34/35 weeks

34 weeks after library storytime

Where does the time go lately?!  The Royal Wedding (of the Prince in England) countdown reminds me frequently of how quickly this baby will be here since my due date is one day before.  I'm very curious whether I will be cuddling a little bundle of boy or a big bundle of belly when that shindig occurs.

Aiden's yoga instructor is a pretty talkative lady, and every week since January, she was always mentioning how tiny I looked.  But not this week - I took off my coat and she burst out with a "Woooah!  Where did that belly come from?"  Even one of Aiden's classmates mom's said "Wow, now you've popped!"  Strange thing is that now that when the belly is more belly shaped and pushing out I have to say I am much more comfortable.  Dare I use the word comfortable?!  I have actually been able to sleep through the night without being up on my knees rocking back and forth for 30 minutes after I use the bathroom... which seems to be at least four times a night.  I can get fairly comfortable when laying down finally.  I guess I should also admit that I have an epic number of pillows now: one gigantic U shaped pregnancy pillow, four little bean filled pillows, and five regular pillows which I fan out in all directions.  I know it's over the top, but it works.  I'm comfortable!  I'll take it while it lasts.


This kid still needs some lessons in the fetal position.  I think maybe itty bitty baby yoga should start in the womb.  I think the position is called "seed pose" in Aiden's class.  It involves tucking your legs and knees IN - Listen up kid, get with the program!  I have a feeling we are going to have a swaddle reject again, because this kid is another kicker.  So much so that I've been unable to breathe after he shoves my diaphragm up so high.  Seriously, J made me hyperventilate with laughter the other night.

I have a bit of an Etsy (the crafty ebay) addiction lately.  I found my birth/parenting cheer on a little necklace the other day and I'd suddenly ordered it.  They make it too easy.  It is a nice reminder and I plan to use that mantra of mine throughout my labor.

35 weeks before conference and date

I had a chance to go to dinner with my mommy friends this week.  After two and a half hours of just gabbing like we had all the time in the world, I was feeling charged.  Nice and full of thoughts on life (some light and some heavy) and good wishes.  It seems like such a luxury to have that freedom and I know that it is fleeting with my baby nursing days right around the corner....but it will be back again.  To be honest I'm craving some baby cuddles, so it will be an easy trade-off.

J and I also had a babysitter for Aiden's teacher conference, and decided to make it into a mini date night.  It may be our last date night where we take our time for a while.  Aiden had so much fun with his babysitter.  You can tell he likes her when she comes in and he immediately tells us to get going.  He was actually in bed and asleep when we got home.

My Facebook is doing that thing that it does every once in a while where it seems like there is a baby explosion.  Cute little wrinkly newborns are everywhere.   If it's not a newborn baby it's a batch of freshly hatched chicks.  It can't get any cuter than squishy babies and chicks with their fuzzy hair.  I'm looking forward to squeezing in some more spring fun before the baby arrives.  The easter bunny arrives this weekend and let's hope he makes it through this late snow!

art by aiden

Do dot-to-dots count as art?  They are all the rage around here.  Second place goes to paper plate art.  Clocks scribbled with extra numbers and fish bowls complete with bubbles and tiny paper food are the most popular.  

Glitter dot fishy from the library wasn't as messy as expected.

The Cat in the Hat has a very tall hat and a box folded and decorated for Thing 1 and 2.

A mask for mardi gras with "a big sparkle right on the tip of the nose!"

Wooden "lucky stuff" for drawing and painting:

Leprechauns with their scribble pots of gold and "quick line" rainbows were popular.

The library stories about boats led to this ocean with clouds and "a big hill the boat needs to get over to make it to the water!"

Another library storytime about transportation.  The truck picked up all sorts of things from each spot around the city.

superhero

Aiden calls these his superhero galaxy cuffs!  They have moons, stars, and clouds for the superhero to float up high.  I love simple crafts with paper towel tubes ;)

welcome baby!

Proud parent Doctor Daddy Aiden would like to announce the arrival of Blinky Minky Brennan!  Just kidding if you thought we meant the real baby ;)  Aiden loved helping with the doll at the hospital class and wanted to adopt his very own baby.

This is a Get Well baby and it came with all sorts of pink doctor's equipment.  We scoured for something a little less pink, but Aiden insisted that this was the one (and for the record the dolls are all pink at Toys-r-us).  He wanted to be the baby doctor and daddy!

The doctor takes care of lots of bugs and boogies out of his mouth with the pinchers and washes his face by smearing it with the empty water dish.  Blinky "eats lotsa bubbles, so he gets them stuck in his tummy" and Dr. Aiden has to help get them out.  Doc checks his temperature and sometimes rushes him to the hospital (in the dining room). The most important step is putting the baby in the "super get well machine" where he spins all around and then "pops out all better!"

