How to survive camping with a toddler while pregnant.

Disclaimer: This post has lots of boring details about the planning of the trips. If you are reading this as a friend or family, just scroll through and look at the pictures. I've provided captions. 

After all said and done, would I do it again? Meh. While it was a great experience for Nathan, I'm finding that the positives and the negatives for this trip have balanced out pretty evenly. With sleep being the most stressful event for us, I'd say (putting my personal discomforts aside) it was a pretty good trip. 

What brought the whole trip experience down was really allergies. There was something in the air that I was allergic to, and the allergy meds that I brought with us didn't work too well. 

Our gigantic 8 person tent. We got it since our family is growing and our 4-person tent would basically just fit the pack and play. At first we thought it may be a bit too big for the 3 (+dog) of us, but after spending a few days in it, we love the extra space. 

Before the trip, I looked all over the internet beforehand to see if anyone had any brilliant tips to offer, I found a few, here are my experiences and I hope this will help someone in the near future. 

Packing

Create a packing list, or several, starting a week before the trip so that you can add things on as you remember them. If you are having lots of preggo brain lapses, a list will be essential. I actually created 2 lists: one for food related and one for non-food. 

Plastic containers are your friend in this case. Besides clothing and cold food items, I tried to organize everything in plastic containers. One blogger suggested packing things in one huge plastic bin and using that bin as a bath tub in the shower. Just fill it up a bit with water, plop the kid in and wash away. It worked pretty well. 

I had one bin each for kitchen gear, bathing, miscellaneous non-food items, and used the large bin to carry non-perishable food items. 

Non-Food Items for Everyone

PJ's, outfits, hoodie sweatshirt or light jacket, swim wear, shoes, sandals, socks, underwear, hats, towels, pillows, sunscreen, insect repellent (be sure to get "family" with lower percentage (7%) of DEET), shampoo/shower gel, lotion, toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, medicines, first aid kit, vitamins, folding chairs, headlamps or flashlight and tent.  Sleeping bag for adults as well as any type of fancy padding that you may want to for comfort. 

We realized last minute that we had left our air mattress at my mom's house last time we visited, so I ended up packing 2 old comforters and using them to cushion me and my baby bump. It was probably one of the most comfortable camping sleeping set-up I've experienced. I slept with a regular pillow and a mini-pregnancy body pillow. It worked. 

Toddler-Specific Items

Pack and play, sheets, PJ's of various types (footie pajamas, two piece long-sleeve and short-sleeve), diapers and wipes, baby carrier, 2-3 toys, 2-3 books, and any comfort items that your kid would need (ex: blanket or stuffed animal). If you want to use the big bin as a bath tub, be sure to bring 1-2 toys to keep toddler occupied while you wash up. (I forgot toys so I just handed him toiletry items for him to pretend-play with). 

We really just used the toys to keep Nathan entertained during the portion of the car-trip when he was awake. We pretty much timed the drive to the campsite during his nap time so that bored-toddler-in-car syndrome would be avoided. He slept for about half of the trip and played with his toys or looked out the window for the rest. Surprisingly, he traveled quite well. On the way back, he slept even longer (even though it wasn't during naptime) and then took an afternoon nap as well. There was so much stuff for him to see, feel, and listen to, that we simply didn't really need to take out any toys. However, when we first arrived, and were setting things up, he was completely happy playing in the front seat of the car. The buttons, controls, and cubby holes were new things to explore and try. And then when he got bored, we gave him a shovel and bucket, which kept him occupied while we finished up unpacking. 

Food 

I planned out each meal so that we wouldn't bring too much food. I threw an extra can of tuna into the box for an emergency situation. If a bear came out and ate all of our bacon, we would still have some sort of protein (and you know how important protein is to a preggo). I also divided the food list up into frozen items, cold items, and non-perishable items. In the cooler, I packed the frozen items on the bottom and the cold items towards the top (since colder, more dense air, sinks). Since we were essentially going on a 48 hour trip, I didn't do anything too special to keep our food cold. I simply bought a 24 pack of bottle water, froze them and packed them between the food layers to keep things cold. We also drank the bottles as they thawed out. 

My 1.5 year old drinks about 18 oz. of milk a day, so I ended up getting aseptic milk (milk in cartons) for him. A 32 oz container was perfect for our needs. I got single serving milk boxes for myself. The milk tasted a bit like evaporated milk, but it worked.  

Nathan's strong man face as he tries to squeeze the milk carton.

All the food prep and cleaning supplies that we brought fit into a plastic container that is a bit bigger than a shoe box. The container also acted as a cleaning bin when it came time to doing dishes. Just squirt a bit of dish soap, add some water and wash. Things that we brought included garbage bag, paper towel, sponge, silverware, paper plates, a camp stove, mess kit, cooking utensils (spatula, whisk, knife, cutting board), propane tank, and lighter. 

Our campsite had this high hook where you could hang your trash bag. We ended up putting our trash bag into a reusable grocery bag and hanging that on the hooks. As we generated waste, we would put garbage in the bag and recyclables outside of the plastic bag, but in the grocery bag. When it was time to leave, we just took the trash bag out, dumped it, and packed the grocery bag home for recycling. 

For breakfast both mornings, I bought whole wheat just add water pancake mix. The first morning, we had bacon and with the left over bacon, I made a broccoli salad for a pot-luck dinner. That worked out pretty well. Our other meals consisted of beans and fajitas and tuna sandwiches. 

S'Mores

What's camping without s'mores? Anytime we broke out the camp stove, we had s'mores. We didn't start a fire or anything this time, but improvised with the camp stove to make toasty marshmallows. We even had s'mores pancakes! 

Nathan wasn't too crazy about eating s'mores, (the kid prefers a plain graham cracker or just the marshmallow) but he loved squishing the chocolate over the marshmallow. 

For our pot-luck, we even made cookie s'mores. Someone bought lots of cookies so Steve had an idea of making cookie s'mores. Sooooo good. 

Doing Things

This time we visited Llano River State Park in west-ish Texas. This is a small park about 2.5 hours west of Austin near Junction, TX. There's a river, trails, and lots of birding opportunities there. We sampled a bit of everything that the park had to offer. 

Swimming/floating the cool river was nice on a hot and sunny day. 

Observed a variety of birds through a bird blind.

Went on a short hike along the river. 

Let Nathan do some some walking...

Which didn't last too long. 

Even after our hike, he wanted to stay in the carrier. 

Every morning, you woke up to a chorus of birds singing. I wish I recorded the sounds, but it was just crazy how loud it got. We also saw lots of wildlife including deer, turkeys, birds, and Nathan's favorite, the Armadillo. 

 At first, it was a bit scary to him, but then I recited a line from one of his favorite books, he got an "oh, I remember" look and then laughed. So, even the nicest animals may seem scary and intimidating.

 Throughout the independent walking portions of our hike, I would encourage Nathan to touch and smell different things. He usually enjoys touching different plants on our walks, so with new plants to touch and see, he was pretty happy to trek on for a short while.

Toddlers love to help out. Camping is also a cooperative experience, so in theory, camping is a perfect opportunity to promote cooperation and working together. Unfortunately, my toddler lacks the coordination to do many things, but throughout the trip, Nathan would "help" us with carrying things, holding Teddy's leash, closing containers or doors, setting up or taking things down, and sweeping.

Sleeping

This was the one thing that I was most worried about and it turns out that I was right. Here are the conditions that we were battling: 

1. Unfamiliar territory

2. Odd nature sounds and random footsteps from an army of armadillos that surrounded our camp after lights out. 

3. A dog who would growl at the above mentioned sounds throughout the night. 

4. Drastic temperature changes 80 at tuck-in time down to a low of mid-50's during the night. 

5. Neighbors in close proximity. 

6. Bouts of sneezing fits along with sniffly nose from me. 

Here is a situation where co-sleeping would be super beneficial, but ever since my son was 4 months old, he preferred to sleep by himself. In fact, he will not fall asleep if I'm around. (Unless he nurses to sleep, but I've only done that one other time on a camping trip to Yosemite). 

First night: We skip the bath because by the time we finished dinner and looking at the armadillos, he was cranky and it was almost an hour past his bedtime. So, I followed the usual bed time routine of books, light swaddle (really just roll a blanket around him), and lullaby before I put him down. When I started the lullaby, he started to cry. but I just continued and then put him down, noticing that he was really sweaty. After a few minutes of crying, I decided to change him into shorts and gave him a cold bottle of water to drink. That seemed to calm him down. I re-sung the song and put him down again. This time, completely leaving the tent, letting him cry. After an eternity of thinking about all of the judgement that I was receiving from the neighbors (about 6 minutes), he quieted down and fell asleep. Aaaaaaah (sigh of relief) and we spent the next couple of hours looking at the clear sky through our telescope. 

When it was time for us to turn in, I lifted Nathan out to put a sleep sack over him. The temperature had dropped a bit and with only shorts and a shirt, he would've gotten pretty cold. He stirred a bit, but I was able to pat and shush him back to sleep. About 10 minutes later, Nathan woke up. (If he ever has a night-waking at home, I just go in and sing him the lullaby to calm him and then put him down. He is normally asleep in a few minutes. Sometimes he cries for 2-3 minutes, but he always goes back to sleep quickly.)  With it being almost midnight, I didn't want his cries to wake up or annoy the neighbors, so I did the usual, sang to him, but instead of just putting him down, I patted his back (while slumped over the pack n play sides with a belly) and tried shushing him to sleep. No luck. 

So then I brought him with me to the sleeping bag. Sometimes it seems like he would fall asleep, but then our dog Teddy would growl at some noise and Nathan would wake up. Eventually, he just wanted to play and started to poke around at my nose and eyes. 

At this point, Steve stepped in and decided that he would try to rock Nathan to sleep. About 40 minutes later, I heard a gentle plop and my husband returning to our sleeping area. We slept soundly until the choir of birds woke us up in the morning. 

The next night, we tried to do things a bit differently and he slept through the night. He did cry for like 10 seconds, but I think it was a dream or a night terror thing. He settled down before I had a chance to get up. 

1. We did the whole routine. Bath, story, swaddle, and lullaby. But I decided to skip putting on the sleep sack later since the weather was going to be a bit warmer. Instead, I would just put a towel over him before I went to sleep. 

2. Teddy slept in the car that night. 

3. Not think about how neighbors may be judging us for letting our baby cry. 

4. If he started to stir and I happened to need to blow my nose, I would just quietly wipe and lay as still as possible. I didn't want him to think that for me to go and get him was an option. 

I, on the other hand, did not sleep as well. My back started to hurt after sleeping in a position for too long, so I had to wake up and readjust everything. Then, sometimes it would take me 20-30 minutes to fall back asleep. And then there was the runny nose. But I'm going to stop complaining here about the allergies and move on. 

For naps, fortunately, we only had to take one in the tent during our trip. Even though most of the tent was in some tree shade, it still got pretty hot. With outdoor temperatures close to 90, you can imagine how hot the inside got. We opened up all the vents of the tent to allow maximum air-flow, but most of the air flow was occurring close to the top, so if you were standing or sitting up, you would feel a nice cool breeze. But if you were laying down on the ground (or in a pack-n-play), the air was still and muggy. So, if you are camping in a hot climate, I would suggest you get a tent that vents all the way to the floor area. 

Nathan fell asleep after crying for 4-5 minutes, but didn't sleep long. 45 minutes was about what we estimated, but I don't blame him. It was too hot. Afterwards, we went to cool off in the river and he was generally pretty happy until bed time. 

Tips for expectant mothers.

1. You are not as _____ as you were before pregnancy. You can fill in the blanks with pretty much any positive word associated with being healthy: hot, fast, able to hike as long, able to carry as heavy a pack, etc. Before we had kids, our camping hikes would be on moderate to strenuous terrain and we would cover anywhere from about 6-12 miles a day. This time I was tired after reaching the .2 mile marker and exhausted after 2 miles. 

Taking a break after 5 minutes of walking.

2. If you have fears of peeing in dark, unfamiliar places, get over it. With a little baby pressing on your oh so delicate bladder, that special feeling can come often (especially if you are downing bottles of water to prevent dehydration). Either reserve a spot close to the bathrooms, or scout out a good spot behind the bushes during the day for easy access at night. 

3. Cushioning is your friend. Camping pads, air mattresses, comforters, and any other sort of padding are your friend when it comes to creating your haven of sleep. We opted to bring extra comforters in lieu of the stroller. Make it a priority. 

4. Have fun, relax, and try to have a positive attitude. I would have to admit, my words towards Steve have gotten a bit harsh and negative throughout the trip. Hormones, aches, heat, allergies, and fatigue can make even the most positive person step into the shoes of a pessimist, but remember, we are all here to have fun, and your hubby is doing the best he can to try to help make things go smoothly too. So if you find yourself being a negative Nancy, apologize, and give him a hug and a kiss. 

I hope I didn't ramble on too much. I give you a lot of extra information to paint the picture of how things worked for my toddler, given his normal mannerisms and temperament. If you have any specific questions, feel free to comment below. Happy Camping. 

Oh, don't forget to bring a camera to document and capture all of these amazing memories that you make. 

Easter Weekend

Dear Nathan,
This past weekend was Easter and we got a chance to do lots of exciting new things. On Saturday, we attended our Church's Easter Celebration. There, you got your arm painted,

A green kitty cat, because you really like cats. 

 and then you participated in your very first egg hunt. Here you are too excited to go look at the eggs that are on the ground.

 By the time you got the hang of it, other kids and parents stormed in and took all the eggs.

But it was ok. You were happy and proud of the ones that you were able to pick up.

Afterwards, we went to the petting zoo area. You were fascinated by the animals and giggled when you saw familiar animals like sheep and bunnies, but you were very cautious, remaining close to me at all times. 

 Then, you sat on the Easter bunny's lap. You weren't afraid or anything, but there was something that caught you attention away from the camera and you were pretty intent on looking at it.

Towards the end of the celebration, we hopped on the train. You really enjoyed the ride and was laughing for most of the trip. You liked watching the other kids squirm and laugh when the conductor drove the train really fast.

After your nap, we all went outside to do some work. You helped daddy wash the cars. You even figured out how to spray water from the hose. You got daddy pretty good a few times.

On Easter morning, you helped me make cupcakes for evening church. You helped me with dumping the ingredients into the mixer, turning the mixer on, and throwing things away in the trash can. Afterwards, you decided to do some baking of your own.

You are using mittens to put and take things out of the oven...just like me. 

 Before lunch, you got to look for some more eggs that the Easter bunny left behind. You were pretty interested for about 5-6 eggs, but then the watering can looked much more fun to play with.

On Monday, we had ribs. I had forgotten how much you liked those things. You chomped away 3 ribs on your own! You showed some interest in the asparagus, even put one on your plate, but you didn't try it.

One morning, we had a playdate with your best friend, Abigail. Here are some of the pictures that we took at the wildflower center.

No new major milestones this week. But you are refining your stepping down from a step skill. You no longer have to bend down and hold onto the ground as you step down a shorter step. 

No new words this week, in fact, it seems like you are regressing in your speech. Your "m" and "n" sounds are being used interchangeably, as well as the "b" and "d" sounds. I can understand what you are trying to say, but someone else may not. 

You are doing better with nodding to respond "yes" and sometimes you will even say "yes" as you nod. 

Most things that you refer to still sound like "stssss:" dip, ice cream, cereal, grapes, but luckily you are sometimes using your signs to help make your communication more specific. This week you have learned yogurt, strawberry, ice cream, and potty. 

This week you have also started to show signs that you are thinking before you act. For example, you tried to take a doll with you upstairs, but when you reached the first step, you handed me the doll and started to climb up. You were able to foresee that holding a doll would hinder you from climbing the stairs. Another instance was when we were feeding your fish. After I turned on the fish light, you ran out of the room. I followed you to see where you were going and found you in the bathroom, trying to push the step stool out. I think you wanted to use the step stool to look at the fish. 

You are also starting to be obsessed with buckles. You will spend lots of time trying to put the buckles on lots of your things together. You will even sit in the car seat after we have arrived at our destination and try to put the buckles back together again. 

Oh, one last thing that you are starting to do more and more is yelp and screech. I understand that most of the time, you are imitating a dog or a bird, but sometimes when you don't get your way, or when something doesn't happen immediately, you start to screech. We are trying to get you to use your words so hopefully this is a short phase and will soon pass. 

Being pregnant with your sister has me in a lethargic state lately. I don't know if it's the heat, or just the largeness of the bump, but I find myself taking my sweet time when doing things. When I attended Zumba today, I felt like I had bricks on my feet and back. I just couldn't move as fast as the instructor, so I just marched my way through many of the dance steps. I'm also finding that I'm running out of breath easier. Even a short climb up the stairs causes me to take a few extra breaths. Oh, and sinus congestion gets pretty bad at night, and only at night from 9 pm - 2 am. It's weird, but I remember this happening when I had you and thankfully it went away in a week or so. 

