First week of June 2015

I sure enjoy summer!  The long, sunny days.  The warm weather.  The fun at the pool.  The smells of sunscreen.  Yup, I love it.  (As I write this post on December 11...it may be almost winter but it's going to be unseasonably warm at 80 degrees today! Even with the warm temps it doesn't feel like summer at all.)

Two buddies enjoying lunch outside

Park play time

She is getting better at walking and getting up to around 10 steps now.  Go Girl!

Video - "walking" is a very wobbly process right now

Pulling her best "bitter beer face"

Cheering and waving at Maxwell - He started a new team for this session of Indoor Soccer.  We signed up with some friends, the dad is one of the coaches.  I was really excited about getting a new team (one that would practice!)  Our first practice was inside at the facility.

I later learned that a group of the parents that were close friends (not us) decided they didn't want to do practices.  I guess it's up to the coach.  So this one practice was our only practice.  It was a bad foreshadowing for how the rest of the season would go.

Playing with real legos - you know, the little ones!! (Are we at that age already?!)

My friend Tida came to CROSSMARK for a cake decorating event our women's group hosted.  She was an awesome teacher!  I was one of the few people putting this together.  It was a lot of work but it turned out awesome!  Here are just some of the supplies.

Tida giving tips and showing even more of the decorating supplies.

Some of the ladies, hard at work

Finished products.  It was amazing how great they all turned out!!!  (I didn't decorate because I was busy coordinating everything.)

Maxwell helping sweep up crumbs.  (Thank you Montessori!  I don't think I would have taught him this yet...I just don't tend to think he can do things yet (it was like that with potty training, reading, etc. I often go, he's not old enough yet) and should push him more.  Am I the only parent like that??)

Reading books with dad at bedtime - - notice he's on the couch?  

We finally decided to split up the kids' bedtime routine.  I really liked doing it all at once and reading/singing/cuddling together on our bed but Emmalyn needs to go to bed earlier than Maxwell and we were keeping her up later than when we first noticed she was tired.  I'm sad about it, but it's best for the kids.  We do books with Maxwell either on the couch or in his bed and then I crawl into his bed and cuddle with him a little before we turn the light off and he goes to sleep.

In bed with all his stuffed animals

Brittany is so awesome.  She took all the kids to play at the pool, by herself.  She's just so great at handling all of them.  I'm not that person.  There's times I don't even handle my two by myself.

Emmalyn swam in her clothes.  I hadn't sent a swimming suit over to Britt's for her since I didn't think she'd need it.

Playing around in mom's car

Doesn't she have the best big grins?

I let her have a sucker for the very first time...

video - emmalyn's first sucker

She made that sucker last for a long time

It's safe to says she liked it

Maxwell fell asleep in the car and usually, when I bring him inside, he never goes back to sleep.  But, this time I laid him down in the guest bedroom and he went back to sleep!

Max's writing skills.  I asked him to write the alphabet and all his numbers.  Lowercase letters will come next year, I guess.  Good job, bud!

I love this outfit.  The bloomers have pink ruffles on the bum.

My darling brown-eyed beauty

...with lots of teeth!

Emmalyn loves going to Kindermusik.

Our first game with the new team - the Bears.  Maxwell didn't get to pick his number this time.  He's number 5.  These pics are from Peter because the game happened during Kindermusik time.  Peter was super frustrated because the coaches didn't do a good job of letting the kids know what to do.  Notice how Maxwell is the only kid from his team ready for kickoff?  This happened many many times.  Plus, the coaches aren't supposed to be on the field and they were, and getting in the way of the play.

Another time Max was the only one ready  (He may not want to kick the ball but he's got the routine for kickoff down!)

Get out of the way, coaches!!!

Video - I hoped now that Maxwell was the "pro" that he would be bold and go after it since so many of the kids were clueless, but nope.  Same old approach.  That's okay, I remind myself.  He's just 3.

I am so excited!!!  I grew a strawberry!!!  My strawberry plant that had zero strawberries last year looks like it's going to give me at least a couple.

Video - having a conversation with Emmalyn

Maxwell swimming with his snorkel at the neighbor's

We had a few cakes left over at the cake decorating event at work so I brought one home, with some supplies, for Maxwell.  He had an awesome time.

Finished Product.  He wanted to make a birthday cake for himself (even though it's not his birthday).

She loves this little buggy!  Someone has to push her though because she's not tall enough to do it herself.

Riding on Maxwell's horse

Sleeping with "puppet"  - that's the bear puppet's name... "puppet".  Right now he's Maxwell's favorite.  We got him for free at the balloon festival so you know he's super cheap and I've had to sew him a few times but Maxwell loves him.

Updates:

There was a morning this week when Emmalyn didn't "tell me" she wanted to nurse.  I didn't think I'd feel this way but it made me really sad.  I was hoping this wasn't the end.  Luckily the next day she was back on track.  So now, I am trying to just get to 3 oz of pumped milk a day.  Sometimes I don't even pump a quarter oz.  I'm sure I'm crazy for not just stopping but it's supply and demand!  If I stop pumping, I'll lose what little I have.  It's super frustrating because I'm doing teas, and supplements, and oatmeal, etc.  I've talked to a lactation consultant.  The only way to increase it would be to take medication and I don't want to do that.  So I'll hold out with this little bit just a little bit longer.  I nursed Maxwell until he was 17 months and one week.  I feel like I'm letting Emmalyn down if I don't go that far with her.

