Staying busy!

This past week has been a busy one - I feel like I've barely gotten to see Ali with doctors appointment, some work, hair appointment, etc- but I know she has had a fun week spending a little time with all of her grandparents. On Tuesday, I had a little pregnancy "scare" and had to go in for an emergency appointment, but, thankfully, everything turned out great! I went back today for my 24 week, 4 day appointment and everything was perfect so I am happy to be in the clear again! Baby Patrick weighs about 1 lb 5 oz and everything was exactly where we wanted it to be! I was excited b/c we got to have another sonogram just to make 100% sure everything was okay. I learned for the first time today that I get two ultrasounds b/c I am "high risk" b/c of my hypothyroidism - I'm glad I did not know this earlier b/c I would have freaked myself out in my pregnancy with Ali, but now I understand it is just protocol and gives me an extra sonogram, so that is fun! It was so fun to see our little peanut again today and she looked great! It is just always so reassuring to hear/see her in there growing and measuring well! I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulder after the week I have had! :) I do have to say that little scares, like the one I had this week, help me keep a good head on my shoulders and realize that just b/c I had an easy/perfect pregnancy with Ali does not mean that things will always be perfect and it helps me not to take even the little things for granted! God is good and I am grateful for the little miracles He has blessed my life with.

We have almost completely cleared out our guest bedroom to start getting ready for our next little addition. We have a few holdups in the mean time - 100% deciding the name (although I think we are almost there- I am, at least!) for monogramming purposes and deciding whether or not to move Ali into a "Big Girl" bed and then actually doing it. Her "big girl" bed is in sitting the nursery for now and I think we will try moving her sooner rather than later to let her adjust before sister gets here (so as not to throw too much at her all at once), but I'm trying to put it off b/c I don't know how to know if she is really ready and, honestly, she is still my little baby and I like having her in her baby crib! :) I will keep you posted on my progress with the nursery with pictures, but I am having fun slowly decorating it for now!

And, on that note - here are a few pictures of our little ones from this past week:

The kiddos hanging out...Our little bathing beauty (after a bath)Playing around in our screened in porchPeek a boo!The littlest Patrick - 24w4d

Some pictures from the weekend

We have had a fun weekend! On Saturday night, we went to my fun friend, Kristi's wedding and it was beautiful! We were excited b/c she invited Ali and with stuff going on ALL of the time - it was nice to have her with us for once! She was completely wired WAY past her bedtime and was tearing it up on the dance floor - I literally had to drag her off and she danced in her carseat the whole way home. The girl loves to dance and I wish I had a videotape of it b/c it is too cute to watch. Here are just some pictures of us getting ready for the wedding!

Ali saw the camera and immediately hopped on the kitchen floor to "sit" and started posing and saying "cheese"!

Ali and her mama - I'm not a big fan of putting pictures up of myself when I am almost 6 months pregnant (24 weeks!!), but since it's of me and my little girl, I had to put it up! Being 5'2" and extremely short waisted = looking like I am about 8 months pregnant at only 5.5 months. :) I am pregnant from head to toe! (But, loving every minute of it!)
Two of my favorite people! Aren't they cute??
Getting ready to go for church on Sunday morning...

Ali did not want to cooperate and pose (but, I wanted to take a picture b/c this is one of my favorite dresses this season)..... Just some pictures of Ali playing peek-a-boo! (Her favorite game!)

This is what I find on my camera when I got home from a wedding shower today! You never know what you'll find when you leave Ali home with her daddy for 2.5 hours! :) Just kidding, Ryan! Someone was a little tired after a great time last night!

The next American Idol?

I was in our office/playroom catching up on emails and heard Ali rummaging through the Wii games/DVDs in our living room cabinet. All of a sudden, I heard her singing "E-I-E-I-O" and turned around to see her walking in the room serenading me very intently singing her favorite song in the Wii (American Idol) microphone. It was too cute so I had to get some pictures. The final picture is after I had put the camera down, she pointed at it and said "cheese" to get me to take a picture of her saying cheese! : )

Happy Friday!

