OK. Clearly I can't even maintain one blog let alone two. So... From now on I'll be blogging over at www.tuckinginsuperheroes.com Based on the comments I've received, I'll be continuing on with all the same kid-craziness sharing I've done here. And, some good news: on my new blog you can just sign-up to receive an email any time I post. No more guess/check!

Smile

The first smile to mommy. He's smiling up a storm, but this is the first one that mommy got!

I know Littlest Man, it's crazy! Honestly though, I was wondering today if there was a point to continuing with this blog now that I've started my new blog. The only comments that I seem to get are from my own mother and grandmother and c'mon.. they kind of have to. It's in some rulebook somewhere that your mom and grandma have to try build your self-esteem. 

So, in making this decision, I thought I'd take a peek at my stats and what do ya know? There are a lot of you out there reading this.  I thought maybe the pageviews were all from the afore mentioned relatives with a couple hundred from Chris' cousin, Cierra, but we've got some people reading in China, Australia, Brazil and winning the race for international page views, Russia with 49 views this week!

It's nice to know that I'm not completely talking to myself here, but I would love to "meet" those of you checking in. If you feel like stepping out of the shadows, leave a comment and say hello. I promise I don't bite :)

Something new..

I haven't been posting on here as much I would have liked. Sure, we have a new baby keeping me busy, but I have a little secret..I have another new "baby". I've been working on a new blog for a while now. I'll keep this one for more personal, family stuff, but will continue to share some stuff about the kids on my new site as well.

Check it out:

My new site

We've been staying pretty busy around here. Chris was out of town most of last week (Translation: I was one tired mama getting up with Keaton alone at night) and we are trying to get our fix of the nice weather before it turns Portland-like again. I've started to work on getting this baby weight off, something that with Carter, took me nine months to even begin to work on. The biggest problem that I'm having is finding time to workout. In one attempt, I figured the boys could ride their bikes or scooters while I carried Keaton or pushed him in a stroller. Fail. I just couldn't get Carter to go fast enough. Heck, I couldn't get him to GO. See what I mean? We ended up persuading him to play in the backyard while daddy worked so that we could move a little faster and burn up some of Coen's energy. We did burn his energy. So much so that he held me up. Oh well.. I'll figure something out. A few days later we went to the pumpkin patch where they had a hay pyramid. Fun for the kids, right? The one thing I really didn't want him to get from me.. my cautiousness

3 weeks

This little man is 3 weeks old today and I still can't get enough of him!

How you know...

The other night was rough. Last night as well, but the night prior was our first rough night with Keaton. He just would not sleep and could not be soothed. I was so tired that I felt like I was up all night. In reality, I knew that Chris was up more than me and I felt horrible. I mean, sure, I would have to take care of the three boys that day which included getting the older two dressed and driven to school at 8 a.m., but he had to complete a full day at the office. I really should have toughened up and let him sleep more.

This is what I thought to myself all day whenever I felt tired.

Then, Chris got home. We got through our nightly routine and got the boys to bed and started to talk about who would get which shift with Keaton that night. That's when he told me that he had felt horribly all day that he didn't do his fair share the night before. As tired as he was, he felt that I was the one who had taken on the brunt of work the night before.

Both of us dead tired from being up with the baby all night feeling badly for not letting the other sleep more. And that, is how you know you have the most amazing partner. May everyone be so blessed!

2 weeks!

Keaton had his 2 weeks appointment today and did great! He is now 9 lbs 6 oz and 21 inches. He slept through most of his appointment and didn't even flinch when they drew blood from his heel. Such a good baby!

Carter says

Chris took the boys to the circus today leaving Keaton and I at home to relax. Earlier in the day, we had this conversation:

Carter: Mom, are you going to the circus?

Me: No, Bud. I'm staying home with Keaton.

Carter: But why mom?

Me: Well, Keaton is too little for the circus. It is too loud for his little ears.

