Christmas 2012

Christmas was great in so many ways. It was special to have so much family we hadn't seen in a long time come visit (Thom & Derek & Andy from SF). The Wyatt side visited us Friday-Sunday, then we had Christmas Eve solo, then we spent Christmas day with the Wheeler side. We did a Gingerbread house, visited Superstition Farms for the Mooey Christmas event, are Ted Wyatt meals and opened gifts on Sunday. Then we laid low on Monday since Liberty got a stomach bug. Santa came, ate his treat, drank his milk and took the picture Liberty had made for him. Santa brought Liberty a Radio Flyer trike and a full stocking to our house with a note saying more gifts were at Mom-mom and Pipas. There she got a Princess Castle with all the beautiful princesses (just like she asked for on Santa's lap). Some of her other favorite gifts included Disney figurines, a princess toothbrush, a cat blankie, dress up stuff, Cinderella anything, PJs, soft dresses, craft stuff, twisatable crayons, candy land and more. Henry was so much fun to have around - it is nice to be snuggled and have a sleeping baby cozy up with you. Lots of great memories were made this year and we have such a wonderful family to share them with.

"He's my favorite baby" - Libs

LIFE WITH HENRY - the first week

Breakfast with Santa

Liberty went on a date with daddy to have a pancake breakfast with Santa, do a craft, decorate some cookies and sit on Santa's lap. (Thanks City of Gilbert - all for $10? I love it). They had a blast and daddy actually took some pictures to capture the day so I could see what my girlfriend asked santa for! "I want a Castle with ALL the princesses...snow white, belle..." This album has another video in it that I cannot seem to get on the blog otherwise. It is Liberty watching Henry be changed (like she does for almost EVERY diaper change!) and she is telling him to "calm down Henry, it's me, big sister." I love this video.

Henry James Wyatt is born!

Originally due on 11/28 and all motherly predictions pointing to an early delivery - our son FINALLY decided to show up on 12/5 - a day before I was to be induced. We visited our OBGYN the morning of the 4th and had an ultrasound to check on him since he was so late. He was fine and the tech predicted a 9 pound+ baby. We didn't believe her.Contractions started at 6pm Tuesday (at chipotle, where else?). My mom was summoned to watch over Liberty at 8:30pm. We labored at home until 3am, then met our midwife at the hospital. I was 6.5 cm when I checked in. Walked around and labored some more and got the epidural at 8cm. Had Henry at 9:43am. It was a really wonderful birth experience. Everything went as we had hoped and unlike Liberty's somewhat stressful entry into the world - Henry was very healthy and got to bond with us for an hour before the nurses took him from my arms for bath/shots/etc. 9 pounds 2 ounces, 20.5 inches (which we think is an under measurement because at his week checkup he was 21.5 - I doubt he grew an inch in a week! He was 9 7oz at 6 days old. He has the same STRAWBERRY hair as Liberty and the same BLUE EYES. He's pretty adorable and not a fussy baby. Liberty is over the moon at having our baby finally here - she has been nothing but 100% loving and helpful - not one tear shed or tantrum thrown. Henry fits right in and we love him like crazy.

Bump Photos

I tried to capture the pregnancy journey like I did with Liberty - here are the belly pictures we took! :) BUMP PHOTOS

"Calm down baby Henry, it's me, big sister"

I am working to get baby henry pictures on the blog soon...but for the chronic blog checker here is a little video that caught a cute moment from the big sister...

"Calm down baby Henry, it's me, big sister."

From 2012_12_8 Breakfast with Santa & Daddy

Liberty's first Pony Ride...

I'm behind on blogging....so here is a video from a little town festival we went to that had Pony Rides!  The 2.5 year old on her own horse - she thought it was awesome.  We also got to ride on a horse drawn carriage (just like CINDERELLA!)

From 2012_11_28 Holiday Pony Ride

Thanksgiving!

