18 Weeks 1 Day--More time to Vote

I can't believe we're already 18 weeks into this pregnancy! It seems to be going much faster than I remember with Kai. Last week I had to finally pull out the maternity clothes. Strangely enough, though, I still had to tell someone that I was pregnant. I guess just being big around the middle doesn't mean I'm pregnant. But there are some days when I have felt like there was no hiding it--especially Sunday.

Our ultrasound, which was originally scheduled for next week, had to be rescheduled. We're anxiously looking forward to June 10, and now you all have an extra 6 days to vote. I haven't casted my vote yet, but I think I'm going to save it for Kai. I've asked him a few times if he'd like a baby boy or baby girl and the normal answer is a baby boy. However, most recently he told me that he was the baby boy and that he wanted a regular boy. Uh Oh! Is it normal for the regression and baby jealousy to start before the pregnancy is even half-way over?? Kai insists he is the baby. Good thing he is for another 22 weeks. I guess we'll just deal with it October!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Last week we celebrated Reid's birthday. Poor Kai, being so close to his birthday, was a little confused. We bought Daddy presents, made a Better Than cake (Kai helped) and a yummy dinner. The highlight of the night came singing "Happy Birthday". Here's what happened. For those who made need translation, it goes pretty much as follows:

Kai and Mommy: Happy Birthday to You..
Kai: uh, no, no, To KAI!
Mommy: Happy Bithday to you..
Kai: To KAI!
Mommy: Happy Birthday dear...
Kai: KAI!



PS. Sorry for the funny light streaks emanting from the candles in the movie.

It arrived!

Kai's motorcycle arrived in the mail on Friday, the day after his birthday. Once returning from work, Reid immediately sat down to work on assembling the motorcycle. As much as we love this bike, I have to admit that there were some definite difficulties. Once again, a nut was missing from the box, but it's one that we can pick up at Home Depot, so we just went with it. There were a few other minor flaws with the bike (including that it appeared to have been already assembled--possibly a return from someone else??) but it works, it's together, and Kai LOVES his motorcycle! Of course, we bought him a helmet to go with the bike, but it does seem to be a bit of overkill when he's riding around a bike that sits so low to the ground and is on carpet. Oh well--he's learned a bit about safety! And he hasn't really worn the helmet since we took the pictures.
Sunday was such a beautiful day that Kai and I went outside in the morning for a few minutes and decided to bring out his new bike. We quickly found that the slight incline on our driveway makes for a perfect slope for Kai to ride without needing to reach the pedals. He loved it! The bike has been used every day since. Now, we need to go buy a bike that he can actually reach the pedals on because my back isn't going to hold up too long!!

Our 2 year old

I have to admit that the night before Kai's birthday I was definitely getting emotional that my little boy was going to be 2! I'm going to blame that on pregnancy hormones--sounds like a good excuse.

We had a great day celebrating Kai and it seemed he had a great birthday as well. Reid took the day off to spend with us and we loved having him home. The morning started out with a present for me. Kai had a little hiccup during the night and so he decided to sleep in about 45 minutes that morning. Ahhhh....sleep, I love it! So we were up a little before 7 and saying "Happy Birthday!" Kai loves sprinkles and so the day before we decided that sprinkle donuts for breakfast would be great. So at 7:30 Kai said "Let's eat donuts!" and we were off to Wal-Mart. We purchased a dozen of the most colorful sprinkle donuts. Of course, Kai then proceeded to eat only the sprinkles. The donuts apparently aren't as good as the sprinkles!

After donuts we started opening presents. Kai got a bunch of Thomas the Train stuff from his grandma and he was sooo happy. He would have been content with just that all day. But after his nap we had more surprises. Kai woke up from his nap to the sound of Daddy hammering together a new toy--a workbench. Kai enjoyed hammering in the nails and the screws. Forget the screwdriver!! He also received a brand new firetruck from his Grammy and Papa, and tunnel from Mom and Dad. He was in heaven and would jump at the word present. More presents?? Bring it on!

We then went to an early dinner at Wendy's, where Kai enjoyed a kid's meal and Frosty. After dinner, we came back for a Winnie the Pooh cake and the final present, a stuffed Tigger. Kai had a good day and if it's possible he was a bit overwhelmed. He was wound up and incredibly happy!

We love our little boy. We're so proud of him and we're looking forward to another fabulous year together! Happy Birthday Kai!

Kai's 2 year check up

We visited our wonderful pediatrician this morning for Kai's 2 year check-up! Mentally, I had been preparing for this visit for weeks. Kai normally kicks and screams at the doctor and I end up having to hold him down and then soothe him afterwards. So, today I went armed with a few surprise toys, spent the morning talking it up, and viola!! He was a fantastic patient. We only met with resistance to having his ears checked. I call that a huge success!!

So, for the stats:

Height - 32 1/4 inches--10% (his normal)
Weight - 22 pounds 2.5 ounces -- below 3% (off the charts again)
Head - 49 cm -- 50%

He still has a big head! No wonder I struggle with his shirts!! As for the weight, I've decided I just can't stress over this any longer. And the doctor doesn't want me to. Kai is just little, that's the way it's going to be for now. Maybe one day he'll decide eating is fun and good....but until then, he unfortunately eats like me. How can I get mad at him when I don't eat much better!

In all other respects, Kai is doing fabulously (as Doctor Yochim would say!). He's a bright, happy little boy. Reid and I couldn't be more proud!

(PS. More to come on Kai's birthday--stay tuned.)

The "Motorcycle" Dilemma

If you ask Kai what he would like for his birthday, he'll answer very quickly, "A MOTORCYCLE!" He's been talking about a motorcycle for months now (I'm sure my encouraging it hasn't helped at all!). Luckily, a "motorcycle" doubles as a tricycle to the rest of the world.

For the last two months or so, Reid and I have been shopping "motorcycles". We've visited Wal-Mart several times, as well as Target, and Toys 'R Us. Our favorite "motorcycle" was found online and last week we finally placed our order. The "motorcycle" arrived yesterday, just in time for Kai's birthday tomorrow. Only problem was that the box was extremely beat up, and when Reid opened it last night to put it together we found that 4 out of the 9 parts were missing--the seat and the bolts. Uggghhh!!!


So we had two options.

1. Return the "motorcycle" for a refund and take Kai to a store to purchase a new one. This way he would have a "motorcycle" for his birthday, and it would be one that actually fits him.

2. Get a replacement "motorcycle". This option would mean we would have to wait for another one to ship, and he won't be able to ride it right away. We found that when we put the bike together last night that it was a bit bigger than expected. Putting Kai on it as best we could this morning, there was no way his feet would reach those pedals. But he loved walking the bike around the basement and he LOVED his "motorcycle". He didn't want a new one--he wanted that one.

So, after a whole lot of discussion, we decided to get a replacement bike. We just love this bike, and we did a whole lot of shopping to find it. We figure we'll have to do some adjustments and minor tweaks when the bike arrives so that it'll work for Kai. And luckily, I've already received an email from the sender indicating that they're sending us a new bike ASAP with two-day shipping. So hopefully the one that shows up on Friday will have all of the needed pieces. Crossing my fingers!

Is that better??

I feel like a broken record when I say that Kai is a delight, a sweetheart, and way too smart for his age. But tonight, he proved it again. We were webcamming with Grammy and Papa, and Kai was singing his "ABCs" for them. Unfortunately, he wasn't singing loud enough and so we asked him to sing it again, louder. He then proceeded to sing the "ABCs" again in a much higher octave. Both Reid and I were laughing, but we still weren't sure that Grammy and Papa could hear all that well. While Reid was making a comment to his parents that louder must have meant higher, Kai began to sing yet again. This time he sang in the right octave, but much louder. When he reached the end he turned his head to me and in as serious of a voice as I've ever heard from him he asked me "Is that better?" Oh dear--I think I'm going to be in big trouble in a few years!

Every 4 Weeks

So, at times pregnancy can seem a bit....long and difficult. One of the bright spots for me are the visits to the doctor to hear the baby, talk about the progress of the pregnancy, and just go over questions in general. The visits also seem to be a way of marking time. With my first pregnancy, I have to admit that the appointments got a bit boring. Really, if the doctor spent more than 2 minutes with me, I was in shock. However, I've been nothing but thrilled this time around. With this pregnancy, I have been seeing a midwife. (Don't worry, she only delivers babies in a hospital!) She has been absolutely fantastic and has always made sure to take her time with me. I find myself asking more questions and enjoying my visits much more.

This past Wednesday I had my third visit with the midwife. It went really well and Kai and I were able to hear the baby's heartbeat again. At this stage of my pregnancy, my visits come every 4 weeks. Our next visit is one that we have been looking forward to from the beginning--our 20 week ultrasound! The half-way point! And our time to see the baby. With Kai, we asked that his gender remain a surprise and so we did not find out he was a boy until he arrived. However, this time we would like to know. So, in just 26 short days we will see our baby and hopefully find out what's in store for us. If you'd like to a cast a vote for either a boy or a girl, feel free. I wonder how many will be right!!

Making Cookies with Kai

So, I remember celebrating May Day when I was little by taking treats to friends and ding-dong ditching. I thought it would be fun to do something for May Day with Kai this year, and in the end I decided that we would make cookies and take them to a particular neighbor. What happens when you let a 23 month old make cookies, you ask? Here are some pictures to document our morning!

As you can see, the flour missed the bowl.

And who knew butter made such good hand cream.

A mess on his face and on the floor!

Half-time: Clean-up time

Mixing everything together

Mopping the floor
The final product
Enjoying the treats!

Our cookies actually turned out really well. They were the best cookies I've made since moving to Colorado. I think I'm finally getting the hang of this high-altitude baking thing--a little less sugar, more flour, add some water, shorten the baking time, etc. While we did intend on delivering some cookies to the neighbors, they weren't home to get them (and it wasn't a good idea to just leave them on the doorstep), so we were forced to eat them all ourselves! Real torture!