One Week Old

Welcome Beau Bradley Harrison!!

Beau Bradley Harrison

Born: November 19, 2010

Time: 11:21 p.m.

Weight: 6 pounds 15.5 ounces

Length: 19 inches

First signs of labor: My water started trickling at around 5:45 at which point I called Daddy (who was out buying a Christmas tree with Papa). He raced home as I called the doctors office. Contractions: Contractions started shortly after my water had started trickling, but were not very consistent for a couple of hours later.

Memorable moments: Although my water had started breaking at home I could contain it with a pad. Upon stepping out of the vehicle at the hospital my water COMPLETELY BROKE. We're talking the kind of water breakage you would see in a movie. I could not hold it in, nor could I stop laughing (which didn't help the situation). My husband said that I left a trail of puddles all down the hallway. I would probably chalk this up as one of the most embarrassing moments of my life, but all worth it in the end. :)

Maternity Photo Session

I'm so fortunate to work with an extremely talented photographer, but I'm even more blessed to call her one of my great friends! We had such a wonderful time taking these maternity shots, and she knows just how to pull the right emotion out of my little guy, Jack. He loved every second of taking photos, and couldn't wait to see the pictures after she was done taking them.

I had a session with Becca when I was 34 weeks pregnant with Jack in 2008, and this time at 36 weeks pregnant with baby #2. Each time was memorable, and I'm so thankful that I'll have these memories of my pregnancies. This session was especially special for me as some of the photos of Jack and I, I will cherish forever. I have such a wonderful and special bond with him, and these years we've had just the two of us will be special to me for the rest of my life. One day I hope he looks back at these photos to see the special love a mother has for her child.

A big, THANK YOU, to Becca Pento for these amazing photos!!!

38 Weeks Pregnant

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 38 Weeks

Size of baby: 19 1/2 inches long and weighs around 6.8 pounds

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 22lbs

Maternity Clothes: Yes-all maternity pants, and some maternity shirts. I'm really enjoying wearing tights as much as possible.

Gender: Boy

Movement: Yes, he is one active little fella. Lots of movement all over, pain in my ribs and pressure down low.

Sleep: I had a strange week of sleep. I woke up Sunday night with intense contractions that went away after about an hour. I slept fantastic on Monday and Tuesday, and tossed and turned all night last night. It will be interesting to see what the rest of the week holds.

Symptoms: I had a doctors appointment on Tuesday and I am 3cm dilated and about 50% effaced, so we are making progress. She said, I may or may not see you here next week for your appointment, so I've been on edge since then wondering if today is "the day". :)

What I miss: If I'm being honest, I miss my normal belly. This pregnancy has been much easier than the last, but I miss my body just being "my body" and not a human life vessel. I'll be excited to have my body back.

Cravings: Chocolate. We've gone through several bags of TWIX bars in the last few weeks. Besides that, nothing much really, my eating has slowed down quite a bit because of the intense indigestion in the evenings.

Best Moment this week: Spending time with my little Jack Jack. I cried last night putting him to bed because I realized soon everything is going to be different, and it won't just be he and I anymore. We have such a wonderful bond that I was so saddened to see that change. It made me realize how much I'll cherish these moments and years I had with just him. At the same time it was a great moment this week hearing that I was 3cm dilated. It excited me to think that we'll be meeting and welcoming another son so soon!!!

What I am looking forward to: I'm looking forward to meeting this sweet baby boy and bringing him home to enjoy our new little family of FOUR!!

36 Weeks Pregnant

It's kind of difficult to tell how big I am in this picture because of the baggy shirt I have on, but I definitely feel as though I've gotten bigger since my last post.

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 36 Weeks

Size of baby: 18 1/2 inches long and weighs around 6 pounds

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 20-21lbs

Maternity Clothes: Yes-all maternity pants, and some maternity shirts. I'm really enjoying wearing tights as much as possible.

Gender: Boy

Movement: Yes, he is one active little fella. Lots of movement all over, pain in my ribs and pressure down low.

Sleep: I've hardly been able to sleep the past week. My indigestion is so awful that I generally can't fall asleep. Then once I do I wake up to use the restroom (the other night was 5-6 times) and then I can't get back to bed. I've been coming out to the couch at 3am so that I don't wake up my husband with all my tossing and turning.

Symptoms: Lots of indigestion, it's been more difficult this time that with my last pregnancy. Lots of heavy pressure in my pelvis, extreme pain at the base of my ribs..OUCH!

