Two Years: A Letter

Dear Nicholas,

You are two years old! Where has the time gone? I can hardly believe that two years ago we were in the hospital and just getting to know you, and now you are a big boy who runs all over the house and talks in nearly complete sentences. It's been quite a ride, but we've enjoyed (almost) every moment of it.

Your twenty-fourth month began just before Christmas and included most of our trip back to Portland to celebrate the holidays. You were much more interested in all things Christmas this year and really got the hang of opening presents.

On Christmas Day, each time a gift was handed out, whether or not it was for you, you would declare "open!" followed by "more?" or "nother one?" You were very interested in your new toys, particularly your "digger" (excavator) from Auntie Lolo and Uncle Mike, and the Planes Lego set and junior soccer ball from Gammy and Bapa. We had to open the Legos immediately and assemble them.

You did a great job on the flights to and from Portland-- a marked improvement over our flight to Seattle last summer. With five round trip airplane flights under your belt, you've become quite an adaptable traveler. You still have your moments of frustration, but overall you do a great job adjusting to the two hour time change when traveling back and forth from the west coast, and you easily adjust to new surroundings and new faces whenever we visit family and friends (both locally and in the Northwest). We're very proud of this quality, buddy, and hope this is just the beginning of a lifelong love for travel and adventure.

At two years old, your language has blossomed. I think every parent believes their child is gifted, but I truly think you're ahead of the curve when it comes to speech. You are talking all the time, and speak in nearly full sentences most of the time. And whatever you say, we must acknowledge-- either by repeating it or by posing an additional comment or question back to you. You love to sing and can now sing almost all the words to "Happy Birthday" (several kids at school have had birthdays recently), and, more impressively, you can sing the entire ABC song correctly. Smart guy!

You are starting to pick up and mimic words and phrases from Mommy and Daddy, which is really cute and often quite funny. The other day you lined up all your matchbox cars (a favorite pastime-- you may have a love for organization like your mama), and then greeted the cars with an enthusiastic "hey guys!" You also recently sat all your Sesame Street characters (Daddy's old set that Dzia Dzia cleaned up for you) in chairs around the little table, and then said, "eat table - dinner yum yum!" There are still plenty of words and phrases that you don't get quite right, but it's adorable nonetheless. You've developed a recent interest in the moon ("moonie") and ask to be lifted up to look out your window to view it every night before bed. Another favorite phrase is "my do it!" and we hear this one often-- you are eager to take on more and more activities independently.

You are also extremely observant. You notice and point out everything-- from tiny bugs on the ground outside to water towers on the horizon in the distance. Recently, you pointed out the car window and said "police car!" It took me a minute to see him, but, sure enough, there was a police car hidden behind some trees up a hill in a parking lot at the middle school looking for speeders. Good eyes, buddy! You inherited that from your Daddy, and I've learned to trust that when you say you see something, you really do.

At two years old, you are 35" tall (72nd percentile) and you weigh 31 pounds (82nd percentile). You are a big kid and lots of people comment on your height. Pizza and pasta are hands down your favorite foods, and when asked what you want for dinner, you will chant, "pizza! pasta! pasta! pizza!" If pizza or pasta aren't available, you'll settle for any carb-- crackers (Goldfish or Ritz), peanut butter toast, and "puffs" (dry multi-grain Cheerios) are all favorites. You've recently discovered a love for cupcakes (thanks to all those friends' birthdays at school), although we don't let you eat much sugar. You've had juice on a few occasions, but don't love it and would easily choose milk over juice any day. (Your doctor has actually asked us to limit your milk intake to no more than about 20 ounces per day.) It's still tough to get you to try new foods, particularly veggies, but you will usually eat steamed broccoli, steamed green beans, and roasted asparagus. As far as fruit goes, you like apples, bananas, strawberries, and mandarin oranges. You sleep 11 or 12 hours a night, usually from about 7:15 - 7:30pm until 6:30 - 7:30am. Naptime still isn't your favorite pastime, but most days you will take an afternoon nap for 1.5 or 2 hours. You are still in your crib, but we plan to transition you into a big boy bed in the next couple months as we begin to prepare for baby sister's arrival.

