Baby2 is on its way!!!!

Our second, and last, child is on its way, and we are thrilled to become a family of four at the end of April 2011!!!!! Here are Baby2's first pics:

I thought the same thing...

Baby2 is the 'blob' between the two crosses. The circle on the right is the yolk sac.

Week 8 (size of a dried kidney bean)

I really thought this was week5 till I heard otherwise.

Ah, now it's looking more like a baby...

The head is on the right (you can barely make out an ear) and the tushie is to the left.

Week 10 (just over an inch)

This was a fabulous ultrasound because I got to see Baby2 move its tiny arms and kick its legs!

This pregnancy has been entirely different from E's perfect pregnancy. We have these early ultrasounds for the sole reason that we felt something was wrong and wrestled with the idea that we might have a tubal pregnancy or miscarry. I never thought I would feel so much pain at the idea of losing a baby; we always have thought nature would determine, but I was still very shaken. Fortunately, both the ultrasounds determined that the baby is perfectly healthy, in fact, growing very, very fast! Originally the due date was E's birthday (May 5th), but each ultrasound keeps pushing the due date back! Imagine their birthdays on the same day! All of this means I'm 2.5mths (already) pregnant. Ha- almost a spontaneous conception once again!

For the last month I have dealt with every pregnancy issue: all-day morning sickness, nausea/complete repulsion to food (especially left overs, and my all-time favorites, spaghetti and Doritos!), total gag-aversions to smells (diaper changing, kitty litter, left over foods, the eggs my husband was eating the other night), no appetite (it's finally kicking in), pure exhaustion (I can only handle an hour of being out-and-about before I'm completely wiped out), 'other' preggo issues, headaches. Did I mention I have a clingy, almost 17mth old who just adores my constant interaction and affection?!?

The Big Brother. E has been a sweet big brother thus far and seems to be excited to have mommy talk about the 'baby'. He has also been loving on the baby. Since he knows 'where' the baby is, the other day he lifted up my shirt and offered Teddy to the baby. Very sweet. He also loves to give kisses and wave to the baby. He's also learning that the office is going to be baby's room, and that his old things are now for the little baby. He's becoming a 'big boy' in-training. There are more tears around the house because I am trying to carry/pick him up less, and he also has started more independent play. Figured I better transition now than wait till I just can't carry him around.

Ok, he loves Mr. Potato Head and his 'butt' of parts!

I've been waiting to put the 'ga' (E's word for glasses) on him forever since....

...we used to make his cousin, T., wear them when he would visit with us.

My sweet hubby and son picked this gorgeous wildflower bouquet for me during my last prenatal appointment.
We spent the afternoon in The Glens and fished the lake.

What's wrong with this picture?!?

Inside, Sticky, Drippy, Mess

... problem fixed.
It was the last warm day of the summer so I let E have his first popsicle!

Yeah, he had about 20 of these right before he entered the world.

Our library had a fantastic toy-train exhibit and I knew E would love it.

He was fascinated by the trains and all the displays.

Saying goodbye to some good friends and Daddy's golf buddy.
These two munchkins had their little hands all over each other- very cute.

E's first leaf pile of the season!
Way more fun this year- tossing them up, walking thru it.
Best part: we have landscapers to clean them all up!

This time last year. E's very first leaf pile!

Can you say, 'Touchdown'?!?!!?
I'm working on teaching him a touchdown dance ;)
Wouldn't it be cute if he randomly threw it in just for his mommy in the NU endzone 18 years from now?!

Which costume should E wear for Halloween???

E's first Halloween was such a blast, and we LOVED that everyone helped to vote for E's very first costume!

Our little lobster.
"Look what we cooked up!"

So, we've decided to have everyone let us know which costume you'd love to see E dressed up in for his second trick-or-treating. DON'T FORGET TO VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE- either on the poll (left side of blog) or by leaving an anonymous comment (click comment button at bottom of post)!!! Leave a comment if you have any other cute ideas. Here are our top picks:

Yoda- (The force is strong with this one)
Puppy- (Mommy's always wanted one)
Lemur- ("No, I am King E.)

Puss in Boot- (Don't under-estimate the adorable face.)

Sock Monkey- (Is he a monkey or just addicted to bananas?)

Customized costume by Mommy & Daddy...

Big Brother t-shirt- (What could possibly be scarier than...

E not having a lifelong playmate?!?!

The blue circle says "E"; the green circle says "Big Brother"!!!!)

Yes, regardless of which costume wins, E is going to go trick-or-treating as a BIG BROTHER!!!! Baby 2 is on its way!

Don't forget to vote for your favorite pick!!!!

August 25th- No Diapers!

Entrusting our sweet friends to take care of our little E, B and I escaped for a fabulous 3-day romantic getaway to Grand Geneva & the TimberRidge Resort. No diaper changes, no morning wake-up call, no fussies, no cleaning up the sticky hands and face, no on-call overnight duty, no toys!!!!!! Just the two of us, alone for more than a couple of hours, for the first time in 2 years (being preggo with E already counted as family time)! We determined, even before we had kids, that we would make 'Us' a priority and make sure that we took time for just the two of us. I bawled after we dropped E off, one of the hardest things I've done and hoped he would be an angel, and insisted upon driving just so I had to concentrate on something else. It took the ENTIRE day for me to let my guard down, and only after we had wined & dined, floated down the heated lazy river several times, plummeted down water and tube slides, soaked in the hot tubs, and enjoyed the evening only having to think of ourselves.

