More from The Boss.

As you may remember, I was having some difficulty for awhile getting The Boss to eat much more than pureed foods. Granted, he would eat 3-4 jars in a sitting, but he's almost 16 months for goodness sake. Since then however, we have found that if we gave him a spoon, fork, or both, he will pretty much eat anything. It can make for a long dinner-time, when we have to stop and clap with him every time he stabs a piece of hot dog and makes it into his mouth, but hey, it's progress.

Now, if I can just get him to drink his milk out of his Sippy cup. He will drink water and juice all day long, but there is no fooling him into drinking much milk. I've tried mixing it with Ovaltine, with no luck. I tried the Strawberry Kefir from Trader Joe's, and he's still not a huge fan. Now, hold your stomach for this one, but last night I mixed half OJ and half milk (thanks to a recommendation), and he drank more than I have seen him drink, ever. SUPER gross, right? But hey, it's progress.

Oh, and thank you David for this genius stick-on bowl!!

As you can see, this picture was taken pre-haircut.



This week, Aiden also aquired his first ice-worthy ouchie. While I was at work and he was at home with the sitter, he fell, and got a big goose egg on his forehead. I came home to make sure he was fine, and he was, but he was so sad that it happened. It is hard to see the bruise and bump, but easy to see the sad....poor baby.

Entering Month SIX

22 weeks:

Yes, it's OK to laugh at me for sitting in my bathroom and taking self portraits. I admit, I feel quite ridiculous doing it, but I know that someday, I will be glad that I am able to show Harper how she was once in my belly. I go back and forth with getting professional maternity pictures taken. I think they are beautiful, and they would be nice to have, but it's not like this is something that you put up on your living room wall for all to see. Too weird for me. So for now, this is how we will document.

On the plus side, my outward growth is developing at a much slower pace than it was previously. On the minus side, I am gradually starting to feel like I want to eat everything in sight. This urge I am trying to keep under wraps, considering I still have a little under 4 months left.

In about a week we Jeff will start painting Harper's room. Pray for him, as he will be helping me decide on exactly what shade of PINK the room will be. Trust me, I would like to go ahead and do this all myself, however, it's not recommended that I breathe in too many paint fumes. Delegating is not an easy task for me...

I do feel great at this point in the pregnancy. The headaches have pretty much subsided, the nausea is easily cured with a little club soda, and my energy level is good. It is funny how much faster this pregnancy seems to be going. I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that I am a little pre-occupied chasing around a very busy 15 month old.

"INTO" everything.

Literally. The drink tray on our ottoman, he climbs in it and watches TV. The small crate I keep all my nail polish in, he empties it and he climbs in. The sink, in it. The toy bin, in it. The drawers, in them. There is no area too big or small that he does not feel like he can, and should squeeze into.




Last week was lovely having my parents here. They were kind enough to watch The Boss all day while Jeff and I were at work, as well as babysit one evening so we could go have a belated Valentines Day dinner. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

BUDDIES

It doesn't ALL have to be pink right?

This may come as a surprise to some, but I feel so unprepared to be a "girl mom". Yes, I get up and do my hair and make-up everyday, love to get pedicures, and can shop for 7 hours at a time, but I am completely at a stand still as to how to get myself ready for a little girl. Why the brain fart?? I HAVE NO IDEA! Truth be told, I find myself terrified at times. For some reason I just thought I would have 2 or 3 boys running around. Please, do not get me wrong, I am so overjoyed to have my little Harper, I just second guess myself. I mean, I sat online for 3 days straight looking at PINK girl bedding and this is what I decided on:

Don't worry, I am going to paint the walls a really pretty, light pink, and accessorize the room in girlie things.

I know that it is only a matter of time before I scratch that shopping itch and there is an explosion of leggings, ballet flats, dresses and headbands to fill her closet. Thanks to grandma and grandpa Martz, her wardrobe is already being established.



