31 weeks belly shots

I popped over the weekend! We keep saying that we think I'm bigger than right before I delivered Keely...but after looking at pictures I may not be THAT big yet. I am carrying more out where I was more wide with Keely. You can't tell much from my 31 week picture so we'll just have to wait until 35 weeks to compare!! But I am getting big!!

Fun playing outside

We still have vacation pictures!! Sorry it has taken me awhile, Keely and I have been busy this week! We played at the indoor play area Tuesday and outside with a play group today! I have been wearing her out for good long naps!!

Everyone knows how much Keely loves balls! At the second resort we stayed at, there was a kid's area. We were going to dinner our first night and passed the kid's area and there were basketballs and some plastic golf balls laying outside the area. Keely got so excited and ran over to the balls and started throwing them all around and running after them. She had SO much fun!!

Fun in the water with Daddy

Our little sumo

We got Keely a new bathing suit that has floats inside of it. She's still a bit small for it, so it didn't work quite like it will when she gets a bit bigger. She should be able to bob in the water a bit by herself, but instead right now it pushes her either to her stomach or back, which freaks her out!! She did have fun with it on in the room! It was hard for her to walk around in, so she would fall but it would make her laugh really hard and then she would start doing it on purpose! This isn't a very good picture of it because I was trying to make sure she didn't fall off the bed, but you get the idea!!

Vacation Travel

In preparing for our long trip over the ocean in the end of July with a newborn and a 23-month-old, we bought an airplane seat harness for Keely instead of using the car seat so we only have to lug one car seat around with us! It is called the CARES system and goes over the seat and through the lap belt. The was our first opportunity to use it and it worked pretty well. She is just at the minimum weight for it, so it's a little big but she can't unhook it or stand up with it on so that was good. And she enjoyed having her own seat...and I did too! Jacob also put some of Keely's Veggie Tales on his phone/pda for Keely to watch. There were/are some cons to that but she really did enjoy watching them and it will help with that long journey in July as well. It didn't take her long to figure out how to work it herself either. The screen went black and I didn't know what to do and she took my finger and pushed it on the correct two buttons to get it to come back on!!

Finally diving back in...

...to the blogging world! We arrived back from our retreat and vacation late last Friday night and then had a 4 day weekend with Monday and Tuesday being a holiday. I have been trying really hard to finish Keely's first year scrapbook before the baby comes (I'm actually digital scrap booking) and was feeling rather scrappy so I am sorry it is not until now that I am finally blogging!!

But before pictures and stories of our retreat and vacation, I'll update you on this past week. Well, it's HOT! After spending a week in air conditioned hotel rooms, it felt REALLY HOT! So, we have been holing ourselves up in the den! I think on Sunday and Monday, Keely was only downstairs for breakfast and her bedtime bath!! The downstairs started feeling like the servants quarters! The holiday was for Thai New Year and water festival, so Tuesday we piled into the truck after lunch and observed people enjoying the festivities and getting drenched. Sorry, I didn't have my camera with me! Wednesday, Jacob went back to work and Keely and I continued to try to stay cool. However, by Thursday night Keely was getting cabin fever and was showing it by melting down over the silliest things and pushing limits she never pushes...so we hit the road after dinner. We went to a shopping center that has a super center type store on the 2nd floor and shops, restaurants and a play area on the bottom. The plan was to go to Dairy Queen for ice cream, but afterwards we walked too close to the play area! First Keely was really interested in cars that you put money in and they move real slow while you steer them. Yet, Keely had fun just sitting in them. But then she saw some balls in the game area, which was taking us a lot closer to the play area with ball pit. Finally, she saw it! Now it's 7:15, not very far from her bedtime, but Jacob convinces me to go ask if Keely and I can go in. Keely is actually too small, but after first saying no it took the lady about five seconds of looking at Keely's excited face to reconsider. It's 30 baht (around a dollar) for 30 minutes and we played in there almost the whole time!! I have been wanting to take her there, but we just hadn't gotten there yet. What fun! Hopefully I'll get my camera back into Keely's bag so we can have pictures of our outings again!

"Dada...DADA!!"

The other evening, Jacob was on the floor reading with Keely. The next thing I know, I am hearing really steady and deep breathing and realize that Jacob has fallen asleep. It didn't seem to phase Keely at first. She just continued to flipping through her "Franklin Plays The Game" book. As you probably know now, Keely loves balls and this book as a picture or two of a soccer ball on almost every page. When Keely is reading this book to herself, she flips through the pages and points to every picture of a soccer ball and says, "ball." This was how Keely was reading her book, while Jacob napped...UNTIL I hear "ball...Ball...BALL" with increasing intensity until it startled Jacob awake!! It made me chuckle!!

