Wordless Wednesday

Update

I'm at 22 weeks along. Everything is progressing normally and I'm feeling good. Just getting a nice big belly. The recent ultrasound shows a healthy baby. We decided to be surprised about the gender so you'll have to wait till the end of September!

I am convinced that my relatively easy pregnancy with Addie was because I continued to exercise throughout last time. That is harder now as I am much more confined by the whims of a toddler. My weekly prenatal yoga classes are a MUST though.

We are getting a big girl room ready for Addie. Besides making room the the new baby in the nursery, she's climbing out of her crib so it is time for a move. She'll have a fun new room decorated with all her favorite wild animals.

Addie knows just about all of her letters and is interested in learning her numbers now. Her favorite foods are cream cheese, blackberries and tortillas. We had been making great progress with potty training but a spate of recent travels set us back a bit. She still loves books, animals and swimming. Also popular is playing cave under a blanket, dancing with Daddy, puzzles, taking care of baby dolls and spinning.

We've talked a bit about the new baby but are going to hold off on most talks till it gets closer.

J

Houdini & McGyver

So Addie figured out how to get out of her carseat. She'll get her little hands up under the straps, push down the chest clip and twist her shoulders out of the top part. Given enough time and motivation she is able to shift her hips and push with her feet on the edge of the seat and she's free. This is done with much crying, fits and protests. And I have those straps pulled down VERY snug...she's just skinny as a whip. Car trips had become very stressful, often abbreviated trips as we head home early. I've tried pulling over and announcing that we can't keep going to playdate until she's calm and in her seat (she was fine to hang out and scream or tool around the backseat of the car while I waited), camly explained its necessity, tried distraction, time outs, everything. I've even resorted to bribery with M&Ms. I had to come up with a permanent solution as this was obviously very unsafe.

Not wanting to pay 200 bucks for a new carseat that may or may not solve the issue, I visited the tool box in the garage. I ended up using duct tape around the chest clip to prevent it from being pushed down to her waist and added padding around the straps to fill in any slack under which she could wedge a hand/arm. I'm sure it negates all sorts of federal safety standards for the carseat but it WORKED! There were a few minor episodes of protests but she seems to have accepted her fate of being securely confined in the car and we are smoothly cruising around town again.

Any other parents out there had a little escape artist? Boy, when I was blissfully pregnant & unawares, I had NO IDEA this would be an issue for my darling little baby & I to deal with. I wonder what challenges the new one will present?

Fun in Atlanta GA

Fun at Tybee Island GA

Happy Birthday! Two years old!

Yeah I'm 2! I wasn't too interested in the cupcakes but I did get some blocks and puzzles.

Easter