Sayonara Swimming Pool!

Yesterday, we said sayonara to our swimming pool. Jared never wanted the pool in the first place. I loved it last year, but knew that it wouldn't get used as much this year being pregnant and having a nine month old. There are many other reasons we decided to get rid of the pool - the insurance liability, the maintenance, the yard space it took up, etc. Mostly, though, we decided having a pool wasn't the most practical thing with two young babies/toddlers. By the time the kids are old enough to really enjoy the pool, we will probably be moved into a new home.

So, I put the pool on craigslist with the stipulation that the buyer come take down the pool with all the accessories and take it away. Within thirty minutes of posting, I had over 30 e-mails and by the end of the day close to 50. The first person who responded actually ended up being the person who came and got the pool.

Yesterday, the new buyers showed up just after it finished storming at 9:00 in the morning. With the help of Jared, my father-in-law, and Justin, the pool demo was complete by 12:30. The pool was actually relatively easy to take down. The deck attached to the pool turned out to be a monster and lots of sawing was required. Anyway, the pool is gone! Now, we have a giant sand/mud pit. It would be perfect for mud wrestling if anyone's interested. We're waiting for the ground to dry and then we are going to re-do our backyard.

Before and after pictures...

Who is this monster?

Sage has shown his first signs of defiance in the last week or so. It started with him refusing to eat his cereal and fruit or veggies. He only wants to eat if he can feed himself or only wants his bottle. So, to show his defiance, he will tighten his lips or stick out his tongue and say, "MMMMM!" as in, "no, I'm not eating that!" At first it was funny.

Then, on Monday, when I picked him up from the babysitter's house, Julie had been trying to get him down for a nap. She was unsuccessful and Sage was screaming in the back room when I got there. Julie went to get him and as she was walking back towards me with said screaming child - Sage started shaking his head "no." It was very clear he was shaking his head in protest. I said, "who are you and what did you do with my sweet baby boy?" I was very surprised and wondered where he learned such a thing!

For right now, Sage's defiance is cute and we have to stop ourselves from laughing out loud. I imagine that in the near future, it won't be so cute...

Presenting Baby Kelly #2

Thursday, May 21st, Jared, Sage, and I trekked to the doctor's office to get a look at the newest Kelly family member. After a grueling, two hour wait, we finally had our turn in the ultrasound room.

We saw the baby all curled up and not cooperating! The ultrasound tech and doctor kept trying to get the baby to uncurl so they could get a good look at the heart. But, baby was quite cozy and apparently sleeping. We saw a good profile shot - and of course, this baby looks just like daddy too. There were long arms and legs and gigantic feet! All the baby's organs look great and baby is growing as expected, still measuring for a due date of October 5, 2009.

Yes, Jared did see the sex. Unfortunately, so did mom. I REALLY wanted it to be a surprise this time. But, when the ultrasound tech was trying to get the baby to move positions so she could see the heart, I caught a glimpse of the gender parts. I wasn't sure what I saw, so I kept my eyes closed when the ultrasound tech did the actual gender identification. The gender pictures went into a sealed envelope that Jared put in his pocket. I didn't even want to know...yesterday.

Overnight, I thought and dreamt about what I saw more and more. I even had a small panic attack about what the sex was and thinking about what it really means to parent/raise that sex! So, this morning, I made Jared confirm what I saw. He tried to lie at first, but I knew. So, Jared and I both know the sex and...

WE'RE NOT TELLING!!!

Everyone else will find out the baby's sex on baby's birthday.

Warning...this 3-D picture looks a little frightening. The baby looks like a goblin in the picture, but trust me, it's cute!

And over he goes...

Tuesday morning, I was getting ready for work. As I was making my breakfast in the kitchen, I heard Sage wake up and start playing in his crib. I started to make him a bottle, and the next thing I hear is Sage rattling the side of his crib. Then, "Tumble, Tumble, THUD!"

I run into Sage's room to see him lying on his stomach, on the floor, outside of his crib, looking like a fish out of water and just starting to cry. Sage managed to climb over the railing and flip over out of his crib! Oh my gosh!

