Well, We Had a Good Run

We made it to just over 25 months without a single ear infection.  I don't know why, but I was always stupidly proud of that.  I know it's weird to take pride in something like that, but I can be a little weird so I did.

Well, that came to a crashing halt yesterday.  Actually it started almost two weeks ago.  On Thursday the 18th we had a bad night with the little dude.  There was screaming/shrieking and tantrums in the middle of the night.  No fever, though.  After a dramatic 90 minutes he went back to sleep and was back to normal in the morning.  The following Tuesday (the 23rd) we had a repeat performance.  Again it was 90 mins or so with him being inconsolable.  He wouldn't say what hurt and he still didn't have a fever.  Again he was back to normal in the morning and was fine the rest of the week.  I kept checking to see if his molars are coming in since I couldn't find any other reason for this sporadic crankiness.  No teeth.

This past Sunday he had a great day. We went to the park, he played with us outside, he took a decent nap - all was good.

Until night time.

We went to put him to bed around 8:30. He went down fine, but I could hear him playing in there while I folded laundry.  At 9:15 he was shouting and crying.  I gave him some motrin (still thinking teeth). He still wasn't calming.  While J was rocking him he drank a bunch of water and then got himself so worked up that he puked all over both of them.  Awesome.  Eventually he got calmed down and we got him in the crib at 10:30 and headed to bed.

Right before midnight he was screaming and crying. I went down and changed him and rocked him, getting him back to sleep by 12:30. I headed back to bed, but between J's snoring (for which he was poked several times) and 2.0's midnight acrobatics I wasn't falling back to sleep.  At 1:55 Andrew was back up so I grabbed my phone and charger, turned off the alarm and headed down for what I figured would be the long haul.

I got his blanket out of the dryer (it had to be washed again after the puking earlier), got some tylenol and went to get him.  We rocked and I had him back in the crib around 2:10.  I decided to just stretch out in the recliner in his room so see if I could doze off.  I did for maybe 5 mins before he started crying again at 3:03.  He wouldn't settle with me in the recliner so I took him into the guest room (soon to be his room) and tried to see if I could get him to sleep with me in that bed. No dice.  I have no idea how the eff people can bedshare with a toddler.  For the next two hours we tried every position but neither of us were sleeping.  Occasionally he would whimper "duck" or "blanket", both of which he already had.  I was at a loss.

J came and took him at 5:12 (he had also been awake for most of the night) and told me to go lay down and try to get a little sleep.  He had already sent his boss a message letting her know he wouldn't be in.  I did get about 90 mins of sleep before my alarm went off at 7:30. When I went back downstairs they were still in the recliner and Andrew still was fussing.  I gave him a motrin and within 5 minutes he was passed out.

I sent daycare a text letting them know he would be out and I rocked my poor sad munchkin for 10 mins before putting him back in the crib.  He fussed for a second and passed back out.  I called the doctor and got him an appt for 11:15, emailed my boss and a few coworkers to let them know what was going on, and got a couple hours of work done.

At 10:45 we woke him up and got him dressed for the doctor. He wouldn't eat but was thirsty. This time I rationed the water so he wouldn't puke again.  On the way to the doctor I was silently praying for an ear infection just so we would have something definitive that we could treat and fix.  I wanted there to be a reason that he's been freaking out some nights.

Well, I got my wish.  Big time.  He has a double ear infection including a burst eardrum in his right ear.  When she said that I almost cried.  I felt like the absolute worst mom in the world for not bringing him in sooner and making him suffer.  He never ran a fever (still didn't have one at the doctor) and was perfectly normal the days and nights between his episodes.  If he had had two bad nights in a row I would have been more inclined to call, but I don't want to be the parent who calls the doctor over every little thing, so I didn't.

With prescriptions for ear drops (for the burst eardrum ear) and an oral antibiotic for both ears we were out the door.  We gave him his first doses and Andrew spent the rest of the afternoon curled up on the couch being sad and snoozing.

