This pregnancy sure seems to be moving! We’ve known now for almost 10 weeks! This makes me so happy, while I want to enjoy my pregnancy, I’m not too upset if the time goes quickly. I am really looking forward to my maternity leave to spend more time with Jonathan and see what it’s like managing a household with two little ones.

We’ve all had colds lately and Josh’s and mine are still lingering a bit. Nasty coughs and lots of congestion have plagued our household for about 10 days now. I am really glad JT is doing so much better though. It’s amazing how different his personality is when he’s sick. It’s very difficult to deal with (though I realize he is a very healthy child overall, not complaining here one bit) and very hard to see your child so miserable. He cut two more teeth at the same time so that woke him up quite a bit in the middle of the night :-/ But, now that’s he’s better he is soo happy! It’s so fun to play with him and watch him discover new things. Lately he’s been getting into all of the kitchen cabinets and wants to reorganize the pantry. We still need to work on getting new latches and moving the cleaning products to a different sink…

Life has been full of storms lately and I just weather them one at a time. I am pretty confident in what the future holds for me/us and I really look forward to that. Just need patience to get there.

So, for those that hadn’t seen it on Facebook or heard directly from us–we are expecting baby Maag #2 late this summer! We are very excited to welcome another child into our family and thrilled that God is blessing us again. Today, Jonathan woke around 8:00 (5:30 for his first bottle but then back to bed) and it was my turn to get up with him and feed him/play for a bit. While we were downstairs and he was climbing all over me I felt a bump in my tummy. I have been feeling what I thought could be early fetal movements for over a week but wrote it off as I wasn’t sure. This morning, I was sure! As Jonathan was climbing on me and his little brother or sister, his sibling wanted to play back and I felt the thump. It’s very light so early on, but very exciting to me nonetheless. This past Monday, we heard the heartbeat for the first time at the DR. office. So simple yet so amazing and miraculous at the same time. The baby was very active (170 beats a minute) and kept moving away from the DR–JT did this too. It’s so neat to know this little being is already bouncing around inside of me and I look forward to feeling more and more each passing day.

Please continue praying for a healthy pregnancy and healthy baby–also, Jonathan has eye surgery tomorrow to open his blocked tear duct. Please pray for a successful surgery and very quick recovery.

I suppose I should catch myself up and get back into blogging again…very hard when everyday life sucks all the energy from you.

Today was a very difficult and emotional day for me. Found out my sweet son took his first steps! How amazing! Seeing him grow every day and learn new things is such a blessing, I’m sure every year is special but the early years seem especially sweet as they change so quickly. I am so sad that I wasn’t home when this happened, my mom called me and told me the news. After hanging up I thought, did I really miss my son’s first steps? And for what? Work? I cried. This is not what life is about…I will get through this but not sure I won’t have regrets about this past year. I have a timeline and a plan and God willing, that will work out and I won’t always have these feelings or be in this situation. When I look at the date on the calendar, I pray for patience. I don’t want to wish myself into the future, but wouldn’t mind if it comes rather quickly.

I was really touched by the story about Dax Locke, for those not familiar with the story, google “One Last Christmas” by Mathew West. Warning: you will cry, hard, especially if you’re pregnant. By reading about his entire journey, I also learned about a little girl named Elizabeth who also passed away from cancer when she was 2. Today would be her 4th birthday…that makes me pretty emotional too. However, after reading about these stories, I have a new perspective on life and the motto “Cherish Every Moment” is very dear to me. When I have difficult times with Johnny, I stop, thank God for him, his health and the blessing that he is and know I won’t always have him home with me so these moments I cherish, good and bad.

Ok, time for something upbeat! Jonathan recently turned 1!! Wow! I can’t believe I am the mother of a 1-year old! So exciting! We had a big party for him at our house…well, technically it was “small” as we only invited close friends and friends with kids but it ended up being over 40 people when you add up the kids and adults. When I picked up the balloons from Party City I was really excited to bring them home to Jonathan. He loves balloons and I knew he would love these. Sure enough, he was swimming in them! Josh would hold him up and he’d bat at them and screamed with excitement over being surrounded by all of the balloons. What a sweet-heart! Seeing him filled with joy warms my heart and makes me smile. I was very thankful that day to have so much help too so I was able to enjoy his party. Julie (Josh’s mom) was able to fly in to celebrate with us! And she was a huge help getting all of the food together as were my parents. Beth and Casey helped decorate and Beth took people’s coats for me and helped me greet people…this became a big task with how many people came to celebrate with us! After an hour or so of eating and watching clips of Jonathan’s first year we let Jonathan have his cake. I think he was very overwhelmed by all of the people because he barely touched his cake and wasn’t too in to it. Luckily, he was very excited for his presents and helped open them. People were way to generous—this kid doesn’t need any more clothes or toys until next fall/winter and even then he might be good on the toy frontJ

