Baby Pick'Em - Enter by July 10

June is here and with it, the second trimester (actually it's today but this pic is from last week)! You might not be able to tell from here but I am totally popping. Of course, my lax diet and lack of exercise are likely contributing but I can't suck in the gut now so little lemon-sized baby must be taking up some of that room. I look as big now as I did much later last time (like at least 2-3 weeks later). I know that's normal but wow it's still really strange. 

I wouldn't say that so far this pregnancy is a lot different than Carsen's. I felt tired much more quickly. I remember last time just falling apart at like 2pm (still happens) but I don't remember feeling such general fatigue all day long. Maybe that's due to chasing around our crazy 15mo toddler on top of it. I'm also achy at night and that started early so I'm not sleeping well. Fun.

 I've had more queasiness this time around but my OB said that was normal for #2. And I'm craving fruit, just as before. We should be able to find out the sex at our 20 week ultrasound/anatomy scan, which will be roughly mid-July. 

So, with that, of course, we're doing another BABY PICK'EM! And I expect everyone to play, even just for fun. Last time, we had some interesting guesses, and one person got it 100% correct with a boy born Feb. 25th!!

I'm (again) thinking girl this time. And hoping too. We're planning for this to be our last; we've both only wanted two children. I guess unless this ends up being twins, which our OB did not really rule out last time.

I could *swear* I felt the baby move a week or so ago. Actually it was just after 12wks started so that's pretty early. I've felt it twice so far, and I don't usually have digestive going-ons, although what I've felt feels similar to that. But having had a pregnancy already, I remember the early flutterings and it def felt like it. 

Otherwise we've just been busy. My spring/summer is usually really light with work and has not been this year thanks to a time consuming project. Thankfully that is next week so I'll feel much less pressure when it's over.

C is doing well and growing so much every day! He learns so fast right now; it's fascinating to watch. He started to mimic animal sounds and shocked me the other day when I said something about a horse and he neighed (though it sounds like fake hehehehe from him). I had no idea he knew what a horse sounds like. My mom said she's talked to him about horses. Otherwise it's just a little sound puzzle he has that makes a horse noise. Wow. And now if I tell him an animal, he'll make a sound for them. He LOVES "reading" books, especially really simple picture books that have photos of animals. He reads one in the car now and I try to guess which page he's looking at by the sounds he's making. He had a donkey bray down pretty well the other day after we watched a YouTube video on replay a few times because it stopped his whining.

We also bought him some foam letters for the bathtub. They stick to the tub when wet. He repeats some of the sounds, like E. The other day, he picked up the letter E and said "eeeee." But then he picked up C and said "eee" too ;)

He's a sweetie, though he's not much into kissing and cuddling yet. He's too busy wanting to be active and busy. He loves balls and points out basketball hoops from blocks away now on our walks. He also seems to be a little impatient though; maybe that's a normal toddler thing. When he's scolded or told "no," he either starts to fake cry/whine or says "nnnneewwwww" back (or both) and usually stomps a little (or when he's really tired, throws himself around or opens his mouth like he's going to bite). Oh boy. We're also working on not throwing/dropping food, spoons, bowls and cups from the highchair. Having a toddler is honestly the best practice for patience.

Deciphering the toddler

C is a talker. He babbles all day. He cracks himself up telling all kinds of stories. Now what he's really saying... only he knows.

I swear that no age could be as frustrating as this one . He's too young to reason with; he can't fully express what he wants; he wants what he can't have (umm no, you can't dump the dogs' water all over the floor); and he's too young to discipline (we say no and redirect but it's not like he can have a timeout). So there's just a lot of frustration on both ends, and a lot of screaming/yelling from him.

Here's what we do know that he says:

Dada- Daddy. Cuteness

Dada- Dog. Understood in context. He also sometimes pants now.

Dadadada- Done. Get him out of the highchair IMMEDIATELY or he will lose it within seconds.

Dada- That. I think. While he points at various things.

Mama- Mama. Love!!

Mahmah or mah- More. Makes more sense with just one syllable. Otherwise tough to understand except in the context of eating.

Mama or meh- Milk. I don't thing he says this anymore but hard to tell.

Mimi or sometimes mama- Binky. Obviously confusing if he doesn't call it Mimi cause he pretty much wants it all the time and I'm trying to reserve it just for napping.

Nana- Food. Might have originated from "snack" or "banana." Now it's a catchall to mean any kind of food. Particularly confusing when there are several food items in sight and he alternates nana and mahmah without pointing to the item. Can also mean a drink. 

Bahbah- Ball. Or balloon, which I think he also thinks is a ball.

Bahbah- Book.

Bahbah- Bath. But usually only repeated after I say it.

Bahbah- Used to be bottle. Does it still??

