One Year Down...

So, as of 11:32 pm tomorrow night, Aimee will officially turn one. Now that she is walking and has the attitude of a ten year old I find it hard to call her a 'baby'. Toddler seems more appropriate although it makes me very, very sad.

This year has by far been the most rewarding year of my life. I am incredibly blessed with a wonderful husband and daughter that together make a nice little family. Add Mason to the mix and you've got the perfect recipe. Someday I hope I can explain to her what she has brought to my life simply by being her. No one makes me smile bigger and laugh harder than my little girl :)

Now, if my little boy would just get on his way, life would be nice! I am currently 38 weeks and 1 day preggo. Meaning I COULD go any day now, but with my luck I won't. Hopefully at my appointment next week, my doctor will go ahead and set up an induction if I do not go into labor before then. Cross your fingers..!

Since it has been a long time since my last post I will review the past 2 months quickly..

Christmas was wonderful. Aimee didn't know what to do with all her presents and the stuff Santa brought her. It was a little surreal to be on the 'mommy' end of things this year. I must say though, I think the role fits quite nicely.

Two weeks ago we celebrated her birthday a little early at Chuck E Cheese! There was a relatively large turnout of family and friends. Aimee got cake EVERYWHERE! Nose, ears stomach, etc... As much as it hurt me to watch her get that messy, I know she was having a great time :) The Cao family is having a birthday party for her this Sunday night. She'll certainly love the attention!

I finished my first block of classes for school. Because Mason is due anytime now, I requested a medical leave of absence until April 5th. I wanted to make sure I had enough time to get adjusted to life with two children before bringing the stress of school back. As rewarding as going back to school has been, I would be lying if I said it was easy. Going to school online is quite demanding and in my opinion requires a lot more discipline than normal.

Pictures will come soon! I've been very lazy about putting them on the computer :)

Tis' the Season............

For turkey!! Thanksgiving is just a few days away and I am super excited to EAT! I must say that being pregnant two thanksgivings in a row is not the worst thing ever :)

Christmas is also around the corner, therefore I have begun Christmas shopping. I am getting a major head start this year and mainly doing online shopping. I just can't walk around for hours. Swollen feet do not make for a happy Ashley.




A. Cao is now walking. She looks wayyy to small to be walking but it's ridiculously cute. She hates wearing shoes, and as they make her walk funny, I usually end up taking them off. She's got me wrapped around her little, tiny finger already! Although she's walking slightly early she still has no teeth. Not a single one :( So we're slowly getting her on 'soft' table food since she can't really chew with anything. At her last doctors appt she weighed in at 15 lbs & 5oz. Which puts her in the 3rd percentile for her weight. DANG, wish I could have that problem :)

Baby Boy Cao is well on his way. Only about 10 more weeks to go! I am soooo ready to not be pregnant. I swear I have been pregnant for the last two years, STRAIGHT THRU. I'm looking forward to having a small baby that likes to cuddle again. Aimee is such a wiggle worm now that hugs are few and far between. BBC does not have a name yet. Maybe we'll just go back to Noah. For some reason I am terribly picky this time around. I'm even starting to annoy myself.

BBC is weighing it at about 2 lbs now. I passed my second round with the gastrointestinal diabetes test this week so that is wonderful news! I truly cannot wait to see how this baby compares to aims in weight and looks!

I couldn't help but post the picture of aimee playing in a box at her Uncle Lucky's shop! Typical, give her a toy and she throws it; giver her a box and she can be happy for hours!

And so it begins....

After careful thought and consideration I have decided to go back to school. Actually I have already enrolled in the University of Phoenix Online. I had workshops last week and my actual classes started on Monday the 26th. I'm starting out just focusing on getting my associates degree. Ultimately, I would like to get my Bachelor's but with everything going on in my life right now I needed to start with something that seemed more attainable to me. I chose to go back through an online program simply because of the flexibility it allows me to have with work and family. With my work schedule I would never be able to take more than one class without having to miss work. And now that we have another baby on the way I would much rather be home with the kids doing school work than away from them on campus somewhere working.

On a brighter note I had a doctors appointment today. We listened to the baby's heartbeat and discussed my Braxton Hicks contractions that I've been having the past couple of weeks. I was a little worried because I didn't really have any with aimee but with this one they are definitely an annoyance! They don't hurt but certainly are not comfortable. Other than that everything looks good and so far I have created a nice little home for baby Cao. BTW we are still thinking about names. Noah may be out of the picture. Technically Aimee chose Adam out of a hat... Binh wants to go with that name but I'm not so sure. Why's it so much more difficult the second time around?

For those out there that have not seen Aimee's "monster" face I have been trying for days to get a good picture of it. It's hilarious! And the sounds to go along with it make it even better. Unfortunately due to her love of cell phones, the second I get my phone out to take a pic she stops what she's doing and dives for the phone! ah well... maybe someday I will catch her off guard :)

What's in a name?

