ABC's of Me

I saw this on Kristy's blog and thought I'd join in since it's 10pm on Friday night and I'm doing nothing but sitting here and waiting to go into labor! :)


A - Age: 28

B - Bed Size: King

C - Chore you hate: Laundry, laundry & more laundry

D - Dog's name: Lucy

E - Essential start your day item: Something with caffeine!

F - Favorite color : I've noticed recently that most of my clothes are pink but I never would have said that was my favorite color if asked.  Apparently that's what I'm drawn to though.

G - Gold or Silver: Silver most of the time

H - Height: 4'10"

I - Instruments you play(ed): I played piano for several years when I was younger.  I can still play a mean chop-stix!

J - Job title: Mommy, Wife, Chef, Maid, Playmate

K - Kid(s): 1 with another on the way any day now!

L - Living arrangements: Living with my 2 (almost 3) boys at our home in Greenville, SC

M - Mom's name: Susan

N - Nicknames: Jeni, Jen, Mama and/or Mamba

O - Overnight hospital:  1 night for my appendectomy a few years ago and 3 nights when Austin was born...anticipating another one here shortly!

P - Pet Peeve: Bad grammar...especially when people confuse the words lose and loose, gah!

Q - Quote from a movie:  I've never been one of those people who can remember movie quotes...

R - Right or left handed: Right

S - Siblings: Younger sister, Catherine

T - Time you wake up: Whenever Austin calls, usually between 7-8 am

U- Underwear: I wear 'em

V - Vegetable you dislike:  Tomatoes, mushrooms, olives (Update:  Ryan just informed me that none of these are technically vegetables....so while these are all foods I do certainly dislike, my least favorite actual vegetable is probably cauliflower)

W - Ways you run late: I could blame it on Austin, but usually it's because I procrastinate and don't start getting ready early enough...

X - X-rays you've had: Broken hand in high school, sprained ankles in high school and this past December and of course my teeth at the dentist office

Y - Yummy food you make: Banana pudding, nachos, mac & cheese

Z - Zoo favorite? Elephants & tigers

Wagon Rides & Playground Fun

No Baby Yet...

Well, I'll be 40 weeks tomorrow and still no baby...

Nothing had changed as of my doctor's appointment Monday, which was a little disheartening, but I just KNEW he would be here by at least today.  I was wrong....again....and I'm starting to see a pattern here....

Today and Thursday have been really rough for some reason which makes me think that baby will be here soon, but then again I'm starting to feel like I might just be pregnant forever.

Just in case I am right and this baby has no intentions of ever leaving....the doctors (and myself) have decided to evict him next Tuesday regardless.  Doesn't he know that there are tons of people out here just dying to meet him?

Anyway, it's been a pretty laid back week around here.  A lot of dinners out to get spicy food, several walks around the neighborhood, a few bumpy car rides and a bunch of trips up and down the stairs.

Tonight we've already got plans for Mexican and a walk to the playground...and hopefully some baby news before the end of the weekend (but don't get your hopes up).

In case you were wondering...

Yes, I'm still pregnant.

And even though you probably don't want to hear it, I need to take a moment to vent...

I am SOOOO ready for this little guy to make his appearance and be DONE with pregnancy for a looooong time (possibly for good)?

I haven't slept more than an hour at a time in the past 4  weeks.  I wake up several times a night, even in the middle of vivid dreams, because my shoulders and hips fall asleep and start hurting like crazy from lying on my side.  Sometimes I just have to lie on my back to give both sides a break, but then I sacrifice breathing, start gasping for air and feel like my lungs are collapsing.  I'm really not sure which is worse...

When I don't wake up because my body is screaming at me in pain, I wake up because I have a 7-8 lb. baby pushing on my bladder at all times and can't go more than 2 hours without having to run to the bathroom.  Oh yeah, I also just started getting this terrible heartburn at night which is absolutely miserable.  I've never dealt with heartburn before but I finally understand what all the complaining is about!!

