Megan's Snowman

Can you think of a better activity on this slushy, snowy day than building a snowman?  Megan spent the day with her Grandma Gennrich and the two of them played hard outside today.  Megan got lots of rides in the sled and then made this awesome snowman in the sticky snow.  It is complete with a bird's nest hat and pine cone mouth!

 

Megan caught on right away that the snow would stick together and she patted away.

 

Grandpa's 80th Birthday

Last Wednesday my Grandpa Gennrich turned 80 years old.  We had a small family get-together yesterday to celebrate all of the February birthdays between his and his sister Ruth's families. Grandpa brought along this musical card that John and I gave him 5 years ago - and it still works!  It suited him perfectly since it plays the Chicken Dance.  Megan had fun hopping around to the music all evening.  Grandpa was also excited that I was taking pictures so he could be featured on Lewis News!

 

 

We are studying Moses at church and recently learned that he was 80 years old when God called him to go to Egypt and demand that Pharaoh let his people go.  Well, I don't think Grandpa will be parting any seas any time soon, but as you can see from the pictures above he is still in great shape,  good spirits and still has quite a bit of spunk left in him!  Happy Birthday, Grandpa!  We love you!

Megan's Week - Ash Wednesday Week

Our week started out pretty good with an impromptu trip to Safari Island so John could take Megan swimming.  We had never been there before and I was impressed with the large kid pool.  The deepest it got was to 3 feet with the majority of the pool being only 2 feet deep.  John followed Megan as she walked around the pool for a good hour.  She did so well and only fell over a few times.  We left when it was naptime and Megan kept pointing to the pool saying "Baff, Baff".  She definitely didn't want to leave.  I guess we'll have to go back soon.

I mentioned before that Megan started to say "Papa" for Grandpa and she was able to demonstrate that on Wednesday for my dad and then today for John's dad.  I'm sure Megan has her grandpas wrapped even more around her little finger with this new word.  The only thing that was funny was on Wednesday night when Megan was playing with my brother, Brian for a good amount of time.  After awhile he started to get the same name.  Megan would ask where Papa was and Grandpa would say he's right here but she kept asking.  When Brian came down from upstairs she said, "Hi, Papa!".  I wonder if every man who's not Daddy will be Papa?

I debated taking Megan to Ash Wednesday church since we had just been out late at church the night before at our Community Group meeting.  I was tired but I'm glad we decided to go, especially since I don't know how many more Lenten services I will have energy to go to.  Megan held my hand as we walked up the aisle to get ashes on foreheads.  I let her get ashes too since she gets a kick out of participating in these things.  When we sat down at our seats she took a good look at my forehead and said "Oh, dirt" and proceeded to pull Kleenexes from our church bag and wipe off all the ashes from my face.  When we went to communion she did another great job of holding my hand walking down the aisle and even handed the card to usher as we exited the pew.  

Quite the assortment of sleeping items again this week.  Board books, including I Spy and Mickey, LED glow stick, silly putty and Mardi Gras beads (don't worry, this will not be happening again).  I don't know why a simple stuffed animal wouldn't do but that's just how our little girl is!

Megan is starting to show lots of love towards my baby belly.  At night before reading our bedtime stories and sometimes when I get home from work Megan goes searching for Baby - she'll pull up my shirt and give the baby kisses and hug.  Then she will pat it and say "Hi, Baby!"  I wonder how much she really knows and understands.

Last night Megan helped me stir up another batch of red velvet cupcakes for Grandpa's birthday party.  She did a great job of eating dinner so we thought it would be a nice treat for her to taste her creation, especially since she didn't get any from the Valentine batch.  I have say that I got the absolute best reaction ever as she took the first bite of her treat - a great big smile and an "Oh, Mom!"

Lastly, Megan has really enjoyed playing hide-and-go-seek after dinner.  There's not many places to hide in our small house but we do the best we can.  Megan sits on John's lap and he covers her eyes and counts to 10.  I don't know why I am the designated hider but I am and it usually doesn't take Megan long to find me at all.  I mostly just hide behind a door with a coat over my head or someplace easy.  Last night Megan let us know she was ready to play right after dinner.  She covered her eyes with her hands and counted "2, 2, 2..."  

