Fun Times and First Haircut!

This week and weekend were pretty fun.  We started off the week with a trip to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach with some friends.  Jack got to touch sting rays, jelly fish, and star fish.  We also got to see all types of fish, penguins, seals, etc.

Jack was slightly more interested in the penguin statues than the actual live penguins right across from it.

After we were finished at the aquarium, we got to meet Jonathan for lunch since he works in downtown Long Beach.  Without traffic it's a 35 minute trip, so it's rare that we're ever down there to visit him during the work week.

We ended the week with a trip to the lagoon in our neighborhood with some of our friends.  Jack had a great time swimming and playing in the sand with his tiny playmates.  He also loves climbing the rocks at the lagoon.

We started the weekend off with a trip to the Orange County Great Park where they have a carousel, mini playground, and a hot air balloon you can ride that looks like a giant orange.  While waiting for our turn on the hot air balloon, Jack and Jonathan rode the carousel four times.  Jack LOVES the carousel, and he had to ride a variety of animals.  He started off on the panda:

  

When he got on the fourth time, Jonathan asked which animal he wanted to ride.  He pointed to the pig and oinked (pig snort)...he's getting good with his animal sounds.  Here's a picture of him oinking while riding the pig...lol:

                                         

It was finally time for our hot air balloon ride, and Jack did really well.  You go up 400 feet attached to a tether that brings you back down.  You can see all the way out to the ocean and surrounding areas on a clear day.  It was fairly windy up there:

A big first this weekend was Jack's first haircut on Sunday, July 22nd.  Jack has such fine hair that we held off for a while on doing it, but it was getting to the point that it was just out of control and tangling in the back.  It started off a little bit scary, and he wouldn't wear the cape.

He snuggled into Jonathan most of the time, but he actually did really well and was super calm.

They saved us some hair for his scrapbook that I will eventually get around to making :).

23 Week Update

As mentioned in last night's blog, here's an update on what's going on with our newest addition.  I am 23 weeks today:

We had a second mid-point ultrasound on July 5th since they had difficulty getting all the details of the heart in our first one due to coming in at the very beginning of the range they gave me for the ultrasound.  They also mentioned in the 18 week ultrasound that one of the ventricles in the brain was on the high end of normal so they wanted to take another look at it 4 weeks later.  Everything looked perfect, so it made me want to kick the doctor for even mentioning it.  I spent 4 weeks worrying and Googling (which everyone knows is a mistake) for it all to turn out fine.  I see a high risk doctor for my ultrasounds since my pregnancy with Jack was high risk at the end and he was delivered in a high risk unit.  I also have marginal placenta previa this pregnancy, which makes me higher risk right now.  Basically, high risk doctors are more cautious in their analysis of ultrasounds than others.  We go back at my 30 week mark to re-look at the marginal previa, but it has already moved up a little bit so I feel confident it will be resolved by then.  I'll be excited to get more ultrasound pictures that late in the pregnancy, because we never had one past 21 weeks with Jack.  In the meantime, though, I'm on light duty meaning no working out or heavy housework that will get my heart rate up.  As most people know, it is hard not to get some sort of a workout with a toddler in house, so I do my best.  Here is our most up to date ultrasound picture of baby number 2 at 21 weeks, 6 days:

We purchased the baby's crib last night, and we put it together in the garage just to get a look at it and make sure all the pieces were there.  We'll probably take it apart and wrap it up and get it back out in another 3 months or so.

I told Jonathan we have to take it apart, because people will see the crib in the garage when it's open and think we put Jack out there when he's naughty or something :).  


I have felt the first nesting urges, so I was cleaning out the closet in Jack's room yesterday figuring out what we have for the new baby and what we can get rid of.  I was trying to get the closet organized so we have the most room for two kids' belongings.  I also bought decorative desk storage for our open-faced desk and shelving so it looks organized and cords are organized better.  I also started reorganizing baby plates and utensils in the kitchen and planning for how to organize the new baby's items once he starts eating solids and drinking from sippy cups.  The past few days I've also been looking into freezer cooking meals to start planning for some large scale meal making closer to the end of pregnancy.


I did a survey throughout my pregnancy with Jack, so I decided it might be fun to do something similar this time around... 

