Noah @ 20 months

Noah's world kind of got shattered in the past week with Callie's arrival. But he is handling it way better than I thought he would.  I thought he would be more angry/upset because of how much time and attentions she needs. And he is a little bit sometimes. But mostly he has just wanted to give kisses and just gets into things he shouldn't when we are preoccupied with her. He has been a little more whiny too but I think part of that is because he has so much energy and sometimes we just aren't able to get him out of the house. 

This is where I wish we had a house with a fenced in backyard he could run around in. Someday. 

Noah at 20 months:

- likes to think he can do everything on his own. He can open the fridge which means he pulls out whatever he is interested in. Lots of spilled milk, open bottles and random food made us get a fridge lock as soon as we got home from the hospital. He was pretty mad when he realized it wouldn't open. But I think he's over it now. 

- loves loves loves to give the baby kisses. On her lips preferably. which means lots of bending and twisting for him and lots of cautious hovering by U.S.  He also likes to look for her when he wakes up. He knows to check her bed and the chair first. It's pretty cute.

- he is really into driving things all over the place. Mostly on the windowsill or the back of the couch. He will wriggle around you and knock stuff off if it is in his way. 

- loves to go outside. He will ask for the stroller a lot or try to make a run for it when we check the mail. He also likes to not listen when you tell him to stop running. Which was as much fun as it sounds when I was 9 months pregnant and couldn't keep up with him. 

- has started being very vocal about which songs we sing him. He won't really request any like he used to but will definitely tell you no when he wants something different. He probably says no 10 times before I finally find one. But then he wants more so he doesn't have to go to bed. Sneaky boy.

- has started trying to combine words and say new words when we talk. However, he has his good ole reliable ones that he likes to stick to even when we know he can say the real word. 

- figured out how to open doors. So fun. Luckily he can't reach the locks yet. 

- he is a really good helper when he wants to be. He is usually really happy to help and will run to get whatever you ask for. But he is also really good at completely ignoring you if he wants. 

- when we ask him questions (like if he wants to go somewhere or help us make something Etc) he will respond really loudly with YEAH! It's pretty great. 

- likes to brush his teeth but only because it means he gets to turn on the water in the bathroom and play in it for a minute. He also can turn the shower/bath on by himself and will run in there before we are ready. He tried to do it with all his clothes and shoes on a couple days ago. We barely caught him. 

- really likes to copycat other kids/people. He has started doing more things at the pool because he sees older kids doing it. He started "swimming" on his belly because of this and will now do it in the bathtub at home too. 

- is starting to get into trains more. We let him watch a "Thomas the tank engine" show and he was verrrrry interested. And got worried when the trains were in danger. 

He is a lot more perceptive than I give him credit for, but I also am having a harder time remembering that he is still very much my little boy. 

Noah @ 19 months

- requests pizza for dinner or lunch or breakfast any time you ask him what he wants.  It's a funny sounding word too. Like squiquiaa or something odd. So of course we laugh and love it.

- took swimming lessons which were basically glorified playtime in the water. But he doesn't have very much fear and even will try to move his arms and kick if you are holding him. He is getting better about laying back but that's what he fights the most. If you're not looking, he will jump in anyways. Which we learned the hard way. 

- loves his sugar. Too much. He thinks everything we put in our mouth is candy. 

(Not naked-- just trying to hide his school bus)

- loves his puppy most of all. We have been around a lot of different dogs lately and Noah now tries to lay down next to them to get them to lick his face. Someday he'll have his own we think.

(Too busy watching soccer with me to look at the camera haha)

- still an adventurous reader. Has figured out that he can point to the words on the page to get me to read them instead of just describing the picture. He also is into more of the longer books lately and less of the board books.

- we are working on (occasionally) helping him identify emotions. Like when he is upset or hurt or sad. He loves to pull a sad face and then switch quickly to happy and have us do the same. It's a fun game. His sad face includes a pretty good pouty lip. 

- would eat fruit all day if I let him. 

-'trying to say more words but most of them are still gibberish sounding unless you are around him all day. He is also slowly slowly trying to put two words together. Sometimes he just ignores it all

And grunts instead.

- he started nursery and loves it. He runs to play with the toys as soon as he can. It kind of breaks my heart that he can so easily not need me. But it's nice to know he is totally okay and happy to go. I've subbed a few times in there and it is fun to see him in that type of environment. 

This is obviously posted super late so my nice pictures are still hanging out on my sd card. 

Oops

Noah @ 18 months

One and a half! 

This is where I start begging time to slow down because I have no idea how a year and a half passed by so quickly.

Noah:

• is becoming a lot more independent. He wants to do so many things by himself and gets frustrated when I don't let him. Using the keys to unlock the door is probably the biggest one -- especially because he can't actually do it. He can get the key in the lock a bit but that's it. 

• He likes to try to put on clothes. Pants, socks, his shoes, my shoes. If it gets quiet around here, I can usually find him with a pair of shoes or socks. 