We had a great thanksgiving this year.  I was so glad everyone rolled with the punches and came together.  Since we were on baby watch my in-laws graciously brought a turkey feast to my house, and since my birthday was the following day, and I didn't know if I'd be having a baby, we also had my family join in and make for one big Thanksgiving.  Ted worked his cooking magic and made a great bird, stuffing, gravy and cheese rolls (all from scratch).  My mom made mashed potatoes, green beans and brought the Asti.  I made the Wheeler Apple Pie.  It was great to use my dining table and dishes we never do, and it was nice to have my brother who has spent so many holidays abroad with us too.  Liberty had a blast - we set up the bounce house and did a Turkey craft with her too.  My birthday/Black Friday was fun too.  Cameron and I got new phones (happy birthday to us!) and went to Liberty Market by ourselves for a birthday breakfast date while Grandparents watched Liberty.  We also celebrated with them at Joe's Farm Grill for dinner.  AND Cam and I went to see LIFE OF PI in 3D!  All my birthday wishes came true.  I have the best family that let me relax on this holiday and everyone was beyond helpful.  So much to be thankful for!

Nursery/Playroom BEFORE & AFTER

I had such a good time creating this nursery.  I knew I wanted a spindle crib (thanks Grandma Jo!), the same dresser we have for Liberty from IKEA, and the 3 closet doors taken off to store toys.  Then since Liberty's favorite color is blue I thought the combo playroom/boys room would be fine and I incorporated a mixture of all blues and grays.

Some of my favorite things:
ABC flashcards hung with putty
Formula 1 race track art from ETSY (for Cameron really)
Ledge shelves for books from IKEA
Biplane from my mom (pier 1)
Cross from two-mom - 10+years ago from Tubac art studio.

Thanks to Cameron for not painting the room this time. LOL j/k.  Honey, all your handy work made this room possible and I love you very much.

BEFORE & during makeover....


AFTER:

FLASHBACK'S GIG

My dad had a great gig in Fountain Hills at a neat cowboy venue called Ft. McDowell Adventures (hayrides, lasoing, campfires, good, live music, etc.  It was great to hear the band play and have a fun night out.

My dad's rocknroll band FLASHBACK:

From 2012_11_9 Flashback Gig in FH

Cooked our hotdogs and smores!

From 2012_11_9 Flashback Gig in FH

With my mom, Liberty, Patrick, my uncle Franc, Patrick's stunt double Chris, and Cameron.

From 2012_11_9 Flashback Gig in FH

Happy Birthday Cameron

Cameron took the day off work to celebrate his birthday and to try to accomplish the JOE'S RESTAURANTS birthday trifecta.  Yea for free meals and a lot of leftovers! Fun times.

Breakfast at Joe's Farm Grill:

From 2012_11_05 Cameron's Birthday

Lunch at Joe's Real BBQ

From 2012_11_05 Cameron's Birthday

Forgot to take a picture at Liberty Market for dinner but it was super fun.
and Cameron did a little car seat installation too........Liberty his constant sidekick in all things Baby Henry related:

From 2012_11_05 Cameron's Birthday

Grandma Jo Visits

Cameron's parents were coming to visit Liberty and celebrate Cameron's birthday.  However, Ted went to San Francisco to be with his dad, Granddad to us, who passed away this past weekend.  So our weekend was a mixture of grief, reminiscing about Granddad and celebrating Cameron's birthday.

Tea Party

I was invited to Liberty's tea party a few weeks back and it was (in her words) "a wonderful tea party" - she's gotten so funny about role playing and it reveals so much of what she's learning.  For example, I had no idea she knew what a "recipe" was but I learned from her that she does indeed and she was kind enough to share her "famous cranberry tea recipe" with me.  She was a kind host that was even concerned with cooling down the tea for Curly the poodle dog.  She was also cute in the fact she wanted to wear a special new dress (complete with tags) and a bracelet to the event. This is a long video probably only watchable to family at 4:35 minutes long.  So here is a picture for the more casual blog visitor:)

