Dear Ryan (23 months)

friday randoms

Ryan spent the morning with his cousin Audrey and Aunt Sarah while mommy went to the doctor for her checkup and glucose test. Yum! I just saw my regular OB today so no sonogram. Everything is going well so there isn't much to report.
- I have gained another 3.5lbs which puts me at a total of 16.5lbs total. I still have 11 weeks to go so I am thinking I might gain more than 25 lbs this pregnancy....oh well.
- Baby's heart rate was 131 today, which is back down low...which according to old wives tales means it's a boy. So this week I will go with Boy again.
- Now I will start going to my doctor every two weeks - wow! I can't believe it's already time for that! This is really going to fly by...better get ready for this baby!

In other news, I found a cute mini session deal with Chelle Cates Photography and decided to get some 2 years pictures of the little man done. I love all the props that she uses and thought these would be super cute. The theme is SUMMER FUN and includes a cool truck, bright tires, bubbles, cold Cherry Limeades and more!  I might try and see if Kevin and I could pop in one of the pictures so we could get one more family picture of just the three of us before little baby comes!

So what do you do once you book a photo session? Go shopping :) We headed to Crewcuts yesterday (because I am obsessed) and because I was looking for little white shorts. While I did not find the white shorts I set out for, I did find some other adorable items - go figure. I am loving these toddler sweatpants shorts...and they were $19.99 and an additional 30% off! What a steal...especially for that store! Ryan looks so adorable in them not to mention they are uber comfy. He is rocking them with a gray gap tank - a great friday look! Sometimes he is too cool for mommy.

In a few weeks we are headed up to Montana to visit Kevin's parents. We try and go every summer and always have a blast so I am really looking forward to it - plus it's so nice to get out of the heat! Anyhow, we will be there for a week and we return on Ryan's actual birthday! I  have been searching for a cute little shirt that he could wear on the plane and was happy to find this one on etsy. Originally I wanted something that said "birthday boy" but I couldn't find anything I liked - I might just have to find a little button or sticker somewhere to add for his special day. 

I have been working away on Ryan's 2nd birthday and this week I think I found some adorable party favors.  I had an idea to give little aviator sunglasses but I wasn't having much success shopping online for them.  This week I hit up The Children's Place and hit the jackpot. The only problem is that they had a few different options and I can't decide what I like best. 

I ended up buying all of the metal framed aviators they had available because they reminded me most of a pilot - thinking Top Gun. However, the blue plastic aviators were super cute on Ryan and he seemed to like them better. Then, when I got home and was looking online I saw the orange ones (the party colors are orange and blue so I thought these would be cute too!). I was only able to secure 10 pairs of the metal ones in the store and I am planning on around 25 little kids so I need to get more...I just don't know if I should order the same or do a mix?!? Help me!

And lastly, Kevin and I met with the architect and builder to discuss plans for our new house this week. It was so cool to see what the architect came up with and I am so excited to develop it further. We really loved his ideas but it is still in the early stages and tweaks need to be made. One thing he brought to the table was an atrium/courtyard type thing. Honestly I would have never imagined or thought I wanted something like this but they way it fits with the house is actually really neat. I think if it is done correctly it could be a really neat feature and almost another "room" in the house. After our meeting Kevin and I discussed everything further and came up with a list of things that we needed altered. We have sent it back over so now we are just waiting to see how the architect will adjust the plans. I am trying to be so patient....and it's so hard!!! Good think I have a lot on my plate to distract me!!!

That's all for now!

Happy Friday!

Toddler Gift Guide

Ryan's second birthday is still a month away but friends and family have already started asking me what he wants! I realize he is going to be two and doesn't really want anything but he is a kid, and kids love toys...and mommy loves having him entertained...even if it is for only 15 min at a time :)

I can never seem to come up with ideas on the spot so I decided to sit down and compile a list of a bunch of toys that Ryan or any other two year old would probably love. Not only is it going to be Ryan's birthday but most of his friends have summer birthdays too so I have some shopping to do as well!

