Daddy's shadow.

  Everything Daddy does, Tad has to do too.   Working on their computers.

 Tad has started reading this summer.  He's always loved books.  It's fun to see him read a book to his puppy or dolly.  He remembers words well and comes pretty close to repeating it to his animals. 

 Tad's overall obsession is....
Firefighters.  He plays fireman EVERYDAY!   I call it my least favorite "F" word.  EVERYTHING at our house revolves around being a fireman.  The chair is his fire truck, the pretend fire guys have to join us for dinner, he wears yellow fire boots everyday (they're not allowed out of the house!), at night he has to put his jeans over his boots so he can pull them on like a fireman..... So, being the good parents that we are, we encourage it, by taking him to the fire station.  :} They had a "call out" while we were there and now he pretends to get a call out every day.  I bet you can't guess what he wants to be for Halloween? 

 

 Tad got a new bike with training wheels!   He still loves his strider bike, but as he practices on his big bike he seems to like it more. 

 Silly kid would rather sit on the porch to be like daddy than ride his new bike. 

Being daddy's shadow means he watches EVERYTHING Fred does.  I'd misplaced the charger to his little car battery, when we found it, all he wanted to do was work on it like dad.   He noticed Fred wasn't using the car ramps, so he moved them by himself under the carport.   Next thing we knew he was driving up the ramps!   (Look at Fred's face in the picture to the left- we really thought he'd stop at the bottom, but he drove right up onto them.)

 

Fred is really good about letting Tad use his tools and Tad has already learned to put them back when he's done playing.  Can you tell he's watched his dad work on the car more than a few times?  I love it - I hope he's as handy as his dad is one day! 

 (I sat in the lovely red chair in the corner of this picture and just watched "the boys" work.)

This is what took over our lives....

I hate being prego.  No offense little one on the way.  
Whoever says being pregnant is the best they've ever felt is CRAZY!  I was sick for about 4 1/2 months with the first one.  The morning sickness started with that one at 6 weeks while on a cruise - I don't plan to ever go on a cruise again.  This one started at 4 weeks.  It's been miserable!
I stopped eating dairy for 2 months to reduce the hurling.   I couldn't tolerate water or pretty much any liquid.  I lived on fruit and snowcones to feel hydrated through a very hot summer.   Finally at 17 weeks it felt like the "fever broke".  Really, pregnancy to me feels like the longest case of the flu.  I can eat dairy and drink water again but I still feel nauseous every day, even at 21 weeks. 

Tad is convinced it's a baby brother.  A promise of a bunk bed is probably the motivation behind that.  :}  Fred and I have been tempted to find out what we are having, but so far we're sticking it out.   I feel so sick that I like the baby better when I don't know what it is, instead of starting to curse it before it gets here.  It's just been Tad, Fred & I for so long that it's really hard for me to picture another child in our family.  I'm sure Tad will be a great big brother and old enough to be helpful!

Fred and Tad have really been troopers.  I HATE feeling bedridden, I feel lazy not being able to do everything I used to do in one day.   It has been a lot of fun to watch Fred and Tad become best buddies.  And Tad has grown a lot in the past few months - very independent!  Now that I'm starting to feel human again, I'll try to catch up posts on what's been happening in the past few months for us.... besides me being a grumpy prego lady!