39 Weeks: Baby Girl's Room

My first thought about this post is, 39 weeks already?!  I think back to when we found out about this pregnancy (a week after Easter), and that seems like an eternity ago.  When I think back to my pregnancy with Elijah, these last few weeks seemed to drag...probably because I didn't have a toddler to chase after in my final weeks.  With this one, they just keep flying by.  I feel like I'm not ready and yet, I know we are.  Dustin even told me this morning that he doesn't feel ready; it's like 40 weeks just snuck up on us.  But, on the flip side, I am SO ready to meet this little girl!

I debated and debated putting up pictures of her nursery because there are finishing touches that haven't been completed.  She'll be sleeping in a pack n play in our room for at least the first couple of months, so I'm not too concerned about her room being exactly how I want it in the end.

I'm not all about the baby themed rooms, or bright colors, so I chose more subdued, relaxing colors.  I also like to use decorations that can easily be used as she gets older.  So, here is her room so far:

 Walking into her room, it looks like this:

Her first initial will be in the center of that frame above her crib.  It's currently hidden, so nobody can make name guesses.  It's a white, wooden letter.  On the other wall is a shadow box that my sister-in-law put together.  I should have taken a closer picture of it, but she made some cute decorations for inside and there is room to put pictures or other sentimental things inside.  Don't mind the clutter of extra things on the floor (carseat, bumbo, bin of clothes):

 Next to the rocker, I want to get a toddler size, white nightstand to put the lamp on.  Since she doesn't have a bookcase, I went with the wire basket that's on the floor.  The blanket won't be staying because my Mom is making a quilt for baby out the same fabrics I used for some of the other things in the room.  I made the window valance out of strips of fabric and am still working on a rustic looking sign that will hang about her window:

Still trying to figure out what to put in the empty wall space to the left of her dresser...maybe a mirror, or a clock.  Also want to get a bank & picture frames for on her white shelves.  We found the shelves at a yard sale for $1, Dustin sanded & painted them.  My Mom and I made the headband/bow holder, but I don't have any bows to put on it yet:

This little girl has a pretty big room, compared to her brother's.  If it had been a boy, we would have had them share this room.  I still have a fear that this baby is going to come out and be a boy.  In which case, he would have a very girly room and would be coming home from the hospital in this:

So, that's where we're at.  Hospital bags still aren't completely packed and the baby's car seat isn't installed.  Luckily, things don't usually happen as quickly as they do in the movies, so we have some time  : )

Two Peas in a Pod

The older Elijah gets and the more his personality develops, the more I realize, he is just like his Daddy!

I never fully realized this until this weekend when I had a chance to watch him interact with more family than usual.  I always considered him to be shy, but he can fool you.  Give him an audience, and he is sure to entertain....doing the same silly thing over and over again just to make you laugh or cheer for him.  He certainly doesn't get this from me.

Being silly before bedtime

It used to bother me that I was the one who had to be the disciplinarian and put structure to Elijah's day.  It seemed like when Daddy came home from work, it was all fun & games.  And I've come to accept, that's ok...because he looks up to his Daddy.  He asks for Dada as soon as he wakes up.  He loves to watch Daddy get ready for work ( he even pretends to put on deodorant just like him).

Looking out the window, waiting for Daddy to get home from work!

And there is no one else I'd rather him grow up to be like than his Daddy!

Pregnancy: The Second (third) Time Around, Part One

It's crazy to think, but my body has not been mine for the past two years.  At (almost) 34 weeks into my third pregnancy, I feel like I've come to accept the fact that I will forever be pregnant...like it's a constant part of me.  Sometimes I whine, but at the same time, I'm grateful that we are able to get pregnant and I'm grateful for all three of my pregnancies, no matter how long or short they may have been.  And each one has been different.....

