Getting Spookie with our Little Cookie‏

Halloween this year was sooooo much fun! Margo loved it and was very proud of her Cookie Monster tutu.

We started out the celebration with a trip to her pediatrician’s office who is a genius and holds an annual “Flu Boo” each year. Margo had already had her flu shot, but I knew they were dressing up as Sesame Street characters so we had to check it out. We went with our friends, the Rays, who did need their vaccinations. The party aspect of it was a great distraction for the kids. Margo would not let Elmo (Dr. Wolens) hold her, but she was definitely intrigued and asked to go back for several days. It was a simple set-up, but they had food and goodie bags for the kids along with the entire staff dressed up—very fun and very cute! We have since found out that Margo won 3^rd place in their little costume contest and she received a little gift certificate and will be posted on their website. It made for a fun memory!

Waiting outside Dr. Wolen's office

Olivia and Margo in the exam room

The Saturday before Halloween we were very busy with an early morning trip to the JDRF walk. Although I couldn’t walk (per my OB), I knew it would be fun for Margo and it was good to donate to an important cause. She wore her costume along with her sunglasses (she was so distracted she kept them on) and I had three people come up to us requesting pictures because she was so cute! We checked out the kid’s activities, colored, attempted the bounce house (she was too scared), met a clown, got a balloon, ate a cookie, and so much more. She loved the music and was dancing so hard she fell down and skinned her knee. I was amazed at what a sophisticated operation is was and was glad to finally see what my bestie, Michelle, has been talking about all these years. We got hugs from the whole Ormsby clan and Margo desperately wanted to take home Carter’s super hero “car”.

At the JDRF Walk

That same Saturday we took our first trip to Dewberry Farms with my niece, Caroline, and I thought it was a great experience for both of them. The weather was beautiful and they both had sooooo much fun. Margo was able to participate in more than I expected. We slid down big roller slides together which she thought was so funny and my oh’ my how she loved the bouncy blobs. She laughed hysterically for a solid 30 minutes while jumping with Caroline, so I hope she will try a bounce house soon because I know she will love it! The highlight for Margo was the train ride—this is her favorite treat of the moment after our big train ride on her birthday and we have gone three times so far! We also did another little ride, played on the little playground and just ran around. Caroline rode the big giant slides, jumped in the hay and rode on some big swing thing that Cary spun too hard and knocked a large girl off of—oops. We did not even get to the animals or the pumpkin patch there was so much to do. I know we will be going back in future years for sure!

Riding the choo choo with Daddy!

Bouncing with Caroline!

Last but not least, was our Halloween night and trick-or-treating. As a mom, this was one of the most fun experiences I have had with Margo. She absolutely LOVED trick-or-treating and got sooooo into it! As tradition, even long before Margo was born, we went with my sister’s family and they were so good and helpful with Margo. At our first stop, she almost threw a fit because she wanted her one little candy. I convinced her to put it in her bucket, so we could get more and that when we found a sucker (her fave) she could have it. A few doors down, she got a sucker and then I think it clicked that she would get a treat at every single house. Margo ran, skipped and danced her way up and down two very long blocks in West University, which has the best trick-or-treating experience. All of the families are out, the houses are decorated so neat and it almost feels like an old school experience. She only started to get tired just before we were almost back to my sister’s and refused to be carried or ride in the stroller the whole time. This experience was pure and total excitement for her, I cannot even begin to describe how enthralled she was with it all. She filled her Elmo bucket to the brim and has been enjoying one small treat at dinner time ever since. Needless to say, she loves chocolate!

Margo and the cutest gypsy ever!

Her sweet cousins helping her trick-or-treat!

Look at all that candy!

She still wants to walk down the street to see “Draculi” as she calls the blow-up character and give the witch a five. I keep trying to explain to her that Halloween is over and it will be one whole year before we get to celebrate. Christmas is around the corner, so I can only imagine how the magic of the holidays is going to impact her little, impressionable self!

Over Half Way... Hooray!

