Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Love - The Gorsh Family!

Thankful!

With Thanksgiving approaching this Thursday I thought it was appropriate to dedicate a post to what I am thankful for!

I am Thankful most importantly for the health of my children, my husband and myself. A very important lesson I have learned is life is short and it truly can change in a second. I try not to dwell on things and appreciate ALL that I have. Carter and Stella are truly blessings from God and I thank him everyday that we have been blessed with these miracles.

I am also Thankful for my husband Jordan. Without him and his hard work I would not be able to have the life that I have! Not only is he an AMAZING father but he works his a@# off so I can take care of the kids and our home. Plus he puts up with me :)

I am also Thankful for my family and friends. We are lucky to have the relationships that we do and people in our lives who would drop anything to help us with anything.

I am looking forward to spending time with my family this long holiday weekend and to take the time to tell each of them how Thankful I am! I hope you do the same and have a great Thanksgiving! 

August, September and October 2012

We are finding that time management is even more key when you have 2 children and when we do have what feels like only a couple of minutes of free time the last thing I feel like doing it sitting down and blogging. But we are due for an update! We have been so busy and have SO many changes going on in the Gorsh house it is hard to decide where to start!

Carter 

• Turned 3 in September (I cannot believe it)! We had a small gathering at our house. The weather was perfect and Carter had a great time. He really understood this year that his birthday was a special day just for HIM. Now anything that he wants he says "can I get that for my birthday"? It is going to be such a joy to watch him at Christmas. 
• At his 3 month wellness appointment he weighed 32 lbs (still my little peanut) and was 37 3/4 inches (he is above average for his height). He is a tall skinny kid who has to wear the pants with the adjustable waist because he needs the length but is too skinny to hold them up. 
• Carter also started a new "school" in August. We were ready for him to have more structure to prepare him for pre-school next year and found the perfect place for him - Villa Maria. He LOVES it there and is making so many friends and the teachers just adore Carter and can't get over how smart he is. 
• I am proud to say that Carter is 100% potty trained!!!! I can't even tell you the last time he had an accident (in August maybe?). The only time we put a diaper on him is for bedtime (he doesn't wear one at nap time anymore and stays dry). He tells US when he has to go and we don't even have to ask him anymore. So proud of him.
• Of course Carter continues to amaze us. He is on the go all the time and loves being outside in the back yard - riding his John Deere or playing with the neighbor kids. We love taking him to the pond (right in our neighborhood) to fish, feed the fish or build sandcastles. His new obsession is Batman (he totally picked this up from his school friends). If he could he would wear his Batman shirt & cape to school everyday. And of course he was Batman for Halloween. Carter is learning how to count in Spanish at school and they are teaching him Spanish words as well. Carter is really starting to get an imagination which is so fun to observe (when he is playing in the toy room I will stand outside the door and just watch and listen to him). He is so good at entertaining himself! He loves his baby sister and is such a good little helper. It just melts my heart watching Carter and Stella interact. Stella's face just lights up when she sees her big brother and he knows how to get her going. Carter even has a special song he made up just for his sister

