O Happy Day!

Well, today is the big “12 WEEKS”!!

I think most every woman in their pregnancy looks forward to the day when they can say they are 12 weeks along! The chance of miscarriage drops dramatically and all the major “functions” of the baby are mostly developed and just start growing bigger from this point on! Our baby is the size of a large lime and by the end of the week will be the size of a peach. My morning sickness has almost disappeared – thank you God!!! There are just a few nights a week that I feel icky, but I’m mostly feeling really wonderful. Still sleepy, but not like I’m going to pass out while I’m talking to you! :)

My parents are so giving. I think they are the most generous people I know. My mom, sister-in-law Jenny and I went to the outlet mall last night after work. We had a really fun time and Mom got me some Mommy clothes!! I’m still at that awkward “very few things in my closet fit me but my maternity clothes are too big” phase. I’m sure my friends are tired of seeing the same two outfits on me ALL the time!!! :) Now, I have a few more tops and another pair of pants to throw in the mix. OH, and I ordered a maternity COLTS t-shirt for when we go to the game! How fun. Just 12 days until our trip to Indy. Woo hoo!!! And my boyfriend is looking so good this season.
Hopefully they will have a great game that night! (I digress…)

Eric has been busy starting to finish our basement. We are going to move Levi’s toy room downstairs to make room for the new little bambino. I will start posting pictures soon on that process. How fun!! Guess that’s all for now…

Levi's baby woes

Last night:

Levi: Momma, does the baby make your belly sick tonight?
Me: No, Mommy’s belly feels good tonight.
Levi: My baby is making my belly sick. I think I need to go poopie.

(Potty break)

Levi: Shew, Momma, I feel better. The baby makes my belly happy now!

***************************************************

Oh, and I have to give a quick shout out to whoever passed down their Old Navy khaki pants to Levi (either Reece or C.J.). When I picked Levi up from school yesterday, he was so excited to show me the dollar bill that was folded up in his pocket! I asked him where he found it and he said “MOM, it was right here in my pocket the whole time!!” So funny! Looks like it was run through the washer and dryer a couple of times, but, hey…it all spends the same! ;)

Runway ready...

Today is my first day in a maternity top! I will be 11 weeks tomorrow (Tuesday) and, oh my, it’s amazing how your body starts to change so quickly once you’ve already had a child!! I still have two pair of pants that I can fit into, so we’ll be seeing lots of those pants over the next few weeks :)

So, picture this…cute me, in black slacks, cheetah print flats and a crisp, white maternity polo that ties right above the belly with a big yellow honey mustard stain from my sandwich at Penn Station. Awesome!

BOO at the ZOO

Tonight, we headed out to the zoo with the kids dressed up and bags in hand!! Since this is the 2nd largest Halloween party in Louisville, we were excited to see what loot we could get! :) Gretchen and the kids came along with us. When we saw all of the traffic, we got a little nervous. But, we finally made it there and had a really great time! The kids loved it.

Superman, Bob the Builder and the little Honey Bee came along with us
Bob the Builder and his Mommy

Of course, gotta get the Tracey & Gretchen photo!! :)

Levi & "Crush" from Nemo

Look how little Levi, I mean "Bob" looks next to the pirate ship (Levi told us tonight that his name isn't "Levi"...it's Bob! LOL

Superman and Superman (Batman & Mommy, too!)

Belle, Honey Bee & Mommy

And my favorite photo...Handy Manny & both Bob the Builders...in front of the polar bear construction...very creative!! :)

What a fun time! This will definitely become a favorite thing to do for years to come!!!

Cali...what?

Last night, we went to a great little restaurant called Calistoga. It had really great Artisan sandwiches, soups and salads. Yummy! Eric got a philly cheesesteak sandwich and I got a grilled ham and cheese sandwich and we both got loaded baked potato soup. Oh my, it was good!!

It was such a fun evening because we went with the members of Eric's praise band and their spouses. I didn't really know any of these "peeps", but just knew who they were. It was really laid back and we all bonded really well! Of course, Eric & John were hilarious because they started sharing story after story and it seems like we laughed the whole evening! We ended up at the Pie Kitchen for dessert and shared more stories. After that, we headed to Babies R Us with the couple that we rode with. She is also expecting and is about 6 weeks ahead of me. So, that was fun!! What a great evening. It's fun to get to know more people outside of your little everyday circle. :) I praise God for our awesome church and our church family. They truly are such a blessing to us!!!

Things I have to get used to...again

Heartburn
Feeling full
Feeling hungry
Late night snack attacks
Sleeping on my left side
Being so tired that I literally fall asleep at my desk or while watching TV
Feeling nauseous from morning till night
Bad smells that make you want to knock someone out
Odd cravings that make you question your whole existence

Why, you may ask? If you haven’t guessed by now, we are having another baby! :-)

I wanted to post something on my blog weeks ago, but decided to wait until I saw the doctor. So, let me back up and tell you the story from the beginning!