I cannot believe baby boy Weaver will be here in four months or less, as I am predicting. It is sneaking up on us fast, which I find a bit stressful, but also a relief at the same time. To say that I have not enjoyed being pregnant this time around is an understatement. I was expecting a big reprieve from all the yuckies associated with pregnancy in the 1^st trimester, but that hasn’t really been my luck. The nausea is pretty much gone, but has been replaced by terrible reflux. I cannot bend over or lay flat at night without my food coming up and it burns like fire. Tums don’t really help, but I am still chewing them like crazy. I am still soooo tired, probably from a mixture of pregnancy and insomnia. My skin is a wreck and I have breakouts like crazy! Baby is sitting incredibly low in my belly, smacking me in the bladder constantly and requiring upwards of 15-20 bathroom breaks a day! Last but not least, a new symptom has arrived… this time I am having terrible lower back pain and cramping in my lower abdomen, all a source of this baby sitting so low in my uterus. It feels like constant pulling and aching and I have a hard time being on my feet too long, it kills to go on a walk, etc… Not to mention, as my belly is growing, my daily injections are getting more painful and I am bruising more.



22 weeks preggers and growing!

Geez, enough with the complaining! J Hard part aside, we are very excited for baby boy’s arrival and have picked a beautiful, classic name for our sweet boy… David Victor. David was one of the only names we could come up with when I was pregnant with Margo that we both agreed upon. That made it an easy choice for us this time, plus David is an amazing figure in the Bible, his name has beautiful meaning and not to mention, Dave Matthews is one of my idols! As Cary says, it is not trendy, it is very gender specific and the name David could always pass for a lawyer or CEO. Victor was chosen to honor both Cary (his middle name) and his late Grandfather, a family name that is strong and representative of one of the best men I ever knew. The meaning… Beloved Conqueror. I am pretty sure our little David will be beloved and hopefully will be a winner and conqueror of life’s many obstacles!

 

At my 20 week scan, we saw definite boy parts which was a relief and David looks fantastic! He is developing beautifully and weighed in at 13 oz. which is perfectly average. I can feel him moving a lot, although I am pretty sure he is going to be more mellow than Margo… he sleeps a lot more that she did in the womb and hopefully will more than she does now. We are busy planning his nursery and I am trying to use some pieces we have now, so I have narrowed a color scheme down to navy and white with green and aqua accents. I found an elephant picture I loved a while back, so we will be incorporating elephants as well. I have already purchased and received lots of new baby boy clothes and am receiving lovely hand-me-downs from two family members.

See two legs and a surprise in between!

Our beautiful boy!

Lots of changes are upon us in the coming New Year. The next few months will be busy with holidays, room transitions and lots of preparation. Please pray that David continues to develop in a healthy way and that I can get some relief from this pregnancy hell I have been in. I know in a few short months, it will all be so worth it!

Lazy Afternoons on our Babymoon!

To say that I have the most generous, thoughtful sisters on earth is an understatement! Knowing that Cary and I had not been on a real vacation alone together since our honeymoon, they graciously gifted us with a trip of our choice! In the early planning stages, we talked about going to Mexico and even tossed around a trip to the mountains, but when my body decided to be fertile myrtle, I knew I wanted nothing more than to sit on the beach--the perfect babymoon! You can’t get much more beautiful than the Emerald Coast and although we had been there with our family before, it was an easy choice. We wanted some place that we could get to quickly, was safe and most importantly, relaxing. The details were left up to my sisters and our trip was very much a big surprise!

The night before we were supposed to leave, disaster struck! Margo started vomiting at midnight and was sick all night long. I held her all night not sleeping even five minutes, let her throw-up all over me and prayed this was the short lived virus that had been going around. The last time she got sick was 5 am and although she had had a few bouts of diarrhea, she was eating and happy with no fever, so we made the decision to go ahead and leave her. I even went so far as to call the doctor for advice and make sure we were not being irresponsible parents for leaving Margo. Despite missing us, she did great for my sister throughout our trip, but did infect my sweet niece with her nasty bug and left my poor sister with a few leaky diaper messes to clean up. This was our first stomach bug and it was awful… I hope we don’t have many of those!

Back to our trip… It was AMAZING, relaxing, rejuvenating and wonderful across the board. The morning we dropped off Margo, my sister had a sweet little gift bag for us with directions and instructions on where we were going with several generous little gifts included. Destination… Rosemary Beach, and we were exhausted from a rough night but beyond excited! I had been shopping in Rosemary Beach before, but had forgotten how beautiful and romantic it was with the amazing little streets, beautiful architecture, landscaping, white beaches and more! Our little carriage house was so perfect! It was decorated so beautifully, I wish I could have taken all of the contents home with me. The bed was so comfy, the shower was wonderful and it was the best location. The main house was beach front right next to a walkover, so we could go out the door, through the court yard and were on the beach in a matter of a minute. We didn’t even need to really pack a bag with our awesome umbrella covered chairs that awaited us each day!

The neat architecture--every house is different!

