Keeping up with the Phillips'

Friday, February 12, 2010

Jeffery's First Snow!!!

We've had a crazy weather day today! First it started out extremely windy and started raining around 7am. Then it cleared up and was cool and partly sunny. This afternoon turned a bit dark and gloomy, with thunder and lightning. Moments later, this is what we looked out to see!

We've been told it hasn't snowed in this area for over 50 years! So much for that global warming thing, huh?!?

Tuesday, February 09, 2010

Half -Baked!!!

Well, today I'm officially 20 weeks pregnant! It seriously sneaks up on you! And if this one is anything like his/her big brother, we're about exactly halfway there.

We have a doctor's appointment later this week, as well as our big middle-of-the-pregnancy ultrasound! We've decided again to wait to find out what sex this baby is. We enjoyed the surprise so much with Jeffery, and really don't have any practical need to know anyway. So while we'll be posting plenty of sonogram pictures, don't expect a big announcement!

The pregnancy is still going well. I had morning sickness pretty badly in the beginning, but that eased up around Christmas. I am still easily tired (chasing a very active toddler doesn't help that much), and have learned to take it easy when I need to. A few weeks ago, I was told by the OB that I need to stop lifting Jeffery because I may have pulled a muscle in my stomach. I guess it isn't wise to be lifting a thirty-plus pound toddler while pregnant! But we're better now, and though I still try not to lift Jeffery unless I have to, it hasn't caused any other problems.

I am beginning to get some energy, and am definitely developing a bit of a belly. According to Neal, there's no denying it now! Though I did start getting a bump sooner this time around, and felt the baby earlier, it seems to be a bit smaller than Jeffery was, so here's hoping this one's not going to try and beat his/her big brother's birth weight record!

Jeffery is doing great! He's super busy, always on the move, and babbling up a storm! He says several words now (daddy, hi, bye, ball, up, boom, thank you, and even kitty cat, among others), and really tries to copy what you say. I've been trying to teach him a few signs, and so far he's learned please and more (or his versions of them). We're currently working on eat. He blows kisses and says bye, and loves talking to his Grammies on Skype! Any time we ask him if he wants to call Grammy, he instantly starts babbling, "hi, gee" while running to the computer!

There are so many things that he's doing right now. I can't even remember all of them to post! He is just SO easy, and is such a joy to be around. Neal and I are constantly saying how unfair it is that he's so cute and cuddly. It just makes it so hard to get onto him sometimes! He obviously has his moments just like any other kid, but we're so grateful for such a sweet little boy!

His latest thing is dancing. I try to catch him on video every time, but he stops when he sees the camera out. Here's the best I have been able to catch:

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

I'm late posting these

Sorry for taking so long to post new sonogram pictures. I've been trying to keep up with Jeffery lately, and that's increasingly difficult to do.

These were taken at 11 weeks and 1 day. The baby is measuring a week ahead (that's the 12w1d measurement), so it looks like we're on track for another large baby! I suppose that we just make big babies.

Doc said the baby's looking "great" and moving a lot, which is good. It was quiet at first, but then she poked at it a bit, and it really responded. It started stretching limbs and rolling around. The funny part was it did the same thing Jeffery did at this point when we were having a sonogram with him. When the doctor got a good front view, it rolled over and turned its back toward us! I think our kids are fond of their sleep!

All in all, we're doing well. Morning sickness is tapering off now, and I'm beginning to feel some weight gain in the midsection. Given that I've lost about 6-7 pounds now, there's no real baby bump yet, but it's definitely coming. It's starting to poke out every morning now when I wake up. I'm definitely out of my regular jeans, so it won't be long before I break back into the maternity clothes.

Our next appointment is at the first of January, and then we'll schedule our big ultrasound for later in January, so be ready for several pictures then! For now, here's the three we were able to get.

Wednesday, December 09, 2009

Like father, like son

Jeffery decided yesterday that he was going to get a head-start on being like his Daddy, and got his first serious injury. It was getting to be naptime, and he's always clumsy when he's tired. Mom was getting him some milk for nap, and turned around to see him trip over the rug and go head-first into the marble hearth. Luckily, the gash was all that is gave him; no concussion or anything else. But Mom and Dad could definitely have waited a while for this "first."

We headed to the Naval hospital ER, since the Italian hospital that would've been closer is not known for using anesthesia (eek!). They didn't end up giving him stitches. I think they were hesitant since they usually sedate little ones for it. They did use liquid adhesive and put some steri-strips over it. He was great during the whole ordeal, only crying when we had to hold him to have it cleaned and "glued." Otherwise, he was happy and babbling almost the entire time.

