IT'S A BOY!!!

Here we are at 19 weeks. I am almost at 21 and need a new picture!

We found out on February 2nd, Groundhog Day, that we are expecting a baby boy!! We were sent to the same place that did Ryan's "BIG" ultrasound, and once again, we were in the waiting room for over an hour. They made me fill out a cruel amount of paperwork...I'm talking 15 pages or more...and sit there for.ev.er.

Once we were finally called back, the sonographer took us into a little dark room, and things started very quickly. I hopped up on the table, peeled down the layers of maternity clothes to reveal my belly, and she jumped right in. She touched my belly with the wand for one split second and asked "do you want to know if it's a boy or girl before or after?" and we both said "BEFORE!!" and she said "it's a boy", very slyly. It was just THAT quick. We knew within 30 seconds of being in that room.

Dave and I both shrieked! He not-so-secretly really really wanted a boy, so he was grinning from ear to ear the rest of the day....he is VERY proud of himself. I, on the other hand, while perfectly happy with this gender, was in total shock. For weeks, people had been asking me what I wanted, or what I thought the baby was, and I always just kind of said "don't know, don't care, it is what it is already and there's no changing that, it's not my decision..." and so on. But apparently I was expecting another girl, because I STILL have not wrapped my head around the idea of a boy. In that one instant, with those 3 quiet words, my world was flipped upside down. I have always wanted boys, but now I'm getting one and what the heck am I supposed to DO with him? I can't even give my nephews a bath because I feel inappropriate! Well...I have no doubt I will learn very quickly...

The ultrasound went on for another 20 minutes or so. They look at the heart, the spine, the kidneys, and all of the important stuff to make sure he is healthy and everything is where it should be. Then they let us see his face. Our little man was NOT cooperating - he was VERY active and squirmy, and he had his hands up to his face the whole time. So we never got any GREAT face shots, but he is perfectly healthy and measuring a week ahead! In fact, the doctor didn't even come in to see us afterwards. They sent in a nurse practitioner who told us that the doctor looked at our scan, and everything is just dandy as far as an ultrasound can see, so he didn't even need to see us...a VERY good thing...think about it, if the specialist doctor needs to meet with you and discuss something after an ultrasound like this, something is not right. So we were all too happy to never meet him!

So we hopped in the truck to head home, making all of the family and friends calls along the way. It seems like almost everyone had their money on a boy, so we didn't really get to shatter any hopes or dreams haha.

We didn't announce it to the world until Sunday afternoon. I wanted to tell our church family first. So Sunday morning I walked into the sanctuary and presented our pastor with a big box that said "Baby Sullivan Girl or Boy?" really big on it. He danced around it for a little while, taking a poll of the church to see who was for a girl and who was for a boy. ONE measly person said girl! (Boo. I wanted more shock and surprise.) But he slowly opened the box, unaware of what would happen, and a little blue balloon floated out and the place erupted with smiles and applause.

We sort of have a name picked out, but Dave gets the final say this time, and he is dragging his feet! But I think that we both think it feels right, so I don't foresee it changing...but I can not release it until it is final!

The baby is doing really well. We had a check up a few days after the ultrasound at our regular doctor and we got to hear the heartbeat again. We tried EXTRA hard this time to get Ryan to not freak out when the doctor touched me. All she does is measure my belly and listen to the heartbeat, but you would think she is stabbing me repeatedly in front of my child, the way Ryan acts. I took a moment to hold Ryan and point out the nurse's pretty pink scrubs and asked Ryan to say PINK! Then when the doctor came in, she talked to her and asked her to help out with the exam. She got to hold the measuring tape, which was not a good enough trade off, and she started to tear up. But then, the doctor pulled out her very special "baby phone" so the baby could talk to us! She let Ryan hold the wand and put it on my belly to hear the heartbeat and we explained that that was her baby brother saying hello! After that, it was "more, more, MORE!" She loved it. The only real "news" we got was that the baby's placenta is on the front this time, whereas Ryan's was on the back of my uterus...is that too much information?? Hmm...well, anyhow...

I can feel him moving every now and then. Not kicking or anything, I can just feel those flutters and know he is awake. Dave felt him move just a little last night. I am at that point where I am aware that there is a solid entity down there, and its not just belly blubber. I have been feeling pretty good. My hip has stopped hurting for the time being. The weather has been decent, so Ryan and I go for walks, which has all but cured the hip pain. I just get tired towards the end of the day and need to sit and take a breather for a while. Eating is the only complaint I have right now...I LOVE to eat, but my stomach can't hold as much as I would like it to. I don't have a "full filter" right now, so I never really feel FULL...I just feel less hungry. I have to gauge how much I eat and stop at a certain point, or I will feel awful later on. This is really only a problem at dinner time, my last meal of the day, since I will be laying down to sleep in a few hours. I don't have any heartburn yet...but I think I COULD if I am not careful, so that is why I gauge my meals!

