Being a Big Boy

The big boys love to sleep in just their underwear these days. I can't really blame them, 3 kids in a room can make it a bit sweaty/stuffy. But Reid is not to be trusted in just his diaper, not at all. So we found some old underwear of the boys to put on top of his diaper. Is it even possible for him to look MORE like a little man?

38 weeks 4 days

Sweet mercy this baby boy is going to be big! I am 10 days out from my due date. It could happen this week (hopefully) or next! Can't wait to meet this precious little boy.

Photo By Zane

This afternoon Zane tried to stage a photo session with the little kiddos. He kept trying to pose them and make them do certain things (he certainly isn't a control freak though...) for the pictures. This one was just too cute not to post!

Go Outside and Play!

The boys got home today from school and the weather is just glorious. 70 degrees outside and I tell them to go out and play. Next thing I know this is what I see. Two boys with their nose in a book. At least they are getting some sun and fresh air I guess.

The Next Baby...

Gwen was not happy that we were having a boy when we originally found out. Not at all. She was "grumpy" about a baby brother and certainly didn't leave anyone guessing about her emotions. However, it seemed as though she decided to accept that this new baby is going to be a brother. But in the last few weeks I have gotten a hint that there was something else going on in her little mind.

I think Gwen has told herself that it is ok that we are having a baby brother this time because the NEXT baby is going to be a girl. She keeps finding baby girl head bands and telling me that they are for the baby sister. The one that is coming next. Oh boy. I attempted to tell her this morning that there are no guarantees in life about brothers or sisters. That mom's and dad's don't get to pick which one comes, we just get to love the baby that we get. Gwen sat and glared at me. Glared with an amazing amount of betrayal in her eyes and then ran to her room and threw herself on her bed sobbing. I left her for a moment or two and then peeked in the door. She saw me looking at her and then yelled at me, "Don't even look at me!" and threw her covers over her head. It was every bit a tween tv show. I walked away. If I didn't know she was so heartbroken I probably would have gotten after her a bit for the drama. But I could tell she was genuinely upset about this betrayal and how I could not promise a baby sister for her. SIGH. It's tough to be so passionate about stuff.

"Math is Cool" Competition

Andrew has been part of the math team at his school for the whole year. The 4th grade students selected for the math team were placed there based on their performance on the 3rd grade math MSP as well as a teacher referral. After school practices were required to learn the different disciplines of the competition and figure out team assignments. Andrew was very happy to be spending extra time working on a subject he loves. Math is a breeze for him!

The competition was at Mt. Rainer High School and it lasted for over 5 hours. Parents were allowed to come to watch the college bowl portion and the award ceremony. While Andrew didn't win any individual awards it was a lot of fun to see him having such a good time. He was incredibly nervous about the competition for a few days before and the morning of but he came around and did great. When Eric and I got to the school he was bouncing around and chattering non-stop. It was really nice to see.

If Andrew were to get invited to join the team for next year again he would definitely accept. It was a wonderfully positive experience for him!

Belly Update! 36 Weeks

Almost there! Time is moving swiftly to my due date with this little man. I am feeling pretty good for the most part although quite large and uncomfortable most of the time. Sleep has been pretty good with one bad night or two a week. Not horrible for this stage of the game. I have all my appointments scheduled for the remainder of my pregnancy which means that I can play the guessing game on when this little man will make an appearance. My best guess right now is May 4th or 8th (which is my due date). I have doctor appointments the days before both and that usually sends me into labor that evening. Ideally it would be May 4th, because that is a Saturday and would be the least disruptive for everyone. But babies come when they want to so I will be happy to meet him when he decides the timing is right. No for sure name has been decided yet but we have a couple that are bouncing around. I guess we will just have to meet him and then decide. Getting super excited for sure!

Beans, Beans!

Reid got this fun sensory box for his birthday last week. And it is proving to be a hit with more than just the 2 year old. The kids were feeling squirrley and needed something to do so I decided to pull it out.

Currently there is some singing going on and lots of moving the beans from one section to another. And since Reid is so type A the beans are generally staying IN the box rather than all over the floor.

Reid's Big Boy Bed Update

Reid has been sleeping in the big boys room for a couple of weeks now and it has been with mixed results. The first few days went great. He stayed in bed and fell asleep quickly and easily. Then he figured out he could get up and out of the room anytime he wanted.

The past few days he has been a holy terror of naughtiness at nap/bedtime. We finally resorted to making it impossible for him to get out of his room. He generally isn't destructive in his room, he just plays a huge game with coming in and out of his room. This is not a fun game for a 9 months pregnant mom. It is very cute that he loves to snuggle with Zane. Last night when it was bedtime Reid climbed into bed with Zane. He didn't stay there but it was awfully cute. Zane insisted that I take pictures of the two of them this morning while they snuggled in Reid's toddler bed. They are such good buddies!

Snuggle Time with Sissy

There is a lack of couch space at our house right now. I am spending a LOT of time laying down these days. So while we mellowed before bed and watched some Wheel of Fortune, Lucy took care of Reid snuggle time. He doesn't usually tolerate being held by his siblings so this was especially sweet.

Reid Isaiah's 2 Year Checkup

Reid had his 2 year old check this week and there were a few things that I wanted to check in with the doctor about. The first item was his continued issues with milk and soft cheeses. Everything that I have read and heard said that by the time he was two he 'should' have grown out of this particular allergy. I told our pediatrician that I have yet to try straight milk but that the last time I fed him ravioli with ricotta cheese he threw up the next day and had horrid diapers for 3 days. She agreed that was enough to consider it still an allergy. I can't tell if it bothers his stomach though and she thought that it would be worth continuing to try those type of things periodically when he can tell us if they make him feel sick to his stomach. Poor kid. No ice cream for him.

The second thing I had to chat with her about was his repeat ear infections at the same time of year two years in a row. He seems to be sensitive to something at the end of January/start of February and gets horrid ear infections from them. She gave me dosing for Zyrtec that I can give him next time around. I thought maybe he is allergic to something and she didn't think my theory was too bad. So we will give it a shot next year. He is so healthy usually and even when he has a cold he can kick it quickly so two years in a row at the same time is puzzling.

All in all though he is super healthy and developmentally right on track. When I completed the survey I was pleasantly surprised to see that he was doing all things for his age group. Even his speech is considered well within the normal range. And of course we did the measurements. He is smaller than the big boys but I think he will eventually catch up to them!

Height: 35" (67%)
Weight: 29 lbs (63%)