Shame on me!

Shame on me, big time! I'm beyond embarrassed to see that i have not posted here in over a year and 4 months. Not to make excuses but I kept thinking I'd have a day where I could go back and catch up on everything but that day never came and more stuff kept happening and my catch up pile kept growing and growing and.... whew! I finially just decided to pick up where we are and maybe I can catch up as I go. If nothing else, I won't be getting any farther behind... right?
So, brief catch up - Cole is now a bit over 2 years old and as cute and smart as ever. He's a talking machine and has a sense of humor that could make even the most angry person bust a gut with laughter. Wyatt and I are amazed on a daily basis by him.

The other big news and the reason I kicked my butt to get back on here is.... we're having another baby!! We are 20 weeks along (I know, shame on me... again) and we found out a few weeks ago that it is another boy! :) We are thrilled and it's been fun watching Cole grasp the idea of having a baby around the house.

So, with that quick update, I thought we'd jump right into the 20 week pregancy survey. I'm kicking myself for not starting this earlier because it's be fun to look back at what I wrote while pregnant with Cole. Anywho, here we go:

How far along are you?: 20w 1d
Total weight gain: 1 lb (lost a little bit during the 1st Trimester since I didn't feel so hot)
How big is baby?: The size of a catalope! 10 inches from head to heel.
Maternity clothes: Definitely in Maternity pants but I've been able to squeeze into a few non-maternity tops still. I took myself on a nice maternity clothes shopping spree yesterday thanks to Christmas gift cards. :)
Stretch marks?: No new ones.
Sleep?: Honestly, I'm sleeping great. The problem is that I want to sleep all the time. Even after I get a full night's sleep I want to nap by 11am.
Best moment this week?: My mom was able to feel Nugget kick on Christmas! We also took Cole with us to our check up on Wednesday and he got to hear the heartbeat. He's been going around telling everybody, "Baby goes BOOM BOOM!!" It's so cute! Oh, and he turns his little mini-flashlight on and points it at my belly so he can "see" the baby. He chased our cat around the kitchen with the flashlight last night yelling, "JAKE!! Lemme see your belly!!" LOL.
Movement?: Oh yes. Just to catch up - I first felt him move on Thanksgiving Day. Wyatt felt him move around 19 weeks and now he just a rocking and a rolling machine. I feel like we've been able to feel him a lot faster than we were able to with Cole. I knew I'd feel him sooner because I'd know what to expect but I didn't think Wyatt and my mom would be able to feel him so soon. It makes me really happy.
Food cravings?: Not really. I've really been into salads which is not typical for me. I have been on a bit of a sugar kick though - I need to quit that though!
Food aversions?: Chicken and I have a love/hate relationship going on right now. Sometimes I have to have it and sometimes the thought of it makes me icky. Other than that I'm pretty good. If I go to long without eating though I get really icky feeling.
Labor signs?: No & let's keep it that way.
Belly button in or out?: Oh it's out and has been out for a while now. It's not so much like a solid, I'm out there because there is nowhere else for me to be. It's more like it has given up. Like it's thinking, "hmm, I'm getting pushed a little bit here and if I remember correctly, last time I lost... badly. Whatever, I'll just let go now." Cole thinks its a super fun button to push. He and his cousin Addison had a great time pushing my "button" the other day and making a "BEEP" noise when they did it. It had them in stitches!
What I miss: Beer. I didn't really miss it during my first pregnancy but oh how I have missed it this go round.
What I'm looking forward to: Getting started on Cole's big boy room
Milestone: Nothing huge this week. I've been off from work the whole week so it's going to be tough getting back into the swing of things next week.
Here's a recent shot of our sweet Cole baby. Isn't he squishable?!?

Do Fun Stuff!!!

So today is a big day. Back when I was first pregnant I found this blog called Pacing the Panic Room. I followed Ryan and his wife, Cole, through their pregnancy thanks to his incredible "Maternity Series". I have continued to follow his blog because he is hilarious and extremely talented and I just like his family. Creepy, I know. I don't know him or his family but I feel like I do. Anywho, his stepson who they call LB (Littlest Buddy) was diagnosed with Smith Magenis Syndrome and they have been doing the best they can to learn what that means and how to best help LB. This is not a well known condition so the information has been scarce and the caregiver how to book has yet to be written. So, in true Pacing the Panic Room style, Ryan took matters into his own hands and put together an album to raise money for SMS research. I signed up over 6 months ago to join in a social networking tidal wave to promote this album and to build hope for this family and others. Please check it out and download the album. You'll love it. It's for kids, yes. But it's for parents too. It's kids' music that parents will love. Or parents' music that kids will love. It's hard to say. My point is, it's for your kids and for you AND for a good cause! So Do Fun Stuff!!

Want to learn more about this family and this plan? Go to pacingthepanicroom.blogspot.com

Do you want to join this social networking tidal wave and add this super cute green monster widget to your blog? Go to www.dofunstuff.net or click "Share this widget" on the monster above for the code.The album's available to buy on itunes, right now. So do it. Seriously, buy it. Go.

Happy Birthday!!!

Here is our version of a "low key" party for Cole's 1st Birthday. A great time was had by all... especially the birthday boy! Please take a deep breath before scrolling; there are a LOT of pictures! :)

In case you would like to recreate this fantastic event for yourself... here's a list of my vendors.

