What's behind Door #3?

Turns out that we find out the sex of baby #3 this Monday morning. It was a last-minute appointment, because I really didn't want to go in 2 days shy of 18 weeks, and then go back 2 weeks later. It's hard to find a sitter AND a time that Rob doesn't have a meeting, so we went with first-thing after the holiday.

SO-oooo.... here's where I ask all of you what you think this next baby is? I thought about doing a game, like my friend Allison. But, it's late notice on my part, and I really only care who's right about the sex of the baby.

Who thinks I will forever be the only girl in my fam, doomed to go crazy from the wildness?

Who thinks Rob will have to learn to be tender, and I will go insane trying to accessorize a little princess when I can't accessorize myself?

Here's some helpful hints:
-I've had food aversions to everything I usually eat (which is similar to my pregnancy with John)
-I was sick until 15 weeks (worse than with John, but still similar)
-my feet are freezing (which "they" say means boy)
-My ideal meal is: brownies for appetizer, lemon pie for entree, and black-tie-mousse-cake for dessert. If it gets too sweet, I'll clear my palate with some milk between entree and dessert :)
-my belly is nice and round like a basketball... boy???

Leave a comment and we'll see who's right in just a few days!

Third time's the charm

I've had trouble blogging. Ever since Reid was born, really, but it's gotten even harder lately. Two is definitely double the work of one--no matter what anybody says. And this house... it needs work anyway, but an organizational overhaul could really come in handy. Should I turn myself in to one of those shows on HGTV? I mean, I have an excuse--we moved 2 weeks before Reid came, and everyone knows how hard it is to do stuff when you have a newborn. But, even since Reid has been on a better schedule, it's been slow.

Now on top of everything else, we have received a crazy surprise from God. Here's the big reveal:

TA-DA!!! Baby #3 is 10 weeks along, and the doctor seemed confident today, so I am sharing with all of you. Still be in prayer, because I've had issues in the past. But this baby has already made it through a placental-bleed, and that is all-healed, so I have high hopes! Reid and #3 will be 16 months apart--so if I thought it was busy before, it will be crazy-busy by June! Doc guesses my due-date to be June 2-4, but I'm rooting for a May baby.

All Ears

Ok, this is way overdue...um, 2 months overdue, to be exact. Here's Day 1 of Disney:



This is actually the night before. We stayed at Fort Wilderness, where they have a free campfire activity. Dede is helping John roast some not-so-free marshmallows for some $mores. (Next time we'll be prepared with ingredients of our own.)

John taste-tests his culinary skills.

And of course, Pop ends up with the Smore. John likes graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows, but not all-together. So picky!



John meets Dale--his first Disney character! See how in-love he is?





Day 1: we start at Epcot. Here's the fam in front of one of Disney's famous topiaries. Reid's first nap of the day (there were many each day, due to the heat).

John and Jasmine had a conversation about what they enjoy doing (John likes to play outside; Jasmine likes magic-carpet rides). I think he's smitten. But notice that Reid is angling for his brother's woman. He's got her finger and he ain't lettin' go.

John investigates exactly how big Bruce's mouth is.

Next we went to Hollywood Studios, where we saw... Buzz!!!! One of John's favorites. He stood in line for a long time. I have no clue whether he was patient--Reid needed a snack. (Little chunk ate a TON--I guess because of the heat?) John also enjoyed the Toy Story ride there.

I love this pic. John's face is priceless. This was his first parade--the Block Party at Hollywood Studios.

Ah--the beginning of it all. Mickey the Mouse! This was at Chef Mickey's. Spectacular buffet, and lots of time with the core characters.

John's first favorite: Goofy.

Here's John swinging his napkin and dancing in his chair, as all the characters would do at regular intervals. Where else can you do that but Mickey's place? (Certainly not at home!)

Update

I'm going to post a link here to the baby blog because I didn't get a lot of comments, and so I think some of you may have missed it. I posted it about 10 minutes before posting my husband's birthday blog, so I think it got buried. I'm not fishing for comments (I promise!), but want to make sure you all see pics of Reid.



