These Boys are Busy

I'm way overdue in posting, and a lot has happened in the 8 weeks since my last post!  Jonathan and I celebrated our 5-year wedding anniversary on May 24th.  We were able to get a babysitter so we could go out for dinner and dessert.  Earlier in the day we made our first soon to be family of 5 major purchase…our new minivan!  Now we join the minivan fleet that drives around Irvine :)

The summer has been filled with a lot of time outdoors.  These two are like caged animals clawing at the front gate if you don't run them around a park or engage them in some sort of high energy activity.

There has been a lot of time spent with sidewalk chalk.  It's pretty much their activity of choice, and they carry their bucket of chalk with them anytime we go outside just in case the desire to draw a shape or line strikes.  There is chalk evidence of them all over our neighborhood.  Here is a self-portrait Jack drew one day that I thought was so cute:

 

When we're not outside they enjoy drawing in the house as well.  We've come to realize that we're probably going to need to find Jack an art class soon.  He's extremely interested in drawing.  He can draw all sorts of faces/emotions, people, most of the alphabet, and all of his numbers.  He'll look up at a tree or something else in his view and try to draw it on the sidewalk.  The other day someone had thrown a dog poop bag in a tree so Jack drew the tree with a dog poop bag hanging in the branches.

Jack also enjoys reading stories to Owen and showing him pictures in books.

Both boys are little foodies, and they basically eat continuously throughout the majority of the day.  We used our Zoku to make orange creamsicle popsicles the other day, and both boys (Owen in particular) are obsessed with Pirates Booty.

Father's Day has also come and gone since my last post.  I made sure to grab Jack before he entered our room to wake Jonathan up and got Owen out of his room immediately so that Jonathan could sleep in.  We used our chalk skills to make him this little picture that I texted to his phone to wake up to:

 

My mom came out to visit for a week in mid-June, and we had a lot of fun with her.  Both boys love having her around, and they love being able to go to the park with her instead of running errands with me throughout the week :).  We had a fun trip to the zoo where the boys got to feed goats, we rode the train that tours the zoo, and the boys rode the carousel.

We also spent a good portion of one afternoon following the garbage trucks from street to street.  

Owen had his 18-month appointment on June 19th (which is a month late), so he was actually a day away from being 19-months.  Since my mom was in town I got to take him to the doctor alone.  It's fun having the rare chance to be alone with Owen, because he's just much more relaxed and not always in competition mode from fighting over things with Jack.  He loved the individual attention and being able to play freely with whatever he wanted.  Owen's stats were:

Weight: 25 lbs.

Height: 33 inches

Head: 50.5 cm/19.88 inches

Each time we go he jumps up to another growth curve, so all of his eating is paying off!  His food intake is sometimes shocking for such a small person, and he's really willing to eat just about anything.  For the past 2 weeks he's been on a bit of a rare for him hunger strike, particularly when it comes to eating meat, but I'm sure it's just a short phase.  I think he might be getting his second molars since he chews on his fingers quite a bit recently.

Here's a picture of Owen at his appointment.  We also had a short breakfast date together after the appointment.

Auntie Amy came to visit over the 4th of July weekend.  We had some great outings with the boys and got a lot of vitamin D.  We spent one day at the Newport Beach Back Bay swimming and playing in the sand.  I spent most of my time under the umbrella 'supervising,' but everyone else got a chance with the paddle board.  We also went to see a fireworks show in our previous neighborhood.  Owen kept saying "wow!" over and over.  Jack was all smiles, jumping around during the show.  

Here's me on the 4th of July at 28 weeks, 3 days:

 

We've also made two kid museum trips in the past two weeks.  The top two pictures are at Pretend City.  It's a museum that is like a mini town where you can go to the grocery store, doctor, dentist, gas station, fire station, a farm, the beach, etc.  The boys had a great time building with Jonathan and playing at the Marina water tables.  They also loved the little pretend farm area where you can plow the soil and pick fake apples from a tree and put them in a wheel barrel.  Today we went to a new indoor playground that recently opened called We Play Loud.  They had obstacle courses, ball pits, little mechanical rides, etc.  It was nearly impossible and a bit of a tantrum moment for Jack getting them to leave both places.  They are little explorers and players.

