16 weeks

16 weeks -- Photo by Claire

Claire wanted to take a picture of my ever-growing belly, so I thought I would share. :)

So far this pregnancy has gone well. I had a bout of morning sickness for a couple of weeks, but that is over now! Yes, I know that my belly looks quite big to be a four month belly, but I haven't gained a lot of weight... yet... I know that I will pack on the pounds from here on out, but this is the good kind of weight gain -- the weight gain with a "pot of gold" at the end! I gained 33 and 31 pounds with my previous pregnancies and that seemed to be a good amount of gain for me. The doctor told me I should gain between 30 - 35 pounds this time around as well. So that's the goal! Healthy weight gain = Healthy baby, so it's really a win-win... I am also trying to stay active and keep up with a regular exercise plan. I started a prenatal Pilates class a month ago and I LOVE it! I did regular Pilates for about a year before I got pregnant and it was very beneficial. Now, with the ever-growing belly, Amy (my Pilates instructor) has modified the exercises to accommodate my needs. I feel fantastic after each class and look forward to seeing if there is a difference in delivery -- my doctor said that Pilates is a great exercise, along with walking and swimming, for moms-to-be. So time will tell...

We find out if we are getting a boy or girl added to the family at the end of the month! Audrey and Claire are so excited, although they each want something different. Audrey wants a brother because she "already has a sister" and Claire wants a sister because she "wants there to be three sisters in our family". I can relate to Audrey because I wanted my baby brother to be a girl because I already had a little brother. Unfortunately, I didn't get what I wanted. And while I wasn't very excited at the beginning, I learned that having two little brothers was actually a lot of fun! Claire is very adamant about the baby being a girl. She isn't open to having a brother, but if it turns out to be a boy, I am sure that she will come around to the idea and love him just as much as she would have loved a sister. Brock and I are actually neutral on the whole gender issue - healthy with 10 fingers and 10 toes is what we want. So my next baby post will be a big announcement - Boy or Girl! Stay tuned...

Family Time

Okay, I know it has been a while and I promise to catch you up with all of the happenings with our crazy bunch... but that will be the next post (or two)... this one is about our "family time" day.

Brock's travel schedule has been quite hectic lately and it doesn't look like there will be much relief anytime soon.  So while he is home, we try to make the most of our family time together.  This morning we got up and had breakfast (Mom's omelets and cinnamon toast... yummy!) and then a boat ride.  The weather has not been very cooperative this summer so there haven't been as many boat rides as there normally would be.  But today the "stars aligned" and we took advantage.

There's not much that is better than being on the boat early in the morning before the river gets crowded and the sun heats everything up.  It is cooler and quieter and in one word - great!  We went to Bird Island and explored for a bit, but the vegetation had grown so much over the summer that our normal exploration paths were a bit too tight for my comfort zone.  The thought of spiders and ticks kept jumping through my mind.  After a bit of time on the island, we decided to go back to our "regular" island, which is actually a sandbar, just down the canal from our house.  The water level has been unusually high so the sandbar never surfaced.  But the water was clear and cool and the girls had a great time swimming.  Another family was there with their dog, so Duke had a playmate.  The two dogs splashed and ran, and ran and splashed.  Needless to say (but I will anyway), Duke was one tired pup when we got back to the house.  Audrey and Claire swam with the other family's daughter and the parents all enjoyed some chit chat.  We left the island and headed back down the canal to our house.  We cleaned up and went to Grills (a local seafood grill) for lunch.  It was a fun day just being together as a family.  Now, we are gearing up for a family game of Scrabble!  Should be interesting...  I leave you with a photo from today...

The girls on the boat

(with Duke in the background)

After-School Special

Part of being a stay-at-home mom, in my mind at least, is having the ability to welcome your children home from a busy day of learning with a fun, healthy after-school snack.  I have wanted to do this for a long time and just haven't kicked myself into gear to get it done.  Well, that all changed this week.  Each day my goal is to have a different snack ready for the girls when they get home from school.  The snack is something small (as we eat dinner around 5:30 or 6:00), easy to make (a must for me) and healthy (I was aiming for an alternative to cookies and candy).  I wanted to post this on Monday, when we started, but life got in the way. :)

Monday - Ants on a Log

Audrey loves raisins, but Claire did not want them on her snack.  "Just on a log for me, hold the ants" was her request.   So it was one "Ants on a Log" and one "On a Log"... I love that they make me laugh every day.  I love being a mom... and most importantly, I love being their mom!

Tuesday - Apple Slices and Peanut Butter

Unfortunately, I didn't get pictures (but I'm sure you all know what apples and peanut butter look like)...

