Big Boy Bed/Sleeping Update

A couple of weeks ago on Feb. 11th, Patrick started sleeping in his big boy bed (i.e. twin bed). We hadn't planned to move him until he finished teething, but he insisted upon sleeping in his big boy bed that night. His bedding has cars and trucks all over it, so he must have decided it was more fun than the crib!  He did much better than I expected. The first night he slept until around 4am when I heard a scared little voice yelling "momma momma." I ran in there thinking he must have fallen out of the bed, since he moves a lot when he sleeps! It was pretty dark in there and I couldn't find him and started freaking out a little. It turns out the little munckin was hiding underneath his pillows across the head of the bed. I couldn't see him until he poked his head out to look at me. Sweet little guy was scared when he woke up and was in a new place!

The next night he was having teething pains and barely slept at all. Michael and I both knew it was coming since he was grabbing onto his mouth and his cheeks were bright red! The next few nights he slept great! He woke up a few times yelling for me, but put himself back to bed pretty quickly.

For the most part, he has been doing much better than I expected! He is sleeping about the same amount in his big boy bed as he slept in his crib (maybe even a little better!). We still have a few nights a week where he doesn't sleep at all (i.e. talks to Michael or I from 1-4am in the morning), but he was doing that when he slept in his crib too, so no difference. We never know when he is going to sleep through the night or want to stay up and talk to mom and dad!

A bunch of people have asked how we are going to deal with Patrick's sleeping issues when the new baby comes and the answer is that we probably won't deal with it too differently. The bottom line is that Patrick just does not require a lot of sleep (the doctor has confirmed this). He sleeps through the night by himself when he is tired and the other nights he just wants company and to talk. The day after he is up all night he takes a normal nap (1 1/2 to 2 hours) and is not fussy. So I won't have a baby and a fussy toddler to deal with during the day. Plus, Patrick can always go to Margaret's during the week when I need to take a nap.

On the nights Patrick isn't sleeping, I plan to hang out with Patrick in the guest bed while I feed the baby (b/c i'll be up anyway!). Michael also gets 3 nonconsecutive weeks of paternity leave, so I know I will have help when I need it! For reference, he only got a couple days off with Patrick so this will be a really nice change.

After two years of not sleeping very much, Michael and I have become pretty accustomed to it. So hopefully this won't be a change for us at all! We will see though, life always has a way of surprising you :)

 Patrick sure does look cute when he decides to sleep!

Baby #2- 32 Weeks

I had my 32 week appointment last week and everything is still looking good!   My blood pressure is still right on track, which is wonderful! The only thing the doctor expressed a little concern about was my measurement and weight gain. I lost a good amount of weight with the flu, so my stomach isn’t quite measuring what is should be. The doctor decided she would like me to do an ultrasound at Vanderbilt this week just to be on the safe side. Since Patrick was early and small they want to check that the baby is gaining enough weight and getting enough oxygen (because of the anemia). My appetite has been out of control this past week, so I’m pretty sure any concerns the doctor had last week won’t be a problem this week! It has been about 3 months since I have had an ultrasound, so I am pretty excited to be able to see the little guy!

Chattanooga Choo Choo Trip

We had such an eventful and fun weekend! On Friday morning Michael and I went and toured Calvary to see Patrick's new school and classroom! He will be starting in August and we will be sending baby #2 to Margaret's to take his place! I had a tough time getting him in somewhere which is crazy since I applied in October 2010! Full time spots are hard to come by in this area of town!     

On Friday night Patrick went to dinner with Michael, Nana, Susan, Matthew and Mark while I went to eat with my family. I think they had a great time because I got this picture of Patrick and his uncle Matt! 

We decided last minute (on Thursday!) to take a trip to Chattanooga, since it is the last weekend I can travel. We thought it might be fun for us to do something with Patrick before his little brother arrives! We headed to Chattanooga very early Saturday morning. We almost decided to cancel the trip since Patrick was up from 1-4am that night with teething pains. But he doesn't require much sleep anyway, so we decided to go for it! Surprisingly, he did not sleep on the way to Chattanooga but watched Thomas the whole time!

