Eli the Pianist

Eli has shown interest in learning to play the piano recently, so we decided that instead of paying to put him in lessons, John could teach him. So far, it's going really well. Eli seems to be more interested in playing the songs rather than learning proper hand placement, posture, the notes and how to read the music, but he'll get there. He's getting the idea of it all already though. I found a couple of piano books for beginners, which are great for kids his age, and he does pretty well reading how to play some of the songs in there just from looking at the notes and the pictures of hand placement. So far he can play "Mary Had a Little Lamb", "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", and "Ode to Joy", plus some of the other little songs in his piano books. This all started about two weeks ago, so it's pretty amazing how much he's learned in such little time! I hope the piano playing continues for Eli. It's fun to watch John teach Eli and see Eli blossom as a musician!

Eli at the Dentist

I think I've posted about Eli's "weak" teeth here before when he had his first cavity filled about 6 months ago. This week at his regular cleaning appointment, the dentist found more cavities! He had to have silver caps put on two of his molars because the cavities were taking over most of the tooth. I don't get it. We do everything we're supposed to...floss every night, brush two times a day, limit sugary foods and drinks, etc. The dentist said she doesn't doubt we do all those things, especially when I told her I've never had a cavity before. It's just the way his teeth are. The dentist did give us some hope when she said that his adult teeth could be less cavity prone and just because his baby teeth are troublesome, doesn't mean his adult teeth would be that way. Let's hope! Thankfully, Eli is a good patient and does great at the dentist. He's very cooperative, quiet, and still! He was even a good sport about his mouth being numb and having to hold gauze in his mouth for 30 min. It was pretty funny to see him try to talk when he had a numb mouth! Here are some pictures of him when they were putting on the caps.

28 weeks Pregnant

I am now 28 weeks along, officially in my third trimester. I'm feeling great, too. This little guy seems to be pretty active. I can usually tell when he's awake by all the movements and kicks, and I can also tell what position he's in, which is really cool. It's getting to where other people can tell where he is in my belly as well as see the kicks and movements!
We had a follow-up sonogram appointment yesterday to check to see if the cysts in his brain have gone away. They discovered those in my 18 week sono and weren't too concerned about it but wanted to make sure they were gone...and they are! He is looking healthy and right on track in growth...yay!
It was really amazing to have sonogram this late in the pregnancy. We saw him moving around, turning his head, opening his eyes, and opening and closing his mouth. It was like he was talking to us, but we couldn't hear him! The boys were there and at one point, Jed asked the lady where his weenie was. I guess that was the most important thing for him to see...ha!
This baby is already a big one...no surprise there. He's measuring in at 30 weeks, and he's about 4 lbs. already. The sonographer said that's to be expected considering the other almost 10 pounders I've given birth to. My midwife says I have a proven pelvis! I'm really not worried about the size. I'm proud to show off my big belly and big babies!
Here are some recent belly pics and also a picture of the sono where you can see the baby's face. His face is sideways with his eyes closed and mouth open. The picture doesn't compare to seeing it on video!

Swimming!

We've been spending a lot of time at the pool this summer since it's one of the only ways to keep cool in this crazy heat! A few weeks ago, Eli all of a sudden decided he was going to swim like a big kid. It's like something clicked and he started saying, "watch me, Mom" and he was suddenly swimming underwater and not afraid to try new things in the water. So, we decided it was a good time to put him in some lessons so he could learn the proper ways to swim with arm/leg movements, etc. and get even more comfortable in the water. It's a bit of a relief when we're at the pool now since I don't have to watch both boys like a hawk and keep both near me at all times. I still keep an eye on Eli, of course, but now I'm more confident in his swimming and safety skills in the water. Jed does pretty well in the water, too, I think he's more confident than Eli was at Jed's age. This makes me a little nervous since Jed will try things he hasn't quite mastered yet, like follow Eli into the deep end or bounce up and down, go under, and then come up coughing. I'm sure he'll get it soon enough!

Date with Eli

Eli and I got to have a fun date last week! John's work had a team building day out at Krausse Springs, so he took Jed along with him for the day since Eli had swim lessons in the morning, camp in the afternoon, and we also went to my midwife appointment (busy day!). We had some time to kill between Eli's swim lessons and my appointment, so Eli had the idea that we should go to Zilker park and ride the train and get a snow cone. Great idea! It was a little spontaneous date for us. I love hanging out with my boy! And to top it all of, I got an afternoon to myself while Eli was at camp! I went shopping and got a pedicure, complete with flowers on my toes...so nice!

Best Buddies

Eli and Boone have bonded recently. That could be because Eli is the one who feeds Boone most of the time, but maybe not. They play together, hang out together during rest time, and have lots of snuggle time. I keep remembering when Eli would take out his frustrations of having a new sibling out on Boone after Jed was born. Boone put up with a lot of pinching, hitting, and biting in those days, but now his relationship with Eli has done a complete turn around. Thankfully, Boone was willing to put up with all that. Boone's a good 'ol dog and I love seeing him and Eli together!

Eli is reading!

