Baby Pics!

Here they are! She looks like an alien!

Tilt your head sideways...it is the little booty and the girl parts!
You can see her hand, arm, tummy, and part of her face!

Look at that big toe!!! She is covering up her face with her hand.

It's a Baby GIRL!

We are so excited! We just found out this morning that we are having a baby GIRL!!! Peyton Emily Petersen...my due date has stayed the same, the 20th of June, and everything looks good. She weighs 11 ounces right now, and was grabbing her feet and playing with her hands a lot during the ultrasound. When the sonographer said "I'm going to see if I can tell the sex of the baby..." Peyton took her hand and covered herself up. She is already little miss modesty! Luckily, she pulled her hand away though, and she was able to show us what she was! :o) Pictures will be posted later tonight when I get them scanned in.

Potty Training Treats

So, we have decided to start getting Brody familiar with the potty. We aren't pushing the subject yet, but would like to have a firm foundation before our little bundle of joy arrives in June.

The other night, Brody looked like he really had to go potty, and when I asked him if he had to go, he said "yeah, potpot!" (Potpot is his word for potty). Excitedly, we got his diaper off and he sat on the "potpot" for a little while, then exclaimed "all done!" When he got off of the toilet, I looked to see if he had done anything, and sure enough...he had poopooed on the potty! I was so excited, and my Great Aunt Emily had given me an M&M's dispenser to use as potty training treats. Of course, Brody got 2 M&M's for going #2. His little mind did not grasp the concept though, and wanted "moe" (more). When I sweetly praised him and told him that he only got more when he went potty again, he got very upset. We left the bathroom and shut the door, which caused an all out temper tantrum.

Later that night, I went into the guest bathroom, and forgot the shut the door behind me. Nick and I were in the living room, and I wondered "where is Brody?" I walked around the corner, and this is what I found:

"I said I wanted more mom! So, I got more."

"Don't worry about me, I can get my own."

Our cute Walgreens M&M Dispenser

He doesn't just love TV...

I have realized that a lot of my posts are about Brody watching his favorite shows or movie (notice how movie is not plural...it is Cars, and ONLY Cars). The other day, Brody was really fussy, and needed a nap, but was being very defiant about the issue. Instead of Nick letting him relax on the couch with him to watch TV, they snuck off to Brody's room. When I went to check on them, this is what I found:

He loves touch and feel books. This one was given to us by the Dragovich's before Brody's birth.

Momma is busted! I tried to be sneaky.

Patience

Patience is never something that I have been good at. It is definitely not inherent in my family. I have been thinking a lot about my desire to be more patient with my husband and my son lately, and it is still so hard to do.

I think back to a couple of years ago, when Nick and I were first married, I prayed for patience. Boy, was I EVER given opportunities to learn patience. Nick and I joked about how you should NEVER pray for patience, because you will definitely be tested to the limit. I got through it somehow though.

These are the ways that I am trying to improve my patience:

1.) Rather than yell at Nick for leaving dishes in the sink, I can politely say "Babe, dishwasher's dirty."
2.) Hug Brody when he is mad and hitting, instead of getting angry and frustrated.
3.) When Brody asks to watch Cars for the 4th time in a day, I can say "I know you would love to watch Cars, but we are going to read a book, or watch something else instead today. Maybe tomorrow we can watch Cars again."
4.) I am going to sing to my babies when I put them down at night. Bedtime has always been a struggle in our house, but over the past week, Nick and I have been singing Brody 3 songs before bed and we walk around the room with him. I have noticed a dramatic change in his ability to fall asleep easily and sleep longer in the morning.
5.) Finally, I am going to take more "me" time. By doing so, I am more relaxed and have the ability to be more patient with my loved ones.

Brody's not the only one who loves Sesame Street

I've begun to think that the reason Nick DVR's Sesame Street during the week, is because HE misses it on the weekends. We all love Sesame Street in our house, and I think these pictures are so cute of Nick and Brody watching Sesame Street Friday night. (Wow...my last 3 blogs have been about our Friday night at home...we sure accomplish a lot when we stay home on a Friday night!) As you can tell from the picture, Daddy makes a wonderful chair.

"hmmm...that's very interesting!"

My boys, very involved in the show.
"Come on Mom! Stop taking our picture!"

He loves the Wii!

Brody may only be 18 months old, but he knows what he likes to do. We often have to "hide" our Nintendo Wii controllers out of his sight, otherwise, he will cry and point and say "on" until we turn it on. Friday night, we decided to let him play for a while. He loves to play baseball, he swings the remote when it is his turn at bat, and he flicks his wrist when it is his turn to pitch. We can't believe that he has understands the concepts behind the game. He claps if he hits the ball (he also claps if the other team hits the ball), and he gets very involved in his games. I wanted to post some pictures of the little man playing ball, even though the real thing is much more entertaining.

Brody "boxing"

Boxing again
Brody about to throw a fastball (you can see his little "mii" on the screen)

Playing from his favorite spot...the top of his slide