Silly Jilly and her "Guys"

Silly Jilly LOVES her stuffed animals!  She reminds me so much of myself when I was a little girl because I LOVED all my stuffed animals too...so much so that I still sleep with my favorite one, a panda bear named Andy that I have had since I was 5.

She is so funny about her stuffed animals.  She calls the bunch her "guys."  Sometimes she is content to have just 1 or 2 of them by her side, accompanying her to the breakfast table or to color.  Other times, the whole gang is making the trek with us to the grocery store or for Sunday morning snuggles in Mommy and Daddy's bed.

This particular day, she told me she wanted to take a picture with Mickey and Minnie because they matched her pajama shirt.  She insisted that we take a break from our morning hustle and bustle routine to take this pic.  But it wasn't long till she was reaching for her crib to "take a picture with all my guys."  (And I may or may not have been 15 minutes late to work this day in order to take time to enjoy this little impromptu photo shoot...it's the little joys of being a mommy!)

So she lined them up one by one.  She was sure to sit them in each other's lap or to make sure that they were all looking up at Mommy and saying "cheese!"

Yup, these are the guys she sleeps with every night.  From left to right, front to back: Abby Cadabby (from Mommy and Daddy, to match her Halloween costume), Violet (from Mami Mari and Papi Papo), Mickey (from Granny), her Easter Bunny that says the "Now I Lay me Down to Sleep" prayer (given to her on her first Easter from Grandma and Grandpa), Lady (or "Wow Wow" as she used to call her, this was her first stuffed animal she got attached to, from Auntie Chuya), Bubble Puppy (from the Bubble Guppies, her favorite show, given to her by us on Christmas), Minnie (her current favorite, from Granny), and Monkey (bought for Jillian before she was born...before we really even knew we were having a girl).

Who knows if years from now, these will all still be with us...for now, I just wanted to remember each of her guys because she loves them so much.  They take up some space in her crib, but she seriously stays awake until they are all in there...she can tell if one is missing (so I have to sneak into her room in the middle of the night to wash them, haha)!

Silly Jilly loves her guys!  And we love to see her snuggle with them, love on them, or treat them like they are real.  It is clear that they each hold a special place in her heart, just like the people who gave them to her!

15 weeks!

In case you are wondering, I'm wearing the same thing as last week.  I have taken a photo each week in the same outfit.

How far along: 15 weeks, 4 days

I look/feel: like one of the Seven Dwarfs, Sneezy! 

No, but seriously...I've got the red nose, droopy eyes, and definitely rockin' a baby bump these days!  There is this strange side effect of pregnancy where you produce a lot of mucous...glamorous, I know!  This is one of the many things that they don't tell you about before you get pregnant.  

Jillian is: Definitely Happy!  

The other day, Julian picked her up from school and her teachers told him that she had been walking around all day saying "I'm so happy!"  She is most definitely Julian's child because Lord knows I don't walk around saying I am so happy all the time.  Gotta love her!!!

Julian is: If I'm Sneezy and Jillian is Happy, Julian must be a Dwarf too...I'd say he's Sleepy.  Sleepy because he is a studying machine with a strenuous job, an active child, and a sneezy wife...so he's over-worked, coming home just in time to play hide and seek with Jillian, studying till the wee hours of the morning, then not sleeping at night because I won's stop sneezing.   Poor Julian!

Bubby is: OK, so to complete the Dwarf family, we'll say Bubby is Bashful.  Pretty much every time we do a sonogram, he/she turns away from the camera and faces the other way.  Silly Bubby baby!

Crazy pregnancy moment of the week: The emotional crying continues, nothing new there.  And lots of crazy dreams too...I had one the other night about being in a water park with my family.  And then somehow it transitioned into a team-building activity with my students.  Who knows?!

I am craving: Salads...all day...everyday.  

Gender prediction: Still think it's a boy, but I made a list of all the stuff we'd have to get if it's a boy vs. the stuff we'd have to get if it's a girl.  Let's just say, it made me hopeful for a girl to spend 1/2 as much on baby stuff!  

On the to-do list: Go through maternity clothes to pick out enough "business professional/casual" outfits for a 4-day leadership conference in Dallas this weekend.  Thank goodness for Katy, Meredith, and Christen and the maternity clothes sharing system.  Surely, there is enough between 3 different bins to pull out 4 comfy/decent outfits!

Oh, and since this out-of-town trip equals quality Daddy/Daughter bonding time, my to-do list also includes laying out Jillian's school clothes and pajamas (oh, and accessories) for 4 days, preparing enough food so they don't both starve, and making extensive (read: anal-retentive) lists (that Julian probably won't use/need).  

