Growing up

Last night we had BLTs and apple "waldorf" salad for dinner. It was the perfect summer dinner. The fresh tomato with salty bacon with lettuce on wheat toast with a side of organic apples with craisins and peanuts and a touch of mayonaise hit the spot.

The amazing thing... N. ate all of it and didn't even pick it apart. My little boy is growing up.

He came into the kitchen as I was fixing dinner and said, "Mom, I think I'll try a craisin tonight." I told him he should try the whole salad because I thought he would really like it, so he did, and as he put the apple into his mouth and crunched down on it he said, "mmmm! that's really good." This is my boy who for the last several years has refused to eat fruit in almost any shape or form except for jam!

It seems such a little thing to get excited about, but it's just another sign of how my son is growing up. It excites and saddens me at the same time. My how time flies when you're having fun.

Mmmmmm... Spaghetti

Family Night Out

The original plan for this weekend was to go camping, but with the arrival of the baby in December and the many projects that need to get done, Dan is feeling a little over whelmed. So we decided to stay home. Instead we went out last night as a family. The boys had each received a gift card to Barnes and Noble from their Aunt Jessica, so we had money to spend.
First we went to Chik Fillet for dinner. There was even a play area, so the boys had quite the time, then we headed over to B&N and had a fun time picking out books. The boys were able to pick out three books each and I was pleased with our selections. I say "our" selections because I'm always trying to stear them in the direction of quality literature and not just Thomas the tank stories or super dumbed down "Finding Nemo" books that Disney puts out to make more money. A. is a fan of Dr. Seuss, so he picked "The Cat in the Hat comes back." and "Oh say can you say." as well as a Moris the Moose three in one book which is always good for some pure silliness. N. came home with a Frog and Toad three in one book which we will use as a reader and I'm sure he will enjoy reading to himself. He is also a big fan of mom reading to him, so he picked "James and the Giant Peach" by Roald Dahl and "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the looking Glass." I'm excited bout reading these books to him and sharing in adventure of discoving these wonderful worlds of imagination. It is so much fun sharing my love of books and stories with my boys. Thank you Aunt Jessica!!

Cousins

We've been having alot of fun with cousins this past week. Last Friday my brother and family drove in from Indiana. So last Saturday we went to the zoo with them. We even all drove together, so the three cousins had a blast in the back seat together. The zoo was a perfect outing for these three and the ages they are at. I had alot of fun spending time with my niece and actually being the prefered person to hold hands with as long as mom and dad were within sight. Of course the Elephants were my favorite. The baby, Angelina, was born just ten days earlier.

Sunday was spent at Gramma and Paw-Paw's after church. Another fun afternoon of playing and talking, and on Monday we got to spend some time together at the park.

Tuesday was Paw-Paw's 61st birthday, so we all went over for grilled salmon and fresh green beans. Talk about delicious! Of course, Paw-paw got some great presents. Doesn't Gramma look hot in Paw-Paw's new hat?

On Thursday we got a surpise phone call to go to the park with another cousin who had come all the way from Japan. This is the first time we've met her and there was a little shyness, but we're hoping that we'll get to see her again before they go back to Japan.

Pictures

Ok, I know some of you have been anxiously awaiting pictures. So here you are. See if you can make out any baby shapes.

Here's the first one. It's a picture of her face. Looks a little like an alien eh? But I love her any way.

Here's a picture of her foot. I don't know if you can make it out or not, but if you look carefully you can see her little toes.

This is my favorite one. It's her profile. You can see her nose and her little belly. I can't wait to meet her.

It's a girl?

So I had my first ultra sound today. We made it into a family outing and had alot of fun. Since I'm going to a midwife and they do their ultra sounds right in her office, they are very family friendly and didn't have any problem with the boys coming in to see the new baby. N. asked all sorts of questions about the baby and the ultra sound equipment. A. also seemed interested. The Tech was wonderful and very friendly with the boys and did not make us feel like we were putting her out or making her life difficult. What a difference from A's ultra sound in the hospital!
The baby is still small (I'm only about 17 weeks along) and was being stuborn (I guess she get's it from her mom) and had her feet crossed almost the whole time and the tech almost gave up, but she finally saw what she was looking for and told us that she's pretty sure that we're having a girl! I'm so excited. I feel so priviledged to be a mother to boys and girls. Of course there's always the chance that we're wrong and I tried to explain to N how we could still be surprised. He seemed to think that it was pretty funny that the baby might surprise us and make us think she's a girl and then come out a boy. It is so much fun being pregnant with older children to share it with.

Heart beat

I had my first pre-natal today. We're trying a new midwife in Ohio. That's one advantage to living on the border, you can pick services in either state.
It was a good first visit. I liked the staff and felt very comfortable with them all. It was a very friendly place.
The highlight was getting to hear my baby's heart beat for the very first time. I've felt him/her move already. This one's active and being my third I felt him/her for the first time about four weeks ago, but there's nothing like hearing that swoosh swoosh for the first time and knowing that your little one is growing inside you. I was doubley blessed by being able to share it with Dan. My fabulous husband took a half day off work so that he could go to the first appointment with me. I am so blessed to share this with him. Not just this moment, but our two boys and now this new baby. To have these tangible expressions of our love and God's blessings is indescribable.
We have our first ultra-sound next week. I can't wait to actually see a picture of my baby. I remember the amazement and excitement that I had with A's ultra-sound and still can't help getting a little teary-eyed when I look at those pictures.
I'll keep updating as my little one grows. For now, everything seems to be going just as it should.