That’s what I’ve got for you right now…stay tuned for some new news and BIGGER updates coming soon :-)

So, Jonathan and I were playing on the floor tonight and he kept laughing and laughing. I would laugh and then he would laugh and on and on. It was such a sweet response from such a wonderful little boy. I also tickled him and he shrilled! He’s getting really ticklish on his sides:-) I also noticed he looked a bit thinner today. He went through a growth spurt recently but he grew taller so his legs and belly don’t look as chubby. His little muffin top is smaller!

I never knew I could love anyone/thing so much. He fills my heart with joy every single day and that love just gets stronger and stronger as the time goes by.

Well, today was a pretty great day. Jonathan had his 6-month appt and he is 18 lbs 5.5 oz and 27 in long. Not quite doubled in birth weight but getting close. His head was 17in but I don’t trust that measurement, he was squirming the whole time and wanted to play with the tape. He was cute…he is very healthy and his hydroceale is almost gone! This means we’ve avoided the surgery, so incredibly happy about that!

I am sooooooo blessed to be his mama! I just went into this room and held him. Yes, he is asleep and has been for over an hour but I wanted to hold my baby. He stayed asleep for the most part but still didn’t lay his head on my shoulder, he just stuck it out. He definitely doesn’t like to cuddle. I will have to tell his future gfs about this:-) I held him for a few minutes and put him back in his crib. Some days I am gripped with fear that something may happen to him…it’s pointless to worry but I can’t help it some nights. Some days are definitely stronger than others, tonight was a strong one. I am so incredibly thankful that God lets me be his mama everyday, we are blessed beyond words.

**I love you more than the sun loves the moon, more than the moon loves the starts** Sweet dreams little one. <3 Mommy

Yesterday was Jonathan’s 6 month birthday and we celebrated way more than we probably should have. Oh well, it was fun. We planned to go to my parent’s for dinner but didn’t realize when we made the plans that it was Jonathan’s 6 month birthday. The day before I had bought him a few toys and sippy cups from Target with a gift card I received from work. I decided to give them to him for his 6-month birthday since that was the next day. I didn’t wrap the gifts or anything, but I did pull them out one by one and put them in front of him. He also received his very first laptop from Grandma and Grandpa- how exciting. The sippy cups seemed to be his favorite though, go figure. My parents (mainly mom I’m sure) also got him a cake! We cut him a piece and let him just go at it and with my help, he had a mouth full of icing way too quickly. That was pretty much all he was going to get as I didn’t want him to really eat that much and I didn’t know he’d react that way. We’re in trouble for his 1st birthday! It was really fun though, Casey and Tahnee were there too and got to share in the experience.

These past 6 months have been the most rewarding, hardest and unbelievable months of my life. I feel so blessed everyday to have my sweet little boy!

The latest Johnny news:
Weighs 18.2 lbs, height ~26.25 in
Sleeps 8:30/9-5:30-6 most nights
Eats Green beans, sweet potatoes (a favorite), corn, carrots, mashed potatoes, avacado and rice cereal; today he also ate bananas!
He sits up really well on his own and loves to play with toys, grasp rattles and pull mommy’s hair (hard!).
He doesn’t like most cameras but he loved getting his picture taken at JC Penny, was such a little ham the whole time laughing it up!
Blue eyes and blonde hair that is starting to grow back (cradle cap is going away!)

Well, this past month has certainly been eventful. Jonathan made it through most of June without needing a late night feeding and towards the end he didn’t wake at all! Josh would occasionally need to give him his pacifier but overall his sleeping has dramatically improved which has helped me immensely. The past two nights though he has needed to eat in the middle of the night, growth spurt perhaps?

We celebrated his 5 month birthday with rice cereal. He did fine the first try but for the second try he wasn’t as enthused. The next day I gave him some avacado which I’m not sure he actually swallowed. On Tuesday, we went to Lexington to visit my Grandparents and he got some mashed potatoes. I know I shouldn’t have introduced so much so fast probably but he did fine with it all and it was small quantities. The next week he had sweet potatoes and corn and green beans. He did not like the green beans but we’ll keep trying.

We also celebrated the 4th of July at the Crouseys, had a good party, good food and Jonathan swam again. He got dunked a bit this time but didn’t seem to mind. He was much less fussy than he was in mid June. He does really well when we go out- fell asleep at the Crouseys and didn’t wake when he was transferred to the car or crib, then he did well outlet shopping with me and Grammy today and he slept at Jen and Jordan’s during Jen’s birthday party. He was a very sweet peaceful demeanor and is setting the bar pretty high for his future siblings.

I love being a mother….I am surprised at how many of my views and opinions have changed now that I actually have a child. All have gotten better I think, but I have so much more to live for, love, and enjoy in life and its all thanks to my little Johnny.

This past week was a special week for me. I felt extra close to Jonathan which was an amazing feeling. Someone said you “grow another emotion” when you have a child and it’s so true. It’s hard to explain but I think most parents understand what that feeling is. There was tradgedy in the news this week- two boys, 8 and 11 fell into a creek or perhaps one fell in and the other tried to save his brother. We will never know but sadly, both were found no longer alive. The story absolutely broke my heart to think of that family mourning that loss. I love my little boy so much and dream big dreams about what his life may be like–I know boys are adventurous but man, I don’t know how I’m going to let him be adventurous and keep him safe. Hopefully I don’t turn into an overprotective mom but somehow that will probably happen. My heart and prayers go out to that family.

Ok- lighter topic- Jonathan rolled over this weekend! On Saturday morning I finished feeding Jonathan so I was playing with him on our bed when all of a sudden I got wet. He leaked through his diaper! Grrr, he is ready to move up to size 3 but I am trying to stretch out my remaining 2s! I believe this is the cause for the recent round of leaks…but anyway, since I knew he just did this I decided to give him a little “free” time without his diaper so I laid him on a blanket as this is supposed to be good for their lil bottoms. Anyway, I decided to try tummy time too and as soon as I laid him down he rolled over. He had a surprised look on his face but I cheered and clapped for him so he immediately grinned. Josh heard me on the baby monitor and jumped out of bed to see what was up–I was so happy! I’ve been waiting for this milestone for almost a month so when it happened I was overjoyed especially because the doctor told us it may not happen for a few months. He did it again on Sunday afternoon too and Josh got to see it and share in the excitement!
Saturday night we had Jen and Jordan over for dinner. Josh grilled chicken and we had broccoli, baked potatoes, fruit and a cracker and cheese tray. After dinner we played a game of Settlers which was one of the better matches I’ve ever played as everyone did well. Of course, Josh won (again) but he got to pick his placements last which I think may have something to do with it. We also had chocolate cake and ice cream for dessert..mmm it was delicious. I am working on losing weight again though so I’m not sure why I had seconds. Saturday should be my cheat day I guess.

Sunday we went to the Vineyard and sat in the baby theater. We forgot the pacifier but Jonathan didn’t do to badly without it. He was a little fussy though so before lunch we stopped at Target to get new ones. We then went to Qdoba for lunch with Jen, Jordan, Dan, Beth, Katie and Tony (they got locked out of their car at Northgate mall). After lunch I ended up going to Sara’s after dropping Josh off at home. Jonathan got to go swimming again and this time didn’t go quite as well as last time but he didn’t cry too much. He wasn’t a fan of his raft. I need to get him a bumbo chair so he can practice sitting more. He is excellent at standing but doesn’t like to sit much so he doesn’t sit up very well. I think sitting up will help him in his baths (which last week or so we took away the ramp in the tub) and in the pool. After swimming, I came home and watched UP with Josh and played with Jonathan some more. He is such a sweet natured little boy. He smiles so much now and laughs and giggles, it is the best part of my day when I am home with my men. We skyped with Josh’s parents tonight too, glad they got to see Jonathan again:-)

Now getting ready for another work week….ugh for Mondays.

So, Jonathan discovered his voice this past weekend. I must say it’s really funny to hear him scream for no reason. It’s a happy scream and he really likes to hear his voice and the wonderful sounds he knows how to make. We had a great Memorial Day weekend, here’s what we did:

Friday night- Grandma extended her babysitting services so Josh and I could go out to Dewey’s Pizza for a quick date. It was tasty and a nice start to the 3-day weekend. I then started to prep the ugly orange bathroom for paint, the Money’s are moving in!

Saturday- Jonathan slept through the night again (he’s at 6 days in a row right now) and I worked on the bathroom while he napped. Holes were patched and paint started going on the walls. We also went to Taste of Cincy in the afternoon with Casey and Tahnee and met up with Bryan, Kendra, Aseem and one of his friends. I had some really good Mac N Cheese, not so good Spring Rolls,a Gyro pizza, and Raspberry Cloud Pie. It was hot and very crowded, not sure I’ll go again next year. Overall though, we had a good time and JT did well for most of it. He was just fussy in the beginning because it was hot.