What I miss: Sleeping on my TUMMY and being able to eat normal meals. Meat still doesn't sound all that good, I'll be glad to eat a big steak after this pregnancy. :)

Cravings: Chocolate. We've gone through several bags of TWIX bars in the last few weeks and also Sunny D.

Best Moment this week: Having my maternity photos taken with Jackson. My friend and boss, Becca Pento, took my photos, and I'm so lucky to have her in my life as a fellow mommy and friend. She is so talented when it comes to photography, so I'm so excited to see how the photos turned out! I had so much fun snuggling with Jack, and it made me realize what a wonderful and sweet bond I have with him.

What I am looking forward to: Holding our sweet little angel (I can't wait to have a baby again), and cuddling with Jack every second I get before we become a family of four. Also, looking forward to seeing how Jack is with the baby.

Happy Halloween-Jack is 28 Months Old

It's no secret that Jack LOVES sports, so it was only fitting for him to dress up this year as one of his favorite sports stars, Peyton Manning! :) This picture was taken at his weekly Gymboree class earlier this week, and I'll have more pictures to post after he goes to Truck or Treat at our church tomorrow evening. I have a feeling this isn't the last we'll see of the Colts uniform, considering I have to make a deal with Jack most days telling him that if he wears regular clothes to school he can wear his jersey once he gets home. He would wear it every single day out of the house if I would allow it. HAHA

So not only is it Halloween, but I thought it was time to include and share some of the cute and wonderful things that Jack is doing now, at 28 months old. Everyone tells me, if you don't write down the cute things they say and do you'll forget, and I'm starting to realize it's true, so I'm going to try and do better about documenting his milestones and moments.

I'll first have to brag a little. Our little guy is, so far, one heck of an athlete! It's not secret that my husband LOVES sports, and was a great athlete himself, but for just over 2 years old, Jack is truly a natural. I'll have to post video of Jack at the Golfsmith store hitting balls. He asks to go to the golf store every chance he gets, and today while he was there he had an actual audience of people wanting to catch of glimpse of him. Nathan said, he never missed a ball....unbelievable!

That brings us to BASEBALL. My poor hubby can't walk 2 steps into the door in the evenings without Jack asking to go outside and play baseball. We've started pitching to him, but he still enjoys hitting it off the Better Batter training toy. He hits so incredibly hard that I've stopped trying to field the balls and simply shag them for fear of being hit. :) We're talking hits 150 feet or more....He's TWO!!! Not only that, but the moment we head outside he puts all of the bases and the pitchers mound out, and when he makes a good hit runs all the bases exclaiming, "home run".

And now, FOOTBALL! At this point all we can really see is that he has one heck of an arm and pretty great aim. He likes to stand near one couch and throw his mini football into his helmet placed on the other couch across the room. When he makes it he says, "there it is", and goes around giving high fives.

Needless to say, it' s just adorable to watch this kiddo play sports, and to see his enthusiasm for it. I wondered if he would feel pressured to play sports as my husband and I both enjoy them, but thus far his interest has truly been HIS OWN, and it's so much fun to witness!

Some of his favorite sayings, or some cute things he's done recently:

-He likes to say, and use in the correct context, "Oh my Gosh".

-When we talk about church he says, "Go to church and pray to Jesus."

-He'll tell us he wants to do something, and if we repeat it in acknowledgement he says, "OK" (while tilting his head) as if to say, I'm glad you agree with me, now let's get to it. :)

-He knows his directions and way around town. When we left the grocery store today, he told me how to get to the highway and where to turn to get home, and also told me where some of our friends lived in proximity to the grocery store. He was right on all accounts, I couldn't believe it.

-He will walk to the door and tell me that he's going to work, once I say, "Goodbye", he walks back over and says, "I not go to work today."

-If daddy needs to be out of town for the night or a few nights and you ask him where daddy is he'll either say, "Daddy's in Wichita" or "Daddy's in Georgia", both places Daddy has had to travel to several times this year. :)

-He tells his baby brother, in my belly, "to come and play golf with me". (He seems excited about having a playmate).

Some of his favorite things to eat and drink:

-Mac and Cheese

-Peanut Butter and Jelly

-Turkey Hot dogs

-Pizza

-Cheese

-Corn

-Blueberries

-Trix yogurt

-Pancakes

-Nutri Grain Bars

-Dried fruit (mainly dried strawberries and bananas and crasins)

-Chocolate Milk

-Capri Suns

-Apple Juice

-Peanut Butter M&M's

-Chocolate chip cookies

-Marshmellows

-and I hate to admit it....chips

He's weighing in around 30 pounds and is about 37 inches tall. He's wearing a size 2T in most everything, and a size 7 or 8 shoe depending on the brand. If I had to say who he was built like at this point, I would DEFINITELY say daddy. We are working on potty training, slowly but surely, and want him to do it when he is ready. He's been sleeping in his big boy bed for a couple of months now, and he's doing great. He'll get up on occasion during the night, and I just take him back to his room and lay down with him until he's asleep once again. In the mornings he'll come straight to our room to my side of the bed and say, "Mommy, I woke up". Nothing better than that sweet little voice and the touch of his little hand first thing in the morning.

