I know who you are....

I added a counter at the bottom of the sidebar not long ago. This was after I discovered that more people were reading my blog than I realized, so I wanted to find out how many. It's been less than two weeks and I'm about to top 100! You all make me feel so popular! The best thing about the service I'm using (besides the fact that it's free), is that I can see the locations that are checking my site. So I'm able to identify who is checking it b/c I know where you live. Bwa-ha-ha.

Seriously, it's just fun to see. (And occasionally discover things like Grandma J's trip to Japan before she mentioned it.)

Bump on the head

It would have been less of a big deal if this was just a simple bump on the head from falling or banging his head on something. But no. Ethan has a bump on his temple that's been there for months. I'd noticed it, but had been holding out on doing anything until the doctor mentioned it at Ethan's visit in Sept. So after keeping a closer eye on it, I confirmed that it isn't going away. That meant we needed to go back to the doctor to have him look at this bump. Anyone who knew Ethan's friend Hyrum before they moved away, knows the importance of having these checked out. (A bump on the head was the only symptom of a widespread bone cancer. Miraculously, his body dealt with it on its own and he is doing great.)

Can you believe how weird and slightly embarrassing it is to schedule an appointment for a bump on the head? While we were there, one of the nurses stopped as he walked by to say hi to Ethan and ask what we were doing there. I told him, and then said "Really just to say hi!" That's what it felt like. (We did manage to sneak in a weight check and a flu shot while we were there, which was nice.) But the doctor agreed that the bump bothered him as well. We discussed how 99% of the time these bumps are nothing, but it's that 1% that keeps us on edge. So not only did he check it out, he called in another doc to get a second opinion before making a decision. The bump is hard and doesn't move, so it seems like bone.

The consensus was to get an x-ray. Our dr's office is in a building connected to the hospital, so they sent us right over. I was really impressed by the efficiency of the whole process. Ethan wasn't. Because I'm pregnant, I couldn't stay with him during the seven! skull x-rays. It was a little bit traumatic with lots of tears, but he did great. He held still when they asked him to, and even went back in for more without a huge fight when the radiologist asked for a different angle. He was a brave boy.

So we made it out in less that two and a half hours and went to get a special lunch because Ethan did such a great job. Then, a few hours later, our dr called with the results. They didn't see anything. So unless it changes, or either of our intuitions makes us nervous about it, we'll just keep an eye on it. The next step would be a CT scan (heavy radiation) or an MRI (requires that Ethan be put under anesthesia), neither of which we feel is warranted right now.

For any family that reads this, feel your temples. Because of where Ethan's bump is, it is possible that he just has a strangely large temple, maybe because his orbital ridge is a little higher than average. So let us know if you have prominent temples. It would help confirm that this bump is nothing at all.

Update: My dad has prominent temples. Not as large as Ethan's bump, but definitely more than normal. He also has the higher orbital ridge (where your eyebrows are), so it seems like Ethan's bump is probably just the way his head is made.

Out of his shell

We all know that Ethan can take a while to warm up to people. Even people that he sees on a regular basis. But the last while has been different. Ethan has started responding when random people ask his name. Like the guy sweeping the floor at the supermarket. And the health insurance guy at John's office. Today at preschool he even jumped up on the mom teaching and started having a tickle fight! (During free-play, of course.) It's strange to see him coming out of his shell. I love that he's more comfortable out in the world. It's great to see him play more and not cling so much. But I also don't like that he's more comfortable out in the world. It was easiest when he was afraid to leave my side when we ran errands. Now, taking him out can be a major ordeal. And it'll be worse with two. I'm not completely sure whether or not I like this yet. I guess it depends on the situation.

Getting Dressed

I realized that the top picture on the last post has more of a story behind it. So here it is...

Typically, Ethan isn't interested in dressing himself. Strange, because he wants to do nearly everything by himself. (This is the cause of his fits 90% of the time.) But clothing has always been different. He'll start off great, get frustrated by something, bang his fists, and then cross his arms defiantly until we remind him that he needs to ask and say please if he wants help. Then we help.

The day of the photo, Ethan had been dressed earlier in a different outfit (possibly the same shirt.) Mid-morning, I was in the kitchen folding laundry when I realized he hadn't come in to pester me in a few minutes. (Glorious minutes.) So I poked my head into his room and saw this little naked butt sticking out while Ethan dug through his pants drawer. I asked what happened to his clothes and Ethan replied that he had had an accident and needed new ones. After he told me where he had been standing when he peed, I left him to his pants search while I cleaned the carpet. Meanwhile, Ethan retrieved not only new pants, but new underwear, socks, and a sweatshirt b/c I'd told him earlier that it was cold outside. He put them all on without complaint and came out to find his shoes, which he also put on. Finding him all ready to go (with nowhere to go), I had to take a picture. And then we went to the park as a reward for such a big accomplishment.

I'm not thrilled that it took an accident for him to do it, but I'm so proud of my little guy for dressing himself. Although it made me realize that he knows he can do it. He just chooses not to when he doesn't feel like putting in the effort. Somehow I need to convince him that it's worth it every day. Maybe I'll start the morning "chore" list I've been thinking about and reward him when he does all of it. (Stuff like getting dressed, eating breakfast, making his bed, etc. Probably one for each finger so that they are easy to keep track of. Don't worry, I'm not making my son a slave. Yet.)

Photos of our cute boy

Ethan dressed himself. Note the too small sweatshirt, the "sweater" pants hiked up to the knees, and the mismatched socks. But he did it himself, so I'm so proud!

So cool.

Ethan has just started posing for photos and this is his new cheeseball grin.

Pinwheel Preschool's First Fieldtrip. The kids climbing the hay mountain at the farm we visited.

Ethan has a horsey!

Weirdest Symptom

Did you know that your eyes can swell when you're pregnant? I'm lucky that my hands and feet don't swell much. (Just enough to keep my from wearing my rings.) But apparently, my eyes have taken on some of the extra fluid. Any time I wear my contacts, they are so tight I burst blood vessels. So I'm resigned to wearing glasses until sometime in December. At least they're cute pink ones!

What is that on the couch???

I came out of the shower this morning, and after getting dressed, went into the living room to see what mischief Ethan had gotten in to. Immediately my eyes were drawn to something bright red all over the couch. The markers are on a high shelf, so I racked my brain for what he could have smeared all over the couch that's so red. Then it hit me! BLOOD! A quick check and I discovered Ethan's first three toes on his right foot covered in it. Asking what happened was fruitless, so I began cleaning his foot to find the source. It took some looking. Apparently, all this blood came from a tiny, tiny scrape on the bottom of his second toe. Of course, while I was finding the little bandaids and bacitracin he ran all over the house leaving little spots of blood on carpeting, clothes on the floor, and again, the couch. When I finally found the bandaids (they'd fallen behind the medicine chest), I had to clean off his bloody foot again. Now he is complaining about the bandaid (he hates them), but I'm not letting him take it off until the bleeding has stopped. I already have enough to clean. (Maybe we'll go to IKEA and buy another slipcover for the couch. I don't think it's worth attempting to clean.)

