Vacuuming

Makaila is hit and miss when it comes to vacuuming.  She loves our Roomba, but is less enthusiastic about the regular vacuum.  The other day I pulled it out to use, and she kept telling me "no" every time I got close to it.  She kept grabbing my hand and taking me over to her toys to keep me "busy" so I couldn't use the vacuum.  Haha!  Such a smart and funny little girl!

Keeping Mom busy :)

Little Mom

Everyone told me that having a girl first was the best.  I was told that girls are much more helpful with siblings than boys.  Since Bean doesn't have any siblings yet, I can't verify these statements, but I suspect they are going to be true.  My little girl has some very cute, interesting, and funny inclinations that make her seem like a little mom.

One thing Makaila does is she meticulously picks up after Jack.  Anytime she sees stuffing or pieces of fur on the floor from his toys, she either picks it up and throws it away, or has me come get it and throw it away.  These "fuzzes" drive her crazy, and she only watched me pick up after Jack once, so I'm not sure why she is so worried about it :)

Another nurturing habit that she has is caring for her stuffed animals.  After Bean's last doctor appointment, I learned that showing her what was going to happen on a stuffed animal made it seem less scary.  So when she didn't want her diaper changed one day, I thought I'd put a diaper on her stuffed bear so she would see that it wasn't so bad.  What a can of worms that turned out to be!  Since then she wants diapers on all of her bears, her elephant, and even her seahorse!  She will even help "wipe" them with wet wipes before putting the diaper on...haha!  This has also evolved to attempted baths for her "babies", though I have yet to find one that can be washed.

Wearing her bear's shirt

Kaila also loves to give her animals rides, and put them in her high chair and feed them cheerios.  She is super sweet with them and will often give them kisses and hugs for no apparent reason.  She gets worried when they fall over and helps them sit back up too.

Yes, I think this little Bean is going to be a great helper to Mommy in the future :)

Kaila-isms

Makaila is in that phase where she wants to imitate what other people do.  For example:

• The other day, she pinched her finger and after I kissed it better, she stared at her hand and then started kissing her own fingers.

• I couldn't tell if she had a messy diaper, so I leaned over to smell her.  She turned around, stuck her nose in my face and started sniffing me back!

Some other cute things that Bean does include:

• Bean almost always makes "woof" or "meow" sounds when she sees or hears a dog or cat.  These can be real, or just pictures.

• When she sees a horse, she clicks her tongue and bounces up and down (as if she were riding on a horse).

• Blows kisses and waves goodbye.

• Says "hi" and waves to almost anything, especially household decorations.

• Likes to kick up her feet and lounge while looking at her books.

Kaila in a box

We have been going through our things and slowly unpacking, which has left us with a lot of empty boxes.  Most have made their way to recycling but a few have been kept for Makaila and Tigger to play with.  Both of my girls love boxes.  Bean likes stashing random treasures in them and Tigger likes hiding in them.

The other day, Kaila saw Tigger jump into a very small box and decided that she needed to get in the same one!  Tigger ran off, but I got some pictures of Bean in her little box, and her more appropriate sized box :)

Eating Solids

We started Makaila on rice cereal at the beginning of the month.  So far, she is not a fan.  I am thinking we might switch to oatmeal soon and see if that suits her tastes better.  Here are pictures of her first time trying cereal:

Every time we've eaten rice cereal since then she makes similar faces.  Kind of funny and sad all at the same time.

A weapon of mass destruction in the making...

Eyeing Dad's XBox after knocking over the garbage can

And oh so happy about it!