He didn't want to eat, but he would drink some water.  After about a 3 hour nap on the couch he woke up and gave me a little grin. My heart soared when he asked for a fruit pouch (applesauce) and hungrily sucked it down.

The motrin got him back to acting like our little spazz, but it was obvious when it wore off.  During his bath he got some tylenol and after about 30 mins you could see when that kicked in. He was all over the place last night and wanted to play - I guess to make up for not being able to play all day.  I got him to bed at 9:30 and said a silent prayer that we would all get some sleep.

I'm happy to say that he made it through the night and didn't need anything until 6:15 this morning.  Since he's back to acting like himself he was able to go to daycare today (I gave him his antibiotics this morning and Andrea has his tylenol in case he needs it around lunchtime).

I'm hoping the antibiotics work fast and that he's back to 100% soon.  Sick munchkin makes for a very sad mommy.

So yeah, we had a good run while it lasted. It would be nice if we could make it another 25 months before we deal with that again, but that might be asking a lot.

He's Obsessed (and 22 Weeks)

It is official - this kid is obsessed.  With the light switches.

Now  that he is tall enough his mission in life seems to be to turn on every single light switch that he can reach.  It's somewhat comical - and somewhat annoying.  The comical part is his excitement when he gets one turned on. He'll clap and say "Yay!".  The annoying part is his whining if he can't get it turned back off.  If he's wearing shoes he can reach and get them turned off. If he's just in socks he can't quite get up there.  Then begins the whining and crying.  Yay.

I guess there are worse things that he could be doing so I shouldn't complain.  And if playing with the light switches keeps him occupied long enough for me to get dinner on the table, I'll take it.

It's funny what entertains these toddlers, huh?

On to this week.

How far along? 22w0d and the size of a papaya. According to my little app he's ~10.5 to 11.8 inches and 12.7 to 20.8 ounces.  I'm guessing he's right around a pound..  He should be sleeping in cycles by now - around 12 to 14 hours a day.

Weight loss/gain:  +18 lbs.  I'm still depressed about the speed with which the weight seems to be piling on. Especially since it doesn't seem to be showing in my belly all that much.  I need to get my eating in check and get my ass on the treadmill.

Maternity clothes: Some.  I'm still mostly wearing regular shirts, but have been sporting maternity jeans and some work pants just for comfort.

Symptoms:  The ever present cement bowel, I had some cramping/tightening in my belly this week and this morning had a fun wake up call with a giant charlie horse 5 mins before my alarm was going to go off.

Sex (of baby):  It's a BOY!!!

Name: Still haven't talked about it. Is that weird?

Sleep: Sleeping sucked earlier this week and was exacerbated by Andrew being up for an hour shrieking on Tuesday night (still not sure what that's about).  Luckily sleep has been much better the past couple nights. I was exhausted.

Best moment this week? Honestly nothing happened this week.

Movement: Getting to feel it more now, and J actually felt kicks last Saturday morning (so at 21w1d).

Food cravings:  Veggies and fruit.

Belly button in or out?  In

What I miss?  A run that doesn't suck.

What I'm looking forward to?  Everything finally being out in the open at work. Yes, that's right, my boss still doesn't know.  We have my company picnic tomorrow so I'll be dropping that bomb then. Yikes.

Milestones:  Nothing.

What I'm nervous about:  Just how much weight I'm going to end up gaining and how hard it will be to get it off. Oh, and having to go to the beach and the pool this summer while feeling like a beached whale.

Here I am this morning.  I didn't realize how unflattering this shirt is until I looked at the picture. Oh well.

What We'll Be Doing ALL Summer

Since I will be a whale during the fun  summer months with 100+ degree heat indices and 90+% humidity I decided that maybe we should find some indoor activities that the munchkin and I can do.  I know we'll be going to our friend's pool and probably the beach, but being in a swimsuit while pregnant is already giving me anxiety so I wanted some other options as well.

