the name of the babe in my belly is......

Finding a name we both love has never been an easy task for us.  Partly because we both have very different tastes in names, and partly because we think it really is a hard task for anyone!

Kassidy Lynn

Kassidy was the ONLY name the two of us agreed on!  Turns out is was quite appropriate, too, because the meaning of Kassidy is "clever" or "curly haired girl."  We've also heard "with freckles" added to that meaning.  Pretty much spot on!  We loved the name because it was not common.  We changed the spelling to a "K" just to give it an even more unique flavor.  Her middle name is "Lynn," after her late Grandma Diane Lynn.

Landon Caleb

The name Landon came a little easier - we really like the name and knew absolutely NO ONE with the same name (except a guy on a reality show, haha).  Well, him and Michael Landon.  No, we didn't name him after Michael (though I have often been mistaken for Melissa Gilbert from Little House on the Prairie...haha).  We just really loved the name and loved that it wasn't over popular.  Which is funny, because it's now #36 in the top 100 of US names.  Go figure!  His middle name, Caleb, means "whole hearted faith."  We chose this name mostly because of the meaning, but also because of the way it sounded with Landon. 


Both Kassidy and Landon were named in the womb.  As soon as we knew their gender after the main ultrasound it was never more than 24 hours before we were 100% on a name.  Some might call that good planning and efficient decision making skills.  I would call it crazy obsessive.  :-)  I don't know, though - there is something about putting a name to the little guy inside me that seems to be attempting to bruise every part of my insides.  :-)  We call him by name already.  And his name was BY FAR the hardest for us to find of the three name searches we've done.  We had a girls name picked out from the start - "Brynn Abigail."  Neither of us were happy with a single boys name we heard.  If we really liked it, several of our friends had already used it that live close to us now, and that would just get confusing.  So when we came across "Braydon," it was love at first sight.  Literally.  We've heard it before, yes.  But hearing it when you are looking for that perfect name is so different.  I saw the name and knew it was just right.  I went straight downstairs and said to Greg "I found our little boys name.  Braydon."  He grinned ear to ear - and said he loved it.  Perfect!!  Greg has always loved the name Joshua, and suggested it for the middle name.  We love the meaning - "God is Salvation."  And Joshua in the Bible was a leader, and we hope that for our youngest child.  And Braydon Joshua just sounds complete.  We love it.  And yes, we spelled it with an "-on" to match the end of his brothers name.  Landon and Braydon just works together.  :-)

So, there it is.  Our newest baby boy's name and how we came to it.  We are thrilled beyond measure to meet this little guy! 

We love you, Braydon Joshua!!!

.the gender cake.

I wanted to know the gender of our babe last Thursday at the ultrasound - it took some convincing from Greg & friends before I agreed to wait three more days and find out with everyone else on Christmas Day.  But I am SO very glad I waited!!  It was such an exciting way to find out.  We had the doctor write down the gender and place it in an envelope (she added a picture, too).  We took the envelope straight to our friend, Renae's house and she made us a gender cake!  On Christmas Day after a delicious dinner we all (my parents & greg's parents and siblings included) gathered around for the 'unveiling' of the gender!  Kassidy cut the cake open to reveal....

BLUE!!

It's a BOY!!!

We are thrilled to be welcoming another little steeger man to the family.  :-)  We already know his name, and will reveal that soon. 

Thank you to everyone who is sharing the excitment with us!  We can't wait to meet our little boy and can't wait to share him with you!  :-)

.and baby makes five.

So I guess I'd better change the title of this blog. :-)

Pretty much all the world knows this...but in case you missed it....I got a little babe in my belly!!

Here he/she is at just 10 weeks:

We are now at 14.5 weeks and I am finally feeling SO good! That 1st trimester was awful!

Dr appt on Wednesday, and we'll hopefully get to hear the heartbeat for the 1st time!

We've SEEN the heart beat...just haven't heard it yet. Anxious to do so.

Even the third time around I am still baffled at the concept of a baby growing inside me.

It both amazes me...and creeps me out.

For example, I learned today that my baby can now pee. My baby is peeing inside me.

Hmm. Not sure how I feel about that. ;-)

Either way, there's a babe growing inside me and I fell in love with this little babe at the moment I saw him/her wiggle in my belly at our first ultrasounds.

*love*

Next time I post (unless I get motivated before) I will let you know if this little babe is a BOY or a GIRL! Woohoo!!!

.kristi.

it's a good thing my kiddos didn't grow up this fast...

as the last post mentioned, we got a puppy. =-)

he's a little bigger now. 30 lbs bigger and still growing...

he digs. he chews. he jumps up on the counter looking for a treat. he barks when we aren't with him. he won't stay of the couch, even though he knows for certain he isn't allowed there. he gets excited with the kids and has torn at least 3 holes in Landon's clothes. he's a puppy, that's for certain.

and he's a darned good puppy....

he house trained in 4 days. he sleeps great at night. he loves to cuddle. he is smart as can be - knows stay, come, sit, down, off, & shake. he waits to dig into dinner until you give him the ok, even though it's sitting there in front of him so enticingly. he is, for the most part, a very mellow puppy. he lays as close to us as he possibly can when we're watching tv at night. he's loyal & loving...

he's a fantastic little dog and he fits perfectly into our family.

so, in short, he's a keeper. =-)

we're getting a puppy!!!

*love* he gets to come home with us in 3 weeks!

freckles

freckles.

speckles.

angel kisses.

whatever they might be called,

i love them.

my little man has just one. one single freckle. it's on his toe...and then there's my girl. with a beautiful splash of them across her face.....

she doesn't like them. she asks me to photoshop them out when she sees me working on pictures. (and NO, i most certainly never do!)

this breaks my heart - my gosh it breaks my heart. i tell her over & over again how much i love them. people are starting to comment on them almost as often as they comment on her gorgeous natural curls. (she doesn't like those either).

it's funny how self critiquing can start so early. and if it's already this profound - what will her teenage years look like? ugh.

so i worry about her. i get annoyed that she's so concerned already about her outward appearance, about what other people will think. i am sad for her that she actually feels 'ugly' because of them. (her words, not mine). i worry she'll spend way too much time worrying about what other people think of her....i worry that i worry too much....

and then i take a step back, and i pray.

i pray that our daily reminders to her that her beauty comes from within will help her to avoid putting so much worth on her outward appearance.

i pray that God would show her what He sees when He looks at her. that she would know that He placed each one of those freckles on her face, curled each little curl, aligned each little tooth, and made her just the right height.....and that He made her in His image....and that there is absolutely nothing more beautiful than what God has made.

i pray that she feels beautiful.

inside and out.

and more than just a wordly beautiful.

but a beautiful that can come only from her creator.

"He has made everything beautiful in it's time."

Ecclesiastes 3:11

happy v-day

this picture is almost as cute as the moment that took place just before taking it.

me+ a (washable) red marker + the bottom of two kiddo's feet = lots and lots of giggles.

apparently the bottom's of their feet are very, very ticklish.

:-)

to all our friends and family who are close and far away,

WE LOVE YOU TONS & TONS!

happy valentines day!

love,
us