20 weeks: It's a...

Baby #3 = Girl #2 and we are so excited!  Other than that, I don't have much new to report since my last pregnancy update.  I've gained about 4 pounds, still enjoy running and working out, and feel great overall :)  We started feeling the baby move from the outside just before 19 weeks, and now at 20.5 weeks, I can usually watch my stomach for a few minutes and see several movements.  

Here's the 20 week belly from Texas!  

Jack wanted to be in the picture too :)

Jack is 2!

Happy Birthday to the sweetest little guy I know.  Seriously, this little boy is such a fun-loving, easy-going dude.  He loves trucks, school buses, trains, cars, construction equipment, singing songs, hanging out with his peeps, running, jumping, climbing, going on walks, and being silly with his sister.  We are so blessed to have him in our family.

Stats:  At his 2 year appointment (May 13), he weighed 26.2 lbs (25%) and measured 35-36 inches (75-90%).  When we measured him at home, we got 36.  When they tried to get him to stand against the wall at the doctor's office, they got 35.  He wears 2T shirts and can wear all of his shorts from last summer (12-18 and 18-24 months).  He wears size 3T pjs and still wears a size 7 shoe.  He is currently getting his 2 year molars.

Sleep:  Jack is still sleeping very well.  He goes to bed around 7:30 and wakes up happily between 7 and 7:15.  He loves to go to sleep with a blanket.  He takes a nap for 2-3 hours that usually starts around 12:45.  His favorite books to read at nap time and bed time involve some sort of vehicle.

Eating:  Jack has gotten much less picky when it comes to food.  All the months when I kept giving him good food (and not an entire plate of something he was sure to eat), regardless of whether he chose to eat it all or not, have really paid off.  He likes most meat and fruit and is getting much better with vegetables.  It's pretty much guaranteed that he will try anything.  Breakfast favorites include yogurt, cereal, fruit, bagels, eggs, and bacon.  Lunch favorites include sandwiches (turkey or ham with cheese and mustard, peanut or almond butter), or some a la carte version of that with crackers.  Other favorites include guacamole, salsa, steak, chicken, the melted cheese entrees (macaroni, grilled cheese, quesadillas), beans, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, soup, and even the casserole-type dishes (lasagna, enchiladas, etc).  Favorite snacks include raisins, smoothies, applesauce, and anything his sister "fixes" for the afternoon snack.  He is also starting to like some nuts, especially pecans.  

Learning:  Jack's vocabulary and ease of use with the English language continue to impress us.  By his 2nd birthday, he totally got the mine/yours/his/hers/he/she/him/her/me/you words all straightened out and he is generally very easy to understand.  At his 2 year appointment, we actually spent about 2.5 hours in the exam room because Jack went in with a bad cough and was diagnosed with pneumonia.   The doctor told was very impressed with his language and told me that he spoke as well as an average 3 year old.   His pronunciation is very good, even with the long words.  He is definitely in the "I do it by MYSELF!" phase, which makes everything take longer but does improve his fine motor skills.  He especially likes to fasten his own buckles.  Sadly, I lost a bunch of cute quotes that were on my phone but here's one from around his 2nd birthday:
Over the monitor:  "Mama, oh mama, where are you?  Come talk to me.  I'm hiding in my crib.  Come find me!"

And another one from May:

Jack, Elise, and Mike had gone to the grocery store and came home with some  beautiful red roses. Elise and I were talking about how pretty they were and Jack pipes up from behind us, "Mom, I wanted to get you the blue ones!" (And Mike said that he was indeed pushing for the dyed blue flowers at the store, haha.)

Playing:  If you give Jack a room with trucks, trains, cars, construction vehicles, or Duplos, he's happy and content for a LONG time.  He loves to push his vehicles around the room, make trains, race cars, build things, sing songs about it, and then do it all again.  He spends a lot of time running, jumping, and climbing as well, and his running has gotten much more coordinated over the last few months.  If he isn't playing with his toys, he's probably asking to jump on the trampoline.  This little dude can get some serious air.

What a precious little guy!  We love you, Jack!

A backhoe loader and school bus AT THE SAME TIME!

"Working" with Elise

Another backhoe loader

Is he all boy or what?

Basketball with Daddy and Elise

Backyard sandbox

One of his favorite books

One of his favorite activities

New "big boy" cups

Water fun

18 weeks

We've had such a fun month that I've totally slacked on the blog and documenting pregnancy #3.  I hope to catch up before our upcoming trip to Texas!  I'm now 18 weeks 4 days and everything is going well.  We had the big anatomy ultrasound this week and we think we know the gender, but baby wasn't super cooperative so we've decided to take the kids to a 3d/4d scan this weekend just to make sure :)   Let's see... an update on the past 5.5 weeks... I started feeling baby move around 15.5 weeks and finally kicked the nausea around 17 weeks.  I still can't believe I was queasy for 3 whole months.  So thankful that part of the pregnancy has passed!  Even though I've only gained about 2 lbs, the belly has definitely popped out and I've had a few strangers ask how far along I am.  I'm still feeling good with the running and working out, though pushing both kids in the double stroller this morning resulted in about half walking/half running :)

16.5 weeks (unable to button any pants or shorts at this point)

18 weeks (hmm, maybe I have too many long pink tank tops and black shorts?)