Update : Thanks to Beth's mom for the heads up that peroxide gets out blood. I replaced the couch cover anyway b/c it was nearly destroyed pre-blood and so shrunken from many, many washes that it was ripping at the seams. But I'm totally going to use peroxide on those carpet spots. Thanks!!

Updated Sidebar

Just an update on my sidebar. I think G&G J are buying the stroller. And I removed the diapers from the "want" list b/c I'm realizing that it's just more work and expense than I want. But I did add a baby sling. I didn't like the one I had last time and barely used it b/c it didn't fit well, had no stretch, and had this annoying padding. After looking around for a while, I found these. They come in something like ten different sizes, are all stretch cotton, can be ordered with or without padding, and are so adorable to boot! Just in case you were wondering, I think I'll wear a size 23, unpadded, and I really like White Lotus, White Lily, Natural Bamboo (the bluer one), and Spellbound Stretch. I also like Blue Acadia, but definitely no solids b/c it'll be harder to hide messes and stains.

You've gotta watch this!

With nothing else to watch Wed nights, John and I discovered a new show and we LOVE it! It's called 'Pushing Daisies' and you can watch full episodes here. (It's not on iTunes yet, but we can hope.)

Narrated brilliantly by Jim Dale, it's about a pie-maker who can bring people and things back to life by touching them (and killing them again by another touch.) The owner of a small shop called the 'Pie Hole', his PI friend roped him into using his talent to solve murders and collect the reward. He brought back his child-hood girlfriend to solve her murder and can't bring himself to send her back. So now they live and work together, but can't touch. Creating more fun is the girl who loves him (played by the amazing Kristin Chenoweth), but can't figure out who this new non-contact girl is. They even make great use of her voice with fun musical interludes.

Really, I can't describe how great it is, so you've gotta watch it. So quirky. Way to come back ABC!

Shout out

Check out my friend Steph's new etsy store, "So Called Mommy"

Only a few things so far, but she is willing to customize any of them. They are all so cute! And I'm loving her sexy photo. Proof that moms really can look good!

What a great guy

I'm managing today b/c John stayed home from work. I didn't fall asleep until after 4am, so it was wonderful to sleep in. He's keeping Ethan out of the house so that I can clean, plan my preschool lessons for the week, run to the store, etc... without them in my way. This would have been a horrible day without him, so I'm sooo glad I have a great husband. I love you, babe!

...can't...sleep...

It's 1:30am Monday morning and I can't sleep. There are a million reasons that I should be totally zonked.

1 - I just worked a grueling three days that pushed me so far past my limits I started having contractions. My body can barely handle my regular days at the moment. Work days are much longer and require me to be on my feet more. It doesn't help that before work on Friday I insisted on making a HUGE grocery store trip with Ethan. I need to do those when I have someone else to unload the car for me. (For anyone who is unaware, I work the evening shift. So after most of my regular day with Ethan, I hand him off to his dad and spend another eight hours on my feet at the hospital. On the weekends I do get to sleep in a little more, but my pregnant body doesn't recover very quickly.)

2 - I'm into the not-so-fun part of the pregnancy where I'm swollen, sick, and tired all the time. Already. I'm exhausted. I can't even pretend that I don't want this baby out NOW!

3 - I take a sleeping pill! The anti-nausea meds I still need are also a sleep-aid, but somehow have never seemed to help me sleep. Even my dr is confused by this one.

So really, I should be sleeping. The nausea and muscle spasms from pushing my body too far keep me from my rest. I have no idea how I'm going to function tomorrow, but Ethan won't disappear, so somehow I'll have to.

Belly Dancing

Yes, it's my belly that's doing the dancing. I'm sitting here watching Edward doing a little tap dance. It's the craziest thing. My belly is bouncing all over the place. Unfortunately the video camera is out of charge, so we can't capture it on tape. (Stewart, you got lucky this time.)

Why is he wearing different clothes?

Well, he is two, so it's not unusual for him to need to change his clothes. But today it's funny. The first part funny ha-ha, the second funny weird.

Ethan saw one of the other kids at preschool use the big potty without a special seat. So he's been determined to do it. It's funny to watch him get himself onto the toilet. He scoots all the way back and sits on the back edge. Sometimes without the benefit of a stool to get there. Impressive, until today. Today, Ethan fell in. I managed to keep myself from laughing out loud while I pulled him out, dried him off, and changed his wet shirt. (Yea. He really fell all the way in. Only held up by his armpits and knees.) Luckily, he climbed right back on and used the potty, not afraid of it. I guess this means I can't tell him he won't fall in any more.

His pants survived the potty incident because they were around his ankles. But they didn't survive naptime. Ethan must not have fully drained himself after falling in b/c when he came out of his room after naptime, his pants were wet. Not soaked, but wet enough. So I changed him and went looking for where the accident occurred. I'd been hearing him for a few minutes before he came out, so I knew it may not be in bed, but the spread pattern suggested that it was. Nope. Dry sheets. Even a dry floor in the spot where he occasionally sleeps after rolling out of bed. And I could find no sign of wetness anywhere. I'm still confused and can't really believe that Ethan had a fully contained accident. Weird.

So that's why my son is wearing completely different clothes than when we started the day. At least it was a good day, so all the wet nasty clothes aren't making me more frustrated.

What a week!

This entire week, I kept wishing for it to be over. Ethan has been a little nightmare. But only at home. So I guess it's good that we were busy and out of the house a lot. Actually, we had some really great times this week (it's just that the bad times at home seem to overshadow everything else.)

On Tuesday, Ethan had his great dr's appt and then we went to the church to help cook lunch for nearly 100 missionaries and the general authority that was teaching at their zone conference. Although Ethan spent most of the time in the nursery playing with the other kids, he was so excited about making lunch for the missionaries that I let him come out at the end to help us serve dessert. It meant that he was there when they sang to us. Seriously a tear-jerker, and Ethan keeps asking when we get to do it again.

Wednesday was probably the worst day Ethan and I have ever had. I'm trying to forget that it happened, so I'm not going to talk about it any more.

Thursday was our first day of Pinwheel Preschool. The girls were so excited and the boys were shy. By the end everyone was playing together happily and they had all learned about being friends. I don't have to teach until the first week of Oct, but I'm getting so excited! That night, Ethan and I made cookies together. I initiated it to distract him (and because I wanted cookies), but we had a great time doing it.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to starting off this week with a clean slate. Hopefully Ethan will be more willing to use his "listening ears" and take the occasional nap. Also hit less. I'd like that.

I'm sorry, WHAT??

Tonight, when I went in to sing to Ethan before bed, he asked "After Edward can you have another baby?" Seriously.

30 lbs!!!

He did it! Ethan finally broke the 30 lb mark! For our boy who hit 20 lbs at 4 months and was still off the charts at a year, then suddenly stopped gaining weight, we are so excited that he is finally gaining a little weight before he turns 3. (For anyone keeping track he gained a pound and 4 ounces in the last four weeks!) He had also managed to grow an inch in a month, so this is a real, legitimate weight gain. Yay!

