Right after we found out Mini-monkey was a boy I happened to be out shopping with Alex. We meandered through the baby department and I had a gift card burning a hole in my wallet (Thanks Rie and Babu!) It was for ME for MY birthday but I had so much more pleasure in buying some boy clothes than I ever would have in buying myself more stuff. That was the start. Since then I have had one more shopping trip (yesterday) and my friend Stacie picked up 15ish items for $40 at the Old Navy sale. She also passed on a few gender neutral things from her closet. So we had a nice pile going stashed away in the top of Kacey's closet.

That pile has been calling me. I know... I have a little less than 4 months left so that means plenty of time to get organized. BUT! Anyone that knows me knows that I want it and I want it NOW! So I asked Jamie to get out the 0-6 month clothes box from the garage and I went through and pulled out all the clothes that would not make Mini-Monkey look like a Mini-Kacey (ie. head to toe pink), I then combined it with the big closet stash and assessed what I have. We are definitely all set in jammies and onesies. A few hats, socks and blankets. This child will not have to be passed around in just a pink cloth diaper. YAY!

It sounds so silly that this exercise makes me feel better but it really does. The 0-6 month stuff that will be his, is now neatly folded and put in drawers awaiting his arrival. (I will wash it all sometime in May and restuff it back in the drawers). I can open the drawers and admire anytime I need a reminder that there is a little boy coming into our lives soon. Because believe it or not, I do need reminders. I am so very excited but still in a constant state of disbelief. Sorting, folding and admiring the clothes brings me one step closer and that made it worth it.

Last night we had dinner at Sean and Lea's house (baby Syana too!) Kacey had her own chair at dinner but moved over to daddy's lap and then mommy's. Little did we guess but she was just trying to get closer to Sean! After a few minutes on my lap she pointed at Sean and kept smiling at him. She then wanted down and just stood next to him. He asked if she wanted to be in his lap and she emphatically shook her head yes. He picked her up and she just beamed! She pretty much sat there the rest of dinner.

Towards the end of the night she kept wanting to sit next to him on the couch and look at photo albums with him. It was time to go and I asked if she wanted to give Sean a kiss on the cheek. She said yes and put her face up next to his and just started giggling. This went on for a while. I finally got my wits about me after calming down from laughing and got out the video camera.

- Yesterday I hosted a playdate and Gwynn and Dash were able to come. Kacey was of course very excited to see Dash and kept pointing at him and saying Dashee with a big huge smile. At one point Gwynn and I were chatting and Kacey was right next to us. Dash went around a corner and Kacey just looked and screamed out "DASH-EEEEEEE!!!!" in an incredibly sweet, calling her favorite person sort of way. Both Gwynn and I just looked at each other and melted... soo cute!

- Last night I was reading her this book (which I HIGHLY recommend!) In it, there is a ghost on a page and it says Peek a Boo! When I read her that page last night, she waved her hands in an "I'm scared" sort of way and said "Scawee!!" I have no idea where she learned that but she kept turning back to that page and saying that over again.

- At lunch Kacey kept purposefully putting her fork very close to her eye. I asked her not to do that and if she did it again I would take the fork away. She held the fork to her chest and smiled real big while saying "MINE! MINE!" She then proceeded to try to poke her eye out with the fork again. As I tried to take it away she continued to yell "MINE!" Mine is becoming a very common word around our house these days.

- Most of her words are one syllable and there is an occasional two syllable (See Dasheee example above) She does have one three syllable word that I can think of and it is surprisingly clear. "Stwa-beh-wee" She likes to point out strawberries everywhere she sees them and especially likes to eat them. :)

is now Dasheeee in our house and it sounds way too cute. Can we just book the wedding location now?

Kacey woke up and started crying. We ignored her because THAT IS TOO DAMN EARLY TO WAKE UP!!!!! Well at 5:40 she started screaming hysterically "MAMAMAMAMAAMAMAMAMAM!!!!!" Jamie went in and found her hanging off the side of the crib. That little nut tried to get out but wasn't willing to let go! It's a good thing as she would have been stuck behind the rocker!! If only she would realize that the Big Girl Bed is much easier to sneak out of in the middle of the night....

Today I am 24 weeks pregnant with Mini-Monkey. To me this marks the official half way point since we found out about 16 weeks ago and have about 16 weeks left. Very exciting! He is kicking fairly regularly now and Alex even got to feel him kick on Monday. I had an OB appointment on Friday and everything looked good. I am set up to do my GD test at my next appointment where I will be 27 weeks!!! WOW, 3rd trimester. It's strange to have just doctor appointments to mark the passing of this pregnancy. In a way t is going fast but in a way it seems slower. With no registry or shower to plan for, there are no big events to look forward to except the actual birth. That is all fine with me though, it's just different.