Wednesday - Fruit Skewers with Cinnamon Dip

This was a snack that took a bit of preparation but was quite easy.  Audrey loved the dip, but Claire passed.  The main reason for that was because she saw that I put sour cream in it and she got it in her head that it would be sour, which it is far from being sour.  But once she gets something into her head, there is not much changing her mind at that sitting.  I'm sure she will try it next time without any problems.  The cinnamon dip recipe is below for those of you who might be interested.

Cinnamon Dip

Mix 1 cup sour cream and 2 tablespoons each brown sugar and lime juice.

Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.  Mix well.  Thread fruit on skewers and serve with dip.

This made a good bit of dip.  For small children, you could easily cut the recipe in half and have plenty for a snack.

Claire's First Day at VPK

Today was Claire's first day of VPK, which is, for those of you not familiar with the program, a pre-kindergarten program for 4-year-olds designed to help get children ready for Kindergarten and the beginning of their school career.  The program is three hours a day, five days a week.  Claire is very excited about getting to go to school five days a week (just like Audrey).  Last year, the Mom's Day Out program that we enrolled her in was only two days a week.

This morning, after we dropped Audrey off at her school, we packed Claire's lunch box.  She picked a very healthy lunch - peanut butter and strawberries wrap (no jelly for this child), some carrots and a cup of applesauce.  She was very pleased with her selection and Mom was too. :)  Claire is in the afternoon class which starts at 11:20.  This allows her to have lunch at school with her classmates, something she was quite happy about.  At carline, parents do not get out of the car.  We pull up, put the car in park and the teachers come out and help unload and load your child.  When Claire left the car today, she didn't give saying goodbye a second thought.  "Bye Mom!" and a quick wave and she was inside her "new school".  I love the fact that she is so independent and doesn't need me as a security blanket when she starts something new.  She is a big girl and we are all very proud of that!

 At home with Duke before her first day at VPK!

Our Little Surprise

We officially found out yesterday that we are expecting Baby #3 at the end of March.  We are very excited about the news.  Audrey and Claire are beyond excited.  The ultrasound tech told us that the baby is about the size of a blueberry right now, so the girls were calling it "Baby Blueberry" all night.  Claire keeps saying, "I can't believe there's a baby in your tummy!"  Audrey can't wait for the baby to be big enough to kick so she can feel it.  She loved that part when I was pregnant with Claire.  They are both reminding me how big they are and how much they can help out with the baby.  Since Audrey will be 10 and Claire will be 5, I know that they will be good helpers.  I flipped through my calendar yesterday to show Claire how long it will be until the baby is born and she said "That's a long time... Your belly is going to be huge!"  LOL!  Aww, kids say the cutest things! Cute, yet brutally honest... :)

First Day of Fourth Grade

Wow!  4th Grade!!!  It seems like I was just getting Audrey ready for Kindergarten and now she is a big girl in 4th grade.  Fourth grade just seems so big... I know all of the older moms (those of you whose children are in high school or college or even grown with children of their own) are thinking that I am crazy for feeling like my little girl is growing up so fast.  I know one day she will be going to her first prom, graduating high school, moving away to college and all of those things that come with your children growing up, but I am living in the now and right now, my little girl is going to the big 4th grade.  I am very excited and, if I'm being honest, a bit terrified at the same time.  This is just one of the reasons why I listen to the advice of older moms when they tell me to "enjoy every moment".

Anyway, this is about Audrey's first day of fourth grade.  She is very excited about this year.  This will be her first full year at her new school.  She has quite a few friends from last year's class in her class this year, so she was happy to see some familiar faces in her new room.  She is also excited because as a fourth grader she can join chorus.  She is very musically talented and is looking forward to the numerous concerts and events that they host throughout the year.  Below is a photo of Audrey at school.

 Audrey - the Big 4th Grader!!!

A Childhood Right of Passage

For many children, getting braces is just another childhood right of passage.  Audrey is experiencing that right of passage now.  She started Phase 1 of her orthodontic treatment today. The time frame for this phase is approximately 12 months. She was a bit anxious beforehand but did really well.

Audrey brought along a "friend" for support

She chose a different color band for each bracket - "Rainbow colored", as she calls it!

At home... showing off her new additions:)

The one thing that I remember from having braces was the difficulty eating certain foods.  So I am trying my best to incorporate easy-to-eat foods into our good-for-you diet.  I use the word "diet" in the sense of our eating lifestyle, not a weight loss plan.  Although it would be nice to lose a pound or two in the process. :)  But I digress.  So tonight we had "soft" foods for dinner to help alleviate the discomfort that usually comes those first few days of treatment.  Audrey gave her seal of approval for dinner and we made it through the first meal quite well.  We worked on cleaning around the braces after mealtime and discussed the best practices for dealing with meals away from home - like lunches at school, etc.  Audrey is doing great and I hope that this "right of passage" is one that is a positive one for her.