See ya later, 2011!

What a great year! I have enjoyed practically every second of 2011, but I'm really looking forward to all that is to come in 2012! For the last few years, it seems that life is just getting better and better. Makes it really easy to see all this time flying by!

Our 2011:

January: pretty low key; reorganized living room to make a play area
February: started working part-time
March: AF returned, Jeffrey's first limp, and we started the bathroom renovation
April: finished the plumbing replacement of all house pipes
May: Jeffrey takes swim lessons, I quit part time job, I turn 25
June: vacation to Florida, ridiculously long post-partum cycle finally over, left on road trip to Colorado
July: returned from road trip, transitioned Jeffrey to his big boy bed
August: found out Baby Boy #2 was on the way, vacation to Michigan
September: chose a midwife and finalized our plans for a home birth, Jony starts project in Dallas, trip to Dallas
October: the worst of the morning sickness :(
November: start feeling baby move, finally finish bathroom, Jeffrey turns TWO
December: found out it's another little BOY, helped finishing touches with my parents' farm renovation, started the process of re-doing the office to Jeffrey's big boy room

2012 has plans/potential to bring: a sweet new boy to make our little family of four (and a dog), new flooring in the whole house, a re-organized house to make room for each boy to have their own room and just as much happiness/joy (if not more) than the previous years before it!

21 Weeks

A little late, but there were more important things going on this past weekend :) There's nothing exciting going on in the pregnancy department- just moving right along. I'm feeling great, enjoying having some energy again and getting a little bigger. I've been sleeping great, eating normal and really just loving this stage of pregnancy. Gavin is proving to be just as active as Jeffrey (maybe even more?), and I love just feeling/watching him move, especially when he gets into one of his crazy times. When that happens, the movement is ridiculous with limbs poking up here and there and all over the belly. I'm quite certain Jeffrey didn't start doing that so early.

Gavin had a great Christmas and even got a few things: lots of Little Brother onesies, some other cute (tiny!) clothes, an awesome color blanket, a little toy, a book, and some Aden and Anais blankets. Not too bad for being in utero still!

Oh, Happiness!

I imagine it has to be truly hard to not have a fantastic Christmas when you have a child. Seeing it all through their eyes is the most incredible thing I have every experienced in my life. Ever since Thanksgiving, it's been amazing. Jeffrey was so fascinated and enthralled by all things Christmas related: the lights (!), cookies, Santa, our elf Felton, etc. He had a blast entertaining all of the family at our annual Christmas Eve get-together and showing everyone the true spirit of Christmas. Christmas morning brought bright eyes and awe as he saw his presents from Santa and throughout the rest of the gift-giving day. He had such a great time, and I don't regret for a second that the season is behind us. The anticipation of waiting for such a day is nothing in comparison to the memories that I now hold from it. I can, however, look forward to doing it all again with four little eyes shining bright with excitement!

Catching Up

I think having a person equated with the baby inside of me now has made me fully realize that there are going to be two of them taking over the house, which means substantially less time to just sit my butt on the couch. So, I'm adding to my To-Do list finishing up all of Jeffrey's photo books. Here my little boy is living the high life as a two year old with his baby books only up to 9 months up on the shelf. The likelihood of me finishing them once Gavin is born? Pretty slim. So, I'm forcing myself to just do it. I already have the photos uploaded since I put some on a share site every month for out of town family, so it's not really all that complicated. It was a nice realization to see how much Shutterfly has changed their process of making the photo books; I love the customization! I've wanted that for so long, so it should make it a bit more fun to slap these together. I just finished up the 9-12 months book, so only a few left to go. Depending on how many pictures there are from 1-2, that'll be either one or two books. Then, each birthday is getting it's own book. That'll get me all caught up until he's 3!

It's been so crazy looking back at some of these pictures from when he was so young. It's hard to believe that he was ever so small. It truly is amazing when you really force yourself to see how much they have grown. I'm glad that it's so much easier to handle since I know there's another one coming that gets to be itty bitty again (even if it is for just a short while).

20 Weeks!

In all of the excitement of finding out we're having another baby boy, it completely slipped past me that I'm 20 weeks now! Half-way! I feel like things are finally starting to move along now. That may be the holidays, Jony being home or the fact that I'm feeling normal again, but I'm happy with it. I'm so excited for live with my two little boys. Now that little one has a name and a future that's a little easier to fantasize about, I feel so much more connected to him. I did before, but it's so much stronger now. There's just something about using proper pronouns and proper nouns that really brings it home. He's also starting to move around even more, and it's become super obvious from the outside even. Just like Jeffrey, though, he's not a fan of letting his daddy feel.

As I said earlier, I'm finally in that pregnancy honeymoon stage! I'm really enjoying feeling good again and starting to be able to resume normal living. My little bump is starting to really come out to play, and I love being able to hold and love on my baby boy. Everyone is so excited about another little man in the family, and they're all talking about hitting the stores for Christmas presents for him. Not necessary, but it's not possible to tame excited grandparents!

This should be an amazing week of pregnancy- finally knowing it's a little boy, feeling great and celebrating Christmas with my awesome family! Last year with just three stockings hanging above the piano :)

The "To Do"s

It's a long list. Seemingly longer than when we were prepping the house for Jeffrey. I think that's mainly because we just moved all the crap that was in his room into our "office," or junk room with a desk/computer in it. This room is out of control and filled with way too much stuff than any normal family should own. Obviously, we never use any of it, so we'll probably be taking a hefty donation to our local donation shop. I'm excited about that. The "office" will soon begin it's transformation into being the coolest, totally non trashed out new big boy bedroom for Jeffrey. Gavin will be moving into the current nursery, which will be revamped, of course. In doing this, we have to move the actual office stuff into our bedroom. There are a bunch of catches with every step of this plan, and I hope that by starting now we can get it done by May. That's not really that much time, especially when you have a list this extensive/long. Wish us luck.

1. clean out stuff/donate
2. go through papers/files; organize, scan, shred, etc. (this one sucks the most, I think)
3. cut desk to new proportions
4. move small couch in bedroom up to farm
5. take down stupid random door into closet hallway in bedroom
6. put newly cut desk in new place
7. set up computers and office stuff in bedroom
8. final clean and clearing out of Jeffrey's new room
9. paint Jeffrey's room
10. build bed, nightstand, bookshelf and desk (yup, we're crazy. Cheap and crazy)
11. when finished, install furniture and other miscellaneous shelves and such
12. buy and install closet organization for Jeffrey's room
13. decorate Jeffrey's room
14. transition Jeffrey into awesome new room
15. paint wall in Gavin's room
16. install new shelves
17. decorate Gavin's room

It's going to be a lot of work, but we should end up with two awesome boys rooms that they'll both love. Our biggest issue is finding the time to actually do it, but it's a pretty good incentive to finish it before there are two boys to work our timing around!

Well...

Proving those OWT's wrong, this little one is all boy! Just like Jeffrey, it was the first thing that he showed when that wand went on my belly. I was so nervous the night before. Not having had an ultrasound yet this pregnancy left SO many potential possibilities in my head, and I was driving myself crazy. Thankfully, everything is completely healthy. He's weighing in at 12 ounces and measuring perfectly for our EDD of May 7th. He was moving around the entire time and would not calm down. So, we don't have the best pictures since they're a little blurry. What can you do? We'll have enough once he pops out! He's head down, and the placenta is in a good position. All signs point to go towards our home birth being a success. Strangely enough, I have an anterior placenta. I would have never guessed that since I felt movement so early, but I'm not too shocked since I have such an active little one already. Of course, this next one will be the same! It explains some strange movements when I'd feel flutters on the top and bottom of my belly and not the middle- ones that made me seriously wonder if I was two in there. Only one, though, and he's perfect. I'm so excited to meet my new little boy, Gavin :)

What will it be?!?

