Number 2 remains nameless, Number 1 is 19 months

Sadly, despite online searches and a borrowed baby name book, Baby 2 remains nameless. (Mike has recently started referring to him as Number Two.) There are A LOT of names that I like; although, A LOT of other people like those same names, too - because I keep finding them on the most popular list. (Grrrr!) There are a few names that are more unique, but then we wonder (and possibly worry) that they are too unique. We've had a few names that have remained on the list, but Mike assures me that he's "not sold on one yet" and that nothing really "trips his trigger". (Sigh, hence the continued search....)

Number 2 has been busy entertaining us lately. He likes to move around when Mommy sits down to eat, lays down for bed or in the morning hours when he decides that it is time to jump on my bladder a bit, forcing me awake in a hurry. He also seems to like bedtime when we read stories and snuggle with Sydney. (Or perhaps, he really likes Sydney's loving ZERBERTS on my belly and the gentle caressing of the tiny hands patting my belly and playing with my belly button.)

If only Number 2 knew how many hugs and kisses he's already received....

Number 1 is now 19 months old and often gives us a run for our money. He challenges us quite a bit. He's VERY SMART and likes to manipulate the situation to test his boundaries. When we tell him NO, he finds a way to see what he can get away with. 

For example, when told not to eat crayons, he will slyly place one in his mouth and hold it with his lips, as if taunting the adult figure by saying "HaHa, I'm not really eating it!" 

Sometimes, he purposely does naughty things. When asked "Do you need to sit in the naughty corner?" he proudly nods his head YES and runs over to the corner to sit down, grinning all the while; this, he likes to turn into a game. 

He has just started liking to kick his feet in protest of diaper changing. We remind him that we kick balls, but NOT PEOPLE, but he continues to kick. (He likes when Mike attempts to restrain his legs from kicking and thinks that it, too, is a game.) Lately, I have just started pivoting his body on the changing pad so that his feet are away from me and he quickly loses interest in kicking when he has no one to kick.

Sydney LOVES to help unload the dishwasher! When he hears the clinking and clanking of plates, he comes running to the kitchen. Often, we ask him "Where does this go?" Surprisingly, he almost always knows EXACTLY which cupboard, cabinet or drawer that we keep things. I was recently AMAZED that he knew where we keep our yellow colander (because we almost NEVER use it, but he knew right where it goes... in the corner cabinet on the very top shelf... by the stacked metal ones that we DO use often).

Sydney's favorite thing is to watch Sesame Street on TV. He becomes oblivious to the world going on around him; although, sometimes, he will run to find us, dragging us by the finger, to show us something exciting (funny or scary) on the tv. (Yesterday, he was QUITE CONCERNED when Mrs. Sparklenose was sucked into the Genie's vacant bottle and couldn't get out; he dragged me to the tv and pointed with a look of concern on his face. He is a very compassionate kid.) This morning, when Mike was leaving for work, I told Sydney to say "Bye-bye" to Daddy. Without breaking eye contact from the tv, he lifted his hand in the air and waved towards the door.

Last night, I had started chopping an onion for a new recipe while Sydney played with toys and watched a partial episode of Sesame Street. I had already dragged a chair from the dining room into the kitchen for Sydney to assume his position as LITTLE HELPER. All of a sudden, he came flying into the kitchen and hopped up onto the chair. "I was wondering when you would be ready to help cook." I announced. (He smiled.) Pointing to the can on the counter, I informed him that we needed to open this can of tomato sauce and asked him how we should open the can. Without hesitation, he pulled open the silverware drawer and grabbed the can opener. (I was impressed.)

We measured out our dry ingredients and put them into the crockpot. (I purposely use a 1/2 tsp. measuring spoon to measure full teaspoons so that we have more opportunity to scoop and dump, which Sydney LOVES to do!) A few minutes later, I laughed out loud when he crouched down on his chair so that he could point to the line of the measuring cup and view the meniscus of the BBQ sauce from eye-level. (Somehow, I doubt that most 19-month old kids are this interested in cooking and this kind of precision. I guess his love of watching the Food Network with his daddy is shining through.)

STATS

Fully clothed - wearing a diaper, onesie, shirt, pants, socks, shoes and winter jacket - he weighed just over 24 pounds on the OB's hallway scale on Thursday morning.

He stands approximately 33" tall (as he is starting to have a harder time walking under mommy's long legs.)

He has 15 teeth: 4 uppers, 4 lowers, 4 molars, and 3 eye teeth. (The last eye tooth is just now starting to poke its way through the surface of his gums.)

He wakes between 7:15 and 8:30am, depending upon how quiet the house is.

He naps just once daily now, normally right after lunch. (Unfortunately, a 75 or 90 minute nap are NOT a lot of time to get a lot done around the house, especially if I am trying to be quiet.)

We normally start bedtime routine between 7:30 and 8:15. He unwinds with a few bedtime stories and then, we turn out the lamp. Sometimes, he likes to lay on the mattress on the floor in his room while other times, he likes to snuggle in the recliner with mommy. After a few minutes, I announce that it is time for him to go in his bed now. He's starting to fight less with bedtime, making it easier on me. {EDITED 1/1/01: Bedtime struggles are back into full-swing again; teething doesn't help, I'm sure... or the fact that when Daddy is home, they snuggle in the recliner together for the entire duration of the nap. Someone is SPOILED.}

His favorite word is UP! (Other favorites are Mama and Dadda.) We go through a routine with him: what does a dog say? (woof, woof) what does a cat say? (eee-Oww) what does Santa say?(HoHoHo) what does "The Count" say? (Ah, ah, ah)

He's starting to say more words: OP has to be determined by context... it can be STOP, MOP or HOP. SSSSSSsssss is by context as well... it is either the sound a snake makes, nuts or raisins.

While folding laundry, I was AMAZED when Sydney pointed to Mike's t-shirt and proudly announced "A". Surprised, I asked him "Which one is an A?" and he pointed his tiny finger directly to it.

He is QUITE a kid and I'm sure will someday be a GREAT teacher to his little brother!

Sydney teaches Tigger to JUMP

At naptime today, Sydney grabbed Tigger on our way upstairs. Once we got into Sydney's bedroom, he started jumping and hopping all over the place. Then, he would grab Tigger (with both hands) and airlift him repeatedly into the air. 

"Are you teaching Tigger how to jump?" I asked.

Sydney grinned from ear-to-ear, as if you could read his inner monologue saying: 

How did you know? I AM teaching Tigger how to jump!

Soon, Sydney started jumping and hopping on the twin mattress that rests on the floor in his room (for emergency sleeping station #2).

I reminded him that we were in his room for NAPTIME. I finished reading my book selection (to Tigger and Sydney... whomever was listening) and turned out the light.

Sydney climbed all over the twin mattress, adjusting the pillows and much like a cat - trying to find a comfortable place to lay. After a few minutes, as I could tell he was starting to get into a more calm and nap-ready state, I scooped up his blanket and Tigger and placed them into his crib. I scooped Sydney up, like a baby in my arms and said "You're next!"

We hugged and I laid him in his crib.