Obviously there are a ton of toys out there and it is a bit overwhelming (especially if you don't have kids), so maybe this will help you! And if you have any good toy ideas I would love to know about them! Like I say...I am always looking for ideas!

1. Grow-to-Pro super sounds Soccer Goal $29.99 - Little boys love their sports! Cute soccer goal that you could play with outside or even inside (depending on how aggressive your child is).
2. Plasma Car $69.98 - No pedals, gears or batteries! Easy to maneuver and tons of fun for little kids. Ryan played with this at a friends house and I couldn't get him off of it! 
3. Fisher Price Cash Register  $19.99 (Toys R us exclusive)- This play register has colorful, numbered coins to sort and drop, buttons to press, and popping, spinning and rolling action. What toddler wouldn't love this?
4. iPlay Jumbonetics $27.99: Toddlers love building things (and tearing them apart)! These magnetic building tools are specially designed for children 18 months and up. Ryan would have a fun time creating structures with these!
5. Melissa & Doug Construction Wooden Chunky Puzzle $14.99- Chunky puzzles are great for those little fingers! Melissa & Doug is one of our favorite brands and they have so many different themed puzzles including ones to help kids learn shapes, ABCs, numbers, animals, ect... Always a great choice!

6. Flexible Building Blocks $29.99 - Soft and squishy, but still strong enough to fit together and build tall - these blocks are a great sensory AND building toy for the little ones.  

7. PlanToys Road & Rail Transportation Play Set $60- Little boys really do love cars, trucks and trains. Play Toys has a great PlanCity collection where you can add different services, forms of transportation and types of buildings to your city. This collection would be a great start for your toddlers new city!

8. YBIKE Balance Bike ($60-$100)- Balance bikes are the new rage these days (bye bye training wheels!). Apparently they are the new way to train your kids to...well, balance a bike. YBike's version is super kid-tough, lightweight, and a little smaller for the beginner in your life.
9. Melissa & Doug Food Groups $19.99- Two words - "Pretend play". Ryan loves the play kitchen that his Yiayia and Papu got for him and he loves pretending to feed himself and his stuffed animals. It is so much fun to watch him too! I recommend wooden food over the plastic & cardboard stuff they have because it is more durable.
10. Melissa & Doug Magnetic Hide and Seek $16.99 - Another M&D find - an activity board that featured nine hinged doors and when the door is opened, a magnetic piece is revealed. Items like this are very entertaining for a toddler!
11. Elmo Rain jacket/boots ($54/$37)- Buying clothes as a gift can be difficult unless you know mommy and baby pretty well.  A lot of times mommy's prefer to dress their child themselves but I always think accessories are a good gift.  Ryan loves Elmo right now - I saw this cute rain jacket and boots and think he would love it! Ryan loves splashing in puddles!

28 weeks

Oh those crazy whispys! I got them last time I was pregnant too!

Wow - I can't believe this weeks marks the beginning of the third trimester! This is going wayyyy too fast!

How far along? 28 weeks 0 days

Total weight gain/loss? 13+lbs and counting...official weigh in on Friday!

Baby size: Baby weighs almost two and a quarter pounds and is about 14.8 inches long. Baby is the size of a chinese cabbage this week (Babycenter.com) 

Exercise: Still nothing but a friend was telling me about a prenatal yoga class that she loves - might check it out next Tuesday. 

Maternity clothes? Yes - and stretchy stuff like the maxi dress I wore for Kevin's birthday!

Stretch marks? So far so good!

Sleep: Same ol story - some nights I am up a few times for the bathroom and some nights I sleep all the way though. 

Best moment this week: Meeting with the builder and architect to see preliminary plans for the house! Makes it start to feel real! I love planning for our future together :)

Miss anything: Nothing much this week

Movement: Starting to feel larger movement...like an arm moving across my belly instead of just little kicks/hits

Food cravings: I finally made the Reese's Peanut butter banana bread that I found on Pinterest and it's AMAZING!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope

Have you started to show yet: Yes

Gender predication: No strong feelings this week...undecided again.

Labor signs: No

Symptoms: Big ol belly, heartburn, back pain (but only when we went on a long walk)

Wedding rings on or off? On

Belly button in or out? Out.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!

Kevin's Week

Last week was a special week for Kevin - we started the week out by celebrating Father's Day and ended the week by celebrating his 32nd birthday.

I'll start with Father's Day...
When we got up Ryan created a Father's Day card for his daddy - he loves to stamp those little hand prints everywhere.

When daddy got up he opened his gifts and we played with little R. 

  We met the Hales and Botterman's for brunch at Patrizios.

After brunch we headed back home to put the little man down for a nap. He was already tired on the way home and it wasn't even noon yet! Oh well, we figured if we put him down early then we would be able to get out and do something in the afternoon.

Original plans were to head to the Rangers game. I thought this would be so much for Ryan and also for Kevin but we didn't end up going. We wanted to get seats that were close enough so that Ryan could see what was going on but we didn't really want to pay a lot because we didn't know how long Ryan would actually last in a seat. The other issue was wanting to be in the shade...

We thought we would just head up to the pool but when Ryan woke up clouds had rolled in and it looked like a storm was coming. Goodness....so we ended up just heading to the mall. Not very exciting but we were able to exchange Kevin's shoes for the correct size and burn a little energy.

Ryan showing daddy the ducks and turtles. 

We headed back home and Joe came over to watch the golf tournament with Kevin - we ordered pizza and they had some beers. Ryan loved playing with Joe, so all in all it ended up being a fun day and I think Kevin had a great time. 

Saturday was Kevin's 32nd birthday! His birthday starts the McDonough birthday season - next up in July is Ryan's, then mine in August (the big 3-0) and then new baby due in September!!! 

Special birthday breakfast with pancakes and sausage. Ryan loved the syrup and nutella...someone has a sweet tooth!

After breakfast we headed up to the pool! Ryan and daddy had a great time playing in the baby pool.

 Ryan came home and took a LONG nap. When he got up we had a mini birthday celebration for daddy. We sang happy birthday and opened presents - always fun!

Little man loved this cupcake...mostly just loved the icing! We only gave him 1/4 of it because we didn't want to get him too hyped up on sugar for the babysitter!

To celebrate Kevin's birthday we met up with friends for dinner at Jorge's in One Arts Plaza. Kevin really enjoys sipping tequila so I wanted to do something a little special for him and arrange a private tequila tasting.

 Here is one side of the table (not sure what happened to the ladies) with the first round of tequila - a blanco.

And the other side of the table - again...where did the girls go?

Round 2 & 3

Lindsey and I

And it's not a party without a cake...yummy!

Happy birthday Kevin!

And one last tequila drink for the birthday boy.

Such a fun night and so glad everyone was able to celebrate with us!

Project 366 - week 25

Sunday, June 17 - Happy Father's Day! Brunch with my two favorite men!

Monday, June 18 - Yummy lunch with Ryan - just discovered ranch dip!

Tuesday, June 19 - First day of summer MDO! Yay! Ryan did awesome and even took a 2 hr nap on his new nap mat without any help! What a sizzler!

Wednesday, June 20 - Love that my little bug waits for me to put a smock on him before playing in the water table at the children's museum. 

Thursday, June 21 - Walking and making silly faces after dinner at Grimaldis

Friday, June 22 - Lunch with buddy Jack

Saturday, June 23 - Happy birthday Kevin!

Project 366 - week 24

Sunday, June 10 - Capturing yet another one of Ryan's crazy faces that he makes. He was mad because he wanted the camera...

Monday, June 11 - Obsessed with cheese

Tuesday, June 12 - Playing with Ford before camp

Wednesday, June 13 - Loving arts & crafts at Little Explorers

Thursday, June 14 - Visiting Bob sizzle

Friday, June 15 - Date night

Saturday, June 16 - Hanging with cousins at the club

Project 366 - week 23

Sunday, June 3: Queso at Lupes!

