A Few Things I've Learned...

This is mainly for all of you women...a few thoughts on things I have learned while waiting (and waiting and waiting) for Landon to make his appearance:

1. There is absolutley NO limit on the number of times people are allowed to ask you "Haven't you had that baby yet?", even if they saw you earlier in the day and asked you the question that very morning.
2. Mood swings and pregnancy are so intertwined that it is hard to tell if you are cranky because you are still pregnant or still pregnant because you are cranky.
3. Eventually you DO get tired of trying to hold the sippy cup, wrestle a purse and a diaper bag out the door, AND hike your pants up every few steps while explaining to your toddler why you can't hold her baby doll, too (but eventually, you do break down and carry the baby doll). This leads to your careful weighing of the decision, "Do we really NEED toilet paper from WalMart today?" even if you ran out three days ago.
4. There are skinny people EVERYWHERE when you are pregnant, and none of their faces look even the slightest bit puffy.

And, the most important thing I have learned in the past few days of this pregnancy (drum roll)...

5. If you can still manage to reach for the bag of M&M's just out of arm's length on the couch during a contraction, it is probably not TRUE LABOR!!!

Hugs and kisses to all, and keep watching...I just KNOW this baby is as ready to be born as I am to see him!

Landon's latest photo shoot

Here's some ultrasound pictures from our appointment today. If you can't tell at first what you're looking at, don't feel bad...Bo and I had no idea how to tell a chin from an elbow unless the tech explained it to us! The first two are 3D - but of course, he had his hand in front of his face. The last picture is his profile in standard 2D...a little grainy but we still think he's cute!

37 Weeks and counting! We had a baby shower today, graciously given by my sister-in-law Traci, and now I have finally been given the go-ahead to get this whole labor and delivery process on the move. I was going to have major guilt if I missed my own baby shower, so I was glad that Landon decided to come to the party still being carried around by mom. The shower was tons of fun and made me so thankful for the friends we have made since coming to Billings.

Not too much else to report from this end. Our apartment is getting more and more crowded with baby stuff, and is now starting to look like a cross between a small day care center and a toy store. Juliana has already figured out the buttons on the bouncy seat and swing, so if I thought that little "soothing" ocean-sounds music drove me nuts the first time around, now I am really on the rampage to TURN THAT MUSIC OFF!! (Thanks, Fisher Price!)

Speaking of noise, Landon will be sleeping in a bassinet in our room for the time being, so we are praying that either Bo will be cured of snoring by the time he is born or he will just be a really, really sound sleeper. Pray for a happy, nap-lovin' kid!!!

That's about all for now. Hope everyone's 2008 is off to a wonderful start. We'll keep ya posted on Landon's progress!!

The waiting game

Hello again everyone! Hope you all enjoyed a wonderful Christmas. Our first Christmas in Montana was great, even though we missed lots of things we had always looked forward to with Christmas at "home" (dinner theater, dinner with our small group, dinner at my folks...do all of our Christmas memories revolve around food??!!) Juliana had an absolute blast opening all of her presents, and the tree stayed surprisingly intact throughout the entire season (minus a few broken ornaments that were falsely advertised as "virtually unbreakable!"). When she came out into the living room on Christmas morning and saw all of the presents under the tree, Bo asked her who they were for and she just shrugged. Guess we had her so conditioned NOT to open anyone else's present that she just couldn't imagine she might actually get to open them! When she found out they were, in fact, ALL FOR HER, her eyes went huge and she dove right in before we could change our minds. She has cooked us breakfast every morning since Christmas on her new kitchen set from Grandma and Papa Vaught, and I think Bo is enjoying playing with all of her new toys as much as she is (I have caught him with her Barbie computer on more than one occasion).

Well, our bag is finally packed for the hospital, and we are anxiously awaiting Landon's arrival. Now that we are only 4 weeks away from our due date, each day we wake up wondering "Is today the day??". Looking at the bag ready and waiting by the door is worse than waiting for cookies to come out of the oven (or for Juliana to get herself dressed) so we are hoping the day comes soon! I know that I have started to get that look in my eye of a woman on a mission, and I have stopped wondering why people give me an extra two feet of personal space when they see me waddling towards them in the grocery store. I think they are just hoping I don't eat them as a pre-dinner snack before they can race to get in front of me in line. (Let's just say at my next appointment my doctor may not be singing the praises of my weight gain as much as she has in the past!).

We'll continue to keep everyone updated on the progress of Pumpkin Head #2.

Congrats to two couples, Katie and Lenny and Libby and Stu, on finding out the gender of your upcoming arrivals! I have a bad habit of spilling the beans on things that are supposed to be a secret, so if you are going crazy with curiosity you'll just have to check with them!!

Love and miss everyone.

-Brooke, Bo, and Juliana

Jesus Loves Me

Hello everyone! Thought we'd try our first attempt at uploading a video. More to come if this works!!

Hope everyone has a wonderful and very merry Christmas.

Big Girl Bed

Just wanted to share the latest from our newly graduated "big girl". She has made the switch from the crib to a toddler bed with hardly a glance behind her...what else would we expect from full speed ahead Juliana? We hadn't planned on moving her to the bed just yet - I had just told my dad the day before that she was going to be in the crib as long as possible just to keep her in one spot for naps!! (I remember when Juliana was born that someone told me to keep my words sweet since, as a parent, I'd be eating a lot of them!) The move happened after a near-traumatic incident with one chubby thigh getting caught in between the bars of the crib. I was sitting in the living room, patting myself on the back for not giving in to Juliana's cries and staying strong that she WOULD nap that day, when I finally caved and went in to see what all the fuss was about. Evidently, she had a good reason for crying, since her leg was so stuck in the crib bars that we had to use lotion to grease that puppy out of there! (Talk about getting the Guilt-Stricken Mom of the Year Award!) After that, there was no way she was getting back in the torture chamber that she had slept so peacefully in for the past two years, so welcome Big Girl Bed!! It only took a few times of getting out during naps, and one or two suggestions that the crib might be coming back in the picture if she didn't stay put, to make her decide that the bed was the coolest thing since...well...the temperatures in Montana!

In other news, we're getting all geared up for Landon's arrival. Even though I techincally have six more weeks, I have been having so many contractions lately that it's hard to believe this can go on for that much longer. I know they say that all of the sleepless nights during pregnancy are just to prepare you for the sleepless nights after the baby, but doesn't it seem like NOW is the time when I should be storing up peaceful, sound, hours and hours (and HOURS) of sleep to get me through the delivery??? No one asked me, though, so it's up and down every few hours. Bo sprained his back earlier this week, so between the two of us limping around and me holding my belly and he holding his back we are quite a pair. Those of you who have been fortunate enough to observe my husband on pain medication already are getting a mental picture of those fun-filled evenings we have had lately.

Hope everyone is doing well and getting ready for a wonderful Christmas!! Love and miss you all.

Just a quick belly picture for those of you who are curious (you sick, sick people! Just can't wait to laugh at the pregnant woman, can you?) Let's just say there's a LOT more of me to love right now. My belly also has the added bonus of being able to "accidently" annoy rude people at the grocery store ("Oh, excuuuuuse me! I didn't mean to knock over that entire display of canned green beans right in front of you! No, I'm not smuggling a watermelon under my shirt...please don't call security...No!! Wait!!)

Hugs, kisses, and love from one cranky momma in Montana.