Exhaustion

i really hope that everyone had a wonderful thanksgiving with family. i know we sure did. much to my dismay, i didn't take a single picture over the weekend. i just kept forgetting my camera. uggh. i hate that. but i'll be sure to take a bunch for the month of December to make it up.

i am going to post about our thanksgiving, putting up our tree with Jack (he's actually been surprisingly great about not touching it) and some pregnancy stuff. but right now i'm feeling burned out & completely exhausted.

the main reason i'm so tired, besides being 7 months pregnant & chasing my 13 month old all day, is that i've had a gross annoying cough for 4 weeks now. it started out as an annoying little cough & over time it has progressed & gotten worse. i can not sleep at night, i wake up more tired than when i went to bed & i'm coughing every 2 minutes. its one of those gross productive coughs. i really haven't been feeling bad, just coughing. but this morning i woke up just feeling crummy. my nose is running, i feel pressure in my head, my head aches & every time i breathe i can feel all the crud in my chest. awesome. my mom & mother-in-law have been so sweet & taken Jack a few times so i can "sleep" or "sleep in" but i have no such luck.

we are busy bees around here. December is now upon us, and all the hustle & bustle has already begun. we have much to celebrate. ben's birthday, christmas & our wedding anniversary all take place in December. sheesh. talk about busy. we love this time of year & we're really excited about doing fun things with Jack & celebrating our Savior. but we also have to start thinking about Jovie & my blood pressure. i'm now at the stage of going to the doctor every 2 weeks & if at any point my BP is high, she will put me in the hospital for a 24 hour urine analysis and then i'll be put on bed rest. and if that happens, everything stops for us. i could even be hospitalized for the remainder of this pregnancy. which would be insane. so we're trying to go ahead & get ready for little girl to show up. the car seat is going in the car in a couple weeks & i'm packing a bag for both Jovie & Jack, that i can keep in the car, in case i need it in the next 6 weeks. i constantly feel the need to have my house clean in case i'm suddenly unable to do anything so that if anyone comes over here to help or pick things up for me, my house doesn't look like a war zone.

have you ever just felt so behind on house work that you could just cry?!! well, i'm at that point. i'm seriously like 4 weeks behind. i mean, i do some picking up & laundry every day but i've just been so tired & physically worn out every day that all i can do is just crawl into bed. i rush around like crazy while Jack is napping or goes to bed at night to try & get a few things done. but it never seems like enough time to accomplish all i want to get done. and i just don't have the energy to stay up until 2 am to clean my house. i really wish i did. i do have a very sweet helpful hubby who gets some things done, but our house is out of control. and even he doesn't know where to begin. and for those of you who may be thinking "just get some stuff done while Jack is awake & playing" you obviously don't have a toddler. no offense, but just taking care of my kid is a completely full time job. not to mention i do work 2 days a week, where i'm out of our home & keeping 2 other little kids. so those 2 days i get nothing done around our house. we've decided that doing Jovie's nursery & creating a big boy room for Jack are just going to have to wait until after she is born. we just don't have the time right now. a few months ago this thought would've highly annoyed me, but now, i'm completely ok with it. Jack won't be moving out of his crib until Jovie is ready to move into it & that won't be until she is at least 3 months old. so, its not just not a priority for me right now.

ok. i'm done & off my soap box. but can you see, a little bit, about how overwhelmed & truly exhausted i am?! i mean, good gravy. i have 9.5 weeks until my little girl gets here & in the middle of all that, Christmas. and life. everyone keeps telling me not to stress or not to be so tired b/c that could cause my BP to get haywire. but just how am i supposed to do that?! o well. i know it will all get done somehow & i'll look back on all of this one day and laugh. right?! i really hope so!

have a happy Sunday everyone. and Happy Holidays. revel in the craziness & try to get some rest. if you can't, just come clean my house!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

i hope everyone has a wonderful holiday today. we have a fun day planned today. we're spending the morning at home, eating breakfast & watching the Macy's parade. then we are packing up and heading to ben's parents for lunch. we'll spend a few hours there & then make a pit stop at home to rest & load up again before heading to my parents for supper tonight. we're so excited to spend another Thanksgiving with Jack & we can't wait to have Jovie with us next year!!

i am so thankful this year for so much. but i'm most thankful for the love of Christ & His saving grace. my sweet husband, precious son & growing little girl are what i'm praising Him for today. i am blessed beyond measure & i want to make sure to give Him thanks all day today for His many gifts in my life.

