Author Archives: simzgirl

16 Week Belly

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And so it begins. I am 16 weeks today and I have officially entered the point in my pregnancy where I feel like I need to start taking belly shots. I’m trying not to compare this to my first belly shot with Ana at 17 weeks. Everyone says you show faster with the second pregnancy and I am firmly supporting that theory. Well, it’s certainly not because I’ve been eating too much lately! Quite the opposite, in fact. Food and I are not on the best of terms right now. When something does actually sound good, I get about half way through eating it and I am done. Like, get it away from me. NOW. And we won’t be eating that, oh, ever again. Yep, I am still overcome with morning sickness.

But enough about that, let’s get to the baby bump! Here is Baby Bateman 2.0:


And Ana wanted to be in the picture too, so here she is giving some lovin’ to her future sibling.

My Little Ballerina

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Ana had another ballet recital today (the last day of her “Tip Toes” Ballet class is always a “recital” performed on the stage). It amazes me how well she is doing in her ballet class. I know she has been doing it for a year and a half, but she’s only three! Heck, I couldn’t do half the things she does. She is so comfortable up on a stage or in front of a crowd, that I can definitely see performing in her future. But more than anything, I love seeing the happiness on her face when she dances. It just warms my heart.











You can see all the pictures from Ana’s “recital” here. Enjoy!

Doctor’s Appointment Report

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I had my 14 week (I’m rounding up, since I will be 14 weeks tomorrow) doctor’s appointment yesterday morning and have this to report back:

Weight: down 1/2 lb since last month (3 lbs total gain)
Blood Pressure: 130/70
Baby’s Heartbeat: Normal, in the 150s

It was just a routine once-a-month doctor’s appointment, but it’s always nice to check on the baby and hear the woosh, woosh, woosh of that little heartbeat. Ana loves going to my appointments with me because my wonderful and amazing doctor really likes to get her involved. She is always asking Ana to help her out and this time Ana was THRILLED to get to help run the fetal Doppler that allows you to hear the heartbeat. All in all, things are looking great and I go back for my next appointment in a month.

I am so happy that I was able to keep track of my pregnancy with Ana here on my blog. It is so comforting to go look back through my archives and remind myself that all this is normal, I went through it before, and everything turned out just fine. I know every pregnancy is different, but it’s still fun to compare (sorry, baby #2, but it looks like the comparing-you-to-your-older-sister actually starts in the womb). For example, this pregnancy has followed the same trends as with Ana: I’m nauseous, I’m exhausted, I can’t stand to eat vegetables, and brushing my teeth is one of the worst forms of torture. However, things aren’t quite as intense. Maybe I’m not as dramatic this time around or maybe it’s the fact that I’m keeping up with Ana and don’t always have the time to focus so much time on ME. I will admit that not having to go to work each day as been the greatest blessing. When I get tired, I just curl up on the couch with Ana and we read a book or watch a movie. Ana still naps, so most days I get to nap as well. Even if I don’t actually fall asleep, I still get to lay down and rest. Plus I have Sim around to help me anytime I’m not feeling well. Having him work from home has been such a blessing. He’s quick to bring me a glass of juice and a wet washcloth when I get sick, he puts on a movie for Ana when I’m curled up in bed with a headache, and he is understanding beyond belief when I suddenly can’t eat certain foods that I have always loved, when I refuse to eat leftovers, and when I can’t eat the same food more than once (as you can imagine, I’m quickly running out of things to eat here). I have an amazing support system around here, and I couldn’t do it without them. I love you, Sim and Ana!

Making the Official Announcement

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Well, it’s been a long time coming, but I am finally ready to make the official announcement: I AM PREGNANT!! We are going to have another baby!

Two lines! Two lines!

Seven week ultrasound picture.

Nine week ultrasound picture.

I am 12 weeks pregnant today and just starting my second trimester. The chance of miscarriage drops significantly at this point which is why we are finally comfortable sharing the good news. This gives us a November 14th expected due date! Wahoooo! In light of my previous experience, it’s really hard to let myself get excited and be happy, but I think we are finally at that point. I cannot wait to share this journey with all of you.

So backing up a little bit, after my miscarriage, the doctor told us to stop trying for a cycle to give my body a chance to recover. Then we tried the Clomid again. We did the same dose as before, since obviously it worked, just something else didn’t. I charted, tracked BBTs, and had my blood drawn (checking various hormone levels) more times than I care to recall. But it was all worth it in the end. I brought my doctor my successful chart and she joked that it was the most perfect chart she has ever seen, saying she would have thought it was the sample chart if it didn’t have my name on it. I couldn’t have been more happy!