Since I'm probably not going to sleep more than 2-3 hours at a time for the next 4 months due to around the clock feedings, imagine how stressful it is to not be able to sleep when I have nothing but my own body to blame for it.  Uhh, so frustrating!

Some other things that should come as natural as sleeping, like moving/sitting/standing/driving, have become increasingly difficult as well.  I'm convinced that my 4'10" frame just wasn't built to carry a baby past 35 weeks.  I think my body knew this and that's why I was having pre-term labor contractions a few weeks ago.  For baby's sake, I'm glad they stopped it, but that's all I'll say about that...

So, yeah, the happy, carefree, glowing stage of pregnancy is WAY over.  I'm not exactly sure I ever really went through that stage, but I'm certainly in the "beyond miserable" stage at the moment.

And have I mentioned how my husband, whom I love dearly, just doesn't understand any of this?  He tries his hardest, bless his heart, but he's just not the type of person who can empathize, especially when it comes to "women things" like hormones and pregnancy.  The other man in my life (Austin) doesn't quite get it either.  He still thinks it's funny to kick mommy in the belly while fighting diaper changes, climb all over me like a jungle gym and hurl books, balls and other toys at me from a close distance.  I don't blame him though, sometimes I think he has to do it to get my attention and knock me out of this sleep deprived pregnancy stupor I fall into at random times throughout the day.

There are many, many other less than blog-worthy symptoms that come along with being 9 months pregnant that I just won't go into so as to not scare anyone away from trying to get pregnant.  If you really want to know or you're currently pregnant and want to know about those things that no one really talks about....shoot me an e-mail and I'll be glad to fill you in!

So there ya have it, my 39 week 1 day "why am I still pregnant" vent.  Sorry for all the complaining.

If this baby doesn't get here before May 1st (my actual due date), not only will I cry, but I will be begging my doctor to induce on the 4th.  I'm counting on the full moon this Wednesday though to hurry things along.

So friends, please pray that I will get to meet my newest addition sooner than later, not only for my sake, but for the sake of my husband and son who are only one small hormone fluctuation away from being caught in the middle of an angry pregnancy induced rage!

Pasta anyone?

The Hives

They went away briefly yesterday after his 1st dose of medicine, but they were back this morning in full force.  Scary looking, huh?!

Today, I was one of THOSE moms...

Austin woke up this morning with what looked like several mosquito bites on his right cheek.  I put some hydrocortizone on them and didn't think much of it since we have seen a lot of those little buggars around here lately.  Over the course of the morning, though, more "mosquito bites" started to appear and on several different parts of his body.  By noon, the entire left side of his face was red and swollen and I began to freak out.

He wasn't acting like anything was bothering him so I put in an emergency call to the pediatrician's office hoping to talk to a nurse.  Of course it was lunch time and they said they'd have to have someone call me back in a few minutes.  I waited about 3 minutes, took one last look at the red swollen spots on Austin's face, packed him in the car and headed down the road anyway.

We got to our doctor's office at 12:30, which is when they close for lunch, but the doors were open and a receptionist was at her desk.  I barged in scared and frazzled with my red, swollen baby in tow and the wonderful, wonderful people at Parkside were more than happy to help this terrified mom.  Of course all the medical staff were in a meeting, but the receptionist found Dr. M and told him the situation.  As long as Austin wasn't having trouble breathing, he said, I shouldn't be too worried and even though his next appointment wasn't until 2:30 that afternoon, he'd take a few minutes before he started back on his rounds to see us.  Have I mentioned how much I LOVE our pediatrician???

A few minutes later we were back in the exam room and as I took off Austin's shirt I noticed several more patches of these red, swollen bumps had popped up.  Dr. M was in shortly and those bumps finally got a name....hives!  Ok, so nothing terribly serious and certainly nothing which warranted our kind doctor giving up part of his lunch break to diagnose, but I swear those things were really really scary looking!!!