Dave and I have decided that we need to be much more intentional with our time. We had fallen into a bit of a rut, where I kept Ryan all day and when Dave came home at night, he would play with her while I cooked, we would eat together, then it was bath time, and very soon after was bedtime. We weren't DOING anything. Every day was the same, and weekends were often filled with not much DOING anything either, as we always ended up running errands, doing things for other people, or just random household chores. Then the routine would begin again with me cooking dinner and the night was over before we knew it. It's called going through the motions, and it is the LAST thing we should be doing when we have this precious little gift to enjoy, and one on his way.

So this past weekend, we started off small...we took Ryan to the park. She loves all animals, so we took some bread so she could feed the ducks and geese. One goose came right up to us and stood less than a foot from us the entire time. Ryan laughed and danced as she waved and said "hi!" to each bird. She was a little disappointed when they didn't talk back, but she was happy, nevertheless. Then we had a picnic lunch on the grass. Ryan sat so calmly eating her PB&J sandwich, just taking in the sunshine. And after lunch it was playtime! She is getting big enough to play on the playground, with daddy right behind helping her, of course. After some good playtime, it was time to head home. It just felt GOOD, getting out and intentionally doing something as a family together, but Ryan was beyond ready for her nap, and so was daddy. After naps, we played outside with the dogs, something that they so desperately miss in the winter months. And after that, it was the Daddy-Daughter Date Night.

GEESE!!!

Ryan and daddy about to brave the slide!

Playtime!

Daddy couldn't fit on the alligator with her, but mommy and 20 week baby did...

Chik-fil-a recently hosted their annual Daddy-Daughter Date Night, in honor of Valentines day coming up. We heard about it last year, but Ryan was still too little for a kids meal, so Dave was among the first in line to make a reservation for him and his little chicken this year. I was so very jealous as they headed out for their special night together. Dave said that it was amazing!! The Chik-fil-a Cow was there, they had a maitre d' in a tux there to greet you and show you to your table. The girls were all given a rose upon arrival, and they gave them balloons as well. They had a young man playing the violin, they got to order from menus and be waited on, and the table were candlelit. I almost cried as he was explaining to me all of the little details. What a great company to do something so amazing to bring families closer together!

On their way to their date!

We are just trying to work in any little thing we can do together as a family, even if it is just go for a walk. These moments are fleeting and these kids grow up in a heartbeat. I'd rather have a house that is falling apart than a family that is. Be more intentional with your time, people....we don't have much of it.

But with that said....

Most days I feel like I am standing at the Poopy Gates of Parenthood, about to be knee deep in it...

Ryan has discovered that she does not particularly like having her diaper changed, and she thinks it is hilarious to make me chase after her naked behind, having to use 2 hands and a foot to get her wrangled into her Huggies.

She takes all of my bracelets out of my vanity drawer and slides them up to her elbow while holding up the shirt I wore yesterday to her chin and looking in the mirror repeatedly saying "toot, toot, TOOT!" which means "I'm cute".

She likes to take her baby monitor apart and run the pieces over to me exclaiming "Smell! Smell!" which in her toddler Southern draw sounds like "meal". And WHY are we smelling the monitor anyhow?

She climbs the stove as I cook and reaches for the knobs as I swat her away constantly.

She doesn't want to eat with HER fork, she wants to eat with YOUR fork, and when she gets it, she bangs it on her plate so that food goes flying, much to the delight of the 2 salivating hound dogs underfoot.

She constantly pushes away from the table at mealtime, throws her feet up on the table, grins at Dave and says "no no"....because Dave absolutely can not stand it.

She chases my love, Grimm, around all day, swinging from his tail, to the point where he then gets into trouble for growling at her and has to have some porch time.

If I am sitting in a chair, she has to be ON TOP of me and my bulging baby belly, so downtime is nearly impossible to find.

I walk up on her at times to find her digging through the laundry basket with Dave's dirty boxers on her head, and one of his dirty socks in her mouth, and quite often I find her cruising the hall with one of my makeup brushes in her mouth.

She is all too proud of her ability to speak, and will repeat the same word 50 times in 1 minute...some words like "bench" and "basket" are less than favorable since she pronounces them as "the B word" and "bad a$$", respectively...I only hope and pray that there is never a lady sitting on that bench in the narthex at church as Ryan comes running up to talk about the furniture....

But she does sweet things too....

She asks all day long to see the baby, and when I lift my shirt for her, she gives him sweet kisses over and over.

She asks for Tonka every morning when I am getting her out of her crib and she has to get down and give him and big hug and kiss.

When it's cold outside, she will snuggle her head into your chest as you carry her.

She makes you think she is starving, begging and pleading for snacks, only to share them with her puppies once I finally cave in and give her something to eat.

She asks to pray before every meal and always says AMEN! in her little helium voice.

She looks for the moon in the sky no matter the time of day, and some nights she will sit at the back door and just stare at it saying Moon! Moon! Moooooooon!

She tells me I'm pretty, even though I only have one pair of pants and 2 or 3 shirts I ever wear.

She rocks her baby dolls to sleep.

If she sees any sport at all being played...the Super Bowl, a little league soccer game, even cricket...she says "GO DOEWS" (Go Dawgs!)

She loves to clean and begs for wipes so she can wipe the furniture.

She knows that the sound of the garage door and 2 barking dogs means daddy is home, and she stands waiting to greet him after a long day.

When she gives hugs, she actually pats you on the back.

She is amazing, and she drives me absolutely up the wall. And we get to do it all again with her little brother. :) I'll take it.

Again, with the dirty laundry....this kid, I swear....

16 weeks

I am in my 16th week. We had a baby check up on Monday and it all went well. Dave met Ryan and I at the doctor's office and the visit was pretty uneventful. Not a lot happening at this point (well, there IS a LOT happening in there, like organs being formed, but nothing eventful happens at the doctor!) She measured my belly and we listened to the baby's heartbeat, which is strong and good.

Ryan was NOT happy to see me as a patient! She was fine when the doctor came in, but when the doctor laid one finger on me, she started squealing! She screamed MAMA through her tears as daddy tried to console her. So the visit was short, since I had to take Ryan for her to calm down....she is definitely in a 'mama's girl' stage right now...and I don't mind because she is a lot of fun.

We will have our ultrasound within a month to find out if we are having a boy or a girl...maybe we can schedule it for my birthday so that can be my present!!

A few random thoughts...

I know this is out of character for me, since I just posted twice in one week making this a third, but I have thought of a few things that I wanted to add...

Just now, as Ryan is taking a nap, I read back through the blog from when I was 15-16 weeks pregnant with Ryan to see if there were many similarities or differences. Well, so far, Ryan and this baby could be twins it seems. Around this time with Ryan I was complaining of extreme pain in my left hip, my appetite was dying down a little and getting back to "normal", I was sleeping well at night, needing to rest or sit down and take breaks from time to time, and I was just beginning to show a little. All of that is right on par this time around. Also, no sickness or nausea. Once in a while I will feel like I need to eat something IMMEDIATELY or I will feel a little sick-ish, but that is easily taken care of. Also, when I am done eating, I am DONE...I may not even be full yet, but like a switch being flipped, I can not make myself take one more bite. I did this with Ryan too, and it can be frustrating when I am eating something really yummy and I am not full yet, but my body just kind of can't handle anything else. It was worse with Ryan though - when that switch flipped, I had to have my plate moved from in front of me so I couldn't see or smell the food anymore, or leave the table completely.

And what is kind of unbelievable to me is that I think I may be a little bit smaller this time than I was with Ryan. I think I have gained more weight, as in *ahem* FAT, but the baby bump itself looks smaller. I am not working out this time around except small things here and there, and with all of the food around the holidays, candy from our stockings, and delicious cakes and pies around every corner...yes, I have gained actual weight. But that is OKAY!! I think I have proved to myself that I can lose weight easily enough when I really want to, and when this baby gets here, trust me, I will really want to! But in the blog at 15-16 weeks last time, I was saying that my clothes weren't fitting and I only had one pair of jeans that fit when buttoned...EVERYTHING still fits me as of right now. I mean, things are a tad tighter, but still fine. I honestly think I have had to eat less frequently this time around. With Ryan, I literally had to eat something every hour or so. I remember crying because I was so sick-and-tired of eating. I remember eating bread all day just to have something in my stomach. This time, it is no where near as bad. Woo-hoo, glad I did not have to go through that again! Don't get me wrong, Dave can testify that I still eat a second dinner every night before bed!!

I'm so glad I kept such a detailed blog of my first pregnancy. Even though it was just 2 years ago, the details get hazy as time moves on.

I also wanted to mention a few more things that Ryan is doing...

We bought her a seat to go on the toilet, and she will say "poo-poo" to ask to sit on it. She has went pee twice at a friends house, but nothing yet here at home. She just likes to sit and read her books for now.

She LOVES to color. She got a coloring book and some crayons for Christmas and she literally colors all day long. She lays in the floor on her belly and scribbles away...she is probably left handed, but we DO NOT push her to choose, or try to choose for her. She calls coloring "co-dah"...which kind of sounds like color.

