Number Two | 25 Weeks

 

I snapped this photo two weeks ago at 23 weeks, and I have definitely gotten much larger since then.

The second photo is one of the first photos I took of my Jackson bump – at 26 weeks.  I think I am much bigger this time!

I am 25 weeks now, and at my appointment yesterday I was almost in shock realizing that this is the last time there is a 4-week break between appointments, and that I am about to do the dreaded (but really not that bad at all) glucose test, get a rhogam shot, and begin bi-weekly OB visits. It is absurd how quickly this pregnancy is flying by compared to the last.  Maybe it is because last time I just worked full time, but this time I work AND have a two year old keeping me busy.  In any case, I can’t believe that I am well over halfway through this last pregnancy, and actually trying to slow things down a bit and savor the last time I will experience the amazing miracle that is growing another human. There really is nothing more fascinating in this world. SO.  here is a rundown of where we are these days: I am up 10 lbs.  The baby should weigh about 2 lbs (mine are big, I am betting he is 3.5 lbs ;)), dreadful hip pain set in at Disney, but luckily I stopped walking so much and it went away, we cannot agree on any names (kid will be nameless forever, i think), and all I want to do is eat peach anything. I’m also thinking of taking up the daily (sometimes two daily) milkshake habit I had with Jackson – that was really fun, and I think quite necessary. Another really fantastic development (sense sarcasm here) is that I suddenly feel like I don’t have nearly enough time to accomplish everything that needs to be done before this baby comes (105 days till my due date, by the way), so now I am frantically trying to get Jack’s big boy room put together, create a nursery, finish moving into our house and settling in, and so much more. I also have 3 weddings, a couple birthday parties, and other miscellaneous events happening before birth day, so the pressure’s on now. Probably unnecessarily so, but still…hormones, ya’ll.

On Brothers.

I am really digging this view. Multiple times every day, Jackson melts me by showing me what a sweet, sweet little soul he is.  He is always coming to love on his baby brother, and demands that I pull out my bare stomach, so that he can “hear him” and “seeee him.” Just as I am typing this, his tiny left hand is resting on my belly, and he told me “baby brother needs a paci” Other funny things he does in regard to baby brother include: trying to look in my belly button to see him, and trying to feed him pretzels through my belly button. Any worries I have about him reacting poorly to baby brother, or being jealous of the attention the baby will need are immediately washed away in these moments. The times where his baby brother is always on his mind, and he is always bringing him up in conversation “my baby brother is wiggly.” or “my baby brother needs a truck like this” and “LOOK! it’s baby brother’s car jammies!!!”

His kind heart and excitement over this baby have me really looking forward to watching the bond between brothers grow.  I don’t have any brothers, and Zac is an only child, so at first I was a little wary of how I am going to even MANAGE two boys (of which, I am pretty sure the definition is ‘noise with dirt on it’), let alone make sure that they love each other and are friends.  More and more, I am finding that last part to be happening before boy #2 even comes earthside, letting me  know that nature has a way of making these things happen on their own.  A couple months ago we went to a wedding of one of Zac’s best friends, where the groom’s younger brother was the best man.  This younger brother, on the outside, is so not a ‘feeler.’ He is alot of fun, and sometimes crazy (he used to ride bulls, i mean….), so when it came time for his toast, I was intrigued and excited to hear some embarrassing stories about their childhood. I was left feeling so touched when the best man couldn’t even get through his toast.  He choked up and was teary, and I think the most words that were exchanged were “I love you” to the groom and “welcome to the family” to the bride.  In that moment, I turned to my husband and said “brothers will be okay with me…if this baby is a boy, i won’t be the slightest bit disappointed.”

Do I think that every day will be rainbows and butterflies and not a cross word will be shared – NO. Of course there will be fights and boogers and bugs and everything else nasty that comes along with raising two boys, and I can’t wait for this dirty, sticky, bug-filled adventure.

 

 

This kid.  There is nobody cuter.

I found these overalls for ONE dollar. I couldn’t get them on his little body fast enough. Also, those shades are the most perfect ever. He wears them constantly, and never fails to look cool.  (Children’s Place has them on sale in store for $1.00 right now! I went last week to get a couple more pairs and was beyond happy with the sales price)

Baby Brother | 21 Weeks

I cannot believe that we are at 21 weeks already! We are more than halfway through this pregnancy.  This means that there are less weeks remaining than the number of weeks we have already kissed goodbye! I don’t know if it is because I have Jack to keep me busy, or just the heat of the summer, but this second pregnancy is going soooo much faster than the last.

Now that we know its a baby brother, we have spent a good deal of times disagreeing on names :).. Zac likes one name, and I feel just okay about it.  I like a different name and he feels just okay about it.  Maybe I will wait until I push the thing out so that he feels super grateful for all the work I did bearing his child, and this way I can pick whatever name I want ;).  We have asked Jackson a few times what we should name him, and his responses so far are: Stu (the only actual name on the list), pshhhhh, ipad, & excagator. All totally acceptable options, don’t you think?

The baby is becoming more active and stretches out several times each day now. Last week at the 20 week anatomy scan the ultrasound tech told me that the baby already weighs a pound.  It seemed like a lot for this early on, and got me dreading the giant birth weight this kid is destined to have.  J was 9 lbs even and TWENTY TWO inches long with a 14.5 inch head circumference, and I feel like the second baby is usually bigger than the first. I had a drug-free (natural) birth with Jack, and intend to do so again, so the size is a concern for me. Last time I had no idea that he was going to be 9 lbs. This time it is the fear of the known, rather than the unknown. I know what the pain feels like, and while I am able to better prepare because of that, I also worry that I will not prepare as well.  In any case, I don’t think it would have felt less bad to push out a 7 lb baby than a 9 lb baby. I had pretty much the worst kind of tear you can have, and I didn’t even really feel it happen (thank you adrenaline).

