non-existent nursery rug.

So, I previously said that one of the reasons why we weren't finding out the gender of baby no-name is because we don't have an actual room to call the nursery, and we still don't, but that hasn't really stopped me from designing one. It also hasn't stopped me from starting to make a few purchases here and there. Go figure. Our plan is to turn the existing master bedroom into baby no-name's nursery and add on a master suite off the back of the house. Therefore, I kind of have a room for the wee tike. Right? There's just no telling when and if the new master suite is going to come to fruition...

I am wanting to really pull back the reigns on our future gender-nuetral nursery seeing that we are financially drained from Phase 1 of our renovation and are going to have to plant a money tree in the backyard to get started on Phase 2. I had initially ordered a rug from the Land of Nod that both John and I really loved (OPTION TWO, below. It's the IronTribe logo...of course JB was going to love it), but we, more so John than myself, felt convicted about spending so much money on a rug when there are still a gillion other priorities we need to take care of first. So, I am trying to come up with another option that won't break the bank. 

So, I'm needing some help deciding on the right fit. I'm not sure why I put OPTION TWO and FOUR on my potentials board. TWO is really out of the question and FOUR isn't really a money-saver either...

OPTION ONE/ OPTION TWO/ OPTION THREE/ OPTION FOUR/ OPTION FIVE

Which one would you pick? Think: black crib, blue dresser, antique armoire, white rocker, mauve, gold, and natural wood elements...

...and this bad boy stealing the show:

John likes OPTION THREE, but for some reason I'm leaning towards OPTION ONE. Or am I? HELP!

And here is one more pitiful picture of my sweet sick baby, who I am relieved to report is feeling much better today. We had a couple of scares of high fever, diarrhea, and bloody noses, which prompted us to go to the doctor yesterday.

Luckily, Brooks was only diagnosed with a "fever virus" and not anything more serious. For that, we are thankful. Here's to hoping he is feeling 100% by tomorrow because it is going to be another beautimus weekend! TGI almost F.

hiccup and sore muscles.

Before I begin, can we please talk about the glorious Spring weather we had this past weekend?! Too bad it isn't here to stay (it's rainy and muggy today and the high tomorrow is 44), but I sure needed that reassurance that it's right around the corner. Brooks and I are needing a little bit more Vitamin D and fresh air in our lives these days.

Anyway, on to our weekend, which was wonderful with one minor hiccup and some serious sore muscles. Let me just start with Friday. 

Brooks and I were playing outside in the front yard when I started to feel a bit crampy. I went inside to go to the bathroom and without displaying too much information, I noticed a tiny bit of spotting. Now, typically this wouldn't be a huge cause for concern, but the fact that my blood type is RH-, any sign of bleeding warrants a call to the doctor. Unfortunately, my doctor's office closes at noon on Fridays so when I got a call back from Dr. Favor (whom I adore) urging me to go to the Emergency Room for a RhoGAM shot, I was quite peeved and a bit hesitant. And I had a right to be. What I thought would be a two-hour maximum visit, ended up being a 6 1/2 hour stay. All by my lonesome. For starters, never send a pregnant woman to an ER alone. I had no one to distract me from the ailing patients in the waiting room. My heavens. When I saw a woman fighting back tears while her 96 year old mother lay in her lap unresponsive my floodgates opened. And when I listened to a young girl tell the story of how she found her mom dead and buried her three months prior, my heart ached. This went on for almost THREE HOURS, people! I was finally called back into a room and asked to put on a gown. At this point, John showed up and so did a nurse with an IV and bag of fluids. Ummmm, what?! Yeah, doctor's orders. John had to leave to tend to Brooks, my phone died, and I didn't have any service. I just laid there checking the time, greatly condsidering putting my clothes back on, ripping out the IV, and blowing that pop stand. The nurse finally came in around 6:30 to take me to Ultrasound and the moment I saw little baby no-name on the screen, with a fast and strong heartbeat, moving all over the place, all was well with the world. Everything looked great, praise the Lord!

