Potty Training

24 Weeks Tomorrow

I'm feeling big already but still happy and doing well. My cramping has gone away pretty much completely and the Braxton Hicks are starting - I'll take those any day over the other cramps. 

This pregnancy has been so different from Harlow's. If you were to guess from how different it's been you'd say I was having a girl. I'm caring this guy all in front of me; with Harlow I didn't show for a long time and just seemed to fill up on the inside and then barely started to pop out. I feel like I'm already as big now as I was when I had Harlow (which is probably not true, that's just how I feel). I haven't craved any foods but sometimes the thought of food in general made me sick. I think our food tastes weird but Nathan thinks it's fine. I didn't get sick and haven't thrown up (I did dry heav for like 15 min once but that's because I had a cold and Nathan dropped a drop of melaleuca down my throat and not because of anything pregnancy related - oh my gosh, it was awful!) 

They say the 2nd trimester is the best and I have to agree. It's treating me very nicely. I get to feel the baby kick and move, which is so fun but other than that I don't feel like much is different. Haha there were a few times this week I nearly forgot I was pregnant - I just felt so normal and full of energy!  That being said, it's still a shock to look in the mirror and see my belly, rolling over in bed is somewhat of a process, and you can't just sleep any way you darn well please.

We've been looking at our family genealogy fans for names and we've found some that we like but we haven't narrowed them down enough...picking a name is always hard for me. 

Christmas Morning

I love Christmas! It's my favorite time of the year! And this year was especially fun with Harlow. He kind of understands that something fun is happening. It was fun to get the house and goodies ready! And playing Santa's roll-oh my goodness, I think Nathan and I were more excited about it all than Harlow was :) Do any of you other parents know what I'm talking about? It's the Best!

There was a train set up under the tree for Harlow when we came down stairs and that's all he wanted to play with most of the morning. Nathan had to pull him away to get him to start opening all his other gifts.

Nathan got 2 new sweet pairs of vans and money towards hunting boots, plus a drill from his Papa - check out the excitement on his face below.

Nathan totally surprised me this year. I love surprises :) I had found out that he was trying to get me an iPhone for Christmas. He had to unlock it becausey family is with T-Mobile. He was on the phone a lot trying to get it to work and he just kept running into problems. Finally Christmas Eve he said it wasn't going to work.  "At least I made a valiant effort, right" - it really had touched me to see him trying to get it all worked out. 

The next morning we were opening presents and then I heard an unfamiliar ring. "Is that your phone?" I asked 

"No"

"We'll it's not mine"

"Are you sure?" He said with a smile. I got up and went to go find my Christmas surprise, my first nice/smart phone ever, an iPhone 5.  "Well bust that thing out and let's start getting some nice pictures of this Christmas morning"

I didn't expect this gift at all. Nathan has really spoiled me this year! My first sewing machine, an Amazing Bernina, for my birthday and a way nicer phone than I have ever had before, an iPhone, for Christmas! These were thoughtful, selfless gifts - my honey really outdid himself and made some sweet, amazing efforts to pamper me!

We had Christmas Eve dinner with aunt Meridee and uncle Lind Williams and their kids and grand kids.  Christmas Day we got to go visit Grandma and Grandpa Henderson, see Dave and Martha, talk to/mostly listen to Sister Whitney Rasmussen on the phone and had dinner with Jessica and Brad Johnson. It was such a great day! With no nap Harlow was cranky and ready for bed by the end of the day. A Full Christmas Day has us all sleeping good

Daddy helping Harlow get going on all his presents 

Harlow's train

Scout - cute dog friend from Bailey Johnson

Nathan's new drill set 

With a flash light on the end - now that's double crotch

Merry Chriatmas and a Happy New Year!!

No Santa....