Speaking of baby sister, we've started talking to you about becoming a big brother. As my stomach begins to grow, you seem to be catching on to the idea that she's inside my belly. You are very interested in babies in general and we have several friends who've had babies recently, so you seem excited about welcoming our own new baby. I'm sure the addition of a sibling will include a few bumps along the way, but you are naturally very caring and loving and we both think you will be a wonderful big brother.

You love bath time, singing, construction sites, and anything transportation related. You constantly point out all kinds of vehicles, including cars, pick-up trucks, dump trucks, garbage trucks, diggers, school buses, and airplanes. You are sometimes a little shy around strangers, and it can take you a little time to warm up to new faces or places, but once you get comfortable you are definitely a people person. You are a little flirt around grown up ladies, and you love to be goofy and silly, especially when you can make people laugh. You have your fair share of tantrums (you are two after all), but generally you are a happy, cheerful little guy. We love watching you grow and learn, and you've brought us more joy than we ever could have imagined over the past two years. Here's to many more!

All my love,
Mommy

Baby #2: Weeks 9 - 11

I'm playing catch up with my pregnancy updates from the first trimester. I'm 15 weeks today and hope to be caught up by the end of the week, so bear with me!

9 weeks 

Dates: December 3 - December 23, 2013

Highlights: December was full of lots of fun Christmas activities at home in Austin, as well as our trip home to Portland. Catching up with my family after many months apart is always a highlight. I was also relieved to have a successful second OB appointment during my tenth week. Baby is growing right on track and we were able to hear a strong heartbeat on the Doppler despite being so early in the pregnancy. 

Symptoms: Fatigue and nausea are still going strong. I continue to feel ill more in the afternoons and evenings, and my sense of smell is out of control. Strong smells are contributing quite a bit to my nausea. In general, not much sounds good to eat and the act of trying to meal plan or grocery shop is almost painful.

10 weeks

What's Different: At 10 weeks with Nicholas, I started to feel noticeably better. And at 12 weeks, my queasiness was entirely gone. This time around, I'm noticing a little improvement around 10 weeks, but it's still far from gone. Feeling ill after eating dinner is also new to me. Sometimes I have to go lie down on the couch after eating for a little while before tackling the dishes or Nicholas' bedtime. This time around, I'm also trying to maintain a regular workout routine. Exercise fell by the wayside during my first pregnancy, and although my weight gain stayed within a healthy range, I think it made it harder for me to get back in shape after Nicholas was born. This time, I'm sticking with my twice weekly boot camp workouts. I'd like to add an extra day a week of exercise per week at some point, but right now there are plenty of days when just getting through my two boot camp classes per week is rough. Baby steps.

What's the Same: The fatigue is pretty similar (and intense) and I'm experiencing the same general indigestion and tummy troubles that I experienced with Nicholas. No need for details, but let's just say I am trying to be very diligent about my water and fiber intake. I've also started to feel the same pain in my right hip that I had during the latter half of my pregnancy with Nicholas. It's rearing its head a lot earlier this time, so I've stopped running (which seems to aggravate it) and am trying to make sure I allow plenty of time for stretching after I work out. 

11 weeks 

What I Miss: Honestly, I don't miss too much. I know the discomforts of the first trimester are temporary.

What I'm Looking Forward To: I'm really looking forward to sharing our news more widely once we're through the first trimester. My bump is getting more difficult to conceal at work-- there are only so many ways I can wear a blouse-y shirt and a voluminous scarf. It will be a relief go public and stop sucking in my stomach all the time!

Christmas 2013

In typical fashion this is a little late, but I wanted to share a few highlights from the holidays before January is completely over. We spent Christmas at my parents' house in Portland, but before we left, we celebrated with an early faux-Christmas morning at our house. Our big gift to Nicholas was a train table, which we spent almost four hours assembling the night before we celebrated our Christmas morning. I foresee lots of future Christmas Eves spent this way. . . 

Jason, admiring his masterpiece. It would not stay this neat for long.

The next morning, when Nicholas woke up, we brought him out into the living room to see what Santa brought . . .

As hoped, it was a big hit!

Then we opened the remainder of our gifts to each other and the gifts Jason's parents had left with us at Thanksgiving. Nicholas really got the hang of unwrapping gifts this year and decided pretty quickly that he is a big fan of presents.