She is learning her colors. She is getting pretty good with red, yellow, green and blue, and she really knows orange, but she WILL NOT say "orange"...she says "no-nosh". It is adorable. She also says no-nosh for orange the fruit. Orange is by far her favorite color and she says "no-nosh" every single time without fail, so we know that somehow that sounds like orange to her. We have just kind of started to say no-nosh ourselves, because its darn cute.

I can't speak for Dave, but she is doing very well with me. When she cries, I can sit her on my lap and hold her and get her to focus on me and I ask her what is wrong and what she needs. She almost always says "wa-wa" (water), so I get her a drink of water and she is good to go.

When she is hungry, she will tell you "ACK!" which means snack. Then she will go and sit on the rug in front of the stove in the kitchen and wait for her snack. Why she sits there, I do not know...we never made her!

She is starting to pick up on possession. For example, she will point to her cup and say "wa-wa" and then point to my cup and say "wa-wa, mama" like she is saying 'that is mommy's water". In the mornings we bring her to sit in bed with us for a bit and she will point to each pillow and say "dada piwow, mama piwow".

She walks around the house pointing to everything she knows and says what it is...

ite (light)

memm (Grimm)

Tonka

book

bay-bet (blanket)

tent

dog

car

moon (the cutest and my favorite...she waves at the moon and says hi moon or bye bye)

shoes, dada shoe, mama shoe

milk

...too many words to count, but these are the ones she says most often

We put her high chair away and got her a booster to sit at the table with us. We are loving it. Before each meal, she waves her hands at us and says "MAY-MEN! MAY-MEN!" which means "Amen"...it means she wants to pray. So she holds each of our hands and we say 'cousin Seth's prayer' which is "Dear Jesus, thank you for this food, Amen" and she says MAY-MEN after. Adorable. She did it at church supper last night and hearts were melting for sure!

Well, that is about all I wanted to add. I can't wait until Monday for my next appointment!

~robbi

Merry Christmas, Happy 2012!!

For Christmas this year, we decided to really start taking it easy on ourselves. Over the past few years, the holidays have just gotten really out-of-hand and stressful. I really started to hate the "most wonderful time of the year" because I felt like I was always running, trying to keep up with the amount of gifts that I felt "obligated" to give to others, the baking that needed to be done, the decorating, the traditions, not to mention a heck of a lot of important birthdays right there on the end of the calendar.

So, we made the decision to not buy gifts for others. We asked friends and family to not buy us anything either, but to instead spend some time relaxing and enjoying the season. We feel like gift giving has gotten out of control in today's society, and we are GROWN and don't need parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles sending us things. Of course we realize that everyone wants to give Ryan a gift, and that is perfectly fine!! Kids SHOULD get gifts. But the greatest gift to me is to be able to spend time with Dave, Ryan and the boys and to see my kids enjoying their things.

Also, I found a blog on the internet that suggested doing a "Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh Gift Exchange". The 'Gold' gift would be something that you WANT...it could be anything. The 'Frankincense' gift is something you NEED, like socks. And the 'Myrrh' gift is something to benefit your mind, body, and/or soul - like a musical instrument, a journal, or a book of devotionals. Dave and I had already bought each other a few small things here and there, so we decided to do a modified version of this...3 main gifts with a few small goodies here and there.

It was FANTASTIC. It was very low-key and low-stress!! We spent the month of December having dinners as a family every night at the table rather than dashing around the mall food courts. We had time to drive around to let Ryan see the Christmas lights on houses...which she would exclaim "ITES, ITES, ITES!!" each time she saw any. We were able to relax at the end of the day rather than scrambling to wrap hundreds of gifts. And our bank account, which was already hurting due to our recent travels, was not in the red at the end of it all.

Ryan checking under the tree before bed on Christmas Eve

Christmas morning, we got up at 7:30 so I could pop my homemade cinnamon rolls in the oven, then we woke Ryan up around 8:00. She loved digging through her stocking so much, that Dave and I let her open ours as well. After the stockings, we had a break and had breakfast as a family on the living room floor. Ryan got a new sippy cup with a STRAW in it that was filled with her favorite drink - ice cold vanilla soy milk. She gobbled up her banana and toast as we ate our extremely unhealthy, sugar coated cinnamon rolls. Then we opened up our gifts!

Ryan's first peek on Christmas morning!

Digging through her stocking

Daddy helping with her stocking

Breakfast with mommy

Taking a break to enjoy a good read

Ryan did a great job opening. She like ripping the paper and she would play with each gift for quite a while rather than dashing for more to open. And we just let her go at her own pace! She said 'thank you!" after each gift, and funny enough, her favorite things to open were clothes! She got several 'Gold' gifts, including wooden play food and crayons. Her 'Frankincense' gifts were some new cups, snack bowls, and pajamas...she was really growing out of her PJs fast! But she is completely restocked now!! And her 'Myrrh' gift was a little guitar from Santa. It is not a toy guitar, but not a real one either...it falls somewhere between. It doesn't actually stay in tune, but it has real strings on it, and it is really a good way for her to learn to hold a real guitar and how to strum.

