Pregnancy Update - 18 Weeks!

We are closing in on halfway cooked! It feels like this pregnancy is going very fast now that I am not sick all day, and I am definitely feeling the reality of how our life will be changing very soon. Also, Caroline is teething her molars and is in a foul mood 90% of the time, so I get nervous thinking about dealing with two crabby babies at once! However, as I am not the first person to ever embark on this adventure, I am sure I will survive.

Let's get to the baby talk!

Size of Baby: A sweet potato!! Perfect for fall. Also perfect because I found a killer recipe for some sweet potato bread that I want to make this weekend. Yum....

"Mmmmmmmm... I die."

Speaking of sweet potatoes, I make this mashed sweet potato casserole every year at Thanksgiving and it is so TASTY. However, I only add about half the sugar it calls for, and I add shredded coconut to the topping. I highly suggest that you make this right quick. Gotta love The Pioneer Woman.

Size of Belly: Growing every day! There is no hiding this bad boy now! Here is a photo from last weekend when we took our annual trek to L.L. Bean. 

"perhaps I should invest in a maternity sweater, no?"

Actually our trip to Bean's was really fun, I got this sweater, which is not maternity but I love it so much and am practically living in it right now. I got the peacock blue, men's small, and it fits great and will fit after the pregnancy as well. CC got some adorable Smartwool socks, and a pair of slippers, which she hates wearing. No surprise there.

The highlight of the day occurred when I took CC into the viewing bubble in the trout aquarium and she FREAKED OUT because a giant, menacing trout stared her right in the face. I tried not to laugh because she was legit scared of the thing, but it was pretty funny. After that, she wanted nothing to do with trouts or aquariums.

My Symptoms and Cravings: UGH. Heartburn all over the place. Also, last time I was pregnant I got that whole "mask of pregnancy" thing that looks like patchy sun damage all over your face, which has a fancy name (melasma) that I can never remember without googling it. It turns out that if you have olive-toned skin you actually get it worse than fair-skinned people (whatever, I get a better tan than they do), and I found that when I was pregnant in the summer with CC it was way worse, which was a shame because I had a really nice tan. The speckles showed up this time right around the same time my pregnancy test popped up positive, so if you were on your game, you could actually tell I was pregnant from day one. They are better now that my tan has faded, but I don't think they are going anywhere anytime soon! Bummer. So in conclusion. NO. I don't have patchy sun damage and YES. I wear sunscreen every day. 

My cravings are staying pretty consistent and have been under control this week. I still have a THING for sugar, but the truth is, I have always had a THING for sugar, and now I just get to use pregnancy as an excuse. Its awesome. Bill says no more Pixi Stix though. 

So not much else to report except that last night when I was at work, I went to braid my hair at the beginning of my shift and when I reached my arms back, I felt a solid kick right to the center of my belly! It was crazy, considering I have not felt any other movement up until this point. I was so excited to  finally get a little "what's up Momma!" from my little love in there!

"Let's just add this sweet horse to the list of things to be filed under MINE. Since I heard I am expected to share with this new being in my house, I figure it is never too early to establish some clear boundaries."

Indian Summer

A few weeks ago, over Columbus Day Weekend, it was in the 80's here in New Hampshire! It was awesome. We took CC to the beach and I made her wear one of my favorite summer dresses so I could take some lovely pictures of her. However you can imagine, knowing CC, that things did not work out in my favor. She was sopping wet before I even got the camera out of the case. I think these are cute anyway, even if they are not the perfect pictures I imagined! She had the time of her life, and it was a great way to say farewell to summertime!

"this'll teach Mommy what happens when she doesn't let me wear my bathing suit!"

Pregnancy Update - 17 Weeks!

So it took a little longer than it should have, but I finally feel like I am in my 2nd trimester and actually enjoying pregnancy. And, since I am waging an effective war on my heartburn and seem to be over the all-freaking-day-long sickness, I am eating again!! Holla!

"hello my friend. thank you for being my BFF for the next five months."

