28 Weeks Pregnant

I entered the third trimester of this pregnancy yesterday, passing the 28-week mark.

By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of his head to his heels. He can blink his eyes, which now sport lashes. With his eyesight developing, he may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. He's also developing billions of neurons in his brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world. (babycenter.com)

I would like to add that he likes to kick and punch and dance all day and all night long, much like his big brother did, and he's also been getting hiccups a lot.

I'm really tired these days, but some of that is due to Owen's never-ending energy and his teething moodiness. I feel like I'm as big as I can get, so I'm scared to see how much bigger I get in the next 12 weeks. Oh, and my belly button is starting to pop out! It got flat with Owen, but never popped. Pregnancy is a crazy thing!

The Third Trimester

That's right, folks. Today marks 27 weeks in this pregnancy, and the beginning of the third trimester. Owen's baby brother is around 2 pounds and 15 inches, or the size of a head of cauliflower. He's also a breakdancer who needs no rest...ever! And I'm betting on a full head of hair too, because I could breathe fire with the heartburn I have all day and night. So far, all of our appointments have been uneventful, which is the best we can hope for, and starting with our next one, we go every two weeks until Mr. Man makes his grand entry into the world.

In Owen news, he has two top molars now, bringing his tooth count to 10. Unfortunately for Owen, he's got 10 more to come. We can tell more must be on their way because he is a super duper grumpypants these days. Luckily, though, he is eating and sleeping like a champ most days.

We went to the Puyallup Fair today with Grandpa Louie, but I think Owen's still just a little too young. He wanted to run around and touch everything and every animal, which we couldn't let him do in such a crazy, crowded space. On top of missing nap time, it was definitely a recipe for disaster. Hopefully next year will be more fun for all of us.

Here are a few (okay, a bunch -- it's been a month!) pictures of our 17-month old cutie pie:

Closing a Chapter

After 16 months, Owen and I are done breastfeeding. Over the past few months, we've cut down from 8-10 times per day to 2-3 times before naps and bedtime. In the past week or so, nursing has only been once a day, and only for a few minutes. With Owen eating so much real food and it getting more and more uncomfortable for me to nurse him, it was time to call it quits.

In the first few weeks of Owen's life, I couldn't imagine making it out of the first month without giving up and switching to a bottle. Now that well over a year has passed, I can't believe how easy it turned out to be and what an amazing experience we had together. It probably sounds silly, but I already miss that special quiet time with my baby boy. In four months, I'll start all over with our newest son and I know it will be hard all over again, but I think I'll appreciate it more in the beginning, knowing that it won't be forever.

I love you, Owen! Thank you for being such an amazing kid and a loving son. ~Mom

Wading Pools and Boy #2

We've been having a great summer. The weather has been amazing and we've been spending a lot of time at parks and the local wading pool. I think the wading pool is Owen's favorite summer activity, and I bet he'd go there every single day if we had the energy for it too!









Now for an update on Boy #2. He is an active little guy!! He kicks and rolls all day and night, and seems to have the same spunk as his big brother. I'm just past 22 weeks pregnant with him now, and it has been going so quickly already.

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

Wow! We're at squash already! This is where we started taking belly photos last time, so here goes... Here's me at 22 weeks and 2 days pregnant with our new sweet little guy:

Lone Star Trip

Friday was the 20-week mark on this pregnancy. We celebrated with a trip to Texas!

We spent this past weekend in Dallas, meeting up with more families that I met while I was pregnant with Owen. Yes, it was nuts to go to Dallas in July, but that's where people wanted to meet, so that's where we went. Owen did amazingly well on the 4-hour flights...better than us probably! We went to a children's museum, an aquarium, and two different Chuck E Cheeses. It was crazy hot and humid, so we had to find shelter inside the whole time. We met some great people, and had a fantastic time.

Here are some pictures!

It's a...

BOY!! Owen is going to have a little brother, and I get to be queen of our castle! We had our big ultrasound today and got to see our little man again. He's grown a lot since our last ultrasound 6 weeks ago, and is pretty active. He has all of his fingers and toes, a big head, strong heart, and he's already practicing breathing. He is also measuring 3-4 days bigger than our due date, and is 6 inches long.

Here are some pictures of the little guy:

Profile:


Spine:


Feet:


Boy:


Now to find a name...

18 Weeks Pregnant with #2

I'm 18 weeks pregnant with Owen's brother or sister already! I realize that I haven't posted on here much lately, especially not about the pregnancy, and I feel really bad about that! It's not that it's not as exciting or amazing to go through this again -- it's more that we're too stinkin' busy with Owen to sit down and collect our thoughts. I'll try to give more pregnancy information as we go along!

I've been feeling really good this pregnancy. I've been really tired, but I skipped morning sickness altogether. I've got a little bit of a tummy (and I promise to post pictures as things progress), but I haven't gained any weight. I feel the baby moving and kicking, mostly while I'm nursing Owen to sleep (one of the few rare cases a day where I can truly relax with my thoughts and pay attention), but so far, this one isn't quite as active as Owen was. At least, not from what I can remember. But this baby is also only 5-6 inches long, about the size of a bell pepper. There is plenty of time for him/her to boogie down!

As for Owen, he's doing great! Summer finally arrived here in Seattle this week, with temperatures breaking 90 degrees and setting records for this early in the summer. We've been keeping cool by playing at the local splash park, and we made it to the Greenlake wading pool today for the first time. I was on a walk with a friend, so we weren't prepared at all, but that didn't stop us from letting our kids go crazy in the water. Next time, I'll remember the swim suits and camera!

Also, and I don't want to jinx it but I'm going to talk about it anyway, Owen is finally sleeping!! He has been a sleeping champ for almost a month now, including pushing his wake up back from 5:30 AM to anywhere from 6:30 to 8:30 on really good mornings. He and Dan have a great morning schedule that involves lots of breakfast, watering our new garden, making blanket tents, playing with toys, blocks and balls, and enjoying the company. Most of this happens while I'm still snoring away, and I can't thank Dan enough for the extra sleep after all this time!

And what would a blog post be without lots of pictures of our adorable little guy, who, by the way, will now correct you if you don't call him Owen!?