Peanut Smiles

Little Nugs,

Another pretty uneventful week, and I would like to keep it that way! Next week, I have another doctor appointment and need to take my glucose test, so I’m going to need to cut sugar out of my diet for a couple days, which is kind of terrifying!

Dear William,

You are going to be a BIG brother to a little sister!! A middle child. I’m kind of at a loss for words for you and haven’t quite figured out how you’re going to respond to this major life change yet, both for when the baby arrives and the impact it will make as you grow.

When your baby sister arrives, you’ll be just short of 2.5 (assuming everything goes to plan), which is just a tinch older than Lexi was when you were born.

When you were born, I felt the transition was pretty challenging. Lexi constantly wanted/needed my attention and was intentionally naughty. As a result, I didn’t get to snuggle you as much as I would have liked. I can see you behaving similar to Lexi, pushing boundaries while looking at me and doing something you know is naughty but doing it anyways. On the other hand, I’m hoping Lexi will help keep you entertained and being able to play outside will make this initial transition a little less painful.

I have no clue how you are going to respond to the baby itself. You are very cuddly and affectionate with Daddy and I, always giving us hugs and kisses and wanting to snuggle on the couch or before bedtime and when you wake up. However, I’ve never seen you pick up one of Lexi’s babies or show any kind of nurturing behavior. You’re rough and touch and love to run and play with balls and push trucks around. I could see you being a little rough with the baby and wanting me to ‘send her back to the hospital’ as Lexi used to say but then part of me thinks you could really surprise me and be sweet and love to rock her and give her kisses. Time will tell.

As you grow, you’ll have so many important roles that you get to fill. You get to be a little brother to Lexi, yet also a Big Brother to your new sister and all of the fun things that come along with that. You and Lexi are the best of friends right now and love to play together. It will be interesting if you become the ‘pesky little brother’ as the years go on or if you two remain tight. You also get to watch out for your little sister and make sure nobody messes with her.

My dear boy, this also means you are becoming the middle child. As a middle child myself and the deprivation i endured (semi-kidding here) I’m going to do my best to make sure you don’t feel left out or over-shadowed by your big and little sis. I do think that being our only boy will really help this. You’ll get to do special things that the girls won’t likely do. And carrying on the family name (both of your grandpas and the last name) kind of puts you into your own playing field. Oh my sweet curly-haired William, your daddy and I love you so much and are constantly laughing and smiling at every funny (and naughty) thing you do. I’m so excited to watch you grow and adapt over the next year and pray there are more moments filled with laughter than tears.

Love,

Mommy

My Big Little Lexi,

You are going to be a big sister, again. This time you’re getting a little sister!

First of all, let’s talk about the notion of sisters. They are truly the best! As you grow up and develop friendships, I’m hoping that none will truly ever compare to the one with your sister. I pray you two will share a special bond that I believe is indescribable. Speaking from experience, there is something so comforting about talking to your sister when something terrible has happened, you’re scared, need advice or you’re thrilled beyond words. She is one of the few (perhaps only) person that can even come close to understanding how you feel. Growing up, you’ll have experienced the same memories, have inside jokes, understand the weird family quirks we have or truly how much trouble you’re really going to be in when mom and dad find out what you did. I pray that you two are close and share the same set of values and will always be there for each other in ways that I can’t be. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m sure there are going to be moments growing up where you are so angry at each other you spit in each other’s face (when you get older, I’ll share that fun little story in mine and Auntie Sheila’s relationship) but, I also pray that I’ll be able to teach you forgiveness so you’re able to carry on the next day as if nothing happened. Given that you will be 4 1/2 years apart, I’m so excited to watch how your relationship grows and evolves throughout your lifetime.

Second, let’s talk about how different becoming a big sister will be as a 4 1/2 year old than as a 2 year old. This time around, I think you are going to be really helpful verses disruptive (you’ll leave that task to William). I can see you regularly requesting to hold her, sing songs and read books to her and help get bottles or diapers for me. I also have a feeling you’re going to love bossing your brother around and telling him what he can and can’t do with her.

Upon sharing the news with you that I had a baby growing in my belly, you were pretty indifferent and didn’t really react, just went about your regular business of playing with Squinkies. However, as we have talked more, you have shown much more interest in the baby and are pretty protective of the baby and of your mommy.

If William is climbing on me or tackling me, you’re quick to tell him, be careful, there is a baby in mommy’s tummy and you’ll hurt it. The other day, I was putting your ice skates and you kept telling me to be careful so I wouldn’t cut the baby with the blades.You also like to boss William around and tell him that when the baby comes, you’re going to go to Grandma and Grandpa’s house for awhile, but it’s OK, you don’t have to be scared, she will bring us to the hospital to visit mommy and daddy. You also love to randomly come up to my belly and rub your nose against it and tell me you’re nuzzling the baby.

Although the questions aren’t as frequent, here are a some of your favorite questions to ask: How does the baby come out? Where does the baby come out of? How did the Baby get in there?  How big is the baby? Will the baby be able to talk? What will happen to my Squinkies and Shopkins–will the baby try to eat them? Where will the baby sleep? How do they know if it is a boy or a girl?

Prior to finding out the baby’s gender, you were 100% positive this baby was a girl and only refer to it as a ‘she’ and ‘her’. I told you many times, we don’t know if this baby is a boy or a girl yet, and we’re just going to have to wait and see. Occasionally, after you catch yourself saying ‘she’ you’ll repeat the little phrase back to me verbatim. ‘Well, we don’t know if the baby is a girl or a boy yet, we’re just going to have to wait and see’

When we did decide to find out the gender,  you played a pretty big role. We were driving home from school, I told you we could find out if the baby was a boy or a girl when we got home. You came tearing into the house and yelled, ‘Daddy, we get to find out if the baby is a boy or a girl’ and started going through the mail. I helped you identify the correct envelope and you started opening it right away. We ran upstairs so Daddy could be with us. You opened it and saw the words and kind of went silent. You helped identify the letter ‘G’ and when you connected the dots that girl starts with G, you got very giddy and announced that you are going to help give the baby bottles, but not change the poopy diapers.

Oh Lexi, you are going to be an excellent big sister to William and the new baby. You are sweet, kind, helpful, generous, thoughtful, protective and honest. Your sweet but honest demeanor are going to be great qualities and make you a wonderful role model to these two little ones. You love to follow the rules and let others know when they aren’t, love to play with your brother and are a great helper to mommy and daddy. I couldn’t have picked a better big sister to your little brother and sister and am so excited to watch you grow over the next year.

Love,

Mommy

Holy Cow my baby is 2!!! Happy Birthday William! We have had such a fun year watching your grow, explore and develop and can’t wait to see what this  year brings and how you will react to having a new little sister.

Stats

• Height: 35″ tall (62%)

• Weight: 27.7 lbs (63%)

• Head: 19″ (82%)

Development: At two years old you are right where you should be. You can repeat the sequence of numbers 1-10 and sometimes can count backwards. This month you’ve really perfected your colors, which has really helped you articulate what you want (even if it is a pain sometimes).

You love to run around (but do not run straight) and climb. You regularly move chairs around the kitchen to get what you want, climb up on the stools at the counter and can open doors about 50% of the time (scary!) You’ve got a pretty good arm for throwing balls (or really anything) and love to kick and chase balls. You’re getting a mini big-wheel for your birthday and I think you’re going to love riding around on that. You still dislike swings, but love to go down slides!

You are talking a ton these days and I think it is pretty clear most of the time, but people that don’t see you as often have a hard time understanding what you are saying. You regularly string several words together, but are often not in the right order or tense. For example, if I ask you, Do you want to turn off the light? You’ll respond ‘No turn off light’

Your sister was potty trained at this point (hint hint!) but you are showing no signs of being ready or interested. Sigh. It would have been nice to only have one kiddo in diapers, but I think we’ve got at least another 6-12 months of disgusting diapers with you (if we’re lucky!)

Personality

We are officially in terrible twos with you. You have regular melt downs when you don’t get something you want. These tend to be more intense when you are either hungry or over tired. In general you are pretty particular about what color bowl plate spoon fork or cup you have and will lose your mind around this. You really love the color blue, and green is a close second and heaven forbid we put a pink bowl in front of you. Lexi has also picked up on this behavior from you and I have to admit that it is not my favorite.

If you didn’t pick up on it before, you are pretty darn stubborn. Although I have my moments about being stubborn, I think this mostly comes from your daddy. You are on the verge of wanting more independence. You want to do things by yourself and drink from a cup without a top BUT sill request to be carried around or have me help take your shoes and jacket off or hold your hand when you walk down the stairs. You also love to cuddle, specifically when you wake up or if we’re watching a show or a movie. Just this morning, you cuddled with me in the rocking chair for over half an hour and didn’t request to get down until you heard Lexi. On school days, we don’t get as much cuddle time in the mornings, but it is a routine I just can’t break as it is one of my favorite moments of the day. You also love to snuggle on the couch and will regularly request for Daddy or I to sit right next to you while you watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

I’ve mentioned this in several other posts, but you are a comedian. You love to make silly faces to make people laugh (usually by looking out the side of your eyes). You love to laugh at your sister’s antics and be tickled.

You’re also pretty inquisitive about how stuff works. You try and put things together that have broken or come apart and like to play with cause and effect. Just the other day, you were examining how you could stick a handle of a spoon through the cracks on a blackberry container and then shake it to make different sounds.

Favorites:

• Books: Little Blue Truck, Trains, Monsters, The Mitten
• TV Shows/Movies: Choo Choo Bob (like Whoa!!) Mikey Mouse Clubhouse, Chuggington, Finding Nemo, Beauty in the Beast (you have a strange obsession with the Beast and like to roar at people when they make you angry?!?!)
• Toys: Trains, trains and more trains, trucks, balls, drills, saws, screwdriver, hammers Mickey mouse, play kitchen
• Activities: running, playing outside, doing and having anything that Lexi has, being wherever your daddy is

I think this sums you up pretty well at 2 years old. I’m so excited for this next year to see how your personality continues to grow and how you adapt to change, because be ready for it my little one, but there are a lot of changes coming!

Daddy, Mommy and Lexi love you so much!!!

Love,

Mama

Dear Little nugs,

This is my last quiet week at work and next week it will start to get crazy again. As nice of a break it has been to have quieter days, I’m looking forward to being busier again. It makes the days/weeks go by so much faster, which means, I get to meet you that much sooner!

Thoughts on the photo/bump: In these photos, I think it looks pretty small/unnoticeable especially considering I am almost halfway there. However, I really think that is due to the clothes I am wearing. I’ve been intentionally wearing baggier clothes that ‘hide’ the belly as it just looks like I have a big gut and not really pregnant. I’m noticing it is starting to get bigger. I squish it when I’m making food at the counter or putting make-up on in the morning. It also just feels heavier when I’m walking around.

Cravings/aversions: I don’t think I had any major cravings or aversions this week. Pop is tasting much better, which I’m loving! Daddy makes smoothies every morning and those have been spot on, but fill me up. Other than that, just eating because I have to. Could take or leave sweets or salty snacks. Also working on not eating so quickly or as much in one sitting as it is probably contributing to the heart burn.

What I’m anticipating the most: The ultrasound next week! I always really enjoy going to my Dr. appointments, in my mind they are mini milestones until your arrival and each one down means we’re that much closer to your birthday.

What I’m loving: Movement! It is still pretty faint and infrequent, but enough to feel confident that you are moving around in there and its not just a gas bubble. It isn’t identifiable from the outside, but I’m loving that I can feel you.

I also really enjoy daydreaming about you and what kind of baby will you be. Will you be pretty mellow like you’re big sister, or a handful like your Auntie Sheila. How will William react to having another little one in the house. What will maternity leave look like with a 4, 2-year-old and newborn? I have this dream/vision that it will be so much fun and the two bigger kids will play outside in the sunshine and we’ll go on walks every morning. Somehow I have a feeling this won’t be the case at all and you’re going to come early or have colic or something else I can’t imagine and I’ll be stressed the entire time trying to keep you from crying.

