All About the Boys

Where Have I Been?

2007-06-25T16:18:00.001-05:00

Why haven't I been posting lately? It's not because I've abandoned all of you faithful readers. This is where I've been. Go ahead; check it out. I know you want to.

For the record, this blog is going nowhere. You can continue to check it regularly. Unfortunately nothing will likely change here for you to read. It will stay as a place for you to see all the old pictures and entries, and of course a way for you to find the new blog until you get used to the new address (or update your blogrolls).

Enjoy!

Just News and Pictures

2007-06-15T11:48:00.000-05:00

Wednesday night and yesterday, I had my best friend Cathy come to visit. Matt is such a wonderful husband to give us some girl time to talk on Wednesday night. The three of us had fun hanging out the rest of the time, too. Then on Thursday, the three of us--meaning Cathy, me, and Patrick--had fun too. Patrick had lots of fun showing off for the company. He was such a flirty kid. By the time she left yesterday afternoon, Patrick had accepted her as part of the family. I think to him she was just another aunt to love on.

The busy visit obviously wore him out, though--that and the nap he refused to take yesterday afternoon. He broke down when evening came and he hadn't slept all day. After Daddy chastised him (gently, of course) for something he'd done wrong, he was inconsolable. Finally he wandered over to me and just sat with me on the couch. A few minutes later, this is what Matt found:
Not the most flattering picture of me by any means, but I'll take it. It was like a taste of heaven that he chose to finally nap in my arms. I love it when he's a cuddlebug!

For anyone keeping track, yesterday was Thursday, exactly a week after my first progesterone shot. Since I'm supposed to get them weekly, that means I was due for another yesterday. I have to say Matt is my hero. As uncomfortable as he is around needles, he gave that shot like a pro. It actually hurt less than when the experienced nurse did it last week (and that shot can apparently really hurt, based on last week's). It seems he must have inherited some fancy skills with a needle from his mom! (You'd be proud of him, Tricia!)

The other exciting news--for us anyway--is that Patrick's Grammy and Great-Grandpa get to come visit for the weekend. They're not here for the best of reasons (a funeral), but at least circumstances brought them our way. At least Patrick hasn't had that charm turned off long enough to lose it. He's going to have a blast showing off for and charming his great-grandparents.

And finally, the other night we had to get a picture of me as a cliche. I was actually barefoot, pregnant, and cooking in the kitchen. Patrick kept wanting to see what was going on, so I picked him up to watch the water not boiling. When Matt and I realized how funny the situation really was, we had to get pictures.

I guess that's all for now. Expect a few cute weekend pictures early next week. I hope I remember to pull our camera out while Grammy and Great-Grandpa are here.

The Nursery

2007-06-13T13:27:00.000-05:00

I finally got around to taking pictures of the nursery after stage one of decorating. For the record, though, we'll probably call it the boys' room as often as the nursery. I don't want Patrick to grow up thinking he still sleeps in a nursery like a little baby.
This is Patrick's toddler bed. It will soon have official toddler bedding on it, in two shades of blue, a lighter blue (but not baby blue) and navy. There will also be something on his shelf to the left--if we can ever figure out what we want there.

And this is Nathan's side of the room. You can see the bedding we finally decided on. I totally love it, and I think we can add touches to Patrick's side that aren't too baby-ish. Again, though, we need help with the empty shelf. We have two ideas for the start of decorations on the shelf, but they won't be enough by themselves--either blocks spelling out their names or little hand-carved trains in primary colors that spell out their names. Eventually there will also be a rug in the middle of the carpet, not that you can see where it will go.

So now what ideas do you have to help fill out the room some, decorations-wise anyway?

First Sentence

2007-06-12T14:17:00.000-05:00

I don't know. Does this count as a first sentence?

Every night when we put Patrick down for bed (and again at naptime), Matt and I repeat the same few phrases. There's "I love you" (of course) and "See you in the morning" or "See you in a little while." I always use the last one at naptime. Apparently Patrick's picked up on that one and now says it back to me when I put him down for a nap and sometimes instead of "See ya" when Matt leaves to go back to work after lunch. (Remember we've had to banish "bye" from our vocabulary because he associates it with him getting to go somewhere.)

It sounds a little more like "Seeyalilwhy," but I'm positive today that's what he said back to me before his nap. I specifically asked him to say it to me, and he did.

So what does this say about Patrick that he chose this phrase as his first sentence? He obviously knows what it means since he says it to Matt when he leaves to go back to work, and I don't think we've ever said it in that context. I guess he trusts that good-byes aren't permanent and that Mommy and Daddy will come back when we say we will. It can say that he's perfectly content being without us for a short time as well--as long as we're coming back. Can it say that we are raising a trusting and independent toddler? I hope so. I think this sentence puts a checkmark in the right column for our parenting skills. Well, that and the fact that he's never said a curse word in public yet!

What a Weekend!

2007-06-11T13:24:00.000-05:00

Patrick's been full of new developments for us this weekend. The biggest milestone was learning how to drink out of a straw. We heard somewhere to try with juice boxes first, and a few weeks ago he successfully drank apple juice from one for the first time. He failed to apply the same idea to a regular straw in a regular drink, though. To Patrick, straws are for playing, not drinking. Then Saturday night we were at the mall getting dinner, and he was almost out of water in his sippy cup. We put a Sprite with a straw--in a normal cup--in front of him, and he knew immediately what to do. He was drinking that drink as though he'd been doing it his whole life. Matt and I were so proud of him, even though this seems like a pretty simple milestone to anyone else. This means he can finally give himself a drink in any form but a normal, open cup. He still seems to want our help, but he no longer needs it. At twenty months, it's about time!

