23 weeks and 4 days down...100ish days to go!

I had an OB appointment today to check on Miss Sweetcheeks. All is well. I hadn't actually seen Dr. P since May 4th, hadn't been weighed or had my BP checked so I was a little anxious. (At our office, you don't see your OB at your ultrasound appt which I had in late May). I told B last night I thought I had gained about 13 pounds since my last appointment, being the polite husband that he can be, he said no but he guessed around 6. Well, he was sorta right.

First stop at the office is the scale. I've gained an additional three pounds since my last appointment thus putting me at a grand weight gain of six pounds. ("Normal" would be 12-15lbs) I have to chuckle because being my fourth pregnancy I assumed I'd pack on the pounds real easy, however it's opposite. I eat and eat but keeping up with the boys burns off all the extra I guess. Baby girl is measuring perfect, a week ahead actually so there is no concern. Dr. P said I'll just lose what weight I do gain quickly...and I'm definitely not complaining about that!

My blood pressure was normal, 126/76 and baby's heartrate was a steady 166. Today she was laying sideways with her head settled in by my right hip but he said that she still had plenty of time to turn. I'm not worried in the slightest.

My next appointment is on July 28th and then I'll have my glucose lab. Ugh. I've always passed so I'm not concerned but it's still a pain in the butt. That sugary drink is horrible! At that appointment I'll be 28 weeks.

At my 32 week appointment, I'll have another ultrasound. Just a routine one to check fluid levels and her size/position.

At my 34 week appointment, I'll have my first cervical check to see if I'm dilated/thinned out. Normally this would be at a 36 week appointment but since I typically have my babies by 37 weeks, he thought we'd be proactive and bump the ultrasound and dilation check up by two weeks.

Can you even believe that we're talking about dilation already?? This pregnancy has flown by. It's already July and Dr P agreed today, there is a good chance I'll have this baby at the end of September. Of course little Sweetcheeks could march to the beat of her own drum and who knows, I could go past my due date. I hope not, lol. Doubtful, but it could happen. I'll update with a belly photo tomorrow, I'm beat!

another big boy!

Well, you may have figured out (and it helps that I think I mentioned it) but we made the switch from crib to toddler bed this weekend with Peanut. While he hadn't attempted to climb out or anything he was: waking at night, waking at 6am and hollering only to fall back asleep in my bed, sticking his legs through the slats and getting them caught and his favorite bedtime game was throwing everything (pillow, blanket, stuffed dog, binkie) out of the crib. Then naturally, he would cry and want it all back.

So his actions combined with the fact that I had finished Sweetcheeks' bedding and was anxious to see it on a crib, led to making the switch on Friday. We chose naptime vs bedtime because that worked really well with Pooks. I think it's less intimidating and easier to adapt to a change at naptime.

At first it was a bit rough. I would say ''Okay, time to get in your bed Peanut" and he would climb up in Bubba's bed. Umm, no. Then I repeated "No, your bed." and he pointed to the disassembled crib. Umm...not quite. So after laying him down in the bed and him promptly getting up, and me laying him down and him promptly getting up, I realized this wasn't going to be as easy as we had hoped. It ended up with me sitting on the edge of his bed and each time he started to get up, I'd lay him back down. After about 5 minutes he didn't sit up. He pretty much ignored me until he fell asleep all of 3 minutes later.


Bedtime was the same thing. I sat on the edge of the bed for about 10 minutes until he settled in and his eyes got heavy, then left. Each naptime/bedtime since then the amount of time I had to sit next to him has decreased. At naptime today (day 4) I didn't sit by him at all and he never once got up! Overall it was still a pretty smooth transition despite a couple of kinks.

"It's pinkalicious!"

Last night, I finished up Sweetcheeks bedding.

I love it. And apparently Bubba does too. When he came into my bedroom this morning and saw the pink lantern and the crib all set up the first thing out of his little mouth was "Mom, It's pinkalicious!"

I have no clue where he learned that but it was hysterical! Every single time he goes in there he says that it's just "so pinkalicious." I asked him if he thought Sissy would like it and he said "Yes, cause it's super pretty."

I ♥ that kid!

