Smiles, Daddy's Awesome, and We Have a Name!

What? That subject line doesn't make complete sense?

First things first, I'm about 98% sure we've decided on a name for baby #2.

Except I can't tell you.

I have thrown out hundreds of names to Seth. Hundreds. And while he still doesn't stray from his "favorite" name, he won't commit to it either. I tried to explain to him that I neeeeed something to call this baby. To which he affectionately replied, "Baby". But that doesn't work for me folks. So I made the executive decision this weekend to start referring to baby as said name until he says otherwise. Because I've yet to hear any more good suggestions from him.

(Basically, this will be the name.)

(I think.)

So all of you can rest in peace knowing that we will be a little prepared come June.

Moving on.

Jake had some extra time with Daddy last week due to the big ice & snow storm in Houston. Except there wasn't any snow and I never saw any ice. BUT, it was enough for him to get an early release on Thursday and the day off on Friday! And I know I've mentioned this before, but Jake looooooves his daddy. And by loooooooooove and I mean loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooove.

Get the picture?

He just clings to him when he's around. They are so sweet together and it gives me a little break in the meantime!
Snuggling with Daddy. You think he'd ever do this with me? Not a chance. (Seth wasn't asleep either...maybe he closed his eyes for dramatic effect?)

Playing (pants-less) with Daddy and Tucker. Tucker has some issues with personal space.

And because it's always so difficult to get a smiling picture of Jake, I was able to take full advantage when Seth was home to get a few. I'm kicking myself for some really cute ones that weren't in focus.

Being goofy

Love this silly boy!

Kiddo loves the MegaBloks!

Jake also does a good job of keeping himself occupied while I get ready in the morning. Today he was super interested in what was on the counter and since he's not tall enough to see, I got him situated a little more comfortably.

I'm just glad he didn't turn the water on! And don't worry, I was right behind supervising.

Pretending to take a shower like Mom

Looks can be deceiving...he may look cute but was also up to no good! :)

A couple weeks ago we watched his friend, Lexi while her parents went out. Jake was nice enough to share his bedtime story with her.

We had a weather teaser yesterday when it warmed up and we could even wear short sleeves. But now it's back to being cold again. I don't know why I look forward to summer so much because I don't like the hot weather but I am getting a little tired of all the cold and layering our clothes.

Have a great week!

A Disappointment of a Bookworm

You know, I don't share this with many people...but in high school I was voted a prestigious title toward the end of our senior year.

I know what you're thinking.

Definitely Homecoming Queen, right?? Or Most Likely to Succeed. Most Awesome. Prettiest student. Most Christian. Most Likely to Have an Extremely Witty Blog?

While I probably won all of those in my own eyes (what...high schoolers being self-absorbed? never!), it was actually something a little more important.

Class Bookworm.

Y'all. I can't make this stuff up. And I seem to recall even campaigning for this position a little. I knew I wasn't going to get any of the superlatives without putting some effort into it. And seeing as how all the other ones were...ahem...taken, I was going to take what I could get.

Moving on.

For a few years I wore that title proud. In 2010 however, I was a big fat disappointment to bookworms everywhere. Y'all, I read. That's what I do! It's what I've always done. Always had my nose in a book. Except for last year.

I read one book.

ONE.

While some (ahem, Seth) might consider this an achievement, I considered this a huge fat failure.

So one of my fun resolutions for 2011 was to become a bit more literate again (at first, I typed literic. See, I really do need to read more.)

I started off the year with a bang by finished a book in the first week of January - woo hoo!

Dune Road - Jane Green (do not recommend)

So I am going to share the remainder of my reading list so far and open this up to suggestions. I have done the chick lit thing...frankly I'm getting a little tired of it. So here's to reading something with a little more substance...

Started and need to finish:

Redeeming Love - Francine Rivers (finally reading this after years of recommendations!!)
Your Secret Name - Kary Oberbrunner
Radical - David Platt (Marla, don't kill me. I never finished!!!)
Crazy Love - Francis Chan

Have and Need to Read:

The Appeal - John Grisham
The Confession - John Grisham
Twenties Girl - Sophie Kinsella
3:16 - Max Lucado
Plain Truth - Jodi Picoult
Parenting the Way God Parents - Katherine Koonce

This is already an exhausting list for only being the 31st of January!

