Memorial Day 2012

We had a good Memorial Day weekend! It was a lot easier this year with a two year old instead of a one year old. Gabs swam in the lake really well, went for two boat rides which she actually enjoyed for the first time, and went on a jet ski ride which she didn't like so much. She also discovered that she loves fishing! The afternoon we got there she found two dead fish floating on the shore and fell in love with them (eww). Nick got the fishing pole out and Gabi starting fishing with him. After a few casts out she caught this big bass! She was so excited! She pet the fish and then helped throw it back in the water. The next day I went out and got her a sparkly pink Dora fishing pole that got a LOT of use throughout the weekend. She caught about 20 fish over the next couple of days. Yep, Nick was busy :) It was nice that she was so interested in something that he could teach her and do with her.    Gabrielle didn't really remember the lake from last year (can't blame her) but it was kink of funny. We had to keep reminding her that we were sleeping there and that we could play more there tomorrow. By Monday morning she was ready to go home, though, so that worked out. The first thing she said when she got to the lake on Friday was "that's so beauuu-ful!!!!!" when she saw the lake. It was usuallyl called a pond or an ocean; not a lake. That's ok. Gabs slept in a twin bed with rails around it and did very well.  She also had her first s'more which surprisingly she didn't really care for.  She'd rather had plain marshmellows.  Oh well.  I am 17 weeks and Corinne is 36 weeks pregnant so we weren't too exciting other than me eating a lot of cereal and her eating a lot of chili.  Overall, we had a really nice weekend with family and friends.

16 Weeks

I'm 16 weeks (16w 5d) pregnant now and things are continuing to stabilize.  My horrible allergies are getting a bit better so I finally almost feel like a real person again.  I went to the doctor yesterday and baby's heartbeat was 154 bpm and the ultrasound is scheduled!!!  I can't wait. 

How far along?: 16.5 Weeks
Total weight gain: 3 pounds
How big is baby?: 5 inches and 5 ounces
Maternity clothes?: Most all pants but regular shirts
Stretch marks?: Nope
Sleep?: Good!
Best moment this week?: Hearing baby's heartbeat for the second time
Movement?:  Don't think so
Food cravings?: CEREAL.  Oh cereal....I eat 2-3 bowls a day.  Also PB&J sandwiches and Gatorade/Vitamin Water.
Labor signs?: Nope
Belly button in or out?: Innie....and itchy :/
What I miss: Nothing much.  I'm just pretty happy to be feeling better.
What I'm looking forward to: My ultrasound!!!  June 18th can't get here quick enough!
Milestone: Feeling good...sorta....finally

Gabrielle is 2 1/2!

Weight: 25lbs 5oz (12%)
Height: Laying down they got 35.75 inches.  Standing up they got 33.5 inches.  So they guessed she was closer to 33.5-34 inches.  Hmm, ok.  34 inches would put her at the 12th percentile.
Head: 50 cm (90%)

Her exam went very well.  Gabrielle seems to be over her awful doctor phobia she has had for the past year or so.  She stayed quiet and still for them to do all their exams and happily talked to the doctor.  The doctor said "she is very poised, isn't she?"  Ha....yes, either very poised or a very hot mess.  Depends on the minute.  She showed the doctor her painted toenails and showed him the one that had dirt on it (one of her toes is a bit smudged).  The doctor asked her what she liked to do and she told him she watched Fresh Beat Band.  Nice.  Way to make me look good, kid.  The only thing that was wrong was she has some fluid in her middle ear.  The doc thought it could be residual from a cold or more likely her allergies.  They did a hearing test and she failed one ear so she has to go back in six weeks for a repeat test to see if her ear has stabilized. 

• Can count to 13 perfectly....not sure when she'll venture beyond that?
• Knows ABC song rather well.  Can sing the whole thing (but not quite perfectly....L - O is kind of a series of grunts until she gets to "P!!!")
• Her teenage boy size appetite has seemed to calm down a bit, and now her portions are usually a bit more toddler sized. 
• Everything is "I do it".
• She had a seriously  horrible cough for about a week (a non-sleeping awful cough) so we took her to the pedi, lungs and everything were perfect, so they put her on Singulair for allergies.  A few days on the pills and she seems to be just about better.
• Knows her whole name, age, and city she lives in (as well as cities her grandparents live in)
• Loves to sing songs - Itsy spider, Old McDonald, Ring around the rosie, and any other song Grandma Billie teaches her
• [Usually] takes one nap per day, usually 1:00-3:00ish.  Goes to bed by 8:30 and wakes between 7:00 and 8:00
• Is identifying her emotions.  She'll always tell me "I'm tired" or "I'm scared".  She also tells us "something hurts" or "I have an owie" all the time.  Ugh, talk about the baby who cried wolf.  It is pretty annoying, but when we ask her what hurts she'll reply with random things like "ummm...my arm" and will change in a second.  Anytime she can think to telling me how she's feeling she does.
• Orders her own drinks and meals at restaurants.  She started doing this all by herself....after I order my food she will immediately tell [yell at] the waitress "I want grilled cheese please!!". 
• Current "chores" include taking off her shoes and putting them away when we get home, throwing her trash away, throwing her dirty clothes in the hamper when she gets undressed, feeding her fish, (sometimes) even putting her dishes in the dishwasher when she's done, letting Oskar out of his cage, and picking up toys as needed.
• Still obsessed with fish.  She loves looking at Nick's Field and Stream magazines at all the fish, screams with excitement when there are mounted fish on the walls at restaurants, and has fish flash cards that she learns all the different names to types of fish. 
• She can finally ride her tricycle after a long winter of tantrums and trial and ERROR while she insisted on teaching herself to ride and steer it.
• Current book favorites include Henry and Mudge, Dora Adventures, and Clifford, but likes most shorter story books.
• She is a pro at doing awesome somersaults by herself.
• Gabs definitely has a strong girly side.  She likes everything to be purple or pink, she loves tutu's, jewelry, babies, and dancing.  She has learned what "matching" is, so she likes to match her necklaces or hair ties to her shirts. 
• She lives in the world of Fresh Beat Band.  She uses markers and spoons as her " dum ticks" to play drums all over the house.  Kiki (a girl from the show) is her idol and she talks about her constantly.  "Look mom, I have bracelets like Kiki"   She'll twirl her hair and say "I have hair like Kiki"  "Kiki come over my house today?"  She really wants Kiki to come visit her.... :(  If she is still into FBB later this year or next year I'd really like to take her to one of their live shows :)
• Wears 2T shirts/dresses/PJs.....but I actually had to go out and buy some 3T leggings for my big girl because most of her legging pants (the only type she'll wear) are getting really tight and short.  Size 4 diapers and I think still a size 6 shoe.
• Actually likes to stack objects/blocks now, and is pretty good at it.  Thank you glasses.
• Has been #2 potty trained for months, but I haven't pushed #1 yet.  I tried putting her in underwear for an hour about a month ago and she flooded them three times in an hour :/  Each time she would pee all over and then immediately cry and say "I have to go potty" and be extremely upset.  I also tried buying some special Dora stickers and told her she only gets one if she goes pee on the potty.  She instantly insisted on going potty....couldn't go....cried and got extremely frustrated.  Fail #2.  I don't know if I just need to actually work with her on it or if she's not ready yet........so for now we are staying happy being #2 trained.  That's the important part, right?? :)

