It's a Girl!

Wait, you didn't know we are pregnant again?! Sure you did. Something about having a toddler running around and the exhaustion from pregnancy has kicked blogging down about 10 notches on the priority list!

Anyway, we are having a little GIRL!! She's set to arrive in mid-December. We are extremely excited and are looking forward to another tax deduction this year. Just kidding! (sort of)

So far things have been pretty good. I took a pregnancy test at week 4 because I was so tired if felt "like pregnancy tired." I was really hoping to just not know until 12 weeks, but that didn't happen. The symptoms were all too familiar.

I guess I have a really crummy memory because I can't really tell the differences between this pregnancy and the last. I do think that this time around I was a little more nauseous and a lot more tired (but I do have a toddler now). I have major sinus and sinus headache issues, and sciatica has set in much earlier. Each of these yucky symptoms alone is really not too terrible (except the nerve thing when it's bad), but together they sometimes create long days. Thankfully, KP has been amazing. He lets me sleep in 6 days a week (I give him 1 in return), plays with Nash when he gets home, and just generally is understanding. Nash has been helping by napping well, but that seems to be iffy lately.

We call the baby Dos. Mimi calls her Dosa. You can also call her La Segunda. Whatever!

We have some names in mind, but because we just found out the gender, we really have not even started the name discussion. I am super excited about planning her room and KP is super nervous about a wedding fund. Seriously?! We have already had a few people offer to share clothing, for which we are so very thankful.

Anyway, that's the pregnancy/it's a girl!/Dos update. More to come!

NAP: 17 Months

Dear Nash,

You are such a sweet, wild, busy boy. You are running, climbing, "jumping," talking, babbling, tickling, cuddling, hugging, kissing, demanding, asking, and listening (sometimes).

Your vocabulary is awesome. Tonight in the bath, you told me what a Q, 7, 2, and O are. These must be the same letters/numbers that have been in the tub for a while, but still! You imitate lots of words and say lots of words on your own too. You say "Pigeon", "Were pas at?," "Where Da go?" and lots of commands at the dogs. In the past couple of weeks you have also started calling me Ma. You have said it occasionally for several months, but now you look for me and call my name. Sweet, sweet music to my ears.

We have been spending a lot of time indoors because of the heat, so we have re-familiarized ourselves with your books, toys, and are playing with more puzzles, balls, musical instruments, etc. Your favorite thing, by far, is watching Elmo, or Mo as you call him. We have several recorded on the TV and you demand to watch Mo probably upwards of 10 times a day. Needless to say, that does not happen, but 2-3 times does (they are each 15 mins).

You are giving lots of hugs. When I ask for a kiss, you give me your cheek! You also are a bit clingy now by holding on to my legs or snuggling in close when we go somewhere new or you meet new people. I don't mind, except when I have to leave you (with other Mamas for an hour or so while I work). It breaks my heart, but I hear you are fine after a couple of minutes.

You have lots of teeth, most on the right side of your mouth, though the left ones seem to be coming in now too. In the past month you got the right teeth next to the big ones and your right molars. The left ones are peeking through and giving us some trouble.

This month we went to Mimi and Buddy's for a weekend, to Colorado for a week (you went on your first plane ride!), and hung out with Grandma and Grandpa a few times. We also played lots with our friends and even had two sets of guests (Midge, Luke, and Davis & the Walters Family).

Nash, you won't understand this for a long time, but you also have a little brother or sister coming in a few months. We are so excited for both of you to have a sibling. I know that this isn't going to be easy for you for a while, but someday, you'll thank us, hopefully. We know that you will be an awesome big brother.

Sweet boy, I already dread the day that you move away and I can't check on you (and monkey, blankie, and two pacis) nightly. I want to hold you close to me forever and ever. And I will.

Love,

Mom

Colorado 2011: Cool Times

I'm blogging! What do you have to say about THAT?

In late-June, we took a trip with Mimi, Buddy, Sue Sue and Uncle Tim to Colorado. We stayed with our Whitehaven (the Street I grew up on) neighbors in their family's cabin in Jamestown, Colorado, outside of Boulder.

Here's Nash on the plane. The first flight he had his own seat. No such luck on the way home, but Elmo did keep him occupied both ways.

