Mama's Little Helper

Ben was my little shadow today. He saw me on a step stool trying to cover our bathroom door (it's frosted glass and I don't think the baby will appreciate the light coming in when Matt is taking a shower) so he ran and got his own step stool and some tape. I won't say he was a huge help but the intent was much appreciated.

We got to enjoy some time out at the pool as a family this weekend. Ben got some new arm floaties and apparently likes these so hopefully we won't have any more unapproved diving! It will be much nicer for me to relax in the water and not have to be within arms' reach all the time in case Ben decides to go under by himself.

Ben also had a great time playing with my flip flops.

Here's the latest dance video. "Umbrella" and "Jump" seem to be getting boring so we'll have to find some new music for Ben, but the actual jumping is more fun than ever!

So here's a 36-week belly photo...and yes, I know I'm getting huge! This baby must be growing by the minute. I still feel good physically but I'm pretty tired all the time now. I don't seem to want to do anything these days except sleep or lay on the couch in my free time (ie - when Ben is asleep or at school) so I've been pretty lazy about things like taking pictures, keeping up the blog, and answering emails. I doubt things will get much better any time soon because once the little guy comes home with us I can't imagine I'll have much free time! I really can't believe we're getting so close...months ago I wouldn't even let myself imagine that we'd have made it this far in the pregnancy and now we're approaching a normal, healthy (God-willing, of course!) delivery.

Painting

I bought Ben some finger paints thinking it would be something fun to do at home since he likes it so much at school. What I didn't consider is how enthusiastically he approaches his artwork and the consequences around our own furniture!

Here's the blow by blow. First, impatience...

Next, curiosity....

Examination...

Then some painting...

Re-examination....

And finally, the creative juices really start flowing...

Why limit yourself to the canvas?

And the aftermath....(Ben was happy to take off his pants to paint but refused to take off the shirt. Yet another strong clothing opinion that wasn't worth debating)

And here he is in action....

I managed to corral Ben into the shower without letting him touch too many things in the house and he was happy to play in the water long past when all the paint finally washed off. I have the feeling we'll have to do this again one day, but at the rate Ben goes through paint we'll be out in a week!

A sweet friend of mine here does photography as a hobby and she has taken some belly shots for me. These were from 32 weeks and I thought they were absolutely precious! We're hoping to get some more with the whole family this weekend.

Baby's Getting Big

I had a doctor appointment today and she estimated the baby to be between 5 1/2 to 6 lbs already! That was such great news because we're approaching an decent sized birth weight with hopefully 3 more weeks to grow. At this stage babies typically gain about 1/2 pound per week so he may reach 7 1/2 pounds by his birthday. What really surprised me is how cramped the little guy looked on the ultrasound because suddenly his world is getting pretty compact. No more cute little profile pictures because his hands are pressed right up against his face and his legs are packed in tightly. It's been so much fun getting ultrasounds at every visit and watching him grow and change over the last 8 months.

Ben has finally made his first few trips back to the pool in over a month and is so excited to be swimming again. I'm enjoying the pool as well because I don't feel quite as heavy and slow in the water! I think we'll make the most of it while we still can. But yesterday I did have second thoughts about getting in myself after a little boy (maybe 5 or 6?) ran up to me and asked, "Why are you so fat?" It made me wonder if my swimsuit days are over for a while...

I still don't think Ben has any idea what's about to happen in our house even though we're trying to prepare him with books and a little doll. He recognizes all the baby things that have reappeared and loves to point them out but I don't think he understands that once we bring another kid home it's here to stay! It's going to be quite an adjustment for a little guy who's used to having Mom's undivided attention much of the day. We've been so blessed that Ben has always been such an easy-going, happy boy and hopefully his sweet nature will help him take all the upcoming changes in stride. He's very interested in babies and loves talking to them so I have no doubt Ben will make an excellent big brother.

Daddy's Home!

I guess the first stages of sibling rivalry have set in - Ben saw me washing and sorting lots of baby clothes and had to take something for himself. He chose a pair of 6-month pants and they almost fit! They looked a little like man capris on the bottom...
...and the crotch wasn't quite roomy enough for him to sit down, but Ben didn't mind.
He wore them all day until we were headed to the mall and I had to put him in real clothes. We go through several outfits a day at the moment, I think because Ben likes being in control of something and has found a way to make his own decisions. If that makes him happy, then I'm happy to keep changing his outfits.

Ben is LOVING bath time again! We had a bubble bath to celebrate getting both hands wet and he wouldn't get out until all the bubbles were gone.


Ben was so happy to see Daddy yesterday! We surprised him by meeting his flight at the airport and Ben followed Matt calling "Daddy!" until Matt was able to distinguish that little voice from the crowd.

Giving Daddy a kiss hello...It's nice to have everyone home again and I don't think I'm going to approve any more travel until baby #2 arrives!

Even though we don't have a cat in the house anymore (Abby was adopted by Grammy Shepherd when we moved to Singapore) we found someone who likes to chase the laser pointer light. Ben crawled all over the floor after the light and kept trying to pick it up.