Emmalyn says mama, dada and daddy, yah, nah, ball, book, baby, more (or at least a version of it) .  She will say "yah" to every yes/no question. She hears the phrasing of a question so well.  I have tricked her and said a question without saying it with a question mark at the end and she didn't answer.  I thought that was pretty fascinating.

But then yesterday she started saying "nah" too. She's able to follow simple instructions like bring me the ball, she is sooo talkative.

Maxwell is an expert whiner.  It feels like we are constantly trying to get him to talk in his "normal voice".

100 days of preschool!

(okay, it's not really 100 days since Maxwell only goes to school 3 days a week but hey, who's counting?)

He was really excited to see this sign when we got to school.

Yeah!

Maxwell writing his numbers 1-10

A,B,C,D,E, and G

Making the most of our time as a family of 3

We realize that our days as a family of 3 are numbered.  So, we are making the most of the time we have left and really trying to spent a good deal of time with Max doing fun things.  Here's what we were up to from 4-1-14 through 4-11-14.

We took Max to dinner at Gatti Town (sort of like a Chuck E Cheese aimed at a little older kid) and played games and ate pizza.

Max driving a race car with dad's help on the gas pedal.

I found it so interesting that he reached out for the gear shift on his own without us telling him what to do.  We both drive automatics - how did he know to do that?

Video - Oh man...I am extremely pregnant!!!  Here's me at 36 weeks and 4 days.

The sweetest thing happened when we were leaving Gatti Town.  We had been looking with Max at what he could redeem his tickets for and he noticed these playground balls.  Well, we didn't have close to enough tickets to get the balls but he was trying to play with them.  A mom and her two kids were watching Max try, unsuccessfully, to get the balls out of the cage they were in.  We talked Max into getting a sucker, which was nearly as great in his eyes.  True to his typical behavior, he also picked one out for Momma.  :)

Anyway, we were leaving the restaurant and I heard someone calling to us.  I turned around and it was the little boy that had been watching Max try to get the ball.  He had a red ball in his hands and came up to us and asked if he could give the ball to Max.  It was so sweet!  We, of course, said yes.  I wish I had someone awesome to give this sweet, generous boy in return but didn't have anything worthy of his generous gift.  I gave him my sucker and Peter gave him the game card we were using that still had some tokens and tickets left on it.

Max was so excited and my heart was so touched!  Peter shared with me that when we were looking at the prizes he heard the two kids talking to their mom and overhead that they had about 1000 tickets together (the balls were like 500 tickets).  These sweet kids had taken their precious tickets and chosen to spend half of them to buy the ball for the little boy that had wanted it but didn't have enough tickets to have it.  I hope to raise such sweet generous kids that can get joy out of making others happy versus having the toys for themselves.

Max didn't want to give up the ball and even brought it with him at bedtime when he got his few minutes on the iPad.

Side view of the belly (holy cow - how do I stretch that far?! Since I'm so short this poor baby had no where to go but out.)

Front view

Video - We egged Max on to run out in a downpour to catch the rain.  :)

The storm turned nasty and dropped some serious hail.  That's not snow on my lawn - it's hail.  (Just a few miles away the hail was golf ball size - yikes!)  Spring in Texas brings crazy, and sometimes scary, weather!

We played outside with bubbles...

We rode scooters/bikes...

He's got the best lashes!  I'm jealous!

Love that smile!

We played with chalk... 

We made pancakes together...

While we were mainly focused on Max, we did do a few things for the coming baby.

I didn't get a picture, but Max captured this in one of the pictures he took with my phone - We have her crib up, the bedding is all washed, and we have some decorations on the wall.  Baby sister's space in our master bedroom is official!

We attended an Infant CPR and Safety class at the hospital.  It was really good to review the infant CPR and choking procedures.  The safety stuff was not as helpful because it was all info we are familiar and comfortable with.  We also got the car seat installed and checked.

We got a hair cut (and suckers)...

Max did AWESOME at holding still and being good during the hair cut.  He wouldn't move until the hair stylist would tell him to, even when it was an awkward position - she was amazed at how well he did.  He was sure to share a sucker with Momma.  (I didn't tell him he had to share his dum dum suckers with me, he's always done it on his own.)

We went out to breakfast at McDonalds and played in the play area.  Max loved his pancakes and orange juice.

We played catch with daddy...

(Momma took some time for herself and got a pedicure, prenatal massage and her hair done over the past few weeks - - gotta get that pampering in before there's no time for it!)

We went to dinner after swimming lessons...

Another picture of me, courtesy of Max.  37 weeks and 5 days.

We played soccer with daddy.  The weather has finally started to act like spring which means we have been outside more.  Unfortunately, I haven't had much energy to actually "play" with Max and spend more time just watching him play.  Peter's been great at picking up my slack  - thanks babe!

Video - Max and Peter kicking the ball

Notes from this time frame:
April 1 - I had one of my weekly Dr's visits.  She didn't check me this time, so I don't know if I am dilated or effaced however the results of my tests came back and apparently I tested positive for Strep B.  This is a bacteria that can be a big deal if I was going to deliver vaginally however since I will have a c-section they will already be giving me antibiotics which will protect the baby.

April 5 -
All about Max at 2 yrs 9 months!!!
He loves going to Kindermusik class and swimming lessons each week.  He has done amazing with potty training and hasn't had any accidents.  He only wears a diaper during naps and bedtime.  He is so polite, fun and smart.  He knows his alphabet (and can sing the song the traditional way or the way they sing it on the show Super Why).  He can count up to 29 and can also count backwards from 10 to 0.  He can count to 10 in Spanish.  He knows all of his letter sounds and knows a lot of sight words.  (I should really try to count and see how many he knows.)  He can finally push the pedals on a trike!  Right now he is really into the cartoon "Pocoyo", or Pocoyoo as he calls it.  He loves to sing and singing is now a part of our bedtime routine.

He is so considerate and when I cough, he asked if my belly hurts (because I was sick a few weeks ago with an awful cough that caused me extreme pain and he was aware of this).  He's been more cuddly with me lately and has even let me put him to bed a few times.  Not only that but when he's woken up from a nap or in the morning he's called for ME a few times to come and get him.  Remember, this boy is a daddy's boy!  These are things usually reserved for Peter.

He likes to talk on the phone but gets bored after about a minute and really he only cares about being able to hang up on people.  He will constantly ask you if he can hang up if you are letting him talk to someone.  He likes watching sports on TV and jeopardy.  (Don't ask why he likes jeopardy, but he does.)  When we ask him what Baby Sister's name is, he will say Emmalyn.  We had only mentioned this name to him as part of a list of names.  (For example - is her name "Camille", is her name "Olivia", is her name "Emmalyn"?) But the last few times he's been very quick to respond that her name is Emmalyn when all we say is "What is Baby Sister's name?"  So, perhaps that means it's the right name for our baby girl!  Max used to say "six" when you'd ask him what her name was.  We just need to decide how to spell it - Emmalynn, Emilyn, Emelynn, etc...the choices are endless!

All about me at 37 weeks 1 day (April 5) -
I am so uncomfortable and have been pretty grumpy for the past few days.  It really seems unreal that we are going to have a baby!   I don't want my life to change.  It's like I am already feeling the impending loss of current relationship I have with Max and I often want to wake him up when he's sleeping at night or during his naps on the weekend because I want to spend more time with him - of course I don't do it though.  As far as my symptoms go, I don't look too bloated and have just had minor swelling on my feet.  It was worse last time.  I am hungry at night though and usually have my first dinner around 7 or 8 and then I have another dinner/snack at 10 or 11.  It's a bad habit that's going to be hard to stop when the baby comes!  I am craving soda and am really making no effort to eat healthy at this point.  If it sounds good, I go for it.  I have to get up to pee all through the night.  As mentioned above, we don't have the baby's name completely decided on.  We talk about it nearly every night and keep going through the name book but don't feel like we absolutely know what her name is going to be at this point.  I have only minor nesting urges going on...it would be nice if it kicked in a little more!  At this point I've gained 24 lbs (weigh 204) since getting pregnant - not too bad but more than the goal my doc set for me (15 - 20 lbs) at the beginning.  (warning - TMI coming up but I want to remember when these pregnancy milestones happened so skip the next sentence if you don't want to read the personal/gross pregnancy stuff!) I think I lost the mucus plus today but I'm not 100% positive because it wasn't like it was last time but I don't know what else it could have been.

37 weeks and 2 days - - - Peter and I agree that she might be dropping because it looks like I am carrying lower.

37 weeks and 5 days -  Had another weekly Dr visit today where she checked me but again, nothing was happening.  0% dilated and effaced.  At this point with Max, things were definitely happening.  I think I was like 2 cm and 80% effaced (I'd have to look back at the blog to be sure...you can do the work if you care that much - -let me know what you find).  I asked her what she thought the baby would weigh and she guessed that the baby would be in the high 7 lbs or even 8 lbs.  I hope not - I thought Max's weight, just under 7 lbs, was perfect.  I really love my doctor.  She is a perfect match for me and I look forward to my visits and getting to talk with her.  She has a very busy practice and sometimes that means I may wait for awhile to be seen but it's worth it because I know when she is with me that I am going to get all of her attention and as much of it as I need.  I feel like we've got a great connection and that she truly knows and cares about me.  It's really comfortable to have a relationship like that with someone who plays such a key role in this life changing experience of bringing a child into the world.

This baby is still moving just not as much.  She has the hiccups all the time and gives me heartburn at night.  I have eaten so many more tums with this pregnancy compared to the first - - signs of a baby with a head of hair?  I am so nervous about the impending birth and really waffle between wanting to be done and wanted to keep things the way they are.  Max is still sweet and asking if my belly hurts each time I cough.  I have random contractions but nothing consistent or with any pattern.  I am much more aware of my contractions this time.