The BIG ultrasound is Saturday morning! Just a few more days to cast your votes on what you think is residing in that little bump!

Old Wives Tales:

• heart rate is greater than 140: GIRL
• belly is higher, but shaped like a basketball: GIRL/BOY
• my face is the same as pre-pregnancy: BOY
• age of conception + year of conception= even= GIRL
• Acne is definitely present= GIRL
• craving sweets= GIRL
• Jeffrey's first word was mama= GIRL (I'd never heard of this one, lol)
• Since I'm my parent's last child, I'm apparently going to have kids in the same order= GIRL
• Legs are still lean= GIRL
• extra moody= GIRL
• I eat the middle pieces of bread= GIRL (although I always have...)
• I'm clumsy= BOY (again, I always am)
• Jeffrey is interested in the baby= GIRL
• prefer to rest on my right side= GIRL (interesting because I did prefer the left side last time!)
• Daddy's gaining weight= GIRL
• Left breast is bigger than the right= GIRL
• the nausea stuck around a LOT longer= GIRL
• feet are colder while pregnant= BOY
• leg hair is growing the same/slower= GIRL

Gender Predictions:

JustMommies: GIRL
thebump Chinese Gender Chart: BOY
Labor of Love: GIRL/BOY
Babyman: BOY
Shettles: BOY
Ring test: says both, so I'm not a fan ;)

The final tally:
BOY: 8
GIRL: 17

Yikes. I suppose we'll see just how accurate these OWTs really are in 3 days!

19 weeks!

It is pretty incredible to think that I'm almost halfway! Life should fly by now, seeing as how Jony is back in Houston for good now! It will be so nice to have some help in the evening and to make sure that I'm eating better. It should make a huge impact on my energy level and how I feel. Although, thankfully, save for a blacking out incident this week, I'm feeling much better the majority of the time. I still have moments, but they're not terrible. If I just sit down and relax, it usually gets much better.

I actually have a bump now! Depending on the position of the baby, it's either just a little one or pretty big. I'm still getting used to carrying so differently this time around, and my midwife thinks that the baby is right in the front of the uterus. Strangely enough, I'm still fairly easily wearing regular jeans (although those days are becoming numbered, I believe), but I cannot fit into most of my regular shirts! I'm assuming that when the back gets pushed up towards the front is when I'm nice and large. It's pretty amazing to watch it shrink and grow, though. I'm also seeing movement quite a bit, so it seems I have another active little one on the way! The baby loves when Jeffrey is around/talking to it and will really flip and roll around, which makes me smile. I'm loving "seeing" interaction between my two kids already.

This is an exciting week for us- having Jony home AND finding out what our little baby will be on Saturday! Less than a week! Not to mention all of the fun holiday activities we have going on to keep us distracted!

Wordless Wednesday

18 Weeks!

I've got a little belly that's slowly becoming more and more obvious to people around me, and I'm feeling quite a bit of movement. My eating is somewhat normalized, and I actually feel hunger again. I still get exhausted super easily, but it's not as bad as it was. I feel like I'm actually starting to enter that honeymoon stage of pregnancy! It's constantly shocking how different these pregnancies have been!

I had an appointment with my midwife yesterday, and all is normal. I'm measuring a bit small (as I did with Jeffrey), but I did gain a pound. They found the heartbeat immediately at 148 hanging out right in the center. She said that probably explains why I'm feeling/seeing so much movement so soon. Her prediction is that it implanted towards the front, and she said carrying higher can impact it, as well, especially because I'm so thin.

Speaking of carrying higher, this has got to be the number one difference between pregnancies. I'm still wearing regular jeans- not even a belly band or a rubber band! It's strange because I'm starting to have to wear maternity shirts since a lot of my regular shirts are already too short. Quite opposite of last time, and I'm thinking it's the more expensive route. Thank goodness there are very few things that we have to buy for this baby.

Less than two weeks until we find out what the little babe is packing! I'm thinking about it constantly- SO excited! Jeffrey will be attending the ultrasound with us, and then we'll have a wonderful family day soaking in our exciting news.

It's the Holiday Season!

Now that we're officially in December, I've allowed myself to fully succumb to the Holiday activities. This year is already proving to be an amazing year with Jeffrey, as he's truly starting to understand that there is something special going on. He may not fully understand it all or what's going on yet, but he's getting it enough so that I figured I'd start some of our traditions that we plan to continue.

-an Advent Calendar: we're doing an activity advent. It's nothing fancy- just the activity written on some cards and placed on our wall, but it does the trick. Yesterday's activity was to set up our Advent manger scene, which we'll continue every day until Christmas. It has a sticker and a reading to do each day, and he was so excited about it today (the sticker was a tree :) ). Today, we read "The Nativity." I'm trying to kick it all off with the reason for the season before we really get into some of the other fun stuff.

-Elf on the Shelf: our little elf friend, Felton, showed up this year and captured Jeffrey's heart in a major way. It's only been two days, but Jeffrey gets so excited to find him and tell him that he's going to be good that day. He's also told him multiple times that he wants a dump truck from Santa (and Santa has gotten the message ;) )

-Angel Tree: we already picked out our little angel. There were no boys, but we chose a 2 year old girl who would like some board books. Sometime next week, Jeffrey and I will go shopping and choose a few good books (and probably a bit more, if I'm being honest), come home and wrap it and then take it back to put it under the tree. Last year, he helped give a 1 year old a gift, but I'm betting he doesn't remember.

We've already decked the halls and the outdoor lights were turned on for the first time last night. Jeffrey was in awe! We're already having to drive slow through the neighborhoods so he can see all the lights. We've even taken Jeffrey to see Santa, which didn't go over too well. He was perfectly fine talking to him about wanting a dump truck and his reindeer, but a picture? Not a fan! There are lots of fun activities, crafts and parties coming up in the next month, and I am so excited about every single one of them!

The End.

From way back before I was even pregnant with Jeffrey, I knew that I wanted to breastfeed. It was super important to me. My mom is a pretty big advocate and faced a lot of adversity for choosing that method, so I suppose that influenced me. Once the baby was actually on the way, I was on a mission to learn as much as I could. I truly believe that knowledge is power, and I figured that knowing what to do (both in a normal and exceptional cases) would be my best friend. I started attending LLL meetings at six months pregnant, which was such a tremendous and wonderful influence on me. It really allowed me to see other babies nursing!

When Jeffrey was born, nursing came easily to us. We had our share of issues and hard patches, but we overcame them all. I had the common goal of "one year" set in my head. Once we started nearing that, I knew that neither of us were in no shape to be ending so soon. So, I adjusted my thinking. With the AAP's recommendation of at least two years helping me explain my decision, I allowed myself to become an extended breastfeeder. I don't think there's many choices that I rank above that one in my life. I hoped to make it to two, but I knew that pregnancy could affect things. I hadn't made a decision either way on tandem nursing.

