Awesome Monday!!!

Well, yesterday was NOT your typical Monday. First of all, my boss told me I could work for home so that was great news. My friend Katie, came over to clean our house. This is the first time I've ever hired someone to clean. Normally I would do it, but with the pregnancy and having to work, she offered her services for a reasonable price. It was nice having someone else do the dirty work... bathrooms especially- my LEAST favorite thing to do. I was very impressed with her work, but there are a few things we have to tweak before she comes again next month. I looked around at cleaning companies, but none of them had good reviews via facebook nor could they be trusted for the money you paid them, so I thought I would go with a friend instead. It seemed to work out great for everyone.
While all this was going on, cousin Melissa asked one of her doula students, who is a massage therapist, to come over and provide massages for the aunts who are in town. So since we provided the location (our media room) and sheets she gave me a free pre-natal massage. It felt GREAT! 30 min, but I could have easily done 60 min. It was very nice. Then Kelson had little gym so we got to bring a friend and she chose Lola and Annabelle, but since Annabelle is in Florida, we were happy to invite Lola. Charlie came too and they had so much fun. Alyssa joined Kelson and I too, so she got to go in and watch Kelson's class. It was really cute.

Also, Jason got a facebook message from a guy whose daughter is getting married in September in Oklahoma and wanted him to come sing "I loved her first" and a few more tunes throughout the reception, so Jason told him he would for $5K (the same amount his movie room equip is going to cost) :) Jason just threw that number out there, not thinking the guy would committ, well, he did, so it looks like we are gonna be able to have our movie room this year instead of 2014 like anticipated :) I've been trying to pay down debt since we re-modeled our house, so this is great news!

Gossip Girl...

After Kelson gets home from school, I try to have her tell me what happened that day at school. Sometimes you don't get much, but it seems like when we are getting ready to go to bed then she just spills the beans. LOL! Last week she told me that this boy named Thomas was mean and pulled her ponytails, so I asked her if she told the teacher and she said "No, but that her friend Addison told her to come stand with her and she wouldn't let him hurt her" :) I thought it was cute that even at that age kids are sticking up for eachother. So of course, I told her to tell her teacher next time he did something mean to her. She said, "Well I tried to tell you but you weren't there" :( I felt so bad, but re-assured her that her teachers would take care of her. She seems to be liking it so far though and her classmates. I haven't noticed any learning skills, but that could be too cause she is advanced for her age already. When I ask her if she's learned anything, I get nothing, but when it comes to telling stories, she's all about it :) LOL! Sound familiar mom?

I think its good that we signed her up for part time (3 days a week for 3 hours/day) cause by Sunday she was tired and that she didn't want to go back to school yet. LOL! Lastnight her and I were laying in bed together and she told me that she didn't want to go to school again this morning and I asked her why not, she said, "Well Charlie was being mean to me." (here we go again) So I said well why honey? She said "Well Emerson was doing something dangerous and he was yelling at her", so I yelled at him to tell him to not scream at Emerson. LOL! So, I guess she was sticking up for someone this go round. I told her that maybe Charlie was trying to keep Emerson from hurting herself and thats why he was yelling!? So she soon let that story go and said well, Emerson was showing off her underwear to everyone (with a laugh). I was like OMGosh, well why? She said, "well she wanted us to see her cute underwear". I said, "Well did you do that too?" (knowing she wore shorts that day), so she said "Nope, but Tamesha (sp?) did."

So with all these stories I think we are gonna hear some interesting things coming out of my Pre-K's mouth :) I think I'm just getting a taste for what I have in store :)

Anyone up for some Hungry Hungry Prego???

Well since now I've only gained 3 lbs. I was very proud of that, until I read that starting around that time your appetite increases and you can gain some of the weight now. I've been so hungry lately and eating more than I normally have been. I guess my little man is growing like he should be :) Yipee! I hope to keep my weight gain to a minimum so I have less to lose when the time comes to burn it off.

This past weekend I got Kelson's playroom all cleaned and re-arranged. So, now its time for Jason to use his skills and paint the WHO-VILLE theme into the room. I'm so happy we went with that look cause it will be perfect for a boy and a girl's playroom :) Plus during Christmas we can make it look like a Grinch room :) So cute!

We have our bedroom decorating ideas for Kelson's new big girl room and baby Janson's nursery!!! Kelson's room we are going to go with an enchanted forest theme. Built into the wall bed, with some enchanted trees with lanterns, twinkle lights over her bed, etc... gonna be SO cute! Will work in some of the disney princesses too :) Between Jason and Adrienne's artist skills we should have an adorable room. We have to knock down a few walls, make Kelson's bathroom now a Jack and Jill bathroom for both of the rooms, and make our old laundry room a closet for Kelson. It's gonna be a fun process.

Jansen's room is gonna be something like a pirates of the carribean/peter pan/capt hook theme! The round crib will look like a ship mast, have treasure map wall borders, treasure map pics on the wall, plain bed sheets/skirts (unlike Kelson's) :)
I'm so excited that we have some ideas so we can get started on it.

Speaking of our little man, Bobba came up with a potential middle name for him. CANE.. like candy cane :) I love it and it fits our christmas middle name themes :) I'm not sure which one will stick, but I'm excited that we already have some names picked out!

Thank you God for my wonderful family and life!!!!

It's official- Kelson is attending Pre-K!!!

Well after the trial day at Country Day, we decided that we were going to give it a shot. She started school this morning for the summer, it lasts through August 5th. She is SUPER excited about going meeting new friends. She is such a fast learner and is soooo full of personality that she will have friends and be a teacher's pet before we know it :) She will go three times a week (W-F). Chinese day, library day, and Fun Friday (water day in the summer). I still have her enrolled at the Little Gym on Monday nights. It's a MUCH smaller class than her last semester. Like 6 kids vs 20. I think she liked having all those kids, but I think this way she is getting more attention and plus she has her buddy Emerson there too. Emerson goes to Country Day as well. The cost for this private school is $370/month. It's a little tight for our budget, but well make it work. Especially if she really gets something out of it and seems to enjoy it. I can't believe my little girl is starting school already! :( But, it was a pretty easy transition for all of us. Thanks to her bubbly personality. This will give her a chance to learn and have something to do during the day, hang with kids her age, and give Jason some daddy and baby boy time when he does arrive. Life is GREAT!!!!