Patrick grooming service - anything to save a buck!

Okay, I am pretty sure it has been since college that I have developed a slightly OCD personality. When something is on my mind (a goal/plan/idea/project/etc) , I slightly obsess about it! It's funny to me b/c I can be laid back about things that a lot of people care about, but then that OCD (as Ryan calls it) kicks in and I am fanatically writing down plans, making excel spreadsheets, cleaning the house, etc. :) (Just clarifying - I don't actually have OCD -just exaggerating a bit!) My current focus is on our budget. Now, I have never been a budget person, so this is all new to me and I am trying to figure out how to plan - and learning as I go. The main reason for this is that I HATE debt - I think it is a 4 letter word. It is a pet peeve of mine to have credit card debt and it just sits there and weighs on my shoulders and drives me crazy until we pay it off. If we ever get any, I would prefer to have it paid off that month. I think I have secretly always been like this. My dad would always give us $2 bills and $100 bills growing up for birthdays/Christmas/trips and I would always end up stashing a $100 bill away in case I needed it for later on. I guess it was my early savings plan - to make sure I always had something to fall back on in case something unexpectedly popped up! So, baby #2 was a little surprise for us that we had not been saving for. We have money in savings - but, I would prefer to save up the amount it will cost for the hospital (it is expensive to have a baby!) and to fully decorate the baby's nursery, before actually spending the money. I even did a pie chart this past weekend while obsessing to show Ryan and he laughed at the nerd I am!

Anyway - I went out on Tuesday to run some errands with Ali and we swung by Pet Smart to buy some clippers (razor type device that barbers use to cut men's hair - just clarifying b/c when I think of clippers - the picture of scissors comes to mind!). Over the last month or two (not really sure how long it's been), our little Baxter has turned into a lion with thick, bushy hair and apparently no eyes (also covered by the hair). I dropped him a piece of food the other night that he would typically devour, but he was so blind, he didn't even know it had fallen. It was sad! We used to get him groomed pretty regularly, but a few months before Ali came into this world, the groomers kind of yelled at me and told me in their own words that we need to teach him who's boss b/c Baxter had pretty much attacked the groomer. With the pregnancy hormones in full gear, I started tearing up (I felt like a teacher had just told me my beloved child was the bad kid in class!) and it has been a struggle to get me to go back there since! I completely dread it! Baxter was my first baby (Ryan surprised me with him for our first married Christmas - but then, two months later, we found out we were pregnant!) and I adore him - but, for those of you that don't know him, he can be slightly mentally unstable and can be a complete nutjob! He also has this vicious side that comes out when he has a good treat that someone tries to take - or, apparently, when someone tries to cut his hair - especially around his face. He turns into a rabid dog! It's actually a little scary!

So, last haircut, we decided to switch it up a bit and take him to the vet to get groomed - hoping they would be understanding of his craziness and would know what to do! Turns out, he was such a madman that they actually had to PUT HIM TO SLEEP to cut his hair. Yes, that's right, knock him out b/c he was so bad! It was a little embarrassing! And, that cost $50 to put him under and $50 to wake him up - before the charges of the actual grooming! A little expensive to get a 10 pound dog (if even) a haircut every month.

So, last night Ryan and I brought out the clippers and started our own grooming of the little man. He did NOT like the clippers and kept trying to bite/attack them, so we ended up just using the shears that came in the grooming package and cutting chunks of hair one by one. A little over an hour later (and enough hair on the ground to form another dog), he now looks like a homeless dog with a few long strands and an uneven cut, but at least he can see. I was dying laughing last night so I had to post some pictures, although I don't think they really show what was done! I wish I had taken a picture of the mound of hair! He looks a little funny, but it is a work in progress and it saved us a good $150 bucks to go into our savings! :)

The hairy monster.... (with no eyes!)

