The Darts

Will is 2 1/2!

noreply@blogger.com (Miller) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:40:00 +0000

2 1/2 is such a fun age! He is curious, energetic, and creative. I have funny, sometimes meaningful, sometimes weird conversations with him everyday. He makes me laugh all the time. Here are a few of the things he is up to right now:

His teachers and babysitters have all commented to me that he talks NONSTOP! I think he is going to be an extrovert like his daddy!
He loves being artistic and creative right now and we really encourage him with this. He likes to to color, draw on his magna doodle or ipad app, and paint. When I take him to school he usually goes to an easel and starts painting before I even leave! And his favorite thing to do at home right now is to draw on his chalk board that Uncle Rob and Aunt Lennette gave him for Christmas!

He finally sleeps with a blanket and a pillow! He's never allowed anything in his crib with him, and if we tried to put a blanket or stuffed animal in there with him he would immediately throw it out. Now he seems to like it!
His most commonly said phrase right now is "I don't like___" It could be anything: a tv show that is on, food that is on his plate, a toy, a person, Ellie and Coco. He likes to let us know what he doesn't like, and it changes daily.
He doesn't sit in a highchair or booster seat anymore for meals. He got a little table from Meme and Pop-pop for Christmas and this is where he eats breakfast and lunch now! And where he plays with daddy!

He runs laps around our house all the time. He likes for me to say "Ready set go!" and then he takes off, doing lap after lap. It makes me exhausted just to watch him. We have to cheer him on too, or he'll say "Look at me! Look at me! I'm running!"
His favorite question to ask is "What are you doing?" We've answered it so many times that he's started copying our most common response..."I'm just standing/sitting here!"
He's also started copying our exclamations (we are having to watch what we say around him now!) You always get a few funny looks when you are out in public and your 2 year old drops something and shouts "Oh my gosh!" or "Shoot!"
His most requested foods are pb&j's, frozen grapes, cheese, and yogurt. He also likes to help us cook dinner...

When he is excited, he will run and enter a room with a jump (sometimes accompanied by an enthusiastic "Ta-da!" He does this when I drop him off at school - he'll run down the hall to his classroom and enter it with a big jump (and he LOVES school right now!)
He has a very caring personality and says the sweetest things to me. If I'm laying down he'll look concerned and say "You ok mommy? You don't feel good mommy? You need medicine?" Whenever I tell him I love him he gives me a hug and says "I love you mommy!"

25 weeks

noreply@blogger.com (Miller) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 04:48:00 +0000

How far along: 25 weeks

Size of baby: Eggplant

How I'm feeling: I am definitely feeling large! It's also occurred to me that I have a lot I want to do before this baby comes - I want to pull all Will's baby stuff from the basement (I don't even remember what we have), and I haven't even started to think about the nursery yet. I'm suddenly getting the "itch" to do some nesting and preparing for this baby!

Highlights this week: I have reached a milestone that I think makes all moms feel slightly better - the baby is now considered viable. That means if an emergency came up, the baby would have the possibility of surviving outside the womb. Of course the more time this baby stays put the better, but I'm happy to have reached this mark!

A few book reviews

noreply@blogger.com (Miller) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 02:48:00 +0000

I've been doing a lot of reading lately, and I want to start reviewing more of what I read on here. Most of what I decide to read is based on reviews I read on other blogs, so I thought I'd start throwing my own thoughts out there too. A few words of warning though: I don't rate books based on how much of a literary masterpiece they are - rather I just share what either holds my interest from start to finish (the mark of a good book to me!) or what I had a hard time getting through (as much as I may have wanted to like it!). I hope that will be helpful to any of you who like to read and share my taste in books.

1. Girl in Translation - I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is one of my two favorite novels I've read in the last year (the other is below!). It is the story of a immigrant teenage girl from China as she adjusts to life in New York. It wasn't necessarily a book that sounded all that interesting to me at first, but the writing is so good it will draw you in! I couldn't put it down.

Rating: 4.5/5

2. Kisses from Katie - If you only read one book this year, read this one! It is such an inspiring story of Katie, who grew up in a very wealthy neighborhood and was both homecoming queen and senior class president and decided to forego college to move to Uganda after high school. She's since adopted 14 girls. Watch the video below to hear Katie in her own words.

Rating: 5/5

3. The End of Normal - Stephanie Madoff was married to Mark Madoff, Bernie Madoff's son who committed suicide last year. This is the story of the Madoff family and their unraveling from her perspective. I got this one on my kindle from the library and couldn't put it down and read it in about a day. I thought it was fascinating. That said, I've never read another memoir in which I like the person less after reading it. Stephanie doesn't paint herself as a saint, at least in my opinion.

