First and Foremost,
IT'S A BOY!
We are so excited that Mertoddler is going to have a little brother to play (or fight over) cars and trucks with. We did a Zoom gender reveal on April 18. Some of our closest friends and family joined us on the call. We set up the video camera, ipad, and laptop on the back porch so that everyone could see us and we could capture the moment. Mertoddler wore pink because he insisted the baby was a girl. I had on blue and Merman was wearing green as he claimed to be neutral (ha!). We did a little countdown and popped the confetti out of the tubes. (Mine didn't pop open right away because I'm weak apparently). But I saw the blue flying out of Merman's tube and his instant reaction of pure relief. I finally got mine to pop and started explaining to Mertoddler that he was having a brother! I'm so excited to be a real boy-mom, as it's what I always pictured myself as.
I was also a little shocked at the sense of peace I felt after finding out. Knowing that we already have everything we need for this little guy is so comforting. We have tons of clothes, shoes, toys, baby supplies, etc. The list of things we need is so small and it really has made me feel more at ease about what we'll need to prep for the arrival of this sweet boy.
Pregnancy/Baby Updates
April 11- EASTER! We told Mertoddler that he was going to be a big brother! He got a Big Brother shirt in his Easter Basket and two books about being a Big Brother. We read the books to him and then explained that he would be a brother soon. His initial reaction was that of a typical 2-year-old, in which he insisted that he's not a brother and was getting very upset with us. So, I reset the tone and started over with the news. I explained that I have a baby in my belly and that's when he seemed interested. We caught the whole thing on video and I'm so excited to show it to him when he's older. His eyebrows shot up with excitement as he touched my belly. And then he was over it and ready for a snack 3 minutes later. haha!
We Facetimed the in-laws that day, with Mertoddler wearing the Big Brother shirt. It took them a minute to catch-on but they were elated once I put the sonogram photo on the screen. My father-in-law just kept asking if it was real.
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April 13- Since I last wrote, I've had the initial appointment with the MFM for the NT scan at 11ish weeks. All the measurements came back normal and they said that everything looked great. If you remember, our first MFM appointment while pregnant with Mertoddler didn't go too well. My amniotic fluid was low and we found out that I had marginal cord insertion. So it was almost unbelievable when they told me that everything looked normal with this pregnancy and that I would likely be released from their care after the anatomy scan.
I'll let you in on a little secret: I'm 85% sure I saw the gender of the baby at this appointment (which was before the reveal). I pretty much knew we would be having another boy. The ultrasound tech did all the measurements and spent about 5 minutes looking at the baby on the screen. I was able to watch and ask questions. We talked about all the body parts and how crazy it is to see the baby moving so much because I still couldn't feel it. Throughout this entire process, we never saw between the legs. But then the doctor came in to have a look and the second he put the probe on my belly, a crotch shot popped up on the screen. There were two open legs and a little penis sticking straight out. Before I could process what I was looking at, the doctor yanked the probe off my belly and said, "Do you know the gender?" Even though I was thinking, "I do now!" I just told him, "no" so he placed the probe back down on the complete opposite side of my belly. I spent the next day trying to determine whether or not that was actually a penis I saw, but the gender reveal confirmed that it was. hahaa! So, once again, the gender was revealed to me before I was ready. But that's okay! I'm just so happy to be having another baby boy.
This was also the day that my mom and stepdad got their package in the mail. So, we did a Zoom call with them (and recorded it). The thing I remember most about the call is my stepdad mumbling, "Are they serious?" to my mom in the background because he was in such disbelief. My mom was shocked and totally surprised. With the plans of IVF underway and then being stuck at home in the middle of a pandemic, pregnancy wasn't even on their radar. I've watched that video several times now and just can't get enough of her initial reaction. You can see Mom's brain working to process the information and it's AWESOME!
We did a Zoom call with my dad that night. Mertoddler was being so cute and yelling, "We're having a baby!" over and over. My dad was also in disbelief because I'd told him the fertility clinics were closed and that everything was on hold at the moment. He just kept asking why I'd lied. lol. Once I explained how I was pregnant prior to the pandemic and all the information I gave him was true, it just didn't affect me, he started to understand. I never lied!
My sister and niece said they KNEW I was pregnant because I'd been so overly cautious about the pandemic. And my niece was mad that I didn't tell her first.
May 4- I had another appointment with my midwife. It was short and sweet. Baby's heartrate was around 135 and everything was normal. I had blood drawn to test for Spina Bifida and was sent on my way. (Yes, they're still screening patients as they come in. I am now required to wear a mask at each appointment. And check-out is over the phone so you just walk out when you're ready to leave).
Pregnancy has been pretty easy since hitting the second trimester. I hardly feel pregnant and my bump is still pretty small. I can't wait to take a 20-week photo and compare it to Mertoddler's 20-week picture. I actually think I'm smaller this time around. I did a comparison at 15 weeks and this bump seems to be much higher up than it was with Mertoddler.
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| 14 + 3 weeks pregnant! Hello, 2nd trimester! |
My boobs are still pretty tender and sore to touch. I'm slowly transitioning into maternity clothes. However, being at home all the time means that I'm always in yoga pants and PJs, so it's an easier transition than it would be if I was getting dressed for work everyday. I purchased more maternity yoga pants since we'll be stuck at home for quite some time.
I started feeling Baby move about 2 weeks ago (a little before 17 weeks). Now I'm feeling him move even more and I absolutely love it! He seems to be most active at night and first thing in the morning. I love ending the day on the couch, waiting to feel him bouncing around in there while I enjoy a popsicle... or two. There's something about a cold, fruity popsicle that I just NEED every night before bed and it's the first time I've really experienced a pregnancy craving.
Mertoddler Updates
I was rocking Mertoddler to sleep last week, and he started hugging my belly. He told me that he was keeping the baby warm. When I moved him to the bed, he tried putting the blanket on me and told me that I needed to cover my belly cause the baby was cold. Then he exclaimed, "Make sure the baby pops out of your tummy in the morning so he can get in bed with me!"
He is suddenly really into pretending his stuffed animals are babies. He wraps them up in blankets, pretends to feed them, plays with them, and kisses them. The other day I heard him whisper to his baby elephant, telling him that he really loves him. It was the sweetest thing in the whole world and I just can't wait to see him as a big brother.
He's doing much better with the toddler bed. This pandemic has caused a shift in our schedule so he's going to sleep much later than usual (9ish PM) and waking up between 6:30-7:15 every morning. Naps have moved from 12 to 2 each day and it has been quite the adjustment for me and Daddy.
Mertoddler is riding his bike like a champ! He's doing so well that we're considering a real bike with pedals for his birthday. He has great balance and can glide with his legs up without any effort at all. Last week, he started pretending to pedal because he saw his friend doing it. He will definitely be ready to pedal by July!
He's also beginning to use big words and vocabulary that he's picking up from his books, TV, and us. Yesterday he told me that he "scrambled back under his covers" when he woke up and heard the storm outside. He uses these words correctly and it makes my heart flutter every time I hear him say them: especially, actually, probably.
He's just growing up so fast and it has been really neat to see it firsthand over the past 10 weeks together.
Pandemic Updates
We're at the start of Week 11 since everything shut down due to COVID-19. Merman and I have been working from home the whole time. He's also in IT school so he's very busy. Which means that I'm overly exhausted. I never imagined I'd be parenting a toddler 24-7 with no breaks while pregnant. But I've adjusted and now that I'm in the 2nd trimester + Mertoddler is sleeping again, things have been going pretty well. We've spent most of our days going on walks/bike rides, playing in the yard with the hose, sand/water table, splash mat, chalk, bubbles, and more. We've met more of our neighbors and Mertoddler has made new friends. We've spent a lot of time riding around in the car just to get out of the house. And I've cooked more meals and washed more dishes than I ever imagined possible.
We've become very creative with indoor activities on rainy days: painting anything in sight, creating ramps for the cars and monster trucks, puzzles, making cards and pictures to send friends in the mail, Hot Wheels car wash, baking treats, building with blocks, Magnatiles, dry erase markers and boards, trains and tracks, books, TV, and so much more.
