12 weeks

Today I am 12 weeks pregnant!

Baby is just under 2.5 inches long (I had an ultrasound this morning) and weighs about half an ounce! Supposedly baby will squirm if I poke my tummy (reflexes are developing this week), and there is a lot of movement, but I won't be feeling anything for the next month or so. I started feeling Ethan around 18 weeks, so I'm anticipating I'll be feeling baby before then.

And most importantly (most importantly so far), the ultrasound tech is 75% sure baby is a GIRL!!! If you've been talking to me the past few years, you know how much I want a girl! Baby E (we have had a girl name picked out for FOREVER) wasn't being super cooperative this morning, but the tech saw enough to think it was most likely a girl. Needless to say, I will be happy as long as baby E is healthy :)

Back to the mundane - I've gained about 2 pounds so far, still fit into my regular clothes (didn't start maternity clothes with Ethan until I was nearly 18 weeks along), crave all sorts of things (today's craving was tartar sauce!), and thankfully am sleeping much better (it helps to not have to get up multiple times to use the bathroom)! My blood sugars are still measuring really well, so as long as the good numbers keep up, my OB will let me drop down to only measuring the fasting and after dinner levels. This girl has grand plans for a hot fudge sundae lunch (yet another craving)!

Anyways, here is the weekly pregnancy picture along with the ultrasound images!

12 weeks!

Baby E's profile

The evidence that baby E is a girl - apparently if the genital tubercle if pointed up, it's most likely a boy, but since in this case, it is not, baby E is most likely a girl. Information from http://www.baby2see.com/gender/study_ultrasound.html

Gazpacho!

This is seriously the best gazpacho ever! It's creamy (without a drop of cream), silky smooth and oh so tasty! It's been adapted from a recipe I found last summer on Katie Lee's blog and it's a family favorite. It's good for using up all those tomatoes in your garden or those beautiful heirloom tomatoes at the farmer's market!

1 blender full of tomatoes (mixed colors and different kinds of tomatoes is okay)

1/4c vinegar (I like using red wine vinegar)

1/4c-1/2c olive oil (do not leave this out - it's what makes the gazpacho so silky smooth!)

1 clove garlic

1/2c breadcrumbs

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper

hot sauce to taste

Puree everything in the blender. Pour into bowl and refrigerate for a few hours - it'll thicken up a bit! I like serving gazpacho with garlic bread.

gazpacho with garlic bread - the orange color is from the reddish gold heirloom tomatoes I used

someone loves gazpacho!

Sunshine's first day of day care!

As some of you may already know, Ethan just started part time daycare. My parents had been watching him for nearly the past 2 years, but now that he is 2 and a big boy, it's time for him to go to "school" and meet and socialize with other kids his age. He will be going on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and to my parents the other days.

Ethan is going to Kensington School here in Geneva and so far seems to be having a good time. He gets fresh fruit every day (a very big plus!) and all the food the kids get is organic (big plus too!). My least favorite part is that daycare doesn't do cloth diapers, so I had to go out and buy a massive stash of disposeables (boo!) - however, I did get a super good deal - Dominick's had a bunch of boxes of Huggies and Pampers marked at half off, so I snagged 4 boxes and used the coupons that I had. My stash is currently at over 400 disposeables and my goal is to have that last through potty training. My favorite part of daycare - daily arts and crafts projects! So far I've gotten a colorful butterfly and a bug headband :)

Here are some pictures from Ethan's first day of daycare and from the dinner I took him to on Friday to celebrate his first week of daycare.

Happy boy awaiting his breakfast

Heart shaped peanut butter sandwich (saw the heart shaped sandwich cutter on sale at Williams Sonoma and couldn't resist!)

"Mommy, I'm ready for school!"

"Can I stay and play with the light table?"

Handsome boy waiting for dinner at Colonial

11 weeks!

Just a short post this week...

I'm 11 weeks pregnant (well, 11 weeks and 2 days as of this post) now :)

Baby is 1.5 inches long and about the size of a fig. He/she is also quite the little mover now, but I saw that 2 weeks ago on the ultrasound. I still have at least another month or so before I can feel the baby's many many kicks and stretches and punches and whatever else baby feels like doing to me!

I am feeling much better now - I honestly don't remember the last time I felt nauseous. Still very tired though, but at least that's largely after work, and not at work.

And a picture to end the post!

Ethan - 2 years

Ethan is 2! My baby is 2! I say it to myself over and over and I am still coming to terms with the fact that my baby is not really a baby, but well on his way to being a big boy! But he will always be my baby :) Here are his current stats:

Weight - 25lbs (skinny boy!)

Height - 33 3/4 in (short boy!)

Clothes - anywhere from 12 to 24 month outfits will fit him. I swear he's spent the past year growing up, not so much out. If he is wearing a disposable diapers, his 12 month shorts still fit him with room to spare. Cloth diapers are the only thing keeping up his 24 month pants! I put him into his birthday outfit from his 1st birthday and it fit him without looking too small.

