Our BIG ultrasound is in seven days!  When I was pregnant with Maddie, I posted some old wives tales along with the gender each one pointed towards.  Below is the same list.  You can click here to see how this pregnancy compares to my first.

Take the number of the month that you conceived and add it to your age at the time of conception. If the total of those two numbers is even, it's a girl.--BOY

Baby girls don't like to be held by women expecting a boy.--BOY

If you have acne while pregnant, it’s a girl.--GIRL

If you see a “V” or “branches” in the white part of your left eye when you pull it down, you’re having a girl.--GIRL

If the dad-to-be gains weight while you are pregnant, it’s a girl.--GIRL

If you had a smooth pregnancy with no morning sickness, it’s a boy.--BOY

If the heart rate is over 140, it's a girl.--GIRL

Chinese Gender Predictor--GIRL

Take a wedding ring and attach it to a thread. Hold it over mom-to-be's belly while she is lying down. If the ring swings in a strong circular motion, you will be having a girl. If it moves in a to and fro motion like a pendulum, you will be having a boy.--BOY

Now that you're armed with all kinds of useless information, you should vote in the poll underneath our family picture on the sidebar of this blog.  :)

17 Week Update

Size of baby: Baby T weighs 5 ounces and is about 5 inches long from head to bottom, about the size of a baked potato.

Total weight gain/loss: +5 pounds

Maternity clothes:  I'm still making my normal pants work with a ponytail holder and my BeBand, but that's a lot of stuff to mess with when you have to go to the bathroom so often.  I might break out some maternity pants soon just because it would make life a little easier.

Gender:  Eight more days!  Look for a post tomorrow about old wives tales and what each one predicts about the gender of our baby.

Movement:  I feel a little bit of movement almost everyday now, but only when I'm completely still.

Sleep:  Starting to get uncomfortable.  I bought (and subsequently sold) a fancy pregnancy pillow I bought when I was pregnant with Maddie.  It just didn't work for me.  I think I might buy a plain, old body pillow this time and see if it is any better.

What I miss:   Eating raw cookie dough.  :)

Cravings:  I eat too many sweets, if that counts.

How I'm feeling:  My back is usually sore at the end of the day from toting around a 30 pound toddler, but other than that and being a little tired, I'm good.

17 weeks

Maddie has been pretty busy as of late:

making matches with her Brown Bear, Brown Bear cards

visiting (and petting!) the horses that live near our house

playing at a local water park. . . she wasn't a big fan

Today was Maddie's last day of her first year of preschool.  She loved going to school and I loved getting the chance to watch her interact with her friends.  While at school she learned many songs including "Six Little Ducks" and "Deep and Wide," which quickly became her favorites.  Maddie enjoyed playing on the playground and reading in the classroom.  Nap time didn't work out so well for her, so after about a month of trying we decided to leave right after lunch so she could nap at home.  I can't believe that next year she won't be in the "baby" class!

Maddie adored Mrs. T.  I think the feeling was mutual.  :)

With all of her friends.


Maddie got a surprise from her Aunt Carol yesterday--a slide!  She loves it, and I'd better you'd never guess what she was doing at 6:30 this morning. . . .

I think it's time for some bullets:

• Eric got a new teaching position he really wanted, but it means he'll have to go to Louisiana for two weeks worth of training.  I know two weeks is nothing compared to what spouses of deployed soldiers deal with, but I'm really dreading it.
• Maddie and I went to the "choo-choo" park with Rachel on Saturday.  We usually see a train or two, but this time I think we probably saw five or six.  I think seeing the trains is Maddie's favorite part of going to that particular park.  It's sweet that the conductors take time to wave at the kids as they go by.

• We set up Maddie's pool for the first time this year.  The water was freezing cold, but she didn't care.  In fact she thought it was great fun to try to drink it as it sprayed out.

• Eric and I went on a spontaneous date tonight to see What to Expect When You're Expecting.  I cried, I laughed, and I laughed until I cried.  That last one may have happened because of pregnancy hormones.  I thought the movie was pretty cute and Eric actually stayed awake 99% of the time.
• I've been feeling Baby T #2 moving around quite a bit in the last two days.  I love it!

A few days ago Eric decided we should take a quick vacation during his three day break before summer school begins, so this morning I booked a beach condo for us.  Here's our balcony view:

Where I plan to spend my time while Maddie naps.  :)

We went to Galveston last year, and even though I don't think Maddie really remembers what a beach is, she sure is excited about it.  Hopefully this time she won't want to eat sand. 

Other than spending time on the beach, our only plan is to visit the aquarium.  I asked Maddie if she wanted to go see fish and dolphins at an aquarium, she thought for a moment, and then said, "Sharks!"  Is it weird that her favorite sea animal is a shark?  The aquarium also happens to have recently opened a splash park that I think Maddie will love.

How fun is that?

Only two more weeks!

I think I officially felt Baby T #2 moving around early this morning while laying in bed.  It was the same "popcorn" sensation I felt with Maddie early on.  I can't wait for these little pops to turn into more distinct movements!