How We Found Out:
June 2011:  Dustin was working a very early shift at Walgreens the day we found out about our first pregnancy.  It was one of those things where we were ready & wanting to have our first baby.  So, early that morning at about 5am, all by myself, I found out that we were blessed to be pregnant.  Of course, with it being our first, I had to come up with some sort of creative way to tell Dustin.  I remember how slowly the hours went by, waiting for him to get home from work.  I had gone to Target to get a piggy bank and attached a cute little note to it.  We couldn't believe our dream was finally coming true!!!!  Here was how we told our parents.  I still love going back and watching these videos:

October 2011: It was Fall Break from school and my parents were in town.  We had finished doing yard work and were all taking naps before getting ready to head out to dinner.  I remember waking Dustin up and telling him that I just had this weird, internal feeling that I was pregnant.  I had no symptoms or anything, just that internal feeling.  So, I asked him to go to Walgreens to pick up a pregnancy test.  He lied and told my parents that he was going to get an SD card for our camera before we headed out to dinner.  Sure enough, a few minutes after he came home from his errand, we found out we were pregnant with our second baby!  It was so bittersweet.  I didn't care about coming up with a special way to tell anyone.  In fact, I marched right out into the kitchen and told my parents.  We were so excited to be pregnant again so soon after our miscarriage!  We were 5 1/2 weeks along when we found out.  I love this picture because it always reminds me of the night we told both sets of our parents that we were pregnant again...

 April 2013: Much like the second time around, we found out about this pregnancy based on my gut instincts.  It was a Sunday and Dustin was out doing work stuff; I called him and asked him to pick up a pregnancy test on his way home.  I told him I had taken one earlier and that there was a really, really faint second line.  I even started to second guess myself that the second line wasn't there (that's how faint it was).  So, I asked him to pick up a digital one that clearly says "pregnant" or "not pregnant".  Again, I took it right when he got home and it said "not pregnant".  I knew otherwise, so I decided I would wait until morning to use the other one,  and sure enough at 6am the next morning, it said "pregnant".  Turns out, I was only 3 weeks pregnant when we found out with this one.  Susie took this picture the day we told them about our third pregnancy:

(I have another fun video of us telling my parents via skype...hopefully I can share that later).

I feel like these are moments in my life that I will NEVER forget; it's in that moment of getting a positive pregnancy test that your life forever changes.  I think any woman that has experienced that exciting moment knows what I'm talking about.  I've been blessed to experience it three times, and it NEVER gets any less exciting!

How Quickly Life Changes!

It's November!!!!  I don't know if it's just me, but the whole Halloween thing really seemed to be drawn out this year....like it went on FOREVER!  Maybe I wasn't as excited about it because we didn't take Elijah trick or treating (we're waiting until he can actually say trick-or-treat), but now that it's the day after Halloween, I look forward to hitting up the clearance candy section at Target!

Here at the Evenson house, we're looking forward to a November filled with family coming into town for Thanksgiving!  Reflecting back on Thanksgiving, it got me thinking that since Dustin and I have been married, we have been at a completely different stage of our lives at each Thanksgiving.  Does that make sense?  Let me explain.....

2009

Ok, so this isn't a Thanksgiving picture because I couldn't find any from that year.  I know that Kirsten, my sister-in-law, took this picture a few days after Thanksgiving.  I still didn't have a job and Dustin was working full time at Walgreens.  It still baffles me that we were able to live off of his salary for half a year!  We were living in a rental house.

2010

Two new changes this year: I was working full time as a first grade teacher and we had purchased & were living in our first house!  Dustin was still working at Walgreens, never spending an entire Thanksgiving with us because he had to go to work!

2011

Ok, so I'm failing miserably at finding Thanksgiving pictures (I guess I never take any!).  Anyway, a new thing in 2011 was that I was 10 weeks pregnant at Thanksgiving.  Still working the same jobs, but so excited to have a little one on the way!

2012

New happenings in 2012 include Dustin accepting his current job at Ascension.  Which meant, no more nights/weekends and this would be the last year that he'd be working on Thanksgiving!  We had a 5 month old and I was down to working only 3 days a week!

And so, that brings us to this year, 2013.  New things include:  I'll be 37 weeks pregnant, I'm a stay at home Mom & this will be the first year that Dustin will NOT be working on Thanksgiving (praise the Lord)!

I wouldn't change a single thing; I love the path our life has taken over the past 4 years!
 

Third Trimester Thoughts

One third of the way through the third trimester, the time of pregnancy when every single day counts.  Ask me how far along I am today and it's not 32 weeks, it's 32 weeks and 3 days...because those 3 days really do make a difference at this point in pregnancy.  I've had a lot of things on my mind lately.  These thoughts usually come to me at 2am, when I'm wide awake, listening to my husband snore...so here they are, random as they may be.  My vents, my hopes and my feelings on pregnancy. 

