2.0 Update - 20 weeks

A little update on the new baby, affectionately known as 2.0.
Had my 20 week doctor's appointment today. Everything was good, my weight gain was good and so far the doctor is happy with progress on the weight front (very stressful if you're a woman!). Heard his sweet little heartbeat and that was it for today. Go back in 4 weeks for the 1 hour glucose test and another checkup and in 6 weeks for a follow up ultrasound. That one should be the 3d/4d one so that will be very cool. At these appointments, no excitement means all is normal but it is always good to hear the heartbeat. I'm starting to feel flutters now, starting to feel him move. If I sat down long enough, I'd probably feel him more but, with a crazy 18 month old, that doesn't happen too often!!

We have lights. a ceiling fan and trimwork....but no doors

Very exciting in house-land. We now have lights and a ceiling fan in our new room!! The HVAC was running last weekend and now we have lights working in there too. The electrician finished his devices today and the carpenters worked on trimming out the windows and door openings. The only bad news - and really big pain - is that the doors came in hinged wrong so we won't have the correct doors until Tuesday next week. We were hoping to have everything past us this week. We should still get a final inspection while our contractor deals with the door issues. Then we have lots to do to get ready for carpet the following week. We're getting soooo close. My nesting instincts are starting to kick in and I'm ready to get the house put back together.

Closet door casings - no doors just yet
Front windows trimmed out

18 month check up

Eli had his 18 month check today at the doctor's office. Overall he's in great health and developmentally doing great. A few issues came up: 1) eczema - ugh. I had been worried about the patches on his skin and we now have prescription creams to help beat the flare up. 2) Ear infection - another one, double ugh. Last time it was his left ear, this time his right. Back on antibiotics to hopefully get past it. I'll be so happy when spring gets here and everyone gets over being sick.

Today's stats:
Weight - 29 pounds - 75-90th percentile
Length - 34-1/4" - 90-95th percentile
Head - 49 cm - 75-90th percentile

He's still on his own growth curve and is going to be our big boy. We're glad everything else went well and next check up at 2 years.

Cute pictures

I couldn't resist posting come cute pictures of Eli from today. Isn't that what this blog is all about - at least for a few more months until he has to share it, and everything else, with his brother. =)

Hanging in the soon to be playroom

Mr. Bedhead - after his 3-1/2 hour nap!!

Loving Miss Belle tonight. He loves to crawl in her bed and this time he gave her a "hug".

House update.....almost done

Whew, it's been a busy week in house-land. This week was all about drywall - hanging, finishing and painting. They were hoping to have it finished by end of day Wednesday so the carpenters could start the trim work but the drywall mud had issues drying so it took longer. They finished the sanding Friday afternoon so that allowed Tim to prime paint the walls and ceiling and then actually paint color on the walls this weekend (thanks honey!!). It was good to get that done before they start trimming out the windows, installing base and doors tomorrow. We expect the carpentry work to take two days and the electrician will also come put the switches, outlets, cover plates and lights in. So hopefully, if all goes well, the room will be finished with a final inspection by the end of this week. That will then give us a week or so to get some things done and cleaned up before carpet is installed. The outside of the house is complete except for painting. We have to wait for warmer weather to finish the painting. Hopefully that will come soon - not just for painting but so we can all start enjoying outside more!

Eli trying to mix drywall mud
Drywall installed

Eli checking out Daddy's paint job

New paint job is Mommy + Eli approved - Daddy did a great job

Marbles Madness

Today Carol & I took the boys to Marbles Kids Museum. We thought it would be fun to take them for a little exploring - I prefer to call is madness at Marbles! There were kids everywhere and the boys had so much fun. The first thing they found was the little amphitheather where they just started climbing. From there, we saw the marble wall and then went into the family playground. Oh my, it won't be long before the boys really enjoy that area. They both had fun pretending to drive different vehicles but there was so much available for dress up. They're not quite old enough for that but one day we'll have a little fire fighter driving the pretend fire truck - I did try to get Eli to wear a fireman's hat but no way was that happening. When we finally wrestled them away from that area, we went upstairs to check out more of the museum. There was a neat health fitness related area where they tried playing sock hockey, riding exercise bikes and jumping on a trampoline (we've been trying to teach Eli how to jump for a while now). Then over to the around the world exhibit where we saw an igloo with snow dogs, a carnival festival with drums and dancers, and a trade market. Of course, we had to stop several times for snack. These two boys love their snacks and won't let anyone let them go hungry!

