Baby 2, big girl bed, and a new kitty

For anyone who has not already seen this on Facebook, we found out at our 15 week appointment that baby 2 is a boy!!  It was confirmed at my 19 week appointment, so it looks like we're going to be buying blue.  :)  Everything Dr. Barker checked out at the 19 week appointment looked great.  Everything on the ultrasound pointed to a healthy baby boy!  I can't believe that I am going to be 21 weeks along in this pregnancy tomorrow - more than halfway there!  We're starting to get some ideas for the nursery, and I am hoping that we'll be able to commit to a name soon.

We decided to go ahead and switch Cora to her big girl bed around her birthday - took advantage of some of the Labor Day sales!  I am SO thankful that a couple of weeks prior to her birthday, Cora started going to sleep on her own in her crib.  One night, this pregnant Mommy was just too tired to keep rocking her.  I was actually going to get her daddy who was.....busy...for a while......and so I ended up just sitting by myself and listening to her cry.  I had no real expectations since crying it out had never worked before, but after about 10 minutes, she got quiet and went to sleep.  I decided to try again the next night and she only cried for about 30 seconds.  She got quiet when I shut the door.  The next night, she just whimpered a little bit.  Ever since then, our big girl has been going to sleep on her own!  We were really worried about how she would do with her big girl bed, but the transition was seamless.  Unfortunately, she did manage to roll off the end of her bed one night and fall in the floor.  She was a little less enthusiastic the night after, but she has really done great.  Thankfully, we haven't had any other issues with her falling.  My mom and sister were kind enough to come over last Saturday and paint Cora's big girl room.  The beige walls were really bothering me.  :)  Below are some pics of Cora's new room.

We have also had another addition to our family!  Meet Moe, our new kitten.  We were glad to get a buddy for our cat, Lucas, since he lost his brother over a year ago.  It's been nice to see him running around, playing again, even if he isn't always happy about it.  :)  Moe (short for Elmo...Cora's choice) has really come in and fit in perfectly with our little family.  He's also Cora's little buddy.  Here are some pics of our sweet kitty.

Cora and Moe hanging out

Aww, snuggled with Hazel

Haha! Lucas figured out that Moe was too scared to jump in the big tub.  He would lay in the tub and Moe would just pace.  It was quite funny.  Moe has grown some since then and is in and out of the tub, so Lucas' safe haven is no longer.

Cora loves to carry Moe...poor guy.  He does great with her!

Love this pic!!  Moe looks terrified.  :)

Busy, busy, busy

Two months without a blog post I believe is a new record for me!  Something about being pregnant, moving, going on vacation, taking care of a toddler, trying to finish a dissertation, and just keeping up with everyday life has kept me pretty busy.  But for now, Cora and Jeremy are napping, bills are paid, the house is in decent order, so here goes my attempt at sending out an update.

First of all, we are now settled into our new home and are loving it!  While there are still some less important boxes in the garage to unpack, the main areas of the house are fully functional.  Following is the link to my facebook photo album of the house if you would like to see it: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100302965361910.2575219.12924167&l=7fa17c4a4b&type=1

Shortly after we moved, we also took a vacation with my family - my parents, my sister, and my brother, sister-in-law, and niece - to Isle of Palms, SC.  We had such a wonderful time, and I will have to say that after everything that had been going on, I needed a vacation.  I was so thankful that I started feeling better that week and was able to enjoy some yummy food.  Cora absolutely LOVED the beach!  She loved playing in the sand and the water.  For whatever reason, she thought it was great fun to grab handfuls of sand from the beach and take it to the water and drop it.  She also loved the swimming pool, especially when her daddy would throw her up out of the water.  We had beautiful weather that week, though it did cool off the last 2 days we were there.  We opted to enjoy the beach for the first 5 days, and the last two we visited Charleston.  On Friday, it was Cora's 2nd birthday!  We did not do anything elaborate for her birthday, though I think it turned out to be a fun day for her.  We took she and Hayden to the Children's Museum in Charleston, and they had a ball.  Cora especially enjoyed playing with the balls, playing in the water, shopping in the kid's supermarket, and art time.  The next day we went to the Aquarium in Charleston.  Cora liked looking at the fish for a while, but kind of got bored with it.  Luckily, this aquarium was set up fantastically for toddlers!  They had several play areas spread throughout the aquarium, so there was really more playing going on than looking at fish.  :)  Here is the link to my vacation facebook album: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100319844500980.2578768.12924167&l=4479e647c5&type=1

 After we returned to Tennessee, it was time to prepare for Cora's birthday party!  This year, Cora was able to give some input regarding what she wanted, so we had a Sesame Street theme, and she decided on hot dogs and french fries for the menu.  I added the baked beans and veggies.  :)  We had a wonderful time!

Cora eating her birthday dinner

A fun tablecloth and centerpiece and Hayden eating her dinner

Cora loved the cookie monster balloon

And, of course, Elmo!  Lots of fun gifts.

Sesame Street bus and characters

Books about a new baby and sharing - both much needed :)

The Sesame Street chair/napper that Jeremy and I bought her - the girls loved it!

They both wanted to take a nap.  :)

Chocolate cake - Cora's favorite

And a little cake for Cora

She very neatly decided to eat the "2" off the cake

Once the "2" was gone, Cora requested a fork.  :)

I still have lots more to update, but it's time to get ready for church tonight.  Stay tuned for updates on baby 2, Cora's big girl bed, and another addition to our family...the four-legged, furry kind.  :)