I just had to share these last pictures, because Jack is quite a stylish little guy.  He is an accessory lover, particularly hats, and he cracks me up with what he chooses to wear sometimes.

Last, but not least, I'll do a little pregnancy survey to round out this post.  I've been terrible about pregnancy updates, and I want our little girl to be able to read about my time with her in the belly.

How far along: 29 weeks, 3 days

Sleep:  I sleep great still.  I wake up to flip from side to side throughout the night but nothing to complain about really.

Best Moment:  Jack likes to put his ear up to my stomach and listen to her.  She kicked him in the ear yesterday, and he thought it was hilarious.  I've gotten quite a few chances for him to feel her move around and watch my stomach twitch.  Also, Jack has been saying for a few months now that he is pregnant as well.  According to him he's pregnant with a boy.  The other day we were just walking along and he said, "ooh, the baby kick me and it tickle!!" while holding onto his stomach lol.

Movement:  She is quite the mover, and I love watching my stomach move around while I'm sitting on the couch.  She's already up in my rib cage kicking some bone, and she's extremely active at night.  She pretty much moves all day long.

Cravings: Nothing in particular.  I'm just loving watermelon season!

What I Miss:  Mostly just deli meat.  I'm a sandwich lover, and I don't like to eat microwaved deli meat like the tell you you're supposed to do.

What I'm looking forward to:  The girls from my book club are throwing me a baby shower on July 27th, so I'm pretty excited about celebrating our baby girl and getting some cute girl stuff!

Hot Days with my Boys

It has been so hot here this week in the high 90s and low 100s.  The boys and I have been trying to keep ourselves cool and busy this whole week while Jonathan's been out of town for work.  Both boys are pretty obsessed with chalk.  Our house looks like we were vandalized with graffiti, because they have been drawing all over the front of the house around the doors and windows, even on the window screens.  Owen also likes to draw all over his face and chest with chalk.

I wanted to get out to the mall to walk around and get out of the neighborhood, so I brought the boys' swimsuits so they could use the splash pad at the mall as some relief from the heat.  They ended up to the side of the splash pad splashing in a puddle most of the time.  Owen got on his stomach at one point and acted like he was swimming in the puddle.

 

Jonathan ordered a water table that arrived halfway through his time away.  They have really enjoyed splashing around and pouring water through the water wheel.  Their personalities really came out when I first set it up.  Owen immediately started splashing in the water and tried to climb in…he was soaking wet.  Jack kept saying, "Owen, stop!" and wouldn't go near the table until Owen stopped splashing since Jack doesn't like to get his clothes wet.  They are very different :).

After splashing around at the water table, they enjoyed popsicles on the porch.  By the end Owen was covered from forehead to belly button in popsicle.  Jack, on the other hand, didn't have a drop on him and ate very carefully :).

We went over to 7-Eleven the hottest day this week for cherry slurpees due to a major pregnancy craving.  Jack remembered them from last summer, and Owen was happy to participate as expected.

Earlier this week we were getting a little bit antsy before bed time, and I had run out of activities to do with them for the day.  We passed the time by squirting whipped cream into their mouths.  They both thought it was hilarious.  Jack was a little bit afraid at first and watched Owen first to make sure it was safe.

 

We also made a trip to the neighborhood pool this week.  Jack loves his puddle jumper and the independence that comes with it.  Owen and I had fun swimming around together and in the kiddie pool.

A sweet moment this week was when Jack asked Owen if he could hold his hand.  They walked down the street holding hands…so cute!

I have been getting these crazy terrible headaches from the time I wake up until I go to bed at night without a break for days straight.  They've finally started to die down the past couple of days, but I bought a mask you put in the fridge for about an hour and then put on your face.  It's normally for puffiness around the eyes, but it helped with some headache relief.  Anyway, Jack thought it was very interesting and enjoyed wearing it around the house.

The other night I was getting the boys ready to get into the shower for a quick rinse before bed.  I walked into the bathroom with Owen and turned on the shower water.  I turned around to call Jack into the bathroom.  When I turned back around to close the shower door, someone was already in the shower:

He's a quick little person.  I literally only had my head turned for about 5 seconds!

