How far along? 22 weeks Maternity clothes? Yep. Mostly skirts--comfy and cool! Best moment this week: Getting to have lots of one on one time with Ben this week has been pretty fun. We miss Andy, but I can't complain about all the snuggles. I should also mention that he has been sleeping (through the night!) in his big boy bed since Friday night and he loves it! Miss anything? Not that I can think of. Movement: Andy hasn't been able to feel them yet, but I do! Sleep: My sleep has been so great! I rarely wake up to go to the bathroom. I feel like I was up at least once a night throughout my whole pregnancy last time. Food cravings: No. Anything making you queasy or sick: Stinky perfumes and such... Labor signs: No. Exercise: No gym for me this week since Andy is gone--boo! Looking forward to: We are going to take a little road trip to pick up Andy from school this weekend. Also, I have another doctor appointment next week.
How far along? 21 weeks Maternity clothes? Yes. I've refrained from buying new things, though I'm thinking I will end up buying a winter maternity jacket and some sweaters at some point. Then again, I'm always warm so I might be just fine in my summer attire. :) Best moment this week: We got to see our healthy, beautiful baby boy on the ultrasound last Friday, and then again yesterday, and everything looks PERFECT!!! Feeling so blessed and happy. Miss anything? Not at all. Movement: Yes, and they're getting stronger! Sleep: I've been sleeping so well at night. I can hardly believe it! Food cravings: No. Anything making you queasy or sick: Just strong odors. Labor signs: No. Exercise: I've been going to the gym several times per week and that makes me happy! Looking forward to: I suppose I should be excited for my birthday coming up! I would be more excited if Andy wasn't leaving for the week. I'm excited for Andy to start school though--I hope he loves it!
Happy Tuesday! Almost to the halfway point for the week--woo hoo! In case you didn't know, I live for the weekends, and we only have one precious weekend left before Andy starts school. (i.e. before Andy is gone every other weekend & doing homework on the weekends he is home!) As much as we want to have non-stop fun all weekend, I also have a huge list of house/yard/garage projects that I want to complete before Andy's gone and I'm too large to be functional. (You know, cleaning the gutters, power-washing the house, cutting tree branches, etc.) The point of my rambling is that this wasn't the most exciting weekend, but we were sure productive!
Andy was out of town on Friday night, but luckily he made it home in time for swimming! We did our usual daddy/Benji swim while momma watches. The plan for swimming lessons was supposed to be that I was going to work out while the boys swam, but Ben likes when I watch him, so I can't resist. Watching him jump off the side never gets old. I love how he shakes his head at the end of this video, just like Andy does after he comes up from being under water. :)
After our usual trip to the Farmer's Market, we went back to do some serious house projects. We should have known better that trying to clean out the garage when Ben was there was actually counterproductive, and thus, it was time for WATER BALLOONS! I first have to mention that it took drama king Benji at least 20 minutes for me to get him to eat one, yes ONE, teeny tiny soy bean. The balloons definitely had his attention, but there were many tears and he ultimately ate the measly bean with a grape. Sigh… He was all smiles again as soon as he got to hold a balloon!
We only had fairly sturdy balloons, so we had to fill them pretty full so that they would break. Actually, Ben probably would have preferred if they never broke, because he was definitely sad every time one popped.
But alas, Andy would fill up another one, and all would be right in Ben's world once again.
He eventually really started to get the hang of them…
And he even started to get a little daring, swinging them around.
But ultimately, he let daddy do the dirty work of popping the balloons while he watched from a distance.
And then he realized that it was actually more fun throwing the balloons at Daddy's knee.
Despite the lengthy balloon break, we were fairly productive the rest of the afternoon. We completely cleaned out the garage and we finally got rid of (donated) our old washer and dryer. Most of our work was able to be completed when a certain someone finally decided to nap. (With 3 nee nees (aka nuks) of course…)
My mom stopped over later on Saturday afternoon and asked if she could take Ben so we could have a date night. She didn't have to ask us twice!! We actually haven't had a date night in a long time and we definitely needed it! Thank you, mom!!! You are the best!!
We met Ben at the park after dinner, and I love comparing these videos of Ben from just over a year apart. Same boy. Same park. Different skills.
