Parental Spy Program!!

When Chad and I were expecting Lauren, we decided to forego the video monitor system and stick with a simple audio version.  Being new to the parenting experience, we did not want to turn into those parents who cannot stop obsessing about their sleeping baby in the other room.  After all, a crying baby is a breathing baby!!

It worked perfectly and we now know that we have a more laid back style when it comes to the sleeping process.  It is ok if the baby cries a little bit and we do not need to run into the other room at the slightest sound.  But, with a second baby on the way, we decided to up our monitoring system.  I wanted something that would work for both bedrooms, and I wanted a video monitor now that Lauren is in a big girl bed.  It is nice to know when she is sneaking out of bed to play with her stuffed animals.

We also have a video camera for baby Charlie's room, but it really won't pick up much, other than sound.  I placed it across the room, so that we would not spend all night checking to see if our sleeping baby was breathing.  Just like the audio monitor, all we really need is the sound.

But, after playing around with the video monitor, these past few weeks, I have to admit that they are pretty fun!  It has become our own version of a "Parental Spy Program"!!  Lauren is always very quiet when we put her to bed, but she certainly does not go right to sleep.  With our audio monitor, we always thought she was the perfect sleeper.  Now we know that, while she does sleep really well, she still takes a good hour or two to finally pass out.  And, without the video, we would miss some pretty cute and funny images!!

Most evenings, Lauren spends some time reading her stories by flashlight!

One time she found a box and decided it would fit perfectly on her head!

Or there was the time I checked and discovered her covering Wrigley in an ENTIRE bottle of baby lotion!  Poor dog!!

But the best images are always ones that show a passed out little girl!!  

Preparing For Our Baby Boy!

We are officially in the home stretch for our baby boy's arrival, and we have been working really hard to get everything ready.

First, we had to clean out Chad's office (our 3rd bedroom), to make room for nursery furniture.  Chad spent two weekends going through everything and moving his computer down to the office in the basement.  He did a great job and soon we were ready to transform the room for our baby.

Of course, that room was also our "cat" room, so we ended up purchasing a carpet shampoo system, so we could make sure the room was nice and clean.  And then we ended up cleaning all of the carpets in the house, which was a pain but very nice once it was all completed.

A few weeks after the room was emptied, Mee-maw and Grandpa ordered the furniture and had it delivered.  Chad was very excited to assemble the furniture, and even let Lauren help him with the crib.  It turned out great!!

We decided to go with an "Airplane" theme for the nursery, and I was so excited when the bedding finally came.  Since we had Lauren, the government has decided that crib bumpers are unsafe, so we decided to forgo using ours.  But the rest of the bedding is adorable!!

As for wall decorations, I ordered a few different airplane decals.  One is a silhouette of a C-130, which is one of Grandpa's favorite planes.  It just wouldn't be a proper airplane room without one of those "cuties" on the wall.  There are a few other things that still need to go up, but the room is definitely coming together.

We were also very fortunate to get a LOT of baby boy clothes from our good friends, the Peters.  They have a little boy, who just turned 1 in February and he was one well dressed little boy!  We also have gotten some adorable outfits from our other friends and family.  It took a little organizing, but all of the clothes, through 6 months of age, have been cleaned, folded and put away!  The rest are in the closet and ready to be swapped in, when the time comes.

Also, this week, Chad brought up all of our old baby gear from the basement.  We had to clean some things.  It is amazing how dirty stuff can get in storage, but it is now ready for our baby boy to use!  Lauren has been very interested in all of the equipment, and hopefully this will be a good way to slowly get her used to the idea of sharing (both her toys and our time).  She has even been putting her baby doll in all of the gear and seems to understand that it is for a baby and not for Lauren.  

                     

But the most important part of our preparation, and the part that has made me the happiest, is our decision on a name.  It took a while, much longer than when I was pregnant with Lauren, but we finally agreed on Charles Jackson Fisher.  

