She's 3!!

Well, this post is....very late. But, at least I am getting it done;)
Charly had a fabulous birthday. We had the "immediate" family over for snacks and cake.
We did a "dippin" theme for the food because Charly has always loved to dip everything and anything.
We had chicken satays with peanut sauce, bbq meatballs, mini corn dogs, veggies, fruit with chocolate sauce, cheese fondue with bread, chips and dip, and it seems like something else...but i can't recall.
This is the age where the kid really gets and understands birthdays and the whole party business, so she was excited. And she is always happy to be around grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Two days before the party, Charly got a bug in her ear. We think it was a bug. But, by the time we got her to the doctor, there was nothing there. But, I think she still had a bite...because she would complain about the ear hurting. It was good to find out though...that if a bug does crawl in your ear, it can't get very far because it can't go past the ear drum. So, if you can't see it...it wouldn't be there. So, we felt a bit silly...but I was glad to have her checked out anyhow.
Here she is in the waiting room.

And this is just a cute picture of her a couple days before she turned 3.

Brother sister bonding....awe;)
Uncle Mark sharing some candy with the Lukester

Amanda and Zion

Charly opening her card from Oma. The card plays "You are my sunshine". One of Charly's favorite songs.

Aydan - "give me the camera!!"

Charly opening her gift. A pink horse.

Charly and her princess cake.

So, I really need to get better at taking pictures of "all" the people at parties. I end up just taking a few and I don't get everyone. Well, can't go back in time...but you all know you were there!

We played Scene It and the kids ran around and played. Some people sat outside, other people took naps. We munched on food all day long. It was a nice and relaxing day.

Here are a couple videos;)

Aydan and his cute self

Aydan went to the doctor this morning. He is growing up just fine, as we suspected.

But, apparently we don't know our kid as well as we thought we did. Mark told the doctor that he just has a few words that he says, but he babbles A LOT. Well, she got a book out and he pointed at a bunch of things and said them by name...horse, milk, cow...and could say "all done"...I don't know what else. But, Mark still could not understand Aydan...but the doctor was very adamant that those were the exact words he was saying. I know that he understands a lot more than he can communicate right now. He will point to a banana and say "bah" and I know what he means. Or sometimes, he will say "ma" while standing in front of the fridge when he wants milk. And I have heard him say "na na"...for night night. But, I guess we didn't realize that all this plus the babbling was considered "talking" and we can start adding up all the words he knows...even when the doctor and the nurse are the only ones that can understand him;) The kid does like to have conversations with everyone.

He weighs 20 lbs 3 oz now - 69%. And he is 32-1/4 inches tall - 85%. He also got four more shots today and has to have blood work done sometime this week or next. I always hate taking babies to get their blood drawn. It is just a bit scary for some reason. They usually take it in stride though.

Life with Aydan is progressing...he is turning so much more in to a toddler. Now that he can walk pretty good, he gets around everywhere and in to everything. He likes throwing things away and getting in to cabinets. He likes taking the cover off the heat vent. He likes crawling up on things...even though he may not be able to get down. He plays with everything his sister has...he is very curious. He loves talking on the phone and loves to be outside.

He is eating well and likes milk just as much as his sister. He is sleeping through the night finally! He has been doing this for a little while now. He goes to bed at 7pm and gets up at 6:30am. He has been like clockwork lately. So, that helps me out with my sanity. I guess I will get a few months of uninterrupted sleep before the next baby comes;)

Aydan has also learned what a temper tantrum is. His consist of a high pitched scream and an arched back. He will straighten his whole body out. If you are holding him, he will arch his head back as far as he can. And if he is sitting on the ground he will plop back on his back and scream for a while. I try my best to ignore every little rant and rave...hopefully it doesn't last too long. Ha! A girl can dream, right? The hardest is when we are putting him in his car seat and he screams and arches his back. It is really hard to get him buckled in that position.

We just love watching that personality of his come out even more so as the months go by.

3rd trimester!!

Well, here is my big ole belly at 28 weeks. 12 or so weeks to go!

I am in to my 3rd trimester which has already started to bring on great discomfort as expected. All those bones are starting to move and shift and ache and I have to be careful not to change positions too quickly. If I am up and around and doing too many things, my belly will tighten and remind me to slow down.

