Atlanta Weekend

On the last weekend in February, Aaron & I were blessed to be able to take a trip to Atlanta by ourselves!  The boys stayed with one set of grandparents, which was like having their own little vacation! 

Aaron coaches Upwards soccer, so we had to wait until his team had practiced that Friday night.  Fortunately, this was at the beginning of soccer season, so there was no game on that Saturday.  The boys and I went to practice with Aaron, and since his mom is his assistant coach, she took the boys straight to her house when practice was over, and Aaron and I got on the road.  We swung through the Burger King drive through on our way out of town around 6:15pm.  It wasn’t ideal to eat a Whopper while navigating Friday night city traffic getting out of town, but we made do.  Aaron is a better navigator, so I drove while he told me where to go.

We live about three hours away from Atlanta, and they’re on Eastern time there—so when we arrived at the hotel, it was about 10:30pm.  We opted to do valet parking, and the whole staff was so nice to us.  We chose the Aquarium and Breakfast package, which gave us two tickets to the Georgia Aquarium and breakfast vouchers for both mornings we’d be in town.  We headed up to our room and were so thrilled to find that our window overlooked the Aquarium and the World of Coke!

We unpacked our stuff as best we could, and then perused the pamphlets left in the hotel room about what to do in the Atlanta area and what the menu was for Room Service (one of Aaron’s goals for the trip!).

We spent several weeks planning this little trip for ourselves, and originally intended to go to the SuperCross race while it was in town.  We delayed purchasing our tickets and by the time we got around to doing so, the tickets were way-overpriced.  So, we opted to go to Atlanta on the same weekend anyway.  We spent a lot of time choosing our hotel (we selected Hilton Garden Inn Downtown—and I’d totally stay there again!) and narrowing down what restaurants we wanted to try (we chose The Park Bar, and Legacy Seafoods).  My goals were to go to the Aquarium and the World of Coke.  I had been to both places about ten years ago, and since that time, they’ve redone both areas and I really wanted to see the upgrades!  Aaron’s goal was to order Room Service! 

We both fell asleep very quickly and it was SUCH A TREAT to sleep uninterrupted during the night!  

I woke first (surprise) and just reveled in the quietness of my surroundings.  Aaron woke not too long after and we both quickly got ready and ventured to the fourth floor to use our first set of breakfast vouchers!  They had an island set up with scones, croissants, Nutri-grain bars, muffins, etc.  They had a back table set up with coffee, hot water, tea bags, and orange juice and the waffle maker.  Then they had a hot bar with breakfast hash (SO GOOD!), bacon, biscuits, eggs, etc.  Then you could order French toast or omelets or pancakes.  Aaron ordered an omelet the first morning, and I got French Toast.  It was so tasty!  We could order drinks from our waiter if we didn’t want to get our own from the back table, or if there was something we wanted (like apple juice for Aaron) that wasn’t offered on the back table.  The waitstaff was so polite and we got excellent service—which rarely happens for us! 

We went back to our room (on the twelfth floor) and got ready to go to the Aquarium.  Our hotel passes allowed us to go through the City Pass line, which meant we got to skip all of the crowds!  I have to have my bag inspected, and then we were supposed to be wanded, but the Aquarium employee looked at me and then simultaneously made a dome shape in front of this tummy and asked me “Are you…… you know?”  I realized he was asking me if I was pregnant, and I smiled and said I was.  I was showing, and was about 13 weeks along, but I wasn’t showing enough to be very obvious to strangers.

We stopped and had to pose for pictures before entering the aquarium, and I didn’t know that we had to go to a kiosk while in the aquarium to get the pictures—so I missed out.  I emailed the company and they are planning to upload all pictures online eventually, so they kept my name and description of what we were wearing and said they’d notify me when the pictures were available online.

