Down on the Farm

One of Mark's crew members lives on a farm with her parents (and something like 7 siblings... I lost count) and invited us to bring the kids over to check things out.

We saw baby bunnies...

...baby chicks...

... and mama chickens.
The animals were were fun, but not the highlight. They took us down to the creek on the property and the kids had a blast throwing rocks into the water (yeah, Ava throws like a girl).
They each made new friends, too. Ava followed around "that girl" for a while before grabbing her hand and deeming her a new friend. (Her name is Grace, which was confusing to Ava since that's her middle name. Her little mind simply couldn't make sense of it, so Grace was "that girl.")

Even Carter made a friend. Poor guy got stuck carrying Carter all over since Carter kept finding him and wanting him to hold him... even with Daddy there!

They say...

... the second trimester of pregnancy brings about the end of the nausea as well as a burst of energy. While I'm glad to say the nausea is mostly gone, I'm still waiting on that energy! Not only do I feel sapped about 30 minutes after I wake up, if I am still for more than 5 minutes, I get up hardly able to move because I'm so stiff. I'm trying to eat more healthy foods (rather than the junk I've been craving), drink more water (oddly enough, water made me nauseous for the first few months), and hoping for some nicer weather so we can go for walks more often. Perhaps these things will renew my energy a bit.

Ava says some of the funniest things - I suppose all kids her age tend to repeat phrases they've heard, but use them out of context or just say strange things, but when it's YOUR little person saying them, they are especially endearing. And, perhaps they're only funny to me and Mark, but I'll share some anyway. Often, when I ask her if she knows where something is, she'll reply with a "yes." My follow-up of, "Where?" is met with a, "It must be around here somewhere." She sometimes will know where the object in question is, so I continue to ask, but I now come to expect the, "it must be around here somewhere" response. She's also started saying, "I love everyone." I don't know if this is to cover the bases without actually having to list everyone, but it comes at the most random times and we wonder what in her little head prompts her to remind us of her all-encompassing love. Mark compared it to one of those dolls with a string you pull that says random phrases. If they ever make an Ava doll with a pull string, "I love everyone" will be her phrase.

Carter also never stops making us laugh. A few weeks ago, I watched a little girl his age for a few hours. Her parents had only been gone maybe 30 seconds before Carter was throwing his arms around her. She looked startled. Next thing I know he's trying to kiss the poor terrified girl. I quickly rescued her. He's starting to say more words. Mark worked with him quite some time on "please." Now that he can say it, I can't get enough. I have to make sure to get in on tape as I love hearing him ask, "Peeeeese?" Another thing I've been trying to get on tape is his sad face. While he's happy and content most all the time, when he gets upset, it's instant and, for lack of a better word, BIG (and yet still somehow adorable... not good!). I honestly cannot figure out how he is able to contort his face into such a huge frown. This is as close as I've been able to come (usually because his pouting rarely lasts long and I can't get the camera on and picture taken before he's done).

Birds, Burritos, Braids, and Ben

I've finally been feeling better the past few weeks, and we've been greatly enjoying spending time outside. Of course, every spring Ava has to adjust to the sounds of outside once again. She has always been afraid of loud noises and since we've had the windows closed all winter, she has forgotten the loud trucks and motorcycles we hear with frequency from our house. She'll be playing outside when suddenly there's a loud noise of some sort and she screams and comes running. I also hear several times a day, "Mommy, I'm scared of noises." At least I know once she's used to the sounds again, she'll be fine. Today, we were outside and the birds were chirping away. I asked Carter if he heard them and he did this:
He is so expressive and is always making us laugh. While not exactly funny, lately when he is upset (often after being told, "no"), he throws himself face down on the floor and just lies there. Good thing he can't seem me as I giggle at his antics. He also still loves to eat. Since I've been snacking all day long these days (it often helped the all-day nausea I was experiencing), he's also turned into a mooch. As soon as he notices I'm eating something, he's in front of me with a big smile, signing, "Please," and saying, "Bite?" Sometimes Mark brings dinner home from Chipotle and before he was always happy with beans and rice or a cheese quesadilla, but the one night, he pushed them away and instead asked for a bite of Mark's burrito. I wouldn't be surprised if he could eat an entire one by himself very soon.

Last week, Ava let me braid her hair for the first time ever. Every other time I've tried, she stops me and pulls it out. I finally used bribery. She asked if she could watch Cinderella and I said she could if I could braid her hair. It worked! She really hates to have her hair messed with, so I was thankful she finally gave in. I could use some more practice, but it turned out pretty good and was a great way to keep her hair out of her face.
Our friend Ben was over for a couple hours that same afternoon. Ava LOVES Ben and he seems to be okay with her, too. The entire time Ava would randomly yell, "Come on, Ben!" and he would dutifully follow wherever she led. Carter never responds so readily to her demands, so she was in heaven.
I know Ben doesn't look too thrilled with this hug, but to be fair, Ava did take him away from the truck he was playing with. You shouldn't mess with boys and their trucks.

I love this picture I got of Ava today:

Hopefully, in about a month, I'll be posting with the news of whether we'll be welcoming a boy or a girl this fall (although, I will try and update before then)! Tomorrow marks week 15 and my doctor usually schedules the ultrasound for around week 20. We have several good friends also expecting this fall and keep hearing of more. Should be an exciting time.