Wow....August Already?!?

Summer is flying by as usual. Tee ball ended in mid July. It was amazing watching how much the kids improved from the beginning of the season. Too bad the learning curve will have to start all over next year. I am officially done with coaching (for now). I figure it would be a little hard next summer with a 9 month old!! Z's next adventure will be soccer which will start in early September.

We went on vacation in July to Harbor Springs, MI. It was nice to have almost a whole week off with the three of us. I was enjoying every minute, figuring it will be the last family vacation before the new addition joins us. Z had a great time at the pool, beach and playing in Gigi's new Town & Country. I actually think the new minivan was the biggest hit of the whole vacation!

We are getting excited/nervous for school to start at the end of the month. I can't believe my little baby is going to be in kindergarten! He has grown up so quickly! He seems to be excited to go to school....we'll see what happens when the time comes!

We are also getting excited about the impending arrival of our new little boy. We have yet to decide officially on his name, but we have narrowed down the list. I would like to name him soon, so we aren't stuck calling him little bean for much longer! I have been attempting over the last month to get a 4D u/s to see the little guy's face, but he is pretty stubborn! We will try again next week and I will post pictures (if we are able to get any)!

I will try to be better about updating, but time seems to escape me any more (as I sit here typing at 11 pm on a Wednesday night!)

. OK, finally uploaded the pictures!!! Here is me at 28 weeks! We have scheduled the c-section for October 20, unless the little guy decides to come early!!!

June has come and gone....

N at E's 2nd birthday party

Z and E at E's birthday party

Hard to believe another month has past! We are almost to the mid way point of the summer! We have been doing the normal "summery" things around here: yard work, swimming, trips to the beach, etc. Z is doing well in tee ball...he can hit it well and his fielding is improving (well, at least he is not sitting on the field any more, he actually stands up for the whole inning!) The rest of the team is showing remarkable improvement as well!

Z attended a camp at the Farm Park called "Once Upon a Farm". They learned all about the different farm animals. He really enjoyed milking the cow and making fresh ice cream! He is now taking swimming lessons a day or two a week with a friend of the family at Mimi and Papa's pool. He grew so much over the winter that he can now touch the bottom and walk around the shallow end of their pool! It is so much easier than carrying him around!

We are heading on vacation to upper Michigan in a couple of weeks. It will be our last vacation with just the three of us. I am looking forward to some family time and some R&R!

I am also in disbelief that I am almost 6 months pregnant! This little one will be here before we know it! I am almost done with his bedroom. Just some decorating to do. And I just need to pick up a few of the basics: diapers, wipes, burp clothes, etc. After going through about 1,000 boxes of Zs old clothes, I think we have at least the first little while covered! We are getting so excited to meet our new little man. Z was actually able to feel him kick tonight!

Baby and me at 23 weeks

Wow. That month went by fast! I swear it seems like I just did an update last week! A lot has happened since the last post. I guess the first big thing was my nephew C was born on Mother's Day. He was 1 day before his due date, and came into the world at 20 inches and 7 lb 8 oz. He is a little cutie and, between him and his big sis have been keeping my sister on her toes!

On May 15, Z "graduated" from pre-school. Mommy of course cried her eyes out. It seems like it was just his first day there! I can't believe he is going to kindergarten at the "big school" next fall. He is growing up so fast!!
Z's first t-ball game was May 17. He really enjoys hitting...we are still working on the fielding part. He seems to enjoy picking flowers or playing in the dirt more than paying attention to the batter. I am hoping that'll change as he gets older and understands the game.

That same day, Z's cousins from NC came into town with his Gigi and great-grandmother. We also had Z's 5th birthday party for kids. The clown was great and everyone seemed to have a good time...especially the adults...the party didn't wind down until about 11 pm!!

The following Monday we went to Kalahari with Z, Daddy, Gigi, G & W (Z's cousins), great grandma and me. It was a good time. Z was a little scared to go down the big slides but his cousins had a blast. On day 2 there, he did finally go down one of the slides, but said it was too fast. I am just glad he tried it. His favorite part was the basketball pool. My least favorite part was trying to find a cool maternity swimsuit. Apparently they don't make those! A day after getting back from the waterpark, Z's cousin G got sick....then her brother W got sick the next day. So most of their vacation was spent on the couch, on Motrin. They both seemed to be doing better when they left on Saturday.

Z's cousins went home during Memorial Day weekend, but Gigi and great grandma stayed that next week. It was nice to spend time with them while they were here.

Today was our 19 week ultrasound at the hospital. According to the ultrasound tech, our little boy is "so cute". She repeated this a few times, and I think she knows what she is talking about since she does this for a living! It was so nice to see the little guy swimming around. According to the ultrasound, everything is going really well. And he is up to 12 oz!!!!! I am almost officially 1/2 way through this (probably my last) pregnancy. I am enjoying starting to feel my little soccer player kicking up a storm. I am getting very excited and anxious to meet him in October! It'll be here before we know it! (He must know I am typing about him...he just kicked me again!) I will try my best to be better about posting!!!