Our little Nutty Butty :)

Just a few days past 18 weeks, on June 7th, we got to find out the gender of Baby Albert #2 (aka Ebeneezer). I had to work that day, so I met Jason, Kelson, and Lucy at the doctors office. We were all VERY anxious to see if we were having a girl or boy. Time seemed to take forever waiting on Dr. Rushing to come in. Finally it was time. He started looking around and said the baby was doing great and measuring right where he should be, then he said you want to know, right!? I said "yep", then he typed BOY on the screen. I immediately looked towards Jason's reaction, he was laughing and couldn't believe it. I laughed and said "I told you guys it was a boy" :)

Kelson's U/S was very obvious, but this one, not so much. I asked the doc again if he was sure and he pointed and said there's his little taliwacker- LOL. So it looks like we are having ourselves a baby boy :) Kelson has been saying for the last couple of days that she thought it was a boy too and that she wanted a baby brother :) So it worked out well for everyone. I think Kelson being around Big Sis Annabelle and little bro Corgan made her realize that little brothers aren't so bad :) Kelson is going to be a WONDERFUL and very HELPFUL big sister. She is already talking about helping us feed him, bathe him, and getting his diapers for us. I can't wait to meet our little man, but I also can't wait to see how well our baby girl does with him.

We are very happy and ready to start decorating and setting up the nursery for him. It's still a shock that we are having a boy, but I think it will sink in soon. Since I've found out I can't quit smiling and now I get to refer to him as JANSON or JANSEN- depending on which one we prefer :) We are looking at a pirate themed nursery (both pirates of the caribbean and peter pan themed). I can't wait!

As you know, we've been calling him Ebeneezer, but I don't think its going to stick. Jason is NOT a fan of that as a middle name. I could be persuaded to keep it, but If he is really against it, then we will pick something else. We do have Elias in mind, Walt Disney's middle name. So we just may already have our little boy's name: Janson/Jansen Eli Albert :) Sounds PERFECT to me!

About me:
I've been feeling good, still some bleeding, but nothing major. Having some minor cramping and pressure, but again nothing I can't handle :) I'm just happy that I haven't had to deal with the round ligament pains like I did with Kelson- those were awful!!! It's hard to believe I'm almost 1/2 way there!!! Yipee!

I've felt a few kicks and moves in the last week, but nothing consistent. Now that I can talk to him and refer to his name maybe he will react :) I've been craving a lot of juice... cereal... and fruits. I guess these are all great things. Plus I will not pass on pizza or dessert :) I haven't been eating much lately, but I'm sure that will change SOON! I have only gained 3 lbs since getting pregnant so that's awesome. I'm trying to stay down in weight so its not so hard to take it off after he's born.

SMILE... Kelson's First Trip to the Dentist

We've been teaching Kelson the importance of brushing her teeth, so I finally made an appt to have her teeth cleaned. She is just a few months shy of 4 years old. I asked my facebook friends for a great child-friendly dentist office and 90% of them said "Alabama Pediatric Dentist Association" so I called and made an appt. We arrived about 20 minutes before cause I heard they had an indoor playground. She loved that part. I even got a little treat since I was "expecting" :) So we let her play and then it was time to go. The hygentist was WONDERFUL with introducing Kelson to all of the supplies they use. Kelson thought the spin brush they use to clean and the spit sucker upper were funny. She laughed when they used it and like to suction her mouth on the spit sucker wand. She did wonderful and sat there the whole time with no whining or pulling away. I think she was rather interested in what all was going on. So since she was a good girl she got to go pick a toy from the toy bins. She ended up choosing a paddle and ball. Dr. Todd came and looked at Kelson's teeth and said they were beautiful and everything looked great. They even told her she had purple monkeys and skunks in her mouth :) She got to pick out a sticker on the way out for being such a great patient :)

APDA is PERFECT for children!!! I'm so glad we found this place and will continue to go there.

Healthy Checkup

Went to see Dr. Rushing last Wednesday and he said that everything was all healed up. He didn't see the hematoma anymore or if it was there, it was very small, so that was a relief. I'm still having a little bleeding, but nothing major.

The baby is doing fine and is very active. We get to find out if its a he/she a week from today!!! :) I can't stinkin wait. I haven't felt the baby move but maybe once or twice so I'm ready to feel that too. Being 17 weeks I think it should be happening any day now! Yipee!

Here's a picture of Kelson with my almost 4.5 months baby bump!!! I love my babies!!!

First "Trial" Day of School

We have been searching for potential Pre-schools for Kelson within the last year. I didn't want to take her to daycare, especially since we didn't need one since Jason is Mr. Mom and Lucy works virtual. So I started asking around and a private school called "Country Day" was mentioned. So we decided to go take a tour. We were impressed with the school, plus they teach them lots of cool things and have themed days. Tuesday is Spanish day, so we decided to skip that day- LOL, Wednesdays they learn Chinese, Thurs they have library day, and Friday is pretty much fun day- water day, pizza lunch, etc.. Kelson didn't want to leave when we went to check things out. They have a playground too, so that really got her interest. A girlfriend of mine, Cici, her little girl also goes there. She is the one who recommended it. Its a little pricer than we wanted to pay, but I guess you get what you pay for :) Plus its a private school and we are going to sign Kelson up for the summer to see how she adapts and to see if she seems to be learning a lot. Kelson LOVES to be around kids and for the little while that we were there, she was already making friends.
We decided to sign her up for a trial day to see if she would like it. Knowing she would, but we wanted to give it a shot. We had to wake her up, normally she sleeps in till 9:30 or so, but this time I woke her up around 7:30 and she didn't want to get up, but then I mentioned going to school and she was like Ok, now I'm ready :) LOL! So I packed her little "peter pan" lunchbox. I made her a hotdog wrapped in foil (like my mom used to make for me cause I loved it) and some fruit snacks and an apple with a juice box. It was sooo sweet and sad to have to make her lunch for school. Not my baby girl, going to pre-school, NO WAY! Anyways, so then I picked out a cute outfit for school, got Jason up, and it was time for school. We dropped her off with NO problems, she was very excited and said "I'm going to be good and listen to my teachers mommy" :) We are soooo proud of our baby girl. She went from 8:30-11:30 and the teachers said she did wonderful and fit right in. So, it looks like we have a school to try out for the summer! She will start next Wed, June 8th. The day after we find out if she will have a baby sister or brother :)

My first ER visit

Last Friday me and a couple girlfriends of mine threw my BFF, Lisa Wilkerson, and her fiance a wedding shower at our house. The party was hit and lasted well into the night, involving Ruggby's and The Cave :) Although I didn't drink, I did dance, and sing and hang out till 3am. Anyways, since I was exhausted the next day, Jason and I took a nap. Soon after I woke up I freaked out cause I was bleeding rather heavily. I ran to the bathroom and started to cry. I called for Jason to bring me my phone so I could call the doctor. He ran to get the phone and went to get his mom. I couldn't get through on the phone and was still in shock and not sure what to do. I called Louise (aka the corner nurse) to help me through what to do. Her and Lucy rushed to our house, they were at Nin's helping them pack. Course my mom is in FL and my dad had Kelson out with him. So I finally got a hold of the doctor's nurse and she told me to elevate my legs and monitor it for an hour. So that's what we did. The whole family was VERY supportive and helpful. I was still freaked out cause I didn't know what was causing the bleeding nor if the baby was ok. I had read my blog a few weeks ago to look at milestones and it was around 16 weeks when I had those HORRIBLE round ligament pains, so I thought maybe this was just something like that. But I needed re-assurance that everything was ok. So off to the ER we went (Jason, Lucy, Louise, and Me) Kelson stayed with Papa- he was a huge help! It took about an hour to get back to see anyone. Once we did all they cared about was sticking me and drawing blood. After 6 pricks and 4 nurses later they finally got it- this was about 3 hours into the visit. I finally went off and had a meltdown cause I had yet to know that the baby was ok. So Aunt Weeza went to find some help and get someone to let us hear the heartbeat and FAST! Kristen, I'll never forget her name- she was my angel that day- she got the blood drawn and let us listen to the heartbeat. We heard something and it was mine.... then she finally got down to the baby's heartbeat- it was around 130, but I was SOOOO relieved to hear his/her heartbeat. I told her she was my favorite so far :) They gave me a pelvic exam but were unable to find out what was causing the bleeding, they just said it happens.
So after watching many episodes of Raymond (lalala- Jason had an interesting visit having to tell the dr and his mother all the activity that I had been doing previous to having the blood flow. Let's just say that Jason has cut us off until after Christmas :) LOL!!!!
It was time for an ultrasound.. so I got to see the baby moving all over and at that time his/her heartbeat was around 150, so I was pretty excited to know the baby was going to be ok. I was still frustrated that we didn't know what was causing the bleeding or if I ever would.
So after about 6 hours of all that fun we finally left the ER and went and got Krispy Kreme and taco bell and pads :) LOL! I can't thank Jason, Lucy, and Louise enough for being there for me and supporting me through that hard time.

I didn't have any cramping and was out of my first trimester so I felt somewhat relieved. But I knew I had to call Dr. Rushing on Monday.
So I took it easy on Sunday and called Dr. Rushing's office on Monday to get a checkup and see if he could find the problem.
We went Monday afternoon to see Dr. Rushing and after some tests, getting to see our active baby again with Jason this time and getting a FABULOUS picture of our baby at almost 16 weeks, we finally got some answers. I had a hematoma behind my placenta, sort of like a hernia. Dr. Rushing said it was nothing to be scared of, but that it should disinegrate and thats why I should continue to bleed. The ER didn't find it cause they didn't do a vaginal ultrasound. GRRR! Anyways, he told me to take it easy and no more XES for a while. I had just overdone it- with all the activities on Friday and Sat, so all week I've been lazy and taking it easy. Work has been great and letting me work virtual. I'm doing better, but get tired easy, out of breathe easily, and try to put my feet up as much as I can. So far so good. I'm just relieved to know the baby is ok and that I just need to take it easy. The thought of not having my baby anymore haunts me often, but I'm just grateful to God that he continued for all to be ok :)

Baby got low, low, low, low, low, low, low, low

I'm really starting to POOCH out now and its all really low low low, so another reason why I think this baby may be a boy! ;) I don't remember carrying Kelson so low, but its been a while, so maybe I did!? Its exciting to be able to feel little lumps and places where the baby could be at. We will be finding out in less than a month. I'm anxiously awaiting to feel the baby move/kick. More so I can share the experience with Kelson- I think that will really make things interesting when that happens! To be continued...

Dreams...

Well I had a dream last night that I gave birth to a beautiful baby GIRL! We named her something Italian too- like Gabriella- I think this idea came from me having Kelson say "Bellisima" to people and kissing both sides of their cheeks- just to be cute. In the dream I just couldn't understand how the baby was born already without me knowing the gender first and how she was full grown and not pre-mature. It was a really cool dream and seemed so real. Not sure if this is a dream of things to come or just another weird pregnancy dream :) I have to say since the baby's heartbeat was 155bpm and now this dream, its got me thinking we may have another girl afterall. June 7th we will know for sure :)

Overall everything else is going good. LAst week in the first trimester, so really excited about my energy level returning.

