Saturday, May 31, 2014

Musical Chairs

Last weekend, we decided it was time to make the switch of the carseats in the van!  And boy does it make it feel like a real minivan - we are using all of the rows of seats now!  I think Jack misses sitting by his Sissy, but all in all they are loving the new setup.  And it lets us all get used to having that third carseat in the car too.  Weird.  Three kids and three carseats.  We did take the back off Katie's booster seat as she was way too big to have it on!  Oops!
 
Here the kids are on their first ride in the van with all the seats moved around!
And Miss Priss bringing up the rear in the backseat!
And he doesn't mind his new spot either!  It is just weird to buckle him in on the other side.
The really weird part will be when there are three kids to load into the car.  Whoa!
 
 
Photobucket

Friday, May 30, 2014

Bump Watch: 36 Weeks

How far along: 36 weeks!
Size of baby: Watermelon baby, which means 19-22 inches and about 6.5 pounds!
Total weight gained: As of today, I am now going to a weekly appointment - which also means that the big day is getting closer!  I think I am just going to stop doing the math for weight gained.  I just look forward to being able to exercise again :)  My blood pressure was 107/76 and I was not dilated or effaced!  He is comfy in there!  Oh and the heart rate was about 140 beats per minute.
Maternity clothes: Are you kidding me?? Yes!  And even some of those aren't cutting it these days! I've been wearing medium maternity shirts, but I think I am going to have to dig out some of the larges so that they are long enough!  It is NOT cute to walk around and my shirt ride up and expose my belly button!
Gender: BOY!  Sweet Baby Ryan - I can't wait to snuggle this sweet boy!
Movement: Yes - my whole belly shifts and changes shape!
What I Miss: Exercising, being able to do anything quickly, being able to talk and walk without getting out of breath, sleeping through the night, having a cold beer on a hot summer day,...
Cravings: Nothing that I can really think of.  Although bubble gum (both Double Bubble and Super Bubble) is amazing right now.  And sometimes it can take the place of a snack :)
Aversions: Can't think of anything major here! 
Symptoms: Yes - I have all of them.  Heartburn, frequent urination, that "pregnancy waddle," and just discomfort.  Oh and the belly that changes shape all the time with his movement!  My belly button is also different this time - I think it sticks out more...but that also depends on what position Ryan is in.  I feel like I am getting a little puffy - in the face and then by the end of the day in the ankles!  I can definitely still wear my wedding rings, so that's a good sign!  And I certainly have the skin pigmentation issues - it isn't terribly noticeable but I definitely see it in the mirror!  And by midafternoon I am spent - when Jack naps, Katie and I get in my bed and watch a movie (also known as I take a nap and she watches a movie)!
Best moment of the week: Finishing the nursery!  It is so neat to see it all come together!  Katie loves to tell people all about Ryan and how the boys will be crazy.  It cracks me up!  And I also know it will be true! Oh and Jack decided to join me in the bathroom and gave my belly a kiss - it was so sweet and he was so proud!  Even this afternoon after his nap he wanted to snuggle with me - and he rubbed my belly and said "baby" and gave my belly a kiss! So sweet!  Of course I am not sure he gets it, but he is definitely noticing my belly more these days (who can miss it, honestly)!
And here is the comparison of me at 36 weeks with Katie, Jack, and Ryan.  I know part of it is because the pictures are cropped differently, but it definitely puts my shape into perspective.  I feel absolutely enormous, but compared to with the others, I don't think I am as big!
 And this shows the growth over the weeks with Ryan - so this is me at 28, 30, 32, 34, and then 36 weeks.
Hard to believe there is only one more bump update before the big day!  Exciting!

Photobucket
 

Thursday, May 29, 2014

The Rest Of Our Long Weekend

It was so nice having a long weekend full of fun!  It seems like Katie asks Brad every morning if he has to go to work, so she was super thrilled that he had an extra day home with us!  So Friday, we had the baby shower at Brad's work and then Saturday morning we had Big Sister class (both of which I have already posted about)! 
 