Thank you for the meal advice for my month long menu.  I think the two websites will be a big help; I just need to find some time to actually sit down and look at them without a toddler trying to climb into my lap.  :)

Although I've heard of it, I've never been to a Trader Joe's. Did you know there's not a single one in Texas? The TJ's website does show plans to open one in Austin next year, so maybe I'll get to visit one someday. 

Maddie's favorite song:



She calls it "Burger Cheese" and we listen to it nearly every time we are in the car. I've tried a number of times to videotape her singing it (because it's absolutely adorable), but she never wants to cooperate. The Veggie Tales video is kind of creepy though, isn't it?

I attempt to plan our menus a week in advance, but it never fails that I become totally overwhelmed.  Eric suggested that I come up with a menu for an entire month and then just use the same one every month.  I'm going to give it a shot, but 31 days worth of meals is a lot!

Will you help me out by sharing your family's favorite recipe(s)?

We started playing hide and seek with Maddie a few days ago.  She LOVES it!  Some things to know about Maddie's version of hide and seek:

1. You better hide fast.  She certainly doesn't give you until the count of ten to find a hiding place.
2. Accept the fact that you will likely not have the chance to be the seeker.  She can't contain herself, so as soon as she knows you are looking for her, she will come find you.
3. Expect to be told to hide in the "baff."  I hid in the bathtub one time and Maddie now thinks that is the best hiding place ever.
4. Be prepared to be licked in the face by Lucy.  She gets in on the game too and is usually the one who will show Maddie where to find you.

15 Week Update

Size of baby: Baby T weighs almost 2.5 ounces and is nearly 4 inches long, about the length of a Kit Kat.

Total weight gain/loss: +5.5 pounds

Maternity clothes:  Not yet.  My handy ponytail holder and BeBand are helping me fit into my regular jeans.

Gender:  Won't know until June 4th.

Movement:  None that I can feel.  I felt Maddie when I was 15 weeks, so I'm hoping I'll feel this little one in the next few days.

Sleep:  Good, but I'm definitely not sleeping on my stomach anymore.

What I miss: Having more energy.

Cravings:  Nothing in particular.

How I'm feeling:  Tired!  I take a nap everyday when Maddie naps.
 
Highlight of the past week:  Entering into the second trimester.  I can't believe we're already more than a third of the way through!

15 weeks

*Update 5/14:  Got to hear baby's heart beating away at about 165 bpm this morning.  Makes MY heart happy!

I got my Mother's Day present a day early:

Eric said he knew if he waited on me to choose flowers to plant, then it would never get done.  I think it turned out really well.  Now let's see if we can actually keep them alive.

Maddie and I went to the zoo today with my mom and Carol.  Maddie loves the zoo, and I really enjoy taking her.  The animals were a lot more active than normal, probably due to the nice weather and the fact that we were there at feeding time.  Maddie's favorite animals were probably the fish and giraffes.

One of the funniest things that happened while we were at the zoo was this:

Maddie watched one of the elephants pick up hay with his trunk and put it in his mouth, so she decided to do the same thing.  We were totally confused about what she was doing the first time we saw her do it.

This the second naptime in a row that Maddie has pulled out the inside of her Gloworm and F-R-E-A-K-E-D out.  I'm not quite sure why she takes it apart or why it upsets her so much, but oh my goodness the tears and the screaming that ensue are unbelievable.

It's amazing how quickly Maddie's vocabulary and comprehension is increasing:

• Yesterday evening as soon as she heard the oven buzzer go off she started yelling, "Eat time!  Eat time!" 
• She says "yeah" in response to questions or when she is in agreement with a statement.
• On the way to preschool today, I listened as Maddie talked about a book that Eric has been reading to her at night titled Bark, George.
• Maddie ate some pretzels at preschool today.  She thought they looked like octopuses.  :)  I told her they are called pretzels and this evening she was able tell Eric what they were.

We think she is so super smart!

This afternoon at the park Maddie climbed the steps to the top of the big slide and surprised us by sliding down all by herself!  It was so fun to see the big smile on her face when she reached the bottom and realized she had done it without any help.  We laughed and watched as she repeatedly climbed the steps to slide down again and again.  As she climbed she would count, although not necessarily starting with the number one.  "Ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, twelve, thirteen. . . ."  We'll eventually get past that pesky number.  :)

After her little legs tired of climbing the mountainous stairs, Maddie wanted to swing.  The baby swings were wet from the rain, so I tried to get her to swing on my lap, but no, she wanted to be Miss Independent.  We sat her on one of the big swings, told her to hang on tight, and gave her a little push.  She loved it!  I think she probably stayed on the swing for five to ten minutes before I was able to get her off.  I'm so proud of our big girl!

Tiny Tidbit:  Maddie LOVES the Clean Up song.  She sings it while she cleans, in the car, and she even sang it tonight while she was eating.  Silly girl.

This is officially the beginning of my new blog, Our Sweet Life.  All posts with an earlier date are from More Than Just a Beautiful Mess.  I decided to start a new blog for two reasons, privacy issues and a fresh start.  The purpose of this blog is to keep track of the day to day happenings that we will all too soon forget. With a 21 month old and another one on the way, we're sure to have ups and downs, but this will be the perfect place to record all of those little things that make this life so sweet!

I Want to Hold Your Hand

At preschool. . . . Daddy is on high-alert.  :)