I have been trying really hard to post more frequently the past couple weeks, but it will come to an end for the next week! Tomorrow we are leaving for our spring retreat down at the beach and then will vacation for a few additional days as a family. We won't be back until late next Friday night. We'll try to pick up posting when we return and share pictures of our time at the beach! Everyone have a great week!!

Climbing to New Heights Part 2

(Sorry in advance for really stretching this out when I could have done all of this in one post! I have pregnant brain!)
One day last week, I was working in the kitchen when Keely walks in, pulls out the step stool and walks out of the kitchen with it. A minute or two later, I decide to go see what she was up to. There she was happily sitting in the chair! Too bad she didn't decide to help fold the clothes!

Anyone interested in a Baby Stair Stepping Exercise Class? Classes are now enrolling.

"Ok, everyone get your steps."

"Step up"

"Step down"

What a workout!!

Climbing to New Heights Part 1

My top kitchen cabinets are very high and I have to use a step stool to reach anything in the very back. Last weekend, Keely noticed me using it and has started taking it out from under the ant cabinet to use it herself. Some days you'll see her all over the downstairs climbing up on the stool. Keely isn't much of a climber and our sofa and chairs are a bit high, so until just a few days ago she hasn't been able to get onto them by herself. Then she discovered how useful the step stool could be!

Keely climbing onto the chair

Keely getting up to Jacob's level to see what he has

The OxyClean Experiment

I took people's advice and bought some OxyClean. I didn't even know you could buy it here! I also bought a bucket with a lid and some gloves and started soaking the baby clothes. I was a little nervous because I have heard from some that they haven't good luck and have ruined clothes, so I just soaked a few items along with some of Jacob's old dingy white t-shirts. The baby clothes came out really well, however, it only got out the yellow stains and nothing else. At first I wasn't too impressed with Jacob's shirts, but after I compared them to some I didn't do and to the nicest white ones they whitened up quite a bit but didn't really help the yellowed underarm stain or the stiffness from deodorant. I was also deep cleaning my bathroom that day and tried some OxyClean on it, but I'm not sure it helped the grout much or not. I think I'll stick to my Krud Kutter (that my parents had brought me) that works on mildew and soap scum too. The next day, I did the rest of the baby clothes and even some little white shoes that had yellowed and they are great!! A couple seem like I can vaguely see a little bit of it, but only if you look at it a certain way. I'm just thankful there was an easy fix, because I was afraid I would be scrubbing on each stain individually! Do beware though to bright colors...I didn't mean to put two Christmas bibs in there that have red ribbing and the red came off on the white. But I have that problem here anyway I think because of the hard water. So, if you have mysterious yellow stains on stored clothing...try soaking them in OxyClean before washing them!!

Thankful

Boy are we thankful and glad that we transformed our room upstairs into a den! Two nights ago, I was working on a salad for a shower on Thursday at the kitchen table and I had a breeze from the ceiling fan…so the heat wasn’t bothering me too much so I didn’t notice later when I turned on the AC that it wasn’t blowing cool air. However, Jacob noticed it pretty quickly! We were going to some friends’ house that night so it didn’t matter, and someone came to look at it yesterday and the compressor had gone out! I had a baby shower at lunch and then we went to pick up my new passport at the consulate so we were out in the heat a bit yesterday, so when we got home I couldn’t bear the downstairs. Keely had different play plans and didn’t want to go upstairs, but I gathered up some of her toys and herded her up the stairs! I am VERY THANKFUL we have a place to hang out and that it isn’t too big of a deal that it isn’t working. Except that since I was in the heat yesterday afternoon running errands and then doing laundry we were forced to have take-out because I couldn't bear being down there to cook dinner! Bringing in food ministered to Jacob too, because he meant he didn't have as many dishes (since I'm trying to do less, he has gotten the not so fun job of washing dishes lately). Our internet was out also, but today the AC and the internet is fixed!! YEA!! (If Keely were with you right now, she would help you clap your hands)!

