Happy Holidays

We made it through the holidays and I can only wonder how many pounds I have gained. As we all can attest, it is hard enough to get through the holidays in a normal state let alone being almost 5 months pregnant! It seems this is the period in your pregnancy where you are famished at all times. There are moments that I feel that I haven't eaten in days and realize it was only about 1/2 hour ago that I had an entire meal!

Besides having an insatiable appetite, my heartburn is also quite bothersome. But, I think I sort of bring this one on myself - I think any normal person would have heartburn after eating tater tots saturated in vinegar (my favorite) followed up with 2 frosted holiday cookies. TUMS are my best friend these days - I don't go anywhere without them. Matt was very kind and even included a deluxe plastic box of them in my stocking. I guess pregnant women and old people are the only ones that are lucky enough to get something that aids in digestion from Santa!

At this point in my pregnancy I am just beginning the time where sleep is approaching "uncomfortable". Sleeping on my back is almost not an option anymore. When it happens accidentally, I wake up with back that feels like it has been beaten with a sledge hammer and legs that are tingly. So, sleeping on one of your sides is about the only option that doesn't create a bad start to your day! I guess it never helps when you have only a sliver of a king size bed because Harper is sleeping diagonal, the dogs are on either side of my legs and there are at least 2 Elmo toys and some random dog toys scattered throughout the bed. I wonder if the pain could be perpetuated by the environment?

This week I have also started wearing the Baby Plus monitor both morning and night. It is a belt that my friend Kristine loaned me during Harper's pregnancy and didn't get returned before the 2nd pregnancy. But, she gave me permission to use it again. I guess she thought I was the only one crazy enough to get pregnant again so soon and she would hold off! Baby Plus is a belt monitor that you wear for one hour 2 times per days. Here is the jist of the product outlined by their website (www.babyplus.com):

BabyPlus is a series of 16 scientifically designed rhythmic sounds that resemble a mother's heartbeat. The rhythm of the sounds increases incrementally and sequentially as the pregnancy progresses. The BabyPlus sound pattern introduces your child to a sequential learning process, built upon the natural rhythms of their own environment.

They don't tell you that for two hours of the day you walk around sounding like a time bomb that only gets faster with each passing week. But, the claims / results are both powerful and intriguing. By wearing the monitor, Baby Plus makes the following pregdictions about babys whose mothers wear this "education system".

BabyPlus® babies at birth and infancy:

1. Develop better sleeping patterns - Harper has always been a child who is easy to put to sleep. He hasn't ever made too big of a fuss about bedtime. But, who would when they got to sleep in a king size bed with mommy and daddy? I guess I believe this one about 75%.

2. More readily nurse - This one I believe in wholeheartedly. Harper has always been ready to eat from the time he was born. But then again, he could have inherited my appetite.

3. Have increased ability to self soothe - Maybe / Maybe not. But, he hasn't ever been a child that whines too much. Even at birth he wasn't a baby that cried alot.

4. Are more interactive and responsive - Very true. But, his mother is a complete extrovert so he might have inhertied this too.

5. Are more relaxed and alert at birth - Alert, yes. Relaxed, no. From the time Harper was born he has always had to let the world know he is around. His screams could be heard all of the hospital for the first 1/2 hour after he was born. He has a very strong set of lungs!

I guess we will see about the ones below. Although the last one is defintley not turning out to be true. He has the shortest attention span I know!

And later in life, these children demonstrate:
Earlier developmental milestones
Improved school readiness
Improved intellectual abilities
Greater curiosity and independence, and
Longer attention spans

Of course I have said in my previous blogs that I don't buy into old wive's tales, but I will be honest and say that I do buy into modern marketing gimicks that have claims as powerful as these. I guess we have felt good enough about Haper's beginning months and current abilities and development that we don't want to deprive BB of any phenomenal educational opportunities in the womb. Only time will tell.

Hope your holidays were full of cheer. Ours was very "Elmo" inclusive but lots of fun. Harper now has so many toys that we wonder what life is going to be life when we have another one! I guess our house will be completely consumed for the next several years with odd toys and devices that don't exactly match the decor of the house or accentuate any your the furniture. But, we wouldn't have it any other way. We are starting to get use to having Fisher Price toys that take up two shelves in our entertainment center where pictures and a beautiful glass vase use to be. These things have had to find new homes for now.

Hope you have a great rest of 2006 and feel pity on Matt and I as we drudge through hundreds of boy names to try and find the perfect one!

p.s. Here are a few pics of Harper during Christmas!

Guess What We are Having?

Well the Brace genes have prevailed! Today we had our ultrasound and within a minute, BB showed us his tiny little package. We are having our 2nd BOY! So, I am officially a non-believer in old wive's tales. A fast heart rate, different cravings, the pregnancy glow.... none of them added up to anything of scientific value.

We couldn't be anymore excited to add another "little guy" to the mix. Plus, I must say this baby should be much less expensive because we are well equipped with boy stuff! That inevitably brings up the topic of the "second child syndrome" who gets all of the hand me downs! Of course there will be a bit of sharing things that were barely used, but we promise not to have BB living in the shadows of his older brother Harper. We will spoil him just the same.

The ultrasonographer did comment that BB seemed a little bit on the stubborn side and having a mind of his own. He just didn't want to cooperate with our session. He kept moving around and covering his face with his hands. She asked if this was a trait that would fit in to our family and Matt and I laughed. Stubborn - are you kidding, you are talking to two people who are both first born children who already have 1 stubborn son and 2 stubborn dogs. BB is going to fit in just perfect!

Our next task is to begin the arduous process of picking out a name. We really have steered clear from this topic until finding out the sex because we know the consequences of starting too early. You end up with 15 girl names you love and 1 boy name. Then you discover that you aren't having a girl and you panic for the next 4 monthss! But, we have some ideas - so we will begin comparing our lists soon.

Things at our household have been pretty hectic for the last couple of weeks. As with everyone the holidays are always a crazy time of year. This month started off with me spraining my ankle on Matt's birthday by falling down our garage stairs when I was trying to get groceries in. All Matt wanted for his birthday was just a relaxing day without having to change any diapers. I really ruined that for him because he ended up tending Harper all day because I couldn't even walk on my right foot. Matt's brother Jake had to take me to the doctor - after several unnecessary Xrays, they discovered I had stretched or torn a ligament and gave me a set of crutches and "the big black boot." Nothing like a pregnant lady on crutches hobbling around. After about 5 days, I was able to shed the boot and I am walking fine - although I have commited to only wearing flat shoes - nothing that exceeds a 1/2 inch sole. So, as I said in a previous posting, I have clumsy down to an art!

We are busy preparing for Christmas and trying to educate Harper on the idea of Santa bringing "free" toys. He has acutally learned to say santa which comes out as "Tanta" but we are pretty sure he would rather look at pictures than the real thing. While shopping at Wal-mart last weekend, I heard over the loud speaker that Santa was cruising through the toy section and was looking for good boys and girls. Of course I began squeeling through the aisles with Harper in the cart to make sure that Santa knew he had been a good boy. Within seconds I spotted him coming up the next aisle and quickly I turned the cart on two wheels to make sure we were at the end of the aisle to "accidentally" bump into him. As Santa approached, he gave a HO HO HO and Harper gave him one look and went into a terrified, screaming, panic! I think I may have scared him for life and maybe the Wal-mart Santa too! So, for now, we'll just stick to pictures and I will chill out and not make any crazy mad dashes the next time Santa makes his appearance in any store we are present!

I hope your holiday is getting off to a good start and I am hoping to have our Christmas cards and newsletter out by the end of the week. We look forward to hearing from each of you and if you have any fanatasic ideas for boy names feel free to share!

p.s. Below we have attached the ultrasound photos. The proof that BB is a boy is the one that has a little circle and has BOY typed on it. Most of the pictures look rather alien but I still think they are cute - of course, that is proof of a mother's love even at this early of a stage.

More Pictures from Thanksgiving

I tried inserting these in the previous posting but I am still learning how to do this blog thing. I hope to be a pro before BB's arrival so that we can send out pics instantaneously!

Where Did All That Turkey Go?

Our third doctor’s appointment was this morning and we are officially at week 16 (to view this week's progress, click here http://www.babycenter.com/general/1498248.html ).

All is well and we now have our ultrasound appointment to find out the baby’s sex on December 14th. Although we did have to wait for about ½ hour for Dr. Sharp to arrive for my early morning appointment, the visit itself was the shortest on record. I think we were only in with the doc for about 8 minutes.

Amazingly enough, I only gained 1 pound from my last appointment. Yes, you read it right, ONE POUND! Even Dr. Sharp was impressed that I made it through the holidays with so little weight gain. To be honest, I think I have gained more than this through previous holidays when I wasn’t pregnant. Now I regret not going for that 2nd piece of mom’s pumpkin roll!

We also heard BB’s heart rate right away today – it was 159 beats per minute. My sister, Lorie, thinks it is a girl – along with all of my family back in Wise (although I think my dad might secretly be hoping for another boy so that he can build his own “club” of fun and begin vetoing the girls who always want to go shopping).

Basically that was the gist of the appointment! All is progressing well.

Now to recap our Thanksgiving… we did have a wonderful time visiting my family back in VA and TN. Although we did have an epiphany that traveling with 2 is going to be LOADS of fun (are you picking up on the sarcasm?)! Harper has now gotten so big that when he falls asleep on the plane he can no longer just nap in my lap – he has to take up both mine AND Matt’s laps! I wish I had the same lack of inhibition that he has because let me tell you he sprawls out like he is in our king size bed – arms and legs everywhere. So, to say the least, Matt and I don’t get very much rest on the plane trip.

I made a mental note of things to do and not do when traveling with a little one (and soon to be 2 little ones):

· Never wear black – I made this mistake and by the time I arrived at our destination I was covered in snot on my shoulder because Harper insisted on wiping his nose there and I had remnants of Goldfish crackers all over me because Harper sneezed 2 times while he had his mouth full of crackers. Does he give me any warning…. NO!

· Buy a cheap stroller – As with all of our previous trips we have taken our nice Peg stroller and have not had any bad luck. But this time we arrive in Atlanta on our trip out and discover that our stroller now only has one handle. The guy who delivered it was oblivious when I pointed it out – as if he didn’t notice that one was missing. So, we are now walking around with the ghetto stroller with a missing handle. Delta did say that would pay for the repair but they were quick to say that we needed to handle all of the legwork and just submit receipts. I just hope we get reimbursed before Harper goes to kindergarten.

· Watch what you teach your kids because they are sure to repeat in public – For the past couple of weeks Harper has only been letting me wipe his runny nose if I show him what is on the tissue and then say “Ooh Harper look yucky boogies – let’s clean them off”. So much to our surprise, Harper has learned to repeat. For about 15-20 minutes on one of the plane rides Harper kept wiping his nose and in his very loud toddler voice he says “Ooh boogie” and keeps showing me over and over and over. I know everyone around us must have thought we do this for entertainment.

