Bumpdate: 20 weeks

 

   

How Far Along? 20 weeks

Size of Baby? 10” head to heel, about the size of a banana

Maternity Clothes? Yes.  I LOVE my pregnancy leggings with the stretchy band that goes over my belly.  However, I need more longer shirts/tunic because I get really self conscious if I wear leggings with anything that doesn’t cover my butt.

Weight Gain? Almost 10lbs now.  Yay.

Stretch Marks/belly button? No change.  I have them.  They’re not going away.  Hopefully I won’t get too many more.

Baby’s Sex? He’s a boy!  I had a good feeling in previous weeks that he was a boy, but I was still hoping like crazy that he was a girl.  The deal was is this baby was a girl, we could talk about being done.  If it was a boy, we’re definitely trying for one more (so I can have 1 girl and 3 boys, of course).  Either way, I’m still excited.  I hadn’t been feeling him much so when we saw the heartbeat and that he was doing well, I was so relieved I didn’t really care what she said it was.

Sleep? I’m getting more pelvic pain when I try to roll over, but overall, I can sleep pretty well.

Food Cravings?No new cravings really.  Usually nothing sounds good, which is annoying.

Best Moment This Week? Finding out the sex last week, and that he is doing well.  It’s a relief for sure.

What I am loving? Going through all of Ben’s old clothes to see what I have and what I need.  If this baby had been a girl, I would have been set on clothes because Abbie was born in May also.  However, Ben was born in December and this baby will be born in May, so they’ll be almost exact opposite seasons for the first year or so.  But… I love to shop for baby clothes so I’ve been having fun picking up things I find here or there on sale.

Movement? Finally I’ve been feeling him more often, which is a relief.  I found out at our ultrasound that I have an anterior placenta (the placenta is almost exactly in front) so it’s thickness blocks me from feeling his kicks very often.  I do feel him up high though, and on the sides sometimes when I’m laying on my side.  And when I have to pee I can feel him bouncing on my bladder, but not usually in the front.  And it’s not been hard enough yet than Mark could feel it either.  Hopefully soon!

What I’m looking forward to: Mark and Abbie being able to feel him move also.  Abbie asks all the time when she’ll be able to feel him move.  We’re going to paint the nursery this week too, and I’m excited about that.  It was one of the last rooms left in our house to paint.

Other Updates… I feel like I’m carrying this baby higher than my other two.  It’s already a little hard to breathe at times because I feel like he’s up in my ribs, which I don’t remember with the others.  Makes me a little nervous because we still have a LONG way to go.

 

The pictures below were a few of the outtakes from our gender announcement photos.  In the one on the left I told Abbie to act upset, which she didn’t want to at all.  She didn’t understand why I wanted her to act upset, so I asked her to do it for just a few and then she could cheer in the others.  Realistically, Abbie is most excited about this baby and she is very happy it’s a boy, which is interesting.  She’s been asking for a baby sister for YEARS – like since been was born – and the last month or so, she’s said she wants another baby brother.  I asked her before we went in to the gender ultrasound (both kids were with us) what she wanted the baby to be and she said boy right away.  I asked her why she wanted a boy since she already had a little brother and she said she wanted two little brothers.  Mark said she did her happy dance when the ultrasound tech told us it was a boy and she’s constantly talked about what we’ll name him and she picks out toys of hers that she wants to wrap and give to the baby when it gets here.  So the picture on the right is a better representation of how they actually feel.

Ben at 3 years old

 

Ben is growing like a weed now.  He weighs around 34lbs and is 40” tall – which puts him close to his sister in the 95th percentile for height.  He is almost an exact replica of his daddy and EVERYONE mentions it when they see them together.

Ben loves mac n cheese and cheese sticks that you pull apart to make look like trees.  He loves olives and orange juice and can sometimes put away 2-3 bowls of cereal in the morning.  He usually has a pretty good appetite and he does pretty well eating with silverware without spilling stuff everywhere.

He can count to 15-ish by himself and he knows most of the ABC’s.  He can recognize some letters and numbers and knows most colors.  He can tell you his birthday and his full name and he still pronounces “r’s” as “w’s”.  I think it’s adorable.

Ben has 2 speeds – running and stopped.  He bounces almost everywhere he goes and loves to jump over cracks or curbs or anything else he can get over.  Makes me quite nervous sometimes, but he does pretty well.  He balances really well on his balance bike and he also rides Abbie’s little bike with training wheels and does really well with that too.

Potty training has been an issue for us.  He is terrified to poop in the potty.  He’ll pee in the potty just fine and we can put him in pull ups and he’ll even go pee by himself, but he won’t poop in the potty.  He doesn’t like you in the bathroom with him when he’s using it and he goes and finds a private place to poop – though never in the bathroom.  His favorite is in the middle of clothing racks at stores if we’re out and about.  I’ve decided not to push it too much with him and just go at his pace.  I’ve accepted the fact that I’ll have 2 boys in diapers and that’s okay.  Worse things could happen.