We have these little books called Bob Books for beginning readers. They are really short books, each with only a few letters in them to focus on so that it's easy to sound out the words. Eli has read a few books in the first set now, and is doing great! He's always asking how to spell things or what a word spells, but now we are having him sound them out. I love seeing his little mind at work!

Montana Vacation

We are now back from our two week stay in beautiful Montana. The getting there and coming back were not fun b/c of our 8 hour delay in the Denver airport and then the 3 hour delay there coming back. We ended up getting home at 2:00 am Wednesday morning, but the boys did a great job holding it together the whole time. They are very good little travelers.

As for our stay in MT, we had a wonderful time. The weather was cooler, although it was a little too chilly for me for June weather (lows in 30s, highs in high 50s, low60s mostly). I'm not complaining though! It also rained the first 6 days we were there, but it was still nice to relax and also find other adventures to go on.

We were able to do everything we wanted to do while we were there and more. I think I'll let the pictures and videos give you an idea of our experiences there, but here's a list of some things we did: saw a monster truck show (great people watching there!), drove to see black bears in captivity, went to Glacier Park a couple times, drove to a cliff to see mountain goats, went to Little Bitty Ranch to pet some farm animals and ride horses, hiked on Big Mountain and went on the Alpine Slide and rode on the lift there, went to the Whitefish farmer's market where the boys got to see a firetruck and use the fire hose, rode on the neighbor's boat on the lake and the boys got to drive the boat, and of course went fishing with Grandad!

Uncle Steve, Aunt Laura, and cousins Will and Alex came in from Denver for the last three days we were there, so we got in some time with them as well. The boys have so much fun together, I wish we could see them more often!

Belly Pics

I haven't done a good job of taking pictures of my growning baby bump this time around. I'm already half way there. Can't believe it! I'm feeling a lot of kicks and movement these days. Feeling kicks is fun right now because it's not uncomfortable since he's not very big yet. John and the boys have felt some kicks, too. I'm feeling good...the second trimester is great!

These are a few pictures I have so far. The first one is at 21 weeks (taken yesterday). And the other two are at around 18 or 19 weeks. More to come!

South Padre 2011

We spent the first week of June in South Padre this year! Mammy, Chuck, and Brynn and her boys all went. We got there on my birthday, so it was fun to celebrate my birthday at the beach. It was a birthday-cation! I've been going to South Padre with Mammy for 16 years now, and it was still a blast. This year we got to stay in some rooms that were right on the beach, so we could walk out our back door and out onto the sand. The hotel made a mistake with the first rooms they gave us, so they upgraded us to the beach front rooms at no charge! I think we may need to spend that extra amount next time to get those rooms. The boys loved being able to play in the sand right outside our room. It was convenient to go back and forth easily from the beach to our room, too. And there was also the view!

While we were there, we did our usual activities: visiting the sea turtle rescue place, eating crab legs and dancing at Louie's restaurant, feeding seagulls, going to watch for the dolphins at sunset, and riding go karts. This year we also went to check out the Touch Tank aquarium, which the boys loved. All this was in addition to our days at the beach and at the pool. Eli and Jed got some good cousin time, and John and I got some needed relaxation time. It's nice to have cousins and sand/beach to entertain the boys at all times! Not to mention that it's John's 4 week sabbatical, so he kept saying he was so relaxed since he didn't have to worry or think about work.

Needless to say, it was a fun time, and we were all exhausted when we got back. Oh, and no one got sunburned, which may be a first! The trip was a success all around! I can't wait to go back! Thanks, Mammy, for our beach vacation!

Eli is a Preschool Graduate!

Eli graduated from Faith Preschool on Wednesday! They had a little graduation ceremony where they walked across the stage, got their diplomas, a metal, and a hug from their teachers. The kids also sang some songs for us. So cute!

Eli had a great year there learning all sorts of things to prepare for kindergarten, learning some Spanish, making art, singing music, and making friends. Mrs. Bass was his teacher, who he loved. I hope Jed and our third will have her in the future. Eli also made some friends...friends that are boys, which he didn't have many of before this year. I got a picture of Eli and his best buddies, Jack and James. I think they'll continue to be friends for while. I can't believe Eli is done with pre-k and off to kindergarten next year! Thankfully, Jed will be going to Faith next year, so we're not done there yet!

Baby Shark!

Before the sonogram, Eli informed us that we were going to find out if we were going to have a baby boy, a baby girl, or a baby shark! Good one Eli! Soooo, I'm sure you've heard but the sono revealed that we are not having a baby shark, but a baby boy!

Honestly, this was a shock to me and I think, for John, too. I was sure it was a girl. Eli was excited that he guessed right...he really wanted another brother. Jed still says he's having a little sister, but I think he's getting it. He's just excited to be a big brother. Mammy got to go with us to the sono, which was special. She's been there for all three! She was happy of course!

As we were watching our baby boy on the screen, he seemed to be pretty laid back. He had his hand behind his head as he lounged back with his feet propped up on "the wall". At one point he seemed to look right at the screen and smile. We have a picture of it! And he was not shy about revealing his boy parts! We spotted "the turtle" before the sonographer said anything.

