Pregnancy pictures

We are officially into month 8. And since we are scheduled to go at 38 weeks instead of waiting the full 40, we have almost 6 weeks left. Crazy how fast the time goes!

Anyway, in a guess her girth classic I have an interesting bit of trivia for you. Hubby has a cool measuring tool designed specifically for measuring parts of the body. Anyway, the last time we took pictures, my non-existant waist measured at 39.75 inches. Now, at 32 weeks, we are at 41.5 inches. Crazy!!! And we still have some growing time left. Notice some new stretch marks on the last set :( Stinks... I didn't get any with Kari, and I only got 2 with Kaitlyn- 2 weeks before she was born!!! Oh well... So much for a bikini belly (like I wear one anyway).

Standing up:






Laying down:

Doggy Joke

A little girl asked her Mom, 'Mom, may I take the dog for a walk around the block?' Mom replies, 'No, because she is in heat.'

'What's that mean?' asked the child.

'Go ask your father. I think he's in the garage.'

The little girl goes to the garage and says, 'Dad, may I take Belle for a walk around the block? I asked Mom, but she said the dog was in heat, and to come to you.'

Dad said, 'Bring Belle over here.' He took a rag, soaked it with gasoline, and scrubbed the dog's backside with it to disguise the scent, and said 'OK, you can go now, but keep Belle on the leash and only go one time round the block.'

The little girl left and returned a few minutes later with no dog on the leash. Surprised, Dad asked, 'Where's Belle?'

The little girl said, 'She ran out of gas about halfway down the block, so another dog is pushing her home.'

Name that baby...

So, one of my creative friends is asking for help, and I think it is a great way to get ideas... Here goes.

For both of the girls, we picked names out quite quickly after finding out the gender. Poor Baby Brother is still nameless and we have less then 7 weeks to go. So, I am asking for ideas. I am not going to promise a prize... just the knowledge you helped to name the bestest baby name in the world ;)

His middle name will be Michael after my dad, so it needs to sound good with that. And we both like 2 syllable names (lets face it, if you are yelling for them to come inside "A-dam" sounds better then "Bob"...). If the name lends itself to a nickname, please let the nickname be a good one. And, we aren't really old fashioned, but not trendy either... For instance, although I like Ethan, it has recently been taken off the list because I know of 6 in my newly expanding friend group.

So... Be creative. See what you can come up with. And thanks for the help!

Nap time...

Supposedly :) I know it is not the greatest video (lets face it... it is technically a video of a door and occasionally the knob) and you may need to turn your volume up just a bit (again, may I remind you I am not actually in her room), but this is supposed to be naptime. At least she isn't screaming to get out :)

Kaitlyn crying

Admittedly, some of you will think these videos are not as funny as I do, but I want you to see Kaitlyn "cry" when I ask her to do something she would rather not do. Today it was eating lunch. She wanted to get down and play like her sister, who had already finished. She also says "All Done" when she is supposedly all done so I don't banish her to her room to finish her tantrum (which is normally what I do when I am not trying to get a video).

25 Random Things about Me

This is a tagging thing. However, tagging people is against my religion :), so you can take it up if you want.

1. I like rain at night on a tin roof where I can hear it. I also like it during the day when I don't have errands to run. I like real thunderstorms too, with lighting and loud noises. I don't even mind if it knocks out the power for a bit (just a bit).

2. I have a dog named Mollie, whom I groom myself (which I am not fond of doing).

3. I have owned a house before, but am currently renting.

4. I have two little girls and will have a little boy in about 8 weeks. All 3 will be c-sections, but this is the first scheduled one (which is actually something I am not fond of).

5. I have 2 sisters (one older, one younger) and 1 "baby" brother.

6. I wish I lived closer to family so I would have people to do things with, as well as baby sitters I trusted.

7. I have recently gotten into camping (as long as it isn't too hot, humid, or buggy).

8. I hate humidity... I really do hate it. I would much rather actually sweat than condense.

9. I actually like school. I plan on going back when I get the chance. The online thing just doesn't jive with my learning style.