Memories

Trip and I were talking the other day, and I pulled another classic "pregnant brain" move; I had the most random thought and decided to share it mid-conversation.  This thought was funny enough that he suggested I blog about it and I figured that was a good idea because who knows when I will remember it again :)


If you have been reading this blog much, then you are probably aware that I did not have the greatest first tri-mester.  Thankfully, the worst did not begin until after the 30 hour flight from the United States to Malaysia (seriously sooo grateful for that!).  Well, sweet Jack and Tigger were unaware of these changes that I was experiencing, so they didn't really understand why I was suddenly spending so much time at home and so much time cuddling with them in bed.  They certainly weren't complaining, but they just couldn't understand why I would freak out if they tried laying on or walking on my stomach.


It wasn't long after we got back to Malaysia before I got sick with them in the room.  Apparently, before pregnancy, Trip and I never got sick around them because their reactions were priceless.  I was running to the bathroom and didn't quite make it (poor Trip had to clean up my mess...I am so lucky he loves me!).  I threw up on the floor at the foot of the bed and Jack immediately put his tail between his legs and started getting real low to the ground like he was going to get punished for my mess, or like I was angry at him or something.  Tigger walked to the foot of the bed and just started crying.  Anyone who has heard her bellow before knows that we own the loudest cat in the world.  She just started freaking out and meowing as if to say "what's going on?!".  Somehow, I ended up comforting both of them even though I was the one feeling lousy.


Of course, less than a week later, my getting sick was old news to them.  Whenever I would throw up, Jack would come over to check out what I had eaten and Tigger would try to stick her face next to mine so she could watch.  What weirdos!

More pregnancy fun

I haven't really had many "cravings", until the third tri-mester that is.  Now, it seems like I am constantly craving Starbucks hot chocolate (I almost cried the other day when we passed a Starbucks and I didn't get one), fresh basil with mozzarella cheese, and grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup.  Those are the constants.  Every now and then I will think that something random and unexpected sounds good too.  For instance, on Sunday, I couldn't stop thinking about McDonald's french fries.  I also have been daydreaming about cheese on a stick from Hot Dog on a Stick...what is wrong with me?!  Most of these cravings aren't really that bad, so luckily I have not had a hard time telling myself no.


I have also noticed that I am constantly hot.  Poor Trip actually gets cold at night and I am still uncomfortably warm!  My biggest relief for this is the pool.  Malaysians don't heat their pools and I have been loving it!  I can get right in these days without feeling cold, and last night I went at 8pm and it still felt wonderful.  I will miss the year round pool weather when we go back to the US.  The other benefit to the pool is the relief that my lower back gets.  It seems like I am constantly sore these days thanks to Baby Bean's increasing size and the added strain it puts on my back.  Sadly, the cartoon really isn't that far off!

Pregnancy Brain

Every now and then I am afflicted with something that I like to call "pregnancy brain".  This term is usually used when my mind goes blank or I forget something that I normally wouldn't.  Recently, Trip has also been exhibiting symptoms of pregnancy brain.  Between the two of us, we are starting to compile quite a list of funny moments.


Moment 1:  After one of our babymoons, I had gone to pick Jack up from the neighbors house.  When I got home, I put his food away, took care of his things and moved on to unpack our bags.  Later that day, I opened up the fridge to get started on dinner and saw this...

One of these things is not like the other...

Not sure how that got there because I don't remember putting it in the fridge at all!


Moment 2:  Trip made stir fry for dinner the other day.  Those who have eaten with us before know that we are huge fans of freezing rice for quick consumption later.  This time, we were low on frozen rice so we made a fresh batch.  It wasn't until a couple of hours later when I went to heat some food up in the microwave that I discovered the last of our frozen rice sitting there waiting to be warmed up.  I asked Trip if he had put rice in the microwave and he assured me that he hadn't...until he saw the rice sitting there.  That's when he realized that he too was experiencing pregnancy brain.


