I'm finally caught up on the boys' posts, so I thought I would take this opportunity to update on Baby Number 3 . . . Or as Matt likes to call him/her "BV3".
I am currently just over 35 weeks pregnant. Baby has been a mover and a shaker just like mommy loves! I was able to catch some of the movement on camera:
I left off my last post right before my big 20 week ultrasound. I ended up getting that ultrasound on January 6th. It was kind of a crazy time! I had been hoping that Alex could come and see the baby because I thought he would enjoy it. Matt had work meetings and was unable to come so that left my mom to bring Alex. Declan needed a nap at the time of the ultrasound, so my mom called my Aunt Lisa to watch Declan. Well, of course Declan wouldn't go down for his nap and didn't like being left with Aunt Lisa so they all ended up coming. Since Declan didn't get a nap, he cried the entire ultrasound and insisted on laying on the tiny little table with me the whole time. It was exhausting! But we got some VERY cute pictures of the baby! I will say that if this baby looks like his/her ultrasound pictures, we are sure to have a VERY good looking baby! I can't get enough of this profile!
A couple days after my ultrasound I got a call from Dr. Gosser's office saying that they couldn't get all the measurements they needed because of baby's position (baby was breech and transverse). So I needed to schedule another ultrasound. This was music to my ears after the hectic first ultrasound I had. And this time Matt was able to attend. We got very lucky too, because just 2 days before my 2nd ultrasound the doctor's office got a new 3D ultrasound machine! So I got some really nice 3D photos of the baby! These were taken on February 10th at just over 26 weeks:
As you can see, baby was a bit shy hiding his/her face during the 3D portion of this ultrasound, but again, take a look at this beautiful profile:
Oh, and I should mention baby was head down at this point and has remained so, phew!!
I have also been a lot better about taking bump pictures with this baby. Not as good as I was with Alex, but definitely better than I was with Declan. Here are the ones I have:
January 6th (21 weeks 2 days)
January 30th (24 Weeks 5 Days)
February 20th (27 Weeks 5 Days)
February 26th (28 Weeks 4 Days - My 35th Birthday)
March 4th (29 Weeks 4 Days - at the Fox Theatre)
March 15th (31 Weeks 1 Day)
March 17th (31 Weeks 3 Days)
April 3rd (One day shy of 34 Weeks)
I also had a professional maternity session between week 33 and 34, so it will be nice to see those photos too. I'll get them after they take the baby's newborn photos :)
This pregnancy has by FAR been my hardest. I have aches and pains that I NEVER had with the first two. The baby is super low so I have had a lot of pressure in my lower abdomen and pain in my groin and upper legs. The doctor thinks it MIGHT be SPD, but the risks of testing for it outweigh the benefits, so I guess we will never know for sure. I also think it's hard just because I have two other kids to take care of. They are very clingy boys who love their mama and I have a hard time saying no when when want me to hold them. That paired with the fact that Matt has a very demanding job that requires him to work late and go out of town occasionally, I'm just EXHAUSTED!! So it has been a challenging pregnancy to say the least, but it's such a short blip in my life that I'll get through it!
Speaking of those very sweet mama's boys of mine, I should mention that they are very excited about the baby coming. I should correct that and say that Alex is very excited. Declan says he is excited, but I don't think he will deal well with the baby taking mommy's attention away from him. They love to rub lotion on my belly whenever they get a chance:
Alex also just really likes to hug my belly. If he accidentally bumps into me (even if it is just a little brush) he immediately says, "Sorry baby!" and hugs and kisses my belly. Sometimes he will just hug and kiss it because he loves the baby. Someone asked him if he was gonna be a big brother soon and he said, "Uh huh! Look how big my mommy's belly is!" He went to see Dr. Gosser with me the other day. Alex has been very concerned about me going to the hospital so I thought it would be good for him to meet the doctor that is going to help me get the baby out. He just LOVED Dr. Gosser. Dr. Gosser let Alex put the jelly on my tummy and he was so excited to hear the baby's heart beat. He tells everyone that he doesn't care if it's a brother or a sister, he just can't wait to hold the baby.
In March we took the boys took a Big Brother Class so they could learn a bit about babies and also see the hospital where I'll be delivering so it won't be so shocking when they see me there with the baby. Again, Alex just LOVED it! He really took care of the little baby doll and was very interested in learning how to hold and swaddle the baby correctly. Declan on the other hand wanted to do everything on his terms. When we tried to show him how to hold the baby, he would just say, "No, no, no!" and hold it the way he wanted to hold it. He even tried to leave the room with the doll. We are gonna have to keep our eye on this one with the real baby! They both decorated a bib for the baby as well. It was a fun class and the boys seemed to really enjoy it.