I swooped him up off the ground to comfort him and he quickly quit crying. Luckily, I think he was more scared than hurt. I could not believe he could climb over the side of crib like that already!!! We have quite the risk-taker on our hands.

Here's what Sage looks like before he's awake and flipping himself out of his crib...sleeping peacefully with his little booty in the air. Too cute!

Watch out world, here I come!

Sage has mastered the art of the commando crawl and even pulls himself to a standing position. He is so fast at crawling that he can get across the living room, through the kitchen (including over the support bars at the bottom of the kitchen chairs), and to Rosco's food and water bowls in record time! Luckily, Rosco rarely leaves anything in the bowl for Sage to dump.

Checking out Rosco's toys!

When Sage isn't exploring previously unknown territory, he loves to make music on his new piano, drum, and banjo set. He also has discovered the joy of looking out the living room window. He will pull himself up and hold onto the back of the couch to look out the window that overlooks our front yard and the street. Sage loves it when the window is open and the breeze blows on his face. Watching big trucks, lawn mowers, and motorcycles go by also make for a happy baby.

We're Halfway there!

Today, I'm at the 20 week point for Baby #2. That means that I'm halfway through the pregnancy. It's hard to believe that I'm already 5 months along! I had another check-up last Thursday and everything is going really well. The heartbeat was at 142 this time. That's exactly where most of Sage's heartbeats registered. So, it could be a boy! But, a girl would be good too. At least we already have a name for a girl. If it's a boy, he may remain nameless until they kick us out of the hospital.

I'm enjoying the energy boost that comes with the second trimester, so that's good. It probably helps that the sun has started to shine on a daily basis! Thanks goodness, I thought the April rains were going to last all summer. No cravings yet. In fact, this pregnancy feels a lot like the first.

Thursday is the big ultrasound. I can hardly wait. A peek at the new baby will help me to realize that he or she is really coming! I'm praying that everything is good and that Jared can keep his mouth shut when he finds out boy or girl.

Mother's Day

Sunday was my first Mother's Day and it was wonderful! It started with breakfast in bed, made by Jared. What a sweetheart! After I ate, I went out into the kitchen where Jared had just finished feeding Sage. I leaned over the highchair to give Sage a kiss and "blech!" he spit up right on my chin. I guess that was his way of saying, "Happy Mother's Day, Mom!"

We had a relaxing morning, just the three of us, playing and laughing together. Then, we went to lunch with Granny D, Justin, and Cora. Sage sat in a highchair at the restaurant and insisted that he "eat" with us. He ate some chocolate cake with white frosting (his first taste of cake) and some puffs. He did really well. The day before, during lunch with my mom and dad, Sage discovered the joy of french fries - he loved those!

Later in the day, we went to my Granny and PaPa's house to visit with Granny. She is doing well. She had her hair fixed and was talking really well. She seemed more thoughtful. She was excited to see Sage and was even able to hold him for a bit before he squirmed out of her arms. PaPa made his famous bbq ribs - yum!!! Jared enjoyed PaPa's brownies saying they were, "the best he's ever had." Sage "ate" some corn on the cob and he liked that too. He really just gummed it, but seemed to enjoy it nonetheless because he cried when it slipped out of hands onto the floor.

Sage also had a good time playing with some "new" toys - new to him, but in reality, probably belonged to my dad! The toy closet in the back room is always a favorite of children. Now that I have a child of my own, it's fun to go into the closet to see what treasures are there from my childhood. There are old Barbie dolls, Care Bears, race car tracks, original Lincoln logs, dolls, Cookie Monster pianos, books, and lots of other great toys. I'm sure that many of the items would be considered "collectibles" and even worth a lot of money. But, for now, they are being loved by Granny and PaPa's great-grandkids.

My first Mother's Day was fabulous! Oh, Jared gave me concert tickets to a really great concert coming to the Fox. Sage "made" me a cute flower framed picture of himself. But, the best part of Mother's Day was not the food or the gifts, but the chance to spend time with my family. Being a mom is hard, endless work, but worth every moment! One two-toothed smile from that happy little guy of mine and all my cares, worries, and stresses just melt away.