Random stories from this week

• Jonas' surgery went well on Friday. He had a hard time coming out of anesthesia and screamed for 2 hours but after that, all was well. We can already tell a difference in his speech and hearing!
• Troy got to go on a Men's Retreat and enjoyed hanging out with the guys.
• We all enjoyed a visit from Gigi and Mr. Don. Jonas now calls her "Gi" and she's very excited!
• Lauren is feeling the baby move much more lately. It's still in that gentle phase where it's exciting and not painful. Hopefully getting another ultrasound on Friday to confirm it's a boy!
• I've seen 2 good movies in the last few days...Secret Life of Bees on Friday with Katelin and Australia (finally!) with Troy last night. Both were great!
• Driving home on Friday from picking up dinner, Reef told me the light was green and that he was holding on tight. I asked, "Why? Is mommy driving too crazy?" He said, "No, just one crazy, not two." Hilarious!
• Reef has taken a new interest in cooking with me. A few weeks ago he helped with sweet potato casserole and today he helped with a no bake cheesecake. He's actually very anxious to "cook" blue jello, but we're still eating the other flavor we have!

Pregnancy Update

I never did get around to posting our pictures from the ultrasound, so here they are.
This one shows him looking at you and his body.

This one is a profile shot.

This is supposed to be one of the videos she gave us. It's the only one where I THINK I might see boy parts. Anyone else see it?? I'm asking for a repeat at my next appointment, just for peace of mind. It's really bugging me that I never actually saw any parts that indicated boy or girl.

Now that I'm on antibiotics, I'm feeling much better, but still having headaches almost every day. I think it's probably just allergies though. I've really been feeling the baby move a lot more, and hopefully Troy will catch it soon. No names yet since we're not convinced of the gender yet. I'm not posting any belly pictures, but I can assure it's growing! I'm pretty much all in maternity pants now and the shirst aren't far behind! I'm definitely ready for the looking fat phase to be over!

Seven!

We are so excited to report that Reef has gone 7 days without a potty accident!!! He's really done well since our little regression phase, and to celebrate we took him out for ice cream today. No pictures (I've been horrible lately!), but he was so happy about his very own bowl of chocolate M&M ice cream. He also enjoyed samples of everyone else's too. Jonas didn't care what we were celebrating, he was just happy to have his own bowl too!

Also, it's 7 days until Jonas' surgery next Friday. I'm not nervous yet but know I will be once we get there. Luckily, the procedure is only 5 minutes long and recovery is quick. We are looking forward to a time of no illness. Both boys (and me) have sinus infections and are on antibiotics. Jonas' was actually pretty mild but Dr. Gulde indulged me with an Rx for Jonas just to get him to surgery without getting worse. Both boys seem to be feeling better this weekend, and luckily they LOVE their medicine!

Reef and Jonas both had a great time while we were gone and have prayed for the Chapmans and Beau (their dog) daily since we left. Unfortunately, Reef has been sooo whiny this week. We think he was just overstimulated last week with all the fun of two 11-year-old boys to play with. I've tried to take it easy the last couple of days and stay close to home. It's helped, but I was so bummed to miss playgroup this week!

Before we left, we gave Jonas his first big boy haircut. We gave him a cracker and set him in front of the TV. He did really well. I can't believe how grown up he looks!

I decided today would be a "stay at home all day" day. It's actually really hard for me to not go out, but I think the boys enjoy every once in a while. Highlights of the day included watching the new automatic trash truck and fingerpainting.

New York

Last Wednesday, Troy and I left for our "surprise" trip to New York City! While the location wasn't a surprise anymore, all of our activities were, so I was still pretty excited. We set out early, early Wednesday morning and got to New York a little after lunchtime. Before we left, Troy surprised me with a new camera so I wouldn't have to haul around our big fancy one.



After checking into the hotel, we decided a big piece of pizza was in order. The recommended restaurant was a bit of a walk (much like the whole vacation) but it was worth it

Here's our pizza. That weird stuff was only on Troy's half.



After pizza and a nap for me, we headed to the Empire State building.