Santa came!!

First lesson!!

As for Dave and I, my Gold gift was an iPhone and his was a fancy set of shaving stuff that he was wanting. My Frankincense gift was new bread pans which I was really needing, and his was a fireproof safe so we have somewhere to put our important documents. And for our Myrrh gifts, we both got each other several books.

Christmas fell on a Sunday this year, so we had church at 11:00. Ryan still had a few gifts under the tree, so we left them for later rather than trying to rush her through them. We had a great church service and Ryan got to wear her pretty Christmas dress. After church, it was nap time, so we came home to let Ryan nap it out in her bed.

After nap time, we went over to my parents' house for some dinner and Ryan had a few gifts to open. She got a tricycle, a kitchen, and a play tent, and several more things. She likes the tricycle, but it is still too big for her. She can't reach the pedals, but she likes to scoot on it.

Then it was home again, and Ryan finished opening her gifts before bed. After it was all over, Dave and I were talking about how great the whole day was. It had an ease about it, and none of us felt like we did not get "enough". I honestly could not think of anything more I could want. This is going to be our new tradition for sure!! I am excited to teach our kids about the true meaning of Christmas and to be thankful for the things they receive rather than always wanting more, more, MORE! To everyone who gave Ryan a gift, she enjoyed them ALL and we are thankful for your generosity!

She screamed "NEIGH!!" for 10 minutes at these horsey PJs...she loved them!!

Dave had almost 2 whole weeks off at the end of the year. We spent a whole day having a "jammie day", with no plans, being lazy, not leaving the house, and not getting out of our pajamas all day. Sounds like a nice time? Well, not for us!! By the end of the day we were regretting out decisions to be so lazy!! Dave can barely function without a shower and putting shoes on, and I just feel useless if I don't at least put some make up on and change into real clothes! We dragged our butts around all day feeling very blah...we vowed to get up and around every other day of his vacation...and we DID!! We have spent the week hanging out with friends, test driving cars (we will need a bigger family car with our new addition), cleaning around the house, watching the Outback Bowl, and turning the dining room into a playroom!! We had to move several things around in the house to make it all happen, but now the dining room table is in the kitchen's breakfast area, my kitchen hutch and cookbooks have been moved to the garage, the dining room hutch is in the living room, most of Ryan's toys are now in the dining room, and the living room is TOY-FREE!!! We are loving the new layout, and Ryan is REALLY enjoying her playroom!

For New Year's, we had 2 couples over and I cooked Thanksgiving dinner...we had earned a free turkey from Ingles in November for spending a certain amount in groceries, and since we were on the road for Thanksgiving, and having a super low key Christmas, I wanted to cook it when we would have plenty of people to share it with! We had dinner and just hung out for a while. Everyone left by 10:30, and Ryan fell asleep immediately after. I really did not want to stay up until midnight, but after I had a shower and dried my hair, it was quarter till, so we just watched the ball drop before heading to bed....I felt awful the next day...I hate staying up past 11:00!!!

So that has been our Christmas vacation. We have had such a great time hanging out as a family. Ryan is learning quicker than you can imagine! She is starting to put 2 words together...she says "Go Dawgs!" and will throw a toy for Grimm and holler "GET IT!!" Just last night, out of nowhere, she started saying Tonka, instead of the usual "TON-DAH". And then she tried to actually say Grimm...she usually just grunts a "G" sound, but she has now started saying "MEMM". We bought her a potty seat for the bathroom and she likes to sit on it, but has not "done anything" yet.

The new baby is growing too. I am starting to show, which is a few weeks earlier than I started to show with Ryan, but that is normal. My clothes are still fitting fine, but getting a little more snug. I have been feeling a little lethargic, and I know it is because I need some exercise. My left hip has been really hurting, so I have had to take it easy, as well as sitting or lying down to rest my back frequently. But this week I plan on taking Ryan for walks and doing some more stretching. Other than that, the baby is pretty uneventful at this point. I am in my 2nd trimester now, so more things will start happening soon. I have an appointment next week and then within a month hopefully we will be scheduled for the ultrasound to determine whether we are having a boy or a girl. I can't wait to know. I feel so disconnected with the baby before knowing. Once we know, we can pick a name, we can buy a homecoming outfit, and I can make a crib quilt. Until then, the only thing I have to remind me that I am pregnant is a nagging hip and alway being tired!

Ryan did NOT like Santa.

The best picture I was able to get of Ryan with Santa...

Here are a few pictures of us at the tree farm getting our Christmas tree this year...

Ryan and mommy

Watching people roast marshmallows. Yum!!

They have goats!!

