Making a guess: Boy or Girl??

In one week, we find out if we are having a little boy or a little girl! I am so excited. I'm hoping that knowing the gender will somehow ignite a need within me to nest... or at least vacuum. Although, I think Jeremy would settle with me just simply picking up B's toys. We kinda all tripped over his Legos last night. Thankfully, we were also too tired to complain or point blame. I have a feeling I would have lost that one.

Anywho.

Jeremy and I decided that we are going to take Bradley with us to this appointment and in preparation I've been showing him his ultrasound pictures. He points and says, "Baby!" He loves babies. He also may think that there is a baby in his own belly. We are going with it at this point.

And while I am super excited to know for sure what we will be having, I am also 95% sure that it is a girl. You know, the "mother's intuition" and all. Ha!

Here's why:

1. She hates me more than Bradley ever did. See here. 
2. She doesn't seem to like to eat. I'm guessing she already has image issues and is trying to watch her weight. No need coming into this world 10 lbs, right?
3. The Chinese calendar shouts PINK!
4. I've been eating lemons like they are about to go extinct.
5. I'm loving all things sour.
6. Her heartbeat is slower than B's ever was.
7. I'm carrying higher than B.  

Now, don't get me wrong. I'll be equally as pleased if it's a boy. I have tubs of clothes and other boy things that will make our pocketbook quite happy. Plus, I've been doing this wild boy thing for a little while and it's a ton of fun.

However, I think it will be a little easier to further convince Jeremy that we aren't doing this again if he gets that little girl. If she's a redhead, I'll definitely get my way!

So here's to finding out what we are having! Countdown: 7 days!

What do you think? Girl or Boy??

Second Time Around

Going into this pregnancy, I knew a few of things:

1. I wanted a baby.
2. I hated being pregnant.
3. Pregnancy could be easier or it could be the same. Either way, it would be different to some degree.
4. Pregnancy would end.

What I didn't anticipate, was how much worse it would be or just how different my body would handle it.

Here's the thing. The second pregnancy is no joke. Your body goes from being pregnant for a second to being pregnant at 7 months in a matter of seconds.

By 10 a.m., I am ready for a nap. By 2 p.m., I am screaming for a nap. And at 9 p.m., I can't make myself fall asleep. At 11 p.m., I finally am about to fall asleep only to realize I have to pee. At 3 a.m, I have to get up again to pee. Then, at 7 a.m., I must wake up for the day. And this is every.single.night. Why must my body torture me so early???? I get it. I won't sleep with a new baby!! Please let me try to sleep before he/she shows up!! Geez...

Also, if you remember with Bradley, I suffered from SPD during my THIRD trimester. This time around... it hit at about 8 weeks. I was walking down the hallway one minute, then all of a sudden I wasn't. My hip came out of joint and I fell to the ground. I'm guessing by the time I get to the third trimester, they'll have me in a wheelchair.

My right, bottom rib... Yup, it's bruised for eternity.

My lower back?? You mean, it normally doesn't ache like this???

I've also got braxton hicks kickin' in slightly before they are needed,  pressure that is much like that of my child trying to push their way out prematurely, and a list of other things that Jeremy would say should not be put on the blog because it's too personal.

Oh! And then there are those lovely symptoms that I missed with Bradley. Bloody noses, arms and legs randomly going numb, the never ending headache, and, again, a list of other things that Jeremy told me to delete.

And so I have come to the conclusion that while Bradley may have been a parasite that slowly sucked the life out of me. This child is a flesh eating bacteria that is quickly eating me from the inside out. This one is a fighter and is determined to win over me. "Survival of the fittest," it taunts. This is also one of the reasons I think this child is a girl. She wants me to know that my reign as Queen is slowly coming to an end and I will no longer be "the fairest of them all."

Yup, she's going to destroy me.

Personality

My son is full of it.

After the last 4 months of struggling to lift my head and trying to decipher between Bradley's meltdowns and toddler babble in the middle, I have to say that this month has been such a fresh breath.

I'm not only starting to be able to rejoin society, but Bradley has really blossomed. He is now carrying on full conversations, able to express himself without fully melting down first, and letting us get a glimpse of his big and wild personality.

I am LOVING this stage. I spend most my day laughing, helping Bradley with his vocabulary, and watching him play pretend. It amazes me how fast his little mind can absorb the world around him.

Here's some funny stories to give you an idea of what our future holds:

 Watching synchronized diving on Olympics.

The other day Bradley and I were watching volleyball on the Olympics. All of sudden Bradley picks up my phone, puts it to his ear, and says, "Babble babble babble, Momma, babble, babble, babble, tv, babble, ball, momma, babble.... (laughs)... Buh-bye." Then, he hands the phone back to me.

Bradley HATES mess. He doesn't like it on his hands, shirt, feet, OR the ground. While washing dishes, Jeremy got some dish soap on the floor. Bradley immediately pointed it out to us and started to complain. I told him it was fine, not to worry, but he wouldn't let it go. So I handed him a paper towel, curious to see what he'd do. He knelt down, wiped up the mess with the paper towel, and, then, threw the towel away in the trash. Jeremy and I burst out laughing, cheered him for being so helpful, and then in unison said, "I could get used to this."

 Insisting on wearing my hat while saying "Roar!!!"

Bradley also hates bugs. To him, a dust bunny looks like a bug. He found a little one yesterday, picked up the nearest and largest toy he could find, and proceeded to beat the bunny until I intervened and picked it up. I'm really glad to know he'll protect me against the real bugs.

Bradley was riding his firetruck around the house. I asked him if he was getting the fire out. He immediately began to pretend he had a water hose and continued to ride around while going "Shhhhh" pointing his "hose" at all the furniture.  Once the fire was out, he continued riding while loudly cheering himself on.

 

Pretending to be Daddy.

 At lunch, Bradley decided to copy everything I did. If I took a bite of my sandwich, he took a bite. If I took a sip of my drink, he took a sip. (Apparently, I also go "ah!" afterward which he in turn copied.) When talking to him, I put my hand under my chin; he did the same to respond. I, then, decided it was time to get his pigges. He could do nothing, but laugh... And there isn't a purer sound than a toddlers laugh.

The following are two videos. Before I started recording, Jeremy decided to walk on the treadmill. This got all the dogs going crazy, which led to Bradley wanting to mimic them...and then he decided to mimic Jeremy.  H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S

Like I said, this stage in his development is really fun.