Park

The park we normally go to is covered with hard snow/ice so we decided to come visit another one today.  (We had to get out of the house, we were both having cabin fever...you know those days in the winter time.  I really do feel like a hermit.  I want it to be spring.)  

We played on the playground then ran out in the field.  There was dog poop everywhere.  Harlow said "Poo Poo!  Yucky!"and was pointing at all of them.  We are still working at potty training so this was a big deal to him.  I told him that doggies poop on the ground and that's yucky.  WE still go poo poo on the toilet!  Then he wanted to clean them all up...ummm nope, sorry kiddo!  (*I will say that I am thankful for Harlow's example of wanting to clean and pick up trash and make this world a more beautiful place.  I need to bring a little bag with us more often so we can make our little bit of a difference.  Children can teach us such beautiful and simple lessons, if only we let them.)

Fort Fun

 Today Harlow and I made our first fort!  We pulled the chairs in my room together, draped them with blankets and had a blast pretending to be Lions.  It was fun to see him start using his imagination to "eat" the food.  We cuddled up and nuzzled in true lion style, he even started giving me Lion Kisses by licking me.  I was cracking up and you could tell that he enjoyed making me laugh.  It is so fun to have a little boy and buddy.  He makes my world such a fun place and makes life into an adventure.  I can't imagine my life without him and there is no place I'd rather be!  Being a Mom is incredible!

27 - almost to the 3rd Trimester :)

 6 Months Pregnant, 3 Months To Go

So excited to hold this little man.  I've gotten the baby's clothes out and into the drawers - Yes, can you tell I'm a little excited about this!  I went through the clothes and I think we'll be covered with everything.  So nice to have another little boy, I already have everything.  There will be a few differences with seasons and sizing of clothes but I think the clothes we have should work out fine.  And Thanks to Syd Whipple (Nathan's cousin) who introduced Fels-Naptha the clothes are still on great shape, only a few had stains on them when I pulled them back out.  Plus, people have been so extremely generous with hand-me-down's!  THANK YOU EVERYONE!!  Such a tremendous blessing!

The boys room has been moved around and everything is finding its place.  Harlow will stay in his crib at least until the baby comes, I've decided, there's no rush when he & I love it so much.  But the toddler bed is up and ready for him so he can get use to it being there.  

I feel like Harlow is becoming a little more attached to his Daddy which is fun to see & nice to know, with the baby coming in a few months.  Glad to see that he loves being with Nathan and doesn't always have to be with Mommy, because I am sure there will be many times that Harlow and Daddy will be hanging out together, doing "buddy" and manly men stuff :)

Braxton Hicks are becoming a good friend of mine, we spend quite a bit of time together.  With the early menstrual-like cramping and now the braxton hicks cramping I haven't been able to exercise nearly as often as I'd like, nor as I did with Harlow.  But for my sanity and baby's health we're just needing to take things a little easier this time around and I'm okay with that (most of the time - not gonna lie, some time's it hard, but I know it's for the best).  The Braxton Hicks usually don't hurt but they catch my attention, whereas with Harlow I'm not even sure I had any...I do get them fairly often in my lower back, along with the all-over abdomen and lower abdomen ones.  I am taking them as happy signs that my body knows what it is doing and is starting to prepare for what God made it to do - birth this beautiful miracle.  (*When I got induced with Harlow I worried that I would never get the chance to go into labor on my own or that maybe my body would never get the chance to learn it.  Maybe it sounds dumb but I am grateful that I had the miscarriage in regards that I let my body do it's own thing and It Did It, it knew what to do.  I know that my body does know what to do.  And because of the miscarriage it's had a chance to practice it, on its own, without pitocin.  I think it will help with this delivery.  So the Braxton Hicks are a good sign for me :) as long as they stay just braxton hicks and not preterm labor, yikes, which also can happen with cholestasis...crossing our fingers that I just don't have that problem this time.) 

Baby is wiggly.  Feeling the baby move is probably my favorite part of being pregnant (but I also just love looking pregnant, big belly and all! Call me crazy but I think it is so fun!!)  This pregnancy there have been times when the baby moves and it makes me feel like I am on a roller coaster, almost making me a tad bit sick and definitely feeling those roller coaster flutters.  He's still so little that I can't feel what part of his body is pressing into my side, but that will come.  I loved touching Harlow's little foot when it'd get pressed into my side...like as if he was in my arms and I was rubbing his real feet.  Nathan asks fairly often what it feels like to have a baby move inside of you and honestly, it's almost surreal and totally hard to explain.  But one way that I think is really accurate is to think about when you've gone fishing or caught a fish.  The second that fish comes out of the water and you told it in your hands (it has to still be very wet to understand the sensation) and the fish wiggles its slippery body in your hands.  or better yet, if you were to put a fish in a small bucket of water, put your hands in with it and feel is slide around between your hands.  That's what the baby's big movements or somersaults feel like.  Like the baby has just slipped around, like the fish, in your belly. The kicks...I don't know how to explain those, but I love them and they make me smile!

