I haven’t mentioned much about my growing bump in a while so I figured that I should give a little update…
Last Saturday we hit the 30 week mark; which means that I have about 10 weeks left until we get to meet this little guy. Yes, you read correctly we have almost hit the single digits- which is SO hard to believe in my opinion. I know that I have said this before but this pregnancy is really flying by! I had a doctors appointment yesterday and our doctor said that everything is looking great- that his heartbeat was strong and that he was about 3 pounds. At this point, I will see the doctor every two weeks which will continue through the beginning of October when I start going every week.
As for how I am feeling, I can’t really complain at all. I am pretty blessed with great pregnancies (knock on wood) so other than the usual third tri-mester stuff things are great! I have been taking naps every once in awhile in the afternoon while Jay sleeps; because I have been more tired than usual. I am also be a little short of breath while holding Jay (when I do, I have both boys squishing my lungs/diaphragm which isn’t really fun). This cuts into our dancing time which is a shame but we have been dancing on our own too (I have a cute video of Jay that I need to share soon). My sciatic nerve bothers me from time to time and I have a few contractions here and there but mostly I get an ache or a pain when I try to do something I shouldn’t (move or pick up something heavy) or when I move to fast. Honestly, even with the watermelon sized belly I forget occasionally that I am pregnant…
I am pretty much in full on nesting mode at this point; however, this doesn’t differ a whole lot from my normal personality so… I am not sure that it should really be called nesting. Most of our “baby preparations” are going into Jay’s big boy room since we are keeping the nursery the same for this little guy and plan on moving Jay to a new room. Once I get everything settled in there for him I plan on washing and pulling out all of our tiny little clothes, I am sure that they will all look huge compared to the stuff I put on Jay, and getting that settled in the nursery. My project list is long (what else is new) but there are only a few things that I really, really want to finish before he gets here- like his baby blanket. I will keep you posted on how that goes :)
I guess that is about it for now. I will try to be better about the updates and I promise to be really good about photo updates when he actually arrives. I CAN’T wait to get some photos of him and some photos of him and Jay, they are going to be such sweet brothers!!
And because every post is better with a picture- here is one of the three of us from our Canada trip (yes, I am still working on those photos- I have just been a little busy lately). I know that we aren’t in focus (don’t blame the stand in photographer my camera is not easy to use- especially when you are trying to get a toddler to look) but it is the best photo that I have of the growing bump and the scenery around us is great, don’t you think?
Come November I will be out numbered 3 to 1; I will be surrounded by boys and loving every minute of it!! Last Wednesday, Jamie and I ventured into the OB’s office curious to see what November would bring. We left knowing that our house would be filled with more blue, more cars and a new baby brother!! Yes indeedy- we are having another BOY!!
We shared the news with our families on Thursday with a pink or blue party- having everyone come either dressed in pink or blue depending on their predictions. The girl group far out numbered the boy group but regardless of their predictions no one left disappointed- a happy (he bounced all over my tummy during the ultrasound and continues to do so) and healthy little boy will be added to the family. How blessed are we?
 the pink group- Grandpa and Uncle Mark both have pink tags on their shirts ;)  the blue group- and yes both Jamie and I really thought that it was going to be a boy, Jay was blue by default (the kid doesn't own any pink)  My adorable sisters-in-law (and future brother-in-law) were so cute and sent their photos in ahead of time so they could be included too! You can see people holding their "puppets" in the above group photos :)  It's a boy dessert to follow the pizza- homemade ice cream sandwiches with Blue Sprinkles And because I think this little one is already pretty adorable- here HE is (sorry for the poor quality iPhone photo)!!
Okay, I don’t know if this is exceptional or not BUT he’s my kid so it’s my job to brag. Jay can identify/name (not sure what it’s called at this age) any turtle (totule) and star (stah) that he sees without being prompted. He also knows the sounds that kitties and puppies make and makes them when he sees photos of them without being prompted. We are working on other shapes and animals sounds but it still amazes me at how much he already knows! Love this kiddo!
I mean these aren’t all his tricks, that’s for sure, but identifying shapes and he’s not even a year and a half old! I think that’s pretty impressive!
