13 weeks 1 day belly... definitely starting to show a lot sooner with the second pregnancy!
I look terrible. It's been rainy and cold here so... I haven't put much effort into my appearance lately. Aaron also has a SIX DAY weekend, so we've been lazing around the house. :) Even Elliot is staying in his jammies all day today.
Click below to see our updated name list.
My favorites are Ada, Elsa, and Eden.
Aaron's are Aurora, Willow, and Sawyer.
First of all, thank you for all of the suggestions and votes on our names yesterday. I also asked for help on facebook {if we're not already friends, you can add me here.} By the end of the night, my status had 65 comments! In all, Aaron and I have over FIFTY new names to look over. I like a lot of them, but I'm sure Aaron probably won't, so it should be easy to narrow it down a little. I'll be updating our name list within a day or two- I'll let you know. :) Some of my favorites, off the top of my head, are Ada, Lenora, Loralie, Eden, and Elyse. I'm also toying with some of the really unique ones, such as Ender, Monroe, and Finn + Sawyer (as girls' names).
Second, today I am 13 weeks pregnant! Almost in the second trimester! Praise God! If you know our history with miscarriage, then you understand why I am so happy to have those first 13 weeks behind me.
Last, but CERTAINLY not least, some pictures of Elliot. Can't forget about him!
{excuse the nose crusties. He has a cold, HATES getting his nose wiped, and I didn't even notice how gross his nose was until AFTER I put the camera down, of course}
His new favorite toy. Thank you, Target!
I haven't asked in awhile. Could we get a vote? Comment that you voted and I'll vote back!!
Naming another human being is a big responsibility. I mean, he/she will have this name for the rest of his/her life. It makes them who they are, it defines them, it is an identity. To be honest, picking the perfect name stresses me out!
Like I said before, I'm fairly confident that we're having a girl this time. Either way, we've already narrowed down our boys choices and are happy with them (Finn & Sawyer). It's the GIRL NAMES we are having trouble with. Everything I like, Aaron hates, and vice-versa. I literally FELL IN LOVE with the name Ruby, I had dreams about a little girl named Ruby, and everything... but Aaron shot it down and said we could only use it as a middle name.
What I want in a name:
- a shorter name that cannot be turned into a nickname
- we really love vintage, classic, beautiful names
- easy to pronounce and spell
- most importantly: NOT POPULAR!! (preferably not in the top 200)
Our name list is below. Please read, vote, comment, etc. Suggestions are also welcome.
We have an elective/gender ultrasound scheduled for January 11th, 2012!!
You haven't seen or heard much of Elliot lately. Bad mama, bad blogger... I know. So let me tell you a little bit about what he's been up to lately.
He's a very silly little guy. And yes, I do mean little. Those jeans literally fell off of him (he kicked them off the rest of the way). They were size 6 months, and Elliot is about to turn 12 months old. So, yes, he's small. Honestly? I love it. I get to hold onto my "little baby" for longer.
He's a typical boy. He loves to play in the dirt (see his dirty face there?) and he loves to throw things. His hair is getting much longer, and it's very blonde. Neither Aaron or I have blonde hair, so don't ask me where he got that from.
He still likes to play with things he's not supposed to, like my laptop, for example. His favorite toys are his gumball machine toy (a recent purchase from Target), his Melissa & Doug wooden blocks, and his wire bead maze (a mini version of the kind in doctor's offices).
He is absolutely OBSESSED with this book. He will let you read it to him 2, 3, or sometimes even 4 times in a row. He has an extremely short attention span (we usually only make it halfway through Dr. Seuss books) so this is a big deal.
He also really likes to pull all the books down off his bookshelf and take all of his diapers out of their bins. He does this at least three times a day... which means I put them all back three times a day, too.
He likes clapping and waving. We also like to blow kisses back and forth.
Remember THIS?
Our cat Charlie and Elliot are still really good friends. Elliot loves to kiss, hug, and lay with him. We actually brought another kitten home recently, but Charlie still follows Elliot around most of the day.
Above all else, he is a HAPPY and LOVING little guy. I've never met a little boy who laughs, smiles, or gives kisses and hugs as much as he does. I love him so gosh darn much. ♥ I'm not sure how I'll be able to feel so much love for TWO! :)
Okay, I decided to do one of these every two weeks. :)
How far along? 12 weeks 3 days. Baby’s Size: The size of a plum, 2.1" and .49 oz Total Weight Gain: 1 1/2 pounds. Bellybutton: innie. Stretchmarks: not yet! Maternity Clothes: If I was wearing maternity clothes already, something would definitely be wrong. lol! Gender: I still think it's a girl, and pretty much everyone else agrees. Even my OB told me that she "bet it's a sister." Movement: Still not feeling anything yet. Looking forward to it! Sleep: I've still been sleeping great, except when I have to get up to pee. Bedtime is my favorite time of day. Symptoms: I'm feeling MUCH better now! The only thing I can really complain about is that I don't have much of an appetite and nothing really sounds good to me... Food Aversions: Soup. Yes, I think it's weird, too. And above all else- the smell of charcoal, or ANYTHING cooked on a charcoal grill. Ugh. It makes me want to vomit just thinking about it. Food Cravings: Mozzarella sticks, pumpkin pie, ice cream. Best Moments this week: Hearing that nice strong heartbeat at my OB appointment, and cooking (and eating) a delicious Thanksgiving dinner. What I miss: Right now? Nothing, really. Just loving being pregnant again. What I am Looking forward to: Getting closer to the second trimester! Can't wait to be out of the first! Milestones: Second Thanksgiving in a row where I was pregnant.
I don't think I ever told you about Elliot's obsession with feathers. You see, our apartment complex has a duck pond. Naturally, there are duck feathers randomly strewn about in the grass, and if Elliot happens to see one, he will do anything and everything he can think of to try to get to it. To Elliot's dismany, duck feathers are off limits. Ducks are cute... but probably not the cleanest animals in the world. Of course, that only makes him even more determined to get them!
Elliot has always had a dream catcher hanging above his crib. Both Aaron and I had dream catchers above our beds as children, and it was a little tradition that we wanted to continue on with our kids. You can see the dream catcher below (old picture):
WELL. At some point, last night, Elliot must have gotten bored, finally noticed that feather, and decided to get his hands on it. He got it, all right!
He ripped it right off! Today, he found it on the floor next to his crib.
Elliot is 11 months old. That means, people, that he will be ONE WHOLE YEAR OLD in just one little month! Excuse me while I try not to faint...
(Alright, I completely missed last month. I realize that. Yikes! Sooo, I'm just combining this into one big post for both months.)
This Month:
♥ Elliot weighs 17 1/2 lbs. He doesn't seem to be gaining much weight lately.
♥ he is wearing mostly 6 month pants, 9 month shirts (some 6 months) and 12 month sleepers because he's loooooong!
♥ he eats 1-3 8 oz. bottles a day. He always gets one before bed, but lately he's not too sure if he wants one before his naps. Sometimes he'll take one, sometimes he won't.
♥ he knows how to hold his own straw sippy cup, and is OBSESSED with it. We don't give him anything other than water to drink.
♥ he LOVES food. Seriously. We are no longer restricting any "big people" food other than peanut butter and meat. I don't plan to give him meat until he is at least 18 months. His favorite foods are macaroni and cheese, pancakes, and oatmeal... but he likes everything. He has never once turned down anything we've offered him.
♥ I am no longer making baby food for him, he just gets steamed veggies instead at home. He does get jarred baby food sometimes in the car or on the go, though.
♥ He goes to bed around 7:30pm. For the last two months, he was sleeping HORRIBLY (waking up 4-6x a night) but he's just now starting to get better, only waking up once. I'm crossing my fingers it stays this way.
♥ He is still crawling like a mad man and has completely given up trying to stand on his own or walk, because he knows he can crawl or climb to get anything he wants. He can climb up onto the couch and he knows how to duck down to crawl beneath the dining room chairs, which are pub height so they have foot rails.
♥ He absolutely loves to climb up the back of the couch to look out the window and play with the blinds.
♥ Our cat, Charlie, is still his best friend. They follow eachother everywhere and Elliot kisses him every chance he gets.
♥ He loves to blow raspberries on my neck when I'm holding him. He also LOVES giving kisses and usually gives 2 or 3 or more in a row. Love it!
♥ He doesn't mind diaper changes as much now but will still try to roll away if you are taking too long.
♥ He learned how to clap, wave, and blow kisses, and really loves doing all 3 of those because he knows he will be rewarded with a big, enthusiastic "GOOD BOY!"
♥ He will start clapping if he hears anyone saying "yay!"
♥ He will wave if he hears the words "hi" or "bye"
♥ He doesn't cry anymore when he wakes up. He plays and babbles in his crib instead. It's precious.
♥ He is VERY demanding while eating. If food isn't continuously being shoveled into his mouth, he will bang on his tray/the table and yell "BA BA BA BA BAAAAA!" loudly. Ba Ba is his universal word for food.
♥ Favorite toys are: wooden bead maze toy and cookie jar shape sorter. He'll play with those by himself for a LONG time.
♥ it is absolutely impossible to do anything on the computer while he's around. The minute the laptop opens, he crawls right over and starts banging on the keyboard.
♥ He is still obsessed with cords but we got a new entertainment center that hides them, which is good.
♥ The vacuum scares him but likes to "help" me clean by following me around with a spray bottle and/or washcloth.
♥ He gets SUPER excited when Daddy comes home.
♥ At any given time, if you ask him, "Where's Charlie?" he will strain his neck and look everywhere until he finds him, then squeal and crawl over to him.
♥ Cardboard boxes are great fun... until he starts taking bites out of them.
♥ He somehow managed to eat a candy wrapper... and it came out in his poop.
♥ The dishwasher is one of his favorite things. He tries to climb into it whenever it's open.
♥ I have to hide in the kitchen to eat anything or else he demands to "share"... aka eat all my food.
♥ He likes to try to hand me toilet paper when I have morning sickness. Thoughtful, huh?
♥ The toilet is another one of his favorite things so we have to be VERY careful to keep the lids closed if he's in the bathroom with us.
♥ He is still taking tubbies in his little whale tub because he is way too crazy to sit in the bath tub on his own.
♥ He is SUPER TICKLISH!!
♥ He's very sensitive and makes what we call "the boo boo face" if his feelings get hurt.
♥ He really likes to share his food and toys.
♥ My teething machine now has NINE TEETH!
♥ He is, above all, a sweetheart and a snuggler. He loves to be held and carried around, and can't get enough hugs and kisses.
As you probably remember, I did one of these surveys every week when I was pregnant with Elliot. Now that I'm pregnant with baby #2, it's been fun to be able to look back at those. I also enjoyed doing them, so I think I will do them every 5(ish) weeks this time around. :)
How far along? 10 weeks 1 day. Baby’s Size: The size of a prune, about 1.2" and .14 oz Total Weight Gain: nothing so far. Bellybutton: innie. Stretchmarks: not this early!! Maternity Clothes: Nope. Still wearing my pre-pregnancy jeans (from before I had Elliot!) Gender: Although I'm not as confident as I was early on with my first pregnancy, I think I'm guessing a girl this time around. I'm about... 65% sure. :) Movement: Not yet, can't wait!! Sleep: Well, other than waking up for Elliot, I've been sleeping great! That's what happens when you're exhausted! Symptoms: nausea, lower back pain, headaches, fatigue, digestive system is crazy. Food Aversions: Pickles and red meat. YUCK! Food Cravings: Anything sweet and dessert like. Best Moments this week: Celebrating Veteran's Day with good friends at Applebee's :) What I miss: Being able to go longer than an hour or two without eating, and not feeling like I'm going to vomit. What I am Looking forward to: EVERYTHING! Can't wait to find out what we're having and decide on a name!! Plus I have an OB appointment next week. Milestones: Already a quarter of the way through with this pregnancy.
10 weeks 1 day pregnant with baby #2. I feel like I was showing more when I was 10 weeks with Elliot. What's up with that? I thought it was supposed to be the other way around!
"It is easy to take liberty for granted, when you have never had it taken from you."
-Author unknown
(Aaron arriving home on emergency leave from Korea)
I just wanted to say a sincere thank you to all soldiers who serve or have served our country.
My husband was lucky enough to make it home alive, with a metal plate in his skull, but alive. That might scare some of you, but we are so blessed that he made it home. Not everyone is that lucky. Aaron lost many friends while he was in Iraq, and more die in the middle east every day that we don't hear about on the news because it's "depressing", "discouraging", or "old news." To me, that's sad.
It's not an easy life, but somebody has to do it.
Thank you for keeping us free.
"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."
-John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Some great songs to listen to today: "American Soldier" -Toby Keith "'Til the Last Shot's Fired" -Trace Adkins "Have You Forgotten?" -Darryl Worley "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue" -Toby Keith "If You're Reading This" -Tim McGraw "Arlington" -Trace Adkins "Drive On" -Johnny Cash "If I Die Before You Wake" -Dustin Evans "God Bless the USA" -Lee Greenwood "Come Home Soon" -SheDaisy "Iraq and I Roll" -Clint Black "8th of November" -Big and Rich "Message from Home" -Lonestar