From 2012_10_30 Tea Party + videos

From 2012_10_30 Tea Party + videos

HALLOWEEN Trick or Treating

Actual Halloween - I feel like we've been celebrating all week long!  Cameron got home early and we went to Chipotle in costume (minus the glitter tutu).  We brought our dinner home and sat in our driveway to pass out some candy to early trick or treaters.  Liberty has dressed up as a "little gray cat" for days now and on actual Halloween she decided she wanted to be Cinderella - so after dinner her fairy godmother came and bippity boppity boo - she was transformed to Cinderella.  She was a pro trick or treater and then really liked handing out candy too.  At first she kept calling the trick or treaters "customers" and liked serving them like at a lemonade stand she said (too much Max & Ruby television!).

Pumpkin Carving and More Fall Festivals

We went to Vertuccio Farms again (this time with Cameron) to pick out our pumpkin and do more jumping on the air pillow!  We got there right when they opened on a Sunday so Liberty (and very pregnant mommy) wasn't overrun on the air pillow with bigger kids.  Libs really likes the cow train and milking that silly cow aka plywood cow with fake udders.  We also checked out the farmers market next door which was really cool - got some honey and you can see real bees at work in a display they've created.  The night before we went to our neighborhood Fall Festival which generous neighbors put together each year that involves homemade chilli and pies, a ton of booth games, and 2 bounce houses.

Liberty requested our famous KITTY CAT pumpkin design for our pumpkin again this year.  She wasn't that interested in helping with all the slimy guts, but salted those seeds for roasting and we all enjoyed those.

Trick or Treating with MOPS and Preschool Fall Festival

My MOPS (Mother's of Preschoolers) group went trick or treating at a Senior Living home.  It was really cute to see all the kiddos dressed up and going around to all the elderly in the dining hall.

On Saturday Liberty's preschool had a Fall Festival with old fashioned games, crafts, food and a few performances   We had a good time and it was another excuse for this Little Gray Cat to show her dance moves.

35 weeks!

I have a feeling Henry will arrive before his due date of Nov. 28th - so my days are filled with lots of nesting and preparing for holidays with 2 kids!  I packed a hospital bag, have washed Henry's clothes, almost finished the nursery and have only a short shopping list to accomplish.  I feel really ready and would like very much to have my body back since he's quite the mover.  No major complaints besides the waddle aches, some swelling and heartburn.  Here are pictures of the bump 35/40 weeks and Liberty who did the kiss the belly move without instruction which had us laughing.

From BUMP baby #2

From BUMP baby #2

Out of Africa Wild Animal Park

Fed the giraffe, saw the Tiger Splash show and visited lots of exotic animals up close and personal.  What a park!  Happy outing with Mom-mom too!

Vertuccio Farms

Some Fall Festival fun at nearby Vertuccio Farms with my MOPS group.  Camryn, Liberty's BFF from preschool, was there and they picked out a pumpkin for a future painting playdate:)

Bear Down Arizona

While visiting my ailing Two-Dad in Tucson we stopped at the old UofA to go down memory lane.  Made a wish in the fountain, got an ice cream cone at the Union (making wishes come true!), walked around, had lunch at No Anchovies - good times.

Music Class with Ms. Colleen

Since Liberty was 18 months we've been doing the Gilbert Recreation "Kindermusik" class with Ms. Colleen.  They have formed quite the bond - and on this day Liberty brought her favorite mouse "Amberly" to meet Ms. Colleen's mouse "Alegra".  Ms. Colleen is one of those special people who light up Liberty's life and have taught her so much about listening, sharing, having fun, offering ideas and music.  I wanted to have a picture to capture this moment because it's been a class Liberty and I have shared just the two of us for a long time, and Ms. Colleen was truly the first "teacher" role model in Lib's life.

Ms. Colleen and Liberty (30 months old)

From 2012_10_3 Music Class with Ms. Colleen

30 Weeks & NAME!

Here is my 30 week belly bump picture.  I'm actually 32/40 weeks as I write this.  Up 30 pounds, feeling LOTS of fetal movement and feel pretty good overall.  Minor symptoms: heartburn, waking up a million times a night to pee, making myself sick on eating junk - ah pregnancy joys.  55 days until due date!

