2 going on 16 (or is it 21?)

NOTE – I meant to post this before we left for our trip to WI, but never got around to it. However, I still find these things funny, so I’m posting now...

Since there really wasn’t anything too exciting that happened this last week (which is a good thing in this house lately), I figured I would post the funny (and, not so funny) things that Avery has said lately. She really is too smart for her own good sometimes and says things that you wonder where they came from and who she got them from. Most of them are funny, as you will read below. Others? Not so much:

1. Scenario – All of Avery’s babies are laying face down on the living room floor:

Mom: Avery what are your babies doing on the floor?
Avery: They’re just chillin’, Mommy.

2. Avery: Mommy, I have to go pee
Mommy: Ok. Let me know when you are ready for me to come in to help you.
Avery: You can come in when I call you. I’m going to close the door because I need some privacy.

I mean, seriously? What 2 year old says that she needs privacy while going pee?

3. Scenario – Mommy feeding baby Alex and trying to think of something to do with Avery while doing so, so I ask her if she wants me to read her a book.

Mommy: Avery, do you want me to read you a book?
Avery: No Mommy. I want to read you a book.
Mommy: OK

Avery starts to read and then passes the book to me and says…
“Mommy, can you read this to me? I don’t have my glasses.”



4. Scenario – Avery hasn’t taken a nap all day and is in the bathtub having a meltdown from being so tired. So, as she is screaming (for no real reason), she looks at me and says (through the tears), “I’m having a VERY BAD DAY!”

5. Scenario –Avery comes to the table while we are eating dinner asking what we are having. Unfortunately, we have yet to figure out how to get dinner ready early enough for her to eat what we are having and for all of us to eat together as a family. So, typically, she eats before us, but then tries (and ends up eating half of) whatever we are eating and sits with us while we eat. This night, she ate rice, steak and spinach salad with us and afterwards said….”Hey guys – thanks a lot!” It may not sound very funny, but hearing your 2 year old refer to you as “guys?” Pretty funny.

This next one is one of the not so funny ones –
6. Scenario – This morning we were getting ready to leave and she had taken a blanket out of the basket in her room where they are kept.

Mommy: Avery, please put the blanket back in the basket
Avery: You can’t tell me to do that!

I'm including this picture because I think that it is ironic that such a cute little girl can be such a bossy, strong-willed little lady sometimes



I’m pretty certain, based on this, that she and I will continuously be at each other’s throats in just a few short years. Also, I might add (just so you don’t think that this type of behavior is a result of how we parent) that I clearly stated after that comment that I am her mother and I can tell her to do whatever I want (yeah – that’s right – I’m a hard ass). She didn’t find that very funny.
This next one is the best yet and the reason for the title of this blog:

7. Scenario- Josh is giving Avery her dinner.

Daddy: Avery, what would you like to drink?
Avery: Um…..I’d like some wine please.

We’re definitely in trouble...




As far as Alex goes – he is doing much better. He had blood drawn a week ago and his hemoglobin levels were a bit low, so we have to give him this disgusting vitamin liquid with iron. I’ve learned to wait until he is really hungry and then mix it with a small amount of breast milk in a bottle and he chugs it right down. I’m also focusing on eating more red meat, spinach, anything else with iron. Hopefully all of this will help. We only have two more days of antibiotics and then he gets that horrible thing out of his arm!!!! I’m psyched. He is too. He just doesn’t know it.

That’s about it. I’m spending the rest of the week packing and making lists of what I need to pack for our trip to WI. I’m trying to force myself to remember that my parents do have a washer and a dryer and, because of this, each of them only needs a few outfits, but inevitably, this theory will not work and I’ll end up packing more than they could ever possibly need. I should probably work on this problem of mine now that checked bags are $15 a piece. I’m flying out there by myself with both of them, so be sure to check the next post, as I’m sure it will be entertaining…

ET Phone Home

Wow – as most of you know, this has been a pretty crazy week for us. I won’t go into all of the details, as I’ve talked to all of you who read this and I think that I have told you most of what has happened. But, long story short – Alex wasn’t acting himself last Thursday – was very lethargic, not eating well, etc. I thought that it was either really bad gas or it was the ice cream that I had eaten the night before that wasn’t agreeing with him. Boy was I wrong! I took him to the dr. and, by that time, he was really pale and didn’t look good at all. Turns out, his heart rate was racing, so they told us to go to the ER immediately. While there, he broke out in a rash and developed a fever. (102.6!).

We ended up in the ICU for 4 days at Hasboro (you know it is serious when you end up there). And, then we were moved to a “regular room” after that until this last Thursday. First let me tell you that being in the ICU at Hasboro definitely puts things in perspective. The girl next door to us had her room completely decorated with signs and stuffed animals, which would indicate that she had been there for quite a while. There was a little boy probably about 2 years old on the other side of us who was strapped down to some weird looking chair and had tubes coming out of his throat the entire time and then – the real kicker – a boy actually died while we were there. We didn’t realize this was happening until we heard his mother screaming at the top of her lungs and they came to close our door. It was horrible. So, for those reasons, I was happy to move up to the “normal” floor. However, things were definitely a bit more chaotic up there. We had a screaming baby next door to us (then again, we were that room with a screaming baby at times as well, so??) and then had a toddler on the other side of us who screamed when he was mad and then banged on a play drum when he wasn’t. Then there was the little girl with the IV who was being wheeled around the floor in a wagon and then there was the guy who came to play the guitar for all of the kids during the day. So, things were definitely a bit more active, which resulted in a bit less sleep for us all.

Speaking of sleep – I stayed with Alex every night while we were there. I now know what the new fathers go through in the recovery room after having a baby. Wow – those chairs (josh calls them transformer chairs because that is exactly what they look like) that fold out to a bed really are not comfortable. Not to mention, the nurses that come in, oh I don’t know, ONE HUNDRED times a night to check on us. Ugh. Oh – and, the antibiotic machine that beeps every time the antibiotics are done. Yet, somehow, none of the nurses can hear this. So, it requires me to get up and go to the lobby to tell them before it wakes up my sleeping child.

And, then – this is my favorite – the med students. I hate them. And, they know it. I was definitely known as that bitch by all of them. Inevitably, they would come into the room to check (ie, use my son to learn) on Alex right when he had fallen asleep. It started off with me just being bitchy and saying things like, “yes, I do mind if you look at him, but do I have a choice?” and then just turned into, “no – you can’t look at him right now. He hasn’t had a fever for 3 days, so do you really think that it is necessary to stick that thing up his butt again?” They hated me.

Now – to get to the title of this post (and to shed some humor on this horrible situation). One of the 5 things that was attached to Alex while he was there (no, I’m not exaggerating) was a monitor that was attached to his big toe that monitored his heart rate. On this little monitor was a red light. It was hilarious. While his foot was under a blanket – it looked just like ET. We tried to get a picture of it, but weren’t too successful. You’ll have to use your imagination.



One other positive thing that came out of this – while we were there, we had the GI doctors take a look at him for his reflux. One of the tests that they did was to stick a probe up through his nose and then down his throat and leave it there for 24 hours to measure the acid coming up and down.




The actual process sucked – I couldn’t feed him for 4 hours before and obviously, he wasn’t a big fan of having something shoved up his nose for 24 hours. BUT – the good news is – they saw no acid coming back up. So, the meds that he is on is working! I feel so much better knowing that the reflux isn’t bugging him anymore. Then again, we no longer have an excuse if he is fussy!
Another positive - My mom flew out here the day after Alex got admitted and has been here ever since. It has been a huge help having her around, to say the least. A girl just needs her mom during times like these. And, clearly, Alex needed his grandma!

ANYWAY – we are now home. Thank god. hey never did find out what it was, so they are treating him as though he has the worst bacterial infection he could have. He has an IV in his arm and we have to give him antibiotics through this once a day for 2 weeks. It is a little nerve wracking being in charge of antibiotics being given to your 8 week old, but we’re managing. Here is a picture of him attached to the pump that we use to give the meds.


It is also kind of a pain in the butt giving him a bath. My mom came up with the idea of covering the iv in Seran Wrap - it worked!






On a lighter note – I found out that, once again, I have a creative friend – look at what Jess sent us! These are both made out of old t-shirts. Ingenious, I tell you.




On another lighter note (and, primarily because I can’t include a post with no mention of Miss Avery), I thought that this was hilarious. Take a look at what she drank her water out of this afternoon at lunch. AHHHHHH...a girl after my own heart…



Thanks to all of you for all of your calls and thoughts this last week! We really appreciate it.

A Week of Firsts

This was definitely a week of many firsts. First and foremost – this was the first week that Alex was happy more than he was upset. Yes - Mr. Alex seems to have taken a turn for the better. It really is amazing.
We ended up going to the doctor because he was having a really hard time getting back down at nights and almost sounded as though he was having a hard time breathing – wheezing, etc. And, of course, as soon as I mentioned that, they wanted to see us right away. The doctor thinks that he has some post nasal drip going on and that, mixed with the acid is causing him to be uncomfortable. So, she increased his medication and we now have a humidifier in our room. Both seem to be helping, because he is a different child! He almost never cries during the day any more except when he is tired. Which, brings me to our next first. Even though he has gotten better, he still will not sleep during the day unless he is being walked in the stroller or driven in the car. SO – instead of fighting it, I decided the other day to just walk him to get him to take a nap. Avery was taking a nap and Josh was gone, so I decided that I would just walk him in our yard. I did that for about 5 minutes and he was out. I thought about taking him out and putting him in his room, but then realized, why rock the boat? So, for the first time ever, I just left my child sitting in the middle of the yard sleeping. Now – some may think this is a bit cruel. However, you will note that he is sitting in the shade AND I have that marvelous bubble around him that my sister sent to me (and, that I use daily) AND, I decided to take advantage of two children sleeping and to sit in the sun on the deck, which was relatively near where he was. So, really, I wasn’t all that bad of a parent – I’d like to consider myself smart, actually.

Here he is looking happy! Well, not really happy because he hasn't really started smiling yet, but content...



Alex also found his hands for the first time a little over a week ago. It's pretty cute- you'll be holding him and all of a sudden you"ll hear this sucking sound - sure enough, he's sucking on his fist.


The next first was Miss Avery’s first real temper tantrum. Wow – this was a doozy. Don’t worry –I will not include a picture of this one (not that I have one anyway – can you imagine??? Now THAT would be the ultimate blogger – a mom who insists on photographing her child’s temper tantrum…). We were at the beach and something happened while she was up at the bathroom with Josh. The next thing I knew – I could hear a screaming child coming back down to the beach (mind you – the bathroom and where I was sitting on the beach are NOT close, which gives you an indication of how loud this tantrum was). When she got down to where I was, she preceded to throw her hat on the ground and scream, at which point, her father reached the end and dragged her back to the car kicking and screaming – all of this while probably 10 families turned around to see what the deal was. Lovely.
Unfortunately, that tantrum was the beginning of a pretty rough couple of days. I think that she has reached the point of, “Why the hell is HE still here??” and she is letting us know about it by whining, crying and just generally being very difficult. These are the times as a parent that you wish there was a rule book that told you what you should be doing in these situations. I’m still learning, but so far ignoring her seems to be a good way. If it gets really bad, she sits somewhere until I can tell her she can get up, but that hasn’t seemed to have any long term effects considering this behavior hasn’t stopped. And, leading to our next “first” – what is even more unfortunate, is we had some friends of ours over for dinner for the first time the other night. They brought their son Max, who is the same age as Avery and their son Travis who is the same age as Alex. Well, Max wanted to borrow Avery’s bike and Avery didn’t really like that so much, which led to her second tantrum. However, eventually, she got over it and, as you can see, she and Max had fun together…however, I’m pretty certain they think that our child is a total nightmare. Ugh.


Another first – Chili went outside for the first time ever this weekend. I didn’t have the heart to just let him out and to just see what would happen (i.e., hope to god he just never returns). Instead, I got him a leash and a collar and let him out on the deck. He loved it and just laid down in the shade. However, I think that it got too hot for even him at one point, because he nearly begged to be let back inside after about 20 minutes. On that note, I have officially posted an ad on Craigslist to try to find him a new family and I plan to post a picture of him at the local vet and the bulletin board in town in the hopes of finding him a new home. It’s time. He needs more attention than I am willing to give him and if he doesn’t get it, he pees. Which really pisses me off (no pun intended). So far - no takers.

And, last but not least - this last week was the first that I heard of my dear friend, Amers, being a seamstress (yes - I'm stretching the "first" theme, but I really wanted to include this picture because I was amazed that a) she can do this and b) she can do it with a 6 month old in the house). I received this great gift for Alex that Amy made. I was so impressed that I needed to share:

OK-off to try to get in a shower so that I'm presentable for Avery's ice cream social at daycare. I'm thinking that whole no dairy thing is going out the window tonight - we'll see how the new happy Alex handles it!

Big Bad Wolves

So, the other day, my mother-in-law told me a somewhat funny, yet freightening story. She said that she was talking to a co-worker and he asked how Alex was doing and when she said that he was a bit fussy (see below for further discussion on this point), he made the comment that he can’t believe that the human race even exists because, in his opinion, infants, until the age of 1 should just be thrown to the wolves because they are just too difficult most of the time. Well, clearly that seems a bit harsh and quite unrealistic, but come on – all of you with kids out there, you have to admit – there have been times where something along those lines sounds like a damn good idea. However, seeing as how I’m not totally insane (although, recently, I’ve wondered), I’ve decided to throw him in the Ergo rather than throw him to the wolves in order to get him to calm down. First of all – for all of my friends who plan to have more kids and don’t have this – I would highly recommend it. It is WAY more comfortable than the Bjorn and you can use it until the kid is pretty old, as it will eventually go on your back and they can ride in it that way.

Oh, and you will notice my 2 year old looking a bit PWT without a shirt on. By that point, I had tried to get her to put one on for a half hour and had just given up - I've learned to pick my battles. ANYWAY – yes, I have succumb to “baby wearing” because that is one of the only ways that my child will calm down at times. Either that, or nurse him, which is also a type of baby wearing, I guess. Poor Alex has reflux really badly and is in pain a decent amount of time, which in turn, causes us to have to deal with a crying child for most of the day. I have found that, as long as we stay on the go, we are fine because he does sleep in the stroller and in the car, so that is what we’ve done. I’ve also cut out all coffee, chocolate, dairy, spicy foods, peanut butter (yes, I read that can irritate their stomach and it does seem like he does better without it) and tomatoe-y foods out of my diet to see if this will help. I swear – I need to just eat boiled chicken breasts and bread and that will probably cure this problem. Anyway - I’m hoping as he gets older, he will grow out of this. With my luck, it will be right when I go back to work. We’ll see. Although, I must say - even with all of the issues, he sure is a cute child! :)
yes - he is clearly borrowing his sister's blanket








On a positive note – we did actually all get out of the house one night!!!!! I swear, you would have thought that I was going to prom with how excited I was. Josh’s cousin and uncle were in town from Florida, so we all had dinner at his parents club (we’re fancy like at – actually, we just tag along – his parents are fancy like that). It was just so nice getting out of the house and enjoying a glass of wine and good food and wearing something other than workout clothes or the one pair of shorts and one shirt that currently fits me. AND, as it turns out – I do have eyes!!!! I just need to get a little makeup on them in order for anyone to see them!


Here is a picture of Avery all ready for the big night out wearing one of the cutest dresses I think that I’ve ever gotten her (and, it should be given the freaking price). I was psyched that she actually got a chance to wear it because I was convinced she wouldn’t.


And, here is Alex in one of the nicer outfits that he owns.



On another positive note – Christine came in from NYC this last weekend. It was so great seeing her and having some girl time. She is amazing with Avery and Avery really adores her. She is still asking where Auntie Christine went. She was a HUGE help with both Avery and Alex. This is her trying to give Alex a bottle – didn’t have a ton of luck, but then again none of us really did.

Which, brings me to my next story. I was bound and determined to go out to dinner with Christine on Sat. night and have sushi and wine – 2 things I haven’t had in a long time. So, I figure, might as well make sure Alex will take a bottle before I leave (mind you – I had given him one a week earlier and he sucked it down). Well, that night? Not a chance. He wanted nothing to do with it. So, basically, the night started out with me crying on the couch nursing Alex, Josh trying to suggest 1000 different things that we could do in an hours time so that we could at least get out of the house, Christine trying to occupy Avery by taking her for a walk outside and my inlaws coming in the middle of the entire fiasco not really quite sure what to say or do. Well, eventually, Christine and I left and went to a restaurant down the road from our house and got a glass of wine and ordered food to go (all at Josh’s suggestion) while Josh took Alex in the ergo and walked around the neighborhood for AN HOUR AND A HALF so that he would sleep. In the mean time, his parents cooked (josh was originally supposed to cook for them) and fed Avery and got her ready for bed. Pretty crazy all around, but I have to say, I felt like a new woman after just an hour and a half away. The two glasses of wine didn’t hurt either (ironically enough, Alex slept very well that night. Hmmmmmm…I may have found a soloution! Kidding. Kind of).
Avery continues to do well with the situation, but is having a few more emotional breakdowns lately. I think that the 5 days away from daycare this weekend was part of the problem, but there were a few discussions had that involved me explaining to her that she can not scream “no” at her parents, etc. She still loves her baby brother Alex and wants to give him hugs and kisses whenever she can, which is good. She also likes to give him stickers out of her 700 sticker Thomas book. Poor kid...

That’s about it for the last couple of weeks. I hate to sound like things are horrible. They really aren’t. We’re managing. But, man! This two kid thing is a challenge at times! I’ll close with a classic picture of Avery and Alex – this pretty much sums it all up…

Welcome, Baby Alex!

Well, it’s official! We are now a family of four. Alexander Raymond Holland made his way into this world on July 2, 2009 at 10:58 AM. He was 7 lbs. 4 oz, which I was really happy with since the doctors thought that he was going to be small. But, he actually ended up being a perfect size.




Overall, I have to say – Avery has done much better than I thought she would. She loves “Baby Alex” and kisses him and hugs him very gently all of the time.

She has also been great about the fact that I can’t lift her in and out of her crib or hold her. I told her that Mommy has a boo boo and I can’t hold her until it heals. It’s amazing how empathetic she has been with the whole thing - it’s like she totally understands and is ok with waiting until my boo boo heals. Now, I will say that there have been some random temper tantrums and she has had some issues listening to us. But, I have to also think that part of that has to do with her being a 2 year old. It’s amazing – we will ask her to do something and she blatantly just ignores us – it’s as though we aren’t even there. Unfortunately, it has resulted in us having to “force” her to do what we need her to do (i.e., carry her kicking and screaming, etc), which really sucks when you have to do it, but I guess these are the things that you have to do with a 2 year old.

Oh – and the other thing that she has done twice now is peed in her pants, which is totally not like her. And, after she does it, she just comes up to us and announces that she just peed on the floor as though it is totally a normal thing to do. I have to think that this is because of the baby considering, when she does this, I have no other choice but to put the baby down and assist her. I was torn as to whether I should get mad at her because I don’t want to set her back with the potty training, but then I figured that she is far enough along with it that she knows better, so I expressed my “frustration” with the situation last time she did it – we’ll see if it worked.

Unfortunately, Alex has not been the easiest of babies over the last 2 weeks. We think that it is either reflux, lactose intolerance, gas, lack of naps during the day or his raging diaper rash. You choose…

I have found that the vibrating bouncy seat seems to keep him happy for a decent amount of time, so that is pretty much where he resides most of the day


I’ve decided that the best way to get through the two days when it is Avery, Alex and I is to stay active with them. So, we bought a double stroller, which I’m totally psyched about. It starts out as a double stroller and then converts to a sit and stand once Avery is to the point where she doesn’t want to ride in a stroller any more.


So, now the plan is to take daily walks down to the library (yes Mom and Dad, I’m actually going to get a library card – the first one since college (which was forced upon me)) or to the playground. Other than that, I may venture out with both of them to go grocery shopping or run other errands, but I haven’t decided yet. Alex has already been out and about all over the place – yes, he has even been to the beach – his first visit being when he was only 4 days old. Got to get them started young…

Oh – just a random piece of Avery news – turns out, she has my skin. She got bit by a mosquito this last weekend on top of her eye and woke up the next morning with her eye nearly swollen shut because of it. Pretty crazy…


I’ll do my best to keep this updated as frequently as possible, but I can’t make any promises, as this mother thing seems to take up an awful lot of my time lately.
:)

"No Mama! Avery do it!"

Ah yes…that is the stage that we are in. Avery is now 2 and has to do EVERYTHING. On one hand, I want her to learn how to do these things and I want her to be independent, but holy cow! Having a 2 year old do everything makes everything take twice as long. In fact, when I was in DC for work the other week – Josh told me that, both mornings I was gone, he didn’t get into work until 10 AM because Avery had to do everything. Now…I will say that most of this has to do with the parenting and the fact that he has a very hard time saying no and listening to her cry (he’s much softer than me in that sense). And, I will admit – it is very hard to know when it would just be faster to let her do it and avoid her freaking or when it is faster to just let her freak for a minute and do it yourself. Not only is it a matter of which is faster, but it is also a matter of the fact that she is 2 years old and she needs to realize that she can’t do everything and that we will say no to some things. Man – this disciplining thing is tricky. Anyway, just an example of some of the things that she needs to do herself:
1. Flush the toilet (regardless of who just went to the bathroom;
2. Turn on the faucet to wash her hands and wash her hands without my assistance;
3. Give Leinie his dinner, his pills and his water;
4. Put her clothes and shoes on;
5. Put toothpaste on the toothbrush. Note – after EVERY time she does this, as I’m brushing her teeth, she exclaims “Avery no walk away from Mama! Make Mama happy!” because, back in the day, she would immediately run the opposite direction when I said it was time to brush her teeth. Until, one day, I told her that it didn’t make Mama happy when she did that - hence, the comment now. I have to admit –it’s pretty cute when she says that;
6. Fill glass with water from the fridge;
7. Walk upstairs and downstairs;
8. Fold clothes (which, she is actually getting pretty good at);
9. Wipe her face and hands after a meal; and the latest…
10. Take Leinie for a walk;





11. Help Josh paint; and…



12. HOLD BABIES!!!


Clearly I’m thrilled with this one. This picture is of Avery and Fitch, my friend Lindsey’s newborn son. She met him for the first time this last weekend and was great with him! She was very gentle and was very intrigued. Granted, Fitch left after 2 hours and clearly this one won’t be leaving any time soon, but still – it was a good first step.
I’m feeling great, still. Although, I’m getting very anxious to meet this child. Just a little more than 2 weeks! I can’t believe it. Here is the latest belly picture of me at 36 weeks. I'm carrying the exact same as I did with Avery, so we'll see if it's another girl!



We’ve got the nursery almost put together - I'll post pictures in the next update. I have washed all of the baby boy clothes that sara has given me and they are in the drawers. I am trying to locate Avery’s baby clothes so that I can get those washed. I figure, I will just split the drawers between girl and boy right now and switch them out when the baby is born.

Oh - and, Avery actually got to feel the baby move the other night! It was great. He/She had hiccups, so there was constant movement - she loved it.



That’s about it. This weekend is free in terms of having nothing planned and then the following weekend, my parents arrive on Sunday and then the following Thursday, this child will make his/her appearance! Crazy…

Must be something in the water...

This weekend was Lexi’s baby shower in Milwaukee. It was a great weekend overall and I think that she had a great time. I flew in on Friday night at around 10:30 and then left at 6 pm on Sunday night, so it was a quick trip, but well worth it. And, as it turns out, the shower ended up being one week after Avery’s 2nd birthday, which means that I would have had to pay for a ticket for her had I brought her with me. Granted, I probably could have just fibbed a bit and said that she was just shy of turning 2, but honestly? It was kind of nice flying solo. I just sat on the plane and did my cross stitch (yes, I know – kind of 80-year-old’ish, but whatever) and watched the other parents struggle to keep their toddlers occupied. It was lovely. I will say that I did miss her and I was excited to see her on Monday morning, so I’m not entirely as selfish as I sound. I might also add that I think Josh was pretty excited to see me come home. As it turns out, taking care of Avery and trying to get everything done around the house is pretty challenging. Not to mention, dealing with Leinie who a) is just kind of a freak and has taken to pacing the house and panting pretty much non-stop for no reason (it really is enough to drive you freaking nuts) b) who decided to spill his water bowl twice on two different rugs, resulting in Josh attempting to dry it up with fans and whatever other device he could find prior to me seeing it oh, and c) bleeding all over my new living room rug (he has a sore on his leg). Lovely. Anyway, enough about us…

The shower was really nice. My aunt Nancy seems to be the chosen one to host all of the showers at her house and let me tell you, as a result, she has this type of thing down to a science. Lexi’s shower was a rubber ducky theme, and wow – there were lots of rubber duckies! Oh – first of all, I should start with the invitations – they were delivered all rolled up in a baby bottle! It was such a great idea (and, one to steal if you ever throw a baby shower!). Anyway, back to the duckies…here are some pictures of the various tables that she had set up.

It was hilarious having Lexi and I there together with our bellies. We are both pretty much all belly (ok, so my butt has gotten a bit larger than hers, but whatever…), but it’s funny because mine is kind of more narrow and seems to stick out more and then lexi’s is a bit more round and basketball-like and much lower than mine. It will be interesting to see if we have the same sex of baby.

So, not only were Lexi and I pregnant, but there were FOUR other women who were pregnant at the shower as well (hence, the title of the post – although, none of us live near each other, so I guess it really doesn’t make sense because we haven’t all been drinking the same water, but I thought that it was catchy nonetheless). One of the other pregnant ones was Sara, who is due in September and then there were the 3 Larsen girls – Sarah, Becky (sisters) and Kersten (sister-in-law). Sarah is due beginning of July, Becky is due middle of October and Kersten is due end of October. Here is a picture of all of us – there were two cameras taking pictures and mine ended up with the not so good ones apparently, but you get the idea. We are standing in order of due date.
The rest of the day on Saturday was spent hanging out with my family and Sara and then on Sunday, all of the high school girls got together for lunch to celebrate Melissa’s birthday. Melissa and Anne brought Jack and Kate, who are both adorable and really well behaved! We realized that there are soon to be 10 kids between the five of us. It makes me wonder when we will ever be able to have another girls’ weekend where none of us is pregnant or nursing (because, let’s face it – a sober girls’ weekend just wouldn’t really cut it). Somehow, I think that it may be a while…

Sara and I spent the rest of the day Sunday playing with Chad outside. It was a nice end to the weekend. He really is such a great kid and I love spending time with him. Oh, and you have to check out this car that he has. It’s crazy…it has a real radio and everything.
After this last weekend, things have finally slowed down for us and the plan is to now start focusing on this baby. I’m hoping to get the nursery furniture shortly and then we can get the nursery set up and get some clothes put away and diapers and anything else that we need for this one. I actually brought a bunch of Chad’s baby clothes home with me, as everyone is convinced that this one is a boy. We’ll see!