Let the pregnancy posts begin!

I'm not a huge fan of belly pictures. Well I am but not when it's mine. And, especially not when it's bare. But I must document so that I can remember these days and so I can share these memories with my children someday. Don't get me wrong, I totally took pictures of my bare belly but nobody will see those pictures except for my family and my hard drive. I didn't like showing it off in my pre baby days because I was always a bit modest, I didn't like showing it off when I was pregnant with Liam, and I definitely don't like showing it off now that Liam did a number on my skin. Stretch mark city.

So here ya go! 14 weeks in this picture I believe. I'm almost 16 as I write this. Just starting to pop out and feeling extremely frustrated with my clothing selection. I'm swimming in most of my old maternity clothes and yet most of my regular clothes either won't button or look like they are trying way too hard. Think I can convince my husband to take me "in between" shopping?

Liam wanted to show his belly off too. He doesn't mind me sharing his bare belly pictures with the world wide web.

I'm feeling... okay these days. I have had a very mild pregnancy compared to how sick I was when I was pregnant with Liam. A lot of things make me gag, especially smells, and I feel tired sometimes, and other times I have really bad insomnia. I'm super emotional and cry at every cute little book I read to Liam and every movie I watch, and for you fellow bloggers, I've been known to shed a tear or two reading some of your writing as well. The other side of this emotional roller coaster is that I have a tendency to feel like minor setbacks are the end of the world. I'm working on that and hoping it doesn't last long.

I'm coming to the realization that I have just over 5 months left with my family the way it is. We will never be three ever again and that makes me a little sad. I made a list of all the fun things I want to do with Liam before a baby sibling cramps his style. I'm excited to get started on it and soak up every second I have with my two boys.

We moved all of our baby items into the room that will be the nursery. Liam has discovered his old bumbo seat and he thinks it's a potty chair. He doesn't use it as a potty chair. He just sits in it and talks about going potty. I can't believe how huge he is in it now when we used that thing so much when he was a baby. I better stop talking about it or the emotions will start flowing again.

We have attempted to find the gender out early at a 4d ultrasound place two times now. Both times our little person is sitting with their legs crossed with their little foot right in front of the area we need to see. Luckily, the place we are going to lets us return as many times as possible until they can be 100% sure of the gender. We go back on Tuesday and I fear we may be looking at crossed legs again. We will just have to wait and see. As curious as I am I am kind of enjoying getting a little weekly peak at that little growing body. It makes it very real and has helped me bond with this child. But as much as I enjoy it, they better cooperate on Tuesday. That's all I'm saying.

Two!

Liam's second birthday party took place last weekend. I'm going to type less and show more pictures but I just wanted to quickly say that I am so thankful for all of my amazing family and generous friends who love me and my family so much that they took time out of their Saturday to celebrate with us. Most everyone who came drove between 40 minutes and 1.5 hours to get to our home and I am so glad that they did. I loved seeing all of my family and friends and their adorable children and I enjoyed catching up with those I don't get to see very often. More than that, though, I feel so blessed to have so many people who care so much about Liam. He's one lucky little boy.

I didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked but that's just because I was enjoying myself so much and wasn't worrying about snapping a million pictures. I have all the memories I need in my brain and I'll never forget this super fun day. As much as I am now mourning the loss of Liam's babyhood I am looking forward to watching him grow into the sweet person he is becoming.

Chuck E. Cheese

The weekend before Liam's 2nd birthday we took him to Chuck E. Cheese's to celebrate. It was actually more of a congratulatory trip since we had promised to take him there when he was a "big boy" and weaned. Chuck E. Cheese has a large selection of printable rewards charts on their website that you can use for all different kinds of behaviors. We used the "good night's sleep" chart since we were mostly working on getting him to fall asleep and stay asleep without nursing. We thought he might be a bit young for it but it worked like a charm. He was very excited to put his stars in the boxes and he even went as far as filling all the boxes in when I wasn't looking. Sneaky boy.

When the chart was completed (the right way) we took him in as promised and showered him with pizza and tokens. We may have showered ourselves a bit as well. We spent a better part of our day there and I must say we had a really fun time. We all felt accomplished and very proud of ourselves and our little guy. It was a great way to close that chapter in our lives.

Liam still talks about that day and wants to go back. He calls it "Duck E. Cheese" which is pretty cute, too. A post about his actual birthday is coming soon.

