Moving Blogs

So I've moved my blog over to tumblr. Not sure if I'm going to keep this one or not, but follow me on tumblr through RSS... Read my ramblings to Eisley! :)

loribarrow.tumblr.com

Pregnancy

Ok - so I LOVE being pregnant. I'm sorry to all you mommies out there that have a rough (and sometimes down right awful) experience growing a new one in your belly, but I actually enjoy the experience (for the most part!). I've heard all the complaints - the "I hate those women who positively glow when they are pregnant", or the "I can't believe any pregnant woman would put pictures of herself knocked up all over her house" - I am that woman. Ok, not really that extreme, I don't have prego pictures up in my house... yet... and I think I look pretty dang good, but other people keep telling me I do too. My face isn't fat, I only have slight swelling in my ankles (cankles), and I'm "all baby." I feel pretty good with the weight I've gained and I have a pretty positive outlook on my "recovery" period after. So if you are one of those women that hate women like me - you may want to stop reading now. :)

Besides the beginning of this pregnancy when I felt pukey and gross most of the time, I have felt energetic and good the rest of the time. Of course there are my moments of achey-ness, nausea, cramping, irritability, emotionalism, and you probably don't want to ask Will about his take on this pregnancy (or maybe you do to make you feel better), but it really has been amazing.

Which brings me to now, one week to go (maybe), and I'm trying to process this experience, and the fact that it may be the last time I bring forth a child into this world. That's emotional. There really is nothing more amazing to me (besides all the God stuff), than the fact that I have another life forming inside my body - that isn't part of my body. It's SO weird - and amazing. And the fact that I don't have to do anything to make it happen, I don't have to try to grow it, it just does it by itself. Amazing.

I think I've realized that when you don't have all the negative side effects of pregnancy, it is so much easier to enjoy all the really cool stuff. Like the way it feels when the baby moves - from the first tiny flutterings to the really painful rib jabs, I love it. I love watching my stomach bounce and bubble around, sometimes resembling what I think it would look like to have an alien inside. And amazingly enough, I love the way my body changes to adapt this little thing inside. It is quite extraordinary how my belly can stretch so much (and no, I don't have stretch marks, another blessing I know), and all my organs move around inside with really minimal pain and discomfort. Minimal is the key word here. I don't enjoy the enormousness of it, but still, it blows my mind to think of all the little changes that have to happen to make this little life possible. Again - amazing.

And now it's almost over. For the last few weeks people have been saying - oh not long now! - or the really rude ones, What - were you due yesterday? And I haven't felt like it. I have felt amazing. (key word for this blog obviously!) I am not super clear on the end of my other pregnancies, but I feel that this one has been the easiest ending yet. I didn't feel like I could go into labor anytime, I wasn't really feeling ready even. I have been patient for this girl to show up. Yes, I want to meet her, but I know it will be so much harder once she comes, especially with her two brothers already here. And again, if this is the last time, I want to enjoy every minute of this experience that only we as women can possibly have. I want to savor her movements inside (that's the part I always miss the most) - and the quiet moments when it's just her and I and already there is that mommy baby connection. These are the moments that matter, that I want to remember after I am holding her in my arms.

Now the crib is set up, her sheets are made, the laundry is done and folded in her drawers - I'm officially ready. And finally, I feel ready too. I am ready for her to come out now. I've enjoyed this time to the fullest, but the excitement of meeting her is overshadowing the excitement of her being inside. I've had the realizations that I can paint her toes, get her ears pierced, and see every blow-out as an opportunity to play dress up. I've had enough rib-jabs, stabbing downward pains, uncomfortable nights, and crazy belly dancing to see me though. I'm ready to drink beer and wine again, have all the sushi I want, and be able to sleep on my stomach. And I'm ready to want my husband to hug me again (we're way beyond intimacy issues here - I barely want to hold hands at this point! Poor guy. Sorry Will - it's not you, it's me.)