"Remember I'm very busy right now!  The baby needs to eat again and again and again!  Then it is time for bath!  Then it's sleepytime... oh his eyes are shut... be very quiet... Cock-a-doo-doodle-do, the rooster woke him up!"  Everything with the baby is a big exclamation and he literally played with him for over 3 hours the first day.  Here are the first few clips when Blinky arrived home:

Blinky slept in Aiden's bed with him last night and he made sure Blinky "ate a big bottle before bed," but just in case the bottle was right on his bed table "in case the baby woke up in the night hungry!"  In the morning, Blinky came downstairs right away with us for some more TLC (sweet songs and gentle neck support), but by the time Blinky had his fifth bath and trip to the get well machine, Aiden's play had transformed a bit.  Blinky the Giant Baby now jumps on top of the animal farm and kicks animals up in the air.  Um ok, he does take the animals to the hospital with Blinky's help.  He told me that Blinky is growing up and can really jump and kick now.  I have to say that it is fascinating how this toy has taken over for about 24 hours, and to see how he chooses to play with it.

big sib

This week we've really started talking about what will happen when mommy delivers the baby. Aiden is reminding me that the baby "comes out between my knees" every time I bring it up, but I only squirm a little bit at the technical questions ;) We have the sweetest friends that offered to be our back up if the baby arrives before my folks make it to town. They had us over the other night (and I brought a big dinner) so that Aiden could get a better idea of where he'd be. He'd been over there before, but we talked about where he would sleep if he came in the night, where to use the potty, and most importantly where to find all the fun toys. Their daughter is the best big sister type and Aiden loves playing little brother (honestly he would love a big sister). I am so grateful to them, and honestly don't know what we would do without that reassurance.

Then this weekend was the Just for Siblings class at the hospital.  Aiden was gung ho and very interested in going to visit the hospital.  When we got there he thought it was "pretty cool" in the lobby.  The class started off with snack and books we could read while others arrived.  He wanted to read the very same book we already have at home about what to expect when the baby comes home.  Then we started a new one about a baby tiger before the teacher got started.  She explained how he can help with the baby, and even had them help diaper and swaddle a baby.  She talked about what babies eat and what type of toys you can share with them.  She also emphasized how important it is to be gentle and careful with the baby - Aiden now reminds me: especially his head and neck.

Then it was time for a tour of the postpartum unit.  The babies in nursery where all calm (and sooo tiny and adorable!).  Aiden was pretty smiley peeking in at all of them, but was ready to keep exploring.  We got to see a room where mommy will be resting after she delivers the baby and the highlight was the sink to wash your hands before holding the baby.  Then it was back to our classroom to diaper, swaddle, and feed his own baby.  He picked out the baby and was so excited.  She mentioned that if you had a baby at home you could feed your baby while mommy feeds your baby brother.  Aiden immediately asked if he could get his very own baby.  More on that adoption story later...  He was very excited to go home with his own big brother coloring book and big brother tshirt.  I really think this class was wonderful and his proud smile when helping feed that baby was so good to see.

brother presents

Today marks 35 weeks with 35 days to go until my official due date!  We're getting down to the final few weeks of excitement around here.  I really think that Aiden is getting the idea that a new member of our family is on the way.  We've been reading books about new babies for a while, and I think his biggest takeaway is that the baby won't be able to "play" right away.  He emphasizes that the baby needs to grow first, then he'll be "old enough to play fun games!"

We had my friends and their five month old baby over for brunch last weekend.  I wanted to give Aiden a chance to see a baby again since it had been a while.  We talked about how the baby loved watching him.  He picked out a toy for the baby to look at and brought it over to her.  He mostly just popped around the room being a show off goofball.  She was very attentive and locked in on everything Aiden did.  It will be fun to see how much Keaton loves paying attention to his big brother.

I asked Aiden if he wanted to get the baby a present and he initially said Keaton might like a new car!  I said I bet he'd like something that you make.  He said I can draw him a picture!  His school is planning this fundraiser through Art to Remember where they put art on items like shirts, towels, etc.  They won't be ready for the fundraiser until after the baby is born, but I thought I could do it myself by scanning in one of his drawings.  So he created a family of four drawing including the baby and picked out a baby bib (he almost picked a golf towel, which he thought would be good to "clean up the baby messes" but then he changed his mind when he saw the blue bib).  I think the bib is perfect, especially because I can squirrel it away in a keepsake box.  For the record,  here is the description of his bib drawing: "Mommy smiling is on the far left, then baby Keaton, then Aiden (and he's bigger because he walked forward), then dad talking on the far right.  We're all holding robot arms together!  There are clouds in the sky and grass at our feet."

