We're having a...

BOY!!! And he shall be called Oliver Thomas!! I can't believe it! I am wrong every single time. I thought Berkeley was going to be a boy and I thought this one was going to be a girl. Shows how much I know! I guess from now on I'll just go with whatever is opposite of what I'm feeling :) Laura and Amanda were right. I can't believe it. I am finally going to have a little Oliver. I have loved that name since Junior High and have always wanted to have a little boy named Oliver. It is my absolute most favorite name in the whole world!!! If any of you don't know this, I love names and I have had all of my children's names picked out since Junior high and High school. I have mentioned before that I am a bit of a planner and I ran all my names by Thomas before we got married because I had my heart set on them and wanted to make sure he was ok with them. He liked them all and didn't really have any names of his own picked out. Big surprise there...I don't think that is something guys really think about to be honest :) That's just fine...it works for me!!!

Now I get to start the room! We went to lunch right after Vikki told us and I said, "Well, now I don't have to order a chandelier for the room." Thomas rolled his eyes and said "Oh, what a relief, because every little girl MUST have a crystal chandelier hanging from her ceiling." They just don't understand, but that's ok. It makes me happy having one in Berkeley's room and if we ever have another little girl she will most certainly have one too :) I am excited to buy a pair of shoes I have been dying to buy. They are olive green and orange and I almost bought them for Berkeley (I don't always dress her in super feminine or all pink outfits), but I thought maybe they were just a little bit too boyish. Now I have the perfect excuse to get them. Laura and I are going to Bell Square on Sunday so let the shopping begin!

I am a little nervous to have a boy cause I hear nightmare stories about them, but I am believing and praying for him to either have Thomas' or Laura's laid back and mellow personality. Who knows, maybe Berk will be our little tom-boy and she'll get all the boo-boos and he'll be really phlegmatic and accident free. It's something I can pray for anyway :)

A Broken, Bloodied & Bruised Baby Berkeley

Here are some before and after shots of my sweet pea. The pics above were taken 3 days before her unfortunate encounter with a very wild and obnoxious pug. I was able to capture her youthful joy, laughter and innocence before it was shattered. No, I'm "kind of" kidding. I know it was an accident and I know it could have happened anytime or anywhere. I also know Sterling could have been running full speed and bumped into her. The fact that we were not huge pug fans before all this happened just makes it 100 times worse. We just don't want her around him ever again. I am working on forgiving him and I pray that God will help me to do so every day. My anger slowly fades with each passing day. I know God loves all creatures great and small, but I am fairly certain even He is irritated with Oscar right now :) I told Thomas that Oscar had better run for his life the next time I see him. Perhaps eventually I will be able to dwell in the same room with him without committing any acts of violence. The key word here is "perhaps." Someday we will laugh about this and about how we totally over reacted, but right now I am still seething. I think some of my cheesiness rubbed off on Jerry while he was living with us because when he saw her he said "Oh my, she has an Oscar." Pretty cheesy, but funny, huh?

I am taking her in to get her stitches out today at 1:30. Oh, what fun! She has actually been doing great and it's amazing how resilient children are. Her spirits are high and she continues to make us laugh every day. She has a new nick name: we now call her "Stitch." Or, baby "Frank" since Amanda thought she looked like a little mini Frankenstein! Just this morning she was standing up in her crib waiting for me to come in and get her and when I opened her door she went to step up on her bumper and slipped and hit her chin on the railing. The inside of her lip got a little cut and started bleeding and she cried for just a second. My poor little girl, at this point I am praying she lives to celebrate her 2nd birthday.

I have always heard of the Mother Bear Instinct that moms have when it comes to their kids, but I never realized how protective you really get. My claws came out and they are ever so slowly receding. I'm not the kind of mom that would get upset if someone told my kids "no" or to stop doing something they weren't supposed to, but when it comes to them being senselessly hurt I will not tolerate it. I just figure, it is my job in life to protect them because if I don't, who else will? Nobody. That's who. Anyway, that's all I have to say about that :) I'm done ranting and raving now!!!

On A Much Lighter & More Exciting Note...

We get to find out what we're having on Friday! With everything that happened over the weekend I totally forgot about it till Kate reminded me to call her and let her know. I have friends in high places who can pull some strings in order for me to find out early. No, actually my friend Vikki is a sonographer at Highline Hospital and she is able to scan me on her lunch break. She told me at 17 weeks what I was having with Berkeley and I told her I always want her to be the one to tell me first so we're going in on Friday around 11:30!!!

I'm a little nervous to find out. I don't know why...I was nervous with Berkeley too. I only get one of two choices and I can't control what the outcome is so there is no reason to be nervous. To be honest we don't care what we have. We will love and adore whatever God gives us, boy or girl. We both kind of think it's another girl since this has been another really mild pregnancy. Since these two will be so close together (22 months), I'd love to have another girl so Berkeley will grow up with a sister who is close in age. Just like me and Laura. But, whatever, I know brothers and sisters can be extremely close too. I used to really want a boy, but everyone tells me boys are so different and much more physical from the get go. That terrifies me in a way because in Berkeley's 16 short months of life we have been to the ER 3 times and I feel like I have aged 20 years with each incident. I don't know what I will do with a boy. Perhaps I will invest in some quality football gear, complete with a helmut and shoulder pads for any unfortunate accidents that may occur. Who knows, maybe my boy would be really easy and never get hurt. One can only hope :)

Like I said this pregnancy has been a breeze. I have only felt slightly nauseous 3 or 4 times after taking my vitamins, but if I eat a string cheese afterwards it goes away. I did have 3 colds in a period of a month & a half, but after what Tammi has been through during her pregnancy I cannot complain. I have gained 6 pounds so far and my doctor is thrilled. I have enjoyed every succulent, savory and delicious calorie so far and will continue to do so until those 25 pounds are gained!!! Oh, the perks of being pregnant!

Anyhoo, we'll post the results as soon as we get home on Friday. I can't believe it's that time already. This pregnancy is going to fly. It's going so much faster than the first! We'll keep you posted!!! ( HA, HA, HA...I just made a funny! Get it? I said we'll keep you "posted" and I will be "posting" the news on my blog! Well, I guess if I have to explain it, it's probably not that funny, like my husband says. But it's kind of funny, right? Maybe a little? )

Easter Eggs!!

Our Four Legged Lady Liberty! Oh, the abuse!

Our little flower or 'Lady Liberty' as she prefers!

On Sunday night Laura came over and we dyed easter eggs. It was so much fun and it got my mind off of the most recent tragedy in the Potts' family. We made a delicious steak dinner that rivaled the Met and ate till our buttons were about to burst!!! Laura found a cute little flower hat that Berkeley allowed us to adorn her with for a few seconds. Sterling tends to get a little bent out of shape when we always take Berk's picture, so we put the hat on her and took her picture too. We'll do just about anything to appease her :) Just kidding. It's amazing what that dog will do for cheese. It makes her a little gassy, but the smell is worth it for the priceless pictures we have taken of her. I have a 200 page album full of the cutest and funniest pictures of Sterling.

Anyway, we had a really fun night and now I have lots of hard boiled eggs so I get to make egg salad sandwiches and deviled eggs. I always crave deviled eggs when I am pregnant for some reason. I know it's weird, but it could be worse. At least I don't crave dirt or laundry detergent!!

My Little Monkey

I was taking some pictures of Berk in one of the many adorable outfits her Aunt Laura bought her for Christmas and I had to share them cause they make me smile. She is such a little character and she makes us laugh all the time. I especially love it when she wears this outfit or her other monkey sweater and she walks around making monkey noises! Too funny!