Oops...

I was doing so well, so very well. Not sure what happened but I fell off the blogging bandwagon there for awhile. I don't have any good excuses; nothing terribly exciting or time-consuming has been going on around here. I did miss posting though, so hopefully I'm back.

It shocks me to realize that I'm already 26 weeks into this pregnancy. I know it's cliche, but time is absolutely flying by. Poor little guy has no name and no nursery yet, whereas his big sis had all that and more by this point. Oh well, we'll get there, right?

So at 26 weeks, BB is about 14 inches from head to heel, or about the length of an English hothouse cucumber, and weighs almost 2 pounds! From his excessively vigorous kicking and punching, I'd venture a guess that's he's bigger than those average numbers though. (My apologies to the various vegetables of weeks 22-25 who missed their chance at being compared to Baby Boy.)

We're really looking forward to seeing our parents in the coming weeks! Dad is in Vietnam again for work but is returning this weekend and he and Mom will be heading down here October 8. Then Ben's mom will be visiting the next weekend. Can't wait to see everyone, work on a few projects in the nursery, and get out and enjoy some fall activities around Savannah!

21 Weeks

21 weeks down, 19 to go! Baby Boy is about the length of a carrot now. Average weight for this point is 10-11 ounces, but according to the ultrasound last week he was already 14 ounces, so who really knows. We'll just call it almost a pound. Speaking of carrots, I made carrot cupcakes for a coworker's baby shower today and I'm feeling thankful there are leftovers. Yum!

We're heading up to Beaufort this weekend to hang out with the Mahers and the Farleys. We went to Clemson with Kyle and Marlena and they lived here in Savannah for several years before moving to Columbia earlier this year. We were so used to spending lots of time with them and it's been hard not getting to lately. We're excited for a fun weekend of catching up, and I think Ben will enjoy the break from studying.

Hope everyone is having a nice week!

Recently

Some pictures of life lately...

Doing a little shopping at Home Depot

Coloring/sampling the crayon "flavors"

Must. Have. Applesauce. NOW!

Checking out the slide at Sam's 3rd birthday party Saturday

Still not so sure, but committed now!

She likes it!

After church Sunday

20.5 weeks!

It's A...

BOY! We were right! :) So sorry for the delay in posting, but I think everyone who reads this has me as a friend on Facebook, so hopefully you've all seen the news already. We were thrilled to see Baby Boy and hear that he is in great health and is measuring well on ultrasound. Actually, in typical Williams baby fashion, he's measuring about a week ahead. I'm really praying for a VBAC this delivery so I hope BB won't be as big as his sister, but whatever happens happens!

We had a wonderful weekend with a fun birthday party and some much needed rest for all of us. I'll post pictures of the weekend, ultrasound and my baby belly tomorrow. Promise!

20 Weeks- Halfway There!

Halfway to baby time! Baby W (this is my last post calling him/her that!) is about 6.5 inches from head to rump-- about the size of a banana-- and weighs about 10.5 ounces. So why have I gained 7 pounds?!? Guess I can't blame it on the baby.

I'm so excited for our appointment on Friday that I almost can't stand it. I have no idea why, since I don't remember being this beside myself about finding out Izzy's gender. I'm still feeling lots of movement and a few have been hard enough to feel outside my belly. Speaking of the belly, it's really popped out over the past week. I'll try to remember to take a picture and post it Friday along with the gender announcement!

A Day of Firsts

Izzy and I had a really fun day yesterday! Her new mattress arrived Wednesday after work, so that night I got her crib all set up and ready to be used. Thursday she took a great nap in it and Thursday night she slept well there! I was so relieved. Thanks everyone for the advice on moving a toddler- you were all right!

Thursday we went grocery shopping and I finally got Izzy a real toothbrush and toothpaste. We'd just been using one of those plastic brushes that fits over the parent's finger and water, but she was getting pretty tired of that and I wasn't doing the best job even remembering to use it. She held on to the toothbrush the entire shopping trip and all the way home and seemed to take such pride in it! She also tried to talk on it like it was a phone, but who am I to ruin her imagination. ;) Anyhow, we broke it out yesterday morning after breakfast and she loved it. She moved it around her mouth for awhile and willingly let me brush her teeth too. So much easier than that silly finger brush!

I wrote the other day how Izzy's behavior has been off lately, but thankfully the past two days have been much better. I know a lot of it has to do with her age and testing her limits, but she seems to go to bed easier at night and put up less of a fight about life in general when she's had lots of outside time, but it's been so hard to accomplish that with the crazy heat we've been having. I mean, the heat index on Thursday was 114 degrees; can't exactly let a one-year-old spend time outside in that. So yesterday morning, to celebrate her first night in her new room, we headed to the park to get some play time in before it got really hot. It was her first real time going just to play, not to meet friends for a picnic or something like that, and I wasn't sure if she'd really understand "playing" on the equipment. No other kids were there when we arrived a little before 9. I pushed her in a swing for a bit and she climbed the stairs to the play structure but didn't really seem to want to try any of the slides or tunnels, so we walked around the park for a long while. She was interested in the big fountain (we were in Forsyth for those familiar with Savannah) and waved to- or at least stared and eventually smiled at- all the older folks who said good morning to her. By the time we got back to the play area, there were some other kids there. She watched two boys chase each other through the tunnels and it was on! She climbed right back up on the structure and walked/ran all around and through the tunnels. She didn't care about the slides, which was good since that's probably a two-parent gig, at least the first few times. She was having such a great time and fussed when we finally left around 10:30, but it was getting quite hot and I knew she was tired. She came home and took a glorious 2-hour nap!

We ended the day with a fun cookout at the Thompsons' house. We've known the Thompsons for years and Charlotte T. is Izzy's age and in the same class at daycare, so they always have a great time together. Izzy got to bed later than usual and is thankfully still asleep right now! After breakfast, she and I are heading back to Forsyth for the weekly farmers market. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

19 Weeks

I really can't believe I'm already at 19 weeks. This pregnancy is flying by! Now baby is about 8.5 ounces and around 6 inches from head to rump, about the size of an heirloom tomato. (What's an heirloom tomato?) He-- I can't stand saying "it"-- is bumping around a lot lately. Last night from 2 until 4am he held a dance party in my belly that was so vigorous and widespread that I really began to get nervous that the ultrasound tech made a huge error at our dating ultrasound and there is more than one belly dweller in there. That seems like a pretty big oversight so I'm assuming not, but only nine more days until the next ultrasound and we'll know for sure! (Along with the gender- yay!)

It's been a quiet week at the Williams house. Ben is studying a lot for the PE exam and not surprisingly, he's found it more productive to study at his office versus the house where Little Miss Sassy Pants resides. She's something else lately, really testing us and acting out. It all started when she moved up to a new room at daycare last week. Maybe there's a bad apple in her new class who is teaching her these things. Then again maybe not, since her teachers say she's so good all day. Apparently she saves her sassiness for me at home.

Sorry for the lack of photos or videos lately. I've also been meaning to start posting about something other than parenthood, but that hasn't happened yet either. While it's wonderful and certainly consuming, surely there's more to me than being a mom. Soon?

18 Weeks

Yesterday marked the end of the 18th week of this pregnancy, and from head to rump Baby W #2 is about the size of a bell pepper! Two more weeks to go until the big ultrasound and I'm getting more and more excited. One of my favorite pictures of Izzy from her 20-week ultrasound showed her kicking her long legs Rockette-style, so each week when I see the fruit or veggie used to represent this baby I tend to picture it with two long legs kicking off it. :) Baby has been moving a lot lately, particularly in the mornings. I have a strong feeling this is a boy and I can't wait to find out if I'm right!

Yesterday I took Izzy to her pediatrician for her 15-month well baby check. She is 31.2 pounds and 34.75 inches tall! We knew she'd grown a bit taller since her 12-month appointment but the 2.5-inch change surprised us! I prebought clothes for this fall/winter and next spring/summer... Starting to wonder if they're going to fit!

In other Izzy news, she moved up to a new room at daycare where shoes are required. We'd basically been letting her go barefoot as she learned to walk, so we ventured to the mall Tuesday after work to get a real pair of shoes. I brought my camera thinking I was going to capture her happily looking at and trying on shoes, (after all, she loves to say "shoooos" and try to put on Ben's or my shoes), but not so much. She scream-cried the entire time. You'd have thought the poor saleswoman was amputating her foot rather than measuring it. In the end we came out with a nice pair of white high tops and once we got home, Izzy wanted nothing more than to put them on and play with them. Why this couldn't have happened in the store is beyond me.

 

Finally, we'd like to send much love and congratulations to Kim, Stephen, and Jackson Shaw on the birth of sweet Caroline Grace early yesterday morning!

Edisto Trip

Last week we enjoyed a great trip up to Edisto with Ben's family. It was so nice to see everyone and spend time together, and it was wonderful to have so many people ready and willing to play with Izzy. It was incredibly hot, just like it's been in Savannah lately, so we found it best to stay inside and relax until mid afternoon and then head to the beach. Izzy wanted to make friends with every person and animal around us! She especially loved all the birds and dogs on the beach. As a special treat we went on a boat tour of the rivers surrounding Edisto Island. Izzy was pretty unsure of the speed at first, but she got the hang of it quickly... especially when distracted by pretzels. :)

Here are some of the highlights from the week, and more can be found here.

 Cooling off on the boat ride.

Watching for dolphins with Grandpa and Rileigh; we saw quite a few up close!

Catch of the day!

Loving the beach life

Taking a much needed break!

It was tough to keep her off the stairs; we're thankful we don't have any at home!

Thanks so much to Grandma and Grandpa for a wonderful trip!!

17 Weeks

Well, this week's baby/vegetable comparison is a lot less appetizing than last week's. Today marks the end of the 17th week of the pregnancy and Baby W Dos is about the size of a turnip. Yum. I was very excited to start feeling little flutters and movements earlier this week, and they are becoming more frequent! I had forgotten what an amazing feeling it is, especially when it's so new. It's also really reassuring, since I was getting tired of that awkward stage between (thankfully!) an end to morning sickness and feeling the baby move. Also this week, we made our appointment for the 20-week ultrasound, at which time we'll find out the baby's gender! I have so much admiration for couples that want to be surprised at the delivery, but that's just not me, at least not right now. Maybe someday for another baby, but I'm so excited to find out this time that there's no way I could wait another 20 weeks!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful week! We made it safely to Edisto yesterday and had a great time at the beach today with Ben's family. Pictures soon!

Birthdays & Bubbles

The past week has definitely been about celebrating birthdays. Our good friends the Gees welcomed their second child, Sadie, into the world last weekend and we've enjoyed getting to spend some time with them. Sadie's cheeks are the chubbiest I've ever seen-- so cute!! On Saturday, Izzy and I went to the first birthday party for the daughter of an old coworker of mine. Ella is a sweetheart and had a great time tearing into her cake! Bubbles were given out as the party favors and it turns out that Izzy LOVES bubbles! She was a little confused at first since she hasn't figured out how to blow and instead licked the bubble wand, but once we got back home and Ben blew the bubbles for her, she thought it was hysterical!

Ella sharing cake with her mama.

Studying how to remove the lid...

Choosing to instead eat the bubble solution...

Getting the hang of it with Dad's help...

Too funny!

Ben recently found out he has been accepted to take the exam to become licensed as a Professional Engineer in October, so he's been studying a good bit lately. While he studied this weekend, Izzy and I worked on her new bedroom. We moved some of her toys and she seems to really enjoy playing there. My plan is to move her clothes soon and basically do everything in that room except sleep, and then when she seems really comfortable in the space we'll try sleeping there. While I know every child is different, I'd definitely appreciate any advice from folks who've had to change their baby's room before!

16 Weeks

Well, whaddaya know, two posts in two days! Who knew I had it in me? Actually, I think you'll be able to judge how busy I am at work by how often I post... Man, I hope no one from work ever wanders across this blog...

It's so tough for the focus of life not to be on Isabelle since she is here and active and so... shall we say, assertive? But in honor of our growing second child, I think I'll try to post his/her progress every week. Today marks the end of the 16th week of this pregnancy and Baby W version 2.0 is now about the size of an avocado! I enjoy the food analogies for many reasons, not the least of which is that I'm almost always hungry. Speaking of which, my tummy suddenly started to pooch out over the weekend, which is about 5 weeks earlier than it did with Izzy. I'm really trying to watch what I eat and other parents out there know you get lots of exercise chasing a toddler, so I'm hoping the early pooch is just due to the fact that this ain't my first rodeo.

It's really interesting how different this pregnancy has been in terms of preparation. With Izzy, I spent so much time researching EVERYTHING from cribs to clothes to car seats. This time we already have a lot of the baby gear ready to go so the focus is more on where everyone is going to sleep, how we're going to fit 2 car seats comfortably in the back seat, and how to prep Izzy on what's happening. We're still pretty clueless on most things, but I think we have the sleeping arrangements figured out. We've decided to keep Izzy's room as the nursery and move her into the current guest room. We'll keep the bed in that room, (grandparents, we're not giving up the ability to have you come help visit!), but we've gotten a second crib to make the transition easier on us all. I don't think Izzy will be ready for a big girl bed anytime soon, and even if she were, do we really want a 20-month-old free to roam the house at night in addition to the stress of a new baby? No thanks. So we're slowly getting her new room in order and plan to have her start sleeping there in the next month or two. She's generally a very flexible baby, so we're hoping for a fairly seamless transition. Time will tell I guess.

I don't want to overexert myself on only my second day back to blogging, so I'll end now. Look for pictures of Izzy's new room and any shenanigans from the next few days on Monday!

Back to Blogging... Hopefully!

Considering it's been 9 months since my last post, I truly doubt anyone is out there checking for new updates on the Williams Family, but here's one anyhow. Life is good and about to change even more, and I really do want to do a better job at keeping family and friends updated. New goal: post once a week!

Izzy is growing so fast and continues to amaze us. She's a mover and a shaker and definitely has no problem letting us know what she wants! She's walking (or running) everywhere and is saying several words, including Dada, dog, ball, milk, and bye bye. She pops out a Mama every once in a while, though not as often as I'd like. She has 16 teeth (!!) and wants to try whatever we're eating. We are so thankful for her and cannot wait to see what she thinks about becoming a big sister. Yup, we're having another baby! My due date is January 5 but the baby will probably be delivered at the end of this year, so the kiddos will be about 20 months apart in age. I'm more than a little intimidated by that, but many people have reassured me that while it's tough in the beginning, we'll be glad for the closeness the kids will have down the road. I'm holding them to that!!

We are enjoying the summer, although it could cool off a little and I wouldn't mind. I don't know if I'll ever get used to these humid Savannah summers. Izzy doesn't seem to care and adores being outside. She has a sand box, baby pool, and swing in the backyard and is happy as can be out there. We've gone to the beach and pool several times and she's loved those outings too. We're headed to Edisto next week with the Williams and I can't wait for everyone to see her in action on the beach!

Here are a few photos of life lately.

Playing outside with her good friend, Sam.

Beach bum!

Helping Dada with a takeoff.

I love these two pictures!

She loved wearing this costume jewelry the other day!

Pigtails!

Thank you to whoever might read this! I'm really going to try to do better. :)