angels we have heard on high

Dear Henry,

I definitely should not be taking time to blog today with all the birthday preparations I have left to do. You are turning 2 next week! But I have to get this stuff on record because it is absolutely the sweetest thing. For the past couple months you have been completely enthralled with angels. We don't know exactly how it started, but we think it may have begun at Grandma's house when she let you carry around one of her small angel figurines. Soon you started asking me if you could hold my Willow Tree angels and you were very sure to be so careful with them. You also started standing in a certain corner of our dining room and saying, "Look, Mommy! I bein' a angel." We still aren't sure why you do that, but it's adorable nonetheless. A week before Thanksgiving, Grandma Gerine gave you a whole package full of angel magnets and you love them. We are constantly finding them all over the house because you love to play with them so much. I also started singing "Angels We Have Heard on High" to you, and at first you would ask me to "sing angels" over and over again. Now you know all the words and I often hear you singing it in your crib when you wake up from your nap. I'm pretty sure you even dream about angels! Last week you had one night where you were awake a lot, so we spent several hours in the rocking chair. At one point I was sure you were sound asleep and suddenly, with your eyes closed, you burst into the first verse of the song. You sang it twice through and then were quiet again for about 5 minutes. I was sure you were asleep again when I heard you say, "I love you, angels! See you in the morning!" Too funny!! Last night we took you on a drive through the city park because they have a Christmas lights display there. Of course your favorite part was the lighted angels. This morning when I was changing your diaper you said, "The angels are friends, Mommy." We can't help but wonder how long this love of angels will last. Hopefully long enough for you to get to be an angel in the church Christmas program next year. Can you imagine?? Your very own angel costume?!? Here's a picture of you admiring your collection...

ohhhhh baby

Today is the 24 week mark which means...this baby will be here in no time! If I have cholestasis of pregnancy like I did with Henry, the baby will be born via csection on (or within a day of) March 4. If I don't have cholestasis, we will have a csection on March 22 unless I would go into labor and progress quickly on my own. Since I've never been more than 37 weeks pregnant, I don't know if I would go into labor on my own before 40 weeks (or ever!!) so it's hard to know what to expect. Dameon will be with his students in Florida from March 9-14 so let's just hope I don't go into labor on any of those days!
We have decided on a boy name and a girl name (or pretty much decided, I should say) but they will remain top secret until the birth day. It was harder to come to a decision this time around because we had the additional factor of considering what would go well with "Henry." We also tried having Henry say each name to figure out which ones sounded the cutest out of his mouth but that was no help because they were all adorable when he said them. Dameon remains firmly planted on Team Boy while I'm much more on the Team Pink bus. Henry talks about a sister (without prompting from us) quite often so...we shall see! I love the element of surprise!! He is talking about Mommy's belly more and more. He even gives my belly hugs and kisses. And then he'll say something random like, "The baby can come out Mommy's belly and can stand on the table!" Ha! Dameon and I talk about how much we wish we could see the mental images he has to know what he really thinks is going to happen.
I am feeling really good these days. Sleeping decent (with many bathroom visits, of course), minimal heartburn, very little back pain, and no nausea. The most difficult thing is bending over. I can't do it without letting out a huff or puff and after about two bends, I'm done. The "Spa by Dameon" opened last night when he trimmed my toenails. I'm going to guess that he'll be even better at painting them this time around!
This little punkin is so so so super active and the kicks and jabs have just started to get a little sharp. I don't remember Henry being as active at this stage but it could just be that I don't remember as clearly. When we went for our ultrasound this baby was measuring a bit smaller than Henry did at his ultrasound so I don't know how that will pan out in the end but I'm definitely still sporting a bigger belly than I did with him at this time. It is so surprising to me how complete strangers will comment on my size. The produce guy at HyVee just couldn't get over the fact that I'm not due until March. He even said he felt sorry for me having to "carry that around until then." Uhhh...okay. Then the checker lady at Pamida was like, "Dang girl, you are huge! Sure it's not twins?" Like I've never heard that one before. It's not that these comments bother me or make me feel embarrassed. It's just that I would NEVER say that to anyone. Ever! Oh well. Maybe when I'm 39 weeks, I'll go hang out in the produce section for awhile and show that guy what big really looks like. He has no idea!

a collage of projects!

I should learn that it's a mistake to commit to something on my blog. Like, when I said I was going to do a project with Henry every day and then blog about it. Ha! Didn't happen. But we do try to make at least two or three projects happen each week. Here's just a sampling of the things he's been enjoying lately.

Dot Art: I bought these dot paints at Michael's way back when I was still teaching and they have come in very handy with the little guy. They're a bit pricey (I think a pack of 6 is 10 bucks) but they really do last. Plus they're washable which is obviously a must.

 

Water Painting: I bought a couple cheap sponges and cut them into little chunks. He dips them in water and blots them on the paper. Great fun and no mess. Just be sure to use construction paper because any other kind (such as cardstock) won't really absorb any water.

 

Baking: Just recently Henry has started to help out in the kitchen. He is pretty trustworthy on this little step stool and loves to pour, stir, and stick his finger in any mound of sugar or flour that he can get to.

 First time helping Mommy make cookies. I've been looking forward to this day for a long time!!

 First taste of cookie dough. He couldn't get enough and was SILENT as he licked his tiny spoon.

 Cute story: He must have been so distracted by the goodness of the cookie dough that he forgot he was up high. He suddenly stepped backward and bonked, bonked, his way down the step stool. He cried a little and instantly had a bruise on his chin. For the next week or so, he would talk about how he got a shiner on his chin :)

 

Flour play: After our cookie baking experience, I learned that Henry is very enthralled with flour. I gave him a little in a bowl and spread some on his tray and he was happy as a clam. This is best to do right before bathtime!