On a sad and epic note- North Alabama was hit hard last Wed, April 27th, by several E4-5 Tornados. We were VERY fortunate that our house wasn't damaged in the storms. Roads on each side of us had severe damage and homes were demolished. Such a sad and devistating time. Poor Nin and George had some damage, but luckily are safe. Most all of North Alabama lost power for at least 5 days and some are still without. Worked was shut down and I'm just now returning back to work today. It's sad to see all the devistation and I feel so fortunate that we weren't involved and we were able to help those in need. God does listen to prayers and blesses those who bless others. Our house became the "command center" for the family/corner :) Our gracious buddy, Billy Hunt, let us borrow his generator, so we had power to our fridge, a tv, and some lights. He saved the day for us! It got so bad that we boiled water to mix in our freezing cold hot tub and the family members took turn taking QUICK baths. The water was unbearable. Its so easy to take things for granted. But we thank our Lord and Savior and angels for watching over us!!!!

2nd time around- pregnancy symptoms

First Trimester (4 weeks-13 weeks)
Cravings:

Sweet and salty. PB&J with Nacho Cheese Doritos on it. Chocolate, pizza, meximelts, oranges (that have caused fever blisters from too much acid), flavored water, cheetos, and string cheese

Annoying things:

No energy the first month, excessive bathroom breaks during the night, tender breasts (more than last time), cramps, (copied all these from the first pregnancy) being the only sober one at parties- ha-ha, No Diet drinks due to aspartame (bad stuff), and being so tired! I think not being as active and in shape this pregnancy has really hindered me, but I'm trying to stay active. Having to wear maternity clothes from 2nd month.

Neat things:

Getting to go through all my maternity clothes and getting some from friends- its like I got a whole new wardrobe, feeling little bits of the baby inside me already, getting to share the baby with Kelson, letting Kelson "hear" the baby... (she told me yesterday that she could hear the baby drinking its milk and then she listened again and said oh it just pooped- LOL!) Trying to guess if its gonna be a boy or girl and picking out names- already :) Being pregnant again with my sister. Having SOOO much help :)

Let's face it.. I'm tired!!!!

Well, this 2nd baby is really weighing on me (pun intended)!! I'm exhausted most of the time and already feel the baby bump. Good to know that most 2nd time mothers go through this exact same thing. I actually feel better if I get up early and start my day than i do if I sleep in till 9 or whatever. But I know I'm supposed to rest as much as I can, so I do.
I'm almost 11 weeks on Friday, so I'm really excited about getting closer to my 2nd trimester and getting some energy back. I feel it slowly coming back each week. My next appt is on April 26th- we hope to get to hear the baby's heartbeat :) That was such a neat experience with Kelson.

My food cravings have been all over the map- I want sweet one minute (mostly PB&J sandwhiches) then spaghetti the next. It changes from hour to hour. So its really hard to say if I'm having a girl or boy based on the cravings. My chinese chart said Boy, but we shall see, I think Boy too!

Lately, I've been feeling something in my tummy- I recognize the difference in gas and a baby (since I've been pregnant before) and I KNOW that what I'm feeling is not gas. It seems to happen when I'm leaning down or stretching to do something. Last night I was laying in bed with Kelson and got up and WHAM it hit me- like a kick, but I know the baby is too small for kicking so I think it may be the sac moving around in my tummy!? Just my thought. So I went online to research it and it said that a lot of second time mommy's felt their baby earlier, so I think its def something. I know its not gas-related, so it has to be the sac or something since the baby is still so small!? Just my thought. Sometimes it happens a few times a day, but then some days I won't feel anything. Some people asked if it was a flutter, but this is a WOW, stop me in my tracks movement, not just a bubble. I'm going to ask Dr. Rushing about it at the next appt. It seems to happen right on my belly button.

Kelson has been having "night time" issues again and wanting to get back in bed with us during the night, so mom suggested that I be the one to lay down with her, so I did last night. We talked about her day, how much fun she was having with Gigi and Papa (they are visting from FL), and saying her prayers. I turned off all the lights and that's when she said she was scared, so I thought, ah hah, maybe she is scared of the dark and that's why she gets up. So I left a little nightlight on last night when I left her room and she stayed in her bed all night :) So well see if that does the trick. I'm trying to break her from this habit before the baby arrives. I can't be up with TWO kids during the night or I'll fall apart :)

So anyways, all is going great! I'm very excited about our sweet little angel! I really don't have a preference on gender, but have a gut feeling on this boy. Part of me wants to wait to find out until he/she is born, but I like to plan ahead too! Ah- decision, decisions ;) Good thing is we already have a boys name ready to go :) once I find out the gender, I'll post it :)

We have lots of house stuff to do - painint, moving Kelson from the nursery to her own big girl room, decorating the nursery, etc... hoping my sister is going to help me with decorating ideas for both :)

First Checkup with Baby #2

I went this morning to see Dr. Rushing, its hard to believe what all I had already forgotten about since having Kelson. Had a few of the "fun" tests ;) and then got to see little "Ebeneezer"- they predicted that I was a little further along than I expected. They sized the baby at 8 weeks 4 days old with a due date of 11/4/11. If that is the case I would have to be a week late to get my goal due date of 11/11/11. I'm sure around 35+ weeks I'll just be ready to have this baby :) November is Jason's birthday month so I think its gonna be a cool month anyways. My mom jokingly said well if he/she arrives on the 4th that still gives you time to take down the Halloween stuff and put up your Christmas tree :) LOL!!!!
I called Jason and Kelson after the appt to tell them the good news- that we were having a baby ;) and that we were both healthy and that it was just ONE baby. Part of me would have liked twins, but it would have been a lot of work, so God blessing us with another one, is still a miracle.
My weight is definetly higher than were i was before so I think that explains why I'm SOOO exhausted all the time. The cramps come and go, but seem to be subsiding. The "no energy" level is starting to ween off, but I guess time will tell. I still have 5 more weeks till I'm out of the first trimester.
I'm not really craving anything specific, I'm all over the place!!! But my little bump sure has energed out already- must be a 2nd baby thing. My clothes are already snug so I can only imagine how big I'm gonna get. GREAT!!! ;)
Either way, I'm still really excited and getting to see the picture of the little guy/girl is very exciting. I still think its going to be a boy. Jason says girl. Majority says boy, so well see who is right in about 12 weeks :)

Well, God did it again :) What an awesome bday present!

Yep, Jason and I are going to be parents again :) We've been trying for a few months now, but the house remodeling had priority, so I thought since I was shooting for an 11/11/11 due date, I better get serious :) So I used the fertility friend website- where you take your temperature each morning and track your symptons, period cycles, intercourse, etc... and well within two months we got it right. February's ovulation date kept moving around, so i thought we missed it and then was going to have to wait until April since I was going to be on travel in March during that exact time when I could get pregnant.

My 32nd bday is today, but JAB played this past Saturday, so I decided to take a pregnancy test 1) I was 2 days late 2) I knew i was going to be partying so i wanted to verify that I wasn't 3) I had the symptoms of either starting my period or being pregnant- they are very similar so it makes it hard to figure out. so Friday, March 4th was the day I found out! I had been sick with a cold and coughing for two days and stayed home from work. While Jason ran to the grocery store to get things for dinner, that's when I decided to take a test. It was just Kelson and I- so I took the test and the up and down line showed up rather quickly. Once again, I was in shock. I couldn't believe it- could i really be pregnant? So I went out and told Kelson that mommy had a baby in her belly :) Kelson has been asking for a brother or sister the last couple of months!!! :) So when Jason got home I told her to tell him that mommy had a baby in her belly, so she did and he looked at us and said yes baby girl we are working on it- and then I held up the pregnancy test and said well it looks like we do. His jaw dropped and he was like OMG, are you serious? I said yep- but I'm gonna run to the store to get another one. So I did and once again "+"!!! :) Both Jason and I were giddy all night and wanted to wait to tell anyone. So to keep thing on the down low I told Jason to tell everyone that I wasn't feeling good so I wasn't gonna be going out Sat night. If Kelly went to a bar and didn't drink esp on her BDAY everyone would know! So i just opted to stay home. I couldn't sleep AT ALL the first night we found out. I was thinking of ways to tell everyone, thinking of if was going to be a girl or boy, when I should make my first appt, etc...The funny thing is i told Jason if he was a boy I would like to name him Janson Ebenezer :) he said, well Kelly that's a bit much... LOL! But we both really do like Janson Eli (Elias) was Walt Disney's middle name. So, ya never know! I have a feeling we are gonna get that BOY this time :) Kelson goes back and forth- I think she just wants a playmate :)
Since the family was going to FL we celebrated my bday that Sunday- March 6th- so how we told Jason's family was I had Kelson unwrap a "Big Sister" t-shirt, so when she opened it I looked up and said Wow- and showed it to the family- aline was the first to say- OMG- your pregnant :) And I just smiled!!! They all started screaming and laughing and clapping- it was sooo cute. Lucy kissed me at least 100 times! Kelson was singing- were gonna have a baby- were gonna have a baby with Lucy and the family. LOL! It was so cute! Made my birthday so special. We are going to see my mom and dad tomorrow so I'm gonna have Kelson wear her "big sister" t-shirt when we see them... I figured that's a good way to get the news out! This weekend we will tell the rest of the Albert family at Rebecca and Jeff's wedding. Sucks that I can't party with them, but its not like I haven't done it before, and being pregnant again is such a dream come true, so no worries!!! I had planned to lose a lot more weight before getting pregnant again, so that parts sucks. I plan to get more active and eat right so the weight doesn't PILE on with this one. Either way, I'm super happy and feel super blessed! We plan to tell everyone probably next week (not sure how yet)?? maybe with a baby ticker and a picture of Kelson wearing a big sister t-shirt!!! :0) Most of our friends will probably find out. Facebook is a hard way to keep a secret :) BTW- I got SOOOO many facebook birthday wishes, made me feel so important and loved.

Tonight I'm looking forward to having "girl time" with my friends. Only one of them knows I'm pregnant, so when I make the skinny girl margaritas and NOT drink one, they will be asking questions, but I'm excited to tell them why I can't :) I wanted to celebrate a girls night IN... we are gonna cook a mexican spread and drink wine, margaritas, and watch a girly movie ALTOGETHER! I'm really looking forward to it. Kelson and Jason are both in Mexico Beach. We are meeting up in Orlando tomorrow. We get to see my sister and the kids, and mom and dad. I can't wait! Haven't seen them since December. Then Disneyworld on Thursday, then head to Tampa for the wedding that weekend. Full schedule, but I can't wait!!!! Well I gotta leave work now- LOL- so i can stop and get a few things for the trip and the get together tonight. I'm gonna try to start posting more frequently again. Talk to you later!!!

Catching up

Well, its been a LONG time since I've written. Life has been CRAZY busy, but its all for the better :) Kelson is 3.5 now and is the smartest and cutest little girl i know. She sleeps in her big girl bed (with a little bribe from Chuck E Cheese), LOVES going to the Little Gym and her teachers are always excited to see her as well, she loves to eat "snacks" and fruit. She is looking forward to having a baby brother or sister one day, although she told me Wed night that would like to have TWO of them :) LOL! She is a BIG snuggler, loves to sing, loves to tell you stories about her day, has a GREAT memory, and loves to take a bath, watch a little part of a movie, than have her back rubbed to go to sleep. I don't know what we ever did without her :)
Jason and I have been BUSTING our tails on our new addition and remodeling of 117 Clutts Road. We started back in July getting the funding for it and then started the work around August. Me, the lead contractor, :) found all the right hired help to get us our "dream house".. it took us around 3.5 months to get to a liveable place. It was such a great investment for us. We spent around $70K on it.. added 1500 sq ft, a huge back porch concrete area with fire pit, a huge fireplace/entertainment center in our livingroom. Custom countertops and cabinets in the kitchen. All new appliances, made our existing livingroom into a media room, our existing dining room into a playroom for Kelson. Existing kitchen into a spare bedroom and foyer area. we have a huge courtyard area (TBD what we are going to do with that). We added around $120K worth of equity into the house, so i would say it was a wise investment. We still have some things to finish it up... baseboards, finish the back porch, painting, buying the media room furniture and electronic accessories, fix up the outside landscaping, stucco, etc.. Another to do is getting the A/C units replaced with energy star units. All this extra house sure is driving up the utility bills ;) So now our house is 3200 sq ft with an almost 600 sq foot CAVE :) Our open livingroom and kitchen combo is AWESOME.. we ha the ceiling done in tounge and groove instead of sheet rock, so it makes it more unique. So our house now consists of 4 bedrooms, a playroom, a media room, livingroom, kitchen, laundry room, storage room, courtyard, and back porch concreted area with firepit, and the cave :) Not bad!!! We did do some house searching previous to this and we just couldnt' find anything we wanted, so we built it :)
It was a lot of hassle over the last few months between getting everyone on the same page, the financing, the appraising, etc.. but it all worked out. We couldn't of done without our family's help!!!
Jason is still jamming with the Jason Albert Band when he wants to ;) mostly on the weekends. He loves being at home and being a stay at home daddy. We are thinking about starting Kelson is a mother's day out program, only because she needs to get used to being in that type of enviornment to get ready for Pre-K. Plus she LOVES the interaction with new kids and teachers.
I'm still at Boeing working under Business Development (Marketing and Sales). I LOVE IT! This is my fav job since I've started working here back in 2003. Sometimes it takes time, but I'm so happy I landed where I am. I work with GREAT people and I love my team.
So, yes, we are trying for baby albert #2. I've been tracking my BBT on the fertiltyfriend.com website. It's a little hard to read at first, but i think i'm getting the hang of it. We'll see how things progress over the next couple of months :) I'm shooting for an 11/11/2011 baby. I'm fine with another girl OR a bouncing baby boy. As I mentioned, Kelson wants two ;) If that were to happen, I'm just fortunate that I have LOTS OF help. I'm still not sure if we had another one if I would be done, but at least after he/she arrives I will know shortly after ;) LOL! I have BAD baby fever right now. Kelson NEEDS a sibling to play with.

Oh- since having the new house, EERS has been spending the night in the cave. He, after 12 years of trying to potty train him, still hasn't grasped it yet, so I bought him a nice bed, and he is hanging out at the cave with Bob :) Don't worry its like an oversized and comforting dog house. He doesn't seem to mind it. We let him come over and spend the night occasionally- only cause we start to miss him, but if he just wouldn't PEE everywhere GEESH.. and oh the hair.. that's another blog ;)

Well I guess that about wraps it up. 2011 is going to be a fun and interesting year. Lots of trips planned: March- Rebecca's wedding and a disney trip together,and May- cousin Lash is getting married in SC (first time Jason has met this side of my family)!!! looking forward to all the fun activites and HOPEFULLY baby that God will bless our family with. Happy 2011 everyone!

Oh- and on top of all this, the corner- Jason, Kelly, Lucy, Louise, and Theana are all dieting :) Let's see how that goes. So far so good!

Pee Pee in the potty and so much more...

Well, it is true- after kids decide that they want to pee pee in the potty- they do :) We tried to get Kelson to go several times when she turned 2 1/2, but she showed no desire to do it. Mom told me that I shouldn't stress over it cause I will be trying for months instead of when Kelson is ready it will only take days :) So a week or so after turning 3- Kelson has NAILED the potty thing. Her treats consist of skittles (which she calls pickles) and our promise to take her to disneyworld to see Mickey :) She isn't wearing a diaper at night either :) I'm very proud of her- she pees before she goes to bed and right when she wakes up. She is a very smart girl, so I knew she wouldn't take long to catch on.
I'm so proud of my little girl- although she is getting bigger and bigger each day. Hard to believe she is 3 already. She had a great Mickey Mouse Clubhouse bday party- another water party- and good lord was it a hot one this summer. Whew! She had a great turnout. Trying to decide if we want to attempt the "outside" party anymore :) Guess well figure that out next year. Kelson's at such a fun age where she really shows her personality. She loves loves loves to entertain and has been such a "mommys girl" lately. She doesn't mind being dressed up- although she HATES for her hair to be brushed. Recently Annabelle and Corgan came up from FL to visit and she had a blast with them. They are all at such fun ages. We are planning on going down to FL in December for Christmas with my family and to see Mickey Mouse- as promised to a little girl :) Excited about the things to come...

Jason and I have been trying for another baby for a few months, but with our house remodeling we have been a little pre-occupied. We know that God will bless us with another one when the time is right.

We started around the last week of July adding on 1100 sq ft to our existing house. It's going to be a living room/kitchen open floor plan with laundry room (a shoot from our bathroom to the l/r) a storage closet with underneath access in case of bad weather, and a 1/2 bath. We are adding a back porch and fixing up our existing back porch to be a courtyard. It's very exciting! Our existing kitchen will be another bedroom, our dining room will be a playroom for Kelson, and our living room will be turned into a home theater. Our house will be a little over 3200 sq ft when its all said and done. Along with the 500+ sq foot of "cave". Our house will be our dream house- but in our budget :) We are really looking forward to it and can't believe how smoothly the process is going. We are currently working on electric and sheet rock- and its only been 1.5 months! That's nuts and sooo sweet! As you can tell- we are very excited and looking forward to our unique and AWESOME house :)

On a sadder note, Nanny (Jason's grandmother), but might as well be mine too, has decided to stop her dialysis treatments. She has been doing it for 4+ years and has decided that she is done. She is ready to go to heaven with her sweet grandpap. Kelson has been keeping everyone smiling and our hopes high. We have no idea how long Nanny will last without her treatments, but she already seems somewhat relieved. The last year or so she has had a few strokes, which have really caused her to be immobile and not able to do much on her own. Whenever God decides to bring Nanny to heaven, we will all rejoice for the life that she has lived and the positive impact she has made on all of us. Please just continue to pray for all of us to have strength to get through this heartache.