We also saw an even more sensitive side of him on Saturday. Patrick was playing with Daddy's feet while Daddy was lying in his chair and somehow grabbed the toes in a weird way that hurt Matt. Matt immediately scolded Patrick for hurting him, although gently. Patrick looked up at Daddy with those big blue eyes and slowly broke into his pouty face, complete with the quivering bottom lip. I started laughing because I thought he was trying to manipulate Daddy with that face. Then Matt pointed out that Patrick had tears in his eyes. He was debating whether or not to actually start crying. He was so upset, either from having Daddy scold him or thinking he hurt Daddy. At that point, we were both suckered into the face, and Matt reached down and pulled him into his lap. After several minutes of comforting him with his own words ("It's okay, it's okay, Patrick."), Patrick finally leaned into Daddy's chest and snuggled up with him. I watched as his face just as slowly changed back to normal from the pouty face. Finally, when Daddy tried tickling him, he was able to give us a grin again, and then eventually a giggle. It took him that long to recover from hurt feelings. I suspect he's going to be the kid I have to watch everything I say to him for fear of hurting his feelings from one careless word.

On the lighter side of things, he has also found a new fun game, the belly button game. I'll lift my shirt just a little to show some of my huge belly, and Patrick will grin and stick his finger in my belly button (or what's left of it). I'll put my shirt back down, and he'll wait for me to lift the shirt again. If it takes too long, he'll start tugging at my shirt to let me know he's not done playing the game. At some point, I'll eventually reach down to his belly and start tickling him around his belly button, all while squealing, "Belly button!" like I do when he pokes at mine. It's all just another excuse to tickle him, which he obviously loves. I wonder whether the game will be able to continue when the belly button finally disappears altogether, which is definitely in the near future.

Twenty Months

2007-06-08T14:12:00.000-05:00

Patrick, Patrick, Patrick...I'm not sure what to say about this twentieth month. It's been an interesting one for sure. As expected, you have finally without a doubt entered the first stages of the terrible twos. You try us and test us at every turn, willfully disobeying just to see how serious we really are about that NO. Then you'll turn around and give us the sweetest hugs. How can I love something so much when it's that insistent upon being disobedient?
I'd say part of it is that smile. You seem to have figured out how contagious that smile is, and you use it at every opportunity to get yourself out of trouble. Sometimes you try turning actions that should receive punishment into games. You pull out a drawer we can't baby-proof, we tell you, "No" sternly, and you giggle as you reach for it again. I laughed and gave in the first few times you tried this manipulation, but I'm on to you now, buddy. I love the laughing, but I'm not giving in to your games. I'd much rather hear your laugh when I tackle you and tickle you until you get the hiccups. We can both appreciate that game.

Something else I know both Daddy and I appreciate at least is the cuddliness. I absolutely treasure our untraditional breakfast routine, where you sit on my lap and watch TV with me while you eat dry cereal out of my hand. Feeling the weight of your head against my chest can relax me the way nothing else can, while at the same time bringing a lump to my throat at times. You don't even seem to mind that my lap is changing shape almost daily. It only makes our cuddle time more special when Nathan decides to butt in and kick at you for taking up his space. I have to laugh that the sibling rivalry has already begun (although I may quit laughing about it in a few months).

Speaking of Nathan, you have started to figure out that something is going on there. You're fascinated by the new crib in your room, although I get the feeling you think of it as a huge toy right now. At the doctor yesterday, you couldn't figure out where that noise was coming from when we were listening to Nathan's heartbeat. That look on your face was classic. I'm starting to wonder if you'll ever associate your little baby brother with Mommy's huge belly. (By the way, I got my first progesterone shot yesterday at the doctor as well. Hopefully this means Nathan won't come early like you did. I don't want any of us to have to go through that stress again. Other than that, the appointment went fairly smoothly, and everything is fine.)

Within the last few days and weeks, we've watched your language development take off. Daddy and I are suspecting some of your gibberish is starting to sound more like real words and phrases we say often. We've identified "Bye" (ba), "See ya," and a few other words of farewell. I also love "Ah-dah," your way of saying "All done!" Unlike many of your other words that are simply fun to hear, this one has been very helpful. I no longer guess you're finished with meals when you drop food over the side of your high chair. I know when you're done eating your snack. You make sure to let me know when the food in the microwave is done. I'm constantly amazed at all the diverse applications of this phrase you've found. You're a smart kid, for sure!

I'm hoping you continue using my favorite phrase when Nathan gets here. "Sokay" must be something you hear often from Daddy and me. You've adopted those words of comfort as your own, and we can hear you muttering "Sokay, sokay" over and over as you read your books or sit in your car seat or do other activities alone. I have to wonder if you're planning to comfort your little brother with those same words when he cries. It gives me good insight into your sensitive side that you picked up the phrase, "It's okay," long before saying the simpler word, "No."

I hope you always stay so sensitive to your own feelings and those of everyone you care about, but I also hope that you don't end up hurt because of your sensitive nature. Most of all, though, I hope this sensitive nature eases the transition into the role of big brother. Now that we have your brother's first baby things, it is becoming real to me, and I worry constantly about how you're going to adapt. I know things will be difficult for Daddy and me as well with the big transition, but I can't help but put your feelings first. You are my precious firstborn, after all, and no number of younger siblings can change your place in my heart.

I love you for always.

Mommy

Update

2007-06-05T13:12:00.000-05:00

The silly Patrick woke up this morning, not yesterday's fussy, sick Patrick. In fact, the one dose of allergy medicine was all he needed; by the time I could give him more six hours later, he was back to his normal self. I'm glad it was just a short-lived allergy attack, even though I particularly loved the cuddling.

