20-25 weeks

I decided that during this pregnancy, I would take a picture week by week so that I could document my growing belly and so that bubby no. 3 could also have a little lime light in my infamous blog :). I wish I would have done this with my other pregnancies.

Week 20/ 21

week 22

week 23

week 24

Today! Week 25.

Little notes:

• I can feel bubby kicking as I write this. I love this feeling and the little reminder that bubby is there!
• I can cry at the drop of a hat over something sad. In fact, every time we drive somewhere and a sad song comes on my country music cd, El asks "mum, is this the song that makes you cry?" Yes, I cry whenever  I hear the Dixie Chick's "Travelling soldier" and "You were mine" and a song about the wife having cancer (not sure what it's called) get's me every time. So sad- as in the songs, and not my bad attempt to control my pregnancy hormones. 
• I still can not keep my lunch down for 98.8% of the time. No matter how tasty or expensive it is, it  just does not agree with me.
• I fear sneezing or coughing too hard (those who have had babies or are pregnant will understand what I mean).
•  I got my first leg cramp the other night... ouch! 
• I'm getting very little sympathy 3rd time around. Still no foot rubs or back rubs. I'm working on that!
• I'm over pills. At one point I was taking anti-biotics, iron pills, calcium pills, elevit, panadol, and echinacia. Yes, I felt like a pill junkie! Now I'm just down to elevit, calcium, and my trusty raspberry pills.
• I had a huge thing for coconuts. But come to think about it, I think that was more due to the reason that Coles had them on special for $2 rather than pregnancy related.
• I'm currently 63kg. Total weight gain of 6 kgs.
• I've put a hold on my walking and have started Zumba. As long as I make a quick trip to the loo before I start, I'm good to go!  I think my Salsa moves puts bub in a peaceful sleep. 
• Finding something to wear in the mornings has become a task and a half. I don't get it? I've been pregnant TWICE before, so why can't I easily find something comfortable to wear!? Ok, it might or might not have something to do with the mess of a room/ 'bermuda triangle' thing of a wardrobe  that I have going on.
• Noah and Elly are both noticing the belly now... "Wow mum! You're belly is getting fatter!" El has such a way with words. They also like to kiss it and rub it. So sweet! They love to look at the ultrasound pics, and I often find them taking them from the fridge and having a closer look, mainly at the one with the little arrow pointing to his little manhood. They find it so fascinating and funny.
• It has finally hit me that this is all happening, and I'm not scared...yet. 

Birthday boy!

Noah turned 2 yesterday! Though we were all sick AGAIN on his birthday, he still had a lovely day requesting treats and being spoilt on his special day!

To make sure his day was extra special, I made sure that his wish was my command... 

"What's that? 'You want ice-cream and a strawberry milshake with your breakfast? Certainly!" Or  "Yes, you can have a sweet treat (or 3) before lunch!" and  "That's ok that you spilt yoghurt ALL over the tv cabinet and floor. Mummy will clean it all up as you happily go on with your business." 

Not to mention, "Sure, you can spend the day wearing your comfy wiggle's undies, and I'll just clean up what ever mess might come from this."

See what I mean? He had a great day! Here's the proof...

Receiving some pressies in the mail from abuelita and abuelito...

YAY! " Go Diego Go!"

 

Enjoying some undie time. I may or may not use this picture for his 21st!? Payback for all the little messes I had to clean  up.

Placing his candles carefully on his 'Bob the Builder' cake...

El stayed up late the night before to help me ice and decorate the cake. She also helped Joe wrap Noah's presents. She kept saying "this is the best night ever!"

Attempting to blow out the candles.

El of course stepped in and finished the job, just like she did last year. One day Noah,  one day.

Digging Bob into the cake!

Digging his face into the cake!

Opening pressies in a record breaking time! No help needed this year!

Loving his new digger (or what ever that thing is called).

So what's changed since yesterday? Well, apart from no more sweet treats before lunch or spending most of the day in a pair of undies... NOTHING! 

Noah, thanks to your little preview of the 'terrible two's' these past few weeks, we have eased into this transition nicely (eg. that tantrum you pulled out at the shops toady, was no shock). 

Needless to say, I wish you could stay like this forever. It makes me sad that you are growing, but excited to see you turning into a little man each day.You make me so happy! I Love you Buddy. xox

HAIR cut

Noah has been blessed with thick, grows like a weed, full of body hair. This type of hair is common in the Montes family- with the exception of Tia Karla. :)

Today, he was in need of another (the 4th so far) haircut...

So I gave him a lollipop to distract him and 15 mins later...

I know what you're all thinking- "wow Carm's! ' You should've been a hairdresser!" Ha! I know ;) But lets face it, Elly could have given Noah a haircut, and he would still look so darn cute! 

Out of the mouths of babes

El is well known around here for saying some funny, cheeky stuff. Seriously, I could write a book with all her funny quotes... a big book.

I have two that happened just this week that I want to write so I can show her when she's older some of the things that would come out of her cheeky mouth...

1. The Tooth Fairy

Me: "Elly, put your Arieal's (doll) hair tie some where safe, so you don't loose it."

Elly: "I'll put it in my pocket for safe-keeping"

Me: "It'll get lost! 'What about you put it under your pillow?"

Elly: "No, no, no! It's not a tooth! Only a tooth can go under a pillow! That way, the tooth fairy will come and give you a coin! Otherwise, when the tooth fairy comes she will say "What! That's not a tooth..."

(*as Elly walks off chatting away in her tooth fairy character and leaving me wondering what the point of the conversation was in the first place!?)

2. Maniac

(* I pull into the petrol station, fill up go and pay while kids wait in car. The shop is only a few meters away, so I can see and hear them screaming and shouting at each other- a little game they like to play... who can scream the loudest and then laugh their heads off!)