AND! I just remembered that I actually read 2 books in 2010! So that's a little redeeming. And if you can count the books of Revelation and Ruth, I'm rolling right along! :)

So lay it on me, people.

What do I neeeeed to read?

It's a...

Boy!

I know this doesn't come as a huge surprise, but we got our confirmation that baby #2 is in fact a boy. And if the ultrasound machine is at all accurate, a big stinker of one at that...

Don't worry, he will come out of the womb grounded!!!

The little guy was moving around so quickly, it was hard to get good pictures of him being still. After the previous picture and all the hyperactive movement, I was starting to sweat a little. Jake can be a handful but at least he's a pretty calm one! I'm worried our second born might give us a run for our money! :)

Oh, but he still looks sweet! (Profile shot

Here's brother from the front...you can see his eye sockets, nose, and hand in front of his mouth (sorry for the quality, I took pictures of the print-outs with my phone)

And...no, that's not three legs. This is when he was decidedly a "he"!

We are so excited that Jake will have a little brother and hope they will grow up to be great playmates and friends. I guess it'll be up to our siblings to take care of bringing any little girls into the family!

We are still working on a name although have a few contenders. I sent an urgent email to Seth yesterday at work trying to whittle down some first and middle name combos. He replied back with an annoying, "I've made no decisions yet."

Little boy, I promise you will have a name by June!!

The doctor also moved up my due date by a week based on the baby's measurements. I don't really understand how all that works but now they're considering me almost 22 weeks instead of almost 21. But to avoid confusion (and general panic around the beginning of June), I'm still going with our original date of June 13 for blog purposes. :)

And in case you're wondering, I've been spending my afternoon watching Legally Blonde for the umpteenth time because I am so very pregnant and sometimes it's just hard to move around...

Stop rolling your eyes.

And the Academy Goes to...

We've had a little bit of drama over here lately due to what looks like at least 4 teeth trying to make their way in. The past few days were like this video on repeat, times 1.5.

Fun times over here!

Coupon Blunder?

I loooove me some coupons! Rarely do I go to a store without some sort of coupon or discount...you'd be silly not to! With just a few google searches, you'll find all sorts of 20% off deals, free shipping, etc etc. I am a part of several "birthday clubs" (as are the other 4 members of my family...human or not) and several times a year we get $10 off coupons, free meals, free ice cream and more.

SO.

I thought I scored big time when shoes.com had put everything on sale, plus I had an additional 25% off coupon. We found a pair of Stride Rite tennis shoes for Jake this summer for $15 and free shipping. Sweet, right? I sent the link to several friends with small kids and was confused when nobody responded with a "Thanks, we got a pair too!"

WELL.

When the package arrived in the mail today, I got Jake all hyped up. "Let's see your new shoes! You got new shoes! Let's try on your new shoes!"

Looks like someone ordered the wrong kind of "size 5".

Jake was still super pumped though!!

I have never felt so dumb.

Good thing they have free returns as well :)

20 Weeks (aka HALFWAY!!!)

Well here we are! They don't lie when they say the 2nd pregnancy flies by. At this point with Jake, the nursery was almost complete...

Yeah.

Let's just say nothing in our house looks any different than it did when we found out about this baby in October. Pretty sure I will be frantically trying to finish a room at 39 weeks this time. At least I've started looking at bedding and decor for Jake's BIG BOY room (agh!!).

I know you're all going to roll your eyes and scoff but I feel like a hippo! But people are still telling me I don't even look pregnant (bless you all) so that makes me feel better. :)

(Left - Jake...Right - Baby #2)

I'm 20 Weeks!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 20 Weeks

Size of Baby: Size of a banana

Total Weight Gain: 10 lbs (I can't decide how long I will disclose this info!!)

Maternity Clothes: Not yet. Pretty sure I couldn't button my jeans at this point with Jake so this is progress!

Gender: Maybe a boy but we find out for sure on Thursday!

Movement: It's really picked up in the past few weeks. Little baby moves a lot in the evenings and Seth was able to feel the other night.

