I'm Dreading...

...taking Ben across the country.  Next week we leave on a plane for North Carolina and Virginia to see family.  I am frightened of that flight and I should probably start praying for sympathetic passengers now.  And maybe invest in some ear plugs.  We didn't buy him a seat (cuz we're cheap like that) so he'll be on our laps the entire time.  That would be just fine if he actually stayed on our laps.  However, if it is anything like church, he will definitely NOT stay there and what's worse, he will have no where to go.  I can hear the kicking and screaming now.  I'm really hoping that he loves looking out the window.  I plan on bringing the biggest carry on bag that the airport will allow packed full of diapers, snacks, and toys.  But I don't think it will be enough.  Ben is more of a people watcher and he doesn't like to be confined.  His favorite thing to do is to take something out and drop it on the floor--a no-no on a plane.
If by chance we do make it in one piece to the other side of the country, it will be freezing cold and he's not fond of hats, jackets, and I'm guessing mittens will come right off as well.  Plus, we'll be entirely with family he's never seen before.  And it's the in-laws.  Besides my love for visiting the snow, I'm not exactly looking forward to this trip.

Belly Update

Here is a belly picture at 25 weeks.  I feel huge knowing that I still have 15 weeks to go.  I might even have to buy new, larger clothes before it's over.  How depressing is that?!

Christmas 2010

This Christmas we stayed home.  Thankfully, Ben doesn't yet understand Christmas and blissfully slept until almost 8am.  He's starting to get the idea of how to unwrap gifts, but gets bored with it way before he's done.  Plus, the wrapping paper is much more exciting than what is inside.  Little kids really would be happy with just paper and boxes.  I am so glad that we only got him one thing from us and one thing from santa.  He still received plenty of toys that are now over taking our living room.  I need to find a home for them in his room still.  Here are some cute pictures of him and daddy opening gifts.  I was the one behind the camera, so I don't have any of me.  Aww, shucks.  :)  Alex did get me some cute nursing pjs for christmas though...



I think Alex is more excited about the toy than he is...



I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!

 

I am blogger-challenged...

How do I put more than 1 picture in my header?  I have tried to google such a thing, but all of this talk about html codes really throws me for a loop.  Can anyone explain it to me in simple terms???

Third Trimester Already??

So I went for my monthly OB check-up today and the dr told me I was starting the 3rd trimester.  And what to do if I start having contractions...WHOA, back up.  Am I really that far along??  It seems a little early to be considered in the 3rd trimester.  It makes it sound so much sooner than it is.  Time seems to be flying by with a little one already in our family to occupy my time.  I guess if she comes too soon, she'll still be surrounded by blue!  I guess I should pre-register at the hospital here soon, just in case. 

She is doing well in there though.  Heartbeat is still around 150 and I'm measuring right on schedule.  She kicks everyday, but I can't wait to see something protrude from my belly.  I can't wait to meet her!

Freestone Park

We went to this awesome park across town a few weeks back that I almost forgot to mention.  It had some cute carnival rides and a little train.  Ben LOVED the carousel and the train.  He just didn't appreciate having to wait for everyone else to get on.  It's amazing how simple some of life's joys are.  It's fun to show him new things and to watch him learn.  Here are a few pictures from our trip!

I know he doesn't look super excited, but trust me, he was all smiles once we started moving. 

Oh the things I never thought I'd say...

"Don't eat the dustpan!"
"Take that plunger out of your mouth"
"Please don't lick the garbage can"

Notice a pattern?  He still puts everything in his mouth.  When will he grow out of this?

Headbands, Ruffles, and Bows, Oh My!

We found out yesterday that Ben is going to have a little SISTER!!!!!!  I am so incredibly excited to buy dresses and to make all sorts of cute pink things!  My mom is going to have a hay day at JoAnn's.  She is doing well.  The ultrasound looked great--I could watch those all day.  Today we went out to buy the first outfit for her....ok, so we bought more than one.  But everything was less than $2 so i feel pretty good about it.  :) 

Bloggers: 50 free photo cards!

