Friday, February 28, 2014

31 weeks

Sunday is 2 months to Baby 3g's due date. Since Chase was one day late and Brice was born on his due date, I'm going to assume Baby 3 will come a day before his due date....

In other words, less than 9 weeks, until the baby arrives.

And 4 weeks until we return to our improved house (fingers crossed!)!

How big is baby: According to babycenter.com, 3.3lbs (weight of 4 navel oranges) and over 16 inches long from head to heel.

Weight Gain: +20lbs? According to the doctor's scale.

Sleep: It would be better if Brice decided to go to sleep before 10pm...or if he didn't stay awake from 3:45-5:45am on Wednesday night.

Diet/Cravings/Aversions: Nothing weird. I'm eating more salty things this pregnancy, although still getting my share of sweets.
Exercise: Mueller and I ran 2 miles on Sunday. I'm trying to walk more to/from work and during the day, but it's still so, so cold.

Symptoms: Just feeling giant.

Movement: Baby has been moving a lot. Part of him (his butt, I think) sticks out on the upper right side of my belly, and that's where I feel the most movement.

What's different this time: Is it wrong to say not much...?
What I'm looking forward to: My birthday next week! And sleeping this weekend.

Best moment of the week: Seeing Baby 3 last week at my doctor's appointment. And spending time with the family this past weekend. Just hanging out with the boys is fun. Oh, and Chase's great report from his teachers during our conference yesterday.

The belly: Giant, but apparently not much bigger than with Brice.
 

(For comparison, 31 weeks with Brice: http://dclamonts.blogspot.com/2012/03/31-weeks.html)





Thursday, February 27, 2014

Backyard Reno- Goodbye Pool!

At the end of the summer we took the plunge....and had our pool filled in and our backyard renovated. We went back and forth a lot about whether or not to keep the pool, but ultimately it came down to the fact that it was 6 feet outside our backdoor and we can't use it 9 months of the year (other cons: lots of maintenance, expensive, not safe while the boys are little, Stephen wanted to join a swim club anyway; pros: we like having it, the boys love swimming). So we worked with a great company, J&G Landscape Design, who designed a great backyard, destroyed and filled in the pool, and did all of the hardscaping and landscaping to make our backyard beautiful.

The company left a bit in our driveway beforehand. We have two little boys, so naturally they wanted to get in the truck and try it out!





 
When the work started, the boys were enthralled:


 
 
And naturally, some "before and after" pictures:










 
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It took about 6 weeks, plus time to put together the swingset (literally piece by piece) and to get the shed, but it was definitely worth it. I still need to add some after pictures from the same angle, but by the time we got the shed and the swingset up, it was just about winter. I'll do before/after pics this spring.
 
Swingset building...not for the faint of heart. Or patience.
 



 
Finally done!
 
and the boys love it!
 







Despite not having everything done (shed & swingset), we did entertain outside back in October.  
 
Looking forward to enjoying our yard in the spring and summer!

Monday, February 24, 2014

Lately

I still need to do Christmas posts, but I think an update is needed first. Bear with me, these are iPhone pictures....


In January, it snowed and we loved it...

Brice is pretty much obsessed with shoveling.








Brice also loves hats.




Chase got a big boy bed. And since I wasn't going to buy two different types of beds, it's actually a set of bunk beds and Chase's single bed (in this pic) is the top bunk. Sure, we'll be storing the bottom bunk for another 2 years, but it was worth it to only have to make one purchase.


We are renovating our kitchen/first floor and decided that we needed to move out during the process in order to maintain our sanity, keep us safe from the dust, and make sure it was done by the goal date of 35 weeks pregnant- March 28. Given what  a disaster construction site the house is, it was definitely a good decision.

This was our last breakfast at home (notice the random assortment of furniture in the living room....for breakfast).

We moved into an apartment, not very far away. It's pretty nice. Since we got used to high-rise living things (like the parking garage, the key fob for the elevator/doors, taking Mueller on the elevator to take him out), it has been great.






The biggest challenge has been transitioning the boys to the same room. Brice is going through an insomnia phase (despite being our great sleeper!) and likes to talk and keep his brother up at night. Better now than after the baby comes?

It was also pretty great when we got 14 inches of snow, but weren't responsible for shoveling or even cleaning off our cars, which were safe and warm in the garage.

The boys love pushing the buttons on the elevator and *may* fight about it once it a while.


Looking out off our porch


29 week belly:

Holding chicks and ducks at a birthday party. I think the kids were more terrified than anything else. And when asked if we could get one, Stephen promptly said no.


Fun with alphabet noodles.


Boys in our bed...



....and Stephen in Brice's bed!



It finally warmed up enough to go to the park, but Stephen may have been overambitious with his choice of shoes....


And, finally, a before/middle picture of our kitchen.

 
Only 32 days to go....