Fun Day

We've been blessed with some good weather lately and I want to take full advantage of it! We have a great park not too far from our house that is 250 acres, has over 2 miles of trails, and of course a playground. The hubs and I took Corbe.n there this morning to play and it was so much fun. He played on the playground for a bit and then we hit the trails. I just joined a mom's meetup group that goes there frequently, so hopefully Cor.ben meets some new friends to play and interact with and I get to meet some other Mom's as well.

The Parent's Prayer

Dear God,
Thank you for my little one,
I know we will have lots of fun.
Help me to be firm and wise
and see things through my child's eyes.
Give me courage and patience too
so I'll know the right things to do.
Please show me what I need to know
so I can help my child grow.
Thank you for this life you've shared
trusting me to take great care.
Help me please to always see
the blessing you have given me!

16 Weeks

Although I cannot see you,

I still know your are there.

You are warm and snug inside me,

and require gentle care.

 

Although I cannot hold you,

or give you a hug goodnight.

I feel you move inside me

and know that you are alright.

 

Although I cannot kiss you,

or show you how I feel.

I know you share my feelings

and that our bond is real.

 

.....you are with me all the time

and always on my mind.

Already I have fallen in love

with my precious gift from up above.

17 months old- What's New

Cor.ben has been up to so much lately, especially recently. Because he doesn't have a full vocabulary you don't know what all he's absorbing until he just busts out with something and then you're left with your jaw hanging open thinking "how in the world did he know that!" 

For example, I have these hanging candles in the guest bathroom that he likes to point to and I tell him what they are. Today he pointed at them and I said "Yes, those are candles. Can you show me where the other candle is" and he pointed to another candle I have on a free standing cabinet in the bathroom. Jaw. Floor.
This one will make you laugh... Okay, I have a doppler to listen to the baby's heartbeat with and Cor.ben has seen me use it, but it's been awhile. Yesterday he was sitting on my bed while I was getting dressed and he points to my doppler stash and insistently is saying "This, this". So I handed him my stuff, he lays on his back on the bed, lifts up his shirt, turns the gel bottle upside down and acts like he's squirting it on his belly. He then takes my hand-towel and pretends to wipe the gel off his belly. HAHAHA! What a little mimicker! I was in awe! 

He just amazes me with how much he understands and how many directions I give him that he follows. My baby is growing up. He has also added "eat", "dog", and "snack" to his list of words that he can say. Hearing him say snack is my favorite... it sounds like "snaa, snaa"... just pretend you can hear his little voice saying it.

He has learned to open the fridge (sigh). He opens it ALL DAY LONG and is constantly getting things out of it. I will be getting baby gates for the kitchen this weekend. Between the fridge and him being anywhere near the stove freaking me out, oh and his ability to reach on the counters, he needs to be kicked out of the kitchen.

He also has become quite the climber. His cousin that's 6 weeks older than him has been an insane climber for the longest time and C.orben never showed any interest in it, so I thought I was in the clear, but no such luck. He now climbs the couch, my storage tote, his glider, and the dishwasher. Here's to hoping he doesn't try to climb the kitchen chairs and table anytime soon.

He has developed a love for meat. He loves brisket and chicken more than any other toddler I've seen. Now if I can get him to redevelop his love of vegetables. Some day.

Now for the fun part! Pictures!

I love his long eyelashes.

My Climber

His first masterpiece

Can you tell what it is? ;)

Is my boy really a boy?

Is my boy really a boy? I'm doubting things now. This is why the logical side of me told me not to get an early prediction, but the emotional side of me wanted to experience this with my husband since he's unable to come to my anatomy scan on the 18th. Either way it was an awesome experience and seeing my baby was amazing!

I just want to be able to accurately prepare and when they said the baby was a boy it just didn't feel right and the nub they were claiming was a penis didn't look like what I remember from Co.rben. Instead of popping up from the side view it was oblong and parallel with the spine. I remember from THIS website that in early predictions boy's nubs are at an angle of 30* and girls are parallel. I also read that nubs can be present in boys and girls until 17 weeks. 

Here are my "boy" shots from my ultrasound:

Here's some info for the previous mentioned website:

Male gender


With the male fetus, the genital tubercle usually
creates an angle of greater than 30° with the lower
part of the spine.





Female gender


In the female fetuses, the genital tubercle protrudes
in the same direction as the lower portion of the spine
with an angle of less than 30° relative to the backbone.





So, now I'm not feeling so confident in the gender prediction. We'll see what they say on the 18th!

I'm having a...

...boy! I'm so shocked! Everything in me thought that this was a girl, but I'm so happy and I'm excited that Corbe.n will have a brother close in age to him. The baby was so adorable and was doing the cutest things. At one point he was actually swimming and doing the doggie paddle. Haha! Here are a few pictures. They weren't the best, but hopefully I'll get some better pictures once he's a little more developed. 

15 Weeks

Where in the world has the last week gone? I really need to do some better updating and write about what my little guy has been up to. Soon I promise! 

Soooo... guess what I get to do tomorrow!!!! I'm having an elective early u/s and we get to find out if I'm having another bambino or if I'm having a bambina! I'm SO excited! We decided to do it because with the job that my husband has now he isn't able to come to any of my appointments or ultrasounds at the OB's office. I can't wait!

How far along? 15 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: +2. I'm really happy about this because by 15 weeks with Corb.en I had already gained 11 lbs and for the entire pregnancy I gained 53 lbs. I'm really hoping to not gain as much this time. It probably helps that I don't have the appetite of a hippo like I did before.

Maternity clothes? Maternity shirts and for pants I have one pair of regular jeans that I wear with a belly band most of the time and I also wear a few of my maternity pants.

Stretch marks? No.

Sleep: Still the same as a few weeks ago.

Best moment this week: Feeling a strong kick that startled me :)

Movement: Flutters all day long, along with some taps and stronger kicks! I'm lovin' it!

Food cravings: Pasta, popcorn dipped in mustard, bagels with marinara and cheese, spicy food, and burritos. I never had weird cravings with C, so I'm totally laughing at the things I want this time. Popcorn with mustard, what?!... and I normally can't stand anything spicy. Weird!

Gender: I'm really thinking girl.

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

What I miss: Nothing. I'm having such a great time with this pregnancy and I feel so blessed. Now that I have a touch more energy, I feel pretty good.

What I am looking forward to: Finding out if baby is a boy or girl and for movement to progress to those big kicks and rolls.

 

Weekly Wisdom: I don't think I have one.

Milestones: Hopefully finding out the gender tomorrow! Oh and I got my first comment from a stranger today asking how far along I am. That's always exciting to know you look pregnant and not fat to those who don't know you.