 

Megan at 23 Months

23 months.... Just a few more short months to go before we hit the big milestone of 2 years old!  I can't wait!

Here is a picture of Megan that I took yesterday to show how cute and smiley she is getting!  Worst thing is that she knows it!

I can definitely feel the "terrible two's" coming on but Megan is still impressing us in so many ways so we can easily overlook those actions for right now.  Most of the time we get little tantrums and screaming breakdowns when we try to remove her from a situation that she is totally engrossed in but we need to change the topic either for safety or what we're doing as a family. i.e., stop playing with the Playdoh so we can eat dinner, stop playing under the steps so we can eat dinner, stop trying to figure out how your car seat works so we can go inside... see the pattern?  The only resolution that works right now is letting her cry it out while sitting in her room with the door shut.

Megan's 20th tooth - her fourth 2-year molar - finally arrived several weeks ago and we couldn't be happier.  After that cut through, she has been a lot less clingy and needy.  These were really bothering her for a long time.

Despite the final tooth, bedtimes still seem to be hit or miss.  There still are at least one or two extra tuck-ins after prayers and usually one wake-up during the middle of the night.  Some progress, however, is that she is willing to climb into her bed by herself to say her prayers.  Lately, Megan has also wanted to sleep with the books that we just read for bedtime - in particular, the big box of Mickey books.  I'm wondering if the book selection has anything to do with her going to bed since most of the books tend to be pretty mentally stimulating and gets her thinking.  Even the Mickey books talk about counting, pointing out different animals and finding other objects on the pages. 

Speaking of books, Megan has really started to enjoy Look & Find books and I Spy books.  We only have a couple but she absolutely loves them.  I didn't think she got the concept until her and Daddy were working on her big Mickey one during church a few weeks ago.  I guess they're along the same line as a puzzle so it doesn't surprise me that these capture her attention.

Megan totally blew me away when she showed me that she is starting to know her ABC's!  All of our playing foam letters in the bath tub started it and then the Youtube videos really helped to reinforce.  It's safe to say that she knows about half of the letters by now.  Favorites include:  B, D, F, L, M, P, S, V, Y and Z (although she knows several more).  We really hit them hard at first but I think the novelty is starting to wear off.  Still, not bad for not even being two years old yet!  When Megan goes to the library programs with my mom or John, she always comes home with a letter stamped on the back of her hand to show the letter of the day.  She loved the week they did "P" and kept pointing to it for days! 

Along with the letters, new words continue to fly.  My absolute favorite one is the consistent use of the word "yes".  Before, Megan would always say "tuh" when she agreed and with a few weeks of correcting her to use "yes" it finally stuck.  If you haven't heard it yet, it's the cutest little "yesh" you've ever heard!  Two other favorite words this month are bounce and catch and of course the actions come along with the words.  Oh, and I asked Megan to say "Grandpa" tonight and she replied with a proud "Papa" over and over.  I haven't heard it used in context yet but hopefully that word sticks too!  Sorry Grandmas...guess she's saving the best for last!

Something Megan just started doing while riding in the car is showing me that she knows the difference between up and down.  She'll raise her feet and say "Up" and then lower them all the way and say "Down".  Only tricky part is when she wants me to say what she's doing while I'm driving.

I mentioned last month that Megan was becoming quite the dancer and that still rings true.  Any song in Mickey Mouse gets a dance and the arms go wild!  I also have begun to teach Megan the Chicken Dance to go with her Hokey Pokey.  I love watching her do the first part where she'll just tap her thumb and pointer fingers together!

Megan's separation anxiety continues to get better and better.  The last several weeks we have had absolutely no problem when dropping her off at the nursery after church.  We open the door and she walks right in to play with her little friends.  Score!  At home, if one of us has to leave we just tell her that we're going bye, bye to work (wort as Megan would say) and she just knows that means that person isn't home any more. 

Finally, I am so happy to have a little baking buddy.  If you were lucky enough to get one of our red velvet cupcakes for Valentine's Day, rest assured that they were mixed with love.  The batter was also Megan tested and approved!

 

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day to all of our wonderful family and friends!  We hope you have a great day filled with lots of love and laughter!

