21 Weeks!

Here's what babycenter.com says is going on with The Boy this week:

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like he's practicing martial arts as his initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to his activity as you get to know him better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now.

I took the girl parts out. It's irrelevant now, isn't it!

The Boy's room is getting painted as we speak. His dresser is done (shout out to his Daddio, who sawed the legs off for me!) and as soon as my bamboo charcoal odor fighting drawer liners come in the mail, I can start getting a little organized in there (aka, getting rid of the crazy plastic tubs.) Also, thanks to Etsy's Alchemy feature, I'll be getting my very own, custom daybed cover for our queen mattress. It looks a little something like this:

Oh, how I might just make lots of gray throw pillows like the ones pictured. Yes. It's decided. I will!

Gus Dust

It's Texas. It's summer. It's hot. But our grass looks good. In fact, our grass looks really good. It's very green. It looks healthy. It grows very fast. A little too fast. Cutting it once a week almost isn't enough.

After cutting the grass on the golf course (tearing up chunks in the "fairway" - which I rarely saw - is considered cutting the grass, right?), I mowed our lawn. Everything was going to plan. And then I saw it. But it was too late.

Poof. Gus dust.

Think fast: what do I do? But it's too late. It's in my face before I could say "Gus dust". I love mowing the lawn.

What am I referring to you ask? I'm refering to our dog that leaves piles of terds all over the back yard. Of course you try to clean them up, but there are some you just miss.

I missed one.

Like I said. It's Texas. And it's hot. Which means there are dried-out terds in the backyard. And when those dried-out terds meet the lawnmower blade, you get Gus dust.

I don't like Gus dust. I would go ahead and rock the duece in the backyard, let it sit for a couple days, and make Gus mow the lawn. I don't see that happening because I just don't think I could rock the duece outside.

Relaxin'

Nothing says "relaxing summer day" like hanging out in your diaper, sitting in a dog bowl.

Futbol

Kaylynn has been enjoying some World Cup action these past couple of weeks. She even got her Daddy a book on soccer, so he could teach her all about it. Right now she knows the most important part, that they kick the ball. Everytime she sees a game on TV, she screams "Kick the Ball," which sounds more like "kickee ball." She also will not hold still for a photo for anything.


Here, she's practicing her flop. It's an art form and if she ever wants to play with the big girls, she's got to learn to dive dramatically.

The Boy

Poll is closed. Verdict: We're having a little boy!!

Here's what's going on with The Boy this week, at his half-way mark:

Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)

He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

Well, he's a little bigger than that. At 19 1/2 weeks, they said he was 11oz, and said it was almost impossible to tell how long he was, as he is curled up in a ball. I've included some of his photos from his photo session last week.

Profile shot.

A 4-D look. Brian gets weirded out by these. These were the first 4-D's we've had.

The supposed "money shot." You can't really tell, but the long object you see is one of his legs and the "proof" is right above the mouse cursor.


And no, The Boy is not named yet. We've got some potentials, funnily enough, none of them were on our original list. I won't tell you what they are, but my hint to you is that they are short and sweet. Or plain and simple.

Funny Girl

Caught feeding Baby some pears.



Putting Zoe in a headlock.


Chowing down on some special birthday cake.

Bath Floaties

We had a new experience tonight. When we give Kaylynn a bath, we put various toys into the tub for her to play with. She generally enjoys playing with the toys. Some she throws, others she gnaws on, and still others she sticks to the side of the tub.

Tonight we found a new floatie in the tub...one that looked like a terd...and one that turned out to be a terd. I'd prefer she not play with those anymore.

19 Weeks

Here's what #2's doing this week:

Your baby's sensory development is exploding! His/Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that he/she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to him/her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.

Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. His/Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. His/Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on his/her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on his/her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

This is the last time that I'll have to post "his/her" (God willing.) If all goes well, we'll know what #2's gender is in a few days! The past two nights I have had dreams that it's a boy. Last night, I dreamt that I was slouching on the couch, watching "him" kick. Then, because we have this weird CFL light that is way brighter than normal light bulbs, my belly was all of a sudden translucent and I was able to see the little baby. I saw eyes, hands, legs, and a little something that lead us to say, "yup, it's a boy."

Weird dream. I'm afraid that all these weird dreams are leading me to believe that it really is a boy and that I'll be let down if I'm wrong. Not that I'll be unhappy if we're having a girl. I think I would just be disappointed that my so-called "motherly instinct" lead me astray. Kaylynn has been the best little girl and it would be fun to see her with a little sister, teaching her how to play with Baby and all that fun stuff. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. :)

We Are the Proud Parents...

...of an 18 month old! Crazy, isn't it? She's been with us for 18 whole months, yet we don't really remember what life was like before her. I think we're pretty content with that, too. School is out for summer and I'm really enjoying my days with her. She's just so fun to be around. Her vocabulary seems like it has quadrupled overnight. I can't keep up with her words, as she'll repeat almost anything you ask her to. Some fun things that stick out are:

1. I love you, too (Sounds like, I waa wuu, twoooooo) This is by far my most favorite thing she says. 1, because it's too incredibly sweet, and 2, it's just so dang cute sounding.
2. Good boy, Gus. Gus, kennn (kennel)
3. When you ask her what you tell Gus, she says, "Sit." When it's time for him to eat and he's sitting already, she'll tell him "OK", meaning he can go get his food.
4. Her "yes" response is "Ok". ie, Kaylynn would you like to sit in your chair and eat oatmeal. "Ok." Do you want to go for a ride? "Ok." Man, it's a lot better than her saying NO all the time.
5. Happy Birthday (sounds like, Haa Baaday). If you ask her whose birthday it is, she'll say "Meese." My mom had the last birthday, so I guess she thinks that all birthdays belong to her.
6. The End. She says this when you finish a book.
7. Eat. I think she says this 2004 times a day.
8. No night-night. This girl KNOWS when nap time is. I don't even have to say anything, around 10am and 2pm, she starts saying "no nigh-nigh. no nigh-nigh".
9. If you ask her what she tells the cat, she'll say "Get down!" HAH! That cat won't stay off the couch!
10. Kick the ball. Between Maggie, seeing ESPN, and kicking her own balls, she's on her way to being a good little soccer player. She loves playing with balls and if she sees the guys on a TV playing soccer (as she did at Firehouse Subs the other day) it's the phrase that's ok repeat the whole ride home. Target was selling Football t-shirts, in honor of the World Cup. No Team USA shirts, so I had to get her an England one. I might be the only mom who buys her daughter boy t-shirts (she now has 2...this one and a Queen one)

What she's into these days:
1. Reading, reading, reading. I think she could spend all day reading (and eating). We'll go through books over and over again. In her Bible Story Favorites, she will point to Noah, Baby Jesus, and name all the animals around the ark on the pages. When I point to Mary and ask her who it is, she says "mama." That's right, Jesus's mama! :) She's also very into the Zoo Parade book that I got at Goodwill. My favorite animal name in that book is "baboon." It sounds like, "baabow."
2. Baby. Oh how she loves her baby doll. She hugs baby, loves on Baby, drags her around anywhere she can. When Kaylynn is out of her crib, but Baby is still in, she'll tell me that baby is "nigh-nigh". (I guess it's ok for Baby, but not ok for Kaylynn!) Rumor has it that Baby is getting a new outfit soon!
3. Outside. I don't think Kaylynn has a concept of heat and humidity. Her little cheeks get so pink, and fast, yet she still goes strong. It's too hot for me, but I try to tolerate it outside with her in the morning, because it's good for her to run and play at the park. She loves the swings best!
4. Feeding herself. She's not that good at it yet, but she refuses to let you scoop for her anymore. She's got a death grip on that fork or spoon and she can do it herself! Oatmeal is the messiest right now. It ends up all over her.

