37 Week Update

Feeling like I have Santa's belly these days, although it is hard as a rock rather than like a bowl full of jelly.

Just returned from the doctor. No change! Still at 1cm, still pretty high. Looks like this one has a chance at going the distance. In general, I am feeling pretty good these days. Last night was horrible though. We had an authentic Mennonite meal with some friends and I ate one too many verenika (delicious). I was up from 12-2am with heartburn that would not go away despite taking my second pepcid in 2 hours. Then, Ben woke and fussed for unknown reasons from 4-6am. He settled back in and the alarm went off at 6:30am, although Ben did sleep until 7:30am which hasn't happened in...ever maybe. I am guessing that was some practice for bringing home a newborn. Oh the joys. ha.

Here are the votes for Nate's birthday. I think it is funny that 4 people picked the 10th. The 10th is quite a date in my family (good and bad), so we might as well add another thing to remember!

December 1 @ 2am - Ray (Sorry Ray, but you are welcome to pick again.)
December 6 @ 2pm - Lauren
December 7 @ 4:17am - Grandma Sherrill
December 10 @ 8am - Priscilla
December 10 @ 11:48pm - Becky
December 10 - Julie
December 10 - Ryan
December 14 - Kelly
December 18 - Darby

By the way - I have 2 friends that are due right around the same as me. We are all expecting our second child, and all the new babies are boys. Too bad we all 3 live in different states. It would be so fun to finish up our pregnancies together and see our little boys grow up together.

Until something happens...

Decorating the Christmas Tree

Ben helped me decorate the tree this year. He loved it!

Fluffing the tree.

I laid down to get some of the bottom branches and he wiggled in and sat on me. I moved him and he did it again and again. So we got a picture.

I know this is terribly blurry, but he was so proud that he put some tissue paper in the tree as his first decoration.

36 Week Update

Ben loves giving his baby brother kisses and hugs! He knows he is in my belly when we ask about baby Nate. Now, what will his little brain think when he is no longer in my belly but screaming and getting all the attention? Hum...


We had the 36 week appointment today. I am only dilated to 1cm and not looking like much progress is happening yet. Everything else looked great though.

I am officially ready to have this baby! I still have one more week until I am full term, so I will (im)patiently wait until at least then. I keep telling Ryan that I don't see why Nate can't arrive on Tuesday, November 30. He keeps telling me to quit thinking like that or I will be very disappointed when I carry him until his due date. He's right. But, I'm just really ready. I remember feeling like this when I was pregnant with Ben.

It is time to make your guesses of when Nate will arrive. Send me an email or leave a comment of when you guess Nate will make his debut. I am 37 weeks (full term) on Monday, November 29th. I know there are many of you that read my blog, but never comment so here is your chance to let me know you read all about us! I would love to know who keeps up with us.

Lately

Ben loved the water hose in the warm weather and is obsessed with washing his hands and brushing his teeth right now! He has made up signs for both. We have found him multiple times sitting on the toilet (lid down) in the dark with his toothbrush and toothpaste in hand. So, I thought we would try some water play yesterday. He worked very hard for about 45 minutes! The only reason we had to stop was because he decided to pour water on the floor after my first warning not to. Darn. We will definitely do this again though!

I think I have mentioned before just how much Ben loves putting away the groceries. I MUST put all the bags in the middle of the kitchen floor and he puts every item away, one by one. Frig and pantry. He used to be happy just taking the cans to the pantry. Now, he insists on being lifted to the appropriate shelf so he can put it where it belongs. In the video he says "Up!" when he walks over and turns himself around in front of Ryan. Please excuse the picnic table - we were drying it off from the rain to take to the church.

I was 'that mom' a few days ago. Ben wanted to wear his rain boots, so I let him. I knew he wanted to wear them because he put them on all by himself and then proudly came to show me. So, I grabbed the camera and he was willing to proudly show me again.

One Small Step...