Rating: 4/5

4. A Praying Life - My sister read this book and liked it so much she gave it to me for my birthday. I thought it was excellent. Sometimes nonfiction Christian books can be a little dry and take me forever to finish, but this was an easy read, with really good things to say. In fact, I plan to read it again this year.

Rating: 4/5

5. The Soldier's Wife - This novel is set on Guernsey Island during World War II. It is the story of Vivienne, who falls in love with a German soldier who has moved in next door. I wanted to like this book, but it moved way too slowly for me. I kept waiting for the pace to pick up, but it never did.

Rating: 2/5

6. These is my Words - I LOVED this - it may be my favorite novel that I've read this past year! It is set at the end of the 1800's in the time of Little House on the Prairie. It is based on the author's great-grandmother, Sarah Prine. I loved Sarah, and even weeks after finishing this one I am still thinking about these characters...it is a story that will stay with you.

Rating: 5/5

7. Two Kisses for Maddy - This is a memoir written by a husband whose wife tragically died the day after giving birth to their first daughter. I couldn't put this down. A few warnings though: It was incredibly sad, but for a different reason than you may think. Neither the husband nor wife were believers - the husband didn't want God even mentioned at the funeral. Another warning: this guy uses terrible language, to the point it was distracting.

Rating: 3/5

8. Shanghai Girls - This is the story of two sisters who emigrate from China to the US in the 1930's. This was the first Lisa See novel I've read, and I didn't love it. I honestly tried to just finish it quickly so I could go on to the next book (I've got a VERY long "to read" list). I've heard Snowflower and the Secret Fan is better though, so I may give it a try.

Rating: 2/5

9. The Everygirl's Guide to Life - I just happened to see this at the library and it looked interesting. I like Maria Menounos, and I thought this book was pretty interesting. She is very organized and has good ideas and tips on everything from decorating, organization, clothes, makeup and hair, finances, etc. I actually took her advice on some makeup that she swears by (Eve Pearl concealer), and I love it too!

Rating: 3.5/5

10. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - This is the true story of Henrietta Lacks, who died in the 50's of cancer. Before she died, doctors took cells from her that have been used for all kinds of breakthroughs in medicine, including the cure for polio. And yet Henrietta's family continues to this day to live in extreme poverty. I thought the story was interesting, but after all the hype about this book it honestly wasn't the easiest book in the world to get through. If you like true stories and have an interest in the medical field, you will probably really like this!

Rating: 3/5

What are you reading? If you read something I may like, let me know! I LOVE getting recommendations!

MLK weekend and snow!

noreply@blogger.com (Miller) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 05:16:00 +0000

We had a snowstorm come through Chicago Thursday. There wasn't any snow on the ground already, and a few hours after it started this was the view out our window...

I think we got about 10 inches Thursday afternoon! Will was so excited to go out and play in it, so when Matt got home from work they went out and made snow angels...

Will loves playing in the snow! He spent a lot of time Saturday and today outside, and we had to eventually drag him back in!

Today I had an appointment to be inserted with a new device that will check my blood sugar continuously throughout the day. This is actually part of a one week trial that my insurance makes me do before they'll approve me to have one. It is attached to the back of my arm with a small catheter under the skin...

Sexy isn't it? I already have an insulin pump, which is about the size of a beeper that attaches by tube and catheter to me all the time to give me insulin. I told Matt today that I am starting to feel part robot! I am hoping to get this new device though, because I think it will help me get my blood sugars in excellent control for the rest of this pregnancy, which is extremely important for me and the baby.

While I was at the doctor's, Matt sent me this picture of Will standing next to the snowman they'd built...

Will's been wanting to make a snowman for awhile, so I am glad they made one today!

Matt also made an igloo big enough for he and Will to play in...

It was a great day to have Matt home with us - I think Will had a ton of fun!

24 weeks

noreply@blogger.com (Miller) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 03:33:00 +0000

(I skipped weeks 22 and 23 while we were traveling. Also I'm using a VERY old phone to take these pics of myself (my phone still hasn't turned up) so the quality is quite poor...)

How far along: 24 weeks

Size of the baby: Papaya - a little over a pound and about 11 inches long

How I'm feeling: After fighting a cold and then a stomach virus I am feeling great this week! My energy is pretty good and I'm able to eat more things too (I sampled brussels sprouts and broccoli at dinner this week and they weren't TOO bad!) I also had 2 strangers ask me when I'm due today!