· When your child is fussy don’t visit one of the airplane stores where they sell Elmo dolls – Yes, we have fallen prey to the crazy hold that Elmo places on young children and yes, we did break down and buy him a stuffed Elmo in the airport that was marked up by about 50 percent more than other non-airport stores. Now, we have the doll and the Hokey Pokey Elmo book!

Although the plane ride was sometimes a challenge, Harper did great over all. Once we arrived at my parent’s house we couldn’t keep him out of the barn. I think Harper would have slept with the animals if we had let him. My parents now have 5 miniature ponies, 2 Chinese pheasants and about 10 bunnies with a litter of 6 that were born a week before we arrived. You would have thought Harper had been raised on a farm by the way he was getting around in the barn so comfortably. He fed all the animals, petted them and bossed them around like he did this stuff everyday. I think we averaged about 8 to 10 trips to the barn a day – thank goodness the weather was about 70 degrees. I guess he has a little bit of country in him after all – which is exactly what my parents love. We almost had to watch dad more than Harper because he would be off riding the tractor with him, letting him ride the horsies and just doing all the fun boy stuff that dad never got to do with us. I guess I will only begin to worry when he pulls out the guns! I have included some pictures from the trip.

Well that’s it for now – I’ll write more in 2 weeks when we find out if BB is a boy or girl….. Any bets?

A Swift Kick to the Gut!

Week 15 and the only thing exciting that has happened is that I felt BB move for the first time yesterday. That is one week earlier than I felt Harper move. Unfortunately I couldn’t really soak in the moment for too long because I was in the middle of a traffic jam rushing to get on the University of Utah campus to pick up my thesis edits from my professor before she left to go on Thanksgiving holiday.

But, if that move is any indication of what activity is yet to occur, I am in big trouble. I remember Harper’s first move as a flutter or a little fish swimming in my tummy. But BB’s move yesterday was a full on somersault with a karate kick to the lower gut. It makes me wonder if I have samurai instead of a 4 inch fetus growing inside of me. All I can think of is how my back is going to hurt over the next several months.

I am copying the link from babycenter.com of how BB is progressing at 15 weeks:

http://www.babycenter.com/general/1498247.html

Remember mom this is not an actual sonogram photo of our baby, instead it is a cartoon mock-up of anyone’s baby at this time – just a friendly reminderJ).

I have to admit this pregnancy is similar in some ways to Harper’s but it is very different in some ways too. I thought I would point out some of those similarities and differences that I have noticed thus far:

How is it similar?

Once again I am switching jobs at the 4 month pregnant mark. I recently got a promotion to an HR Manager position. This will keep me at my same company but I will move back to our health plan entity where I have so many friends. There is nothing better than starting a new job, working 5 months, then taking 3 months off. I hope senior management isn’t picking up on any patterns. I really plan for this to be the last baby – I don’t want to be known around the company as the gal who is pregnant every time she lands a promotion.

Carpal tunnel – enough said!

An insane need to complete home projects – with Harper’s pregnancy, Matt and I moved into our house, had the kitchen ripped out, and every wall repainted – all while trying to live in the gigantic mess. This time around we pulled up the carpet in the dining room, living room, hallway, and foyer and had our floors refinished and base boards repainted. Once again living among a mess – but at least this time around we could escape to Matt’s parents house for a delicious dinner and a clean house alternative while things were at their worst. Now, we have decided to have all the windows in our house replaced. What is it with pregnancy and the insatiable need to make changes???

We are just as excited to add another one to the bunch!

How is it different?

Cravings for weird combinations are strong and loud. On Saturday night I had 4 pickles and a popsicle before going to bed. To say the least I needed TUMS by midnight!

Although I haven’t experienced morning sickness, I have experienced a great deal of upset tummy – to the point that I am popping TUMS by the hand full. Even when things sound really good to eat, they just don’t settle well. I hope this is not a sign that BB is going to be a picky eater. My stomach was never upset with Harper and that child will eat most anything!

I am getting headaches more but this might be due to Harper’s constant begging for me to read/sing Hokey Pokey Elmo for the 20th time each night in combination with some left over fumes from having our floors refinished and our baseboards repainted!

I have very, very little PTO (paid time off) his time around. When Harper was born I took 12 weeks with full pay. I was really getting use to not working but still having a full check every other week. But, this time around we are going to have to save, save, save so we aren’t stressed and poor when BB comes along!

We have most everything we need for a new little one. Matter of fact, we have a crib that is like brand new because Harper likes to curl up to mommy and daddy instead of stretching out in a bed all his own.

Instead of one butt to diaper, one mouth to feed, and one baby to bathe we are going to have 2! I guess we will both have our hands full now – There will be no more, “you watch Harper while I do this”…. Instead, it will be “you take Harper and I will take BB and we can both be stressed while we try to multi-task”. But, a full house is a happy house… at least that is what my mom always said!

So, in ending you can see that at this point the differences outweigh the similarities. If I believe the “wive’s tales” and the unsolicited advice from other mothers, the prediction would be that the sex of the baby is different than the first. Could it be a girl? Matt thinks that the Brace genes heavily outweigh the possibility that this could happen…. But, we will find out in 3-4 more weeks.

So, until next time – eat tons of Turkey, stuffing and desserts and be thankful that you don’t have to follow it up with a handful of TUMS!