Also, this weekend and next week, we’re supposed to have really nice warm weather (maybe even 60 degrees!!!) which is pretty crazy for mid-February.

Names: Daddy and I haven’t talked one time about what your name will be since we found out you’re a little girl. Strangely, I’m OK with this. As Type A as I can be, I also feel like I’m learning to mellow out a lot more and just go with the flow. I have 4-5 names on my list that I think Daddy likes. My guess is, we’ll wait until you arrive to decide on your name. I like all of the names, but there isn’t one that is jumping out to me more than the others and feel pretty strongly that I just need to see you and bond with you a little before we decide your name.

What I’m missing most: Same as last week–more energy and no more coughing

Differences between pregnancies: No update from Lexi this week. With William, this was the first week I wore a pregnancy shirt (same this time around) and truly felt like I looked pregnant. The belly is getting bigger/rounder, but I’m still feeling just fat and not pregnant. Also with William, we were getting ready to go to Hawaii, which is most definitely not happening this time around and am jealous of that milestone.

How I’m feeling: I feel like this is the same story every week. Blah! Similar to last week, I only threw up once and am gagging over fewer things this week, but am still rocking a pretty good cough and am coughing up a lot of thick (but clear) phlegm. (i know, gross!). Also, heartburn. I don’t remember really bad heartburn with William and even if I did have it, it wasn’t until 30+ weeks. I’ve already had to pop TUMS several times and this time, my heart hurts like a heart attack verses just having a burning feeling in my throat.

Best Moment of the week: Daddy and I went on a double date with Rachel and Jake to the Wild game. So fun to get out with other adults!

Dear Baby girl,

Another fairly uneventful week. Work has been pretty quiet, the weekend was busy but was able to get some extra rest, which i think really helped me kick the cold I’ve been struggling with. So no news is good news!

  Baby Development: My app tells me you’re just over 6″ long and wight 5.5 oz. You are learning to yawn and hiccup as well as developing your nerves and senses.

Thoughts on the photo/bump: I think it is kind of starting to show, but it could easily be judged that I just gained to much weight over the holidays. The bump size really changes based on what I’m wearing and when in the day I’m analyzing myself. This is the first maternity shirt I’ve worn and was going to try and hold off until 20 weeks, but I’m not sure I’m going to make it. Nearly every time I put on a regular shirt, I say to myself, well this is the last time I’m going to be able to wear this one, so my pickings are getting pretty slim.

Cravings/aversions: Salads are still tasting delicious and queso sounds amazing too, but haven’t fulfilled that temptation. We made cupcakes with frosting for Grandma’s birthday and a little gender reveal, but neither sounded very good so I don’t even think I had a taste (gasp because cake batter and frosting=delicious!) Most food I make sounds/smells gross. It is OK if someone else makes it, but if I have to, it is way less appetizing.

What I’m anticipating the most: Definitive baby movements. I’ve felt a couple flutters and they are becoming more frequent but they haven’t been strong enough to say, yes that is the baby. Also in full on nesting mode and want to get our house projects going and wrapped up before you arrive.

What I’m loving: Still love knowing that you are a girl!

What I’m missing most: Having energy. Maybe it is the winter blues, but everything feels like a chore. Every place I go, everything around the house. It’s not that I’m not loving life either, it just feels like work.

Differences between pregnancies: I didn’t have an update with Lexi this week, but with William, I think the bump is bigger than it is now. I also talked about how thirsty I was, and am totally feeling that again. I can easily chug 8 oz of water and still be thirsty. My lips are also very chapped, which could be a result of the winter dryness. Another difference is my appetite. I feel like I have been way less hungry this time around then previously. For example, last night I had half of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a handful of chips and was full for the entire night.

How I’m feeling: OK. I only puked once this week which is good, but still not feeling the greatest. Low energy, get tired going up stairs, a little moody.

Best Moment of the week: I had a couple of sweet moments with Lexi and William this week that reassured me I’m doing a good job as a Mom and I have a good gut instinct with you.

That’s all for now!

Love,

Mom