Gabrielle quotes:
Me: "Gabi can I have a bite of your banana?"
G: "........One little bite." while holding up one finger and having a frown on her face

G: "Nick!!! Take the garbage out!!!!"

Gabrielle points at my face and says "nipple!!"
Me: "No honey, that's just a pimple...."
G: "I have pimples on my butt!!! Hahaha!"
Back story- Nick always teases her that she has pimples on her butt and that she is gross.  Who knows!  He needs a son or he is going to ruin our little girl!  Haha!

Likes

• Flowers
• Fish
• Fresh Beat Band, Hello Kitty, and Dora
• Purple
• Dancing and singing
• Butterflies
• Birds
• Marshmallows, M&Ms, malts, & jelly beans
• Raspberries

Dislikes

• Hot/spicy food
• Still doesn't like most meat very much, especially beef
• Any toy with a motor that moves by itself
• Cake with fruit in it.  Refuses to eat strawberry shortcake, pie, and pineapple upside down cake.  Weird!

My friend Danielle was nice and set up an Easter egg hunt for Gage and Gabi when we got back from Florida


Gabs like to "grocery shop" in our pantry, so our food is usually spread around the house in random spots

Gabrielle dressed up her magnet doll and used the wood stand as her "bow". How creative.

Mother's Day 2012

I had a nice Mother's Day yesterday!  It was my third "legit" Mother's Day and my fourth if you include when I was pregnant.  Crazy!  Nick took Gabrielle to pick something out for me for the first time.  They went to Macy's, I guess these sparkle flower sandals really stood out to her.....because that's what I got!  Nick did a lot of the routine on Mother's Day - Got Gabs up, made her breakfast, took her grocery shopping, cleaned, made dinner, cleaned it up, and gave Gabi a bath before bed.  It was nice!  We had my parents over for burgers, mac & cheese, watermelon, and strawberry cake (my menu).  We spent the day with Nick's family the day before.

14 Weeks

I am now 14 weeks and officially into the second trimester!  My by-the-book body must have gotten the message also, because I haven't had any bouts of nausea (at all) in about a week.  My appetite is a bit out of control.  And I've "popped".....as in the little belly is there in the morning too, as opposed to just late afternoon bloat.  Gabs and I headed to the maternity store to get a couple of pairs of jeans yesterday.  I only really had one pair of maternity jeans (and they're huge...) with Gabrielle because most of the stuff I had was work clothes or capris/shorts. 

I'm not proud - I need maternity jeans anyway so why not wear them now when I start to need them rather than stuffing myself like a sausage into my regular jeans for a few more weeks??  So the maternity store clerk asked if I'd ever been to the store before and I kind of look at her crossed eyed and pointed to my crazy two year old who is currently scaling the rack of giant tshirts.  Ok.  Then she asked if I'm having a girl or a boy.  Well lady, I'm only 14 weeks but thank you for making me feel really fat.  Ahhh!!  Ok.  So no point to that story, other than I am in maternity jeans now.  Yay.

How far along?: 14 Weeks
Total weight gain: Not sure....I usually weigh myself every couple of days and I hadn't ever gained any weight.  Then when I weighed myself a few days ago I had gained 6 pounds!!  I haven't been brave enough to weigh myself since.
How big is baby?: About 3.5 inches and 2 ounces
Maternity clothes?: Most all pants but regular shirts
Stretch marks?: Nope!
Sleep?: Reeeeeally good.  Too good. 
Best moment this week?: Pulling up my stretchy jeans :)
Movement?: Nope, and not expecting anything any time soon.  With Gabs it wasn't until about 22 weeks.  I know every pregnancy is different but still have a while I think.
Food cravings?: Just food - the big appetite is back!
Labor signs?: Nope
Belly button in or out?: Innie
What I miss: Feeling good.  I haven't felt good since February between morning sickness, a cold, and now horrific allergies.
What I'm looking forward to: Hearing the heart beat again in two weeks and getting Gabrielle's big girl room done!
Milestone: Second tri baby!!