Our weekend

Not much is happening here.  I have been very tired lately and am lacking the motivation to do anything.  I take at least 2 naps a day because I can barely keep my eyes open.  At my doctors appointment, I found I was dialated 3 cm, (between 4-5 you get admitted to the hospital) and measuring 2 weeks bigger.  I am very excited knowing baby is close to arriving.  Any day now.....

Friday I was exhausted and let Jake basically destroy the house.  Dan came home to a disaster.  We stayed home and watched t.v. due to my lack of energy.

Saturday we did our grocery shopping in the morning, then we all took a nap.  We went outside for a bit, and then watched a movie.  My sister decided to come over around 5:00 pm for a bit before going back to her apartment.  I used that opportunity to have her take me to kohls so I could get some clothes that I needed.   Because she came over so late in the evening, we didn't get back from shopping until it was time for Jake to go to bed.

Sunday I read all morning while the boys slept, did some laundry, watched another movie and visited with Ben and Allison, when they stopped by.  Unfortunately Jake was napping so they didn't get to see him, but they did bring me cheesecake!!!!  Yum, thank you guys!  After they left we watched more t.v. had steak for dinner and I am now going to bed.  Here's hoping baby will come this week, because my body is slowly exhausting itself.

Contractions, contractions

And I don't mean the grammar kind, I mean the pregnancy kind.  

There are three kinds of contractions: practice, false, and the real thing. Practice contractions (Braxton Hicks contractions) can occur any time after the middle of your pregnancy (or not at all). A few false labor signs commonly lead up to the real thing, and practice contractions might help to get the cervix ripe — but they don't actually cause cervical dilation or effacement. The contractions of false labor are irregular and usually stop if you change positions. The contractions of real labor are identifiable because they:

• intensify whether you're still or active — standing, sitting, or lying down.
• become more frequent, intense, and regular. 
• may be accompanied by an upset stomach, cramps, or diarrhea. 
• may be characterized by pains in your abdomen or lower back (or both) and may be accompanied by pain in the upper thighs.
• 
  

My contractions have really stepped it up this week.  They are becoming more frequent and intense.  The one last night was a killer.  I couldn't breathe, my stomach hurt so tight,  and the amount of pressure made me feel as if I were dying.  It didn't help that I went into panic mode, thinking this was it and we needed to head to the hospital.  

It was all over in under 5 minutes and I haven't had that bad of one since, but they are happening more during the day and not just at bed time.  Your suppose to go to the hospital when the contractions come every five minutes and don't go away.   I have yet to reach that point.

I am hoping that this is a sign that baby is coming soon.  I never had this with Jake. I remember the contractions while I was already at the hospital, and they soon went away because I got an epidural.  I have a doctors appointment tonight, and maybe they can give some clue as to when this baby is coming.

Which team are you on?

It's down to Caleb or Gabriel, both names would have the middle name Allen/Alan

Team Caleb/Cal.                                           Team Gabriel/Gabe

-myself.                                                                          -Dan

-my mother.                                                                   - my mother in law

-my father.                                                                     - My brother in law ( dans eldest brother)

-my sister.                                                                      - Allison 

-my sister in law

-my father in law

-my brother in law (dans middle brother)

Saturday with Uncle Ben and Aunt Allison

Today we finally hung out at Ben and Allison's place.  It only seemed fair since they always come to us.  Their house is very cut and their furniture is super comfy, I could sit on their couch all day and never get up!  We made out own personal pizzas for lunch and they were pretty yummy.

Then we had fun watching Jake explore their house and try to find their 2 cats.

They have 2 stairs that take you to a lower living room and Jake loved going up and down them.  He's not so good at down, so we had to watch him very carefully or he would tumble down them.

After lunch we drove to a local bakery to get dessert.  It was overwhelming the amount and size of treats they had.  I will be stopping there again for sure!  I ended up getting a brownie a cookie and cheesecake.  I would take pictures but I ate most of them!  After the bakery, we took Jake to the playground across from Ben and Allison's house.  

Jake wasn't very interested in playing on anything.  We had to force him on most, and he hated the slides.  All he wanted to do was play with the woodchips and explore.  I think we were all disappointed.  I did like how much Ben and Jake get along.  Ben played with him the most, which suprized me because when Jake was a baby, Ben was scared to death of hurting him.   It's very cute to watch them interact together.

After the playground I was exhausted, which seems to be my M.O. lately, so we went home.  We all love family fun days and need to do it more!

Oh Jake, your so silly!

My Hungry Hungry Growing Boy

Today's lunch: Mac and cheese and nilla wafers

I am amazed at how much and the variety of foods that Jake will eat.  It doesn't matter the color, the health factor or the temperature, he will eat it all.  The only food I have seen him deny is fresh tomatoes. As soon as it touches his tongue, he immediately spits it out and refuses to open his mouth.  He eats such a wide variety of foods that he has his own shelves in the fridge, freezer and cupboard.

He will eat most of this and we need to restock every weekend.  He loves fruits and prefers them over meat.  We discovered he loves string cheese and will pick that first every single time.  

The one drawback to his great eating habits is that he likes variety.  He will not eat the same thing in a row.  If he has Mac and cheese for dinner, he will not eat it for lunch or dinner the next day.  My problem is coming up with enough meal varieties to get us through the week.  It would be so easy to make a PB&J sandwich everyday.  I am running out of options.  I did find a website about muffin pan recipes and will be trying some of those.  

An Avis Celebration

Yesterday we spend most of the day with Dan's side of the family to celebrate our nieces birthday.  We had a late lunch at Red Robin, a burger place.  