Sleep: Still love my sleep!

What I Miss: Having my body to myself.

Cravings: Coffee ice cream (duh), blueberry waffles, Wheat Thins, Coca Cola, CEREAL

Symptoms: mostly back pain

Best Moment this Week: ummmmmm...maybe it will be our appt on Thursday!

We don't have any progress on a name, if you were wondering. There are a couple front-runners but nothing we're crazy about. And one name we really like is taken by a family member so......back to square one!

I'll be sure to update everyone later this week once we have confirmation on the baby's gender...

True Confessions

Well, I have a bit of a confession to make.

We are ice cream-aholics.

More specifically Blue Bell a-holics.

There are a few things that I think have solidified my marriage to Seth. Our love for Christ, our love for each other, and our love for frozen wholesome goodness.

If you've known us for more than 10 minutes, you probably already know this. But a long-standing tradition for the Anderles is to have ice cream every night before bed. I mean, why not, right? An extra serving (or 12) of protein, dairy, and sugar. Does a body good!

I've always loved coffee ice cream (if you haven't tried it, you are NUTS) but I have especially been craving it while pregnant. And not just plain ol' coffee ice cream. Coffee with chocolate chips! In a cup! With a little bit of milk!

That, my friends, is the only true way to enjoy it.


What is the point of this post, you're asking yourself?

WELL. The other night we were discussing our obsession, mostly because we had finished our last scoop. Which was a wonder really, considering it was a Thursday and I'd purchased the half-gallon on the previous Sunday. And it got us thinking. Do we really finish a half-gallon of Blue Bell a week? And even further, how is it possible that we finish a 16 serving container in a mere 6? How many gallons of ice cream do we eat per year...do we REALLY eat 52 gallons??

Then...

How much MONEY do we spend on Blue Bell ice cream in a 12 month period?

In lieu of calculating it all out, we decided that there are some things in life that aren't worth the sacrifice. And no matter how poor we are, Blue Bell will always be a priority on our grocery list.

For the sake of our marriage, of course.

I'd rather die than eat Kroger brand.

Around Here

In the past day or two, Jake has developed an independence of sorts (well, a limited independence anyway) and wants to play by HIMSELF. If you get near, he will hold out his arm as if to say, "Please, just leave me alone".

Yikes, this started a little earlier than I planned!

Earlier I knew he was in my room but wasn't sure where he went...

I didn't see him at first when I walked in the bathroom!

But then I got this dirty look. Like he's saying, "FOR THE LAST TIME, LEAVE!"

Jake, for the record, you were playing with my nailpolish. You'll appreciate my removing you from that situation in a few years.

He's also discovered a new use for his Elmo toolbench and is mesmorized...

He is methodically putting the nails and screws in the different holes...taking them out and moving them around...and doing it again. He especially doesn't want to be bothered while organizing his tools!!

This is what he did all day! (Well, when he was taking a break from organizing the nail polish of course)

Have I mentioned that Jake thinks his Daddy is awesome?

We started practicing more with plates, forks, and spoons this week. He loves to sit at the table and is proud of his new placemat. Luckily we've only had one plate throwing incident (knock on wood) but otherwise Jake has done really well!

Except for his table manners. He has learned how to push himself away from the table with his feet. Every girl's dream!

So excited to eat off his plate!

Still loves the bath!

And I just had to include this picture...

No, she's not allowed on the bed. But how do you say no to that??? I love our sweet Maggie girl :)

Tomorrow night begins my 3rd semester as a college professor. Sheesh, I should be getting tenure soon! Luckily (or unluckily...not sure) for my students, I will be 9 months pregnant by the time we take our final. And no, I won't be teaching a class this summer for anyone who was interested in signing up! Unless you'd like the class to be on sleep training a newborn...

Maybe It's About Time to Take Down the Christmas Wreath...

You think Christmas is a thing of the past? Don't worry, we're still celebrating over here!!

This past weekend, Nana, Aunt Rachel, Uncle Michael, Nanny, and Papa all came to visit! We were so lucky to spend time with everyone all at once.

