and night; occasionally I’m watching the clock for when I can take another heartburn pill.  This baby girl must be really needing a lot of calcium for her hardening bones right now, & I probably need to eat smaller meals now since she is growing fast now.  My waddle is getting more and more pronounced lol And lastly, I’ve had some acne flair-ups on my face in hormonal regions.
Nursery: There isn't going to be a new nursery.  We plan on having Dutch and Teeny Peep share a room.  It's not that we don't have the space; we do have another bedroom, but we would like our kiddos to share a room when they are younger.  We're thinking this will be a great opportunity to continue building character with our children.  And to be honest, Dutch didn't move into his nursery until he was eight months old, and even then only for a few hours a day until he was 11 months old, so the new baby will probably stay in our room about the same amount of time and then we will do a transition of some sort.  Of course we don't know what it is like to have two children and exactly what it will be like, but this is how we think we are going to try to start.
Emotions:  One evening this week I got up off the couch grunting, and raced to the bathroom to beat gravity.  When I returned, the Mr. asked me, “are you ready to be done being pregnant yet?” And honestly, my answer was “No”.  I know I just listed a lot of pregnancy symptoms above like not getting consistent sleep, acne, feeling the size of the White House, heartburn pill count-downs, and a waddle that could rival the ugliest of ducklings, but, BUT, I wouldn’t change this for the world.  I absolutely love all of these pregnancy symptoms and I’m so grateful that I have them because it means there is a baby in my womb.  The Lord is growing a daughter for our family in my womb, and that makes me so incredibly grateful.  I adore being pregnant, and I adore all of the symptoms that come with it.  I would do this all over again if it meant that we could add more babies to Team Hawley.  I’m not annoyed in the least.  I continue to sit in awe of the Lord's sovereign majesty.

Everydays

Obviously I eat everyday, and I sleep everyday, blah blah blah, there are many things that we all do everyday.  However, aside from the normal things, there are five other things that I make sure I do everyday.  Now you might be thinking that chugging consumption of coffee would be on this list, and to be honest I thought it would be too, but you and I were both wrong. HA!  As shocking as it is, there are some things that just trump coffee, and I’m going to share them with you :-)
1. Wake Up Call @ 6:30am- It doesn’t matter if it is a weekday or a weekend, I get up everyday by 6:30 am.  The Mr. is up and out of the house by 4:15 am, so technically I sleep late in our house ;-)  Dutch is not allowed to get out of his bed until 8am.  He usually sleeps until then, but if he doesn’t he knows that he is not allowed to leave his bed until I come get him at 8am.  He can rest, sing, or talk in his bed, but he will stay there until I come get him.  So even if he gets up early, he knows that he has to wait until mama comes to get him.  We have found this to help build character and patience.  So with my hubby out of the house early & the baby getting up late, the reason I get up by 6:30 is because I need this time to get ready for the day.  Before going to bed I always straighten the house so that when I wake up things are orderly and the house is ready for another whirlwind day, so when I say that I need to get ready for the day I mean that I need to get me ready for the day.  During this time I wash my face and get dressed for the day, I make sure that everything is set to go for the day (e.g. snacks are packed for play dates, etc.), get breakfast started, and most importantly, have my quiet time with the Lord.  If I don’t do this before the world wakes up it wont get done, and I need this time to keep myself in line and engaged with God.  By the time Dutch gets up at 8am, I’m ready to be a godly wife and mama.  Now I usually need check points throughout the day, because I’m not perfect and I fail a lot, but I at least want to try and start off the day with my best foot forward. 

