Whoa

If I hadn't carried him in my belly for 39 weeks, I might wonder if Tate shared my genes at all!

Baby Mark

Baby Tate

I love my handsome boys!

If Life Were a Cartoon...

The other day, Tate and I visited Mark at work (with gramma, Aunt Alicia and cousins, too). We walked in and one of Mark's employees took one look at Tate and said, "He is sooooo Tommy Pickles!" I think she might be right*!

 *Tommy is known for being courageous, brave, and for compassionately sticking up for others. I hope Tate is one day known and respected for these same things!

Tate Laughs!

Our boy has been giving us belly laughs for weeks (since 12/12/10), but we only just tonight got a good video of it. This, right here, is just one of many reasons why the late nights and occasionally cranky days are completely worth it. I'm so in love with this beautiful, laughing boy!


Tate laughs! from Amy B on Vimeo.

Inchworm Dance Party

It's time to 'git DOWN!

And when you hit yourself in the eye...

you just gotta collect yourself...

and KEEP DANCING!

You Know You're a Million Years Pregnant If...

I'm 37-weeks along today!  In pregnancy news, that means the baby is full-term and can come out anytime with little-to-no complications.  WOOT!  Given that this past week has been hot, muggy and very uncomfortable for me, I think it's time to revisit and add to my "You Know You're Pregnant If..." list to include third trimester or, in my case, late pregnancy, symptoms.  Get ready to feel sorry for pregnant women everywhere!

You know you're REALLY pregnant if...

• You suddenly become a spectacle that people can't help but either stare at or smile kindly toward.  Sometimes, if you're lucky, strangers will also find it necessary to tell you how HUGE you are or shoot a "Good luck with that!" your way.
• You find yourself a bit tired of giving random (yet well-meaning) people the lowdown about your baby status and contemplate making a t-shirt that says, "NO, I don't know what I'm having; YES, I know I'm giant; and NO, I have no idea when it's going to get here but I think you're safe and won't need to learn how to boil water anytime soon."
• Your baby wages a painful ribcage-match against you at least a few times a day and all you can do is yell "Uncle!" because, really?  You're never gonna win that one.
• It becomes necessary to employ a Sumo Stance in order to pick something up off the floor or dry your legs after a shower.
• You feel like yelling "Yabba Dabba DOOOOO!" every time you look down at your giant, swollen feet. Fred Flintstone, anyone?! 
• Your already-hated nose grows wider, but you barely care.  I mean, have you seen these FEET?!
• You are so, so tired due to the 4-6 (sometimes you see every hour on the clock - fun!) bathroom breaks and tossing & turning you do at night, yet you feel stupid complaining about it because pretty soon you'll have a little person yelling at you waaaaay more often than that.
• Back spasms become the new thing, but your cumbersome belly makes it awfully difficult to stretch the way you used to, leading you to use the wall and office chair in excitingly new ways.
• Speaking of difficult, it becomes nearly impossible to wipe your behind properly for some insane reason...this hardly seems fair, given the fact that "productive bathroom breaks" are few and far between these days as it IS... (hey - just being honest!).
• You begin referring to your stomach as The Crumb Catcher, because that's exactly what it is.  On the bright side, at least you have a snack for later! 
•  Despite being exhausted times a trillion, you can't sit still to save your life because in your little pea brain, all you can irrationally think is "THERE IS STILL SO MUCH I COULD BE DOING, OHMYGOD!"
• Your favorite past time (when you finally allow yourself to sit down and relax) becomes watching your baby perform Gumby-like feats in your stretched-to-the-limit belly.  That never gets old. Never.
• You stop reading the baby books and iPhone pregnancy applications as religiously as you once did because it seems so 'Old Hat' by now.
• You take an infant/child CPR class and suddenly consider yourself an expert on the subject due to that nifty little certification card they handed out following the 4-hour class and test that you SO TOTALLY ACED (and just so you know - the 30 compressions flanked by two light puffs/breaths should go to the beat of 'one and two and three and four'...See? EXPERT.).
• While putting your rings on in the morning, you say a little prayer; While taking them off at night, you swear and use half a thing of soap trying to pry them off your sausage fingers (mmm, sausage!).
• You begin to seriously wonder what exactly it's going to take to get the baby out of you - you've taken the birthing classes, read the books, asked for the brutally-honest war stories, and tried to visualize labor, but realistically you know that none of that truly prepares you for what is ahead.
• Daydreaming about what (and who) the baby will look like becomes somewhat of an obsession.
• You still maintain that all of this is SO WORTH IT because you are thisclose to meeting your new, little person.  How exciting is that?!

