And you wonder....

Why I can barely get a decent picture of this kid since he turned TWO! 

Big yellow rain boots - CHECK

No Pants - CHECK

Scratched knees - CHECK

Curious George shirt that he insists on wearing three times a week - CHECK

TOO MUCH CUTENESS FOR WORDS - CHECK! CHECK! CHECK!

Our Last Day at The Beach

Family Vacation: Our Priorities

This has been a challenging year for our family, our loss, Jeremy's schedule, new pregnancy with a difficult first trimester. On top of that Owen stretching his toddler wings and giving us a nice big dose of his independence. Our time together, the three of us, is very limited.

Jeremy gets 4 days off per month. Those days go by quicker than you can imagine and are filled with things we HAVE to do like car inspections, apartment "stuff" (seal the windows for winter, hang a picture here or there, grab the window AC units and install them) but mostly we try to save his days off for fun together. Still, it's hard to do.

Three weeks (completely unscheduled, random weeks that we rarely know about in advance) out of the year (and a few days around Christmas/New Years) Jeremy is ON VACATION. It is the ONLY time that we don't have to wait while he answers his pager, or sit in the car while he runs into the hospital (even on his days off) to see a patient.

We made a decision that any extra money we had at the end of each month would go into our savings account and spent on time together. Our trip to Hilton Head in October was such a special time for us. The weather was perfect, there weren't crowds and we relaxed the entire week enjoying each others company.

We drove away from the island wanting nothing more than to plan a time to go back. Jeremy was given a week off in April, but he pushed for it to be moved to the first week in May so that we could enjoy some nice weather at the beach. It was approved a month prior and we scrambled to find a place to stay.  We knew this would be our last vacation until the December holidays, because his fall vacation week will have to be used when the baby comes. We also knew it would be our last trip as a family of three and while we are bursting with excitement to welcome our new addition it was nice to just cherish our firstborn a little and wonder how different things will be when we visit the beach next spring.

Owen could not have been happier the entire time, despite a small cold he caught on the way there. He played in the sand with his Daddy for HOURS and absolutely loved everything about the ocean and the beach.

This was a very special trip for the three of us, and one we will remember for a long, long time.

Read more about our Babymoon on Kveller.

25 Weeks Pregnant

We had another cervical ultrasound on Friday and it looks like things are still measuring 3.8-3.9 which is great. That was my last routine ultrasound and from here on out they will monitor me every two weeks with digital exams/ultrasounds, based on symptoms. The doctor told me that while bed rest is absolutely not on the table right now, I need to watch my activity and listen to my body. Any more than 4 contractions in an hour and I am to call, period. Medication is still an option should I need it and I'll stay on the progesterone shots until 36 weeks (11 more shots and counting...)

As we get closer to the 26-27 week mark where things got scary last time around I find myself questioning every pain and every step I take. Should I have walked up those stairs with the laundry? Should I have struggled with Owen in the grocery? I'm terrified but trying to push aside those fears to be hopeful.

Bringing another little boy into the world safe and healthy will hopefully be another of my most sacred accomplishments as a mother, but it won't come without worry while we wait. Please hold us in your thoughts and prayers.

Hilton Head: Shannon Tanner Concert

Spring and early fall seem like the perfect time to visit Hilton Head. This time, Nana and Papa met us for part of the week to enjoy the wonderful weather and some fun beach time. Owen was so happy to see them and we all enjoyed the time together.

Peak season was just about to get started  and it was the first week for an outdoor concert right on the Harbour without the crowds. Shannon Tanner is a great performer and I think the adults laughed just as much as the kids. O is a shy guy so he stayed back with us and watched the other kids up front dancing and singing. I can see us enjoying these concerts for years to come.

 Dancin' FOOL

Papa does the sprinkler dance

HAPPIEST. PICTURE. EVER.

Hilton Head: Lawton Stables

On our trip to Hilton Head we went back to Lawton Stables to visit with the animals on the small animal farm. In October Owen was scared of most of the animals and cried for much of our visit - NOT THIS TIME! O was very brave and touched lots of the animals. He was interested in the horses and had a great time running around with his Papa and his Daddy.  We noticed a sign that said, "Don't overfeed the horses" and were told that if you bring apples the horses will eat them out of your hand. Needless to say, they were disappointed that we didn't have any apples, but we'll remember next time!

North Carolina: Cousins Take A Bath

On our way down to Hilton Head, SC we stopped off in North Carolina to visit our favorite cousins Seth, Mary and Baby Clara. Clara just turned ONE (!) and she was showing off her eating and walking skills (this girl can eat).  She also manhandled her cousin Owen a little bit while we were there ;)  She pushed him off her ride-on toy and took away his snack trap. Owen was happy to share and honestly I don't think he wanted to mess with her ;)

Mary wanted a bath picture with the cousins, I was a little hesitant because Owen takes a bath in a toddler tub (read: Owen lays back in a huge plastic bathtub inside our bathtub, filled up to his neck with bubbles and gets sponged down while he relaxes. He occasionally plays with his ducky but would much rather just lay back, relax and be washed. SPOILED!) so he is a little fearful in a large tub. Clara Jane showed him just how its done, first you throw all of your fun toys in (including a turkey baster) which Owen enjoyed doing very much. Once they were in he stayed relatively still while cousin Clara crawled all over the tub, handing him different toys to play with and screeching with joy. Owen didn't say a single word or move a muscle. He mostly just stared at her.

Just as we were about to do a final rinse on both kiddos, Mary lifted Clare out and there they were...

THREE. HUGE. TURD-LOGS.

As they drifted over towards Owen, I scooped him up laughing hysterically. We took both kids to the other tub and they each got an individual re-bath to get the pooh off.