They just butchered me! A work in progress... (But at least he has eyes again!)A new man!Baxter probably lost 5 pounds last night - in fur!

For Uncle Sig...

My brother, Sig, likes to make fun of me for having a blog - so this picture is for him. I think it's just a cover up and that he has a secret obsession to check it 24/7 and check up on his beloved niece! :) (Any reactions from the peanut gallery about this post, prove that I am right!) Thanks to Frances for the picture of Ali and her Uncle Sig in our room at Disney World! I love this picture!

Preparing for baby...

Unfortunately, I do not have any pictures today - just some updates on what's going on with the Patricks! We had a fun weekend - Ali had a great time swimming, dancing, and playing with her friends all weekend long and Ryan and I had fun catching up with their parents! We also had a great Father's Day - Ryan got to play golf with his dad at the club (and my dad and brothers got the next tee time so they kind of all got to hang out!) and then we had dinner with my dad & familiy last night. It was a fun, low-key weekend - exactly what we wanted!

I am starting to get obsessive about getting everything ready for our baby girl #2. I actually got a call this morning about my thyroid being off yet again and they are raising my dose again. I am just glad we are on top of it and I found out so quickly that it was off - so hopefully we can get things under control. It is always a worry in the back of my mind but I am trying my best to trust that everything will be okay - worrying gets me nowhere! I started cleaning out the closet in Ali's room on Saturday b/c she has two (and although her fashionista closet is packed full of clothes - I have been using the one closet in our guest bedroom/baby #2's room as a storage closet and I need to make room for baby clothes now!) and taking down things in our guest bedroom to start preparing for our little one's arrival! I get really excited (obsessive?) about projects like this and I know I am driving Ryan nuts b/c it's all I talk about! Luckily, we don't have too much to buy now that we are having our second little girl - so, that is nice. I'm just trying to figure out about moving my little baby girl (Ali) into a big girl bed. It's kind of a hard thing for me to grasp since she is still my little baby girl! Anyway - I will keep you posted as we start making changes (painting, etc) to the room. We ordered a new glider/ottoman last week at the cutest store (Precious Cargo in Vinings) and I just ordered Ali a big girl bedspread so things are progressing and I am excited! My next project is picking a paint color - scary! I am so indecisive - I hope I like the one we choose. :)

On a final note, I wanted to wish a Happy Father's Day to all of the fathers in our life - Ryan, Big Papa and Granddaddy! We are grateful for all of them and love them very much! I have always been a daddy's girl and I adore my dad more than words and I am so grateful to have him in my life and to have been blessed to have him as my dad! It makes me smile to know that Ali and her daddy will one day be the same way! Ali and I are so blessed to have Ryan in our lives. He is a wonderful dad and we love him very much! Every day after he comes home from a long day at the office - he never fails to give Ali her bath and to put her to bed every night! Thank you for all that you do!!

18 Month appointment

Ali finally had her 18 month appointment today (even though she turned 19 months this week!) and it went great. I had had to reschedule last month b/c it was her last day of music class and this is the first available appointment they could get us. Anyway - we thought she had gained some weight b/c she is getting harder for me to pick up (along with the pregnancy, of course!) and she definitely did! Her height was 33 inches (90%!), her weight was 25 pounds 9 ounces (75%), and her head was 19 & 3/4 (100%). Her head measurements always make me laugh b/c I am pretty sure it has always been off the charts - full of big ole brains! :) It doesn't look proportionally big by any means, but some shirts (mainly Bailey Boys) are nearly impossible to fit over that noggin! I don't personally notice that Ali is tall, but people are always commenting and I guess they are right - since she's in the 90%! Definitely does not take after her 5'2" mama in this area - she must have gotten her daddy's 6'2" genes or maybe Big Papa's 6'5" genes skipped over me and all of my children may turn out a foot taller than me!



