My Big Belly & More...

Well lets just say I have a little girl this year at school who is VERY blunt.  Today she told me that my belly is getting VERY BIG.  Then she said I hope that baby is growing in there... well me too!!

I went shopping tonight for stuff for our trip.  I found Grace the cutest little Minnie Mouse ears and costume.  They both got some goodies for the trip and a few new spring outfits.  I'm getting so excited, not too much longer! 

Daddy Got To Feel The BABY!

Last night our little girl (number 3) was moving around like crazy... when Greg got into bed I kept telling him to "feel" and he kept missing her or not feeling it.  FINALLY she made a huge kick and Daddy felt her! After that she must have went to sleep because we didn't feel her after that... and Mommy followed her lead by falling asleep shortly there-after!

Feeling movement is such a wonderful thing... I feel so lucky to feel this baby move so much! She has been the biggest mover of the bunch.  Her most active time is when the kids come into school... not sure why (probably the noise) but she goes crazy then! It is quite cute! Her second most active time is at night when I get into bed... other than that I feel her occasionally throughout the day but nothing like those two times! 

As an update to Jacob's move into a big boy bed... he has been doing WONDERFULLY! I cannot even express how excited I am that he is so EXCITED about being in his bed. Not once has he traveled out after being put to bed.  He has called us back in a couple times (this is not uncommon... mainly to fix his music or cover his toes) BUT overall we are so happy with his transition.  His room feels so small now and I've bumped my leg on his night stand twice since I'm not use to all of this in the dark! We have to finish up the final touches and then I promise to post pictures! I just want it all done before we show it off... a few things to go on the walls and a "car" clock Jacob got from his Pops.  Doe gave him the muscle car clock today that we had given my Dad a few years ago.  It makes car noises every hour and Jacob is very excited about it... Doe told him Pops loved him very much and he would want him to have it.  Pops loved Grace's room and I can honestly say I think he would have been very excited about Jacob's new car room (especially the traffic sign Doe & I found on the side of the road).  

Baby Has A NAME!!

Tonight we were at dinner and talking with Jacob.  Greg asked him about names and Jacob said he likes the name CUTIE... well that or "Boofy " (aka Goofy).  So there it is... JUST Kidding!

We are close though... my main hitch now is that I told Greg the name has to sound good with an E sound at the end! Ever notice that people always feel the need to add an E to kids names... just an observation. 

Night 2!!

On Thursday Jacob's bed, nightstand, and bookshelf were delivered! (Unfortunately we are still awaiting his dresser).  Al came over to help Daddy put the bed together (luckily everything else was assembled).  We had pizza and Jacob watched them oh so intently! He was so excited. :)

That night we decided to leave his crib up and let him have one more night in the crib since we didn't have his bed rails  yet.  He was fine with this... we just told him it wasn't quite ready yet. On Friday we got his bed rails and put everything else on the bed (sheets, pillow, etc).  He went right to bed and was so excited about how "pomfy" (comfy) his bed was! He slept through the night without getting up! We were thrilled! Jacob has always been so easy with transitions... 

Today at nap we were a bit nervous but he did fine again... and then bedtime tonight... another great job he did. He is excited to be going in the bed! Grace too for that matter.... she loves laying in there (although Greg and I cannot imagine getting her a big girl bed... I can't even think about her in there in that big bed yet! She would be all over the place, besides I'm still getting use to one baby being a big kid!) It seems so strange to think he is in that big huge bed... if anyone had a hard time sleeping last night it was Mommy... I was up for a long time. I kept checking on him and it was like re-living that first night he slept in his crib all by himself.  I was worried about him all night long!  

He loves his bedding and car pillows and for that matter everything in his new room.  We still have some finishing touches to do (pictures to hang, the dresser to get and re-stock, organizing, and a new curtain rod) but so far he is happy and the rest will fall into place.  I too am so happy with his furniture it is all that I could have imagined for him... it is just perfect.  The only hitch is the bed rails (they kind of hamper the bed making but we know they make him feel safe (and us too... so we'll deal with it.) Here are a couple cute pictures of our BIG boy in his new bed! 

