With Some Time to Spare...

I did it, I finished cross stitching all three Christmas stockings before the end of the year.

I still have a long way to go with sewing these into stockings for next year. In the meantime I've started stitching baby girl's stocking. I'm trying to get a jump start before she gets here because I think I'll be pretty busy (and tired) afterwards.

Merry Christmas

Christmas truly is the most wonderful time of the year and with a two year old Christmas took on a whole new level of excitement. First of all, we got our very first Christmas tree.

Spencer loves the tree. Every morning he can't wait to plug the lights in and identify the different colors he sees. He also liked the presents under the tree but he was pretty good about not touching them  prematurely. When it came time to open the presents Spencer liked ripping the paper and seeing what was inside.

Another favorite was the Christmas music. Some songs are really snappy and easy to sing along with like "Up on the House Top." He gets excited and dances around. He likes the slower more reverent hymns too. At church today we had several musical numbers and Spencer has never been more captivated.

Then of course there are the special Christmas decorations and clothes. Spencer liked seeing people's lawn displays of nativities and blow up snowmen. He also liked wearing reindeer antlers and Rudolf noses at Music Makers. And I can't leave out how proud he was to wear a fancy red Christmas vest to church today.

One of our favorite things we did this year was go to the Temple to see the lights and other Christmas displays.

Spencer was in little boy heaven as we walked the Temple grounds. He ran from tree to tree pointing at all the lights. I think his favorite part however was seeing the temple in real life. He sees pictures all the time and likes to point and say "Temple" but this time he actually got to walk right up to the Temple and see how BIG it was. He kept saying while pointing "Temple, BIG, white" over and over.

I love how new and exciting things are to little kids. Spencer's excitement was really contagious and made this Christmas a special one for us.

External Version

*If you do not like anatomy pictures or the sight of blood this post is NOT for you*

There was some excitement this week with our pregnancy. At my regular appointment we learned baby was breech, meaning she was still head up when she should have been head down.

The practice I go to will not deliver a breeched baby naturally. Most OBGyns will not, it involves too much risk for the baby. Instead they perform a cesarean or a c-section in which they surgically remove the baby by making a small incision in the mother's lower abdomen and pull the baby out. See below:

Yikes, I know. A little graphic for our blog? Probably, but I wanted to show that a c-section is serious surgery and something I want to avoid if at all possible.

Upon learning my baby was breeched my OB gave me two options we could A.) schedule my c-section and hope baby would flip on her own before I had to go under the knife or B.) undergo an ECV (external cephalic version) where the Doctor would push on my stomach and try to force the baby to flip around into proper position.

Doesn't sound so bad compared to surgery right? Well it is a pretty painful procedure that is only successful about 50% of the time and isn't without risks. A number of things could go wrong resulting in an emergency c-section.

Adam and I weighed out the risks and decided that if we could avoid a c-section than we were going to try so yesterday we went to the hospital for the procedure.

We were there for four hours. The procedure was extremely painful. There were several times I thought maybe a c-section wouldn't be so bad. Finally she turned. I had to stay at the hospital for an additional hour for monitoring after she turned just to make sure she was adjusting well to the change. She is doing great, infact, I think she is enjoying the extra room the new position gives her.

Today I am sore, VERY sore. I feel like my insides are bruised. At the same time though I am so grateful the procedure was successful. A few hours of an uncomfortable procedure and an additional week of sore muscles is still better to me than undergoing surgery and having several weeks of recovery.

Baltimore Aquarium

On the 9th Grandpa Lamar took us all to the Baltimore Aquarium.There was an amazing selection of animals to see, unfortunately most of my pictures didn't turn out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After walking around the different exhibits we took a break and watched a dolphin show:

 

 

 We also went to an abbreviated version of the Polar Express in 4-D

Spencer really liked seeing all the fish and animals but I think this might have been his favorite part of the whole day. He couldn't stop talking about how he got to wear glasses and see a choo choo train. Even today, almost two weeks later he is still talking about it. Thanks Grandpa for an awesome day at the Aquarium!