After Marbles, we attempted to go to Moe's for lunch. I say attempted because the boys were overstimulated and tired, Eli was pretty fussy. Carol & I ate lunch in record time. Eli started it off by smashing chips on the table and then pushing them off the table on the floor. He did eat some black beans but that was about it. He was done with being out and wanted to take a nap. Ryan ate pretty well but he was ready to go home too. Back in the car, it didn't take long for the boys to zonk right out. They're so cute together and after the crazy morning we had, they were especially cute sleeping!!

Little ambulance driver
Learning about hockey from Ryan and his mom - a great thing about having Canadian friends!

Little hockey boy - so what if the puck is supposed to be on the "ice"?

Jump, jump, jump

Snack time - just sit down and start snacking, doesn't matter where!

Mommy & Eli in the igloo

Whoa, these boys look just like us

Zonked out after a fun morning

Happy 18 months Eli!

Hard to believe that Eli is 18 months old today. He is learning so much and talking up a storm. We're having a lot of fun with him and are looking forward to more discoveries in the near future. Nothing exciting today (it has been a busy work week), just dinner out at Boston Market. Here's a picture of him from my cell phone cheesing for the camera. He was so cute telling everyone hello in the restaurant.

Thank Heaven for ........ Grandma

Do you remember when you were growing up and your Grandparents were the most wonderful people in the world? I sure do and I still love my Grandparents dearly to this day. But now I'm also learning the value of your parents being Grandparents. Of course, everyone knows we had a rough week this week with Eli being sick again and being out of school all week. My Mom came up last night to spend the night with us and give us a little break today. It was such a wonderful treat!! I think I needed her more this weekend than ever. She & Eli had so much fun playing and hanging out while Tim & I did stuff for the house. It was a productive day - we hung the last two roman shades for the living room, went to Sherwin Williams and got some paint samples for several rooms, signed our contract for new carpet and made a quick pit stop in Target. All of this alone!!! It was so nice to get out and take care of some errands and things knowing that Grandma was loving her time with Eli and that Eli was getting lots of love and attention. There are never enough ways to say thank you to your parents for all they did for you growing up but also for what they do as Grandparents. Some pictures from the day:

Art time with Grandma - making a Valentine

Swinging outside

Climbing on the jungle cube

Grandma teaching Eli how to play tee-ball

Happy Valentine's Day

Heart shaped pancakes - what a great way to start the day

Eli & House update

Eli: He seems to be doing better. We still have our trying moments - he's very clingy, sensitive and moody, a constant roller coaster of emotions. No fever today, thankfully. The doc's office called today to check on him and said if he has a fever tonight of over 101 to come back tomorrow. I hope we don't have to. We've kept him home from school all week and will until Monday so that hopefully we can shake this thing. Today we stayed close to home but tomorrow may venture out (cabin fever is a tough thing!). Tonight we did go over to Carol's house to have pizza with her & Ryan while Kevin is out of town. The boys were so happy to see each other - as were we happy to have adult conversations. And Tim loved getting an ice cream treat (thanks Carol!).

