Los Angeles Temple Grounds

Last weekend Robert's parents flew into town to stay with our kids while Robert and I got a weekend away in Palm Springs. On Sunday after we dropped off Robert's parents at the airport we stopped by the temple to eat our lunches and walk around. It was a beautiful day and all the spring flowers were so pretty so I took a bunch if pictures.

Let's Talk Pregnancy

I'm 16 weeks pregnant and it's starting to become pretty obvious. Well, obvious to me. To others I might still be at the awkward point of "is she or isn't she?" I'm learning that being pregnant with the third child means going to bed as soon as the other kids are asleep because there is no more much needed naptime for me during the day this time around. Being pregnant with Micah was the best (except that I was the sickest with him...) because I got to take naps with Julia. Now Julia doesn't nap and if she does happen to crash somewhere when it's quiet it's not likely to be long before Micah wakes up from his nap. I've also come to grips with the fact that I just don't have the energy to keep my house clean all the time with two kids and a (soon to be) baby, so mostly clean some of the time is just going to be the new norm.

I really don't have anything to complain about with morning sickness, even though I still have it sometimes. In the beginning it was severe enough to be annoying and distributive to my daily schedule, but not bad enough that I had to sit on the couch all day (like with Micah). It just meant making sure I took it a little easier, always had enough to eat, and went to bed early. By doing those things I could avoid most of the vomiting,  especially going to bed early, but still felt nauseous most of the time. Now I only feel nauseous when I'm hungry, cold, tired, or smell a strong odor.

We actually have the morning sickness to thank for tipping us off to this pregnancy. This baby was not something we were planning for, but of course we're thrilled! The other two pregnancies started with planning, doctors visits, ovulation tests, pills, timing, and then finally a positive pregnancy test. It was pretty unreal this time to just take a pregnancy test and...congratulations your pregnant!

We came back from Utah after Christmas with a preschooler getting over pink-eye, then had a baby with pink-eye. A week later we did it all over again. Then, just as they were getting over pink eye, they got RSV (maybe from sitting in the germy doctor's office? Just a thought.). During all this Robert decided it was a good time to ask, "When do you think we can start trying for another baby?" I told him, "I think I'm having all my kids three years apart," i.e. that is the farthest thing from my mind right now.

The kids eventually got better besides a lingering cough and then I got sick. After a week of being sick I started to think it was really weird that I wasn't better yet because I usually a) Can resist their germs altogether or b) Bounce back pretty quickly. When I was still complaining about being sick Robert told me to toughen up, I couldn't still be that sick after a week and not have gone to seen the doctor yet. Then I started to think, "Besides the cough, this actually feels a lot like morning sickness." I told Robert that I thought I should take a pregnancy test before seeing a doctor, but it would probably be negative, and then I probably should go in to the doctor because I really was still feeling sick!

So the next day I took an old pregnancy test I had from when I got pregnant with Micah, and much to my surprise it was positive! So even though I was feeling sick I loaded the kiddos up in the car and we went to Target for a second pregnancy test. Positive again. This is how unreal this felt to me: instead of doing something cute or clever to surprise Robert on the one time I could actually surprise him with this kind of news, I texted him a picture of the two pregnancy tests and said, "That's two positives." Yeah, pretty lame. But it just didn't seem like I could really be pregnant. I didn't even say pregnant in the text, just "two positives."

So that's our surprise baby story. I've since seen the little guy/gal kicking around in my belly and he/she looks to be developing just fine. Now I know why Micah is such a little guy and such a good baby, he needed to be both to help me through this pregnancy. We feel really blessed to be having another baby so quickly. Me, blessed and a little nervous. Robert blessed and absolutely thrilled. =)

Micah's One!

 

Height: 28.3 in. (3 %)

Weight: 18.81 lb (12%)

Head Cir: 18 in (37) 

Micah is one! He is still a little guy, but such a cute little guy. He is always very busy and active and has started getting bumps and bruises all over his face from all his exploring. Even if I'm right there next to him he still manages to get overly excited about something, fall over, and get a bump. 

You would not be able to tell he is a little guy by how much he eats. He eats mostly bite sized solid food now. I just put food on his high chair tray and he will eat and eat and eat. Then half an hour later he poops and makes room for more food, and another half hour later he's ready to eat again. Maybe he has a fast metabolism? 

