H-H-Here We Go Again

The beginning of December I started feeling kind of icky and extremely tired. I thought it might be the onset of the flu, but decided to buy a pregnancy test...just in case. I had this little feeling that this ickiness and exhaustion were strangely familiar. Although, for months I've been joking that I'm going to start a show as a spin off of the "I didn't know I was pregnant" show and call mine "I think I'm pregnant but I'm not". I would have gas and it would be the baby kicking; or one of the many other multitudes of symptoms that can occur during pregnancy. So when I took the test I was almost positive that it would be negative. It wasn't. At all. That second little line popped right up in the window. Michael was downstairs preparing his breakfast before going to work. I told him I took the test and showed it to him. I think we were both in such disbelief we didn't know how to act. Once it settled in that this is real, we were happy and excited...and a little scared. Oh no, what did we do? Two kids under two? But we wanted our kids close in age and it really only happened a few months before we thought it would.

Since I haven't had a period since February 2009 (pregnancy and breastfeeding), I had no clue how far along I was. I was excited to go to the doctor and find out. And to make certain I was actually pregnant. It's funny that the 3 home pregnancy tests I took would not confirm it for me. Or the fact that the nurse said that if the test was positive, then I really was pregnant. It wasn't until the ultrasound and hearing the tiny little heartbeat (at 7 weeks! if you can believe that) that it all became so real. I am now 10 weeks along and the due date is July 27, 2011. I've kept the news to family and some friends until this point. I was going to wait until after the first trimester and I knew things were safe, but it's really hard to wait that long. So here I go! Now you all know my business. :)

It has been a really rough month of exhaustion and morning sickness. It is like the first one, and so I'm thinking it's another boy. Which I think would be so great for Nate to have a little brother to play with. But I think it would be so great to have a little girl too. So, either way will be exciting. Michael keeps asking if we're still going to have 3 kids. I told him that he can't ask me during the first trimester. Wait until I'm feeling better and then ask, because right now I would have stopped at one.

I'm really excited to go through this journey. It's not new like the first time, but this time I know what to expect, so I can just relax and enjoy and marvel in the miracle that is a baby.

Playdate & Story Time

The last couple of days have been busy for us. Yesterday, Nate had is first playdate at the Herter's. I think we've have been trying to get the kids together since mid-summer and something always comes up. But yesterday we were able to go over to their house for a couple of hours to play. Nate had a really good time with all the new toys and "playing" with the kids. At this stage they still play next to each other instead of with each other, but that's okay. I think they did actually play together once when Aubbie was in the car and Joshua and Nate were helping push her along, or chase after her! It was my first time really getting to play with Aubbie or Josh, as I've only seen them at church. Aubbie took a liking to me right away, which I loved. She sat in my lap and held my hand while we watched Little Mermaid. Both the kids are adorable and I'm glad Nate got some interaction time with some kids. We will definitely be having more playdates!

Today Nate had his first visit to the library. We went for 1's & 2's story time this morning. It was really cute. The lady sang songs and read a couple of books. At different times the kids got to play with shakers and scarfs and even a box of snow (cotton balls). Nate did really well, but I figured he would. He sat on his mat and listened to the stories. He was too shy to go up and get a shaker or a scarf out of the box so I had to go get them, but when the snowballs started flying he got up and started dancing and then went and grabbed a bunch.

I forgot my camera yesterday and today. Such a bummer since I love to take pictures of this stuff. Next time, next time for sure!

Getting a Reaction

Recently Nate has started paying attention to how we react to things. It is fun to watch his watch us to see how we might react to something. It all started a couple of weeks ago when he was walking away and I told him to "get over here". He thought it was funny when I had to chase him down and now playing chase is his favorite game. Especially at bath time when he's naked and running down the hallway. But it's also created other games. He has a basket of little plastic balls in his playroom. I am constantly cleaning them up. One day I just finished putting them all back in the basket when he came over and dumped them out. I said in a high dramatic voice, "oh no, not my basket!" The next day we were playing and he went over to the basket. Instead of dumping it right away, he put one hand on it and then turned back to me, waiting for my response. As soon as he saw that I was looking at him, he got a huge smile on his face and dumped the basket out, which I of course had to reply as if I really was upset, both of laughing the whole time. Even the simplest of things turn into games. This morning I was cuddling on the floor under a blanket and he came over to me and took it off. I of course, said, "Cold, brrr" which he thought was funny and thus this pattern continued for the next several minutes.

Although this also makes it difficult to discipline. We are trying to get him away from the blinds in the kitchen as he has already destroyed several, but when we go over there and tell him no and take him away from the door, he thinks it's a game and laughs and runs back over to the door, pushing on the blinds. This is also a problem when he bites. I tell him "no bite" in a very serious tone, but he thinks it's funny and will continue to try and bite me. Not so funny for mommy.

He cracks me up, the way he looks at me now, waiting for my reaction to things and then responding to it or anticipating it. I'm amazed at how smart babies, eh hem, toddlers are, and how much they absorb and remember.

1 Year Check-Up

I took Nate to the doctor on Thursday for his one-year check up. Everything is good and right on track. He looks happy and healthy. He weighs 25lbs 2oz (80th%) and is 31 3/4 in. long (90th%). So he's still tall but starting to lean out. He still feels like he weighs a ton though!

He's walking like crazy and getting into everything! He has been able to get into the cupboards in the kitchen for awhile now, but has never been able to get into the drawers (no handles). He has finally figured it out and now nothing is safe! And it seems as though if something is off limits he wants it that much more.

But he's definitely a happy baby. As I write this he's walking around the room, laughing...at nothing. He's my special child.

He's still not waving bye-bye but the doctor seems to think he can and is just stubborn, since he copies other things. And he finally started clapping. We never thought that was going to happen. He's adding more words to his vocabulary, now he says 'good'.

And just starting yesterday, he is refusing to eat anything but mashed potatoes. He refuses his toddler raviolis. I even made him mashed sweet potatoes and he wouldn't eat them! I keep trying different foods, old ones that he's always loved and new ones, but he refuses to eat them. But just like the graham cracker diet, I'm sure it will end in a few days and he'll be eating normal again. Until then, he just won't be sleeping that well. Great.