2. Dishes & Countertops- Waking up to a full sink of dishes or cluttered counter tops drives me insane!  I just can't deal and I will totally hulk-out.  Before bed, before leaving the house, before company, before chill-out time, that kitchen sink has to be empty and the counters have to be cleaned.  When I say cleaned, I mean that all clutter needs to be put away and the counters must be sprayed with cleaner.  This just makes me feel orderly; it has to be done lol  And really if the counters are cleared of debris then that means everything is being dealt with and procrastination isn't an issue: bills are filed away, mail is opened, etc.  This just keeps us on track and not behind on anything.  Also I loathe going to write something like a thank you note on the counter, and accidentally placing my stationary in jam that was hiding on the counter tops.  No way! Not happening in Chateau Hawley!  Those counters are clean!

3. Put On My Face- I wash my face and put makeup on everyday, even if I'm not going anywhere except the Starbucks drive-thru (see #4).  I put on my makeup even if I'm just wearing a tank top and yoga pants, which, my dear friends, happens a lot lol  I "put on my face" everyday, not for my son, not for my husband, not for the individual handing me my latte at Starbucks, not for the cashier checking out my groceries, not for anyone else, but me.  I put on my makeup because it makes me feel confident and pretty.  Isn't that why we're supposed to wear makeup anyways?! Not for others but for ourselves?  When I put my makeup on I feel put together.  Maybe it's my southern roots? I don't know, and to be completely honest, I don't really care.  It's something that I do for me every morning so that I feel ready to tackle the day with beauty and confidence.  It changes my outlook on the day, and makes me more optimistic & courageous.

4. Get Out!- I think I’ve probably mentioned this around here before, but Dutch and I leave the house at least once everyday.  This could be something as big as a play date, library visit, field trip to the museum, or even one of Dutch’s school days.  OR, it could be as simple as a trip to the grocery store or the Starbucks drive-thru.  We are people that need to get out and have a change of scenery.  Leaving once everyday gives us structure and gets us going everyday. 

5. Make the Bed- I make our bed every morning.  Now when I say make the bed, I mean make. the. bed.  I fluff the pillows, add the blanket at the base of the bed, tuck in the sheets…… you get the idea.  By having the bed made our bedroom looks put together and orderly, and therefore our bedroom remains a peaceful place to retreat to at the end of the day.  But also anytime throughout the day when I walk past our bedroom or fold laundry on the bed, I feel like things are in place and it has a calming effect for me. 

So those are my five things folks.....these trump coffee!  But I will admit that I'm usually drinking a cup of coffee while these tasks are being done.

I just have to do these five things everyday.

What are some things that you just have to do everyday?

Sage Sausage Stuffing

You know what makes me feel soooo old? Constantly commenting on how fast time is going….and I do it all. the. time.  Seriously!  I have a problem! I am consistently fighting against the clock, and then when I say time is flying by I feel old…..this is a lose-lose situation that I need to get over…..but there is no time for that!  lol

You know how people are always saying at the end of the year something like, “Can you believe that it’s almost Christmas already?” Well it’s officially November and those comments are going to start happening more and more.  Before we know it, we will be ringing in the next year.  Since the holidays are coming, we better start getting on board and preparing for the holidays, whether we’re ready or not!  This recipe that I’m sharing with you today is one of my favorite Thanksgiving and Christmas dishes.  I don’t know why I don’t make it throughout the year; I wish I did because it’s so delicious.  Maybe saving it for the holidays makes it more special?  I don’t know but this is definitely one you’ve got to add to your menu for Thanksgiving and Christmas!  It smells so good throughout the house and always gets me into the holiday spirit!


Ingredients:
1 stick melted better
1 large onion, diced
4 celery stalks, diced
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 and ½ tsp dried thyme
1lb sage sausage
2 cups chicken broth (or 2 chicken bullion cubes dissolved in 2 cups of hot water)
1 fresh loaf white bread, cubed

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Melt butter, and sauté onion, celery, salt, pepper, and thyme for about 8 minutes
3. Add in sausage and cook until brown.
4. Place diced bread into a 9 x 13 casserole dish.
5. Pour chicken broth and sausage mixture over top of the bread.
6. Bake for 30-45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.
7. Enjoy

Teeny Peep Bumpdate- Week 28

Bumpdate with Dutch at 28 weeks

Date: 10/31/15
How far along: 28 weeks
Fruit-size comparison: An eggplant
Developmental milestones: Teeny Peep is not only blinking, but she can see light through my stomach.  Billions of neurons (brain cells) are proliferating; I can’t tell you how happy this makes me :-)   She will spend the majority of her time left  in my tummy getting chunkier since the majority of the major organs have developed.
Maternity clothes: I’m still mixing my wardrobe with both maternity and pre-pregnancy clothes.
Weight gain: I’m up 11 lbs
Stretch Marks: I've got plenty of kisses from heaven from carrying Dutch.  I applied lotions and such daily with that pregnancy, but to be honest I don't think I'm even going to try to prevent future stretch  marks.  I absolutely love these badges of honor and I'm so proud to wear them.
Sleep: I love sleep and I can’t get enough.
Best moment of the week: 1- I know this isn’t really pregnancy related, but Halloween was really fun this year with Dutch.  Watching him learn the traditions and seeing everything with fresh eyes was magical.  We are looking forward to adding a new baby to the traditions next year.  Now I need to start thinking of an awesome sibling costume for them, right? 2- I am starting to set up some of the newborn equipment and getting a space ready for her in our room.  I feel very behind and like I don’t have enough time or hands to get things done.  Hopefully between now and January I can spend a little bit of time every week working on baby prep so I don’t have a melt down.  3- With Dutch we had a verse that we prayed over him years before he was conceived.  For Teeny Peep, I’m struggling to pick her verse.  I have so many that I can’t narrow it down.  I want them all lol  This week I’m determined to settle on one for her. Stay tuned…
Movement: Yes, she is definitely moving and at very predictable times.  She also doesn’t like when I set something cold on my stomach (like a bowl of ice cream).   She kicks my ice cream bowl now, but I’m sure she’ll learn to like it ;-)
Cravings: Sweets, especially European Belgian chocolate cookies :-)
Gender: Baby girl!!
Belly button: Oh my belly button is doing some funny things these days lol I’m not sure if this makes sense of not, but I think I have an inside-out innie: the bottom of my belly button and the top of my belly button are poking out so now it looks like I have an innie, but an innie that pokes out.  Does that make any sense?! hahaha 
Wedding Ring: Still on and not feeling tight yet thank goodness
Anything making you queasy/sick: Nothing except how long my to do list is growing ahhhhh!
What I miss: Nothing :-)
What I’m looking forward to: I am looking forward to Thanksgiving.  I love being pregnant for Thanksgiving. Best. Thing. Ever!  I’m also looking forward to doing baby laundry.  This was my favorite preparation activity with Dutch, and I still love doing his laundry.  I can’t wait to add in Teeny Peep’s laundry.
Labor signs: I’ve had a few minor Braxton Hicks contractions but nothing major, predictable, or uncomfortable yet.
Symptoms: I’m starting to rock a pretty awesome waddle if I’ve been standing for a while.
Nursery: There isn't going to be a new nursery.  We plan on having Dutch and Teeny Peep share a room.  It's not that we don't have the space; we do have another bedroom, but we would like our kiddos to share a room when they are younger.  We're thinking this will be a great opportunity to continue building character with our children.  And to be honest, Dutch didn't move into his nursery until he was eight months old, and even then only for a few hours a day until he was 11 months old, so the new baby will probably stay in our room about the same amount of time and then we will do a transition of some sort.  Of course we don't know what it is like to have two children and exactly what it will be like, but this is how we think we are going to try to start.
Emotions: Since entering the third trimester I think I’m starting to see a little bit more anxiety.  I know that I’m not nearly as ready for this baby to come home as I was at this point with Dutch.  My million mile long to-do list has barely been touched.  With the holidays here, and about 12 weeks or less until her arrival I’m starting to freak out a little with everything that I need to do.