As usual, Jeffrey made the decision for me. He started slowly losing interest and dropping nursing session after nursing session. I have no doubts that this baby inside of me was a huge force in this, as I dried up about 10-12 weeks. I made my goal, though. Jeffrey last nursed the evening of his 2nd birthday. It's a beautiful moment that I will treasure forever, and I think it makes it so much more special that it was on such a momentous day. Since then, life has continued on- just no nursing. He's never asked for it, although he did say that it was his milk when we were reading a Big Brother book. We'll work on that :) I'm so happy that I was able to meet his needs as long as he needed them, and I'm happy to place this accomplishment on the list of things I am most proud of. I am very at peace with how it happened, and I'm sure it helps to know that I'll be starting all over again in six precious months. Here's to another happy journey!

17 weeks!

I cannot believe I'm so far along already! It's shocking since I'm still having bouts of nausea and weakness, so I always think I'm earlier than I am. Every Monday brings about a little bit of a shock. Apparently, all the issues and nastiness from last week were the result of a growth spurt. There is no doubt that this kid is bigger. I'm actually feeling rolls and can even SEE them from the outside. Ridiculously early, I know. There's no doubt, though. Gas can't make your belly button do the wave! I don't feel it all the time yet, usually only when I'm leaning back a little bit. Every so often, it'll make itself known in other times, though.

Eating is really starting to normalize, and my appetite is picking up. That has really made it easier to fend off the nasty that this baby keeps sending my way. I'm starting to get round ligament pain this time, which is lovely. Sleeping is still going pretty good, though! I'm barely even waking up to go to the bathroom. Even so, I still get tired really easily and can overdo it super quickly (to a ridiculous amount). My pants are just now starting to bother me to the point where I'm considering busting out the belly band. I definitely have a little bump, so I think it's pretty safe to say that I'm carrying much higher this time.

As it gets closer, it's getting harder and harder to wait for our ultrasound! I'm so anxious to (finally!) see our little baby and be able to envision our future with either two boys or boy/girl. Feel free to vote in my little poll. Until then, we've got lots of Holiday activities and an appointment with the midwife next Sunday.

Bathroom Update!

It's been awhile, no? Yeah, we started in April. It's finally (mainly) finished, as of last weekend- right before Jeffrey's party. We like to cut it close, apparently! The good news, though, is that it turned out just how we wanted it to. It's SO much nicer than it was before, it's bright, fun, and it should be really useful for two little kiddos. Plus, Jeffrey likes it. We still have a bit of work to do to the bathtub (seal the grout, install the faucet/drain, and reglaze the bathtub), but it's practically done! I'm so excited that people can come to our house again now that they have a bathroom to use! Without further ado, our bathroom...

Before:

After!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I cannot believe that this is my baby's 3rd Thanksgiving. Every year, I'm swarmed over with how much I have to be thankful for. It's so easy to get down on the little things, like wanting a new dining table or still feeling pretty gross, but I love that there is a holiday just for the reasoning of spending quality time with family and being thankful for all that you do have. When I truly think about it, I have so much more than I need.

1. an amazing and supportive family, including a patient and 100% giving husband and the most amazing son I could have ever dreamed possible
2.  this wonderful new child growing inside of me that will further enrich our lives
3. a wonderful, family friendly job for Jony that provides more than enough to support our family on it's own, allowing me to be able to stay home and give our children the foundation we always dreamed we could
4. the financial means to be able to place Jeffrey in MDO next year and sign him up for classes like The Little Gym and swim lessons
5. Similarly, the financial means to be able to pay out of pocket for the pregnancy and birth experience we crave, as well as having the choice and opportunity to utilize it
6. a house that provides warmth, security and a place to grow our memories- as well as providing the location for our new little one's arrival into the world
7. reliable cars (2 of them, at least, lol) that take us to get necessities, for fun adventures and even on vacation
8. the ability to travel and see the world/country and expose our children to other cultures
9. our health and the fact that choosing our new health insurance plan (another thing to be thankful for) is such an easy decision due to the minimal risks our family faces
10. friends, both near and far, that we know are here to stay

Finally, to go back to some of the thanksgivings of the very first Thanksgiving, I'm so proud to live in a time that so accepting of different ideas, cultures and opinions. Sure, we still have a ways to go, but we get closer every day. That's the kind of world I'm thankful to raise my children in.

I hope all of you are enjoying your blessings today, along with some good food, and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Wordless Wednesday: Birthday Edition

Fitting that this would fall on his EDD 2 years ago, but this was taken at his birth minute on his birthday: 9:37pm

The Stats

Just got back from Jeffrey's 2 year appointment, and all looks fabulous. He's exceeding (by a lot) the developmental milestones and is super healthy. We're apparently doing an awesome job :) He even answered some of the development questions himself. Example: Does he respond to you when you ask him questions? Jeffrey- "yes". Does he jump? Cue Jeffrey jumping in a circle around the floor and then doing his version of the moonwalk. She skipped a few of the mobility questions after that, lol! He was such a ham with the pedi and gave her the side eye when she tried to convince him the bear was the doctor. So, she treated him like a kid instead of a baby! So crazy. He even did the scale where he stands on it himself to get weighed. Gosh, he's old.

Jeffrey is now 27lbs, 35.75 inches- about the height of a 3 year old! I was surprised that he only grew a little over an inch. He seems SO much taller than six months ago. It's a good thing, though, I suppose, because pants are already a problem.

He had one shot and was NOT a fan, but he recovered quickly. Daddy was there since I'm still feeling a little faint today (probably from not really eating yesterday), so that was helpful. We even brought a leftover juice from his party which is quite a treat for him! So, he was over it. He's to report back in one year. When he's 3. Holy moly.

16 Weeks

Hello 4 months! Too bad I'm celebrating with a lovely stomach virus. Ugh. I feel SO disgusting. At first, I thought I was just rundown from the busy weekend. Then, the pain and discomfort came. It sure is cool to walk around with a trashcan, though (although I haven't used it yet, thankfully, although maybe it would make me feel better?). To be honest, I'm not really even walking. Lots of bumming on the couch in a futile effort to try and get somewhat comfortable. Jony put a call into the midwife, and I'm taking some slippery elm bark in hopes that it makes me feel better. We'll be getting a follow-up call alter this evening. Hopefully, I'll have good news to report. Jony feels terrible because he just went through this, but he can take the good stuff. Plus, it's easier for him to poop in general. TMI, perhaps, but all pregnant/formerly pregnant know what I'm talking about.

In happier news, I feel the little baby at least once a day. Also, a little pooch is starting to show itself. I'm not making any promises that I'll be able to feel up to taking a belly picture today, though. Less than four weeks until the big ultrasound!

The Party

After all the stress of getting the house cleaned, ready and decorated for Jeffrey's big bash, it was an amazing time. He loved having his closest friends all in one place, and the weather worked out perfectly for some good outside play. I deem it a successful party.

2 Years Old.

2 years ago, I was given the most amazing gift a person can receive. In that time, I have learned so much more about myself, life and love then I could have ever done without him. I have never had a better teacher. As easy as it is to get caught up in the sadness that two years have already gone by, it is hard to not be completely overwhelmed with the massive amounts of joy that he has brought to me in his short life. No doubt, they have been the most amazing years of my life, and I am so glad to have all of these amazing years to look forward to. I know that I am going to love having a little two year old, and I cannot wait for all of the fun, experiences and life we'll experience together in the next year. He is so perfect, and I am so thankful to have such a wonderful, loving, energetic and happy little boy. I am constantly in awe of all that he can do, and I cannot help but be such a proud mother.

At this exact moment two years ago, I was finally eating the lunch that I had begged so hard for in the hospital (chick fil A nuggets, just as we had today for your party) and anticipating what was to come. Little did I understand in that eight hours, my world would be forever changed in the most spectacular way.

2 Year Stats:

• he'll be weighed and measured next Tuesday at his 2 year appointment!
• wearing 2T clothes, primarily
• only nursing at night, and I can feel it slipping away
• sleeping amazingly (after overcoming the obstacle of the time change, of course)
• 15 teeth! The canines are finally coming through; #16 will be here any day
• starting to talk in full sentences and use possessive (specifically 'my' and 'mine')
• knows all the colors
• starting to do a beginner "stride" on his strider bicycle
• is starting to show a big interest in letters and can correctly identify at least 10 of them
• good at listening and following directions (most of the time)
• can balance on one foot
• Favorite food: cupcakes/cookies
• Favorite book: Truckery Rhymes (also known as "big trucks book")
• Favorite activity: cars, trains and airplanes!

Prehistoric Chaos

Between finishing the bathroom (or, at least, getting it into acceptable conditions for people to see/use it), completely cleaning the house, organizing the monster amount of toys this kid owns, and general party preparations, I am in a whirlwind. Normally, I would own this. I thrive under pressure and being busy. However, I'm too dang tired for all that this year, so it's a bit stressful. It's working out, and it'll be a great party. In the meantime, though, there's a bunch of living room crap in our kitchen so we can start cleaning the carpet asap in the AM and there is no counter space for any sort of cookie/cupcake baking to occur. So, tomorrow should be pretty busy. Add to that going to Little Gym and a Thanksgiving potluck for Jony's work in the morning AND a birthday party in the afternoon (Jony will stay home for this one), and time is not on our side. On the plus side, his birthday banner looks amazing and is all hung up, and the favor bags are fully complete. I'm surrounded by dinosaurs and loving it, even if I'm super stressed on the inside, because a certain little boy is SO excited about his big party! He's going to have a blast.

After all this, it's for certain that his party will be outside of the house next year. All of this with a six month old baby? No, thanks.

Pop Pop Pop

Right on track with Big Brother (maybe even a day or so earlier? yikes), I'm beginning to feel this little one move.  I was a bit confused at first since I seemed to be feeling it pretty regularly from the get-go, but I've only felt it a few times since then. So, I'm assuming that it was just a little hyper on Monday :) I love it. It's my absolute favorite part of being pregnant. It allows me a full on connection with the little baby. It makes it so much easier to deal with still not feeling 100% or having trouble eating. In fact, it's made it easier to force myself to eat something. It's that little reminder that there is in fact a little human growing and developing in there- just what I needed.

This is just the tiny little beginning of something so exciting. I know that, in just a few short weeks, I'll be sharing this feeling with others (namely Jony and Jeffrey). So, I'm wrapping myself in these short moments of just me and the baby to really solidify our connection. Only a few weeks until I can stop calling it "it"!

15 weeks!

I swore that I was turning 14 weeks this week- oops, lol! I'm getting eerily close to the halfway point, which I know will be here super fast. This weekend kicks off the holidays for us- beginning with Jeffrey turning 2! That'll make the weeks fly by, no doubt. For the most part, I'm feeling pretty good now. I had a rough day yesterday, but I think that was from overdoing it over the weekend plus not eating enough. It was about this time with Jeffrey that I fainted from my low blood pressure, so I'm assuming that the baby is just big enough now where it needs me to eat more. So, I'll start working harder at forcing myself. Unfortunately, I'm still having issues eating. It is getting better, though, thank goodness.

Every so often, my belly pops out where it looks like I'm pregnant. Most of the time, though, it's still fairly normal. No bump picture this week since it's significantly smaller than last week. Maybe I'll do a full belly post next week to celebrate being 4 months. Even with no bump, though, my back is ridiculous. It hurts so bad. I'm going to have to bring it up to my midwife at the next appointment to see what she suggests. If it gets worse, I may even need to e-mail her.

In exciting news, we have the date for our ultrasound! December 17th! Right before Christmas :) I've added a little poll to the right if you have an inclination on what's hanging around in my uterus. 33 more days!

Here's to hoping for starting to feel movement soon!

How I Live

My biggest and most constant battle in life is my urge to be ridiculously lazy. It's by far by biggest downfall, but at least I know and own it. Most of the time, realizing it and dealing with it means that I'm able to actually get stuff done. It's a big reason why I do much better when I'm stressed and have a ton of stuff to do. If it's just one thing, I slack. It's why I did so well in college :)

Anyways, add that in with pregnancy exhaustion? Not a great combination, and I don't even have the minimal effort to fight the urge. So, I choose how to use my limited energy carefully: taking care of Jeffrey's needs (some of his wants, now that I'm feeling better, thank goodness), dealing with food and saving energy to get up and go pee about twice an hour (blech). Where does that leave cleaning, organizing and planning on the list? Nowhere. It's just not there. I try here and there, but not too hard. Mix in the fact that Jony works out of town during the week, and you can just imagine what this house looks like. Now, it's no hoarders and there's no reason CPS would need to be involved, but it is not the optimum living environment, haha. There's at least one toy in every square foot of this house (proving that our kid is ridiculously spoiled, and he has a birthday and Christmas coming up....), sweaters strewn about, the counter tops and table are covered in craziness, and the sink is majorly full. Fun realization? I can get through the four days that Jony is gone by using pretty much every dish we have- no need to do the dishes!

I can't say that I enjoy living in such a dirty house, but I just haven't been able to muster the energy to do anything about it (dirty dishes? gag.) I do feel bad for Jony, though, who walks in to disaster every Thursday night. Eventually, things will normalize. I'll be able to stand up and actually do some manual activity without feeling gross for more than 10 minutes, and my energy will (hopefully) give me some slack. Until then, Jeffrey and I live in ease waiting for the "maid" to come home every weekend.

Wordless Wednesday

14 Weeks!

Officially in 2nd tri! It's exciting to be here, knowing what it has in store for me. I loved the second trimester with Jeffrey; it really was that "honeymoon" phase. Between feeling good again, starting to feel kicks, and the emergence of a belly, there's not really all that bad stuff.

I can tell that I'm getting close to that point. I'm feeling normal 75% of the time now, and food is not quite as repulsive to me as it has been. Most of the time. Sleep is still going relatively well, even though I usually wake up with back pain and have to visit the restroom at least twice each night. I guess since the ickies are staying around a little longer this time, I get to sleep a bit longer, too. Seems like a fair trade. I'm hoping to be able to remain in bed the entire pregnancy this time, especially since we've gotten rid of the recliner that I slept in the last two months with Jeffrey. I'm still in completely normal clothes. It's strange to me, but I seem to be carrying higher this time (not too difficult since Jeffrey was practically halfway out the whole time).

I already updated with my appointment that all went well. Heartbeat of 156! The next appointment is at almost 17 weeks, and I'm currently waiting for a call back about scheduling our ultrasound! I'm hoping to have it before Christmas, but we'll see. I'm still feeling major girl vibes, so I'm itching to find out.

Lastly, I actually have a belly pic this week! Bonus- you get to see my new haircut. However, it should be noted that I take these pictures right before we go to sleep each Sunday. Not exactly my prime time for photos, but it's the only time it gets done. We decided to go with taking the pictures in the same outfit each week to really see the different (eventually, lol)

Starting to Brainstorm

Christmas is next month which means that it's time to really start narrowing down our ideas for Christmas cards. I love everything about Christmas, and making/sending/receiving cards is no exception. There's something special about having real mail all month long! I think we've narrowed down our ideas to what type of pictures we want to take and have on our card, but we're still deciding between whimsy and vintage. We'll probably make the final decision after we take the pictures and can play around with the Christmas cards (We use Shutterfly; always have and always will). I know that we can trust them to deliver good quality and timely shipping since, let's face it, we're always a bit behind in actually getting the ball rolling on these. This year, especially, since we're hoping to wait to find out the gender of little babe before ordering. We just ordered Jeffrey's birthday cards from there and were extremely happy with them, and all of his photo books are from there, as well. Well, the ones that I've actually finished, at least.

I'm super excited to actually start acting on our ideas and see our card come to reality! AH! I know it's only early November, but I just can't help but get excited about Christmastime. I love it :)

A Big Check

Yesterday, we signed and handed off the final payment for the little baby's arrival into the world! All we have left to do is wait 27ish weeks of pregnancy now ;) It feels quite strange to have it paid so early, especially since we didn't pay for Jeffrey until afterwards. I'm loving it, though. It was so stressful to have hospital bills come pouring in during Christmastime. Bah humbug on that. Plus, we're paying substantially less this time. Majorly. Even more if we get reimbursed at all, which we're not counting on. Would be pretty amazing, though! I loved having a set amount that I knew in total beforehand, so we were able to completely budget it into our holiday spending. Now, it's done! We'll still have to pay for our ultrasound when we have that done, but we did for Jeffrey, as well.

As a reward, the little baby let our midwife find the heartbeat immediately at a beautiful 156 bpm! So, now I'm feeling better, know the little baby is healthy and thriving and can just enjoy the pregnancy until little one decides to slide on out. Love it.

Such a Happy Halloween!

Jeffrey is such a blast now, so I was really looking forward to all of the Holiday experiences this year. Halloween did not disappoint. He jumped right into the thick of it and loved Trick-or-Treating. He did so great at walking up to each house (even past scary decorations, except one big inflatable cat...I had to pick him up at that one, lol), holding out his bag, saying "tick teet" and then "thank you!" Then he's skip down the sidewalk to do it again! Most of the houses on my parent's street participated, so he'd get all upset and confused on why we were skipping a sidewalk. He'd start going up it, look back at us and say "come on!" So adorable. My niece was there, as well, which he loved. I had a huge smile on my face the entire night. Then, he put on his Halloween pajamas that have a ghost on them and started jumping around yelling BOO. It's all just too much. I cannot wait for what the rest of the holidays have in store for us!

13 weeks!

Here we go- entering that 2nd trimester. I'm hoping that it brings along all the amazing things that it did with Jeffrey, as well. One super exciting thing that happened two nights ago was that we were able to find the heartbeat with an at-home doppler! We'd tried the week previous with no success, so we were SO thrilled when we finally found that little woosh! It definitely has made coping with the gross feeling a bit more manageable since then! Speaking of that, things are way better. The gross feeling isn't nearly as gross, and I'm starting to be a bit more capable of caring for both myself and Jeffrey. The house will come later ;) I'm even having parts of the day where I feel totally normal, so I know that the end is very, very near.

I'm already starting to get the "small" comments that I did with Jeffrey, which is ridiculous. I'm only 13 weeks! I realize I don't look pregnant. At all. However, I'm also aware that I make good sized babies, so I'm not really that worried about it. Plus, my torso is typically twice as long as the people making those comments- lol!

I'm so thrilled about this little nugget and have started daydreaming of nurseries and how much fun the holidays will be with both kiddos next year. I'm sort of feeling girl, but we shall see! Next appointment is Friday.

Dark Days

Every time I come to write a post, I realize that it's just a boring age/week update. I've been so out of touch with my own feelings that it was impossible to even think about blogging them. I may or may not have mentioned this in passing, but my husband is currently working a project that takes him away Monday-Thursday every week. It's been about two months. I've been holding my head up and saying that it's all been okay, but it's a lie. If you do the math there, you may begin to realize why. It's pretty crappy timing to send your partner off for most of the week when you're in early pregnancy. So, he leaves, and life falls apart. I'm able to do enough for Jeffrey, but that takes most everything out of me. I can't do the dishes (gag), I can barely cook any food, and I sure as heck haven't been keeping up with the laundry/cleaning. It takes it's toll. Our house is disgusting, Jeffrey is watching way too much TV with not near enough mommy time, and I still feel like crap. Plus, guilty. It completely sucks. It really gives me a special heart for single moms, although the hardest part for me is knowing that Jony WOULD be doing it/helping, but he's not there. So, he can't. A friend told me tonight that "you don't realize exactly how much they do until they're not there to do it anymore." Such a true statement. I knew that he did a lot because he's the most amazing father there is. It really makes it more obvious, though. I remember how well he treated me while pregnant with Jeffrey- making me food, bringing me my vitamins, letting me sleep in and take naps all the time, doing all the cleaning, etc. I think that's why I was feeling better by this point already with him. Granted, he does all those things on the weekends, as well as cleaning up all the nasty left from the week AND spending every second with Jeffrey.

It's really hard to live your life waiting for the weekend and wishing the weeks away. After all, Jeffrey will never be this day old again. And, I missed it (obviously, I was here, but I didn't enjoy it). Thank goodness that Jony will be working remotely (from home) next week. Hopefully, it's what I need to get back on track.

12 weeks!

It's officially out in the open, as far as people can tell whomever they want to now. I haven't put anything on Facebook, but it's been mentioned on Jony's. I'm not even sure if I'll do a major announcement and may just wait and see until people start noticing in my pictures or something, lol! Things sure are different with the second kid.

I'm still moving upwards in terms of feeling better, and I'm so grateful. I've actually been able to play with my son a little today! I'm still having my moments, but moments are better than all.day.long. In sad news, we tried to find the heartbeat last night with the doppler and were unsuccessful. We'll try again in a week when Jony gets back home again (to stay home for an entire week! yay!), so hopefully the babe can get bigger and make it a bit easier to find. Jony swears he heard something, but he couldn't find it again and focus in on it. It makes me a little nervous since I've had no validation of pregnancy, but what can you do?

I'm in disbelief how close I am to the 2nd trimester. I LOVED that trimester with Jeffrey, so I'm really looking forward to it. It's a bit scary to think of it going as quickly as the 1st has, though. It's even scarier when you factor in the holidays and how quickly time goes this time of year anyways. Eek! It'll be 2012 before I know it.

23 Months!

Keep a paper bag close to me at all times because this is a lot to handle! Only ONE month until my tiny little pipsqueak turns two years old. He's the most amazing kid. Ever. His verbal skills are getting out of control and is starting to talk in two word sentences. He learns new words every hour, it seems. Plus, it's getting clearer so that people other than Jony and I can actually understand him. He rarely acts out, although he's pretty good at busting out the occasional whine. We still have not entered tantrum territory. He's HILARIOUS and will do about anything to get people to laugh- definitely going to be a class clown like his daddy. I have such a blast with him and am so proud to be his mommy.

