Story Time

Today was the first Story Time of Winter/Spring 2012.

Our library does "semester" type story times, meaning they do 2-3 months at a time, then break for 1-2 months.

It works out great because we get a little break and every one is excited to start back.

Brady moved up to the three year old class today.

The only difference is the books are a little longer, the songs are different, and they added a craft.

Brady was so so so excited to start back!

He loved the craft, but was a little thrown off by the new songs and different kids. He was a little more bashful than usual and clingy. He half way participated.

I forgot my camera, but here is a picture of him when we got home.

He always wants to check out a movie. Today, he picked Bob the Builder.

The theme today was about polar bears, so we all made polar bears. He loves to glue so he loved this project.

The polar bear lost an ear while I was trying corral Brady to stop running and pulling out books, while looking for a particular book to check out. I didn't find it and I accidentally bit my lip while looking. So polar bear also has some blood on his white fur. You would not believe how much it bled.

We finally made it home with Bob the Builder,  bloody lip, the one eared, bloody polar bear, 2 tummys growling,  and no book for mommy. Ha Ha!  

That is just the way it goes sometimes.

We love our library and our story time, even if we are a little crazy sometimes. We always return. It is good for Brady to learn to sit, listen, and interact. It is completely free. It gives us something to do each week that is close to home. So despite the crazy, it is worth it.

The good always outweighs the bad.

I also just found a smiley face sticker on my stomach. I am certain that was there while we were at the dollar store. Oh well.

Baby Talk- 18 weeks

18 Weeks!

Each week when Caleb takes my picture, Brady says, "my turn" after he takes mine. Here is Brady's picture this week. Silly boy.

He is still loving the baby and has decided the baby is a girl. We shall see.

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 18 weeks

Size of baby: the length of a bell pepper

Total Weight Gain/Loss: up about 4 lbs

Clothes: Regular clothes mostly. I am wearing some maternity shirts because they are longer. The clothes fairy :) (aka my mom) bought me some new maternity clothes this weekend. They were having a BOGO sale, so we got several things for good prices.  

Gender: scheduled to find out Feb 14

Movement:  Baby is moving more and more every day. Caleb was able to feel it move the other day just a little.   It is still not regular, though.

Sleep:  Pretty good except for CRAZY dreams.

What I miss: not sure

Cravings: nothing specific just good food.

Symptoms: Crazy dreams and a little trouble breathing at times.

Best Moment this week: baby moving more.

What am I looking forward to: The ultrasound on Valentines Day. It is exactly one week away! Yippee!!!

If you get a chance this week, please pray for a healthy, growing baby!

Take it Easy Mondays

Mondays are pretty lazy around here. We spend a lot of time resting, cleaning, and playing at home. The weekends are rough on Brady. He rarely gets a nap on Saturdays. Between church, playing with other kids, going to my parents, and playing with Noah, he is usually wired on Sundays and doesn't always take a decent nap. Weekends are so fun and we love them, but we need a little while to catch up. Yesterday, he had a great nap at my parents!! Still, Mondays are kind of our days to refresh and get things done at home.

Keeping with the easy Monday theme. I have been loving watching these "stuff" ____ say videos. The original is "stuff" girls say. It is funny and oh so true. I stumbled across this one today made by baby center.

Despite the title, it is clean. You will notice I changed the title on the blog to be a little more appropriate. :)





I am fairly certain I have said most of these things. My favorite part is when she pulls the entire bunch of bananas out of her diaper bag.  So true. I once pulled some big boy underwear  (clean, of course) out of my lunch box at work! Ha! Not kidding! I accidentally put them in there instead of my purse. Yes, I keep a spare pair of little boy underwear in my purse!

Happy Monday!

Big Brother Love

Now that I am home all day and Caleb works really long hours, Caleb has pretty much taken over the bedtime routine. Occasionally, I still join in, but most nights it is just the boys. It is a sweet time for them and I feel like they need a few minutes without me each day. It also gives me a few minutes to myself before spending time with Caleb.

Before the bedtime routine begins, Brady comes to me to tell me good night and get a hug and kiss. Over the past week or so, Brady has added a kiss to my belly and the sweet words, "I love you, baby!"

It is so sweet. No one told him to do this. He just started on his own.

Since he has began doing it, he never forgets to do it. I often forget and am confused when he leans in to kiss my belly. Then I quickly remember what he is doing.