While I wrote this post, he has been talking to Tigger for the past few minutes, but has now quieted.

N-A-P-T-I-M-E!

Now, time for Mommy to do some more laundry - and retrieve the toy spoon and toy spatula from the current load of wash after they both went for a spin.   :)

Little stinker is gutsy

What a fun day we had today (while Mike was at work). We had LOTS of new things to play with, books to read and movies to watch.

Sydney got a Tigger stuffed animal from one of our old co-workers from Burlington. He insisted on taking him to bed with him last night, which he has never done before. We also had to make sure that Tigger was in our lap last night for bedtime stories. Today, when we were getting ready for NAPTIME, Sydney was busy pointing our Tigger's eyes, nose, mouth, etc. when I quizzed him. When I asked him where Tigger's belly was, he leaned over and attempted to give him a ZERBERT. (It didn't work well for him so, he ended up blowing a zerbert on my belly instead.)

While he napped, I cleaned up our house. It looked completely trashed with all of the toys thrown all over the place. I tucked away most of his old toys and organized the new ones so that they were tucked out of sight. When Sydney woke from his nap, he was COMPLETELY BAFFLED - scanning the living room with his hands thrown up in the air (as if asking "What the heck... where did everything go?") Soon enough, he spotted some toys in the basket and discovered the neat stash behind the recliner and it was ALL brought out again.

I played with the new camera some today. While Sydney watched a Sesame Street Christmas video, I sat near him and read the instruction booklet for the camera. (Holy cow, I have A LOT to learn!) Once he noticed me though, I had to stop reading that so that we could read HIS BOOKS instead.

Sydney insisted that I sit and play with him on the floor for most of the day; someday, I wont have the time to do that so, I am enjoying it now. We pretended to make cut-out cookies in his new kitchen; I even got out MY rolling pin while he was using his rolling pin. When I was getting our dinner ready, I noticed that SOMEONE had hung a toy cookie cutter on the christmas tree as if it was an ornament. (I grabbed the camera when he was trying to add more.)

I also found humor in watching him play. At one point, I saw him examine his toy shopping cart. He pulled Elmo out of it and you could tell he was trying to figure out how HE could ride in it. (He often attempted to ride in his plastic toy wagon; sometimes falling out when it tipped over.) Soon, I watched him raise his leg into the air and try to hook his foot onto the top of the shopping cart. He paused and tried again. I didn't say anything, wondering how far he would go with this. When he realized that his leg was not long enough, I watched him tip it onto its side instead. Then, he carefully analyzed where he could stick his legs in so that he could sit on it. Soon, you could tell his wheels were spinning again and he tried to get his toes into the basket part.

"Uh-oh." he said. "Ow. (pause) Ow. (pause) Ow."

(I watched as his foot was stuck into part of the toy and was at an odd angle.)

"You got it in there so, you'd better figure out how to get it out." I announced. "Maybe that isn't a good idea, don't you think?"

Sydney carefully backed his foot back out.

A minute or so later, he picked up the entire shopping cart and carried it into the dining room. (I could GUESS where this was going...) There, I had left a chair pulled out - away from the table. Sydney set the shopping cart down next to the chair and climbed up onto the seat. (You know darned well that he was going to climb into the shopping cart - off of the chair, but THANKFULLY he was distracted by something else. Phew! This was all the proof I needed to believe the statement from his 18-month well child appointment where they warned that KIDS NEED CONSTANT SUPERVISION AT THIS AGE.)

Sydney had started getting fussy so, I changed his diaper and grabbed his pajamas. He had been using my leg to stand on so that he could climb faster onto the couch. I had moved my leg out of the way, but Sydney decided that he wanted to climb on me so, he physically grabbed my foot and started to move it. Somehow, he ended up (accidently) head-butting me in the nose.

I grabbed my nose - in pain - and held it, with my eyes closed. "Sydney, you hurt mama's nose!" My eyes had started to instantly tear up with that hit.

Sydney moved my hand away from my face and wrapped his arms around me - giving me a GREAT BIG HUG and patted my shoulders to comfort me. (He is SUCH a sweet boy!)

Shortly thereafter, we battled it out at bedtime. He has been having some major separation anxiety lately, mostly at bedtime. He's in bed now, but I hope to keep the house quiet.

Sesame Street Christmas 2010

We seem to have had a Sesame Street theme going this Christmas due to Sydney's GREAT LOVE of the show. Here are a few of our 2010 Christmas memories...

(If you click on the image, it SHOULD open larger in another window.)

Thanks to everyone for these WONDERFUL GIFTS!

Merry Christmas 2010

With a winter weather advisory in effect and (reasonably light) snow falling on the ground, Grandma & Grandpa Olson ventured over from WI to spend Christmas with us. (Last year, they got "snowed out" with a bad forecast that brought only rain our way, but it was best to be "better safe, than sorry".) They arrived just after Sydney woke from his nap and he was THRILLED to see them!

We enjoyed a family Christmas dinner for Christmas Eve here at our house with Grandma & Grandpa Olson joining us. Our Christmas Eve menu included: Mixed Green salad, Grilled Steaks, "Why I Come to Christmas Dinner Lima Beans" (new recipe I found on the internet), Corn Pudding Supreme, and Strawberry Layer Jello. It was DELICIOUS!

We also enjoyed visiting with Uncle Mike and Auntie Karin via Skype. This is our first time seeing Uncle Mike since mid-August when he left for Florida. (Auntie Karin is enjoying her winter break with temperatures above freezing and the thought of NOT SHOVELING ANY SNOW at their condo in Milwaukee for the week.)

We opened a few presents throughout the day and into the evening - giving Sydney a chance to soak in some of the magic of Christmas.

Santa came while we were sleeping and brought a shopping cart and a toy kitchen for Sydney.

Grandpa Lowell joined us and the Olson grandparents for Christmas Day brunch this morning. We had delicious quiche, fresh grapefruit and two kinds of toast. (We're REALLY enjoying our cinnamon sugar on toast since we started using THE TOP RATED Cinnamon on the market, as rated by America's Test Kitchen. YUM!) 

Unfortunately, the elves must have only had time to assemble the shopping cart for Sydney. (The elves nimble fingers must be able to assemble toys faster than us, but they have A LOT of children to make toys for so, we didn't mind helping out.) It took Daddy, Mommy, Grandma & Grandpa Olson's teamwork close to 2 HOURS to assemble the toy kitchen. It gave us time to spend together while Grandpa Lowell and Sydney read books, watched Sesame Street and played with some new toys.

Sydney ate some lunch and despite a little protest, went down for a nap. Mommy assured him that he could play with Grandma and Grandpa and Grandpa when he woke up and that we were going to open some more presents and have even more fun. Thankfully, he was tired and cooperative. (He did think it was funny to smell my feet while I sat in the recliner in his room, moving back and forth between the two - sniffing loudly. I'm not sure where or when he learned this new trick, but it was kind of funny.)

We talked to Grandma Carol on the phone and got to wish her a Merry Christmas. (She's celebrating the holidays with Uncle John, Aunt Sharie, Cousin Alder and Auntie Nicki.)