Stella

•   Stella Ann turned 4 months on October 23 (hard to believe). She of course is growing like a weed and seriously changing everyday! She has survived 2 rounds of shots at 2 months and 4 months (getting 4 shots at each  check up). 
• 2 month stats - 13 lbs 1oz (1 more oz than her brother at this age) and 22 3/4 inches long( 1/4 inch shorter)
• 4 month stats - 16lbs 1oz - 84% and 25 3/4 inches - 90%
• As you can see Stella is one healthy girl - she has almost gained 9lbs since she was born and has grown 7  1/4 inches. She is wearing pretty much  6 month clothing and probably 9 months really soon!
• She also started rolling from back to tummy right at 3 months. She loves kicking her legs and will seriously move across the entire rug by rocking her body. I set her down on her playmat and will come back seconds later and she will be across the rug. She also is pulling her knees up when she is on her tummy and looks like the is trying to crawl... we might have a early crawler if she figures out what to do with her arms. Of course she is smiling ALL the time. She can grab her toys and hold them in her hand and move them from one hand to the other. Her favorite thing to do is to "talk" to us. She just cracks us up and "talks" all the time. She loves just looking at her brother and watching him play. She is happy just hanging out on the ground, in her bouncy seat or swing playing with her friends
• Stella is a GREAT baby. She is so laid back and goes with the flow. She hardly ever cries - only if she is hungry or tired and that is always a quick fix. She also loves her paci... if she isn't hungry but cries the paci usually does the trick. She is such a great sleeper (so different than her brother). She only gets up 1x a night and some nights not at all. She has a really good schedule that she kind of put herself on and we are just sticking with that for now.  
• When she was going to aunt Mollie's for daycare she did great. Aunt Mollie even said she was the best kid she had. Unlike her brother she takes a bottle like a champ. 
• We just started transiting Stella to her crib this week (she has been sleeping in the pack-n-play in our room). She has a cold right now so she has been waking up more than usual at night but is doing pretty good. The hard part is if that paci falls out - she wakes up and wants it soI have to get up and give it to her... so any advice on how to get it to stay in or how to take a paci away from a baby at night would be greatly appreciated. 
• We think Stella is teething right now (Carter started getting teeth at 4 months). Her hands are constantly in her mouth, drool is flowing 24/7 and I have to change her outfits because her tops are so wet from drool. 

You really forget how fast babies grow and how much they change and do in 1 year. So we are really just trying to enjoy every second. It really is SO different the second time around. Plus it helps that Stella is such a good baby. 

Family Recap

We went to Minneapolis in September for a family wedding and had a great weekend. The kids were both awesome travelers and we only had to stop one time each way. The hotel had an indoor water park that Carter would of slept in if it would of been allowed. It was nice to get away as a family.

Jordan and I were able to go to Iowa City for the Penn state game a couple of weeks ago. I love my kiddos but it was so nice to get away for more than a couple hours with Jordan and have some long over due adult fun! Thanks so much to my MOM for having the kids for 14 hours. I know she had a blast with the kids and they were perfect for her. 

We have already had a busy week and had fun having my parents and The Petersen's over for trick or treat on 10/30 and enjoyed trick or treating at the Petersen's last night. Carter was Batman and Stella was a cupcake.

Hard to believe the holidays are right around the corner! 

This pretty much sums up the past couple of months. We really have just been enjoying our family time and hanging out and making memories! 

Stella's NATURAL Birth Story

Warning this post is more for me & my Bradley Method class so don't feel the need to read this as it might be TMI for you. I am also not a good writer! This blog is a place for us to document life and turn into a keep sake. SO no judgement.

Background:
This was my second pregnancy and after my experience with my first labor I decided that the next time I do this I want the experience to be different. What do I mean by this? I was over due with Carter and induced and did not feel in control of my body or mind during my labor experience. Sure my labor was less than 6 hours with him but I didn't feel like I was really experiencing one of the most beautiful things life has to offer. I did a lot of reading and talked to other friends who have had babies and decided it was the drugs and my next birth I wold do whatever I could to feel in control of my mind and body. The answer was all natural birth no DRUGS. YIKES was I crazy??? Jordan was very supportive and we signed up for a 12 week Bradley Method Class. This was life changing!

Here is our story:
My journey throughout my pregnancy and birth of Stella was similar but yet so different from my experience with Carter. Pregnancy wise I felt the same way - morning sickness and major headaches in the first trimester, feeling great in second and even feeling great in the third trimester. I was really very lucky! The big difference this time was I did not swell at all and only gained 37 lbs (I gained 53 lbs with Carter). I really feel this was due to my high protein diet I followed from the Bradley Method!
June 23, 2012 was a date that had been on all of our minds the past 9 months - it was my due date! However, when I woke up on June 23, 2012 it felt like just another day.... I was still pregnant, still huge and had NO signs of labor what-so-ever. I called my mom and had a moment that I felt sorry for myself and after that moment I decided to carry on like it was just another day. Except I ignored my phone, email and Facebook as the endless messages from people about the status of Baby Gorsh was driving me insane! I was over due with Carter so why won't people just leave me alone!