I also wonder if he just hadn't slept very well the night before. He may have stayed up much later than usual while quietly playing with the new addition to the room. We found someone with a truck who brought Nathan's crib to the house on Sunday, and we put it together and set it up in the boys' room on Sunday evening shortly before Patrick went to sleep. He probably saw it as a huge new toy in his bedroom and spent more time playing with the toy than sleeping. By the way, we're expecting the bedding set and some room decorations to arrive in the mail later this week, so I will post some pictures of the room once all that is put together. Maybe you can all help me decide how to finish decorating the room from there.

Patrick has recently decided that since he's such a pro at walking that he's going to switch things up some to challenge himself. Sometimes he'll walk backwards, one tentative step at a time, until he runs into a toy on the floor or something and ends up on his bottom. Sometimes he'll walk around while looking straight up instead of ahead of him. Or sometimes he'll walk with his eyes closed, but only for a few steps at a time. When he walks fairly normally, he works on setting a new speed record, even though he isn't quite up to the point of running yet. But my favorite is when he just walks in circles--not the circles he makes around the coffee table, kitchen island, or halls in the house. Instead he will spin himself in circles, like he's trying to make himself dizzy. Then he walks, or maybe the better word here is stumbles, like a drunk while he tries to overcome the dizziness. Usually he ends up on his bottom again until the dizziness passes. It's all a fun game to him. Whatever keeps him occupied, right? Besides, watching him walk around has started to make Matt and me giggle. It's really quite entertaining.

My Poor Baby

2007-06-04T13:08:00.000-05:00

Sorry, no new pictures today. Keep reading, and you'll figure out why pretty quickly.

If you know Patrick's story (as most of you should, since you're related to him), you know that despite a lot of things working against him, the kid has never been sick. Okay, he had a runny nose one day when he was really little. He had a cough that lasted into a second day last summer, and I called the doctor to make sure I shouldn't worry. Other than typical preemie stuff, that's it.

So when he woke me up this morning sounding like he was choking, I panicked. I was somewhat relieved to find out he was fine and that the choking was a result of allergies, as the runny nose indicated. It appears as though our baby has his first big allergy attack. It makes sense since I'm sneezier than usual (no jokes Mom and Dad!) also. Maybe it's the weather; maybe it's the dog hair Patrick and I spent a few hours around yesterday (a long story for another day). Whatever it is, it's wreaking havoc on our household today.

Patrick is acting puny and fussy. He's obviously exhausted, a combination of not sleeping well from the congestion and the drowsy medicine he got this morning. But he doesn't want to sleep. He can't decide if he's hungry or thirsty, if he wants Mommy or wants to be alone. He can't settle and get comfortable enough to doze off. Poor kid. All I want to do is pick him up and hold him close until the tears stop.

On the bright side, I feel like a good mommy more than usual today. He has obvious needs, and I can meet them. He wants his mommy, and I can be there for him. I can hold him all day long if that's what he wants (because I'd hate that, you know). He actually fell asleep next to me on the couch earlier, with his head on the same pillow as mine and in my arms. I think that wins the prize as my favorite mommy moment of the last twenty-ish months. Although I wish more than anything that I could just take away all his discomfort and make him feel normal again, I am going to revel in his clinginess while I can and take advantage of my mommy ability to comfort him.

Posing for Pictures

2007-06-01T16:42:00.000-05:00

Remember when I used to be able to put Patrick in a cute little outfit, lean him up against the side of that orange chair, and snap picture after picture after picture of my little cutie-pie? Um, not so much anymore. It's much harder to snap a good picture of a constantly moving target. Especially when that target is much more interested in the camera and how it works (can you say Daddy's boy?) than sitting still for the camera. When I get "good" pictures--meaning he is both in the frame and not blurry--they often turn out kind of interesting. I have no idea if he makes these faces on purpose for me or if I just have a lucky trigger finger.
Yup, Mom, he definitely has some genetics from your family in him. I'd say this is a classic Aunt Judy shot if I've ever seeen one. For the record, I don't think he dug anything out that time.

I'm hoping this was a reaction to the flash, but he makes a similar crinkle-nose face often, as a reaction to the bright sun or just to be silly.

Look! His eyes are open, he's smiling, and he doesn't have any fingers up his nose! Success! Never mind that he's lying on the floor trying to get me to tickle him.

He's playing Door, that ever-thrilling game where he opens the door, then closes it, then opens it again, expecting me to act surprised every time he opens the door again. He laughs so much each and every time that I give in and play the game with him for what feels like hours at a time. It may be boring from my end, but if it keeps him that happy, I'm happy to humor him.

Okay, we'll keep the sashaying comments to a minimum on this one. He just moves those arms a lot as he walks, almost like he's trying to wave them hard enough to get off the ground. No air time yet, though. My lucky trigger finger just happened to catch him in this crazy pose.

By the way, don't you love the new outfit? It's a little big on him still, but that just means he'll get to wear it all summer long.

Now a few pictures I posed for. This is me and my massive belly at 24-ish weeks. Looks like Nathan's growing like a weed, doesn't it?

Memorial Day Weekend

2007-05-30T15:24:00.000-05:00

I apologize for taking my time blogging about the weekend. I didn't want to blog without pictures, and I haven't had the time and motivation to take care of them both at the same time...until now.

As you may have already gathered if you read that last short post, we did get definitive results at the ultrasound on Saturday. Nathan was being quite cooperative this time--at least in showing off his manliness (he was a bit more shy about letting us see his face). There was no doubt in anyone's mind this time about what exactly we were looking at. See for yourself.

Look where the arrow is pointing if you're having trouble figuring out exactly what is in this picture.

