31 weeks

It's been a busy pregnancy week around here. Monday marked the start of my 31st week which means I have about 8 weeks to go! It's unreal to me how quickly this pregnancy has flown by and there are days that, in the busyness of life, I forget that I am pregnant.

I am feeling bigger than a house although I am actually quite a bit smaller with this pregnancy than I was with Mackenzie. Sometimes this belly feels every bit as heavy as it looks:
The side view angle didn't turn out and taking another means I have to actually put aside my second dinner and get up to take one. Doesn't seem likely at this moment. But I did ditch my long locks for a new " baby on the way" hair cut. I left behind 8 inches of hair and use way less shampoo and time blow drying these days.

Today was our third trimester growth scan. It's not a " routine" ultra sound but one that I am required to have because I have an auto immune disorder which could inhibit the baby's growth. Luckily, that isn't he case and the ultra sound revealed that Mason is a BIG kid. His weight is on par for his gestational age ( 4 lbs 7 oz) but the boy is a budding basketball star with his legs measuring more than two weeks ahead! Because of those legs, Mason is in the 71% as an average and is measuring the size of a baby that is 33 weeks old . The tech grabbed this shot of him and at first , I admit, the picture looked a little creepy because he was in the process of rolling over when she took the picture. BUT looking at it more closely, I can see that his mouth is open and it looks almost like he's smiling! I also see the beginnings of some chubby cheeks and his sister's knobby chin. I love this boy so much already:
So with less than 8 weeks to go, I've got my " every two weeks" appointments schedule with Dr. Appleton, Mike's got his paternity leave scheduled, my mom is ready to pencil in her week off as soon as we get our official c-section date, the room is ready and Big Sister is keeping her eye on her dinner, increasingly worried that mommy might snatch it up if she isn't careful. All that's missing is our baby boy and, though he can't be heard, he is sure to make his presence known with lots of big movements and kicks, some that wake me up at night. Just 8 short weeks.....

Home, sweet home!

After waking with minor colds, Mack and I were up for a low key day. I had been saving a large box for a " rainy day" and this was the perfect time to put it to use!

After cutting out a door and windows, Mack's new house was ready for decorating. Good thing she had her helper on hand to supervise:
            
                                        
Mack feels that no house is complete with out a name, address, birdhouse and doorbell:
                                    
Mack's house, complete puppy!
                                        
                                    
After playing in her house all day long, Mack was very excited to show Mike her house and it wasn't long before the house was packed! :
                                    

Happy Birthday, Malachi!

In 2008, Samantha and I were pregnant at the same time AND had the exact same due date. Malachi came early and Mack came waaaaay late so they ended up being two weeks apart but it's been fun to watch them playing together the last few months. Here's a shot of them playing with Samantha-Made volcanos ( there isn't much she doesn't do, really) at Malachi's dinosaur themed birthday party:

                                                    

                                               

                                             

The planets align!

Here's the Colorado view of the planets aligning this past weekend:

                                             

Winter Wind

Colorado doesn't " do" gloomy very well. If it's day time, the sun is nearly always shining. And that sun shine-y goodness streaming through the windows is just enough to make you believe that it isn't cold outside.  One morning last week, we woke to the usual sunny day. Peering out the window and seeing that there appeared to be a decent wind , Mike declared that he would be taking Mackenzie on her first kite flying trip. I, seeing a good photo op, decided to tag along. There is a park three blocks from our house with lots of open space. Before we knew it, we had the kites loaded and were ready for some kite flying fun. The only problem, we found, was that it was 9 am and a mere 27 degrees outside. But we were all dressed and ready to go, so we thought we'd give it our best try. Since we'd be hypnotized by the sunshine, we also had forgotten that it's February and, well,  winter. One more thing- Colorado, a pretty windy place as it is, doesn't have very predictable winter winds. Mack and I watched as a frustrated Mike attempted time after time to get the kite in the air. Take off usually wasn't a problem; a large gust would barge through, carrying the kite with it. Of course, that would be the opportune time for the wind to suddenly die down, sending our kite ( and our hopes of a fun filled morning kite flying) crashing to the ground. Even though our kites saw virtually no air time, I did manage to get a few good shots in of Mack wearing the cape that Grammy sent to her a few weeks ago. Mack loves this cape so much. Her only rule? It MUST be worn with the cowboy boots I found for her at a local consignment shop last week:
                                
  

Two in the bed....

After a busy morning around the house, Mike took Mackenzie out for some errands and I began to plot my afternoon nap. In the quiet house, I finished that momentous last load of laundry and hurried upstairs, naptime with in my grasp,only to find my side of the bed taken up by two furry ( and drowsy) inhabitants. Guess it's Mike's side of the bed for me!

Opps!

I forgot to include these picture in my Valentine's day blog and , since Mack is her own biggest fan, she realized it while checking out the Valentines' blogs  I'd posted. Opps! Sorry, Kenzie girl! She was very proud of herself when I taught her how to cut out her own hearts and even more proud was I when she wrote everyone in our family's name on their heart ( Including Ellie, Duncan and Sydney) . She had so much cutting out hearts that she continued to cut long after we'd created a heart for everyone:

                                      

                                           

Mix and Match

Mackenzie offered Mike a foot massage and thought it was so funny when I replaced his sock with hers after she finished.

Miss Peculiar

Mackenzie's new favorite word  is " peculiar" . She tosses it into every day conversation and I find it so fitting because Mack IS peculiar!  As her fourth birthday creeps days closer, I find evidence of her peculiarity every where. She's particular about how her things are and her decorative style, be it creative, is with out a doubt, peculiar. Here are just a few things that I've happened upon in our house over the last two days:

                                              

Mack's sock, decoratively hung from the lamp

One of Mack's chores is to put away the silverware and, though it looks like this is a hurriedly done job, she placed each of these  pieces of silverware exactly where it lies.

Mack's peculiar ways can even be found in the way she sleeps. Every night I check on her before I go to bed and each night I find myself tip toeing from her room, giggling at her antics. Whether it's that she's found a way to hang every stuffed animal from her curtains or how she's arranged her bed, it's clear that she wrings every ounce of energy out of her day before going to bed. Last night, I found her like this, her feet and all her other pillows tucked into her pillow case, sound asleep.

The countdown is on!

Mack and I made her birthday countdown today. She is especially proud of the cherry on top ( and that she dressed herself and brushed her own hair, in case you couldn't tell) !

Now that's using your noggin!

Annie's step daughter, Makenzie, was off from school because of presidents day and spent the day with us. The girls played anything and everything under the roof before their playings brought them to the "I bet you can't " game. After several turns at hopping on one foot and trying the splits, Kizzie bet Mack that she couldn't spell the word "off". Mackenzie thought about it, sounded it out, and came to the conclusion that it was spelled " O-F " . This didn't sound right to Kizzie who questioned Kenzie. Mack ,
who's always wearing her thinking cap, jumped up, ran over to the light switch, and matter -of -factly said " It's O-F-F and on is O-N." I was so proud for her and her ability to figure out the resolution of a problem , creatively, and on her own.

Mack, being a silly girl, shows off her ducky lips:

Sweet Ellie

I snapped this sweet picture of Ellie sporting her best puppy dog eyes and thought it was too cute to pass up;

We started a " thing"

With out actually meaning to, we've created kind of a " thing"....an "M" thing. It began almost ten years ago, me under a pile of wedding thank-you's , wanting to be sure everyone knew how we'd appreciated their wedding gift by getting the notes out in record time. I began signing the notes " M&M" which carried over to signing emails and letters the same way which lead to other people referring to us as M&M and ...well, this is how you get the start of a " thing".

Fast forward five years and I am pregnant . Like every expectant couple, we talked endlessly about names. We both had already agreed easily that a girl would be Mackenzie Claire but we were stuck on boys names, unable to agree . As it were, Mackenzie Claire was born and the name game was put to rest. With me, under a similar pile of thank you notes, we naturally transitioned to the brand Mx3.

As Mike and I planned on another baby, the topic arose but this time we realized that we had really started a thing. Now known as Mx3, we couldn't imagine not adding another " M" to our trio. A little girls name was easy but we were still stumped on boys names. And when multiple ultra sounds revealed that we are , in fact, having a boy, the topic needed to be addressed.