The Aquarium was so cool!  Our first stop, obviously, had to be the Ocean area where the Whale Sharks are!  Ironically, I am terrified of both whales and sharks, but I love whale sharks.  I thought there was only one Whale Shark, but there were actually three.  We rode the moveable sidewalk so that we could just peer above us at the glass enclosure without actually having to watch where we walk!  After the moveable sidewalk ended, we entered into a room where there was a humongous glass wall where we could watch the whale sharks, sting rays, manta rays, eagle rays, sea turtles, and a plethora of fish just swim around.  

The announcer said that they’d be feeding the whale sharks in about 30 minutes, so we found a seat and waited.  The room got very crowded over about 25 minutes and Aaron said “do you really want to see them feed the whale sharks, or do you want to go wander around the aquarium while everyone else is in here?”  We chose to go exploring and had the place nearly to ourselves!  We checked out the rain forest area and the lake area and the arctic area where Aaron tricked me into looking around a corner into a tank that had Beluga whales in it!  Not cool.  We really really enjoyed looking around at everything, and then we bought two stingray toys for the boys to use in the bathtub. 

We headed back to the hotel to drop off our loot and rest a bit before heading to lunch. We chose to eat at Park Bar for lunch.  Aaron had eaten there when he was in Atlanta for a Seahawks/Falcons game two years earlier.  He raved and raved about their burgers and how you can create your own, so we decided to head somewhere we knew was good!  It was a very windy day and we navigated Centennial Park through the wind and with my hair in my eyes.  

Park Bar was just on the other side of the park.  We got a table quickly and already knew what we would order since we had studied the menu online beforehand.  The bar was noisy with Mardi Gras parade participants (who knew that was going on in town on the same weekend? Not us!).  I ordered a turkey burger with avocado and other toppings which I can’t remember now.  I got the side salad for my side and it was DELICIOUS!  I don’t know how they did it, but it was so gosh-darn tasty!  

We walked into the wind on our way back to the hotel, so at least my hair wasn’t in my face!  We had debated going to the Pit area of the SuperCross race, but Aaron found out that you had to have a ticket to the race before you could buy a Pit pass, and the tickets were $300, so we chose not to do that.  We made firm plans, though, to be back in our room by the time the race started so we could watch it live. 

We rested a little bit after lunch, and then headed to the World of Coke!  It was still windy, but at least the lines weren’t long.  As soon as we entered the “holding area” of the museum, we were given a complementary 10oz aluminum Bottle-shaped-can of regular Coca-Cola, Coke Zero, or Diet Coke.  We then headed into a room and learned a bit about Coke marketing, and then we watched a video of the worldwide reach of Coke.  Then we were free to explore the museum on our own.  The line to see the Vault where the secret recipe is kept was huge!  I didn’t have an interest in seeing a piece of paper (it’s not like they’d let you read the secret recipe anyways), so we skipped that part.  We went through the bottling area where we could see how the bottles are cleaned before they ever get the syrup and water, and we learned about the proper temperatures for everything and how every single bottle is documented in the system.  I’m not sure what other areas of exploration were offered because we headed to what we came there for: the tasting room where we could try coke products from around the world!  We found lots of favorites and teased each other with some foreign products that were gross!  After the tasting room, you had to exit through the gift shop (talk about marketing!).  We bought prizes for our parents (for keeping our kids or our dogs!) and bought a basketball each for our boys. 

We headed back to our hotel for a rest and to get ready for dinner.  We chose Legacy Seafoods, which was attached the hotel—so, super convenient!  We walked in to the lower level and were told just to sit anywhere.  We chose a table tucked away from the doors, since it was still quite windy outside!  We ordered two appetizers—shrimp cocktail, and calamari.  For dinner, I got the salmon with seaweed salad and vegetables.  Aaron got a yearly special that’s only available three weeks out of the year.  It was a Norwegian fish (skrete or something), so he was tapping into his Norwegian roots!  (Having a background of Norwegian and Native American ancestors means he has a few weird things attributed to his ancestry!) His frisse salad was too dressed, but the fish and peas were very very good!  I ordered a Boston Cream Pie for dessert take-out. 