Funnies and Photos

I thought you could all use a little Megan humor to finish out the week.

Sunday morning Megan woke up as John and I were getting dressed for church.  We greeted her with lots of hugs and kisses (of course) along with repeated phrases of "Good Morning".  Her internal clock must have told her that it was Sunday because I could see the light bulb go off in her head as she suddenly stuck out her right hand to start shaking ours.  We made it a point give her a "good morning" handshake at church that morning too and boy did she beem.  Another example that children watch your every move.

Some cute and funny pictures of Megan and Alexa's play-date together on Monday!

 

My parents are working on their kitchen to repaint and get new countertops and drawers.  On Tuesday when I dropped Megan off she knew something was different as she studied the torn apart kitchen.  Looking at where the sink once was, she exclaimed, "Where da wah-wah? Wah-wah broke!"

Megan's Wednesday afternoon was spent with her Grandma Gennrich again.  My mom had her sitting on the bathroom counter to put a quick ponytail in her hair.  Megan lifted up Grandma's shirt and said, "Oh... where da baby?"  Pretty sure no more babies are coming out of that tummy!

A few early evenings John and I had to run some errands.  There was a full moon out and Megan enjoys looking at the things in the sky.  But every time we made a turn she would ask, "Where da ball?"

Stackin' the Doh!

Megan's breakfast of champions....Scrambled egg, toast, cutie, juice and milk.  With all that food she is usually set for at least a half hour after I leave for work so Daddy can keep sleeping!

And if none of the above gave you a chuckle or grin, watch this little video of Megan playing with the playdoh tubs:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SvkDYpiKzY

Pregnancy Update - 28 Weeks!

Wow, I hadn't realized it's been such a long time since I've written an update on how this pregnancy is going.

This week I turned 28 weeks pregnant and the little ticker on the right-hand side of the blog page says that the number of days is in the low 80's.  Little guy will be here before we know it!  Sometimes I wonder if this baby ever sleeps because for the last eight weeks it seems like he hasn't stopped moving at all.  I have been able to watch my tummy move with the kicks for a while even though most of the kicks aren't that strong to the touch.  I feel plenty of little wiggles, tickles and jolts and enjoy it all.  I wonder if all this will play into his personality once born?

Doctor appointments continue to go fairly well.  The monthly appointments are over and now we switch to every other week since we're in the 3rd trimester.  Our last appointment was on Friday (Megan and John were able to join me since he got off of work early!) and then I go again at the end of the month.  It was a little longer appointment this time since I had to have some blood drawn and do the 1-hour gestational diabetes test.  The nurse called yesterday to tell me the lab results.  Other than my iron being slightly on the low side everything else looked good.  No sign of the gestational diabetes (big sigh of relief!), no urinary bacteria and the antibody screen was negative.  Other stats from the last checkup are that my blood pressure remains excellent, baby's heartbeat was around 140bpm but I gained 10 pounds in the last four weeks.  The doctor scolded and said I should try and let that not happen again.

I sure can tell that I've put on a lot of extra weight because it's getting harder and harder to move around.  I actually feel like I have more energy (maybe some of the nesting instincts) but doing is an entirely different battle.  On Saturday Megan and I walked around the neighborhood twice and that was enough for me.  My lower back and even into my butt are very stiff when I walk - especially after I've been sitting for awhile.  I've been going to the chiropractor weekly but it doesn't seem to make too much of a difference.  The pain and stiffness don't seem to change too much.

Sitting on the floor playing with Megan is tough and my back gets sore pretty fast.  Even sitting upright at work all day can be tough.  Because of how low my belly is sitting, it does help to recline slightly so there's not so much pressure.  That and putting my feet up seem to be the key.  I've also started getting the occasional charlie horses in the calves of my legs while laying in bed at night which are mostly caused by the extra weight.

On a good note, I continue to be able to eat more of the foods that had turned me off earlier in the pregnancy!  I still don't want too much meat but apples, cereal bars, bananas and other things are ok again.  I am still able to zip up my winter coat (granted, I haven't used the liner all winter) but I have had to move my driver's seat back a notch because my belly was touching!  This has definitely been a good winter to be pregnant with not much ice to worry about walking on and not a lot of need to bundle up too much!