I'm sure this will be a boring post for most people, but I wanted to document it somewhere, and decided this would be best for now (until I really get myself in gear and put scrapbooks together).

We are so blessed to have such a darling little boy, and thank God every day for bringing him into our lives.

LOVE YOU, JACKSON!!!

34 Weeks Pregnant

I am a week behind with my pregnancy posts because this Friday I will actually be 35 weeks, but oh well, close enough. :)

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 34 Weeks

Size of baby: 18 inches long and weighs around 4 3/4 pounds

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 18lbs

Maternity Clothes: Yes-all maternity pants, and some maternity shirts

Gender: Boy

Movement: Yes, he is one active little fella

Sleep: Hasn't been all bad the last week or so. If Jack sleeps through the night I'm only waking once or maybe twice to use the restroom, so I've been doing much better.

Symptoms: Lots of indigestion, it's been more difficult this time that with my last pregnancy.

What I miss: Sleeping on my TUMMY!!!

Cravings: Chocolate. We've gone through several bags of TWIX bars in the last few weeks. :)

Best Moment this week: Taking photos of my friend, Mandy's baby. Just holding that sweet little angel made me realize what a wonderful and amazing experience I am about to have with this second baby.

What I am looking forward to: Holding our sweet little angel (I can't wait to have a baby again), and cuddling with Jack every second I get before we become a family of four. Also, looking forward to seeing how Jack is with the baby.

33 Weeks and Counting

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 33 Weeks

Size of baby: 17 inches long and weighs around 4 pounds

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 18lbs

Maternity Clothes: Yes-all maternity pants, and some maternity shirts

Gender: Boy

Movement: Yes, he is one active little fella

Sleep: I'm not sleeping well. I wake up 2 to 3 times a night to use the restroom, and several more times trying to get comfortable.

Symptoms: Lots of indigestion, it's been more difficult this time that with my last pregnancy.

What I miss: Sleeping on my TUMMY!!! I can fall asleep instantly on my stomach, so it's been difficult adjusting. I miss steak and meat as well. I try to eat as much meat as possible, but it really doesn't sound very good, ever.

Cravings: I haven't had cravings lately, not sure what's going on. :)

Best Moment this week: Hearing Jack say, "Come on baby, come play golf with me." He thinks the baby is going to be an instant playmate, boy is he going to be disappointed when he finds out that the baby can't quite play right away. It's so cute and sweet to hear him talk to his baby brother. He pats my belly several times a day as well, and I'm sad for that to end.

What I am looking forward to: Holding our sweet little angel (I can't wait to have a baby again), and cuddling with Jack every second I get before we become a family of four.

While we're comparing photos...

....why not compare belly size. Clearly, I'm having too much fun with this. :)

The first photo is 29 weeks pregnant with Jack and the second is 3 days shy of 29 weeks pregnant with Baby Boy #2. Same pair of jeans in both photos. LOL

3D Sonogram Fun

We went last week (the beginning of my 28th week of pregnancy) for our 3D Sonogram, and have some adorable photos to share. Our little guy looks healthy, and so much like this big brother. Below you will see a photo of Jack on the left at 28 weeks back in 2008, and Baby #2 on the right just last week. It's amazing to see the comparison. :)

1st Picture: Jack 2nd Picture: Baby Harrison

Baby Harrison

Baby Harrison

We are getting more and more excited about meeting our sweet angel. I'm anxious and nervous about becoming a family of 4, but I know it's going to be absolutely wonderful!

Gone Fishin'

We are always trying to think of different things to do with Jack on the weekends, so this Saturday morning (while I was getting my pre-natal massage) Nathan took Jack to Bass Pro Shop and picked up his first FISHING POLE! Everything at this age revolves around popular Disney movies, so they came home with a Lightning McQueen pole and tackle box. :)

We took Jack down to the lake in our neighborhood to fish, but he was more interested in throwing rocks most of the time than fishing. :) I still snapped a few shots with his pole in hand, and have a feeling he'll be ready to learn how to fish as he gets a bit older.

All in all, a great weekend with my amazing little family! Feeling so blessed!

