28 Weeks and 21 Months!

It's officially Third Trimester Time!  The countdown is on...12 weeks to go until we meet our little girl! 
Measurements:
Weight: 140 lbs
Belly: close to 39 inches

Taken right before yoga!

Major Developments:
The end of my second trimester means a few things.  My restless legs have returned!  I had them with Connor, and would have to frequently get up in the middle of the night to walk the house.  The worst night so far was waking up at 3:30 to pee again, but then I couldn't go back to sleep because my legs wouldn't let me! Ugh!  I sat out in the living room and watched Friends reruns and ate a bowl of Rice Krispies then walked laps around the house until about 6:30 am.  I fell asleep around then, but Connor woke up at 7:15, so it was an interesting day. 
Ryan and I have Massage Envy memberships, so we've been getting massages on a regular basis and using up some stored ones.  I'm going to cancel mine-as much as I love getting massages, it's not helping like I thought it would and I'd rather put my money into my current obsession: Prenatal Yoga.  I tried it last night, just to see how I'd feel.  Oh. My. Gosh.  My sciatic nerve in my back has been giving me some pain and tension (probably thanks to picking up Connor so much and bending over to play with him) and the stretches and poses we did helped that out SO MUCH.  My legs felt great, as did the tension in my lower back.  I left there on a Yoga High, and will definitely be continuing as long as I can.  What a difference that hour and half to myself made with the few other women there.  It was quiet, I focused on my breathing and getting the poses right, and didn't feel a bit out of place (again-I contribute that to Stroller Strides.  We have done some of the stretches at the end of our workouts, and I feel like I'm in good shape despite the basketball on my belly!)  Luckily, Ryan wants to try Yoga too, so he's totally supportive of it, and happily watches Connor and puts him to bed on Tuesday nights so I can go get my yoga on!
She had the hiccups for the first time Sunday night.  I can tell her head is in the down position because that's where I could feel her little hiccups.  (that also means that her knees/feet are what I feel on the right side of my belly constantly during the day :) Ryan could see my stomach twitch with each hiccup and could feel a couple of them too.  Since then, she's had them at least twice a day!  Poor girl!  She's still moving like crazy, but will soon be running out of room to move around so much!  Her favorite spot it seems is my bladder.  It'll stop me in my tracks sometimes! 
The poor girl still doesn't have a name.  We have a top three (I think), but we're not releasing anything until we decide-which very well may be when she's born! Ugh!
I go to the doctor on Tuesday-somehow my appointments are a week behind.  After this week, I go back every two weeks until mid-September, when the appointments become weekly! Yikes!

Connor is almost 21 months!
Well, no talking developments yet.  He is singing Old MacDonald with us more, and makes a "Mooo" sound whenever he sees a cow.  We're working on other animal sounds too, but that seems to be his favorite!  He also says "hot" which is darn adorable.  He says it whenever food is put in front of him and we blow on it, or pretty much any time we go outside.  I think that's thanks to my complaining that it's "too hot" outside.  When he says it, it sounds like "hhaaahhh".  :)  I love his little voice, and can't wait to hear more!
We're still working on body parts, and he's learning more and more!  New ones are his eyes (he was unsure still before), mouth, and tongue, and he still solidly knows head, ears, nose, feet, belly, belly button and *ahem* peepee. :)  He's still addicted to Baby Einstein's, and we've had to find new hiding spots for the movies on top of the fridge so he doesn't get to them.  I would LOVE it if he would watch something else.  I've DVR'd Sesame Street, other Baby First TV programs, Little Einstein's and even tried movies-all a great big fail.  I will say that he usually starts watching, and then will go play with his toys.  Sometimes I think he just likes having the music of it on in the background.  He's also discovered that Daddy has some on the computer, so when Ryan is sitting in the chair, Connor will come up and sit in his lap to watch.  Ryan put on some YouTube videos of cats a few times.  It's pretty hilarious to hear the two of them cracking up because a cat is playing the piano.  Two peas in a pod, those boys! 

Other News:
I go back to work on August 9th.  I was very lucky to be kept on in Title 1 working with kindergarten students again part time.  We'll be back to our normal routine of Connor playing at the sitters for awhile in the morning, and coming home to have lunch and take a nap.  This will work out great for my 3rd trimester when I want to take a nap too!  I love the kindergarten teachers, not to mention working with my mom at school, so it's a perfect situation!  This will be my last year working part time, so I"m going to savor every minute with Connor, and then with my little girl, for this next year!

