Keep it coming!

In the scheme of life, I am truly blessed, but every once in awhile you get overwhelmed. On Friday Zach had an allergic reaction to his amoxicillin, which he had stopped taking Thursday morning. It looked a lot like a rash, and wasn't as severe of a reaction as I have read about thank God. I was completely sucker punched by this news, because I was not expecting Z to be allergic to anything, except maybe bee stings like his dad. Apparently, I was wrong. I don't know why it bothers me that my baby is allergic to something, but it does, mostly because it is a slight complication to his life. From here on out, he will have to put it on every form that he fills out at a dr's office, let people at school know, ect. I mean, it's not the end of the world, but it is a teeny tiny cross to carry. I know...pregnancy hormones!

Although we had a lovely weekend, even after the dr's visit, Zach was a little crabby. I don't know if it was the rash /hives(which didn't seem to itch at all) or the fact that he is 15 months and going through a phase. Somewhere in the scheme of tantrums and snuggles, and dance fests, we found time to plan our landscaping, visit nurseries, go to the store and play outside. We even got to enjoy a Sunday dinner this evening with Grandma and Papa! It was a lovely evening, until my mother looked at me and said, "I don't know Amy, his right eye looks a little red." This had been my suspicion since early this morning. Yesterday I noticed Zach's eyes didn't look right, I told Wayne, he told me I was now imagining things. This morning, I also restated that his eyes "looked weird" to me. Again, I was reassured that all was well. By this afternoon I was convinced that pink eye was once again starting, so I popped some left over drops in his eyes (What could they hurt?-lets hope they don't have penicillin in them!). So when my mother implied that Zach's eyes looked red, I kinda knew I wasn't going crazy. What I do know is that I really can't afford to take another day off of work, and that that really shouldn't be my first thought when I hear that my baby might have pink eye for the 2nd time in 3 weeks. I really can't wait till I can stay home and take care of my kids, so that I don't have to think of 120 students who I need to review for exams with. Then I can just nurture the two children I was blessed to have, and keep them out of daycare, where apparently getting pink eye is as common as a cold. Like I said...some days...well the punches they just keep a comin'

1st Photos are sometimes not flattering!

Here is a head/ side profile type shot of baby X. I know my sweet baby looks more like a creature from "I am Legend" in this photo than the cute bundle of joy that we will receive, but I assure you all sonogram shots this early on are not that flattering. (It doesn't help that our tech was a witch who only gave us 2 shots...the other one is much worse!) What the images are when you are watching them on a screen is amazing! It was so entrancing to watch this little bean move, look at their little arms and legs, and see the heartbeat. Even though it may not look it, this is the most beautiful picture in the world to me. The sight of my child growing and getting ready to enter our world, well... it's heaven.

Here is what we found out. Right now the baby is 3 1/2 inches long, and is measuring at 14 weeks and a day, which moves my due date up to the 24th of November. My guess all along has been Nov 28th, so we will see! Everything looked great with baby X, and the heartbeat was strong and normal. We will be going back in hopefully 4-5 weeks to find out the sex of the baby, it was just too soon to tell. I am so relieved that I finally got to see my little girl/boy on the screen today...ok...now that I really know you're in there Baby X, bring on the kicks!

A Mini Casa!

It was an exciting day around these parts. Today we finally got our shed! It is really cute and reminds me of a miniature version of our house(it has the same color scheme). I can't believe it went up in a day and it is already a big hit in the neighborhood! (I think the guy got 2 more orders just from putting it up...who knew shed building was so in demand?)

I know I am am getting old when I get this psyched about a shed, but its obviously contagious. Just look at how excited Zach's face is! (Wayne looks pretty thrilled too)

Now all we have to do is add some landscaping around the sides and maybe a few flower boxes...Oh how cute will that be? The other thing we are waiting for is the ramp that will go in the front, so we can get our snow blower and lawn mower in and out. I think Wayne is not so secretly hoping to use the ramp to get a riding lawn mower in and out. I love him, but our yard is not big enough to justify a riding lawn mower! Here is a front shot so you can envision and suggest some landscaping designs:

I think it looks like such a cool playhouse, it will almost be a shame to fill it with my ever increasing clutter. Wait, what am I saying, I may just be able to fit my car in the garage this winter...bye bye snow removal :)

Speaking of little houses, and tight quarters, tomorrow is our sonogram. I am so nervous and excited to finally be able to see and hear our little baby. I feel like I've waited forever to get a glimpse of this little girl/guy. I don't know how women used to go their whole pregnancy without being able to see or hear their child...well I guess the kicking always helps with the connection, but who wants to wait that long? Oh well... only a few more hours till our 1st photo of peanut #2!

