My little boy turns 2!

Today is Curren's 2nd birthday! Two years that have just flown by, more than I can remember with Maggie. I so love my sweet little man. He is full of energy, loves all things music, iPhone, iPad, and drumming, knows almost all his ABC's by sight and in the last few weeks loves to identify any letter that comes across his radar, can count from 1-10, is gentle and kind to his sisters and loves to be outdoors.

His birth was one I will never forget (my first VBAC), the experience worth every moment until I held him in my arms. I love raising a boy; he is a true joy and delight to our family.

We love you, C!

Meet your new sister!

Maggie is absolutely smitten with her new sister! Smitten I tell you. She wants to be around her all the time, sings to her, holds her hand, brings her things, and is overall, very nurturing. Surprisingly, Curren is also very affectionate towards her, though his hugging usually involves laying on her and bumping her head with his. It's very sweet, really. He is constantly saying, "Ah!" when he sees her and leans his head towards her in affection. What Aron and I didn't anticipate was the extra attention he would need. He has been clingy/tearful much more often since her arrival, but thankfully, I think we are turning a corner.

I can't wait to watch these 3 grow-up together!

First meeting at the hospital

week 32 belly shots and impromtu photo shoot

My good friend Allison from Texas was in town for a few days this week and stayed with me. It was WONDERFUL to see her and spend time together. We enjoyed a movie ("Up In the Air"), coffee out, shopping, and overall just good veg time. She did my birth shoot with Curren last year and now has a booming photography business in Dallas. If you are in that area, look her up.

On her last day here, we headed down to San Clemente to grab Pedro's Tacos for lunch (a must!) and she took some pics of me and the kiddos at the Pier. They turned out AMAZING! She is so flippin' talented. I love her.

And the fantastic necklace is courtesy of Julie at Joy's Hope. She made a batch in mid-April and I was lucky enough to snatch one up. Alas, she hasn't made any since. I've had dozens of people ask me where they could get one, so give her a shout out on her blog and tell her if you like it! :)

Pregnancy 101: What not to say to a pregnant woman

In McDonald's 2 weeks ago, during a fun playdate with friends, the manager of this particular McDonald's overheard me talking to the lady ringing me up, sidled over to her and inquired of me, "Two girls? You are having two girls?" It took me a minute to realize he was looking at my belly and not over my shoulder at Maggie in the play area (hence, I will have 2 girls come summer). I pointed to my belly and asked, "You mean, am I have twins?" He smiled and nodded his head vigorously, "Yes, twins! And you are due next week!?"

Sigh.

Whoa, buddy, slow down.

I shook my head no, smiled, and politely (maybe a bit sarcastically) said, "Do you have kids?" To which he, of course, replied, "No."

I said, "I'm only having 1 girl, and I'm due in July. I just carry my babies all the same way--big and all belly. You better be careful what you say to pregnant women." I smiled again, a thin smile. Then, I took my food and walked off.

Was I really frustrated? No, not really, but on some level, it does perturb me how often people *assume* they KNOW you are carrying a boy (and you are not) or a girl (and you are not) or that you are SURELY due within the next few days (and you are not).

For crying out loud, folks. Take a few basic lessons.

1. ALWAYS tell a pregnant woman she looks fantastic. That's it. Keep it simple.
2. Don't posit your theories of gender/number of babies/due date. Sheesh.
3. If you are ALREADY a mom and you swoop down on a soon-to-be-mom and delve into #2 above, shame on you. You should know better.
4. Don't rattle off how hard/terrible/tiring/depressing/overwhelming it will be to add another baby to your family. Be positive. Right?!?!
4. And if a pregnant woman is close to her due date or past her due date do no say any of the following: "You are still here!" "Where is that baby?" "You look really big/uncomfortable/like-you-are-getting-no-sleep." Come on, really?! Who wants this baby here more than anyone!? Her.

Remember #1 and just stick to that.

"You look frickin' fantastic!"

End of story.

19 weeks preggo

Granted, you can't totally see my (big!) belly, but it's what I have for now.

"our new baby"--my first transition book!

