Belly Pics!

Robert left early this morning for a volunteer project, and Claire and I had some time to kill this morning before meeting him at church, so we decided to try to take some belly pics, finally. Feast your eyes on this...

I'll be 20 weeks along on Wednesday, so I'm almost halfway! For comparison, here is my 20 week shot with Claire:

I don't think I'm that much bigger, but I did start out about 5 lbs lighter this go around, which helps.

Claire wanted to get in on the fun.

Mommy's belly makes a good seat!

Our Little Dancer

Almost ever since she could walk, Claire has loved to dance. Her school offers a Kindertots program for 2 year olds that helps develop gross motor skills, movement creativity, and body awareness before moving on to dance basics in KinderDance. For the dance classes, the kids can wear dance attire. Today was the second class, and Claire got to wear her dance outfit to school. She loved it, and I couldn't believe how grown up she looked in her sweet leotard with her hair all pulled back!

She was excited and kept running around the room, so I was only able to snap a few quick photos. The cuteness was killing me. :)

Stopping to play "Night Night"

19 Weeks

I haven't done a pregnancy update in awhile - things have been moving along really smoothly ever since I got out of the 1st tri. I feel great - I love this part of pregnancy! Today I got an e-mail from Baby Center reminding me that I am 19 weeks along today, and the baby is probably a little over 8 oz and the size of an heirloom tomato. The belly is definitely growing, and while I am still wearing mostly pre-pregnancy tops and can fit into a couple pairs of jeans and shorts, I've pretty much moved over to maternity bottoms. They're so easy and comfy! Since my pregnancy with Claire was mostly over the fall/winter, I didn't have any shorts, capris or summer tops. I've found some things at the Gap that are working and have ordered a couple of things from Old Navy that I like, although I've sent back as much as I've kept. It's so annoying that none of their stores in SA carry maternity wear!

My weight gain at this point seems to be comparable to a few pounds less than at this point last time, which is good. I'm trying to work out at least 3 times a week, although lately it's been more like twice a week that I've made it to the gym - still better than nothing! I've also been trying to make better choices food-wise while still allowing myself some indulgences. I did lose all of the 42 pounds I gained with Claire, plus about 5 more, so I'm not worried about the weight gain, but I'm hoping to maybe take it off a little more quickly this time.

My most recent appointment was a couple of weeks ago, and it was pretty uneventful. Just some extra blood work for the triple screen, which came back normal, and I got to hear the baby's heartbeat, which is always the most exciting part! I started feeling the baby move regularly around 16 weeks, and the movements are getting more intense every week. It's special every time I feel that baby moving around - easily my favorite part of pregnancy.

The next appointment is on July 8th, and it will include the "big ultrasound" where we can find out the baby's sex. We didn't find out with Claire, but I'm leaning towards finding out this time. Still have a couple of weeks to decide!

The Downside to Starting Potty Training

Claire moved into the next class at school a few weeks ago, and the teachers really start working on potty training as soon as kids move up into this room. One of the first things they teach them is how to take off their pants and diapers so that the kids can sit on the potties. Claire has picked this up really quickly, and at first she wanted to take off her pants and diaper everytime she saw a toilet - not that she really wanted to use it, but she just wants to sit on it. Occasionally she will go, so we've not discouraged her, but it does get old when she tries to take her pants off several times in a 15 minute span.

As I was writing the last post, Claire was napping peacefully - or so I thought. [Oh - I just felt the baby move! Love that feeling!] I was finishing up the post and started hearing her rustling around in her room. We'd started locking the door again when we left the room for bedtime or naptime to encourage her to stay in her room, so I headed down the hall to get her. I opened the door to find my 2.25 year old standing in the middle of the room with no pants, no diaper (!), and the partial contents of her diaper on her hands, legs, and a few spots on the rug (!!!).