Love, the Sullivans

An even littler Sullivan!

Sullivan baby #2 is on the way! We had the craziest November ever, first with traveling, then with the whole house taking turns being sick, then with the news of a new baby!

Dave took Ryan to her 1st Georgia football game one Saturday and I stayed home to work on some design stuff. When they got home, I was super hungry so we went to Correlejo's to eat. Ryan usually gobbles up Mexican food, but she wouldn't even take one bite. She was acting just fine, sitting in her seat playing and giggling like normal, but all of a sudden she started drooling. As Dave went to wipe her face, she started to spit up a little, and then out of nowhere - she started full on vomiting! She has NEVER thrown up before, so we were caught completely off guard and we jumped out of our seats trying not to scream! We immediately stripped her down right there in the middle of the restaurant. Once we had her all cleaned up and in new clothes, we payed the tab and ran out of there! Ryan and I got in the shower, just like every other night, and she seemed just fine. We thought that the throwing up was a one-time deal, like she just ate too much earlier in the day. But in the shower, she started REALLY throwing up, heaving even. She puked all over me...luckily I was in the shower already.

So she was officially sick. We put her in some comfy jammies and made a pallet on the living room floor. We decided that we didn't want to put her in her crib for the night, in case she threw up again. We had fears of her choking or not waking us up and laying in vomit all night. She fell asleep pretty quickly in the floor with Daddy, but ended up waking up once an hour ALL NIGHT LONG to throw up again. I nearly ran out of pajamas for her as she kept puking on them....I did 3 loads of pukey laundry that night.

Dave had to run sound at church the next morning, so Ryan and I spent the morning in her rocking chair just taking it easy. She seemed fine most of the day, but ended up throwing up once a day for the next 3 days. Other than that, she acted almost completely normal, no fever, no crying, trying to walk around and play...she was just really tired.

Well, Monday, Dave had to go back to work, and I woke up with Ryan's bug. I only got sick twice, but I felt absolutely awful all day long. We had an OB/GYN appointment that evening for a pregnancy conformation, and there was NO WAY I was going to cancel it! We must have seemed really awful during the ultrasound...I felt so yucky that any excitement definitely did not show.

But, there is definitely a baby in there! I was hoping to be at least 8 weeks, and she said that I was 7 weeks, 3 days, so I could not have asked for much better. My due date as of right now is June 22, 2012.

Baby Sullivan #2!!

Well, after the ultrasound, we came home and I went straight to bed. I laid there for hours unable to fall asleep and just feeling like I could vomit at any second. But then around 7:30, I started to feel my fever breaking so I took some Tylenol and almost instantly started feeling better. By bedtime I was sure that I would wake up healed in the morning...and I did for the most part....but Dave woke up at midnight running to the bathroom to throw up. Poor guy had it way worse than Ryan or I did...he was sick for an entire 24 hours, maybe even more.

We had been RUNNING so hard for the entire month and were just exhausted, then for all of us to be sick in rotation, the idea of being pregnant took a while to really hit me...we are just so worn out that my brain couldn't wrap itself around anything else. The 2nd time around is a lot different than the 1st. I kind of feel like I have been-there-done-that and I know what to expect, whereas with the first, everything is so new and exciting/scary. But the farther along I get, I kind of forget what it was like the first time around...I definitely have "baby brain" and have a hard time remembering anything at all!

With the first pregnancy, I was in a whirlwind of making quilts, burp cloths, dresses, and everything else for a baby I could think of. I was running around like crazy buying up baby products, which all had to be brand new and straight out of the box...even the floor model wasn't quite good enough! But now...we kind of have everything we need, so there is no rushing out to get whichever bottles are the most expensive or the top of the line crib mattress. There are one or two things that we will be needing in order to make juggling 2 babies a little easier, but for the most part...this poor kid is getting all of the hand-me-downs. Anything that we DO go buy, we now have learned that consignment and used stuff is JUST as good as new, and way WAY more affordable. I have even saved most of Ryan's clothes, so if we have another girl, we won't have to go out and get a new wardrobe.

Daddy and Ryan at their 1st Georgia game together!!

Well, that is about it for now! We are so happy to share with you all that the new "Littlest Sullivan" will be making his or her debut this coming summer! This is something that we definitely feel was meant to happen, because we weren't trying, and we probably honestly weren't ready! But Ryan is going to make the best big sister ever and I can't even imagine the number of kisses she will have for her new baby!!

Fall!

Life just never seems to slow down, I tell you! We are always up to something, going somewhere, doing this, doing that, making plans...but that is a good thing.

Fall is my favorite time of year, and every year we go get lots of pumpkins for the front porch. Ryan got to pick her very own little pumpkin this year!

I want this one, please!

Sitting in the pumpkin patch

What a cutie!