Monday, June 4: Skyping with Papu (in Jakarta) while eating breakfast

Tuesday, June 5: Didn't sleep on the four hour drive from Houston to Dallas, but did fall asleep on the way home from swim lessons at 5pm. 

Wednesday, June 6: Mommy was craving donuts...everyone wins!

Thursday, June 7: Playing at camp Kidville AND making a silly face

Friday, June 8: Bob guarding the sausage balls that were baking in the oven. So dedicated. 

Saturday, June 9: Playing Fishin' Around with Marin and Ava at the Itz's lakehouse - Ryan's most favorite game ever! If anyone has this and wants to sell it....please let me know!!! Ryan was obsessed with this game. 

Friday Randoms

Cheerios are BACK! Back into my life :) Actually, I don't know that they were ever really a part of my life (only little R's) but they sure are now.  I had seen all the new flavors pop up at the grocery store but I was skeptical of them so I steered clear. That was until a friend of mine gave me the green light on them - she bought them for her toddler and he approved. When Ryan was over for a play date he devoured some Chocolate cheerios so of course I ran out and bought them. Little did I know that I would be the one that fell in love with them....I am obsessed with the peanut butter flavored ones....but then again, I am obsessed with peanut butter flavored anything right now. If you haven't tried these bad boys I definitely recommend them - they still have the Cheerios taste with just a touch of yummy flavor. It's not sugar overload. Do it!

The Barcelona Zipper Pouch from The Container Store was a impulse purchase and a darn good one in my eyes. I was at the Container Store grabbing a few things when I came across this little zipper pouch and I knew immediately that I needed it. My poor purse has become a disaster - which I swore I wouldn't let happen - and I knew this would help whip it back into shape. This zipper pouch now stores all of Ryan's coloring books, crayons and markers that I tote around for him. No more finding loose crayons at the bottom of my bag! Heck I was so excited about it I got a pink one for myself (to throw all my loose papers and pens in) - I swear my purse is thanking me!

I really want to buy a Cotton Candy Machine to use for Ryan's birthday party. I know that sounds ridiculous but after looking into them they really aren't that expensive and who doesn't love cotton candy? Plus, there are plenty of birthday parties, sleepovers and hot summer afternoons in our future where I think a cotton candy machine could come in handy! I found this one at Sur La Table and it gets pretty good reviews...I think it might have a future here with the McDonough family.

Sometimes I just wish I could order off of Pinterest instead of actually having to make the recipe myself. Wouldn't that be great? I see all these yummy deserts and just wish they were sitting in my kitchen - I guess it's a good thing they aren't. Anyhow, this Reese's Peanut butter banana bread is killing me...I think I am going to have to make it. I'll let you know how it goes....

Lastly, I was perusing Nordstroms.com (creating a wish list for the Anniversary Sale next month) when I came across this little t-shirt for Ryan which I am pretty sure I need to buy. If you have ever seen Ryan eat you know he LOVES his ketchup. I am talking ketchup on everything...his fruit, his ham...or just by the spoonful. It's kinda gross. Oh my sweet little ketchup loving boy - this shirt was made for you!

That's all! Happy Friday!

27 weeks

How far along? 27 weeks 3 days

Total weight gain/loss? 13+lbs and counting...official weigh in next Friday!
Baby size: Baby weighs almost two pounds and is about 14.5 inches long (Babycenter.com) As I mentioned last week - we already know baby M is more than two pounds so this isn't so accurate. 

Exercise: So I haven't quite made it to the gym in a while...so long that the gym actually called me and said they noticed I hadn't been in! Oops! May was a busy month and with Ryan out of MDO it has been too difficult to get over there. The one good thing I noticed is that my back hasn't been hurting either...so perhaps I will just take a break until baby comes. I don't know if the back pain and exercise are related but the other night Kevin and I went on a long walk and my back started killing me - so I kinda think it is related. Best to take it easy :)

Maternity clothes? Yes - and I actually broke down and bought a pair of maternity jean shorts the other day - even though I swore I wouldn't spend any money on maternity clothes this time. Uh oh, I guess I should never say I'm not going to buy something...because chances are, I will. 

