He Knows Somethin's Up

This boy has been VERY clingy with mama all week.

It's like he knows something is about to change pretty soon.

And he wants to get his time in and remind mama who her "baby" really is :)

Oh my Wessa! I love you sooooo much. I worry for you as you soon become the "middle child" and I hope that I can make sure you feel just as loved and important to us as ever. You are such a sweety, but you are young, and this is going to be confusing for you.

At least once the baby is here I'll be able to snuggle you easier since I'll have my lap back :)

39 Weeks

Baby #3 is 39 weeks today!

Have I mentioned I'm soooooo over being pregnant? Oh, I have...well, I'm saying it again.

To date I have gained 42 lbs and am now at my LIFETIME highest weight ever. And I can say for sure that I never want to be at this weight again. Hopefully that will be motivation for me to get and stay thin and fit :) The baby is moving sooooo much and it's actually getting quite painful at times. I think he/she wants out just as much as me! Despite me feeling like this baby is going to crush me, my doctor says the baby is still high. I have a very annoying cough right now that I caught from the boys. Unfortunately I can't take much for it.

I am getting REALLY excited about having this baby. At this point the gender suspense is pretty much killing me. I want to know!!! And I want to share the name!!! I feel like we've barely spoken the names we have chosen this time around. That is mostly in part to the fact that we decided not to let X know the names either for fear he would spill the beans. I just can't wait to snuggle a little newborn again. And I can't wait for my "vacation" at the hospital. Seeing as it's the only place I'll be traveling this summer I plan to try and enjoy every minute of my room service and having no laundry to fold.

Our neighbors had their first baby this past week. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't jealous that she is now on the other side of the pregnancy thing. Not that a newborn is easy peasy (well, actually, thinking of just having 1 newborn and no other kids to take care of....that does sound easy!!!) but at least you can breathe a little better without kicks to your ribcage!

So we are just kind of waiting around for this baby to come. Walter's class finished a week early so any time now would work out just fine. I would love to go a little early :) The plan is to have another VBAC so despite my complaining I'm committed to waiting it out.

Tonight we are headed out to dinner and a musical with my brother. Probably our last night out for awhile!

Phon-eos

Ok, so that's probably not a real word. But, here's 2 videos I found when I downloaded stuff from my BlackBerry last night.

X hasn't been sleeping well AT ALL for weeks. He was in such a "mood" on this morning (hense the ever annoying finger in the nose that he does just to aggervate me when I try to take a picture or video). About 2 minutes after I took this video is when Wes came through with the stick horse.

Me and Wes practicing some of his words. He has the cutest little voice! Now if he would just stop grabbing for my phone when I'm trying to record him :)

A Whole Lotta Random Goin On

Thought I'd share the pics I just downloaded from my camera and phone. They really have nothing in common but oh well. My life is just kind of randomness lately anyway :)


I wanted to cry over this spilled bowl of cereal. The culprit...that little stick horse you see on the left. Wes was toolin around the kitchen with it, lifted it up, and did a swipe across the countertop catching the cereal bowl. Being on your hands and knees this pregnant to wipe up sticky milk is not my idea of a good start to the day :(

The boys got another chance to see some big trucks at a golf tournament that Walter's mom was working at. They think the thing to do now is sit on the step and have your picture taken since we did it so many times at the truck show last weekend. So they just walked right over and started saying "cheese".

After admiring and sitting on my dad's tractor many times, the boys finally got a chance to help cut the grass. Lots of fun!

 On Father's Day Walter wanted to take X fishing in the backyard after nap. Wes came out to watch too. X isn't the most patient of people so he was kind of more interested in playing with Walter's cup of water than casting a line. But he LOVED holding the worms. For the record they caught 2 little sunfish!

What does a good big brother do when his little brother is running a fever? He sits on the couch with him (can you notice X has his arm around Wes) and goes comatose for an episode of Curious George.

Xavier at 3 1/2

Seriously, I have a 3 1/2 year old child already???!!! Wow.
We love Xavier so much and it's been really fun to watch him grow into a little boy.

THEN.......

AND NOW.......

Here's what he's up to these days.........

Everything has to be in "big pieces". If his food is cut too small, he freaks out!

Seeing gas trucks are the highlight of his life (they are going to the gas station to fill up the gas PWUMPS). Hearing and spotting airplanes in the sky is also high on the list (all planes are going to U-NORK {new york} to see Uncle Dave)

Weighs 37lbs. Wearing size 4T and 5T clothes and 10 - 11 shoe. I don't have a height measurement, but he's definitely tall for his age.

Getting better at dressing himself. Is lazy about it, but capable of everything except getting a shirt over his head. He still wants to wear "jibbies" ALL.THE.TIME though!

Riding a big boy bike with training wheels. He also learned to ride a Power wheel at the neighbors and loved it! X really enjoys going to playgrounds and I'm amazed at what he can now climb up all by himself.

Memorizing books like crazy. Loves all things Curious George related.

Lots of imaginary play. Likes to pretend he's cooking you a steak and then handing it to you. Wes is starting to imitate X's pretend play motions and sometimes they get along! Also loves to pretend he's on the phone calling people.

