Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving with Eric's family is usually really small but this year his sister and her husband came home from CA and we rented a house at the beach.  The rest of his family followed suit and we had a big, wonderful family Thanksgiving.  It was so good to see everyone!

Uncle Aaron and Auntie La

Auntie La, Blake, Pat-Pat, Daddy, Uncle Aaron - the 'young kids' had to do the dishes

Little e wore his new sweater mommy finally blocked and added buttons to. He looked ADORABLE but hardly stood still long enough to get a picture - let alone a family shot - but we tried.

'Lunch' was planned at 2 and ended up being closer to 3:30.  Little e ate potato chips and snack mix for his Thanksgiving dinner and wasn't interested in turkey or yummy trimmings (we snuck some in along with a pumpkin cookie later for his dinner).  Instead he sat and read (I love this kid!)

Little e became a BIG fan of his aunt and uncle while they were here.  We FaceTime with them almost every week so he warmed up to them really fast.  He asked where they were all the time and LOVED spending time with them (so did we).

Watching a movie with Uncle Aaron and Auntie La

Auntie La was sharing her chocolate cake and ice cream with e - he even asked 'Lovie have a bite?' to try to con more bites out of her.  LOL  It was a GREAT day and a start of a fun week!

So far behind... or weeks 28-30

Week 28
I am pretty sure I just missed a months of updates.  We were at the beach for Thanksgiving week (week 28) and I didn't take a belly picture (don't worry I took a lot of other pictures and will try to do some updates).  But I'm sure I gained a lot of weight and it wouldn't have been pretty anyway.
OH - but I did get a fun toy before we left for the beach! - its a remote to trigger the camera.  Hopefully my 'self-portraits' will at least be a little easier to take.

See?  Very excited about my remote!

Week 29
I came home and promptly had my 1 hour sugar test - which I FAILED - ugh!  It was probably all the Thanksgiving desserts and celebrating having my SIL and BIL here (with funfetti cupcakes and peppermint ice cream the night before my test).  Either way I was pretty good for the 5 days after that before my 3 hour sugar test.  (Note to self - don't fail the 1 hour test, I spent the first almost 2 hours of the 3 hour test just trying not to puke).  I passed the three hour test (and lost a pound) and I'm back on the straight(er) and narrow(er) path.

Still not great 'self-photos' even with the timer but oh well!


Week 30

This week we went and got our Christmas tree with friends (hopefully more pics and updates from that as well).  We decorated the tree and I decided to take my picture there this week.

I'm getting pretty tired (but reading from last time it was the same, and I did get some energy back).  I really hope I do get some energy back because we still have ALOT to do!  I got the craft room cleaned up and we were hoping to start floors after Thanksgiving. Alas, the holiday season is going to be too busy (and short) for us to get started so its walking around floors, rugs, and crib boxes for a few more weeks.  Here's hoping some energy comes back around week 35ish - lol!!

What our hallway looks like...

I am dealing with all the same issues that I have been for weeks now - heartburn (bad!), back pain, and fatigue.  Did I mention I'm tired?!?  Lol.

Fall Fun

I LOVE Fall (besides the end when it gets really cold -and dark early - and I realize Winter is right around the corner).  But Fall is my favorite time of year in Sept/Oct (early Nov).  This year to make sure we took full advantage of it I printed a Fall Bucket List from Pinterest.  I haven't gotten photos of a lot of it (some - like apple picking, pumping carving and chili - lol) but the other day little e and I took a walk down the street and found some leaves for our 'leaf rubbings' tic on the checklist.

Little e wasn't too impressed - he basically colored and moved leaves around the table, but I did a few to show him and we got to collect leaves and play outside - so still a win.  But it quickly degraded into snack time...

Maybe the apple printing will be a bigger hit or next year it will get a better response.  Either way we still had fun (and a granola bar!) :)

Our Little Reader...

Little e has started wanting to read books all by himself recently.  Don't get me wrong - he still wants you to read plenty to him - but he has really started to enjoy 'reading' to himself as well.   The other day I told him, "Mommy is going to go potty real quick, read a book and I'll be right back."  I came back to him having pulled a whole stack of books off the bottom of the coffee table and he sure seemed to be enjoying himself.

This is so my favorite picture!!

The best part is listening to him read them because he probably knows 3/4 of every book by heart and is 'reading' what is on each page.  Mommy has realized that this means the 'big boy' reading nook in his room needs to appear sooner rather than later. So I've added that to my (very very long) To-Do list and already found a cabinet to store his books and bought some fabric for floor pillows.  Now about that craft room... ha ha!

