Picking out a name is always the hardest part for us. I have two girl names that have been picked out for quite awhile. While we may never be able to use them (or maybe we will...depends on how crazy two kids drive me), we still have them in our back pocket. I picked out both of our girl options and Jason agreed with them.
Naming a boy though? So much harder! We had a hard time agreeing on Brody's name. We argued so much during the early pregnancy, that we stopped talking about boy names until we knew for sure. Then Brody was the first name we liked, so we picked it and stuck with it.
I figured it would be the same way again. We discussed two names at great length. Jason had his top name and I had mine. We truly couldn't compromise on either.
Jay's top name: Mitchell
Kellie's top name: Liam
Then, there was a name that has been in the back of my head for a really really long time. I come from a strong Irish heritage (my Dad is a full-bred Irishman), so I've always really like celtic boy names (hence Brody and Liam). So there was a name I read in a book that took place in Ireland that I really liked.
But...within a year or so, this became a super popular name. Since my name is Kellie and we already have a common last name, I was trying to stay away from something too popular. But then when I fell in love with Liam and realized it was also on the top 10 list, I no longer had an argument against picking a popular name.
Despite having a popular name, I enjoy the fact that most Kellie's are spelled Kelly. Therefore, the fact that we decided to go with a more traditional Gaelic spelling instead of the modern spelling, would set our son apart (slightly) from the many boys that will inevitably have the same name as him
So, without further rambling, in September we will be welcoming...
Aedan Andrew
...to the world.
I also love that to honor another family member, we've chosen another one of our brothers for the middle name. Brody being named after my younger brother Daniel, Aedan will be named after Jason's younger brother Andy.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
19 Weeks
How far along? 19 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: Apparently around 6 lbs since I actually weighed myself this morning.
Maternity clothes? Hopefully all the money I spent in the last couple of weeks will hold me over for the next 21 weeks.
Sleep: Officially started having difficulty sleeping this week. I need to implement the pillow system I had with Brody and hope that it helps! 4-5 pillows should do the trick. ;)
Best moment this week: Finding some maternity clothes I actually like
Food cravings: Root beer float -- yum!
Gender: Little man
Labor Signs: Other than some braxton hicks, nothing, which is a good thing.
What I miss: Every once and awhile I do wish for a glass of sweet white wine...
What I am looking forward to: Seeing my baby boy again!! This upcoming week we'll be doing our 20 week anatomy scan. Reassurance that everything looks healthy and it's still a baby boy. So very very excited!
Milestones: Getting big enough that it's hard to sleep on my stomach.
Differences between 1 & 2: Time really does seem to be flying by with this one. It started out slow, but the last 8-9 weeks seem to have flown by.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Favorite Words
Of course I loved the moments that Brody said "Mama" for the first time, or when he started calling me Mommy instead. I even loved it when he realized my name was Kellie and listening to him try to pronounce it is pretty cute.
However, my absolute favorite words, so far, haven't been the most common ones.
There is just something cute about little kids saying things that you wouldn't expect them to say. For instance, the first time Brody said "Bless you" when I sneezed, was absolutely the cutest most adorable thing I had ever heard him say.
Another cute one? When he started saying, "excuse me" when he was done eating, in order to be excused from the table, instead of just "all-done." They taught him that one at school, but it was just such a polite thing to come out of a 2 year-old's mouth!
My newest favorite words? "You okay Mama?"
This usually happens if I drop something, or hurt myself and yell something I probably shouldn't in front of a 2 year old (though I'm getting really good at keeping the swearing to a minimum, I still need to watch the words like "crap").
This morning, I dropped my cell phone in the hallway and Brody was still laying in his crib (he does this when he doesn't want to get out of bed in the morning).
All of a sudden I hear from the other end of the hall, "You okay Mama??" It's the one of the sweetest 3 words that come out of his mouth...and I love it.
However, my absolute favorite words, so far, haven't been the most common ones.
There is just something cute about little kids saying things that you wouldn't expect them to say. For instance, the first time Brody said "Bless you" when I sneezed, was absolutely the cutest most adorable thing I had ever heard him say.
Another cute one? When he started saying, "excuse me" when he was done eating, in order to be excused from the table, instead of just "all-done." They taught him that one at school, but it was just such a polite thing to come out of a 2 year-old's mouth!
My newest favorite words? "You okay Mama?"
This usually happens if I drop something, or hurt myself and yell something I probably shouldn't in front of a 2 year old (though I'm getting really good at keeping the swearing to a minimum, I still need to watch the words like "crap").
