Presidents Day Weekend!

We've returned to Philly after spending the weekend up in NH. We're in the process of organizing our house and getting it ready to be put on the market so we packed up some stuff we don't need to store at MIL & FIL's.

They also just finished some remodeling - which we were really excited to see. I tried to see if I had a before picture but I didn't but doesn't it look nice.

Saturday morning we got up and had some waffles. David's favorite breakfast food. Usually we don't give him syrup but he saw me putting syrup on my waffles and he asked for some so...


It was a very busy day - we visited with my Dad in the morning, grabbed some lunch, met up with my sister, Scottie and Jesse, put David down for a late nap and then headed over to the Stacks so David could play with the boys. Check out David and Brady - they both had a mouthful of M&M's.


And here is Cameron wishing he could have some M&M's
After that it was time to bring David back up to MIL's so that the Doc and I could have some "adult" time with our friends!We went to dinner at the only Mexican place in the Merimack Valley where we waited over an hour to be seated. The place is very small and isn't able to accomodate larger parties easily. They also have the smallest parking lot so we eneded up having to park over at the insurance building next door and be shuttled over. Weird.

After dinner we headed back to the stacks for a cut-throat game of Texas Hold 'Em. I hadn't played in a long time and it showed as I was the first one to lose all of my chips. Next time we're going to play for "real" money so I would've bet a little more cautiously.

Today was time to head back to Philly but not before heading over to Princess B's for our traditional Sunday brunch. After brunch we headed over to the elementary school up the street so David could run around a little before we stuck him in the car for six hours.




We got back home around 7pm, ate dinner and put David to bed. It was a long weekend so we're greatful that we both have tomorrow off from work! I look forward to the day that we never have to make that 6 hour drive again!!

6 Months for me - 18 Months for David:

Saturday marked 6 months of me being a fatty, fatty, preggo. Things are still pretty uneventful. The only differences between this pregnancy and the last one is that Shaun is much more active than David was. The Doc fears that means Shaun will be MORE hyper than David. The other difference is that about two weeks ago I had the worst heartburn EVER. It lasted about a week but it was so bad I wanted to die. I didn't get any heartburn with David until the end. I haven't had it since so I am hoping it was a fluke.

I don't have to worry about stretch marks as I have plenty of them - thanks to David. And it's too early to even discuss the kankels...I am hoping that since I won't be a gigantor in July like last time I won't get as much swelling but only time will tell.

As we try to prepare David for the upcoming arrival of Shaun I will ask him periodically where the baby is. He knows the baby is in the belly but he is confused by who's belly. When I asked him tonight he lifted up his shirt and pointed at HIS belly. It was too cute - we all got a good laugh.


Today was also David's 18 month check up. He has finally bumped up in precentiles for his height. He is no longer in the 25th precentlile - he has moved up to the 36th percentile...that is like 10 whole precentiles!

Height: 2' 8" - 36th percentile
Weight: 24lbs - 25th precentile

He was great in the office until they tried to look in his ears. He has a complex about people touching his ears. He screamed more when they checked his ears than when he got his one shot. Needless to say he did not enjoy his time at the doctor's so when we got home after his nap we made some brownies. I think it made everything all better.


Then he got to spend some "silly" time with Daddy before bed. I am pretty sure he forgot all about his truamatic experience earlier that morning.

Taquitos

As you read in the previous post - David enjoyed a lunch of Taquito's with Ranch Dressing on Saturday afternoon. Here is a cute video of David with his lunch:

The Not So Super Bowl in D.C.:

Late Friday afternoon we packed up the car and headed to D.C. for the the Mailloux's annual "Super Snow Bowl" - minus the snow of course. On Saturday morning we headed over near Dulles to meet up with Ben's Colgate Crew for some lunch. Little did we know that our little man was going to have his first ever meltdown. I chalk it up to his 11pm bedtime the night before and 10 minute nap on the way to the restaurant. Needless to say it was the first time we've ever had to leave a place becasue of David. Thankfully we had just arrived and never even ordered food.

The good thing was our hotel was nearby and we thought it best that we bring him there for some much needed R&R. The 3 mile drive took us an excrutiating 20+ minutes (we seriously stopped at every single light) and our monster child screamed bloody murder the entire ride. We actually thought it would help us check into our room since we were about three hours early for check in. The Doc said that if they didn't let us check in then we were going to sit in their lobby - screaming monster in tow and wait - but of course the brat stopped his tantrum as we got him out of the car. It didn't matter in the end as they had a room ready for us.

We got to our room and tried to soothe our extremely overtired David to sleep - I would say it took about a good 20 minutes before he zonked out. When he woke up about an hour and a half later our son had returned. Just in time for a delicious lunch of Chicken Taquitos served with none other than his new favorite dip - Ranch Dressing!