One of the few pics of us together. Troy has the crazy hair!


Then we hit Rockefeller Center to look at the ice skaters. I really wanted to skate but the worry about falling won out.

We had an early night that first night because this mommy was TIRED!
Thursday started with breakfast in the hotel and then a rest for me since I was feeling pretty yuck. Finally we headed for Central Park. It was a long walk, with a pit stop at FAO Schwartz. We picked up 2 puppets for the boys and then continued on. We didn't make it as far as we would have liked, but hunger won out. We had ice cream at Trump Tower and then headed back for a nap.




Thursday night was our super special night out, starting with surprise ear rings from Troy! Then we were off to dinner at Le Bernadin restaurant. We've been watching Top Chef this season and the chef, Eric Ripert, was featured in one of the shows. My friend from medical school, Denise, met us for dinner. The food and atmosphere was all much fancier than we were used to, but we still had a great time and good food. After dinner, we were off to see Wicked. This was definitely a highlight of the trip! Our seats were so close, and the show was amazing! You definitely have to see this one, if not in New York then at the Majestic in June!


Friday morning we slept in until at least 8, very late for Troy! After breakfast (and some nausea), we set out on the subway for Ground Zero. Not much to look at right now since it's fenced off and they're doing construction, but it's going to be great when it's all finished.

We also walked around to look at the Statue of Liberty since we decided not to take the ferry over. Can you see it WAY WAY behind me?

Before heading back to the hotel (yes, for another nap!), we stopped by the courthouses where they're always coming out on Law and Order. No famous people there today, though.

Friday night we wandered through town on our way to see the Lion King. We ate a quick dinner at Rockefeller Center and did some shopping. The Lion King was good but couldn't steal Wicked's thunder. We saw the show at the Majestic a few years ago and were surprised at how much longer it is on Broadway! Still a great show! We walked back to the hotel after the show and grabbed a pretzel from a street vendor.

Saturday we slept until 9! I enjoyed breakfast in bed (Troy had picked some stuff up for me the day before) while Troy zipped out for some coffee. After breakfast and a shower, we planned to head up to Central Park to see the fountain, the zoo, and meet up with Denise for lunch. We made it to the fountain this time. Boy was that a walk for me!

And then wandered back to the zoo to meet Denise. After seeing how small the zoo was, we decided against going in. Turns out there aren't lions there like in Madagascar (the movie). Our alternate plan was to hike across the park to the Ugg store (I decided I needed some after seeing them all over the streets of NY!). Luckily Denise was up for the challenge! On our way to the Ugg store, we had to stop for lunch. We were headed to a recommended restaurant but decided it was just too far. So, we stopped at this random place and loved it!

Troy and Denise dined on yummy brunch food while I dove into a "Dirty Devil Dog", a deep fried hot dog. Not the healthiest meal but so good!
After the Ugg store, we said goodbye to Denise (it was sooo good to see her again!) and headed back for a nap. After I napped and Troy explored (and bought me a HUGE cupcake), we were off for our 2nd fancy dinner at Craftsteak. This restaurant is owned by Tom Colicchio from Trop Chef.
On our way, we ran into our one and only famous person, Elmo! This picture is Reef's favorite and he's discovered a new love for Elmo. He tells everyone about it!

After a crazy cab ride, we arrived at the restaurant. The food was amazing and the atmosphere was much more relaxed! Troy tried in advance to arrange a visit from Tom but was told that he was out all week after knee surgery. To make up for it, they sent out a complimentary appetizer (pate-not something for me but Troy loved it!) AND a complimentary dessert (cookies-super yummy even the day after)!! I kept looking around to see if everyone else was getting the same treatment. They weren't. I felt like we were famous or good friends with the owner! Definitely another highlight of our trip and a great way to end it!

Sunday was an early (but not as early as on the way there) trip to the airport and a very long flight to Houston. We were delayed because of weather and poor scheduling at the airport and started to worry we weren't going to make our connection. This happened last time we left the boys too! Luckily we made it and were excited to finally get home to the boys, green snotty noses and all!

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.