These Final Weeks

I am certainly pregnant, that I am for sure of.

Not only do I have a belly that is bigger than a basketball, I am beyond exhausted constantly, and have a crazy amount of (what feels like) bi-polar emotions running through me.

...I cannot wait to meet William!
...But how can I love William as much as I love Jack?
....I cannot wait to be done being pregnant. Uggh I feel gross.
...But his sweet movement inside is so temporary and amazing.
...Jack is throwing a tantrum. Again. How can I possibly handle two?
...Today has been the most amazing day with Jackson, how can I share my love?

Okay, I know I'm not the only mom in the world who feels these similar thoughts so close to having their second child.

4 weeks (hopefully sooner) and counting.

We have been spending our days keeping as busy as possible. Half because my time with just having my first precious son alone is so fleeting. Half because I'm trying to make sure these days go by quickly and I will go into labor soon! (& I thought these last few weeks being pregnant with Jack were difficult! God is continuing to teach me patience)

We've had days that also look like this. 

Teething fevers & rashes have not been uncommon these days. Lots of molars & the canines coming in. We are almost done. During prayer time I secretly ask God to have all Jackson's teeth come before William comes. It's been a bit rough, poor guy. 

But we also have days like this. 

We play in our pool lots that I have placed on our upstairs deck. This helps cool us down due to no air conditioning in the house. Jackson could play in water for hours if I let him (& I do). 

We keep busy with multiple play dates with friends during the week. This includes beach days, trips to the park, to Fashion Island, & so far, a special trip to the Long Beach aquarium. I feel so blessed to call these gals friends. I wish I remembered to take more pics on these dates, but we start chatting away & I forget. 

Please excuse my giant belly. 

When gammie & ganpie are in town we go on walks around the neighborhood, and grammies spoils Jackson with lot of donuts from Roses. Typical. 

We also have a new found love for our local library. It's about 3 blocks walking distance from our home, and has been newly renovated & beautiful! They have sweet story/song time on Mondays as well, which has been so fun. I've met some other mammas & babies there that are local which has been very neat. 

We usually go there twice or three times a week. It's a great place for me to just sit & rest while he runs the place. There are books, blocks, cars, figurines, giant beautiful windows, and children to watch & play with. He loves to climb up and down the little chairs as well. Such a big boy!

Here's a short video of him playing with the cars.

Finally, MOPS hosted a photo shoot for families at a discount + fundraiser. So, we were able to have a small photo shoot taken of our family. Here's a peek at some of the photos. They're just snapshots for now, I should have the hi-resolution ones soon. Although I cannot stand myself pregnant, I know I'll look back on these fleeting moments in time and cherish these photos knowing how blessed we have been. 

William, we are so looking forward to meeting you! 

Some Small Happenings

I don't miss working. As much as I loved my job, I haven't once thought to myself that I made the wrong decision by quitting.

This last month has been what "normal life" will be now that I have quit working. Although, the definition of "normal" will be changing again next month once William enters the world!

The time has flown by so fast, and I'm sure it's because I feel like life is where it's supposed to be. God has been so good to me, and sometimes I have to just wonder why! I'm so beyond blessed to have a wonderful mother to run mundane errands with, a group of friends to enjoy  wonderful play dates with, and of course, a husband who couldn't love being with Jackson and myself more.

Although there are those challenging days (or moments) of teething or tantrums from the little guy, he's been a pleasure to spend every day with. I'm so grateful I get to see all of his tiny little changes take place.

Some new things Jack has been doing:

1. We say, "what does a dog/cat say?" and he will either bark or meow. He barks whenever we see/hear a dog.

2. He understands more of what we are saying all the time. "Let's go take a bath," "Let's put on your shoes," and "please hold my hand" are just a few that he reacts to with full knowledge.

3. We still only have three words down, although I try daily to get him to say more. He babbles constantly, it's so adorable. "Hot," "Mickey" and "No" is his current menu of words.

4. When he is wearing a shirt with Mickey Mouse on it, we ask "Who's on your shirt?" and he points down and says, "MICKEY!" Sometimes, Mickey is the only thing he'll let us put on him...(is he too young to have these types of opinions? Hey, at least those moments are still rare. #pickyourbattles)

5. He's on one nap a day for 2 to 3 hours. (12-3). I am LOVING this as it gives me time to rest. To have him back on a nap schedule is glorious. The last 3 or so months he's been all over the place. It also makes me really feel like I can take on a newborn! His bedtime is 8:30pm and he sleeps until about 7:00am most mornings. If we are super lucky, 7:45! Because of this transition we are now down to one bottle a day before his nap. Sometimes, I'll give him another if we are out and I'm pushing his bed time in the evening & he becomes really fussy. This really helped a lot and I have really come to peace with this habit, that it'll resolve itself in time.

I constantly pray to God that He provides me wisdom on how to raise this precious and impressionable human being. To encourage his wonderful gifts and personality traits, but also show him that life isn't always fair, and we have to cope with that. This balance is a tough one at this age when you can't overly reason with him yet.

Okay, less words, and more pictures!

We love to go to the parks that are by our house, either alone or with great friends. 

If the day is beautiful enough, a morning beach trip is always awesome. And this really tires us out and we take a great nap in the afternoon!

At the beach with friends. 

A Roses visit in the morning is necessary. He is in love with his little car, this is our mode of transportation around the neighborhood. He has his coffee in hand and is ready to start the day!

If he'd actually smile for a picture, you'd know how much he LOVES sprinkled donut holes from Roses :) 

We have done this already a couple of times this summer with friends and family. I actually got a smiling picture which I still can't believe! There is something sweet about his messy face. He is always so enthralled with the fire. It truly is so much fun to just get messy with him!

A trip to South Coast Plaza requires a carousel ride. He is obsessed. This and Fashion Island to the fountain and Pinkberry are frequent stops as well. 

He loves putting on Aaron's flip flop and walk around the house with it on. It melts my heart every time. 

Showing me his Mickey Mouse Book that he was reading before I came to get him in the morning. 

Enjoying time in our bed in the morning watching "Timmy Time" 

Carousel ride at Disneyland. My pass is no longer good for the summer. So, the next time I make the trek, it'll be with William too!

Every time we go to Disneyland, it just gets more and more fun with him as he can interact more with the rides.

Always going to Disneyland in our best outfit :)

My sweet baby is no longer. He's a full blown toddler. With desires, opinions and love that I just can't get enough of. Jackson's love for life, exploration and wonder continues to amaze me. Every day I get more and more excited to see him and William interact as we get closer to his arrival. 

Being a mother, I have come to find out, it the most wonderful and difficult job in the whole world.