We are getting ready to go camping. I'm a bit nervous about it, but I think in the end, the experience will be a good one. We all love being outdoors and the weather will be perfect (although a bit on the warm side). I am praying that things will go smoothly and we have a fun but safe mini-vacation. 

You are now 82 weeks old and your little sister is almost 22 weeks old. Exciting. 

Until next week,

Mommy

Week 20.5 Gender Reveal

 Two nights ago, I had this crazy dream where my new baby was trying to latch on to nurse. The problem was that the baby's mouth was too small (the fact that the baby was in the form of a baby snake didn't bother me, it was that its mouth was to small to latch on). Suddenly, to my relief, it transformed into a prehistoric crustacean. Kind of like this one, but bluish purple with a defined mouth. And with it's massive mouth, latching on was not an issue at all.

Today, we went in for the 20 week ultrasound and to my relief, we have a normal looking baby. Everything checked out and looks good. Nathan was really more interested in the screen saver in the exam room rather than the baby on the screen.

So are you ready for the reveal?

For my crunchy mama friends out there (and Steve), rest assured, no ice cream was used in the creation of this photograph. He's actually eating raspberry frozen greek yogurt with a half of a banana inside the cone. I actually had to edit the photo a bit to make the ice cream appear more pink.

So, my childhood wish of having an older boy and a younger girl has come true. As I think about how quickly these past 20 weeks have gone by, I'm kind of preparing for the hectic life that comes with a newborn. So really, I have 20 more weeks of easy life before I become a sleep deprived zombie once again.

There you have it. Nathan will be a big brother to a little sister in a few months. I'm just excited that there will be another girl in the family. Right now I'm outnumbered 3 to 1 (not including the fish in Nathan's tank, which I'm pretty sure are male since they look very fancy and pretty) so baby girl will even things out a bit.

Week 81.21 Playroom reveal.

Dear Nathan,

This week has been a pretty exciting week. Since oak pollen has kept us indoors most days, we've had a lot of playdates at our place. Here's you and your bff Abigail, pushing each other around in the wooden cart. 

 We finally finished setting up the playroom this week and you helped with finishing the window bench seat. You really were fascinated by the hex wrench and tried to unscrew a few things when I wasn't looking.

 We also tried a few new activities. You were kind of excited about this one at first, but then you were more interested in putting the pipe cleaners back into the package.

 And clearly, your microwave is too small for your cooking needs.

Sleep: You are sleeping from 8 to 8. With an afternoon nap from 1:15 to about 3:00 or 3:30.

Food: Your appetite does not seem as voracious as it did a week ago, but I attribute that big appetite to a huge growth spurt (lengthwise). I could tell because during a playdate this week, both I and your friend's mom noticed that you are now taller than her son.

Potty training: Is kind of at a standstill. While you are going potty at pretty predictable times, you are not telling me when you need to go. We are making some progress in that you will nod or shake your head when I ask if you need to go, but you simply lack the initiative to tell us yourself.

Verbal skills: You are saying "ma ma" more often, but it seems like you are starting to interchange your "m" and "n" sounds.  You have tried to say "p" sounds, like "pop," but your mouth just isn't capable of forming that sound. I can tell that it is frustrating you some, but not too much.

And now, the playroom reveal.

This is what the playroom looked like before the remodel. We had a half wall next to the ping pong table, which was a great ball magnet during intense matches.

When the ping pong table was down, there wasn't really any room to play. It looked empty and lacked the inspiration needed for little creative minds.

 So first, we hired someone to come in and take down the half wall and fill in the space with floor.

Got a few shelves from Ikea, added toys and there you have it. A bright and cheery playroom. I finally figured out that in order to make these box shelves not look too cluttered is to not over-stuff them with stuff. So, we got a lot of shelves and baskets. As you can see, there are still quite a few empty spots, but that is ok, because we have another kid on the way.

I've always wanted a window seat so we were able to put one under the window. After many hours of research, I found the perfect Ikea hack to do the job. This is a Hemnes TV stand with about 3 inches of the TV stand legs sawed off. One day I will make comfy cushions for the seat, but for now it is the perfect height for pushing trains and cars around.

We were not quite sure about what to do with the raw plywood floor that we were left with. Carpet? Rug? We finally decided on foam mats that look like hardwood. I'm really loving this because it provides the perfect surface to play, is easily cleanable, and when it's time to replace the carpet, we won't feel bad about throwing it out since it ended up being cheaper than putting in carpet in that small area.

