Family Vacation

So this summer, finances are a little tight, so we decided to take a few small trips instead of a big family trip.  During August we spent a week camping near the beaches in Rhode Island.  Minus the rainy first part of the week, we really had a great time!

When I say camping, I don't mean camping.  Mike and his mother have a pull behind camper with all of the basic amenities, bathroom, beds, stove, fridge, etc.  I don't know that would be brave enough to camp in a tent without a pregnant belly and a 10 month old - nevermind with them.

We got to spend a lot of time at the beach, which is one of my favorite things to do.  Mike and I pretty much got a system down for dragging everything from the car to the sand, setting up, and then taking it all down.

Ezra loves the beach, too.  He might have eaten enough sand to fill a sand box but it was fun to watch him roll around and dig, or chase the seagulls, or watching the boats.  He liked playing in the waves and knocking down sand castles.  He didn't seem to mind wearing his hat, getting sand in his diaper, or being knocked over by a surprise wave.  This kid really is easy going.

As I mentioned in this post  I attempted to take a bike ride.  Mike's dad has a child seat on the back of his bike that we borrowed and Ezra loved it.  Mommy and baby Violet did not enjoy the bike ride quite as much.  We enjoyed reading or relaxing while they went for rides.

Of course we went with the Harley Davidson helmet

Sometimes he even fell asleep!

I really enjoyed sitting by the campfire with Mike after Ezra went to sleep and reading my new Kindle (love my kindle!).  Or going out for ice cream or clam cakes (or both, lets be honest, I am pregnant).  The heat definitely kicked my butt a little bit and caused my nausea to kick in.  It was hard to stay cool when we were spending so much time outside.  Much different from last summer when I was pregnant with Ezra.

Here are some of my favorite beach photos!

Crazy eyes

 

 

Crawling in the water

 

playing in the sand

Covered in sand

Whew, that was a long walk!

Mommy and Ezra

25 weeks

Drumroll please!! The baby in my belly is a....... GIRL! Apparently you readers know what you're talking about. Not sure why I didn't wear a pink shirt for this picture...


How exciting! We are thrilled and can't wait to drown in all the pink. Really, I never thought I would say that but I am somewhat excited about little girl outfits, and pig tails, and all that stuff.

At this moment we are loving the name Violet. I can just picture myself yelling it and telling her to stop bugging Ezra. It just seems to fit.


At the ultrasound the tech had a difficult time getting all the photos she needed because little Violet was such a wiggle worm. Apparently she will share this trait in common with her brother. Everything looked great, she's right on target.


Here's an ultrasound photo for you:

Little Miss Violet @ 20 weeks

How far along? 25 weeks

Weight gain: I think right around 10 pounds.

Belly measurement:

Stretch marks? Yup.

Sleep? Not great. I'm soooooooooo tired, and can't really nap (insert photo of energetic 10 month old). Napping also makes me nauseous, but I also can't really sleep at night so I'm just tired.

Best moment this week? Seeing a picture of myself with Ezra in my maternity bathing suit and not throwing up. Seriously. I feel like a whale but I'm happy to see that I don't actually look like a whale, even when I'm on the beach.

Food cravings: Cheesecake. Can someone please get me a delicious piece of cheesecake? or a whole cheesecake? I got a piece at Longhorn the other night and it was not good. Very disappointing when you've been fantasizing about a slice of cheesecake for weeks. If someone walks by me with a slice, I hope someone is there to hold me back...

Weirdest symptom: Shooting pain up my left butt cheek. Seriously. Add in a morning charlie horse and you've got a weird symptom. "I know I'm walking funny but I'm not cripple, just having some sciatic pain and a charlie horse." I almost wish someone could take some video when this happens, would surely win $10,000 on America's Funniest Videos.


Funny Pregnancy Moment: Me on a bicycle. Just picture it, you'll laugh, I promise.

I thought it would be fun to go for a bike ride with Mike and Ezra while on vacation at the beach. Well let's just say it wasn't fun and ended up with me nearly throwing up all over myself. But at least I can laugh at it now. I'm sure all the people in the campsites we walked our bikes by were laughing at me - and with reason.

Labor signs: Just a scheduled c-section date and paperwork to prove it! December 2nd, here we come! And to think, Violet will most likely share a birthday with one other special little lady...

Belly button in or out? totally in, and still pretty cavernous. I could probably hide some things in there if I needed to, like my iPhone or a slice of cheesecake for when I have a craving.

Movement? I'm feeling a lot more movement on the top of my belly which tells me that she is probably head down. She is a mover.

What I miss? Hmmmm, nothing really this week. But next week I will be missing my summer vacation...

What I'm looking forward to: The cooler days of Fall. I'm really excited for cider, and pumpkins, and sweatshirts. I will miss the beach, but I do enjoy Fall so much.

Weekly wisdom: If you see a pregnant woman holding a baby who looks hot and sweaty walking towards a chair at an aquarium, don't take the seat before she gets there. It's just not nice.

Milestones: Made it past the halfway point. One more week until viability...