Climbing up "Fat Albert"

A while back, the Gwinnett County Fair was going on, and we had no plans one night, so Dave and I decided that it would be a good thing to take Ryan to do. Goodness gracious, did that girl love it!! The food was gross, and Ryan was too small for the rides, but then we found the livestock and the 4-H building. Ryan absolutely LOVES animals, and apparently has NO FEAR of any type of animal...she went right up to a HUGE bull and petted him right between the eyes!

Ryan and the bull

She tried to kiss all of the baby animals in the 4-H building. She had to get a hand on every animal, but the cows were too far away...but she didn't mind. The cows were far and away her favorite thing ever. She stood at the gate and mooed and waved and cackled with laughter. It was adorable and amazing.

the face she made the whole time she was near the cows

I just love cows so much!!

Daddy, did you see the cows???

She quacked at the ducks :)

Goat!!!

She kissed this chick right on the beak before we could even try to stop her.

We recently had a family reunion of sorts for Dave's mom's side of the family. In honor of Dave's grandma'a 75th birthday, all 5 of grandma's children and their families came together in Senoia, Georgia for the weekend. It is about an hour and a half drive for us, so we just made the trip down and back each day, but everyone else was in from other states, so they all stayed in one big house together that belongs to Dave's uncle, Bob. Dave took the day off on Friday and took Ryan down by himself while my friend Makenzie and I went to the Country Living Festival at Stone Mountain Park.

We had a really good time at the festival, aside from both of us almost passing out due to hunger mixed with a caffeine rush from pumpkin spice lattes. We didn't realize we were so hungry until it was almost too late, and we literally RAN to the food tents to get something in our bellies. I didn't get much at the festival - a picture frame, some vintage velvet ribbon, a few necklaces that I collect - but it is by far the prettiest festival around and we just had a good time looking in all of the booths and enjoying each others company.

Back to the reunion....on Friday night, Dave brought his little brother, Nick, home with him to spend the night at our house. He gave Ryan a belated birthday gift and card...she LOVES cards. We keep all of the cards that people send to her and she will just sit and play with them for hours! Ryan really loved Uncle Nick. There were times throughout the weekend when we would just need to hand her off for a few minutes to get a free hand, and she would go right to Uncle Nick with no hesitation. She tends to be a little shy sometimes, even clingy to Dave and I, but she was just fine going to Uncle Nick! Maybe it was the beard?

Kisses for Uncle Nick!

Saturday morning we all got up early and headed south again. We had a great time playing games, talking and getting to know the family better. Ryan enjoyed all of the attention! Her cousin, Ashley, brought some sidewalk chalk, and they had fun playing with that together. Dave's mom's brother and sisters spent the ENTIRE day cooking a HUGE, authentic Italian meal. It was SO yummy. I had the eggplant parmesan and it was out-of-this-world! After dinner, grandma blew out her candles and we the most amazing cheesecake. After dessert, Ryan was fading fast and we had to head home to get her in bed.

Playing with sidewalk chalk with mommy and Uncle Nick

Cousins!

Aunt Geri and grandpa playing dice with Ryan

Dave and his cousin, Brian

Daddy and Ryan playing

Sunday we decided to head down once more before everyone left. I took lots of family photos and got 2 "Four Generations" photos with the grandparents, since they have 2 great grandkids that were there. (they have 4, but Seth and Brady had to keep an eye on things in North Carolina and couldn't make it down) We had an amazing time at the reunion. I guess I didn't realize how big Dave's family is, since we mostly just see his parents and his brothers and sister. It was a lot of fun to have everyone in one place like that, and everyone was so welcoming and friendly. It was almost as if we had all lived in that one big house together for ages.

Four Generations!

Grandma and grandpa, and all of their kids

Dave's family

All of the cousins

Everyone!!

Well, after the big reunion weekend, we were understandably exhausted. But before the dust even had a chance to settle, we were off again the very next weekend. We drove up to Raleigh to stay the night with Dave's brother, Shaun, and his family. Ryan was an absolute peach in the car. She never really fussed, and took 2 great naps...mommy may have had a nap or two herself :) We did our usual routine of stopping at Cracker Barrel for lunch. Ryan was feeling like a big girl, and sat in a booster seat for the first time. She ate her sandwich all by herself, got to color a little, and then learned to drink out of a straw...it was an eventful lunch! We walked around for a while, and walked next door to Whole Foods to get Ryan some cookies, and then we were back on our way. When we got to Raleigh, Ryan was so happy to see her cousins, Seth and Brady. She loves them so much, and those boys are so good to her!

