I'm going to get better at this

I'm really going to try and be better about updating the blog this year, especially because we'll have two little boys to talk about. Not much has happened lately. Oh wait, yeah I guess there has! Duh... pregnancy brain!
We found out I have Gestational Diabetes again, I must confess in my hormonal state I was a little... distraught. I hoped that I had avoided that this time, but knew when I found out that it wasn't the end of the world either, especially since I had it last time and knew what to expect. They tried to get me in to another "educational" class about it all but I was able to avoid that because I remembered how to handle things from before. So my blood sugar testing began and so far things are fine. I had my 29 week check up yesterday, mostly for Dr. Graham to check my sugar levels and he said all was good, and reduced me from checking 4 times a day during the week to 2 times a day. There are days during the weekend especially I still have to check it 4 times, which sucks, but... it's all good. Baby's heart sounded good, I love hearing that crazy little wooshing sound, and he's measuring perfect which is always something you have to watch with diabetes. So we're good, getting to the home stretch- only 11 weeks until my due date! I'm wondering if he'll come early. Who knows. My parents are flying out April 5th, and his due date is the 11th- so I'm hoping he'll come sometime between those two dates!

Us about to leave the cabin with the only boy allowed besides the one residing in my tummy, Martha's dog Gobo!

 A couple weekends ago, me and the girls (Jennifer, Ashley and Martha) had a girl's weekend up at the cabin! It was JUST what the doctor ordered for all of us. Even the boys got together and had fun! I had a photo shoot Saturday morning and Ryan took Ben to little Aubrey K's birthday party and after we were done with both- Ryan and Ben drove me up to the cabin. (It's only about an hour away.) Pretty much as soon as they left- us girls drove to Helen, GA (the crazy Bavarian looking tourist town) to walk around and get some dinner. Jennifer had never been there so it was fun to experience it's newness with her again. It's kind of one of those places where you've been once... that's good enough. hehe We found an old timey photo studio and all of us decided we wanted to do it because we'd never done it before and always wanted to. We had fun! The wait was a little... annoying, but the group of girls that went before us were something to see... the outfits that people normally wear for those things are... um... a little, "revealing"? We decided that three of us would be chick bandits and Martha wanted to be a Southern Belle, with the hat and parasol and everything! I had to find something to cover up that belly of mine and none of his dresses could've done it I'm sure!

We look tough huh?

After our photo shoot, we went to the Troll Tavern who's food left much to be desired but all of us were STARVING so it didn't matter to us really. Any other time and it probably would've! We went to a cute little market there in Helen for some groceries and then headed back to the cabin to start watching our pile of movies. And that's basically all we did Sunday... and maybe some of Monday morning. I made a delicious quiche for breakfast one morning and Martha made chicken parmesan for dinner one night. We left to come home Monday afternoon. Ryan didn't have the day off so he dropped Ben off at daycare and I picked him up as soon as I got home, I missed him lots. The boys also went to the Vortex (an awesome bar/restaurant in Atlanta that's pretty popular, was even on Man vs. Food) on Saturday night (Ben had a sleep over at Nana and Poppy's), and then watched football with each other Sunday. It was a good refreshing weekend for all. (and so cheap! We love that cabin! we only each paid $33 for two nights!) I slept in on Sunday which was AWE-SOME... seriously so needed that.

We love this little Corner Store with the purple pumps. Pay not mind to the bit of tummy sticking out behind the pole!

We've started the process of changing all the rooms around to get ready for our next little dude. It's definitely a "process" because we've really used what will be Ben's new room as storage for SO long. I don't even know what to do with all the stuff in there, we don't have a lot of storage space in our house. I took yesterday and today off to work on it. I started last night, and need to get going on it now. I burnt 3 of my left hand fingers pretty bad last night, luckily I prayed enough I think that they'll be fine- and they don't hurt too bad this morning... but they're still tender. That was probably some of the worst pain I've felt in a while and I have a pretty high pain tolerance. I'm just glad a trip to the hospital wasn't in order.
Oh yah, we were audited for our 2009 taxes because pretty much ever since we started claiming our own son on our taxes someone else has been too. So basically someone stole his SSN# and has been using it to claim him like we have. So... we got audited, which believe it or not I was glad about. We won, which duh... we should, he's ours- I guess a copy of his SSN card and birth certificate were proof enough... but what kind of sucks is that we'll probably be audited for all the other years we claimed him and the other person did too. My hope though, is that they'll see that this person is NOT the rightful person to claim Ben and will be punished or fined. I hope... I guess we will never know.
Okay, better get to it... I can't think of anything else.

Ben is 3 1/2 going on 18...

 

So I figure it's time (for my memories sake) to do a little Ben update. It's been a while.

