19 Months

Happy 19-month birthday Little Man! Over the past month, I feel like I've noticed the most changes in our little Whippet in the shortest amount of time. At times, he seems more like a little kid to me than a toddler. A tantrum over something petty will generally bring me back to the reality that we are still raising a toddler. Here's what Whippy has been up to over the past month.

1) Language has exploded - literally! As you recall in my 18 month post, Kyle, myself, and our pediatrician were all a little concerned about Micah's meager vocabulary which had prompted us to schedule a 21 month follow up versus the typical 2 year well child visit. I'm considering canceling. Something has clicked within Micah where he probably has at least 50 words or sounds. In addition to bus, truck, mama, dada, etc we've added cracker, apple, "mmmm" for milk, hose, oh-no, circle, up, "popper" for popper toy, blocks, oatmeal, pop and several more. It's fun to hear his little voice.

2) Wears 2T clothes, size 6 shoes, and size 5 diapers.

3) Books are still a favorite toy. His book collection has probably grown to over 50 books, and he wants us to read them to him all...the...time. Several of his books have been read so many times that they're being held together by tape, which is a wonderful reminder of how much this kiddo loves to read.

4) Eating is hit or miss with him. He's definitely become more picky, but I still refuse to have a standby supply of hotdogs or chicken nuggets in the refrigerator should he not like what we're having for supper. He's now developed a sweet tooth, and loves ice-cream, or "ice" as he calls it.

5) Went an entire week without a pacifier! Unfortunately, life circumstances have caused him to start up again, but we are now down to only at bed time.

6) Loves to dance - favorite song is "Wheels on the Bus" by Pete the Cat. Check it out on YouTube - the video is quite entertaining.

7) We've just started to begin potty training. When I say started, I mean that he plays a role in flushing the poo-poo from a dirty diaper down the toilet.

8) Loves brushing his own teeth, but does not like when Dad nor Mom try to assist.

9) Sleeping has not been great over the past month. More on that in an upcoming post.

10) Does not like having his fingernails nor toenails clipped.

11) Is growing a nice mullet. He is probably in need of a haircut, but I can already envision the kicking, screaming and tears that would accompany it. And, I guess that I'm not ready to part with those cute little curls too.

12) Continues to excel in motor skills - running, jumping, going up and down the stairs without assistance. climbing on furniture, etc.

13) Still has tantrums, but they have decreased in frequency : ) Unfortunately, he's been hitting a lot, especially when he gets angry at us. We've started timeouts, and they are not being well received!

14) Knows that a baby exists in mom's stomach, and will give him/her kisses on command.

15) Still demonstrating only a few minute interest in Sesame Street or Thomas the Train. Unfortunately, I caught him watching and enjoying the Nascar race tonight. He's still a few years away from buying any Wrangler jeans and a Kyle Busch shirt. And, several years away from attending a guy's Nascar trip out to Las Vegas with Kyle.

16) Loves to help cook, but has a better understanding that the stove is "hot" and isn't so adamant watching something cook on it.

17) Loves going for bike rides in his Burley. His tolerance for stroller rides is decreasing though. He wants to get out and walk after sitting in his stroller for any extended length of time.

18) Enjoys being given choices such as when picking out clothing.

19) Future race car or truck driver - maybe? Whippy loves to be in the driver seat of anything. On a recent trip up North, he enjoyed pretending to drive our 4 Runner.

Nesting - pregnancy or house-related?!

On Tuesday, I will already be 21-weeks along with Micah's little bro or sis. This pregnancy has certainly been different in many ways than it was with Micah. My overall pregnancy with Micah was so easy until the delivery. I've been more nauseated with this pregnancy, and I've had more intense cravings. One of the biggest differences is my nesting instinct. As much as I tried with Micah, I could not get it to kick in, while it's currently in full swing with this pregnancy. I think that our house situation   is playing a role this time around.

22 weeks with Micah

21 weeks with Babe 2

I'm getting anxious to get into our new house to begin decorating Micah and the baby's new rooms. I have several bins of boys clothing that I want to go through to sort out any neutral clothes. Today, I bought the baby his/her first new outfits.