Oh and the bump is most likely HENRY JAMES WYATT.  But both Cameron and I had a name change on the day of our birth so we reserve the right to do that too - Tyler and Melanie Wyatt:)

From 2012_9_27 Random, 30 week belly, nursery

Liberty wanting in on the action:

From 2012_9_27 Random, 30 week belly, nursery

Andy Visit!

Uncle Andy came to visit!!!  We went to Sienna's 3rd birthday party (Andy's girlfriend's niece and Liberty's friend) and Andy also helped Cameron build baby Henry's dresser and crib!  Liberty was a big helper and enjoyed the heck out of having company around.  What is it about company that makes kids so wild?!

IKEA

We went to IKEA to get baby Henry a dresser.  Libs selected a "best friend for Amberly" (the gray rat that is buckled in with her) - which is a gray version of her favorite stuffed animal these days - a mouse/rat named Amberly.  The new rat she named Asha.

From 2012_9_23 Ikea trip

Another highlight - a blue tongue from a lollypop:)

From 2012_9_23 Ikea trip

From 2012_9_23 Ikea trip

Daddy Date Night

Preschool hosted a Daddy Date Night that involved a few performances by the 3/4 year olds (and our 2 year old), and some projects with dad (legos, playdoh, craft stations).  They had a blast together and Liberty seized her opportunity to milk the special evening by requesting a dinner with daddy at Chipotle afterward - happy camper.

Cameron said that Liberty was one of the only kids dancing (even though she decided not to sing I guess).  These videos will probably be so lame to anyone who isn't related to this child - but here is 1 (about 1:30long) - there are more if you click the link under the video.

From 2012_9_23 - Daddy Date Night

Babymoon to Sedona

Cameron and I took a romantic getaway to Sedona this weekend. Two nights away from Liberty - which hasn't happened since she was 8 months old!  She's usually our road trip sidekick - but this time my mom (Mom-Mom to Liberty) babysat her and she did great.  We left at 3pm on Friday and returned 2pm on Sunday and had such a good time relaxing in Sedona and pigging out as usual.  We took a day-trip babymoon to Sedona when pregnant with Liberty so it was fun to go down memory lane and talk about our growing family.  Sedona is such a special place to us - way back to dating, celebrating the evening we got engaged 8 years ago and more.

We had a grown up dinner when we arrived at ENCHANTMENT RESORT and enjoyed the heck out of that resort.  The next day was dictated by meals:)
Breakfast at Che ah chi at the Resort (privious night dinner spot)
Lunch at L'Auberge resort - I've always wanted to eat creekside there!
Dinner at Elote Cafe - the local favorite that has a line out the door prior to opening at 5 - we got in, barely.
Dessert at Cucina Rustica - our usual dinner spot, we at least had to visit for a quick stop.
Then, a surprise STARGAZING adventure Cameron planned - with an astronomer and a telescope, and the most starry filled sky I've ever seen. Best husband in the galaxy;)
The next day we headed to the Anthem Outlets for some shopping and then to Barrio Cafe for lunch in Phoenix (another local, no reservations, hotspot I've been wanting to experience for ages).

Then back to my beautiful baby girl.  THANKS MOM for making this memorable trip possible.

Play Hard

Meet "Amberly" - a rat from IKEA that get's a lot of special treatment from Liberty - including lunch everytime we have lunch:)  And a few of Amberly's friends...

From 2012_9_9 - Random Liberty Playing

From 2012_9_9 - Random Liberty Playing

Meet Liberty - who really cut loose at preschool making homemade ice cream and looked so disheveled when I picked her up I had to snap a picture when we got home (and this is with somewhat fixed up hair!) Shaking that ice cream bag around was hard work and then eating it was a drippy mess too I guess:) - but someone has got to do it.