Because your eyes are probably bleeding by now (I was a bit wordy, huh?), I'll leave you with some recent park pictures of our 18 month old. Tomorrow is a trip to the zoo, which I'm sure will be a hit with this animal lovin' little girl.





"I'm outta here, mama!"

18 Weeks! and shades of gray

Here's what babycenter.com has to say about #2 this week:

Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he/she weighs almost 7 ounces. He's/She's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His/Her blood vessels are visible through his/her thin skin, and his/her ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his/her head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's/she's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

I've officially felt some hiccups and kicks. I got two good kicks last night, but when I went to check to see if you could see them on the outside, they stopped. Go figure.

Next week we get to find out what #2 is. Regardless, #2's getting a gray room. I like Martha Stewart's Bedford Gray. The other 3 I looked at were too blue (though Brian says that's ok.) It's low VOC, too, so I can do the painting myself. The furniture will be black/ebony stain. I'm looking at this crib, with twin conversion rails. #2 will be sharing it's room with the guest bed for now, which is converted into a daybed style couch. I want to get a fitted cover to go over it, so it doesn't look as much like a bed as it does a couch.

As far as bedding, if it's a boy, I want to make his quilt out of Brian's old dress shirts. Brian has a lot of blue and gray stripes, as well as some blue solids that I think would look nice with the gray walls. If it's a girl, I like a combo of these gray/yellow/aqua fabrics (here and here.)

I do realize that none of you out in internet world care about this. It helps me keep my head straight to have it all in one place...for future reference. :)

James Coney Island or Taco Bell

H and I made the weekly trek out to Dairy Queen this evening. It's become our weekly treat and is a means to get us out of the house. While sitting in the drive through, H kept asking K if she wanted a little brother or a little sister. All K replied was "no".

After responding several times, K turned her attention to more important matters. There was a poster on the side of Dairy Queen that advertised their tacos. She pointed and said "what's that?". H promptly replied that the picture was of a taco.

At that point, a thought popped into her head. "K", she said, "do you want a taco or a hot dog"? K promptly replied (emphatically) "Hah Dog!".

I guess she wants a little brother.

I love you, too!

Teaching is a Weird Profession

I am officially done shaping the young minds of the Class of 2014. I've been looking forward to this day for a number of reasons:

1. Hanging out with my Sweet Girl - everyday!!
2. No alarm clocks, for me at least.(dang you Brian, still having to wake up early)
3. No worrying if I have "teacher clothes" clean. I can wear shorts and pj's all day if I want.
4. No more dealing with "those" students. (Oh, you know what I'm talking about.)
5. More sewing (yes, I'm a nerd.)
6. Getting the baby's room together.
7. De-cluttering Ft. Frink
8. Going on vacation.
9. Growing a kid
10. Enjoying a (remotely) stress-free day.

But teaching is a weird profession. It's just odd to me that I spend every workday with this kids. I see them everyday. I know their names. I know if they hate A&M and love UT. I know about their parents, siblings, friends, etc. I know who they are "dating" (can you really date in 8th grade??) I know way more about them than they probably know, but, hey, they are the ones talking about it all. But after today, I won't see these kids again. Probably ever.

That's just weird to me. You become a part of their daily life and then you aren't. And they are afraid to say "hi" in the grocery store, but they sure weren't afraid to shoot tweeties across my classroom.

It's just weird.

I'm a bit late in posting this...seeing as I'll be 18 weeks on Saturday. We just had too much going on this weekend to post about it. Here's what #2 is up to now-a-days:

Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — his/her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and he's/she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. He/She can move her joints, and his/her sweat glands are starting to develop.

2 weeks from today we will know #2's gender. It'll be nice to stop doing he/she on everything. So, the question of today is:

Do you think Kaylynn's going to have a little brother or a little sister? If you ask her, she says "no."