Baby Boy: 25 Weeks!

• How Far Along: 25 Weeks
• Size of baby: Still the size of an eggplant, just a bigger one! He's about 2 pounds and 9.2 inches.
• Total Weight Gain/Loss: Still 14 pounds!
• Maternity Clothes: Yes. I actually found a pair of shorts this week on clearance at Target that I love! This is a first for me.
• Gender: Boy!
• Movement: All the time! Still mainly in the morning and at night, which is actually a funny story. On Tuesday night I ended up in Labor & Delivery (long, embarrassing story), and they had to monitor me for an hour. Baby boy is still relatively tiny in comparison to the size of my ginormous stomach, so they could barely keep the monitor on him because he moved constantly. Fortunately they got what they needed and we were in and out in about 2 hours!
• What I miss: Sushi. Energy. That's about it!
• Sleep: Much better this week! My doctor gave me a prescription last week to help me sleep on the nights I'm having trouble. Which brings me to...
• Symptoms: My hip pain is still pretty unbearable, and the doctor thinks it's a pinched nerve that we can't really do anything about. GREAT. That's why she gave me the medicine. I can at least sleep through the pain and I have no problems falling back asleep after I wake up for bathroom breaks.
• Best Moment this week: Wyatt and Reese always love to come over and hug my bump and say hi to their brother. I love that! Hearing his heartbeat at the hospital was awesome (even if I hated being there)!
• What I am looking forward to: Hopefully settling on a name soon. Getting things organized around the house. I'm going to get the new laptop hooked up tonight since we ran out of space on this one. Reese's birthday is less than a month away, so there's planning for that coming up. And of course, FALL is just around the corner which brings 3 days work weeks for Brian and shorter work days! All this to look forward to BEFORE the baby comes! I can't wait for November!

Out of the Mouth's of my Babes

The kids are constantly saying and doing things that have Brian and I rolling. Most of it is Wyatt, with his constantly expanding vocabulary and inquisitive nature, but Reese also manages to pull a few funnies out every now and then too.

• Last week at Busch Gardens we stopped in a store that carries cuckoo clocks, but also has a small Christmas section. We stopped at a nativity and pointed to Baby Jesus and asked Wyatt if he remembered the baby's name. His reply was correct: "Baby Jesus." But before he could answer Reese responded in a deep voice, "Yooooooooooooda."
• I asked Wyatt what he wants to name his baby brother and got three responses: Derek Jeter, A Rod or Wonder Pets.
• I will probably never need to have a conversation with my kids about where babies come from. If you ask Wyatt, he just says "We came from your scar, Mom."
• If you ask what babies eat he says "Milk from Mommy's bottles."
• Wyatt can put on a pretty rockin performance of "Don't Stop Believin." He sings it in the car all the time (after asking, "Hey Mom, do you have your phone?), but only today did Brian and I realize that he apparently thinks the song is about Derek Jeter. For whatever reason instead of "Strangers" he thinks the word is "Jeter." But he just sings along and can sing the song by heart except the people are standing on the "Gooeybard" instead of the "Boulevard." With or without the music. This kid is nuts, but he cracks us up.

And just now my husband was looking through the new Restoration Hardware catalogue and says "Who buys this stuff for their patio? It looks like it belongs at a castle. This might be something I'd buy if I were putting in a patio off Hogwarts." We've got nothing but humor in this house!

Almost 2!

We gave Reese her "My Pal Violet" dog last week. We bought it (and gave it to her) at Christmas, but we were in toy overload and didn't open up much since we were about to move. Anyway, she's pretty much in love right now. She loves to cuddle her.

And stretch out with her.
And have a sticky chocolate face with her.

Basically, she loves Violet.

Because she also loves "puwple." Purple and pink are her two favorite colors.

She is talking up a storm right now. She basically uses complete sentences (or desperately tries to) and asks why all the time. Wyatt did not start with the why's until he was older, and actually understood the answer. She asks why just for fun and it goes on and on and on and on.

