Diaper overboard

Suddenly in the last week Nicholas has decided he doesn't want anything to do with a dirty diaper - pee or poo. I praised him for telling me he needed a clean diaper and Celia jumped on the band-wagon too. So now I feel like I'm changing diapers all day - some times the diapers are barely wet, but they cry cause they have pee pee in them and they want clean diapers.
Just tonight they were whining at bedtime cause their diapers were slightly wet. I'm happy they are telling me, and on the other hand, it's going make us need to buy more disposable diapers for bedtime (we use cloth during the day).
They sure seem like they're getting more ready to potty-train, however their timing is less than preferable. With our new baby coming sometime in the next 4 weeks, this isn't the time to start wearing underwear. They aren't telling me BEFORE they pee, they are telling me AFTER they pee, so thats a big stage to get to as well.
So. . . I hope they can hold on another month or two before we start training. I did tell them the new baby will need their cloth diapers and they will need to wear underwear like mommy and daddy. I guess we'll keep praising the need to have a clean diaper and bite the bullet with more laundry and diaper cost for the time being so they don't loose ground. We'll see!

Possibility Playground

Last week we took Nicholas and Celia to a new playground in Port Washington (on Lake Michigan about 20 min east of our home) called the Possibility Playground. It was built last year as a playground that can be accessible to children with disabilities and of all different ages. There is a toddler playground and an older children (5 and up) area. All of which has a nice gate around it so no one escapes.
Nicholas and Celia had a great time. It was much cooler by the lake, so we only stayed for an hour (which was plenty long for me to chase them around being pregnant).

Toothbrushing!

Nicholas and Celia seem to have gotten a better grasp on toothbrushing lately. Just this month we switched them to regular toothpaste. They had been using the baby/toddler toothpaste, but now they have learned how to 'try' to spit into the sink. Jason taught them to say 'EEEEE' and 'AHHHHH' to get different parts of their mouth. Celia thinks the minty toothpaste is a bit spicy/hot for her tongue, but she'll get used to it. We only put a teeny pea-size dot of toothpaste on. I usually end up brushing my teeth with them as an example of what to do.
Its cute cause when they are done they know to rinse their toothbrush, tap it on the sink and put it in the toothbrush cup. :) They're growing up so fast!

34 weeks

I know I look huge and I couldn't remove my stretchmarks well.... so you'll have to deal with seeing my tummy in reality. Yikes. I may regret this post tomorrow. At least black and white helps! I am carrying this baby boy straight out like a big 'ol beach ball.
Today I set up the lighting (I've never done maternity photos before) and set the settings on the camera. Then I taught Jason how to focus the camera points. We moved around to some different areas to try some different lighting.
I'm coming up on 35 weeks soon. Nicholas and Celia were born at 35 weeks and 2 days. I am full term (37 wks) on May 4th, so this baby isn't allowed out until then.
I don't know why there are some weird shadows on my arms and such... they aren't there in 'real life'.

A REALLY bad hair day

Not much to say in this post. I think it speaks for itself!

A little Blues. . .

Our musicians. Nicholas has an interest in instruments a bit more than Celia, but they both enjoy playing the harmonica here/there. :)

What Nicholas likes. . .

Nicholas likes things to be just so. He likes his zipper on his coat all the way up. He likes to keep his hat, mittens and coat on if it is chilly out. He also likes to follow the 'rules'. Today they played outside and I walked them to the 2 spots where the fence doesn't meet the garage and told them if they go on the other side of the fence without mommy that they will have a time-out. I caught him an hour later standing by the fence area saying, "no no (as he pointed to the unfenced area) out. Beep (as he turned and pointed to the outside time-out step)". So he was reiterating to himself that if he walked over there he would have a time out. Turns out Celia ran out 2x, and one time Nicholas went to get her.
Lately he has been taking a couple matchbox cars to bed with him too. He used to play with them in the dark and keep himself awake, so we stopped letting him take them. Now we are letting him but we say, "Tell the cars to go to sleep. If they don't go to sleep then mommy or daddy will take them out of your bed". Turns out this works. He will park his cars on his mattress corner and fall asleep.
There are times that he does toddler actions like throw his spoon being a grump or put up a fuss. Lately he has been seeming like he has grown up so much mentally. He says SO many words now and talks and talks all the time.

Saying the colors

Nicholas and Celia have got most of the color words down. I'd say Nicholas has a firmer grasp than Celia, but she is learning a lot from him as he says the words. They are both talking a lot more. Nicholas all of a sudden seems like he can say almost anything. He tries so hard to say words. I've also noticed in the last couple weeks that when he is trying to talk a lot he will stutter a couple times. Its absolutely normal for young children to go through short stuttering phases as their mouth tries to keep up with their brain. He is having such a large language explosion that its very typical. This is something parents will notice even into kindergarten sometimes.
This video isn't their best color speaking clip, but it'll do. Celia doesn't usually have her hands and everything in her mouth. Silly girl! Oh, and Nicholas is chewing a tiny piece of gum. Its either gum or playdough in his mouth.

Basement Project Update

Our basement project is getting closer. We have the HVAC, electric and framing done. We had the city inspector stop by yesterday and there are a few corrections we need to make - dampers in certain places in heat runs, piggy-back corrections with fuse panel, and a certain outlet change in the bathroom. Very very true that home projects cost more and have more involvement than you'd ever think until you're actually doing it! However, once it is finished, it will be awesome space for us. Our home is on the small side, so we are almost doubling the living space. It will be so nice to have the new baby have his room (which he will eventually share with Nicholas) and the new toy room and rec area downstairs. The bathroom finish will come later as we can afford it. But, once we have 2 bathrooms, it will be great!
We had the insulation, doors (prefinished/hung pine doors), dry wall and windows delivered this week. Jason and our friend Matt hauled it all downstairs. It was a huge job!



closet doors:

drywall and some insulation - it is as tall or taller than Jason (who is 6'4")


the pine doors.
our new windows for the basement - they open from the top into the room.
more insulation for soundproofing and energy preservation (heating or cooling)
A bit of a look into the main room with the can lights on. Looks smaller with the big pile of drywall and doors.
Next on the list is the windows to be installed (replacing old windows) and then moving on to insulation. :)