23 weeks + 2 days | Pregnancy Update

As I'm sitting at my desk typing, this baby boy is kicking and jumping and flipping in my belly (making me have to pee constantly). He seems so much more active than the other two. Or maybe it's just because I'm more in tune to the feeling this time around.

Last  night after supper we were all sitting on the couch watching one of our favorite shows, Good Eats, and he was kicking so hard I could see my belly jumping. Up until now, with the exception of one time when Manny felt a little flutter, I've been the only one to feel him move. But when I placed Elijah's hand over my belly last night he was able to feel the baby kick. Then Zeke got to feel him too. They were so excited! Zeke kept saying "I can't believe it that I felt my brother kick me! Like this {does karate kick}!" It made their day. I love that they are such enthusiastic big brothers! It makes this whole process even more enjoyable. They always ask me how old their brother is and how big he is. And they always, always kiss my tummy. At night when I tuck him in, Zeke always kisses me twice. He says, "once for you, and once for the baby".

The email this week told me he can hear what's going on around him, see light and dark, should be about 11 inches long, and weigh approximately 1 pound - the size of a large mango. Which we just happen to be eating a lot of lately.

I have an OB appointment this afternoon and an ultrasound. Last time she wasn't able to get a good view of his profile or the bottoms of his feet during the anatomy scan, so we get to take another peek today. Which seems nice, except that the cost isn't covered by my insurance so these things are starting to get expensive.  Of course, there's not much I can do about any of that so I just go along with it. Also, last time he measured small, around 53rd percentile, so I'm anxious to see how that's going.

I'm not sick any more, praise the Lord!! And I've pretty much got my appetite back. Sometimes in the evening I still don't feel like eating because I don't have room to put the food. Things are getting squished in there! But over all I feel human again. I'm so thankful! Also, this time around, I'm showing a lot more than with the other 2.

Taste Buds

Something amazing has been happening with my little Ezekiel's eating habits. He's trying new things! And not by force either. He's just willingly saying yes when I ask if he'd like to try a bite of new flavors. This concept is so foreign to me (having Elijah - super texture weirdo - as my firstborn), that I sometimes have to ask him a second time just to be sure I heard correctly.

Lunch at Gerst Haus, about to devour a hamburger, with the bun!

This morning for breakfast he gobbled down a hard-boiled egg. (He only finished half the yolk, but who cares!) Last week he ate a ham sandwich. Granted, he did add chips to the sandwich, but still. Sunday after church he begged us for a hamburger. Now listen, he has NEVER eaten meat on bread before. The only sandwiches seen around our house are PB and Js and grilled cheese. So, I thought he just wanted the hamburger patty on the side. NOPE. He specifically asked the server to bring it to him "put together". And he devoured it! Followed by all his fries, half of my fries, half of Elijah's fries, and 3 glasses of sweet tea.

A few weeks ago, in a 2 day span, he ate (and liked) brussels sprouts, chicken and dumplings (which are a wet food, normally avoided like the plague) bean soup (also a wet food), grilled asparagus (he ate 3 helpings), lasagna (not a big fan), mushrooms, and homemade chicken noodle soup.

I'm excited for his new found food bravery! I think this means his taste buds are growing up. :)

Letters

This is another post where I brag on my sweet Zeke. He's doing so well with writing his letters. I decided a while ago to let him practice with dry erase markers on a page protector sheets in stead of printing out hundreds of worksheets. And its working quite well. He loves to do school while Elijah is working, and since he's Pre-K age, we're just doing basics like reading and writing letters. Honestly, I'm surprised at how developed his fine motor skills are. Elijah never (still doesn't) liked to write when he was this age. But Zeke is very patient with himself and will try over an over to get it right. I'm just so smitten with this boy. What a joy he brings to my heart. I love seeing him learn new things and watching him beam with pride when he does something well. Just look at that precious face! 

Zeke's first BOOK

This adorable little 4 1/2 year old read his first book today. All by himself! I didn't actually try to make him read at all. He just sat down and started sounding out the words and before I knew it he had finished the whole book. Then he read it 3 or 4 more times just for good measure. I am so happy for him, and as you can see, he's very proud of himself too. I knew he was reading-ready because lately he's been really interested in letters, sounds, and how things are spelled. I need to start working with him on phonics a lot more. 

What we should have kept

I love to purge. Going through a closet and tossing out old, useless, out-of-date stuff just gives me a sense of satisfaction.

Last winter, during a bout of particularly bad cabin fever, I purged my house like it was my job. It felt so liberating. I love the idea of a minimalist lifestyle but never can seem to maintain it. I dream of one day having perfectly clean countertops and closets which are organized into neatly labeled stacks, baskets, shelves, and piles. Maybe that will be possible one day when we actually have closet space. Meh. Plus, we thought last year could be the year we'd have the energy to list our house for sale. (ha! Didn't happen. This year, perhaps?)

So last winter I got down to business. Along with boxes and boxes of old college papers, computer wires (do they reproduce in the desk drawers?), magazines I'll never care to read again, clothes that no longer fit, etc, etc. I gave away anything and everything baby related. My big boy Zeke was 3 and 1/2 so we don't need that bouncy seat, that booster chair, that infant bathtub, those burp cloths, bibs, teethers, tiny socks, that adorable snow bunting, the lovely wooden crib, and my favorite thing ever; the Jump-A-Roo.

If there were ever a necessary baby item it's the Jump-A-Roo. My boys LOVED it. I swear they must have spent 100 hours each in that thing between the ages of 5-12 months old. Bouncing as high as they could go and giggling those sweet baby belly laughs. When Zeke was finished with it I passed it along to my cousin Angela's little guy to enjoy. I wonder if he loves it as much as my guys did.

Anyway, it feels so good to purge. I got on a roll. The second Zeke outgrew a piece of clothing, I gave it away. Toys that no long interest them, gave them away. Toddler racecar bed, out of the house. We had to make room for their new awesome bunk beds!  Poor Zeke had gotten so tall that only half his body would be on the bed and the other half would be on the floor in the morning. Bless his heart. I did put that one off as long as I could because he so loved his race car bed.

Then 2 months ago I felt sad. I missed all those baby items. I wished I weren't in the season of life which requires no burp cloths, pacifiers, bouncy seats, and Jump-A-Roos.

And sadder still, was the change that came along with his new big boy bunk bed status.  My sweet cuddly Zeke, who up until 2 months ago, wouldn't sleep without being rocked (mostly by Manny), no longer wanted to be rocked before bed. Just like that. He wanted to be tucked in just like Elijah. Just a kiss and a hug and a blanket tucked around the tummy with his birds and his dolphin in the crook of each elbow. No songs and snuggles from Mommy necessary. I'm not ready for this part yet. I wanted to hang onto this for a while longer.

Some nights I beg him, and if he's sleepy enough and feeling needy enough, he will indulge me for a song or two in the rocking chair. And boy do I soak in those moments the way I wish I would have always soaked them in. Why didn't I enjoy that more when he was smaller?

So, that's how it happened. I caught baby fever again.

And you know what else?

I should have kept that Jump-A-Roo.

Writing His Name

Would you look at that beautifully written name? I'm so proud of my buddy!