Meet My New Doc... Dr. Kohl

So today after we got home from school Jacob got out his medical kit and told me "Mom, sit down... I need to see about this (pointing at my belly)."  SO... I said "What about it?" Then he so politely responded... "I have to see what is in there! Maybe lotion, maybe a baby".... and the list went on and on! Greg & I got a pretty big kick out of it... needless to say I think I checked out ok! :)  

Mama's Girl

I don't know how but Grace is becoming more like her mother everyday!  The last few days after her baths she is insistent that she have lotion put on... and when I do her body and legs she tells me "MORE LOTION".  Greg says she is JUST LIKE ME! Everytime he gives me a foot massage I always say More!! 

A HUGE thanks to Aunt Cathy, she sent home some new toothbrushes for "dog breath" yesterday while Greg was at the dentist. :)

We NEED A Toothbrush, lol...

So lately Gracie's toothbrush has been turning up missing ALOT!  She loves to brush her teeth so we think she is taking it and brushing and then setting it down somewhere but forgetting about it. Yesterday we found it in the baby bed and today it is still missing!  So this afternoon while I was getting ready for free eats Greg was downstairs with the kids.  I came down to see Greg on one side of the room and both kids tucked quietly behind the bar.  Greg kept saying what are you guys doing... with no response.  We went to look and Greg picked up Grace and was trying to figure out what was on her face... then he got closer and smelled DOG FOOD on her breath.  Jacob said she ate four, and when Greg asked her why she said "cause".  Needless to say since we STILL can't find the toothbrush, her breath still smells like Abby's (Greg's words!)

We also had free eats tonight and of course Jacob & Grace had a blast playing with Conrad... they always do.  The three of them really "run" together, it will be nice to see if our next generation (Andrea & I are again due at the same time) will be as close!  Hopefully we'll be invited back... after Grace's stunt of pulling the whole package of cookies onto the floor! What can I say, that girl loves to eat! And her & Conrad sure love their dips!!  

Scary Night, Sickness & Productive Saturday!

WOAH... we have had an eventful weekend and its only Saturday! 

Yesterday after our busy morning with Conrad and naps Jacob woke up with a low-grade temp (99.8) along with his runny nose & bad cough (he had had the runny nose and cough for a few days.  We just gave him alot of extra TLC and after quite a bit of resting he seems to be feeling better today.  Fever is gone, nose is still a little yucky and of course the cough is still hanging on.

I decided to still head out to scrapbook like I had originally planned.  All was going well with scrappin' until about an hour after dinner (we had chinese and of course I had the usual fried rice and egg roll... that is all I ever eat because I'm not a huge fan of chinese anyways).  An hour after dinner I got up to look for some paper when I had a horrible pain on the right side of my lower rib cage.  It hurt to breathe, walk, talk, EVERYTHING.  I was very alarmed... I first called my Mom (skipped Greg I knew he would freak out) I was then directed to Tete (I was waiting on her because I knew she'd be out of work soon and didn't want to bother her while she was leaving).  When I talked with Tete she calmed me down and I quickly realized that the baby was still moving and I knew it had to be too high of a pain to be her.  It wasn't crampy or a sick feeling it was like nothing I had ever felt before.  It was almost as if I had a back pain but in my lower chest/upper stomach that went towards my back.  Tete came to visit at scrapbooking and check me out (she is always on call for me! ;))  At first we were both at a loss... then Tete remembered what is there... not my stomach but my gallbladder.  Long story short after about an hour and a half or so I felt so much better... we really think it may have been a gallbladder attack (which is very common for pregnant women).  I'm going to call my doctor on Monday just to give them a heads up but for the record I'm avoiding chinese and hoping this doesn't ever happen again!!  