A Brand New Day

Today I broke down and pulled out my stretchy band pants. As any pregnant woman will tell you this is a moment that you approach with trepidation and you sort of dread for some reason. The stretcy band pants just don't have that "sexy" feeling or allure to want to buy multiple pairs in all different colors like my Ann Taylor pants do. But, for the second time, I have asked myself - "What the hell was I putting this moment off for?"

Today is a brand new day - I feel like my thoughts are clearer and I have been whistling continuously (probably because I have more air flow to my brain now!). It feels wonderful to finally bend down and not have to be thinking "are my pants going to split right up the seam? or will my button fly off and knock someone's eye out?". Not today... I'm relishing that I can move with ease, that I won't have to worry that the imprint of both my button and my zipper will be apparent on my stomach for over an hour after taking my work pants off for the evening and most of all I can BREATHE!

This is true "Women's Liberation". Maybe we should all start campaigning for the fashion industry to start putting elastic in everything. Could you imagine how the attitude of all women would change across America if this was an accepted, Oprah approved means of dressing ourselves. I don't think we have seen such a thing since nylons were no longer required in the workplace. Take a moment and ponder the benefits:

1. The lines in the restroom would be much shorter because half the time in the stall is buttoning the five or so buttons that are now on most dress pants.

2. Shopping would be much simpler because we would no longer have to stress about being a 8 in one brand and a 10 in another. You will now just have to ask for S, M, L - just like you are shopping for pj's.

3. You would no longer be overwhelmed by guilt when you have eaten the 3rd piece of chocolate because you would be rid of your buttoned up, cinching waistband that is completely cutting off the oxygen to your brain.

I know there are more but this brain is working overtime. So, at least for now, I am voting for stretchy band pants - get on the band wagon with me!

As for the pregnancy - things are progressing. It will be no time before people will be able to tell. I can already hear the whispers at the water cooler of people who are wondering if I have been dipping in their candy dishes too many times or if I have a bun in the oven. Truthfully the answer is both!

Matt, Harper and I are heading back to VA and TN for the Thanksgiving holiday. We are looking forward to seeing the Collier family but dreading the plane trip now that Harper has developed curiosity, attitude and the freedom to get around on his own - not to mention his ability to throw a tantrum at the most inconvenient moment. But, maybe it will make the time pass by quicker!

Until next time.....

15 Things that Change When You Have a Baby

This is week 13 and the buttons on my pants are working overtime! I think I only have a small window of time left before the stretchy band pants come out. At this point I think I will welcome them with open arms - I will be able to sit down without having to worry if the seams are going to bust. Not to mention that I will probably be getting more oxygen to my brain... I wonder if that is why I am so forgetful and ditzy? Maybe I am oxygen deprived!!!

If you are at all interested, you can click on the link here to see BB's progression for the week. According to babycenter.com, he/she is the size of a jumbo shrimp. Not to mention that BB probably closely resembles the shrimp as well:

http://www.babycenter.com/general/1498245.html

I have been surprised at the interest level in the blog - my mom is a dedicated fan and has told me that she goes in every morning and clicks on all the ads so that I can make some money. I wish everyone was this dedicated because I would probably be rich. But, what can you expect from your mom - she would probably read this even if the topic was something crazy like "my various rashes and how I deal with the itching". I have even had several people let me know to add other people to the list because they have forwarded it on... so, I guess all of this writing isn't necessarily in vain.

Since the only thing that is happening in the pregnancy at week 13 is my continual weigh gain and my insatiable appetite, I thought I would borrow another list that I got this week from my favorite website... babycenter.com. This week I got a list that another mother wrote of "Things that Change When You Have a Baby". Some I agree with... some I don't. But, I thought I would share for the purpose of reminding all of those parents whose kids are older, reinforcing for those who have kids who are younger and a matter of warning for those who haven't had children yet - maybe it will be motivation to have kids or maybe it will be motivation to continue practicing safe sex and/or religiously taking your birth control!

Here they are, in no particular order:

1. You look at your baby in the mirror instead of yourself.

This one is obvious because if I were looking at myself more I wouldn’t have cancelled my hair appointment. Right now, my true colors are showing - literally. I have about 2 inches of dark sprouting that doesn’t really complement the blond that I have been trying to be for the last several years.

2. You finally stop to smell the roses, because your baby is in your arms.

So true. Having a baby does make you stop and appreciate the little things that we tend to not make time for in our adult lives. The other day, Harper became enthralled with the water flowing out of the rain gutter on a yucky wet day. Without his excitement, I probably would not have noticed. But, he was so thrilled and wanted to splash his hands through the water that I was forced to watch and actually realized how fun getting a little wet can be. Seeing him smile, laugh, point and utter words that are still uninterruptible was the best part!

3. Where you once believed you were fearless, you now find yourself afraid.

These days I watch the news and read the paper very differently. My heart aches like never before for parents who experience hardship, loss and tragedy with their little ones. Before having a child, I scanned these articles just like I scanned any other thing that didn’t touch my life. But, now, I worry about being a good parent, exposing my child to environmental toxins, teaching them the right lessons, child predators, illness and many other things that are totally out of my control.


4. You're less self-involved and more self-motivated.

You are definitely less self-involved but I wouldn’t go as far as you are self-motivated. Before having Harper, I religiously had a pedicure once per month and had my toes repainted every other week. These days I am walking around with residual red polish from back in the summer – not to mention that I am lucky if I shave my legs once per month (sorry, I know this is probably too much information for many of you, but I only speak the truth). I think if I were more self-motivated I would have lost that 7.8 pounds that hung around a whole year after Harper was born. Do you know how many times I said to myself that I was going to start a diet on Monday? Matter of fact, I joined Weight Watcher’s once and only made it to two meetings….. I wouldn’t exactly call that self-motivated.