Merry Christmas

from our little Family of 3, approaching 4 :)

We went to go see Santa Clause as part of our FHE activity with the Laing family but we missed Santa by a half an hour.  Sophie was pretty much distraught. We still took some family pictures by the Christmas tree though.  Walking back out to the car we stopped at the JCPenny's makeup counters and I slathered on some ridiculous bright pink lipstick on Nathan and the kids just died laughing.  We have so much fun with the Laings.  I am glad we live so close...we really should get together more than we do...but when we do we have a good time.

1st Sleding of the Year

 Harlow getting in a good nose picking before going out in the cold

Nathan woke up this morning wanting to do something fun - We decided sledding would fit the bill.  "Do you think the snow pants will fit?"  I asked Nathan as we were getting ready.  "Yea, I think so"....ummm NO, They didn't.  Wouldn't even zip up past the bottom of my baby bump...oh well.  We thought it best that I not sled anyways with the boys but now I sorta wish I had...I know it's better that I didn't, though the hill wasn't that steep.  So I got to cheer them on and take some pictures. (*I know this will come out lame but sometimes its hard being the Mommy and having to sit out on the fun...K, I'm done whining)

We're not sure how Harlow felt about sledding.  He seemed to have fun, didn't cry, but when we'd ask him if he wanted to go again his answer was always "No"...hmmm

We decided to sled on a hill on the south side of BYU campus.  Nathan filled up the tubes while I found a place to park.  When we got to this hill it was covered in cardboard trash. A group of people had obviously used them to sled on but left it all behind...sad...but we did our good turn for the day and picked it up

Can you see the Buck in the back yard to the right of Harlow's  head?  

And the other deer against the wall (that one is hard to see because the patio's pole is right in front of it)?

We get deer in our backyard just about everyday.  We also get Quail, Magpies, lots of other kinds of birds, Racoons, Snakes, Cats, Pheasants, water gauge readers...  The last two days we've had 2 female pheasants hanging out in our apricot tree.  I love our backyard, pushed right up against the mountain!  Harlow LOVES to see all these different animals that come to visit!!

 *Hehehehe, this is from a different day but he was just chillin by the back door, taking in the beautiful view in the buff...it was just too cute to pass up

Harlow's Getting a Little.....

We went to our ultrasound appointment this morning at the hospital.  Nathan had to miss some classes in order to come but I am so so glad he did.  This is the BEST and Most Fun dr appointment you get and I love sharing the experience with him.  He said during the ultrasound "Man, I kinda forgot how totally amazing this is".  Our little Harlow Boy was able to be there with us.  Daddy was a trooper for keeping that little scallywag happy and in check.  The ultrasound tech and perinatologist were awesome and had us laughing the entire time and answered all of our many curious questions.  We were friends by the time we left.

Our little fellow was fairly shy at first but after the prodding began he became prouder of his masculinity and soon just turned into a little wiggle monster which made it tricky for the tech to get some angles she needed.  She also took a slew of pictures for us (those will be coming soon....as soon as I can get our scanner to work) which she told us to hide as we left because most people don't get all the pictures that we got.

Nathan didn't want to wait...and I can't blame him.  Yesterday and today I have been so excited to find out the gender and see our little baby on that screen.  It's more than just finding out the gender though that makes this appointment thrilling.  You get to see every part of your baby.  We got walked through all the measurements and why they take the ones they do, what proper and improper measurements would mean...To see his little hands, feet, head, heart, spine...it is an extraordinary feeling and experience!  and you really do kind of forget how incredible the experience is and how it feels until you go there and get to experience it all over again.  And knowing that you have a health, adorable little one on its way, it just makes your heart happy!  Feeling him move inside of me and watching that almost simultaneously happen on the screen was fun too - and our little man was all over the place.  We just laughed when we realized that we could see his movements on the outside of my belly...I thought it was too early for that but there he was bouncing my tummy away.