Diapers - maybe 90% in cloth diapers now. He's really in cloth diapers during the day and only goes into disposables at night. Plus he is going to be starting daycare tomorrow (yikes!) and they don't do cloth diapers (boo!) and change the kids' diapers every 2 hours regardless of how wet they are (double boo and what a waste!). We've been working on potty training for about 6 months now and I'm hoping to have him in training pants during the day by Christmas. He's been really good about telling us if he needs to go potty, so I I have hope.

Sleep - ??? Ethan's been sleeping on his mattress on the floor since he started jumping out of his crib around 16 months. However, I think I can count the number of times we've found him on his mattress on one hand. We've been putting him down around 6:30/7pm lately and getting him at 6am. However, we hear lots of thumping, playing with the doorstop, mumbling, etc, so we're not sure how much sleeping is actually done!

Eating - Ethan is still largely a good eater. Loves his fruits and veggies! His favorites include watermelon, salad and avocados. He does also love french fries - he actually didn't have his first french fry until maybe a few weeks ago. I guess it's okay as long as he doesn't have them too often! He drinks skim milk and is FINALLY done breastfeeding. I'm happy I was able to nurse as long as I did and I think it helped keep him healthy (he still has never been sick) and promoted a good mommy/baby bond.

Likes - helping with everything! Eating, playing, making a mess, going outside, watering my garden, visiting the animals at Heritage Prairie Farm, etc.

Dislikes - naptime, haircuts, being told no

New tricks - he climbs the family room stairs from the outside, aka up the railing. Crazy little monkey!!!

Here is a picture of Ethan from his 2 year portraits taken by the wonderful Emmy, who has been taking his pictures for over a year now.

Trying to decide where to ride off on the next great adventure

This is what happiness looks like

Ready to slide

Big smile

This smile just breaks my heart

Ethan's 2nd birthday!

My baby is 2! Ethan turned 2 this past Friday, August 12. We took him to Sizzling Wok (favorite hole in the wall Chinese place) and met Jessica and Alan (who are expecting their first baby in September) for lunch. Then we had dinner at Niche, which has to be one of me and Chris's favorite restaurants, as you may know from my past facebook albums! Then on Saturday, we had a small birthday party for Ethan and Chris (Chris turns 28 on Wednesday) with family.

Picture highlights from Ethan's actual birthday, along with the party below...

Every boy needs a good morning kiss from their mommy, especially on their birthday!

About to head to dinner

Birthday boy in front of Niche

Gorging on one of the 3+ rolls he ate!!!

Appetizer - slow cooked Wagyu tri tip (seriously fork tender), Israeli couscous and raita

Chris's beer - he said it was strong flavored, nice and think and not too bitter. Whatever that means :)

Ethan's dinner - grilled cheese on brioche, homemade jam and baby pickles. He ate maybe about 1/4 of his sandwich and most of his jam. After his rolls, he wasn't too hungry. There were grapes too, which Ethan happily ate!

My dinner - pork tenderloin, braised pork belly (aka "heath meat"), charred corn salsa, tomatillo puree and avocado :) The top of the pork belly was nice and crispy and it was super tender. Really yummy!

Birthday boy chipmunk cheeking his grapes!

Chris (aka the other birthday boy)'s dinner - roasted chicken, blue cheese risotto and braised cipollini onions!

Dessert! Chocolate layer cake with raspberry filling in the middle and whipped cream frosting! Notice the little frosting coated finger? SOMEBODY attempted to pick up the cake :) Naughty boy attempted to touch the flames on his candles (didn't get hurt thank goodness!) but did manage to blow them out. This was chocolate cake as chocolate cake should be - moist, chocolately and not too cloyingly sweet! We love Niche :)

Birthday boy eating cake!

"Ethan stand corner!" - Ethan insisted on standing in the corner...

Birthday party food (from back to front) - sausage with peppers and onions in the Le Creuset, tomato basil pasta salad, fruit salad, baked spinach artichoke dip with pita chips!

Cupcake tree - cupcakes with vanilla bean cream cheese frosting. Cupcake recipe from Magnolia Bakery, frosting recipe from my friend Amanda.

Ethan showing his Disney coloring book to Cameron

Ethan hugging Cameron :)

10 weeks!

I think I am going to try to do regular pregnancy posts...if anything, so I can later go back and remember what happened.

10 weeks

I was 10 weeks this past Friday, August 12, which also happened to be Ethan's birthday! I digress.

At 10 weeks, baby is 1 inch long and about 1/4 ounce. Just a tiny little one for now. I also had a doctor's appointment and she found the baby's heartbeat with the handheld doppler - a healthy 172 beats per minute! 

So far, I haven't gained any weight, but I'm sure the weight gain will start soon. 

