36 weeks...can't believe it!!

This pregnancy has gone by really fast. I went for my 36 week check-up this morning. All went well. My doctor was glad to hear that I am having LOTS of contractions...probably just Braxton Hicks....but as the dr said....at least my body is getting ready this time! The baby's HR was in the 160s. I guess she liked the yogurt and cereal bar that I had for breakfast! My uterus is measuring 34cm...so she has definitely dropped (it is supposed to measure 1cm for every week pregnant....when it starts to be less it means the baby is dropping). :)
At my next appointment (next Thursday), I will get an ultrasound to see how big the baby is, as well as her position (even though the dr is certain she is flipped and in position!).

Not long now! Another four weeks until my due date....if I make it that long.

"Hey Owen...do you want to count?"

A few weeks ago, Owen would answer that question by saying "One, Two". Then within the last week or so, he started saying "One, Two, One". If we continued counting, he would repeat all the numbers all the way up to ten. Daddy has a funny story from when I was traveling - Owen would repeat the numbers...but then say "Momma" instead of repeating the number 'seven'. Hmmm....wish he would say my name instead of the number ONE!!! :)

This morning....I asked him if he wanted to count on the way to school. He said "One, Two, Free, Four, Sis". WOW! Huge progress! Even though he missed 'five'....he made it past two! Of course, most kiddos have trouble with the "Th" in the number 'three'....but we'll keep working on it!

These may be normal milestones for kids his age...but he amazes us EVERYDAY with the new stuff that he says and does.

Another Canadian Citizen in the house!!!!

This is old news...but I did not find the time to blog about it a few months ago.
Owen is officially a Canadian Citizen.

Of course, he will always be American as he was born in the US and he will carry a US passport...but we applied for his Canadian citizenship because he is eligible. In January, we received his "Canadian Citizenship" card in the mail along with a letter that read:

"Owen Lloyd McReynolds - You are a Canadian Citizen who was born outside Canada in the first or subsequent generation. That means you obtained Canadian citizenship as a person who had a Canadian parent at the time of your birth.
Canadian citizenship is limited to the first generation born outside Canada."

That basically means that Owen's children will not be eligible for Canadian citizenship, unless he falls in love with and has children with a Canadian girl like his Daddy did! :)
We will also apply for our baby girl's Canadian citizenship when she arrives. Might as well...gives the children options when it comes to employment, owning property, health care, schooling and voting. Plus, we want them to have that connection to Mommy's native land!
O Canada!!!

Soccer!!

We were looking for an activity that we could take Owen to in the area. My rationale was that it would be something that he could do to burn off some energy and something where the focus would be on him (and not on the new baby that is about to become a part of our lives!).
There are tons of things for little ones to get involved in here in Richmond. There is a website called Completely Kids that lists activities from gymnastics to museums, singing classes to soccer.
We chose to try out soccer. It is on Saturday mornings from 9am until 10am. Perfect timing for our family at this point. Two weeks ago we tried out a class. The classes take place at an indoor soccer facility called SCOR (Soccer Center of Richmond) in downtown Richmond. The program is called "Little Kickers" and it is a nationally renowned child development program for ages 18 months to 9 years. The training classes teach the basics of the soccer game while having a lot of fun.

The class Owen is in is called the "Bunnies" class. Parents are on the field during the class and the coaches do a bunch of different activities with the kids. They run an obstacle course, kick soccer balls, stack cones, blow bubbles and play in/on/under the big parachute. And when it is all over they get a stamp on their hand (which Owen kept calling a 'sticker').
Here are some pictures and a short video:

Class Introductions (my name is.... and my favorite food is...)

Stacking the cones!

Hopping through the obstacle course

Crawling through the hoop

Fun with the parachute!


BUBBLES!!!


PARACHUTE!!!


After the trial class, we signed Owen up for the Spring season. It started this past Saturday and Owen got his very own uniform. He is number 5! Should make for a fun activity on Saturday mornings to come!

No drama!

I just had my 34 week appointment this past week. Each time I go, my doctor asks me if I am having "any drama". Fortunately, each time I can answer "nope!". No drama in this pregnancy! All is going well. All my tests have come back normal, I am gaining weight as I should be, I am sleeping good (couldn't say that in my second trimester!) and my vitals are great, as are the baby's! The doctor said she has flipped and started to drop, which is great news for delivery...but bad for comfort! She is putting all her weight on my pelvic bone which causes some pain and her feet are up in my right ribs...OUCH! I do have 'rock hard' abs though! :)
In two and a half weeks, we will get to see her on an ultrasound and be given an idea of how big she will be when she makes her world debut.