This means we are off the hook for weight checks for a while. We are still going to keep him on a high fat, protein, and calorie diet, but as long as he continues his upturn, we will be able to cut back after his regular check-up in december. Even the doctor was excited. Such good news!

It's weird to look at pictures of Ethan as an infant compared to how he looks now. He was such a giant butterball. But after two years of using all that extra mass to fuel his height growth, he is a tall and lean boy. At least we are getting to a point where he isn't an unhealthy thin. (Ethan's uncle Ben should try this diet.)

Preschool

My last few posts have been depressing. So I wanted to write about something exciting. We're starting Preschool!! No, not real preschool. He's not old enough yet. Two other moms and I are doing a little preschool group starting next week. Our kids are a few weeks apart and are all on the shy side, but with great language skills. They'll be perfect together and will help each other really well. Ethan is soooooo excited, he's been taking his backpack everywhere. He's even been talking about riding the school bus. Not sure how to let him down about that one. I'm excited too. The planning is so fun and I can't wait to have something regularly scheduled!

Crying

Today, Ethan threw a monster tantrum. He cried hysterically for an HOUR! I think the problems were the car door, his cup of milk, and his shoes. Really, he was just overtired and has found this new way of expressing his frustration. After trying for 45 minutes to calm him down and get him ready for a nap, I left him to cry himself to sleep. (Which he did, and then slept for two and a half hours.) So sad and so frustrating. When he gets worked up, nothing will calm him down. It's like he blocks us out. At least there was no hitting involved today.

And then there's me crying. Clearly, Ethan is less of the little angel he used to be. But I could still see my baby in him, so I kept hoping he go back to being good. Until I had his hair cut. He doesn't look like my baby anymore. He looks like a KID! A kid who throws tantrums and is aggressive and hits. . . I cried about it last night as a watched him sleep. My sweet boy is gone and now I have this kid that I just don't know what to do with. (Weirdly, in public, he is even more shy than ever. So I get aggressive and ornery at home, and clingy when we go out and I can't carry him around. Never a break.)

Moods

Ethan has been so inconsistent lately. Napping, not napping. Using the potty, wanting only diapers. Little angel, constant tantrums. Some of it is clearly just wanting independence and a say in what goes on in his life. Some of it is learning new things (and the accompanying backsliding of others). Some of it is being tired from the not napping.

I think, strangely enough, part of it is that we have been talking a lot about our moods and how we are feeling. He's learning how to express things more clearly and put words to how he's feeling. It's so fun to have Ethan wake up and tell us "I'm feeling silly today", and then to spend the whole day making us laugh. It's less fun when he tells us he's frustrated or mad, but like we tell him, it's a part of who we are to have all kinds of moods. It's a learning experience for all of us watch how his moods change, how they are affected by our moods, and how his moods affect ours. As much as we've been really struggling with how to raise this inconsistent boy (and not be frustrated a lot ourselves), we love watching him learn about himself and how to express his feelings so that others understand. He really is a great kid. Even on the days I grit my teeth when I say it.

Looking at that picture....

I have a hard time looking at that picture of my belly. In some ways, it doesn't look that big. But I've got nearly 4 months to go (and to grow). For comparison, my belly is exactly the same size as a good friend who is due in less than 8 weeks. And she is smaller and skinnier than I. Also, Edward is nearly always standing upright, so because most of his hugeness is still just in height, he doesn't push out as much as up and down. More uncomfortable for me than noticeable to anyone else.

The other big reason I can't look at it is that I see the destruction of my body. I miss my body. I know, I know, some of it will recover. The extra weight in places like my arms and face will burn off. But some of me won't make it back so easily. Besides the obvious over-stretching of my belly (and other areas), I see the bad curvature of my back being pulled in a worse direction. Which reminds me of the damage being pregnant is doing to my hips, pelvis, and all the connected muscles. According to my last physical therapist, a lot of this damage is irreversible. His actual recommendation was to not be pregnant ever again. Obviously, I'm just really hoping he was wrong. If he wasn't, a third pregnancy could mean spending a few months unable to walk. I'm really, really hoping he was wrong.

Maybe I shouldn't blog when I'm tired and in pain.

The Belly

Not a great photo, but this is the belly at 22 weeks. I'm looking for a picture from last time, but need to do some hunting on the slow computer, so it may be a few days.

Jinxing myself

I know that this will end Ethan's streak, but I just have to gush.

This boy has been using the potty for a week and a half. For everything. He has even stopped asking me for help. Just pulls down his pants, sits down, and calls for me afterward to help clean up. The pull-ups I put on him for naps have been consistently dry. And this morning...(drum roll please)... his diaper was dry! He woke up and immediately said he had to pee. (I'm sure he did. He's been taking a full cup of milk to bed so that we can get enough into him.)

So proud of my little guy. And he looks so grown up in big boy underpants.

Mom, I'm so sorry....

Found this woman's blog through her hilarious Ebay posting. She has 6 kids and the way she writes about her life reminds me of my mom. I kind of wish my mom had been able to blog while we were growing up because more people would know how funny she can be in the middle of chaos. Actually, I'm not so sure I would want all of our antics out there for anyone to read, but at least I was the good one...

Anyway, her blog reminds me of life with five crazy kids in the house. Never a dull moment. Mom, I'm so so sorry that you had to put up with us. Now that I have one of my own, I can see how absolutely nuts it would be to try to mother so many off the wall kids. Thanks for doing your best.

EDIT: I'm not saying that having lots of kids is crazy (well, maybe a little), but more that I'm amazed by the women who manage to do it. I'm pretty sure that all of my siblings are turning out to be decent human beings. That in itself is amazing. Good job mom!

... and Ethan

Ethan has given me the best two birthday presents a mom could ask for this last week (besides some time off.) Both seem to stem from his visit to the doctor's office.

First, the cute one. We've had more visits for me and Edward lately than for him, so when we arrived at his doctor's office, Ethan started asking about Edward. He spent the whole waiting time asking if he could open my belly (pull up my shirt) to look at Edward. When we arrived home and were trying to eat lunch, Ethan had trouble eating because he was so absorbed in my belly. Touching it, rubbing it, kissing it, talking to it, and trying to take Edward out so that he could hold him. This is a routine we go through several times a day now. Sometimes we pretend that Ethan takes Edward out and practices holding him. Ethan is so excited about his little brother that he even tried to rearrange his room during a nap, so that we could put the crib in it. Hopefully this enthusiasm will continue after Edward is born. (While I was typing this, Ethan snuggled up to me and covered my belly with a blanket to keep baby Edward warm.)