We headed back up to our room and got in comfy clothes to watch the SuperCross race.  We caught the tail end of a NASCAR race (one of the lower classes of NASCAR—not the main drivers).  The guy driving the Lilly Diabetes car won!  We were thrilled (as Type One parents usually are about this kind of thing since it means more awareness for Type One!)  We researched the driver and found out that he was diagnosed with Type One Diabetes six years earlier, when he was beginning his racing career.  He was told he wouldn’t be able to continue to race, so he designed a mechanism to allow himself to have two drink straws in his helmet—one for water (as is common) and one for juice (in case he goes low). His CGM sits on his dashboard where he can see it, and his Crew Chief also keeps tabs of what the CGM says, and it’s his Crew Chief who will give him an injection of insulin if needed, during pit stops. We thought this was so cool!  He didn’t let labels defy him and ruin his dream.  He persevered and developed a plan to keep racing. 

After this race, the SuperCross race came on and Aaron ordered his room service—Ben and Jerry’s ice cream.  I pulled my dessert out from the mini fridge, and we enjoyed dessert while watching the race.

In the morning, we used our other set of breakfast vouchers and I got French toast again!  Aaron also got French toast, and a side order of biscuits and gravy.  We packed up our room, settled our bill, got our car back from valet parking, and headed home.  On a Sunday morning leaving Atlanta, there were hardly any cars to be seen!  We made good time getting home, picked up our boys, and were home in plenty of time for our new washer and dryer to be delivered and installed! 

That weekend was such a treat and a blessing to us!  We came home refreshed and ready to tackle the obstacles before us – ie, daily occurrences of being parents to two little boys, one of which has an incurable illness.  We are very thankful for the family we have who are able to watch our children (and pets) for two nights so we can have a mini-getaway.

Until Next Time

Much love, Reba

Avery Kate

Yesterday, in the midst of the storms and bad weather, we had our ultrasound to find out the gender of Baby P3.  Aaron was planning to meet me at the doctor's office but got caught at work right in the middle of the worst part of the weather, and he couldn't leave.  My dad told me earlier in the morning that he would drive me to the appointment if I wanted him to.  I did ask him to drive me, and he decided to stay in the waiting room during the appointment so that he didn't find out the baby's gender ahead of anyone else. :) So, it would just be me who found out, and then I would bake a cake and put pink or blue frosting in the center.  Aaron & I would prepare dinner for our family (our boys, and we invited our parents over too), and then Aaron would cut the cake to reveal the color of icing-- meaning that he'd find out with everyone else!

The first stop of the appointment was the ultrasound.  The tech & I discovered a very wiggly baby!  It took a little time to get the baby to turn in a way where we could find out the gender.  The tech finds the area and says "It looks like you're going to have a little girl!"  I instantly teared up!  I said barely above a whisper, "That's what we were hoping!"  I really couldn't believe it!

The tech continued with the ultrasound and we saw the four chambers of the heart, two good kidneys, good spine formation, and good levels of amniotic fluid.  The doctor told me later that as far as ultrasounds go, this was phenomenal.  He said he can't keep me from all harm, and problems could still arrive further down the road, but usually most problems show up at this appointment, and nothing was glaring in this ultrasound.  With Noah, I had a placenta misplacement, and had to return for a follow-up ultrasound in 4 to 8 weeks, where we found that the placenta had moved to where it should be, and saved me from a definite c-section.  This time around, the placenta is where it should be, and I am happy about that!

Little Baby Girl P loves to keep her hand by her face.  It was this way during the 11 week surprise ultrasound too.  She also likes to get into seemingly uncomfortable positions!  She had one entire leg up by her face the whole time, and the other leg stretched out.  So, the only profile picture we could get includes a very visible leg at the top part of the picture!

