I Spy...

So, recently I have become addicted to Pinterest.  Talk about totally cool and a great way to kill time!  Seeing how creative people are on that site really got my creative juices flowing for our upcoming road trip to New Orleans for our cruise in 38 days.  The last time we took a loooong road trip Aiden was only 10 months old and he did a lot of sleeping. It didn't take much to keep him entertained while we drove from Michigan to Colorado.  This time Aiden will be 2 1/2 and it takes way more to keep him occupied and happy - especially for a 18 hour trip. 

This week on Pinterest I saw a really neat idea for a DIY magnetic lap "desk" for kids while on road trips (see it here) which I plan to make sometime this week. So I decided to create some games or fun things for Aiden to do that will stick to the "desk."  Since Aiden loves "I Spy.." I created a travel version for him.

First I searched Google images for objects/items that we may see while travelling by car. And copy/pasted them into a Word document so I could fit more than one item on a sheet.

Second, I had the sheets (my objects totalled 4 sheets of paper) printed in color.  Since my ink at home was low, I ran to OfficeMax and had all 4 sheets color printed for just under $2.  While at OfficeMax I quickly cut out each piece and had them laminated.  I had 23 game pieces/objects total and they fit onto 3 laminated sheets - it only cost about $3. 

I figured if I was spending this much time to find the objects and cut them out, I better laminate them to help protect them from spills, rips, etc. and then they would be durable enough to last for more than one road trip.

After cutting out each piece I affixed a small piece of magnetic tape to the back so they would stick to Aidens travel desk so they would not slide around or fall while we are driving.  By having the pieces cut out individually we can add pieces or objects as he gets older or tailor them to specific trips.  To store the DIY I Spy game I picked up a 99 cent plastic zippered pencil pouch (like the kind kids use for school that can be clipped into a binder or trapper keeper) from Meijer.  Pretty neat, huh?

I Spy Game Pieces:

-Stop Sign

-Yield Sign

-Wrong Way Sign

-Construction Barrel

-Speed Limit Sign

-Traffic Signal

-Mail Box

-Barn

-Cow

-Horse

-Round Hay Bale

-Bird

-Tree

-Tractor

-Fire Truck

-Police Car

-Ambulance

-Motorcycle

-Semi Truck

-Construction Crane

-Sun

-Cloud

-McDonalds' Golden Arches

12 Weeks

I realized today as I began to type this that I have missed the last few weeks....here is our 12 week recap!

How far along? 12 Weeks! Welcome to the Second Trimester!
Baby’s Size: Baby is about the size of a lime, just over 2" long and about 1/2 ounce.
Total Weight Gain: I *think* about 3 pounds
Bellybutton: Innie
Stretchmarks: Nope
Maternity Clothes: Yep!
Gender: Team Green!
Movement: Yes, little flutters
Sleep: Recently, I have not been as tired as I was in the early weeks, but I still tend to go to bed about 9pm.
Symptoms: Rockin' a little baby bump and the smell of cooking meat still makes my stomach turn.
Food Cravings: Recently - MilkeyWay candy bars. Today - bacon and a fountain coke!
Best Moments this week: Made it to 12 weeks - goodbye First Trimester!
What I miss: Sleeping on my tummy.
What I am Looking forward to: Our first pre-natal appointment with Dr. Strong on Friday.  Can't wait to hear the little heartbeat.

Pudding & Sitting in a "Big Boy" Chair

Aiden recently found a new love....pudding!  It's not been something we typically stock around the house but since it has become Aidens  favorite dessert/treat we have made sure to have it on hand.  Just watching him enjoy a cup of pudding is pretty funny.  For the most part he is not a messy eater, but give him pudding and you better have a wash cloth ready!

Last Saturday I had to have lab work done for this pregnancy.  Since I was not allowed to eat before the lab work, I got ready while Scott gave Aiden breakfast.  When breakfast was ready Scott asked if Aiden would like to sit at the table "like a big boy, like Daddy."  Of course Aiden thought that was awesome, so he climbed up onto one of the kitchen chairs and ate breakfast at the big table.  Since that morning, Aiden has given up sitting in the high chair, cold turkey.  He doesn't even want to sit in it pulled close to the table with out the tray. At first I was a bit worried about not having him "contained" during meal time, but he has done great sitting at the table this week! Our little guy sure is growing up fast....potty training, sleeping in a big boy bed and now sitting at the kitchen table! Where has time gone?