Also this week, I made my last business trip as a pregnant lady. I was planning to take one or two more before I was completely cut off from travel (at 36 weeks) but I made the decision as I sat on a plane Monday morning. It was 6am on Monday morning and I was not feeling 100%. The pilot came on the intercom and said our flying time would be 2h59m. I felt like throwing up. I now understand how people can get so anxious on a plane. I even had thoughts of getting off the plane and taking a later flight or canceling my trip all together. But I stuck it out and arrived safely in Dallas a few hours later. Fortunately, my return flight was later in the day on Tuesday and although I was uncomfortable in the airplane seat, I did not feel sick like I did the day before. I guess this could classify as 'drama'...but nothing major resulted! I made my trip and decided that I was done traveling during this pregnancy. This coming weekend, we are going to Atlanta for a friend's wedding but the flight is only one hour and Clint will be with me.

Quick Owen update

Owen is doing great. He was sick two weeks ago. Pink eye & double ear infection and then RSV set in later in the week complete with fever (while he was on antibiotics). We were nervous, as we didn't want a repeat of last summer. Bbut the doctor said it was most likely RSV and not something the antibiotics would attack anyway. Knock on wood that the antibiotics knocked everything out and he will be healthy the rest of the season :)

We cannot believe how much Owen is talking and everything he is doing. It just amazes us. He is starting to sleep longer in the mornings. Sometimes he needs a little help at 530am...but then he'll go back to sleep for another hour or so. Yesterday he slept from 7pm to 7am. When he did wake up, he was SO chatty. He was basically carrying on a conversation with me while eating breakfast. Of course...his responses were using one word or maybe two...and they may not have been appropriate answers...but it was very cute. Then, when I got up from the table to clean up Owen just continued 'practicing' all of his words. He even started to say words that I had said earlier in the morning. For example - I asked him if he was going to have a Valentine's party at school. He did respond "Yes"...but then later when I was putting our dishes up he said saying "Party" and "School" and then started listing all his 'friends' at school. He clearly said five of the kids in his class - Eryn, Jack, Lannen (for Landon), Sita, Melsa (Melissa, his teacher). Super cute.

Owen still loves to vacuum and color. He also loves to name and point to body parts. His favorite is "belly". Of course, Owen loves to lift up his shirt and show off his buddha belly and belly button, but he also likes to see our bare bellies. Daddy's shirt is usually tucked in, and if Owen wants to name it he will reach up and tug at Clint's shirt until it gets untucked. Owen gets confused when he lifts up my shirt, as he then finds another layer (the fabric panel on my maternity pants that goes up to my chest!). Unprompted, Owen will point at my belly and say "baby". He has no idea that his world (and ours) is about to change!

Owen's World Ends When....

....Mommy or Daddy put on their jackets to go outside and Owen can't go (for whatever reason...needs a diaper change, is eating, is too cold outside, etc.). He screams "Jacket, jacket, jacket"
....he needs his hands cleaned before and after dinner
....he needs his face cleaned after dinner
...."Baby" or "Gabba" goes to "sleep" (he calls the computer "Baby" and/or "Gabba" because we have a game on the computer called "Alpha Baby" (see a previous post) and he watches "Yo Gabba Gabba" videos on the computer)
....we take him upstairs after he starts tormenting Nash
....we put his crayons or trucks away because he'd rather throw them than draw or play with them
....he can not have Cheerios right before dinner
....he can not have peas right when they come out of the microwave because they need to be drained and cooled
....we take his milk or juice away because he starts spitting it out after taking a drink

I am sure this is just the start to the 'tantrums' stage. But....Owen is generally a happy kiddo and we love him no matter what mood he is in!

Baby McR #2's nursery

The house we moved into here in Richmond used to belong to a family of four...a husband and wife with their two little boys. If we had to guess...they had a three to four year old (because one room used to have a toddler bed in it) and an infant (because one room had a crib in it). The three to four year old used to sleep in a room that was painted blue, which is now our spare room. Owen sleeps in what was the previous owner's spare room (we painted it green to match Owen's bedding). And the infant's room was painted with cream, blue and brown stripes and has now been transformed into our new baby's room!

When we were picking rooms, we didn't yet know if Baby McR #2 was a boy or a girl. We did decide that if we found out that we were going to have a boy, we would just keep the blue stripes and if found out that we were having a girl, we would paint the blue stripes pink.

As most of you know....we are having a girl...so we had to buy some pink paint! Mommy and Owen picked it out a few weeks ago. The shade of pink is called "Princess" (hmmm....a sign of things to come?) and was chosen to match the material Mommy was using to make the bedding (sheets, crib skirt and bumper).


