20 weeks!

I'm 20 weeks! (Half way there!!!)

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 20 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby K is the size of an banana!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 11 lbs

Maternity Clothes: Mostly regular

Gender: It's a boy!!!!

Movement: I've felt the baby move, but still anxiously waiting for those hard kicks! C'mon baby!

Sleep: I can't get enough of it ;)

What I miss: Nothing really - maybe laying flat on my back!

Cravings: today, orange juice

Symptoms: Right now just some fatigue, a little sciatic pain (not as bad since my massage on Saturday), and some heartburn.
Best Moment this week: This week was Thanksgiving. I loved spending time with family and friends, getting the house decorated for Christmas, Christmas shopping, finding out that Baby K is going to have a cousin very close in age (Ashley and Nick will be welcoming a new addition in July!!) and just squeezing my baby boy all weekend long! Oh and I have all the baby clothes washed and ready for Eoin's baby brother! Next, just to work on the nursery! Beyond, beyond thankful for all of that! So thrilled to be having another boy!

Eoin's counting skills!

This little smarty pants showed off at the Thanksgiving table by counting and then again in Spanish! He can count to 20 in English and up to 10 in Spanish! I am amazed by how quickly he retains stuff :) He isn't quite 2 1/2 . . . what's he going to surprise me with next!

Thankful for Parents

Eoin took this picture of my handsome hubby! He did a great job!

finishing his plate

our growing little family!

Little Jewels held a luncheon for parents the Wednesday before Thanksgiving titled 'Thankful for Parents.' It was so cute; we headed to the classroom first where the students performed a little number (mommy was late for this portion!) and then we headed to the cafeteria for a Thanksgiving feast. Eoin was incredibly excited we were there and really didn't want to eat; this is very unlike him! Afterwards, Daddy headed back to work and Mommy spent the rest of the day with our adorable little man . . . it may have been a 'Thankful for Parents' luncheon but we are beyond thankful every single day for a beautiful, healthy, hilarious little boy - Eoin Dean is the light of our lives!

Our Little Smarty Pants

Little Jewels conducted a development evaluation of our little man. Since this blog serves as a 'baby book' of sorts for Eoin, I'm going to take this entry to brag on our little man and post the results of his evaluation. This evaluation was performed on October 27, 2010 (28 1/2 months) and he will be re-evaluated 6 months later at 34 months. Teachers notes in parentheses, my notes in italics :)

Key: NA - I have not yet been exposed.
1 - Needs improvement
2 - I'm almost there
3 - I've got it

Language and Literacy Development

• Knows his first and last name: 3 (and his middle name!!)
• Knows age: 2
• Can identify the first letter of first name: 2 (this could be my fault with the spelling!)
• Shows interest in writing - uses scribbles to 'write': 3
• Recognizes and sings familiar songs: 3
• Speaks in 2-3 word sentences: 3
• Uses pronouns such as 'me,' 'you,' and 'I':

Physical Health and Development

• Can string large beads: 1 (gave up very easily, was frustrated, we will be working on this one)
• Can finish as puzzle with 5-7 pieces: 2 (he does this easily at home?)
• Can draw a line and a circle: 2
• Can build a towner of at least 4 blocks: 3
• Throws and kicks a ball: 3
• Jumps with both feet: 3
• Can balance on one foot: 2 (with help)

Social and Emotional Development

• Gets along well with peers: 3
• Can follow 1-2 step directions: 3
• Participates in pretend play: 3
• Can follow classroom rules and respects classroom materials: 2
• Uses words instead of being physical when angry: 3
• Expresses pride in accomplishments: 3
• Shows growing independence in self-help skills: 2
• Demonstrates increasing comfort in talking with and taking guidance from teachers: 2
• Imitates adult behavior: 3
• Shows care and concern for a peer that is upset: 3
• Knows family members names: 3
• Begins potty training: 1 (doing very well, this would be a separate post!)

