The Weekly Ten

Over the past week:

1) We tried out the Nursery calling in church and later that night I was in a lot of pain from bending over and picking up little kids for two hours along with taking care of my own little guy all day. So we called the First Counselor and told him it wasn't going to work for us right now. I don't feel guilty for two reasons: 1- I already have a calling as a Visiting Teaching Supervisor in the Relief Society and I'm not sure why they felt the need to give me a second calling anyway. 2- Since I'm pregnant, they were going to release me before the baby is born anyway. As for Josh, he didn't want to be in there if I wasn't in there so he asked to be released as well, and again, I'm okay with that because it allows us both the freedom of not having to find a substitute teacher every time we don't go to church which will be quite a bit over the next few months with everything we have planned.

2) Austin had his 18 month (even though he is actually 19 months now) well baby check/immunizations this week :(. He did good though and only had to get two shots which he quickly forgot about once he got a lollipop. I thought we would be done after this round but apparently we have one more shot to get in August. He weighs 24.4lbs (10-25 percentile), is 33 inches long (50-75 percentile), and has a head circumference of 47.5cm (25-50 percentile). He is ahead of the game in mental/physical development but we are still working on the nutrition part since he is such a picky eater!

3) I wanted to wait until the weather warmed up to take him to the doctors for his immunizations because he caught croup from the doctor's office the last time we went and I really didn't want to go through that again. But of course he caught some other bug and became sick by the end of the week anyway. He has had a super runny nose from seasonal allergies, and now he has a cough and fever on top of it :(. I don't want to take him back to the doctor since we were just there a few days ago so I'm hoping it won't become severe and will take care of itself. As for now, he has been super cuddly and whiny. We always know when the fever comes back because he becomes very lethargic and will just lay on the floor or with us on the couch and won't move which is extremely unusual for him. This made us very glad we quit our calling in church because we didn't feel stressed about ditching church today since wouldn't want to go and infect all the other kids!

Poor sick boy lounging around with Daddy.....but no amount of illness could take away his silly facial expressions!

4) I have to put this one in bold because it is so momentous! We had a particularly rough night on Wednesday with Austin being sick and I had to get up at 3:00am to go to work. I was up with him until midnight and then I finally caved and told Josh I couldn't stay up all night with a sick baby AND be physically/mentally ready for a 12 hour shift at 3:00am along with being almost 8 months pregnant! That meant that he got to stay up with Austin the rest of the night while I went to sleep! Do I hear you wondering why this is such a big deal? Well, since Josh has never once in the history of Austin's life actually stayed up with him alone for more than 20 minutes before he handed him back to me and went to bed..... I would say this is a REALLY big deal! He has always had some excuse about how he has to get his sleep or he will be sick the next day and I grudgingly allowed it because I am the type of person who usually takes over anyway because I don't think anyone can do the job as well as I can. Well not this time! And it was glorious! 

5) I was informed at work the other day that people have been making bets as to whether or not I am actually pregnant. I thought most people knew, but I guess my scrubs cover me up so well that it hasn't been as obvious as it is when I wear normal street clothes. So I was bombarded in the break room at lunch time when a brave soul finally worked up the courage to ask and they were all completely stunned when I told them that not only am I pregnant, but I am 30 weeks along! One of the technicians told me he was especially shocked because he had nicknamed me "the skinny blonde nurse" and now the term sounds ironic. I thanked them for boosting my self esteem because I have been feeling like a whale these days :).

6) We filed our taxes this week and sadly all of our tax return money will go to Austin's hospital bill from Halloween :(. We had hoped to put that money towards a vacation, or the new baby. But of course nothing ever goes as planned. I still don't understand how 3 hours in the ER equates to $3,500 but who am I to question the American healthcare system?......

7) Austin and I love to visit the pet store and it just happens to be right next door to Trader Joe's which is another favorite! I had promised Austin one morning that we would go see the puppies and he spent the entire morning talking excitedly in his adorable language about puppies :). Then, to our dismay, we knocked on the pet store door and nobody answered! It was all dark inside and the doors were locked. I assumed the person who was supposed to open that day was running late and the store would probably be open after we did some shopping at Trader Joe's. I had to keep telling Austin we would see the puppies soon and to have a little patience, which is impossible for a 19 month old boy. Afterwards, as we went to check the pet store a second time, we were met by animal control and police officers! Apparently this particular pet store was being shut down for animal abuse and all of our furry friends were being taken to the dog pound!!! I wanted to cry, and Austin actually did cry. How was I supposed to explain this to him? Now what were we going to do for entertainment? He cried the whole car ride home and let me know quite loudly that I had let him down :(.