I quickly assessed the situation and went into triage mode. Wipes were not going to cut it for this mess, so I snatched Claire up and got her in the tub. Once she was clean, I called Robert, knowing that he was probably either on his way home or about to leave the office. He walked in the door a few minutes later and took Claire upstairs while I cleaned the room. Fortunately it was a much easier clean-up job than I expected (Resolve is awesome!). We debated getting a steam cleaner, but it was such a small area it didn't seem worth it. Plus, it looks like we're not too far away from full-on potty training, and I expect that means many more accidents in the future, so we decided to wait a little while on the deep clean.

Robert and I both talked to Claire about leaving her diaper on unless Mommy, Daddy, or one of her teachers is with her. The next day Robert went in after her nap and caught her taking her diaper off again, so we are thinking that we might have to start putting her in zip up PJs for naps (more difficult access).

The other big lesson learned was no more locking the door - we want her to be able to come get us if she needs something. We decided to try the Super Nanny method of just putting her in her bed every time she got up, and it only took a few times for her to stay in her bed. After a couple of days, she started staying in her bed without us having to go in there, so it seems to have worked - thank you, Super Nanny!

Memorial Day Weekend

Note: I am having such a hard time keeping up with the blog lately! We have been busy lately (as always), and I think I may need to start doing more Lindsay-style "Gumbo" posts rather than trying to chronicle everything in detail with photos. I love her update posts since they give such a good glimpse into her everyday life - something I don't write about enough. So, don't be surprised if you start seeing more posts in bulletpoint format!

Now, on with our Memorial Day weekend adventures...

Many, many months ago we got an ice cream maker, thinking it would be so much fun to be able to sit on the porch and eat homemade ice cream. The maker sat in the box in the garage, collecting cobwebs. Finally, as we made plans to host my friend Jill and her family for lunch, we realized it would be a perfect chance to make some ice cream, and we'd better make sure we knew what we were doing!

HEB had some peaches that were actually really tasty, so we made peach ice cream. Is there anything that says "summer" more than fresh peach ice cream? We got it going and had it ready after Claire woke up from her nap. She was very curious about what was under all that ice, and after her first taste was ready to dig in!

I have so many childhood memories of watching my parents make peach ice cream and waiting anxiously to be able to get the first bowl, and I love being able to share that with Claire!

On Monday, we took advantage of all of us having a day off to check out the San Antonio Children's Museum downtown. Claire was fascinated by the giant "Lite Brite" and spent a long time putting pegs into the holes.

She also enjoyed "driving" the front end loader, playing with the ball machine, and driving the trolley - she took her duties very seriously.

We had some time before lunch and went for a walk along the Riverwalk. We were just planning to take a short stroll but decided to go for a boat ride (something we've been talking about doing since we moved here!). It is already getting so hot here in SA that we figured it was our last chance to go before the fall, and obviously we are going to be pretty busy then. We had a good guide and enjoyed the ride, but were glad to get back into the shade after it was over! Summer has definitely arrived!

By the way, Claire got her toddler bed back the next day. We turned the doorknob around so that the lock is on the outside, and locked it after she opened the door for the 4th or 5th time. She cried a little when it wouldn't open, so I opened the door and reminded her to stay in the bed. We didn't hear a peep out of her until the next morning. Now we lock it after we put her in bed, and she never makes a fuss, although she falls asleep on the floor by the door every night. I go in around 9 or so and move her back into her bed - by then, she's sleeping so deeply that she doesn't wake up. We are all glad that she got her "big girl" bed back!

Not going to name names...

...but someone would not stay in their bed last night and had to have their big girl bed switched back into a baby bed. This individual was not very happy about it, especially this morning. She's gotten used to being able to come into Mommy and Daddy's room and snuggle for a few minutes when she wakes up, and she did.not.like having the return of the bars. Hopefully someone has learned that they have to stay in bed and can go back to sleeping in a big girl bed soon. :)

Ultra Screen Results

Just like with Claire, we opted to have the Ultra Screen test performed on this baby. The test screens for Down's Syndrome and other chromosomal abnormalities. The test does not give you definitive results, but it lets you know what the odds are of the baby having an abnormality. We've always looked at it as an opportunity to see our baby and to start educating ourselves in case something is going on. Plus, it's non-invasive, so there is no risk to the baby.

