Week 19

So now that we know baby Bowers 2.0 is a boy, we are trying to decide on a name.  The middle name will be Joseph after my Pepaw (grandfather).  I really, really like the name Owen, and it's at the top of my list.  Now I need to work on Owen being at the top of AJ's list...but I guess we have another 20 or so weeks to decide on a name, but hopefully we'll have something sooner.  I like calling the baby by his name and not "baby".   

How far along?: 19 weeks 6 days 

How big is baby?: According to the APP, I'm Expecting: Started the Week 19 as the size of a Mango and am about to be a Banana.
  
Weight gain?: 1 this week, 16 total.
  
Stretch marks?: None so far
  

Maternity clothes?: I exclusively wear maternity clothes at work, but I still wear my regular tees around the house.  Thought I need to be careful and avoid looking like Where's Waldo, but I love blue and these pants are so comfortable, especially with the warmer days!
  
Sleep?: Sleeping well, still stomach sleeping.  My arms are almost always asleep when I wake up.

Best moment?: Being in Milwaukee for the March of Dimes walk! I met some great people and surprised some pretty inspirational people.

Worst moment?: Wednesday night, as I was getting off the couch, my laptop's power cord became stuck in between the cushion and side arm.  When I went to put the laptop on the end table, the cord didn't give, and the laptop fell on it's side.  I tried to use my computer Thursday night, and the hard drive was not recognized.  The computer told me to reseat the hard drive, which I did, but the computer still did not recognize it.  I have been slack about backing up my photographs and am worried I will lose them.  I dropped my computer off on Friday with a tech expert, and I hope they can at least recover my photos.  Here's hoping it's the motherboard that's damaged... SO DON'T LEARN THE HARD WAY, GO BACK UP YOUR FILES RIGHT NOW! :)


Food cravings?: Besides the daily dose of pickles and cream cheese, I am on a salty kick - I want french fries.  I gave in Saturday, and it was worth it.
  
Symptoms?: FOUR weeks of not getting sick!  However, I did start getting bloody noses.  I woke up on my 30th birthday to a bloody nose - I guess 30 punched me in the face. Hah.
  
Exercise?: I walked another 15+ miles, worked my legs several times at the gym, and continued a push up challenge this week. I also did a lot of fast walking and running in the Atlanta airport...


Movement?:I had a Doppler, and now I am selling it because baby boy kicks several times a day for a short duration.
  
Belly button?: Becoming flatter.
  
What I miss?: I never thought I would say this, but a good cup of coffee.  It took me so long to like coffee that I do miss drinking it.

Labor signs?:Not yet
  
TMI: I pick my nose every morning on the way to work.  The mucus is out of control, but at least I pick my nose under the cover of darkness.

What I'm looking forward to?: A weekend at the beach with great friends!  I know, I'm always on the go, but Aidan says he has things to see and do. :) 

This IS THIRTY!

If you know me well, you know I'm not a huge celebrator of my birthday.  Yes, I love cake and it's nice to receive cards, calls, texts and FB messages on my birthday.  But I don't take off my birthday, and I don't celebrate all month or for even a week...just the day or maybe delayed a bit to the weekend.

I had no intent to celebrate as many times as I did, but I surely enjoyed every minute because I was able to spend it with special people. However, unlike most years, I knew exactly what I wanted for my birthday, and I'll get to that shortly.

So the first celebration was with my family.  My siblings and parents came together to celebrate all three birthdays since our brother was so busy back in January that we didn't all get a chance to Okay, maybe that wasn't the best part, but Publix makes some great baked goods...
celebrate with him.  We grilled out at my house, watched crazy Aidan get in and out of his pool, and played yard games.  The best part - we each had our own cake, yum!

The next time I celebrated my birthday was going shopping with my mom.  Just mom and me, which is a very rare occurrence.  We shopped for Aidan and Baby Boy #2 and maternity clothes for me.  We also had lunch - pepperoni pizza from my favorite mall restaurant, Sbarro. In addition, we had a wonderful, brisk walk at a riverside park.  Normally, it's a stop and go walk because Aidan wants to walk, push his stroller, or pull his wagon.  So it was nice to enjoy a good walk.  Mom also bought me cupcakes Monday night so I had some for my birthday since AJ had to be at our property in the evening on my birthday.

