You're Gonna Miss This

So I'll admit that I can get into a funk sometimes and let that color the world around me. I'm not sure if it is the change in "career", the pregnancy or the exhaustion of chasing after our little girl but I had been having a tough week. I decided to do something about it so I finally packed Hazel up, got Marlee ready and we took a walk in the beautiful sunshine to the park right around the corner. Hazel and I had fun playing in the grass, walking around and she really liked the swing. It was just what I needed to help lift my mood and make me realize that there is so much around me to enjoy.

I decided to go to the park again yesterday, only this time Hazel and I were the only ones there. She played a little but was getting sleepy so I sat down on the bench with her, wrapped her blanket around her and rocked her to sleep as I looked out across the playground to the elementary school next door. As I watched the kids running around during their recess it made me realize that before I know it Hazel will be one of those kids too. I looked down at her in my arms fast asleep and immediately thought of these song lyrics:

You're gonna miss this

You're gonna want this back

You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast

These are some good times

So take a good look around

You may not know it now

But you're gonna miss this

Of course, before I knew it I was sitting there crying but I think it was a good moment for me. It definitely helped me to feel better about deciding to take a break from my job (which had been my identity for quite some time) and instead to pause and enjoy what I have before me. Later that night, Hazel was up for over an hour and did not want to be put down in her crib. I got her to sleep no problem over five times but everytime I set her down, she would wake up. I finally brought her into our room and she didn't even want to sleep inbetween Marshall and I, she only wanted to sleep tucked under my arm and right up against me. Tired from a long day I once again found myself thinking... You're gonna miss this and it couldn't be more true.

Loving the swing

Going for a stroll

It's a boy!!

We had our big ultrasound on Monday and found out for sure that we are having a baby boy this August! Everything was measuring great (U/S showed an estimated due date of 8/19 which is right there with our official due date of 8/21) and it was a lot of fun to see this little guy. It has taken a few days to actual change my mindset and realize that I am pregnant with a baby boy only because I am used to being pregnant with a girl! Luckily pretty much everything we got for Hazel (besides her clothes) is pretty gender neutral, so the only BIG things left that we will need to get are a crib, carseat and double stroller. We have been researching double strollers for quite some time and finally settled on the BOB Revolution duallie at REI, so if anyone has experience with this stroller, please let me know! It is annoying that it is so pricey, but it has wonderful reviews, tons of great features (since we will be carting two little ones around for quite some time) and I've heard that others usually go through 2 of the cheap double strollers (at the tune of $500) before finally realizing that they needed something more substantial. Here's a picture of the stroller, it was really important to have our two side-by-side since they will be close in age and I don't want anyone "banished" to the caboose of the stroller :)

Other than that, on 3/15 Hazel really took her first steps alone and now she is walking around more than she is crawling! It is so fun to see her grow up and be so excited about learning new things and becoming independent.

Baby Cullen is here!

Our nephew, Cullen Leonard Schott was born 3/10/10 at 12:23 pm. We couldn't be more excited that he is finally here and Marco & Destiny are enjoying their time as a new little family. I can't believe how strong Destiny was throughout the labor and Marshall & I were honored to be there and share in the joy of welcoming him to the world! I posted pictures from the big day on picasa, but here are a few of my favorites.

Soooo sleepy!

Uncle Marshall & Cullen

The proud parents

I gather this will be familiar for me in a few short months!

So sleepy yet so awake!

I remember experiencing restlessness during the night while pregnant with Hazel but it is a whole new ballgame now that she is here and sleep is a precious commodity. Here I am again at 2 am with Hazel fast asleep and I feel so incredibly restless! It can be so frustrating at times because I know that I will be tired tomorrow when she is awake. Tomorrow we have a doctor's appointment for Hazel and I meet with my midwife for my monthly checkup so we have a pretty full schedule. I think working out during the day has been helping with this but I can't seem to make it to the gym more than twice a week at this point. I also usually take Marlee and Hazel out for nice long walks but it has been so uncharacteristically rainy here that we have been a bit housebound these last few weeks. I am really looking forward to the sun coming out soon!

Hazel has been standing on her own a bit more and even taken a few very tentative steps out from her comfortable place of holding onto the side of the couch. Marshall is convinced that she will be walking very soon. It is hard to imagine that she will be, but then again it seems like these things are just happening overnight! She is getting so big so fast and it is such a joy to see her grow. She has been clapping like crazy, waving at EVERYONE everywhere we go (she realized this gets people's attention and loves doing it) and hugging her stuffed animals which is so incredibly cute. Speaking of cute, we just got back the photos from her 9 month photo shoot (courtesy of Grandma and Grandpa Schott!) and they turned out great! Here are a few of our favorite shots: