Time to Go Shopping!

That's right, ladies and gentlemen, we are having a GIRL (or as Tegan say "grill"). HA! This morning we got to see just about as much of our baby as one can see via ultrasound at this point... and all looks fabulous. What an answer to prayers! Yes, I'm elated to be having a little girl to dress and pretty-up and stuff, but we were most concerned that all was physically well with our latest "addition" so we are singing praises to God that all is well. Based on measurements our little princess is approx. 8 oz (or half a pound) and measuring a day smaller than what the due date is. Isn't it amazing how they can tell all this?!

One bummer is that the placenta has "decided" to grow on the front wall of my uterus, which makes it much more difficult for me to feel her movement, which will cause further worry down the road I'm sure, since that's what clued me in that something wasn't right with Ty. I have still been feeling movement, but not as much as I did a few weeks ago, so I should have figured that this was the case. I may just have to convince Brendan that we need to rent a fetal heart monitor for the last few months of pregnancy just to help ease my mind on days that I don't feel as much movement. We'll see...

All along when we ask Tegan if he's having a sister or brother he'll immediately respond with "sister." When I told Tegan today that there's a little girl in Mommy's tummy he said, "No Mommy, it's a boy. I'm having a sister." HA! I won't go into detail, but we then had a short discussion about how girls have different parts than boys and the new little baby will have different parts than him [Tegan] which is what makes her a girl... Maybe my mom should bring the girl baby doll down next time so that T can take a look (he already disrobes our boy baby doll to check out his parts whenever he has the chance). ;)

OK - I'll do my best to scan in the U/S pics, but that won't get done until next week when I'm back at work and have access to the scanner there.

Love to all!
~jenn

Poll & Pics

First off - on the right you will see a poll. Please vote, but only ONCE. What do you think, boy or girl for this next babe in my belly? "The Ultrasound" is on Friday at 10:30, so I'll update the blog and facebook as soon as I'm able to (facebook first since I know how to do that from my cell). Voting ends at noon Friday.

2nd, a few people have requested belly pics... I'm pretty proud of myself as I'm right on track for weight gain based on my "normal" pre-pregnancy weight (not the 8-10 lbs I was above it when we found out I was pregnant again). This equates to only a 4 or 5 pound weight gain so far for this pregnancy. YAY! Enjoy the pics:

4 weeks (just found out)

6 weeks

12 weeks

18 weeks

Love to all!

~j

Due... for an Update :)

As always (do I always start my posts like this now?) it's been way too long since my last post. I honestly don't even remember when it was without checking... 2 weeks ago, geez. Well, we've had a busy 2 weeks. Let's see, so much I think I'll just do a list:

- T taking the bottle to feed the baby [doll] and filling it with water from his water bottle and drinking it from the baby bottle

- another trip to the St. Louis Park splash pad (with a friend this time)

- a long visit up to G'ma and Papa Eastwood's house (stayed 2 nights, just T and I)

- running through the sprinklers with Papa

- T eating a dog biscuit at G'ma and Papa's house (at least it was organic and had people food ingredients, I guess)

- lots of trips to parks (neighborhood park and a few others nearby)

- discovering another water pad/play area thanks to a coworker/friend

- swimming with out-of-town friends at their hotel pool

- lunch out with a long time friend

- picnics in the front yard (just T and I, so fun!)

- 2 more MN series bike races for Daddy, T and I only made it to 1 of them, though

- Tegan booty-dancing to Britney Spears (was on the ipod) in his booster chair while eating his snack/lunch one day. SO funny!

- a breakthrough with playdoh (T used to hate to touch the "snakes" aka long skinny snakey creations we'd make, but today I showed him how they could also be bracelets and he was thrilled to wear one and be "beautiful" HAHAHA!

- feeling Baby kick more frequently, even a few times through the belly and felt it with my hand!

- nearing 17 weeks pregnant... closing in on the 1/2 way point. We get to find out the sex of the baby in less than 2 weeks, SO excited!

- geez, I'm drawing a blank already but I know there's more to share.

Funny story: T and I were driving to our playdate yesterday...

T: Mommy, that truck is going the wrong way. Where is it going?