And now that I CAN eat, let me just assure you that I am definitely making up for lost time! NOM NOM NOM...

Size of Baby: A large onion! Obviously vidalia, because they are delicious. And, I could not decide which of these onion items I wanted more, so here are two baby onions for your viewing pleasure.

"Baby onion two ways! And both scrumptious!"

Size of Belly: round and obvious! I love it. I love looking pregnant and not fat, and I love the attention that comes from being pregnant, and all the cooing and questions from strangers. Usually CC gets all the attention, so this is fun for me and a good lesson for her to learn. Right? I do not love uninvited belly rubs from people I don't know, but I'm not really big enough yet for people to feel that draw to touch me. I do love when people I know pat my belly, so feel free to get in there if you see me!

My Cravings: CHEESECAKE. Grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches. Chocolate croissants. Soups of any kind, but especially those full of lentils, beans, and pasta. Chocolate ice cream treats. Thai food and Indian food. And my crowning craving moment of the week occurred on Sunday night when I laid awake in bed for an hour, then went downstairs at 11:15 pm to inform Bill that I NEEDED a burger and fries. Unfortunately, we live in NH and nothing is open that late. So I had to go online to the Friendly's website (I totes love Friendly's) and stare at pictures of burgers and fries. Then we decided to go to dinner there on Monday night, and I made a grilled cheese and went back to bed. Disappointed. So I am guessing the baby wants MEAT! That burger, when I finally got it, was the BEST THING EVER.

I am getting super anxious to find out the sex of this baby. Like, way more than I was with CC. I just feel like I am on hold with planning and clothes sorting and nursery details and I just REALLY want to get all that stuff taken care of! But, just a few more weeks and we will have our answer! Keep your fingers crossed that Baby C keeps his/her legs UNcrossed! ha!

"Ummm. HI. Remember me? Star of this blog? Cutest thing ever? Ringing any bells? Ugh. Babies. I'm already over this whole thing. It better not touch my stuff. And that includes my cats."

Cribs. Unfortunately, Not the MTV Kind.

Okay. I have just made a purchase.

Things are happening now. They are real. REAL.

I bought another crib. (breathebreathebreathe.)

Now, I know that the baby is not due until the end of March. It is definitely still kind of early to be worrying about a crib. CC still has her queen size bed in her room, for crawling, jumping, general laying and lolling about, and for me to lie on while she takes all her books off the shelf for. the. 500th. time. TODAY. (digression. but really. doesn't it ever get old kid?)

(As an aside, I feel like I need to express my sadness over having to get rid of the queen bed. I used it every day when CC was nursing, because I found it much more comfortable to lay back in bed and breastfeed her rather than sit up in the rocker, especially at night. Then I just had to pop her back in the crib and if I was too tired to walk across the hall, I could just sleep in her room! She never took to side-lying nursing, and we never co-slept, but that bed saved my life. I'll miss you my friend.)

I have to admit that I kind of assumed I would use the same crib for both children, because by the time the second kid came along, CC would be in a big girl bed. But that does not seem to be the case now does it? (stop laughing Dad.) CC is still in her crib and seems quite content, she can't escape from it, and it doesn't take up a lot of room. So it stays.

And now its twin is en route to my house. I went ahead and ordered it because as some of you might know, I am not as easygoing as I pretend to be, and the thought of having cribs that did not match was keeping me up at night. And, this particular crib is hard to find now. I did find it finally, at Albee Baby, with free shipping and a 10% off code, which brought the price down to $157.00. Which is CHEAP for a crib! Bill and I were given CC's crib as a gift by my brother and SIL, and we are so grateful, but we felt that hitting them up for a second crib would be rude. You know? (Love you guys!)

Anyway, the crib is this, the DaVinci Reagan crib in Pure White (which is actually cream colored, a detail they neglected to mention in the description, but at this point I'm over it). I love it. It is pretty and classic, but still has a little interest in the curves. It also has a small footprint and doesn't jut way out into the room. Here is a lovely image of it in CC's room!

