Labor (free) Day weekend

Let me just start by saying that I wasn't expecting to go into labor over the weekend, but it would have been kind of fun to have a baby on Labor Day ;) Can you believe that we forgot it was Labor Day weekend?! Obviously we had no big plans (no reason to plan anything when we didn't even realize it was a holiday weekend, ha ha!) and while I loved seeing every one's camping/beach pictures, no more traveling for this 9 month preggo! Despite having no special plans, this weekend was so good for our little family, just what we needed! Time! We are soaking up this sweet time as a family of 3 as much as possible!

Her little face kills me! She'd already been down this slide multiple times, but the anticipation of hitting the water still got to her, ha!!

Eric and I were able to sneak in a date to the movies one last time before baby boy arrives! That was seriously only our 2nd date since moving to Arizona... we really need to find some babysitters on our side of the valley, ha ha! We went to Mia's first official friend birthday party (where Eric played hard with Mia and I sat around eating the whole time, bahaha!), went shopping, ate good food, relaxed, took naps each day, cleaned house, etc. There were times when Eric and I wanted to kill each other (in a loving way...I think of course!), or times when my body hurt so bad I couldn't do anything but sit or lay down, melt downs from exhaustion, etc. Our holiday weekend wasn't a glamorous one by any means, but the good moments, the simple moments of just spending time together far outweigh the rotten moments that snuck their way in! I feel so rejuvenated after our weekend of playing, relaxing and getting things done in preparation for the changes coming our way... My heart is full and it feels like I couldn't love Eric and Mia more if I tried! Maybe next Labor Day we will experience a glamorous weekend away, or get brave and go camping ;)

36 weeks {babybrink#2}

Size of baby: a head of romaine lettuce or a canary melon. Let's be real here, none of that matters. At this point baby boy is the size of a newborn baby and will basically be packing on the ounces until he's born. From this point on, he's fully grown and will just weigh a bit more each week. I can't believe we have a fully grown baby already!

Movement: at this point his movements have actually become a quite painful at times. I still love feeling him move but multiple times through the day the pain actually causes me to stop and catch my breath for a second. Little man is running out of room!

Cravings: Chocolate chip cookies? Ha ha! People ask me all the time if I'm hungry 24/7, especially since I'm carrying a boy. I feel like I must feed myself really well and give my body everything it needs because I rarely find myself mentioning how hungry I am... I'm actually exhausted 24/7.

Miss anything: walking/moving without pain. I haven't experienced any pelvic pain this pregnancy until this past weekend (I felt it much earlier on with Mia) and I'm just hoping these are the normal pains of everything loosening up and baby moving into position... and not a sign that I've injured myself somehow.

Random: Mia hit the stage in the last week or so where she's voicing the fact that she doesn't want baby brother, ha ha! Since our sweet niece was born, we've really been able to talk to her about the reality of brother coming out of my belly and being with us. For the most part she's excited to hold him but she's been very specific when she doesn't want him around. She was pointing out family pictures of Eric, me and Mia and I told her that our next family photos would have daddy, mommy, Mia and baby brother! "NO! I don't WANT baby brudder!" Grandma asked Mia if brother was going to have her crib, and Mia kind of lost her mind over it (even though I thought she was okay with it since transitioning to her big girl bed, ha!). "Baby brudder can't have daddy!" I know we will have more moments like this once he's here, but I think for the most part that she will love having him around and won't hold back from loving (too much) on him :)

Best moment of the week: hitting the 9 month mark! It's so bittersweet! We are nervous for the changes coming our way, of course, but so excited to meet him! I just can't believe how quickly this pregnancy flew by! I will find out if my body's making any progress this week at the doctor (I sure hope my body is cooperating by the braxton hicks contractions I've been experiencing, If all of that is for nothing, that will be discouraging, ha!) The count down is on to seeing his sweet face!

insta-life

We finally introduced her to nightgowns... How will I ever get her to wear anything else? Like ever?! (And why didn't these pretty things exist when I was a little girl?! Obsessed!!) Mia twirled in her new nightgown, said "pretty girl!" then threw herself in my arms for the biggest "thank you" hug ever... Melt my heart!!

We live for family fun days!

Big sister is already trying to swipe baby brother's stuff (including dad's hat because, "I need ma hat, mom!" Eric has just as much influence on her as I do) Eric is so excited about this jersey & he couldn't resist trying it on Mia... In return she said, "baby brudder won't like it. It fits ME!" Sorry sis- belly shirts aren't allowed, ha ha!

