Drumroll, Please...

So we just had our maternity pictures taken the other day, and thought this would be a fun way to let you all know what we've decided to name our baby boy...

Here goes!!




Parker Bryan Chico, expected on New Year's Day 2010!

So many thanks to Ashley Hill for MORE amazing pictures. This girl is seriously talented.

Maternity Photos

Just a few...

Has it really been over a month since my last post?? SO much has been going on around here lately, and I feel badly that I've kept all of you out of the loop for all of it!

We are all doing well, and really just enjoying the off season. I think after what a crazy year in baseball we both had, we appreciate this time of year even more than ever. It's been VERY hot for the past month or so, and today we're expecting record highs. YUCK.

Sydnie is getting bigger, sweeter, and funnier by the day. She is standing really well on her own now, and has taken a couple steps on her own, but still doesn't totally trust those little legs. Soon enough, she'll be all over the place, so I'm just trying to enjoy these last few days of her "babyhood". It's SO hard for me to believe that my sweet little bundle is just a week and a half away from being a year old. I've been really tearful about it lately, actually. Lord only knows how I'll hold it together on her actual birthday, and at her birthday party. I have so many memories of this passed year. Sydnie has brightened our lives in so many ways, I could never put my love into words. I'm working on a little montage of pictures, and if I can figure out how to add videos into it, I'll do that too.

I'm feeling well, but am continuously amazed at how soon all the pregnancy discomforts have come the second time around. This little boy is VERY active- up just about all day, kicking HARD, and sleeping all night. Oh, how wonderful would it be if those sleep/ wake patterns continued after his birth!? Matt and I are continuing on with our Bradley Classes, and we're coming up on class 5 out of 12. If you're not familiar with the Bradley Method, check out the link I have on the right side of the page. I still have my moments where I wonder if I'm capable of achieving my goals of a natural birth, but then I remember that Sherry (our instructor) is SO knowledgeable, and will give us all the information and help we need! I just can't believe how close we are to having TWO CHILDREN!! It's going to be a crazy and wonderful ride, to say the least!

I hate to make this a quick blog, but I promise to post again SOON! Here are some pictures before I go...

Visiting Ms. Tina and brand new Baby Madison in the hospital last week (we were playing in the waiting room here).

Daddy and Baby just before their first "date" without Mama. (Mama went for a massage and dinner with Ashley, and ended up out ALL NIGHT after rushing Tina to the hospital to have her sweet baby girl. I got to be a part of the entire birth, and even CUT THE CORD! Truly an experience I'll cherish forever.)
Sweet Sydnie Layne, showing off all eight of her teeth!
Our backyard with some landscaping.
And this is how I found Little Miss, after realizing I couldn't see her at all on our video monitor. (I couldn't see her because she was tucked away in the corner of her crib like this!)

Bloggin'

So, one of the ladies on my message board posted this the other day, and I thought it was cute. It's so refreshing to know that I have that outlet where all these women, some I know personally and some I do not, are going through the exact same things as I am. Right now, it's the exhausting, newly-mobile, getting a ton of teeth all at once, and as a result of the teething, refusing various foods and not sleeping through the night anymore stage. We have our good days and our bad days, and some days when I wonder if I'll go every day for the rest of my life without some sort of small crisis arising like knocking brand new teeth on tile floors, getting fingers stuck in drawers that we know are "no-no's", and hitting foreheads and temples and noses on corners of walls and coffee tables. The list could honestly go on and on, but at the end of the day (or just right before the next nap), I get tiny little bear hugs and teethy, drooly kisses that make me forget ALL about how tired I am. And I think about how big she's already gotten since the day I met her, and how big she'll be one day. I wonder if I'll go into her room at night while she'd sleeping in 15 years, and just watch her, put my hand on my chest so my heart doesn't melt right out, and feel a couple tears fall.

