33 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 33 weeks! Only 7(ish) more to go!

Size of baby: 17 inches long and a little over 4 pounds

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 21 lbs.

Maternity Clothes: I'm in mostly maternity clothes because I don't want to stretch out my "real" clothes, but I still wear some regular tops.

Gender: We're having a boy! Landon Matthew. :)

Movement: This baby is very active. All the time.

Sleep: What's that? I don't sleep very well these days, even with a body pillow. However, I somehow managed to sleep through a major storm last night (tornado sirens included), so I guess my few hours of sleep were quality, haha.

What I miss: Being skinny :) Okay, so that's a little vain. Sorry. Yesterday at church I bumped into no fewer than four different people because I no longer realize the size of my belly. I also miss being able to bend over like a normal person. Everyday activities are getting a little awkward. Hey, I can still see my toes though.

Cravings: Pretty much anything sweet. I'm making these tonight. Just try to stop me. 

Symptoms: I have to pee like all the time. TMI, but annoyingly true. And I'm pretty sure I'm starting to waddle. I feel like a whale these days. Please tell me I don't have 7 whole weeks left...

Best Moment this week: Finding out some exciting secret news last night. :)

Avery is having some major almost-two moments these days. She will just be the sweetest thing one minute, but then she'll go all Hyde on us and throw a full-fledged, screaming, hitting tantrum. Unfortunately, these are not restricted to when we're at home; I've started getting nervous anytime we have to go anywhere in public with her (church, the store, wherever). She's also going through a picky phase with her food, when she's always been a great eater. And bedtime? It has become a nightmare. I ended up just leaving her room in tears tonight and she eventually fell asleep.

I know these things are all normal at this age, but it's making me a little anxious for how she's going to adjust when she's not the center of attention at home. Who knows, maybe it'll be a good thing. And maybe her teeth are just bothering her. Sigh.

I've started feeling more pressure to get Landon's room finished (7 weeks really isn't that long!), and I'm just waiting for that whole nesting instinct to kick in. Right now I'm just trying to have enough energy to keep up with the normal housework. Maybe I'll have some progress to report next week. :)

Friday Five

1. Avery has been in rare form today. I take most of the blame since we kept her out until 10 last night while Matt helped me work at the church, but the whining has got to stop. Ah! I can't tell you how many times I repeat the following phrase in a day: "I do not hear whining, so if you'd like some help, you'll need to use words." I'm not sure how much of that sentence she actually comprehends, but it usually works.

2. So I had originally intended on just staying home today, but then I remembered a kazillion errands that we needed to run. We ended up heading into town to return some books and DVDs to the library, and since we were running so late, Matt was on his lunch break, so he came and hung out with us for a little bit (the public library is at the high school where he teaches). Then we had to go to Walmart to pick up Avery's new Elmo Potty DVD I ordered online (with a $10 credit, so it was essentially free-- score!), and since it was imperative to our bank account that I deposit a check today, we had to drive another 15 minutes to the bank. Poor girl was exhausted and starving by that point, so we drove through McD's so I could get her a hamburger and some french fries, and (no lie) she fell asleep in the middle of eating. I think she finished her (half) hamburger, but she was out. She is currently fast asleep in her super-dark room, and I'm just praying she takes a ridiculously long nap so I can shower, tackle some of my to-do list, and maybe nap myself. Maybe.

3. Okay, Operation Potty begins Monday. We're going hard core. I want Avery fully potty trained by May. Eek, I might be setting myself up for disappointment, but I have to give myself a goal, right? Anyway, any helpful tips you might have are greatly welcomed!

4. I'm so tired of hearing about the potential government shutdown. First of all, I'd rather the government get out of my life for the most part, so that side of me doesn't mind them just going away for a little bit. However, this not paying the military business and all the bickering that's going on for the purposes of political gain is just ridiculous. So get it together, people! Continue to pay the people who are putting their lives on the line for us, and come to an agreement that will get your outrageous spending under control. I'd rather my kids not have to pay for all of your stupid decisions.

5. Our last two weekends have been so chill. This weekend? Not so much. Tonight we have Dinner and a Movie night for the kiddos at church, so I've been trying to get ready for that all week. We'll probably head up there after Avery wakes up, and then we'll be there until 9ish (or whenever we finish cleaning up). Avery's spending the night at my parents' because my mom is keeping her on Saturday morning while I go to a VBS training event and Matt helps at the church workday. Saturday night we should actually be home, but Sunday is Missions Sunday at church, so there's a potluck after the service, and then after choir practice we're heading to Denton to hear my brother sing in a concert. I'm crossing my fingers that Avery will sit through the concert; she's a pro at the Ranger games, but I'm just not so sure how she'll do at a classical choral event. :)

I'm off to start that to-do list while Sleeping Beauty is still out. Hope you have a great weekend!