Looking forward to meeting you Little Mister!

Well she still won't sleep in it although she LOVES playing on it, reading in it and pretend sleeping on it. The second night we went back and forth between the crib and bed a few times with her pointing to each one after getting in the other. I finally gave up and put her to bed in the crib. I must say I REALLY enjoy laying in the bed with her and reading to her. It's so nice and comfy and she feels like such a big girl that way! Fortunately we are in no hurry so this might just be another toy for a while.

Yesterday at class Miss Sarah had the kids do something she does every week. They get to play with bells and she has them touch their toes, nose, elbows, etc with the bells. Kacey normally does not pay attention to this and just walks around playing with the bells. Yesterday she totally payed attention and did all of them. She seemed really proud of herself too!

Before nap I had told her we were going to class to see Miss Sarah. When we got to class she saw Sarah across the room and started pointing at her going "Sawa, Sawa" I said "Yes, that's Miss Sarah!" She got so excited and so proud. The whole rest of the time she would randomly point at her and say her name. Miss Sarah seemed pretty impressed too ;)

On Sunday we went to the Skirball Center. You know, the one at the top of the 405 by the Getty? I had been told by someone (and for the life of me I cannot remember who!!!) that the Noah's Ark Exhibit was pretty darn cool. Jamie was trying to think of something different to do so I remembered this suggestion and we looked it up online. Click here. It looked fun so we tried it out. WOW, it was pretty darn cool. Most of the animals are made out of random household type things and EVERYTHING is touchable. Kacey really enjoyed it and had fun in the climbing area too. At the end there was a coloring station and that was also a big hit. It's not the type of thing we would get a membership for to go to all the time like KidSpace, but it is something we might do again in a year or so. So if you live in SoCal and are looking for something a bit different, check it out. I think it would be PERFECT for the 4-6 age range too.

This zebra butt is the fan you find on top of your roof!

WOW!!!! Noah's ark and all the animals!

Up in the climbing area. Kacey had the advantage and Jamie got worn out trying to keep up with her!

Looking down at mommy.

Coloring time!!

Yesterday morning, Kacey helped me build her new "Big Girl Bed". After it was built in the living room, she loved pretend sleeping on it. Once it was in her room, it was a different story.



I then got it all set up in her room... whew that took some effort!



I brought her in the room and laid on the bed and she started saying "NO! NO! NO!" over and over. I got up and asked her if she wanted to go in it.... NO!!!! She wanted nothing to do with it and left the room. Later, at bedtime, we went into her room and daddy was able to get her to lay on the bed and read books with him. She started off sitting on the edge but by the 4th book she was on her back with her head on his arm and her legs resting up on his, very comfortable. (Side note, this view warmed my heart and just summed up what I have waited 37 years to have my life become. It truly is perfect.)

When it was time to sleep we asked her where she wanted to sleep and she stayed on the bed. Jamie tucked her in and got her kitties and she seemed very happy. Jamie left and I sat on the bed and sang her songs and pet her hair. She even said bye-bye to me as I walked out. I got to the living room and the screaming started. Very panicked screaming! I went right in and asked if she wanted to go in her crib and she said yes. We got all settled in the crib and she was fine after that.

So night #1 = about 30 seconds. We'll see what tonight holds. Luckily we are in no hurry at all and she can transition whenever she wants... within the next 6 months or so!

I got tired of seeing all these adorable dresses just hanging in her closet going to waste. So I headed over to Tar.get and got some cheap long sleeve shirts to put under them. I am so happy with the look!

Here she actually smiled for the camera. Amazing! Too bad her eyes are closed.
Kacey told me she wanted a flower in her hair (pointed to her head and said "Fowa") So I put in one hair clip. She saw where i got it and kept pointing at more clips and saying "This.... this.....this" so I kept putting them in! When I showed her in the mirror she got the biggest smile... of course wouldn't let me get the smile on camera though.




Today was day 2 of poor little sick girl. I finally got her to eat something by setting up this tray so she could continue to watch Elmo and she ate some peanut butter toast.

Little Miss is sick.... again. WOW, it seems like since I stopped nursing her, she gets sick every month. She had a fever most of yesterday in the 102's, is coughing, sneezing and has no energy. She pretty much laid on the couch with her big purple kitty and comforter from her bed and watched tv. I think she might be getting her 2 year molars. She kept sticking her finger in her mouth and when I felt in there she has a bit of an indent in her gums. I just hope she feels better soon, she seems so miserable!

A cute story though. One of the times she woke up last night, I took her to the rocking chair and rocked and sang. When I stopped singing she said "Sing..... more......." It was so sweet! She did that a few times and of course I sang..... more.

