16 Weeks!

How far along? 16 weeks!
Baby’s Size: Baby is about the size of an avocado - about 4 1/2 inches long and 3.5 oz.
Total Weight Gain: About 7 pounds.
Bellybutton: Innie
Stretchmarks: Nope
Maternity Clothes: Oh, yeah...no hiding this bump!
Gender: Team Green!
Movement: Yes, little flutters and occasional harder movements - especially if I sneeze!
Sleep: Yes, please!  I have gained a lot more energy back since my first trimester, but by the end of the day I am ready to get some good sleep!   8+ hours is preferable!
Symptoms: Just the bump. My nausea from the earlier weeks has pretty much vanished - thank goodness.
Food Cravings: Miracle Whip sandwiches!  So far I have not had one particular food or goodie that has stuck around as a constant craving like I did with Aiden.  My cravings seem to come in spurts and will last for a few days or a few weeks and then something else will sound good.  While I am craving a particular item though, I tend to eat a LOT of that item!
Best Moments this week: Getting to spend time outside in the unseasonably warm, record breaking temperatures and getting a bit of color and celebrating Scott's 30th Birthday
What I miss: Sleeping on my tummy.
What I am Looking forward to: Our doctors appointment next Tuesday - can't wait to hear the heartbeat again and our cruise!  We leave in 9 days for New Orleans, Louisiana and our ship leaves port in 11 days! WOOHOO!!!

March Madness

Boy, have I been a pretty poor blogger recently!  We have had a very busy March so far and it isn't even over yet!

Aiden was sick at the beginning of the month and ended up with Brochiolitis which was no fun at all! He spiked some pretty high fevers and had a terrible cough - antibiotics and an inhaler helped clear it all up though. He spent most of his time camped out on the couch snuggling with Momma and watching Elmo DVD's while he recuperated.

Then, Grammy & Papa visited for a long weekend and we all went to see Monster Jam's Thunder Nationals at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids.  Aiden had SO MUCH fun seeing all of the monster trucks doing wheelies, donuts and crushing cars...little boy heaven!

And while Grammy & Papa visited, we had Daddy's family over for Sunday dinner to celebrate him turning 30!!!  Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband and a great Daddy!

And more recently since everyone is healthy again, we have been enjoying the most beautiful weather ever and spending a lot of time outdoors.  Yesterday was the last "official" day of winter and it was 81 degrees in Holland and today, being the first "official" day of spring saw temperatures reaching 85 degrees.  Tomorrow they are predicting more record breaking temps and think we will hit 87 degrees!  This is UNHEARD of for March in Michigan!!  And our little outdoor lover has been taking full advantage of no longer being cooped up in the house and is having so much fun playing outside!





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)!!