Pregnancy update

Wow, updating the blog is a lot harder this pregnancy than last since I have a toddler to chase around.  

Things are going well here.  I am about to start the third trimester.  I can't believe how fast it is going this time.  My energy level has been great the last few weeks, but I know that is probably going to change here soon.  I am enjoying getting to feel this little girl move all the time.  She is much better at not moving at night than her sister was though so that helps me get lots of sleep.  I can't believe how different this pregnancy has been than the first was.  One of the main differences is that I am a lot smaller this time.  I started showing a lot sooner and got big quickly, and then I seemed to stop.  The doctor says I am doing great though (last time I gained a lot more weight than recommended).  Also, I'm not swelling as much yet so that is helping me be smaller (although some swelling did start the end of last week).  I decided to take a picture at 26 weeks (2 Saturdays ago) in the same outfit I was wearing for the 26 week shot with Lily.  The differences are amazing!

26 weeks first pregnancy

 26 weeks second pregnancy!

 Lily decided she wanted her picture taken too.

Important Lesson Learned

I have learned why I let my child go to sleep at 6pm and wake up at 6am. 

Last night Lily and I had our neighbor and her two kids over for dinner and to play.  Lily was a little tired, but having a blast playing so I just let her stay up.  She stayed up until 9pm!  That is 2-3 hours past her normal bedtime.  I then realized that meant I had 2-3 less hours to myself that evening.  Don't get me wrong, I love my daughter and being a mom and wouldn't do anything to change that.  But I have been spoiled by her going to bed so early and get to have my evenings to either myself or with Sean.  Last night I sat on the couch for a bit to read and watch tv like I normally do.  I then did a few dishes and before I knew it, it was almost 11:30!  I figured since Lily went to bed so late that would mean she would sleep in late so I stayed up another hour reading in bed.  When I finally decided to turn out the light and get some sleep, the thunderstorm started and kept me awake even longer (Lily slept right through it like she always does).  By the time I finally fell asleep it was almost 2:30.

So Lily normally gets up around 6 after 12 hours of sleep, so one would assume that since she went to bed at 9 that she would sleep 12 hours and get up around 9am right? Not the case.  Evidently going to bed 3 hours later only equates to 30 extra minutes in the morning.  Plus she is super cranky today.  She has had several meltdowns over little things (like the cat not wanting to sit on her lap while she watched her morning cartoons).  She has been rubbing her eyes which is normally a sign she is tired so I laid her down for a morning nap about 20 minutes ago.  While she isn't crying in her crib, she definitely isn't sleeping.  She is singing and playing with her stuffed animals.  At least she is content in there. 

I am probably extra cranky today too since I only got about 4 hours of sleep.  Good thing there is coffee.

So from now on I am going to let my child go to bed around 6 or 7 and enjoy my evenings so that we can enjoy the next day a little more too.

My daughter the Flower Child

Yesterday Lily and I were playing in her room when she got her headbands and flower berets out.  She put on the headbands as necklaces and then kept handing me berets and pointing to different spots on her head.  This is the finished look!

  

 Once she saw I was taking her picture she insisted she put her sunglasses on.  She is just a cute little diva!

Mine

So unfortunately the word "mine" has entered Lily's vocabulary.  She will say it when she wants something (particularly something she knows she shouldn't have), when she doesn't want us to have something, or when she really doesn't want to do what we are asking like putting her dolly back in the crib (dolly stays in her crib for the most part because she is very important to sleep with and we don't want to lose her).  Each of the different reason she says "mine" also have different intonations so you know just how important it is to her. 

She has also learned the color blue.  I am not sure if it is because she is just at the point of starting to learn colors, or because she absolutely loves the show Blues Clues.  Right now we have it on Netflix instant queue and she gets to watch it every now and then.

The pregnancy is going well.  Lily is still too young to understand what is happening.  Although I have asked her several times if she wants to share her old clothes with her little sister and she always says yes, if she wants to share her toys with her little sister and she always says yes, and if she wants to share her bedroom with her little sister and she typically says no.  Only once has she actually said yes.  She definitely loves being an only child right now and getting all the attention.  It is going to be a shock for her when her little sister comes.

I am 24 weeks pregnant today.  That is a big number to pregnant women.  That is the week in development where they say the baby starts having a chance to survive outside her mom if she would need to be delivered.  She would obviously still require lots of medical attention, but her chances have increased greatly.  There is no reason for me to believe that she is going to be delivered early, especially this early, but it is still a nice feeling to get to this milestone.

The sad news in our house is that we had to make the difficult decision to get rid of our dog, Selene, this week.  She never fully got used to Lily and never liked her being within a few feet of her.  She also started showing signs of food aggressions (something she had when we first got her, but Sean worked with her on) and we didn't want something to happen to our very curious toddler that always wanted to be around Selene when she was eating.  I was also afraid of having another child and not being able to monitor Lily and Selene as closely as I can now.  It is definitely hard to deal with but we know it is for the best for our family and for Selene.  She needs a home that she can be comfortable in and not always having to worry about little kids sneaking up on her.  She also needs someone that can provide her with lots of exercise to help her get rid of some of her energy.

Its a...

GIRL!

That is right, we are having another girl.  I'm so excited.  She was being shy during the ultrasound today though and kept covering her face so we didn't get all that many great pictures, but we did get the one that matters :)

It will be great to have another little "doll" so I can dress her up and play with her hair, especially since Lily has become very opinionated about her outfits and how her hair is done.

Hopefully by the end of the weekend we will be able to scan the ultrasound pictures into the computer so that I can get some up on the blog.

Off to bed now to dream about what it will be like with two little girls!

Park

Lily and I found a cute little park close by on Monday with my mom.  There were a lot of things that she was still too little to do there so we will be able to go there for many years to come.  It isn't within walking distance, but is only like a 5 minute drive.  There are baseball and soccer fields, an open grassy area, pond, walking trails, and a fun playground.  We went in the morning since it has been so hot and I am glad we did because the playground was completely shaded by some trees.  Unfortunately the playground is mostly metal so I'm not sure how hot it would get in the afternoon sun.  Here are a few of her favorite things to do there.

She also learned how to make a cool sound on the merry-go-round

Pictures

 Enjoying corn on the cob. 

 Big smile!

 Being goofy.

 Way too much energy for breakfast time.

(The above pictures are a little old and she no longer sits in her highchair to eat.  She now sits on a real chair at the table!)

 Looking more and more like a little girl and less and less like a baby.

 At the zoo.

Out to lunch for father's day.