Dear Peyton

Well dear child, you're getting closer and closer to entering the world. We are all getting so excited to meet you! I think about you all the time. You help make sure of that by your vicious kicks and jabs to my insides. I'd really appreciate it if you could be a little easier on your mommy.

Bailey talks about you all the time. Just yesterday she and I were going through her old baby clothes trying to find the few newborn clothes that we still have and she was telling me that she was going to dress you up in whatever you wanted and change your diapers. She also said that she will change all the poopy diapers and I can have the pee diapers...but I'm not getting my hopes up on that one! She also talks to you a lot. She loves to sit next to me and pat my belly and talk to you. It's usually just a quick Hey Peyton. Are you napping? conversation, but a talk nonetheless. She finally got to feel you kick this weekend and she thought it was so neat!

Your daddy talks to you a lot too. He's been telling you to be nicer to me, but I don't think you have your listening ears on. He's gotten to feel you move several times and has witnessed the sight of you rolling around in there as my belly goes all deformed. He's already picked out something Duke for you, like he did with your sister, and he's quite excited. I'll go ahead and tell you that your family is crazy around basketball time (well, all the time really, but that's a talk for another day). Daddy is a Duke fan and the rest are all UK fans, and mommy could care less.

I'm getting a little nervous thinking about taking care of you and your sister. I never want either of you to feel neglected or overlooked. I will tell you that I will make mistakes along the way, but know that I will always love you with all of my heart. While I am so ready to meet you and hold you and kiss you, there's a small part of me that doesn't want things to change. Right now, you're all mine. I don't have to share you with anyone. I know you're protected right where you are and it's just you and me.

In just about 10 more weeks you will make your entrance into this big world. (Please try to make it a quick and easy entrance, okay?) There will be so many people there to meet you. You're extended family...well, they're kind of like a circus. When your sister was born, the nurses couldn't believe all the people that were in the waiting room, and it will be just the same for you. After mommy and daddy get to snuggle and love on you, we've already promised Bailey that she could be the first person to hold you. Even if you come at some crazy early or late time and she can't be there right then, no one else gets to hold you before her.

I love you sweet girl, and I can't wait to meet you.

Love,

Mom

And the Name is...

Oh, I'm so excited to finally be sharing baby Maxwell #2's name, so I can quit calling her baby Maxwell #2! This little bundle of joy will be named...

Peyton Kei Maxwell.

Peyton what?! Okay, a little story behind the name.

First, Peyton. When I was pregnant with Bailey, we had the first name picked out whether she had been a boy or girl. Bailey is my grandparent's last name, and if she had been a boy, her name would have been William, which is my husband's first name and a family name on his dad's side. Of course, she was a girl, and Bailey it was.

As I've mentioned before, I just knew this baby was a boy. Because of this, we hadn't even discussed girl's names. Our baby would be named William Donovan Maxwell, and go by Donovan. Only the ultrasound tech told us we were having another girl, so that name wasn't exactly going to work. As we were sitting in the room waiting on the doctor to see us that day, I was looking at the birth announcements that people had sent in and saw the name Peyton. I mentioned it to Nick, and within a week or two, we knew that was going to be her first name.

The middle name was a whole other issue. We couldn't agree on anything! Initially I wanted the name Elizabeth. I thought it flowed together so well. And it was one of those names that rolled off the tongue nicely, so when I needed to yell at her when she got older, it would be easy. Hey, those things are important! But, for whatever reason, Nick was totally against the name Elizabeth. I think I looked at every single girl name possible, and we still couldn't agree on anything!

One day he emailed me a list of names he had copied from a website. They were horrible. However, I noticed that some of them were Japanese names, which got my wheels turning. I had been struggling with the fact that Bailey's name had meaning, and Peyton's would just be random names we liked, BUT, Nick is a 1/4 Japanese, so if we chose a Japanese name, there would be meaning there! Plus, we had planned on using his dad's family name for the boy, and this way we were still honoring that side of the family.

Thinking of using a Japanese name was the easy part, finding one we liked was not. I knew I wanted something that at least sounded "normal". I enlisted the help of a friend of mine who is a Japanese translator and scoured different websites until I found the name Kei. Pronounced like the name Kay, it means blessing, grace, kindness. Did you see that middle meaning there? Grace! Which is Bailey's middle name also. So, not only does Kei represent a part of Nick's family, but it also unites the girls. I just love it!

So, it may look a little different written down, but our precious little baby is Peyton Kei Maxwell!

Bailey

Thought I would share a few snipets of what Bailey's been up to lately.

This girl LOVES playing games! She has a whole stack of them now and we play most of them on a regular basis. She's only played Candy Land a few times, but seemed to really enjoy it. She loves her Twister game. She thinks it's the funniest thing ever when she falls. And when she does fall she'll laugh and say I got twisted! This game is also great because it helps reinforce her left and right, which she is doing really well at remembering.

Please don't be jealous of the green/red shirt, pink pants and yellow socks combo!

If she's not playing games, you can almost bet she's listening to music. Santa brought her, her very own CD player and some Disney princess CDs and Veggie Tales CDs. Every time we would get in the car, the first thing she would ask would be to listen to her Cinderella CD, so Santa did a good job with this gift. It amazes me how quickly she can memorize a song. Within listening to it a few times she knows the whole thing! And after her daddy showed her one time, she knows how to load and unload the CDs and how to hold them and what all the buttons on the CD player do. She looks so big when she just lays on the floor and sings along to her music.

