For about the past week, the weather has actually been nice. We went from having our heater on in the mornings to having our air conditioner on all day--in the time span of a day. I love nice weather. Even when it's kinda hot out, you can always find some shade, set up a sprinkler and cool off.
Here are a few pics of the boys playing outside the other evening. They were of course, being silly!
Peanut was winking at me...too stinkin' cute!
Bubba has learned to pedal his bicycle
and pooks, while he says that he can't do it, can actually pedal the tricycle now (previously his legs were too short)
And what's better when playing outside than a nice bowl of ice cream? (don't mind pooks' expression, "it's too cold mom!")
But I think I'm allowing myself enough time, that I can actually put into motion and finish, this project before little Miss Sweetcheek's arrival.
I've been looking online at baby girl crib bedding. A definite first for me! And I kinda sorta fell in love with this set:First off, it's pink. I know, I know a lot of mom's stay away from pink because it's cliche or because she's gonna be stuck wearing pink forever, etc.
Guess what? I have THREE boys. And now I'm having a girl.
She will have pink bedding. When she is a baby, she will be dressed in pink. (as well as other colors, duh). She will most likely wear pink bows and headbands and she will look adorable.
Okay, personal opinion but it's my blog.
But, back to the bedding. I like that it's pink, it has this vintage feel to it. I like that it's not too babyish, and I love that it has flowers without being ''floral''.
What I don't like? That for the bumpers, quilt, sheet and dust ruffle they want $120-$170.
YIKES!
When you consider that she won't use that quilt- it'll hang on a wall (maybe...I never did hang bubba or pooks) and when the bumpers only get used for the first 6-9 months-then it's a safety hazard and the sheet will likely get pee/poop/spit up/etc on it and be off more often than it's on--I just can't rationalize spending that kinda money.
So I had one of thoseShannon moments where I said to myself "I could totally make that."
I looked around online and consulted a few friends who had either made their own crib bedding or seriously considered it. I found a website that I fell in love with for their super easy tutorials: http://sew4home.com/projects/pillows-cushions/356-stylish-baby-nursery-crib-bumpers While I hate the fabric they chose, i love the clean lines, simplicity of design and overall look of their crib bumpers. And finding out that Jo-Ann's sells ''baby bumper inserts' so that I don't have to sew through 2 layers of batting? SCORE!
So to make sure that this was really gonna save me money, we took a little trip to Hobby Lobby to look at and price fabric. I absolutely, head over heels, love these fabrics from Brother Sister Design Studio:
not my pic, found it on google images
The main larger print on the white fabric, will be on the outside of the bumpers and the pink fabric with the little icons will be used as an accent (for a Boppy slipcover and on a rag quilt). The inside of the bumpers will hopefully be a super soft minky fabric. (gotta find a color of minky that matches) I also found a coordinating striped fabric that I will use for the piping along the top of the bumpers.
The estimated cost for crib bumpers? Under $40! The bumper inserts cost $20, the fabric will total about $20. (depends on if I can find my good jo-ann's coupon)
And I can make other accessories. Add in the additional fabric for the dust ruffle ($8) boppy cover and quilt ($20). So for around $75 I can make the crib bumpers, the dust ruffle, the quilt, the boppy cover and probably have leftover fabric for little projects later on.
$75 compared to $150 (avg) for the bedding? Plus the Boppy covers that you buy in the store are between $11-$20. That's saving me over half the cost of purchasing a set! Plus, Miss Sweetcheeks will have personalized, handmade bedding that couldn't be purchased in a store.
And it helps that I love this fabric more than the website bedding set.
B is on board too. I'm not sure that he ''loves'' the fabric but since it's our last baby and our only girl after 3 boys, he's pretty much letting me have free reign on this one. I think the real reason he's okay with it is two-fold; it'll keep me busy and out of his hair and it's saving us money. If you know B, you know he's...frugal, to say the least ;)
That's right folks: Sweetcheeks is a perfect, healthy baby GIRL! We had our ultrasound today she is definitely a she! While her legs were crossed the entire time (very lady like) the tech was able to view her 'bits' a few times...like 10 times. She could tell that I was skeptical. But there was definitely no scrotum/penis and we saw the tell-tale "3 lines" that indicate that labia were present. The entire appointment lasted about 30 minutes and the sono tech was able to get all the necessary measurements. We were able to see her swallowing, see and hear her heartbeat (156), watch her diaphragm work and see her ribs raise up and down.