We went in last Tuesday for the sonogram and the bloodwork, and the baby was giving the tech a hard time by not wanting to get into position for the sonogram measurements. It's so fun to watch all of the activity going on in there! The measurements looked good, and the doctor called this Tuesday with the results. She said everything was normal, and that the risk of Down's decreased from around 1 in 325 based on my age to 1 in 2100, and the risk of other Trisomies is less than 1 in 10,000. So, definitely good results!

I'm continuing to feel better - and continuing to grow! I can still fit into my jeans, but I'm definitely starting to show already. I need to start taking belly pictures - I was looking at my photos from last time, and I think I'm already about where I was at 18 weeks last time, even though I currently weigh about what I did pre-pregnancy with Claire (started out this time about 5 pounds less than with Claire). I have always heard most people show earlier - that is proving true for me!

Below I've posted a couple of things I wrote early in the pregnancy before we announced the news - enjoy!

14 weeks, 2 days

Baby 2's First Appointment

Written on 4/6/10


I had my first OB appointment on Thursday, and I'm excited to report that everything looks great! The OB did a sonogram, and we were able to see a heartbeat. This appointment seemed to go by a lot more quickly than my first with Claire. I really didn't have any questions, and my OB and I mainly discussed how I've been feeling and started talking about what type of delivery I want. Since I had a C-section with Claire, I could plan to go straight for a scheduled C-section with Baby 2, but at this point, I'm also a candidate for a VBAC (vaginal birth after Caesarean). I know a couple of people who have had successful VBACs, and I'm glad to know that Dr. N thinks it will be a possibility, but it's definitely something we need to research more. I also think that we won't want to make a decision until much further along - there are so many factors that need to be exactly "right" that I don't want to plan too much at this point.


The "morning sickness" and extreme exhaustion started about a week ago, and it's been interesting to me to see how my body is responding so similarly to the way it did with Claire. Just like with her, I feel okay as long as I don't let myself get hungry, and I am more likely to feel bad in the evenings. My routine is to eat something as soon as I get out of bed, let it settle, then start getting ready. Usually I'm okay with a little snack until I can get my usual peanut butter sandwich as I walk out the door, but I'm finding that as the days go by, the amount of time I have before I need that sandwich gets shorter and shorter. I'm sure I'm amazing my co-workers with the number of snacks I consume each day, but it will all make sense in another month or so!


Also, similar to my pregnancy with Claire, I'm craving fried chicken, potatoes, and tomatoes. I ate half a container of cherub tomatoes after getting home with them from the grocery store on Sunday!


I finally got to share my news with Mom last night. We wanted to wait until after the first appointment to tell anyone, and then over the next few days I either didn't have time to call or was trying to sleep! She is thrilled to hear our news! Dad is at the farm for the week, and she wanted me to be able to tell him myself, so I'll tell him when he gets back this weekend. We're looking for other opportunities to share the news with family, but will wait until after the next appointment to spread the news.


It's taken awhile for it to sink in that I'm really pregnant, but having the first trimester nausea start up made it feel real, and seeing that little flickering heartbeat allowed me to start getting excited. 33 more weeks to go!

Pregnant? Pregnant!

My initial thoughts on finding out we were expecting #2 - written on March 25, 2010


It's been just over a week since I got positive results on two pregnancy tests, and it still hasn't sunk in yet that I am pregnant. I took the first test expecting a negative result (it couldn't be possible for me to get pregnant again so quickly, right? Wrong!), and felt a mixture of disbelief and elation when I saw that second line beginning to appear. It was a Dollar Store test, which is what I also used when I found out I was pregnant with Claire, and I once again had to take a second test to be sure. And yes, that one was also positive! We were planning for a second child, so I wasn't in total shock, but I just didn't think it would happen this easily. We are so blessed!


I was already about six weeks pregnant with Claire when we found out, and I was experiencing some pregnancy symptoms at that point, so in my past experience, I didn't having long between finding out I was pregnant and feeling pretty cruddy. When I tested on the 17th, I was 4 wks, 6 days pregnant, and felt pretty much the same as usual. Today is the first day I've had any hint of nausea, and it was very mild and passed as soon as I had breakfast. So, I still don't feel pregnant, which is making it hard to believe. I think this is mostly due to my cautious nature - I don't want to allow myself to get too excited until after we have the first appointment with my OB next Thursday.