Other than that, everything went well! Ali did not stop talking the entire time we were there - the nurse said she could just skip over the question of whether she knew 20+ words since she'd probably heard her say about 50 by that point. It was honestly kind of wore me out - being locked in a little room with a very active toddler is exhausting! Unfortunately, at the end came two not so fun shots that are always horrible - but Ali was a trooper! (Even though her face practically turned purple when they started from not taking a breath in the midst of her cry) As soon as we got in the car, we swung by Mc Donalds on the way to the mall (Father's Day shopping) to get Ali some apples - her favorite treat! (I am enjoying the healthiness while it lasts!) Nothing puts a smile on her face like a bag of apples! ha! I wish I could say the same for her mama. :)



We are excited to have a fun, busy weekend planned cooking out with friends both nights, as well as some pool time before a busy Father's Day on Sunday. Busy but low key - and both nights we will be at friends' houses within a mile of our house so we can save some expensive gas money! Have a wonderful weekend!

Ali-isms

While I'm thinking about it, I wanted to remember a few little things Ali does that make our hearts melt or make us crack up! Tonight, I had my tummy out to let Ryan feel baby #2 kicking up a storm and Ali came up and was so cute - we wish we had it on video! She came up and gave the baby a few kisses then said "love you!" - it was too cute! She then, immediately, wanted me to pull down my shirt and cover up the big belly - I don't think she thought it was very appropriate. :) One of Ali's favorite words these days is "walk". She just comes up to one of us with her hand out (to take ours) and says (or directs) "Walk!" like she rules the world! She is quite the little boss. It's her way of getting us to go with her to get her a snack or to go play with her outside or pretty much just go with her to do anything she wants! She is still pretty good about saying "please" and I am trying to get her to add that whenever she tries to direct us where to go. I am so proud of her b/c I have taught her that any time I say "What's the magic word?", she knows to say please. It took a couple of days - the first couple of times I asked that, she tried her best to say "magic word" as her response (although her version sounds a little different!) She is also learning to count to 10 and is almost there! The number she actually struggles with the most is 1 - she prefers to start with 2! (I think b/c I always say "1" to get her going so she just continues) Anyway, just a few notes of some little Ali-isms that she has done in the last hour that I want to remember!

Busy, busy!

This has been yet another busy week for the Patrick girls! (and boys) We are enjoying Vacation Bible School this week - although it is wearing us out! We are taking the day off tomorrow and I am looking forward to some mama/daughter time b/c, honestly, I have kind of missed being with Ali this week - although I know it is good for us to be apart. The first day at VBS, she cried when I dropped her off and I had a miserable time the rest of the day b/c it makes me sad to walk away with my daughter reaching for me to save her and yelling "Mommy! Mommy!". Much to my delight, though, as soon as I got back Ali was in great spirits and they said she had cheered up right after I walked away. I have kind of dreaded dropping her off every day since but, turns out, she has gone quite easily (even with other little ones crying in the room) and it has been so nice! Today, even, when I went to pick her up, a few kids were crying, but she was laughing and playing with a toy vaccuum! Ha! It makes my heart feel good to pick her up and see her so content!

I am trying to think of something fun to do tomorrow morning with my little girl. If I come up with anything fun, I will try to post some pictures this week! I feel like we have been so busy lately that we haven't gotten to do fun activities, just the two of us! I am trying to treasure every little moment (and not get too stressed at the terrible 2 fits that are beginning!) I have with baby Ali b/c I am realizing how quickly time passes and children grow up! Ali is already 19 months and I still feel like she is just born. Someone gave me good advice once to just take the time to just forget about cleaning the house and forget about cooking dinner and sit down on the floor and hug your sweet baby b/c before long they will grow up! I try to keep that in my mind every day b/c I can be easily stressed sometimes and realize that these moments are precious and I am enjoying them while I can! :) Now, if I could only find a magic button to make time slow down sometimes - then my life would be perfect! Have a great week!