We don't know what's causing the hives, either something he ate, a virus or even a bug bite maybe....but for the 3rd time in the past 2 weeks we were back at CVS picking up a prescription....the only 3 prescriptions he's ever needed and all within days of each other!

So, we made it 18 months without anything more than a runny nose and all of a sudden wham, bam, ear infections and hives!  Maybe when these things clear up, however, we'll have another 18 months of wellness ahead of us.  We can only hope!

With that, I leave you with a sweet, sweet sight.  My precious little boy, infected ears, hives and all, but still sleeping peacefully in his crib.  And in case you're wondering, still totally loving the video monitor!!

Austin's 18 Month Visit

We had a fabulous visit with the Pediatrician yesterday for Austin's 18 month well check up.  He's still in the 90th percentiles for weight, height and head size and is surely taking after his daddy right there!  The nurses got a chuckle out of watching me tote him into the exam room since he's already over half my size and not even 2 yet!!  (I just did the math and he really is 60% of my height already at 18 months!)

Dr. M was very pleased with Austin's development both physically and cognitively.  Austin showed off his climbing skills, recited a few of his ABC's and colors and even made some animal noises during the visit.  He certainly was not asked to perform but did so anyway just to show off a bit I think. :-)

Before we left Austin jumped off the table and into the doctors arms and gave him a squeeze.  Dr. M even called him one of his favorite patients!!  Usually I would think that a doctor who said that was just being nice, but I truly believe that Dr. M loves Austin and enjoys seeing him every time we come in.  I honestly couldn't be happier with our pediatrician and would highly suggest him to any other mommy in the Greenville area!

The only bad news we got out of the visit was that Austin's ear infection still hasn't completely cleared up so we got a prescription for a stronger antibiotic to make sure that nasty infection has hit the road before baby brother comes along.  His ears don't seem to bother him one bit though and we were told we didn't have to completely finish the antibiotic if we didn't want to.  I was very pleased to hear this because I know that repeatedly giving children antibiotics can make them build up a resistance and I hate giving him medicine for something that doesn't even seem to bother him.

At the end of our visit there were 2 shots.  I sat Austin on my lap in front of the mirror and handed him a sucker.  The 2 nurses got on either side of him and jabbed those two needles in and out of his thighs as fast as they could.  HE DIDN'T EVEN NOTICE!!  Not a sound, not a tear, not even a flinch was made.  I was truly shocked and thrilled and confused all at the same time.  We were home before he even noticed the band-aids on his legs and of course immediately ripped them off.

What a tough little man I've got!!

Quick Update + Baby Legs!

Sorry, nothing that exciting to report but a bit of good news...for me at least!  Nothing has really changed much as far as dilation and effacement go, still 2 cm and about 60%, but the ultrasound revealed that baby isn't quite as big as we've been expecting!!  They predict him to weigh about 7.5 lbs. right now and ultrasounds are famous for overestimating.  He's only gained a little over a pound in a month so we're no longer that concerned about him getting too big.

With that news, we've cancelled plans to induce on the 27th and hope that he decides to come on his own when he's good and ready!!!    That's been my ideal scenario since the beginning but I was so worried about him getting too big and dreaded a c-section much more than an induction.

While I certainly don't want to go past 40 weeks and would be willing to schedule an induction if it got to that point, I just love the surprise of going into labor on my own, feeling those early contractions and saying "I think this is it!!"  I've also heard so many induction horror stories when labor is basically forced on someone who's body (and baby) just isn't ready and I'd certainly like to avoid that if possible!

So, maybe he won't be here as early as I thought....or I could go into labor at any moment, but I finally feel ready and prepared and I no longer feel like I'm in such a hurry because I'm no longer terrified of trying to push out a giant baby!!  I do want him here as soon as possible but I know he'll make his appearance when he's ready.

Now it's just time to sit back and wait!

Any guesses on when baby H will make his debut?  I've got a pair of BabyLegs for the person who's got the closest guess!  Just leave me a comment with your predicted date and time!