My Boys on a Campout

There is this fabulous tradition for the men at our church. Each spring they have a father-son campout on the church property. Yesterday afternoon, lots of the dads (mostly with young sons) set up tents in the empty (large) lot, build a big ol' fire, haul in heavy machinery for fun, and prepare for a night of excitement! This year was Zeke's first year getting to go!!! I think I was just as happy for the guys as they were that they got to spend a whole night with their Daddy doing guy stuff. They cooked out on the fire, ate lots of junk food, played music, drank soda and lots of sugar-filled juice drinks, shot automatic weapons (thanks to Jacob Talor and his SWAT awesomeness!), dug with a REAL life excavator (thanks to Josh Beer and the company he works for), played ball with the other boys, rode in tractors, messed around with their flashlights, slept in sleeping bags on the ground, woke up filthy and smelling like smoke. Basically, it was little boy paradise! They were so completely exausted and over-stimulated that when I brought them home in the morning (Manny had to leave early for work so my Dad stepped in for the breakfast part of the shindig) they went straight into a hot bath which left the tub a dingy brown and into BED again! They both slept for nearly 3 hours! This campout really is one of the highlights of their year and I'm so very happy that Manny was able to take them. We weren't sure due to his work schedule, but the Lord provided the way. I love that he's making these kind of memories with them. They will treasure them. Before they left, after the car was all packed with camping provisions, I took a few photos of the guys ready to head out. Elijah asked me so sweetly if he can have a copy of the photos with their Daddy so he can always remember this awesome campout! Of course! Those pics are going in the "special things box" for sure!

Here are some pictures I took of them before they left. Manny did take some w/his phone too, but I don't have those.

Mud In Your Eye

On a steamy-warm day in October I left my boys with my parents while I went on a photo shoot. (6-month-old twins... yikes!)

My Dad had closed the pool the weekend before and discovered a drainage pipe problem. So he and the boys set to work digging up the pipe. Consequently creating an awesome muddy play environment. Now my boys love a good project as much as the next kid. So they worked hard and played dirty. So dirty, in fact, that when I returned to pick them up THIS is what they looked like.

I think its a childhood rite of passage. Every kid has to be covered head-to-toe in mud at some point between the ages of 1 and 12. Maybe more than once. This was not Zeke's first time. And knowing him, it won't be his last.

It was all fun and dirty games until somebody got mud in his eye. After that there was much suffering on Zeke's part and apologizing on Elijah's part, because it turns out Elijah thought Zeke wouldn't mind if he smeared it on his face and into his ears. For the record, Elijah was wrong about that.

And then I stripped them naked on the porch and carried them by their armpits to the shower.
Good times.

The Day My Baby Turned 3

The day began, just as it should, with a trip to the Donut Bank for chocolate doughnuts with chocolate icing and sprinkles. The nice lady gave the boys a bonus sugar cookies as a special birthday surprise since Zeke was wearing his awesome birthday crown I made him. :)

We brought our goodies to the office to have a quick visit (and some photos) with Grandpa Dan, then it was off for more adventures. We drove over to the river park in Henderson for a little excursion. First we checked out the caboose and a giant paddle-wheel steam boat called the "American Queen" which was docked just for today at the riverfront. I guess they do gambling cruises up and down the river on it. It was pretty incredible to see. The boys loved it for about 2 minutes, then they wanted more action.

So, we played in the sprinklers (and got fried in the sun) for a good long while. And what do you know, Grandma Debby, Grandma Theresa, and Ms. Caryll showed up to play with us too! And we ALL got in the sprinklers. It was pretty hilarious when Mom, G-ma, and Caryll got in the water. They laughed and laughed. The boys just ran in circles.

When we were all too hot to stand it any more we headed back to our side of the river. We decided to have Zeke's birthday lunch at Los Bravos. The lady brought him an ice cream sundae, and giant sombrero and sang happy birthday. She even fed him a bite after they sang to him. He wasn't really loving the hat.

Elijah's lost teeth!

Big things have been happening for this little guy! {He's not so little any more, is he?}

This week has been full of milestones and important things.

First, we had Vacation Bible School at church {The Kingdom Chronicles} - which was fun and exhausting!  Then, Friday while I was at work, he lost his first tooth! I'm so thankful it happened on his Daddy's watch because if there is anything that makes me squeamish, it's TEETH. Ick!

And later Elijah and Manny went on the Father-Son campout at church. (no girls allowed!) While they were having dinner he lost his second tooth! I took pictures Friday afternoon before the campout, so these were when he was only missing one tooth. He looks so cute - like such a big boy with that gap in the front. I can't believe he's already crossed this milestone of childhood. My baby is growing up too fast. :(

Also this week he got to drive my mom's John Deer lawnmower all by himself for the first time (the blade was off, of course). He was very confident and knew exactly how to handle it. I wish I could have been there to see him, but I was at work. So no pictures of that. Maybe next time.

