…if baby #2 is a boy or girl!

I’m still going to update about my prenatal visits once the new year rolls in… I just have not really been in a bloggy mood for the past few months.   Plus, since Jack-Evan is getting older (he’ll be 20 months old on Monday!) I’ve been trying to decide what course of action I want to be taking with this blog.

I do so very much love putting words in his mouth (as in the “Little Jack Speaks”) posts, but as he comes more and more into his own little personality, I feel more awkward doing that to him. My husband and I still do that to him at home but doing it on a public medium as he “comes into his own” (so to speak) seems….wrong…on some level. I don’t know. I guess I just haven’t decided what I want to do with the blog.

Right now I’m leaning towards revamping it to cover the educational activities we have begun to implement. I’m trained in early childhood education, previously worked in a daycare for 5 years, and have always held a huge passion for teaching and children - and consequently, that’s where most of my abilities lie. As Jack-Evan gets closer and closer to the preschool age (which was always my favorite age to teach) I become more and more excited.

Lately I’ve been enjoying a wide variety of “Tot School” type of blogs that provide enriching activity ideas for toddlers and young children. Jack-Evan has taken well to the beading activities and absolutely adores anything with pegs. He’s also begun to accurately point out various pictures in books when asked (where’s the ball, balloon, duck, etc.). So I’m extremely excited to be going forth on this educational journey with him.

Plus, it’s down right fun.

In other news…. the pregnancy has been going really well. Honestly, I tend to forget I’m pregnant for the most part. As bad as it sounds, I don’t even keep up with how many weeks I am. It’s hard enough keeping track of my always on the go toddler! I always feel ashamed when people ask me and I respond with a hesitant…”um.. 14 weeks? 18 weeks? 15 weeks? I dunno, but I’m due in May!!”

The first 3 months were horrendous. Nausea, tiredness, and overall BLAHBLAHBLAH plagued me like..well..the plague.. But sometime in early November, things drastically improved and my energy resurged. This past week though I’ve noticed that I’m moving on to a different phase. I’m feeling more “stuffed” (and it had nothing to do with all the Christmas turkey!), my belly has sprouted about 3 inches, and my pregnant wobble-walk is beginning. Rubberbanding my pants button has also appeared, as it’s getting all but impossible to button my pre-pregnancy pants anymore.

I also feel the baby kicking a lot, and have been doing so since November. Not just tiny flutters but real hard foot-in-the-belly jabs. One night the baby even kicked me, kept his/her foot there and then slid it slowly along from my belly button to my side! It always scares me when she/he does it too. So much so that I scream. It’s quite humorous actually. What’s odd is that even though the timing is only 2 weeks off from my 1st pregnancy (twas due May 6 with that one and am due May 17 with this one!), I didn’t feel Jack-Evan kick until late January.

A lot of people say “Oh, you just know what to expect with your 2nd”. But seriously, I think if Jack would have foot jabbed me back then I would NOT have mistaken it for gas. Truly.

But anywho.

So that’s where I am right now - in the midst of my 2nd pregnancy, chasing a happy go lucky developing toddler, deciding in which direction to take this little blog, and loving every single minute of my stay at home mommy life.

And with that, I leave you with a few recent photos of 2009 Christmas fun!

My husband and I were Joseph & Mary in our church’s Chrismas play.
The baby doll looked so real that he fooled many in the audience!

Jack-Evan helping “DaDa” cut down the tree at our local tree farm.

Getting our tree loaded!  It’s a family tradition.  The farm we go to has a petting zoo, acres & acres of a wide variety of trees, a building to eat, a playground, a large ornament shop, and even an old fashioned trolley to ride.  It’s awesome.

Jack-Evan playing on Christmas eve.  The art easel in the back was a gift from his Grammy & Papa!
He likes wearing hats, but ONLY if HE puts them on.  He’ll snatch one off in a jiffy if we try to put it on him.

Another present from Grammy & Papa was Jack’s first full sized piano keyboard.
He loves music and will play the one at their house for over 30 minutes in one sitting!

On Christmas morning, after all the presents were found and played with, he snuck off by himself and devoured some of his daddy’s chocolate peanut butter cups.  He thought he was slick and no one would find out….

My poopiehead and I on Christmas night.

Happy New Year, everyone!