In the afternoon, we enjoyed a spread of appetizers: veggies & dip, cheese & crackers, spreads, a YUMMY hot dip, spanakopita appetizers and bacon-wrapped filet pieces - as well as some desserts.

We spread out some more presents throughout the day, as well as playing with some of the new ones from yesterday. 

Grandma & Grandpa Olson packed up and ventured home again. We'll hope to see them again in a few weeks for cousin Rachel's winter wedding. Grandpa Lowell hung out for a little while longer and we sent him home with a gourmet doggie bag (from last night's dinner that he missed) as well as some desserts.

It was a GOOD DAY and great to be surrounded by family and good food! We are blessed.

• • •

I am anxious to download some photos because today, we got to use OUR NEW CAMERA that we purchased with Christmas gift money! It's pretty complicated - compared to our old point & shoot, but guaranteed to take GREAT PHOTOS. (I took a handful of photos to test it out, but haven't yet looked into the settings to see what kind of quality level it is set at. We've got A LOT of reading to do to learn how to use this DSLR to it's full capability. So far, what we've seen in the 3" preview window, we're LOVING what we're seeing!)

Thank You! We love it!

No complaints, give an extra squeeze

Two of the bloggers that I follow have posted cases of EXTREME SADNESS this past week, which makes me feel heart-broken. Since becoming a parent, I feel like I look at the world from a different perspective and feel emotions like I have never felt them before.

The one blogger's brother (& his wife) had recently had a baby (their first child) that was born 6 weeks premature; the baby seemed to be doing fine and suddenly had health problems - which included seizures and bleeding in the brain. Further tests showed that there was no longer any brain activity and the baby was taken off of life support, dying shortly thereafter. I was SO saddened to learn of this situation - even though I do not know any of these people.

(http://www.kwernerdesign.com/blog/?p=4702)

I remembered how incredibly excited we were to welcome our first-born and couldn't imagine EVER losing a child.

I had mentioned this to Mike and he told me about a 16-month old who died in a drop-side crib incident. Mike's perspective was that losing a newborn would be far less painful that losing an older child who had so much of a bond established with the parents, as well as loads of personality. 

Regardless of which situation brings more pain, I hope to NEVER find out what it is like to lose a child.

Tonight, I saw a post from a different blogger that I follow - talking about her friend who had just lost her son; the friend had 5 kids: ages 4, 3 ,2, 11 months and newborn. This week, they found that the 11-month old had died in his sleep on Monday night.

(http://stacyjulian.com/blog/?p=6301) 

(http://nygardfamily.blogspot.com/2010/12/andrew-josiah-nygard-our-angel.html)

Tears welled up in my eyes when I read the brief post. Instantly, I felt heart-broken at the very thought of losing a child. I can't EVER imagine losing Sydney and hope that when the time comes, that I go before he does. I wish for him (and our unborn son) a long and prosperous life, full of good health and much happiness.

I couldn't help, but to want to go pick Sydney up from his crib and snuggle with him, giving him an extra squeeze. He hasn't been sleeping well this week and has required a lot more extra attention (and regular doses of infant ibuprofen or tylenol), but ultimately, I have NO COMPLAINTS. There isn't a better feeling than to hold your sleeping child in your arms, feeling his warmth against your body and smelling baby shampoo on his scalp; it is completely euphoric. (And Sydney's "new thing" makes me smile - even at the very thought of it - as he is constantly lifting my shirt and laying his cheek or his hands on my pregnant belly.)

This morning, he woke around 4am (while Mike was up, getting ready for work). We gave him some ibuprofen and each took a turn to snuggle with him. After Mike left for work, Sydney and I went back to bed, but he was especially cuddly so, I broke the rules and brought him to bed with me. He insisted upon using my bare pregnant belly as a pillow; I found humor in the baby moving around with Sydney's head pressed up against him. After a few minutes, Sydney moved off of me and snuggled close-by. 

When we woke a few hours later, Sydney smiled when he realized that he was in bed with Mommy. He pushed himself up, gave me a kiss on the lips, took my cheeks in his hands and leaned towards my face to give me an Eskimo kiss as I lay on the bed. Then, he lifted my shirt and rested his cheek on my belly.

SO INCREDIBLY OFTEN, he makes me proud to be his mom.

122210 New blog header

M is the letter of the day, Sydney announces MOM!

This morning, Sydney and Mommy watched Sesame Street (like we do on most weekdays from 9-10am on Iowa Public television). 

Today, the letter of the day was... M!

Murray-the-Monster quizzes the kids about what words start with the letter M. He asked "Can you think of words that start with the letter M?"

Sydney hops up from the seat beside me, points to my chest and proudly announces "MOM!"

I'm not sure WHO was prouder... Sydney or Mommy.

What a smart kid!

At the clinic today, Sydney found a pair of boots that belonged to one of the ultrsound technicians and decided to put them on. They thought he was a pretty smart kid.

When we later met with the doctor, Sydney (like usual) was busy investigating all of the cabinet doors and drawers, as well as pressing all kinds of buttons. He likes to climb onto the chair to play with the blood pressure cuff. He likes to turn on the spot light that the doctor uses when doing exams. He also likes to turn on & off the switch on the end of the exam table, which we learned from the doctor is for the warming drawer used to heat the vaginal speculums. He is QUITE a BUSY KID!

Doctor left the room to get her stethoscope so that she could listen to my lungs. Sydney was sad that she left the room. He, too, likes our OB/GYN; perhaps, he remembers her from his "birth day". He didn't hesitate to take her stethoscope from her, put it around his neck and place the circular disk part onto his belly, as if he was listening to his abdomen. (He OBVIOUSLY paid attention at his 18-month well child checkup when his pediatrician listened to his belly, while Sydney watched attentively.)

Doctor asked "Are you getting good bowels sounds there, Sydney?" (The ear part was digging into his neck, instead of resting comfortably in his ears, but he didn't seem to notice.)

Doctor commented on how inquisitive he is, as well as predicted that our house must be VERY BABY-PROOFED with this busy boy on our hands.

Tonight, while Mike was cooking dinner and I was downloading the Ultrasound DVD pics onto the computer, Sydney was entertaining himself in the office - dumping out baskets of CD's onto the floor, playing "52-pickup" with all of the recipe cards in my recipe box, and tossing handfuls of cat food into the cat's water bowl.

As I was picking up the mess on the floor, Sydney reached onto the messy desk and managed to find an envelope. I watched - in awe - as he took one look at it, stuck out his tongue and started to lick the seal of the envelope.

SERIOUSLY?!?! How did he know to do that? (Granted, he did sit at the table and colored pictures while I licked our christmas envelopes closed, but those were a different size, color and shape AND he didn't seem to be paying attention to me at all! How did he know the difference between an envelope and an ordinary piece of paper?)

This kid never ceases to amaze me! Just think about all of the things he will teach his baby brother...

Baby2_20wk3d Ultrasound

We had talked about saving the news until Christmas, but there is NO WAY I can avoid talking to my mom for that many days. Plus, my cousin (Rachel) has her ultrasound tomorrow afternoon so, I figured that it was only fair to tell her (if I expect her to share her news with me).

They sent us home with 27 pics total. The 3d ones are creepy though.... looks like a bony chicken instead of a baby. So, decided NOT to share any of those. 

Everything indicates that baby is 2 days larger than expected and looks HEALTHY! (YAY!)

Here's a few pics from today:

Here you can see the arm and ear of Baby 2.

Here, you can see that Baby 2 is curled up.

Here is a side profile of Baby 2, looks a hand by the mouth.

Another side profile of Baby 2.

Um... this one speaks for itself! When Mike asked "how sure are you?" the technician quickly responded with 99.9%. (Those are pretty high odds, don't you think?)

I believe we are noticing the bump of the scrotum here.

Baby 2 is... 

A BOY!

Sydney will have a little BROTHER!!!

Our new (and improved) blog header! 

(I can't help, but to notice that Baby 2's side profile resembles Sydney's side profile.)

Rough nights

We have been having some rough nights here lately. Sydney hasn't slept through the night for DAYS and DAYS now. We think his teeth are bothering him.

He's been on the fussy side during the day from time-to-time, too - which is NOT his nature at all. You know he doesn't feel well (or something is bothering him) when he wants to sit (still) on your lap to snuggle or watch tv. With distractions, he tends to be better though; we had MANY giggle sessions today.

He's been given a dose of infant ibuprofen and after a few (failed) attempts at bedtime, is sleeping in his own bed.

Instead of staying up - just because I can - I am choosing to go to bed (since my uninterrupted sleep has been lacking lately.)

• • • • • •

Happy Birthday Auntie Karin! (We hope you have a WONDERFUL VACATION! Please give Uncle Mike a hug from all of us. And maybe... with fingers crossed... we'll be able to see you guys on Skype.)

Hats, Baking and tricks up his sleeve

On December 11th, Sydney woke from his nap and discovered lots and lots of SNOW! (He thought it was pretty funny that our car was completely covered.)

On the way upstairs, Sydney grabbed Mike's hat. We left it on the stairs and I told him that he could wear it when he woke up from his nap. (This kid doesn't forget a thing... he grabbed that silly hat right away and plopped it on his head.)

As I was putting him down for his nap, I told him that I needed his help in the kitchen to make cookies after his nap. He was pretty excited for that! I guess he had "a thing" for hats that day... as he wore the strainer on his head.

He wasn't quite sure WHAT we were going to do with all of these "things." After he helped me measure out all of the ingredients, we used the big mixer. Then, we rolled out our dough. (He kept reaching over and tearing off pieces of raw dough to eat.) He thought it was pretty fun, but didn't understand WHERE the cookies come into play. Then, as we started cutting out our cookies, he got REALLY, REALLY MAD that we couldn't eat them RIGHT NOW!!! He didn't want to wait for them to bake.

So, we had to take a break and color while they were in the oven. (I am LOVING how he is starting to purse his lips when he colors; he says "Oooooh!" as he tries the different colors on the paper. It is SO CUTE!)

I think that the cookies were WELL WORTH THE WAIT!

He likes them!!!

Someone has TRICKS up his sleeve!!!

Baby 2 is 20 weeks already?! Belly and Naming

I find this SO HARD TO BELIEVE that TODAY, I hit the halfway mark of this pregnancy. Seriously, I can hardly fathom the fact that THIS is 20-weeks already (as it seems to have gone by SO FAST and I still feel like I am "not that big")

I still have not given up sleeping on my stomach; although, I am thinking that I will have to quit that pretty soon (as baby and belly continue to grow rapidly.) I just read an email update that said that I should have gained about 10 pounds now and that soon, I can expect to gain a pound a week.

Today, at Sam's Club, we had stopped at the photo counter to ask about a particular camera model that now said "ON ORDER". One of the women in that department came over to join in our conversation and said "I just have to ask... is that a baby bump or bulky winter clothes under your jacket?"

Mike replied "She tells me that it is a baby; otherwise, she'll have to explain that beer belly."

Afterwards, I asked Mike "Is it REALLY getting THAT OBVIOUS? I still feel like it is pretty small actually." 

Mike clarified "Well, your jacket is definitely tighter across there. It's starting to look like a baby now, but isn't horribly obvious." (I unzipped my jacket and kept it open for the rest of our shopping trip - as not to draw attention to my ill-fitting jacket.)

NAMING

Although we are growing quite excited for the arrival of Baby 2, he/she remains nameless. (Good thing we have time on our hands...) We have a VERY SHORT LIST right now: there is ONE potential girl's name on it AND a potential middle name for a boy.

We wanted to pick a name that is NOT overly common. We didn't want Baby 2 to go to school with a name where there are 5 of them in a classroom of 24. 

I had liked an uncommon boy's name because the meaning of the English name is: From the Eagle Valley, which I thought was fitting since we can SEE the Mighty Mississippi River from our bedroom/office window. Although, we're starting to lean AWAY from the name now because it sounds a little too "like-like" with our last name. (Example: Pete Peterson having an overload of "Pete" or Jason Olson having a little too much "son-son" going on.) We are considering a middle name off of a family tree.

Mike suggested our (only) girl's name.

It was SO MUCH EASIER last time - when Sydney was going to be the name, regardless of gender. Although, if Sydney had been a girl instead... SHE would have had a name off of the most popular list (for girls).

Perhaps, naming rights will be easier after Tuesday's ultrasound; we hope to learn the sex of the baby and can focus our attention better at that point. Time will tell....

* * * * *

(NOTE: I really should start wearing the same bra when taking the belly pics because THAT seems to change from week to week as much as the baby bump does.) This was actually an odd angle, too, which isn't helping my cause any... Mike took it with the camera laying (propped slightly) on the table - shooting UP at me. (I did request that he NOT photograph my head though; thank you, honey! Perhaps it'll be easier when we get a new camera.)

We wish you a merry... chrisRmas?

I am SO THANKFUL that we've FINALLY used up this roll of giftwrap. I purposely wrapped the biggest things I could - just to use it up!

Merry ChrisRmas

Seriously?

I hope they got a GREAT DEAL for this misprint.

Babies keeping me up

Last night, we had a VERY ROUGH NIGHT with Sydney! He napped only an hour-and-a-half during the day and went to bed very well, leading me to believe that it would be a good night; although, he woke REPEATEDLY for the next few hours!!! Grrrr!

Now, I - the silly mom - tend to stay up at night when the house is quiet to sit quietly, check my email, check facebook and blog, but I - for once - was RESPONSIBLE and went to bed by 9:30pm (which I SHOULD do again tonight, if I hurry with this post!) I laid in bed, trying to get comfortable with my stuffy head and limited sleeping positions. Baby 2 likes to bounce around when I go to bed, too so, THAT hasn't been helping my cause to fall asleep any easier this past week either. Just as I fell asleep, Sydney started screaming!

I comforted him, snuggling in the recliner for a few minutes and put him back in bed.