How far along: 23 weeks

Sleep: I've been sleeping well, but I have really vivid dreams.  I've had a lot about Izzy dying lately and me feeling bad I didn't love her enough or pay enough attention to her.  It's probably because I feel bad that she will be number 3 now with even less attention when we used to treat her like our baby before Jack.

Best moment this week: I saw my stomach jumping around this morning during some hard kicks.  Also, for the past 2-3 weeks Jack pulls up his shirt to show his stomach and makes me show mine.  He then presses his stomach against mine...so weird and funny!

Movement: Strongest in the morning and later in the evening.  There are some super active days and others where I only feel him sporadically while sitting quietly.  

Cravings: Cheerios with whole milk,which I try really hard not to eat a lot of. I've also really wanted watermelon.

Gender: Boy!

Labor Signs: None.

What I miss: Taking long walks around our neighborhood lake since I can't workout.

What I'm looking forward to: Jack being able to feel the baby kick.  I can't get him to pay attention long enough and the baby to kick often enough for Jack to feel it yet.

Weekly Wisdom: Preparing for a second baby is so much more relaxing than the first.  With Jack we were handed this huge list of things we "needed" by Babies R Us, and we felt totally overwhelmed to get everything ready.  This time around, especially having another boy, we really don't need too much besides a crib and double stroller.  I have been slowly looking through the things we had for Jack Newborn to 4 months and could actually stand to throw a few things out that were never necessary.

And to conclude this blog, another picture of our adorable first born who will be 20 months old tomorrow!

They get so big so fast!!

Chicago, Auntie Amy, and the Every Day

Yet again it has been a while since my last blog update.  We've had quite a few adventures in the past 6 weeks or so since my last update.  For 2 weeks in June Jonathan was gone for a little over 2 weeks at his summer military training, so Jack and I made the 4 hour plane trip to Chicago to visit my parents and sister.  I have to say I was ridiculously nervous about the flight since Jack is not known for his ability to sit in one place for longer than about 1 minute.  Luckily, we were placed in the infant block of the plane where we had a seat open next to us, because that was truly a lifesaver.  I was ready with activities, snacks, and movies to make the flight as bearable as possible.

So excited to see the planes out the window

Playing with Stickers

Stickers were a huge hit, and they kept him busy for probably about 20-30 minutes sticking them on me, himself, the seat, paper, etc.

He also had fun driving his car and trains on the empty seat next to us.  He was much happier standing on the the floor rather than sitting in my lap.  The flight was scheduled during his nap time, so I thought he might pass out at some point.  Well, as we were literally about 200 feet from the wheels hitting the runway, he passed out sitting up.   His head suddenly dropped forward while sitting in my lap.  I put my bags in the stroller and carried him all the way through O'hare over my shoulder:

With only one major meltdown about 1.5 hours into the flight, I would call the flight to Chicago a success!

We had a great time in Chicago, and I was able to keep Jack pretty much on his California time schedule with naps and sleeping.  He also slept surprisingly well in the pack 'n play.  This was most likely due to the high activity level and the fact it was crazy hot while we were there.  We started off with a trip to Brookfield Zoo.  It was disappointing in the fact that not that many animals were out in their cages.  It was fun to see the animals we did get to see and just to walk around the zoo.

We also got to have all of the food I've been missing including Portillo's and Qdoba.  Both are actually out here in California, but they are too far from where we live to make it a worthwhile trip most of the time.

Besides the french fries, Jack doesn't quite understand how amazing Portillo's is yet.  He did, however, enjoy a hearty breakfast at another restaurant called Honey Jam Cafe owned by the same people as Portillo's.

We had a lot of park time, mostly in the evenings due to the heat.  Jack also spent a lot of time pushing around a toy that my mom's co-worker let us borrow while we were visiting.

Jack also had a great time at a classic car show and seeing the train go through downtown Lombard. 

Our last day there we went out for lunch and spent some time at a forest preserve walking around the lake and running around the field.

It was a great trip, and I'm so glad Jack got to spend some time with Grandpa, Grandma, and Aunt Becky.

