Great week

This week had some ups and downs, but everything is coming up roses now!

We had another scare, and had to go in for an OB appointment, but luckily everything turned out to be fine, and we even got a quick peek via ultrasound. Baby was lying on his/her back and we got a perfect profile view - we could see the little face - even the nose! The Dr. pointed out that his/her hand was moving up, and suddenly the baby was sucking its thumb. Pretty neat! William was there and we tried to point out what was on the screen.



Later that same day, I went to a movie with a friend from our playgroup, and while watching The Hunger Games and eating chocolate (good combo), I felt the first definite movements! Three consecutive little thumps, all in the same spot. "Hi, Mom! I'm really in here!"

Today we are 14 weeks. Since William is actually napping this afternoon (which is unfortunately becoming a rarity) I took a shot so I could compare with William's pregnancy. Pretty much the same so far.



William has been being a very good boy lately, with the usual cute shenanigans here and there. As I mentioned above, he hasn't been napping. He does stay in his room for an hour or so, but I can hear his little feet stomping around the room, with some crashes and bangs mixed in. The other day when I finally gave up and went to let him out, I was greeted by a little nudist! For the first time, he'd taken off his pants AND diaper and was walking around the room. Yikes.

This weekend GuGu and PopPop are coming to stay with us and watch William as I have a full Saturday & Sunday of out of town photo shoots, and Esch will be studying. A good time will be had by all.

Happy Friday!

13 weeks!

13 weeks today... we've almost made it to the second trimester (which, if you divide the 40 weeks of pregnancy by 3 is roughly 13 weeks 3 days).



I'm not 100% sure, but think I may have been feeling the first tiny flutters from our little peach. I didn't feel William until 17 weeks (at which point it was very definite), but they say that 2nd time+ moms can recognize the feeling significantly earlier with subsequent pregnancies. We'll see!

No more nausea this week (knock on wood) and besides being tired, I'm feeling good. Taking Big Brother to the zoo today. It's supposed to be 80 degrees and sunny by this afternoon!

Speaking of "big" - he looks so grown up to me in these pictures from yesterday.

"You're my best friend."

We are still enjoying this incredible stretch of beautiful weather. This week we've had several park trips with friends, went to Rita's Italian Ice (free on the first day of Spring!), a playdate at a friends' house, and tomorrow we're going to Zoo America in Hershey.

William has been spending lots of time in the back yard. We were finally able to get sand for his sandbox, and he LOVES it, of course. Nothing like getting good and dirty!

In fact, here's our little dirt magnet having a ball throwing actual dirt - such a boy!





Yesterday, while running errands at Target, William was riding in the shopping cart. We were "parked" in the middle of the garbage can aisle (very exciting, I know!) and my little guy was enjoying a lollipop. Out of nowhere, he smiled at me and said, "You're my best friend, Mommy."

!!!

Of course I did my best not to cry in public and gave him a big hug, kiss, and told him that he was my best buddy, too.

Aunt Erika in Carlisle!

We were lucky enough to have Aunt Erika stay with us for a few days this week - she was on her Spring Break.

She timed it well, as it was in the high 70s all week! We spent lots of time outside... I think she got quite the tour of Carlisle area parks. Yesterday, it was so warm (weather said 78... but in the sun I'm pretty sure it had to be 80) that William played in the back yard in just a swim diaper and t-shirt.

We celebrated the Summer-like weather with a trip to Rita's for some Italian Ice. William was a lucky guy and got to sample all 3 of our flavors. He loved it and after finishing a bite immediately said, "I need more!"

Thanks for coming, Erika! And thanks for all of your help. HAPPY (almost) 21st birthday!

William has an announcement...

We are thrilled to be expecting Baby #2 in September! Due date is 9/28, but because William was almost 2 weeks early, I'm going to make sure our hospital bags are packed starting mid-month. My 30th birthday is the 24th, though, and I think having a baby would be a very productive way to mark the occasion!

I am 12 weeks today (remember the fruit size comparisons from the very beginnings of this blog?)... and Baby is the size of a plum! I had a few weeks of morning sickness which was not fun, but it disappeared at 10 weeks, and I am feeling well now. Biggest symptom is (as it was with William) just being exhausted. Some days I take a nap when William does, and am still ready to fall asleep at 8 p.m.

We are not going to find out if it's a boy or girl this time... I think it will be fun to have that big surprise to look forward to, and to have Esch tell me in the delivery room, "It's a ____!" Along the same lines, William can do the honors of telling his grandparents (who now that we are in PA, I am sure will be waiting in the waiting room!) if he has a baby brother or sister.

We've already got our names picked out, but William, (who is surprisingly fascinated by the fact that Mommy has a baby "in her tummy") has suggested a few of his own. The very first time we asked him what he wanted to name the baby, he said, without missing a beat, "Eschy Doggy McCombie." Lovely! There have been a few days that he suggested "Thomas" (we are in the middle of a love affair with Thomas the Tank Engine)... and this week he started flat out calling the baby "Mavis." When I asked him who Mavis was, he said simply, "The baby in Mommy's tummy." Tonight when I tucked him in and left the room, I heard him from the behind the door, call out "Night night, Mommy! Night, Mavis!"

What in the world? I could not figure out for the life of me where he had heard the name Mavis, but Esch solved the puzzle: it's another one of the train characters on Thomas. Oh dear.

The big brother-to-be is really interested, which surprised me. He's not even 2 and a half, but comments on the pregnancy often without any mention from Esch or I.

He'll come up to me and suddenly hug my belly, and say, "I love our baby." (Of course this also melts my heart and he subsequently gets out of any trouble he may be in... maybe he's figured that out)!

We're all so excited, and counting down the days to September 28th, or thereabouts. It makes me so happy just to think about William meeting his new sibling, and eventually seeing them play and grow up together.

Looks like we'll need to change the title of the blog from William Wesley. Any suggestions?

Spring Break (Part One)

Esch had this entire week off from school (so nice!).

We spent a few days in Clarion with Gula, Pop-Pop and Aunt Erika. On Wednesday, we had a fun day trip to Pittsburgh and took our recently-dinosaur-obsessed little man to the Carnegie Museum.



William absolutely TORE across a large room when he spied the dinosaur hall. It was so cute - he was just in awe, and chattering away at a mile a minute, telling us all breathlessly about the dinosaurs.







We all had so much fun watching William explore. There was a nice little section for kids to get their own goggles, choose a few tools, and dig in real dust/dirt for dinosaur bones. He loved it, of course.

On the way home to Clarion, we stopped for dinner at a nice restaurant to celebrate Aunt Erika's 21st birthday (a week and a half early).

This afternoon we're off to State College to see Nanna, Grandpa, Uncle David (who is also on Spring Break) and Uncle Andrew.