We did not have the best weather, but our time on the beach was wonderful and I found the best seashells ever! I think Cary thought I was nuts spending all that time hunting seashells with my preggo belly sticking out and my ridiculous cleavage staring down at everyone! The shells were just too good to ignore and I found a few that were like something you could buy in a store! I can’t wait to clean-up my little collection and put it in a pretty dish as a memory. I went to bed early being the lame-o pregnant girl I am and woke up early for walks on the beach. I loved spending the afternoons resting on the beach and then taking all the time in the world to shower and get ready. I sure did miss Margo, but the break was so refreshing and peaceful!

19 Weeks Pregnant= One hot mama!

 



Cary swimming!

Still in love after 11 beautiful years!

Day One Seashells

My sweet sisters also gifted us with gift certificates to several yummy restaurants! We ate so many amazing things, fresh seafood and decadent desserts, I thought I was going to pop everyday! Good thing I have a great excuse in eating for two. Our favorite restaurants were a little tapas and chocolate place called La Crema that was exotic and fun to try. Our food was incredible, but OMG the chocolate desserts were beyond my imagination! We had a hot molten cake with a peanut butter center and warm chocolate cookies with an amazing espresso cream in the middle. I wish I could go back right now just talking about it! Our last night was also at a tiny little place called George’s at Alys Beach that we had heard a couple raving about on the beach and boy were they right! I had the surf and turf with an expertly cooked and seasoned filet, fried lobster tails and a perfect crab cake! There was not one meal on our trip we didn’t thoroughly enjoy from fried shrimp and cheesy grits to the nachos and pizza we ordered in for the Texas game on Saturday night. I had a beautifully grilled grouper, a fried green tomato BLT to die for and an amazing raspberry, almond tart among many other things. Can you tell I appreciate good food???

We enjoyed shopping at our leisure, reading our books and I think Cary loved watching football without me nagging him to turn it off. Most of all, we enjoyed each other and getting to talk without interruption or being too exhausted to talk at all. We woke up slowly in the morning and enjoyed coffee together, we had long walks up and down the beach and just really soaked in the moment. It is easy to get lost in the shuffle of life and kids, especially where marriage is concerned, so this little trip and break was wonderful for us. The fabulous accommodations, beaches, food and shopping were all over the top, but the gift my sisters gave us in our time together and the ability to forget about it all and relax was absolutely invaluable! We are blessed beyond measure and there are no words that could ever thank them enough for their thoughtfulness and generosity.

A trip to the beach with my little peach!‏

Back in August (yes, I am that behind), my mom rented a little beach house in Galveston and I was so excited to give the beach another shot with Margo! Last Thanksgiving we went to Florida and to say Margo hated the beach was an understatement! She could not stand to have one grain of sand on her body! This time was much more successful and fun!

First of all, the beach house had a huge covered area with a warm shower, toys, a swing and such, which was great for playing! We had several rain storms and I think playing in the rain was the highlight of her little trip. She would dance, jump around and sing for a solid hour in the rain—her energy is boundless! It tickled me so much and I loved watching her experience something new. I think a rain coat and galoshes will be on the Christmas list, although I think she actually enjoys getting wet!

The first day at the beach was a failure. Once again, Margo hated the sand and while she was fascinated with the water, she refused to get her feet anywhere near the ground. I actually pulled my back trying to wrangle her around and suffered for it the rest of the trip. I was so disappointed. That night, I was brainstorming and thought of water shoes—why not try. We stopped at a little local grocery in Galveston and sure enough they had perfectly sized pink water shoes that she seemed excited about when she tried them on! My mom also realized that we had a Dora book about the beach and she was wearing water shoes, so of course we made a big deal about it.

The next day when we ventured out to the beach, she refused to walk to the water in her shoes. Then, Grannie decided to just take her and sit in the ocean whether she liked it or not and it only took her a few minutes to realize that it was awesome! She loved the waves splashing on her and as time passed got more and more brave. By the end of our beach visit that day, she was running and splashing in the water elated like I had never seen her before. Her innocence and excitement over the magic of the ocean was so heartwarming!

I am so glad Margo was given the experience and gift of the beach—one of my favorite places on earth! We also had fun at the aquarium and another fun day at the beach where Margo was equally as excited to play in the surf until she fell face first into the water. I would call the little trip a true blessing and a breakthrough for our sweet, cautious girl who now asks about the “ocean” every day. She now says, “ocean far away”, which is the explanation we keep giving her. Until next year, my love… we promise to take you back!