My sister and her family came over for a visit, as well as my mom and grandma and Jordan's friend Neal was in town and wanted to check out our new house. We even were hanging pictures and other decors items to make the house more of our own till we paint. My mom offered to watch Carter for us that evening so we could go out for one last dinner before life got hectic. Of course we were excited to take her up on this offer as going out to eat with a 2 1/2 year old doesn't leave you with many choices.

I put Carter down for a nap and as much as I wanted to take a nap myself (I spent the entire day before cleaning my house top-to-bottom and over did it). I decided to finish packing my hospital bag and double check my 'to-do-list". Looking back I remember when I was laying in Carter's bed with him I was having braxton hicks but they didn't feel different and I didn't think anything of it since I had been having bh for weeks. I decided I would actually do my hair for dinner and started to get ready for our dinner date!

We took Carter to my parents house around 5 and we just snuck out with out saying good-bye (something I regretted later on - but at the time we thought we would be back in a couple hours to take him home). As we were driving into town and we were discussing where we were going to eat I got a "different" contraction at 5:18PM and I was like "ohh that's something different". I didn't want to jinx myself because I felt that I had done that several times in weeks prior. So we just continued on with date night and decided to go to the Filing Station.

As soon as we got to the Filling Station I went to the bathroom - only to discover that I lost my mp (mucus plug). A shock of excitement went through me... I did not lose my mp with Carter so maybe I was in the early stages of labor?  But than I remembered that sometimes you can go into labor 1 week or more after you lose the mp so the excitement quickly left. When I got back to the table I shared the news with Jordan and he was like "do we need to leave?" My response "No - I'm hungry and have no other signs of labor".  However, "different" contractions continued and Jordan and I decided we should start timing them. Thanks to technology we found a contraction timer app and started tracking. I still was hesitant to think I was in actual labor... yes - I had lost my mp and yes my contractions were different but I could talk through them, walk through, laugh through them and felt like I could do anything. The first thing they teach you in any birth class is - if you can talk through your contractions etc it is not active labor. Our meal came and I was starving so I think I ate every last bite. The contractions continued and were averaging to be about 5 minutes apart according to the handy app we found. I still felt normal but we decided that we should call my mom and let her know what was going on and that it was probably best if she kept Carter over night. We finished dinner and decided to head home.

On the way home the contractions started to last a little bit longer and I found myself having to stop and concentrate on my breathing and position when the contractions came. I looked at the clock and it was 6:30PM.  At this point I told Jordan "I think we are in the early stages of labor". We were excited, scared and determined to stick to our labor plan. When we got home we decided to go on a walk and I changed into more comfortable clothes and we even took a couple of pictures in front of our house of my big belly! We started on our walk and the contractions continued, now about 4 minutes apart but more intense and I had to stop and concentrate when they started. We weren't even a half block away when all of a sudden I felt a huge gush and I said to Jordan "Oh my gosh my water just broke" and I even think I started crying. Jordan was like "this is great Steph and you are doing great"!  It was 6:50PM. We thought it was best to go home and call the mid-wife since I was positive for Group B Strep and need antibiotics administrated during labor to prevent the baby from getting a infection.

When I was talking to Jenny (the midwife) I recognized the excitement "sign post" of labor. I told Jenny about the contractions and my water breaking but could still talk through them so just could not believe that I was in actual labor. Even though Jenny knew I wanted to labor at home for as long as possible she advised that I head to the hospital soon to make sure I was able to get the antibiotics. She really wanted me to get 2 doses (you receive 2 doses over an 8 hour period) but she really felt I wasn't going to make it 8 hours with my under 6 hour labor with Carter... no way I thought to myself. In excitement I called my mom and my sister to let them know what was going on and I of course had to fill them in on when this all started. We still all couldn't believe it was happening and how quick things were moving. The excitement sign post was in full effect! I continued to leak and had to change my pants several times and finished packing my bag. I told Jordan I wanted to go on a walk and even though he was hesitant we did. The contractions were stronger and still coming about every 4 minutes. We walked around the block and decided that we should probably head to the hospital to get the antibiotics.

