Weird Pregnancy Stuff=Girl?

For the past few weeks, I've been feeling OLD.  I don't know why I feel this way.  I just turned 26.  I consider myself to be pretty young still. I have noticed though, that I started feeling this way when I was around 10 weeks pregnant--and it came out of nowhere!

It's been little things.  Like how I went to the store and bought face soap for the first time in about 2 years (I usually would just wash my make up off with water, I didn't care or anything).  And then I bought an apricot scrub, and not just a regular apricot scrub, but the one that is anti-aging, that renews and firms your skin.  

I've been painting my toe nails and I love buying nail polish.  (Again, I probably haven't done it this consistently since I was in high school)

I started making a Christmas list for myself to give to Rick (Don't laugh, I like to plan early).  And on the list were things like:  headbands, jewelry(which I like anyway), skincare stuff, makeup, and bubble bath stuff.

Yesterday at Bunco I chose the prize that was a Meleuluca (sp?) face mask and eye care stuff, including orange and cucumber eye pads that help get rid of those dark circles under your eyes.

And, I am wanting to buy lipstick to try it out.  I NEVER wear lipstick?  What's wrong with me? 

I've chalked it up to me being pregnant, with a girl.  I've always been more a tomboy than a girly girl, and maybe this is my body's way of telling me that I need to be a bit more feminine so I can be a good example to little missy (maybe).

At least I can hope for a little girl, right?

A New Arrival

This was at 7 1/2 weeks.  The first time we were able to see the heartbeat. 

9 1/2 week old baby

9 1/2 week old baby

I finally am feeling well enough to announce on the blog that we are expecting baby #2 in March.  Our due date is March 18, and I am really excited for this little one.  Evan will be around 2 1/2, which will be interesting... Hopefully he will be able to communicate a little bit better by the time this little one comes.  We've already decided on a name for a girl:  Samantha. We have no idea what we will name a boy, but we will probably feel good about a name when the time comes. 

We find out the gender on October 24th.  I will be happy with either a boy or a girl!  Right now I am 14 weeks, and I am feeling a lot better now that the first trimester is over. Except that I threw out my back this afternoon doing too much, so I've been in pain all evening. 

Well, that's all the news for now.  I am hoping that things will go a little more smoothly this time around, so, hopefully no preterm labor will come around this time, and I can take it a little easier this time around and rest as much as I can with my little Evan monster running around everyone.

Tantrums, Celery, Big Boy Bed and No

Yeah!  Evan is almost 2!

Event of the Week #1:  
We decided to try out Evan in a "big boy bed" this past Tuesday night.  We took off the one side of his crib and he slept really well that night.  He woke up at 3:45 AM excited though.  So, I brought him downstairs.  While he was downstairs, he figured out how to open all the doors and how to unlatch the gate.

He even ran out of the house right after Rick left.  I got to him right before the street and dragged him back inside.  I tried putting him down for a couple of naps in the morning, and he came downstairs to play 5 minutes after each time.  By 10:30, I called Rick in hysterics, asking where the tools were to put the crib side back on.  By 10:45, Evan was sleeping in his crib, and I was resting from my exhausting morning.  I know that transitioning a little guy from his crib to his bed can be taxing and you have to be consistent, but right now, I don't feel like dealing with it!  We'll work on it when he's a little older!

Event of the Week #2: 

Is is bad if you take a picture of your kid in a full-blown meltdown?  Because it can be really funny.

Here is the story of Evan's very first temper tantrum:  Full blown, on the floor, screaming, kicking, trying to hit, etc.  And the poor celery that was caught in the crossfire.

I went to the commissary this past Thursday with Evan.   Evan was pretty good during the shopping trip, but he was getting tired.  I drove home and let him stay in his car seat because he was having so much fun playing with the straps.  I went to get him out and he totally freaked out.  First throwing himself on the asphalt in our parking lot.  I ended up carrying him into the house, and dumped him *gently* in the entry way when I came in.