Also, we just got back from the Mouse House yesterday, and as soon as I can go through pics, I'll post some. John absolutely LOVED it! (FYI: it's no vacation--you come home to get some rest :)

Happy Birthday to...

my snowman-building


nap-mat

flight-assistant

substitute milk-machine

playful

baby-carrying

HUSBAND! Happy 31st birthday, Rob!!!!!

Introducing...

Reid Channing DeArman

Born January 14, 2010 at 7:20 a.m., 7 lbs. 7 oz., 21 in. long.

I was scheduled to be induced on the 14th, so we checked into the hospital the night before. Turns out, no prepping was needed! Then, I was given an Ambien at midnight, to get a good night's sleep, and contractions started 5 minutes later! So much for sleep... Then, Reid came into the world seven hours later. Check out our family of four:

John absolutely adores his baby brother. He's such a big help--playing with him, getting a toy for him when he cries, telling me when to change his diaper and feed him, and letting me know when he has spit up in the car (who needs one of those baby mirrors when you have a helpful 3-year-old?).

Reid smiled at 3 weeks, although I think he was mostly responding to the tone of my voice. Still, it was a totally responsive smile, not just an occasional thing.



Such an angel, he sleeps really well. I finally let him sleep through the night at 7 weeks old. Up to that point I would wake him for feedings. He has always been a good napper also--until he started teething, that is. Yes, he has teeth at 3 months old!



Reid slept like this a lot his first month of life--it took him a while to straighten out. I honestly think this is how he was in the womb, squished up and with his head to the side. Whenever we would set him down, he would begin grunting, and after about ten minutes of working, we would find him like this (when he would settle in for a deep sleep):



Big brother showed Reid what to do in the snow in February. As usual, John insisted on holding him. I confess, I'm scared to leave John alone with Reid even for a moment, because I have caught him pulling Reid's head to get him into his lap. However, when supervised, John is really sweet. No jealousy whatsoever!



Easter weekend, Reid "met" his cousin Bryant. Last time they were together, Reid was 2 days old, so he really didn't know what was going on. I'm not sure, but it looks like Reid may be pushing B in this picture. But that's ok, because B whopped him on the head a few minutes prior. Note that Reid is almost as long as Bryant, and yet they are 2 1/2 months apart! Still, Reid looks up to Bryant as the older cousin; after all, B showed him how to suck his thumb. (Yes, Reid started doing it the next day, and I'm sure he learned this from his cousin. Well, that's where I'm placing the blame, anyways.)



Here's all of the monsters--big and little--except for Uncle Mitch. Nick, Bryant, Reid, Rob, and John up top.

And our most updated family picture--in front of the cross on Easter.

6 months... where have I been?

Well, um, in the way of excuses, in the past 6 months I:

1. had to give up keeping Tricia because my big ol' belly got in the way when I carried her seat, or tried to feed her, or burp her, or carry her around the house while I got some things done... you get the idea.
2. began house-hunting. Vigorously. I spent every day searching for houses, comparing prices and amenities to others on the market. (I think the housing market made this more difficult because prices were all over the board--some people couldn't afford to drop their prices, and others wanted out quickly). We went to see houses 2-3 days a week, so that really took up a lot of time.
3. found a house, but had a lot of problems with the sellers, so the paperwork took FOREVER.
4. moved into the house just before New Years. Took a week after owning before we could move in because there was so much to do. It was in bad shape because no maintenance had been done in years, and it desperately needed cleaning. The only thing the sellers did was sweep, because we wrote into the contract to leave it in "broom-swept condition." If we had not written that, I'm sure they wouldn't have swept. We painted 3 bedrooms, did TONS of small repairs, had the carpets and vents cleaned--I can't even remember what all we did.
5. had a baby. Yes, two weeks after moving, Reid Channing made his appearance.
6. struggled to get acclimated to life with 2 boys, while also continuing to fix up this mess of a house, and unpack boxes.

Is that enough excuses? Well, at least I'm back. Pictures of the new little man and the house to come soon. Check back later.