Lately responding with "sure" instead of "yes".

Naps are starting to become a little hit and miss (my biggest fear -- I am soooooo NOT ready for him to stop napping). Night time sleep the past few weeks has been really challenging. X is having some nightmares that are waking him up and some kind of cough/allergy. He seems to come and go with good sleep every few months.

Talking about going to preschool a little. Also talking about when "baby pluto" is coming to live with us.

Very particular about what streets we go on in our subdivision. If he doesn't want to go down a certain street he will tell me it's closed because he peed on it.

Loves to play cars and trucks. Not exactly thrilled to be sharing those cars and trucks with little brother though.

Becoming more social and interacting with other kids. He stills does parallel play in some group settings. X really enjoys playing with the neighbor kids.

Can write one or two letters and draw a couple of shapes.

Truck Show

This weekend we took the boys to a truck show at a local auto museum. It was small enough that Wes could just walk around without the stroller (which was great!) and it was all free for a canned good donation!

Since the boys are fascinated with school buses it was perfect that they had one on display. This was the first time they actually have been INSIDE a bus. They ran up and down the isle!

Sitting on the step of a dump truck.

 Big brother taking little brother for a ride :)

Let me beep this horn!



Walter, Wes, and a Semi. What more do you need?



They gave out fire hats to the kids and there was a balloon maker. This was the first time the boys had ever seen balloon animals. They both got a puppy. (And as with everything, they had disassembled and broken them within about an hour - oh well!)

Driving the fire engine!

Sitting on a concrete truck.



Running wild in the back of a big box truck.

Photographic proof that I came too!

After the truck show we went for roast beef sandwiches and ice cream!



The day went downhill after this (read: X refused to nap = soooo crabby) so we'll just end it right here on a high note!

37 Weeks

Baby #3 is 37 weeks today.

If you can notice that I'm slightly annoyed in this picture you are very observant.

I'm just pretty much miserable. I hate to be a "debbie downer" but it's just how I feel. Everything hurts, all the time, I can't sleep, can't eat, can't move, am always hot, getting sick at night frequently, can't fit into any clothes, and have zero energy. Oh, and I cut my hair this week.....and I HATE IT!!!! I've heard you should never cut your hair late in a pregnancy and now I know why. It's too short, too "bob-ish" and does nothing for my expanding face. This pic is misleading -- it's much shorter looking head on. Thankfully hair grows (but not quick enough!)

I hadn't really mentioned it before, but Walter has been traveling M-F for the last 4 weeks in a row. That has really taken a toll on me physically since it makes my days with the boys that much longer (and my patience that much shorter). And both boys have been having their own sleeping issues so that means I've been getting even less rest. Thankfully Walter is done traveling for awhile.

While I may not be doing so well, the baby is doing great as far as we can tell. He/she is measuring on target, heart rate is good, fetal movement is good, and my blood pressure is normal. So, that's really what's more important than my aching self.

I finally accomplished going through the boys closets to make room in anticipation of merging their stuff. Baby #3 now has some space for his/her things. I set up the pack n play next to our bed and loaded our nightstand with diapers (totally forgot how small size 1 diapers are - geesh!) I got a new baby swing since ours stopped working and I'm desperately trying to keep the boys from breaking it before the baby is even here to enjoy it :)

I've been craving Red Vines licorice, peanut butter, and chips and cheese lately. I've also been making yogurt smoothies from the strawberries we picked a few weeks ago that I froze. Yum! I even added some carrot puree to the smoothie for some added veggie. It's been a nice healthy pick me up on a hot day.

So I'm now on weekly doctor appointments until the baby is born. I'd love for this baby to come a little early, but Walter finishes his summer class on June 30th so he'd really like to get that wrapped up first. Guess we'll just wait and see what happens!

Out of the Mouth of X

More interesting things that X has said recently.....

Before Mother's Day I taught X to say to Walter "Mommy has holes in all her socks. We need to get her new socks for Mother's Day".  (Which I did get - yeah!) So recently X was sitting on my bed and noticed a small hole in the knee of his pants. He looks up at me and says "Mommy, I have a hole in my pants. Will you get me new pants for Mother's Day?" Yes buddy, I sure will!!!

"You can wipe my booty if you want to." Gee, thanks for the option!

"Where is that OTHER boy." (referring to Wesley)

X heard Wes waking up from a nap. He went over to the monitor, turned it off, and said "Oh, don't worry baby, I'm coming for you". Then he ran to Wes' room, opened the door and said "Hi there buddy. It's good to see you. Did you have a good nap?" So sweet!

I often remind X that if he needs to go to the bathroom to tell me and I will take him. So now he says to Wes "Wes, tell mommy if you have to go potty in your diaper."

We have been talking about how it's good to thank God for people in our lives and things that we have. He looks around the room and says "Dear God, thank you for our blinds and our deck."

X - "Mama, what are we going to do at church?"  Me - "learn about Jesus and God". X - "No, Jesus isn't there, just God and snacks."

