We are so excited and proud to announce our daughter, LEAH KATHRYN LOVELACE, who arrived on September 26th, 2011 at 12:45pm! She is healthy and doing great! We can not begin to express how thankful we are to be able to stay in the hospital for 3 days and leave with a sweet baby girl! The pregnancy was not easy, but God constantly reminded me to be thankful because he was protecting her. He gave me such comfort that goes beyond my own power! I just want to cry when thinking about how blessed we are. Here are a few pictures from the hospital and when we got home. :)
Last day to be pregnant! :)
Safe in daddy's arms. :) Our family of 4! Momma's girl :) great grandparents! Papa Aaron took Drew to church on Sunday and purposefully dressed them alike. My boys make me so happy! Who wouldn't want to wake up to this? :)
Andrew is slowly warming up to Leah. He calls her sissy and baby. He doesnt quite understand the relationship, but knows there is a baby. He is very sweet at giving her blankets and pacifiers. The next picture shows him giving her diapers (after every one he put on her swing, he would say, shoo poops :) He also gave her the Count. You must understand, this is Andrew's favorite character, so it was a big deal. As time passes, I know he will grow to love and protect her. :)
Wow! I can not believe how much God has blessed us! I am so excited to meet little Leah next Monday (if she doesnt arrived sooner) I just feel so thankful that God has kept her in and safe for 38 precious weeks! I may be huge and extremely uncomfortable, but that is nothing compared to how my heart felt when Drew was in the Nicu. Not to say that we will not have things happen along the way, but now I trust God with my whole heart and know, no matter what, He is faithful! What a gift to feel so free, which I have had the joy of feeling during this pregnancy! :) Here I am at 38 weeks and yes, people stare... I know they are thinking they should get me a chair or something.
Also, yesterday was my last day at work and these were a few comments the kids said:
-your belly is getting really big -are they going to cut your stomach open? (i told him no, didnt feel that would have been appropriate) -good luck! -when will you be skinny again? (i said after Christmas, fingers crossed :) -a baby is a big responsibility, but i think you can do it -i love you , Mrs. Lovelace (happy heart)
Ah, the sweet and innocent children I love teaching! By the way, I teach with some amazing women and am so thankful!
Ok, now Drewber time! He is so much fun and is definitely forming his own opinion about everything! He wants to decide when, where, and how he does everything...so he likes to tell us, come on mommy and daddy, up! (grabbing our hand), No mommy, no daddy. We are obviously trying to change these little 2 year oldish habits into asking instead of telling mommy and daddy what to do. :) He will get there, just takes time. :) He is so smart and his vocabulary is huge! He talks in sentences at times and can recite many songs. He has given us so much joy and we are bursting with pride at how sweet and smart he is. We are thankful to God for allowing us to have Andrew! Aaron and I were looking through old pictures of Andrew on our phone and I wanted to post the best ones... so here they are. Isnt he adorable? I cant help but smile at each one. :)
2 weekends ago we all sported out Aggie gear to community group! Gig Em Aggies! :) Soon Leah will have hers on too! :)
Last years...
This years...
And last, but not least, a picture of Drew sitting on the window sill, behind the curtain, reading! This is every 1st grade teachers dream. :) I love that he loves books! :)
Our Handsome Andrew!!! :) I wonder if Leah will have those big blue eyes...
I am late on posting about Andrew, but better late then never...
He is our sweet little man who talks like crazy!! Some things he is saying or singing are:
-his abcs
-counting to 13
-going through 2 abc books and names all the pictures (even butter and nutmeg, it is a cookie monster cooking book)
-saying bless you, thank you, and your welcome
-patty cake
-screaming a lot (which is not encouraged :)
-telling us what he wants to eat or wants (including brushing his teeth)
-naming all characters on Elmo and Mickey Mouse
-repeating everything we say...:)
He is an absolute joy and we look back to his birth and realize Jesus was holding him in his arms the entire time! God just wanted to teach mommy to trust, no matter what. I tear up every time I think about Andrew and how great he is doing and praise God for it!