This morning, I dropped my cell phone in the hallway and Brody was still laying in his crib (he does this when he doesn't want to get out of bed in the morning).
All of a sudden I hear from the other end of the hall, "You okay Mama??" It's the one of the sweetest 3 words that come out of his mouth...and I love it.
Friday, April 20, 2012
18 Weeks
How far along? 18 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: ~2lbs I actually haven't weighed myself yet this week though...
Maternity clothes? Great sale online this week, anxiously waiting for my clothes to arrive and heading to shop for more this weekend. Also hoping it will warm up soon!
Sleep: Noticing sciatic pain at night, but luckily not enough to keep me from sleeping. I'm still constantly exhausted.
Best moment this week: Sharing the big news with the world...and sharing it will one of my besties last weekend. (Yes, I use the word bestie)
Food cravings: Nothing major. Though the Toppersstix I had this week were amazing.
Gender: Another baby boy!! I couldn't be more thrilled. Brody has so much to teach his little brother and I know he's going to love having another boy around to play with. And clearly, we make amazing little boys, so I can't wait to have a second one.
Labor Signs: Surprisingly I've noticed braxton hicks contractions already. Though, I never knew what they felt like last time, so I probably had them, but now that I know what it is, I've definitely noticed them.
What I miss: My energy. Could somebody send some extra energy my way? Please?
What I am looking forward to: Nursery decorating, plus digging out all Brody's baby clothes. He had so many adorable outfits that he barely wore. I can't wait to use them again! Then once I do that, I can see how much more I can buy without Jason yelling at me.
Milestones: Since I didn't put it last week, the biggest milestone over the last two weeks was definitely the "It's a BOY!" moment.
Differences between 1 & 2: Now that we know it's a boy and pretty much have settled on a name (to be shared shortly...), it's been so much fun talking to Brody about the baby. He routinely gives his little brother hugs and kisses and talks to me about him. It's obviously a very abstract concept for him, and he knows that his brother is "very little" and is going to be "sleeping" a little while longer before he can see him. But I hope talking about him over and over will help Brody prepare more once the baby is here.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Gender Neutral
One of the best things about toddlers is that they don't understand "boy-things" vs. "girl-things." Gender specific toys, colors, etc. are obviously things that society teaches us over time (which is annoyingly dumb.)
Brody does a lot of typical "boy" things. Many of them are learned from his father and cousins, and some might just be genetic. He loves sports, getting dirty and is fearless. Though I know a lot of girls like that too....
Then the more interesting ones. Brody loves putting "pretties" in his hair. This is what the teachers at school call pony-tail holders. They are constantly putting his hair up. Now that he's older, it's always because he asks for one, not because the teachers think it's cute. Also, he loves putting on my shoes. He doesn't care that they're "girl" shoes, he just likes putting them on! He plays with a dollhouse at daycare and isn't afraid to wear pink. I love that he doesn't care and he is just being himself.
Now for my minor gripe...why does everything we purchase have to be gender specific?? A couple weeks ago, we went to pick out a toilet seat. We want Brody to feel very excited about potty training (we're still in the introduction stage), so we let him have a lot of choice. I told him he could pick out his own seat.
Which one did he pick? The Dora one! Yes it was pink, no big deal. Now for the problem...it didn't have a splash guard. For those of you with boys, you know what this is, but it's a plastic piece that goes in the front of the seat to ensure that his pee actually ends up in the toilet and not all over the bathroom. The Cars toilet seat had one, the Diego seat had one...but the Dora one? Nope! Because clearly only girls can have a Dora seat. I was a little annoyed. Luckily we convinced Brody that the blue Diego seat was just as cool.
Clothing is pretty much the same issue. Boys apparently all like cars, dinosaurs and sports. Of course go in the girls department and even though there is more selection, you'll definitely notice A LOT of pink. I'm sure that drives moms of girls a little crazy too. Not everyone loves pink. (Though I'll admit if I had a girl, I'd probably go overboard on pink)
I'm just happy that Jason is secure enough not to care when Brody wants his hair done or plays with dolls. Boys will be boys...and a little bit girly too.
Brody does a lot of typical "boy" things. Many of them are learned from his father and cousins, and some might just be genetic. He loves sports, getting dirty and is fearless. Though I know a lot of girls like that too....
