Summer Has Arrived!

I keep telling Ellie that you will be here at the end of the summer.  Well, it's Memorial Day weekend which is the kick-off of the summer season!  It was a perfect weekend with amazing weather.  Daddy, your sisters and I had a blast...look at all you have to look forward to!

Grilling delicious cowboy steaks right on the hardwood coals and having a picnic outside. 

Roasting marshmallows with Daddy and then devouring the delicious, gooey mess.  

 Running through the sprinkler...or with Daddy, FLYING through the sprinkler!

With summer officially here, your arrival is just around the corner too!  Only a few months and you get to be part of all of this craziness.  :)

Daddy Finally Feels You!

I have felt you for weeks now, but every time I have Daddy put his hands on my belly to feel you, you stop kicking.  It must be his calming touch.  :)  Since my placenta is right in the front this time, the kicks are a little bit more padded and harder to feel from the outside, so that has probably had something to do with it too.

Tonight, though, Daddy finally felt you kick for the first time!  I put his hand on my belly and you kicked right away.  "Did you feel that one?" I asked.
"I think so."  Then you kicked again and before I could even ask, he exclaimed, "Oh!  I felt that one!"  I wish I could have captured his grin for you to see.  :)  He's so proud of you growing strong in there.  Keep it up little one!

A Special Mother's Day

I didn't get to spend Mother's Day with my mom, but there were plenty of wonderful moms surrounding me to celebrate with!  We had a beautiful brunch with more food than I think I've ever seen before!   It was a nice, low-key day, just enjoying the company around us.

Of course you, your sisters and Daddy made it extra special.  There's something amazing about being pregnant on Mother's Day.  I can't explain it, except to say that I feel extremely blessed.  Next year, I will have three beautiful reasons to proudly call myself mom.  :)

A Rare Snapshot

With the hustle and bustle of every day life, it's not often that your daddy and I get a chance to capture many pictures together.  So we took the opportunity while in North Carolina to have Aunt Jess snap a few shots of us (and you!).  :) 

Here you are, 23 weeks along.  I'm enjoying this time with you (even more now that the morning sickness is officially gone).  We love dreaming of what it will be like with three little girls running around together.  We're so proud and excited that you are going to make us a family of five!

Another Doctor in the Family

Wow!  First Daddy, then your Uncle Mark, then Aunt Dayna and Uncle Luke and now your Aunt Melinda has joined the ranks as a full-fledged PhD doctor!  FIVE doctors in the family!  I know it was partially the pregnancy hormones, but my eyes were filled with tears of pride watching your Aunt Melinda walk up for the hooding ceremony.  She was the only PhD candidate in her entire Communications College!

You, of course, were there too, and Aunt Melinda is so proud of you already and excited to meet both you and your Beckmer cousin! 

You two will practically be twins, so Aunt Megan and I thought it was only fitting that we be twins too.  :)

It was a quick visit down to North Carolina for the celebration, but it was filled with family, food and lots of fun.  It was so good to see everyone!  (We missed Uncle Mark and Uncle Daniel though.)  Next time we all get together, you will be there to meet them all in person!

Meeting Your "Twin"

We were so excited when we found out that Aunt Megan and I have the same due date.  You are going to have a special bond with your "Beckmer" cousin when he/she is born!  Thanks to Aunt Melinda's graduation this weekend, you were able to meet belly to belly for the first time.  :)

It's been so fun to share this pregnancy with your Aunt Megan.  I can't wait until the two of you are born and meet face to face!  For now, a belly kiss will have to do.

Your Sisters Can't Wait

I can't even keep track of the amount of times a day that your big sisters come over to rub my tummy and say hello to you (sometimes lifting up my shirt to get a better look).  :)  Charlotte sometimes spends five to ten minutes lifting up my shirt to say, "Hi Baby," then pulling the shirt back down, only to start over again.  I always answer, "Hi big sister Ellie," or "Hi big sister Charlotte," for you, since you can't quite respond for yourself yet.  I know you can feel the love in there though!  It sure is obvious from out here.  :)