The next day we boarded a plane to Portland to visit my family for a week. After our less than stellar plane flight to Seattle last summer, we were nervous about the nearly eight hour trip (including a layover) to Portland, but Nicholas surprised us and did great.

Once we arrived, we spent five days relaxing and catching up with family. We admired my mom's gorgeous Christmas tree . . .

We met our new nephew and Nicholas' first cousin in the family (he was very interested in all things baby, but didn't love it when I held baby Braylon) . . .

We enjoyed our traditional Christmas Eve dinner of Swiss fondue . . .

We read The Night Before Christmas and Nicholas impressed us all by saying "Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas!" at the end of the story . . .

The next day we opened gifts (somebody was spoiled by his grandparents, aunts, and uncles) and feasted on a delicious Christmas dinner with the family . . .

Jason and I also enjoyed a date night with dinner at Navarre and we watched a bunch of movies, including at trip to the movie theater with my sister and brother-in-law to see Anchorman 2. Eh, maybe not the best choice, but it's always fun to get out and see a movie.

Despite Nicholas' expression above, we all enjoyed a wonderful Christmas week!

Baby #2: Weeks 6 - 8

Here we go with the baby updates! I definitely want to document this pregnancy, although the demands of juggling a full time job along with a toddler this time around may mean that they are a little less frequent than they were with my first pregnancy. But we are just as excited and thrilled about this pregnancy and looking forward to every exciting milestone along the way!

7 weeks - Look at that belly already!

Dates: November 12 - December 2, 2013

The beginning: After suspecting for a few days that I might be pregnant, I got my confirmation in the form of two little pink lines on Halloween morning. Of course I ran into the bedroom to tell Jason immediately. No elaborate surprises or reveals here. We were thrilled. We didn't tell anyone else and waited through a couple nerve wracking weeks for my fist doctor's appointment to confirm the pregnancy.

Highlights: Finally, November 18th rolled around and I had my first doctor's visit at 6 weeks where I saw baby's strong heartbeat during the ultrasound. It was such a relief to know that he or she is growing and healthy. Weeks 6 - 8 also included a 9-day business trip to Asia for Jason, which, although not exactly a highlight for me, was definitely notable! All the single parents out there, or anyone who solo parents for long periods of time due to a deployment or for some other reason, deserve a medal. When Jason got home, we Facetimed with my parents to tell them the exciting news. (Nicholas wore his big brother shirt.) Then, Jason's parents arrived in town for Thanksgiving and we shared the news with them. We enjoyed a long, relaxing holiday weekend and, although my nausea had set it, I was able to enjoy most of the holiday food. For some reason the roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon did not sit well, but the mashed potatoes and stuffing hit the spot.

Symptoms: Extreme fatigue, nausea, other tummy troubles, food cravings (anything salty or savory, seafood), lots of food aversions (red meat, anything with a strong smell like garlic or cooked onions), sensitivity to smells of all kinds... pretty much the usual.

What's Different: With a toddler to chase around (along with a full time job and my other household responsibilities), this pregnancy is already off to a much different start than my last. Gone are the days where I can come home from work and just collapse on to the couch for the evening or nap at will during the weekend. As a result, the fatigue has been worse this time around. Also different? My belly, which seemed to appear just days after we got that positive pregnancy test. I'm still squeezing myself into my regular clothes, but I'm sure I'll be breaking out the maternity pants before the end of the first trimester. And, I've found that while my nausea is about the same level of intensity as my last pregnancy (mild to moderate), it seems to strike later in the day, and particularly in the evenings after dinner. Finally, my cravings with Nicholas were all for sweets-- fruit and desserts galore. This time around I can take or leave the dessert (so unlike me!), but I can't get enough of the salty stuff.

8 weeks

What's The Same: Just like my pregnancy with Nicholas, I felt my first pangs of queasiness at 6 weeks 2 days. I get nauseated when I get hungry, or when I get a whiff of any type of strong smelling food. Having an office that opens right into my company's common area-- right in front of the microwave-- has been challenging to say the least. People pack some weird things for lunch... I'm also experiencing the same general indigestion and other tummy troubles I faced last time around.