I returned to bed; again, struggling to get comfortable. Again, just as I fell asleep, Sydney started screaming! (See a pattern here?)

The next time, I wanted to let him cry it out to see if he would fall back asleep on his own, but his cries turned to "HELP, HELP, I'M HURT!" instead of the regular "HEY, I DON'T WANT TO BE IN HERE!) cries.

"OW!" Sydney yelled. "OWWWWwwwwwww!"

The little stinker has (somehow) figured out how to push his leg through the rungs on his bed, but then can't get his knee backed out again. Part of it may be that he panics and then there is no rational thinking that can get him to bend or straighten his leg to attempt the escape on his own. So, I saved him and we snuggled AGAIN!

At one point, Mike announced "You can bring him in bed with us if you have to."

I responded "I don't like to get into the habit of doing that."

Mike rolled over and went back to sleep. I attempted to sleep, but the baby was bouncing inside my belly again.

As I was drifting off to sleep, Sydney started yelling AGAIN! That time, I took Mike up on his offer to let Sydney sleep between us in the bed. Funny thing is... Mike had NO IDEA that Sydney was even IN the bed with us! He had NO recollection of it AT ALL today!!!

It was around 11:40 when I put Sydney back into his own bed. Back to bed with the bouncy baby belly.... although, this time, I don't think it took my EXHAUSTED body very long to shut down and fall asleep! (THANKFULLY, Sydney slept through the rest of the night... waking around 8:40am.) And I was pleased with 8 hours of sleep... even if I did have to get up THREE TIMES to go to the bathroom!

No one ever said that parenting would be easy, but ultimately we really DO have TONS OF FUN!!!

Signing out at 9:32pm. (NOT BAD!!!) Going to go turn off the Christmas tree lights, hit the bathroom (hopefully) one last time and headed to bed myself!

Hello Santa, I'm on the NICE LIST

Stopped by the mall this afternoon; while we were there, I decided that we should WALK PAST Santa to see what kind of a reaction we would get out of Sydney. (Granted, the kid is SO FRIENDLY that he would follow most strangers home - much like a lost puppy - so, we thought it MIGHT be interesting.)

There were 2 kids in Santa's lap when we got there (and no line). Sydney was busy checking out a statue of an elf that stood behind a fence - with a GIANT ball ornament next to it. Sydney was reaching into the fence to touch the giant ball. Santa reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper for Sydney.

"Sydney, Santa has a piece of paper for you." I announced. "Should we go get it?"

Sydney held my hand and took a few steps towards the man in red. I encouraged him "It's OK. You can get the paper from Santa."

Sydney apprehensively side-stepped closer towards Santa and took the paper.

"Tell Santa THANK YOU." 

Sydney politely signed THANK YOU.

As we walked away, Santa asked what he wanted for Christmas. Mike announced "He's pretty interested in this GIANT BALL over here." We mentioned to Santa that the tree had to be elevated because Sydney was taking the ball ornaments off faster than we could put them up - and kicking them across the floor.

Santa laughed "HoHoHo". Sydney grinned from ear-to-ear, thinking that it was funny to hear Santa say HoHoHo.

We didn't push him to sit on Santa's lap, nor did we offer to buy the cheapest ($13) photo package for one 5x7 photo with Santa. On our way back towards our car, we walked past Santa again. Sydney quietly said "HoHoHo", smiled and waved BYE-BYE.

Despite sometimes being a little naughty, we're pretty sure that he's on Santa's NICE LIST.

Words for the week of 12/5-12/11/2010

At Sydney's 18-month well-child appointment on 12/1, we were slightly concerned about Sydney's lack of spoken words. The pediatrician assured us that he will talk when he is ready and that there is NOTHING WRONG WITH HIM; in fact, assured us that he is MUCH BRIGHTER than the average 18-month old.

This past week, we seem to have had an EXPLOSION of words for the formerly mostly silent kid! 

When he sees Santa Claus (on the wrapping paper, on a Christmas ornament, on television or the Santa figurine on the banister) he announces HoHoHo.

His favorite new word is "UP!" He says it loud & proud! He says it often in the kitchen when he wants to be held so he can see higher. He says it when he wants to get into his booster seat or high chair. He says it when he wants to get out of his booster seat. He says it when he wants to escape from the shopping cart at the grocery store. He says it when he wants up on the couch (even though he is skilled enough to climb UP himself.)

In the grocery store, mostly at the check-out after he had already signed ALL-DONE, he kept saying it: up (pause) Up (pause) UP (pause) UP-UP-UP! (He thought that somehow, by repeating it often (and louder each time), that I would release him from the seatbelt and let him roam free. (Many onlookers smiled and laughed.)

Suddenly, he is saying MA-MA and DA-DA. (Sometimes, he seems to invert his words: calling me AHM-MA and Mike AHD-DAH; although, Mike and Grandpa Lowell thought he might just be saying HI MA and HI DA.) 

When eating a snowball, Sydney proudly said YUM, YUM, YUM. 

In his Little Monsters book, there is a page where the monster has outstretched arms and the words read I DID IT; Sydney now acts out the picture and announces I DID IT. 

The end of another Little Monster story is "Good Night" but I always read "Ni-Night" instead; Sydney now says NI-NIGHT (as well as signing it in baby sign language).

He tries to say OWL. He likes to look at the plastic owl yard decor (for deterring mice in your yard) whenever we visit daddy at work. There are owls in some of his books, too. One of the YahooNews stories the other night featured an article about bad toys - showing a critter that slightly resembled an owl; Sydney saw it on the computer screen, pointed and announced OWL.

Sydney says OW! He is now notorious for forcing his leg through the rungs of the crib and getting his knee stuck. He stands, cornered, yelling OW! (Sometimes, he says it when he runs into something or bumps his head, too.)

When his crayons fall on the floor, he now announces UH. (That is his version of Uh-Oh, but the Oh-part is silent.)

In his ANIMAL SOUNDS book, he likes to open to the page with the snake; now, he proudly hisses the "Ssssssss" of the snake.

If Sydney is holding a bowl or standing in the kitchen and makes the "Ssssss" sound, that is his way of saying "raisinSSSSsssss"

At Walgreens, when we picked up our photo Christmas card, he started laughing hysterically and announced "Gggg, Gggg!" Stumped, I said "What's THAT word?" He grabbed my chin and redirected my focus to some stuffed animals that were FROGS! "Frog?" I questioned. Sydney smiled proudly and nodded YES. (Funny how he is picking up certain SOUNDS of different words; I guess everyone has to start somewhere.)

We've also been hearing him say ELMO, which sometimes sounds like AhH-Mo, but other times, he nails it perfectly.

• • • • •

On a separate note, Grandpa Lowell and Sydney have been PRETEND FISHING for MONTHS and MONTHS! With Sydney on his lap, Grandpa casts an invisible rod, makes a PLOP sound when the invisible lure hits the water, reels it in and jerks the pole to announce "GOT IT!" (Sydney thinks it is great fun! He LOVES "fishing" with Grandpa.)

