Catching Up

Ok so it seems that it may or may not have been almost one full year since I posted on my blog! Hey, mamas get busy :)

Our sweet Carleigh Grace is now a big 2 year old who thinks she is much older. She is potty trained during the day & wears pull ups at night. She talks a ton!!! & we can understand most of it. Right now she loves washing dishes (pouring water from cup to cup, drinking some, using her own sponge), taking care of the dogs (feeding them, brushing them, dragging them around by their collars so much I end up taking the poor guys collars off), & playing outside (picking flowers, riding her scooter, playing at the park).

32 weeks

She knows there is a baby in mama's belly named Caleb & he is coming out at some point. She will probably be surprised when the time actually comes! She kisses my belly, rubs it, talks to Caleb, & pokes my belly button a lot.

We have so much to look forward to in 2015! Caleb will be arriving at the end of Feb. This could be a post all in itself, but let's face it, that probably won't happen - the readers digest version is that I will most likely be having a Csection on Feb 24th because the policy at our naval hospital is no VBACs, which means we had a Csection with Carleigh so we have to have one with Caleb. Unless we want to go to an Italian hospital, which we don't. Here is our sweet girl's birth story. (I most certainly cannot read it right now myself or the tears will be flowing) I am thankful that my mama & in laws will both be able to visit us around the time of Caleb's arrival! Don't worry, I will at least post Caleb's birth story, even if it's the only other thing I write in 2015 ;)

Also this year, as we adjust to being a family of 4, we will find out our next set of orders & start getting ready to PCS (move to next duty station). We will be moving sometime around Dec, so we have just about a year left. 3 years down, 1 to go! Our move will be so very bittersweet! Another topic that could be a post all on its own - how God's plans are so much bigger than ours, how thankful I am that He planted us in Sicily for this time, how much Rob & I have grown as believers, parents, spouses, etc.

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Eph 3:20-21

The view of Mt Etna on my usual drive to base. We live in a lovely place!

I do plan to write a post on Carleigh's sleep as I try to help her sleep through the night more often. For the most part I have decided to stop reading tons of books and advice on every baby issue ever known to man mama. It relieved a lot of mommy stress for me when I went from trying to apply advice & things I had read, to just doing what felt right. I do still appreciate help from others though, & I read some advice from another mommy online that seemed very fitting to us. And it seems to have had an impact but it has only been a few days so we will keep working on it & I'll share our level of success because it might help someone else. This is the post I read. Very simple & easy advice - wake the toddler just enough to say goodnight when you go to bed yourself to go ahead and break up the sleep pattern they are in, so that they don't wake up on their own later in the night. So more on that later, if you're into that sort of thing :)

Buona notte! Good night! ♡

What we've been doing..

We have been so busy! I don't even know where to start to catch up. Carleigh and I made a month-long trip to GA & back, she has grown & reached several milestones, and my mommy brain has gotten even crazier! This little Bug is currently climbing all over me saying "da-da-da.." I continue to wonder how any mommies keep up with blogging. I have written many blog posts in my head.. while leaning on Carleigh's crib rail & patting her back, or while sitting in the dark & nursing her in the rocking chair, or while doing the dishes, or doing the laundry, or driving to church, etc.

Our trip to Columbus deserves a post all to itself! That post would be all about snake-shootin, baby kissin, eatin, singin, playin, family time, lovin on horses, church, Aunt Natty's wedding, many visits, and takin lots of pictures.

I am thankful that Grammie took so many pictures & that Great Aunt Karoline put together this sweet collage of memories for Carleigh.

I spent some time working on Carleigh's baby book this week. I couldn't hold back the tears when I read over her birth story again. What a sweet blessing, to be this little girl's Mama.

Catching up on Carleigh...

5 mo:
(at the airport)
First time in America
Laughing
Eating puffs

6 mo:
Rolling over
Sitting up
2 bottom teeth

7 mo:
Crawling
Pulling up
Clapping
2 top teeth
Doing great in the church nursery

8 months is just a few days away.

The last year

This time last year I was...

In the states with family, helping to care for my dad.
Going to chemo & radiation treatments.
Meeting with doctors & hospice workers.
Visiting with a million sweet friends & family who brought over meals.
Preparing for Daddy going to be with Jesus.

Daddy's graduation from chemo

 

Excited to walk again this year in Relay for Life, remembering my sweet Daddy & the laughter/warmth/craziness he brought into our lives :) 

 

I was also... 

 



Finding out I was pregnant with Carleigh!
Going to ultrasound appointments.
Buying maternity clothes.

Ah! This is for real!

about 11 weeks

 

The following are never before seen photos from a maternity-clothes-buying session at Motherhood Maternity in Columbus, GA with Grammie:

 

I hope you enjoyed that!

 

A few moments from the following months (in case you missed anything!):

back to Sicily we go

summertime at fontane bianche

it's a girl!

decided on Carleigh Grace

getting bigger...

oh the days of sleeping in

Maternity photos at the farm

Baby shower in Taormina :)

Maternity shots with Rob

 

39 wks
heading to the hospital

Carleigh is here!

Birth Story

 

4 months old!

 

Random things this month:

 

Carleigh pets Linc now. So. Stinkin. Cute.

 

She also loves playing with her feet. And drooling. And talking. And screaming. And smiling.

 

This mommy got a new vacuum. & just learned that HIGH & LOW are not settings for how good you want your vacuum too work. They refer to how close the vacuum is to the floor. So HIGH isn't HIGHest level of clean. Its too HIGH to reach the dirt! & almost the LOWest setting works best on Carleigh's carpet. Important life lesson.

 

Carleigh really loves to eat! We just started oatmeal, mushed up bananas, baby food, etc & are still also breastfeeding.

 

We love our church home Calvary Baptist. We are growing closer to the Lord as a family & learning about how to raise children & teach them about Jesus.

 

Carleigh & I will be heading back to the states for a visit. Getting excited & trying to prepare.

 

4 months is fun

 

Thanks Pinterest for the homemade headband idea

 

That's all for now!





3 weeks old

Carleigh is 3 weeks old today & weighs 8lbs 1oz (she was 6lbs 13oz at birth). She is so perfect! We are still figuring some things & learning each other.

I jotted this down earlier this evening…

Things that make me want to remember this moment:

Having to seriously stretch to grab my lap top to write this because Carleigh is sleeping peacefully & all cuddled up in the crook of my left arm

Sitting here reading a Parenting magazine because, oh my, I'm a parent

My sweet husband, still in his flight suit from work, sleeping on the couch next to me

My awesome Mama in the kitchen making dinner for us because she is actually here in Sicily!

The Christmas lights & red bow wrapped around our tiny tree by the door

This is really my life.

 

I have about 23482398472387 things to write about being a mommy & bringing Carleigh home. But part of being a mommy means I am too exhausted to spend time writing them!

So I will post more later on life with Carleigh.

Still so thankful for my wonderful hub & how much he loves our little girl!

 

& thankful for sweet mommy/baby moments