Me: "Guys! I could hear you screaming like maniacs all the way in the store!"

Elly: "Mum, what's a maniac?"

Me: "A maniac is someone who screams and shouts like a crazy person"

Elly: "So mum, you're a maniac!"

Me: "What!"

 (*shocked and offended she would say such a thing! Thinking to myself, "oh dear, do I shout too much? And am I really noticeably crazy?" I thought I hid that part of my personality pretty well.)

Me: "Why am I a maniac? 'I'm not a maniac, am I?"  (*anxiously waiting for her reply)

Elly: "Yeah mum, you know, like the time the magpie swooped you!"

Me: " oh ok, point taken."

(Just goes to show I was NOT exaggerating when I said I ran and screamed like a crazy person in my magpie encounter post!)

Changes.

"Buddy" as we like to call Noah, on his 1st birthday, all sweet and innocent.

September. It's a big month for Noah. Later this month, he will be joining the "terrible two's" club.  He's already started giving me a preview of what to expect. I'm a little scared. I've seen lots of changes lately, good ones and not so good ones.

He is becoming so independent. But with this new independence, comes defiance. Defiance in the way of "no" becoming his favourite word, and refusing to hold my hand at the shopping centre car park, or not remaining seated safely in the trolly longer than 2-5 minutes. So as you can imagine,  grocery shopping has become a whole lot quicker and a whole lot more fun... NOT!

 Earlier in the month, was one of the biggest changes. Since around 18 months old, Noah had still been enjoying a chichita before bed. He knew it was the only time he got to enjoy this little luxury, so he was always eager to get into his jammies, say good-night to El and daddy and hurry over to his room for this little, and I mean little (as in time, not size) treat. Though it was only for a little while, he was satisfied every time, and I would kiss him goodnight, turn his star lamp off, place him in his cot, and cover him with his "Bob Bob" (what he likes to call his Bob the Builder doona), and leave him to sleep until morning, 7-7:30 am to be exact.
However, on the evening of father's day, my little baby toddler became a big boy. All I had to say to him was "Noah, mummy's chichitas are sore, and you are a big boy now..." he didn't even let me finish what I was going to say. Noah simply turned around, pointed to his cot and asked for "Bob Bob." So I took his cue, placed him in his cot, said good night, and did not see or hear from him till morning. It was that easy.


Well, I thought it was, up un till 4 nights ago, when he kinda realised that he had made it just too easy. All of a sudden, he wasn't as eager for bed. He started to wake at random hours of the night and would not soothe and settle himself like he had done every other time in the past. All of a sudden, he started hating his cot, and did not want to sleep in it. I was worried. I was really worried, and wondered if he would ever be my good little sleeper again. This also meant that nap time started to become a hazardous occasion, as he began attempting to dangerously climb out of his cot in a very scary and suicidal way. Needless to say, Noah's naps have become close to extinct. In fact, he has only napped twice in the last two weeks. TWICE! And one of those times, I had to hold him and help him fall asleep- something I've never had to do before.

But, I'm glad to say that there is a little bit of a silver lining in the dark sleep time cloud. Not with his naps though, that I've come to deal with as being no hope there for change- just like I came to deal with it when Elly turned two and stopped napping. I'm choosing my battles, and day time nap is not one I wish to deal with right now, especially when Noah and Elly seem to enjoy this bit of extra time together.
But last night, at bed time, though there was a little 5 min struggle at first, he slept. He slept ALL night long again, IN his COT and I have never been so relieved. Tonight, there was only a two minute struggle and I'm hoping for the same sleep all night miracle- unless of course I've completely jinxed my-self with the mummy curse of speaking too soon. But I figured, since I got jiped with two kids who stopped napping at age two, I wouldn't be so unlucky to get hit with the mummy curse. We'll just have to wait and see.

Noah, it has been an absolute pleasure to have you in our family for the last (almost) two years. Though, with this new turning two business comes good and not so good changes, one thing is certain and set in stone... the love I have for you, will never change (even during those dreaded teenage years, I promise).
Never. Ever. xox

"Buddy" almost 2, and not so sweet and innocent with his self drawn "ink" and shades.

Father's Day!

Father's day began with a nice little sleep in for Joe and the kiddies (they didn't even wake when I managed to set off the smoke alarm!). We then enjoyed and a nice big bacon and eggs breakfast! 

Note: Noah made an appearance in ALL the food shots. He just wanted to hurry up and dig in! 

Pressie time!!!

A father's day card and a pen cup holder made at kindy by El, with love.

And doesn't joe look so impressed?! What every father needs and wants on their special day... oh wait... or was it a PS3 that every father wants? I forget ;) Maybe next year babe.

Note: Joe's chubby face is due to a dentist's visit gone wrong. He got an infection and his face swelled up! He wanted to me to make sure I mentioned that :)

Joe than enjoyed a 3 hour break to relax and rest his weary swollen cheek and sore tooth, while the kiddies and I headed off to church.  Upon our return, he was showered with more love and gifts in the form of hand made cards from the kids... just so spoilt! :)

Note: The yellow heart card was made by Noah. He guarded it all through church so it could get home to daddy in one piece, he was so proud of it.

For our father's day dinner, my little chefs and I made homemade pizza's and calzones- one of our family favourites!

note: The funny looking square on the wall behind Joe, is just another little thing that needs renovating.... *sigh*

Lastly, father's day just wouldn't be complete with lots of sloppy kisses, big cuddles and laughs with the best daddy in the whole wide world!!!

Note: Those big laughs from the kids and the sudden change of expression on Joe's face in that last pic, might or might not have been from El letting out a huge pop-off (what we like to call a fart around here) on Joe's leg. Just to mark the occasion in true Elly style.