Happy 2nd Birthday, Mila!

My dearest Mila,

Every night when I put you to sleep I rock you while singing a little song that I made up; lately you have started "singing" it along with me, which is really just a bunch of "uh's" in the same tune.  Then when I lay you down in my crib you reach for my hand and won't let go. I asked you one time if it was because you didn't want me to leave and you said yes :)

Daddy started getting you "cozy" by covering you with a blanket and now you ask for that each night.  If you need a few extra snuggles we will find you standing in your crib, whimpering, holding your blanket up; when we come in you will say "cozy" and we have to lay you down and snuggle you in.

You have all kinds of favorite books, with Trucks and Everyone Poops being your favorite daytime books and Five Minutes Until Bed, Hop on Pop (you will even "read" this one to us if we're lucky) and a counting jungle animal book holding your heart at bedtime.

You and Roscoe are more and more like brother and sister every day. You love to boss him around and yell at him for no reason, usually when he's anywhere near you when you have food, even if he's not trying to eat it.  After we feed him you like to call his name and follow him around the house telling him to go eat his food, even if he's not hungry.

Dad has been teaching you the words "burp," "toot" and "fart," which we think is so funny to hear you say.  What you think is even funnier is the actual act; I don't know what your dad has started!  You're not potty trained yet but you have started realizing, and telling us, when you go pee pee in your diaper. You will usually then want to sit on the potty and the very few times that something comes out you are SO very proud of yourself, and we are too.

You are so funny even when you try not to be.  Sometimes we hear you talking to yourself (or maybe your stuffed animals?) when you're in bed; recently you were telling someone "No!" and I'm not sure who was acting out, monkey or one of your dolls?!  You heard me call daddy "Robert" at some point and now you will randomly yell for "Robert" instead of daddy.  When you want to do something too then you say "Mimi?" and when you are adamant at doing something yourself or something is yours, you say "mine!"

Kira is still your absolute best friend.  It's going to be an adjustment for you in the spring when you start preschool and are no longer going to Kerry's every day but it makes it easier on me knowing you will make new friends and also still have time for Kira.

You know all about Nellie and kiss my stomach at least once a day.

We tell her goodnight every evening before bed and you like to pat my stomach.  Daddy has a habit of squishing my stomach, telling her to "wake up!" to get her to move and now you like to smack my stomach and yell, "Wake up!"  When asked you say that you will be a good big sister but you told Aunt Sissy that you weren't going to share your secrets with her.

Your 2nd birthday party was a success and you had an absolute blast!  You were awake for the whole party, which was a step up from last year!

We came home and opened presents from the party and you were SO excited they were yours.  There is a "Happy Birthday" banner hanging in the dining room and every time you walk by it you stop and say "Happy Birthday? Happy Birthday?" and then you pat your chest and say "Mimi."  It's ADORABLE.

whose presents?!  Mila's!

Aunt Sissy and Uncle Bret surprised both of us yesterday by flying in town for your birthday!!! What an AMAZING surprise!  We have been having the best time doing nothing but spending time together (and taking lots of selfies).

We are so absolutely in love with you and each day is better than the last.  I don't even remember what life was like before you and that's totally fine with me.  Happy 2nd birthday, love bug; can't wait to see what the next year brings.

Love,
Mommy

For all of this month's pictures, click here.

27 Weeks - Nellie

How far along? 27 weeks...the size of a head of cauliflower!
Total weight gain: 10.6lbs (according to my scale...12lbs according to the doctor)
Maternity clothes? yep. i've fully converted.
Stretch marks? none
Sleep: what is sleep? i SERIOUSLY get up to pee like five times a night. i wish i was exaggerating.
Best moment this week:  Erin and Bret surprising me yesterday by being in Huntington Beach!!!!!!! They flew in for Mila's 2nd birthday and I had NO clue.
Worst moment this week: my Grandma Fisher passed away :( :( :(
Miss anything?  my family (blow lessened with the arrival of Sissy and Bret though!)
Movement: either my placenta has moved or Nellie's kicks have gotten stronger.  Also, fun story: Robert had a coughing fit last weekend at like 3:30 in the morning so we were both awake.  Nellie was kicking around so I had him feel and he said (jokingly) "that little jerk" and then she kicked full force right into his hand. It was pretty funny (that might've been a "you had to be there" kind of story...)
Food cravings: nothing too prominent this week but still loving sweets/desserts
Anything making you queasy or sick? nope, feeling pretty lucky this pregnancy
Labor signs: no...thank goodness!
Belly button in or out? still in...but this is like a day by day situation
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time? happy!
Looking forward to: just spending time with Sissy and Bret while they are here and celebrating Mila's birthday tomorrow and Robert's birthday on Tuesday!

For a look back at Week 27 with Mila, click here.

27 Week Dr. Appointment - Nellie

Helllllloooooo 3rd trimester!  What a beautiful thing you are :)

I had another doctor's appointment today and all was well.  We went over my glucose (diabetes) test results and my doctor couldn't believe how low my blood sugar (?) was. She even asked if I drank the sugary drink before having my blood drawn because it was so low (winnnnerrrrr!).  We went on to talk about the test results for anemia and hemoglobin and both were off the charts low. Then Dr. Nguyen asked if she could clone me because I was so perfect.  Hopefully she mentions that again at the next appointment Robert comes to.

We listened to Nellie's heartbeat and she had hiccups, which was pretty funny.  The doctor confirmed I have only gained 12lbs and that "it's all baby" and I would lose it all right after birth (ohhhhh yeeeeah).  She said it's smooth sailing from here on out!

Upcoming Appointments
10/16 at 4pm
11/6 at 4pm
11/20 at 4pm
11/28 at 11am

Bonus!
If you had any doubt that Mila is growing up WAY too quickly, check out this video of her and Kira playing ball. Kerry said that she didn't even teach them to do it; that, paired with them talking back and forth to each other, laughing and actually throwing the ball has me so happy and sad she's growing up!

(Great) Grandma Fisher

We laid my Grandma Fisher to rest last Monday; I wrote this eulogy in her honor and the preacher read it at her funeral.

My Grandma Fisher was an amazing lady; you may know her as Myrtle, a fun name for a fun lady.  She had a one of a kind personality that was impossible not to love and she gave everyone she encountered a hard time, but I don’t think anyone as much as my dad.  But it was always in good fun and she loved her three sons, Tom, Ed and David and was devoted to her husband, Edgar, even after his death in 1978.

A long and dedicated member to Emerson Park Christian Church, Myrtle was always giving back. She led by example and I remember many times running errands with her to drop off food at the food bank or clothes and other items at Goodwill. As a young woman that lived through the Depression, Myrtle was the most frugal person I have ever met. When I was younger I didn't appreciate this as it meant Always Save Macaroni & Cheese for lunch (which definitely doesn't taste anything like Kraft!) but was I grew up I began to admire this trait. When going to make funeral arrangements the funeral director told Ed and Rosalyn Myrtle had already made most of the arrangements in 1991 and "she got a great deal!" Of course she did :)

Myrtle was always traveling around the world and there were very few places that she hadn't visited. It is so inspiring that she didn't let being a widowed, single lady stop her from seeing so many amazing places. She had hoped to make these trips with her husband but when he passed away she continued to travel with a group of friends and the stories she had to tell were so memorable (not to mention all the fun souvenirs she brought back!).

It was Grandma Fisher who would drive my sister and me to events, camps and Vacation Bible School in the summer and it was Grandma Fisher who fed our animals while we were away on vacation. It was also during this time that she would always rearrange our kitchen cabinets, and usually take the labels off our unopened canned food to donate to the church so who knew what vegetable you would have with dinner after she housesat.  It was Grandma Fisher who made her five granddaughters an annual Christmas ornament every year, who had a different pin to wear for every holiday and who would come over every Sunday after church to get the Sunday paper.   It was Grandma Fisher that made spaghetti sauce with turkey meat and Grandma Fisher that lived so close I could walk over and visit any time that I wanted.  It was my Grandma Fisher, your mom, aunt, sister and friend that was such a kooky, fun lady that will be missed by so many people.

Myrtle passed away on September 18th, exactly two months before her 90th birthday; September 19th would’ve been Edgar’s 90th birthday.  It’s only fitting they celebrate their next big birthdays together in heaven.  It’s never easy losing someone that you love but Myrtle Fisher will not easily be forgotten and we’re all so lucky to have had her in our lives.

26 Weeks - Nellie

How far along? 26 weeks...the size of a green onion!  (I'm assuming length, not width since just a couple weeks ago it was a spaghetti squash??)
Total weight gain: 11.6lbs
Maternity clothes? due to the heat (see below) I pretty much wanted to wear no clothes all week (but sadly I did stay dressed)
Stretch marks? none
Sleep: actually sleeping okay, when I'm not waking up every two hours to pee
Best moment this week:  Bryan and Shawna are in town for the week and we finally get to see them (and get our hands on Johnny) today!
Worst moment this week: the heat. OMG the heat.  It has been over 90 degrees AT THE BEACH this entire week and I have been sweating like a pregnant lady in a wool pig suit.  (close 2nd? not getting called to report to jury duty. life's dream, crushed).
Miss anything?  my daily walks since it's been too hot to even walk from the car to the front door
Movement: lots of little karate kicks that sometimes keep me from falling asleep but at least they're not waking me up at night. yet.
Food cravings: still a bunch of sweets, more than usually anyway
Anything making you queasy or sick? still not yet
Labor signs: no...thank goodness!
Belly button in or out? bleh.
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time? happy!
Looking forward to: Mila's 2nd birthday party this weekend! And the weather cooling down a little (bet you didn't see that coming).

For a look back at Week 26 with Mila, click here.

25 Weeks - Nellie

How far along? 25 weeks...the size of a rutabaga!  (wouldn't it be funny if I didn't have corn in the house last week but randomly had this?!  No? Ok.)
Total weight gain: 9.4 pounds
Maternity clothes? slowly having to phase out my non-maternity clothes :(
Stretch marks? none
Sleep: I've been sleeping pretty well BUT I've been waking up for like two hours every night and can't get back to sleep forever (if at all).
Best moment this week:  finding out that I passed my glucose test (suck it, diabetes!) and I'm not anemic this go around! woo!
Worst moment this week: sleeping habits :-/
Miss anything? twerking.  While dancing in the kitchen to Anaconda with Mila (#momoftheyear) I caught a glimpse in the mirror....ain't nobody wanna see that out of a pregnant lady.
Movement: I've figured out if I lay on my stomach I can feel her kicking around in there much more. While Mila was a little lady Nellie seems to have started martial arts moves; maybe it's a good thing I have an anterior placenta ;)
Food cravings: I guess now it's safe to say that Nellie is a SWEETS girl! I am definitely usually not but I can't get enough of them lately. Fact: when I went to the store this week I bought cheesecake brownie bites, chocolate chip cookies, caramel corn (two different kinds) and cinnamon rolls.  Oops.
Anything making you queasy or sick? nope!
Have you started to show yet: now I think my bump is smaller and sometimes when I suck in it sorta doesn't look like a prego belly (I'm probably delusional and totally making this up).
Labor signs: no...thank goodness!
Belly button in or out? in but now visible through my shirt. puke.
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time? happy!
Looking forward to: JURY DUTY!  well it's not a lock YET but I am hoping hoping HOPING I'll be asked to report when I call on Friday evening.

To check my stats from this week in my pregnancy with Mila, click here.

24 Weeks - Nellie

How far along? 24 weeks...the size of an ear of corn!  Or a 1/2 gallon of milk or a foot long sub sandwich.  All items that I did not have in the house this week.
Total weight gain: 10.6 pounds
Maternity clothes? I've been living in dresses, maternity and non-maternity
Stretch marks? none
Sleep: horrible. i have to pee like 6 times a night and I can't seem to get comfortable. boo.
Best moment this week:  having an extra day off (Labor Day) with Mila
Worst moment this week: Mila has a little runny nose and it took me until 10pm last night to get her to to sleep. E X H A U S T I N G.
Miss anything? today I really wanted a sub sandwich. pretty sure that's because someone told me my baby is that size this week. eek.
Movement: not as much as I would like. I don't know if it's because my placenta is on the front (is it still?) but I only vaguely feel Nellie moving on the inside, never on the outside anymore.
Food cravings: a CUPCAKE.  I almost lost it on Tuesday night when Robert was at work and I needed a cupcake so badly I had to go to bed before I started crying!  I was reminded again that I have the best husband ever when I came home from work on Wednesday and Robert had cupcakes waiting for me in the fridge.

Anything making you queasy or sick? still nothing. hopefully I can hold out and make it through the next four months without!
Have you started to show yet: the bump has arrived. I definitely think my belly is bigger this time around, which is crazy since I haven't gained as much weight. But that shows you how weird/amazing the female body is.
Labor signs: no...thank goodness!
Belly button in or out? in but still looking REALLY weird
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time? happy!
Looking forward to: staying in Laguna Beach tomorrow night with Robert to celebrate our 4th anniversary.  And it's kid free!  Well, Mila free :)

To check my stats from this week in my pregnancy with Mila, click here.