27 days....and Yes I'm counting

The countdown to Baby is officially on! 27 more days til we get to meet our little man. May 26th is the day scheduled at the hospital. At first we didn't think we would make it full term but as of right now, baby is doing so well that we are planning on 37 weeks!

Baby still has a rather pronounced, obvious obstruction but is doing so well in spite of that. He is growing, thriving, and is under no stress from the obstruction(as of yet.) The 3 Dr.s that I consult and meet with are quite optimistic about the situation. One Dr. thinks that the actual obstruction is in his intestine rather than his colon with is wonderful news. There is a lot more intestine to work with and cut out, then the colon. And they are pretty sure they are seeing fluid move around in there which means it is not completely blocked.

In other good news, Baby is growing at a fantastic rate. At my last appointment he was over 5 lbs and in the 87% for height and weight. His bigness doesn't help his lungs mature any faster but it sure does help in surgery. They are predicting at 37 weeks he will be between 7 and 8 lbs. And it is so much easier operating on a 7lb baby's bowel than a 5 lbs baby. This is great news for him but kind of scary news for me.....I have decided to do a VBAC(vaginal birth after C-section). The hospital will try and be as accommodating and wonderful as they can by reserving us a room right next to the NICU so that all the neonatologists, pediatricians, Respiratory Therapists, nurses, etc....dont' have to be in the room for the actual birth. There will just be a window that can open and they will pass him through.

Surgery is planned for later that day or the next morning. We won't know the extent of the surgery until after birth when he will have numerous x-rays, CT scans, etc to try and figure out exactly where the blockage is. The surgeon we chose has agreed to come in and do the surgery even though it won't be his day in the OR. We feel very blessed. We learned this surgeon has won many awards throughout the hospital and throughout the country. Most recently named "Surgeon of the Year," at Primary Childrens. Makes me feel a tiny bit better about the whole situation.

We set up baby's room a few days ago and Carter has been obsessed with the crib. He loves to climb in it and play with the new light/music thing that Grandma got for baby.

Carter has finally come to terms with the fact that he does NOT have a baby in his tummy. There were tears shed over this and lots of "WHYS" but I think he finally gets that part. But now I think he's very confused about everything. I'm not sure he realizes that a real live baby will eventually be sleeping in there, and staying with us permanently. Even more confusing will be that the baby is born but may not be able to join our home for weeks/months. I hope he adjusts quickly and is as excited about Brother as he is now!

Easter Festivities

We started out the Easter weekend by attending our first ever "Baby Animal Days." I thought Carter would be so excited to attend and we talked up the event for days.

I've always known Carter doesn't get too excited or show too much emotion over animals and this experience really cemented my knowings. Carter doesn't love animals. He's rather impartial about them.

He had no real desire to pet or touch any of them. He would humor me and stand next to a few of them and pose with a fake smile. I guess he takes after me, he can take or leave animals.

The Real Star of the Show was this Guy:

We got there at 11 but the train didn't start running until noon.....boy was he upset. We kept trying to distract him with the animals and other exhibits but he was too focused on the train.

Luckily the train started early and we were able to get on the first ride. It only went around a short track 2 times but he was in heaven. Even though his face doesn't show pure bliss, don't let him fool you. He could have ridden it for hours.

And of course you always have to put your hands up whenever you go through a tunnel or up and down a hill.

His 2nd best activity of the day was the licorice rope Grandma bought for him. Even though it was stale and hard to bite, he managed to finish every last bite.

Allowing the bunny to sit on his lap for a picture.

After baby animal days we came home for a much needed nap and while Carter was napping, the Easter Bunny came!

The Bunny hid the basket in Brother's crib and Carter had no trouble finding his it. He got 2 of his favorite things from the Easter Bunny. A Car Transporter and a Thomas The Train Movie. He checks out Thomas movies from the library each week so he was so excited that he finally had one that he gets to "keep at home!"

Next came the egg hunt. Small and simple around the house. He knew right what to do and was running so excitedly around the house squealing with each egg he found.

And lo and behold, the Easter Bunny knew all about his allergies and left him all his favorite candy.

My handsome boy in his new Easter outfit.

Here he is showing his new tie. He was so excited to "wear a tie like daddy's." At first he refused to wear his tie tucked into his vest so he looked pretty funny with it on the outside. But during sacrament meeting his realized that every time he leaned over to do something, that darn tie got in the way and so he allowed me to tuck it in!

Sunday afternoon he got to have another hunt at Grandma's house and received even more Easter candy. It is so fun to celebrate little holidays with a child. Neil and I had a blast hiding the eggs outside and then throughout the house the next morning for his entertainment.

Introducing......

Beaver Mountain's newest Season Pass Holder for 2011-12. And boy was he excited. Not for skiing, because he doesn't really know what that is. But to have his own card that had his own picture on it, just like daddy!

The first of April brought a new member to our family. Meet Kevin. A new kitty brought to our home in hopes of destroying the voles in the neighborhood. Keep your fingers crossed. Carter was a bit confused about his name for a bit and called him "Heaven" for a while. Carter loves the kitty and loves to feed him kitty treats. At least 10 times a day. This is the only time Kevin is allowed in the house. Other than that, he is strictly outside. We have decided that we have "indoor children" and not "indoor pets!"

Spring Break brought us a trip to Seattle to visit cousins. Carter was a true champ the entire 12 hour drive. Both ways. No tears, little whining and lots of DVDS. Made me almost willing to make the drive again!

Carter jumping on the bed with his cousins. They all got along so great. They taught each other their best and worst traits!

We got to visit the Tacoma Children's Museum aka "the really, really fun place." A completely different experience than the one in Ogden and he loved the new toys.

When we got home from a week straight of rain in Seattle Carter was thrilled to see snow. I'm pretty sure he was the only one who was excited to see more snow in Cache Valley.

Barely enough snow to do a snow angel in !