Even though it was a bit early to get great 3D shots of his face, I wasn't disappointed with what we saw. The people at the u/s place were, though, so they offered to let us come back next month to try again. If there's any way we can make it on the weekend of June 23, you'd better believe we'll be back in Dallas to see our baby again--this time for free! Until then, here's a pretty good idea of what Nathan's face looks like. It's a little E.T.-like right now, but more because of his age than anything else. I added some labels for those of you who have a tough time "reading" a sonogram picture.

I actually have a lot more pictures of the face than this, but I think this one turned out the best, so I'll spare you the rest (and myself the time to upload them all).

In the next post (look right under this one), all the good Patrick pics from the weekend.

Memorial Day, cont.

2007-05-30T14:33:00.000-05:00

Warning: picture overload ahead...

Patrick grew up this weekend. I had no idea what a profound effect his relatives would have on him. Okay, I kind of suspected they would end up affecting him, but I figured it would be more on the crazy end of things. Instead, he matured to attempt to meet the level of the adults around him. It's a good thing he's going to have a younger brother and cousins to help him stay a kid around all the adults at family events soon.

He even looks more grown up, thanks to his first salon haircut. I won't go into the torture that is cutting a toddler's hair (thanks Mom for playing bad guy during that), but once he left the salon, he seemed to really love his new haircut. I have to agree. He grew from a young toddler to a miniature pre-schooler with just a few snips of the scissors.
His vocabulary grew immensely over the weekend, too. I can think of two new words he says now off the top of my head and one he learned to associate with much more.

Yesterday when we called Nana, Patrick started waving at the phone and saying, "Bye!" He hadn't gotten the two--waving and "bye"--in sync until this weekend when he went bye-bye several times every day. Now when he thinks of bye-bye, he thinks of going to Nana and Ba-pa's house. Speaking of that, he figured out what to call my dad (Grandpa). He calls him Ba-pa, because that's what he can pronounce that's close. How adorable is that? We're still working on the other grandparent names; even though he has proven to us that he can say Nana, Gigi, and Papa, he won't use them to identify his grandparents yet.

Sorry for all the Nana pictures this time around. He was acting really cute with her--while standing in one place! I took the opportunity to take lots of pictures, which turned out really well.

We got to see that goofy grin on his face nearly the whole weekend. Patrick loved having the task of entertaining the family with his antics and equally loved having each of them play with him as well. That squealy laugh rang through the house regularly any time he was awake. How come you guys can't hang out with him all day every day?

Uncle Nick is quite the accomplished pianist, and he was attempting to teach Patrick the trade. As much as Patrick loves music--and his Uncle Nick--he had fun "learning." Of course, moments before this picture, he displayed his comfort with his uncle by leaving him a smelly present in his diaper--hence the expression on Nick's face.

Patrick also had a lot of fun with his Aunt Jennifer (or Aunt Jill, or whatever nickname sticks for this aunt Jennifer). He wouldn't pose for the camera with her, though. Despite what it looks like here, he smiled a lot when Aunt Jennifer was playing with him.

Of course, his favorite part of the weekend had nothing to do with people. He remembered the cat immediately (kit-ty!), in the short time he saw her before she hid in "her" room from the mean old dog who showed up with Uncle Nick and Aunt Jennifer. That didn't bother Patrick any; the dog was just as amusing. He laughed at every doggy thing she did, like bark or scratch herself or run around the room. He also learned her name almost immediately. It doesn't hurt that it closely resembles "kitty"--Katie. He pronounced it very carefully: Kay-tee, emphasizing each syllable and that t. He has even asked for her since we got home. We may just have to try the dog thing again sometime after Nathan gets here.

We also went shopping over the weekend--naturally--and picked up a few new outfits for Patrick. I think this one wins as my favorite so far. It's a pair of mechanic's overalls (hard to see on the pocket, but that's what it says). They fit perfectly and look so cute on Patrick.

Not that it hurts that the first thing he did after getting them on was lean down next to his car like he's going to fix it. That's my boy!

A Change

2007-05-29T21:27:00.000-05:00

Anybody notice the change made to the blog? It's more subtle than a template change but more obvious than a minor sidebar change. Keep looking... Let me know when you find it!

Emptying my Camera's Memory Card

2007-05-24T15:38:00.001-05:00

This has to have been my favorite task in getting ready to go out of town this weekend, much more fun than doing laundry or making packing lists (okay, so I'm still getting around to that one). I suspect it's a good idea to start the weekend with an empty memory card, and you get the benefit of the best of the pictures from the last few days. The captions will be in Patrick's own words (if we could figure out what he was really saying).
"I love it when Daddy's home so I can play with his shoes."

"Here, Daddy. Let me help you put on your shoes so we can go bye-bye." That's his main goal of every day, going bye-bye.

"You should see how fast I can walk when I really get going."

"I love my daddy so much. And the funny thing on his ear that has a blinking light."

"That brick wall just outside these windows is fascinating, isn't it?"

"Yup, got my blankie and my doo-doo-doo. What more could a boy want?" (He refers to his fire truck as his doo-doo-doo. You'll see why when you watch this video.)

I may not post actual pictures again until we get back from the long weekend, but I hope to collect a lot of Patrick with all the relatives (and puppy and kitty) he'll be spending time with. I will definitely try to post a little something on Saturday when we get home from the ultrasound, hopefully some definite news one way or another. Until then, think pink!

How Did It Happen?