We've had a great time this summer visiting with family.  I'm sure you read my Montana post, and I need to update with a couple visits to Flagstaff...more to come soon!

Monthly Update: 25 weeks and 20 months

Time continues to fly by!  Didn't I just take that pregnancy test?  With Connor?  Yikes!!

Baby Girl:
Because we were in Montana, I had my 24 week appointment on Tuesday, where I was really 25 weeks.  I knew that my belly had gotten bigger by looking at the pictures from Montana.  That big belly wasn't there a couple weeks ago!  I did have lots of yummy food to eat on my vacation, and I have noticed a huge jump in my appetite.  I seriously eat all day long.  I have breakfast with Connor, then a big snack, then lunch with Connor, then another lunch (just smaller, I promise!), then a snack before we go to swim, then dinner, and then either dessert or a bowl of cereal before bed.  I'm going through a lot of cereal right now!  Holy moly!  I know this won't last long.  Give it a few more weeks, and my stomach will be too squished to fit much food in.  That being said, the doctor commented on my 10 pound weight gain since my last visit.  Her words were "You've gained 10 pounds since we saw you last...have you noticed a lot of swelling?"  I said "Umm..."  Hello, lady! I just got back from vacation-give me a break! Haha!  Then we heard Baby Girl's heartbeat (No, no name yet.  Ryan and I spent four whole days in the car with each other and still couldn't decide on a name!), I recorded it for her Build-A-Bear like I did with Connor, and we talked about the next appointments.  I have to do my fun glucose test in the next couple weeks, and then after my next appointment, we go to every other week!  I can't believe it!!  We have 15 weeks left to get her room done and ready for her arrival.  I'm also thinking about having a "Sprinkle" so we can stock up on diapers and girl clothes.  These next few months are going to fly by, so I'm getting very excited!
Weight: 139
Belly Measurement: 37 1/2 inches
Room Progress: Zilch
Changes: Belly's getting bigger, and I feel her moving much higher now.  She's still all over the place, which I love!  She seems to be using my bladder as a trampoline, which stops me in my tracks sometimes.  I love feeling her move so much!  I do notice it's a little harder to bend over or paint my own toes!

Next appointment: August 2

Connor:
My baby boy is 20 months old!  This is getting eerily close to the TWO YEAR mark!  Wow!  He is still such a snuggler, but he is having a hard time getting comfy on me at night with his little sister getting in the way.  Ryan put him to bed last night, and he fell asleep on him.  (Actually, I think both of them fell asleep back there!)  We are still rocking him for a bit after we read his books and listen to his lullabyes while snuggling with his blue blankie.  We'll be moving the glider into the baby's room as time gets closer, so I'm soaking up this bedtime routine each and every night.

The talking thing is getting slightly better.  I was hoping Montana would help him to verbalize more because he would be around so much talking amongst the family.  I swear he said "sit down" to me to watch one of his movies, and he says "Hi Dad" quite a bit to Ryan.  He's starting to mimmick the sound that words make, almost like humming.  He just started doing the "EIEIO" part of Old MacDonald, which is stinking adorable.  I also got him to "Mooo" yesterday, so at least we have one part of the song down!  I busted out our flashcards again yesterday, and he knows SO MANY of the words, so I know it's in that brain of his!  I would put them in front of him and ask him to find one, like the cow for example.  He looks, and picks it right up!  Like I've said before, he's a smarty pants and knows everything you say to him.  It's just getting him to say it, and we're closer than ever! 

He can also point to his head, eyes, nose, mouth, feet, and *ahem* a certain boy part (that didn't take long!).  He also does "happy feet" and still does the cutest dance around!  If you ask him to dance, he usually has to step one foot away from you before he starts grooving.  I love it!!! 
We're still working on sneaking some veggies into his food.  He still likes his broccoli, but will spit things out if he feels something out of the ordinary in his meals.  We're eating a lot of PB&J, mac and cheese, and chicken nuggets in this house for lunch.  He does love fruit, but not melons.  He'll eat just about any snack out there though!

We are in round 2 of swim lessons right now, and he's getting much better at blowing bubbles! His kicking is getting better too, even when we backfloat!  It's good to be getting out and in the pool.  He just loves it since we can't play outside as much.  That's a big change from playing outside all day in Montana!  We do try to get outside in the mornings, and his favorite is the swing.  It could be the breeze he feels or the nice rocking motion, but it's a must!  He even fell asleep in it the day before we left for Montana.  I couldn't believe it!

