It's been another great month!
We kept busy with our normal activities: Everett playing at Grandma Gion and Grandpa Phil's house on Tuesdays, me going to OB appointments (when Everett is at Phil and Gion's), Mommy and Me on Wednesdays, dinners at Phil and Gion's on Wednesday nights, playing with Grandpa Kathie on Thursdays, play dates at our house on Fridays, Sunday dinners at my parents', family activities on the weekends, Brian working around the house (bathroom!) and yard on the weekends.
But we had new things to keep us busy: Katie was here to add extra excitement to visits with Gion and Phil, I helped get ready for Baby Sadie's first birthday (made invitation, volunteered our kitchen for Rachel's baking), we said "bye" to Cousin Jason (he moved back to Southern California), Brian had a week off, Aunt Sue, Cousin Bill, and his girlfriend Marissa came to visit for five days around Thanksgiving, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving meal at Phil and Gion's, we took pictures for our holiday cards, we've planned a little for our shower coming in early December (although Gion and Rachel are doing most of the planning), and we said "bye" to Katie when she went back to Chicago.
The new, fun toy at Phil and Gion's! Everett was pretty obsessed the first several weeks it was there. He would ask to go see "the new train" or "the big, new train." Not "the big train." It had to be "NEW!"
Everett being a "tunnel bridge" in his tight jeans.
Katie went to LA on the train for her 10 year college reunion. When she came back, we came along to pick her up and watch the trains.
Reading with Grandma Kathie at Grandma Kathie and Baba George's house.
Looking at the iPad with Auntie Katie. Singing "California Sun" and watching the USC marching band. Oh yes, he can make a "V" with two fingers and say "fight on!" Before my in-laws taught him, I thought he was incapable of holding up two fingers and taught him to say "I'm two years old" holding up his pointer on both hands. Lesson: never underestimate what your toddler can learn to do in two weeks.
I told him not to put anything on the floor so I could vacuum. This is what he did. Silly/helpful boy.
Playing in the leaves. He was so sick that day with a stomach thing. )':
Helpful raking boy.
Thanksgiving morning we made cookies. The mixer was too loud!!
While the cookie dough was chilling, we went outside to play on the play structure we got free (!!!) from a mommy on the SLO County Mommies Forum.
He loves to poke his fingers through the roof and have you try to touch/catch them.
beautiful boy with bed-head
Snuffleupagus eyelashes
Cutting the cookies. They were TOUGH! He needed a lot of help.
Look! Aunt Sue came over to watch the cookie making. Bill and Marissa were there too.
Thanksgiving dinner. He didn't eat anything except a few olives. His stomach was still a bit upset.
puzzles with Bill and Marissa
Reading with Baba George. Aunt Sue cracking up for some reason. (;
The Saturday after Thanksgiving, we went wine tasting. We got sandwiches at Hush Harbor and took them for a picnic at Carmody McKnight (where Phil pours--he was working that day). We then went to Calcareous to enjoy the view.
Everett loved spinning Bill around in his chair.
then spinning Baba George
Oh yes! Ben joined us that day! Ben, Brian, Marissa, Bill, and the beautiful view of Templeton.
Here are some pictures from our holiday photoshoot with our friend
Julie Erb. None of these are on our card, so I feel ok sharing them. I'll post more after the cards have gone out.
He was pretty "done" by this time. Lovely scenery, though. Our favorite park: Heilmann. Why is it our favorite? Well, it has a disc golf course, of course!
my silly guys "reading"
He's such a sweet and funny boy. Always talking and thinking. We get comments all the time on how well he talks and how big his vocabulary is. We think he's above average, but we might be biased.
Here are some recent conversation-related Facebook posts:
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"Everett: (holding a cylindrical block) This is a blue marshmallow.
Me: Yes it is.
Everett: (same cylindrical block) This is a basketball.
(with the squirreliest look on his face)
Me: No it's not!
Everett: Of course it is!!
He was so excited and proud of himself when he said "of course it is!" And he LOVED our reaction: Laughter. (:"
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"Everett was almost asleep when we got home from visiting Phil and Gion. I took him out of his car seat. He looked back in the car and said, 'oh, don't forget your purse, mommy.' Awwww. He's the sweetest!"
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"Everett and I just had a conversation about the Olympics, and he thinks the only event in the Olympics is beach volleyball. An easy mistake for anyone who watched NBC's coverage. And yes, 2.5-year-olds have VERY good memories. (;"
His imaginary play has increased a lot lately. He'll stand at his table and talk to his cars and trains. One will fall, and we'll hear him say, "are you ok? Are you ok? Yeah, I'm ok." One morning he stayed in his room for 30 or 45 minutes after he woke up talking to an imaginary cat about the things in his room (the cat was in his dirty clothes hamper).
So, this was me at nearly 30 weeks. The pictures below were from 28 weeks.
So fun to take these pictures in different seasons. Last one it was kinda cold, but the one before he was in shorts and I was wearing flip flops!
As of this month, I'm in my third trimester: Home Stretch! I'm starting to do appointments every two weeks now. I took my glucose tolerance test and passed! I can still eat chocolate ice cream and GORGE on oranges!
I started feeling hiccups around the 27th. They are so weird! And I feel bad for baby girl because they are so close together! It would drive me insane if I had hiccups so close together.
It will be so amazing to see Everett as a big brother! He's already so affectionate to his friends and his family, I'm sure his sister will get even more love and protection. He talks about "baby sister" from time to time. "Baby sister's in mommy's belly" or "baby sister is little. I was little but I grew." But he can not possibly know what's in store for him. Heck! I don't even know!