So my actual birthday, you can imagine I was bombarded with many birthday wishes, though no one at work knew...I try to keep it that way.  Yes, I'm weird like that.  I had a great day at work and was excited to pick up Aidan and go home to sneak a cupcake.  Surprisingly, I was greeted by a cookie cake that AJ picked up from Publix.  I resisted temptation to eat the cake before AJ arrived home, so Aidan and I went outside to play.

Thirty candles sure look like a fire hazard when lit.  Aidan kept saying hot, and he tried to help me blow out the candles.  I loved celebrating my birthday with my little family.  I thought if nothing else, if I could always celebrate my birthday with my little family, I would always be blessed.  I was even nice enough to share a piece of cake with Aidan.

The goofball would rather play with his cookie cake than actually eat it.  I think Bo received more cake than Aidan consumed...thanks to Aidan.

All these celebrations were wonderful and special to me, but I was extremely excited for the gift my mom gave me.  Like I stated earlier, I rarely have an idea in mind of what I want for my birthday when asked.  But I remember writing my mom a detailed message explaining what I really wanted for my birthday.  The gift I wanted was a plane ticket to go see a friend and support her.

Surely you know my friend, Jen.  You seen some blogs and facebook posts, and you have heard their story from my mouth.  The March of Dimes walk in Jen's town, Milwaukee, WI, was on April 27th.  Perfect timing since Aiken moved its walk, it was near my birthday, and hopefully the weather would be nice.

So my mom said yes, she would give me the gift I wanted.  I must say, this is probably the best gift I have ever been given. Thanks mom! I was extremely excited, and it was hard to keep the secret from Jen.  In fact, I had to lie to her in order to receive my Devoted to Dylan shirt in time for the Milwaukee, WI.  Also, with the help of some wonderful friends in Milwaukee, I was able to arrange transportation to and from the airport and lodging. Thanks Kim, without you, it would have been very difficult to surprise Jen!

I flew out on Friday - the walk was Saturday morning.  I woke multiple times through out the night - I'm not sure if it was the excitement or that the sun rises so much earlier in Milwaukee.  Seriously, it was light out at 5:30 AM, and I swore it was much later since I am use to sun rise at 6:30 AM or later.

I headed out with Kim's family to the walk.  It was actually a beautiful day, and while I packed my lovely penguin long john's, they were not needed.  Though I did wear my long orange socks and a long sleeve orange shirt...never leave the house without some orange!

When time finally came for Kim to reveal to Jen that she brought a friend to the walk, Jen instantly screamed happily and gave me the biggest, longest bear hug I have ever had in my life.  And you know, I'm not a big hugger, but I looked forward to this hug the day I booked my flight.  To see Jen smile and to be at her walk for Patrick, Jen and their boys meant the world to me.  Not only was the Devoted to Dylan team the number one family fundraiser for MOD in Milwaukee, Jen and Patrick were also chosen as this event's ambassador's.  They were to tell their story to all those that showed up to the walk.  I know their story, I've watched our fundraising video for J&P many times, but to hear their story live just brought tears to my eyes all over again.  Thank goodness for those long sleeves because I forgot my tissues.

Jen and Patrick's Speech
 
I was proud and happy to be in Milwaukee to walk amongst Jen and Patrick along with the rest of the Devoted to Dylan team.  I was amazed at the turn out since the walk I attended in Aiken last year was small in comparison.  So many people came out to support those who have suffered so much - there were success stories and devastating stories, but they were all here to raise awareness for moms and babies.

I will always treasure my 30th birthday.  Never did I dream of celebrating a milestone birthday, or thinking that it would hold such importance to me.  As I walked, I thought this is 30! This is a reason to celebrate.  And I know I smiled the whole day.   So thank you, thank you to everyone involved who made this day possible - I am forever grateful.

Jen and I after the walk!

