Merry Christmas to ALL!!!

Great Grandma Phyliss arrived last night from Tipton to celebrate Christmas with us. YAY!!!

Visit from Grama Jo

Grama Jo came to visit us from California from Dec 11th to Dec 20th. I was great to have her here to spend time with us and having the extra set of hands was an added bonus! Thanks for all of your help Grama Jo. She timed her visit so she could also attend a very important event. Jason graduated with his MBA from the University of Iowa on Dec 18th!!! YAY! He had a permanent smile on his face ALL DAY! We drove to Iowa City on Friday evening to attend the ceremony and dinner. We are so proud of you Jason! He had his last class on Dec 19th and is relieved to be done...finally!

Nolan's Two Week Checkup

Yesterday we went in to see Dr. Anderson for Nolan's two week checkup. My mom went with us to chase Nash while I was occupied with Nolan. He was 8 pounds 1 oz at birth and dropped slightly to 7 pounds 11 oz before we left the hospital. A few days later, Maggie, the visiting nurse came over and Nolan weighed 8 pounds 5 oz. Jason thought for sure he was up to 9 pounds yesterday but I refused to believe it. When the nurse weighed him at his appointment the scale read 9 pounds 12 oz. My jaw dropped. I told the nurse I didn't think it was possible but she insisted that it was correct. When we saw the doctor, he was in disbelief too. He sent us back out to the scale for a re-do. Sure enough, 9 pounds 12 oz. I still can't believe it. His length measured 20 1/8 inches and head circumference measured 37.8 cm. I asked the doctor what percentile Nolan was in and he just said, "big." I had some concerns about a few things: Nolan's tongue is attached almost all the way to the the tip, when he spits up it also shoots out his nose and he has a rash on his bottom. Dr. Anderson recommended we get some zinc oxide for Nolan's bottom but was not too concerned about anything else. A good report overall! Nash and Nolan both have appointments in February.

Nolan's Homecoming

We left the hospital on Monday, December 7th, around 11am or so. The lactation consultant came in to talk to us right before we left to talk about the obvious. She also discussed how to best introduce Nolan and Nash. I started crying (freakin' hormones) and then cried all the way home. I was nervous about introducing them and SO excited to see Nash. He wasn't allowed to visit us at the hospital because of flu season.

This was the sign we saw on our garage when we pulled up to the house!

Nash was plastered to the front door as we walked up. He was yelling "Daddy, Daddy!"

Right away Nash wanted to see the baby. He was clapping and saying "baby, baby!" He started rocking Nolan in his carseat and kissing him right away. It was such a relief to see how excited he was...a moment I will never forget.

Nash and Nolan are getting along quite well. Nash likes to hold him (for brief periods of time) and loves to share his stuffed animals. He even tries to share his raisins. We have to keep a pretty close eye on them.

My boys.

It's a BOY!!!

My water broke around 2am on the morning of 12.5.09. Nana and Papa drove down from Grand Mound to stay with Nash while Jason and I headed to the hospital. I think it was around 9:30 when I finally dilated to 4cm and was able to get my epidural. Life was MUCH better after that! The nurses kept a very close eye on the baby's heart rate because it was dropping after contractions (same thing happened when Nash was born). This time however we were able to pull through it without a c-section. By 11:30 I was 6cm dilated and by 12:15 I was 8cm dilated. Around 3:15 the real work started and at 4:58 pm Nolan Jace Wentland entered the world! He weighed 8 pounds 1 oz and was 20.5 inches long. Slightly bigger than his older brother was at birth (6 pounds 13 oz and 18.5 inches long). We are so blessed to have such a happy, healthy little guy and we look forward to introducing him to his big brother Nash.

To Baby, From Mommy

Dear Baby W #2,

I'm not sure if you are aware but your due date was yesterday. Everyone is anxiously awaiting your arrival. We can't wait to meet you! Any chance you will bless us with your arrival this weekend? I won't make any plans, just in case!

Love,

Mommy

Trees and Traditions

Today Jason, Nash, Whitney and I drove out to the tree farm to pick out the perfect Christmas tree. We actually thought about getting a fake tree this year but ultimately decided we didn't want to give up the experience of cutting down our own real tree. We were not disappointed. We went out a little earlier this year than we have in past years so there was no snow on the ground yet. It was chilly but not as cold as it has been during past outings. We looked at several different kinds of trees until finally deciding on our perfect tree. We hauled it home, set it up and decorated it with lights and ornaments. Nash and Jason joined forces to put the finishing touch on the tree...the angel bear. Even though it's not quite December yet, having the tree up is starting to get me into the holiday spirit!

Seeing 20/20

I just had to share these pictures of our goofy, little man...

38 weeks

Don't look now...our due date is 2 weeks from today!

Hi Baby...it's your Big Brother Nash. Are you really going to stay in there until December?

Comparing Pregnancies

We are now 37.5 weeks along with baby #2. Jason gets back tonight from a week and a half elk hunting trip to Montana. I am very thankful the baby did not decide to come while he was gone. It's been a little more difficult this week than I thought but thanks to my very supportive family, we made it through. I am tired and at times uncomfortable...especially at night. Even though Nash is only 20 months old, it's hard to remember some of the details about my pregnancy. Everyone asks me if this pregnancy is different from my pregnancy with Nash. So I thought I would try to do a little comparison anyway.

1. Morning sickness: I was nauseous during both pregnancies. I think it only lasted about 12 weeks with Nash and about 15 or so with this one. Not bad either time though. I really can't complain. I think I was pretty fortunate.

2. Cravings: With Nash I craved chicken noodle soup, ice cream and candy (Mike n Ikes and Skittles). With this pregnancy I still like my sweets but I haven't had any major cravings. The closest thing to a craving is the hot ham and cheese from Hungry Hobo (with a side of waffle fries please).

