Mid-August Testers

[InHisHands]

Dexter isnt walking completely on his own. He grabs one of my fingers in each of his hands and he lifts up his legs and bend them on his own. He just needs me for balance. He's pretty quick tho. He leans up against furniture sometimes to play, but like Finlay he needs to be walked there or put there since he doesnt pull up yet.

Poor dexter has only had formula, rice and oatmeal cereals and purees... not even a cracker for him yet (though that will change in a week or so)

As for hubby. I have gathered something throughout the year for each holiday he has missed. Example: Labor Day a kit kat bar that i typed Give me a break on it. New Years a bottle of sparkling grape juice, and etc. I have all the items on the table.

I also got that onesie that i mentioned earlier and the day after he gets back we will celebrate Christmas.

He requested that i make chicken fajitas as his first welcome home homade meal... so i will have to get to the store to buy the items to make that.

Nic - if you get a chance take a picture of finlay and the snowman!

 

[Srbjbex]

Hands - Elliot loves his Play gym. When he was very tiny he used to spend ages just staring at the whale, now I have attached on loads of things hecan grab as that's his new favourite skill!

 

[snowflakes120]

Aweeeekkkkkk! LOVE all the new pictures!

Hands - MMMmmmmmm chicken fajitas!! So happy that DH will be home soon!! You will have to post pics of the homecoming!!

Bex - How cute that Elliot is graby now! 2nd tri is going good. Having issues sleeping though and just some normal growing pains.

Nic - Yah for Finlay starting to cruise around! So cute that he lifts his feet and head up together! Love his smile in the jumperoo. He is going to get voted as "best smile" when he gets older! Also, is his hair going to be a strawberry blonde? The one pic looks like it - how freaking adorable is that!!

Lisette - Can't believe that Melina is already about to start cereal! Where has the time gone??!!

All y'alls babies are getting so big already!! Also, I was looking ahead at my calender and Shrove Tuesday is coming up soon!!! Yeahhh for pancakes - I think you guys got me a new tradition to follow!

We did the registry for the baby showers this weekend. Lots of fun shopping but not having to pay for anything! I can't get over all the stuff we will need. We picked up the car seat as well because they are discontinuing the fabric choice we liked. We also were lucky and got to use a 20% off coupon even thought it clearly states that the brand we bought was exempt from the sale. Good deal.

 

[NotNic]

Loving the bargain Snow! Yep I think Finlay is going to be strawberry blonde, at least while he's a baby anyway. I was a strawberry blonde baby but look how dark I am now! I still have a lot of red hints and my hair gets lots of random gold strands - which panic me and I'm convinced I'm starting to go white. Pregnancy definitely has made my hair redder though. Have you started thinking about what your baby will look like? Do you guys get an anomaly scan too? Or will you do a 4D one? I found that really exciting but also frustrating. I felt that if I knew what Pip was going to look like I'd know which name to pick. How's the name search going? Xx

 

[snowflakes120]

That is crazy that you were strawberry blonde! You do have dark hair! Maybe his will darken up soon and those beautiful blue eyes will stand out even more!
I have no clue what to expect our baby to look like. As you know I am a fair skinned blonde (now from a bottle - I was a very blonde child but has since darkened) with brown eyes. Hubby has olivey skin with dark hair and hazel eyes. I really hope baby boy gets hubby's to die for dimples! We had the anamoly scan with the gender scan - everything turned out perfect I don't want to do the 4D - I find them kinda creepy looking and I want to be completely surprised at what baby boy will look like since we know the gender - I don't want to ruin all the surprises!! Still struggling with names. Hubby is just too picky. I swear we are going to be the couple that struggles to pick a name for the birth certificate!! But in all reality, we will prolly have a short list by then and then pick a name when we see him.

 

[NotNic]

My sisters and I all had completely different coloured hairs as babies and to each other. My middle sister had masses of jet black spiky hair as a baby which became an ash blonde (she's now a dyed blondie) and my youngest sis had gorgeous chocolate brown hair when she was born which fell out and came back through as white, white blonde hair. She's still a dark blonde now, but bleaches really fair in the sun.

I too think 4D are a bit creepy. My sister had one and she also got a late scan (34wks) to check on her baby's position. At that one they got a face on shot and she looks like a statue that you'd have outside a gothic mansion! It's amazing the detail, but my head can't cope with seeing her already. She is nesting like crazy. She's 37 wks on Thursday and I think she might be a mama the following week.