Highlights this week: I got to hear the heartbeat at a dr. appointment this week! She sounded great. Matt wasn't able to go to this appointment but Will accompanied me and gave me a big "Good job Mom!" after we heard the heartbeat!

Park City

noreply@blogger.com (Miller) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 03:03:00 +0000

We got back Saturday from Utah. We had a fun time, also mixed with some not-so-fun times! On our second day there Will came down with a stomach virus. Two days later my entire family came down with it, all within a couple of hours of each other. It was brutal, and took several days for us to feel back to normal. Thankfully though by the end of the trip we were all feeling better and were able to enjoy a few days out there!

Getting some loving from daddy while not feeling good!

We got Will and Baby Jack (my cousin Chrissy and her husband and baby were there too!) some lego duplo blocks to play with out there. We figured there will always be little kids out there for the next few years!

Happy Baby Jack!

Matt left Tuesday night on a red-eye flight back to Chicago, and went straight into work on Wednesday. My sister left Wednesday afternoon so she could get back to work as well. She got some hugs and kisses from Will before she left...

Will loves his Aunt B!

Doing sticker finger puppets with Meme!

This is the first year I can ever remember being in Park City in January and there being no snow on the ground! There was snow on the mountain so everyone could still ski, but there was hardly any at the bottom of the mountain. It was strange! Still, we bundled the kiddos up and attempted to sled on a small hill in the backyard in what little snow there was! The kids had fun!

Trying on daddy's helmet and goggles!

We put on the Polar Express movie one night and Will sat there with my dad to watch it - I thought it was the cutest thing ever...

All in all we had a great time! Will and I flew home Saturday, and wouldn't you know that we woke up Saturday to a snowstorm after no snow the whole week! We got behind trucks clearing the interstate on the way to the airport, but still made our flight just in time! And then once we boarded we sat on the runway for an hour and a half waiting to have our plane de-iced. This was my first time flying with Will by myself, and other than a tantrum when we first boarded and I explained that he had to sit with his seatbelt on, it went pretty smoothly! He watched Mickey Mouse on the ipad the whole time! We were happy to see daddy when we landed and happy to be home!

St. Simons

noreply@blogger.com (Miller) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 04:33:00 +0000

We are in Park City Utah right now, and I'll post about our time out here soon, but here are (finally!) a few pictures from last week in St. Simons. I can't believe we were in St. Simons a week. It flew by way too quickly, and I would have loved to have stayed another week! It was so nice to spend time with people we don't get to see often.

On Monday we met up with our friends Chris and Jenny and their baby boy Joe. Chris was one of Matt's best friends in high school and they live in New Zealand, so we never get to see them and had never seen their little boy. I forgot to bring my camera, but thankfully Jenny took these, which I love!

On Tuesday we met up with Shelia for breakfast at Sandcastle. She was thrilled to see Will and gave him a big retro metal fire engine that she and Matt's dad had picked up at an estate sale years ago. Will loves it!

Tuesday night we had a big get-together at Matt's Uncle Don's place. There was a ton of us there and a ton of food! It was a lot of fun and I wish I had pictures to show for it!

Wednesday morning we took Will to play with Otto. It is fun seeing these two cousins grow up together!

Otto liked wrestling with Matt!

Otto was so cute riding his horse!

Later in the day Will wanted Meme to help him look for pinecones and sticks in the backyard.

I love this silhouette of Matt and Will!

Mom watched Will Wednesday night so Matt and I could have a date. We did our favorite thing - Mexican food and a movie! We went to Cilantro's and then saw I Bought a Zoo, which was pretty cute.

Playing with his new Toy Story animals!

Thursday I woke up with a sinus infection, but Matt took Will to the park to play with Otto, and then met up with the rest of his family at The Red Barn for dinner.

Having fun with Otto and Aunt Casey at the park!

Sharing Lulu's cheesecake (I don't know why the flash on the phone makes it look like he's wearing makeup!)

Cuddle time with Meme

We flew out to Salt Lake Friday morning. We had such a good time. It is hard to believe that next time we go to St. Simons we will most likely have a baby girl with us! Crazy!

Christmas part 3

noreply@blogger.com (Miller) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 03:39:00 +0000

We spent Christmas night with Matt's family at his sister Casey's house.

Cousin Otto opening his gifts

A new glove from Lulu!

A new game from Uncle Don!

