Getting ready for the baby

We have been getting the nursery ready for the new baby.  My parents came down, and we put them to work!  Thanks to Steve and my parents, the nursery has two coats of paint, and our yard is free of bug infested logs. (yeah!)  We've now moved the crib and dresser into the nursery.  Jared got a new (to him) dresser and changing table, since his dresser went into the nursery.  He seemed to handle the furniture moves well.

I have also been getting ready for the baby by getting my pre-baby hair cut.  I remember it was a long time before I could schedule an appointment to get it cut after Jared was born.

I am 36 weeks pregnant now, and so the baby is full term.  The doctor measured me today, and the baby is very low.  This is not surprising to me, since I've been having a lot of hip and pelvic pain.  The doctor doesn't think that I'm going to go the full 40 weeks, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see about that.  The doctor also guessed it was a girl, based on the size.  I was guessing a boy, due to my belly shape.  I guess we'll just have to wait and see about that too. :)

I was dreading the month of August this whole pregnancy, and I have been pleasantly surprised.  Where July here was very hot and dry, August has been rainy and not quite so hot.  I still wished I lived somewhere with less humidity, but I'll take what I can get.

Jared has been as cute as ever, and is getting to be really funny.
-He always asks for bacon for breakfast.  I have no idea where this came from.  He's only had bacon a couple of times ever.
-He loves all of his trains!
-He chooses his diaper and opens it up for me before we change him.
-He has decided that he can put on his shorts all by himself.  The first day, he somehow managed to do it perfectly.  Since then, he always puts his legs in the same leg hole.  I chalk it up to beginner's luck.
-He is getting a very good memory.  When we visited Steve's parents, he went into the garage, got out the folding chair, and told Grandma that he wanted to blow bubbles.  This was exactly the way they did it last time.  He also knows that when Mommy goes away, that I am going to yoga.  This surprised me, since my class is only once a week.
-His baby doll now gives high 5's and does the hand motions for Itsy Bitsy Spider - so cute!
-He laughs at things now.  One of his books has a knock-knock joke that he cracks up at every time, even though I'm pretty sure he doesn't understand it.  He also thought that it was hilarious when I told him that he drinks cow's milk, but that the baby would drink milk out of my breast.  Not only did he think that was funny, but he said "booby" for the next 20 minutes.  What a boy thing to do!
-Last night, Steve asked Jared, "Can you ask me nicely for that?"  meaning he should say please.  Jared's response was "yes."  When Steve repeated the question, Jared's answer was "ask nicely."  I just lost it. :)

There are a few new pictures under the 24-26 month link - enjoy!

Nesting

It was brought to my attention that I forgot to blog about Jared's 2 year doctor's appointment.  This was our first time at the new pediatrician, and I think that he's great!  Jared also had a good visit - no shots!  Jared now weighs in at 25 pounds (5 pounds more than at his 1 year visit - 25th percentile) and is 33 1/4 " tall (50th percentile).  Then we went into the exam room to wait for the doctor.  When I talked to the doctor before, I was in a room with animals painted on the walls, and a stuffed giraffe.  This time we got the space room - they had stars and galaxies painted on the walls with glow in the dark paint.  So we ended up waiting in the exam room for the doctor with all of the lights out, since Jared wouldn't let me turn them back on. :)  At the end of our visit, the doctor even gave Jared a cookie.  Jared politely asked for more when he was done, but I told him that it was time to leave.

Especially at the end of pregnancy, women are supposed to go crazy nesting - getting ready for the baby to arrive.  While I think I have been doing that somewhat, I have built what Steve calls my actual nest.  My hips/tailbone and back have been so sore lately, that I usually end up sleeping on the guest bed.  I have pillows going down the length of me on both sides for support, and I sleep on a folded up quilt to cushion my hips.  It does end up looking like a nest.

We have been planning to get the nursery in shape, since I only have six weeks left!  We have been collecting furniture for Jared, and will move his old furniture in for the baby.  We bought the paint for the room, and Steve and my parents will paint the nursery this weekend.  I even bought some newborn diapers today.  Then I'll have to start unpacking the tiny clothes once the room is set up.  I'm not looking forward to all of the work and lack of sleep that comes with having a newborn, but I think we're all getting pretty ready to meet this new little person.


Jared has been getting more comfortable around water throughout the summer, so we thought he would enjoy going to the beach.  Boy, did he ever!  I think he would have stayed all day and passed out there if we would have let him.  We went to Cape Henlopen state beach in Lewes, Delaware, with Steve's parents.  We just went for the day, since it was only 2 hours away from their house.  Jared liked the sand, but he couldn't get enough of the surf!  It was a beautiful sunny day, but the surf was really rough.  But he still loved getting in as far as we would let him (usually holding him up by the armpits.)  Even when he got knocked down or got water on his face, he never got upset.  I really think he could have stood there all day.  Then he went on a really long walk down the beach, and the only way to get him to turn back around was to bribe him with food.  He saw birds and boats, but missed the dolphins that were really close to the beach.  After 3 1/2 hours we decided to leave, even though we were all having a good time.  We just didn't want Jared to crash at the beach.  We cleaned him up, and got him back in the car for the ride back, and he passed out in about 10 minutes.  He had such a great time, I think we'll have to plan a longer beach trip next time.

Enjoy our new pictures under the 24 to 26 month picture link!