No baby named Irene - thank goodness!

Hurricane Irene came to visit us last week, along with most of the other East Coast residents.  Luckily, we sustained no damage to our house, just a bunch of leaves and branches fell.  We did have one plant casualty, but you'll have to check that out in the pictures. :)  Unfortunately, we did lose power for 3 1/2 days, which was not fun, but not nearly as bad as it sounds.  We had many friends to help us out during the power outage.  We put a lot of our freezer food into a friend's deep freeze; we did showers, laundry, and charging of electrical items at another friend's; and our neighbor (who we barely know) took some of our fridge food to their fridge, which they were running off a generator.  Everyone was very supportive.
The weather was fantastic (and had been all of August) - the nights were in the upper 50s to cool the house down, and the days were sunny with highs were in the low 80s.  I've never known the weather to be so good during a power outage.  The dark nights were boring, though.  Reading by flashlight isn't very fun.
The first night, when we lighted a candle, Jared came running over, yelled "Happy Birthday!", tried to blow out the candle, then asked for cake.  It had been over 1 1/2 months since his birthday - his memory is really improving!
I also had a serious talk with the new baby, and said that this was not the weekend (during the storm) to come out to see the world.  Luckily, the baby listened.

Speaking of storm babies, my friend Karin had her son on the Friday before Irene hit. (Saturday night - early Sunday morning was the worst of it here.)  Welcome Bobby!  They sent them back home to a house with no power, but luckily, they got it back a couple of hours later. (and they also had a generator, so that was good)

I don't know why, but I'm dragging my feet on this whole packing for the hospital thing.  I don't know if it's denial or what, but I am determined to get most of it done by this weekend.  The hospital gives you most of what you need anyway.  I do have my packing list printed out though - does that count? ;)
We're down to two boy's names and we agreed on our girl's name.  So at least we're almost done with that.

It's time to vote people!  Look up and to the right, and you'll see my baby's gender poll.  Just curious what your thoughts are.  I also have one going on my Facebook page.

Jared has been cute and frustrating as always.  Going down for naps continually gets harder.  But he does love to get a "big hug" from people, then gives a contented "ah" when he's done.
He also surprised some of Steve's coworkers at a BBQ, when he correctly identified a backhoe piece in a puzzle.  The kid knows his construction equipment.

Enjoy the new pictures.  The side-by-side preggo pictures are interesting.  I guess I look about the same this time as last time.
I'll try to keep you updated here and on Facebook with any labor news.

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!

Jared is 2 years old!

I can't believe my little guy is 2 years old already!  We had a really nice birthday celebration with both sets of Grandparents.  Jared definitely enjoyed having all of that attention!  They gave Jared a tricycle and a wagon, which he really liked, but it was just work for the adults pushing him around in either one.  Grammy made Jared a birthday cake that looked like a dump truck, which was really neat.  Jared also loved playing with all of the helium balloons around the house.  Steve put Jared into our backyard swing against his protests (he might even have been crying), but as soon as he was in it, he loved it again.  I'm not sure why Jared was scared/unhappy with the swing, but I'm glad that's over!

Then we had a fun playdate at our house with some of Jared's friends.  We normally just see these 3 girls (and one little brother) at the playground, so it was fun to have them over to our house.  After playing inside and outside, and eating lunch, we ate the second dump truck birthday cake that Grammy made!

Jared likes going "fast." :)  He is also likes jumping.  At his party, Jared was so excited that his friends were here, that I think he jumped up and down for two solid minutes!


Jared has been really enjoying his baby doll.  When we first got it for him, he carried it around and slept with it, but now Baby has come alive. :)  Jared wants Baby to hold the books when they read, Baby participates in the Pat the Bunny book, and sometimes even dances around and gives high 5's to people!  I'm not really sure where this is coming from, but I find it promising for the new sibling.  I think Jared will be frustrated in the beginning when the new baby brother or sister isn't able to play with him.

We went over to a friend's pool the other day, and Jared actually got in and enjoyed himself!  They had a blow up little boat that Jared floated around in, and a waterfall in the pool that he liked to stick his hands into.  He seems to be coming around to enjoy these summer activities.

Jared has been doing well sleeping overnight in his big bed, but sometimes he gets a little too rambunctious to nap in his bed.  I put him back in his crib a couple of days, just for napping, but that seemed to confuse him where he was supposed to sleep.  We did catch him getting up and running around his room while he was supposed to be napping, but he was usually very sneaky, and climbed back into bed when he heard us coming up the stairs to check on him.


Steve has been busy this weekend.  He installed and plumbed a utility sink in the basement for me.  I think this will be really helpful to have, especially for soaking dirty kids clothes.  He did a great job, although I felt really bad when he was outside cutting pipe (and later grilling our dinner) when it was 105 degrees outside!

I have been feeling fairly good lately.  We try to take Jared outside very early in the day to burn off some energy so he can nap, then hide inside the rest of the day when it gets really hot.  I've been having an ongoing hip/tailbone problem, but I got a massage the other day, which really seemed to improve things.

Enjoy all of the pictures!  These will be the last pics under the 21-24 month link.

Big Boy Bed!

Jared has been changing so much in such a short amount of time!