One other story that I wanted to share is that on Monday we were driving to the grocery store.  We passed a farmers market/farm on the road that had signs that are common in the area saying not to drink water from the sprinklers since it's all recirculated.  Out of nowhere Jack says, "Mommy, God made the don't drink the water signs.  God made the farm.  Mommy, Daddy, and God take care of me."  I immediately started joyfully sobbing since I'm an emotional mess this pregnancy, and it was too cute for me to handle.  The fact that his little wheels were turning in the back seat and that's what came out of his mouth shocked me.  He then continued on naming all the things God made that he was seeing along our drive…a bridge, the park, mountains, etc.  I think about this moment multiple times a day even five days later.  

It's been a week of long days without Jonathan's help in the evenings, but I've had the best time with these little guys.  They bring me so much joy!

20-Week Update

I had my 20-week anomaly ultrasound yesterday, May 5th, when I was 19 weeks, 6 days.  I was able to get a babysitter so that Jonathan and I could go by ourselves, which is always nice!  We were even able to stop for a quick breakfast/coffee break together at Starbucks before he went to work and I went back home!!  Everything looked good, and we got our confirmation that we are definitely having a girl!  Even though the office I went to at almost 15 weeks said it was a girl with 99% certainty, I have not made any moves to throw out/donate boy items until I heard it from my doctor a little later in the pregnancy.  I feel like mistakenly thinking the baby is a girl is much more likely than being wrong about a boy :).

The ultrasound body measurements found an approximate age of 20 weeks, 1 day, pretty much right on target since the ultrasound it +/- a few days.  They said she weighs approximately 12 oz., which is about 48th percentile.  The ultrasound tech had trouble getting pictures of everything, because she literally did not stop moving the entire time.  Her limbs were all over the place, and she kept flipping in different directions.  She had to go back for second and third attempts on a few things.  

I had my actual 20-week appointment with my doctor this morning since she didn't work yesterday.  They baby's heart rate was 152 bpm, and my stomach measured 20.5 cm.  I'm so thankful that everything is looking great and right on target.

How far along: 20-weeks

Sleep: I haven't really gotten to the point of being uncomfortable yet.  I love sleeping on my back and stomach, so I'm just trying to get used to side sleeping again.  I still always wake up on my back.

Best moment of the week:  Jonathan was able to feel movement.  On April 24th he could feel movement when he pressed his cheek against my stomach.  On May 2nd he could feel movement with his hand.  For some reason his cheek has always felt movement sooner than his hand :).

Movement:  Movement is definitely increasing.  I thought I could feel movement in the 14th week, but I was sure at exactly 15 weeks.  At this point I can feel movement regularly, and it's getting a lot stronger each day.

Cravings:  Nothing in particular really…I just like to eat!

Gender: A GIRL!  We had the gender ultrasound at 14 weeks, 6 days that said it was 99% certain of a girl.  I waited until my anomaly ultrasound on 5/5/14 where they confirmed girl before purging any boy items, though :).

Labor Signs: None

What I miss: Nothing really.

What I’m looking forward to:  I'm looking forward to when Jackson can feel movement when he touches my stomach.  I know it's going to be a while, but he always says it's 'his' baby or that he also has a baby in his tummy.  He's definitely more aware of this pregnancy than with Owen, so it'll be fun for him to feel movement.  I'm also looking forward to cleaning out closets of our boy items and making the switch over into girl mode.

The Blessing of my MOPS Table

My MOPS table has been truly amazing this year.  Not only has it been a great break to sit around with other women twice a month without children to connect, but our table has been really close.  One of the most special moments of this year has been when my table threw Jonathan and me a gender reveal party.  When I was 14 weeks, 6 days some of the girls at my table came up with the idea to go to an office where they do gender and 3D/4D ultrasounds for $25.  I went with one of the girls from my table while another watched my boys, and my friend took the gender results without me looking at the screen.  About a week later they threw us a gender reveal party where we cut open a cake to find out what we will be having.  They took a video of it, but here is a picture of a piece of the cake:

Jonathan and I were both genuinely surprised to find out that we will be having a GIRL!  We both felt confident that we would be the parents of 3 boys, and we were never hoping for a particular gender.  It took the entire weekend for me to wrap my mind around having a girl, and I had fun looking at girl items online to decorate a girl's room :).  

