Baby #2

8-13-13:  Bradly and I decided a long time ago that we wanted to wait until Mason was potty trained before having another baby. Well...over the last week or so I have been having the feeling that it is time for us to have another baby. Yeah, I am surprised too. I would be doing the dishes, bathing Mason, folding laundry, driving in the car and the thought would just pop into my mind, "It is time to have another baby." Needless to say, I was freaking out a little bit. How was I going to tell this to my husband when we both want to wait at least another year before even thinking about another baby!? I was very nervous because I knew that Brad's jaw would drop when I told him...I even put it off for a week because I didn't know how to bring it up. Finally, on Sunday night (8-11) Brad and I were laying in bed. Neither of us could sleep - Brad was hungry and my mind was racing. After Brad ate a fourth meal he came back to bed and I decided to just put it all out there. "For the last week I have been having a really strong feeling that we are supposed to have another baby..." Much to my surprise, he didn't freak out, instead he responded, "I honestly think that mothers have an intuition about those things and I will not question it." He then told me that he had also thought about having another baby but thought I would never go for it! We decided to pray about it just to be sure - we figured that after a couple of weeks or so we might get our answer. A couple of weeks turned into only a day. The next night after we said our nightly prayers we both turned to each other and said the same thing, "I have a really good feeling about having another baby right now." So it has been decided, yesterday was my last day on the pill and we are now "trying to get pregnant."

I am so excited and nervous and scared all at the same time. Sometimes I wonder if I am qualified to have two children. How will I find enough time to snuggle them both? How will I EVER get the laundry folded? Will I ever shower again? Am I going to end up with two children in my bed every night? Is Mason going to get jealous of a new baby? Will I want to pull my hair out on a daily basis? I'm sure that with time my fears will become less and less, but for now, I am freaking out.

I am also a little bit nervous about having problems getting pregnant. I know this sounds silly coming from the fertile myrtle who got pregnant on the pill, but it still scares me. I am going off the pill now in anticipation that it could take awhile for us to get pregnant. Hopefully, we won't have any problems and the pregnancy will go as smoothly as it did last time.

No matter what happens, I am excited. I am grateful that I listened to that little big prompting and I am so thankful for a husband who is as excited as I am to add to our family.

9-7-13: In the words of Dory, "Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. What do we do? We swim, swim. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ho. I love to swim. When you want to swim you want to swim."

9-10-13: I really hope that I am pregnant because WAY too many people in just the last couple of days have been asking if we are going to have another baby anytime soon. On Sunday one of my mom's good friends asked and my mom said, "Oh didn't you know, she is trying to get pregnant right now." I had a minor heart attack thinking, "How does she know?" But she then followed that statement with, "She got pregnant on birth control last time so she is doing it again." WHEW! She doesn't know.
Then last night Brad's oldest sister told me we need to have another baby. It is hard for me to lie and just say, "No, not right now..." when I am really thinking, "Oh I know! I hope I am pregnant!!"
Brad also has two cousins that have babies that are just a couple of months older than Mason. We were all pregnant at the same time, they are both pregnant again right now. It would be too funny for all three of us to be pregnant together again.
My mom's birthday was on Sunday and Brad REALLY wanted to tell her that we are trying to get pregnant. I told him no because I know my mom would be as excited as me about it and I would get asked about it every day until a test showed up positive. So we decided that if a pregnancy test comes up positive in the next couple of weeks then I will put it in a gift bag and call it a late birthday present for her. Who doesn't want a pee stick for their birthday? ;)

9-16-13: So...I am not pregnant. Aunt Flo came to visit 6 days early this month...
I think Heavenly Father knew I would have a hard time when it happened so thankfully I was at my mom's house and I HAD to keep it together. If I cried because I started my period then my mom would most definitely know what was going on!

9-20-13: Last night Brad and I (mostly Brad) moved the office furniture into our bedroom. We had to do a little rearranging but it works great! Now that Mason is sleeping in a big boy bed we are going to just keep the crib in the third bedroom. The moment I am pregnant you can bet that I will be setting up that bedroom to be the nursery for baby #2.

10-11-13: So tonight Brad is driving back from Idaho and Mason is sound asleep so I decided to take a pregnancy test because I am a few days away from expecting Aunt Flo. I peed on the stick and it was negative...but an hour later when I was going to throw it away I noticed there was a faint pink line. I immediately called Brad and asked him what I should do because that was the last test out of that box. I told him to buy another box of pregnancy tests on his way home. Well, he isn't going to be home until midnight so I woke up Mason (bad mommy) and we went and bought another box of pregnancy tests. I came home, he went right back to sleep and I peed on another test. I AM PREGNANT!!!!! I cannot express in words just how excited I am! I called Brad and told him and we are both so happy! Mason is going to be a big brother!!! Yay!!!!!! SO.EXCITED.