Our Comfy New Room

We don't really know what to call our new room. It used to be the guest room/ office, and now it is our office/ play room/ den. First, don't worry if you ever come visit us we still have a very comfy blow up mattress and Jacob and I will even use it if it's better for you to sleep in our bed. Then in a couple years we'll also have two twin beds too!
We had decided to let the girls share a room for a few reasons, but one is that our two "spare" rooms are drastically different in size and who was going to get the bigger room? Also, it's really convenient right now to have our desk and office things in a separate room than ours. So, we needed a place for them to play upstairs and put their toys since there is only room for two beds in their room. This time of year is also the hottest time of year and this smaller room cools down a lot faster than our living room because it's not closed off--you have the heat coming from the stairway and the dining room and the bathroom. Jacob admitted after the transformation that he wasn't quite sure about the idea but really likes it now. In the afternoons during nap time, I hang out up here and then Jacob and I watch our shows off of the computer in the evenings.

Our desks and office "stuff"

Keely's boxes of toys (the bottom one is the baby's), her pool of balls and her sitting/reading area (she loves this comfy little area (and I am planning on covering the cushion at some point!)

My comfy chair (the other one in the first picture is Jacob's), Keely's books, hopefully we'll be able to move the dresser out to the hallway if we ever sell the bookcase that is out there now!

Keely helping us put the carpet down.
"Can I have a ride?"

Dressing Up

A few weeks ago, I was going through Keely's 18 month clothes and sorting them to wash for her to start wearing. Keely got interested in some of the clothing articles that were in the box. First, she found her blue crocs that Great Grandma sent her and wanted to put them on and wore them all around (which was ok since they hadn't been worn outside yet)! Later she found some yellow sandals that she wanted on instead of the crocs. In the very end she ended up with butterfly socks, which she has on in the picture. I walked into the other room where I had sorted out items we wouldn't be needing here that would go with us on stateside where I found Keely with her mittens and hat. She of course wanted to try these on too! She giggled and giggled when I was trying to get her thumbs into the thumb hole. She doesn't look too excited because it took me too long to run downstairs for the camera and she was ready to get these way too hot for Thailand items off!! But I just had to capture the moment!

Fun in the Balls

Keely still loves her balls. We are actually in trouble when we are in a store and she sees a ball or anything remotely like a ball!! We changed our guest bedroom into an office/playroom/den (pictures to come), which is where her balls are located. Each morning after breakfast and some play in the living room, she'll look at me and say, "Ball?" and we head upstairs. As you can see, she likes to do a lot of things in the balls including coloring, reading, playing with her puzzles, etc.

Keely after Jacob has "buried" her in the balls.

Another version of Keely being "buried" in the balls before bath time.


Keely coloring in the balls.

Keely showing off her new haircut and reading in the balls.

I bet you didn't know there was so many things you could do in a pool full of balls!!

Noah's Ark

Just a little something to make you smile for your help on the blog below!

Advice on Getting Out Yellowed Stains??

I have been pretty proud of myself (maybe that's the problem!) on getting out stains in Keely's clothes! BUT I was getting out the stored clothes for the new baby and most of them since they are light colored have yellowed stains on them! My Internet research shows this is common. So, what in your experience has helped? Below are a few tips I found, what would you suggest I try first? I'm naively hoping to find the perfect answer so I can get them out the first time! HAHA!!
Thanks for every one's help!!

* Put about 1/4 cup of Cascade Dishwasher detergent in a hot load and wash them all.
* Oxiclean
* Wash them and hang them in the sun.
* Add 1 cup of baking soda to your wash in addition to the detergent.
* Soak the yellow item in warm water and a few (2-3) denture
cleaning tablets. Soak overnight.
* Mix up a solution of white vinegar, salt, and a water softener
with a pint of water. Dunk the item up and down in the solution
several times. Rinse thoroughly and then launder
* Rub white toothpaste into the yellow spot. Wash in cold water
* Dampen the the yellow stained area. Apply powdered dish washing
powder to the stain, Gently scrub the item, rinse and then launder
* Fill the washer (large batch) or a bucket (few items) and soak in powdered dishwasher detergent. Mix 2 cups detergent in the washer water, or 1/4-1/2 cup in the bucket, put in the clothes, and leave to soak all day. Then wash as usual.
* Take a 3 to 5 gallon plastic bucket and put in 1 cup of BIZ and 1 cup of Clorox II. Add about 1 gallon of the hottest water you have and stir until the BIZ and Clorox II are dissolved. Then add about 2 gallon of cold water and stir. Add your stained clothes and let them soak. Stir them around about once a day and check to see if the stains are gone.