Saturday evening, we went over to our friends' house to cook out and let the kids play!  It was so much fun - and their backyard is so serene!  Katie thought this chair was perfect - and then she joined the other kids playing with the water table and everything else!
Here is a cute picture of Katherine and Olivia! 
This one was a hot mess when we headed home - he had a BIG time playing in the water table and mud!  This was the best picture I could get of him - he was on the move for sure!
And I absolutely love this picture of Olivia, Katie, and Avery!  They had the best time playing together....and it is so interesting to see Katie as the oldest!
And just look at all those stripes! :)  Love this picture of Katherine, me, and Ashley!  And good gracious my belly looks gigantic here!
We had such a great time visiting with everyone - and the kids slept extremely good that night!
 
Sunday morning, we slept in and then Brad and Katie decided they were going to wash our cars!  So we all changed clothes and headed outside - they did the cars and Jack played with the water table and I supervised it all :)  This was Jack's first time playing with our water table!
And Katie was so serious about the washing - she had the best time!  And she did a good job!  Look at that concentration - and those muscles!
Jack did decide that he wanted to help wash the van a little bit.  They also kept finding water table toys in the bucket of soapy water :)
Look at that big boy!  He loved wearing his Thomas hat :)
And whenever Brad and Katie rinsed the cars off, it made puddles - he had the biggest time stomping in the puddles...and then he figured out that he could drive his truck in the puddle and was so thrilled!
And Sadie was out there with us too!  She loves when we get the water table out - it is like a big water bowl for her!
An action shot!  It was nice to have a clean van...though a bird pooped on it before we could move it into the garage.  Oh well!
And Brad would occasionally mess with the kids and spray them (and Sadie)...anytime he did it to Jack, he came running to me and either hid behind me or held my hand.  So cute!  I guess he knew Daddy would get in big trouble if he sprayed me, so running to me was safe!
And when they were cleaning the wheels, Jack wanted in on that too - it was right at his level!
And between cars, the kids took a juice break!  Love this - and of course Sadie had to be right there in the middle of it all!
I loved having a car wash when I was little - and it seems that Katie is the same way!  And I think Brad enjoys it still, so I am hoping it becomes a regular occurrence!
 
Sunday night, Katie had a slumber party at Grandma's house!  This was the outfit she picked out to put on.  Pretty cute!
Brad took Katie while Jack was napping, and when he woke up he missed Sissy so much!  He had fun hanging out with just us, but he kept asking where Sissy was.  So sweet - he is really going to miss her during the days when she starts kindergarten!
 
After Jack got up and Brad was home, we went back outside to play while Brad changed his air filters.  Love this picture - Jack thought he was helping Brad with the car stuff!
And I absolutely love this picture of Jack!  His hair is already looking blonder this early in the summer...and he is looking so old to me!
And Monday morning, we met Grandma and Katie at IHOP for breakfast (delicious!) and then we came home.  We are getting a new deck, and the guys came to tear down our old one...the kids thought it was so fun to watch!
Early afternoon on Monday, we headed to swim and cook out with Tanja and Nick!  Here the kids are with Tanja in the water!  It felt so great to swim.  And Katie did great jumping off the diving board and everything!
 Before we left, we of course had to get a family picture :)  This was the best even though Jack wasn't looking at the camera!  At least we were all in red, white, and blue! 
And a picture of Tanja and Nick!  They had just gotten back from Europe the day before, so I was impressed they weren't half asleep!
We had a great time seeing friends and family and then spending some time together at home.  Such a fun weekend! 


Photobucket

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Big Sister Class

Saturday was the big day for Big Sister Class for Miss Priss!  We will be delivering Ryan at a different hospital, so I thought it would be good for Katie to do a "refresher course" - and for us to be able to get the little tour as well!  Here we are before heading out!  I asked Brad's mom to get a picture of me and Brad and Katie and Jack ran over and wanted in the picture!  What a ham!
 And a cropped version of the same thing!
 When we got there, they had big brother and big sister pictures for the kids to color and also gave them a bag of goodies!  Once it was go time, we watched an episode of Arthur that was about bringing home baby!
 Next, the kids got a doll and got down on the floor with the instructor!  They got to change the baby's diaper...
 ...and Daddy even got down to help!  Impressive!  And rather hilarious since the first diaper he changed was Katie's first diaper!
 She was so proud!  And then next was swaddling the baby...and then feeding a bottle.  She did such a great job!  I knew she would be a great helper, but now she has officially been "trained!"
 The next task was going on a baby hunt!  We went on a tour and the kids had to keep up with how many real babies we saw!  They got to play "dress up" for the tour - love it!
 We were ready to go see some babies!  And it was so great to be able to tour the important areas!
 Once we were headed out, Katie was so excited - she was the first one to follow the instructor to our first stop!
 And the last stop on the tour was the baby nursery.  There was only one baby in there - here they are looking at the baby!  Katie kept telling us to look when the teeny baby moved and she was impressed that it was a "real baby!"
 Once we finished, Katie wanted to eat lunch with just Mommy and Daddy :) So we went to a local BBQ place that is absolutely amazing - and we sat outside!  I had to get a pic with my sweet girl...sheesh my belly looks gigantic!
And I got one of Brad and Katie together! 
We had a great morning and I definitely feel more prepared to have Ryan there!  Not too much longer :) I guess I should start packing a bag - ya know, just in case!
 


Photobucket

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Zoo Time + End of Year Fun with Friends

Last week, once school was out, we had a couple of days we were able to get out and have some fun! The day after school let out, we didn't have any plans, so I thought it'd be fun to take the kiddos to the zoo!  It was a hot one - and I am rather large - so we lasted about 2 or 2.5 hours...not too shabby!  The kids were hungry at that point, so we went to my mom's house and visited and had lunch!
 
Here we are right after walking into the zoo!  We weren't too hot and sweaty yet!
They were so excited!  And of course Jack had a bulldozer he had to take in with him.
One of the kangaroos was close enough to the sidewalk to actually be able to pet it!  I think the kangaroos may be my favorite part of the zoo now!
We saw more than this, but I didn't take pictures at each stop (impressive, right?) - the next time I had my camera handy was in the petting area!  And boy am I glad I did!  I think it was Jack's first time to really get down and run around in there - and he loved it!  My favorite was when he found a little goat sitting in the corner of a pallet and he climbed the stairs and sat all snuggled up next to the goat (like he does to Sadie).  Isn't this picture adorable?!
And he leaned in for a hug.  Thank goodness the goat was patient - he didn't even budge!
Katie showed Jack where all the brushes are kept and then how to brush the goats.  Jack was a natural, of course :)
I think Katie could stay in this part for hours.  She loves it!
After we finished playing with goats, we rested on a bench (mainly for me) for a few minutes - and then we headed to the carousel!  That is Katie's favorite part and she was SO excited!
Jack was excited too!  It was his first time on the carousel - and he didn't want to get off!
An attempt of a selfie - not too shabby!  We were hot and sweaty by now...and it was super sunny.
Katie wanted to take a picture, so I let her take one of me and Jack.  Aye aye aye - look at that belly!
We went to see the elephants and the giraffes - and then it was time to head to Cee Cee's house!  Such a fun day!
 
Thursday, we met some of Jack's buddies at a local park for an end of school year get together!  Another day out in the sun getting fresh air - perfection!  Katie loved picking flowers - and Jack actually joined her and picked some too!
And here is a cute picture of Jack and one of his best buds, Carter!  Such cuties!  Carter told his sweet momma that Jack was his best friend - love it!
And a quick one of my little guy!  He isn't so little anymore - and I know once Ryan is born he will seem like a giant! It should definitely be interesting to see him in big brother role :)
Between the buses parked nearby, the playground, and wanting to explore, this was the best I could get of both the crazies together!
And an attempt of a picture of the two of us - Jack was distracted by the school buses in the parking lot!
And here is 5 of the 9 kiddos in his class this past year!  It was so fun to get together and visit with the mommas and watch all the kids interact!
And I asked one of the mommas to take a picture of me and the kiddos - this was the first outtake!  So funny - love it!
And a better one - I am one blessed lady!
It is so great to have these chances to spend some quality time with these two before our worlds are rocked :)
 


Photobucket