Last night, at Olive Garden, Grandpa announced that he and Sydney were going to go fishing. They both cast out their invisible rods and reeled them in. (This was a new thing for Sydney! Mommy and Daddy were VERY IMPRESSED!!!) 

It was SO stinking cute to watch him reel in his invisible fishing pole! (Grandpa thinks that Sydney might be ready for "the real thing" this summer at a nearby pond.)

Baby 2 at 19 weeks (belly pic)

Baby belly is getting bigger. Mike pointed out to me that it sticks out as far as my boobs, if not a little farther. (Those, by the way, feel like they are getting fuller and heavier again so, they must have gotten the memo to get out of post-breastfeeding mode and back into start-up mode again.)

My hips have been bothering me; technically, I think the chiropractor would argue that it is my LOW BACK and NOT really my hip at all. I'm sure that all of the bending and lifting I do with Sydney, as well as standing and jumping over baby gates doesn't really help. That, and the fact that I am carrying Sydney's weigh PLUS my own a lot of the time. (Thankfully, I started this pregnancy 20 pounds lighter than the last one.) Perhaps, shoveling snow is not the recommended thing to do either....

My varicose veins have been BULGING out of my left leg for the entire month. I wear support hose during the day and sometimes add an extra ankle support for that sore and swollen left ankle. I wonder: WHY my legs are so much worse this time around? (At Kerri's wedding, I talked to a chiropractor (that I went to high school with) about my back. Instantly, he assumed "Let me guess, you're wearing high heels under that dress" to which I proudly lifted the bottom to show him my ultra flat shoes. (I almost wish I would have been wearing tennis shoes.) I also announced "AND I am even wearing TWO PAIRS of support hose... thigh high (hospital white gauze) and knee high (that look like nylons in case anyone saw my feet and lower legs). 

Yesterday, I laughed at my INBOX when I saw the email "HUNGRY AS AN OX?"

That is EXACTLY how I have been feeling for much of this past week!!! I have been STARVING AGAIN, have been eating large meals AND have felt the need for snacking or else I feel sick to my stomach. (I secretly fear how much weight I will have gained over the past month when I go in for my next appointment. Hopefully, it is still within an acceptable range. I believe I have gained about 9 pounds as of last check.)

Baby development status at 19 weeks

Baby's sensory development is exploding! The 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 . His/her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of his/her body now. His/her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on the scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on the skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

(We were just looking at Sydney's ELMO doll the other day and calculated that the baby would be about as big as Elmo is, with the exception that it's arms and legs would be more proportional to a human than a stuffed animal, most likely within this next week. Looks like our guess was almost dead-on. When holding Elmo up to my belly, it is AMAZING to think that there is a baby that size crammed into my tiny belly. It's no wonder that I've been feeling it move a lot this past week; it keeps me up at night when I am trying to fall asleep, but is too faint for Mike to feel it yet.)

How your life's changing:

 

Think you're big now? You'll start growing even faster in the weeks to come. 

(My thought when reading this was: I really didn't think I was big yet; still consider it to look just slightly larger than a beer belly. At least Mike confirmed that it does NOT look like a beer belly because it is starting to look like a baby belly now. Given my recent hunger though, I am not surprised at all to read that I'll be growing even faster in the weeks to come.)

You may be noticing some skin changes, too. That darkened line running from your belly button to your pubic bone is called the linea nigra, or "dark line."

(I have not really noticed any skin changes - other than the fact that I finally seem to be getting out of the acne phase that has struck me so far. I kept waiting for that "pregnant, healthy glow". I do NOT have the "dark line" yet, but remember it from last time - as it stayed with me WELL AFTER BIRTH!!!)

I am anxious for when baby's movements are strong enough to be felt from the outside world. (I know that Mike misses out on all of this excitement that I get to experience early-on. If only I could have shared my morning sickness with HIM instead...)

TisTheSeason

Heard about Wordle.net on a scrapbooker's blog. Was able to enter a list of words - repeating them on the list to make them appear larger - and it composes a BEAUTIFUL collage of words.

Some of my favorites: Glad The Neighbors Use Their Snowblower @ Our House, HoHoHo

AND Sydney Thinks They're Balls

Although, anyone that knows me well knows that Wrapping Beautiful Presents, Holiday Baking and Spending Time with Family are my FAVORITE THINGS!

Our Typical Day at 18 months

Sydney used to wake around 7am; nowadays, he is sleeping until 8/8:15am. (Sometimes later if he was up late the night before or if the house remains especially quiet.)

Fresh Diaper.

Breakfast. (When Mike is home, he often makes Sydney an egg & cheese omelette. Other times, we have oatmeal or CoCoWheats. Sydney likes to have cold cereal WITH MILK; if given the choice between Cinnamon Cheerio-shaped cereal, Cinnamon Life or Corn Chex - he almost always (surprisingly) picks the Chex cereal. Cinnamon Raisin Toast with Cinnamon Sugar is yummy somedays, too. Now that blueberries and fresh red raspberries are out of season, we have to settle for bananas, canned fruit or apple slices.)

Sesame Street is on at 9am. We normally turn the tv on within this hour, making sure that we've eaten breakfast first. Sid the Science Kid comes on after Sesame Street on PBSkids (10am). Sydney enjoys that half-hour show some days.

Sydney used to go down for a morning nap around 10:30, but seems to have FINALLY started getting more accustomed to one nap now. It was a rough transition to give up that morning nap; he seemed to be OK skipping it here or there, but wasn't ready to give it up completely. There are days when he has tempter tantrums and fusses when he doesn't get his way, but part of that comes with the age, I'm told. Sometimes, we have a snack before lunch - some apple slices or some Cheerios.

We play A LOT! We read books, play with puzzles or toys and just act silly - with tickling and chasing. Sometimes, he wants to sit in his booster seat and write with an ink pen on a piece of paper; other days, he prefers to scribble with crayons. Often we cook (or pretend to cook). 

Between 11 and 12, we're working on lunch so that Sydney can go down for his afternoon nap. He needs to UNWIND for at least 20 minutes before he is ready to go to sleep. (He almost ALWAYS yells and fusses, protesting naps and bedtime.)

Fresh Diaper and a snack, if he asks for it.

More playtime! Sometimes, he is a helper in the kitchen so that we can make dinner.

After dinner, more playtime!

We normally start winding him down anytime after 7:30pm. We diaper and put jammies on. We brush his teeth and corral him in his bedroom. He used to sit in our lap while we read books in the recliner; now, he is much too busy to sit still. He likes to CLIMB ALL OVER! He comes over to look at the pictures in his books from time to time, listening to the story and knowing when there is a page he likes to look at. (We used to read picture books, but then, started to read story books - like Sheep in a Jeep; then, we used to read Guess How Much I Love You (Sydney would act out the "I love you THIS MUCH" as he would hold out his arms, like the bunny in the book.) Now, he INSISTS upon reading from the Mercer Meyer's Little Monster's Story Collection; we often read Daddy's picks: Just for You, When I get Bigger, or Mommy's Picks: All By Myself, and Just Go to Bed. (We both skip the story I Was So Mad because we don't want to promote excessive anger or plant the seed that it is OK to try to run away from home.)

Mommy sings Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and Sound of Music's Do Re Mi before one last round of Twinkle, Twinkle. (When Daddy takes a turn, he sings the alphabet and the Gilligan's Island theme song.)

Rarely do we put him in his bed without a fuss. He normally cries for at least a minute. (Gosh, it would be nice to do it daily without any fuss. Somewhere along the line, we must have done SOMETHING wrong; I think we spoiled him.) On average, he goes to sleep by/around 8:15.

Baby 2 at 18 weeks, LBG at 18 months

Comparison photos: 13, 16 and now 18 weeks.

Baby Belly is getting bigger. (Although, with self-portraits in the mirror, it is difficult to capture the same angle... or to get a photo that is in focus, for that matter. Thankfully, I am able to crop off my face in these pictures because the expression is not one that is photo-worthy.) The baby belly IS getting bigger, especially when I sit and my muscles are more relaxed.

Sydney's "new thing" is that he's constantly lifting my shirt and resting his cheek (or his hands) on my belly. We keep telling him that there's a baby in there, but we're not sure that he quite understands exactly what that means. The other day, during one of his belly hugs,  Mike asked him "Where's the baby?" Sydney pointed to my belly. (Mike keeps assuring me that "he just wants to give his little sister a hug"; Mike remains hopeful for a girl, but we hope to discover the truth at our ultrasound in another 15 days. All joking aside, we hope for HEALTHY & HAPPY more than either sex.)

I have been VERY HUNGRY on-and-off for the past few weeks. I have also been noticing more and more subtle KICKS from the baby, especially at night when I lay down and occasionally when I sit at the computer. Baby 2 should be nearing 5" long from crown to rump. 

Hopefully, if Baby 2 can hear "outside", he/she isn't taking lessons from big brother Sydney right now... as 18-month old Sydney has been demonstrating temper tantrums and expressions of frustration for the past few weeks. Sydney enjoys testing his boundaries, especially when he is told "No!" 

• pulling on the curtains, told NO, smiling mischievously and doing it again... timeout in "naughty corner", smiling mischievously and purposely doing it again because he somehow thinks this is a HILARIOUS new game! 
• He also SCREAMED and thrashed his body at the store the other day when he was playing with a toy and we made him put it back; Mike took him out to the car while I purchased our few items. By the time I got there, Sydney was STILL screaming. He was really, REALLY MAD! 
• Bedtime has been bringing battles as well; Sydney doesn't want to miss anything so, he throws himself onto the mattress on the floor - in protest. 
• He's determined that he wants what HE wants to eat (when HE wants to eat it). He wanted some grapes yesterday after he spotted them in the back of the fridge, but we weren't giving him any because he got another butt rash - which happens nearly every time he has grapes. He ran into the living room and threw his body into the recliner, screaming and yelling all the way. Glancing from the kitchen, we laughed because he would stop his tantrum to see if we were looking and would start up again if we were in sight. (He KNOWS what he's doing.) As for the grapes, he LOVES THEM! It seems that he cuts new teeth near the times we feed him grapes so, we've wondered for a while now if the rash was from grapes or teething. Last night, while laying in bed, I realized that the butt rash COULD be from the amoxicillin and not the grapes at all. I plan to call the doctor for an anti-fungal cream for him and perhaps, we can eat grapes again afterall...
  

What a funny "Little Big Guy" (LBG)

Happy 1st Wedding Anniversary Mike & Karin

Wishing Mike & Karin a happy 1st wedding anniversary. 

(Hopefully, next year, you'll be able to spend it together.)

Putting the tree up, as well as even higher

We put up our Christmas tree. The branches were fluffed and the lights were strung while Sydney napped. (I had prepped him by telling him that we were going to put a tree in the corner of our dining room earlier in the week and earlier in the day.) 

I was just finishing up the beaded garland strings when he woke from his nap. (To him, those looked a lot like Grandma Olson's necklaces, which are always fair game to play with... until he puts them into his mouth.)

We went on to add some ornaments to the tree. Sydney, however, had other goals in mind. To him, any ornament that resembled a ball - to him WAS a ball. He kept taking them off of the tree as fast as Mike was putting them up. Then, he would set them on the floor and kick them with his feet. We kept explaining that these are NOT BALLS, but he didn't believe us at all. We broke one ornament, as he crushed it in his hand - trying to keep it from us. (He was NOT hurt; although, I think he felt badly that we said it was broken and had to sweep up the pieces.)

We tried putting the pet yard around the tree, but Sydney kept moving it to get at the tree. He was determined to get at all of those balls.

We contemplated taking down the tree. We contemplated leaving the tree and removing all of the ornaments. 

We assured ourselves that next year, Sydney will be older (hopefully, leaving it alone) and the new baby will be too little to be bothered by the tree; the year following that, however, we will be in the same boat all over again. 

Mike suggested that we put the tree out of reach. We took our "table" from the sunporch, covered it with a white shower curtain and set the tree on top of it. The pet yard went around the base for a little added protection. Any of the ornaments that were at the bottom of the tree were moved UP and out of reach. Thankfully, we have high ceilings in our dining room. We made it work so that we can all enjoy the beauty that the season brings.

We did tell Sydney that Santa says "Ho! Ho! Ho!" (Sydney tried saying it, too... which was SUPER CUTE, but he has to be in the right mood to cooperate.)

So, this year - we put the tree up... and then, we put it up again!

Sesame Street LIVE 2010

Grandma Olson, Mommy and Sydney went to see Sesame Street LIVE in Milwaukee over Thanksgiving weekend. Given Sydney's HUGE LOVE of Sesame Street, I expected a HUGE reaction out of him. While we walked through the arena to find our seats, Sydney was SUPER EXCITED whenever he saw a little kid, especially one with a Sesame Street shirt on. 

This was his (emotionless) reaction throughout the entire show. I had expected him to be smiling and pointing, as well as grabbing my chin to make me look in the direction where he saw something exciting. He pretty much just stared...

Abby Cadabby, Zoe, Big Bird, Telly Monster, Ernie and a Honker.

Ernie, Zoe, Honker, Elmo, Big Bird, Abby, Cookie Monster, Count and Girl Grouch

Before the show, Mommy and Sydney posed for a picture.

...and posed for a quick one after the show. (We left a few minutes early because Sydney was getting fussy.)

After all was said and done, he was more excited to see kids than the show. If he would have felt better and been more rested, he probably would have enjoyed it more. He had a VERY BUSY weekend, taking in LOTS of new things.

Next year, I think we'll try to see it in Dubuque instead. Friends Kate and Lucy went there and I'm told that it was "the best day of Lucy's life... EVER!" (That was the kind of reaction I had been hoping for.) Maybe we'll go with them next year...

Wedding of Kerri & Greg

 Jenny and Leann (and their families) took some pictures from the wedding and shared them with us...

Here comes the (BEAUTIFUL) bride... my best friend since 6th grade.

