It’s been a little slow around here while we get ready for Baby #2 to arrive. We’re busy trying to get the guest bedroom converted into Lauren’s new “Big Girl” bedroom. How many princesses can you put in one room? I think we’re on our way to finding out, although we’re trying to do our best to make the room decor last a little longer than her Disney princess obsession. And because moving furniture in one bedroom wasn’t enough fun, we’re also going to try and move ALL of the furniture on our upper level over the course of two days as we have the carpet replaced next week. Should be interesting. Anybody want to help move a piano? I don’t think Steph and Lauren are going to be much help.
Lauren seems to have passed another milestone over the last few weeks. Regardless of whether you are a friend, family or a complete stranger, she’ll be more than happy to drop her pants to show off her new princess underwear she is now wearing full time. There was a lot of talk in the house about #2 over the past 3 weeks and it wasn’t in reference to the new baby. After a few lucky breaks for Mommy & Daddy, she appears to be on her way to earning the title “potty trained” (knock-on-wood).
In the meantime, as you can see in the video, Lauren and Koda have slowly started becoming good buddies. Lauren is finding new ways to play with him every day and Koda is slowly realizing that she does more than just drop food on the floor. I’ve also started taking Lauren skating on Saturdays because, well let’s face it, we only have 4 more years until the next winter Olympics. After the first trip, I left thinking perhaps we’re still a little young. However after our third time out, she really seems to be getting the hang of it and seems to really enjoy it. Especially when she knows there is a hot chocolate waiting for her at the end.
Less than 12 weeks to go until we meet baby #2! My check-up on Friday went well and aside from a nagging cough and sleep interruptions, I’m feeling good and happy to be in the third trimester now. I don’t have any inclination regarding the gender of the baby; since I was positive Lauren was a boy, I’m not even going to throw out a guess. The heart rate was 140 bpm; looking back, Lauren’s was 135 bpm around this time, but Josh thinks I’m carrying lower this time, which indicates a boy by an old wives’ tale. Check the baby poll in if you’ve got a guess for the gender and arrival date!
Lauren has become more interested in my growing belly and likes to pat it and say hi to the baby. She’s not patient enough to leave her hand there long enough to feel any movements, though. She’ll say it’s a baby sister or a baby brother depending on the day, but every time someone asks her what we’ll name the baby, her reply is “Dora”. Whether we bring home a boy or girl, the baby’s name will unfortunately be a disappointment!
At 2 1/2 years old, we figured Lauren was ready for her first haircut (and the fact that her hair was looking pretty scraggly). It was more of a trim since I didn’t want to cut off the natural curl and, thankfully, the curls remain. We were a little nervous about how she would behave so we went stocked with toys and treats. Once we walked in, we realized that the place was definitely equipped to handle their clientele- Lauren was very satisfied to watch a movie while they cut and styled her hair! She talked about her haircut for days afterward and now when I blow-dry my hair, she wants to have hers done, too.
If you haven’t heard by now, we’re expecting again! Baby #2 is due March 28th and so far it has been an uneventful pregnancy. I’ve been feeling good, just tired, and this past week I’ve been feeling definite kicks and movement of the baby. The ultrasound is Friday so we are looking forward to seeing the little one and we’ve decided to keep the gender a surprise again. Lauren will occasionally ask if there is a baby in my tummy and pat my growing belly, but she has no clue what she is in for- hopefully she loves a brother or sister as much as she loves her baby dolls!
Lauren had a fun Halloween- although she told her daycare teachers that she was going to be a dinosaur, she didn’t seem to mind her Snow White dress. She was very excited about all the candy but has mostly forgotten about her stash… we’ve found that a couple peanut butter cups before bedtime does not help her settle down to go to sleep!