Baybee- Baby. Any picture of a young child, including himself. Sometimes to himself in the mirror. Also says this when he sees the laundry basket because I started a game called "Baby in a Basket," in which I carry him around in the laundry basket to try to get him to come up or downstairs with me as I do laundry (backfiring because he is getting very heavy & also now tries to initiate the game by climbing into the basket).

Ha- Hat. This is new and very cute. He pats his head when he says it.

Whooo- Owl.

EeeeEeee- Kitty. And large cats like lions and tigers as well.

Yeh yeh- Yes.

Nah or noy- I think it means no, so I try to ignore it ;)

Hahaha (fake laugh)- "I have the remote control."

Uh oh- "I probably did that on purpose but let's say uh oh."

Aaaaahhhh- Opposite of Uh Oh; achievement sound when he does something he's proud of, like dunking his basketball, or setting his cup on the table instead of throwing it as hard as possible on the floor

AarHHH- imitating dog barking.

Brrrrrrrvrrrrmmm- engine sound 

Grrrrrrr- growling sound used indiscriminately for a variety of animals, including a cow

So as you can see, most words sound so similar, it's tough to tell without really paying attention to context what he wants. And he basically has no patience so any request not responded to adequately in a few seconds, mainly if he's in anything but a wonderful mood, leads to loud screaming/yelling of the word, and throwing.

I've tried to do some signs but the only one he'll sometimes do is More. But he just claps for that but he also likes to clap anyhow so hard to know exactly if he wants more or just got excited by something.

Wow I can't wait to understand him better. I hope it's a bit better before December.

Early May update

Well let's try to catch up... It's May!

You probably can't really tell by this picture but I swear that I am just starting to show a little. It's kind of disturbing how soon it's happening. I've only gained 1 or 2 pounds but it looks like I gained 5 to 10. Feeling more nauseated this time, or rather just queasy often (my OB said that's normal for 2nd pregnancy). Otherwise I don't feel as exhausted as I remember feeling last time, and some days I don't even nap.

Matt's dad Max and his fiancée Mardee came to visit. They hadn't seen Carsen since he was about three months old so he's much more fun now. The weather was not ideal but we all went on a nice hike to Steelhead Falls. It was fun-packed weekend and wonderful to see them :)

Looks what a silly boy... He LOVES stroller rides. He either just sits quietly observing everything or he sings to himself.

He's getting much better at using a spoon, although it's still very messy because he turns the spoon upside down once it gets near his mouth because he can't turn the spoon upward with his wrist to use his lip to scoop food off the spoon. A lot of food ends up in his lap.

Matt is getting buff!! He started working out a lot and dieting before Joe's wedding because he didn't fit in his suit. Now he's lost 25lbs!! And he hasn't had any headaches since he started (he was getting them several times a week). He's doing a workout called The Rack and also running a few miles a day. He just decided to do the Cascade Lakes Relay this summer (his 6th year, of 7 the race has existed). I'm so proud of him! Though I'm not crazy about the raw broccoli side dish he keeps trying to serve at dinner.

C has started to love books! He usually doesn't let me actually read them because he flips through the pages too fast. But he's started to recognize things and he'll point them out- dog, cat, ball, owl.

For Mothers Day, we had a delicious pre-day dinner with my parents. I made a bomb apple pie for my mom and she made some amazing fried chicken. On the actual day, C gave me a card (thanks Matt :) ) and my mom and I took him for a walk at Shelvin Park; finally it was a fantastically beautiful day! It was a very nice Mothers Day.

He's pretty interested in sunglasses, at least folding them.

We've been struggling lately with naps. C sleeps through the night about 7:30pm-6:00am but in the last few months, he only wants to take a 2hr morning nap and skip his 45-60mins pm nap, so then he tries to stay awake from like 11am to bedtime and it's too much. He gets so cranky and is kinda awful to be around. That's apparently a sign that it's a nap transition from 2 naps to 1 nap a day. So I've been reluctantly trying to push his am nap later. I also tried to just shorten his am nap and the first day that worked beautifully! He was chipper when I woke him after 45mins then took at 90min pm nap. But the next day he totally refused the am nap. I usually just rock him til he's pretty sleepy then put him in his crib and he can now put himself fully to sleep (and he's so squirmy he seems to prefer that) but when he won't nap, he just stands up and screams. I suppose if I let him keep screaming, maybe he'd eventually stop but I can't seem to do it. Anyhow most/several days a week now, he can make it to 12-1pm before I put him down to nap for 1.5-2hrs. But some days it's ROUGH, and the evening is rough too. I'm trying to move his bedtime up but then he'll just scream and keep himself up until 7:15pm. So even though I started the routine of bath, bed prep, book, song/rocking 30mins earlier, he's only falling asleep 15mins earlier. It's a really frustrating process and I hope we're near the tailend of this schedule change. Then let's pray he keeps napping til the 5 end of 3-5yo is when kids stop napping.