Today Greg & I were very productive and even got to have dinner with the "fam" crowd... Al, Courtney, Adam, Charlotte & Kyra (all of us family people!).  We FINALLY finished cleaning Greg's computer room. For those of you who have seen it, you know this was no small task!  It only took us two nap times, but it is done and looks great.  I told Greg... don't you just feel better and work better knowing your in a clean room.  I think he thought I was nuts!  The room looks 1000 times better.  We also got alot of other odds and ends done... with only 17 weeks until our little one arrives we (I) am feeling alot of pressure and am very overwhelmed.  I have alot of loose ends that I want to have finished (along with the report cards that are waiting for me... I REFUSE to do them when it takes time away from my own children so they have to get done during nap or bed time).  We still have Jacob furniture and final touches on his room (furniture to come this week) and the new baby's area to get ready.  Let alone working on things to get this house ready to sell, our upcoming trip... 

I better go get something done! 

Be sure to vote in our new poll on the right! AND if you say other you best leave an idea in a comment for me! :) (again you may remain anonymous) 

A COLD Day...

Today was a very cold day... VERY cold day! So cold that school was closed, YEAH! I'm always so grateful for every day off which means more time to spend with my own children! I wasn't going to go in today anyways since it was a half day and the PM kindergarten was scheduled to go but I was suppose to be there for records.  Long story short... Doe is in Florida so I decided not to go and do my records at home.  I was doing this without "permission" so the cold day, let me do it with that "permission"!!  

We had planned to meet Conrad & Andora (that's Jacob's new name for her!) at the mall for play time & lunch! First stop was my school to pick up one paper that I had forgotten and needed to do my report cards... it was BITTERLY cold and no one was there, so it was a very quick trip.  Then we headed to the mall for some fun filled playtime, lunch, and a little shopping.  We all had a good time... Jacob & Conrad really have a good time together (and poor Grace always loves tagging along!)

Disney Here We Come!!

Last night we officially booked our first trip to Disney World! It is my first time there as well as Jacob & Grace's! We are going during my time off in February and staying right on the property... we got a 7-day park pass & $200 gift card all included in our price! We couldn't pass it up.  :) My Mom is also coming along with us to help out with the kids and keep an eye on them at night while Greg & I do some nightlife adventures.  I'm thrilled... I've waited so long for this!! 

If you have any tips for us for LONG drives... please let us know.  We are planning on stopping on the way down to sleep but I've never been more than 8 hours in the car with 2 kids (and one in oven).  

Pictures Back Up!!

Our picture links on the right are back up (thanks Greg!)... he was updating our server so they have been down for a few days.  The newest ones are the Christmas ones & December 2008. Some cute pictures if I do say so myself! Just a side note... the bath tub pictures... Jacob has color dots that tint the water. Each time he takes a bath he makes a color so although the water appears GREEN don't be too alarmed! 

Mrs. Kohl Is Having A BABY!!

Today I told my stars that I'm having a baby! I told them in their morning message (for those of you who don't know what that is in Kindergarten they read a message and edit it/fill it in/etc). The questions and comments were among the funniest I have ever heard! I had one little girl as when I would bring her in to school... from there we went to the issue of where the baby is... then my favorite (NOT) how the baby gets out... then to the issue of where I would get the baby out! One little girl suggested I have the baby at the mall play area and another boy commented it would be nice to have her at Chuck E Cheese! It just goes to show you how literal they are, they are still so little and don't know alot! We celebrated with little pink cupcakes which they LOVED! I have pictures I'll be posting soon, I hope! 

House for SALE... Funny BOY!

This morning on our way to my school Jacob was sooooo very talkative.  He talked the whole way there about the houses Pa is building... Mr. Jim & his bobcat... and the doors! Both he & Grace went for a visit to the houses with Daddy yesterday (Mommy was visiting the quads!) and they loved the door handles there! Jacob told me that Pa was working on the houses and Mr. Jim helps Pa.  He went on and on with the WHY questions about why Mr. Jim has a bobcat and Pa doesn't! They were endless!