House: Our house project is coming along. Today was the insulation inspection (electrical, mechanical & framing were earlier in the week) and tomorrow they start hanging drywall - woo hoo! Outside, the new siding and trim are done and now they are going around checking for other rotten pieces of siding and trim that need to be replaced. May start painting the outside tomorrow too. It has been kinda hard with Eli sick and people in our house (and Belle barking really really loud - anyone want a dog? I would have easily given her away today.) but we're close to the finish line. Tim & I are giddy excited about the new room and just getting the house back in order. The carpet people come tomorrow afternoon to measure for carpet and I think it'll be about 3 weeks after that before they can install. So, hopefully the room will be ready in less than 2 weeks and we've have some time to paint and then carpet. Woo hoo! We may move some things around this weekend to start painting Eli's new room. He has enjoyed sleeping in our bed this week (the only way the house has been able to sleep at night) and he seems ready to be out of the crib. Trying the big boy bed isn't that far away.

Newly insulated interior

Back of the house

Finished front view

The lighter side.....weekend adventures

Although we're going through another rough week of sick in our house, we did have fun last weekend. Friday night Tim & I went out to dinner with friends as a surprise 40th birthday dinner for one of the girls. Hard to believe we were out two weekends in a row!! Saturday morning, we played around the house and made a trip to Lowe's to get a few things for the house and arrange for them to measure the house for carpet. After nap, Eli & I met Carol & Ryan for a walk. We walked to the lake and then the playground, letting the boys run around and play. They had so much fun and the big twisty slide that Eli cried on before, he loved now! Sunday we stayed close to home again. Tim took Eli on a bike ride around the neighborhoods and the lake - Eli really enjoyed the bike trailer. We were worried since it has been so long since he had been in it. It was a nice few minutes of quiet for Mommy. =)

Other than that, not too much to report. Just stayed close to home and enjoyed not having specific plans.

Pushing blankie around the house Saturday morning

Swinging with Ryan

Stroller switch-a-roo. Ryan didn't want to get in his so we just switched the boys. Worked like a charm!

Like Daddy, like Son - helmets on, ready to ride

Let get this ride started Daddy!

Here we go again...

I had great intentions of posting tonight about our fun weekend of not-many-plans and just hanging close to home. That got trumped by a phone call from Eli's school at 3pm today that he had a fever of 103.3. Ugh - here we go again. It feels like we JUST got over being sick. So, a little nervous after the whole hospital thing, I called the doctor's office. In we went for a 4:30pm appointment to find out that he has an ear infection in his left ear and a bad red / sore throat. Since we just stopped antibiotics last week for the other stuff, they gave him an injection of antibiotics to help get him started and then sent us home with a different prescription for the next 10 days. Amazingly, only an hour or so after the shot, Eli is acting like a different child. His color is good and he is playing like nothing is wrong. We hope this means a decent night for us and especially a good day tomorrow for Tim & Eli - they'll just be hanging out together. If all goes well, tomorrow night I'll post a weekend update with pictures - hint: we had lots of fun outside.

And the stretchy pants come out....

Today, for the first time, I opted for stretchy maternity pants. And they're oh-so-comfortable! I put on khakis this morning and they were just a little snug to where I knew I wouldn't be comfortable all day so I pulled out the khaki pants with the expando maternity waist. I guess they had to come out at some point. =)

Nursery for 2.0

Let me explain the "2.0" comment. As most of you know, Eli's first nickname was "Bubba Jim". Since we found out that we were having another baby, we've joked about another Bubba Jim or Bubbet Jim. Now that we know it's a boy, we call him Bubba Jim 2.0. And then we shortened it to just 2.0. So Eli is 1.0 and his brother is 2.0, the sequel.

Anyway, I've struggled with whether or not to change the nursery so that 2.0 has a different room. I've battled with logic, reason and just how I feel. Logic and reason tell me that it's another boy, he won't know the difference, we'd just be spending money so leave it the same. My feelings tell me that he will already get all his stuff as Eli's hand me downs so I want him to have something new of his own. So of course, my feelings won out and I ordered some adorable bedding from Target. And it just so happens to kinda fit with the safari theme of the cross stitch I started. Here it is:

Monkeys, elephants, lions...oh my

Isn't it the cutest?!

How much can you cram into two days?

Apparently a lot....I'll try to break it into parts and pieces.