Here are the best of the pictures that we received:
Can I just stop for a second and say how extremely odd it is to use pronouns like she and her?? Totally odd! Not bad, just different, lol. It's definitely going to take some getting used to!
But I digress, back to the pics.
Here is the definite ''BABY GIRL" shot :)
And an itty bitty foot
Here you can see her arms that are against her chest (fists by her face) and her legs are drawn up and crossed. It looked like she was doing crunches in there.
And lastly, a profile pic. Her hand is resting on her head as if to say ''life is so rough''. Or maybe she could hear her brothers hollering over a monster truck and was thinking ''oh geez!"
It was all very exciting!
The boys (while I would love to say they were thrilled) were pretty...well they were pretty bored. When the tech told them that it was girl they had a ''Yeah, we know. Duh'' attitude. They were all smiles and watched the screen for a little bit but in the end the fish tank with a Betta in it won their attention. Out of all three, Pooks was the most interested in his ''sissy''. He watched the screen quite a bit and told the tech that it was his ''Sissy".
Immediately after the ultrasound, I texted and called just about every.single.person in my phonebook. After that, we went to the mall to shop :) We got two pink and brown layette sets (including onesie, pants, bib and socks) from Dillards that were on clearance for $4.49! And this Carter's onesie: Gosh this is going to be so much fun!!
(simply click on the ''ExpectNet'' game box over in the right-hand column) Or you can leave a comment on this post.
Today is Monday night. By Thursday night, we will know what this baby is. Seeing how our last ultrasound the baby looked like this: It should be a lot of fun to see a kicking, wiggling, baby in there. Even more fun if we can find out the gender.
In the meantime, I've done/taken just about every gender prediction game out there. Here are the tests and the results:
One of the big internet ones is the ''Chinese Gender Chart''. I will say, it was wrong with all of my boys. Every single one of them was a ''girl'' according to the chart. Now with Sweetcheeks, the result is actually boy. (age of 25, month of feb) Going my my previous history of being the opposite of what it predicts...that means this test would say ''Girl''.
"The Ring Test"- this is a simple test as well. You take a wedding band and attach it to a thread. Hang it over the belly on the mom to be and if it swings in circles, the result is girl. If it swings side to side, it would be a boy. I used B's wedding band and a piece of thread...the right immediately swung in a circle. This test says "Girl".
On the same website at the Ring test, I took the ''Old Wives Tales Gender Predictor" test and after answering all 15 questions it gave me the result "40% chance boy, 60% chance girl". So the result was ''Girl'' but just barely...
Now this next test, I can't find on the internet. A friend told me about it and according to her, she doesn't know a single person who the test outcome ended up being the wrong gender from what was predicted. It's pretty simple, take the mothers age at conception and add it to the number of the month that the baby was conceived. If the end result is an odd number then you will give birth to a girl. If the end result is even, then you will have a boy. With bubba, pooks and peanut I got an even number every time. Test says, all boys. Obviously, it was right.
So in this case, I was 25 and conceived in February, so 2. Then add, 25+2=27 which is an odd number. An odd number means "Girl".
Are we noticing a pattern here yet?
Then you have to figure in the oldest wives tale in the book; the heart rate. Supposedly if the babies heart rate is under 140, then you will have a boy. If the heart rate is over 140, then you are having a girl. This baby's heart rate is consistently between 155-163. Now I would get all excited and say girl but I'm gonna go with "Inconclusive". Because, while both Bubba and Pooks heart rate was usually in the upper 130's, Peanut's was not. His was always between 150-155. So I have trouble assuming Girl.
So as you can see, all the test/predictions are saying ''Girl''.
I however have trouble believing that! What do you think??
Total Weight Gain/Loss: ?? lbs so far (not sure we don't own at scale, at 16 wks I was up 3lbs)
Maternity Clothes: Everything I wear is maternity now, except for my sweat pants/workout pants. My favorites are my maternity tanks from Gap and my maternity capris that I've had since I was preggo with pooks. I also have five (spaghetti strap) long tanks, all in super bright colors, from Wet Seal that I layer under everything.
