A Very Gobbles Weekend

This past weekend was a great weekend.  What I think summer is all about.  I spent every waking second with my little boy and just awed at everything he has become, all of his funny habits and nuances.  We didn't really have any set plans but things kind of just fell into place and we had fun every second of it!

It sucked hubs was pretty busy at work through Saturday night, not getting home until well after midnight for days, but Gobbles and I managed to find our own fun.  Thursday night (the start of my weekend) we played outside with a giant exercise ball.  He tried to lug it around the yard and throw it at the puppies.  It's pretty heavy and every time he attempted to pick it up he'd let out an ooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Balllllll!

Tired puppy from being chased by the giant BALLLL!!!

You may have escaped the ball my Spoonsie Bear, but there's no escaping my bottle brush grooming skillz!

Friday morning we had a playdate with Gobble's bffs Lil Buddy and latest addition Moosh.  I could tell my man was excited to see his boyz by the way he danced around the house singing Mickey?! Mickey?! during breakfast.  I prepped him on his first experience with a young one, telling him how we're going to see the BABY!  how exciting to meet the baby!  Though he repeated everything I said with enthusiasm, I did not get that same reaction upon our arrival.

As soon as we got to Cawola's and I scooped up the baby for a hug, Gobbles turned into quite the jealous nancy.  Big crocodile tears rolled down his cheeks until I scooped him up with my free arm and rocked both kids together.  The tears didn't stop until Moosh was out of my arms.  Boy oh boy we've got a lot of work to do over the next 6 months!

Lil Buddy and his momma arrived pretty soon after and the three of us and our sons had a grand time just being mommies.  We still chatted the same like we always do, but half the time we were not in the same room let alone looking at each other as we spoke.  We were all concentrating on what our own child was doing - feeding their snack to the dog, running around playing with toys, or crying out for some momma milk. 

Gobbles eventually warmed up to Moosh (as long as he wasn't in my arms) and even went as far as helping the little guy out.  As the baby spit out his pacifier, Gobbles jumped up Oh noooo! and promptly shoved the paci back in Moosh's mouth.  Of course this caused him to start crying, but I know my son's intentions were to help... right?

Of course Gobbles had fun with Lil Buddy too - through a ball at his face at point blank range (oops), but then was intrigued as Lil Buddy counted off numbers with his momma.  I had to laugh because I hadn't heard my own guy counting yet, only doing colors (everything is Lellow), and here was this smartypants 5 months younger rattling off his 2, 8, and 10 perfectly.  The best part about it is that my mother called me today proclaiming "I didn't realize Gobbles could count!", and she told me he had been counting along with Sesame Street. Apparently, Lil Buddy taught him a thing or two last week.  And that's why these guys are pals, I love it!

The only thing I regret about last Friday is not having any pictures of our lovely playdate to put up here.  There'll be plenty more though!

Saturday came and Gobbles and I had big plans.  With Daddy off to the office again, we filled up the pool and went for a swim.  Still in my "I'm a cool mom" phase, I brought his slide over to the pool and let me tell you - pure BLISS for at least a half hour.  Besides that, Gobbles spend his dumping the water out of the pool, on our heads, or on the puppy.  Oh yea, and of course then he started trying to drink it.  And that was the end of pool time!

Cool!  A water fountain!  YUM!

Here we goooo!

Best ride ever!!

Splashhhh!

Wheelie break!

Whaaa HOOO nevermind!

Join me why doncha?

Suuweeeet Finish

Ahhhh Tasty.  Thanks mom for the shade btw!

Sunday came, and despite my husband being exhausted from working forever, I convinced him that we should go to Linvilla Orchards for peaches and fun. Gobbles spent time playing at the playground, looking at the animals, running from the roosters and quacking at the ducks. Then the fun began! We got on the hayride that took us out to the fields where we picked tomatoes, peppers, and peaches (Pitches, as Gobbles calls them). We were told we were allowed to sample as we were picking. I don't think the people realized how many samples a 27 lb kid could put away. Three. Three giant juicy pitches. Yum.

The funniest part was when we were walking out of the orchard and there was a family with two small children.  Gobbles looked at them as we passed by Pitches!!!! He screamed.  The parents looked at me and shook their head, what a bad mother, their looks seemed to say.  Yes Gobbles, I repeated, PEACHES. 

Water Break after the playground!

Is this a ball?  I kinda wanna throw it!

Mommy!! Don't leave me here!

Just hanging out with mah Dad!

MMM Fresh Pitches!

C'mon Daddy let's go get more!

MMM Gobble gobble gobble PITCHES!

Peach Drunk

MMM Let's get these home!

Happiest Lil guy ever!

After buying twelve pounds of produce and a pie we made our way home.  While Gobbles and I napped hubs prepared a feast of chicken, pork, and shrimp kabobs with our fresh veggies, including a side salad of tomatoes and mozzarella with a fresh basil pesto.  He more than made up for the fact that he worked so much for the week.  Sunday night was the first time I slept through the night in quite awhile, so I suppose both mom and baby had our fill.  A great weekend.

A photo says... seven words...

I'm so happy to announce...

that I'm gonna be the best big brother I can be!!

Mommy and Daddy are so proud that I'm such a big boy!

But I still like to be silly too :)

Ok mommy I think they've got the point...

I know, I know, you just can't get enough of my smile!

what's that up there??

and what does my shirt say again??

that's right!  I'm gonna have a lil brother or sister!

Can we go back inside please?

YAY celebratory cheese in honor of the BABY!

Cheese makes everything better!

except when the dogs try to take it!

don't touch my cheese!

OK, I'll smile ONE more time for you mommy!  I'm so happy to point to your belly and say Hi to the Baby! 

Mommy just unlocked all of her secret posts about the baby.  (well, all four of them).  Check out the lable "Lil Lobster Roll" for details!!

little lobstah roll (11 weeks)

7/11/11:

after weeks and weeks trying to come up with an appropo name for number 2, i think i've got it.  hubs and i took a road trip this weekend to his cousin's wedding in maine with a stopover in boston.  we roadtripped alongside my sister-in-law and her husband, who are expecting their first child a little over 3 months.  although neither of us could partake in the fun of the alcoholic persuasion, we were very excited to stuff our faces with a new england treat - fresh lobster. 

we woke up thursday morning in our boston hotel room with our stomachs rumbling and ready to eat. by the time we had all shaken off the laziness stemming from a long drive the night before and made it downtown, i was starving.  the neptune oyster house was crowded but we managed to snag a table within a few minutes.  first up we ordered mussels and clams (cooked of course for us preggos), which we wolfed down and soaked up the sauce with every last crumb of bread.  i was in heaven. 

then, of course despite my husbands warning that i should go hot with butter, out came my cold lobster roll (with mayo).  i had decided to go traditional because, well, i don't know.  it was good and i ate most of it, but then that full feeling crept up on me and stayed there for what seemed like the remainder of the weekend.  the feeling came way to quickly and anytime anyone mentioned the word lobster roll for the rest of our time my stomach and gag reflex reminded me that it was not a good idea. 

i spent the rest of the weekend wishing i had ordered it hot, because i'd had some of hubs and it was delicious... but, since i love lobster too much to let it take on a negative connotation (unlike the hardboiled eggs of the gobbles pregnancy.  blechh.  2 years clean and never going back!), and since every time a lobster roll was mentioned i was reminded that i'm pregnant and for some reason a lot more delicate than last time, i shall deem this baby my lil lobster roll.  pretty soon, when i hear the term lobster roll, all i'll think about is my wonderful second child.

this trip also marked the first major league baseball game for this baby, at fenway park - home of hubs' rivals.  this was only my third trip to an mlb park other than citizen's bank or the vet.  the last one?  may of 2009, when i was about this pregnant with Gobbles, to safeco field in seattle to see the mariners take on the red sox, strangely enough.