• Lately, he's been coming home saying that so&so is coming over to his house. It's all the talk at the daycare apparently. No one ever goes to each other's houses they just talk about it.
• this is his new thing: "mommy, I'm hungry"
  me: "Hi Hungry, I'm mommy" (shaking his hand) (this repeats a few more times)
  Ben: "no mommy, I'm NOT hungry... I just want to eat!"
• I'll tell him to do something and he says "Just a minute, okay mommy?" to which I reply "uh no, how about now". He usually slumps his shoulders because he doesn't like that response.
• The other day at the store, he told me when his baby comes out he's going to be "this big" holding his two little fingers to the size of less than an inch. The lady next to us said "he's hilarious!" I told him that it was getting harder and harder to bend over because of the baby and he said "Mommy, when the baby comes out you can bend." I just love these little jewels!
• Obviously he started Primary this year, that's exciting.
• He's still eating baby food vegetables. Am I a horrible mom for allowing him to? I mean, I figure he's getting them in some shape and form right? There's just something that angers me so badly when he's trying to eat something new, or we've forced him to try something and he gags on it. So it's just one battle I refuse to fight, for now.
• He's really concerned about getting and giving hugs and kisses lately. "Mommy, you didn't give me a HUG?" or "kiss?" Maybe we don't do it enough? I don't know... 
• He's been sort of a trouble maker. I feel like this stage of being three, so close to 4 is almost worst than when he was 2. And I feel that way because he knows better now. He's become accustomed to throwing tantrums lately, and that's not cutting it in our house. So we've taken on some discipline measures that we hope work. Our ultimate goal is to have a well behaved and respectful person one day who knows his parents love him more than anything.
• He can write his name now, I guess he's been able to for some time. But he can do upper and lower case, but his name includes Ben S. It's not just Ben, it's Ben S. Smith is still not something he can write but we're working on that. He moves to a new class this upcoming Monday and I think they'll be focusing more on educational things like that in there. Then in Aug or Sept (I can't remember) he'll got to Pre-K. They have him trace letters and numbers at school every day during class time. He's a smarty pants... I hope he keeps it up. He's full of excuses though when he doesn't' feel like trying... and it all seems super familiar to me, hmmm, wonder where he got THAT from.
• Speaking of that... in a lot of ways he's really like me. He's a sensitive person, as am I. And there are just little things I notice about him that I can TOTALLY relate to because I'm the same way. And they aren't things I taught him, it's just how he came. He's definitely like his daddy too, but it's good to know that somewhere in that mini-me of a Ryan there's a little of me too. :)
• He's also been always needing to hold something. Honestly- it started when we went to Knoxville to visit my cousin and her family. Her little boy seemed to always have something with him at all times, so I'm thinking Ben picked up on that. It's kind of annoying, because shopping is like torture, especially if he DOESN'T have something to hold- because then he wants to hold things in the store and says "mommy can I have that?". Like pulling eye lashes out... 
• Ben is realllllllly sensitive to people's moods and happiness or sadness. I love that about him. He's very concerned with people, and I think that's a wonderful attribute I hope he hangs on to. Our family needs that, and he will be able to relate to and touch so many people's lives. I just have this motherly intuition that he will. He's got a lot of soul behind those eyes.
• He's got an excellent memory. He seems to remember mommy buying some of the same toys Santa brought him... hmmm, weird. He remembers random details of things from like a year ago. He helps me remember things too which is nice.
• Ben is in charge of feeding Ally in the mornings. We are trying to give him more and more "chores" but we're both kind of control freaks... so we'll have to "try" and give him even more. hehe
• He's got a great sense of humor. And he's quite the negotiator. We'll give him a rule or instructions and he'll pull out a "OR mommy..." and then say what HE thinks is what he should do. He also sometimes decides that what we want him to do is not what he wants to do and then just doesn't do it. Which is typical of all people I guess. I hear myself saying "I don't care if you don't want to..." a lot. 
• He's so very handsome. He is. We made a cute kid. And I love that little munchkin. I also just can't wait for the stage of tantrums and attitude and not listening to be over with. I guess........ that means in like 15 years huh?
• He still is a child who needs his sleep, especially naps. Man oh man he does NOT do well with out them. Just like any other human, he does not do well with out sleep or food. I realize my child is almost 4 and is still taking naps. I'm not complaining...

• He starting to enjoy sports. We got him a real life football for Christmas, and Ashley got him a Nerf basketball and hoop for Christmas too. He loves playing with them both. Ryan and Ben went for a bike ride just last weekend to the park and they threw the football around... I can't believe he's growing so fast and actually doing things like that now!

• 

  riding in the new trailer Daddy got for Christmas for his bike!

• He's still pretty skinny. I got him in to some 3T jeans finally, but that is just one pair. Not all jeans are created equally... but he's growing. He's just little. He needs some meat on his bones though. I guess we need to let him eat more often. I just hate so many snacks because then when it comes to eat a meal he's too full. Ugh...

Welcome 2012! Bring it!

This is the year we become parents of TWO. Yikes. This is the year our oldest turns 4, and will go to pre-k! Yikes! This is the year he also starts PRIMARY! For those of you who aren't LDS (Mormon), Primary is the organization for the children ages 3-12 in our church. So during Sunday services they get to go to Primary and are in age appropriate classes. Ben started in his Sunbeam class today! ACK! My little baby is not my little baby anymore! I grew up going to Primary and am excited for him to enjoy how fun Primary can be and to learn lots! His teachers are Sister Heightchew and Sister Lathrop and they are going to be awesome. He cried a little today when I took him to the Primary room since he's so used to Nursery, but he calmed down after a little bit. And then they said he did perfect the rest of the time. He asked me if he gets to go to Primary every day on the way home! So... I think he liked it.