28 Weeks

So okay yeah I am a little behind but with the unexpected gorgeous weather we have had over the last couple of weeks who is to blame right?

So here we go...

Zeke had a new love...bike rides, he loves to wear his helmet so we had to start keeping it in the garage...last night when he woke up at who knows what time he asked for a bike ride...seriously?


We have also made lots of trips to the park, see what Eli and Nyla are wearing...in March? Yeah that is why the delay of posts happened...loved the nice weather and was able to get rid of some of our cabin fever. Oh did I mention how nice it was outside? Thats Eli...running through the sprinkler in MARCH! Wow!
At the park with the Blaauw Cousins
On one of the cooler days while Zeke was napping Daddy took Eli down to the river behind the house to do some 'fishing.'
And all the nice weather wears a boy out...He decided sleeping under his bed rather than on it was the way to go.
And Zeke also has a new favorite...CowBoots! And the good part is he can take them off and put them on all by himself so I don't have to go crazy doing it for him! YAY!
Zeke also had to have his tubes replaced. His were blocked with fluid that had crystallized and was causing some hearing loss and had the tubes completely blocked so no fluid could drain from behind the ear drum. We have to go back in in 6 months for a recheck.
And some water table fun with Elijah...he was dunking his head in the water and catching the water dripping off his hair.

Now on to the next part:
Today's date: March 27, 2012

How far along: 28 weeks

Total weight gain: not sure but go to Dr next week...I'm guessing maybe 7-8 pounds?

Size and growth of the baby:This week Baby can actually smell! Though olfactory neurons (the cells that sense smell) have been developing all along, these cells do not specialize enough to detect odors until around this week. A protective plug of tissue in the baby's nose has also kept chemicals from reaching the receptors inside. But throughout the third trimester, the baby will be able to smell almost everything that you inhale or eat (liverwurst, anyone?), since amniotic fluid actually conducts scent. The baby's taste buds are also continuing to develop and at this gestational age baby will already show a marked preference for sweet tastes.

Gender: we don't know!

Maternity clothes: yes, some shirts are getting to short though

Sleep: If the boys are not waking me up then I am waking up to go to the bathroom...things are getting squished in there.

Best moment(s) of the week:Trying to get Eli to feel the baby...he looks at me like I'm crazy and is wondering what I am trying to do!

Movement: more than kicks now. I can feel baby turning around in there too.

Food cravings/aversions: chocolate?

Morning sickness: hit or miss...driving me nuts

Labor signs: none

What I miss: not having to pee all the time!

What I'm looking forward to: 12 weeks to go! YAY



Does anyone actually read this blog?

Birth Order

A friend and I were discussing how similar our children are when it comes to the order they were born in. Here is what we found...

Our oldest children are dependent. They like/need almost constant attention from us, they rely on who ever is around them to help entertain them. They need a companion for playing with, snacking with or just chilling with.

Our second children are very independent. They love to sit and play alone by themselves. Read by themselves and have no problems finding ways of entertaining their minds alone. They do enjoy playing with the older sibling but can get along just fine with out.

So what is the point of all this? I just found that it was so interesting to relate our children to each other and see so many similarities between the birth orders of the kids. Eli always needs someone paying attention to him and we came to the conclusion that it might possibly be because of the fact that they were 'only children' for some time. Granted Eli was only 1 1/2 when Zeke was born but I did notice that he had issues with jealousy and I had to make sure I gave him special time and attention before and after doing things with Zeke (like nursing) otherwise Eli would get really naughty. And then that kind of led to our second child. Who never had mommy to themselves and had to wait for their turn finding their own ways to entertain themselves while waiting. Zeke is very big on going into his room and finding some books or toys to play with with out the interruption of anyone else. He enjoys playing alone and does so well with it unlike Eli who always has to have someone to play with.

Anyways, I just find this interesting and had fun comparing birth order of our children with my friend and seeing so many similarities between the children in each place of birth order. It will be interesting to see how our 3rd babies are!

25 weeks

Today's date: March 6

How far along: 25 weeks

Total weight gain: 4 1/2 pounds

Size and growth of the baby:Your baby is a hefty 1 1/2-pounder now and it's steadily putting on weight. The fat under the skin helps make baby look less like a mousling wearing a seal skin and more like a real live baby, which means the skin isn't as baggy as it has been. In the next few weeks baby's nostrils will open and baby will practice breathing even more. Small air sacs ("alveoli," rhymes with ravioli) are developing in the lungs. The hair that has sprouted on baby's head is probably long enough that, if you could see it, you could tell its color, and in the next couple of weeks the fused eyes will open. Baby can hear even better now, so you can try hooking up the headphones to play baby your favorite music.

Gender: we don't know!

Maternity clothes: yes!

Sleep:I am trying to remember what that is! I can sleep pretty comfy and if I was allowed a full nights sleep I could probably get tons of it! But Zeke and Eli are both sick and up extra making it hard to do.

Best moment(s) of the week:David got to feel the baby kick

Movement: All over the place!

