It's real

Drew and I went for my monthly checkup today. I am 12 weeks already, which means that we got to hear the heartbeat. That is one of the most amazing things to ever experience, even though Dr. S couldn't get a loud, strong heartbeat. The good news, though, is that we confirmed that there are NOT 2 heartbeats in there!!! A few weeks ago, Drew mentioned something about us for sure not having twins, so I just knew that he jinxed us. Luckily he didn't! :)

As for the most popular question that I got during my last pregnancy and am getting again...how am I feeling. Answer: STARVING 24/7!!! I wake up hungry, get hungry while I'm eating (literally, my stomach will growl half through my meal), and go to bed hungry. I'm not complaining about this at all, but I can't get over how uncontrollable this is. It's completely different from when I was preggers with ME, which leads me to think we're having a boy this time. And I've noticed that most people that have taken our poll are agreeing with me. We'll be happy either way.

New items on Deesigns by Erin

Be sure to check out my business blog by clicking here or on my logo at the top right corner, and tell others about me. I've added a few new items on my site but am still working on a few new projects. Of course, when I got started, I realized I didn't have all the materials that I needed so getting started has taking me a lot longer than I hoped for. But please keep checking out my blog and let me know if you're interested in ordering anything!

ME's 15-month checkup

I realize that this post isn't very exciting, but this blog is also a scrapbook for our family. So I enter these updates mainly for myself.

I've completely enjoyed my Spring Break this week! I've loved being able to spend as much time as I want with ME!!! I wish that could happen everyday! It's a lot easier, too, since I know her schedule now that she's older. Having a routine this week has helped me get things on my to-do-list complete. We probably haven't done anything exciting in most people's eyes, but I think we have (i.e. run around the house and scream, dance a whole bunch, practice finding the baby in Mommy's tummy, and stroll through stores...one of my favorite things to do with her curious mind).

ME was such a brave girl today. She got her 15-month shots and checkup today. Luckily, she only cried for a few seconds when the nurse stuck her. Ugh, it breaks my heart to watch that! But I don't feel to bad about it since I got three cavities filled yesterday morning (translate that to 3 shots in the mouth and a crooked smile for a few hours)!

15-month stats:

Weight: 24.4 lbs (71%)

Length: 31" (66%)

Head: 18" (44%) *I think I need to remeasure b/c I just noticed that this measurement is smaller than her 12-month checkup. Can a head really shrink? But the good news, though, is that her head isn't soooooo big!

Other new talent that I forgot to add: She can click her tongue and sway her head whenever you say "clock" or any word that ends with the /k/ sound. Pretty cute!

Baby girl, I love you so much! Thank you for such a fun week!

15 months already

Miss Personality

As usual, I can't believe that Mary Elizabeth is 15 months today! Man, I'm really enjoying this stage that she's in right now, too! Everyone says that you'll enjoy each stage, but I'm really liking this one because her personality has blossomed so much, and Drew and I are laughing our heads off everyday with her. She is, however, making it difficult to run errands after school because she's on the go and wants to walk around everywhere because of her curious mind. And if she doesn't get her way, she usually sits down, slaps her hands on the floor, throws her head back and lets out a loud scream and hits her forehead on the ground. Let me tell you...not dramatic at all! I know that she couldn't have gotten her drama from me or Drew! :) Luckily, Drama Queen is short lived and she can be coaxed into playing with a toy or something. Actually, it's often hard for me not to laugh at her while she does this because she is so serious about it. Other than that, though, I can't wait for her to wake up in the morning, and I can't wait to see her after school because I have so much fun with her. She's a great exercise program! We're always moving around, mainly dancing and having screaming contests, or loving on Dixie.

New "things" about ME:

• New words: "this" for fish (and still please)
• New talents: She can spit off the deck (thanks to Grandy) and then spit her food at my face (no thanks to Grandy), fly like an airplane, stand and dance on the sit 'n spin, and head bang/bob to music (Thankfully almost all of her toys make music! So much fun at 4 am!), and climb up on her bean bag, the ottoman, and her big rocking horse all by herself.
• New tooth: I just noticed it tonight. I'm not a dentist, but it's the top right bicuspid I think. She wasn't nearly as fussy as she usually is with new teeth coming in, but she still isn't sleeping the whole night through.

DEESigns by Erin

Check out http://deesignsbyerin.blogspot.com!

OK, so I've been working very slowly on heading up my personal business, DEESigns by Erin. Most of you probably don't know that I have a degree in interior design. I worked for a few companies my first few years out of college, but I just felt that I wasn't getting to use my creativity. So I thought I would try something totally different...teaching.

Anyway, I still practice interior design (mainly decorating), and am starting to make some children's products. I know that the economy is very yucko right now, but my rates are not! If you are interested in updating your home, I would be glad to talk to you about how I can help. Or look at the list of my products that I can personally make for you.

