Adelyn is going to be a big sister!

We're having another one! Baby Thomas #2 is due at the end of June and we couldn't be happier! I have been feeling fine. With Adelyn, my only major symptom was fatigue. With this one, I have experienced occasional times when I'm not feeling so hot. Other than that, I've just been super tired. Adelyn doesn't really get it (and we haven't made a big deal about it). She does love baby dolls though...so hopefully that will carry over to her real baby sibling!

Like with Adelyn, we will not be finding out the sex. I'll be happy with either gender, but one person in this house has a vote for a particular gender. :)

We went to the 12 week ultrasound. I was actually only 11 weeks, but this was when the office scheduled me. The ultrasound technician has a very dry personality (I actually remember her from doing Adelyn's). When we walked in, she said, "I don't know why you're here. You should really be 12 to 13 weeks along for me to see what I need to see. We'll just have to see what we can get.". I was thinking I'd be back later for another ultrasound. This is the one where they rule out chromosomal disorders by measuring fluid in the back of the baby's neck. As soon as she put the transducer on my belly, she saw the baby. She said this was a textbook picture and that the baby was doing exactly what she needed him/her to do! Her entire demeanor changed and she was now the most excited woman in the world! The baby was sticking its tongue out and put its hand on its head. She even said she was having so much fun and knew she needed to be doing other people's ultrasounds. She printed out several cute shots of our little baby! So far, everything is looking good (normal!).

Please keep us in your prayers during this exciting time in our lives! Merry Christmas!!


Adelyn wore this shirt (designed and made by my sister-in-law Melissa) to Seth's grandfather's house and my family Christmas in Hickory to share the news

Stats from the 18 month check up

I took Adelyn for her 18 month check up today. The doctor and nurse both commented on how tall she is. She is 35 1/2 inches (off the charts....above the 99th percentile). She weighed 26 pounds and 5 ounces (78th percentile) and her head circumference was 19 1/4 inches (95th percentile). She got three shots and I opted not to get the flu shot. She shouldn't have to get another shot until her 4 year old appointment. Yay!!

One and half! What????

  I can NOT believe she's 18 months! I love this age (most days, haha!) because I am learning more about who she is....and I love who she is becoming! She's talking more and more and is able to better verbalize what she wants. She is stringing together words. She still loves her books. Now, she says "Hand", grabs your hand, and drags you to what she wants to do. This is usually to the book basket. She then commands you to sit, chooses a book, and plops down in your lap. Another cute thing she does it she'll hide something (in an extremely obvious place) and hold her hands out as if she's asking a question and says, "Where is it??". The way she holds her hands out is awkward and adorable...her elbows are practically touching. She's into EVERYTHING!! You can't turn your eyes for a second! We are really working on cleaning up after making messes. I'm already ready for summer and it's not even officially winter yet. She loved playing outside and we are running out of things to do inside. Hopefully, Santa will bring her some indoor activities. :) Seth and I will put in a request. She certainly would have none of that! We took her to see Santa at the outlet mall a few weeks ago. I had a feeling she was going to cry, and she did (see pictures below). When we left, she was blowing him kisses and saying "Bye, bye!". She saw him again at a family reunion and wouldn't go near him. 

  Seth and I went on a once in a lifetime trip! It wasn't really planned, but we had to jump on this opportunity. Every year, BMW selects the top 25 drivers in the WORLD and invites them to an awards ceremony. At their headquarters. In Munich, Germany. Seth and his teammate were selected! This is a dream come true for Seth and I am SO proud of him! His dad, Seth, and I went December 1-8. We spent half of the time in Munich and the other half in Salzburg, Austria. I was not ready to leave Adelyn for a week, but she had a great time staying with Seth's mom and my parents. It was uber (like my German?) cold, but we bundled up and explored! The ceremony was really nice and I am thrilled that I got to see him accept his award! 

  I hope everyone is enjoying the start of Christmas! I am excited to see Adelyn's reaction this year since she was just 7 months old last year. 

  Below are a ton of pictures!

Adelyn feeding a pony at the Chestatee Wildlife Preserve

Adelyn and her little friend, Amelie had to hold hands while walking through the zoo

 What we really came to see: the Zedonks

 Adelyn "blowing" a dandelion (she blew her nose on it)

 Thanksgiving trip home (in Hickory, visiting my grandmother). My grandmother said Adelyn was "a mess". :) 

 Nana and Adelyn on Thanksgiving morning in their semi-matching shirts

 Grandmommie with the great grandkids

Visiting Santa 

 Not so excited about sitting in his lap. I thought MAYBE giving her some goldfish would calm her down, but that did not work. 

