Ode to a Stay-at-Home-Mommy...

Gene is snoring, Kaylee’s coughing, Bryson’s kicking…it’s only five,

I lie here in my bed, not sleeping, but thankful for this blessed life.

Alarm sings out for Gene to wake, he turns it off for a few more winks,

“Just a few minutes more,” he’s thinking, but it’s more like 30, that’s what I think.

Now, he’s up and getting ready, trying to quietly start his day,

Here I am, I’m still not sleeping…what a better time to pray.

I pray that Gene will have safe travels from county to county as he’s out on the road,

I pray that Kaylee gets a little more sleep, though she’s sick, and that’s a difficult load.

It’s not that we have any plans for our day, just playing and hanging around,

But Kaylee with more sleep is better than less sleep, a cold will get anyone down.

The heater is humming its song through the vents, and my bed is all cozy and warm,

The neighboring animals outside my window are singing their morning alarm.

It’s almost seven, and I could be sleeping, but it’s just a matter of time,

That I would be staring down the alarm clock, knowing it’s not going to chime.

I may as well get a start to my day, have some coffee and morning TV,

I’ll check my email and look at my Facebook before Kaylee starts calling for me.

“Mommy, I need clothes!” are the words I will hear, as she’s making her big girl bed,

She’ll have that sweet “good morning” smile and a rat’s nest upon her sweet head.

I’ll get her breakfast, her pick it will be, sit her down at the table to eat,

Oh, the day of this stay-at-home-mommy’s just starting, and this life it is ever-so-sweet!

Love and blessings,

Jessie

A Day to Relax!

Who knew that Advent activities could wear a person out?!! Perhaps, it's the pregnancy that's exhausting me, but we have certainly been busy with a number of different Advent activities from Kaylee's calender. Today's activity is opening an early Christmas gift (some Christmas sleepers!), and I am thrilled to finally have a day to relax, to say the least! Not that we haven't had a great time with each new day that comes along, as you can see in these photos:

We've been baking!

We went to see some Christmas lights and displays!

We even made a
birthday card for Jesus!

We've been dancing!

We've been reading some
new Christmas books!

Kaylee and Daddy
made a Gingerbread house!

Kaylee has really enjoyed each and every day, and she is counting down the days until Christmas! That's not to say she's been a perfect angel in these days leading up to the big day. It's definitely been a challenge to get her to behave - as it usually is around the holidays! I'm sure if I were to pull out some of my old child psychology and development notes, there would be something in there about how anticipation affects a child's nueroreceptors, or something like that! I certainly don't expect her to be her absolute best, all of the time, but she has definitely developed some bad habits over the last few months. She's got what I like to call, "the quick-fire tongue." It's something I'm 100% sure she inherited from her Mama...oops! I was always getting in trouble, as a child and well into my teenage years, for saying something bound to get me in trouble. You never, thoroughly, think through the reaction you may get from said statement. I figured it would be something I'd be dealing with as a mother, but I never imagined it would happen this soon! She does keep us on our toes, and some days, Gene and I just look at each other in awe of the little firecracker we are raising! I know we have many interesting years of parenting ahead of us!

Bryson is enjoying the holidays, as well! Particularly, the goodies!!! I've developed the worst sweet-tooth I've ever had during this pregnancy. For that reason, I was relieved when I passed my blood-glucose test at the doctor's office yesterday! I've been trying to counter all of the sweets with some veggies, lately, but I may be too far gone to do anything about it now. I have gained around 15 pounds, so far, and I'm only in week 25! Bryson may have be put on a diet after the holidays are over! I remember that, with Kaylee, I gained the most weight in the third trimester, but I was also stuck with my feet up or in bed most of that time, as well. If I can manage to keep active, maybe the end result won't be as detrimental this time! And don't go telling me the old, "You are pregnant....your supposed to gain weight!" This boy is only around a pound-and-a-half, right now, and the other "stuff" only accounts for 5-7 pounds, so the rest is ALL MAMA! Despite the massive gain, I am not really showing too much. I felt huge with Kaylee, so we'll see what happens in the next few weeks with Bryson. It's been a totally different pregnancy, so there's no telling what is ahead of me! I was able to feel him move at around 15-16 weeks, and we've been able to feel him from the outside for a few weeks now, too. My stomach actually jumps when he kicks, which is always fun to watch! He moves ALL of the time. Some days, that can be exhausing. It will be interesting to see what happens when he doesn't have as much room to do all of that flipping around! We won't get to see him in an ultrasound, again, until around 33-34 weeks. That seems so far away! I informed Dr. Cornett, yesterday, about our conflicts around his due date with Kaylee's dance competitions. She politely told me that she will NOT allow me to travel the week before my due date, so we can only hope Bryson feels ready to come a couple weeks early! I cannot imagine missing Kaylee's very first competition! I told Gene that we will start urging him on his way come March (should we get good results from the next ultrasound, of course)! With any luck, everything will work out...I just have to try not to stress over it!