It melts my heart how much he adores this baby already. He hasn't seen the baby and I am not even sure how much he understands. He knows there is a baby in my belly and he loves it. That is all he needs to know. There is question, no concern, or doubt, just love.

Around the same time, he started adding the baby to his bedtime prayer. Although, I don't participate much in the bedtime routine each night, I do overhear his prayer and memory work each night. Again, no one told him to add the baby to his prayer. Caleb includes the health of me and the baby in his prayer, but has never specifically told Brady to pray for the baby.

The pure, simple love and excitement of a 3 year old is remarkable. It is infectious.

I am posting this so I can remember how excited and how much he loves this unborn baby. It is that simple. He loves our baby. period.

I may be digging this out when the kids are 13 and 16 and at each others throat. Ha! Hopefully he will always love our baby as much as he does right now.

Baby Talk- 17 weeks

17 Weeks

I am really closer 18 weeks. I roll over to the next week on Saturdays. Oh well, at least I am getting them posted during the actual week.  

 

 

 

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 17 weeks

Size of baby: about the size/weight of a turnip

Total Weight Gain/Loss: up 3 lbs per Dr. office, I haven't stepped on my scale since. :o

Clothes: Regular clothes. I am having to wear longer shirts and my pants are starting to get more and more uncomfortable, so it won't be long. I did pull out a couple maternity shirts the other day.

Gender: scheduled to find out Feb 14

Movement: A little this week when laying down. Nothing regular or consistent, just a little here and there. 

Sleep:  I am sleeping pretty good. I wake up several times, but usually go right back to sleep.

What I miss: energy. I keep expecting my energy to come back, but it hasn't. I am not exhausted, but just don't have as much energy as I expected to by this point.

Cravings: nothing really 

Symptoms: sinus headaches, some heartburn and reflux after eating, and a little fatigue. I have a few other symptoms if I don't drink enough water, so I am trying to keep that under control.

Best Moment this week: Brady's birthday party and spending a lot of sweet time with Brady. He has been really sweet the past few weeks. I have this overwhelming desire to just sit and snuggle with him as much as possible.

Also, feeling baby move for sure.

What am I looking forward to: The ultrasound on Valentines Day. It will be here before I know it!

Brady's Late Birthday with Friends

As I have mentioned before, Brady's birthday falls 2 days before Christmas. Because December is so crazy, it is nearly impossible to plan a birthday party with his friends and they be able to attend. Not to mention the added stress that puts on Mom. We did have a family dinner on his birthday at his restaurant of choice if you will remember here.

It just so happens one of Brady's best friends, Grady, has a birthday on New Years Eve. Grady's birthday puts him in the same boat. (I know Grady and Brady, we didn't know each other when they were born.)

We decided to team up and throw a late party together, since their birthday's are at such an inconvenient time and we will be inviting almost exactly the same people.

We originally had wanted a pool party, but it was booked way in advance(like 2-3 months) and we didn't book in time. On to plan B, we decided to have the party at the church fellowship hall and the only Saturday available was January 28. It has seemed like it has taken forever to get here!

 The party went so well. It was also nice to have someone to share all the responsibility and planning with. The kids seemed to love it!

Here are some pictures from the day...

 Thanks to my sister who hijacked my camera while I was busy to snap pictures. :)

Brady's Brobee cake I made.

Grady's batman cupcakes.

Food Table, the sun made the picture a little dark

Boys in the bounce house. Grady and his sister got this as a Christmas present last year. It was perfect for the party!

Our little family.

More bounce

Brady really enjoyed being sung to and blowing out the candles.

Grady did not and got embarrassed, so his sister Addie blew them out for him. I love how different their little personalities are.

Brady was so excited!!!

I am very thankful for this sweet family and the friendship we have with them. They are one of those rare families that all members of our family enjoy being around. I hope to have many, many more special days like this with them.

Also, thanks to everyone who came to help celebrate our sweet boys 3rd birthdays! Brady is so blessed to have so many wonderful friends!

Maybe next year we can have the pool party, but we will probably have to call in September. Ha!



Special Delivery

A special package arrived yesterday on our front porch.

I had ordered Brady's bedding for his twin bed last week when pottery barn was having a free shipping on all items day. That saved me $21!!!

We also had a couple gift cards from birthday and Christmas, so I didn't end up actually paying much at all.

Brady was so excited!!! He would not get off his bed. Ha!