• his vocabulary is expanding like crazy! I used to get most of his babble or at least understood the gist of it. Now I'm completely confused sometimes. He understands TONS too which is really helpful. He is a pro at saying [his versions of] quite a few words. Which is nice because he is consistent with most of them. He also will repeat words when saying prayers of we ask him too. 

• loves to climb on things. He moves chairs around in our kitchen to climb on the table or climb up to play with the dishes drying on the counter or the light switches. He climbs on a box we keep next to my side of the bed and he can play with things on our dresser or climb on the bed himself. He also figured out how to climb UP slides at the park (yay). It's funny how much happier he is now that he can do more on his own.

• he is really good about riding in the stroller when we go on our nightly runs(David)/walks(me). He will hold his little toy car and bus in his hands and just sit quietly the whole time. It's been great. 

• we took him bowling on our family trip to Florida and he would point after the ball every time he rolled it down the lane. It was so funny. He did great at the beaches too. He liked digging in the sand and was a little apprehensive of the water, but was fine if you took him in. Family vacations with babies are tough but overall we were really happy with how it all worked out. I guess we'll take him next time.... 

• he likes to bring his toys to play in whatever room I'm working in. He loads his arms up and will walk slowly carrying everything until he finds a place to set it down. He is good about playing on his own but likes me to be in the same room. 

• he usually understands when I'm telling him No about something. But then he will look at me, shake his head no, and do it again. It is hard to be patient when he does that sometimes. Especially when it is dumping cups of bath water out of the tub. 

• he is becoming (even more) fascinated by other kids. Instead of just staring at them, he will try to interact and will run around with them and follow them. It's made the playground a lot more fun for him I think. 

• it is said how well he knows how to use my phone. He doesn't get it THAT often but he knows what apps he likes and mostly how to get what he wants to happen. He turned on Sesame Street on YouTube and FaceTimed my sister a few days ago (super early her time! Oops!). And he started some random video on Netflix today. He even turned the phone before it came up because he knew that's how the videos would play.

 

(5.24.2015)

(5.24.2015)

It's been awhile since I've written a post like this. The second trimester was really really good to me and I was sad to see it go. But also happy because that means it is getting closer to being over!

I'm just barely crossing into the point where my body feels stretched and it is hard to get comfortable. And I still have 2 more months. I'm not sure where she's even going to go because I feel so stretched out already. 

Helping Noah has gotten a little harder because my movements and positions are compromised. And he is heavy. So carrying him gets old fast as much as I don't want to put him down. 

Still stuck in the name game. It's hard when I only like something for a few days before becoming disenchanted. She moves so much that I am getting really excited to have her be here already. And going by Noah's timeline (which isn't hers and won't happen) she could potentially be here in 7 weeks...... Maybe I'm not as ready as I think I am, now that I actually say that. 

Our trip to Florida was the biggest thing on our schedule for the summer before she comes. Now it is just easy days and finding useful productive ways to fill our time. 

I'm looking forward to Noah's swimming lessons (haha!) and picking blueberries!! Not looking forward to the unbearable muggy heat that I'm sure is just around the corner.  

(3.24.2015)

(3.24.2015)

I can feel baby girl move so much lately! It's the fun little kicks right now and it is so so nice to be reminded of the miracle happening in my body. There is nothing like a baby kicking in your belly to give you perspective. 

She is most active when I finally sit down to relax at night. And when I'm singing Noah a song at bedtime. I guess she must really like the music because it happens practically every single night. It always makes me smile in the middle of the song. 

I'm at this really fun stage where I just feel lumpy. My belly sticks out but not enough to yell "baby!" More like "too much pizza!" Which is all good too. 

We were all sick last weekend and I had it 10x worse because of being pregnant. Thank heavens that is over with because the nausea is not one of my favorite symptoms. It is so hard to eat while sick. Really glad that is done with. Now if only the snow would melt and spring would decide to show up. That's a great way to end March in my opinion. 

(3.9.2015)

(3.9.2015)

Completely stressed myself out. David is the voice of reason to my over-reactive hormones. He is a treasure and I still can't believe he's mine. 

Because he was completely right. 

Went in for my high tech scan and everything was completely NORMAL. Apparently she was in a funky position and the weird angle they were scanning at made the cord look like it was in the wrong spot the first time. They said it might even have just been a loop of the cord cutting across the placenta. 

She pulled up the cord right away and was so startled to see it was right in the middle where it was supposed to be! Such a big big relief. I almost cried (thanks again hormones). But then I got to sit there and have another fun chance to see her wiggle and move and see all the little body parts growing and developing just like they should be. They even gave me a 3D shot of her face. I think she looks like Noah but it is really hard to tell. 

Thanks, girlie, for just giving me a hard time but not really having an issue. This probably won't be the last time you joke around. 

(3.5.2015)

(3.5.2015)

Oh baby girl. I can already tell things are gonna be different with her.  Not a bad thing -- just new experiences for me to deal with. At this point in Noah's pregnancy, I had only had one ultrasound  and we had (perhaps naively?) opted out of any genetic testing and were just so eager and loving the newness of it all. 

This little girl has thrown me little curveballs every time I turn around. Nothing major, but always making me slightly anxious. We had our 3rd ultrasound today. And I loved it! It felt so familiar watching them make sure she was fine.

