It's so surreal to be tracking these details again and writing one of these posts. I just want to pinch myself sometimes, but then I realize how nauseous I feel most of the time, and I know it's really happening. I've never been so thankful to feel so awful. I'm praying constantly for this little babe, and literally can not wait till late October to find out if another boy will join our family, or if we are all going to be shocked to get a girl. My bets are on boy, just based on how I've been feeling and the things I'm craving, but we'll see! I can't wait!! 

Because I have been feeling so rough, I've been slack on photos. And let's be honest... I'm also chasing after two crazy boys, so I forget!! But, I am making more of an effort now, so the coming months will hopefully step up a bit! 

4 weeks:

• found out I was pregnant the day before I was four weeks after a crazy night of dreams, one being me taking a test and seeing a positive line. I had been testing for the last couple of weeks hoping for a positive but gave up on Friday the 5th of July since it seemed like my window was finally gone for a positive test. I was still feeling off during the week ahead but I kept thinking it was in my head. Then, one week later, on Friday the 12th of July I got that light pink line! I was so confused and excited. 
• coffee tastes like an ashtray, which is so sad. 
• near the end of four weeks, some light nausea started. 

^ 5 week belly....

shocked at how round this belly is so early, 

granted this was at the end of the day after dinner. 

plus, these two with me in this photo is perfect!!!

5 weeks: 

• so. tired. surviving on naps during the day and really weird dreams all night long. 
• trying my best to get out of the house so I won't sit around all day. 
• no food aversions yet and only enjoying ice coffee with a lot of vanilla creamer.

6 weeks:

• sweets are a no go, especially ice cream but snacking on grapes and fruit are still good. 
• starting to crave nachos of any kind.... yum!
• trying to find energy to prepare for our homeschooling year starting in September and hoping I feel better by then. 

^ middle of my 7th week....

woke up with this belly on 8/13, so happy!

7 weeks:

• nausea is much worse and changes daily so it's very unpredictable. I never know if it is going to be mornings, afternoons or evenings... or even all day long. Every day is different. 
• had our first ultrasound on 8/6 and found out we were 7w3d. Since my positive test was so late, we weren't sure when we conceived and definitely needed an early dating ultrasound. 
• diffusing a lot of peppermint to make it through the day. 

^ a couple days before 9 weeks....

Mom took this at the game on 8/15 and had to crop it 

for FB since we hadn't announced the news yet.

8 weeks: 

• craving mexican food but still nauseous no matter what I eat. Feel great as I'm eating but then 20-30 minutes later I feel so sick. 
• dealing with a small summer cold and trying to rest/sleep as much as I can. 
• salads are so good right now, but chicken is a definite no, unless it's fried chicken. 
• went to Atlanta for the Jets game and survived a lot of walking and heat, despite the bad nausea and lack of sleep. 
• we missed restaurant week, which NEVER happens, so I'm clearly pregnant and feeling like poop. ha!

Guess What?

We are so excited for the blessing of another baby joining us in March! We are officially going to be out numbered. Peter and I are only slightly terrified about it, but we are also incredibly thankful!!! Solomon is also very excited, Asher is just along for the ride.

taking stock // 019

Obviously, this space has taken a MAJOR backseat in our busy world. It makes me sad, but it is what it is. I've always said that this blog was mainly just for my memory sake, and now that truth is even more evident. I don't have time to sit and write and edit photos and pour a lot of time behind this laptop screen, and that's ok. Now I only take time to track the big things. Monthly updates for Asher, Solomon Says, Day in our Life, and the random life update posts like this one. It's such a great way to bookmark what is going on in our crazy full life right now, and I love that! 

Making // the playroom ready for school time coming up in the next few weeks!! 

Cooking // as little as possible. It's a problem, especially for our restaurant budget. 

Drinking // cold coffee, all the time. Priorities, right?

Reading // this amazing book, Teaching from Rest, it is so wonderful!!

Wanting // a vacation to Charleston so badly!

Looking // at so much laundry that needs to be folded, that’s a goal for today.

Wishing // for that glorious Fall weather!!!

Enjoying // watching the boys play so well together most of the time. It’s super sweet to watch! Especially how they love to color together, the way Asher watches Solomon is my favorite!

Liking // how Solomon is so interested in reading, I’m excited to start working on some sight words with him. 

