9 months and a sunburn

Today Travis is nine months old. This morning we had his check up with the Dr and found out that he has dropped from the 10th percentile of weight to the 3rd. Yikes! I knew he was little, but really? He weighs 15.1 pounds. They weighed him twice just to make sure. So now I have to add a scoop of formula to his meals for extra calories. We have an appointment in one month to see how he is doing...she wants him to have gained 2 pounds by then. Other than that he is a strong, healthy and active little boy! Now I just have to fatten him up a bit:)

After his appointment I met some friends at the lake for some mommy/kid fun time. There is so much crap you have to take with you when you take kids to the lake. I pretty much take everything I can ever imagine needing because on the rare occasion that I did not pack a certain thing it was the one thing that was needed. I think a wagon would be a handy thing to have for the next time I do this so that Brooklyn can pull all the stuff in it while I push the boy in the stroller.

Now I am sunburned and exhausted...it was worth it. The kids had a blast. Travis ate dirt and put every rock he could get his grubby little hands on into his mouth, and Brooklyn swam and made sand castles with friends while I talked with my mommy friends.

We had a great time and can't wait to do it all again!

Coast Day Trip

We took a much needed day trip to the coast yesterday. Jon would have preferred a camping trip, but since my growing belly made that an impossibility, we opted for a day trip. We got up early and packed everything we may have possibly ever needed and then some(when you have children you have to be prepared for everything) and then hit the road.

We went to Arcata to get a coffee and browse some shops. There was a farmers market going on and there was some really REALLY good people watching. We went into a little jewelry shop where I fell in love with a sterling silver pair of leaf earrings. I have wanted a pair for years, but could never find ones that I really liked...until yesterday. It was like they called out to me; like they had been waiting there just for me. Brooklyn found a couple of pairs of earrings there too. She got some tiny silver crown studs and a pair of sparkly ladybugs.

We walked around some more and found a children's store where Jon found a pair of green fuzzy socks for the little man and I found a tiny blue hat that will probably be huge on the baby. Brooklyn found a princess crown that was made out of pearls with hot pink lace and gold ribbon veils on both sides. When we left the store we saw a bunch of tiny fairies dancing in the quad, so Brooklyn went to join them. It was so fun and random. For lunch we went to The Eatery in Trinidad for clam chowder bread bowls. They make the chowder and the bread bowls there and the lid of the bread bowl is cheese bread. It is absolutely fantastic. I had been dreaming of this bread bowl since we had it for the first time two years ago and the reality was better than my memories. Mmmmmm!After lunch we took Brooklyn to the beach where I thought she would just dip her toes in the water and then play in the sand. Wrong! She ran in the waves and danced and jumped and enjoyed herself so freely while I stood on the beach terrified that each wave was a hand of the ocean sent to steal my child. Melodramatic? Perhaps, but it's how I felt. I made myself relax and set about taking pictures of her in her moment of blissful freedom. There is a picture where she is facing the ocean with her arms spread wide as a wave rolls toward her and I can't help but think of her saying to the water, "Let it come." Children have a way of living that is so pure and joyful. The wind was crazy so we went to a more secluded beach around the corner with some friends that we ran into and I was able to relax a bit because there were no waves. But then she discovered seaweed and decided to chase me with it:)
After a bit we went back to The Eatery for their blackberry cobbler and ice cream....so bomb! We went to the lighthouse and took a few pictures, then drove around scouting for our next camping trip and then headed home.

It was a great day. I'm not saying it was easy for me at 30 weeks pregnant....I went through three instant ice packs for my ribs and could have used three more, but it was worth it.

K & B Playdate.

I love when Kallai comes over for playdates....the girls play so well together. Yesterday she came over and I took the girls to Jon's parents pool for some summer fun. They swam and played games for hours...it took a bribe of a happy meal to get them to leave the pool willingly:) We had a great time together.

23 Weeks

23 weeks down, 17(ish) to go!!! Sweet! The baby is moving more and more, but Jon and Brooklyn have not been able to feel the kicks yet. Hopefully it will happen soon, because I think that will help them both to feel more connected to this baby.

Nausea has been replaced with heartburn.....even a small sip of water can give me heartburn. I have great energy in the beginning of the day and then crash by early afternoon....I have told Jon and Brook that if they need something done to get me early or they will be out of luck.

Here is the bump at 23 weeks.

Today I took Brooklyn to the river trail, where I walked and she rode her bike. We started at the Sundial bridge, went to Jump River park where Brook got to play for awhile and then we made the trip back to the bridge. It was such a lovely day.....the sun was shining bright and there was a wonderful breeze that helped to keep us from getting too hot. Brooklyn really enjoyed herself and got much more confident in her bike riding skills.

Brooklyn loved riding her bike across the bridge

Brooklyn and Mommy...what a fun morning!

I crashed hard when we got home and ended up being in pain and had to lay in bed all day long....I guess I may have overdone the whole walking thing:) It was worth it though for a special one on one day with my favorite girl.

Another year?

I met with Brooklyn's teacher yesterday morning to talk about whether we should keep her in Kindergarten for another year. As a mother you don't want to hear that your child isn't perfect, so it really sucked. I knew it was coming though, so that made it a little easier to handle.

Brooklyn is incredibly artistic, excels in math and graphing, is great in social interaction with her classmates and follows directions. Where she needs the help is reading......freaking phonics. Reading is quite important in first grade and is somewhat of a concern to the teachers. The subject that I excelled in as a child; I mean I was a ridiculous reader....still am.

The teacher suggested some things I can do with Brooklyn over the summer to improve her reading and we are going to reevaluate her in the fall.

I want to do what is best for my daughter and am trying not to allow my pride to get in the way of that. Jon and I both believe that holding her back will stunt her in other ways, so I will do whatever I can to help her move up in the fall.

Pray for patience folks!!!