VENTS
Anytime a woman is pregnant, it's NEVER ok to say the following:
*You look like you're going to pop any day now (um, no...I actually have 8 more weeks).
*Are you sure it's not twins?  (yep, pretty gosh darn sure there's only one in there)
*When are you due? (around Christmas)...oh, wow, you still have a long time to go (considering I've already done 32 weeks, 8 weeks isn't THAT long).

I'm still baffled that people think it's ok to say these things.  I get ALOT of comments on the size of my belly, but each week, it measures exactly where it should be. 

Anyway, I met a nice Mom at the park the other day.  She asked me when I was due, I told her the answer, and her response was:  That's awesome, you're SO close to the end, it will be here before you know it.  I liked her.

Pregnancy
I wish I was one of those women who enjoyed being pregnant, but sadly, I am not.  Yes, there are some incredible moments during pregnancy and I believe it's a complete and utter miracle, but I do NOT enjoy being pregnant.  I'm not saying this just because I'm in my third trimester and am ready to get this baby out.  This is how I feel my entire pregnancy.

Elijah's swim teacher was telling us how much she enjoyed pregnancy.  She said that even while she was throwing up every day, she loved being pregnant.  In my mind, that sounded pretty twisted.

I think back to the 2.5 months of this pregnancy when I felt nauseous 24/7 and it makes me never want to be pregnant again.  Don't get me wrong, I love Elijah and I know I'll love this little girl just as much, and they are worth it, but that doesn't mean I have to love being pregnant.  I prefer them on the outside, thank you very much!

Hopes
At my last appointment, the nurse practitioner was asking me how my birth with Elijah was.  Well, let me see...where to start.  I was pumped with Pitocin for 19 hours straight, then I had Elijah pulled out of me with a vacuum, he was whisked away to the nicu and I was left with my placenta inside of me for almost 24 hours, pumped up with so many drugs and shots to try to get it out, until I delivered it...myself...in a hospital bathroom.  End of story.  She basically assured me that it probably doesn't get much worse than that and this birth should be much easier.

So, that is my hope.  I hope to wake Dustin up in the middle of the night, saying we need to go to the hospital.  I hope to make it through most/all my delivery unmedicated.  I hope to have a baby that gets to stay in the hospital room with me and more importantly, leave two days later with us.  I guess I'm just asking for a "normal" birth.  Please, someone tell me, that they do happen?!

I guess that's all I've got for now.  Baby girl's room still isn't complete, but guess what?  I don't care!  If she were to come early, she has a bed to sleep in, clothes to wear and diapers for her little butt.  It's amazing how your priorities change the second time around!

16 Months!

The 21st day of every month marks special milestones in our house.  Today, it means that Elijah is exactly 16 months old, it means that I'm exactly 4 months away from turning 30 (yikes) and it marks exactly 2 months until baby girl's due date.  Lots of exciting things going on!

It seems like every month that goes by, we fall more and more in love with Elijah.  He is our sweet, silly, happy, easy going little boy.  He is full of personality and expressions, but only lets those closest to him see that side.  He is still very shy around strangers and other kids, often hiding behind Mom's legs or burying his head away so he doesn't have to look at them.

He has really lost his "baby" look and people tend to think he's older than he really is (most think he's around 2 years old!).  Unfortunately, he still gets mistaken for a little girl sometimes, which I have yet to understand.

Here's a little look at what Elijah is up to at 16 months:

Weight: 25.5 lbs
Height: 33 inches
(Both measurements were taken by me, so  they may be off by a little)

Food: While he used to eat anything & everything, he's become more particular about what he will & won't eat.  Favorites include any type of fruit, broccoli, corn, green beans, cereal, yogurt and anything that is probably considered not too healthy (pizza, ice cream etc.).  He will not eat ground beef.  Chicken has become hit or miss...along with many of the main items to any meal.  He still LOVES milk, drinking about 20oz a day and would probably drink more if we gave it to him.

Sleep: Still takes 2, 1.5 hour naps each day, sleeps about 11 hours a night.

Language & Associations: Mama, Dada, car, banana, buh bye, oatmeal, Elmo, Papa, uncle, grandma & bubbles.  He likes to hold up objects and try to repeat the names of each thing.  Sometimes, he goes on talking spurts where he'll just babble non-stop and point to things.  How I wish I knew what he was trying to say!  He can tell you the sounds that a lion, cat, cow & giraffe (we made up this sound) make. 

