And the Winner Is...

Macie Jane

Charlie and I have decided on Macie Jane as a name for our new, precious daughter.  The above picture is of her at 18 weeks.  I may be bias, but I think she is already beautiful!  I won't be surprised if she looks a lot like Callie.  I just can't wait to kiss that little face.

She has been very active, and I have been feeling a lot of kicks and punches.  She either really likes it when I have a cold drink or really dislikes it.  Either way, she lets me know she's awake!  I am 21.5 weeks now so we have about 4 more months to go.

What's in a Name

Charlie and I need help choosing a name for our new baby girl! 
With Callie, we had a name chosen even before we knew she was a girl, but this time it has been  a little harder.  Of course, we were able to agree on a boy name but not a girl name before Charlie left.  Since then, we have been able to narrow it down to two names that we both like a lot.  The problem is I like one name a little more and Charlie likes the other name a little more.  Although I'm not a huge fan of asking other people's opinions about baby names (solely for fact that usually you hear negative comments along with the positive), we have decided that this is the best way to finalize the name. 
Our two choices are Macie and Meredith.  Please leave your opinion in the comments, if you have one...a positive one. :)  If you don't care for either, please refrain from saying so because most likely one of these names will be our daughter's.  We are set on the spellings, and don't plan on having a nickname for either.  We're hoping y'all can help us make our decision!
Another thing worth mentioning is that her middle name will probably be Jane in honor of Charlie's paternal grandmother.  Callie's middle name, Dianne, is in honor of my mom, and we wanted to honor someone in Charlie's family by sharing a middle name.  We like how both Macie Jane and Meredith Jane sound.  Please help!! :)

Half Way There

These were taken at about 19 weeks.

No, I am not wearing white tights.  I'm just that pasty!

I can't believe I'm already half way to my due date!  This pregnancy has gone by a lot faster than last time with Callie.  I'm feeling pretty good for the most part but still feeling really tired a lot of the time.  I guess keeping up with a 1 year old will do that to you, pregnant or not.  All I can say is thank the Lord for my parents!  I would be beyond exhausted if it weren't for them!

I feel a little guilty because the "2nd child syndrome" has already begun.  With Callie, I did regular belly updates, and I think these are my first belly pics for #2.  It's a little different though; the novelty of the growing belly is just not the same.  I promise I will be better when our baby girl is actually here. 

                                     

We are almost to the half way point of Charlie's deployment, too!  He is doing well and is sweltering in Kuwait right now.  The temperature during the day reaches 130s-140s.  It's a dry heat, but at that temp, it doesn't matter.  It's just darn hot!  Ironically, he is really enjoying his time there and is glad to be off the ship.  The picture above was taken right after a mech attack.  Apparently, it was successful, given the burning buildings in the background.  I'm sure the Kuwaitis weren't too thrilled about that.  Other than missing Callie and me (of course!), he is doing great! :)  We can't wait for him to come home to us, though!  Four months and counting!

Look Who's Talkin'

Callie has been repeating what we say a lot more these days, and some things she'll just say on her own.  She's not technically "talking", but I think she's getting close!  She babbles conversations, with much inflexion, all the time.  I love to hear it!

Grandma taught Callie to say, "Tada!"  and "Here I am!," which comes out more like "Haaaam."  She also loves to say, "Woooow!"

Callie has most of the animal sounds down from the "Snappy" books.  She absolutely loves these books and wants to read each one everytime we sit down to read.

Tutu Cute

Virginia, Charlie's Mom, gave this adorable outfit to Callie for her birthday.  When I put it on her in April, the tutu just fell right off, and the pants were way too long.  I can't believe how much she has grown because now the pants are almost capris!  My little girl is growing up fast!  I just had to share these precious pictures.

The outfit was even cuter when I put her bow in her hair.  I'm so excited she'll keep a bow in...at least for a while.

She looks so old in this picture!

She's still my thumbsucking baby when she has her Baby. :)

Big Changes

It has been a while since I have blogged about what is going on in our life, and since then there have been some major changes. Fortunately, all the changes are good and huge blessings for our family.
As most of you know, the end of this year/beginning of next will bring three significant events for us. The first of course will be Charlie's homecoming. I am waiting very impatiently for December to come around! Charlie has had and will continue to have some amazing experiences on his deployment, and Callie and I have really enjoyed being in Texas with family and friends while he is gone. It's still not the same as having my best friend, husband, and Callie's Daddy, though so we are counting down the days (not literally but you get my point). I know it would have been a completely different (and harder) deployment for me had I stayed in CA. Not only has it been great having all the help and support, but Callie has gotten to know her extended family well. I know many people think I'm crazy, but I honestly can't get enough time with our families. We are truly blessed!
The second major event is going to be the birth of our second daughter (Yep, I said daughter!!!!) We are so excited for Callie to have a little sister, who remains nameless at this point. There is a very good chance that Charlie will make it here in time for the birth so we are really hoping for that! If not, I am prepared to have my mom, sister, best friend, or possibly all three to help me through the delivery. I started to feel Baby Girl move around a couple weeks ago, and it's just the most amazing, reassuring feeling when it comes to pregnancy. I have seen a couple ultrasounds already (She didn't cooperate in the first.), and she is a very active little girl! Technology is crazy these days, and we already saw her beautiful little face on 4D at only 18 1/2 weeks! I will post her picture as soon as I can scan it into my computer. I think Callie may have a little twin, but who can really tell so early?!? We'll see! I am 19 weeks now and feeling a lot better. Next week, I will be half way there! This pregnancy has seemed to go a lot faster than last time.
The last big change in our life will be the move to College Station! We are beyond thrilled and still a little in shock that Charlie was chosen for this position as an officer recruiter. The CS OSO (Officer Selection Officer, Charlie's official title) is a highly desired position, and I am so proud that Charlie was selected. As a boasting wife, it says a lot about Charlie and what a great Marine officer and leader he is! Not only is it going to being awesome to be back in CS (where Charlie and I fell in love, cheese I know!), but we will also be very close to our families. Relative to where we could have ended up, the 7 hour drive to Harlingen doesn't even seem too bad, and Houston and Huntsville are just a blink of the eye away! :) We are so excited to be back in Texas so quickly and while Charlie was still in the Marines. Thank you, Jesus, for all these blessings! We are definitely not taking them for granted!

More for Daddy

It's hard to believe this first video is only from a couple months ago. She already looks so much older, and I think her hair has grown an inch! She doesn't do this face anymore so it just makes me realize how fast she is changing and how important it is to document!!

While we were at the Horton's new house, helping them get settled, I mostly kept an eye on the kiddos in the playroom, due to my current state :) and not feeling the best. One day, Callie's legs and arms were cold, and my mom said when her students are cold she has them get up and do jumping jacks so Cade and Bailey showed Callie how to do them. She picked it right up, flapping her arms and walking around, although in the video she stayed in one spot! It was too cute! (This video was taken at my parents' the next week.)

No, Callie does not stay in her pajamas ALL day but usually until her nap. :)