10. I am scared of spiders.

11. I took a scuba diving class with my hubby before we had kids. I LOVED it and plan on doing it whenever the opportunity presents itself.

12. I went skydiving for my 18th birthday and would do it again in a heartbeat. However, I won't bungee jump or kayak. Something about those things seem unsafe.

13. I got my associates degree in biology in 3 semesters. Not to toot my own horn, but I was able to keep a 4.0. I also had a 4.2 in high school.

14. Biology is very interesting to me. I would love to teach a high school or college class even, but high school/college age kids scare me.

15. I have very curly hair which I have chemically straightened several times throughout my life. I am thinking about letting it go curly again, but I will have to move somewhere out of the south (see #8).

16. I am a fast reader, and enjoy doing it, but I have to have something that is really interesting to me, or I lose interest.

17. I am actually quite proud of some of the pictures I take. Don't get me wrong, I am not really a good photographer and I don't always understand lighting,etc, but, I can bring the best out of my girls.

18. I have a blog because I crave "grown up" conversation, and even though it doesn't really count, I can kinda pretend.

19. I always clean my house before I go on vacation. It makes me feel better to come home to a clean house. I also can't relax until the car is unloaded. I guess I feel like I have deserved it then.

20. My engagement ring belonged to my husbands grandmother who passed away before I met him. I am glad I didn't get to pick it, and he did a good job. No offense, but I think it is kinda tacky when girls pick their own.

21. My favorite food is Italian and I love Olive Garden. Also, whenever at Olive Garden, I get a shirley temple (sprite and cherry juice).

22. My worst pregnancy symptom is loss of appetitie. No really, it stinks to be physically hungry but think NOTHING will taste good.

23. I used to be a morning person, but I am not really anymore. Crappy thing is that I am not really a night person either.

24. I feel like I have accomplished alot in my life and am actually pretty content right now.

25. I am not particularly crafty, but I am decent at copying other peoples crafty ideas and personalizing them to suit my needs.

Some growing stats :)

The wonderful thing about having the girls 2.5 years apart (almost to the day) is that we could schedule Kaitlyn's 18 month and Kari's 4 year check ups at the same time, with the same doctor (also a good thing since I decided to change back to our other doctor who was so much better than any of the pediatricians around here, but who is also 45 minutes away). They are both doing wonderfully, developing well and I have nothing to fear :) And, since I happen to have some stats at my disposal, lets see what we can do :) Lots of people are doing a 2008 in review... I say lets stick with the kids: kids in review... :)

Kari's 3rd birthday party



Kari's 4th birthday





Kari Reese
3 year check up
29 lbs and 37 in

4 year check up
36 lbs and 39.75 in
She is in the 50th percentile for both weight and height

Total difference in 1 year:
7 lbs and 2.75 in


Kaitlyn 9 months




Kaitlyn 18 months




Kaitlyn Rose
9 month check up
16 lbs 15 oz and 27 in

18 month check up
21 lbs 6 oz and 31 in
She is in the 10th percentile for both weight and height

Total difference in 9 months:
4 lbs 7 oz and 4 in

Solicitations :)

As I sit and think about having only 8 weeks left of this pregnancy, I start to worry a bit about clothes. The girls are well taken care of, but baby brother is fast approaching. If any of you happen to have some little boy clothing that you are not using, and would be willing to let me borrow, then that would be fabulous!!! I would be happy to return them and will do my best to keep them in fabulous condition. I am not looking for anything fancy, just something to keep the child clothed in so I am not doing laundry everyday. I would guess I won't need any/many newborn sizes and would go straight to the 0-3s and up (both girls were bigger than that to start with, and I feel like baby brother is on his way to being pretty big). And, even though I of course would accept any size, I would probably stick with just the first 12 months for now. I would be happy to make arrangements for pick up as well :) Thanks in advance.

Skating

We took Kari out to skate today. By "we" I mean Daddy. I suppose there is something good to living in an apartment: plenty of asphalt. Kaitlyn and I went up to watch. And by "watch" I mean I worried when Daddy went fast with the girls, and Kaitlyn kept trying to get in the middle of things. However, a good time was had by all :)

First trek around with daddy... Kaitlyn went too.


