extended: stella and dot virtual party

Because the minimum order amount has not been reached for hostess rewards, I'm extending the virtual party through the end of this week! Check it out--there are so many AFFORDABLE and stylish pieces!!

(For more info, click here)

Time is running out: stella and dot party

I just wanted to remind everyone that the virtual party will be ending on Monday! If you haven't had the time to look through the fabulous jewelry on my site, please do, and if you have any questions, let me know! ANY order gets you entered into the "mystery hostess" contest; no minimum purchase amount is required!

Click here for details!

17 months!

I'm a few days late, but what can I say...I'm busy!

My little monkey is getting bigger, and smarter, and well, even cuter with every passing month! (What? It's TRUE!) Is it possible to love him even more? 'Cause I do! :) This past month, Hampton has really grown. Seriously, he's had a major growth spurt, and I'm starting to question if we're going to be able to make it through the spring in the 18 month clothes I have for him! His vocabulary is growing by the day, and he's becoming much more vocal (though lots of it is still "Chinese"!). This kid is so loving. He gives hugs and kisses to anyone who asks (and, as we learned with a new friend on the playground recently, even those who don't!). He adores his daddy, but prefers to snuggle up with me. I don't mind! He's always "on" and doesn't sit down for longer than a few minutes. Even the nursery teachers at church comment about how he "doesn't walk, he runs"! With the weather being so nice recently, we've thoroughly enjoyed time at the park and being outside. Although, it's almost guaranteed that a tantrum will ensue when we have to come inside. Thank goodness they're short lived! Since we obviously can't get in the pool yet, bath time has to do. Hampton loves to splash, lay on his tummy and practice kicking, dipping his face under and blowing bubbles. Speaking of bubbles, if he even sees a bottle of bubbles, he flips out until somebody opens it and starts blowing. "Bubas" are definitely a favorite! He loves dogs and is quite a show off in front of strangers. The little things that he does each day just amaze me, like when we were reading the book "Find the Puppy" the other night, he just started pointing to the puppy on each page! Who knew, he's actually been learning something!

I love you, sweet baby boy. Your smile melts my heart each day, and your hugs and kisses can not be beat!(He was giving hugs and kisses to his bear in this one!)

another first

The "firsts" are such fun when you are watching your child grow up. First tooth, first roll, first smile, first step, first haircut...oh, there are just so many! Last week, we had a not so fun first-Hampton's first ear infection. He was so pitiful, had a fever of 104 Monday night (another first!), and no signs of what could be wrong. We headed in to the doctor on Tuesday morning, and I prepared myself for the "It's a virus, nothing we can do about it" speech. When Dr.H was looking him over, she was talking about different viruses going around, and then, she looked in his right ear, looked at me with a surprised look and said, "He has an ear infection. I did not see that coming!" I found it amusing that she was as surprised to see it as I was to hear it. She said she thought he might have a virus on top of it as well. The good news with ear infections is that he can take medicine for it! He's been on antibiotics for a week now, and the little monkey seems to be back to his old self. I hate that he was ever so miserable, and I hope we don't have to go through that again for a long time.

(Also, don't forget to check out the Stella & Dot virtual party!)

18 weeks!

How far along: 18 weeks, 2 days
Total weight gain/loss: +5 lbs. (Hellooo bewbs and butt. Ugh)
Maternity clothes: No
Stretch marks: Nothing new, but it looks like stretchies from last time are resurfacing.
Sleep: Not bad. I'm kind of surprised that I rarely have to wake up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom.
Best moment this week: Finding out the sex & seeing HIM on the u/s. Very active baby! He's also measuring right on track...not a week or so ahead like his big brother always did!
Movement: A few flutters. Anterior placenta again, so not surprising that I'm not feeling much.
Food cravings: None
Gender: It's a BOY!! :)
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out: In
What I miss: The freedom to lay around all I wanted like I did last pregnancy! ha!
What I am looking forward to: Picking out a name. Now that we know it's a he, "he" needs a name!
Milestones: Week 18-baby is the size of a sweet potato (average size 5.6 in, 6.7 oz). The fetus has become amazingly mobile, passing the hours yawning, hiccuping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking and swallowing! I should be able to feel these movements more soon!

virtual stella and dot party!

In honor of the Spring weather we've been having, and the fabulous Spring/Summer line just released from Stella & Dot, I'm going to do something that I think will be lots of fun! I'm throwing a virtual "Mystery Hostess" Stella & Dot Jewelry party!Here's how it will work:
1. Log on to www.stelladot.com/rebekah and click on "shop" to browse the great jewelry.
2. When you add your first item to the shopping bag, it will ask if you were invited to a Trunk Show. Enter the Hostess first name "A" and Hostess last name "Surprise." Click on that party and then you can continue shopping.
3. All orders must be placed by 12:00pm, Monday, February 28. Once the party is closed, I will choose one customer from this party, and that person will become the "Party Hostess"!! This means, you'll get ALL the free jewelry earned from this party. (I will notify the winner Monday afternoon and let them know how much FREE JEWELRY and half-off items they have received.)
4. Enjoy shopping!

