Baby C #3

Sweet little baby C surprised us with the news of it's upcoming arrival on July 28, 2011. Being quite consumed with raising two one year olds, Ryan and I hadn't decided if we were going to have more children. We definitely never expected conceiving to be as easy as it was for Baby C #3 considering how long and difficult it was to conceive Clayton and Chloe. Needless to say, this new little peanut caught both of us off guard, but we couldn't be more excited to welcome him or her into our family. The baby is due April 5, 2012, which is exactly one month before Clayton and Chloe's second birthday. Most likely I will have a repeat c-section, so as long as the little one doesn't decide to come earlier, he or she will make it's debut on April 2, 2012.

Ryan and I decided not to find out the gender of the baby, which is exciting, but hard since we, or should I clarify I, have to plan a nursery for both sexes and Ryan really can't do any room preparations until we meet our newest little addition. We are also in the long process of trying to move to a bigger home to accommodate our growing family. We have a few offers in on short sale properties, which we can completely envision being our forever home, but are patiently waiting to hear whether or not our offers got accepted. In the meantime, we are going to transition our current office into baby C #3's room. We bought a white crib from our friends and will be purchasing a white dresser in the next couple of weeks. The glider from Clayton and Chloe's room will find a new home in the little peanut's room as I plan to spend lots of precious time feeding and rocking our sweet baby in it. I will be having the Baby Guy custom make the crib bedding again as I think his work is beautiful and I completely get to design the bedding and room I envision. Below are pictures of the fabric combinations we will be using for the crib bedding. We won't do any special painting until we are in our next house, though, but all colors and designs will definitely be figured out!

My mind is on overdrive with all the unsettledness of our lives right now, raising two very busy toddlers, and being in the third trimester of pregnancy, but I can't imagine a more perfect life. I know I've said it in many posts prior, but God has blessed us magnificently.

Here are some ultrasound pictures of our sweet little peanut...

Our first ultrasound of Baby C #3. We had the privilege of seeing our fertility doctor weekly for the first trimester, just to ensure the baby was growing as he or she should. Dr. Kan took excellent care of all of us once again!

This picture was at about 6 and a half weeks when we first got to see the amazing little heartbeat.

Growing perfectly!

The little one is starting to actually look like a baby! This picture is at about 10 weeks or so.

18 week anatomy ultrasound...everything looks perfect! We made a beautiful baby!


The baby boy bedding will be a fabric combination from this collection, but the gray argyle will be a red, white, and black argyle. It will also include a solid minky fabric too. Most likely the room will be painted gray with aqua and red accents and of course fire trucks!


The baby girl bedding will be a combination of K, M, and N and then a solid lavender rose minky. The walls will be lavender and I plan to do some stenciling on the crib wall (wish me luck!).

Wow...my babies are not babies any more!

Clayton and Chloe are 20 months big, which means they are only 4 months away from being 2! How did that happen?! Ryan and I are amazed each and every day at their growth and development. It's pretty incredible to watch your children grow before your eyes from completely dependent babies to somewhat independent toddlers. Here's their news...

*Our baby boy is no longer a baby...he's a little boy now. A little boy who looks like like a little boy, talks like a little boy, and loves like a little boy.
*Our little boy has a pretty extensive vocabulary that grows daily. He says "ah dat" (what's that), you tell him and he knows it. His latest "where did that come from words" were toast and onion.
*Our little boy can repeat all letters of the alphabet pretty clearly and can verbally identify letters A-I and O. He recognizes these letters when we are out and about and gets so excited when he does.
*Our little boy is learning his shapes, but his favorite seems to be the star, which he loves to spot on any Macy's ad or when we are at the mall and he sees the red Macy's star.
*Our little boy has a mouthful of teeth...I think he's starting to get his two year molars.
*Our little boy melts our hearts daily with his joyous yells of "Daddy" when Ryan gets home from work and "Mommy" when he needs me or wants to show me something. It brings a smile to my face each and every time.
*Our little boy has learned the power of the word "no," but says it so sweetly that it's hard not to oblige to his "no" wishes. I think it's really helped him feel like he's communicating with us and being heard, so he doesn't get as frustrated.
*Our little boy loves to give hugs and kisses, loves his Ra Ra (Roxi), loves saying all the people he loves names (Daddy, Mommy, Sissy, Papa, Nonnie, Grammie, and Ra Ra), and loves doing all things active.
*Our baby girl is still a baby girl in my eyes, though she's looking more and more like a little girl each and every day.
*Our little girl loves all things food. She is the best eater, often eating as much as I eat and somehow stays so petite and in the 10th percentile for weight....God bless her and her metabolism!
*Our little girl's vocabulary is growing daily. Her favorite phrase of the moment is, "utts this?" She says "utts this?" all day long about everything. We laugh every time because her tone and slight lisp are so cute. She also loves to repeat "no no no" whenever she or her brother are told no. She shakes her head and finger and says, "no no no." It's hard to get stay mad at that!
*Our little girl can point and identify the letters A-F and tries to say them, but they aren't too clear quite yet.
*Our little girl loves to be tickled and loves to tickle everyone's toes. The second she sees bare feet, she walks up, and say's "ticky ticky ticky" as she tickles your toes. It's so cute and so amazing how much they pick up from what we do.
*Our little girl loves doing the hand motions for "head, shoulders, knees, and toes." It's so adorable to watch her start dancing the second she hears the tune.
*Our little girl went potty on the potty for the first time after months of sitting on the toilet. She is starting to be more aware of it, so hopefully potty training will happen right when she's two.
*Our little girl has a mouthful of teeth and a real bugger of a last one year molar that's struggling to break through. She's never really been bothered by teething, but this molar seems to be hurting her quite a bit.
*Our little girl lights up when she sees her Daddy, saying "DaDaDaDa" when he walks in the door. She melts my heart every time she says "Mom," which is of course when she needs me or wants to show me something. I love the sound of my name being said by my sweet little girl. She can say Papa, Nonnie, and Ra Ra too, and is working on Grammie. She lights up when she sees her grandparents and her Ra Ra!

There's nothing greater in this world than being Clayton, Chloe, and baby peanut's parents. We are so blessed. Here's a few pictures of their month...























On New Year's Eve we took Clayton and Chloe to the Aquarium of the Pacific. They had a fun time getting to know the ocean sea life!

Merry Christmas!

I love Christmas and love it even more now that I get to experience it through the eyes of my children. December was a full month for us full of parties, adventures, food, presents, family and lots of fun! Here's a little rundown of our month...
*We had our 7th annual Christmas party on December 9th. It's crazy how much the event has changed since our first all adult party. The backyard complete with a mini bounce house and lots of toys looked like a day care, while the family room served as the nursery, the kitchen was the restaurant, and the garage the frat house! It was such a fun night. We are so grateful for the family and friends in our lives that make our life that much fuller and complete.
*We went to Disneyland to spend time with the characters and enjoy the Christmas decorations one last time. I took the day off from work. Clayton and Chloe had a blast, as usual!
*My dad (AKA Papa Jim) took all of us to Fleming's for our annual Christmas dinner. It was a beautiful evening. All three little ones were well behaved and quiet, which made it that much more enjoyable for all of us. Thank you Dad and Mom for always planning this special night for us.
*Papa Jim and Nonnie took Clayton and Chloe to Downtown Disney to Build-A-Bear. Clayton went right toward Snoopy and Chloe wanted Smurfette. They love their new stuffed animals! We then had dinner at Goofy's Kitchen, which was really cute. Clayton made friends with all of the characters, but Chloe was a little more shy. The highlight of the night was watching Clayton and Chloe dance to the hip hop carolers. They stole the show as they performed their cute little dance moves. It was so priceless!
*We took the train at Irvine Park to see Santa with both sets of grandparents and Ryan's brother and his family. We had a good time, but it was really cold.
*The next night we took Clayton and Chloe to see Christmas lights with our good friends, The Kline's and McKinney's. It was so nice to see Nate, Amy, and Paige and spend quality time together with our friends.
*Papa Louie and Grammie took Clayton and Chloe to the train exhibit at The Nixon Library. Clayton was in train heaven. He loved all of the trains. It's a pretty dynamic display and probably will be an annual visit with Papa Louie and Grammie!
*We had a beautiful Christmas with Ryan's family on December 23rd. Clayton and Chloe were spoiled with presents as were we. Dinner and dessert were delicious, but the special time together even better.
*We went to Christmas Eve Mass, which is my favorite mass. Clayton and Chloe were definitely busy (I think they prefer the nursery, rather than sitting in church for an hour!), but overall they did pretty well. We then came home and had a delicious dinner with Papa Jim, Nonnie, Grammie, and Gigi. We all opened up our Christmas Eve present, which were special jammies. Ryan's mom stayed late to help Ryan build the kitchen I stressed so much over to find. It took them three hours, but was so worth it. I am so thankful for my amazing mother in law! While they busily built, I got everything else ready. I think I've decided being the parent who gives gifts is so much better than the child receiving!
*Christmas morning was perfect. Clayton saw his train and immediately said "choo choo," while Chloe went straight for her dolly. They both absolutely loved their new kitchen and still do. Ryan and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment. Both sets of grandparents came over for breakfast and to see what Santa brought. It was a really joyful morning full of smiles and love. After naps we went to my parents' house. Clayton and Chloe were once again spoiled with lots of new toys and clothes. Dinner and dessert were delicious too! It was a full, exhausting day, but absolutely perfect.
*Our Christmas celebrations ended with the Kuntz family Christmas at my parents' house the next day. Clayton and Chloe had fun playing with their cousins and seeing their family.

It was a crazy couple of weeks, but every minute was perfect. I am so grateful for the beautiful family God has entrusted me to love. The celebration of His birthday brought so much joy and laughter to us and I know it will continue to each and every year. Merry Christmas! Here's some pictures that captured our holiday adventures...