23 Month Stats:

• still no clue, but I swear that I feel he gets taller every day. He's not super heavy, though. Tall and skinny!
• wearing primarily 2T, although we're having a major issue with pants (hello highwaters!)
• nursing 2x a day, most days. Morning is starting to fade away, it seems
• napping and sleeping is still A+; We actually don't even pat him or anything to fall asleep, but we do still sit with him
• STILL just 12 teeth. He'll never finish teething, I'm convinced. 
• talks constantly and in two word sentences. Current favorite word: pumpkin
• is obsessed with color sorting. He does it to any and everything. 
• knows when there are two of something, but two is the only number he accepts to be real
• can show you numbers and hold up on his finger the numbers 1, 2 and 5
• loves handstands, where his hands are on the ground and his feet walk up the wall
• loves his baby doll and wants to help change her poopy diaper every minute
• Favorite food: applesauce puches
• Favorite Book: any of the Llama Llama series
• Favorite Activity: sorting his blocks by color

11 weeks!

Everyone that is "in the know" in our lives now officially knows. So, word will now begin to spread (via grandparents, of course). We'll probably fill in the rest of the world (via Facebook, of course) in the next week or two. I'm so glad that we finally got around to telling all of our good friends; the worry of them finding out on accident or by someone else is just too much for me to deal with! Plus, my pants are starting to get tight, and it would be strange to show up to meet for lunch in a belly band if they didn't know ;)

I'm feeling much better and actually starting to eat a bit more. I've really buckled down on focusing on my water intake after my heat incident last week, which is probably helping a great deal, as well. Exhaustion seems to be tapering off a little, but I'm still pretty emotional and hormonal. I'm this.close to having to eliminate country from any radio in my vicinity. It's getting ridiculous, lol.

The hardest part right now is that I still can't hold Jeffrey too long without feeling gross. For a boy who's used to getting lots of snuggles and being worn a lot, it's been an adjustment. It's slowly getting better, but we've got a ways to go still.

Pretty excited to be getting close the to the end of the 1st trimester!

The Heat Got Me

I used to pass out all the time. At least once a year at minimum. It's one of the joys of having low blood pressure and low blood sugar. When I crash, I typically crash hard. As I got older, though, I learned how to handle it- when to eat what and the early warning signs that a faint was coming. If you catch them early enough, you can put a stop to it. So, I haven't fainted since high school. I almost broke my streak this morning. It's been so long that I'm not as aware of those signs as I used to be, and, being in early pregnancy, I'm clearly not eating as much or what I should be. That all, combined with the direct sunlight and heat while I took Jeffrey to enjoy some fall fun at a local farm, almost ended in disaster. I got dang close. If I hadn't caught it when I did and promptly found a "cool" place to sit down and drink water, I'd have passed out clear in the middle of the play area. Jeffrey would have loved that, I'm sure.

A good friend took over Jeffrey duties while I came back to full consciousness, we ate lunch and then headed home to be in the A/C. We had to skip the pumpkin patch, which is a bummer, but Jeffrey was already pretty tired, anyways.

I suppose I'll be staying indoors for a few more weeks. You know, until it's ACTUALLY fall weather.

10 weeks!

It is seriously ridiculous how fast this pregnancy is going, and it's freaking me out. We're entering the fetus stage already! Thankfully, with that comes feeling better! I started not totally hating all food over the weekend and have worked my way up to feeling almost normal today! Still tired and lethargic, but at least I don't feel completely gross! Emotionally, I'm doing much better, as well. That's probably because I can actually interact with my son and make him food to eat instead of just laying like a lump on the couch feeling sorry for myself. I had a bit of trouble (read: a lot) going to the restroom last week, if you get my drift, so, once that was taken care of, everything started to move uphill!

We're crossing people off the "to tell" list slowly but surely- only four more left to fill in before it can go completely public. The parents are ready, which I don't blame them, since we're already 1/4 of the way!

I've got a teeny tiny little bump that you can only see when I'm not wearing a shirt or if I hold my shirt super tight against my skin, and that's only if you know me. I'm not having too much trouble with clothes yet, although I do unbutton when I eat. For comfort, of course :) Keep growing, little baby!

Things to Remember

With verbal explosion comes a heck of a lot of cute things pouring out of my little boy's laugh. I want to record some of them since it's already hard to remember now! Forget about remembering in fifteen years!

- He says "tank you" ALL the time, even to himself when he picks up a toy
- horses are called "yee-haws"- such a good little Texan ;)
- cars are "conk-conks"
-alligators are "chomp chomp" complete with hand motion. This also extends to both elevators and escalators, lol
-If he hears something loud, he'll put his mouth into an oval shape and go "whoa!"
-whenever there's a slight bump in the car, he yells out "speed bump!"
-he likes to add an "s" to a lot of things. I think that makes it possessive to him- example: "mines" (as in, it's mine)
-his siren sound is flipping adorable
-if he actually goes poo-poo (as opposed to just saying he did for fun), he'll follow it with a "blech" and "stinky" while holding his nose
-he knows what city he lives in! Unfortunately, he also knows the city that daddy works in
-he runs around randomly or in the car yelling "cheetah! cheetah?" since he heard a little boy do that at the zoo, and the cheetah actually came out
-he calls all monkeys "lemurs"

I love hearing my little boy talk, even if he does request to go to the zoo with Aly (my niece) every five minutes.

Wordless Wednesday

9 weeks!

Holy crap, this is going by so fast, it seems! We actually remembered to look at our pregnancy books last night for the first time in three weeks, and we were shocked at how much has changed with this little one.

I'm feeling alright (the biggest issue? I have food aversions), but I'm having some struggles emotionally. I'm sure that has more to do with Jeffrey going through a difficult stage and the fact that I'm a single parent the majority of the time now, but I know that pregnancy hormones are not on my side. I've been much quicker to react with Jeffrey, and I'm seeing major consequences from that. It makes me feel awful, and I cannot wait until Jony is working back in the same city so I can get my balance under control. I think I need more me-time now that I'm pregnant, but I'm getting way, way less.

In happier news, we had our first pre-natal appointment yesterday! Mainly, it was just filling out forms and doing my risk assessment. We also put our down payment down. It's a little strange feeling to be paying for the baby already since we didn't pay for Jeffrey until a few months after he was born, but it will be SO nice to be all finished by Christmas and not have to worry about it after the baby is born. Plus, it's cheaper. Can't beat that! My homework is a book on nutrition and to decide what routine tests I want/do not want. We go back in a month!

I'm also noticing a little belly pooch that never goes back in! I still fit into all my clothes just fine, although I do have to unbutton my jeans here and there when the bloat settles in :)

Switching Things Up

Things were getting crazy at nighttime. Not horrible, but it just wasn't working anymore. So, we've made a change to have it more like nap time (which, oddly enough, goes amazingly well every day). The biggest factor is that nursing has been moved from last to first. Nursing just wasn't getting him to sleep anymore. At all. There was a big "fight" to get him to pass out afterwards. Since he likes reading books in bed now, we've decided that this makes the most sense. Bedtime now goes as follows:

1. gets nighttime clothes on
2. nurses and then nighttime snuggles
3. I lay him on the bed, kiss him goodnight, and daddy comes in
4. bedtime stories (typically 3)
5. rub/pat back; put to sleep

We're still in the first few days, so it's been an adjustment for him. It's going really well so far, though. It works so much better for me and Jony since we don't alternate going into his room every night. It's been taking him a little longer to actually fall asleep, but he's not fussing as much as he was. He has a cough, as well, which is probably a factor in that. Since the jury's still out on if I'll be tandem, I liked that this would make sure that he can potentially go to sleep without me while I'm still in the house. Hope it continues to go well!