2007-05-18T15:28:00.001-05:00

I suppose the transition has been slow, but it feels like overnight Patrick has turned into a big boy. I watch him run back and forth across the living room playing with whatever toy is his most recent favorite and wonder what happened to that little tiny fragile baby boy we brought home from the hospital not that long ago.
He has gone from a dependent baby who could only cry to make his needs known to an independent toddler who is learning to communicate with words, gestures, manipulation, and tantrums. He has gone from our baby who was a part of our family because he happened to be the baby the nurses put in my arms on that October afternoon to our little boy who is part of the family because he wants to be, because he loves both of us as evident by his spontaneous hugs and Daddy squeals. He has gone from the placid baby who ate whatever was placed in front of him, whether it was breastmilk or smushed bananas, to a defiant toddler who eats what he wants when he wants and would rather go hungry for a meal than dare eat something that doesn't meet his current standards. He has gone from that clumsy baby who couldn't even hold up his own head or hold anything more than Mommy or Daddy's finger to a competent toddler on the verge of running who has not only finally figured out how to hold his own sippy cup while he drinks (sometimes anyway) but can also do so while walking.

I'll take myself down Memory Lane from time to time by looking at all our old pictures of him and lament that sweet, helpless baby from not that long ago. But then I look up to watch Patrick run towards me with his comb and then dip his head so that I can comb his hair for him, then run away again happily while holding the comb to his head trying to comb his own hair. I wouldn't miss this independence, this developing personality, for the world. As frustrated as I get at his stubbornness (payback for my own childhood, I know), I love knowing that he knows his own mind and can stand firm until he gets what he wants. There is something endearing in being able to laugh with my son, knowing that he is deliberately trying to make me laugh, instead of laughing at something silly he's done unintentionally (or worse yet, something we've done to him).

Most of all, I just love the little person my son is becoming. I love that I get to watch each little step he takes in becoming that person and that I was chosen to have a hand in helping him become that young man. Sure, I'll always miss that tiny baby that I was blessed to have for longer than most, but the greatest blessing is watching that baby grow into a little boy and eventually a man.

Oh, the Cuteness

2007-05-16T15:29:00.000-05:00

How about a few pictures and a story?
Sometimes he takes after his mommy, reading his books (although sometimes upside-down) for a long time before moving on to other toys.

He's started using his sleepy-time blankie as a daytime toy, too. I think he knows how cute he is when he walks around trailing the blankie behind him or snuggling with it on the floor or playing peek-a-boo with it.

This is how he walks around with the blankie, with one hand over his shoulder.

The one story I have for today is totally unrelated to the pictures, but you'll humor me and let me tell it anyway, right? Patrick has learned to sing, kind of. He loves it when I push the button on his fire truck to play its song: "I see a fire truck..." He stares mesmerized at the little people who go in a circle at the front of the truck as it sings. After about the first three times hearing this catchy tune, I caught on to the words and sing them nearly every time we play the song. When it gets to the instrumental parts, though, I sing "do, do, do" along with the rhythm. Patrick has picked up on the "do, do, dos" and now sings them along with the song. Even when he doesn't exactly sing at the right place in the song, I praise him. It is so completely adorable to see him both singing and mimicking Mommy. I'll have to get a video of this before long, if he will let me. It's so fun to watch him figure out what he does that is so cute and then repeat it any time he's trying to get our attention.

The Best Decision of My Life

2007-05-14T15:30:00.000-05:00

Two years ago today was one of the best days of my life. I made some promises that were easy to make, that I have never been tempted to break.
In memory of that day two years ago, I make those promises again. Matt, I still promise to love and cherish you, through the best times and the worst (we've experienced both in the last two years), until my dying breath and beyond. Thank you for being my best friend and loving me no matter what, even when I don't even like myself too much. You're a wonderful man and husband, and I don't deserve you--but I'm oh, so glad you chose me anyway. I love you with all my heart. I look forward to the next two years, and the two after that, and on and on as long as God will allow us to remain together. Happy anniversary, sweetie.

Thanks to my brother Steve for the photo.

Another Check-Up

2007-05-11T16:27:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was my turn for another normal prenatal check-up. I'd been dreading this one in particular because it was the first one I had to go to alone--except for Patrick of course. That's where the dread came in. The last appointment we had, Patrick was impossible to keep entertained. Thank goodness Matt was with me to take most of the pressure off; it was more his problem that Patrick wouldn't quit crying than mine. But this month, it was entirely my problem if that happened again.

Patrick acted sleepy and fussy yesterday morning and never got a nap before we left (that doesn't mean we didn't try), so I expected the worst. Instead, he gave me his best. I have a feeling seeing Patrick in the waiting room only made those future moms want their babies even more. Never have I seen a more charming and good-natured toddler, especially when I know how active he usually is. Regardless of what the doctor was going to say, I knew the appointment was going to go well just because of Patrick's wonderful behavior.

Still, it was good that the doctor was so encouraging. The baby is still doing fine. I'm measuring at 21 cm on my belly, which at this point should correspond pretty closely to how many weeks along I am. That means I'm right on track*. The baby's heartbeat has moved up just a bit as well, into the 160s now. Oh, and I've finally hit my pre-pregnancy weight again!

I had three things in mind I wanted to talk about with her, all starting with an s (that's how I knew I could remember). The first was that I had been feeling kind of sick over the last week. Of course I was a little worried, mainly that I'd contracted another urinary tract infection, but she consoled me well. None of the symptoms are particularly worrisome alone, and not really all at the same time either. I am most likely just at the point in my pregnancy where certain symptoms are flaring up all of a sudden. To be on the safe side, though, she did have me leave a sample to get tested for a UTI, just in case.

