Brent & Tami Nef

Yesterday Jake and Danny were sitting at the counter having an after-school snack. They were being silly and teasing each other. This is how their conversation went:

DANNY: You're crazy, Jake.
JAKE: No you're crazy, Danny...
DANNY: Your MOM is crazy!

Yes everyone - my 2 year old just threw down the ever-effective and always funny "your mom" comeback in a situation where it made complete sense. (Flashback to Joey from Friends using the finger quotes inappropriately over and over again...)

I HAVE NO IDEA.

But hey - is it wrong to be just a little bit proud?

I can't believe I have a kid in school! Real school - like with a PTA, field trips, and homework! I feel like up until now I was just a mom-in-training or something. My husband pointed out the fact that all of parenthood is probably going to feel the same way. Like - I can't believe I have a kid in high school... I can't believe I have a kid in college... I can't believe I have a kid getting married! Weird, but true.

Jacob started kindergarten on Monday and Brent made fun of the fact that I was way more "into this" school thing than Jake. Possibly meaning I was even more excited than Jake (not easy) and definitely more nervous/anxious. I reveled in buying all new school clothes, shoes, pencils, crayons - the works! I can't help it - I am a back to school nerd. I always have been and I probably always will. I love school! And I've missed not having the excitement of "going back." Now I get to enjoy the fun through my kids. Jake goes every day from 8:58 to 3:22 - sporting a good sized backpack filled with his Spiderman lunchbox and matching folder, water jug, and box full of school supplies. He looked SO CUTE on his first day that I think my heart almost exploded with love! I am having way too much fun picking out his "school clothes" every morning.

I was a little nervous when it came time for Mom to leave, because he was looking a little overwhelmed and is typically very shy in new surroundings. But he was brave and so was I - and everyone survived. Of course I stayed to spy for awhile, and then worried all day. But to my relief he had a great first day, loves his teacher, and has had nothing but good things to report ever since! I still feel a little tug on my heart every day when I drop him off, but it's getting easier - especially since he'll still kiss me goodbye. (I know those days are numbered.) I just hope he makes some good friends this year and continues to love school and learn new things.

In other news - I broke down and rented a fetal doppler online about 2 weeks ago. It's only 25$ for a month, and since I had to go from 8 weeks to 16 weeks with no doctor's appointments in between, I was getting a little antsy. Plus, I haven't gained much weight and my belly is not poking out nearly as much as I thought it would be with my third. So the day it came I immediately ripped open the package and yanked my shirt up to try it out. No luck. I tried over and over again - very frustrating. Finally, I found the heartbeat for just a few seconds - but that was enough! I was so relieved, I called up Brent at work to celebrate. We use it every few days and it has gotten easier and easier to find. It is also getting louder and stronger! As Danny says, "the baby says woo woo woo." If any of my prego friends want to give it a whirl, just let me know! I am almost 15 weeks along now and am feeling good. Less than 6 weeks till the big ultrasound - unless they do one at my check up next week, which I doubt. I can't wait to find out the gender. Any predictions?

So I finally finished "Breaking Dawn" a few days ago (the last in the Twilight series). I had to finish re-reading the first 3 before I started. Which meant my Amazon delivery sat untouched on the dresser for almost a week - taunting me. Though during that week I loaned it to my favorite babysitter for a few days in exchange for 3 FREE babysitting jobs! Never underestimate the power of Edward. Anyways, I have to say - Breaking Dawn wasn't my favorite. Of course it was still good, but it was different than I expected. I think Eclipse is my favorite (the 3rd), with Twilight (the 1st) being a close second.

I got so exasperated a few times reading this last book that I felt the need to explain what was happening to my husband - so that I could vent. Brent got such a kick out of the story line that relaying info from the books became our favorite late night activity. To an outsider, it really does all sound RIDICULOUS. Both of us actually cried a few times we were laughing so hard. Then to top if all off, I actually started reading some of the excerpts that describe how gorgeous Edward is (you know the ones I'm talking about... marble chest carved from stone) - and Brent really thought those were funny. The books really are silly - I'm not quite sure why we're all so obsessed with them. But obsessed, I definitely am. Sigh.

Anyways - 3 weeks ago when I was immersed in the series - Jake started a new level of swim lessons. When I met his new teacher - JACOB - I immediately thought, "Wow, he totally looks like young Jacob from the books." Or at least what I imagined. These aren't the greatest pictures, but can you see where I'm coming from?

Speaking of look-a-likes, I've never been someone that people come up to and said, "Has anyone ever told you that you look like this person (insert famous name)?" But in the last few months I've had a couple of people marvel at the apparent similarities between myself and both Ashley Judd and Amber Tamblyn. What do you think? Agree or disagree? It's probably just the dark hair. I don't know. I took it as a compliment... but maybe that's just wishful thinking on my part.

We kept a tight lid on this secret up until about a week ago - since then, there have been a few leaks. So we're happy to now pull the plug and share the good news...

Nef baby #3 is on the way! Almost 12 weeks along the way, to be exact. We've nicknamed this baby "Scout" until at least October 1st - that's when we should find out if we're having a boy or a girl. Brent and I are very big on baby in the womb nicknames - Jacob was Rupert and Danny was Scooter. I think we might actually spend more time coming up with the perfect nicknames, then we do on picking the real names! And after 2 boys, do I want a girl? Of course. But will I still be totally happy with another little boy? Of course. Anyways, my due date is February 15th - and I can't tell you how excited I am to be big and prego in a completely different season - namely pants/sweater wearing season! No beached whales in bathing suits this time! AND - I get to eat all the good holiday food without stressing too much over weight gain, since I'm going to be gaining anyways, right?? That's my theory.

Thankfully the timing on this pregnancy was perfect so that I was able to use it as Brent's Father's Day gift. Here is a picture of the card we gave him that morning, with the positive test taped inside. If you can't see it - Jake and Danny each traced their hand and signed their name, then I added a third tiny hand print and signed, "Scout". It's been hard to keep this a secret for a while, especially from so many good friends and family who I know were wondering. Not to mention, apparently I'm a horrible liar, especially when it's about something GOOD that you really WANT to tell everyone! We didn't even tell the kids until a few days ago. But now I'm happy to spread the news so that I don't have to be so self conscious over my expanding waistline - especially at our weekly pool play days! I'm also excited to have a belly buddy in my good friend, Chantel, who is due with her third baby just 2 days after me!

So far this pregnancy has been slightly different than the previous two. With Jake and Danny I never felt sick, or much of anything really. This time around I definitely had some nausea between weeks 7 -10, was a lot more sensitive to smells, and have had some serious food aversions/cravings. Namely Peanut Butter. Normally I'm obsessed with the stuff. I've been eating it straight from the jar for years now. But I suddenly couldn't even stand the sight of it. Let alone the smell. Only in the last week have I warmed up to PB again. But only on Ritz crackers. Not on sandwiches, not out of the jar - only on Ritz crackers. Weird! I'm feeling good now, despite the usual afternoon exhaustion, and am only having to deal with what seems like massive amounts of zits. Ugh. And a few mood swings here and there. I'm still trying to keep up with my regimen at the gym - and hope my body lets me throughout this pregnancy.

Since it's been about 3 years since the last one - I'm really excited for all the prego and baby stuff this time. The belly bump, the kicking, having cute little baby things around the house again - like tiny diapers, bottles, socks, and blankies. It's been awhile, so I'm feeling the novelty of it all over again - except I appreciate it even more now, because I know how fast they grow! We're all excited and hope and pray everything goes well from here on out.

I'd like to leave you with this - which really has nothing to do with the rest of the post. But Brent sent it to me this morning and it totally made me laugh, because it's SO TRUE! I'm glad it's not just my 4 year old...

Over the last few days they've been playing this YouTube video on all the morning shows like crazy. But I was out with a bunch of my girlfriends tonight and none of them had seen it! So for all of you that missed it - here it is. Hopefully you'll love it as much as I did....

Speaking of friends - I need to give a shout out to my girls. I seriously have the best group of friends. We have so much fun together and can talk about anything. I feel so lucky. And Lauren - even though you are only moving an hour away, our gang just won't be the same without you! But don't worry - whenever you come back to visit, I plan on blasting Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" and having a big hug fest. Love you all! (Get better Eve.)