Seth, Me, Nanny, Rachel, Papa, Nana

(not pictured: Jake (taking a nap), Michael (behind the camera)

Jake loved playing with Nanny and Papa. Papa makes much better truck noises than his mama does.

Please open this bag of peanuts, Papa!!

Love this!

Jake is so proud of his new vacuum cleaner. We are all tired of hearing the song it plays. But at least our floor is clean...

Michael learned the pressures of putting together a kid's toy STAT!

Checking out what Nana brought

Jake is a lucky kiddo with the biggest fan club I've ever seen! We just wish the rest of the family could've joined us. It's hard to believe there will be two rugrats opening gifts next year!

Christmas #2 (or was it #3??)

We never would've thought that on our way home from Dallas this past weekend, we'd drive through this:


(My apologies to the owner of the house. My husband was going nutso wanting pictures of all objects covered in snow)

The snow turned a 3.5 hour drive into over a 5 hour drive and all 5 of those hours with an unhappy toddler who was so very unimpressed by the portable DVD player we bought him on Black Friday?

Let's just say we don't want to do that again.

But on the BRIGHT SIDE, we did get to spend the weekend with my grandparents and Emily & Kyle. If you thought we were done with Christmas, you were wrong! It was so very cold in the Metroplex so we spent most of our time indoors much to Jake's chagrin.

But good news, he is now a seasoned pianist! We were going to stay a few extra days so he could get some extra practice with the symphony but Dad had to get back to work. Maybe next time...

We also practiced going up and down the stairs safely. Jake mostly got a kick out of standing at the bottom and looking at us through the railings. It's the little things people.

And he was also a little goofy...

Playing with Meemaw, his great-grandmother!

Riding the horse on Peepaw's leg

Kyle, Emily, and Jake. He really was pleased to be in this picture...

Checking out Uncle Kyle's new camping chairs!

We opened presents right before dinner on Saturday. Jake was less interested in the gifts and more interested in the upcoming meal. So he multi-tasked.

We were glad to see Uncle Kyle and Aunt Emily!

Jake also got to play with his Great Aunt Laurie. She gave him some books for Christmas and he was sold! Kiddo loves him some books!

Me and Meemaw. Is there a resemblance?

We had such a great time and were glad to catch up with family we hadn't seen in awhile! Now we are gearing up for yet another Christmas this upcoming weekend (better late than never, eh?) with Nana, Aunt Rachel, future Uncle Michael, and Nanny & Papa.

It's just a shame nobody ever cares to see Jake...

Children's Museum and Time Out

On New Year's Eve we headed over to the Woodlands Children's Museum to let Jake play. We had planned on going to the museum downtown with friends but once we heard about the "ball drop" at 12 noon, we decided we'd rather avoid the crowds! We weren't there for long before it got pretty crowded, but Jake at least got to explore a little and I think he'd love to go back!

Picking up some groceries for the family
It's very important work pushing the basket!
He loved this truck play area. They could fill up the trucks with "dirt" (I think it's some sort of rubber) and drive them around.

Being a fireman of course...can't you tell this is serious??

The next day we decided to ring in the new year by beginning time out.

Oh stop right there and do not feel sorry for Jake!

He may be young but he knows exactly what he is doing. We had some Christmas presents still in the living room - after not bothering any of the presents under the tree before Christmas, he finally decided to start pulling the bows off. After being told no and removed from the situation several times, Seth put him in time out. We started with 10 seconds and moved to 1 minute. And I am not exaggerating when I say he had to go to time out about 15 times in a row. He would stand in the corner and scream and then as soon as it was over, would turn around with a devilish grin on his face and go pull another bow off. Our friends were dying laughing by this point (I made them shove their faces in the couch cushions so Jake wouldn't hear!!) because they couldn't believe how persistent he was. We finally just had to leave the room because he wasn't learning.

What do you get when you combine 2 independent, strong-willed, hard-headed, stubborn parents?

Just a few discipline issues :)

(No, I didn't put Seth in time out. If you look closely you can see little Jake standing in the corner and Daddy had to barricade him in there!)

15 Months Old

Well well well. Look who's 15 months old??

I think this face says it all.