I find this very funny now because, to me, it means that she will be independent and strong.

Towards the end of the ultrasound, she opened and closed her mouth multiple times, like she was telling us something very important!  The tech and I just watched her in awe.  And although I've felt quite a few baby kicks this last week, during most of the ultrasound as we watched her wiggle and thrust about, I didn't feel a thing and I told the tech "I see her moving, and I can't feel it.  So, when I do feel her move, I'm just imagining how much more forceful she's being!"

I asked the tech, probably in the middle of the ultrasound, if she was sure of the gender.  She said "Oh yes.  I don't tell people if I'm not sure.  I've gone back over the area many times and I'm sure."

I spent the rest of the appointment just kind of in shock that we get to have a little girl!  It was hard for me to keep my composure and not just blurt out to my dad what I was having!

Aaron got home and made his homemade lasagna (homemade pasta-- his specialty).  I had barely finished frosting the inside of the cake and then frosting the whole outside of it white, and then cleaning all the bowls so not to leave any evidence behind when he arrived home.  I was super tired and took a snooze on the couch while our boys "napped" (read: did not nap, but rather aggravated each other for the entire course of naptime).  :)  Aaron would keep looking at me and saying "I'm tempted just to ask you now!  I don't think I can wait."  But I made him wait anyhow.

Family arrived and I had Aaron go ahead and cut into the cake.  He said "Now?  I thought we'd eat first."  And I said "No one can wait that long!" :)  He cut a piece and lifted it into the air so every parent and our two little boys could see.  There were cheers all around!

Michael and Noah had so desperately wanted a sister, and they were very thrilled!  Michael still believes she will be named Sweet Butterfly Sally Cutie Caterpillar, but alas, we are not going to choose that name. ;)

We have decided on Avery Kate.

We had settled on Kate as a middle name a long time ago, but Avery came to me recently as we were choosing a list of names. We both liked it, and after Aaron squashed another name I had picked out, we chose Avery to be the replacement and we think it just fits.  We like different and unique names for girls, and this one fits the bill.

We called our grandparents, and texted or called our siblings and best friends to share our news.  We're very very excited and are looking forward to August and all that it will bring.

Aaron did tell me last night that he only thinks he'll have to change 25% of the diapers and I told him no way.  He said he doesn't know anything about little girls and won't know how to properly change the diaper.  I said I don't know much about little girls, and we'll both change the same amount of diapers as we did with our sons-- sharing the burden as equally as possible! :)

Tonight, I will shop at a consignment sale for a spring and summer wardrobe for my boys (mostly for Michael since he has no one to give him hand-me-downs, but I do buy things for Noah as well) and for baby clothes (since we have nothing for a girl, and hardly anything left from our boys).

We are very thrilled with the blessing God has given our family and I pray that Avery Kate grows to serve Him well.

Until Next Time,
Much love, Reba

18 Weeks-- How Did We Get Here?

We hit our 18 week mark yesterday for this pregnancy!  I'm actually rather shocked when I think that our first appointment and ultrasound was 11 weeks ago!  In 11 weeks from now, I'll be 29 weeks along!  Weeks fly by when you're staying busy-- whether it's busy-ness at work, or from doing things outside the home, or by just being a mom to two small boys who are going 90-to-nothing all day!

This week, Baby P3 can hear me talking-- and I think he or she can hear some noises from outside the womb, too.  I've tried to be more intentional in my speaking to Baby, and I tell him or her what day of the week it is and how long left he or she has to grow before they get to be on the outside. I'm pretty sure Baby heard the hand-mixer today as I mixed up a batch of coffee-toffee-bars. It's pretty loud!