My big big boy

My big boy turns two on Saturday. It's official. He's no longer a baby. He has been completely weaned for a full 48 hours now and I have to say that he did much better with the transition than I thought he would. Each week for the past three or four weeks we have been removing a nursing session little by little. He was really only nursing to go to sleep at night and during his nap but that also includes waking up multiple times and needing help going back to sleep, nursing when he wakes up, and his favorite: nursing during our nightly episode of Mickey Mouse. Nothing like feeling like a big bowl of popcorn. Anyway, weaning has been the hugest accomplishment for him and it has taught me a lot about how mature he is getting and how much he has changed.

I have said it a million times but he was such a needy baby. His whole first year was the biggest challenge I have ever faced. His first birthday was such a huge celebration for us because we realized that we actually made it through and it was also a big turning point in his personality. He loved being able to walk and talk, he didn't need as much sleep to feel happy, colic and acid reflux had become a thing of the past and car rides became easier. We were really living it up. This year I feel like his birthday is a celebration of how smart and mature he has become. It is truly incredible to look back at where he was just a year ago and realize that the changes he has made are absolutely astonishing.

He talks in full sentences these days and pulls words out of his pocket that I didn't even know he knew. He makes jokes and teases us. When he is feeling embarrassed he hides and says, "I shy." He knows how to count to twelve forward and backward and he likes singing his ABCs even if he skips most of the letters. His knowledge and interest in animals makes me positive he is either destined to be some sort of zoo keeper or the next Cesar Millan. He has recently fallen in love with Barney which drives us up the wall but also gives me something to distract him for a few minutes to get a few things done. His relationship with Paul is growing so quickly that, at times, I feel left in the dust but also so happy to see them bonding (and so relieved for a break).

He sits way too close to the TV at times.

He enjoys waving the dogs' leashes in their faces because they get excited and start jumping up and down. He also loves giving them treats and torturing them occassionally. He is in the 75th percentile for his height and his weight and I'm so thankful that he is as healthy as a horse. He goes days where it seems like he barely nibbles then there are days like today where he finishes off his breakfast, steals mine, then digs through his diaper bag in the car pulling every possible snack out and inhaling it all.

He's having a Mickey Mouse birthday party this weekend and he keeps talking about candles and cake and ice cream. We took him to get his picture taken today and I can't believe the difference between this year and last. I'll post the new ones as soon as I get them. I'm just so proud of my big boy and I'm looking forward to all the changes this next year will bring.

Our summer so far

Our summer has been very fun, very hot and very busy. I'm going to mostly let the pictures speak for themselves but I'll throw my two cents in here and there.

These first two pictures were taken on Independence Day. It was the second time Liam swam with floaties on his arms and he absolutely loves them. It used to be that every time we would swim Liam would get so mad at us for holding him and he would be fighting us off the entire time. We found some floaties at the dollar store and thought we would give it try. We really thought that he would hate having them on his arms and that he wouldn't be able to use them anyway but we were wrong. As soon as he realized they were meant to help him swim alone he was all for it. He swims like a fish with them on.

Our Fourth of July was so much fun. Paul actually had it off and we spent it with his side of the family. We swam, ate delicious food, talked and laughed and played ring around the rosie with a stuffed Uncle Sam.

Then we watched a few fireworks that Liam still wasn't very fond of. He wasn't crying like he was last year but he was a little scared and covering his ears. He kept talking about how he wanted to go inside and watch TV. To give him credit, it was a very long day and he was pretty tired.

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before but Liam has been LOVING playing in the sink. He does it at least twice a day most days. I give him a few mixing bowls and he goes to town. Lucky for him (and us) he's getting a water table for his birthday.

He is also loving riding his bike in the cool evenings since he now knows how to pedal by himself. He doesn't know how to steer yet though so he mostly pedals down the driveway until he crashes into the grass then he gets off, pulls his bike back up the driveway and starts again.

We took him back to the zoo a couple of weeks ago just for a couple of hours and it was way crowded and way hot. We went to his favorite exhibits then made a bee line for the exit with screaming toddler in tow. (Oh yeah, Liam doesn't like leaving... anywhere. The mall, the park, the restaurant, the zoo. He throws a fit every time. We went to lunch the other day and when we were done eating we asked him if he was ready to go. He said no, of course, so Paul said, "Well, what do you want to do here?" He said, "Just sit." So we sat. Only for about 2 minutes then he was good to go. I guess he's just never in a rush.)

Liam has rediscovered his Halloween costume from last year and he makes me put it on him occassionally.

He enjoys counting his claws.

