You belong in a ZOO

Yes, all of my blogs are either about CJ or animals...or both. HA! One of CJ's new words is "map" so he HAD to have a map!!Over by the elephant exhibit, there is a play area with "fossils" and pretend paleontologists. "Hey! Look at him!"
"Up, peas" CJ wanted to look through the face!!
We got a good view of the lion! (Did you know lions sleep about 20 hours a day? That explains why they are ALWAYS sleeping when we go to see them!)
This is a classic CJ story...I found these sunglasses at the bottom of the diaper bag while looking for something else, so I handed them to CJ and he said "dude" (because I always tell him he is a "cool dude" when he wears them!!). Wait, it gets better...See the green trash can directly behind CJ? Right after I snapped this picture, he took the glasses off his face and marched them over and threw them into the garbage can. EWWW. Gross. I was gonna let them go "bye bye" since we were at the zoo and there was heaven only knows what germs in there, until a random Dad grabbed them out and handed them to me. I immediately got out the sanitizing wipes, and hand sanitizer. They have been at the bottom of the bag again since...I need to remember to take them out and WASH them in some antibacterial dish soap. Actually thinking about the germs festering at the bottom of the diaper bag is kinda freaking me out right now...I'm a SUPER germaphobe #1) during flu season & #2) when I am pregnant!! Anyhow, that boy is a character!!

Riding the SkyTram with a friend!
At the Safari Park with our friends when they had some time off from school for Thanksgiving break! FUN!

I know I am getting good workouts pushing the stroller up all the San Diego hills at the zoo and safari park! I think that CJ is such a wild child sometimes that the zoo is the perfect place for him! I love it too, so it is the perfect place for us both!

Cheetah Run!

Everyday at 3:30pm the San Diego Zoo Safari Park does the Cheetah Run. They have a cheetah (animal ambassador, who is still wild but semi trained to do things) run FULL speed for 100 yards. We had never gotten to see it before because it is close to the end of naptime, and we've never made it in time! But on one of the days JT was off work, CJ only got about a 30 minute nap. Those days are recipes for disaster if you stay home, so off to see the Cheetah Run we went! It was SO awesome!!!

Please excuse the non-perfection of the pictures, but when a cheetah is running at 70 mph it is hard to capture it!! So glad we finally got to see the Cheetah Run!! :)

Does this make me a "Soccer Mom"?

Saturday CJ had his second soccer class. He had so much fun! "Kick!"
The coach explained to the kiddos that the nets didn't get to eat any turkey for Thanksgiving, and that they were hungry for soccer balls! So you have to "feed" the net your ball by kicking it in! Cute!
One of the games they played to learn chasing/following..."Doggie Tails". CJ had to chase and try to grab Dada's doggie tail. (They did this game last week and CJ could have cared less, but he was really into it this week!)
"Got it!" (one of CJ's favorite sentences right now).
Helping Coach Jo clean up after class.
I didn't think I really ever wanted to be a "soccer mom", but if this is what it's like count me in! I could die at the adorableness (Not that I'm biased or anything! ;)).

Rivalry Weekend

Well, yesterday Clemson (my team!) and South Carolina (JT's team) had their big rivalry game. I am sad that my Tigers let me down (again!) and the Gamecocks ended up "on top" this year (again! for the third year in a row!) :(

Every year JT and I make a bet. Usually something silly. Our first year of marriage we bet 25 massages, but when those never got paid in full...we have learned to adjust. Last year we bet 10 diaper refusals (nasty gross ones you didn't want to do...). This year we bet two weekends of sleeping in. Which means, since I "lost", I'll allow JT to sleep in on two non-consecutive (written into the bet) weekends, and I will get up with CJ.

I sure hope Clemson can win next year. I'm already thinking up bet ideas since we'll have two kids!! Congratulations honey, I love you and our house divided.

15 weeks

How far along: Today we are 15 weeks!!

Size of baby: approx 4 inches long, 2.5 oz. About the size of an orange or apple.

Gender: We don't know yet, but I'm thinking girl??

Total weight gain/loss: Zero, but I am happy to be back up to my starting weight because I had lost 3-5lbs when I was so sick in the first trimester.

Maternity clothes: Not yet, but soon! My pants are unbuttoned being held up by a Bella Band.

Symptoms: I thought the morning sickness was gone, but I threw up Wednesday morning after changing CJ's poopy diaper and brushing my teeth! Feeling a little more energized lately, but get winded easily!

Sleep: About 8 hours a night, with about 3-5 trips to the potty a night.

Food cravings: Chocolate, and fruit!

Movement: Not yet, but I can't wait!!

Best moment this week: Getting to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time on Monday! 155 bpm. (We've seen it before beating on the ultrasounds, but they never played it out loud for us to hear!)