8 weeks- oops.

So, I'm 8 weeks, and it completely slipped by me. In my defense, I was on "vacation." Still nothing to really report. I'm having a bit of an issue in wanting to eat food and can't eat very much of it at all after figuring out what to eat, so that's frustrating. Having to feed Jeffrey is a pretty big struggle, but I think it helps me make myself eat. Definitely good when it's just me and him. I've had a few bits of vertigo, but they weren't bad. So, all in all, I still consider myself pretty lucky in terms of morning sickness. The major exhaustion seems to have even calmed down a little!

I'm in shock that I'm already two months! It's going by ridiculously fast, and that kind of terrifies me!

22 Months!

Yikes. We're officially on "get ready for the 2nd birthday party" mode. TWO. I can hardly even comprehend it. Although, I will say that every day I can tell that he's getting older. His understanding is completely there, and he is now able to communicate completely with us. He's not speaking in sentences, but he's able to get this thoughts out there in a way that we understand him. He's so observant and so incredibly smart. He's incredible.

22 month stats:

• no idea about height/weight, but I will say he's far too tall for his own good. Clothing is now an issue, and I'm not really sure what we'll do when cold weather hits. He's too skinny for his pants' length! Good thing this isn't a new issue for mommy OR daddy.
• still equal between 18 month and 2T
• nursing 2x a day, although I'm starting to get  a little push back, which I'm assuming is from my depleting supply :(
• napping and sleeping is still A+, although he did wake up the other night for a few hours. First time he's done that in months.
• STILL just 12 teeth, but all signs point towards soon!
• talks all the time and learns at least five new words a day, I'd say. Latest obsession? speed bumps, the moon and stars
• has his colors down to a science and can name anything you ask. His favorite is currently blue.
• recognizes the letters in his name
• starting to focus on numbers and counting
• can walk on the balance beam by himself
• does somersaults! 
• FINALLY dances when music plays! I've looked forward to this for so long :)
• Favorite food: animal crackers
• Favorite Book: The Little Engine That Could
• Favorite Activity: playing parking lot or traffic with his cars and trucks

7 weeks!

I was actually officially 7 weeks yesterday, so I had my first official decision on choosing between the children. Since, at least for the first little bit, Jeffrey may be getting 2nd dibs a lot, he won this round :)

Plus, there's not a whole lot to report. My pants are starting to get tight, and I've definitely already got a little something there that I can't suck in. It's nowhere near a bump, though, and it's only noticeable to those who are looking for it or if I don't have a shirt on. Should be interesting, seeing as how I was barely showing until almost 3rd tri with Jeffrey! I'm extremely exhausted, very gassy and have moments where a certain food/smell makes me feel gross. No nausea yet, though! I do have moments where I feel less than awesome, however, but it's mainly related to the ridiculous amounts of gas. Lovely, yes?

We made the midwife official, and our first appointment is on the 2nd! YAY!

We're slowly making the rounds with telling people. Jony has been better than I have; I just don't feel the urge to scream it this time for some reason. I'm excited, so I can't really explain it. I guess I feel it's still super early.

Wordless Wednesday

6 weeks!

I took another HPT, and it's still positive! I only have more, so I'll test again in another week. I'm still feeling pretty good, but it's beginning to get obvious when it's time for me to eat more. So, it's back to eating every two hours for me! The gas seems to have gotten better, and I'm glad to say I still haven't experienced any nausea or food aversions yet. Exhaustion, though? It's definitely here. Jony was so nice this weekend and let me sleep in every day. Awesome.

In birthing news, we have chosen a midwife! We're sitting on it for a few days before making it official, but I'm fairly certain that we're on our road to our home birth!

Other big happenings this week is that we told both of our parents and siblings. We had frames with pictures of the grandkids + 1 extra spot. In that, we put a picture of Jeffrey in a shirt that says "Big Brothers Rock." Jony's sister noticed it pretty quickly with his family, but I had to ask what they thought of his shirt with my parents. Both families are pretty excited! They've already started asking questions about this home birth thing, and I'm sure we'll have plenty more coming our way. That's to be expected, though. We'll be inviting both of our moms to a prenatal appointment to meet the midwife and be able to ask her any questions they have of her.

Cruising right along!

Wordless Wednesday

5 weeks!

I'm actually feeling really normal now, although I am a bit tired. That will only get worse since Jony heads out tomorrow, starting his new travel gig until December. Bummer. The plus side of that is that he'll be at home on Fridays now. I don't feel like I have too much to update on the pregnancy so far since nothing is really happening. My bloat is a bit bigger at this point than it was with Jeffrey, but it's still not anything anyone would really care to see. I'm still taking weekly pictures, but I probably won't post until it's actually something. We got all the pregnancy books out of the closet, and I showed Jeffrey the album I made of belly pics from his pregnancy. He would just say "WOAH!" at every week at the end, lol! Whenever he sees my belly, he gets excited and kisses the baby. It's amazing how much he understands, even if he doesn't truly understand what we're telling him.

We only ended up having one interview this past weekend since the other ended up being at a birth. So, we'll reschedule for next weekend. The one we did have was really nice, though. She had a basket of toys for Jeffrey to play with (win), and both of us felt really comfortable with her. We agreed that, if she was our only choice, we'd be really happy. It's hard, though, since we're not familiar with midwives at all. So, we can't make an educated decision until we meet the rest of them!

Also coming up this weekend? Telling the family! Eek! It'll be good, though, since we're going swimming with my family. Jeffrey would give it away when he sees my stomach, anyways- LOL!

The Hunt Begins

I have four consultations set up with some midwives in the area. We'll see how those go and then either choose one or meet with some more. I'm very lucky to have a large selection in my area- a big benefit to living right in the middle of a major city. Two of them are this weekend and the other two are next weekend. Yup, on weekends. 2 Saturdays, a Friday afternoon, and a Sunday afternoon. I'm in total awe of the difference in care I'm already experiencing, and I don't even have a midwife chosen yet.

First off, I'm calling these women on their cell phones. It really doesn't get more personalized that that, does it? I'm actually talking to them, asking questions, answering questions and just kind of getting a feel for each other. They don't have specific appointment times; they just work with what they have available. I actually talked to one of them for almost an hour yesterday! I've been e-mailing back and forth with another one. Incredible. I have no doubts that this is right path for me. I'm pretty intrigued to see how actual prenatal care will be!

Wordless Wednesday

4 weeks!

(actually, yesterday, but what's the fun in having a second if you're not as on top of it as you were with the first? ha)

It still seems shocking, but I feel like I've really settled into the prospect of being pregnant already. I guess it's because I was feeling pretty gross already this weekend. It's been better today, thank goodness, so I'm thinking that the travelling was just too much for body to handle. I was a little worried there! Hopefully, this little squishy takes it easy on me since I still have to wrangle the big brother! The hunt is on to find a midwife since we're most definitely doing a home birth this go 'round. I'm SO excited about it! I can't wait to welcome our new baby in our own home. I love knowing that Jeffrey will be one of the first to meet his new sibling and that he'll be able to be as involved as he wants to be (we'll be inviting my mom to come over with him). I'll probably start calling a few today or tomorrow to get some initial interviews set up. I'd like to get a choice made by the end of the first trimester.