Moment 3:  It was my turn to teach the Young Women a few Sundays ago, and I had been reminded several days before. It wasn't until literally 1 hour before class that I remembered to look at the topic!  Needless to say, it was an interesting lesson and I had to confess to the girls that I have become rather forgetful.  Lucky for me, they are a forgiving group :)


Moment 4:  Trip was getting ready to take Jack out this morning as usual.  He put his collar on, put him in his crate, and took him out to the elevators, as usual.  When he came in to grab a key, he sat down at his computer and promptly forgot all about Jack for the next hour...it wasn't until we both heard Jack's collar jingle that he jumped up and said "oh crap, I forgot about Jack!"  Pregnancy brain struck again.


I know there are other classic moments, like when I forget what I am saying mid-sentence, but true to form, neither one of us can remember any at the moment!

Claimed!

For some unknown reason, Jack gets really excited whenever we pull out new towels.  We recently discovered that when I am sitting on a towel to do stretches, he will get in the way because he just has to sniff every inch of it.  He really doesn't appreciate the fact that I get in his way while sitting on the towel.

Trip put a towel down to do sit ups on the other day, and Jack immediately claimed it as his.  It was too funny not to share.  Jack must have learned that if you don't sit on it immediately, you may lose to someone else!  Looks like Trip lost this time :)

Presents

I am such a lucky pet mom.  I have a cat who insists sleeping on me no matter how hot or cold it may be because she loves me.  And I have a dog who loves me so much that he even thought to get me a present for my birthday and our "eternal" anniversary.


For my birthday, Jack got up on the bed to cuddle when Trip and I woke.  He fell asleep and, like a toddler, proceeded to wet the bed.  How did he know that all I wanted for my birthday was to wash the sheets?!  What a sweetheart.


For our sealing anniversary, Jack waited until the end of the day to surprise us with his present.  Trip went downstairs to meet a friend who was spending the night with us and I took the trash out.  We were absent for literally less than 2 minutes, but that's all he needed to prepare his surprise.  It took me a little while, but eventually I went into our room to grab my water bottle and noticed that it smelled funny.  I started checking the floor and didn't see anything, then turned and saw it...Jack had pooped and peed right in the middle of our bed!  I should mention that we had taken him out no more than 15 minutes before he left this little "present" and he, in his generous and loving nature, had decided to wait and surprise us instead.  It went all the way through to the mattress, and yes, it was 10pm and too late to wash everything and be able to sleep in our own bed that night.  I was so happy about this that I didn't even think to take a picture until too late.  Oh well, that's what memories are for.

Happy birthday mom!!

Go...Enjoy it!

As many women who have experienced pregnancy know, when there is a baby near your bladder you tend to have to go more often than you ever thought you would.  This means that you end up using bathrooms that you would normally not use unless it was a real emergency.  Parents know what I'm talking about too.


I recently used an airport bathroom that I normally would have avoided thanks to baby bean jumping on my bladder, and that's where I found this little nugget.

I especially love the "stop light directions" on how to properly use a western style toilet.

Malaysia, truly Asia...with truly awesome sign-age!

Jack and food

We had lasagna again not too long ago and it was awesome.  It's not something that we have out here very often because meat is rather expensive, so it is a real treat for us.  Trip and I were enjoying some left-overs and Jack decided he should let us know how delicious he thought it looked too.  I had to post these pictures because it is such a classic Jack face!

Trying not to be obvious about begging

The temptation

Giving Trip the "can I please have some lasagna" face

He really knows how to work a crowd.  Here is another classic picture from Thanksgiving a couple of years ago.

I love how Trip caught this on camera!  Jack is such a character and we love having him around :)

Reach out and touch someone

It seems that since I am pregnant, I am now public property and it is socially acceptable to be touched at anytime by anyone.  Any reaction other than being overjoyed at this new development has been met with surprise.  After all, don't I know that my pregnancy is something that random strangers should be able to enjoy too?!  (I hope you note the sarcasm with which I write here)


I know that some women don't mind when people touch their bellies, but I didn't like it before I was pregnant and I don't like it now.  It's different with people I know who actually ask first, but getting unexpectedly assaulted is unpleasant and uncomfortable to me.