Please tell your friends about me, and be sure to check out my website often, as I'll be adding new items and pictures periodically. Spring Break is next week, so I hope to get a lot more pictures uploaded next week!

Surprise!

Our happy family

Yep, that's what I told Drew on Valentine's Day, and that's what we told our family this morning. Believe it or not, ME is going to be a big sister on, or around, October 13 (my mom's birthday). With that being said, it's been so hard to keep this in for a month, but we wanted to wait until Drew's dad got here this weekend so we could tell everyone together.

How I "told" Drew:

First of all, if you ever want to keep a secret from Drew, don't let him near the trash! Here's why...

I thought that I might be pregnant on Valentine's Day, so I took a test and decided to wait until dinner to tell Drew. But Drew saw the test wrapper in the trash before I could tell him. He came out and asked me if I was pregnant while I was feeding ME her dinner. My response: I started to cry, then I said yes. I think the tears were from shock and excitement (and maybe hormones).

How we told our family:

I made a t-shirt for ME that said "Big Sister" in rhinestones. After breakfast this morning, I changed ME's diaper and put the shirt on her so she could walk into the Living Room for everyone to see. I guess she was super excited to tell because she ran to the Living Room to show off. Here are some pictures of her shirt. I had her dressed in tights and a denim skirt, but the darn skirt kept riding up and twisting around. Just know that she looked really cute, though!

OK, so now that our news is out in the open, I'm going to need advice from those of you that have kids less than 2 years apart. Although I'm looking forward to them growing up together so close in age, I'm a little nervous about having 2 little ones now.

Also, this exciting blessing is teaching me a lot about listening to God's plan...definitely not mine, or Drew's! I know that He has a reason for "speeding" things up in life when we're not ready to move along, or the opposite; but I feel very fortunate that God has given us this gift, rather it be several months earlier than planned, or months later. I'm just thankful for what He has given us no matter when we get it.

Happy 1st Birthday, Mason!

Yesterday was Mason's 1st birthday, so we celebrated his "Old McDonald"bday today. Anna Carol made everything look so cute! And I know ME had a great time. Here are just a few of the pictures of what she did today. Of course, everytime I got the camera ready, "the moment" passed. Ugh!

She rode in the wagon with Davis. Oh...and Drew had a blast, too! :)

She had some apple juice out of a juice box and shared with Daddy. Isn't this the sweetest?

And she gave Mason his gifts and approved of all of them. Notice that Mason is sitting in Anna Carol's lap and all of the other kids are checking out (er...opening) the gifts.

ME also enjoyed the yummy cupcakes (so did Mommy), Cheetos, Doritos, pigs in a blanket, and burgers. Thanks, Mason, for inviting us! We had a great time!

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

Is it really March? That means that tomorrow is "Read Across America Day", a.k.a Dr. Seuss' birthday. To celebrate, you're supposed to read a book to a child in honor of his birthday. Luckily, ME LOVES books, so that won't be hard to do! But you might want to make sure you have some Girl Scout cookies for you and your child to enjoy also.

Mmmm! I love Thin Mints!

It's raining ducks, fever, paint, and beads!

Last weekend, my parents went to the Heart Ball at the Peabody Hotel. ME and I took LaLa to the hotel to help her get ready. We got there in time to see the ducks before they had to go back upstairs. If you've never been, it's pretty fun to see the kiddos watch the ducks. I have a cute video of her waddling after the ducks on their way back to the elevator. I'd post it, but I'm still trying to figure out how to put video onto my computer.

Can I get in there?

Everyday kid is chosen to act as the "duckmaster". The day we went, 3 brothers were the duckmasters. They were dressed very GQ! As you can see, the youngest brother took a liking in ME. The 1st picture is her on the ducks' stairs talking to the duckmaster. He was so fascinated with her and he took his job serious! It was really worrying him that she was on the ducks' stairs. Does she look like she cared?

Yes, ME, you can pull out all of this toilet paper. We're not paying for it!

ME's idea of helping LaLa get ready for the ball.

Fast forward to this week...

ME had an ear infection last week and ran a fever of 103 several times. Talk about break your heart when you looked at her sad, watery eyes. :( The good part, though, is that I got to stay home with her Thursday. Most of the day she slept (and snored) on the couch! Thanks, VeVe and LaLa, for helping out the other 2 days!!!

Luckily, she's feeling much better! It's a good thing, because she had to go out in the rain yesterday to help Uncle Bebo paint her cousin's nursery. She loved climbing on the scaffolding and trying to push Bebo on it.

Ready to go out! But do I need a raincoat or snow gear? It snowed all last night...crazy!

Can you get me a little closer?

You missed a spot, Bebo!

VeVe and Dubber hosted Supper Club for their friends last night. They decided to have a Mardi Gras theme. We stopped by to check out the wonderful decorations. ME loved the beads. I promise that she didn't have to work for them! Her cute looks worked just fine!

I need more beads!