Wordless Wednesday: My Little Helper and the Ranger Game!

Go Rangers!

We got to go to our first Ranger game of the season last night! I'm so glad we at least made it to Opening Week; we had SO much fun! Our seats were way higher than we usually get, but we lucked out because the people next to us never showed up, and the people in front of us left in like the 3rd inning. It made for lots of extra room (which was nice since we had a huge bag and a squirmy toddler). Avery did so great though. She pretty much sat in our laps the entire time, and by the time we got in the car to leave, we couldn't get her to stop singing, "Let's go, Rangers!" (clap, clap, clap, clap, clap). Gotta start early, folks.

She was good to go with her awesome (albeit non-matching) shades. (Yes, we're keeping her front-facing; her seat doesn't fit in our car when it's rear-facing.)

Trying out her own seat...

Haha, this is her "cheese" smile. We might want to work on that. :) p.s. I was even able to wear my awesome jersey at 8 months pregnant (without stretching it)! Thanks again, Carrie!

This was right before she peed all over my leg. I wish I were kidding.

I just love this. Love love love.

The only family picture we could muster. Again with the "cheese" :)

"Let's go, Rangers!"

Eskimo kisses!

She decided by the end of the game that it was just too loud. She seriously held her ears closed for a whole inning.

My silly little girl...

Way to go, guys!

Checking things out before we headed home...

This was supposed to be a "we're so tired!" picture, but Avery decided to be all cute instead. p.s. Her jeans really weren't highwaters.

 Alright for 4 and 0! Not a bad way to start the season...

21 Months

Avery,

You hit the 21-month mark yesterday! It's still hard for me to believe that in just three short months you will be TWO!

You are so smart, talkative, and energetic. We love your little personality and how much you keep us on our toes!

• Daddy measured you yesterday, and you're 35 inches tall! If you could hold off on that extra inch until baseball season is over, we'd really appreciate not having to buy you your own ticket this year. :) 

• You wear a size 2T, but you have to wear 3T in pants because you're just so tall! You're still in size 5 diapers.

• Speaking of diapers, we decided that this is the month of the potty. You've gone on it before, but we haven't been consistent with potty training (mostly because of laziness on my part!). You're definitely ready for it though, and it would be so very nice not to be buying diapers for two babies this summer. 
• You say the funniest things! I really need to do a better job of writing them down. One of your new favorite phrases is "Thank you so much," and last night when Daddy was teasing you at the table, you told him, "Be nice, Daddy!" 

• You love your friends at school and church; you talk about them all the time!

• You still eat like a champ. You really love fruits, cheese, and bread, but you eat a pretty balanced diet overall. Getting you to eat meat is a little tricky because you only eat it if it's in small pieces and isn't too hard to chew. Vegetables are hit or miss; you'll eat corn, peas, sweet potatoes (are those vegetables?), spinach, and cooked carrots, but you don't really care for broccoli or green beans (my favorites!). 

• Bedtime is one of my favorite times of day with you. After dinner we usually play for a little bit (usually outside), and then you get your bath (around 7). You love your new bath crayons! After your bath we get your pjs on (your Elmo ones are your favorite!) and brush your teeth. You have gotten so good at letting us brush your teeth well, and you love it when we let you brush them yourself when we're done. Then we head to bed with milk (you drink it while we read to you), books, your baby doll, a blanket, and a cup of water (for the middle of the night). You love to read books, and we've started adding lots of Dr. Seuss to the repertoire. Our last book of the night is always Goodnight Moon (you love to find the little mouse in every picture), and after we turn out the light, we pray together and you ask us to rub your tummy before you fall asleep. It's the sweetest part of our day. We try to have you asleep by 7:30 (8 at the latest) because you're up by 8 in the morning. We're glad you're such a good sleeper!

• You can sing your entire ABCs and all of Jesus Loves Me. We've been trying to get you singing on video, but we have yet to be successful. 

• You've learned how to be bossy (I have no idea where you got that...), and you love to try to command Nutmeg to sit and stay. You also like to yell at people to "Come here!" You try to get your way a lot, so it seems like we're constantly working on obedience. :) You're figuring out cause and effect as well as choices, so it's a lot of learning going on at once.

We just love everything about you from your strong will to your silly quirks, and we can't wait to see you as a big sister!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

32 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights

 

How Far Along: 32 weeks! Only 8(ish) more to go!

Size of baby: About 16.7 inches long and about 3.75 pounds

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 21 lbs.(only 4 since my last appointment, which was a relief because, while I'm not against gaining weight [duh, I'm supposed to], I gained a LOT in short increments of time the last two visits, so I'm glad it's evening out now)

Maternity Clothes: I'm in mostly maternity clothes because I don't want to stretch out my "real" clothes, but I still wear some regular tops.