Creative Arts

• Experiments with musical instruments: 3
• Participates in listening, singing and finger plays: 3
• Shows interest in a variety of art materials: 2
• Expresses through movement what is felt and heard in various musical tempos: 3

Math and Science

• Can categorize from biggest to smallest: 2
• Sorts objects by color: 3
• Can count to 10: 3
• Can identify primary colors: 3 (red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple listed and circled)

General

• Can name 5 body parts: named arm, leg, head, belly and nose
• Can identify shapes: circled circle and triangle, said I don't know to square and rectangle

Cognitive Development

• Pays attention to an activity for at least 5 minutes: 2
• Understands routine: 2
• Asks 'why' questions: 3
• Applies prior knowledge to a new situation: 3
• Cooperates with others in implementing a plan to solve a problem: 3 (um, he's 2, I can barely do this!)

Teachers notes:
What a fine little boy Eoin is. He is doing well in the Bear Room. He did great on this evaluation. We do not have any concerns for his development. Eoin is a normal two year old boy. We are all working hard on his potty training. We are excited to see how far he will come in the next six months!

19 weeks!

I'm 19 weeks! (almost half way there!)

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 19 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby K is the size of an apple!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 11 lbs

Maternity Clothes: Wore a dress this week, but still fitting into regular clothes so wearing them as long as possible :) Probably won't be able to fit into them after Thursday Turkey Day!

Gender: It's a Boy!

Movement: Every now and then, but not as much as I want.

Sleep: I'm usually pretty tired, so sleeping is a non-issue.

What I miss: Hmm, not too much . . .

Cravings: No cravings right now.

Symptoms: a little heartburn and my back is killing me (cyatic pain)

Best Moment this week: Just being so thankful for this little baby! Thanksgiving is on Thursday :)

Eoin's Entourage

What we at first suspected was a phase has quickly become a way of life in our house. Eoin has to have his entourage, aka trail of belongings, with him at all times in the house and if it were up to him, at all times outside of the house. He cannot sleep, play, eat or relax without his brown blankie, blue blankie, pillow, Eoin pillow, Elmo and giraffe! Often these are just the base items and others, such as a police car, helicopter or fire truck, are accompanied. He will take these items with him from one room to another, from upstairs to downstairs. He chooses to sit on the floor as opposed to the better alternative (in my opinion) of the couch or mommy and daddy's bed so he can lay out his blankies. I think it is pretty darn cute! What else is cute? That he calls his giraffe, 'garaffe' with a hard 'g!' I like to think he is gifted and already knows how to spell it as opposed to just saying it wrong :)

Oh Nelly!

This is one of those pictures that will be burned promptly upon Eoin finding it when he is 16. But for right now, he is so happy to strut (yes, strut!) across my bedroom in nothing but a diaper and some pumps. He has since strutted in some boots and other heels. Maybe it will help with coordination for sports? We'll just keep telling ourselves that. Regardless, he is still adorable!

The Big Boy Room!!

the early morning sun shines in here, he loves his bed!

lil' man almost snuck into each picture!

Just a few pictures of the almost finished product of Eoin's Big Boy Room! I'm so thankful to have such a handy husband who can bring my vision my life! I just love how it turned out! I am also thankful for large walk in closets, so Eoin's toys can all be put away! Now the big question, do I order another twin bed for brother sleepovers?

What we missed

Best Friends

Kissing Cousins!

They could pass as twins!

Eoin's mohawk, courtesy of Auntie Ashee

I had to steal these pictures from Auntie Ashee. Eoin was whisked away to Grandma and Papa's house Saturday morning to more fun than we anticipated. Not only was Auntie Ketka and Nick there to pick up Popeye to bring him to his new home, Auntie Ashee, Uncle Nick and Aidan made an impromptu trip to Central Illinois. Although the trip was due to poor circumstances (we sure hope that Grandma Segal gets better!) Aidan and Eoin had a ball playing together. When Jordan and arrived to pick Eoin up on Sunday morning, they were still playing. After the chaos had wore off and visitors had left Eoin sadly asked, "Where Aidan is?" We can't wait for Thanksgiving for some more cousin time!