8) Briana slept over this weekend! We had a lot of fun and Sadie joined us quite a bit too! Austin was sick so Josh watched him most of the time while I got to play with my sisters. On Friday we had fun talking and catching up over lunch from our favorite Mediterranean Restaurant, later we visited Grandma Helm since she just had surgery, and after that we went out to dinner at Milo's, our favorite restaurant in Boulder City. On Saturday we went to the movies (something I never get to do), wandered around the shops at Town Square in the beautiful sunshine, Josh and I got to go on a little dinner date to Smash Burger while Briana babysat, and then we all played cards and had a great time laughing around the table after Austin went to bed. Sadie also slept over Saturday night and we went to the Farmers Market Sunday morning. Then our company went home and Josh, Austin, and I spent the rest of our Sunday being lazy and recovering from all that fun. Austin is still not feeling good so a day of rest was just what he needed!

My sweet sick boy showing off his big pregnant belly.

Wandering around Town Square with this cute girl and having a blast!

And of course, a few kissy pics with Aunt Sadie :).

Some moments over the weekend he was happy and smiling.....

....and then the fever would return and he would go back to being sick, sad, and cuddly :(.

Luckily he had an Aunt who was more than happy to cuddle with him as long as he needed!

He's such a lucky boy to be so loved! But how could you not love that face?

9) It has been raining this evening! There is nothing more exhilarating than rain in the desert and my favorite part is the wonderful smell of wet dirt and sage. Seriously, there's no better smell than that! I wish Austin wasn't sick or we would have let him run around in it like he was dying to do! We took him outside on the porch where he could see it but not get wet and he got super excited and started yelling, "rain! rain!"  Can you tell we are desert rats?

10) Austin has been obsessed with vacuuming and I have been more than happy to allow it! He talks about the vacuum from the time he wakes up until the time he goes to bed. He even learned how to open the closet door so he can get to the vacuum unassisted! That wasn't so exciting for the rest of us though because it means we now need to child proof all of our doors :(. I don't know if it is the noise, the lights that turn on, or just the feeling of being a big boy that attracts him so much to this particular chore but I'm not complaining!

Taking the task very seriously....

I'm actually impressed with how good he is at it!

Baby Bump News: 30 Weeks!

The latest picture with my ever growing belly!

The comparison photo when I was pregnant with Austin at 30 Weeks!

As I look at the photos of myself pregnant at 30 weeks with both of my babies, I notice the little things. For example, I looked so fresh and rested the first time around! I know I mentioned not sleeping well, but I also know that was nothing compared to the exhaustion I feel nowadays! I also thought it was interesting that I have the same cravings both times, as well as the same feeling of excitement as each baby moves/moved inside of me! Growing a baby is tough work but could anything be more beautiful and miraculous than feeling the tiny twists and turns, punches and kicks, and best of all hiccups from the tiny being inside of you?!

I have been in a lot of pain...... hip, belly, and most of all PELVIC PAIN! The doctor says it's from chasing Austin, carrying Austin, and constantly bending down to pick up after Austin. I can barely walk by the end of the night. Thank goodness for Josh! He has been my saving grace when he comes home from work because he bathes Austin and picks up all the toys around the house before we go to bed! I don't know what I would do without him. I know I should be exercising, but I can barely make it around the block (walking slowly) before I feel like the baby is falling out of me and need to sit down ASAP! Either she is positioned extremely low or my muscles are just not what they used to be.

My Mom and best friend are planning on throwing me a baby shower mid-March and I volunteered to be in charge of the invitations. It's just one more thing to add to my crazy to do list but I figured it would be easiest since I know everyone I would be inviting. I can't wait for the shower and to see all the adorable baby girl stuff!! I've been slowly accumulating things here and there from friends and random shopping, but I'm sure I will get more than enough at the shower so I've been trying to control the urge to go crazy and buy every adorable pink dress I see!

At my last OBGYN appointment the doctor told me my blood glucose levels were perfect from the 2 hour glucose test I did the time before. I told him that surprised me because I have been craving sugar like none other! It doesn't have to be bad sugar..... I could sit and eat a whole flat of strawberries or an entire bag of grapes if I don't watch myself! I figured maybe that meant gestational diabetes? Apparently not and thank goodness!!

I hardly notice the baby moving around during the day because I am always soooo busy and on the go! At night though, she comes alive as I lay in bed, giving me the perfect ending to what is always a crazy day. Josh lays his head on my shoulder while putting his hand on my belly and for about 30 minutes we get a quiet chance to talk about baby #2 without Austin distracting us :). It's sad that the second child loses out on a lot of focus and attention because the first child is always around being needy..... I have no idea how things are going to go once the baby is born but I'm hoping I will somehow have enough time to love on her and soak up all of her new baby cuddles as much as humanly possible before she grows up and has me running around like a crazy person like her big brother!