Sleeping has been no issue for me lately.  Last night, I did a pregnancy workout, and then took my shower and headed to bed to do my devotion and study a bit for a test I have to take in two weeks.  Aaron was playing on the computer, and I was planning to chat with him a bit once he came to bed.  Well, after my devotion and studying a couple pages of my study guide, I decided to go to sleep-- knowing that I usually wake up when he comes to bed.  Well, I woke up at 2:42 in the morning (partly because Aaron was squishing me since he was rolling onto my side of the bed!) and he had already been in bed for hours!  I must have slept hard because I didn't hear him come into the bedroom at all!  I quickly fell back asleep and slept all the way until his alarm went off in the morning.

I'm glad tomorrow is Friday, and I'll be even happier to see Friday evening because I will know that I don't have to set an alarm on Saturday or Sunday!  On Saturdays, the boys have been doing pretty well in letting us sleep until 7:00am.  On Sundays, we know they'll wake us up before we have to get ready for church. In the afternoons lately, I've been trying to take a quick nap during my afternoon break.  I have been SO tired!  I really really look forward to the weekends.

On Saturday afternoon last week, I attended a wedding shower for a coworker-friend of mine.  My mom was working, and asked me to send her a picture after I was dressed up.  A definite basketball appearance.

I've been craving nothing but SWEETS lately!  I really wish my cravings were for celery and carrots and salad only.  But nope.  This pregnancy is a gateway to Desserts Land, and it's disheartening because the cravings are so strong, but I want to stick to my limited weight gain plan so badly!

On Wednesday, we'll (hopefully) find out the gender of Baby.  I'll keep you posted!

Until Next Time,
Much love, Reba

Lyrical Wednesday: In Awe

Today's lyrics are from Hollyn, and her song "In Awe."  It really just speaks to the fact that we're not NEEDED by God, but we are truly WANTED by Him.

***

In Awe


Can't speak
So close I can feel You breathe
You're so holy and worthy
You know what I've been
Can't move So close to You 
I'm see through 
No, not innocent like you
Oh God, I'm sorry


[Chorus]I'm livin' in awe
You don't need me at all
But You couldn't love me more Ohhh
I'm livin' in awe
Every day I fall
But You never let me go Ohhh
I'm livin' in awe, awe
Livin' in awe Ohhh


[Verse 2]Can't speak
So close I can feel You breathe
You're so holy and worthy
You know what I've been
Can't move So close to You 
I'm see through
No, not innocent like you
Oh God, I'm sorry


I'm livin' in awe
'Cause You don't need me at all
But You couldn't love me more
Ohhh
I'm livin' in awe
And every day I fall
But You never let me go
Ohhh
I'm livin' in awe, awe
Livin' in awe
Ohhh
I'm livin' in awe of You
Livin' in awe of You


[Bridge]
'Cause Your love is overwhelming
Your love is overwhelming
It's only You and me here
And Your love is overwhelming
Your love is overwhelming
I can barely breathe here


[Outro]
I'm livin' in awe
'Cause You don't need me at all
But You couldn't love me more
You couldn't love me more
You couldn't love me more
You couldn't love me more


