"I Yittle"

Not sure if I've blogged about it before but Anna becomes VERY attached to her clothes on certain days.  So attached that we usually end the day with a temper tantrum about a certain shirt that she does not want to take off or sometimes we start the day that way because she likes her pajamas so much.  There are days when I don't make her change and just let her wear the same outfit for two days in a row which includes sleeping in them.  But there comes a time when I am tired of seeing her in the same clothes or the clothes are just plain dirty and I need to wash them.  On these nights we go through the screaming and crying and thrashing around which includes dragging the clothes out of the hamper after I've wrestled them off of her and had Brice sprint to the dirty clothes hamper with them.  I literally end up holding her with arm and washing her with the other because she is pitching such a fit that I'm afraid she will slip and crack her head on the tub. (At this point of the story, I know my mom and dad are throwing their heads back and cackling because this is exactly how I used to act, just not over clothes).

So, I then wrestle her out of the tub and threaten time-out and pick one of the two pajama options.  She usually will pick one of the options and the next minute is calm and sweet and lying in our bed watching The Good Night Show.  We go through this probably four times a week.

A side story real quick:  Justin had been out of town for about three days and the night he got back we all went to Cracker Barrel for dinner.  Anna had "one of her shirts on" and I think was on Day 2 of the shirt.  Justin looked at her and said, "Anna, how many days have you been wearing that shirt?".  Brice, answered quickly and wittily saying back to him, "How many days are in the week?"!!!

Tonight was no different.  Because Mother Nature has done what she usually does and given us a few more days of dreary cold, I've had to pull back out some of the worn out winter clothes.  Anna was thrilled when she found her brown corduroy pants and her "green ballerina shirt" as one of her options today!!  She wore it all day and then came bedtime.  I told her we were going up to take a bath.  She freaked.  "Wear zis, wear zis shirt nigh-nigh.  No jammies, Mommy".  It was just me and her home so I knew it would be a battle.  Up the stairs we went with her crying and moaning the whole time.  Again, we had the wrestling match and quick bath.  I decided that she hadn't really been outside today and the shirt now just has old stains on it, nothing new from today so what would it hurt for her to get one more stretch of wearing it.  I was picking my battles but the crying and whining was really getting to me. 

Not only was she pushing my buttons with the clothes but then I didn't wrap her up in the right towel and she didn't want me to put any lotion on her.  I got frustrated and told her to "please stop crying over the stupid shirt".  I got her re-dressed in her ballerina shirt and brown pants and sent her into my room to watch TV (where she then was telling me to "no brush hair").  As I was putting my rings back on and hanging her towel up, I was thinking, "she is only two, this is normal behavior for a two year old". And right at that moment she turned to me and said, "I Yittle".

I said, "I know you are sweet girl." and then I felt super guilty and reminded myself that soon she will not be "yittle". She will be the big sister and I only get to experience a little girl once.

Here she is in the "green ba shirt" not to be confused with the "purple ba shirt"!  This picture is from November if that gives you any idea how tired I am of looking at it.  Once the weather warms up for good, I will be putting these shirts away and when she gets married, I will cut the ballerinas out of the shirts and sew them under her dress!!!!

The Princess Remains

That's right!  IT'S A BOY!!!!  Anna will not be dethroned!  She will be our one girl forever.  Today showed a HEALTHY BABY BOY which is all I asked for.  Justin already thinks he looks like me...i.e. he doesn't have Justin's forehead which the other two have. :)  We shall see.  His genes seem to be pretty dominant!  We do not have a name picked out yet but I don't think it will take us long.  We seem to have an easier time with boy names than we do girl names.  I do think I'm still in a little disbelief since I had another girl dream just this morning!  Justin said it's because that's what I wanted.  I think either way, I would have grieved the other a little.  I think that is true with every pregnancy.  After Justin and Brice left the doctor's office, I just stared at the pictures and thought about how blessed we were.  I also thought about how this is it, this is the last time I will do that and look at those pictures.  I can't wait to see who this little man is knowing he will always be my baby and just how awesome it will be to have a big brother and a big sister.  Boys break the tie and The Princess Remains!

 Could he be a Ruffin?  We shall see.  I'll try and post some pics of Brice's and Anna's 20 week profiles soon.

 Needs little explanation!

Thoughts on Gender

As we all know, this is the week!  The week that we find out what this third and final baby will be.  We are all very excited for Thursday and I can't wait to plan for our little one even more.  Last night at the dinner table, we all guessed what the baby would be:

Justin-girl
Jennifer-girl, but hold that thought
Brice-boy
Anna-girl

If Brice is right, I can already hear him saying, "I was the only one right!".

