25 weeks, 28 weeks, and other miscellaneous stuff

I'm not very good about updating this! Life just moves too fast! Here's a quick update in the last month before Tom get's home and I get the pizza in the oven. :)

Payton has changed SO much in the last month! He's now our little parrot imitating EVERYTHING we say. He's learning to say "thank you" (tay-too) after he get's what he asks for and "you're welcome" (el-comb) always follows it since that's what I say to him. Someday he'll get that concept... He LOVES to put stuff in the trash can--whether it's trash or not. I can't tell you the number of times I've had to fish out a cup or a toy... Oh well. As long as he keeps throwin' those diapers away I don't care! :) He's learning animal sounds and his favorite is a cow. It's cute. He's got quite the personality. He definately knows what he wants and is sure to let us know if he can't have it. We've had to introduce a "pop" on the diaper as well as time-outs... It's sad when they grow up! Here's a few pictures of him recently:

Cleaning the floor with a rag. He just sat down and started cleaning! Train them young in the ways they should go... :)

He was mad his spagetti was gone... until I got out the camera... haha!

Payton and his friend Luke. They were sitting next to each other until... I GOT OUT THE CAMERA!!!! My kid seems to love the camera... can you tell?

H.A.M.

My pregnancy is going well. I'm just big and feel gigantic. At my last appointment, we had a little surprise! The twin that started out with this baby (that didn't make it past about 6 weeks gestation) isn't growing, but his placenta is! Weird... So, I have 2 placenta's. The one that the living growing baby is attached to is regular sized and the 2nd one is about half the size of the baby's. The fun part is that, because the placenta's are in the same sac, we would have had idential twins! It's overwhelming to think about and honestly, I'm SO thankful there's only 1 baby in there, but we would have gotten thru it with both if that's what God had for us. I'm just so blessed to have this baby as well as the other 2 we already have. :) I am measuring 5 weeks ahead (yes, I said 5...) but the baby's head circumference is measuring right on track (thank goodness I'm not having a giantic baby at home!). My midwife isn't concerned since it's my 2nd and I also have that 2nd placenta. AND, the baby's measuring 2 weeks ahead in length! At least he's long and not wide! So, those 2 things added up makes sense that I'm measuring (and looking!) so much further along than I acutally am. I get strange looks when I tell people I'm not due until September and I cannot tell you HOW many times I've heard "are you sure there's only 1 in there?". We're sure unless the 2nd baby is a GOOD hider! Not likely. ;) Here's my 25 week picture and my 28 week picture (taken today). And, the bottom picture is me at 28 weeks with Payton.

25 Weeks

28 Weeks



Just for comparison... This is me with Payton at 28 weeks... BIG difference!

We thought Tom was going to be changing jobs but after 2.5 days on the new job, he was laid off, being told it just "wasn't working out". There's SO much more to the story, but to make a long story short, he's back installing cable for now. He doesn't love it, but it's paying the bills for us so he's perservered and is doing what he needs to do. My daycare has slowed WAY down. I knew it was going to this summer, but didn't realize it would be this slow! I don't mind taking more kids, but interviewing when I look like this isn't optimal, especially since SO many daycare providers around here are desperate for kids to watch. So, we'll see how it goes. Good thing Tom has a job!

Well, there's probably more but Tom's going to be home in about 20 minutes and the pizza is calling my name. ;) I know I always say this, but I'll TRY and update sooner!

22 Weeks, California, and the Flu

What a crazy month it's been! Here's a few updates...

I'm officially 22 weeks pregnant and can't believe how fast it's gone! I remember getting to 20 weeks with Payton and once I hit that 20 week mark, the rest of my pregnancy went SO fast. It was summer time, my appointments quickly started going to every 2 weeks instead of 3, my belly got bigger, I was working... Gosh! It didn't feel nearly as long as the first 20 weeks. This time it's going even faster! I'm afraid if I blink too hard this baby's going to be in my arms! lol. I'm anxiously awaiting that day/night he decides to make his appearance, but also getting nervous about the whole thing since I know what's coming this time... Yikes! Baby is VERY active and a "morning" baby. By about 5:30a, he's my little alarm clock! He seems to be favoring my right side so that's where I feel most of the movement. I love it! Honour was able to feel it last week and his eye's lit up like the moon! He loves to feel baby move every chance he get's now. :) I love it. Payton doesn't seem to phased about this little one--yet. Baby doesn't like when Payton is leaning on my tummy and kicks (or punches) until he's adjusted. Payton doesn't seem to care. He does understand now (I think) that there's a baby in my belly. When I ask him, he usually lifts up my shirt, puts his finger in my belly button, and says "baby?" with a grin on his face. It's adorable. Here's my latest belly shot--taken on Saturday.