He always associates the word "bye-bye" with Dada.  Whenever we put on his socks & shoes, he says "car?" & when he sees pictures of monkeys, he says "nana".

Play: He loves to be outside!  We go to the park probably every other day.  Some of his favorites right now include bubbles, his sand table, the hose, balls, reading books, cars & anything with animals.

His bedroom is starting to look more like a big boy room.  The rocking chair has been replaced with his own tiny chair & the changing pad is no longer on his dresser.

I leave you with a few more pictures of his ever changing expressions:

Truth be told...

Truth be told, even stay at home Mommas can have bad days (or even weeks).  I've discovered that even when you love what you do, there are days when you feel like doing anything but that, and I must accept that it is human to feel that way.  But, at the same time, I feel guilty when I don't enjoy what I most want to be doing: being a stay at home Mom.

There are days when Dustin comes home from work and excitedly tells me to watch something "new" that Elijah is doing.  And my first thought is: "yeah, yeah, I spend 10 hours a day with him, I've already seen him do that.  Is it possible that I could just smile and share in his excitement of seeing Elijah do something "new"?

There are days when I feel like Dustin doesn't understand the monotony of being a stay at home Mom.  Wake up, feed Elijah, empty dishwasher, change diaper, change child, playtime, naptime, snack time, clean up house....do it all over again tomorrow.  And it gets tiring, lonely and sometimes, dare I say, boring.  Is it possible to find joy in the little things?

There are days (most days) that I feel like a horrible wife.  I put so much energy into taking care of Elijah that by the time Dustin gets home from work, I'm grumpy and short with him.  I pick apart the way he does things and make demands of him, even though he's also exhausted from working all day.  And I know, that isn't the way this should be.  One day, my children will leave the house and my husband will be the one who stays with me for the rest of my life.  I sure want to make him feel like he's excited to spend the rest of his life with me.  Is it possible to let go of my set in stone ways and relax a little?

At the same time, I tell Dustin quite often that I'm SO happy to be a stay at home Mom.  I wouldn't trade it for anything.  I enjoy being able to watch Elijah grow everyday.  I enjoy the fact that if I really need to, I can take a nap during the day when Elijah naps.  I don't dread Mondays because I have to go back to "work".

And so, maybe in those times when I'm having a bad day, I can remember that the good far outweighs the bad and this too shall pass.

"For I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have the learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do everything through him who gives me strength"  Philippians 4: 11-13

The End!

August 12, 2013:  3:15pm, drive 25 minutes to swim, get Elijah changed, hand him over to a complete stranger and watch him cry like crazy for 10 minutes, get out of pool, get dressed, drive 25 minutes back home. Gave him a full glass of milk after swim and he puked all over himself.  I believe I called Dustin on the way home and told him I didn't want to go back the next day.  Was this worth it?  It all seemed SO overwhelming for a 10 minute lesson.  And now, I had signed up to do it EVERY weekday for the next 6 weeks.  Somehow, Dustin had convinced me to go back the next day and I'm so glad I did....

October 1, 2013:  I'm no longer nervous watching Elijah in the pool.  Today, he swam in jeans, a coat, a t-shirt, socks and a regular diaper.  His teacher had him "fall" into the pool from different angles, and like a fishing bobber, he'd sink down and immediately float right back up to the top.  After today's lesson, he was smiling at his teacher, waving goodbye and blowing her kisses.  Would I do it all over again?  Yes!

A Small Glimpse into ISR

When I first signed Elijah up for the program, I felt VERY overwhelmed by the amount of paperwork and things to keep track of.  There were certain foods that he wasn't supposed to eat at all during his weeks of swim, he wasn't supposed to have any dairy for 2 hours before the lesson and no food of any type for one hour before his lesson.  We were to track all of his eating, sleeping, bowel movements & urine output from Sunday-Friday on a special sheet.  You are to bring 3 towels to lessons...one to put down on the surface, another to put on top of that one (in case of spitup) and another to cover your child at the end of lessons.  They are to remain on their left side for a few minutes after each lesson to expel any air/water they may have in their tummies.  PHEW!  After reading all of these things, I started to question if we had signed up for something we weren't ready for.  Of course, there is a reason behind each of these rules and as time went on, it just became a part of our everyday routine.