Drum Roll Please . . .

. . . Jordan and I woke up very early yesterday morning in anticipation of seeing our little peanut on a screen! We were excited to discover the gender, yes, but I was more excited to discover if everything was okay.

Friday evening I came down with an awful bout of the stomach flu. Eoin had been sick on Thursday and as I precaution I stayed home on Friday with him too. Friday night I had to run into work for a little while and the minute I got home I just didn't feel well. It was the worst! I rarely get sick like that. I was moaning and crying and just wanted to feel better. The stomach virus took everything I had from my body! I slept. Unfortunately I was woke very early with Jordan's take on the virus! We went to the doctor as soon as we could on Saturday morning. I was feeling terrible and just wanted to feel better but moreso I was worried about the baby. We left the doctor still feeling terrible, but thankfully with some Zofran in hand (anti-nausea). My mother-in-law had picked up Eoin before we left for the doctor because we were in no shape to care for him, but we also didn't want to pass it back to him! Saturday, all day, we slept! I was a little concerned about the baby, but who wouldn't be after feeling like death himself had hit me with a truck?

So. . . .after all of that, I waited patiently to be called by the ultrasound tech to see peanut. There is was, a healthy beating heart, beating away at 152bpm. We also got to see a full tummy and a full bladder, both very good indications. Jordan thought I was being silly, but I let out a huge sigh of relief! Then it was onto the other business, boy or girl? Wouldn't you know it the lil' had its legs crossed! No biggie, we had to see the doctor and so the ultrasound tech said we could come back in afterward! I had another chance. While Jordan waited for us to be called back, I ran to the closest pop machine. I was hoping the movement plus a little caffeine would jerk the baby into the 'showing the goods' position. We were called back, the doctor walked in, told us everything was fine and then walked out! So back to the ultrasound room it was.

Legs still crossed. Stubborn.

Another chance! The ultrasound tech had another patient, but she said she had time afterward if we wanted another shot! Of course we did (or I did!) So we headed out to the waiting room. I walked, squatted, jumped, urinated, drank, pushed my tummy - basically did everything and anything to get these legs uncrossed. Back into the room and the legs were still crossed! It should be stated that each time I was in the tech had me move around on the table, pushed on the baby herself and was patiently waiting for the baby to move (side note: I really need to send her a thank you). She was also unable to get some of the measurements that she needed, so we were told that another ultrasound in 4 weeks was inevitable. Incidentally all of the measurements she had already taken were great! Phew, okay, I was thinking at least we would get another chance. But I wanted to know right then. My phone continuously 'dinged' with text messages from other people anxiously awaiting the result! The tech was so incredibly patient, she asked if I wanted to go and get something to eat and come back in awhile. I reluctantly said no, explaining that I should get to work. She gave the baby another chance. I needed to use the facilities, so she would try again after that.

After using the facilities, jumping around and pushing my tummy all in a matter of 2 seconds, I headed back to the room where Jordan was waiting. This was it, it had to be it! As I held my breath, I could blatantly make out crossed legs! We certainly had a determined ultrasound technician, though, she worked and worked at getting the angle just right so she could give us a definite answer.

At one point she stopped, I looked at her face and I knew that she knew. She confirmed my suspicion with a smirk.

We will be having a stubborn little BOY!!!!

I am so happy I found out! I truly believed that I was having a girl. Don't get me wrong, I am NOT disappointed, I'm absolutely thrilled. I get to have two little men! Eoin gets to have a little brother. Jordan will be the proud daddy of two little boys! My shock has subsided and my bonding with my little man has begun!

18 weeks!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 18 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby K is the size of a sweet potato!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 11lbs (should I stop updating this already?)

Maternity Clothes: I wore a pair of maternity pants and I was walking out them all day, so sticking to my regulars for a little while longer :)

Gender: I know what it is!!