Payton and I flew to California a few weeks ago and had a great time! After having a painter inspect our house, we decided this summer was probably the best time to get it painted to avoid doing siding AND paint next year... It was more economical for us to do it this summer. I really didn't want to be around for the whole thing so my dad flew us out to visit. :) It ended up being that the painter was able to get the body color of the house done before we got our biggest snowstorm of the year--18+ inches! I was glad to be in sunny (HOT) California for that. :) The remainder of the paint was done last week and it looks wonderful. I'll post pictures when I get out to take some. ;) It was wonderful to have a mini vacation before this baby comes--knowing that the likelyhood of me being able to fly alone with only 1 child won't happen for awhile! There's NO way I'd fly alone with 2 babies! One baby was hard enough. :) Payton did very well overall. He loved playing with his cousin Gabriel and all the "new" toys and also took a little swim in the pool. It was VERY cold water so I didn't let him in long, but I'm finding he's loving the water this year. Last year he didn't like it at all! Here are a few pictures while we were there:

Givin' the doggie kisses (yuck!!!)

This is my favorite picture (below). It's 5 generations on my mom's side. My great-grandparents don't have too much longer to live so spending this time with them was SO important. Payton will never remember them so this will be a photo we'll cherish forever!

These next pictures were taken by my friend Nichole. A few of us girls (4 to be exact) that all have kids SUPER close in age were able to get together while I was visiting Redding to let our kids play while we enjoyed coffee and scones that were to DIE for! I laughed when I saw these pictures because Payton really does have an infatuation with his belly button and truly, this is what he looks like 80% of the day!

Thanks Nichole!

I love this picture too. He LOVES to take bath's! I had just gotten out of the shower and I think he was trying to tell me something... ;)

These next pictures were so funny! Although this wasn't a cowboy boot, Honour's snow boot worked just as well! He was SO proud when he finally got in on--backwards or not!

And, last but not least, the flu... Payton just got over a 4.5 day stint of it! NOT fun for mommy or baby. :( He lost a few pounds and is just starting to regain some energy back today. The rest of us are feeling fine, so we're hopeful that since the incubation time is usually about 48-72 hours, we're clear. :) Having the stomach flu AND being prego is no fun! I had it with Payton (on the day of my baby shower no less...) and I would never wish that combination on anyone! We are happy to be healthy again and looking forward to regain some normalcy after traveling and the flu. Life's just about back to normal. :)

16 weeks, 18 Weeks, and It's a.... ????

So, I've realized I'm not so good about this updating stuff... I'm trying!

These last few weeks have flown by! I've gotten lots of orders for Bumble Covers, which has been amazing. So, between sewing 8 nursing covers, knitting a "secret" project for a friend, taking on 2 new daycare kids, and keeping up with my ever growing belly, I feel like I haven't even had a chance to breathe (or put my feet up)!

Baby is doing amazing. Feeling WAY more movement now and seeing (and feeling!) kicks (or punches), which is always fun. I'm ready for being able to watch all the movement in my belly at bedtime. That's my favorite part! The whole miracle of life in itself is just amazing. Tom was able to feel baby a few nights ago for the first time. My heart just welled up with pride. I'm not sure why. I actually got teary eyed when he said "wow!" as the baby's foot (or fist) made itself known on my husbands palm. There's just something so magical about watching the one you love start to be able to bond with the one that was made out of that love. I don't even have words to describe it!

At our 16.5 week appointment, Honour came with me. He hasn't been to one yet as he's not too "keen" on the idea of another baby in the house. He had the same thoughts towards Payton, but LOVES him now, so I'm sure it will pass. However, this time he was off school and I needed help with Payton, so off we went! My wonderful midwife did an ultrasound for him (okay, me, but he watched) and baby showed us this...

