Christmas Extravaganza 2008

Opening presents Christmas morning.

Playing with Paw in Winchester.

Barrett had a great time playing with all his Averette cousins this year.

Here, Kirsten is helping him slide.

Pile on! Playing with Uncle "Heaf" and Aunt "Yeh Yeh".

Barrett loves his great grandmother!

Here, he is showing "Granmutter" how to put the packages/shapes in the mail box.

Our Christmas Holidays were packed with excitement this year. We visited "Ghee" and "GheeDaddy" (an ever evolving name for Grandaddy), Grandmother, Maw and Paw and the Winchester Tipps Crew, Nana and Pop, both my brothers' families, and Uncle "Heaf" and Aunt Andrea (a.k.a. "Yeh Yeh"). Barrett loved all the festivities and had a great time with his family.

As far as Christmas goes...Barrett likes nativity sets and knows baby Jesus, Mary, and all the animals. He was excited about the tree this year and I think he only broke 2 ornaments. Christmas lights are always supposed to be on. He likes stockings or "boots". Ho Ho (Santa Claus) was a big hit. He absolutely LOVED opening his gifts as well as everyone else's gifts; however, we could have saved a bunch of money by just letting him open wrapped boxes, because the opening was the part he enjoyed most! He has just now started playing with his toys. It was so much fun to watch his excitement this year.

15 week visit

Today I went for my routine 15 week visit. All was well. They had done ultrasounds at my former visits so there was no need to check fetal heart tones until this visit. It was exciting to hear. The baby was active as usual and the heart rate was in the low 150's (normal).

They drew some lab work to check for an increased risk of down's and other major birth defects for this pregnancy. I will hear back from that in a couple of weeks.

We do the "big ultrasound", as my doctor calls it, at our next visit in 4 weeks. It is scheduled for Jan. 20th. So I'm taking a poll -- will baby Tipps be a boy or a girl? Please cast your prediction in the comments. I asked Barrett if he wanted Mommy to have a little boy or a little girl for him to play with. He said "a dirl" (girl).

I have been feeling much better lately. Other than a stomach virus (ugghh!), I have not been sick in quite some time. I am much less fatigued on a daily basis. The beautiful glow of acne has subsided. And, I don't have to pee every 10 minutes. So...all that to say, this pregnancy has become much more pleasant during the second trimester and I am able to really relish the moment now. A big thanks to all of you who have prayed to that end. It is so very appreciated!

A tribute to Pop

We visited Barrett's "Nana" and "Pop" in Jackson, TN for Thanksgiving. Above, you can see a rendition of "Where's the Juice?!?!" This was so funny and sweet Pop played along marvelously, and endlessly too. Several times since we have been back home, Barrett has asked very excitedly "Where's the juice?!?!" It is always quickly followed now by an even more excited "Where's Pop?!?!" Today we were looking at pictures and Barrett saw a picture of him and Pop and smiled SO BIG while announcing "There Pop!" He can't wait to see him again. Thanks for being such a sport, Pop.

To Grandmother's House We Go...

We have traveled up the road to Franklin the last few weekends for Thanksgiving and wedding festivities. Barrett has loved the constant attention and spontaneity. These are some pics from last weekend. Barrett loved Granny ("Ghee") and Grandaddy's ("Andada") Christmas Tree. He memorized where all the ornaments were and liked to pull the balls off the tree. I think he will be quite sad when all the decorations disappear. It is fun to see his excitement this year. Can't wait until Christmas Day!

Barrett calls the stockings "boots" and he thought they should be worn.

Santa hugging a VERY tired, hungry, and a little under the weather Barrett.

We finally have a due date!

I actually look like a baby now!

(Head to the right. Rump to the left.)

I went to the OB doctor yesterday for my routine visit. They repeated an ultrasound because we had conflicting due dates from the first ultrasound and the usual method of calculation :) Now we have a confirmed due date of June 17, 2009. That means I am 11 weeks today; almost through the first trimester! The baby was very active and trying to suck on its thumb. It was really exciting. The heart beat was strong and at a rate of 154/min. We go back in 4 weeks for our next visit. They will do the AFP test that tests for an increased risk of Down's syndrome at that time. They will do another ultrasound the following visit (late January) to look at all the organs and determine the gender.

Bear gets his hair did.

Putting on the cape.

Attempting to distract him with a toy. Key word: attempting.

All done!!! Looking suave!!!

(He was more interested in his prize than cooperating for a picture.)

As you can see, Barrett got his hair cut today. I felt so sorry for the stylist as he did not cooperate very well this time. He is in such a busy mode right now. She gave him a prize anyway; probably just to get rid of the "bucking bronco" as she called him. So sorry! Any suggestions to get a 20 month old to sit still for 15 minutes?

"Where the baby?! Where'd it go?!"

Barrett is really too young to understand the whole pregnancy concept yet, but we keep trying because we never know when he will understand and we want him to be involved and excited about it as much as possible. Last night we were sitting on the couch and I asked him if he liked babies. He emphatically nodded his head yes and smiled while saying "baby." Very cute. I explained that there was a baby in mommy's belly even though he couldn't see it and some day it will come out and play with him and love him very much. He then gave my belly a kiss, looked at my belly, poked my belly button and looked quite puzzled while asking, "Where the baby?! Where'd it go?!" Priceless.

"B" is for blogging, "beebees", and Brother Bear

So, I have jumped on the blog bandwagon. I know it has been a great way for me to keep up with friends and family and stay up to date with what is going on in their lives. I thought this would be a good way to keep everyone updated and also to save all those little moments of motherhood that everyone tells me I think I will remember forever, but I won't if I don't write down. So here we go...

For those of you who may have gotten missed in the announcement...we are expecting our second child sometime in June. We are very excited as this child was a planned blessing if you will. In hindsight, my pregnancy with Barrett was very enjoyable...a little fatigue, some low blood sugar, and the general aches and pangs toward the end, but I enjoyed being pregnant most of the time. I guess that was helpful as I am not sure we would have jumped right in had I thought this one would be any different. This pregnancy has been quite different. I have the beautiful and unwavering pregnancy "glow" of acne, extreme fatigue, BLOATING, and whoever named it morning sickness must have been a man because all day sickness would be more accurate. Regardless, we truly do feel so fortunate to be able to be parents again and it truly is amazing to carry a life within me. Just making a concerted effort to focus on the big picture daily for a few more weeks.

I have been surprised to have all the anxiety of parenthood rush upon me once again. All the worries of inadequacy and wondering if I will be able to handle the task of motherhood have swarmed again. The idea of adding another child to the mix is a bit overwhelming at this point. Barrett is full speed ahead, learning by the second by exploration of boundaries. He is very fascinated with "beebees" (babies) right now so that is very encouraging. However, he does not like sharing his mommy and is not so great at "be gentle" yet so we are working on that. Fortunately, "beebees" are not made in a day and he has 7 more months of maturation before he will be Brother Bear. I have no doubt he will rise to the task and be an amazing big brother. He has a very tender heart.