Sweet Potatoes!!

This year we grew a new crop in our garden - sweet potatoes.  They are fairly easy.  You mound up dirt and plant, then you harvest them months later.  It was time recently and we dug up our beds to see what we might find... so fun!

Our bed of sweet potatoes

The boys had fun digging in the dirt and mommy had fun taking pictures. (p.s I think little e looks like this every weekend when his dad dresses him - ALWAYS camo.  I asked him the other day what he was going to put his little girl in all the time since there won't be camo options and he replied "Why aren't there going to be camo options?"  Well, ok!)

Finally here is our bounty...

Pretty good return our on investment of time!  We are trying to figure out how to dry/store them correctly so we don't just have to eat sweet potatoes for every meal for the next three weeks, but enjoy them for a few months.  The few we have tried are AMAZING! So much sweeter and better than anything you can find in a store.  Considering nothing else really came out of the garden this year (too much rained killed everything) it was fun to have something to harvest.

27 Weeks

I feel like I am carrying around a (heavy) basketball.  Maybe a bowling ball is a better analogy.  My stomach feels hard and like it couldn't possibly stretch anymore.  Tight and heavy and there couldn't possibly be 13 weeks left could there?!?

She still (apparently) has plenty of room to move (and does so at will) but she is large and in charge enough that sometimes it actually hurts :)  Little e almost ALWAYS kicked my ribs (and usually even the left one).  She is all over the place.  She kicks low a lot, and right across the middle (which is so strange b/c now it feels like she will just come straight out the front) and you can even see the belly move and jump sometimes (I don't remember a lot of that with e).  She still has hiccups multiple times a day and loves when I eat sweets (she really starts dancing).
Apparently this week (one week from trimester three!) she is 2 lbs heavy and 15" long (they start measuring head to toe now).  That seems pretty big to be doing somersaults inside my short frame - but I swear she does.  This girl is going to be a mover and a shaker and plenty of trouble I think.  Lord, help us!
Besides feeling like I'm carrying a bowling ball (which means my back, stomach muscles, and hips all hurt) I just have heartburn still.  I read in my journaling from e that I had some swelling this week with him already.  I am guessing eating most of my meals at home (vs. breakfast and lunch out like I did while working) is helping with that a lot.  Its certainly not doing much on the weight gain side (still pound for pound as last pregnancy) but hopefully overall its a bit healthier for both of us.

All boy!

My little guy is pretty much all boy.  Our front yard is littered with balls.  According to little e they are "dolf" balls (golf), basey balls (baseballs), sootball games (footballs), and soccer balls.  We hit, kick, throw and hike the day away just about everyday.

He'll play with mom, but I'm not nearly as fun as Daddy to play with apparently.  (Maybe because I'm always here, or getting fat and slow, or just bc Daddies are more fun!)

Whether its warm or cold enough for hats and jackets he loves to be outside playing with his balls!

Finally Fall

I always feel like Fall hasn't officially begun until its cold enough to make chili (and watch football).  Two weekends ago it finally was!

I thoroughly enjoyed it and have even made soup a few more times since then - inspired by the cool weather and my cute new crock bowl! :)

Piles of Pink...

When we found out we were having a little girl I made Eric go with me to the baby store to buy something pink (immediately).  My son is adorable, and dressing him can be fun, but being able to buy pink ruffly things is SO.MUCH.FUN!  It all started with these pink ruffly pjs....

But since then there seem to be piles of pink growing around my house.  There are piles of clothes, towels and even a tutu (thank you Aunt Kel-Kel!)

There are piles of pink fabric pulled from my stash and being debated for different nursery projects or baby girl sewing projects (these possibilities make me very excited too - knitting and sewing for girls is so much fun!! - there will likely be whole posts about this upcoming)

And finally there are piles of pink (and purple even) CLOTH DIAPERS!  My heart goes pitter-patter over a tiny cloth diapered baby bum, and even clothes lines full of clean tiny diapers drying.  I am excited to see these adorable things peeking out under dresses etc.

Thanks to some good sales and a great gift from my friend Lisa, I have 8 girl diapers (one size) and 2 newborn.  This does not make an entire stash (at all) so besides a bit of a credit left at the cloth diaper store from a generous cloth diaper shower for little e, I am still going to either potty train e or buy quite a few more diapers.  I would love for him to be out of diapers when she gets here but I'm not sure its very likely.  He certainly knows when he HAS gone (and tells you sometimes) but doesn't tell you BEFORE he goes.  He is also scared of the potty all of a sudden.  Good thing I think cloth diapers are cute :)

26 Weeks

Approaching the 3rd trimester and I'm feeling the pressure.  The pressure to get things done.  I've been scrambling about nursery things.  We are turning a very definite craft room into a nursery.  

