Sparky Update - 17 Weeks

I had a doctor's appointment Tuesday, so I thought a Sparky update was in order.  All is well - heartbeat was 150 (chick heartbeat per my doctor - you may remember Jack's was a "chick" heartbeat at the beginning too).  We got an ultrasound, so we saw Sparky's arms moving all around!  Baby is getting big already!

I had a little scare Monday morning - I ran back into the house to grab something and my heel slid on the hardwoods.  I wiped out!  I landed hard on my knee (luckily not my belly!).  I was worried about Sparky so I called the doctor, but because I wasn't spotting and my appointment was scheduled for the next day, I opted not to go in.  I was a nervous Nelly for those 24 hours, but all is well!


During the ultrasound, Sparky was spread eagle for all to see, so the doctor was trying his best (and succeeding) in keeping our view away from the important part that we didn't want to see.  But then, as he flipped the machine to 3D mode, we caught a very quick full frontal glimpse.  Jason and I both think we saw a penis, but to our untrained eyes for that quick second, we really aren't sure.  We're still operating under the assumption that baby's gender is a surprise, and we'll find out in September if we were right at 17 weeks.


Here's a belly picture at 17 weeks - getting big already!

Here was 17 weeks with Jack:

What a difference a 2nd pregnancy makes!


Quick update about me: I'm feeling almost back to normal these days.  The nausea was not nearly as bad this time around, but lasted a bit longer (I was still feeling it a couple days a week at 15 weeks or so).  I'm still pretty tired, but have gotten some of my energy back.  Some nights I make it to my old bedtime (9:30 or 10:00 - I know, I'm a night owl!), but some nights I'm pooped and ready for bed as soon as Jack goes down at 8:00.  I haven't really had many other symptoms yet, aside from my first bout with heartburn last night.  I took 2 Tums and it quickly went away, so nothing to grouch about (yet!).  Enjoying the 2nd trimester!!

Bath Time

In the last couple of weeks Jack suddenly converted from a bath-lover to a boy who despises them.  Out of the blue he started refusing to even sit down and screamed the whole 2 minutes it took for Jason and me to tag-team frantically washing and holding him to prevent falls.  It's been rough!


I guess I mentioned this to my sister and she came to the rescue!  Tonight Jack received in the mail 3 new bath toys:

What a lucky guy!  Turns out it worked too!  We had an excellent bath tonight, and he wanted to take his fishing rod to bed with him.  That was a little risky with the plastic rope, so I traded him for a Thomas bath squirter instead.

Thanks Aunt Kelly!!

Update Through Pictures

Not a lot to update on, so I will just show you what we've been up to through pictures.

First, here is Jack relaxing with Daddy.  We're not sure where he picked up this little mannerism, but it's his favorite way to watch TV.

 I've gone on a bit of a Craigslist rampage of late.  It started with my search for a little plastic outdoor slide for Jack for the summer.  I found this (it WILL be an outdoor slide, just hasn't been moved there yet):

Before I found the slide, I came across this guy for a mere $35, so we decided Jack MUST have it.  Right now it's in Cyndi & Todd's basement, but Jack is loving it!

Jack put on a little fashion show for us last weekend.  He's really into his new rain boots, and he apparently liked his hats that day too.

Here are some more pictures from tumbling - we've gone 3 times now and it's been just as fun each time.


Brave guy trying the balance beam on his own:

 Jumping on the springboard:

Trying out the bar:

This is Jack when he was "sick" a few weeks ago.  This was the night I decided he was feeling better.  Look at that mess!!

Tumbling!

We started tumbling class tonight! Melissa and I signed Addi and Jack up for tumbling class at the YMCA. Turns out the two of them plus Melissa's friend from work's daughter Lily are the only three in the class (Lily wasn't there tonight though). We missed week 1 due to Jack's bronchitis, but made it tonight, and boy was it fun!! Jack and Addi just ran all over the place loving it! There are mats everywhere, a balance beam to walk on, a bar to hang on, a cheese mat with steps and a tunnel to crawl through. What more can a kid ask for?? They had a ball! I can't wait for next week!

Crawling through the tunnel:

They LOVED the cheese mat!

Rolling!

And sliding!

And a couple videos - fun times!!

Cured!!

All is right in Jack's world again. Daddy got home, and Jack was so excited to see him when he got up from his nap. He hasn't been fussy since! Apparently our little guy was missing his daddy. So glad he's feeling better!!

Sick Boy

Jack's had a bit of rough week. The week before last, he started coughing a little bit, then last weekend it got worse. Monday morning he woke up with vomit in his bed from coughing so much - the first time he's ever vomited!! Monday evening he had a low fever and Tuesday morning he woke up with a temperature of 101.8. We took him to the doctor that day and they said he had bronchitis. Luckily there's an antibiotic for that! Tuesday and Wednesday were pretty rough - just a fussy, irritable little guy, and he also refused to eat. Thursday day care said "he was his normal, happy self - you wouldn't know he's been sick." But then Thursday night he was up from 10:00pm until 2:00am, including more vomiting from coughing (all over Mommy this time)!! Wow - Friday was a sleepy day at work for Mommy and cranky day at Grandma & Grandpa's for Jack. I think he's feeling better now because he's started eating again, but all weekend he's still had quite a few bouts of fussiness. Just not his normal self yet!! Hopefully soon!

We're looking forward to Daddy getting back home from his boys' weekend in Springfield. Hopefully that will make the little man a bit happier too!

Fletch Lives!

The sequel to Fletch is in production!! Jack's going to be a big brother!

We had a check-up today and I'm 12 weeks along, tentatively due on September 6th (in my three appointments I've moved from September 13 to September 14 to now the 6th, so I'm not holding my breath yet on this new earlier date). Baby is doing great, and Mommy's doing pretty well too! I generally have bouts of nausea on my way home from work and for some or all of the evening, but nothing unbearable. I've vomited only once, and that was on a plane during a long day of travel home from Argentina, so can't entirely be blamed on pregnancy. My biggest complaint is how tired I am! Jack and I pretty much share a bedtime of 7:30 right now. Last week I had a conference call with Asia at 8:30pm and I literally had to set my alarm to wake back up to take the call. Yikes - that's pathetic!! I'm hoping I get my energy back in the next few weeks - I'm getting way behind on my shows!

My belly is already growing - much faster than last time! Depending on what I'm wearing, you can tell I'm starting to round out. Luckily I've avoided maternity clothes so far, but I have spent several days and nights with my pants unbuttoned. Only a matter of time before I make the big switch to elastic waistbands!

We have decided to be surprised once again by the gender (sorry Lisa!), and sticking with our Chevy Chase theme, this baby will henceforth be known as Sparky (until baby is born, at which time baby will receive a real name). Speaking of names, while we haven't even had a single discussion on that topic yet, when we do, I think we're going to keep that quiet this time - I had a few instances of negative responses to our names last time, which are unfortunately forever ingrained in my brain.

Here is Sparky as of today! Big already just like his/her brother!

18 Month Pictures

Jack turned 18 months this week, and we got his pictures taken on Saturday. He cooperated a little better than he did at 12 months (Jason and I didn't have to be in them with him, which is an improvement). There weren't a lot of smiles, but he did start to open up after awhile. The photographer already posted a sample on Facebook for us, so I'm sharing them here. I'm happy with them!







Such a big boy!!

Way Behind!!

This post is way behind - it's been 3 weeks since my last post, and a lot has happened in those 3 weeks. The biggest thing, and my main excuse for not posting, was my work trip. Last week I went to Pergamino, Argentina for 5 days to visit one of our plants. It was a great trip - I had never been there, and I got to meet a lot of people that I work with regularly on the phone and via email. We had a lot of good meetings. BUT it felt like I was gone for SO long - I was missing my little guy like crazy. I'm not sure if it's because I was so far away or what, but boy, I was homesick! Jason and Jack picked me up at the airport and I cried like a little baby when he ran up to me and gave me a big hug. A little embarrassing when the two people I traveled with (including my boss's boss) were there to witness it! Ah well.

Also, Jason bought a new boat! Several weeks ago, he was going fishing and the roads were slick with snow, which resulted in this:
Jason and his friend were uninjured, but it was a sad day in our household. Turns out the boat and trailer were totaled. SO Jason's been on the hunt for a new boat since that day and he found one yesterday, just in time for the warm weather we're supposed to get next week. All is right in his world again.

Let's see, what's new with Jack. Well, while I was gone, St. Louis got the crazy sleet/snow storm, which kept Jason busy plowing (he worked for 29.5 hours with almost no break!!). As a result, Jack spent an unexpected 3 days at Grandma & Grandpa Lang's house. We're lucky we have the grandparents in town and willing to help us out (Jason's family was ready to help too)!

We've played with the neighbors a few times (Nathan and Addi). Jack LOVED Nathan's ride-on train - we struggled getting him to take turns with the other kids.
Jack is talking more every day and just amazes us with how smart he is! He is starting to really like Thomas and really just anything to do with trains. Today we were leaving Target and he started "woo woo"ing like a train out of the blue. Well, I thought it was out of the blue until I realized there was a train off in the distance blowing its whistle. Man, the kid is smart!

Here is raiding our kitchen cabinets:Wearing a pillowcase - silly guy:
Watching a movie (Thomas, of course) on Mommy & Daddy's bed:
Notice the crossed legs and the hand glued to the remote.

17 Months, Snow & Fun!

Jack turned 17 months old on Monday. He's growing up so fast!! He is really starting to talk a lot now. He says a lot of words and repeats a lot of what we say! He's going through a fun phase where he hits and pulls hair when he doesn't get his way. We're working on righting that ship ASAP! He also has decided that about 50% of the time, he's going to completely revolt against diaper changes, so that has become a two-adult task a lot of the time. Other than those things, he is absolutely perfect. He is quite a charmer, always smiling and flirting with people in stores and restaurants. He loves to give hugs and kisses. He plays great with his friends, especially Addi, who we have been spending a lot of time with.

He loves day care these days and I have to fight him to put his coat on when it's time to leave. He does the same thing when we leave Grandma & Grandpa's house on Mondays and Fridays. It's a bit of a bruise to Mom's ego that he never wants to go home with me, BUT I am so grateful that he is in such good hands while we work!!

We celebrated our day off on MLK day with a trip to Creation Station at the Museum of Transportation. Melissa and Addi went with us, and we had a lot of fun! That place is great for kids their age - LOTS of fun stuff to play with.
We also got about 10" of snow Wednesday night/Thursday, which led to an unexpected day at home for Mommy. Here's a picture of Jack demonstrating how deep the snow was - where did his legs go??I had to put him in the snow for him to play in it - not sure what to think yet.



Today we finger painted with pudding - another fun idea from my friend Alison. Her daughter Giana is 2 days older than Jack so we like to compare ideas. Jack loved it and especially loved eating the "paint."Jack's friend Addi got a new computer for Christmas and he loves it so we used some Toys 'R Us rewards coupons and got him his own - hopefully he'll keep his little hands off our laptop now (not likely!!).