Baby Lindvall #3 Update

Scott and I had our second ultrasound this past Monday and it was by far the best ultrasound we've had of any of our kids.  This baby was active, which I knew….I've been feeling him/her for weeks now.  The baby's kicks are getting stronger and it shouldn't be too long before Scott and the kids are able to feel his/her's kicks.  I am just shy of 20 weeks at this point and can't believe we're pretty much already to the halfway point!  We decided not to find out the gender of this baby.  If you ask Scott, he's sure it's a boy (and has even been calling him by a name….and no, we haven't even really talked about names much)….I thought it looked like a girl during the ultrasound.  

 I'm feel pretty good at this point!  I'm much bigger at 20 weeks than I was with the other 2 and my weight on the scale is showing that.  The dr. had said that this happens a lot of times with the 3rd pregnancy and the increase in weight gain is just par for the course and there is absolutely nothing I can do about it.  (I mean….the things that sound good are asparagus, zucchini, salads, etc…..I'm not eating unhealthy). My morning sickness has been gone for about 2 weeks now (amen for no more vomiting).  It was a rough couple months of having extreme food aversions and morning sickness, so I'm glad it is over.  My energy hasn't come back like I hoped it would, but I'm able to deal with it for 20 more weeks.  I'm experiencing headaches and reflux with this pregnancy….I never really had these symptoms with the other 2.  I was able to get in about 2 to 3 miles of exercise about 4 times a week with running on the treadmill or using the elliptical.  I had a goal of running a 5k at the end of March, but I'm unable to now….I've had a lot of pain and the dr. no longer wants me doing those things for exercise….he said I can try to ride a bike or walk, but other than that no more running (he's not worried about the baby, just worried about damage to my body because my joints are spread out more with this pregnancy).  

The dr. was really pleased with the baby's development.  He can tell that this baby has no Spina Bifida and no cleft lip.  The baby's heart and brain look really good.  The baby is measuring right on schedule.  

 Here is a picture of the baby looking right at us….you can see the eyes and hand up by his/her ear.  She/He kept scratching his/her ear during the ultrasound.

 This is the baby's profile and you can see his/her leg/femur…..his/her knee is up by the face.

 The baby's foot.

Another picture of the baby looking at us and you can see the hand.  At this point the dr. said, 'HE is looking right at us….or she is looking at us.'  This is after he'd already looked 'down there' and Scott is sure he slipped, but I think it definitely looked like a girl.  Who knows!  Elli really wants a baby sister and Connor wants a baby brother.  We'll find out in August!

Connor 2.5

Connor turned 2.5 years old a few weeks ago and is truly the sweetest kid.  He has such a fun personality and it's fun to see all the new things he learns each week!  Connor is a sensitive kiddo and hates getting in trouble.  When we start to raise our voice, he immediately says "You mad at me?" while his lip quivers and then proceeds to start crying.

 Connor loves being around Scott and I!  In any given day, he usually goes back and forth between who he favors (Scott or I), but the majority of the time, he's a mama's boy.  Before bed we read books and he rarely lets Scott read to him or put him to bed.  I love it when he says "Mama, I want to snuggle." Lately, I've caught a lot of grief from Scott and Amber about babying him, but geez I just can't help it….he's so sweet.  My friends joke that I'm going to be one of those moms that thinks no girls are good enough for him….and yeah maybe (kidding….I'll let him get married….when he's 50).  He's always generous with hugs and kisses!  And when I wear my hair in a ponytail he always says 'Mom, you put your hair in a pony?  I don't like it.'  Yes, this kid does not like it when I put my hair in a ponytail…weird, but it's something I want to remember about him!

(Ok….so in my defense in these pictures…I had some major morning sickness going on….)

 Connor LOVES playing the guitar!  I take him to the library every Wednesday while Elli is at school.  He looks forward to it every week!  The 'teacher' there plays the guitar and Connor loves to act like him (Mr. Ryan) at home.  Here is a picture of him being Mr. Ryan at story time (crossing his legs, with his shoes on….the whole thing).  Two weeks ago, Connor got special treatment at the library….Mr. Ryan pulled him up after class (he noticed that when Connor would sing, he would act like he was playing a guitar) and let Connor play his guitar!

 Connor is so close to being completely potty trained.  He is completely potty trained during the day and wakes up dry many mornings.  We've had a little setback during nights because of him being sick, but he is doing a great job holding it during the night.

 Connor still loves playing his his trains, but isn't as obsessed as he used to be.  He loves his trucks, tractors, and loves to color!  He loves wearing his jerseys and calls himself "Peyton Manning" when he does.  He can count to 10, knows all his colors, and we are currently working on his ABC's (although it's nearly impossible for me to get him to sit down and work on it with me).  He is such a talker and has been able to carry on a conversation for quite some time!  His single word utterances developed so quickly into 5 to 6 word utterances.  As a result, he is now stuttering (this is typical for kids his age due to how quickly they are picking up language).  It varies each day….some days it's pretty bad where he gets real frustrated on certain words saying, "I can't say it."  And it's even caused a meltdown when he couldn't get out what he was trying to say.  Just within the past few days it hasn't been as bad. We'll continue to monitor it for the next 3 to 6 months and it should resolve on its own.

 Connor has his 2.5 year check up last week and the kids were cracking me up at this appointment.  The dr. was pleased with how well Connor is developing.  He is still a small little guy…..26.4 pounds (10-25% percentile) and 35.5 inches (25-50% percentile)…..he will officially be tall enough to ride Barnstormer at Disney here in a few days and he is so excited about it.  The dr. said he still has his VSD and we'll follow up with the cardiologist in a few years in regards to it.

Connor loves playing with his sister and occasionally they'll play well together.  He calls her "sissy" and I love it…..I hope he always calls her this!  

Happy 2 years and 6 months, Bubs!  You are so sweet, kind, funny, silly and you make me melt every single time you give me a hug….or when you say "ganks" (i.e. "thanks") when we tell you we love you.  You always tell me that you aren't my baby, but you will ALWAYS be my little baby!

Trip to Indy

A few weeks ago, we took a trip to Indy to visit the Roberts family.  We left right after preschool on Wednesday and returned home on Friday afternoon.  The kids were so excited to get there!  I needed some time away from here, as Scott had been working a lot/traveling recently and doing this by myself while being pregnant is much harder than I anticipated.  

Wednesday afternoon we let the kids play and then did movie night!  We let Kensley and Elli sleep together on Wednesday night….they did well falling asleep, but decided that it was appropriate to play for 2 hours in the middle of the night.  Amber and Jeremy were in charge of them and got little sleep that night.  I, on the other hand, was dealing with a 2.5 year old (ahem….Connor) who decided to keep me up all.night.long with what appeared to be 'growing pains.'  It was a rough night for all.  We headed to the library on Thursday morning and had to cut that trip short because my kids were not behaving.  We left there and headed to McDonalds where the kids were on their best behavior (I had quite the discussion with them in the car).  

I love 2 things about this picture….1. Connor wearing Kensley's skates and 2. The way Avery is standing!

 We took the kids to skyzone to get out some energy on Friday morning.  Although we all slept better Thursday evening, some of the kids seemed to still be tired.  Connor could have jumped all. day. long.  I even got in some exercise!!

 And this was my favorite part of the whole trip.  After skyzone, we went to Chic-fil-A for lunch before the kids and I headed back home.  I caught Connor being so sweet to Maddy and playing with her.

This was my attempt at getting a video of Maddy and Connor in the midst of breaking up a fight between Kensley and Elli.  Do you hear Elli in the background?  Everytime she sees this, she gets very embarrassed by the way she was acting.  I held it together and didn't start banging my head against the table (although I really wanted to….).  

I'm really not sure what exactly triggered the kids' behaviors on this trip.  Being sick, not enough sleep?  Anyways, it didn't matter.  The kids weren't allowed to watch any movies on the way home, look at any of their books or listen to their music.  For 3 straight hours, we listened to my music and it was wonderful.  The kids could either sit and look out the window or sleep.  Then, I took away T.V. for a whole week, all movies in the car, and all iPad and/or iPhone games for a week.  Last week was the best week….the kids played with their toys and did so much better playing with each other.  I have yet to let them watch movies in the car and honestly it'll probably be awhile before we let them again.  They both earned back T.V. last weekend, but have had it on a very limited basis.  Neither of them have asked for it much and it has been really nice.

