9 Months Old!

I know, I know, I'm a bad blogger.  I've acknowledged that.  So here is a cute picture of E to make up for it!

Life is amazing with this little boy.  He continues to amaze us every day.  I love that whenever he does something new it is headline news for us:

He gave A a kiss! Oh my goodness! And then I get jealous and try to get one, too.  :)

He stuck his butt in the air while doing tummy time! He is getting so close to crawling!

He picked up a cereal puff! Woo hoo!

He growls......what?! When E's cousin E was visiting, he picked up on the talent from her.  So funny to see a nine month old baby growl.  Sometimes I think he does it just to get a reaction out of us.

Until next time......

Dear Elliott (Letter #1)

Dear Elliott,

I just wanted to say a few words about what I've been feeling lately.

You are such a sweet, loving, and happy baby. You smile all the time, and it melts my heart every time. I go back to work after a twelve week maternity leave on Sunday, and I am dreading it. I've loved being able to spend so much time with you. We have bonded in a way that I didn't know was possible until giving birth to you.


You have an adorable dimple above your right eye that I love. :) You are really starting to show your own little personality with chuckles, big grins, and cooing.

You love taking baths in your whale tub.

Right now you are wearing 3 month clothes, but you are growing so much so it may not last for long.

Tomorrow you are going to the zoo for the first time with your cousins!

You are sleeping for around 7 hours at night (woo hoo!).

When you are upset, my heart breaks because all I want to do is make you happy.

Your Daddy and I love you beyond words.

Enjoying time with Daddy

I love snapping photos of Elliott and Alex. Alex is so incredibly sweet and loving with Elliott, and it makes me so happy when they snuggle together. Here are a few favorites!

Wearing his cute sleeper from Alison and Will

Look at that cute baby belly!

Arnold Family Update

So much has happened since my last update. Elliott was born on December 6, 2011 at 11:14pm after 36 LONG hours of labor. I cannot even begin to describe the love I felt, I was overwhelmed by it all.

Alex is an amazing father. I absolutely love watching him interact with Elliott.

This Christmas, we got another very special present. My brother and his family were able to come home for Christmas for the first time in nine years! It was such a blessing to have them home. I absolutely loved watching my nephews open their presents.

My amazing sister-in-law Shannon and my niece Emily.

My Mom got Alex a candy machine for our shop. Alex has been wanting one for a while. Owen and Ryan were VERY interested in the candy machine. :)

I adore this photo of Emily and Elliott!

I am so thankful for the amazing Christmas we had this year. I could not ask for anything more, becoming a mother is the best gift ever!

Elliott's Birth Announcement

Storytime Blue Baby Announcements

Personalized cards for babies, graduation, and Mother's Day.

View the entire collection of cards.

38 Weeks

I am officially 38 weeks pregnant today! I can't believe how fast my pregnancy has gone by. I've been trying to take it easy, but its so hard with all the cleaning and organizing I seem to be wanting to do. (Hello Nesting!!) Alex has even started with the nesting, I came home from work the other day to find him scrubbing down the house! He has been so amazing, taking care of me while I've been pregnant. Tying my shoes, helping me off the couch, rubbing my (swollen) feet, doing most of the household chores, putting baby furniture together, all while busting his butt at our aquarium shop. I know Alex is going to be an awesome Dad and I can't wait for Baby Arnold's arrival!

Gender Reveal Party

Have you ever heard of a gender reveal party? I certainly hadn't, until one of my friends was tagged in a photo album on Facebook. I was intrigued, so I Googled it. It turns out that gender reveal parties are very popular right now. The expectant couple invites friends and family over to share in the joy of finding out the gender of their baby, typically by dyed cake batter or icing. None of my friends or family had heard of one, so we decided to go for it.

We went to our scheduled sonogram, and told our sonographer of our plan. We wanted her to write the gender of our baby on a slip of paper and then seal it in an envelope without telling us the results. She knew all about the concept of a gender reveal party, and gladly played along.

We had our employee at our aquarium shop call in the results to a local bakery, and they made preparations for the cake. Alex and I had to wait a long three days to find out with the rest of the party! On the party day, our friends and family started showing up with diapers! Little did we know, my Mom had emailed the guest list and wrote a cute poem asking guests to bring a package of diapers. We ended up with a great head start to our diaper supply!
Once everyone arrived, it was time to cut the cake. Texas Star Bakery made our cake, and it turned out great! Inspired by this cake on CakeCentral.com

And now...the big reveal...Alex and I are having...

A BOY!!!

We had such a great time with our friends and family and couldn't be more excited about having a baby boy!