And baby makes four

As most of you already know our little family is expecting another addition in May.  I have been so busy with Carson and his little social calendar lately that I haven't taken the time, or energy to blog.  So being pregnant again is the perfect time to revisit the blogging world :)  I have had so many of you ask me why I stopped, and tell me I needed to start up again (and just let me say I'm completly flattered).  So, I will grant you this wish.  Mainly because I want to have a detailed "journal" if you will, of this pregnancy for baby number two to read someday.  So, here we go.

Baby Harper 6 weeks old...Lookin' a little bean-ish

I should start by answering the number one question asked to a pregnant lady, "How are you feeling?"  That's a loaded question.  Physically I'm feeling not that great, although I have to thank my doctor for the Zofran (I think it's saving my life right now).  I feel sooo much better since I have been taking that.  Its nearly impossible to feel nauseous all day long, while caring for, playing with, and chasing a 16 month old.  Emotionally, I'm on cloud 9!  We are just ecstatic to be welcoming another wee one into our family!  As most of you know we had some issues with getting pregnant with Carson.  About a year and a half, lots of Clomid, and two inseminations later we were pregnant!  This go around we got SUPER lucky! We had the same issues ( I apparently don't ovulate with out drugs, and when I do its considered a "poor ovulation").  We'd been trying since May, and a couple months ago my regular OB referred me to an infertility specialist to get injection treatments to ensure a strong ovulation.  Well, we had a consultation with the new doctor, and were just waiting until a new cycle started to begin the injections.  Thing is....Never started a new cycle....I was pregnant :) Whew!  We were TOTALLY surprised and it was the BEST feeling ever.  I've always been jealous of people that are "surprised" by a pregnancy.  So I feel so lucky to have experienced my own little version of a surprise :)

Even Carson is excited about our new addition!

We went to the doctor today for an 8 week check-up, where I gave a little (more like a lot) of blood, and we did an ultrasound to pin point the due date.  Looks like May 12th, 2012 we should officially be a family of four! I love my new blog title picture. It's Carson getting his first glimpse of his baby brother/sister.  Such a sweet moment.  I didn't capture the part where he threw it across the room, mainly because it wasn't so sweet. haha

This pregnancy is already proving to be quite different from the first.  I was pretty nauseous for about a week or so and then my doctor prescribed me Zofran.  Which has given me a new lease on first trimester life!  I am still not feeling like my usual full of energy self of course.  One thing that hasn't changed from the first pregnancy is that I need a nap, daily.  Carson however gets to decide if I get one or not.  One major difference I am noticing, and battling right now is indigestion.  The first go around I didn't have issues with this until Carson was taking up most of the room in my stomach.  This new guy/gal is only the size of a raspberry and he/she is already causing me problems.  I hope this isn't a bad sign :/ haha 

Baby Harper at 8 weeks, 3 days.  The head is at the bottom and that little fin-like thing is his/her arm, and of course the bottom and feet are at the top.  The thing that made my heart skip a beat for a minute (that other little ball thing) is the yolk sack (it goes away after the first trimester).  I thought for a split second it might be a baby...yikes! haha

Consumed...

I wish there was more time in a day. Do you ever feel like your brain wants to do a million things but your body just can't keep up? I've come to the conclusion that I can not do it all in a day. I need to have a day for house work, a day for being lazy, a day for doing something creative, a day for shopping, and a day that is 100% devoted to Carson. I wish I could be that organized. We've had the busy last couple of weeks. Last weekend we took a long weekend and went to Benton, for the Pirtle Family reunion! We had a blast :) Especially Carson... He loved the boats, and the lake! But more importantly he loved playing with Mimi & Poppy, along with his great aunts and uncles, and of course his cousins!


After a fun, but exhausting weekend we got to pick up our new car. I know you are thinking..."What? Didn't they already get it?" Well, yes...We did. To make a LONG story short when we got the grey one there were several "imperfections" on the inside. We ended up switching it out for a new one. This time we choose white.... LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! Yesterday Carson and I dropped it off to get our running boards put on :)


Carson is of course keeping me busy! That boy is everywhere I tell ya...You can't begin to understand unless you one: have a busy boy, or two: if you have spent some time with the guy.


He is still not talking too much but he does spit out a word every now and then. My favorite is "balloon", or "ba-boon" as he calls it. He loves balloons, he always notices them. He kept pointing them out at Walmart the other day. Yesterday I took him to the Dollar Store to get something and, oh my, they were everywhere. I bought that boy his very own "ba-boon" he smiled the whole way home.

