Hunter update

BIG BOY...I feel like I no longer have a baby this past month! He is an extremely independent 17 mo old! He is "communicating" pretty good and has no problem making a point! We are going to start working on his big boy room this weekend. I still haven't decided if I am going to do a twin bed or toddler bed?

He understands when he is being disciplined...I get on his level and talk directly into his eyes while holding his wrists. He gets very still and looks down at the floor, and 9 times out of 10 he won't do it again! My "system" for discipline is I give a casual warning, then the "face to face" talk, then next is time out! He gets his feelings hurt BIG time when I put him in time out, but it works!  I let some things slide...but I focus on disciplining a few consistent things like screaming, throwing/playing too rough with dogs, throwing at TV/computer, throwing at people's faces when they are not "playing" with him.

As you can see I am having a hard time with his throwing habits! I LOVE that he enjoys throwing and has an insanely good arm, but I am trying to set boundaries for peoples safety! It is hard to teach him to only throw when someone is playing with him...NOT to throw just whenever/at whomever- he has hurt people and broken things!  We have not encountered temper tantrums yet, but that will definitely be on my list of things to discipline...that will be a whole other story!

 He loves his dada so darn much! Every Wednesday we eat lunch with Scott, and we meet at his office building. Hunter has caught onto this routine and starts chanting "DADA, DADA, DADA" the second we pull into the parking garage! He says DADA in the elevator and RUNS to Scott when the doors open...he pushes his way through the other business men to find his DADA...it is so cute and stops people in their tracks as the watch the amazing father/son moment!!

 He still watches Fresh Beat Band every day...he doesn't take his eyes off TV for a solid 30 minutes! He dances, claps and LOVES this show! He is very active, yet can be very mellow! Still doing great at school, but his teachers are also working on the "no throwing at kids faces!!" They say they have never seen a 1 year old that has such a passion for throwing and is so accurate in his aim! It really is pretty amazing! The kid has NO FEAR- not an ounce! This scares me...he goes down the 30 ft slide at Monkey Joe's head first-by himself...with a HUGE smile on his face! He will try ANYTHING, again- this scares me!

He eats like a HORSE...a starving horse! I keep thinking it's a growth spurt, but he hasn't stopped! No joke, it is not unusual for Hunter to eat more than Scott (Scott is 6'5 and 200 lbs!!!!) Scott had me call the doctor to make sure his eating was normal! He eats a HUGE meal- EVERY meal...more than most adults in each sitting!! At this rate, he may as well live in the grocery store for his teenage years! I am going to have to send him with food when he spends the night out- seriously, other mothers would not want him over because they would have to restock their pantry!

 He sleeps wonderful at night 7:00 to 7:30/8ish! I HOPE he sleeps this good in his big boy bed! He takes one nap a day, and it is usually pretty short (1.5-2 hrs). He plays hard and eats so much- I'm surprised he doesn't nap longer! We are going to start playing videos of newborns crying at nighttime so he gets used to hearing that noise while he sleeps. I want to try to prevent him from waking up many times a night when baby #2 gets here!

That's a Hunter update for now!!

4 Months

This pregnancy is really flying by! I can't believe I am 4 months! We will know the gender soon, but everything in me says BOY! I see a boy, I feel boy, and talk about boys. Ever since I was a little girl, I envisioned "lots of boys!!" When Scott and I agreed on a large family, I just knew boys were going to fill my house!We will see if my "gut" is right!

Do I want a boy? Yes, I would LOVE "my boys" to be this close in age! Do I want a girl? One day, if it's in my cards...a girl would be great! But, I believe that only God  knows what we want and need! Ever since I lost mom, I have come to fully accept the things I can not change. It's weird because I usually like to know what is going to happen, prepare, and control! But, when mom got sick...a peace about "letting go and turning things over" came into my life! If I can't control it-then it is not on my worry list!! Thank you mom for teaching me this lesson so early on! So, the genders of my babies are all in God's hands, and I will gladly take each one as they come! Having said that, I still see me with "my boys!!!" I am so excited about the journey of our growing family!

 I am feeling wonderful, truly amazing! I love being pregnant! I hope that it continues to be as smooth as first time around! No food cravings, great energy, and I usually wake once a night to go the bathroom. Hunter pats my belly and says "bebe!!" Too stinkin cute! Hunter is now 17 months old and running everywhere! He has lots of teeth, eats a TON, and is a pretty clear "talker." He is still loving school, has a wicked arm, and an easy smile! He is so adventurous and sweet!

 I already FEEL thicker than with Hunter...so I am expecting to show much sooner! As of now, not very much weight gain (a couple lbs), but I am not going to worry about my weight gain this time! I gained 17 lbs with Hunter...and 13 of that came in the last 2 months. So, it took a while for me to show. Let me tell you....people were pretty rude! Their comments made me feel like I was doing something wrong. My doctor did extra ultrasounds, fluid checks and blood test throughout the pregnancy to make sure Hunter was not "growth restricted." Such a waste of stress and time!!!! My doctor has already said, "I'm not even going to do belly measurements this time, and I am not going to worry...so you don't either!" I loved hearing that!! What a great doctor to recognize that everyone has their own "normal!!!"

Someone had to buy lunch!!! The children's museum in the woodlands is great!