Sunday: JT slept in! He woke at 6 but then slept past 10 so we did too. No church but the extra sleep felt really nice. I continued working on the bathroom. In the afternoon we went to the Crousey’s house to swim. It was such a nice day for swimming and Jonathan got to go in a pool for the first time! He seemed to enjoy it a bit- screamed but it was a happy scream and I tried to splash his hand a bit. Josh took video so we can always relive those moments. It was fun.

Monday- I finished the bathroom! It is all decked out now, just a few small things left to do. I also went to visit my grandparent’s grave site. We took a different kind of 4-generations photo as JT was with me. It was a good thing to do and a nice time to remember my Grandpa who I never met, but served our country in WWII. He was in the Army-Airforce. We ordered pizza Monday night (with Aseem) and tried the new Dominos. It was alright, still not as good as Papa Johns though.

Tuesday- Blah. I had to go back to work and all I wanted to do was come home and snuggle JT. So of course, that’s the first thing I did after work. Work was a bit crazy, forgot a few pump parts (Kendra had extras, thank goodness!!!) and I spilled some milk on me. Had a few other mishaps but the evening was much better. We took JT to the grocery store and he loved cruising, laughed up a storm, smiled and had a good time. Didn’t really fuss at all until we were checking out and I think that’s because he needed a new diaper. What a wonderful baby I have!

That’s the latest- I love my family they are the best!

Wow, due for an update! First, I’ll talk about Mother’s Day even though it was two weeks ago…

I woke up with Jonathan sleeping through the night. That was definitely gift number 1. At this time he was consistently sleeping around 4 nights a week from 8:30-5 or 6. But the week with Cinco de Mayo was hard for him so this was much needed sleep for all of us. After I fed him Josh asked me if I wanted to open my gifts and I said sure. I received Reeses eggs, a digital picture frame and two cards. One was from JT and one was from Josh, very sweet.  After gifts we all hung out in our bed before getting up for the day. Eventually, we went to my mom’s house to pick her up and then Casey up to head to Lexington. My mom gave me a card and my sister gave me a beaded ring that showcased Jonathan’s birthstone, garnet. Very sweet! We then trecked to Lexington but in N.Ky searched for a Chick-Fil-A for lunch. After a 20 or so minute search we finally see it and then quickly realize it’s Sunday and they were closed! So the hunt was on, 15 mins later we finally found an Arbys. Then we were on the road again and arrived at Grandmother and Granddaddy’s house (Jonathan’s great grandparents). I think they were very happy with our visit and enjoyed it very much. I know I enjoyed sharing cake with them and letting them hold Jonathan. We didn’t stay too long but the time with them was very important to me.

More recent, the month of May is flying by. Work is going ok, very challenging for me in new ways which is good but I can feel a bit overwhelmed at times. I had my 30 day review this week though and my Manager is very pleased with my performance so I expect to do well in the job, just want to get through training. This week Julie was in-town to watch Jonathan while my parents were in Hilton Head. The first weekend she was in town we went to Honey Baked Ham and Jungle Jims on Saturday and Five Guys and the outlets on Sunday. We didn’t too much during the week other than watch DWS because it was raining and Josh and I were working. We did take off Friday but I wasn’t feeling good and it rained so we just went to Cheeseburger in Paradise. Saturday we went to Krohn Conservatory and saw the Butterfly show, I enjoyed this a lot! It was a lot of fun to have the butterflies flying all around and landing on us. Jonathan was pretty well behaved too which was good because it was sooo hot. At the end of the experience we went to Sonic for happy hour to cool off.  Saturday night we went to Silver Spring House and were served our food 2 minutes after ordering, seriously. I think having a baby helped that! Saturday night, after Jonathan went to bed we had cheese and wine time:-) We had sausage, crackers, cheese and Blueberry wine. Yumm…it was a  good time hearing about some of Julie’s first dates with Jim and stories of when Josh was little. Sunday, we met my parents at Hot Doggin It which was good. They gave me souvenoirs from their trip- a necklace, bracelet, cookie cutter and dessert napkins, and little wax candles for my bathroom. JT got a new outfit and teether and Josh got a HH skull and Wii sword attachment. We had to cut out from lunch a little early because Jonathan was very tired and needed to sleep. We picked up Julie’s luggage at home and then headed for the airport. It was time to say goodbye- and little Johnny slept through it. The best part of the visit was discovering Jonathan likes Pat-A-Cake, maybe they can play together on skype!

We then stopped at Casey’s to visit the new kitten and feed Jonathan. Of course he spit up all over me and pooped through his outfit. I guess it was appropriate since it had monkeys on it right?

Now it’s time for the LOST finale and to feed Jonathan!!