Food cravings/aversions: non really

Morning sickness: this last week has been horrible. I hope its not planning on sicking around and its just bad again do to little sleep.

Labor signs: none

What I miss: energy and being able to breath normally. I can tell that things are getting squished in there!

What I'm looking forward to: Third trimester!

24 Weeks

Today's date: Feb 28, 2012

How far along: 24 weeks

Total weight gain: 4? pounds

Size and Growth of Baby:Your baby is now so fully formed that he would be capable of living outside the womb if an emergency arose. His lungs, though still very immature, could breathe air if need be. Though the brain is much more formed now, the cerebral cortex--the place in the brain responsible for the most sophisticated mental activity (thoughts, consciousness, memory, language)--is not yet functional. The complex human brain, which makes us so different from other primates and mammals, takes much longer to come out of the embryonic stage than any other part of the fetus. In fact, a baby's brain will not be fully formed until after cooking for nine months in the womb and living outside the womb for about a year, during which time it will nearly triple in size!

Gender: we don't know!

Maternity clothes: yes!

Sleep: I find side sleeping and back sleeping where I am usually the most comfortable. With a couple pillows tucked around my side.

Best moment(s) of the week: Watching the boys play in the snow!

Movement: Baby likes orange juice. :) Moving a lot now and kicking in all directions.

Food cravings/aversions: Cheese sticks

Morning sickness: I swear its going the wrong way! and I can't eat cereal for breakfast or we will be revisiting in no time!

Labor signs: none

What I miss: sleep, but that is more from the other boys than this baby

What I'm looking forward to: Dr appointment on Tuesday (next week) again to hear baby heart beat.

22 Weeks

Today's date: Feb 14, 2012

How far along: 22 weeks

Total weight gain: 2 pounds

Size and growth of the baby:Baby can hear now: the gurgle of your digestion, the muffled, watery sound of your voice, and your strong and reassuring heartbeat that has been its constant companion. There are teeth buds under the gums, and hair sprouting on baby's head. Baby's tiny fingers are strong enough to grip things now, and fetuses at this age are often spotted holding the umbilical cord. Though baby practices breathing movements all the time now, the lungs aren't mature enough to breathe on their own. The complicated brain-to-eye wiring that will allow the baby to see is working like crazy this week, though it may be more than a month before its fused eyelids open.

Your baby is... 10.94 inches long 15.17 ounces about the size of a sweet potato

Gender: we don't know!

Maternity clothes: yes!

Sleep: I find side sleeping and back sleeping where I am usually the most comfortable. With a couple pillows tucked around my side.

Best moment(s) of the week: Planing games for a baby shower and looking through my baby stuff. So cute how tiny everything is!

Movement: Getting stronger, baby likes to kick down low and on my bladder.

Food cravings/aversions: chocolate this week

Morning sickness: dwindling! YAY! But still present every few days.

Labor signs: none

What I miss: not having to pee every 30 seconds...hopefully the baby moves away from my bladder soon! Its not a trampoline!

What I'm looking forward to: feeling the baby being more active, and for a good friend to have her baby very soon!

Week 21

Today's date: Feb 7, 2012

How far along: 21 weeks

Total weight gain: 2 pounds

Size and growth of the baby:A lot is going on for Baby this week. Fat, for one thing. The little one is finally putting on some chub, a process that will continue for the rest of gestation. With fat underneath it, its skin no longer looks so translucent. Baby's fingernails cover the nail beds completely (and may even need cutting when it's born!) and baby's eyelids and eyebrows are fully formed. But it's brain development that's really taking off: This week, the sensory neurons (the nerves that communicate the sense of touch) are starting to connect to the brain, so the baby is beginning to feel touch. Touch is one of the most important senses at birth and the sensory neurons will continue to hook up to the brain for the rest of the pregnancy. Researchers believe that those nonstop kicks and all that squirming help to program the brain.

Our little baby at 20 weeks (taken Jan 31, 2012)

Gender: we don't know!

Maternity clothes: yes!

Sleep: On the side starting more on the back...this is no fun! I'm a tummy sleeper!

Best moment(s) of the week: ...Eli Can't decide what the baby is...its either a boy baby or a grill baby! lol

Movement: Getting stronger.

Food cravings/aversions: Carrots and dip! yumm

Morning sickness: only about 2-3 times a week!

Labor signs: none

What I miss: energy

What I'm looking forward to: feeling the baby being more active.

Stuck inside

The boys love to play outside. Whether it be spring, summer, winter or fall, they love them all. So this winter (with the lack of snow and over abundance of rain) we have haven't had a lot of chances to go out to play. Usually David is the one to take them out. I like going out but by the time I get the boys dress (which takes forever) I am way to tired to want to go out and figure I could use a few minutes of quite time to myself. The boys love building snow forts and being pulled on the sled. So much fun.

So what do we do when its raining out all the time instead of snowing or the temperature is way to cold to be safe enough to play outside in? We entertain ourselves inside with lots of fun activities.