Milestones: 19 Months Old

His hair matches his personality!

We are really enjoying this age! Austin is so fun and playful! He is also a handful..... like today at church when I tried changing his diaper in the mothers room and he threw a full on fit in front of all the other mothers and ran around the room naked with poop all over his bum. I was horrified and wanted nothing more than to spank that little naked booty but of course I had all eyes on me and couldn't do anything but gently scold him, wrangle him down to the ground, and attempt to clean the poop off of us both..... good times. I was just as excited as he was to drop him off at the nursery door and let his teachers handle him for a while!

On our way to church! You can tell by that face that nothing good is about to happen....

I try to fill each day with some kind of activity or learning experience to keep him entertained, and most importantly, to tire him out! At the end of each activity, whether it's a trip to the pet store or a walk to the park, I ask, "Austin, did you have fun?" He always responds with, "Fun! Fun!" and I quietly smile and give myself a pat on the back for hopefully providing him with a happy childhood :). Well, now every morning after we do our usual morning routine, Austin starts saying excitedly, "Fun? Fun? Fun!!!" in excited anticipation for what we are going to do today :). Like I said, although he can be a handful, being his parents is such a fun and rewarding experience!

Grandma Porter also likes to keep him busy when she babysits! She is a Montessori Preschool teacher so she likes working with him one on one with all her Montessori stuff. Lucky kid!

Today was water day!

We can't go for walks or to the park without bringing a toy to push. It's all fun and games until Mom has to carry it all home because he suddenly becomes too tired....

Grandma Porter bought him a baby doll and stroller to help him prepare for his new baby sister. It was a genius idea and he is really loving taking care of his baby!

Taking his baby for a walk :).

 I am always singing to the radio in the car and I love watching Austin in the rear view mirror because he is almost always bobbing his head to the music. Last week we were listening to the "I'm so happy" song (I don't know the actual name or artist) and as always I looked in the mirror to see what he was doing. I couldn't hold back the laughter when I saw him clapping along to the song when the lyrics said, "Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof." and singing "So Happy! So Happy!" over and over with the chorus of the song! It was such a cute view and I hope I always remember it.

I wish you could see his sweet little face in this picture! This was one of those moments when he wanted to hold my hand in the car so I had to drive with one hand while reaching into the back seat with the other. (Yes, this was taken at a stop light....)

He calls himself "Aussa" and his favorite game is hide and seek. The reason I am mentioning both of these facts together is because he loves to go hide and then start yelling, "Aussa!" over and over again until we come find him :). It gets even cuter if we wait to find him because he then switches over to, "Josh? Ash?" over and over until we come find him (hehe). I don't know what I find cuter, being called Momma and Daddy or Josh and Ash. They both sound so adorable coming out of his little mouth!

He LOVES his Daddy so much!!! You can't blame him though, Josh is definitely the fun one who has the energy to chase him around the house, pull him in his wagon, and wrestle with him on the LoveSac. When Dada walks through the door from work, Austin runs to him and jumps into his arms screaming, "Dada!" I'm not gonna lie, I feel a twinge of jealousy each time because he does not react that way AT ALL when Momma walks in the door from work! He looks up from what he is doing, gives me a smile, and then resumes what he was doing..... I have no idea why he does that and it drives me nuts! I miss him so much while I am away and I would love nothing more than for him to run to me the way he does for Josh. Maybe he is punishing me for leaving him? I try not to dwell on it.....

He has become a pro at mimicking everything we say. Now when he falls down he says, "Oh goodness!" or "Oh geeze" or "Oh shoot!" just like I always say. The oh shoot part sounds really close to the naughty version of the word so we have been trying to get him to stop saying that one.... On a not so cute note, he also has mastered the word, "Stop it!" and yells it at us with the angriest, most serious face he can muster whenever we try making him do something he doesn't want to do..... He has also recently learned how to sweetly say sorry and gently pats your head when he does it. That one is my favorite because of how quickly he changes his voice once he realizes he has hurt you. He suddenly becomes so innocent! You can't help but instantly forgive him.

The other morning I walked into his bedroom to get him up for the day and he pointed at me and said, "OOooo! Pretty!!" It made my whole day and I must have shown it because he does it a lot now. He says it whenever he notices my jewelry, or plays with my hair. Of course I have to have actually put on jewelry and done my hair but I will willingly get dolled up any day to get a compliment like that from him!

Yeah, we have a lot of fun :).

I love this kids' hugs more than anything in the world!

....and lucky for me, he was in a very huggable mood on this day!

I know I am biased, but he is truly the most beautiful thing I have ever seen!

You would never know this was what we were dealing with just fifteen minutes prior!

Some fun moments over the past month:

There's nothing cuter than a chubby baby bum!

Especially when it's escaping up the stairs with its puppy!