I can't believe that she is going to be 2 in one month! Sometimes she still seems so little, but I'm constantly reminded that she is learning more and getting bigger every day! I think in comparison to Wyatt she will always be little, but once Baby Boy gets here in October/November she'll seem huge.

She's become a swimming fanatic and she's a lot braver than her brother. She jumps in off the side and has climbed up on the diving board twice before chickening out. She's becoming way more independent and wants to do everything by herself. Buckling anything, trying to get dressed, cleaning up, you name it, she wants to do it herself. A lot of it is watching what her brother does, but I think she's also got quite an independent streak.

She loves to take care of her babies, and I know that she will be a great big sister. She asks to kiss my belly everyday!

I guess I need to start planning a birthday party know. Yikesabee.

Whatever Wyatt Wants...

On Sunday morning Wyatt woke up and basically asked Brian if we were going to Busch Gardens that day. We had no real plans for the day, and we knew we could there by 10, so we decided to go. I swear, one of the best things we've done is get season passes to the zoo, Busch Gardens, Water Country and the Aquarium. We can go whenever we want and we don't feel obligated to stay the entire day, so we can hit the road and avoid lunching at the park (if we want).

We walked in the gate at 10 and headed straight for the bathrooms! I don't know who had to go the most, but I do know that Wyatt let me use the bathroom first. What a sweet kid! We always thought Monday mornings were the best time to go, but the place was empty when we got there. It was awesome!

After our bathroom break we went to Sesame place, and since there were no lines, the boys road the roller coaster 4 times without getting off. Wyatt loved it. Brian said that after the third time he was questioning himself about whether someone with my genes should be allowed to ride again. 10 years ago at a lifeguard competition I rode the Spiderman roller coaster at Six Flags Darien Lake with him three times in a row and threw up in a trash can when we got off. Since that day I have not been able to ride a roller coaster more than once on any given day.
The fact that Reese was brave enough to get on this with the boys surprised me.

The fact that she loved it and was shouting "Hi Mommy!" and waving from the top astonished me.

Enjoying a snack in the Graco double stroller. I love this thing, but it was a hand me down and we're going to be needing a new one I think. It has drink holders for us, plenty of storage and snack trays for the kids. I just fear the cost since we didn't pay for this one.

Wyatt had a planes, trains and automobiles kind of day. He rode the bumper cars for the first time, then hopped on the planes, and after lunch we took the train around the park.

Reese and Daddy at the Festhaus enjoying lunch.

This...is a "Spiderman kiss." When Brian leaves the house in the morning Reese is always sitting on the couch, and she sticks her head up like that for a kiss.

Wyatt actually asked me to take this picture of him - a rarity nowadays. But he looks so stinking cute with pizza all over his face!

He was pretty exhausted by the time we got the Clydesdales. In fact, he didn't even pay attention to the actual horses. He had a great time and he's already asked if we're going back tomorrow. Ridiculous.

Baby Boy - Week 24!

• How Far Along: 24 Weeks
• Size of baby: One and a half pounds, about the size of an eggplant
• Total Weight Gain/Loss: About 14 pounds!
• Maternity Clothes: Yes? What else would I where? I try to stick to skirts and dresses on weekends because I HATE shorts.
• Gender: Boy!
• Movement: He is an active little guy! Right now I can actually watch my stomach move when he does. Brian got to feel his first big kick a few nights ago!
• What I miss: The occasional beer or cocktail. Salmon and tuna rolls. Tuna fish sandwiches (I've really been craving tuna fish sandwiches).
• Sleep: I get bad sleep. I feel like I'm awake half the night most nights, or stuck in "aware sleep." I'm only 24 weeks and I'm really uncomfortable. This does not bode well for the next 15 weeks.
• Symptoms: I'm tired. I'm hot. I feel like I have a splinter in the back of my throat. My hips are killing me. I'm sure most people's hips need to prepare for childbirth or something, but mine are safe. They aren't needed for childbirth, so they can calm down.
• Best Moment this week: Brian, Wyatt and Reese all got to feel him kick this week. I also think any moment where my kids walk up to me and pull up my shirt and say they want to give Gooey a kiss is pretty great. Unless it's in public.
• What I am looking forward to: We have an appointment this Thursday with Dr. George! She is such a great doctor, and this will be the first time we've seen her this pregnancy. I have a list of questions to ask (like it's my first time or something), but I also have my glucose screening that morning. Sigh. I also find myself really looking forward to my bowl of shredded mini wheats everyday. Seriously.