I decided to make all of her crib bedding back in May. It was an ordeal finding the fabric...I fell in love with a fabric but when I went to purchase it, it had been clearanced. After calling 8 stores in cities up to 2 hours away, no luck. I had friends and family checking locations in Colorado and Ohio and to no avail it couldn't be found. So after a couple days I finally settled on a new fabric. It took me a couple more days to really commit to it but once I did, there was no turning back. Using the tutorial found here:

http://sew4home.com/projects/pillows-cushions/356-stylish-baby-nursery-crib-bumpers

I went to work.

And boy was it work! Not anything extremely difficult, just time consuming. I had to cut all the fabric for the six panels (12 total), measure and cut all the fabric for the ties (24 of those) and the piping (six of those). I broke this up into several different evenings of work. Seeings how everything I've ever made before didn't require exact measurements, it was a trip! I broke down and bought a cutting mat and rotary cutter and that sped things up tremendously. So by Thursday night, I had finished the panels. Last night I finished the skirt. While I still need to make the quilt, I couldn't resist assembling the crib and putting it all up.

Love it!

The inside fabric was not my first choice but I love it now that it's on there!

The outside fabric and the ties, I fell in love with the minute I saw them... Like the day after I found out I was having a girl.

Nanaw bought this bear for Sweetcheeks the exact same day that we found out we were having a girl. It may be the softest thing I've ever felt!

Yesterday I also hung up a pink lantern; we'll use it in place of a lamp for night time feedings.

**all fabric used is from "Brother Sister Design Studio", a line exclusively sold at Hobby Lobby. Lantern from Hobby Lobby as well; sheet is by Bright Future; I believe sold at Kohl's**

So after taking weeks to assemble and sew the bumpers, I'm now super excited to get to work on the quilt. I was really hesitant as I was making the bumpers, not sure I was ''in love'' with it; wondering if I should have just ordered something premade, etc. But at 1:34am last night as I tied the last tie into a little bow, stepped back and looked at the whole thing, I loved it.

Honestly, I don't think the pictures even do it justice. So yes, while Sweetcheeks will be in our room for...well for as long as we breastfeed or until we move, which ever comes first...I hope she enjoys her own little space :)

It finally stopped raining for a couple of hours

and we were able to play outside in the pool. Thankfully! We were going crazy in the house. You can only watch Disney movies so many times before you feel like you're going to lose it. I filled up the pool around 10:30am yesterday morning; approximately 10 minutes after it stopped raining and the sky turned blue. When the boys woke from their naps at 3:45pm they were more than happy to hop in. I snapped a bunch of pics, don't mind the colors being a bit off; the clouds would block the sun and some pics turned out too dark. Oh well they're still pretty cute!

what is, probably the best pic of all 3 looking and smiling

Peanut enjoyed throwing the beach ball out and in, over and over and over again

When he got back in, he slipped and landed in the water. Then immediately stood up and said ''Cold!" while shaking. (it was NOT cold water either, lol)

Pooks wanted a picture of his water; Bubba didn't want to get splashed and Peanut was clueless

My sweet little pooks

Throwing the ball again

Bubba showing off his big muscles

and a more tender Bubba moment, giving his sissy kisses

Peanut climbed up on my lap and said ''all done''.

All in all, it was a fun afternoon. I've come to realize that being toddlers and being boys, they will inevitably throw more water out of the pool then what they keep in it. (Hence why I put the pool on the concrete, our grass is already really soggy from the rain) While it's slightly annoying, I've learned to ignore it.

With the heat index being between 105-110 today, we'll probably spend this afternoon in the pool too!

Boxed brownies should not be this complicated

Last Thursday was B's birthday. He took the day off from work and spent it at home with us. We had just a relaxing/lazy day around the house {no choice really, van was in the shop}. Since the birthday boy is a freak who doesn't like cake, he requested S'more brownies. I was more than happy to oblige as s'mores have been my latest pregnancy craving and who doesn't like a good brownie. Am I right? I know I am. Plus I'm an awesome wife who is more than happy to please her husband. *Snerk* Ha! Good one Shannon! Glutton for punishment that I am, I thought I'd let all 3 boys help me make brownies. Right...file that into the ''never again'' category!

Each kiddo was so excited and so nervous that he was going to get left out that I had kids reaching for everything. Pooks smashed an egg, bubba spilled brownie mix all over the table, and peanut was promptly trying to eat/touch all the ingredients. It was a hectic 10 minutes to say the least but B enjoyed watching (and photographing) the ordeal.

trying to get everything ready (pooks already tasting the mix)

smiling while cleaning up broken egg number 2

helping peanut squeeze out the chocolate (that he promptly tried to eat)

"Cheese"

And despite the mess, the 2 broken eggs, the fact that pooks ate raw egg off of his hand when said egg broke, and the brownie mix that stained the grout on the table, the end result was FABULOUS!