The other thing that has sort of consumed me this week is Pinterest. If you're on Facebook you're probably tired of hearing me talk about how addicted I am. I apologize for the repetitiveness. If you don't know what it is... Check it out here! I have seen so many cool ideas and projects my mind literally can't got to bed at night. It's on creative overload. Seriously...I just lay there any think about things I could, and want to do. Ugh, it's exhausting! In efforts to relieve a little of my "creative tension" today I did a super quick little project. I've seen on Pinterest some cute framed snapshots that have cool pattered mats. I've read you can just paint, fabric, scrapbook paper, etc. So today I did it. I gave a boring white mat a little update. Although, I didn't want to wait for paint to dry, I didn't have any scrapbook paper, and honestly... I was too lazy to cut fabric to fit so I used something I had on hand, ribbon!

I used a royal blue ribbon (bad lighting in the picture so you can't really tell) and just cut, then tapped it onto the back of the mat. I love it because if I get tired of it I can take it right off. The whole project took me less than 5 minutes. Yay :) A perfect little update for this busy Mommy!

New phone...New Ride

For the last couple of weeks James and I have been looking for a new car. We figured that since the used car market was so hot right now (since last year, our Altima actually went UP in value) it would be a good time to sell, and find a new one. Let me start by stating the obvious...Looking for a car is NOT easy with a 14 month old (Happy 14th months Carson!), especially when it's 1o0+ degrees outside. I'm pretty sure we picked the hottest week last year to look for houses here, and then this year we picked the hottest two weeks to buy a new car. Our timing is seriously off. Any who... We started out wanting a Buick Enclave. We just loved the body style, but when we drove one we just weren't as impressed as we thought we'd be. Then, we switched over to the Honda Pilot. Love. At. First. Sight. No seriously... Have you driven one? They are awesome! Needless to say, after many LONG, and I mean LONG, this car sits in our driveway :)

We were planning on buying a used one but, we just couldn't find one to meet our standards...So, James decided on a new one, and I'm not complaining. Ok, maybe just a little bit of complaining, I'm pretty sure we chose the most annoying car dealership to deal with, but I will not bore you with car salesman horror stories. We are taking it back tomorrow to get running boards and all weather mats installed, along with a few other little things :) I can't wait until I never have to go back to that place. haha

Speaking of all things new... I also got a new phone today. I just can't make myself get a smart phone. I just don't want to be playing on my phone all of the time. I only use it to talk and text, and I feel like I'm on it enough already. So, yes, I'm pretty lame, even the saleslady at the AT&T store made me feel that way when I asked her about a phone and she said, "Uhhh....Well, I haven't had anything but a smart phone so I couldn't tell you..." Seriously girl, do you work here? Anyways, it came in the mail today so I am busy trying to Bluetooth my fav. Carson pics from my phone, to the computer. I'll share some of the ones you haven't already seen....

Somebody's sleepy...

Playing with his new golf set Granny got him :)

So tired after a morning at the pool... I swear I think he was asleep with his eyes open! haha

Carson's Donald Trump look... haha

Sooooo sweet :)

Emptyin' drawers :) Yay for Mommy....

More fun at the gym...

Ever since Carson and I have been going to the Little Gym I've been wanting James to go with us. Of course with his work schedule there is no way that's possible on Wednesday mornings. So, last week we played hooky from our regular class, and went to the Saturday morning class so James could go too! Saturday was James' birthday so Carson and I got up early, and went to get him donuts, along with a fun balloon Carson picked out. After eating donuts (which Carson LOOOOVES by the way) we all got our "gym clothes" on and headed out! James really enjoyed getting to see Carson in action. And, action it was. At the start of class we always sit in a circle, the instructor talks for a minute, and then we start doing some welcome activities. Well, most of us do anyways. Carson, he'd rather just run wild. Yes, I'm afraid he's going to be that child. haha O well, sure do love seeing that little guy run and play. Mommy was quite excited to have another set of hands, rather feet, at the gym! With James being there I was able to take a few pictures of my boys having a big time :)

Carson hamming it up for Mrs. Angela, along with the rest of the class :) haha

The boy loves to hang...

Carson finally figured out how to do the balance beam :)

Carson loooooves the steps. I honestly think it's because he loves a good challenge. If there is a little ledge or step he trips over, he always makes a u-turn, comes back to it, and walks back and fourth over it until he figures it out. He did the same thing when I was staining the backs of our cabinets. I built a little barricade with chairs and stools so he couldn't get in the kitchen, of course he worked on it for about 15 minutes until he figured out how to get through. For some reason this little quirky trait of his reminds me of my dad and I.

So strong! He was holding all of his weight! Not sure where he hides those muscles, but I guess they are in there somewhere :)

It made my day to see James and Carson playing at the gym, and I know James enjoyed it too! We've actually decided that once this summer session is over (in 3-4 weeks) we are going to quit going to the gym. I love it, and so does Carson but the whole reason we started going was to try to meet other mommies and kiddos. We've got a nice little play group going, which we are loving. Seriously, it helps keep me sane :)

My little chatterbox

As I told you the other day Carson is in the wee stages of talking. He's starting to make sounds, and trying to make words. It IS the cutest thing I have ever seen. Here he is in action:

And yes, I apologize that it's sideways...

Did you hear it? "Uh Oh!" love, love, love it!

And here he is again, trying to say "dog". He's getting closer, he's got the "d" sound figured out! I love a few things about this video that I want you to notice. First, watch how hard he is drying to make the "Uh" sound for "Uh Oh" at the begining, it kinda sounds like he's pooping or something. Second, towards the end he does this little playing with his ears thing that is just precious. And third, check out how he goes from smiling to giving me a super serious, "Mom, turn it off" look at the end. Hilarious!

And just for your viewing pleasure... A quick snip-it of him chowing down on one of his favorite treats, graham crackers and Nutella :) Again, it's sideways, because I took it to send as a message! Sorry :/

Who doesn't love this snack?

This weekend at the Harper house...

We had visitors :) Holli, Stacey, and little Cooper made the drive from Bowling Green to hang out for the weekend! It was Cooper's first big road trip and he did a great job with the traveling, and adjusting to his now mixed up schedule! They got here Friday afternoon, we spent a few hours hanging out while the boys slept, then let Carson play outside for a while. I cooked a yummy dinner and then we sat out by the fire and made smores! So fun :) I hardly ever get to see these girls (& Cooper), and when I do its usually only for a couple hours. It was so nice to really get to spend time with them this weekend! I know Carson enjoyed the company as well. He was quite the show off. Friday, while we were waiting for them to arrive he was kicking his ball around the house. I was following him saying "kick" and after saying it about 50 times he finally said it, several times! Yay! Future soccer player? I'm chalking this one up as his first official word :) Of course he hasn't said it since.

While we were outside playing I was telling the girls about it, and saying that I feel like he should be saying more, when he blurts out, "tree". So cute! But, like "kick" he only said it once. I don't think he can figure out how to say it again. Although, if you say "tree" he immediately points at them, whether we're inside or out.

Saturday we sent James to the golf course with a friend and we took the boys shopping at the outlet mall! They were SO good :) We didn't hear a cry ALL day! They must like hanging out together....

Yeah, they are quite the little duo!

Saturday afternoon Stacey and Carson were having a little romp session in the living room, and she got him to spit out another word, "Ah, Boo!" She was saying it, trying to scare him and he started saying it back. He said it a couple times...So adorable :) I love seeing Carson interacting with my friends...Just makes me smile! Carson didn't just wear out Stacey while she was here. Holli got her turn too, at the outlet mall. I'm pretty sure she worked up a sweat chasing him around that place, squeaker shoes and all. Saturday night we treated the girls to a tasty PF Chang's dinner followed by a couple (much needed...yeah right) slices of cheesecake, from the Cheesecake Factory. The girls & Cooper left early Sunday morning and we miss them already!

James, Carson, and I enjoyed a lazy day on Sunday....Just hanging out :) What a great weekend!

All Boy

Carson is, without a doubt 100% boy. I can give you 5 reasons why...

1. His knees have been skinned up for a solid two weeks. And, I'm thinking they will probably be that way for a while :) haha He's not clumsy really, he's just busy. He is walking and running everywhere, even if it's a little dangerous ;)

2. He eats stuff he shouldn't... Ok, maybe this isn't just a boy thing but I just can't imagine a little girl eating clovers with a big bow in her hair. haha During this trip to the park he ate a clover (which I repeatedly pulled away from his mouth, but he just insisted he ate), along with a dead flower. Yum. At home he likes to put mulch and rocks in his mouth too. Lovely Carson.

3. He loves to play rough. He really enjoys being tickled, he laughs, and laughs, and laughs. I can remember when I was little and my dad would kinda pin us down and tickle us on the floor. That game pretty much always ended with me crying. Yeah, Carson doesn't cry. He's a boy, he loves it! He also loves being upside down, and being flipped, and tossed around! One of his favorite things is to be scared-a total boy thing!

4. He likes the ladies. Meet Millie, she is one of the little girls in our play group from the gym. This week several of us went to the magic house. Carson and I rode with Millie and her mom Sheri :) Before we even left the parking lot Carson couldn't keep his hands off of her. haha He is also quite a flirt. It's like he knows the exact right time to flash that little smile of his ;)

5. He's brave. This must explain all of the scrapes and bruises!

This boy of mine is so fun! Even though he's a boy he still loves spending time with his momma...I hope this never changes :)