Movement: I was afraid I wasn't feeling tons of movement, but the ultrasound tech confirmed today that my placenta is in the front (as with my pregnancy with Eoin) so feeling the movements will come a little bit later for me!

Sleep: I'm so tired - that I sleep pretty good!

What I miss: a glass of wine!

Cravings: hmmmm, nothing at the minute

Symptoms: Just feeling tired, gaining weight, thankfully my skin has settled down for a little while!

Best Moment this week: Definitely this morning, finding out the gender!!!

Festival of Trees 2010

Although I was still feeling a little under the weather, I couldn't pass up the tradition of walking around the Festival of Trees on Sunday morning with my mother-in-law, Lisa, and little man! We arrived too early for Santa but still walked through to see some of the beautiful decorations. Is it too early to put them up at home? I might have some free time this weekend! I once again decorated a tree for McDonald's and loved how it it turned out. I stuck with a McDonald's theme this year. The ideas are already swirling in my head for next years!

Boy or Girl

It's crazy to think, but this time next week Jordan and I will know if we are going to have another son or a daughter. If Eoin is going to have a little brother or sister. Well, we will hopefully know, if the lil' stinker decides to cooperate :)

In the meantime, I thought a fun little blog would be to bring up the old wives tales regarding the pregnancy correlating to gender of the baby . . . let's see which are squashed next week and which hold true.

• How the baby is 'carried.' Apparently carrying high means a girl and carrying low means a boy. If this one is true I think girl. Jordan tells me I am carrying this baby higher than how I carried Eoin.
• Hearbeat. Apparently if the heartbeat is over 140 it means girls, but below 140 that would be a boy. If this one is true, it is a girl. The nurse practitioner even told me this one ;) The heartbeat has been consistently in the 150s.
• Hair on legs. If the hair on the legs grows faster than normal, the baby is supposed to be a boy and if it is the same or slower, then a girl. I have to make the call this one as team green! I honestly have not paid any attention.
• Food cravings. If you crave salty food it is a boy, if you crave sweet foods it is a girl. I have been craving white bread. I don't know if this is sweet or salty or both? Another team green?
• Conception month/mothers age math. According to this, one would add the conception date (July in my case which would equal 7) with the mother's age at conception (27). If the total is odd it means boy and even means girl. This one is definitely girl as it equal 34. I had to do this one with my pregnancy with Eoin to see if it worked. My conception date then was September and my age was 24 which equals 33, odd, meaning boy, so it did work for Eoin!

We will know either way very soon, but according to this, I would say that a little girl. I'm not buying bows yet (or maybe I have, but that is another post), but all shall be revealed on Monday November 15th!

17 weeks!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 17 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby K is the size of an onion!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 6 lbs

Maternity Clothes: I received a super cute shirt/jeans/cardy for my birthday and thanks to two friends my maternity wardrobe is huge! I am not wearing it yet though, I wore one dress this week and my tactful receptionist commented on how big I looked :) Maternity clothes definitely emphasize the bump, for now, I'm sticking to my leggings!

Gender: Can't wait to find out . . . one week from today! wow!

Movement: Pretty sure I have felt the 'movements,' the bubbly feeling ones, but I am looking forward to some good kicks (or punches)

Sleep: I sleep really well; I continue to wake up a little b/c I am afraid to sleep on my back, but otherwise, I'm out like a light early!

What I miss: Sushi . . . I may have eaten a small, cooked piece at Fresh Market yesterday

Cravings: Food! I'm hungry this week!

Symptoms: Getting bigger! I'm also really ravenously hungry.

Best Moment this week: All the moments are good :) haha, just playing with my little man! His personality has developed and he is so cute! He makes me laugh all the time!