My favorite thing these days is Jackson’s involvement with his baby brother.  He loves trying to sneak a peek in my belly button (and always says ” I SEE HIM!!!”), feel for kicks, and includes him in the most random thoughts throughout the day.  We have a newborn photo of Jackson at the bottom of the staircase, and he swears that it is baby brother and will go try to give him things, and each morning he points to it and says “baby brother!!!”

We’re Having a Baby Brother :)

Jackson = Minion.

 

The resemblance is uncanny…

Rolling Thunder

Grandma & Grandpa got Jackson a little flag, which is nice, because the kid seriously loves flags.  Zac had the brilliant idea to hook it up to his bike – you know, channeling the rolling thunder bikers we see ample amounts of every memorial day in this area. Jack has been completely and utterly thrilled with the new addition to his bike.  He keeps checking to make sure its “flagging back dere”

This age is so fun.  You can make a year old toy new again, just by putting a flag on the back. His language skills are also exploding by the day.  This evening when Zac came home, he had a full conversation with him:

J: Hi Daddy!

Z: Hi Bubba.  How was your Day?

J: Good, I went to Grandma and Graypa

Z: That’s nice, what did you do there?

J: Have fun!

He speaks in full sentences, uses possessive tenses perfectly, and has a better memory than I do.  He watches Jake & the Neverland Pirates maybe once every two week.  The pirate crew always says “Aw, Coconuts!” when something goes wrong, and for the past few days whenever something “goes wrong” for Jack he exclaims “AW COCONUTS!”  Cutest phrase ever, and way better than the alternative (you know, the profanity that I accidentally taught him)

And just because he is such a nugget, and I don’t have much else to say, here are just a few more photos of rolling thunder in action:

Have a lovely week my friends!

Farm Life.

Today, our friend Derek invited us to his new farm for a cookout.  We had quite a drive and upon arrival, found ourselves at the most magical place in the mountains with sweeping hills and expansive fields. It was awesome.  Jackson was able to meet some horses, a cat, and play with all kinds of dirt.  He had a blast, and was beat by the time we left.  Here are some shots from our adventures:

My favorite part of the day had to be the fact that he mixed up Derek’s name and kept calling him Cedric. So – Cedric it is 😉

Gender Predictions

There are certain groups of people in this world that enjoy the added surprise of finding out their child’s gender on their birth day. I am not one of those people. I have a need to know. Always.  With Jackson, I didn’t need a 20 week ultrasound to tell me  that I was having a boy. I knew he was a boy.  This entire pregnancy so far (17 weeks! woo!), I have felt like I’m having a girl, but I don’t, by any means, know. (Does that even make any sense?) I attribute this to the fact that I have always thought of my two children as one boy, one girl – boy first.  We satisfied the boy and boy first requirements, so in a way I think my mind, based on lifelong imaginations, is telling me that it just has to be a girl.  In truth, I really have no idea.  This pregnancy is completely opposite of the last one, so that must mean that the genders will be opposite too, right? RIGHT!?!!!?

At 17 weeks, I am going for an appointment with my OB today, but unfortunately, it won’t be an ultrasound – I have to wait FOUR MORE WEEKS for that appointment (believe me though, i am going to do everything in my power to make that three weeks instead of four haha!). So, in the meantime, I have been reading up on old wives tale methods of gender prediction, and have tried a few things out!

Test #1: Lunar Calendar

I think we all have to know this method by now. Mother’s age at date of conception = gender of baby. With Jackson it was spot-on. Out came a boy on April 17th.  This time, it says girl!

Test #2: Intelligender OTC Gender Predictor

I saw these in every drugstore when pregnant with Jackson, and was actually able to resist the temptation, but this time I kept thinking “its only $30.00…it’ll be a fun little experiment!” so in my basket it went.  I took this test according to the exact instructions and the result was: boy!

Test #3: Drano Test

This test has been around for decades, and supposedly, is thought to be the most accurate. In truth, it seems a bit silly, but you mix 2 tbsp of drano crystals (NOT the liquid) with 3 oz. of first morning’s urine, and supposedly the color within 10 seconds of testing will tell you boy or girl (gold/green for girl blue/brown for boy). It has a strong chemical reaction that no pregnant woman should breathe in, and the experiment MUST be done outdoors due to the fumes.  So if you do it by yourself, pour in the pee and run. I had my hubby take care of the mixing. I did this experiment two days in a row, and both times got a gold result: girl!

So, in closing, I still have no idea of what gender this thing might be. I am accepting bets. Oh, and you’re welcome for all of the pictures of my pee & various chemical reactions. I know you were all on the edge of your seats waiting for those ;).

Dancer.

I’m a gigantic fan of this 2 year old age.  Jackson is more fun than he has ever been (i say this as we reach every stage, of course), and if I could freeze time and keep him as his is now forever, there is no doubt in my mind that I would do it. Tonight was probably one of my favorite moments with him. Just before bed, we hooked the iPod up to the surround sound in the living room, and Jackson put on a dance show for us.  Zac & I were laughing hysterically at some of his moves, and he was SO into the music. He air guitar-ed:

He did his grandpa dance:

The Michael Jackson:

Clapped when each song was over:

And busted a whole host of moves, many of which I’ve never seen before:

I love that children have the ability to not give a damn about what anyone thinks. They are unashamed, outgoing, and literally have no filter.  It is actually kind of sad that as they grow parts of their true self will be chipped away and repressed because of what others might think of how they look, act, or feel. I hope that I can bottle up some of this glorious part of jackson, and that when he is grown, some part of him will not dance like nobody is watching, but rather be proud of the dance moves, knowing that everyone is, in fact, watching.