Independence Day

It has been a while, again.  Pregnancy has really improved.  I feel like a normal human being, which I didn't think was possible while pregnant. This summer is hotter than ever.  We are now on day 437 of over 100 degree heat.  It feels like hot breath when I step outside.  I broke out our Montana pictures last night and remembered snowmobiling in West Yellowstone where it was so cold that my fingers were almost frozen solid.  It was painful at the time, but the memory makes me happy. 

Leighton has been kissing my belly goodnight every night.  It is so sweet.  She gets upset when she forgets.  I just want to freeze these moments so I don't forget them when she is 15 and thinks her parents are retarded.  Chris and Leighton have gone running the last couple nights and it is so incredibly cute.  They go out front and stretch, then they head out.  She runs around the entire block.  She is so proud of herself when she finishes.  Soon she will be running her first 5K.  I love it!!! 

The bite chew (pacifier) fairy came to get all of LP's pacifiers this week to give them to the little babies that need them.  LP is a "big girl" so she put them in the mailbox for the fairy to pick up.  So far so good.  :)

The new baby girl officially has a name now.  Elliot Claire Tracy is very active already and I can't wait to meet her.  Here is the last ultrasound pic:

Elliot Claire Tracy-supermodel or skeletor-only time will tell  :)

Here are some 4th of July pics.

LP practicing her left kick

BFFs

I'm taking Leighton to see Winnie the Pooh tonight.  She just told me that she is ready to go see "shampoo." That's my cue to leave and introduce my child to Winnie the Pooh rather than "shampoo".  Yikes! 

XOXO

Stacey

moving, more girls, and Florida

Wow, it has been a long time since I have blogged.  So many things have happened.  We moved for starters.  We also put our other house on the market.  If you are looking for a cute little home, check it out. 
http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/219-N-Anthony-St_Muskogee_OK_74403_M74228-07222. 

I am now 17 weeks pregnant and we found out we are having another girl.  I am extremely grateful because I get to use all of LP's cute stuff again.  I'm not sure what I would have done with a boy.  I'm sure I would figure it out.  I just love how my little girl loves to wear dresses, but also likes to get dirty.  I love how she is so sweet, but is not scared to jump right in to the deep end of the pool.  I love how she loves to have her toenails painted, but she also loved the bungee jumper in Florida where she went higher than I would ever go, and much higher than the 8-10 year olds around her and LOVED every minute of it.  I also love how she was being bullied by 2 brothers on the bouncer slide in Florida, and I watched her push one of the little boys down because he wouldn't let her get by him.  Of course, I told her not to push, because she made the little sissy cry (he landed on a gigantic balloon for goodness sake), but I was secretly proud of her for standing up for herself.  I love how she doesn't live in fear.  Even though she is incredibly difficult to raise because of her strong will, we will survive 18 years of this ( I think).  I just pray that as an adult, she is as strong and fearless as she is now.  I also pray that in the process of parenting our strong-willed child, Chris and I don't break her spirit.

We just got back from Seagrove Beach, FL for the week.  LP loved the beach.  She thought the white sand was snow at first.  She bodyboarded with her daddy, napped on the beach, swam in the pool, chased lizards on the front porch, chased crabs with a little flashlight at night, and was pretty much the entertainment of my family for the week.  Here are a few pics:

pretty sure this is the little boy that she pushed.  At least she was smiling before she did it. :/

XOXO
Stacey

Bet you would have never guessed this news (At least for a couple months)

I have been holding off until it was confirmed by a doctor, but it is now official.  Baby #2 will be here in November.  We are very happy.  I am so excited to see LP's interaction with her new baby sibling.  For those of you that knew me during my last pregnancy, it wasn't very pretty.  I have decided that my body completely rejects being pregnant.  My body protests for the entire 40 weeks in one way or another.  I pray that this time will be different.  Although I have to say that it's not looking so promising.  I threw up in the bathroom at work twice last week and on my way to work one day, I had to pull over in a parking lot and vomit (my condolences to anyone I might know that works at the insurance company whose parking lot I tossed my cookies that morning).  Nausea has pretty much moved in and decided to hang around.  This really sucks.  I told myself that I was really going to try to enjoy this pregnancy because I have so many friends who really seemed to enjoy being pregnant and I had convinced myself that maybe I was just being a sissy the first time around.  The farther you get away from something, the more fuzzy the memories become. 

Nope, I wasn't being a sissy, this really sucks.  I pretty much feel like I have the flu all the time.  I have the nausea sweats all day long.  Last pregnancy, I got carpal tunnel and had to deal with that for the last 3 months.  There were also some weird things that happened to my body that are too personal to mention on this forum, but you get the picture.  Not to mention the fact that I swelled to the size of a small spaceship towards the end.  I do believe that God creating a life inside a person is a beautiful thing, however, the beauty is lost on me while I am experiencing it. 

All complaining aside, I am so grateful to be pregnant again, even if my body hates me for it.  Chris and I are both scared to have a second child.  Will the new baby be a tiny cyclone of energy like LP?  Can we handle 2 LPs?  I am banking on the fact that everyone tells me that their children are all different.  I just pray for a healthy baby and a healthy pregnancy, even if I give birth to another Tracy tornado. 

Here is a 3D pic of our little peanut. 

Don't worry, baby #2 doesnt really have 4 arms, doctor assured me of that. :)

XOXO
pregnant Stacey (This Stacey is much different and quite irritable)

city dollar city

We went on a family trip this weekend to Silver Dollar City.  It was a great time.  I could have done without all of LP's tantrums, but overall it was a fun trip.  When describing my weekend to one of my friends and mentioning that I lost count of how many spankings LP received, she told me that strong-willed kids become leaders if they survive their childhood.  I have to say that this statement will be etched in my memory the next time I find myself counting to 10 when she is being naughty.  LP is so funny though because she is just as sweet as she is stubborn, so you only stay angry at her for a short time before she does something that melts your heart.  She kept saying we were going to City Dollar City to ride rides.  I love this girl.  Here are pics.

cousins :)

LP and her papa

Caylen and LP being daredevils

XOXO
Stacey