A Prescription for Rest

I really have been trying to take it easy. I have realized that the hardest thing for me with being pregnant with baby number 2 is that I am so accustomed to sacrificing self for Keely that I forget taking care of me means taking care of the baby too! Therefore, the past couple weeks especially as things have started warming up here (near 100 degrees many days) I have been consciously making myself rest during Keely's nap time. However, I guess I was still doing too much because Sunday night I just started feeling "ick." Monday even was PJ day and I didn't get dressed until 3:30 in the afternoon! And I napped during Keely's morning and afternoon nap! Jacob was getting concerned Monday night because I was experiencing pains that I don't remember experiencing with Keely until late in the 3rd trimester, but I assured him that I was paying attention and if things got worst I would go to the doctor. Tuesday while I was reading to Keely before her rest/nap time I started feeling more pains that sent up the red flag because they were in the list of things to watch for in the books. So, that afternoon we went to go visit my doctor. My problem in trying to figure out what was going on is that with Keely: 1. I never knew when I had Braxton-Hicks contractions and 2. I had back labor and never experienced tummy contractions when I was in labor with her. However, when I ran done my list of symptoms to the doctor he said that I was having contractions. So, he checked on the baby first and she is healthy and doing great. Then he examined me and said that things were looking good...I was not going into labor. He did some lab work and I didn't have any infections that could be causing the contractions so he prescribed rest for 2 days. He told me to come back if the contractions didn't go away. AND I'm feeling a lot better. I don't feel that "ick" feeling any more and I haven't had contractions for about a day or so! PTL! Guess I just need to take it easy--even more so!

The fun part of living in Asia of this story was that yesterday (day 2 of rest) we didn't have electricity. We knew it would be out until 3pm but it ended up being out until 7:30 pm!! So, Keely and I "rested" and hung out at the office!! My body may have rested, but it was not restful trying to entertain an active and getting more bored by the minute toddler in a small space with limited toys and books while trying not to get up too much! What fun times!!

Dinner Time Reading

I'm always in trouble on evenings when we have received packages. On a typical package day, we eat dinner and then Jacob pulls out the packages and we open them up. If they are from my parents, there is normally some reading materials inside. Sometimes a parenting magazine, IT magazine or newspaper article and ALWAYS past Sunday morning comics. If it is a magazine or newspaper clipping, we totally lose Jacob because he starts reading it there at the table. (The comics receive a special reading time before bed). On one evening I lost both Jacob and Keely to reading at the table! Jacob to a magazine and Keely to a Fisher-Price toy magazine!

"Hmmm...what toy do I want?"

Like Father, Like Daughter???

More Pictures From February

Finally I'm getting more pictures from our meeting and vacation in Bangkok up!!

One afternoon during our meeting we had a carnival. Keely was a little nervous with all of the people in a small space, so she enjoyed the festivities on Jacob's shoulders.

Every year we have to get our "annual family picture" taken with some close friends.

Keely enjoying the slide at Outback. You can even see she still has ketchup on her face!

Keely still has a fascination with balls and enjoyed the ball pit at our hotel. (She saw this picture on the computer and happily pointed out the balls)!

Enjoying the slide in the playroom at the hotel.

It's been 10 years already...???

...since I got my passport? Today I had to go to the American Consulate to renew my passport. The thing about the Consulate here is that it is only open Tuesday and Thursday morning to do things like renew your passport. So, there are normally lots of people and it can take awhile if you don't get there early. So, I get up early and I'm eating breakfast with still 10 minutes before I need to leave when I read through my paperwork that my wonderful husband had filled out for me and I notice that we had put done the wrong date of when my original passport had been issued. We run upstairs to get the form on the computer and change it but Jacob can't open it! So he has to retype everything and reprint it for me! So, I get out of the house about 15 minutes late and I have been really nervous about the parking situation at the Consulate all week. There is a little bit of parking on the street but its next to a busy market! So, I'm just hopeful I'm getting there early enough to get a spot! No luck! So, I drive around searching for some type of spot and finally decide to park in the parking building for another market and walk back. So, after 20 minutes of driving around and 5 minutes of walking I get to the Consulate and am 7th in line. AND the consulate doesn't open for another 15 minutes!!! I managed to do everything I need to do and leave a little before 10 (just an hour and 45 minutes after I had arrived)! Not too bad!! On top of it all it took me three chances to get passport pictures in the days leading up to my visit to the Consulate. First they were too small, second the picture was the right size but they had blown me up too much and my head was too big and finally the third time worked! I was a little nervous with it and had an extra that was taken a few years back that I really didn't want to use just in case! So, my new passport should be here in 2 weeks! Shew!