Dearest Teagan.

Dearest Teagan,
My sweet sweet Little Bear.  You will be 2 in thirteen days.  I can barely breathe when I think about it.  I looked at pictures of your last almost two years the other day and basically sobbed my heart out.  It's all happening so fast.  Just like they said it would.  Everybody told me it would fly by and that I should cherish every single thing I could.  I pray that I did but I fear that I didn't.  There were many times where I was distracted by chores, by dinner, by the TV, the phone or the computer.  Times where I thought it would be okay if I multi-tasked.  Now, I'm wondering to myself what did I miss?
I'm sure there were smiles that I missed.  Giggles that I would die to remember all over again.  Times where you might have reached for me and I just missed the opportunity before you got distracted.
Even though I'm sure there are times I have missed I know I've seen and will forever remember so many more things then those missed moments.  Even though there are times I missed I know without a doubt that you know how much I love you.  I see it in your eyes and your smile when I pick your sleepy head up out of your bed in the mornings.  I hear it in your voice as you call out to me for whatever reason.  Being sure that you know my love for  you makes it all right. It makes it all worth while.  It makes everything else fade away. 

Forever and Always,
Mommy

Term week!!!

Wow! We have reached a pivotal point in the pregnancy!  On Thursday we will be full term! 37 flippin' weeks! That means, bring it on, Baby Bear!
We managed to get maternity pictures done before this little booger graces us with his/her presence.  They were all really good and candid! I would rather have candid pictures over posed any day.  Thankfully I have a sweet friend who offered to do them for us.  Here are a few of our faves:

We also took a few in the cow pasture, just Josh and I.  It pays to marry into a farming family.  The pictures were so funny they had to have a post all their own...trust me...

Did that really just come out of your mouth?

We have never spoken "baby talk" to Teagan. We have always spoken to Teagan as if she is an adult.  I think doing this has really paid off.  Within the last month or so Teagan has started on 3 word sentences.  Josh and I are constantly amazed at what comes out of her mouth! We are so proud of her and pray she continues to learn at the rate she does and continues to have the love of learning that she seems to have had the last 19 mths. 

Some of Teagan's common words and phrases: YUP (her all time favorite word), NO (her second all time favorite word), please, more please, eat eat, nanny (banana), milk, cheese, bread, water (wadda), bowl, cup, Amen, daddy's water, mommy's water, daddy "dink" milk, mommy "dink" milk, (seeing a trend here?), Daddy go work, Teegee (thanks to Matilda "Tilda" for that sweet nickname) go "skooo", nigh-nigh, baby, waddle-waddle (her penguin), book, Daddy do "knock-knock" (when Josh uses the hammer), Daddy go "beep-beep" (Daddy's going in his car) or Mommy go "beep-beep", Mamaw, Papaw, Buddy (I have an Uncle Buddy), Tilda (Her bff Matilda), Boz (her Aunt Kristina & Uncle Matthew's dog), Nick-Nick (gpa & gma's dog), Addie (Miles David's "dog/sister"), Miz (Miles), potty, bath, peace, ice-ice baby, elbow , knee, shoes, foot, eyes, noz (nose) and there are actually quite a few more that I probably should be better at keeping up with but my brain has run out of memory right now!

It's kind of bittersweet actually.  The idea that my sweet baby girl is no longer a baby.  She is talking and "reading" and becoming quite the independent toddler.  I was looking back at my Teagan in my belly maternity pictures and it brought tears to my eyes.  We have been so blessed with Teagan and now we are soon to be greeted with Baby Bear and we get to do it all over again. My cup is pouring over...