Let's Talk about Lucas

Lucas is changing before our eyes everyday and knocking down milestones like they stole something!

He is also teething ferociously and it makes for a sad, miserable baby some days and some nights.
He still needs a bottle most nights around 2-3 am--lucky me. Sleep training is going okay. About 4 out of 7 nights a week I can put him down totally awake and without fussing he knows what to do. Other nights he won't settle for anything less than holding him until we fall asleep together.  He is so different than Olivia in that department. Then and now she doesn't want to be bothered when she is tired or sleepy--just let her go and do her thing.

He says mama, bah bah, and dada--and it seems to be in context too! He loves screaming matches with his sister and finds her incredibly entertaining. Olivia can snap him out of any bad mood. She likes to rough play with him and I think his first words to her will soon be "stop"  or "no!"

He's trying to sit up on his own. Splashing and kicking like crazy in the tub. Grabbing and using his hands to put things in his mouth.  He's eating solids--but still won't open his mouth all the way for the spoon unless I play airplane with the spoon to get him to smile. He's also survived his sister shoving random food in his mouth at the dinner table (while we're looking away) that she doesn't like.

He is such a sweet sweet boy. Smiling and laughing all the time. Love him so much and feel so lucky to be able to experience parenthood a different way with another little one with a different personality.

Less Like a Newborn

At four weeks old, Lucas is looking less like a newborn and more like a little baby--and a mini version of his father...so much for my hope that he would take after his mama. :)

36 weeks

We had an OB appointment today and we learned a lot.

1. Baby Lucas is still due March 30--but could come early on his own.
2. Baby Lucas is still a boy (No April Fool's jokes or surprises on that one).
3. Baby Lucas is head down and to quote the doctor today "Whooah his head is right there! Very low! You must feel like you're carrying a bowling ball, huh?" Umm YES!
4. At 35 weeks, 6 days Baby Lucas is 5 pounds 13 oz and will be between 7 and 8 lbs by the time he arrives.
5. Baby Lucas is likely to come early but the doctor will not induce me a day earlier than 39 weeks--no matter what---and I'm okay with that.

Although, my back hurts and I feel beat up from the inside out from all of the movement AND I would love to see the little man--who seems to look just like Olivia from the 3D pics (btw)--after reading this article about babies born before 39 weeks from the Wall Street Journal today--I am in no hurry to speed up my comfort at the expense of his health. No thanks, I'll gladly suffer.

It's a mental game from here on out. I gotta be strong.

8-month Belly Pic

I haven't taken nearly as many pictures with baby number two---or even put in the effort into getting decent ones. It's too bad because I'm definitely carrying little Lucas differently than Olivia. Most of the weight gain has stayed in my belly area and I've even been able to wear my pre-pregnancy jeans with the help of a belly band which was an impossibility at even 5 months pregnant with Olivia.

Here's a pic of me over the weekend in my basic, comfy go-to H&M Mama maternity gear, white tee with puffy sleeves and black stretch pants.

I try to correct my posture and not waddle but can you see how my back hurts constantly? C'mon March 30th--4 weeks, 6 days! 

Lawd!

That's all I could think of to describe this post.

Good lawd, I'm tired and a lot is going on, but as you can see above--we're all doing our best to hold it together. I could only imagine if I were amidst grad school right now as I had planned.

Last weekend I co-hosted a baby shower for a dear friend. I must admit it was a lot to take on while pregnant and balancing a busy time at work and the needs of a 15- month old (and husband), but it was FUN nonetheless--AND Charm City Daddy was a big help--and scored BIG husband points.

Olivia's development and transition into toddlerhood continues to amaze me. What happened to my baby? She's so grown up. She has full conversations with us now, although we usually can only understand the first and/or last word in the phrase she says. Example...

Me: Olivia, are you ready for some breakfast?

Olivia: Eat? Eat? ah nah doli sheh sheh Nana?  (*Translation: Yes, can I eat a banana?)

Questions are answered with questions.  Commands such as "No Olivia, don't touch!" are repeated back to us "Nonononononono" while she backs away or most times (keeps doing the forbidden thing).

And most recently this week scolding gets a dramatic facial reaction with her head tossed back and her hands to cover her face while fake crying. This did not go over well at dinner out last night. We looked like those parents.

We still have a hard time holding back laughter at some of her antics. Like last night, Olivia was in the middle of begging for a sip of my water, when the waitress stopped by just to drop off appetizer plates and Olivia stopped mid-whine, turned around and said perfectly and politely, "Thank You!" to the waitress and then turned around to continue begging to me.  THAT was funny.

Overall her behavior is much improved over the direction it was heading for a while. We changed nannies recently for a number of reasons but mostly for O's need for structure and intentional teaching. More on the new nanny and that transition over the past 3 weeks later.

Meanwhile...I will tell you that the new nanny is Parisian and has a great sense of style and can braid O's hair (jackpot!). So now I come home to a mini-catwalk cutie.

I love the boots (a gift from mother-in-law), but they are already too small at size 5. We can't event zip them all the way up O's fat little calves. Last weekend we took O to Stride Rite kids shoe outlet where she attempted to pull every single box of shoes within her reach off of the shelves and I spent as much time chasing her and putting boxes back as I did searching for her size, and Charm City Daddy was yelling at me, "Babe, hurry up and let's get her OUT of here!" we found out she is a size 6 shoe! Is that not HUGE for a 15-month old?! I just find it baffling.

She takes after her mama, I guess. Big teeth. Big feet.

Speaking of big. I'm feeling big at just 21 weeks.  My baby belly is officially "beyond the boobs" and I'm find myself more stiff and uncomfortable than the first go-round of pregnancy with Olivia.  This pic was taken Oct. 24 (nearly 4 weeks ago) but you get the idea of my size--especially with those hypnotic stripes. Nice.

More to come on the new nanny, my new niece (coming soon this week, I HOPE),  Thanksgiving, and my toddler bed transition anxiety.

And CONGRATS to my Miss America pageant "pow" Madonna on the arrival of her new son Jack Ryan! Yeah!

I'm Pregnant with Baby #2!

Come April there will be a yet another baby in Charm City. We're pregnant!

 
Olivia is going to be a big sister, a 19 month-old- big sister.   I'm measuring about 12 weeks along now and the scan above is from the first trimester screening where it appears that baby #2 has the same nose as Olivia. Cute!

During the appt Charm City Daddy begged the sonographer to please show him between the baby's legs. After she informed him that the male/female parts had not yet formed to determine gender, she showed him what appeared to be a "larger than girly nub." CCD kept his promise not to buy any boy gear but he's not hesitated to tell anyone who will listen--"there's a nub! we saw a nub!" Poor baby #2.