And back. (Note she was fully decked out for the occasion: helmet, knee pads, and elbow pads. Also note daddy's lack :)


Trying to roll to Daddy. Love the balance arms :)


"Daddy, pull me!"


Skating by herself. And by skating I mean, walking on kids skates :)


The righteous smile of a job well done :)

Super Nails!!!

Dah du du Dah!!! Super nails to the rescue! I think it is one of those pregnancy things, but when I am pregnant, my nails are super strong. (I thought it was due to the prenatals, but I don't think that anymore because I have been totally forgetful in taking them this time around) The only problem is that in places where they would normally break, or even where I would prefer them to break, they just bend in half (almost literally, or at least down to the pink). Or, in the case today, it didn't break where it was easy and nice and convenient. It broke 1/3 of the way into the nail. Now it is painful and bleeding... Stupid super nails :$

Again, Stole it...

From Bonnie... Enjoy :)

I stole it

From someone elses blog. I thought it was cute. Look how small that baby is... And all curled up too :) Too bad it is an advertisement for Dreft... :)

The Dentist

I was a bit worried. Kari has had a visit with the dentist before, but I guess they didn't deal with kids very often. This one, however, did and it was wonderful!!! She got to ride on the "Magic Carpet" and they let her feel "Mr. Tickle", the brush on her hands, and "Mr. Sucker" in her hands and mouth. I had tried to prep Kari before we went by telling her that the dentist was going to look at her teeth and clean them with a special brush that would feel funny, but it wouldn't hurt, so she didn't need to be afraid. It seemed to work. Between me and the dentist, she did wonderful. They even gave her a token because she was so good to get a treat from the dispensers where she picked a frog toy. They talked to Kaitlyn and involved her too. It went so well that Kari said she wants to go back tomorrow. Thank heavens for dentists who know what they are doing when it comes to kids!!!

Skates

I am not quite sure where Kari got the idea, but she said she wanted skates for her birthay. Today, she didn't even want to wait until her pjs were off.

Kari with the whole gear on...


Kari's Helmet (I love the wispy hair look ;)


Kaitlyn with the helmet and elbow pads on (Kari was nice enough to share)


Kaitlyn with her "cheese" pose.

Pregnancy pics

Again, for the sake of all you out there who are like me and like to have something to compare to, I am putting them all up. We are 29 weeks today. I think he might be a big kid :)

Standing Up.




Laying down.

My first Birthday Party....

I was kinda worried about it. I wouldn't have even done one for Kari this year, but she asked, and I felt bad turning her down. What with Christmas, travelling, sickness, more travelling, etc, I didn't get around to throwing her party for her until Sat the 10th. Kari has been getting so many presents spread out for shipping purposes, Christmas, Birthday, etc, I don't think she really understands the difference. Plus, we did a mini party for her with just the fam, so... The kid has so many presents, I will have to figure out what to do with them all. And, she thought since she already had her 4th birthday (with just the family), that this party was for her 5th. Boy am I glad time doesn't travel that fast. It seems to be already faster than I want it... So, I was going to buy her a cake from Walmart for the occasion, and took her to look at the book to pick one. I skipped right past the train cake and asked her if she wanted Dora, Strawberry Shortcake or the Disney Princesses. Well, she picked Thomas the Train. Walmart wanted $25 for a sheet cake with green icing on top (with a little brown for the tracks-or cracks as Kari calls them) and a Thomas toy. Well, I can do better than that. I went and got a cake mix for $.88, a can of frosting for $1.26 and a Thomas toy for $2.50. Done. :) Once again, Justin did the majority of the frosting for us, and I am pretty proud of how it turned out. Here are a couple of pictures. We went to Burger King, ate cake, opened presents (with plenty of helpers) and then just let the kids run around for almost 2 hours. I was worried, but it went off without a hitch, and, if I do say so myself, my debut as a party host was pretty good :) Plus, we finally got to know some people in the ward...

Our version of Thomas the Tank Engine Cake:


Kari blowing out the candles.


Opening presents with helpers.





Kaitlyn taking inventory when she thought no one was looking...

The haul...