Carter: I know, Mom! Maybe - and this is a big maybe - maybe we can leave Keaton at home.

Me: By himself?

Carter: Yeah! We'll lock the front door and the back door and put him in the basket (Bassinet)

Me: What if he cries?

Carter: We'll take care of him when we get home.

Then, as they got ready to leave the house we had this conversation:

Chris: Relax, babe. Just sit with the baby, watch a show and relax.

Coen: Mommy, take a nap.

Carter: Mom, while we're gone can you make the whole house nice?

1st day of school

Carter had his first day of school last Tuesday. It was so hard for me to stay home, even with Keaton, and miss seeing him as he entered his new classroom. Daddy did a great job taking pictures for me. Is this kid a ham or what? He is already loving school again with his new teacher, Mrs. Zoey and was extra excited that he got to be the "door holder" on his first day! Boy does he like his responsibilities!

1 Year home..

The boys were a bit confused by the cake and kept wanting to sing "Happy Birthday" but overall, our celebration was a success. We brought out the traditional Ghanaian clothing we bought for the boys hoping it would still fit and were happy to see it is actually still a bit big. Carter insisted he had to take the clothes off to eat the cake so that he wouldn't get anything on his special clothes. Always thinking - that one.

They weren't terribly excited about the photos or video we took in Ghana except for those that had Coen in them, but year-by-year, hopefully they will take more of an interest.

Celebrating 1 year!

Today marks one year to the day that we stepped off the plane in Portland, Oregon with our Coen Kwasi, direct from Ghana, West Africa. I can remember every second of the walk from the plane, rounding the corner, seeing Carter holding his sign that read "Coen's brother". I was exhausted from 24 hours of travel and seeing my family come together brought me to immediate tears. 

Check out photos from that day 1 year ago in Ghana Click to see a video of our crazy man at the airport

There is no way that I could have imagined that exactly one year later we would be at home with our one week old baby.  I'm in love with all three of my boys and can't believe how blessed we have been this past year. Thinking back on harder times, wondering if God would bless us with a brother or sister for Carter, it all makes perfect sense. Good things come to those who wait (you just have to have some faith). 

Can't get enough

The biggest brother

Click on the photo to watch a video..



Carter has been such a good big brother already. He is constantly wanting to hold Keaton who he only refers to as "the baby" and is ready to help at any moment. Coen is excited as well, but doesn't quite understand just how careful he needs to be. Today he walked up to me and asked to hold the baby as he reached to take him, like Keaton is a doll that he can just pick up and walk away with.. He cracks me up.

Indulge me

I just can't get enough of him. We're having a little quiet time as daddy takes Carter to his first day of school (Coen went along for the ride).

So good to be home

I'm supposed to be napping with my littlest man, but it is hard to close my eyes around him. He is just too incredible, I'm afraid I'll miss something.

Keaton Hayes Roberts

I am unbelievably head-over-heels in love with this little guy that I only saw for the first time yesterday.

Sweet baby Keaton Hayes Roberts. Born at 12:52 p.m. weighing 8 lbs 6 oz, 20 inches long

What's in a name?

For all of our boys, we've chosen their middle name first. With Carter, we decided that we wanted his middle name to have some significance.. At the time, the most important day of our lives was our wedding day. Rev. Michael O'Reilly married us in South Lake Tahoe. It was a beautiful ceremony. Although we weren't close to Rev. O'Reilly, we used his last name as Carter's middle name to remind us of the importance of the day.

Coen's middle name at birth was Kwasi, but we kept it for more than that alone. In Ghana, everyone is given a middle name that is based on the day of the week they were born and if they are a boy or girl. So, all boys born on Sunday are given the name Kwasi (or a similar variation based on their region) for a middle name. Coen's middle name ties him to his heritege and helps us to tell his story of how he came to us.

