The end of being an only child

Yes, today is my due date. I fully expected to have the baby early. I am dilated to 1cm (probably a little generous of the doctor). I have another appointment at 41 weeks where they will do an ultrasound and check the placenta. If it is still doing its job, my doctor will let me go to 42 weeks before inducing. This week has been Sam's Spring Break. I feel like we are wasting a lot of time he could have at home with the baby, but it is really nice to have so much time to spend together. My mom is also in town. She got here one week ago.

40 weeks

Alex pointed to this picture and said, "Momma."

I feel this is a good time to talk about Alex. He is such a funny, little boy. He is almost 20 months old. Alex is totally and completely a momma's boy. I love it. I love that he wants me and wants to sit on my lap and follow me around. I love that he prefers for me to get him out of his crib in the morning and put him down at night. I love that he gives Sam a good night kiss and then reaches for me. I love that he wants me to feed him meals. I love that he brings me books and then snuggles up next to me. He is a cute little devil. I hope we can still have so much together time once baby brother comes along and steals the spotlight for a few months.

He is a very cute girl.

Carrying the purse just like Momma.

Loves all automobiles.

Pointing to the trucks on his crib bumper.

Testing out the carseat for Baby Brother.

Lining up his toys.

Skyping with Grandpa & Grandma Merkley.

Using the spoon like a champion.

Pulling out the diaper stuff and getting himself ready.

I don't think that's right...

Snuggles with Mommy.

Pregnant like Mommy.

Loves smoothies with a straw.

Entranced by the TV.

Testing out little hats.

He was going crazy about these things!

On a walk with Mommy.

He hugs stranger kids. It is really cute. He got pushed away by a little girl once and gave me the cutest pouty face. I don't know why she didn't want his hug but I took it and lots of extra ones, too!

If he thinks something is really funny, he will cover his mouth while he laughs. This one cracks me up because I don't do that so I am not sure where he got it from.

His bedtime routine has been a little rough his whole life. Sometimes he gets a bath, sometimes we brush his teeth (we need to be better), sometimes he gets to watch tv. Something he has done for the last few months is turn off all the lights in the apartment before he goes to bed. Now if we walk into his room for bed before he has turned off the lights, he will reach for them and remind us.

He loves going outside. Now that the snow is melting, it is hard to get him to go to the car or come in from the car because he is busy running in the grass.

He cannot get enough of books. He is constantly reading books and bringing us books where he will point to every picture until we name what the object is. His favorite books are a lift-the-flap book, his word book, and Machines at Work. In the lift-the-flap book, there is a scuba diver under one flap and a martian under another flap. Whenever he lifts those flaps, I yell, "The martian"/"The diver" and he will jump and rest his head on my arm, stomach or lap. Over and over. He isn't actually scared. He loves it.

He points to every car that drives around and gets so excited. It takes forever to leave the grocery store because he is busy pointing and saying, "Caw!" to every single car.

If we say, "Monkey" or he sees a monkey, he will "ooh ooh ahh ahh" and tickle himself in his armpits.

He is constantly talking. His sentences sound like words and he will look at me like he is telling me something very important. I just don't speak the language yet.

When we ask him if he wants to go outside, he runs into his room and gets his coat.

He is always pointing to his nose and saying, "Nose." He knows a lot of body parts now and will point to ours as well so we will name them for him.

He is very fair. If I get a kiss, Sam gets a kiss. Back and forth. He is very free with his kisses in the morning.

Pointing to trucks in his crib.


Answering "Yeah" to everything.


Licking the ketchup off a french fry.


He "rawrs" at lions. He recognizes them in books he has never seen them in. Even when they look very different from lions he has seen.


Sometimes he thinks we talk too loudly.


He was making the food fly like an airplane before eating it.


Alex is a walking-backward pro! He often gets going so quickly that he walks right back into a wall!


He prays but never at prayer time.


He will talk for about an hour in bed before falling asleep.


He is so easily entertained.


He is obsessed with The Cat and the Hat Knows a Lot About That. He found our Cat in the Hat book which I had never read to him before, and he started dancing and singing, "Dough, dough, dough, dough" which is how the theme song to the show starts (go, go, go, go...).


He learns new words every day. I cannot keep up with all of the things he is saying. His favorite word is "shoes." He calls all drinks (even water) "juice." When he says, "backpack," it is adorable and makes me laugh every time. He can also say "Turtle." Hilarious.


He can go down little slides by himself!