My due date is approximately June 21, 2014 (give or take a few days)

I got my two wishes for this pregnancy ~ PLANNED AND A BABY NOT DUE IN JULY! 

10-14-13: Last night we told my mom! We were down in her sewing room looking at fabric for Christmas jammies and Brad said, "Just tell her!" She was rummaging through her fabric closet and I said, "So, do you want to hear something exciting?" She didn't even turn around before she sarcastically said, "What? Your pregnant?" She still hadn't turned around when I responded, "Yes!" She didn't believe me for a minute but finally realized I wasn't kidding. She gave me the biggest hug and just kept saying how excited she is! I love that my mom is just as excited as we are for this new baby!

This morning I called and made my first doctor appointment - Tuesday, November 19th. I can't wait to hear this baby's heartbeat!! Then only a month after that we will go back and find out the gender! SO ANXIOUS!!

10-18-13: So if all calculations are correct then I am 5 weeks pregnant. Thus far I am a bit tired and bloated but still no sickness. I didn't get sick at all with Mason so I am hoping that is the case with this pregnancy as well! Everyone says that with a second pregnancy you will be way more exhausted because you have a toddler to chase after all day...I respectfully disagree. Chasing Mason keeps me active all day and I don't have time to think about being tired. When I was pregnant with Mason I sat at a desk, in front of a computer all day long. THAT made me tired! I could barely make it through my days at work, but this time I feel (so far anyway) a lot less exhausted!

I am getting anxious to tell people...only Bradly, my mom, my Aunt Lisa and my cousins Stephen and Jason know that I am preggo. We will definitely wait until after we hear baby #2's heartbeat before we tell anyone else...that is a whole month away! I am praying that I can keep my mouth shut until then. :)

10-24-13: Yesterday I was so nauseous...blah. I didn't ever throw up but I felt so sick and just didn't want to eat. Of course, I forced myself to get something down but it wasn't a great day. Today I woke up feeling so much better, but by the afternoon I was feeling sick again. Still no throwing up...thankfully! I hope that today is the end of this feeling yucky stuff...

11-4-13: Last night we told our immediate family that we are pregnant! We were going to wait, but that was when I thought that I wouldn't start to show at all until I was around 12 weeks pregnant....I was wrong. I am only seven weeks along and I have a little bump. Lovely.

First, we went to my family's house and let Mason walk in wearing his "big brother" shirt. Braddy was waiting at the door for us and didn't notice Mason's shirt at first. Bob immediately said, "Oh my gosh!" After that everyone realized what was going on and they were very excited for us! Braddy said, "Already?!" When Brooklynn figured out there was another baby in my tummy she came running over and said, "I want to see!" She doesn't remember me being pregnant with Mason so this will be fun for her! My favorite comment came from Bob - Mason has always been obsessed with ceiling fans...obsessed is putting it lightly. Bob has always said that he likes them so much because his siblings are sitting up on the fan blades watching him until it is their turn to come down. Last night Bob was holding Mason, pointed up to the fan and said, "So was it a brother or sister that was watching you?" I loved it!

After dinner we left for Brad's parent's house to tell his family. We made sure his sister Emily was there this time because last time we had to call her on the phone AFTER everyone else found out. We arrived and again let Mason walk in the house with his shirt. My mother-in-law was sitting right inside the door and looked at Mason. She said, "Hi big brother." I thought it would click, but it didn't. She just kind of sat there for a minute. I finally asked her if she understood and she said, "Oh, now I do. Is this an announcement?" When I told them I was pregnant they all congratulated us! It is kind of a relief that our family knows! I can stop wearing baggy hoodies around them!

11-5-13: Brad didn't want to wait one minute more so the world knows we are expecting!

15 Month Stats

This morning we headed to the doctor for Mason's 15 month checkup.

22 lbs. 10 oz. (23%) - He jumped up 10% in weight in the last three months!

32.5" long (86%) - He jumped 8% in height in the last three months!

Head 18.8" (66%) - Big noggin'

Dr. Duffy was thrilled to see how much he had grown in the last few months!

He asked if Mason was starting to say a few more words like mom, dad, etc. When I told him he has started saying things like, "Right there, all done, upstairs, juice, outside, etc." his jaw dropped. I don't think he believed me at first so he asked Mason to say "all done." Mason didn't hesitate to respond and Dr. Duffy simply said, "Wow...he is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO ahead for his age." Mason then walked up to him and said, "Hi!" and then tried to say Duffy. He was so impressed with how friendly and social Mason is and told me that because he is so ahead socially that he probably won't get stranger danger...yikes!

I also noticed that on the paperwork they gave us it said that we should, "start to offer a fork or spoon when child is eating." I told Dr. Duffy that Mason only ever eats with a fork or spoon and won't touch his food without utensils...again he was shocked and said that his coordination is really good and that most babies can't correctly use a fork or spoon until they are 18 months old.

Mason still has a soft heart murmur, his belly button hernia is continuing to shrink and the dimple in his chest still hasn't caused any problems.

He handled his shots so well! He mostly cried because he didn't like the band-aids on his legs. He ripped them off the moment the nurse put them on! I stuck them back on because the last thing I wanted was blood on his pants. When we got home he pulled them off again so I gave up, but he is a happy boy so I don't care!

Overall, Mason is a very healthy, tall, skinny and ADVANCED little boy which makes for one proud mommy!

Round 3

We tried taking pictures again this afternoon...it didn't go over so well. Poor Mason just HATED having to sit there when he could see babies on swings right across the street...

Daddy finally got a smile out of him after letting him slide down the banister.

He isn't even looking at the camera, but this is probably my favorite from today.

Still eyeing those swings across the street...

We didn't get very many "happy" pictures today...

15 Month Pictures

Mason will be 15 months old in just over a week so I decided to go take his pictures. We had a failed attempt at Daybreak Lake (too sunny and WAY too cold in the shade)

He ate a rock.

He would only stand there if he had a sucker in his mouth...not a great photo.

And he was done.

Thankfully Uncle Bob was home so he cheered up Mason before we started round two of pictures.

Of course he had to try and eat the pumpkin.

So Much

It is time for a real update!

Mason sleeps in a big boy bed now! He hated his crib from day one and would not sleep longer than a two hour stretch...ever. We moved him to a big boy bed about a month ago and it worked wonders...for a couple of weeks...

He definitely sleeps better than he used to, but he still has quite a few nights of waking up every few hours. I think I may just have to accept the fact that my baby just isn't a good sleeper.

Every day during his one and only nap (that usually only lasts an hour) the dog across the street wakes him up. It is a huge lab that incessantly barks. He wakes up the moment he hears the dog and runs into my room and says, "WOOF!" Grr...that stupid dog.

At night he goes to bed without any problem. I take him in, give him his binkies and blanky, tuck him in, say goodnight and leave. He doesn't even try to get out of his bed, he just rolls over and falls asleep. However, I can always expect that about three hours after he falls asleep, he will wake up crying. I am at a loss and I don't know what to do so most nights he ends up (at some point) in bed with us. Blah.

He can get into everything these days! The other day I turned around to see that he had climbed up my dresser using the drawers as steps! I freaked out!! He can climb into the refrigerator, up the entertainment center, up onto my bed and his favorite place it to climb into the laundry basket. He will just sit there for no apparent reason. Too cute.

Proof that he IS my child! We have identical birth marks! Most babies get "stork spots" on the back of their necks and they are supposed to go away but Mason's are still there...so are mine. He also has a little birthmark on his lower back...in the same exact spot as mine. What are the chances!?

He is definitely a toddler...

If I leave the bathroom door open he runs and unravels all the toilet paper in five seconds flat. This particular day he decided that it would be a good idea to then bring it into the kitchen and rip it into a million pieces.

 Troublemaker...

I continue to teach him where his body parts are and he knows where his ears, hair, tongue, belly button and hands are. He knows where his nose is but won't ever point to it. He also knows where his manhood is and will constantly point to it or grab at it and say, "This!" Heaven help me.

He absolutely loves my two big brothers! And by love, I mean he is obsessed with them! If I even mention that we are going to see them or they are coming over he runs around and has a giggle fit. The other day we were at my mom's house and Braddy came home from work for lunch. When he had to leave Mason ran to the front door and bawled...it was adorably sad!

My brother Bob can ALWAYS get a smile out of Mason simply by saying, "Sippy of juice..." in a whiny voice. He thinks it is so funny!

Look at those lips! They are definitely from his daddy.

He has turned into a full blown binky baby. In order for him to fall asleep at night he has to be holding one in each hand and have one in his mouth...weaning him off of those is going to be a challenge.

Now that we have a backyard Mason loves to go outside and play! He will run around and play with his spoon and for some reason it is so much fun because it is outside.

 It is going to be hard when Winter comes around...

His favorite game to play outside (or inside for that matter) is kicking a ball to daddy!