3. Baby activity: I remember Nash being active but not like this one. I think this one sleeps very little and likes to party! Some days I think this baby is going to exit spontaneously right through the side of my belly. :0)

4. Restless legs: If you have never had this, count your blessings. I don't remember which part of my pregnancy I had this with Nash but I definitely remember having it. I had it during my first and third trimesters this time. The only thing that helped was getting up and doing 100 or so calf raises followed by calf stretches. I would be exercising at 10pm or 3am, whenever the need occurred. This time Jason also tried rubbing my IT band on the side of my thigh. Rubbing might be the wrong word. It felt more like he was trying to puncture a hole in the side of my leg but he thought he was more effective that way. Even though it really hurt at the time, I have to say I fell asleep pretty quickly after his "treatments."

5. Fatigue: It's definitely different this time around. I was mostly tired during my first and third trimesters with Nash. I had more energy during my second trimester. When I was tired after work, I would take a nap. This time...NO CAN DO! When I get home from work, Nash is usually ready to read books and play. I know he's just helping me prepare for what's to come! :0)

Overall, it's been another good pregnancy!

Nash-ster's Dictionary

Here is an update on Nash's vocabulary words...he will likely be passing me up soon! Every day he says something new.

*hanger

*backyard

*Go Hawkeyes

*soccer ball

*upstairs

*downstairs

*Ali (we have a picture of Muhammad Ali on our landing and Nash says "Ali" when he passes by)

*I get it

*don't touch

*that hurt (this is what he said when he got his H1N1 shot as he pulled the syringe out of his leg and out of the nurses hand!)

*I tired

*flamingo, peacock, llama, dolphin

*bonk head

*dark

*bright

*I hold you (this is what he says when he wants me to pick him up)

*cut it

*wash hands

*brush teeth (which mostly consists of him sucking the Elmo toothpaste off of his toothbrush)

...the list goes on

he's starting to get his colors correct and can count to 9 if someone alternates numbers with him. Although he can spout off 7, 8, 9 pretty quickly on his own. He will not say TEN! He said THANK YOU to the lady at the apple orchard yesterday. She was so impressed that he didn't even have to be reminded. I was SO proud!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Nana and our little Halloween puppy...

Nash, Whit, and Evan

Will, Daniele, and Nash. Will and Daniele passed out candy at our house so we could take Nash trick or treating at a few houses.

The Dog Catchers and the puppy

Trick or Treat?! Arf Arf!

35 week checkup

Today we went in for our 35 week (and 2 day) checkup. Jason wasn't able to make it but Nash came along to entertain the waiting room. The doctor said my tummy was measuring small (which I found hard to believe) so she ordered an ultrasound to make sure everything was OK. Nash thought it was so cool to see the baby on the TV and liked playing with the gel on my tummy. The ultrasound tech gave us some new baby photos and Nash got to keep one too. Like a proud big brother he showed it to some people in the waiting room. The doctor took a look at the pictures and measurements and told us everything looked fine, we just have a small baby. (So why have I gained 30 pounds???) The baby measures in the 45th percentile. We go back for another checkup in 2 weeks!

This is a video I took of the baby wiggling around in my belly.

Shake and Bake

Friday was cold and rainy so Nash and I decided we would bake some Halloween cupcakes.

Almost done!

Notice a few are missing...we can't figure out where they went!

October Belly Update

These pictures were taken at 33.5 weeks. According to babycenter.com, the baby weighs around 4 pounds and is around 17 inches long.

The Pumpkin Patch

On Sunday, Oct 18th, we piled into two vehicles and headed over to Shady Knoll Pumpkin Patch for our traditional pumpkin search.

Then we headed back to our house to start carving out our masterpieces.

The final works of art. From left to right: Daniele's witch, Lil Dub #2's mini pumpkin, Megan's witch feet, Rick's scary mummy, Whit's monster, Nash's Mickey Mouse, Jason's Trick or Treat skull and Will's Mummy Pumpkin. After we cleaned up we stuffed ourselves eating loaded baked potatoes, country style ribs, squash, and pumpkin dessert! YUM!

Disney Live! Rockin' Road Show

Nana, Nash and I went to the Disney Live! Rockin Road Show at the iWireless Center on Friday. I wasn't sure if Nash would be entertained for the entire show but he did great!

He gets a smile on his face every time he sees "Micka" Mouse!

GIDDY UP!

I think Nash is feeling a little better. Or maybe he is just excited that we are going to see Disney Live! Rockin Road Show! He can't wait to see Mickey Mouse!

Another stinkin' virus!

Nash has been battling a cough and runny nose since last Thursday. He just hasn't felt like himself. I spoke with the doctor last week and he didn't seem too concerned. I called again today and they said to push fluids and let it take it's course. Yesterday he seemed to be doing better and it was the first sunny day we had seen for a while. The poor kid (and mommy too) needed to get out of the house. I took him to the mall so I could return a sweater and he had a great time running around... until he threw up all over himself (and me). He was on a little merry go round and wasn't acting sick at all. He threw up then wanted to stay on the merry go round and play some more. Luckily I had just purchased two new outfits for him so we cleaned up the area the best we could and ran to the bathroom to change him. Nash and Nana skipped music class today. We are hoping he feels better by Friday because we have tickets to see Mickey Mouse at Disney Live! Rockin' Road Show!!! YEAH!!!

We are 33 weeks pregnant now and according to Baby Center, the baby should weigh about 4 pounds and is about 17 inches long. Seems crazy! I can definitely tell the baby is starting to feel a little cramped for space! I need to take our Oct belly pictures soon...

Mr. Handsome

Go Hawkeyes!!!

Bob the Builder is in MY room!

Making apple prints with paint at the Bettendorf Family Museum...