Week 18

How far along?: 18 weeks 6 days 
 
How big is baby?: According to the APP, I'm Expecting: Started the Week 13 as the size of a Bell Pepper and am about to be a Mango.
 
Weight gain?: 2 this week, 15 total.
 
Stretch marks?: None so far
 
Maternity clothes?: Half and half.  Depends on how I am feeling, though always maternity pants/shorts/capris.
 
Sleep?: Sleeping well, still stomach sleeping.  I need to look up when I had to change from stomach to side when I was pregnant with Aidan. 
 
Best moment?: Having a family day with Aidan and AJ in Columbia.  We found out that Aidan will have a brother, and he absolutely loved the zoo.
  
Worst moment?: On Tuesday morning, I was driving through my neighborhood on the way to work, when I went around the park car (illegal) and cut back in too close to the curb when I realized an upcoming mailbox was going to be too close.  I tried to correct my maneuver, but the mailbox caught the slight edge of the mirror, which was enough force to cause the glass to pop out.  I stopped to access the damage (mailbox is good!), but I couldn't find the glass...not until 6PM, when it had been run over plenty of times.  In my defense, some of the mailboxes stick out over the curb, and I happen to knock one that did (and my mom did a few weeks prior).
 

Food cravings?: Besides the daily dose of pickles and cream cheese, I am on my seafood kick.  Grilled shrimp and fried catfish.
 
Symptoms?: THREE weeks of not getting sick!  Woohoo. No insomnia, no fatigue.  Finally! Allergies and acne could be better, but I don't think pregnancy is causing the allergies to be more severe.
 
Exercise?:I walked another 20+ miles, worked my legs several times at the gym, and continued a push up challenge this week.
 
Movement?:Infrequent fluttering
 
Belly button?: The innie is becoming half flat, half in
 
What I miss?: Eating raw cookie dough...or licking the brownie batter bowl. 
  
Labor signs?:Not yet
 
TMI: With allergies, comes lots of sneezing (and coughing early in the AM).  Good gracious, snissing is at an all time high!  It is ridiculous.
 
What I'm looking forward to?: I have an awesome trip planned for my 30th birthday, and I am super excited for it! Let's just hope the weather cooperates.

Aidan's Sibling Is A _______ !

Well, before I reveal what you came here to read (and hey, don't scroll down ya cheater!), I was going to paint a picture of our day.  We started with the alarm clock screaming at 6:00 AM.  I wanted to hit the snooze, but I KNEW, I had a wonderful, delicious Diet Pepsi waiting for consumption.  I didn't even check the ingredients to see if it's the new Diet Pepsi formula or not.  I figured it has been over 3 months since I last tasted one, so surely I won't notice it, right? RIGHT? Oh, please don't mess with my Diet Pepsi.







AJ is not a morning person, and he needs his coffee/caffeine, but I warned him, we had to
be out the door by 6:30.  So what to do with Aidan?  He doesn't wake up, eat and take to being dressed in 30 minutes.  No, he's like his daddy and needs time to wake up and acclimate.  So I figured he could eat breakfast on the way to Columbia.  Besides, we had an hour and fifteen minute drive.

Aidan wasn't too pleased to be riding in the car seat and would rather be running around the house.  Little did he know that he needed to save his energy for the zoo.  So, I caved and brought the DVD player and an Elmo dvd.  He was happy and repeatedly pointed at the screen and said "Elmo."  In a few instances, he kissed Elmo.  Hey kid, how about saving some of those kisses for your momma.

We arrived slightly early for our appointment, which is what I consider on time.  We didn't have to wait long until we were called back.  Aidan seemed curious and wanted to play with the equipment.  He wasn't too fond of me being in the chair and him being held by AJ.  We told him we were going to see the baby, then he said "baby" and pointed at my belly.  Then the ultrasound started.  I think Aidan was amazed by the image and what he saw.  The baby was very sleepy, but it didn't take long for the baby to reveal its sex.  We were definitely excited, and it was cool to see the baby.