The next day, Dave and I packed up and drove on to Richmond, Virginia for our friend Damian's wedding, while Ryan stayed with her aunt, uncle and cousins for the weekend...I'm pretty sure she had the time of her life. It was actually really hard pulling out of the driveway without my baby, who is pretty much ALWAYS with me. I probably could have cried, but I didn't because she was with my sister-in-law, Heather, who is by FAR the best mother that I know. Luckily, I was able to get Ryan to go down for a nap just before we left so she slept right through our departure.

When we got to Richmond, we had to unpack and start getting ready for the wedding rehearsal, since Dave was a groomsman in the wedding. After the rehearsal, the rehearsal dinner was at a quaint little pizza place. Dave realized very quickly that we were surrounded by liberals...there was a pretty clear line politically...those from Georgia=Republicans, those from Virginia and DC=Democrats. So that made for some interesting conversations!

The next day we went to lunch with Damian and a few others before the wedding. Damian never seemed nervous or anxious at all. He's a pretty cool customer. When we got back up to the room, Dave and I started getting ready. We went down to Damian's room so the guys could walk down together and I noticed that the room was TRASHED as they were about to leave...."um...THIS is what you are going to bring your new wife back to on your wedding night??!!?", I asked. So I sent the guys on their way and stayed behind to clean up the piles of clothes, computers, shoes, and plastic wrap from rented tuxedos. I tell you....its a tough thing to be friends with boys sometimes! haha

So the wedding was beautiful. It was in this amazing historic hotel, the Jefferson. We had a good time, and Dave even got to make a toast at the reception.

Dave and his toast...their faces say a lot...

Us at the wedding

Sunday morning, we got up and headed back to Raleigh to see our little chicken. Dave's dad and stepmom came down for the afternoon to see Ryan and the boys, and I totally blew right past them as I ran in the house and grabbed up my girl. She was happy to see us, but didn't cry, like I thought she would. She was all smiles! She kept hugging us like she was making sure she wasn't dreaming. We all went to dinner that evening before the grandparents had to head home.

Having a bath with cousin Brady

The next day was Halloween, and I didn't want to be in the car the while day and have Ryan miss out on the whole holiday, so we stayed an extra night with Shaun and Heather and took Ryan trick-or-treating with her cousins and some of their friends. It was so cute to see them all together! Ryan was a chicken, of course, and each house we went up to she would say "BOK BOK BOK" instead of "Trick-or-Treat". She scored some yummy candy for her dear old parents, since she is way too little for all of that sugar!

our chicken!!

The trick-or-treating crew

Heather really helped us with a problem we have been having with Ryan...she won't go to sleep at night in her own. She has to be rocked for a long time, and then put in her crib after she is asleep. We wanted to get to a place where at her set bedtime, we can just lay her in her crib and she will go to sleep on her own. We had tried all sorts of things, but always came back to just rocking her since it was easier. While we were away at the wedding, Heather started putting her down and coming back after a set amount of time until she would eventually just give in and lay down and sleep. So we have been doing it here at home for the past week, and it seems to be working. Ryan cries for a little while, but she will eventually understand that we are not abandoning her and it is no big deal to just go to sleep.

Ryan's time with her cousins was an amazing thing for her. She seems to be more independent now and content to play on her own. She is even interested in using the potty, believe it or not. When the boys were in the bathroom, she would go in after them and try to climb up on the step stool to get to the toilet, or she would try to pick up the potty seat and put it on the toilet. She even tries to flush the handle. I know it is way too early for her to start training, but it is good to know that she is at least interested! And one last thing about this trip...Ryan would hold Brady's hand and lead him around everywhere...it was heart-melting! She loves her cousins so much!

Our drive home was great as well. Ryan was a good girl the entire time. Once we were almost in Georgia, she was getting really tired of being in her seat, so we stopped at a gas station to let her walk around for a while. It ended up being a truck stop, and in South Carolina you can smoke pretty much anywhere, so the whole place was disgusting. We had to leave...pronto. There was a church just down the road, so we drove over there and let her run around in the grass and have a snack for a while.

Dave scored some free tickets to the Georgia-New Mexico game and took Ryan to her first football game. I desperately needed the time to catch up on work projects, so I stayed home to work and they took our friends, Mike and Jayme, and their baby girl, Riley.

Ryan likes to sit on the porch in her little chair and have snack time. She used to hate the grass and refused to touch it, stand in it or walk in it. But now she is just fine and loves being outside!

Dad, let me tell you how it is...

So, it's football season, and we get almost NO channels, so the Georgia game is rarely on tv for us. Dave solved the problem....he brings down the computer and we watch it on the internet! Here is Ryan in her cheerleading uniform reading a book with daddy during the game!

Dave's dad and stepmom couldn't make it down on the day of Ryan's birthday party, so they came down later that weekend. Ryan loved seeing them, opening more gifts, and getting to play with her grandpa and Nini!

Well, that about catches us all up for now!

Have a great week!!

~robbi