18 months!

Today our little E is a year and half old. I can't believe it. I remember going out to lunch a year ago to celebrate and he fussed the whole time because he was getting his first tooth. Seems like soooo long ago. He's grown so much. He's a full-blown toddler now, running, babbling, climbing and beginning to show signs of tantrums. He's very independent and strong willed (wonder where he gets that?). He amazes us every day with how much he knows. He's like a little sponge for knowledge (no more cursing for mommy and daddy!). He knows all of his letters, numbers up to 10, colors, body parts, animal noises and some shapes (he's about 95% accurate with each of these). He speaks clearly and can even put two to three words together. He has all of his teeth, except his two-year molars, which should be coming in some time this summer. We still haven't cut his hair and love that it's looking shaggy and he even has some small curls around the back of his neck. We saw his pediatrician, Dr. E this morning for his 18 month well visit. Overall, E is doing awesome. He's above average on the developmental charts and for his height. He's still tall and skinny, just like his parents. We still struggle with his food allergies (dairy and nuts), but plan to have him re-tested closer to his 2nd birthday, per Dr. E's recommendation. We don't go in for another well-check until he's two, but plan see Dr. E again in June when baby girl arrives.

18 Month Stats:

Weight - 22 lbs 10 oz - 30%

Height - 32.5 in - 85%

Head - 18 in - 12%

E's new favorite toy is this cardboard box. In which he's tried to stuff all of his favorite toys (balls and balloons) and then squeeze himself in the box. In fact, we had to help him out he was so squished in there.

E's new table and chairs. Just his size and perfect for snack time. He loves it!

Yes, he put this on his head all by himself. In fact, he loves to wear it. We frequently find him playing with his toys, just wearing his "bucket head." Such a character!

Baby Registry!

We've registered on Amazon.com!

I feel like we have everything we need for a new baby. However, there are a few extra things I think we'll "need" now that we'll have two. The biggest thing we're in need of is a double stroller. I've done a lot of research and feel like we've found the best one for our lifestyle. I've heard nothing but great reviews about this stroller and am getting really excited about it (see registry link at end of this post). The other items on the registry are simply "wants" of mine, things I would use, but aren't "necessities." I think it's funny that when I told people we weren't sure if we were going to find out the gender of this baby they would (almost always) say "what if it's girl, don't you want to be prepared?" Prepared for what? It's a baby, right? I guess they mean "prepare" by immediately dressing her in pink. The funny thing is she's due in June and will likely be in onesies for most of the summer. I do not mind pink at all and if that's what people want to buy for us, that's great. I know everyone is just excited that we're having a baby girl (we are too!).

Click HERE to see our baby registry on Amazon.com

Baby GIRL!

I think I'm still in shock. We found out Friday morning that we're having a little GIRL this spring. I thought for sure it was going to be another boy. Despite my deep inner thoughts of "maybe it is a girl" I listened to what others said about pregnancy wives-tales, based on symptoms that pointed toward a boy. For example, this pregnancy has been exactly like the one with E, maybe easier, I wasn't sick for as long and basically feel great. So, everyone told me that since I felt the same, it was going to be another boy (even my OB predicted a boy!). I have been having headaches, which some say is a sign of a girl, but haven't been craving chocolate or sweets, which is said to also predict a girl. It's so funny to see what people predict. This was probably my favorite part of not finding out what we were having with E. My intuition was always boy with him, and it turns out I was right, but this time around, I was all wrong. The bottom line is you never know. I'm glad we decided to find out this time though. It's exciting to call the movement in my belly "her" or think of names. Though I'm not the most girly girl, I am excited about all the pink and cute girls clothes, which I know the grandparents have already been shopping for. This will be the first girl/boy combo of kids in my side of the family in three generations. It will actually be the first girl in decades. As you can imagine, everyone is super excited. I can't wait to meet her this spring and see her sweet little face. She's already so loved and will be a perfect fit into our family. Overall, she looks perfectly healthy and my pregnancy is going great! I'm considered low risk, by my doc and we think she'll be here in June, around our 5 year wedding anniversary (the 10th).

I love this one of her hiding behind her little hands.

Sweet little face

Perfect little profile

Snow and Ice

You may be eagerly awaiting the baby news from the big ultrasound last week. Well, the truth is we didn't make it to the appointment. A huge ice and snow storm was predicted to hit the area on Tuesday. The whole city shut down in anticipation. The weather casters were predicting "the storm of the century" and advising everyone to stay indoors. In fact, we were under a blizzard warning. So, we took their advice and waited out the weather. Though we didn't get the colossal amounts of snow or ice that was predicted, we did get enough to make the road conditions poor. E and I were housebound for 3 days, but found all sorts of things to play with, clean and cookies to bake. Our appointment was scheduled for Wednesday morning (the day after the storm), so we called to reschedule to this Friday, February 11. I'm 22 weeks now and anxious to find out what we're having this Friday. We waited 9 months to find out what E was, so another week is nothing for us.

Here are some pics from the storm and our three days housebound:

Ice at our house

23 inches of snow at Grandpas house, just two hours away!

E and Stewdog snuggling (these two are BFF's)

Indoor fun in the baby pool turned ball pit!

17 Months

I must be getting "baby brain" from chasing a toddler and being pregnant, because I almost forgot to add this post. E is quite the busy guy these days and is keeping us on our toes. He's so much fun to be around and play with. His vocabulary is growing every day. He says so many things and recognizes so much by name, it's amazing. His new favorite cartoon on PBS is called Super WHY. Not sure what he likes about it so much and I'm not sure how I feel about the fact that he begs for it each morning. But, it is "educational" after all - it's about reading, spelling, books and learning letters. And, I have to admit that Dr. M and I have noticed that E really seems to know his letters. Not sure if it's from watching the show, but regardless, we're impressed. We can ask him to bring a specific letter-magnet from the fridge and he'll (surprisingly) choose the correct one! Yes, we have it on video! It's really impressive at his age. He's also knows numerous body parts, colors, shapes and animal noises (really!). He's very independent and want's to do everything his way (which can be challenging at times). He now has about 13 teeth and counting. His food allergies are a constant struggle, but we're learning to work with them. We're still avoiding all dairy and nuts, but hope to have him tested again when he's two. Overall, he's an amazing, happy little boy and impresses us every day. We feel lucky to he his parents.