I'm still emotional, I'm not ready to say this was the last time yet. And if it is, I'm quite content to live in denial about it. I'm kinda expecting to have some baby blues after she's here - especially if I think about this being the last one. So I'm not there - that I need to process more. But I'm ready for her to come. I'm not crossing my legs and hoping she'll stay (well, I am for this weekend because my doctor isn't on call) inside for a week more. I'm sure by my next doctors appointment I'll even be ready for her to encourage this process a long a little.

But it's been a great ride (dang it, I'm tearing up). I am so blessed for these times of pregnancy and thankful that it hasn't been like the horror stories I've heard other people had. I'm so thankful for that. I've seen you friends go though really awful stuff, and I know I'm lucky. And I'm not trying to rub it in :)

So that's that. That's my take on pregnancy and I'm excited to post about newborns next time!!! :) And probably I'll put up some prego pics too (sorry) once my sister gives them to me.

Mamma's Rock Giveaway

SO I haven't posted anything in FOREVER - it really is my goal to do it more often. Well, more of a purpose, since a goal has a time line and specific steps to accomplish and I haven't made any of those to be a better blogger.

BUT - right now I've entered in this super fabulous giveaway on one of the crafty sites that I love - and if I blog about it - I get an entry. So I'm blogging :)

Really though, I know the chances of winning this contest are pretty small as there is almost 1800 entries already - but it's been so fun to even look through all the venders that have donated their goods towards the giveaway. It's 138 prizes worth about $6500!!! That's a lot of webpages to look though. I don't think I'll get through them all, but it's been a nice distraction while on my mandatory "Veg" rest. (Not quite bed-rest, but strict don't do anything).

All you moms or ladies who love crafty things should check this out - even just for kicks!

http://laurawinslowphotography.com/blog/2011/04/28/laura-winslow-photography-presents-mamas-rock-giveaway-2011-over-6500-to-one-winner

And seriously, I'll get back to blogging soon. Especially with pics of Eisley and the boys!

The Meat Market

So today Lori took me to the vegetable and meat market. Now, I've seen a lot of things with all the traveling we've done and countries we've been to. But I thought this was a notable experience to share with those that may not be as fortunate to experience the joys of a Chinese meat market.

First off, let me say that I am thankful for once that I am here in the freezing cold. I can not imagine what such a place would smell like in the heat - no check that. I can imagine - we passed through just a place in India in the middle of summer, worst smell I have ever experienced EVER. So I am thankful that I did not have that fragrance to accompany this trip.

In the middle of the square is a large open building where the vegetables are. I liked this part. Tables and tables of veggies - you could make really good salads or stir fry. It was really beautiful - the colors and smells of the produce. The venders are funny - Lori has been told to bargain for the prices, but they don't budge, so she doesn't think it's really a place to haggle the price. We bought some lettuce for our hamburgers tonight. We are having a teacher and her family over for dinner, and they make american food when the host local guests for meals. Last night we had fajitas - yummy!!!



Then comes the meat. All around the outside of the vegetable market are stalls of meat sellers. I think it is arranged by type of meat - but some venders sell multiples types. There are hunks of meat sitting on the tables - huge carcasses hanging from hooks on the ceiling. After asking several people for beef and being directed in several directions, we ended up at Lori's mutton man - he also had beef. There are feathered chickens in a pile to one side of the table. There is half a sheep or some animal laying on another part - some ribs, and then chunks of cut beef around the table. She asks the man for 3 jins (lbs) of meat - to show she wants it ground she makes a really funny grinding noise while making almost a movie motion with her hands to show grinding. He understands. He asks if we would like bones in our beef - not for tonight thanks! He places chunks of beef on the scale until it reaches about 3 jins.



Then the grinder. Who knows how long this butcher has had this grinder. It is well used, and probably has never been cleaned - ever. There are at least 3 types of meat he sells - today. So most likely, this grinder has ground 4-5 types of meat over the last years, with no cleaning in between. (Is your stomach turning yet?) So, he grinds the meat into a bag - double bags it and gives it to us to take home. Time to pay - Lori hands him the money, and he gives her change. He gives her change without washing his hands - I don't think they wash their hands at all throughout the day! So - we have contaminated meat and contaminated money. Just saying - don't ever let your kids play with money in other countries!

So, now we have our ground meat to make hamburgers for dinner. I think it goes without saying that all burgers are well done in this China House!

On the way around we pass a row with a crate of live chickens. These are the fluffiest chickens I have ever seen! They are actually kinda pretty - all white with these little blue spots on their faces by the beak. I peeked inside the shop they were outside of, and there were feathers everywhere! This is where they kill and pluck them... I have had to kill and pluck a chicken before, so it wasn't too startling, but still, a real look at another culture of butchery! Next comes fish - they have tanks of crowded fish (live) and then they have trays of dead ones - some skinned, some not. I'm not big on fish, but considering we are in the middle of China - no where near the coast - I would definitely go for the live fish!

In addition to meat and veggies - you can buy various canned goods and spices in this market as well as pots and pans (for under one dollar!) It was a great afternoon and really interesting to see the way the chinese in this city acquire their food!

Pictures!!!

Happy Thanksgiving! Our Chinese Thanksgiving at Beijing Duck! Yum :)



Carving the bird....



Liam and I outside Beijing Duck - with the duck.



The market - notice the GIANT Zucchini??? That would make a LOT of zucchini bread!



The meat market - yummy eh?



Eli and Alleyah making tortillas! Funny the first time we make tortillas we are in China!



Liam at the baseball game with one of the university players. Will gets to help coach a team for the 2 weeks we are here. Their last game is this weekend since it is getting TOO COLD!



Cute kids - I really love the girl's tuke!



Busted! Liam is always hungry and trying to get into snacks!!!!

The Small Things

So -here are some small things about china that I have noticed that may easily get passed by in a newsletter/update/emails/slide shows. It's nothing too exciting - but small things I would like to remember.

-When we first arrived I noticed a LOT of people (well, mostly women) wearing face masks. I thought - wow - everyone is really really cautious about getting sick. Then I noticed they were stylish face masks - all sorts of colors and patterns. And I learned, they were face masks for the cold, but it probably doubles for germs as well.

- Most stores and restaurants have thick blankets hanging in the doorway to keep the cold out when the doors are kept open. It feels like you are going into a tent or fort everywhere you go.

- There is no cold water here - they serve it hot everywhere.

- Most kitchens have big sliding glass doors/walls separating them from the rest of the house.

- For some reason, my friends here have to go to the Post Office to refill their gas card. (Gas for their house - everything is prepaid here.) Not sure where the connection is between gas and mail.

- Chop stix and rice. Enough said.

- They do construction 24 hours a day - the off shifts sleep in make shift tents on the sidewalks.

- Eli's favorite thing about China right now is the kitties. Our friends have 2 kittens and when Eli woke from his nap today, he came out and said, "there are so many kitties in my bed with me!"

- The have these rooms - we would call them sun rooms - in every apartment. This is where they hang their laundry to dry. It is very cold in these rooms right now, but apparently they warm up a lot when it's nice out. The kids like to play in them - they again are separated from the rest of the house by a sliding glass door.

- There are a ton of taxi's here - but it can take up to 20 minutes to get one!

- They really do have 100 year old eggs in the stores here. Not sure if it's considered a delicacy when they are everywhere.

- There is only one type of cereal to buy here and it is in the chip aisle.

- The milk is so pasteurized it is not refrigerated in the stores.

- We can only buy real coffee at a local coffee shop where they bring it in from the Tibetian villages. Otherwise - it's all nescafe.

- Oh- my friend here says that everything you buy (clothes) here, the buttons will fall off... so I will be sure to redo the buttons on such purchases when I get home!

- Um - that's it for now. I'm sure I'll think of more little things later.....

China!!!!

So I thought I would try to write a quick up date about our time here so far! We are having a great time here with our friends. It is day 3 - we are slowly adjusting to the time change - the boys slept until 5 this morning so that was great!!!! We are pretty tired but hoping to soon be over this transition so we can have late night talks with Morgan and Lori!