The bridesmaids... please note that I am wearing ULTRA FLATS while they are all wearing massive heals and I STILL tower over them all. Thankfully, Kerri picked dresses that have pockets in them... great for Kleenex and lemon drops. It was nice that the lower half was flowy, too... hid my little baby bump well. (L to R: Sarah, Leann, Jenny and Linda)

The happy couple... Mr. & Mrs. Lewis  :)

Sydney dined with Grandma & Grandpa Olson and was SUPER EXCITED to see that he got french fries with his kids meal. He wasn't overly interested in the chicken tenders, but dipping french fries in BBQ sauce, I'm told, was pretty darned cool. Sydney was dressed in a white dress shirt, brown dress pants, brown shoes and a brown tweed vest; he looked ADORABLE!!! What a handsome little man! (Takes after his daddy...)

Our handsome little man...

Sydney LOVES Kerri!!!! He gave her a handful of kisses on her wedding day, but Greg didn't seem to mind (because he got a HIGH FIVE.) We packed two toy trucks in the diaper bag, which came in handy... Sydney played with 3 year old Makua. (He's Hawaiian, hence the name.) They also enjoyed chasing each other around on the dance floor while people were eating.

Grandma & Grandpa Olson snuck in a dance while Sydney hung out with Mommy for a few minutes.

WOW, what a week (or two)!

We had an INCREDIBLY BUSY (and rough) week last week. Sydney and Mommy went to WI on Tuesday afternoon and didn't return home again until Monday morning. Of all those nights away from home, Sydney decided that SATURDAY was THE ONLY NIGHT he wanted to sleep through the night! We were in town for my best friend's wedding, Thanksgiving holiday, Sesame Street LIVE concert and a bridal shower for my cousin.

Tuesday: PM dress fitting and eyebrow waxing

Wednesday: Lunch date with Grandma Olson, Aunt Sue, Rachel & Kristen. Sarah to wedding rehearsal and dinner. Sydney to family thanksgiving with Grandma & Grandpa. Late night for everyone.

Thursday: Thanksgiving feast at Aunt Sue's house

Friday: Sarah to church early for wedding. Sydney to follow with Grandma & Grandpa. Reception to follow. Late night for everyone.

Saturday: Sesame Street LIVE in afternoon for Grandma Olson, Mommy and Sydney. Light shopping afterwards so that Mommy could find something to wear to cousin Rachel's January wedding.

Sunday: Afternoon bridal shower, early bedtime for everyone.

Monday: home again, home again...

Mike, too, had a busy week. He spent the majority of his time at work; although, he made an attempt to clean up the garage (until he put too much weight onto the wall shelves and they crashed to the ground) and to patch the leak in the bottom of the bathtub (that he claims peeled off like a bandaid). He did NOT have a stress-free week without us... as he had multiple cold sores by the time we got home.

Tuesday: PM lonely since Mommy & Sydney left.

Wednesday: work

Thursday: OFF for Thanksgiving, dinner at casino with Grandpa Lowell

Friday: work

Saturday: work

Sunday: work

Monday: work, anxious for family to return home

This week, we enjoyed spending all of Tuesday off with Mike. We had dinner at Grandpa Lowell's Tuesday night. We took Sydney to the doctor on Wednesday for his 18-month Well Child appointment and he left with a prescription for amoxicillin to get rid of his congestion, cough and ear fluid. Thursday, Mommy went to the doctor and also got a prescription for amoxicillin to get rid of a sinus infection and a possible UTI. We look forward to Mike's short day on Friday, as well as spending the ENTIRE WEEKEND with him at home!

Chiropractor's relief

This afternoon, I called the chiropractor and asked if he had anything available for this afternoon or tomorrow morning. I have been suffering - on and off - for at least a week with pain in my low back and (mostly right) hip.

I laughed at him when he suggested that I come in on (or around) the first of every month through the pregnancy. I thought that was overkill since I didn't seem to be having problems that justified a monthly adjustment. Boy, did I feel silly when a week or so later, I called - begging for an adjustment. It seems that after only a few days, that hip feels out of whack again - sometimes cutting off strength in that leg or giving out.

He confirmed... AHHHH, the JOYS of pregnancy! (The pregnancy hormones are causing everything in my body to relax - making it easier for things to slip out of alignment.)

Following today's adjustment, I still feel a lot of pain; although, he assures me that it was all of the muscles wondering "what the heck just happened?" after he twisted me up and pounced on me. We also discussed what I can do to attempt to have relief for longer periods of time...

1) Pillow between my legs when side-sleeping.

2) Double it over to make it thicker, if need be.

3) Try NOT to cross my legs anymore when I sit.

Hopefully, I can make it a few weeks now... although, my posture and center of balance are also changing ever-so-slightly.... (In fact, the most recent belly pic DOES show the slightest bit of rounding... definitely starting to look like a very small beer belly now!)

Felt the slightest bit of movement and LOTS of hunger

On Friday, I went to bed for about a minute before I decided to get up for a bedtime snack.

When I came back to bed, as I lay partially on my side/partially on my belly, I felt the slightest bit of movement in my belly that did NOT feel like gas. Ahhhh, the wonderful memories of how fun that was to lay in bed at night, feeling Sydney bang around in there!

Back to reality... Sydney woke me an hour later and proceeded to be a stinker for the next 4 hours!!! About two hours into his shenanigans, I managed to get him to settle down for a little while in his crib. As I lay on the mattress in his room, all I could think about was how incredibly hungry I was, despite having a bedtime snack. As soon as I could, I snuck downstairs to eat again. (Earlier in the week, I had made some creamed eggs on toast so that Mike would have something quick and easy to reheat for his 4am breakfasts, but I had to have some because I was STARVING and it sounded really good to me.) We battled with Sydney until 3:45am when I finally crawled back into bed; thankfully, the ibuprofen had kicked in and he went right to sleep.

Saturday morning, Mike cooked breakfast. He made me an omelette (to share a little with Sydney, but Sydney was NOT interested) so, I ate the whole thing. He was perplexed that I could eat that much. Sadly, two hours later, I was STARVING AGAIN and felt as if I hadn't eaten anything all day. Despite eating and drinking all day, I was SO INCREDIBLY HUNGRY! I went to bed and craved PIZZA, but didn't get up to satisfy my craving.

Thankfully, today (Sunday) I managed to keep my hunger under control again. I'm guessing that baby was having a little growth spurt. Latest email updates indicate that it will double it's weight and grow a few inches in length within the next week or two.

Looking back on the blog, I saw that at 17 weeks, I wrote that I was awakened from a sound sleep - wondering WHAT WAS THAT? as I felt Sydney move inside my belly. Other than that, the slight movements I had been feeling, I was unsure if it was baby or just gas. I mentioned at 18 weeks that I was starting to feel a little bit of movement when I laid down at night.

I recall at 19.5 weeks, at the ultrasound, I didn't think I had felt very much movement yet - only at night when I laid down. I also remember how freaked out I was that during the ultrasound, Sydney had done a somersault and flipped completely the other direction and I only felt a minimal little flutter.

Had a bedtime snack of some string cheese; now, time to go back to bed. (...Craving McDonald's Filet-o-Fish...)