My big ol' belly at 19 weeks......

Z's 5th Birthday

Wow! I can't believe my little boy turned 5 yesterday! These last five years have flown by! I still remember rocking him to sleep as an infant. I try to hold him like that now and all he screams is "Mommy, stop it! I'm not a baby!" He had a good time at his "adult" birthday party yesterday. We just had his aunts, uncles and grandparents who live local over for dinner and cake. And of course, presents! He had a blast! In a couple of weeks, when his cousins from NC get in to town, we will be having a "kids" birthday party, complete with a clown!

Yesterday was also another milestone, Z started Tee Ball! And silly me signed up to coach. It was nice have at least 9 out of 10 of the 5 & 6 year old's listening (take a guess who wasn't listening to the coach!!!) It is going to be a fun season! There are kids with all different abilities and experience on the team, so it will definitely be entertaining as well!

Since I last wrote, I have officially made it to the second trimester of this pregnancy. I am definitely showing, and actually had someone at work on Friday ask if I was having twins! OK, I don't think I'm that big! But I am bigger at this point than I was in my pregnancy with Z. We are getting really excited to have our "big" ultrasound sometime in the next 4 weeks. We will be finding out then if it is team blue or team pink. I was thinking girl for a while, but now I am having my doubts. I am just hoping for healthy at this point! I had a couple of requests (silly people!) so here is a pic of how big the belly has grown.

4 weeks:

14 weeks:

Weekend

Well, it was a pretty uneventful weekend here. The weather took a turn for the worse Friday night, but luckily Z and I were able to get up to the Maple Festival for some rides and food before the storms moved in. Z had a great time and we ran into one of his friends, Jenna, there. Saturday I got to visit with my sis and my nephew. It is amazing how well he is doing after having such a rough start to his little life. I believe he was in the nicu (the first time) for about 93 days. My sis and her hubby are true troopers. I can not even imagine going through what they have gone through. N is a lovey cuddly little guy now. He is up to around 15 lbs (starting weight was around 2 lb 4 oz) and he is doing great. He's a recent picture of the little guy....he really could be playing for the Browns some day!

Springtime

Well, Spring is finally starting to come around. This weekend was beautiful with lots of sunshine and highs in the 50's and 60's. All the neighborhood kids are starting to come out of winter hibernation to reunite with their summertime friends. It is amazing how we really don't see any one in the neighborhood all winter, but come spring/summer/early fall, we spend so much time together, hanging out in the street, watching the kids play.
We have been taking great advantage of the warmer weather to let Z go run off all the energy he has been saving up all winter long. He loves the outdoors: going on adventures through the woods, riding his power wheels around, riding his bike and digging for worms. I am really looking forward to getting him in the pool again this summer. Hopefully we can make a swimmer out of him yet!
The little bean is doing well. I am getting bigger and bigger by the day, and I know I have many more days ahead. For some reason, I think this one may be a girl. Just my prediction for now. I will be happy with healthy! I guess we'll see come June! That is one of the few doctor's appointments I actually look forward to!

Easter Weekend

Although Spring was scheduled to arrive on Thursday, our weather has been anything but Springlike! Friday night we got another 6-8 inches of snow, but luckily we did see the sun on Saturday and it cleared our driveway for us. I think we have used the snow blower more in the last couple of months than we have for the last couple of years!

Being Easter weekend, Z was more excited than usual. He was overly helpful all day Saturday, helping Mommy clean the house and fix all the dents in the walls. He loves spackling! We spent the day in the house, knowing we had a fun-filled, activity-packed Easter Sunday.

Z was so excited Easter morning that he sprung out of bed and nearly fell down the stairs! He was quick to find the eggs the bunny had hidden for him, but his basket was a little trickier this year. After 45 minutes or so of hunting, he finally found it in the basement! All the goodies in the basket kept him occupied until it was time for Church.

Z's Sunday School performed a little musical number during Easter Service. They are so cute up there, with their stage fright and all! He was screaming this song all week long for me, but get him up in front of the congregation, and he is quiet as a church mouse! Easter Sunday was also a very special day for Z because we allowed him to have communion for the first time. He has been doing very well in Sunday school, loves reciting the Lord's Prayer, and it is actually not a fight to get him to go to Church on Sunday!

We spent Easter day with Mimi, Papa, Papa II, Z's aunts and uncles and cousins. Z had a great time over there hunting for more Easter eggs. Mommy and Daddy were both stuffed after a great dinner and took naps while Z terrorized the household! By the end of the day, we were all exhausted. Z said it was the best Easter ever and the best one there will ever be. Apparently we set the bar a little high for next year!!!