We were also able to incorporate your dad's bachelor furniture into the space. In fact, in a few weeks, I'm going to make a train table with an old Ikea coffee table. I'll post that when it's finished.

The walls are still bare, but I'm sure in no time, they will be covered with masterpieces created by our resident little artists. I'm really happy with our playroom with room to grow.

A few of your friends from the neighborhood came over to play and they approve of the new play area.

Oh, I bet you are wondering if we you are going to have a little sister or brother. Well, we now know, but we have to take a few pictures before the final reveal. This involves you and ice cream. Don't worry, you won't be disappointed.

Week 80.20

Dear Nathan,
This past week has been pretty exciting. You had grandparents visit, a birthday party to attend, and helped me put together a bunch of Ikea furniture for your new playroom.

I am so blessed to have such an sweet and helpful boy. After our weekly grocery run, you even try to help by dragging the heavy bags of groceries from the car to the door. You also make this cute grunting noise. That's how I know that you are working very hard.

 You are quite the observant boy. It seems like you only need to see how something works once before you try to use it yourself. You found the oven mitt the other day and decided to put it on and give everyone in the house a high five.

Another cute thing that you've started to do are body motions. You will do things like clap your hands, pat your head, shake or nod your head, rub your belly, and lift up one leg after we ask you to do it. Oh, and if we put it to music like "If you're happy and you know it," you get even more excited. The cool thing is that you understand both Chinese and English directions. I wonder if you realize that you are learning 2 languages.

You really like washing your hands, but I think you really like drinking from the faucet. I guess you saw how Daddy uses the sink to get water to brush his teeth and decided that the faucet worked like a water fountain (which you must drink from every time you pass one).

On Thursday, I went to the consignment store to pick up some shorts for you. Your current ones still fit you, but they are getting a bit too short for the standards of boy fashion. Anyways, I passed by a girl playing with a kitchen set and decided to check the price. $12. In my mind, I was so excited that I was ready to snatch that kitchen set from the little girl to go pay for it, but my conscience stepped in and I made a circle around the store, picked up some shorts and by the time I got back to the kitchen set, the premises were vacated. I quickly took the tag off of the set and rushed to the cashier to claim my prize.

When Nathan woke up from his nap, I had the thing cleaned up and it was sitting in our kitchen. He played with it for at least 45 minutes before Steve came home.

 It was neat to see him mimic the things that I do in the kitchen. He put his milk cup in the microwave, pressed a few buttons, and made a beeping noise. He would wash his hands in the sink, he even got some water from the dispenser for me to drink! I love to see kids use their imagination, just to see what they come up with and it seems like Nathan is starting to develop it. I am totally excited to see what interesting things he will do with it.

When the grandparents visited this weekend, we were only able to do a few things outside because the weather got a bit rainy. We did, however get to see your cousin play softball. You got pretty excited every time the ball was hit or thrown. You even started to mimic the girls throwing and hitting the ball.

Then we went to a glass blowing demonstration inside a glass store. It was dangerous having two toddlers in a glass store with fixtures priced $500 + But when the demonstration was in progress, you were pretty much so interested in seeing what the guy was doing, occasionally pointing out things and motions that you recognized (like turning things in circles).

Unfortunately, yesterday, your stools became a bit runny. Other than a few bouts of fussiness after waking up from your nap, you were your normal happy self. Things seem to be getting a bit better, as you are on your normal poop schedule, but the texture is still a bit off. Not sure what caused it, but it seems like you were able to tell me that your tummy was hurting.

In the afternoon, you signed that you wanted some crackers. I gave you what was left in a goldfish bag and you went to town, finishing it all.

Another sad thing that has happened is that you have kicked me off of the rocking chair during our story time. You pretty much shove me off and point to tell me to sit on the ottoman as I read you the stories. I miss cuddling with you on the chair. Hopefully you will let me back on soon.

Yesterday, I really started to feel pregnant. I feel like my stomach is now beyond muffin top stage and is a full blown bump. It kind of seems to me that I am currently the size that I was a month or two before I went into labor. If I'm already that big, I'm scared to see how big I'm going to get with this one, and we are almost half way through!

Oak allergies have suddenly hit me like a brick yesterday so I've been a congested and sniffy mess. I did, however, want to take advantage of Steve being home during the day, so we took a half way point bump picture. Nathan was very excited to kiss the bump.