At the beginning of May, I went on a horrible one-night work trip to Sacramento. It was just long cause I took a 5am flight then worked all day under a stressed client on our 1st year on the project (so lots of hiccups to work out). The only redeeming part was I got to have dinner with my friend Daylyn, who is just a delight! I miss living in the same city :)

Pregnancy #2 pic #1

I'm a little behind here… but here was 6wks along...

Little Sesame Seed Sag...

Here we are again! Lucky you get to see us count up to another sweet baby :)

Week 5 and baby is the size of a sesame seed.

From babycenter.com:
Baby is now made up of three layers — the ectoderm, the mesoderm, and the endoderm — which will later form all of his/her organs and tissues.
The neural tube — from which baby's brain, spinal cord, nerves, and backbone will sprout — is starting to develop in the top layer, called the ectoderm. This layer will also give rise to his/her skin, hair, nails, mammary and sweat glands, and tooth enamel.
His/her heart and circulatory system begin to form in the middle layer, or mesoderm. (This week, in fact, his/her tiny heart begins to divide into chambers and beat and pump blood.) The mesoderm will also form baby's muscles, cartilage, bone, and subcutaneous (under skin) tissue.
The third layer, or endoderm, will house his/her lungs, intestines, and rudimentary urinary system, as well as thyroid, liver, and pancreas. In the meantime, the primitive placenta and umbilical cord, which deliver nourishment and oxygen to baby, are already on the job.

Last time, I wasn't feeling anything yet. Pretty typical I think. This time, I'm already exhausted. I don't remember feeling this tired until around 8wks, but this weekend, each day I took a 1-2 hour nap. Granted this time I have a very active toddler but still. Maybe it's just psychological but I felt pretty good until a few days ago, even with chasing after C all the time. Plus I am soooo thirsty. I keep meaning to be better at drinking enough water but now I can barely help not to because I feel thirsty so often.

So here's the horoscope for our Sagittarius baby:

Adventurer at Heart

Your Sagittarius son or daughter is a born adventurer. For Sagittarius children, life is all about experience. They want to zoom out into the world and gobble it up whole.
If your baby Sagittarius gets into all kinds of trouble before he can even walk, don't be surprised! Sagittarius children like to explore well past the boundaries set for them by their parents.
Learning and understanding are your Sagittarius child's primary needs, and as his parent, you can help him by making his life as fun, varied, and stimulating as possible. Family vacations will be a favorite, as will long, rambling adventures outdoors and rousing games of hide-and-seek in the backyard.
Your Sagittarius child is naturally athletic and will need to work off excess energy doing things that are playful and physical. Let him join the soccer or swim team, or take him along on your weekend hikes.
His mind needs plenty of stimulation, too, so provide your Sagittarius child with lots of books to read and documentary DVDs to watch, and take him to museums, zoos, and art galleries as often as possible. Indulge his need for freedom and engage him in far-flung discussions, noticing his universal outlook.
And finally, Sagittarius children tend to be bright, exuberant, optimistic, and outgoing, which means they have a wide circle of friends. Don't expect your Sag child's birthday parties to be small, intimate affairs -- there are just too many people who love being around this kid!

Babycenter says about Pisces and Sag compatibility:
These children make great, mutually supportive friends as they grow up. They have much to learn from one another, and aside from Sagittarius's dogmatic tendencies, each is kindhearted enough to teach their sibling without turning it into a superiority contest.
Adventurous Sagittarius enjoys spending time away from home more than sensitive Pisces does. But especially if Sag is the elder of these two, she can encourage her sibling to come along bravely and see how fun the wide world can be. Pisces, for his part, can teach Sag about being more compassionate and creative.
The only conflict between these two might take the form of chilly standoffs when tactless Sagittarius says something to wound his sibling's sensitive feelings. In these moments, you probably don't need to intervene. Both children are protective of their sweet bond, and they're able to work out most of their difficulties themselves. 

Whooooaaaa baby

Matt and I started talking about a second child probably much too soon. Sometime after Carsen was about 8-9 months, I got seriously baby crazy. More than I almost ever was while trying for Carsen. Mentally I knew we weren't ready but biologically my body was suggesting it was a pretty great idea, and trying to make me feel nostalgic about being pregnant. Matt, my voice of reason in this case, puts the brakes on for awhile.

We've always wanted to have two kids. Being the oldest of two, I thought it was great. I can't imagine my life without a brother to share so many wonderful memories and eye rolling at our "crazy" parents and kicking each other and fighting for attention with. How boring it would seem! And we also, once I convinced Matt, wanted them close in age, around 2yrs because I'd heard that can lead to them being good buddies. Alternately though I've heard it's challenging to have them so close too.

