It's a.......

BOY!!! I know some of you are worried that I might be disappointed, but, have no fear, we are very excited! I was bummed for a minute or two only because she called him a girl at first. Then, towards the end, she got a peak of a little penis. Troy and I never saw it and we never got the "money"shot, but she seemed sure, so we'll go with it. Reef will be thrilled because he recently changed his mind to the baby being a boy. "I changed my mind; I don't want a girl anymore," he said.
Now on to the task of finding another boy name! Suggestions are welcome!
I have a video that I'll try to post later, but baby was very uncooperative so there's not much to see.

Four...

is the magic number at our house right now...
Reef went FOUR days with no accidents, the longest so far. Unfortunately we ended our winning streak with a poop in the underwear accident at Ethan's house. I just have to remind myself to be patient, but it's getting harder...
Jonas was diagnosed with ear infection number FOUR today. He's a had a cough and runny nose for a few days and has been tugging his right ear too. I was waiting until he started showing some more symptoms, like poor sleep or appetite but finally gave in today and took him. He needs to be well before Troy and I leave next week. Dr. Gulde said his left ear was "beautiful" but his right ear was not. It's not officially infected yet, but the ear drum was as red as his shirt. So...we're treating it with antibiotics anyway since it will probably turn into a raging infection in the next few days. Dr. Gulde also called the ENT while we were in the office to discuss tubes again. This is the second infection since seeing the ENT at the end of January. Dr. Moe (ENT) now says to call his office to set up an OR date. Now I'm a little nervous about that but glad that we won't have to deal with constant trips to the doctor too. I'll let you know when we have a date.

Zoo last week

The boys and I took a trip to the zoo last week and decided to invite all our friends. It was chaos with 9 kiddos and 5 mommies, especially since most of the kids did NOT want to ride in the stroller. Still, we had a great time and only lost them once! I didn't have my camera, but Kristin, Katie, and Karen took some great pics for me.
Our first stop...the flamingoes. This is what started the "no stroller" time. Ethan isn't in this one because he wasn't there yet.

Ethan caught up with us at the monkeys.

This gibbon came to visit right after all the other kids left. He stayed to talk to Jonas for a long time though. He actually really startled Jonas because he suddenly appeared when Jonas turned around for one last look before moving on.

Best friends...for today, at least.

A ride on the komodo dragon. 4 out of 5 looking at the camera is good, right?

After lunch, Reef HAD to do the fishing pond. It's been ages since we went there, but he suddenly remembered it and had to do it. I think he caught a big one here.

Keeping Jonas out of the pond was a losing battle, so I finally gave up.

I hope he's right!

Leaving church on Sunday night, one of Reef's teachers comes up to me and says, "Reef told me you're having a girl!" I was kind of shocked since we don't actually find out until next week and Reef doesn't usually talk about the baby except to me or Troy. He has been telling us for quite some time that it will be a girl. Like, if I say something like, "If we have a baby girl, we'll have dolls at our house"; he will say, "But we already have a baby girl!"
So cute. And I sooo hope he's right.
In other news, Jonas ate green beans for Rachel last night. I hope it wasn't a one-time thing!

Jonas' 15 month appointment

Reef and I took Jonas for his 15-month appointment yesterday. It was the first appt of the day, so a bit of rush for us to get over there only to have to wait more than 30 minutes for the doctor. So frustrating! Anyway, Jonas' ears are cleared up and he can drop one of his many medications. He's meeting all of milestones with no problems, and Dr. Gulde is not worried about our lack of green veggies and meat. He's in the 90th percentile for head circumference and height but only the 50th percentile for weight.
Reef was very patient for the visit, constantly reminding us all that he was NOT sick. He did want a sticker, though. He also told me that I was "not a nice girl" since I threatened to spank him if he didn't listen to me. It was pretty funny but also hurt my feelings a little bit!

Valentine's Weekend

Our weekend was packed full of fun since Troy was off for 4 days! I started Friday off with an early morning haircut. Finally! It looks a little wild in the pics, but I really like it when it's fixed.

Then we were off to the zoo. We decided to take the wagon this time, and it was a big hit with the boys. I think the highlight of the zoo was actually the reptile house. We'd never been in there before, and both boys loved seeing all the snakes and lizards.

