Ultrasound news

Thanks to everyone who voted in our "guess the baby's weight" poll. Here are the poll results:
5.5 to 6 lbs - 8%
6 to 6.5 lbs - 4%
6.5 to 7 lbs - 16%
7 to 7.5 lbs - 50%
7.5 to 8 lbs - 20%

Looks like everyone shared my thoughts that the baby would be measuring really big! But, he was actually only measuring a few days ahead and the estimated weight (at 36.5 weeks) was 6 pounds, 12 ounces. So, if he gains the typical 0.5 lbs a week until my due date (Oct. 22), then he'd be right at 8.5 to 9 lbs. I can handle that, so I'm not going to schedule an induction at this point. And with Uncle Erik's and Aunt Chelsea's big wedding on the 12th, we're not in THAT big of a hurry to get him out.

Oh, and by the way... we have another great u/s photo that confirms that he is "still" a boy. (Poor guy - not even born yet, and we have 2 shots of his genitals. Actually, hopefully those are the only shots of the genitals that we take now that I think of it!)

These are not the stories I need to hear 3 weeks before my due date....

BARNAUL, Russia - A Siberian woman who gave birth to her 12th child — doing more than her fair share to stem Russia’s population decline — was stunned to find that little Nadia weighed in at a massive 17 pounds, 1 ounce.

The Guinness World Records lists a 22 pound, 4 ounce baby boy born in Italy in 1955, and a 23 pound, 8 ounce baby boy who was born in the United States in 1879 but died 11 hours later.

The average weight for most healthy newborn babies is around 7 pounds, 6 ounces, according to World Health Organization figures.

Reading with Maddie

Someone put a quarter in her today. I don't think she stopped talking. This is usually where Nathan would insert a comment like "well, she is YOUR daughter." But, it's fun. She was in a great mood and just talked about her whole world today.

That even extends to quiet time. Reading to Madeline requires so much patience. She asks a million questions, repeats everything that you say, and always wants to go back to a different page to comment on a previous picture. Here are some excerpts from our latest reading time:

1) Daddy: Buzz Lightyear says "To infinite and beyond."
Maddie: I don't like "beyond."
Daddy: Ok, then, "to infinite and around the corner."
Maddie: I don't like "around the corner."
Daddy: How about "To infinite"?
Maddie: I don't like "infinny." I like cowboy [Woody].

2) Mommy: Cows can't fly.
Madeline: Cows not can fly. (like she was correcting me or something.)

Ready for grandma and grandpa's house

Nathan and Madeline went to Grandma and Grandpa Knutson's house this past weekend, while I stayed at home and "nested." I painted our 1/2 bath (which is in the process of getting a quick upgrade), deep cleaned our bathrooms, and got a headstart to making the baby announcements. I can't remember the last time I had 24 hours completely to myself - it was fantastic!

Maddie was more than excited to visit her grandparents, as you can see. She even did her own hair by putting on her headband like a crown. Beautiful, huh?

Enjoying the fire

Poor Sully doesn't get much attention these days, so thought I'd include him on a post. We had a week of some cold weather and had to turn on our little gas fireplace to warm up the living room. Sully was a happy pup....

Madeline taking discipline

On our evening walk to the park, Madeline had a tough time sitting nicely in her stroller. Here's the dialogue at the end of the walk:

Big Daddy: Madeline, you need to be a good listener. Mommy said to sit down nicely.
Madeline: Daddy, I am a listener.
Big Daddy: If you don't sit down, I am going to give you a spanking on your butt.
Madeline: No, Daddy, it's your bottom.

As you can see, she was really shaking in her pants at our best efforts of being firm.

Congrats to the new papa

Nathan made sure that he welcomed Albie into the rite of fatherhood with some brandy and a cigar. Here is the official handshake and congratulations. This has turned into an annoyingly long and smelly 2 hour tradition during each trip to meet the new niece or nephew. Let's see how warm it is in November or December for them when we all get together to introduce our son to them!

Better pics from our trip to Philly

Just thought I'd update our blog with more pictures from our trip to Philadelphia to meet our new nephew Landon. He's such a handsome guy!

And Madeline LOVED being a big cousin. She made sure he was warm by covering him with every single blanket within reach. And even if he wasn't crying, she was very helpful in making sure that his pacifier was in his mouth. But, even if she was overzealous in her affection, she did great.

Wanna be like mama

Isn't this one hilarious? This is what I came home to from work. They decided to make their bellies like mommy's. And, no, they both aren't wearing their pants.

In other very exciting news, we bought a new camera! Our other one has been acting up....

In pregnancy news, I'm starting my 34th week. My doctor ordered an ultrasound for me at 36 weeks to measure how big the baby is. Based on the results, we may try to induce early. Not sure how we feel about that, but don't mind the free peak at the baby.

Please Touch Museum

While in Philly, we took Madeline to an adorable museum called the Please Touch Museum. They had all sorts of cute exhibits - Alice in Wonderland, Where the Wild Things Are, transportation - but Madeline's favorites were the Barnyard Babies and Supermarket areas. I even got to be the check-out lady! I would have LOVED something like this when I was little....

Labor Day Weekend

The three of us spent Labor Day weekend in Philadelphia with Katie, Albie, and our new nephew Landon! What a handsome and good natured baby boy he is. And it is so fun to see my sister as a mom and to be an Aunt. What a fun time in our lives! Unfortunately, our camera was acting up, so I didn't take many pictures on our camera. But here are some of my favorites.

Katie and I tried to get little naps when we could. It was a sweet moment when we all cuddled together before bedtime on our last night together.

We also went on a nice long walk nearly every day. Landon konked out on us every single time.














And, finally, we had to have the bath shot. Madeline was just supposed to help, but she was not okay being on the sideline. You can see that she enjoyed the bath much more than poor Landon did.