A Toy Story flashlight from Uncle Beau and Aunt Kate

Casey and Eric put together such a great dinner - lamb, potatoes, broccoli casserole, and green bean casserole! And Matt's mom made a fantastic gluten-free caramel cake for dessert!

Will loves his Uncle Beau!

And I will leave you with the gift Matt got Eric this year. It is a giant fish that you can move around by remote control. Will hated it - he ran up to Beau and said "Hold me Beau! I'm scared!"

Christmas part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Miller) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 04:41:00 +0000

We went to the Cloister with my family for dinner on Christmas Eve. We had planned to take Will and at the last minute decided to let Matt's mom watch him instead. I'm so glad we did - it was after 10pm before we ever got a check!

Christmas morning Will was still on central time and pretty exhausted from a crazy previous couple of days. We ended up waking him up at 10am when he still wasn't awake! He woke up in a good mood though and was excited that Christmas was finally here!

Eating a yummy Christmas breakfast!

Checking out his stocking!

Opening his fishing kit from Pop-pop!

He's a super hero!

Will liked to help Pop-pop open his gifts too!

Will is a fire chief!

And a baker!

He got the rest of the Toy Story characters (he only had Woody)! He was pretty excited!

He wanted to walk Max with his new super hero cape and snow boots on!

Pictures of Christmas afternoon/night with Matt's family coming up next!

Christmas part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Miller) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 21:19:00 +0000

We flew down to St. Simons Friday. Our flight was pretty uneventful other than I left my iphone on the plane! So if you happen to be on a Delta flight in seat 31B, check the seat pocket to see if my phone is there! I remembered that it was still in the seat pocket after we got off the plane, but we were not allowed to reboard to get it. The flight attendants said they couldn't find it, but we have the ability to track my phone using Matt's iphone, and it showed that it was still on the plane. Frustrating! I've filled out reports with both Delta and Hartsfield Jackson airport, in the small chance that someone finds it and turns it in. In the meantime, if you need to get in touch with me please call Matt's phone or email me.

My extended family was already at my parent's house when we got there Friday night, and we woke up on Christmas Eve and had a big brunch and opened gifts together. I was so happy to see baby Jack, my cousin Christine's little boy. I got lots of pictures of him:)

Jack and his grandmother (my aunt) Faye

Jack and his aunt (my cousin) Sarah

Will and Jack in their matching Christmas pj's!

Will LOVES Christmas trees! He loves to point out all the ornaments he sees!

Will handed everyone their gifts (he actually took 90% of them to his Pop-pop!)

Dalton, Sarah, and Baby Jack

Baby Jack playing with his new instrument from Will!

Will's new train track from Aunt Faye that he LOVES!

The whole gang

More pictures from the rest of our Christmas coming up!

21 weeks

noreply@blogger.com (Miller) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 05:24:00 +0000

And for a little comparison, here I was at 21 weeks with Will (on Easter Sunday 2009!)...

How far along: 21 weeks

Size of the baby: A banana - 10.5 inches long, and according to the ultrasound Monday she is 13 oz!

How I am feeling: I must have gotten bigger this week - I had 2 stranger comments! And the lady sitting in front of me at church on Sunday (who I don't know) reached out and touched my stomach! I was so surprised!

Highlights this week: We got to see our little girl this week! She looked perfect! We took Will with us to the appointment, and when the 4D picture came on the screen we told him it was his baby sister. He loudly said "It's a MONSTER!"

Why I love the Kindle!

noreply@blogger.com (Miller) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 04:43:00 +0000

I got the Kindle Touch for my birthday and I thought I'd share some of my thoughts about it in case any of you were thinking about getting it!

Up until recently I thought I wouldn't like the Kindle. The main reason is that I don't like to spend money on books. Almost everything I read is from the library. The other reason is that I like to be able to lend books that I've enjoyed to friends. But, it turns out that both of these are non-issues. I'll explain.

Here's a few reasons why I love the Kindle:

I read more often now. The Kindle is so small and lightweight that I always have it with me, just in case I get a free second to read!
I think I also read more because when I'm done with a book, I can instantaneously start another one. No more waiting on a book to come in the mail or waiting until I get a chance to go by the library.
I haven't experienced this one yet, but I'm looking forward to it next week: easier travel! I usually load down my suitcase with my Bible, my devotional book, and a few books. Now, I will only have my Kindle, which weighs about the same as my phone! I downloaded the ESV Bible for free (and I can easily highlight while reading it), and I have every other book I could ever want on it!
I don't like book "clutter." We read a lot of books, and sometimes I feel like they are taking over our house. I understand "building a library," but I really only want to keep around books that I fully intend to read again and/or loan out again and again. Otherwise, what's the point? And when you move a lot like we do (4 homes in 7 years) lugging all of your boxes of books with you each time is no fun!
And the best part: you can EASILY read most any book you could want for free! You can also loan them out and borrow them from others! I'll explain below.

