Waitin' on Caleb: Week 18

At about 5.5 inches long and about 7 ounces, Peanut's finally big enough for us to feel his little movements as he stretches and moves around in the womb. I'd been feeling the popcorn like little movements for a day or two before Justin was finally able to feel them...and they are undeniable little kicks! I guess things are all stretched out in there, because Peanut sure feels like he's got plenty of room to move around!

This may be our last week of little Peanut talk...on Tuesday we go for our big anatomy ultrasound that marks the halfway point of this pregnancy (or thereabouts) and should reveal whether or not we need to be stocking up on little boy clothes.

Aside from the excitement of finally being able to feel little Peanut moving around in there, other week 18 milestones include the absolute and necessary shift to maternity clothing and a pretty noticeable increase in girth. Things are definitely progressing more quickly with this second pregnancy!

Please pray for a clear and informative ultrasound on Tuesday and that we would hear good reports as they check out our little baby.

Why you shouldn't blink

Well, we blinked, and here's what happened in a year:

• Abby wants to walk. Her personal best is four solo steps so far, but she still prefers for you to hold her hand while she walks around. Moving furniture is a new fun hobby of hers.
• She's a little chatterbox now! Her clearest and favorite words are duck, quack, dada and mama, and she's great at communicating when she wants her milk, or is all done at mealtime. She understands far more words than we can keep track of, and to our amazement can successfully find or point to things when we ask for them, especially her toy ducks (accompanied by a great deal of quacking), hippos, bath, abby's room, stairs, breakfast, lunch and dinner (she heads for her highchair), no, up, down, all done, milk, playroom, light, and so many more that I can't think of right now. It's so fun to watch her learn this complicated language!
• She naps twice a day on a very regular schedule, which is great for planning my day and playdates for her. She sleeps consistently from 7:30 to 7:30 and naps for about 3.5 hours a day, which leaves me with about 8.5 active on-the-clock hours with her, which is far more exhausting than I ever dreamed a full days work could be.
• She'll eat absolutely anything. She's never eaten a lick of store bought baby food, and food mushing in general is no longer needed. Pickles, sorbet, cream cheese, chicken, mesquite flavored turkey, squash, ice cream, raisins, cheerios, strawberries and sharp chedder are her favorite foods. So far the only thing she doesn't like is avocado, which I'm not particularly fond of myself unless it comes in guacamole form, so that shouldn't be a problem.
• She drinks whole milk from a sippy cup now...no more bottles or smelly formula!
• She loves to climb...the stairs, the furniture, playground equipment, her dad...you name it. Everything in front of her is something to be climbed over in her opinion.
• She's fiercely independent. She wants what she wants, when she wants it. "No" and "stop" are not popular commands, and result in excessive whining, full body tantrums or a need to cuddle whoever is reprimanding her.
• She (finally) loves to hug. It's taken almost a year, but she's getting to the point where we might actually refer to her as cuddly. I'll blame it on personal space issues. She gets that from me.

It's been a whirlwind year, to say the least. And a great one. I can hardly remember what life was life without Abby in it, and I wouldn't change that for anything in the world.

We had a fabulous birthday that included purple (blueberry) pancakes (courtesy of Justin, our resident pancake chef); a girls' trip to Greenberry's for coffee and bagels (well, Abby had water while I enjoyed a decaf iced mocha); two trips to the park where we learned Abby is fearless and loves to go down the slide, by herself, headfirst; a birthday party lunch with dad, presents and cake; birthday dinner at Chick-fil-a; and a stop at Lowe's to look at grills (because Abby loves grilled chicken, of course). I'm exhausted, Abby's asleep, and Justin's cleaning up the aftermath left over from this afternoon's pink cake smashing festivities. It's been a great day and a great year with our little girl.

I'm just sorry I blinked.

Happy Birthday Abby!

I'm off to take the birthday girl to the park, then it's time for a nap before Justin joins us for birthday lunch festivities. (Cake smashing, here we come!) So far Abby's having a great first birthday, complete with purple pancakes for breakfast and pink birthday balloons.

That's it for now. There are swings to be swung on, and I know just the one-year-old to do it!

Waitin' on Caleb: Week 17

Our little Peanut is getting bigger by the day! She's about the size of a turnip this week, weighing about 5 ounces and stretching to more than 5 inches long, head to rump. The soft cartilage that makes up her little baby skeleton is beginning to turn to bone and she can move all of her joints now. Which, by the way, I'm fairly certain she is doing a lot of, because this week I finally got what I've been waiting for and felt those first few tiny twinges of a baby moving around inside my belly. It feels a little like having a tiny fish flopping around inside me, which, coincidentally, I have felt before...but that's another story for another blog...

Pregnancy brain is rearing its ugly head for the second time in my life, this time bringing along with it all the same frustrations as last time, and about as much humor. Justin's getting used to me asking the same question three or four times because I forget he's just answered me, and written lists (to-dos, grocery lists, names of close friends) are a must for getting through my day. I'm still not sure what it is about pregnancy that makes you suddenly forget who you are and what you're doing, but I find solace in the fact that this phenomenon is both common and temporary.