5. The sacrifices you thought you made to have a child no longer seem like sacrifices.

Actually it does still seem like sacrifices, but they are worth it. People are kidding you if they tell you that you will just get use to the extra expense. I’m not sure that you ever get use to it, but you just learn to deal with it and you realize that the extra expense is worth it. I am already looking forward to sending the kids to public school and getting a “raise” when we no longer have to pay for daycare – that one really hits you in the gut!

6. You respect your body ... finally. (Hooray for baby-making!)

This was obviously written by a person who was skinny before they had a baby and was back in their regular clothes a week after delivering. I don’t think I would say I “respect” the love handles, stretch marks and extra 7.8 pounds that I did not lose prior to getting pregnant again. Hooray for baby making but boo hoo on the damage it does to the body!

7. You have stronger opinions and are stronger willed.

I think I have always had this problem. Having a child hasn’t done much in changing it.

8. You respect your parents and love them in a new way. (Hooray for grandparents!)

True. Actually Matt and I catch ourselves on occasion doing or saying something that our parents did to us and then laugh and say “OH MY GOSH… WE ARE OUR PARENTS”. I sort of felt guilty when mom told me a couple of months ago that she had me, Lorie and Ashley and never owned a stroller! These days we would probably take up a collection or call social services for a mom walking around with a 6 year old, 4 year old and a new born with no stroller …. Not to mention that none of us had a car seat or even buckled in. I bet one of us held the newborn while mom drove.


9. You believe once again in the things you believed in as a child. (Hooray for the tooth fairy!)

Christmas is actually fun again. Considering that Matt and I are two big kids at heart, I feel like we get to experience our childhood over – except we are having to pay for it rather than mom and dad! I really get into the hoopla that surrounds each of the holidays – this is probably one of the most fun things about having a kid.

10. You lose touch with the people in your life that you should have banished years ago.

Enough said….. some people are just no longer worth the energy. You learn to prioritize the most important things.


11. Bodily functions are no longer repulsive. In fact, they please you. (Hooray for poop!)

Call me weird but I think it is still repulsive. I think the mother who wrote this must have had a child who was plagued with chronic constipation so having her child have a bowel movement was a blessing. I don’t think Matt or I have ever said “hooray for poop!” We do the “rock, paper, scissors” trick to decide who the unlucky person will be to change the diaper.

12. You think before you speak.

You probably begin doing more of this when your child can repeat what you have said. I remind Matt all the time that both of our moms will kill us when Harper says a “four letter word” that isn’t poop, darn, or fart. Plus, we will have to stop talking about our crazy relatives and the oddly dressed person in the grocery store because I have heard that kids can be like a talking parakeet. We are working on this!

13. You become a morning person. (Hooray for watching the sun rise!)

Unfortunately sleeping-in these days is not an option. This issue is probably exacerbated just a bit since Harper sleeps with us. How can you sleep when Harper begins yelling “DaDa” at 6am. Even when Matt tries to ignore him, Harper whacks Matt in the nose and continues to yell “dada, dada, dada”. He has recently become fascinated with sticking his finger up your nose as well – hard to sleep under these conditions, so you just give up around 6:04 am. Half the time on Saturdays and Sundays we have had breakfast, coffee, done all of our errands and Harper has already had a quick morning nap by 9am.

14. If you have a son, you no longer curse men. (Hooray for all men!)

Yes you do – especially if you are the only female in the house. I have a great deal of respect and admiration for Matt’s mom – I don’t know how you ever kept your sanity. I am now having to be modest in my own house and I only have a one year old. Harper has recently discovered that the female body is different than his and daddy’s – like every other boy he has noticed boobs! I now have to be conscious about changing in front of him because he points and says “da” and laughs. I have no clue what his tiny brain is thinking but I guess boys will be boys.

15. Your love becomes limitless, a superhuman power.

Any parent knows this to be true. Who knew that you could hold so much love in your heart for one little being. You love them even when they wake you at 3 in the morning crying, when there is snot all of your shirt before you have even gone to work, when they crush goldfish crackers into tiny pieces into the carpet, when you change their diaper and they poop only two seconds after you have put on the new one and when they give you an open mouth kiss before they have even chewed up half of their lunch!

We are learning to appreciate every little annoying thing because before you know it they won’t need you anymore and you will only wish that they were still small enough to sleep with you or rock them to sleep in your arms. These are the greatest things about being a parent…. There is no other time in your life where you are needed, wanted and loved by another person who thinks you are the absolute best!

Until next time.....

Bah Bump! Bah Bump! Bah Bump!

Well today it feels VERY real. We had our second doctor's appt this morning and we got to hear BB's heart beat for the first time (with mine echoing in the background). This is one of the several moments during the course of pregnancy / birth that really makes you realize what a miraculous process creating another life really is! The heart beat was steady and strong.

That was obviously the climatic moment of the appointment - everything else was pretty routine and I am still healthy and gaining weight:

I gained 2 more pounds
I peed in a cup and all is good (who knows what that really means)
My blood pressure was 120/60
And all of my labs came back great - I'm not anemic, I don't have HIV, Syphilis, or any other STD and I am immune to German Measles - thanks mom, for having me immunized when I was younger.

Dr. Sharp said everything looked so good that I should continue doing what I have been doing. I'm sure he isn't aware that I have been gorging myself on Halloween candy for the last week and a half. But, maybe that is the secret!