A Peek at Margo's Birthday Week‏

It wasn’t really planned this way, but Margo’s birthday turned out to be a week-long extravaganza! She had so much fun with all of her mini family celebrations and her big party was a hit!

The Saturday before her birthday, PaPa and GiGi, brought Margo her new red tricycle fully equipped with a flashing flower basket, purple horn and a “You are Loved” license plate. They did not spare a detail and she is really excited about trying to ride it. We have been practicing, although I think it is going to take Margo a while to catch on. She will leave her feet on the peddles and move her legs with them as we push her, so that is a start. They also brought the cutest Elmo and Cookie balloons I have ever seen! After a yummy dinner at Pappasitos, she desperately wanted to take them to bed with her!

I took the day off on Monday, so I could spend Margo’s birthday with her. We filled the hall with balloons and streamers the night before and she wasn’t sure what the heck was going on that morning, but she sure thought it was fun! Her shopping cart and groceries gift were waiting on her play mat and she went around and around and sampled many of the delicacies filling her cart—ha ha! We played at home and headed for Hermann Park to ride the train. Boy, was it a hit! She absolutely loved the ride and we got off at one of the stops to play at the park. Luckily, the weather was amazing and we were getting a tiny taste of fall that day. She begged to ride again and what mother can resist, so we bought a cute little owl that she fell in love with and took one last trip around the park! Margo slept in the car for 15 minutes, which always turns out to be disastrous because she usually will not nap in the afternoon after any kind of cat nap. We had her favorite cheeseburger and fries for lunch and after an hour and a half of playing in bed, I gave up! I altered our afternoon plans knowing she would have an early bedtime and we spent all afternoon on her playset outside (her big birthday gift from her grandparents and us)! After dinner I got several cute little baby cupcakes ready for her. She was scared of the candles and is not a fan of cupcakes, although I was hoping she’d change her mind. After a lot of coaxing and total refusal to try anything, we settled on a cookie and she crashed after her bath, still talking about the “choo choo train”! She has been asking to go back every day since!

During the week, I think she got a gift everyday… a cute outfit from her favorite teacher, awesome pink Tom’s from Carter, bath toys from Lucas, a sparkly purse from her Great Granny Faye and more I am sure I am missing. She loved tearing into the paper and getting new stuff! On Friday my mom came over with more loot and Margo especially fell in love with her new pink house that has all kinds of fun functions, lights and noises. She had dinner with Granny, got to eat a special cookie and loved that Granny gave her her bath!

Then came the big party Saturday! I tried to explain to her that she was having a party and we have a few books about the subject, but she just didn’t get it! When she woke up many of the decorations and treat bags were already out. It was hard to keep her out of everything and keep the house clean. She took an extra long nap and by the time she woke-up it was almost party time. We kept the party simple for two-year olds and just let them play with toys and outside. We did have a pull string piñata—they were clueless, but I think they kind of had fun picking the treats off of the ground and putting them in their bags. I had also planned on doing Pin the Nose on Elmo, but the kids were having so much fun outside, I decided not to complicate things.

The food was really simple, ranging from Elmo’s favorite pizza, Dorothy’s goldfish, Oscar’s Texas trash, Abby’s magic pretzel wands and Sesame Street character cupcakes, among other things. I was really sad to learn that my usual cake person, who makes the best white cake I have ever had, was taking a break, but I ended up with a great, affordable option. I ordered cupcakes from Kroger to be iced in the colors I selected and then I hand decorated them to look like Elmo, Cookie Monster and Oscar. They were so easy to decorate and only $7/dozen!! Quickly becoming a Weaver family tradition was the margarita machine, which was a hit as always. I must admit, I snuck a few sips post-party to reward myself and baby boy Weaver slept great that night—ha ha!

All in all, I think Margo’s birthday week lived up to any kind of a birthday any two year old could ever hope for! I loved showering her with fun and attention and creating wonderful memories with her!

Margo with her awesome birthday stroller after a busy birthday week!

Look Who Turned Two!

Without a doubt, the past two years have been the best of my life because of our sweet, amazing Margo. As we celebrate her second year, I must admit it is a little bitter and a lot sweet. Margo is blossoming into such a bright and happy, wonderful toddler, but she is also slowly relinquishing her babyish ways. I love that she has recently loved to rock with me again and wish I could hold onto those precious, quiet moments forever. I love that she runs into my arms at the sight of me with such enthusiasm and I wish it could stay this way forever. At the same time, she also wants to run away from us at times, exhibits her independence and is slowly learning to trust herself. I know this instinct will continue to become stronger and while I am glad she is growing emotionally as she should, I wish she could be my baby forever.