I had a few suspicions that I may be pregnant. I felt certain signs almost immediately... exhaustion, extreme hunger, emotional wreck just to name a few! We were supposed to go camping over Labor Day weekend, so I decided to buy a test and take it while we were camping. I hadn’t told Eric yet because I didn’t want him to go nuts with questions and concerns ALL weekend! Gretchen knew we started trying, so she was good to ask everyday if I had started yet :) On Saturday morning, I woke up before anyone else, ran to our vehicle to get the test (trying not to wake anyone else), ran to the bathroom and "did my business". I read the box...how long did I have to wait? I looked down at the test. Positive…right away. OMG. I thought I would pass out. So, I did what any normal person would do. I went back to our tent and sent Gretchen a text:

“Positive. Light but positive.”

Then her reply beeped in:
“SHUT YOUR FACE, YOU ARE PREGNANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

I did really well at keeping this to myself (and Gretchen!) and by the time Monday came, I was so excited to tell Eric! That night, after we got back from camping, I gave Levi a bath and put a t-shirt on him that I made:

When Eric walked in and read it, he said “Buddy, why are you wearing that shirt?” Then, he looked at me and said “Are you pregnant??” I smiled and the rest is history! I could tell he was excited, nervous, confused...I'm sure a ton of emotions were going through his mind! The following Sunday, we let Levi wear his shirt to lunch to share the news with my family and to Eric’s parents' house to share the news with his family. Everyone was ecstatic! Later that evening, Eric sent a text to a few of our friends that said “My wife is knocked up again…I hope it’s mine.” :) He’s so funny!!

I asked our friends and family to kind of keep the news quiet for just a few more weeks and the following weekend, my mom made an announcement at her church!! (Love you, Mom!) So, the news has slowly started to “seep” out. I had my first doctor's appointment today and Eric and I got to hear the heartbeat of this sweet little baby growing in my belly! So, it's official: I’m pregnant!! :)

Answers to some questions:

* I was 10 weeks along on Tuesday, Oct. 13th.

* I have been sick. Nauseous from the time my alarm clock goes off until my body tells me it is time for bed! There have been only a handful of days when I actually got sick, so that’s good!

* Levi is very excited about a baby “bruder”…he chooses not to acknowledge the possibility it could be a girl! He also thinks he is having a baby. Oui…the things he comes up with!

* I have craved ShockTarts – the chewy candy and orange Sherbet. Eggs make me sick and for a while I couldn’t do Mexican……VERY SAD.

Eric has been the best husband ever! He knows when I am about to go insane or when I don’t feel well and he initiates fun play dates for him and Levi so I can rest. He gets me things I’m craving at all kind of weird hours and doesn’t complain. I love him so much and am so excited about this new phase of our lives together!!! So…there you have it! The Reid’s are having another baby! :)

Emmy is 2!

What a party!! We celebrated my niece's 2nd birthday party on Sunday. She is such a doll and was quite the entertainment. My brother grilled out and Jenny provided a great spread of home made mac and cheese, taco dip, deviled eggs, some fresh veggies, and I'm sure I'm even forgetting some of the stuff!! Delish, Jenny!!!

Here's the pretty birthday girl...
and her adorable birthday cake - it was really tasty, too!!

The fun!

Emily taking a swing at the pinata :)

Bailey's turn...she had quite the swing!!

The pinata finally broke and all the kids ran for the loot!!

Levi's first experience with Nerds...he loved them!

...coming down off the sugar high...

Thanks Travis & Jenny! We had a great time at the party. I hope Emily enjoys all her new dress up clothes :)

I'm turning into my MOTHER!

Oh no...it's happening! I'm turning into my MOM! This is what I said to Levi on the way to school this morning:

"Would you like to start this conversation over with a different attitude?"

And the demands start...

My sweet, innocent, precious, adoring child got into trouble Sunday night. He didn’t have his “listening ears” on. He has this slight problem called selective hearing!! As he was going to his room for his punishment (or “chastisement” as someone at church calls it!!!...I love that!) he said “I’m going to Grammy’s. Call Papa and tell him to pick me up.”

Of course, my parents didn’t just eat that up!!! :)

She thinks my tractors....clean!

When Eric washed our vehicles today, Levi thought it was time for his tractor to get a bath, too! :) He was really proud of his nice clean tractor!
I think he got more water on himself than on the tractor!!

Here is the view off the back deck tonight. Simply beautiful.

And one final pic...no naps for us today, so Levi was fast asleep by 7:45 tonight. He didn't make a peep once he got in bed. I love this little face more than I ever thought possible!

Hallelujah!

I just feel like crying, screaming, shouting GOD IS SO GOOD!! Our friends are on their way home (as I type!) from Africa with their FOUR new children!!!! It's been a wild, crazy journey for them and I could not be happier! If you'd like to read about their AMAZING JOURNEY TO AFRICA, click here!! Please be praying for them, their children here in the states and the children who will now call the states home!! :) God is so good!!!

Oh, be careful little ears what you hear...

Levi has a birthmark on his right eyebrow. You can probably see it in pictures I’ve posted. He never noticed it until about a year ago. He was looking in the mirror in the bathroom and asked Eric what it was. Last night at Cubbies, I overheard a little boy say “What’s dat…on your face?” while he pointed above Levi’s eye. Levi said, “It’s my birfmart.”
“Who put it there?” the child asked.
“God.”
“Why?”
“Because.”
“Because why?” (Don’t you just love the conversations of 3 year olds?!!)
“God loves me. He touch my face.”

So sweet! He actually does listen to what we say!!! :) I love that little boy.