You can "prepare" for your whole life to bring a child into the world. You can hear advice of those who've done it before you. And you can read ALL the books that tell you how to be a good parent. But no one can ever, ever, EVER explain to you the love and fullness that you feel when you see your daughter or son for the first time. Or the fear that overcomes you suddenly, thinking about how scary this world is, and that this baby of yours will one day be out in it without you. It's all very overwhelming sometimes; this love I have. Different from any other love I've felt.

This is such a busy year for us, and so many of our friends. Some about to have their first babies, and some about to have their second. And some friends who are trying so desperately to get pregnant in the first place. All these new little lives, and all the lives that those little lives are about to change FOREVER. All of this going on, and my daughter who will unbelievably be a YEAR OLD in a month and a half, and this growing belly of mine... it's all just so... amazing.

PARENT- Job Description 

This is hysterical. If it had been presented this way, 
I don't believe any of us would have done it!!!! 

POSITION :
Mom, Mommy, Mama, Ma 
Dad, Daddy, Dada, Pa, Pop 

JOB DESCRIPTION : 

Long term, team players needed, for challenging, 
permanent work in an 
often chaotic environment. 
Candidates must possess excellent communication 
and organizational skills and be willing to work 
variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends 
and frequent 24 hour shifts on call. 
Some overnight travel required, including trips to 
primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities! 
Travel expenses not reimbursed. 
Extensive courier duties also required. 

RESPONSIBILITIES : 

The rest of your life 
Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily, 
until someone needs $5. 
Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly. 
Also, must possess the physical stamina of a 
pack mule 
and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat 
in case, this time, the screams from 
the backyard are not someone just crying wolf. 
Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, 
such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets 
and stuck zippers. 
Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and 
coordinate production of multiple homework projects. 
Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings 
for clients of all ages and mental outlooks. 
Must be a willing to be indispensable one minute, 
an embarrassment the next. 
Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a 
half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices. 
Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. 
Must assume final, complete accountability for 
the quality of the end product. 
Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and 
janitorial work throughout the facility. 

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION : 

None. 
Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, 
so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you 

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE : 

None required unfortunately. 
On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis. 

WAGES AND COMPENSATION : 

Get this! You pay them! 
Offering frequent raises and bonuses. 
A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because 
of the assumption that college will help them 
become financially independent. 
When you die, you give them whatever is left. 
The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that 
you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.. 

BENEFITS : 

While no health or dental insurance, no pension, 
no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and 
no stock options are offered; 
this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth, unconditional love, 
and free hugs and kisses for life if you play your cards right. 

Forward this on to all the PARENTS you know, 

in appreciation for everything they do on a daily basis, 
letting them know they are appreciated for the fabulous job they do... 
or forward with love to anyone thinking of applying for the job. 


AND A FOOTNOTE 'THERE IS NO RETIREMENT -- EVER!!!

August

What a month so far! Sydnie and I have been home for almost 3 weeks, and are really enjoying our time, but we sure miss Matt!! I've learned A LOT about what I am capable of handling on my own, and have told a couple people that I'm not really sure what I'll do when Matt is home, and I have an extra set of hands to help out around here! I'm sure it'll be HEAVENLY to shower without little eyes watching me, wondering when I'll be done, or what she can get into while I'm busy.

This little girl has become QUITE the character these days, and also awfully rough-and-tumble! I keep adding things to my mental list that need to be childproofed... it's amazing how unsafe and not clean you realize your house is when there's a little crawler around. It doesn't help that the nesting bug has hit me full-force lately-   any bit of dust or dog hair throws me into a total cleaning/ sanitizing frenzy! Sydnie is also pulling herself up on furniture now, which leads me to believe that walking is just around the corner. Since Matt is away, we keep joking that I'll be the only mom to postpone the first steps so Daddy doesn't miss them. Can I just push her down for another month, before he gets home? KIDDING! But gosh, we'd both be so sad if one of us missed that milestone. Syd is also clapping, waving, and on the verge of blowing kisses. She is at SUCH a fun stage these days... exhausting, but fun!