A Girl's First Mani/Pedi

There are so many firsts that you experience with a child.  First smile, first coo, first laugh, first time she rolls over, first solid food, first birthday....  The list goes on and on.  But there are some firsts that are unique to little girls, like her first pony tail, first earrings, first love, and the birth of her first child (...as I hold back the overly emotional pregnancy tears) .  

Jillian had one of her major girly "firsts" the day before her 2nd birthday...her first mani/pedi!  

Even though she was a little under the weather, I took her to a nail salon.  I told her she was going to get her nails painted.  I'm not sure that she understood exactly what that meant, but I told her to pick colors.  Of course, she picked purple ("Purple is my favorite!  Purple is mommy's favorite too!") and a bright pink to go with it.  

We sat down in the comfy chair and they got started on her hands first.  Even though she had never done this before, and really she had never seen me do it either, she was an instant pro!  I swear, this girl, she is a girly girl to the max.  She held out her hands so delicately, fanning out each finger. Such a priss!

The nail salon technician did a little design on her nails to combine the colors.  After perfecting her mani, she started on Jillian's first pedi.  

Daddy showed up just in time to catch them working on her nails.  After all, this is a major first that he will see our daughter through, too. I think Julian thought I was crazy for getting her nails done.  But this craziness is nothing compared to the craziness he'll see when we pick out her prom dress or do her makeup for her first date!

Jillian loved getting her nails done.  She talks all the time about "paint nails."  Even after they were done, she held her hands and feet out to make sure she didn't mess up her nails.  Typical girl!

I can't wait to continue sharing all these firsts with our daughter, my precious baby girl!

14 Weeks

How far along: 14 weeks, 4 days

I look/feel: Surprisingly, I don't feel that pregnant...and I was told by my admin assistant that I don't look pregnant either.  I think that was a compliment. =) Although, truth be told, I am clinging to my regular clothes for as long as I can.  I am still wearing a good majority of my pants (so what if they are unbuttoned, they are still fitting...for now).

This has honestly been a very easy pregnancy so far.  No real morning sickness, my loss of energy period was over the holidays so I could sleep a lot, and I have only gained 1.5 pounds so far.  I am not holding my breath that this trend will continue though, since I gained A LOT with Jillian.  It probably helps that I lost all that weight (and some) after Jillian so I am starting from a better place this time around.  I am trying not to focus on the weight too much this time around, just trying to eat a little better.  

How is the baby: Baby is as long as a lemon right now (3.5 inches) and weighs 1.5 ounces.  We got to see the baby at our doctor's visit this week and he/she is starting to look like a little human (and not just a moving white blob on the screen)!  We were able to see distinct limbs and the baby's spine was straight.

Early on during the pregnancy, we needed a way to distinguish which "baby" we were talking about.  We still call Jillian "baby" sometimes, so this baby got the nickname "Bubby."

Julian is: not too focused on Bubby right now!  He is applying for graduate school right now and that takes up a lot of his time and focus. But after that is done, we will get to work on Bubby's nursery (I hope).

Jillian is: so funny these days!  She reads her big sister book every night and sometimes she randomly gets excited about the baby in mommy's belly.  Only time she is not a fan of me being pregnant is when I don't let her bounce on my belly.  She will frown, and then rub my belly and say "gotta be gentle with the baby."  I think she is going to be a great big sister!

Crazy pregnancy moment of the week: Well, I have not had too many pregnancy symptoms, but there are 2 that are out in full force...the crazy dreams and the strong emotions (read: Amber is a hot crying mess!).  This week's crying mess happened after watching the Grammy's...I teared up about a million times watching all those artists live their dream of winning a Grammy.  But I lost it when I saw Prince...PRINCE!  Why on earth did seeing Prince make me cry?!?!?!  Who knows these days...

I am craving: This week, chocolate milk.  I felt like such a fail mom when I sneakily put a pack of Nesquik in our shopping cart at the store.  And then I hid it in the pantry so that Jillian wouldn't see it and think it was for her.  We don't give her chocolate milk and I don't want to start, but I can't believe I am hiding this from my child...fail mom!!!

Gender prediction: Well, Jillian thinks she is having a baby sister 9 times out of 10.  I think it's because she is going to be a big "sister" so she mostly says baby "sister."  But Julian and I have thought this was a boy since the beginning.  I am almost convinced since this pregnancy is so different than my pregnancy with Jillian.  Only 32 more days till we find out, but who's counting?!

On the to-do list: On second thought, it might be more than 32 days till we find out.  I know that I want to have a gender reveal party and I think it would be fun to find out the same time as all the guests at our party. So I am spending lots of time pinning on Pinterest all the fun and creative ways to do a gender reveal party.  We will see if I think Julian and I can wait the 4-5 extra days to find out!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day from our 2 Little Loves!

