My Favorite Two Year Old & 34 Weeks

 

I really can’t believe how quickly our Jace is growing up. We moved him up to a big boy bed on August 5 and he has seemed so much older ever since! He LOVES his bed! We feel like the transition went better than we could have even hoped for. For the first two weeks he only got out of bed if we gave him permission—meaning when he woke up in the morning or after a nap, he’d lay in bed talking and playing, and eventually start calling out asking if he could get up. He now gets himself out of bed, but not until he’s laid there for a while. We’ve settled into a really sweet routine of him joining me in bed in the mornings to watch a show or two. I love the special time with him knowing how much everything is going to change in a month and look forward to him being in the routine of hanging out upstairs for a while when he gets up.

 

 

The things he chooses to say crack us up and amaze us all at the same time. Some of my latest favorites are…

-After we went to get a coffee for me, he told me, “Mommy, I need coffee. I need to feel better.”

-When he’s really thirsty and drinks something, “Ah! That’s so good. I feel better.”

-Any time he eats or drinks something he really likes, “Ah, that’s so good.”

-We were in the waiting room at my doctor and another couple waiting asked him what his name was. He said, “I Jace.” Then he pointed at my belly and said, “That’s Reese.” It was so sweet to see his awareness of her, and I think he was proud too.

-Any time he doesn’t think he can do something or doesn’t want to do it he says, “I too big to _____.”

-When seeing his cousin Cami after church on Sunday, he ran up to her with his arms out for a hug and shouted, “Cami! I’m so happy to see you!”

 

 

And in baby news… We’re at 34 and a half weeks! 10 weeks ago I continued doing the little Q&A Update thing, and thought I’d do it again now.

 

How far along? 34 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: about 23 lbs.
Maternity clothes? Everything I wear except for two loose/drawstring shorts from Old Navy. Several of my tops are getting too short to cover my belly, my pants feel confining, and my short dresses are too short now since the belly holds them out too much. I really like wearing sweats these days!
Stretch marks? No. I don’t even have the purple bruise marks I got on my hips with Jace.
Sleep: I wake up 2-3 times a night to use the bathroom. Between those wake ups, I have to switch which side I’m laying on often because otherwise my hips start aching too much.
Best moment this week: Finishing all the decorations/projects for the nursery except one! I also had a very sweet baby shower for Reese thrown by my sister-in-law, Rayanna, and two of my friends. I felt very loved and blessed.
Have you told family and friends: Of course. It’s pretty hard to miss these days.
Miss Anything? Standing up easily from sitting anywhere—furniture or floor. Holding Jace in my lap. Laying on my stomach/back. Non-maternity capris. Sleeping through the night.
Movement: She’s predictably unpredictable. I can guarantee she’ll kick when I first wake up in the morning (she’s so nice to me, just like her brother was, and doesn’t kick during the night), and before I go to bed at night. But otherwise, it’s really hit and miss when she’ll feel like being active. She does respond well if I drink a lot of cold water quickly. She likes to stretch and push her feet into my ribs.
Food cravings: Nothing too specific. I do like the ideas of sweets a lot these days though!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Just having some nasty reflux off and on. Last week I had a bad night where the reflux woke me up several times during the night. Otherwise, I love the third trimester. I feel the best during this one.
Have you started to show yet: Very much so. I’m feeling quite large these days.
Gender prediction: I predicted girl and I was right!
Labor Signs: Lots of Braxton Hicks contractions, but nothing serious.
Belly Button in or out?  Still in. It never came out during my pregnancy with Jace.
Wedding rings on or off? On. I take them off every night just I case I have swelling, but so far so good.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, but I have had a few more emotional swings lately.

Some Summer Recap

I can’t believe how quickly summer is flying by for us! Maybe it’s due in part to the fact that summer doesn’t really start around here until after the 4th of July.

 

 

We had a fun time celebrating our nation’s independence. We enjoyed a barbecue with friends in Salem and then our little family of three went to Bryant Park here in Albany to watch the city’s fireworks show. Jace LOVED the time with Mommy and Daddy. He got so excited when he realized we were laying on the blanket with him. I kept thinking what a special time it was and that I’d treasure it as one of our last few special times with him as an only child.

 

 

Jace’s creativity and sense of imagination have come out big time! It’s so funny to see the games he comes up with and hear the stories he tells.

 

 

Another summer memory that I know I’ll treasure will be our trip to California. It was so fun for the three of us to have all that time together and I felt like Jace’s vocabulary expanded so much each day. We started out our trip in Visalia staying at my Grandma and Grandpa Steiner’s. We also spent an afternoon/evening with the Cannons and Hansens. Jace, Cannon and Leah had so much fun together!

 

 

We also quickly noticed that our son is the instigator of bad behavior, but knows how to stop right before anyone notices. He was really good at bringing out the sillies in Cannon and Leah and then quickly stopping as their parents became aware of it.

 

 

It was also so fun to meet baby Jasper!

 

 

We loved the time at Grandma and Grandpa’s as well.

 

 

Then we headed over to Cambria for the rest of the week and Jace LOVED seeing the “Oooh-cean.” Sadly, it was his first time seeing the Pacific! 

 

 

It was so fun taking him to the same beach I grew up playing on (he wasn’t interested in touching the water).

 

 

Walking the same pier my parents walked us down.

 

 

And playing at the same park my dad spun us around and around on the tire swing at (although the play equipment has all been updated).

 

 

Jace liked the beach in Cambria a lot better than in San Simeon because we had his tennis shoes on so he didn’t have to be bothered by sand in his sandals or burning his feet.

 

 

You can’t really tell, but he was all about kicking the sand.

 

 

 

 

Our second day at the beach proved more exciting for him as Daddy built him a lake and made countless trips to the water and back to keep it filled for Jace’s boat.

 

 

We rinsed him off in the same utility sink as my parents did with us kids.

 

 

Nolan and I also enjoyed the daily trips to the park because it meant we actually had cell service and internet access!

 

 

Our good friends the Phillips were also on vacation in the area, so they came and spent a day with us. Jace LOVED having his best buddy Hannah around.

 

 

This picture is so typical of how these two can be together—Hannah adventuresome and out to have fun, and Jace more reserved/caution/fearful.

 

 

Nolan had brought his disc golf practice basket and he and Brett had fun playing on the beach while Jenea, the kids and I played around and took pictures. The kids loved playing with their daddies at the end though!

 

 

Our (visible) family of three.

 

 

Our last night in Cambria we took Jace to get some ice cream—which he thought was incredible that there was an “ice cream store.”

 

 

Then we took a windy walk along the boardwalk.

 

 

On our way home we stopped for an evening/night at Nolan’s sister and brother-in-law’s. Jace loved the park by Auntie Jenni and Uncle Alan’s house!

 

 

He also thought their little doggies were pretty special. For the last leg of the trip we stopped in Danville for breakfast at my aunt and uncle’s and were happy to be able to see my cousin and her husband as well.

 

 

Our little guy proved to be a great road trip kid and we were so glad to get away and have all that family time. Now we can’t wait for next year’s vacation!