Well, I think I've included all of the necessary "updates" in this blog! I should really get it wrapped up so that I can finish up laundry still in the dryer and get the house semi-clean for the big weekend! Mom and Dad will be coming over on Christmas Day, for dinner, and I plan on going overboard, as usual, in my holiday ambiance! I'm sad that I only have a couple weeks left to smell the sweet smell of our Christmas tree and enjoy the reds and greens of the season that fill my home and my heart with so much happiness! On the upside, I'll get to continue working on Kaylee's birthday party and Bryson's nursery after the New Year!!! Until then, I'm going to enjoy the rest of the holiday season with the ones I love, and I hope you all get to do the same! Here's wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a fabulously Happy New Year!!!!!!

Love and blessings,
Jessie

Oh, Christmas Tree!!!

Oh, Christmas Tree, oh, Christmas Tree...how I love thee!!!! I LOVE Christmastime! I know...Christmas isn't supposed to be about trees, lights and decorations, but it IS one of my favorite parts. Something about the home feels more warm when it is all decked out in reds and greens.  I take pride in my decorating each and every year. One day, I plan to have a magnificent Nativity Scene, so when we sit together and read the story of Jesus' birth, our children can visualize that very night!

This year, I wanted to put emphasis on the mantle. We spend so many December nights by the fire, so I really wanted to give it some extra "love" this year! Of course, next year, there will be one more stocking added to the mix! I definitely think Santa will feel welcomed as he arrives down the chimney this year!

We chose to place our tree in the center of our living room this time around, and I must say...I love it! No matter what side of the tree that you look at, there is a different ornament to gaze upon. It's tall and elegant...picturesque, if I do say so myself! I can sit at my chair and look up to the north at the star atop our tree and think about the North Star that led the wise men to baby Jesus. I look forward to the memories that will be created in the presence of this year's tree!

Memories... That is what I had in mind when I decided to do an Advent calendar this year. I did some searching on the internet on Advent ideas. Many people give their child a small gift each day of advent, but I wanted our family to get something more from this new tradition. I found the idea on Pinterest to use Christmas socks strung up like stockings as a calendar. The next challenge was to what would go in the socks. I gave some thought to what all we had to do in the month of December every year. It seems like we always get caught up in having to do this and go there, and before we know it, things that should have been joyful end up being stressful. Determined to give each of those moments and tasks meaning, I decided to incorporate these things into our Advent calendar. Each of our Christmas socks would hold a small piece of paper with something we could do as a family that day. After a lot of scheduling and organization, our calendar was complete!

I can tell you that there is one excited little girl that looks forward to each day and getting to see what we will be doing! The first day, we started out big! Our task at hand was to go visit with the merry old guy himself, Santa Claus! She was thrilled! We went down to Lochte Feed & General Store because, word had it, Santa was to be making a stop there yesterday afternoon. Sure enough, we arrived in time to be his very first "customer" of the afternoon! Santa asked if she had been a good girl this year. We had discussed the possibility, earlier, that he would be asking her this question. I had told her to be very careful not to tell Santa a lie because he had been watching, so he would know! She replied so innocently and honestly, "I try!" It was very cute! She proceeded to tell him that she would like a pink and white baby crib for her dolls, and Santa said he would see what he could do! We were very adamant with Kaylee only to ask Santa for one thing, fore he has so many children to bring gifts to each year - there's no reason to be greedy! In our home, Santa brings a gift and stuffs your stocking, and then Mommy and Daddy get you other things. I know, for a fact, Santa already has his elves working on Kaylee's baby crib, and I have no doubt that she will be thrilled when she sees in under the tree on Christmas morning!