Ben wears 3T size clothes, although the pants are a little bit short on him already.  He wears size 5 diapers and size 10 shoes.  (He has huge feet just like Abbie.)  We got rid of his paci almost completely this month and next month we move him into his big boy bed.  He is trying really hard to give up his afternoon naps although I’m not ready for that at all.  Typically he sleeps from about 8pm to 8:30am and naps from noon to 2 on a good day.  He loves trains and planes and garbage trucks and he loves to wrestle with Abbie or Daddy or Sammer or anyone that will rough house with him.  His favorite thing is throwing rocks into the pool, much to Mark’s dismay.

Ben loves to watch TV.  He begs to watch his shows every day.  His favorites right now are Peppa Pig, Kate and Mim Mim, Thomas the Train, and Sophia the First.  He LOVES watching The Lorax too.  We got him a train table and he loves playing with his trains for hours.  He loves the plasma cars we go them also.  Usually he and Abbie get along pretty well although he’s learning to stand his ground with her, which she’s not a big fan of.

Where Abbie was our strong-willed, defiant child, Ben is much more laid back.  But he also gives up on things pretty easily and gets frustrated easily at times.  He has a great sense of humor and loves to make people laugh and he loves talking to anyone and everyone when they’ll listen to him, even if they don’t fully understand him yet.  He is a sweet boy and it tender hearted and it’s been fun to watch him grow and develop these last 3 years!

Squadron Christmas party 2013

 

Mark’s squadron usually has some sort of Christmas party for the kids.  This year they had it in a hangar and Santa arrived in a fire truck.  They had crafts for the kids and tons of food, and we all wrapped up books for Santa to give our kids during their visit.

 

Ben was slightly terrified of Santa and Mrs Claus…

Ben did, however, love the cupcakes.

Ben at 2 years old!

Our little boy is already 2 years old!  It’s hard to believe that he was born 2 years ago!  Time flies when you’re having fun, I suppose.  Ben is growing and developing by leaps and bounds right now.  His language skills are exploding and we don’t quite know what he’s saying all the time, but he’s definitely putting 4-5 words together sometimes and is getting much better and communicating what he wants.  He’s getting a little less screamy, which is great!!!

Ben’s favorite person in the whole wide world is his daddy.  He is definitely Mark’s little mini-me and he follows Mark around any chance he gets.  He ALWAYS wants Mark to carrying him or get him out of his car seat when we’re out and about and I think Mark loves it just about as much as Ben does when he gets to carry him around.  I love seeing them interact and I know that if Ben grows up to be half the man Mark is, he’ll be doing really well.  I am so thankful that our kids have such a good role model for a daddy.

Ben LOVES cars.  Cars, trucks, boats, airplanes, trains – he’s just like my dad.  It amazes me how he just gravitates towards the boy things naturally.  I would think since Abbie is much more in to dolls and art, that he would like to do that stuff too since he also watches her like a hawk, but nope.  There are about 30 cars strewn all over my house at any given moment in time and he plays with them all day long.  It’s either his cars, or he’s kicking a little ball all over the house.  He’s pretty coordinated for his age too, as far as kicking the ball goes.  We got him a balance bike for his birthday, and it might be a little bit big for him right now, but I’m sure pretty soon he’ll be flying around on that thing, considering he currently gets his tricycle going so fast that he takes corners on 2 wheels sometimes.  =S

Ben has a great appetite and usually eats more than Abbie.  He loves milk and drinks half of a half gallon of milk in a day or two easily.  And he loves his carbs.  Some mornings he’ll eat 3 bowls of Life cereal and if there is any sort of pasta around, he’s all about that too.  He loves grapes and bananas, and he asks for his vitamin about 14 times a day.

Ben still loves to watch Sesame Street, although he also loves to watch Thomas the Train, Olivia and Curious George too.  Luckily he and Abbie seem to enjoy the same shows, and I only really let them watch those ones, or a few others on PBS or Disney.  Ben is our little alarm when a show is over though.  (I record most of them so I can turn them on for them later in the day during their TV time.)  If the show gets over and comes to an end, Ben is the first one to notice every single time and starts pointing and yelling “show over”.

We discovered recently that Ben can count to 11 by himself and we were kind of surprised by that.  I’m not sure he understands the concept of counting things yet, but he can count.  We’ve been working on colors with him and he loves to scribble on things (walls included) when Abbie has all her crayons and markers out to color.  He still loves his paci and lovey, and only uses them in his crib and his new thing is to ask for a “different paci” 14 times before he’ll actually lays down to go to sleep.  After about the third time of trying to walk out the door and having him start yelling “different paci” and throwing his current one across the room, you’re about ready to pull your hair out.  He acts like they’re different flavors or something.  Not sure how to get him out of this habit easily.  Luckily he’s cute, which makes it easier to forgive him.

Ben is such a fun little guy to have around.  He’ll come up and give you a hug if you act like you’re sad, and he’ll say he’s sorry if he hurts Abbie in some way (like pulling her hair…).  He’s hard to believe how far he’s come in just two short years!  I wish he’d stay this age forever.  Happy Birthday, little man!  We sure do love you!

