Something NEW and EXCITING!

I have been working SO hard on this new project and I'm so excited to share my new website and new vision with you all!

Head on over to

to enter the "STYLE MY KID" contest!!
Trust me you don't want to miss out on this one!

bumpin'

I think it's official... I look pregnant. :)

This is week 13 and week 18. I must admit, I am a lot happier at 18 weeks than I was at 13. I feel like it's pretty obvious that this is a baby bump now and I am lovin' it.
I really was pretty whiney for the first little while because of my weight gain and how I felt I looked, and now, I'm just enjoying it :) I love that people I don't know ask how far along I am, or that people are giving my bump a little pat every now and then. I really do love it. It makes me happy.

Baby girl is doing great! She is a mover and a shaker that's for sure. Feeling her move is THE coolest thing. I absolutely love it. The doctors have all told me (I have had like 7 ultrasounds so far... lucky me!) that I would probably feel her early because of how active she was at each appointment and they were right! I hesitate to say it, because I know a lot of people will say I was just imagining, but I am more sure now than ever that I started feeling this little one around 14 weeks. I wasn't completely sure at the time, but now that I feel her regularly, I recognize that what I felt so early at 14 weeks was the very same thing I feel now, it was just more subtle and soft. She certainly isn't kicking hard enough to cause any discomfort now, but there is no question when she is kicking and when she is just moving around. She's doing it right now actually. :) It's just amazing. I could really sit and just feel her move all day. I love feeling this and knowing that she is ok. It's the most comforting, happy thing. I can't wait for Jon to be able to feel her move too.

I like being pregnant :)

Losing it

I've noticed that with this pregnancy that my patience is really short. If Ollie is being naughty (he's a toddler... he's supposed to be naughty) I find myself loosing my cool so quickly and at the end of every day I feel so bad about it.
I love him so dang much. Good or naughty, sleeping well or not, happy or sad, I love my boy with all I have and I really need to remember that in those times when my patience is tested.
He is my everything.
He makes me smile and laugh every single day.
He fills me with SO much love when he gives me hugs and kisses.
And our days of "just us" are coming to an end this year, so I am vowing now to do better and not waste any of my precious time with him being mad at him because he keeps hiding the TV remote. :)

My most handsome little dude at 19 months.

One of my favorite things about being a photographer is that I get to capture so much of Ollie's life. All his little ages and stages and the things that make him happy, like the pictures in the white shirt where his face is covered in chocolate, he is in dirty pajamas, running outside in the wind with his truck in hand. He was having so much fun just running around like a little maniac and I never wanna forget those moments.

PS These pictures are much cuter if you click on them to enlarge them :)

The verdict

So....

Jon and I decided to be spontaneous today and sneak in for an early ultrasound to confirm that baby Layne was indeed a boy
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but surprise...

Holy shocker.

I knew this was a boy from the very beginning. I KNEW. There was not even a tiny piece of me that thought we had a girl coming.

When the ultrasound lady said it was a girl I just started crying and laughing. I was in such complete shock. I kept asking if she was SURE. And she just laughed and said this little girl is showing it all, no reservations. It's a girl.
She checked like 7 more times... and each time, our little princess was happy to show us that she was NOT a boy. It was like she did it on purpose and wanted to make sure that Mommy stopped calling her a boy and wanted to rub it in my face a bit.
What a stinker.

We could not possibly be happier. I would have been completely thrilled with a boy or girl, didn't matter one tiny bit, but I just knew it was a boy. Apparently my "mothers intuition" is a little thrown off... we'll blame it on the pregnancy. :)

We are so so excited.
Can't wait to meet you baby girl!

P.S. funny little story. Last night, Ollie was being especially adorable, and I told Jon I was a little nervous because I KNEW that there was no way this baby could be as cute and adorable and charming as Ollie and I felt bad... but now that it's a girl, you really can't compare a boy vs a girl so we are good :)

Haircut trauma

The time finally came...

the time when too many people were confusing Ollie for a girl because of his long, curly, beautiful locks, and it was time for his first haircut.

This was so bittersweet. I LOVE Ollie's hair. His little curly ringlets always made me smile. But it was SO long that it was just a total mess most of the time and it was looking quite girly.

It was a traumatic experience for my little man, and looking at these pictures, I feel like such an awful Momma for taking pictures instead of trying to console him... but the pictures are so priceless.

Here we are before, long, wild, out of control hair (but still oh so adorable)

Here's what we rigged up to try and saddle the boy, and the first few cuts, which clearly Ollie was NOT a fan of.

But nothing a binkie won't fix

And after, still curly and a little wild, but more tame and definitely more manly :)

Ollie was NOT a fan of Bevin after all of this...

Thank you Auntie Bevo! I'm sure Ollie has forgotten all about your tortures and loves you all the same. :)

My baby looks so grown up with his big boy haircut and I find myself looking and his hair and longing for those long curls in the back... but still, he looks so handsome.

Well hello there

Baby Layne wanted to say hello.

Here he is at 11 weeks and 3 days,
waving to his (yes I think it's a boy) adoring public. Look at that tiny, adorable little hand and that perfect little face!

And this is how he spent most of his ultrasound... bend down...

and spring up!!

He was jumping up and down, waving his arms, all over the place. Both nurses said they didn't think they had ever seen a baby at this age be THIS active. He would not hold still... it was the most adorable and amazing thing. They said if he keeps this up I will be feeling him move in the next 4 weeks or so. Cannot wait for that!!!

I am more convinced than ever that this is a boy...
What to you think? Take the poll at the top of our blog.

Apparently...

Cats outta the bag and our little family secret is not such a secret these days...

When people started to approach us about this I was so surprised that word had gotten out so far, but Jon put it well... "Good news travels fast".

SO

We are VERY pleased to announce that Ollie Pop, is now


We are havin' a baby!!

It's so surreal to say those words... and to say that I am pregnant.
That was not in the plan. That was not going to happen for us... not for a long time, if ever.
To say we are thrilled out of our minds and unbelievably grateful is an understatement by a long way.
We started working with the fertility team again at the first of the year, and they found a way... we found a way, and we are pregnant :)

I just love saying that!

I am currently 10 weeks along. Yes, we know this is a bit soon to go public with the news, but word had spread so much we decided there was no point in hiding. Plus, the pace I am already gaining weight leaves me little room for hiding.

We have had two ultrasounds so far and heard/saw a healthy baby and heartbeat at both.
The most recent was on Thursday and I don't know how else to describe it but just magic. I had no idea that this early in pregnancy that there was a real live baby in there... like wiggling, waving, smiling (at least I like to think he was smiling) adorable little baby. And seeing that was such an overwhelming feeling. GRATITUDE, JOY, BLISS, RELIEF, JOY, JOY, JOY.

We are still just in shock that this is actually happening to us... and so soon!
I am due December 4th so baby Layne and Ollie will be almost exactly 2 years apart. This both excites me and scares me. I love Ollie so much, and I love our life with just him, I love spending my days with just him. He's my little buddy, my shadow, my world, and part of me is just not ready to share him. But the other part of me is excited for the years to come and for Ollie to have someone to play with and grow with and get into trouble with.
It will be good.
Life is good.
Our Father in heaven is so very kind and good and I feel so honored that he has trusted me with this gift. I really just feel so honored that I get to do this. That I get to experience a new way of becoming a Mommy. Holy cow, I am happy.