I've been eyeing this line up at Gap for a few months, but wanted to wait for it to go on sale. Today was my lucky day. On a spontaneous shopping trip, I was pleasantly surprised to find it on the clearance rack and in the sizes I needed : )

As far as a house update - Kyle and I dropped the price by approximately $8,000 last week. Over the past few days, we have had an increase in interest. Today, we had an open house which brought in 6 couples. One of the couples brought friends back, and then did a showing with their parents this afternoon. I don't want to get my hopes up too high, but I'm optimistic that they feel in love with it as much as Kyle and I did when we first saw the house 4 years ago. Similar to our situation, they are coming from an apartment situation, and would be first-time home buyers. Fingers crossed! We are excited to close on our new house next Friday.

Happy Birthday "Uncle Augie"

Last Monday was my brother and Micah's "Uncle Augie's" birthday. The "Augie" name actually came from me. When I was around Micah's age, I couldn't pronounce Scott, so instead I called him "Augie". The name is recently resurfaced since having Micah, and it fits Scott perfectly.

Micah is so fortunate to have such a great Uncle Scott. He's involved in Micah's life and does a great job at entertaining him when they're together. Below are some of my favorites of these two...

A Glimpse of Babe # 2...

This morning, Kyle and I had our anatomy ultrasound. It also would've been the gender reveal ultrasound, BUT we've decided to wait until the end to be surprised : ) Over the past week, I started noticing "butterflies" in my stomach which soon turned into little kicks. I love the feeling of this little life moving inside of me, even if it is generally right about that time that I'm ready to fall asleep.

Today we certainly had an active baby during the ultrasound. Despite the babe's multiple twists, turns, kicks, we did not get a glimpse of what was going on between the legs. With Micah, Kyle was certain that he knew we were having a boy from reading the ultrasound before the gender was actually revealed during our cake cutting ... Whether he was right or not, who knows. I don't anticipate Kyle switching careers to become an ultrasound technician anytime soon.

Below are some pictures of our babe.

Our babe loved to keep his/her hands up by his/her mouth during the ultrasound. The jaw was also moving a lot!

Since having Micah, our hospital upgraded to a 4 D ultrasound. It's still early, but I feel like I see a Raadt nose...

Our guess date remains around the beginning of the year. Right now the baby weighs a mere 9 ounces and a little over 4 inches long, which is amazing to think that a life that small could be so developed and moving so much. The major organs look great. He/she is head down, and my placenta position is good.

The pregnancy really seems to be going well. I had some nausea early on, but I'm well over that. I'm officially in maternity clothing, yet I don't feel as big as I was with Micah. I'm still working out - doing the elliptical, running (although not as fast and as far) and weight lifting, and I'm hoping to keep that up throughout the remained of the pregnancy. I've been craving a lot of sugar, jolly ranchers, gummy bears, the best Salt Water taffy which can unfortunately only be purchased in Niswau, and Ginger Ale. More updates to come as the pregnancy progresses.

18 months

Happy 18 month birthday little man! Whippy officially turned a year and a half last week, but didn't have his check-up until today. The examination component of the appointment was quick, as Micah was in no way willing to cooperate with the nursing nor the PA-C from the minute we got called back. Overall, we have a healthy little man, except we do have to go back in 3 months versus 6 months, because it was discovered that Micah's anterior fontanel has not closed, which should have happened by 18 months. From my brief google search, it really seems like a non-issue.

Here's what Micah's been up to over the past month:

1) Growth is slowing down. At today's visit, Micah weighed 28# 2 ounces (80%), 34.6 inches long (95%) and head circumference is 50 cm (90%). Again, these values are probably skewed due to our uncooperative patient : )

2) Current shirt size - 24 months - 2T, shorts - 24 months, shoes - size 7, and diapers - size 5-6, depending on the brand.

3) Motor man - walking backwards, running, will walk on his tip toes (but not idiopathic!), jump, go up/down stairs while standing and holding onto the railing.