Is this perfect timing or what?  Shutterfly is doing this promotion where you blog about their cards and then you get a promo code for 50 FREE cards!  We don't send that many cards out anyways, so all of the ones we need for Christmas will be free!  I am so thrilled.  :)  Good advertising for them, too.  I ordered a photo book from Shutterfly last Christmas of Ben's first month or so and was so pleased with the way it turned out.  I've also done that with Picaboo (also free!) and Walgreens.  Shutterfly is definitely my favorite so I can't wait to see how their photo cards turn out. 

My favorite cards so far are these:

Choose your favorite one at...
· Christmas cards to http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-cards




· holiday cards to http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-cards



· Christmas photo cards to http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery



· wall calendars to http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars/wall-calendars



· photo mugs to http://www.shutterfly.com/photo-gifts/photo-mugs



· birthday cards to http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/birthday-cards-stationery

If you want free cards like me, go HERE! 

A Year Ago Today....

--I woke up dreadfully early to drive to the hospital to be induced at 5am
--we were late because we stopped along the way to make sure our tire wasn't flat
--I had pretty easy labor for about 3 hours, a couple more of not so comfortable labor and transition, and 45 minutes of pushing until...
--OUR BABY BOY WAS BORN!

I became a mother for the first time a year ago today.  Time truly does fly.  He's going to be in kindergarden the next time I blink. 

Today he:
--walks well
--is sick with a cold
--gets to have cake and ice cream for the first time
--waves bye bye to random cars passing on the street
--loves to be outside
--doesn't like the bathtub anymore
--loves dogs and cats his size
--likes to spit
--says "mama" :)
--signs "all done"

We absolutely adore our little boy!

Advice

So with baby #2 coming so quickly behind Ben, I've been considering several things.  With Ben, we did without a swing and a high chair.  We were given one of those infant to toddler rockers and I became very adept at rocking him with my foot while I pumped or whatever.  For a high chair, we use the booster seat that came with the bumbo wannabe from babies r us.  The lack of a tray is a bit of a bummer, but we make do and we now just scoot him up to the table.  A swing sounds almost invaluable with 2 little munchkins.  That way, I can put the baby in the swing and take care of Ben, without having to lay the baby on the floor.  A highchair also sounds nice this time around and Ben can still eat from the booster.  Either way, I'll have to buy some sort of feeding chair so that they can eat at the same time.  I have a swing and a high chair that I like, but I want to know...what are your favorites?  Are they really worth it or can I save some cash and not buy one or both?  Have you heard anything about the fisher price one that turns from swing to high chair?  If I buy something, I would like to buy something that's going to last through all of my kids. 

Another issue is the stroller.  Do I really need a double?  They are going to be 17 months apart.  I have an infant carrier.  Could I get by with that for the baby and then when he/she gets too heavy, make Ben walk?  I found a stroller that I love because it fits my eddie bauer car seat and allows them to face either direction.  But it's heavy.  like REALLY heavy.  and it's 200 dollars.  (Although that's signifantly cheaper than the Peg Perego that I fell in love with earlier...)   Pretty much all other tandem strollers that take a car seat have to be the same brand.  Eddie Bauer doesn't make tandem strollers and I don't want to have to buy a new car seat, too. 

The last issue is the crib.  Do I buy a second cheap crib for the baby until Ben is ready for a toddler bed?  Or do I introduce him to the toddler bed and hope for the best?  Or should the baby go in a bassinet until Ben is ready for a bed?  How long did a bassinet last for you?  Which one did you buy?  What did you like about it?  What would you differently if given the chance?  They are going to be in the same room...any tips?  I don't want to wake Ben up everytime I need to feed the baby and I don't want him to keep the baby up.  I see some very long nights in my future.  haha. 

I could really use the suggestions! 

A New Kitchen

Remember awhile back I posted about us remodeling the kitchen??  well, here it is!  it looks SO much better!

Here are some before pics that my mom took of the kitchen, after the cabinet doors had been removed. 

This is what it looks like now!

Halloween

 We took Ben to his first trunk or treat, all decked out in new shoes and a cute cow costume.  Note to self, husband was right, and the cow is girly.  Nearly everyone called him a girl, even some who should know who I am (and thus that I have a SON not a daughter).  They invited the neighborhood and a ward not in our building so there were quite a few unfamiliar faces.  I thought he'd be super excited to walk around outside, but that was short-lived.  Maybe next year will be more exciting. 


Ben with Grandma



Our pumpkin



Our "trunk"



Family Pictures!!!

I have several things that I want to blog about, but whenever I have free time, I feel like I should clean or organize something instead.  BUT, this is way too awesome to wait, plus I'm not at home right now.  We had family pictures/Ben's 12 month pics taken on saturday in gilbert.  I was reading an old friend's blog about her sister in law's engagement pics who I happen to know as well.  She was on the east side and reasonably priced and I loved her pictures so I emailed her and here we are!  Don't these just beat the socks off studio pictures??
check them out at http://www.jessicadrewphotoblog.com/?p=2989

Living on Less

My new motto in life, if you will, is learning to live on less and love it.  I know we've been told countless times to avoid debt and to get out of it ASAP.  We have been doing an AWESOME job in the past year of not using our credit cards and it feels great!   The biggest thing that went on them were vacations and unexpected expenses just made it worse.  Our move-in-with-parents-and-pay-off-debt plan isn't going quite how we planned.  Sometimes this frustrates me, but then I am reminded that the Lord really does know my situation and has a plan for me.  It just isn't on my timescale.  We recently found out that we are responsible for a couple thousand dollars worth of HOA fees plus some until the bank forecloses on our condo.  Just what you want to hear with a baby on the way, right?  It turns out that a lot of times, HOAs will simply put leins on your home, but not ours.  Ours only cares about money.  The same day our lawyer told us this, Alex got a call from one of his teachers at the UA who said he had a check for him for 300 to reimburse him for catering his class project on the last day of school.  AMAZING!  $300 definitely won't solve our problems, but it is an answer to prayer. 

Before we moved, we really tried to get rid of stuff we don't need and we plan on purging even more stuff if (ahem, when...) we move out of my parents' place.  We won't be able to afford a large place (nor do I want to clean one) and frankly we don't need everything we have.  I am trying to live on less and actually enjoy it.  I don't want to spend my life wishing we had more money than we do so that I could buy stuff.  I'm a real sucker for kitchen gadgets.  Anything that makes food preparation easier on me is right up my alley.  I also want things to match.  Alex is much more into matching than I am, but I am quickly catching on.  However, buying a couch and matching recliners...not exactly cheap.  I am going to have to become one of those garage sale people and find things cheap! 

Any ideas about how to be frugal and enjoy it?  What do you do to stretch a dollar?

First OB Visit

I went to a new OB for the first time last month.  Her office is nice, but I miss my doctor in Tucson.  This one isn't quite as personable and there is a technician who does the ultrasounds instead of the doctor.  The nice thing is that they do the lab work in the office and they had a great finance lady who explained what our insurance covers in detail. 

Here is our little peanut:

I can't wait to hear the heartbeat on Friday!  I think it is at that point that I will really feel pregnant.  I've actually lost some weight these past few weeks from not eating as much when certain smells make me want to puke.  Unfortunately, one of those is baby food, so I dread feeding poor Ben.  Hopefully that goes away soon!

What Ben is Up To Now

• He gets into EVERYTHING all day long.  If it is in a basket, on a shelf, or in a bag, it definitely must be removed.  This makes for an even messier house. 
• He has also decided that he only wants to sleep for about 30  minutes at a time in his crib during the day, which means I barely have time to clean up his mess before he makes another one.  I have no chance at all to clean up Alex's mess.  I feel like I try all day just to keep up with absolutely must be done (shower, eat, go to work) and nothing gets clean until something starts growing in places it shouldn't. 
• He has to eat when you eat.  It doesn't matter if he ate 2 minutes before, he must chew while you chew.  No exceptions.  
• He loves popsicles.  
• He"s teething like crazy.  He has 4 teeth coming in on the bottom and 1 on the top.  This makes for a very unhappy baby sometimes.
• He hates having his diaper changed.  It's like a personal offense to lay him on his back.   

Camping in Oak Creek Canyon

First off, if you decide to take your baby camping, it would be SO much easier if they could walk.  Either that or if they could sit up, but weren't mobile yet.  A crawling 10 month old is not my first choice to take camping.  But it worked out and we had fun. 

We always seem to forget something when we camp. Usually it's something like toothpaste--nice to have, but not super necessary (maybe to your spouse it is :) )  This time we really outdid ourselves and forgot water AND propane.  Pretty much the 2 most important, life-sustaining things.  Left at home.  It's a good thing we weren't camping Alex-style where you hike in 5 miles and set up camp in an unknown part of the forest.  We were just about 20 minutes outside Sedona, so we headed to Bashas and all was well.

Alex started to set up our tent while I fed Ben.  We have only used our tent one other time, but the rope that connects the poles that support the tent was broken.  So he had to hold each pole together until there was enough tension that it did the job on his own.  We almost had to crash my parent's tent instead.

We were right next to Oak Creek and Alex tried to fish.  The fish were sparse and not interested in what he had to offer, but it was cool to see him finally use the wedding gift I got him over 4 years ago.

 

Baby # 2

The new baby is fine.  My due date is April 7, 2011.  The ultrasound showed a few days later, so it already looks like there's a slim chance for an early delivery.  I've been a little more nauseated this time around, but I can't complain.  I'll post the little peanut when we get back from camping.  We are very excited for this new baby to come to our little family!

A Little Hiatus

I'm not very good at blogging on a regular basis so extra activities make it that much less likely that I'll do it.  We have been remodeling our kitchen.  I regret that i did not take any before pictures but after pictures will come next week.  It looks 100% better.  We painted the walls and cabinets, played with electricity, installed a ceiling fan and will be laying down laminate flooring!

Today we leave for oak creek canyon to go camping.  Ben often cries when we come inside so i think he is going to have a blast.

9 Months!

Can that really be true?  Is my baby really 9 months old?!  Where has the time gone.  His well check went well today.  He is 17 lbs 7.75 oz and 29 inches long.  He is finally growing into his big head.  HAHA!  It's only in the 60th percentile now.  :)  He has mastered crawling and loves to cruise.  This, of course, doesn't help us at bedtime when all he wants to do is stand.  I am also trying to get him to consistently fall asleep on his own.  Yesterday it took 40 minutes!  I am so proud that he did it on his own though.  He's also starting to feed himself with the little gerber graduates puffs.  He is such a joy!

Our New Truck

Last week we decided it was time for a new car.  Our little Hyundai accent had a lot of repairs in its future and was becoming too small for our growing family.  We picked out a Chevy Silverado that we love because we thought it would be nice to have a truck and it is wide enough for 3 car/booster seats in the back and seats 3 in the front!  The whole car buying process is a pain and didn't go as planned, but with each new experience we learn some lessons.  That's what life is all about, right? 

We do miss not having a car paymnt though!

He's gone mobile!

That's right, folks, Ben has finally learned how to get around on his own.  He started crawling at the very end of July and is now doing it with his tummy off the floor.  He pulls himself up on everything and is no longer super interested in his toys.  He prefers anything that is on the coffee table with a special emphasis on paper, cell phones, and electrical cords. 

This is Ben kissing my freshly cleaned window as he watches the rain.

When he was supposed to be sleeping...