The baby is in the upper right corner of the screen and it's just a between the legs shot. The "W" is the baby. Yes, we are having another boy! It's very aparrent here! Each leg represents the tall lines of the "W" and his little "Twigs and Berries" represent the small line(s) of the "W". Make sense? lol. We don't have ANY names yet. We had 2 solid names for a girl and no names for a boy, of course. Both Tom and I thought it was a girl, but much to our surprise! I'm excited for Payton to have a little brother, a playmate, to be with. There's such and age difference between Honour and Payton (8 years) so by the time Payton's going to want to be doing more "boy" things (digging to China, building forts, Lego's, etc...), Honour's going to be driving and in his own activities in high school. I'm excited that Payton won't be an "only" child. :) He doesn't know it yet, but his life will surely be changed by this miracle!

Here are my 16 and 18 week pictures. Baby must have had a big growth spurt in those few weeks because I look bigger! lol. To my credit... in my 18 week photo, I had just eaten so maybe that's part of it. ;) It's amazing how fast this pregnancy has gone! I'm trying to enjoy it, but am a little overwhelmed that I'm already almost half-way! Yikes!

Payton has learned a few new words, but I can't remember most of them. One that stands out is "two". When I measure the scoops of formula into his bottle, I always count outloud if he's watching. I say "oooonnnnneeee" and pour it in, "tttwwwooooo" and pour it in, etc... For some reason, he's picked up "two" but not "one" or "three". Funny little guy. He also found his tongue. If you ask "where's your tongue", he'll stick it out and grab it with his fingers. It's cute. I'm sure there's more, but I'm pregnant so.... I forget. :P Oh! Also... If one of us is getting after Honour for something (not doing his chores, homework, arguing, etc...) Payton will often times chime in with a "NO, NO, NO!" lol. The first time we thought it was a coincidence, but he's done it a few times so we're not so sure! haha. He's our little parrot and seems to understand SO much!

We found out last week that Honour will be on a more traditional schedule for his school, which is huge for us. We're thrilled to have somewhat of a "normal" summer of 8 weeks rather than the usual 2 he gets. Year-round school is great if you have a child that thrives on changing things up, then year-round is a great option. However, mine isn't like that. He likes his routine and does awesome with it. So, to be on more of a traditional schedule with most of his friends is going to help SO much! *Side note: Because of legal issues, posting pictures of Honour on here can't happen. It's not because I don't love him! It's just safer that way for now. :)

Here's a few more random pictures from this last month. Tom's teaching Payton young how to play video games. Not sure how I feel about that yet. lol. In the last picture, he was done eating and had his water cup. Honour had handed him his bottle and he decided he needed both. So, he was a double-fisted drinker for the night. So funny.

5 Year Anniversary, 15 Weeks Prego, and Other Randomness

March 13 marked our 5 year anniversary. We had originally planned to go on a second honeymoon for this anniversary, but because of the economy and other factors, we decided it wasn't the best move for us. Both of us were disappointed, but felt good about our decision. We'll have plenty more anniversaries to come! So, being the good deals, super-sleuthing girl that I am, I decided to work my magic. I found an 800 sq. ft. suite in downtown Denver (truly, the heart of downtown on a fun outdoor mall) for $89/night. Uh, that was a better deal than I was expecting! So, I arranged a babysitter for the boys and 3 days later, surprised Tom, who had just got home from a LONG day at work, by telling him to get in the car and that we'd be back tomorrow. I didn't tell him where we were going or what we were doing. The boys were gone, our bags were packed and loaded, and we were off! It was SO hard to keep it a secret from him, but I knew that it was something we both needed, even if only for a night. The suite was AMAZING (I forgot my camera), we had dinner at The Cheesecake Factory and then walked around downtown for a little while. The hotel serves a complimentary breakfast buffet and it was so nice to just wake up, take our time getting ready, and then go eat breakfast without anyone needing something from either one of us. We got back into town at 10:30-ish and were ready to see the boys. It was the first time I had left Payton overnight and was so worried! I totally trusted our sitter and had no doubt that he was doing fine. It was just the mommy in me that wanted my babies back! ;) It was definately a wonderful anniversary.

Yesterday was my 15 week mark. Yay! I actually can't believe how much faster this pregnancy has gone than with Payton. It could be because I spend my time chasing around Payton, as well as the 3 other daycare kids I'm watch, or maybe just because I'm not ready for this second baby and so it's not top on my priority list's of "thoughts for the day". Either way, baby is doing great and bouncing all around in there. I've felt s/he some, but not constant (yet). We heard the heartbeat at our 13 week appointment and it's always such an amazing sound! I don't think it ever get's old!