What a better way to start our Colorado pictures than a pic of a caged bear. When we arrived, Lucy warned us of bears. The next morning word quickly spread up the mountain that one had been caught. The Davison clan took a walk, in our PJs to see said bear. KP started to get close to it with NAP, at which point I reminded him that he was holding our first-born.

Here's our pretty morning bear walk shot!

Nash figured out a new use for his big ole noggin on this trip. Colanders and bowls make great hats!

This is on Pearl Street in Boulder. Don't be fooled, Nash won't let Buddy pick him up still, but Buddy is a big fan of Nash.

Here are Nash and KP at the Stanley.

Sue Sue and Uncle Tim at the Stanley.

Pac fam at the Stanley.

Davison clan at the Stanley.

Mimi holding a boulder up!

Buddy can do it with one finger!

Sue Sue and Tim at Lake Lily. We took a short walk around the lake. I had a sleeping Nash in my pack, so we didn't get any family shots there, but it was absolutely gorgeous.

St Malo church. Pope John Paul II visited here. It was a beautiful little church.

This was Nash's first visit inside a church. Mimi wanted to baptize him right then and there. We've been telling her to feel free...

Buddy, Sue, and Tim drove bumper cars. Don't you think this is a funny expression of giving away the bride?

The boys all went fishing one afternoon. They use cane poles to catch trout in very fast-moving, cold water. Amazingly, they caught nearly 30 fish. Here's KP holding the prize fish at the cabin.

Here's the trout bounty. We had them for dinner one night.

Nash got to watch Elmo in the morning in this little Adirondack chair. He kindly woke everyone up early every morning.

This is the view from the cabin. Not bad at all...

Walking from the cabin into the town.

Mimi, Sue, and Tim crossing the river into town.

Jamestown is tiny. There's a post office, a church, a school, and the Mercantile. I think it's open a couple nights a week, has live music, two types of beer, one wine, and one menu item daily. The entire town congregates at the Merch, kids and all. It's a good time!

Here's Jimmy, one of our gracious hosts and the breakfast chef. He made a mean breakfast daily!

Here's more of our group. Lucy, in the orange, was our other host and planner extraordinaire. She's really got Colorado figured out!

Nash and Mimi listening to music.

One day Lucy, Sue, Tim, and my Dad went hiking. The snow was so deep that they couldn't make it up the trail.

Here are Sue and Buddy in the snow.

Another bear. This guy was much darker and was seen rummaging through trash. Here he is at the end of our driveway. All of the men in our group followed him. Geniuses.

Mimi packed us a dinner to take to Red Rocks, where we saw Widespread Panic on our last night. She also packed pocket shots. Nice! Don't worry, we were already parked here and I, the pregnant person, drove home.

Me and KP at Red Rocks.

The concert, with Denver in the background.

More Red Rocks. The venue was amazing. The music was good. The people watching was the best I have seen, though I worried for some of their health.

And the last shot...Buddy and KP with their week-old scruff. Thanks again all. We had a great time, got to experience lots of cool things, and got out of this darn heat!

Summer Time, The Living's Easy

Seems I like that title...I've used it before..and now I have the song stuck in my head.

Nash and I went to Mimi and Buddy's in June to hang out with the family and the BDC. There was a lot going on! Uncle Matt (UM), Michael, and Buddy built a new dock. Pictures coming soon. We also had almost all of the BDC over, got to spend lots of cousin time, and ate tons!

Buddy's pretty photogenic.

Cousins!

The little boys.

Nash says "SueSue" very well.

Look at Nash sitting like a big boy with his cousins.

Naked hiney with shoes!

Silly pants, Davis! Davis and Luke are fish. They are seriously amazing swimmers.

NAP: 16 Months

Dear Nash,

What a cool month it's been. You are running, blabbing, walking, "jumping," climbing, reading, playing, sleeping, eating, and just generally being cool.

Without a doubt, you favorite thing to do is watch Elmo. We have to restrict this of course, but you are pretty adamant about it. You say Elmo, but it sounds more like, "Mal-mo," which isn't far off from Mama. Sometimes I get all excited because I think you're talking to me, but no, it's all about Elmo. Grandma and Grandpa got you a cute little chair and you love to plop yourself in it and watch your snuggly, red monster friend.