Here’s a few photos of our genius-in-the-making from our park trip this morning. I let him climb the steps and slide down the medium slide on his own today- he couldn’t have been more thrilled with himself!
 such little feet leave such big impressions on our hearts... Dear Jay Bird,
I think that you are changing before my eyes little boy. You turned 17 months just last week, when did that happen? You are growing up and while I want to stop you and keep you just the way you are I can’t wait to see what you have yet to discover and learn.
This is just a random list of little things that I am sure to forget as time passes if I don’t take a minute and write them down right now…
* Lately, you clap every time we pull into the driveway and when I turn to look at you, you smile this unbelievable smile. We don’t leave the house daily or for even long periods of time but whenever we do you are always happy to return home.
* Every time you hear the timer on the oven go off you run around the house yelling “beep, beep Momma- beep, beep”. Then you make sure I follow you to the oven so I will turn the oven light on and you can see what is inside baking. It’s like having a baking alert system and I NEVER miss the timer going off.
* You squeal and yell “Daddy! Daddy!” the moment you see his truck in the driveway, hear him pulling in or when he walks through the door after work. You are so excited to see him and for him to come home that you usually only stop yelling and squealing when he says hello to you. It is so sweet to watch and I fall a little more in love with both of you every time I get to witness it.
* You love chase right now. You delight in running from me (usually when I am frustrated and trying to take something away from you that you shouldn’t have) and you always, always succumb to fits of laughter when you are caught. Oh yeah, and crawling under the dinning room table is loads of fun too; especially since Mommy and Daddy “can’t” catch you there!
*Ice is your new favorite word and activity with Piper. Every morning when we get up you march to the fridge, pull on the freezer and ask for “ice” frantically signing please over and over again until I open it up and let you dig out however many pieces you desire. You always share your ice with Piper, smashing it on the ground or waiting until she bites it in half to share your bounty.
*Speaking of words you are full of them right now. I will admit that some (ok- most) of them are words that only Daddy and I can understand but they are words- oh my, they are words! You can say, Momma or Mommy- whichever you choose at the moment, Dada or Daddy, Kitty, Piper (Pippu), color (as in I want to color), ice, popsicle (pop), pop corn, please, cheese, cracker (crakr), water (waddr), blueberry (blue), bye-bye, waffle (wavle), beep- beep, cookie, juice, Holly (Ha-yee), Me and therefore Mimi, Pepere (Pepar) movie (momie), book, ball, baby (bebe), paci (pa-i), shoes, hat, eyes, car(although everything with wheels- car, van or truck is a car) and so many more. Honestly, you mimic almost everything that comes out of my mouth!
* You love to color these days!! We have set up a little coloring desk in the living room and you will sit there for the longest time (well the longest time in your world) and color ’til your heart’s content.
* When you smile the sides of your face curl up but your cheeks or so round that they get in the way and it makes them look like little balls on your face. I know that this is random but I don’t want the picture of this in my head to fade.
* You want to do most things on your own, all by yourself and without any help, and you really like to get your own way. This includes feeding yourself. You have mastered getting a fork to your mouth all on your own and you can poke your own watermelon and scoop your open yogurt. These are true feats of mastery little boy!
* You have recently discovered your belly button and from time to time will pull up your shirt and check to see if it’s still there. It’s so funny to watch you dig around there to find it when we ask you where it is.
* You can tell us where your hair, ears, eyes, mouth, fingers and toes are. You also can point out your parents’ hair, mouth, eyes and ears are too. Although you do sometimes think that you need to poke us in the eye or pull our mouths open to see what is inside.
* You have been teething for nothing short of 1.5 months. They are really bothering you and honestly if they don’t pop through soon I may take measures into my own hands. You are not a pleasant kiddo when you are teething, sorry but this is a fact!
* You usually stand on the trunk in the living room watching me make super every night. You sometimes play with your cars on the counter, other times you just watch and point to various foods. If you are lucky you get to “taste” what is on the menu and if I am lucky you will rest your head on your hands and give me the best smile there is.
I love watching you grow, I love watching you explore, I love watching you tip over with excitement when you learn something new. But most of all I love you sweet boy…
Love,
Mama
One year old!!
I know I have already posted today, however; I couldn’t miss posting this one too!
How exactly did this happen? Where does all the time go? I am allowed to say this, I promise you, it’s my right as a Mother of a one year old. Seriously, I am pretty sure I blinked and the whole year passed us by. That being said, we have had the most amazing year and I wouldn’t change one bit of it (that goes for those low points and sleepless nights too).
Stats: (not official ones, we don’t go to the Dr for another week but here’s what Jamie and I got this morning…)
Weight: 20.5 lbs – Daddy will be turning his car seat around now!
Height: 28.5 inches
Teeth: 7- that 8th one is really holding out on us!
Things of note:
* Jay has taken a few steps on his own but isn’t walking yet. His balance is great and he is full on cruising but he just isn’t ready to walk yet. Right now he knows he can get anywhere he wants- and fast- by crawling so he isn’t in a real hurry.
*Most mornings and after most naps he is super excited to see us (Jamie or me) when we come to get him from his crib. He all but does circles in his crib out of excitement and usually looks around his crib for something to point to or show us- a paci, stuffed animal, a real animal that has followed me in the room.
*He is pretty shy. He hardly goes more than two feet away from me or Jamie when we are around a group of new people and he will rest his head on my shoulder when someone he doesn’t really know talks to him while we are out. If we are home however or around people that we know we can’t get the kiddo to stop jabbering. Sometimes it is so loud that we have to yell to be heard over him.
*He isn’t really talking yet although, we are pretty sure that he says Mama, Dada, kitty and possibly Bella. It’s just so hard to tell how deliberate each of those are.
*He is super curious about everything still. He points at the birds and the airplanes and is constantly saying “ooh” when we are outside. He loves to look at things and will all but crawl out of my arms and over my shoulder to take a look at something. He also will flatten himself out to peer under things. It really is adorable to see him smooshed up on the ground with his face pressed to the carpet and his booty in the air looking at or for something.
Likes:
*Blueberries!!! They are by far his favorite food right now. Jay knows the bowl that we keep them in gets excited and starts clapping as soon as he sees it come out of the fridge. Kiwi makes for a close second, he has an extra stomach for fruit and can’t get enough of it. As for eating, he is still a good eater and has added mullet dip, homemade yogurt, apples, french fries and cauliflower to his long list of likes.
*Balloons!!! He has a huge thing for balloons right now; honestly, we can’t even get into the check-out lane at publix before he is eyeing the balloons, pointing at them and then looking expectantly at the cashier. He is happy as a clam as soon as he gets one (he doesn’t care what color either) and can play with it for days. They only go away when I get sick of it and toss it while he’s napping- seriously- he had on in the bath one night since it was just easier not to fight it.
*He still loves the bath, he splashes around and would probably stay in there until he was super pruny and cold if we would let him.
*Playing with your toys. Jay has a corner in the family room that houses a good portion of his toys. He will go to town most afternoons there; taking everything out and tossing things over his shoulders. So far he really likes the drum sticks and egg shakers from his music set and his alligator pull toy best. He also loves the bbq tongs, mini loaf pans and measuring spoons from the kitchen and a basket full of old DVD’s and pens from in the office- none of these are exactly toys but we don’t care, we’re just fostering creativity here.
*Crawling in and around things. Jay loves to play in Piper’s crate and the laundry basket. He also loves to crawl around and through the legs on the dinning room and kitchen tables. If you add a balloon or alligator pull toy to drag behind him into the mix we have one happy, happy child!
*Peek-a-boo is still a favorite game and hide and seek has started to become fun as well. Although, I must say that Jay isn’t a stellar hider just yet.
Dislikes:
*Sitting still for anything! Getting his diaper changed, getting dressed, waiting for his juice before nap time. I have gotten really talented at quick diaper changes and putting diapers on a standing child after baths. We also have left a pile of things by the changing table to help distract him for just a few seconds while we change him.
More pictures because I can…
 my shoot helpers consulting with Jay  sharing- he will pass things that he likes to you now instead of just showing you them 
 relaxing a little bit...  standing  love that smile!  such a big boy and not easy to do on the squishy bed  looking for Piper after the shoot
2010 has been a blessed and wonderful year for us. However, I am super excited to see all that 2011 has in store for us! Happy New Year Everyone!
January- We waited around, finished up last minute baby preparations and welcomed James Vickers Perreault Jr to our family.
February- We celebrated Valentines Day with our little love bug, enjoyed the Olympics, cuddled a lot and didn’t get much sleep.
March- We had visitors from Cananda (Great Grandma and Great Auntie Deb) and Asheville (Aunt Nicole), we spent a lot of time outside enjoying the weather and Daddy went back to work part time.
April- We celebrated Jay’s first Easter and Earth Day and we started sleeping through the night frequently.
May- We celebrated our first Mother’s Day, Jay laughed and rolled over for the first time, he met some more of his cousins (Mary Beth and Sean) and we took our first swim.
June- We celebrated our first Father’s Day, Jay started sitting up on his own and eating solid foods and we had another visit from Aunt Nicole.
July- We celebrated Canada Day, the Fourth of July, Jay’s baptism and Mom’s 28th birthday.
August- We sat in grass for the first time without a blanket, we enjoyed some really nice afternoons outside and we started scooting around on our belly.
September- We started going to the Library Storytime, planted our first garden, played at the park in the swings a lot, began crawling and we took our first trip to Terra Ceia.
October- Our little Jay Bird got his first set of wings, we ate our fill for Canadian Thanksgiving and we celebrated Daddy’s 30th birthday.
November- We (Jamie and I) celebrated 5 years of knowing each other, we hung out in the hammock a whole lot and we cruised to the Bahamas and Key West.
December- We decorated our house for the holidays, we (Kristen) baked a ton and we celebrated the holidays with tons of family.
I should probably say 5 days ago I was… but we’re not really counting. Jamie, Jay and I have been unplugged for most of the Christmas holidays and it has been so nice! So please excuse the tardiness of this 11 month post, it doesn’t mean that it was any less appreciated or celebrated.
Stats:
Height- 28.5 no change from last month
Weight- 19lbs 2oz
Teeth- 7, one more than last month and oh so close to 8!
Things of note:
*Jay has always taken great interest in the things around him and has been quite the observer. However, now he is points things out to us. Frequently, we will hear this sweet “ohh” come out of his mouth while he points at something. It’s adorable and I love, love, love it!
*I told you a while back that we were going to work on baby sign language well we have (although not as much as I would like) and Jay now knows the sign for juice, airplane, and more and can sign fan and milk. I am sill working on finished- I think that would be far more useful than fan…
*Jay has started dancing just within the last week or so. It is adorable and it cracks me up. He bobs up and down along (kind of) with the music- I love it. He also bobs up and down when he gets excited over things.
*Jay has always loved peek-a-boo however, he has started playing it ALL of the time now. Anything that can be held in front of his face or that he can hide behind is fair game. I especially love when he holds up things that he can see around or through and he still thinks he is hiding. Jamie and I are frequently wondering “where’s Jay?” and it never ceases to entertain him and therefore we continue to look for him.
*His balance has improved by leaps and bounds this past month. He is constantly standing on his own and he now bends and squats while standing and maintaining balance. He is also quite the cruiser right now. He still prefers to crawl (it’s faster); however, he can walk around and between furniture/walls/etc.
*He talks loudly and frequently. Jamie and I sometimes find ourselves yelling over him just so we can hear each other.
*He has started playing shy with strangers. When people talk to him in public he will rest his head on my or Jamie’s shoulder and snuggle in- something that both of us hate ;-). He has gotten to where he will smile back at them but it does take a minute for him to react.
Likes:
*Food- honestly he loves most everything that is put in front of him (as long as it has flavor); however, his current favorites are Chili (he loves it spicy too), blueberries, yogurt, prunes and gingerbread cookies (yes- he was spoiled over the holidays).
*Wagon Rides- these still remain constant at the top of his list. He loves to be outside!
*His animals!! He seriously gets excited every time any one of them (Dolce, Bella or Piper) comes in view and he will follow them until they can’t be seen anymore and when they get out of view he crawls, strains, pulls up etc until he is able to see them again. Our furry children are a constant recipient of his “ohhs” and finger pointing. He has even started hugging them- he will put his head down on them and pat them a little. So, so precious!
*Crawling through the chair and table legs in the kitchen and dinning room. He loves the obstacle course that they provide for him and it is even more fun if he has something that he can drag through the course with him.
*Balloons- this will be a must for his birthday party- thanks Nan and Leyton for the introduction to them!
Dislikes:
*Sitting still for diaper changes or getting dressed- basically sitting still in general.
*Being hungry. This little boy can pack it away (10th percentile- ha!) and he can get pretty darn mad when his belly is empty.
 love those toes  sharing his toys with Daddy (whom you can't see)  love those lashes  I just think this one is funny- Mr. Cool...
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