Turning Two

Today my son is two. It doesn't feel like that long ago I was reflecting back on his first year. This past year Spencer definitely transformed from my baby to my big boy.

12 Months

Spencer is getting into absolutely everything. I have to be careful leaving him unattended because even in a short amount of time he can find trouble and make a big mess. He took his first steps and now we are really in trouble.

13 Months

Spencer is getting so proficient at walking. I think all of his cruising around is making him extra tried. Because he is tired he either takes extra long naps or hardly naps at all. He is working on his fourth tooth which is probably playing a role in his crankiness as well.

He really likes reading. One of his favorite books is "Blue Hat Green Hat" by Sandra Boynton. He repeats the word 'oops' every time we read it and he giggles.

14 Months

Spencer is becoming a hard worker and a big helper. He wants to do everything mommy and daddy does. He is also getting quite challenging and exhausting. He has been having some rough nights, and I think it is due to teething.

I don't understand how a little body can have so much energy. He has started running and boy can those little legs move fast! He has also started saying DaDa and learned how to drink out of a straw.

15 Months

Ready, Set, Climb! I thought he was getting into everything before, now he can climb and reach more things! People are commenting on how much Spencer's face has slimmed down. That is bound to happen when you run everywhere and climb on everything all day long.

I've discovered a few more teeth coming through, Spencer's finally has some molars, bring on the steak!

16 Months

Spencer got to meet his Uncle Michael for the first time. We went home to Idaho to pick him up from the airport after his two year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Spencer enjoyed playing with his cousins and riding in his first tractor on his Uncle Derek's farm.

17 Months

Spencer has become really interested in walking up and down the stairs like a big boy. It takes a lot more time but as a stay at home mom, time to help Spencer grow and develop is one thing I have. He now has 14 teeth. He has finally started trying to talk, he is experimenting with words and gabbering all the time.

He had his first major injury when he grabbed my shower razor, fortunately no trip to the hospital or stitches were necessary. He is down to only one nap a day.

18 Months

Spencer has discovered YouTube, more specifically VeggieTales. He went swimming for the first time and has started attending nursery at church. He isn't too excited about nursery...yet.

Spencer made friends with a neighbor boy named Sammy. Sammy is 10 months older than Spencer. They play together every day the weather is nice.

19 Months

Spencer is getting frustrated with me and my lack of energy or desire to do anything, to him being pregnant just means momma is being lazy. He is fun and silly and just wants to play all the time and I can't keep up.

He likes to go down the big slides at the park and he doesn't even want to hold my hand.

20 Months

Spencer is starting to behave better at church and is finally enjoying nursery. This month he experienced his first Earthquake and Hurricane. Spencer is becoming more aware of the baby in my tummy, he'll point to my stomach and say "be-be." He likes to give his little sister hugs and kisses.

Spencer has decided he wants to start using the toilet. He has pooped and peed on the potty several times!

21 Months

Spencer is very interested in babies so we got him a doll. He is also excited about his letters, numbers, and colors. As we walk through the grocery store or around the neighborhood he has to point out all the colors and letters/numbers he sees.

His coordination is improving and he wants to do EVERYTHING by himself. He is getting awesome at climbing ladders at the park. I don't even worry about him anymore.

22 Months

Spencer went Trick-or-Treating for the first time and has discovered he likes candy. He has also taken an interest in animals and likes to make the different animal sounds.

He went on his first vacation to Illinois without his mom. He has started folding his arms when we say prayers.

23 Months

Spencer's vocabulary has just exploded, he talks nonstop. He has started being more interactive at music makers and wants to participate in the hand gestures for the songs.

This month he started sleeping with his crib door open to help transition him into a big boy bed. He had his first dental visit and actually let the Hygienist scale and polish his teeth. He also got to attend his first baptism and witness his Great Aunt Ida become a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

24 Months

And now my son is 24 months! I can't believe I have a two year old. He is such a fun loving boy who likes learning about the world around him. He is excited about his baby sister coming and I think he is going to make a terrific big brother.