Kevin's 2nd Birthday & Andrea and Kevin's Birthday Party

Saturday, July 25 was Kevin's 2nd birthday; it was also the day we had family and some friends over to have a party for both Andrea and Kevin's birthdays. We were so wrapped up in the party preparations on Saturday that we didn't have time to give Kevin his birthday gifts from us until Sunday! Thankfully, he's too little to notice anything was amiss. :))

Guests

Water Fun

Opening Presents

Cake Time

The Next Day . . .

Kevin is enjoying some of his birthday gifts from us: bubble mower (but no bubbles in the house!), new ball cap, and the party horn from his goody bag.

In the picture above, Kevin is dancing along with the "Funky Monkey" he received at the birthday party. It moves and sings the song, "I like to move it, move it . . ." In the video below, Andrea is demonstrating her own special moves as she dances along with the Funky Monkey. This little girl knows how to shake her booty! It's really silly!

Andrea's 4th Birthday

We started off Andrea's birthday morning by having her open her birthday presents from us!

Dora plug-n-play TV game, and Dora pj's

box of dress-up clothes and accessories

modeling her new look :))





There were also some press-on nails in the box. She wanted them on so badly, but they kept falling off. They lasted about 5 minutes!



Well, it was easier to play her Dora game without the press-on nails, anyway. :))

***

First Visit to the Dentist

On the morning of Andrea's first birthday, she also went for her first official dentist appointment and teeth cleaning. I was so worried she would be scared and cry because she hates it when I try to brush her teeth, or put anything in her mouth. Surprisingly, she did great! Daddy stood by her side, and the hygienist and dentist were extremely patient and kind. They explained everything and made sure she wasn't too scared by it all. I only heard a few whimpers when they were cleaning her teeth. She even got her first x-ray of her teeth. We got great news: no cavities! Yay, Andrea! The doctor had a little chat with Andrea about letting Mommy and Daddy help her brush the hard-to-reach places, and she's been much better about us helping her since then. She was very impressed when the doctor gave her a goody bag with a new toothbrush, fruity floss, sugarless gum, and a few other little things. Overall, it turned out to be a good experience for her. :))

Kevin also got his first check-up that day, too. He wasn't too happy about being there, and stayed in my arms the whole time. We decided he wasn't ready for a cleaning yet, but had to get a tooth checked out. About 4 weeks before, if you remember, he had tripped on a chair at daycare and hit his mouth on a desk. Well, we have noticed that one of his front teeth has slowly been turning grey! The dentist said the tooth is probably dying, and will eventually go dark grey, but there's nothing to do for it but wait. The best thing is just to let this tooth fall out naturally when it's time for his permanent teeth to come in. So, he'll have to live with an unsightly front tooth for a few more years. I was a bit more relieved about it when the dentist said his own little guy has the same thing right now, but even worse--his tooth is chipped, too! We'll keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't get infected or anything, but for now, we just have to wait for this baby tooth to fall out.

Geez, these kids and their injuries--sometimes I wonder if people think we abuse or neglect them, with all their bruises and scrapes, and now, a dying tooth! ;)

Hopeful Once Again

Goodness, I don't even know where to start with this post. It's a good thing, a REALLY good thing, but I guess I've got a bit of a superstitious streak in me. I'm afraid as soon as I tell everyone, something bad will happen again. It's hard NOT to be afraid after losing a pregnancy just a few months ago.

I'm 8 weeks pregnant.

I've already known for a month, but I didn't want to tell anyone, in case something happened. I'm finding it really difficult to accept and celebrate this pregnancy--too afraid of getting my hopes up, only to be disappointed. We started telling everyone this weekend, and I am so nervous now that everyone will be disappointed again. It's a horrible feeling. I honestly think it's going to take me a few more months before I can feel confident about this pregnancy. I know this is silly because there are no guarantees of safety at any point in a pregnancy, and it's pointless to waste time and energy being anxious.

Everything seems okay so far, too. This pregnancy did start out a little questionably, and unfortunately, in an eerily similar manner to my last one. I found out I was pregnant because of an early and extremely light period--did the tests just to check, and got some faint positives, which got darker every couple of days.

June 18: First Response--faint positive

cheapie test strips: June 20--barely visible; June 22--clearly pregnant!

The good news is, I stopped bleeding that first week, and haven't had any since. It's been 4 weeks of smooth sailing (besides my own worrying). The doctor's office did blood tests to confirm the pregnancy, and all is well. I had my first ultrasound on July 10, at just under 7 weeks. The baby was still very tiny (a teeny oval spot) , but we saw a good heartbeat, and all the basic structures looked good.

My next ultrasound is on August 12, when I'll be almost 12 weeks. I'm really anxious to see how things look then.

For now, we are keeping a close eye on my blood sugar levels, and hoping for the best.

There's one more good sign: my morning--I mean, ALL DAY--sickness is horrible. It was the same way when I was pregnant for Andrea and Kevin. I keep reminding myself that it's a positive symptom, and I should be glad to have it! ;p

(Oops, forgot to mention the due date: February 25, 2010.)