Our first option, and what I plan on using a LOT to justify the $150 family membership, is the South Carolina Aquarium.  It's not as big and impressive as the aquariums in some other cities, but it's right downtown, has some free parking, and (most importantly) it's air conditioned.

This past Saturday the weather was sucky, so we decided to head down there and see about getting a membership.  I could've just gotten an individual one since Andrew is free, but J said he would want to go some, too. So $150 it is.

We walked in and the first thing is this big tank:

He hopped out of the stroller yelling "Fish!!" and ran up to it (we probably should have strapped him in!).  He stood there for a good five minutes watching the different fish and laughing.  Finally we dragged him away and went up the escalator to the next exhibit.

At the top of the escalator was this bald eagle:

Eagle is one of the animals in his 100 animals book so he stood there saying "Eagle!" and "Bird!" over and over again.   Then we headed into the next exhibit.  Andrew looked at some of the fish, but was more interested in climbing on and jumping off of the ledges:

He did let daddy point out some fish and show him the otters:

He wasn't impressed with the albino alligator, but I thought he was pretty cool:

We headed outside to the aviary area and outdoor tanks.  It was a little chilly and I had a fear of being pooped on by the birds out there, but we hung out for a little bit.  Andrew just wanted to climb:

He did look at some fish and turtles, though:

We went into the ocean exhibit to show him the big tank and try to find some sharks.  He wasn't overly interested:

He did kind of like the big turtle:

By this point I felt like we were losing him.  You can only expect a 2 year old to be interested in something for so long and we'd been there for about 90 minutes. Before we left we did a quick walk through of the Madagascar exhibit.  He loved the lemurs and I think he would have stayed there watching them hop around and walk on ropes for an hour if we let him:

All in all it was a successful visit and it gave us something to occupy our toddler on a cold rainy day.  My plan is to take him there at least once a month while we have our membership (it costs $24.95/visit so four more visits with just me and Andrew recoups the cost of the membership).  I figure on Saturday mornings while J is out riding his stupid bike (I hate that hobby) the munchkin and I can hit up the farmer's market downtown and stop by the aquarium sometimes.  Anything to get this pregnant lady out of the heat and keep my rambunctious toddler occupied!!

21 Weeks - Time Is Flying

I'm in denial about how far along I am.  To be honest I am freaking the eff out that I am already 21 weeks.  I've started having the "What the hell were we thinking??" thoughts again, and I feel guilty about that.  Two kids just seems like a really big deal.  I'm sure I was scared like this when I was pregnant with Andrew, too, but it seems scarier with two kids.  I guess it's because I already feel like I have very minimal free time and soon it will be non-existent.

I know I can help this by preparing and asking for more help, but I suck at asking for help.  And really I feel like I should have to ask J for help, he should just DO things.  But that's my issue and it's one that will have to be dealt with so I don't go crazy once 2.0 is here.

Tell me that we weren't crazy for deciding to have a second child. Tell me we'll be ok and that everything will fall into place once he's here.  Even if it's a big lie  ;)

Anyway, enough of my whining. On to this week.

How far along? 21w0d and the size of a pomegranate. According to my little app he's ~10.5 inches and 12.7 ounces.  According to my A/S he is ~15 ounces.  Oh, and his digestive system is working and he's already producing meconium.  Eww.

Weight loss/gain:  +16 lbs.  I'm having a very hard time with this.  My self esteem is kind of in the toilet this week and I just feel fat.  I know I need to get over it and it's all for a good cause, but I don't feel good about it.

Maternity clothes: I have started wearing some of my maternity work pants because my regular ones don't have much give and were getting really uncomfortable.  I still have a few pairs I can wear, though.  I'm wearing maternity jeans today but am still wearing regular shirts.

Symptoms:  The lovely constipation that I get to deal with for 9 months.

Sex (of baby):  It's a BOY!!!

Name: Not one bit of progress on this.  Maybe we'll talk about it this week?

Sleep: Sleeping well for the most part. Last night was rough, but that was due to Andrew.  I'm tired today.