With our third baby, we started with the middle name first. I don't remember exactly when it was decided, but it was early on. Maybe 8 or 9 weeks into the pregnancy. Having suffered the lost of two babies at 10 weeks gestation, I was more than nervous when we found out I was pregnant this time. My doctor agreed to an ultrasound at 7 weeks just as she had previously, but wouldn't do any sort of other testing for me prior. If I had low progesterone as I suspected, a simple ultrasound wouldn't show it and by 7 weeks, it might be too late to address it anyway. I started calling other doctor's offices, but no one would consider seeing me prior to 8 weeks - I had ONLY had 2 miscarriages, not 3 which constitutes a problem. Balling my eyes out, I called my friend, Nicole, who told me to call her Aunt Peggy. Peggy is a nurse practitioner and midwife. I called her office and after telling the office staff that I had already had 2 miscarriages they insisted I get in that very day for some testing. I was in the office within an hour and met with Peggy soon after. She was understanding and in just as big a hurry as I was to try to save my pregnancy. I burst into tears due to the hormones and pure relief that someone who could actually help was going to do everything possible. By that evening, results were back. Low progesterone. I had my prescription filled and all has been good since. More than good. Peggy and her staff have made room in the schedule whenever I needed to get in, scheduled ultrasounds to keep an eye on our little guy... they've been great.

No, we didn't choose the middle name Peggy :) but we did choose Hayes, Peggy's last name. Obviously we think very highly of Peggy, but just as I told the whole story here, using her last name as our son's middle name will allow us to share the whole story with him. Had badly we wanted him, the loss we experienced prior to being blessed by him and God's hand in it all. What was it that made me call all those doctors and then Nicole rather than just sit by? How was it that I had a friendship with someone whose aunt would take the time to run the tests? It's all such a God thing.

Our last day...

Our last day as a family of 4! I'm not allowed to eat OR drink anything after 4 a.m. tomorrow so I figured that was cause for the boys and I to enjoy a fun breakfast today. Luckily, Auntie called right as we were headed out the door and had a great idea to try this new place she had heard of, Slappy Cakes.  Apparently you get to cook your own pancakes right at your table. Sounded too fun for the boys so, we were in!

                                                  

This place did NOT disappoint. You get your choice of different batters as well as items to mix in to your pancakes. We decided on the peanut butter batter and the buttermilk batter and used blueberries, bacon and chocolate chips as our mix-ins. (Hey, it's my last day being pregnant, possibly forever, we might as well go all out, right?). The boys loved watching their pancakes cook and adding their mix-ins and we all left very full. This is what I love about Portland. Dining isn't just about eating. It's about the experience itself and the fact that the food tastes great, well that's a bonus. We'll definitely be back at some point!

Coen - completely stuffed

A place to set my milk

Chris and I were sitting on the couch chatting when Carter hopped up between us and set his milk on my bump as if he owned it. We of course, busted up laughing. He, on the other hand, was clueless as to what was so funny.

The baby, well he tried to knock the cup right off. This one is going to be a fighter. Good thing, being the littlest of three brothers.

Camping

We decided to camp in the backyard tonight (oh, no! Not me. The boys and daddy). As we got the tent out, we heard the crackling of our neighbor's fire pit and their teenaged son's guitar. It seemed a party was due to start. Not the best scenario for a 2 and 3 year old to sleep so, we settled on the next best plan... Camping in the living room. It took a little convincing, but Carter agreed and both boys are thrilled to "camp" with daddy.

37.5 weeks

We had our last doctor's appointment today. My blood pressure was up a bit, but still considered low overall (my blood pressure always runs on the low side). She thinks it is just lack of sleep. The next time we should see Peggy is at the hospital next Friday. In the meantime, I have a pre-op admissions call Friday and then some blood work to do this weekend at the hospital. She confirmed for Chris what I already knew and have been complaining about.. this baby is up in my rib cage! His head is nice and low, but his tushy is all the way up there. The is just no more room so I'm super happy he is coming a week early.

The big brother

I love that lately Carter has been kissing the baby bump goodnight without any suggestion from us. He is so ready to meet his brother.

