Fall Frolic

My posts have been a little out of order lately. The next couple will be the same and then I hope to be back on track!

These were taken last week when Addison and I went to the Metropark near our home to play in the leaves. There actually weren't as many leaves on the ground as I'd expected (I think we were a couple of weeks too early) and a good amount of the ones that had fallen were already brown and crispy, but I did manage to get a few pictures and we had a great time collecting leaves in our buckets and playing on the playground and swings.

22 weeks

22 weeks and feeling good. My back even seems to have improved...just a teeny bit, but I'll take it! Everything inside is probably just trying to find it's new home now that my uterus is taking over. The body is so amazing, isn't it? It's just wild to think of what all is happening in there.

One downside to pregnancy is not being able to take medication. I am a big fan of Airborne when I feel a cold coming on or have been exposed to a sick person(s), so not being able to take that or cold medicines plus already having a compromised immune system due to the pregnancy, I have found myself with the sniffles more in the last few months than in the last 3 years combined. I can state that for a fact because I literally did not get sick from April 2007 - July 2009. Well, except for the cancer. Funny how that works. Funny in a crappy, ironic sort of way, of course. Anywho. My point is that colds suck during pregnancy and that's the only downside I've run into so far.

Honestly. The restriction from wine, all of my favorite cheeses, coffee, deli meat, and bacon, to name a few, doesn't bother me at all. Wait, did I mention wine? How about coffee? Yeah, not at all. I wouldn't think twice about it if I never laid eyes on those things again. Cheddar and water is so much more tasty than a nice glass of Cab with Brie, anyway. Seriously. :)

Yesterday, I started seeing little kicks on the outside. I will say, this baby is a kicker. I remember Addison being quite the mover, but I feel like this one is even more-so. Though, I didn't feel Addison move until I was about 22 weeks so I suppose you could say this one has a bit of a lead, which might explain why I feel like he is moving so much more.

I have an OB appointment tomorrow morning. I'm not sure what to expect because this is my only OB appointment EVER that I haven't had an ultrasound. I guess I will find out soon!

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How your baby's growing:
At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.
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11 inches? Wow! That must be the reason for this...




Well, hello in there, little guy! Glad you've finally decided to show yourself. :)

A whole new can of worms

I have to share a story on here because a) it's funny and b) I really want to keep it for my records.

Just minutes after I blogged yesterday about Addison being in big girl underwear, the following happened:

Addison was down for a nap and I heard her talking in her room. I glanced at the video monitor to see her still laying there, so I turned the sound off because I was on the phone and needed a couple more minutes to finish up my conversation. She began to sit, but was quiet and within a few minutes she was standing. Note: I was not closely monitoring her activity during this time.

Once she is standing in her crib, that's usually my cue to go retrieve her from the bedroom. I went up to get her and was shocked with what was laying before my eyes. Poop. Lots of poop. On the floor. Poop that had apparently been thrown from one little girl's crib, landing in 3 different places, several feet from her crib. With my bottom jaw still on the floor, I looked over at Addison, who was standing in her crib sans pants or pull-ups. She has never de-robed. Ever. Her bedsheets were soaking wet too.

Good for my little girl for wanting to keep her pants dry like we've been talking about, but I think we may have opened a can of worms that I'm not sure I'm ready for.

I told Dustin about it and when he arrived home, he asked Addison if she was a monkey. Addison replied "yes". Maybe we've taken one too many trips to the zoo. Yes, we've actually seen the Bonobo's (the monkey species with the very unattractive rear-ends) throw their poop. We even once saw the baby Bonobo pee in her hand and drink it. Uh oh. Addison is not going near those animals for quite a while! :)

Mommy, Wow! I'm a big kid now!

Look who is wearing big girl panties for the second day in a row!

(She was adamant about wearing this hat. I must say she is really good at coordinating her outfits.)


Addison is doing great potty training (if you could even call it that - see below). She is getting better at telling me when she has to go, though I usually beat her to the punch because I put her on the potty so often. She usually always goes, even if just a drop, which is good. And she has been doing her number 2 business on the potty too, always receiving a "special treat" (1 swedish fish) afterwards. :)

The main problem we've run into with "potty training" Addison is me! We introduced her to the potty at 18 months and she would occasionally use it (more often as she got older), but I haven't been taking the process seriously. There are a few reasons for this:

1. She is still young and I am in no hurry for her to be potty trained (though only having one baby in diapers once little brother comes around would be wonderful)

2. It is a huge commitment on my part, one that requires a lot of energy which I have been lacking the last few months and

3. We are always on the go, which makes it extremely difficult to get her to a potty every hour.

A few weeks ago, I bought her some pull-ups and when I am feeling ambitious (as in, I am willing to take her to the potty a lot that day), Addison wears those because they are so much easier than a diaper to get on and off. Recently, I've noticed that we'll be out for 2-3 hours and when we get home, she is still dry. This amazes me, considering I am about to wet myself by then! Anyway....

Due to the recent change in Addison's ability to "hold it" for a longer period of time, I've decided to really, really (for the most part) commit to this potty training thing.

She kept her pull-ups dry for 4 straight days (except for bedtime), so I pulled out the training underwear yesterday (her big girl panties) and gave it a go. She went a little bit yesterday afternoon and realized it right away and has kept them dry so far today (7 hours and counting)!

So, I'd say Addison is well on her way to being potty trained by the time her baby brother will be arriving. Hopefully we won't have any regression (on Addison's part OR mine!). I will say that it's pretty awesome to not have to change so many diapers, especially the dirty ones!

Forward Roll

Look what someone can do all by herself! All over the house. All day. I've been encouraging her to at least do it on the carpet!