Ryan and I were talking last night about what a little sweet heart he has.  He has the most gentle demeanor.  Sure, he has his moments and his tantrums, but when he looks up to you and gives you a kiss, forget it-it's over!  And that smile!  Full of perfect little baby teeth and his eyes are all lit up. :)  When he plays with a big group of kids at Stroller Strides, I always bring his ball.  It never fails that another kiddo will get to the ball before Connor, but instead of getting upset, he just turns and looks at me like his world has been crushed.  I sure hope his big, gentle heart stays that way!

That's it for this months' Morgan kids update!  I'm sure the next one will be here before I know it!

Montana 2011

I've taken this trip every year since I was Connor's age (actually I was a little younger!).  It's just been a part of my summer my whole life.  We'd drive for two days, stopping at gas stations for potty breaks and a little treat, and my sister and I kept busy for the entire ride with a little whining here and there I"m sure.  I never fully appreciated the beautiful scenery or the time spent with family until I've had my own.
I have to back up just a little and tell you that the reason we drove two days through Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana was to see my grandmother, who was one of the very few full time residents of Silver Gate.  She loved it there, winters and all, and I was always amazed by her knowledge of her surroundings.  She lived there with her various kitties throughout the years, and we have many stories of her and the wildlife-my favorite being the time she sprayed a bear that was peering through her picture window with a can of Lysol.  She wasn't the typical "grandma" type, but I wouldn't have had it any other way.  She loved us, and we knew it-she didn't have to be down the street for us to know that.  She always sent us cards on birthdays or special holidays with a $5.00 check (which we always looked forward to!), with a little hand written note inside about what was happening there with the weather and the animals.  Most of the time, we'd have to have Mom read it to us, because Jennie and I had a hard time reading her handwriting.  I miss those cards, and I miss talking to her over the phone and hearing her voice.  The wonderful Mountain Woman that we all loved so much unexpectedly passed away five and half years ago, just before Ryan and I got married.  And so, we still make the trip every year in memory of her-maybe to feel just a little bit closer to her...after all, it was because of her that all of us Wolfe's are such a tight-knit family. 
Now, my Unlce Tom and his wife, Cheryl, have moved into her home and are loving it just as much as she did.  They have a store with Cheryl's sister, Toni, and are making things happen in my favorite little town.  Last year, I took Connor with me while Ryan stayed home.  The pictures from last year remind me of the pictures I have with my mom when I was little.  He began to really crawl and pull himself up last year, so I was anxious to see what new things he would learn this year!
Ryan, Connor and I loaded up and left at 4:00 am on a Saturday morning for the big trip.  We met Carrie, Jennie and Robert and off we went!  Connor did amazing in the car the entire trip.  We made sure we were prepared with music, dvd's, snacks, toys and books, but he was content most of the trip watching out the windows and napping here and there.  We definitely have a great little traveler on our hands!  We did stop quite a bit so I could stretch, refill my water, and change Connor's diaper.  Even with a detour, we made it to Silver Gate in one piece without going too crazy! 
The week was spent with my incredible family members.  We mostly hung out at the store so we could all be together and catch up on each other's lives.  Thanks to facebook, we are able to connect throughout the year in short status updates and pictures, but the face to face stories about our life events and retelling past stories are always the things I love most about being there.  Everyone took turns making dinners, which are always so good (maybe it's because I didn't have to cook?)-alfredo, Schwan's pizza, brisket, chicken and rice, and my ALL TIME FAVORITE, chicken and dumplings (I seriously had 4 small helpings!).  Then we would all sit around the fire laughing until our stomach's hurt and we couldn't keep our eyes open...or until we got sick of eating s'mores.
During the days, we made sure to take Connor in his new Kelty backpack (LOVE this product!) on hikes down the Banock trail to the waterfall, up to the homestead, up to Trout Lake, around all of our favorite spots.  It sure made him a happier kiddo to be up that high with Daddy and be able to see everything for himself.  I was happy to keep up with everyone on the hikes and not feel too winded going up and down the hills.  It's amazing how much better I feel physically with this pregnancy!  Ryan and Connor took naps just about every day there, and Connor adjusted easily to the new routine of being in a new place-he's so easily adaptable! 

The week went by too quickly!  We stayed an extra day (and missed the worst heat of the summer so far here in Phoenix), but could have stayed an extra week.  The weather was so beautiful, and spending time with my family always seems to go by far too fast.  Aunt Pat always says that you never know what a year will bring, so we have to cherish the time we do get to spend with each other!