Best moment this week? Finally getting to see our little guy again at the anatomy scan on Tuesday.  It seems like it had been forever since we had a visual and it was great to get to see him looking like a baby.

Movement: Due to another anterior placenta I'm not feeling a ton of movement, but it's there.  Still mostly down low below my belly button.

Food cravings:  I just always want to eat (which isn't helping the weight gain).  I'm trying to snack on fruits and veggies instead of candy and sweets.

Belly button in or out?  In

What I miss?  Feeling good about myself.

What I'm looking forward to?  Nothing else really big coming up.  I'm thinking of taking Andrew to the aquarium tomorrow since the weather is supposed to be iffy, so I'm looking forward to that.

Milestones:  I don't know - 21 weeks?

What I'm nervous about:  It's not really that I'm nervous about it, but I'm really not looking forward to the extended pumping at work again.  I'll do it because it's what's best for this little guy, but pumping at work blows.

Here I am this morning.  I seem to have popped a bit this week.

A Little Comparison

Even though I want the speed of this pregnancy to slow down I cannot wait to see what this little guy looks like.  Will he have his big brother's blond hair and blue eyes?  Or (more likely) will he have his mom and dad's darker features?  Will he come out like Andrew did, a mini-me of his daddy?  Or will I actually get something in there this time??

I know we still have a little ways to go until these questions can be answered, though.  So in the meantime I'll just do a little comparison of my boys at this age:

What do you think?  Do they look alike?  :)

Time To See Our Little Guy Again

Yesterday afternoon at 2:30 I had my anatomy scan for this pregnancy.  It was slightly anti-climactic since we've known for eight weeks what we are having, but it was still exciting since it had been 11 weeks since we had a peek inside.  Back then he was just a little blob so I couldn't wait to see him again.

I was also nervous because I really just wanted to find out that everything is ok in there and to get a clean bill of health for our little 2.0.  I've only been feeling sporadic little thumps and I don't have a home doppler so my appointments are the only time that I get confirmation that things are ok.

When we got in the u/s room I hopped up on the table and Kelsey, our tech, squirted the warm goo on my belly. As soon as the wand hit my belly he popped right up on the screen and yay! This time he actually looked like a baby!

She confirmed that yes, he most definitely IS a boy - not that the chromosomes would lie:

It turns out I do have an anterior placenta (again) so that's why I've been feeling minimal movement so far. I do feel him down low, but it's still pretty sporadic.

She started checking all of his measurements, including his little legs:

She even got his little feet:

Then she seemed to be spending a lot of time getting measurements on his heart.  I got a little concerned because I don't remember her spending this amount of time on Andrew's heart, but as she took each picture she assured us that everything looked great and just how it should.  Everything was closed where it should be  and was perfect.

She got a couple pictures of his profile:

And him putting his little arm up by his head:

It was like he was saying "Oh, this is such a rough life."

She also looked at his spine and that looked perfect as well:

He has that big old belly and a tiny little butt. Kind of like his big brother  :)

With all of his measurements he was coming in at an estimated weight of 15 oz and was measuring 5 days ahead.  Yikes!  Slow down little dude!

After we were done with the u/s I met with my doctor (J had to leave since we waited 30 mins). She looked over all of the pictures and confirmed that everything looked perfect.  I scheduled  my next appt for May 14th. That will be just another boring one and then the one after that will be the glucose test one and then we move to every 2 weeks.  OMG. This pregnancy is flying by and it's freaking me out.  At least now we know that our second little guy is healthy and that things are right on track.  Such a relief...

Weekend Getaway

This past weekend we took a little trip north to Brevard, NC so that J could take part in a bike race with some friends.  Last year he went by himself, but this year we decided to make a little family trip out of it.  We left our house at 9:45 AM Friday morning and got on the road.  I was worried about how munchkin would do for four hours in the car when I knew he wouldn't be napping. Turns out that with a little Disney Jr. and some books and snacks he was perfectly fine.