What I Miss: At this stage last time, I was missing the occasional glass of wine. This time, I hardly even notice its absence. I am, however, missing my energy. But, if this pregnancy progresses like the last one, I know I'm not going to see too much improvement in that department until late next summer.

Looking Forward To: I'm looking forward reaching the end of the first trimester and to sharing the news with family and friends.

A Little News...

I've been a little quiet (OK, a lot quiet) over here lately... but all for good reason. We are thrilled to announce that Nicholas will become a big brother in mid-July! I am 13 weeks along and doing well. My first trimester sickness has lasted a little bit longer this time around and most days I am totally exhausted (being pregnant and chasing around a toddler is no joke), but baby is healthy and growing so no major complaints. I've got lots to share, including pictures of my (rapidly) growing belly and a belated recap of our holidays, so stay tuned for more!

Twenty-Three Months: A Letter

Dear Nicholas,

It amazes me, but this is the last letter that I'll write you before you are a big two year old! In terms of your skills, knowledge, and behavior, you are already a two year old, but in my heart you are still my little one year old for a few more weeks.

Your 23rd month included Thanksgiving and lots of holiday celebration leading up to Christmas. Dzia Dzia and Grandmama came to visit for Thanksgiving and you enjoyed spending a week with them. Thanksgiving dinner was still a little hit or miss-- you liked the mashed potatoes and you ate maybe a couple bites of turkey and a green bean-- but you enjoyed sitting at the big dining table and celebrating with everyone.

Cheers-ing Dzia Dzia and Grandmama

After Thanksgiving, you helped us pick out and decorate a Christmas tree, and you watched Daddy and Dzia Dzia in amazement as they wrapped the trees in our front yard with Christmas lights. You loved our lights and you loved driving through our neighborhood each day to see all of the Christmas decor (ahem, inflatables) out on the lawns of our neighbors. You definitely caught on to the idea of Santa and were able to identify him quickly, but the "nomans" (snowmen) were your favorite.

The best we could do...

We took you to visit Santa for the first time (breakfast with Santa, hosted at your school), but you were having none of it. There was no crying or fussing, but you simply refused to let go of me when I tried to sit you down on his lap for a picture. So the three of us posed for a picture together. Afterward, you were more than happy to take part in the arts and crafts, play with your friends, and scarf down some pancakes.

At the end of the month, you took your 9th plane trip. We flew to Portland to visit Bapa and Gammy for Christmas. After a disastrous flight to Seattle this summer, we were really nervous about the flight to Portland, but you surprised us and did great! Daddy had the great idea of buying a pack of Matchbox cars and he strategically pulled them out one at a time during the flight to keep you excited and entertained. We had a layover in San Francisco, and you ran around their children's play area to burn off some extra energy, which also helped. Most of the rest of the time, you sat calmly in your seat, playing with your cars or your sticker book. Such a big boy!

During your 23rd month you also started displaying a lot more affection. Two of your favorite phrases that we hear numerous times each day are "hold you!" (meaning you want one of us to hold you) and "my lap!" (meaning you want to sit in our lap.) It's not always convenient to drop everything and pick you up, but it is pretty cute to hear "hold you" or "my lap." I kind of hope it takes you a little while to sort out the right pronouns for those phrases.

You love giving hugs everyday when you wake up (after your diaper change of course) or when you get home from school. You still haven't quite gotten the hang of kisses (they are open mouthed) and you will receive them, but don't freely give them. But, you did recently develop your own new kind of kiss, which I will gladly accept any day. You lean in really close and touch your nose to ours and then rub it back and forth a couple times and say "wiggle wiggle." It's pretty adorable.

You also love music, particularly children's songs. We have a CD from your school of songs you sing during your music class, and you love listening to it in the car. You also love for us to sing to you in the car, before bed, or during diaper changes. Favorites include "Old MacDonald," (you like to sing along, 'yi-o-yi-o'), "Country Roads" (you have an illustrated book with the lyrics of this John Denver song that you love for us to read/sing), and "Rock-a-bye Baby." We're not sure where this one came from, but every time we put you on your changing table, you will clasp your diaper and say "rock a baby!" Sometimes you request "rock a Nicholas!" It's pretty cute, so we're always happy to oblige.