The flight home was quite the adventure.  Jack fell asleep for the first 25-30 minutes of the flight right as we took off.  That was about the only peaceful time on the flight.  After several meltdowns, some seat kicking, and refusing snacks, the 4 hour flight was finally over.  Jack and I were both excited to get to the car and head home, but my car was dead in the parking garage.  We were stuck there waiting for someone to jump the car for around 45 minutes before we finally made it home....sweet relief!

About a week after we got back from Chicago, Jonathan came back from training.  When Jonathan walked in the house, it was the cutest thing ever!  Jack ran into the kitchen and around the island with high knees about 5-7 times before running back to the front door to hug Jonathan.  He was so excited to see his dad!

Over the 4th of July week Jonathan's sister Amy came out to visit us just as she did last year.  We made a few beach trips while she was here, which were a lot of fun.  The morning of the 4th we went down to Laguna Beach just to walk around the town.  We passed the fire station as they were coming back from a call, and they offered to let Jack get into the fire truck since he was gawking at the truck.

He was so excited and couldn't believe they let him get in it.  We were definitely at the right place at the right time!

Amy and I took a day to drive down to Dana Point for a beach Amy found online that has a funicular (a fancy elevator).

It was a neat alternative to walking down the enormous staircase in the heat.  Once down on the beach, we played in the water, built mini sand castles, and played with a beach ball.

Amy's last day here we went to a beach in Corona del Mar (part of Newport Beach), and Jonathan was home from work that day.  We brought beach chairs where I spent the entire time, but Jonathan, Amy, and Jonathan had fun in the sand and water.

Other than the trip and visit, we've just been hanging out around here going to Gymboree and out to the park when it's not too hot.  We went to the mall over the weekend, and Jack found a cool pair of shades:

He thought he was so cool in the store, and he kept pushing on them to make sure they were staying on his face.  We didn't buy them for him, but he was pretty darn cute.

Yesterday 7-Eleven celebrated July 11th (7/11) by giving out free slurpees, so Jack and I had to cash in on that!

Jack and I each got our own since neither of us likes to share :).  

Jack has also become a little helper in the kitchen.  I've been doing more paleo-style baking (no gluten or dairy), and I've been trying to get him interested in helping so he's not wandering around.  He came to help me and ended up eating a part of the banana I was going to use...haha.

In the next day or two I will do a blog update on the new baby on the way.  I was so good about keeping a record of the entire time I was pregnant with Jack, and I'm feeling a little guilty I haven't been as good about it this time around.

18-week Ultrasound

We had our anatomy screening ultrasound on June 7th when I was 17 weeks and 6 days pregnant.  We did it a little bit earlier than they would have liked, but Jonathan was leaving for military training and would not be able to go with me any other day during the time period they gave me.  Jack was with us making it less than relaxing, but it was a fun family event :).

Here is a pretty obvious picture...the foot:

And the sweet profile:

We also found out that we are having another BOY!  So, we are very excited for them to be future buddies.  I am also looking forward to bunk beds in the future as well as the fact that we will get to use hand-me-downs instead of buying a full new wardrobe!!

During the ultrasound, he was very squirmy with his arms going up over his head, kicking, and bouncing around.  I could also feel some kicks at the same time as they happened on the screen...that's always fun!  The ultrasound tech was having to hold on for him to slow down or turn around to take pictures, and he commented on how active he was.  Simultaneously, Jack was running around squeezing a bottle of ultrasound gel out of the tube and slamming cabinet doors.  We are going to have a very active household in the near future :).

The ultrasound tech estimated him to weigh 8 oz., and he was measuring at exactly 18 weeks.  His heart rate was 148.

Just a quick update, but thanks for keeping up with us.

18 Month Update and Much More

It's been over 3 months since my last blog post, so I figure it's about time to do some catching up.  So much has happened, and Jack has developed so much that I'll do the best I can to sum it all up.

About 3 months ago, Jonathan's friend Chris was nice enough to buy Jack a train set since Jack was addicted to playing with a train set at a local toy store that we go to once in a while.  He would throw a tantrum every time we made him leave the store, so Chris decided to buy Jack his own.  Jonathan spent about 3-4 hours, if I remember correctly, in the garage putting it together so Jack could be surprised with it when he woke up the next morning.