Scott met us at the house when we pulled up.  He took both kids to the grocery store on Saturday morning while I was able to stay back and get some things done around here.  Although it was a small break, it was just what I needed after having a few crazy weeks!

Preschool

Elli has had a great year at preschool thus far!  She's learning so much and really enjoys being there.  Here are a few pictures from the school year….

I think they were making dough in the picture below.  I had to post this picture of her 'boyfriend,' Carter (the boy in stripes).  I go to MOPS with Carter's mom and apparently he talks about Elli all the time and calls her "My Elliana." Elli is also quite fond of Carter….in fact, when I tried to throw away his Valentine, she hugged it and said "No, you can't throw away this one. I love Carter."

 Elli and her friend, Maddie!  Elli tells me that she plays with Maddie each day.

 Elli with her friends.  Maddie is in the stripes and Kendyl is in the purple (I'm not sure who the other girls is…oops).  Elli really wanted these 2 girls (along with her friend Lilah) to come to her birthday party.  Unfortunately we weren't able to invite them, but I promised her we'd do a playdate with them this summer when school is out (Oh please let us be in a house by then!!).

 Elli and her friend, Lilah.  Lilah's mom told me that Lilah talks about Elli all the time at home.

 Elli loves playing with the dolls at school.  In fact, Elli's teacher commented at her conference that Elli occasionally had difficulty sharing the dolls  (I wasn't the least bit shocked!).

 Elli reading her 'favorite' book in front of her class.  Her teacher, Mrs. Grimm, told me she didn't need any help!

 The class singing 'Happy Birthday' to Elli!

Although our church is opening a preschool next year, we've decided to keep the kids at Elli's current school.  We've been so happy there.  We received an email from Elli's school telling us that they think she would be ready to go to the 5s class next year.  The class meets 4 times a week and would be a step up from the 4s class we had planned on enrolling her in.  Scott was so excited, but I was a little more hesitant, as I don't want her to feel overwhelmed in class with older kids. I think we'll keep her enrolled in the 4s; however after the week we've had, I might reconsider putting her in a 4th day next year (sick kids- one of them being pretty cranky, mom that doesn't feel well, husband that traveled last week and this week and will be gone all night tonight at a dinner….ahhhh please May come soon, so he can only focus on one territory instead of 2).

Disney on Ice

A few weeks ago, we went to see Disney on Ice. After we saw it last year, we knew we'd want to see it again if it came here!  We invited Scott's parents to go along as their birthday present….their birthdays are only a month apart and fell somewhat around this time (or for his dad on the actual day of his birthday). 

Connor with his cotton candy.  I'm starting to notice a trend with this kid….when it comes to sweets, he won't share at all!!!!

 Then, we took them out to dinner for their birthdays!

I was never a Disney kid growing up….I couldn't ever really get into cartoons….but the older I get, the more I enjoy Disney and even some of the movies.  I'm thinking Scott and I will be those people that still go to Disney even after our kids are out of the house and aren't with us! 

Valentine's Day

Elliana with her Valentine's Bag after preschool!  She was so excited to look at all of her Valentine's!

 Ha….the above picture cracked me up, so I had to post both of them!

 Valentine's Day craft that Nana and Papa Brauchler sent us!  Connor is still carrying his around!

 I took the kids to get some ice cream on Valentine's Day after lunch!

 Opening a present from us!  Elli got sandals and a puzzle.  Connor got a football and puzzle.

Connor was pretty excited about his football.  He opened it and immediately said, "I'm Peyton Manning." 

Scott and I even got to have a little date night!  The kids went to the church where Elli attends preschool for a few hours in the evening!  They had a lot of different activities for the kids!  Connor thinks he went to school that night with Elli and was pretty excited about it!

Happy Belated Valentine's Day!!

Connor's First Dentist Appointment

Both kids had dentist appointments today!  It was Connor's first visit and Elli's 3rd!  Connor's 2-year molars on the bottom are completely in and his on top have broken through and are coming in.  They both did great!  No cavities and teeth look wonderful!