I found it so hard to pick names. OH and I came up with Finlay around the end of 2nd tri but we were a bit worried about it being too popular and I was worried about people thinking of Finn from Glee. I haven't met a single baby Finlay yet. Do you know what sort of names you're leaning towards? Traditional, modern etc.? xx

 

[Srbjbex]

I'm with you guys on the 4d scans, I never fancied getting one done either! Hehe another example of how we are similar

Ill help you think of some names....what kind of names do you like? Maybe Irish to match your surname? Where does your 'T' maiden name come from?

 

[Srbjbex]

Names I liked (but discounted as the didnt go with our surname:

Jacob
Joshua
George
Theo

Or maybe you fancy a traditional English name I like....

William
Henry
Arthur
Charles

 

[NotNic]

I loved the names Ellis, Louis and Luca. OH didn't really like any of them though. I also still think Seth is a cool name but I'm not sure I'd use it. I kind of see you having an Ethan. Don't know why though. Xx

 

[NotNic]

Or Thomas. That one jumped straight into my head as soon as I submitted the last post.

 

[InHisHands]

Hubby's home. YAY!!!! It's great having him home. Dexter has taken to him very well! whoohoo!!

As far as names, we also liked:
Gabriel
Brady
Charlie
Levi
Ryan
Benjamin
Craig
Chandler
Titus

 

[NotNic]

HURRAH!!!!! So pleased for you Hands and your little family. I bet you can't stop smiling. Tell him welcome home from us! We can't wait to hear abou your family adventures. Xxxxxx

 

[Srbjbex]

Woop Woop

Glad he is home safely, Bet you are over the moon! Yes, please say welcome home from us!

Xx

 

[InHisHands]

Hubs says thank you! He's trying to teach Dex how to type... lol

 

[snowflakes120]

OMG! Awesomest news ever Hands!! Such great news!! So happy!! How was the grand homecoming??!! Care to share any pics of the event??!! Please tell him that I thank him for his service to our country!!

Awe you girls are so cute with the names! I like alot of them! Bex - my maiden last name "T" is Polish. And you hit the nail right on the head - we have been leaning towards more Irish names than anything else due to hubby's last name. These are the few that we agree on - hubby just poo-poos everything!! I love lots of names but he just isn't having any of it!!

In no particular order:
Kellan, Holden, Flynn, Declan, Keenan, & Gavin.

 

[NotNic]

I quite like Cillian and Kian for Irish names. Cillian has lots of different meanings but one of them is thought to come from the Celtic word for my maiden name so it was on my list, but not hubby's. I also like Tiernan, Cormac and I love Riley. I really like Irish names. My Grandfather was from Northern Ireland, quite near the Giants Causeway.

Have you considered Tomas instead? It's the Irish spelling for Thomas and very similar to the polish Tomasz.

 

[NotNic]

I've just realised why I keep coming back to Thomas.

 

[InHisHands]

The homecoming was great and short. The soldiers marched in, and without any speeches they were released. It was very chaotic. Imagine a regular size gym filled with 300 soliders, plus about 600 family members = 900 people.

Imagine family members flying down bleachers and the strollers getting tumbled around down on the ground level. LOL It is hard enough to find your soldier let alone do anything else.

I just held Dexter up against my body as tightly as i could and we weaved through the crowd till we found dadda.

Dexter didnt cry when i put him in Dadda's arms. I was so proud of him. Needless to say, there was no way we were taking pictures. I brought my camera... but it really just wasnt the place for it.

Snow - Irish names are cool. I like your names... espically Holden. Good work!

 

[snowflakes120]

You guys are giving me so great name to put on a list to present to hubby! Thanks!

That sounds like the BEST day ever Hands!

Here is me today at 22 weeks! I don't know how to resize the pic - sorry its so big!

https://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg134/lisamarie120/22weeks_zpsed69758c.jpg

 

[Srbjbex]

Looking super fab snow!! I also think Cillian is a nice Irish name and the other one I thought of that I like is Malachy.

Hands - that sounds a very hectic but emotional gym!! And dexter got some lovely daddy cuddles too!

AFM - I have been looking at nurseries this week, and I have booked Elliot into one for October for when i go back to work. They were getting booked up already can you believe it!! Plan is that I will go back to work 3 days a week, MIL will look after him for one day and he will be in nursery for the other 2. I have mixed emotions, on one hand I don't want to leave him at all, but on the other the nursery can offer him so much more activity and stimulation that I can give him at home so I'm excited for him to go, even though it's ages away. I think really I justs don't want to go back to work but.....I could well be pg again by then anyway if i get my way!