VENDORS:

- Favor baskets & dishes from the dollar tree

- Colored paper for circles and pinwheels from AC Moore

- Signs, labels, cupcake toppers - created by me, punched and stuck by Chris, Phoebe & mom

- Pinwheels by Mom & Phoebe

- Food by me & my MIL, Linda

- Duck cake by Phoebe!

- Bday shirt from Target

- Precious children provided by Me & Wyatt, Brandon & Jen, Dave & Kristi, Monica & Doug

- Fire Truck from Uncle John

- House full of great gifts provided by awesome family and friends

- Happy 1 year old passed out on the couch from a great day with the people that love him the most

It's happened...

Our precious little baby boy...

has become a walking, talking 1 year old!

Happy Birthday my sweet baby. Even when you are taller than me, you'll still be my baby boy.

I love you to the moon and back.

Oh, and on a side note... how hot is my husband?!? :) tee hee

Wordless Wednesday

Hey Fred! Good to see ya!

Cole baby has four, count 'em, 4 teeth!! This is such a huge deal and we are so proud of him and his new friends. These friends have played such a big part of these last few months I can't believe I have not given them any glory. So, without further adieu (yep, had to google that one), I give you....... {Drumroll} ........

Sh*t, I can't come up with a clever tooth title that works... whatever, here's the scoop-

Gus, his first tooth came in on April 3rd. Gus was an easy going kind of tooth; he didn't really give us any trouble. Felix, tooth #2 came through just 3 days later. Being the younger tooth, Felix was a bit more needy but nothing a teething ring couldn't handle. Now Ethel, she was a sneaky little thing. We had no idea she was coming and then, BAM, May 25th she standing at the door with her luggage asking, "Hey folks, where's my room?" So sneaky and polite, we welcomed her in and celebrated her presence... up until the day that she and Gus teamed up to bite the ever living whooodiddy out of my finger. Lesson learned, Ethel. You don't play. Got it. And now we have Fred. Oh Fred. Fred reminds me of the time that the crazy witch lady from down the street busted into our house because her dogs had gotten off the leash. Apparently the only way to get them back on the leash was to bring them into our living room. Oh yeah, she's a crazy one and she got us all fired up and she stepped on my toe with her stiletto!! (Ok, so she's older than dirt so it was probably a very supportive wide rubber heel but whatever, it hurt.) Wow, ADD anyone?? My point about Fred and the crazy witch lady is... I forget. Whatever. Fred was a brute - he gave Cole baby some serious trouble. He ran a fever, was super fussy, couldn't sleep, didn't really eat, just not a very nice entrance. Oh yeah, that was my point with the crazy witch lady!!! Rude entrances. Anywho - Fred finally broke through on June 23rd and Cole threw a welcome party for all 4 of them by biting the ever living whooodiddy out of his own tongue. Poor guy.

So there's the story of {insert clever/cute title here}. I hope you enjoyed it.

OH! Gus and Felix are the 2 middle bottom teeth. Fred and Ethel are the two top middle teeth! I'll post pictures tomorrow.

Love to all,

Wordless Wednesday x 2

Pinky wiggle...

When I was younger I played soccer and I was a total drama queen. (Now that I'm older, I play volleyball and I'm totally level headed)
When I would get fouled I would make a huge spectacle of it, flail my arms, scream and then fall to the ground and not move a muscle. Not a single muscle. It always worked. I got the call every time and I got a few minutes to rest and catch my breath. Most of the time, I was not injured or at least not injured badly but that didn't matter. The not moving part was the crucial element.
One day after a game my mom said, "Catron, the next time that you pull a Pele and fall down, just do me one little favor. Move something, an arm, your hand, wiggle your fingers, wiggle you PINKY finger even. Just move something so that I know that you aren't dead!! Is that a deal?"

So, here I am, wiggling my pinky so that you will know that I am still around.

P.S. I just realized that I'm not 100% sure whether pinky is spelled "pinkie" or "pinky" - FYI, Wikipedia says that it is "pinky" in American English and "pinkie" in Scottish English.

I am going to do my best to get back up to speed on here. If for no other reason that to document the rock star that is my son.

I hope you all have a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend.

Hi! We are back!!

Where'd we go you ask? Nowhere. I just fell off the face of the earth. Again.
While I was gone Cole flew through his 7th month and has somehow managed to become to cuter and more amazing. I know, I didn't think it was possible either.
He is sitting up all on his own - doing the tripod thing - wanting to crawl some kind of bad - he rolls all over the place - he HAS rolls all over the place - he is a talking machine - he's eating baby food twice a day - still no teeth but I think we are working on some - he says "dada" all the time - he doesn't say "mama" but he hugs my neck and kisses my face - he's wearing 9 month clothing and size 3 diapers - still sleeping through the night - he could out jump a kangaroo - his laugh is the most joyful noise - he crinkles his nose when he smiles really big - he's got the best smile - he still lights up like a lightbulb when he sees his daddy - now he lights up like a lightbulb when he sees me too - he does the army crawl, he can only go backwards though - he rocks/dances to music - he loves to bang on the table - he loves the dogs and laughs out loud when they bark - His favorite song is Hey, Soul Sister by Train.
Here he is in all of his preciousness -