From 2012_9_9 - Random Liberty Playing

From 2012_9_9 - Random Liberty Playing

From 2012_9_9 - Random Liberty Playing

Meet Rain - and our flooded back patio.  An excuse to get out all the rain gear we own - which is very little.

From 2012_9_9 - Random Liberty Playing

Labor Day Weekend - Flagstaff, Bearzona

My camera's battery died a few minutes into our BEARZONA outing - so I only have a few pictures of Liberty cracking up with Grandpa and some phone pictures from Grandma and a watermelon-cousin picture from a cookout.  It was a good family filled weekend - lots of puzzles (Lib's latest craze) and playing outside at parks in the 70* weather.  So nice to have Grandparents in Flagstaff and the 1on1 time that Liberty looks forward to.  It was also great seeing everyone together for a cookout at my sisters house (both parents and my sister's family).

From 2012_9_3 Bearzona, Labor Day in Flagstaff

From 2012_9_3 Bearzona, Labor Day in Flagstaff

From 2012_9_3 Bearzona, Labor Day in Flagstaff

From 2012_9_3 Bearzona, Labor Day in Flagstaff

From 2012_9_3 Bearzona, Labor Day in Flagstaff

From 2012_9_3 Bearzona, Labor Day in Flagstaff

From 2012_9_3 Bearzona, Labor Day in Flagstaff

25 Weeks and Growth Ultrasound

I'm actually 27 weeks as I write this and we just got the ultrasound today...but here is my 25 week belly shot.  I feel fine and this baby boy moves almost constantly.  He is measuring 3 days ahead of schedule (how the OB comes up with this stuff I do not know), is in the 57th percentile for weight (2pounds 6 oz).  I predict he will be smaller than Liberty's 9lbs 22in, and come early rather than late (7 days!) like she did.  I've gained 20 pounds so far.  Liberty is the most enthusiastic sibling in the world and her little brother isn't even here yet!  She often brings him toys or blankets and will start a random dinner conversation with "I think we need to buy our baby boy a crib at Target".  lol  She thinks of him constantly.  Actually, for her weekly show and share at preschool she is bringing her "BIG SISTER" book.  She has started a pile of toys for "when our baby boy comes" and always wants to add to it things she sees that we have stored away (like the infant car seat/bumbo/etc).  Daily we watch videos of when she was a tiny baby.  She seems to have a real grasp about all the things our baby won't be able to do.  She told the OB today "Our baby will only have a tiny bit of hair."  And she mentions how he will only drink milk and won't have any teeth and how we'll have to teach him to say mama/dadda.  I'm amazed at how interested she is and it's hard to push off the excitement...but we've started to tell her that her brother will come "after Halloween" so she can at least have some sort of tangible milestone of time.

From BUMP baby #2

face - closed eyes, nose, lips, and arm/wrist/hand - I think the middle picture is the only decent one.

Weekend (GNO, Farmers Market, Splashpad, Potluck, Playdate)

Friday - Girls Night Out at Pizzeria Bianco!
Saturday - Breakfast at Gilbert Farmers Market + Petting Zoo + Splashpad.  Dinner and swimming at neighbors!
Sunday - Neighbor girls over to decorate cupcakes and play play play.  Cookout with family in Fountain Hills.

Amazing what a totally empty weekend can turn into overnight:)

Random Pictures

dress up potty break

From 2012_8_8 - Cupcakes and Dressup

8am cupcakes

From 2012_8_8 - Cupcakes and Dressup

ebay helper - anyone in the market for some bears my aunt collected?

From 2012_8_20 - Skirt by Kris

2nd Day of Preschool

From 2012_8_16 - Preschool

1st Day at Preschool!

Liberty is in the 3s program at Wilkins Learning Center. She goes Tuesday/Thursday 8:45am-11:45am. Dropping her off for her first day went great - she happily held Mrs. Ratliff's hand to the playground area and gave me a hug/kiss goodbye. I went to my car and cried a little and then had to get going to my MOPS group that meets during the same time.

