10 months old (and still one lonely tooth!)

 

Dear Luca,

Ten months has flown by and mommy is already planning your 1st birthday! You are seriously SO much fun right now I can't stand it. You're growing like a weed and you've started to sleep (and eat) so much more as you gain the pounds and inches.

You're into absolutely everything around you- nothing goes unnoticed when you're exploring. You're crawling everywhere and walking on your walker, which might be the cutest thing I've ever seen (I'll try to get a video soon). You're also cruising from couch to ottoman and trying your best to stand on your own- it's only a matter of time before your legs are strong enough you can walk!

You eat every two hours or so and alternate between a bottle and a snack or solid meal. You get bored when mommy offers you the same meal more than once, so you're challenging me to get creative and keep you interested! We tried strawberries this weekend and you LOVED them and didn't have any reaction to them at all. In fact, we've been so lucky with you and foods (knocking furiously on wood!)- you haven't had an allergy to anything we've introduced and you actually seem to like variety and different textures and flavors. You even like fish!

You're so silly and love to play games and imitate what we do. You think it's hysterical when we slap our hands down on the floor or table, and you'll do it just like we do- it's adorable. Your giggles are contagious and I can't help but smile when I'm with you. Speaking of smiles- you're still flashing the single tooth on the bottom and even though you've been a bit more slobbery this week I'm not sure we have another tooth coming in for a while. It's ok, I love that little lonely tooth.

You're getting very strong and you really like to play hard. You roll and kick and slam down on the ground and just when I think you might cry you sit up and laugh- you're such a boy!

Simple things around the house become toys to you. A trashcan can keep you entertained for at least 3 minutes- a long time with your attention span these days!

You're definitely showing your opinions more and more this month. You'll tell me if you want something- and if mommy takes something away that isn't safe for you to play with, you get very upset. Sometimes I think you're frustrated because you can't verbalize what you want. You regularly say mama, dada, nana, baba, hi/hey and other baby babbles. You LOVE to play the kazoo- also one of the cutest things I've ever seen and something I need to capture on video. It started with mommy humming on the kazoo during our diaper changes (which are becoming more and more challenging as you're a squirmer!), and now you like to play as I change your diaper.

We're working on clapping, the high-five and blowing kisses. Right now you just think they're all pretty hysterical, but you've tried to high five a few times. You can wave byebye, but you don't always do it.

Luca, mommy and daddy love you so much and would do absolutely anything to make sure you're happy and healthy. Your baby sister is taking a lot of my time and energy right now, so I can't play with you as much as I want to, but I swear love you more every day.

The view from here...

...has changed a little. I mentioned in my last post that I had an appointment on Friday, and I've been put on bed rest.

 

 

I have a history of cervical shortening/incompetence during my pregnancy with Luca, but so far things had been ok with this pregnancy. I had a routine ultrasound and baby looked perfect- I even got some really cute profile pictures and I was feeling great about the whole thing until my Dr. came into the exam room.

 

She told me that I would be headed over to the hospital and I should plan on staying there for at least the weekend. This was a huge surprise to me. Apparently my cervix shortened a cm since my ultrasound last week, and she wanted me to see a perinatologist and get a second ultrasound with another machine. But the thought of having to spend the entire weekend away from my family made me physically ill, and I asked if there was any way I could do it from home. So my Dr. called over to the hospital and spoke with one of the perinatologists who agreed that I would be ok at home if I stayed off my feet. So here I am, on the couch.

 

Honestly, I feel deep down that everything is going to be just fine, but obviously my number one concern is the health of my sweet girl. I'm only 21 weeks along, so it's still very early and it was really hard to hear the Drs speaking about my baby as a non-viable until 24 weeks. I was told that if things don't improve or worsen by 24 weeks, I would most likely be admitted into the hospital until 32ish weeks- that terrifies me because I'm not sure how much I would see Luca.

 

So we take it day by day. If my cervix lengthens by this week's appointment, maybe I'll be able go back to work for a while. I'm willing to do whatever it takes so this baby makes it full term- I made it to 36 weeks with Luca so I'm confident it's possible!

 

 

20 weeks- half way there!

I cannot believe how fast time has flown since we found out I was pregnant with baby#2. I'm feeling so much better, and my time with Luca is so much more enjoyable now that I'm not constantly nauseous!

20 weeks

Some milestones: we're half way to 40 weeks! I'm not sure I'll actually make it to 40 weeks for a few different reasons, but it's so fun to know that we're getting closer and closer to having a little lady around the house!

Last week I had some sort of stomach bug (we think). It started with pretty mild cramps, and within a few hours I was having contractions and I was getting very sick to my stomach. It was SO scary when I realized that my stomach wasn't just upset, I was actually feeling it harden and I couldn't talk I was in so much pain. A few weeks ago a girl at work who is pregnant asked if I could tell the difference between braxton hicks and real contractions when I was pregnant with Luca, and my response was that "if you can't speak and they are so painful they take your breath away, they're probably real".

I managed to get some sleep, but called the Dr. in the morning and they saw me the same day for an ultrasound. She wanted to make sure my cervix hadn't shortened because I have a history of that happening. Luckily, it wasn't much different than the week before, but she agreed that they were most likely contractions. I didn't know that if you have an illness, it can cause you to have contractions, but now I know! 

During the ultrasound, I also found out that I have partial placenta previa, which is when the placenta is partially covering the cervix. It's not a huge deal now, and hopefully it will migrate away from my cervix so I don't have to have a c-section. Fingers crossed!

One huge difference between this pregnancy and my pregnancy with Luca is that my placenta is posterior this time. I'm actually able to feel little girl dancing around so much earlier this time, and I love it! Hubs can even feel her from the outside, and I don't think we were able to feel that with Luca until much, much later because I had an anterior placenta.

I've been thinking a lot about the nursery, but Luca's 1st birthday is also fast approaching, so my priority is organizing that and getting the invites in the mail!

Luca checking out the belly



Luca notices something is different with mommy, but obviously has no idea why I have a bit more to love these days. Speaking of a bit more to love, I'm not even going to talk about how much weight I've gained already! I think the combination of Luca nursing less and less, and my supply dropping so much has allowed me to not only gain the pregnancy weight, but a bit of the weaning weight too! It's awful, but I feel ok so I'm trying not to look at the scale too much. My cheeks have already started the transition into pregnant face, and occasionally my nose will join the party too. I feel like my face shape changes daily.

I don't really have any cravings or aversions, although steak still doesn't appeal to me at all. I started wearing maternity clothes a while ago, and I'm not going back- stretchy pants are just way to comfortable.

Let's see... baby weighs about 10.5 ounces and is about the length of a banana. She's also actually swallowing, so perhaps I'll start to eat more of a variety of food so she is just as adventurous as Luca is with new foods.

I have to be honest, this time it's so much more realistic to me that there will actually be a little human in a few months. With Luca it all felt so surreal- the updates would tell me his ears were fully formed and in the right place, or he was practicing breathing, but I still didn't really get it. I get it now- motherhood is just as wonderful as everyone says, and meeting your baby after carrying him or her for nine or ten months is truly magical. I hope this time I'll be more aware of it all after I deliver- the first few moments are so precious, and with Luca I was just in awe of it all.

So that's it- we're half way! I have another appointment tomorrow, so I'm excited to see little miss again on the ultrasound :) 

Feels like fall

With the temperature a lot cooler these days, I've been craving warm dishes, yummy smells, and cuddles with my boys. I love when other blogs share recipes, so I thought I might share my recipe for veggie chili (with chicken!). Hubs will eat vegetarian dishes, but doesn't really love them unless there's some sort of meat so although it recipe is actually excellent without meat, I choose to add it. You could add ground beef, shredded chicken, diced pork, or leave it veggie!

 

Ingredients:
1 large onion
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 large/medium zucchini
1can whole corn (frozen or fresh off the cob will work too), drained
28 oz diced tomatoes, preferably fire roasted
15 oz (or more if you like beans) black beans, rinsed and drained
optional- 15oz pinto beans
1 cup picante sauce
1cup water or low sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp basil

2 large chicken breasts, either sauteed or diced and boiled for a few minutes. I like to season the chicken with cumin and garlic pepper before sauteing.

Step 1: chop all veggies

Step 2: saute onion in about 1tbsp vegetable oil until translucent, add all other veggies, spices, corn and tomatoes and saute for about 5 minutes. If you're using frozen corn, saute earlier with onions.