I'll go ahead and predict he'll be here Friday, April 23rd at 11:03pm.  Wishful thinking?  You betcha!

And for those obsessed with my growing belly...I finally took a picture!  It was a last minute thing before I walked out the door this morning for my appointment and I made a horrible face...so I cropped it out...but I'm sure you're more interested in the belly than my face anyhow so I guess I'll post it.  So, this is my belly at 38 weeks!

Last Weekend as a Family of 3?

When we weren't busy using our weekend to finish projects around the house and get it good and ready for a new baby, we were busy spoiling our current only child on what might be his last weekend as such.

Friday afternoon we pulled Austin around the neighborhood in his wagon and made a stop at the playground for an impromptu playdate with some of our neighbors and their children.  Austin played so hard that he barely made it into his crib with both eyes open.

Saturday was another adventure as Austin "helped" mommy and daddy get the upstairs TV room/playroom ready and 3 out of the 4 other 2nd level rooms cleaned, organized and disinfected.  As for the 4th room....it is now a bigger mess than ever, but at least it allowed us to get the other rooms usable and clutter-free!  We'll tackle that on another day...

Saturday night was a fun family dinner out at one of Austin's favorite restaurants, Olive Garden.  He can't get enough of those breadsticks!!

Sunday morning my sweet, sweet husband let me sleep in until 10am!!  I don't know when the next time I'll get to do that is, so I was very happy to take advantage of the offer.  That afternoon we headed out to another of Austin's favorites, Monkey Joes!  He had a ball, as usual, and we had almost as much fun just watching him enjoy himself.  A nice man gave him a balloon which was probably the highlight of the afternoon...that is until he got distracted by a bucket of chalk and chalk board and let his balloon float to the ceiling without even noticing.  I told you my boy loved to color!!

We finished our weekend with a stop at Cold Stone Creamery for some strawberry ice cream and window shopping.  The weather was perfect and it was a perfect end to our perfect weekend!

Tomorrow is a busy day as I've got what should be my last OB appointment and a very important ultrasound to determine just how big baby H has gotten in these past 38 weeks.  Austin also has his 18 month well baby visit!  So look out for a few more fun blog posts tomorrow evening.  For now I'll leave you with a few cute pictures of Austin this afternoon at Monkey Joe's!

Not so sure about the horsey ride...

And he's off...

Daddy helping him down the first big slide!

This place is a wonderland for kids who like to climb and for moms who are terrified of hard falls...

There's nothing like landing face first on a soft cushion of air!

Austin and a very helpful friend assisting him down the slide that daddy couldn't quite make it through! :-)

"Forget the jumping and sliding...I've got a balloon!!"

Pointing out the 'A' on the floor!

I'm thinking we might make a wall in our house out of chalkboard.  He loved this!

Austin and daddy coming down the big, winding slide!

Mommy was restricted to cheering on the sidelines due to the safety rules.

A chair to rest in and a refreshing sippy cup of juice after a hard afternoon of play!!

Half Birthday!!

Austin turned 18 months old this week.  We're halfway to 2 and I can't believe it!  So many new and fun things have come with 18 months, so here are 18 facts about 18 months:

-Austin LOVES to color.  He has to be supervised at all times while he has a crayon in hand though because in addition to coloring books and plain white paper, he also likes to color on carpet, furniture, bath tubs and his books (the non-coloring ones)!

-He's learning and saying new words daily and occasionally will put 2 together to try and get his point across.  "Go" is his favorite word (surprise, surprise) and mommy and daddy are totally thrilled that he's learned to say "please" and "thank you."

-A ball is still by far his favorite thing to play with.

-He's fascinated by letters and their sounds.  He can say and recognize most letters now and the sounds they make.  He constantly points out letters when he sees them on signs and in his books with A, B, D, L, M, O and R being his favorites.  He also knows most numbers from 1-10 but puts the biggest emphasis on the number 8 for some reason.

-When Austin is hungry he climbs in his high chair, sits and waits.  I love it!