The first thing she told me at pickup was "I made a beautiful painting for you mommy!" and we went home with like 3 crafts already! (we don't have an easle at home, so I think that's particularly thrilling - and she got to use LOTS OF BLUE PAINT). I asked her teacher if she was at all weepy and she said she wasn't. And I asked if she went potty and she said she DID ASK HER and went - which shocked me because I put her in shorts that had a button/zipper that I've never seen her do - so I think she got some major help. I asked Liberty who helped her get her shorts off and she said Mrs. Ratliff - so I guess I believe her:)

Eventually I got 4 stories out of her.
1 - "A little girl told me "NO!"" - and then that story developed into how they were going to be friends if the little girl named Camryn would be nicer to her. lol
2 - "I got to be a princess and everybody brought me food" - and then the story grew to how she sat in a red chair and was given popcorn. When I asked if anyone else got to eat popcorn she said no - so I'm a little suspicious of this story - and then she did say some of the food was pretend.
3 - Then Liberty started singing a song "pokey pokey bumble bee - can you say your name for me?" So I think they played a little name game song.
4 - "I ate teddy grahams, fig newton cookie and 3 mike&ikes candies!" - and "I threw away the bag in the trash" so I noticed she only ate the special "junk treats" I packed as snack and left the healthy stuff alone:)

Pinetop Tournament 2012

Each year we go to Pinetop to remember my Uncle Willie and have a memorial golf tournament. And every year it rains. No big deal - except this year it rained out the golf game - when some had only played a few holes. It was still a fun weekend of a dinner on Friday night, Saturday golf (lunch for non-golfers), and an after party cookout at my parents rented cabin. This year was especially fun because we shared a rented cabin with the Helsels and the cousins bonded. Most of my extended family comes and we see them for the afterparty which this year involved lots of toys and Liberty playing (mostly) unsupervised for a few hours - which was a peek of what is to come with older kids. All MY cousins were there (9) and some of them are young enough to play with Libs or adopt her as their special buddy.

Andy Visits!

happy happy joy joy. Uncle Andy came on an airplane to hang out with us! This was the best news to Liberty who frequently asks him to "come over and pretend with me?" (usually via her play phone). Liberty kept calling Andy her "dear uncle Andy". She also would tell me that he is her "best friend in the whoooole world" - which is a phrase she had reserved for mommy/daddy - but no longer. We swam, combated a haboob, organized the playroom, cooked out, went out to Liberty Market and Postinos and played played played. As we dropped Andy at the airport Liberty said "I miss him. He can come back whenever he wants" You heard her Dear Uncle Andy.

Waterbeads

I've been wanting to do this project for awhile. This past week while we were stuck inside on a hot day we grew these waterbeads (just add water for a few hours) and then spent the rest of the day pouring, squishing, sorting, dumping, spilling, etc. waterbeads.  It was a lot of fun - they feel so neat and are clean and reusable.  I took a ton of pictures and don't really have the time to go through them, so here is the entire album.  P.S. you can get these at walmart for like $1 in the floral section. Here is a link with much better pictures of these little beads: http://www.meetthedubiens.com/2012/07/water-marbles.html

21 weeks and 3 days

my bump.  The most adorable part about this bump is I'm still 6 pounds less than I was BEFORE I GOT PREGNANT WITH LIBERTY! So, happy slow weight gain party for me.  On a less vain note, I am feeling the baby boy kick a lot more lately and am feeling fine except for tiredness which I normally wouldn't mind except it makes me never finish my bookclub books!  Making some progress on names...2-3 name list...hopefully soon we'll decide.

From BUMP baby #2

What Kind of Animal Quiz

Liberty loves our new little game we call "What kind of animal?" where I quiz her about things animals do - like "What kind of animal likes to eat honey?" - "A BEAR!".  Or in Liberty answering style "How about BEARS!" This video is 5 min long because she decided to go on some cute tangents about hummingbirds and Shamu...

From 2012_7_20 - Waterbeads and what kind of animal VIDEOS

Watching a show

Here she is watching a show with "her baby boy and Madeline".