Ways to Read Kindle Books for Free:

Did you know that Amazon has a list of thousands of books (including best sellers and new releases) that Prime members can read for free? You can only browse their Lending Library through your Kindle (not from Amazon's website). You can borrow 1 book a month and you can keep it as long as you like!
You can borrow books from your library on your Kindle! This is a no-brainer. It takes virtually no effort - you can look up any book you want in their database on your computer (almost everything I've looked up so far has been available!) and download it to your Kindle within seconds. So easy! My library lets you borrow up to 5 at a time.
You can loan books that you like to your friends! Here is how to do it. You can loan them out for 2 weeks, and then they will automatically be returned to you. While they are loaned out you won't have access to them, just like you wouldn't with regular books.
My new favorite website: Lendle! It works similarly to loaning and borrowing books with your friends except that you can do it with people you don't know. The database is huge with over 16k books currently available (I found a long list of books I've been wanting to read available for me to borrow immediately!) I can also loan out books I own. And you don't have to have a Kindle - the Kindle app on any other device will work fine. You also earn money for each book you loan, and after you have earned $10 they'll give you a $10 Amazon gift card (to buy more books!). The more I learn about this business, the more I like it - such a great idea!
You can read any classic for free right from Amazon! Here is a link.
Although not free, Amazon marks down one book a day to only .99! You can subscribe to their email so you are notified each day what the Kindle Daily Deal is.
I find out about free or seriously cheap Christian books all the time (Tim Challies always seems to be the first to know about deals). You can currently download Randy Alcorn's Money, Possessions and Eternity for free (which I HIGHLY recommend!), and RC Sproul's The Holiness of God for free also. I've also downloaded What Did you Expect by Paul Tripp, Shepherding a Child's Heart by Ted Tripp, and Rescuing Ambition by Dave Harvey...all for under $2 each!

Can you tell I am somewhat of an enthusiast?! Do any of you have Kindles or Nooks? What do you think?

*If you decide to use Lendle (it's free), use referral code B1OAYGMG when you sign up...I'll get to borrow 2 extra books:)

Pumpkin Bars

noreply@blogger.com (Miller) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 05:46:00 +0000

My mom has made these pumpkin bars around Thanksgiving and Christmas for as long as I can remember. They are SO good! I now make them every year too, and I've found a way to make them gluten-free with only one ingredient change - and I can't tell the difference. We took them to a church function last weekend and everyone gobbled them up - I'm pretty sure no one would have ever guessed they were gluten-free! So whether you make these the regular way or gluten-free, they are awesome!

Pumpkin Bars
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup oil
16 oz pumpkin
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups Bisquick (or to make it gluten-free, use 2 cups Pamela's Baking Mix)
2 t cinnamon
3 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 T milk
1 t vanilla

Beat sugar, oil, pumpkin, and eggs for 2 minutes. Add Bisquick and cinnamon. Pour into greased 15x10 pan. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

Beat cream cheese and butter and gradually add powdered sugar. Add milk and vanilla. Once the pumpkin bars have completely cooled ice them and cut them into bars.

First snow and Will-isms

noreply@blogger.com (Miller) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 04:27:00 +0000

Saturday we woke up to a winter wonderland for the first time this year! And just in time for Christmas!

Will was thrilled!

I also wanted to write down some things Will says and does right now before I forget...

"Good job mom!" He tells me good job when I do random things, and sometimes it is accompanied by clapping. I am guessing he is going to be an encourager and motivator when he's older.
"Great idea mom!" or "What a great idea!" This will also come at random times when I ask him if he wants to do something.
"Come join us mommy!" If Will and Matt are playing with Legos or doing something and I walk into the room, he immediately tells me to come join them. He's so enthusiastic about it too, it is hard to say no!
"What's this mommy?" This is probably just the 2 1/2 year old stage, but I feel like I hear this question a hundred times a day. I love how inquisitive he is...he is just soaking everything up right now!
"What are you doing mommy?" This is the second most asked question in our house...no matter what I'm doing or how obvious it is:)
"Will's turn!" If you try to sing around Will, he will probably interrupt you and say "Will's turn!" and then he will start singing. And if you try to sing along with him, he will stop and tell you again that it is his turn. He is very serious.
"Muffin Man" He knows the Muffin Man song, and he now refers to all muffins as "muffin mans!" We take him in the coffee shop next to our church every week for a muffin after church and now the ladies at the counter see us and say "Would you like your muffin man for here or to go?"
We gave Will some raspberries tonight and he put them on his fingers and said "Finger puppets!" Neither Matt nor I have done this so I thought it was pretty creative!