Have a safe & happy holiday. eat tons of yummy food. i know i will, its a great time to be pregnant!! i'll be back later this weekend to blog about how we spent our holiday, Black Friday shopping & our Christmas tree. Happy Thanksgiving!

Target Giftacular!!!

raise your hand if you LOVE Target!!! ok. that should be everyone. i could seriously spend gobs of cash in there. definitely my favorite store. so when i saw this on Freebies 4 Mom, i got soo excited. its a Target 2 Day Sale Giftacular Sweeps. there are 1,570 gift card winners with 1,000 of those being $25 gift cards. um, yes please! you can play daily for 5 days, with Thanksgiving being the last day to play. there are consolation prizes being given out, in case you don't win one of the gift cards. **TIP** when you get to the play screen, click on the "No Webcam" link at the bottom left of the screen. it allows you to play the game manually. then you will pick a "gift" and unwrap it. it will then take you to a screen to enter your info (so they can keep track with how many times per day you play; your only allowed to play once) after you enter your info it will lead you to unwrap your gift.

technically, each person can only play once per day until thanksgiving. however, since me & my hubs both have separate email addresses, we each played. (ok, i played for him!!) which essentially allowed us to play a total of 2 times! i just entered his info & it worked even though we have the same address. (duh!)

i would definitely head on over there & check it out. it takes about 5 minutes & if you win a gift card its totally worth it. plus, since i told you about this, i expect you to use it to buy me something pretty. ok, i'm kidding. happy playing, hope you win!! but not before me!

if for some reason you have trouble getting to the play screen, just go to Target's website, i believe its accessible from there!!

Thankful

thanksgiving is only days away & i'm so excited. christmas is no doubt my very favorite holiday, but i really do appreciate thanksgiving & what it is all about. i know that the Lord has blessed me with so much & i never want to take any of it for granted. i am living my dream life & so i want to stop & take some time to Praise the Lord for His many blessings!!

Today, i am thankful for:

* my amazing & loving husband

* my sweet sweet little boy

* a healthy pregnancy & a beautiful little Jovie girl growing inside me

* a warm house with plenty of food & clothing

* a large & fun filled family

* a new (to us) minivan that is safe with plenty of room for our growing family

* a church family that loves us so much

* our health

* the holiday season & knowing the truth about why we celebrate

* being able to be a stay at home mom to Jack

* a part time babysitting job that allows Jack to go with me

* learning how to coupon so that we can save some money

* Dr Williams, my amazing OBGYN.

* Dr Bubba, Jack's excellent pediatrician that provides sanity for Ben & I!

* health insurance

* pregnancy cravings, it gives me a great excuse to indulge every now & then!!

* a healthy pregnancy weight. i've only gained 7 lbs so far with Jovie! 6 lbs the first 16 weeks & only 1 lb in the past 12 weeks!! whooop!

* a Lord & savior that loves me enough to correct me & gently guide me back to Him whenever i stray & who is always faithful to provide for us

there are many other things i am thankful for, but i'll list those another day. what are you thankful this holiday season?!

"Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him all creatures here below. Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts. Praise Father, Son & Holy Ghost!!!"

BIG Vera Bradley Sale!!!

who doesn't love Vera Bradley?! i know i do!! but most of the time, its too expensive for me. but right now Vera Bradley is running a HUGE sale. plus if you enter the code 10offsale at checkout, you can get an additional 10% off, making some items just $10!!! i found out about this sale through Frugal Coupon Living (get her link on right side of my blog) a blog i absolutely love!! to check out everything on sale, go HERE

here is the Vera Bradley Hannah bag. it's regularly priced at $45. on sale for $12. and with the 10ffsale code, it comes down to $10.80!! now that is a deal!!

and here is the Tic Tac Tote (small). its originally priced at $55, on sale now for $19 but with the 10offsale code you can get it for $17.10. super cute.

i really want to pick one of these up for myself since they are so super cheap. but i think i'll use the money to get one as a christmas gift for someone. but i can't say who that will be!! :) so you should probably head on over & do some shopping!! don't you just love a good excuse to spend some money?!!

My Son, the Genius

ok. so the title of this post is a bit strong. but i think Jack is the smartest 12 month old, ever. and i'm not even biased!!! :) i wanted to jot this down on my blog b/c i want to remember how much he is growing, learning & developing.

tonight, i gave Jack his usual bed time chocolate milk. and he did the usual, toddle around on the floor, drink a little milk & play a little with his toys. every 5 or 6 minutes, he relocates the milk & goes back for more. randomly, i said to him "Jack, where is your chocolate milk?" he began to look around the room. i thought, "could he really be looking for it?" so i asked him again "Jack, where is your chocolate milk?" he looked around one more time, found it & crawled right over to it & began to drink more of it. i was so proud. but just to be sure it wasn't a fluke thing, we played this little game over & over again.

"Where is Jack's milk?" is the best question i've asked anyone in a long time. b/c tonight, my little 12 month old son showed me just how smart he is, without a saying a word back to me. he is making connections, understanding me & learning how to put those things into action. i am just so very proud of him. i can't wait to start figuring out just how much he truly understands; besides the words "momma" "dada" "bite" & "no sir". now he is understanding my questions & blessing my heart at the same time. (BIG sigh) what a blessing it is to be a mother. just to take joy in the smallest accomplishment of my toddler has been the highlight of my day!!! Thank you Lord for my sweet boy & how much he is growing!!

Jack @ 12 months

ok. so this post is basically for me & my memory. we took Jack for his 12 month appointment this past thursday. (he was 3 weeks late going b/c he had bronchitis & couldn't receive his shots.) Dr Bubba said he was doing great & growing really well. he received 5 shots, including a flu & a swine flu shot. we are so thankful for Dr Bubba & all of his help!! Jack is a busy little boy & below is listed what he's been up to lately!

12 month stats:

*weight: 19 lbs 8 oz. this puts him in the 15-20th%. Dr Bubba said that this was actually really good & that it was setting him up to be a healthy weight in the future. yay Jack!

*height: 29 inches. he's in the 50th% in this category; which according to his weight is great.

* head: 42 cm or 16 inches. he's in the 50th% here too.

a few things Jack is doing at 12 months:

* he has switched, completely, from formula to whole milk. we have to put a little bit of chocolate in it so he will drink it. but we've been able to cut back on this & he's doing well. he gets 3 cups of milk per day, each are 6-8 oz. one morning, we offered him formula & he just turned it down & was only interested in the chocolate milk. he hasn't turned back since!

* he has completely given up his paci. this makes me a little sad. i mean, i know he needed to give it up by the time he was 2, but it just happened so randomly & so fast. one day, he just didn't want it anymore. he is growing up so so fast.

* he has been really picky with his solid foods lately. he LOVES yogurt & bread. but he's pretty turned off by everything else. when we talked to Dr Bubba, he suggested cutting back to only 3 cups of milk per day. (he was getting 4 or 5, he loves having something to drink). he said by cutting back, he would have more room in his tummy for food, which would result in showing interest in other things besides bread or yogurt. he said the rest of the day Jack could have water or juice b/c they aren't as filling as milk. this suggestion has actually worked really well for us. Jack now gets milk with breakfast, lunch & right before bed.

* since we have altered his milk schedule, Jack has been eating much better. for breakfast he usually has 2 pieces of whole wheat toast, lightly buttered. for lunch he has enjoyed a whole peanut butter sandwich & apples. for supper, he's had yogurt, bread, chicken & fruit. he's also enjoyed bananas & mashed potatoes. everyday, i'm just trying something new. he's still really picky about textured things, but Dr Bubba said that is normal & with time, he'll get over that.

* Jack goes to bed between 7 & 8 pm, with no argument. lately, he's been wanting to wake up at 5:45 or 6 & begin to play. but, of course, this is exhausting for us! so, we've been pushing him back until 6:45 or 7. he just has SO much energy every morning!

* he is a pro at holding on to something & walking. he has started standing by himself for a minute or two at a time & he is just so proud of himself! its really very cute.

* he still LOVES to open & shut cabinets, swing doors open, close the refrigerator door, play with things inside the refrigerator, play with any type of ball, bounce in his bouncy seat, watch his videos, talk & play in the mirrors, and play with anything that makes noise. he also loves to dance! he can't just stand still, he's got to sway or rock back & forth. its adorable!!!

* he is starting to learn how to show his frustrations. he grunts loudly when he doesn't like something. although we aren't afraid to pop him on the hand when he disobeys, we haven't had to do that yet. he's very sensitive to the tone of our voices. we can usually just say "no sir" very firmly & he cries & immediately stops what he's doing. he's pretty sensitive & so sweet.

* he's going through a separation anxiety phase. he doesn't like when either one of us leaves the room & he will follow us by crawling, any where we go!!

* he experienced his first shower, instead of bath, the other day & LOVED it!! he just loves to sit on the floor of the shower & kick water around & play with toys while we bathe him. he still really enjoys bath time, but if we are in a hurry & we also need to get showered, we just let him shower with one of us. he's still very little & doesn't understand nudity!!! of course, this won't always be the case & we'll obviously adjust to that!

* he has such a happy, joyful & contented spirit. he's always playful, smiling, laughing & loving on everyone. we really do feel so blessed to have such an "easy" baby to take care of, we're praying Jovie is just as content. he is great with independent play & can easily entertain himself with just about anything. he loves to give kisses to us & we just love those sweet baby kisses!

* he takes 1 nap a day for about 1 1/2 - 2 hours. he goes down for naps & bed time without a fight!!

* he gets bored in his car seat after about 20 minutes. i can't wait until we can turn that thing around! he only has to gain 12 more ounces & then we can.

* he wears size 9 month clothes, but can fit into a few 12 month pieces. he's not a big fan of shoes but when he wears them, he's in a size 3 & they are still big on him. he's in a size 3 diaper.

* he is very attached to his little lovie blanket. he gets so excited when we give it to him. he has to have it for naps & bedtime or when we go somewhere. so sweet.

i think thats about all for now. i know this post is long & most people probably could care less about all of this info. but like i said, its for me to remember so i can look back on this later! we are loving every single second with our sweet little boy. he's growing so much & so fast that we can hardly believe it. what a blessing he is to us. thank you Lord for our precious Jack!!

Dear Jovie

i am sitting on the couch, watching the Today Show, as your big brother plays so contently on the floor beside me. lola is laying on the back of the couch & daddy is at school. and you are 26 weeks old, growing like crazy inside my belly. we have less than 3 months until your arrival & we are getting more & more excited about it by the day. i bought your first little outfit, a summer dress, on sale at Target last week. its precious & i can't wait to put you in it!

we have an ultrasound for you, next week, & i can't wait to see you again. i just love to watch you squirm around on that monitor. after that appointment, i will be 28 weeks along, & begin my weekly doctor's appointments to check my blood pressure. i am praying that my BP is not an issue this time & that you are able to stay in my tummy until you reach 39 weeks. your health is the most important thing to us & we are praying that no matter when you come, that you are as strong & healthy as Jack was at his birth. i know you are strong b/c i can feel your powerful little kicks & jabs at this very moment. you are quite the fiesty little girl!

i can't wait to see what your little personality is like. i am already praying about that. i certainly want you to be an individual with funny traits & sweet characteristics all your own. i do not expect you to be 100% like Jack. but i have been asking Jesus to bless you with a content spirit, playful attitude & great ability to sleep like your big brother!! since you & Jack will only be 15 months apart, i need a few things to help make my transition from 1 baby to 2 a little easier!!

