So what is new?  Not a whole heck of a lot.  I am getting closer to the end, yes, but it seems like the weeks in front of me are the longest yet to come.  I’ve completely gone into the painful phase of pregnancy.  Every Mom out there can relate to this, but when you’re going through it yourself it seems like an eternity and an impossible feat.  I’ve got the traditional swelling, back pain, contractions, pressure, ect.  Seems to be worse this go around though.  Probably because I’m a couple years older and am far less in shape than I was at the beginning of the last pregnancy.  BLAH.

There have been a few nights that I’ve had some serious pain in my lower back and across my midsection though.  Totally different pain than I ever had with the twins.  I had my check up at the doctors this past week and told her about it and she said it was probably just the baby in an odd position that was causing my pain, but she wants an ultrasound done to be sure.  So next week I go in for an u/s. 

We are no where near choosing a name for this baby.  ARGH!!!  DJ is the picky one, and I keep giving him a hard time about it.  He says that we will nail it down when we go on our weekend getaway in a couple weeks.  Which is something I am SOOOOOOOO excited for!!! We haven’t had a getaway in about three years now, so this is long overdue.  I’ve got to try and recharge my batteries for the next year of sleep deprivation! 

The baby’s new room is coming on nicely.  We have the furniture all set up and got the new bedding on the crib and I’ve even started washing and putting away all the clothes and blankets.  We custom ordered a new glider/recliner chair for the room, but it won’t be here until right before my due date.  It’s a dang nice chair though and I’m so excited to have it.  It will make such a difference in those late night/early mornings.  When I’m done with it in the baby’s room it will go perfectly into the Media Room.  It’s pretty strange to see the former guest room transformed into the baby room.  And one of the weirdest things is the smell of the room.  It’s EXACTLY like the smell of the twin’s room before they were born.  I don’t know if it’s the detergent or the furniture or what but it kind of freaked me out the first time I went in there after setting everything up.  Déjà Vu big time.  Made me a little panicky and anxious, but excited at the same time to meet this little guy.  SIX MORE WEEKS!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Dear Ethan and Addison,

We are but one month away from your two year celebration!  You’ve both grown so much in these past couple of months that it is mind blowing.  You are learning new concepts, words, and skills daily.  And your unique personalities continue to develop in their own special ways.  Some of the things you’re saying and doing are just so cute and some thing are just hilarious.  Your Daddy and I get a real kick out of you guys quite often.

Addison, your language skills are sure improving fast!  I was reflecting a few days ago about how far you’ve come in just a month or two.  You were only able to say “la you” a little while ago and now it’s the full blown, “I love you”.  Not only that, but if I say I love you first then you say “I love you too” right back at me.  The “too” part is so dang cute.  Actually, the word “too” is one of your new staples these days.  Any thing that you see me, Ethan or Daddy do, and you want to do it too, you will say “me too?”.  You put the word “too” on the end of most of your 2-3 word sentences. 

Sentences are another huge leap for you AND Ethan.  You both are saying between 2 and 4 word sentences now.  I have no idea when or how this happened, but suddenly one day you were both communicating in longer phrases.  It’s truly a miracle to watch you develop.  Ethan, your favorite phrase is “I like the FILL IN THE BLANK.”  You love to tell us what you like.  You also say things like “I read the book” and “I get the ball”.  I can tell that you’re so proud of yourself and your ability to say these sentences.  Your face lights up when you communicate with me and it’s a pure joy to finally get to hear what you’re thinking.

Communication is such a big step when you’re this age and it’s taking up most of your learning time, but in between that you’re having fun playing with the new motor skills toys I’ve gotten for you.  Ethan, your favorite things right now are puzzles, sorting and stacking cups or blocks and anything with colors and shapes.  You are very focused on any new toy that provides a challenge and will play for hours with these types of things.  I am amazed at how quickly you have learned your colors and shapes and you love to show off this new talent to anyone that will listen.

Addison, you are definitely a little girl!  You hone in more on the imagination side of the brain.  You play with your babies and stuffed animals and love to give them bottles, put them to bed with blankies and take them on walks in your baby stroller.  You love to play dress up with the dress up clothes and shoes I bought you.  You will walk around the house in your pink and purple high heal princess shoes almost all day.  And you love to put on and take off necklaces, bracelets and princess skirts.  I’ve found you playing quietly in a corner with all your dress up stuff on, talking to your babies and lovingly putting blankets on them.  So so sweet.

You both officially know your ABC’s now.  You love love love to sing the ABC song and will just spontaneously start singing it throughout the day.  You get just about every letter in the song, with some letters being your favorites that you will repeat over and over again.  Ethan you love the letter “W” and “E”, which is pretty funny since those are your initials. 

I love you both so very much! This past month has been another tough one for my physically and you’re both so understanding and patient with me.  On especially tough days I will lay on the couch and go in and out of sleep while you both play quietly around me.  You seem to know when I need to rest and are so good about giving me that time.  I am the luckiest Mom in the world.  Thank you for having such a wonderful month and letting me be apart of it.  I love you!

Love,

Mommy

Tonight we say farewell to DJ for 5 days.  He’s leaving us for some much deserved time away in Alaska.  He’ll be gone until Tuesday, so he will be GREATLY missed.  He’s going with all of my family, except my Mom.  My Mom will be staying with us while he’s gone which is nice.  Too bad her foot is still out of commission though!  It will be a hugely pregnant Mom and a gimp foot Grandma trying to survive for 5 days with 2 very, very active toddlers.  I’m not totally sure how we’re going to manage it, but somehow I’m sure we’ll survive.  Of course, I’ll need to check into the looney bin when it’s all said and done, that’s a given.

This trip is DJ’s belated birthday present from me and from my family.  His Dad is going with him too.  They’ll be fishing till they drop for 5 days straight and will hopefully bring home some delicious silver salmon for us to feast on.  Should be funny to see the kids faces when they try salmon for the first time.

I’ll try to post some of our happenings while he is gone, just so he has something to read and catch up on when he gets back.  This will be his longest stretch away from us, so we’ll see if the kids notice/ask about him.  I know I will miss him!!!  Sad days for me!!!  We love you Daddy!

Another quick one.

Addison’s hair in the mornings is unbelievable.  I have no idea what she’s doing in that bed of hers but she is creating some masterpiece hairdos.  There is usually always a knot in the back.  It’s a pain in the butt to try and comb out and make look presentable.  Most days I don’t even bother… I know, I’m terrible.  I always tell her she has a birds nest in the back of her hair.  She now refers the words ‘bird nest’ with her hair and not it’s real meaning.

Well, a couple mornings ago it was particularly out of control and I couldn’t help but take a picture.   ULTIMATE BIRDS NEST!

What am I supposed to do with this mess?

Really quick…

Our nap schedules are bit off today so the kids both took morning naps and now are attempting to take afternoon naps.  Addison has gone to sleep quickly, but unsurprisingly, Ethan is up there mumbling and moaning to himself.  Then he started to say the cutest thing. 

“Ma, are you?”, “Ma, are you?”, “Ma, are you?”

Sometimes I will call out to Addison when I don’t know where she is and say “Addison, where are you?”.  Ethan will almost always copy me and say “Ass, are you?”.  I’ve never heard him ask where I was before, so this question up in his bed is a new one.  What a cute, sweetest boy he is.  Now he just needs to fall to sleep…

I haven’t done a pregnancy update in awhile simply because there isn’t much to report.  I went to my 31 week appointment today and all was normal.  I only gained 2 pounds in the past 3 weeks, which is great.  My uterus is measuring 33 cm, so a little big for how far along I am, but nothing too crazy.  The doc said the baby is head down with his bum up under my right ribs, which is more great news.  Now he just needs to stay put.

I am having lots and lots of contractions these days, but the doc didn’t seem worried about it.  They are mostly in the evening which is apparently normal.  So they are more just an annoyance than something to lose sleep over.  In fact, I’m having one right now.  Makes it hard to breath! BLAH.

I decided to go off my nausea drugs a couple days ago.  I’ve been on them for so long and they don’t keep me from feeling crappy, so I just thought I’d be better off stopping taking them.  I think I’m having some small withdrawals from them, but I feel pretty much the same… sick.  8 1/2 weeks left.  I can make it, right?

In reference to my last pregnancy post, I am no longer “comfortable”.  I spoke too soon.  All the pains, aches, pressure, etc. has come on in the past two weeks.  I remember these feelings all too well from the last go around.  I just am sad that it started so soon.  The stairs in my house are already a pain in the butt.  I am going to be cursing them more than once in the next 2 months.  Oh, and my poor feet are getting fatter and fatter as the days go by.  Darn swelling…

So much complaining!  That’s what pregnancy is all about for me though, so if I wrote any other way then it wouldn’t be true to reality.  This is why this is my last time doing this!

So on Saturday the kids got a little off schedule in their naps and ended up needing to take two naps instead of just the one.  So we put them down for a late afternoon nap while getting a few things done around the house.  Neither of them ever fell to sleep, but were happy to relax and talk and sing to themselves in their cribs for an hour or so.  This is a fairly normal thing for Ethan to do, but usually if Addison isn’t asleep she wants OUT of crib pronto.  But she was singing away in there, so we left her.  BIG MISTAKE.

I left to run and errand and DJ was the one that eventually went in and got her up.  Addison had very quietly managed pulled a picture frame off of her dresser (which is next to her crib) and completely destroy the frame AND the picture inside it.  I came home to this sitting on the kitchen counter:

The frame WAS a type of metal and fake glass.  She somehow got her fingers under the front part and pulled the metal totally off.  She then took out the expensive studio 5×7 print and ripped Ethan in half.  This was not a cheap photo and is a pain in the butt to replace!  We think she must have had some pent up aggression towards Ethan and used this as a means to let out the anger. ;o) 

Naughty naughty girl Addison!  I guess I won’t be putting anything remotely close to her bed on that dresser anymore…

Yes, this is a stupid thing to blog about, but to me it’s important.  We have finally gotten rid of the gate at the bottom of the stairs.  YEAH!  I’ve had to continue to use it long past the days when it was needed for safety because the kids would get into every little nook and cranny upstairs if I didn’t.  Well, DJ decided last weekend that enough was enough and we would just bite the bullet and put the door handle locks on all the doors upstairs (except for their rooms) and no longer need the stupid gate.  It’s been great for me.  A bit weird at first though.  To have them out of sight and out of hearing range is going to take some getting used to.  But it can’t be that bad and this just gets us one step closer to moving all their toys up into their rooms permanently. 

So why am I just ALMOST free of the gate?  Well, I finally used my brain and am putting the gate up at my bathroom door in the mornings when I shower.  (I don’t get up prior to the kids waking up and shower like most normal Mom’s probably do.) So for the longest time they’ve had a drawer in my bathroom with toys and they just play in the bathroom while I get ready.  It’s a big bathroom… so it’s not as boring for them as you’d first think.  Well, then they got smart and opened the door to the bathroom and off they went, getting into all the clothes drawers in our bedroom.  This gets old REAL FAST.  I’m yelling at them from the shower and they know that I ain’t gonna do diddly squat about it till that water turns off.  So I wised up and stuck the gate in the door and now it’s quiet book reading time and a peaceful shower for me.  YEAH. 

I went to Michael’s Craft store last week and bought the kids some super cheap stuff to keep them busy for a day or two.  That afternoon, Addison attached herself to the pink pencil box and plastic lei necklaces.  She then found my shoes and grabbed a balloon and walked around the house dressed like this the WHOLE DAY.  I had to take a picture, she was just too cute.