Stretch marks? So far so good, but Kevin mentioned to me tonight that my bump seems to be bigger this time around...hope that doesn't mean we are going to hit stretch mark territory!

Sleep: Same ol story - some nights I am up a few times for the bathroom and some nights I sleep all the way though. 

Best moment this week: Celebrating Father's Day with Kevin - he is such a great dad and Ryan loves him so much!

Miss anything: Having some wine or a margarita by the pool

Movement: Busy little baby...especially after some ice cream :)

Food cravings: Still hooked on the sweets...but I just realized that I have forgot to mention my obsession with pizza. Grimaldi's pizza in particular. I am not sure how this has gotten by me but we have gone to Grimaldi's almost every week since I have been pregnant because I am so obsessed with it. In fact, as I write this I am craving it so I am going to heat up a piece leftover from our trip last night....mmm...

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope

Have you started to show yet: Yes

Gender predication: I had a dream it was a girl. Actually in my dream Kevin and I come home from the hospital and for some reason we don't even know the gender and we really weren't all that concerned about. I am shocked by my dream personality. A friend texts me and asks and I think...hmmm that's weird that we don't know. Apparently neither of us changed a diaper in the hospital. So I think about it and decide that it must be a girl because baby didn't have a circumcision. And I was right. and that was that. So calm. So unlike how I would be in that situation. lol. 

Labor signs: No

Symptoms: Growing belly & occasional heartburn. I am also starting to notice slight leg cramping but luckily I haven't been woken up by the pain of one (like with Ryan). Oh the pain!

Belly button in or out? Out. Ryan likes to poke it back in...which I am not a huge fan of. 

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!

Summer Fun (in Dallas)

It's official - summer is here!

When Ryan had his last day of Mothers Day Out (MDO) back in May I was a little worried about what we would do all summer long. We had four weeks before his summer MDO session began and I needed to find some fun summer activities! That was my mission - so here is what I have come up with!

I signed us up for so many darn activities that I am sure some people probably think I am crazy, but I love it and Ryan seems to as well. I go a little crazy being stuck at home (always have) so I love having activities for us to do together. (I realize this is all going to change come September, but we will make adjustments and I am sure be back on track soon enough!) We are continuing Ryan's swim classes at Dolfin Swim School, as well as Little Gym and Kindermusic. In addition to these activities we added camp at Kidville (during the MDO breaks) and also Little Explorers program. With this summer schedule we still have our M/TH afternoons and all day Friday wide open for play dates, pool dates and whatever else comes our way!


Kidville opened in Dallas over a year ago and I have been wanting to try it but every time we think about it our schedule changes and it just never happens. When Ryan's MDO ended in May I slightly freaked out about what I was going to do to entertain him and scoured the internet for activities in Dallas. I checked their schedule for summer classes and ended up finding a camp that sounded perfect! I know most camps don't start until your child is three but at Kidville they had one for two-year olds - which was awesome!


Campers and their counselors visit different classrooms where specialists lead them through all kinds of activities - gym, arts and crafts, music, and hands on explorations. We tried a two weeks session (T/Th classes) and Ryan seemed to really enjoy it. The counselors are all so sweet and loved him and he was so happy every time I went to pick him up so we signed up for another session in August (when he has another break between summer school and the fall semester.
Another great thing about kidville is that when you sign up for a class or camp you also get a year membership which gives you access to their open gym...totally worth it! If you are a mom and you are at home racking your brain trying to find a cool space for your kids to play this summer it's so nice to have this option! The open play hours vary by season but they generally have enough options that at least one day should work for your schedule. The Friday 10:15 - 12:15 time slot is probably where we will be most Friday mornings this summer!