Almost 26 weeks pregnant in VEGAS!!

It's been a while since I've posted, so I thought I would start with a pregnancy post. This photo isn't the best quality, it was taken with my cell phone, but at least I'm doing a little documenting of this pregnancy. :)

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: Almost 26 Weeks (almost 6 1/2 months)

Size of baby: 13 inches long and weighs slightly over 1 pound

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 10lbs

Maternity Clothes: Yes-mostly just maternity pants when I realize how uncomfortable my regular pants are now.

Gender: Boy

Movement: Yes, he is moving all the time, and I didn't remember the movements being so uncomfortable some of the time...OUCH!

Sleep: I'm not sleeping well. I wake up 2 to 3 times a night to use the restroom, and several more times trying to get comfortable. Not to mention, we just moved Jack into a big-boy bed so I wake up worrying about him.

Symptoms: Lots of indigestion, it's been more difficult this time that with my last pregnancy.

What I miss: Sleeping on my TUMMY!!! I can fall asleep instantly on my stomach, so it's been difficult adjusting. I miss steak and meat as well. I try to eat as much meat as possible, but it really doesn't sound very good, ever.

Cravings: Gummy bears and sorbet.

Best Moment this week: Getting the crib ready for baby, and moving Jack into his big-boy bed. They are sharing a room and I said, "Jack, Baby Brother is going to sleep in the crib now that you have a big-boy bed." He said, "No, that's Jack's bed." I said, what about the big-boy bed? He said," that's Jack's bed too". I thought we had this "sharing" thing down, but it's clear this is going to be a difficult transition. :)

What I am looking forward to: Holding our sweet little angel (I can't wait to have a baby again), deciding on a name for the little guy, and cuddling with Jack every second I get before we become a family of four.

Jack and Mommy's Adventures

It's always easy to complain about the "hard days" we have with our children, and when the children are right around the age of 2, those days are frequent; but today I had an absolutely wonderful day with my son, and felt that I should write about it.

Daddy has been out of town for work the past few days, and usually when Daddy is away Jack wants HIM HOME to play, so that's an automatic negative. This week, however, Jack has asked about Daddy several times, but overall has been a real joy for me. We've had our moment, don't get me wrong, but I've found myself more calm, cool and collected with him this week. Like this morning, for example, we all know how much time goes into laundry, folding it, and putting it away, it's ENDLESS. Today I had stacks of clothes on my bed waiting to be put away, and while I was on the phone, some little stinker decided to throw every last item onto the floor. He found this very comical, and honestly, so did I. I couldn't help but laugh when I saw his smiling face, proud of what he had done, not understanding (well not COMPLETELY understanding) what the problem would be. I laughed and said, "Jack, can you pick these clothes up and throw them back on the bed?" He keeps doing what he's doing and say, "Ummmmmm...NO!" I laughed so hard to myself, and having captured the moment with my iPhone sent the photo to several family members to enjoy.

Beyond that, we had our first Pee Pee in the Potty moment this week. Each morning when it's time for Jack to get dressed and change his diaper, he asks if he can sit on his potty and go Pee Pee. I always say yes, and until this point he had never once actually gone, so I thought it was really just a fun thing for him to do and pretend at this point. Well, we played this game, and I went into the restroom later on in the afternoon and saw the cup was full of pee pee. I was astonished and couldn't wait for Jack to wake up from his nap so I could show him what a great thing he had done, praise him, and kiss on him. I was hoping this would be a trend each morning and I could actually go somewhere with this, but this morning he was back to his old tricks. OH well, we'll get this potty thing down once he's ready, as for now, it was just a fluke.

Today, Jack and I shopped on the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, and enjoyed some time near the fountains. We only made it to a few stores, as it was 95 degrees outside. Jack wanted to take his shoes off and walk in the water in the fountain like the other big kids he saw, but I dodged the bullet on that one. I could see it turning from feet dangling in the water to a full on swim, so we decided to make a run for it at that point. We went from there to dinner at Kona Grill (mommy had a craving for sushi, cooked of course). My little guy is absolutely obsessed with edamame, so he enjoyed that amongst other things, but what really made me laugh was seeing him try to pick up the beans with his chop sticks. He actually got one while holding the chop sticks in one hand, I was super impressed. He wants to do everything we are doing these days, and is truly growing up before our eyes.

Tomorrow my little munchkin turns 2 years old, and I'm so sad that he's not all that little anymore, but I'm so excited to see the changes and developments he will have in the next year. He's so incredibly sweet, always kissing my belly saying "nite, nite, baby" or "hi baby". He constantly wants to give hugs and kisses and just lately can't stop saying, "hold you", when he wants to be picked up.