Gender: We're having a boy! Landon Matthew. :)

Movement: This baby is very active. All the time.

Sleep: What's that? I finally got out my trusty body pillow, and the verdict is... it doesn't help at all. I take forever to fall asleep, and then when I do finally drift off, I end up waking up multiple times a night because my back hurts, I have to pee, or Avery fell out of bed and I can hear her on the monitor (fortunately the last one only happens about once a week).

What I miss: Being skinny :) Okay, so that's a little vain. Sorry. I also miss being able to bend over like a normal person. Everyday activities are getting a little awkward. Hey, I can still see my toes though.

Cravings: Pretty much anything sweet

Symptoms: I have to pee like all the time. TMI, but annoyingly true. And I'm pretty sure I'm starting to waddle. I feel like a whale.

Best Moment this week: Washing and organizing Landon's clothes! I haven't gotten them all put away yet, but that will happen today. I got out some of Avery's neutral stuff (i.e. white onesies, green blankets, etc) from the attic, and I've been gradually building a collection from garage and consignment sales. I haven't washed any of his new stuff yet, but everything else is organized and ready to put away!

I also start two-week appointments now, so I go back to the doctor next week! That means that we're getting really close to the end! Hopefully that'll motivate me to start nesting. Maybe?

Friday Five

1. Today is OPENING DAY!! Well, technically yesterday was Opening Day for MLB, but today is the big day for the Texas Rangers! The only way I would be more excited is if we actually got to go to the Ballpark like we did last year, but that is unfortunately not the case. We'll just have to experience the magic from home. Or someone else's home since we have stupid regular TV and can hardly get any games anymore.

2. I don't even know when we'll be able to make it out to the Ballpark for our first game this year. Before Avery was born we went at least once a week. We even made it out to quite a few games the season she was born. It was harder to go last year because she requires a little more entertainment, but we're hoping that this year she'll enjoy watching the game (haha, maybe?) or at least enjoy the atmosphere. Our half-price ticket connection (hehe) comes back from Costa Rica at the end of April, so hopefully we can go to a game in May before Landon gets here (and he'll get his first taste of the Rangers as soon as possible; Avery's first game was when she was 5 weeks old!).

3. Since I'm on a baseball kick in this post, I would also like to inform you that I have been suckered into recruited to play Fantasy Baseball this year. I may be the only girl in the league, and I may be clueless as to how the league actually works (I've only played Fantasy Football, which so far seems way easier), but I refuse to lose. I probably won't win, but I will not come in last. Especially since my brother is convinced that I will. :)

4. And now to switch gears completely. Budget cuts in education. That was a fragment (don't worry, I don't teach English anymore).

I get that the state (well, really the whole country) is out of money. I get that that means that budgets have to be cut. I get that that means that even the most worthwhile things like education will suffer. I actually don't have a problem with cutting education budgets in general because honestly I saw so much excessive, unnecessary spending in our district when I was teaching. (Keep in mind, I was in a great district, and I'm almost positive that kind of spending went on in most, if not all, Texas districts, simply because the money was there.)

What I do have a problem with is how districts (at least ours) are choosing to cut budgets, and that is in the way of teachers. I'm sure that because of the sheer amount of money that needed to be saved, the problem could only be solved by eliminating some positions. What makes me crazy is that seniority seems to be playing the biggest role in these cuts. There are positions in the administration building that seem absolutely worthless, and the teachers that they're cutting are overwhelmingly first-year or new-to-district teachers.

Whatever happened to rewarding actual job performance? In my observations, many first-year teachers, while completely clueless in that first year, figure it out (i.e. classroom management) and become fantastic educators by their second year (think tons of energy, passion for the profession, and a willingness to try new teaching techniques). Whereas many of the teachers who have been in the school system longer than I've been alive are completely burned out, negative, and doing just enough to get by.

I know it's just wishful thinking, but in a perfect world, the decision-makers would use this time to get rid of the teachers who have no business being in a classroom in order to keep the ones who actually care about their students and work their butts off to see them succeed. Actually, if we're talking perfect world here, we wouldn't be in this economic situation, but that's a story for another day.

**Please know that I do not think that all "seasoned" teachers are terrible. Nor do I think that all new teachers are good. I just wish that there could be a more fair way of making these decision, rather than just who's been at the school the longest.**

Okay, that topic really should've been its own post. I got a little carried away.

5. This weekend is another free one for us (two in a row?!?), so we're hoping to get some more stuff done around the house. Try not to get too envious of our super-exciting lives.

Have a great weekend!