This is Drew getting ready for baby sister... rocking the baby, and giving her a kiss. Just so you know (and so Aaron doesn't give me a disapproving look) this will be Leah's doll, not Andrew's, he found it in her room
Baby #2- Leah Kathryn Lovelace is getting ready for her debut by making me extremely uncomfortable, but I am thankful nonetheless. I am so excited to meet her, but also pray she stays in at least 2 more weeks. Prayers are always welcomed :)(Drew arrived at 35 weeks 4 days, which is next Thursday, so I'm just holding out hope we can pass that mile stone!) Everything looks great, she is just low, low, low. But, her room is ready! Wanted something different, purple and green! Check out the pics below...
I also want to give a shout out to my amazing husband who has done so much around the house this week...
-put up laundry
-unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher
-picked up the living room
-went grocery shopping
-picked up my prescription
-cooked 2 nights
-and played with Drew so I can lay down when I get home
I am so thankful for Aaron Lovelace!!! I love you!
Well, since I hit my 31st week of pregnancy I have become anxious about going into preterm labor, but God has been so gracious in reminding me that I have so much else to focus on. Basically, all the blessings he has given me. So, I am writing them down, so I can look back and be reminded.
Things I am thankful for...
-My husband who has been working so hard at his internship (he is really enjoying it) :) -How helpful Aaron is when I cant do normal things I use to be able to do before I got this belly. :) -Before Andrew goes to bed he tells us, good night, sweet dreams, love you. -Andrew is healthy and talking up a storm -Andrew is in daycare only 2 days a week and Aaron stays home with him the other 3 during the school year -God is continuing to bless us with community and growing friendships -my pregnancy has gone well so far -we are having a GIRL! :) -friends have blessed us with clothes, bouncer, ect. for our little Leah! (Thank you Reci, Sami, Jackie, and Nikki) :) -I have a job that I love and a partner that is amazing -my maternity subs have been worked out -I have an OBGYN that takes great care of me and I have so much confidence in -We have 2 sets of grandparents that love Andrew and soon to be Leah soooo much! -God has provided for us financially when big deductibles came up (Drew's tubes, pregnancy, my car) -We have crate trained dogs that are easy, Lola and Leeroy -God is continuing to teach me how to rely on him, even when situations are out of my control. It is not easy at times, but I know my family and friends have seen progress which so encouraging.
Andrew is absolutely the light of our lives! He makes us smile and laugh everyday. Aaron and I swap stories all day long of the new and funny things he does.
Story 1: We were driving in the car and I was saying, Leah and sister, just to get him use to the names. I asked him to say sister and he said, "cock a doodle doo" He thought I was saying rooster. So funny!
Story 2: We were walking through target and I sneezed and Drew said, God bless you mommy. Aaron and I looked at each other and just couldn't stop kissing him because he has such a sweet heart.
Everyday is a challenge teaching a toddler (can I get an amen from my friends who have kids) because you want to make sure what you are doing as a consequence, they understand. So our biggest trial at the moment is hitting. When he doesnt get his was, watch out, he will hit you. So, we tried spanking, but I have decided spanking for hitting just doesn't make sense. Why would I tell him no and then do the same thing back? Time out is what we are doing now and he does not like it. He is getting better, but I know it will take consistency and time. He always apologizes with, a sweet rub where he hit you, a hug, and saying, "sorry mama or sorry dada" I am glad he feels remorse, this does make me feel like he is "getting it" to a certain extent.
Aaron and I are really trying to soak up this sweet time before our family transitions to having Leah and going back to work and school. We know it will be challenging, but also realize there is light at the end of the tunnel and God won't give us anything we can't handle. But, if you don't hear from us after Leah is born, don't worry, we are just CRAZY busy. :)
As for my pregnancy... I havent talked much about it, not sure why, but I feel God has really been close through the whole thing. With Drew, I really felt like he was MY baby and I wasn't going to let anything happen to him. Well, of course, God had a different plan. He was born 5 weeks early and had an 11 day stay in the Nicu. This was NOT suppose to happen! God really taught me to lean on him, trust, and BELIEVE that he has a perfect plan for our family. He changed me through having Drew, not just because I became a mommy, but because he taught me, that in any situation, I CAN trust Him! (this did not come quickly, but through a long process and I'm not done working on it and probably will never be) With this pregnancy, God has been constantly reminding me that I am not in control and that HE will knit Leah together as He sees fit. From first finding out I was pregnant, I leaned on him because of what He taught me with Drew. Don't get me wrong, I do have moments when I wonder if I will make it full term, but after I think about it, I realize, I can't do anything to stop it, so why worry? Leah has been growing and doing well and so have I! Thank you Lord! Prayers certainly don't hurt, so please pray that I do make it full term and Leah is healthy. Thanks! Here is a picture to prove how we have been growing, not my momma, Leah and I. My mom always looks fabulous! :) We were in California celebrating my cousin Diana's wedding. What a beautiful day!