We had planned to go and ride the train right when we got there, but we were running a few minutes late so we went to the aquarium first. We had told Patrick we were going to Chattanooga to ride Choo Choo's so he repeatedly said "choo choo" over and over again while we were at the aquarium. He didn't care much for the fish, but he did like the sturgeons and the sting rays. Mostly because he thought it was fun to do what the other big kids did and try and pet the fish (i.e. splash his hand around in the water). There was a snake available to pet and we went up to the snake, but Patrick was too scared to touch it. Maybe next time. Sadly, I think his favorite part of the aquarium was the escalator.  Oh well, Michael and I had fun seeing everything.

Pointing at the Sturgeons

Trying to pet the sturgeons

Scary looking catfish!

Sting Rays

Penguins- I loved them! They were so cute, but they didn't hold Patrick's attention very long!

Michael, trying to show Patrick the sharks.  Patrick thought it was more fun that he got to climb up into a little area and could care less about the sharks!

Then we picked up some lunch and headed to the hotel hoping Patrick would take a short nap. We should have known better. No nap for this little one! So we headed to our next destination, the Tennessee Valley Railroad and Museum.

There were tons of trains and Patrick was amazed!

Waiting on the train to arrive so we could ride! The train was late, so he got really restless waiting on the train. Unfortunately, it was freezing and slightly snowing outside, so we could only look at all of the trains from the inside.

A little video of the train arriving. It was freezing and really windy outside and Patrick's lips were quivering (the weather report said it was supposed to be 45 degrees and we did not dress appropriately for 30 degrees!) but he didn't care one bit!

Once we got on the train Patrick was amazed! We normally can't get him to sit still for very long, but he did while we were on the train!

We rode the train from Grand Junction station to East Chattanooga station. He sat still until he fell asleep on the train. We were sort of bummed since I know he would have loved it! I can't blame him though, it was 4pm and way past nap time!

When we arrived at East Chattanooga station we got out of the train to see them turn the whole train around. It was actually pretty cool and unfortunately Patrick missed the whole thing! There was also a tour of the repair shop, but since Patrick was asleep we decided to go and sit back on the train instead of take the tour.

Our sweet little family of three (and my very pregnant belly!) outside one of the trains

Next we headed to the Chattanooga Choo Choo hotel. I wished we could have spent more time outside, but it was really really cold at this point and we could only stop to take a quick picture!

Part of the model train museum inside the hotel. Michael and I had a little higher expectations, but I think it was Patrick's favorite part of the whole trip. He cried hysterically when we left. He LOVED it!

Then we headed out to dinner. Every restaurant we tried was packed!! So unfortunately we had to pick a random one that wasn't very crowded. Maybe next time we will plan ahead! 

After dinner we headed back to the hotel to change and play for a few minutes.  Patrick is playing hide and go seek underneath the pillows in the picture below.  

Then we changed and headed to the indoor pool. Patrick LOVED it! He had the best time swimming with Michael. The pool was so crowded that they could barely move in it, but Patrick had a huge grin the entire hour they swam. He would squat all the way to the floor and then launch himself into the pool at Michael. We had to drag him out kicking and screaming when it was time to get ready for bed. I have a feeling we will be doing lots of swimming this summer in our pool!

We headed back early Sunday morning after breakfast. It was such a fun trip with my boys! I think Patrick had a great time. It was also his first time staying in a hotel, which he thought was pretty cool too! I think we are all sad for the weekend to end!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's day from my little Valentine!

Patrick and I woke up to find heart shaped cinnamon toast ready for us in the morning from daddy (Michael had to be at work early).  I forgot to take a picture after it was cooked, but it was yummy! 

Patrick's favorite breakfast foods on his favorite plate.  He doesn't like sweets, so I figured we could splurge on the unhealthy breakfast foods! We also don't eat on his Thomas plate very often because he takes the food off and puts it on the table so he can see his "choo choo's." Surprisingly, he left all the food on the plate this time!

Yumm....lucky charm marshmallows!

Mom, no pictures while I am playing with my cars! 

So, we went outside for a couple quick pictures before school

He was so excited to get to school and immediately asked his friends to play chase!

After school he came home and spotted a present from Allie.  

 

Then a couple small presents from Mom and Dad

Cars stickers!

His favorite two presents were the Mater toothbrushes and his new train to go on his train table, James. Since Patrick doesn't like any sweets, he got a toothbrush instead!  Believe it or not, one of his favorite activities is to brush his teeth. He yells TEEEEEETH really loud and runs in the bathroom. I wish I didn't like sweets and instead preferred to brush my teeth :)

My sweet little buddy hanging out with Mom after school

Michael and I went to Mellow Mushroom and the predators game on Valentine's Day.  It's a tradition we have done since the first year we started dating.  

So thankful for my two sweet Valentine's!  Hope everyone else felt as much love as I did on Valentine's Day!  

Valentine's Day Crafts

Patrick and I had a day at home to play, since Margaret was taking a personal day this week, so we decided to have some Valentine's day craft fun!

The few other times we have painted together Patrick has immediately asked to wash his hands and move onto a new activity.  However, this time he was upset when I ran out of paper so I restocked and we painted again in the afternoon.  

Oops, Mom wasn't quite ready for his fast hands!

Painting is tiring!  Time for a nap, while we wait for our papers to dry!

Halfway there!

The finished product! Valentine's for grandparents and daddy!

We also made some Valentine's for his friends at school (I got the printable off pinterest)

Then we headed to the park!  

We had such a fun day together!

Patrick- 22 Months

Patrick is 22 months old!  I can't believe he is almost two!

How funny is his cheese face!

Patrick got two of his two year molars this month and the other two are trying to come in. The teeth caused him a lot of pain and he didn't eat well or sleep well for a couple of weeks. I took him to the doctor to make sure he wasn't sick and the doctor said he looks perfectly healthy with no ear infections, but his gums were extremely swollen. I had assumed that would be the case, but you can never be too careful with little ones! Glad he got a good report!

Lots of tickling with daddy

I know his other two molars are trying really hard to come in because he has had some rosy red cheeks recently. I hope he doesn't have as much trouble with the last two! My belly is quickly outgrowing sleeping in the twin bed with Patrick. Although I have to give a lot of credit to Michael since he has been doing most of the midnight calls recently!

Patrick is a little chatterbox recently and loves talking about Mom and Dad and what we are doing! He also loves talking about all his family members and friends. Whenever he wants to go somewhere he says "go go go" and then "Daddy truck," "Momma car," which is really funny since we both drive SUV's, but momma must drive a car :)

Patrick is still obsessed with cars, trains and trucks and loves to play with them all day long.

The whole family, including Turk and Bailey (and Matthew!) went to Cenntennial Park this weekend to visit the train and the ducks.  Patrick loved the train and he loved seeing the ducks.  It was a little cold, so we only got to stay for a few minutes.  Maybe next time we can stay and play a little longer (and mom will remember her camera!).

Love this little boy and can't believe how fast he is growing up!

Baby #2- 30 Weeks

After having the flu last week I felt a few changes with the baby, so I scheduled an appointment with the doctor last Friday.  The doctor confirmed that this sweet little boy has dropped already!  The little guy seems eager to join us, just like his big brother!  The doctor decided I needed to be monitored to make sure his heart rate was okay as well as monitoring my contractions. After about an hour of monitoring, she decided that I could go home but need to take it easy.  She even threw in a comment about not doing any household chores...a medical excuse not to do laundry?  I'll take it :)   Although I am having contractions already, they are pretty mild and she expects them to continue slowly. She said that he could also just be angry that I was so sick and they could stop altogether!

I am also having a really hard time eating and sleeping. I am up every hour or two at night. He is definitely a night owl.  I lost some weight because of the flu last week, so the baby is having a hard time with food and is giving me acid reflux which also keeps me up a good portion of the night!

My blood pressure is still looking good, so that is a wonderful sign!  I can't wait to meet this little guy, but definitely want him to hold out a little while longer! 

Happy Birthday Turk and Bailey!

Turk and Bailey are 4 years old!

What to say about Turk and Bailey.  They are crazy, but we love them! Their favorite thing to do is go for a walk with "who's that". They sleep all day so they can be up when mom and dad are home.  They love to cuddle. Bailey still isn't fond of Patrick, but Turk could care less. Patrick really loves them and when they are downstairs he yells for both of them to come upstairs.  He hasn't been terrorizing Bailey as much recently, which is great!

They are sweet dogs and I don't know what we would do without them!

Sweet Turk.  Our big boy has been getting a lot of gray hairs recently. He is a big worrier and he always wants mom and dad to be happy with him!

Pretty bailey.  She doesn't care at all what mom and dad think and definitely has a mind of her own!

Turk can always hear the smallest little sounds! He is listening for a dog walking by so he can run in the other room and bark at him!

Staring out the window waiting for a fox or deer to run by!

These crazy dogs keep us on our toes, but you can always count on them for a big cuddle after a long day!