I loved the idea of somehow honoring Mike in our baby's name but we both knew we didn't want a Michael Thomas Long Jr. So , after kicking around a few ideas , we have happily settled upon the name Mason Thomas for our boy. I adore Mike and it is so special to both of us to know that Mike and his son will be bonded from the start around a name they share. And though Mason isn't technically " here" yet, he is already a part of our family and so, it seems fitting to add him to our little spot on the the blogosphere.
I was thinking I would do something ceremoniously, introducing him with a cute , squishy faced newborn picture under the brand new blog title of Mx4. But...I'm not that patient. And I realize I likely won't have time to spare on my blog for a few weeks, potentially leaving me with a heap of guilt for not having added our boy sooner ( after all what if he READS it?!) . Yes, I really am that overly analytical !

So , rather uneventfully, though with such joyous anticipation, we share our name , and soon, our baby, with the virtual world. And unless four ultra sound techs, two radiologist, a doctor and many " obviously boy" ultra sound screen shots are wrong, Mason Thomas will be joining us before we know it!

Valentine's day continued

Mike and I have never been big time celebrators of Valentine's day. We usually spent our evening at home with take out and a chick flick . Since having Mackenzie, though, we look forward to the opportunity to buy her little trinkets of our affection and color all her food with red food coloring served atop a fun Valentine's day plate. This year was no different ( remember that post about " toots" from earlier? This love note made Mackenzie's whole day!) :
Mike took Mackenzie on a Valentine's date to Chick-Fil-A and came back bearing gluten-free , double chocolate muffins and Oregon Chai tea ( my favorite!) .

Mack loved these little balloons and used them to decorate in very creative ways:
We three Valentine's enjoyed a dinner of " Fancy" pasta dressed up with salami and special cheeses, a dish Mike came up with a year or two before we had Mackenzie .

Though it may be true, Valentine's day may just be a commercial holiday, but I'll take any excuse to smother those I love in kisses and candy and eat inhumane amounts of chocolate.

My Valentines ( part 1)

A Valentine's day message from Mackenzie: ( click picture to enlarge)

My loves sharing the love on Valentine's morning:

Reader descrestion advised

This post contains subject matter that some may find offensive. I debated about not posting this but , in the spirit of " keepin' it real" here is what's "exciting" in our house now...

It's here! That phase that every preschool or early elementary child reaches ( and their parents loathe). The " I think toots are funny " phase. This isn't so much the problem ( who can deny that , sometimes, they are funny?) The bigger issue is this: any chance Mack finds ( or creates) in which to use the word " butt" " toot" " poop" or " fart", she'll snatch up, falling to pieces in fits of laughter at the very mention of one of these words. These words aren't " bad" and are fairly common place among Mack's older cousins and friends, but still, Mack couldn't quite grasp the concept that those words, though funny, aren't the most polite or apropriate in every situation.

With my hopes of raising a little lady quickly dwindling, we did what most parents would do. We banned the words. Each time we heard either word, Mack found herself in her room until she was ready to leave those words there. Of course, a trip to her room where she can utter the forbidden words to her hearts content was not much of a deterrent. My wise mother, who has raised five children , drew my attention to the fact that, the more Mack was told she couldn't use the words, the more she DID use them. So we uplifted the ban with the only condition being that Mack could only use those words where appropriate, mostly at home with no visitors to offend. Thankfully, this topic of conversation seems to come up less and less with the proper boundaries in place, however; Mack's favorite time of day is bedtime when Daddy changes out the common words in her bedtime songs and replaces them with one of the a fore mentioned words followed by a prayer for a few of her loved ones and thanks to God for making toots funny .

So maybe we didn't win the " toot talk" battle, but a I think a good ( and slightly entertaining) compromise was struck between both parties. You should, however , consider yourself warned should this topic become a topic of your next conversation with Mackenzie.

