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

Our Favorite Date

This is the second year in a row that one of Matt's coworkers has given Matt a gift card for Matt and I to go out to dinner at Taste of Texas. It is the yummiest steakhouse I have ever been to, but quite pricey. We were so excited to get the gift cards again this year and looked forward to the night we could use them with great anticipation. Saturday night Matt's mom agreed to watch Caleb so we could enjoy a fun night out. The restaurant did not disappoint!

Our steaks (the garlic butter on the steaks makes them look less appetizing, but trust me, they were good)

Matt and I after our bellies were full to the max (and the baby in my tummy was very happy as well!)

Potty-Training Progress

So far, potty-training with Caleb is a lot easier than I expected it to be (I know every kid is different). I've heard that it's not something you should try to force if the kid is not ready. That's exactly what I did, so I was worried that this would be "attempt #1". Caleb has sat on the potty since he was about a year old while we would read stories. On the rare occasion, he would actually do something in the potty, but it was all by chance. So Caleb has been comfortable with sitting on the potty for a long time now.

For Christmas, I bought Caleb some "big boy underwear", but once he had a few accidents in them, he would always ask for a "baby diaper" and didn't like the underwear. We persisted with going on the potty several times a day with me trying to catch him at the right time, because he definitely has begun to understand the connection of doing something good yielding a reward.

Once he had a success, he got a sticker on a sticker chart, a small treat, and he could call anyone he wanted to (which usually was Grandma or Grandpa) so he could tell them what he did. This worked really well, and we have now gone 2 weeks of Caleb being able to go #1 in the potty almost every time. We had a few days of regression at the beginning of last week, but he gets very excited to tell me when he has to go. He has started to wake up dry from naps and bedtime frequently as well. (I once heard advice that you don't start potty-training until your child can wake up dry...that definitely would have been a lot longer down the road for Caleb.)

We still have a few more glitches to work out and areas where I would love some advice from those experienced moms who read my blog! We have not made headway on #2, which I have heard from a few different sources is usually mastered first. Caleb will run and hide anytime he needs to go because he knows that I will stick him on the potty if I see him trying to go. I'm not sure why he's scared to go #2 in the potty. Also, Caleb is scared of sitting on the potty unless he has his potty seat which makes going when we're out and about really difficult, and he's definitely too small to stand. Any suggestions on these issues?

Some pictures completely unrelated to this post of Caleb playing baseball with his daddy yesterday.

Rockets Game

Caleb's First Basketball Game: