Ultrasound Photos-20 weeks

Here she is opening her mouth. The tech said she was eating!
She looks like Theo when he was a baby.

That's the most perfect, adorable, tiny tushy! Hopefully 2 weeks from now I'll have photos of her facing the other way.

My Beautiful Melody Jade

I can't stop watching the first 60 seconds of this clip and sobbing. I've been singing "you're my beautiful Melody" (at 00.50 seconds on this video) since I found out we were having a daughter today. Or should I say yesterday...it's 4AM. I can't sleep! I'm too giddy!

Anyway, please watch the first minute.


Back in November I bought this mermaid costume. I knew it was silly but I couldn't help it!

It's not that I'm naming Melody after a mermaid, exactly, but I did fall in love with the name when seeing this movie years ago.

Joe and I are already planning Halloween. Theo would make a great crab, we agreed.

The sonogram was blissfully long...well over an hour. We saw Melody kiss her hand, and open and close her mouth several times--apparently she was eating! How fascinating! She has a perfect brain, spine, hands, feet...everything. And we swear her face looks just like her brother's.

I don't know whether to call her stubborn or calm. Try as we might, we could not flip her to see everything the ultrasound tech needed for his full evaluation, but hey, this means we get to go back in 2 weeks and see her again! She was squished between my back and placenta or something, and she looked cozy as anything. Her legs were up like she was lounging, and she simply had no interest in moving over for us. My silly girl!

The magical part about having a second child is the simultaneous newness and familiarity. Daddy's tears streaming down his face when we learn the sex...calling the grandmas who are waiting by the phone...the excitement of the growing belly...the celebrating and the fear...it's Theo all over again, but 4 years later, and therefore nice and fresh.

You have to hear Theo say Melody's name...I'll record it and post it soon. It's currently my favorite sound in the universe.

Artist at Work

Uncle Elliot and Aunt Gloria got Theo these magic fingerpaints for Christmas, where the color only shows up on this magic paper. Is that mom friendly or what? Incidentally, he's also wearing the pajamas they got him.

Theo was good about using one color at at time 'til he said screw it and mixed all the colors together, making some weird purple. This is exactly the way it goes with play-doh, too.

Why We Have Children

Ah, to be needed.

At 6:52 AM I heard a little groggy voice: "Moooommmy. Come."

Well, even a tired mommy can't resist a request like that! I went over and his arms reached out. All I did was sit next to him with my arms around him and he fell right back asleep (for 8 minutes...then the alarm went off). He needed nothing except to feel me next to him.

When the alarm went off, I went to stir my husband, who instructed me to lay with him for ten minutes before we move. "You too?" I giggled.

It was one of those moments in life where one feels utterly fulfilled and happy, because the people she loves love her and need her.

I really get why a single woman whose biological clock is ticking would go ahead and have a baby through artificial means or adopt. I'm about to break into "peooooooooople who need peooooooooople are the luckiest peeeeeeeeeeeople" in about two seconds! Good thing there's no sound on this thing...I don't do the best Streisand impression.

Belly Shot Numero Uno

Here's my first official belly shot, at 19 1/2 weeks. The clothes came off during the shoot and we got some pretty silhouettes, which I'll show upon request. :) They're artsy, after all! The idea is to do this every couple of weeks, or as much as possible.

Over the weekend, Joe and I watched the video of Theo's big sex-determining sonogram. We told Theo it was him on screen, but he resumed playing with cars, uninterested. The doctor told us that Theo had an erection. Theo certainly made his manhood very obvious that day! We were so proud--sniff sniff.

This Friday is the next big sonogram for this baby. I'm going crazy with anticipation. Wondering about the sex, and of course wondering if there will be 10 fingers and toes and hoping all is well. I can't think about anything else. I haven't slept well in a few days and don't imagine I will before Friday.

Random Stuff

Last night, Theo told Bruce to get dressed. I told him Bruce was already wearing an orange coat. Theo thought about this for a second, then told Bruce, "No! Coat off, sweater off! Get dressed!"

Also, it's become a nighttime routine for Theo to order me to lie in my bed after I put him to bed. The more tired he is, the more seriously he takes it. As in, if I disobey and go into the living room, he'll cry. So now I'm pretty much stuck with having to lie down in my bed every night after leaving him. Being the tired preggo that I am, sometimes I fall asleep and still have my contacts in and am fully clothed, but usually he's asleep after just a few minutes and I can sneak back into the living room.

Theo sure isn't boring, that's for certain.

Theo, Life of the Partay

I have friends of different varieties. I have the kind who don't care too much for kids, but like Theo well enough because he's mine. I have the kind who like kids and like to be around Theo in small doses. Then I have the kind who love kids and are practically friends with me because of Theo!

These photos are from Saturday night at Marcail's apartment. Marcail and Katie fall into the latter group of friends, and Saturday was spoil Theo night. Marcail happened to have two other friends over, both guys, and even THEY were wild about kids and spoiled Theo!

Demetrius adorns Theo with Marcail's apron, carefully concealing the Yankees' emblem.

Theo is focused on prepared Gluten-free brownies for Katie.

Marcail, Demo and Theo baking together!

Theo enjoying mommy's biggest craving, cheese doodles--my kind of kid. Actually, he's also kind of my kid.

Katie and Theo spooned on Marcail's bed but drifted apart after falling asleep. Theo started out under the covers, but as usual, kicked them off. He's been doing that since he was a newborn kicking out of his swaddle.

Adam drove me and Theo home around midnight, and groggy Theo sweetly clung to me in the elevator. Anyway, it's very rare that I bring Theo when I'm with friends, so I'm grateful to have this group of friends who have loved him since he was a baby. Although they were probably more into watching his Thomas the Tank DVD than they should have been.

Interactive Yoga

I was doing my prenatal yoga video last night. I can't say I was able to relax, since it was more like an aerobic routine with the monkey around. He was really cute doing stretches next to me, but then he got hyper and decided he was going to sit on me any time I was on my hands and knees, or crawl under me when my legs were apart, creating the perfect tunnel.

The best part, though: I was in downward dog (that's where you make an upside down V with your body) when Maow strolled up, parked herself beneath me, and started stretching.

Two Sweet Moments

1.This morning I sat down on Theo's bed and gently pet him awake. His eyes opened, blinking and groggy, and settled on me. He immediately held out his arms and pulled me in for a hug.

The rest of the morning went downhill from there (today he decided "No schoolbus. I want stay.") But I keep the mental picture of his long, skinny arms in Mets-covered sleeves and choose to ignore the tantrum that stemmed from my attempt to help him put his socks on since we were running late.

2. On Sunday morning Joe let his preggo wife sleep in. When I woke up, I lay in bed a while playing my Nintendo DS, with Bruce's front paws on my face as he lay next to me, purring.

I love all my kids.

Ode to Da Daddy

Theo has no school today because of a conference, so he gets to have a day with daddy. I just called to say hello to my boys, and they were at the playground and then going for chicken nuggets.

Joe has always changed as many diapers as I have. He packs lunch, gets Theo dressed, takes him to the schoolbus. He takes him to the toilet and makes a big celebration when Theo is successful. He is always first to jump up at Theo's request for cereal or a drink.

When Theo was a baby you could always find him strapped to Joe on the baby carrier.

He is simply the best. He's the new generation of DAD and a superdad at that. I'm incredibly lucky to have him, and I don't know how so many moms do it all alone.

Now that I'm pregnant --yes, it's my first time announcing it on this blog, I'm pregnant!!!!--Joe is eager to come to all my appointments just to hear the heartbeat. There are so many worries that go along with bringing a baby into the world, and it feels good that I can at least rest assured that this baby will have the planet's best dad.

And don't even get me started on what a great cat daddy he is...

Mommy, What Happened?

Yesterday, on Little Christmas, Joe took down the tree and put it outside while Theo was at school. So when Theo came home and saw the big empty space where the tree was, he produced a great sentence! He held out his hands and said, "Mommy, what happened Christmas tree? Christmas tree gone. Not here."

Poor thing was pretty disappointed and perplexed! He loved that tree! He even went into the kitchen to look for it.

His reaction to tossed trees laying on the street is always "Oh no!"

Oh well, 'til next year...