Gender: Our ultrasound is THIS Thursday at 3:00pm. Because both B and my Great Grandma B want to find out, we decided that we are finding out the gender!
Movement: Within the last week I've started feeling more pokes rather than flutters. Yesterday it felt like the baby did a somersault in there!
Food Cravings: Cheetos Puffs, Crunchy Tacos from Taco Bell, ice cold Dr. Pepper and cold red grapes
What I miss: Well this weekend I wanted a frozen strawberry margarita like it was no one's business but obviously, I didn't get that!
Sleep: I have not been sleeping well at all. I usually toss and turn for about 30 minutes before I fall asleep then wake up 3-4 times a night needing to pee!
Symptoms: I am definitely having an increased appetite! But I'm also experiencing more and more hip/lower back pain and headaches.
Best Moment this week: Getting to see the baby on Thursday :)
What I am looking forward to: Finding out the sex and knowing if I need to go through totes in the basement or if I get to go shopping!
**totally got the idea for the pregnancy stats from Katie's Blog. Hope ya don't mind Katie, great idea!
*please note, that there are no pictures of pooks because as I was getting ready to, he grabbed the hose and sprayed me...camera and all. everything works fine, but i wasn't in a rush to try to take a pic again!*
Seriously. Lately my cravings have changed. Previously I wanted/craved cold fruit and cheese...well, that's out the window. Last night I wanted crunchy beef tacos from Taco Bell so bad that I could practically taste it. B gets home from playing poker and runs to Taco Bell for me, only to discover that at 11:50pm they were already closed. What.the.hell? They advertise this whole ''Fourth Meal'' crap and close before midnight. Seriously? I was starving and pissed.
Then today we went grocery shopping. Now I understand that you shouldn't go grocery shopping when you're hungry, blah blah blah but guess what? I have three kids so we go shopping whether mama is hungry or not. We actually ''needed'' chips (well as much as anyone really needs chips) and the boys wanted Cheetos. All the sudden those Cheeto Puffs sounded real good. So I convinced the kids that we didn't want Crunchy; we wanted those Puffs. All I could think about was those yummy cheesy orange puffs from my childhood.
We get home, I make the boys some PB&J sandwiches, cut up some purple grapes and open up the Cheetos. To which I was sadly disappointed. Previously when buying Cheetos Puffs, they were about the size of my pinky finger. Perfect size for toddlers; Bubba used to LOVE them (but lately all they want is crunchy).
Apparently they no longer make those Cheetos. The "new" Cheetos are approximately the size of what I can only imagine a Giant's thumb would be. They are seriously like 3 times the size. Which not only pisses off the pregnant woman but also seems more hazardous for kids. My mom used to freak out when I shoved the entire Cheeto in my mouth, so you can imagine my horror when Peanut was attempting to do the same with this supersized version. Seriously aren't Cheeto's marketed towards kids? I hate it when they change a good thing.
So 2 cravings in 2 days and 0 actually fulfilled. ACK!
if you're a family of two or more and drive often, you know what ''it'' is.
it is a mini-van.
*duh-duh-dunn*
when i say it was time for us to buy ''it'', it may have been past time.
okay, so when B and I got married I drove a cute little 3 door saturn coupe. once we became pregnant with bubba, we thought the saturn would work. well in actuality the backseat was too small to safely install a carseat. and we knew we wanted more kids down the road, so we opted to trade up. we thought a jeep liberty was perfect.
and it sorta was. until bubba was born. once we actually had bubba and had his seat in the center of the backseat, we realized it was okay but we couldn't move our seats back...at all. not a huge deal until i discovered i was pregnant with pooks. and as my belly got bigger we realized it just wasn't gonna work with 2 rear-facing carseats. so once again, we researched.
i can admit, upon hearing we were pregnant again, everyone suggested we get a minivan.
i just couldn't do it. i was twenty-two years old and refused.
