Baptism

It was long overdue but the boys were finally baptized this past weekend! Of course I was worried that Noah wouldn't behave but he was perfect - I knew Owen would be fine and didn't worry about him as much :) The front pew of the church was reserved for our family and I was worried the boys wouldn't behave during the Mass (usually we end up in the crying room at one point during the church service) but once again they surprised us all and sat quietly the entire time. I was so proud of my boys :) I think they looked so cute in their matching khaki pants, white polo shirts and new sandals. I wasn't sure what to dress them in as any other baptism I've been to has been for babies, and they usually are dressed in white christening gowns etc.

Some pictures of the Baptism
Owen went first and he did a great job!




Noah tried to keep his head up a bit but he also did great :) afterwards he said "that water's cold" :) so cute.




With Catholic Godparents Aunt Maegan and Uncle Bill.

36 Weeks

The countdown ticker says 27 days *gulp* I'm starting to get a bit nervous now. I've been feeling anxious about some of the things I want to get done before the baby comes but I hope that after this busy weekend I'll feel more prepared. I've packed the baby's hospital bag and have everything I need for my bag, I just need to get it all put together.

I had an O.B appointment yesterday and everything was good. I'm measuring at 34 weeks and had no weight gain but so far there hasn't been any mention of concern. Next week I start my weekly appointments and will have a different O.B while my regular one is on holidays. I'm hoping that the other O.B isn't concerned about the size of the baby and send me for non stress tests etc.

This past week I feel as though the baby is dropping - more trips to the bathroom and feeling movement really low etc. I've read that second babies usually drop later in pregnancy, so maybe I'm wrong. My hips have been aching at night and I feel like I am constantly waking up to change positions and get comfortable. I can't even count how many times I wake up during the night - I think they say this happens to prepare yourself for a newborn :) but I could really use a few more weeks of sleep before the newborn nights start!

Here is my 36 week Belly Pic:

Camping

We invited some family to join us on our camping trip this year and I think the trip was a huge success! The kids entertained each other freeing up a bit of time for the adults and having the extra eyes, ears and hands around to help with the little kids is always a bonus!

We had a great adjoining site and the kids could run back and forth and there was plenty of space for all of our tents and eating area etc. This year we were close to a rowdy group of people and didn't get much sleep the first night. The second night when the group started getting loud again we made a phone call to the park office and a park ranger came by and put a stop to the noise :) yes - we were those people. Seriously though - they were loud and we all needed sleep, especially the kids.

Usually we try and take a hike along the trail in the woods but this year we never even made it to the trail. Noah started whining not long into the walk and wanted to be carried and with the hot weather and getting close to lunch time we decided to forget the walk and head back to the camp site. The kids were more eager to go to the beach anyways so I don't think anyone missed the walk.

Below are some pictures from our weekend, Owen loved swimming and eating marshmallows and Noah could have played in the sand and dirt all day. There were a few times I thought he couldn't get any dirtier and he proved me wrong each time.


















What great fun we had spending time with family and I'm sure the kids will remember the special time they spent with their cousins!

34 Weeks

34 Weeks! This week I'm taking advantage of having some time off (hannah is on vacation) and crossing some things off of my ""To Do" list! some things are baby related and some things aren't but it sure feels great to be getting things done :) I've made a list of things to pack in my hospital bag and plan on getting that organized next week. I'm not sure if it's 'nesting' or just the realization that this week is the only time off I have before the baby comes, but I have a sudden interest in cleaning. I've been cleaning out the closets, plus we steam cleaned the carpets last weekend and I'm bothering Gavin to pressure wash the house and clean the windows :)

I had an O.B appointment today and everything continues to be good. I've been feeling great, although getting more tired by late afternoon. I'm up another 2lbs (total is 24lbs so far) and am measuring at 33 weeks (1 week behind). I booked my next appointment two weeks from now and then I start my weekly appointments! Yikes! Not long until baby comes now! 41 days and counting :)

Canada Day Weekend

I hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend with their family! we had planned on taking advantage of the long weekend to get some work done around the house, but woke up on friday morning and decided to take the kids to the zoo instead! The rest of the weekend was spent doing work that was long overdue (by about a year if I'm honest) like clean the carpets but we did manage to squeeze in some family fun as well.

We packed a picnic lunch and our bathing suits and we were off to spend the day at the splash pad at the zoo. The rest of the city must have had the same idea as the place was packed! I didn't get any pictures of the splash pad fun because Gavin was afraid the camera would get wet :( but the boys had a blast! even Noah got more wet than usual and it was hot enough that I even went in the water :) The boys wore their new ankle bands without any fuss, and I'm so glad to have them! they are bands that are embossed with My Mommy and my cell number in case one of the kids get lost.Thanks Catherine for ordering them for us! hopefully we will never need them but they certainly make me feel better about taking the boys to busy places, especially since Noah has been wanting to walk more than be in the stroller. I ordered some daycare ones as well so we will have them on our outings :)

A Birds of Prey show was starting just after we finished at the splash pad so we decided we would sit and watch the show instead of walking around the zoo in the crazy heat. I was definitely feeling the heat on friday and my hands and feet were so swollen even though I tried to stay as hydrated as possible and sit when I could.