Then the more interesting ones. Brody loves putting "pretties" in his hair. This is what the teachers at school call pony-tail holders. They are constantly putting his hair up. Now that he's older, it's always because he asks for one, not because the teachers think it's cute. Also, he loves putting on my shoes. He doesn't care that they're "girl" shoes, he just likes putting them on! He plays with a dollhouse at daycare and isn't afraid to wear pink. I love that he doesn't care and he is just being himself.
Now for my minor gripe...why does everything we purchase have to be gender specific?? A couple weeks ago, we went to pick out a toilet seat. We want Brody to feel very excited about potty training (we're still in the introduction stage), so we let him have a lot of choice. I told him he could pick out his own seat.
Which one did he pick? The Dora one! Yes it was pink, no big deal. Now for the problem...it didn't have a splash guard. For those of you with boys, you know what this is, but it's a plastic piece that goes in the front of the seat to ensure that his pee actually ends up in the toilet and not all over the bathroom. The Cars toilet seat had one, the Diego seat had one...but the Dora one? Nope! Because clearly only girls can have a Dora seat. I was a little annoyed. Luckily we convinced Brody that the blue Diego seat was just as cool.
Clothing is pretty much the same issue. Boys apparently all like cars, dinosaurs and sports. Of course go in the girls department and even though there is more selection, you'll definitely notice A LOT of pink. I'm sure that drives moms of girls a little crazy too. Not everyone loves pink. (Though I'll admit if I had a girl, I'd probably go overboard on pink)
I'm just happy that Jason is secure enough not to care when Brody wants his hair done or plays with dolls. Boys will be boys...and a little bit girly too.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Drumroll please...
It's a BOY!
How we found out:
Overall, this pregnancy has been more stressful on me than the last. On top of that/because of that, I haven't felt as connected to this baby has with Brody. One night, during my exhaustion, I decided to start looking up places that do elective ultrasounds. During my first pregnancy, I thought paying for an extra ultrasound was the dumbest thing ever. Obviously this time around, I realized the value in doing one...
I did some research and made an appointment at the only place in our area that I could find. They specifically do a gender determination ultrasound anytime after 16 weeks. I scheduled ours for 16 weeks, 1 day. I was really excited to find a way to connect with the baby, and on top of it, bring Brody with to see the baby.
We were lucky to get great pictures at the ultrasound and they were really nice and patient in getting him to the right position. We even got several 3D pictures. He was stubborn at first, but we got him in the right position eventually. Originaly we were worried that we would be told the wrong gender and find out something different at the 20 week anatomy scan. Then, we got a 3D shot of the "goods." There is no denying it, it's a boy!
Brody was very facinated at first, mostly watching what she was doing with the wand. Kind of like, the "what are you doing to my mommy?" Then he looked at the baby on the TV screen for a little bit while Jason pointed out his head, hands, etc. He was mildly interested, but then had more fun running around the room. This is exactly why we let him come to this ultrasound instead of one at the doctor's office. These places are set up to accomodate other children and are understanding if he wants to run around the room. It was a great experience.
How we found out:
Overall, this pregnancy has been more stressful on me than the last. On top of that/because of that, I haven't felt as connected to this baby has with Brody. One night, during my exhaustion, I decided to start looking up places that do elective ultrasounds. During my first pregnancy, I thought paying for an extra ultrasound was the dumbest thing ever. Obviously this time around, I realized the value in doing one...
I did some research and made an appointment at the only place in our area that I could find. They specifically do a gender determination ultrasound anytime after 16 weeks. I scheduled ours for 16 weeks, 1 day. I was really excited to find a way to connect with the baby, and on top of it, bring Brody with to see the baby.
We were lucky to get great pictures at the ultrasound and they were really nice and patient in getting him to the right position. We even got several 3D pictures. He was stubborn at first, but we got him in the right position eventually. Originaly we were worried that we would be told the wrong gender and find out something different at the 20 week anatomy scan. Then, we got a 3D shot of the "goods." There is no denying it, it's a boy!
Brody was very facinated at first, mostly watching what she was doing with the wand. Kind of like, the "what are you doing to my mommy?" Then he looked at the baby on the TV screen for a little bit while Jason pointed out his head, hands, etc. He was mildly interested, but then had more fun running around the room. This is exactly why we let him come to this ultrasound instead of one at the doctor's office. These places are set up to accomodate other children and are understanding if he wants to run around the room. It was a great experience.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
17 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 2lbs
Maternity clothes? Need.to.shop.
Sleep: Yes please! Took naps both days this weekend and it was amazing. I felt so much better those days when I got the extra sleep.
Best moment this week: Will post about that later...
Food cravings: Nothing exciting.
Gender: TBD - but, stay tuned...
Labor Signs: No.
What I miss: My normal jeans! I hate maternity jeans. No matter which ones I buy, they always end up falling down and I'm constantly adjusting them.
What I am looking forward to: Working on the nursery, as well as Brody's big-boy room.
Milestones: It was a good week.
Differences between 1 & 2: Honestly this entire pregnancy has been much different than the first one. That was definitely to be expected, but somethings have surprised me (and made me mad...). First, one of the best differences, I felt this baby much sooner than with Brody. There is nothing more reassuring than that flutter of movement, or rolling feeling that just reminds you that there's a little baby in there! Some of the not-so-great differences: significantly more headaches (migraines completely went away with Brody - not so lucky this time!), more morning sickness and heartburn already! The thing that surprised me the most is that I've already started having some backaches. I'm not that big! It comes with the territory I guess. I'm just looking forward to the weather warming up again so we can do more walking outside and keep my muscles in shape a little better.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
3rd Annual Opening Day
As planned, we were able to take Brody to his 3rd opening day at Miller Park. The last two years were relatively successful. We knew it would be a little more challenging with a two year old, but looked forward to the day.
Tailgating was a must, so we grilled out, played catch in the parking lot and ate lunch. As always, we had to make sure he stayed away from the grill, but he did a great job listening and eating lunch in a lawn chair.
Inside the park, Brody spotted Bernie Brewer. He was so excited to run up to him and wanted to say hi, but once we got close up he became scared. It was better than our Santa 2011 fail, but he still wasn't loving him. Then of course all day he wanted to go find Bernie.
During the game, Brody actually did really well. Ironically, we ended up knowing the people sitting next to us (friend of a friend thing), so it was nice to have people around that were being really nice when Brody got a little restless. I'm not afraid to admit that I brought my iPad with and Brody did watch a TV show for a little bit during the game.
Naptime on opening day? Nonexistent. But, Brody handled it well and there were no meltdowns. We left the game during the 7th inning stretch (we were getting killed, so it wasn't a good game anyway). But it was already 6 by the time we left and it had been a long day.
After repeatedly telling us on the way to the car, "no bedtime!", Brody passed out minutes into the drive home. Note that he took the hat off, but didn't let go of it.
 |
| Go Brewers! |
We headed into the park early to look at the Brewers gear and get settled into our seats. Brody got a new hat, which I don't think he took off for 2 days. Then it was nice to be in there early so that he could sit in his own seat for awhile. We decided with our tickets this year (and the other 10 games we have tickets for) to keep him on our laps, and not get him his own seat. This may have been a mistake. He did a great job sitting in the seat before the people next to us got there. Next year, since he'll be over 3, he'll need his own seat anyway, but I wish we had invested in it in this year. Oh well!
Naptime on opening day? Nonexistent. But, Brody handled it well and there were no meltdowns. We left the game during the 7th inning stretch (we were getting killed, so it wasn't a good game anyway). But it was already 6 by the time we left and it had been a long day.
After repeatedly telling us on the way to the car, "no bedtime!", Brody passed out minutes into the drive home. Note that he took the hat off, but didn't let go of it.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
16 Weeks
How far along? 16 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 2lbs
Maternity clothes? All the time. Though I definitely need to do more shopping. Being pregnant at two different times of the year means I need to go shopping...so my wardrobe is a little limited these days.
Sleep: Still exhausted all the time and really hoping it gets better soon.
Best moment this week: Another good checkup & hearing the baby's heartbeat.
Food cravings: Nothing in particular. Fattening foods sound good to me a lot lately, but I'm trying to be smarter about my food habits this time around.
Gender: TBD - but, stay tuned...
Labor Signs: No.
What I miss: Sometimes after a stressful day...a glass of wine. But, that's one that I can get over missing.
What I am looking forward to: Getting more energy. And finding out if it's a boy or girl!
Milestones: Feeling the baby. I've been feeling movement for a few weeks, but it's been really nice to remember that there's a little one in there!