This is a program at the Children's Museum (in the Nature and Science Museum at Fair Park.) Once again, I have tried to sign up for this before but have missed the deadline or our schedules didn't work out. Anyhow, it is a "program that mixes sensory artistic activities, music and stories to help your child build aesthetic awareness" (says the website) but if you ask me it's lots of messy (and I mean messy) fun and Ryan LOVES it! Each week the kids create an art project usually with a bunch of paint, glue and glitter - and once they are done painting they can play with all the bubble toys, water tables, and sand boxes. Really there is no order so the kids can do whatever whenever. At the end of class they sing, dance and play with musical instruments. Once the class is over you can head over to the Children's Museum to let them burn some more energy - good indoor fun!

In my research I also found a lot of other activities for us to try. It's almost too hot for most of the outdoor activities - most of them are better for spring and fall, but I thought I'd list them anyways.

Outside:

• Splash Park
• This might be the only one we try during the actual summer
• Visit a neighborhood park 
• Arboretum
• Belo Garden - new park in downtown Dallas with water feature
• Arts District Food trucks for lunch and water feature outside the opera house
• Lakeside Park to feed the ducks
• The Gentle Zoo - petting zoo in Forney

Inside:

• Dallas Aquarium
• Children's Museum
• Frontiers of Flight Museum
• North Park Mall - Ryan loves to walk around and check out the turtles and ducks. 
• Bookmarks Library (in North Park) Music time
• Whole Foods (Park Lane) - Whole Kids Crafts & Story Time every Tuesday from 10am - 11am, Free. Fun hour of crafts, stories and healthy snacks. 
• Jump Street - indoor trampoline park (new Dallas location)
• Barnes & Noble in Addison - Thomas the Train table to play with
• Barnes & Noble Prestonwood Center - Saturday story time @ 10:30
• Plano Indoor Safari Park
• Dallas Museum of Art - First Tuesdays are free every month and geared for children 5 and under! Each month is a different theme. 
• Nasher Sculpture Center - First Saturdays are free and full of kid acticities - including art, scavenger hunts, family tours, yoga, reading time, and Live performances. Events run from 10am - 2pm. 

I am sure there are tons more activities available but these are what I have found. It seems that every time I talk with a new mom I get more ideas. If you have any ideas I would love to hear them!

this and that

So it has been a while since I have posted an update on what is going on with us. So I will now...

:: Our house is on the market. Yup - it has been since March. We have had a a decent amount of showings and have received one offer but as of now it's still on the market. Anyone? Anyone? It actually (knock on wood) hasn't been too painful - having a toddler and dealing with showings/cleanings, ect... but I would totally be cool if someone decided to buy it :) We are toying with the idea of leasing it but can't decide if that would be too much of a headache. I guess the plan for now is to just keep it on the market and if nothing happens by the time baby #2 gets here we will take it off until January-ish.

:: In more exciting news - We are building a house! Yay, this is what makes everything worthwhile. We closed on the lot at the end of May and now we are officially landlords. (There is a renter in the existing house and he will be out by the end of August, if not sooner.) Once he is gone we will demo the house and start from scratch. Timing actually works out well because it will probably take the month of July to finalize the plans for the house and then once we have those we take them to the bank for approvals and such. So we wouldn't really be able to start until the end of August anyways. At this time we are expecting the house to be done around next March - so hopefully there won't be delays. We are super excited about the new location. Although it isn't far from where we currently live, the new house will be on a more family friendly street, good elementary school and only three blocks down from the Hales!

:: Having a baby - so this one isn't really news. I have been pretty good about documenting the pregnancy but that is about it. I am not sure if it is the fact that I don't know the sex of the baby or the fact that I haven't bought a single thing for this little baby (mainly because we have most everything we need) but as we are creeping up on the due date I am starting to feel extremely unprepared.  I mentioned to Kevin some of the things that we needed to do and he assured me it could all be handled on a single day...so I probably shouldn't worry. I think we will focus more on this come August (just in case someone decides to make an early arrival). 