Summer fun... cheesing with mommy, mowing with daddy and blowing bubbles!
Here are a couple of videos... one is of Daddy and Andrew "jumping" and the other of Drew riding his four-wheeler all by himself- Thanks Great Pawpaw!
Today was the day I thought, why not? So Andrew has had a big day of firsts. Well, maybe Drew doesn't really know, but mommy and daddy do!
Andrew ate brownie batter for the first time and of course, LOVED IT! I sat him on the counter and he "helped" mix the brownies and then I dipped the spoon in and gave it to him to eat. After he tasted it, he tried to dip the spoon back in. I didn't let him because he had plenty on the spoon he had not licked yet. So here are a few pics of him having his first brownie batter. :) He says, "Mmmm".
The biggest first today is definitely sleeping in his new "big" boy bed. This makes me have many emotions all at once. I am excited, nervous, sad, and happy. I am excited for him because he is becoming more independent. I am nervous because I want him to feel comfortable and adjust well to the change. I am sad because moving him to a big boy bed makes me feel like he is growing up way to fast. I am happy because the adjustment will enable us to begin Leah's room. (not that in anyway, she takes his place.)
So... this is what happened. I laid down with him and he rolled over and didn't move as I left the room, so I thought. I went into the kitchen because I was finishing up some cupcakes. Aaron came to the kitchen and said Drew was playing with the door knob. Then, Aaron went in and laid down with him. He didn't hear and peep after that. So, I went in (tried to walk in) and check on him, but there was something keeping me from opening the door. Yes, you guessed it, Andrew. He had brought his bear and night night (blanket) with him to the door and feel asleep in front of it. I had to roll him over to get the door wide enough for me and my belly to squeeze through. I picked him up and placed him back in the bed. Needless to say, we set up the video monitor for our piece of mind a few minutes later. :)
Here are a few pics of what happened...
This is where I first found him asleep :(
After I placed him in the bed.
Now, what I will be checking to see all night...the life of a mom and I would not trade any of it.
Wow, it has been too long! Can you tell I have been pregnant, finished the school year, and are cleaning and switch rooms around in our house? Our sweet boy is growing up which is great, but I know it will go even faster when our sweet Leah Kathryn arrives. So...I am trying to cherish all the sweet hugs, kisses, and time together this summer. I am loving staying at home with Andrew! :)
Drew is talking up a storm and learning more every day. He is becoming so independent, which I love, but he also has his way of doing things. He is such a sweet boy and is learning to share and be kind to friends. :) He is doing so much better using a fork and spoon too. Everyday, he learns and repeats words. This makes me so happy.
Drew is going to be moving! We finished his "big" boy room and about to try him sleeping in there soon. Leah will take his nursery. Pictures to come. :) Drew's room is done in sports and Leah's is purple and green with a few flowers and butterflies. :)
Our big helper...who loves to feed the dogs and help Daddy. :)
Ready for church and go play with his friends...especially Shiloh.
Reading is his favorite thing to do. He will come up to Aaron or I, plop in our lap with a book and say, "read". He must have the book read 2 times before he goes anywhere. :)
Just hanging out with momma.
Wearing his new hat from Boston. He is the cutest kid I ever saw. :)
This is Andrew and Charlie splashing in the water table. So fun!
Andrew really wants to see Papa and knows he comes through the front door. I recorded his pleading to see him. :) And yes, we took him to see Papa right after. :)
Trying on momma's sunglasses. :)
We will be dedicating Andrew this Sunday and are so excited to share this special time with our family and friends. I will post soon after that to show pictures of our handsome boy. :)