We got up there around 2:30 and found the house that we had rented with some friends.  It was very old and the floors were a little uneven, but it was perfect for what we needed it for. We made a Wal-mart run (we had forgotten to bring our fans that we use to sleep at night) and then tried to get munchkin to take a nap. No go.  I rocked with him in the recliner in the living room for a while, but he wasn't going to sleep. We gave up and played in the yard for a while until our friends got there.

We decided to go out to dinner and I was afraid it was going to be a trainwreck.  Especially since it took us quite some time to find a place without a long wait (the small town was a little overrun with the 1000+ cyclists in for the race).  Eventually we found a little place with no wait (Marco Trattoria) and were seated. Looking at the menu I was worried that Andrew wouldn't eat anything, but then I saw the kids menu with a mini cheese pizza included. Perfect.  We had a nice relaxing evening sitting outside eating our delicious meals and Andrew chowed down on his pizza:

We finally got him in bed at almost 10:00 and I turned in shortly thereafter.

I had hoped he would sleep in on Saturday, but at 7:37 he was up and at 'em.  I got him up and we hung out with J and the other guys before they headed to the start of the race (only a few blocks from the house).  We played in the back yard for a while and then I decided we would walk downtown so I could find some coffee.  Unfortunately we had forgotten to put the little umbrella stroller back in the car when we were packing it up the day before, which meant I was going to attempt a "quick" walk with a two year old.  Yeah, there is no such thing as a quick walk with a toddler  :)

We made it to downtown only to find that the one place I was thinking of didn't open until 10:00 (it was 9:45) and I think it was actually just a coffee roaster place that sold bags of coffee, not served it.  Damn.

So we walked up Main St past some more stores in search of coffee.  One of them was this cool little toy store with these nutcrackers outside:

We didn't go inside right then, but we did later.  Eventually I found a little bakery that served coffee.  I got a mocha latte for me and a peanut butter chocolate chunk cookie for Andrew.  I decided we better head back towards the house since I hadn't told Angela where we were going.  About a third of the way back Andrew stopped and said "Hop on!", which is his way of telling me he wanted to be carried.  So I was carrying my coffee and the cookie bag in my left hand and carrying my 30 lb toddler on my right hip with that arm.  Not an easy task.  After a while I had to set him down and he promptly demanded "More cookie!".  I gave him a piece, he popped it in his mouth and then lifted his arms and said "Hop on!" again. Ugh.  I got us back to our street before setting him down and telling him my arm hurt and he had to walk the rest of the way. Thankfully he listened and happily walked until we saw a cat at the neighbors house:

I was silently praying that it was a friendly cat and not going to claw my kid's eyes out as he followed him around saying "kitty!" and petting him.  The kitty was very patient and didn't even seem to mind the cookie crumbs that Andrew was leaving on his back as he petted him.

We got home and hung out for a bit before we headed back downtown to meet the guys after the race (this time we drove).  He was excited to see daddy and we hung out while the guys ate their lunch after the race.  Then we headed home and we were able to get him to nap. I was exhausted and napped while he did.

That evening we headed to another cool little restaurant downtown (The Square Root) for some dinner. This time he didn't do so well with the eating and barely touched his grilled cheese or sweet potato chips. We took them to go and headed to this little lounge place (The Phoenix) for some drinks and relaxing.  There was a little area in the corner with couches and a table and games.  Andrew was entertaining himself playing with Connect 4 and we started a game of Uno.  After a while J and I took him home and Jay and Angela stayed to hang out.

We had an easier time getting him to bed that night and watched a movie once he was down.  Yesterday morning I woke up to a bloody nose, which was not cool.  Once Andrew was up we fed him some breakfast and packed up the car. The first stop was a manual car wash to de-poo the car that the birds had used as their private bathroom the day before.  Andrew loved it:

Then we headed for Looking Glass Falls for a little sightseeing before heading home:

 When we were walking back from looking at Sliding Rock I snapped this picture:

My little boy loves his daddy - and his duck.  God, I love that kid.