As Margo goes into her second year, she continues to grow verbally and physically. Her shoe size did not increase for almost a year and just shot up over two sizes! I actually bought three pairs of new shoes that were too small! She is also counting to 11, which I find amazing. One day we were playing and I counted to two or three and she finished the string of numbers. I could not believe my ears! She truly is like a sponge and repeats EVERYTHING we say! We have to start really being careful. Her GiGi caught her saying “shoot”. She has copied me saying “dogawnit” and says funny things like “oh my goodness”—a new favorite phrase! Basically, we are at the point of if we can say it, she can say it. She now fully speaks in small sentences and rarely gives one word responses. She knows how to ask for exactly what she wants and knows how to throw a fit when she doesn’t get it if she’s in the right mood for a tantrum. She asks for either peanut butter or a cheeseburger and fries at almost every meal. She begs to play outside, go to the park, go to the grocery store and whatever she has in mind for the moment. Many times though, she is perfectly content playing in her favorite place—her room, where we play music, dance and read books!



Our girl is also very musical. She can recognize the piano playing in a song and knows the words to several songs like London Bridges, Twinkle Little Star, This Old Man, C is for Cookie, Elmo’s World and If You’re Happy and You Know it! We will definitely be putting her in piano lessons when she gets older, which is also supposed to help with math skills. As our offspring, she needs all the help she can get in that area! This video is long, but the best dancing video ever captured with her new birthday piano!



She loves to be outside more than anything and I am so welcoming this cooling weather, so we can have lots of outdoor activities! She cannot stand to be messy, doesn’t like food or dirt on her hands, hates the sand and already seems afraid of bugs! I have been forcing her to play outside without shoes, so she can get used to being a little dirty and I refuse to wipe her hands until she is finished eating even though she complains about the mess.

And so far, while I can definitely say she is challenging at times, I would not yet call this the “terrible” twos and hope that it never really gets that hard. Don’t get me wrong, Margo knows how to throw a fit and is actually quite hard to discipline. She thinks us yelling or being firm with her is a complete and total riot and laughs hysterically when she goes to time out. Sometime, we have to put her back in time out, Super-Nanny style, upwards of 20 times until she actually gets it. Even then, she rarely cries and will finally sit there for the required two minutes. The thing is, there are many days she doesn’t go to time out at all and then some days where she may go to time out five times. I think it depends on her sleep almost entirely. Our challenges that we are using discipline for right now are sitting still during diaper changes, dumping her food or throwing it on the floor and hanging/crashing into the blinds. Otherwise, she is our usual delight most of the time. She may whine for something or even cry her eyes out if she doesn’t get what she wants when she wants it, but my typical method is to ignore it or distract her until she gets over it.

Her Two Year Stats are:
Weight: 25 lbs & 45%
Height: 34" & 56%
Head: 31%

I could go on and on boring you with the details of Margo’s exciting two-year old life! She is a true ray of sunshine, has so much personality and does the funniest things everyday! She brings me more joy than I could ever put into words and I celebrate her precious little life with the fullest heart a mama could ever have!

Happy Happy Joy, It’s a BOY!!!

My last post was written before we found out the gender, but not posted until after. I decided to just write a new post…

For my 1st trimester prenatal screening and ultrasound, I had it done at a genetics facility. They told me a gender test, that is 99% accurate, was included in my co-pay. Me being the anxious preparer I am did not hesitate for a moment! The results were supposed to take 7-10 business days, but when a week later (5 business days) my OB/Gyn said he got the great results of the screening (our boy is healthy!!), I hoped that meant the gender test was ready too. That day I called the toll-free number three times with one last ditch effort at about 9 pm. Low and behold… the results were in! After listening to the results about the screening, the voice very casually said, “And for the gender test, you are having a little boy! Congratulations!” Cary and I looked at each other wide eyed and called it back to make sure we heard correctly!

All this time, I thought it was a girl because I was quite sick with Margo too. We had been actively debating girl names, had finally settled on something and had a plan for room transitions, etc… BUT, after it has sunk in… we realize we are soooooooooo EXCITED and blessed! God is giving us what so many families hope for—the perfect balance of a boy and girl! Cary, of course, cannot wait to teach him all about football and pick out his first pair of cowboy boots! I am already planning for elephants in his room and bought a cute little picture I had spotted about a month ago that says, “You’re kind of a big deal!” And he is a big deal in so many amazing ways! Cary, Margo and I cannot wait to meet this boy!