4) Language is struggling a bit. Our pediatric PA-C said that children are generally motor oriented or verbal. At this point in his life, Micah should have at least 20 words. It's difficult to say if he has that number. He's recently stopped saying a lot of words that he once was saying and everything seems to be "da". Concerned - not really at this point. We'll keep working with Micah. I'm fortunate to work with a great SLP, who has a lot of years of working with pediatrics.

5) Sweet tooth - maybe starting. On a recent trip up North, Micah was given a few M&M's. He loved them. I'm trying hard not to have that stuff in the house, but it's certainly hard given my chocolate cravings.

6) Appetite is slowing down. Instead of eating "everything" at lunch at daycare, Micah now only eats "some" most days of the week. We try to get at least 1-2 good, solid meals in him a day, and breakfast is usually a sure bet. He still loves eggs and recently has shown an interest in my oatmeal. Other likes include pasta, cereal bars, goldfish, grilled cheese, and less and less fruits and vegetables. We try to still incorporate them into every meal, even it means hiding them : )

7) Using a fork and spoon more consistently. It seems like Whippy will be right handed. Likes to dump whatever's on his plate or in his bowl on his tray.

8) Great at imitating - he loves putting on deodorant on, except instead of putting the actual deodorant on with the stick, he put it on with the cap. He also will pretend to put hair gel in his hair. It's great watching him learn so much.

9) We may have a baseball player in the making. This kiddo has a great overhand throw. It's fun to watch him throw baseballs with Kyle, but he's also been throwing a bunch of toys too lately : /

10) Tantrums are still present - what else can I say? I've gotten good at ignoring him during them ,and he eventually becomes distracted by something else.

11) Still loves to be in the kitchen when I'm in there. It's become so challenging to cook supper some nights, as he wants to be held to monitor what's been cooked on the stove or he wants to help stir. He throws tantrums when put down. He doesn't quite yet understand the concept of "hot". I am certain that this kiddo is bound to be a chef someday.

12) Can climb up on chairs and the couch by himself. Climbs up into our bay window. Still has yet to climb out of his crib...

13) Still sleeping approximately 10 hours/night. Takes 1 afternoon nap a day. Seems to be on a good sleeping schedule : )

14) Likes trucks and will scoot them across the floor. It's so much fun to watch him

15) Loves his shoes and has a fit when they're taken off at home or at daycare.

16) Still sleeps with a pacifier. At daycare, he naps without one. Over the next few months, we are going to start the fun process of tapering it out.

17) Potty training - not quite yet. Over the next 2 months (ie - we hopefully move into our new house) we will start the potty training fun.

18) Still has no idea that he's going to be a big brother in 5 short months.

Here are a few pictures of Micah man from last Thursday night - his actual 18 month birthday. Kyle was working that night, but Micah and I celebrated with a trip to the park. It started raining just as we arrived, but we were able to capture a beautiful rainbow. The night ended with an ice cream treat from Culvers.

Much messier than his cake smash 6 months ago

A memorable week

As stated in the last post, it has been a crazy summer. It's hard for me to believe that the 4th of July is already here. It seems like several large life events happened in June, and not just over the whole month, but within a 1 week time frame!

Kyle and I had found out that I was pregnant in middle April, but wanted to wait until I went to the MD before disclosing a lot of details about the pregnancy. You see, last fall we were surprised to find out that we were pregnant, only to lose the baby at approximately 6 weeks gestation. Unplanned or not it was difficult to go through a miscarriage. This time around, I waited awhile before calling my MD to set up an appointment, and was unable to get in for my initial nurse visit until June 11th. During my pregnancy with Micah, I saw a RN for the initial visit, but this time around I was placed with a CNP. After finishing a bunch of paperwork at our June 11th appointment, she offered to perform a doppler and I was able to hear a beautiful, strong 175 bpm heartbeat during my first visit. On June 14th, we got the first glimpses of our new baby during an ultrasound. I found our that I was well over 11 weeks pregnant and our babe's guess date is January 1st.

