So Much for the Chinese Gender Charts! Ha Ha Ha

As seen above, it's another little boy in there! He wasn't very cooperative in terms of getting a good face or profile shot. Most of the ultrasound he spent lying on his tummy. He did roll to his back after I used the restroom...it was just enough to get her the last picture she needed (a frontal face picture) and to take a peek at his bottom.

Of course, we're just has thrilled with another boy but I was surprised. I thought it was a girl...which just goes to show that I should have trusted my original instincts (from before this pregnancy) from the beginning (that we would have two boys).

The placenta is completely at the front of my uterus, which means that the "flutters" and "popcorn" that everyone else is experiencing, just feels more like pressure or pushing to me. Sometimes poking, but when that happens I'm not entirely convinced that it is the baby.

Now on to a name! Any suggestions would be most welcome! :)

Big Ultrasound Tomorrow

Tomorrow is our "big" ultrasound. We get to take a peek at our baby looking like an actual baby and not just a piece of rice! They'll check to make sure everything looks o.k. and for us, focus on the umbilical cord. (Our son had a two-vessel cord and a velementous insertion so we'd really like to see a nice normal cord this time).

Yes, we will also find out the gender. It's just something we want to do. It honestly doesn't matter either way but personally, I just like knowing. I can't really explain it any other way. Just like people like having ultrasounds..they do serve a health-related purpose, but really, most of us just like seeing our babies.

So, we should know tomorrow whether those Chinese Gender Predictors were correct!

Baby or Gas?

From everything I've read, most women first feel their babies between 16 and 20 weeks. I've also read that it's usually the "very thin" women or women who've been pregnant before who feel it closer to the 16 week range.So I'm not sure if what I felt was the baby or just gas....because I'm neither "very thin" or one who has been pregnant before.

I was up fairly late last night. It's been a little tough sleeping partly because I have to use the bathroom so much and partly because my anxiety about the robbers ebbs and flows with the last couple of days being particularly annoying. I thought I would be over it by now, but apparently not...anyway...I crawled into bed at the 1:30-2:00AM range and was set to go to sleep but then I felt something. At first, I figured it was probably gas....even though it didn't really feel like gas. It was more like a "tic" or something...or like an involuntary twinge. I concentrated on it for a while and felt it a couple of times but still, I'm not really sure.

So at 17 weeks and 2 days, not being thin, and this being my first pregnancy, I'm not sure if this is just wishful thinking that it was the baby I'm feeling. I have an appointment with the doctor tomorrow so I'll probably mention it then. In any case, even if it wasn't the baby, I'm sure it won't be too long before I know for sure.

Chinese Gender Predictor Charts

I was playing around with these "gender predictors" tonight and 7 out of 8 that I've tried say "girl". The calendar was correct when my son was born but really only time will tell. If (apparently she) isn't shy on the 25th, we'll find out then.

I honestly do think it's more likely to be a girl this time. Of course, there's a thread of doubt, but I call her "she" more often than not. I knew right away that my son would be a boy but I didn't carry him. And Joanne thought he would be a girl.

I do have a standard appointment on the 17th but it's in the office with the "Junior" ultrasound machine. Maybe they'll take a bonus peek then. I haven't had an ultrasound since the 7 week mark.

Time for New Clothes.

This morning I stepped on the scale and while I'm down two pounds from this weekend (the mass eating frenzy), it looks like I gained a net total of about 5-6 pounds. You would think it was 20 pounds by the way my clothes are fitting.

My pants are also tight in the belly. My two favorite pants will only likely make it another week or so...and even then I'm pushing it. I have two pairs of pants one size up so I've moved into those. My chest is also so big that my regular button down shirts for work are mostly out of the question. I pulled out some of Joanne's maternity clothes and there are some sweaters that will work.

Last night I put on one of the new pants with a sweater and I looked so....pregnant. Already. I can't believe it. I don't think I'll be able to keep it from work much longer. This job is relatively new and my only saving grace is that I have a bit more time.

Don't get me wrong, I'm excited about the baby and finally being able to feel the bump. It seems to get bigger by the day. But not many girls love stepping on the scale and seeing it creep up...pregnant or not. And while some women would pay to have breasts like these (as my mom says all the time), I still would rather they didn't get so big so fast.

I will be actually relieved when I tell them at work because I won't have to try and hide it anymore and I can wear my bump freely. :)

Arthur's Big News

Arthur is going to be a big brother in June. We're all very excited. He's been very interested in babies lately in general which has been a plus. He has his own baby (that he calls "bee") and we'll be working on teaching him about being a big brother.