I still was feeling great and because I was feeling so great I just couldn't believe I was in active labor. We checked into the hospital at 8:25PM and the nurses said Jenny was on her way. They started the first dose of antibiotic and we did all the admin stuff. They hooked me up to the fetal monitor (even though I didn't want this originally) we decided that it was ok because we wanted to make sure baby was doing ok. And of course baby was doing great. The nurse got the go ahead from Jenny to check me only to discover that I was 5 centimeters! We couldn't believe it - we were officially in active labor and I was feeling great and halfway. But I knew in the back of my mind the hardest part was ahead of me. The nurse told us that contractions were about every 4 minutes and pretty much the app info we had was right on! Once the first dose of antibiotics was complete I wanted to walk the halls of labor and delivery. Jenny arrived and said that was fine and also informed us that we were the ONLY people in labor in delivery... the place was a ghost town. It was 9:15PM and Jenny said "let's meet back in the room at 9:30PM". So we started walking. The contractions were steady about 3 minutes apart but more intense. I had to stop and found the most comfortable position was wrapping my arms around Jordan's neck and just letting my belly hang. I focused on my breathing and worked with my body. We continued this for the next 15 minutes and met Jenny and the two nurses - Brittney and Nacny back in the room. They wanted to hook me up to the monitor again and I agreed that was ok. I also remember I kept telling everyone I was so so hot. So I took the gown off and decided I was going to labor in my tank top. I also mentioned that I regretted ordering what I did and eating all that I did. Jenny said everything looked good so just continue doing what makes me comfortable. So we decided that we would continue walking.

The contractions were very intense now very painful but manageable. They were coming back to back and every 2 minutes. We made it 1 lap around l&d before I told Jordan I didn't want to walk anymore. We got back to the room and Jenny suggested that we start filling the birth tub since this was part of my plan. Contractions kept coming and I think it was obvious to everyone I was in second stage - I wasn't laughing anymore - I was very serious and in pain. Jenny told me to sit on the bed so she could check me again. I agreed. I was 7CM and it was 9:50. The tub was still filling so I was doing my best to find a comfortable position as the contractions were right on top of each other. I tried all fours, I tried the wall, I tried the birth ball, the most comfortable position I found was wrapping my arms around Jordan and letting my body hang. After the last contraction I told Jenny that the problem is I have to poop (I probably repeated this to the room 50 times). Jenny kept telling me "no you don't have to poop it's the baby". For whatever reason I did not believe her and kept telling her I had to go to the bathroom. I remember I was just kind of bouncing around the room in every different position and asked if the tub was ready (it was not) and Jenny said "Steph we aren't going to be able to use the tub". I was confused. She told me to sit down it was time to check me again. She said "it's time to have a baby! You are 10CM". It was 10PM and I was in shock no way I kept saying.  That was a fast transition. Now it was time for second stage!

The nurses got everything ready and Jordan was at my left side and one of the nurses was at my right side. They told me to push when I was ready and to hold my legs up and out. This was NOT working for me. Are they crazy they need to hold my legs for and I told them that! I felt the urge to push and gave it all that I thought I had... I was doubting myself and remember telling Jordan that I couldn't do it and he needed to help me. He was great and looked at me and told me I was doing amazing and I can do it! I just need to concentrate on all that we practiced and got my mind back to focus. I felt the urge to push and pushed will all that I had and OMG this was painful. The head was right there!. Jenny kept telling me I was doing great and to give another push like that and baby will be here. I had a rest and Jordan kept me on focus and it was time to push. This time I truly gave everything that I had... even screaming, yelling, cussing you name it. I felt the head, shoulders and Baby was born! It was 10:10PM (only 10 minutes of pushing). I truly now know what the saying "ring of fire" means. I couldn't believe it baby was here and I stuck to my labor plan... NO drugs and I never even asked or considered taking them!

They handed the baby to me and there are no words to describe this moment. Jenny asked us "well what is it"???? I looked at Jordan and we opened the legs and said to the room "it's a GIRL" "Oh my God it's a girl". Jenny and the nurses cheered. We had a beautiful daughter! This is another one of those moments and one of life's true surprises that is hard for me to put into words. We enjoyed skin to skin contact and the first few moments of life with our daughter.

Stella Ann Gorsh was born on her due date 6/23/12 at 10:10PM, weighing 7lbs 9 oz and was 19 1/2 inches long. She had a head full of dark hair (way more than her brother). She was beautiful and perfect!

I was on such a natural high after the birth and couldn't believe how fast things happened and how quick things changed. In less than 2 hours from checking into the hospital I gave birth and I remember and felt everything about it! I had a baby less than 3 1/2 hours after my water broke! The experience was amazing! I seriously don't think I could of written a better labor. Of course it was painful - actually the worst pain I have ever experienced but I really feel that my research and BM class helped guide me with working with my body and not against it and gave me the tools to deal and work with the pain. Contractions were very manageable this time around, it was the pushing that was the hard and most painful part for me (thank God it was only 10 minutes).

I felt physically  and mentally great after birth (minus the stitches and pushing they had to do on my stomach). I got up and walked and showered on my own and even walked to the pp room. I was ready to sleep and spend time with my husband and new baby girl!

I couldn't of done my NATURAL DRUG FREE labor without my birth coach my husband Jordan. He was not very excited about taking a 12 week class that met every Sunday for 2 hours but he knew how important it was for me to have a better labor experience. He was amazing - he encouraged me when I didn't think I could do it, he learned and used techniques to help me through pregnancy and labor, he put up with me (not an easy task) and most importantly supported me. I couldn't of done this without him.

If we are blessed with any more children I will be a natural mama again. It really was a life changing experience and I think is part of the reason I felt good after birth and the weeks to follow. In combination with breastfeeding I can wear my pre-prego jeans at 5 weeks pp... don't get me wrong I still have a muffin top but I know that will go away in time.

I now know I can do anything I set my mind to! My next goal is a 1/2 marathon.... I'm giving myself 2 years to do it but I am excited about it!

We have so many great pictures and video but cannot find our video camera cord since we moved... these are from my phone!

Stella Ann - 10 Days

ME at 6:30PM - 6/23

Me - In front of labor & delivery... Stella was born less than 2 hours later!

Introducing Stella Ann

Stella Ann made her big debut on June 23, 2012 (her due date!) at 10:10PM. Weighing in at 7 lbs 9 oz and 19 1/2 inches. We were shocked to see that she had a head full of dark hair! She is absolutely beautiful and Jordan and I couldn't be more blessed to have a daughter! I can honestly say that finding out "who" this baby was after 9 longs months of waiting is probably the best surprise I will ever have in my life. Telling the room  it was a girl and having the midwife and nurses cheer when I yelled "it's a girl" and "oh my GOD we have a daughter" is a memory I will cherish forever.

We are adjusting well as a family of 4. Carter is doing great and is a good helper with his baby sister. He does have his moments but we know that is normal. I must admit that the transition from 1 to 2 is WAY easier than 0 to 1. Probably due to a combination of already knowing the lack of sleep I will be getting as an exclusive breastfeeding mama (this was probably the hardest adjustment for me with Carter), living in the same town as family, and already having done this before are all factors that I know are helping with the transition.

Stella is a growing baby- at her 2 week appointment she weighed 8 lbs 6 oz and was 20 1/4 inches long. So far she is a pretty laid back baby - our day consits of eating, sleeping and lots of diaper changes. She is eating about every 2 1/2 to 3 hours, with sometime longer stretches at night - which is fantastic! However, she has been going through a growth spurt the past couple of days which has been exhausting but nothing I can't handle.

Hard to believe my sweet baby girl will be 3 weeks this Saturday. Time goes so fast and I am really trying to enjoy every second because of this. Jordan and I want to thank ALL of our loved ones for the calls, texts, visits, gifts, meals and all of the love and support you have provided to us. We really are feeling the love and appreciate it.

Of course all of the best pictures are on the video camera and of course Jordan needs to upload those because I don't know how. But hope to share soon.

It's June!