so we ended up with a ford explorer XLT 4x4. which worked great for with 2 carseats. it fit both seats, had a huge trunk. we had it for about 15 months when the transmission was acting all wonky. i mean full on sounding horrible when shifting from park and then when accelerating you could hear it shift gears and make this grinding noise. between that and the fact that it was sucking up gas like a camel drinks water, we opted to once again get a different vehicle.
after getting slack from everyone for getting yet another vehicle, we did it anyways. once again, i couldn't get a van. i test drove some (i remember the Nissan Quest) in november 2007 we got our Pacifica. once again, NOT a mini-van but it did have a third row, it could seat 6, it had better gas mileage and we bought it knowing that IF we got pregnant (again) it would still work. it rode like a car, we got a steal on it and we were happy.
it's been a great car. once peanut came along, things got a little tight. we opted to big both older boys in the thirdrow, peanut in the second row captains seat and removed the extra/empty seat. like so:it worked pretty well. the stroller was in the trunk and the empty spot was were we put our groceries and luggage, etc. the older boys could climb into their seats on their own and overall it worked great for day to day driving. traveling was bit harder, not a lot of space but we made it work quite easily.
you know what's coming next, right?
we're pregnant. again. so we can easily put the fourth seat back in and safely seat all four kiddos. the problem lies in the fact that between the 2nd row seats is a center console. it cannot be removed. (has the ac and heat built in). so if we have another seat and carseat in the car for sweetcheeks, the boys would have to climb over the center console, into their seats. I would then also have to climb back there to buckle and unbuckle them. climbing over the 2 carseats and kids, that are in the 2nd row, keep in mind.
again, it could be done but it would be a PITA. second of all, i wouldn't be able to keep the stroller in the car because i would need the small trunk area to fit groceries in. the kicker is that when i take bubba and pooks to school in the fall (well really when i go anywhere), i would have to climb back there to undo them, then undo peanut and let all the big boys get out on one side of the car. walk with 3 toddlers to the other side of the car, while i open the door and either pop out of infant seat or put on a baby carrier. now i know my kids listen pretty well but having 3 just standing on the side of the vehicle while i work on sweetcheeks is dangerous.
i began to realize that if we had a van they could hang out inside the van while i situated sweetcheeks. much safer. then i realized that those sliding doors would be much more convenient in the garage, loading and unloading the kids than having them trying to close their own car doors. (which despite me telling them not to, they still do) not to mention in parking lots when I'm trying to buckle Peanut's carseat with the door open and other people pull in to the spot next to me, without looking. or when the wind catches the door as Pooks is pushing his car door open and damn near bangs the car next to us.
okay okay, so i get the appeal of a mini-van.
but, it's still a mini-van. it still had that ''soccer mom'' stigma. i love being a mom but i don't like being a stereotype.
back in february, i opened up and started researching. suddenly i started noticing that the newer mini-vans didn't looks so bad. kinda edgy. then i saw other parents at bubba's school drove them and i noticed how much faster they could get in, buckle up and drive off.
i was intrigued.
so i started researching the price...and i realized that if purchased used, they were much more reasonable than i thought. i did the math and we could buy a ''new to us'' van and the payments could actually be the same or cheaper than what we are paying now. B and I started talking about what we liked and didn't like. we both liked the reliability of our Chrysler and so we focused on the Town & Country and the Dodge Grand Caravan. (plus, lets face it we couldn't afford a newer Honda or Toyota).
after we started really watching what was for sale, we talked to our insurance agent. we were shocked to discover that our insurance would actually DROP in price if we got a van. even if we bought a 2008 or 2009, it was still cheaper.
okay so no increase in payments and lower insurance? i was definitely interested.
then at the end of April, i realized that the traction on the tires of the Pacifica were really low. (like 2/32) and then the brakes started squeaking every.single.time i braked. okay so we were looking at about $450 on new tires, plus the cost of brakes/brake pads. so $500 or $600 on that.
on a vehicle that we knew was less than ideal with 4 small children?
i just couldn't rationalize it.
a mini-van offered lower overall monthly payments, a safer vehicle, more room, less maintenance, more storage, and was more realistic for our family.
so we did it. we test drove one. then we put all the carseats in and drove one home to see how it fit in our garage. while taller, it wasn't much longer than the Pacifica. fit was good.