Jake, some describing words for you would include:

fun, mischievous, giggly, serious, hard-headed, strong-willed, dramatic, goofy, bull in a china closet, determined, stubborn, loving, attached, opinionated, lover of the outdoors, daredevil...

Just to name a few :)

Today we had your 15 month check up and your stats were:

Weight: 20 lbs 15 oz (10th percentile...you jumped up from the 3rd percentile - yea!)
Length: 30 inches (10-25th percentile)
Head Circumference: I forgot to ask but all measurements indicated boy genius.

You are becoming quite the communicator. Some of your words include: mama, dada, ball, shoe, socks, dog, Tucker (Tuh-tur), uh oh, and bubble (buh-buh).

Disclaimer - a stranger on the street might not be able to recognize all of these, but we can!

You also understand so much, it blows our minds! You are picking up on the order of things...for example...

- we go to the bathtub after dinner
- we go to the highchair when we wake up (this is critical...you get pretty upset if you don't eat first thing in the morning!)
- we turn off the sound machine when we wake up/turn it on when we go to bed
- we put our shoes on after our socks
- we go outside after we put on our shoes (well, not always but that's what you'd like to think)

You can also understand phrases like "let's button your pants!"...you'll look down at the pants button and walk over to me. It amazes me how far you've come since you turned 1 year and I cannot even imagine all that you'll be doing by the time your little brother/sister arrives!

I'm hoping you'll be potty trained, feeding yourself, and showering on your own. K?

We've also started working on eating with utensils. You do great if the food is already on the fork or spoon and can put it in your mouth. It's still a little difficult for you to figure out HOW to get food on the utensils but you try your darndest. You use both your left and right hand for most things and the doctor said it'd be a couple more years before we know which hand is dominant.

You love to eat: blueberries, hot dogs, mac & cheese, milk, any kind of dessert, frozen fruit, grilled cheese, beans, mom & dad's cereal, any kind of starch, Nutri-Grain bars, chicken nuggets.

You don't love to eat: vegetables (you eat a good serving of vegetables maybe once every couple of weeks. sigh)

You have just started to wear some 12-18 month sized clothes but are still mostly in 12 month (or 6-12 month from some places) and wear size 4 shoes and diapers.

You still think your Daddy is the best because he rough-houses with you way better than Mama. You love being thrown up in the air, tickled, and other things that would probably make me dizzy!

You are a joy and we are so looking forward to what 2011 will bring. Becoming a big brother, your 2nd birthday, starting preschool, better communication, and other big boy things. Brings a tear to my eye, kid. :)

Happy New Year!

Today we celebrated the new year by cooking a 10 pound ham that Seth got as a Christmas gift from work.

Money would've also worked but I suppose the ham will have to do.

We invited Jessie & Andrea (two of my college roommates) and their families over for lunch...and if you're wondering, we didn't make a dent in that ham! But we had a great time with everyone and stuffed ourselves silly. Mostly due in part to the au gratin potatoes I made. And these weren't just any ol' au gratin potatoes. They were the Pioneer Woman's recipe. So you know that means butter, heavy cream, and other things that clog arteries.

Since so many people start the new year with a resolution to lose weight, I thought I'd go ahead and post the recipe I used today :) It is so worth the pounds that may result.

Perfect Potatoes Au Gratin

Ingredients:

4 whole Russet Potatoes, Scrubbed Clean
2 Tablespoons Butter, Softened
1-½ cup Heavy Cream
½ cups Whole Milk
2 Tablespoons Flour
4 cloves Garlic, Finely Minced
1 teaspoon Salt
Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste
1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Freshly Grated

Preparation Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Smear softened butter all over the bottom of a baking dish.

Slice potatoes, then cut slices into fourths.

In a separate bowl, whisk together cream, milk, flour, minced garlic, salt, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.

Place 1/3 of the potatoes in the bottom of the baking dish. Pour 1/3 of the cream mixture over the potatoes.

Repeat this two more times, ending with the cream mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are golden brown and really bubbling. Add grated cheese to the top of the potatoes and bake for 3 to 5 more minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Allow to stand for a few minutes before serving by the spoonful. Delicious!