Charles was my first choice for a name.  It was Chad's grandfather's first name and is my Dad's middle name.  And in addition to being a good strong family name, I am in love with "Charlie" as a nickname!  Some other people in the family really liked the name CJ, after a friend's son (Matthew Shafer) suggested it for Chad Jr., so we decided to go with Jackson as a middle name, in order to keep that nickname as an option.  

With just a few weeks to go, I am anxiously looking forward to meeting baby Charlie, but I have also been looking back at the past 37 weeks with a little sadness, as this will be my last pregnancy.  All in all, this time around has been much easier and I am feeling pretty good at this point.  Baby Charlie does not feel as big as Lauren did, and he is more of a roller, which is much appreciated after the constant kicking Lauren put me though!!  But he is head down and will hopefully come out, without much trouble, sooner rather than later!

Finally, I have documented this pregnancy much better than I did with Lauren, so I will leave you with a few photos at different stages...

The day we found out we were expecting (4 weeks)...

The day we told our families we were expecting (8 weeks)...

(14 weeks)...

(24 weeks)...

 A view from above (33 weeks)...

(36 weeks)...

I imagine this will probably be my last blog post before our baby boy is born, and I really hope to be blogging again VERY soon!!  Until then, I will wake up each day, and anxiously wonder if that will be the day we get to meet Charles Fisher!!  I really cannot wait!

What a 3 Year Old Personality!

Last weekend we celebrated Lauren's 3rd birthday and, once again, I am amazed at how much she has changed!!

At 3 years of age, Lauren weighs 28.8 pounds, and is 37.5 inches tall.

Also, her vocabulary has really taken off, and she is now putting together rough sentences.  We still need to work on her grammer, but she is definitely able to convey an idea.  For example, she may say:

"Sun goes down, moon goes up"
"I chase Wrigley"

Some of her favorite things to say right now are:

• "I help too"
• "I come too"
• "Wrigley sleep with me"
• "You got it"
• "Silly ___________(insert your name here)"
• "Yummy in tummy"
• "Giddy Up"
• "Say Cheese"
• "Good catch"
• "Watch this"

Some of her favorite shows/movies are:

• Bubble Guppies
• Doc McStuffins
• Sophia the First
• Jake and the Neverland Pirates
• Curious George
• Anything princess!!!

Some of her favorite books right now are:

• Any Olivia book
• Any Curious George book
• Any Thomas the Tank Engine book

Some of her favorite toys right now are:

• Any instrument (and she has a ton)
• All of her Lego Duplo sets
• Her Minnie Mouse playset
• Her Olivia playet
• Her robot, Alphie
• Her paint easel
• Her puzzles
• Her play kitchen
• Her little car
• And most importantly, her Leap Pad Tablet!!!

Some of her favorite activities right now are:

• Chasing Wrigley around the house
• Playing catch with all of her balls
• Singing and dancing
• Playing dress-up
• Watching Daddy play hockey
• Ice Skating with anyone who will go out on the ice with her
• Playing in the snow
• Jumping in puddles
• Helping mommy & daddy in the kitchen
• Taking pictures of herself and everyone around her
• Pretending to be a puppy

Some of Lauren's favorite foods right now are:

• Grilled cheese sandwiches
• Mac n cheese
• Peanuts
• Blueberry muffins
• Grapes
• Blueberries
• Bananas 
• Dried apple chips
• Apple sauce
• Fruit loops cereal
• Chicken nuggets
• French fries
• Chips
• And of course...Birthday cake!!!

She has definitely blossomed into such a cute and sweet little girl and we are definitely proud to call her our 3 year old daughter!!  

Lauren & Chad's Birthday Parties!

On Sunday, March 16, 2014, we celebrated Lauren's 3rd birthday with a party at The Clay Bakers, in downtown Annapolis, Maryland.  It is a "paint your own" pottery studio, and seemed like the perfect place for a party.  We invited the usual suspects: the Bloughs, the Ackermanns, the Agbedes, the Shafers, and all of Lauren's grandparents, aunt/uncle.  We scheduled the party for 2 pm, so that we could scoot over to The Old Stein Inn for an early birthday dinner for Chad and Rick Nelson, a friend who shares the same birthday as Lauren!

