Two and a half

Things are about to get crazy around here. So before they do, I wanted to write a quick update on Trooper and his daily happenings. If you'd like to skip to the pictures and videos down below, feel free. 

Trooper is really developing a fun little personality with favorite activities and funny phrases. He likes to say his own prayers, but pretty much every prayer goes exactly like this: "Heavenly Father, pray the food. Christ Jesus, Amen." Once I had to stop him from eating and remind him we needed to pray first, so he quickly said: "Heavenly Father, the food is yum, yum, yum! Christ Jesus, Amen!"

 'I Am a Child of God' is his favorite song that he loves to have us sing. He can sing the entire first verse on his own as well and it's pretty much the sweetest thing I've ever heard.  He also loves to sing his ABC's and all the songs from Frozen. He knew that soundtrack way faster and better than I did somehow and can fill in the words for me when I forget. I was singing 'Do You Want to Build a Snowman' and paused because I didn't know what came next and he filled in "hang in there, Joan!" He requests certain songs to listen to and likes to sing along to them all by himself. It's quite impressive. He also likes us to make up songs for him about random things. Once we asked him to do the same, so he made up a quick song and ended with "And thaaaaat's all I've got!" Here are some other favorites we've heard recently:

Trooper heard me call myself a genius and he said to me, "Mom, you're not Jesus. You're ridiculous!"

We were reading a book where you guess which farm animal they're talking about. The clue was'People like to drink my milk.' So I asked Trooper where milk came from and he said "From the fridge!"

Troop was whining for something and I told him that whiny boys don't get anything. He quickly said, "I'll be happy. I need anything!"

His favorite activity right now includes baseball, "spacketball" (basketball), and really anything else involving a ball. There are probably 15 different balls scattered around my house every day along with two baseball bats and his little mitt. He wants to play catch or have me pitch a ball to him multiple times each day. If he's not playing ball, he's either fixing something with his tools or coloring and hiding in a big box that he calls his "space." Or he's lining up similar items that he finds around the house. I often find mine and Brent's shoe racks have been emptied and there's a long line of shoes across my bedroom floor. He loves to line up the tub of trucks at Grandma's house and he's always so so proud of himself when he does. He's getting more and more into cars and trucks and likes to watch Cars and Chuck the Truck on Netflix.(And Frozen, of course.) Every Thursday morning he wakes up to the sound of the garbage truck outside and we HAVE to sit outside and watch. Then he waves happily to the truck driver and can't wait til the next week. He likes me to point out trucks and tractors to him while we're driving. He is also super into skateboarding for some reason and likes to do jump spins off of furniture and show us his "awesome skateboard tricks." He puts one foot on the seat of his little trike and likes to ride it like a skateboard. He has started pretending to "be" things, mostly a dinosaur or lion. He's got a pretty good roar. He LOVES to wrestle and jump on his dad. It makes him so happy and he could do it for hours. The other day he jumped off the full size trampoline to the ground. He's not afraid to try crazy things. We've got ourselves a true boy here, folks. And it's so much fun.

He's also the sweetest little kid I've ever met. When he sees me laying down, he asks if I need a blanket and quickly finds one to bring to me. If Brent or I are trying to rest during the day, he sings 'I Am a Child of God' to us, whispers goodnight, and closes the door quietly behind him. (Then he'll come in a few seconds later and tell you it's time to get up.) If he can see I'm frustrated about something, he says in a sweet voice "It's okay Mom, you don't need to be mad. I'll take care of you." Then he takes my hand and leads me to do something fun. He was very aware when my mom got knee surgery and would bring her blankets, touch her knee very softly and tell her he would make it all better. He's also very sweet when he talks about his baby sister. He told me today that when she comes he will turn music on for her when she needs a nap. He's so gentle and quiet when it comes to small or cuddly things. He's really going to be a great big brother.

He loves nursery more than ever, especially his leader Sister Peterson. He runs to nursery as soon as sacrament meeting is over and a couple weeks ago he told Brent, "I love mommy. I love daddy. And I love Peterson." Sister Peterson told us that last week he just sat by her and held her hand for the last 10 minutes of class. What?! He won't even do that with me! And a few weeks ago she told us that he invited her to come to his house and play. He loves his little nursery friends too and knows all their names.

Here are some cute pictures from the past 6 months or so. 

We don't own a sled, so dad improvised.

Krispy Kreme dates with the cousins are our favorite!

Nightly bedtime stories with dad.

At the Boise Aquarium during our Spring Break Staycation.

How Troop enjoyed Aunt BreA's tennis matches.

Watching General Conference in his "space."

Loves working with Grandpa in the yard.

The men and their tools.

Best cousiny friends, these three.

Relaxing to some Frozen.

Insisted on putting his undies on "by self."

Lining up the "running shoes."

 

It's a . . . !