In with the pots and pans.

Singing Bee

Anybody else like country music and watch the Singing Bee on CMT on Friday nights??  I absolutely love that show and it almost inspires me to go sing karaoke.  in public.  Can you imagine such a thing?  haha.  Alex doesn't think I'd do it.  I am slightly addicted to the show and I love Melissa Peterman as a host.  She cracks me up.  What is your favorite thing on TV right now?

When Baby Makes Four

Yes, we are pregnant again!  Baby #2 will join our family early April.  I see my doctor later this month for the first ultrasound.  We are so excited!!!!  Ben and the baby will be about 17 months apart.  Crazy!  I'll definitely have my hands full. 

8 months...almost

My baby is 8 months old!  He's looking more and more like a toddler.  :(  Where did my baby go? 

Check out these cute shoes that he can finally fit in:

They are little Van's skater shoes!!  Just like his daddy.  I love those shoes, but they feel like dead weights on his feet so I rarely put them on. 

This is how he feels about crawling:

LOL.  I love that face.  He rolls all over and will scoot on his back, but he doesn't crawl.  He even pulls himself up to stand, but only if he is sitting on your legs.  He can't quite figure it out when he's on his bum. 

He eats pretty much everything we give him.  His least favorite is peas, but if you keep giving it to him, he eventually opens his mouth for more. 

We sure love him!

Anniversary

When Alex came home from work the day we were going to celebrate, he brought home these...

The picture really doesn't do them justice.  I am far from a photographer, but I would LOVE to learn.  I think taking decent pictures of flowers is beyond my point and shoot camera's capabilities.  He said he had to get me yellow and pink roses because he had red roses waiting for me at the restaurant!

He took me to The Melting Pot.  One word: amazing!  The dessert was the best part.  So many delectable things to dip in chocolate.  yum.  If you ever go, definitely get dessert.  And save up for the occasion because it is quite pricey but oh so worth it.  

Can you believe four years have passed already?  I'm going to be old and gray before I know it!   

My Little Water Baby

A few weeks ago we were house sitting for friends who happened to have a pool.  Naturally, I took the opportunity to introduce Ben to the water and bought a floatie, sunscreen, and little swimmers diapers.  Here he is in his cute get-up: 

His first reaction to the water was neutral.  He didn't cry, but he also wasn't quite sure what I was dragging him into.

Ignore my outfit...swim suit shopping has never been something I look forward to and after having a baby it definitely is NOT on my to do list.

Near the end he started to get into it and splash!

1st Baseball Game

Here is Ben at his first baseball game:

We learned very quickly that the crowd was too loud since the Dbacks wasted no time scoring.  We then spent the remainder of the game on the couches in the lobby area.  It was an expensive ticket to watch the game on TV!  I think we'll wait another year before we try that again...

Everything Goes...

in the MOUTH!  (including toes)

6 months

His 6 month stats...

14 lbs 11 oz  (10%)
27.25 inches (90%)

Since he did not grow much during the last 2 months, our doctor was a little concerned about his weight.  We switched formulas, changed my diet, and fed him more cereal.  We'll see how he does on thursday!  I was a little worried that he didn't gain enough weight, but I wasn't sure about the cause.  The doctor thinks he may spit up too much (hence the changes).  Alex thinks we just weren't feeding him enough.  I just hope he's ok and I can eat dairy again!  I absolutely LOVE dairy.  And I miss it.  I may or may not have followed that order exactly...

My Two Favorite Boys...

How cute are they?!

Gila Valley Temple

My mom and I went to the open house for the Gila Valley temple.  It was a long trip just to walk through the temple, but we thought it was worth it.  It is so beautiful!  I walked around with Ben in my arms, since he needed time out of the car seat.  He couldn't get enough of the chandelier in the celestial room!  I wonder how thin the veil really is...

Yes, I did feed him right before the temple tour and no, he did not spit up onto the spotless temple carpet.  THANK GOODNESS.