This bird freaked me out a little. We sat in the front row and he got a little too close at times.








The boys loved the show and loved seeing the owls the most, not surprising as Owen knows many facts pertaining to owls because of a couple of books he often wants us to read to him. We had to laugh when he would point out the seagulls flying overhead and thought they were in the bird show too :)

First Time Bowling!

I signed the kids up for the kids bowl free program and we had our first try at it today! The kids get two free games all summer long (you just have to pay for shoe rental) and I think we'll get lots of use from it. The next time I might just plan on playing the one game as the two little ones lost interest after the first game. It took about an hour for the first game so I just put Owen's name and my name down for the second game and let Hannah and Noah play using my name when they felt like participating :) that made things much faster and we were still able to make it home for lunch and naps.

I wanted to take a picture of the score after the first game but I forgot :( I edited the players for the second game but didn't realize it would erase Hannah and Noah's score from the first game. I think Noah scored 40 something and Hannah's score was 27. The only accurate score was Owen's anyways, the rest of the scores were based on whoever felt like bowling at the time :)










Even though it looks like Noah doesn't have much strength behind his throw/push his ball always made it to the end and often he knocked pins down!






What a fun time we had today and we will likely be bowling again very soon!

Canada's Wonderland

We take the boys to Wonderland during the summer every year and we always have a blast! This time we decided to keep the day trip as a surprise because we thought if we told Owen beforehand he'd be too excited to fall asleep the night before :) Owen was really excited when we told him in the morning that we were taking them to Canada's Wonderland, Noah was excited too but I think he was just caught up in Owen's excitement.

We arrived at the park around 10am and didn't leave until 8:30pm. There is so much for them to see and do there, we never even left the kids park! and I think Owen made it on every ride this year. Noah went on most rides but also enjoyed just lounging in the stroller and watching everything around him. Even I went on some of the really tame rides like the swans and the train ride:)

Here are a few pictures from our day:

Think They Like Disney Much?

Here is a short video of how my kids react while watching our disney vacation video :) you can see that sweet Hannah has watched the video before and shares the same love of Disney. It makes me laugh how Noah starts talking in a high pitched squeal that I'm sure only I can understand. Obviously they love the stunt car show, plus the part when he and Hannah start slow dancing like Beauty and the Beast cracks me up. Hannah and Noah can act like an old married couple bickering one minute and dancing together the next. Oh and please ignore the part that he picks his nose :) apparently when you are two you don't care what is captured on video.

They still talk about their Disney vacation every day and I must admit that even though I wasn't a big Disney fan prior to our trip, I've gotten caught up in the Disney excitement myself. I find myself searching for the latest Disney vacation package deals even though I know we won't be able to go until the baby is a little older. Having kids sure does change you in many ways!

We've spent many hours already at local splash pads trying to beat the crazy summer heat! Owen sure does love the water and doesn't mind getting soaked one bit! Noah on the other hand prefers to get just close enough to feel the mist but hates to get really wet. Noah still loves the pool but isn't a fan of spraying water or getting his crocs wet :)





This is the "seriously do you NEED to take pictures of EVERY single thing" pose


This is the "ok fine...hurry up and take the picture" pose :)


Oh how I love that my "job" is spending more time with my boys:) I'm such a lucky mom! I'm going to have to repeat this often to myself as Owen doesn't need an afternoon nap anymore :(

Two weeks ago we attended sweet Ben's 3rd birthday party. My boys felt right at home as it was obvious that Ben shares the same love of trucks, tractors and diggers as my boys! Thanks for inviting us to your party Ben! we love spending time with you :)

The handsome birthday boy!


Noah could hardly believe his luck - someone was actually letting him ride on the tractor :) that doesn't happen often around our house.


Owen loved playing with the digger in the sandbox

32 Weeks

I got the results of my ultrasound yesterday, and it looks like everything is well with the baby! The fluid amount is good, the placenta has moved out of the way by 4cm, and the cervix is completely closed so the cramps haven't caused any real concern:)
My O.B did mention that I won't be having the largest baby in the world and thinks that he will end up being close to Noah's weight by delivery (Noah was 6lbs 7oz) maybe a little bigger. This week I am measuring at 31 weeks (1 week behind) and it is right on track to when I started to measure behind with Noah. Everything is still within the normal range - I think I just grow at a rate my body can handle. I'm hoping that as long as I am still growing and gaining weight (22 lbs so far) they won't need to send me for Non Stress tests later on.

