Second Child Syndrome

I'm a younger sibling, so I get how these things work.  While many believe that the youngest is spoiled, which to some degree might be true, the second child also misses out on certain things too.  I, for one, have never let my mother live it down that I do not have a baby book!  So you would think that I would be all about being fair with my kids.  But it turns out I'm already behind!

For this pregnancy, I have not taken one belly picture yet and I am at 15 weeks.  My growing belly is no longer intriguing to me.  I've done this before, so why bother taking pictures again. I will post some belly pictures - next week, I promise. 

I also tend to forget which week I am on.  I swear with Eddie, I knew how many days I had left every day!  In fact, even as I typed week 15 above, I second guessed myself - am I really that far along? 

I also don't feel the need to talk about being pregnant all the time either.  With my last pregnancy, I couldn't read or talk about it enough.  This time I usually glance at the weekly emails from Baby Center to see how big the baby is and that's about it.

There are a few reasons for my lack of interest this time around (I don't know if interest is the right word, maybe attention).  First of all - I just went through this!  Literally!  This time last year I was pregnant.  It doesn't seem so far removed.  I don't feel like I need to read about it because I know what's going. 

Another reason is that I feel like I am far busier with Eddie than I was at work or school.  I am really focused on him and what he is doing (like nearly walking), so it really does take my mind off of being pregnant.  Although there are days that I sit on the couch and think "What are we doing?!  How can we have two so close together?!!!!"

My final reason is that I have been far sicker with this pregnancy.  And let's be honest, do people really want to read about how often I've thrown up or how many days it's been since I last threw up?  It's not really fun to talk about.  Sometimes just thinking about food makes me sick, so why would I want to write about it.  I have been feeling better this week, but I don't think I am out of the woods yet. 

Fortunately I know that just because I haven't been shouting from the roof tops about this pregnancy, doesn't mean that I am a bad mother or that I will love this baby any less.  My life has changed so much since the last time I was pregnant.  I am really cherishing and enjoying every minute that I have with Eddie while he is still an only child. 

But there is one thing that I know for sure - no matter what - this baby will have a baby book :-) (sorry Mom, I couldn't resist!)

Merry Christmas - 2010

I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas!  We went down to WI to my parent's house for Christmas this year.  You may recall last year we were supposed to go down there and due to the weather, we were unable.  I promised my mom that we would leave 2 weeks early to get there for Christmas this year.  We did end up leaving a bit early due to the weather, but only a few hours earlier.  It was a good thing too, because it started snowing on Thursday night when we were going to originally leave.

Christmas Eve we visited my Grandma.  A few of my cousins were also there along with my brother and his family.

Cousin Jamal, his wife Anna, Derek and Dad

Family picture

Picture with Grandma

Grandma carrying her two grandchildren - 40 + plus pounds!

Grandma, Jeanna, Uncas, Jeff, Jamal and Anna

We left cookies out on Eddie's behalf on Christmas Eve.

He woke up to this:

I gave him a couple of the cookie crumbs to eat.  He seemed to like them, but that was all the cookie I let him eat!  He enjoyed opening gifts in the morning, although he was a little overwhelmed by everything. 

Saffron helping unwrap presents

Eddie likes the pretty tree

Here are some more pictures from the day.

Snoopy hiding under the tree from Sammy

Mama and Sammy taking a little snooze on the couch

Eddie's favorite toy, but it wasn't a Christmas present!

Uncle Uncas and Saffron playing together

It was fun to see so much family over Christmas.  Santa and family was very good to Eddie.  He has lots of new toys to play with right now.  We need to take our Christmas tree down, so we have room for everything!!!

9 Months

Today my darling child is 9 months old!  Yesterday he had his check-up.  He currently weighs 20 lb. 14 oz. and is 28 and 1/4 inches long.  The doctor pronounced him healthy on all accounts.  He had to have some routine blood work done.  I was dreading it, but he didn't cry at all!  In fact he barely seemed bothered by it.  I think this will probably be the last time we get so lucky, but it sure made my day.  Here's what's new this month:

• Sleep!  This month was huge in this area.  We started doing some sleep training just after his 8 month mark.  At that time we started putting him down and having him fall asleep on his own.  He used to do this to some extent, but then we sort of got out of the habit and it was taking us longer and longer to put him down.  He cried for about 25 minutes the first night, 15 the second and now not at all.  And to top things off, he dropped his night time feeding.  We weren't going to give it up right away, but it just sort of went along with him falling asleep on his own.  It's glorious for all of us to sleep through the night!  He typically wakes up around 5:30 or 6.  Sometimes earlier, but we don't go into him until after 5:30.  He tends to fall back to sleep anyways.  
• In addition to sleeping through the night, he is down to 2 naps a day.  Usually he sleeps for about 2 hours in the morning and 1 hour and 30 min in the afternoon.  It can change, but one is usually a long nap, which is so nice for this Mama.  Plus, it's so much easier to schedule things during the day now that his napping is consistent.  I never thought we would get here!
• He's still crawling along like crazy, and pulling himself up on anything he can.  It doesn't have to be very stable and up he'll go.  He can also climb up the stairs.  During the day I typically let him climb up the stairs before his nap or diaper change.  It's great!
• I am amazed at how much he is starting to understand.  If I ask him about his books, he will crawl over to them and start flipping through them.  He also knows what "go upstairs" means and of course, he knows who Sammy is.
• Speaking of Sammy - their relationship is starting to change.  Eddie still loves Sammy as much as ever, but I don't think Sammy is quite as fond of Eddie.  I think partly because Sammy is cooped up inside due to this weather and partly because Eddie is still pretty rough with him.  They don't play together quite as much, but overall Sammy is still very tolerant of Eddie.
• The babbling is picking up more and more.  He can say Dada and Mama and BaaBaa, but he doesn't know what any of those things mean.  He also said something to Uncas the other morning that sounded like "I love you".  He babbles on and on and it's so darn cute.
• He remains a very happy baby.  He is pretty shy with strangers though, so many people think he is really serious.  
• He just started waving!  He literally started this yesterday.  This morning I showed Uncas.  Of course we make a big deal about it, so Eddie smiles like crazy while he is waving.  It is so adorable!!!

I am sure there are more things I am forgetting, but those were the highlights from the past month.  It's getting harder and harder to take his picture.  I am only doing these post for 12 months, so maybe by then he'll actually understand how to sit still.  Today I felt like I was talking to the dog because I kept saying "stay".  Needless to say, it didn't work too well!

Hey Santa!

I took Eddie to see Santa today at the mall.  I figured during the week there wouldn't be much of a wait.  I should have waited till a little bit later to go as there was a line when he first opened, but really it wasn't too bad.  Eddie was pretty intrigued by the mall and when it was his turn, he just stared at Santa.  No smiling, but no crying either.  I figured he wouldn't smile.  Even though he smiles constantly at home, when he is in strange surroundings with strange people, he becomes very serious.

Of course I bought one picture.  It was super expensive, but I figure I won't be buying them every year.  Here are a few that I took with my camera.

Not impressed with the mall.

What is going on?  Why am I here?

He was very interested in Santa's beard and even tried to touch it.

Santa - I would like a cheeseburger for Christmas.  No, wait, maybe that's what my dog wants for Christmas!

Christmas Part 1 or Snow . . . What Snow?!

This weekend we headed up to Duluth to celebrate Christmas with Uncas's family.  We left on Friday night which allowed us to help with Christmas donuts (one of my favorite traditions in his family) and eat them when they were really fresh and warm on Saturday morning! 

Eddie loves going to Grandma and Papa's because of the great big toy selection that Grandma has!  And there is also a big dog with very different fur that is fun to grab.
 

Playing blocks with Daddy

Aunt Abbie, Uncle Mike and Cousin Anna came over early afternoon.  Eddie and Anna ate Christmas donuts together - yum!

Eddie's first taste of a donut - he liked it!  A lot!

After donuts it was time to open stockings and presents.  Eddie got a little overwhelmed and spent most of the time on Papa's lap while his Mama and Daddy opened his presents.  He got lots of fun new toys and books!

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful.  We were without internet, so we really didn't know about the blizzard of the century going on down in the Cities.  Up by us - there was not one flake of snow falling the whole day!  Eddie wore his new Christmas pajamas to bed.