Step 3: after combining veggies, cook chicken thoroughly and drain

Step 4: Add chicken and beans to veggies and add picante sauce, chicken broth. Bring to a boil then simmer for about 25 min

* I actually will add more liquid and/or picante if it seems like it's a little too thick, but hubs likes his soup chunky!

Serve over rice or we like this with dinner rolls. 

Step 5: clean up your helper and get him to bed!

Hope everyone is enjoying fall so far- I love when it's cool enough I can light my spiced pumpkin yankee candles!

A sister for Luca!

Happy Monday!

Things have been a little hectic around here lately, but I wanted to share that we found out we're having a girl! I've mentioned before that this pregnancy felt different, but I can honestly say that I really knew it was a girl from the beginning. Here's our little lady a couple of weeks ago..

Little feet.. so cute

And the money shot, legs and no wee wee!

We had ultrasounds with Luca almost every other week because of my cervical shortening, but it's been a lot better this pregnancy so we've been able to go 3-4 weeks between scans. It's nice because I know it means I'm less at risk for pre-term labor, but I did enjoy getting to see Luca so often during the ultrasounds.

So here's the thing about finding out the sex- I was SO nervous to hear boy or girl because I knew deep down I really wanted a girl. I'm adopted, and I've always wondered what my birth mom looks like. It's strange but I don't really wonder if my biological father and I looked alike- I've just always thought about what it would be like to have another woman who shares the same smile, eyes, or mannerisms. Luca does share some of my features, but he's very much a boy and looks a LOT like his daddy. So finding out we're having a girl has been really special to me- I'm sure she'll look a lot like her daddy too, but it's doing to be so much fun having a boy and a girl.

But... when we found out she was a girl I had a moment of sadness for Luca. My husband is one of three and he has two sisters. He loves them very much, but I know he's always wanted the bond of a brother. Luca is so outnumbered by girls in our family (he's the only boy of six- soon to be seven- grandchildren), and it would've been so special for him to have a brother. So I celebrated for myself, but felt a little selfish in doing so. Silly? Maybe, but it's how I felt. He's going to be an excellent big brother to his little sister- I know it. Maybe she'll even throw the ball around with him too- we'll see:)

So things are moving along here- I promised myself I would be better this pregnancy at documenting weekly photos, but I've been worse! I'm just so.darn.tired. I work, pick up Luca, feed him dinner, bathe him and put him to bed, make dinner for myself and hubs, and then it's my bedtime! What on earth will I do when the new baby comes?! I'm sure I'll sleep again someday.

Overall though I've been feeling a lot better. The first trimester was nausea, nausea and more nausea. Now it's just exhaustion with a sprinkle of nausea here and there. Luca's sleep has changed dramatically- I think it's a combination of him wanting to stand and move around all the time, and separation anxiety. He's been waking several times a night, and it's very difficult to calm him down when you leave and he's immediately standing in his crib again. So we have some work to do in the sleep department before baby #2 arrives.

Here's the most recent belly photo- this was taken a few weeks ago at 16 weeks, so I need to get with it and take another soon!

Any suggestions for dealing with separation anxiety at night (not even sure anyone reads this blog)?

Luca's nursery!

This is a post I've been meaning to write for..uh... seven months? It's going to feel sooo good to hit publish on this one:) Luca's nursery took a while to complete with some of the details, but we had the majority of it done before we left for the hospital the day I delivered Luca.

I knew I wanted something fun, but not too over the top. When I told hubs I was thinking a safari theme, he went nuts sending me pictures of monkeys hanging, decals on the wall, and not-so-subtle animals scattered throughout the nursery. We had to meet somewhere in the middle and this is what we got!

 When we bought our house, this room was pink pink pink... with wallpaper. One of our first projects in the house was to take off the wallpaper, and I was surprised at how easy it was. I had seen shows on HGTV and DIY where it took an entire day just to remove the wallpaper, so I was ready with my steamer and scraper. I think we got really lucky with that one. The wall colors are Benjamin Moore French White and I can't remember the green (I'll find it and update).

I wanted Luca's initial above his crib, but wanted to incorporate the giraffe pattern, so I painted the L (from Michael's) the same color as the wall, purchased the oval wood (also Michael's), and had hubs staple the fabric. It actually ended up being quite the project, and I can post more if anyone is interested.

My fabulous mother-in-law made the crib skirt and valances, and I love them! The fabric is Giraffe Java from fabric.com.