He said, "I love the UPS man, he brings us fun packages."

It was so funny especially since we rarely order things online. I guess that makes it more special. I think it is exciting to get packages delivered, too!

The bedding looks great with his bed. I even like it with the green walls, so we may not paint them. I am still thinking on that.

Now, I need to get something for the window, a chest of drawers or other piece of furniture, and a few more things to hang on the walls.

His "big boy" room is slowly coming together. The key word being slow.

Baby Talk- 16 Weeks

16 Weeks

I don't have a picture this week. I had to get this post up before I am 17 weeks. I promise to have a picture next week.

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 16 weeks

Size of baby: about the size of an avocado

Total Weight Gain/Loss: up 3 lbs per Dr. office

Clothes: Regular clothes, but some shirts are getting snug and I am having to wear my longer shirts.

Gender: scheduled to find out Feb 14

Movement: Not yet, but could be any day now.

Sleep:  This past week we have had some awful storms due to the unseasonably warm weather. The storms have woken me and I have had a hard time going back to sleep. One night the storms woke me around 2 am and lasted an hour or so, but I couldn't fall back to sleep. I think I finally fell asleep around 5:30 or 6 on the couch. I was so tired the next day, I went to bed at 7:30. Ha! I never ever go to bed that early.

What I miss: Nothing really

Cravings: No cravings really. I have items I definitely do NOT want, though.

Symptoms: Sinus headaches. The changing pressure with the storms has made my sinus' go crazy. I looked it up and apparently sinus symptoms are worse during pregnancy due to increased blood flow, meaning swelling of the blood vessels near the sinus cavity. Apparently, it is one of the same reasons for blood noses are common during pregnancy. Go figure.

Best Moment this week: Hearing the heartbeat and having a great appointment.

What am I looking forward to: The big gender reveal on Valentines Day!!!

Park, Peer Pressure, and Proud Parents

Today, Caleb was off and the weather was so nice. We decided to pack a lunch and head to the park. Brady literally jumped at the idea. He loves the park! He loves his daddy! So, daddy plus park is a win win.

After we ate our lunch the boys played baseball for a little while. The wind was a little chilly on that side of the park, so they stopped.

Brady spent some time on the playground. Brady and I frequently visit this playground when the weather is appropriate. Brady has discovered how I expect him to act and knows what he can and can not do. I have invested a lot of time and efforts redirecting him from undesirable behaviors. Most of the time I feel like it is pointless, especially with all the other kids around. Some parents, like me, continually watch and monitor their children. However, others seem to open the van door to let the kid out and then open the van door to pile them back in.

As Caleb and I were sitting on the park bench observing the kids playing, we noticed Brady had picked one particular little boy to play with. The boy was a little older than Brady and a little bigger. Brady was the follower of the friendship, chasing the kid and doing particular park activities when the kid suggested them.

 As I casually watched while reading my Kindle, I noticed the boy Brady playing with climbing up the slide. This is a huge pet peeve of mine. The slide is made to slide down. It is dangerous for one kid to go up while one goes down. I have relentlessly taught Brady we do not climb up the slide.

One of my most vivid childhood memories is of my sister going down the slide at a fast food play place at a birthday party as another child climbed up the slide. One bloody mouth and nose later, I decided I, nor any children under my care, would be climbing up the slide. I was a little girl, but it made an impression on me.

Back to today...

The other child yells down to Brady, "hey climb up here." It took every ounce of my being to not jump up and scold Brady before he had even done it. I believe I actually said out loud to Caleb "oh he isn't allowed to do that". However, Brady looks at him and says ok, but walks around to the ladder. Caleb and I were so impressed. 1 point for Brady. I was so happy I didn't interfere. Lesson learned, sometimes you need to see how it plays out before you get involved.

Several rounds around the playground and the situation was replayed with the exact results. 2 points for Brady.

Then the other child decided maybe this kid physically can't climb up the slide, I should help him. We watched as the wheels turned inside his 4 year old or so brain. He grabbed Brady's hand and proceeded to try and pull Brady up the slide. Before the "ady" of Brady left Caleb's mouth, Brady was maneuvering his hand free from the grip of peer pressure and continued to run around to the ladder.

Homerun for Brady.


This was much bigger than him climbing up the slide or not.