Another source of entertainment - wearing baby toys on his feet! I thought this was a sweet video because instead of telling me what he was doing, Ben ended the video by giving my big belly a hug. He likes it a lot these days, even though my lap is shrinking dramatically, because he tries to use the belly as a pillow, a bench, or a shelf for his toys.

Two Hands!

After nearly 4 weeks with Ben's arm in a cast, I was really looking forward to today! He, on the other hand, has loved the cast and utilized it to the fullest. Pretty much anything that might possibly fit inside was given a try, including chop sticks...

...stickers pushed through the thumb hole...
...and of course lots of coins. One day I saw 4 coins go in and I fished 5 coins out, so I knew he'd been carrying some junk around in there.

This morning we headed back to the orthopedist to get the cast removed. One last look at Ben's dirty, stinky buddy:
Ben was fascinated by the saw that cut through both sides of the cast and didn't flinch at all when it came near him. It must be a guy thing. Suprisingly, there was no contraband hidden inside so I must have been more efficient at digging things out than I thought. He was sad to see the cast go but I was thrilled to finally get to wash his hand and arm. All day he's been saying bye-bye to the cast but I think by bathtime when he got to splash around freely again, he didn't mind so much!

After the doctor appointment, I took Ben to the playground so he could enjoy doing things with two hands again. He had a great time!

We also love one of the toy stores next to the playground because they always have plenty of things out for the kids to enjoy. I thought it was so funny that Ben went straight for this jackhammer...boys must be instinctively drawn to tools or anything that makes a lot of noise.
Here are a few other pictures from the week...
Oh dear, we'll have to work on this pose...Ben is in love with a necklace of mine made with magnetic beads so it can also be worn as a bracelet and he's devised an unusual way of carrying it around...

Happy Father's Day!

I love you, Daddy! How do you like my new shirt?

We have been really boring this week so I barely took any pictures. The doctor has asked me to limit my activity a little more so we're doing even less outside the house these days. Here are a few of the highlights...Ben took puppy for a ride on his car one rainy morning.
He has been quite the artist lately and seems to feel that his creativity extends beyond the paper or easel. Thank goodness these are washable crayons!

Ben's chalk drawings on the bookshelves are a little less work to clean up! It's interesting to note that the big black file he's using as a stool actually holds all of his medical records from about his first 6 months...probably more than I've had my entire life! Thankfully, everything since then is in a small file folder in the desk drawer like a normal kid.

I made banana pancakes this morning and Ben went crazy over them. He's been really good at eating with a fork for quite a while but it's hard to find food he actually likes enough to feed himself. When I actually get to sit and enjoy my own food while he eats it's worth taking a picture!

Matt and I enjoyed a nice dinner by the riverfront last night to celebrate father's day a little early. Since Ben was already in bed we only got to take one kiddo with us and he's quite apparent in this picture! Matt left late last night for a week in Norway and I can't say I'm thrilled about the timing or the distance since I'm about 34 weeks along now, so we're really praying for a very uneventful week on the baby front.

Here's my 34-week belly...it's really growing! I was surprised to see how much the belly is bending my back but I still feel pretty comfortable, probably because I spend as little time on my feet as possible and take a nap almost every day. The little guy is still really active, especially at night, and sometimes shocks me with the strength of his kicks. One foot is usually in my ribs and the other is pointed towards my lungs so he can really make his presence known! I'm still in awe that there is a tiny person growing inside me.

Dancing Maniac

All Ben has wanted to do lately is dance to any song that says "jump" in it. And then at the appropriate time he jumps like a little crazy man...it's so funny to watch. Here he is playing with Aunt Amanda. (You may notice in the picture that he got a new set of keys...that's an interesting story, so keep reading)

A little action:

On Monday afternoon Ben closed himself in our bedroom and when I went to open the door it was locked. I thought it was no big deal, just one of those locks that needs a straight key or bobby pin to open it. Wrong! Much to my surprise and chagrin, this door has a keyed lock on it!! Ben was starting to panic on the other side because things weren't working out the way he'd planned and he was yelling and crying pretty loudly. Amanda and I tried everything to jimmy the lock open and went through every drawer looking for spare keys that may fit (thus the new keychain for Ben - all of the old keys that we no longer need). Finally we had to call a locksmith to open the door and even he had some trouble because he said the lock was jammed. I'm sure it hasn't been used in years because how many people need to lock their bedroom?? Poor little Ben was huddled in the middle of our bed crying big fat tears and yelling "mama, daddy!" over and over. I felt terrible! He was alone in there for just under an hour and I thought he'd take advantage of the time to get in all the drawers that he's not supposed to be in, but he was not happy about the accidental independence. At least we located the correct keys so it won't happen in the future. And after a few good dance songs the whole ordeal was forgotten.

Baby #2 is still growing and kicking away and got a great check-up yesterday. He's still sitting nice and high, which is good because it appears I won't be going into labor soon but that could always change. Matt is traveling for the next 10 days so I'm praying the little guy will stay put at least until Daddy comes home! The doctor scheduled a c-section for July 16th so that may be the big day if baby doesn't try to come early. I'm going to do everything I can to keep him in for another month and let him finish cooking, but I'm still slowly getting everything around the house ready just in case!