Now that Elijah is done with lessons, I can say what an AMAZING program it is.  I was there for every single 10 minute lesson and am still amazed and can't quite explain how the instructor taught a 13 month old (when he started) to swim, float and essentially rescue himself in water. 

Here are a few pictures from his final day at ISR:

Of course we had to celebrate the end of lessons by having ice cream for dinner, so over to Culver's we went:

We are SO proud of you, Elijah Ray!

15 Months!

"Just wait til he's crawling" everyone would tell me...wait until he starts to crawl, then you'll really have your work cut out for you.  Nope.  Didn't happen.  Even when he started to crawl at 10 months, he was still content hanging out in the living room, playing happily with his same toys over and over again.  Fast forward 4.5 months and we have a different story.  We officially have a "walker" on our hands and I feel like my sweet, innocent, always content baby Elijah has turned into a boy.

Ok, so he's still sweet and innocent, but definitely not as content with staying in one place for too long.  I feel like he's changed over night, but I love it (of course we have some rough days...usually when I'm tired)!

Trying to find Daddy after breakfast, with Mr. Elephant in hand!

At 15 months (next week), he can say "Dada", "Mama", "car", "nana" (for banana), "hi/hello", "buh bye", "done" & my personal favorite: "no, no no"  : ).  He can also do signs for: milk, more, all done, please, thank you & water.  We are slowly adding more signs, now focusing on "clean" for clean up time and I'd really like to add "i love you".  He knows how to give kisses, blow kisses and give hugs.  He also knows to fold his hands before we eat, so we can pray.

He spends quite a bit of time after Daddy leaves for work saying buh-bye and waving at the door.  He seems to think Daddy is always leaving, even on the weekends, he'll say "dada, buh bye" and start to wave.  Although, he LOVES his Daddy.  He is quick to point him out in pictures and gets really excited when he comes home from work.  By that point in the day, I'm more than happy to have him follow Dustin around the house for the few hours before he goes to bed.  : )

Elijah still LOVES to eat and the only food that I've found that he won't eat is zucchini.  He's learned to not whine when he sees his milk, instead he signs "milk please" and waits patiently (most of the time).

He has about 2 more weeks left to swim class and is now able to swim from person to person for about 3 seconds and then recognize rolling over and floating to get a breath.  By the end, the sequence should go swim, float, swim, float until he is able to grab the side of the pool.  He still cries at EVERY SINGLE lesson, but continues to work hard and accomplish his goals.  We are so proud of him!

He also has about 3 short months before he becomes a big brother!  We love him so and look forward to what each day has to bring, as he is constantly learning new things!

Enjoying a somewhat cool, fall morning in the backyard!

18 Weeks and Counting Down!

And so it begins...the random stranger asking when I'm due (staring at my already huge belly), me responding with "right before Christmas" and then the dreaded "Wow" response, or "Is it just one?"  UGH!  Although Christmas seems like quite awhile away, 18 weeks doesn't seem like nearly enough time to get everything done around our house.  In fact, my heart is rapidly beating as I write this.  It's amazing how busy things have gotten around here!

By week 21 with Elijah, we had a crib set up and his room had been painted (twice)!  This is what our little girl's room currently looks like...

I promise, the rest of our house DOES NOT look like this!  This "extra" room became our everything room...we stuffed a futon, a treadmill, a large bookcase, all my sewing stuff and Dustin's hobby things into this room.  Now, it all has to get out!  I have no idea where everything is going to go because we don't have another room to put it all...how I wish we had a basement!

Then, we have to agree on a paint color for baby girl's room.  I'm sure we'll want to get this right the first time because Dustin painted Elijah's room twice before I approved of it!  I know he'll have nothing of that this time.

The good news is that baby girl has 2 boxes of diapers and a few articles of clothing.  Aside from conquering this room, I think about Christmas shopping, baking for the church coffee house, making 50 burp cloths for a mission trip and preparing to sell burp cloths at an art tour in November.  PHEW!

And although I have a TON of things to do in the next 18 weeks, I am so happy that they are all things I love to do.  I'm happy that I have the opportunity to try some new baking recipes, to sew more, to decorate a room and to hopefully get my business going even more!  And so, when I get asked "Do you miss teaching?", I can with 100% certainty say "NO!", because now I am truly doing what I am meant to do!

Affordable Busy Box Ideas for One Year Old!