Anniversary Weekend Rundown

As I mentioned, Mark has very little free time these days.  Being the dedicated man he is, though, he skipped a couple weekend meetings and spent a lot of time on the phone on the way to Petoskey, and was able to get away to celebrate our second wedding anniversary (despite making a whole lot of work to come back to for him).  He's the best!

We arrived to the Terrace Inn on Friday around 5pm and were greeted by the nice staff and the chef's CUTE dog, of which was hanging out in the back with no leash to keep her there.  I'd been thinking about how much I missed the girls, only to be able to instantly pet another pup!

We climbed the grandiose staircase to our queen whirlpool suite, unpacked, then went for a walk to check out the neighborhood:

We walked down to the beach (where, on Sunday, we hunted for - and found! - Petoskey Stones) and enjoyed the beautiful sky:

Later, we had dinner at the Inn's wonderful restaurant (oooooomg, it was so good), then rushed down to the shore to capture a few pictures of the amazing sunset before it nestled into the other side of the Earth for the night:

We even got a picture of the two of us, which is always hard to do when you're traveling alone:

The next day, we got up early, ate breakfast and went into town to shop for a bit before heading back to the Inn for our in-room massages (aaaaahhhh).  We walked past the most whimsical tree (which reminded me of the candlestick guy in 'Beauty and the Beast' and had me singing "Be Our Guest" for two days):

Then we bought a couple of presents for Chickpea - our first real purchases for the little one, besides some books I've been collecting over the years:

'Harper the Hippo'...could this be any cuter?!

This little pull toy was too much - I couldn't resist!

We went back to get our massages, then took a GLORIOUS nap before getting ready to go into town for a nice dinner.  Do you see a trend here?  Shop, eat, sleep.  Isn't that what trips away are all about, though?  LOVE.

The next day, we got up early, had breakfast, then headed to Traverse City and went to a couple of wineries so Mark could do some wine-tasting (we went here and here - the latter was the clear favorite, according to Mark):

It was my idea to go tasting, and while I was so happy Mark got to try some yummy wines, I'm not going to lie: it was a wee bit awkward being pregnant in that setting!  It was also quite hard to not take a sip or two (OK...so I did take a sip of one that we later bought a couple bottles of so I could enjoy it after Chickpea is here!).

We then drove into downtown T.C. and did some shopping after having a pizza lunch under the sun.  My favorite shop was the hat store!  I even got Mark to try a couple on...

And I totally ROCKED this Alice in Wonderland one, if I do say so myself:

Mark even put one on (but was a bit O-V-E-R the whole thing by this point; can you tell?):

Overall, it was a great weekend with my sweetie.  We talked and laughed so much.  On the way back, I was excited to get home to see Molly and Lucy, but also quite wistful that it meant I wouldn't have 24 hours a day to spend with Mark anymore.  He's just so fun to be with, and makes me grin in a way very few people or things can.  I can't wait to get away with him again, although I'm almost positive it won't be until after the baby is here.  What a year we have ahead of us!   

More Cuteness

In case you were mistaken about who has the best blog readers, I'm here to set the record straight.  That would be me.  Sorry, but I call it like I see it!

On Tuesday I arrived home to a package from Bean (who just found out she is also pregnant after trying for a long time!!).  Inside, there was the sweetest painting she made just for Chickpea:

And a precious receiving blanket to match! I sent Bean a text later to thank her and said, "I can't believe I'm going to have a baby small enough to wrap in this soon!!"