Things I'm loving about this photo, despite all its imperfections: The bump (but kind of over it at the same time, if you know what I mean). My hubs (who is cheesin' it hardcore for the photographer). The photographer (who happens to be 2 1/2. It's been a fun week letting Mia take some pictures on my phone). We're feeling all the feels over meeting baby boy soon: excited, nervous, anxious... EXCITED!

 Mia LOVES my doctor appointments! She tells me it's because we get to hear baby brother's heartbeat... but I suspect it's actually because the nurses love her & she has them wrapped around her fingers, ha! She walked in the room, climbed onto the table and said, "it's Mia's turn!" before I set my purse down, ha ha! But she did have a huge smile on her face when we listened to baby's heartbeat!

Little moments I don't want to forget:: the way she says "I ho'd you?!" when she wants to be held.

 How obsessed she is with swords (this actually stresses me out because she plays HARD! Trying hard to find the balance between teaching her to avoid hurting others and just letting her play #helicoptermomalert) She is the perfect mix of girly girl and tomboy!  

Listening to her exclaim "my back hurts!" or "my belly's growin'!" She must hangout with her pregnant momma all the time, ha! It's been the sweetest thing to see how in tune she is with this pregnancy... and how hard she tries to convince us that baby brother is actually in HER belly!

Family date night at the ball game!

So, crazy thought.... there is a real possibility that September could be baby month. AH!! We be soaking up these last weeks as a family of three (and spoiling Mia rotten in the process) so follow along @courtbrink to see all the fun! And I'll be honest and tell you right now, Instagram will be the first to know when baby brother arrives so if nothing else, be sure to follow along when we finally introduce him to the world for the first time!

big girl bed {the transition}

We did it! We finally transitioned Mia to a big girl bed a little less than two weeks ago! If it weren't for baby brother's arrival in the coming weeks, she would probably still be in her crib, ha ha! You see, at 2 1/2 Mia has only ever climbed out of her crib once (this was months ago and she either scared herself doing it, or got hurt and hasn't tried since!) and just really loved her crib. I was a nervous wreck to switch her to a bed where Mia could enjoy all the freedoms of not being caged in, ha ha! Why fix something that isn't broken, right?

I seriously freaked myself out the weeks leading up to the transition. So much so that I couldn't make up my mind when it came to picking a bed (Eric steered me in the direction of getting a bed with drawers, a feature that we are all loving!) and I avoided taking Mia shopping to pick out her bedding. I think a tiny part of me was struggling to let go of the fact that my baby girl truly isn't a baby anymore, but I was mostly just really nervous that we wouldn't be getting any sleep for a couple of weeks with her new found freedom. Why I underestimated Mia, I'll never know!!

Mia was thrilled (an understatement) to pick out bedding for her big girl bed (and I was thrilled with her choice!) and her reaction was priceless once Eric put together her bed! She wasn't expecting the surprise when we walked in her room so she stopped dead in her tracks, took in the view of her bed then whispered, "Wow!! Dat's amaaaaazing!" My heart almost burst!! I didn't even know that she knew how to say "amazing" or what it meant, ha ha! And I love that she was so in awe of her bed that she whispered!! Oh man, her excitement had me kicking myself for waiting so long to transition!

When we tucked her into bed her first night, I explained that she had to stay in her bed and sleep (or else she would have to sleep in her crib... I couldn't help myself from threatening her a little, ha ha) all night long. She rolled right over and didn't move until she was asleep! And that's seriously how it's been ever since! Sometimes during nap time I'll see her on the monitor picking books and bringing them in bed to read until she falls asleep :) I can't believe how easy the transition was! Mia loves her bed so much, and I love how much she loves it! Hopefully potty training will go just as smoothly when the time comes (and yes, I realize at this point that I'm the one holding her back. Nothing I can do about it until after the baby comes at this point, ha ha! Sorry Mia! Momma can only handle so much change at one time!)

We decided to have the kids share a room to keep the guest room available (hint, hint! We love visitors!) so this isn't my dream bed for my dream girl, but it's pretty perfect for the time being! Our big girl is absolutely LOVING it! And when she does get her own room again? I will definitely let myself enjoy the bedroom makeover next time around ;)

maternity photos {PT 2}

My Dress c/o Pink Blush Maternity

My Earrings c/o Happiness Boutique

Photos c/o Christy Brown Photography

Maternity photos PT 1