Shaving Cream = Fun

I know that I rant and rave about how amazing Little Jewels is and here I go again. We are thrilled with not only the opportunities that present themselves to Eoin and our family through Eoin's attendance at Little Jewels, but the staff is amazing! Seriously! They are incredibly passionate and truly love going to work every day. Eoin's main teacher, Ms. Deanna, is actually director certified but chooses to remain in the classroom because she loves the interaction with the children. Yesterday, while working diligently, I received the daily update from Ms. Deanna (we receive an email daily with their activities, what they are currently working on, what they played with, what is on the menu that day and any upcoming reminders) and there were pictures attached. I spied this one with Eoin! Look at how content this room full of two-year olds is!! I always swear that the teachers work some sort of magic to get 16 two year old to listen and to take naps in the same room! Clearly they were having fun! Maybe a little messy, but totally worth it!

Eoin-isms

Eoin's speech abilities have grown tremendously as of late. Not coincidentally the amount of time that he actually spends talking has also increased. He talks and talks and talks. And while we can understand what he is saying for the most part, some of it even makes sense!

Same conversation every morning:
Eoin: Where is Daddy at?
Ciarra: Where do you think he is?
Eoin: At work.
Ciarra: Yep, he is at work!
Eoin: No he isn't! He's at a baseball game!

Eoin has been to exactly 4 baseball games in his life (4 Peoria Chiefs, 1 Normal Cornbelters) and it has stuck!

Today in the car:
Eoin: I see more tractors!
Ciarra: You do? Do you like tractors?
Eoin: yah
Ciarra: What do you want Santa to bring you? (we are getting closer to Christmas and I feel the need to start talking about it with Eoin, don't judge)
Eoin: TRACTORS!!!!
Ciarra: Now, you know in order for Santa to bring you tractors, you need to be a really good boy and ask him nicely for some tractors, right? (yes, I think he gets this!)
Eoin: I'm a bad boy.
Ciarra: No, you are a good boy! I think you are a good boy.
Eoin: I'm a bad boy at school.
Ciarra: (thinking: my child is golden, who is telling him that he is bad!) You need to be a good boy, say, "I'm a good boy."
Eoin: I'm a good boy.

Ending the night

Say 'Chhhheeeeese!'

once again another horribly unflattering picture of myself, but isn't that little man the most adorable little guy ever!

saying 'hi' from his blankie, this is a new obsession

Loving on Popeye!

More loving on Popeye

With Aunt Joni, giving Popeye hugs and kisses

I know I am on a posting overload today, but we had such a great weekend, there is so much to document! These pictures were taken towards the end of Halloween night. Eoin was on a complete sugar high and was literally jumping around! We finally got him to sit on his blankie for a little bit and then he sat to give Popeye some love. Popeye is a sweet little black cat that Lisa found by her work. The cat, or kitten, since it is only 5 months old, had its legs tied together and was drench in cooking oil. After a few vet visits and a lot of love, tlc and baths, Popeye is fitting in as one of the family and once declawed will be joining Jessi in Davenport. Hurry, Jessi, Eoin has a new friend!

Happy Halloween!

Buzz Lightyear to the rescue!

flying

Eoin and Grandma Lisa

Eoin and Daddy

Eoin and Grandma's neighbor/Eoin's friend Aidan

Trick or Treating for the first time at Drew and Nicole's house

This was the first house Eoin walked up to by himself (we were very close behind)

Look he is such a big boy!

on a mission for candy!

waiting with Daddy

Trick or treating with the pretty Uhren girls!

flying down the sidewalk!

knocking all by himself! He looks absolutely thrilled

Eoin and Henry, his adorable classmate

Eoin enjoyed handing out the candy moreso that receiving it!

Yesterday was one of my favorite 'holidays.' October 31st was rang in with lots of fun! This was the first year that Eoin actively participated in trick or treating. After running some treat bags over to our neighbor children and a good nap, we headed over to Mama and Papa Kohn's for a feast of chili and some trick or treating. Eoin was truly the hit of the party and kept me laughing the entire time!