Except for a fellow mommy blogger-friend who is also expecting around the same time (and is a good guesser!), Robert and I haven't shared the news with anyone. I thought about telling Mom and Dad while they were here for the weekend, but since we just found out ourselves the day before they arrived, I wasn't really ready to share with anyone and wanted to allow more time for the news to sink in. We are anxiously awaiting the results of our first appointment with Baby L2!

Claire has an announcement...

That's right - Claire is going to be a big sister! Baby #2 is expected to arrive on November 17, 2010. Last Tuesday was our most recent appointment and sonogram, and the baby is measuring right on track with everything looking great.

This announcement should explain why I haven't been posting as much lately. I had the typical pregnancy fatigue and nausea during the first trimester and spent most of my free evenings resting or huddled on the couch with crackers, but my energy has returned and the nausea has subsided as the second tri has begun. I have a few posts saved that I wrote during the first few weeks that I'll post soon.

We are so thrilled with the news and can't wait to meet the new addition to our family!

Mothers' Day Weekend

Last weekend was the first one in awhile where we didn't either go out of town or have visitors, and we were able to enjoy some good family time. We started off the weekend with a short trip to Sea World. We saw Shamu, the sea lion show, the penguins, and a few other animals before Claire crashed in her stroller.

I'm glad she can sleep anywhere!

We'd been thinking about converting Claire's crib into a toddler bed and decided to go ahead with it and see how she did. She was so excited! She loves being able to get in and out of bed by herself.

Before the front came off


Reading with Daddy at bedtime

We had a little chat before bedtime about staying in bed, and she did great! She didn't get out of bed once (except for the couple of times she fell out in her sleep onto the pillows we left on the floor - never woke up!). The next morning she called for us as usual and stayed in bed until Robert came to get her, and it's been the same every night since. Success!

On Sunday we met Robert's mom at the Grist Mill for a Mothers' Day lunch and enjoyed getting to spend time with her. It was a relaxing and productive weekend!

MS150 Weekend 2010

On the first weekend of May we made our now annual trip to DFW for Robert to ride in the MS150 from Frisco to Fort Worth. While Robert was riding on Saturday, Claire and I took advantage of the opportunity to visit with some of my friends who live in the area. We started out the day with a big breakfast at our hotel and then headed to my friend Sarah B's house a few miles away. Sarah's daughter is a little older than Claire, so Sarah and I were able to catch up while the girls played.

We met up with two of the A&M girls, Lindsay and Angi, and their kids for lunch. It's always interesting wrangling 5 kids ages 4 to 18 months at a restaurant, but we were able to keep them fairly subdued with queso and chips so that we could visit. So much fun to see these girls!

I squeezed in a quick trip to a couple of stores before we left to pick up Robert at Texas Motor Speedway, the finish line for Day One. That evening we went into Fort Worth with our friend Whit to have dinner at Joe T.'s before calling it an early night.

Robert left bright and early Sunday morning, and Claire and I had some fun with a luggage cart as I tried to get all of our gear down to the car in one trip. The weather held up for us to visit the Fort Worth Zoo. I hadn't been in a few years, and this was Claire's first trip. She loved it and was especially fascinated by the monkeys, meerkats, and snake/amphibian exhibits (probably because I let her run around a little at that part!).

Meerkats

Snack time!

Sleepy lion

Kangaroos

So fascinated by the snakes!

Examining the aquarium

Working up the courage to touch the lizard

Robert finished around 1, and we were there to meet him in Sundance Square. We said a quick "Hi" to Ma and Bob who made it over for the finish before heading back to San Antonio. It was a whirlwind weekend, but we had a wonderful time catching up with friends and supporting a great cause!

While Daddy is away...

A few weeks ago Robert went on a mission trip with a group from our church to build houses in Mexico. While Robert was doing this...