What I miss: Margaritas and Ahi Tuna

What I'm looking forward to: Feeling the baby move! And finding out the sex hopefully sometime in the next month!

Thanksgiving 2011

Thank y'all so much for all the well wishes. I was sick the whole first trimester, which is another one of the reasons I only managed to blog once in the month of October! I'm feeling a lot better lately though, which I am thankful for. We really had so much to be thankful for on Thanksgiving yesterday!

I'm so thankful for our sweet firstborn, CJ. He is thankful for his cars that he HAS to try to hold as many as possible! I'm so thankful for our surprise second baby growing in my belly.

I'm so thankful for my wonderful husband and his funny sense of humor and loving heart. I'm so thankful for his service to the United States Navy, as well as every other family serving our country's military. I'm so thankful for both of our families, and for Skype allowing us to still "see" them this holiday despite being on the other side of the country! I'm so thankful for our friends scattered everywhere we've lived, and for new forming friendships here in San Diego.

I'm so thankful that we have every thing we NEED. A beautiful rental home that we really love, and more than enough food on the table this Thanksgiving and everyday.

I've never done "Black Friday" before, (because I am NOT a morning person!) but this year several of the stores were opening on Thanksgiving in the evening so I decided to give it a shot. Toys R Us opened at 9pm. I got there at 8:45, and waited in the long line outside the store. I entered the doors at 9:35, and was in the checkout line by 9:45. The never-ending checkout line...I didn't get out of the store until 11:05. But overall, despite the long line waits, the 10 minutes of shopping was very worth it! I saved about $80 getting Christmas and Birthday presents for CJ! A pretty successful first trip I would say. I went to Target this morning around 10am, and they still had all 3 things I wanted! I saved about $50!. And my last stop was Michaels and I saved $182 on a custom framing!!!! I am so proud that in a year where we are watching the budget big time, I saved a LOT more than I spent!!! :) Now that I've started buying some gifts, and know what I'm making/buying for everyone left on our list, I am really getting in the Christmas spirit!! It's one month from today!! Now to start decorating the house...so excited!!

Our Unexpected Blessing (YES!! What you think!)

I've been keeping a secret...we're expecting baby #2. I'm 14 weeks, 3 days and due May 19, 2012.

We weren't trying, but we feel so incredibly thankful for this unexpected blessing.

I've been attempting to write this post for a few weeks, but no words can adequately summarize my thoughts and feelings!! I am feeling excited, scared, and a little guilty. This is all still SO unbelievable to me, after everything that we had to go through to get pregnant with CJ! And I'm sure people will laugh at me or call me "dramatic" when I say that I feel like this pregnancy is a complete miracle. A gift from God. (I mean every pregnancy is when you really think about all the stars that have to align "just so"), but in my case...it just brings tears to my eyes thinking about it. So thankful.

Of course we are SO excited. Being a mom to CJ over the last 22 months has been wonderful. Being his Mama has been the most important thing I've ever done in my life, and I can't imagine how amazing it will be to have another child! I think that SHOCKED is the best word to describe how JT and I have been feeling. I still. can't. believe. it. I'm a little scared about the changes that will be coming for our family. Worried about being equal between two kids, showing them both adequate attention and love. I'm sure most of those feelings are normal.

But, I feel kinda guilty too. Like, I don't deserve another baby! How did this even happen!? (Okay smarty-pants people, I know how it happened, ha ha!) But I mean, since CJ's birth in January 2010, I had a period in March 2011 & one in July 2011 and then "somehow" got pregnant sometime in August 2011. Without trying!! My body "randomly" produced an egg and we "just happened" to get pregnant. I have to give all the credit to God, because I know it was all His orchestration and not random at all to Him. But, why me? There are still so many of my friends waiting for their own blessings. I'm not worthy to get TWO. I'm not taking this beautiful blessing for granted, as I continue to pray for those who are still waiting their turns.

I've had several people ask me "Why haven't you announced it yet?" (on blog, on facebook). And the sad truth is because I just kept waiting for the "other shoe to drop". To quote a blog friend, Jill, "It's the infertile in me." This pregnancy was just too easy to be real. Too good to be true.

But we are SO thankful for this miracle baby.

More details to come...

Psalm 113:9

"He settles the barren woman in her home as a happy mother of children. Praise the Lord!"

Weekend Recap

We had a fun weekend! Friday night was the first night of Christmas at Sea World, and it was open to members only. We decided to go. BOY OH BOY did JT and I underestimate the number of members Sea World has!! It was one of those moments as a parent that you try to make the best of, but really we were feeling like it was a "fail" because there were just too many people to get to do much. We did get a picture of our family in front of one of the trees!

And this ADORABLE picture of CJ in front of the penguin trees outside the penguin exhibit! He looks like he's saying "Ta Da!" but in reality, who knows what he was doing!! Ha ha!

The Turtle Reef exhibit is always one of his favorites. Mine too. Huge tanks with beautiful fish and lots of turtles.
This was TOO funny. CJ didn't even realize for like a full 5 minutes that he was standing RIGHT NEXT TO a turtle. He must have thought it was a rock. Because I kept telling him "look at the turtle" and he would point out other ones swimming around and not notice the one RIGHT NEXT TO him!! HA HA!!
Saturday we had CJ's first Daddy & Me Soccer class! It was great! It is completely non-competitive, and they have lots of activities to keep those busy toddlers from getting bored! Kicking a ball with Dada!
Following the leader stepping on different color circles (identifying what color as you step on it!) To clean up they brought a circle to the Coach and told her what color it was!
Crawling through a tunnel.
After crawling through the tunnel, the kids walked over to the goal and kicked a ball in!! This is his coach, Coach Jo.
Ribbon wands, that the kids got to swirl around, up and down, side to side!
This picture is SO CJ right now...He likes to play this game (mostly at home on the carpet) where he falls down (more like lays down) and then tells JT and I "I fall". And then we say "are you okay?" or "are you alright?" To which he says "k" or "right" and gets back up. He thinks it is so funny, and we do too!!! He was rolling around on the grass giggling here telling me "I fall". :)
Running!!!
The class ended with parachute time. First the kiddos got to ride on the parachute.
And then they got to go under the parachute.
After class was over, all the kids got to go see the Coach for a sticker, and a group cheer: "Soccer is FUN!" CJ had a BLAST at his first soccer class. It was so cute, and I think it will be a great activity for him to get to play outdoors, socialize with other children his age, and not to mention BURN OFF SOME OF THAT ENERGY!! :) Can't wait for next week!

Big Boy Bed

Wednesday we made the transition from crib to toddler bed for CJ.

Here he is taking his last nap in the crib. Sniff, tear...my "baby" is growing up!! (Crib was surrounded by pillows, just in case he decided to climb out again!)

Here is the big old bruise on his left cheek from his crash landing/dismount from the crib exit.

JT and I had a hard time deciding what our next step for CJ would be after the crib, but ultimately a toddler bed was the best decision for our family right now (since we had to do something pretty quick!)

The first night we explained to CJ that this was his new "big boy bed" and he needed to stay in it until Mama or Dada came to get him. He was upset (scared of something different?), and got out a couple of times crying at his door. We went back in and put him back in the bed and comforted him. He did better than I thought he would, and cried himself to sleep after about 10 minutes. Here he is sleeping the first night in his toddler bed! :)

The next morning he did so great and STAYED in the bed until I came in his room to get him. (And, unbelievably he has done this every morning and after every nap!!!) He turned on his aquarium (that he also had in his crib), watched his fish/listened to the music and read his books. Here he is asking me "Mater? Where did he go?" Adorable.
A successful nap the next day too!!
Overall, hoping not to jinx the situation...I think we got pretty lucky. Our sweet CJ wants to stay in his bed like we tell him. It does seem to be taking him a little longer to fall asleep, but he is not upset at all. Just calmly self soothing by reading books and playing quietly!! One of my friends suggested putting a door lock on the inside of his door so he can't get out, which we did! I felt like it would give me peace of mind knowing that his room is ultra-baby proofed, so he would be safest there even if he got up in the middle of the night!

Music Together

Every Friday, CJ and I have been going to Music Together classes. He loves it, just like he did in Michigan. I miss our old teacher (nothing wrong with this one!, but the last one had preformed on Broadway, so I miss her musical talents!), but having the same structure (Hello song, songs, dance time, instrument time, lullaby time & goodbye song) is familiar and enjoyable for CJ. And it is so neat to see him really starting to try to "sing" and participate! There is one song on the CD this semester that is a tonal pattern that goes "Baaaaaa" "ba" ba" ba" "ba". CJ is really good at singing along to this one. And his dancing skills are very enthusiastic and funny, think awkward like Elaine Benes! Ha ha!

Choosing which instrument to play!

Maybe I want that one...
Stealing snacks from his friends in class. That's my moocher! ;)
I think I'll play tambourine!
Maracas!! Double-fisting is clearly the way to go!
We have to decide if we can financially do music class next semester, but I hope we can because music is something we both enjoy! Tomorrow is CJ's first "Daddy & Me Soccer" class, and I am excited to see how he does! (He kicks balls around our house really well, and says "Kick!") I am also happy that JT gets to do an "activity" with his son since usually I am the one doing all the classes with him. It will be fun for me to get to sit back, watch, laugh and document! :)