Can I bam on it?

Yesterday afternoon after Chase and I got home (me- work, Chase- Bebe's), he inspected the less-cluttered dining room and more cluttered garage (we're having a yard sale in a couple of weeks).  Chase spent a few days with Bebe and Pop's and Matt and I cleaned the garage, priced yard sale items and moved them all into the now-cluttered, full-of-yardsale-junk garage.  When I drove into the garage, I immediately got nervous about all the things Chase would demand to take out of the yardsale piles and bring back into our house.  He did as I expected but I laid down the law.  I only let him bring in one old toy that he insisted he needed (even though he hasn't touched it in 2 years).

When we went inside, he spotted these 2 shining buckets that were sitting in the dining room- I like them but have no idea where I want them stored/used (anyone have any suggestions?).  He decided they should be used for drums.

He asked for some spoons so he could 'bam on them'.

This 'music' he was making was probably the loudest thing I've ever heard in my life.  I think my ears might still be ringing from it, actually.

But he had a blast and especially enjoyed my exaggerated squeals from the loud noise.

I expected baby boy #2 to be kicking and thrashing from the loud noise.  Maybe all that cheese dip and Mexican food I ate for lunch kept him well insulated.  :)

At any rate, it was an (loud) afternoon that I want to remember.

Just funny

Chase makes me laugh so much these days.  Check out the look he had going on yesterday before school:

He is so fully of personality and loves to pretend.  He also loves to put random hats on (or even buckets that he pretends to be police hats).  It makes me laugh to think back to when he was younger.  I would try to put hats on him or sunglasses and he absolutely hated it.  Not anymore.  :)

My boys

We had our 18- week ultrasound yesterday and got the exciting news that IT'S A BOY!  We're having another boy!  I'm excited about the sweet simplicity of little boys but of course a little sad that there are no ribbons, bows or pretty little monogrammed dresses in our immediate future.  But, you know what makes me especially excited?  Another one of these:

I'm excited about the fun energy that little boys bring into your life.

And the sweet little things they say.  Like the way he told me he liked my scarf yesterday (otherwise known as my skirt).  He felt it, looked at me and said, "Mommy, I like your scarf.  It's preeetty".

 

I'm excited about more sporting events and father-son bonding moments like this:

And I'm pretty excited about the mother-son bonding moments like this:

At the UNC hospital waiting room, waiting for our ultrasound.

Besides.  Don't they say that little boys sure do love their mamas?  :)

17 weeks

I haven't posted much  about this pregnancy since announcing our big news.  However, when one of my friends requested a baby bump picture I thought that maybe I should also add it to the blog.  Even if no one else is interested in seeing me look like I ate too much, it's a good way to document this journey.

 

It's hard to believe we're already at 17 weeks.  And it's even harder to believe that we get to find out the gender of the baby next week!  Matt and I are so excited to find out about that.

Other things for the sake of 'documenting' and remembering this 2nd pregnancy: I'm feeling much better than I was all throughout the first trimester, thank God.  Still pretty tired but not feeling as sick as I was.  My back is starting to hurt sometimes if I overdo it.  It's different than when I pregnant with Chase.  With that pregnancy, my back hurt throughout the whole pregnancy but it hurt more to sit for long periods of time.  With this one, if I stand for too long it starts hurting and only feels better when I sit or lay down.

Chase is really funny about the baby, too.  Anytime we talk about the baby in my tummy he says that he has a tiny baby is HIS tummy.  And it's always a tiny baby that he talks about.  never just a baby.  Yesterday morning he announced to Matt and I that he was going downstairs to fix breakfast.  He rubbed his stomach to demonstrate and said, "My tiny baby's hungry."  I laughed and asked if he needed my help.

Pacie Fairy

Chase is almost 3 and a half and still very attached to his pacifier (aka pacie).  Back in December we talked about maybe having him give them to Santa (Matt's idea) but that didn't end up happening.  At our last dentist appointment, Chase's dentist said that as long as it's gone by age 4 then we'd be ok.  That made me feel a little bit better.  We had more time.  But now that we'll have a baby (!) 2 months before he turns 4, I started thinking about how we need to break that up a bit more.  The poor guy is already going to have so many things changing.  I wanted to do this well before baby #2 is here.  A friend of mine said that when her daughter was 3, they mailed her pacies to the Pacie Fairy.  They put them in an envelope, took them to the post office, and mailed them off together.  I thought it was a brilliant idea.

So I decided that we were going to do that.  I started talked to Chase about the pacie fairy a few weeks ago.  I didn't think he was paying much attention until I picked him up from daycare last week and found a pacie in his bookbag.  When I saw it, I reminded him that it wasn't supposed to be anywhere but home and that we wouldn't be using them for much longer.  His teacher overheard us and asked Chase what was going to happen to his pacie.  He told her that it was going to the pacie fairy.  I was thrilled to hear that he got it.

I just wasn't exactly sure when the pacie fairy would be coming.  I was a little stressed about that.  So this past weekend, we were out shopping, and Chase picked out a toy that he really wanted.  Knowing that he needs a new toy like he needs 25 more pacies, I gave Matt "the look" that told him we needed to say no.  But then I started thinking.  What a great distraction from the trauma of having to give up his dearly loved pacies!  So I told him we'd buy the helicopter but that the pacie fairy would be coming in exchange for his pacies that night.  He didn't seem to care and just wanted to get that toy home and out of the box.