I have been keeping a little journal for myself (since I wasn’t able to post it all here yet) and wanted to share that with you now. Ya know, just to catch you up.

3/9/10
My boobs are killing me, my face is breaking out, when I opened the fridge the combination of all the smells made me gag and I’m over-reacting to every little thing (I can see myself acting crazy but I can’t seem to rein it in). I must be pregnant. There is just no other logical conclusion.
(Please let me be pregnant. I know it sounds like I’m complaining, but I’m really not. Please, please, PLEASE let me be pregnant.)

3/14/10
After 18 days of elevated BBTs I took a pregnancy test as soon as we got home from the beach tonight. I know the tests all recommend the first urine of the day, so I had low expectations. You can imagine my surprise when the second line showed up immediately, confirming what I already suspected: I’m pregnant!!

3/29/10
Despite the fact that I have taken SEVERAL pregnancy tests over the last couple weeks, it was still a shock to me when I had an ultrasound today and we saw a baby! We were even able to see (and hear!) a heartbeat. It was so comforting to have a positive outcome and happy tears. Looks like I am a little over seven weeks along and are looking at a November 14th due date!

4/14/10
I had a doctors appointment today (I’m 9w3d) and we got to have a mini ultrasound to check on the baby. I was so nervous, but sure enough there was a tiny baby and a steady heartbeat. They printed the picture and Ana carried it around the office telling everyone it was a picture of HER baby.

A big thanks to all of you who have offered us support and shared your experiences with us along the way. We are excited and scared but we wouldn’t have it any other way. I have started a “Maybe Baby TWO!” category where any and all baby related pictures will be posted. Check back often!

Ana’s Got a New Pair of Shoes

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I signed Ana up for a “Shuffle, Point, Swing” (a combo of ballet, tap and jazz) class this summer so I knew eventually she would need a pair of tap shoes. Today while we were waiting for Sim to meet us at our favorite Thai place, we went into Dance Togs next door to pick up her shoes. Ana was very excited and as soon as we got home she ran upstairs, put on her leotard and wanted to show off for her Daddy. Having never even witnessed anyone tap dancing, we had no idea what Ana would do. So obviously we were a little surprised when she whipped out a little routine like she’d been doing it for ages. (Had I known she would be so good, I might have used a camera with a little better quality than my iPhone, but whatcha gonna do?) See for yourself:

(Oh and incidentally when I was in Dance Togs, the lady that helped me mentioned that they offer a 10% off discount to people taking classes through Tualatin Hills Parks & Rec because they refer so many customers their way, as for the shoes she love them, she is like her mother that love to buy shoes, and I even use Luxury shoes authentication services when I got branded shoes as these are important to me. So make sure you mention THRP it if you happen to shop there! The lady was incredibly helpful and encouraging, which made the experience very memorable for Ana. Bonus points in my book.)

Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival 2010

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As is our annual tradition, once again we headed to the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival in Woodburn. It is an amazing time and I highly recommend it if you have never gone. This year they added a few extra activities and the kiddos were happy to participate! It had rained the night before, so the fields were extra muddy (we were prepared with our rain boots!) but it was sunny (I was not prepared with sunscreen and as a result I got a lovely burn) and beautiful the entire time we were there.













All the tulip festival pictures are here. Enjoy!

The Easter Celebrations

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I just unloaded my camera’s memory card and was shocking to see all the pictures from Easter still on there. It feels like Easter was AGES ago. Anyway, here are the major highlights of our Easter Celebrations.

First we had our annual MOMS Club Easter Egg Hunt at Foothills Park. The weather was horrible that day, but you would never know it based on the pictures. We had about 10 minutes of blue sky and no rain, so the moms hid the eggs and we did the fastest Easter Egg Hunt ever. As we were loading up in the car, the downpour of rain started. It was perfect!




The Easter Egg Hunt pictures are here.

Then we dyed Easter Eggs. This was the first year I was brave enough to do this with Ana, so we kept it pretty simple. Ana (and Sim!) had a great time!



The Easter Egg dyeing pictures are here.

Then it was actually Easter! We spent the morning at home (so the Easter Bunny could find us, of course!) then went to my Mom’s house for the afternoon.