Once we arrived, we headed upstairs, to the party room, and started getting everything set up.  Lauren was so excited and kept peeking out the window.  It looks as though she is waiting for her guests to arrive, but I think she was more interested in watching all of the cars and people on the street below.

Pretty soon the guests started to arrive and the party began.  The kids all picked out a piece of pottery and settled in at the table to paint.  It was fun watching them get creative.  Lauren chose a box shaped like a present and really focused on the task at hand.  It is always difficult for me to simply watch her paint, and not step in to help finish off the piece, but I am proud to say that I left the box alone when Lauren stated she was done and only half the piece was painted.  It will still be adorable!

                     

As part of the party package, the store paints a plate decorated with Lauren's name, age, and birthday.  Then they put her handprint on the back and have all of the guests sign their name.  Since we did not have too many guests, everyone was able to place a painted thumbprint on the plate.  This will be a neat keepsake for Lauren!

Then it was time to clean up and get ready for some cake.  While all of the kids finished painting their pieces, we quickly grabbed Lauren, E, and Matthew for a quick photo.  And what a photo it turned out to be!!  For being so happy, the birthday girl sure did make some angry faces!!  

When we brought over the cake, and sang "Happy Birthday", Lauren seemed very confused.  She kept frowning at everyone and refused to blow out her candles.  It took a LOT of convincing and multiple countdowns, but she finally got the hang of it and blew out all three candles.  Then it was time to actually eat the cake, and the smiles came back out!!

At the end of the party, Lauren had time to sit down and open presents.  She got a lot of great stuff this year...  

Doc McStuffins Dress-up Gear, an Olivia Playhouse, a Minnie Mouse Guitar, a Jigsaw puzzle and bracelet kit, her first Care Bear, books, a digital camera, Under Armour outfits, a Leap Pad, a lot of Leap Pad games, Lego Duplos, and some big girl games!!  She certainly is one lucky girl!! 

Once everything was cleaned up, we all headed over to The Old Stein Inn to celebrate some adult birthdays.  This German restaurant is one of our favorite places and was the perfect place to unwind and get some food.  I brought some Simpsons themed cupcakes for the birthday boys, and Chad did his best impression of "angry Lauren".  He was spot on, and I think it is clear where she gets that face from!

Luckily there were plenty of kids at the grown-up celebration, so Lauren was able to play with Sophie and watch Bubble Guppise shows with Jack.

And before we all left for the day, we assembled in the back of the restaurant for a group photo.  The last time we took a photo like this, was 6 years ago, at Chad's surprise 30th birthday party.  A LOT has changed since then!!  See for yourself...

2008

2014

Although it was a long day, I think everyone really enjoyed themselves and it was a perfect way to celebrate Lauren and Chad's birthdays.

Happy 3rd Birthday Lauren!!

Happy 36th Birthday Chad!!

A Big Girl Bed For Lauren

As we prepare for our baby boy's arrival, I want to get Lauren as settled as possible.  We have ramped up the potty training, so I don't have two kids in diapers, and we decided to transition her to a full bed.  I wanted to get all of this done a month or two before the baby is born, so that it would not be too much of a change for Lauren.

She has done amazingly well with the potty training.  We took a break over the holidays, and have had minimal accidents since we started back up.  She is still in pull-ups for nap time and bed time, but is in underwear the rest of the time.  It is so nice to have a short break from diapers!!

As for the bed, Lauren has been sleeping in a full bed at Mee-maw and Grandpa's house for a while now.  She always did really well, so Chad and I were confident that she was ready for this next big step.  We discussed the big bed for a few weeks prior to the switch.  We read books about big girl beds and we all shopped for her mattress and comforter.  Lauren even "helped" Chad convert her crib.  She was so excited!