On Sunday morning, we left fairly early to head out to Andy's back to school picnic. We were in the neighborhood, so we stopped by to see our dear friend Maggie. We didn't get to hang out too long, but got to walk to the zoo for a quick visit. We love seeing Maggie and we hope to have many, many more trips to see her over the next 2 years that Andy is in school!
Our next stop was the picnic and it was so nice! Andy got to meet many of his classmates and we got to meet their families as well. I think it made Andy extra excited to start school---even I was getting excited! Ben definitely had fun, and I spent most of the time chasing Ben from ball to ball. He was loving life and didn't have time to stop to eat. (And the food spread was amazing!) Ben just LOVES playing outside. As excited as he was to see Maddie, he wasn't digging her plan to sit nicely and play with bubbles for a few hours. :)
Last but not least, we went to Andy's parents' house to celebrate the August birthdays. I keep forgetting that my birthday is in August. Different priorities these days, I guess! It was such a nice dinner and believe it or not, Ben still had more energy to play for a few more hours. He even snuck into the August bday picture. :)
All in all, it was a fantastic weekend. This coming weekend is our (Andy's) last weekend of freedom so you better believe we will make the best of it! (He is actually reading his pre-school homework as I write this…)
I better get moving because I am weeks behind and it is almost the weekend again! (Yesss!!) I am going to recap this past weekend while it is still fresh in my mind. Ben was counting down the days (more like asking every day) for Maddie to come over. Maddie, Sarah, and Joe joined us for some Friday night homemade pizzas. Ben loved having a buddy with him at his picnic table.
We had to keep the party inside thanks to a hail storm, but no one seemed to mind. Sarah and I got in lots of girl talk while the daddies entertained the little ones. I see many Friday nights with Sarah and Maddie in the near future when the big boys are at school!!
Saturday morning was swimming lessons. It is more like open swim, which is not what we were expecting, but they at least sang a few songs last week. Ben loves his music!
This kid is so brave. He makes the other kids seem like newborns he is such a big boy. ;)
We had to rush home from swimming to go to our family reunion of sorts. My uncle passed away unexpectedly 20 years ago, so my aunt had a "family and friends reunion" to remember him. The weather was absolutely perfect and there was a great turnout. Ben was in heaven because two of his favorites, Emmy and Hannah, were there. He loved going down this huge slide, but then got mad because we wouldn't let him go down by himself. (He would have flown right off of it…way too fast to go alone!)
Ben played so hard yet somehow only slept the car ride home. :)
He obviously had enough energy to make Grandpa a birthday card! Love how hard he worked on this. :) (The red mark on his cheek is from the sticker he put on his face before swimming lessons…like 10 hours earlier. I guess he has sensitive skin??)
Although Andy and I were probably ready for bed before Ben was, we did have enough energy for some wine/fake wine and Scrabble! My kind hubby bought some sparkling grape juice and some "alcohol removed" wine just for me. For the record, it isn't quite the same as the real deal. ;)
On Sunday morning, Ben put the finishing touches on birthday card #2 for Grandpa before we met him by the lake for brunch.
Sunday's weather was even more beautiful than Saturday's, and it almost felt like fall. (Fall weather is my favorite!)
Auntie Anna brought a whole loaf of bread just for duck feeding. Someone LOVED feeding the ducks. Actually, everyone did.
When he wasn't busy with the ducks, he was trying to climb trees. I never really understood that phrase "he's all boy" until I watched this guy in action. I guess he is "all boy," as they say.
I'm pretty sure Grandpa had a great birthday celebration with his kiddos! We had to get a picture by "his" tree. We hope you had a happy day, Grandpa! We love you so much!! xoxo
One final family photo. :)
And since neither Andy nor I can remember what we did the rest of the day, I'm going to wrap this up. :) Goodnight!
How far along? 20 weeks Maternity clothes? Yes! Broke into my maternity tub of clothes last week. I forgot how comfortable maternity pants are! Best moment this week: I am feeling pretty good that I have made it through 20 completely uneventful, "boring" weeks of pregnancy. I know I've said it before, but pregnancy is a million times easier when you're not worrying about your baby's health constantly. Miss anything? A glass of wine now and then, but Andy bought me some "alcohol removed" wine that has been fun. :) Movement: It's not a ton of movement, but he's definitely moving! He seems to move the most when I'm rocking Ben at night. Hopefully they aren't fighting for my attention already. ;) Sleep: My sleep has been awesome. My only complaint is that if I wake up in the middle of the night, it takes me at least an hour to fall back to sleep, but I sleep through the night most nights. Food cravings: Not that I can think of. I am still doing my "midnight snack prevention program" before bed! Anything making you queasy or sick: Just those strong scents! Labor signs: No way. Exercise: I've been awesome with my workouts! I've gone to the gym before work every day this week and I love it. Looking forward to: I have an ultrasound on Friday so I always look forward to those. I'm also excited to spend the weekend with my boys!