"her room never, ever looks like this now. sigh."

When it arrives, my beloved queen bed will be going to live at Bill's parents house, and we will be starting a little nursery makeover! That part I am very excited about, especially once we know if I will need more pink owl and bird stuff, or if we will be looking for some more blue and brown things to make things a little more boy-friendly! 

Any guesses on the gender? I have a DEFINITE feeling, but I am keeping it to myself (except for a few of you that I have told personally). But, I am curious to know what you guys are thinking! See you on Friday for our 17 week update!

P.S. think lots of happy labor thoughts for Emily over at Daily Garnish! She is currently in labor in Seattle and getting ready to meet her baby boy! Good luck! Follow her Twitter feed for labor updates!

"Girl? Boy? Who cares. I'm still convinced this whole thing is going to ruin my life. Also this muffin has no butter on it. Consider this an official complaint about how the service is slacking around here."

Little Miss Trouble

The last time you heard an update about CC's behavior, she was about 10 months old, and was up to some pretty feisty shenanigans. Things have only gotten worse since she turned one. It turns out the sweet, sleepy, cuddly, quiet little bird I brought home from the hospital a year ago has exploded into a toddler full of attitude and sass. Let's pretend for a minute that this shocks any of us who know my child personally. Here are just a few of the awesome things we deal with on a daily basis.

1. Extreme bib hatred. She just can't deal. She sees that bib coming and FREAKS OUT, grabs it with both hands and fights me off like I am coming at her with a chainsaw. If I do manage to get it on, it ruins her entire meal, and she can't focus until the hateful thing is removed from her neck. So now she eats naked most of the time. Hopefully this won't carry over into her teenage years, because that would be uncomfortable in a high school setting, yes?

2. Irritation with hair ornaments. She has a ton of hair and it all hangs in her eyes. But try to put a barrette or a ponytail holder in her hair and two seconds later she is eating it or throwing it out the car window. But Bill says NO to cutting her hair.

3. Communicating "all done." When CC is done eating she smiles nicely then quickly sweeps everything off her tray onto the floor before I even know what happened. Apparently this is her version of signing.

4. Being told NO(!) in regard to pens, scissors, the computer, knives, remotes, phones, and keys. This goes over poorly every single time. She finds these items to be most intriguing and if you take them away or move them so she can't reach them, WATCH OUT.

5. Shopping cart aversion. She has decided she hates the shopping cart. She used to love it. Now it is considered a torture device that keeps her from wreaking havoc on the baking aisle at Hannaford. So now we have to grocery shop as a family and Bill is in charge of chasing her around the store, whilst I fill our cart with healthy foods with ice cream treats hidden underneath. Having Bill around makes it difficult to buy things I normally manage to sneak by him, like boxes of Twix bars that remind me of my youth, Pixie Stix, and bacon.

So you can imagine that things are not as easy as they used to be, but they certainly are a lot more interesting!! And, fun. The girl cracks me up all the time, and it is worth whatever grief she is giving me at any given moment because I just love her so much. I just cannot imagine how life will be with another little one around at the same time! Does anyone have a baby I can borrow for a couple hours to see if I can actually do this?

"KEEP. THAT. BIB. AWAY."

Pregnancy Update - 16 Weeks!

Here we go again! Things are just ticking right along with this baby cooking adventure, and as the days fly by and I get bigger and rounder, the reality is starting to set in that, yes indeed, another one is definitely coming! And soon! It is going to be March before we know it, and I really, really, really, hope I am as ready to do this as I think I am.

Size of Baby: an avocado! Bill says apples and avocados are the same size, but he thinks food comparisons are silly anyway. However, there are only so many checklists out there for me to look at. So yes, the baby is an avocado (but bigger than an apple), and now I am thinking about guacamole, and now I REALLY want a carne asada burrito. Like bad.

"Avocado babies are always happy because we are delicious! And full of healthy fats!"