Then he said to me "Mom we can sell our house and go live in that house!"  I told him that is what we want to do but we have to find someone to buy our house.  He then told me "Mom, we can just give it to somebody." Yeah... you funny boy you! 

On a side note about talking... WOAH... Grace is gaining vocabulary daily.  She is saying so many things and repeating everything! Today she said penguin, I try, I did it, and Poop dog! Those are all new things just today... I can't believe how much she is growing, language wise! She also must be growing in size... last night we celebrated Aunt Cathy's birthday and she ate three pieces of pizza (not totally out of the ordinary for her) Uncle said she is 1/10 his size and eats as much as him (well not quite UNCLE!).  Tonight for dinner she had FOUR bowls of spaghetti, a large dish of pineapple, and yogurt! HUNGRY GIRL!!

Counting, ABC's & More!

Grace is now beginning to count she counts objects on her own... so far I have only heard her go up to 2 but its a start! She also loves to sing the wheels on the bus.  She chimes in with round and round and town!! Jacob gets a big kick out of that.  

I have been meaning to upload the video I have of Jacob singing his ABC's... although most of the time he still says ABCDEFG know I know my ABC's! He can make it all the way through by himself occasionally! YEAH JACOB. Grace loves hearing her big brother sing this... almost as much as she loves wearing his boots!!

Jacob's bed and other furniture have been ordered. I'm so excited to get it....:) 

"Pome" is Dead... well almost!

Anyone who has been around Jacob knows that he says "pome" instead of "come".  Well yesterday he we started telling him to say "come" and he DID!! So now, even though occasionally he goes back and forth, he can say "COME"! 

I was just talking with Miss. Katie (his speech pathologist) today about how far he has come in just one years time.  Last January (the 15th) he started his speech classes at the MISD.  He was only saying one - two word phrase (anoone... aka... another one).  Miss. Katie was beyond amazed... she said that is absolutely amazing that he has come that far in just one year.  She mentioned she never had seen growth like that.  We talked about how much was developmental as well as how much his early intervention helped him.  I cannot thank everyone who helped us out with that enough!! Now he speaks, and speaks, and speaks, and speaks! Two word phrases are a thing of the past... Miss. Katie said "Now Jacob has 20 word sentences!" He just continues to work so hard and become so much more social... he is a miracle! 

I swear I wish I could advocate for the MISD and early intervention... Jacob is a total poster child! If anyone ever doubted getting help... DON'T! It is the best thing you can do for a child who may need it! 

His main hang-ups in speech currently are ones that he has become accustomed to saying.... mainly switching beginning sounds like the p/come example.  He also continues to have disfluencies... which are totally age appropriate as I'm told.  Especially for children who have such a large vocabulary coming in or exhibit anxiety.  

He is just growing so fast... getting so tall and becoming such a helper. He doesn't want anyone to feel sad or have hurt feelings and he is always ready to go out of his way to help out. He is "growing" everyday as he tells us.  He now can use the potty (for number 1) all by himself... as he use to require a little help getting on and off.  Now he wants his "privacy".  

My "little boy" I guess will always be my "little boy"... he just amazes me everyday.  When I'm with him he just makes me so happy (or as I tell him... he puts a smile on my face!). 

Grace is 21 Months Old!

On January 5th Grace turned 21 months old!! It seems weird that our "baby" is now approaching 2!! She has gotten so big and as Greg says she gets "funnier" every day.  She definitely has a totally different personality than Jacob.  She is so outgoing, funny, love able, kind, curious, spunky, flirty, happy, talkative, brother-idolizing, adorable and we just love her more and more EVERY day! She continues to amaze us with all the little things she does and how quickly she is growing into a "little lady".

