16 weeks

I figured it was finally time to start the obligatory bump photos....up until recently there hasn't been too much to see (although the fact that I had to bust out the bella band and 'comfy' pants back around week 7 should tell you that things have happened muchhhhhh faster this time around).  I enlisted my buddies, albeit at different times, so you get twice the bump today!   Lucky you (*sarcasm).

We still plan on keeping the sex a surprise but that doesn't stop us from guessing.  I truly can say I have not a clue.  Some days I say girl:
- based on the fact that this pregnancy has been as relatively easy as the previous two were, knock on wood
- and the amazing way we come up with a girl name within .3 seconds after discovering I'm pregnant, if not before (but no, we are not sharing - mean little people we are!) and we have yet to come up with a boy name we both agree on

And other days I say boy:
- if you follow the old wives tale that boys have slower heartbeats...last appointment was in the 130's (both girls were always 150+, although I do remember Reese having a low one early on so who knows)

Ryan waivers....the last few weeks she has told me she wants a sister....named Hulu or Lula.   And if Reese's reaction to me holding any other child other than her is any indication, she'd prefer a dog, not a sibling.

But here you go....week 16 in all it's glory (I think I've gained about 3-4 pounds so far, should you be wondering).  No crazy cravings (although a new found love of banana peppers and bbq chips), I'm hungry all-day-long and there is no such thing as too much water.
Yes, I'm aware these look more like mug shots of the girls (especially Reese, she looks guilty, right?) but it's the best I could do.

World's Fair Doughnuts

Ryan and Grant have been switching up their Sunday morning ritual the past few months.....their latest stop - eating doughnuts out of the back of the car at World's Fair Doughnuts.  Sounds like heaven to me.  Seriously.  They even brought back one for mom...it was amazing.

Swim Camp Recap

On Friday we went to family day at swim camp - mom, dad, Reese, Grandma and Papa.  Ryan was excited to show us all she has learned so far.  And we couldn't have been prouder.....after a slow start (4 days of anti-head under water), we were shocked to see how far she has come.  While we're not talking Michael Phelps or anything, we are making headway.

A moment with dad...
Showing us her 'dive'...
Reese was more interested in playing with Papa or attempting to jump in the water herself...
Showcasing her backstroke...
Don't let the pained expression fool you, she loved showing us her skills....and it was mildly humorous as she looked like she was in agony trying to keep the water out of her eyes.
Pep talk from one of her adorable teachers...
A supportive pat on the head from Papa:
Grandma was right there to towel off our swimmer...
With my girls...
We couldn't have been more proud of Ryan - she did awesome and we decided to send her for one more week so we'll see how much more she has progressed after this week!

Instagram and random....

Ryan and I had a little ice-cream date last weekend... purely a selfless act to add some pounds for the newest Stiffler, that's just the kind of thoughtful mother I am and the amazing sister Ryan is to take one for the team as we dove into a cookies and cream ice cream in a waffle cone bowl (for me) and strawberry with sprinkles (for the little lady).
Decked out for the playground...outfit and accessories by Ryan.
Sunday breakfast with dad....serious conversation (and/or scolding Grant) was a happenin':
Followed up by a car wash...
Lest we not forget the most edible face of all time:
Tomorrow is show-off day at swim camp!  We are finally allowed behind the iron curtain of Mrs. Ackermann's for friends/family day to see all Ryan has learned....stay tuned for actual pictures!

Free labor

and free time for mom.....fill two spray bottles with water, give to restless children, hand over a paper towel or two and sit back and play on the computer or read a book for a good 30 minutes while the ladies 'clean' and spray each other.
Clothing, obviously, is optional.   I swear we are not as white-trash as we appear to be on this blog.   Pinky swear.

Quilt envy?

You should because look at the ridiculously adorable quilt Ella (Grant's mom) made (yes, I said 'made') for Ryan for her 4th birthday.  Mind you, we have a number of other amazing quilts from the lady, but this one took the cake with her very own name on it!  And it was made partly from one of my favorite lines - Vintage Modern....
Without further adieu:
Even the Barbies know good taste when they see it...
Amazeballs right? Thanks again Ella!

Scenes from a pool.....a baby pool

The ladies wanted to play in their spare-no-expense backyard pool yesterday.  Ryan was anxious to show anyone who asked her new underwater skills...
Dad decided to take a dip as well:
Ryan would like to thank you all for the kind words and encouragement in her quest to swim! You all are too nice!

Houston...we have water!

So we were four days into swim camp and Ms. Ryan was wanting nothing to do with going under water.  She would blow bubbles and 'bob' up and down....as long as you count the 'down' portion to be her neck, and then apparently she would stop.  I was getting a little anxious that the nice sum of cash we forked over for a two-week swim class was quickly turning into a two-week wading in two feet of water class.  Last night, Grant was out of town so my folks had us over for dinner...afterwards I told Ryan she and I were going to have our own special 'class' up at a local pool.   Off we went (she looks psyched, eh?):
I'm not going to lie, the first 30 minutes of practice were not fun. Lots of tears and hesitation. Countered with lots of hugs, deep breaths, encouragement and a bag of chips. I would hold onto her, she stopped crying for a moment while we counted to three and went under together. It wasn't pretty but we were making headway. We took a break for some chips and switched pools. In the next pool, my goal was to get her to hold hands with me, but go under on her own. That took some coaxing and promise of a soda. After a few tries, she had worked up the courage (or thirst) to give it a try. The hormonal pregnant part of me was near tears, so proud of her for starting to overcome her fear. Off we went for a soda. Sprite of course....we weren't going hardcore here. We had a nice little chat in the snack shack and something there flipped the switch because all of the sudden she was ready to head back in and practice more. From there on out it was cake. We played ring-around-the-rosie, simon says, any game in which going underwater could be part of the fun. She was the ringleader and oh so happy for herself. We played for another hour. I had to beg her to leave.
Meanwhile, back at Grandma and Grandpa's the Reesers was in heaven...
When we got back to my parents, Ryan went into the garage, found a fake flower, walked over and handed it to me saying "thank you mama for teaching me"....Seriously? Seriously? I'm still recomposing myself from that one - the ultimate in parenting moments. And as I tucked her into bed last night she gave me a big hug and said 'I can't wait for swim camp tomorrow'.  And that was the real test....would she remember what she learned and not revert back to being afraid.  I could tell as she rounded the corner that she had done it.  Such a smile across her face and so proud of herself as her teacher told me she was a different person...underwater all morning and attempting to swim - face down in the water.  Of course about .4 seconds after she got in the car she recalled the ultimate of bribes...a chocolate milkshake.  I had been promising it all week.  So off we went to grab one and celebrate:
And she gladly shared with her sister, even though "Reesey, you didn't go underwater but I will share a little anyway":
You can bet your milkshake we will be at the pool this weekend! Have a good one!

Swim camp

Day 1 was a success!

I should back up and mention that Mrs. Ackermann's Swim Camp has been around forever.  As in, both my sister and I learned to swim there.  So pretty fun that I got to drop off my daughter yesterday.  This camp is old school (the kids can't even wear shoes, you drop them off barefoot - or 'bear-walking' as Ryan calls it) but oh-so-organized.....the camp is literally the family's house with four pools on the side yard.  You pull up on a residential street, the adorable camp helpers wait on the curb and they open the car door and help your child out of his/her seat for you.  It's slightly like 'no soup for you' as you need to keep it moving....no loitering.  I was a total rebel snapping away the few photos I did manage to nab.

Leave it to my father, master of keeping old photos, to pony up these babies:

I believe this was my sister's last day of camp in which you can actually bring family to show off your new skills. My sister is on the left, yours truly (in the questionable attire) on the right.
This would be me displaying my mad jungle gym talents:

And this would be me, apparently smug and happy that my sister appears to be less than enthused in the water.
Enough of the history lesson (which, PS, I am going to assume the reason we are lacking actual pictures of me on my first day would be because it is hard to document when the camp staff is peeling your screaming four year old off the car steering wheel...apparently I wasn't much of a fan...but I did learn to swim)....moving on, the real reason we are here, Ms. Ryan. All excited to go:
I was waiting for her to clam up and be a little hesitant to go, but the lady was a champ...She took her bag and lunch, turned to me and said 'thank you mom', gave me a hug and took off without a second glance. Thank god at least Reese was freaking out in the backseat thinking I was going to leave her stranded in a car....somebody loves me:)

Break my heart at how poised and sweet she was:
This is when the 16 year old staffer probably wanted to issue me a citation (and when Reese really lost it) as I ran around the corner to nab a pic of her heading down the infamous driveway entrance. She was oh so meticilous picking out her very own basket for all her belongings.
When I picked her up five hours later, she was exhausted but happy.
Here is her recap:
I didn't go underwater because the pool wasn't deep enough.
We got our hair wet.
I blew bubbles.
Hey mom! I learned to swim on my back.
There are two bathrooms. One with a picture of girls. One with boys. We change in there.
I sat on a bench for lunch.
I picked a white basket.
I want quesadillas tomorrow.
No diving.

We'll see how day 2 goes....