Paws to Read

Anyone who knows me, Jarom, or Bryson know that one of our favorite places is the library.  Besides being able to check out awesome books, we love the programs that libraries offer.  This past weekend, I signed Bryson up for the "Paws to Read" program.  He was able to practice his reading by reading some "easy readers" to Blue the therapy dog and his trainer.  The trainer provided some guidance as Bryson read and Blue provided the entertainment as she asked to be petted, pointed to book pages with her paw, and licked Bryson's face.  Bryson loved reading to the dog and is really taking off with his reading, and will continue to practice this skill with and without reading to Blue.

Paws to Read from Melissa G on Vimeo.

More Than Halfway

More than halfway there! 21 weeks, and so far, so good. There have been no signs of early labor yet, which is such a difference from last time.   Doctors put me on Progesterone five weeks ago which seems to be helping to prevent my cervix from shortening and dilating too early, which is what happened with Bryson.  And no, I am not sticking my stomach out on purpose; I just have bad posture and a semi-crooked back and while I may seem "tiny" to so many of you, I feel huge and very pregnant.  I believe Jarom's exact words to me the other day were "Wow, you're looking rather bulbous."   Bulbous or not, I am happy to be pregnant and am so glad things are going well, and hope that that trend continues for about 19 more weeks! 

The Dark Knight Rises -- Halloween 2013

This Halloween, Jarom decided we needed a family movie theme, so he chose The Dark Knight Rises.  Bryson was Batman, I was Cat Woman, and Jarom was Bane.  We think our costumes looked pretty cool, though my pleather pants were WAY too tight for twenty weeks pregnant.  We went to the our local Harvest Festival earlier this month and took pictures in the pumpkin patch.  We've taken Bryson's picture in the pumpkin patch every October since he was born.  Last Saturday, we went to our ward's Halloween party and trunk or treat where our costumes and white chicken chili were well received.  On Halloween, I worked in Bryson's class in the morning and helped the kids make a spider snack (Oreos with pretzel legs and M&M eyes).  Then, Jarom and I saw the classes parade through the halls before we helped with Bryson's classroom Halloween party.  We finished the night trick or treating in Papa Randy's neighborhood and enjoyed showcasing our family costumes.

Boy or Girl? Bryson Finds Out the Gender of Baby #2

After a 17-week ultrasound confirmed the gender of baby number 2, Bryson lets us know what he thinks of the news. He also suggested names for a girl: Snowball and a boy: Tonian. I think we'll still be searching for different ones, though.

Boy or Girl? Bryson finds out... from Melissa G on Vimeo.

General Conference Activities

When planning to watch General Conference this weekend, I wondered how Jarom and I were going to get the most out of it.  So, I got some ideas from LDS.org, Pinterest, and a couple friends and took a trip to the dollar store in attempts of keeping Bryson busy with activities during all the talks.  Each activity had the photo of a prophet or apostle (or another speaker) and he had to do that activity while the person talked.  It worked great because I was able to listen to all the talks and Bryson loved all the activities and got some key points out of the talks too.   

Just in case you want to know, my ideas came from:
LDS.org (http://www.lds.org/general-conference/children)
Sugardoodle.net (Conference activities and "Conference baggies")
MomsHaveQuestionsToo Blog (http://www.momshavequestionstoo.com/general-conference-activities-egg-carton-beading-do-a-dot-apostle-pages/)
2Kidsandtired (http://2kidsandtiredconference.blogspot.com/2011/09/general-conference-activity-ideas.html)

Bryson is Our Number One

Bryson is our number one.  Here's his most recent school photo. (I think it's funny how they made him tilt his head and that when they said "say cheese," he made this face.  We'll be doing re-takes, but I thought this picture was kind of cute too).

Bryson is loving kindergarten in which he has tons of friends, is reading and writing more words, and learning more about ABC's and 123's.  He is also gaining experience when it comes to being a good friend ("I tell them they can't touch my glasses or push me, but I can be their friend.) and getting a hot lunch from school (something he found very traumatic at the beginning of the year after getting lost on his way to the cafeteria).   He is in the highest reading group (thanks to the reading we've done over the last year at home this past year) and is excelling in all subject areas.  Bryson enjoys going to P.E. loves art, and tries to pick a different "center" every day, though he favors the blocks and craft centers.  Bryson's after school time is taken up by vision therapy, with which he is doing very well in and if he has time, coloring and a video.  Bryson is one hard working boy and is definitely our number one.

AND HERE IS OUR NUMBER TWO, coming in March 2014:  

My official due date is March 17th (St. Patrick's Day).  I am sixteen weeks along now and wanted to wait to announce to make sure everything is OK with all the complications I've experienced.   Perinatologists and my OB are watching me very closely due to my high risk pregnancy factors (Tumid Lupus, a bicornuate and tipped uterus, an incompetent cervix, and a history of pre-term labor and birth with Bryson who was born at 35 weeks gestation).   That means more Ultrasounds (lucky us) and a possible cerclage (a cervical stitch) later on.  Doctors just started me on Progesterone treatments to help reduce my risk of pre-term labor, and so far, I'm feeling pretty good and doing well.  We are hoping that that trend continues.  We also recently found out that my younger sister, Monica, is expecting a baby around the same time.  We're excited for her and Bryan and are looking forward to our baby having a cousin the same age.  Bryson is hoping for a "baby sister," but we don't know the gender yet.  We'll find out in a few weeks.     Anyway, we're thrilled to be adding a new baby to our family and hope the rest of the pregnancy goes well.

Bryson's First Official 5K

Bryson ran his first official 5K this morning, meaning he had his own number and his own official time.  Today's Oktoberfest race was a more difficult course than the 5K he ran with me in July, and there was a brutal hill he had to climb up during the last mile, but he did great.  He ran between Grandma Jane and Aunt Molly the entire time.  He finished with Molly and then pulled Grandma Jane across the finish line.  A direct quote from earlier today:  "Grandma, What's wrong with you?  Can't you go faster?"  But they all did great, and Bryson finished in 48 minutes, 43 seconds.  Way to go Bryson!