Payton reached a major milestone this last week. After reaching 'only' 17 months old, he's FINALLY walking! It's just so adorable to watch the 'drunken stroll' day after day. He would rather walk with shoes off, but seems to do okay with them on as well. It's been BEAUTIFUL here this week, so on Saturday Tom decided to take him outside to walk around for the first time. He's VERY much a texture kid and doesn't like the feeling of grass, so I wasn't sure how it was going to go. Much to my surprise, after having some bonding time playing with the grass in his fingers, he decided it was okay. I took some pictures of him playing, but could never really get him to look at me. Overall, he enjoyed it and I'm sure we'll do it again. He learned some new words as well: bonk/bonkie, Sponge Bob (his favorite show--sounds more like "Bo-Bob" when he says it), cozy (his blankie), daddy (as opposed to da-da), no-no-no while he shakes his head side to side, and his uh-oh has cleared up to an acutal "uh-oh" and not "oh-oh".

Speaking of weather... March is, on average, the snowiest month of the year here in Colorado. So far? We've had less than an 1", adding to the 17" we've had since our first snow in October/November. We should be in the 30"+ range by now. So either we're going to have a very snowy last few weeks of March OR it's going to be a dry summer. Either way, I think most of Colorado has been enjoying the slightly breezy 70* days recently. I checked the weather this morning, and that's supposed to last thru Saturday, which just makes me so happy. We're so ready for Spring! Garage sales, nice weather, change in wardrobes (yeah, not really my favorite thing to do, but Honour's SO ready to wear shorts!), pretty flowers, green grass... the list goes on!

Here's a few pictures from the last few weeks. I have to admit... I wasn't so good with keeping the camera handy, so there's not much variety this time. :)

14 Weeks

Playing Outside

A Quick Catch Up...

Here's a quick catch-up on our lives this year. January started off with a big surprise. Rachael found out she was pregnant on January 2nd. Since we tried for so long with Payton and Rachael went on hormones to finally conceive, you can imagine our shock as we weren't even trying (yet)! Our surprise quickly turned into excitement as we knew this was God's doing, not ours.

Payton turned 15 months old in January and although he's still not walking, he LOVES to talk just like his brother. He says: hi, momma, dadda, bubba (Honour), doggie, book, Becca (our dog), yuck and yuckie, baby, ball, eat, bottle, all done and more (complete with sign launguage to accompany the word), and is attempting belly button (has yet to really get it but it's his FAVORITE body part right now--on everyone and anyone). It's SO cute when they start talking! He's our little parrot and has started imitating everything we say--even if it's just the syllables, not the sounds. He's a joy to have around and such a great baby. We are so blessed.

Honour is doing great. He's in 3rd grade now and has really excelled in his school work this year. We've had our moments, but his heart is to do what's right and we see him learning what right vs. wrong choices are with friends, school, homework, free time, etc... What an amazing thing to watch! Children learn and grow so quickly and we are so honored to have these 2 wonderful boys in our lives.

Tom is doing well. In December, we found him without a job overnight and, as stressed as we were, we knew God would take care of us. He is so faithful to always meet our needs. Tom ended up finding a job (working for the same company Rachael's brother does installing Comcast cable) about 5 days after his job had ended and although it's not his dream job, he's learning a lot and enjoys what he does (most days). We are blessed in this economy for him to have a job and are continually thankful for the provision we have.

Rachael is still doing daycare and enjoys it most days. The first trimester has really been different (and somewhat harder) this time so some days were harder than others, but she's starting to feel much better as she enters her 13th week. She's looking forward to feeling the second trimester "glow" and energy again. It's right around the corner, which is a huge relief for our whole family. In March of 2008, Rachael began a long process of starting her own business selling unique nursing covers for nursing moms. The actual nursing cover idea wasn't hers, but she made some LARGE improvements to one she had been given, thus birthing the Bumble Cover. She has found that she truly has a passion to see other moms have the freedom to nurse where they need to while enabling those moms to have the discreetness they desire, as that was her main struggle while nursing Payton. It's been such a learning adventure for us all, but one that we are glad we made. Rachael hopes to be able to grow her business this year more last thru her website (www.bumblecover.com) as well as online children's boutiques. She is currently sending out gift baskets to celebrities such as Jennifer Garner and Tori Spelling and has some upcoming opportunities that could greatly increase her product recognition. It's an exciting time in the Stone household and updates will be coming soon!


Playing in the Laundry Basket


12 Weeks Prego!


Family picture at Thanksgiving


Being Brothers


So Innocent!

Here are a few photos of Rachael's Creation!