Now I'm trying to decide what would be a good big sibling present.  We already have the big brother shirt ready and waiting (thanks Santa!).  I think that a photo album for the big brother might do the trick?  He could even use his camera to create photos to put in there if he wanted.  I want it to be something that he can look back on later.  Any ideas?  I'm trying to avoid stuffed animals or anything that gets too grubby or I can't store away in my sentimental archives ;)

naming

We've settled on the new baby's name!

Keaton Carter Brennan

I picked out his first name from a random namipedia list ages ago, and then test drove it for quite a while.  My favorite is hearing Aiden's voice say, "my baby Keaton...KC for short!"  I also printed it in random places, like the valentine's card above to see how I liked it hanging on the fridge.

Keaton is not at all common, ranked at #2961.  It is well out of the top 100 I vowed to avoid.  I still wanted a name with a traditional feel to it, even if just a sliver.  The K and C names were big on the list of potentials this time around. I tried to like Reid or Reed, given that Aiden was calling the baby Ree for a while, but too many icky teasing nicknames and jerky connotations.  I had a huge batch of possibilities like Carter, Cole, or Camden - most of which I liked but were too popular.  J couldn't get past Camden as the name of a town - like the tiny Ohio town where he used to go sky diving in college.

Keaton means kite town or place of hawks.
Carter has the very literal meaning of transporter of materials.
I also love that his initials allow for a great nickname - KC - pronounced Casey (which happens to mean brave peacemaker).

rainbow cookies

More rainbow treats!

My sister made cookies like these recently and I just had to make a batch - and freeze half the dough for later (once the baby arrives ;)  The oat flour is the best part - makes them richer.

The Neiman Marcus Cookie

Makes about 30 (3½-inch) cookies

2½ cups rolled oats
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
4 ounces milk chocolate chips
1½ cups chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Blend the oats in a food processor or blender to a fine powder. In a medium bowl whisk together the blended oats with the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Scrape down the sides and beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract. On low speed gradually mix in the flour mixture, beating just until incorporated. With a rubber spatula fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts.

4. Roll the dough into 2-ounce balls (or about 2 heaping tablespoonfuls worth) and place about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Cookies should be lightly brown and set on the outside but still look a little undone in the middle. That’s okay – they will finish setting up after you remove them from the oven. Let cool 2-3 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

suess!

Aiden was particularly excited to go to the Library's Family Fun Day to see the Cat in the Hat this weekend.  He's been having some off and on tummy trouble all week, so he was in a bit of a funk earlier.  But it seems that there is nothing better to solve some tummy upset than meeting the Cat in the Hat and pretending you are Thing 1 "with crazy blue hair!"  He also made a bunch of fun crafts including a Cat in the Hat hat, a spotted fishy, and a box with Thing 1 and 2 popping out.   Then they had a shadow puppeteer put on a whole show of funny rhymes.  Aiden thought the funniest was about a big green monster that wouldn't lose his buggy eyes.  Thing 1 was all tuckered out after a fun afternoon.

rundown deux

Belly with Aiden versus Belly Now

I have been documenting it, but have felt shy about it because of my belly button that looks and feels bruised - Doesn't it look like someone else's belly button compared to last time?  I think it's because Aiden really pushed right out front and stretched it out a little flatter.  This kid just bounces all around pretty low and knees my belly button area all night long.  Also, I think this belly baby likes to sit much lower, which is a little hard to tell with my rolled up shirt.

19 weeks

24 weeks

27 weeks - looking smaller than 24 weeks!

30 weeks

33 weeks

daddy's new book

Daddy's new book arrived this week!  Aiden thinks that daddy tells the best stories, so he was ready to celebrate.  We did a little happy dance straight to dinner for some steak.  It's a pretty big deal, and I have to gush about how proud I feel to love these boys.  Aiden thinks that mommy is on both of daddy's book covers now (so I guess that is me in the grey on the right - jk!)

leprechaun treats

The tricky rainbow leprechaun came to our house while Leprech-aiden was sleeping!  Aiden said that maybe he'll bring me a lollipop treat?! - I upped the ante with some extra treats I would've given him to craft and decorate the day anyway.  He'd mentioned that he thinks leprechauns like to play violin. (He's been asking for a "toy violin" ever since they talked about Mozart at his school and Milo mentioned having one.)  I had already squirreled one away to put in his easter basket, so I figured why not make it a leprechaun present instead?!  The tiny violin is the perfect size for Leprech-aiden!