Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Basketball star

Matthew was shooting some hoops at the end of our cul-de-sac and came back to let Robbie play with the basketball. Obviously an adult basketball is slightly large for a 15 month old, but Robbie still liked to make it bounce.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

36 week appointment

I made it to my 36 week appointment! I think Alex is going to hang around for a while longer. Maybe he's seen how Robbie is with the cats and he is afraid to come out and face him. :) As ready as I am to meet Alex (and not be pregnant!), I'm happy that he's hanging around as long as he needs to. I don't want to rush anything and I figure babies know when the time is right, even when we disagree! I still want him to wait until February, but that's Wednesday, so it's right around the corner. Plus I'll be 37 weeks on Monday and that is considered full term, so even Monday would be a good day.

Everything is checking out ok. My blood pressure is good, Alex's heart rate was in the 140s, and I'm measuring 37 1/2 cm. I really thought I would measure around 40 cm. I didn't realize how big I had gotten until I saw the pictures that my mom took last weekend. Lisa and I both agree that I am carrying Alex the same way she carried Kayleigh and Brian, way out front!

I asked the doctor if there were any visiting restrictions with Robbie and she said there aren't. Obviously I don't want Robbie in the room when I'm in labor, but I'd like to see him after Alex is born and before I go home, especially if I stay as long as I did with Robbie. With Robbie I did take advantage of the extra night and I don't know if I will do that this time around, but we were in the hospital 5 days. I can't imagine not seeing Robbie for 5 days!

I don't know what it's like with Matt's family, but I have to keep telling my family that just because I call them doesn't mean I'm going into labor. Yes, that call is coming in the next few weeks, but don't jump to conclusions whenever you see one of our phone numbers come up on the caller id! :)

Alex's heart beat:

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Robbie's 15 month appointment

Today was Robbie's 15 month appointment. Robbie weighs 25 lbs, 12 oz and is 32 in tall. (I'm not sure how accurate his height is because he was squirming so much!). That keeps him in the 75th for both, which is what he has been in pretty much since birth.

It was hard because every time the nurse or doctor walked in Robbie started crying. It's almost like he knew what was coming! I was afraid he was going to grab the stethoscope from the doctor when he was listening to Robbie's heart and lungs and scream into it. I asked the doctor if that had happened before, and it has! I don't think there was any way that the doctor was going to look into Robbie's eyes. He did try, though. I'm glad the doctor was able to look into his ears because Matthew noticed Robbie was pulling on them Sunday. Of course it could be hair tickling his ears or teething.

This was definitely the hardest appointment when it came to the shots. I made Matt hold him, but I took Robbie when they were done. It was only 2 shots, but still it's no fun. The doctor said next time will be better when it's only 1 shot. I don't know if Robbie agrees with him or not! The only good thing that came from all of the crying was that I saw his bottom right cuspid coming in.

It looks like Alex is going to stay put for a while longer. I kept thinking I shouldn't have schedule my 36 week appointment since I didn't make it with Robbie, but I guess I'll be going to it Thursday. My mom Bible study group is doing a lunch for us next Friday and I told them I'd try not to let Alex come before then! I can't believe next week is February. I really wanted Alex to wait until February to be born and I think he just might!

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Working Vacation

My parents wanted to come up for one more visit before Alex came. When my mom asked about coming up, she said they wanted to come while it's just the "3 of you." I said it might not be the three of us. She asked who else was coming and I said Alex!! He's not here yet, so don't think you missed anything, but if Alex follows in Robbie's footsteps, he'll be coming Tuesday. :)

My parents drove up Friday in time for dinner. It's nice that they were able to come early because the last couple of visits Robbie was in bed before they got here. They wore him out because he slept through the night. (He hasn't been sleeping well this past week). After breakfast we all got to work. Matt washed the van so my dad could wax it. While Matt was doing that, Dad and I hung two shelves in Alex's room. That was quick and easy because I had already marked out where they were going, so Dad just had to drill and hang.

Mom wanted a picture of Alex, so I made sure you could see him. :)



Finishing up



When Dad went out to wax the van, Mom and I hung the pirate ship I ordered from Etsy. The hardest part was making sure we hung it straight. It turned out so well!

Peeling off the backing



Finished product



Pirate ship, changing table and diaper stacker



Monkey changing pad cover



Last week Matthew hung the comforter over Alex's crib. It's cute and I'm glad we're able to use it as a decoration since Alex can't use it for a while



The pillow in the glider was given to me as a graduation present from the mom of the kids Lisa and I used to babysit. We probably babysat them for 4 years. It's hard to believe that the oldest is in college and the twins are seniors in high school. They will always be little to me!



After lunch Mom, Robbie and I went to Books A Million to get a baby book for Alex. When we got there we found out that the store is closing, so all of the books are 20% off. I wouldn't say it's a super great deal, but it's still better than paying full price. We did find a baby book, plus I bought Robbie a couple of books he can have in the bath tub and a Little People book. I was surprised that Matthew and Dad were awake when we got back. I tried to put Robbie down for a nap in his crib since he fell asleep in the car. He didn't want to be alone so Dad went in to rock him for a bit and they ended up napping together. I'll admit I took a nap, too! Sometime Matt scrubbed down the porch chairs. I didn't know he had done it until he said he needed to put them away.