It is still a bit angry-looking this morning, but hopefully once the swelling goes down, it will heal up nicely. Here are some pictures of the little trooper:

Monday, November 30, 2009

More reasons to be thankful!

Well, we have yet another reason to be thankful this Thanksgiving! We announced to both sides of the family on Thanksgiving day that we are going to be parents again!

Introducing baby P-nut!

We found out we were pregnant again on October 19th, but since we would have both families in one place on Thanksgiving, we decided to hold our tongues for the few weeks until then, and tell them in person, all at once! It was horribly difficult, we almost let it slip a few times, and were almost found out while we were home, but we made it! And what a great memory to have for years to come!

How we told everyone: Since Jeffery's prenatal nickname was Wee P, we decided to stick with that theme, and call this one P-nut. So on that theme, Neal went to a jeweler in Knoxville and got seven small gift boxes (one for everyone at Thanksgiving dinner). On the little layer of cotton inside, we placed a single full-shell peanut in each box. After the meal, we told everyone that we wanted to give them a small gift since we wouldn't be home for Christmas, and told them to open them all at the same time. Needless to say, there were some confused looks. Mama Carcello was the first to ask, "Are you pregnant?" And all chaos ensued!

We are due June 29th, 2010. We did get a sonogram before we left Italy, just as a precaution and to make sure everything was in order. We were 6 weeks at the time, so there wasn't all that much to see. But we did get to hear the heartbeat, and see that everything was just fine! We'll have another appointment to get a better look shortly after we get back to Italy.

The best part is that this baby will be born in the United States! We received our hard orders a few days before Thanksgiving, so we are set to move at the first of March back to the US! Neal will be stationed in Mayport, FL, which is just outside of Jacksonville. We've already taken a very short trip down there to look around and find out about the real estate market. We'll know more specific dates as the weeks go by, but for now, we're pretty sure that we'll be flying out within the first week or so of March!

We've had a great time spending Thaksgiving here in the US, and while we didn't get to see everyone we wanted to (we never do), we're looking forward to another trip through Tennessee in March, then down to Florida. We can't wait to be living in the US again, and we're thrilled that we'll have a great reason for family to come visit next Summer!

We love you all, and thank you for being a part of our lives!

Monday, November 02, 2009

A new word!

Just last week, Jeffery surprised us by learning a new word, one that we were sure would NOT be one of his first besides Mama, Dada, and bye-bye.

From early on, we have made sure to tell him to say please and thank you, repeating them ourselves when he wants or is given something. We knew eventually this would help with manners, but when he started saying "please" last week (and in the correct context even!), we were shocked!

Granted, it is still not a clear form of the word, but he uses it correctly, and it is just SO DARN CUTE! So here is my video evidence, taken just today at his lunch time:

Monday, September 28, 2009

Jeffery's Birthday photos and details!

Since we couldn't have the big birthday bash with family/friends, here's a recap of Jeffery's day:

Such a tall boy (no idea where he gets that, by the way)

Playing with the See and Say Mom and Dad got him (he didn't really care for the Jack in the Box, apparently that needs to wait a few months)

He loves to ham it up for the camera, but you have to be quick or he starts walking toward you

Mom making his cake

Chilling on the couch, watching football with Dad, while Mom decorates his cake

He caught me!

It's been a while, but I remembered how to decorate a cake

The finished product

Dad teaching him early

"Why's Mom got the camera for this?"

"Oh Wow! Maybe I like that!"

"What is this?"

"This isn't bad stuff!"

He didn't want to get his fingers dirty at first

"That's really good!"

Rockin' his new UT jersey from Grammy and Granddaddy P!

"I know I'm cute!"

Daddy's proud of his little Volunteer!

UT Football, here I come!

"Oh, I'm supposed to hold onto it?"

UT's quarterback for the 2026 year!

Finally figured out how to pick it up

"Mom, it's messy!"

"Eh, who cares? I'll just lick it off my arm!"

"What?!?"

Jeffery had a great day, and thanks everyone for the birthday wishes! There will be more pictures of his new toys in the days to come. And I will try to upload a video or two of his day as soon as I can.

It was a bittersweet day for Neal and me, as we were constantly reminding each other where we were, and what we were doing this time last year. It was a memorable day for sure, as well as a very special one. We just can't believe how fast this past year has gone!

One good part of that, however, is that we are that much closer to coming home! We will keep you all updated on our next set of orders, which should be determined in the next couple of weeks at most.

We love you all!