Differences between 1 & 2: This is probably obvious to those who read the blog. But I haven't been tracking this pregnancy or as involved in it as I was with Brody. It's obviously just the beginning of many differences with a second child, but I can't already help feeling guilty. It's been a little more difficult for me to connect with this baby than I did with Brody. All I had to worry about with Brody was him and Jason. I could focus on taking care of myself and thinking about the baby. Now, taking care of a 2 year old, while pregnant doesn't give me that luxury. I know it's typical, but definitely a difference from last time.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Why it's so much harder the second time
If I'm going to be honest (which I really try to do on this blog, but sometimes am not as blunt as I could be), this pregnancy is 10x harder for me than the first.
For starters, this little man...
...is definitely going through an interesting phase right now. I use the word interesting, because even though I want to use a much harsher word at this point in our lives, I know it's not really that bad. But, let's face it, I'm stubborn and can be sassy. Jason? Well he's definitely stubborn, and strong-willed. So the fact that our sweet adorable little son would be stubborn? Strong-willed? Shouldn't be a surprise!!
Brody is at a stage where he can verbalize what he wants, but isn't old enough to understand that sometimes you just don't get what you want. This ensues with a lot of arguments about what to eat, how late he can stay up, whether or not he can watch tv...etc. Then there is the utter defiance when he doesn't get what he wants. He doesn't know how to show frusteration, so there is a lot of screaming in our faces and every once and awhile, hitting.
All of this is hard enough for any parent to deal with (it's just a phase though, right?!?), then add pregnancy stress, nausea and exhaustion on top of it? It definitely doesn't help.
Which brings me to how my second child is treating me (not that I can blame a baby in utero). But my nausea has been much worse with this little one and the exhaustion is probably the same, but much harder to manage with a two-year old to take care of.
Then...if all of this didn't make it a more difficult pregnancy...
I started a new job (same company, new position). Yes, this was a very good thing for me and my career. It was totally the right thing, and I am very excited/happy about it. But good stress is still stress. Learning something new, taking on a young (experience-wise) team and trying to improve things requires a lot of time and effort.
Then on top of everything else, Jason is going through a lot of turnover at his work, which with his lovely title of VP, makes him responsible for picking up the slack. Which makes him just as tired and stressed at the end of the day as I am (well I've got the baby-making thing tiring me out, so maybe he's not quite as tired as I am...)
Of course add all of this up and I realize that I haven't focused on baby#2 very much. When you're pregnant with your first, it's all you can think about and so much of your focus. So when I realize I'm already 16 weeks pregnant and time is flying by, I feel bad that I am not as connected to this baby as I was to Brody.
Things were so much easier the first time around. Don't even remind me how much harder having two children to look after is going to be!!
For starters, this little man...
...is definitely going through an interesting phase right now. I use the word interesting, because even though I want to use a much harsher word at this point in our lives, I know it's not really that bad. But, let's face it, I'm stubborn and can be sassy. Jason? Well he's definitely stubborn, and strong-willed. So the fact that our sweet adorable little son would be stubborn? Strong-willed? Shouldn't be a surprise!!
Brody is at a stage where he can verbalize what he wants, but isn't old enough to understand that sometimes you just don't get what you want. This ensues with a lot of arguments about what to eat, how late he can stay up, whether or not he can watch tv...etc. Then there is the utter defiance when he doesn't get what he wants. He doesn't know how to show frusteration, so there is a lot of screaming in our faces and every once and awhile, hitting.
All of this is hard enough for any parent to deal with (it's just a phase though, right?!?), then add pregnancy stress, nausea and exhaustion on top of it? It definitely doesn't help.
Which brings me to how my second child is treating me (not that I can blame a baby in utero). But my nausea has been much worse with this little one and the exhaustion is probably the same, but much harder to manage with a two-year old to take care of.
Then...if all of this didn't make it a more difficult pregnancy...
I started a new job (same company, new position). Yes, this was a very good thing for me and my career. It was totally the right thing, and I am very excited/happy about it. But good stress is still stress. Learning something new, taking on a young (experience-wise) team and trying to improve things requires a lot of time and effort.
Then on top of everything else, Jason is going through a lot of turnover at his work, which with his lovely title of VP, makes him responsible for picking up the slack. Which makes him just as tired and stressed at the end of the day as I am (well I've got the baby-making thing tiring me out, so maybe he's not quite as tired as I am...)
Of course add all of this up and I realize that I haven't focused on baby#2 very much. When you're pregnant with your first, it's all you can think about and so much of your focus. So when I realize I'm already 16 weeks pregnant and time is flying by, I feel bad that I am not as connected to this baby as I was to Brody.
Things were so much easier the first time around. Don't even remind me how much harder having two children to look after is going to be!!
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