super long story short, we bought one. (and instead of using the $500 for tires, we used it as part of a down payment.)
a 2009 Chrysler Town and Country LX is currently parked in my garage. honestly, i'm not really sure how i feel. don't get me wrong, it's nice and new(er). the sliding doors are a-mazing. pooks and bubba can no longer smack each other, steal things from each other, etc. it has 5 star crash test ratings, stow and go seats---which is GENIUS!---and a huge trunk. seriously i was a bit amazed.
i think i'll grow to like it more. i mean when we bought the Jeep i was excited. i was high-fiving B and thrilled. i loved my little Jeepie. this time? eh. let's just say there was no high-fiving. well except to bubba, pooks and peanut who love it. they high-fived and thanked us. pooks may be calling it a swagger-wagon after seeing this video:
Pooks turns 3 tomorrow (eek!) and Peanut will be 18mos old on Wednesday. Let me just say that it's a very good thing that I'm pregnant again or I think my biological clock would be ticking so loudly for another baby, that people in China would be able to hear it. I just cannot believe how fast they are growing. People always tell you that they "grow up so fast" and they do. It's hard to believe in the first few sleep deprived-sore nipples-no clean clothes-haven't showered in days months, but they do grow up so quickly.
I remember like yesterday, the day Pooks was born. I had been in labor for days having contractions from 10min-5mins apart, I was dilated to almost 4cm but the contractions weren't getting closer or more intense, just annoying. I had a check up with Dr P and he told me to ''walk''. Right...like I hadn't tried that one! So, being the sensible person that I am, I mowed the yard. In May. While 37 weeks and 4 days pregnant. In 80 degree weather. With a push mower.
Ding, ding, ding! Contractions! Four minutes apart and intense, even after a shower. We headed to the hospital around 2pm and by 7pm, Pooks was born. After a drug-free labor and about 3 pushes, all 6lbs and 5oz and 19inches of him had arrived.
Six pounds and 5 oz.
Wow.
Today, at just one day shy of being 3 years old, he weighed thirty one pounds and was thirty five and a half inches tall.
Definitely not a baby. Not even close! Even Peanut, my tiny little peanut that was my early Thanksgiving present, is no longer a baby. At just 2 days shy of being eighteen months old, Peanut weighed 22.2lbs and was 31.5 inches tall. Quite the difference from his birthday, when he weighed just 6lbs 13oz and was 20 inches tall. He now walks, runs, talks and guess what...climbs! Yeah...last time I checked, babies cannot do that.
So listen when people say ''Cherish this, they grow up fast" because while my oldest is only 4, I can attest that it's true. Today my oldest ''baby'' told me that I was ''just too mean mom'' because I wouldn't let him have an ice cream cone, before dinner. Challenging? Yes. But it was just yesterday that he made sounds for rain and called my mama.
I was tagged by Heather over at Sweet Peas & Sassafras to do this 8 question Blogger game. I'm actually kinda excited; I never get tagged and this one is fun! So without further ado, my answers:
8 TV Shows I Like to Watch 1. Private Practice 2. Grey's Anatomy 3. Fringe 4. Flash Forward 5. Project Runway 6. 16 and Pregnant 7. Real Housewives of New Jersey/Orange County 8. Cougartown
8 Favorite Places to Eat and Drink 1. So Long Saloon 2. Chili's 3. On the Border (craving this SO bad right now!) 4. Red Robin 5. Sonic -gotta love the lg. dr pepper with extra ice! 6. Chipotle 7. Old Chicago 8. Mr. Goodcents
8 Things I Look Forward To 1. Meeting this little bub growing inside of me 2. Living in a bigger house 3. Taking the kids to Disney World 4. Someday going on a "real" Honeymoon 5. Getting a bigger vehicle 6. The day where we go somewhere without buckling 4 carseats :) 7. Getting another dog when the kids are older 8. Taking a family trip to the beach
8 Things I am Passionate About 1. My kids 2. My family 3. My friends 4. Digital editing and designing 5. Learning to be a better cook/baker 6. Natural childbirth/breastfeeding 7. Reading 8. Shopping
8 Words or Phrases I Use Often 1. Get down from there this instant! 2. Seriously? 3. Oh for goodness sake! 4. Bat-shit crazy 5. What do you say? 6. Right.... 7. Stop hitting your brother 8. I love you
8 Things I Have Learned From the Past 1. Being a Mom is the best thing in the world 2. The path isn't always important, it's the destination that matters 3. People change, for good and bad 4. The grass always looks greener on the other side, but it usually isn't. 5. Everyone is self-conscious about something 6. No one is perfect 7. You cannot change the past, what's done is done and just get over it! 8. Sleep whenever you can!
