My Week{s} in iPhone Pics: blahblahblah

There are no words today for how very tired I am. Is it possible for an almost 21-month-old to have started having 2nd molar pain? I think we've got it. To accompany my lack of ability to form a coherent sentence, here are some iPhone pics!

{No words, just cute baby.}

Have a happy weekend friends! I have a date scheduled with my husband tomorrow, it will involve taking a nap. 

We are old.

Thoughts on the Second Pregnancy

I'm not sure if anyone has ever told you this, but the second pregnancy is DIFFERENT!

Oh, everyone says that? Ok, nevermind.

But REALLY, it is different.

I'm not just talking about the whole I wanted to barf my guts out for 13 weeks and I already look 5 months pregnant thing, I am talking about how I feel about this pregnancy... and how everyone else feels I suppose.

With my first pregnancy I was so obsessed with knowing every second what was going on in there. "Today it got fingernails, hooray! baby has no more tail... today it might be sucking its thumb" etc. etc. This time is more... "Oh yeah, I'm pregnant! I forgot again." Understandably I am a bit more distracted as said first pregnancy has developed into a crazy toddler who occupies my every waking (and sometimes sleeping) thought. 

I also remember feeling this closeness knowing my baby was in there growing and dreaming about our future together. I feel bad even typing it, but right now I don't feel any real sort of bond. There are a lot of reasons why this is the case. I haven't really felt much movement yet so the connection from my body to my brain that says "Hey! there is something in there!" hasn't totally been activated. Seriously, seeing the ultrasound was a bit "Wow! whose baby is that?" Also, I think what I do feel this time is probably fairly similar to what I felt during my first pregnancy, but it pales in comparison to the kind of love you have for your child once they actually arrive. I am already having mom guilt about feeling like I am giving too much love to one child over the other, but I know it is just unrealistic to expect the kind of connection I have with Lily to exist before I even meet #2.

{Anybody in there?}

Another problem? I hate having to call this baby "it" and "junior" and "#2" and "squid" (again, don't ask). I want to know its name! This will get better in about 6 weeks when we find out the sex and can decide on a name. That will just make everything feel more real.

Lastly, the reactions from everyone else are a bit different. My family is super excited for this baby, just as excited as they were for Lily, but some of the shiny-newness wears off when it isn't the first time. All of my friends are excited too. I don't know how to describe it, things are just different. Also, I don't plan to have a shower for this one, because I already have all the stuff (and believe me, I don't need any more THINGS), but it feels kind of sad. Why shouldn't this baby have a celebration, you know?

All this boils down to is POOR BABY #2! Why doesn't mommy remember that you are in there!? 

But seriously, I am just looking forward to things feeling a little more real so I can enjoy the excitement and anticipation. I guess that is it, it just doesn't feel real yet.

Just Checking In...

SNOWMAGEDDON 2012!!!

or

SNOWPOCALYPSE 2012!!!!!!

Whichever you prefer.

We have been without power or (gasp!) internet due to snowyicefreezingcraziness. I finally made it to work for the first time this week and then immediately our servers went down. IT IS FOLLOWING ME!

Fret not, servers are back up and operation chargeallthethings is in full effect. Don't worry, I am also working...plus it is totally lunch time right now so back off!

A few quick pictures to help you die of cuteness overload...

  {Snow is just starting to fall, but she is ready!}

 {I want to be up there with the big kids!}

{Snowball fight!}

 {I don't think she likes the snow...}

 {With Nani and Papa...and some guy in an orange hat.}

{I'd like to lie and take credit for that awesome snowman, but alas it was not I. Just keeping it real folks. PS - There is a lift ticket on my coat from 1998. Time for a new one? I think I look amazingly frumpy.}

Now somebody get this girl a hot shower and a toasty bagel!

So now you know.

{If you missed it, here is our big news!}

Now you know why I have been a little more MIA here for the past couple of months. 1. Because I have been trying not to die my deadliest death via nausea and exhaustion, and 2. because it is REALLY hard to tell any story ever while not discussing the biggest change in my life right now!

I wanted to wait and make sure everything was A-Okay in there before I announced to the world, but I actually kind of became a crazy person not being able to tell you all for so long. I started just blurting out "I'm pregnant!" to strangers on the street. I'm not kidding.

But now a weight has been lifted off my shoulders and I can freely talk about everything here once more.

First of all, I think it is a boy. I am no doctor, but last time I was pregnant I had basically no symptoms except a little sleepiness in the first trimester and some hip pain once I was huge. Who was that pleasant little creature inside me? A girl. This time? This time I have been so sick. No actual vomiting (aside from the stomach flu) so I can't complain too hard or Mandy will kick me in the pregnant belly (I'm kidding, she would never do that! Maybe a shin.) I have also had kind of actual cravings this time, but for boring stuff like Grapefruit and Cup o' Noodles. I am also exhausted, but that may be the extra kid running around that I didn't have last time. All this in my mind = boy. Maybe I should be a doctor.