Nicholas, you continue to bring so much joy to our lives every day. As much as I hate to see you get older each month, each new stage brings such fun. Your big smiles and bubbly giggles make my day.

Lots of love,
Mommy

Twenty-Two Months: A Letter

Dear Nicholas,

You are 22 months! The last month included your second Halloween, and you definitely caught on to the fun this year. We dressed you up as an adorable little golfer and after an early dinner, we set off down our street for a little trick or treating on our cul-de-sac. You were a little too shy or overwhelmed to say "trick or treat" most of the time, but you loved digging through the bowls of candy to select a piece, and managed to say "tank-oo" at most of the houses. Funnily enough, at almost every house you bypassed all of the brightly colored pieces of candy in favor of a Snickers. You've never actually eaten a Snickers, and I don't think you even knew that you were collecting pieces of candy, but you loved finding those little brown packages. However, once in your possession, you didn't want to let them go! We tried to convince you to keep them in your orange jack-o-lantern bucket, but you preferred to run from house to house clutching your stash of little Snickers bars in your chubby hands.

After we made a tour down the block and back, we returned to our house and, in true Texas fashion, set out our camping chairs in the front yard with our big bowl of candy. You loved running around the yard exclaiming "kids! kids!" as other trick-or-treaters stopped at our house for candy. You even got into the action a little bit by helping to distribute the candy. We let you try a Kit Kat and you ate a little bit, but you were much more excited when I brought out some of your Happy Munchies Fruit Snacks as a treat. All in all, a very successful Halloween.

Your 22nd month included lots of growing and learning as us usual. You are now starting to use verbs and stringing together short sentences like "I see you!", "make boat" (with Legos), "watch TV," "no want it!," and "I got chu!" (chasing me around your room.) You've also started saying "I like [insert object]" -- favorite items include trucks, snacks, and treats. It's really cute to watch you put the sentence together because it's clear you are concentrating very hard to say the right words and you speak very slowly: "I.   Llllllike.    Treats!" On November 13th, you also stepped it up a notch and announced "I love soup!" and "I love milk!" at dinner. You are a little stingy with your "I love you's" at bedtime, but apparently you are a huge fan of homemade tomato soup.

Another favorite mealtime expression is "Cheers!" and you like to cheers everything from your sippy cup of milk to your spoon to specific pieces of food we may all be eating. No meal is complete without stopping five to ten times to cheers something.

As you continue to grow and become more and mobile, you've also started to pick up more bumps and bruises along the way. One afternoon this month, you were out walking down the street with Daddy and started running a little too fast downhill. You tripped and skinned your elbow. You were crying pretty hard, so Daddy brought you back inside and I exclaimed, "Oh no! You got an ouchie on your elbow!" I took you into the bathroom to clean it off, and over and over you sobbed "I sawee Mommy! Ouchie bobo. Ouchie bobo." Poor guy. I'm not sure why you thought you had to say "I'm sorry" unless your teachers had taught you to say "I'm sorry" whenever you accidentally hurt a friend and maybe you thought someone should say "I'm sorry" to you for getting hurt. But, after you calmed down, you continued to refer to your "ouchie bobo" for a week and proudly showed it off. "Ouchie bobo is still one of our favorite terms that you've coined.

As we approach your second birthday, tantrums and other less than desirable behaviors like hitting and kicking have been on the rise. As a result, your 22nd month also included your first trip to time out. I sat with you and silently counted to 60 (one minute for each year of age) and then we talked about the offense in question and exchanged hugs. It's safe to say that you were not a fan of time out, but it clearly made an impression because since then you tested me several times by throwing a toy or doing something else you know you're not supposed to do and then asking "time out?" Discipline is no fun for either of us, but it's something we'll have to figure out in the coming months and years.

Despite the visit to time out, you continue to be a sweet, loving child. You love being held, or having Mommy or Daddy sit down right next to you to build Legos, do puzzles, or read books. You love to give hugs-- to us, to your teachers, to your friends, to your teddy bears, and to many other toys and stuffed animals. You also have the best laugh and, fortunately for us, at 22 months you find humor in many things. You fill our days with so much joy, and we love you more than words can say.

Lots of love,
Mommy