Anyhow eventually, after bringing it up almost daily, Matt thought it sounded like a good idea too ;) Now I'd heard that getting pregnant the second time would go much more quickly, but I also knew a few people who couldn't conceive again or it took them longer so who knows how it would go. I downloaded an app called Glow that was helpful for keeping track of my cycle. I decided to at least track when I ovulated (through taking my waking temperature- which only indicates after I've ovulated) and taking ovulation tests. I at least wanted to see if my cycle was back to normal. I only tracked my cycle the first month or so when TTC (trying to conceive) Carsen because I found it stressful wondering "DID I ovulate already? Or do I not ovulate every month and is that normal? Or do I have a really short ovulation?" Stressful. But this time I decided to embrace it as knowledge is power.

Our first month of actually not preventing/"trying," I was very overwhelmed and overworked by an upcoming conference. But it was the earliest we thought we'd want another baby to show up. I ovulated very late and for whatever reason just felt like it wouldn't be that month. It wasn't. I wasn't surprised but I was surprised that I was a bit disappointed and sad, not at all as bad as I was when trying for Carsen though. My main goal, aside from getting pregnant, was to not stress about it.

In mid-March, it was time to try again, I ovulated on schedule or even earlier, then we went on a nice trip to AZ where I decided to drink only lightly just in case (cause one of my friends who is also TTC said she read that alcohol can decreases chances of ovulation and implantation) but still enjoy myself just incl case it didn't happen. We came home, a week passed and the day (or 2) before I expected my period I took a test. It was negative. 

I'd gotten so used to seeing negative tests so I guess I expected it. Still I felt bummed. A little Sagitarius early December baby sounded sweet. Well there's always next month... But then... there WAS a very very faint 2nd line, which technically still means negative but maybe I just tested too early. I kept taking my waking temperature (it jumps a whole degree right after I ovulate and falls a whole degree right before my period) but my temp stayed high.

Two days later, March 28th, I was expecting my period or was a day late. But my temp was high in the morning so I knew I wasn't going to get my period that day... In the evening I decided to take a test "just for fun." The other had been negative two days ago but what the heck, it'd probably say no too. The three minutes of waiting are strange; I don't know what to think. So many times I've thought "surely I'm pregnant" in the 11mos of trying for Carsen then discovered, no my life is not about to change forever and now I have a whole month of waiting and tracking and trying and waiting and wondering again. Three minutes passed during which I hoped but prepared to see a NO.

Instead I saw... YES +

What?!?! 

With Carsen, I tried to tell Matt in a cute way by taking a photo of the + pregnancy test and putting it in a frame painted with MARCH 2013 (the due month, even though C was actually then born in February). Matt did not get it. I'd thought, "next time I want to get a tshirt for C that says 'Big brother' and have Matt see him wearing it to find out." I ordered the tshirt a month ago but it still hadn't arrived. 

Plus this time, I was so surprised myself, I just walked out of the bathroom and said "well I don't want to confuse you like last time by how I tell you so here it is: I'm pregnant!" We couldn't even think of a clever way to tell our parents... Just blurted it out.

A primary care physician confirmed it a few days later but we won't be seen by the OB's nurse until 8 wks. Our due date is December 9th, though if s/he is 2wks early like C, it'll be Thanksgiving. They will be 21 months apart in age.

 

Of course Carsen still seems SO SMALL to me. So young. I worry that I'm short changing my time with just him; I feel guilty to be bringing in someone who would take away any of his attention; I feel guilty that I even wanted another, in a way. It's actually BECAUSE of how much I love him that I want him to have a companion. BECAUSE of how much I love him that I want someone for him to love too. It's exiting and terrifying and I'm glad it doesn't happen overnight :)

So there it is- the last Baby Heb will join us before Christmas! What a gift!!

Joe's wedding pics

I already wrote about Joe and Ellen's wedding but here are some of their professional photos, since my phone died during the ceremony...

THE PRE WEDDING FIESTA

Fresh guac? Yes please!!

You can't catch me!!

Mom was hoping for handsome male mariachi she players

He likes the dancing

Figured out how to climb into that chair on his own

Doesn't he look like trouble

WEDDING DAY

Her dress was gorgeous!

Ceremony

This just about sums up his mood

The fam :)

Little man was already tired of his suit

Cocktail hour "tent"

The reception

Joe and Ellen's stage

Beautiful decorations

I don't normally like red velvet but this was amazing!! So moist!

My favorite artistic photo ;)

Super cool idea! They had a flipbook creation Photo Booth! Fun! 

Yeh we danced!