9 Weeks

How far along? 9 weeks (and 1 day). 216 days to go!
Baby’s Size: Baby is about the size of a grape
Total Weight Gain: same as last week
Bellybutton: Innie
Stretchmarks: Nope
Maternity Clothes: Yep!
Gender: Team Healthy Baby! Although Aiden is still set on having a "baby seester."
Movement: Not yet
Sleep: Pretty good, just a few midnight potty breaks
Symptoms: Still get tired by the end of the day, but not as exhausted as the last few weeks.  The smell of cooking meat does not sit well with me.  Thankfully Scott has taken over dinner prep recently which as been SO nice.
Food Cravings: Beef Stroganoff (sp?) - had it for dinner last night - yum!
Best Moments this week:
What I miss: Nothing so far
What I am Looking forward to: Our cruise in 59 days! I am ready for a vacation!!

8 WEEKS

How far along? 8 weeks
Baby’s Size: Baby is about the size of a kidney bean this week - about 1 inch or so long.
Total Weight Gain: About 2lbs total since before baby
Bellybutton: Innie
Stretchmarks: Nope
Maternity Clothes: Yep!
Gender: Team Healthy Baby! We plan to be surprised again :)
Movement: Can't feel baby yet, but it apparently is already able to swim around like a fish!
Sleep: For the most part it has been good, typically only waking up once a night to use the bathroom.
Symptoms: Tired, very tender boobs, expanding waist line.
Food Aversions: Nothing in particular this week, still not that into any mexican food or dishes.
Food Cravings: I really wanted circus peanuts this week as a snack and peanut butter & jelly on english muffins.
Best Moments this week: Got to make my first "in Office" visit with my OB.  I have to have lab work done in the next few weeks and our fist visit will be 2/24 - we get to hear the heartbeat!
What I miss: My energy. By the end of the day I am sooooo tired.
What I am Looking forward to: Ditching this nausea/queasy tummy that comes around dinner time recently. Hearing the heartbeat on 2/24

Don't forget to vote on the Baby's gender in the poll I created (on the right side of the blog)!!

7 Week Update

How far along? 7 weeks (and 1 day) 230 more to go
Baby’s Size: Baby has doubled in size since last week and now measures half an inch long, about the size of a blueberry!
Total Weight Gain: Not much different than last week, scale wise, but I am starting to get a nice little bump
Bellybutton: Innie
Stretchmarks: Nope
Maternity Clothes: Yes, wearing maternity pants. My regular pants just were not working any more.
I do have to do some shopping because my preggo pants from when I was carrying Aiden seem to be a bit short or shrunken in the length (hello, highwaters, lol!).
Gender: Team Healthy Baby! We plan to be surprised again :)
Movement: Not yet
Sleep: Lots of it! I have been going to bed about 9pm every night :)
Symptoms: I was pretty nauseous all last week - not sure if I had a little stomach bug or what, but it was awful. Baby was kicking my butt!
Food Aversions: Mexican! Don't want anything to do with it any more - yuck!
Food Cravings: No real cravings this week or overall - I think I have more food aversions than cravings right now probably because I have been feeling crummy.
Best Moments this week: I had a 4 day weekend and got to spend Friday & Monday at home with Aiden :)
What I miss: Nothing so far...enjoying every minute of it!
What I am Looking forward to: Ditching this nausea/queasy tummy that comes around dinner time recently.
Milestones: Broke out my box of maternity clothes and started wearing maternity pants

Just a Quickie

I told myself when I started this blog that I would try to blog regularly and not go for days with nothing new posted...drives me nuts when I check other blogs and there isn't anything new for me to stalk for days or weeks at a  time, lol.  However, this last week was a bit rough.  Baby #2 was kicking my butt....for the last almost full week I have been so nauseous that even getting dressed in the morning was a challenge!  Thankfully, as of yesterday I am starting to feel a bit better - hope this feeling better trend continues!  I still am having moments of being queasy...but not all day long like last week! I even managed to do some dishes and vacuum the house after lunch today - woohoo! (I have today off for MLK day - so Aiden and I get to spend an extra day hanging out together!)  Look for our 7 week update sometime tomorrow!! :)
Oh...and guess what?!?

75 days until the Terpstra Family Cruise

232 days until Baby #2 is due