IT'S A GIRL

We found out today that we are having a little girl. She is still due at the end of October and she looks healthy. We are super excited. Finding out the gender is one of my favorite parts of being pregnant!

Nicholas at 20 months

Weight: 30.2 lbs

Height: 32 inches

Eating Habits:

• He loves to eat and he eats A LOT!
• He loves sitting in new places when he eats. It makes meal time exciting.
• He loves dipping his food in different sauces.
• He is pretty much to the point that he will eat at least a part of whatever we are eating.
• Vegetable Update: He still won't eat broccoli. He will eat carrots, tomatoes, green beans, and sometimes squash.
• He will share his snacks with Papa, but he won't share them with Mama. It makes him laugh so hard when I ask for him to share.
• He can climb in and out of his highchair, but I don't let him do it.
• He has always liked to throw his food, but recently it got a lot worse. He figured out it was a quick way to get out of highchair when he was done eating. Making him stay there didn't work, because he would just enjoy making a bigger mess. So after trying the punishment route, we decided to offer an incentive instead. He now gets a treat at the end of each meal if he doesn't throw things. We have only been doing this for a week, but it has helped a lot.
• His favorite treat right now are juice and Cadberry eggs.
• He clings to Mama, but he idolizes Papa. He wants to wear Papa's hat, use Papa's toothbrush, and do all the things Papa does. For example, he likes to study, ride the motorcycle, and mow the lawn.

Words He Will Say:

• Fish, Saws, Hammer, Tool, Bowl, Ball, Please, Thank you, Eat, More, Juice, Choo Choo, Backpack, Hi, Bye, Car, Airplane, Puppy, Mama, Papa, All Done, Treat, Up, Yeah, Yes, No, Potty, Book, Egg, Bird, Baby, Elmo, High, Shoes, Outside, Inside, Swing, Spin, Barney

Favorite Toys:

• We got the Playskool Explore and Grow Ball Popper. I love this toy. It entertains him for a good 5-15 minutes each time he plays with it. He loves chasing the balls and putting them down different ways.
• I got him a car that has a handle on the back that I can use to push him around. He rides in it when we go to the nearby park.
• He loves the sandbox. We are still working on keeping sand in the sandbox.
• He loves his two trains.
• He loves to sleep with his glow worm. He calls it his baby.
• We have two stuffed puppies that he loves. He also sleeps with them and carries them around the house.
• We got him a little shopping cart and he likes to fill it up and walk around the house.
• He loves the TV remote.
• He loves "playing" the Wii. Right now his favorite games to play are Baseball and Bowling. He can't really bowl, but he asks to do it all the time.

Movies He Will Watch:

• Barney
• Baby Signing Time
• Thomas the Train

Quirks:

• He is VERY active (like a little boy should be). He always has some sort of bruise or scratch from all his adventuring. I keep on putting off getting formal pictures of him until his most recent bruise on his head heals, but he always gets another one before I can take him in.
• He is very quick to tell you when he is bored/ALL DONE. Once he makes up his mind that he is ready to go, there is no stopping him.
• He talks a lot, which can be a problem in church. We feed him lunch during the first 15 minutes of church. Then, we desperately try to entertain him for the next half-an-hour. Then, he usually gets taken to the primary room for the last bit of church.
• He hates water on his head, but he loves playing in the water. He will sit in the sink for a good half an hour and play with the water. He would do it for longer, but Mama usually calls it quits.
• He is getting very good at being watch by other people. He likes going to nursery now. In contrast, he is not good at being passed to other people if Mama is anywhere near.
• He loves to watch and copy older kids. He is very good about taking turns when he is playing with someone older. When he plays with kids that are his same size, he is a little bit of bully. He does it in a sweet way, but he is so anxious to show them how the toy works or to play with them that it can be overwhelming for the kid he is play with.
• When he finds something interesting, he says, "Whoa." Every time I hear that I quickly look to see what he has in hands. Nine times out of ten it is something I don't want him playing with.
• He loves his swing. He loves to go high and to spin in it. He looks like a drunken sailor when he gets out of his swing.

Survivor

This week I survived a tornado, 1 1/2 days without power, 1 1/2 days without a toilet, falling through the floor, over a dozen chigger bites, the 17th week of pregnancy, a husband constantly study for his national boards test, and lots of time with a toddler that suddenly loves to throw thing (food, rocks, toys, etc.). While there have been moments that weren't so great, like late night bathroom runs to the nearest open grocery store, these problems have mostly worked themselves out. In the end, we are grateful for our problems and wouldn't want to trade them for most other people's problems. It is weeks like this that add a little adventure into our lives.

Hail in Texas

Yes, world. Large hail is real.