Worth the Wait?

I know, I know, it's been a week since my last post. I promise you I was only absent because I was caring for the sickie baby, then I went away for a few days and felt the need to disconnect from the cyberworld and connect to the natural world instead. I tell you, there is something about being in the sunshine looking up at vibrant green trees as you lay in a hammock that makes one value their time in a whole new way. Needless to say, I was out and about last week, but I promise to post some exciting news this week! For starters a recap of our glorious three day weekend:

On Friday, Wayne suggested we take Z to a local carnival just to go on some rides and walk around in the sunshine. It was a really small carnival, but Wayne was super excited to take Zach on the rides. We headed out, with our camera, looking forward to all the fun we would have. When we arrived we quickly realized the only ride Zach would be able to go on was the carousel, so I hopped on with my little knight(he was on a black horse, not a white one, the white one was too girly) and we took a spin. Meanwhile, I tried to balance Z, suck in my ever growing baby pouch, and smile for the camera. While...I waited to see Wayne snapped our heart-warming photo, only to have him look at me after the ride and say...it's not charged. Oh well...I often look better in mental pictures anyhow! We let Zach play a few games, like pulling plastic duckies from a water pond, and then we shared a funnel cake. OK, shared might not be the best description of me scarfing down 3/4 of the cake while Zach and Wayne shared a 1/4 of it, looking at me with alternating looks of wonder and horror! Alright...I'm exaggerating, but seriously I did eat most of it and it was delicious!

On Saturday it was off to the lake, and Zach surprised us by staying awake the entire hour and a half car ride down there. It was a beautiful day and even I managed to get some sun. I'd love to share photos of Zach playing in a baby pool with his cousin Jack with you...unfortunately the aforementioned camera was charging at the time. I'd also love for you to see Z practicing his golf swing with his Uncle Nick, chasing his grandma around, cuddling his Aunt Lisa, or watching his Daddy fish, but again...the camera was charging. O.K. O.K. don't give up just yet. I was able to capture some photos of Zach picking his first flowers:

And who was the lucky recipient of my son's first flower?

His Papa! Oh well! At least he gave me his second flower of the day.

Aside from our time spent frolicking outside, we all headed to an local arcade and carnival grounds. It was a lot of fun playing ski ball and watching Z take everything in. He even got involved in a game himself while Cousin Jack and Aunt CC played nearby:

He really got in to it after awhile:

So much so, that he applauded his own victory! I think he was a little surprised that he got tickets for rolling a ball. Hopefully he doesn't expect such treatment at home!
And finally one last shot...I mean what would a picture of a trip to the lake be without an image of Zach playing in the water there?
I know that wasn't exactly what you were expecting, but the lake was still a little too cold for Z's 1st swim, plus he needs some boat shoes before that happens!

The Curse of Being the 2nd child?

Ever since my appointment last week, when it was "too early" to hear the heartbeat, I have been anxious to get back to the doctor's to hear my sweet baby's 1st noises. Now you may wonder, why only a week? Were the doctors' concerned? The answer is no...I sort of manipulated them into the visit by saying I worked just up the street, and could I just stop in for a few minutes to hear the baby next week. Needless to say they were helpless against a desperate pregnant woman's pleas. So imagine my disappointment when I had to cancel this coveted appointment today.