Playin' in the sun

Today is our last full day in St. Simons - it is amazing how time flies! I have really enjoyed relaxing and being with my family and am sad to see it come to an end and go back to the real world! I considered staying here another week and letting Ryan go back :) (my dad has another legislative conference here next week so they'd be here to help out!) but we have Vacation Bible School next week and I am volunteering and Ali has a little nursery class there - maybe we can work it out to come back for a few weeks later this summer. It is so nice to be at the beach!

Above are just some pictures from Ali playing on the playground today. She is still not a fan of sand (and there was sand on the playground!) - whenever she accidentally touches it she stops immediately like she is stuck in quicksand and starts yelling "Ewwww!" Needless to say, we did not spend much time at the actual beach this trip - which was fine by me! The pool was a big hit for her though so I guess we will be spending lots of time at our pool at home this summer!

A few Disney World Pictures!

Well, I had a little time tonight with Ali sleeping and thought I would go ahead and upload some pictures from our fun Disney World trip! We have a million, so this is just a taste of a few of the things we did. We had a great time and I have now been at the beach for two days and think that I am almost fully recovered (and rested!). Uncle Sig and Frances left this evening to head back to Athens b/c Frances is in summer school (and Sig is just hanging out up there in our condo there until he starts his job at KPMG in a couple of weeks) but luckily my parents got here this morning from one of Dad's Legislative conferences in Amelia Island so it is so nice to have all of the extra help around when I feel completely worn out! (And Ryan has been great!) It is going to be a nice and relaxing week - I hope it does not continue to go by as fast as it already has been! Anyway, on to more interesting things - the pictures!

Our first day at Disney World! So excited to be there - we headed straight to the pool (after lunch). Here are a few pictures of our little munchkin playing at the pool! It felt so good b/c Orlando is hot, hot, hot! Could I be any cuter?

A full belly after lunch!
A view of our hotel from our spot at the pool.
Mama and her little princesses.
The light parade on the lake our first night...

A shot of tired Ali (way past her bedtime!) and her daddy watching the water parade from our hotel's lake deck. Our first sighting of the castle on our boatride into the park!
Ali's first time seeing Mickey/Minnie and friends in person! She was so excited!
Family self portrait on Peter Pan's Flight
Day 1 we had lunch at the Crystal Palace with Tigger and Pooh and friends. Here is a picture of Uncle Sig and Frances with Eeyore! It was a fun (and delicious!) lunch.

So excited to meet my friends Tigger and Pooh! (and gang) Ali got all of her new friends to sign her autograph book! She would be slightly unsure of them as they approached - so, to make the transition, she would quickly hand them her book and say "Pooh, book!" and by the end of lunch, she was in love with all of them! (and blew them lots of kisses!)
On the Tomorrowland Transit Authority (People Mover) - Ali loved waving to all of the people walking around and saying "Hello!". Here is a picture of her sharing the love to both sides of the ride.
Ali and her daddy on the teacups - not so sure about this!
It was a FULL first day!! Ali passed out on the boat ride back to the hotel and was out for the night! (and daddy put her to bed with her "1st visit" pin on and her shoes!)

Checking out the "bubbles" in the hotel lobby Modeling for the camera on a little deck at our hotel..... Ali loved looking at all of the ducks (from afar - not so happy when they got close!), "Nemos" (not sure how she even knows about Nemo, the fish!), bunnies, etc at the Wilderness Lodge
Here are some pictures from Ali's favorite part of the whole park....Pooh's playground. Ali absolutely loved it! We had tried all of the rides and she was such a good sport - but, the smile on her face when she saw this place was irreplaceable! Ali loves water - especially when it is 100 degrees outside! :) When Ali and I found this little treasure (while daddy was riding Thunder mountain), I realized that this is what it's all about.....
Daddy made it to join in the fun!
Here comes the water!

Making friends in the sprinklers Venturing through one of Pooh's honey jar tunnels...
Mickey ears!
Ali gives her friend Daisy a hug!
Got our balloon....it's time to go! (can you tell how tired Ali is?? It was a non-stop trip! But, so much fun!)