Toddler on the Road

Tomorrow morning, bright and early, we're road trippin' to Branson, MO. I believe it's my parent's official "Home away from home." It's easy to get to, only a half a day's driving. My parents have time shares and I can't count the number of times we've booked our trips to Branson. I like it, too... guilty!

The last time we took a long road trip with Cohen, he was one year younger. (1 and a half years old) And it was like 16 hours or some other huge number. Tomorrow's journey will take 5-7 hours, I think. But because of this year we've tacked on to his age, he is much more headstrong. He can tell you "no", he can say, "I don't like it." He'll negotiate, "No supper today, supper tomorrow!" He'll try to weasel his way out of nap time, "I had a good nap, mama! No Thomas bed!" (He sleeps in a Thomas the train bed at Granna and Pop's house.)

Well, I decided to be proactive and plan some things for him along the way. I went through a bunch of posts on pinterest regarding 'traveling with kids,' and found these ideas somewhere. It's basically to make up activity bags that will last 2-3 hours each. I made two of these bags. That's 4-6 hours (hopefully!) and I'm guessing there will be nap time and eating time sprinkled in there. I didn't want this to cost too much, so I'll include costs, too.

Bag number one!

Contents:
The Lorax blu ray (already owned)
Jolly rancher gummies (<$1 at Wal-Mart)
Monster's University play cell phone ($3 Wal-Mart)
4 colors of play dough ($.50 from Dollar Tree, from a pack of 8)
Funny faces robot sticker book ($1 at Dollar Tree)
Color wonder drawing pad with 1/2 a pack of color wonder markers (pad: $5, 1/2 markers: $2.50 at Wal-Mart)
Total: $13

I plan on bringing the movie out last, so he can exhaust himself with the other activities. We've never played with these "Color Wonder" products, but sounds like a dream for a car trip. Supposedly the ink in the markers won't write on anything but the special Color Wonder paper.

Bag number two!

Contents:
Cars sticker pad ($1 at Wal-Mart)
more Cars stickers ($2 at Wal-Mart)
Cars blu ray (already owned)
Color Wonder pad and the other 5 markers (pad, purchased for other bag, 1/2 pack markers: $2.50 at Wal-Mart)
Cars cup ($1 at Wal-Mart)
4 colors of play dough (the rest of the pack $.50 from Dollar Tree)
"Sarge" toy car ($4 at Wal-Mart)
Total: $11

Bag number two obviously had a Cars theme... Which is why it's number two. I see cars and play cars and watch Cars all day long. I want the kid to wait a little minute before unloading the cars theme on our car. Again, the movie will be held until he tires of the other activities.

I found a few books to add to the mix, and a set of farm animals. I'll just pull these out as necessary.

All from Dollar Tree, except Caillou.

These animals were like $2 at Wal-Mart.

So, anyways, we leave in the morning. I'll let you all know how these go over and whether or not it helps or hurts the trip! ;) We're hitting the hay, now.. good night!

Our first few days in Paris

This is the week I've been looking forward to for months. And only because it is 9 uninterrupted days off from work. *Picture me smiling like the Cheshire cat*

It is the week Hector is off at YoungLife camp in Colorado. Now, that part, we're not loving. We miss daddy something fierce. But we know he's doing a good work there, and that he is having a wonderful time.

I had originally created these grand plans for Cohen and I to fly to Denver to stay with a dear friend who just had a baby, and to even go to Hector's camp one night to visit. But, alas, I chickened out. I had this recurring vision of me, 20 weeks pregnant, carrying a purse, carry-on bag and huge toddler car seat through a busy airport, chasing my 2.5 year old who likes to see just how far away from Mama he can get. I got cold sweats just thinking about it. So, I nixed the idea and called my parents and informed them we'd be coming for the week. :) They, of course, were thrilled. They bought the kid a pool, people. They booked a trip for the end of our stay. They hauled his Thomas the Train bed out of the barn and up to our room. They were ready.

We got here late Sunday morning. We even went to the church service with them. It was so nice to see a lot of people I hadn't seen in years. I never get a chance to visit on a Sunday. As soon as we got home and had lunch, Coco was ready to swim. Pop was the first lucky swim mate.

Cohen was super unsure of his hat, so Pop pulled out a similar one, just so he'd have hat company. :)

Coco and his Granna!

Then, can I just say, that as tired as this little boy was, he took a horrid nap, then stayed awake until 10:30, then woke at 7 am, after tossing and turning all night. O_o

Monday, we went to town to ship Daddy's care package to Colorado, praying it gets there Wednesday, but assuming Thursday. :(

We got home and Coco took a 45 or 50 minute nap, again, I thought he'd take a 2-2.5 hour nap. Not the case. So, we went swimming. No pics this time, because I was enjoying the water, as well! 

Great grandmother Ivy showed up during our swim, and ended up staying for dinner (baked potatoes - my request!). She just loves coming down while we're here. 

After dinner, we (read: Cohen) rode tricycles:

With boots on, down a gravel driveway, with a trunk full of rocks. :)

We fed the catfish:

Man, I love this face...

And to top off a great evening.. we had Popsicles on the patio. 

He kept saying, "it's so cold!!" Still learning...

Shorts: immediately in the wash, no stains!

That sweet, chipped-tooth grin of his... gets me every time.

We are having a low-key day today, Granna and Pop both had to work for a while. And this guy, did NOT sleep good last night. He's staying in my room, in his toddler bed. And he tossed and turned all night, again. Every time he moved, I popped up, thinking he was awake. Then at about 1am, he was awake and was awake for about an hour. And at 6, he woke for good. I put him him in my bed and convinced him that even Granna and Pop weren't up yet. (He wanted to go make coffee.) So, he laid down with me for like 30 minutes, then Granna came and got him, so I could sleep a little longer. What is it about this place that has him waking at the crack of dawn and getting poor sleep??? He's been asleep for a morning nap from 11-1, still sleeping. We'll see how long it lasts. Then I bet he and I will go swimming. :) It's been a great trip so far. 

The Halfway Post!

Believe it or not, we are 20 weeks along today! I feel like it's just flying! I know it's busy summertime now, but geez. I'm really enjoying this stage.

So, I'd say he really popped out this week! Let me just show you 21 weeks with Cohen:

Yea. I'd say baby brother his showing his presence quite a bit quicker. :) (everyone recycles their maternity shirts, right?) :-/ *need more maternity shirts*

How big is baby? the size of Mango! What to Expect app says baby weighs 10 ounces and is about 6.5 inches from head to bottom and 10 inches from head to toe.

Weight gain/loss: 10 pounds total. Gained, that is.. :)

Sleep: Still not sleeping very well. I wake up around 8 with Cohen on days off, and feel the overwhelming need to take a nap by about 9:30. haha, not happening. But when I wake at 5am for work, I don't get tired. Weird.

Movement: Feeling this little boy a lot lately. I think I can feel big moves, like rolling now. It's wonderful!

Symptoms: The pregnancy rhinitis has eased up a lot this last week. (Thank goodness!) When I'm at work, my legs and back hurt a lot. No fun.  

Belly Button: Innie still! (with Coco, it never popped out!)

Food Cravings: Grilled cheese sandwiches! (had them twice this week!)

Gender: It's a BOY! We're so excited for Cohen to have a little brother. I was initially a tiny smidgeon disappointed when the tech said "boy", but got over it immediately and am getting very excited! No name yet!

What I miss? Sleeping on tummy (or good, at all), having occasional wine or margarita, drinking more coffee

What I'm looking forward to? I'm looking forward to our sono on July 8th, where we take a closer look at his heart. I feel pretty peaceful about it, so I'm just praying for the Lord's will! It helps when we remember that this is the Lord's child, entrusted to us.. we're just supposed to take the best possible care of His child. 

Big brother: Used the potty 4 times today! And had one accident, but that's ok! He's very concerned when we are at a store and he hears a baby cry. He says, "Mommy! That baby crying? Why cry??" He loves to go to the pool on these hot summer days. His gorgeous skin is getting nice and brown like daddy's. :) He and I are headed to spend the week with Granna and Pop on Sunday, while Daddy is at YoungLife camp!

Dr. Appointment notes: Last appointment was the anatomy scan. Everything looked good, except the heart position, which we're revisiting on July 8th. I'll also meet with Dr. R for a checkup. 

some pics of late

Yea, we stay in our pj's some days. As long as there are cars, we are happy, happy, happy. 

My salt-n-peppa hubby. :) Love him.

Ok.. that's a KID on that trike, not a baby anymore. :(

Daddy was playing with settings on the new camera, and had only blue hues in this pic. But whilst doing it, he caught Coco giving his caterpillar a sweet squeeze. :) Man, he's just precious. That face!

Our little family. With Mama a little blurry. But, still, I love this one.

Me and my boy. Look at those puppy dog eyes. I just can't get enough of him. He's a mama's boy, through and through. I love that little chin. 

Father's Eve and Day

So, I live with Mr. Impatient.. ahem... Hector.. I made the mistake of wrapping his gifts and setting them out on Friday night. Then I worked on Saturday. So he was here all day with the gifts just teasing him. By the time I got home, at like 8pm, he was itching...aching.. to open them. Like, he was getting borderline mean when I told him to wait until morning. But alas, I couldn't hold him off any more.

We sat down to eat our spaghetti and he rushed through his just so he could open the gifts. Coco thought it was someone's birthday. :) I told him it was something he "wanted" and something he "needed".

And this was the "need"! 

An electric razor. He has to shave everyday for Booster, and he hates doing it, so I figured this would make it easier and less time consuming. Score, he loved it!

Some nice face products to go with razor!

Silly papa!

Pretty surprised!

"Coco we got a new game!" (Coco with a FULL mouth of spaghetti)

FIFA 13. He's been playing a demo for quite a while now. Poor baby. Well, now he has it. 

We sure are lucky to have Hector in our lives. I can't imagine a better daddy for Cohen. He plays for hours, reads to him at night, makes sure he's never hungry, changes diapers, helps with baths, teaches him to pray, disciplines him (when he needs it) and is generally awesome with him. It's wonderful to watch. He's so very excited for our next little boy, too. It's so sweet. I'm also reminded of what a wonderful husband he is, too. He is so good to be the main parent when I get home from work and am so tired. I'll play with and love on Cohen, but he will give the bath, make sure we're both fed and get us both to bed. :) He doesn't get upset that I'm pretty much too tired to do anything. He just does it. And I notice. I love you, Hector!

Then today, Father's Day, we had a lazy first part of the day. He went to a church service in Plano to do some YoungLife stuff, so Cohen and I stayed home to clean. We had company coming! Granna and Pop and Uncle Josh and Cortney were coming over around 2 or 3. Once Granna and Pop got here, we played and played, for what seemed like HOURS. Haha, this kid can wear out the most energetic adult. Then, at 5, we loaded up and headed to Buffalo Wild Wings, my dad's favorite wing place. It was yummy! We left stuffed! 

We came back to our apartment to hang out for a bit. (Josh and Cortney went home.) Granna wanted to see our pool, so we walked and Coco rode his tricycle to the pool. It was crowded. And that's an understatement. I like a sparsely populated pool. Cohen was just in his clothes. We were just going to look. 

This was ok. I was ok with this.

Then this happened. Granna is laughing.

So let's just wade out there.

 My Dad! Happy Father's Day, Dad! I love you!

World's Best Granna and Pop! Love them so much!

We had a very nice day. So happy they were able to come and visit. Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there! Your job is oh-so-important. Thank you for caring enough to do it well! 