:: Planning Ryan's birthday. Well for the longest time I didn't even know if I was going to throw a party for him but in the end I decided to. Mainly because I found a place to have it - and then things just kinda fell together. His party isn't until August 4th but of course I am in full planning mode and am super excited for the whole thing. We are having it at the Flight Museum and it obviously will be airplane themed. So many fun ideas floating around on pinterest...my biggest hurdle will be setting up in only 30 min!!! (His party starts at 10am and they said the earliest I could get in was 9:30!) Yikes! I guess they don't deal much with party-crazy moms like me! I will just have to be super organized and have some good help!

Ok, well I am off to take Bob to the vet...I suppose to should do an update on him as well. Will post more later!

26 weeks

How far along? 26 weeks 5 days

Total weight gain/loss? Nothing official this week
Baby size: Baby now measures 14 inches and weighs around a pound and a two-thirds says babycenter. Although since I went to the doctor this week I know baby is already 2lbs 2oz (which is 54th percentile). 

Maternity clothes? Yes please. It's hot outside so dresses and stretchy stuff work best. I finally got my Gap tank dresses out and love them just as much as I did my first pregnancy. I wish Gap would make them again...I'd seriously buy them in EVERY color. 

Stretch marks? So far so good.

Sleep: This week sleep was a little rough but that was because of my little pooch. Luckily things are looking good for him so I am back to getting rest!

Best moment this week: Seeing baby at our sonogram appointment and hearing that everything was looking great AND finally hearing the vet say that Bob was going to make it!

Miss anything: Nothing this week

Movement: Baby moves a lot - especially at night!

Food cravings: Still hooked on the sweets...

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope

Have you started to show yet: Yup

Gender predication: Maybe thinking possibly a girl (after the sono pics)...I honestly have no idea

Labor signs: No

Symptoms: Ummm just the growing belly 

Belly button in or out? Out

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Let's go with emotional. Let's just say a pregnant woman shouldn't have to deal with the near death of her little dog!

26 weeks - Sonogram

On Tuesday I had my monthly checkup with Dr. Rinehart. Everything looks great and is progressing as normal. Baby is about 2lbs 2 oz (54%) and has a heart rate of 152. Ryan was always in the 130s 140s I believe, but then again I didn't go to the doctor as much with him so his could have fluctuated higher without my knowledge. I got a lot of pictures and actually kinda think this baby might look a little like me! So weird to actually see that in a sonogram...what do you think???

 This is a face shot - it really changed my thinking on the sex of the baby....maybe it is a girl? 

Profile body shot - hand is up by head (possibly sucking thumb)

Foot with little toes....big toe appears to be shorter than the rest, but perhaps it's bent. 

 Another face shot (more skeleton looking than the first) Hand is up as well. 

 Baby profile shot

 Profile again

Bob Trauma

I don't believe Bob has gotten much face time on Daily Dimples but I am sure he really doesn't mind. Mr. Bob Sizzle use to be the center of all of our (my) extra attention but things definitely changed when little R showed up almost two years ago. Here are some pre-Ryan pics:

Hanging out at our tailgate wedding shower and dressed up like a bee for Halloween. 

A night out in Dallas

He was the only boy invited to my bachelorette party - Mk even had a shirt made for him!

Ready to celebrate St. Patty's Day

When Ryan came along Bob didn't seem to mind too much. In fact, some might say he was probably ok with some attention away from him - I think he is totally ok with the fact that he hasn't worn an outfit since Ryan was born!

I still love my little chihuahua so much and he really is quite great around Ryan. I wouldn't call him "child-friendly" per se, but it works. 

I can't believe it but the little runt will turn seven on Wednesday (June 13th)! I was planning a special little day for him with a steak dinner but he had an accident this weekend and can't really do much for now. 