All in all it was a fabulous little getaway weekend and everyone had a good time. I know weekends like that are going to be more difficult after 2.0 gets here.  That makes me cherish times like this all the more.

Half Baked!

Holy shit!  I cannot believe I am already at the halfway point of this pregnancy.  I guess it's because I'm distracted with this awesome little kid:

but this one seems to be going by in the blink of an eye.  I mean, if this kid shows up ahead of schedule like his big brother I could have as little as 18 weeks left.  That's scary.

Part of the scariness is that soon Andrew won't be an only child and I worry about how he will react.  I'm also a little sad that we will no longer have our alone time like we do now.  He'll have to share me with his sibling and I won't be able to be at his beck and call like I seem to be now.  Because of that I want to soak in as much of him as I can over the next 18-22 weeks.

This weekend will be perfect for that. We're headed to Brevard, NC so J and his friends can take part in the Assault on the Carolinas bike race.  So while his daddy is out riding 62 miles through the mountains Andrew and I will get some time together to explore and have it just be the two of us.  I know I will cherish this time since soon it won't be just us and he'll have to share me.

I'm going to enjoy the time with my munchkin while I can...

Now for this week:

How far along? 20w0d and the size of a banana. He's ~ 10.2 ounces and 6.5 inches. He has functioning taste buds and is gulping amniotic fluid every day.

Weight loss/gain:  +13.5 lbs.  Thankfully the Easter candy is almost gone and I've gotten back to running more.  Last night's 4 miles weren't awesome, but I'm pushing through.

Maternity clothes: I washed all of my maternity clothes and have some work pants ready.  I was determined to make it to the halfway point before giving in. Yesterday I was pretty uncomfortable and that particular pair of pants has been retired for the next 6 months or so.  I'm still fine with regular shirts.

Symptoms:  The ever present constipation (if I don't go today I am going to die) and some discomfort in the lower abdomen in the evenings, particularly after the gym. I'm sure that's my body telling me to dial it back a bit.

Sex (of baby):  It's a BOY!!!

Name: No progress.  We honestly haven't even talked about it over the last week.  This will take a while.

Sleep: Sleeping well at the moment.  I haven't gotten the 2nd tri burst of energy that I keep waiting on and have been exhausted in the evenings lately.

Best moment this week? Finishing the bridge run in a decent time with my little running buddy along for the ride.

Movement: Definitely feeling some little thumps now.  They are all down a few inches below my belly button and aren't very strong, but I'm feeling them sporadically.

Food cravings:  Sweets of course.  And fruit. I can't get enough fruit.

Belly button in or out?  In

What I miss?  Having energy and feeling cute.

What I'm looking forward to?  Anatomy scan on Tuesday - can't wait to see the little guy again. Of course I'm nervous, too. I  just want to know that he is healthy.

Milestones:  Halfway through. Yikes!!!

What I'm nervous about:  How fast this pregnancy is going and how soon we are going to have two kids. I'm starting to freak out about that all over again.

Here is this week.  At this point I'm just waiting for my bump to outpace my boobs.  So far I'm pretty sure the boobs are winning. Disregard my pale doughy looking belly :(

Wordless Wednesday ~ Yay Spring!

I Made It!

Last week I was majorly stressing out about the bridge run on Saturday.  I hadn't actually run the bridge since before I found out I was pregnant so I definitely did not train much for it.  Yes, I've been running 10-15 miles per week at the gym (on a treadmill), but nothing on an incline like the stupid hill on that bridge.

I wasn't optimistic heading into the race Saturday morning.  Especially since lately it's been kind of hit or miss with how I feel while running. Sometimes it's great and other times I have to throw in the towel after only a short time.