Robbie is now 15 months! He loves to read books and he is getting pretty good at pointing to different objects. Last weekend he got his top two cuspid teeth. I have heard that babies have a hard time when the cuspids come in, but Robbie didn't seem overly bothered by it. Of course, that's when he stopped sleeping well, so maybe they do bother him!!

Matt said that we need to stop taking monthly pictures of Robbie because it's too hard to get him to cooperate. While I agree, I'm not sure I'm ready to stop trying. Robbie is just too interested in the camera to be still and smile. Here's what I got:

Hey, you have the camera!



Is it my turn to hold the camera?



There, I pet Shamu.



How can you say no to this face??



I can't say that this has been a relaxing weekend for my parents, but they helped us get a lot done!!

Monday, January 16, 2012

Robbie videos!

Now that Robbie is walking we are using it to our full advantage. I can tell him to go to his changing table when he needs a clean diaper, he will go to his chair when it's time to eat, and after bath time he will go to his room to get his pajamas. It was even cuter when he first started walking because he would walk with his hands in the air and it reminded me of the kid in "Where The Wild Things Are."

It's a short video, but it's cute:



Robbie also goes to the door when Matthew gets home. Sometimes he heads to the garage door when he hears the garage door go up and sometimes he goes to the front door instead of the garage door (or vice versa). Usually he says "dada" the whole time. I guess he was just showing off and saying "mama" today. I won't complain! :)

Friday, January 13, 2012

Alex's Ultrasound

Yesterday we went in for an ultrasound of Alex to check his size. If Alex was big the doctors would want me to have a c-section again. Luckily Alex is looking good and healthy, though on the larger size of average. The ultrasound technician measured him at 6 lbs, 7 oz and thinks he will be about the same size or a little larger than Robbie when he is born. Of course that estimation depends on if he comes as early as Robbie, too! Alex is head down looking toward my left side and still "high up there". I'm not quite sure what that means except that he hasn't dropped into birthing position yet. I wish the technician talked more about what she saw and was doing, though. I think she measured the belly first, a leg (femur?) and then his head. She did say that Alex looks like Robbie and that he has a nice round head. (That almost made me want to have a c-section just to keep his head nice!) I wish Alex was moving around more just so I could see him move rather than just feel him! Of course he waited until after the ultrasound to start moving around! The doctor seemed pleased as well. My 36 week appointment is scheduled for January 26th. We'll see if we make it that far!

Ultrasound video:



The nurse didn't do a Doppler of Alex's heartbeat because we had the ultrasound. I missed hearing it. :(

Friday, January 6, 2012

More visitors!

Just when we thought the last of our visitors had come and gone, Lisa called and asked if she and the kids could come over for a visit. What a nice surprise! Kayleigh was still on break from school so they came Tuesday and Wednesday. It's harder for us to get together with Kayleigh in school, me not traveling, and both of us running out of rooms in our houses!

They got here right at lunch time and we pretty much sat down and ate after saying hello. Robbie had his first peanut butter sandwich. Kayleigh and Brian had honey on their sandwiches. We were going to to PB&J except we had no J and went with the honey instead. Robbie loves being with his older cousins and it's fun to watch them together.

The kids had fun checking out Alex's crib.



For dinner I made Mexican Lasagna. Matt doesn't like it because of the ricotta cheese, so I don't make it just for myself. Matt and the kids had quesedillas, so everyone was happy. The kids had some time to play after dinner before getting a bath and going to bed. Kayleigh did great sleeping in our new guest "bedroom".

Wednesday morning we headed to the mall to play in the play area. It was probably the coldest day so far, so we weren't planning on doing anything outside. Several of my friends had the same idea, so I knew other moms and kids that were there. While there were a lot of kids I wouldn't say that it was overly crowded. The nice thing is that all of the moms watch out for all of the kids. Unfortunately there was only one slide and it seemed like either several kids wanted on it or no one wanted on it. I guess that's just how it goes. Robbie did try to escape a couple of times, but didn't get too far!

Robbie checking out the airplane



Having fun running around



Kayleigh jumping on the baseball



Brian going up the slide...



and down the slide



Robbie liked this car, but it was pretty slippery (or maybe it was his socks). Those legs next to him belong to Kayleigh.



The play area is conveniently located right next to the train station. Lisa and I had talked about the possibility of us taking the kids for a ride and the deal was sealed when the conductor said that parents could ride for free. It was pretty tight with all of us and all of our stuff, but we enjoyed the ride. Kayleigh was surprised to see cars inside of the mall. We decided that they either belong to some of the workers or they need fixed.

Robbie didn't care to have his picture taken.