***


Until Next Time, 
Much love, Reba

Random Goals

• Nail down Baby names.  We find out gender in less than two weeks!
• Hang up the pictures that I’ve been stacking in the Master bedroom (either in the Master bedroom or Master bathroom or hallway)
• Having the dining room painted (either bright teal on the lower half of the chair rail, or a very neutral and very light beige) 
• Having kitchen painted a bright white.  Obviously, with this goal and the one above it, I’ve decided the rooms in my home are too brown.
• Get into a regular cleaning schedule at the house.  I’m pretty good with dishes and laundry and cleaning out the fridge.  But I could do better at cleaning the kitchen and the bathrooms and vacuuming all bedrooms.
• Clean the clutter around our bed.  This is mainly Aaron’s thing and he keeps mentioning it.  I’d like to have a very minimalist bedroom.  They say “The state of your bed is the state of your head” and I firmly believe that.  I make my bed each day. It helps me feel more pulled together. If all the clutter was cleared away and the extra items around our bed were put away, I’d feel so much better and would have more room for the pack-and-play for Baby.
• Change the clothes in the boys’ dresser from winter items to summer items.
• Get the wide bookshelf from my mom’s house to use as toy storage in the boys’ room rather than the basket we’re currently using now. Having their toys displayed in front of them would make it easier for them to be able to play with each toy, and will hopefully cause less of a mess instead of their current “dump everything out of the basket onto the closet floor” method for finding toys.  This will also make it easier for me to see what toys they’ve outgrown so I can either store them for Baby or consign them.
• Gather up clothes I’m not consigning and take them to the thrift store (these include things with stains that won’t come out, and that the consignment sale won’t take). 
• Sort through my shoes and add no-longer-worn pairs to the thrift store pile
• Inventory our pantry and freezer (refrigerator freezer and deep freezer) in order to throw out what’s expired and see what meals I can create based on what we have, so that I only have to buy basics (milk, eggs, bread, yogurt) at the grocery store and save money.
• Drink 10 glasses of water each day. I think lack of enough water in my day might be the source of some of the headaches I’ve had.
• Commit to either doing my pregnancy work-out DVD daily, or doing the 4-mile walking DVD that my mother-in-law is letting me borrow.  
• Restock Michael’s prize bag for CGM changes
• Commit to potty-training Noah completely!
• Replace windshields on both cars.  Both of them have several starbursts that are connecting rapidly.

Here's to a relaxing weekend (hopefully!)  Aaron has soccer practice and a soccer game tomorrow.  I have a  bridal shower to attend (if the weather cooperates).  Hopefully we'll find time to go to the grocery store sometime!

Until Next Time,

Much love, Reba

A Fast-Talking Preschooler and a Spunky Toddler

Dear Michael,

You are such a joy to be around!  From the moment you wake up (7:00am if you’re left to your own devices—6:30am if your brother is being too loud), you are talking 90-miles-an-hour until bedtime.  The things you say!  Oh my goodness!  You can carry on an adult conversation, and you amaze us with the information you have about pretty much everything!  You love to explain the workings of certain video games.  If you’re telling me about your day and can’t remember something, you’re quick to make-up what might have happened instead! 

You occasionally sit through a whole movie at home.  Mulan and Moana have been recent hits.  I tried introducing you to Peter Pan, and you might have watched 20 minutes total.  Mary Poppins was an utter failure in your book.  Maybe the next time I try it, I’ll fast-forward to where they jump into the chalk painting and go from there. 

Your favorite TV show (that we let you watch) is “Phineas and Ferb” and your dad likes it too, and I can stand it.  Two shows that you get to watch at Grandma Chips’ house but not at ours are “Yo-Kai Watch” and “Pokemon.”  I’m not into anime and really can’t stand the story lines, so we have nixed those from acceptable shows when you are home.

You like to play with playdough and build “play-dough towers” with the containers.  If you had your choice, though, you’d play Wii-U 100% of the time. 

For being so brave with your pod and CGM changes, and due to a lack of prizes in your prize-bag, you were rewarded with Super Smash Brothers for the Wii-U this week.  You LOVE it, and you’ve only had it one day!  You kept telling us non-stop from Sunday night until it arrived that you just COULDN’T WAIT to play it and that you knew it was going to be SO AWESOME!  I don’t think it disappointed.

We are working on your attitude on two major things:  when you lose a game, and when it’s time to put the games up for bedtime.  These two instances can throw you into such a heated fit, it’s not even funny.  We are working on coaching you through how to be a good loser, because we know that you might not win every game on the playground at recess this fall and we want you to be prepared.  We have changed around some tactics to be able to provide you a warning time on how many minutes you have left before bedtime, hoping that this eliminated the surprise factor that might be the cause of the temper tantrums.

