Baby Bump Wednesdays: 22 Weeks

How far along: 22 weeks

What Fruit or Vegetable size is Baby: Spaghetti Squash/Papaya
Average Size: 11 inches, 1 lb
What’s going on with Baby’s development: Sydney is developing tooth buds under her gums and her lips, eye lids and eyebrows are becoming more distinct. She can also hear what is going on outside the belly.
Total weight gain: 13 lbs.
Stretch marks: Loving the Bio Oil as still no new ones – we’ll see what happens in the last month
Sleep: Same old, same old.
Best moment of this last week: Having a fun night out with Cameron and friends when we attending the Lambda Chi Alpha reunion and London using the toilet at home for the first time!
Miss anything: Wine, Corona, running, spicy tuna rolls
Movement: Definitely feeling Sydney more. Last night while watching a movie I felt her shift to one side of the belly – a pretty funny sight to see.
Food cravings: Sushi, nectarines
Gender: Girl!
Labor signs: Nope.
Belly button in or out: working on that outtie, or the 3rd nipple as Cameron calls it
Wedding rings on or off: engagement ring only and luckily, still!
Happy or moody most of the time: Happy most of the time
Looking forward to in the next week: A quiet weekend at home for the first time in ages!

~ Sarah

Toddler Tuesdays: Potty Training!

I have been slacking a little on getting ready to help London with the potty training. I know its coming and it’s definitely something I want to encourage, but at the same time seems like a giant mountain for us to tackle. That and we haven’t really been home on the weekends. But we will be this weekend, which means I have some reading to do this week. Any suggestions on where I should start?


We’re going to be home for a weekend just in time it seems. The daycare daily report yesterday was that London went in the potty twice at school yesterday. And when we got home from Costco last night? She went potty at home after telling me she needed to go! Whoo hoo!

Good thing we at least made the effort to purchase a step stool and inner toilet seat better suited to London’s tiny bottom last week at Target. I have also discovered having the smaller seat on the toilet deters Jake from using the toilet as a water bowl – I caught him actually drinking water from the proper bowl last night!

The one thing I feel I do need to get before this weekend are pull-ups. We have one more package of size 6 diapers to go through before we need more and I would prefer to use those first but I don’t think it’s in the cards. Good thing Sydney is on her way. At least I could store these diapers until she needs them.


Any tricks or tips out there?


On another note, I’ve discovered that London loves nectarines just as much as Cameron and I do. A perfect nectarine to us is one that has plenty of flavor but isn’t mushy. Last night I was eating a perfect one just brought home from Costco while we all watched Aladdin in bed. First Cameron stole a bite which grabbed London’s attention. Next thing I knew she had had half of it! And then this morning she grabbed one from the box on the table as we were leaving for school.


When we put the box in the basket last night, London kept calling them apples. Knowing the nectarine is a bit advanced for her right now, I tried to get her to call them peaches. Last night that did not seem to register and she continued to call them apples. But this morning when she spied them on the table she did call say Pea like she was trying to say peach so something stuck!


~ Sarah

INFESTATION!

See the brown in our grass? Each spec is a grasshopper or locust. There's an infestation going on in our backyard. Poor Jake is going nuts watching them from the inside of the house, taunting him. Of course, should one venture in, it doesn't last 30 seconds between Tulley and Jake. 

This is what happens when you disturb the grass. The infestation started at the end of last week and has only escalated each day. We have Terminex coming out today, hopefully. So disgusting!

Of course, Cameron is having great fun rustling up the little critters any chance he gets. Sending Tulley out there is a favorite way. 

They look like they are swarming her. Good luck to our garden as we don't even want to go back  there to check on it! In years past, we have been attacked by little black beetles, called Tule Beetles. And those got in the house. This year, we haven't seen the beetle, but if its not one thing, its another, apparently!

~ Sarah

Baby Bump Wednesdays: Week 21

How far along: 21 weeks

What Fruit or Vegetable size is Baby: Carrot/Pomegranate
Average Size: 10 1/2 inches, 12.7 oz Starting this week babies are measured from Head to Toe – prior to this, babies are measured Head to Rump.
What’s going on with Baby’s development: Sydney now has eyebrows and eye lids and her taste buds are now working.
Total weight gain: 13 lbs.
Stretch marks: Loving the Bio Oil as still no new ones – we’ll see what happens in the last month
Sleep: Same old, same old. Did have one night this last week that I didn’t wake up but that may have to do with the fact that I went to bed too late. I was still tired the next day!
Best moment of this last week: Getting the carpet installed in the office and getting the carpet patched in the family room – no more rug to cover up the destruction and nails!
Miss anything: Wine, Corona, running, spicy tuna rolls
Movement: Definitely feeling Sydney a bit more than before. So far she leaves me alone when I go to bed, unlike her sister!
Food cravings: Sushi
Gender: Girl!
Labor signs: Nope.
Belly button in or out: half-way out with the top almost all the way out
Wedding rings on or off: engagement ring
Happy or moody most of the time: Happy (most of the time) Did have a moment last week where I just lost it and actually cried over spilt milk – that I spilt!
Looking forward to in the next week: The Lambda Chi Alpha reunion in Chico this weekend with Cameron and all his fraternity brothers and many of their wives. Should be a great time.

~ Sarah

Toddler Tuesdays: Make Believe

I recently read an email from one of the parenting web sites I subscribe to that said London should be entering the age where she can begin to make believe. Funny part was, when I read the email, London was already make believing for a month or two. And it is only more evident day by day.


One of the first things London started playing make believe with was her tea party set. She will bring you a tea cup and pour “tea” into it from the tea pot. It’s the cutest thing. One of the sets she has (she has 3 now) includes a plate with different shaped desserts, which she pretends to eat and then offers you a bite.

Just last night London was serving both Cameron and I cups of tea. London got really upset when Cameron tried to pour her some tea – London is also going through a phase of wanting to do everything herself! One of her favorite phrases to say is “I did it” even if she didn’t do anything!

London is also very much into baby dolls, and for the most part loves to nurture them. She’ll hold them up and pat them on the back, feed them a bottle, and push them around in her baby doll stroller. But her favorite thing to do is put them to “nite nite”. London will take a blanket and lay it over the baby doll…or Tulley… or me! And now she likes to play pretend nite nite with me where I pretend to put her to bed, back rub and all! It’s a riot.

We’ve also discovered that playing with baby dolls is the key to morning drop offs at daycare. As soon as Miss Jackie or I mention playing with baby dolls, London is out of my arms and into hers or on the ground running for them!


Morning drop offs are going much better – they are actually pretty quick these days, with only a few tears here and there. Miss Jackie also says that mornings with tears don’t last long at all and soon London is into the thick of things with the other kids. And Miss Betty’s report at the end of the day is that London has had a great day. And she looks like she is having fun when I peer through the classroom window before I go in to get her. Of course, she is always quite happy to see me when I do enter and she sees me.


~ Sarah