Our friends Susan, Kyle and their 5 month old son Evan came over on Saturday for a BBQ lunch.  Evan is the sweetest baby and has the most wild hairdo you have ever seen.  It sticks straight up in the back and is a thick and soft as can be.  DANG CUTE.  These pictures show Ethan playing with Evan, but in reality it was Addison who was most interested in the “baby” and would get concerned when she didn’t know where he was.  It was a fun afternoon of bragging about our cute kids and eating yummy food.

The Wheeler gang came over Saturday evening to celebrate DJ and Gayle’s birthdays.  The picture of Ethan and Grandpa was taken while we were all singing Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree.  Ethan has the hand motions to this song down PAT.  I love watching him do the motions and occasionally throw in a word or two.

A quick picture of the kids playing peacefully with the paper cups I bought them at the dollar store. Thanks to Gina for the great tip on this cheap and entertaining toy!  They sit for long lengths of time stacking and unstacking the cups and putting them in the bucket I bought to store them all in.  Such cute kids!

Our final big outing together was on Monday.  DJ had to work that morning so Ian, Gina and Liam went to the Pacific Science Center while the kids and I hung out and took naps.  When DJ got home we all met up at the Juanita Beach Park for some fun in the sun and water.  My kids are definitely not water babies, but Liam definitely is, so he had a great time splashing around in the calm waters.  Ethan ventured out in the water a little bit, but Addison wanted nothing to do with  it.  Mostly they all played in the sand and built castles and threw sand at each other. 

After we de-sanded and got the kids in some fresh diapers we headed out to dinner at Claim Jumpers.  We had a gigantic booth all to ourselves so we didn’t have to worry too much about the kids bugging other people.  We ate plenty of yummy food and even got comp’d a couple meals cause they brought our food out slow.  YEAH! ;) 

That night after the kids were down we lounged around like we did most nights.  The guys really got into playing bowling on the Wii, so we had to endure a few rounds of bowling before watching a movie and hitting the sack. 

Tuesday they headed out for their flight and we bid our fun friends farewell.  Oh, it was DJ’s birthday Tuesday morning too so we had a yummy sourdough breakfast and DJ opened a perfect gift from Ian and Gina.  We were very sad to see them go.  I’m sure they were happy to get back into their own beds though… sleeping in unfamiliar digs for several days can make you more tired than you think!  I was impressed with how well Liam did though. He was a real trooper the whole trip and had more energy than all the rest of us put together.  The kids had a blast playing with him and there was a definitely void after he left.  Come back and entertain my kids Liam!!! I’m begging you!

Warning… this slide show of pictures is quite repetitive of cute kids in bathing suits.  Only those who have too much time on their hands or who can’t get enough of these kids should attempt to watch. ;o)

So Saturday was designated the paintballing day by the guys.  DJ and Ian left to go over to the Wheeler’s place about 10 am to do some hard core paintballing.  Gina and I stayed with the kids and took them to a park for a little while, which they seemed to enjoy.  We then headed home for lunch and naps.  After naps we loaded the kids up and headed out to join the rest of the family for dutch oven dinner.  The kids had a blast playing on a new playground set that Grandma and Grandpa bought them.  And us lazy adults were plenty happy to sit in chairs and watch them. 

The dinner was delicious, as always.  Chicken, ribs, cheesy potatoes and carrots, beans, corn bread and a chocolaty cake in the Dutch Oven for dessert.  We were STUFFED!  We rolled ourselves back out to the lawn area and let the kids run off their food while the adults visited and laid around lazily again.  The guys took turns showing off their battle wounds and welts from that day too.  It was a great day and evening and we all crashed pretty hard that night in bed. 

Sunday we don’t have any pictures because it was a laid back day.  The guys let us women get out on our own, away from the kids, for a little while which was great.  And we just enjoyed leftover raclette for dinner that night.