We had our first doctor's appointment about a week and a half ago. I was about 8 weeks along and we were both so relieved to see that everything is going smoothly so far. It was also a wake up call that there is actually a tiny, grape sized, person growing inside me who will be coming out in just a few short months. Both times that I've found out I was pregnant, it felt very surreal until that first ultrasound. Like I'm not reallly pregnant or it's not really happening until I can see it actually is. And sure enough, yep, it's happening. We are so excited and so super nervous to be parents of two. So far, I have been very encouraged by the way this pregnancy has started out. I was deathly ill with Liam and pretty much in bed whenever I wasn't at work throwing up in the bathroom. This time, I'm feeling so much better. It's seriously a miracle. I feel like it's all working out the way it's supposed to so that I can care for Liam while caring for myself. It's still hard and exhausting but it's working. I hope I can repeat those words when the baby arrives.

And one last picture. I'm weaning Liam from nursing. It's only been a week but it's going very well so far. Except for this little disturbing aspect. The other day Liam showed me his art and told me that it was "booby." (That's what he calls nursing). Can you see it in the picture? It really is! I laughed at first but I can't help but feel I'm traumatizing my little guy. Poor baby is working his frustrations out through art. Maybe that's how great artists are created, I don't know.

Home projects #3 and #4

We have a front lawn, people! It was a lot of work but it's finished and we are loving it! It took us week after week of spending an hour or so at a time pulling out the plants, ground cover and weeds. Then it was finally time to lay the sod! It just so happened to be the first piping hot day of summer and everyone was completely exhausted and fried (especially Paul and his brother) by the time they were finished. We really have the most amazing, generous family who drove up to work their butts off without payment except for pizza. My nephew and niece both worked so hard and I must say that when I was their age I would have been sneaking off into the air conditioning every chance I got. They were amazing. At one point my sun-kissed niece looked up from her filthy shoes, wiped her brow and started giggling. She said, "I feel like a slave!" and I don't think she was that off. I'm sure there are child labor laws that should have prohibitted her from doing such hard work. I knew it was worth it though when half way through Paul pointed at the middle of the yard and said, "This is where the Slip N Slide will go!" He brought our goal back into view: a safe, clean, pretty place for Liam to play free of thorns and bee infested Rosemary. But still, for the back yard, we are hiring workers!

And that brings me to our next and final home project which is a fairly recent one. I get to design another nursery for another little one! We are expecting baby #2 at the end of February 2012! The day we found out was the first day we actually played on our new lawn and I snapped a few pictures to document our excitement and anticipation! Ok, well really, the sun was just setting and the light was too good to pass up so I used the excuse to whip out the camera.

Home project #2

I left off the last post talking about my love of the color orange. That leads me right up to my loft/ playroom project where my accent wall is no longer orange. :( let me explain a tiny bit. When we lived in San bernardino we painted our bathroom a bright orange. It was fun and different but also a bit much. When we moved we toned it down a bit with a deeper orange color only on the back wall of the loft. I loved it and it went really well with our pool table/ future game room ideas. When we began work on the playroom we quickly realized that it was clashing with all of our ideas and our "primary colors" cholor scheme so we no longer have that orange wall. It's blue! We used a dark blue we had left over from Liams room and it is bringing the room together nicely. The pool table is down, the blue paint is up, book and toy storage is in, some wall art is hung, and I think we are in the home stretch. We need to hang the curtains that we bought from Ikea along with some decals we purchased from Babies R US, we need more wall art, and I really want to paint the blinds white but that seems like a big job so I'm going to wait to see if the curtains help at all or if they make it worse. Here are some pictures of our work in progress.

These are the curtains that aren't yet hung on the blue wall below.

I love these Disney prints mainly because Paul made them but also because he made them with Liam in mind. Liam loves Mickey Mouse and Paul knew that he would enjoy looking at them and he really does! He always points to them and names off all the characters. I'm not sure we will leave them by the window once curtains are up but we will see.

These are my ikea spice rack $4 book cases. I got the idea from pinterest.com and I knew I wanted to copy. Liam is loving books these days and having the books facing forward makes it so much easier for him to pick one out and to clean them up.

These are the new cubbies.

And here is the art corner complete with supplies and Liam's original works.

I want the room to feel organized and I think we are succeeding. One wall is the art wall, one is the reading wall, and the third is the play wall with lots of floor space in the middle for big messes. I'm so excited about how this room is coming together and how inexpensive it has been. But I'm especially excited about all the memories we will make in it!