Ana’s First “Shuffle, Point, Swing” Class

Posted on June 28, 2010 by simzgirl

Today Ana started her first “Shuffle, Point, Swing” (an intro to tap, ballet, jazz and a little hip hop) class. She has been eager for this class to start since I signed her up for it months ago. And the class did not disappoint! Teacher Katie, amazing as always, has the ability to mesmerize a class full of three year old girls and somehow teaches them how to become graceful little dancers. Since parents only get to sit in on the first and last class, I was sure to bring my camera today so I could share it with all of you.

I also managed to get a couple little video clips. They are from my iPhone, so they aren’t great, but you get the point.

(Ana is in the middle, to the right of Teacher Katie.)

(In this clip, Ana is on the far right, next to the mirror.)

You can see all the pictures from Ana’s class here.

Half Way, Baby!

Posted on June 27, 2010 by simzgirl

Today I am 20 weeks, which is officially the half-way mark in my pregnancy (assuming I go the whole 40 weeks this time). So, what has been happening? Well, I have been feeling the baby move. Sometimes I am more sure it’s baby (and less stomach funkiness) than others, but the human body does all sorts of strange things so it can be hard to tell. From time to time I will feel something that feels like a kick, but I know the baby is much too small at this point for me to feel it so strongly, so I can only assume it’s something digestive. At this stage, when the baby moves it’s more like bubbles or that feeling you get when you miss a step walking down the stairs. Nothing I would describe as “kicking” and certainly nothing like the kicks I remember getting late in my pregnancy with Ana.

I’m also at the point where I am no longer allowed to lay flat on my back (because my uterus will put too much weight on my inferior vena cava-the vein that transports blood from your lower body to the heart) so I have once again dug out my Snoogle. It has become the coveted spot on my bed and both cats literally wait for me to make the bed in the morning so they can be the first to claim the comfy spot. But other than being a lovely cat nest, it has made sleeping so much more comfortable, which in my ever expanding state, is quite a feat.

Frodo enjoying the Snoogle, tucked safely under the covers.

Otherwise I have been feeling pretty good. I haven’t thrown up in a week (knock on wood), I have started to get some of my energy back (in little tiny spurts), and I have still managed to get in a few good Stroller Strides workouts each week. Now we are just waiting for my ultrasound on July 6th where we will (hopefully find out if Baby Bateman 2.0 is a boy or a girl! Wahoo!

Oh and here is the much anticipated 20 week belly shot. Lovely, eh?

(For comparison sake, here is my 20 weeks with Ana post.)

As always, any pictures of Baby Bateman 2.0 will be collected here.

Ana’s First Tumbling Class

Posted on June 25, 2010 by simzgirl

This last Wednesday Ana went to her very first Tumbling class.

She took pre-gymnastics last year, but that was a parent participation class. Tumbling she does ALL. ON. HER. OWN. And Ana, my Little Miss Independent, could not be happier about this. Ana was quick to point out that they didn’t do any actual “tumbling” (somersaults) but since it was the first day there was a lot of rules and such to cover. But they get to do lots of fun things…

Like stretching…

And hopping…

And log rolling…

And the balance beam…

And swinging on the bar.

As you can imagine, Ana had a great time. She can’t wait to go back next week! You can see all the pictures from her Tumbling Class here.

Tons of MOMS Club Fun

Posted on June 22, 2010 by simzgirl

For those of you who don’t already know, I’m a member of the MOMS Club of North Beaverton. (Ok, ok. I’m actually the president…for the second year in a row. I just can’t “do” anything halfway. I know.) We do the vast majority of all our fun activities through the MOMS Club. It has been a fabulous resource for me and my family. Through the Club I have discovered a huge array of fabulous family-friendly things to do in the Portland metropolitan area. We live in such a great community, it would be a shame not to take advantage of all the great things this area has to offer.

And take advantage we have.

Two weeks ago, Ana and I met a bunch of our friends for a tea party at the Lavender Tea House in Sherwood. Ana was thrilled at the chance to “dress up fancy” and I love any opportunity to enjoy tea and scones (with clotted cream! And jam! And lemon curd!).

You can see all the pictures from our tea party here.

Last week, we went with a bunch of MOMS Club friends to the Oaks Park Preschool Play and Skate event. They give the kiddos a 15 minute group lesson, let them play/dance around the old wood rink, and then wrap it all up with milk and cookies. What could be better than that??

You can see all the pictures from roller skating at Oaks Park Preschool morning here.

Today we went strawberry picking at Groveland Acres in Hillsboro. The weather was perfect and the berries were beautiful. I just love all the wonderful things Oregon has to offer!

You can see all the pictures from strawberry picking at Groveland Acres here. Enjoy!

Ana won! Ana won!

Posted on June 11, 2010 by simzgirl

Today I got an email from Bethany over at the Sport Princess Blog informing me that ANA WON THE CONTEST! Now before you get too excited, she didn’t win the Grand Prize for the most votes (but a huge THANK YOU to all of you who DID vote) but she was the second Grand Prize winner for the random drawing. She won $250, some fun Sport Princess gear, a Soccer Princess book (when it is published) and a custom Sport Princess gown! Can you believe it?! I am so excited and proud of my little Sport Princess!

Happy HALF Birthday, Ana!

Posted on June 9, 2010 by simzgirl

Ana has been so excited about being three and a half that we actually started counting down toward the big day. Well today, June 9th, is that day. So all day long I would say things like “Of course you can watch some more TV. It’s your HALF birthday today!” or “Sure, we can have a Girls Date for lunch. We have to celebrate your HALF birthday!” I had to make some treats for thank you gifts, so I decided to set a few aside and make them “half birthday treats.”

Ana and her “half birthday treats.”

The pink cake balls.

Pretending to blow out the candles.

Enjoying the first bite. After which she said, “Oh. My. God. These are so tasty!”

You can see all the pictures from Ana’s half birthday here. Enjoy!

16 Week Belly

Posted on May 30, 2010 by simzgirl

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

Posted on May 24, 2010 by simzgirl

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!

Making the Official Announcement

Posted on May 2, 2010 by simzgirl

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!

Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival 2010

Posted on April 16, 2010 by simzgirl

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.