From 2012_7_20 - Waterbeads and what kind of animal VIDEOS

Princess and the Pea

Just a few bedtime notes about our picky princess.
1 - must have socks. Preferably clean ones with lots of blue.
2 - must have a very particular arrangement of stuffed animals.
3 - usually will need pajama pants even for nap (or shorts if it's too hot - not a skirt). Pants under a nightgown.
4 - she will not give up the socks even when she's sweaty.
5 - cupcake blanket must be flat.  She is never under covers.
6 - sound machine must be turned up if she hears motorcycles or cars going too fast.
7 - wants to wear a pull up even though she doesn't need it and is always dry.
8 - stalling tactics include: glass of water, going peepee last minute, telling daddy goodnight I love you AGAIN, telling her dogs/cats sleep tight, reading "one more tiny tiny really really short book" - or "just a half" of a book.

From 2012_7_20 - Waterbeads and what kind of animal VIDEOS

VACATION! San Diego, CA

Day 1 - dealt with 3 puke stops (car ride from hell). Poor sick Liberty. Hello Lawrence Welk Resort, Escondido!
Day 2 - San Diego Harbor Cruise and Theatre Date Night (Late Night Catechism)
Day 3 - Sea World! and Theatre Date Night (Beatles Experience)
Day 4 - Beach! Luau dinner at Resort
Day 5 - Pools! - 4th of July - down day
Day 6 - Legoland!
Day 7 - Pools! - Cabana - sparklers
Day 8 - Bye Lawrence Welk Resort

 When I asked Liberty today about her favorite parts of the vacation she had this to say: "Ummmmm....feeding the sting rays"
"Building a car with daddy"
"Playing in the sand"
"Don't like roller coasters, too scary"

Liberty had a 24 hour stomach bug that made for some memorable moments for Cameron and I (that we'll keep to ourselves, thank us later). My parents were generous enough to share their beautiful 2 bedroom timeshare and show us a quality vacation. Liberty loved having Mom-mom and Pipa around - mainly to have more people to survey with question after question:
"Mom-mom, what's your favorite color?"
"Pipa, what's your favorite musical instrument?"
"Daddy, what's your favorite fruit?"
"Mommy, what's your favorite part of vacation?"

Oh and for the record her answers are blue, the flute, watermelon and feeding the sting rays. Thanks mom and dad for the special vacation to beautiful California - we love you!

216 photos ahead: click to cruise at your own pace...

It's a BOY!

My hunch was right...we are expecting a baby boy! Liberty's hunch however, was very wrong - but she's coming around to the idea of a brother rather than a sister. Also, 6/9 old wives tales we read about pointed to a boy too. Our ultrasound went great (18 weeks) - baby boy is healthy and still on track to come around Nov. 28. When the tech told us we were having a boy - the first thing Liberty said was "sometimes baby boys puke". :) We all celebrated with dinner at OUTBACK and I pressured Cameron about baby names the whole time. We had a girl name picked out (Abigail) but we only have a very short list of boy names and are undecided. The next day at TARGET Liberty asked to buy the baby some boy socks - so we did - and two shirts she picked out. Now I can stop obsessing about the gender and enjoy my 7 day San Diego vacation with thoughts of our son:)

Playhouse

I bought this playhouse on black Friday last November thinking that when these 113 temps came - we could pull this out and distract ourselves! It has worked. We have had a lot of fun coloring/decorating it and having tea parties, etc inside. Cheetah Girl likes it too (see really cute video).