Eoin was a trooper trick or treating, hitting first the houses where we knew people, he wanted to continue. It was a little cold for me, so I headed back to the house while Jordan and Eoin continued the hunt for free candy. Eoin made the cutest out of the million Buzz Lightyears that were out this year. He really loved his costume and I have a feeling it will be difficult to keep him from wearing it in the coming months.

After trick or treating, Eoin was just as entertained by the hoards of trick or treaters that rang the doorbell. Each time he heard the bell or a knock, he would exclaim, "oooohhh, who's that?" and run to the door! He may have played the 'one for you, one for me' game whilst giving away candy. This game may or may not have led to a sugar high that kept me (and much of the rest of the house) laughing for a long time! My favorite "Eoin-ism" of the night was while he was playing in his playroom, Auntie Erin and I crept downstairs to scare him. Erin shouted 'rawr' and frightened Eoin, he screamed and then said, "I pooped!" Hilarious!

It was a long, but fun-filled weekend!

16 weeks!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 16 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby K is the size of an avacado (Guacamole, yum!) ha!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 6lbs, and hoping to stay at this for a little while.

Maternity Clothes: I'm wearing my normal clothes but they are certainly tighter. I had some pants in my closet that happened to be a little bigger so I am excited to wear those for a while now!

Gender: Can't wait to find out! 2 weeks from today!

Movement: I have definitely felt movement; I had book club on Thursday night and the baby was definitely moving . . . still excited for Jordan and Eoin to be able to feel it, though!

Sleep: I've started waking up; I want to make sure I am lying on my side, so that and then there are the bathroom breaks!

What I miss: Hmmm, I have kind of been indulging, but honestly, not thinking about some things that I have to put in my mouth/or don't put in my mouth. I had a boxed lunch for a meeting on Friday and I didn't like having to excuse myself to heat up the lunch meat and besides that, heated up lunch meat? not so good.

Cravings: still lovin' everything carb!

Symptoms: I'm actually feeling really great! I ran another 5k yesterday . . . I'm so glad to be 4 months preggers and still able to finish 3 miles in about 32 minutes :)

Best Moment this week: It was Halloween! Eoin lights up every week as I am sure the new baby will too . . . next Halloween I will get to come up with a theme, exciting! haha Also, I had a little doctor appt. this morning (uti, blah) and got to hear the little heart beat! It is in the 150's :)

Hurry, Hurry Get to Nana's House

Everyone screaming! Even Baby Kennedy!

The best of friends!

Saturday morning we woke up early for a much anticipated trip to Nana's house! Eoin had been talking about it all week. He knew that we were going to see Nana on Saturday, he would say so, but although he can say the days of the week, he hasn't grasped the concept yet. When I told him it was Saturday and we were heading to Nana's house today he could barely contain his excitement!

We had a couple of stops on the way to see Nana (and McKaylah and Kennedy and Kelly) and Eoin fell asleep before our first one, which was Ikea, so I decided to stay in the car with him while Jordan has a pit stop at Bass Pro Shops (hunting season has begun and he has a new boat to outfit!). Eoin awoke while Jordan was still shopping. "Are we at Nana's house?" were the first words out of his mouth. I hated to disappoint the little man, but the next stop was Ikea and he LOVES it there. They do such a good job of making the store kid friendly. Although it was a quick run in and out (seriously, it can be done, even at Ikea!) we did let him play a little! Above are the pictures of him running through a fun play stop. After Ikea we had another short stop at Long Grove for some Irish sausages at the Irish Boutique and then on the Nana's House. Eoin has a song (sung to the tune of Hurry Hurry Drive the Firetruck) that we sing on the way to Nana's house, with verses for each person we are going to see! After many verses, we finally arrived!

After a very fun filled evening and an amazing dinner, the night was topped off with a bath with the kiddos! Eoin cannot get enough of McKaylah! He wanted to spend so much time with her, he skipped his nap! He also had a blast riding McKaylah's tricycle and playing outside with Kennedy and Nana (and wearing Nana out!).

I say this everytime we visit, but I truly wish we lived much closer!