And then yesterday, I was greeted with another package in the mail from Val.  She shares my love of books (and works in...a BOOK STORE!) and couldn't resist sending this one my way:

How cute is that?  It is sooo soft and has a little movable baby bird that nestles into different nooks throughout the book:

Thank you ladies - I could get used to this 'present at the door every day' thing! ;o)  You are just too kind.  Mark, Chickpea and I appreciate your thoughtfulness so much.  Most of all, I appreciate your unwavering support and how great you are at picking me up when I need a verbal hug - you're the best! ((hugs))

To Grandma's House We Go

After trying for months to figure out how to upload videos from our new camera to the Mac, I succeeded! That means I can finally share with you the video that was taken (post about the day can be found here) when we told my mom, Carole, our baby news.  She is going to be so embarrassed that I shared this, but I'm pretty sure every one of you is going to fall in love with her if you haven't already.  Enjoy!


Going to Grandma's House from Amy B on Vimeo.

P.S. If you are having a hard time viewing parts of the blog right now, click here.  GRR!

You Know You're Pregnant If...

• You suddenly can’t read enough birth stories, and they all make you cry.
• Dropping a big shadoobie is now cause for celebration - as in, “I deserve a cupcake for every day that has passed since I was last able to go.”
• You take up drinking decaf coffee to moooove things along - and buy a new coffee maker (all hail the Kuerig!) just for this purpose.
• Your boobs go from small to big, or from big to “oh-my-god-I think-a rib-just-cracked” proportions.
• Your skin goes from oily to itchy & patchy, causing you to grab for your significant other's dry skin lotion for the first time ever.
• You go from being ‘hell on wheels’ to becoming a more conscientious driver, starting the day you find out you’re pregnant.
• You stop bemoaning another pound gained - and constantly "dieting" - and begin celebrating the weight you put on for the sake of the baby.
• You begin to think maternity pants are the answer to Thanksgiving dinners or PMS after you give birth…these things are GLORIOUS!
• You keep a plastic bag in your purse and car for impromptu upchucking sessions, having learned the hard way that not having one when you need it is not cool at all.
• You find that a toilet isn’t the only acceptable place to throw up – the kitchen sink is closer (God bless Clorox)!
• You start forgetting things and suddenly understand why your mom used to call you 'Oliver' after the dog instead of by your own name.
• You begin to wonder what happened to your stomach muscles - and blame the loss of them on the fact that you moan every time you stand up from the couch.
• You start having crazy-person dreams that make no sense and keep you thinking long after you've climbed out of your warm, cozy bed.
• You now salivate when you see icky things as opposed to the yummy things, and learn to take this as a warning.
• You go from having a sweet tooth to wanting to hurl upon seeing that delectable three-layer cake.
• You cry at the cheesy commercials that used to make you roll your eyes or laugh hysterically. 
• You find you have to remind yourself to stop sucking in your gut…it’s a hard habit to break!
• Watching the news becomes unbearable and scary, causing you to think, “Look at the crazy world I’m bringing this baby into!”
• Brushing the back of your tongue in the morning no longer just means good hygiene. It also means "Breakfast round one, coming right up!"  
• You become a more forgiving person, thinking “Aww, but that is someone’s son/daughter" as opposed to “That person could really use a boot in the arse.”
• You know where the bathroom is located in every establishment you've ever been in, because chances are, you've already had to use it.  Twice.
• You go from being embarrassed to pass gas in front of your significant other to ceremoniously lifting your left cheek and letting out a satisfied sigh.
• Conversation always seems to lead to bodily functions and you no longer feel bad about it or offer apologies. In other words, you become downright CLASSY.
• People start touching your stomach and you let them, when only a few weeks ago that would have been cause for a dirty glare and a “What is wrong with you?” comment.
• All of these crazy new things feel completely worth it…because you know that when this is said and done, you will have a precious baby to love and call your own.