Everything looks good and healthy with his organs, limbs, fingers, and size, so we're thankful for that. There was one little concern that they saw, which were some fluid-filled cysts on his brain. The doctor and my midwife don't seem to be concerned about them and said they are fairly common and should go away by 28 weeks. So, we are scheduled for a follow-up sonogram in August to make sure they haven't grown and have hopefully gone away. Since everything else looks okay, he should be fine. There's just that little concern in the back of my mind now though.

It has taken me awhile to get used to the fact that we'll have three boys. I've felt shocked, in denial, excited, sad, disappointed, guilty for feeling disappointed, nervous, and almost content with this fact just in the past few days since we found out. I'm glad there's five more months for it to sink in! I know I will love this little baby boy in my tummy even more when he is in my arms.

Look out world, here comes another Perkins boy!

The boys keep asking to see "the turtle"...it's circled in the picture. I think it's hard to miss!




In the last picture it looks to me like he's looking at us, smiling!

Baby #3...boy or girl?

I am 18 weeks now, which means sonogram time! We have our appointment this Monday 5/23 at 4:00. The sonogram's main purpose is to make sure everything looks good with the baby, it's the biophysical exam. So, we pray everything is looking good and developing as it should. But, I'm most excited about finding out if we're having a boy or girl! I kinda think girl, but I thought Eli and Jed were girls, too, and obviously I was wrong. So, we'll see this time. A girl would change everything in a fun and exciting way and a boy would be very convenient...got the clothes, toys, etc, and we know what to expect from a boy. Of course just the fact that we are having a baby is amazing, so we are happy either way. I definitely like knowing, and I think it will be good for the boys to know if they are having a brother or sister, too. We're excited to find out! I created a poll to see what your predictions are. What is your guess?

poll by twiigs.com

New additions to the Perkins Family Urban Farm

We got three new chickens from our friends, Heidi and Noah, a few days ago. It was a good deal because Heidi and Noah raised them from chicks (they got about 20 chicks at one time to be raised as broilers) and gave them to us when they were bigger and ready to be outside and with our other three chickens. The chick phase is not fun...really messy, loud, and smelly...in my opinion. Now, I think our new chickens are more like adolescents or young adults. I think they are called pullets b/c they are female and too young to lay eggs. You learned something new today, didn't you?

We got the new chickens because our other three are getting old and not producing many eggs these days. The pullets are still leery of going far from the coop, so it was hard to get a good picture of all three of them. They are going to be good looking chickens! I'm not sure what kind we got. Heidi, can you help me out here?

Also, we have yet to name them. We're thinking of going with our chicken food theme. The older three ladies are named Noodle, Pot Pie, and Cacciatore. Past names have been Dumplin, Marsala, and Nugget. Some names I thought of are: Taco, Buffalo, Vindaloo, Cordon Bleu, Nacho, Curry...so many possibilities!

Jed's stories

I took a couple videos of Jed "reading" me his Maisy books. He is retelling the story, but you may have a hard time figuring out what he's saying. In the first video he starts saying made-up words toward the end. It's a long book! I wanted to get some videos of him talking and reading books at this age because I like looking back at the videos when they're older.

15 weeks pregnant

I am feeling much better these days now that I'm in the second trimester. There is no more nausea, I have more energy, and a big appetite! Sometimes, I even forget I'm pregnant until I look in the mirror. There is definitely a bump there now! I better start getting things done and preparing for the baby's arrival now while I feel good, but the problem is that the fact that we're having another baby hasn't really set in yet. It doesn't seem real at all. I think that once I see that little body on the sonogram and find out if it's a boy or girl and once I feel it moving around a lot, then maybe it'll become more of a reality. We will find out boy/girl probably the last week of May.

Here's a picture of me at 14 weeks. I was attempting to set the camera up with the timer and take a pic of myself and this is what I got. I wanted to take a better one, but before I could do that, I knocked the camera off of the mantle onto the tile and jammed the lens. The camera is a gonner. It was going to cost more to repair it than the camera was worth, so we had to buy a new one...boo. It should be on it's way in the mail now. So this picture of my bump will do for now. More to come!

Easter 2011

We had a low key Easter this year. It was nice. The boys got some confetti eggs from our neighbors Chad and Hannah, which they had fun smashing. We went to church Sunday evening and celebrated as well. The boys had an Easter egg hunt there. No Easter baskets for our family. I just don't get the concept of baskets full of candy and other cheap toys they don't need, or maybe I'm just lazy or cheap. No Easter baskets means that they didn't have real baskets for the egg hunt at church. So, we just made our own out of paper bags. Is that lame? Either way, the boys are fine with it and perfectly happy with candy and eggs from an Easter egg hunt and some cascarones. Oh, and I forgot to dye eggs with the boys this year...oops. They didn't miss it either though. I did manage to remember to get a family photo after church. They turned out pretty good!

Sports

We've been going from Eli's tball to John's soccer games lately. It's been great weather for game watching though! John had his last game of the season a couple weeks ago. He's been loving it, so I'm sure there will be more soccer playing in the future. Eli is still enjoying tball and getting the concept of the game more, as are his teammates. John looks like a real soccer player, doesn't he? Woohoo! And you can see Eli at bat in the last picture...yep, he's a lefty.