We used one of our maternity photos taken by Amanda of Doubly Happy Photography as a gallery wrap from mpix.

We also had Luca imprint his hands and foot for us to remember... love those little hands:)

The woman who helps clean our house made Luca this name collage out of photographs she has taken locally and in her back yard. You might not be able to tell, but the trees spell his name. We love it (and love her) and I think it works perfectly in the room!

Zebra light switch: etsy seller Spotted Dog Studios
Elephant toy: Pottery barn kids

I searched and searched to find the perfect prints for Luca's nursery. I wanted photos of real animals with their babies, and I found so many beautiful pictures, but they were all only available in large poster size. I finally found a photographer on etsy that had the perfect combination! Photos: Suzi Eszertas on Etsy

...and of course Max has to have his own bed in the nursery!

This might be my favorite part of Luca's nursery- his elephant hamper! I registered for this knowing that it was a silly thing to ask for, but hoping I might be able to use my completion discount. My MIL actually gave it to me for my birthday- the BEST present!

So Luca's nursery is finally done! Now onto the next nursery! This time I'm thinking pink:)

Luca's weekend with Granshan!

I'm originally from Colorado, so I don't see my family nearly as much as I would like. But this weekend my mom came to visit, and boy did Luca have fun!



He played on the floor wtih granshan...

 and laughed....

 and crawled...

and had so much fun!

 Luca's got his granshan wrapped around his little finger. I think he happens to adore her too! 

Even Daddy got in on some of the action this weekend. Can you spot Luca's lonely little tooth?

Sleep has been really rough since Luca has discovered he can move around in his crib. He's waking up in the crouch position, sitting up, and I think he's going through a bit of separation anxiety at night. He had a similar sleep regression when he learned how to roll over in his crib, but any suggestions on how to get through this time are welcome:)

I'm finally organizing Luca's pictures to post about his nursery, so hopefully that'll be up next!

Nine Months!

Oh my little Luca,

You're changing SO fast and becoming such a little man! At 9 months you're 18lbs 10oz, 28.5 inches long, and your big noggen is 18 inches around- what a big boy. Mommy accidentally scratched your face just above your lip a few days before taking your nine month photos, so I'm sorry to say you'll have evidence I made that mistake- I feel just terrible, but it's healing (and you're healthy, so I guess I'm doing an ok job).

You're just the sweetest little boy I know- you give the BEST hugs, and love to kiss kiss with mouth wide open. This month you've finally popped a tooth, but it took two weeks for us to really see the little pearly white. I tried so hard to get a picture of your one lonely tooth, but you wouldn't let me- you're very opinionated these days, little man. You've discovered that if you smack your mouth you can feel your tooth, so you're doing a lot of lip smacking these days- your Auntie Ashley said you reminded her of a little old man without his dentures and when I saw you do it I couldn't agree more! It's too cute.

You love to eat, as to be expected with your daddy's big appetite! Your favorite foods are still plums, pears, and cheerios, but you rarely push away anything new. You even tried tofu and didn't refuse it- maybe we can work on Daddy to get him to like it?! Probably a long shot.

You love to babble and giggle. You've said mama, dada, and lots of "hi". Usually during snack, lunch or dinner we talk. You tell me about your day, and we sing and dance. You sway side to side when mommy sings, and it might be the cutest thing I've ever seen.

You're really a wiggle worm these days, so it's hard to get you to say still for a picture- You're always looking to explore everything around you, and that means I have to keep a close eye on you! You pull yourself up to stand, and Daddy had to lower the crib you play in while we get ready in the morning. I'm sure we'll need to lower the crib in your room soon, but for now you just like to sleep there.

Getting a little mischievous already...time for mommy to put down the camera!

Last month you started the pre-crawl rock, where you would rock back and forth. This month it's the pre-crawl plank/push up. You're SO close to crawling and this morning just before I sat down to write this, I'm pretty sure you crawled a few steps forward while I was in the kitchen. I'll catch you on camera soon:)

Your favorite toys change daily, but you really love mommy's hairbrush, any kitchen utensil, your piano, and you're starting to love rolling your toy soccer ball.

 We love you so much, little man. I can't wait to see your face in the morning, and I am so blessed to be your mama- even if I occasionally accidentally scratch you :(

Love you Luca,
Your mama