-Meal time is still a constant daily challenge, however.  He likes to eat but has a hard time giving new things a try.  He also likes to throw food at us if he's not interested in eating it.  He hit me square in the face with a chicken nugget the other day and as annoyed and frustrated as I was with his display of bad manners, I could barely keep from busting out laughing!

-Anytime he hears the word spider or sees a picture of a spider, he starts doing the motions from the Itsy Bitsy Spider song. :-)

-Austin is quite the loud mouth!  It's kind of funny since Ryan and I both tend to be on the quiet side, but our little guy has got some lungs and loves to show them off!

-Anything round is either an "O," a girkle (circle), or a ball.

-Austin loves to ride outside in his wagon and it's about the only place where he will sit still for an extended period of time.

-He just recently learned to jump with both feet off the ground and likes to "spinny, spinny" until he gets dizzy and falls down.

-He sleeps from about 8:30 pm until 7:30 am and takes a 2-3 hour nap each afternoon.  Sometimes his naps are shorter or longer but he NEVER misses a naptime!

-Austin is wearing size 2T clothes this summer.  He still fits better in size 18 month bottoms but his torso is so long that he needs 2T tops.  I went ahead and bought his entire summer wardrobe in 2T though so he will hopefully be able to wear them all summer long.

-I love the fact that he will hold mine and Ryan's hands and walk with us when we're out.  If he gets more than a couple feet away and we tell him to stop and hold our hands, he will stop, hold his hand out and wait until we catch up.  This has been so helpful since I've had a lot trouble carrying him with my big pregnant belly in the way!

-Speaking of bellies, Austin loves to point out everyones belly and belly button.  He has to see skin though, so be prepared to lift your shirt so he can point to and pat your belly.  Also, don't be offended if he calls your belly a baby.  He doesn't quite realize that only mommy has a baby in her belly!

-Also, speaking of babies, Austin thinks any child from newborn to about age 7 is a baby.  He also refers to himself as "baby" even though he knows his name.

-He has learned to follow directions very well, like "Throw that away" "Bring that to mommy" "Hold my hand" "Throw the ball to Lucy" "Sit down/stand up" "Go get a book" etc.  I can't wait until "Go potty" joins that list as much as he HATES to have his diaper changed!

-Austin really is just the sweetest little boy I know and loves his mommy and daddy to no end.  They also love him more than he could ever know.  Austin is almost always happy, loves to laugh and smile, loves everyone he meets, isn't scared of anything and makes our days so bright and happy that I can't imagine my life without him in it.  Happy half birthday to my sweet, sweet boy!!!

Dangers of Soy

I was reading one of my favorite baby deal blogs this morning and there was a GREAT deal on Earth's Best Soy Formula posted and I decided to check it out.  Of course I'm choosing to breastfeed this new little guy for at least as long as I did with Austin, but I thought about picking up a can of this formula as a "just in case" since it was such a great deal and I've always loved Earth's Best products.

I went to the website and decided to read the reviews real quick when I found one titled "Soy Dangers."  It claimed that feeding a baby soy is very dangerous and suggested that potential buyers simply google "dangers of soy infant formula" to learn more.  Of course I did this immediately and was astounded by what I began reading.

Apparently soy has been linked in numerous studies to sex organ deformities and decreased fertility.  Other health problems linked to soy include ADHD, thyroid disorders, asthma, irritable bowel and immune system deficiencies.  Soy also apparently contains an array of potent chemical toxins and contains phytoestrogens which have been linked to the underdevelopment of males and premature development of girls.

I don't want to scare anyone here, but I wasn't aware of this when I began formula feeding Austin and we started him out on soy formula when I quit nursing after 6 months because Ryan and I both had milk sensitivities when we were babies.  Thank goodness we switched to milk based after only a couple months!

I know so many new and expecting parents right now and I just wanted to get this out there so that some of them can do their own research and be more informed than I was.  I can tell you right now that after what I've read I am becoming very weary of soy and urge parents to read up as well before feeding your infant a soy based formula!

Wordless Wednesday - Rainy Day Fun

A Boy and his Juice Box

This guy seriously loves his apple juice!

Great deal!

Just a quick FYI....

The Summer Infant Day & Night Video Monitor that I JUST posted about yesterday is on a HUGE sale right now from Amazon.com!!  We paid $179.99 at BRU but that one is going back 'cause I just bought the same thing off Amazon for $112.99!!!  That's $67 off!!  I don't know how long the deal is going to last, so hurry if you're interested!!

Also, at Amazon you can buy a 2nd camera to install in another room and see two rooms through the same unit!  The 2nd camera is on sale too, but not quite as impressive of a deal as the whole unit.

Here's the link for anyone that's interested:
http://www.amazon.com/Summer-Infant-Handheld-Monitor-Screen/dp/B0007OD8SU/ref=pd_bxgy_ba_img_b

Going on a Mouse Hunt!

Remember this and this?

Well last week we finally completed our task and found all 9 of those sneaky little mice.  It was a beautiful afternoon for strolling down Main St. and boy did Austin love pointing out all those mice he found!

Follow the clues and maybe you can find them all too!

1. Begin your search on North Main where the water flowing in and out of the hotel makes a fountain on the outside. You'll find the father mouse, Marvin, reading his book. He can't hide--take a good look!

2. Mother Maggie is just across, sitting where she can see Marvin. When she looks down the street, she can see their five baby mice, placed here and there, all so sweet.

3. Cross the street and walk a bit. You'll see Marvin, Jr. at the top of the stairs where coffee lovers and computer gurus meet and poets love to count their feet.

4. Marcley's somewhere near the plaza square. Look around. You'll find him there.

5. Millie's a high "high-tech" girl. You'll really have to search, but give it a whirl.

6. Watch out! Mitch does his skateboarding in the bank's alley. You'll be lucky to find him; don't dally.

7. Across the street there's healthy stuff along the way. That's where Melissa loves to play.

8. You'll find Aunt Mifflin where there's old money. She's looking at the flowers, honey.

9. Mifflin's husband, Uncle Miles, loves to eat Italian. He's by the rain spout. If you've found him, give a shout! 

That's what a mouse hunt is all about! 

Goodness...who knew searching for mice could be so exhausting!!! :)

Hi!

Three whole posts without a picture of my adorable little (almost) 1.5 year old baby boy...oh my!

37 Weeks = Full Term

Pregnancy Questionnaire #4:

How far along? 37 weeks, 1 day
Total weight gain/loss: 16 lbs.
Maternity clothes? A select few still fit.
Stretch marks? Bleh...
Sleep: I think I've accepted the fact that I'm pretty much going to be at least a little bit tired for the rest of my life...certainly until the boys are teenagers!
Best moment this week: Nesting took over this weekend and I got a lot of stuff done that I had been putting off.  The house is finally clean, the guest room is organized for any potential overnight visitors, the car is cleaned out and ready for the infant car seat to be installed, the swing, bouncy seat and infant tub are out of storage and ready to be put to use, bassinet is set up, all of Austin's old clothes are ordered by size, folded and put away, newborn clothes are washed and in drawers, bottles and pacis are bought and ready and I even pulled out the trusty 'ole breast pump and made sure she's still got some juice left!  Not much left to do but pack my hospital bag and wait!
Movement: His movements are so forceful sometimes that it takes my breath away.  I'm convinced this little guy is ready to make his debut anytime now....he doesn't seem to like being so cramped!

Cravings: Ever since I had some issues with pre-term labor, Gatorade has been my constant companion.  Since dehydration can cause contractions I always feel the need to drink Gatorade to insure I'm staying hydrated.  It should also help to make sure I don't have any fluid level problems like I did with Austin.
Gender: Baby boy!
Labor Signs: I honestly think I'm going into labor about every other day now.  I'll get a few painful contractions here and there and then they will stop.  I'm hoping the little guy decides to camp out for at least another week, however, so I can have one more weekend to make sure everything is prepared.
Belly Button in or out? Flat
What I miss: I'm soooo ready for these pregnancy induced hormone fluctuations to just STOP and I can't WAIT to sleep on my stomach again!
What I am looking forward to: That "moment" where I realize that it's finally time and know I'm getting ready to meet this new little man!
Weekly Wisdom:  I'm drawing a blank right now...I'll let you know if I think of anything...