This being my third baby, I didn't really expect any sort of celebration or shower. However, my good friend, Deanna, decided to throw me a Baby Sprinkle saying that each baby deserves to be celebrated. It was such a nice celebration and Deanna went above and beyond to celebrate this baby! The guests all brought a book and most even brought me a box of diapers. I felt so very loved and was thrilled to celebrate this baby with so many wonderful people!
I don't have any pictures of the guests at the shower, but if I ever get any I will post them here. I left my phone at home that day (oops!) and was assured that others would send me photos. Here's hoping!
I would like to end this post with another little story about Alex. I am a member of a birth group on Facebook and I was watching one of the ladies' videos showing her gender reveal. Alex walked in as I was watching and started watching with me. When they opened the box and blue balloons came out I told him that means that she is having a baby boy! So Alex asked me, "Mommy, what color are our balloons?" I told him I don't know and that it will be a surprise. Ever since then he has randomly said to me, "Mom, I think our balloons are blue." or "Mom, I think our balloons are pink." One day he said, "Mom, I REALLY hope our balloons are pink . . . but if they are blue that's okay because blue is my favorite color!" LOL! That kid cracks me up! Matt and I are hoping to be able to set something up so that he gets either pink or blue balloons on the day the baby is born. We have a couple ideas, so I hope it works out!
Stranger things have happened, but this will most likely be my last post before baby arrives. Less than 5 weeks till the due date and there is still so much to do though, so I'm thinking this will be it. Can't wait to update with the birth story! BV3, we can't wait to meet you!
You are 2.5 years old now! We have had so much fun these past 6 months!
After your birthday it was back to school time for the big kids, so that means football season! Your friend Hudson's sister is a cheerleader for Oakville, so we went out to cheer her on. You LOVED it! Every time the crowd would cheer, you would stand up and clap and say "Yay!!!" You loved watching the football as well as the cheerleaders. We had so much fun!
Dad insisted we turn your car seat around since you were 2 now. So we turned you around and boy was it funny. You kept looking out the front window saying, "Watch Out!"
We also decided to head out to the Museum of Transportation at the end of August. We had fun as usual riding the mini-train and exploring all the old trains.
At the very end of August, mommy had to go out of town for a wedding, so you and daddy had a lot of fun while I was away. One day you guys went to Grant's Farm with daddy and Poppy. Looks like you guys had a great day!
Dad has been working a lot lately, so the bedtime routine is pretty much left up to mom. You guys love taking baths in mommy's big bath tub and lately your bro has been taking showers. While we are trying to wind down and get you guys ready for bed, sometimes you can get a bit crazy! You love jumping on mommy's bed while I finish up bro's shower. You sing The Bare Necessities and all sorts of crazy things! It's lots of fun
And speaking of Bare Necessities, you and Alex ALWAYS scratch your back at the appropriate time during the song:
At the beginning of September, we found out that you are going to be a big brother. We told you right away, but you don't really get it just yet. I think it will take bringing the baby home for you to really understand.
To celebrate you becoming a big brother, we decided to go apple picking at Eckert's. It was a very hot day for apple picking, but we trudged through and had a great time!
Later that evening, we decided to keep the celebration going by going out for some pizza at Dewey's and then heading over to the Custard stand for some frozen custard:
We are all very excited to meet your baby brother or sister!
Later that month you had Grandparents day at school. You weren't too sure what to make of all this, but you enjoyed seeing Grandma Gerry and Gram at your school that day. And of course you had Lambie to help you through as well:
Per usual, we went to the September Frisco Friday. You had a great time and of course just loved decorating and eating your cookie, getting a red caboose on your arm and playing with the trains:
This time of year, there always seems to be something fun to do downtown. We just happened upon an Agriculture Festival outside Ballpark Village. You guys had so much fun! You loved the giant chair but you guys especially loved the trailer full of corn kernels. It was a great day!
We have started a Friday Movie night tradition. When we are free on a Friday night we order pizza, pop some popcorn and watch a movie. Most of the time daddy also goes and gets ice cream. You guys love it! This is from the first one where we watched Robin Hood for the first time:
Every September the Museum of Transportation holds an event called "Go By Train". This year we went with Gram, Poppy, Will, Harrison, and Louise. It was such a beautiful and fun day at the museum and you had a great time with your cousins!
Unfortunately around this time you weren't feeling very well. You were screaming like you were in pain, but didn't show any other symptoms. Finally I took you to the ER and sure enough, you had your first ear infection :( Luckily after a few popsicles in the hospital and some good antibiotics, you were good as new in a few days:
At the end of September, we decided we needed a vacation, so dad and I decided to take you to Chicago. Dad was already there for work, so it was just you, Alex and me on the drive up there. I was impressed how well you guys did on the car ride! You were so excited to get in to the hotel. You, dad and Alex made a fort out of the couch cushions and had a blast. You thought it was so fun to sleep on the pull out couch with bro:
The next day, we took a day trip up to Milwaukee to visit mommy's friend Bridget and her family. You had a great time riding in the stroller with Anna and you played very well with Jack.