It was a huge hit, and Jack had a great time with it.  More recently, however, he started trying to take it apart and liked to climb on top of the train table more often.  The picture below is the first morning that he had it.  The train set is still inside our house, but we removed most of the tracks to give it a little break.  We're going to reintroduce it in a few weeks thinking it might be more exciting after taking a break from it.

Jack has become quite the little helper around the house.  Sometimes his "helping" is a little counterproductive for us, but it's fun to see him wanting to help with things.  He enjoys watering the plants with Jonathan once Jonathan gets home from work in the evenings.

He also likes to help me carry groceries in from the car.  I need to get a picture of this just for my own memory, because it is so cute.  I'll usually give him either the lightest bag or a light item if all of the bags are pretty heavy.  Yesterday he carried his bag of chicken nuggets in from the car for me.  He is also very good at throwing his trash away just in the past few days.  He'll throw away his empty fruit/veggie packs. On a walk yesterday, he picked up a Gatorade bottle, brought it home, and he threw it in the trash :). 

We recently signed up for Gymboree classes, and Jack is loving it!  It's a good way for him to get his energy out and socialize with other kids his age.  He's in the 16-22 month class, so everyone is basically on the same skill level.  It's also a great way to do something park-like without having to stand in the sun.

                                                 

They do different activities that teach various skills such as Stop and Go and On and Off.  They use the equipment, play, and music to learn.  Jack started off as a careful observer, and now he is getting into the activities a little more.
                                                  

Jack went to his first baseball game recently.  Jonathan won tickets to an Anaheim Angels game, so we decided it would be a good time to go.  Of the two hours we were there, Jack spent all of about 20 minutes in his seat.  We got one picture of him sitting nicely looking less than amused haha.

The rest of the time was spent running around concessions and out in a grassy area that had a stage nearby.

One of Jack's favorite pastimes is bike rides.  Sometimes after work and on the weekends, Jonathan will take Jack out on a bike ride in his trailer.  Jack likes to listen to music on Jonathan's iphone, eat snacks, and take in the scenery.

Jack also really likes the carousel.  There is a place here called the Orange County Great Park that has a free carousel and a little park for kids.  We went over the weekend just to get out of the house, and Jack got to ride on the carousel with only minor assistance.

He started off clinging on for dear life with his arms wrapped around the pole, but he got comfortable with it really quickly.  In the past, one of us has stood next to him, but we both rode separate horses next to him this time.

About 2 weeks ago Jack went for his 18-month check-up.  I forgot to grab the exact stats from the doctor, but I do know Jack was just over 24 lbs.  I'll have to get those from the doctor the next time we're there and include it in his 2-year update for comparison.  Overall, he was in the 25th percentile for weight, 50th percentile for height, and 75th percentile for head circumference.  I remember that, because it was just funny that his head is so much bigger in the percentiles than everything else.

As far as some of the other things going on with our family lately, we put it out to the Facebook world on Mother's Day that we are expecting baby number 2.  In the picture we posted I was 14 weeks, 2 days pregnant:

I started showing quite a bit earlier this time than with Jack, and I continue to look farther along than I did when pregnant with Jack.  My due date is November 9, which is funny since my due date with Jack was November 10.  We have our ultrasound next Thursday, June 7th to hopefully find out if it is a boy or a girl.  That will probably end up being my next blog post!  Around the 16 week mark I started to feel the first little movements, which is definitely fun.  I will be 17 weeks tomorrow!

Jonathan and I also celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary on May 24th.  We just went out for dinner at a casual Italian restaurant 5 minutes from home and brought along our little third wheel :).  I wouldn't have it any other way since for us I feel like anniversaries are more of a time to reflect on the life we have created together (which includes Jack) rather than for romance.

Here's our crazy little man enjoying himself at dinner.  Waiting for our food he pretty much just ran around and climbed chairs.  We chose to sit outside since no one else was sitting out there.

I just wanted to include this last picture, because I thought it was so sweet.  Jack and I went out to lunch today with my friend Jen and her daughter Catherine who is 15 months old.  They were so sweet playing together, and they would stop and "talk" to each other once in a while.

 I think that hits most of the major points in the past 3 months.  Until next time...