Here are a couple new pictures of Little Miss:

In the new pool...

Getting into her wipes...

Getting brave... (this coffee table has since been moved!)

Playing with her toys...
Ashley took lots of pictures of Sydnie at the beach too!

A video of Sydnie waving!

Our little boy is growing bigger and bigger by the day, and as a result, I am too. This pregnancy has been such a breeze, and is really going by VERY fast. I can't believe that we really only have about 4 months left! Sydnie and I went for my 5 month check-up, and I had an ultrasound. Everything looks perfect, and Baby Boy is DEFINITELY a boy! He's much more camera shy than his sister was/is. Sydnie was already posing for the camera in the womb. We do have a name picked out, but hope to keep it a secret for as long as we can!

So, as you can tell, we've been keeping busy. The weather is just starting to get interesting, but we are safe and sound. It's been HOT, and when it's not raining, we try to get out in the pool as often as we can. To finish, I'll add some miscellaneous pictures, and pictures of the pool!

Our sconces on the back pool wall (where the little PVC pipes are sticking out) have been installed since I took these...

My first pie! Apple pie, from scratch. It was so good, but I still have lots to learn!

5 months pregnant with "Baby Boy"

Next Step

Sydnie and I got back from Florida on Monday night. We had a great trip back home, full of lots of "fun" adventures. Adventures like dead car batteries, broken refrigerators and maggot-covered meat, over-crowded airplanes, and lost luggage. It was quite an eventful trip, to say the least, but we hung in there, and will hopefully be laughing about it all soon (no, I'm not quite at the "I see the humor now" stage). We made it back to Harrisburg safely. Matt and I didn't think we'd be here still, but that's another story entirely. We're both staying as positive as we can through all this, but seeing as though there's really no end in sight here, and we're still living in a hotel, we've both decided that it's best for Sydnie, the dogs, and me to drive back down to Florida for the rest of the season. Syd and I definitely plan to visit Matt during homestands, but living here is just not what's best for us as a family. Matt has plans to stay with another one of the pitchers here, who has an extra bedroom. We'll be able to save a little money this way too. It makes me SO SAD to think about being away from Matt again, but like I said, we both feel this is the best thing to do. A good friend was so sweet to offer her support, since she and her family are going through a very similar experience. She said, "Be strong for Matt. It's hard sometimes feeling like we are the ones holding it all together. When the guys are up, we are up. When they're down, we still have to be up. Its a lot to handle, but thats why not every woman can handle this and we were put in our husband's life for a reason... Ask God for peace about it. I have found myself pleading with God for peace in certain situations just because I need to not worry about it."

Anyone who lives this life certainly knows by now that it is not always pretty and easy. There are rough days/ months/ years that we ALL have to deal with. I truly believe that this experience has made our marriage and love for one another even stronger. We've learned so much about our strengths and weaknesses as individuals, and I look forward to whatever these next 60+ years have in store for us!

Lauren is flying out to Harrisburg on Friday, and we'll start the drive back down South on Saturday. I wish we had been able to tell the future a month ago, and know that this is where we'd be, but alas, I am no superhero and I do not have a crystal ball. Maybe I could find one of those on Craigslist.

In other news, Sydnie is just about crawling. I thought it would never happen, but just as soon as I thought she'd skip crawling all together, she starts! Albeit, backwards, but it's the effort that counts, right? She has gone forward a couple times, but she's still perfecting this mobility thing! I just have such a hard time believing that she is just a couple months away from being a year old! How did this happen?

Life On The Road

So, it's obviously been FAR too long since my last post. I know that some of you know what we've been up to, but some may not, so I'll update you.

