Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Jellybean - 13 Weeks

Why didn't someone remind me how long pregnancy feels? I can't believe I have so many more months ahead of me!

On the bright side, my queasiness is a little better. I had one Zofran free day, and another handful of days where I only needed 1 in the morning. On the not so bright side, I feel more tired than ever. I'm right on the cusp of the second trimester, so relief should be around the corner, I hope.

Ever the optimist, and believer in positive thinking, I met with a personal trainer to set me up with a safe weight training program. Now, if I can ever muster up some energy again I will go back and do it. :)

We see the doctor next week for a checkup and in 3-4 weeks we should know if this little jellybean is a boy or a girl!

Leo - 33 Months

At 33 months, Leo is a bright happy handful! He's full of energy and opinions.

After the success of the Eating Sticker Chart, we implemented House Rules.
 If Leo breaks a rule, he gets a time out. But when he follows the rules, he gets to put a ball in the bucket. Once the bucket is full he gets a special prize, which can range anywhere from ice cream to a new car.
So far, it seems to be working well. Cooperating and Listening are big challenges for a 2 year old but the incentive system seems to be helping him focus.


Leo is talking up a storm. Lately we have been super impressed with his memory, especially with books. At night he's started asking to read his books to me, and he recites a few books from memory. He's also doing well at school. His teachers love him and all the kids want to give him hugs before he leaves. Here is the end of year garden stone he made for us at school.

Leo is slightly obsessed with cars from the Cars movie. He lines them all up on his nightstand before nap and night time. Sometimes they eat dinner with us too.
 Here are a few other pictures of Leo from the last month:

 Enjoying the mini van!



Taking the minivan plunge

Like so many girls, 10 years ago I fervently believed I would NEVER drive a mini-van. I said that I would be a Suburban mom, no mini van mom here!

Well, like so many things, the mini-van started looking better and better the older I got. Things like mpg and funtionality started to actually mean something to me. And lets give mini-vans a little bit of credit for uping their game over the last decade. With leather bucket seats, navigation systems, dvd entertainment and all the other bells and whistles, the mini-van of 2012 looks a whole lot different than the ones I remember from my youth.

So we crossed over to the dark side, we bought a mini-van and I LOVE IT! Here are a few pictures of my new swagger wagon!




Leo vs. Food


It's been a LONG battle since day 1 with Leo and food. As a baby he never ate the recommended amount of formula, he took to baby food, but only certain types. For a while we thought he would be eating baby food in Kindergarten. Finally he took to solid foods, but again, only certain types. I made my peace with it and tried new foods here and there without much success. And I kept telling myself that we would put our foot down when he got older.

Well, he's older, and Charlie and I were ready to start having some family meals. Since a sticker chart worked so well with potty training we gave it a try for new foods. For every new food tried, Leo got a sticker, once he earned 5 stickers, he got a new car. 

I figured it would take months to earn 3 new cars, surprisingly it only took about 3-4 weeks! Leo now eats grilled chicken, lettuce, pork chops, steak, sunflower seeds, and the list keeps going!

Thursday, May 10, 2012

So, about this blog thing.....

I had such high hopes for our blog the first time around. I really believed in my heart I would keep up with it, say witty things and keep everyone in our life up to date. Geez, was I wrong!

But, ever the optimist, I am going to try again. There's no use trying to go back and catch up on the last 2 years with pictures, I'll only get behind again. But to sum it all up, life is good. We moved from Humble, the Houston and then to Katy all in the span of 2 1/2 years. Charlie graduated from the TWU graduate program and is now a Nurse Practitioner at MD Anderson (He is by the way, ridiculously happy, I know few people that love their job like he does). Leo is growing tall, talking up a storm, and amazing us every day. And while the "terrible twos" are certainly in full swing, most days are spent cracking up at the silly things he says and trying to find ways to hear his incredibly infectious laugh. He's sweet.

And, as if we aren't already lucky enough, we have been blessed with baby #2. The "Jellybean" is Due late November/early December. We are beyond thrilled, except for the fact that I have been sick, sick, sick. But the Jellybean is growing and thriving, so it'll all be worth it in the end.

As for me, well, what's there to say? I'm still a part time office manager, I love being a mom (most days), and I'm adjusting well to the ultra suburban Katy life. (Minivan coming soon!) Aside from the morning sickness, I feel more like myself than I have in years. I always heard women say that their 30's were such a great time because they finally figured out who they wanted to be and how to be comfortable in their own skin. I'd like to think I'm almost there, but as always, I feel like a work in progress. But I'd also like to think that growth and rediscovery is what keeps me happy.

More to come....(but no promises) :)