Jeffrey seems to be pretty excited about having a baby coming. When you ask where the baby is, he points to my belly and then exclaims "Effey Big" (translated- Jeffrey is the Big Brother). Adorable. Last night, while doing his nightly good-night kisses, he wanted to kiss the baby. So, my belly is now included in the nighttime routine.

I'm so excited to be beginning on this journey again. It'll be our little secret for a few weeks, at least, and then I'll be able to shout it to the world.

Here We Go Again!

We got our May baby!

I woke up early to pee, and my temp went back up. Even though it's a little early for me to test, we had decided to since I wouldn't this weekend (we're with my parents all weekend- eek!). It didn't come up immediately, but I was patient. Then, it came! It's super light, but it's definitely there. It took awhile to convince myself that I wasn't just imagining it. I'm still checking it every few minutes, haha!

I'm due right around when MY due date was! So, I'm hoping that I'm making a little me as opposed to another little Jony, although I would definitely not be upset about that. I just don't think his ego can handle it; he may just explode.

EDD is 5/7/2012, which puts Jeffrey at just under 2.5. Perfect.

Back to the Gym

Since we decided to wait on Mother's Day Out, Jeffrey gets the excitement of another year at the Little Gym. Today was his first day back since May. Jony had a morning off, so he decided to use it today to go with us and play with Tiny. As soon as we pulled up, Jeffrey yelled "A-HA" like he's been doing all the time lately when he finds something he's been looking for. He loves it there, and you could tell how excited he was. We got there a little early so he could adjust and get comfortable, but he didn't need it. He climbed up on the chair to watch the bigger kids (which are super old since Jeffrey moved up a level- he's with 19 months to 2.5 years now!). During the class, he was super crazy. He fit right in. The coach/teacher commented that this was a very active class, and that is a major understatement! Lots of fun times ahead, no doubt. He got right back in the swing of things: running, jumping, jumping OFF things, hanging from the bar, walking the beam, etc. He was on 90mph the whole time. Bells, bubbles and balls? He flipped out. He did cry a bit during the parachute, which was odd for him, but he was completely fine when he got to go underneath it. The craziest part, however, was one of the "skills of the week." They climbed up to about 3 feet and then were to choose how to go down. Jeffrey? He jumped. The first time, he asked for my hands. The next 50 times, not so much. For being one of the youngest in the class, he was sure leading the way in daredevilry.

Apparently, he wore himself out. He just finished a three hour nap. I think I'm going to really like Thursdays :)

Starting School

Since today is the first day of school, I figured it would be appropriate to talk about Jeffrey's current school plans. He was accepted into a great MDO program that's right by us, but we decided to forfeit our spot. It just wasn't worth paying the money for it at this time. Instead, he's taking another year at Little Gym, which he loves, and doing his learning at home! This may or may not be foreshadowing into his future, but only time will tell on that one. I've decided to do the Letter of the Week Preparatory curriculum. I like how it's structured for me but not really for them, which is good. I mainly want Jeffrey to continue playing and learning by exploring, but this gives me great ideas and activities to do with him. He's getting increasingly harder to stimulate and gets bored very easily. We're going on vacation this weekend, so we'll be starting up on September 5. I'll make sure to take a picture :)

In the meantime, I've been testing the waters with a few different activities, like sorting colors or identifying letters (I write a letter on the MagnaDoodle, and he finds the matching letter from his magnets). He LOVES doing it; he's always so happy to be challenged. I cannot wait to start this up with him. First unit: cows!

2WW

I'm currently 5 DPO (after ovulating even earlier this month- almost normal! yay!). I'm already starting to feel the excitement, anxiety, nerves and every other emotion that comes with waiting to find out if I'm pregnant or not. This is the first cycle for #2 that I'm really anxious, for a multitude of reasons.

1. It would be awesome if both Jeffrey and his little sibling were both conceived on the third cycle.
2. I wouldn't have to wonder if I need to wean Jeffrey (which I won't do until he's 2) :(
3. I'd love to have a May baby. For one, I'm a May baby. Also, summers are deathly hot here, so it would be nice to not be huge during the massive heat.
4. We had great timing.
5. Mainly, Jony may be working in Dallas for the next 4-5 months. He'd be home on weekends, but the likelihood of getting good timing/getting pregnant would be drastically cut. I'd rather not have to worry about it.

So, we'll see. I'll be upset if it doesn't happen, but it's still early on in our TTC career, and I know that BF is not exactly helping the situation. I'm hopeful, though. If nothing else, I hope my LP is longer than 9 days.

I suppose it's a good thing we're going on a mini vacation next weekend. It'll be a great distraction, if needed.

21 Months!

We are definitely in the middle of the verbal explosion! He's learning new words constantly, putting two words together (usually big + other word), and saying words with multiple syllables. It's amazing. We can ask him to say a word, and he'll repeat it! It's as though the verbal flood gates we're open, and it's so incredible. I love getting to hear what my little guy is thinking. He's all boy, so those thoughts are usually surrounding cars, trucks, dinosaurs or blocks. Or Coco, our dog. He's doing amazing in his toddler bed, can eat at the table in a regular chair and follows directions. He loves holding hands while he walks, and he's full of opinions. I just love it.

21 month stats:

• he's about 24-25lbs, according to Wii Plus. No idea about height, but he can reach way farther onto the counter than I would like
• wearing 24M/2T and 18 month about equally
• still nursing 2x a day: morning and night
• napping and sleeping amazingly (in his toddler bed)! He even waits in his bed for us to come get him out.
• still only 12 teeth
• probably has at least 50 words, if not 100+; there are no communication problems here, which means we don't have tantrums, either
• recognizes colors and loves to sort by color. He say all the names of colors, but his favorites are brown and black
• If you ask to point at a letter in the alphabet, he can
• counts to three
• jumps like a champion- even off of 2ft high play buildings. He loves jumping off of his bed or bunny hopping across the floor
• can scoot like crazy on his scooter and is really getting good at balancing with his balance bike
• has peed in the potty twice completely on his own
• will do anything you ask if told he'll get his vitamins or be able to brush his teeth
• Favorite food: Mango
• Favorite Book: Truckery Rhymes
• Favorite Activity: sorting his dinosaurs by size and just all-around playing with them (can also be said for cars and blocks)

Wordless Wednesday

Joined a Co-Op!

I finally found a local co-op that has a drop off site that's pretty close to my house, and I am so excited about it! I've been wanting to do one for forever, but it just wasn't convenient. Now it is! For a really good price, I get a selection of produce that's all local and organic. I figure it'll help make sure we're eating a good selection of fruits and veggies, as well as being healthier overall. I'll be ordering some every two weeks, so we should be all set! Our fridge looks ridiculously healthy right now. I love it. Plus, it's so much easier than grocery shopping in that you just walk up, get your bags and leave. Can't beat that with a toddler. He even got to help carry a bag which made his day. I'm hoping to, in the future, have most of our food bought in bulk and then this co-op so grocery trips will be small/infrequent. 

For our first share, we got:

• 3 green peppers
• 3 garlic cloves
• a head of romaine lettuce
• a carton of strawberries
• a carton of blueberries
• 7 oranges
• 6 nectarines
• 3 apples
• 2 mangos
• 7 red potatoes
• 4 avocados
• 3 eggplants
• 3 yellow squash
• 3 zucchinni
• a bunch of cilantro

Now, to find recipes to use it all!