 This weekend we headed to a friends lake house and had to board Bob. (I really hate boarding Bob and try to avoid it at all costs.  He has only been boarded two other times in his six years.) We dropped him off around 9:30 on Saturday and around 12:30pm the kennel called me asking if Bob had any injuries. They said that one of the girls tried to pick him up and he squealed and cried. It's not typical that he does that but he has done it before so I just assumed it was because he was scared and not hurt. They said they would take special care of him and give him one on one attention to help ease his comfort. I didn't get any more calls from them so I assumed everything was ok. 

On Sunday Kevin picked him up at 3pm and Bob seemed uber depressed when he got home. He wasn't running around happy to see me or to be home - he was lethargic and walked really slow. I assumed he was just exhausted (that he probably didn't sleep at all while he was gone) and a little mad at me so I cuddled with him for a little while and then we left him alone and headed to the pool. 

When we got home around 6:30pm Bob was on the ground (which he never is) - I went to pick him up and noticed that his entire under-carriage area was black/purple! I was in shock  - what on earth happened to this little guy??? I felt so horrible. 

I have been carrying him around on a pillow treating him like a little king but I feel so helpless. He doesn't cry or yelp when you touch his belly so I can't tell if its bruised or what. He doesn't seem to have any marks on him so it's hard to tell if anything happened. He did perk up when I was in the kitchen so I heated up a leftover sausage ball for him - and he ate it. I felt so much better that he ate. He also jumped down from the couch and mini walked outside to use the bathroom. When he came back in drank some water...now he is just resting on his pillow. The thing that scared me is that his belly is sagging...like all the skin in two areas is hanging down and it's not normal looking. I have called the vet twice and they said they will be there all night so if he takes a turn for the worse I can always bring him in. I really want to bring him in but Kevin has assured me that he will be fine until the morning.

***

So I started that last night and have updates now. 

Neither one of us really slept last night. Poor Bob looked like he was in so much pain and I was so worried about him. I took him in first thing in the morning and just started crying when the tech asked what was wrong. I had no idea what happened to him all I knew was his belly was black, he was breathing weird and he had just pooped a bunch of blood. She said she was taking him to the back to weigh him and would be back - but didn't come back. The vet actually was the next one in and she said that Bob had extensive bruising and was in a lot of pain. They needed to do x-rays and blood work right away. 

So I waited. 

And after a while she finally came back with the results. Bob had three broken ribs, contusions on his lungs and also fluid around his lungs (which they suspect is blood). I was in shock. She showed me the x-ray and said that she also could not find any "bite" marks on him and that the damage actually looked like it came from some sort of blunt force. She said this is the kind of injury that you would see if a dog got hit by a car. How could this have happened? My poor little dog was in so much pain and I have no idea what happened. I assume it was an accident and I don't know if it was a handler or another dog that did this but I guess it really doesn't matter at this point. 

She brought Bob back in and I just held him. There really isn't much you can do for broken ribs - you need to minimize movement and manage pain, so that's what we have been doing. Bob came home with me and I have been trying to keep him as still as possible. A few times he has tried to move but he is pretty slow and he usually stops so that I can go and get him and take him where he wants to go. He has been pretty good about staying still but he did get excited when Kevin came home and tried to get up to greet him. 

He is on three different medicines - one antibiotic and two pain killers so hopefully he feels a little better. I guess he will be on the mend for the next two weeks so we will have to take it pretty slow. My mom is coming up tomorrow which will be helpful so that she can help out with Bob.

So for now, lots of hugs, kisses and prayers for my little chi. I hate that he is in so much pain and I can't wait for him to run around and play again. I am sure Ryan can't wait to take him on another walk!

I have purposely not mentioned the kennel where I boarded Bob because I don't feel this incident is representative of the care they provide there. I have always heard good things about this place and the owner has been very involved and extremely concerned with Bob.  Another reason is that neither of us know exactly what happened so it's hard to point fingers. At this point I don't care what actually happened I am just happy that Bob is going to be ok. I wouldn't say I would never board here again, but I will say that I will probably never board Bob again. I just don't think he can handle it and I would probably worry too much- so if any friends ever want to Bob-y-sit, I will be very grateful :)