Update 10/25

I have been neglecting my blog lately. We have been very busy! Well, mostly it is just me that has been busy. I have been busy with school and Xavier's party. We invited all of his classmates from daycare, but none of them showed up. I still think it was a success. He loved all of his gifts and having his grandparents here. Pictures of the party are below.

I am 35 weeks pregnant as of yesterday. Only 5 more to go! Isobel is doing great! She is getting bigger every day (and crushing my insides in the process!). I have gained 12 lbs total and am measuring right on track. Her heart beat was steady and strong at 140 at our last visit. I have been feeling extremely thirsty these past few weeks. No matter how much water I drink, it never seems to be enough. My body is getting ready for her to be breastfeeding. That is my theory anyway.

This was 34 weeks

Xavier is now sleeping in his own bed again AND sleeping all night! We bought him a lightening McQueen poster for his room and had him help us rearrange it. We also got him a night light which I think helped the most! I did a stamp chart with him that he absolutely loves! We let him pick out the stamp and the color of ink pad. He chose a soccer ball and red ink. He gets one stamp for sleeping in his own bed and one for sleeping all night.

Drake's pumpkin spice beer is completely finished. The alcohol content is that of a normal beer. He is pleased with this and the taste. He says it is delicious. For more details you can visit his facebook page or website. So far he is the only one who has had some of it, but he is taking it to a party tomorrow night. He also started a batch of cherry mead. He will be getting more hours at work the next few days because a coworker's girlfriend just went into labor. This will be nice for his next check, but it also means Xavier and I won't see him as much.

Weekly update 10/6-10/11

Xavier has been sleeping in our bed for the past month. We let him at first, thinking it was nightmares or something. Now it is clear that it is just habit. We are trying to break this habit. Last night (Thursday, 10/11) was the first night using the cry it out method. We let him cry for about 10-15 minutes and then go and hug and comfort him and repeat the process until he goes to sleep. It took him an hour and a half to fall asleep. He woke up about an hour later. This time it was a little easier to get him to sleep. He went back to sleep about 15-20 minutes later. He woke up one more time around 2 (about 3 hours later). This time it took him an hour and half again. We did find out that he goes to sleep faster for Drake than he does with me. When I go into his room all he wants is for me to hold him and rock him. When I tried to leave he just cried. If I told him anything, he just cried more. When Drake went in there, he actually stayed laying down and went to sleep (after a few attempts at getting out of bed). He didn't wake up again until 7:15 this morning. Hopefully he does better tonight. We are trying a stamp chart to see if that helps (we couldn't find stickers). We also rearranged his room and bought him a lightning Mcqueen nightlight and a plush Thomas the train. Hopefully these help!

Drake is brewing some pumpkin spice beer. He has already put it into the second fermenting stage (or whatever the correct lingo is). He is super excited for it to be done. Two of his favorite things are pumpkin and beer, so we all see why he is so excited.

School is keeping me very busy! Somehow I manage to find time to spend with my husband and son, as well as keep the house clean and my boys fed. I have felt like super mom these past few weeks. It seems like I always have something to do, whether it is cooking dinner/washing dishes, doing laundry, cleaning house, doing homework, studying for a test, or cuddling with my two favorites. I feel tired by the end of the day!

Isobel is still moving like crazy! She really like to stretch out pushing my belly in opposite directions. It is very uncomfortable!! I am 33 weeks and 1 day today. Only 7 weeks to go! It is so crazy, I just can't believe it! I am very ready to see my baby girl!

This next week we will be preparing for Xavier's birthday party next Saturday. I still can't believe he is already 2! We will also check on Isobel on Tuesday :)

The Fair!

Sorry this post is so late, I had a busy week. We went to the fair last Saturday, 10/5. Xavier had fun. His favorite part was the little petting zoo that was there. There were llamas, cows, horses, sheep, pigs, camels, and alpacas. We all got to pet and feed the animals. Xavier didn't understand that the animals ate from your hand. He kept trying to hand the animals their food and eventually just started dropping the food into the pens. He finally let me help him keep his hand flat to feed them and he laughed when he felt their lips tough his hand. I guess he thought it tickled.

We also saw a puppet show. He would pay attention every now and then, if there was a loud noise or a song he recognized. For the most part he just sat in my lap and cuddled. We saw a live shark encounter too. This didn't keep Xavier's attention at all. We were sitting on bleachers and all he wanted to do was squirm and get down. Drake and I enjoyed the show (the parts we saw when X actually sat still).

Helping Mom and Dad feed

Our little cowboy in his cowboy boots watching the animals

Puppet show

Just cuddling

I couldn't get low enough and X is turning away...

I didn't get any pictures of the shark show. It was pretty crowded and Xavier wouldn't sit still.

Green Chili Chicken Enchilada Casserole

This is a recipe I make often. It is quick and easy. It is a lot of food, as any casserole dish is. I usually make it if I am expecting people over or if Drake has a lot of closing shifts for the week (Xavier and I have left overs when dad is not home).

Ingredients:
Rotisserie chicken (traditional flavoring)
Cheese
8 corn tortillas
1 can (family size-26 oz) cream of mushroom soup (I like campbell's)
1 can (10 3/4 oz) cream of chicken soup (I like campbell's)
2-4 green chili- chopped ( I use 2 if they are really hot and up to 4 if they are more mild)
water (use the cream of chicken soup can)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Shred chicken into bite size pieces
Warm chicken, green chili, soups, and water in a skillet on medium-high heat
In 9x13 pan lay out 4 corn tortillas on bottom, add half of the chicken mixture, and top with cheese.
Repeat layers
Place in oven for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbling

Isobel-32 weeks

Yesterday (10/3) was 32 weeks. We are getting closer! Total weight gained is 10 pounds. Isobel moves like crazy! Her kick counts (how long it takes for her to move 10 times)  average to about 30 minutes. She is very active, or healthy, as my doctor calls it. I have been in maternity clothes for awhile now and I have no new stretch marks (not yet). I haven't been able to sleep very much lately (partly because Xavier refuses to sleep in his own bed). I usually wake up with my back and pelvis/hips hurting pretty badly. Sometimes I can barely walk to the bathroom. After a shower the pain subsides a little (enough so I can walk). My belly button is still in, but just barely.

Update on Isobel and Xavier

Today I had my 32 week check for Isobel (I will be 32 weeks on Thursday). Everything looks good and was right on track. My belly measures just about 32, which is where it should be. I gained one pound from my last visit 2 weeks ago. I have gained 10 pounds total so far for this pregnancy. Isobel has a strong heartbeat and was kicking the monitor away. She is a very active little baby. She is definitely growing! The bigger she gets, the more pelvic pressure I feel. It is also starting to get really hard to sleep at night.

Xavier got to hear his baby sisters heartbeat today. He said "Whoa! What's that? It's loud." It was really cute! He is moving up to the next room (toddler II) in daycare. He is getting so big! I can't believe he will be 2 in just a few weeks! He also has a bruise on his forehead. He was running in class yesterday and hit the top of one of the shelves. It was a pretty big bump yesterday. Today it is just a little discolored. Poor baby! Xavier is still not eating very much. He has been doing this for about a week now. He will only eat small things here at home, like banana with peanut butter and milk for breakfast or tortilla with peanut butter and nutella with juice for dinner. He eats very well at daycare, asking for seconds some days. I don't know why he won't eat at home. He still eats mac and cheese and hot dogs. Hopefully this phase passes soon.