After a long day in Milwaukee, we headed back to Aunt Jackie's house in Chicago. The next day we got up bright and early again and headed to The Shedd Aquarium. You really enjoyed seeing all the fish and other sea creatures, but you seemed to like the Beluga whales the best.
The next day we took the much anticipated ride on the Metra Train into the city. You guys absolutely LOVED the train ride and it remains your favorite part of the trip.
As soon as we got to Chicago (or as you call it, Cago), we headed straight to the Willis Tower. We were very fortunate to get there early, because when we left, the line was SO long! We never would have made it! We enjoyed looking down on the city and you guys liked seeing all the trains below!
After the Willis Tower, we took another train ride, this time on the L. You guys definitely liked the L, but not as much as the Metra:
After our L ride, we headed over to The Bean to take some silly pictures:
After the Bean, we were all very exhausted so it was time to get back on the train and head back to Aunt Jackie's house for the evening. You had a great time with Jackie on the train ride back.
The next day it was time to say good-bye to Chicago. We had a great visit and we will surely be back again soon!
This brings us to October and some fall activities. We headed to Hudson's Grandpa's nursery for a pumpkin painting event. You had so much fun painting a pumpkin as well as running thorough the maze they had set up!
With the weather getting cooler, we needed a to start doing things indoors from time to time. So we headed to the Magic House. I took you up to the baby section so that you could practice for your new baby brother or sister. You did quite well and I think you are going to do great when the baby comes!
You guys also really like the Eric Carle exhibit that was up at the time. You loved the ant hill at the Very Quiet Cricket section. You would climb up and slide down face first. You also liked The Very Hungry Caterpiller.
You also love the water section (much to mom's dismay):
When we went over to the automotive part, you almost instinctually got under the car and got to work. It was awesome!
The next weekend, we went to Rombach's Farm with Braden and Cate. It was a fun filled day of pumpkins, animals, mini train rides and friends.
Then, it was finally time to celebrate Halloween. You were Marshall from Paw Patrol this year. You weren't thrilled with the costume when I tried to put it on you in the morning, but once you got to school and saw all your friends in their costumes, you were on board. You loved the costume parade and we had fun at your Halloween Party at school:
And the next day was Halloween day. We started the day off by going over to your cousins' house to take some pictures:
And then we went trick-or-treating around our neighborhood with your cousin, Alyssa:
During the month of October, you often took walks with Gram and walked past an inflatable big black cat. You were obsessed with this big black cat. When it was taken down, you often said "Big Black Cat all gone!" This has not stopped even to the day I am writing this in April. You can't wait for October to come back so you can see the big black cat again and thank goodness Gram took a picture of it, because you often look at this to hold you over:
In November, we celebrated your cousin Louise's birthday. You had a great time with your cousins and their cousins:
And speaking of fun with your cousins, you had a great time with them at the Magic House.
Oh the irony in the one!
We also celebrated Aunt E's birthday this month. You loved to say and sing "Happy Dirtday" to her. And as you will see in the videos below, you are talking quite a bit about the "Big Black Cat".
After we celebrated Aunt E's birthday, it was time for Thanksgiving. We started the day with breakfast at home while we watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. You just love to dance and you really shook it down during this parade that morning!
After breakfast we headed over to your Aunt Elizabeth's condo for a while:
And then over to Gram and Poppy's house, where we finally got a decent full family picture:
At the very end of November we went again to the Magic House where you enjoyed doing car repairs again:
Once December came, it was time to get our Christmas Tree. You had fun riding in the van out to the Christmas Tree fields, looking at all the trees and watching daddy cut ours down!
And then we took advantage of Eckert's backgrounds for our Christmas Card photos:
Later that night, we headed to St. Simon for a mini-Polar Express Event. You had fun with your ticket, doing the crafts and eating cookies. You did not care for Santa Claus and you required mom for the mini-Polar Express train ride. It was a fun evening!
The next day, we went to Cor Jesu for Breakfast with Santa. You had a good time playing the games, doing the crafts and eating donuts. You again, did NOT like Santa (although we made you sit on his lap for a picture this time).
The next morning was St. Nick's day. You were so excited to see all the candy that St. Nicholas left for you:
The next weekend, we went to the Museum of Transportation to see the Macy's Train Display. You guys just loved seeing the trains running and since it was a nice day, we got to ride the mini train too!
Before we knew it, it was time for your Christmas Party at school. You seemed genuinely excited that mommy came to school to hang out with you for a bit and you enjoyed eating yummy food with your friends.