...Claire and I were on our own for four days. On Thursday we stuck to our normal routine, and on Friday I got in a much needed dental visit before taking Claire to the audiologist that afternoon (which confirmed that her hearing is just fine). But what to do over the weekend?

Fortunately some of Robert's family was heading to Austin for the weekend to celebrate his Grandmommy's birthday, so we met up with all of them Saturday morning at the Wildflower Center and then had a terrific lunch at the Salt Lick. Even Claire tried some of the brisket, and she loved it (although she still finished off her PB&J sandwich). After lunch Claire and I went over to her grandmother's house to visit for awhile. Aunt Carol was on her way from Corpus, so while we were waiting we walked over to the duck pond to feed the animals. Claire had so much fun watching the ducks, geese and squirrels and got brave enough to feed them without hanging on to someone.

On Sunday we stuck to our normal schedule of church, lunch, nap, and grocery shopping. Besides all of our Mommy/Daughter fun, I took advantage of Claire's early bedtime to watch a few movies that I knew Robert wouldn't be interested in seeing, and thoroughly enjoved them all. We had a wonderful time together, but we were definitely happy when Daddy made it back home late Sunday night!

Birthday #2!

On April 8, Claire turned two - how is that possible?!? Robert worked with her all week, and when you ask her how old she is, she'll say "Two!" and flash her fingers - she's having a little trouble holding up just 2, but she tries. :)

Since we were having her party on Saturday, we kept her actual birthday on Thursday pretty low-key. We took cupcakes to school, and her teachers told me that she enjoyed three of them. :) We gave her a couple of small gifts, and she was very excited about her new bath boat and her card from Aunt Sheila that played "Part of Your World" from "The Little Mermaid".

Friday morning we were up bright and early to head to DFW. After lunch at the Reata, we made our annual visit to the Main Street Arts Festival in Fort Worth. We found a couple of small things, visited the Water Gardens, and then fit in a ride on the mini train. The ride was about 45 minutes long, and we weren't sure how Claire would do, but she loved it and didn't get restless until the last 5-10 minutes. We will definitely ride it again.

Afterwards we visited with Robert's Granddaddy and Grandmommy and had dinner with them before heading to Arlington for the night.

Saturday was Party Day. My friend Courtney's son Pierce was born a few days after Claire, so this year we decided to have a joint birthday party for them at the Dallas Children's Museum. We had such a great time!

Someone didn't want to cooperate for a photo of the birthday boy and girl...






A little skeptical


After cake and ice cream, we let them all loose in the museum to run off the sugar

We were able to have lunch with Courtney's family and the French family. Claire was Not Happy when Pierce decided to come sit by me. Check out the look on that little face - so funny!

That evening Ma & Bob had a small get together to celebrate the birthdays of Claire, Robert, Bob, and one of their friends. Ma organized a fun balloon game for Claire, and after dinner Claire was very excited by her Little People Doodle Pro.

It was full weekend, and we had so much fun celebrating sweet Claire's birth!

Easter 2010

This was Claire's first Easter where she was ready to participate in Easter egg hunts. Our church had a cookout and egg hunt the Sunday before Easter, and while the preschool area of the egg hunt was a mad dash, she still had a lot of fun. It took her a little while to figure things out, and in that time she managed to get two eggs and a few rocks, which she found just as enticing.

Sporting her sweet princess shades


On the hunt


It was a little windy...


Her haul

Later that week, her school held another egg hunt. I wasn't able to make it, but Robert got to go. This time she knew what to do and got a basketful of eggs!

I think her favorite part of the day, though, was after school when Daddy picked her up in the wagon.

For Easter weekend, we spent Friday and Saturday in Austin as we were getting family portraits done there on Saturday morning. We had dinner at Z Tejas and followed it up with some Amy's Ice Cream. Claire was in heaven!

Hamming it up at the kiddie table


"Mmmmmmm..." - one of her new favorite words


Showing me where the ice cream goes


Showing off for the other tables

I didn't get any pictures on Easter Sunday, but Claire wore the same dress then as she did for our family photos. We don't have the full gallery yet, but our photographer posted a sneak peek here. This is one of my favorites - our baby has turned into such a beautiful little girl!