Perhaps my feelings about this have been tainted by the first "belly groper" that I encountered.  It was just after church, and rather than try to touch my baby bump the conventional way (from the front), they ambushed me from behind.  And missed.
--
I wonder if this is how lucky buddha statues feel?

Some like it hot

85 degrees Fahrenheit, 60% humidity, and still sleeping in a sun spot...

He may not survive the return to Utah.

Look out boys...

Now that we know we are having a baby girl, Trip is planning ways to haze and possibly terrify her future suitors.  Today he told me that all he wants from a baby shower is for people to donate money so that he can get a gun.  His look got all gleeful as he then started pondering aloud what kind of gun would make the biggest impact.  It sounds like it is currently between a sniper rifle or an assault rifle.


I can already see the horrified and embarrassed look on our daughter's face.

What time did you say you were bringing my baby girl back tonight?

The belly conundrum

This pretty much sums up my current situation.

Taxi

Yesterday we had our routine doctor's appointment.  Since our doctor is located at  one of the largest hospitals in Kuala Lumpur, we have never had a problem getting there via taxi.  At least, not before today.  Yesterday, we managed to get the one taxi driver that thought when we said "Prince Court Hospital", we really meant "Prince Hotel".  Not only that, but he also took us through downtown Kuala Lumpur during the lunch rush hour, which was awesome.  It wasn't until he pulled up to the hotel that we realized he had no clue where the hospital actually was.  Once we figured this out, we gave him directions and he finally figured out where he was going.  At this point we had driven in a huge loop.  


The real kicker was when he pulled into the hospital entrance and started going into paid parking before he realized that was not the drop off point.  I think we found the only taxi driver who has not heard of or been to this hospital before.  Our 5 minute ride ended up taking 30 minutes and I wouldn't have minded so much except that this particular visit to the doctor was also when we were finding out the gender of our baby.  Talk about feeling anxious!

Boy or Girl?

We had a doctor's appointment today and found out the gender of Baby Baker...and we are excited!  Before we share our excitement with all of you, we want to know what you think.


So...will it be a "Baby Trip" or a "Baby Kim"?

The Crazies

Today was like any other day.  I woke up, ate my apple (for whatever reason this settles my stomach), got out of bed, put Tigger's food in her food dish and Jack's food in his food dish and got myself some cereal.  I stood there for a minute wondering why Jack was so uncharacteristically eager to eat this morning when it hit me...I had given Jack the cat food and Tigger the dog food!  Luckily, I realized this in time to switch the bowls back (much to Jack's disappointment).  

This got me noticing other little changes that I am experiencing.  I don't normally forget things, but every now and then my mind will go blank and I have no idea what I was going to do or say.  This happened mid-sentence the other night when I was telling Trip something...I completely forgot what I was talking about!  I also have had a hard time falling asleep.  Even when I am exhausted, it takes me at least 45 minutes to lose consciousness.  Most nights I lay awake for over an hour before sleep finds me.  I sleep well until I wake up to go to the bathroom and then I have to go through the whole exercise again.

I have also been having some super vivid dreams.  They are often random, disjointed, and make absolutely no sense, but they are so vivid I can remember more detail than I used to.  I also seem to dream about food.  Totally random foods too, like Cinnamon Toast Crunch (haven't eaten it in years), McDonald's hashbrowns, and bacon.  Ok, maybe bacon isn't so random because bacon is awesome!

The craziest that I have gotten is at night.  Trip and I will usually be ready for bed, and while I am laying there I will just start crying.  Trip will ask what's wrong and then I have to confess my silly reasons for the tears.  Last night he was rubbing my shoulders and I started crying because I felt like I wasn't interesting to talk to anymore.  He actually laughed at me! (which was good because it got me laughing too)  Luckily, I don't experience this particular brand of crazy very often and when I do, my hubby is always there to snap me out of it and talk some sense into me.


Pregnancy has definitely been a wild ride so far!