No itching yet! Yippee!!  But the pain in my bottom right rib is getting worse.  It is nerve or muscle related because it is on the outside of my ribcage.  If it was liver related it would be an internal pain.  So I'll be grateful it's not that!  But really that's the only thing I can complain about, life is truly wonderful and I am enjoying this pregnancy!  So excited for another little boy!  So excited for our growing family!  So excited for mine and the baby's health so far!   So excited I have this growing belly!

US Synthetic

We just got it all finalized, Nathan is being hired on full-time at US Synthetic!!

We are super excited about this; what a huge blessing!  Nathan has really enjoyed working here as a part-time 'Student Engineer,' but as of today he is hired on full-time with benefits available to him, Harlow and I!  This is an answer to prayers, literally and we are so grateful. 

Little Harvard

Harlow is starting a little preschool group called Little Harvard with some friends in our ward.  He is the youngest in there but I think he'll do well.  Mom and Harlow get to sit and work on things together, like today we sang the alphabet song and worked on the first letter of his name - H.  We made the H with dots, then traced them with different colored crayons.  Next we put M&M's on the dots.  Harlow put every other M&M in his mouth :)  The kids ate their M&M treat and then we glued on puff balls on the dots.  Multiple tracing activities - great.  We have this card in his room and we talk about it "That's an H, H for Harlow," with the sound.  He's getting it.  Last we drew roads on a big piece of paper  and had the kids drive their cars on them, another tracing/tracking activity that's great to help with their writing skills.

My Boys

Oh I love my boys and am so excited to have another scallywag on his way to our famiy!

We had a movie night and Harlow conked out on Daddy's lap.  I love family time, late night talks, cuddling up on the couch to watch a show, family dinner, games, tickle time...I am so blessed!!

Bailey's Birthday Party

 

For Bailey's 4th Birthday she wanted a Luau.  Harlow got to wear a skirt and lea... All these little birthday parties will sure have him ready for his birthday.  He knows and sings the birthday song and knows that presents and balloons come along with the birthday fun...his birthday will be fun this year because he'll actually kinda understand what's happening.  My little Harlito will be 2 next month, I can hardly believe that!  

We love the Johnson's and cute little Bailey is just a doll - glad and grateful to have them as such great friends

Thanks Monique

5 hand-sized Tractors

4 awesome dinosaurs...remember a year ago when Harlow was scared of dinosaurs?  He loves them now

Giving kisses to his new dinosaur friends

New Clothes

"Broken" is what he kept saying about the car shirt :) it made me smile

Trying to Figure out the New Room...

I was going to put the toddler bed where the desk is here in the last picture but Nathan had an idea to keep the desk there and put the bed next to it, where it will come out into the room.  I think I like this idea.  We'll have to see how it looks/feels  when its actually in there.  But it should still give us enough room to easily get into the drawers on the other side of his bed. 

When do you move a toddler from his crib into a big boy bed?  I am torn.  Harlow has never tried to get out of his crib yet, which I love.  In the mornings I'll hear him playing in his bed and when he finally wants to get out he'll call out for me or start crying.  I like that I put him in at night and he stays in.  He can't come into our bed in the middle of the night, escape at bed/nap time.  I really like all these wonderful things.  Some reasons to move him over would be that when he was done with his nap he can get up and come down stairs to me when he's ready and I don't have to go get him.  He waiting for a few minutes to go pee-pee after he wakes up but sometimes I don't get to him fast enough and he'll just go in his diaper.  Maybe if he could get out of bed on his own he'd go pee-pee in the toilet on his own, or come get me and we could go together....maybe that wouldn't happen for a while but I can always dream can't I...

I've heard a baby coming can be a hard adjustment for the older kid.  Getting "Kicked Out" of his bed is only one of those things.  (*today I was getting baby clothes out and putting the newborn stuff in the baby's dresser and Harlow found one with cars on it and wanted to put it on and was so upset that it wouldn't go on...I had to laugh, until he started stretching it out and biting/pulling it.  "That's for the baby" wasn't clicking for him)  So when do you move the older one over?  Before the baby is born?  After the baby is born and a month or so before you're ready for the new baby to be out of your room and into the crib?

I think I will keep Harlow in his crib as long as I can.  He loves it, but he loves nearly everything and I think he'll love the new bed too...I guess it comes down to what Mommy wants right now and Mommy sure likes him in his crib :)  but I do want this adjustment to go over well....us Mom's can wonder and fret all we want can't we, and it doesn't really seem to do much

Cheese Sandwich

This boy loves him some cheese sandwiches.  I slip a piece of ham in there on wheat bread so it's a little more healthy.  I'm just glad he'll actually eat something.  

"Eat your cheese sandwich Harlow" - wait, isn't this what you say to a big kiddo?  Holy Cow, my little man is growing up!

Happy New Year

New Years Eve at the Quarry with the Knapp gang. 

-Harlow's first Piñata & Rock Climbing adventures