He is measuring 4-5 days further along than our orginal due date, nearly 1 pound already.  They will probably leave my due date as is but if they did my due date would be April 15th instead of April 19th.  I had cholestasis with Harlow.  The perinatologist said that I have about a 50% chance of getting that again (but also a 50% chance on NOT getting it again :) Here's for being positive!)  If I am induced around 38 weeks we just might have an April 1st baby...I told Nathan that if that was the case we really would have holiday babies. (Harlow's birthday is Valentine's Day) 

To answer the question I've got in every conversation I've had today, No, we haven't really come down to any conclusions about names yet...not even good solid ideas.  We weren't sure about Harlow Whitley Andersen until we were in the hospital so...I will say that we like unique names ((maybe better said is uncommon names...you know, since Elizabeth and Nathan and Andersen are all kinda hurting for originality :) ))

So come April, Harlow will be getting a little BROTHER!! Nathan will have his two little buddies! Can you imagine it!?  He was almost giddy as we took him back to BYU.  "I'm gonna take them hunting with me...me and my boys!"  He also said that he doesn't have any more preference about what we get, we could have all boys, all girls, a mix, whatever - He's got his boys!

Cereal and Yogurt

This is what breakfast looks like in our home recently.  Plopping down right on the kitchen floor and insisting on feeding ourselves!  I usually don't dress Harlow until we've already had breakfast.  But the mornings that I forget (like this one) and I dress him and then we eat breakfast...he looks like he's already gone through a whole days worth of activities.  Haha, and the shoes, two sizes too big but he was pretty adamant  I put those exact ones on and you know, some battles just aren't worth the stress.

I am not sure why, probably just an age thing but Harlow's been a bug to get to eat these past few months.  Sometimes he does really well and others I feel like I can't get him to eat/drink anything except milk - You can't just live on Milk Harlow Bud! - he doesn't get it when I tell him this, of course...

Really, it's probably me.  I need to plan out his meals better and have healthy snacks on hand or sandwiches already made.  That way I am not scrambling when he gets hungry and I can't get something together fast enough and he get fussy and then doesn't want to even try anything.

First Snow of the Year!

 We woke this morning to snow and lots of it!  As soon as Harlow saw it through the window we got so excited he could hardly contain himself!  "Snow, Snow, Snow!"  He wanted to stand by the window all morning and watch it come down.  When I took him in his room to get dressed he pointed to his snow suit all on his own and insisted I put him in it...how does he even remember what that thing was for?! "Zip, Zip" He followed me around until I zipped it up and then took my hand and led me to the door.  Nathan and I pulled on some snow clothes and joined our very excited son in some snow time.  Harlow was excited to see his foot prints and trails that he made.  He loved eating the snow balls I gave him, "Yummy" he'd say.

Two days ago it was gorgeous weather, You wouldn't have guessed that we'd wake up this morning to a literal Winter Wonderland!  It is so beautiful and I've just felt like singing "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas" all day.

Amazing how quickly the temperature has dropped.  It has been near -20° and sits "normally" at 0° - CRAZY COLD HERE!

 Harlow had to bring his balloons out in the snow with him when we went out a second time.   It was fine at first because there was no wind.  He took the balloons and threw them up in the air and they'd come floating back down right beside him.  But when the wind picked up off went the balloons!  Harlow tried to chase them but tripped and fell face first in a pile of snow.  Did he cry, Yes, but was his face had snow stuck to it or was it because he had snow all down the collar of his snowsuit? No.  It was because his balloons were now half way across the neighbors yard blowing further and further away every second.  So Mom had to become her superhero-self and took off across the untouched snow field to capture the escaped balloons.  

Successful transformation Mommy!

And of course what's better than snow?  Pulling your bike out and hardly being able to ride it in the snow!  Put him in this plush, slippery snowsuit on top of that and what you actually get is one sincerely happy child! 

Getting all suited up for snow play - the wet, dirty mess you get when you all go back inside - not to mention the explosion of snow clothes that now cover the entryway...I'm sure glad snow it fun, because it's a lot of work