the little gymnast

You may remember me mentioning that Emma has been taking gymnastics classes for about 6 weeks. At her age it is not really "gymnastics" but more of an obstacle course that improves their strength, balance, and coordination. I have noticed a big improvement in Emma's strength and ability to navigate through different things since we started. We went to the park the other day and she decided that the handrails would work well as a hanging bar. (Pardon the bathing suit. We were at the splash pad)

The approach

The initial jump

Hang and swing! Look at those legs up. Way to use your muscles Emma!

I think we'll continue these classes through the fall for as long as Emma is having a good time :) When she turns 3 then she can start a real introduction to gymnastics class! For now we'll enjoy our Mommy and Me class and keep working on her skills :)

What we've been up to

Sorry it has been so long! Things have been a little busy around here. Matt went on a hiking trip the last week in June, we had a crazy storm, we've been busy preparing the house for the baby, and I had a baby shower. That about covers it! Here are some pictures of our recent adventures.

We played with friends in the pool.

We played at Science Central

Lost shingles in the storm

Matt's poor truck

The tree that shed it's limbs. You can really see how dry it is here. Everything is completely dead.

What used to be our tree. It's now a stump.

4th of July cutie

More updates coming soon!

31 Weeks

How far Along: 31 weeks

Approximate Size of Baby: 3 1/2 - 4 lbs and 16 or so inches

What's Baby Up to This Week: (according to my pregnancy calendar) He's busy gaining weight and filling out. His lungs continue to mature and his brain is growing. 

Weight Gain: 5 pounds. Holding pretty steady, but guessing I'll put on a few (or many) more in the next 8 weeks before he's born :) 

Gender: BOY!!

Symptoms: My right hip is pretty much a constant pain and Insomnia is nuts. I can't sleep at all. I usually go through a cycle of 4 or 5 days of not sleeping well and then I sleep like a rock the next night. 

What I Miss Most: Sleeping on my stomach and steaming hot baths. Sleep in general :) 

What I'm looking forward to this week: Some quality time with Emma while Matt takes a few days to backpack with the boys in the Upper Peninsula.  

28 weeks... A Day Early

Pregnancy Highlights

How far Along: 28 weeks

Approximate Size of Baby: 2 1/2 lbs and 15 inches

What's Baby Up to This Week: (according to my pregnancy calendar) His brain is growing like crazy, he's adding fat to his body, and his eyes are starting to filter light. He may even start to recognize my voice. 

Weight Gain: 4 pounds

Gender: BOY!!

Symptoms: Still struggling with some sciatica pain but trying to be a trooper about it. Insomnia and some nasal congestion. But I'll take it over the constant nausea I felt for 9 months with Emma!

What I Miss Most: Sleeping on my stomach and steaming hot baths

What I'm looking forward to this week: Our first family vacation with just the 3 of us next week and taking Baby Boy on many trips in the future!

**Matt asked why I hadn't been taking any pictures of my belly this time around since I did one a week with Emma from about 18 weeks on. I guess I better get with it because this poor baby isn't going to have anything documented! 

Potty Training

Well, its back to just the 3 1/2 of us since Matt's parents left on Tuesday so we figured we better get back to work on the potty training. I am really tired of changing Emma's diapers and she's tired of wearing them. Not to mention the fact that they are considerably more expensive the bigger your child gets. We don't have any plans made for the next few days so I will be staying at home and working on getting her to use the potty. This morning I went in and got her up and we went straight to the potty. She didn't pee but she did sit there. Of course, her diaper was extremely wet so I may have missed it already. After that we didn't put a new diaper on. We put on the Minnie Mouse pan.ties that she picked out at Targ.et and had a talk about how big girls wear pan.ties and pee on the potty and she didn't need her diapers any more. She sits on the potty quite frequently but so far nothing has happened. We haven't had any accidents yet today, but I'm sure we'll get there. Fingers crossed that she starts to catch on soon! 

23 Weeks and Counting

I'm now 23 weeks and a few days pregnant with Little Boy. Since the first trimester ended I am feeling pretty good. Occasionally I feel rather exhausted, but nothing too bad. My back has been pretty bad and I've been having horrible sciatica flare ups. For those that may not know, I had surgery on my left foot to correct some problems I had with the bones being in the wrong places and joints being dislocated. These problems were hereditary and I happen to have it on both sides of my family. Lucky me! Most people in my family have the problem on both feet. I only had it on one, but with a greater severity. So in high school I had it fixed with a pin and screws and 4 months of crutches. Apparently 15 years of my foot being that way affected the way I walk, my growth plates in one leg, and a number of other things.

 I am supposed to wear hard, molded inserts in my shoes to help correct my posture and gait. Only I don't. They don't fit in most shoes and I mostly just forget about them. Back pain has been an issue for years but i mostly just deal with it. I guess it's not something I ever thought would change so you just learn how to live with it. Unfortunately, pregnancy shifts everything and the pain has become unbearable at times. I limp a lot and have difficulty sleeping. So, I finally went to see a physical therapist at my Dr's recommendation. An appointment I thought would last 30 minutes ended up taking an hour and a half! I was pretty shocked and so was the Physical Therapist. Apparently I should have sought out some kind of care sooner! Ha! My spine is so out of whack and my hips are way off along with a number of other things. I left armed with homework and strict instructions to wear my inserts from now on, or at least until the end of my pregnancy. If Matt has his way, I'll wear them forever and never wear another pair of sandals or heels. We'll see about that....

Baby Boy

Yep, at 22 weeks gestation the little man is still nameless. And no, even if we had chosen his name we still wouldn't tell you! Don't take it personally, we did the same thing with Emma. Matt says that everyone already knows its a boy so we should keep his name as a surprise until he's born. I'm okay with that.

Things are going smoothly so far. First 14 weeks were rough but now I feel pretty good nausea-wise. Occasionally I feel rather exhausted but I think that's to be expected with a 2 year old :) Sciatic pain has been annoying but overall, I can't really complain.

22 weeks down, 18 to go.... more or less.... you know, cause I wouldn't mind if he decided to come a week early ;)