Our Thanksgiving here was nice... didn't feel like thanksgiving really, but we were half zombie! We had thanksgiving dinner at this nice restaurant called Beijing Duck - where we ate - beijing duck! My first experience with duck - the soup they make with the leftovers tasted turkey though. It was really fun, our first chinese restaurant here - we met some others that are friends with Morgan and Lori and it was a nice time.

Other than that - we have spent our days with the jones and are resting and adjusting to the time. The weather is freezing - we are waiting for snow - and we are getting good exercise walking up the 6 flights of stairs to their apartment!

Eli and Liam are great. They are eating well and having a blast with their friends. Eli says it is really really really cold here and shivers. He is also a trooper climbing all the stairs - with Liam and our stuff, we can't carry him. He slows way down about the forth floor - and says whew all the time... it's cute! Liam loves spending time with the 2 cats here - Figaro and Norah - he chases them and laughs at them a lot. When we first arrived on the way home from the airport there was a traditional chinese building with christmas lights on it. I said to Eli - look at the lights! He said - Hey - it's like Kung Fu Panda! He also loves the noodles like panda, but he wouldn't try the dumplings (like the ones panda and shifu fight over in the movie) -which were delicious!!!

Tonight we are going to another chinese restaurant with Chinese Dishes - sweet and sour pork, garlic broccoli, eggplant, - the real good stuff! We are definitely loving the food!

I think that is all for now. We don't have much hope of learning much language while we are here - it is really difficult and we have no context for the sounds. I have learned hello, and two other phrases that aren't much good for conversation (not that they are bad - just not that useful!)

We are doing great and loving being here! Thanks for all your thoughts - keep em coming!

Keep looking to Will's facebook for pictures - we can't really post them from a computer!!!!

A Life of Faith

We are going to India next week.  It has been a crazy adventure lately!  Last week we were in Colorado for a YWAM conference for North American leaders.  It was a great conference.  It didn't start out so great.  We left on Friday night to drive (yes I said drive) to CO.  On a good day it should take 18 hours.  It wasn't a good day.  We hit a lot of obstacles which just made me more determined to get there.  I figured that if the devil was trying to block our way so hard, there must be some amazing stuff going on!  Anyway - after long stops with the kids - trying to eat breakfast at the slowest Burger King EVER - a whole in a heating hose in the car - a snowstorm in the mountains - a HUGE car pileup 12 miles from Denver - a detour through the mountains (that actually saved us probably 2 hours!) and a crying baby the last hour - we arrived in Fort Collins 22 hours later!  Praise the Lord it was over!

Anyway - long and short of it - it was an amazing week.  God has spoken to us a lot and we are excited to be  home and to start putting some of these words into reality.

So - next week we are off to India.  We have yet to buy our tickets!!!! CRAZY.  Anyway - we have been trying to buy them for about 4 weeks now.  We haven't had the money - we haven't been able to find good ones, we find good tickets but don't have money....etc.  So this past week we were really praying about this.  This trip has been the most difficult to get the finances for and so we wanted to seek God and see what was going on.  We also asked our staff and some friends to pray for us as well.

During one of the sessions our speaker was talking about as leaders we need to lead lives of faith as an example to the other staff in our mission.  I really felt that that was a word of God to me.  That this trip is definitely pushing us further in our faith.  We are trusting God in the last minute - holding onto the promises and His Word.  Another friend at the conference shared how she had recently heard from a YWAM leader that "The Word of God is our provision."  So His Word is what we go on.  Will and I prayed again and we felt that our whole family WAS to go to India, and so we were to pursue this with our whole hearts, no reservations.

So we are walking this faith out now.  Since then, we have seen over $1000 come in and we have found some great tickets we are buying tomorrow.  The really cool thing is that for this trip we will be flying around the world - going East all way!  It's kind of exciting as we have never done that before.

So I am super excited about this upcoming trip.  We will be visiting two of our teams in India - first in Calcutta, and then on the coast in Visak.  It is going to be an amazing time!