I have had many proud moments during this parenting journey, as well as some embarrassed and not so proud moments. I am certain more of both will show up in the future. But for today, I am proud! I am proud that my tiny, baby boy is becoming a secure, confident, strong,well- behaved little boy. I am proud that he remembered what he was taught and to apply it even when it wasn't popular. I am proud, I let him. I am proud, I was able to witness him obeying without me constantly reminding him.


 I hope I can remember this when he is 16 and hopping behind that wheel for the first time. I pray I can remember when he is picking up that girl for his first date. I hope I can remember when he moves his things our for college.

I want to be the type of mother who teaches by words and example, then trusts her children to follow her. I don't want to preach and smother, but with a toddler, it can feel like that is all I do.

I needed to witness this today. I needed a glimpse of the child we are raising. I needed a boost of confidence that maybe there is a chance he might turn out all right.

Brady amazes me every day.  I am often in awe of things he does or says and have no idea when, how, or if I contibuted to his amazingness.  He is truly a special little boy. I tend to blame myself for his faults, but not for his strengths.


 At least today, I feel as though we are doing something right and I can sleep a little sounder. Whatever that "right" thing is, I pray it sticks around and this was only a preview of Brady's reaction to peer pressure.

Today was a good day!

Weekend Highlights

• The Dr. appointment on Friday went great. Everything seems normal thus far.
• Baby "spider's" heartbeat was 150.
• Brady's heartbeat around this time was 170.
• Brady spent Friday , Friday night, and Saturday morning with Gigi and Papa. They had a big time!

• We celebrated Caleb's birthday Friday with dinner and some Sweet CeCe's.
• I attended a sweet wedding shower for a sweet girl from our church on Saturday.
• Saturday night was pretty low-key.
• Sunday was filled with worship and family time.
• Today I have been on a cleaning mission. I didn't get a ton marked off my list, but what I did get done was done really really well. This desire to clean is rare, so I need to take advantage of it when it happens.
• We are trying to get all ready for Brady's late birthday party which will be on Saturday this week. Should be fun.

Baby talk- 15 weeks

15 Weeks

I almost skipped this week. Almost.

I haven't felt my best this week. I have had a few sinus headaches which turn to major migraine-type headaches which leads to nausea. I have heard this(the migraine- type headaches thing) can be normal during pregnancy, but again this never happened with Brady.  Add the I can't take anything that actually helps and it isn't too fun.  Anyway, I haven't felt like doing much of anything, especially taking a 15 week picture.

However, I decided I would regret it if I didn't, sucked it up, and took the picture. I was surprised, it turned out better than I expected.

 I have felt much better today. Most days I feel fine. The one thing this pregnancy and Brady's(and probably all pregnancies) have in common is you have to take it one day at a time.

So here it goes...

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 15 weeks

Size of baby: about the size of an apple

Total Weight Gain/Loss:  up about  4 lbs

Clothes: Regular clothes, but some shirts are getting snug and I am having to wear my longer shirts. I feel like I am carrying higher this time.

Gender: scheduled to find out Feb 14

Movement: Not yet.

Sleep: waking up 1-3 times a night, but usually fall right back to sleep. Usually.

What I miss: I guess feeling normal.

Cravings: Nothing really, my appetite has been a little smaller this week.

Symptoms: Just beginning to feel uncomfortable. A lot of symptoms are showing up sooner this time around and I don't feel as well as I did with Brady at this point. This pregnancy is a lot different.

Best Moment this week: Beginning to plan and think about the nursery, parties, and showers and Brady's excitement about his baby.

What am I looking forward to: My appointment tomorrow (Friday).

Weekend Love.

My brother Cameron and his wife, Lauren were in town this weekend. It turned out to be a perfect weekend for them to come, because Caleb was off, so we got to spend tons of time with them.

 We spent Saturday morning at the Readyville Mill. If you are ever in middle TN or live here and have never been and want something fun and unique to do, Saturday breakfast at the mill is a must.

 Lauren's birthday was earlier this month and they had never been to the mill, so this is where she wanted to go. It is not a place you go every Saturday, but a perfect place for special occasions or to take out of town guests.

We had a mini photo session of the boys and they actually both looked at the camera!



 Caleb's parents live down the road from the mill so we stopped in and visited them for a while before heading to my parents house.

Brady and Noah begged to take a bath in the BIG tub, so of course they got to.

(The following pics, I stole from my brother's facebook. The others were from my camera.)



 Sweet Cousins!