Water Country

On Monday we decided to take the trip to Williamsburg to go to Water Country. It was cloudy, but still really warm. The perfect day to go! It wasn't empty, but it wasn't really very busy either!

The kids had a really great time. Reese was able to do a lot more this year and she loved it! The first thing that we did was go down this slide, and then we went to some little ones. She didn't want that, so she walked off and Brian followed her while I stayed with Wyatt. She walked right back to the tube slide and said "Again!"

I was actually surprised when we went to get on the slide because Brian picked her up to take her and Wyatt walked up with me. When we got to the top Brian asked him who he was going to ride with and he said "I'm gonna ride with Mommy!"

Wyatt was such a great big brother all day! He always wanted to help with Reese either offering to ride down the slide with her or saying "It's okay Reesie, I'll catch you at the bottom!" We kept telling him all day how happy he was making us by being nice and helpful to his sister.

And she basically loved it!

Wyatt surprised us by climbing up this net to get to a really big slide. He did it all by himself! We weren't sure he was going to make it when he started, but he climbed right to the top and waved to us!

We visited a few kids section and then Brian and Wyatt went down a "big boy slide" before we went to the Hubba Hubba Highway, which is always a huge hit. Brian and Wyatt pretend that they're being chased and make a game of it. Reese and I just float along and relax!

Four years ago Brian and I went there and spent the whole day riding rides and never once contemplated going to the kids section, and now we spend all of our time there. But I wouldn't trade it for anything!

A Few Things...

I should probably post about our trip to Water Country on Monday or something, but instead I will throw together a few random things instead because I have other things I want to do. Like read the new issue of People Magazine about Carrie Underwood's wedding, where I saw that they gave guests painted hockey pucks for their table assignments. Freaking adorable (she married a hockey player). Darn it, we should have given people mini water slides! After I'm done reading about the plethora of money Carrie dropped on her big day, I'll probably spend a few minutes pondering what in the world is making Bristol Palin get back together with Levi. But that's just me. I might not have time. Bethenny Getting Married? is also on right now.



So I'll share a few things going on right now instead:

• Reese has successfully used the potty twice now. I just brought the potty into the family room so she can sit on it and watch TV, and that made it pretty easy to coax her on. Well, that plus me dangling stickers and M&M's in her face as a reward if she actually goes.
• Wyatt will not do his business in the potty STILL. He can run in the bathroom and pull down his pants, do his little standing up number, pull his pants back up and wash his hands with little interference from me, but he won't freaking poop. And the only answer I get as to why he can pee but no poop is "I can't like to poop in the potty Mommy." Nothing is working (bribery with candy and toys, etc.) and he is supposed to start school in September! Ugh!
• Tonight when I tucked Wyatt in bed he said "Hey Mommy, I have an idea. My sleeping bag is in my closet. You could pull it out and sleep in here with me if you want. Would you like that, Mommy?" I actually don't think that would be much fun with my enormous pregnant belly, but it was still really sweet and it melted my heart. I wish I could have!
• Today I was able to cross calling the pediatrician and Wyatt's school off of my To Do List. But gosh darn it, I forgot to call about swimming lessons! And the list goes on.
• And finally I already knew that Grey's Anatomy was adding Dr. Jackson Avery as a regular this season, which made me extremely happy. Apparently they are also adding this other dude as a therapist to help them all get past the trauma of the shootings. I'm just kind of wondering now, do any ugly guys work at Seattle Grace? Do they think they can just keep throwing cute guys at us and we'll overlook some of the outlandish stuff they throw our way? And does this mean that they can go ahead and kill off Korev, who's only useful line in the show ever was "Eat more bacon?"

And that's all I've got. Because this is what I do to pass the time when my husband is attending Smashing Pumpkins sound checks and concerts. Which is fine with me because Billy Corgan freaks me out.

*photo credits to People Magazine, Adam Larkey/ABC, and Andrew Eccles/NBC

Baby Boy Update!

I don't go to the doctor again until next week, but there have been a few fun things going on lately with the baby. He is moving all the time now. He is most active in the morning (especially between 7:30-8:30) and in the evening when I finally lay down. He really seems to enjoy any conversation that revolves around him, because it definitely gets him moving!

I went through two boxes of Wyatt's baby clothes today and came the realization that while I have a lot of newborn things that will fit him, I'm lost for months 3 through 9. Wyatt was wearing summer things at 3-6 months (he'll need warmer clothes) and winter clothes from 6-9 months (he'll need clothes for summer/early fall). Fortunately I had a pretty good idea that it would end up like this so I've slowly been buying seasonally appropriate clothing in the right sizes.

Brian and I still have some decisions to make about what we'll do once he comes. We definitely need a new car seat (you're only supposed to use them for three years, and we're going to get that) and probably a new double stroller (I love our side by side, but it isn't always convenient and it doesn't give the kind of sun protection we need). The side by side also has no trays, no cupholders and no real storage. I'll add that to the "things we should a researched more thoroughly" list.

We don't know who's room is going to be who's when the baby comes (we're waiting to see whether Reese or Wyatt is mature enough to move upstairs - my money is on Reese), and we're not too worried because he'll be with us for at least the first 4 months anyway. But names, car seats and the actual car situation are wearing on me! We've discussed a few names but haven't settled on one. I guess we still have 16 weeks to make up our minds! In the meantime, Brian and I are trying to figure out what we're going to do tomorrow. My guess is Water Country, but I guess we'll see...

Another Zoo Morning

We couldn't make up our minds about what to do on Monday. We have tons of options with our season passes to Busch Gardens and Water Country and the aquarium and the zoo, but since Monday was the observed holiday we didn't want to mess with any of that! We just knew that it would be crowded wherever we went, so we opted for a quick morning zoo trip and then a pool day after naps.

Wyatt wanted to talk to us about how to follow the map to get to the giraffes and lions.

Me and my mini-me.
It was so hot that the lions all lined up in the shade. When we left the zoo at noon it was 102 degrees. Yikesabee.

Daddy and his little girl.

Wyatt was totally amped to take this picture.

Reese thinks that the geese are "cute."

Reese was petting the cow just before this and he freaked out. She wouldn't even get close again, but Wyatt still wanted to take his turn. When a peacock walked by and Reese got scared he ran over and threw his arm around her and said "It's okay Reesie. I won't let him hurt you."

Wyatt told Reese that they needed to wash their hands after they pet the cow. I'm sure he does this because it's sanitary and not because he thinks it's fun.

We let Reese run around the snake exhibit and she was out of control. She ran everywhere.

She's been showing some signs of readiness to potty train, so we started this week. She is currently running around the house in a dress with underwear on and a pull up over them. That was she gets the "feel" for what it's like to pee in her pants without actually getting pee on my new carpet. I'm hesitant to let her become too dependent on pull ups because I don't want her wearing them during the day, I just want her in underwear. I really want to cut back on the amount we spend on diapers before the baby comes! She did urinate in the toilet last week, so I'm really ready to get this done. She seems pretty excited about getting M&M's, and she's already easier to get on the potty than Wyatt was when we started with him. I'm really hoping that she will easy to train!

