what's so great about today?

three years ago today, Joseph and i were married on a beautiful hill overlooking the willamette valley. it was warm and breezy, and the lavender was in bloom, it's scent filling the air. i didn't trip going down the aisle, that was hadley. :) and all was well. 

three years later, all is still well. we don't get as much sleep, but we don't mind:)

xoxo, al

11 months with our little love.

so in one month we will be celebrating cece's birthday. i have a hard time believing it's that time already, but here we are, at 11 months yesterday.

cece is our little doll. she's crawling all over, non-stop. she walks around furniture, and stands alone without holding on for as long as 10 seconds. she loves to walk with our fingers to hold onto. she will be on her own in no time at all. 

she loves yogurt, scrambled eggs, tofu, long walks at the mall and daddy's arrival home from work. 

cece and her sister are in love, and she's happiest when haddy is with us. school mornings are kind of sad. we try to keep busy and get out for all our errands so she can make new friends at target, kroger, etc. 

she still usually sleeps through the night. just a couple binkie replacements towards morning. but we've had a crummy night here and there, waking every hour. 

cece loves to read "that's not my snowman" and her sister's highlights magazine. she also enjoys just about any music she hears. perhaps she will be a little dancer. she sure knows how to shake it. 

next month we look forward to sharing her first birthday with you all!

xoxo, al

Bumpdate? ok!

we made it to 28 weeks! baby g3 is doing so well. thanks for asking.

baby is measuring right on. so she's about 2.5lbs, and 16 inches.

her favorite foods are ice cream, cucumbers with ranch and peanut butter and honey sandwiches.

her favorite activities are quiet time on mommy's left side, doing the dishes and bath time.

as you can tell from the photo, i am oober tired. like two oobers, i think. i have never been more thankful for a weekend, and am ever so happy joseph is actually off tomorrow. i could use the company and help.

my heartburn is awesome. zantac is delish. the back pain is terrible, so much worse than either previous pregnancy. i can't wait to see what it's like over the next 12 weeks!

the snow is finally almost gone here, and it's warming up. i am enjoying no more winter boots, i've worn a skirt once, and i've been outside without a coat on. things are looking good here. 

i am looking forward to my glucose test on monday and our 29 week appointment on thursday. hoping they will schedule another ultrasound, given that our gender ultrasound at 20 weeks was fairly inconclusive. (though we've been referring to baby g3 as a her.)

and now, i am going to fall asleep to the dodger game on tv as we snuggle under the electric blanket, for perhaps one of it's last nights on our bed. come on, spring!

xoxo, al

CeCe Pants

cece fianlly made it to her 9 month appointment! her last appointment was cancelled due to the level 3 snow emergency. 

this adorable babe is 10 months and 7 days today. she's gained about half a pound since her last well visit, so as you can see, shes right on track with hadley. teeny tiny.

she's crawling like crazy, of course, and walking along furniture, between furniture, and now squatting on her two feet. in no time miss caroline will be standing unassisted. way to go, girlfriend.

cece's favorite foods are ritz crackers, grillers, yogurt, applesauce, and anything off mom or dad's plates. and she is really looking forward to peanut butter soon.

our little lady does not enjoy the snow, or cold. she hates socks, shoes, coats, and cold. bummer for her, living in ohio. she is looking forward to spring soon.

but aren't we all?!?! it. is. cold. 

xoxo, al

don't be judgy.

so this thing happened last week. and if you follow me on social media, especially facebook, it's likely you caught my rant. 

at the time, i wanted to blog about it. but once i slept on it, my nasty attitude was long gone. it had been replaced with the urge to bond with other moms with completely different parenting styles. 

super long story short, while i was out at the grocery store, cece was due for a bottle. so, i fed her one. and as i walked the aisles holding the bottle, i met a woman and her children, and she gave me the nastiest look that said "i can't believe you don't breast feed her. you know that's best."

and i wish she'd known my struggle to get cece to latch. the tears. my worry. my disappointment. my guilt. and i wish she'd known that i'd just barely realized i was done being ashamed to feed bottles in public. snap.

i like to think i am pretty open minded. i cloth diaper, more often than not. i breast fed hadley, with difficulty, and supplemented formula. i babywear. i am from portland, oregon, for crying out loud...

they say the midwest is so friendly. i'd say it is a lot more judgy than the pacific northwest. 

so, have you seen this commercial? i love it. it is so universal, and requires no further explanation. well, except, note the sponsor.

and now, go forth and don't be judgy. there's more than one way to raise a child!

xoxo, al

20 week bumpdate

i am never very consistent with these, nor do i care to be. but here it is, this time:)

20 weeks!!

baby is the size of a mango

ultrasound said 12 ounces, we think

also, it did NOT tell us boy or girl...

i'm tired. that is about it. 

i like carbs and chicken.

baby is just starting to kick more. not sure i'd really even felt it up until like a week ago. 

well that's it for now, folks.

xoxo, al

MLK JR

as we drove home from school friday, hadley asked me if i knew about Martin Luther King JR. i was so pleased her teachers had addressed this holiday, as i know a lot of these days off school go unnoticed by preschoolers. i was extremely impressed by her grasp of MLK JR and what he stood for. 

hadley told me MLK JR had very dark skin, and lots people with our skin didn't like him, or other dark skinned people just because of their color. hadley thinks this is ridiculous. A. MEN. SISTER.

and she can't believe he got shot. yes, her teachers went there.

then the conversation moved on. snacks, books, playing in the basement, can we go see daddy at work, etc.

"hey, i have a cousin with really dark skin, and i love him a lot."

and then we ate lunch.

i am thankful my girl lives in a time, place and situation where she thinks it is crazy to treat someone any differently because they are different, for any reason. and i am so thankful for sweet justin and the happiness he brings to our family, and for teaching hadley love is blind.

xoxo, al