The second, and more amazing thing is that potty training is actually happening! The doctor asked how it was going and I admitted that we'd gotten frustrated and taken a break. He suggested, specifically because Ethan is way too smart and knows that diapers are just easier, the "Once Upon a Potty" video for boys. (We already had it, but hadn't used it since the very beginning. It really is a great video for smarter kids b/c it goes through everything from body parts to having accidents and even includes a super annoying song that you can't get out of your head.) I didn't think Ethan was paying attention, but the next morning he asked if I would take off his diaper so that he could make a pee-pee, even remembering that the doctor said to let him sit on the potty while watching the video. We moved the potty into the living room and Ethan peed! Without any prompting from anyone else! Ever since, he's been wearing mostly underwear and using the potty several times a day, with little prompting. (Albeit in the living room, but hey, he's doing it.) He even pooped in the potty on Sunday and was so excited he wanted to tell his nursery teachers.

My little boy is growing into such a cutie! I love how excited he is to have a brother and how amazing he is when he decides to do something. (I also love that he has such respect for the doctor. I might need to take advantage of that.)

My E Boys: Edward...

I made the mistake a few weeks ago of telling John how much easier this pregnancy has been. The meds are WONDERFUL and mean I don't struggle to keep my blood sugar up this time. And having Ethan means that I just forget I'm pregnant most of the time.

Or at least that was the case. Meds are still good, but I'm having to be more careful about veggies and anything else that causes gas bubbles. Talk about painful. The bubbles not only hurt, but they cause contractions, which Edward then pushes back against. It's like labor pains! I guess I just don't have much room in there any more.

That's the other crazy thing. I'm 21 weeks, when they say you should be starting to feel your baby moving. HA! Not only did I start feeling him at 13 weeks, I'm already at the point where I can grab onto his foot when he shoves! He really is that big and that strong. No little flutterings for me.

I'm also becoming large enough for this belly to get in my way. I can't lift much at all. Getting up and down is a problem. Ethan is complaining that he doesn't fit on my lap and I can't get down on the floor to play as easily. My poor stretch marks are itching like crazy. And I still have 4 months to go!! (I need to post a picture so that people will believe me.)

At least I know Edward is growing! He's already making himself a big part of our family.

How could I forget?

Somehow, I forgot to mention that John and I had our seventh anniversary a few weeks ago. Way to go us! A friend mentioned that they struggled through their seventh year, glad to hit the anniversary and put it behind them. We've been lucky. I'll be the first to admit that this hasn't been the easiest year we've ever had, but it wasn't the hardest either. No problems with that rumored seven-year-itch.

So babe, just because I don't say it enough,
I Love You!

Hijack: Technical Difficulties

John here, my domain name has expired and I'm having a hard time re-registering it.

So, until I'm able to figure it out, I've pointed my blog to tenfootrabbits.blogspot.com

You can keep up with me there, it should be a seamless experience.

Remembering

Remembering today that every day we get to spend with Ethan is a blessing.

We miss you Cameron.

Scrawny Boy

Ok. I am really getting sick of this.

We visited the dr today for what I had hoped was Ethan's last weight check. Although he is getting taller right on schedule, the boy has only managed to gain about an ounce a month, instead of the six he should be gaining. To give you some perspective on that, he gained about a third of a pound since his last weigh in, but should have gained three pounds. Arrgh! Back on the high calorie, high fat, high protein diet. They even want us to mix half whole milk and half cream in his cups for a few weeks.

Because I've been so annoyed that we've had to keep doing all this, I asked why this is such a problem. Especially because the dr agrees with me that he is just adjusting to be the tall, scrawny kid we expect him to be. I got a great explanation this time. At first, the problem was his drop in both height and weight on the growth charts. Then, his height leveled off at well above 50th percentile, but his weight kept dropping. Now that he's hovering barely above 25th in weight, they start worrying about his body getting (or not properly using) everything it needs. Particularly the fats he needs for neural development. (That would be for brain and nerve function for my husband who complains that I use big medical words.)

At this point, he is clearly still developing normally. He is ridiculously smart, so no problems there yet, and his physical development is right where it should be. But because we're back on the diet, we are also back to the monthly check-ups. (They want to make sure he gains, but doesn't get the chance to put on any unhealthy weight.)

At least this time I can join him in some of his yummy indulgences. Although there is clearly more of me (in more places than just my belly), my weight isn't going up either. Edward is following in his brother's footsteps at this point. Growing so fast, I can't manage to keep up with the both of us! Hopefully when he slows down in a few years, it's not as much as his older brother.

Halfway!

I'm officially halfway to the finish line. It's nice, but it also reminds me I have about 20 more weeks to go. Yuck. My belly already sticks out far enough that I bump into things when I'm not being careful. (The lab benches at work are at just the wrong height and I always come home with bruises.) Not really looking forward to being huge.

FYI

For anyone who might have been thinking about it, the solid colors of the swaddling blankets have been marked down. (The link is under 'Things we want...' on the sidebar.) I plan to buy at least one of these b/c they are such a great weight of fabric and the perfect size to swaddle even big babies, nurse under, and use as a sun shade on the stroller. I figure that we need so little I can afford to splurge on a few nicer items this go round.

It's a..... oh, just look and see

This is a little hard to see small, so maybe click on the picture to see it bigger. It's a bum shot, with the legs disappearing to the left. (The round, hollow thing is a knee, so follow it back down to the bum.) In between you can see a distinct something...That's right! We're having another boy, and we are sure this time. This is a nice profile shot. For anyone who has a hard time seeing these, the white curve at the bottom left is the back of the head. So if you follow the curve over the top, you get to a nice profile. If you look at it close up the nose, lips, chin, and even cheekbones are visible. The squished oval to the right is the torso and the white streak coming up at the right is a leg bone.
Here is another profile. In this one you can see a little hand coming up to his mouth. You can even count all five fingers.
Right after the last one, the tech gave the baby a poke and he appeared to be laughing at her. (The cross-section is at a strange angle, so no, my baby isn't deformed.)
I know this doesn't look like much, but it's a foot with five toes. (The toes are at the upper right end of the foot.)

So it was a great ultrasound. He is healthy and clearly enjoying his ability to move around in there. It took quite a long time because he was playing around so much. Rolling around, waving his hands at us, and crossing his legs when she went for a bum shot. The tech commented that he was incredibly active, but was fun to chase around. She also mentioned how tall he seemed to be. All his measurements were right on, but they can't get a good length estimate once they are this big, so she was just guessing.

Well post something at soon about his name, because I'm sure you'll hear us using it. But I don't want to tell you yet until we can explain what it means to us. I may even have John write about it.

Little Miracle

Our big ultrasound is tomorrow. Before we find out what the baby is, and more importantly if it's healthy, I thought I should share why this baby is already a little miracle for us.

After my experience last time, I wanted to have a much better doctor this time around. The entire year that we were trying to become pregnant, I asked everyone I knew for recommendations, feeling like I would never find a doctor who would be what I needed. Finally, my visiting teacher mentioned her dr and I just got a good feeling. So when I was nearing 12 months of nothing, I called to make an appointment. Afraid to admit that there might be a problem to the receptionist (and to myself), I simply scheduled a new patient appointment, which meant a three month wait. Because I was afraid of what he might find at the appointment, and that he might not be a good fit for me anyway, I was ok putting it off.