He loves sitting with his Daddy and watching movies/sports or climbing on his lap and teasing him until his dad plays with him or chases him around the house.

Trying to fit in with the big kids at the skate park. The stuffed dog in the wagon really makes him look like a tough guy hahaha!

He is always in a cuddly mood when he first wakes up from his nap. Sometimes it is a happy cuddle, and sometimes it is a miserable, crying cuddle. Either way, he always has his blankie!

His bed-head kills me! If I'm ever needing a good laugh, all I have to do is go get him out of his crib after a nap.

Loving his baby!

I love this memory! He brought his baby over to my lap and the three of us cuddled and gave kisses :).

Melt my heart.

Maybe having two babies won't be so difficult after all? We can only hope!

He loves eating at his little table and especially loves using a fork. If the food doesn't require a fork, he just holds onto it.... either way, he won't eat without it!

Bath time! This poor kid is constantly falling and smacking his forehead. Lately he has had a permanent unicorn horn in between his eyes!

Grandma and Grandpa Ronnenkamp came to visit before we left for California and we had a great time!

Grandma can't get enough of her little twin.

It is evident by the constant smooches!

Austin got to show grandma all of his favorite movies.

The gang.

Grandma had fun giving Austin a bath and Austin had fun doing circus tricks for her :). This kid will do anything for attention!

Sadly, he came down with an ear infection during their visit :(. I thought he was just being a Mommas boy because he would not leave my side! I couldn't even do the dishes without him laying on the floor by my feet.

Poor sick baby :(.

We went to the Library for baby story time and had fun playing on the computer afterwards! Austin LOVES technology so of course he would go straight for this.....

We had a park play date with our friends Jura and Juliette after the library and Austin surprised me by wanting to stay in the swing the whole time! Usually he swings once and then wants to get out and go run around.

Happy Valentines Day!

I absolutely LOVE Valentines Day! What is there not to love about a day devoted to making the ones you love feel pampered and special? Josh and I both go a little crazy on this day which is yet another reason why I love it! 

We started the celebration early by having Grandma Porter babysit Austin while Josh and I spent the night at the Mandalay Bay Resort. I got there early since Josh was working and spent a few refreshing hours of solitude in the hotel room reading a romance novel and soaking up the silence! 

And it was marvelous!!!!

Once Josh arrived, we ate a fancy 3 course meal, walked around and talked, and then spent the rest of the night celebrating the holiday like newlyweds ;).

In case you haven't been there, Mandalay Bay is beautiful! We went there last year too and have decided it is going to be our tradition to stay there every Valentines Day.

We woke up early simply out of habit. It's sad that we can't even sleep in when we have the chance but Austin has trained us well! So I spent the first part of the wonderful morning soaking in a giant bath tub and watching the morning news while Josh stayed in bed with his own TV and watched the sports highlights from the day before. 

Then we went to a little cafe downstairs and got us some drinks before we headed outside to walk around the beautiful grounds, watching the swans swim while soaking up the gentle sunshine :). It was perfect! We have been having the most beautiful weather lately and I can't think of anyone I would rather holds hands and walk with than this handsome stud....

30 weeks pregnant so no judging......

Oh how I love this man!!

 


  Today is actual Valentines Day and it has been just as fabulous as the pre-Valentines Day! We woke up to presents, which Austin was ecstatic about! They weren't all for him but he claimed them all anyway ;)....... especially the little stuffed monkey holding a heart and the soft blanket! He has been dragging them both around the house all day!

Later that morning, Mommy and Austin made our traditional giant pink sugar cookies! This was my favorite tradition growing up and it makes me so happy to incorporate it into my own family. Normally I would do it myself the night before and surprise my boys with them first thing in the morning but I thought it would be a fun activity to do with Austin this year. I was right! He loved it!! His favorite part was pounding the cookie dough and screaming lol. 

"Don't look Daddy, this one's for you!"

Mommy attempting to show him how to mold the cookie into a heart, which he instantly destroyed once left to use his own creative molding.

I love that my baby is old enough to do fun things like this, but it also makes me sad that he is growing up!

Watching them bake in the oven and saying, "OOOoooo!!!!" over and over :).

And then the moment we had all been waiting for........ the final product!!

Frosting them was difficult since Austin kept sticking his fingers in the frosting when I wasn't looking....

Sharing some frosting with Daddy!

He approves :).

...........and just to show you how much our little man has grown!

Valentines Day 2015

Valentines Day 2014

 After being induced into a sugar coma, Austin went down for a nap while Mom and Dad watched the movie Valentines Day and ate soup from Zupa's for lunch! After the little man woke up we spent the rest of the afternoon at the park until the sun began to set. It has been the perfect day with the two people I love more than anything in the world!