The boys got a few boxes of Trios for Christmas so they love to get those out to play. Eli love the farm set. He actually got this one for his birthday but its his favorite. Ezekiel has an airplane. I try to pick the strongest thing I can to build for him because he just likes to destroy them and I get sick of rebuilding them 20 times just so he can go and break them again. But they are really fun and cool building blocks.
Or next favorite thing to do is play in our toy bins...yeah we have that cool shelf with removable plastic toy bins which is a really nice toy self. But the bins are usually empty so we take the empty bins and make use of them...Zekes favorite is to fill them with water which is a HUGE HUGE mess so its done either in the kitchen or bathroom with about 8 towels laid out all over the floor. Today we decided to use something else. Eli wanted to 'push' stuff so I grabbed the stale cheerios from the cupboard.
SCORE they thought it was great! They each have their trucks in their bins to do the work of pushing and digging and loading...such boys! lol

I think Zeke liked eating them the most...



We also make a weekly trip to the library for our Laptime Session. Its basically story time with the kids. We also pick out about 6-8 new books a week to bring home and read. The boys love it. Eli is always asking it its Laptime Day. Here are the boys reading their books before bed...all on there own. We didn't make them they just love to read!

20 Weeks - Half Way There!

Today's date: Jan 31, 2012

How far along: 20 weeks

Total weight gain: maybe 1 pound?

Size and growth of the baby: Baby-to-be is gearing up for the next phase in it's development—filling out. Baby's organs are getting into their proper places. Baby's kidneys are now in position with their familiar bean shape. Baby's brain continues to form and grow. It's teeth are beginning to appear, and baby can swallow. If you haven't been able to feel baby move, chances are you'll be feeling baby move more and more over the coming weeks. Baby is about 10 inches long (crown to heel) and around 10 ounces

Our little baby at 20 weeks (taken Jan 31, 2012)

Gender: we don't know!

Maternity clothes: yes!

Sleep: I forget what that is...hum...

Best moment(s) of the week: Ultrasound this morning!

Movement: Getting stronger.

Food cravings/aversions: Goldfish crackers are disgusting, smell disgusting etc. Anything chocolate and cold is good...ice cream, milk etc. yum.

Morning sickness: still lingering around but not to bad

Labor signs: none

What I miss: I have no idea

What I'm looking forward to: The next 20 weeks going hopefully quick!

Dangling Dreams

Right around the beginning of the year Zeke learned how to climb out of his crib...oh crap! So instead of bringing over the toddler bed and putting the crib into storage (especially sense we will be needing it in a few months anyways) we decided to just take the side rail off the bed and use it as a 'toddler bed.' Really it was made to do that for when baby learns to climb. Zeke is pretty used to sleeping up against the sides of the bed. He loves he head in the corners etc...but because we took of the rail that took away 2 corners for him to snuggle up to which results in the following:

I really don't know how this is comfortable...at all..I would have such a stiff neck! But low and behold here he is sleeping away with his head dangling off the edge of the mattress! Silly boy!
And its not just once that he as done this...it is often!

This time on his belly with his head over the edge.

And then there are the times when we don't 'catch' him sleeping like this in time and he winds up on the floor. This was while he was still learning to sleep in the 'new' bed so kept some padding on the floor next to the bed.
We don't know if he climbed down or fell down but he was sound asleep.

And then there is our Eli...he sleeps kind of funny to sometimes...dangling over the edge etc. No where near as much as what Zeke does but we do have to put him back in the middle of the twin size bed now and again. Here he is sleeping on the edge. Doesn't look to bad with just his arm dangling over but under the blankets both his legs were hanging over the edge as well.

And I wonder why my boys wake up so much at night! They need mattresses on the floor so they don't fall out of their beds so much!

19 weeks

Today's date: Jan 24th, 2012

How far along: 19 weeks

Total weight gain: 0

Size and growth of the baby:In your 19th week of pregnancy, your unborn baby's organs continue to grow. It's body is covered with lanugo—soft hairs and a sticky protective coating that keeps baby's skin from drying out in the amniotic fluid. Your baby is moving frequently, and by now you should be able to feel those movements. Your physician can hear your baby-to-be's heartbeat with a stethoscope placed on your abdomen.

Your little one weighs in at around 7 to 8 ounces and he's between 5 and 6 inches long (crown to rump).

Gender: we don't know!

Maternity clothes: Yes! I just washed up all my maternity shirts that were left in the maternity tote. My regular shirts are getting a little short.

Sleep: Kind of on my side/tummy. I am a stomach sleeper so slowly adjusting to not sleeping on my stomach.

Best moment(s) of the week: hum...not sure!

Movement: Its there

Food cravings/aversions: CHOCOLATE MILK! Yummy! and Chocolate Moose Tracks ice cream. So good!

Morning sickness: Yeah still in the morning but way better.

Symptoms: Definitely feeling the growing and stretching around my belly

Labor signs: none

What I miss: nothing really this week

What I'm looking forward to: One more week until a lot of exciting thing happen! I will be half way next week and we get to have our ultrasound next Tuesday! (Jan 31st)