                     

Since, Lauren was officially free to move around her room, Chad and I invested in a good video monitor.
When Lauren was in the crib, we were not as concerned with what happened in her room, and were happy with our regular monitor.  But now I would like to know when she is not in her bed or if she is climbing on the furniture.  We did not want to have multiple monitors, with the baby, so we have two cameras connected to one monitor.  It is perfect.

The switch was relatively painless.  Lauren is really good about staying in her bed.  She may occasionally get out of the bed, but it is only to get a book and she climbs right back in.  The only problem comes with getting her to actually fall asleep.  She is so excited about her freedom, and we have allowed Wrigley to sleep in her bed with her.  Most nights, and naps, we have to go in a few times to remind her to go to sleep.  It usually ends with us removing Wrigley and various books/toys before she settles in to sleep.

We still have a ways to go, but so far, Lauren has loved being in a big girl bed and the transition has gone fairly well.  We still have 5 more weeks before the baby arrives, and hopefully that will be enough time to get Lauren back into a regular sleep schedule.  

Disney, Snow, Valentines, and Family Fun!

This year, Chad, Lauren and I were very busy around Valentine's Day.

On February 12th, Chad and I took Lauren to see Disney on Ice (again).  This time, we went to the Verizon Center in Washington DC.  The show was different and just as entertaining as the first time.  Lauren enjoyed a dinner of popcorn and sat in her daddy's lap the entire show.  It sure does help to have a tall daddy, when sitting behind adults who block your view.

                     








As we drove home, snow began to fall.  It turns out our area had a nice sized snow storm, overnight, which dropped over a foot of snow.  Chad's office was closed and we spent a fun day relaxing inside and playing outside.  The snow was so deep, that Lauren had a hard time walking.  She would take a step and fall over.  I also had a hard time with the snow and every time I fell over (which was quite a bit), Lauren would yell out "careful Mommy".  She would then try to get to me, so that she could hold my hand and hold me up.  Of course, she would fall as soon as she tried to take a step.  Despite the difficulty in navigating the snow, we all had a great time.

           

On Valentine's Day, Chad surprised us with flowers and chocolates.  Lauren opened her Valentine's Day gifts, which included a Minnie Mouse watch and big girl Legos.  Then the three of us headed to our favorite Mexican restaurant for our annual Valentine's Day dinner.  The staff all know Lauren and she enjoys seeing them.  Chad and I may no longer have romantic V-day dinners, but I wouldn't change a thing!

The day after Valentine's Day, Lauren and I headed to Salisbury to celebrate Mee-maw's birthday and Aunt B's sobriety.  February 16th is a special time for our family and it was certainly a happy celebration.  We started off with a dinner at the Blue Dog Cafe, in Snow Hill, Maryland.  Grumpa and Grammy joined us, and we enjoyed some lively entertainment with our meal.  It was a late night, and we definitely wore out Lauren.  

           

The next day, Lauren and I attended church, with Mee-maw and Grandpa and then headed to Pemberton Coffeehouse for a baby shower luncheon.  It was perfect.  The food was delicious, as always, and the company was great.  Mee-maw, Grandpa, Aunt B, Kevin, Grammy, Grumpa, and Pastor Patty were all there.  

In addition to receiving a lot of baby gear, Lauren even got to open a few presents and learned how funny inhaling helium can be.  Don't worry, she did not get to inhale anything, but simply laughed while we watched Kevin, Grumpa, Aunt B and Grandpa.  

    

                

It was a busy couple of days, but we had a lot of fun.  As we get closer and closer to the birth of our second child, it is becoming more real.  And I cannot help but think of each moment as likely the last time that will happen before he arrives.  That was definitely our last Disney on Ice show, the last huge snow storm, our last Valentine's Day, our last time at Rockawalkin Church and our last time in Salisbury.  Soon, all of our similar moments will be experienced by our sweet family of four!!