What a memory...

Jason and I are astounded at how well Kelson remembers things. She STILL talks about our days back in October of last year when we went to DisneyWorld and what we did, who we were with, and what rides she liked. I know most kids her age don't recall things and she remembers. Even stuff that I don't remember. We are amazed at this gift. Also, she LOVES to quote movies (just like Jason and I). Lately she's been doing the line from Lilo and Stitch where Lilo's sister Nani threatens to get a rabbit instead of keeping Lilo- so we go back and forth and quote the whole thing. It's the cutest thing EVER to hear her remember all the words- from both ends- and act it out too. Lilo ends up slamming the door, so Kelson's been doing that part too Then she screams into her pillow just like the movie. I think her remembrance skill comes from learning so many songs too- for being 2.5 yrs old she sure does know lots of songs and remembers most of the words. She is quite the little singer too- imagine that ;) She remembers people's names and nicknames and can say our real names, Kelly, then Mommy and she goes down the list- Jason/daddy, Lucy/Memere, etc... its super cute. She's been saying her full name since she was 2. She always gets lots of compliments on how well she speaks too- she speaks very clear and has a huge vocabulary. Lucy is teaching her french daily, I continue to teach her letters, numbers, shapes, and colors. I recently bought her a Leapster 2, a hand-held game and she LOVES it. It keeps track on how well she does with each skill level and she is at a kindergarten level for shapes/colors :) Makes a mommy proud. She is starting to recognize letters too. Those games are great for teaching. Its so funny to see her playing on jason's computer- using the mouse and clicking where the games are, etc.. she seems so grown up. Another thing that Kelson gets compliments on - not only that she's a cutie pie- but her manners :) We've taught her how to say excuse me if she wants to talk to me and we are doing something else, she says Thank you almost anytime I do something for her, she gives the SWEETEST smile when she gets excited about something, she even says God Bless you when you sneeze :) We've been working on her "tomboy" skills- she can hit the heck out of the ball off her tee- I was VERY amazed at how fast she caught on. She seems to really enjoy it too- she asks to go play outside all the time. She is going to be a very active little girl- we are already doing gymnastics and swimming, so I see softball in the near future. Oh- then we have music lessons that's a must :) She loves to go to the cave and sing on the microphone for everyone- and play Uncle Jay's drums.

I can't be more proud of my baby girl than I am today!!!

Kelson the little gymnast and swimmer

I recently signed Kelson up at another local gymnastics place called "The Little Gym". Its in a really ritsy part of town so I knew it would be better and more focused than at Tumblebeez. Kelson and I went to a trial class and LOVED it. They were more focused on the kids, had so much to do, played with balls, bubbles (Kelson's fav), and it was a very safe enviornment. Kelson had a blast- a girlfriend of mine was there with her little girl Emerson who is very close to Kelson's age, so they got along great. Emerson even warmed up to me :) It was really fun. So needless to say I signed her up and just signed her up for the summer classes too. Its a little on the expensive side, but its worth it. Overall its about $15/class- once a week for 45 min. Kelson's favorite thing to do is the uneven bars. She said she is a monkey.
On Sundays we started swimming lessons at the UAH Fitness Center. We go with one of my bunco friends and her little girl. Brigid is 8 months old, so the beginners class is wonderful for her. Kelson already loved being in the water and was not afraid so she is on the advanced side. Once Kelson turns 3 we are gonna move her up to the teacher taught class. The beginners one is parent-child. Which I LOVE! Kelson is quite the little swimmer and doesn't mind getting wet at all. Papa and Gigi got to join us last week while they were visiting from FL.
I was going to sign Kelson up for musical classes too (since she obviously has a talent there), but they don't start teaching piano till they are 4. So we will prob wait another year for that, but continue the other two activities.

We are going on a disney cruise through Europe in less than a month. I can't wait! It feels like forever ago we booked that cruise, and its finally here! Upon our return Jason and I talked about trying for another baby :) So I guess that will happen soon too. I was hoping to lose about 20 more lbs, but I don't see that happening- lol! I'll try to blog about our trip- I can't wait!!! What a neat experience this is going to be.

Catching up...wow- its been a while!

I know its been since last October since I've written. I guess time just got away from me. I've been playing on facebook (an interactive social network) that is easier to use and keep people informed on life events. But since one day I want to print these off for my journal, I wanted to capture some further detailed information.
Well lets see we had Halloween- Kelson was an adorable ladybug and Dumbo (I bought the outfit off ebay for $25- normally double that price online). She looked adorable. I was Cinderella (sexy version) and Jason was a roman soldier. Me and all my girlfriends dressed up as princesses. It was so much fun. Even Jason Miller dressed up as a princess- Jasmine. It was HILARIOUS. Mike Myerson dressed up as my dad- it was hilarious- had the bald thing carrying around a Xango bottle. It was so funny!!! Daddy was a great sport about it too. Halloween is always so much fun.

Christmas was quite eventful- we had so much going on this year. Kelson was soooo into Christmas so that made it even funner for us. She is quite the little diva. She even gave up her pacifier to Santa- we said that she had to give them to the little babies so she could get some Kai Lan toys- and it worked. She did AWESOME on giving it up. She was a little over 2 years old when she gave it up. Did much better than me- and she hasn't discovered the "thumb" ;) Whew! Anyways, mom and dad went to Keri's this year for Christmas, so we had Christmas early at our house, then did Christmas Eve night with the Alberts. We were supposed to do Christmas morning with Nanny and Memere, but both had health issues, so christmas presents got delayed. Which was ok cause it gave us more to look forward to. Kelson seemed to really enjoy Christmas and is still (in Feb) singing Christmas songs. She even learned the one from a Wonder Pets episode. So cute. She catches on and remembers things so well- it amazes me at how smart she is.