Please be praying for us!  We would love prayer for safety traveling and health!  From traveling, from food, from sickness - especially Liam crawling, it makes me a little nervous and I will definitely be a little OCD about keeping him clean!

Yay God!  He is ever faithful.

Poop goes in the Potty...

Tonight, Eli pooped in the bath - while it was full of water and he was supposed to be getting clean.  I was not exactly speechless - but definitely at a loss of what to do at first!  I got him out - put him on a towel on the floor and used his kiddy potty bowl to scoop it out of the bath into the toilet before draining the tub.  Thankfully I am not pregnant or I would have been gagging and needing the toilet for a different use! Anyway - that was disgusting.  Scrubbed the tub and put Eli in and gave him a quick shower with a cup!  OH MY GOSH _ if that ever happens again it is so Will's turn.

While we were getting his jammies on, we just kept talking about how we don't poop in the bathtub, only in the toilet.  So - "Eli, where do we go pooppy?"  Eli - "In the toilet - not the bathtub!"

Cute and not at the same time... Oh - the life of a mommy.

Success!!

After trying to get Liam to take a bottle and formula for a few weeks - we have succeeded today! Will got him to take a bottle of my milk but it wasn't very much, so then he made formula and he drank it all! I am so excited and relieved...

On the down side - I think we may be wrapping up with b-feeding. I think my milk is drying up and I'm pretty over trying to make this work. I'm not sure if I'm completely ready to be done done with it, but I am at least relieved to now have an option.

Anyway - so that's good.

The Love of My Life

My husband is amazing.  I am so lucky to live my life with him, to share this journey of parenthood and spend all my time with him.  I love you babe.

Sleeplessness

Having 2 boys in the same room is hard.  We are trying to get Liam to sleep through the night - but with Eli in there too, it's hard.  Liam has a habit of waking up every 3 - 4 hours to eat.  This is really annoying to me.  (Sounds bad as a mom- but physically, he doesn't need to eat that much - I'm not really being mean.)  I know that he can sleep through the night (2 times in Columbia - and 2 other times) and he is fine.  SO- I want to be able to go in his room when he wakes up, check his diaper, hug and sooth him for a minute or so and then lay him back down and let him go back to sleep.  Rarely does this work smoothly.  Most of the time he screams bloody murder for 10 minutes or more until I go back in and pick him up because then Eli is crying to, or worse, he thinks it's time to get up and play.  

The worst time is the early morning 

hours because if it's 6 or a little after - Eli is up for the day.  Nobody should have to get up before 7 (spoiled a little!).  Anyway - this whole process would be a lot easier with more space.  We are wanting more rooms when we move in August - but if we get 3, we'll probably still have the boys share so we can have an office/play room...

So that's my rant for tonight.

Christmas in Canada

Right after our time in Columbia - we spent one day in California and then went up to Canada for the holidays.  Talk about weather extremes!  Needless to say - our bodies did experience some shock.  We had such a good time with the family - it was the first time all 5 cousins have been together and it was a lot of fun.  I'm really looking forward to watching them grow up together!

Christmas in Cartagena

We spent the first two weeks in December in Cartagena Columbia - that is South America....

It was weird to be in such a HOT climate in December - and to see Christmas decorations everywhere. I loved seeing Santa's climbing over balconies - instead of sticking out of chimneys.

They don't have large Christmas trees in Columbia - so they make big trees out of lights!


Fireworks are all part of the Christmas celebration - these went off right over our head!


All around the old town of Cartagena - they put up these huge blow up figures of historic people and events. The pirate ship is symbolic of the attacks that used to come around the walled city. It was Eli's favorite.

One of our favorite Columbian Christmas sites. We were there for the first lighting of this plaza - it was really beautiful.

