38 weeks!

And now...we have hit 38 weeks. Since I gave birth to Ryan and 37 weeks and 2 days...this is the longest I have been pregnant! Kind of crazy to think I still could have some time to go. Last week I was really struggling with feeling uncomfortable and just wanting to have our little girl. This week God has calmed my anxious heart and given me a peace about His timing, and I am actually now hoping that she stays in her nice warm home in my tummy for a little bit longer. :) Jason has his midterms next Monday and Tuesday, so we're hoping that maybe she will wait another week to make her appearance so that her Daddy won't be stressed with trying to study/or being in the hospital. But, we will see. I also just don't think that she's coming anytime too soon. I haven't had any real labor signs, which is fine. I am going to the Dr. tomorrow, so we'll see if I have any progression at all. They haven't checked me yet, so I have no idea where I'm at. I am really enjoying my days with just Ryan right now and also my nights where I can get the sleep that I need. :) I also have been taking advantage of nap times and resting instead of cleaning/getting things done since I pretty much have everything done and I won't have these blocks of time again for a while. :) So, here's my 38 week HUGE tummy picture...and a few others that I like :)

Do you like Ryan's tractors on the fireplace? I love having a little boy! :)

Ryan giving his Baby sister hugs :)

Jason was feeling left out...here he is at 38 weeks...goofy!

37 weeks!

I just read my post that I wrote when I was 37 weeks with Ryan. It's http://alichaekk.blogspot.com/2010/02/37-weeks.html if you're interested. :) It's so crazy to think about that time...I couldn't wait to begin the journey of motherhood. I have definitely been so blessed to be the mommy of my sweet little boy and the day he was born was definitely the happiest day of my life (getting married is a close runner up though).

 Now, today I am officially 37 weeks and 1 day pregnant with our little baby girl. I am feeling the same as I did with Ryan in that I feel like I have been pregnant forever and am so ready to meet this little girl. The hardest part right now is that I have been having quite a few contractions that come and go, and it is keeping me on my toes thinking that it could happen soon. Even though I know, it could quite possibly still be weeks until she makes her appearance. It is also hard because my water broke with Ryan at 37 weeks and 2 days....so even though I technically still have some time...it makes me feel like I am at my due date.

I have been so thankful that I have had such an easy pregnancy. Sure, I was sick at the beginning and Ryan and I had a couple of Elmo marathon days, but that time only lasted for the first trimester. With Ryan, I had a ton of back pain and sciatic nerve issues, but since this little girl is so much higher than Ryan was, I haven't had any of it, Praise Jesus! I don't know how that would have worked with how much lifting and carrying I have to do with Ryan. I have felt really great through the whole pregnancy, and the only complication was that I had a low-lying placenta, which grew upwards in no time, so it was fine. I also haven't gained as much weight this time (probably due to running after a toddler), but that has been encouraging.

As I sit here, I am so excited about holding a brand new gift from God and can't wait to see her precious face. We don't have a whole lot planned and are definitely playing the waiting game, which makes time seem to go by slow. Each day I pray that I won't be anxious, but enjoy the day that I have when it's still just the three of us. I know that God is creating our baby and developing her to be wonderful and perfect right inside my womb...such a miracle. I know that her birth story will be different from Ryan's, and I am excited to see when God's perfect timing is...just praying its sooner rather than later! ;) We'll see how God works everything out. :) I know His plan is way better than my plan!

love my one on one time with my first born! 

Blue is the color of the day!

So, this past weekend, the Ekk family invested in a new camera! Thanks to selling our car and Costco rebates! I have wanted this camera for 2 years...before Ryan was born. So, I am pretty stoked about it and even more stoked about learning how to use it and not having to take the kiddos to a studio or paying someone else to take some great pics. I know its going to take a while to learn, but I am so excited about the learning process. :)

Anyways, I decided to photograph our color activity today. I decided to focus on teaching Ryan his colors and have some fun with it. This is just the teacher in me. On the afternoons that I am home with him, I like to have some activities planned...that's the planner in me. It doesn't always work, but today was pretty fun and I like to see what comes out of the activities with my creative little guy.

Our blue 'sensory' table

When he woke up from his nap, he had some blueberry yogurt in a blue bowl with a blue spoon. :)

Then we went to his little table where I had a bunch of things that were blue....the first thing that caught his attention was the blue cup. 

Then he picked up the 'boo' legos and decided that we needed more...so that led to a game of building with legos. 

And then after playing legos and also doing some shape sorting, we colored for a little bit. He is totally into the dot markers right now. When he uses them, he says; "dot, dot, dot." It's really cute. Here's our art for the day: 

And that was our blue day. I was super excited when later on, Ryan pointed out the "boo ball." I love watching him learn and grow! 