The pregnancy has been going very well. I've had some morning sickness but even on it's worst days, it's never unbearable. I'm just starting now to notice a difference in my tummy, although it's minute. I'm not a skinny thing so I didn't really expect to get any sorts of bulges just yet.

We're just relaxing and enjoying the experience. We'll keep you posted.

18 Month Appointment

Arthur had his 18 month appointment today and everything is going really well. His growth is back on the charts, especially his weight..and that's a great thing. He had some meetings with an endocrinologist in Boston about his height but all tests came back normal. The verdict..."he's just short".

But we know that all along and he's just perfect the way he is. :)

As of this appointment

Height: 30 inches
Weight: 23 pounds

He says a lot of words now but really his favorite thing is to make animal sounds when asked. He knows who his Mums are and will say so when asked. He likes to talk on the phone...with a very German sounding "Allo" when he answers. His motor skills are great, he can open ziploc backs and put pen caps back on the pen.

He's having a tough time with stairs though. Because he's so short, his legs just won't make the reach. He's great at climbing though.

Ummm...He has 16 teeth....

Every day we see something new that moves our little boy out of the "baby" stage and into the "little boy" stage. But it's exciting and we can't help but just watch him in amazement.

Happy Halloween!

Arthur had his first lollipop today and I can't say that he didn't enjoy it. He doesn't get candy so it was a real "wow" moment for him. My favorite picture of the night "drunk on candy"....

It's Early, but We Found a Halloween Costume

Three days off.

We both have three days off from work so I have a couple of moments to add some new photos finally.

If Looks Could Kill......

Frankenstein Video

Frankenstein Video <-- click here

Fourth of July

A Comparison....

It was a rainy Sunday today and we both had the day off so we decided to head up to Boston to the Children's Museum again. We took a photo next to "Arthur" like we did the first time we brought him (when he was 9 months old).

(I just noticed when posting these that he still wears that yellow outfit from five months ago. He wore it on vacation in PA one day!)

New Swingset!

First of all, Thank You Nicole for the awesome swingset!

Joanne and I had been looking in the paper for this exact toddler swing/slide combo. We saw it in the store new for way more money than we wanted to spend for something he could only use for a year or two. So we had been looking for a used one. I even put an ad on craigslist with a photo to see if anyone was getting rid of one.

So today, Joanne was responding to an ad and was heading to look at a couple of sets. She mentioned it to a woman she works with who said that she had the exact one and had been wanting to get rid of it. So she just gave it to us!

We're very excited to have found something Arthur-sized that he can play with outside, and as you can tell by the pictures, he really likes it too!

Vacation in Pennsylvania 3

Our last stop on vacation was Hershey, PA where we visited Hershey Chocolate World and Hershey Park. At nearly 28", Arthur measured as a "miniature" on the ride scale. Although we're not big on junk food for babies, we knew that we couldn't make his visit official without letting him try his very first chocolate. He didn't really know what to make of it at first but once he realized it was edible, it was quickly eaten.

There were a few rides he was able to go one but we switched off for most of them. Hershey Park has a baby swap where one adult can ride while the other waits and then when the first adult gets back, the 2nd adult can ride next. It makes it so everyone can wait in line together.

We all enjoyed the trip. The park is immense...much larger than the Six Flags we have in New England and a lot cleaner. We left for home on Friday around noon but not after visiting Chocolate World one more time to ride the tour ride and buy souveniers for the ride home!

Vacation in Pennsylvania 2

Before we went to Sesame Place, we spent the day in Philadelphia. We drove from our hotel into town (about a half hour). On the way we discovered "Wawa". It's a convenience store with do-it-yourself-milkshakes that were to die for. We had these shakes two days in a row (before dinner, yay!)

In Philly we went to the "Please Touch" museum for children and then on to the more historical aspects of town. We saw Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell (which is a lot smaller than I thought it would be).

Overall it was a very fun day and we were proud of ourselves for finding parking on the street on our own!

Vacation in Pennsylvania

We took a drive down to PA last week and we had a really great time. It was 5 hours down (7 with the stops) and 7 hours back (10 with the stops and traffic). Arthur did really really well. We made sure to give him car breaks every couple of hours.

Our first stop was Sesame Place for two days. Here he is splashing away in the park during a warmer part of the day. (While it only rained a couple of short spurts during our whole week, it was kind of chilly the first day and a half at Sesame).

He looks like he's having an amazing time but he was done with the sprinkler after about two runs through it! :)

13 Months Old

Here's our little floppy sleeper. This has been his new thing with his bum in the air and his feet crossed. It's very cute.

Happy 1st Birthday Little Boy!