So if you remember, I said around Week 14 that I thought I was having a girl.  I will say that since then, I did have a dream I was at an ultrasound where I was given a bunch of blue stuff and congratulated.  This was my one and only dream about the baby.  However, when I tried to look at the ultrasound to verify for myself that it was a boy, the picture was not clear.  I could not tell if the baby was a boy or girl, and the only indication I had was blue trinkets the technician gave me.  So was my intuition correct or my vague dream?  Aidan can't wait to tell you!

Week 17

How far along?: 17 weeks 6 days 
 
How big is baby?: According to the APP, I'm Expecting: Started the Week 13 as the size of a Onion and am about to be a Bell Pepper.
 
Weight gain?: 0 this week, 13 total.
 
Stretch marks?: None so far
 
Maternity clothes?: I busted out the maternity shirts this week.  It was a pain to keep tucking in shirts that barely tucked in.  So I am full on wearing maternity clothes, and it's comfortable.
 
Sleep?: Good sleep has returned, and I have been able to stay up later, ya know 10 PM. 
 
Best moment?: I hung out with some good friends and their boys on Friday, and we had a blast.  Then on Saturday, we had a birthday celebration for my sister, brother and me at my house.  I love spending time with my family.

  
Worst moment?: Good week, can't think of anything, but I will say that Sunday's weather was a big, fat disappointment after all the sun we had.
 

Food cravings?: Still pickles and cream cheese! It's good, you should try it!
 
Symptoms?: Two weeks of not getting sick!  Woohoo. No insomnia, no fatigue.  Finally!
 
Exercise?:I walked another 12+ miles and worked my legs several times this week at the gym.
 
Movement?:Infrequent fluttering
 
Belly button?: Still an innie, but getting flatter.
 
What I miss?: Not counting my shrimp!  I know, seafood intake should be limited due to concerns with mercury.  I love catfish, shrimp, and salmon; I eat my fill every week. 
  
Labor signs?:Not yet
 
TMI: Someone suggested I take magnesium supplements to help keep me regular since pregnancy seems to throw that off.  Well, it's definitely helped.
 
What I'm looking forward to?: We bit the bullet and scheduled an elective ultrasound for this coming Saturday.  In addition, we will go to the zoo afterwards with Aidan!  So we're going to make a family day out of being in Columbia.

Week 16!

16 Weeks!

16 W 5 D

This second pregnancy is FLYING by, and I can't believe I am 40% complete already.  However, I am ready to find out the sex of the baby, but it appears it will occur sometime after my next appointment, which is April 26th due to silly insurance rules and being a few days shy of 20 weeks.  Goodness knows I already measured ahead at the 8 week appointment, so can't the insurance understand I probably am 20 weeks at 19 w 4 d? Gah, guess I will have to be patient or hope I find a good deal for an elective ultrasound place.  Anybody have any leads for a place less than <$75 in the Columbia/Aiken/Augusta area?!  Suggestions welcomed.  Otherwise, it could be May before we know...and I have a Diet Pepsi waiting for consumption.  Ya know, to make sure the baby is jumping all around so we can hopefully tell.  No sleeping, cross legged baby. Anyway...onto the updates.

 How far along?: 16 weeks 6 days 
 
How big is baby?: According to the APP, I'm Expecting: Started the Week 13 as the size of a Avocado and am about to be a Onion.
 
Weight gain?: +2 this week for a total of 13 lbs.
 
Stretch marks?: None so far
 
Maternity clothes?: Still wearing normal shirts with maternity pants and a belt.  Some of my shirts are barely tucking into my pants.
 
Sleep?: If I am woken in the middle of the night, I have a hard time falling asleep, but otherwise, I sleep well.
 
Best moment?: I had Tuesday off, and it was an absolutely gorgeous day.  I spent a lot of time outside while still managing to get a lot of chores and errands done.
  
Worst moment?: I received some news I wasn't happy to hear, but it wasn't unexpected.  Yes, I'm being vague on purpose.
 

Cream Cheese and Pickle

Food cravings?: Pickles (with cream cheese)! On Monday, I ate an entire jar...yikes, but I learned my lesson and only ate half a jar Tuesday and Wednesday.
 
Symptoms?: Hooray for a week of no throwing up!!  Now let's hope I didn't jinx myself.
 