Mommy then taped all the stripes in preparation for Daddy to paint.


Over the last two weekends, Daddy completed the painting job and the room is now ready (with the exception of some furniture purchases) for Baby McR #2!!!!

OWEN GOLF!!!

One of Owen's favorite books right now is "Find Reveille". Reveille, also known as “Rev,” is a Collie and the First Lady of Texas A&M. She is the only cadet with five diamonds which makes her the highest ranking member in the Corps of Cadets.
The book's general theme is similar to a "Where's Waldo" book. There are 15 Texas A&M campus and athletic scenes, including Kyle Field. The book has history about the mascots, gameday, campus tradition, and fightsong lyrics. Each page has items that the reader is to find on each page. And of course, Reveille is hiding on each page. Owen brings the book to us to look for Reveille several times a day. This morning before school/work, Owen brought me the book and we started reading it. The first sports scene is one of some Aggies playing...you guessed it....golf. Without prompting, Owen yelled out "Golf" when we flipped to that page. I was lucky enough to get it on video the second time!
Note: Owen was also very excited to see himself on the little video screen on our camera. He obviously recognizes his cute little face.
Also note: Owen is either experiencing some sinus congestion or has an allergy to something. His eyes were red and puffy this morning. Poor dude. We'll be watching his eyes to make sure they don't get any worse.

Owen - You are 18 months old!!!

Dear Owen,

Last weekend you 'turned' 18 months old! Some days we can't believe you have been a part of our world for a year and a half. In a short three months we will welcome your sister into our lives.

You have so many words! Some don't come out right....but we know what you mean (most times!)
Some words in your vocabulary:
bird, car, truck, hot, cold, dog (gog), Nash, quack quack (for duck), moo (for cow), roar (for lion), baa (for sheep), moose, vacuum (bacume), sweep, school, jacket, dance, eat, snack, poo-poo, pee-pee, toes, head, hand, teeth, hair, shoes, fish, cookie, apple, nana (for banana), no, yes, oh oh, wa-wa (for water), shower, night-night, book, help, I dunno, bear, baby, mama, dada, knock knock, window (ninows), chair, Cheerios (Shhheer-ooos), milk, toys, puzzle (ba-do), juice, ear, mouth, eyes, toes, nose, choo-choo (for train), whoo whoo (for fire truck), bye bye. AND...you clearly state your name now (while pointing to yourself)!

You are starting to put words together (this morning you said "read book" and brought me your "Brown Bear" book)
You have 10 teeth (almost - the upper canines are just coming through)
You can drink through a straw and love to share our drinks
You love your "B" (favorite 12x12 blanket)
You love to dance
You always yell out "Momma" as soon as you walk in the door if Dada brings you home from school, or "Dada" if Momma brings you home from school.
When you are downstairs with someone, you get so excited when someone else starts coming down the stairs
You always say 'bye bye' to the person leaving the room and "hi" when someone comes in the room
You point to lots of body parts (eyes, ears, nose, mouth, belly button, toes) on yourself and everyone else
You love to have the TV on (or Cee-vee as you call it), but you don't really watch it
You have not had a hair cut yet
You love to give lots of hugs
You are 32.5 inches tall and weight almost 28lbs
You wear a size 4 diaper (when you wear disposables), a 5 shoe, 24m pants and 18m shirts
Pasta, pineapple, raisins and cheese are your current favorite foods (they will change by the weekend!)
You love to be tickled and chased
You love balls, books and your vacuum.

Every day with you is a gift.

Love Mommy and Daddy

Christmas 2010

Here are some great pictures from Christmas 2010 at our house. Gram and Pappy came up from North Carolina, while Jeff and Karine came down from Montreal to celebrate the holiday.



Owen and Pappy coloring


Owen pulling out his new "B"

Owen going "nigh nigh" on his new "B"





Owen's gift from Santa - a vacuum! (Or "Bacum" as Owen calls it)

The puppies! (Nash and Ringo)

Owen's chores

Owen LOVES to do anything we do. Daddy was vacuuming up some styrofoam pieces that came out of a box and Owen needed to help. He also signs "done" at the end. Hard working AND smart kiddo!