8 Places I Would Like to Visit/See 1. Fiji 2. Disneyworld 3. New York City 4. Alaska 5. Hawaii 6. San Fransisco 7. Turks and Caicos 8. Hollywood
8 Things I Currently Want/Need 1. An empanada from On The Border 2. A fairy that would magically do the laundry for me 3. A mini-van 4. A checking account that never goes below $1000 5. #4 or to just win the lottery 6. New living room furniture 7. A bigger house 8. A spa day
8 Bloggers I Tag 1. Katie 2. Becky 3. Amber 4. Whoever else wants to do this...I don't know a lot of people who haven't already been tagged
Lately bubba and pooks have come up with the cutest little sayings and it's amazing to me how much they converse with each other. Granted most of their talking happens over naptime or bedtime when they should be sleeping but it's adorable none the less.
Bubba's newest catchphrase is ''Oh wow" and "dat's super cool''. Usually they are said together. He uses it when talking about a toy, dinner, getting to go somewhere. I mean really, when does it not work? And he says it more like ''kewl'' than cool. Gosh I love his little speech impediment!
Pooks' vocabulary is pretty much equal to Bubba's in the words that he knows, although it is still a bit more difficult to understand him. While he doesn't have a certain saying, he is very into singing. The Backyardigan's theme song, The Scooby Doo theme song, ''Boom Boom Pow" and "I Gotta A Feeling'' happen to be his favorites. And he busts out in song just about anytime or anywhere. I wish I could catch it on video but he always freezes up.
And Peanut, while he doesn't have a certain saying or sing, he is talking...quite a bit actually. Well more so than the other boys were at 18mos. If I really think about it, he regularly says: nanaw, papa, mama, dada, hollie, cracker (cack-uh), shoe, yes, no, dog, banana, apple, grape, juice, cookie (ookie), this, that, go, hi and bye. He tries to say ''whats that?" but it comes out sounding something like "uts-that". He's doing pretty good, if I say so myself. and I do!
Please ignore my pajama pants...what can I say, they are comfy!
I am now over 4 months pregnant with Sweetcheeks. Can you even believe it? I'm 16 weeks pregnant and generally go into labor during week 37...thats just 20 weeks away! Overall, this has been the easiest pregnancy yet. Very little morning sickness/nausea compared to my previous pregnancies. I've been tired but I was tired before I was even pregnant, lol.
Today I had my monthly check-up with Dr. P. At 16 weeks and 3 days:
-I weigh the exact same as last check up. Up a total of 3 lbs since getting pregnant -My blood pressure looks great, it was 122/71 -My urine contained no glucose or proteins (or normal amounts) -I got to hear Sweetcheeks lil' heartbeat; today it was a steady 159 -I scheduled our level 2 anatomy ultrasound for June 1st at 8:45am -I declined the quad screen test
Overall it was just an average appointment. At this point he isn't concerned about my lack of weight gain, if the baby is measuring small and my ultrasound then he would be. I eat, I eat everything! I think (and so does he) that I simply have a high metabolism and taking care of the boys keeps me busy enough that I'm not gaining. My belly is getting bigger so no concerns yet.
Dr.P's guess for this little baby? Well, surprisingly he is guessing that it's a girl. Me? I'm not so sure. I swore Peanut was a girl from the way I felt and his heart rate (usually the lower 150's to 140's) and obviously that was wrong! We may (or may not) find out for sure on June 1st so I will keep you posted.
Meanwhile, here is my 4 Month belly picture: And how big is sweetcheeks? So glad you asked. Well at 16 weeks Sweetcheeks measures about 4.5 inches from head to bottom and weighs in at 3.5 ounces. He or she is about the size of an avocado. " Tiny bones forming in baby's ears mean the little one can now pick up your voice. Eyebrows, lashes and hair are starting to fill in, and taste buds are forming."