I hope that I have many more of these stories to share with you as this holiday season continues! We have many more fun things planned, ahead, and more giving to do, as well. I know next year will be even more exciting, with Bryson in tow, and I am looking forward to many wonderful memories to create with my children, as well as new traditions for them to carry forward, too! I hope you are all having a blessed holiday season!!!

Love and blessings,

Jessie

20 Weeks & Vampire Babies!!!

Not only did I hit the halfway point in my pregnancy yesterday (20 weeks - yay!), but I got to have a "Girls' Night" with a couple of my favorite ladies, Karen and Sarah! We have made it a tradition to go see all of the Twilight Saga movies together (besides the first one), and it's always a great time!

The first time we all went together, we were going to be "cool" by going to the midnight showing. At the time, two of us were still in our twenties, but, somehow, we were the oldest people there - besides the parents dropping off their kids! For the last two movies, we wised up and started going to evening showings the day after the midnight madness.

Each time seems to be a different experience. Last night, the theater was filled with families and a lot of young kids - I mean YOUNG! Maybe I'm overprotective. I understand the movie is rated PG-13, but it is full of violence, sexual situations and partial nudity that my child is not allowed to see right now. Of course, they are allowed to have the f-word in PG-13 movies, too, so why even bother with ratings anymore? I understand that not everyone has read the books before they see the movies, so they don't know what they are "in store" for, but the fact that the past movies have insinuated that "Edward" won't...bed..."Bella" until after they are married should tell you that a movie involving their marriage might just involve the "bedding" situation, as well. If you've read the book, the scene plays out very violently. They definitely tamed it down for the movie - they had to in order to get to that rating! I still can't imagine explaining to my four-year-old what he was doing to her!

So, I'm pretty sure Bryson will be on his daddy's side of not really liking these movies. He "threw a fit" several times during the movie. I'm fairly certain he was frightened by the loud, violent fights between the werewolves, and during the last 15 minutes or so, he may have been looking for a way out - I'm not quite sure! I couldn't help but cringe a bit, and grab my belly when they cut "Bella" open to get the baby out - it was a bit much... I sure am glad that I'm not carrying a baby vampire...OUCH!!!:)

Well, that was our night! We had a great time, and we can't wait until Part II comes out in the Summer! You can bet we will be there, amongst all of the kiddos, enjoying some vampire love with the rest of America! When that is over, we can all be sad that the saga has ended, but we'll do our best to cope with our sorrows and find a new obsession! After all, we need a good excuse for many more "Girls' Nights Out!"

Until next time, here is a picture of Bryson at 20 weeks from the outside!

Love and blessings,

Jessie

IT'S A BOY!!!!

Well, we officially have a little boy on our hands! In approximately 20 more weeks, we will get to meet our son, Bryson Laroy Leonard!

Let me tell you, this name has not been easy to come by, but we were determined, as soon as we found out the sex, we would decide on a name for this little one! We had a girl's name picked out with no trouble at all. I had no idea that boys' names were so difficult. As soon as the ultrasound tech said, "Whoa! Yeah, that's a boy!" I turned to Gene and said, "We're gonna have to work on a name!" From that point on, the wheels were turning. I even went so far as to take suggestions on Facebook and download a babyname app on my phone! We spent the entirety of Kaylee's dance class time going through lists of names. By the time we arrived home, I had a list narrowed down of names I liked. Of course, Gene didn't like any of them! I insisted to him, "We NEED a name for this boy!" He took my phone and went back through the thousands of names, and then he gave me a list of the ones he liked. Of the six or so names he gave me, there were only three of them I liked. And it never fails, every one of them were names that friends of our's have already used. Fortunately, we have great friends who love their children's names so much, they are more than happy to share! I took a second Facebook poll on the three names we had picked, and left it for the night. At around two o'clock this morning, I awoke from one of my usual crazy dreams, and one of the names kept rolling through my mind. This went on for about two hours until I told myself, "I guess that's his name!" I got up this morning, did the normal routine, then checked my Facebook. Most of our friends seemed to, overwhelmingly, choose the same name that had "chosen me" during the night! I sent Gene a text, and the deal was done! Our son now had a name - Bryson Laroy Leonard!

I am so excited to begin preparations for Bryson's arrival! I had picked out a nursery design that I absolutely fell in love with the moment I saw it on Pinterest! Here is the general idea:



We decided not to go overboard on bedding, since we learned with Kaylee that: 1) They don't stay in the crib that long, and 2) Babies can do some damage! I did find a crib bumper that works perfectly, though, and it is currently on sale. I couldn't help myself, so I ordered it last night! This is what I chose:

I love the red/brown/cream color combo, and I think it will be perfect for our little man! I'm not so much an airplane fan, so we will forego the matching sheets and blanket for solid colors. We're going to use Kaylee's crib, which is a natural finish, and we'll be looking for a chest of drawers to double as a changing station - probably something second-hand. I guess we have some projects to get busy on!

I know that having a boy will be a new adventure for us! Kaylee is already planning how she's going to play with him and boss him around. She asked me this morning if she'd be able to hold him, to which I told her yes. I know she's going to be a great big sister and a great role model for Bryson!

As for now, Bryson is a healthy boy, growing more and more each day! He's right on track for his due date, though I wouldn't mind if he came a couple weeks early like Kaylee. (We make big babies!) His head is measuring a half-week ahead of his body, so you know where my mind is headed! Ah-hem.... I told Gene that he better not have put a big-headed boy in there! Kaylee had a tiny little head, and that was more than enough for me to "handle." (Sorry...tmi!) Bryson's hands look so big already. He was waving during the ultrasound - friendly little guy! His legs and arms looked really long, too, but he would never stretch out to get a good length on him. Just as I predicted, the week we have our ultrasound, he decided to go into hiding and burrow down! I have no idea where my children get their stubbornness from!

As for the pregnancy, in general, everything checked out good! Dr. Cornett lowered my blood pressure medicine because I've been nearly blacking out at random times. She said it's either that or my blood sugar getting low. She told me to start adding frequent protein/carbohydrate snacks into my daily routine, too. You don't have to tell me twice! I'm already to the point where I can't eat a lot at one time, but I am hungry nearly a half-hour after I eat. I go back to see her in a couple of weeks to double-check how the new blood pressure dosage is working. I told Gene, last night, that maybe the lower blood pressure this time around means this boy will be easy going like him instead of high-strung like me! (I'm convinced that's why Kaylee is the way she is...she made my blood pressure go up-up-up when she was in there!) I failed to remember to tell the doctor about my contractions a couple weeks ago - I can't ever remember the important things when I'm in the office! I assume everything is good, though, since we both came out with clean bills of health! I did get my flu shot, and I have the sore arm and head congestion to prove it! I guess it's better than getting the full-blown flu, though!

We made our "down-payment" for Bryson yesterday at the doctor's office, so we own half of him, now! It's a good thing we have insurance - that's all I can say! I do know that Hill Country Memorial can stop sending me mail asking for my donations because they will probably get a good chunk of our tax return next year! And NO, one Motrin should not cost $24!!!

Well, I guess that's it for now! For the next 20 weeks, I'll be anxiously awaiting the arrival of our little Easter baby boy!!! Until next time...

Love and blessings,
Jessie

19 Weeks!!!

It's only four more days until we get to have our ultrasound to see our bun that is now 19 weeks baked! You would think that would ease my mind, having such a short time to wait, but for some reason, as that day approaches, I continue to be more and more anxious!