Our little breech baby at 15 weeks, 3 days.

When I got back to my room the nurse removed the IV and I was able to get dressed and warm (the ER was out of blankets). I then waited for my RhoGAM shot to arrive from the pharmacy. Finally, by 8:00 they inserted that 5 foot long needle into my hined region and I was good to go. OH. WHAT. A. DAY.

On Saturday morning we got up bright and early and headed to Sloss Furnace for the IronTribe 5K and Chili Cook Off to cheer on John as he competed in the Tribe 5K (a 5K run with intense workouts in between). John's entire family came to support him so Brooks and I enjoyed spending time with them while we waited for daddy to cross over the finish line. And that he did, coming in 2nd place out of 115 men!

John waiting to start the race.

About to cross the finish line!

We are so proud of Daddy!

Brooks had too much fun playing that he didn't last a second in the car on the way to lunch at Jackson's. Bless him, crumb on the lip and all.

After lunch and a long nap from Brooks and sore, worn out John, we went to the park as a family to run around with the ball, swing, and go down the slides. We even ran into Katie Beth, Brandon, and baby Gray! We weren't able to stay too long because John and I were going on a double date that evening with the Owens and sticking around afterwards for Chris Morrow's surprise 30th birthday bash. It was such a fun night and went out with even more of a bang since Brooks behaved for the sitter and went down with no problems. Win.

On Sunday we took Brooks to Bass Pro Shops for an afternoon of exploring and fun. That place never disappoints. Especially their ice cream. When we got home we played outside, took B on a wagon ride around the block, ate a yummy homemade dinner, and then called it a night. We didn't get anything done around the house as far as projects go, and I am a.o.k. with that. I would much rather spend my time with my boys, in the present, enjoying the sunshine.

Stay tuned for some updated pictures of the house and a new nursery predicament. I need some help!

not so well baby.

I had good intentions of updating this little blog of mine with a weekend recap plus this and that, but today my little pitiful angel baby is not feeling well, at all.

Brooks woke up super early with diarrhea and a fever, which spiked to 103 by late morning. All he has wanted to do today is be close to me and snuggle. No complaining from this heartbroken, mama!

Hopefully I will be back tomorrow with a post...and a well baby. 

intentional.

My Valentine's Day was perfection, from start to finish. If I had to choose one word to describe the day, it would be "intentional." You know, sometimes we need to be intentional with our attitudes, no matter what the day throws at you, and I woke up with an intentional positive outlook. I knew that the day was going to be great and already felt loved and ready to love. John had surprised me with a sweet card, a lamp from At Home that I mentioned, weeks ago, would look great in our dining room, a pair of shoes, and my favorite candy. Really? What a gem. But, it wasn't the "things" that made me happy. It was the thought and the intention that he poured into making this day so special for me.

Brooks and I had a great day together. My heart felt like it was going to burst every time I looked at that sweet boy. Cupid must have struck him with an arrow because he was so lovey all day long. Now, that's not to say we didn't hit a couple of rough patches throughout the day. But, I did choose to intentionally love him through them and a mid-afternoon fuss fest.

Little buddy and I did a little bit of crafting after lunch. He made daddy the most precious Valentine's card and had so much fun in the process!

The hub's and my original plan was to go on a date to the movies that evening. 1. We haven't been to a movie together since the Hunger Games (before that it was The Dark Knight, circa 2008) and 2. I have been craving movie theatre popcorn bad. Real bad. However, due to long and winded days for the both of us, we decided to go eat Mexican for dinner with Brooks and rent a movie. Can I just say that this plan appealed to me so much more than a night out? It brought me so much joy to have both of my valentines with me while eating beef soft tacos. MMMM. Those soft tacos, another pregnancy craving of mine. But, back to the popcorn...

John walked in the door around 5:30 with a pot of gold.

Yes, that's right, intention at its finest. Forget the love letter, forget the lamp, forget the shoes and candy. The fact that he went above and beyond for a bag of buttered movie theatre popcorn made me fall in love with him all over again. It also reminded me that marriage is all about being selfless, thoughtful, and intentional. It really is the little things...

heart u.

Oh man, I just love our Brooks to pieces. I am thankful that I get to celebrate this sappy day of hugs and kisses with him, his daddy, and baby no-name. There will definitely be no shortage of the X's and O's today! 

Brooks' adorbs Valentine's outfit called for a photo sesh. Thank you, Baby Gap.

I also snapped some pics of my dreamboat with his little baby brother or sister. He loves that baby so much already, constantly lifting up my shirt and giving my belly kisses! Such a sweet boy. He is going to be such a great big brother!

Ahhh, my heart is full and happy. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

little crafts.

My girlfriend's and I have bi-monthly play dates for our littles. And you know, it's for us mamas too. Each of us hosts twice a month and this month I'm large and in charge. So, seeing that I love holidays and any and every excuse to decorate for and celebrate them, I figured I would host a Valentine's craft play date! Naturally.

After turning to great wide world of Pinterest, I got the idea for painted foot hearts. I thought that it was a precious, easy craft that we could make and give to the daddies or grandparents for Valentine's Day. 

All you need for this craft is card stock, washable paint, a sponge brush, and anything else that you want to snazzy it up with. I bought little letter stamps and a gold stamp pad so we could personalize them and some glitter to add some pizazz (for the little ladies, of course). 

I also threw together some bevvies and snacks for the mamas. On the menu was sparkling water with fresh strawberries, strawberry yogurt covered pretzels, mini red velvet and vanilla cupcakes, and cream cheese, olive, and walnut mini heart sandwiches. Can you tell I'm pregnant?!

And while I think the babies enjoyed playing together and interacting more than they did crafting, everyone left with some precious footsie keepsakes. 

Olive doesn't seem that impressed.

And by the looks of it, we should be getting a wave of warmer weather next week (70 degrees next Friday!), so I think that our next play date is going to have to be an outing to the zoo! YAY for Spring!

mullet be gone.

On Saturday, John and I took Brooks to Vestavia Barber for a long overdue first haircut. Was I sentimental? Not really. The mullet had gotten out.of.control and it was time. It was actually time five months ago, but you can't cut your wittle baby's hair within his first year, right? It just felt like a sin. So, we waited and then life got in the way and we forgot about it. Okay, maybe we didn't forget it about it. We were reminded every night during bath time when the wet mullet surpassed the shoulders. GASP. And a woman waiting in line with her son confirmed it was time when she asked, "How old is she?"

So, onto the first cut...

Speaking of line, it was long. We walked in and there was a barber shop full of men. I mean, full. Luckily, they had a little play table to entertain the babes and that it did. Brooks also made a friend or ten. That boy—he is a social butterfly! He kept bringing figurines to a young boy sitting with his brothers on the floor who finally got up and moved! Ha. Bless him.

When it was our turn, I'm pretty sure John and I both started sweating, expecting the worst. I was thinking one of us would hold Brooks in our lap, but the stylist propped him up like a big boy on a booster. 

He thought he was big stuff.

Before she started snipping away, another stylist suggested giving him a sucker. It was his first rodeo with a lollipop and he wasn't quite sure what to do with it, but it kept him entertained the entire time. The only problem was, he wasn't sure how to swallow and his cape ended up drenched.

He sat in that chair like a champ! Even the hairdresser said that he did a great job, that most four year olds don't cooperate and sit still like he did. He did get fussy towards the end, but I think it's because he was starting to feel sticky, thanks to the gallons of sucker saliva seeping down his neck.

I kept a lock of his mullet hair to keep forever and ever to remember this special milestone. And I see many more trips to the barber in our future!

Such a big, handsome boy!