Wondering // how long both my boys will be wearing the same size shorts?? It's kind of hilarious how they both can fit in 2T so perfectly. 

Loving // football on the tv, the best season is about to start! 

Hoping // my quiet time will become more consistent once our new school routine picks up.

Marveling // at how the Holy Spirit has been moving within friendships and speaking truth and affirming things in my life recently. It really is such a wonderful gift, and I'm so thankful for the people God has put in my life. 

Needing // a to purge some toys desperately.

Smelling // the geranium essential oil in the house. It's my favorite right now mixed with a little lime, grapefruit and stress away!

Wearing // pjs for as long as we can, which makes less laundry, so it’s a win-win in my book.

Thinking // about how fun the holidays will be this year with Solomon being 4 and Asher almost 2! 

Bookmarking // different bunk beds that I love for the boys. I'm so excited to have them share a room soon in the next few months! 

Opening // all the windows in the car recently and the boys love it! 

Giggling // at all the crazy things that Solomon has said recently, and I'm working on a post about them next week.

Feeling // preparation stirring.

Asher // seventeen months.

Our little guy has gotten so big in the last month! I feel like I say that every month now, but it’s true. Toddlers really do change and develop so much, so quickly at this age. I guess that’s one reason why I love this stage so much. We have one more month of these updates and then we will have a 1.5 year old! Crazy!!! Those big brown eyes are taking in every single thing all around and I love watching him grow! The last five months have flown by and I have loved it.

Always eating snacks or hungry!!!

• The constant jibber-jabber is so fun to listen to. He’s been trying to say things more than ever which makes me so excited. It always shocks me when he says something and I actually understand what he wants. Just the other night in the bath he picked up a startfish toy and said star (“tar”), both Peter and I were surprised! 
• He has started to sleep much harder now but the night weaning did NOT go well. It’s crazy how different he and Solomon are. Asher is definitely a momma’s boy, so I think any kind of weaning process will be much harder with him. I decided to just go with the flow since he’s still sleeping great and loves co-sleeping with us in the middle of the night. I'm in no rush!
• Loves swimming in the pool and splashing in the water. Summer is going to be so much fun this year with a HUGE bathtub to play in all the time. ;) 
• The biggest carnivore baby! Loves any kind of meat and prefers it over anything. Still loves most fruits also and eats 1-2 eggs every morning. 
• Running and walking fast now, but can still get tripped up and fall pretty easy. Learning how to catch himself and not getting too upset. 
• Still obsessed with his brother but also gets very annoyed and irritated with him so easily. We are working on hitting since that’s his go to response when he’s annoyed with anyone, especially Solomon. 
• Loving books and playing with legos, he can sit solo and play for a while now. It's is a huge blessing if I’m busy cleaning or doing something with Solomon. Sometimes if he is being super whiny or complaining about something, I'll tell him to go read a book and he perks up instantly, then goes to the bookshelf and looks at books for a while. It's super cute! 
• Going into childcare and church without a huge meltdown, he still cries and resists it, but he’s fine once I’m out of sight.
• Absolutely hates to have his diaper changed and get his PJs on before bed, like you would think I’m trying to kill him. It’s the worst part of my day for sure, which is usually why Peter usually does it. Once he’s dressed and ready for bed he’s back to his sweet and happy self. The temper is real!
• All four molars are out and the first canine tooth is cutting right now on the top left side! 
• Had his first timeout for making a huge mess with a squishy on the living room floor. He thought the timeout was hilarious and he actually liked it, even put himself in timeout again after I got him out. Haha, oh boy....
• Obsessed with my face and touching any small zit (which doesn't help keep zits away!) or ,y tiny mole on my cheek while nursing, which is incredibly annoying! It drives me nuts. I move his hands and tell him no constantly but he needs the constant touch with my face to fall asleep.
• Just weighed him and he was 28.6 lbs. He’s also wearing all 2T clothing. Asher and Solomon can definitely wear the same shorts right now, which is hilarious to me. 

Sweet, sweet boy!!! I love you so much!

homeschooling plans.

Homeschooling. Something I always dreamed of doing but wasn't sure if I would end up doing it. If you would have asked me last year, I would have said HECK NO, but something changed over the last year. Really, just at the end of 2018, the Lord was really pushing my heart to do it. Or just try it! Solomon's birthday is September 14th, which is a late birthday for school, so that means he would be the oldest in his class. I think that is a good thing and I started to search for some preschool programs for him, just 2-3 days a week, possibly starting in January. I even went and toured one place but I left with such a heaviness with the idea of sending him somewhere. I wasn't ready, and I really didn't think he was either. He has plenty of time to socialize and be away from my at church and at my bible study once a week, so I wasn't worried about that. I just felt like we were in a really good place to try homeschooling and see if it would be a good fit for us, since he wouldn't technically start 4K until 2020, because of his birthday. So, we started it in January and I was honestly shocked at how much we both loved it. Now, here we are, almost in June and I am getting so pumped about buying a curriculum for next school year. I've tried to implement "summer" but he won't have it. He still asks for "schoolwork" everyday. The biggest gift with the last several months is realizing how his brain works. It is so rewarding to work on a common goal together and see him thrive. I'm so thankful for the opportunity that we have to give this homeschooling adventure a try! 

Now that my rambling is over.... ha, there have been several people ask what we are doing and what we are using. We are working on a morning basket now that seems to be going very well, and then we have his "school work" during Asher's naptime. This schedule seems to work best for us right now and I love the one on one time that it gives me with Solomon. 

my Erin Condren Teacher Planner that I'm loving so far.....

It helps me stay organized with all the different tasks that I have to complete throughout a normal day. I split it up into Morning Basket, School Work, my Color Street work, daily to do, and then meals. Its the best place for my brain dump every evening before bed and helps me plan ahead with school work also. 

Our morning basket is something we do almost everyday, even on weekends sometimes. This little basket sits beside the couch most of the time, but I love that we can carry it around the house with us, as we use it. Comfy on the couch, at the kitchen table while we eat breakfast, the school table, or even upstairs in Solomon's room. The following are all the things that we keep in the basket on a daily basis... 

We normally start with our daily devotion book. This Book is so simple and sweet, and it's the perfect way to start our day and I love how the prayer at the end is a little rhyme each day. Asher usually likes to listen to this part also and look at the pictures. 

Solomon also works on writing his name each morning. He's now doing Solomon and Eliya without any tracing, but I'm still writing Peter for him since we just added that to his practice this month. After the devotion, and the name practice, then we do his morning journal. Sometimes I tell him what to draw, but there are times when he asks to draw a specific thing. Like this morning, he wanted to draw a picture of God and Adam together. 

We have several bible verses that we have learned together also, which I love!! Whenever we add a new one, I write it out on cardstock and Solomon paints it. I'm going to laminate these also and make a little book for him to keep. We go over all the bible verses in the morning and throughout the day.

We are working through these two books right now with our morning basket, normally alternating the two and going in order from beginning to end. I've been trying to stay on the same stories also, since the Usborne Illustrated Children's Bible Stories is more in depth and the Jesus Calling Storybook is a faster read. They are both so sweetly written and I love the questions that I get to answer after we finish a story. 

The afternoon work is in these two books right now. I bought this Get Ready for School with this summer in mind before we start our new fall curriculum in September and we are LOVING it right now. All the sections in the notebook are fun and it makes it easy to jump around in different subjects each day. Starting this week, I'm going to a Tuesday-Thursday schedule (since I totally forgot Monday was Memorial Day in my planner above!) so we are going to focus on specific things each day. Tuesday will be alphabet, Wednesday will be math, and then Thursday will be shapes. I'll add in random things from tracing, manners, and basic knowledge from the other sections each day also.

This other book is something I found from the dollar store and I love how this is set up with one page a day. I pull this out on days when we need something a little extra and he still wants to do some school work. 

Lastly, I wanted to try a chapter read aloud for the first time with Solomon and I was shocked at how well it went. The chapters are short and there are a couple of photos to show and talk about as well. We are doing one chapter every other day right now, usually after we are finished with his school work in the afternoon before Asher wakes up. I'm so excited about all the possibilities of chapter books in the months ahead!! 

So for now, that is what we do. I love that there is complete flexibility with homeschooling and we can let Solomon lead the way during the summer days leading up to his 4K year. I'm also thankful that he won't technically be in a true 4K year until 2020, so we can take it slow and steady! Let me know if you have any questions or any recommendations!! We are definitely learning together as we go, but we love it!