A week later, I was at the temple. Frustrated after a year of trying and pleading, I didn't want to pray about getting pregnant that time. No, not just didn't want to, I flat out refused. So I went, focused on other things. It wasn't very far into the session when I was overridden and received a very direct answer. I very distinctly heard in my head "Call and move up the appointment." Not the kind of answer I'd been looking for, and one that made me worry about why, but an answer.

I called and explained that I needed to discuss fertility issues and that I just didn't feel like it could wait. Apparently my dr's assistant had been covering the phones and something I said made her fit me in where she wouldn't normally. I had an appointment for a week later that turned out to be fitted in between surgeries.

When I arrived for the appointment, I sat in the car shaking, afraid of what he might say. After a quick exam (everything normal), we talked about my last pregnancy. He completely agreed that I needed to plan for large babies and talked about inducing weeks early as an alternative to a C-section. And he was appalled by the level of care I'd had, assuring me that he would make sure I had what I needed the next time around. Then we talked about why I wasn't pregnant. Normally, he would prescribe something to make me kick out more eggs or send me to a fertility specialist who would start the testing with John, but he agreed with me that maybe some hormone testing and checking my ovaries for viable eggs first was a better course this time. I left with a huge smile, so relaxed.

A few weeks later, I had my tests. The hormone levels were all normal and the ultrasound of my ovaries was surprising. I had eight immature follicles on one side and three on the other. I also had one VERY mature one. This told us several things. First, that I was glad I hadn't taken the clomid route (the drug that makes you kick out more eggs) because I could have kicked out eleven at once! Second, that I didn't have a problem, just that the mature follicle was going to be released earlier than we expected. Early enough that we'd been missing the egg each month. The tech was hilarious and said "That's going to pop any day now. Do what you've gotta do."

I started feeling sick about a week later. Yay! We've felt hugely blessed to have found this Dr who I'm sure would say he is following his gut, but seems to be in tune with the spirit. Between the things that John and I had been prompted to do, and the promptings that our Dr listened to, we were able to have our eight week visit a week before my original appointment. We don't know why the timing of this baby was so important (other than my mental health, and possibly keeping us here in Boston to use this doctor), but we are grateful for it. We know that without the direction we received, we might still be struggling to get pregnant.

Gotta Love This Boy

After Ethan recovered from our week of craziness, he's been the cutest kid!

Yesterday, I was cleaning in the kitchen and asked him to pick up some of his toys in the living room. He balked (of course), but then disappeared. When I looked in, he was just finishing the last of the three things I'd asked him to do! I mauled him with hugs and kisses and then we finished cleaning up the other toys together. Later, I was doing laundry and he wanted so badly to help. I pulled things out of the washer and he put them into the dryer. Then he threw an entire load into the washing machine one item at a time. Once that was done, he ran over and helped dad mix up the scrambled eggs he was making for dinner. Ethan used to be a little helpful, but lately has been more obstructive. (I'd even been thinking about instituting the rule that if he wants to be with me when I'm busy he needs to be helping.) This day of help was great.

This morning, I was woken up by Ethan, who promptly asked where the baby was. He couldn't see my stomach buried in the blankets and wanted to be sure he didn't jump on it. While I was finishing breakfast, Ethan asked to sit on my lap. Thinking this was the start of a clingy, miserable day, I grudgingly obliged. Nope. He wanted to check on the baby. He pulled up my shirt to poke at my basketball sized belly and ask if the baby was hurting me today. (It's still low enough that it's stretches and flips can be rather painful. Hopefully it will pop up soon and I won't grimace each time it moves.) We talked about seeing the baby tomorrow at the dr's (Yep, ultrasound is tomorrow!) We talked about how it would grow really big and then come out. We talked about mom going to the hospital to take it out after Ethan's birthday. We talked about it living with us and even about Ethan and the baby sharing a room. The boy is very enthusiastic about all of it. He is starting to understand a little, now that my belly is hard to miss. And just in case you were wondering what he wants, he says different things when asked directly, but he always calls the baby a "she".

#200

That's right! This is post #200. And I don't have much to say.

First, I just discovered that because I post photos that come from large, higher quality files, you can click on them and see Ethan up close and personal. Great when he is making his crazy expressions.

Second, I'm in Montreal, enjoying some relaxation. And you're not. ;)

The Beach! Sorry, no, Plimoth Plantation

We spent a great day at the beach today. Good enough waves for John to go bodysurfing, lots of sand for Ethan to dig, and plenty of friends for me to talk to. All of us came home a little pinker than planned, but who can remember to reapply sunblock when you're having fun!

As usual, we forgot the camera. So here are a few pictures from our trip to Plimoth Plantation last month (and yes that is the correct spelling.) This is a favorite of ours particularly because the first person to step off the Mayflower, Mary Chilton, is an ancestor of mine. It's fun to go ask questions of the actors and learn more about what life was like for her and her family. You can easily spend hours talking to them if you want! This trip we talked quite a bit with a gentleman about their religious practices. So interesting!

Anyway, here are a few shots of Ethan enjoying the trip.

Ethan running around in a canoe at the Wampanoag homesite. This native american tribe makes the canoes by burning out the interiors of tree trunks. You can see the smoke house in the background. Their regular homes are similarly built, but much larger.
Ethan's favorite part of the trip. Pushing his stroller. This is in the 1627 Village, set seven years after the Mayflower arrived so that we could see a semi-established community. It's really interesting to learn how interdependent they were, while each family was also so self-sufficient.

Ethan and John's cousin Ben. (Congratulations on getting into med school!) This is also at the village, walking along one of the smaller streets.

The boy loved this cannon. Not sure if he really loved the big gun or the red cart... This was part of the little fortress building at one end of town, able to see over the protecting walls. I think to protect from Indians. It appeared to be used more as a meeting house.

Playing below decks on the Mayflower 2. This is a full-size re-creation of the original, and they have actually sailed it across from Britain! It's amazing to see the living conditions that they endured. What you see here is all the space an entire family would have had for the voyage. And they were rarely allowed above decks.

Random Photos 2

I opened Photoshop Elements to do something else and realized that John had uploaded photos from the camera recently. So here are a few random shots. I'll post some more later.

Ethan hugging Mags

Mags hugging Ethan

The boy and his bear in diapers - look at those scrawny legs!

Shooting some hoops

Playing with mom before bedtime

Motionsickness

If only this baby were really as calm as the one floating in the little bubble. I remember seeing Ethan during his ultrasound and being grateful that I couldn't feel all that action. Not so lucky this time. I'm weeks away from my ultrasound and am feeling so many flips and kicks it's been making me nauseous. Not looking forward to when this baby gets big and fights against being cramped in there.

No ears

Hopefully this will counteract the big monkey ears my family has.

So is he using the potty?

Hmmm.... Sometimes. After the one great day, we've been doing ok. We've been out of the house so much it's hard to keep him in underwear, or even pull-ups for that matter. (We use the feel-and-learn ones, so he wants to be changed immediately after he pees.) I just don't feel like running for a bathroom at this point when he can only hold it in for a few seconds.