(Last photo courtesy of Ana.)

The pictures from Easter are here.

Silas’ First Birthday

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Last weekend, my adorable nephew, Silas, turned ONE. It is so hard to believe that this was a year ago:

Oh, they grow up so fast. Anyway, my little sister, Darcie, set up a great first birthday for Silas at the Broadway Park in Seaside. They totally lucked out and managed to have his party on the ONLY nice day of the week. Here are the pictures from his first birthday celebration.













You can see all the pictures (Yes, there are more. LOTS more.) from Silas’ birthday here. Enjoy!

Our Florida/Bahamas Vacation (Finally)

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So a million things have happened since our latest family vacation, but I thought I should at least get a few pictures up here to document the story. Sorry it’s taken so long.

Back at the end of January, we took a little family vacation down to Florida. We spent three days in Fort Lauderdale doing beachy touristy things as suggested by the experts from The Coastal Side. Then we took a 2-day cruise from Port Everglades to the Bahamas. Sim and I love cruises, but we wanted to try a short one with Ana to see how she would do (can you imagine being stuck on a boat for a week with a seasick child?!) and, of course, she did great. Then we wrapped up our vacation in Orlando where we visited some friends, went to Disney World and visited Universal Studios. We had beautiful weather (high 70’s) for most of our vacation and it was hard for all of us to come back home to reality. Here are the best pictures from our trip:
Taking flight…

At the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton, Florida.

Ana helping me stir my cappuccino with a rock sugar stick. (Is she not the most beautiful girl you have ever seen??)

Stopping to do a little geocaching in West Palm Beach.

And playing at a near by park.


Sim and I on the beach. Photo courtesy of Ana.

My family.

Sim and Ana spontaneously deciding to go in the ocean (hence a pant-less Ana).

Ana and I testing out the beds on our cruise ship.

Ana enjoying the bunk bed set up while Sim cowers lays below.

Ready to set sail on our cruise ship and enjoying a tropical drink. (Ana’s is non-alcoholic, of course.)


Ana and Sim dancing to “No Woman, No Cry” on the top deck of the cruise ship.

One big happy family, long-arm style.

Sim and Ana ready to board our glass bottom boat tour which was one of our shore excursions in the Bahamas.

Aboard the glass bottom boat in the Bahamas.

Ana and I watching the tropical fish amidst the coral reefs.

My family, lounging in a hammock, at the Cable Beach Resort in the Bahamas.

Doesn’t she look like she belongs here??

In the middle of paradise.

Ana and I swimming in the warm ocean.

And building sand castles on the white sandy beach.

We made it to Disney World!

Awww. We are a real-life happily ever after.

Seriously. Could this kid be any cuter?!?

Ready to watch Mickey’s PhilharMagic 3-D show with our Florida friends Brian, Maxim, and Jessica.

No trip to Disney is complete without a Princess Dining Experience!

Ana meeting Cinderella at Cinderella’s Royal Table.

And Belle (in her BLUE dress)…

And Snow White…

And Sleeping Beauty…

And Jasmine!

All the boys were given swords and the girls were given wands!

Ana managed to gleam on to Sim’s sword.

And of course we had to get Ana’s face painted!

We watched the SpectroMagic light parade…

and the Wishes Nighttime Spectacular fireworks.

After which Ana promptly passed out.

Our final day in Florida we went to Universal Studios Orlando.

Our family in front of the giant Universal Globe.

Ana met Dora!

And Homer Simpson!

And Ana fell in love with E.T.

Sim got a blast from the past (or Back to the Future).

Then we all buckled up for the flight home.

You can see all the pictures from our vacation here. Enjoy!

Sport Princess

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One of the ladies in my Stroller Strides class just send around a link to this adorable site, Sport Princess, that I think is pure genius! Who doesn’t want to teach their daughters that they can be girly and frilly yet sporty and hardcore?! It’s the perfect balance. I highly recommend you check out their site.

Anyone who knows anything about Ana, knows that she is GIRL-Y. Imagine that was written in hot pink, swirly letters adorned with sparkly rhinestones and it still wouldn’t be as girly as Ana. Yet, she still loves to hang out with the guys. Sure, she may pretend the sword she’s swinging is a magic wand, and she’s the only one in her soccer class sporting a skirt, but it works for her. That’s just who she is. And I wouldn’t change it for the world.