I know I'm missing all kinds of thinga and details. Kelson is now 2 1/2 years old. I still can't believe how fast time has flown by. She gets lots of comments on how GREAT she can speak and how adorable she is. I've been told that her personality is so much like I was :) Lucky girl. LOL! She's prob around 28lbs, is 3 feet tall, and has beautiful blonde hair and blue eyes. She still looks like 50% me, 50% Jason. Its cool- I wouldn't want it any other way. She has been so healthy and has brought so much joy to this whole family and corner ;) Her favorite shows/movies are: The Wonder Pets, Kai Lan (which has taught her a few chinese words), YGG, Chipmunks, Nemo, Dumbo, Mickey Mouse and friend anything, and disney princess anything. She can draw a full attached circle with two eyes and a nose and a mouth in the perfect position. I've heard thats pretty advanced. She loves for you to challenge her. She knows almost ALL the animals I can think of and their sounds. I'm working on her with identifying numbers and letters. I'll have her spelling and writing her name soon- I guarantee it :) She is smart enough to do it and catch on.

Recently Jason and I took Kelson to the Hsv Marriott to partake in the National Discovery Network selection process for finding kids who they deem as cute, something unique, fun, photogentic, and lots of personality. Well she made it through the evaluation selection and now has been invited to partake in the Gulf Coast 2010 Convention located in PCB, FL in May. The National Discovery Network has a grade of A+ from the Better Business Bureau. The Convention costs $495 for the registration fee, $400 for hotel, $200 for photos, and a couple hundred for gas.

She will be in the Divison II group - 2 to 3 years old. She will partake in a runway presentation on Sat morning that I will assist her in. At that time the business sponsor names will be announced and a headshot and body shot will be showing in the backdrop of the runway. Because of her young age she doesn't get a chance to "show off" her talents. The older kids have a chance to do a commercial reading and partake in some workshops, so we shared our concern with the NDN director. She assured us that if Kelson is personable and adorable that we should get a callback on Sunday, in return that's when the agent(s) (national agents- the ones who represent the BIG BOY companies- disney, parents magazine, fisher price, etc..) select your child for possible model, commercial, or films. This is when they will get a chance to see her perform and show off her "Kelson personality". So we are hoping that will be the outcome. Although we are not promised anything. After discussing it, if we can get some financial assistance to do this, we would love to partake in this. If the outcome isn't successful at least we will have the experience. I set up something on facebook asking for donations for us to do this for Kelson. We financially needed help to do this. I knew that if family/friend could help, that they would. What great friends/family we have :)
So may is going to be a busy month. We have the PCB convention to attend and Keri and Keith have paid for our family (mom/dad, us, their family, and Kyle/Renee) to go on a 10 night Disney Cruise traveling throughout Europe :) We fly to Spain and leave from their on the boat. I am soooooo excited. I got to go to Europe last May with Keri (we went to Amsterdam and Paris). So exciting that we get to go by boat- this time we are going to different places in Europe, so that should be most interesting. Plus Jason and Kelson get to be with me this time. I love cruises, so a 10 night one, disney-related, seeing Europe, and being with my family is top notch! What a neat experience. We are hoping my godmother Paula will be working the flight to make things go much smoother. She was such a sweetheart on the last flight to Amsterdam- free everything, sweets, drinks, the works. Love her. So anyways, we have lots going on right now.
Mom and dad just moved down to Florida last weekend. It still hasn't hit me, but I know they are so excited about it. They've been wanting to go back down there since we all go out of high school. Keri and Keith bought another house for mom and dad to rent, so its a win-win for all of them. I'm very happy for them. At times I wish I could just pack up and move to FL too- I would love to be closer to my sister and family and all of Jason's family too. BUT.... there is a lot here too, so its too hard to do anything major right now. With that being said, we are discussing adding on to our house- AGAIN :) I said I was done, but we've done some house searching and I am just not impressed with what I see for the price we can afford. Our bedroom is bad ass so its hard to beat that in a regular house. We love our house and location so if we can just make it a little bigger and re-arrange a few things, we will be so much happier. We are hoping to have another baby in the oven after we return from the cruise, so a bigger house would be nice for that too. Lots to think about.

Jason is no longer a part of Heartland- he has ventured off to do the Jason Albert Band thing. He is super happy and loves the guys. Never any drama there. They are still signed with Herb Graham and his label, but things have pretty much slowed down. Some of the guys are doing their own things too, so its best for everyone. I've even been doing some booking for the JAB. Trying to get them down to Orlando and stuff :) But we aren't sure still if Jason's COUNTRY career is over- we still have a few ideas going on, so don't give up hope on that. If this is where his career ends for Nashville then its cool with us- what a neat experience and so much fun it has been. We got to do so many things and experience so much. I'm fine with whatever he wants to do. I'm here no matter what.

Well I think that about wraps things up for a while- I'll try to start writing again more often. Kelson is our little entertainer and singer- she sings for people at the cave now- imagine that. She likes to do it and that's what makes me happiest. I can't imagine my life without her. Adding to our family can only bring bigger and better things. I can't wait for that. BTW- Kelson said she wants a little sister. If that is true- another girl- then we may have to try one more time for a boy. If its a boy, then I'm not sure if I can handle Kelson NOT having a sister. I LOVE LOVE LOVE having a sister and think every girl needs one. As long as we are doing fine in our marriage, financial stable, and happy I'll have as many as we can/want :)

I'm still working on getting back to pre-Kelson weight. I'm considering trying out te P90X program- hard core- but I'm willing to give it a try. I need something and only have two months before I'm in a bikini on a cruise. Plus I signed up for a "scale back Alabama" competition up at work. So I have to lose 10lbs so our team can get put into a drawing to win some $$$. So wish me luck. So far I haven't had much motivation, but I feel a change coming on and I'm ready to take it on.

Life is great!!!