I find random things on top of the trash in our trashcan all the time. When Matt's sister Jessica was here for Thanksgiving I noticed her iphone in the trash one night. She called Will over and asked where her phone was and he immediately went to the trashcan to get it! I hate to think what we've thrown out...
Will knows I keep juice boxes in my purse and by my bed. I've told him lots of times that he can't have them because they are for when my blood sugar is low and I don't feel good. Last week he told me that he didn't feel good. When I asked him what hurt, he said "My blood sugar. I need juice!"
A few weeks ago, he started saying "I love you mama!" I LOVE LOVE LOVE this!!! I don't know why he would copy everything else we've said except for "I love you" but I am so glad he does it now!

20 weeks

noreply@blogger.com (Miller) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 05:46:00 +0000

How far along: 20 weeks

Size of the baby: A cantaloupe - 6.5 inches long

How I am feeling: Other than having a cold this week, I am feeling pretty good. I have a little more energy and have even exercised a few times. More and more food is appealing to me too.

Highlights this week: Not much going on this week but Monday we go for our 20 week ultrasound! I can't wait!

Just the two of us

noreply@blogger.com (Miller) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 05:07:00 +0000

Last week it was just the two of us...

Matt took a job that wouldn't require much travel, but occasionally it can't be avoided and last week was one of those weeks! He was in LA the first part of the week, and got to see his cousin Rob while he was there, and then he was in New York for the rest of the week, where he got to see our friend Dave. I'm glad he was able to take breaks to see these guys!

Meanwhile Will and I kept busy in COLD Chicago! We went on an outing one day to Target and I found him some Christmas pj's, and he wanted to put them on as soon as we got home!

It snowed on Friday and stuck, although it wasn't very much, but that doesn't mean it isn't FREEZING here already! It was in the 20's last week, and I know I need to toughen up because it will get colder!

Matt got home Friday night with a 'Cat in the Hat' hat for Will that he'd gotten at FAO Schwartz, and a big lollipop that made such a mess but he loved! Will loved the hat too and wouldn't even take it off to go out to eat...

And Matt brought me French macaroons from Laduree, which he was told has the best macaroons (naturally gluten-free!) in New York! They were awesome!

Saturday night we got a babysitter and went down into the city to see Joffrey's Nutcracker Ballet! I LOVED it! I think it was the first ballet I'd been to, and I thought the dancing was incredible.

And I took these pictures of Will Saturday morning in his cowboy boots and Christmas pajamas...he was showing Matt how to walk like a cowboy!

I love that little face!

19 weeks

noreply@blogger.com (Miller) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 03:29:00 +0000

How far along: 19 weeks

Size of the baby: A mango - 6 inches long

How I am feeling: I don't think my food aversions are as bad as they were in the first trimester, when pretty much everything sounded gross... although the thought of ground beef still makes me want to hurl, which is strange - when I was pregnant with Will it was chicken that I couldn't stand the thought of during the whole pregnancy, which doesn't bother me at all now.

Highlights this week: I am definitely feeling more and more kicks now! Such a cool feeling. I tend to go about my day not thinking about the fact that there is actually a live human being inside of me, and then I start feeling those kicks and it takes my breath away! I just stop and smile!

By the way, in pregnancy related news I saw this earlier this week and thought it was so cool!

Weekend phone pics

noreply@blogger.com (Miller) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 03:47:00 +0000

My parents came to Chicago last weekend to celebrate their 40th anniversary! They stayed in downtown Chicago for 3 nights and spent most of their time shopping and eating downtown, but they took the train up to Evanston on Friday to visit Will!

Will had school Friday morning, but my parents came in with me to pick him up and he was SO excited to see them! He immediately warmed up to them and started talking and singing to them nonstop!

Dad had to run to keep up with him - I think by the end of the day my dad was exhausted!

We got pizza from Homemade Pizza Co. Friday night and Will was literally bouncing off the walls while we were there. I think this was the millisecond that he actually sat still!

Watching "Woody" (what else?!)