Pre-race waiting for the start

Well, I surprised myself and did better than anticipated.  At mile marker 1 I was feeling good and had run a 8:41 mile, not super fast but faster than I've been starting my runs lately.  Mile marker 2 was part way up the hill on the bridge and I still had a decent time.  Mile 3 was over the crest of the hill and at the 5K split I was at 27:56, not too bad considering that beast of a hill thrown in there.  Then mile 4 hit and the pain started. Both of my hips were killing me.  The pain didn't get bad until I hit the straightaway after coming off the bridge.  I started limping noticeably while running, but I was determined to keep going.  When I hit the 5 mile mark I thought "I'm far enough ahead that I could possibly walk the last mile and still come in under an hour.".  But I pushed through praying I would see the 6 mile mark soon.  Once we ran past Marion Square on King Street I knew the end was getting close.  I made those last two left turns and could see the finish line.  I kicked as hard as I could, but I didn't have all that much left in me.

I stopped my watch when I crossed the finish line and I had myself at a 53:53. I knew that would be lightly off because I messed up starting it at the beginning. Later that night the official results were out.

Chip Time: 54:01
Clock Time: 1:03:16 (I was in corral C of the wave start)
Overall Place:  4,391 out of 31,447
Women's Rank:  1,226 out of 18,486
Pace:  8:42 mins/km

I was pretty pleased with that.  Last year I ran a 53:09, but I also trained and wasn't 19+ weeks pregnant.

I paid for it later that night, though.  I was hobbling around the house like a geriatric because of my hips.  I broke out the heating pad and alternated sides hoping for the best.  I was pleasantly surprised yesterday morning when I was able to get out of bed without dying.  Today they don't hurt at all so I guess I didn't do any permanent damage.  This will definitely be my last pregnant 10K, though.  I might throw a 5K in there, but I'm thinking the treadmill is easier on me than the hard pavement - and especially that damn hill!

Bridge Run ~ and 19 Weeks

Oh boy.  Tomorrow is the Cooper River Bridge Run.  This is a huge 10K that attracts around 40,000 participants from all over.  I started running it in 2006 and have done it every year except for 2011 since I was one week postpartum with Andrew.

Normally I prepare for it by running  the bridge at least a few times before the actual race.  This year?  Not so much.  I haven't done squat.  I haven't even run since last Thursday because this week has been so messed up.  Tomorrow is going to suck.

I know there was no way I was going to beat my best time (51:20 in 2010), but I was really hoping I could at least come in under an hour.  Now I'm just hoping I can finish it without having to walk at all.

The run starts actually kind of close to our house (which is nice since we don't have to deal with parking or anything), crosses the Arthur Ravenel Bridge (pictured above) and ends downtown by Marion Square, where they have the big after party.

Last year we had to rush back as soon as we could because we were having Andrew's birthday party that day (what was I thinking???), but this year we can hang out and mingle some.  Andrew will be home with my in-laws (no jogging strollers allowed since it's such a big race) so we don't have to rush.

Here's hoping I make it to the end...

Ok, on to this week:

How far along? 19w0d and the size of a mango (or a softball according to my phone app).  ~ 6 inches and 8.5 ounces.  Little dude now has fingerprints and can frown and smile.

Weight loss/gain:  +13 lbs.  Ugh.  I feel like a big fatty right now and need to seriously get my junk food eating in check.  Damn Easter candy!  Not running this week didn't help.

Maternity clothes: I've worn maternity jeans a few times, but so far that's it.  I've found my box of maternity clothes and will be washing everything this weekend. I'm going to need the work pants soon because I'm running out of ones that fit comfortably.

Symptoms:  Still hating my bowels and I'm just hungry all the time.

Sex (of baby):  It's a BOY!!!

Name: Um yeah, this is going to take a while.  I love Owen but J hates it.  He suggested Jackson and I hate it.  And there is no way in hell we're having Andrew and Jackson. People would think we have a thing for the 7th president or something.

Sleep: Sleeping pretty well.  Of course I wake up a few times a night, but I haven't been having trouble falling back to sleep.  Andrew has been a little fussy this week and I'm starting to wonder if his 2 year molars are coming.

Best moment this week? Finally letting the cat out of the bag and telling my family.  The lack of response from my sister was a little hurtful, but I'm trying not to let it bother me.

Movement: I haven't felt anything this week.  Maybe what I felt a few weeks ago was a figment of my imagination.

Food cravings:  Sweets and Easter candy have been my downfall.

Belly button in or out?  In

What I miss?  Feeling in shape and energetic

What I'm looking forward to?  Anatomy scan on the 16th. I can't wait to see this little guy again since I haven't had an u/s since 9 weeks.

Milestones:  Well, if this kid comes as early as Andrew then I am already half baked.

What I'm nervous about:  I seriously need to tell work.  I almost never see my boss in person and I hate the thought of just shooting him an email, but I might need to just do it.

Only a covered bump pic this week because I feel gross.  I guess it's starting to show now.

Wordless Wednesday ~ My Little Daredevil

Andrew's 2nd Birthday Party

On Saturday we had Andrew's birthday party.  It was nothing over the top. There were no pinterest inspired crafts or desserts - just a little Easter egg hunt, a jump castle, homemade cupcakes and some delicious smoked bbq for lunch.

We kept the party small this year, just family and two close friends.  I figured it was a holiday weekend and most people would have plans and this is probably the last year that we can get away with something small and simple without him noticing.

Before anyone got there I spread the Easter eggs out in the back yard - some more hidden than others.  We blew up some balloons and I tied them in bunches around the fence and on the back deck.  We set up the jump castle, dragged out some lawn chairs, set up some food, and prepared for my family to show up.

They were late (of course).  When they got there I was changing Andrew.  As soon as I was done I told him to get the card for grandma.  He didn't listen so I went and got it.  When my mom opened it and saw the pictures she smiled. When she read what I wrote inside (Your gift will be here at the end of August) she gave me a big hug and said she had hoped that this would be coming.  She showed the pictures and the card to my dad and he had his customary reaction - "Cool!". My oldest sister congratulated me and my other sister (the one who freaked the eff out about Andrew's name) didn't really say much. I noticed her looking a little sad at one point and I assume it's because her younger sister is now having her second child and she is still single with no family of her own.  I'm not going to let that get to me.  So anyway,  the whole reveal was nothing to get worked up over and now I'm just glad that everyone knows.

We headed outside for the Easter egg hunt. The girls were all about it and went crazy running around gathering up the eggs.  Andrew? Not so much.  I had to entice him over to the corner where I had some stuck in the palm tree and get him to take them and put them in his bucket. Oh well.  After the eggs were all found we let them get in the jump castle and they were having a blast.

Kayleigh finding some eggs

Loving the Jump castle

Until the power went off and the jump castle started to deflate with the kids inside.  It was actually hilarious - I wish I'd gotten a video of the girls shrieking when it was going down.  J got everything back up and running and we were in business.  The kids played and had a great time.

Deflated jump castle  :)

After a while we went inside and got something to eat.  The bbq was delicious and everyone got plenty of food.  When it was time for the cupcakes Andrew still wasn't really sure to do about the candle.  I was trying to get him to blow it out, but he just kept saying "Hot!" and looking at me.  Finally I just blew it out and let him eat the cupcake.

Then it was time for presents.  He still isn't overly interested in opening gifts so his cousins helped him out by "starting" each gift.  We had to finish most of them for him.  

He got some books, an aquadoodle, some flashlight toy (that makes noise), a kiddie hockey stick (padded) with a ball and padded puck, a Steelers Mickey Mouse, a basketball hoop, a Radio Flyer trike (also  makes noise), a little FJ Cruiser truck and some water toys.  Not a bad haul for a two year old. Thankfully most of the toys are not noisy.  He loves the basketball hoop and trike and played with each of them a lot on Saturday and Sunday.

All in all it was a successful party. The weather was perfect, the food was good, the kids had fun and I'm officially "out".  I still just really can't believe that I have a two year old. Stop growing so fast little boy!