We ate the brownies after an easy-peasy lunch of mac & cheese. Dinner however was enjoyed at the Olive Garden (where I was not allowed to mention that it was a certain someones birthday) and was delicious nonetheless. The Birthday Boy received a homemade birthday card from the kids and I, as well as some fancy schmancy Sony sound bar thingy for the tv. Overall, it was a good day and I think B enjoyed himself. :)

Pookie says...

"Uh-huh! That's right!"

"Yeah, that's what I'm talking about!"

"Dat's really cool!"

"Okey-Dokey!"

"I didn't bite him, I was just tasting him." We don't taste people, we taste food. "He {bubba} tastes yike chicken." He does not taste like chicken. He is a person. And, I don't care what he tastes like, we do not bite! "I not bite. I just tasted him."

"I'm not mean...I'm happy."

Needless to say, Pooks is very much a verbal child. I'm not sure where he comes up with half the stuff that he says but 9 times out of 10, it's hysterical. Half of the time I am trying so hard not to laugh because I don't want to encourage it, while attempting to discipline him. Not the easiest task.

This is the same just turned three year old who while out at the Olive Garden for B's birthday dinner refused to eat his pizza until the waitress brought out the Romano cheese grater and freshly grated cheese onto his pizza. When she was done, he said "Thanks...Dat's what I'm talking about!" With a HUGE grin on his face.

He tends to think that nice and happy are synonymous. If you tell him not to be mean to his brother, he'll respond with "I'm not mean, I'm just happy." Again with a huge grin plastered on his face. We tried to explain about a million times that just because you are happy that doesn't mean that you are being nice. (I guess it really shows that he is happy being mean?)

While driving he constantly asks where we are going and most times, when I stop at a light, he'll proceed to tell me which direction to turn. He usually proceeds to tell me that I'm going the wrong way or that I ''just need to turn around." He has an opinion about everything and doesn't hesitate to say it out loud. I got my hair cut last week; came home and he promptly told me ''I don't yike that." Yeah, no filter whatsoever.

The disappointing thing is, I know that there are more phrases that he uses regularly, I just can't think of what they are!

Summer, summer, summertime

Here are several random pictures from the last 2 weeks or so:

(these are from cousin Belle's bday party)

Summer is here and the boys are enjoying every minute of it. Staying up late, playing outside, helping B in the garden, going to the pool, sprinklers, squirt gun fights, and birthday parties. We've been out of town the last 2 of 3 weekends and I cannot wait to just stay home a few weekends in a row. I absolutely love 4th of July, so I'm anxiously awaiting that! Then this week is B's birthday (turning the big 2-8) and of course Father's day is this weekend. Uncle Matt and Aunt Rachel will also be in town this weekend so it'll be a relaxing weekend of hanging out by the grill and catching up!

In other news, I am now almost 22 weeks pregnant and finally it's sunk in that I am really having a girl. I went through 6 totes of baby boy clothing (well newborn-12mos) that were down the basement. Honestly, it was very bittersweet. It seems like Peanut was just wearing that stuff yesterday when it actuality it's been over a year. I kept all the outfits that were sentimental, especially his teeny tiny preemie sleeper that he came home in, as did Pookie. (I have Bubba's too but it's a different one as he outweighed his little brothers by an entire pound at birth!)

Yesterday I sorted them all by size, then took pictures of each ''lot'' and listed them on craigslist. Everyone I know is having a girl (well except Katie who is waiting til d-day) so I figured my best option was to sell all the boy clothes then use the money to stock up on girl clothes. So far, my plan has rocked. Yesterday alone I made $50, today I made $80 and I am meeting another lady tomorrow. Grand total I am hoping to make about $170, which will obviously help out tremendously in getting girl stuff. (So FYI, if you have girl items to sell, hit me up. I'm looking for basic layette items: onesies, sleepers, gowns, etc).

I did splurge and order some crocheted headbands online, they are so cute! They arrived yesterday and I just can't wait til Sweetcheeks is here and can wear them! I'm still working on her bedding; I've cut all the fabric panels for the bumpers but still need to cut the fabric for the ties and cording then I'm ready to sew. I took the time and appliqued a few cloth diapers that I will use for burp cloths and I painted & mod-podged a shelf to go over her changing table. Whew! So much to do and about 15 weeks to get it all done...eek!

Less than 135 days to go...

Until Sweetcheeks impending arrival. I say ''less than'' because I've never carried a baby to my due date; Pooks was the closest and he was still 12 days early.
So as of now, I am officially five months pregnant. That's over half way folks! It's bittersweet. I cannot wait to meet my daughter, I am thrilled that I even get to say ''daughter''. And at the same time, I'm trying to cherish this pregnancy as much as I can. So far, it's been easy. Other than hip pain and trouble falling asleep, I'm doing pretty good. Morning sickness ended a few weeks ago, I have more energy (heck, I don't even nap everyday), I'm able to move around quite easily still. I do get winded much easier. Before this, I was cleaning the bathroom. By the time I finished scrubbing the tub/shower, cleaning the toliet, swiffering the floor, cleaning the vanity, shaking out the rugs and cleaning the mirror...I was ready to sit down. I mean I was actually out of breath, lol.

This pregnancy has not been like the others. Cravings are different; my 2 prominent cravings recently have been for fried pickles or s'mores. Honestly, until this pregnancy I didn't even like pickles. Last week, I caught myself eating them straight out of the jar. Eeek!

At almost 21 weeks, I have only gained about 5 lbs. (I'm not really sure because I don't have a scale but I'm up 5lbs on the Wii Fit from when I last used it, 146 days ago. Yeah and it told me I was overweight!) Sweetcheeks growth was right on track at her ultrasound, so for now I'm not worried.

Oh and that reminds me, we did finally pick a name. I'll type it once then it's back to Sweetcheeks...her name will be Kinley. It's an Irish name (all of our kids have Irish names) and it means ''fair headed viking''. I'm not sure she'll be fair-headed, lol, but she'll have to be pretty tough!

I have felt her moving for quite some time now but last Friday, B felt her kick/poke for the first time and then on Saturday, Bubba felt her kick. Boy did his eye's just light up! She moves a LOT. Especially in the evenings. Yesterday I felt hiccups for the first time. Here is a quick video of her heartbeat:

It's always right between 155-160. And yes, Pooks is still obsessed with listening. He doesn't want to feel her move or kick him, but he always wants to ''hear sissy's heart beating". So cute! And I wouldn't forget a belly pic...I finally feel big enough to show a bare belly:
I was just talking to B about this last night, but I think this pregnancy has been a little bit easier because I'm not so nervous. I'm not nervous about the delivery. After 2 natural drug-free childbirths, I got this in the bag. I'm not nervous about breastfeeding, although I know each baby is different, I feel like I have enough experience to figure it out and I'm not shy about asking for help. I'm not wondering ''what if she doesn't fit in?" or "what if the boys don't like her?" or "how am I going to go grocery shopping with four kids?".

Trust me, I worried about every single one of those things in previous pregnancies. I was afraid that I'd never love Pooks (kid #2)as much as I did Bubba (kid #1). I was worried that Bubba and Pooks had such a strong bond that they would ignore Peanut (kid #3) and that he wouldn't fit in. I was seriously worried about whether the subsequent kiddos would be as cute as their siblings. I was stressing myself out trying to figure out how I would take all 3 to the doctor or to the store.

This time around, I have it figured out. Yes, she will fit in. She will fall right into place. Yes, at first the boys may not really ''like'' her. They will ignore her because, let's be honest, she can't really do anything. But I know that once she starts to sit up, they will interact more. Once she can crawl...well, look out sister cause your big brothers won't take it easy on you once you can get to their toys! When I go to the store the older 2 boys will walk along side the cart, Peanut will sit in the cart's seat and I will wear ms. sweetcheeks.

Some days will be hard and chaotic and I'll sit back and wonder ''what the hell were we thinking!?" Don't get me wrong, I have days like that now! But most days I'll see 3 little boys loving on their baby sister. I'll see tiny newborn eyes trying to focus in on all the activity. I'll see that our family has grown, for the better and is finally complete.

a talking Peanut

Peanut is now almost 19 months old. At 19mos he is, by far, my most talkative kiddo yet. (We'll see, his sister might be more talkative!) But it's not just his speech that amazes me; his comprehension level seems really high too!