32 Week belly pic

Ultrasound #3

My O.B wanted me to come in for an ultrasound this morning to check the position of the placenta and to see what may be causing the cramps. Gavin and I took Owen with us so that he could see the baby, and I think he enjoyed being able to see his baby brother kicking and squirming on screen. No pictures from today :( but we were able to confirm that it is a boy and he moves a crazy amount! he was constantly kicking, stretching, moving his head around, opening his mouth and blinking. He looked much more like a baby and is quite a bit bigger now. It was also confirmed today that he is head down - he still may move in and out of position but at least he's there for now! that has me feeling positive that the placenta has moved - I'm guessing it would be hard for a baby to be head down with the placenta in the way?

The O.B will have the results in a few days and I imagine if there is a problem I will hear about it soon, otherwise I I have another bi-weekly appointment next week and will learn the results of the ultrasound then. My O.B was concerned that the placenta may still be low and that could be causing the cramps. I'm still praying the placenta is out of the way and that I won't be needing a C-section but I will know more soon!

30 Weeks

Only 10 more weeks! I am seriously not ready, I have so many things to prepare for before the baby comes it's crazy - and none of the things are baby related! I know that everything will get done on time, it always does. I'm wondering now if it's the nesting urge...ahhhh just another thing to make the reality of another baby set in!

Last week I had a couple of nights that I woke up with heartburn - I didn't experience that with Noah. This week it seems to be increasingly worse and I've taken to sleeping propped up on a couple of pillows most nights, it seems to help things and I can get back to sleep. I caved this evening and bought some tums so now I'm prepared to take on the battle tonight! from what I've read it seems like this pregnancy symptom might be here for the remainder of the pregnancy.

I'm still having some cramps but haven't been able to count them like the O.B wanted me to. The cramps are like menstrual cramps but kind of constant and they last anywhere from 10 minutes to half an hour. They also seem to happen when I'm in bed or sitting so I don't really think it's because I'm over-doing it. I've felt tightening like braxton hicks contractions - I had the same thing with Noah but these other cramps are definitely different. I'll mention it again at my appointment tomorrow and I'm also supposed to have another ultrasound at one point so maybe they'll do a more detailed exam and see what's going on.

The baby is still moving like crazy - I can't believe how strong he feels to me. I should try and get some video of my belly as he moves because there are times it looks likes he's trying to bust his way out of there!

I weighed myself tonight and it looks like I've gained another 3 pounds bringing the total up to 19 pounds. I'm thinking my weight gain is still on track and heading towards the 30 pound total I was expecting. My weight gain is also the same as when I was pregnant with Noah, maybe up a pound. I feel bigger this time around regardless of weight, maybe the heat has something to do with it. I've got my fingers crossed that August isn't record hot this year but I'm not holding my breath.


30 week belly pic

Today at the park a lady told me I had a "lovely belly" lol.


30 week pregnancy comparison pic - pregnant with Noah.

Soccer

We signed Owen up for soccer the minute the summer registration was open - we knew the field near our house always gets filled up first with enrollments and we wanted to make sure we could play close to home. Owen was excited to play his first game of soccer last week, but unfortunately the city closed the fields due to the rainy weather we had the week before. We were able to pick up Owen's uniform and then played at the park for a bit before heading home with a disappointed little boy.

The evening is split up into several soccer drills and a mini soccer game, similar to last years program only parents remain on the sidelines this time. I must admit it was nice to be able to sit and watch him play instead of having to run around, I'm really enjoying having a big kid now and watching him do things on his own.

Totally worth the money - the soccer uniforms on the little kids just make me so happy :) I just love how the uniform is still too big.


Owen stands like this all the time - I've noticed Noah standing with his hands behind his back now.


Every time Owen would get a goal I'd hear him say " I did it!" he's always looking for approval - he wanted to make sure his coach noticed he scored!






Noah would cheer Owen on saying "YAY Owen! kick the ball!"





It was fun to watch the kids play soccer - you could tell that they are so used to being told to wait their turn, share etc. as everyone was waiting for their turn with the ball instead of trying to get it away from the other players. So cute! there was only one incident when Owen tripped and fell and someone accidently stepped on his hand with cleats. He cried a bit and Gavin had to go out on the field to console him, but he was back in the game quickly. Gavin tried to explain that sometimes people get hurt playing sports and it's not intentional but I think Owen will be staying clear of that little boy for a while :)

Big Boy Bed

Noah is now sleeping in his big boy bed! he was really excited to have a bed just like Owen's and the new sleeping arrangement is going better than expected. We do find that it's been taking the boys longer to fall asleep and often we are returning one of them to their own bed as we keep finding them "hanging out" on each others beds, but for the most part it is going well :) Once they fall asleep we rarely hear from them until morning. We weren't sure when we should transition Noah out of his crib, but knew it should be before the new baby arrives so we decided last weekend to try it out.