We all retired to the couch to watch Tebow, but the game was terrible so we ended up making fun of watching the Miss America pageant. It took about 2 ballet dancers and 2 opera singers and Brady looked like this.

 

We went home and Brady never woke up. He did wake Sunday morning screaming because he wasn't wearing pajamas. Silly boy.

Sunday was pretty typical, church, lunch, Cam and Lauren headed out, Brady napped, and back to church.

Monday we did a little shopping with Caleb's birthday money(his birthday is Friday) and just hung out at home.

I am hoping Brady takes a LONG nap today to get caught up. The weather today is good napping weather with cloudy, stormy skies.

"I like you"

Today was a busy day.

A wonderfully, busy day.

We woke up and got ready. Then took a quick trip to Target to pick up something for my mom and some snacks to share at play group.

We went from there to my sister's house for play group. This was mine and Brady's first play date and to say it was crazy would be an understatement. It was crazy, loud, and crowded, but it was beautiful. Sixteen sweet babies sharing, loving, and enjoying each other.

Lunch was eaten, toys were played with, laughs were laughed, tears were shed, apologies accepted, and love was shared. It isn't always perfect with little ones, but it is always worth it!

From there we ran by my mom's work to drop off the thing from Target and say hi.

We left there and decided to stop by Caleb's parents house, because it was a snow day here and his parents would be home. We visited and played with Gigi and Papa for a while.

After we wore them out, we headed to the grocery store for some shopping. We made it home, turned on Cars 2, and put the groceries away.

Finally, I heated up some left overs as Brady and I sat on the couch around 6 pm and watched the rest of the movie.

It was fun. It was crazy. It was wonderful. I was tired. Brady was tired.

Today was a busy day for us. My life has drastically slowed down over the past few months that I have been home with Brady. I like busy and miss it most days(not the going to work, the busy). I think I am better with a busier schedule, not necessarily a stressful schedule, but a busy one. I am an on the go person. I just am.

After we finished our left-over dinner on the couch, Brady wrapped his sweet, 3 year old arms around me and said, "Mommy, I like you!"

He says he loves me all the time, but this is the first time I remember him saying he likes me. I like him, too! When I quit my job, several people told me I would be begging to get away from Brady and want to be back at work. Although sometimes this lifestyle is a little slow and low-key for my taste, I honestly don't want to be away from Brady. I like him. He is funny. He is sweet. I miss him when he is away. He is fun. I like him.

Don't get me wrong, it is not perfect and we have rough days and some days he tells Caleb when he gets home from work, "I am driving Mommy crazy." Some days he does drive me crazy. But even our worst possible day is mild compared to some families I dealt with at work or observe at McDonald's. Ha! You know the ones I am talking about....

Today was busy.

It was wonderfully, busy.

Today is what makes the slow, low-key lifestyle worth it.

I pray Brady and I can like each other more days than not throughout our lives.

 

Baby talk- 14 weeks

14 weeks

In some ways I am thinking, "wow! 14 weeks already, only 26 weeks to go!", but the other part of me is thinking, "I am only 14 weeks."

It is funny how that happens, how something can go fast and slow at the exact same time. I can not believe in just 1 month we will know if we are having a boy or girl, but July seems so far away right now.

I am enjoying experiencing this with Brady. He is so excited about a new baby and talks about "our baby" every day! I want to soak up all of his sweetness and anticipation. He even told us yesterday that he would share his clothes, milk, and toys with the baby. That is huge! Brady is serious about his milk.

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 14 weeks

Size of baby: about the size of a lemon

Total Weight Gain/Loss: up about 2-3 lbs

Clothes: I can wear almost all my regular clothes. This week a couple things have started to become uncomfortable, though.

Gender: scheduled to find out Feb 14

Movement: Not yet.

Sleep: Most of the time it is fine, except for waking up 1-3 times a night. My stomach has started to get hard this week, which can be uncomfortable at times. For example, this is the first week it has been physically uncomfortable if I roll onto my stomach in my sleep.  One night this week I ended up in the recliner at 4 am due to being uncomfortable and a little heartburn.

What I miss: probably sleeping without waking up.

Cravings: Nothing really specific this week.

Symptoms: Most of the time I feel pretty good as long as I eat well(not too much or wait too long to eat) and drink enough water.

Best Moment this week: Brady asking me if the baby was in my belly and putting his little face to it and saying, "Hi, Baby!"

What am I looking forward to: My next appointment so Caleb can hear the heartbeat as well scheduled for next week. I am also getting really excited to plan another nursery. I can't stop looking for ideas. It doesn't really do much good until I know the gender. Ha Ha! I don't know how people can stand not finding out.

Ten Things on Tuesday

1. The weather has been super gloomy and cloudy today and yesterday. Brady has asked no less than 27 times each day if the sun was still up. Ha! I am having to be pretty creative, but we have done well keeping busy and not getting bored the past 2 days. Come tomorrow I think we will have to get out for a little bit. Caleb is off tomorrow, so that should help as well. 

2.  I am trying to get the spare/office room cleaned out, so as soon as we find out what we are having we can start planning the nursery. It is a huge job. That has been our catch all room for the 5 years we have lived here. Slowly, I am making progress.

3.  I am in the process of trying to plan Brady's joint be-lated Birthday party with his friend Grady. He is so excited about having a Birthday party with a cake.

4. I am really enjoying watching Brady play when he doesn't know I am watching. He is doing a lot of pretending and it is just so cute to listen to him. Tonight he was bathing the rubber ducky. I heard him say, "but we have to get all the shampoo out" and "what kind of toy would you like to play with today? I am sorry I don't have a spaceship."

5. Cars 2 is a really funny and a cute movie, but I am so tired of watching(hearing) it. I think we have watched it every day, except Sundays, since Christmas. 

6. A friend of mine from college posted a link on facebook to this blog post the other day. This is an excellent post about the reality of being a mom and enjoying your kids, but also just getting through the day.  I had an older man say this exact thing to me in Publix yesterday as he tried to give me a regular cart. I smiled and said, "Thank you, but we have to get the car cart." He smiled and said, "enjoy every moment, because he will be driving a real car before you know it." I was so happy I had just read this post. I smiled and thanked him again before continuing with my shopping. I know people mean well, but the continuous comments you receive the second you appear pregnant can be hard to take at times. Anyway, this post sums up exactly how I feel most days. I can also tell you it is the same as a working mom and a stay at home mom.

7. I have intentions of trying some new recipes soon, but can't seem to motivate myself to actually do it. I am always afraid it won't be any good. Then it will be a waste and I will be hungry. I don't do well with being hungry right now. :)

8.  I love the show Parenthood!!!!

9. I love how excited Brady is about the baby. He calls him/her "my baby" and talks and asks about him/her all the time. He also tells every one he talks to about his baby! It is so so so sweet. I feel like 3 is the perfect age for adding a baby to the mix. We will see if I still think that come July.

10. My calender is slowly filling up for the rest of this month. I am really happy about that. There is always a little lull after the holidays and it leaves me a little stir crazy, so I am ready to have a few things going on again.


I am hoping to get my 14 week post up tomorrow. 

Oh, the difference a week can make...

This week we have attempted to get back to normal around here. Brady has gotten back to regular nap and bed time. He also seems to be in a more cooperative mood. This is good for every one.

I have lived in Tennessee my whole life and the weather has always been crazy. Sunny and warm one day and freezing and snowing the next. It is always a toss up on how you should dress any given day, any given season, except summer is usually hot and humid, but I have worn a sweat shirt or long sleeves on the 4th of July before. You learn to go with it and love it. 

This week has been no exception. The first part of this week was FREEZING! Literally! Today and yesterday, however, have been so nice. It was in the 60's today! Caleb didn't have to go into work until this afternoon, so we all spent some time playing outside.

Brady loves baseball and got a tee for Christmas. Caleb and Brady found a helmet in the garage, so Brady had to play with it.  

We played other things outside today as well, but I didn't get any pictures of that. His go to thing to play outside with is baseball. Sometimes I wish we could play something different, but that is what he wants. Brady always knows what he wants.

He kept asking me if I was watching the ball game and eating a hot dog. Ha Ha!

Sliding into a base after a good hit.

I personally like the changing seasons for their own unique characteristics, but I will take a nice, warm day in the middle of winter to enjoy with my boys any time.

Happy Weekend!

My first trip to the Dentist.

This week Brady had a first. We have slowed down on firsts for Brady, so it is kind of exciting when we have one around here.

He had his first dentist appointment.

When I went for my cleaning in October, I had to bring Brady with me. My hygenist asked me how old Brady was and told me I could make him an appointment for when he turns three.

I did.

She also explained to me that they try to keep it very positive and kind of let the kid determine how the appointment goes. She also told me to keep any conversations about the dentist or teeth very positive.

I did.

I started about 3 or 4 days before the dentist. I just casually mentioned to Brady that next week he would be going the dentist now that he is a BIG 3 year old. I simply told him the dentist just wanted to count his teeth and get them really clean!

We went on about our normal business, occasionally and casually mentioning how the dentist is coming up in my best excited, high pitched voice. I didn't want to talk about it too much, but I didn't want him to be surprised.

Brady seemed upbeat about it, telling my mom, Caleb's mom, and my sister, that the dentist just cleans your teeth and makes your they are o.k.

I got a little nervous the day of the appointment, but tried not to let it show. I made sure Brady knew where we were going and made sure to say things like "big boys get to go to the dentist, daddy goes to the dentist,  and it will be fun".

(Brady is really into being a big boy right now and not a baby.)

We got there and Brady did well while I filled out his paper work. The hygenist came to get us and Brady smiled at her, but grabbed my hand while we followed her back to the room.

He was a little hesitant to walk into the room at first, so I went in and he followed. She told him he could sit in the special chair today. I sat him in it, still a little unsure. She told me to pull my chair up close to his, I did. She explained the chair was special because it could move up and down. Then she asked Brady if he wanted to try it out. He did and he laughed. He listened intently as she explained each tool and their use. She let him touch and test out several of the utensils. She showed him her mask, glasses, and gloves. She asked Brady if he wanted to let her clean his teeth and by this point he had warmed up and said he did. He did everything she asked.

She listened to him talk and answered his sweet questions. For example, she asked if she could show him on his fingernail what the scraper thing feels like. He asked her if she was going to cut his fingernails, too. She assured him she would only work on his teeth.

She continued to ask permission and explain what she was doing. Brady even told her to not to forget to count the top teeth.

His teeth looked great. No problems or concerns at this time. He got to pick a toy out of the toy chest and got to pick a new tooth brush.

He was suppose to be showing me his teeth and toy from the toy chest. Ha!

I was so proud of him. Our dental office was so sweet with him and he behaved so well. I couldn't have dreamed it would go that well.

He goes back again right after the baby is born, so I am hoping he will do this well again.

 For now, 1st dental appointment = success!

If you are having trouble believing me, I will let you hear it from my sister. This is the facebook post she left me after we called her to tell her how it went.

Love how he got on the phone and said, "The dentist." Long pause. "It was fun!" "I got a soothbrush. It's Diego."

See success.

Happy New Year!!!

We had a pretty low key New Years Eve around here.


We enjoyed a family meal out at a hibachi restaurant. I thoroughly enjoyed my fried rice. Ha! We had a BOGO coupon. Score!

(Trying to get a picture of my boys didn't work out so well.)

Caleb's parents practically begged us to come by there house, so we made an appearance and played some games. We pulled into the driveway as the ball was dropping and the neighbors were shooting their guns of the back porch.

Exciting and Classy, I know!

What do you expect from a couple of expecting parents with a 3 year old, a dance off until 2 am!?! Maybe we will pick back up with that next year or maybe we will just cuddle with our two kiddos...

 We are excited to welcome 2012 and the new bundle of joy that is coming with it!!!   

Baby Talk- 13 weeks

13 weeks!

I posted my last update so late in the week, that not a lot has changed. I could probably keep all the answers around the same.

This picture is from New Years Eve.

and this one is from New Years Day. 

I couldn't decide which to post, so you get both. I have to take pictures when I am dressed well, hair fixed, and make-up on, because that doesn't happen every day.

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 13 weeks

 

 

Size of baby: medium shrimp

 

 

Total Weight Gain/Loss: about 1-2 lbs

 

 

Clothes: I can wear almost all my regular clothes.

 

 

Gender: scheduled to find out Feb 14

 

 

Movement: Not yet.

 

 

Sleep: Still sleeping well except for waking up 1-3 times a night, but I fall right back to sleep.

 

 

What I miss: Caffeine and uninterrupted sleep at night.

 

 

Cravings: Fried rice, a cheeseburger still sounds good, and fruit.

 

 

Symptoms: fatigue around mid-day, but not every day.

 

 

Best Moment this week: Bringing in the New Year with my family.

What am I looking forward to: My next appointment so Caleb can hear the heartbeat as well.