Reason #999 why Brad is the best daddy:

Mason wouldn't eat or drink ANYTHING (which has been happening a lot lately) so Brad went and got a sippy just like Mason's and put some of his food on Mason's plate. He then proceeded to sit next to him and just eat like it was no big deal. Mason watched him for a second and then ate all of his food because daddy was eating and drinking the same thing...I guess it makes it cool when dad does it. :)

 He has been struggling lately with consistently eating. One day he will gorge himself and the next day he will only want a few bites here and there. It worries me because he is so darn skinny to begin with, he needs all the calories he can get! On not so good days he drinks a lot of instant breakfast to get some sort of nutrition.
He recently started blowing on every bite of food. He sees me do it when something is hot, but he even blows on his PB&J sandwiches.

 Mason had his first outing without mommy or daddy and he had a blast! My brothers took him along with Payton and Brooklynn to watch the street car races at Rocky Mountain Raceway. He ran around and played the whole time!

 Funny side note: Now when he sees a car commercial he always claps his hands like it is racing.

He and Payton chased each other around RMR the whole night!

  

They are planning on taking him to the Monster Truck Rally this Winter...he will die!

 At Grandma's house the pantry is his personal snack stash. He knows how to open cereal boxes and takes out a handful and places it on the shelf he can reach. The rest of the time we are there he will run back and forth grabbing handfuls of cereal/crackers/cookies/etc. He LOVES it!

Mason loves ranch dressing! The only time he has had it was when we would go to Chili's. He dips his quesadilla in the little cup of ranch and then sucks the ranch off of every bite. I decided to give him some ranch with his quesadilla at home the other day. He is SO allergic to Hidden Valley brand ranch dressing. I went to wipe his face off and anywhere the ranch had touched there was a bright red welt. Lovely.

Mason eats every meal with a fork and is a pro now. We started working on spoons just yesterday and he managed to eat his whole bowl of oatmeal without making a huge mess. So proud of him!

His favorite foods are homemade chicken noodle soup, homemade spaghetti, scrambled eggs, apples, bananas, peaches, strawberries and string cheese.

He is a smart boy. He will watch me or Brad do something ONCE and then he figures out how to do it himself. He knows how to turn on the dishwasher, he can twist the cap off of a 2 liter of soda and then put it back on, he knows how to work the remote and our cell phones and he knows how to scroll through the pictures of Brad's ipod.

He can reach everything now, too. He loves our toothbrushes and if our bathroom door is open he runs and opens the top drawer and feels around until he grabs one. He then takes off running down the hall to his bedroom. I find him quite often sitting in his bed brushing his teeth with our toothbrushes.

He is such a ham for the camera! He has completely mutilated a Twinkie and I told him to say cheese - this is the face he gave.

Oh that tongue.

When I ask him where it is he sticks it out at me.

His other "tricks" include dancing...the boy has no rhythm (his favorite song in "Who" made popular as the theme song for CSI: NY), doing somersaults and his daddy already taught him how to spike a volleyball. 

He is talking more every day and it is so fun to hear the things he says!

The funniest is when I tell him to say mom he yells for dad...literally yells, "Daaaaaaaaaaad!"

He says:

Mom

Dad

More

Uh-Oh

Yeah

WOOF!

MOO!

Hi

This

That

He copies the sound of the lawnmower outside

His newest is actually a phrase! He says All Done!

He still has a fascination with fans and has tried to say fan but it comes out, "Fa, Fa, Fa" and then he gives up. He'll get there.

Just today he figured out how to say Bear and how to growl like one.

He had a cold this last week and he was sure a cranky pants! He watched his FAVORITE movie, 101 Dalmatians (the real version) probably five times a day. He sits and yells WOOF! every single time the dogs are on the screen. It is cute because he even giggles at the funny parts in the movie.

Luckily for me he knows how to blow his nose into a tissue so we didn't have to use the nose sucker! I just hand him a tissue, tell him to blow and he does. Yesterday he sneezed and there was snot all over his face...it was gross. I ran to get a tissue and when I came back he had picked up my sock, wiped his nose and handed it to me. Nice Mason...

He loves to watch Dancing With The Stars. He dances along with them and then claps his hands when they are finished. It is so funny to watch him...he has all of two dance moves.

Mason likes to close doors. He isn't quite tall enough to turn the doorknob to open it back up so when he locks himself in his room he will knock on the door from the inside and wait for me to open it. Hilarious! When daddy goes to the bathroom Mason will go and knock on the door over and over again until he comes out. We aren't allowed to go to the bathroom by ourselves around here. :)  He loves to play this game, too.

There...a real update!