Exercise?: Early morning work outs did not happen this week.  My shoulder still hurts some, so I am taking it easy.  However, I am participating in a push up challenge this month, but the shoulder doesn't seem to hurt when I do them!  I also walked 12+ miles this week.  Almost two miles were with a 35 lb ruck. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------->
 
Movement?: I'm not sure if flutters were real or imagined.  I can't remember if I was trying to fall asleep or woke up in the middle of the night...it's all a blur.  So who knows...
 
Belly button?: Still an innie, but getting flatter.
 
What I miss?: Eating brownie batter!  Raw eggs are a no no. :/
  
Labor signs?:Not yet
 
TMI: I really believe in listening to what your body tells you while pregnant and being able to carry on most activities pre pregnancy.  There are a few exercises I cut out immediately, but I never planned to stop running.  Why is this TMI??  Because I leak when I run.  I also must drink lots of water when I run, so by the time I finish a 5K, my britches are soaking wet and my inner thighs are chaffed from wet shorts being rubbed up against them.  Not pleasant...and neither is involuntarily peeing on yourself.
 
What I'm looking forward to?:Celebrating my sister's birthday and mine with the family this coming weekend.  My brother travels a lot for work, so he misses out on family functions.  It will be nice to see him!

The Bump Progression - Weeks 13 Through 16

Week 13 Week 14 and Week 15 Updates in case you missed them.

 

I love my Stylist!

Hair style before meeting Scott

Prior to meeting Scott, I went to Great Clips or any place in the mall that had a short wait and took walk ins.  I never had a stylist that I saw regularly, but I never thought I needed one.  Long hair, parted down the middle, cut the junky ends.  I'd box color to my desire, so no need for someone to do that for me...Except for the fact that box color made blow drying my hair and styling it a pain in the butt!  I didn't realize that I was causing the styling issues, but over time, I realized what Scott was telling me at the first appointment I made with his company, Vital Image.

My hair might look fine in this pic, but I couldn't blow dry my hair without it being 80's style poofy.  Then I would spend even more time separating my hair into four to five layers to straighten it.  Straightening would sometimes take 30 minutes, which is why I opted for the pony tail.  In addition, if I didn't wash my hair daily, it was very greasy looking. I had no idea that box color was causing the problem.  I went from one color to the next, which I blame my mom's influence.  Growing up, my friends would joke about what her color would be, and in most cases, it was different than the last time they saw her.  But hey, it's hair, you can be any color you want.  In fact, my  most extreme colors were purple and green.  I don't think I have any pictures of those wonderful choices.

I wish I had the picture I brought to Scott, but what I did was go on to iVillage, uploaded a photo of my face, and tried on many hairstyles until I found one I really liked.  I printed it off, went by his shop, and made an appointment with the first available stylist.  It wasn't until the morning of my appointment, when the stylist was consulting Scott, that Scott told me I needed to come back so he could personally cut my hair.  He swears to this day that had he not done that, I would have never returned and would have continued on my unhealthy, boring hair ways.  And I couldn't agree more, I am so happy Scott took over.

I chose Vital Image because I passed it daily on my way home, and he constantly changed the message displayed on his sign board.  His message were hilarious, and I looked forward to the new one each week.  I felt like he wouldn't be a frumpy salon, which is what I assume most salons are in Aiken.  Hah, as if I actually know since I was going to the cheapo walk in places...But his sayings are what attracted me to his salon, seemed like a wise choice.

So Scott couldn't do much with my color without risking damage to my hair because of all the box color I used, so he was only able to cut and style it.  The picture I brought in was a shorter style, but it had highlights, and Scott felt we need to take one step at a time. He also knew that I was wanting significant change, but probably read my body language to know I was very hesitant. 

Scott instructed me to buy what I call an old lady hair dryer.  Blow drying would still cause the volume issue, so I needed to use something else.  Sure, it was a pain to sit under the hair dryer, but at least I could multi task while doing so.  I used this for machine for a long while and found it reduced the time I spent straightening my hair.  So as I did what Scott instructed me to, I gained confidence and faith in him as my stylist.  I allowed him more freedom and became  brave with hair styles.  I looked forward to my visits because the cut was always great, and while it was somewhat similar, there was always a different twist, especially due to Scott cutting my hair with a razor and not scissors.

I went from short redish hair to allowing Scott to add highlights, at first a few, but then a lot more.  We began highlighting when my natural hair had grown out, so that we had a healthy base.  By this point, my hair could be easily blow dried and straightened.  Then Scott convinced me that I could grow my hair out, and it would look great.  So I took his advice.

And as I grew it out, Scott would cut my hair differently, and always, I loved it.  I even went for a color change instead of just highlights.  It was almost a year ago that I went for a strawberry blond look.  I don't know what it is, but I like a tint of red in my hair.  The bottom right picture was the last time I was blond...then I went for a bold change and went dark.  Due to being busy (always planning day trips for my days off), I decided I needed a lower maintenance color that didn't tell on me anymore.  So back in December, I changed the color.

 I went several months, instead of several weeks in between visits, which with the holidays and running around, it fit well in my schedule.  I only went in because my split ends were driving me nuts and the razor cut style was fading.  So I went in for a hair cut only.  Though Scott says the next time I will need to do something about my roots.  Who knows what I will end up with...

It's crazy, in December, my new hair color seemed so dark, but now the color has lightened and my roots are again DARKER than the color I received at the salon.  However, I think being outside in the sun more will help the visible roots, but I do think I have a decision to make.

Most Recent Cut

Over the past 6 years, I have been going to Scott.  He has changed locations three times, and I can't blame him for the first two changes.  The first place, where he had the awesome sign, constantly had a flooded parking lot and the AC barely worked.  However, he was suddenly gone without notice, and I freaked out.  I just new I was going back to the long, straight, part down the middle hair and a meeting with a box color.  Fortunately, I have Scott's cell and sent him a text; he happened to be in the process of contacting his clients.  The second venue was...to put it nicely, stuck up and frumpy.  The music was horrible, the conversation was puke worthy, and poor Scott seemed out of place.  So he searched for his own place and now has set up shop in wonderful downtown Aiken.  In addition to styling hair, he now writes a beauty column for The Aiken Standard.  To say he is awesome is an understatement. Not only is he a great stylist, but a fun conversationalist, and I can't wait to see where my hair goes next.

An Overdue House Update

About two month ago, I gave an update on building our dream house.  At this point, we had hoped to have a loan in place and the builder preparing to break ground.  However, we had more hiccups along the way, but they weren't exactly due to the builder or the bank.  Nope, I can thank our wonderful Congress folks who let the Sequester come into affect.  For almost a month, we were extremely worried that I would be on a reduced work schedule (20% reduction in pay) with an imminent threat of a full furlough.  Thankfully, one of my projects I had been working on was approved early and is not affected by the funding disaster brought upon by Congress.   While we were going through this crazy situation, we continued to move forward with the house plans, but could not go further with the bank because the appraisal is only good for 3 months.  Well, the Sequester affects the fiscal year through September 30th, therefore, we didn't want to waste money on an appraisal if we had to wait until October or later to build.

So here's an update to the last list posted two months ago:

• Subdivided the land - 100% Done and paid for
• Met with the POA - 100% Done
• Agree to New Easements - 100% Done and paid for
• House Plans and Site Approved - 100% Done
• Bids Recieved from the Builders - 100% Done
• Chosen a Bank - Application is in process.
• Completed the Refinance on Our Current House - 100% Done

 To Do's from the last post:

•  Record the new parcel with the county - Deeded with the county, paid for, and official! We now own two plots of land.
•  Finalizing the bank application - The builder has submitted his paperwork, we submitted are required paperwork, however, we still need to send in a final contract with the builder to the bank so the appraisal can be completed.  There are also some outstanding questions the bank has to answer so we can determine if we need a licensed surveyor to complete the foundation layout or if it can be approximate.
• Choosing a builder - We have chosen a builder!  We have been hammering out details since the costs were over our budget, but we are practically ready to sign the final contract. 

Behind the Scenes progress:

•  Samples, samples, samples! - Hardwood samples, cedar plank samples, stone veener samples.  We are trying to get a feel for what we like and piece together the textures and colors that will be near each other.  Colors and textures are not my strong suit.  I want a dark hardwood floor with a little cherry color, but I want the same for my kitchen cabinets!  Will they clash? Also, the beams in the living room and the terminating beam at the kitchen will be a natural wood color...will it clash?! Gah, we need help with this. So hurry up Lacey and post pictures of your hardwood floors in your KITCHEN. :)
• Well installation scheduled - We are opting to put the well in outside of the contract, so AJ has been working with the installer to set up the date.  They have a two week lead time, but we hope to have it in by the end of April.  This is one of those items that could be relatively cost friendly or expensive, but from the soil reports and the DHEC analysis, we shouldn't have an issue reaching the water table.
• Exposed Beams - AJ will travel to the low country to oversee the cutting of our interior exposed beams.  His dad harvest timber and will be cutting the hardwood we will need for these beams, so we are paying the mill's processing fee.  This is another out of the pocket expense since we can get a better beam at a lower cost.
• Timber and Wood Ceilings - Much like the exposed beams, there is timber and wood ceiling panels (not panels, but that's the best word I have for it), AJ can get equal or better would for a lower or same cost (as the cheaper stuff), so he already has an agreement with a supplier that they will hold their prices.  The savings is offset by the other wood costs going up since the original bid, but the higher grade paneling will be the same cost, but much nicer.  So it's a win win.
• Construction Permit - The permit is being applied for, which can take a few weeks, but it doesn't have to be paid until the builder picks it up.  By the time it's approved we should have a signed contract.

 Our Next Steps:

• Have the appraisal on the house and land complete
• Negotiate with the land loan bank how much land it will release free and clear - Any land not released free and clear will come out of our pocket or be rolled into our new loan based on the appraisal value. We have a max amount the bank will loan us, which happens to coincide with what we are comfortable loaning.
• Sign the contract with the builder
• Well Installation
• Exposed Beams cut and delivered -  These need to dry for 5 months!
• Groundbreaking 

My hope is the house's foundation will begin in May, but who knows how the rest of this process will go.  We have less than one month, and it feels like there is still a lot to get done!
In the mean time, I am preparing the house for two kiddos, which means cleaning up our closet aka big storage closet for Aidan so that the nursery set up can be used for the new baby.  I mean, why do twice as much work, when only one room can be affected.  Plus, this would give Aidan more space in the room.  I have a long list of "to do's" for this undertaking.  It'll keep me busy and make time pass quickly.

Off the Charts!

I know, I am almost a month late, but I figured I should provide an update on Aidan since this is my only real record.  It'll be good information to be able to look back on with baby number 2.

We took Aidan to his 18th month appointment March 8th, and apparently my kid did not get the memo that his growth can taper off.  Both his height and weight are off the charts according to the doctor; he was 33.6 pounds and 35 inches.  His head went from the 50th percentile to the 75th.

So what's Aidan up to?  Well, he talks a lot and picks up new words and phrases all the time, so please be careful what you say. When I try to snack on a bag of raisins with Aidan, he will snatch them and say "mine", but he will feed me raisins.  So sometimes I have to say "this is mom's, not Aidan's", but I don't think he understands, but I hate reiterating the mine word.  It's nice to be able to communicate with Aidan, and it makes it easier when I offer a snack and he says yes, no or please. I love hearing Aidan say "cheese please."  He loves cheese, and he has the biggest smile while saying what he wants.  However, there are many phrases and songs he repeats that we have NO idea what he is saying or wants, but all in time, we'll understand his language.

Aidan loves to play outside, whether it's throwing balls for Bo, kicking a soccer ball, swinging, playing with the neighbors or playing in a pool, he wants to be outside.   As soon as he finishes breakfast, he starts screaming "outside" until we get dressed and go outside.  He has also learned to walk down stairs by himself, though we are always nearby in case of a slip.