The baby has been squirming around like crazy - pretty much every day. There will be times of stillness, but for the most part, this one's a mover and shaker, for sure! I can remember when we went for the anatomy scan and gender reveal ultrasound with Kaylee, she didn't cooperate at all. She was down low, and she kept moving into places where the tech was unable to get good measurements. We had ended up having to go the hospital so they could make sure everything was measuring correctly. Sure enough, she was perfect! This time around, the baby is riding high. I'm hoping this means that he or she will be easy to work with, come Tuesday!

What is my fear? I have that fear that, I suppose, every pregnant woman has. What if I go in there, and they tell me there is something wrong? I know that we will love this child, no matter what, but I hope and pray that he or she doesn't have to face any bigger challenges that those that are already ahead. My doctor asked me, at my last appointment, if we wanted to do any genetic testing. Of course, my reply was no. I love this child, and nothing can change that - now or ever. Still, I have that fear.

Yesterday evening, I had been watching television, facebooking and cruising Pinterest, as I do each evening, and the fear just seemed to overwhelm me. I try not to let it show because I don't want to scare Kaylee, and Gene just thinks I'm a fool for worrying about things out of my control. I decided that holding it in wasn't doing me any good either. So, what was I to do? I did the only thing I can do, and I handed it over to the Lord. Any situation He leads me to, I know He will be there to help me through it. I have to trust in that. I will pray each day, up until our ultrasound and each day thereafter, for His strength. I will pray that He watches over this little one as he or she continues to grow inside of me. I will pray that He will continue to watch over my son or daughter throughout the years to come. After all, our children are His children, first, last and always. He trusts them to our care and love during their short time here on earth.

"So, Lord, I ask this of you. Please hold unto my child, as you do, and provide me with the strength to help him or her grow into the precious gift that you intended for us. Grant me the peace I need to get through, not only the next four days, but to make it through the next 21 weeks. Thank you for all of your blessings!"

To all who take the time to read my ramblings, thank you!

Love and blessings,
Jessie

18 Weeks!

Here we are at 18 weeks! I can't believe this pregnancy is almost halfway through! Time seems to be flying by so quickly. According to babycenter.com, our baby is roughly 5 1/2 inches long and about 7 ounces. I know that sounds tiny, but when this little one gets to moving, it feels like he/she is doing acrobatics in there! There's still a split decision among friends and family on whether we have a girl or a boy in there. Going on my personal experience, I would guess a boy, if I had to guess, but that's only because things are so different this time around. I know that's not a reliable explanation, though. The countdown is on for us to find out, and after today, it will be only 10 days until we know what this little person growing inside me is!

This past week has been a bit stressful for me - although, I've been doing my best not to let it show. I began having Braxton Hicks contractions while at the Aggie football game last Saturday. I did my best to brush it off - blaming it on too much walking and not enough water. Sunday came and went, and I felt just fine. On Monday, out of nowhere, I had some more contractions. They weren't really painful - at least I don't think they were. I have a fairly high pain tolerance. That was the last of them, but it was enough to scare me into a state of "little activity as possible." I even took up hand embroidery to make myself sit still most of the days! (I may have developed a serious addiction in this!) I will be glad when the next 10 days are over, and the doctor can tell me that the baby is safe, healthy and perfectly fine!

I have a plan to start walking in the evenings, and Gene has said he wants to come along. (He may have gained a pregnancy pound or two in the last few months!) I know it will be good for me and great for an easier labor down the road. I have a pretty good handle on my weight, right now, but that's not to say I won't blow up next week! I am still struggling not to concentrate on the number on the scale, but seeing it pretty much unchanged for the last couple weeks has eased my mind. The holidays are around the corner, though, and I have a feeling I may gain a turkey breast and a slice of pecan pie...or three! I don't think I've ever looked forward to Thanksgiving dinner so much before! I've been fighting the urge to start baking already - even though it's one of my absolute FAVORITE past times!

Well, that's about all I have to update for now. With the holidays coming up, my posts will probably become more plentiful and hopefully, full of exciting information! I hope each and every one of you are enjoying this month of thanksgiving, and I will be in touch soon with more on our little life!

Love and blessings,
Jessie