This is an old picture - it hasn't been this clean in years :)

Beth and I painted the room weeks ago and I made an overall list (so Eric knew what I needed from him and I knew what I needed to do).  I still have to clear out ALOT of craft stuff and organize and just oh!my!  Its a lot.  THEN I have to turn it into a nursery.  

But... this week brought the quilt for the big bed, the crib, and frames for the wall.  We ordered the flooring and got the rug a few weeks ago.  We also found the dresser that we will hopefully go back and get this weekend.  I have all the ideas in my head and nursery 'things' are appearing at the house, but there is just a lot of work between now and a finished nursery.

Anyway.... I am feeling the same as the past few weeks.  Big, backaches, and heartburn.  But we had a cold snap this week and I've been digging through my old maternity stuff for cold weather maternity wear.  UGH!  I forgot how much sweaters and warm clothes aren't great maternity wear (although I guess I am glad that I don't have to wear bathing suits and sundresses and bear 100+ heat).  So... this is a new outfit (and not actually maternity) but I feel like I might be buying some better 'warm' layers for this winter.

Bedtime w Pops!

Pops stopped by on his way to FL for work and spent a fun day with us.  Best part is 'story time' at bed.   When Pops left little e said all day "Pops hold me" - we sure miss him.

Come back on your way home Pops!!

Movie Night

Our church has started having kids movie nights more regularly.  This month it was Monsters University and we were pretty excited because we hadn't seen it either.  Little e was a little scared at first but he calmed down and settled into watching it.

(Mama was on the floor for a good bit of the movie with my boys, but one comforter on a tile floor is not soft enough for a pregnant mama's hips and back after awhile).

This movie night was more fun because e's best buddy H was there with his family too and we had side by side 'seats' for the film.  Its really a fantastic set-up because all the kids are in jammies (or this time their favorite college team garb) and laid out on blankets.  You don't have to be super quiet or sit totally still for two hours.  And you bring a picnic for dinner then they have SNACKS!  Popcorn and this time monster cookies (that were really yummy!)

Pumpkin Carving

Last "Halloween" post from last week.  We had a gorgeous fall night last week and planned a pumpkin carving party.  Mommy made vegetable soup and cornbread, and heated up some mulled apple cider (mmmmm... mine and Little Miss's favorite!)

Little e was very excited about carving the pumpkin - that is until we got the pumpkin opened and he saw what was inside.  Then he was OUT - lol.  He went to his best mode, supervising and giving direction.

He decided it was safer to sit with mommy -though he didn't drink any cider like mommy.

Daddy did the hard work of carving the pumpkin.  I had two Mickey Mouse face patterns and let little e pick which 'hot dog' he wanted on his pumpkin.  It turned out to be a bit intricate with the face hanging on by four little small areas.  He did a great job!

Little e was very happy about his pumpkin (and a late night, and some soup - 'with ham!' he would say)

Weeks 24 and 25

Clearly I missed posting my "belly photo" on time last week - but I did take it so I will just post it with today's belly shot.  I still feel bigger than last time, but weight wise I am actually a pound lighter :)

24 weeks

24 weeks

(Ugh!  These self-photos are terrible!!  and out of focus - sorry)
I am still having trouble with my back (left shoulder blade and lower) and some pain low in the front (ligaments stretching I'm told).  And of course my dear old friend heartburn is here to stay.  I even wake up at like 4am with terrible heartburn (that I didn't go to bed with).  It is already my constant companion.  I am trying to continue to eat tomatoes and dairy and things that I know give me heartburn though because when I gave them up with little e then he got reflux every time I tried to eat them and nurse (I guess from not being used to them).

25 weeks

25 weeks

You are super active.  I think you have hiccups half of the day - it really cracks me up.  When you aren't just hiccuping you are moving around or kicking.  I feel like my whole belly jumps sometimes when you kick.  Your daddy has still only felt it once since you are so stubborn.
The doctor was trying to get your heartbeat Monday at our last appt and after the third time of finding it and you immediately moving from the doppler he started to laugh and said 'if she would ever sit still.' I told him you don't do too much of that and he laughed, 'Yes, I can see that.  I think you are going to have your hands full.'  Yes, Doc - so do we.