Big Boy Bed

My little boy is now a big boy.

We moved him out of his crib last week and into a ginormous twin bed! He got to pick out his very own sheets ("geen" of course) and he helped me put them and the pillowcase on and we made a very big deal of moving his favorite blankets and Stitch into their new bed too. 

So far it's going really well. 

He sleeps with "blue" (his soft blue blanket that Mee gave him when he was born), "Stitch" (The stuffed animal Stitch that Kels gave him when he was born), and "frog" (the gorgeous rag quilt made for him by his Grandma's friend when he was born). ♥

I took some pictures today during nap time- not the greatest quality, but hey, we live in a basement and it's pitch dark in his room and I was not about to turn the light on and wake him up early!!

Sleeping with Stitch on his face. lol

My little "big boy".

And the set up:

Tyler rarely looks small, but he sure does in this huge bed! ♥

{I am slowly but surely working on a twin sized rag quilt for it, but that may take a while to finish...}

Thursday, A few days late.

Wow, I missed a Thursday post! It was a gooooood Thursday too. Well, for some of us. I worked of course. But Tory took Tyler to the Reston Zoo, among other things.

Actually, the zoo traumatized my son. lol  It's mostly a petting zoo, and Tyler gets a little iffy when strange animals get in his face. And these strange animals wanted the food that Tyler had, so they were totally in his face.

Tyler knows all the animals sounds, but if you think about it, the noise that a sheep makes does not sound like "baa" at all. So anyway, a sheep "baa-ed" in his face and scared the daylights out of the poor kid. I'm told that he screamed and ran for his daddy. And I'll be honest, I totally laughed at that image!

Anyway, not too many pictures of the zoo, considering the scary sheep, goats, and ducks. Tyler did like the reptile house. 

(Probably because those animals are silent and behind glass!)

And I think Tory realized that he didn't have a chance of pictures with real animals... which would explain why, when I looked at the pictures on the memory card, there were at least a dozen of each of the following!

After the zoo, they headed to Mee's (Meagan) house. But alas, Meagan was not home. Tyler knocked a lot, and poor Atlas was probably wondering why they didn't just come inside.

He finally accepted the fact that Mee was not home today, so he decided to shoot some hoops in her driveway. ;)

When they got home, Tyler ate some cookie dough Tyler helped Dada make some cookies. 

He also helped eat the cookies.

He was pretty happy about helping.

They also made a smoothie.

{But that was totally healthy, so it's all good. ;)}

Then he helped clean up, which he actually loves to do.

{The kid is a total neat freak. I love it!}

So that was their Thursday. Not too shabby, if you ask me! :)

Baby Registry and a Birthday

I was not planning on registering for Dandelion, but quite a few people have asked me what we want/need, and I realized a registry would be much easier than coming up with things on the fly when I'm asked. So, we are now registered at Target. You can search using either Tory or Launi Hermens. 

I'm not able to edit it right now, and there is a set of blue towels on there... so you may want to skip over that. lol 

Also, if you're wanting to shop anywhere other than Target, go for it! I am so not picky when it comes to patterns and stuff. 

Dandelion will be sharing a room with Tyler, and the theme is FROGS! Bright vibrant solids and frogs.
(No pastels. I am so not a girly girl. haha)

{We are NOT having a baby shower, and we do NOT expect gifts from anyone. This is just because so many people are asking.}

On a similar note, Tyler's 2nd birthday is heading here fast! I've also been asked what he "wants". So here I am to list his current favorite things:

Motorcycles

Lions
Dogs 
Frogs

Trains

Pooh

Woody (As in Toy Story)

Stickers

Books

As for clothes etc, he doesn't need anything, but here are his sizes in case you find something irresistibly cute. ;)  
Shirts are size 3T-4T
Pants/shorts are size 3T
Shoes are size 9. 
Diapers are size 6.
(I know, he's enormous.)

Just Another Walk

Today Tory had about an hour between work and class, so the 5 of us headed out for a walk. 

{Yes, 5. The mama, dada, toddler, unborn sister, and Great Dane. ;)}

Tyler wouldn't sit backwards, but he also wouldn't stop turning around to stare at Dex and me. lol

We went to the creek- I know, shocking. The two of them went down by the water in search of rocks and frogs. They found lots of rocks. No frogs today. (Even though Tyler kept pointing and saying "frog")

It doesn't take much to get a good laugh outta the kiddo... in this case, all Dada had to do was jump. (Don't ask me. It was his idea...)

{Oh, and he loves to pull his wagon home}

Dexter and I went on ahead because I hate bugs and allergies, and both were abundant today. lol  

Tyler picked some honeysuckle for me after I left. He thought it smelled pretty darn good.

I believe Dada did some more jumping to get these smiles:

Orange Popsicles, Bubbles, and Empty Pools...

...among other things...

Lately Tyler has been very snuggly with me. He likes me to hold him in my bed before he takes a nap or goes to bed for the night, as well as whenever he wakes up. He thinks that being wrapped up in my arms and giving "butterfly kisses" is the most hilarious thing ever. 

This morning he ignored me and went right to Dexter... that's right, the dog. He grabbed Dex's jowls in his hands and tried to butterfly kiss him. Poor Dexter. lol

He's a bit unsure of popsicles at first...

But then he remembers what they are and dives right in! lol

He likes to do bad things. (What almost-2 year old doesn't??) Today I found him taking the batteries out of the remote controls and whispering to himself "No no! No no!" Well, at least he knows he not supposed to...

He's still a big fan of bubbles.

Can you say cute??
(I often wonder if my kid is really so cute, or if I just think he is because I'm his mom. lol)

Shortly after this picture was taken, he accidentally knocked over that giant bottle of bubbles. I saved most of them, and got the hose out to rinse off the porch. He thought that was pretty awesome (the kid adores water), so as soon as I turned off and put the hose away, he walked over and deliberately kicked the bubbles over again... laughing of course. 

And speaking of his love of water, here's my goofball standing in his bone-dry pool stomping his feet and saying "splash splash splash!". Crazy nut.

First Sentence

Tyler said his first sentence last night. He puts words together all the time, but there's usually a significant pause between them... like "Dex."             "Go." lol

But last night he and I went to bed and he grabbed my hand, put it on his tummy (where he likes to be rubbed. he thinks he's a dog. haha) and said "Sing Star."  Which, for those who are not up on their Tyler-ese, means "Sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star to me and rub me to sleep". ♥

{Usually he says one or the other- sing or star, but this time was both strung together like a big boy would say it. ;) }

Nope, the picture has nothing to do with anything. It's just cute. He was saying "cheeeeese". 

Oh yea, and we attempted to take him to the movies today. Never again. I mean never. If that kid wants to see a movie, I'm passing him off to Grandma or G or Kels or Ab or anybody but me. lol

He sat mesmerized through one preview (Marmaduke. I think he was only interested because it was a Great Dane and he never sees dogs as big as Dex...) and then he would have nothing to do with his seat, or his popcorn, or his skittles, or anything but running around and talking. So we left. I guess we'll see Shrek 4 when it's out on DVD...

31 weeks

I'm not sure why I stay on the same "schedule" I've had since the beginning of this pregnancy. Technically, I am 31 weeks pregnant with 9 weeks left, but Dandelion will be here before 40 weeks- 39 weeks and 4 days to be exact... unless she decides to show her pretty face even before that. Scary thought.

I have nothing new to say this week, medically/physically. I'm tired, I'm hungry, and I have heartburn. And I'm officially an emotional wreck. And by "wreck" I mean total and complete wreck. lol

Oh yea, and the contractions have come on full force. Like I have them all the time. (No they don't hurt like "real" contractions, yes it is normal)

My "cravings" come and go so quickly that I'll send Tory to the store for something and by the time he's home the thought of it makes me sick. {Sorry Tor! :)}

In other news... We had a name picked out. Almost 100%. And we had a "back-up" that we both love too. And then last night my dumb husband had to come up with yet a third (new, previously un-discussed) name! And we are both leaning toward this new name now! This is exactly why I/we decided not to disclose her name til she's born- because we really have no clue ourselves! lol

So a note to the very few people who know the two names we'd narrowed it down to: Don't be surprised if she's born and her name is totally new to you. :)

Just a picture, because I have nothing interesting to say.

It needs no words anyway. ♥

3/4 of the way!

I am 3/4 of the way to holding my baby girl! That's 75% down, 25% to go! That's 30 weeks in, just 10 more left! 

Dandelion is still the size of a squash. And the "unofficial" medical update from last week still holds true this week. Nothing new to report there.

I'm feeling pretty good, all things considered. The same as the last few weeks. I am able to sleep in 2 different positions, and I end up alternating between the two about every 45 minutes all night long. lol Fortunately I am still able to sleep pretty well, considering the size of my uterus! ;)

I had an ultrasound this morning, but unfortunately I didn't get any new pictures. It was just to measure things and check the placenta again. The good news is that there is no bad news. :)  The placenta is out of the way enough that I should be able to have a natural delivery (yikes!) and Dandelion is growing perfectly- she weighs 3lbs 6oz!!

Cravings this week:  Still ribs and still apples. :)

Teeny Baby Update (kinda)

I got a letter in the mail today... it says:

Launi Hermens has been scheduled for an induction at 7am on July 22nd, 2010. Please arrive one hour before your scheduled time.

AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!! I'm officially being induced one week before Dandelion is due!! 

(That's if all goes well at the ultrasound on Monday. I'll update again then)

On another pregnancy note- Dandelion is killing my insides today. There's so much movement (and discomfort) that I am convinced there are two kids in there. ;)

{I can give that update after the u/s too. lol}

Swings and slides and more!

It's been a while since we did the playground... a few days at least. :)  I figured it would be ok to post a few playground pictures now. ;)

I still LOVE that hair!

Just chillin

Kels taught Tyler how to "boogie". He sticks his index fingers straight up and waves his arms around. 

Like so:

SO freaking hysterical!!

We saw a raccoon who ran under the fence into the woods. (The kiddo was convinced it was a cat...)

Tyler and Dada were looking for it.

He goes into these things and growls at the people on the ground. :)

Trying to avoid the leaves.

Dada was being a poop and said he's too big for the slides. Mama (who, by the way, is freaking huge from pregnancy and weighs as much as Dada {not really, but I feel like it}) was nicer and went down the slide with Tyler a few times.

I may have had a hard time getting up. But Tyler appreciated it. :)

Just peeking out of a tunnel. I think he was hiding because we said it was time to go...

Week 29!

I am one more week closer to holding my baby girl!! 

The baby girl who is currently known as "Dandelion", thanks to her aunt Kels. I cannot explain exactly how that name came along, because that would give away her real name. Let's just say my sisters were guessing names, I said something that was kind of a clue, and Kelsey shouted out "Dandelion!!"... she was serious. It was pretty hilarious. (And no, it's not "close" to the real name. haha)

Now she is the size of a squash. All five of her senses are functioning (or will be in the next 3-4 weeks), - I do not want to know what she smells or tastes in there... lol- and she is settling into sleep and waking cycles... yea right! This kid is always awake and always kicking! haha

So that's the update for the next four weeks or so. :)   

I had my glucose test today, along with a regular OB appointment. Here's that update:

 Dandelion is measuring big- she should be about 2.5lbs, but is actually almost 3lbs.

My uterus is measuring at 31 weeks rather than 29 weeks.

She has a very healthy heartbeat.

No news from the glucose test yet.

My old induction date of August 3rd is no more. Dr. A. says she doesn't want me going past my due date at all, so they're going to set up a new induction date before that. She's hoping for July 22nd! I should get a letter in the next week or so with the new official date. Dr. A. says that she thinks I'll go into labor naturally 7-10 days before Dandelion is due!