Yesterday evening Ben clearly and loudly asked for more "brocci" (broccoli cheese soup).

One small step for language acquisition.

And asked in front of our 4 adult and 2 toddler dinner guests.

One giant leap for the parent's ego.

He inhaled it again today for lunch.

Always keep your drink options open: water, juice/water, and milk.
Also notice that they are in height order - I didn't sort them like that :)

I left the room and when I came back around the corner I found this. haha.

The Honest Truth

I don't need parents. I can do it all by myself!

I don't keep a baby book, but rather a blog. And somehow I generally remember things not quite as they were if they aren't written down soon after taking place. Since this is the place that I look back at to remember, I thought I owed it to myself and all you faithful readers to tell some honest truths about my perfect son Benjamin and our loving, adorable family. ha.

Once Nate starts teething I want to be able to remember what it was like for Ben. Teething is the worst thing to ever happen to us and it just seems to happen constantly and for a long period of time!

When Ben started getting his first teeth (always in multiples) he cried a lot and didn't sleep well.

He got a little older and was eating more pureed foods so when teething he would refuse to eat. Sometimes he refused multiple meals in a day. I made lots of smoothies so he would at least get some nutrition while on his hunger strike.

Then, he had a few more teeth and more mobility and independence. So, with teething came biting and hitting.

Now he is completely mobile and thinks he is completely independent and has some verbal skills. Therefore with teething he has instituted proficient and often over-use of the word "no" and will deliberately do what we asked him not to do or not do what we asked him to do.

All kids go through stages. No kid is perfect. Blah Blah Blah. My kid has split personalities. There is the teething Ben and the non-teething Ben. When teething, we get a totally different child that is barely recognizable and patience-limiting to say the least. When he is not teething, he is a complete joy and very compliant.

We know now that as soon as we see bad behavior, we check his mouth. We have never been wrong. It doesn't make it any less frustrating and we certainly don't allow the misbehavior when he is teething.

I will share one story so you all know how human we are and how our angel children can turn devilish in an instant. But, somehow we still love them.

Last Wednesday we were at our church plant team meeting. Our team consists of three married couples (including us) and we all have one child (Ben - 20 months, Jackson - 14 months, Nadia - 10 months). We meet in one of our homes and enjoy dinner with the kids strapped into high chairs. Then, the meeting begins and the toys come out and chaos is sure to ensue in some form or another. Last Wednesday was the first time having the newest couple (Nadia's parents) join our team as they just moved here from LA. We were praying for each other to open our meeting, Ben and Jackson were walking around with toys and Nadia was in a Johnny Jump-up thing in a doorway. It was my turn to pray and (as always) I was praying with my eyes wide open to watch my adorable toddler. About one sentence in Ben walked over to an unsuspecting Nadia and threw a hard plastic toy directly in her face. I said 'Amen' mid-sentence and rushed over to Nadia. The long-held breath and coming scream was enough to have her mother by my side in a split second to comfort her and Ben and I proceeded into the next room where he had to sit in time out, screaming his head off as if I had beat him (I wanted to, but I didn't touch him, I promise!). And that statement does not represent my stance on spanking - I'm not going there in this post. I could hear all the adult whispers of "what happened?" and "I didn't see it!" as they awaited my return to the room. After Ben calmed down and my blood pressure dropped back to near normal, we rejoined the group and Ben gave hugs and kisses as his apology to Nadia. And, while that was by far the worst thing that happened in that meeting, it wasn't the last time Ben was discipined that evening. I came home and cried and had to dig deep in my soul to hug and kiss that boy goodnight that evening. I love him all the time, but there are moments that I just don't want to be his friend :)

Hope that gave you all a laugh knowing your days of parenting are behind you or maybe it brought back a vivid memory of something similar that happened to you once. Or, maybe now you just know that even missionary kids misbehave terribly and we are all just trying our best to raise Godly children and the sin nature is alive and well from an early age!