I did so because my 1st sweet baby, was blessed to wake up with pink eye in both eyes! Upon a trip to the doctor(Super Dad took him, because Mom "had" to be at work for the 1st day of the students' final exam paper) it was discovered that Zach had the "triple crown". What I mean is that my little man not only had pink eye in both eyes, but a double ear infection, and a sinus infection. Oh did I mention he's cutting his two top molars and just got two more bottom teeth? I mean seriously, what a mess! Well, anyways, tomorrow is my day to be on sickie baby duty, and Wayne has an important meeting, so I canceled my doctor's appointment. I couldn't risk anyone else's health well Zach is still contagious, so baby #2 will just have to wait to be heard(and seen) till next week when I get my 1st sonogram. I just hope this isn't the beginning of 2nd child syndrome..,

Hodge Podge!

When you don't post for days on end it really gives you a lot of material to work with. This week we played outside even though it was only in the 60's and went to a 30th b-day party for Uncle Mike. Zach also got to enjoy some time in the Bounce house our neighbors had for their daughter Sarah's birthday. I also took the sequel to my gender prediction kits...so you be the judge.

First I wanted to share some pics of Z in the yard playing in his sandbox/pool. It was much too cold for water, but Zach didn't seem to notice anything was missing:

He really gets a kick out of dancing around in his sandbox...it's not the safest thing I've ever seen, but it sure is entertaining!

After entertaining himself in Crabbie, he took off running across the yard. Destination unknown...or can you see what he's after?

How about now?

If you guessed Lennie's disgusting "outside" ball, that two seconds after this photo was taken found it way into my darling boy's mouth...well you were right! I think Zach's face in this picture is a riot! No, honey, I know it's not his most flattering shot, but he almost looks like an MLB pitcher gearing up for a fastball! (For the love of God Wayne, you need to stop watching the Yankees...I am actually starting to reference baseball lingo!)

Unfortunately I didn't remember to get any pictures from our Friday evening of watching Jack,or of Mike's birthday, because I forgot my camera, but Z had a great time both nights. He really enjoyed dancing at the party with his cousin and grooving with all the young ladies. I really enjoyed spending some QT with my nephew who is growing up way too fast. I can't believe that Jack is going to be 3 in August and that my other nephew Jason is graduating from Kindergarten next month! Where does the time go?

Speaking of time...I hope we move in the next ten years, otherwise Zach is headed for heartbreak. I think he is in love already with my neighbor Sarah and she is too old for him. She just celebrated her 6th birthday! I can only imagine Zach finding any excuse to head over there when he is 12 or 13, to be around the cute redheads next door! (Did I mention Sarah has a sister who is turning 9 in the fall?) Anyways...Dad took Zach over to the bounce house for some post party jumping. He really enjoyed it, but I think Zach's favorite part was getting to spend time with the girls! He is just so fascinated by big kids...which include his dad of course!

After Zach got used to the bouncing... he decided to try out his own high flying act...with a spotter of course!

Just look at this face...doesn't it just "scream" happiness!

Which brings me back to something that makes me want to scream... I am a little frustrated because even on round two of testing my results seem unclear. Here is my 2nd intelligender test:

Here's the shot that confuses me:

But... in the end Wayne and I decided that for now...we will read the final result as:
A prediction that if it comes true will give a lot of ladies I know something to scream about! (Mom, Alice...I know you are both secretly routing for that 1st granddaughter...hopefully it's in the cards...if not from me, then from someone else soon!)

Is It Friday Yet?

For some reason this week just seems to be dragging on. Even though it's Wednesday I'm beat and ready for a little QT time with my family. Somehow in the rush of work, making dinner, eating dinner, and bedtime we don't get a lot of down time. I really relish the times when we are playing in the yard, or shopping together, or even hanging out in the family room. Life can seem so complicated when really it is so simple.

For example, here I am writing this post about how I wish the week would fly by, and suddenly from across the hall I hear this little voice calling "Mama", he says it once, twice, three times. He's calling for me. So of course I rouse my exhausted self from the comfort of the computer chair to see what the little rugrat needs. There he is in the tub, calling "Mama" (Dad was on lifeguard duty) I walk in and the biggest smile spreads across his face, revealing his adorable dimples, and my Zach, says to me "Hiya". He is so proud, beaming really, because he's realizing now that he can impact the world, call people and they'll come, say names and be heard. I just relish watching him achieve. Life doesn't get any better than this. So... maybe I'm just a little bit glad it's still Wednesday! A pic from the hospital...one of the first time Zach's dimples brightened my day!