A couple days later, we had friends over to our house to celebrate Christmas. You had so much fun playing at our house with Audrey, Braden, Cate, and Garrett.
After that, it was FINALLY time for Christmas! We started off by celebrating Christmas Eve at Gram and Poppy's house. You got a lot of really fun gifts and had fun running around with your cousins:
On Christmas Morning, Santa came! You were not thrilled to open gifts this year. Your brother pretty much took care of the opening, but once you saw what was inside, you were on board. You LOVED playing with all your new toys!
Later that day we headed over to Gram and Poppy's for breakfast and then to Grandma Gerry and Paw Paw's house for more fun and presents. We were so busy we even forgot to take pictures!
Once Christmas was over, we celebrated New Year's. We headed over to Beth and Drew's house for this celebration, and both you and Alex stayed up till midnight! We had so much fun playing with our friends and eating yummy food. You even joined us for the "champagne" toast at midnight!
After New Year's, it was time for Daddy's birthday. You loved singing to daddy and eating his cookie cake! You were not thrilled to have to wait though!
In mid-January, we got some snow! Unfortunately it was in the middle of the week, so mommy and daddy couldn't play with you . . . but have no fear, Aunt E was off and she took you guys out in the snow. You had so much fun playing with Aunt E in the snow!
Towards the end of January, we headed to the Magic House again. You and Alex have discovered the painting section of the Magic House and just LOVED it!
By this point in time, mommy's belly was getting pretty big. I like to rub lotion on my big belly to help with the itching from both winter and the stretching. But you and Alex really love to rub lotion on FOR me! After you rubbed lotion on me one night, you decided you needed some on your belly too, lol!
The last couple days of January were unseasonably warm so we went outside and took advantage of it! There was a cat from the neighborhood that looked like Sunny who came over to play too. It was so funny that you and bro kept calling him Sunny! He was a very nice kitty though! Oh, and who would have thought we'd be eating popsicles outside in January?!?!?!!!
In February, we celebrated Poppy's Birthday. We brought over cupcakes and sang to him! You guys just adore your Poppy and really enjoyed celebrating him!
Next we celebrated Valentines Day. Mommy helped you make special Valentines for your friends at school. Unfortunately you were not feeling well enough to go to your party that day, but we did get lots of treats from your friends!
Luckily you were feeling better the next day, because we had a birthday party to go to. Your friend Hannah was turning 2 and we went to her birthday party at the Carousel at Faust Park. You absolutely loved the carousel! It was a fun birthday party!
The very next day, you were so excited because it snowed again! You and Alex ran right out in it as soon as Mass was over that morning! What a fun day!
You have quite the appetite and I rarely have trouble getting you to eat anything. One Saturday afternoon you told me you were hungry, so I started making you some macaroni and cheese. I also happened to have some butter out on the counter to soften to make some cookies. Well apparently the mac and cheese was taking too long to cook so you took matters into your own hands . . . oops!
You just love to eat and you often say, "Mmmm, delicious!" after taking a bite. When I make something that you especially like, you say, "Thank you mommy! Pasta (or Insert food) good! You love to eat almost anything as I said, but you REALLY love Cunettos. You actually ask for salad and then when the pasta is served, you eat with two hands like a real Italian!
You also love Taco Bell. Taco Bell has become a lifesaver for mommy when daddy is out of town and I don't have time to make dinner. You actually clap when we get into the parking lot saying, "Yay, Taco Bell!" This doesn't make me feel like the most stellar mom, but hey, at least I'm feeding you guys and you are happy!
You usually don't get too into the cooking of meals, but you did have fun helping bro and I make a pizza one night. You loved sprinkling the cheese on especially!
You love bath time, Paw Patrol, and popsicles, so what's better than combining them all? Only at Gram's house . . .
You and Alex just love to hang out together! This winter when it was cold I often put you in your chairs and draped a cover over you guys! You also love to play hide and seek with these covers. You climb under the covers and say, "We hiding!" If someone says, "Where is Declan?" You say, "I Hiding!!" It's so funny!
Your brother also likes to "read" to you. He can't really read yet, but he has your favorite book memorized. You love it when anyone reads "A Crack in the Track" to you!
You still love the Jungle Book and one of your favorite things to say is, "Shere Khan no likey fire!"
And speaking of The Jungle Book, here is another video of you guys scratching your backs to Bare Necessities:
You love to dance and whenever you see dancing on the TV, you try to imitate it. Here is your take on Bruno Mars from the Superbowl Halftime Show:
You are learning so much lately! We are still working a bit on your colors at this time. You are SO close!
You are learning so much and growing up so fast! Life is so fun with you in it! I love you my sweet Declan!