Chippy

After an evening swim Liberty slipped and fell in the shower, chipping her front tooth! We called our dentist who amazingly called us back within 10 min (at 8pm at night!) and helped us via phone with how to help Liberty in case her injury was more serious. She was bleeding from her lip and around the tooth and the tooth was slightly loose. He suggested to ice it (yea right, she wouldn't even take a Popsicle) and give her some Tylenol for the pain. She had calmed down within 20 min and seemed fine. She slept through the night and Dr. Patrick saw us at 8am the next morning. He also referred us to a pediatric dentist across the street. After exams and xrays both dentists are optimistic she will keep her tooth - but there is a chance the tooth could start to die and discolor - and in that case may need to be removed. For now, the roots don't look too damaged and the fact she is not in pain and is acting normal (sucking thumb, eating, sleeping, not complaining about it) is a good sign too. The dentist will see us again in a couple weeks and maybe in a month we can file the tooth and talk about cosmetic work, but for now we are letting her body heal itself and don't want to cause any more trauma. Here are some awful pictures I took on my phone of our girl Chippy (can you tell I hate my camera phone?).

Trying to beat the heat

In our attempt to beat the head we've been doing a lot of crafts (beads+glue and water colors are her favorite) and we went bowling at Brunswick Zone. My camera battery was dead so I only got to snap a couple bad pictures with my phone of her in the arcade playing a driving game and a basketball game with Cameron.

Bump, Naps, Swim and FATHER'S DAY!

Here is my baby bump at 15 weeks. Liberty wanted in on the photo shoot too. A shady evening swim is Liberty's new favorite ritual with daddy. Daddy likes the no sunscreen, and Liberty likes to be naked and swimming her little heart out. Mommy likes staying dry and hearing them laugh their heads off together. Also included are our pictures from Father's Day! We were going to have lunch at home until Liberty said in her sweeeeeeeeetest little voice "please may I go to the pet store? Hold a tiny tiny puppy verrrry carefully" So we burst out laughing and trekked in the 112 degree heat to San Tan to see the puppies and had lunch at Johnny Rockets where she insisted on sporting her entire 4th of July outfit a little early. Cameron, if you read this, know that Liberty and I feel so loved having you as daddy/husband. The confidence and kindness you teach Liberty everyday is filling up her little life with the most fun memories, the most valuable education and the finest example of true love she'll ever know. Happy Father's Day!

VACATION! Santa Fe, NM

We took a road trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico. It was an 8 hour drive there so we broke it up by going to Flagstaff for one night. Then we spent the other three nights in a condo in downtown Santa Fe with our friends Carrie and Paul. We toured 2 historic Catholic churches, ate out almost every meal, took a day trip to Taos and explored the town's history, culture, food and art. Liberty's souvenir was several rocks for her new rock collection. I got some beautiful green turquoise, Navajo handmade earrings. Cameron got a history bus tour:) Liberty had ZERO accidents and told us every time she needed to pee/poop - which was usually 30 min. after pregnant lady needed to pee - so we made a lot of stops but we were still very proud of her. We stopped back by Flagstaff for dinner on the way back to say hi to some family.

BIG GIRL BED, Peaches, Wyatts - Memorial Day Weekend

This weekend we went to pick apples and peaches at The Farm at Agritopia. This is right next door to our favorite - The Coffee Shop and it was 75 out! Glorious! We had a scone on the patio and Liberty went around to pet all the doggies at The Coffee Shop. After that, the Wyatt's came for a visit and we got a mattress for Liberty's new bed, build the bed, and played at the park. It was a great great visit on our last cool temp weekend. p.s. She slept through the night in her bed bed!!! Naptime the next day was rough since she kept messing with the window shutters and playing with her stuffed animals. Daddy worked on the windows (blackout and keeping closed) so hopefully today's nap goes better! It took her 1.5 hours to fall asleep last nap - but she never did get out of the bed at least:)

Fun Summer Weekend

BABY BUMP PICTURE! (12.5 weeks along). Liberty caring for a babydoll. Swimming in our pool. Pickin' Peaches at Schnepf Farms. We live a charmed life.

Two-Dad

Two-Dad had an unexpected trip to the hospital and is home now recovering with the help of some additional nursing care. My family took a last minute trip down to Tucson to see him and he was thankfully having a good day.

From 2012-5-12 - Visit TwoDad

Liberty and Charlie playing with the chair cushions...

From 2012-5-12 - Visit TwoDad