Making her " toot" noises:

Slip and sliding

After all that snow last week, Mike, Mack and I headed to Greeley to meet Brian, Annie and Makenzie for some sledding! Just as we thought, little dare devil Mack took to the hill , sledding fearlessly down both hills ( one Brian called " Wild" and one labeled " mild" ). The bigger hill was fun but it had been so busy that much of the snow was starting to wear away, leaving pockets of muddy grass which are not good for sledding. Greeley also didn't get as much snow as we did being that much closer to Denver.

Mack is the perfect girl to take sledding because she hauls her own sled up the hill:

Mack wasn't the only Long to go sledding. Even when I'm not 7 months pregnant, I refrain from activities that showcase my immense need for major medical health insurance. Of course, it was Mike who took to the slopes several times though he ( thankfully) did not succumb to peer pressure and attempt to " snow surf" like Brian. As the sun set and fingers began to freeze, we decided BBQ was the perfect way to warm up and warm up we did!

Interview with a preschooler 2012 edition

Last year, just before Mack's third birthday, I interviewed here with the hopes of repeating the interview this year to see how her answers changed. ( click here for last year's interview ). I had plans to post a video but Mack's answers were too long and blogspot didn't like my 4 minute video. So here's what our sassy soon to be four year old had to say:

Favorite food: " Hot Cocoa and Macaroni and cheese. "
Besides Mac and cheese?: " Pasta! With yellow cheese." "
Favorite color : " Green. Just green."
favorite song: " The girl Taxi song and The boy taxi song" ( Big Yellow Taxi , a song that Mike sings to her and another children's song)
Favorite dance: " The kind with music."
Best friend:" Brooky and Kaleb"
favorite animal: " Hmmmm.... Frogs."
favorite toy:" The Baby's toys."
Favorite thing to do: "Go for a long winter walk"
How do you stay strong? " With healthy fruits and vegetables and something healthy to drink. "
What is silly? " Funny"
How many licks does it take to get to the tootsie roll center of a tootsie pop? * confused look* " Um. Alllll the way down my throat!"
Favorite thing to wear:" Snow costumes."
Least favorite thing to do? " Go swimming in DEEP water."
What is time out? " When you do a bad thing and you have to * whispers* sit in the time out chair for a long, long time."
Who's your favorite pet? "Ellie! Wait. I mean...DUNCAN. Because he's my best friend. "

Photos with Mack are interesting these days. She either poses:
or she doesn't:

Princess Mackenzie

Mackenzie's 4th birthday is just a month away! While I originally thought we'd do a bug party, when I actually asked Mack what she wanted, she said a princess party. Well , what do I know anyway? So plans are in the works to turn our house into a palace for our sweet princess.

New Ride

With another car seat going in our cars, the reintroduction of the stroller and other baby gear into our lives, and lots of friends, family and a dog who that like to hang out together, it made sense for us to keep our eyes out for a used vehicle with a little more room. Mike diligently combed the internet sites of many of the local Ford dealers and he happened up on this:

Mike went to look at it right after working all night and managed to seal the deal on this pretty red can at 6 pm in the evening. Though he was beyond tired, he handled things very well and got us into a better suited ride for our growing family that fit with in our single income budget.

Mackenzie wasn't very sure about the van at all. She cried when we told her about it and even when we put her in her car seat inside. Tears streamed down her face as she talked about how much she was going to miss our old car. Before long, though, she warmed up to the idea. I think it was around the time she figured she could walk from the front of the van to the very back row of seating . When she found the third row cup holders she proclaimed " This van is BRILLIANT!" Before we could even reach the highway heading home , she had already delegated her baby brother to sit in the back seat so she could be sure to have room for all her toys in the front.

Snowy Friday

Word came earlier in the week that Colorado would be hammered with snow. Some parts were issued blizzard warnings while the Denver metro area was predicted to get 12-22 inches in a 36 hour period. Our area , with 6 hours left in the warning, has received about 7 inches of snow.We braved the cold and blowing snow to make our snowman friend:

And now we listen to Ellie barking at the " stranger" in our yard. I hereby retract any statements I made claiming above average intelligence of our dog.

Rapunzel

Mackenzie loves the movie Tangled and is always asking me to do her hair like Rapunzel's. It's not perfect but I'm working on it:

Every braid comes with a reminder that we are NOT going to cut her hair because she wants it to be as long as Rapunzel's.