Nicholas at 19 months

Tooth Count: 12

Weight: 29 lbs

If I had to sum up this stage of life in one word, it would be BUSY. He is always on the move and alway investigating/exploring something new. He keeps me on my toes and requires my FULL ATTENTION. If I had to pick another word, it would be CLINGY. Nicholas has a hard time when I leave the room. He is super attached to Mom right now. If I slip out of the room while he is playing with something, I can hear him run around to each of the rooms until he finds me. He will then greet me with a big smile and a "Hi." He does do okay with playing with other people if he knows Mom is not an option. For example, he does well in nursery. During the first few weeks, he had to be held most of the time. Now he is venturing out and playing during nursery.

Words:

• Barney (Brrrrr)
• Grandpa
• Papa
• Mama
• All Done
• More
• Hammer
• All Gone
• Outside
• Inside
• Dog
• Balloon
• Ball
• Choo-Choo
• Car
• No
• Bye-Bye
• Hi
• Yes
• YEAH

He is definitely a very opinionated young man. In the past week, he has really started to use, "No" a lot. Sometimes he even says, "No" when he means "Yes."

Favorite Activities:

• Driving the car
• Singing into the microphone
• Grabbing objects off the table (He is tall enough to reach almost anything on our table and counters. We have lost a lot of glasses lately.)
• Unloading drawers and cupboards
• Coloring
• Watching Barney Goes to the Zoo
• Going outside and to the park
• Making messes
• Drawing on the refrigerator
• Tackling Papa
• Somersaults
• Drinking from a big boy cup
• Watching Choo-Choo trains
• Dancing/Spinning
• Smiling at people
• Going through Papa's toolbox
• Working at his workbench
• Helping Mom cook

Texas Bluebonnets

Nicholas at 18 months

Weight: 29 lbs (He got really sick at the end of March and refused to eat anything for a whole week. He only wanted to drink milk and sit on Mom's lap. He lost a full pound during this episode. He is of course feeling better now and putting back on the pounds.

Tooth Count: 11 (His bottom right molar is about to break through.)

Sleep Schedule: He takes a nap from 10 to noon. He goes to bed around seven and wakes up at seven. He is still pretty easy to get to sleep. On nights when he is being difficult, Joseph just goes in and puts him to sleep. He always will go to bed when Papa tells him to. I think he knows I'm more likely to let him stay up later. He still takes a pacifier when he goes to bed, and he wants a blanket.

Words He Will Say A Lot: Car, Bird, Grandpa, Mama, Papa, More, Hi, Bye, Eyes, Touch, Balloon, Ball, Dog, YEAH, No, Bad

Favorite Show: Barney and Baby Signing Time

*The best part about Nicholas getting so sick at the end of March was he slowed down enough to learn to watch TV. Don't judge me, but I love that he will watch a few minutes of Barney.

Cute Things He Does:

• He loves singing into the microphone that we have.
• He will hold anything flat that is about the size of a phone up to his ear and talk to it.
• When he gets scared, he lays his head on my shoulder. It is sweet to know that he has complete trust in me. He was really scared by the Easter Bunny at the mall the other day. He wouldn't take the bunny's candy.
• We have been setting some boundaries about what he can and cannot do. He knows I don't love him to unload our hutch, so he will walk over to it and open the door. Then he will say, "No" and shut the door. He is so proud when he does this and I make sure to tell him that he is a good boy.
• He loves looking in our refrigerator. He touches each bottle and asks what each object is.
• He loves his sandbox.
• He loves stairs, but he waits for Mom to help him down them.
• He finally learned how to hold hands when he walks. It is rare that he will do it though. We've put some thought into getting a leash.
• Dancing means stomping your foot and spinning around.
• He loves dumping things out and making messes.
• The best toy that he has is his treasure box filled with new random objects. He loves unloading things.
• He loves balloons and will always point them out at the store.

Favorite Song: The Ants Go Marching

Favorite Foods:

• Cottage cheese, cheese, chocolate, bread, and meat

Things I Wish He Wouldn't Do:

• He pulls anything he can reach off the counter. Yesterday, I left a candy bar near the edge of the counter, and he just went over and helped himself.
• He has a fit every time I put him in the car, because he doesn't want to get in his car seat. Nicholas thinks he should drive instead. He loves standing in the driver's seat and pushing every button. He will pick "driving" over going to the park.

Sandbox

Grandmother and Grandfather Muhlestein sent us a sandbox for Christmas. It was a great toy inside until the weather got warm. Now we finally went and picked up three 50 lb bags of sand today and bought some sand toys. So far the sand box is a big hit. Thanks Grandmother and Grandfather!