During the same week, we made an offer on a house. The house came on the market the weekend prior, and it truly is the floor plan, yard, and neighborhood that we've been looking for throughout this entire house search process. Even better, it was well below our price range. The only downfall - it's on the top of Garvin Heights which involves going up/down a big hill on a daily basis. The house was also built in 1998, so is need of some cosmetic updates. We first looked at the house on June 13th, and by June 15th we made an offer. Our offer was accepted, but we unfortunately were not able to have a contingency on the sale of the home. The current owners are anxious to move up the the cities. The house itself was too good of a deal to pass up, so we kept our current offer, knowing that we may be responsible for 2 mortgages for a hopefully only a short period of time. We close at the end of August.

328 went on the market on June 18th. It's only been 2 weeks, and we've already had about 7 showings. We are trying to be optimistic that it will sell quickly, but it will take the right buyer too. It's an old house, so it doesn't have huge closets, our main bathroom is on the main floor, and our laundry is in the basement. But, it has a lot of charm, it's in a great location, and we hope that someone will love it as much as we've loved it. Brutus has unfortunately been re-homed to my parent's house until our house sells. We miss him so much, but know that he is being well cared for and loved in our absence! Keeping the house clean and "show ready" has been easier than I anticipated.

17 months - a few days late!

Our Micah Man is already 17 months old and the summer chaos has certainly kept me from posting too much on our blog lately! Life is good though! This amazing little man continues to bring us so much happiness on a daily basis.

1) Growing like a weed. The last time he was at the doctor was his 16 month check-up, so I don't have specifics regarding his weight and height. He currently wears 24 month shorts/pants, 24 month/2T shirts and pajamas, size 5 diapers and size 7 shoes.

2) Despite his growth, he's certainly become pickier about eating. I have to believe that it's due to a desire to play versus sit to eat. He continues to like pasta, cereal (Cinnamon Chex - especially), eggs, cereal bars, cheese, crackers, and some chicken/pork. He's starting to avoid a lot of fruits and vegetables. We offer him what we are eating for supper - sometimes it's well received while other times it's chucked on the floor.

3) Drinks water and milk from a sippy cup. I've offered juice, but it gets instantaneously pushed away.

4) Needs a bath every night. He is all boy and plays hard at daycare and home. He is a muddy/sandy/sunscreen/food remnant covered kiddo by the end of the day.

5) Hates having his teeth brushed! He has to be tired to let you clip his fingernails or toenails.

6) No interest in potty training. We'll start this fall when life slows down a little. Diaper changes are hit or miss.

7) Becoming more independent at the park. Goes up playground equipment stairs independently and down little slides without our help.

8) Can climb up on the couch by himself. Jump - although his vertical is still only a few cm off the ground, and is getting better about climbing up and down stairs with the railing or 1 hand hold assist.

9) Loves his books - especially a specific transportation book that has pictures of cars, firetrucks, and farm machinery. He could spend hours looking at the pictures.

10) It's fun to see him take interest in new toys throughout the house. Lately he loves his Scout dog.

11) Music is a big part of Micah's life. He loves the "Wheels on the Bus" and the "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and is starting to do the actions.

12) Slowly is beginning to say a few more words - car, truck, bupf (bus) are said multiple times throughout the day. Cookie was new this week. Mil (milk) Wa (water), poo-poo (about 50% of the time when he has a poopy diaper), Naa-Naa for banana, and more new words that I'm probably missing. He still points and says "da" a lot. We are trying to get him better at using his words. He will sign "more" and "please".

13) Sleeping 8-9 hours/night. We are finding that he's getting up earlier and earlier, generally between 6:30 and 7:00 with the sun coming up earlier. He's usually tired enough at night that he'll fall asleep cuddling with his Gosig dog shortly after putting him in his crib. Naps about 2 hours during the day.

14) Uses a pacifier at night and during long car rides

15) Doesn't slow down for much. This kid goes and goes, and it is so much fun to watch him explore.

16) Has a few chores including feeding Brutus, although that has been on hold lately, as Brutus has been living at my parents - more on that later.

17) Is going to be a big brother in January! He is yet to fully understand this role, but I know that he'll be excited when the time comes - don't let his expression in the photo below fool you! Micah has added so much joy to our lives, and we are looking forward to the new addition to the family.