Little Things

While we haven't experienced a major dumping of the white stuff yet, I've realized that most days have been just too cold to let a child (who's already sporting a dripping nose) have his way in the great outdoors. I knew this day was coming and I have been trying to think of activities that he would enjoy and that would distract his one track mind from Finding Nemo (seriously, he would watch it on repeat all day). The first thing he says when he wakes up in the morning is "Nemo" and it's the last thing he says before going to bed. I'm fairly certain it occupies most of his thoughts during the day and a few days ago he started speaking "whale" so I knew I needed an intervention and quick. I remembered that I had picked up some cheap finger paints a few months back and stored them for just this purpose. I rolled out the poster paper, stripped him down to his diaper, and let the boy explore his artistic side. He loved it. Lately all he wants to do other than watch Nemo is color, so this was heaven for a little boy who loves to color and loves to get dirty. With plenty of indoor days ahead of us, I'm desperate for some more activity ideas to do with an almost 2 year old...Please comment...before I start speaking "whale".

We had another ultrasound yesterday to get a better picture of the heart and vessels. All looks perfect and it was so fun to see a much larger-more baby-than skeleton picture of him. We got a pretty good look at his face and it sure does look a lot like Max's ultrasound did and even of Max as a newborn. He has the same cheeks and chin. So we are thinking he is going to look something an aweful lot like this...

Hard to believe that that is now this...

So as some of you may recall, a few 6 months ago I was 10 miles into my training for a 1/2 marathon. Interruption: Pregnancy. Granted it was a planned and much wanted pregnancy. What wasn't wanted nor anticipated was the 3 months of awful morning, afternoon, and night sickness that thrust it's ugliness upon my once very in shape self. Soon my runner's high was replaced by a new comfort--my sofa. From July to September, there I lay...day after day, just counting down the hours til my next dose of anti-nausea meds could be inhaled and until my husband came home to relieve me of my parental duties (which were less than stellar due to the fatigue that plagued my world). Gone were the dreams of putting all that training to the test in Provo Canyon, and soon enough, gone was the definition in my calves and the longevity in my lung capacity. Why is it that "In-Shape" takes so long to achieve while "Out-of-Shape" takes what seems like mere minutes to take over? It really is one of life's great injustices.Finally, a light...mid September brought a welcome surprise. The nausea dissipated, the couch looked uninviting, and I had a strange energy that seemed somewhat like a ghost from Pre-Pregnancy Past. That energy wanted to redo, repaint, redecorate, refinish everything in my house. I think my energy frightened Ryan and our bank account so he came up with a way to redirect my energy. He signed me up for a 5K at his work. Granted I had not run for a good 4 months now, but I laced up my runners, threw on my orange Xango shirt, loaded my 30 lb kid into the jogger and for some reason had no reservations about running a 5K at 5 1/2 mos. pregnant, with no training for months, all while pushing my brute of an almost 2 year old. Did I mention that while you are pregnant, your brain shrinks like 3%? It's true...because Dr. Oz said so on Oprah; it's the only logical explanation for my uncharacteristically calm state while displaying such irrational behavior. Oh, yes, I could have walked the mile trot, but that's not what Ryan signed me up for and 3.2 miles seemed like a walk in the park after my training just months ago. Ryan was in it to win it, so he went on up ahead, way ahead. I ran with some 50 year old lady from Sweden who runs marathons. We only walked about 1/4 of a mile during the entire race and finished in just over 30 minutes. Thanks to my shrunken brain, I didn't give any forethought to the way I would feel for the next week. Let's just say that things hurt in places I didn't even know I had. But when it's all said and done...I can always tell this new little one coming to us "Look what Mommy did when she was pregnant with you!" Which will be followed by Ryan saying "Mommy was missing a portion of her brain capacity; she's lucky she didn't leave there on a stretcher."

I have to admit that I'm feeling like a bad mom. All my friends blogs all said they didn't really take their kids Trick or Treating because they didn't need the candy. Some even alluded to the fact that their little ones had never had a piece or tasted their first piece that day. My kid on the other hand figured the whole thing out after two cars at the Ward Trunk or Treat. By Halloween I think he knew exactly what was coming. Friday afternoon we went to Ryan's work and let our little fireman trick or treat on just his floor (my version of toning the candy down).

Max loves visiting Daddy at work, which isn't that often, so it was really a "treat".
He loves Daddy's desk...so what's it going to be...a Fireman or an Accountant?

Afterwards, Max and I popped a squat on the lawn to check out the loot. In my defense, it wasn't much. Mainly smarties and suckers.