It was supposed to be just the scan since I just had an appointment the week before. So when the tech told me she just wanted to check to see if anyone wanted to go over it with us, a tiny little red flag went off. Because why do they go over it if nothing is wrong? And so we waited. 

The doctor came and told us 2 things. Both minor, in his eyes, but something to be aware of.  [Being the pregnant woman that I was, that was enough to make me wanna cry.] 

1. A single choroid plexus cyst on one side. He said he's never really seen just one, they usually go away by 24 weeks, and since we have her genetic panel back, we already know it's nothing to do with that. It's a "wait-and-see." 

2. Marginal chord insertion (umbilical cord is supposed to attach to the middle of placenta, mine is close to the edge). Only a major concern if they see blood vessels (they didn't) and only because it causes possible early labor/possible growth issues. In which case - bed rest! And lots of ultrasounds. 

Which means we get ultrasound number four on Monday with the specialists using their fancy machines to make sure everything is what they think. 

I've read a few scientific journal studies about this issue so I shouldn't be concerned.  But that doesn't stop me from worrying.  

More wait-and-see.

Enough with the sneaky reminders that Noah isn't my only focus anymore. I can feel her move now. It's nice to focus on those flutters instead of the worrying. 

(2.26.2015)

(2.26.2015)

Getting excited bout babay 2

The feelings are different than Noah's pregnancy.

We (mostly )know what to expect, we've done it at least once so there is a little bit of "been there done that" kicking around. 

But what is also missing for me are the feelings I have about this baby - the insatiable wondering about what it is like to have a baby of your own and what she will be like and what type of mother I will be and how we will go through this together. 

The excitement is different. Because I know the answer to some of those questions, and am willing to wait to know the others. Whoever she is, second child or not, this little girl has already made a huge impact on me. My feelings are more protective -- and emotional-- than with Noah. 

I love newborns and the angelic newness and the smell that you can't get enough of that all are so suddenly gone. But I'm dreading the newborn phase because I know how awful I got with just one baby. Now I'll have Noah too. I'm a meaner version of myself without sleep and at this point I'm planning on the "just push through it" strategy.

 Also. A GIRL. I actually never thought we would have girls. I pictured a house full of messy rowdy boys. (Not to say she won't be either messy or rowdy.) But how do you parent girls?? How did my parents survive me?! I'm nervous and yet so so so glad we get to do it at least once. 

I think that is why my excitement is so different. 

Hopefully she can stand her own against Noah. Heaven knows he is number one child type A who needs to be in control. Maybe she can knock him down a few pegs....

It's you and me girlie. Glad you're here to help even the score.

(2.10.2015)

(2/10/2015)

It's been rough.

Pregnancy is a rough thing. Even in its easiest version. 

I struggle to remember the hard times of my pregnancy with Noah because they were so few and far between. 

Or I was busy enough to not notice.

The car sickness was bad but occasional. The nausea was mostly non-existent because I ate meals regularly and had snacks so readily accessible while I was working. The fatigue was easy to deal with because I could take a nap on my lunch break and then later crash on the couch while David studied or watched a game. 

This time. Oh no. Not the same. Not even close. The exhaustion was there before I even knew I was pregnant. (I made an awful co-pilot on a long road trip.) I almost can't function each day unless I take some sort of nap --- even if it is 10 minutes!! But it is so hard to get that lately. And bedtime is still so late. Oops.

But the nausea is what is the most different so far. Oh the awful all-consuming nausea. It was at the point where I was so nervously terrified of putting anything in my mouth because it was just coming back up in a violent way. 

It finally seems like it is starting to subside. (All the knocking on wood here. but I also thought that before and then had the worst day of them after that.)

Noah has been a champ. He lets me lie on the couch in my morning misery while he plays around me til I can get my act together. He also likes to run up and investigate when I'm sick. Not as fun as he thinks. 

(2.8.2015)

(2.8.2015)

It's funny how things happen sometimes. The day after I wrote the previous post about my baby paranoia, I got the weird phone call that no pregnant person wants.

The one with the test results that aren't great. 

Granted mine were LOADS ANDS LOADS better than some others. But that doesn't stop the worry. 

Our Down's syndrome test came back with a slight slight slight chance of baby having it. Like basically less than half a percent chance that our baby would have it. 

And of course the doctor calling tries to explain that "we don't know for sure" and "we won't know for sure until after more tests" and "here are all your options" etc etc 

10 days to wait for the results. To wait and pray that everything will be okay. And that you will be able to accept the results whatever they may be. To realize that you are never in control

10 days and the call comes. 

She talks so fast that you almost miss it. 

Negative. Negative. Negative. 

For DS. For the other chromosomal  tests. 

Negative!

"And oh, we also tested for the baby's gender. Do you want to know?"

Completely unexpected. 

"The baby's chromosomes are XX."

!!!!!!!!

Baby GIRL already has me panicky and we are YEARS away from teenagehood. I'll never stop worrying about my babies. Because I'm a momma. 

Can't wait to meet her face to face in 25 (long) weeks!