So we packed up all 15 pacies, put them in the blue bag, wrote the letter to the pacie fairy and then put them in the mailbox for her to pick up.  Chase helped me put the bag in the mailbox because I really wanted him to see what was happening and understand that they were going away.

This happy face would turn into a very sad face several hours later when the reality set in.  It was one of the most difficult nights as a mom when my precious boy cuddled up to me with tears streaming down his face, telling me he was sad.  He cried twice.  Once when he put his pajamas on.  "I'm SAD!" he said in the sweetest, most pitiful little 3-year-old voice I've ever heard.  And then once when I was laying down with him before bed.  He started crying again and asked for a pacie.  When I told him they were gone, he said, (again, in the sweetest, more pitiful little 3-year-old voice I've ever heard) "Can we buy some more?"  Ah, rip a mama's heart out, why don't you?  It literally killed me.

BUT.  We made it!  Last night was night 3 and there were no tears!  In fact, he hasn't even asked for them at all other than the first night.  The day after the pacie fairy came, he asked me where she took them.  I explained that she took them to babies for them to use.  I think he understood.  Man, I don't know who had a harder time with this , me or Chase.  Either way, I'm glad it's over. 

Thank you, Pacie Fairy.

Through his eyes

Lately Chase has made quite a habit of insisting that he needs certain things as he's leaving our house to go to school.  Or leaving Bebe and Pop's house to come home.  Or leaving our house to go to their house.  Usually, he'll insist that whatever toy he happens to be playing with at the time needs to come with us.  Also, it's usually (at least with my experience) something that he openly talks about.  Last week, however, he managed to slip Bebe's camera (that she'd been using to take pictures of swim lessons) into his book bag.  without her knowing.  The funniest part -to me- is that he pulled the camera out once he got to school and proceeded to take pictures of his friends.

The teacher is looking over like he's harmlessly taking pictures with his 'play camera'.  Little does she know...

Some of the pictures were of the floor.  or other random things.  like his cool monkey backpack.

Once he got home, he continued the photo session and even told us to make certain faces for the camera.  I'll be vain and not post the pictures he took of me in my pajamas.  Instead I'll post this oh-so-flattering picture of Matt.  :)

He even managed to take the camera to bed with him.  and then took pictures of the wall.  and the fan...



and his pictures.

These pictures in particular really make me laugh.  He turned the camera on himself.  (again, remember that he's in the dark.  in his room.  by himself.)

This last picture is from the next day.  We were on the way to my mom's house and he took pictures from his seat in the backseat.

Through all these pictures it was amusing to me most of all.  But then it was interesting to see the world through Chase's eyes. 

Swimming

Chase has had swim lessons the last 2 weeks through his school and has been doing really well.  He's always love playing in water but was very cautious.  Basically if it was a pool where he couldn't touch the bottom (i.e. not a kiddie pool), he would cling to you and refuse to try and move on his own.  Well, not anymore.

He is seriously a different child than he was in the water a month ago at the beach.

I'm so happy to see how much more confident he is now in the pool which means he's so much more willing to practice swimming.  You can see that 'confidence' in this video taken at my friend, Shannon's pool last weekend:

He is so much more playful now and even let us push him around in/on floats at my mom's pool this weekend.

T-ball- Practice 2

 This past Saturday was our 2nd T-ball practice and also team picture day:

 

I think it went a little better for Chase than the first practice last weekend where it felt like it was 150 degrees outside.

We still have a ways to go but he seems to be catching on.  A little.

It also makes me feel a little better that most of the other 3-year-olds are about at the same.  At least he hasn't cried yet.  :)

One little kid hit the ball and then started running towards where the pitcher would be for baseball.  Made me laugh as people yelled, "No!  Run THAT way!" towards first. :)

I laughed until it was Chase's turned and he hit the ball and then started running towards third.  Actually it was still pretty funny.  Not too sure if we have a pro athlete on our hands...

But, again, at least he's not the only kid who's a little lost out there.  Matt and I just have to have patience since this is probably going to be a lot of learning this year.  And let's be real.  It is pretty entertaining to watch.  :)

T-ball

Chase just started T-ball and had his first practice this past weekend.  It was ridiculously hot so they moved the practice up a little bit and shortened it.  It was still pretty unbearable for 8:30 in the morning.

Love that starbucks made this picture.

I don't know what I was expecting, given that all the boys are 3 and 4 years old but Chase wasn't really feeling it.  Between the heat and it being his first time at this, he just wasn't into it.  He kept asking Matt or me to hold him.

At least he wasn't the only kid feeling like that.  One little boy started crying at one point.  Poor kids.

Check out that helmet.  Not sure if it's the helmet that's big or his head.  Could be either.

We just have to be patient and keep working with him at home.  It's so hard to believe that  he's old enough for this!  Growing up with all girls, we played some sports but it was a different world from what it's like with boys.  I'm bracing myself because I know this is just the beginning.  I'm excited, though.  :)

Don't try this at home.