update

     We are now six weeks into the school year and we are all finally getting back into a routine and adjusting to the new schedule. G and I struggled a lot in August with adjusting to me being back at work all day. The school day is an hour longer this year than in past years. Therefore I am with children all day long. I have no time to plan, prepare, grade papers, communicate with parents, etc. until after the students go home at 3:30. However, since I want to see my child for a few hours each day I pack it all up and work from home after she goes to bed. It has made for some very late nights for me and my weekends are not my own. Rather I spend them working on school work:  planning lessons, preparing materials, grading papers, emailing parents, creating curriculum resources, and the list goes on and on. I will lose sleep before I give up time to play and interact with my baby girl. If you are reading this and have a school age child, thank their teacher. You will never know the personal time they sacrifice with their own family for your child.
     We have a very active two year old. She loves ponies. Earlier this month our church had a block party. At the block party G got the opportunity to ride a pony. Brian and I thought she would chicken out, but she surprised us all and LOVED it. She wanted to do it again, but unfortunately the line was very long so we only rode once. She still talks about it today.

     G also LOVES princesses right now. We went to my cousin's wedding last week and she thought the bride was a beautiful princess. She also thought the mother of the groom was a princess because she had on a pretty, pink dress. G got to talk to both princesses and the mother of the groom even held her and danced with her. G was ecstatic. Then the mother of the groom had to put G down and talk to other people. That's when G lost it. She was so upset and wanted the princess. It was quite funny. Needless to say, we have since got her a princess dress for Halloween. G will be Cinderella this year.
     We talk to G about her baby brother almost daily. She knows his name and also calls him baby brother. I think she is going to have a lot of adjustments come December in sharing her Mommy and Daddy. We know she will do fine and she isn't the first child to get a sibling. I think she is going to LOVE having Mommy home all day everyday again. G and Mommy are both counting down the days til Mommy is back home full time!

23 1/2 weeks

G checking our her brother's bed and wanting in the belly picture.

Loving on Uncle Nick at the wedding reception.

     G is quite the singer. She loves going to Kindermusik class and is singing more and more. She will sing her Kindermusik songs, songs from the Frozen soundtrack, and her ABCs. She loves listening to music and DANCING. We often have dance parties in our living room. She has also recently learned to count. She can count all the way up to ten! Mommy and Daddy are so proud of our smart, beautiful girl. She still loves to read books. She listens to Mommy and Daddy read. She reads on her own and does a really good job. It is so sweet. She will read to Wrigley any time he will lay with her. She also reads to her stuffed animals. She can get them to sit still longer than Wrigley.

     We have a very busy fall ahead of us. Our weekends are booked solid. We have trips planned to the pumpkin patch, the zoo, yard chores to finish before winter, meals to cook and freeze in preparation for baby's birth, BOO at the zoo, the Fall Festival, and many more activities. We hope we can get it all in. Fall is always here and gone so quickly. We are all loving the weather!

     We are blessed to have photographers in our family. My sister and brother-in-law did a fabulous job with G's two year photo shoot. Thank you Roberson Photography!

its a BOY

     The day before I went back to work, Brian and I headed to my OB's office to have our gender ultrasound. We were thrilled to see that all is well with baby #3. We were also beyond excited to hear we are having a BOY this time. All of the old wives tales were true for us with this third and boy pregnancy:  I have LOVED orange juice, in my first trimester I was sick in the afternoon, I am carrying lower, his heart rate was lower than his sisters' from the beginning. Our son will make his arrival sometime in December.
     Brian and Giada had both guessed this baby was a boy. I wasn't convinced and thought we were having another girl until the ultrasound. Giada is excited to have a baby brother. She loves to show off his room and crib. We talk about him a lot and she loves to hug and blow raspberries on my belly.
     We have been going through all of our girl clothes and trading them in for some boy clothes. The nursery is almost complete. We are decorating in a Chicago Bears and Cubs theme, and I've had to remind Brian more than once that it is our son's nursery and not Daddy's man cave. We are such a sports loving family. Giada even says "DAA BEARS" when we are watching football. We love it!

     I am now 24+ weeks pregnant. I've had numerous ultrasounds. My doctor is taking very good care of me and monitoring my pregnancy very closely. It has been very reassuring since I began feeling our little man move. He is very active. Brian has felt him move several times. He is so strong Brian can often see my belly moving. Every movement is so reassuring of his life, I don't even mind that it keeps me up at 11:00pm. I have another ultrasound at the end of this month as well as my glucose test.