It's been years since I've been to Grand Geneva, and I was thrilled to be able to take B there.

Capturing the moment after we had wined & dined - a very peaceful evening on Geneva Inn's boat slip.
(This pic reminds me so much of one that we took on Newport Beach a few years back. Glad to have it since most of our Cali pics were lost.)

I had an itinerary for our getaway- horseback riding, kayaking, Geneva cruise, jet-skiing.

We decided to throw out the list- ha.

The horse rides sounded fantastic, however, when we saw other guests trotting at an E walking pace, we decided to just enjoy the stable's petting zoo.


Let's spy. Here is what E and his little buddy, 'Bubs', were up to while Mommy & Daddy were away!:

Stroller ride!

I think it is so funny how Bubs is looking around as if to say, "Hey, E, I can't see anything!".

We were told that E was cuddly, but I wasn't expecting this.

Ahh, how cute!!
I was very comforted by the fact that he was at a 'sleep-over' with his buddy- how perfect for them to spend lots of time playing together. It was ideal that these two are essentially the same age!

It's been a couple weeks since we've seen them- wonder what the boys will think...

August 26-27th- What became the family retreat...

We had just parked the car and were getting ready to browse the Lake Geneva boutiques and take a cruise when our second day came to an abrupt stop. We drove back home to swoop up our little one at the request of our friend because her little boy had just started getting sick. Thankfully we had selected our resort based on the possibility that we may have to have the little one join us (did I mention that the resort has a highly-recommended babysitting/daycamp service?!!). Because E was ALL packed for a 3day stay with our friends all we had to do was load everything in the car and head back to the hotel. I have to admit, both B and I were 'secretively' wanting E to enjoy the amenities and the waterpark!

E took to throwing his toys all over the living room.
So cute seeing him wear a wrist bracelet.
E taking in the waterpark. He was a bit overwhelmed at first: water slides, lots of water, kids splashing about.
E loved the pop-up fountains.

What a fun swing!

...

Weeeee...

The resort-provided pfds weren't so comfortable, and they got cold, so we just ditched them for the safety of mommy's within-a-foot reach. Guess who just slid into a face full of water?!

E loved the waterpark, the kid-friendly tot spots, and the arcades, the suite, and I think we are both happy that he got to share in our getaway. While B and I would have loved to have spent several quiet (diaper-changing free) days just for the two of us (as we were told, take it now because when you have two you'll never be able to get away), but honestly I think we were both missing our little one. And, we couldn't be more proud of E for having been such a well-behaved, cuddly little guest (so we were told). We had such a fabulous time that we hope to return in a couple months- this time for some more splash fun with our water baby.

Many thanks to the P Family & Bubs for taking such great care of our little guy, and giving us time for just the two of us!

August 28th- Visit with the Cousins

We stopped by to see Grandaddy S. and spend the day with the cousins while the guys enjoyed a round of golf.

E got to enjoy all the baby floats in Grandmom's pool.

This particular one was motorized, but I think the little squirt was too heavy for it to zoom around- ha. T. is an unbelievably sweet cousin to E.
Hope these two grow up to be good buddies.

Thanks for having us, Momma R.! We had a blast!

August 30th- Family Zoo Visit

Another visit to the zoo...

E tried out several animals on the merry-go-round.
He was amazed when the seals would swim right up to the glass!
The zoo currently has a neat stringray bay attraction.

E was more interested in splashing in the water.

B took several fun underwater pics of the rays as they swam by.

It was fun being able to touch the stingrays- very slippery.

Poor little boy was overdue for naptime but he managed to perk right back up when we went to see the monkeys.

The sweetest droplet you'll ever taste.

We headed on over to the Dolphin show shortly thereafter. Have to say it was not as exciting as we thought it would be, and it was so hot that we chilled down with a frozen lemon ice for the three of us- E loved it.

Our little ringtail.

We just love the Hamill Children's building, especially the lemurs.

The geese are flying!

Yea, finally some pics for all those emailing me! Lots, lots more to follow.

Our favorite season!! The weather here has been fantastic, a mix between summer and fall, and we've been enjoying it as much as possible. I love this time of year, love Chicago weather, and love that we get to enjoy breezy cool, fall-jacket wearing mornings and then play in shorts and polos all afternoon.

This pic melts my heart: last pool-day of the season, and he is ALL ready for the swim.

He became such a water baby. Can't wait for next summer!
This little guy loves the playgrounds, especially the bouncy bridges!

This pic cracks me up: looks who's teething & impatient.

"Enough with the pics, Mom."

Chilly morning busy pushing his truck.
Trucks, rocks, sticks, climbing, dirt, investigating....

He likes to feed the ducks & geese at the pond.

Our newest atrocity: a hand-me-down from a family down the street.

He just loves to climb into it and drive & honk the horn!

Think he'll be outgrowing this quickly- so glad we saved that money for his college!

Teething.

Still loves splashing in the water & the hoses.

Mr. Potato Head.

Oh so cute. I got this from B while we were dating (stored it away for our kids, along with the countless teddy bears and animals).

It was the header to his first email he sent me my first year of college.
And, I've realized that it makes a good body-part learning toy- ha.



In light of the football season starting we've geared E up as well.

B was playing his football video game, I was sitting next to him, E crawling and playing on the couch. We didn't think he was paying any, whatsoever attention to the game. All of a sudden, out of the corner of our eyes we see him, mimicking the refs in the game, shoot his hands up in the air...

Touchdown!