Merman has built and completed furniture for his office/Mancave in the basement. I've decided to update our dining room and I've completely cleaned out and reorganized our hallway coat closet. We had a guy come by and clean up our yard and spent the whole last week laying pine straw in the flowerbeds to make it look pretty again. Merman swears he'll be repairing the rotted siding on the house so I had a company come give us a quote for a new exterior paint job. Hopefully, that will actually happen soon.
Last week was the official last week of school for me. NO MORE WORKING FROM HOME WITH A TODDLER! HALLELUJAH! I had to go in to clean up my classroom for the summer and it was so weird. It felt really, really good to be back at work but it was odd packing up a classroom that hadn't been touched in 9 weeks. We had a parade for the graduating 5th graders that day, which was so much fun. I teared up seeing some of my former students ride by. We didn't get to finish the year together, we didn't get to have their 5th grade graduation ceremony, and I didn't get to tell them goodbye properly. I can't imagine how seniors in high school must be feeling right now.
A Bit of Normalcy
Our state was one of the first to start opening things back up, much to our dismay. Even the president commented on his disapproval of the way our governor chose to reopen. But it was nice to have the parks/trails open back up. I've been able to take Mertoddler to a variety of parks around town so he can ride his bike and have a change of scenery each day. (Our daily ride to the farm up the road was getting a bit old). He loves "going on adventures" and discovering new places at each park.
For Mother's Day, we invited my parents over and had a socially distant lunch on the back porch. I finally caved and allowed Mertoddler to play on the neighborhood playground. (I've been too nervous about germs to let him play previously). I can't even begin to describe how nice it was to see my parents again after 5 months! But it was so hard not to hug them.
I was able to schedule a surprise visit to a local petting zoo last week. They're allowing people to reserve an hour to come visit the animals. They clean and sanitize everything for each family and only allow immediate family members with the reservation. So, Mertoddler and I got an entire hour to ourselves! He rode a pony for the first time and loved it! We got to pet goats, bunnies, ducks, chickens, pigs, and sheep. They had a stall full of construction vehicles so we spent a lot of our time playing in there. And we ran around outside to play in the little clubhouses they had. It was the most excitement we'd had in weeks and Mertoddler did not want to leave!
Since then, we've ventured out to a couple of restaurants, which still makes me very nervous so we'll probably hold off on doing that again anytime soon. We went to the real zoo, as they have reopened for members only. And they have it really well planned out. First, we had to reserve a time to visit online. When we arrived, they scanned our reservation and our Membership card. Once inside, we had to follow the arrows through the zoo. At each exhibit, there were taped off boxes letting us know where to stand to see the animals. There were hand sanitizing stations everywhere and the zoo staff were there to enforce safety measures. It was highly recommended that visitors wear masks, which many of us did. All buildings, playgrounds, rides, etc. inside the zoo are closed. Even so, we had a GREAT time and Mertoddler cried when we had to leave. He's been begging to go back so I think we'll be doing that again soon.
This weekend, we got really brave and attended a low-country boil across the street at the neighbors' house. It was their family, a couple friends, and us. We were outside the entire time but I'm really hoping we didn't take too much of a risk by going over there. Our neighbor introduced Mertoddler to the skateboard. His eyes lit up on that first ride and he kept jumping back on to try it again. This daredevil kid of mine is going to give me severe anxiety one day.
Mertoddler stayed at my mom's house last night. His first sleepover since December. Everyone had such a time! Merman and I finally had some alone time. We rented a movie and ordered pizza. WE got some laundry and cleaning done. AND we napped and slept in. It was pretty amazing. But I missed my little buddy so much.
I think we're going to take it easy the next two weeks just to ensure that all of our adventures this week didn't expose us to the virus. My uncle is currently in the hospital because of it and his daughter (my cousin) is at home with milder symptoms.
Daycare will be opening back up soon and I'd really like Mertoddler to be able to return for 1-2 days.
So we'll be taking it easy and enjoying more time at home after a busy week of going out into the world again.
I can't wait for that anatomy scan tomorrow! EEEEeeeeeeekkkk!!!!
We've become very creative with indoor activities on rainy days: painting anything in sight, creating ramps for the cars and monster trucks, puzzles, making cards and pictures to send friends in the mail, Hot Wheels car wash, baking treats, building with blocks, Magnatiles, dry erase markers and boards, trains and tracks, books, TV, and so much more.
Merman has built and completed furniture for his office/Mancave in the basement. I've decided to update our dining room and I've completely cleaned out and reorganized our hallway coat closet. We had a guy come by and clean up our yard and spent the whole last week laying pine straw in the flowerbeds to make it look pretty again. Merman swears he'll be repairing the rotted siding on the house so I had a company come give us a quote for a new exterior paint job. Hopefully, that will actually happen soon.
Last week was the official last week of school for me. NO MORE WORKING FROM HOME WITH A TODDLER! HALLELUJAH! I had to go in to clean up my classroom for the summer and it was so weird. It felt really, really good to be back at work but it was odd packing up a classroom that hadn't been touched in 9 weeks. We had a parade for the graduating 5th graders that day, which was so much fun. I teared up seeing some of my former students ride by. We didn't get to finish the year together, we didn't get to have their 5th grade graduation ceremony, and I didn't get to tell them goodbye properly. I can't imagine how seniors in high school must be feeling right now.
A Bit of Normalcy
Our state was one of the first to start opening things back up, much to our dismay. Even the president commented on his disapproval of the way our governor chose to reopen. But it was nice to have the parks/trails open back up. I've been able to take Mertoddler to a variety of parks around town so he can ride his bike and have a change of scenery each day. (Our daily ride to the farm up the road was getting a bit old). He loves "going on adventures" and discovering new places at each park.
For Mother's Day, we invited my parents over and had a socially distant lunch on the back porch. I finally caved and allowed Mertoddler to play on the neighborhood playground. (I've been too nervous about germs to let him play previously). I can't even begin to describe how nice it was to see my parents again after 5 months! But it was so hard not to hug them.
I was able to schedule a surprise visit to a local petting zoo last week. They're allowing people to reserve an hour to come visit the animals. They clean and sanitize everything for each family and only allow immediate family members with the reservation. So, Mertoddler and I got an entire hour to ourselves! He rode a pony for the first time and loved it! We got to pet goats, bunnies, ducks, chickens, pigs, and sheep. They had a stall full of construction vehicles so we spent a lot of our time playing in there. And we ran around outside to play in the little clubhouses they had. It was the most excitement we'd had in weeks and Mertoddler did not want to leave!
Since then, we've ventured out to a couple of restaurants, which still makes me very nervous so we'll probably hold off on doing that again anytime soon. We went to the real zoo, as they have reopened for members only. And they have it really well planned out. First, we had to reserve a time to visit online. When we arrived, they scanned our reservation and our Membership card. Once inside, we had to follow the arrows through the zoo. At each exhibit, there were taped off boxes letting us know where to stand to see the animals. There were hand sanitizing stations everywhere and the zoo staff were there to enforce safety measures. It was highly recommended that visitors wear masks, which many of us did. All buildings, playgrounds, rides, etc. inside the zoo are closed. Even so, we had a GREAT time and Mertoddler cried when we had to leave. He's been begging to go back so I think we'll be doing that again soon.
This weekend, we got really brave and attended a low-country boil across the street at the neighbors' house. It was their family, a couple friends, and us. We were outside the entire time but I'm really hoping we didn't take too much of a risk by going over there. Our neighbor introduced Mertoddler to the skateboard. His eyes lit up on that first ride and he kept jumping back on to try it again. This daredevil kid of mine is going to give me severe anxiety one day.
Mertoddler stayed at my mom's house last night. His first sleepover since December. Everyone had such a time! Merman and I finally had some alone time. We rented a movie and ordered pizza. WE got some laundry and cleaning done. AND we napped and slept in. It was pretty amazing. But I missed my little buddy so much.
I think we're going to take it easy the next two weeks just to ensure that all of our adventures this week didn't expose us to the virus. My uncle is currently in the hospital because of it and his daughter (my cousin) is at home with milder symptoms.
Daycare will be opening back up soon and I'd really like Mertoddler to be able to return for 1-2 days.
So we'll be taking it easy and enjoying more time at home after a busy week of going out into the world again.
I can't wait for that anatomy scan tomorrow! EEEEeeeeeeekkkk!!!!
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| My latest Bump artwork. I'll be updating it to say 20 weeks in just one week! |
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