He's so little... in a few years, this boy will be taller than I am. Crazy to even think this. Anyways, we've been working hard on this playroom for the past 2 weeks and I can't wait to get it all finished. I will post a special entry to document the work that we've been doing.

Oh, next week we find out if you will have a little brother or sister. Stay tuned to find out!

Until then,

Mommy

P.S. You are getting pretty good at nodding "yes" and saying "mommy"

1.5 years old (little one is almost 19 weeks)

Nathan,
The time has flown by too quickly. Just the other day we were going to see the doctor for you 18 month check up. I can't believe you are one and a half years old! Stats: You are 33.5 inches tall (this brings you to 88 percentile in height, and in your first year you were measuring coming in at 2-3 percentile) and 21.2 pounds ( 1-2 percentile). I just can't see how you can be so above average in height and way below average in weight. You would think the extra weight from the height would help bump you up. And it's not like you look like a stick or anything. You pretty much look like a normal toddler to me.

Yesterday we went to the Thinkery and got to play outside at the currents fountain. You really enjoyed picking up the plastic bugs and throwing them back in. At one point, you picked up a metal scoop and was working on scooping the bugs out of the water, but the water resistance was too much so you needed some help.

Playing with water makes us hungry! 

 You even tried the painting station. You enjoyed brushing the paint on the glass and tried to use the squeegee.

Since you have had a runny nose, I didn't want to chance it and get other kids sick by going out so we stayed at home a lot this past week. It turns out that it's probably allergies, but better to be safe. Here you are practicing your scooping skills. Pecans and spoons and tongs.

We've been doing a lot of home improvement projects this week and you've gotten a chance to see us use various tools: measuring tape, power drill, paint rollers, hammers, and even a miter saw. You've pretty much imitated us using each of these tools and if you got your hands on one, you would even give it a try yourself. Just today I watched you pick up a hammer and you were about to bang the wall where we had installed a chair rail. We are still working on your playroom and need a few shelves to complete the space. We will definitely post some pictures soon.

I am pretty convinced that you recently had a pretty big growth spurt. Your 12 month shirts are getting so short that we can almost see your belly button when you stand up straight. You are still eating a lot more than you used to, but some meals you don't eat as much. You are still requesting dip for almost all of your food. You even wanted to try ketchup on your blueberry pancakes. You ended up not liking that combination and started to draw in your ketchup and syrup. See the plane that you drew? What an artist! (I just helped by adding the tail of the plane)

 Another cute picture of noodle stars on your face.

Your naps are starting to get shorter these past few days. It seems like you sleep for about an hour and then you just kind of lay in your crib quietly for another 30 minutes or so. I find that if I get you immediately after you wake up, you are super cranky. But if I give you some time alone and then come and get you, you are happy and alert.

Funny story about ice cream. Apparently, you really like ice cream. But since you don't know where we keep it, or how to say ice cream, you came up with a way to show us that you want some: by showing us a picture of an ice cream in one of your books. One night, you brought a book over to me, and when we got to that page with a bear holding an ice cream cone, you pointed at the ice cream and looked at me. I said "ice-cream' in Chinese, and then you nodded happily, and proceeded to climb down the chair, pointing outside the door.

When you want something, and we ignore you, or are busy, you will pull your face really close to ours and make sure we see what you are trying to sign or show us. You have even recently started to pull our legs or fingers if you want us to stop doing something and follow you.

You are getting to be a pretty good climber. Just today, while getting ready to go out, I left you by the car as I went in to take an allergy pill. When I came back out, you were climbing into the car and onto your carseat. When I made a big deal about it, you got the proudest look on your face. It was too cute. On the other hand, there have been times when you have not been the most helpful climber, and get yourself into dangerous situations.

In the mean time, you are still the happy, adventurous and loving boy that I am proud to be a mom of. I leave you with this adorable picture of you and your best friend, hugging each other goodbye.

Baby 2 update: no new symptoms, just stuffiness from allergies, but last night I got this feeling like I just wasn't getting enough air, to the point that I was suffocating. It got better when I stepped outside for some fresh air, but it was a scary feeling. We have not been as diligent in taking belly pictures as we did with Nathan, it kind of looks just the same. Maybe one day when I'm not wearing a T-shirt and work-out shorts, I'll take a bump pic. In two weeks we find out if Nathan will have a little brother or sister.