I thought I'd list out all the words that he says so I'd have a decent record of them, and to share with my readers. Plus I haven't updated his baby books since he was like 4 months old . Now granted, he still sounds like a baby but it's not like only I understand what he's saying. Hollie (little L's mom) was over the other day and floored at how clear he was speaking. Typically what he says is easily understood.
So here they are. And hopefully, I'll get a video uploaded later tonight.

• Mama/Mom, Dada, Nanaw, Papa, Ryan, Hollie, Rascal
  
• Car, truck, bus, train, choo-choo, bike, tractor
  
• Apple, banana, grape, mango, cracker, cookie, cheese, bread, drink, milk, cup, chocolate (yok-oh-yet), chip
  
• Please, thanks, Thank you, welcome, no, yes, No-No! (yells at the dog all.the.time)
  
• Hi, Bye-bye, All gone, Done, More, this, that, huh, oh-oh,
  
• Ball, balloon, color, blanket, ka-chow (for Lightning McQueen), dog,
  
• Whats that?, Want that!

He makes sounds for dogs barking, train's whistle, firetruck sirens, cars revving, and airplanes.

He's now also following two part commands, ie :
Go get your shoes and bring them to mommy. Go get your cup and put it on the table. Let's go to the garage and get in the van, etc.

And body parts, Lord does the kid know body parts:
Head, hair, ears, nose, eyes, mouth, belly, boobies, belly-button, foot, toes, hands, fingers, penis, butt, tongue and teeth.

And on Friday we had a real conversation:

Peanut: brings me his cup... says "All gone" (while signing with his hands)
Me: Do you want more milk?
Peanut: Yes, more.
Me: Do you want milk or juice?
Peanut: Milk.
Me: What do you say?
Peanut: Peese mom?
Me: Okay, lets go get it. Thank you for using your manners.
Peanut: Thank you. (sounds like "hank-ewe")

And that's his other new thing. He doesn't call me Mama anymore, or if so, very rarely. He pretty much always calls me Mom. I guess he hears his brothers say it??

It's so much easier and less frustrating to have a toddler that talks. Don't get me wrong, he still has his fair share of tantrums, but usually I can tell what he wants/needs because he just says it. SO much easier!

Memorial Day

Better late than never, right?

We've been a bit busy. Between the holiday, going swimming, shopping for girl clothes, visiting out of town relatives, laundry, grilling outside, and growing a baby...well I kinda forgot about the 'ol blog. But without further ado, our memorial day.

We spent it at a private community's ''lake'' with another family and their daughters. Techinically it was a large pond but it is deep enough to have a speed boat (which we didn't do). The boys had fun playing on the beach, shoveling and dumping sand and splashing in the water. Fish my boys are not. They would not put their faces under nor would they go any deeper than about their waists. But they went on and one about how much fun it was.

Playing in the sand when we first got there.

Finally out in the water. Peanut would only go in the water if he was sitting in a chair :)

My little cheesers staring into the sun

After about an hour of swimming they wanted a snack. Watermelon and animal crackers anyone?

Pooks looked a little gigantic, lol. He refused to scoot back.

And just to give you a better of idea of how big my ''big'' boys are getting...a few close ups!

Peanut (18.5mos)

Pooks (3yrs)

Bubba (4yrs)

Then in honor of how much they liked the lake on Monday, we went to a city pool on Tuesday. They loved it and I was shocked at how well they listened and stayed by me. I'll be honest I was nervous about taking 3 toddlers to the pool alone but they did great. We're thinking we'll buy a summer pass for all of us. Then we can go whenever we want and save so much money.

Wednesday we opted to stay home and play in our tiny pool and sprinkler. The pool is tiny because, well because I have a severe case of pregnancy brain. For the record 52inches is not five feet, lol. I thought I bought the same size as last year but I was wrong.

(Auntie Jude if you're reading this...we're still using the sprinkler that you got Bubba on his 2nd bday. 2 summers and 3 boys...still going strong. They love it, I love it.)
I had to buy Pooks a new suit. His fishie one from the lake was a bit too short for a boys' suit so we picked up a quick $5 'Independence Day' suit from Walmart. He loves it!

And for those wondering, yep my big ol' pregnancy belly was in a swimsuit for all 3 occasions. Not just a swimsuit but a bikini, lol. I figure no matter what I wear, you'll see that I'm pregnant. I might as well get a tan and stay nice and cool :) I'll spare ya the pics!