a growing photographer

Julianna's photography skills have drastically improved over the last couple of weeks. I don't know if it's just that her hands have gotten big enough to reach the buttons or that she's strong enough to hold the camera better now or what, but now we get pictures like these instead of the usual pictures of the ground or of people without their heads.

She asks to use the camera at least once a week and will spend fifteen minutes or more walking around the house and photographing to her heart's content. I love how she set up certain stuffed animals for a particular shot and she even took a picture of herself in the mirror (I'm sure without knowing it) at one point. And this was all while I was elsewhere in the house. It's kinda neat to take the pictures off the camera some days and find her own shots mixed in with mine. It's fun to see the perspective of a child.

overheard in my house last night

Julianna: It would have been better if we'd made a birthday cake with peanut butter, icing, strawberries.

Also Julianna:  Daddy, the only thing I like on Barack Obama is I like his ears.

note to self

things to pack for the beach:

• Pickles. Claussen dill sandwich slices. Lots of them.
• Harry Potter books 6 and 7 (since the latest movie inspired me to re-read)
• Plenty of hair twisties (because gosh if I'm going to be doing my hair while I'm on vacation in the summer heat)
• Camera (for taking a very large amount of pictures of Jules for then and now comparisons)
• Portable DVD player and princess movies (because I'm going to have to ride down with other family members and the last time we did that my daughter cried non-stop the entire way)
• Easy-Up Canopy (because I do not want to haul beach umbrellas out to the beach every day by myself while being responsible for a 3 year old as well)
• Water Balloons (because I keep telling everyone that my daughter is obsessed with them now but really it's just me)
• Deck of playing cards
• Bathing suit

welcome third trimester

Last week I was pretty sure I started feeling Braxton Hicks contractions. I never noticed these with Julianna so I was really unsure at first. It felt like my stomach was shaking all over from a muscle spasm and I told Jonathan to look at what the baby was doing. When I mentioned that it just felt like a really weird muscle spasm he jokingly commented that maybe it was a contraction. Once I read about it a little bit I realized that he was actually right.

I had a few on Sunday and then not again until Thursday night. Since then I've noticed them every once in a while and always irregularly. It's still kind of a cool pregnancy milestone and yet another thing that makes this pregnancy different than my first.

I am getting so excited about meeting our second (and last) little one. The fact that I am so much more miserable with this one than last time certainly helps too.

I made myself walk on the treadmill the other night. That's something I haven't done really at all throughout this entire pregnancy (exercise). Other than a few walks after dinner here and there I haven't done anything. And even though I'm not doing much walking on the treadmill at 3 miles per hour, I am hoping to slow my weight gain even a little bit.

When I had to take my wedding rings off the other night because my hands were so swollen I almost cried. I really didn't want to have to go without my wedding rings. Considering I had to soak my hands in icy water for fifteen minutes just to get them off, I think I did what I needed, but still... I miss my rings. Now I'm just a huge pregnant girl that looks single.

We haven't done a thing to change the nursery from when Julianna was a baby. It is still decorated in the same apple green color with barnyard bedding and it will stay that way until after Josh or Ellie grows out of it.

I have managed to begin sorting through baby clothes and getting ready to start washing the things that I know I will use again whether or not it is a boy or girl. I am also proud of myself because I have been slowly stocking up on diapers and wipes as I've seen them on sale for the last year or so. I know it sounds almost ridiculous but if you've had a baby that you used disposable diapers on recently then you know how unbelievably many of those things you go through and the money certainly does add up fast.

Hopefully, if I am more successful at breastfeeding (I only made it 3 months with Jules) and therefore avoid spending a fortune on formula, plus the diaper stock I have built up then this baby shouldn't be quite as expensive as Jules.

I have thirteen weeks to go until my due date. I get to take another peek at the baby in two weeks and then my appointments start every two weeks instead of every four. It's getting closer!

because I can't remember these things on my own I have to document them

I love watching my daughter stuff grapes in her cheeks and announce proudly, "Look! I'm a chickmonk!"

the birthday boy and his cake

We were riding in the car and having a conversation about making Pap's birthday cake and Julianna was being insistent on making him a princess birthday cake.

Pap: But what if I don't want princesses on my cake?
Jules: Well, I want to choose.
Pap: But it's my birthday. I would like some choice in the matter.
Jules: OK you can have princesses and ice cream cones.
Nanna: Aunt Whitney thinks that since it's Pap's birthday we should put a tarheel on the cake.

Julianna thinks about it for a minute and then yells out, "But I want to choose and I want it to be princesses!"

So we think Pap just about has her convinced after he tells her all about how if we make a tarheel cake we can make the "tar" part chocolate.

Jules says, "Well, OK Pap. I guess I will not make you a tarheel cake. I will make you a Wolfpack one!"

Jonathan says, "That's my girl!"

Hope you had a great birthday, Mole!

sometimes it's just whatever works

Last week I had an OB appointment and since I had to take Julianna with me I bribed her with a promise to visit Old McDonald's if she behaved well.

The hour plus wait for the doctor proved to be a challenge. Fortunately, my doctor's office has an area for children to play in the waiting room. It's a cramped space kind of positioned under a stairwell, but they have a large basket of books and one of those wire-thingies with beads on them that kids can manipulate the beads over hills and around corkscrews.

Anyway, this is what my child chose to do during our hour and ten minute wait.