You like to play outside, but it’s not your favorite thing.  We ate outside on our deck one night this week and both you and Noah thought that was the bomb.  You’ll chase and ninja-chop bubbles when I blow them outside, and you’re always quick to find a stick of some kind to make believe it’s a wrench and you then proceed to “fix” everything in sight.  I’m hoping this is the summer of swimming for you!  With two sets of grandparents having pools, we should find ourselves in the water a lot this summer.  I’m hoping you venture farther out than your first step comfort zone.  I’ll be here to help you every step (or arm stroke and kick) of the way!

You’re so spirited and it’s just such a joy to be your mom!

I love you so so much!

Dear Noah Scott Own-wee (only),

You still refuse to accept your last name as part of your identity.  This just goes right along with who you are—a spunky three-year-old who has his own ideas and ways of doing things and remains stubborn to the core.

You are my child who can go to his room for bed at 7:00pm, and sing until 9:00pm, and then wake up at 5:30am ready to begin the day!  We’re really working with you on staying in your room until 7:00am.  This was glorious over the weekend!  And during the weekdays, it allows me to get some work done before you pop your cheery (or somedays, not so cheery) face into the dining room!

You LOVE to be outside and would stay out there all day if you could.  You are eager to try things for yourself, so you’ve become intent on blowing your own bubbles and learning how to rake from the very knowledgeable Michael.  You immensely enjoyed eating dinner on the deck this week and each night you ask if we can do it again.  Hot dogs and hamburgers are easy to eat on the deck.  Grilled pork chops take a little more finesse.  We’ll get there.  Maybe we’ll even buy a real table for the deck so you don’t have to use our outdoor coffee table as your food-holder.

You make great impersonations of vacuums, hair dryers, leaf blowers, carpet shampooers (“water vacuums”), hand-mixers and stand-mixers, etc.  You’re fascinated by fans and will consider your day a success if you’re able to spot a fan in some location (the store, someone’s garage, in a book, etc).  We wonder, sometimes, if you’ll be the voice-over for commercials or movies when a vacuum is used and they need it to be just a bit more realistic—they’ll call you in for the job.

Your favorite food is probably dry cereal.  You like to snack on it all day, and will eat it with milk occasionally.  You also like string cheese and smoked pepperoni sticks and crackers.  However, you are not a fan of coming to eat when it’s actually dinnertime.  Once the rest of us sit down, though, you’re not too far behind. 

You are still a great self-entertainer and choose to play by yourself lots of times.  In Sunday School this past week, you were joining in on a board game and then randomly decided you’d rather play with the toy vacuum.  I love to have you play beside me when I’m doing something else like Bible study homework.  You’ll have your little toy bus or toy car and I’ll smile as I hear you make up voices and situations for your toys.  I try not to let you notice my smile because I don’t want you to stop playing!

You love to help around the house when you can.  It’s your job to put your dirty clothes in the washing machine.  You eagerly jump in to help me vacuum (and jump is not an exaggeration!).  You want me to mop with both the Swiffer Sweeper and Swiffer WetJet, and use the vacuum, and use the carpet shampooer, and unload & load the dishwasher and turn on the washer & dryer every single day.  Since I can’t accomplish all of that every single day (usually the dishes and the laundry are daily occurrences) I save the vacuuming for “special treats,”  ie, ‘If you’re well-behaved, we’ll vacuum after we get home today’ etc.  It works well.

You’re a pretty good cuddler, but whether or not you wake up in a good mood after naptime is always up in the air.  Apparently, this is very similar to how your daddy acted at this age and his mom debated whether to continue even giving naps at all. Although you might be ready to give up your nap, I’m not ready to give up mine!  I look forward to “quiet time” each weekend, and I’d rather you play in your room for an hour and a half instead of dropping naptime all together.

