33 weeks, you've got to be kidding me!

Here's what pregnancy weekly has to say:

How your baby's growing: This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark(actually, at my last ultrasound in March he weighed over 4 lbs. Sydney measured big & wasn't, so I'm not worried. Its probably his extra large head throwing off the chart. Syd's extra large head is a cute one, so here's hoping his is as well!). He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

And if Jeff would blog, here's what he would have to say:

My wife snores like a grizzly bear when she's pregnant. Two nights ago I had to sleep on the basement couch just to get away from the noise. I really think its sad when the baby gets the hiccups & don't like to feel that. I wish Brenna would go ahead and agree on his name, this is getting ridiculous! I've had my mind made up for months now.

And my 2 cents:

I really like being pregnant, despite the waddling & backaches, not to mention the weight gain. I'm flabergasted at how fast this one has gone by. I totally feel like he's low & trying to come out already. I have braxton hicks contractions all the time, and have actually had a few hard-core contractions (you know, the ones that are like bombs going off inside you), but nothing to get excited about....its WAY too early for that. He's quite responsive to poking & prodding and will kick back & play with me most of the time. Having a being inside you is such a crazy & remarkable thing. I'm a little freaked out about not having everything ready by the time he gets here, but babies don't care & so I know he'll be fine.

Here are some "in progress" picts of his room. I'm putting together his closet, so the rooms a bit messy right now.

I forgot to have Jeff take a belly pict of me last night, but I'll post one soon. I guess its been quite a while since I took one. I was looking back & it was around 26 weeks last time. Man, I'm huge now compared to that!!!

April in Review

Bad, Bad Blogger! I know, I know. I must be in survival mode because all I seem to do is eat & sleep.

These picts actually go back to the end of March, but here's a quick catch up on what we've been up to:

Sydney loves to pretend she's driving the ice cream truck. Its actually one of those pop up tent deals that looks like an ice cream truck. She sells it to her imaginary friends & makes them pay. She serves vanilla (banilla) and strawberry, sprinkles are extra. Oh, and you have to give the ice cream back before she drives off.
This little smirk she has on her face here is the exact same one she gives me when she's in trouble & being defiant. Its hard not to laugh, but she sure knows how to push my buttons lately. Sometimes she eats the ice cream when you give it back before she "drives" off.

One day at home, it was just the 2 of us hanging out. She helped me make Friendship Bread (she's great at stirring). I put on my apron, but didn't have one to fit her, so I have her an old shirt of mine instead. She wore it all day saying "Look! See my pretty new dress!". Ah, 2 can be so easy to please! Give her another 15 years and her pretty new dresses will cost as much as a car payment!
We gave Sydney her b-day gift late because you can't really enjoy outdoor toys in January in Kansas. We were afraid having it sit in the garage for 3 months would just be too much for her to handle.

Here is Sydney on the hood of her little red Corvette.
This is just hysterical to me. When she presses on the gas it throws her back into the seat & she can no longer reach the peddle. So, Jeff's solution was to press the "gas" for her with the shovel handle while she attempted to steer. Thank goodness we live on a court, because she was a wild driver! I think we might owe our neighbors a new mailbox, yikes! Mostly she likes to sit in the car, turn the wheel, listen to the radio, & press the horn.

Last weekend Papa & Dally came to visit. Sydney couldn't have been more thrilled. In fact, she was so excited that we totally lost all 3.5 months of potty training skills for 1 day. I was totally beside myself that here we'd been diaper free since a few days into 2008 and she had a total of 4 accidents the first day they were here. In a weird way, it should make Papa & Dally feel special & loved. We were back on track after that & all was well.

Here's Syd making blueberry muffins.
Papa & Dally spoiled her rotten all weekend. We went to the mall & rode the carousel. I think she was a little dizzy in this picture! (taken on camera phone so a little blurry)Speaking of spoiled....Papa & Dally splurged on this awesome sand & water table for our little digger to play in. Dad noticed that when we went to the park she played in the mulch. When we were in the back yard she dug in the landscaping. He asked her "Do you need a sand box?" and she kept repeating "I need a sand box. I need a sand box." She loves it! Thanks Papa!

We had the rest of the family over to visit. Addie Sue & Sydney played very well together. Gosh, these girls are getting so big! Time is flying!

Yesterday we went to Deanna Rose Farmstead. Notice the jackets everyone has on.....we had a very late cold snap & everyone is pissy about it because its nearly May & way too late for this sort of thing. We hadn't been in a year & I was amazed how brave Syd was around all the animals.Ashley was enjoying the park as well. Here's our little digger again. Digging must have been the theme for the weekend!


Petting the big goats.
Bottle feeding the baby goats. Sydney couldn't have been more into this! I helped her at first because last time the goats were aggressive & I had to hold Syd so they didn't eat her clothes.

She really wanted to feed the smaller ones & kept asking for the baby, but the larger white one bullied his way to the bottle.
When her bottle was empty she ventured out on her own. Apparently the goats knew her bottle was empty because they were leaving her alone, but she didn't & kept trying to feed them.
Dally came to the rescue with another bottle & this time she fed them all by herself.
Again, notice the aggressive white one. The rest decided that the bows on her pockets looked easier & just as tasty. She had 2 eating her jacket & one eating her pants before she decided it was time to get out of there & call Mommy in for back up.
We topped the day off with lunch at McDonald's. Now, believe me, my girl is no stranger to McD's (or E-I-O's as its called in our house-get it!) however, this was our first time experiencing the Play Place. I've always been afraid of the other kids & their germs before. This one looked nice & the other parents were attentive, so out she ventured. She really had no fear, just couldn't quite figure out how all the tubes connected once she got to the tippy-top. After about her 8th time climbing up there she finally ventured into the maze & then she was lost in her own little world just as happy as a clam. We bribed her with ice cream to get her back into the car to go home. She ate an entire full adult sized vanilla cone. Papa thought he might get some, but she wasn't about to let it out of her possession. She quickly passed out for her nap when we got home, as you can imagine!
We've got some paint on baby brother's walls & the furniture is in the room. I need to take picts of that & my ever-growing belly tonight & post those.

Prayer Request (this breaks my heart)

Kelli Wright attends our church in Olathe. Her youngest son is Sydney's age, so this hits close to home since we were pregnant at the same time & discuss our children often. Her mother is our devoted church secretary & the two of them volunteer countless hours towards church activities.

Less than a year ago Kelli was diagnosed with cancer (uterine I believe). She has gone through aggressive treatment, but it spread regardless. The final straw is that now her bowels are not functioning. She is in extreme pain & cannot digest food in order to gain nutrients.

The below email describes the situation as of this morning:

Kelli has decided not to go home. She went today to Hospice House at 12000 S. Wornall Rd , Kansas City , MO (It's about 2 miles South of I-435). Kelli is doing well and they will keep her comfortable. She needs to conserve her strength now to be able to spend time with Jeff and the boys. She has her laptop with her and would enjoy hearing from you by e-mail, her address is elinzacksmom@aol.com. Thanks for all of your prayers, we're praying now that her pain will be eased enough that she can enjoy her family during the time she has left.

Sharon

Please take a moment to think of Kelli & her young family as they pray for a miracle. If you have a moment to send an email, even though you may not know her, to let them all know that many people are praying for their family.