Holy cow it has been FOREVER since I have updated this blog! This is a good indication of how busy we have been over the past 4 months. Since I have no idea where to start I will just provide a snap shot of the past several months!

March

• Celebrated my birthday and had a surprise party for my mom
• Worked and worked
• Carter found out he is going to have another BOY cousin (and we are going to have a second nephew in August)
• We started Bradley Method Birth classes - 12 long weeks :)

April

• Jordan started a new role at work
• Our 4 month house hunt finally came to an end when our offer was ACCEPTED
• Worked and worked and worked

May

• Carter had his second ear tube surgery and adnoids removed (he is one brave and tough boy)
• Hosted a baby shower for my sister-in-law
• Closed on our house
• Moved into our new house
• Finished Bradley Method Classes
• Celebrated 6 years of marriage

June

• Settling into our new home
• Getting ready for Baby Gorsh

The highlights don't do enough justice but pretty much we have been non-stop and will continue to be non-stop all Summer. The biggest highlight and exciting news is that we found and moved into a beautiful new house. Yes - you may say that we are crazy doing all of this with me being 9 months prego, both Jordan and I working full time PLUS and being parents to a non-stop 2 1/2 year old. The stress has been high at times but we wouldn't want it any other way. Everything really has fallen into place for us over the past year and we feel extremely blessed! We are excited to create memories in our home and now feel like we really have a permanent place in Iowa! We are looking forward to getting settled and having friends and family over!

June is also the month that Baby Gorsh is DUE! Yikes! This really is something that has just crept up on us and I am having a hard time typing the words that baby is due in less than 3 weeks.... I'm not gonna lie I am a very overwhelmed right now and feel like I have so much to do and prepare for. We did get a lot done this weekend. I washed ALL of Carter's old baby gear (car seat, swing, bouncy, boppy etc). Washed all of the newborn clothes and organized the nursery  as much as I can with NOT knowing what baby Gorsh is. The good news is everything is painted and we will put the final touches on the main wall when baby Gorsh is born. The only thing really left is putting the crib and double stroller together and buying a couple of items I have on my list. I even packed my hospital bag tonight.  CRAZY. We still have a lot to do and so much going on and I honestly am fine with having the baby close to the due dat as long as I continue to feel as great as I am (minus the nasty cold I have right now). We are going to the doctor weekly now & everything is looking good.

Carter has been a growing and is a learning machine (he still is a tall and skinny boy). He is a sponge and learning and doing so much. He really does amaze us with how observant and how much he remembers EVERYTHING. We continue to work with him on his numbers, colors, potty training and doing things on his own. The kid doesn't stop and is on the go all the time. He is really excited to start "school" this Fall and he is more than ready for the challange!. He has been amazing at adjusting to the move and his new environment and loves his new dinosaur room and big back yard.

 Ever since we found out we were expecting we have been trying to prepare Carter for what is in store and how things are going to be different. We will found out soon enough if he has been listening but one thing is certain he is going to be a great big brother ! We are just going to be enjoying life as a family of 3 the next couple of weeks and will continue to get done all that we can. We look forward to announcing the arrival and details of baby Gorsh!

Where to Begin! February 2012

It has been way to long since I have last blogged and you may or may not of noticed that I even took down my last post about Carter's secret. Shortly after I posted I was in the middle of interviewing for several jobs and I decided since there is no hiding from the Internet I should take down my posting.

Anyway, so so much to catch up on I don't even know where to begin. My time as come to an end as a SAHM... this girl finally found a job worth accepting and I am very excited about. I've been working for a couple of weeks and we are slowly adjusting to our new schedule but so happy to be working again as it is something that I truly do enjoy. Don't get me wrong I deeply miss my special time with my little man and I am so grateful that I was able to have the support of my husband to not rush into going back to work but the opportunity was something I could not pass up. Carter is enjoying being at daycare full time and is always talking about his friends and Miss Becca. Which makes it easier knowing he is in great hands and is so happy.

The other exciting news is that my sister in-law and brother in-law are expecting their first child!!!! Baby MJ is due in mid-August and Brenda is about 7 1/2 weeks behind me. I can't even put into words how happy we are for Dave and Brenda. I of course have been in full force baby shower planning and can't wait for everything to come together and host this event!