So we did it, had our very first night away from Kacey. We left on Saturday after i laid her down for her nap and off we went. Jamie had booked us a flight since i had no desire to make a 5 hour drive. That was nice. I think it still takes about the same amount of time but at least you get to walk around a bit! We got in, got our rental car and went straight to dinner. Mmmm... Maggian.os and way too much food. We were both pleasantly stuffed and on the verge of ill. Thankfully just on the verge. We then made our way to Cesars Pal.ace to see Bette Mid.ler!!!! (You may recall I did this when I was pregnant with Kacey too. :) This was my birthday present from the fantastic hubby. Again I cried when she sang The Rose and I smiled so much through the whole show that my cheeks hurt by the end. I am also very happy to report that Jamie actually liked the show as well! It's so good that we went when we did because it was actually her 10th to last show and then she is done. I remember back when she opened and I bought the tickets, I said then how I wanted to go again near the end of the run and whew! I made it. Man I love Bette.

So just like his big sister, little Mister kicked up a storm during the show. I guess he has good taste too. :) We then went to our hotel where we were told that we got an upgrade, yay! us! We were staying at the Trump and it was very nice. The room had a full kitchen with a full size fridge! Too bad we were only there a night. I did make use of the 2 person jacuzzi bathtub though, it was lovely. We slept in and then laid in bed for an hour or so watching tv. It was just sooooo relaxing to just lay there and not worry about Kacey waking up. MM kicked soooo much while I was laying there too, Both of us even got to see my tummy move! That was the first time and it was such a thrill.

We made our way to Par.is for the buffet (pregnant ladies do LOVE buffets!) and then next door for some cheap gambling. We did great at craps for a while and then last a bunch at blackjack. Went back to craps and lost the rest. Oh well, we were able to play for about 3 hours on just a minimum loss. I say that is pretty damn good! We went to a restaurant for a late lunch/early dinner and twiddled away the time until our flight.

We did miss Kacey but not as much as we expected to. It was just too luxurious to spend time together, reconnecting, relaxing and playing.

It appears Kacey had a good weekend too with Grandma Pat. On Saturday, after nap, they went to GG's house and then on to my aunt and uncles for dinner. My uncle chased her around and wore her out and Grandma reported no problems putting her to bed. On Sunday, they went to church in the morning, where G was able to show her off and Kacey did very well. She listened to the music and even some of the sermon. She then quietly kept busy playing with the donation envelopes and drawing. They had a nice lunch with one of mom's friends and her son and then easily went down for a nap. Relaxing time at home and then nighttime bed again. It seems like Kacey didn't miss us at all!!

The whole experience makes me feel alot better about delivery time. Who knows how long I will be gone and I would really like Jamie with me and mini-monkey as much as possible at the hospital. This makes it seem like it could work nicely.

Another nice little incident.... Kacey has been EXTREMELY jealous and upset when she sees me hold another baby. She cries big huge tears and begs me to pick her up. This has been worrying me as you can understand. Well yesterday I help Sophie while sitting on the floor (who is almost 7 months) Kacey came over and started to cry. I grabbed her in my other arm and we started pointing to Sophies parts. Where is Sophies nose? Where is her ear, etc.. Kacey calmed down and then climbed off of me and went back to playing!!!! Breakthrough!!! I guess she just wanted to know I would still hold her too! Such a relief, we may actually be able to bring Mimi-monkey home from the hospital!!!

BTW, today is 4 months from Mini's due date!!! WOW, time is flying!!!!

I was getting lunch ready for Kacey and she got mad that I wouldn't let her into the kitchen. She stomped off into her room and then got quiet. A minute later I heard her chatting away and I peeked over the counter. She was sitting in the rocking chair reading a book to herself!



Unfortunately the click of the camera got her attention and she got up to smile at me and the moment was over.



Over the weekend we went for a short hike with Stacie, Avi, Ella and Sophie. The dads were walking with Kacey and Ella so Stacie and I could chat (while she carried Sophie). I turned around and saw this.... melt my heart!!!!



We were able to get another hiker to get a pic of us all.

A couple of days ago we made a big step. We ordered Kacey a toddler bed. Oh my! She climbed out those 2 times a month or so ago and has since been seen to have a leg over the rail as she is saying "Up, up, up" So I know she can do it again she just hasn't wanted to. She is also doing VERY well with bed and nap times (sick days excluded) She doesn't even let me hold her long enough to sing a song to her. She just repeats "Bed, bed, bed" until I put her down. I really think she might just climb into her new toddler bed all by herself. The plan is to get it all set up next week and let her choose where to sleep. We don't need the crib for a very long time so there is no hurry. I am hoping she will choose the bed so we can lay int here together to read her nighttime books. :) Also I had to change her cover sheet on the crib this morning and it was hard! Darn belly is really starting to get in the way!

Before you comment about how stupid it is to get a toddler bed and not a twin, we just don't have the room. A Twin will not fit in there with the crib too. The plan is to have both sleeping int here at some point and when Mini-monkey is big enough for a bed, we will get bunk beds for them and get rid of the toddler bed and store the crib (since the crib converts into a full size bed, I will keep it in the hopes we will have a bigger house someday!)

Mini-Monkey seems much more mellow so far than Kacey. I have to be laying down to feel him move and even then it just doesn't happen very often. It seems like Kacey kicked a lot more. This gives me hope!

Yesterday we were at our mommy and me class and there is another pregnant mom there. She is about 3 weeks behind me so it is fun to chat about what's going on. Anyways, yesterday she had on one of those maternity tops that gather up the sides and really accentuate your belly. I have one from Kacey that I love, it looked so cute on me!!! I have not worn it yet though because in the back of my mind I still feel fake. I only started wearing maternity shirts 2 weeks ago and even then I am almost embarrassed to wear them. I feel like someone will laugh and say I am not pregnant what am I doing with the silly shirt on? I know this sounds stupid but to be absolutely convinced you can't get pregnant and then to have it happen, well it is just so hard to grasp. So will I wear the shirt? I don't know. My tummy is big enough for it but I still feel like a big impostor, like I don't belong in the pregnancy club. Ugh, when will I just feel normal?!

Jamie got to feel MM kick yesterday morning. So very cool, what a wonderful feeling.

It is so odd to think how blessed we are with this second miracle when tragedies happen to others every day. I got some very awful news yesterday about a friend and her pregnancy coming to an end (for those of you that know Alex, do not worry,it is not her). It is a very tragic ending and so very heartbreaking. I just want to hold MM and squeeze him and thank him for being healthy so far. I can only pray he continues to grow and thrive. I just don't understand why we are so blessed and my friend is not. There are so many things in life that are unfair but this seems to be one of the worst.

Kacey wanted some broccoli (to go with her yogurt and grape nuts that she was already eating (ewww!) but I only had some raw so I gave it to her. Needless to say, she did not like it.

Kacey is really mimicking most everything we say. It's amazing on a daily basis some of the words she comes up with. Lately Jamie has been covering her with some stuffed animals in her crib. We have a ton of animals that have those plastic eyes that you aren't supposed to give a kid under 3. Those all live on top of the book shelf on her dresser. She will occasionally point to something and we get it down and let her play with it a bit. The other day Kacey pointed up there and said "daa", "woof", so I got her the dog. She then said "pii" so I got her the pig. She then said "man-ee". Huh? She said it again and I finally figured it out and gave her the manatee. Jamie said he had given it to her a couple days ago and told her the name. I swear that brain is a sponge!

Too many examples but some other cute ones are that she says "mane-mane" for mango, "appo" for apple, "cacka" for cracker, "milk", "juice" and lots of other foods are very clear. Most anytime you ask her to repeat after you, she usually will. It's a lot of fun right now.... well I guess it is always fun, it's just that she changes every day and is doing something new!

Today at gym class we were doing circle time and the parents are encouraged to stay on the mat if their kid is running around in the hopes the kid will come over on their own. Kacey doesn't like sitting on the mat so I am usually by myself. Today she went over to the rings and she climbed up on her own, grabbed the rings and just started swinging! Her teacher, Miss Charlene, says she never sees kids as young as Kacey do this! My little gymnast! (She was doing much more before I got the camera and the window cleaner came in to distract her!)






Bonus video for the grandparents..... Kacey waking up in the morning and daddy covering her up in stuffed animals. Very cute at the end when you get to hear her ROAR!!!!!

In the last week I have been really anxious to feel kicking. I felt some tiny little pokes here and there but nothing to get too excited about. At the beginning of each month, I have been going back and reading my blog for the same month of pregnancy with Kacey just to compare. (I know the comparisons must stop when mini monkey is born!!) I felt Kacey kicking at 19 weeks and in the 20th week Jamie even felt her. By 21 weeks she was going strong. I figured mini-monkey must be turned differently or something.
Well yesterday I think he finally turned the right way! I went to see "Up In the Air" (which is outstanding by the way) with my cousin Renee and he kicked me a ton during the movie. Last night when I went to bed and each time I woke up (which is usually at least 5 times a night right now) I could feel him. I even had my hand on my belly and felt him kick my hand once! YAY!!!! This is one of the best parts of being pregnant in my opinion. I just LOVE it. :)

I just got around to scanning in some u/s pics of Mini-Monkey. So here they are....

14 weeks and 5 days, our OB made the boy guess based on this shot.

14 weeks, 5 days side view, you can clearly see a hand waving and a foot.

19 week 3d shot. Facing left, kissing the placenta. There is a hand right under the face, kind of near his cheek.

19 week side view