Then, he started kicking his feet on the ground.  I let him go on with the screaming for a while, and then I tried to distract him.  He usually likes helping me with chores, and so I offered him some celery to put away for me.  He took the celery and then threw it on the floor and continued to scream.  The poor celery.  Eventually he settled down with some love from me.  My poor, attention deprived little boy. 

Event of the Week #3:  
Evan had his first appointment with the lady from the Infants and Toddlers Education Program.  She brought a bunch of fun toys for Evan to play with, and she thinks that Evan is doing wonderfully.  He is already making a lot of improvement.  Including, shaking his head "no" when he doesn't want something, and pointing to more body parts.  (He now points to nose, belly button, ears and mouth) 

He liked this teacher a lot better at our house than at the school.  I feel so much better now.  She really isn't worried about him at all, and I am so happy that I stuck up for my little guy, because he is just developing the way he should be.

Renaissance Festival

Watching the crazy acrobat girls.  One was blond, so he really liked her.

Evan watching the horses.

The jousters talking too much.  I got bored and wandered off.

We made reservations to get a free entree from Chick-fil-a on Saturday morning.  Well, Rick was called into work for inspection preparation at 5:30 in the morning, so we weren't able to go get our free breakfast.  Rick got back around 10:30 and asked if I wanted to go to the Renaissance Festival.  We decided to go and we had a good time walking around, seeing a couple of shows and checking out the shops.  Oh, and the food.

Unfortunately I did get tired out with the heat and the hills and walking.  And I got sick from the smell of all the beer.  And all the cleavage that was out there.  Geez...



We had a good time overall.  Rick got his turkey leg.  Evan got his hotdog.  I got a nasty chicken sandwich and I shared a cheesecake on a stick that was too rich with Rick. 

Rick and his turkey leg.

Pretty sure this is worst picture of me ever.  Rick doesn't know how to count to 3 before taking pictures.

Cute Evan.

Evan during the knighting ceremony.  He is now known as "Sir Evan".

Fast asleep in the car.  An exhausting day.

And I have a bone to pick with this Maryland Renaissance Festival.  When a sign says freshly dipped chocolate strawberries, what do you think of?  I think of strawberries, already dipped in chocolate and hardened.  (Rick says at the AZ Renaissance Fair they're called "lusty wenches" lol).  I ordered these so called chocolate dipped strawberries and I got 5 strawberries in a tray with a side of hot fudge and whipped cream.  What?  So lame and a serious disappointment.  Oh well. 

Facebook Fast

I started a "facebook fast" last Thursday.  It was a difficult decision, because I love keeping in touch with people that way, and I love seeing what all of my friends are doing with their lives.  (aka stalking)

BUT, I decided that I really needed to simplify some things in my life.  I was getting exhausted and burnt out in my calling (in primary).  And I honestly didn't want to do anything anymore.  I talked it out with Rick and the more I talked with Rick I realized that part of the problem was that my spiritual needs weren't being met.  This definitely is a problem, but a lot of the issue was with me as well. 

I'm not going to use the pregnancy as an excuse, but it doesn't help sometimes!  I've been so exhausted that I've been skipping over prayers and reading my scriptures.  We've continued saying our family and trying to say our couple prayers (I just always seem to fall asleep before Rick gets to bed).  But that hasn't been enough for me.  Well, I decided that some things needed to go from my life for the moment... at least until I get back into a good schedule that will help me with meeting my spiritual needs.  

Rick made a snarky comment to me about how pinterest seems to have replaced facebook.  It's true that I still surf on the web and I am on pinterest a lot more, but I am not spending as near as much time on pinterest as I was on facebook.  

Thankfully, it's getting easier and easier to part from facebook.  Honestly, I didn't realize that I wasted so much time on facebook before.  Now I am more focused on praying, reading my scriptures, taking care of myself, taking care of my family, and helping in primary.  I think I'll make it a goal to stay off facebook until  I have this new baby... that will be good for me. 