So peeing in the potty is going well when we're at home. He's even started keeping his swim diapers dry (weird, I know) and peeing when we come home from the spray park. I think he's realized that they don't hold in pee, so because he doesn't really like to play in the water, the pee is obvious when it runs down his leg.

Pooping is another matter. He has been telling us, and trying to do it on the potty, but it's not as easy as it seems. Even when he clearly has a poop coming, something about sitting instead of his usual squat is keeping it from happening. It may also have something to do with the ridiculously small hole in his potty. He sits really far back to pee so that he has room to watch, but isn't happy about scooting forward so that he can poo. Maybe this will have to wait until we try to get him back on the big potty.

G Diapers

Thinking about using G diapers with this baby. Some of the earthy benefits of a cloth diaper without being a cloth diaper. They have a cloth outer, a liner to keep the outer clean when diapers are messy, and use flushable inserts. I probably would only use one or two a day, and I wouldn't start until the Medium size (the small just isn't worth the investment with our big babies). Even if I throw away the inserts rather than flushing them, they are still so much more biodegradable.

Anyway. Still just thinking about it. Finances may determine that we stick to our Pampers, but I like the idea of these diapers.

Skybus

Just found out about this new airline called Skybus. They guarantee at least 10 seats on each flight will only cost $10. Then the price increases slowly as more seats are purchased. You can even pay an extra $10 per seat for priority boarding (it's a no seat assignments type deal). Currently all flights have to go through Columbus, and you have to pick up your baggage and recheck it if you are going on, but for ten bucks, I'll totally do it. We're already on the watch for when they post schedules for next fall when we plan to head to Disney.

By George, I think he's got it!

Our boy is consistently peeing in the potty instead of his diapers! Most of his attempts before were twenty minutes of reading books and making silly faces. We still have a few of those (when you spend half your day in the bathroom, you're bound to), but it's becoming a much quicker thing.

I think the thing that did it is the next car hanging on the fridge. So far, he hasn't recognized the cars until we told him who they were. And he earned them with a single pee on the potty. (Now, he gets a ViewMaster story for peeing, but I think that will quickly change to just a jellybean.) The car currently on the fridge is Doc Hudson. Ethan has to poop on the potty to get him. He has been trying soooo hard. This has lead to the great peeing on the potty, and Ethan trying to convince us that gas is poop.

I'll let you know if he keeps improving, or if this is really a short term thing. Hopefully, were on our way to not having two in diapers. (Cross your fingers for us!)

Update: For what happened that evening, see John's comment

Scary FYI

Google has now integrated it's reverse phone # search with Mapquest. Handy right? Not if you have kids. If your child gives out their phone number, anyone can type it in and not only get your address, but also a map with directions to your house.

Luckily, you can get your number removed. Go type your phone number (555-555-5555) in the search bar and see if your address pops up (it shouldn't for cell phones.) If it does, click on it and then click "Request to have your name removed from this list". You fill out a form and it takes a few days to take effect. (Mom, I already did yours.)

Sometimes this information age is a little scary.

The Quickening

I think that's what they used to call it. Anyway, I thought I'd pass on to the grandparents that this baby is just as active as Ethan was. I've been feeling little kicks and stretches on occasion for the last two weeks or so (I know! Crazy early!) I'm only certain that I'm not making it up b/c I feel it every day now. I get little kicks right in front where the baby spends most of its time (I think that means the placenta is in the back padding my spine. Yay!) and occasional pushes against my already sore round ligaments on my right side. This baby clearly knows where it prefers to hang out. Picky already.

Not a Rough and Tumble Boy

Talking to a friend today about boys and realized I don't have a stereotypical boy. (My weirdness probably plays a huge part in this.)

First of all, he's cautious. He's not shy or wimpy, just wary of new situations and new people. Just like his mom.

Second, he is obsessive about cleaning off his hands and face while he's eating. As soon as he sits down to eat, he asks for a paper towel. He has even been know to wipe pretend crumbs off of our faces.

Third, one of his favorite times of day is storytime. We happen to have multiple copies of one of his favorite books. Lately, we'll each take one and read it together.

Fourth, some days he would rather spend at home rather than the park or with friends. Of course they always fall on the days when I most feel like I need to get out of the house....

Anyway, the point is that Ethan is not what I think of when I think "boy". And I like it.

Just what I needed to hear today

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous?
Actually, who are you NOT to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small doesn't serve the world.
There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.
It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
-1994 Inaugural Speech, Nelson Mandela

Thanks Bryn.

Just for Stew

I'm going to leave both tickers. Because I know how much you love them. I'll also be sure to post pictures of my pregnant belly. (Still don't know why it weirds you out so much.)

I win!!!

Did anyone else watch the Daily Show? Jon Stewart interviewed Bruce Willis and said "People are excited about . . . Willis throwing nice comedy and nice action together." HA!

Also I win b/c I figured out how to get Ethan to use his potty. He earned a little matchbook car (thanks to Grandma G's purchase of a bag full) for going pee. They are 'Cars' the movie themed. We started with the general racecars. When we get to the recognizable characters it will take more to earn one. We are keeping the next car hanging on the fridge in its packaging as an incentive. Ethan had been trying for the first for 3 days and he finally peed in his potty this evening. He's already excited to try for the next one tomorrow.

We must have done something right...

We went out to dinner this evening with Grandpa G and Aunt Hannah. The check came, along with 5 little chocolate candies. We were busy talking and not paying attention to the boy. When Ethan noticed the candies sitting there, he picked them up. Walking around the table, he put one in front of each of us before sitting down to open his own. I swear. He didn't stick them in his pocket. He didn't stuff them all in his mouth. He shared them. With zero prompting. What a cute kid!

Votes

First, I can't decide between the baby ticker at the top and the one on the side. The one at the top is kind of funny and I've already had it for a while. But the one on the side is nicer looking, shows the growth progression better, and has a cute floating baby . And click on the # of days left to see how you can change it. Tell me which you like better.

Second, John and I have having an ongoing debate. Maybe it's just me, but I think that the Diehard movies are comedies. I know they are in the action genre, obviously, but I also think they're hilarious. Tell us what you think.

Day 3 - New Potty

The way that Ethan has been reacting to sitting on the potty is making it clear that we are pushing too hard. He really doesn't want to do it. So today I thought I'd try something new.

We went out and Ethan picked out a potty. We've been using one of those seats that fits on top of the toilet, mainly because I don't want to have to clean a potty. But if the boy will try it, so will I. It was hilarious to watch Ethan and his friend Mags fight over who got to sit on it. We ended up taking 1 minute turns for what seemed like an hour! They couldn't get enough of it. Although this was fully clothed, it's a step in the right direction.

So we'll back off on the underwear and asking so much, but we're going to make sitting on the potty part of our routine. It will probably be a fully clothed activity for a while. When he's used to it, we'll push a little more.

