Boys will be boys

Have you taken your kids to your local fire station? If not, you should.
My good friend, Elise, told me you could take your kids over there just about any time for a little tour, so we finally did it. What a fun thing to do! The boys were indeed in little boy heaven with all the trucks and lights and gear. The firemen were so great and I'm pretty sure they were excited to have some cute little kiddos to play with for a bit.

Anyway, put this on your list of fun things to do this summer.

What a little stud.

Terrible two's and 24 weeks

Hello friends.

Are you all having a lovely summer? I am.

It's been lovely, but exhausting to be honest. We have had so many fun things to do and Ollie has had so much fun with his friends, cousins, grandparents and family. It really has been so fun to just watch him soak it all in.

However, there is a down side to having so much fun. My little almost two year old seems to think that the rules no longer apply, sleep is no longer necessary and fits will get you anything your little heart desires. Oi. I love my little man more than anything in this world, but this terrible two thing is wearing this big pregnant lady out. I hope things calm down before baby girl gets here. Actually, I hope they calm down tonight :)

I thought I would post this picture of the Pops because this boy NEVER falls asleep anywhere but his bed or the car. But today, he decided he didn't need a nap before or after church, which has NEVER happened before, and finally, around 6, he crashed watching TV with Dad.

And the belly...

Oh the belly. I hadn't taken a new bump picture for a few weeks and I really didn't think there was THAT much change... and then I saw this...

Weeks 18 and 24

Eeeeeeeek!

I think my baby is growing in a sideways oval shape or a triangle.
I am large.
Wow.

Other than that though, things are going well. I still feel quite good but I am starting to swell. Probably from the heat and all the traveling I have done in the past few weeks. Cankles and sausage fingers not so funny when they are on YOUR feet and hands.

Still, things are going well and I am really happy that our baby girl is growing healthy and strong. I'm trying really hard to remember that when I get overwhelmed with how big I am getting and the swelling comes. I said over and over again before I was pregnant, that I would GLADLY gain the weight, endure the morning sickness, put up with the swelling and pain and whatever else came if it meant I could be pregnant. I forget that sometimes, but every time I feel her kick or squirm in my belly, I am reminded how much I LOVE being pregnant and getting to experience all of this, even the not so fun stuff. It's still a miracle and an absolute gift to be able to carry this little one.

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.