Happy Birthday James

4 years ago, yesterday, this sweet little boy came into the world.

Happy birthday, James! You are one-of-a-kind. You're smart as a whip, keep me on my toes and keep me laughing. I love you so much!

20 weeks

How far along? 20 weeks! Today marks the half-way point!
Weight gain? 5-7 lbs, depending on what day it is.
Sleep? I've been super drained the past couple weeks. Even my cup of coffee just isn't cutting it, so I've been stealing a nap most days when the boys do. Sleep is comfortable, not on my back or belly any more, but nothing hurts yet.
Best moment this week? I've started seeing her kick from the outside. Late evening, around 10 or so at night, if I lay real still I can see her moving around in there. I can't wait for Jason to get to see and feel her moving!
Movement? She's much more active now! She moves the most at night (around 10 or 11 pm) and in the late mornings (10 or 11 am). I'm betting that she'll come out with a little internal alarm set to wake up and eat at 10 o'clock.
Cravings? I still really want some mexican food, but I'm not having any real cravings. I'm loving pumpkin flavored anything, but I think that's just feeling festive. And I'm eating tons of greek yogurt still, but it's more out of trying to calm the heartburn and keep my calcium up.
Symptoms? Just feeling tired a lot and the heartburn is killer. Feeling really good though!
Gender? Sweet baby girl
Name? We have a for-sure name that we love, but we're waiting until Jason's graduation so he can finally announce something! So everyone just has to live in suspense til December :)

sewing, shopping, nesting

Early though it may be, I'm already getting in the nesting mood. I finally started my sewing projects (which have previously been put off due to wild children, serious energy drain, and much procrastination/laziness). I bought this quilt kit at JoAnn's a few weeks back. I finally stitched all the squares together--I'm loving the colors! I still have to sew on the batting/backing, but it's so close to being done. I also started--and finished--my nursing cover. I've never had one for either of the boys, sticking instead to the traditional receiving blanket, hiding out, or the second time around [I was braver and significantly less modest] nothing at all. I've seen cute ones on sale, but they're always around $30 and I'd rather spend half that + two hours of labor and just make it myself. Plus, I'm really proud of it!

Here's a better shot of the fabric. Love this 60s-ish print, found at Hobbie Lobby for 8.99 a yd + coupons!

This one isn't my creation--my mom made Halloween quilts and pillowcases for the boys. They love them! Riley points to his, saying "Ghost! Ghost! Boo!", excited to learn a new word. Now he also points out ghosts any time we're in the Halloween aisles or passing a festive house.

Quick baby update:

I had my 18-20 week hospital ultrasound today and baby girl (I had them double check--all girl! I've been reading to many google searches of ultrasound mistakes and wanted to make sure before I start throwing away receipts!) is growing! She's a bashful, stubborn little thing and made the poor tech spend an extra half hour trying to get a shot of her face while she had it covered with her hand. She wouldn't move it for anything! They had me turn on my side, then on my back, she wiggled the ultrasound wand against my belly trying to get her to move it and nothing! Finally, they were able to sneak a good shot in. The boys always kicked the wand off of them--she wiggled a little toward the end, but that was it. They also tried to kick the doppler (and in labor, the heart monitor) off, too, but she just ducks out of the way and hides. It's so funny the differences between them all. Things are moving excitingly fast!