Jonas was really animated this trip and really into all the animals. He even practiced his animal noises. I like this one because he's so fascinated by those fish.

We always feed the lorakeets when Dad comes to the zoo with us, and it never fails that they land on his head immediately when we enter the cage. I think they recognize him from the homeland.

Troy and I went out to a nice dinner Friday night to celebrate Valentine's day. We were supposed to go on Saturday but definitely could not get reservations less than a week in advance. Thank you to Lezlee and Jeremy who watched the boys for us!

Saturday morning we took a trip to the rodeo. We went last year and had a good time, so we thought we'd go again this year. It was cold and really crowded but still fun. The boys like looking at the big cows, horses, and pigs from afar but did not want to pet them. Jonas said, "No. No." when asked if he wanted to pet a calf and then said, "bye bye" and waved to the cow. The highligh of the day was a ride on the carousel. It cost $12 for us all to ride, and Jonas didn't even like it that much, but to Reef it was well worth the money!

Reef sat on this horse last year and was excited to sit on him again. Last year Jonas was in our pouch so this is his first ride. Funny thing about this horse...they cut his legs off in the last year! He was much taller last time!

After the carousel and a quick lunch, we hit the petting zoo. It was crowded and a little overwhelming but both boys enjoyed seeing the goats, sheep, llamas, deer, and a donkey. They also had a mommy pig who had just given birth to 3 piglets. Reef and I were looking at them, and he said, "But mommy, those little things are eating the pig!" So funny!

After naptime, we gave the boys their valentine's cards from Grandma and Gigi, and Reef has carried them around all day today, frequently asking us to read them. Troy and I gave them a V-day present of books, bath paints, and Madagascar 2. All were a big hit! Jonas' V-day gift to us was sleeping until 8:30 this morning! We had to wake him up to go to church! I'm really hoping this is the start of a new habit.

As far as the morning sickness goes, I spoke too soon in my last post and threw up the next morning! I am having more good days than bad and getting my energy back, so hopefully then end of the bad stuff is near.

Early February

Well, here we are another 2 weeks after my last post. I'm really hoping life will settle down, and I'll have more time to write down all the little stuff that I want to remember.

After my last post, I got to spend the weekend away at my ladies retreat. Unfortunately, Jonas was suffering from a stomach bug that passed through both Troy and Reef while I was gone. It wasn't the most relaxing weekend away since I was worried about all my guys. Oh well...maybe next year...

Jonas had his 3rd ear infection last week. I wasn't surprised since the ENT saw fluid in his ear the week before. I was amazed at how quickly it seemed to bother him, though. One minute he was fine at playgroup, the next screaming inconsolably. Luckily, we were able to get him into the doctor the same day. If he gets another infection, I think I'm going to push for tubes. Let's pray this was the last one!

Last weekend, the boys and I took a 4 day trip to visit my mom in Conroe. Our main reason for taking this trip was so that Troy could gets TONS of work done and maybe have an easier week this week. He definitely held up his end of the bargain and worked 48 hours over Thurs, Fri, and Saturday. The boys and I enjoyed visiting Gigi, Grandma, Grandpa, my dad, Mimi and Poppy, and Mr. Don. We didn't get to see Aunt Taylor and Jacob this time but hopefully will see her soon. We spent Friday at the mall with Grandma, playing in the play area and riding the carousel. Reef loved his orange bunny, but Jonas was not a big fan of the moving pony on the carousel. Saturday was spent at the park with Gigi. Reef loved all the slides and climbing, but Jonas was more interested in the giant helicopter at the VFW next door. Helicopters are his favorite thing right now.

Yesterday, we took Reef for a big boy haircut. Troy and I tried trimming his bangs a few weeks ago, without great results, so we thought it was time. I can't believe how different my baby looks now! His friend Jayden didn't even recognize him at Ladies Bible class today! Reef handled the haircut okay with a few freak outs when she sprayed his hair. The end result is worth it though...

Troy seems to have work under control (finally!), so we're looking forward to a 4 day weekend this weekend. Who knows what we'll do, but it'll be nice to all be together. I'm hoping to finally get a haircut of my own.

3 more weeks until we find out the sex of the baby! I've been feeling better the last couple of days and haven't thrown up in a week, so let's hope this is the beginning of the good times!