Catching up

Yikes - where has the time gone? Busy getting ready for Christmas, I guess! We've also been getting Zach's "big boy room" ready - it is now painted and has new curtains; when we get back from Montana we'll put in the big bed! I have to admit I'm not too excited about switching; Zach LOVES his crib, and sleeps so well. If we didn't need the crib, that boy would be in that crib until his feet started hanging out! But somehow I suspect our easy-going boy will handle the transition just fine.

We took part in a Christmas tradition last weekend - taking Zach to see Santa. As we stood in line watching slightly more than half of the kids scream their heads off when plopped in the lap of the big bearded stranger's lap, I found myself wondering "why do we even do this?" Zach was telling us he didn't want to, and while we told him he didn't have to sit on his lap, he was still darn apprehensive. And who could blame him?? When it was his turn he was his usual self - willing to talk to the guy in red, but he was going to be cautious and not get too close (see pictures). Afterwards he received a candy cane for his bravery. When he tried it later, he decided he didn't like the taste and had a cookie instead. :)

We also checked out the Holidazzle parade for the first time last weekend, with some friends. We got the "hot seats," which despite the fact that at 25 degrees it was the warmest day in a while, were worth the money. Brrr! Zach thought it was all pretty cool, watching the lighted displays go by - Peter Pan, Mother Goose, etc. He was, however, quite disappointed there wasn't a Cars display. (no pictures, since the parade is at night)

Zach and I went down to the curling club to watch Scott curl the other night (mostly because he hadn't seen daddy all day and was missing him). Zach was excited to get out on the ice, but seemed disappointed at how heavy and hard to move the rocks were. We pointed out the rock weighs more than he does! He was pretty interested in the game for a while, mostly whether or not one rock as going to "knock" another one. But in the end, he had more fun playing cars while I watched the match.

We spend some time every week with our friends Wendy and Vincent, and it's been fun lately to see that the boys are actually starting to try to play together more than they used to. Zach's favorite thing to do right now is run (I don't know if this is because he's still so thrilled to have the cast off and be able to run, or just for pure fun), so we've been playing a lot of chase at our house, and in other places too. So when we went to a local mall with our friends the other day, Zach and Vincent had the most fun chasing each other around the fountain. Both boys also got great enjoyment out of playing on the rides - without us putting in a dime! Doesn't take much to entertain these two these days!

As far as pregnancy news, we've reached the "no news is good news" stage. But I'm happy to report I haven't had any more of the issues previously mentioned, and I've reached the wonderful part of pregnancy where I feel invincible! I have to constantly remind myself I should still be taking it easy, but it's hard when I feel great. We're almost to the halfway mark now - hooray! Our little guy has been moving around alot, particularly when I'm sitting down for some reason (with Zach it was when I was laying down). The best feeling in the world, I think. And we finally took a "belly picture" (don't worry, the one I posted isn't a bare belly one); we were so diligent about taking regular pictures when I was pregnant with Zach, and of course have not been as on the ball this time around. And while my friends are telling me I'm not big at all, I feel huge! When I look at the pictures from my pregnancy with Zach, I am as big now as I was when I was at least a month more pregnant last time. My stomach muscles have clearly waved the white flag. :)