Grace has really started to "talk" alot more.  She says almost anything... and has quite a few two words phrases.  Some of her favorite (and ours too) are "Bye Dog",  " I  can't", "I did it/I do", "Mommy, Me", "Brother ___ (boots, shoes, coat)", "Dog Out" and "More ____ (any type of food/drink)".  Some of her newest funny words are "Shalom" (she learned this from the wiggles!), tie, teeth, min (vitamin), getti (spaghetti), and any family member's name.  She has names for all of her family (immediate and extended)... and says them very well. 

She still LOVES babies... and are convinced they all need buh's (pacifiers).  Another love of hers is her brothers clothing or shoes... she just cannot get enough of wearing his stuff.  I told her today she should have been a boy as she put on his hat, mittens and boots and then had a fit as I took them off.  She did get her way tonight when we went to Babies R Us... she got to wear Jacob's boots there.  I keep saying I'm not buying her anymore shoes! I REALLY hope she'll outgrow this phase... only time will tell! Another cute little thing she does with her brother is... usually if you ask her whose girl she is she says MAMA! Occasionally she says Daddy, Doe, or even brother.  Jacob loves when she says that, and he often asks her... "Sister, you my girl?". It just cracks me up.

Grace is such an awesome eater... she will eat anything.  Over the last month she has tried vegetable lasagna, spinach stuffed shells, apples and peanut butter (she loves dipping her fingers in the peanut butter), real cooked carrots, and cheesy potatoes (all of which she LOVED).  She still likes her sweets and goodies, but she always eats so good we don't mind.

She has continued to be smaller... most of her 18-24 month clothing is still too big.  As far as shoes go... we have her in a 5.5 or 6 depending on the shoe.  And so unlike Jacob her hats are 12-24 months.... she doesn't have that big old head her brother has! Speaking of heads... her hair is thickening up but still not growing much.  We started to be able to do pigtails... but that requires a longer amount of time and energy so most of the time we still just have one ponytail on top.  

Her favorite toys continue to be babies, phones, keys, strollers, the kitchen (food), and anything Jacob has.  As far as television goes... she is a wiggles fan.  Not much else entertains her. 

Grace is such an outdoor girl... she is always asking to go outside and when she gets there she always wants to "walk" as opposed to being carried and will just walk around aimlessly as long as you let her.  I know she'll be a blast this year at the cottage and I'm sure she'll really enjoy it.

Alot of people have asked about her eye color... I can tell you that I call it hazel.  It isn't a real brown yet not quite green either, somewhere of a mix and I think that is called hazel.  They are very pretty and I often hear that she has my Dad's eyes (well the shape not color).  :)

She loves to be sung too and loves music... she "head bangs" every night when we turn on her white noise CD.  She is now sleeping with her plastic baby doll (from Andy, Andrea & Conrad), her blanky and buh.  She loves going "nighty" and you can tell when she's ready because she starts asking for her baby or buh. 

She runs pretty fast now and has even jumped with two feet a handful of times. She is quite the little dancer! Although she still likes to shovel her food in she is very good at using a "poon" (spoon) or "fork".  She has also mastered drinking from a water bottle all by herself, which I find amazing as I know Jacob still has a hard time doing that.  Straws are very easy for her as well. 

Potty training is still a little ways off for her although she continues to show an interest and often tells us when she is going or has to go potty.  She loves sitting on her little potty. 

I think I covered it all... 

Just as a quick note... our server is being fixed so the picture links on the side are "down".  Greg says it won't be long until they are "up" again. 

Jacob NEEDS A Wife!

Tonight Greg ran out to get pizza for dinner... while he was gone I got the kids ready to eat (in their chairs, bibs on, silverware, napkins, etc.).  Jacob & Grace were all set to go when I heard Jacob say "Mom I need a wife to cut my pizza."  For a minute I started to laugh hysterically... I was trying to figure out WHERE he could have heard this!  Then he said it again and pointed at the silverware drawer... then it clicked in my head... he wanted a knife! I just thought it was hilarious, so I thought I'd share. :) 

Some Cute Pictures From The Last Couple Of Days...