Little Liam

August 19. 2008. My second son was born. It was quite a different experience than my first. Eli was a long labor - but I had an epi so it was mostly pain free until the 2 hours of pushing - that was excruciating. Fun - but so worth it! Liam was different. I prepped myself more for this time around. I felt that with Eli I was not mentally prepared for what birthing a child would truly be like. So this time - I read a lot. I asked my doula friends for advice - for pain management - I read a labor and delivery book to refresh all my classes from Eli. I felt prepared for the long haul. I knew I would prefer to have pain medicine - but I knew that I had some tools to help me until I could get it.

August 11 was the due date. It came and went. I was ready for him to come. The waiting is the worst part. It's the anticipation of the most exciting and potentially scary thing that will happen to you - and not knowing when it will happen. August 18 - one week late and my next doctors appointment. I figured we would discuss inducing (I did not want pitocen) but that she would probably wait a few more days to see if he came and schedule me for later in the week.

Not what happened. I went in that night!!!! Talk about shocker and weird feelings. It's weird to know you are going to have a baby in the next day or so. It's weird when the anticipation turns into a little trepidation and fear of the next 24 hours. We had a few hours until we were to go to the hospital. Went home, finished packing, dropped Eli of at the Jones house, and went to get a quick dinner. Got to the hospital at 7 - checked in and got settled, at our dinner we took to go.

At 9 they gave me this medicine that softens my cervix so that I can get pitocin to start my labor. The first medicine can stay in for 12 hours. I figured I would have a good night's rest before the fun began. 11 - went to sleep. 1 AM - woke up with strong contractions every 5 min that I couldn't sleep through. 2:50 AM - Have to pee - really really bad. Will was sleeping with ear plugs in - I manage to sit up and throw a pillow at him. He helps me stand up.

HOLY COW!!!! The contractions don't let up or stop - I make it to the bathroom after a 5 min walk 10 feet. Probably takes 10 minutes to pee because I can't relax through the constant contractions. I finally make it back to the bed. Nurse comes in - manages to take out the medicine and checks me - I'm 6 cm. 3:20 AM.

I freak out. Ask for an epidural - haven't even had a full bag of saline through the IV - can't get an epi until that goes in. Yeah right am I going to get that epi. 2 minutes later - I really want to push. They get me a little stadol (I'm among the few who LOVE it). I'm 10 cm. I'm really freaking out. There is no way I can do this without an epidural - somebody give me one NOW! I can't do this, seriously - I can't do this. Once I said I can do this - they wouldn't let me forget I said that.




I started pushing. I don't know how to explain it. I'm fully aware of what is going on - I can feel all the things happening in my body - the need to help the baby down the birth canal - the need to push him further and further so he can come out - the extreme pain, but at the same time - mentally - I feel separated. I wonder if it's our coping mechanism for going through something so intense. I was there - and above it the whole time. And I made it over.

3:45AM - Liam is here! Thank the Lord it's over! And he is so beautiful - and small! Thank the Lord for his small head! And he was posterior. Crazy. He had a knot in his umbilical cord! OMG _ thank God. It could have been so bad and he is healthy and safe. No wonder he was smaller than Eli - and thank God for that too!!! :)

7 lbs 13 oz. 20 inches long. Small head - that's the most important. And so beautiful. I'm a mom - again. It's amazing.

20 minutes later my mom, dad, and best friend arrived. Sorry you missed it!!! But I'm glad it was that fast! I love being a mom - I love being a woman and being blessed to go through this amazing journey. I can't wait to do it again ( but in about 2 years)

Return to the blog

So I haven't blogged in FOREVER. A lot has changed. I will try to post some blogs that I have rolling around in my head from the last 8 months....

Pregnant in Patong

So I've had my first real taste of mommy-hood in overseas missions. It's hard work man! The flight wasn't too horrible, Eli did sleep a lot, but it could have gone better. There were moments when Will and I just looked at each other and said - we're those parents right now with the annoying crying kid. Thankfully there were few of those moments. We eventually made it to Thailand - praise the Lord! This is our 4th day here - Eli is finally adjusting to the time - one major nice difference is that he naps for 3 hours plus making up for lost sleep!!! That's nice. Down side - wakes up every night at 2:30 in the morning for about 45 minutes before going back to sleep. He needs a snack then! Kinda funny wierd.