The second s was the shots she had mentioned at my first prenatal check-up to possibly postpone labor to prevent an experience like last time. I vaguely remembered that she'd mentioned they would start at 24 weeks, which is coming up pretty quickly now. It turns out that I don't necessarily have to go into her office to get those shots; we can give them alone at home if either of us feels comfortable giving the shot. That was encouraging to hear because I'd been dreading that daily trek and long wait with an unpredictable toddler every single week. We'll have to see whether Matt thinks he can handle the shots (he's a bit uncomfortable around needles) before we make a final decision about how to get them in me.

The last s was the sonogram (okay, technically it's an ultrasound, but sonogram starts with s). My doctor had the report from whoever analyzes the ultrasounds, and every single aspect was listed as normal. There wasn't a specific note that we didn't get a good shot of the kidneys, but there wasn't a note that they were normal either. When I pointed that out to the doctor, she said that possibly could leave an opening for another ultrasound. It depends on our insurance. Apparently most insurance doesn't help pay for repeat ultrasounds unless something serious is found, which thankfully isn't the case for this baby. She was supportive of the idea that we look into 3D ultrasounds, though.

So guess what we did this morning? We set up an appointment for a 3D ultrasound. I found a place that specializes in them a short distance from my parents' house. They just happened to have one opening left on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, when we'd already been planning our next trek up there, so I jumped at the opportunity. That will be so much fun, even if we don't get the best pictures of the baby (they suggest at least 25 weeks for good pictures; I'll be 24). Mom and Dad will get to come with us, and Matt's parents might just be able to make the trip as well. The place is very family-oriented, so they encourage filling that room with as many guests as possible (up to six). We may have a mini-party to find out for sure whether this baby truly does have a "deedle."

*Another interesting discovery from the ultrasound was that my due date isn't perfectly accurate. According to the baby's measurements, I'm anywhere from three to nine days farther along than my due date indicates. My doctor said that since the average is only six days different, it's not significant enough to officially change that due date (which is funny because she moved the due date back six days after the first, obviously inaccurate sonogram, which basically puts us back where we started). Because the due date isn't officially different, I'm leaving the baby ticker on the top the same, but feel free to add a week to how far along it says I am. I'm certainly doing that! It also means that if I have this baby early as well, it will be quite advanced and healthy for a whatever-weeker, since it's technically a whatever-plus-one-weeker. (Make sense? I didn't think so.)

**More fun pictures of Patrick to come. Maybe later this weekend.

A New Tradition?

2007-05-08T18:45:00.000-05:00

I know not many of you remember, but last year on my birthday Matt took bunches of pictures of me with Patrick. That was the most special present I got last year, even if it only cost him time, not money. This year things worked out for him to do the same. Patrick may have been a bit less than cooperative much of the time, reaching for Daddy instead of cuddling with me, but we still got a few cute pictures. Here are my favorites from the bunch.

(not crying, just making a funny face)

(say it with me...awwww)

And of course we took a couple of belly shots in my new dress, too. This would be me at somewhere between 20 and 21 weeks (we'll probably get an updated due date based on the sonogram at my appointment on Thursday).

Nineteen Months

2007-05-07T22:04:00.000-05:00

Dear Patrick,

Today you turned nineteen months old. Suddenly it seems odd to be naming your age in months. All of a sudden you've graduated to years. I can remember giving your age in days and weeks; years sound so old. When did you grow up this much?
This has been the month of full-blown toddlerhood. You walk, walk, walk all over the place. Even playing takes second place to walking. You might pause for a second or two to focus on a toy, but the best toys are those you can cart around with you, like your ball that you will throw and chase, throw and chase all day long. You also love empty water bottles because they are so portable and make a cool noise when you bam them against different objects around the house.

You also talk to me all the time. I love watching your vocabulary develop, even though it is happening slowly. It cracks me up which words are important enough for you to learn first and which you understand well enough to repeat. Who would have predicted "cheese" and "fishies" (goldfish crackers) as the first two food-related words you would say? Today you very clearly repeated "baby" when I pointed out a picture of a baby on the computer. I think you're beginning to understand that babies will quickly become very important in your life. I can't wait for that moment you touch my belly and say "baby."

With the toddler walking and vocabulary comes the toddler attitude, though. You have learned how to throw tantrums with the best of them. You can already throw that body around in the most pathetic ways to try to get our sympathy. I wonder if once your language develops further and you can tell us what is wrong, your tantrums will taper off. At least we will know what needs you have that need to be met. But then I doubt it at the same time. Most tantrums are because we won't let you do something specific, usually something in direct disobedience to us. We understand what you want, and that you understand what we're telling you, and you simply don't like it. Your tantrums are a manipulative tool, and we're not buying it. I need to get a good video of one one of these days, though, to show to you when you're older and can laugh at yourself the way Daddy and I do sometimes.

Speaking of Daddy, he is your absolute best friend right now. You ask for him first thing in the morning and after waking up for a nap, and I'm pretty sure you recognize the ring on my phone that means he is calling me. You can identify the sound of the garage door closing when Daddy gets home from work, and you run (well, walk really fast for you) to that laundry room door that connects to the garage--where you know he will appear really soon. You have a special Daddy squeal that I love to hear as much as Daddy does. Mommy is good enough to have around, but right now Daddy is your everything. He's the same to me, so I can understand how you feel that way.

I appreciate that you make the effort to show me plenty of attention when Daddy isn't around. You've gotten to where you love to cuddle with me first thing in the morning, and I treasure those moments even more than you realize. And even when they're manipulative, I love those times you toddle over to me and lay your head against my leg for a second or two. It may not match a Daddy squeal, but you understand that I need those quiet moments with you and it means everything that you're letting me have them.