Saturday was a pretty calm day. We ran errands Saturday morning and then loaded down our car with enough firewood to last us the season! Afterwards we were hungry and stopped at Steak-n-Shake. It's been years since we've been, and never with Will, and we couldn't believe how much they cater to kids! He wore his hat the whole time!

Sunday was the typical church, lunch, naps, and small group. Afterwards we went out for ice cream (don't worry, we didn't feed Will junk food ALL weekend!) He somehow managed to get it all over his face!

I took this picture Sunday night because it just couldn't have been any more perfect...we had our first fire of the season going, Christmas music playing, it was raining hard outside, and I was sitting next to our Christmas tree holding a decaf Americano and starting a new book! Aahh...bliss:)

18 weeks

noreply@blogger.com (Miller) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 05:31:00 +0000

How far along: 18 weeks

Size of the baby: A sweet potato - 5.6 inches long

How I am feeling: I attempted to walk on the treadmill this week. Saturday afternoon, I got on with my phone, headphones, and kindle in one hand and pushed start. Immediately, it took off going the maximum speed and I found myself sprinting for my life! I pushed every button, including the on/off switch, and nothing happened. Thankfully Matt was in our basement and ran over and pulled the cord out of the wall. I was running faster than I ever have in my life, at 18 weeks pregnant! I was terrified! I am SO glad Matt was there...otherwise I probably would have had a pretty nasty fall, which could have been serious for the baby.

I don't know what was wrong with the treadmill...Matt tried it out several times after I got off and he couldn't figure it out either. There is an emergency cord that I could have pulled, but it was wrapped around the base of the treadmill (dumb!) and hard to pull while running at such a fast pace. Our basement has concrete floors and a concrete wall behind the treadmill (with a workout bench right behind it), which means a fall wouldn't have been pretty!

Although terrifying at the time, Matt and I laughed about it pretty hard afterwards!

Highlights this week: I am pretty sure I have felt some kicks, but it is still kind of hard to tell at this point. The kicks are so light that when I feel something I stop and try to be still and wait for another one - which usually doesn't happen!

Anniversary weekend!

noreply@blogger.com (Miller) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 05:24:00 +0000

We had a big weekend - on Friday we went and got our Christmas tree with Lulu and Grandmama! It has become somewhat of a tradition of ours to get our tree the day after Thanksgiving. I just can't wait for the Christmas season to start - I've been listening to Christmas music nonstop!

Our little helper was excited to help put lights and ornaments on the tree! Will LOVES the Christmas tree! Every morning when he comes downstairs he says "Oh Christmas tree!" and runs over to it and points out all the ornaments to me - again! I love how excited he gets.

Saturday we cheered on the Jackets!

Will loves to "hide" under pillows!

Saturday night we celebrated our 7 year anniversary (which was Sunday)! We went to Michael in Wilmette and had a great dinner followed by a flourless chocolate souffle for dessert!

I can't believe we've been married 7 years already! It seems like time has flown by. We talked about all that has happened over the last 7 years and all that we are grateful for - most of all our healthy 2 year old son and baby daughter on the way! God has been good to us!

Sunday was also my parent's anniversary - and a big one this year - 40 years! Happy anniversary mom and dad!

Thanksgiving 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Miller) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 05:11:00 +0000

We stayed in Chicago again this year for Thanksgiving. Traveling to Georgia for both Thanksgiving and Christmas is just too hard with a toddler! This year we had Matt's mom and sister Jessica up for the week to celebrate with us! It was so nice to have them here - they kept me company while Matt was at work, watched Will while I ran errands and went to the doctor, and even went to the grocery store and made dinner for us! And they cooked the majority of the most delicious Thanksgiving dinner ever!

Will liked to help with the cooking! He loves to be a helper!

Will and Grandmama went to the park Thanksgiving morning, despite the very cold weather! Will had a ball!

Will liked to taste what we were cooking!

He gave Grandmama a taste too!

Will is good about giving kisses!

Our turkey!

Reading with Grandmama!

This year we had turkey, sage stuffing, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy, butternut squash and apple casserole, brussels sprouts, strawberry pretzel salad, and cranberry orange salad. And for dessert we had pumpkin cheesecake pie and coconut cream pie! It was a feast!

Will liked his turkey leg!

After dinner we watched Horton Hears a Who on tv, one of Will's favorite Dr. Suess books! He loved it!

It was such a fun Thanksgiving, and it was so much fun to have Jessica and Mrs. Dart here - Will cried when they left! He wanted to go on the airplane too:)

We're having a...

noreply@blogger.com (Miller) — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 05:13:00 +0000

We went to the doctor yesterday and are thrilled to announce we're having a...