This morning we got up early and headed home early.  The roads were mostly clear until we got close to Minneapolis.  Then we passed the deflated MetroDome (I should have taken a picture) and then we pulled up to our house!

It's hard to see, but Uncas had to get out and shovel a path to the side door, so it could open.  Then I was able to take Eddie and Sammy out of the car and into the house.  The snow at the bottom of the driveway was way past my knees!  It was crazy!!!  Poor Uncas had to shovel and shovel and this was with our neighbor coming and helping snow plow our driveway!

Eddie watching Daddy shovel the snow

I took this picture for reference - see how high the snow pile is behind Uncas?!

Eddie and Sammy by the drift by our front door!  Sammy had trouble seeing over it!

Overall it was a very fun weekend.  Our new car handled great on the roads.  We couldn't have picked a better time to get this new car.  I would have been very unsure driving the Honda.

One final story about the weekend.  One of my favorite parts of the weekend was actually being able to see Eddie sleep.  When we put him to bed or down for naps, we close his door and typically don't check on him at all.  We can hear him over the monitor and he's a noisy sleeper (always has been).  But this weekend we were in the same room as him.  There is something so peaceful and beautiful watching your baby sleep.  It was so cute and precious.  Normally he is constantly moving at all times, but to just see him calm and peaceful was such a beautiful thing!

15 Months

I have been waiting and waiting to write this post.  I originally was going to wait until the Christmas cards were sent out, but that probably won't happen until next week.  And I am a pretty impatient person (although having a child really makes you learn patience whether you want to or not!)

As if this year hasn't been exciting enough - we informed Eddie this October that he will become a big brother in June 2011!  Yep, that's right - kid #2 is on the way!!!!  We are beyond excited to expand our family.  Here are some answers to some frequently asked questions:

1. Yes, it was planned.
2. The kids will be 15 months apart (hence the title of this blog post)
3. We are not going to find out the gender - stay tuned for a baby pool as it gets closer to June
4. We will not be sharing any name ideas, although suggestions are always welcome
5. I have been feeling like crap!  I have been way tired - more than I can ever remember.  And this time around I have been throwing up too!  
6. Yes, that is the #1 reason why we got a new car.
7. We are done after this, so no need to ask if we will be having more kids.  

So there you have it!  Nothing like ending this year with a bang!  

New Car

Yesterday I said good-bye to my little Honda :-(

But then I said HELLO to our new car!

It's hard to be sad when I love the new one so much!  And I am also very much in love with the remote start that we had put into the new car. 

But why keep this post all about cars.  Here are some other cute pictures from the week.

Daddy and Eddie taking a picture of themselves when they got up this morning.  They totally look alike!!!

Eddie loves this sippy cup!  You can kind of see his smile.

Sammy guarding a piece of his rawhide bone from Eddie!

Christmas Cutie

I really don't spend much money when it comes to Eddie's clothes.  I have a neighbor who gives me some hand-me downs and for the most part, I have been going the practical route of getting some plain onesies and a few pairs of pants.  We do laundry pretty often around here because of the cloth diapering, so we really don't need that many clothes. A few weeks ago I got a catalog from Red Envelope in the mail.  As I was flipping through it, I found the cutest pair of pajamas for a baby's first Christmas.  I would normally never spend the amount that I did on one pair of pajamas, but I couldn't resist.

I opened up the package immediately after they arrived.  I wanted to wash them first before trying them on Eddie, but he was playing with them, so I came up with a different way for him to wear them that afternoon.

Weekend Recap

This weekend Grandma and Grandpa B drove up from WI to baby-sit Eddie on Saturday.  Uncas and I did some new car shopping (more on that in another post).  We really had a fun weekend.  Eddie loved playing with Grandma and Grandpa.  And Mama and Daddy loved sleeping in.  We didn't take too many pictures, but here is one of my favorites!

We also spent some time taking a family photo for our holiday card.  After the cards have been sent out, I am going to do a post of some of the pictures that didn't make the card.  Those are probably more entertaining and interesting to look at than the one good picture.  I had each of my parents armed with a camera and the instructions to take as many photos as possible.  I knew that there would be at least one good photo of the 4 of us (Sammy's in it too!) and I was right.