Seems like ever since my little man turned one, he's no longer interested in his toys.  Most of the day is spent following me around the house, wanting to help in opening and closing doors, emptying the dishwasher and taking part in whatever I'm doing.  While I don't mind the help, by Friday, I feel like I'm about to pull my hair out when I can't even go to the bathroom without a little one hanging on my legs. 

That's where the busy box comes in.  Although, I do have to guide Elijah with some of these activities, they are a break from the ordinary, which helps both of us stay sane!  These activities are designed with affordability in mind.  I've also found it best to put them away for a little while instead of just leaving them lay around the house.  That way, they don't just become another toy.

Here's what we have in our "Busy Box" so far:

1. Milk Jug & Clothes Pins, Price= FREE

 
The first time I introduced this activity, he just examined the clothes pins.  I then showed him how to drop them, one by one, into the milk jug and he thought that was pretty cool.  I had to guide him on how to put them in vertically, but within the next few days, he was was an expert at it!  You could also use this activity for sorting and counting!

Oh , the concentration!

2. Crayons & Paper, Price= $1.88

For most people, this activity would probably be free, but I didn't have any crayons laying around the house.  I also wanted to get him the "jumbo" type so he could hold them better.  I splurged and bought Crayola brand because those just seem to color better (not so waxy).   We also had a ream of paper at home.  I cut off a big piece and taped it to the ground.

Had to taste the crayons first!

Of course, with all activities, you have to show what we do with crayons.  The first time I introduced this, he threw the crayons and wanted to put them in his mouth.  By the second day, he was making scribbles on the paper!  I would suggest only giving one or two crayons at a time.  Again, a great activity for fine motor skills!

3. Pool Noodle, Price=$1.99

This is just a fun, sensory activity that costs next to nothing. I bought the pool noodle at Target, but I've heard they have them at the Dollar store.  Our dollar store didn't have any, but my guess is that they have them at the beginning of summer.  I did this activity with Elijah today just to pass the time.  I cut the noodle into 1 inch pieces, then we threw them all in the bathtub with some water.

Ohhhh, I can't wait to go in!!!!

Having SO much fun!

I hope to add more activities to our Busy Box each week, but this is a good start for now!

Life at 13 months!

It's raining and thundering in Tucson!  I LOVE afternoons like this because they are so rare.  It also means that Elijah naps longer because his bedroom is so dark.  I figured I'd take this time to catch up because we now have a 13 month old and we're slowly taking (more like talking about) steps to get ready for baby #2.

I didn't want to spend the money to have professional pictures of Elijah at one year because I figure we'll be taking family pictures once Baby E is here in December.  So, I went with the next best thing to a professional photographer....UNCLE ROSS!!!  Doesn't sound that great, huh?  But, really, he is.  You can look at some of his work here.  I usually find inspiration from Pinterest, then send a picture to Ross and say "Do you think you can do this?".  And so, he does.  He took this picture for us, which has now become quite a popular way to announce pregnancies.  I think, or I like to think, we were a little ahead of the game when we took this in 2011.

He also took a few one year pics of Elijah for us:

So fun, and lots of thanks for doing this for us, for FREE! 

Elijah officially turned 13 months this past Monday, so I decided to put him to work. : ) kinda... up until this point, I kinda just let him do whatever, but now I feel like he can grasp how to do more, so we've been working on a few key things.

We still haven't conquered the dreaded sippy cup.  He LOVES milk and water, but he makes the most disgusted face when drinking them out of a sippy cup.  He then proceeds to throw a tantrum, which I ignore and eventually put his drink back in the fridge.  The problem is, when it's 100 degrees out, I don't want him to get dehydrated.  So, eventually..an hour or so later, I pour his milk back into a bottle, which he happily consumes within minutes.   AGHHHH, hoping Dr. Honebrink has some suggestions for this.  He has also broken all but ONE of the rings on his bottles from tossing them on the floor.  Now I know, a 13 month old can easily learn to hand things to people when asked.  So, after a few times of practicing "give your bottle to Mama", he will now hand things over.  He gets a HUGE grin on his face when I say "thank you".  This has also helped in other situations where he becomes completely infatuated with an object when we're out shopping.  Now, all I have to do is say "give it to Mommy" and "thank you" and there's no screaming!  Who knew?  : )

This skill has also helped in having him empty the dishwasher!  Never too early to start helping around the house, right?  : )  Of course, I take out all the knives and breakables first, then he hands things to me one by one.  It takes awhile just to empty the bottom part of the dishwasher, but it's so worth it!