 The men debating which burger is the manliest 

Cousin love: Alex, Rachel (the birthday girl) and Jake

After a delicious lunch we headed over to the inlaws to opend presents and eat cake!  There was a snafu with the bathroom, so that needed to be fixed before the celebration started.  While dad was working on that, mom gave us some gifts for baby 2.  She knitted a beautiful blanket! 

You can't really tell the colors, but it's white, grey, light blue, dark blue, and periwinkle. It is gorgeous!  She also bought us 4 outfits, 1 for each size up to a year.

By the time the birthday girl finally got to open her presents it was already 5:00 pm and I knew we weren't leaving for awhile.  After presents we had cake and chocolate ice cream.  Jake loved the cake, but the ice cream was too cold and he kept making this weird face.  We spent the rest of the evening playing with the kids and catching up on family business.  By the time we left it was after 6:30 and both Jake and I were worn out.  We slept all the way home.  I just don't have energy anymore.  I miss my skinnier self, staying up later than 8:00 and eating what I want.  Come on baby.  Don't make me wait the full 40 weeks!!!!!

Reading challenge break

I am taking a break from the reading challenege.  The books left to read have no interest to me and I am having a hard time finding books I like to fit those categories.  I started in December and have read 33 out of 50 so far.  I found that I like memoirs/biographies and have a couple I want to read.  I also like young adult.  Maybe if I take a break for a while, I will come back to this and finish it off.

• a book with more than 500 pages-Reached
• a classic romance-Pursuasion
• a book that became a movie- Labor Day
• a book published this year-Fairest
• a book with a number in the title-I am Number Four
• a book written y someone under 30- Hyperbole and a Half
• a book with nonhuman characters-Gods Behaving Badly
• a funny book-Bossypants
• a book by a female author-Dating Big Bird
• a mystery or thriller-Gone Girl
• a book with a one-word title-Crossed
• a book of short stories-This is Not An Accident
• a book set in a different country-The Juliet Club
• a nonfiction book-Choose Your Own Biography
• a popular author's first book-Cinder
• a book from an author you love that you haven't yet read-The Son of Neptune
• a book a friend recommended-The Lost Hero
• a Pulitzer Prize-winning book
• a book based on a true story-Diary of a Young Girl
• a book at the bottom of your to-read list
• a book your mom loves
• a book that scares you
• a book more than 100 years old
• a book based entirely on its cover-The Darkest Part of the Forest
• a book you were supposed to read in school but didn't
• a memoir- Julie and Julia
• a book you can finish in one day-Top 10 Clues Your Clueless
• a book with antonyms in the title
• a book set somewhere you've always wanted to visit
• a book that came out the year you were born
• a book with bad reviews
• a trilogy-Birthmarked
• a book from your childhood
• a book with a love triangle-Matched
• a book set in the future-Across the Universe
• a book set in high school-Obsidian 
• a book with a color in the title-Greenglass House
• a book that made you cry-Wonder
• a book with magic-The Magicians
• a graphic novel-Twilight the graphic novel vol. 1
• a book by an author you've never read before-Night Circus
• a book you own but have never read-House of Suns
• a book that takes place in your hometown-Middlesex
• a book that was originally written in a different language
• a book set during Christmas
• a book written by an author with your same initials
• a play
• a banned book
• a book based on or turned into a TV show-Dead After Dark
• a book you started but never finished

Can it truly be showing signs of spring?

This week was suppose to have gorgeous weather every day.  Monday didn't fair so well.  It was still pretty chilly, but we are tired of being stuck inside so we braved it.  

Tuesday was a tad warmer but very gloomy, so we stayed in.

Wednesday was absolutely beautiful.  Sunny and high 50s.  We were outside for most of the day.  I brought out the cozy coupe and Jake had tons of fun playing with it.

Today was chilly again, and we only managed to get out for a little bit before Jake fell in a puddle and soaked himself.  Hopefully we can get out more this afternoon.

I do have to say, fresh air and toddlers is a great mix.  Jake has been taking some awesome naps lasting around 3 hours!! I guess it also helps adults because I am feeling happier and tried to get a tan. ;) The snow is melting and I can finally see the grass!  Hopefully this weather is here to stay and we don't end up with another snowpocalypse. 

Come on baby!

I am so ready for baby #2!  Not only body-wise (this baby better come early, I'm starting to get very uncomfortable) but supply-wise.  

-clothes are washed, folded, sorted by size and season, and put away

-bibs, burp cloths, receiving blankets, and socks are put away

-my hospital bag is packed and ready 

-Jakes overnight bag is packed in case he needs to spend the night somewhere

-baby #2 bag is packed, I have 2 outfits in different sizes, his baby book, pens, and a blanket

-bigger size clothes are sorted and put into bins and easily reached

-bottles, pacifiers, and an assortment of feeding supplies are washed and ready to use when needed

Now I just need this baby to come and greet the world!

Fresh air

This weekend was beautiful here.  Upper 40s and sunny!  Sad how we consider 40 degrees warm. 

 We played outside most of the weekend. Jake is an outside kind of kid.  I have a feeling he will be outside all summer, which is fine by me! Saturday Dan took Jake out so I could do hard core cleaning, (nesting anyone?) I was able to make the kitchen and bathroom sparkle.    Later in the day Jake and I went for walk.

Today we all went out! Lily had fun playing with her frisbee, Dan was able to shovel the ice off the driveway, Jake fell into lots of puddles and I took pictures.