So on January 23, 2014 we woke up bright and early to head into Boise for our anatomy scan. The ultrasound tech kindof stayed away from the telling area until the very end, but I thought maybe I had seen some boy parts and was a little surprised but excited. Brent was pretty sure it was a girl.

Cute little baby! The tech explained everything as she went along and told us everything was looking perfect. Baby was kicking its little legs the entire time. So fun to watch. Then we got to the real exciting part.

It's a GIRL! The tech told me over and over again how sure she was and showed me a million different angles just to put my mind at ease. (I've heard too many stories of people preparing for one gender and being surprised with the other!) Even though I'd felt it was a girl the entire time, it was still quite the shock to hear I'd be having a daughter! But so exciting! I mean, look at how cute she is already!

Brent took me to Carter's afterwards and I finally got to roam around the girly side of the store. And I picked out the cutest pink outfit I could find. Then we went to lunch at Fiesta Guadalajara (I'd been craving mexican forever!) and headed home to big brother Trooper who was hanging out with Grandma. It was so hard not to say "she" in front of Grandma as we told her that the ultrasound went well. Funny how quickly it became natural to talk about baby as a "her." But Grandma had to wait for the special gender reveal in a couple hours.

We went over to Grandma and Grandpa's house just in time for Grandpa to come home for lunch. Here is how the gender reveal happened there.  

Then I spent the day making yummy cupcakes for the gender reveal at the Lambsons. Here's how that went down:

Here's how big brother Trooper announced to the rest of his aunts and uncles, then the facebook and instagram worlds. 

During this little photoshoot, I was hoping to get a perfect picture of him holding the candy bar and smiling. But he was too excited about the chocolate to hold it still. Turned out cuter than I could have hoped for! What a cute, excited big brother!

22 weeks

31 weeks

I'm 35 weeks along now. Down to weekly doctor appointments! I feel pretty good, other than some sciatic pain which has sent me to the physical therapist. But I've found that if I keep up with my prenatal yoga and pilates, I can keep that pain in check for most of the day. By Trooper's bedtime, I'm definitely ready for my heating pad and a back massage. I had to stop running a couple months ago because the ligament pain was just too much with all the jostling. So along with daily yoga or pilates, I've been trying to take Trooper on walks when the weather's been good enough. Last Saturday a 2 mile walk about put me out for the rest of the day. The sciatic pain was just bad. So walks are kindof out now too. Good thing I'm in the homestretch!

Trooper catches on to talk about "baby sister" and knows that all the pink filling up our house must be for her. He likes to check my belly with his doctor kit and prays for baby sister to be healthy. For a good two months, when asked what her name will be, he'd say "Sister Bruce" after a schnauzer stuffed animal at Grandma and Grandpa's house that he loves. Now, he calls her "Evie" because that's our little neighbor's name. Brent and I have a name conversation at least once a day but we don't get anywhere. I'm thinking it'll be one of those last minute decisions in the hospital, which makes me nervous, but maybe we just need to see her first.

The past 15 weeks have been filled with crafting and sewing for baby girl. I've used my new sewing machine (with the help of my mom and sis) to make 8 receiving blankets, 10 burp cloths, a hooded towel, a nursing cover, a carseat cover, 12 headbands, a bunch of flower clips, and 3 baby bracelets. Our hospital bags were recently packed. Now to get some baby laundry done and I'll call myself somewhat ready for her arrival. This is combined with all the packing and final projects we're trying to do before we move to Missouri just 2-3 weeks after her arrival. I feel a little crazy at times but I'm trying to stay relaxed and take it all in stride. We'll see how that goes in the next few weeks:)

Pregnancy Round 2

Bright and early tomorrow morning we go in for our anatomy scan and much anticipated gender reveal. I'll be 19 weeks and 4 days along with Baby Lambson #2. Before that all happens, I want to take a minute to document this pregnancy so far and the thoughts and experiences I've had up to this point.

We are so so excited to be welcoming another baby into our family! My original due date was June 17th, 2014 but after the initial ultrasound at 7 weeks baby was measuring two days ahead and Dr. West moved the due date to June 15th, 2014. Father's Day! From the beginning, I've kindof had it in my head that this one is a girl... But really, I'd love to have another little boy to be Troop's best bud. Then again, a girl would be so exciting. I can't wait to find out tomorrow!! (Hopefully baby cooperates!) At my early appointments, the doctor told me the baby's fast heartbeat indicates a girl if the Old Wives' Tales are to be believed. We'll see. I really like the doctor I'm seeing, but still miss Dr. Foley and his English accent.

Morning sickness has been pretty similar to my pregnancy with Trooper, maybe a little bit worse this time around. It has definitely lasted longer! I got sick around 6 weeks and even threw up a couple times last week at 18 weeks. I've mostly been sick in the mornings when I wake up and then throughout the day if I don't keep my stomach full. I've felt pretty good this week so hopefully it has finally passed! I lost a few pounds during the first trimester and I don't think I've quite gotten back to my original weight yet. This means that my normal clothes are actually a bit big still so hopefully I'll fit in them for a good while longer before I fit into maternity clothes.

I haven't had any crazy strong cravings and my only real aversion has been to bacon. It was hard to find things that really sounded delicious to me and my appetite has been pretty small. Fruit smoothies and cold cereal have become a staple in my diet; always sounding good. I've tried to keep up with my running routine though I admit I've slacked a bit since it's been cold and icy outside. But I still try to make it out as often as mine and Brent's schedules allow. My mile pace has slowed by about a minute since becoming pregnant, but on good days I feel like my endurance has actually improved. Some days I can only jog about a half mile before round ligament pain starts to bother me so on those days I just walk. 

I have been experiencing those crazy-vivid second trimester dreams that I've heard about. Most the time I'm so glad to wake up but remember every detail of the disturbing dream. It's not so fun. On a better note, I started to feel definite movements around 18 weeks. My favorite part of pregnancy! It suddenly feels more real and I really start to develop a bond with this sweet baby inside me. I think I felt a few kicks before then, but was unsure if it was really the baby moving. Now there's no mistaking it. Brent hasn't felt the baby yet, but I think he could if we had better timing. It's getting stronger. It will be fun for Trooper to feel the baby too. He's going to be such a good big brother. He is so soft and sweet with babies and has baby-talk down pretty good (he practices with all his stuffed animals.) 

My bump is still pretty small and, for the most part, is hidden by clothes. But maybe I'll get around to posting a bump picture in the near future. 

Our 7 week ultrasound. I have no idea what is what. Can't wait for the updated pictures tomorrow!

...

I'm quite the slacker when it comes to blogging lately. I know I'll regret this later. Mainly because this blog is for me and my children. It's my journal of things I want to be able to look back on, remember, smile, and share. So before too much time passes, I wanted to do a quick Trooper update. We have so much fun together. His little mannerisms, personality, and sayings keep me smiling. Maybe it's because I'm his mom, but I think he is a super intelligent two year old. I've yet to meet another two year old who is talking like he is, and he has been for quite a while now. Some of my favorites right now are:

He uses adjectives like crazy and it's so cute coming from such a little person. He says "Oooh, that's beautiful!" "This food is delicious!" "I'm so funny!" "It's so exciting!" "Awesome!" and more.

He has an understanding of possessive pronouns like "your" and "my." He's also learning to use the past tense.

One day he said to me, out of the blue, "You're the coolest ever, Mom." Made me feel pretty good.

He randomly says "I love you, Mom" and "I love you, Dad" throughout the day. Melts our hearts.

He often asks "How's your day?" "How'd you sleep?" and "How's it goin?"

When we're leaving, he says "Good to see you! See you next time!"

Sometimes he tells me "That's a good idea, Mom."

When he doesn't like what he's been given to eat, he says, "I can't like it."

One day I asked him to let me see his eyes and he looked at me and said, "My eyes are so blue."

He has started asking permission to do things by saying "I play this? I want to..." or "I sit here? I want to..." And he says it in such a funny, sweet tone that it's so hard to tell him no.

He really loved the song Jingle Bells this past Christmas and even now he's either singing it, humming it, or drumming it at least every 5 minutes. It's like he just can't hold it in.

The other day during dinner he told me, "Shhhh... Be quiet. Baby sleeping in Troopy's belly." Hmmm. All this talk about babies in bellies has him confused. When asked where our baby is, he lifts his shirt and points to his belly button. If mom has a baby in there, everyone must have one, right?

Dad has coached Trooper into quite the little baseball player already. T-ball coaches are going to love him in a year or two. Besides whacking a ball around our living room, Trooper also loves to jump off the couches, chairs, and tables and gets impressive distance. He loves to turn on music and just dance and he loves to read books and play with stickers.

In other family news, Brent has been accepted to a couple different medical schools! As of right now, we have accepted the offer from AT Still University in Kirksville, Missouri. We know quite a few people who have attended that school and really enjoyed the education and experience that they had there so we are very excited. We are also waiting to hear from a couple of other schools that Brent interviewed at, so plans aren't quite set in stone. But it feels so good to know that everything we've worked for the past five years is actually coming to pass. Brent's pretty darn amazing.

Family Pictures 2013

I just realized I never did a post with our latest family pictures! Well, back in October I talked my dad into bringing his nice camera out and taking a few pictures of us. He wasn't thrilled with the idea because he's more of a scenic photographer, but they turned out awesome and I couldn't be happier. Plus, it was FREE! And that's a huge plus. Thanks Dad! And thanks Mom for making Trooper smile at the camera!

And the best part is that the very next day we found out we are expecting baby #2! So there are actually FOUR of us in these pictures!

While I'm at it, I may as well include our 2013 Christmas Card.