Ultrasound Day

Side profile of the baby's head... I think that my nose

I've been looking forward to this day. Luke and Alan came along. Luke was interested when he saw the spine. He said it looked like the vertebrae on a dinosaur fossil. The baby wasn't very active which the tech was thrilled about. She got to take lots of good measurements of all the various organs. It was amazing to see the heart pumping in action... you could even see all four chambers of the heart.

The baby is measuring right on target for November 26th. I guess it's just me that's big!

 This picture kind of freaks me out. Looks like a little alien or skeletor.

 "Hi"

 Foot

The baby was scratching it's head... this amused the tech.

The big  finale!

So, we don't know what it is yet. I asked the tech to write down the gender for us and on Sunday we'll open it up at Luke's birthday party with all of our friends and family. I've studied the picture and I have no idea what it is. I know it's close up (meaning the head is not in the frame) but I don't know if it's from underneath or a above or whatever. I think there's a leg on the top of the frame. The tech knew right away so apparently it's obvious.

Sometimes it's tough growing up

Last night was heart wrenching. We are in the process of switching rooms for Luke and the new baby. Alan had put together Luke's new bed and he seemed genuinely excited about it. We explained that he and the new baby would be sharing the bigger room together. He seemed on board with everything until last night when it was time for him to actually sleep in his new bed in his new room. That's when the tears started.

He didn't want to sleep in his new bed. It was too big. He didn't want to sleep in the red room (we had already planned to repaint it gray). He wanted to sleep in HIS green room. He didn't want to get bigger or grow up. Which I would have happily agreed to but, no matter how hard I try, I can't. It took a lot of coaxing but he finally got into his new bed. Alan read him a stack of books and stayed with him until he fell asleep. He's a great dad.

Luke slept through the night, no doubt tired from all that crying.  He woke up as if nothing had happened. I told him how proud of him I was for sleeping in his big boy bed. He replied with "yup", like it was no big deal.

Day dreaming about nurseries

Is there anything more fun than looking at beautiful baby rooms? I know how impractical a special room for an infant can be. Luke didn't spend a night in his crib until he was one year old. We're planning on moving Luke and the new baby (regardless of gender) to the front bedroom of our house that is mostly being used as storage. The room is a little bigger than Luke's current room and has great light and beautiful crown moldings. 

I have my heart set on gray walls which I know doesn't sound very appealing especially when it's gray outside most of the time up here. But I think it's a beautiful neutral that helps colors pop. We also got Luke a new bed. 

It's called the "Kura" bed from Ikea but we found it on craigslist for a fraction of the new price. Alan put it together last night and Luke was SOO excited to see it. It's smaller than a normal bunk but fits a twin mattress. We got the blue canopy too and are going to tie small planets to the inside. The space below the bunk will probably be used for toy storage and fort making but down the line we could fit another mattress down there.

Here are a few more rooms with beautiful gray walls:

17 weeks

17 weeks

Excuse the fuzziness of the picture. It was taken from my cell phone and I can't quite figure out how to enlarge it correctly. I already feel huge and I'm not even half way through. I remember getting to about 7 months with Luke and thinking "I couldn't possibly get any bigger, could I?" But I did. I was gianourmous and I will be with this one too. Such is life.

We had a midwife appointment last week and she measured me two weeks ahead so it's not just in my head. I did ask her to make sure she only heard one heart beat in there, which she did. Just one :) I have an ultrasound scheduled for next week Thursday where we will find out the sex of the baby. I'm pretty excited. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't dreaming of pigtails and dresses. But I can see myself as a mom to house full of rowdy boys too. And with Alan's side of the family producing mostly boys, it seems pretty likely. Luke wants a brother and I'd love to give that to him. Guys just don't make the same kind of friendships that women do, but a brother is a built in friend.

We'll either find out right there in the room or have the ultrasound tech right it down for us to open at Luke's birthday party. Either way, we'll reveal the gender to everyone else at the party. I can't wait!

Made it to the 2nd Trimester!

13 weeks

I couple of days ago we announced on facebook that we were expecting, which was a lot of fun. It was nice to get so much love and support from our friends and family. I'm currently feeling pretty good. I still have some low energy days and the nausea is almost all gone. My last midwife appointment went well and we heard the heartbeat again. I've got a really cool audio from it but haven't figured out how to change the format so I can upload it on here. Our midwife has been including Luke as much as possible in the appointments and used the doppler to hear his heartbeat as well.

I've been feeling the baby move lately. Not very consistently but every now and then when I'm sitting still I get a little poke or what feel like somersaults in my tummy. I'm really looking forward to when those kicks are strong enough for Alan and Luke to feel. 

Our Favorite toys

In my opinion, a good toy will hold Luke's attention for more than 15 minutes and perhaps help him to use his imagination or develop needed skills. Preferably, the toy will not require batteries and isn't expensive.

 Legos

I personally remember playing with legos for hours constructing houses and towers. Luke has a little lego tower in the living room and likes to see how tall he can stack them. It helps with muscle coordination in his little hands.

 Magnifiine glass

I may change my mind when he discovers he can start fires with this thing but for now he loves to explore everything and discover hidden aspects of whatever he sees.

 Playdough

This might be my favorite right now. It holds Luke's attention the longest. Throw in some cookie cutters and a rolling pin and there goes the afternoon. The only down side is that it tends to be single use and can get a little messy (small price in my book). I've even found recipes online to make is yourself.

Bubbles

Who doesn't enjoy bubbles? Super cheap, simple, pure joy.... what more could you want?

Dinosaurs (or other animal figurine)

Art supplies
Crayons, colored pencils, markers, paint and big roll of paper. Luke has heard this phrase many times: "you only color on paper."

Stuffed animal
Nothing like a good ol comfort toy to squeeze. This is Wa-Wa. Luke named him/her (and took this picture).

Awesome Mother's Day

 Why today was so wonderful:

• Breakfast in bed of banana pancakes with butter, brown sugar and a cup of french press coffee.
• A drawing from Luke and a funny card from Alan
• A couple of hours to read the paper and watch a chick flick

•  Brunch.... country eggs benedict (my new obsession)

•  Luke got dressed up in a tie and did his hair. He did his best to show me his manners in the restaurant
• We went to the park. It was beautiful and sunny.
• I got to wear a pretty summer dress since it was so nice out.
• I took a nap! 
• I got calls and made calls to my family
• Alan and Luke washed my car and did the dishes

• Antipasto dinner and roasted artichokes (can you tell my appetite is back?)

• We watched the Labyrinth, a childhood favorite. Luke was mesmerized. I mean, Bowie is cool.