Name for #2

After a lot of deliberation and searching and more deliberation, we have finally decided on a name and are going public!

Molly Josephine Tandy

My great-grandmother's name was Josephine and my grandfather's middle name is Joseph so this is to honor my side of the family (Olivia's middle name came from Glenn's side after his mom and sister). 

We may or may not call her Molly Jo...kinda waiting to see if it comes naturally.  :)  I originally thought we might call Olivia by the nickname "Liv" or "Livy" but we've ended up calling her a lot of non-related nicknames (Glenn calls her "doodle" or "wackadoodle") instead so I guess you just never know.

Man Flowers

I cannot wait for Glenn to get home from work and see what Olivia and I got him for Valentine's Day!  We don't usually spend much on Valentine's Day, but we do like to do a little something.  I know a lot of people are anti-Valentine's Day because it's so commercial, but I actually like having a day set aside to do something special.  I am so blessed to have Glenn in my life and it's far too easy for me to forget to appreciate him! 
I saw an idea on Pinterest for something like this and thought it would be really fun.  It's a man bouquet!  It was really easy and inexpensive and you could customize it in a lot of ways.  The one I saw used bottles on beer and they were chilling in a bucket of ice, but Glenn doesn't drink beer and I didn't want to buy a bucket the right size so I just made it work with what we had.  I used my Silhouette to cut out the flowers so it really was super easy.

Oh, and I got the card at Tiny Prints for FREE with a coupon code.  So fun to be able to personalize everything, and Glenn loves being able to display the cards with his favorite pictures of Olivia on them. 
 

11 Questions: from Stacia

I'm only doing the first part where I answer questions, at least for now, because I am lazy.  :)

1.  Do you have a verse that has helped you through many situations?  What is it?  This may be strange to some people but one that has made a big difference in my life is John 8:11 "...And Jesus said, Neither do I condemn thee: go thy way; from henceforth sin no more."  I struggle a lot with guilt and letting it control me.  One day I heard a lesson centering around this verse and it was like a switch flipped for me.  I will fail and I will fall short, but I don't have to dwell on it and replay it over and over for days, months, even years after I have repented.  That is not helpful and certainly not what God intended.  So I've learned to focus on doing what Jesus says in the verse - going on my way, and spending more time working on the "sin no more" part instead of feeling guilty.
2.  Can you remember a childhood experience that you know shaped you?  When I was pretty little someone anonymously gave my family gifts for Christmas.  At the time I didn't understand that my parents probably couldn't have afforded to do much for us that year.  I still remember two of my gifts - socks and a big teddy bear (I still have the bear) and that Eric got a big yellow dump truck.  We never found out who was responsible.  Now I look back at it and it makes me want to help others, especially in similar situations - it's kind of my way of saying thank you to them.
3.  When was the last time you cried?  Umm, a couple hours ago.  I AM pregnant.
4.  If you went back to high school as the person you are today,  would you be friends with yourself?  I'd like to think so.  I think the past me would probably irritate the current me though sometimes.  I was much more judgmental and harsh back then, but I was also very passionate in the things I cared about.  I think I've mellowed a lot, even in the last few years.  One thing that has not changed is how strongly and deeply I love the people in my life who take the time to get to know the real me and earn my trust.  I tend to be loyal to a fault once someone is "in" with me but I actually like that about myself.
5. What is your dream vacation spot?  Gosh, I honestly don't know.  Right now I'd love to be able to visit my friends that live overseas so I guess that means Albania and England.
6. What is your favorite cereal?  I love rice chex with really cold milk and a cut up banana.  Oh, that even sounds good right now but I bet my blood sugar would NOT thank me!
7.  Do you know how your parents picked out your name?  I think they just liked it.  My middle name (Lyn) did come from a nurse that was very kind to my mother while she was in the hospital.  Meaning...?  Emily means "Industrious."  I always liked my name itself, but growing up I kinda hated that meaning.  It seemed like other girls had pretty or cool meanings.  Now I don't mind.  :)
8.  If you could change one thing about yesterday, what would it be?  (something you did or didn't do -- not weather, etc.)  I would relax a lot more.  I stressed a lot about my gestational diabetes diagnosis and figuring out what I was going to eat, when, and how to cook for the family.  I also had to drive all over the place and everything took longer than I wanted.  I was about to have a mental breakdown by naptime.  I'm still stressing, but not as bad today.
9. Do you have a favorite color?  I love a nice grassy green or a kelly green.  I also like blue, and I love to wear purple.
10.  Do you remember you dreams?  I often do.  Are they usually good or bad?  It depends.  During pregnancy - more so with Olivia than this one - I have a lot more bad dreams.  Very vivid ones actually.  I have to be careful what I read or watch sometimes.
11.  How often do you get a new purse?  When I used to work full-time I would usually get at least one a year, but I was very very particular about what I liked.  Now...well, I think I got one in the last four years if you don't count my diaper bag.  :) 