21 weeks

There isn't much to report this week. I am still feeling good, except the back/rib issue (which I have a feeling will exist for the remainder of my pregnancy) and still have an extremely "hearty" appetite. I eat a nice meal and am hungry an hour later. 24 hours a day! I think I am right on track with weight gain. Sorry, I'm keeping the number a secret. A girl has to maintain some modesty! Not that I mind the weight, it's just different (read: more) than when I was pregnant with Addison. Of course, I did have extreme circumstances surrounding my 1st pregnancy.

I am sleeping pretty well, typically only getting up once or twice a night to go to the bathroom and feeling pretty good throughout the day. I do still appreciate the occasional nap, mostly because I need a lot of energy to keep up with my sweet toddler for 12 hours a day. I took a 10-15 minute nap yesterday and felt like a million bucks. If I sleep too long, I feel crappy all afternoon. I wish I knew how to train my body to wake up after a short, cat nap. I've tried setting an alarm, but then my mind goes haywire wondering how long I have left. So, that doesn't work out so well.

Dustin finally felt his little boy move last week. I feel it all the time (and love it) and always feel sorry for Dustin because he doesn't get to enjoy it like I do. So, I was excited the baby put on a little show for him!

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How your baby's growing:
Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now, and if you're having a girl, her vagina has begun to form as well.

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Ready for the belly pictures? I think you could say I've "popped". Just in the last 4-5 days, really. I think I actually look pregnant now, to most people. We were out last night with some friends and joining us was a couple I've only met once. Toward the end of the evening, the woman congratulated me (as Dustin had just told them of the pregnancy) and she said to me, "I thought you might be, but since I don't know you that well, I didn't want to assume." My translation: I thought you were a little thinner when I first met you, so I thought either you were pregnant or have eaten too much halloween candy." To which my answer would be, "both". :) Basically, I have to really stick it out or else people might think I'm just a little pudgy! You be the judge....

(I'm sure you'll notice that Addison wanted in on the picture-taking action this time.)

Doesn't it look so much bigger from the front?

Lynd's Fruit Farm

We finally made it apple and pumpkin picking! We were afraid it wasn't going to happen this year since all of our weekends have been spent out of town since the end of September. We took this past weekends cancellation of our out of town plans and used it to our benefit. Not only were we around to meet our new nephew, Logan, and put together Addison's big birthday gift from her Grandparents, but the weather warmed up just enough to take Addison a pickin'.

We headed to Lynd's Fruit Farm, a family-run farm of 7th generation apple growers. The farm originally started with 80 acres and has since doubled in size to a whopping 160 acres. They have so many apple orchards consisting of pretty much every kind of apple you can think of. Add acres and acres of pumpkins to the equation, and we were all set for a few hours of good times!

Grandma and Grandpa met up with us for the afternoon activity. Addison was delighted to see them, as usual!


We took a wagon ride out to one of the orchards

The apples in this orchard were Melrose. They were huge. Grandpa said it's likely because of all the rain we've had this fall. Addison loved picking out her very own apple.

Look at the size of this apple!

She spent a little while admiring her great pick.

And then the taste test began....starting with the licks.

Not long after was she going at that apple with everything she had. She loved it!

The icing on the cake was when a little girl offered her a caramel apple sucker (after she saw Addison eyeing hers).

And to town she went....

Our next stop was the pumpkin patch. We had to drive up the road and down another little dirt path to get there. They had fields and fields of pumpkins, but also some fun activities, including a corn maze, a hay maze and a barrel ride.

Grandpa and Addison climbed to the observation deck to get a better view of everything the farm had to offer.




She spotted the barrel ride (aka "the choo-choo train) and couldn't wait to ride it.

Waiting to take off...

And off it took. Dustin ran beside it just in case Addison got scared. She was fine pretty much the whole time. She looked a little scared right at the end, but I think it's because she was sliding down in the seat.

There she is in the second barrel.

Just enjoying the ride.

Before heading to the pumpkins, Addison and Dustin took a quick run through a huge tunnel.


The pumpkin patch was great, too. Enjoy the pictures!

Some video of the barrel ride.

Purdue Football

We were supposed to be in West Lafayette this weekend, but our trip was sadly cancelled because one of our friends was sick. We were going to watch the Purdue (my Alma mater) vs. OSU football game while there. I wasn't too disappointed that I wouldn't be making the game because I really didn't care to see what I and everyone else thought) would be a definite loss for our good ol' Boilermakers.

It turned out to be a great game and I was sad to have missed it! Purdue was 1-5 going into the game, with their only win against Toledo...so that hardly counts. Ha ha, sorry Lori. (My sister is a Toledo alum so I had to say it.) My other sister happens to be an OSU alum. Admittedly, I am a Buckeyes fan, as well, but this is the one day a year, I just have to stay true to my Boilers!

Anyway, Purdue was not expected to win this one by a long shot. But, they surprised everyone with a big W! In case you didn't see the game or the final results, let me share....



That's right, baby. Unranked Purdue beat #7 ranked OSU! Seeing the fans rush the field was pretty cool. What excitement everyone there must have been feeling.

I ended up watching a lot of the game by myself, while Dustin sealed the driveway and Addison napped. I was happy to share my excitement with someone, so was happy once Addison woke up, just in time for the 4th quarter.

Apparently, her mother was so engrossed in the game that she didn't notice her poor pup being ambushed by goldfish.

The evidence

"Uh-oh, you caught me!"

"Maybe if I just act cute, you won't even notice that I've piled all of my goldfish on Wrigley."

"Boiler Up!"


"Boiler up, Baby. Boiler up!"


"Go Boilers!"


"Go Purdue!"

Mom: "Who do you want to win - Purdue or Ohio State?"

Addison: "Purdue"

What I won't show you was the video where she responded "Ohio State". How can a girl wearing old gold and black say such a thing? :)