You laugh all the time these days--when you're not in the midst of a tantrum--and generally have a great outlook on life. Even when Mommy is hormonal and moody, you can manage to make me laugh along with you at your silly antics. In fact, sometimes I wonder if that's not what you're trying to do. You're my sensitive little boy, already able to set your own wants and needs aside sometimes to attend to Mommy or Daddy. I can tell even now that you will be a great big brother, even when you let jealousy take over from time to time.

Mommy and Daddy love you so much, as much for the crazy toddler you've become as the sweet boy you've been all along.

Love,

Mommy

My Favorite Age Yet

2007-05-03T20:05:00.000-05:00

I say this about so many of the new stages Patrick hits, but I think this new one really will turn out to be my favorite. He is perfectly happy playing on his own for a little while, but the second he starts to feel lonely, he turns into a cuddle bug. He will toddle over to wherever I am at the moment and lay his head against me or crawl into my lap for a quick hug before going back to playing.

Patrick really wants me to comfort him every time he gets even the least bit hurt, too. A tiny bump on the head is enough to prompt him to start crying and gesture for me to pick him up. I already know that he isn't hurt badly, but I love those moments when I get to hold him and feel more like a mommy than ever. Yesterday during one of those times he needed comforting, he relaxed totally into me, laying his cheek against mine and becoming a dead weight in my arms. I think he might just have fallen asleep if I'd held him much longer. It has been so long since he's voluntarily settled into my arms like that; I cherish those moments with him the same way I did the first few times I got to hold him in the NICU. There's nothing sweeter than knowing he voluntarily wants to show me affection.

He is still just as affectionate to his daddy as ever as well. He squeals and runs to the door when he hears Daddy come home from work. I'm a great substitute for Daddy when he's at work, but I'm practically forgotten when he's home. I'm not the least bit jealous about it either. It makes me happy, even happier now that I have pregnancy hormones to help, to see that special Daddy-son bond growing. Today they even played catch together for the first time (pictures to come shortly). I nearly teared up as I saw the great pictures I got of the occasion.

Patrick definitely takes after Daddy in some interesting ways, too. He is totally in love with the vacuum. Shortly before bed, something unremarkable happened that put Patrick in need of comforting. We needed to vacuum up the animal cracker crumbs from earlier anyway, so Matt pulled out the vacuum. Patrick instantly squealed and got quiet, watching every move of the vacuum intently. As I stood back holding him where he could see but not touch, I suddenly felt something interesting. The baby was kicking me at the same time. He had woken up to the sound of the vacuum and apparently liked it as well. I think I've got another Daddy clone in here! The moment was particularly special because I felt like a mother of two for the first time; I was holding one child while the other one was begging for attention however he could. It was one of those unexpected, unplanned family moments that I'll always remember, as much for the simplicity of it as its sweetness.

What You've All Been Waiting For

2007-05-01T16:25:00.000-05:00

Today was sonogram day! It turns out that everything--that we could see anyway--is perfectly normal. Of course, knowing our family, normal covers a wide range!

Baby was anything but cooperative, though. Every time the tech would get a great view for a measurement and pause the screen, Baby would move just before she could get that measurement. S/he also kept those legs crossed throughout the entire exam, making gender identification difficult, to say the least.

The tech got a few good shots anyway. Here's the face from the side:
This is our best guess at the gender. It looks like that protuberance pointed out by the arrow may just be a "deedle," as the tech put it. Without knowing anything definite, we're leaning towards a boy based on this picture. (Of course, if you blow up the picture enough, it also looks like it could easily be an umbilical cord, which kept getting in the way and looking like something else for a brief second before we identified it as the cord. That's why we're left with as much doubt as we have.)
Baby was apparently pleased by his (?) own efforts at hiding the gender, so he gave us a thumbs-up right after the quick moment of possible identification.

And I always love these shots of the spine. It's one of the few things I can decipher easily with my untrained eye.

So it looks like we're buying mostly gender neutral stuff to be on the safe side, but maybe filling in with blue. And until we know for sure, we're going with what the tech told us; she's the one with all the experience after all. That means we're calling him Nathan Robert--unless he comes out missing that obvious "deedle."

Predicting the Future

2007-04-29T20:56:00.000-05:00

Wow, has it really been over a week since I posted? I thought about it every day this week and just couldn't find the motivation to sit down and type something. I also wanted to download some pictures to include and was even less motivated to take the time for that, so the task of blogging got to be overwhelming. This won't be the mega-post it should be, though, because I'm still lacking in the motivation area. It's something anyway, right?

I have some new predictions for Patrick's future profession. One is a meteorologist. Any time I have the news on, he generally ignores it altogether. He'll play with anything and everything without even glancing at the tv. Until the weatherman starts talking, that is. Suddenly he will become spellbound in front of the tv. Matt and I thought it must be the moving pictures that capture his attention, but I've noticed this week that he doesn't start watching when the maps pop up. He is at full attention the second he hears the weatherman's voice. He can recognize both of the daytime weathermen on our usual channel by voice alone. It appears as though he is actually listening to what they are saying, not merely captivated by the moving graphics on the screen. His favorite part is apparently the seven-day forecast, based on the gleeful squeal. I think I'd be okay if he grew up to be a weatherman. Of course, the obsession may only indicate that he has indeed inherited plenty of genetics from his daddy's side of the family! (Kidding!)

Another possible profession for Patrick may be that of engineer--not an engineer like his daddy necessarily (although I wouldn't rule that one out), but the kind of engineer that gets to ride on trains all day. Among Patrick's very limited vocabulary is the word "choo-choo." His absolute favorite book right now is the choo-choo book, a cute book about trains that is fun to read out loud. He can sit on the floor and read that one book for ages at a time--and for a kid as active as he is, that certainly says something. Sometimes we can decipher among his gibberish a sound like a train whistle: "whoo, whoooo," another sound repeated often in the book. When both Daddy and I read the book with him, we make sure to emphasize the whistle sound, so he has probably picked that up. I wonder if he likes the book because we read it with him often because it is so much fun to read out loud. The repetitive phrases probably also stick with him better, making the book more memorable. Either way, it's cute to see him so attached to the one book over all the others (although he does seem pretty attached to the "kitty book" and the Santa book as well), whether or not it speaks of an actual interest in trains.