Me: It's is driving on another busy road (that's what T calls freeways/highways). It's on the road called 494 and we are on the busy road called 169.

T: Oh yeah, we are on the 6-pack road. :)

No CLUE where he learned about 6-packs. I never talk about them and I haven't heard Brendan talk about them either. Tegan does think that everything that comes in a bottle that you drink is beer, though. Thankfully the kid took a swig once when we weren't looking and hated it, so he won't drink it. He'll smell it, though, and then tell you with a big grin like he did something silly and wrong, "I smellt your beer!" HA!

Sweet story: Another conversation we had in the car (I think that's where T does his thinking... in the car and stroller)

T: Mommy, where is Ty?

Me: You tell me, where is Ty?
T: He's in Heaven. We should go there - on a vacation and visit him, Mommy.

Thank God we were pulling into our neighborhood because it was hard not to burst into tears, my Tegan is so darn sweet!

Almost peed my pants laughing from this experience today: Tegan disappeared into my bathroom and I then heard him go into our shower (which he often does and then squeegees the walls... I'm fine with that). A few minutes later he emerges with (guys you might want to stop here) a travel-sized tampon (in it's wrapper, which has no markings, just a yellow wrapper) and tells me he wants it.

Me: Tegan, why do you want this? What do you think it is?

T: CANDY! I wanna eat it!

Me: Tegan, sweetie, that's not candy. Um... (trying to think how to explain without really explaining that it's not only not candy but definitely not something you put anywhere near your mouth?!) that's something special for grown up girls. I'm sorry, but it's really not candy.

T: I want the candy!

I finally opened the wrapper to show Tegan enough to see that it's not candy. I thought I had put all that stuff away, but I guess not.

OK, switching gears - - - I know I didn't post anything at the time, but I'm sure many of you were thinking about it (I got a few emails) and I know I did/do... it's hard to believe it's been over 6 months since Ty... (I always struggle with wording this) went to heaven. I guess that's the most simple and truthful way of putting it. I think of him CONSTANTLY and have even cried a few times in the past few weeks, which I hadn't in months. I now go and look at our pictures of him often because it's come to the point that I have to remind myself that he really did "happen" he existed and wasn't just a bad dream (not that Ty was a bad dream, but the whole experience of "losing" him. Hope you know/understand what I'm trying to say). It just almost seems like I was never pregnant with him and the last year almost just never happened... it's hard to explain I guess. I wouldn't call it denial by any means, but it's just weird. Tegan talking about him often helps.

OK - all for tonight. If I think of any more Tegan quotes or stories I'll post them. Hope you enjoyed the stories and pics. Love to all!

~j

Splash Pad + Tegan = Free Fun!

I took Tegan to the Splash Pad in St. Louis Park today. A coworker had told me about it and that it's free so I thought T and I'd check it out. I've felt like a pretty bum mom all summer being sick and tired from the pregnancy so I thought I'd try to make this last month of summer vacation fun for Tegan now that I feel pretty good most days.

Well, T wanted to play at the neighboring park first, so we did that. It had several bridges (which he LOVES) so he played there for about 30 min or so and then I convinced him to go sit in the water park area and just watch (he was hesitant because of all the spraying and splashing... my little neat freak who doesn't like getting wet/dirty most days).

After about 5 min of sitting he decided we should "go try it". I quickly changed him into his swim diaper and trunks and away we went.

It took about 15 min or so for him to warm up to doing anything other than touching the water with his feet or hands but once he saw the other kiddos running through it and having a blast he decided to bite the bullet and go for it. Before I knew it he was running back and forth through the sprayers that spray from the floor/ground and then he was going over and "dunking" his head into the ones that spray from above - this from my little boy who screams ever night at bath time when we have to wash his hair and face. HA! For some reason the audio on the movie isn't uploading right, but it's not important... just don't be surprised when all you hear is weird clicking. :)

I only had my phone with me since our camera battery was dead, so I got limited photos and a low quality video, but still - you can see the fun he's having :)

Hope you all had a great weekend and it's sunny and warm by you like it is by us :)

Love to all!
~j

A Peak at a Pike

Here's a peak into what we're up to this weekend. Enjoy & Love to all!