31 Weeks// 17 Months

I'm finding there is more consistently to my day then I may have thought.
 I can almost guarantee that Ellie will want to watch Frozen and I can pretty much guarantee that I will be extremely uncomfortable most of the day.  We had a streak over the last few weeks of watching frozen 12 days in a row. I remember seeing it in theaters and thinking it was the most amazing disney movie of all time, but if it was possible, I would probably strangle Elsa, Anna, and Olaf.  The joy that movie brings Ellie is insane, though, so I think I would have to keep them all alive. She literally lights up and is glued to the show. Definitely her favorite thing this month. I'm hoping to make some alternative Frozen purchases so we don't end up watching the show everyday.

Other things we have noticed...

She loves to spend time with her baby. She pronounces it bee-bee and likes to bring it with her around the house and pushing it in the stroller.

Lately, she enjoys laying in her bed after her nap and when she wakes up snuggling with her blankies and burying her face in the softness.

She still loves to play with water in the sink.

She enjoys dancing to music. She associates my iPhone with music and will try and find the right app so she can start playing it and then move her head back and forth.

She learned to say the word "hot" and interchanges it with any sort of temperature change.

She has taken a few really rough tumbles. She enjoys parks and going down slides a lot. The other day we were at the park and she was a bit tired. When she gets tired, she acts similiar to someone heavily intoxicated and tends to stumble a lot. So she tried sitting at the top of the stairs a bit too early and fell down four stairs. It's so hard for me when she falls, my heart breaks! She was crying a ton, but determined to go back and do it again. Her determination is fierce. Her second time down she was still crying a bit and took a second tumble off a small step and onto the concrete. Bedtime came pretty quickly after that.

She really enjoyed the french fry feed and looked really intrigued during the potato bowl parade. She enjoyed watching the bands, especially, and tends to really enjoy soaking things in and saying "hi" to everyone.

Her hair is getting so long! Laureen gave her her first trim this past week.

She is really lengthening out. Put her next to your typical 2.5 year old and you may not be able to tell who is older.

My soon-to-be-sister-in-law took a few photos of our family in the middle of July. She is such a fun gal and I am really enjoying getting to know her more. Here is her website https://www.facebook.com/corinnenoellephotography and few of my favorites from our shoot.

25ish weeks

Loves pushing her stroller and "bee-bee"

She stashed her milk in the cabinet one day. Luckily, I found it!

Loves to wear the dog's leash around her neck.

Lounging, watching frozen.  

Rarely will she let me do her hair, but when she watches frozen, I can get away with just about anything. 

Add caption

The biggest delight for me this month has been watching her and Rand spend time together. I started working about 15 hours a week during a few nights during the week and on weekends, which means Rand gets a lot more individual time with her. During this transition, I have noticed it move me in a direction I hadn't even seen prior. I've been facing the reality that I do feel more valuable if I am with Ellie the most. I feel more secure and in control.
Not always.
But I am starting to differentiate my motivation on the daily.

Potato Bowl Parade. 

The other day I realized that part of my motivation as I was sitting with her, wasn't to just be with my babe, but because that I felt by entertaining her meant I was doing a "good job".
So that discovery exists. It makes me sad that I feel more value based on these codependent tendencies. But eh. I'm human, right?
I want my heart to truly know that my value isn't based on Ellie's mood that day or her needs. But I also want to learn what love looks like in the midst of her tantrum and her neediness.

Truly, it has been a treat to surrender some of that control. I find a deeper sense of trust and team emerging between Rand and I through it. Getting to taste Interdependency vs. codependency is like tasting that first bite of fresh cheese curd. Hmhm. It tastes good.

So cheers to more of that, I'm certain of the bounty of future opportunities that await me.

30 Weeks. 

Our fall transition is going okay. It seems like there is always an appointment, a project or something broken around the house. I'm getting more okay with being in the midst of those things.
I have a wretched time sleeping most nights. If I am not up going to the bathroom, I feel like I am tossing and turning trying to cushion my belly or ease the tension in my back. I don't remember this starting so early with Ellie or being this difficult.
I'm also noticing patterns in when he is awake, which is new for me. Lets just say this kiddo can move! We both can't really conceptualize what an addition to our family will be like. It doesn't really freak us out, but it's surreal to try and visualize another face joining us. We have a name picked out that we both feel we will choose. I get this intuitive feeling that he is going to be arriving a bit early, but I'm still not sure if that is just because I'm so uncomfortable or if it's mother's intuition.
 Either way, I'm excited to meet him.
I've started nesting and began working on decorating his room and taking inventory of what we have and need still.

Cheers to our two month countdown to you Baby Boy!