Busch Gardens and The Zoo

Wowzers!  The last couple of days have been very exhausting, but a lot of fun.  We've been wanting to go to Busch Gardens, and we decided to go this past Friday on Rick's family day.  We invited my sister Sarah to come with us, if she could get off work, which she did.

He was pretty upset for a large chunk of the trip. 

But it was only because he was so tired and cranky.

We headed out around 9:00 because we didn't want to get stuck in traffic.  We picked up Sarah in Arlington and headed down for the rest of the trip (about 2 1/2 hours) to Williamsburg.  We stopped at Cracker Barrel for lunch while we were down there, and I had the most delicious chicken noodle soup ever.  I wish I had just ordered a bowl of that as my lunch, it was so good.  And, I talked about it the rest of the day (probably a good indication that I am pregnant).

 We went into Busch Gardens and headed over to the Sesame Street Forest of Fun.  Evan went on one of the rides there.  He wasn't so sure about it... He was just staring at Sarah and Rick.  I stood out because I wasn't sure if I was allowed on any rides at all.

Sarah with a very flattering hat.

Evan getting used to his wristband.  They measured the kids and gave them wristbands so they didn't have to be measured at each ride.  Evan didn't cooperate and sat down instead. 

Rick and I in trouble. 

Evan in Oscar's Yucky Forest.  We think he got his tick here.

Loves climbing stairs.

He's so cute. 

He was talking to us about something here.

Sitting on Daddy's shoulders while waiting for his first ride.

Evan and Rick on the gliders ride.  He wasn't upset, just a little unsure.

Evan in his stroller staring off into space.  He didn't nap at all when we got there, even though his car nap was only 5 minutes or so. 

Our family.  Rick is trying to clap to get Evan's focus toward the camera.  This is right before the tick discovery.

Post tick... Evan feeling okay.  No longer in his cute little muscle shirt though!

Rick made me walk across the rope bridge after them. 

Nessie attacking Evan monster. Evan didn't like that at all!  Bahaha.

Watching the horses pass. 

Such a stud. 

Wow.  I am so glad I married this guy.  He's such a stud.

We then headed down to the Land of the Dragons.  We stopped at the carousel to go on with Evan.  In line, I noticed something funny on Evan's arm pit.  He was wearing a muscle shirt, and Rick and I took a look at what I thought at first was a little cut and scab. I noticed that it didn't look normal though, and I asked Rick, "Is that a tick?"  Rick replied, "Looks like it."

So, we ended up taking Evan to the First Aid station where they removed the tick for us, and we've been keeping an eye out for any inflammation.  I still can't believe that Evan got a tick at Busch Gardens... weird.  We spent the rest of the evening just wandering around, buying souvenirs and enjoying our time together.  It was a lot of fun and I was really glad that we could all go.

On Saturday, we headed to the zoo.  We parked at the closest, non-ghetto metro and took the metro in to DC.  It started raining as soon as we got above ground from the metro, but we stuck it out and spent a few hours at the zoo.  I'm afraid that I was the one that cut off our trip though, because I was so tired and sore from our trip to Busch Gardens the day before.  We hopped back onto the metro after a couple of hours and separated from Sarah.

On the way to the Metro station.  Evan could handle the car ride, as long as Sarah didn't get too close. 

Not so sure when the metro started moving.  Poor little guy. 

Trying to see the animals?

Cheetahs!

I got some pictures of my favorite animal:  the Cheetah. 

In the reptile house.  Rick trying to point out stuff to Evan, but he wasn't interested.  Some of the people there too!  Wow.  The parents holding the kids on to the little counter top in front of the glass. 

"This is why I'm hot"

And somebody was so tired that he fell asleep on the metro.  He even stayed asleep during the car transfer.  He was tired.

I am glad that we were able to go to the zoo and Busch Gardens.  We try to get out and do stuff, but sometimes it's really hard (especially with the heat and humidity here).  Our next trip here on the east coast will probably be the Renaissance Festival or Hershey, Pennsylvania for Evan's birthday.