GIRL!!!!!!

We are SO excited! We had our first appointment with the high-risk doctor yesterday, at 16 weeks. We mentioned to our doctor that at our first ultrasound, at 12 weeks, I was measuring 9 days earlier than what I thought my due date was (May 9th). So our doctor decided to check again with another ultrasound to see if my due date needs to be changed. We were excited because an ultrasound meant that we'd probably be able to find out the sex, and we were right! When the nurse said, "How do you feel about a girl?" I gasped! We are both absolutely thrilled!!

This ultrasound still showed me measuring about a week ahead, so for now I will go ahead and skip to 17 weeks.

How far along: 17 weeks

Size of the baby: An onion - 5 inches long

How I am feeling: I haven't exercised much since I've been pregnant - I just haven't had the energy. But, now that I'm in the second trimester and have a (tiny!) bit more energy, I want to start walking on the treadmill this week.

Highlights this week: Finding out we are having a girl! After we left the doctor's office, the first thing I wanted to do was to buy our first girl outfit (we did the same thing after we found out Will was going to be a boy!) Matt had a few last minute Thanksgiving items to pick up at the grocery store, so he dropped me at a children's store to buy ONE outfit. 15 minutes later, I walked out with this...

I couldn't resist:)

Matt's birthday!

noreply@blogger.com (Miller) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 05:20:00 +0000

Matt's birthday was Friday - he is now officially as old as I am:) We had a great weekend of celebrating. Matt's brother Beau called a few weeks ago and said he and Kate would be coming to Chicago this weekend and wanted to surprise Matt at dinner downtown Friday night.

Matt had no idea! He thought the two of us were just going out to eat to celebrate. When we got to our table, Beau and Kate were there waiting on us! It was awesome!

Beau's wife Kate is also pregnant - we are 2 weeks apart! So there was a lot of pregnancy/baby talk during dinner!

Dinner was fantastic - we went to MK downtown a few blocks from Michigan Ave. Everything we ordered was good. And the service was seriously the best I've ever had. The waiter asked if there were any food allergies and after I told him I couldn't eat gluten he went out of his way to look out for me the rest of the night. He was extremely knowledgeable about everything that had gluten in it - something I really appreciate. Sometimes a chef knows how to make something gluten-free, but if the waitstaff doesn't understand and doesn't make the customer feel comfortable with what they're eating, it is pointless. I ordered the ice-cream sampler for dessert and he even brought gluten-free coconut macaroons with it (that I think they'd just made). It was overall a great experience.

Beau and Kate's flight wasn't until Saturday night so they came and spent the day with us Saturday. Will had such a good time with them, and they even brought him a BIG Woody doll that he LOVES! I'm so glad they could come visit and make Matt's birthday weekend extra special!

Happy Birthday Matt! Will and I love you very much!

15 weeks

noreply@blogger.com (Miller) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 04:27:00 +0000

I am going to try to do a weekly pregnancy update - mostly because I think I'd like to have a record of it!

How far along: 15 weeks

Size of the baby: An orange - 4 inches long

How I am feeling: Pretty good. I still have food aversions - mainly meat and vegetables, but I keep trying new things hoping it will go away! I am definitely in the stage where my regular clothes are uncomfortable and maternity clothes are too big. I don't think I look pregnant yet - just fat:)

Highlights this week: I bought a few maternity shirts and a pair of pants this week! All of my maternity clothes from last time are summer clothes. I only had one long sleeve maternity shirt, so I'm basically starting from scratch again. I'm also pretty proud of myself - I completely cleaned out my closet today! I packed away stuff that is already too tight to make room for maternity clothes!

I'm meeting with doctors at Maternal Fetal Medicine (high-risk OB's) for the first time next Wednesday. I'm not sure if they'll do an ultrasound, but if they do we may find out if we are having a boy or girl! I'll be 16 weeks, so I'm pretty sure they can tell at that point!

A visit from Mary Beth!

noreply@blogger.com (Miller) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 04:59:00 +0000

My sister Mary Beth came to visit us this weekend! Will warmed up to her right away and had a ball playing with his Aunt B!

We ate good food, went for walks with Will in the leaves, did a little shopping (maternity clothes!), and watched football (go Dawgs!).

Will loves his Aunt B, and it was fun to watch him interact with her...

She told him she was going to have to leave and go on an airplane back to Georgia and he said "I go with you Aunt B!"

Come visit us again soon MB!!