Jack is so much fun & has been such a joy for us & we know that you will be just as wonderful. i just can't wait to watch you & Jack play together.

i'm looking forward to all the many wonderful memories we will share with you. this christmas you will be in my tummy, but i can't wait for next christmas when you will be here to celebrate with us!!! i can't wait for our family vacations, birthdays, holidays, summers, play times & outings. i am so excited & grateful that you will grow up knowing how much we love you & how much Jesus loves you. i promise to always carry you to church & teach you about the love of Christ. i'm praying already, that you & Jack spend your lives serving Jesus. it is the only way you will ever truly find peace & joy. you will just love your big brother. he is so sweet & so very loving. you two will have so much fun together. i'm so glad you will have a playmate for life. i'm already praying that you become best friends!! you are so blessed to have such a wonderful fun godly daddy. he is already so crazy about you, he prays for you several times a day & he can't wait to hold his little girl. i know he will always take care of you & raise you as Jesus would want him to. you also have a huge & loving extended family that is just so excited about your arrival!!!

daddy & i are so excited about having a little girl. we feel so blessed to have a boy & now we get to have a girl!! how fun to have one of each! i can't wait to dress you up, take you shopping & do all the fun girly things!! we'll just send daddy & jack off to a ball game or something!! your little life is such a blessing already. you were not a planned baby, you took us completely by surprise. but i wouldn't have it any other way. the Lord knew that you needed to be here & a part of our little family & we are honored that He chose us to be your parents. i am counting down the days until i get to hold you, love on you & show you off to the world! but keep growing strong for now!!!

we love you, Jovie jellybean! you are such a joy already. i feel so blessed to be your mommy & i can't wait to take care of you. you are already such a blessed little girl!!

love,

mommy!

FREE christmas address labels

i'm all about some freebies!! i love reading the 30dollarweeklygrocerychallenge.blogspot.com she is amazing. she seriously only spends $30 a week on her grocery & personal item needs. she is always talking about great coupon deals & freebies. if you haven't read her blog, you really should check her out!! my friend, brittany, (jobandbrittany.blogspot.com). for some reason my link button isn't working right!! got me hooked on it. she & i are coupon junkies. but thats another post!!

one of Kathy's ($30 challenge) recent blog posts was about getting some free christmas address labels. i'm all about some christmas!! and i don't have any labels & you can't beat free!!! so today, i followed her link & got me 140 free cutie pie christmas labels! you do have to pay $3 for shipping, but who cares!! you can personalize the labels by choosing your own font, size & color. head on over & check it out!! you can read the specific post about christmas labels by clicking HERE. but hurry b/c this offer doesn't last much longer!

here's a tip. when you get to the website for the labels. click on return address labels. then once the page loads a search bar should pop up. just type in christmas & it will pull up tons of designs. have fun!