We will see in July! (Just kidding, we will see in March, did you think I could actually wait until the kid was born? Don't you know me at all?)

I have so many stories to tell you, but maybe I will parcel them out and instead leave you with a few cute pictures of my kid. Deal?

So the other day, we turned her carseat around for the first time. It was better than Christmas. We were trying to make it to two years, but she is so tall it was getting impossible to get her in and out with it rear-facing. Plus she is approaching the rear-facing weight limit, so forward it is! 

She has never been more pumped. Suddenly car trips are a treat instead of a chore. The first day we took her out forward-facing we finally got home and parked and she shook her head "no, no, no!" so we drove around for another 15 minutes just looking at houses. It was nice.

 {She looks sad but she is just in a daze.}

 {This is how she really felt about it.}

{Love this happy girl.}

Family road trips here we come!

Wordless{ish} Wednesday: Lily's Big Secret

{Lily has something she has been keeping from you, but she decided it is time to come clean...}

(She has no idea what she is in for.}

  Linking up for Wordless Wednesday with The Paper Mama, A Little King and I, 5 Minutes for Mom, Parenting By Dummies, Project Alicia, Supermom, And Then She Snapped, Live and Love Out Loud, Naptime Momtog, and Jenni from the Blog.

My Month in iPhone Pics: Lily is 20 Months Old!

I haven't posted iPhone pics in over a month, so here are some of the pics from December as I tell you about my amazing ever-changing 20-month old! (Two birds and all that...)

Lily: you are a crazy little person. I know I skipped your 19-month post, don't be mad. I cannot believe how much has changed in the past two months. You have truly become a kid. 

{1. Jammies 2. Knock it down! 3. Bubble beard strikes again 4. Checking out the "duckays"

5. Your favorite park 6. Miss Independent 7. Mama gets her first haircut in 7 months 8. Kissing Daddy's head}

You are so loving, like I ask for a hug and you walk across the room with your arms out to give it to me. Sometimes they come unprovoked, those are the best. 

You talk SO much. I think your first full sentence was "Where is she? There she is!" Which has now transformed into "Where'd it go?" You say "Oh no!" a lot with much concern. Sometimes if you wake in the middle of the night you become very concerned about different thing, namely "oh no, ball!" and "oh no, ducky!"

Words that end in "k" get a kay sound from you. Duck is "duckay", there is also "bookay" "kickay" and "walkay". It is adorable. I can't even list all the words you know, it amazes me every day.

Now that we are communicating more it REALLY frustrates you if we don't understand. For awhile we had to have a lot of talks about not hitting, but it seems to have lessened recently. Any time we talk sternly to you you immediately hug and kiss us. Trickster.

{9. Baby astronaut 10. Melting hearts with Papa 11. Teething 12. Conquering Mt. Papa

13. Checking out the swing 14. Astronaut kiss for Daddy 15. So cute in Daddy's hat 16. Mama gets a night out with the girls}

You love love love playing with other kids, which we don't do nearly often enough.

Your favorite thing to do is read books. By yourself, or with us, doesn't matter to you. Just give me a bookay!

You pretty much have all of your teeth except your 2-year molars. The top canines are still pushing through but they weren't nearly as painful as the bottom 2.

You are SO tall. Taller than almost all the boys. This is a good thing and don't you forget it!

Sometimes you sing to yourself or ask us to sing and if we sing the wrong song you say "no, no, no" until we get the right one.

You were so in love with our Christmas tree you would just squeal "treeeee!" and "pretty!" All you wanted to do all day was go look at it and try to put your toys in it. One evening we lost power for a few hours and the tree wasn't lit, so you made sure to take the battery-operated fake flames we used for our pumpkins last Halloween and stick them all in the tree. It was quite pretty. I am glad we didn't have a fake tree or I may have been tempted to leave it up for you year-round.

You smile big scrunchie-nosed smiles and laugh big laughs all the time. You also love to dance and do ring-around-the-rosy, but I have to make you fall down at the end.

You talk on your play phones a lot, always starting with the tiniest "hi" and then some jabbering, a big laugh and a tiny sing-song "bye".

{17. Checking out each others' bellybuttons 18. Tree! 19. Cooking 20. Lounging

21. giving the leaves a good "kickay" 22. Another cold afternoon walk 23. Recovering from the stomach flu 24. Napping with Daddy

25. Toy train! 26. This should not be encouraged 25. Your obsession 26. High 5!}

Oh there is so much more that I love about you I just can't put it all into words. You are becoming my little buddy and you make me so happy every day.