-He is now obsessed with tunnels.  This started when we were driving through a tunnel on I-95.  But his favorite tunnel usually involves Steve's legs hanging over the edge of the couch.  He sees tunnels everywhere: overpasses that we're driving under, trees overhanging the road, roofs at gas stations, etc.
-Jared now understands the word fast.  He will run around the house saying "fast, fast."
-Jared ate fish for the first time the other day, and seemed to have no ill effects.  It will be nice to get that back into our diet.  Jared loves chicken, and it seems like that's all we eat lately.
-Jared finally figured out that it's fun to play in the river.  He likes to run in and splash around! :)
-Jared is really cute when he says helicopter and cock-a-doodle-doo!
-Jared also really likes saying things are heavy as he is carrying them.  Sometimes, they really are heavy, but mostly it's just a big bulky item.


We had a great 4th of July weekend up in Central PA.  We visited my parents and "Uncle Jim" at our cabin.  Jared loved the fresh blueberries and raspberries that Grammy picked for him.  I really enjoyed roasting marshmallows over a campfire every night.
We went into State College to visit with friends and walk around campus.  Jared was somewhat intimidated, but liked the "big lion" at Penn State.  We got ice cream from the creamery, and bought some new t-shirts, since ours are at least 10 years old now!  It seemed weird walking around campus with a two year old - it made me feel old, and gave me a quick realization that those college days are long gone.  Although, Jared enjoyed the tunnels through the dorms in West Halls. :)

Jared's big news is that he is now sleeping in his big boy bed.  He started asking to sleep with a pillow and blanket in the crib, so we thought it might be time to try for the big bed.  He was so excited when we assembled it, that he wanted to go to sleep at 4:30 pm!  Steve says that he has never seen him so excited before.  He went right to sleep the first night with no problems.  He didn't get out of bed, and he didn't roll out of bed.  He was so excited when he woke up the next morning that he couldn't get back to sleep, which unfortunately, was just before 5 am. :P  He's been doing well since then too.  I'm under no illusions that we won't encounter any problems with sleeping in the big bed, but the initial transition went so smoothly, that Steve and I are shocked.

Since the big bed went so well, I decided to push my luck, and get Jared a training potty.  We haven't tried it yet, but he has been a lot better lately about telling us when he's pooped.  Unfortunately, we have to explain to him that he needs to tell us before the event occurs.  We're not pushing him into potty training, but I think it's a good idea to introduce him to the concept, and we'll see how it goes.

I started pre-natal yoga.  I love being back at yoga, and the community with the other pregnant ladies.  All of the stretching feels good on my achy body, but I have to try to take it easy.  I'm extra flexible now, and I think I am stretching out my hip too much, since it usually hurts the next day.  Other than that, I am really appreciating the central A/C in the house!

Steve spent most of a day putting up a swing for Jared in the backyard.  I got the swing at a yard sale, but we have no good branches from our trees to hang it from.  Steve lashed a board between two trees, and hung the swing from the board.  Jared loved it the first day, liked it the second day, but now won't go in the swing.  Of course, he loves the swings at the playground.  Hopefully, he'll start liking it again soon. 

Our friend Jim is a big plant guy, and told us that our super-weed outside our house is indeed a super weed.  It's not a Lamb's Ear, but the biennial plant Common Mullein.  It looks like a Lamb's Ear the first year, with broad soft leaves.  Then it goes crazy and does this the second year.  It's currently measuring in at 9 feet tall!  Then it dies, and Jim says that the top works well as a torch.  I thought it would be cool to light the plant up for Halloween this fall, but it's probably too close to the house. :(

Welcome Baby Lana to the Thomas Family!  You are blessed to have such a wonderful family, and I can't wait to meet you!

Enjoy the new pictures posted of our adventures! :)

Welcome to the third trimester

The achiness and sleeplessness are in full swing, so I guess I'm entering the third trimester.  It's hard to believe that in three short months, we'll have a brand new little baby in our house!  We have re-nicknamed this baby Jumpy, since it is constantly moving around in my belly.  Jared was Bumpy, so if we have another kid, will it be Lumpy? :)

I've been helped out watching Jared lately, since we've had lots of family time.  We went to my cousin Chris's high school graduation party, which turned out to be quite the mini-family reunion.  It was so great to see everyone.  We spent the weekend with Steve's parents, and then my parents came down to MD to visit for a few days.  They have a lot of fun playing with Jared, and I get a break, which I mostly spend sleeping. :)


Steve brought the twin bed that he used home from his parents' house, so now we have a "big boy bed" that we can put together whenever Jared is ready for it. 


Enjoy all of the new pictures!

1 more!

I have been blogging a lot lately, but I'm just trying to keep up with everything that Jared's been up to!
-He has become a master procrastinator, especially at bedtime.  He is now the king of "1 more" for books, staring at a book page forever, flipping backwards through books, slowing picking out a book, etc.
-He likes to hold your hand and lead you around the house, usually to nothing in particular.
-Yells for Mommy or Daddy (incessantly) when he is sitting by himself on the couch, just so he can say hi.
-He is getting better at numbers, and counted to ten all by himself in the car one day!
-He is learning quite a few letters now too.
-He is getting better at turning doorknobs to open doors.
-He is trying to escape from his crib, but hasn't been successful yet (thankfully!)
-He likes to walk up and down steps, and is usually good about waiting for help.
-He is very particular about his things.  He gets really upset if he can see the curtain tieback hooks when the curtains are closed.  He likes to line up his crayons, so they are all pointing the same direction.  He also likes to line up his cars and trucks like a train to push them around.
-He is very good at saying bye to everything and everyone.  He has now moved past just people and says bye to his poopy diapers and to the playground when we leave.  I also tell him that we are going to the store to "buy food," so he repeats "bye food!"  For some reason, that really makes me laugh.

I feel really pregnant, but I didn't realize how small I really was until I saw a lady who is due about the same time as I am, and she was twice as big as me!