**Here's how free jewelry credits work**

Hostess Rewards
Our average Trunk Show Hostess receives $250 in free jewelry and 4 half-off items!

Qualified Trunk Shows have 4 unique ordering guests.
*Not applicable to sale Items ** ½ price items are capped at 4.
Hostess Rewards must be redeemed in one order on full-price jewelry within 14 days of Trunk Show date.

It's a....

We were so excited to cut into the cake and see....We're having another little BOY!!! It was fun finding out with our families, and we couldn't be more excited. Especially being this close together, I think having two boys is going to be AWESOME!!

And now we have to start talking about names...a discussion that was put on the back burner until we knew what we were having...I'll get back to you on that one!

road trip

On Friday, we packed up the car and headed to Asheville, NC to meet Hampton's new baby cousin, Elliot. We got in late Friday and headed to "camp" (where Jordan's bro works) to the cabin we were staying in. Hampton ran around for a few minutes and then went right to sleep-yay! The next day we met up with Matt and his daughter, Anna, for breakfast and let the new mama sleep a little more. After that, we went to their house and just played for a bit, loved on Elliot, and then headed out for a late lunch. Then, because we're apparently crazy, we headed home. It was about a 4 hour drive each way, so needless to say, it was an exhausting trip. Seriously, Jordan and I were in bed by 8:30 Saturday night and slept until 7 the next morning!! So glad we got to go see our little nephew, though!

Here's some pics of Hampton meeting Elliot and holding him (& giving him the sweetest hug!!). He was SO excited and SO sweet to the baby. When Anna took her turn to hold him, he just stood there, wiggling his fingers and bouncing on his toes, so ready to hold him again! Love it!!

our time

I love getting to be home with Hampton 4 days a week. Our 2 days that we are alone during the work week are fun, but sometimes they can be very stressful! He's such a good kid, but every once in a while one of us just is having a bad day. Take last Tuesday for instance-he refused to eat dinner. (after refusing to take a morning nap and only a 1 hour afternoon nap). Jordan was stuck in traffic, and I was just flat worn out. The monkey threw a flinging food, red-faced, crying until he couldn't breathe, FIT. I felt helpless. I finally just sat down and cried with him. It was so pitiful. I decided that daddy was going to tackle dinner, so I put him in the bath. A totally different child emerged and all was right in the world! Phew :)

Getting ready for bed is really becoming my favorite part of the day these days. I love playing and watching his little personality just explode, obviously, but getting ready for bed is our time. Once he's in his pajamas, Jordan fixes H some milk and then the monkey and I go in my room and get in bed for story time and cuddles. For about 30 minutes, we just chill out together. This gives Jordan some much needed alone time after a long day at work, and it gives me the time to snuggle with my little monkey-win, win! Then he knows it's time to go to bed. We say our prayers and I take him to his room to lay him down. Such a great little routine. I love it!

Last night, I sat there and thought how different things will be in just a few short months. I'm so nervous about how things will change once there is a new baby in the house. Will the monkey start to resent me and only want his daddy? Will he want to be with me only and do whatever it takes to get my attention? Will things just go along normally? (Ha-that 3rd one is just wishful thinking!) Either way, I want to make it a priority that Hampton knows that we will always have "our time." I love, love, LOVE every second that I get to spend with this boy, and I want to make sure he knows that!

A much better mealtime this morning of blueberry muffins:

16 weeks

How far along: 16 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: +4ish lbs.
Maternity clothes: No
Stretch marks: No
Sleep: So far, so good. But I'm still exhausted!
Best moment this week: I know Hampton doesn't have a clue, but he'll pull up my shirt and point to my belly and when I say "baby," he nods. It's so sweet. But, like I said, he has no clue!
Movement: None, maybe a flutter here and there, but I'm not positive.
Food cravings: Nothing really.
Gender: We'll find out Feb. 17!
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out: In
What I miss: Energy
What I am looking forward to: Having a clean house, and possibly putting it on the market so we can get more room!!
Milestones: Week 16-Baby is the size of an avocado (average size: 4.6 inches, 3.5 oz.)! Tiny bones are forming in baby's ears mean the little one can now pick up my voice. Eyebrows, lashes and hair are starting to fill in, and taste buds are forming.

Week 16 Belly: (please ignore the mess in the back...I was in the middle of cleaning!)