 All smiles in mommy's lap

 One more try....this child is not a fan of Santa this year. We'll try again next year!

 Our first night in Munich enjoying authentic German food- yum!

 I had pork medallions in mushroom sauce with spaetzle 

 Glockenspiel at Marienplatz

 We toured Dachau (concentration camp outside of Munich)

 Christmas Market

 Bill and Seth enjoying a brat (which Germans eat all day long...even for breakfast!)

 Seth and I shopping in the cold

 BMW Headquarters and Museum- we got a really cool tour of the museum

 Seth and I at the Awards Banquet

 Seth and Bill accepting their awards- they were 22 and 23!

 The presentation was really cool. The screen was set up like an advent calendar. All 25 drivers were standing on a staircase off to the side (and had no clue where they were in the ranking). They would reveal the drivers behind each "door". 

 Charles Espenlaub and Charlie Putman accepting their awards. They won the GrandAm GS and were either 9 and 10 or 10 and 11 (I can't remember). It was great to see a few familiar faces!

 All the BMW drivers- there were something like 22 nationalities represented from 4 continents

 Bill and Seth with their awards. The trophy is awesome!

 Salzburg- not sure what this instrument is called, but it was neat to hear! 

 The fortress from below

 Seth and I at the fortress

 View of Salzburg from the very top of the fortress (you climbed a spiral staircase to get to a viewing tower)

  View of Salzburg from the very top of the fortress (you climbed a spiral staircase to get to a viewing tower)

 Apple strudel in vanilla sauce....for lunch. 

 At the Residenz Museum (as the guard quickly told us no pictures!)

 Seth and Bobby at the Red Bull Racing Museum (at the Salzburg Airport in a hangar...it was really cool!)

17 months old

I wish I could say that 17 months old has been all fun and games! I hate to start out with the negative, but this is a very trying age! I feel like we're going through the terrible twos. Adelyn wants to do everything on her own. That coupled with the fact that she can't say everything she wants and needs to is NOT GOOD on some days! She will throw some temper tantrums!! We've had one that lasted 45 minutes a few weeks back. Most of the time, they don't last long. Seth and I totally ignore her. I walk away (praying she won't hit her head too hard as she flails on the ground). They're not daily and they're getting shorter, so that's good. We're also transitioning from two naps to one nap. Half the time she only needs the one afternoon nap.

She is doing a lot of really great things! She's talking a lot. She surprises me with all of her vocabulary. She's trying to jump. She'll say "bump, bump!". Her feet don't leave the ground, but she doesn't know that. She loves to twirl in circles and get dizzy. Adelyn does not want us to feed her. This can be messy, but it's not too bad. She is also trying to dress herself. Miss Independent! :) 

Adelyn is on a baby doll kick. She has an American Girl Itty Bitty doll that comes everywhere with us. She gives her a bottle, burps her, and hugs her tight all day long. If it's not the doll, it's a request for Elmo.  

As far as traveling, Seth and I went on a cruise with Mel, Laura, Ryan, and Jennifer. It was a 5 night cruise that left from Miami and went to Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay (Carnival's island), and Nassau. Seth's parents kept Adelyn for half of the week and my mom and her friend kept her the last half. I think Adelyn had fun! She loves being at Seth's parents house and playing with Emily and Thomas. My mom took her to the zoo. She loved seeing the animals. We had a blast! It was wonderful to get a way and not have to cook or clean! We basically dined and layed out! We didn't get to go to Half Moon Cay due to rough waters, but it really didn't impact the fun we had! After the cruise, we flew from Miami to Charlotte for Seth's year end ceremony (Grand Am). It was held at the Nascar Hall of Fame. It was awesome to see Seth and his teammate recognized for finishing 2nd. I was SO ready to come home. We were gone for an entire week! We sure did miss Adelyn!

Dinner

Gorgeous sunset from our balcony....we loved our room!

Seth and I at Grand Turk. This was a perfect day! The water and sky were the pretties blues!

Adelyn "painting" with pudding. She didn't once try to eat it! She had a ball! 

Gymastics- all the kids wore their costumes. They're playing Limbo! 

 Kinsey Family Farm

Adelyn and Amelie

Carving our pumpkin- first thing she wanted to do was eat it! 

 No fear in putting in her hand into the goop!

 First hair cut!! I took her to Sweet and Sassy Oct. 6. Bye, bye mullet! (and pigtails until it grows back out)

New do

Trunk or Treat at Oak Grove (Emily, Thomas, and Adelyn)

Thomas and Adelyn getting treats from Pastor Garry

 Checking out her loot

 First CapriSun!