On Saturday we celebrated Pook's 3rd birthday. He loves the Backyardigans and chose that as a theme at the party store. So naturally, we had the party in our yard. (Our backyard has a creek going through it so we had to have it in our front yard). Despite the lower than average temps, it turned out to be a really nice party. We ordered pizza (in honor of the Chichen-Itza Pizza episode), then had cake and ice cream. Opening his big gift from Nanaw and Papa...at first he was a little intimidated by it!While his feet could just barely reach the pedals, he loved it and ran over everyone trying to ride. Singing "Happy Birthday", he was pretty mesmerized by the birthday candles. Blowing out the birthday candles. Enjoying cake and ice cream. Overall it was a great day. The kids were in wonderful moods, Pookie loved his cake and presents and even shared a bit. Thank you to everyone that attended, we loved having you!
![[loveable] chaos](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTjjojrDUPPsFzwSeKpOixQKwUn32cjgyZcguUtpshydkSIFEz4W1RPwJ58AKDeDyOQf6hx5IadPFN8U0LKHlV2mhTN0_wRXrSTNm4k8x0L-145HJcGS-RLAcmjOW7K6xvDePrN-h_J0DQ/s1320/blogheader+copy.jpg)
Bubba has learned to pedal his bicycle
and pooks, while he says that he can't do it, can actually pedal the tricycle now
And what's better when playing outside than a nice bowl of ice cream?
I ♥ summer!
First off, it's pink. I know, I know a lot of mom's stay away from pink because it's cliche or because she's gonna be stuck wearing pink forever, etc.
And finding out that Jo-Ann's sells ''baby bumper inserts' so that I don't have to sew through 2 layers of batting? SCORE!
not my pic, found it on google images
And an itty bitty foot
Here you can see her arms that are against her chest (fists by her face) and her legs are drawn up and crossed. It looked like she was doing crunches in there.
And lastly, a profile pic. Her hand is resting on her head as if to say ''life is so rough''. Or maybe she could hear her brothers hollering over a monster truck and was thinking ''oh geez!"
It was all very exciting!
Gosh this is going to be so much fun!!
It should be a lot of fun to see a kicking, wiggling, baby in there. Even more fun if we can find out the gender.
At 18 weeks into my pregnancy**:
Or washing the van in the driveway.
it worked pretty well. the stroller was in the trunk and the empty spot was were we put our groceries and luggage, etc. the older boys could climb into their seats on their own and overall it worked great for day to day driving. traveling was bit harder, not a lot of space but we made it work quite easily.
honestly, i'm not really sure how i feel. don't get me wrong, it's nice and new(er). the sliding doors are a-mazing. pooks and bubba can no longer smack each other, steal things from each other, etc. it has 5 star crash test ratings, stow and go seats---which is GENIUS!---and a huge trunk. seriously i was a bit amazed.
Even Peanut, my tiny little peanut that was my early Thanksgiving present, is no longer a baby. At just 2 days shy of being eighteen months old, Peanut weighed 22.2lbs and was 31.5 inches tall. Quite the difference from his birthday, when he weighed just 6lbs 13oz and was 20 inches tall. He now walks, runs, talks and guess what...climbs!
Yeah...last time I checked, babies cannot do that.
Please ignore my pajama pants...what can I say, they are comfy!
And how big is sweetcheeks? So glad you asked. Well at 16 weeks Sweetcheeks measures about 4.5 inches from head to bottom and weighs in at 3.5 ounces. He or she is about the size of an avocado. " Tiny bones forming in baby's ears mean the little one can now pick up your voice. Eyebrows, lashes and hair are starting to fill in, and taste buds are forming."
While his feet could just barely reach the pedals, he loved it and ran over everyone trying to ride.
Singing "Happy Birthday", he was pretty mesmerized by the birthday candles.
Blowing out the birthday candles.
Enjoying cake and ice cream.
Overall it was a great day. The kids were in wonderful moods, Pookie loved his cake and presents and even shared a bit. Thank you to everyone that attended, we loved having you!