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I first learned about the idea of writing "transition books" for your kiddos at a mothering group I was a part of late last year. The mom who shared with our group showed us one she'd written when she and her husband had gone to Paris on a trip without their children. She had written a simple story about how much they loved and how much fun they would have when mom and dad were gone, where mom and dad were going, and that they'd be home soon. It had pictures and was such a sweet story. She said her oldest, age 3 at the time, was totally enthralled with it. He carried it everywhere he went when his parents were gone, wanted his grandparents to read it to him multiple times a day, and even wanted to share the story with grocery clerks and random people in stores.

I LOVE LOVE the idea of such books. Think of the all the transitions or changes that occur in a young child's life--potty training, daddy/mommy out of town on business often, staying in teh church nursery alone, moving to a new city/church/school/house, friends moving away, getting a new sibling, moving into a "big boy/big girl" bed, the list goes on and on.

I wanted to make one announcing the gender of the baby to Mags and Curren, so I got to work. It took me a little over an hour to put the entire book together--no time at all! I sat down and quickly scribbled out a story, listing each page and what I wanted to say. Then, I referenced the story and browsed my picture files for pictures that fit what I wanted to communicate and ordered them online. And in the case of this book, I had Aron take specific shots of me and the kids (me holding up "5" fingers," a belly shot [which actually belongs on the empty page you see, it ended up not fitting in the book, so I need to retake it], some close ups of Maggie and Curren's sweet face, etc). I used my cutting board to cut the pics to fit, adhered them to the pages with photo splits, and lastly, wrote in my copy. It really WAS that easy and Maggie loveslovesloves the book! She asked to read it over and over when we first brought it out yesterday and after her nap, went to find it saying, "I want to see the pictures of my sister!" How great is that?!

Transition books help kids to tell "their story" of a current big event in their lives, even though they are unable to communicate as effectively and articulately as an adult. And ultimately children LOVE to see themselves in pictures and in words in a story.

I ordered my blank board books from an Etsy seller I highly recommend (she is actually located in Richardson, TX for all my Dallas friends!). She has the lowest price I've seen and outstanding quality and service. I ordered 5 blank board books late last year to have on hand. Alas, she is currently overhauling her shop, The Bookie, so I suggest ordering from: http://www.blankslatebooks.com/

and the sonogram says...

...we found out today that we will be adding another GIRL to the family!!

back to normal

It's been almost a week since I've turned the corner into the "feeling good" stage of pregnancy: hooray for the 2nd trimester! I don't take for granted that I am a woman who only feels poorly in the 1st trimester. I've known a number of women who've thrown up their entire pregnancies, or have been on bed rest and I feel grateful that I can be "me" again after the 1st trimester. I am enjoying my kids anew, feeling like I can let my piles go and not get freaked out, and overall, just give myself GRACE as a mom. It's a good, good place to be.

hypothesis

I threw up last week. Yes, the pregnancy-kind of throw-up.

You ask why I share.

And I'll tell you why.

I'm convinced I'm having a girl. I threw up once when I was pregnant with Maggie and not at all when I was pregnant with Curren. Therefore, it stands to reason that I'm having a girl.

I should have been a scientist.

We'll see if I'm right at our ultrasound appointment on March 2 (too many weeks away!!).

our mama has a...

...baby on the way! Baby McKay #3 is due July 26, 2010. We are thrilled (albeit totally surprised). I went to my first sono appointment today (Monday) and saw and heard the heartbeat! 7 weeks along today. Would love your prayers!

Shopping for Bebe M

Here is one of the pairs of Baby Legs we bought bebe M; the other pair is pink and brown stripped (Patti, aren't you so excited!?). And, here are the shoes that Aron had to have for her. It was all his idea to put them on this large Annie doll I have...I about died laughing when he brought it in!

We're Back!