You still love playing outside, but it's not the smartest thing as we're going on weeks of tripe-digit heat around here.

Vegetables are still your least favorite food. You love fruit. You will email meat as long as there's ketchup (dipdip) and sometimes you gross Da (dad) out by dipping your fruit in the ketchup. Yum.

You are still taking two naps and now sellp from 8:30 until 6:30 in the morning. That's fine by us. In fact, it's a zillion times better than those 4:30 am mornings. We'll take it!

You understand so much. We can ask you a question and you'll answer. We can ask you to bring us something and along you'll come. You're not quite to the helping stage, but it seems to be in the horizon.

You are back into your pigeon books and even say pigeon, hot dog, what, no, yawn, and pretend snore from the books.

You are teething big time. I have no idea how many teeth are joining your current 5 teeth, but I think at least 3. They seem to bother you quite a bit. Pacis help, but you are also becoming a paci addict. Can't wait until we decide to break that habit!

Nash, you are a blast. Your toothy some warms my soul. Your blabbing and laughing capture my interest. You are the most interesting person Dad and I know. We love you dearly and are looking forward to an adventurous summer.

Love,

Mom

NAP: 15 Months

Dear Nash,

You are 15 months and ten days, but who is counting?

You are the busiest person I know. You dance, stomp, walk, run, and explore almost all of the time. The rest of the time you eat and watch Elmo. Oh, and you sleep a little (imagine me holding my index finger and thumb a millimeter apart).

You are learning so many new things. Talking is one of the things that is most impressive. I cannot count all of your words. Well, I guess I could, but I haven't. You call Mac and Zeus by their names, though Zeus is usually also combined with "Sit." You say Mama, Da, cat, dog, frog, side for outside, okay, book, feed cat, stick, rock, car, shoes, socks, grapes, crack(ers), and probably some others that I am not remembering right now. You are back to loving books, but usually just before you go to sleep. You LOVE to be outside and thankfully Daddy does too; you two spend lots of time cruising around in your little car and walking and exploring.

You are a very picky eater. You love fruit, some meat, peanut butter, bread, and crackers, but you loathe vegetables and even mashed potatoes. I guess you are against cannibalism, as we call you Nash Potatoes. That's okay, I guess. You are totally off of the bottle, but quite unhappy about it. Every time you see the milk cup, you whine and cry. Sometimes you flat-out refuse it. That's sticking to your guns!

You still take two naps, but I have to wake you up at one hour each now. If not, you wake up at 4am ready to rock and roll! You very rarely sleep past 6 am, which sort of stinks for us. Your eating and sleeping habits are becoming more and more like our Dad's. I promise, sleeping is wonderful. I am sure you will figure this out by your fifteenth birthday.

Funny stuff...you put on little dancing shows multiple times a day and alternate between fast feet, stomping, and being Super Nash and zooming around making airplane noises. You love to dig and walk up and down the street with a stick. You laugh when other people make jokes. You make me sing all the time by using sign language. When you don't like the song I choose, you wave your arms wildly until I pick a better one.

Statistically, for weight you are in the 5% at 20.8 lbs, 25% for height, and 100+% for head. Big brains on our baby boy! You are getting your 5th tooth now and I believe at least 2 more are right behind it.

Nash, you are growing so quickly. You look like a little boy sometimes in your shorts and little shoes cruising around the neighborhood or park. Your little hands are huge compared to when they couldn't even wrap around my little finger. You love your Mama and Da so much and we love your hugs, kisses, and even your pleas to be held. I love rocking you right before bed time and the sweet moments when you back up into my lap to read a story. I also love the laughter, inquisitiveness, and wild man time. You are all boy and we are loving every second (except before 6 am) of it.

Love,

Mom

Summer Time, The Living's Easy

It's technically early Spring, but it is already HOT here. The temperatures are reaching the mid-90's. Our little fair-skinned boy cannot spend much time outside in the heat of the day and sunscreen as already become a daily ritual (70 SPF,anyone?).

Yesterday, KP had the idea to turn the sprinkler on low for the little guy. At first, NAP was super reluctant. The, we turned the water down super low and he fell in love! We're getting a baby pool (today hopefully) and having Grandma and Grandpa's pool resurfaced so we will be in the water lots this summer! I need to get on the ball about swimming lessons as well.