Our 4th of July!

Our Independence Day was awesome this year because Brian was home! He never gets to take the 4th off (and can't remember doing so since he started working), so we were pretty excited!

We spent the morning watching the Military channel's specials about Gettysburg and the American Revolution. We also spent some time watching School House Rock: No More King, which Wyatt really enjoyed. After naps we all went swimming in our inflatable pool, which is actually big enough for the whole family!

Reese thought that it was too hot outside and only wanted to stay in the pool for about a half hour. Around that time Shannon called and asked if we wanted to meet her and the kids at McDonald's for dinner, since we're both usually home by ourselves on the 4th. Brian and I decided instead to throw together a super last minute barbecue and invited her and the kids and his parents.

I made homemade mac & cheese, and it wasn't a huge hit with the boys. Apparently they prefer the boxed stuff! They spent a lot of time playing and having fun while the adults chatted and the girls ate. Reese actually ate a whole hot dog and two bowls of mac & cheese (Tyler thought he was being sneaky and dumped his in her bowl)!

This is probably the place where I would complain about people setting off fireworks in the neighborhood, but I'll probably gloss over that and instead say that the kids were both exhausted (and found it a little difficult to fall asleep). Wyatt watched School House Rock one more time before bed, and has asked to watch it several more times. His main concern is the King taking everyone's money. I tried to explain that it was also a concern of the colonists, but once we start talking Boston Tea Party he starts throwing Reese's tea set in the air. Um, yeah. Hope everyone had a Happy Independence Day!

Vote for Swisher!

Wyatt voted for Nick Swisher to be the final member of the American League All Star team. Make sure you do too!

The Princess and the Frog

The kids and I had a pretty fun day today (while Brian worked). I knew pretty much as soon as we all rolled out of bed this morning that we were not going to spend the day hanging around the house. Our options were going to the zoo or going to my parents' house to swim. Since going to my parents' doesn't take half the amount of planning and preparation (and it also doesn't require a stroller), we decided to go for a swim.

The kids had a great time swimming in the pool, and Reese really impressed me. She was swimming around so well, and she didn't even want to hang on me in the pool. She spent a lot of time swimming with my dad the other day while my mom took Wyatt to the beach, so that must have done the trick. She kept spinning in circles saying "circles, circles!" She also jumped in the pool with no help from me. She went under once, and then just popped back up.

The kids took a break for snack time. This is Reese's "cheese."

Then the frog showed up. Reese loved this guy! (Hence the title).
She got in the pool and just sat and stared at him.

The frog hopped off, and Reese decided that she wanted to go for another swim.

And then he came back! Reese wanted to follow him after he hopped off again...

So my dad picked him up for her!

They had a lot of fun playing at my parents' house, and I couldn't believe it when I looked at the clock and it was noon! We packed up and came home for lunch and then took naps. We spent the evening out in the court playing with the neighbors. All the adults were joking me because they were all drinking while our kids played. Wyatt was really excited because the two 5 year old boys wanted to play with him today. They set up a Buzz Lightyear tent and built a "parking lot" in front of it for everyone's power wheels. Reese walked all the way around the court kicking the soccer ball. I'm not kidding. She kicked it all the way around the court.

Brian just got home and informed me that he "doesn't think" he is going to work tomorrow, which means that for the first time in 18 years he's off on the Fourth of July! I wonder what we'll do...

So...Yeah

I work for a pretty popular insurance company that I will refrain from naming to avoid having any google searches end up here (especially since I do an Internet and blog report every month tracking such things). Some of the commercials feature this song, but that's not why they're listening to it. The CD actually came in a Wendy's Kids Meal, and they've been jamming to it non stop.

Wyatt particularly likes to take the CD to Reese's room and have a "dance party." He wears his sunglasses and sings and dances. He's also been doing forward rolls as part of his dance repertoire. Excuse his other dance moves, I'm pretty sure that he's watching Seinfeld every night after we all go to bed.