I said girl mainly because of all the girl dreams I have had.  Lots of dreams and they have been very vivid and clear.  In the beginning of the pregnancy, I did have two boy dreams and then a couple weeks ago another boy dream but it was awful.  I didn't even tell Justin it was so bad.  Let's just say, it had to do with working in the NICU and seeing what I've seen in the past.

I can't really say that I have that strong of a feeling either way.  With Brice's pregnancy, I was sure from the moment I found out I was pregnant that it was a boy.  With Anna's, I was indifferent.  My pregnancies have all been very, very similar so it is hard to say.  There have been variations here and there but nothing profound like some people have.  I also think I don't have a strong feeling either way because I honestly will be happy for either.  I can't really complain having already had one of each.  What I truly want is a healthy baby, oh, and an epidural of course. :)  But seriously, I would pass on the epidural if it meant having a perfect baby.  So, here are my Thoughts on Gender,

Similarities to my pregnancy with Brice:
-Heartburn!!
-Starving
-Feel really big (this could just be because it's my third)
-Not REALLY nauseous in the beginning everyday

Similarities to my pregnancy with Anna:
-When nauseous, VERY nauseous, just not daily
-Emotional
-Don't have a feeling either way, girl or boy

The Chinese calendar says girl and it has been right with the other two.  We will see just how smart that calendar is I guess.  And, feel free to comment below on what your guess is!!  Also, I am anticipating your next question here, we do not have names picked out and I have a feeling this may take a while as well!

We find out Thursday at 3pm and we will be taking Brice with us.  After the appointment, we will be heading to a baseball game, so I will try and post that evening once we get home.  I realize this font may be hard to read but I thought it was fun for a few days and will most likely change the blog around again come Friday, pink or blue!  Here is a picture of my belly that seems to have really popped in the past two weeks!

St. Patrick's Day

 The drawing and the trap for the leprechaun.  Brice made the trap at school after reading the book, "The Night Before St. Patrick's Day".  He even laid out pennies and dimes to tempt the little man into the trap.  He told me that he had to practice staring because once you blink, he can disappear.

So after Brice went to bed last night, I took green food coloring and put some in the toilet and then used the tips of my fingers to make footprints on the toilet seat, bathroom sink, kitchen counter and his drawing.  This morning I had to work from 7am-11am, so I thought I was going to miss everything that he discovered.  Well, he must have brushed his teeth in the dark because he didn't notice the "footprints" in his bathroom.  When I got home from work, I asked Justin about it and he said Brice was very exciting to find the trap messed up and the footprints on the kitchen counter. 

Then, this afternoon, he starts yelling, "Mom, you have to come here!  The leprechaun was in my bathroom too!".  I never knew he would get this into St. Patrick's Day but I think he feels that if he doesn't believe in this, then he has to question Santa and the Easter Bunny as well.  All or nothing, in a sense.  Hope you all had a good day whether you celebrate St. Patty or not!

Pretty Inside and Out

Anna had a follow-up at the cardiologist this morning and did so well.  She did not like the "stickers" for the EKG and the ultrasound of her heart but she hung in there like a champ while we blew bubbles, sang songs and listen to the "whoosh whoosh" of her heart.  She would open her mouth in a big "O" and say, "I hear it" when the sounds were turned up.  Justin snagged her about ten stickers for the rest of the day.  We had a new cardiologist today which was good.  I wanted another opinion and we really liked this doctor.  She told us everything looks good and as of right now if her VSD stays the same as it is, Anna will never be restricted in any way.  We will follow up again in nine months when she turns three.  Our little girl is just Pretty Inside and Out!  So thankful for this news and for the care we have access to.

Our Boy, Elroy

Okay, so I know the dog's name from the Jetsons is Astro but Brice is Our Boy, Elroy who now plays for the Astros!!!  He had his first game Monday and did awesome.  Was 2 for 2 batting and started at shortstop!!  He also played center field and third base.  Looking forward to the rest of his season and hopefully some warmer games too!

Anna Sings Her ABC's

Here she is singing her ABC's, sort of.  You get the general idea.  Along with another "song" and some commentary to go along with it!  I've showed her the video and she thinks it's hilarious.  Hope you enjoy it too.

New-Do

The other day Anna was standing on her step-stool and I was playing with her hair while she looked in the mirror.  She said, "no poee-tail".  I said, "Oh, but Grandma used to fix my hair while I looked in the mirror in ponytails and braids and Nana used to do Aunt Kelly's hair when she was little too."

"Need poee-tail", was the next thing out of her mouth.  And behold, we have a New-Do!  She still doesn't like me to do it everyday and she doesn't want me to clip the sides back but we'll get there.