Other things he loves at this age:

-Fall asleep in mommy's bed

-Play baseball and have mommy or daddy hit the ball "up high"

-Hit golf balls (and I'm not kidding, this kid is GOOD!)

-To count, but usually stops at 8 for some reason.

-To dance and use the end of his golf club and a microphone

-He is obsessed with "driving" our vehicles, and goes as far as putting the keys in the ignition, and asks us to close the door.

-Always says, "nice shot" when we are watching sports on TV, and calls the hole in golf, "the pocket" like on a pool table

-Go into the pantry and pull food out when he wants to snack, even when he shouldn't be hungry.

-Reading books at night time

-Talking on the phone, or even pretending that he's talking

And so many other things that I can't think of right now. I'm so tired, and I'm sure pregnancy brain is kicking in right now, but life is great, and we feel so blessed to have this amazing little 2 year old boy in our lives!

LOVE YOU, JACK!!!

First Baby Belly Photos

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 15 Weeks
Size of baby: The size of an apple
Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 3-4 pounds
Maternity Clothes: I'm still wearing my regular clothes, although those with expandable waistbands are most comfortable.
Gender: ?? We find out July 8th
Movement: No not yet, but I'm super excited to start feeling him/her move.

What I miss: Eating NORMAL

Sleep: I'm sleeping well so far, although making a trip at least once a night to the restroom.

Symptoms: Some slight aches and stretching in the round ligament area, upset tummy if I eat or drink certain things, or don't eat frequently enough.

Cravings: I like a great deal of food besides MEAT..YUCK!

Best Moment this week: Hiking Pinnacle Peak with my husband in Scottsdale, AZ, and stopping to take our first "belly picture". That and hearing Jack say "nite, nite, baby" or "nite nite, sissy" (he thinks it's a girl I guess). :)

What I am looking forward to: Finding out the sex of this baby and starting to buy things for him/her, and looking forward to getting more of a belly so that others can tell that I am pregnant.

Summer Time Fun

The weather here in Kansas has been absolutely beautiful for the past week. I can't explain how happy it makes me to drive with the windows down, to wear flip flops, and to take my child outside of the house without layers of clothing. We've truly enjoyed spending time outside, and since Jack never really wants to come inside, we've spent most of our time in the driveway and the yard.

I thought it was time for an update on our little guys development, so I've included photos of some of his favorite pastimes. He absolutely loves playing golf with the real child clubs that were given to us by Uncle Chuck, or with his plastic set. He's gotten quite good, and was actually hitting a golf ball with his real clubs today. Seriously? I even miss the ball sometimes and my "almost" 2 year old is hitting it...A-Mazing! :)

He's also having a great time playing baseball. Everyday we head out to the backyard and he asks for Mommy and Daddy to "hit". He likes to throw the ball to us and wants us to hit "up high". It's so cute, and how could I go wrong....he throws....I hit.....he runs after the ball....easy peasy! LOL

We've been enjoying the police cozy coupe, and he asks everyday if he can drive "Jack's car" in the driveway. He likes to take it down to the bottom of the driveway and go as fast as possible off the edge into the cul-de-sac (not real safe, but he lives on the edge I guess).

BUT, his favorite pastime is of course "driving" Daddy's truck. He will do anything to sit in the truck and pretend to drive. Not only does he know how to put the key in the ignition, turn it on and off, but he buckles his seat belt, messes with the radio volume and moves the steering wheel as though he is really driving. Best of all, he'll ask to give the truck a kiss nite-nite almost every evening, he's such a sweetheart!

So that's an update on our little angel, he really is a great kid, although mommy is struggling a bit with the fact that he rarely listens to anything I say. I should go ahead and take the word "NO" out of my vocabulary because he couldn't care less if I told him "no" or to "stop". I'm hoping terrible 2's doesn't last long.

I'm getting exhausted, so not only am I NOT going to proof read this blog post, but I'm going to end it rather poorly by simply saying, Good Night!! Mommy and the bun in the oven need to get some rest! xoxo

P.S....we are 14 weeks pregnant today!! I feel like this pregnancy is going so slow! :) Can't wait to find out if it's a girl or boy!!!

Patton Family Session

I had the opportunity to work with the Patton family a few weeks ago, and the entire experience was absolutely perfect. First of all, what a gorgeous family and secondly, they couldn't have been more laid back and easy to work with. We had a great time and were lucky to have an absolutely beautiful day at the Crossroads in Downtown KC. These are some of my favorites from our shoot, and I can't wait to work with the Patton's again in the future!