I am Blessed

nothing spectacular. nothing fabulous. nothing extraordinary. nothing exciting. this describes my life lately. church, lunch, naps, coupons, play, cook: all things i've done lately. but i'm just feeling so blessed & so fortunate & so content with life.

over & over again the Lord has so graciously showed me how blessed i am to be His. He has met EVERY one of our needs & then some. He is always good, always faithful, always long-suffering with me. He has fulfilled all of my dreams & i am living in a bubble of happiness. things are NOT perfect, not easy, we're not rolling in the cash & we certainly have stresses to deal with everyday but i am learning more & more about what it means to be thankful. i have been trying, everyday, to praise the Lord for all He has given me. i am especially thankful that we are all healthy.

i have come across story after story, blog after blog of people who are grieving & hurting or dealing with disease or death in their immediate families. we live in a broken world. i do not know or understand why the Lord has chosen to bless my family with good health, but i do not challenge Him or His blessings. its been hard for me to comprehend why i am so blessed but there are others, everywhere, who are hurting so much. i have felt so unworthy & humbled by His grace in my life. but i do know this: He is sovereign. i am no better or more deserving of His blessing than those who are hurting & He has blessed them with things that i might not ever receive but i am trying to be content with what i have.

i have an incredibly supportive & loving husband, a sweet energetic & fun little boy & i'm expecting a precious baby girl in less than 3 months. life is good for me. we are on a super tight budget & we don't have a lot of room in our house but thats just fine with me. i will take good health & a happy family over those things any day of the week.

i am enjoying every single second of motherhood. i really am. its the hardest job i've ever had but its just so rewarding & so worth it. i want to soak in every minute of Jack's life at every stage that he's in. i never want to look back on his childhood & wish that i had done more with him. i'm learning to put off house cleaning, computer time or things for myself so that i can spend time with Jack. those things can wait until he's napping or in bed for the night. i want to put his needs first & i want him to remember our play times together instead of him feeling ignored. when Jovie gets here, i know i might be stretched a little thin, but i'm ok with that. i'm so excited to have 2 kids. i'm looking forward to all the wonderful memories we will make with them. i know parenting is hard & there will be times that i want to pull my hair out but the Lord is here to guide us & help us to lead Jack & Jovie according to His will. Ben is an excellent husband & the Lord continues to remind me of how perfect ben is for me. my husband has been such a blessing & teaching tool in my life & he is the best dad to Jack, ever.

i really didn't mean for this to be a sappy cheesy post, i just wanted to sit down & keep a record of how thankful i am. i want to be able to look back on this & be encouraged on the days that i feel frustrated or defeated. Thank you Lord for what you have given me, help me to always be thankful for your hand in my life & may i never be ungrateful or discontented with what i have or the people in my life. Blessed by your name.

"Oh taste & see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!"

Psalm 34:8

Poppy Seed Chicken

this recipe is the bomb.com. seriously, we love it. i think its my hubby's favorite thing that we have. probably b/c his mom always made it for him & now i get to make it. it had been awhile since we had it, so i decided to bring it back out last night. oh so yummy. i didn't take any pictures as i was making it, i just totally forgot. (i blame it on pregnancy!!) but its a really simple recipe to make & most of the stuff, you probably already have at home. ** i did borrow the above picture from kelly's korner recipes.

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked & shredded/cubed

2 cans cream of chicken soup

16 oz (2 cups) of sour cream

poppyseeds

1 stick of butter

1 sleeve of ritz crackers

preheat oven to 350. grease a 9x13 pan. boil chicken breast, allow them to cool & then cube or shred them. mix soups & sour cream in bowl. add chicken. sprinkle in poppy seeds. (i didn't give a specific amount b/c it really doesn't matter. i use a good bit. you want them to be visible throughout the casserole) stir the soups, sour cream, chicken & poppy seeds together. pour ingredients into the pan. melt butter. crush ritz crackers in a bowl & pour the melted butter over the top. mix well. spread the crushed buttery ritz over the chicken mixture in the pan. bake 25 minutes. Enjoy!!!

a few tips:

* i have had this casserole over white rice, its yummy.

* if the casserole seems a little runny, add more chicken or serve over rice.

* only occasionally does it look runny when i make it. i can't really explain it. i guess its the size & amount of the chicken.

* you can use 1 can cream of mushroom & 1 can cream of chicken. it still taste good. i just use 2 b/c my hubby likes it better that way.