We eventually met back up with the Mailloux crew and had dinner at one of those Japanese Steak Houses - the ones where they cook right in front of you. David had fun except when the chef made the fire across the grill. I think all the little ones were unsure of that part! Afterwards we headed back to the Mailloux's so that David & Maddie could play. They played really well together considering their age. I also got to spend some time with baby Owen while Robyn prepared her Chili for the big game on Sunday. He was so teeny!

When we left for the night to head back to our hotel David layed a big wet one on Maddie. It was so darn cute - even Ben had to admit that! We got back to the hotel and crashed into our comfy King and David even let us sleep in until 8!

Sunday morning we headed over to the elementary school up the street for the official Snow Football Game - minus the snow of course. Usually when there is snow, it's tackle football. But without the snow (and due to the fact that most of them are over 30 and have old bones) they opted for 2-hand touch. The girls watched the little ones while they played at the playground on the school grounds. There were all different slides, a bridge to walk across and swings. David had so much fun. He had a big smile on his face the entire morning.

Later that afternoon we headed over to Ben's friend's house for the Super Bowl. We had a great time. David got to play with some new friends. He had fun playing chase and dancing around the kitchen. Unfortunetly that is where the fun eneded as we had to watch the colapse of the New England Patriots. While the Pats didn't win - we still had a great weekend. Guess there is always next year. Do you think they could go for another "perfect" season?

Gonna Vom...

The Missus likes to tell everyone that David is a "Daddy's Boy". Here is some documentation otherwise. One of David's newest words is dip and here he is covered in his favorite...RANCH DRESSING.


(the missus feels that I need to specifically state for those of you unable to integrate the title of this post and the subject of the post that I don't like ranch dressing)

Life's Pretty Boring Here:

So I have been hearing from people that my blog has been slacking - well in my defense I have been fighting off a nasty cold that had me laying on the couch most nights under a blanket with a box of tissue handy!

The other reason is that things are pretty boring here. Not much to report. David has been our little parrot - repeating everything we say (or trying very hard). Right now we're working on having him say the word Thank-You. He's getting better using it on his own but he for the most part he just repeats it after we say it.

Hard to believe he'll be 1-1/2 a week from Saturday! I am also excited to say that his 12-18 month pants are a little short on him (especially when he sits down) although the 18-24 month pants are a little long - at least he's growing a little bit! We'll know for sure at his 18 month check up on February 11. Below are some recent pictures of the little guy!

Big Smiles!


Eating his snack and sitting on the wrong part of his chair...goofball!


His "do not disturb" face!

At the Playground...

Well the indoor playground. One of the Doc's Attending's mentioned this playhouse over on the other side of town and we decided to check it out today. It was a nice place - although from the looks of things the outdoor playground area has all the "fun" climbing stuff, swings and slides -but it won't open until April 1st. In any case David still seemed to have a good time exploring.

He liked to climb the stairs and when he would come down the stairs we'd say "one more" and he would say "one more" then say "AGAIN!" and run around to the other side to start over again!

The Halfway Point: 20 Weeks!

Today marks the halfway point! It's going by really fast. It's completely uneventful. I am sure that is because I have one already to keep me occupied. David's new favorite thing is to use the coffee table to climb up onto the couch. Fun times!

Here are some halfway point tidbits:

1. I am now big enough that people aren't afraid to ask me "Oh! Are you expecting?" - the Doc said that I should tell them No.

2. My three vices are Italian Hoagies, Reubens and Iced Coffee. Other than that I have been really good about eating better this time around. I WILL NOT gain 50lbs.

3. I am grateful that as of right now I can still sleep on my belly.

4. The Doc is grateful that I haven't had any major meltdowns although there is still plenty of time left for that to happen!

So there you have it. Halfway done and just looking forward to our very busy spring and of course moving back to Boston!

Some People Call Me the Space Cowboy:

Tonight the Doc told me that he won a $5 gift card to Dunks while at his Noon Conference. Often on Friday's they have a "question of the day" contest where they submit an answer to a clinical question. Since usually more than one person will get the right answer they add a pop culture bonus question (music, sports, TV, movie related).

Today's bonus question was four song lyrics. He was the only one to get all four correct, in fact he was the only one who got more than two correct. I asked him what they were and he read them off to me. Since he didn't have the option to use Google - I didn't either and I didn't get a single one. Not even the last one, to which he replied "Seriously, that's YOUR kind of music?!"

Below are the four song lyrics that won the Doc his prize:

1. Don't call it a comeback - I been here for years - LL Cool J - Mamma Said Knock You Out
2. In the time of chimpanzees I was a monkey - Beck - Loser
3. Load up on guns - Bring your friends - Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
4. Oh Baby Baby, how was I supposed to know - Britney Spears - Baby One More Time

So yeah, the Doc knows the lyrics to Britney Spears songs better than me.

Fun with new Toys:

David got some really cool toys for Christmas and loves playing with them all. It's funny how short the attention span of a 17 month old is. He plays with each toy for about a minute before moving onto the next.






He also got some really cute outfits. My favorite was the Cape Cod Sweatshirts he got from his Great Aunt and Uncle!

It's ANOTHER Boy!

Today we had our big ultrasound and with a couple phone calls and some finagling of the Doc's schedule he was able to "run" the six blocks or so from his clinic to the hospital so he could be there for the big news.

The U/S tech began scanning and right away we saw a very healthy heartbeat (145bpm). We saw that he was facing down and I thought for sure I was going to leave without finding out. After about 20 minutes of measurements we took a break and the Doc suggested that maybe if I peed it would free up some space for the little bugger to move around.

I came back and jumped up and down a couple times (I figured - what the heck). She started the scan again and still he was in the wrong position. She had me lay on my left side to see if that would shift him around (which meant I couldn't see the screen anymore) when I heard the Doc say "Is that...oh..." I knew right away that it was a boy.

Today is 18.5 weeks (19 on Saturday) and everything looked great with the baby, we saw hands and legs and even got to see fingers and toes - something I didn't remember getting to see very clearly with David. Check out this really neat hand shot:



Things are going so well with this pregnancy that if it were not for the big GIANT belly I now have (as you see from the above shot) and the constant peeing I really wouldn't believe it! Now I just have to wait 20 or so more weeks (preferably not more than 20) to finally meet this little guy in person. We have chosen a name for the little guy and so let me introduce you to Shaun Scott - check out his first profile shot!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope that Santa was good to everyone as he was to all of us. This year the Doc worked the Christmas break. Friday he started a 10pm to 10am shift on one of the general medicine wards and will finish Thursday at 8am. Then we'll make our trek to NH to celebrate Christmas again!

I got out of work at Noon yesterday and did some last minute shopping (and somehow I am still not done). I picked up the little guy at daycare and we came home to wake up Daddy! We decided to grab a bite to eat at the Super China Buffet...yummy! David enjoyed his Lo Mein but I think the Red Jello squares were his favorite. After we got him high on sugar we headed home where it was time to get ready for bed.

David's hair has gotten so long on the sides and front we decided we would give him his first haircut so after his bath we got him dressed in his Christmas PJ's and snipped away. Unfortunately he didn't sit still and so it was a little crooked in front. I was able to get it straight but now it's a little too short. He still looks cute - but I am glad we got his portraits taken before we butchered his hair. Next time I think we'll just take him somewhere!

Before the Haircut:


After the Haircut:


This morning David woke me up at 7am and we came downstairs and spent a quite morning playing with the new Hallmark snowman I bought for him. My supervisors wife watched him for us the other night and they told me he spent all night playing with the one they had so I couldn't resist when I was shopping the other day. The Doc was less than thrilled with me!

I made us some breakfast and then when the Doc came home we ate and then opened the presents that Santa had left for David. To get in the Christmas spirit I bought the Doc and I matching Santa hats and like a good sport the Doc obliged for a minute and I was able to capture this picture:


We had a nice relaxing day and David had a blast playing with all his toys.

Owen Benjamin has Arrived!

Congrats to Ben, Robyn and brand new big sister Maddie. Owen Benjamin was born yesterday 12/21/07 at 12:15pm weighing in at a teeny 7lbs 3oz.

Check out the new family pictures on their blog.

Happy Holidays!

Check out David's Christmas Portraits...to get him to smile we had to yell "Yeah" and then he would yell right back...that is why the second picture it looks like he's singing!

I am the walrus...goo goo g'joob!

15 Weeks & My Great Fall (again)*

I suppose it's time for my first baby update. Up until today I haven't really had anything to report. In fact, I have to keep reminding myself that I am preggo again. I suppose the growing belly helps but so far things have been pretty uneventful and with that said I really can't complain!

OK, back to my story, since I now have my first pregnancy tale to tell. This story basically stems down to the fact that pregnancy does a number on my ability to stay on two feet. That's right, I fell (again)*. I couldn't fall during my pregnancy with David and not fall during this one - I didn't want to play favorites!

Here's what happened: I got off the El at 15th & Market Street so that I could get my morning Dunkin Donuts. I walked down the stairs into the "underground" and walked past the lady handing out the Free Metro's when BAM...next thing I know I am on the ground. My right foot slipped out from under me on the wet tile (it had rained last night in Philly). I couldn't have been more embarrassed as I had no "phantom" piece of wood chip to blame this time.

Three very nice gentlemen stopped to help me up and as I gathered my things and what little was left of my ego I was on my way. Let me tell you, there is nothing like an Ice Cold Dunkin Donuts Coffee to help you bounce back! As soon as I got to work I called the Doc who said to me, "Smooth", real nice huh?! I couldn't even get one ounce of sympathy from him. Thankfully I work with mostly women who were very concerned for my well being! So there you have it...I guess it's just my thing now. I'll call it my pregnancy "trademark".

Our next appointment will be on the 21st and then hopefully we'll be able to schedule our big ultrasound the following week. Will we be able to use the wardrobe we've already accumulated for David or do I get to go shopping for a whole new one??!!! Guess we'll know for sure soon enough!

*click on the link for the story of my first fall