She is starting to be so active as of late. I think most moms will agree, there is nothing better than feeling those little kicks and flips. I know that I will begin to feel more confident in this, as time goes on, but any tips from girl mom's OR dad's, in the meantime, would be great and much appreciated.

Lastly, I don't mean to offend anyone with this post! If you love tutu's and hair bows and everything pink, then good for you, and send some positive pink thoughts my way! I will get there, someday.

NO MORE BOTTLES!

This post is mainly just for documentation of my own happiness. Aiden has decided to give up the bottle all on his own. I had heard that this can be quite a difficult task, and one that I was not really looking forward to. But, since the beginning of this week, he has refused both his morning and nighttime bottle. No arguments here! Jeff of course is not disappointed either, as he will not have to wash anymore bottles.....well he gets a break for a few months anyway.

15 months

Hobbies: opening doors, slamming doors, flushing toilets, turning lights on/off, emptying drawers, and kicking balls
Current Interests: giving kisses, smiling for the camera, wearing hats, drinking out of straws, and eating with a fork
Favorites: chocolate chip cookies, blueberries, eggos, chicken nuggets, french fries, oatmeal, deli meat and apples

(::cheese!::)

Also enjoys: screaming...not out of anger, but just to see how loud he can get

Harper Cadence Lemon

IT'S A LITTLE GIRL!!!!!!!! It's a little blurry from my Blackberry camera (or maybe that's just the tears in my eyes) but the first picture says "FEMALE".

SHE is 11 ounces and is measuring right on time for a June 30th due date. I cannot put into words how excited we are. It's such a blessing to be able to have one of each!





I am still letting this sink in. I mean, I knew I was having a girl, but the confirmation is still a little shocking. I'm just so happy and emotional right now....and maybe a little nervous. I just want to be the best mom I can be for her.

Boys.

Fun in the shampoo aisle.

Where does Jelly come from?

So last night, we are going about our usual bedtime routine: Aiden is drinking his bedtime bottle, watching SpongeBob with Jeff and I on the couch. In this particular episode, SpongeBob is catching jellyfish, and squeezing a purple substance from their bubble into a jar, in order to make his Jellyfish Jam. Jeff looks at me out of the corner of his eye, a little hesitant and says:

"What? Jelly comes from jelly fish?"

I looked at Aiden, opened my eyes real wide, looked back at Jeff and started laughing uncontrollably. Poor Jeff....I said, "No babe, jelly does not come from jelly fish."

He gave me kind of a scowl and goes, "Well, they shouldn't do that, they are going to confuse the kids."

I laughed so hard I almost peed.

Bless his heart. My husband is an incredibly intelligent human being, his questions often just flow faster than the time he uses to think them through. For these funny moments I am eternally grateful. I love you Jeff.

What do YOU think????

SIX more days and we will know what color to decorate the new nursery. I am dying to know - much more so than last time. I have answered this list of questions that I found online associated with determining the sex of the baby. Again these are only myths, but I have to give you something to work with.

1. If you carry low, it's a boy; high, it's a girl: high

2. If you carry in front, it's a boy; if you're wide at the middle it's a girl: front

3. If baby's heart beats faster than 140 beats per minute (bpm), it's a girl. Less than 130 bpm, it's a boy: last bpm measurement was 155. Note: Aiden's always held steady at about 150

4. If you had morning sickness it's a girl: mild morning sickness

5. The Chinese Gender Prediction Calendar says: girl

Now go click on your guess on the right-hand side of the blog. As I have previously posted, my instincts tell me it's a girl. But I have been wrong before....once.

Bye-Bye Curls

It was time. Aiden got called a girl AGAIN on Saturday. I looked at him and sadly realized that the long hair had to go. Both Aiden and Jeff got their curls cut off last night at the Salon de Stacy. I have been cutting Jeff's hair for the last 6 months or so, and I have to say, my skills are to the point that I am considering charging next time. Kidding....only about the charging.... Aiden wasn't the ideal client, however, after some assistance from Jeff, we got it done.