Grandpa & Grandma C visit:
Saturday morning Grandpa & Grandma C came up to visit for a while. I think they wanted to lay eyes on Eli and make sure he's doing ok after being sick. It was great to see them and they enjoyed spending about five hours with Eli. It gave Tim & I time to do some house chores and measure our rooms to price out carpet. Other than that, we just hung out with them and observed play time (aka - relaxing on the couch!!).

Eli stole Grandpa's toast off his plate and ate the whole thing. He thought he was so funny.

Playing shapes with Grandma while Grandpa draws a picture.

Grandpa's little guy =)

House update:

One of the guys worked on our house project on Saturday. He pretty much finished up the siding on the gable end of the house. Tomorrow he'll start on the back of the house and then move to the front. The inside is framed up, just waiting for the reordered windows to arrive on Thursday. The electrician was here Friday and got all the outlets and switches installed as well as our can lights. This week should be new roof, finish siding, install HVAC unit, finish electrical, framing inspection and start insulation / sheetrock. These guys are moving fast!

Siding in progress

Dinner and Hockey game:

Saturday evening we went out to dinner at Brio with our friends Carol and Kevin. Ms. Katie watched Ryan and Eli at our house so we could have a grown up night out. It was so nice! Dinner was fantastic and after, we all had tickets to the hockey game. Carol & Kevin were seated almost directly across the ice from us so it was fun to wave to them throughout the game. I was fortunately given second row tickets from a sub of mine at work. Tim & I had been in the box seats before but never this close. It was so much fun! We enjoyed the game much more down there. There were a few bumps into the glass where we were and also one flying hockey puck that made me jump. Meanwhile, back at home, seems like the boys did pretty well and didn't even really care that we were gone. They love playing together and they love Ms. Katie so it works perfectly!

Took this with my phone at the game

Back at home, the boys were having a blast.

Tricycle practice:

This morning Tim brought out Eli's tricycle and Eli practiced riding it. He can climb on by himself and has learned how to ring the bell. He can touch the pedals at top position and knows what to do. He just needs another inch or so and he'll be off and riding.

I'll be cruising before too long

Hiking:
Later this morning, we went on a family hike at Umstead. Just as last time, we let Eli walk for a while to start and then put him in the backpack hiker on Tim's back. He had fun touching trees, picking up rocks and sticks (and trying to pick up the occasional root!) and just being outside.

Tree

Hiking with Mommy

Pooped out midway through the hike - he was even snoring!

A new project:
So if you remember, I did an Under the Sea birth record cross stitch for Eli. I did most of it while pregnant and then just filled in his birth date when he was born. I have been looking for one to do for Baby 2 and today picked up this 'Wild Thing' safari one. I couldn't wait and already started it while Eli was napping this afternoon. This one is a little more complex than the other one so it'll take me a while - it's a good thing I'm starting early this time!

Another hobby:
And because I have absolutely nothing to do (yeah right!), I decided that I needed to pick up another hobby (scrapbooking, cross stitch, reading, exercising and family just weren't enough). I have been wanting to learn how to knit. My neighbor Breda is an expert knitter and taught classes for several years and she agreed to teach me. I had been trying with books and you tube videos but it wasn't clicking. I had my first lesson yesterday and learned how to do long-tail cast on and then the knit and purl stitches. I did a small swatch at her house yesterday and then tore it out to practice casting on again before I left. Below is the picture of what I started after I got home and then worked on some today. Now I'll take this back to her and we'll measure my gauge to determine if I'm a tight or loose knitter and then she'll help me on reading patterns and more lessons. Now why did I feel the urge to knit? I've read so much about it lately and, once I mentioned it to some of my friends, I realized how many of them knit. I really wanted to do something different for Baby 2. Everyone says that the second child doesn't get the same treatment as the first - and I know that's true. But I want to do some special projects for him and also some for Eli and who knows, if I get good at it maybe a few Christmas gifts.

My little knitting so far - I think it looks good for a newbie!