Hope your day was filled with lots of love! 

Silly Jilly: Jillian's Version of the Immaculate Conception

I know the Cotton Bowl was over a month ago, but since I had not gone public that I was pregnant, I couldn't share this story until now.

As soon as I found out I was pregnant, Julian and I told Jillian that she was going to be a big sister and that Mommy had a baby in her belly.  That was in early December.

On January 4, the day of the Cotton Bowl, I woke Jillian up and told her it was time to get ready for "Gig 'Em Aggies Day."  We started putting on her A&M shirt and I was trying to get her to practice saying "Gig 'Em Aggies," "Whoop!", and "Go Johnny Football!"

Mommy: Jillian, can you say Go Johnny Football?  Yay Johnny Football?

Jillian: No Johnny Football.   Johnny Football in Mommy's belly.  

Mommy: (thoroughly confused) What? No, Johnny Football is not in Mommy's belly.

Jillian: (lifting up my shirt) Yes, Johnny Football in Mommy's belly.

Mommy: Oh no!  How is he going to get out?  He needs to show up to play for the Aggies today!

Jillian: (lifting up my shirt again) Johnny Football, get out of Mommy's belly.  Only Jesus in Mommy's belly!

I was floored...I could not stop laughing...just completely in shock!  Where does this little girl come up with this stuff?!?!

So apparently I had not one, but two, Immaculate Conceptions...one of the Aggies' Savior, Johnny Football, and one of our Lord Savior, Baby Jesus!

To this day, she still says Johnny Football is in my belly (and we all know he's not...boy did he show up the day of the Cotton Bowl!).  And how on earth she thought to say Jesus was in my belly...well, that was nothing short of a hilarious blessing!

Hope you got a kick out of this story as much as we did.  Silly Jilly...

Maybe it's a sign that this child in my belly is a boy...and is going to be a star football player...and...

Jillian on the day of the Cotton Bowl saying "Gig 'Em"

Jillian's BIG Promotion

"What does my shirt say?"

"Hey guys, look at this..."

"I think my shirt says I'm being promoted to Big Sister!"

"Do you know what that means?"

"I think it means that Mommy and Daddy are going to have another baby!"

"That means I will have a new baby brother or sister to play with!"

"Mommy told me he or she will be here in August!"

"Hooray!  I am looking forward to my BIG promotion to Big Sister!"

Happy Birthday, Jillian!

Happy 2nd Birthday Jillian!  We had a low-key day to celebrate Jillian's actual birthday since she had her party last weekend and since she is sick with a double ear infection.  We tried our best to make her day special and we did anything she wanted to do all day long.  

I asked her if she wanted her birthday tradition happy face pancakes for her birthday...but she insisted on cereal instead (and at this point, I am happy if she eats at all because her appetite is gone).   And of course, she wanted to watch cartoons all morning too!

Birthday girl with sicky eyes

In the early afternoon, Jillian jumped in the jump-o-lene as we waited for Daddy to get home from work.  She asked me if she could go to the park for her birthday "with mommy and daddy...together!"  

Daddy got home just in time to meet us at the park.  Julian played with her and climbed up and down.  It was the biggest smiles I had seen from her in days.  No one can quite make Jillian smile like her Daddy!

Upside down birthday girl

Tickle me Daddy!  Push me Daddy!

Then we had a picnic at the park for lunch!  

Jillian asked to come home and she was surprised to find her birthday presents when we got home!  Though we had given her a majority of her gifts at her party, she got a few more cards and a few more gifts. 

Since Christmas and her party just happened, she is a pro at unwrapping now.  

We got her a chef's dress-up set and a pizza set to compliment all her food and her kitchen.

All that playing wore Jillian out and she gladly took a nap with Mommy.  And I got sweet birthday snuggles with my baby girl!

A snack after nap...look at the flowers and balloon that Daddy got me! 

After dinner (and a little Super Bowl watching), we sang Happy Birthday to Jillian.  

Then it was time for birthday wishes and she blew out her candle...and then we repeated this about 5 more times!

Here is a video of Jillian singing Happy Birthday to herself!

I am sure Jillian's birthday wishes included Bubble Guppies and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on repeat all day, fruit snacks and goldfish for every meal, and for every day to be just like today.  But as she blew out her candle, I wished for much more for her.

I wished for her to stay this sweet, this cute, and this little forever.  I wished for her to always know how much we love her.  I wished for her to have 100 more birthdays that were just as happy as this one!  I wished for us to cherish every minute of every day of the rest of her life because it is all going so fast!  And I also thanked God a lot for blessing the past 2 years of our life so much by bringing us this little slice of heaven in the form of our baby girl, Jillian!

Happy Birthday Jilly Bear!