Moral of the story: Clara Jane you may have the upper hand now, but pooping on your cousin will be mildly (horrifically) embarrassing story when you are ages 16 and 17, respectively. And family NEVER forgets these things.

Chubbs McGee vs. Skinny No-Booty

 Because who DOESN'T take a bath with a turkey baster?

22 Weeks: Cervical Ultrasound

Today I had another OB appointment and cervical ultrasound. My cervix appeared scrunched and distorted on the ultrasound and the tech measured it at 7cm, which didn't make any sense. I guess I was having a contraction, not a labor contraction but a uterine contraction. The tech said during those kinds of contractions it can be hard to measure or give an abnormally long (or short) measurement.

We were getting ready to leave for vacation and they wanted to be absolutely sure it was okay for me to make the 14 hour car trip to South Carolina so Owen and I had to wait around for half hour and then the tech came back in to remeasure. The contraction had stopped and the cervix measured 3.9cm. The doctor said it looks like it's gotten longer since my last scan, which is a great sign.

Baby Brother looked great, fluid levels were perfect and his heart beat was steady at 155. Even better, I was cleared to go on vacation and participate in any activities (within reason) as long as I wasn't having pelvic pain/pressure or contracting.

Owen was SUCH a good boy for our long morning at the doctor. Once we were home he was ready to help me sort though my swim suits to find one for the beach!

A little about Mr. Owen right now...

Owen, right now....

LOVES Curious George. I've been trying to get him to watch a little TV because I need some downtime and I'm sure I'll need more once Baby Brother gets here. We started reading some Curious George board books he got for his birthday, which he loves. We also found a Curious George beach book, which is his current favorite. So after getting familiar with the books, he is happy to sit down for a 15 minute episode on TV. I'm happy with 15 minutes of TV right about now!

It testing limits. EVERY LIMIT. He is also sassing me a little. One day last week he woke up and the first thing he said to me was, "Mama no talk to me... and no change diaper!"  Needless to say, that wasn't our best day.

Is my skinny boy. I've been trying on some clothes we bought for summer at the end of last year and they are all too big. His waist is so tiny, only Gap pants/shorts will fit him in size 18-24 months (thankfully they also have an adjustable waistband). He fit in his 12 month swim diaper and a 9-12 months swim shirt from last year. He is wearing 2T jammies and 2T t-shirts but those will last him the summer for sure. We also bought him size 8 shoes for this summer... and it turns out his feet barely grew so now I am hunting around for 6 or 7 sandals in peak season! (also I saw THE CUTEST Curious George t-shirts at the Gap, but they were $20 each. I'm crossing my fingers that they go on sale, because he would be thrilled with one of those!)

Sucks his thumb CONSTANTLY. Since he weaned last month thumb sucking has been his go-to move which is mostly adorable, except when his hands are filthy dirty and he puts them in his mouth. GAG!

Still takes off his shoes and socks in the car/mall/grocery. This behavior has driven me nuts for most of his life, but now in the car since he's still rear-facing, he takes off his shoes and socks and throws them at me while I'm driving. I SERIOUSLY dislike this behavior.

Papa gave Owen his old iphone and it's one of O's favorite "toys" -- it's not used as a phone anymore but Jeremy put a few little clips of Chuggington on it and Owen can listen to music on there too. It's amazing how well he knows how to use it. We don't have iphones and one day Owen was watching two babies burp on Youtube! We had no idea how we was able to access Youtube but we quickly disabled it. HA!

Loves the park. We live next to a nice park and he likes to "ride his bike" there after nap time. As in, I push him there on his bike.

Has started asking for water as a way to delay bedtime. I cannot believe this is milestone that children randomly figure out on their own and being the ridiculous Mama that I am, I usually give it to him because I don't want him going to bed thirsty! I'm such a sucker!

He kisses my belly and I almost melt from the cuteness. He also randomly says, "I love you Mama. Mama beautiful" which is something he learned from his Daddy and I absolutely love it!

21 weeks

I had an OB visit and cervical ultrasound on Friday (4/20) and my cervix was exactly the same length as two weeks ago so we were very happy with that.  Baby Brother's heart rate was perfect at 140bpm and he looked nice and cozy in there... with a little case of the hiccups!

How far along? 21w
Total weight gain/loss: +2 lbs
Maternity clothes? Yep, I mix and match with pre-pregnancy stuff. Most all of my pants are maternity pants now, but I can wear one pair of 'fat jeans' unbuttoned with a bella band but that's it.
Stretch marks? Nope.
Sleep: I'm doing pretty well lately.
Best moment this week: no cervical changes! Yay!
Movement: TONS! Especially in the evening or after I eat dessert :)
Food cravings: Since I started the P17 injections my appetite has decreased and so have my cravings. I occasionally crave ice cream or salad but that's about it.
Gender: Little brother on the way
Labor Signs: No, thankfully.
Belly Button in or out? In.
What I miss: Cold cuts, margaritas, and sangria. 
What I am looking forward to: Going to the beach in a few weeks for some much needed family time.

Weekly Wisdom: This week I've been consumed with Owen and some pretty wicked toddler tantrums. I think being pregnant has my emotions on high and when I have a rough day with him, I contract like crazy which makes me even more upset. I wrote about some of my fears about having a second baby over at Kveller.com and the comments both there and on Facebook were so sweet. Someone said, "there has never been any sharing of love but just more love."  And I was really touched by that.

Milestones: Over half-way there!  I'm also leaving Owen for 8 hours this Saturday so that I can go to a La Leche League conference (which is over twice as long as I've ever left him before). I'm both nervous and excited. I need to learn how to leave my firstborn before I go and have another, right?