Yes, Folks...We Went to the Aquarium Again

I wish I could blame my aquarium enthusiast son for the numerous trips to the aquarium, but his mama is just as much to blame. I want to do things that keep me on my feet and moving. If the weather was warmer, we'd be subjecting everyone to pictures of hikes and trips to the zoo. So, here's some pics from yet another trip to the aquarium where the weather is always consistent and if you get there when they open, you get almost full run of the place :).

Norrin just being the cutest little boy in the whole wide world...in my opinion.

Jellyfish tube.

The octopus was putting on quite the show for us. Usually it hides in the top corner of the tank, but not today. He swam all over the place and Norrin was totally fascinated.

Norrin's picture of Mommy in a shark...I can't begin to tell you what an awkward fit this was at 39 weeks pregnant.

Mommy and Norrin acting scared.

Norrin just hanging out.

Petting stingrays.

And he ended his day with another grotesque choice in face painting- a sea witch.

We took him to dinner at a casual Italian place and he drew on the back of the paper placemats. At the top of his picture he wrote his name all by himself. Of course its backwards, his "N's" look a little like inchworms and his "R's" look like balls with two random spikes coming out of them, but nonetheless we're impressed. For a three year old, writing his entire first name is actually quite difficult, but Norrin has great fine motor skills and the idea is there.

And we'll end this post with two pictures that show just how crazy our little man was by this point in the evening. He was full of energy and needed to be reminded about using his inside voice a few times. But the restaurant was full and busy and he really was hardly heard over all the hustle and bustle.

More Soccer

This weekend was the second to last soccer game/practice/meet/whatever for Norrin. He looks forward to running around with the ball. He gets very upset when another kid "takes" his ball (even though there's about 20 other balls they could be playing with), he likes to be the leader when they do two laps around the gym for warm up and he's surprisingly patient through many of the drills. However, we learned this time around that he has very little tolerance for too much time spent as goalie. Kicking the ball around... Hanging on the goal...

Getting instruction from the coach (don't let the ball get in the net)...

Boredom has set in...

Maybe if I just stretch my legs out super wide, I can block the ball...

Oh, no, here it comes...

They're ganging up on him...

Well, that was exciting...bored again....

Crying because he doesn't want to be goalie anymore...

Yes, who would've thought soccer could bring out such an array of emotions. Of course, the 1 pm starts are the perfect timing to get overtired three year-olds together for total mayhem.

Another Belly cast

Last weekend at 38 weeks pregnant, I had my belly cast made. I had one made when Norrin was in my belly, so it was something that had to be done when I became pregnant with this lil bean :). Here is Norrin's belly cast: This is the new one (believe it or not, Norrin's is still bigger, but this one hangs lower)...

Here's my fabulous friend and doula, Amy, holding it while it dries a little bit more.

And here is a picture Todd took of me a few days shy of 39 weeks pregnant.

I am officially 39 weeks pregnant as of yesterday, which means I have six days until my due date (but possibly 3 weeks before this baby decides to be born if he/she is anything like Norrin). I'm scaring everyone who sees me. I get the quickest service almost any place I go, my patients are asking me to please not go into labor during their cases and my co-workers have comments that range from "you're still here" to "whoa!". I don't know when this child will choose to greet the world, but I'm really, really hoping for a baby before Easter :).

Off To The Aquarium...Again

Not a lot of words with this one. We had a truly wonderful weekend full of soccer, family naps, a trip to the movies (Mars Needs Moms in 3D), delicious meals and a trip to the aquarium. If this is the last calm weekend we have in a long, long time, it couldn't have been more perfect. So, here we go...


Up the escalator...

Taking a cheese for Da...

Picking a picture to squish on a penny...

This is hard work...

Norrin and Da watching the hippos...

Petting sharks...

Picking the next creepy thing he wants painted on his face...

A very pregnant mama...

Sticking his tongue out like a water snake...

Checking himself out in the mirror...

Upside down jellyfish...

The view of Philadelphia from one of the windows...

One happy little water snake...

36 Weeks

All belly and really freaking people out with my pregnancy shape. Most of my co-workers look at me like I'm a ticking time bomb and my patients ask me if I'll be going into labor in the middle of their case. Due any day? Not really. One baby? Yes. Are you sure? Yes. Even I'm a little amazed at my body's ability to just expand from my belly. I'm still so scrawny everywhere else. People have asked how I'm feeling. At this point, tired and like a beached whale. I'm waking up every single night with heartburn and nothing is killing it. Not Tums, not raw almonds, not propping myself upright with pillows. All I can do is go downstairs and sit for about an hour. That calms the burning, but it makes for a truly fractured night of sleep. Also, its much harder to get around b/c being mommy to a 3 year old means that you have to be on your game and I'm just not. I waddle a good 6-10 feet behind my son, shouting for him to "wait for Mommy" and "slow down". Thank goodness Norrin listens and in some weird way understands that my movement is limited. He modifies games for me and picks up things that drop on the floor. He still has his moments, but in all honesty, he's been far more patient than anyone should expect from a child his age. As for the good parts, this baby is so active and I will always love the wild gymnastics in my tummy. Also, there's been plenty of talking and planning with Norrin. He loves to talk about when the baby comes and how he's going to help me figure out what the baby needs when Mommy is having a hard time understanding :). He likes to go over every single detail, which includes discussion of the umbilical cord (to quote him directly, "that's where the blood is"), how the baby is going to come out and what the baby will eat. I've never met a child more hungry for detail and I'm enjoying it...even the questions that aren't so easy to explain. He hugs and kisses my belly and calls the belly his sister and refers to it as her or she. I've gently tried to remind him that this baby could very well be a boy (please note the extensive amount of boys in the Milligan family compared to the one girl), but he's not having it. He's as sure this baby is a girl as he is that bees land on flowers b/c they're pretty. Gotta love his confidence. So, at this point, I'm trying to enjoy my pregnancy...after all, I've got 4-6 more weeks to go :).

Goofy Family

Just some shots of us that are a little bit silly...

Norrin likes to chew faces into his apples...
Snuggling up with Da while watching Charlotte's Web. He insisted on lying on the floor with Da, wearing a hoodie like Da's and when Da got up to use the bathroom, Nor used his potty, too. As tired as Todd was after a long day of work, he was loving his little moment of popularity.

More Soccer Pictures

Last weekend the true photographer of the family was able to come to Nor's soccer game/practice/whatever you call it when you let 3 year olds run wild with balls and nets. Da was able to take some great photos and I don't really know how I manage this blog without his mad skills. They let the kids warm up, then run around "practicing", then they chose teams. Norrin is on the orange team. I don't know if he chose orange before he knew the cute twin girls were on the team or after, but he loves those little girls. They played Ring Around the Rosy the first time they met. Its very cute. He volunteers to go first for everything and he's loves running around. He didn't want to play at one point when the adults were trying to organize actual games, but really where's the fun in that? After we told him we couldn't leave until we were done cheering for his team, he eventually went back out and played. I don't care for any organization of this sport...I just want him to run and laugh with other kids his age. However, there's a lot of parents that are taking this very, very seriously. We'll just roll with it and as long as he's having fun, we'll keep going :).