I Want To Win!

Right now A Nation of Moms is doing an awesome giveaway from Kolcraft.  I would love to win the Contours Classique 3-in-1 Bassinet.  About two weeks ago we converted our crib into a toddler bed for Olivia.  It would be great if we had a bassinet when #2 comes so we could let Olivia stay in her toddler bed for a while longer and not have the pressure of quickly switching her to a big bed.
You can check the the giveaway here!

In Memory of Piper

The day we brought her home!  So little!

Today we had to say goodbye to our dear Piper.  A lot of the following I'm just going to repost from Facebook from things Glenn and I wrote since I'm not up to coming up with a lot of new thoughts. 

The year we moved into our house.  She loved to be outside in her very own yard!

From Glenn:  Today we had to give our wonderful dog Piper back to God. She was a blessing to us in so many ways I can only begin to explain. She kept us warm at night, she made us go outside and exercise when we otherwise would have sat around indoors, she comforted us when we were sick, injured, and sad. She was absolutely the best canine big sister Olivia could have had, she stoically endured the tugging, tackling, poking, and prodding that comes from a baby and young child, honestly better than I could have. She destroyed just enough of our things to remind us that possessions are not really that important. I am glad that she was not in great pain and I believe she was happy. Despite the emotional pain I will always be glad that I was able to say good-bye and be with her at the end. She brought so much joy to so many people that I thank God she was brought into our lives. Piper, you will be sorely missed.

Watching over a sleeping baby Olivia.

She loved to be wherever we were, and that included the kitchen - especially if I was cooking.

Wrestling with Olivia.  I still can't believe the things she would put up with!

From me:  The first day Piper came to live with us was over seven years ago. She was so tiny then, and so crazy active, but very sweet. Over the years she has calmed down and we couldn't have asked for a more patient, tolerant, and loving dog for Olivia. She has brought so much joy to our lives. I can't believe we have to say goodbye today.  We got Piper before we knew if we would be able to have children of our own and had her for five years before Olivia came along so in many ways she was our first child.  She filled a void in my life with her own special kind of unconditional love.  When I was dealing with my depression she would comfort me.  When I was dealing with the panic attacks she would cuddle up to me and would ease my anxiety.  I never had a real pet before and to be honest I had no idea I could get this attached or that it would hurt this much to have to let her go.  I know she's not a person, but she truly was part of our family.
Olivia's first word was, "Piper" and you can go to the post and watch the video of it here if you want.  And here is the post of video of Olivia laughing hysterically at Piper when she was about 7 months old.
For those of you that don't know and are wondering, we found out a month ago that Piper had kidney disease. We put her on a special diet and took her back in yesterday to have her follow-up bloodwork. She was much worse, despite our best efforts, and her kidneys had all but failed. She did not feel good and had no appetite so she has been losing a lot of weight and she was sleeping 98% off the day. We noticed she seemed to be losing some weight and not have as much energy, but we chalked a lot of  it up to her getting older - it happened so gradually.  It was a very hard decision. She still perked up, however briefly, when we would come home and would still cuddle with us...but we didn't want to wait until she was absolutely miserable and truly suffering.  When we talked to the vet he actually said, "You can take her home to say goodbye, but I wouldn't suggest more than a day or two."  That let us know that for her own good we truly needed to make the tough call to let her go.

Olivia "reading" to Piper.  The love sure went both ways with those two!