We're moving!

We're moving! Actually, we're just shortening the website address.

Some people might be visiting Pregnantly Plump through the website http://www.pregnantlyplump.com/blog/pregnantlyplump.html. That's a mouthful and it doesn't exactly roll off your fingers.

So, we're shortening the address to http://www.pregnantlyplump.com.

If you are subscribed to the blog, or have bookmarked it, please change the address to pregnantlyplump.com.

Pretty baby

Little Elvis is a beautiful little boy, and apparently he agrees!

Starting the New Year off on the right foot, literally

How did I ring in the New Year? By dropping a jar of 3rd foods on my left foot, specifically my pointer toe. (That is, if you consider your big toe to be the thumb of your foot.)

I jumped around the kitchen yelling, "Ow! Ow! Ow!" and blinking back tears. One of my resolutions this year is to stop cussing, and I think refraining from yelling out all sorts of colorful combinations is a really good start.

Little Elvis stood on the other side of the gate and laughed as his mommy hopped around and yelled "Ow!"

Please pity me. Bob clucked a little on the phone for me, but my mom didn't seem to think possibly breaking my toe was a big deal. And my baby thinks the situation is laughable. I need sympathy.

Drop it like it's hot

Little Elvis discovered the wonders of gravity a few weeks ago. But it took me a few days to actually catch this new trick on camera, a few more days to edit it and then two weeks to post it.

So, he isn't really doing this trick all that much anymore. Oh well, it's still super cute.

Stopping traffic

Am I the only mommy who uses a Santa hat as a toboggan? On the day after Thanksgiving Bob and I bought Little Elvis a Santa hat. And I like to get my money's worth...

So Little Elvis wore his Santa hat just about every day that we went out. To clarify, I may live in northern Virginia, but I'm a true southerner. My son has to have a hat on his head whenever we leave the house. He also doesn't have much hair, so he honestly needs something to keep that sweet little head warm.

I thought nothing of putting his Santa hat on him -- he wore it to church, (Is that bad? The preacher always complimented him.) to the grocery store, to storytime, etc.

Pretty much everywhere we went, we got compliments. I had no idea that using a Santa hat as a toboggan was not common.

About a week and a half before Christmas, my little man and I were going into Babies R Us. After our little accident with the carseat, I was carrying him everywhere. It was cold and windy. I had a heavy baby, his shopping cart cozy, his diaper bag, my purse, a coupon folder and had wrangled a wayward shopping cart. Since it was cold, I decided to wait until we got into the store to worry with the cozy. My hands were full.

Someone was pulling into a parking spot as I trudged through the parking lot and she literally stopped her car in the middle of the lane. Here I am weighed down with everything but our kitchen sink, and this woman stops her van right in front of me!

I said something to the effect of "Go Sweetie!!" And she finally pulled into a parking space. Thank God I didn't yell or say the evil words that were dancing through my mind.

While I was struggling to get Little Elvis into the shopping cart, the lady driving the van walked into the store. She came up to my angel and told him that he was so adorable in his little Santa hat that she just had to stop and get a good look at him.

How could I stay angry?

Christmas traditions

Bob and I have been talking about Christmas traditions. We want Little Elvis to have great, happy memories of Christmas. Memories that aren't attached to toys, but to hope and love and togetherness. (Ah, so cheesy...)

We've been sharing our favorite Christmas memories.

For some reason, Santa's reindeer were very important to me. I mean those guys helped a very chubby man transport a heavy sleigh full of toys all over the world in one day. If Santa was getting a snack, well those reindeer needed one as well. I remember setting out carrots, apples and oranges for them. We would put out 8 apples or carrots and one orange (Rudolph was special) for the reindeer. I know memories change with time, but I'm pretty sure that I got really upset one Christmas when the reindeer didn't eat any of my treats. And the next year a bite was taken out of each and every treat that I left.

I also remember being so excited about Santa coming that I couldn't sleep. I would sneak out of my bedroom and tiptoe into the kitchen to look at the time on the microwave and then run back to my room. I usually passed out around 3 or 4 and my parents would have to wake me up on Christmas Day so I could enjoy my presents.

Bob really enjoyed his Christmas routine. They would chop down their tree the week before Christmas and they wouldn't decorate it until Christmas Eve. He was the head alter boy and had a big part in Midnight Mass. After that, they would open all of their presents and eat breakfast at 2 a.m. and then sleep until noon.

He also wasn't surprised by his presents. Why? Because the little sneak would open them as soon as Christmas break began. His mom still had to go to work, so Bob and his brother would search for their presents, open them, play with them and re-wrap them. (Side note: I think he should be better at wrapping presents because of this.)

We've been talking about Christmas plans for Little Elvis. Both of us like Christmas carols, so maybe we'll try to get him to go caroling or something when he's older. Bob doesn't like to wait for his presents, so we used to open presents at midnight on Christmas morning. But that won't fly anymore.

What are your Christmas traditions or memories?

Little Elvis' first Christmas

My mommy must have thought the song was "Deck the baby with clothes of Christmas."

Christmas sure is tiring! (Side note: This does not happen very often, Gram must have a magic touch.)

What, you've never heard of an Elvis reindeer?

Daddy got to pick my headgear this time.


















The room was pitch black when Mommy took this. Somehow the flash didn't wake us up.












I needed a little help opening my presents. It's gets tiring after a while!










Where are the rest of my presents?













I got a wheel barrow from my Gram and Coachpa! It's just the right size, too!















What does a reindeer have to do to get food around here?

What is he doing?

Little Elvis has a new trick, but we're not quite sure what it is. He's been raising both hands over his head and bellowing "aaaahhhh!"

Is he doing the wave? Signaling a touchdown? Conducting an orchestra? Singing for his supper?



It's very possible he's doing is own version of the wave. Whenever we're watching football and the team I'm cheering for is losing, I make everyone in the room do the rally wave. Little Elvis has witnessed this wave, which has worked for Alabama and Mississippi State University.

But, I don't know. Do you have any suggestions?

Wish granted

We watched a corny movie last Sunday. It was based on Mitch Albom's latest book, "One More Day." These movies and books are not normally my style. The movie wasn't so hot, the book was better.

I do have to give Albom credit for the way he can turn some phrases. As I was reading the book, some passages were just written so well, and I've been thinking about one in particular.

Not to give away key details, but there is a section where the mom takes her son to look at a tree with the word "Please" carved into it. She told her son that she and her husband hadn't been having luck getting pregnant, so one night she carved "Please" into a tree as a message to God. She said she became pregnant shortly after that event. Then went onto say that kids sometimes think they are burdens and don't realize that they are a wish granted.

I love that. That her son was a prayer answered and a wish granted. Those two words aren't very big, but I think they do a great job of explaining how I feel about Little Elvis. I wasn't even sure what I was wishing for when we decided to get pregnant, but he is everything and so much more.

He is a prayer answered and a wish granted.