Handing a spoon to Mommy!

It also never occurred to me, until the other day, when he spilled 100 cookie cutters all over the floor, that he is very capable of putting all 100 cookie cutters back into the container.  So, one by one we sat until the job was done.  The cookie cutters are now put up high, out of reach of little hands!

I also introduced him to two new activities for those fine motor skills: dropping clothespins into a milk carton and coloring! 

Crayons!

Other than that, he continues to be quite an eater, eating anything and everything we give him.  My guess is that he weighs about 25lbs.  He has his one year appointment in about 2 weeks, so we'll see where he's at then. 

He's our little sweetheart, who continues to give kisses that just melt my heart; and is usually quite happy and content with whatever we're doing.  We just love him so!

11 Weeks!

When looking through my pictures when I was pregnant with Elijah, I looked similar to this picture at about 18 weeks!  I hadn't lost all my pregnancy weight before we found out we were pregnant again, but I'm actually down about a pound since we found out at 3 weeks.  Oh well...Dustin would tell me not to worry about my weight while pregnant.

I finally made dinner for us last week, after almost 2 months of us not eating dinner together!  My all day nausea has definitely improved, but there are some days that I just don't feel like dealing with it, so I take anti-nausea medicine.

As far as gender inclinations go, I think it's a boy.  Dustin goes back and forth, but right now, he's thinking boy also.  I was wrong with Elijah...so maybe I'll be wrong with this one too.  I really and truly do not care either way.  I think Dustin would like another boy because he said he doesn't want to deal with all that "hormone stuff" with girls.  But, I know he'd be happy either way!

I still fit into my "normal" clothes, but unfortunately, I don't have many regular summer clothes that fit me.  But, I have lots of maternity tank tops, dresses and capris, so I've decided to start wearing the ones that fit me comfortably right now.  It's well over 100 degrees every day, so I'd rather stick with what I have than buy clothes that won't fit me in a few weeks.

Looking forward to our 12 week appointment next week, then it's off to Wisconsin for us!  Elijah and I will be gone for a month and are so excited that Dustin can be in Wisconsin with us for almost a week. I couldn't be more excited to get out of Arizona during what I think is the hottest part of summer!  Also looking forward to Elijah's first birthday in a couple weeks!

10 Weeks!

I finally feel like there's a light at the end of the first trimester tunnel!  Although I still have nausea all day, every day, I feel like there's a little glimmer of hope with only 3 more weeks in the first trimester.  As of today, I am 10w, 2d, my weeks turn over on Saturdays. 

This week, I started taking my weekly belly shot pictures, which I did with Elijah also.  Dustin questioned me, asking why I would be doing this again, but I feel like it's only fair...if you document EVERYTHING with one child, the same has to be done with the next.  In fact, I'm so grateful that I wrote everything down weekly with Elijah because it's been nice to go back and read how I was feeling each week.

A friend of mine had given me this journal, so I decided to turn it into my pregnancy journal.  With Elijah, I wrote in it each week of my pregnancy.  I'm trying to be faithful and do the same this time, but it doesn't always happen.  I also include my weekly pregnancy pics in the journal, so it looks something like this:

26, 27 & 28 weeks!

 It's fun to go back and compare how I'm feeling now to how I was feeling that same week with Elijah.  So, here's 10 weeks back then and 10 weeks now...

May 27th, 2013

November 2011

I'm still dealing with the bleed, which I thought was done, but it came back again!  This was my main concern at 10 weeks with Elijah too.  But, we have had many ultrasounds and baby is fine!  We had also bought an at home fetal doppler last pregnancy and I've been able to find the heartbeat for about a week now!  Always a reassuring thing!

So far, I haven't gained/lost any weight since I weighed myself when we found out 7 weeks ago.  I still have pretty strong aversions to pizza, ice cream and poultry.  Haven't had any strong cravings, but yesterday, I had to restrict my consumption of tuna.  : )  We have one more appointment before we leave for WI; it's hard to believe that by the time I get back to Arizona, we'll only be about a week away from finding out this little one's gender.  I have no inclination one way or the other, and I'd be extremely happy with either a boy or a girl.