Britax Giveaway!!!

i wanted to post about an amazing giveaway!!! i follow & read, frugalcouponliving.com all the time. she is having a giveaway for a FREE Britax Marathon or Britax Roundabout 50. there are 9 different ways to enter & win!!!

I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to win this car seat. we have one Britax Roundabout, that we use for Jack. but i would LOVE to win this one b/c Jovie will be here soon & since they are so close in age (15 months) it would be so nice for us to have another one.

if you don't have a Britax car seat, you should get one. we absolutely love ours!!! and if you don't read or follow frugalcouponliving.com you really should! she is constantly posting about store deals, coupons, freebies, giveaways & a ton of other helpful stuff!! go here & check her out!!! and go HERE to enter the giveaway!!!

25 Weeks!!!!

whoa nelly!! i can't believe i'm already this far along. in 3 weeks, i'll be in my 3rd trimester. umm, what?!! is that even possible? i still have SO much to do to get ready for Jovie. we have to get Jack's "big boy room" ready so he can move into it in Feb or March. and we have to get Jovie's nursery ready. we need to be ready a little earlier than normal, in case i have blood pressure issues & have to enter the hospital early. so, that does NOT leave us a lot of time. i have my 28 week appointment on Nov 20 & then i start seeing my doctor every week for blood pressure checks. insane. please please pray with us that my blood pressure is not an issue this time. please also pray that if blood pressure should become an issue, that it doesn't do so until January so that we can enjoy our holiday season together. i'm praying that if i get sick again, that it doesn't happen until i'm at least 37 weeks. that way, her being born early, won't be nearly as scary as it was with Jack. all the craziness with Jack started at 33 weeks, which will be 2 days after Christmas for me with Jovie. so we are cutting it close! i'm trusting the Lord that it won't even be an issue for us this time!!! He is able!!!

here is what's going on with our sweet Jovie this week: ( i got this from 3d pregnancy.com)

*Your baby weighs about a pound and a half and is about 13½ inches long—roughly the length of one of those recorders you played in elementary school music class.

*Get ready for pat-a-cake! Baby's hands are now fully developed and he spends most of his awake time groping around in the darkness of your uterus.

*Brain and nerve endings are developed enough now so that your baby can feel the sensation of touch.

*Your baby's arms and legs have grown to almost the proportions they will be at birth.

*Baby's nostrils, which have been plugged up until now, clear out and she can practice breathing through the nose.

*The structures of your baby's spine are now made up of 150 joints, 33 rings and some 1,000 ligaments.

*The capillaries, the teeniest blood vessels, are now forming in your baby's body, giving her formerly translucent skin a pink glow. The blood vessels in the lungs also develop this week.

*Your baby weighs about a pound and a half and is about 13½ inches long—roughly the length of one of those recorders you played in elementary school music class.

We love you, Jovie! we get more & more excited about meeting you everyday! we know you will be just beautiful & we can't wait to see you with your big brother!!!

Our little Jack-O-Lantern

Happy Halloween! i hope everyone had a fun last night & that you racked up on tons of candy!!! (that is the best part, right?!) we didn't really get out with Jack b/c he still has bronchitis, which apparently, is very contagious. and his little immune system isn't back to normal yet, so we didn't want him to catch anything on top of the crud he already has, we're definitely tired of him being sick!

We had a fun little family day. We spent the morning & afternoon at home just hanging out. Ben decided to carve our pumpkin for Jack. He turned out great & Jack had fun watching daddy make a mess!! Later that night, Ben had an event to preach at, so Jack & I loaded up to go by his Mamie & Granddad's house so they could see him dressed up as a Jack-O-Lantern! of course, they thought he was the cutest little punkin they had ever seen!! and i really do have to agree! we spent a quiet evening over there just taking a few pictures, handing out candy to the trick or treaters, eating supper & watching the Vols crush South Carolina! what a fun night!

we are looking forward to many more fun Halloweens with Jack. (and next year, Jovie!!)