His favorite foods are cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, mandarin oranges (but not regular oranges if they are at all bitter, that's the only food I've had him reject outright), and anything new. He loves anything he hasn't had for a while or is eating for the first time. He has pretty much eaten every soft food that we eat around here that can be cut up into bite size pieces, or hard food that can be steamed like veggies and apples, and likes it all. 

He was completely weaned soon after his birthday and had very little problem transitioning to cold cows milk. In fact, when we went to Disneyland for Julia's birthday he surprised us by drinking a full glass of milk at the restaurant during lunch (I'm guessing 8 oz?  At his age he's suppose to drink 12 oz. a day). You can tell he is in a happy place when he eats because he hums and smiles and laughs.

Speaking of humming, he hums. He also dances, not supper rhythmically or anything, but you can tell he's shaking it to the music. Of course I think it's the cutest thing ever.

Oh, and one last thing about eating that defines Micah. For some reason he hates to have his sippy cup on his tray. He will take a drink and then throw his cup onto the floor. Part of this is probably that he just likes to throw things on the floor. But I have also found that if I put his high chair right next to the table where he can set his sippy onto the table instead of his tray, the cup will end up on the floor a lot less during the meal. 

He learned to walk a couple weeks after his birthday and is still a little unsteady on his feet. For almost a month he could step three steps and then would fall over. And then one day he was able to step halfway across the room. He's still working on actual walking (he looks a little drunk when he walks and he outstretches his hands for balance), but he loves to wander around the room and to try out his new skill. He always has a big grin on his face and laughs as he goes. "Look, at me, I'm a big boy!"

Micah loves his big sister. He thinks she is just the coolest person ever, except when she steals his toys or pushes him over. We're still working on that. Micah has developed a defense mechanism for these times, he bites. I probably shouldn't laugh, but it is pretty cute to see him holding his own against someone twice his size. Usually he has a ball playing around with her though. He loves to chase her and she loves to be chased, so it's a win win for them.

 He loves to cross his legs like this.

He doesn't really have any words, although I swear he has looked at me and said very clearly "all done" a couple times. I just can't decide if its just coincidence or not. He loves to babble "mama" but I haven't seen any indication that it actually means mom. He has four teeth, two teeth on the bottom, two on the top. His top teeth came in with a little gap that I kept waiting to close up as they fully came out, but by now I think they are fully out, so he is a little gap toothed boy.

He loves to snuggle and gives hugs. He always gives me a hug first thing in the morning when he gets picked up out of bed. It doesn't take him long to warm up to new people and he will give them hugs as well.

 He's a very happy toddler (not a baby anymore) and so fun to have in our family!

Micah's Birthday

The Cake: Banana Cake with Whipped Banana Pudding Frosting

The excited birthday boy 

(who had already made a grab for the cake and has frosting on his hands)

The very excited big sister

Oohhh, CAKE!

 Eating it up

Content

The cake is now either in his belly or on his belly

 Modeling the mess

Off to the bathtub

Time for presents!

Julia says she can help. We keep trying to tell her to give Micah a chance first.

 It's who's birthday? Mine? 

Happy boy

With his first big bump on the middle of his forehead received earlier that day. 

Three days later it was almost gone when he got another one on the side of his forehead. Welcome to toddlerhood!

Julia played with Micah's new Little People airport set for an hour before being sent to bed and then all day the next day. She had to be reminded over and over to share with Micah, it's HIS toy!

Micah's Disneyland Day

We took Julia to Disneyland and ate at Club 33 on her first birthday, so we figured we would make it a tradition by taking Micah there for his first birthday too. 

We rode on some rides and met Tigger and Winnie the Pooh before it was time for our lunch.

Lunchtime

Micah was the perfect little gentleman during lunch. He was content as I fed him little pieces of herb bread and fruit, and then he enjoyed sharing my salmon with me. 

Julia was a little more disruptive.  She had to be reminded over and over to eat her food and wanted to play under the table.

She liked the fancy bathroom though and this time made it to the potty in time.

The kids and I we went out on the balcony to look around while Robert finished his lunch.

And then afterwards he joined us.

And then we enjoyed the rest of the day at Disneyland. It was obvious when it was time to go in the evening because Julia was having a meltdown over everything.