we also spent an evening wandering around bar harbour, a beautiful little town seemingly across the bay from nova scotia.  another funny coincidence how i've been to one of the northwestern most points in the country pregnant with Gobbles and now to one of the northeastern most points with this one...

lobstahs in bah habah

finally, i experienced my first pregnant wedding.  it was harder than i thought. no, i'm not a super super alcoholic and have driven home from my fair share, but i do like a nice glass of wine or champagne (or two or three) to toast the happy couple.  amazing that i've been to 20 weddings in the past 5 years and this is the first one.  anyway, it wasn't hard because of the drinks, although the blueberry lemonade whatever they had smelled fantastic, it was because i couldn't keep up.  i was so tired that all i could think about was sleep. 

it may have had something to do with the view too.  who wouldn't be completely relaxed and ready for a nap in this calming setting?  beautiful and SO serene!

so c'mon second trimester, do me right, bring back that energy!

listen to the baby (9 1/2 weeks)

7/1/11

today was my 10 week checkup, and thankfully everything went well.  i don't know why but a part of me was very paranoid that we would have trouble hearing the heartbeat or something would be wrong.  maybe because i've been cramping up really easily lately, or my memory of a pregnancy just two years ago has completely escaped me and i've forgotten what to expect. 

i know i forgot how damn tired i was, or maybe it's just worse this time.  i miss sleep.  i have woken up at 3:30 or 4 am just about every day for the past four weeks. most days i stay awake, eventually leaving bed and coming down to the couch where at least i have a tv to help me escape my thoughts and worries.  i don't know why i ever listened to the smug moms who would tell me during my last pregnancy "just wait until you have kids, you'll never sleep".  sorry but now that i am a smug mom i can respectfully disagree.  gobbles is definitely not a model sleeper and didn't sleep through the night consistently until almost a year.  he still gets up about once a week with a night terror or something.  and one night this week he decided to join me at 4am asking for mickey mouse and pancakes. but after all that, i STILL disagree and say the exhaustion from being pregnant alone is a lot worse! 

it's not all that bad though, i've only gotten sick a few times but have found solace in prenatal gummies since i couldn't tolerate the real vitamins. i'm bursting to share my news since right now only family and a few close friends know.  but, that all will change shortly, especially after today's appointment - my 10 week checkup.  after a trip to replace his broken glasses (again), Gobbles and I headed to my OB's office. 

hubs has been extremely busy at work, already set to work most of the holiday weekend, so i told him he didn't have to accompany us. Gobbles was pretty well behaved throughout the appointment, mostly because of every mom's best friend - cheerios.  i laid on the table talking to the doctor and nurse with one arm hanging down holding the container as Gobbles ate one by one. 

when it was time for the dopplar, i of course got a little misty-eyed hearing a perfect 171 bpm.  i proclaimed Gobbles, listen to the baby!  his response?  Cheerios!!!  he'll catch on one of these days, as soon as i start to get a little bigger...

and to my little one - so nice to hear from you.  i can't wait to do it again, just four short weeks from now. 

Getting to know you (7 weeks)

6/12/11

Baby 2,

Well here we are again.  Awake before the rest of the house.  This week, my wakeup times have been 5am, 2am, 4am, and 6:30 on the weekends.  I don't know what it is but you are an EARLY riser.  Maybe we could start sleeping a little later?  Mommy is useless by 7pm nowadays. 

This weekend has been big for us - we've gotten to see all of our loved ones, and told a few people yesterday about you and today will tell the rest!  Everyone's going to have to keep quiet for a few more weeks though, you'll be our little secret. 

I've figured out that you do not like prenatal vitamins at all, and unless I take them on a completely full stomach, they come right back up.  (sorry for the visual).  Funny enough though, I can't really seem to make a full stomach with you.  With your bro Gobbles I ate ALL THE TIME.  But for some reason I'm just not hungry, and I've actually lost half a pound since I found out about you.   I promise I'll do better and keep nourishing you, but little one, it probably would help the both of us if you are not over 9 lbs like your brother... so Mommy's going to take extra care this time around not to down the pop tarts and cinnamon buns she so longingly craved last time.  It seems salads with some chicken and black beans are the way to go this time... a little fiesta baby!