We reluctantly said goodbye to Amanda yesterday but we sure enjoyed having some family around for a week. It's a long flight (almost 23 hours in the air via Moscow) so it's not an easy trip but we sure appreciated her coming all the way over to see us!

Ben gave her a big kiss...

...and a big hug when it was time for Amanda to leave.

A Sad Story

Ben has been showing a very dramatic side lately. He loves to tell very sad stories about the terrible things that happen in his life, like in this case when Elmo ended and Mom turned off the TV. I had to grab the camera for this particular story because Ben also went to the bathroom to grab some tissue and wipe away the tears. The stories are hilarious because usually I can only pick out a few recognizable words but he's very serious about all the details!

It was a rainy morning so we stayed in and assembled a table and chairs from Ikea. Well, I assembled and Ben "helped". He ran and got some computer headphones from a drawer and plugged them into every possible hole....

...and he checked the table for strength and stability....

...and verified that each hole was the right size.

Then when it was all ready for him to use for coloring, Ben decided he liked his own canvas better! I have got to find some washable markers so I don't have to strip him down every time he wants to color. Or teach him how to color on the paper!
Aunt Amanda is back so we have two more days to enjoy her company before she heads back to Houston. Unfortunately my camera battery died this morning but hopefully I'll get more pictures this afternoon.

New Activities

Amanda left for Phuket on Wednesday so Ben and I have been entertaining one another since then. One of Ben's friends just went back to the US for several weeks so we borrowed lots of his toys and it's like having a toy store in the living room at the moment. This one is currently Ben's favorite. Put the balls in...
...and they come blowing back out. Loads of fun! (until Mom is on her hands and knees pulling balls out from under the furniture, though!)

Another fun new game - what fits inside Ben's ear?

Yes, pieces of baby wipe go quite nicely. I have to watch this kid like a hawk! I'd really like to make it through June without any visits to the ER.

He's also discovered that he can shove things inside his cast...another game I'm not so fond of. I think I've found all the contraband but I can't be certain the doctor won't find something hidden in there when it comes off in two weeks. Hopefully not! I'm definitely the one who's had enough of the cast already because it's really hard to keep a little boy's hands clean as it is, much less when you can hardly wash some of the fingers. The cast itself is getting pretty dirty already but Ben loves it now - it makes a great drum on the table and it's a much stronger roadblock to all that terrible food I try to force him to eat.

Preschool has gone surprisingly well this week! Ben cried Monday and Wednesday mornings when I dropped him off but stopped shortly after I left, and today he just gave me a very sad "bye bye, Mama" but was in a great mood when I picked him up. The teachers say he's interacting well and he even ate all his lunch today, something I can rarely convince him to do at home! I hope he's really enjoying it and getting some excitement and experiences I can't offer him at home all the time. As for me, I'm really loving having a few hours to myself to rest or run errands by myself and not feel guilty about leaving Ben.

One thing I've noticed this week is that Ben is very eager to follow simple instructions now, like taking off his clothes for bathtime and throwing his own diaper in the trash. He is so proud of himself when he does it all right! Today he went in his room and grabbed the bag of baby wipes for me to give him one to play with. I'm feeling a little heavy these days and pretty much avoid getting up more than I have to, so I gave the bag back to him and told him to put it back in the drawer. Ben ran right back into his room and returned the wipes to the correct spot...what a good boy! He's also started telling me he wants his diaper changed by saying "bye bye poo-poo" (that seems to apply to wet or dirty diapers at the moment) and climbing onto his bed where I always change him. I'm hoping this means he's aware of when he's going so maybe we'll pull out the training potty pretty soon. But with another kid in diapers on the way there's probably not much rush!

Aunt Amanda is Here!

We're so excited to have another visitor from Texas - Matt's sister Amanda arrived yesterday for a week-long visit. Ben has been on top of his game keeping an audience of 2 entertained...apparently that's much more exciting than the usual 1 witness to his daily activities. Today we went to the botanic garden and enjoyed the beautiful orchids.
Ben was really good in the stroller for about half an hour then he'd had enough and wanted to explore on his own. He ended up being a popular photo op for a group of Japanese tourists. I have no idea how many pictures Ben was in today...mostly invited, but other times just a little streak across the bottom of the picture!

He wouldn't sit still long enough for us to get any great pictures, though. He was a man on the move!

And in other baby news, we've made it to 32 weeks! That's a huge milestone in fetal development because the baby's organs and body systems are nearly all functional now, with the exception of the lungs, which still need a few more weeks to mature. That means if the little guy was to arrive today he may not even need any serious intervention, just help like supplemental oxygen and a feeding tube, among other things. Considering what we saw Ben go through that seems pretty minor, although ideally we want a baby that comes out just asking for milk and love! Way back in November when we found out we were pregnant this date seemed so far away that we'd never make it but now I'm actually setting my sights on my next goal - week 37. If we can go just 5 more weeks this baby would be considered full-term and hopefully have a perfectly normal delivery and maybe even come home with us this time! Here's another look at the belly...it's growing fast! It's so exciting to still have the little guy at home with me and to know he's safe and protected.