Butterfly Exhibit

The boys (Dallin, Caleb, and Samuel) have been learning about bugs this month in preschool, so it was time to take a visit to the Butterfly Museum downtown. It was so exciting to see all the bugs and have butterflies fly all around us!

Dallin, Sydney, Caleb, Samuel
Caleb and Dallin looking at the roaches (ewww)

Some of the butterflies that were flying all around us.

My one attempt at a picture with Caleb...there were too many fun things to see for Caleb to stand still for a picture!

It's Official

Checking it off the list:

Potty Training!!!

Because going #1 in the potty came so easily (within a few weeks of starting the process), it was hard to be patient when going #2 didn't click as easily. It just took catching it one time and letting Caleb open up one of the presents we bought him as motivation, and then he gradually became less and less scared about going on the potty. We have very few accidents these days, and we no longer have to tote around his potty seat when we run errands (we only had to do that for about 2 weeks). He wakes up dry every time after a nap, and he wakes up dry almost every morning. One big step to being a big boy!

Reflections

I've been experiencing a whirlwind of emotions as time draws nearer to expand our family. Surprisingly, the most overwhelming feeling is one of sadness in regards to losing Caleb as "the baby". Everything is going to change, and I'm nervous about how Caleb is going to react to losing Mommy's complete attention. Right now if we want to go to the park or any other fun activity, we just up and go. Things will definitely change for awhile at least in that regard. Caleb and I have been the bestest buds for the last 2 1/2 years, and I can't help but feel sad that this is going to change. Feeling nostalgic, I have put together a list of the things I love most about Caleb as well as put together a slideshow of Caleb over the last 2 1/2 years.

Top 10 Things I Love About Caleb:

1. When he says "I love you" and gives kisses.
2. The way he wakes up happy and says, "Mommy, where are you?" in the morning or after a nap.
3. His love of music. His favorite songs right now to sing to are "Life is a Highway" by Rascal Flatts (from the movie Cars), and "I Am a Child of God." He loves to dance to music as well.
4. He is such a good helper...whether it's helping Daddy in the yard or helping Mommy inside with cleaning, cooking, or laundry. He'll say, "Help Mommy, help" or "Caleb help too" and drag a chair over to "help" me in whatever I'm doing.
5. He is proving to be quite athletic. He's always had really good balance and just natural skills when it comes to throwing, kicking, or hitting a ball.
6. I've loved being in nursery with him this year and watching him interact with other kids. Whenever he is at the coloring station (while I'm manning another station), he'll always hold his picture up when he's done and yell across the room, "Look Mommy, look!" He loves to share his successes with Mommy and Daddy.
7. He is such a great learner. There have been times when I get frustrated that he doesn't pick up on some learning skills faster, but he'll always surprise me by something he knows. I have loved teaching him in preschool. He's a smart boy with a lot of potential.
8. I love the way he says "Otay" whenever I explain something to him. (For example, I might say, "After we go to the store, then we can go to the park.") It makes me smile every time.
9. If I ever raise my voice slightly, he'll walk up to me and touch my leg and say, "Loud Mommy, loud."
10. There have been so many instances recently when Matt and I will just look at each other after Caleb does or says something cute/silly/random and say, "Can you believe how adorable our little boy is?" I can't imagine life without Caleb! He's blessed our lives in so many ways and our lives are better with him in it!

1 Month To Go!

I wasn't going to post any more pregnant pictures at this point, but because a good friend requested, I had to oblige. Just a little over a month until go time.

If you're thinking my belly looks small for 8 months it's because it is. I'm carrying this baby different than Caleb for some reason, and I'm measuring 4 cm smaller than most women. (The measurement lengthwise of your belly in cm should match the number of weeks you are in the pregnancy.) It concerned my doctor at my 31-week check-up to see that my belly was only 27 cm, which is what it was at my previous visit 4 weeks earlier. He did an ultrasound a few days later to make sure the baby was growing okay and that there was enough amniotic fluid. Things were okay on both accounts. All the baby's measurements measured at 31 or 32 weeks' growth, and the doctor was stumped that I was hiding the baby so well. I get comments all the time from people that can't believe I'm as far along as I am. If it makes anyone feel any better, just because I look slightly smaller than my weeks, I still feel very pregnant.

Just a few other details for my own journaling purposes. I'm still running 3 miles. I didn't think it was possible, and I never imagined I would be running this late in the game, but I guess the consistency has helped me be able to keep it up. (Perhaps the running has affected me measuring smaller...?) My pace is incredibly slow, however. Last weekend at a church activity, we all met at a park in the morning for a family day. Part of the activity was a 5K. Matt and I ran it together, and when he needed a walking break (because he doesn't run), he was able to speed walk and almost keep up with me. I do take walking breaks when needed, usually just 1/4 mile break in the middle of the run. My weight gain is 22 lbs. so far, and I'm still reading up and planning on a natural childbirth. I'm definitely not opposed to an epidural, however, as I had one with Caleb and thought it was fabulous! We'll see if I can put everything I'm reading (relaxation techniques etc.) into action, and we'll see how good a coach Matt is as he'll need to play a much bigger role this time around. I'm hoping to labor as much at home as possible, and then by the time I get to the hospital not have a choice about getting an epidural or not because I'll be too far dilated... I'm definitely not trying to go the natural route to try to prove what a "tough" woman I am, but my reasoning is still pretty silly according to my family. Writing that fat check for the anesthesiologist was not fun after Caleb was born! I'd rather buy myself some new, nice furniture and endure some pain, but we'll see what happens when I'm actually in the moment. :o)

What's in a Name?

Unlike my husband who doesn't worry about these things, I have been so stressed about picking a name for our baby this whole pregnancy! I went through a book of 25,000 boy names and wrote down about 20 names that I liked or would consider as potential options. Some of the favorites on the list included Bryce, Brogan, Jacob, Logan, Peyton, Tyler, and Tyson. However, nothing seemed to feel right or else the names I really liked, Matt didn't like. I have agonized over the name thing especially as time is drawing nearer. When I went through the list of names in the book, I did not look at the 'C' section, however. I wanted to avoid a 'C' name this time because I didn't want to start a trend with first name and last name starting with a 'C' (or with a 'k' sound). I finally decided that nothing felt right about the names because we hadn't found the right one yet. So I went through the book again, and finally found some names that I loved and that Matt and I agreed on. We're down to two names now. Feel free to vote in the poll to express which name you like better. We'll see if it influences our final decision or not. :o)

Because the name Caleb came so easy and this one was more difficult, it makes me curious how parents pick their children's names. What's the story behind your children's names, or how do you plan on picking future names?

Outdoor Fun

Caleb is definitely ready for some warmer weather! It's dropped back down to the forties here, and now we only go play outside if the sun happens to be out. Caleb loves baseball, but he gets very frustrated when he can't hit the ball with someone pitching to him (getting a smaller-sized bat would help the problem). So today, Matt came up with a make-shift t-ball set using an old shower curtain rod. Caleb had so much fun putting the ball up on the pole and hitting it for almost an hour! He's very accurate actually. I sense that baseball will be in his future.

Look at this stance! All he needs is his back elbow up, and he is good to go!

Last week we acquired a swing set for our backyard. It's obviously weathered, but it's still in great shape, and best of all it was free! Caleb loves to swing, constantly asking to go higher.

Aquarium Field Trip

About a week ago, we took advantage of a great deal to visit the Houston Aquarium with a preschool. The kids had a lot of fun looking at all the fish and then of course riding the rides outside! There was a train ride, carousel, and ferris wheel for the kids to enjoy. It was both Caleb's and my first time to ride on a ferris wheel. He didn't seem nervous, but I sure was! Here are some pics from our outing:

Caleb, Dallin, and Ariane riding in a boat
Caleb in front of a fish tank

Caleb's favorite part of the trip: the train ride. (My son has an obsession!)

Caleb riding the alligator on the carousel