If you think of any to add that you learned from your own pregnancy experience, please leave them in the comments section and I'll add them on.  Besides, I look at this list as a work in progress...I'm pretty sure this is only half of what I'll learn from this experience, since I DO have another 5 months to go. *God Help Me*

UPDATED to add a link to my late-pregnancy symptoms!!  Click here for more!

Start Spreading the News

We told our families the great news today!  First up was a trip to Grand Rapids to see my mom.  I'd called to ask her if she would be available for a Valentine's Day lunch and she was all for it.  Mark and I grabbed the video camera, an orchid and a homemade card (which played a key role) and off we went.  I was soooo nervous on the way there!  I'm not sure why, but maybe because it made everything that much more real.  We got to my mom's and walked in, giving hugs all around, after which point my mom picked up the homemade card I had put on the table and started to open it (we were due to leave for lunch).  I felt a bit panicked because, you see, this card was THE THING that was going to share the news about Chickpea, and when she opened it so quickly, it didn't give Mark very much time to flip on the video camera to catch her reaction!  He managed, however, and we were able to - somewhat shakily - capture this adorable exchange:


Going to Grandma's House from Amy B on Vimeo.

It was so, so fun to finally have our news out there!  My mom's reaction was exactly what I was expecting, and I'm so glad we were able to get it on camera.  Someday we'll be able to show it to Chickpea and they will be able to see with their own eyes how excited their grandma was to meet them.

(And YES, my mom is totally embarrassed about it, but C'MON.  Can you get any cuter and sweeter than that?  I think not!)

After that, we went to lunch at this little cafe that used to be the library I grew up going to.  Walking in, I instantly recalled all the times I had rode my bike there to get another stack of books to read, which was one of my favorite things to do.  I remembered the day my mom took me there to get my OWN library card, and how proud I was that I could now check out books all by myself.  And then, as is the natural order of things as a pregnant lady, I had to go to the bathroom.  When I got to our table, I sat down and a few minutes later, a cute couple with their children got up from the table next to us and said, "Congratulations!" to me before walking away.  I looked at my mom with a "Uh...what was that?!" look, at which point she confessed that while I was in the bathroom, she couldn't help herself and told our dining neighbors that she'd just found out she was going to be a grandma again!  So funny - and soooo my mom.  I loved it!

After lunch, we took a trip to my sister Alicia's, where we visited with her, her husband Joel, and my four sweet nephews Jacob, Nolan, Caleb and Gavin.  My eldest nephew Jacob is just a few weeks shy of turning 14 years old.  FOURTEEN!  Just to give you some perspective, I got to watch him have his first bath at the hospital way back when, and now, just as I was 8-weeks pregnant with my first baby, his voice was getting all "Peter Brady*" on us and changing right before our ears!  Hee!

We sat for a bit and chatted, talking about school and work, etc.  Finally, after what felt like an hour, I said to my sister, "SO. I think I'm going to need help painting that spare room soon..." (she had offered when she found out we were going to start trying to conceive). She looked at me with a grin and said, "Oh yeah?... I KNEW IT!!"  Haha!  I'm not sure how she knew, but I'm pretty sure it had a lot to do with the fact that I didn't order a drink on this day.  BUSTED!

We later called my dad, stepmom, and little sister Rachel, and Mark called his mom, dad and brothers.  Everyone was so excited for us, and that excitement just made ours that much stronger.  I've said it before, but MAN, this baby is so loved already!  It just makes me want to cry happy tears when I think about it.  What an amazing time, and what a great feeling to know we have so many people around us cheering us on during this monumental time.  *SIGH*

*Speaking of the 'Brady Bunch,' my dear husband has never before seen an episode of it.  Yes, you read that right. Never before has he seen the Brady Bunch.  Not the "Marsha, Marsha, Marsha" one, not the "OW, MY NOSE!" one, and not the one where Tiger goes missing and knocks up the neighbor dog. Believe me when I say it's hard to accept.  I will one day rectify this, however, by letting Chickpea watch as many reruns as I can get my hands on!  Have no fear, our child will not go without. ;o)