The nesting instinct is also kicking into high gear this week, and since we don't know the sex of the baby and there's no nursery decisions to be made yet, my nesting is manifesting itself in the form of what can only be called a spray painting bonanza taking place almost daily in my backyard. Picture frames, mirrors, lamps, even our fireplace...nothing is safe from my urge to redecorate with a can of spray paint. (Interestingly enough, I've managed to pull my pregnant neighbor into the abyss with me. It's fun to look down the street and see her in her backyard, spray can in hand, updating pieces of her home decor, and know I had something to do with helping her find a cheap way to satisfy her nesting urges as well.)

I'm continuing to enjoy the second trimester and all the perks that come with it. My energy level is up, my belly is growing, and things are overall going very well. Abby has discovered belly buttons and seems particularly intrigued by the squeeze-ability of mine. I'm trying to help her understand she has her own belly button to prod, but she's far more entertained by the one on my middle. I guess she's getting a head start pushing her little brother or sister around.

Please continue to pray with us for a safe pregnancy, a healthy baby and a smooth transition for our growing family!

Waitin' on Caleb: Week 16

Coming in at about the size of an avocado this week, Peanut is poised for a major growth spurt. His almost 5 inches and 4 ounces will soon be a thing of the past as he prepares to double his weight fairly rapidly. His legs are more developed this week and his eyes have moved closer to their final position at the front of his head. Toenails are beginning to form and hair will be sprouting from his tiny scalp soon. His tiny heart is working hard to keep up with his rapid growth, pumping nearly 25 quarts of blood each day!

Things are definitely happening more rapidly with this pregnancy than they did with our first. The round ligaments and abdominal muscles that were so sore as Abby grew inside of me are stretching much more quickly this time around, and all that rapid stretching out is making for a lot more muscle pain this week. My belly, which up until now has been noticeable only to Justin and I, is trying hard to make its debut, and fast! It feels as if I went from not showing at all to very pregnant almost overnight!

We continue to praise God for the miracle of the continued growth of this little one inside of me. This pregnancy started out with a lot of unknowns and a lot of fears, and I was awed again this week as I thought back over the healing miracle God did in my uterus. It's just another evidence of His grace in our lives that He's continuing to keep this little one safe and secure, for there's certainly nothing we could have done (and the doctors confirmed that fact!) to bring healing to the blood clots that were worrying us before. Thank you for joining with us in thanking this great God of ours for caring for this tiny life that He's knitting together in my womb!

Now who's cranky?

Back at Thanksgiving, the photo on the left of our two darling babies (born just over a month apart) was the best my cousin Julia and I could get. Charlie was all about some family photos, but Abby would not stop screaming long enough for us to get a decent picture of the two of them, much to my dismay. Our most recent reunion offered an opportunity for payback time. With the advantage of having just woken up from a great nap, Abby was happy to chill out for the photo on the right. Charlie, whose afternoon nap was unfortunately interrupted by our little visit, was a little less than eager to sit still.

And here's a picture of both generations of cousins. What a difference eight months makes!

Waitin' on Caleb: Week 15

Crown to rump, our little Peanut is coming in at about 4 inches long this week and probably weighs about two and a half ounces, roughly the size of an apple. Air sacs in her lungs are beginning to develop and she can move all of her joints and limbs now. Her eyelids are fused shut, but she's able to detect light at this point, and will move away from a beam of light shined at my belly. She's still too little for me to be able to feel that tiny motion though.

The first trimester blues are a thing of the past now...finally! I'm able to eat whatever I want again, and am not feeling nearly as tired as I was a few weeks ago. Now that my uterus is healed, the restrictions on my activity are lifted and I'm looking forward to being able to take some daily walks with Abby and start a prenatal water aerobics class with an expectant neighbor soon. We return to the doctor on Monday for our monthly visit and will find out when they'll be sending us for the big anatomy ultrasound, which should be sometime in the next few weeks. That means there's just a short time left to wonder whether or not Justin will be severely outnumbered by another little girl or if we'll find some balance with a little baby boy!

Please continue to pray for healthy development for little Peanut and for a healthy pregnancy for me. Pray in confidence knowing that God has been faithful to us so far, and He will continue to do so...we continue to praise Him for the disappearance of the blood clots in my uterus and for lifting the concerns that went along with that so that we can enjoy this pregnancy. Your prayers were a huge part of that!

The highest form of flattery

Watching Abby play with other kids is always a treat. It's a side of our little girl we don't get to see on days when we're home alone with her, and gives us great little glimpses into her personality. For instance, we've learned that she doesn't so much like being pushed around, and handles that situation not by pushing back but by yelling at the offending pusher until she is left alone. She is also keenly interested in what other kids are doing when they're playing with toys that make noise, but children involved in quieter play like block stacking or flipping through books get largely ignored by Abby. Singing silly songs or banging on a piano is a surefire way to get her to come sit next to you and join in.

So today when I got to watch my neighbor's little girl for the morning, it was fun to see how Abby reacted to someone a year her senior and far more mobile. She was a trooper, following Madison around the house, scooting up close to help her bang on her miniature piano and knocking over block towers built by a two-year-old future architect. In fact, wherever Madison went, Abby was right there beside her, which made it fairly easy to keep up with the two of them. We'll just have to wait and see how the girls do when full-time little siblings come into the picture.