15 months!

So our Big Lady is now officially another quarter year older! 15 months isn't really a big milestone, though it does come with a well-visit at the pediatrician next week, which I always enjoy (until the shots part, of course.) I love to check-in with the doctor and make sure the munchkin is healthy and right on track. I'm also interested to see how much she's grown. We're convinced she's finally slowed down in the growth department, as her little belly is slowly melting away. I'll be sure to update everyone on Monday!

This kiddo is getting crazier and more hilarious every day. Here's what she's up to these days:

- Daddy is no longer the bee's knees (in the eyes of Brooke, that is...I still think he's pretty cool.) Mommy has become her bestest good friend. She still talks about Daddy all day long and even sits by the door to wait for him at the end of the day. But that's where it ends. When he gets home, she's all "Good to see ya, Dad, but I'm gonna head back on over to Mom, k?" She and I are attached at the hip now. If I leave the room, she follows me. If I go upstairs, leaving her with Daddy, she stands at the bottom of the stairs calling/crying for me. It's endearing, but also tiring. Why? Well...

- Her favorite word is "up". I bet I hear "up! up! up!" 70 million times a day. She wants to be up on the couch with me or be picked up by me or be up on my lap. It's as if she heard my OB tell me that I should limit how much I pick her up, so now she's trying to soak it all in while she can. I'm telling you, this girl knows something is up, that somebody is going to invade her little world very soon and occupy her Mommy's time...and lap.

- Tooth #10 made an appearance this month, another molar. That means we can start moving on to crunchier foods soon!

- She is learning to feed herself with utensils. It's a very fun, but very messy, process. I'm praying she'll master it soon, especially before Baby Reeder comes.

- She's gotten really proficient at finding body parts. She knows where her eyes, ears, nose, mouth, teeth, hands, feet, neck, and back are, and we're working on knees right now. She loves to point them out on Mommy & Daddy, too, which is adorable...until a chubby little finger starts inching towards your eyeball as she gleefully says "Eyes!"
- She had her first truly bratty experience at a restaurant this month. It was the most frustrating lunch of my life, the first time I've ever been truly embarrassed by her behavior. She was whiny and rambunctious, throwing grilled cheese on the floor and purposely disobeying me. Thankfully, we were just eating with family, so they were the only ones to witness this blessed event. She was the definition of a girl who seriously should have taken a morning nap!
- Morning naps are still hit-and-miss. She's still getting a good 2-3 hours of naps a day, whether it's divided into two or just the one. And she's finally (hallelujah!) sleeping through the night...most of the time. I have to intervene (i.e. go in and give her her pacifier and lay her back down) every so often the first few hours she's in bed, but after midnight it's very rare for me to have to go in. I'd say it happens once a week. She cries out a lot in the middle of the night, but she usually puts herself right back to sleep.
- Emptying Mommy's wallet is her favorite thing to do. The girl loves her some cash and credit cards!

- Despite the ever-present tantrums, she's really starting to get sweet, too. Like this morning, when she melted my heart into a pile of mush. Back in my 1st trimester, you'd often find me laying on the floor of her playroom, watching her play while I laid there exhausted and trying not to throw up. It was an almost-daily occurrence, and I frequently used one of her stuffed animals as a pillow. Well, today, I laid down on the floor in the family room, pretending to go to sleep. Brooke looks at me, runs into her playroom, then runs back in with her big stuffed snowman (which is almost the size of her, so not an easy thing to run with.) She hands it to me and says "Nigh-night". Um, I almost cried at the sweetness of her gesture. Such a big heart in my Big Lady!

I love looking back at old blogs posts to see where she was vs. where she is now, so I'm going to once again document her vocab progress. So many words!

New Words at 15 months:
Brooke!
eyes
ears
neck
yeah (still working on yes)
uh oh
drink
snack (pronounced "nack" b/c she hasn't mastered the "s" sound yet)
up
down
sock (pronounced "dock")
shoe
pat
back
blueberry (pronounced "blue-a-wee", this is hilarious)
duck
hop
happy
Mickey

New Sounds: lion, bear, duck, the horn on the bus (beep! beep!), what a bunny does (hop hop hop)

And because I've been terrible about posting pics lately, here are even more pictures from this month!

It's very rare to get any pictures where she's actually looking at the camera anymore. She's way too on-the-go to stop for photos. But I did get a few!

  Becoming quite the little monkey!

Freshly bathed babies in robes? Yum!

 I'll ask her to say "cheese" and she does, she just doesn't look at me when she does it. But, really, can you handle this robe? Because I can't!

Hey Daddy!

How far along?: 18 weeks, 0 days.
Total weight gain/loss: Forgot to check, but it was a pretty healthy week between food & exercise (well, except for the steak tacos & sopapillas I had Saturday night at Abuelo's...it was date night, so I get a pass. Oh & also, they were soooo good so I don't even care.)
Maternity clothes?: Getting tired of wearing the same things all the time (already!) so I'm ready for the warm weather to stick around permanently.
Sleep: Having a very hard time falling asleep, but thankfully I'm getting better at staying asleep once I do. Very few bathroom breaks right now.
Movement: A lot. And I've started to feel it while standing, too. But the absolute best part? Daddy got to feel a few kicks this afternoon! It's so early (a few weeks before we felt things with Brooke,) so he's convinced it's because we're having another giant baby. Sigh. All I care about is that Daddy & Baby have now met, so hopefully that makes this pregnancy even more real for the husband. (Maybe now he'll be ready to start talking about names...)
Food/Cravings: Grape juice.
Gender: No feeling this week, but I did tell the husband last night that I think we are destined to be parents to a boy, whether it's with this baby or another.
New w/pregnancy #2: Despite the baby kicks & the growing belly & the fact that we talk about the baby all the time, I still don't completely believe that I'm having another one. I find myself forgetting sometimes (which NEVER happened with my first pregnancy). I just stare at my belly in disbelief at times. Am I really gonna be pushing out another one in 5 months?
What I miss: Nothing really. Loving being pregnant today!
What I am looking forward to: Adding Baby Reeder into our lazy Sunday family time. We sat on the couch as a family in a Brooke-sandwich watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse this morning. I sang along to all the songs (ALL of them...we watch it a lot), Daddy tried to remember the words Mickey says in every episode, and Brooke-o said "cheers!" at all the appropriate times. It was such a simple moment, but such a beautiful family moment. Can't wait for Baby Reeder to join us :)
Best moment this week: Looking through pictures from Brooke's birth and the few days after it brought back a flood of memories of just how awesome it was. And got me crazy-excited for Baby Reeder to come into our family.
Weekly Wisdom: Graeter's makes the absolute greatest ice cream on the planet. Hands down.
Milestones: I survived this week. Between lingering morning sickness and a crabby toddler, I wasn't so sure I would. That should be celebrated.

Enough already.

Dearest Morning Sickness:

As awesome as it has been getting to know you so much better with this pregnancy, I feel like things have gone a bit too far. I was much more comfortable with our relationship during my last pregnancy; that kind of casualness is more my style. This whole lingering thing you're doing this time around is bothersome. Scratch that, it's hell. And I'm over it.

So I'm breaking up with you. It's not you, it's me. Actually, no, it is you.

To sum up, let me spell it out for you: For the love of all that is holy, LEAVE ME ALONE.

Regards,
Sarah

Jammers.

Brooke & I spent 36 hours like this:

In our pajamas. While my GAP sweats & Dayton t-shirt aren't nearly as cute as her Minnie PJ's, they are just as comfy. And this is how we lived from Saturday night around 7pm until Monday morning. And it was glorious. We had nothing to do, nowhere to go. The only reason the husband got out of his sweats was because he showered after doing yard work (and he very adamantly reminded me that he put on jeans after showering, not sweats, so he wasn't in pajamas for the whole day - ok, Judgy McJudgerson, but you still didn't leave our little 1/2 acre...in fact, you were just less comfortable Sunday evening, so I think we win.)

It wasn't the first time we've had an all-day Jammer Party...and I guarantee it won't be the last!

Good week!

I had my 16-week OB appt on Friday, and all is well with Mama & Baby Reeder :) Brooke went with me & behaved like an angel. She hammed it up with all the nurses (who LOVED her, of course) and those in the waiting room, all while eating her Cheerios and grapes. She sat patiently in her stroller as the nurse took my blood pressure and weighed me (I set a personal record this month with weight gain....whoops....I more than made up for those 2 lbs I lost last month.) But my very expressive little one gave the nurse the evil eye as she lifted up my shirt and put the Doppler on my belly to hear the heartbeat. It was so cute; she's already protective of her baby brother or sister (and her Mom, too.) Even though she didn't know what she was hearing, she got to hear the heartbeat coming in right at 150 bpm.

It was the first time I've ever taken her in to the office with me, so my OB finally got to see how big Brooke really is (she didn't deliver Brooke, I had 2 other doctors in the practice during my lovely 3-day stay at the hospital.) Her first comment was "Oh my, she's really long." The only response I could come up with was "...& really heavy", which led right into the one & only question I had for her that day: how long can I continue to carry her? I (& many concerned family members) have been wondering what my weight limit is, considering Cheeks is weighing in around 32 lbs these days. I was very happy to hear the limit is 50 lbs, and that any heavy lifting I do up to that will have no effect on the baby. The only risk I run carrying her around is injuring myself, mainly ligaments or muscles in my back or legs. So she encouraged me to limit how much I carry her when I can, but totally understood that I can't not lift her multiple times a day. I realize that it's only going to get harder to handle Brooke as I get bigger, so we're practicing independence with her each day (going up & down the stairs, walking in public while holding my hand, fetching her own shoes/coat/whatever, etc.)

It's been a pretty decent week, so my whining should be at a minimum during my update today - hooray!

How far along?: 17 weeks, 0 days.
Total weight gain/loss: +1.5 this week, +6.5 in total. The OB's office has me up slightly from this, but I'm gonna go ahead and blame it on heavy winter clothes.
Maternity clothes?: The belly is "really popping out" as the doctor put it, so most of my regular shirts are too short.
Sleep: Not great. Nights without Tylenol PM are significantly worse, so I'm trying hard to remember to take it.
Movement: Oh yes. Still being jabbed pretty low in the abdomen, though the jabs are slowing moving north!
Food cravings: Well after the colossal weigh-in at the doctor, I guess I should be more mindful of my eating habits. The OB said she wasn't at all worried, but I'm taking it as motivation to start eating even better. I'm getting sick less often, so I think that will help. Oh, and I only had 2 Pop-tarts all week.
Gender: I still feel boy this week. I had a dream about it last night (not about having a boy, but feeling like it was going to be a boy...less convincing, I realize.)
New w/pregnancy #2: This pregnancy really is going very fast. With Brooke, time stood still some weeks. But this pregnancy is just moving right along. I mean, we're almost half-way, kids!
What I miss: I just realized yesterday that the Root Beer Stand will be opening soon. That makes me long for hot dogs! And I was super depressed to realize that it will probably close down for the season around the time I have the baby, meaning I'll probably go the whole summer without a foot long....so so sad.
What I am looking forward to: August. The baby, not the heat.
Best moment this week: Brooke loves to give the baby a kiss. She kisses Mommy's belly all the time. And Baby Reeder is privileged to get real, closed-mouth, lip-smacking kisses, unlike the open-mouthed slobber fests we usually get. She gets the biggest smile on her face when she does it, too, which just warms my little heart. It has happened so many times this week that the whole week has been the "best moment".
Weekly Wisdom: Not many pregnant women seem to admit this, but early baby flutters/kicks are weird, and not really a good-weird. I mean, it's thrilling beyond belief, but it feels super awkward. Just sayin'.
Milestones: I got my first "Congratulations, I didn't know you were pregnant" comment. Already. I guess I look pregnant and not just fat anymore!

We're not Irish.

Not even 1%. But we can pretend just for today, right?

(I forgot to take a picture of just Brooke today, so I cropped her out of a picture with some of her cousins. See that skinny little one behind Brooke? That's her almost-3-year-old cousin...they wear the same size.)

Hope you had a lovely St. Patrick's Day! We're off to the OB in the morning, so I'll be sure to get an update about Baby Reeder on here soon.

Lent.

If you had seen Brooke & I on Wednesday, there'd have been no doubt in your mind that Lent started this week. Brooke got her first ashes (I think...she went to mass with me last year, too, but I don't remember them putting ashes on my 8-week-old.) She wasn't so sure about it, but why would she be? A weird, old man she didn't know was trying to touch her with his very dirty finger? I mean, c'mon, that's strange. My ashes were so dark, I could have distributed some to the rest of the Church straight off my head.

The point of all this? Oh, yeah: Lenten promises. I pulled the pregnant card and decided I didn't have to give something up this year. And I know people always say "You don't have to give something up, you can just do something," but I think this is crap. How much of a sacrifice is that? But this year...wait for it...I'm doing something. 3 things, actually, all of which (if I stick to them) should greatly benefit my family.

 1. Eat more fruits & veggies. I'm making sure I eat at least 1 fruit and 1 veggie a day. I know, lame. This should not be that hard. But it's been really hard lately, what with my aversion to all things healthy, so I'm making a conscientious effort to make this happen. I'm pregnant, so this is kinda necessary.

2. Make it to Church every week. We've been lacking in this department lately. If you looked in my check book, you wouldn't see very many donations for 2011. And it has bothered me; I want our kids to grow up with a strong sense of faith and, to me, that includes weekly trips to Church. I've been using the excuse that Brooke's naps coincide with all the mass times....which they do. But since we're hit-and-miss with morning naps anyway, we're purposefully skipping at least one a weekend so we can adjust the other nap time and make it to church. So far we're 1 for 1.

3. Try to be on time for things. And I do say try. This was the husband's request suggestion. He hates to be late for things, and it's typically my fault if we are. However, and this is a big however, I don't think I'm really all that bad. My problem is twofold. First of all, I’m a really bad judge of how long it takes to get somewhere, like driving time. So I often don’t plan to leave home early enough. And second, as the only purse-carrying member of the family, I am the keeper/bringer of all of the munchkin’s things. So it’s my job to gather those things before we leave. Plus make sure she’s put together enough to go out in public. Plus make sure I’m put together enough to go out in public. That’s a lot of jobs, each of which can delay me on even my most-organized days. So for these 40 days, I’m going to try to plan ahead and keep our family punctual.

We’ll see how this goes... Number 2 should be easy, number 3 is doable, but number 1 – that’s going to require some extra effort. But I owe it to Baby Reeder to get back on the healthy train.