Milestones: I'm 37 weeks, which is full term!  He could be here any day now!!

Peek-a-boo, We see you!

Friday night we did some last minute Babies R Us shopping and picked up an additional baby monitor since we're about to have 2 little guys to listen out for.  We decided to go with a video monitor to use with Austin since he sleeps upstairs and our bedroom is on the main level.  The new baby will be sleeping in our room for the first several months so we're going to use our Angelcare monitor for him until he moves to his own nursery upstairs with his big brother.

Anyway, we've always been curious about what Austin does while he's in his crib and we are having the greatest time watching him on this new monitor.  At night while he's asleep, I randomly look at the video and I swear he's in a different position each time I look!  He's quite the wiggly sleeper to say the least!  I'm a little worried about moving him to his toddler bed eventually because there's a good chance he'll end up on the floor...

One of the most interesting things we've learned after having this monitor is that nap time is quite different than we imagined.  Lately Austin has been taking wonderfully long naps, like 2.5-3 hours long.  I didn't know why but just figured he'd been needing a little extra sleep lately.  Well, looks like he fooled me!  After we put him down for each nap this weekend, we watched him on the monitor as he played in his crib silently for up to an hour!!!  He would throw around his blankies and stuffed animals, get up and walk back and forth, stand and look over the edge of the crib, lay on his back and play with his feet, play with his paci...all while being completely quiet!

And I don't really know what to do about this...

I hate leaving him up there alone for so long, but I imagine if he was unhappy about it he would let us know.  He eventually falls asleep and as soon as he wakes up he calls out...so I know he knows that's how to get our attention.  Maybe he just needs some alone time, too!

It's only been a couple days so I'll wait and see if things continue this way through the rest of the week.  I really do LOVE this new monitor though and I'm a little upset we didn't buy it earlier.  I certainly can't recommend it enough....especially if you have a situation like us where the master is on the main level and your little one is upstairs.  There's just nothing cuter than a sleeping baby...or a baby playing silently in his crib with no idea anyone can see him!

Can you guess...

...what happened here?

Austin decided to "decorate" his baby brother!

Sand + Water = Mud

We bought Austin a sand and water table for Easter and I took him outside to play with it for the first time last weekend while daddy was doing some yard work.  He loved the water and loved dumping sand into the water with his shovel.  He did NOT like playing in just the sand, though, and hated when it touched his skin.  He's going to have to get over that though as we've got many beach trips ahead of us!

Scooping out the water and pouring it on the deck was the most fun...

...but, after a little while I guess he got pretty warm and decided he needed to cool off by getting ON the table and playing directly IN the water.

This is what happened when I finally made him get down...

Believe it or not he's even adorable when he whines, folks!  :-)  

(By the way, look at the HUGE molar that he just got in.)

Visit to Columbia

Like I mentioned before, we went to Columbia a few weeks ago to celebrate Mimi's birthday.  It was the first nice day in awhile and we spent a lot of time outside in the beautiful sunshine.  Aunt Catherine and Nick brought their pack of dogs and it was the first time Austin had an encounter with dogs bigger than he was.  That little boy is fearless, I must say!  He loved throwing the ball for the dogs and watching them chase after it.  He didn't, however, enjoy the way the grass felt on his bare feet.

Here are some photos from our day, Happy Belated Birthday Mimi!!

Mmmmm, wet dogs...

Laughing at all the crazy dogs

Mom and Dad were way more terrified of this meeting than Austin was!

Not liking the grass on his tootsies...

Fetch!

Deep in conversation with Papa...