Part of MOPS this year was a competition for points where your table could earn points for different get togethers, service projects, questions asked at MOPS, etc.  Our table won the competition, and our prize was to go to the premiere of the movie Mom's Night Out at the Chinese Theatre.  Our table rented a limo for the drive up to LA, and we went to dinner at one of the restaurants in the Roosevelt Hotel before going to the premiere.  We then attended the movie and after party.

The first picture before I left the house was me at 19 weeks:

It was a great night, but I was so tired.  I was yawning by 9:30pm haha.  I got back to the house at around 12:45am, and that was a late night for moms of little kids!

My Handsome Boys

We've had a really fun Spring season with a lot of fun outings and time with friends.  A few weeks ago I bought a Groupon for Frogg's Bounce House, and it ended up being a really great purchase.  Both boys had so much fun on all the bouncers and slides:

We've also gone to the neighborhood pool a few times with friends from the neighborhood.  I bought a puddle jumper for Jack so he can be a little more independent in the pool while I swim with Owen.  Jack has really enjoyed being able to swim around on his own without hanging onto a parent.

Easter weekend we took a short trip to the beach just to get some fresh air and enjoy digging in the sand:

It's great living close enough to the beach that we can just hang out for an hour and head back home for lunch.

I feel like both boys are constantly eating.  The first picture in the collage is them waiting not-so-patiently for me to cut up a watermelon.  I took the boys for donuts over the weekend while Jonathan was at military drill.

We've had a few hot days in the 90s recently where I haven't wanted to spend too long outside at the peak of day, so we've taken some evening trips to the park across the street.  Jack loves walking around blowing bubbles, while Owen enjoys gathering sticks.

The boys have recently been really interested in sidewalk chalk.  I got them some brightly colored chalk over the weekend, and we headed to the park to try them out:

These boys are definitely busy, and it takes a lot to wear them out :). 

Easter

This year we had a fun, relaxing Easter.  To start off Easter festivities I took the boys over to the mall to get a picture with the Easter bunny.  This is a picture of the picture we got:

It actually went really well since it wasn't a person wearing a bunny costume.  I think if someone would have reached out for Owen he would have lost it, but he thought the little mechanical puppet was funny.  The carousel at the mall switches out their characters for the holidays, so we rode the Easter bunny themed carousel as well:

My MOPS group had an Easter egg hunt for the kids, so I bought a robot themed Easter bucket for Jackson while Owen used a blue bucket we had at the house.  Jackson was one of the older kids there, so he dominated on gathering eggs :).  I had to have him put some back so the other kids had a chance.

Jayne and Zack (my sister-and brother-in-law) just happened to be in town over Easter weekend, so we got to celebrate with them.  We went to an Easter service with them in the morning, and then we came home for Easter brunch.  A friend of mine along with her husband and two kids also came over to our house for brunch.  Ann, my MIL, was kind enough to send an Edible Arrangement for our Easter celebration.  The kids loved it:

It was great to do something special with both friends and family on Easter, and Jack and Owen always enjoy having company over!

Special Announcement

I mentioned in my last post that we had some family photos taken by a friend of mine.  Those photos help us make our special announcement!

How far along: 14 weeks, 5 days
Sleep: Sleeping fine.  I was pretty tired most of the first trimester, and I always feel exhausted around 3:30pm like clockwork every day.
Best moment of the week: No extremely memorable pregnancy moments besides having to scale over a waist height fence this week without my usual agility :).
Movement: I had a few moments this past week where I was questioning if I felt something, but I'm not sure I've definitively felt movement yet.
Cravings: I've been craving BLT sandwiches the entire first trimester…random.
Gender: Not sure yet.
Labor Signs: None.
What I miss: Coffee.  I just had my first cup of half caff coffee the other day to help a headache as my doctor suggested.
What I'm looking forward to: Finding out gender.  Jonathan and I really don't have a preference, but Jack says: "a girl, because I like girls."  I'm also looking forward to moving out of the phase where you just look pudgy to actually looking pregnant :).