 I have an ultrasound scheduled for May 17 which will show the exact location of the placenta. At this point the doctor says she will not schedule a C-section unless the placenta is literally covering my whole cervix, which is unlikely. She said there is a chance I'll go into labor and end up having a C-section, but she doesn't plan on scheduling one. I can honestly say I am not stressing about it at all. I know I have a baby in there, and I know they can get her out in 4 minutes if necessary. That's good enough for me. :)

This week I'm feeling pretty much the same as the last few weeks. It seems like the heartburn is getting worse, and if I recall correctly from last time, it only continues to get worse until literally the minute Baby is born. Lovely. ;)

Also, I'm constantly sore in the exact same spot on my right side as I was with Tyler. There is nothing that eases the discomfort there, same with him. I was hoping I'd skip that this time around!

Cravings:  Still BBQ ribs, french fries and ranch dressing, and apples. Could be worse.  

"Hi-Key!" (Lion King)

I've been wanting to take Tyler to the zoo lately, so when I happened to get today off work, we decided that's what we'd do! Tory, Tyler, Dandelion, and I picked up Kels and Abs this morning and headed to D.C.

The drive there was... weird. I heard strange things coming from the backseat. Things like "Tyler, say 'purple nurple'", and "Tyler, where's your boobie?" But that's my sisters for ya!

(Kels is the one who guessed "Dandelion" to be her new niece's name. Not the correct name, but it's stuck for now! lol)

Enough about that. Between myself and Abs, there are almost 200 photos on my memory card, so I'll jump right in...

Me and my sisters:
{I should know better than to look at the camera and smile normally. I end up looking like the weird one.}

Plus Tyler

Tory and his sisters-in-law... they're like real siblings. It's pretty cool. 

Tyler and Kels. They were looking for Dex in the Cheetah exhibit. Tyler was calling for him and everything. lol

Apparently he eventually started calling the Cheetah Dex.

Aaaaand here's Tyler and Kels some more. He looks confused.

I just realized that there are no pictures of just Abs and Tyler. That's what happens when 148 of the photos were taken by Abs. She's not in any of them! :/

Tyler wanted to ride the turtles. I did too actually.

He also liked this guy:

Here we are watching Tyler's favorite zoo animal...

...this big guy!

When Tyler first spotted the lion, he got super excited and said over and over "LION KING!!" lol
He makes me laugh. :)

 I like this one. ♥

And this one. My little guy is not so little anymore. In fact, today he is 23 months old!! In just one month I will be Mama to a 2 year old!! It's bittersweet...

We had tons of fun today! Thanks Kels and Abs for coming along with us... and for making the day more interesting! :)

A Better Day

Today was a good day. Just ask this guy:

We went to visit Dada at work. Truthfully, I did not go to see my husband. I went because my daughter was insisting I eat Barbecue Ribs again. Who am I to say no?? ;)

Tyler got himself a balloon... and refused to let go of it throughout the whole meal and in the car. Then bad Mama accidentally let it out of the car when we stopped at A.C. Moore. Oops.

Good thing I'd gotten him a hat in the store! lol

{He was growling the whole time he wore it! Too freaking cute!!!}

And he still had his Sprite from lunch, so he wasn't too terribly upset about the balloon.

My little boy slept from 9:15pm-9:15am... without waking up. (This is a record since we moved in December. He always wakes up at least once in the night, usually 3-5 times.)

The $200 that was taken out of my account yesterday is now back in. (PHEW!)

I finally figured out a good mother's day gift- which I like so much I may just give myself one too! 

Tyler went down for his nap with no fuss. 

I painted my nails Electric Pink while listening to Collective Soul.

I bought myself a giant Hershey bar just because I wanted to. (And a brand new bottle of Tums, which I have to say, I'm probably happier about than the chocolate... LOL)

Yep, today is a much better day than yesterday. Now if only my sewing machine worked so I could crank out another quilt...