Meet Thomas!!

So I realized that I have not blogged about the new baby! It's so hard to take the time to think about another person when you're chasing after a 2-year old! Here's a few pictures from the first ultrasound- it put me at 9 weeks and 2 days:

He was already wiggling his little body all over the place!

I was really excited we got a 3D view of baby!!

We found out at the end of May we were having a boy! We're naming him Steven Thomas Glover and we're going to call him Thomas. Derek and I both had an Uncle Steve that passed away. So we thought it would be really special to name our first son after them. My maiden name was Thomas and I thought it would be special to continue that name as well! We're both really excited to pass these special names along to our son!

Here are a few pictures from our second ultrasound at 17 weeks and 1 day:

I've been absolutely horrible about taking pictures of my growing belly!! Honestly, I'm not that into it! There's just something about documenting yourself gaining 30 pounds and becoming increasingly similar to a whale that is not fun! :) However, I am carrying a little differently with Thomas and I've not gained too much weight yet, so I broke and had Derek take a picture of the belly! Here's the baby belly at 23 weeks and 6 days:

I really should have Derek take these pictures in the mornings when I look a little fresher!

Derek and I have nicknamed Thomas "Snoopy" because my belly resembles his profile! I'm 30Weeks along (wow!) and Thomas weighs in just over a two pounds and is about 15" long! This weekend we're getting a few maternity pictures made!

So far this pregnancy has been great! My first trimester I had to be sure that I didn't get very hungry before I ate because I would get really queasy. Luckily, that was the extent of my morning sickness! I've been so glad because with all of the hours I had to work it would have been so much more difficult if I was fighting that! I started feeling Thomas kick around 16 weeks, although there were a few times before then I thought I felt him, but wasn't sure! I didn't feel Anna-Kate until I was 20 weeks, so it's been fun feeling the differences with this pregnancy!

With Anna-Kate I loved all food! There wasn't one thing I just craved all the time! I did love lemon and lime things. I absolutely loved key lime pie, but I love it all the time! I've been craving a lot of different things with Thomas. Lots of sweets! It's a terrible habit! I'm ashamed to admit that the one thing I've craved more than anything else is coke! Not just any coke though, I want a fresh fountain coke that makes my eyes water because it's so good! Haha! I've been bribing myself with a coke if I drink enough water for the day! Luckily for me that craving has started to subside. I'm now just enjoying cooking from my new Merridees cookbook my grandmother got for me in Franklin! In the last week I've made 3 versions of snicker doodles... it was all a test of course, to make sure I got the right combination... :)

Anna-Kate picked up on the pregnancy from the start. The day after we found out she lifted her shirt and patted her belly saying, "mommy baby." We didn't worry too much about telling her or not telling her because I honestly don't think she grasps the concept. She absolutely loves babies! She'll pick up a magazine just to look for the babies in it. A few Sundays ago, we sat with a 7-month old baby boy and Anna-Kate went crazy over him! She kissed him and patted his back. She also laid down in the pew on her belly to get on his level! She wanted to share her toys and books with him too! I'm sure this won't last with her brother, but it was so cute and sweet to watch! I know this is going to be a big change to Anna-Kate! I can't believe we're going to be a family of 4 soon!!

Derek and I have been working hard on turning the guest room into a nursery! It was red and black before! I thought I would post one last belly picture which conveniently happens to be taken in the newly painted nursery! So enjoy the sneak peek!

The baby's room before...

The bump at 25 Weeks! Sorry I'm covered in paint! We had just finished up painting the walls! Now on to painting the ceiling and touching up the trim!!

"We have Birthday Party!"

Last week while Derek and I were getting ready to meet his parents for lunch, when we heard the girls singing "Happy Day!!" at the top of their lungs. They had sung it all morning, so I didn't think too much about it. Then I heard Anna-Kate say "i want ice keem!" and it occurred to me that I had noticed Derek's birthday cake sitting on our dining room table without the lid on it and with one piece left. So I sent Derek to check on the girls, following close behind him. This is what we found:

Somehow the girls got 2 plates and 2 forks out of the kitchen, cut the cake into what seemed like 2 equal pieces, and proceeded to put it on each of their plates! All with very little mess! When Derek asked Kristen what they were doing she proudly said "we have birthday party!!"

Scary thing is that I think Anna-Kate was the instigator in all of this, since she's the one who would know where to find the plates and forks! I also think she's the one who served the cake, since it was right by her chair!!

At least they chose paper plates!

Happy Birthday!

I celebrated my 23rd birthday on Monday. As you may remember, last year's birthday was less than exciting. Instead of cake being cut, I was. An appendectomy on one's birthday is memorable for all the wrong reasons, but this year would top all others for the best of reasons.

I simply assumed that we would have a nice dinner out with family and maybe a few cards or well wishes from others. I was wrong. Let me just say that Nicki has never been a good secret keeper. She usually gets to excited to keep it in or she just looks like there is something going on. But as we left the house Monday, she was a cool operator. We had spent most of the day Monday cleaning the house and organizing Anna-Kate's bedroom to remove some clutter. I finished mowing the lawn just in time to shower and leave for Chili's where my parents were meeting us.

I was a bit anxious cause my best friend from college, Scott, was coming into town to stay the night and he was to arrive any minute so I wanted to make sure he got to Chili's to join us. As we left, Nicki mentioned that another good friend, Alan, and his family had a gift for me so we had to swing by and see them.

When we got there, I was too irritated about us running late and not knowing where Scott was to notice the ridiculous nature of the visit. Nicki said they were back by the pool so we all walked down the back steps to the pool. When we rounded the corner I was greeted by family and friends with a surprise party. Anna-Kate even sang Happy Birthday to me!

I couldn't believe Nicki had kept such a secret and that I hadn't caught on. We had a blast at the pool and the guys came over later that night and we stayed up late enough for me to realize just how old I am.

Other than the surprise factor it was a fairly typical birthday party. But seeing friends and family take time out to plan a special celebration for me was an expression of love that was overwhelming. I'm not sure if I'm a good enough friend, son, husband, or father to deserve it...but it sure beats the hospital.

I Love Aunt Sari

I just had to share this video from Sunday! Since our last trip to Franklin Anna-Kate has talked about my sister Sara non-stop! She says "I wanna hi Aunt Sari" and talks about how much she loves her! It's really sweet and I know that Sara loves it. The only problem is that when Sara is on the phone Anna-Kate doesn't want to talk or she says "hi" and runs off! So, I caught her in the act!! This is for you Sara: