Pregnancy Weeks 30-32

Week 30 How I'm feeling: I run out of breath really fast (which makes me admire those girls who can work out all the way to the end of their pregnancies); I don't sleep well anymore (I get uncomfortable and continue to snore); and I started feeling nauseous again with certain smells (like when I have to pick up poop from the bath tub - thanks, boys).

Some days, this is how I feel...

Week 32:

How I'm feeling: This little girl is getting stronger every day. Her kicks are so strong that she sometimes makes me say Ouch out loud. I am also getting a lot fatter with this pregnancy than with the previous. With my first pregnancy, I actually had not realized I had gained much weight until I tried on a pair of capris that couldn't even make it past my knees. With this pregnancy, there is no denying that I have gained a ton of weight, especially in my now-cottage-cheesy legs.

This is what I looked like at 32 weeks pregnant with Logan and Taylor.

Logan & Taylor are 20 months

I feel like Logan and Taylor have changed so much this last month or so. They are learning new things (good and bad) every day and trying new things (good and bad) all the time. My favorite time of the day is when they watch short movies at bedtime while drinking some milk and cuddling with mommy. They are so cute, sweet, and quiet during that time. I love it!

This month, Logan has gotten really good at sharing. Of course that doesn't mean he does it all the time, but most of the time he doesn't mind letting Taylor play with "his" toys or eat "his" food. He continues to improve verbally and says an average of 25 words, his favorite words are "baby" and "shoes." He also likes to say Hi to everyone he meets. I love the way he says it, it's super cute. He also says "shiz!," which I am totally to blame for. He even uses it in the right circumstances, like when he drops something on the ground or spills food. He is very active - he loves to jump, kick, and run. Although we don't get a lot of practice with stairs, he has learned to go up without using his hands, a couple of steps at a time. He still needs some assistance going down if he doesn't do it on his belly. He now recognizes that my belly is getting bigger and will sometimes softly rub his cheek on it and say "baby." On the bad side, he has started to drink from his sippy cup and then spit out the water. Then he taught Taylor how to do it. Bathtime has also been testing my patience because Logan loves to touch the knobs, stand in the tub, splash water everywhere, and throw toys out. I have had to pick my battles and let go of the last two because at least they're not hurting anyone. But Logan is a super sweet and cuddly boy, especially with his daddy lately. And he has the cutest look when he has his head down and looks up. Billy says he got that look from me =) Logan softens my heart every day by doing the cutest and sweetest things.

This month, Taylor has also gotten better at sharing. Of course he still occasionally gets mad when Logan randomly takes toys from him, but overall he doesn't mind as much as he used to. He still doesn't say much, but he is verbal, somewhat. He does talk more now than before, which makes me very happy. This month, he said "kick" as he kicked the ball, and that was not an accident. He also says "zebra", "teeth", "tongue", and another few words, but they are hard to figure out. Billy and I are probably the only ones to understand what he is actually trying to say. Just like Logan, Taylor loves to jump, kick, and run. Several times a day, he gets cabin fever, grabs his coat and shoes, and brings them over to me. Once outside, he explores everything out there. Although we don't get a lot of practice with stairs, he has learned to go up and down the stairs with some assistance. He also enjoys walking around the living room with a blanket over his head, blind-sighted. He is really funny - when he sees Logan doing something he's not supposed to do, he goes over to him and talks to him with his finger in his face, as if he was telling him to stop misbehaving, but he does it very calmly and patiently. On the bad side, he has started to drink from his sippy cup and then spit out the water, just as Logan showed him. Bathtime has also been testing my patience because Taylor loves to touch the knobs, stand in the tub, splash water everywhere, and throw toys out. I have had to pick my battles and let go of the last two because at least they're not hurting anyone. Taylor is such a sweet boy with a smile that would make anyone smile, even the crankiest person, which is me on some days.

Packing

Yeah yeah yeah, I know... We still have 2 whole months before the move. But I am the organizer. And I know that as weeks go by, I will feel really uncomfortable and tired. So I figured I'd start putting everything we are not using on a regular basis in boxes. I am so glad we have a storage unit in the basement. It has allowed us to keep all those things that Logan and Taylor have out-grown so that we can use them again with future children. These last 2 weeks, it got a make-over with some extra boxes of random stuff. The boys' closet also got a make-over with boxes of clothes and kitchen stuff. So that has been my project these last couple of weeks, and it will continue to be for the next 2 months. Wish me luck!

House search - part 1

This weekend, Billy made the 10-hour drive to Columbus, Ohio, to look at houses. We're looking for a (brand new or older) house that has at least 3 bedrooms, a yard, an updated kitchen, and carpet in the living room and bedrooms. So far, it looks like we would probably live in Hilliard or Galloway, and possibly Dublin or Grove City. Billy was able to work with an agent to narrow down our search, so that when we all drive down next weekend, we will only be looking at those houses that really interest us. I am so lucky to have a husband that has the same taste as I do and knows exactly that it is that I want in a house. Still, he wants me to look at the houses in person before purchasing one. Honestly, I would trust him to make the best decision on his own, but it will be kind of fun to go look at houses together, I think. I just hope the boys behave...

We have a plan!

After multiple "conference calls" with my mom, dad, brother, and sister-in-law, and after working around some scheduling issues, we finally came up with a plan.

Friday, June 10: My brother, Frederic, will fly in from Baltmore. Then, hopefully with some help from ward members, we will load up the truck and clean up the apartment. It is really important for us to get help because I will be recovering from having a baby, and perhaps even recovering from a c-section, so I probably won't be much help. It looks like I'll also have to let go of my OCD for a while and be okay with shoes being in the same box as books...
Saturday, June 11: Frederic will leave early in the morning and drive the moving truck, which will also be pulling Billy's car, to Columbus. Billy, all 3 kiddos, and I will leave early in the morning to Columbus, OH, making frequent stops to eat and stretch out everyone's legs. I figured that with Frederic driving slowly and with our multiple stops, we'd probably get to our destination around the same time, which should hopefully be in the early evening. My mom and sister-in-law, Marie, will have made the drive from Baltimore, MD, to Columbus, OH, and will meet us there. With their help as well as help from ward members, we will unload the truck.
Sunday, June 12 - Saturday, June 18: Fred, Marie, and mom will stay to help organize everything in the new house and entertain Logan and Taylor while I take care of the new baby.
Friday, June 17: Billy will start his orientation at Ohio State. It's going to be hard and time-consuming, and from that time on, we probably will not be seeing him much.
Saturday, June 18: Frederic and Marie will start driving back to Baltimore. My mom will stay for another week or so. And my dad will arrive that day.
Sunday, June 19 - Thursday, June 23: Mom and dad will stay and continue to organize everything in the house and play with Logan and Taylor while I get used again to not sleeping much at night.
Friday, June 24: We will be on our own! Billy will be working his butt off and I will be taking care of the 3 kiddos while trying to sleep whenever I can. If we can survive THIS, we can survive ANYTHING!

I am so grateful for my family and their infinite support. They really don't have to take time off their busy lives to help us, but they are doing it anyway, and that means a lot to us.

Singing, body parts, and blowing raspberries videos

Residency

Columbus, Ohio

(Ohio State)

.

That's where home will be for the next 4-5 years, depending on whether or not Billy does a fellowship there.

We could not be more excited to be starting this new chapter of our lives in Ohio. Although it was not our first choice, mainly because of the weather, we know this is the right place for our family to be.

It has a temple, which will allow us to do ordinances more often than we have been.

It has lots of theme parks, like this one, which is actually indoors.
And of course, it has COLLEGE FOOTBALL! We are planning on going to as many games as we possibly can - wearing red jerseys and everything!

It also has parks, playgrounds, splash pads, gardens, a mall (including an H&M store), a zoo, a science center, an art center, an annual state fair, an airport, and everything you need close by.

And of course, we'll only be about 7 hours away from my family, which means that family birthday celebrations and holidays gatherings can become a reality again.

Being crafty

These are the crafts I've been working on these last couple of weeks...

Wall art

Growth charts (Michael's was missing some of the letters I needed)

Bookends

Carseat cover

Burp cloths

Pregnancy Weeks 26-28

Week 26
How I'm feeling: I started getting Charlie horses in my left calf, usually at night; I am starting to feel uncomfortable at times, especially after being on my feet for a while.


This is what I looked like when I was 26 weeks pregnant with Logan and Taylor. I guess I can't complain much about feeling uncomfortable - last time was much worse - and I'm pretty sure I was already on bedrest at that point.

Week 28
How I'm feeling: I feel like my belly has popped out in the last 2 weeks. In fact, at one day shy of being 28 weeks pregnant, I got my first pregnancy comments from strangers; one being about needing to get a triple stroller, and the other joking about possible having another set of twins. I am glad people can tell I'm pregnant now, instead of wondering whether they could/should congratulate me or keep their mouth shut.

Running and jumping videos

I haven't posted any videos of Logan and Taylor in months... and the main reason for that is simply that the boys are so fascinated by the video camera that they always stop whatever it is that they were doing to grab the camera and push all the buttons on it. But within this last month, I did manage to get 2 videos of them playing. Here they are: