36 weeks

Here's the latest belly picture. I always reach this point in pregnancy and just wonder, is it really possible that this belly could expand any more? But the possibility exists. I'm feeling good, though, much more comfortable than I expected at this point. As long as I get enough sleep and can put my feet up a couple of times a day life is good...

Only about a month to go! Now this little one just needs a name before he decides to come out. Any suggestions?

The Latest on Levi

I always thought that the best thing about having more than one child would be watching their personalities develop. I'm realizing as Levi is approaching 18 months old how different he is from Sam.

Levi really likes cars. Sounds pretty normal for a little boy, right? But Sam never got into them. Levi will play for 20 minutes at time driving them around the apartment. He also likes dogs, something that Sam has NEVER liked.

Levi loves to draw. We have a magna-doodle and an aqua-doodle, both modern-day versions of a slate and chalk, and he can entertain himself with these for long periods of time.


He is also very friendly to strangers. Lately any time we are in public he waves with animation at strangers and gives a loud and sing-songy "Hi!" (which sounds like he has a southern accent - "Ha!"). Talk about getting some positive attention!

In all these things, Levi is very different from his brother. But one similarity Sam and Levi share is their love for music. Levi has begun to sing! Sure, he doesn't get the words, but he sings the tunes of "London Bridges", "Twinkle Twinkle" and - amazingly - "Blessed be the Name". I've been trying my hardest to get it on video, but every time I try he gets distracted and stops singing!


I'm finding that at 18 months, Levi goes from being cute and endearing to exasperating on the turn of a dime. Life is hard when you have uncontrollable impulses that get you in trouble! Yet at the same time he is so funny - coming up with new words to try out each day, mimicking our activities, and experimenting with anything he can get his hands on. Life is a classroom, and everything is new to him. Watching this process is so incredible!

Third Trimester, Here I Come

Well, today I'm officially 29 weeks along, which is actually 2 weeks into the third and final trimester of this pregnancy. This is the latest belly pictures, taken at 28 weeks.

I find that, as a pregnant woman there are two things people say to me often:

1.) "How are you feeling?" This is a hard one for a couple of reasons. 50% of the time the most truthful answer is "lousy" or "big", but it's just not a great way to start a conversation, right? Although I do try to be honest. The other 50% of the time I truly feel great, and don't have much to say about it. At those times I feel more like I should be giving a more thorough report, haha! It's nice of people to ask, of course.

2.) "You're looking great!" (or some variation of this). Now, don't get me wrong, it's great to hear. But it's humorous and ironic to me that when I have gained many pounds over my usual weight and don't often feel like I look great, I'm told this almost daily. It is a blessing.

The Summer in Photos

Sam and Mike took in a National's game on July 4th

The second week in July we had a family vacation at the Massanutten resort near Harrisonburg VA. Unfortunately we all got the Norovirus and were pretty sick for a few of the days, but we did get to catch some sun at the pool (see above) and do a little fishing trip (see below), among other activities.

Above: Levi and I at our church picnic/baptism.

Below: Sam has become a little fish this summer! He loves the water, and no longer needs his "floaties" (water wings).

Sam and friend Symon are putting on a concert!

Baby update

I realize I've been slacking again with my blogging this summer, but I'm making up for it now that I have a little time on my hands. :) The big news about Baby Godzwa #3 is...





A BOY!





Yes, a third boy. And we couldn't be happier! Isn't he cute?





I/he have/has grown quite a bit in the past couple of months, too. Here are the belly picts:

At 20 weeks:

And at 25 weeks:

This shirt is not going to last me much longer!

His arrival should be sometime mid-December.

Snip, Snip

These two little words can mean many things: i.e. coupon collecting, a haircut, assurance that one can no longer have children (all of these will be applied to our lives sometime in the not-too-distant future)... But this week the sound of snipping is the cutting of apron strings. My little baby boy has started school. Sigh.

I know, I know, it was bound to happen. But I think I struggled with it a little more than usual. Sam just turned 4, and yesterday was his first day in Pre-kindergarten. Now, preschool is one thing, but this is all day, every day, in the DC public school system! Do you see why I'm having feelings of guilt/anxiety/sadness/fear?

If that in itself is not self-explanatory enough, I can elaborate. So many horrible things could happen at school. He could get ignored. He could get sick. He could feel rejected by me. He could choke on the grapes I packed in his lunch. He could get in trouble with the teacher and hold a grudge against organized education for the rest of his childhood. Shall I go on?

OK, I know these things are the crazy, normally unspoken (and probably better off left that way) thoughts of a stay-at home mom sending her first son to school. I have to admit, though, that each of these scenarios crossed my mind in the past 72 hours. And then I laughed at myself.

Yesterday was his first day, and it was great. There has been so much anticipation of Pre-K that Sam has been talking about it all summer. When he woke up yesterday and I told him that today was his first day, he just lit up and simply said, "really?" The whole family made the trip to school, and although the drop-off scene was pretty chaotic (picture 20 families trying to check in, drop off the things from their school supply lists, keep track of their nervous pre-k-er, and hold it together themselves), he was in his element. In fact, I found that I was the one with a lump in my throat, which I bravely gulped down as I smiled and hugged him goodbye.

Happily, he had a great day, and this morning as he was getting dressed he said, "I LOVE school!" (Lets hope that lasts for the next 12-16 years. :) Not only that, but wow, am I amazed at how quiet my days are. I get so much done! So now, instead of just feeling sad and worried, I waffle between that and relishing in the gift of time and space I've been given. I'm really relishing, too, because come December, life will bring it's new twists and blessings.

Life is a Bowlful of Cherries...

... and they are in season! Yum. I can't get enough.

On the Contrary, it's Quite Complimentary

As I was in the shower the other day, Samuel came into the bathroom and asked me, "Mommy, are you not taking a shower?"

No, Sam hasn't picked up some sort of Elizabethan speech pattern. Since he turned 3 last summer, he has simply been in a stage of being contrary.

His being contrary has manifested itself in many ways over the year. Sometimes we can get him to do things by teasing him, saying he can't really do it. (smugly, "oh, I guess you're not putting on your pants because you don't know how.") Or we'll get him to eat his dinner by threatening to eat his ourselves. Hopefully we're not being too manipulative, since he knows we're teasing.

But the way he has been contrary lately is all about questions.
He'll ask me something
("Why can't we take the Corolla to the park instead of the van?")
and after I answer
("Because the air conditioner is broken in the Corolla")
he'll follow-up as if I had answered with the opposite response
("But why is the air conditioner not broken in the Corolla?").

What?!

I try my take each question seriously, even the hard and annoying ones. I try not to lie, even if I do with-hold information sometimes. But this drives me crazy! Thank God I have a sense of humor.

However, Sam has also recently become extremely complimentary. The other day I had my hair in a certain headband that he liked, and twice during the day Sam said to me, "Mommy, your hair is so pretty." I hadn't even washed it that day (which is why it was in the headband). He sent me the following email today with Mike's help:

Dear Mommy,

hhhghhhfgmhrhgghhefjhhhrehifeuugheruyfyjfkkjfyfgfgghhfhhgjgjjghgygjhjyhgrh
tryu8iru80fsouyhouhgtytguhotutyyyjjyjhhjhjhhmhh,h,,lvvipyqfPHTWH9G;HEH
OEGRHJPORGHJGJGJGKJGJLGHGIJFJGJGJGJGJGJYJGHHMMDKPKK.

Mommy, we love you!

Hfhghhgjhjfhkhkkhklhhjkjjjojgjhjphpjhkrgkgpkgkgn.

You are a great mommy!

Gfghghjfhfhghghjgbjjitkgjgjgjjhjhkbfgjgjjjjshghghgjhjhjhjhjhjhnvjkkkckckccckjb.

Hey, you are good, mommy.

Love n td ftdfgfggfofdhhgkbbhghghhlgkgnbhjjfjgjfhfffjfjtyorlggdsggagsbbmm

Sam

Makes your heart melt, doesn't it? Oh, well, at least it would if you were me.

Introducing Baby #3

At the end of April we were pleasantly surprised to find out that we are expecting our third child! He or she is due mid-December. Here's a picture of our 14 week ultrasound:

(Baby's head is at the left.)

Since this is my last baby, I figured I'd document as much as I can. Here's the most current belly picture at 16 weeks:

Here is my 15 week picture when I was pregnant with Sam.

Aparently my abdominal muscles are not what they used to be! Sigh.

It's all worth it. Really. :)

Sam has lovingly named the baby girl (he insists its a girl!) "Egypt". He came up with that on his own.

For some reason, he thinks that instead of pink and blue, yellow is a boy's color and white is for girls. I asked him what he would do if the baby turns out to be a boy. He said, "I'll get lots of yellow things!"

Catching up

I spent part of the morning organizing my pictures from the last few months. Here's a sample:

In April Mike and I had a chance to see the Nationals. It was a very cold, wet night, but we had babysitting and really great seats so there was no turning back. We had tons of fun!

Levi had his first birthday on Easter day, April 8.

On Mother's Day we took brunch to the grounds of the national cathedral. What a beautiful day!

My sweet boys

A chip off the old block -- Levi loves our espresso machine. Every time we use it he's right there wanting to be in the middle of things.

Another chip off the old block: Sam "leading worship" with Daddy.

Sam and his little friend Symon, ready to take on the summer!

Abandoned

I'll admit it:  I abandoned my blog.  I actually had to get an email from blogger.com to find out my forgotten password!

When a friend mentioned that she always enjoyed my "quarterly blogs", (I had intended to write once a week or so) I realized I was at a point of decision.  Would the blog live or die?  Here I am, and the blog lives on!

A lot has happened in the past 4 months.  Here are the details in brief:

• March:  Mike was gone for a week during spring break.  We were having huge problems with Sam's preschool teacher, and decided to transfer him to another school.  Along with it, Sam hit a really rough behavioral patch and parenting wasn't very fun.
• April:  Levi had his first birthday on the 8th!  Sam's new preschool was light years better than the other location.  Even better, he went back to being the happy little guy I've usually known him to be!
• May:  My period was late, and I shockingly realized that I was pregnant again!  After a few weeks of getting used to the idea, we realized how happy we were about it.  
• June:  We went through a few days of adjustment after preschool was over.  Now we're enjoying our summer together.  Levi has been completely weaned for about 2 weeks - yay!  I'm 16 weeks pregnant, due mid December.

So those are the highlights.  Look for more details and pictures to come.  Or maybe I'll just start from here.  Either way, I've come back to blogland.  

For your entertainment

We've been without a camera for the last several weeks since it was left behind during a trip and is "in the mail". Unfortunately I've missed capturing many cute moments, but here are a few of my favorites from my photo files to keep you entertained until it's arrival. Our family Christmas picture, taken by our neighbor and friend Julie. She was very patient -- I think this was picture number 18!
My mom and Levi on a visit she and Dad made last fall.
Future pyromaniac? Yikes!
More picts from the photo op turned bad.

More bathtime!

OCD?

As a parent I have often come close to paranoia wondering if my kids are normal. For example, when Sam was a baby one of his eyes was very slightly crossed, but I worried that he would end up with a significant problem. Turned out to be nothing. When He was about a year old he was diagnosed with Eutricaria Pigmentosa, a rare skin disorder that causes periodic rashes and disappears before age 5. I was worried that it wouldn't disappear, that it would turn into some life-threatening disease. Again, nothing. Of course, I admit to spending hours googling topics such as these, only to scare myself silly and then realize how silly I really am being. So I now recognize these neurotic notions for what they are when they pop into my head and take them with a grain of salt.

This is why I can jokingly say that I wonder lately if both my boys don't have OCD, that is, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Here are a few evidences of Sam's:

• As we daily make our walk through the hallways of our apartment building, through the parking garage and to our car, Sam has a certain ritual he must keep. He has to tap certain parts of the walls. He has to walk on the arrows painted on the floor of the parking garage. If he forgets to do any of these things, he has to run back to do it, and if I try to stop him from doing so he throws a fit!


• After washing his hands in the bathroom sink, Sam has a little toy frog that fits perfectly into the cup he uses to rinse his mouth after brushing his teeth. The frog must go in the cup, and the cup must be filled to the top with water, "so the frog can have a bath, because he likes water". (See top picture).


• He is obsessed with playing the drums, and more broadly, with playing any musical instrument he can get his hands on. ("Mom, we need to buy a squeeze-box!")

Levi has even shown a few tendencies:

• He loves to flip his lips with his fingers, or with anything else he can hold in his hand. He'll have a toy in his hand, then use it to flip his lips. Lately he has taken to flipping my lips with his fingers while he nurses!


• He loves to be naked. He's become quite adept at crawling, and after his bath does everything he can to escape before being clothed.


• As of about a week ago, he's obsessed with eating cheerios.

Thankfully, I not only google but also read up on child development and talk to other moms, and I realize these things are *relatively* normal. Knowing this, I get a lot of good laughs when these things don't drive me crazy!

Rounding the corner

Well, I think we've made it to potty-training success! Sam has gone to preschool for 2 weeks with his "big boy underpants" on without any accidents. He also hasn't had even a small accident in several days. He hasn't mastered nighttime or #2 yet, but it's clear that these things will come soon.



To celebrate, last Saturday we all went out to McDonald's for lunch and then to Child's Play Toy Store to pick up Sam's potty reward, a marble run.



Incidentally, ever since he's been on track with going to the potty a lot of his defiance has dissipated. It makes me wonder which came first -- did he decide to cooperate with potty training as well as other things in life, or did his success in potty training lead to feeling more grown-up, thus acting more grown-up? Any thoughts?

Drumming Discipleship

The older brother passes on his drumming skills. Good stuff!

Pearly whites

It's official: Levi has gone from gummy grin to toothy grin, although there are only two teeth as of yet and still plenty of gumminess. The funny thing is that the left top and left bottem came in together, so it's a little lop-sided! But very, very cute.

I snapped these pictures tonight during dinner. They aren't the best, but you might be able to make out the little nubs in the first two, and the third one is just for fun.

Independence All Around

We seem to have hit a stride of independence in our household recently. I write this with fear of jinxing a good thing, but then I remembered that I'm not superstitious.

Sam is a wonderful little guy; however, this three-year-old thing has been tough on all of us. He tests limits and resents our involvement one minute, then throws a fit if we try to get him to do something "grown-up" (i.e. dressing himself, using the potty) the next.

Recently I've realized how important it is for him to feel like he has a job and feel valued. How human of him! I first noticed this a few weeks ago when I appointed him my helper in setting the table. He dutifully, with much self-importance put each napkin, spoon, knife and fork at each setting. Now if I start to do it without asking him he takes over.

Today, Mike and I were in the living room when we heard Sam from the other end of the apartment yelling, "I did it by myself! I did it by myself!" We went and discovered that he had discovered his need to pee, went to the bathroom, pulled down his pants and went, and flushed -- on his own!!! This truly is progress. I had to hold back the tears.

Since then he's gone on his own again and left the house in "big boy underpants", as well as used the restroom at Costco with Dad's help. I know, probably more than you want to know, but this is my life, my blog. :)

As far as Levi goes, our sleep-training definitely paid off! He sleeps now from 6pm until 4:30, then sleeps usually until at lest 7am if not longer. SUCH a relief!

So, as my kids find their own areas of independence, I also find mine. I guess that's what parenting is all about!

Movie Star Looks

Yesterday Mike came out of the bedroom clean-shaven! After 9 years of having facial hair, usually in the form of a goatee, his face is as smooth as a baby's bum. It was a little freaky at first, but the more I see it, the better I like it. I think he looks a little like George Clooney. What do you think?




You can see Mike's thoughts on his blog.