Our first BIG snowfall

This past Wednesday the news made a big deal about the pending snowstorm. Enough for majority of the public and private schools to announce they would be closed on Thursday. Some daycares even closed, but Bundle of Joy was not on the list. Four to six inches of snow was being predicted, as well as some freezing rain around 5pm. ICK.
We dropped Owen off at school on Thursday morning as normal and went to work. The snow started around 9am and was coming down steadily, accumulating on all surfaces. At 11am, we got a call that BoJ would be closing at noon. No problem! Half a snow day! Wohoo! Daddy picked Owen up at school and came home just in time for Owen's nap. We had lunch and enjoyed watching the snow fall. After Owen woke up and had a snack, we all (Nash included) went out to check out the snow. Daddy shoveled his first driveway while everyone else ran around in the backyard. Owen didn't know what to think. He walked a little bit in the snow, but then started to cry. He kept looking down at his foot that was not coming cleanly up off the ground. Owen didn't last very long outside, so he and Mommy came inside to warm up.
We did get a few pics and a quick video of Nash:

Santa's visit to our neighborhood

Santa came by our neighborhood a week ago on a fire truck! It was a chilly Thursday night, but you couldn't miss the sirens and lights! Many neighbors were out to greet Jolly St Nick, including ours - Al and Kitty. Owen enjoyed being held by Al, and although he was bit fussy with the cold...he quieted right down when Santa drove by.

THINK PINK!

Most of you who read this blog already know our latest news...but I still need to blog about it for the record!

Last Thursday we had our 20-week ultrasound and found out Baby McR #2 is a GIRL! We are super excited. Of course, we would have been ecstatic either way, it will be fun to have a little girl around the house!

The ultrasound tech said our baby girl was 'well behaved' and allowed the tech to get all the necessary measurements she needed to conclude that Baby McR #2 was doing very well and growing right on-track. However, she wouldn't show her face and kept covering it with her hands. So, at my 24 week appointment we will take another peak to get a good picture of her face.
Her HR was 154bpm and she is still scheduled to be here at the end of April.

Can't wait to buy pink and dresses! And maybe pink dresses!!!

Owen and Santa 2010

We took Owen to Bass Pro Shops on Saturday to let him wander around, see the fish and sit with Santa. While waiting in line to see Santa, Mommy took Owen over to color. He was not happy when it was our turn to see Santa, as that meant he had to leave his coloring. Hence the reason Owen is holding a crayon in Santa's lap.

All moved in

As you can see from some earlier posts, we are all moved into our home in Richmond VA. Gram and Pappy were here for the first eight days after the truck arrived. We don't have the words to express how grateful we were for them being here to help out. By day four, we were completely out of boxes and for the most part organized. Pappy put his electrician hat on and installed several light fixtures that the previous owners took with them, as well as many dimmers (that are invaluable in the baby's rooms!!). Gram made sure we kept our energy up by preparing wonderful meals several times a day. She also stocked our freezer with many meals (adult and kid size!). Gram and Pappy also enjoyed spending some quality time with Owen. He is so interactive these days and just loves showing off his playing skills to everyone.

I got really sick after the move. A sinus cold had me down (but still working) for a few days and then a stomach bug hit right before Thanksgiving.

As previously mentioned we celebrated Daddy's birthday on Thanksgiving. Nonnie and Pop were here to celebrate and again, we can't say enough for all their help and support with the move. Pop and Daddy began the patchwork on Owen's ceiling (where Daddy accidentally put a foot through the attic floor) and installed baby safety gates at the top of our stair cases. Nonnie kept Owen entertained day in and day out with multiple trips to the park.

Pictures of the house to follow (maybe this week).

Daddy's big helper

Our yard is full of trees....and since it is fall....that means it is full of leaves.
Owen loves to sweep in the house, so we figured he'd like to help rake leaves too. Here is Owen helping Daddy rake leaves yesterday.





Of course, Nash supervised the whole time.

Getting chilly!

It is getting chilly here in Richmond. When Owen goes outside (which he LOVES to do), he gets all dressed up in his winter coat and hat. He does not mind either...and looks pretty darn cute too!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Clint shared his birthday with Thanksgiving this year. In lieu of the typical pumpkin pie, we had Clint's favorite birthday cake - Red Velvet. After Owen got up from his nap, we sang to Clint and cut the cake so Owen could enjoy some as well. Turns out....Owen loves Red Velvet cake too! He's his father's son for sure!

Owen's Accident

Several weeks ago, I posted about Owen taking a bad fall at school which led us to the ER. I promised some pictures...so here they are. These were taken after we got home from the ER and right before Owen ate lunch and then napped for the better part of the afternoon.
Smiling again.....


This was Owen the day after his fall. Notice the swelling on his left eye.

This was Owen a few days after the fall and just before Hallowe'en. No make-up required for Owen to be "Rocky" or "Frankenstein" for Christmas.