I had my doctor's appointment on Tuesday. They checked my weight and measured my belly and took my blood pressure as usual. My weight was 155...but I like my home scale better, where it is 151;) So, I have gained 20lbs so far. My belly is measuring correctly at 28 and my blood pressure was normal.

The doctor had a hard time catching the baby's hearbeat. She would put the tool on my belly and Peyton would move to the other side. Big jolts, like she knew what she was doing. The doctor finally found the heartbeat and it was in the high 150's. I guess she was doing her excercises or something...because usually it is in the 140's. Still normal either way...so no worries there.

After the appointment, I went over to the lab for my glucose test. They set me down and I chose orange for my flavor of "juice"....I only had orange or lime as my choices. They made me drink the cup straight down and then I had to sit for an hour. I brought a book to keep me occupied. At the end of the hour, they took a couple vials of blood and I was on my way.

The next day, the lab called me, and apparently my glucose was high. The "normal high" is 134 and mine was 138. Not too far over. So, now on Monday I get to go back and do a 3 hour test. Drink the thick sugar juice and sit for 3 hours instead of one. Maybe I will be able to finish my book;)

How your baby's growing: By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter
pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her
head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her
eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through
your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding
more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

26 weeks

Here is my 26 week belly picture. Charly had to get involved too;)
The belly is getting bigger and we are moving right along. I am sure August will come before I know it. This past week, I had my last "four week" appointment, and now I will start going every two weeks. The appointment was uneventful. I am measuring how I should be. The heartbeat was in the 140's. My blood pressure is good. I have gained some weight, 154 on the doc's scale. And I have to have my diabetes screening at my next appointment.

I wish I had more to write, but at this point in the pregnancy, it is just day to day. I get sore...aches and pains... and have a really small bladder. Such is life. This pregnancy reminds me a lot of my first. I guess maybe it is a girl thing. But, the heartburn is back in full force and I didn't get that with Aydan. I am just trying to chug water and I try and keep some raisin bran on hand, which helps.

Aydan walking

In case you haven't seen Aydan walking recently. He is moving along really well!

Stories and recaps

Well, it isn't really that funny, but a bit of it is.

Background story. As a lot of you know, Mark has had problems with vertigo, migraines, dizziness, and a few other head related problems. The problems have come and gone, but they always seem to come back. He has seen many doctors and has had many theories. All of seem reasonable at the time, but nothing has ever gotten "fixed".

Well, he has been going to a doctor in Paw Paw that has run a bunch of test on him to determine what is going on. The did a scan of his head last week and saw a mass. A mass that we knew was there, because in Holland they had found the same thing...but didn't think it was anything to worry about. Well, it turns out the mass has grown since Holland...about 2 years ago, I think??

We have found out that it is not cancerous at all, which is such great news. But, we do need to keep our eye on it, because if it grows any more, it will need to be removed.

Hopefully, with this knowledge, they can come up with a way to manage the dizzy spells and headaches.

We are just glad to be able to "put a finger" on the problem...so to say. A lot of unanswered questions has been very frustrating for quite some time.

Well, when Mark was in Kalamazoo with the neurologist, he brought Charly with him because he knew it was just a consultation to go over his test results. At the office, they were having a small gathering for the kids who were patients there. Well, the nurse told Mark just to leave Charly with them because they were all playing, etc. Mark went in and talked to the doctor, and when he came out, Charly was crying hysterically. He couldn't calm her down. The only words he could get out of her were "its just like mommy". He had know idea what was going on.

Once Mark was able to talk to the nurse...or helper lady that was there...it turns out that the kids, who were patients, all got presents and they gave one to Charly to open because she was there. Well, then the lady realized that Charly wasn't a patient, so she took the present away...after Charly had just opened the present, which had a little princess chef outfit, including a wooden spoon...just like mommy has.

Oh, can you just imagine!? I realize that Charly shouldn't have gotten the gift, because it was for the kids who were there...with cancer, etc. And I actually feel bad that Charly "took" one of their gifts. But, can you just imagine taking away a gift from a 3 year old just after they opened it? Yeah...wouldn't go over well.

Anyway. The doctor came out and heard the story and gave the present to Charly. She was happy after that and boy has she been having fun cooking up everything in her little outfit.