Every year after Christmas, Nick and I go through all her toys and donate what isn't being played with to make room for all the new gifts she received. This year we decided to involve Bailey. We weren't sure how it would go, but I had a long talk with her the night before about how some mommys and daddys don't have a lot of money to buy toys for their kids, so they need people to donate toys so they can buy them for a lot less than going to the store. She soaked in all the information and was already telling me what we could get rid of. Still skeptical, we started sorting everything the next night, and she blew me away! We ended up letting her make the call on every single toy and she chose to give away 2 garbage bags full of toys!! She would look at each toy and you could tell she was really thinking about it. When she knew it was something she didn't want anymore she would say, I don't really play with that anymore mommy, why don't we give it to the other little kids. I had told her if she got sad while we were going through things that was normal, but after we were finished and I just kept telling her I proud I was, she said, And I didn't even get sad one time! Because I know I still have lots more toys. Really, I couldn't have been happier or more proud of her if I tried. Well, except for when she found certain things that she had really liked and asked if we could save them for her baby sister so she could play with them when she got bigger, that was pretty darn sweet too.

A Fresh Start

I still have posts and photos to share to wrap up 2010, but today my mind is on what I hope to do in 2011. This year I'm not making any resolutions, and I'm not trying to trick myself by making resolutions and calling them goals. No, this year I am simply wanting to change some things about my life that I think will help make me a happier wife, mommy and person in general. (Okay, that still sounds a little like "goals", whatever, just go with me on this.)

1. Simplify, Streamline and Organize

I've actually already gotten a good head start on this one. I have been in extreme nesting mode lately and it's made me want to clean out every drawer, closet and nook and cranny of our house! We tackled the garage this past weekend with the help of some good friends, and I still feel giddy every time that door goes up and I can actually see the floor! I've finished the laundry room (although I've thought of a few more tweaks) and Bailey's room is almost complete. With the lack of wall space for a dresser, we're going to be adding some wire shelving to her closet to store her folded clothes and shoes. I also cleaned out our pantry...it was amazing what all I found in there! I think the biggest thing I have left to do is our bedroom and closet. While cleaning out all the other areas, the homeless items have taken up residence here until I can figure out their permanent destination. Since I've made such good head way in this area, my focus will be on trying to keep these areas organized and tidy. It's amazing how much better I feel when everything has a home.

2. More Date Nights

Bailey is in bed every night by 8:00, leaving Nick and I time to spend together relaxing before we retire to bed. While I love this time, it seems to always get taken up by laundry, dishes, homework (for him), grading papers, cleaning or one of the other million things that need to be done on a daily basis. We do go on dates, but usually when it's a special occasion or when one of the grandparents has asked to keep Bailey. It's not really something we've tried to fit into our schedules. This year I want to make more time for us. Our goal is to try and have a date night once a month. It doesn't have to be something spectacular. Just a night out to dinner, or maybe even dinner at home just the two of us. Ignoring the mounting laundry and all other things household related. I know this will be a little tricky for a bit, what with me giving birth some time in March and all! But I also know with two kids it's going to be even more important for us to make time for one another.

3. Girls Night Out

Okay, I'm not sure if this is a universal mommy thing or not...but I always feel so guilty doing anything by myself. I don't feel guilty when Nick and I do have a date night, because I know how important that is for our relationship, which is in turn important for our family. But ask me to take time away from Bailey to go hang out with my friends? I'm a guilt-ridden mama for almost a week before the actual outing and then try to think of a way to get out of it when it's time to leave. Why is this?! I know it's important for me to have time with my friends to just unwind, and I always feel so much better after I do. It's just making myself do it that's the hard part. This year I want to try and tackle these guilty feelings and allow myself some girl time. Again, I would like to try and do this once a month. And maybe it's just grabbing some breakfast or lunch with a friend and chatting, but I know I need more of this in my life. It's amazing what a little girl talk can do for your soul!

4. Find a Way to be at Peace with Being a Working Mom.

This is something I struggle with daily. I would have thought over 3 years it would have gotten easier, but instead it just continues to get worse. And now with baby #2 on the way (by the way, I think I'll be announcing her name next week!) I'm dealing with the thought of having to leave two princesses every day. I honestly feel like my place is at home with them. My mom worked when I was little, and I never resented her (I don't really remember it) and today she's my best friend, so I know they'll be okay. I know millions of moms kiss their kids goodbye every day and head off to work. Whether it's because they have to or because they're the type of mom that needs that time outside of the home, they do it, and they survive. I sit at work every day and think about how much happier I would be if I could stay home. Am I seeing the stay at home mom gig through rose colored glasses? Maybe. I just feel like I miss so much. But I know financially, we don't have a choice. So this is something I really need to try and come to terms with, for my own sanity...and probably that of those that have to hear me complain about it.

5. Be Content

This year I really want to focus on being content in my life. It's so easy to get bogged down in what I don't have. Why do we so easily get caught up in the material things? Yes, I do want a larger house, and I want to be able to go shopping whenever I want, and I want, want, want! Notice a pattern here? I'm really going to try and make an effort to be content with what I have and truly appreciate all the wonderful people I have in my life. After all, that's what's really important in the end.

I hope all of you have bright things in store for 2011!