Time flies...

when you're pregnant/exhausted/mom-to-toddlers/in the summer. I can't believe it has been a week since I posted. I've had plenty of adorable stories of cute things the boys have said or done, but I haven't had the energy to post about them. We just had a great weekend with Auntie Storm and cousin Isabelle who were in town for Auntie Lindsey's baby shower. It is so fun how Carter and Isabelle always jump right back in where they left off no matter how much time passes. Constantly holding hands and even leaving Coen out of some of the fun now. We've hit that stage of "older kids" and "little kids" (Yes, they are only 13 months apart, but Carter makes it clear that Isabelle is HIS friend and Coen is just the LITTLE brother). Hopefully Bronson and Coen will form their own little bond when they get together next.

 Coen is keeping me on my toes finding new ways to potentially hurt himself. He is still running through the house full-speed without watching where he is going and climbing on furniture. He now is constantly seeking out furniture to jump off of and walking down the stairs without holding on to the railing. I scold him about these actions multiple times a day to the point that all I have to say is, "Coen, what is mommy going to say?" and he will fill-in the blank and scold himself. He still does it.every.day.


We're not only counting down to the 31st to welcome our little one, we are also counting down to September 7th, the day that Coen stepped off the plan in Portland and we became a family of 4. Weird that it has only been a year. Weird that one year to the day is our due date to welcome his little brother (our due date is the 7th, but the C-section is schedule a week prior). So much going on and so much to look forward to. For now, I'm pooped and this baby is trying to get out through my ribs.

It's 5 o' clock

Honey,
When you get home and wonder why I look tired or stressed out, it is because this is what occurs daily starting at 5 p.m. By the time you walk in the door.. Well, tag. You're it.

Poor sick baby

Coen woke up with a 104* temperature today. We got it down a little with medicine, but he is still not himself. The doctor says to just wait it out.

More getting ready...

We finally made it to the hospital to take a tour today. We'll be delivering at a different hospital due to our choice of physician this time. It was a no-brainer. We want Peggy so, we'll go to her! We haven't doubted our choice even once, but got a kick out of the CNA that gave us the tour constantly telling us, "Oh, well you're with Peggy so, she'll take care of that!" and "Oh, if you're with Peggy, she'll insist you get one of these two rooms. They are the biggest and always her preference." In fact, this particular CNA had Peggy delivery her last baby and couldn't stop saying positive things about her.

Yep. She is totally worth the drive for every appointment and switching hospitals!

3 weeks...

As of tomorrow, we have just 3 more weeks until we meet Baby Roberts (as long as he cooperates). I can't believe it is so close and yet, I can't remember NOT being pregnant. I'm frantically trying to pull the remaining pieces together before he arrives - where DID we put the boppee and the bath tub-thingy? Did I seriously get rid of all of our bottles?!

Yesterday I had my Peggy appointment and everything looks good. We ended up doing another ultrasound. Peggy felt he just wasn't moving enough so, we took another look to make sure he was doing good and he was.

While I'm not ready to actually have a baby in the house yet, I am ready for this baby to be out. He is taking up way too much room now. You know you're at that point when your husband says from across the room, "WOW, he is all on your right side isn't he?!" Yep, you can SEE where he is from across the room.

Carter is stil over-the-top excited and ready to help. The other day we had to have a discussion with him about needing to be a mommy or daddy to wipe his brother's tush. Yes. He offered to go and wipe Coen when Coen was done on the toilet. We also had a discussion about his needing to go back to sleep if the baby wakes him rather than getting up to help me. He was pretty upset by this one and pointed out that if he doesn't help, I'll be tired during the day. My sweet little man! Yep... he is going to be a helper with the baby for sure.

Coen... he says he's excited, but my mommy intuition tells me that when the baby arrives, he'll be over the whole thing pretty quickly and wondering if we really have to keep him.