Baby #2 is a...

That's right! Baby #2 is a bouncing baby boy! I was pretttty surprised when the sono tech suddenly said, "And, I think you've seen one of these before..." Me: "Are you sure??" Yea, she was. And the doctor confirmed it afterward when she came in to look at the sono. 

During the scan. There's no way to get comfortable there. 

Pretty sure she was saying, "It's a boy!" there. 

Waiting for the doctor to come in and confirm some things.

The proud big brother! We got him saying, "Baby brother!"

Can't argue with facts!

"Hi Mama and Daddy!!" He's looking at us and waving here!

What I like to call 'thumb-sucking'. Cohen did this, too! I swear that thumb is in there, but she said he's most likely just feeling of his face. (these are 3 of TWELVE sono pics this tech gave us.. have you ever been given so many?? she was very generous!)

We went straight to Janie & Jack's to buy a little announcement outfit. I thought this did the trick beautifully! Big brother Cohen got an 'on-sale' outfit too. NOT matchy matchy. 

And there I am! PS, the outfit is 6-12 month size, since it's for next summer. We didn't find any cute colder weather outfits out right now. (Remember, we have a November baby on our hands!)

So the heart rate was good - 144 beats per minute. Baby boy was moving all over the place. He weighed 10 oz! Yea... my baby app on my phone says they should weigh about 6-7 oz right now. Another big guy, I suppose! He measured at 19 weeks and 1 day. (I'm 19 weeks tomorrow!)

One prayer request we'd ask... When the doctor came to do the follow-up exam (I guess this is normal??) after the tech, she spent a lot of time looking at the heart. There were four chambers, and she saw blood pumping everywhere it should be. But she noticed that the heart seemed to be slightly more midline, than to the left side of the chest. She said based on all the other images, everything looks fine in there. But that she's curious about the shift. She assured me that the diaphragm looked great, because I immediately thought (and asked her about) "diaphragmatic hernia??" which is where some of the abdominal contents can herniate into the chest cavity, through a hole in the diaphragm. She said it could very well have been the way the baby was laying, or that he kept pushing his chin down into his chest. Regardless, it strikes a chord of fear in this mama's heart. We'll follow up with another sono on July 8th. Please be praying for healing (if need be) or that it was just positional. The Lord has perfectly made all of his children in the way that He wants them, so I have faith He knows exactly what he's doing. 

Very excited over here, trying to get used to the idea that I'm completely outnumbered now! 

New toy!

Well..
After looking through my iPhoto pictures today, thinking about another Blurb book...
I was super saddened to see that I had taken hardly any pictures.
Reason?
Cohen has been playing with our old point-and-shoot for about a year now. (My BAD!! I KNOW!) He thinks it's very funny to take videos of himself. And to zoom way in and take real unflattering pictures of mama. Not cute. But anyways. Now it pretty much takes blurry pictures and doesn't zoom well. I guess it's his now.

All that, to say this.. We invested in a nice camera today! Do we know exactly how to use it? No. We're working on it. Playing with settings, adjusting this, trying that.

I like how you can focus on something close (Coco's hand) while slightly blurring the background (Coco's face)

Even on "auto" mode, the pictures are 1000x better than our old digital camera! And for this, I'm excited, since I'm learning the other settings and will probably use auto for now!

I'm pretty pleased with this (Daddy took this one!). 

Oooh and look! There's Baby Miranda making an appearance! We find out gender tomorrow!!! 

New baby was a huge motivator in us getting the new camera. We took so many pictures of Cohen's first year. And now what? Instagram. Yea, that's about it. Which I'm thankful for, because I think we've caught a lot of great memories that way. But I also want the quality pictures I can print and keep for a lifetime. 

So, our anatomy scan is tomorrow at 1pm! Prayers appreciated! Can't wait to share with you if we're welcoming another sweet boy or a little princess!