I still can't believe how much bigger I am than the last 2 pregnancies.  Here's me at 26 weeks with E and J... looks about the same as 18 weeks this time!  

Can't wait to meet baby ______ #2 in November!

Happy Birthday, Jack!

The little man turned 2 yesterday!  We were so excited to get to celebrate with our dear friends, the Schuchards.  They recently moved to Virginia and we are thrilled to live just 75 miles apart!  Ross and Mike went to West Point together and Sarah and I met at the bride's coffee during their graduation week in May 2004.  We were all stationed in Fort Rucker for flight school and then moved to Fort Hood together.  Elise and John were born just 2 weeks apart and have had many, many, many playdates, especially when we all lived in Texas during their first 16 months of life.  We got to celebrate John's 3rd birthday with them when they came to Baltimore in January 2012.  Lila and Jack are just 6 months apart.  The kids had such a fun day together.

The birthday boy with his new train table.  What a hit!

His other favorite toys... he loves to "park" his trucks in different parts of the house and also loves to line them up as if they were on a road.  

Opening his presents from the Schuchards... Matchbox cars and Steam Train Dream Train.  The cars work perfectly on his table and this is one of the few "long" books that he will actually sit through!  Thanks!

Singing "Happy Birthday"

The group

Playing trains with Lila (6 months older).  Don't they make a cute couple?

Silly 4 year olds

     A more detailed 2 year post will follow after his checkup tomorrow.  Happy Birthday, Jack!

Baby #3 update!

Wow, it seems like the last 2 months have lasted forever!  We are SO excited about Baby #3 and can't wait to meet him or her in the fall.  I haven't had any panic moments about the idea of actually having 3 kids, yet :)  I mean, we figure that daily life can't get much busier, so why not squeeze another kid to the mix?  We love how much E and J enjoy playing together and can't wait to see them with their baby brother or sister.  

Baby at 7.5 weeks

So far, the pregnancy has been pretty similar to my first two.  I'm almost 14 weeks now and the nausea is just starting to subside as of this week.  I definitely have my queasy moments, but they seem fewer and farther between.  We found out about baby at 3 weeks and 2 days pregnant (crazy that you can find out this early!) on February 18, and by a week later, I was already experiencing nausea.  The worst was from 5-7 weeks, and like I said before, it is still hanging out but is much more manageable.  These days, I usually feel pretty good in the morning and early afternoon, so that's when I try to sneak in a workout and plan an outing with the kids.  Between food aversions and the nausea, cooking dinner (and having energy for two kids!) has been a challenge.  The worst has definitely passed, and I expect to feel much better in a few weeks.  The nausea phase ended around 15-16 weeks with E and J.  Some foods that I've eaten a lot include greek yogurt, fruit (we make a lot of smoothies!), bagels, cheese and avocado sandwich, breakfast sandwich, and soup.  I'm having a tough time even thinking about spinach and chicken these days.  Early pregnancy is probably the only time in my life that I ever have an aversion to desserts.

So now for the pictures... I can't believe how quickly my belly has popped out this time.  It's been there, even on an empty stomach in the mornings, for several weeks now.  I think I look a lot like this picture from 20 weeks with Jack!  Absolutely crazy.  The weirdest part is that I'm still down a few pounds from all the nausea and actually weigh less than I ever have while pregnant.  Somehow my pants still button comfortably underneath the belly that isn't even from the baby?!  I guess this is what happens the third time around.  I'm still able to run and work out (love the 30 Day Shred workouts) comfortably, though I stopped doing any exercises on my back this week.  My next appointment is on Monday and then we will schedule the big ultrasound.  Happy 13+ weeks, baby!

13 weeks in the morning

13 weeks and bigger in the evening!

Jack's 2nd Birthday with Mimi

Since my mom was in town so close to Jack's actual birthday (May 11), we had a little celebration with her this morning.  Jack loved everything about it... the cake for breakfast, some awesome boy presents, and a picnic at the park :)  Jack didn't want to open the presents himself but Elise was more than happy to assist.  He was absolutely THRILLED when he saw the Green Toys Recycling Truck and the Thomas trains and played with them nonstop until we dragged him to the park an hour later.  Great choices, Mimi!

All ready for cake...

Big sister was more than happy to help eat some cake...

Opening the recycling truck... he got a bunch of these vehicles from both sets of grandparents for his 1st birthday and plays with them all the time!  

Playing with his new trains!  He got Thomas, Percy, and Spencer :)  Can't wait to see him play with them on the train table!

The recycling truck was a huge hit too!  He likes to transport his trains in it.

Thanks, Mimi and Pop!

And some pictures from the park via Mimi's camera...