Weekend Update

Brandon went to visit family in Tennessee this weekend, so I had a preview of what this summer will look like: pregnant and chasing around a toddler. On Friday, I hit my 23rd week of pregnancy. With this milestone came a bigger belly almost overnight.

Truthfully, I didn’t really feel the exhaustion until last night. Friday – Sunday was a nonstop whirlwind of activities. From a breakfast date on Saturday morning, to two trips to the park, and a toy stop at Target. Then grabbing new books from the library, meatball sandwiches at Lenny’s Sub Shop, adventures at Costco, and one exciting visit to Lake Lanier – we did it all. Annabelle even had her first taste of Wee Sing in Sillyville – one of my favorite childhood movies and the origin of one of her many nicknames: “Silly Whim.”

So where did this big girl come from?? I feel like I can finally understand her crazy sleep patterns – they’re all due to a growth spurt! Annabelle definitely has her Daddy’s long legs. We played outside with buckets of water for hours this weekend enjoying the beautiful spring weather. Thankfully I am the only one who walked away with a sunburn.

Cereal has become a staple in our household. I never thought I would see Annabelle eat a bowl since she despised any of the forms of milk I have attempted to give her.

Now she loves Almond Milk with Life or Cheerios. She especially loves to eat a bowl sitting beside me. Every so often she peeks up at me and smiles with a little milk on her chin. Moments like these I hope I never forget.

For a little girl who has never liked to get dirty, she has certainly changed a lot in the past couple of weeks. After she would dirty her hands in the sand/clay, she’d ask to wash them in the lake. Then, almost immediately, she would run back to mess them up again. I loved watching her play. 

Returning books at the library is almost as much fun as taking the books out. Annabelle was fascinated with the drop window. I have a feeling we will be visiting the drop window a lot more…and reading side by side on the couch in the Kids section at the library. She LOVES the “Pinkalicious” books and told me to read one while she checked out something a little different.

We had an amazing weekend together – just me and my girl – but when Daddy came home last night, we both could not wait to jump in his arms. I am so overwhelmed with emotion this morning reflecting on how lucky I am to have such a wonderful growing family. As my school year quickly comes to an end, I can’t help but think about how many difficult moments we’ve had since August.

I feel like I’ve grown and learned so much about myself as a wife and a mother. The most important lesson is that even when it seems like everything is falling apart around you, family will always stand strong in the center of the chaos. The sun finally seems to be shining down on us and I know if any storm clouds appear, we are stronger than it all.