His giant heart
	February 8, 2010 | Filed Under Family | 35 Comments

My favorite part of this birthday cake is not the fact that it’s from Coldstone and was to die for (and of which I am eagerly anticipating another slice tonight after the kids go to bed.)  No, my favorite part is the candle because my birthday?  Was perfect.  Thanks to Brian, my unbelievably thoughtful and awesome husband ,who thought of EVERYTHING to make my birthday the best birthday ever.  Well, everything except candles, he always forgets candles.  Which just makes me feel better because I don’t think I could ever deliver the type of birthday to him as he did me.

I realize it’s not a competition.  I promise you.  I just can’t get over the lengths he went to create such a special day for me.

It was so special that even the kids said “THIS IS THE BEST DAY EVER.”

It was so special that if I even stood up for a split second, he immediately said “WHAT DO YOU NEED?  WHY ARE YOU STANDING?”  (usually the answer was “I have to pee, man.”)

It was so special that even through all of our festivities of waffles for breakfast, homemade cards, fresh strawberries, flowers, lunch at a restaurant, ice cream cones for dessert and a nap, even through all of this, he somehow managed to get every piece of laundry done.  (which may be the best gift of all.)

And the thing is?  He seemed so happy to be doing these things, which maybe THAT was the best gift of all.  I told him I was scared that he was going to hate my birthdays because he was spoiling me so much.

He disagreed and told me I was pretty, or commented on my soft skin.

I just can’t believe that this guy, this guy who made me SWOON over him yesterday, is the same guy who I met in high school, the same guy who I would get drunk with drinking Natural Light in college, the same guy who I felt I didn’t know in my first year of marriage, the same guy who kissed my forehead and tended to my staples after having two c-sections and the same guy who held my hand and hugged me tight after losing James and Jake.  (and continues to do so every single day.)

THIS GUY, after fourteen years, is by far the best birthday present I have ever received.  Year after year after year.

Even better than Bobbi Brown makeup.

	32 weeks on my 33rd birthday
	February 7, 2010 | Filed Under Uncategorized | 93 Comments

I’ve been awake for an hour.  Already I’ve had coffee, two belgian waffles, a bowl of fresh strawberries, three delicious, warm hugs, one homemade card and fifty or so kicks and tumbles in my belly.

It’s already the best birthday ever.

	Friday Morning Coffee
	February 5, 2010 | Filed Under Pregnancy, stupid crap | 50 Comments

Hi friends!  I’m sitting on my couch, drinking coffee and I just finished a bowl of Cocoa Puffs.  (have you tried Chocolate Cheerios?  They are so good!)  I have a call in a few minutes, then I’m heading out for my appointment with my chiropractor.  Tonight, Erin, Lovelyn and I are going to dinner.  I am so excited to have this girl time tonight.  It has been way too long.

So, the Superbowl is this Sunday which just happens to fall on MY birthday which I find to be incredibly rude that the NFL did not check their calendars to make sure it coincided with my birthday, but they didn’t.

But I think I’m okay with that, I actually look forward to spending the evening at home, maybe eating SPICY chicken wings, LOTS OF THEM and just relaxing with Brian and the kids.  I do live in Indiana, but I am a Bears fan (I live very close to Chicago) and I do like the Colts, however, the Colts just won the Superbowl (when they beat the Bears), so I think the Saints should get a turn to win this year.  Don’t you think?

Also?  I do not understand football AT ALL.

My pregnancy is going very well.  I am growing a lot, I am really, really hot almost all of the time and I continue to have several Braxton Hicks a day.  Also,  I am already tired of people staring at me.  I want to come out with a line of maternity shirts with various things printed on the belly, like:

“Really?  You think I could be having triplets?  SHUT IT.”

or

“No, YOU look like you’re going to give birth any day now.”

or

“Life will be so much better when you stop staring at me.”

or

“No, I’m not pregnant, I just ate the last person who stared at me for too long.  YOU ARE NEXT.”

Not that I’m angry or anything.

Last week, Brian, the kids and I went to the mall and I felt like a circus act.  Maybe I’m just self-conscious (as per Brian) or maybe people wonder how I walk without falling over, or maybe they’re just expecting a baby to fall out of my vagina right at that moment, whatever it is, it’s just not fun.  So friends, if you can’t say anything nice to a pregnant lady (and you should) don’t say anything at all.  m’kay?

End rant.

Tomorrow, after I receive a long, luxurious spa pedicure (courtesy of Crooked Eyebrow!), we are painting the baby’s room.  I can’t even imagine what that is going to feel like.  It’s been a week since we’ve officially named our boy and it’s been so fun.  Although, Anna continues to forget his name and call him other random names but that’s okay, I’m glad we decided now and not when he’s born.  The other night she referred to him as “Isaac or whatever.”  (nowhere near his name.)

I’m not going to lie.  WE LAUGHED SO HARD.

Which has been our theme this week, it seems, watching our kids soaking everything in, laughing whenever possible and just living and loving with their whole selves.  It’s been beautiful.  (I wrote more about that here.)

Gotta go – time for my call to begin!

Happy Friday and thank you for reading!

	You Capture – Faces
	February 4, 2010 | Filed Under you capture. | 59 Comments

{if your link was deleted, it was simply because you did not link directly to your You Capture post, instead you linked to your blog, just link up again (correctly) if your link was deleted.  Thanks!}

You know, you would think that as the host of You Capture I wouldn’t procrastinate, except I do.  Horribly.

I took the majority of my photos just this morning as the kids were eating breakfast before school.  Typically, I give them their cereal and their fruit and head upstairs and get ready myself…but today, I gave them their cereal and fruit and sat down at their table with my camera.

First, they looked at me like I was an alien.  Then we just had fun.  So much fun that I thought “I need to do this more often.”

Here are my photos for this week, by the way…I love their faces.

(this is Noah’s mad face.  We request he make this face at us at least once a day.  We find it to be hilarious.)

There you have it.  Now I have these photos of my kids that I love, that I would not have taken without You Capture.  Today I am so thankful for You Capture!

Now it’s your turn to share, friends!  Please read the guidelines.  PLEASE, OH PLEASE, OH PLEASE.

One of my wonderful readers emailed me and said “hey Beth, I have a good idea for You Capture!  How about work?”  And I was all like “SOUNDS GREAT TO ME!”

So, next week’s challenge:

WORK.

Now get to work.  Happy Capturing!

	His name
	February 2, 2010 | Filed Under Pregnancy | 62 Comments

It happened, just like one would think it could only happen on TV or in daydreams.

On Sunday, the four of us, Brian, Anna, Noah and I had gone out to lunch, something we do not do very often at all.  Brian and I had purchased a baby name book the day before, I had gone through it and picked out the names that I loved or maybe even liked.

The details are so daunting, I can remember Anna, our seven year old, pointing to Noah and saying “do you love this name.”  A name I had approached both of them with, separately, earlier in the day.  He replied with an enthusiastic “YES!”  She asked Brian and I the same question.

I looked at Brian and said “is this his name?”  And he said “yes!”  The kids celebrated “THE BABY FINALLY HAS  A NAME!”  and I quickly covered my face with my hands to hide the tears that were stinging my eyes.  Brian laughed at me.

It reminded me of when we found out he was a HE.  It was just us.

It reminded me of how LOVED this boy is, that these four people were celebrating this day, his NAME day, a day that is etched in our hearts forever and I do believe that when this baby is born, this baby with this PERFECT name, he will know nothing other than love which already makes me the happiest person on this planet.

I just keep thinking about Sunday and how excited we all were at his name.  What’s it going to be like with his presence?  With him actually in our arms?

{please don’t be upset, but we are going to keep the name private for now…until he’s born…only 7.5 more weeks!}