On June 26th, Mom came out to Florida to help me drive Sydnie, the dogs, and our "stuff" up to Harrisburg, PA. We started our long drive on Saturday the 27th, about 2 hours later than I wanted to. But with loading the car and making sure Syd was ready to be stuck in her carseat for hours upon hours, time just got away from me. We actually made really great time getting into North Carolina that night for a quick stay at a Super 8, though. It was so nice to just lay down and sleep after such a long day. On Sunday morning, we woke up and got going after a stop at Cracker Barrel for breakfast. We had the short part of the drive left; just about 6 hours from Carolina to Pennsylvania. We finally got into Harrisburg on Sunday evening, just in time for Matt's double header to finish up, and we all had dinner together at the Harrisburg Hilton's restaurant. It was a LONG weekend, but Mom and I had so much fun getting to have girl talk the whole way up the East Coast, Sydnie was SUCH a trooper, and hardly made a peep the whole trek. The dogs kept to the backseat, and snoozed the whole time, minus potty breaks. And the best part of it all was getting to see Matt again after such a long time apart! It had been close to a month of separation!

After Mom left on Monday, and Matt finished up his workout with the team, he was able to drive (another 5 hours!) to Mystic, CT. with us for the team's road trip. Mystic was ADORABLE!! Such a quaint, sweet little town, and I was really excited to get some sight-seeing in. I wasn't able to take Sydnie to the aquarium in town because of rain, but the three of us did get to look around historic Downtown Mystic, and even ate at the famous Mystic Pizza! (Have you seen the movie)? Here are some pictures from our stay there:

A little side note about the trip to Mystic:

I think most of you know that I have been a part of an online message board for about a year and a half now. I joined this board on babycenter.com back in March of '08, when I was just newly pregnant with Sydnie, and met some of the greatest women and mothers I've even met! We are from all parts of the country, but lots of us have been able to meet on vacations to eachothers' towns, or through planned get-togethers for those of us who don't live too far from eachother. I have met a wonderful friend, Jen, who actually lives in Orlando, so we've been able to take our babies (Baby Carlos is her little one) on some fun little excursions with us in Florida. Jen, just imagine us in about a year, and the circus we'll be with FOUR babies between the two of us!! And I also was able to take a trip to St. Louis, MO back in April, and met 7 or 8 AMAZING ladies and their sweet babies! But while we were in Mystic, another friend from my message board, Abi, asked if I'd like to meet up. OF COURSE I said yes, and we were able to meet at Matt's game! Abi and her little boy, Gunnar, were just SO sweet, and I am so excited that we were able to get together! Here are a couple pictures from our day together:

After our trip to Mystic, we made our way back to Harrisburg, and other than a quick trip to Altoona, PA for a couple days, this is where Sydnie, the dogs, and I have stayed! We found an extended stay hotel near Hershey that we've made our little home for now. We don't have a washer and dryer, so over the All Star Break, Matt and I did WEEKS worth of laundry at a local laundromat. This was my very first trip to a laundromat, and I can promise you that I'll never take for granted the luxury that is a washer and dryer in your home again! Also over the All Star Break, we took a trip to Hershey's Chocolate World to take in the sights of Hershey, PA and eat lots of chocolate! Of course, after our "Chocolate Tasting Tour", Matt and I were both so sick of chocolate that we only came home with a small bag of York Peppermint Patties and a pack of Kit Kats.

This past month has been my first taste of baseball life with a baby. I had heard friends talk about the challenges that surround family life in baseball, but you really do have to experience it for yourself to truly understand what it's all about. I have a new-found appreciation for "home home", as we call it in baseball. "Home" is your during-season apartment, and "home home" is where you live in the offseason. We miss "home home" TERRIBLY, and are already counting down the days until we can be there together as a family again. This lifestyle is tough, but we are just happy to be together to share it all together!

And in other news, if you haven't heard, our surprise baby on the way is a BOY!! We are thrilled, and for the second time for me, finding out my unborn baby's gender was just a confirmation of what I already knew in my heart. A mother's intuition is VERY strong! I find it hard to believe that I am already four months pregnant... it really is FLYING by this time. January will be here before we know it!