While playing with his phone when Wes was napping:  "Mommy, you need to be quiet while I'm talking on the phone. I'm talking to Wes. Hello Wes, are you sleeping? Ok." And when he finished the call he says, "Mommy, thank you for being quiet while I was on the phone."  Hmmm...wonder where he learned that :)

In regards to painting my toenails: "Mommy, you need to take your white toes off and put your pink toes on."

After he befriended a little boy at the playground: "Boy, is that your grandma?" (motioning towards the 65-ish year old woman standing near the boy). The little boys says, no, that's my babysitter. To which X then says, "Oh, that's your BABY SISTER, oh ok." And then continues to play. Clearly he has no idea what a baby sister would look like!

Oh how I love the things that he says!!!!!

Eating Spots

There are many ways to enjoy your food.....

You can have a snack of rice cakes while sitting in a laundry basket.

Or you can sit on a bar stool looking like a total big kid to eat your pancake.

Or, you can opt for the good old high chair to have some cereal while your big brother points out pictures on the front of a book to you. (Notice at the end X says "Ok, I'm done reading to you now." HA!)

Family of Four

We won't be a family of four much longer. We hardly have any pictures of the 4 of us. Here's why! It's impossible to get everyone looking good in one shot. Six tries - zero winners. How are we ever going to do it when we are a family of five???

Wesley at 17 Months

Little brother is growing up before our eyes. Here's what's going on with Wes these days.....

Weight is about 26 lbs. Wearing mostly 24 month and 2T clothes and size 6 shoe. Has 8 teeth and 4 molars just starting to poke through.

Eats like a horse most of the time. Might be becoming vegetarian though. Rarely eats meat lately unless it's cooked in and somewhat unrecognizable (ex: spaghetti with meat sauce). Loves fruit, milk, cereal, pancakes, yogurt, hummus, and peanut butter. Very picky about veggies. Stubborn about eating. If he decides he doesn't want something there is really no way you are going to get him to take a bite.

Vocab is taking off. Words are not always clear, but can make the beginning sounds and understands how to say multiple syllables. He will try to say pretty much anything you ask him to. Loves to identify objects he knows by yelling out the word. He's also finally waving bye regularly with the accompanying word.

Thinks every time the phone rings that it's "da-da". Knows to hold a phone (or remote control - ha) to your ear and say hello ("hawo")

LOVES school buses. Is obsessed with school buses.

Eats very well with a fork and spoon when he chooses to. Eats well from a plate or bowl without tipping it over (unless he's finished eating, then all bets are off). He also knows how to dip things in condiments, but not always the correct item. He was dipping his Kiwi in bbq sauce last night instead of his chicken - but apparently he liked it :)
LOVES his "bink bink" (pacifier) and will search them out around the house. I try to keep them out of reach because I don't want him to have it all day. He comes to the dishwasher when I'm unloading it. If there are any binkers in there, he will try to quickly dig them out of the little basket and run off with them. He will also ask for his "bink bink" now if he catches a glimpse of one on a counter or something. This is hard because I'd really like to transition him to only having it when he sleeps.

Climbs everything. Found him standing on my laptop which was sitting on an end table next to the couch. He stood there smiling at me and bouncing his knees up and down until I could get to him and pull him off. He also recently figured out how to use the bar stools to climb onto the kitchen island. Ironically, he has never tried to climb out of his crib.

Goes to sleep very easily. Takes a nap after lunch for 2-3 hours. Sleeps 11 hours at night for the most part. Occasionally waking up at night lately. Can't figure out if it's teething or possibly nightmares (apparently that is common around 18 months). Perfectly content after you pick him up and hold him. Often falls right back to sleep within 5 minutes. Has had a few nights where he was awake for hours just wanting to play and read books. I have no idea what that's about.

Starting to say "No", especially to Xavier when trying to defend himself!

Prefers Daddy to brush his teeth. Gives mommy a hard time.

Will stop dead in his tracks to point out to Lightening McQueen or TowMater from Cars if he sees them on something.

Understands how the water works on the refrigerator door. He will imitate this on the play kitchen by taking a little cup, holding it to the fridge, make a "ssssssss" sound (water filling) and then pretending to drink the water.

LOVES books. He thinks if you are sitting still for more than 5 seconds you obviously want to read to him so he will bring you a book.

LOVES playing outside. Sometimes he stands at the door and yells "at-si" (outside). He was doing really good about keeping a hat on for awhile (because he's so white and his hair isn't that thick - don't want to burn the scalp!) but doesn't really want a hat anymore - bummer!

Does not like to hold my hand. I remember X being exactly like this at the same age. He wants to be free to go on his terms. But, he'll generally follow me if I call for him or just start walking in front of him. Unfortunately this means I still have to carry him in all parking lots (heavy!)

Becoming unbearable in stores. Won't stay in the cart and if he's in the cart he's trying to unload everything onto the floor. Snacks sometimes slow him down, but needless to say I try to grocery shop VERY quickly!

Understands the division of food between him and Xavier. I will give him 2 sippy cups and he automatically goes and gives one to X. I will set out 2 bowls of snacks and tell him which one is his. Rarely will he try to take from X's bowl. If he empties his bowl and wants more he'll bring it to me and say "mow, mow".

We love you Wessa!