Pen pals

Ever since Carter got mail from his dentist he has been asking me if I have mail for him daily. I finally suggested he write some letters to see if maybe he can get one in return. He was so excited as he drew his pictures, told me what to write, stuffed the envelope and put them in the mailbox. Now we just have to wait and see!

Preparing for baby

I'm trying to stock the freezer and pantry so we're not eating pizza every night when #3 arrives. Blueberry honey breakfast loaves. Yum!

A gift from the boys

We made this and hung it in the nursery for Baby Roberts. It always cracks me up that Coen's handprint is the same size as Carter's.

35 weeks

I cannot believe we are down to less than a month! We're still looking at August 31st, but I have an appointment tomorrow so, we'll see how everything is looking. 

We determined at the last appointment via ultrasound that our littlest man is a big guy - somewhere between the 83-95th percentile for babies at this stage. What is odd about this is EVERYONE is saying that I look "small". Now, I know they don't mean ME, they mean my belly is looking small. I'm constantly confronted with looks of shock when I say how soon the litter mister will be joining us and people feel compelled to tell me that they had no idea I was due so soon. Complete strangers are telling me this. 

So, I had to look back at old photos to see how I compare. I was horrible about taking bump photos last time (just as I have been this time) so, all I have is my today photos (we had a date night! I don't normally wear 3 inch heels especially while 8 months pregnant) 

35 weeks

Let's just ignore my hair. It did look much cuter earlier, but it was dang hot in the restaurant tonight (or maybe it was just me that got too hot)

And, last time at 37.5 weeks (just 2.5 weeks from now)

Hmmm... hard to tell with the angle and there is a 2 1/2 week difference... 

Are you smarter than your 3 year old?

I was trying to play Pandora though our TV using our Roku and it just wasn't working. Then Carter says, "You turned the sound off!"

Right. Whatever. I click on the volume button a couple of times and.... umm.. yep. I had turned the sound off.

New dentist

Is your dentist THIS thoughtful? The dog is a sticker :)

Follow up to yesterday's post...

No recruiting today!

As I sat down to my computer while the boys started eating their breakfast:

Carter: "Mom! This is not what I ordered!"

Lord, give me strength :)

This week...

This week I've been a single working pregnant mother. I'm beat!  Chris scored and amazing opportunity to go deep sea fishing in Alaska and we decided he simply HAD TO GO! It is so hard to get him to take a break and do something for himself that it was a no-brainer for me, even if it meant leaving me alone with the boys for a week.

Then, last week, I was asked to take on a recruiting job. I should have said, "no." I mean, I'm like 8 months pregnant and tired, but I just.can't.say.no. to a recruiting opportunity. I love it. I love the challenge of it. Most of all, I love when I find the perfect person! So I agreed and was given resumes on Friday. Then they told me they wanted a candidate by Wednesday. hmm..

A little panicked, but excited by the challenge, I started calling in the reinforcements. If I didn't have 2 kids to take care of, this wouldn't have been a huge issue, but you can't interview candidates with toddlers in the background - it's tacky. I was able to piece together a childcare plan for bits and pieces of the week and scheduled interviews around already scheduled dentist appointments and babysitter availability. I've completed my interviews and will continue to screen candidates, but right now, I'm in finger crossing mode that we made have the right candidate moving through the process.

So, busy week. That said, I've decided that FOR ME, being a stay-at-home-mom is harder than any job I've ever had. Not mentally challenging, but more exhausting physically and more trying on my patience and my stress levels. I had already noted this before with friends, but having a week of work with Chris out of town, I feel like I really got to experience it more. Normally, if he is gone from us for just a few days, I feel like I need a vacation when he gets back. This time he will have been gone Monday 5a.m. to Saturday at 7 p.m. and I'm feeling pretty darn good Thursday night.

Now, with THAT said, it killed me to come downstairs after 5 hours of interviews to see the kids playing with a sitter. I was missing out! They excitedly told me what they had been doing for the day, what they ate for lunch, and I even found the tattling too precious for words.