How far along? 19 weeks Maternity clothes? I still haven't gotten out my maternity clothes from last time. I'm not quite sure how my regular jeans still fit me, because I've gained 10 pounds already! Best moment this week: We had a surprise "Christmas in July" birthday party for Andy and it was just perfect! He had no idea, just like I was hoping and suspecting. He was also a good sport about turning into a mini gender reveal party. (He originally didn't want to tell people the gender." We had Ben open the box to see that we are having another little BOY!!! We would have been happy either way, but we are SO excited for another boy! I love being a boy mom! Miss anything? Not that I can think of. Movement: I'm definitely feeling a few kicks once and awhile, but not a ton just yet. Sleep: I can't complain about my sleep! I remember having to get up to go to the bathroom nearly every night last time, but I am happy to say I usually sleep through the night! Food cravings: Nope. Just hungry all the time. Anything making you queasy or sick: The only scents I can tolerate these days are Aveda scents. Labor signs: No way. Exercise: I've been pretty good with going to the gym. This makes me happy. :) Looking forward to: I'm always looking forward to the weekend! I am excited that by next week I will already be half way through this pregnancy. Time does go faster the second time around!
The main reason we were only in NYC until Wednesday is because we weren't sure how well Ben would sleep away from home, but it was really nice to have a 4 day stay-cation as well. I love, love, LOVED being with Andy and Ben for 8 days straight. I thought I would potentially be ready for a break, but it was so fun and I loved every minute of it except for when Ben was sleeping perpendicular to me in bed. I am going to attempt to highlight the main events of the remainder of our fabulous vacation week. We started our Thursday morning with a leisurely breakfast. We ate outside, waved to the people and cars passing by, and acted silly. I could get used to this...
I finally got to go to Ben's story-time/play group at the library. He loves going and it made my day that I got to go with him. He ran right in like such a big boy! There was a special drum presentation, so we watched that as well. Ben loves music and especially banging on drums. He got a special "drum" that was perfectly loud for him. (My mom has a 6 minute video if you're interested in hearing the music.)
I can't remember how we spent the rest of the day, but I'm sure it was doing something fun! We had to rest up though because we had big plans to go to Ben's first amusement park on Friday. I am too tired to expound on the details, but I can summarize by saying that it may have been Ben's happiest day…EVER. I am not a big ride person, but Ben was in heaven. He was shaking with excitement when it was his turn after he waited patiently in line. Just look at that face! My face looked like that, too.
He actually cried almost every time he had to get off of a ride. "Again! Again! Fun!!! Ride! Ben drive!"
We started with a ride that Andy could go on too, but he was just fine going by himself as well.
I still cannot believe he never tried to get out of any of the rides as they were going.
He liked them all, but I think his favorite ride was probably the boats.
I lost track of how many times he drove the boats.
I think I had equally as much fun watching him. I was that obnoxious mom calling out to my kid every time he passed me.
My one and only ride was the train, which was probably boring to Ben compared to getting to drive his own vehicles.
Too cool for trains.
Thankfully the train would switch speeds to keep things exciting. And Mr. Friendly was sure to wave to everyone he saw.
Surprisingly, the only ride Ben did not want to go on was the pony ride. "Watch 'em."
We did break for lunch in between all of the fun, and the rides were an excellent motivator to get him to eat!
I'm pretty sure he is thanking Andy profusely for taking him to the amusement park in the pictures below. I love you as much as the rides daddy, so that's a lot!! Someone wants to be just like daddy...
It was a bit of a drive (2+ hours) but it was totally and completely worth it. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that each ride was a ticket and the tickets cost…$0.25 a piece. We initially bought $5.00 worth of tickets and we had at least 8 tickets left at the end of the day! As if we needed another reason to return! Ben was getting a little antsy on the way home, so we stopped for happy hour and dinner.