Little Lady's first time out (1.5.09)... yup! And it was actually Daddy that put her there!!! Her & Jacob were playing in their kitchen when Grace thought it would be fun to start throwing the dishes.  The best part was how hysterically she was laughing about it all.  When Daddy put her in the time out her mood quickly changed... her little lip started to quiver and she cried pretty hard.  She didn't make it to the minute and half she "should" have been there for... Daddy of course... gave in at about 30 seconds.  

Jacob's room yesterday 1.4.09 with the new paint job!! 3 walls and the ceiling are a lighter blue and one wall is a darker blue! It turned out AWESOME!! Thanks to Daddy & Pa for doing such an amazing job! Jacob loves it... the look on his face was absolutely priceless.  Now I just can't wait to get the rest of it done and in place! 

And the cute little traffic light I found online for the new room!! Jacob loves this too... the cool part is it actually blinks and flashes like a real traffic light!

Yesterday (1.4.09) while Daddy & Pa painted I took the kids to Gigi's house for our annual New Year's Poffee Cake or Pie Cake (Jacob's term for the coffee cake).

Grace diving into the coffee cake... the funny thing was EVERYTIME you asked her if she liked it she shook her head and said NOOOOOO! I'd hate to see what would have happened if she liked it! 

This picture has been cracking us up... lately Grace has been having issues with when her socks are off she pulls her little toes apart and says Boo-Boo... then she proceeds to want to pick every piece of sock fuzz from between her little toes! She could do this 10 times a day... it cracks us up! Doe says she remembers hating that too... I swear these two are cut from the same cloth! Notice her little painted toes! :)

I got out some of my old books out tonight that my Mom gave to me a while back... we are going to take them back to her for her new bookshelf.  Jacob really enjoyed looking at them and reading them to us... especially the Gingerbread Man story! 

Miseries...

My Grandma always had a term when you were having a rough day or time of it... we called it the "miseries".  I'm not sure what my deal is lately but I have a serious case of the miseries!  I've just felt like no one wants me around, no one likes me, and no one wants to includes me in things... or that everything I touch has been ruined.  I've had a rough week of it... and I don't know if its because it's true :(, or if I've just been upset about other things.  I sure hope they go away fast... because I'm thinking I may run out of tears soon!

On a uplifting note I've been feeling the baby so much lately.  Greg hasn't been able to feel her yet... it is mainly flutters I feel (nothing on the outside yet).  She must hate it when I'm on my stomach because that is when I feel her the most.  

Packing Away CHRISTMAS...

Tonight after the kids went to sleep (Greg was gaming with the boys) I decided to pack away most of my Christmas items.  I'm a bit nervous come morning when Jacob realizes what I did, although the tree is still up with some ornaments.  He has been begging me to leave our stuff up... I think he thinks that Santa might come back if we leave it up! Then tonight he asked if we were going to take it down... so I thought I'd get a jump start on it packing away the more breakable things.  I'm afraid he might not be so happy with it when he wakes up! 

As I packed away our ornaments I... once again... started to feel really sad for Grace.  Everytime I get those darn ornaments out or put them away it makes me a little sad.  Jacob has OODLES of ornaments.  Grace has a total of 5.  From the first Christmas alone Jacob has 7!!! I'm not sure why it makes me feel so badly, as a matter of fact 4/5 of Grace's ornaments are from me! Where as Jacob has about 7 from me (and he has been around a bit longer).  Anyway as I did this I decided that one of my new years resolutions for this year is to be sure number 3 doesn't have this same problem! The sad part is Grace can never have made up from her first year! 

Ok... this emotional wreck is going back to cleaning and packing. 

Pictures!

We finally got some pictures up from Christmas... working on New Year's Eve!

Check out the links on the side.