Bye-bye baby

 

My baby boy - now a big (he really is sooo tall) 2 and 1/2 year old - has graduated out of his crib to a big boy bed. A race car bed! I put it off for so long because I felt like that was the only thing keeping him a baby. He has sprouted several inches just over these winter months.  So if I'm being honest, I also decided it was time to move up because I couldn't comfortably lay him in the crib anymore. One thing the crib had going for it was that it contained him even when he didn't want it to. But so far so good in the big boy bed. His first 2 nights in it he came into my room and exclaimed "Mommy, All done." in the middle of the night. To which, I roll out of my bed, walk him back into his room, tuck him in again, kiss his sweet cheek and tell him "No, it's still nighttime. You're not done yet. Go back to sleep, honey."  But now that he's adjusted, he is doing great!  He actually kind of likes it. But because I'm sentimental at heart, I had to take a few photos of him in his crib one last time before we set up the big boy bed.

And after a few days, he's doing great - and even looks forward to going to sleep in his race car bed. Maybe it gives him dreams of big kid things, like Lightning McQueen.

My Boys

Both of my handsome little men have had birthdays recently so a we had a photoshoot one pretty Summer afternoon.  Here are a couple of the shots I liked most along with their Birthday Bios for this year.  What sweet little blessings they both are to me!

Dig It! A birthday party for Elijah!

Turning five meant that Elijah, for the first time, got to have a birthday party with FRIENDS!  Previous years he was too young to appreciate it, so this year was a big deal.  He decided on a construction themed party for two reasons... 1) he's crazy about big diggers, 2) construction equipment is YELLOW, and as you may know yellow is his favorite color in the world.

So we invited friends from church to swim, eat cake, and celebrate with us.

15 kids in all (my 2 included), along with parents and my family.

First they swam. There was such an enormous level of squealing; the likes of which I think I have never heard. Squealing, giggling, running, splashing, and plenty of tricks where shouts of "Mom, watch this!" were made. I'm so glad the other moms came too, because there's no way I could have kept up with 15 tiny bodies jumping in and out of the water!  One little girl who couldn't swim removed her floaty and just walked off the side into the deep end. Thankfully her mom was an arm's length away and snatched her up quick. What a fright!

Next came cake and a Happy Birthday Song to my birthday boy.

He was so sweet, and proud.  He beamed while they sang to him.

This was the culmination of all our birthday party planning.

It was the very moment he dreamed about for months as he counted down the days to the event...all his friends circled around him, singing just to him.

I made a Construction Zone cake, which I think turned out super cute.

It was a 2 tiered chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. I took a chunk out of the top layer to look like it had been dug out. Then covered the whole thing with crushed chocolate graham crackers to look like dirt. We used coconut-covered chocolate marshmallows to look like boulders, and placed some mini Tonka equipment around to look like a work zone.  I even put some "dirt" in the back of the dump truck and the bucket of the excavator for good measure.

The kids LOVED it. They actually played with the cake, which was fine by me.

My mom made some amazing chocolate cupcakes too. Her little bakery, All Mixed Up is really taking off!  It's probably because they are the best cupcakes EVER. Just ask anyone. Yummmmy. :) 

And since everyone was covered in chocolate and melted ice cream drippings, they all took a bucket bath in soapy water and played in the hose to get washed off.  It turned out to be the most fun of the afternoon!  Who would have thought?

There was a lot more swimming, and gifts opened by Elijah (thanks everyone!), and snacking, and more squealing.  And finally, a group shot of all the party guests (minus Zeke, who had to take a nap) before they had to go home. 

I'm telling you what, turning 5 is pretty awesome. Especially when you get to spend it with loads of good friends.  I think the day lived up to all my birthday boy's expectations, and then some!

Whew, this Mommy is exhausted. :)