Patrick is a walking maniac these days. Sometimes he doesn't even need toys to stimulate him; he can wander back and forth from room to room all around the house for half an hour without pausing to play with a toy. He totters less and less as he walks, too. It's obvious that each day his confidence in his walking abilities increases. Before long, I will have to break into an all-out sprint just to keep up with him. There's no wonder he sleeps so well at night right now with all the energy he expends during the day!

We've also been better about going on outings. Patrick gets excited the second he sees my shoes on my feet and when he watches me throw the diaper bag over my shoulder. He knows it means he's going "bye-bye." That's another of his few vocabulary words, one that he loves getting a chance to practice. One place we've been twice since I last blogged is church. Now that RSV season is over and the morning sickness has finally started to subside, we're making church-going a priority. It's wonderful to see how well he does in the nursery now compared to the last few times we made it to church, back before RSV season started. He suddenly cares about the toys there and playing with the nursery workers and the other kids. It makes the experience even more special when he sees us walking up to the door at the end of church, too. He recognizes us and comes running (or crawling) as fast as his legs can carry him, excited both from his hour of playing and seeing us (Daddy) again.

As far as pregnancy stuff is concerned (which doesn't relate to anything else in the post at all), both Matt and I are starting to nest just a little already. We spent quite a bit of time this weekend de-cluttering and deep cleaning, especially the living areas where Patrick spends more of his time. We finally have a nearly completely baby-proof living room for him to play in. You can also expect another post devoted entirely to the baby on Tuesday night. We have our big sonogram coming up on Tuesday, which we are totally excited about. With a bit of luck, and hopefully a cooperative baby, we should know the gender then. And, if you're really, really lucky, we might just decide to reveal the name then as well. So stay tuned! I promise to blog a bit sooner this time around.

Tantrum Central

2007-04-20T17:02:00.000-05:00

Some days can be kind of rough around here. This has been Patrick's overall mood today:
He wants to do whatever he wants to do, especially if he knows it's a no-no. Then he gets mad when we tell him no. It's been one tantrum after another all day, and it's getting tiresome. Patrick is certainly testing his limits. I don't think he's happy with what he's finding out.

In between all the tantrums, I did happen to catch a few shots of happy Patrick, though. These periods were all short-lived, but at least the day hasn't been all frustrating.

This first is from dinner last night. Guess what we had? :)
He went straight from his high chair to the bathtub. I don't think anybody is surprised by that. Isn't this age fun?

Daddy's home! He ran (well, toddled really fast for him) right up to Daddy when he saw he was home for lunch. It was the cutest thing I've seen. He'd been asking for Daddy all morning, so I was glad to see he still wanted Daddy when he showed up.

Still happy to be around Daddy, as long as Daddy's holding him...

He loves playing the door game. He'll crawl around behind his bedroom door and close it part of the way. When I ask where Patrick went, he peeks around the corner, opens the door, and laughs. I have to say peek-a-boo to keep the game going, and he starts all over again.

This is one of my favorite pictures. He's always curious about what is going on outside the window, even if it is nothing.

And this is Patrick in the middle of walking across the living room, quite a big space for him to attempt to cross alone.

He looks happy walking, doesn't he? I love the chubby belly. Maybe he's trying to look like Mommy. :)

Not Much Content, Lots to Look At

2007-04-19T15:44:00.000-05:00

I feel silly now for making such a big deal last night about how I couldn't get my pictures uploaded. I should have figured when Google Video didn't like my videos either that it was a Google problem and not my own. Fortunately today has been a remarkably good day so far. That means you get not only the video I posted earlier to tide you over, but also a bunch of pictures and maybe, just maybe, another video. I know you grandmas are thinking, "Jackpot!"

To start with, here's another belly shot, taken earlier today at about 17 1/2 weeks. Yes, I took it myself, which is why it's not the best belly shot in the world.
And now on to the fun Patrick shots. Here's Patrick playing with Elmo, before he figured out how to knock him down (see video in next post down).

And Patrick apparently surprised by the camera while playing with a book...

Don't be fooled by all the halfway decent shots of an actual toddler. I don't have a more cooperative kid than all you other toddler moms. I just take a bunch of shots at a time, and every so often I'm surprised with one or two good ones out of the bunch. It's luck, not talent or cooperation.

I have no idea what Patrick's thinking in this picture. I suspect he's a little confused about the concept of holidays and that they only come around once a year. He would much rather get to play with Easter eggs and have Christmas every day of the year. Good thing his parents are a little slow with putting away these seasonal items so that he can live at least part of his dream for a while longer.

By the way, Gigi, I love this outfit too. Patrick's not too fond of the hood (we're so mean sometimes), but he sure does look adorable in the outfit, hood or not!

Now how about that video I've been promising forever? I want to apologize for the poor quality, but you might just be able to make out Patrick. I think an appropriate title for the video might be "Finally!"

Slow on the Concept of Gentle

2007-04-19T11:19:00.000-05:00

I had some issues posting photos last night, so I will try again later. Instead, take a minute to watch Patrick playing with his TMX Elmo. You may remember that he got this toy back at Christmas and couldn't care less about the weird red laughing thing at the time. Now he's a bit more interested, but he wants to deny Elmo the pleasure of being tickled.