Baby Update/21-Week Ultrasound

Today we had our follow-up ultrasound with the perinatologist.  This was a fact-finding mission of sorts.  Not just a search for soft-tissue markers for Down Syndrome, but a gender revelation as well!  Sorry that I can’t share the big news just yet, but we need to share with some special grandmas before going public!

That being said, Baby Kueter looked great.  The specialist looked at baby’s brain, stomach, spine, and long bones, paying special attention to the heart (as my sister had a baby with a congenital heart defect).  Not only were all 4-chambers present, but there was no canal defect (common among babies with Down Syndrome and my nephew’s diagnosis).  And although baby was in the breech position s/he flipped several times just during the ultrasound!

While, the doctor wouldn’t change my odds considerably, he did lower my risk for this little one having Down Syndrome a bit.  Apparently close to 50% of babies with Down Syndrome do not have soft-tissue markers that appear on ultrasound so I think that he is erring on the side of caution.  That being said, I really have come to feel a certain sense of peace about the whole situation.

This lovely gal, Kelle, has really helped me out…whether she even knows it or not.  If you haven’t discovered her blog, Enjoying the Small Things, then you must check it out.  Kelle was surprised with the gift of a baby daughter with Down Syndrome in January of this year.  Her blog is honest, raw,  and full of emotion as well as beautiful with pictures of both of her daughters and the “small things” that bring them pleasure each day.  Her blog is pure eye candy!

Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers…I know they must be working because I felt such a sense of calm and peace when I walked into that appointment with my family this morning.  We are halfway to accepting whatever gift God has chosen to grace us with and we can’t wait until delivery day!!!

Kids Say The Darndest Things…

This morning, I’m joining Lucy over at Mystical Rose Design for her “Kids Say the Darndest Things Fridays” post.  Click on the link or the button on my sidebar if you would like to join in or just get a chuckle from some of the other cuteness that our little ones share with us each and every day.

This beautiful little wooden cross is part of my son’s infant/toddler Rosary given to him by his godparents on the day of his Baptism.  As always, it has hung on his dresser mirror as a symbol of our faith.

Recently, Benjamin (age 3) asked if he could see his Rosary.  I obliged and explained, simplistically as one can, the meaning behind the Rosary, the beads, the prayers, etc.  (Did I mention that big sister, Mary, age 5, tagged along for this conversation?)

As I stepped out of the room to answer the phone, it was then that I heard a high-pitched squeal with all the drama that a 5-year old could muster….

“No, Benjamin!  Rosaries are for prayering not wearing.”

Seems that I’ve taught my first-born well!  HA!!!

Wishing you all a lovely weekend,

Soccer Diva

In an effort not to project my own insecurities upon my daughter, I signed Mary up to play soccer through our local parks and rec department.  (Did I mention that I only played soccer for two years…that I was terrible at it…and that I broke my wrist on the eve of my 13th birthday at soccer practice?  Needless to say, I’m really not a fan.)

BUT, like I said, trying hard not to project here…

Soccer started the first week of March.  Three words…

Cold. And.Wet. 

The upside?  Participating in a new activity meant shopping for new athletic wear.  No longer are we just a leotard and ballet slipper family.  We’ve now added shin guards and PINK cleats to our wardrobe!

Let me tell you, watching PreK/Kindergartners play soccer is a bit like watching HERD ball…not a lot of structure to the game at this age!  And honestly, Mary was CLUELESS out there…it was a bit painful to watch!  LOL

I think right about now, Mary was complaining about how cold it was!

Practicing being goalie.  “What do you mean I can touch the ball?  You told me NOT to touch the ball!”  And see this little gal in red…born with soccer in her DNA.  Seriously.

Upon returning home, our little soccer diva was a bit disturbed by how “dirty” her cleats had gotten…oh sweetie….you have no idea what’s in store for y0u when it comes to dirt!  We’ve got the rest of March and all of April to get through!

After soccer practice, we went to watch cousin Ashley compete in a volleyball tournament. 

Ashley was recently recruited to play on a national select volleyball team.  What does that mean…besides my sister-in-law shelling out more money?  Ashley will now be competing in tourneys in both Indianapolis and Denver.  Congratulations Ashley!

Yup, she really is 6 foot tall at the age of 15!  It’s the Danish in her!  ;)

Disney on Ice…Now and Then

Besides nursing head colds, beginning and finishing a painting project on the first floor of our home, and shoveling from a freak springtime snowstorm, we managed to fit in a bit of recreational fun during our week of Spring Break.

The little ones and I attended Disney on Ice with some good friends.  Unfortunately, little man was not feeling 100% the night of the performance, but as he had his heart set on attending, I could not disappoint.  So, I did what any other respectable mother would do…I Tylenol-ed and Motrin-ed him throughout the day and forced a nap upon him…not hard to to do when one is running a slight fever.

