The Rectordays

Really, I don't know where to start... how can I sum up the emotions that I feel to adequately express what my heart can't contain. It seems like only yesterday I was a little girl myself... dreaming of the day when I would be a mommy... meaning I played house way far into my adolescence... I mean, doesn't every little girl dream of being a wife and mommy someday? I would venture to say the majority do.... and I can hardly process the truth that not only am I a wife, but I am someone's mommy... and that little baby girl is about to hit a huge benchmark.... my baby girl is turning to a toddler before my very eyes and I am not sure that I have even processed that I have a baby girl. Will it be like this every year? Will I always wonder how in the world are we already here? I venture to guess it will..... Eleanor, my precious little girl... oh the way that you have changed my life. I can only hope one day that you will truly understand how much I love you... I mean, I do

Most of this week was spent enjoy a little down time in Colorado!!! Now, that is my idea of a perfect summer.... hopefully, you will get the opportunity to enjoy Buena Vista, little one... (hint hint!). Although traveling with your big sister and Lucy, which can mean not much opportunity for rest, we really did have the opportunity to just RELAX, REST, and enjoy some PEACE in some of God's beautiful creation that we just don't get to see everyday. It gets SO busy in our every day lives, there are so many weeks where I don't know where the days go because there is always so much to be doing... so being somewhere that we could truly just enjoy one another, enjoy the quiet and take a break from the hum-drum of daily duties was just an absolute treat. BR #2, unfortunately, that is just the nature of the world we live in... it's competitive, it's fast and unfortunately tries to completely drown out our ability to just be STILL, to REST, to find PEACE in the simplicity. W

Well BR #2, this week has been nothing shy of BUSY.... so glad that I have finally started to feel completely better (no more nausea or cold!) because we have been going 90mph to nothing! The most exciting thing that happened this week is that your Aunt Caroline got married!!! Caroline has been one of Momma's very best friends since I was 13 years old... I literally do not have a memory from junior high to the present where she is not part of it... we were bests all through junior high, high school, college and even still today... a rare find, today, if you ask me. We have been through life (Eleanor's birth) and death, and EVERYTHING in-between, together. So needless to say, her wedding week (20 weeks with you inside) was a very special week for me. Immediately after the wedding, we packed up with Aunt Mindy, Uncle Josh and Lucy headed towards Buena Vista, Colorado (Hence the picture!).... it was SO nice to get out of Dallas during the massive heat wave we are having this su

Well, it is official..... YOU ARE A KICKER!! I L.O.V.E. every single bit of it!!! I don't know why I have been so anxious to feel them (probably because my memories of pregnancy last time was the 3rd trimester when Eleanor danced in my tummy all day long), but it just feels SO good to have those little butterflies at different times throughout the day! For the most part, it seems like you are most active between 8-10pm.... I am okay with that, but we need to start training you on moving that time up a little bit... we don't want you to have your days and nights confused, now would we?!?! Speaking of days and nights, really it has been on my heart to pray for your sleeping.... not going to lie, Eleanor was just a dream baby (no pun intended) but came out of the womb on the perfect schedule and has never looked back. We know that how easy it has been with her played a large role in our excitement to find out we were pregnant again.... and while we don't deserve it, and in NO

Really the only thing absolutely wonderful about this week was that we had another doctor appointment and heard that precious heartbeat... same as Eleanors's, 150bpm! Apparently, most all babies around 18 weeks heartbeat is at the same rate, so no use in trying to play the guessing game on whether you are a little girl or little boy. Oh, but I just can't wait.... happily I will, but the excitement we already feel about hearing those precious three words is just almost too much to handle (no fear, we will not crack)! Still have not felt those kicks, and course that made me panic because I had with Eleanor by this time, but the doctor assured me that not only is that okay but it is still normal. Especially with the cold I am battling, you could be kicking away, but my full concentration is on this nasty cough.... soon, hopefully very soon! I am still trying to get over this nasty little cold, which has just been a beat-down... but it is starting to curb so once it is complete

Little crumb, it is hard to believe you are eleven months old.... my big girl!! Broken record again, but how in the world does time fly by so quickly? I literally feel like I was recapping your tenth month yesterday... but then again, you have grown so much that looking back to when you were about 3-4 months old seems like forever ago... you have changed and grown SO much - I just love being part of your days! Good thing next month is your last month picture in the chair, you are OVER IT. I mean, you couldn't even crack a smile for me (that is, until I started to let you crawl, climb, take off your bow, eat the sign and daddy came in... grrr). You are still a crawling machine... you are fast and furious and it seems like you always are going 100 miles per hour.... you are pulling up on EVERYTHING, opening every cabinet (or trying to) that you can, cruising between the coffee tables, chairs and sofas on your feet as long as your hands are firmly in place and you have taken a FEW ste