Other than that - things are going well. It's nice having the team with us - Eli loves them and has warmed up to them a lot so there are more hands to watch and hold him. I'm at the point of not being able to hold him for more that 5 minutes without being exhausted, so extra help helps a lot! He is a little trooper though! He is getting friendlier with the locals. Will wants to make a shirt for him that says "I'm a big deal in Thailand." EVERYONE loves him here. They are always waving, touching, kissing (ones we know), and trying to hold him here. They just have this thing for white kids I think. He is pretty darn cute I must say :)

Being pregnant is having it's advantages too. Well, first, you have to throw out any idea of personal space and privacy. Anyone and almost everyone will come up to you and touch your belly. They all want to know how far along I am - if it's boy or girl, etc. When they find out it's another boy - they tell Will he is a strong man for having 2 boys! Funny. Once you get past all that - I have lots of perks. I get the front seat - free chairs at the beach - and best of all, the lady next door where we eat our meals made me a pineapple smoothly tonight! She brought it over for me and Eli - but since Eli is sleeping - she said it was for me and the baby. Delicious!

Anyway - Thailand has been an adventure so far. I would love to come back to this country and visit some other areas. Where we are is very touristy and sad - lost of bars and prostitution - sex tours etc. It's hard to see it up front and in your face at every hour of the day. But it's reality here and they all definitely need Jesus.

Anyway -just a keep post - I should get to bed soon and I need to return the smoothly cup to the neighbor!

23 Weeks

Eli is having a great nap today! It's been 2 hours already, so I only have about 2 minutes to post! I just wanted to post a prego pic. this is me a 23 weeks. Before this is over, I''m going to be HUGE!

Things are moving right along. The baby is healthy and growing and I am doing great! We can feel him from the outside now, and if he's really acitve you can watch my belly bounce a bit! It's super fun.

Eli is not quite sure yet what is going on. He loves my belly though. He loves to look at it, and his favorite thing is to pull my shirt up a bit and lay his head on my belly. We tell him he is giving his brother hugs. :) Sometimes he will kiss it and say hi, but he doesn't really understand yet! When we get back from Asia I'm going to get him a little boy baby. (Can't say doll, Will protests enough as it is.) But I want him to understand the concept of a baby and get the basics of how to act towards him!

Ok, better go before he wakes up!

The Verdict is in!

Drumroll please.....

I was right - it's a boy!
We couldn't be happier to welcome another little man into the family. Eli needs a little boy to play with and I think it will be so fun to watch the brothers grow together! It's nice too that we pretty much have everything we need already! Now I can just pick out some things that I really want and be set to go!

So without further ado -
We'd like to introduce our newest family member - Little Liam

Boy or Girl?

Before I got pregnant I felt that we would have another boy before we had a girl. I thought, that would be fun, 2 boys to play together and it will be easy since we have all the boy stuff and know how to care for baby boys. Then I got pregnant.

I still had the thought in the back of my mind that it would be a boy, but I really started wanting it to be a girl! I figure I would like at least one boy and one girl, and right now we think we want maybe 4 kids, so if I could just have a girl now, it would relieve all pressure and suspense to have a girl the next time. Anyway, I started getting excited about having a girl, thinking how fun that would be. But every time I thought of the baby, I kept calling it he in my mind, so I think I subconsciously thought it would be a boy. And Will and I can't agree on a girl's name, so that is a sign it's a boy too (not really, but that's what happened with Eli too).

Then my sister called and told me she is having a girl. So I thought, well, there go my chances of having a girl, the girls taken for the family! It's a boy for sure. So I have been telling people I think it's a boy. But now, ever since that has happened, I keep calling the baby she in my mind and thinking it's a little miss kicking me inside!

So I don't think I have any idea what this baby is!!! My mind is very mixed up and confused. I'm still rooting for a girl, but I would love having another boy - Eli is so much fun...

Guess we'll have to wait until Monday to find out!!! Hopefully the baby cooperates and shows off a bit! I'll keep you posted!