Progress!

So, a couple months ago I made out this "ginormous" (as Buddy the Elf would say) list of things that I want to get done by the time Baby #2 arrives. Well, here is my progress so far...

-Organize my maternity clothes! I am almost to the point where I am needing to wear these, but can still fit into my pre-pregnancy clothes.
-Wean Caleb from his nighttime bottle (Kevin has made me promise not to do this until after Father's Day. He is the one who gives him his bottle at night and it is Kevin, not Caleb, who is more attached to this time)
-Work on making my discipline more consistent. This is an ongoing area for improvement on my part!
-Move Caleb into his new room/bed. We have to wait to find out what we are having before we know exactly what the arrangement will be, but once we know that is the next step. We have moved Caleb into his new room for nap time, not yet at night (mostly because Mommy and Daddy are being too sentimental...we expect to switch over completely in the next few weeks). Caleb LOVES his new room and is so proud to show it to other people!
-I'm not planning on even thinking about potty-training Caleb until he's two, but if some reason he suddenly shows interest and readiness, read up on best strategies. We did buy a potty chair and it has been pottied in once. Once is better than none at all, though!
-Prepare the new baby's room. Since Noah is another boy, we are leaving the nursery the same (just changing the name on the wall).
-Put together "Thank You" folder with pens, cards, & stamps to make organization of "thank-you's" more seamless.
-Plan made for care of Caleb during and after the birth of the new baby
-Stock up on two month's worth of diapers (preferably at an AMAZING sale)
-Get and wrap gift(s) to give Caleb after the baby is born. Any great ideas??? I purchased some puzzles and a Color Wonder marker set for Noah to "give" Caleb after he is born. I am killing two birds with one stone because these will also be used as activities he can do independently while I nurse the baby.
-Create "activity bags" of independent activities Caleb can do while I am nursing. I am still working on this but will post more about it later.
-Teach Caleb what he is to do with the bags (in teacher language this is called guided practice...when he does it by himself, that is independent practice). :)
-Clean out all clutter in our house and unnecessary items that we are storing. Take items to either Goodwill or the warehouse for Nhowe Mission.
-A month or two before my due date, start preparing "extra" meals to keep in the freezer. I will start doing this very soon!
-Most importantly, enjoy this precious time that I have with Caleb. I am so enjoying my time with just Caleb right now. We can't wait to welcome Noah into the family, but for now we are enjoying the funny things Caleb does and says!

I have pictures of Caleb's "big boy" room to post and more info on the activity bags while I'm nursing. Stay tuned!

Perfect Weather!!!

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE the fall? I mean, I literally ADORE this time of year...I have come to realize that it is DEFINITELY my favorite season (now that I am not teaching and don't have the summers "off" anyway). Cooler weather, beautiful colors, pumpkins, marching bands, football games, lots of fun family activities...what isn't there to love?

The weather for the past week has been gorgeous and we are loving every minute of it! We have tried to spend as much time outside as possible, which has included outings to the zoo, Botanica, and our neighborhood park in addition to our daily walks. Here are some pictures from the zoo last week. My mom went with us and we fed the giraffes again. This one was SUPER feisty...he licked Caleb like crazy as he was trying to eat the leaves! I will also update pictures from our free museum day at Exploration Place and Botanica as soon as I get my camera in the house (it is currently residing in Kevin's trunk along with our stroller).

Caleb and LoLa having fun feeding the giraffes!

Caleb loves all the animals!

My sweet boy and me...and I am SO glad you can't see my HUGE, bulging belly.

A New Name...for the blog!

Our blog has a new name to include our upcoming bundle of joy!

Yes, I know...very original!

PS- This post was originally titled just "New Name." However, I realized that after the comment left that it does in fact sound like we decided to change Noah's name. Hopefully the editing clears up any confusion. :)

Small Town Fun

This weekend we went to the teeny-tiny town where Kevin works for its annual Fall Festival. Being such a small town, I assumed it would be somewhat of a small affair. Boy, was I wrong...there were people everywhere!!! Unfortunately, our camera didn't make the trip with us. But we decided to walk to the nursing home and use the facility's camera to document our enjoyable day! We enjoyed playing at the park, shopping at the booths, and thought Caleb would enjoy going on one of the carnival rides. We were very wrong, though...he BAWLED the entire time! I guess he just wasn't ready to ride on the cars without Mommy and Daddy holding onto him.

"T-Buh"

Caleb is a parrot. Everything we say, he says. He also has started to call himself "T-Buh" because he can't say Caleb. Anytime we say, "Bye, Bye Caleb" or "Night, Night Caleb" he responds with "Bye, Bye T-Buh" or "Night, Night T-Buh." I don't think he gets that we are actually referring to him by name and the proper way to respond would include one of our names. I have to admit that I think it is pretty precious, though. :)

In addition to repeating everything we say, he also enjoys singing segments of the ABC's (thanks to the LeapFrog magnetic ABC thingy) and everything else. He loves to sing! AND he'll count to 5 with us (sometimes) but it is more memorized repetition than understanding one-to-one correspondence (of course). Oh, and if we drive down 13th Street (no matter what time of day) and we pass Freddy's...he loudly exclaims "EAT, EAT, EAT, FRIES, FRIES, FRIES, DIP, DIP, DIP" and is semi-hysterical until we are at least 1/2 mile away. He is TOTALLY my son...taking after me in his love for Freddy's fries!

I had a video to share, but my computer isn't allowing me to download it today. :( I put this cute picture of Kevin & Caleb instead...they look so much alike!

Getting back in the Word...

Every time I start a new Bible study, I get so enthralled in it. But then when it is over, I have the hardest time studying on my own. I don't know why, but I need an actual study to keep me accountable. I finished Beth Moore's "Psalms of Ascents" study in July and I was so excited to start a new bible study on Wednesday mornings on Revelations. Due to scheduling conflicts, I now have my doctor's appointments every other Wednesday (and as my due date draws nearer, every week), so that study is no longer an option.

Does anyone have any suggestions for bible studies that I can do on my own that will still help keep me accountable?

Every little boy needs a bean bag...

...for this reason!

The 3rd Trimester and a NAME!

It's official...I am now 28 weeks along! I can't believe that this pregnancy has gone by so fast. My sister-in-law Crystal delivered the triplets at 29 weeks and I can't help but think how perfect and tiny they were! Maybe sometime I will post an updated pregnancy picture, but I am not feeling so "picturesque" lately. The last 8 weeks have been major weight gaining weeks...and I thought I was doing so well with not gaining as much at 20 weeks! The last month and a half with Caleb I didn't gain any weight, so maybe I am getting close to gaining as much as I'm going to! Let's hope so...

We have been super busy, or I should say that Kevin has been super busy, finishing the basement bedroom so that we can move all our guest bedroom furniture down there. The bedroom is ready with a bed and bookcase. Now he is just working on the closet and the bathroom. We will then get to work on Caleb's "big boy" room. Kevin's mom and dad are loaning us one of their extra cribs to keep Caleb in for a little while longer. The nursery will stay the same (with the exception of changing the name on the wall).

Which reminds me...we have decided that this baby's name is going to be Noah Alan. Noah is Hebrew and means "rest, comfort" (boy let's hope this name fits this kid...especially since Caleb has so much energy) and Alan is Kevin's middle name (and my brother's, though it is spelled differently). I even bought the letters yesterday at Michael's to paint and put up in his room. We have been trying to decide for a while and have always been leaning towards this name, but I wasn't ready to fully commit. I still say that if I perhaps have some kind of divine revelation as to a better name, we will be open to that. Until then, though, this will be his name! :)