Measurement Sono Update

Everything is right on track! Nate measured 34 weeks, 2 days and I am 34 weeks, 4 days. He weighs 4 lb 14 oz. We were able to see his little heart beating away and watch his chest rise and fall. There was nothing on the sono to make us worry.

Thank you to everyone that prayed for us. Against my normal tendencies I was not worried going in this morning. I woke up at 4am worried I would forget to drink the 24 oz of water before the sono or forget Ben's snack when we dropped him off. ha.

My next appointment is a week from Wednesday.

Team Building Activity

A missionary couple just moved here from LA to join our church plant team. Tina, Jackson, Ben and I got to take Jodi and Nadia to Nadia's first ever visit to a zoo. It was great fun! This pregnant mama is exhausted, but it was worth it! Ben is 20 months, Jackson is 14 months and Nadia is 10 months. We have a team meeting tonight - just imagine the fun we will have with 3 little ones!

Ben insisted on holding Nadia's hand at the gorilla exhibit...

...and at the tiger exhibit.

Watching Nadia get a tiger kiss through the glass.

Educating Ben on the finer things about tiger life.

This was seconds before the sheep told Nadia to take a step back!

YeeHaw!

34 Week Update

I saw my doctor this morning and I am still measuring smaller than expected. I was measuring 30 weeks at 30 weeks, 30 weeks at 32 weeks, and now 31 weeks at 34 weeks. I did gain plenty of weight so at least that was a positive this time. My doctor did fit me in for a sonogram on Friday morning to check everything out. She didn't seem too concerned, but that was probably more for my emotional benefit. So far I'm not worrying, but I am sure, as is my nature, a million and one things will play through my mind between now and Friday morning. We are so thankful that, while away from any blood relatives, we have people here that are already volunteering to help watch Ben so I can rest and we can go to these appointments! Such a tremendous blessing.

Please pray that I find comfort rather than worry as I wait for Friday morning to come and that everything would look perfectly healthy on the sono or that we would at least get a good game plan that leads to a healthy baby boy. Ben's pregnancy was so text book that I feel like I am in uncharted territory and it is a bit unnerving for my by-the-book personality.

We visited friends this morning that had a baby on Saturday morning and she was so tiny! I forgot my camera, but they took pictures of me holding her with Ben looking on. I can't believe how soon that will actually be me!

20 Month Update

Mommy, Ben and Nate - just for fun!

Today Ben is 20 months old. In this past month he has added so many more words and even a few phrases. He is such a little man these days. He understands far more than I give him credit for. For instance, just yesterday he was helping me dust the house (he wants to help with everything). He wanted more dusting spray on his rag and I was asking him to give me a kiss first. He kept refusing and I said, "If you give me a kiss I will give you some spray." I fully expected him not to understand, but he ran over immediately and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I felt like the worst mom ever - bribing him with dusting spray for a kiss. ha. I will try to not make that mistake again.

We have tried to be intentional about teaching Ben how to do age-appropriate chores. It has been a lot of time-consuming work, but I think it is really paying off. He picks up all his toys before naps and bedtime. He knows his routine and anticipates it (ie. when we tell him it is bath time he goes to his room and starts to take off his clothes, but not without a stop in the bathroom on the way to remind us that he would like the color tabs in his bath water). He follows directions well which has been especially helpful being this pregnant. I can sit on the couch and direct him to toys by just saying "by the couch" or "under the table" and he understands and can go get things. He puts his jammies in the laundry each morning and his diapers in the diaper champ at each change. I could go on and on. While this is so helpful most of the time, it is also problematic at other times. He likes to get in all my things and use them as they are intended (watches, make-up brushes, blow drier, etc.). It also means he is not real happy to stay close by or in the cart at stores. He likes to run free and experience it all. We have some good trips and others that aren't so great.

NO! Ben's new and favorite word. He hasn't said "yes" yet, but he sure does know how to say "no." He uses it kindly most of the time, but he definitely knows how to project that little voice and tell us what he will and wont do. That has led to more time-outs which have been quite effective so far. I would say he doesn't get more than 2-3 a week right now so I am counting my blessings for sure!

Other words/phrases
"I want/need...a ball, up, my mommy, my daddy, out, cheese, nini (banana), more."

He jabbers constantly many words that seem to be intentional, but we cannot interpret. He has been saying something that sounds like "bobby" lately and we have no idea what he is trying to say!

"Hello!"

We spent over an hour one morning playing with all the couch cushions and the flashlights. It was the first time he discovered the flashlights and loved them.

This was his own invention. He got the chair up on the slide and positioned himself there. He was proud. I was nervous. No bones were broken.

Making pumpkin pancakes with Mommy.

Packed and ready to go like a big kid.

Playing with his friend Jackson. This was taken at the end of our weekly team meeting. The meeting goes until about 8pm and both boys are usually in bed by then any other day. They do well, but by the end they are ready to go home and be done.

I am loving footy pjs!

Morning Jam Session

This fall back business has been hard on us so far. Ben woke very early yesterday and today and is fussy for the first few hours! But, somehow Kirk Franklin has the power to melt it all away - this video was made at 8am this morning. Ben rocks out every time I put on this CD. He is obviously got my love of good gospel music and my dance skills...you're welcome and I'm sorry son!

Brief Worry, But All Good!

Since yesterday afternoon I haven't felt Nate move near as much as he usually does. All morning I was trying everything to get him to move and nothing. He finally did later in the morning, so I tried to tell myself everything was ok. Then, no more kicks for a long while. I was so obsessed with it that it was bothering me too much not to just call my doctor and see. When the on-call nurse called me back Nate started kicking like crazy, but the nurse recommended we go to the hospital to just make sure everything was fine. We dropped Ben off (we have the best staff/friends) and made the short one mile trip to the hospital. We were only there one hour and everything was absolutely perfect. Yeah! Now I can rest easy. Once I emotionally recover, of course!

Keep us in your prayers. I have been so focused on all that is going on with our church and the missionary couple that just moved here from Los Angeles that I haven't been even thinking about my health and Nate's health much. Since my pregnancies are so textbook it really doesn't require much thought necessarily, but maybe this is my hint to slow down a bit and focus on these last few weeks before it will be impossible to not think about Nate!

Halloween

Our church plant hosted a free bbq meal and candy starting at 5pm to send the kids off with full bellies before trick or treating in the nice neighborhoods. These kind of events are always unpredictable in how many people might show up. Our numbers weren't high, but one key family did show up so I consider it a success.

Grammy kept up with our little dog all evening! It was freeing and odd at the same time to not have him attached to my leg all night.

Ben attached himself to this family. The little boy had some candy and Ben did not want to leave his side. They were so cute.

Ben finds dogs everywhere and anywhere, so it only made sense that he be a dog for Halloween. He wasn't too find of keeping his costume on, but here is the best shot we got.

Grammy and Papa Tom Visit

Grammy and Papa Tom came to visit for the weekend. We had to work a lot this weekend so it was tremendously helpful to have them here to watch Ben. Ben and Grammy spent a lot of quality time together! We tried to mix in some fun with the work. Hopefully, we didn't work them too hard. I warned Grammy that she might find some sore muscles from picking up that heavy boy all the time. Thanks for your amazing help. And thanks for all the fun too.

Smiling for Grammy's camera. It is just not a cute phase.

Trying to keep him still for a photo at the Nature Center.

Feeding the geese and ducks.

Grammy and Papa Tom let Ben pick a toy at Target. Ryan and I guided him a bit. He had the best time making all the toys make noise. He was hilarious. And I just thought many of you might want to see my massive belly. Am I really that big? haha

This is our latest bad habit. Anyone have tips on how to make it stop? He uses his left hand for his left nostril and his right hand for his right nostril. He pretty much does it every single time we are in the car and then many other times too.