Those of you that know me well are already more than aware of my obsessive need to name my baby as soon as possible. I started looking at names the day we found out we were pregnant. The day the doctor told us we would be having a boy I was just sure that we could pick something out that night :)

I was 200% wrong. We finally agreed to a name that we both like late last week. Noah (insert middle name unknown) Cao. Now, I like Noah but as each day passes I wonder if it is the right name. I feel bad because I pressured Binh to decide on a name with me but now I feel like it may not be the right name for him. After all, what's in a name? Should the actual meaning of the name matter? What about the actual origin? Does anyone care about that? I feel such pressure to choose the right name. I mean after all, it's going to be his name for the rest of his life! Feel free to give me any input on this subject.

In addition to everything else that is going on, I have been thinking more and more about the prospect of going back to school. It would have to be an online degree program as I have a rapidly growing family and a full time job. I realize it would be incredibly difficult being a mom, wife, manager and student. However, I truly feel like I am ready and want to go back to school. To at least get started. I worry that if I continue to put it off and wait then it will be another 8 years before I get around to it. I don't even necessarily want to leave my current job. I really just want to go to school and get a degree. Maybe I am crazy? Guess we shall see :)

Watch out she's on the MOVE!

Aimee has officially taken her first steps! The first time was on Wednesday at my grandmothers house in the morning. Binh was lucky enough to see her take a couple steps towards him that afternoon! Mommy didn't get to see it until Friday morning. But that's alright because it is ADORABLE! She looks sooo nervous and excited all at the same time. She's been standing on her own more and more lately.. In her pack -n- play she'll let go and kind of move like she's going to take a step and then just drop! I cannot even begin to imagine life once she completely gets the hang of it. She's already such an "on the go" baby :) Now if we can just get her talking and potty trained by the time baby boy Cao gets here, my life will be a lot easier........

In other news, Halloween is just around the corner! Aimee has an infant leopard costume and an infant mermaid costume. For those of you that have spent more than an hour with Aimee you know that she will likely spit up and need a costume change. So we are prepared.. at the least I think so. After all, gotta put that baby to work getting candy for her pregnant mommy =) We are actually going to be celebrating Skylar (my cousin's daughter) and Jackson's (my nephew) birthday on Halloween. It will be Aimee's 2nd birthday party and first costume party! yay :)

Things to come

So... as I get further along in this pregnancy I feel really super stressed about balancing family life and work life. As it is now I feel like we are always on the go and I worry that I am not stopping to "smell the roses" as they say. Aimee is growing and changing like CRAZY! Which I love to watch and be a part of. At the same time because of my work schedule and Binh's work schedule we do miss out on things and days go by where I feel like I haven't seen my daughter in days. Unfortunately, on Sundays (double close = BOO) I don't see her at all unless I just get lucky for some reason. Making Monday mornings the bright spot of my week. Nothing compares to walking in to her nursery in the morning and seeing that beautiful smiling face. For those of you who think I have no heart (k-sink :p) I do.... only it just shows a lot more when it comes to that baby =)



Already, I am thinking about Christmas... we must have a tree this year with all the trimmings! I'm addicted to wrapping paper too! I buy much more than I need just because it's soo pretty. Not to mention that the Holidays are one of the few times a year that the family is all together. With everyone having children and grandchildren life has gotten much, much busier. It's nice to slow down once in a while and just relax if only for one day.

Not long after Christmas is Aimee's 1st BIRTHDAY!!! I cannot believe she is almost 8 months old and just 4 months away from being one =( Time has really flown by. Even though she will only be one I really want to have a fun birthday party for her. I know she won't remember it but that's what pictures are for anyhow. Suggestions anyone?? Unfortunately because her birthday is in January she will never know the joy of an outdoor birthday party. boo! So now to come up with something great indoors, hmmm.....

Ultrasound says.......

It's a boy!! I am beyond excited. As much as I said I didn't really prefer one to the other, I really wanted a boy. We are soo incredibly lucky to have aimee and now to have another little one on the way! (Just to clarify, his head is on the left side of the picture and that's his arm with his hand going to his mouth :)



Now, naming baby boy cao is a completely different story. Although we have only known for a few days already I can see this is going to be a struggle. We are both stupidly stubborn so neither one wants to give in on any names. I like Aiden, he likes Matthew. I like Gavin, he likes Joshua. So far the only names we both don't dislike are Cade, Jace and Adam. I prefer Cade and Adam but I'm not sure either one is right.

Meanwhile with baby boy cao well on his way, Aimee is getting bigger and bigger everyday! Well, I suppose bigger may not be the correct word to use as she is actually really petite. But she's sitting up and crawling like a wild woman!

Binh and I are incredibly blessed to have such a wonderful little family :) I can't wait till aimee starts talking! She's got such a little feisty attitude on her I cannot even imagine what will come out of her mouth.. stay tuned!