Ben’s 2nd birthday letter

 

My little Benji boy,

I can’t believe that I was ever worried about having a boy and not knowing what to do with you.  I love having you as my little side kick during the day when Abbie is in school and it’s just you and me.  You love to follow me around and “help” me do things.  You are typically a very happy little guy, and you are so, so sweet.  You get very concerned if you think someone is upset or if you hear someone crying and you give hugs right away.  There has been more than one occasion where Abbie will take a toy from you, which makes you SCREAM.  We tell her to give it back to you and she will but then she cries and throws a fit.  Most of the time you will stand there for a few seconds and watch her and then you’ll go up and give her the toy that she had originally taken from you and say “Here you go, Abbie.”.  You have a very kind and loving nature and I hope that that never changes.

I have to admit, it’s so hard for me to envision you getting as big as your daddy is.  I can’t even imagine my little boy, who I still call my baby, being taller than me.  I don’t ever want the days where you want hugs and kisses before bed to end and I’ll be heartbroken the day you don’t wrap all your fingers around my pinky to cross the street.  I love seeing you accomplish some small task (buckling yourself into your high chair or picking up your toys) and then seeing your face light up with pride and you clap for yourself and say “YAY!  Did it!”  I love your toddler talk where you know enough words to communicate well enough, but you’re not even close to speaking fluently yet.  Seeing you haul around your lovey and your paci really makes my day.

I have so many hopes and dreams for your future, little man, but at the same time, I can’t imagine you being any bigger than you are now.  Love you, little man!  Try to stay little forever, okay?

Love, your mommy

 

Ben’s Birthday Letter from daddy

Happy Birthday My Little Benjamin                                              8 Dec 2013

You turn 2 years old today.  I can’t believe it…seems like just yesterday we were bringing you home from the hospital.  Of course in this last year you’ve changed quite a bit.  You went from being partially mobile to completely mobile.  Now all you want to do is run everywhere; “Daddy run…daddy run” every time we are walking to the car.  I fear you and Abbie might wear a rut in the tile as much as you both run back and forth through the kitchen and dining room.  Of course with your new found mobility came your discovery of gravity and its effects.  Kid, I don’t think your legs or head are ever without a bruise or bump on them anymore. 

Boy do you love things with motors.  It amazes me how fascinated you are with planes, trains, cars, motorcycles, and even golf carts.  Your interest in them started early.  I think your first word was “pane” (for plane).  Now you have hundreds of cars to play with and you play with them all the time.  I love watching you plop down next to your car with the side of your head on the floor watching the car as you push it back and forth.  I can tell you’re studying every aspect of it.  I love how you run and get me a car to play with too.  And then we sit on the couch pushing cars back and forth together and crashing them into one another.  I wish I could bottle those times up.  I think you’re going to be my little helper when you get older.  You already are but I know for certain you’ll be out in the shop with me working on projects.  I’m excited for that…but let’s not get there too quickly; I don’t want you to grow up too fast. 

You’re an amazing little guy!  You have such a kind heart.  I watch how empathetic you are toward people, even Abbie.  Abbie gets upset about something and usually you are quick to say you’re sorry and give her a hug.  I know that probably won’t last too long but it certainly shows where your heart is already.  The foundation is there and we didn’t even have to teach it; God just gave it to you.  You’re a sweat little man, the world needs more of you.

But not more of your snot!  Seriously, you snot more than 3 people combined, where does it all come from?  I know where most of it is going to end up; smeared on the side of your face or plastered on the couch, usually both.  I feel bad for you always dealing with the snots, but you don’t seem to care too much.  You’re too busy studying the motion of your cars.  There is no time for that thick string of snot dangling dangerously near you upper lip.  **Swipe swipe** There, that’s better.  Just put it out of the way on your cheeks so it can dry.

I’m proud to be your dad, little buddy!  I’m excited to watch you grow, learn, and experience this life.  We’ll have fun together out in the garage, in the yard, on the basketball court, or maybe even in a little airplane (if mom allows).  Keep doing what you’re doing little man.  I love you Benjamin!

Your Dad

Favorites

We have a wall in our house that we’ve been wanting to cover with canvas prints of our kiddos over the years.  Our house is very grey in color – grey walls, grey carpets, grey couch.  Different shades of grey, but still all grey, so I really wanted a wall of canvas prints to bring some color to our room.  I found a site online that was having a 70% off sale, and free shipping if you spent more than $75, so I made it my mission one night to go through 3 years of past pictures to try to pick out some of my favorites, edit them a bit, and the order the canvases.  Let me tell you, going through YEARS of our pictures was quite the chore.  Considering I have taken 500 picture per month most months, especially when the kids were tiny, I had a BUNCH of pictures to go through.  And truthfully, I only made it to July of 2012.   So Abbie is a couple months to just over 3 years old in these pictures and Ben is birth to eight months old.  But either way, here are some of our favorites from May 2009 to July 2012.  Some day I’ll finish the job and hopefully they’ll be having another sale!  I got 14 canvas prints for $161!  I am VERY excited to get them here and all hung up.  I’ll take a picture of it (imagine that!!) when we get it done!! Can you tell who is who in the baby pictures?