The gestational diabetes is well under control - even though I failed both the 1 hour and 3 hour tests, my OB is questioning how accurate that diagnosis is with how well I am controlling my glucose levels through diet. I eat plenty - carefully portioned meals (easy on the carbs, heavy on the veggies) and lots and lots of snacks. Ask Chris about my snack stash! If my glucose levels are still good by the time I go back in a month, I'll be able to only test twice a day (fasting and after dinner) instead of 4 times a day (fasting and after each meal).

No pickles and ice cream cravings...yet! I do kinda crave carbs, but I think that's mostly because I haven't been able to eat fun things like ice cream, hot fudge, tater tots, etc. Oh well :)

Ethan is very sweet - he "reads" to the baby, sings, plays peekaboo and even tries to share snacks! I'm sure he doesn't understand his future sibling is growing in mommy, but still...very sweet :)

I can't wait until I get to meet this baby!

Pizza Night!

We love pizza night at our house! Ethan loves helping (we've caught him with the rolling pin, pretending to roll out pizza), especially when he gets to help with toppings - plenty of sampling, of course!

Anyways, made this fantastic gourmet sounding, but incredibly simple pizza the other night and had to share it...pizza with pesto, summer squash, onions and tomatoes!

finished pizza

Recipe is as follows:

Dough (adapted from Katie Lee's recipe)

2 1/4 tsp yeast (or 1 packet - I do a lot of baking so I buy the jar)

2c all purpose flour

1/2c semolina flour (if you don't have semolina, just use all regular flour)

And baby + Ethan + mommy + daddy = HAPPY FAMILY

As you may already know, Ethan is going to be a big brother! My official due date is March 9, but I'm sure I will have this next little one before then. As long as he/she doesn't come on February 29 - Chris and I do NOT want a leap year baby!

This will be an interesting pregnancy - I am only 9 weeks and 2 days along, but it is already different than with Ethan. With Ethan, I really didn't feel a thing until the day I went into labor. So far, I've been nauseous (it has largely gone away now), but not thrown up, tired CONSTANTLY and have horrible insomnia. I've also been given an early diagnosis of gestational diabetes (they usually test you at ~28 weeks, but since I had it with Ethan, they tested me early), but I don't think it should be any big deal. I've largely eaten what I wanted so far, just not large portions of pastas or fruit (which I really miss), but my blood sugars have been fine so far. I honestly think, and the dietician I saw agrees, that my body just doesn't handle the nasty glucose drink very well. Oh well - with careful diet planning and a little bit of exercise, baby should be just fine.

Back to more cheerful things...we are really hoping for a little girl! Although in the end, a happy healthy baby is all that matters. Ethan is already very sweet with his future sibling and has given the baby high fives, attempted to share a peanut butter sandwich (by shoving it at my belly), has read to the baby and has given many hugs and kisses. 

Me at 9 weeks - I already ate breakfast in this picture - it seems that I bloat pretty quickly as soon as I get anything in my tummy!

Picture of baby at 9 weeks :)

The head is on the left, the thing coming down from the top is the umbilical cord and the little thing sticking out towards the right is baby's leg :) This was a pretty neat ultrasound - we saw baby move around and do what looked like toe touches! I can't wait to meet this new little one!

Ethan lately...

Ethan lately... it's been too long since I've last posted, so here's a recap of the highlights -

June - we took Ethan to Niche for dinner, which as you probably know, is one of me and Chris's favorite restaurants. We had our wedding dinner there along with many other wonderful meals. Steve the waiter fed Ethan a bowl of ice cream before we even sat at our table. Now you'd think that would spoil Ethan's appetite, but no. He went on to eat bread, morels (spoiled boy!) and bits off the grown ups' plates. He tried a little cotton candy but was really confused. 

Other June highlights - 2nd haircut (still cried through it), still doesn't like his baby pool and surprisingly, developed a fondness for salad. I attribute this to the good lettuces we get from our CSA at Heritage Prairie Farm (if you're in the Chicago suburbs, this is totally worth the drive) and the fact that his special job is to help tear the lettuce and use the salad spinner!

July - had his first french fry! I know that's not really a big deal, but for this kid it is. Ethan really eats pretty healthy for a kid (heck, even for a grown up!) with lots of fruits and veggies and not very much junk. I don't necessarily like him eating french fries or candy or sweets, but I guess as long as he eats his fruits and veggies, I can deal. 

My little monkey also likes going up the stairs...by climbing the outside of the railing! We let him get as far as Chris can reach, then he gets removed.

Biggest July highlight...

Ethan is going to be a big brother! More on that in a separate post :)

That is my little monkey's past few months in a nutshell...and as a special treat, Ethan will sing part of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". Couldn't quite convince him to sing the whole song for me to record, but I tried! And at the end he's saying he doesn't want to be sexy in Chinese...the things children say!