My little boy!

It's hitting me more and more how much Ryan is changing from a baby to a little boy! There are times where I look at him and see his sweet little newborn face, and other times where I see his own little personality emerging and see how much he is maturing and becoming a little boy! I have been trying for the past two weeks to get some good pictures of him just being himself. Right now, he LOVES trucks...and when we were at his Grandma and Grandpa's house, he had so much fun playing with these old trucks that his Dad played with when he was little. :) Although, it is near impossible to get this little guy to look at the camera, I thought that these show Ryan as a little 2 year old. He's so fun! Enjoy.

love my little man!

Happy 2nd Birthday to my sweet Ryan!

On February 2nd, 2010, my world changed and God gave me the sweetest gift that I could ever imagine:

Now, we celebrate 2 years with our little guy and it is hard to remember what life was like without him. 

We had so so much fun celebrating Ryan's birthday this year! It was extra special because Grandma and Papa Ekk were able to spend the week with us. They came down on Tuesday and stayed until Sunday just to spend Ryan's birthday week with him. He is so loved! On Ryan's actual birthday, we had a fun-filled day. We started the morning out with streamers hanging from his doorway, 2 balloons for 2 years old, and cinnamon rolls for breakfast. 

The balloons were definitely a hit! :) 

Jason had to go to school and work that day, but the rest of us went to go spend the morning at the zoo. Ryan even got a special "Happy Birthday" sticker to let everyone know that it was his birthday. It was great at the petting zoo...the keeper was so sweet and brought out some kid rakes for Ryan to play with...which I am sure was the highlight of his day, and also brought out the bunny for him to pet.

so fun being with Grandparents!

After the zoo, we came home for Ryan's nap and after his nap, he was able to open a his gifts. He got a Tonka truck from Mom and Dad (to go with his tractor party), and some Thomas the Train sets from Grandma and Grandpa and a Portuguese Soccer outfit! 

For dinner, Dad skipped a class, so that he would be able to join us at the Corvette Diner. It was a super fun place that is 50's style! Ryan got a balloon, the waiter did a dance for him and he got his own ice cream at the end. It was super fun! He also opened some gifts that came in the mail. He LOVED the Elmo books from Aunt Patrice! :) 

This is our neighbor who came over for a little bit. Ryan LOVES him! :) 

Then on Saturday, we had Ryan's party. It was a super fun party, but was a little sad because Ryan was sick. :( At his check up the day before, the Dr. said that he was coming down with croup. Major bummer! I was at a loss of what to do, since there was no way of re-scheduling. So, we decided to just warn everyone and go ahead with the party. It was still a blast. Ryan had a bit of a hard morning though. Here he is sipping his juice and watching his current favorite movie: Charlotte's Web. 

Anyways, he still was coughing when the party was going on, but thankfully he was in really good spirits and loved having so many of his favorite people around. Jason's parents were pretty amazing with helping with so many of the preparations and I don't know what I would've done without them...especially since Ryan gets very clingy with mom when he's sick. Here are some snapshots of the party: 

It was so bright, but I made a little Happy Birthday banner for him. :) 

We had a dinosaur dig for the kiddos...there were little plastic dino's hidden in the dirt. :) 

Digging for dinos! 

Krissy...we love her! :) 

Our youngest guest...Mr. Blake Miller...he's the cutest! 

Kevin saying hello :) 

Not all the kids could make it, but we were so glad to have a few of Ryan's friends come and celebrate. 

The cake :) 

singing Happy Birthday :) 

Blowing out the candle! 

having ice cream with Grandma! 

so many fun gifts! 

The master bbq man: Papa Ekk 

We had put Christmas lights up in the bushes...Ryan was pretty excited about those. 

What a wonderful year we've had watching Ryan transform from a baby to a little boy. :) I am excited about this next year and watching him be a big brother and develop even more. 

Here are some Ryan facts for 2 years: 

Height: 36.5 inches (80th percentile)

Weight: 26 lbs (25th percentile)

He loves cars and trucks. 

His favorite movie is Charlotte's Web, or 'piggy'

He still loves to read books: his favorites are his toddler Bible and devotional :)
He can point to all the letters and knows almost all of the sounds! :) 

When he says yes, he says 'yah yah.'

He is an awesome sleeper: bed at 7, up at 7, nap from 12:00 to about 2:30 to 3:00. 

He LOVES oranges, crackers, mac n cheese, chicken (bock bock), cheese, and any pasta. 

He doesn't eat veggies very well...but mom mixes them in his eggs and pasta! :) 

He definitely is a momma's boy. 

He loves the zoo, and will make monkey sounds on our way to the zoo. 

He loves slides and just being outdoors. 

He is a very loved little boy! 

Happy 2nd Birthday! :)