Tuesday, March 31, 2009

I'm a big kid now!

We transitioned Amanda to a "big girl" bed this past weekend. I bought her a twin mattress & boxspring and we put them on the floor for now. Eventually the bed I used as a kid is waiting at my parents for her. But for now we want to make sure if she falls off, she doesn't fall far! Her bed all made up:



She also got a Mrs. Potatohead set for her birthday which we finally openned. There are two sets of glasses that Amanda keeps trying to put on herself. The other night Mike decided to try as well... see any family resemblance...?



Sunday, March 29, 2009

21 weeks

Halfway there, and I haven't taken a belly pic yet! First go round I took them almost every week! Oh well, here goes. 21 week belly shot, I finally popped and am starting to show.
21 weeks

Monday, March 16, 2009

2nd birthday

So, without further ado... here are the pictures from Amanda's birthday party. We had it at O'Melveny Park in Granada Hills where they have an interactive play called "A Faery Hunt" on one Saturday a month (they are at other parks the other Saturdays).

Setting up before the "hunt":



Gathering "gifts" for the fairies:



They recommend you dress up the part, so I had brought Amanda's wings from Halloween, but as you can see, she refused to wear them (again).




Flowers! The perfect gift for fairies. They laid out a pre-bought bouquet for the kids to "discover" around a bend... it was so fun to watch.



At each stop we were joined by another fairy, as we attempted to try and find the fairy queen, and then her fairy light that had been stolen. Here we found the troll who was the most entertaining for the adults.



The end with the fairy queen. They give the kids all a paper to get everyone's autograph on, so that's what Amanda is holding.
Lunch in the park afterwards!

Santa Monica Pier

Mimi and Mark (Mike's mom and Stepdad) visited from Chicago for Amanda's birthday and stayed until the Wednesday after. On Sunday we took them to Santa Monica and walked along the beach, had lunch on the pier and basically enjoying the lovely weather we had that weekend.

First stop was the adult playground where there are rings, bars and other big things people use for exercise. Mike showing Amanda what he can do:



Amanda trying it out herself (with Daddy's help)



Rosalie (Mimi) tries it out herself.



And Mark's turn...



Walking along the beach.



Mimi & Mark behind us.


On the pier - a metal dolphin/bank, Mike helped Amanda put some change in it.


Amanda sitting in one of the motorized cars. She gets scared if we put money in it and start it up though, so she just played in it!


Playing on the merry-go-round

Legoland!

Monday we headed to Legoland in Carlsbad, near San Diego. Amanda had a BLAST!

First, on the way in was a family made of legos. Mike had to check it out and see if it was possible to take it apart!


First ride, a safari with all the animals made of legos. I rode with Amanda:



This was the fairy tale land with each fairy tale made of legos. This picture was from the Three Little Pigs and that's the wolf blowing the houses down.


This was a fountain (made of... LEGOS!) where if you stepped on the pads in front, it started the water spewing and the instrument playing. We all had a lot of fun making it go!




Mike pedaling on one of the rides.


Mike fondling the Lego-lady.


And Mike being the kid he is. Amanda's in the red car behind him playing in a different car.


Airplane ride I rode with Amanda.


Boat ride Amanda rode with Mike.


This is from Miniland, USA, the Hollywood Bowl. They had a LOT of Southern CA and San Francisco, all made from legos, and all of Vegas as well.

Good news!

Sorry for being cryptic, last week was a little rough on our little family. I took a 16 week test called the expanded AFP (also called the triple or quad screen) that screens for possible genetic problems with the baby. With Amanda, everything was negative, so that's what we figured would happen this time. Well, instead we got a positive for neural tube defects this time. The neural tube is what develops into the spine and brain, so if there is a problem it most commonly leads to spinal bifida. I got the call from the doc on Thursday, and couldn't get in to see the specialist until last Wednesday. The doc had told me a normal result is below a level of 2.5, and mine was a 2.7 so I wasn't too worried, but still nervous.

Wednesday afternoon we saw a counselor, and then the specialist. After a detailed ultrasound, he found nothing wrong with the baby. And, to make matters better, we found out we're having a BOY! We're both excited and relieved that nothing is wrong. I opted not to have the amnio, as there is no 100% with neural tube defects and the ultrasound is usually about 90% accurate on it's own. So now the planning for our little boy begins!

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Lots of updates

I have quite a few pictures and updates for you all, but I haven't had the time or energy lately to put them up.

We had Amanda's birthday party last weekend (Feb. 28), so I have pictures from that. I also have pictures from Legoland the following Monday (March 2) with Mimi & Mark, who were visiting from Chicago. We had beautiful weather while they were here, so I'm glad they got a nice escape from their cold winter. While they were here, we also headed down to the Santa Monica Pier for an afternoon, so I have pictures from there as well.

There are some things brewing that I hope to get some answers for today. In the meantime, here are some pics of Amanda as of late.

Playing peek-a-boo with me:



And I set up her easel she got for Christmas. On one side is a chalkboard, and the other side is a magnetic wipe-off board with letter magnets. She likes the chalkboard best :)




And playing with her "Dora says your name" doll she got for Christmas. We programmed it using our computer to say her name, and several of her favorite things, like her favorite food and favorite animal. She loves singing along (see second picture)