Lisa and the kids left after lunch. It's sad to say that we don't know when we'll see them again, but hopefully they'll be back over after Alex is born. I'm not sure where we'll stick Erik if he decides to come with them next time! :)

Mom asked us to get a picture of the 3 cousins together. This was as good as we could get!

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

No Good, Very Bad Day

Poor Robbie had a rough day yesterday. He loves to play in the bouncy seat, but yesterday when he was climbing out he feel and hit his cheek on the end table. Ouch! Luckily it wasn't worse than what it was. There were some tears, but he was fine after a few minutes.

The line on his cheek is the bruise. :(



He later used a toy to climb up onto the love seat and he tumbled off shortly after. He also fell out of Matthew's gaming chair. Yikes! Luckily we don't have too many days like that!

Let's talk about some better days! Jim and Jean gave Robbie a monkey towel for Christmas. It's bigger than the infant towels and much thicker. The best part is getting Robbie out of the tub, putting the towel on and watching him walk to his room for bedtime. The towel has a tail on it, which makes it even cuter!

King of the monkeys! (He's too tired to be taking pictures, can you tell?)



So cute!



We let Robbie try Publix potato salad a couple of weeks ago. He loved it! Unfortunately he had a reaction to it. Luckily it just made his cheeks red where it got on him. And we all know what a messy eater he is, so it was all over him!!

Yes, I'm messy!



I love potato salad!



See the red cheek?



After a late trip out shopping, we came home and started getting Robbie ready for his bath. I noticed when I took his onesie off that some Cheerios came falling out. It still took me a few seconds to realize what was on his back.



^^They are marks left by the Cheerios.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! I always wonder where 365 days have gone. Last year was a good year finding out about Alex and Robbie turning 1. It's hard to imagine what our lives will be like soon with two little ones running around. I know Robbie is going to be a good big brother, but Alex is going to have to be tough (and if you've seen how Robbie "rocks" the bouncy seat, you know what I mean!). Matthew and I did stay up and watch the ball drop. I had to make Matthew stay up, though. He wanted to go to bed at 11:52! Is it just me or did the ball drop used to be more impressive? Maybe it's another one of those things where I was younger and the ball seemed bigger. I also wanted to see how Dick Clark is doing. I think he looked better than he did last year, but someone needs to tell him to lay off the spray tanning!

Back to last year. Barbara, Mimi, Gramps and Uncle Mark came up for a visit Thursday and Friday. They got here in time for lunch and Matt suggested going to The Loop. I was secretly excited because one of my friends was in town for the day and had invited me to lunch at The Loop. I declined since they were coming in town. Matthew didn't know and there are multiple Loops in town, but we chose the same one they did. Not only did I see my friend, Dawn, and her daughter, Tabitha, but my former personal trainer, Josh, was there with his daughter, Isis, who is 2 years old. I haven't seen him since before Robbie was born and Isis was just a baby. Josh also has a 9 month old son, but he wasn't with him.

After lunch we came home and let Robbie nap before opening Christmas gifts. Yes, we still had one more Christmas! Robbie has a lot of new cars and a road rug to play with them on. The rug is currently in the family room, but I think it will get moved into his room.

While I ran to Publix to pick up dinner, Matthew, Gramps and Uncle Mark put together Robbie's new swing set. It's toddler sized and perfect for him. He likes swinging the most.

Ready to climb up the steps



Down the slide!



How many men does it take to strap in Robbie?



I like to swing!



Friday Matthew bought Krispy Kreme donuts for breakfast and we heated up some mini-quiches. I wish we hadn't had the quiches because now Matthew knows why I like them so much! :) We did lunch at Sonny's and then went to a park for a little while. Our guests left shortly after that.

Saturday we bought a few remaining items for Alex's room. We're almost ready for him to come! I wanted to have it all done yesterday, but that didn't happen. We have a running list of what needs to get done and we are slowly getting everything crossed off. We are definitely more ready for Alex than we were for Robbie, though! Matthew hung the new curtain rods and diaper stacker. I might rewash Alex's sheets because Robbie has been playing a lot in the crib while we work. It's nice that he doesn't mind being in the crib, but it also makes me nervous because I think he could get out if he wanted to because the mattress is on a higher level in Alex's crib than in Robbie's. Robbie enjoyed playing with Alex's new baby soother. We decided to do that instead of a mobile. The soother lights up and the fish move around. It will play classical music or ocean sounds. It came with a remote, so we could turn it on without having to go into the room. We went to a consignment store that I had gone to a few months ago. When I was there last time they had video room monitors very well priced. I was afraid that they would be gone when we went, but there were still 2 there. I plugged each end in to make sure it worked and it works perfectly! It's the same brand that we have for Robbie, just a different model.

Curtains and valance



Changing table and diaper stacker



Crib soother



Our to do list



It was nice to start the new year off going to church this morning, though I was sad when Matt told me that there wasn't going to be Sunday School this week. We have been going to service lately and not Sunday School and I was looking forward to seeing our friends. I'm sure they will be there next week!