I refused just like this. It was because letting my mom change my diaper was so much easier. This is one of those times I wish he was a little less like me.

Day 2 - Someone thinks I'm Psychic

Could someone please tell my husband that I can't read his mind?

He apparently changed Ethan into underpants before leaving for work. I had no idea, so in my groggy state, I stumbled out to the couch and curled up for a little more sleep. Ethan was happily playing back and forth between the living room and his bedroom, so I slept for a little longer than I anticipated. Suddenly, I realize it's been quiet for a few minutes. Not a good sign. I hopped up, ran into his room and found him standing next to a wet spot on the carpet. "Mommy, I made a pee-pee." Yikes! Off to the bathroom for cleanup where I discover that peeing was not all he had done. Even Ethan was grossed out.

After another hour, we went to playgroup and then came home for a nap, so we've been in diapers. Hopefully we can have a better afternoon.

No More Diapers?

Ethan freaked out last friday when I mentioned that we were almost out of diapers, so he would have to start using the potty. He pulled out every diaper we had left to prove that we still had some. We used our last one Saturday night.

We're not actually going without diapers. He wore pull-ups to church and while sleeping until I could get to the store today. So now we have more. But he only gets to wear diapers during naps, at night, and when we go places mom doesn't want to deal with accidents.

Today, our first real day of potty training, wasn't as bad as it could have been. We stayed home all day so that Ethan couldn't just hold it until I put a diaper on him to run errands. He did manage to sneak a poop into his nap diaper (but I'm grateful for not having to clean it up off of the floor.) We had three accidents and no successful potty attempts. I was asking him every 5 or 10 minutes if he needed to make a pee-pee, but he always said no. When he did need to pee, he called me as he was going. (Thank goodness for training underpants that catch most of it.) It seemed like he wasn't really aware that it was coming, but John reminded me that he stops and poses before peeing in the tub, so he knows it's coming. I think he was just too busy playing to pay attention. He'll learn. And if it's taking too long, we'll switch to regular underpants so that the mess is bigger. (He didn't like that the pee could leak out and run down his leg.)

So, all in all, a good start. Lets just hope it gets better and not worse.

Amazing Video

Check out this music video by Sigur Ros, an Icelandic band. The setting, filming, and theme just take your breath away. Be sure to watch all the way to the end!

PS- This may seem like a weird thing for me to post, but I really like it. The setting is stunning, the camera work is incredibly well done, and the ending creates this abrupt change of emotions that I just love.

Who's the parent?

Ethan has been cracking me up today. This morning, he was sitting on the bench in the hall and we had this exchange:

"Ethan, get your shoes so that we can go to the grocery store."
"I can't mom, I'm in climb out!"
"Do you mean time out?"
"I'm in climb out, mom."
"Why?"
"Because I wasn't being nice. I was biting you at the store."
"Ok. That's a good reason."

After the grocery store, I was trying to unpack the food while eating my lunch. Ethan promptly yelled at me to "Sit down while you're eating, mom!" I quickly obeyed, because it is the rule. (We never yell, but maybe our stern voices need toning down.)

Finally, it was naptime. Ethan beat me into his room and sat down next to his little couch in my spot. He said, "Mom, I'm going to sit here and you can sit on the couch. I'll read you stories." So Ethan read me three books and then turned off the light so that we could take our naps.

I like when it's clear that Ethan understands the routine and the rules, even more when he does it himself!

If you hear grinding...

...it's my teeth. Ethan has decided that it's time to test our limits. ALL of our limits. We should have seen it coming. He's been inching up to it, but he hadn't really crossed the line until recently. Today it came to a head. (I should mention that this all happened after an ok morning and a good nap.)

First at Target, where I literally needed two things. It took us more than half an hour b/c someone decided that he needed rest breaks every few feet, that running away and hiding between the racks was a fun game, and that biting mom was a great way to pass the time. I finally managed to make it out, my two items in one hand and Ethan on my other hip, facing away from me to avoid being bitten. When we arrived home he was slightly annoyed that I refused to take him to the park, but decided dad would so it was ok. Apparently not a good enough punishment, so I also banned playing in the car in the driveway and TV. Many fits ensued. He was repentant and we'd talked it over by the time dad got home, so they did go to the park for a little while and then played in the back yard while grilling dinner.

Ah, dinner. Ethan flat out refused to fold his arms for a prayer (something he's been doing more and more often), so we decided no one could eat until we'd said the prayer, and we couldn't say it until we were all ready, i.e. folding our arms. This ended with me holding his arms so that we could eat. (We wouldn't have pushed this, but he's been folding his arms since he was 12 months old. This is just pure rebellion.) Then we had to enforce the rule about sitting at the table or sitting in time-out during dinner several times (and the one about sitting in your chair while you are chewing, even if it's your last bite.) By the end of a very tear-filled meal, Ethan had eaten only three bites.

We've also been fighting the "I don't want to do what you're asking, so I can't hear you" syndrome and the distraction tactics.

Our little angel is becoming quite the punk kid. Somehow I just can't get myself excited about doing it all again tomorrow.

Another Shout out for Libby

So I order one of the skirts I mentioned in my last post. I decided to try a small b/c I read somewhere that the mediums are significantly longer. It came not four days later and is soooo cute! But not big enough. So I emailed Libby to ask how long the mediums are and she said she'd had a few requests for customs lately and she'd gladly cut me a medium skirt at the small length! So not only will I have the cutest skirt ever, I'll have it custom made! I haven't even worn one yet and these are already my favorite skirts. If you haven't checked them out already, GO!

Loving this

Found these adorable, reversible wrap skirts. Loving blue sky girl, but choco milk bubbles is a little more fun. So hard to choose. Maybe if I get a medium instead of a small I'd be able to wear it pregnant too!

New Sidebar

After weeks of research, John and I have made a list of what we know we need for this baby. Surprisingly, it's really short! Because we are so far ahead of ourselves, rather than just buying everything, we thought we'd throw out ideas for the family. There is a new sidebar with what we know we need this time around. These are the things we will definitely buy if no one else does. Don't feel obligated to buy us anything.

Because we've researched these well, I include the disclaimer that we will not accept substitutions. If you want to know why these particular items, call and I will be glad to tell you. The biggest reason for all of them is that they fill our needs exactly and are reasonable priced.

I do remember that I have a 2 year old...

Sorry that I've been ignoring Ethan on the blog. Here are a few pictures.

At the zoo. The picture where the gorilla turned and looked at us didn't take :(

Our boy's favorite pastime

The big kids lay down their bikes when they go play. So Ethan does too.

My Magic Pill

It's doxylamine, also known as Unisom. I know it sounds weird. But it's a part of the medication Bendectin that was used to treat nausea back in my mom's day. (The other part of Bendectin was B6 which I'm also taking.) You can still get it in nearly every country of the world, but because of a scare many, many years ago, it's not available in the US. It's since been proven to be one of the safest things a pregnant woman can take. And I sleep better too! For anyone with morning sickness, I whole heartedly recommend my magic pill.