As exhausting as it is to be a caregiver 24/7, I could not be a working mom right now. Every now and again it is awesome to have a recruiting job to get excited about, but having to leave my boys everyday.... ugh! Too painful. I'm so blessed to be able to stay home with them, even on days when Chris comes home to find me almost passed out on the couch with leftovers for dinner, at least I didn't miss anything.

Dentist

Both boys did awesome at the dentist which is normal for Carter, but even Coen did x-rays, teeth cleaning and flossing! He did so well that he scored these sweet glasses which he won't take off.

Mom for a minute quiz

Being mom means wearing MANY hats. One of them is "translator". While riding in the car the other day, we ran out of songs to sing.

Old MacDonald. Check.
This is the day the lord has made. Check.
Jessus Loves Me. Check.
Etc...

I asked what else we could sing and Carter thought about it.

"I only know: rumor has it, rumor has it, rumor has it (Adel) and... um... We are old. Carry me home tonight." (He was singing these lines, but to the wrong melody).

So there you have it. Your mom quiz for the day.

I'm pretty proud that I figured it out in about 3 minutes, but it required quite a bit of brain power.

The "un" shower

Last night I got a much needed girls' night out with my besties. Some were appalled that I was not going to have a shower for my third son, but it just seemed a little greedy silly to me. They insisted we do something to celebrate this baby and my being pregnant 'cause after all, it is a miracle. I gave in and am so glad I did. We had such a great time at dinner and followed it up with a short walk to an amazing ice cream place.

I was also spoiled rotten with gift certificates for facials, massages, make-up, BABYSITTING and a night away at a spa with one of my favorite girls. They knew just what I'll be needing heading into motherhood of 3 age 3 and under. Nicole even provided post-baby necessities including beer, Starbucks and chocolate. She knows me too well.

Bump update

Wow. Has it really been almost a week since I posted? Sorry. It's been a bit hectic around here. We were at the lake this weekend with some good friends and then just busy trying to catch up before leaving again tomorrow for the big Kale Campout!

Anyway... bump update.

Everything is looking great. I was measuring small, but within normal range so we went ahead and did an ultrasound. No good pictures to share. It was a different tech this time and well... no good photos. Oddly enough, my belly was measuring small, but our little guy isn't little. First time around he was measuring in the 95%.  She did it again because she was so surprised and got it down to the 85%. The ultrasound shows him to weigh about 4 lbs 15oz give or take, but he is at least 4 lbs. AND HE HAS HAIR ALREADY!

It is so weird getting to see so much this time since we only had the one ultrasound with Carter at 20 weeks. The tech was surprised how much hair he had at this stage so, maybe he'll have even more than Carter did..?

We're down to 6 weeks until he makes his scheduled appearance. Let's hope he's on the same page and doesn't want to come early. I'm trying to be ready but keep realizing that I'm missing stuff! Where the heck is the bath thing-y and my boppie? And my baby carrier? I never would have gotten rid of it. Do I need a "nap nanny"? Oh, and bottles. Got rid of those. So much left to do!

Did I mention I agreed to take on a recruitment job at Chris' company to be completed ASAP? Don't laugh. I'm well aware I'm crazy.

Chore chart

I told Carter I was thinking of making a chore chart for him. He got so excited! He insisted we had to do it NOW! We sat together and came up with his chores: 1) staying in bed or his room until his light turns on (on a timer) 2)eating ALL of his breakfast 3) keeping the playroom clean 4)taking a nap without a fight 5)eating ALL his dinner 6)going to bed without a fight 7) mommy has the power to add chores as needed

He gets a toy $1 for each chore he does well and we came up with a list of prizes he can cash them in for. One is a movie date with mommy, another is getting to watch a tv show (he has gotten a little addicted to Blue's Clues so this will hopefully help him choose real play over spending his hard earned money on tv). He can also choose to buy a new book.

I love how excited he is to do his chores! Maybe we'll get him to gain a little weight :)

The smallest soccer player

During the last session of soccer, poor Coen had to just sit with mommy and watch Carter. He was too young since this is a 3-4 year old class. When I approached the coach about letting him give it a try, I got the big blow off. I'm sure everyone thinks their kid is the exception, but I figured that Coen just copies Carter anyway and he is actually really good at kicking the ball where it needs to go. Anyway, I gave up and he just sat and watched.

One night Chris was able to make it to class and used his special magic. Just like that Coen was signed up for the next session with the condition that the coach could kick him out if he couldn't keep up.

Tonight was his first night and he did great! Coach said no problem, he can stay in the class! The oldest kid in the class, on the other hand, well... I think the coach had a different talk with his parents. He cried the whole time and would not leave their side. Poor guy!

Both boys are in the smallest size shirt. You can tell they are not meant for 2 1/2 year olds :)

I think he's making fun of me

Summer fun

We've been taking full advantage of the weather being nice the past few days. I think I'm actually starting to get used to summer not starting until the 2nd week of July here in the northwest. Today we started out with a special trip to Dots Donuts! The boys knew right away which one they one. Carter chose a wild cherry donut while Coen chose the orange one right next to it. I thought for sure they would have a harder time - I did!

Then we were off to pick berries. We thought they had raspberries, but were pleasantly surprised to get to pick marion berries today!!

The other day we joined Auntie Lindsey and GG at GG's neighborhood pool. Kids are allowed for 2 hours each morning, but the boys only stayed in the water about 1/2 hour. Coen really enjoyed it. Carter did as well, but just like his mama did when she was his age, he sat on the steps of the pool in his life jacket. Once Coen started jumping in from the side of the pool, Carter joined in, but would insist that I got closer and closer to him to catch him until I was right under him. Once I caught him, I had to take him right back to the steps.

 

Dots Donuts

How daddy plays

Sometimes daddy can get a little carried away with the building toys. After awhile, the boys lose interest :)

What you talking 'bout Willis?

This had me almost on the floor laughing. Usually Coen is EASIER to understand than Carter, but on this day, I couldn't figure it out. I think he was trying to ask for a marble, but couldn't remember what it was called.

What was so funny was that Carter kept going up to him, putting his ear close and then trying to translate as if the two of them spoke their own language and I was the one out of the loop!

A big day for a big boy

Quite the day for big boy Coen. He's been doing great in his pull-ups so I decided today that he would graduate to real big boy underwear! Honestly, we probably could have done it about a month ago, but this tired mama didn't want to add any unnecessary accidents to our daily schedule. 

He goes on the big potty when he needs to - he never wanted anything to do with the little training potty that Carter uses, even freaked out when I put a smaller seat on the big potty to assist. Nope. He'd rather sit on the potty with his tushy hanging in there and hold himself up. When I switched Carter to underwear, we did it 24/7 cold turkey without isses, but Coen still can't make it to the potty in time in the morning so he'll be staying in pull-ups at night for the time being. Really, it's like his body is still getting used to having plenty of liquid and not being dehydrated. We can avoid liquid an hour prior to bed time and he can potty right before bed, he will still wake up with a full pull-up.

No, this photo has nothing to do with his underwear, but it was taken today and too cute not to share. 

Nearing the finish line

Baby appointment went fine today. I'm still measuring a bit small, but only an inch this week. Peggy said it's as if he is laying sideways which is what I'm constantly telling Chris :) we'll have an ultrasound at the next appointment to check on his growth (yeah, more pictures!!!). I only gained 2 oz the past 2 weeks which was a shock since I feel huge, but keeping up with the boys is pretty tough work. I'm looking forward to my upcoming weekend completely alone to rest, relax and work on a special project. Bet I'll gain more than 2 oz just this weekend :)

bump post

Ok, ok, ok! I will finally give you a bump photo. The photos aren't the best, but they were taken by the cutest photographer (I was home alone with the boys so Carter helped me out).

Nursery sneak peek