By the way - I almost forgot!  I was SO happy to actually get to see you the other day!  You were so little and a little hard to make out, but I saw your heart there flickering away, 149 bpm at 6 weeks, 4 days.  You are due January 30, so it looks like we've managed ourselves another winter baby.  Daddy has a very busy work time the 2nd week of February, so we need you to come on time or two weeks late.... and I have a feeling you'll be on time this time.

More wonderful news - we also found out that your cousin who will be here in October is a girl!  She is going to be one of your best friends, your mommy and daddy are so happy to have a niece!

Alright little one, time for Mommy to go put some stuff in boxes.  It's strange to think that we may be in a new house by the time you get here.  Don't worry, we'll have plenty of pictures of the one we're in now for you to look at when you're older.

Love you so much baby - stay strong and healthy in there please!

Love,
Momma

ps - so Mommy thinks it's kinda wierd to post pics of her insides on facebook for everyone to see, but since there are only five or six people that actually read this blog - they can have a special treat! 

well that was easy (4 weeks-ish?)

5/29/11

Dear Baby 2,

Good morning, Dear!  I've known you for just over 48 hours and I feel like I already know everything about you.  Ok maybe not, I have no idea how big you are, or what sex you are, but I know one thing.  You are already just like me.

You are an impatient little one, one step ahead of yourself.  My goodness your Daddy and I weren't even expecting to get ready you for another month or two, plus we expected some sort of Gobbles factor.  Yup - Gobbles - that's your big brother.  He was always very late.  We got ready for him in September, but it took until March.  He was supposed to come in November, but he's a December baby.

The one thing you and Gobbles have in common is that you both get to go on a beach in Mommy's belly before anyone even knows about you!  Gobbles spent his weeks 4 and 5 out in Monterey, California, as mommy was out there for work.  You'll spend week four (or five?) here in Hilton Head with your whole family!

See, I found out about you the day before our vacation.  Your Daddy and I were so very happy with your little surprise, and right now I'm beside myself thinking about how already I can't wait to meet you.  I haven't even had a chance to go to the doctor yet, but I'm estimating you'll be here late January or early February.  I don't even have a creative name like Gobbles to give you yet!  I'll think of something great, I promise (Daddy won't let me call you Deuce). 

We're on vacation right now, and the earlybird you are has me up at 6:30 in the morning.  The boys are fast asleep, but I'm happy to have this time with just us.  I apologize for all that pressure yesterday morning - we had a long drive down and your big brother insisted on sleeping right on top of me and you when we stopped for a break at a rest stop.  He's a heavy little guy and Mommy's back is still sore!  

This is such an exciting time for our family and friends - you're going to have a cousin just 3 months older than you, and a great friend just a few weeks older than you!  This friend has a big brother just like you, except he is 4.  Gobbles will be 2 when you are born, and he will be so happy to meet you.  We've already taught him to point to my belly and say "baby".  So when you develop hearing, that's your brother talking to you!  Besides your friends I already talked about, you can hang out with Gobbles' boys.  He already has his posse, even though the youngest is going to be much closer to your age - since he was just born last week!

I'm laughing to myself right now, Little One, because Mommy and her friends have this running joke that it seems to be there is always more than one of us pregnant at once.  We thought it ended with your Aunt Cawola but guess what?  It turns out we were both pregnant at the same time for a few days but didn't even know it!  It's going to be a long time before we can have a celebratory glass of mommy-juice together! 

Well Baby, it sounds like your brother is waking up, I should go get him so Daddy can rest some more from the long drive we had.  I'm so happy I finally got to say hello to you, I can't wait to learn more about you!

Love, Mommy