My Symptoms: ugh. Still nauseous. I'm so sick of this. I mean, I'm glad I don't throw up everyday, but the mornings are still rough. If I can just get up and eat something I feel okay, and I am usually okay for the rest of the day, but it makes getting out of bed in the morning pretty much my least favorite thing ever. At least I have a happy, chatty little girl waiting for me every morning! Also, the heartburn is in full effect. Zantac twice a day or else I die. And I know that lots more fun pregnancy symptoms are just around the corner! I am looking forward to the good ones, like feeling the baby move and seeing CC put her hands on my gigantic belly!

Size of Belly: Growing steadily! And, someone noticed it at the market yesterday and asked how far along I am! This means I can stop asking Bill 85 times a day if I look fat or pregnant, and he will probably be thrilled with this development.

My Cravings: Still benign, and tending towards things that are not going to give me heartburn or make me feel like yacking. Definitely sugar and cereal, and I am still all over the decaf mochas. I maybe bought myself a flourless chocolate cake yesterday and hid it from Bill. And I am definitely heading into Thai and Indian food territory as those things sound delicious and I think I might actually be able to keep them down if I eat them later in the day!

Bill keeps asking when the sick feelings are going to stop. He thinks we are having a boy because he doesn't remember me being sick for this long last time, but I think he just blocked it all out because I definitely was! In the next few weeks we will know for sure what we are having, although I am not telling the exact date of our appointment because I can't take that kind of pressure from you people!!

We also have a consult coming up with one of the doctors at our practice (I usually see the midwives) to discuss my candidacy for a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean). This is exciting because I don't know much about how it will work or how good my chances are at success, but I would love any input or advice from any of you that have done it!

Another week down. See you next time for another truly awesome food graphic representing the size of Baby C!

"I'm just here to express my displeasure at the fact that I am not featured in this blog post at all. I mean, how are you people even still reading? All this baby talk is enough to make a girl think about moving out. Maybe the cats and I will get our own place..."

The Big One.

This is about a month late, but I think CC will forgive me!

September 14, 2011

Dear Caroline,

I cannot believe we are here at this point where I write you your one-year letter. You are amazing. You are sassy, sweet, bright, charming, and bold. You laugh and smile and explore and demand and throw fits, and it is all so unbelievably beautiful. To say that this has been the best year of my life is so obvious, and cannot possibly encompass the depth of emotion that I have in looking back on the last twelve months. I am so proud of you. I am so grateful to be your mommy. And now that you are a toddler, I miss your babyhood desperately but am so thrilled everyday to watch you grow. You are so tremendous in your being and so much more than I ever dared to dream you could be.

Our first meeting was nothing like I expected it would be. You were a few hours old, and you were a tiny bundle of blankets with dark hair peeking out. You looked so comfortable in your daddy's arms that I almost hated to take you away. But the second they handed you to me, I knew you were mine. We loved each other immediately and you filled my heart in places I never knew it was empty. You were so tiny, and delicate, and beautiful, and even though it wasn't what I expected, it was perfect.

Now you are strong, sturdy, and so full of personality. You are still beautiful of course, but in a more complete way. Your spirit is just so full of life that it seems to spill out of you and touch everything and everyone around you. I feel so blessed to be the one to feel the most of it!

You have learned so much this year. You can walk and dance, you give kisses and snuggles, you say "cat," "cracker," "mama," "dada," "hi," and "book." You can point to kitties, cars, pacis, your lovey, the stairs, and yourself whenever asked. You can do "hands up," "so big," and "shake your booty!" Teaching you things is so much fun, especially when you finally learn to do them on command!

You can feed yourself, play with the cats and their string toys, and turn your music boxes on and off all by yourself. Sometimes I can't believe you are the same tiny little bird I brought home from the hospital, who slept all the time and hardly every made a sound. Life is so amazing.

So, to you, my darling girl, Happy Birthday. I can't wait to see what the next year brings us as you become a big sister, and continue to grow and play and laugh your way through life. Thank you for bringing me along for the ride! I love you! -Mommy

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAROLINE!