Dear Tate,

Two years ago today, my life changed forever. My life was blessed so much when you came into this world. Today you are turning two years-old, and I can hardly believe it. I love you so much and feel so lucky to be your mom. You are a very happy little boy who loves to laugh and play. Some of your favorite things right now include Jazz games (and anything else Jazz related); any kind of sports ball (basketball and soccer are current favorites); pretending to play drums (I gave you some chopsticks the other day and you have been banging on things non-stop since); pretending to be a puppy (you like me to play with you and we usually eat "doggy food" - cereal - out of a bowl on the floor); your Dad (you LOVE to spend time with him doing anything); and watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Tigger & Pooh, Handy Manny, and Baby Signing Time.

You are such a smart little guy. Your dad and I are always amazed at how quickly you pick up vocabulary and how you seem to forget hardly anything. You have rediscovered your love for signing and often show us signs to things you see or need or want. You are defintely entering an independant stage, where you want to do things on your own and have little patience sometimes, but that is what being a toddler is all about. Your excitement about life is contagious and we love it when you try to make us laugh. You are now a pro at sleeping in a big boy bed. Hopefully potty training will be as successful!

I cherish you and am so grateful that I was chosen to be your mother. I pray that you continue to be the happy person that you are and that you grow into a happy and healthy child. Being your mom has been my life's greatest joy and I look forward to the years ahead. I love you more than I could ever express in words. Thank you for blessing my life. I love you.

Always,
Mom
P.S. Today for your birthday we went swimming with our friends Brittany and Presley. You love the water and can't get enough. You went down a real water slide today for the first time and loved it. Nana, Papa, Charity, Kendall, and Bryan came over to give you gifts after dinner. Tomorrow, family and friends are joining us to celebrate at the local bowling alley. You had so much fun bowling the last time we went, so we thought it would be a perfect birthday party idea. I can't wait until you see your Mickey Mouse birthday cake!

Pregnancy Update - Week 15 & 16

I think the morning sickness might be weakening a little! Yay! I still take one to two Zofran pills per day, but they pretty much clear up any yuckiness I am feeling. I haven't felt the baby move yet, but I didn't feel Tate move until I was 19 weeks pregnant. I have also noticed a few other differences between my two pregnancies (besides the current persistent morning sickness) . . . when I was pregnant with Tate my gums bled all the time! Everytime I flossed my teeth they would bleed quite a bit. Not this pregnancy. Also with Tate, my feet would cramp up all the time at night. I had to be especially careful when stretching and keep my feet flexed. Not a problem this pregnancy. It's funny how different the experiences can be.

Pregnancy Update - Week 14 & Imagination at work

Well, I rang in week 14 last night with the worst sickness I have had. I had a pretty good day, but the later it got, the worse I felt. Finally at about 10:30 I was vomiting so much and so hard that my stomach and throat ached after. Not fun. I feel much better today, except that Tate and I have colds or sinus infections or something. It is snowing today, so we will be spending the day inside, probably watching a lot of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and My Friends Tigger and Pooh. I can't wait for spring. I would like the snow and the sicknesses to stop!

On a happy note, it has been so much fun lately to watch Tate start to use his imagination. He likes to pretend that he is a dog, complete with eating "doggy food" (Rice Krispie cereal) out of bowl on the floor and sleeping on a "doggy bed" (pillows on the floor). The other day at lunch he was pretending that his drink was a soap dispenser and his bowl of mac 'n' cheese was a sink. He would "pump" soap and then plunge his hands into his bowl of food. It was so cute. Big mess, though.

Pregnancy Update - Week 13

Still more of the same, except that my appetite is picking up a little bit. I did have a doctor's appointment yesterday and was able to hear the little heartbeat. It was a little stressful because the nurse (my doctor was out for a delivery) had a hard time finding the heartbeat. After several LONG minutes she finally found it and I almost teared up from relief. It is amazing how much I need to hear that little heartbeat to know that everything is ok.

Pregnancy Update - Week 12

Not much of an update though - everything seems the same. I am looking forward to the 2nd trimester and my appointment next week!

P.S. Tate ended up having another sinus infection. And after a few days on Cefdinir (an antibiotic) he seems to be doing much better.

Pregnance Update - Week 11

More of the same! Not much has changed this week. I have had some good days and some bad days. I am definitely starting to pop a little. It may even be noticable to other people. Although, if they didn't know I was pregnant, they just might think I have a little belly fat! We have told Tate that there is a baby in mommy's tummy. He likes to point at my tummy and say "baby!" He giggles when he touches my tummy and I flex it and say "ugh!" Just wait until he feels the baby moving on its own!

Inauguration and snoring.

Today Barack Obama took the Oath of Office to become the 44th President of the United States of America. Tate had kinder music class today, but we decided to be a few minutes late in order watch the historic event take place live. I couldn't help but get teary and a little emotional. Not only am I grateful for Obama and the hope he is bringing to this country, I was also proud to be witnessing history as it happened. Maybe I was a little more emotional than usual because I had my precious little boy on my lap and another one on the way. But I am so glad for this new President and feel confident in the future for my children. It is overwhelming to see the hope I feel reflected in millions of Americans. I pray that the next few years, although undeniably difficult, will maintain the hope I have felt recently. I also hope that Rob and I can make the decisions necessary to financially secure our family and to strengthen our bond. I love my little family and am GRATEFUL to be a citizen of a free nation that has the right to pick its leaders. God bless USA!

After another wonderful music class, I took Tate to his doctor. Tate has been SNORING for a few weeks now. And not just cute little toddler snoring. Great, BIG bear snoring that causes him to catch his breath and then start coughing. I wondered if his tonsils were getting too big and Rob urged that I take him in (he is so smart). The doctor suggested that we take Tate for a sleep study and in the meantime try some nasal spray. I want to use the nasal spray for the first time tonight and if it doesn't seem to help, I will call to schedule the sleep study tomorrow. Depending on the outcome of the sleep study, Tate may then need to see an ENT doctor. So we will see what happens!