Sick Day

Poor Buddy-Boy woke up with a headache and fever, so I called into work (Jungle Gym at the Y) and we stayed home. He was just miserable all day, taking 2 naps and relaxing on the couch the rest of the time. He said, "This is the worstest day ever!" I felt so bad for him! Lucky for us, Mom was here, so he didn't have to go out to get Maya from school or go to the grocery store. We brought back some popsicles, Gatorade, and Home Alone 2. By the evening, he was laughing hysterically at Kevin McAllister's antics against the bad guys and felt much better. Thank goodness, it was a pretty quick virus! Maya also loved the movie, laughing harder than I've ever seen her laugh before. She said, "I see tears coming out!" She also had tears coming out when Kevin was reunited with his mom... because she was so happy. She's definitely going to be a little emotional one, like me!

ULTRASOUND DAY!

Here we are... Baby Deaton #3! The ultrasound went really well today. The baby's heart rate was a steady 148 bpm, and (s)he weighed approximately 1 pound 3 ounces! (S)he was very active during the entire exam. Hopefully, (s)he stays that way because there needs to be some serious flipping going on, as right now, the baby is BREECH. Eek! I'm not planning on a c-section, so Baby needs to rotate! I did text my OB (conveniently, a good friend of mine, Sarah A.), and she assured me that 50% of babies are breech at 20 weeks. She said that it "doesn't mean anything". Whew! As for everything else... as best as we could tell (with our non-radiology certified eyes), everything looks good. We saw a good shaped head with ventricles present, a heart with 4 chambers, complete diaphragm, stomach, 2 kidneys, a bladder, 2 arms, 2 legs, and all digits present and accounted for! We did NOT officially find out what the gender is, but we were both very convinced at one point that it is indeed a GIRL. Then, later on, Will saw some "other evidence" that may prove otherwise... perhaps, a BOY. The bottom line is... we REALLY don't know! I LOVE that Will indulged my wishes on keeping this a surprise. It is really important to me, and I'm SO thankful to him that he agreed to wait for a delivery room surprise! YAY! Best hubby EVER.

This ultrasound pic was taken just for the kids... a single arm and hand sticking out to "wave" and say "hello!" Both kids thought that was so awesome. Liam just laughed and laughed!

After settling back in at home and having a snack, Liam challenged Will to his new favorite game...

Super Mario Bros. checkers! He LOVES this game, and he's pretty good at it. He is definitely catching on quickly!

Also, our little Smarty Pants brought home her 2nd report card today, and she is doing GREAT! We need to work on counting by 2's and counting syllables, but she is doing excellent in reading/writing phonetically and math! Our only surprise was found on her report from Gym class... "needs improvement" on "motivation in participation". WHAT?! Our gymnast/dancer, who spends approximately 5 hours a week in extracurricular physical activities? Are you kidding? We did have a little chat about our expectations of her in gym... that it's her JOB to participate! Oh, my... the last thing we expected to hear! Despite the gym report, we couldn't be more PROUD of her!

Kids' Activities

 One of my favorite gymnastics photos... Maya, looking tiny, in the line of "big girls". I have to hand it to her though... regardless of her size and age, her form is spot on! Look at those muscles! She's really coming a long way in gymnastics. She was introduced to the back handspring not so long ago, and she can just about do it alone! Coach Suzy is spotting her with "two fingers... one finger!", according to Maya. She basically just needs to "feel" her there for support. She's pretty impressive!

Maya got a chance to "drive" the truck today, for her first time. She was all smiles! It's cool to have this long lane, so the kids can do fun things like that!

Liam had a SUPER-PROUD moment today... he jumped into the DEEP end of the pool ALL. BY. HIMSELF! He swam to the side with minimal assistance, climbed out, and gave us a BIG thumbs-up! We're so proud of our little fish! (Photo to follow... we only took a video.)

Liam's First Drive!

Liam got to "drive" the truck for the first time tonight! He was beyond excited and did not want any help with the steering. We drove down our lane, after taking the trash out. The first turn was a little touch-and-go (at 2 mph), but by the time we turned into the driveway, he had it down! He also insisted that he did not need help pulling into the garage, but I vetoed THAT decision! He couldn't wait to jump out of the truck and tell Maya that he got to drive for the first time. He was absolutely beaming! It was fun and exciting!

It's Been FAR Too Long...

HELLO, 2013!!

Over 2 years since my last post (on this site), I logged onto this site and almost burst into tears. My heart started racing and my throat tightened up. I had to struggle to hold back the water-works, especially after reading my last couple of posts. My gosh, it's been far too long. Sooo, again.... I'd like to start over. Even if it's a sentence or two a day, it's something...ANYTHING!

We worked hard today on getting the basement organized, and undoubtedly, I pushed, pulled, lifted, and carried too much for this pregnant (not to mention out-of-shape) body to handle. It was getting close to dinner, when Maya came downstairs, took me by the hand and said, "Come with me. It's time for you to take a break. You can finish this tomorrow or tonight or something like that. You need to take a break." What a sweetie! She guided me all the way upstairs and to the couch, where we snuggled up and watched Will and Liam play the Wii. She was right. My body is sore! I love that little girl!

Liam's "Thank You" note from his Chuck E. Cheesin' birthday party...

What a great time, and what a happy boy! I LOVE that photo of him!! Just look at that face!

Ronald McDonald's Story Time

 Story time with Ronald McDonald at "Old McDonald's" was a huge hit! The kids loved it! He was VERY animated. Think Will Ferrell. Seriously. He was hilarious! I laughed so hard, I had tears rolling down my cheeks. His "parenting tip" of the day... read only every other page of Llama, Llama Mad at Mama. It's the same story, and he proved it with a demonstration. Pretty sure he was more entertaining for the adults!

Maya ended up getting out of his line of fire around book 3 (of 6), but by the end, she was all about him. I think the fact that he promised he would look for her missing tooth helped him stay in her good graces! She also enjoyed the magic trick... the "invisible string" that can lift up one side of his top lip. He was quite the goof ball! I guess that's what you'd expect from a guy dressed like that, who lives in "McDonald Land", which is located "just past Neverland and turn left". I'm telling you, Will Ferrell in a clown suit!

Worrying About Maya's Future in Driving...

I think I counted 9 bodies in this car! I have no doubt that there was probably a dog or two, stashed in the trunk or on the floorboards! Oh, my!

Millenium Falcon Hot Tub

This is why they get along SO well... always willing to compromise!!