The girls (Mary and her friend) planned accordingly, and showed up to the new SPRINT Center in downtown Kansas City wearing their princess finest. Both Cinderella and Ariel accompanied us to the show!  We arrived early enough to catch the “pre-show” and got to see appearances by Cinderella and Tatiana (the newest of the Disney Princesses) as well as several of the classic princess dresses on display.

Here Mary is posing in front of the Princess and the Frog vignette.

Mary in front of “Belle’s” dress from Beauty and the Beast.

Here’s a picture of Mary and her friend in front of The Little Mermaid display.  Mary was very concerned that Cinderella had long brown hair and Ariel had short blonde hair…”NOT the way it is in the movies, Mom!”

Ariel’s dress…

Always a crowd favorite…Snow White…a classic princess! (Please excuse the odd head position of my lovely daughter…she’s got this thing about “posing” for the camera lately!)

 

Here are some shots of Tatiana and Cinderella.

And finally, a few shots from the actual performance…Mary…modeling a box of raisins…?!!!

Ben’s favorite character from the movie, CARS, Mater.

Mary LOVES The Little Mermaid…here’s Sebastian.

Mary, modeling her TEN DOLLAR bag of cotton candy hat…and yes, I had to spend $20 so that Benjamin could have a hat too…sheesh!

A rare smile during the performance.  :(

The program included performances from CARS, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, and Tinkerbelle which both of my kids thoroughly enjoyed.  The grand finale included the cast from Mickey Mouse and lots of confetti raining down.  All in all, the kids had a great time and it was worth the cost of tickets, cotton candy, and parking!

And check out this cutie…age 2 1/2 the last time she saw Disney on Ice, Princesses theme, with my mom and me!  I could just gobble her up like that seat is about to do!  I sure do miss those chubby cheeks and baby soft curls!

Caution…Nesting in Progress!

It’s official…I hit the halfway mark with Baby #3 last week…20-weeks!  All seems to be going well, but we will know more next Monday when we have our “BIG” ultrasound!  (We will be finding out the gender, but keeping it a surprise until we can share with immediate family in person.)

So, that being said, I have been itching to “fix” up the house.  This isn’t just because I’m pregnant…truly it’s because I turned 40 and started to have a “mini” mid-life crisis!  HA!  I decided last summer that I hated everything about the interior of my home…my colors, my decorating style, my furniture…you get the picture! But, being both practical and frugal (a stay-at-home mom) I knew that an interior design redo the size of “Home Makeover” was never going to happen.

But, a can (or two) of paint can do wonders to update an interior.  So with out further ado, I share with you my freshly painted kitchen/family room.

(The color on the left is “Caspian Tide” and the color on the right is “Gentle Sky”.  I went with “Gentle Sky” as the “Caspian Tide” was a bit too purple for my taste.)

When we built the house, eight years ago, I chose that dark blue wall color.  I loved the color, but it just never seemed to flow well with the rest of the room…sort of made the room feel chopped up and small.

Painting in progress…

I still have some redecorating to do…I need to get slip covers for my couch and denim chair, window treatments, some new area rugs, and either a mirror, iron work, or piece of art for over the fire place, but already, I feel like the house is lighter and brighter…just in time for the arrival of a new baby!

(I bought more than enough paint, and so I asked our painter to add the center hallway to the task…I love how it turned out!)

Next on the list…the nursery/shared bedroom.  We only built a 3-bedroom house, so somebody is sharing a bedroom…and it’s not going to be mommy and daddy.  HA!  Matt, our painter, has already seen the nursery room and is just waiting for the “go-ahead”.   We just need to figure out it it’s going to be a little GIRLS’ room or a little BOYS’ room!

Snow Much Fun

To usher in the first day of Spring, Father Winter threw a major temper tantrum!  Our winter storm began last Friday night and didn’t let up until early Sunday morning…officially the 2nd day of Spring.  We got approximately 8 inches where I live.

So, to make the most of this frosty situation, the little ones and I celebrated the arrival of Spring with snowball fights, snowman building and snow-angel making!

Here we are dressed in our favorite REINDEER sweater on the first day of spring!

Here’s Mary posing with her BRAND NEW mittens that I purchased in November and that we only recently found in March!  We just used a pair from last season as I didn’t want to buy a 2nd pair.  Notice the little touch of MARCH…peacock feather hair bow!

Until this latest snowstorm…we had been enjoying mild temperatures and some rain…making for a messy backyard.  Little man does not like to get dirty and so he had been insisting on wearing snow boots until I bought him some new rain boots.  This is what they looked like for this freak springtime snowstorm!

View of our home from street level.

My own two snow angels…

Snowball fight in action…Ben just got big sister and is sneaking away!

Mary’s attempt at snowman building as the snow was melting quicker than she could roll…it is Springtime for goodness sakes!

Clearly, it’s time for someone to take a nap…not that this little one naps anymore!  In addition to a winter storm over Mary Catherine’s Spring Break from school, both of my kiddos came down with cold/flu like symptoms…yuck!