Prego Suz with the lovely fall colors


















Aron enjoying one of Chicago's famous hot dogs














The beautiful streets of Logan Square (where we're going to live--more to come in a later post)

Week 31

I figured it was time for two new pics: one from the front, one from the side. Hard to believe I'll get any bigger; I'm starting to feel huge. :)

Pregnancy and the global community

I was sharing with my OB (whom I LOVE) several weeks ago what various people (whom I do not know) have said to me regarding my pregnancy. I get either one of two responses: "You look great! All your weight is in the belly" or "Are you carrying twins?! You are HUGE!" My OB insighfully remarked, "There is something about pregnant women and the global community at large--they think they own pregnant women and can touch them and give them advice at anytime." I have found this quite true. Not too many people rub the belly without permission, but most will comment about my size. My OB said at times like these she wants to say, "Are you a doctor? Do you know how I should be progressing right now?" Yesterday, I measured 31 inches at 31 weeks (perfect); my weight gain is great--all according to my OB. She told me a story about her and a good friend of hers (who is also an OB and was pregnant at the time). They were in Starbucks and the barista took the order, then when giving them the drinks focused on the pregnant friend and remarked, "Can I ask you something? You really shouldn't be drinking that, should you?" in a matter-of-fact manner. The OB actually went off on this woman, telling her that it was quite fine to have some caffeine during pregnancy, that she was in-fact an OBGYN and this woman should mind her own business. Flustered, the barista backed off.

Now, I'm not sure I'll be quite that menacing when responding to the next person that gives me an unwanted opinion or asks an unwelcome question, but I'll just remember that I trust my OB and all is fine with me and bebe M.

Bebe M!

We can affectionately call her this because her last name will be McKay, so we are not giving anything away about her first name. :)

Last Friday before we flew to PV, we had a 3D sonogram done of our little girl. Here are some of our favorite pics. She had her arms up near her face for most of it and we were able to watch her yawn a few times...it was wonderfully adorable!! Oh, and the only thing we can tell from these pics is that she has thin lips...like both her mama and dad.

Only 10 more weeks to go!!

The Dallas Arboretum

How could we have lived here over 2 years and never stepped foot into this sanctuary? I spent the morning at the Arboretum exploring the beautiful gardens and the stunning Tree House Exhibit on display with my friend Patti, her son Grayson, and their friend Kris and her son Nicholas. I actually couldn't believe I was still in Dallas. The weather couldn't have been more astounding--it felt like fall! There were myraid flowers, as well, but I didn't take many pictures of them. The first picture posted here is actually of real people, posing as statues for a photo shoot of some kind. They looked amazing! The picture of the giant water can was one of the 17 tree houses on display.

If you ever visit Dallas, you must visit this place. From a pumpking patch in October, to Christmas in the park, tulips in spring, concerts on Thursday nights, this is a haven from touristy places.

Belly shots

Side shot week 26--pregnancy, overall, has been a very good experience! I can't believe this is my last week of my 2nd trimester.











Front shot week 26 (yesterday)













Week 17 picture

Company

Dad and mom arrived last night on their 3 week trek across America to the new digs in Florida. We just chilled around the house this morning, then picked Aron up at work for lunch. Dad bought La Madeline...yummy!! We were all saying that such a restaurant would thrive in OC; wonder why they don't have one? After lunch, we returned home to nap. I got up after 1.5 hours, but they are still sleeping. Tomorrow and Friday Shan will take off work, so it'll be fun to trek around, just the 4 of us.

In baby news, I'm growing like crazy it seems. My last day running was Tuesday morning--it's really too uncomfortable now. I've been trying to just deal the last 2-3 weeks when running, but I called it quits on Tuesday. Shan and I got up earlier to go to the gym today (a nice perk of the running was getting up at 5:45am, instead of 5:10am) and do the elliptical...much better!! We'll swim tomorrow--two exercises that are low impact, good for the bebe, and easy on mom. I told Aron last night that I have also felt uncomfortable in general the last several days; I am in month 7, but still...maybe that's too early to feel the way I do? Anyway, it's only going to grow moreso in the weeks ahead...I'm bracing myself.

Finally, I have solidified plans for Aron and my anniversary weekend (we take turns planning it every year). We are going the weekend of September 15, two weeks earlier than our actual anniversary. Details to come, though I do hope this can remain a secret for him.

More Trip Pics

Lunch at Pei Wei before going to the airport














Cute couple in B/W :)













Mel and E hanging out














Yearly art project 2006














I do have plans for this, girls!