Toddlin'

Today you will get TWO whole posts, because I am so v. v. v. behind on life.The second will be coming just as soon as this baby goes down for her nap and I fold the 28 loads of laundry waiting for me.

I might be exaggerating.

BUT, you get two posts because as of yesterday morning, my baby is officially walking! I can't even believe it. I mean, I can. But, holy crap does it make her seem even less like a baby.

So here's the lowdown - girl has been pulling herself up and cruising around the furniture FOREVER. When she was eleven months, she started just standing up on her own, not holding onto anything or pulling herself up on anything. But, even time she would do it, she would just sort of look around with raised eyebrows as if to say, "Um, how did I get here?" and then she would slooooowly sink to the ground, where she would happily resume crawling about in her ridiculously fast pace.

She has been walking around holding our hands for like three months now? Longer maybe? She has been cruising behind her walking contraptions forEVER. And loving it. We thought for sure she would walk before a year, because girl was so happy running around behind all of her rolling, walking everything. She even started pushing ottomans and other items around like a walker. It was natural that she wash just going to let go and do it herself, right?

Wrong.

Every time we would leave her standing on her own and try to tempt her with other things to get her to move, she would just sit down and crawl towards it. So, a year came and went, still no walking. I decided to just let Ev "do her". I knew she would do it eventually, and clearly she was working it out in her head. You could see those little gears working, but every time it would seem as if she just arrived at a mental shrug and calculated that she could crawl faster to whatever she wanted. Which is true, so kudos to your logic, kiddo.

Yesterday morning, she was standing there, looking at me, and just started moving her feet. One little step, then she would sit down. Stand her back up, and again and again. One little foot movement, then down. I grabbed my camera.

Just in case.

Then she looked at me, stood up, and just walked over to me. 

LIKE IT WAS NO BIG THING.

Then I hugged her and cried and screamed "Good Job!" and all sorts of ridiculous mommy things. And she grinned at me and put her hand on my cheek as if to say, "Oh Mommy, I could have done this weeks and weeks ago, I just didn't feel like it."

Alrighty then baby girl. I got ya.

I sent Daddy the video at work and he was bummed that he had missed it, but that all vanished when he came home and she walked towards him. (I will try to upload the video later, but am SUPER embarrassed because I am screaming like a crazy person. Seriously.)

Today we have done so many laps around the house, her just walking beside me, holding my hand, occasionally letting go, and occasionally reaching up to make sure I am still there. No big deal.

So there it is, she flipped the switch, and is officially off on her own.

Evelyn Rae is thirteen months old and I am 15 weeks, 6 days along with Baby Ferris

...and I am so freaking proud and excited for her, and yet a little heartbroken at her being so grown up at the same time. Parenthood - the most thrilling and exciting bittersweet experience ever.

Quick post

Quick post today, because WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO MY LIFE?!

We have been bouncing all around like a ping pong ball lately, sick, better, baby sick, errands, getting this house in SOME SORT OF ORDER. Ugh.

Anyway, yesterday amidst errands I decided to say "Screw it, we're going to the park." And we did. So we played and had a good time.

While there though we met a family with three kiddos...named:

• Carson
• Cora
• Colton

I mean, I get that you want your kids' names to go together and all...but am I the only one who thinks all the name matching is a bit much sometimes? Twins, I get. It is complimentary. But, separately birthed kiddos? I just don't know how I feel about it.

Evelyn Rae is thirteen months old and I am 15 weeks and 5 days along with Baby Dos

...and I live in fear of falling in love with a name that rhymes with Evelyn. I CAN'T BE THAT MOM.

The End of an Era

Late last week came the end of an era.

My sister moved out.

She is headed to a PhD program (smartypants) in Northern Virginia, and we are so freaking excited for her making this move and achieving new dreams. I think many of us grown folks can attest to the fact that it would be difficult to go from a grown up salary paying job and the perks that go along with it ($$) back to the life of a full time student. But, she is doing it! Hooray for her!

Miss Ash has been with us, since, well, we moved into this house. She and I actually lived here together before my loving husband even did. He was on deployment when we closed and Ash moved right in with me. I loved having her here while I was still trying to get things right, needing a second opinion, applying for jobs, and trying not to wallow in my newly-married state of loneliness without my husband. I don't think any of us thought she would live here for almost exactly three years, but we are so glad she did.

"Isn't it hard living with your sister?" people would ask. My honest reply was, "Nope." After living in the same room with the girl for 15 years, living in the same house was a breeze. Granted, there were a few, um, moments throughout the time she was here, but I wouldn't trade it.

She was here for so many moments - moving in, dinner parties, she was the first one we told that Evelyn was on her way, she timed my contractions for me while A was on the ship and I was in labor, she was sitting beside me as I delivered that baby girl into the world, and held her shortly after her arrival. She discovered the pregnancy test wrapper in the bathroom that I had neglected to throw away when I discovered that Baby #2 was on the way.

Luckily, girl is family, so she will never completely leave. We are excited to get used to being a family 'alone' (and to get to use that fourth bedroom), but will miss our 'oldest kid',

Best of luck Smash! We love you.



Evelyn Rae is thirteen months old and I am 15 weeks, 2 days along with Baby Ferris

...and there is going to be a bunch of room swapping and project-ing going on around this place in the next few months!

Road to Recovery

Well, I may still sound like I am about to hack up a lung from time to time, and I may still be leaving a trail of tissues wherever I go...

BUT, I think I am on the road to recovery. I have felt like  human being since last Friday or so, and as of yesterday I can even breathe out of my nose!

Even Miss Evelyn, who ended up catching a little bit of this heinous bug, seems to be feeling her normal happy self today.

Thank goodness.

Back to "work" tomorrow.


Evelyn Rae is thirteen months old and I am 15 weeks along (!!) with Baby Ferris

...and my house is some kind of a wreck after being out of it for the past week. Yikes!

Combo

As I have stated before, I am quite possibly the worst sick person on the face of the planet. Admittedly, one of my bigger faults.

I have complained before about being sick and pregnant, and I was pretty sure I had complained on this blog about being a sick mom to a little baby, but I can't find the post. Rest assured, I have complained about it, at the very least on Facebook. Being a mom is not for the weak.

But now? Now I am experiencing the combo. Sick while pregnant and a momma to an adorable and happily, thankfully, still healthy one year old.

It started yesterday with a sore throat and runny nose.

Today? I've thrown up twice.

Ugh.

Go away whatever this is and let the health come back. The usual cast of non-medicinal interventions are lined up; saline spray, tissues, Vick's and the humidifier.

Bless that baby though.

She has been playing on the ground in the living room while I lay on the couch sniffling into my tissues, and every so often she comes over to me, pulls herself up onto the couch and lays her little head on my chest for a few minutes. Then she looks up at me and smiles as if to say, "You'll be fine soon Mommy."

Bless.that.baby.


Evelyn Rae is thirteen months old, I am 14 weeks and 3 days along with Ferris

...and I am so, so ready to feel like myself again.

Secret Posts.

All the "secret posts" have been published!

They have all been published with a label - II - attached. So, if you have a whole bunch of time on your hands, or are just really curious - you can click on the link over to the right to bring up all the posts that have been published about Baby Gage No. 2.

Whew!

I am so relieved that I can get to posting in a normal way, where my mind can be whole and one again instead of continually watching myself for any little thing that I might say to give it away.

So glad I am back.


Evelyn Rae is thirteen months old, and I am 14 weeks along with "Ferris"

...and husband doesn't know how he feels about that little nickname. You'll get it if you read back to the very first few Baby II posts ;)

14 weeks

Nausea
a little better this week. Shh! Don't jinx it for me.

Skin

Also on the upswing? Please?

Weight/Clothes
I think I have officially popped. Like, today. Like as in, I all of a sudden looked super pregnant - TODAY. Belly band, both my husband and sister saying, "Wow. You look pregnant. Today." and they see me every day. So, yeah. See photo evidence. Holy crap. BABY IN THERE. You know, the size of a peach and all.

Also - I found a prenatal yoga class to fit our schedule. SO EXCITED.

Also - now that the news is out - yay for tight t-shirts and such again! woo!

Cravings/Aversions

All over the place depending on if I am nauseous or ravenous. I would really, really like a glass of wine (or 12) though. Sad faces. Sitting on the porch drinking a chilled white wine is one of my favorite things to do in the summer.  Sigh.

Cramps/Pain
Weird pullings and feelings that if I didn't know better I might think were baby movements. But with that dang placenta in the way, I know they aren't. So, just weird stuff.

Sleeping

Dreaming and stuff. But, in a rare gift, my darling daughter has started sleeping a bi later in the morning. THANK YOU EVELYN RAE. Your mommy loves you. So, so much.

Heartburn

None this week. 

The Girls

A little sore for the first time really, but still the same size...as far as I can tell.

New this time around

Thinking about my baby girl being a big sister. I just still can't believe it. Though, she picked out a baby doll at the store a few weeks back and she is freaking adorable with it. She holds it to her chest and rocks it back and forth. So.cute.

Oh yeah, this again.

The stage where people don't know if you are fat or pregnant - people being strangers that is, since we made the big reveal on Facebook and this here blog this last week.

Mental State

So, so blessed and overwhelmed. I don't know why I was nervous to reveal to the whole world, you know nothing is official till its on Facebook, right? Everyone was seriously so amazing. The phone calls, text messages, blog comments and Facebook comments...I was so overwhelmed. I have been veering between excitement and anxiousness about two kiddos under two, but this week was definitely closer on the excitement side of the track over the last week. So thankful for happy friends and family.

14 weeks, last go round

Oh, and hey, lookey here!

I call this one, "Pregnancy with a one year old." Please note the crazy faces, the shirt tagging and imagine the adorable high pitched giggling.

Evelyn Rae is one year old, and I am 14 weeks along with Ferris 

... and let's all cross our fingers and hope that I am on an upswing for the energy and fun parts of pregnancy!