January

13 weeks today. Officially in my second trimester, which is great because that hopefully means morning sickness (read night sickness) should be gone very soon. I have greatly improved in my exhaustion department and only need a nap every couple days. I have broken down and started wearing maternity pants to work this week. They are still not quite necessary but I like to eat lunch and my regular pants were not so conducive to such things.

On January 11, we got to hear the heartbeat for the first time. I swear that sound is so beautiful and heartwarming. The amazingness of it never wears off on me. I am so ready to find out who is baking in here, so that I can start to plan for this little one. With your first pregnancy, you can spend hours researching car seats, strollers, pack n plays, cribs, and a host of other must have items. However we already have all of these things just waiting on this babe, so I feel as though I am not doing anything for this one. I have picked out bedding if this babe is a girl however and I really hope it is, because I just adore this bedding. Technically, Jackson’s bedding is gender neutral and I went that route with the intention of not having to purchase any new bedding for the second child. Silly me- I forgot how I am. I love bedding and if my husband would let me I would probably change ours all of the time. So the chances of me using the same bedding are quite slim. If this babe is a boy, then I almost feel that I would want new bedding because Jackson’s bedding is just that- his. I will always remember and associate his jungle bedding with him. If this babe is a boy, then he already has all of Jackson’s hand me down clothes, why not give him his own nursery? So in the mean time we wait to see who is hiding in here. I would say patiently but that would be a lie.

Jackson is 20 months and his usual awesome self. He now has all 4 canine teeth. So his mouth is quite full and I think he may be ready for a steak (or is that me?). Poor kid is still missing the bottom left side to the front teeth. And of course his 2 year molars. He amazes me all the time with how much he understands. Words are harder to come by but he understands all of our every day actions such as time for a bath, time to eat, time for milk. He can now point out most of his body parts- hair, head, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, tongue, arm, hands, fingers, legs, foot and toes. My favorite is when he shows his belly- it is like he just had one of the best meals and his belly is all full and poking out and he justs rubs it with pride. He has learned to jump- ok really we jump, and then he bends his knees and falls to his bottom. He loves to dance and if he had his own iPod remix it would include Randy Houser- Boots On, Beyonce- Single Ladies, Lady Gaga- Poker Face. There is this show on called the Singing Bee- basically people have to finish the lyrics to all these songs- he loves this show. I mean way more than any cartoon/kid show. He goes crazy for this show- runs around screaming and clapping. I am sure this love of music has nothing to do with me blaring music every time we drove anywhere when he hung out growing in my belly. I love every day with him and I love the smile beams at us when he is so happy and content. It makes me feel as though we at least do something right!

A New Beginning

Jackson had a truly wonderful Christmas. He was so excited to open up his presents and get toys. He had us cracking up, cause he would tear the paper then say “oooohhhh” like it was the most beautiful thing he has ever seen. Once he opened one, we had to take it immediately out of the box, so he could try it out before he would open the next one. His big present was a tricycle, which his feet still don’t quite reach the pedals, but he uses his feet to move himself all around like a Flintstones car. We spent the morning at our house, then went to my parents for breakfast and round #2. Later that day, we drove to spend the weekend with his other grandparents, which makes round #3. He is a very lucky kid.

Earlier that week, he had gotten a stomach bug and it is so hard to watch your little one get sick like that. Luckily this one didn’t last near as long as the one he had last winter. Only a couple days of the yuckies and he was back to his normal self.

For New Year’s,we had a low key evening at home with his cousins, C and T, our friends and his buddy, S, J and J and Mimi and Papa. Unfortunately for me, I got sick thanks to the wonderful thing known as morning sickness. Yep, that is right- we are expecting our second child. We are due at the end of July and I almost 11 weeks along. So far this pregnancy has been a lot nicer to me in the morning sickness department. Like Jackson, I suffer at night and am completely fine in the morning. But on like Jackson, I have not spent weeks on end hanging out in the bathroom. My nights are usually spent being a bump on a log on the couch. Doing basically absolutely nothing and spending only a couple evenings in the bathroom. Other than morning sickness, I have been completely exhausted to the point of needing (not that I get them but I sure need them) daily naps.

While we both wanted and were trying to get pregnant, it has taken some mental adjusting for me to come to grips with the idea of being a mother of two. The hardest part for me is the idea of how it will affect Jackson. And how in the world can I possibly love another child as much as him? All mothers of two have told me these thoughts are normal and there is no question that I will love and adore this child as much as Jackson. As I begin to feel better physically, I also feel better emotionally and I am truly looking forward to meeting this little person and learning all about them.