Aidan can also be a little daredevil...he tried to ride one of his push/walk toys down the porch steps.  At least he tried the short run of steps and not the long run.  His attempt wasn't successful, but he wasn't hurt either.  He made me panic but also laugh because I remember hearing stories from my mom about me riding a tricycle down the stairs.  He gets it honest.

I am also happy to report that Aidan has been without his pacifier for over two months now!  He doesn't

Aidan carries his lovey almost everywhere!

even attempt to take other kids' pacifiers to stick in his mouth!  However, we better has his lovey otherwise there will be a screaming fit.  For the most part, Aidan goes to bed easily, but most days, he does not want to give up the day.  He will run circles in the living room, and act like he isn't tired.  I wish I could siphon some of his energy!




One day, Aidan will be able to verbally answer these questions, but for now, I'm basing the answers off his current actions:

1. What is your favorite color? Aidan shows no color preference. 
2. What is your favorite toy? Any of the Elmo toys or a ball, touch choice.

3. What is your favorite fruit? Apple - sadly, the banana no longer seems to be a contender
4. What is your favorite tv show? Sesame Street!
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Mac and cheese
6. What is your favorite outfit? No preference, but it better include shoes!
7. What is your favorite game? He loves playing soccer
8. What is your favorite snack? Raisins.  He loves to run around with a bag of raisins

 

9. What is your favorite animal? Dogs!
10. What is your favorite song? The Itzy Bitzy Spider seems to calm Aidan down
11. What is your favorite book? His dog book, and it has taken quite the beating.

12. Who is your best friend? Bo, one of his three dogs
13. What is your favorite cereal? Honey Nut Cheerios
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Play in the backyard or at the park

15. What is your favorite drink? Milk, no doubt
16. What is your favorite holiday? Any holiday
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? A penguin lovey, it's a must
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Blueberry pancakes on the weekend
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? On his half birthday, it was probably mac and cheese
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? Athlete or veterinarian, according to his latest obsessions.

This boy is off the charts fun, and he has stolen my heart.  I can't wait until the weekends when we have so much fun!

Week 15

How far along?: 15 weeks 6 days

How big is baby?: According to the APP, I'm Expecting: Started the Week 15 as the size of a Nectarine and am about to be a Avocado.

Weight gain?: +1 this week for a total of 11 lbs. I look at the stats from last pregnancy, and I definitely gained more the first trimester than the last time, oh well.

Stretch marks?: None so far

Maternity clothes?: Still wearing normal shirts with maternity pants

Sleep?: I still have issues with sleeping - if I wake up during the middle of the night, I can't easily fall back a sleep. Sometimes an hour passes before I fall back to sleep.

Best moment?: Watching Aidan throw pennies into a fountain.  He squealed with delight and beamed big smiles at my mom and me. Also, being able to eat outside while the sun shines on us is always a plus.

Worst moment?: Hurting my shoulder! I think I picked up Aidan too much over the weekend because Monday morning, my right shoulder was extremely sore, and I had limited mobility with it. As the day went on, the pain lessened, but it still lingered for a few days. I tried to limit picking up Aidan as much as I could.

Food cravings?: Pickles!

Symptoms?: Morning sickness still lingers. It always seem like I am on the verge of losing my breakfast when there is no where convenient to do so! One day this week, I pulled out of the gym parking lot, was a mile or so down the road, when it hit me. Gee thanks, I like stopping on the side of the row.

Exercise?: Early morning work outs continue, but were limited due to my shoulder being sore.  I also walked 6+ miles this week

Movement?: I can't remember if I dreamt about movement or actually felt movement...too sleep deprived to make a distinction.

Belly button?: No noticeable change

What I miss?: Being able to easily fall back asleep

Labor signs?:Not yet

TMI: I had the wonderful experience of being misted by toilet water this week while hunched over waiting for breakfast to reappear.  You see, where I work, there are automatic flushing toilets.  I would lurch forward because my body says it needed to throw up, I wouldn't, so I would lean back and rest on my heels until the next feeling would occur.  Well, the toilet thought it was time to flush just as I was lurching back forward, and my fact was close enough to get toilet water.  Fun times.  At least it was clean.

What I'm looking forward to?:  Spring weather, grilling out, and playing outside a lot more!