Also, as a side note, I realized today that Dr. Sharp sort of resembles Harry Connick, Jr. (which is defintely not a bad thing) and sounds just like him - but he assured me that he doesn't play the piano. I think he has heard this resemblance before because he sort of laughed it off :)

I am now officially entering my second trimester - the good times as I remember them from Harper! Still feeling good and can't believe how fast time flies.

Until next time....

Only a Face a Mommy and Daddy Can Appreciate

5 Surprising Pregnancy Side Effects

During my pregnancy with Harper, I began subscribing to an online pregnancy information site. It was a wonderful source of information that allowed me to give up on all of the reading I was trying to keep up with when it came to the 10 or so pregnancy books I had bought and accumulated from other mothers. With this site, all of the info was emailed to me in a "Cliff Notes" version that even included pictures. Another reason I am so happy that we have the internet.

The site is www.babycenter.com and you enter some basic information and it calculates your due date and tracks your pregnancy. Based on the due date, it sends you weekly updates on the progress of your unborn babe along with pictures of what the little bean sprout might look like at any given week. This week, for example, Baby Brace (BB) is the size of a lime and is beginning to look more human and less alien. I think if you click on this link, you should be able to see the quasi-scientific cartoon photo of what BB looks like: http://www.babycenter.com/general/1498244.html

Even now, I still get weekly updates and advice about where Harper should be in his development. I am glad to say, if this site is correct, he is on track. Even its prediction of tantrums and manipulating behavior was right on the nose. This site has been a "god send" when it comes to searching for useful parenting information as well. I have looked up things like "Why does my little one throw up every time we are in public places", "Why is my 2 month old not talking yet", "When should I start feeding him chocolate?", "When can I start teaching him to do house chores?" and "Why does he want to bite everyone who takes anything he is playing with or is thinking about playing with"? Trust me, it has calmed a many of my fears and made me realize that he is more normal than I am!

So back to the site as it relates to BB's pregnancy. Today, I got an update that was titled "5 Surprising Pregnancy Side Effects" and I thought I would share with those of you who could really care less but just read my updates because you are my friend or you are related to me - either way... Thanks!

Here goes:

1. Forgetful - Check. This one has been going on for about 8 weeks now. I have forgotten people's names I work with, I forget where I put my car keys and I am continually calling Harper by the dogs names.

2. Clumsy - Check. The other day at work, I went to the water cooler and much to my surprise there was no water. So, I thought I would be very resourceful and change the big 5 gallon water holder. After all, I have done this several times before without incident (but I was not pregnant and clumsy). As I was pulling the empty container out, my head got in the way and the empty 5 gallon bottle whacked me right between the eyes. No problem - I laughed it off. Then I picked up the full 20 lb or more refill and went to put it on top of the tank but lost my grip and dropped it on my toes. I quickly looked to see if anyone saw me and said a few choice words and then laughed again in pain. Once safely and securely in tact, I put my Nalgene bottle under the spout and begin filling it up - I do not understand why, but I lost my grip again, and my Nalgene bottle went to the floor and water went everywhere. I think I have clumsy down to an art!

3. Short of breath - Not there yet - but I have avoided exercise, stairs, steep hills and any other thing that raises the heart rate. So this one could be laying dormant in my system just waiting for me to move quickly.

4. Dizzy - Dizzy no but ditzy yes!

5. Craving odd foods - well I haven't craved anything like dirt or ashes or clay but if you count tater tots saturated in vinegar - I've got this one covered too! It is funny because with my first pregnancy I didn't really buy into this craving thing. I didn't really have any strong convictions about what I needed to eat. This time around, I analyze food days prior to eating it. I know exactly what I want for dinner because I have rehearsed eating it several times throughout the day. The one thing that I loved the most during pregnancy #1 was Mexican, but this time I seem to have an aversion to it. Funny how things can be so different.

These were the top 5, but I thought I would add a three more of my own:

6. Crying at the drop of a hat - for those of you who know me very well, you know that I don't cry alot. But, for the last several weeks I think I have worried Matt and made him wonder if he really married such an emotional time bomb. The other day I started crying uncontrollably when Matt wanted to take a stab at a few "handyman" projects. It was a very emotional experience thinking that he might mess our door frame up and we were having guests over in 48 hours for a Halloween party! I think he relented only because he thought it might send me over the edge and he might have to commit me to a mental insitutution and he would be left to care for Harper and the dogs for an undetermined amount of time by himself.

7. Carpal Tunnel - For the skeptics - this is real problem! I always wondered about those people who claimed they had carpal tunnel before I was pregnant. But during the last 6 weeks of my first pregnancy I thought I was going to die from the pain. Unfortunately, this issue has raised its nasty head way too early with BB's pregnancy. I am imagining that I won't be able to even open my hands by week 30. Maybe I will just be walking around with balled up fists. I wonder if my boss will buy into this notion when I say that I can't open my hands to type, answer the phone or shake anyone's hand but I would still like to stay on the payroll until I deliver.

8. Needing to pee LOTS! - I am a person that tries to limit the number of times that I visit the ladies room during the day. For some reason, it has always seemed to be a hassle and unproductive. But, even this early in pregnancy, I am up to about 10-12 pee breaks during the day and at least 2 during the night. UGH~

Well, I think this is probably enough to digest for this week. I hope you are enjoying and we have our second doctor's appointment on Thursday, so I will probably do a mini-update unless anything crazy needs to be reported. I will end by referring to the above very cute picture of Harper. We introduced him to licking the batter off the mixing beaters this weekend. Like his father and mother - he was an instant fan! These moments are all the reasons that I can't wait for BB's birth to add another one to the mix!