You don’t quite understand the concept that a new baby is coming in August, but you’ve stated that the Baby can be named Sally.  Michael graciously input this into the middle of the name he selected, which is now Sweet Butterfly Sally Cutie Caterpillar.  Neither that name, nor Sally are on our list.  We’ll find out if this Baby will be your brother or your sister in two weeks, but I’m still not sure you’ll grasp the concept until August actually arrives.  Michael, however, isn’t shy about telling me that my belly is getting bigger!  I have no doubt that you both will be great big brothers.

I love you, spunky Noah!  You’re the sassiness we need in life.

Love, Mommy

Baby Update

We are at the 15 week mark!  I really can’t believe how fast this pregnancy is going!  Our next appointment in one month will be the one where we’ll (hopefully) find out the gender of Baby P3! 

 

At my appointment yesterday, Baby P3 had a heartrate of 163!  This is right on target with every heartbeat we’ve heard thus far:  155 at the first appointment (week 7), 162 at week 11, and 163 this week.  I am thinking we might be paving the way for a girl!  But I’ll be just as happy with a boy! The appointment to find out the gender is always my favorite. 

 

I’ve felt a few flutters and “popcorn pops” and am excited to continue to feel the kicks and jabs stronger and stronger as the weeks go on.

 

How far along?  15 weeks, 2 days

Total weight gain: +3lbs

Maternity clothes: YES!  The only type of pants or shorts I can wear are maternity or stretchy waistbands.  I can barely squeeze my belly into regular t-shirts, so I’ll be on the lookout for enough maternity shirts to last the remainder of the pregnancy.  My mom was so sweet and bought me a couple of maternity shirts at Belk two weeks ago and those have gotten a good run through my rotation!

Stretch marks?  Yes.  I had stretch marks with both pregnancies prior.  This time, those have returned, and some new ones have moved in as well.  Stretch marks do not bother me because they show that my body was a home to my babies.  They are my “mommy stripes.”

Sleep:  Very difficult these days, but that’s mainly due to a snoring husband and not so much due to inability to sleep due to pregnancy.  I have found a comfortable position each night, and I have absolutely zero trouble falling asleep—it’s the staying asleep that is an issue.  Most nights I move out to the couch so I can sleep without added noise. *wink* I am treasuring the days that I can still lie on my back to sleep.  I have three weeks of this left, and then I have to abandon that position for a few months.

Best moment this week: Hearing Baby’s heartbeat on the Doppler!

Have you told family and friends? Oh yes.  And strangers even ask me when I’m due.  No one really even questions if I’m pregnant.  They all just want to know when I’m due.

Miss anything?  I miss sushi and coffee.  Aaron ordered a new kind of K-cup and it smells so smooth!  He’s not a big coffee drinker, and he says it tastes smooth and isn’t overpowering or acidic.  I am looking forward to having a cup of that this fall.  I am also a big sushi fan.  I like all types of sushi and sashimi.  When I can’t stand the craving anymore, I find a shrimp roll or crab roll since those types of rolls have to be cooked.  I am looking forward to the day when I can have a tuna roll or salmon roll again.

Food cravings:  This week I’ve wanted salty things, peanut butter, and *sigh* sweets.  I’m trying to curb the sweet cravings because I don’t want to ruin my 15lb weight gain goal.

Anything making you queasy or sick:  The smell of chicken cooking.

Have you started to show yet:  Most definitely.  I’ve found a picture of me when I was pregnant with Michael at 17 weeks and I hardly had a bump. This 15-week bump I’m sporting now could rival a 20-week bump on someone else.

Gender:  We will find out next month!

Labor signs: No.  Good thing.

Belly button in or out: Halfway out.

Wedding rings on or off:  Off unfortunately.  My mom looked at my hands two weeks ago and said I probably needed to think about taking off my rings.  I remembered to do so about five days after that.  Now I wear them on a necklace.

Happy or moody most of the time:  Most of the time, I’d say I was happy.  I do have my moody moments and get sad or teary very quickly.

Looking forward to:  Finding out Baby’s gender and shopping at the consignment sale!

 

 

Until Next Time,

Much love, Reba