Drumroll Please!

I don't think this picture leaves ANY doubt about it.

Another boy!  I was convinced it was a girl.  I even ALMOST bought girl stuff online last week.  Glad I didn't!!  The more I think about it though, the more I like the idea of having two boys.  Not that I really have much of a choice in the matter at this point! 

The rest of the ultrasound was perfect, too.  With Carter, they measured his head like 4 times because it was so big.  This baby was right on track and within all the "normal" ranges.  That combined with the results of my AFP testing has me convinced that we have a healthy baby boy on the way.  That makes for one happy mama.

22 weeks

I had C snap a picture with my blackberry this morning (which explains the quality) so I could show off my belly.  The angle that I'm standing doesn't really show much, but it's there.  DEFINETLY there. 

And as for the winner of the Guess the Sex contest:

Cristal V.

My sweet old friend, Cristal, is the winner of the $10 credit to my Thirty-One gifts store.  She is currently pregnant with number three, so I'm SURE something over there will suit her!

Tonight is date night with my hubby.  We're going to see Miranda Lambert in concert and leaving Carter with my mom.  I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Guess & Win!

So, we'll find out the sex of Numero Dos next Thursday.  That's ONE WEEK FROM TODAY for those of you playing along at home.  Geez, could the wait be any LONGER?  I'm on a pregnancy forum and some of these girls have known since 13 weeks.  So.  Not.  Fair. 

Enough of my ranting though.  The reason for my post is that I've decide to host a little game.  Click the button below or on my sidebar and go make your guess as to what gender our child will be.  Assuming there will be multiple correct guesses, I will randomly pick one to receive a $10 gift certificate to my Thirty-One store.



I know you have to put a guess for weight, length & birth date, too but you can just put zero for now.  No penalties for being wrong there-- the sex is all that matters!  (That'sWhatHeSaid)  Be sure and make your "name" something that I will be able to recognize or use your email address.  In a couple of weeks, I'll post another game to guess the weight and length.  That winner will get something bigger, I just haven't decided what just yet.

15 months - A view from a cell phone

Today I took Carter for his 15 month well-baby appointment (albeit 2.5 weeks late).  The term "well baby" is used loosely as he's on antibiotics for a potential ear infection (caught early with just a little fluid in the ears) and has a horrid cough.  But, he was well enough for FOUR shots and a blood draw.  Congratulations, kid!  To celebrate, here are some fun facts from Carter.

• He weighs 25lbs 11oz (60-something percentile)
• He's 31.5" tall (57th percentile)
• His head is 19" (77th percentile)- he's still on track to be presidential.
• He has a 100 teeth.  Not really, but currently he has all four incisors coming in.  Hopefully that will be all until his 2 year molars.  He can't just cut one at a time- they ALL have to come in at once. 
• He still naps twice a day, though I've noticed his morning naps have been shorter lately.  Except on Sunday.  It lasted for 2.5 hours. 
• This past weekend, he slept til almost 9am before demanding attention from his parents. 
• We rock him to sleep every night and let me tell you, as bad of a habit that is to start, it makes for some of the sweetest moments when he finally gives up for the day.  But the flip-flopping and wiggling getting there is getting very old.  Especially when mom's lap is disappearing. 
• He loves his juice (either flavored water from Target or 2oz Gerber juice and the rest water) and will drink 4-5 sippy cups a day.
• He's still attached to his noodle (pacifier), but I'm not fighting that battle just yet. 
• He says all sorts of things now- Mama, Daddy, doggy, hi, bye, bock-bock, quack-quack, ball (bah), this (dis- when pointing), uh-oh and thank you.  I will forever pride myself on the fact that thank-you was his first real word.  He says it with accuracy, too.... especially when he's coming to take something you have! 
• He can sign "please" and give/blow kisses.  Wet, open mouthed mwah's!

I haven't taken nearly enough "real" pictures, so I thought I'd share what my cell phone captures.  Yes, there are a lot of car seat pictures, but that's really the only time he holds somewhat still.  That, and I love to watch him sleep...

04/04/2010

04/09/2010

04/10/2010

Hello?

Hammy - 04/15/2010

(These were from last week's "sick day".  Yeah, notsomuch.)

First "real" boo-boo.  He fell on the fireplace.  A+ parenting

04/17/2010

This is what four shots and a blood draw will do.

04/19/2010

How?

Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling five balls in the air. You name them - work, family, health, friends, and spirit - and you're keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls - family, health, friends, and spirit are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged, or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life.  -Brian Dyson, CEO of Coca-Cola Enterprises

I *heart* faces - 03/22

For my regular readers (assuming anyone still reads), you've seen this one before. But, I couldn't help but submit it for this week's I Heart Faces "Dramatic" theme. I am absolutely in love with this photo (for many reasons), so hopefully it will be well-received.

This ain't no place for the Weary Kind...

My kid surprises me all the time.  Just for fun a few weeks ago, I said "Carter, where's your ball?" and you know what he did?  He stopped what he was doing and started looking for a damn ball.  "Ba ba ba ba", he exclaimed once he found one. 

That is so cool.  I had never thought about the day he could actually comprehend.  Now, I tell him the names of stuff all the time.  Light, doggy, truck.  We wave bye-bye to diapers when they go in the Diaper Genie.  He turns off the lights when we leave the room.   We do the HotDog Dance every morning.  He is the coolest kid I know.  Who knew parenting would be so fun... this quickly.

Pioneer Woman asked a question for a giveaway today that's really had me thinking.  More or less it was "How different is your life now than how you originally pictured it"?

It's a question that doesn't come with an easy answer.  When I was in college, I wanted to work in downtown Dallas in a skyscraper and do buisnessey things.  And I did.  I never really thought about the rest of it, I don't think.  But.

I'm married to the man who took my breath away upon meeting him when I was only 16.
I'm pregnant with his second child.
Being a mother is a job I was made for.  This love.... it's indescribable.
Being a wife is something I try very hard to be good at.
Turns out, it doesn't matter if I do perfect laundry or cook fabulous meals.

Love and respect... and time.  Those are what matters.

Here's my heart...

Here's my boy...

 

Christmas morning, 2009

 

Happy Birthday to me! January 3, 2010

 

My Rufus Nilly - February 2010

Since my child was diagnosed on Wednesday with his second double-ear infection of 2010, this is what my (four day) weekend consisted of:

And there was snow, too.  And did I mention he's cutting three molars at the moment? Hopefully I'll manage to post some of those soon.  I am SUCH a procrastinator!  Actually, when I get home, my priorities completely swap.  I cram as much time with Carter into his few remaining waking hours as I can, manage to fix and/or eat dinner and do a tiny bit of relaxing before my eyes start closing on their own.  The computer is the last thing on my mind most days... I'll try to make a point to post some pictures though.  I haven't even documented my one year old, much less my (now) 13.5 month old.  Bah.

Numero dos.

Now that I have THAT out of my system...
(well, not out of my system, because I'm still knocked up, but, oh well, youknowwhatImean)

• I'll be having a repeat C-section, so my baby will come in August whether he or she likes it or not.
• I will spend the summer in a cheap pool from Walmart.  One for Carter and one for me, Mama Whale.
• I switched doctors for this pregnancy and so far, am very happy with my choice.
• With Carter, I had no morning sickness, heartburn or even nausea. 
• This baby, so far, has a knack for the queasy, but I haven't thrown up... yet.
• It's good though, because I've also only gained like two pounds. 
• (Where is that belly already?)
• Carter doesn't know his world is about to be turned upside down.
• Everyone says it will be fine.  He and the new baby will be best buds.
• I worry, though.  I tell C all the time that I don't want Carter to be slighted.  I don't want him to ever feel like he's in second place or that we don't have time for him anymore. 
• He assures me he won't be. 
• I trust him.  Completely.

ahem. AHEM. Is this thing on?

There iz a baybe in ma belleh.  See?

Due September 2, but we all know how that goes.

Suggested

I just read this and it cracked me up to the point that I had to challenge Google, as well.  I honestly never paid attention to their "suggestions" before, but now... lawsie mercy.


All I typed was the word "why":

Wow, Google. Just wow.

Becoming a mom, derailed

I remember the first day that C left Carter and I and went back to work.  It was after the hardest week of my life, daily hour-away doctor appointments and more tears and less sleep than I ever imagined possible.  Thinking back, I don't know how I lived through it, except maybe on sheer adreneline.  He was mine, all mine.  The responsibility of changing all diapers, of soothing all cries, of holding him through every single nap.  But, that's when I became a mother.

I don't find motherhood easy.  I think keeping Carter by myself is exhausting work.  C says it's "fun!" but I can count the hours he has had Carter by himself on one hand.  Now that he's crawling (no, not walking yet- don't judge!), it's even worse.  Just when I settle into my nest on the couch, it's back up to retrieve him from the kitchen or the dog bowl or the laundry room.  It's keeping a watchful eye on his every move and knowing that if he's quiet.... he's up to something.  It's spotting that mystery item he's just put in his mouth, it's closing doors so he can't go further, it's making sure there are no cords or plugs or other electrical things he can get to.  It's hearing him scream when I take one of these forbidden treasures away.  It's is he hungry or is he sleepy or did he just shit himself?  Even after he goes to bed, I've got my ever-trusty monitor inches from my ear listening, even while trying to relax.  A few days ago, while in the midst of double-ear-infection-hell, I didn't wake up all night.  I woke with a full bladder at 6am startled that I hadn't heard him cry all night.  Was that the case or did I SLEEP THROUGH IT?  Oh the guilt. 

That's another thing about becoming a mother.  The guilt.  I feel guilty for being ready to stop breastfeeding, shouldn't I want to nurse til he's ready to quit?  I feel guilty for even THINKING about leaving him for a couple of hours to go do something for myself.  A movie?  A massage?  THE GUILT.  I feel guilty that he eats more snack food than real food.  I feel guilty that I work an hour away from home and that we spend two hours a day in the car.  I feel guilty though that he only gets a 45 minute nap on the way home most days.  I feel guilty that he doesn't get a bath every night (THERE I SAID IT).  I feel guilty that he's still drinking milk from a bottle and not transitioning to a cup.  I feel guilty that he isn't walking yet because it's probably my fault for HOLDING HIM TOO MUCH. 

No, I don't feel better for confessing.  I feel guilty for complaining.  And it pisses me off when I read about how mothers should "let go of the guilt".  Frankly, I think that's a cop out.  Going to get a massage won't make me a better mom, I'll just be sore because I couldn't relax over the GUILT.


Now that I've derailed my well-intentioned post straight into a brick wall of GUILT, I'm going to go take a breath.  Don't get me wrong, being a mother is the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to me and I wouldn't change a single solitary second.  I cannot imagine a life without Carter- does one even exist? 

New year, New adventures

I'm a frequent reader of I Heart Faces but have never participated in their weekly challenge.  Since this is their birthday week, what a better time to try my hand?  This week's theme is my "Best Face Photo". 

Here's a recent picture of my little guy... before it got too cold to go pantless!