Thinking for Two....

Week 11 and to the naked eye, I don't look pregnant yet but mentally I'm just not all there! I really knew that all my neurons weren't firing (or maybe they are working overtime) when I bought a few new maternity items at Motherhood Maternity this past week.

First off, let me say that buying maternity clothes is not anywhere close to my favorite thing to do. To be honest it takes the fun right out of shopping! But, in preperation for my expanding tummy, I like to try to buy a few things before I need them, rather than waking up in a panic one day and not having anything to wear. (Trust me, that does happen mysteriously... I swear!) Really I am just trying to avoid the emotional turmoil that this would cause me and those around me! Since most of my maternity clothes from Harper's birth were more summer in nature, I thought I would try to get a few pairs of pants and some long sleeve shirts.

Thank goodness we have more choices than our mother's did, but there is still something icky about walking in a store where all of the pants have a large stretchy band of material where a button and zipper should go and on occasion there is even a drawstring for added convenience! And for some reason, most of the materntiy industry is about 3-5 years behind in fashion concepts - so, the majority of the things in the store just don't have that "buy-me" appeal!

Anyway, I had picked up a couple of shirts the week before at Macy's and I thought I would check the selection at Motherhood for a few items. As I was browsing the limited selection in the very narrow aisles, a red shirt caught my eye. I thought "hey that looks like a nice shirt and something I would wear." So, I had the nice lady get it off the rack for me. Oh, that is the other thing about Motherhood - there is a whole row of clothing that hangs about 6 1/2 feet from the floor and totally unreachable for someone short like me! It makes you wonder if they enjoy watching pregnat ladies navigate the narrow aisles knocking things off with their bellys and then jumping up and down trying to reach the "top shelf" items!

So when the sales lady handed me the shirt in my size, I decided to buy it along with a pair of jeans and another black shirt. I was proud of my new purchases and headed out of the mall - walking by the windows of all of my favorite stores like Ann Taylor, Banana Republic and Nordie's just envying the new fall fashions.

When I got home, I went to compare my Motherhood purchases with the stuff that I had bought at Macy's the week before and I could not believe my eyes! I had bought that same red shirt at Macy's the week before that I had just bought from Motherhood! I thought - am I going completely crazy? - how could I have done that?! But, I remembered to give myself some slack because after all I am now using one single brain for two people!

I quickly returned my red shirt to Motherhood and exchanged it for something that I didn't already have (at least to my memory!). I was glad that it wasn't a sale item because Motherhood has some really weird return policies - 10 days to exchange anything new and your just SOL (shit out of luck - mom)if it is a sale item. No money back....ever! I guess I will need to carry an inventory of my clothing as I am shopping in the future for extra protection.

So, as you go about your daily tasks this week and forget some minute detail, remember all of us pregnant ladies whose brains are working overtime to just get the small tasks like clothing ourselves done and appreciate your little moments of insanity!

Until next time....

p.s. You might notice at the top of my blog there is now some room for advertising. I am trying this blog feature out - so, feel free to click on the ads and generate me some extra money. Supposedly, you get paid for every click that someone makes on the ads. I must apologize to all the men and those who could care less about pregnancy topics because I have no say in what gets posted as an ad. I guess google just sells ad space based on the topic of your blog - so of course, mine are about fetal dopplers, planning your conceivement date and other topics that you don't generally talk about at dinner. So click away and help pay for the kid's college!

You Know You Are Pregnant When.....

You know you are pregnant when you are planning each of your meals with passion and vigor. Even at 10 weeks along, I am once again savoring every ounce of food as if it were my last bite! It is amazing how food, no matter how simple, becomes a delicacy! For those of you who have had babies before, I know you will relate when I say that I start planning what I will have for breakfast the day before during lunch!

For the past week or so I have been wanting to eat eggs, cheese and ham for breakfast. So, on my way to work, I have been stopping in at Einstein's bagels to get a bagel sandwich. After about a week of this and $20 later, I decided I could start making my own for much cheaper. Yes, motherhood has made me both practical and cheap - another change that I did not anticipate :)

So, yesterday, Harper and I went to the grocery store and I meticulously planned my breakfasts for the week. I bought english muffins, egg beaters, canadian bacon and swiss cheese. I figured I could take it to work and make it when I got there. I have been watching those workers at Einsteins make eggs in the microwave and I finally got the courage to ask - "Can I buy just regular Egg Beaters and do that myself?". The very nice person behind the counter gave me the exact instructions on how to make the perfect microwave egg. I'm sure he wouldn't have shared that if he would have known how much business he would be losing over the next 7 months!

I know this is really scary, but I thought about making my egg sandwich all last night and couldn't wait until this morning. Let me just say.... it was a complete SUCCESS! I toasted my english muffin while my egg was cooking in the microwave - (which by the way, eggs are alot like hotdogs in the microwave - they need to be closely monitored because they expand about 100 times their size!). After the muffin was toasted and the egg was done, I melted the cheese and heated the canadian bacon on my muffin (once again in the microwave) and then put it all together. It was pure joy!

So, I would like to send a special shout out thank you to the bagel worker who gave me confidence and courage to cook my own perfect egg in the microwave.... this might save me alot of money during pregnancy!

Until next time.....