This also means that myself, my sister Mollie and sister in-law Brenda were all pregnant at the same time! The picture I included is of all of us representing each trimester. And was taken over a month ago (in the picture Mollie is 37 weeks, Steph 19 weeks and Brenda 11 1/2 weeks). And now - Mollie is no longer prego, I am 23 weeks (and a lot bigger) and Brenda will be 16 weeks on Monday! You can only imagine how special of a time in my and my families life this is. Babies all less than 6 months apart! 2012 is the year of babes.

So as you can probably guess Mollie and Karl had their baby. Wesley Michael was born on February 7 at 12:56PM, weighing 8lbs 1oz and 20 1/4 inches long. As you can see he has a head full of hair and is the sweetest little baby! He has 3 very protective older sisters and Carter finally has a male cousin to get into even more trouble with! Congrats to The Petersen's!

We had our big ultra sound appointment a couple of weeks ago and I am happy to say that we DID not find out the gender of Baby Gorsh! It was a battle I had to fight hard for and come June I know Jordan will be thankful we decided to be surprised on baby's birthday! Everything looks perfect and baby was moving around like crazy! We can't wait to meet him or her in 4 months! I've been feeling great and definitely have popped out and no question I look pregnant. I will say that everyone keeps telling me they think it's a girl! What do you think??? The funny thing is I knew from the moment I found out I was pregnant with Carter he was a boy and was right and this time I have no gut feeling at all. Really just depends on the day. We will be truly blessed either way. Just fun to hear what people think.

Anyway, sorry for the long post but really busy & doing good. We have so many great things going on and just another reason we are so happy to be back in Iowa. Take care!

January Catch Up!

Happy 2012! We hope you all had a safe an joyful holiday season. I know we are overly blessed in our family. We had a total of 6 Christmas celebrations and as wonderful as it was to spend time with family I swear we are still trying to catch up on sleep.

Carter of course was one spoiled 2 year old - and Jordan and I didn't even go crazy. We decided that at this age it is more important for us to put money into his college fund than purchase every toy imaginable. Mostly because we can get away with that with his age. But of course Santa brought him a couple of gifts and he received more than expected from grandparents, great-grandmas and of course aunts and uncles! Carter really enjoyed opening gifts this year and wasn't too concerned with what he was opening but I have a feeling this will change next year. He made sure to use his manners as well as endless hugs and kisses. It was fun watching him open gifts with his cousins. He is still really concerned with where his stocking and Christmas tree went. Super cute!

We had Carter baptized in December as well. This was something that we planned to do when he was a baby but we could just never coordinate a time when all the family could come to MN. Once we found out we were moving back to Iowa we decided to wait and it worked out perfect as he was able to be baptized at the church Jordan grew up in. It was a beautiful day and Carter was perfect. We were kind of concerned with how it was all going to play out considering he is 2 and it was during nap time but it was great. We took everyone out to brunch before hand since it would of been to hectic to do something afterwards. Carter's God Parents are Dave and Brenda! Or DaveBrenda as Carter calls them! Thank you to everyone who took part in such a special celebration with us. Carter's outfit is also very special (and adorable) because it was made out of my wedding dress. A keepsake for sure!

Carter is officially sleeping in a big boy bed and nights at our house are so much smoother! As hard as it was to move him it was the best decision and we hope it continues as we are all sleeping great! Carter continues to repeat everything and is talking great! More than once stranger has asked us how old he is and say his talking is very impressive for his age. We continue to work on colors, numbers and ABC's. He loves reading books and playing with his Thomas The Train table. As well as playing with his cousins and daycare friends. Carter and I have been enjoying weekly dance and play classes at the Children's Museum!

We are also slowly working on potty training. No rush at all but he has been showing interest and telling me he as to go. We always put him on his potty when he asks and he has even gone several times. We reward him with high-fives and M&M's. We have a long way to go but for not even being 2 1/2 I think we are in the right direction!

Sorry for the long post... we wish you all a healthy and happy 2012! I know we are very excited for this year!