3rd time's the charmer

Ethan as he's laying in bed tonight -

"Mom, you're wearing your glasses.
Where are my sunglasses?
The sun can't get in here.
The sun goes away when it gets dark.
The sun goes away when it's raining.
(With his hand on my cheek) Mom, I'll stop the rain."

He loves me so much. Maybe I should love him a little more. (Kidding.)

Our new fight

Ethan doesn't really eat. I guess I've been trying to not notice, but while he was sick he really ate only a handful of bites a day. Now that he's improving, we decided to set some dinner time rules. First is one we've had all along. You don't have to like what's for dinner, but your only other option is PB&J. Second is the big one. Dinner time means you have to sit at the table. No playing with toys, no running around the house, no distractions. Ethan chose time-out rather than the table three times tonight. And didn't eat a single bite of dinner. I think I'm not going to give him his sippy cup tomorrow to make sure he can't fill up on milk. We're going to get this boy to eat if it kill us.

Sick again...

No, not me this time. Ethan had a fever of 102 on Friday night. He seemed fine (and we forgot about it!) the next morning so he went to a birthday party and came home exhausted. I know we're horrible parents. When I checked that afternoon, still 102. Sunday, 102 and finally showing some signs of being sick, Ethan stayed home from church and a call went into the Dr. Of course, the night/weekend nurse typically leans on the "if it's not life-threatening, deal with it" side of medicine, so with no real advice, we drugged our boy up. We'd already been doing the motrin, but we started alternating it with Tylenol and added a decongestant. I even picked up some children's Mucinex as his cold was threatening to move into his chest.

Monday, not really better. And b/c the decongestant isn't as yummy tasting as the motrin, Ethan started refusing his meds. (We fixed that by adding it to his milk. To him, milk is milk, even when it's pink and funny tasting.) To make John's day off even better, my stomach decided to have a bad day. We spent the entire day at home, pretty miserable. Happy Memorial Day!

Tues Ethan's fever finally broke. Just in time for us to avoid the Dr. Still really congested and coughing up a storm, but better. My stomach on the other hand... I started to worry that the new meds I'd added on Friday had lost their usefulness just like the last ones.

Finally, we come to Wed. Ethan is well into the upswing, though still coughing when he lays down. I've come down with this virus of his, but because I am willing to blow my nose, I'm doing better than the boy was. Also, I've decided that it must have been the beginning of the cold that set my stomach off. It seems to be back on an even keel. If it stays good for a few more days, I'll tell you about this magic pill I've discovered. It's actually kind of crazy!

So all in all, we are getting better. (Until John gets the cold!)

It's a ... Baby!

So glad that the little picture on the ticker finally looks like a human. The little zygote is just so strange, it's hard to go "awwww". But now it's officially a fetus, so feel free to think my baby is adorable. (Because you know it really is.)

How We're Doing

I'm doing better. Not great, but better. Well enough to get by most days. And because I had still managed to gain weight since I saw my Dr a few months ago, I can't really justify stepping up to the prescription. Hopefully it doesn't last as long this time.

Ethan is glad to be getting out more. He's happy that he's going to be a big brother, although I don't think he knows what it means. We've been talking about it and when he bumps into my stomach he kisses the baby better, but I don't think he gets that there will be a real baby. Once when I mentioned that I would go to the hospital to have the baby Ethan said "I go to the hostible when I hurt my tummy and get a baby!" To translate that, the only thing he knows about hospitals is that ambulances take you there when you get hurt. So apparently, when you hurt your stomach, the ambulance will take you to the hospital and they give you a baby as a gift. I think I like that method better.

John is excited about the baby but is feeling a little put out at the moment. More is required of him around the house and he gets none of the attention. I love him for it, but it's still rough. If you get the chance, show him a little love.

There is other little news, but that's all I feel like writing at the moment. I need to finish dinner. And we'll have John's cousins staying with us for the next week or so, so if I'm a total slacker about updating everyone, I promise I'm busy.

I'm in Love...

...with my Dr! I got an inkling of how good he is when I saw him about our fertility problem, but now I'm in love. I told John I'm not leaving Boston until this baby is born b/c I'll never find another like him.

First, he gave me several options for dealing with all the sick, so I'm starting with the combo of OTC stuff before I spend the money on a prescription. (One of the things I'm doing is switching from a full prenatal vitamin to just folic acid. The full prenatal causes nausea, and if I can eat, I can get the nutrients from food. Such a great tip!) Second, he suggested that I probably didn't need several of the screening tests (early Downs syndrome check and AFP quad), so if I didn't want them, we didn't need to waste our time and money. Because they wouldn't change anything for John and I, we totally agreed. And finally, the best. We talked last time about my delivery with Ethan and decided to induce the next one two weeks early. Today, he said we'd do it at least two and a half weeks early. So that puts the delivery date for this baby around Dec 10th. Yay!

Anyway, I could go on all day about how great he is. I need to thank the friend that referred him again. It's so good to know that he is just as concerned about me having an easier time this go round as I am.

Sick

I'm sick. Really sick. And I've been this way for a month. Hoping to get some relief from the Dr today. If I do I'll post a real update on how we're doing.

OH! And I'm due Dec 28th, but this Dr agreed to induce me early so it'll be around the 14th. Still a risk that the baby will be too big for me, even a pound lighter, but he'd rather induce early than schedule a c-section.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

In what has become a Mother's Day tradition for us, we have an announcement! If you haven't figured it out yet, look closer.

More on how we are all doing, feeling, etc later.

Pictures at the Park

I sent John and Ethan to the park with the camera. They did a pretty good job! (My favorites are the third and the fifth...and the second because of the crazy angle on Ethan's laugh.)

Easter Pictures

Ethan and his "bunnies"
(Is is weird that all of his friends are girls?)

The dads hiding eggs for a Saturday egg hunt

Hunting eggs with best friend Mags

"I got it!"

Easter morning

Potty Training? What's That?

Yea. So we've kind of backed off on the potty lately. Ethan stopped going while he was sitting there and then started screaming and kicking when we tried to put him on it. Needless to say, he didn't want to use it. We decided a break was needed.

Today we tried again. And we introduced bribes. So when Ethan has peed on the potty eight times (earning himself eight stickers on his little chart) he'll earn a trip to the aquarium. That was enough that he climbed onto the potty himself. No pee, though, so no sticker. We'll try again tomorrow. At least he's sitting on the toilet again.

Random Photos

(plus updates to the sidebar)

Playing Chef

Riding Grandpa

Celebrating after making a huge mess!

Playing his first computer game
(I can't believe how shaggy I let his hair get this last time!)

Changes

I wanted to be able to keep track of Ethan's age (without having to think about it), so I added the ticker. Unfortunately it meant changing the template so that it would fit. Don't know if I love it yet, but we'll see. I apologize if I'm messing around with it for a few days.

Pictures!

I uploaded some pictures last night and discovered I hadn't done it since Feb. (Wow we have a huge memory card!) So I'll pass them on in small bunches as I have the time. To start, some snow pictures.