February 28, 2013

My sweet niece turned 2 on Saturday, and Francis, William, and I had the pleasure of spending the day with this precious little girl. When Abigail Grace was born 2 years ago, I felt William kick for the first time on the way home from the hospital. This past Saturday, I felt baby P move for the first time. 2 years apart to the day. What an affect this little girl has on me and her cousins!!! But I am getting ahead of myself. Saturday morning we headed to Houston and made it in town just in time for Abby's "fearfully and wonderfully made" painting party. The party went well and William and Abby got some cute cousin playing time on the playground nearby. They are pretty sweet together when they get the chance. I was feeling kinda tired with all the driving so I mostly had to sit and watch, but boy did it warm my heart! After the party, we had dinner to celebrate my brother-in-law Chris's birthday (which is the 25th) before heading home. On the way home, I tried to sleep in the car (which is something I am terrible at doing). I curled up as tight as I could, and without warning I felt it: a small, but very distinct baby movement. It felt a bit like a finger running quickly across the inside of my abdomen. I was startled, but stayed still in hopes I would feel it again. But Baby P did no more flips that evening. Considering I was one day shy of being 11 weeks, it is miraculous I felt it at all. After my doctor's appointment yesterday though, neither my doctor or I are surprised that I felt this little one. But again, I get ahead of myself.

William was a trooper the whole trip and this whole week in general. Francis is on a new schedule which means he goes into work at 10 and comes home at 7. We've tried moving William's bedtime to 7:30 so he can see daddy before bed, but Francis has only been able to make it home once so far to see him. He asks for daddy at bedtime, but has been very understanding that daddy is at work. I am so proud of him, but I know it is hard. He loved having Francis around in the morning though. They play and romp and I have been able to take a bit of a break and get things done that have been put on the back burner. When Francis has to leave, William gives him a kiss and hug, opens the door and waves goodbye as Francis drives off. It is completely adorable. I again expected William to be more upset, but he really enjoys the routine. How did I get so blessed???

When I delivered William, the maternity ward was completely empty except for another woman who had a child the day before. I found out yesterday that that woman was Harper's mom (Ashley) that I know from the Little Gym. She and I are both pregnant again and both have Dr. Brown again as our doctor. She is due August 27th, only a couple of weeks before me. We could be in the hospital at the same time again. How crazy is that? Small world! After Little Gym, my mom came in town yesterday and William and I met her for lunch at Chick-fil-a. After lunch, we headed on to my doctor's appointment. Baby P's heart rate was 165 and everything looked good. But this child was super active on the sonogram. They were waving and flipping and being just as active (or possibly more active!) as  William was on his sonograms. When I told Doctor Brown I had felt the baby she just nodded and smiled, noting that this baby is super active. William was much more interested this time and even waved back at Baby P. It was so cute! I have two of the best kiddos!

Well, that's it for now. I need a nap!

February 20, 2013

Such a wonderful week! I wouldn't have changed a thing about it.

After I last wrote, Rebecca Browne came into town from Abilene, and she, William and I had our "valentine's" dinner at Chick-fil-a. We then dropped William off at home with Francis (who had just arrived, perfect timing!) and Rebecca and I began our drive to Montgomery, TX. We got there about 9 and greeted Jackie (the bride-to-be) and the rest of the group as they were making homemade pizza at Jackie's family's lake house. We spent the night opening presents, fellowshipping and just enjoying each other. Becca and I only got a couple hours of sleep!

The next morning we were all up bright and early for breakfast with Jacklyn's wedding party and family at her family's house. It was delicious. We then spent the day relaxing and pampering Jackie as she got ready for her big day. Becca and I helped set up the reception a little and then got ready ourselves. The wedding that evening was beautiful. I even got to see Cyndy, Chris and my sweet niece Abby!!! I miss that little girl. Anyway, other than a slight snafu with the groom's ring, things went pretty smoothy. The bride was beautiful, the couple was overjoyed and God was honored. Who could ask for more??? Becca and I drove back late Friday night and I got to sleep in my own bed.

What did Francis and William do during this time? They had a daddy-bubba bonding day. They went to McDonald's, the park, and generally hung out. I think it was good for them and they had a great time.

After saying goodbye to Becca Saturday morning (as she headed back to Abilene), William, Francis and I drove to Sherwood Forest Faire. We watched jousting, falconry, had great food and rode some rides. William really loved the horses and kept yelling "horse!" when he got the chance. William had a blast, but boy was I exhausted by the end of it! We headed home before dinner, and turned in early. Sunday, we went to church, had lunch at Chuy's, and then took it easy. Francis had off Monday, so he made us dark chocolate crepes in Star Wars shapes. We went to the park, had ice cream and went to the Little Gym. It was such a great day! Yesterday was quiet and today ha been also. I'm glad because I needed some time to catch up on resting. I forget I'm pregnant sometimes, but my body is good at reminding me.

William is getting so big! I feel like I say that every week, but it's true. He answers questions I ask him. He knows when he is being funny. Yesterday, I caught William standing and jumping on the table. I said, "Now  William, do we jump on the table?" He answered, "yes!!!" and then laughed hysterically. Today I told William to clean up and then left to room to move laundry from the washer to the dryer. I came back and he had completely cleaned up all his toys! I gave him a huge hug and told him good job. I totally expected to come back and have to help him get started. I was one proud momma!

We've also discovered William talks in his sleep. Yesterday during his nap he said my name (Ma!) and then in the night he kept yelling Daddy's name, but never actually woke up. We're in for an interesting ride with this one!

I'm feeling ok overall, but I"m very tired. I swear I keep feeling this little one move, but I really think it is too early to tell. My allergies and William's are terrible this year, and it is causing a large amount of discomfort. If you think of us, please say a little prayer that allergy season will be over for us soon. Thanks!

February 14, 2013

Happy Valentine's Day! Another year with my sweetheart, Francis, and our love just keeps growing. Can't get enough of you, babe!

William turned 18 months old on Monday. How did that happen??? He's accomplished so much! And he's grown! At his Dr. Appointment on Monday, we learned he gained 3 lbs in the last 6 months (the average per year should be 2-5) and and inch and a half. He shows no signs of stopping growing and is over 26 lbs!!! The Doctor was very impressed with all his accomplishments and said he exceeded every one of the benchmarks. I'm not surprised, but I am proud! They also had me take a routine survey to see if William had Autism (which really made me laugh, I'll admit) and shockingly he had none of the indicators! Hehehe, he is the friendliest, most social child you will ever meet, so I kinda already knew that Autism was not a possibility.

William had his 18 month photos done last Thursday. He kept running around and being super cute, so even though he didn't really sit still, we still got some awesome pictures. We even got one of William hugging and kissing my tummy. I'm already showing...I can't believe that! William made it super hard for me to choose, and I ended up with so many photos that I may be able to wall paper! Hehehe, I'm sure I will find a place for most of them, and I was able to send out Valentine's with photos to family.

William has had an explosion of words this week. He is making all sorts of animal sounds. My favorite is when you ask what a dog says and he says, "ruff!" in his cute little voice. He will repeat me and then use the word later. One Monday he had over 20 consistent words and 20 or so occasional or periodic words (words I've only heard him use once or twice). Pretty soon we may have a chatter box on our hands. I can't wait!

So I leave tonight with Rebecca Browne to go see my college roommate get married (Yay Jackie!). Francis is taking tomorrow off so I can attend the wedding in Houston tomorrow evening after the bachelorette party tonight. I am looking forward to some wonderful fellowship with girls I haven't seen in a while. It should be great. I will try to take a ton of pictures!

My father-in-law has a meeting this morning in Austin so he stayed here last night and we got to visit with him. It was great to see him.

With all the stuff going on right now, I'm not sure when Francis and I will get to have our Valentine's Day. Hopefully before the end of the month! I can't wait to give him his gifts and show him I care. He's an awesome man. It's not just any old man who takes off work to take care of his son so his wife can go to a wedding on Valentine's day. It takes a special man. I am so blessed that his name is Francis. I love you!

February 6, 2013

I can already tell you this will be a long post. Fasten your seat belts!

I see more and more how great of a big brother William will be come September. Yes, that is my subtle wa of saying, WE'RE EXPECTING! Baby P2 (Phillips #2) is due September 15, 2013. We are all excited, but none more than William. If asked where the baby is, he will point to my stomach and then give it a kiss. When he sees a baby, he kisses it or hugs it gently and then tries to play with it. It's so sweet! The other day he gave a little girl (9 month old) at the Little Gym a hug and told her to follow him. He motioned to crawl through the tunnel and she did and he followed her. They did this at least 5 times, both laughing and smiling. It made my heart happy.

Anyway, back to this wonderful baby that will be coming before we know it. we've told our families. Here's an excerpt from how we told them:

 "We went out to lunch with Sweetie, Papa, Nana, Grandad, your dad, William, Aunt Chrissy, and her friend Kristen. We sat down at Cowboy Chicken and your dad offered to say the prayer. He prayed and ended with, “Thank you so much for the baby coming in September, Amen.” Everyone opened their eyes and said, WHAT??? Then they looked over and I showed them the T-shirt William had on under his polo. It said, “Big Brother”. Kristen recorded Francis’s prayer, but got so excited, she accidentally hit stop before you could see anyone’s reactions. I was truly bummed about that, but we did get some fun pictures of everyone talking about the new baby. We also got a picture frame for each set of grandparents that has William pointing to my tummy with the caption “The kids”. It’s adorable. William celebrates the baby daily and always wants to give kisses, so this picture was easy to get.

          We told Aunt Danielle on the phone as well as Aunt Cyndy, Uncle Chris, and Abby..."

  This happened a couple of weekends ago when we were in Dallas. Now you know why I was so excited! My mother-in-law was so excited, she went out and bought both boy and girl baby clothes so she is ready for whatever! I bought a yellow blanket with four little ducks (a mom, dad, and two little ones) on it that says "Our Family". I couldn't resist.

We have also already told the grandparents. We told them the same day or the next day after we heard the heartbeat. Here's an excerpt from that entry:

"Almost a week ago, we heard a little heart beat. The appointment got pushed back a day, so we didn’t hear it until the 31^st of January. I nearly died from waiting that extra day. I wanted to see it so badly! Francis, William and I went to Dr. Brown’s office and after a short wait, Dr. Brown turned on the sonogram machine and got started. I held my breath as she zoomed in. Before my eyes could focus, she exclaimed, “There it is! One beautiful steady heartbeat.” I sighed both with relief and excitement. Francis smiled, holding back tears. William was interested at first, but quickly became upset when he realized he would not be seeing a baby like he expected. The sonogram did not live up to his expectations. He wanted to pick up a baby and hold it right then and there. I assured him that it will happen soon enough. The heart rate was 135. I could have stared at it all day.

          When we got home, we were able to tell both sets of my grandparents. They were both thrilled. Mom Noble went out straight away to buy the stuff to make a Christmas stocking and Japapa assured me of what a brilliant, beautiful child they will become. We told Nana Phillips and Grandpa Millette the following day. They also were thrilled. Nana actually discovered the news by reading William’s shirt as we Skyped with her. He was holding the sonogram up for her to see. She was thrilled and quickly informed the rest of the house (as well as the rest of the Phillips family) without delay."

Exciting stuff. Now you are up to date in that arena. As for William...this kiddo is making his own drastic changes before my eyes. Last week Francis was putting him to bed when he climbed out of the crib/toddler bed and into the twin bed next to it, laying down in it. Francis took him out and put him back in the toddler bed. William climbed out and laid down on the twin bed. So Francis left him and he fell asleep. William has taken every nap and slept every night in the twin bed ever since (We did put in a safety rail). And you know what? He is actually napping!!! He has napped at least an hour at a time. He lays on the bed long enough that he falls asleep on his own. It's a miracle! I couldn't be happier.

I also discovered yesterday that William knows a bunch of words and he's been holding out on me. I tried making him say stuff when he wanted it yesterday, and a whole new set of words including, "Strawberry, Daniel (for a TV show he likes), apple, more, all done, drink, and book" all came out with little effort. He even told Francis to "come back" last night when he left the room. I knew he could talk more than he let on!!! I just need to keep pushing him. 

William has also become pretty proficient with a fork and has been eating even more than usual this past week. We may be in for another growth spurt. That's it for now. My fingers are getting tired!