1st Appointment

Yesterday Matt and I had our first doctor's appointment for baby #2. It felt a little routine since we have been here before (and not so long ago!). We actually decided to change doctors because we would like to deliver at the University of Utah this time. Since Dr. Brown (Harper's doc) does not deliver at the U, we switched to an new OB - Dr. Howard Sharp. We both really liked him. He is young and very detailed with his questions and answers. Interestingly enough, I heard about Dr. Sharp through the nurse who is overseeing my graduate thesis project at the U. His clinic is one of the 3 clinics who is handing out my survey for research. (Contrary to popular belief - I am still working on my thesis!)

So, I did take the opportunity to let him know that he needs to make sure his staff is handing out and collecting my survey so that I can graduate before baby #2 arrives.

Although we really liked Dr. Sharp, we were quite disappointed with the amount of time that we had to wait at the clinic. My appointment was at 10:30am and we didn't even get to see the doctor until about 11:45. If you know me, you know my patience level is null and void. So, I have to come up with a game plan to make sure I get those early morning appointments.

I hate to report that I am actually going into this preganancy 7.8 pounds heavier than when I had Harper. I guess those last few pounds have stuck with me! After peeing in a cup and going through a bunch of questions about family history, past pregnancy / delivery, and expectations I had to experience the yucky EXAM! Dr. Sharp confirmed that everything is progressing very normally and that I am 9 weeks along today! He tried to listen for the heart beat but it was too faint (or maybe those extra 7.8 pounds wouldn't allow the sound to penetrate to the microphone). So, we will be going back in about 3 weeks to revisit Dr. Sharp and hear the first heartbeat.

I am still feeling pretty well - although very tired. I have been going to bed with Harper every night at about 8:30am. I am looking forward to my burst of energy during the 2nd trimester. I'm sure Matt is as well, because he has been picking up the slack alot lately with house chores! I haven't had any morning sickness or weird cravings yet - although my sense of smell is very keen these days.

As time progresses, I'll try to put a new posting up weekly. But, at this stage in the pregnancy there isn't much to report. I guess I did fail to mention that today is the first day that I have had to officially unbutton my pants so that I could breathe. This is much earlier than Harper - but I guess I can once again blame it on the extra 7.8 pounds!

Until next time.....

Finally....A good idea on how to use my blog space!

Happenings with Heather B

Well I guess I have unintentionally found a good use for this blog. Over the last month, I have been trying to think about what I could do with my blog space. As I mentioned in my previous posting, I signed up for a blog because it seemed like the thing to do these days. Over the the last month, I have toyed with ideas and long last I have found a purpose!

On September 8th, Matt and I found out we are pregnant with our second child. As we thought about how we want to deliver the news and keep everyone up to date, it clicked that my blog space would be the ideal place to accomplish this. It will be a nice way to chronicle the next 9 months (and beyond) and use as a "sort of" journal for this new and "expanding" journey.

So, you might be asking.... "Are we excited?", "Was it planned?", "Should we wait to tell everyone?".... Well, we are very excited but also very surprised that it happened so quickly. Ever since having Harper we have known that we wanted to have at least one more and we thought it would be ideal to space them about 2 years apart. So, with the due date being in mid-May, Harper and the new little one will be about 21 months apart ... seems like perfect timing to us! To answer the question "Should we wait to tell everyone...?" Well, if you know me, you know that my life is an open book and I have a hard time not sharing this information with everyone. So, we are sharing early and hoping for the best.

We both recognize that this is going to be alot of work, but we have promised to keep it fun and always laugh! There are some things that we will need to begin doing to prepare for the new arrival - mainly getting Harper out of our bed and into his own :). It will probably take the entire 9 months to accomplish. Or, who knows, maybe we will just add another one to the mix - thank God for a king size bed! Can't you just picture it now... 2 adults, 2 kids and 2 dogs. I guess all good things come in pairs :.

Well I will end this posting by saying that I would have never painted this scenario for our lives 5 years ago... but I must say that it is pretty darn close to a masterpiece. Isn't life so much fun......

First Time Blogger

Well this is my first attempt at blogging - is that what you call it? I have been hearing and reading about everyone's blog but have been slow to get started myself. Normally I am very quick with technology but something has always seemed kind of weird about just typing random information about myself for all the world to view - but, I may as well jump on board now - right???

I have just gotten through a very hectic weekend. My son, Harper turned one last week and we had his first birthday party on Saturday. Who knew a first birthday could be so stressful. Now, I know why people decide not to host them at their homes and instead rent out a place - less hassle, less mess and more predictable. It was a great weekend though - my sister and niece flew out from Tennessee and my mom (from Virginia) also surprised us by flying out as well. Poor things - they flew on Thursday when all of the terror alerts were taking place so it wasn't the most fun day to be travelling.

All in all, the party went off without a hitch. He really enjoyed diving into his cake and made a real mess - glad that tradition only happens on the first birthday.

Can't believe a whole year has gone by since his birth - boy how life has changed. Of course, all for the good, but life really is much different - no more really late nights with friends and obviously less money to spend on things like eating out and shopping. But, the rewards of seeing him learn new things every day is worth every penny :)

Now that the party is over, I really have no excuse for procrastinating my thesis - of course that is what I am suppose to be doing now. But, instead I am creating this blog that I am not sure if anyone will even read. I finished all of my classwork last year (less than a week before I had my son) and I have been 1 year working on my thesis. UGH - will the madness ever end!

Well not sure how all of this works so I will sign off for now. But, I have to say it is kind of refreshing to just ramble about nothing without anyone changing the subject. I might really enjoy having my own personal platform to spout nonsense :O