Going to...."school"...

Lately, we've been using the term school to reference Ginger going to her daycare, as Ms. Maureen is spending an hour or two daily on teaching pre-pre-school lessons. Ginger is learning her colors, of which her favorites to say are "yellow" and "blue". She would say yellow all day long if I didn't try to change the subject. It is absolutely adorable, I must say!

This morning was not a typical waking of Ginger (she never wakes on her own, I have to get her up at 7:15-7:30, otherwise she'd sleep until 8:15-8:30am. Around 6:55am, I hear her SCREAM bloody murder through the monitor, scream like I haven't heard her scream in a LONG time! I rush in to get her and she had her blanket stuck over her head and I think it scared her. She frightens me by enjoying sleeping with her blanket over her head, almost every day I go in to wake her up and her head is covered with her blanket. Well, today she got to join Mommy and Daddy in bed for a little snuggle time, which is pretty rare given she is usually the last one out of bed in the mornings!

After snuggles, she and I sat and ate some breakfast while Dad got ready, then we switched places and he took Ginger off to school. While waiting for Dad to finish getting ready, Ginger decided she wanted to play with her kitchen for a bit. I took a few quick snaps- and looking at these amazes me at how big she is. She's a full blown toddler girl- no baby left in her!

It's a......GIRL!

On Thursday Paul and I FINALLY were able to have our 2nd ultrasound completed and found out that we are being blessed with another sweet baby girl. I say finally because in hindsite, we should have just made an appointment at our 4D ultrasound place to find out earlier, like we had with Ginger. I think because you pay there, the staff is just more warm, friendly, and gives you a moment of excitement, and generally seems like they care. In the situation this time, not so much. We had an overworked 6 foot tall amazon woman who seemed more interested in getting the shots she needed to get this "over with" than providing an experience. So, if we do this again, we'll definitely go to our 4D place first.

That said, she did take all of her neccessary pics and scans first, and then asked (flatly) "so you want to know what it is?" and we screamed YES! She said, it's a girl! I started laughing, saying "No way" and Paul was just silent with a little smile on his face. We both really did think it was a boy this time around, although in the back of my mind I actually DID know it was a girl. But I didn't trust my intution because with Ginger I really did think it was a boy.

We went out for ice cream after to celebrate, and of course started visualizing our life to be. We shared positive thoughts of a close sister bond, reusing all of Gingers (HUGE bins) of clothes, watching a 2nd girl and their unique differences, etc. We also talked about what scared us a little, having the expense of a 2nd wedding, the fright of a 2nd PMSing teenager, and the crazy squabbels that I'm SURE Ginger and her little sis will have. But I think overall we are more pleased than anything that we know, we can plan, visualize, and dream over the next 20 more weeks until baby arrives.

We picked up Ginger afterwards and told her the good news that she is getting a sister. She seemed happy enough, but yesterday I went out and bought her her first baby doll (girl) that takes a bottle, laughs, and cries, and she has NOT let it go. She is even napping right now with it in her crib. When I told her it was nap time, she squeezed it tight and looked at me with these eyes of "can I Pleeeease sleep with her?" and I couldn't resist. She laid right down in her crib and squeezed baby doll tightly and kissed her on the cheek as I exited the room.

Ginger is going to make a great big sister, we just know it. We are SO blessed and thankful for where we are in our lives right now. It is so exciting!

Beach trip- party of "4"

18 month Doctor's appointment

Our Ginger is a well baby, that's for sure! This morning was her 18 month check up, and I decided to bring Paul along because I was so nervous about having her get shots being so aware of what was to come. I completely overreacted, of course. She was fine!

First, Ginger weighed in at 23.8 lbs, and was measured to be 33 1/2 inches tall (no longer called "long"- that was always so weird to me!) We get to see her growth chart on the computer which shows that she is in the 95% for height, and right at 50% for weight. Dr. Shah couldn't be happier- he said kids no longer are measured in a "good" category if they are too high on the weight chart, so the goal these days is 50%. And this girl can chow some food, so she has a healthy little metabolism and digestive system.

Dr. Shah always brings in a new book for Ginger, this time it was "Clifford goes to Bed". He reads the book to Ginger, which talks about mommy taking clifford into his bedroom, then getting his teddy bear, then getting a blanket, then getting a kiss goodnight. On each page, before he would say what Clifford would get, he asked Ginger the question- what is he getting? Proud mom alert- she got each one right- teddy bear, blanket, kiss.

As we were waiting for the nurse to return with the shot, I explained to Paul that that was a test, that Dr. Shah was watching for Ginger's ability to listen and pay attention, her verbal skills, etc. He was dumbfounded- totally thought Dr. Shah was just a hell of a doctor, giving Ginger a new book and actually reading it to her. We both laughed about that...

Then nurse comes back in, and 1-2-3 Ginger gets her shot, cries a few tears, and then is back to her old self again. Thank goodness she only got 1 shot today, Hepatitis A. Afterwards, we all go out to a family breakfast at our favorite hole-in-the-wall restaurant called Kountry Folks. Ginger LOVES eggs, sausage, hash browns, french toast, she is JUST like her mommy in loving breakfast foods. Here is a few pics we snapped- clearly this girl was NOT phased by her shot, right???

4th of July at Big Bear Lake

Being pregnant makes summer holidays a little difficult, in my mind. There is no glass of wine, rarely can you make it past 11pm at the latest, sleeping is good, but not great, and of course, being pregnant with a toddler means the show never stops. So, with that in mind, I decided it was time for our family to head up to the mountains, to experience something new for our first family vacation. Big Bear is only 90 minutes away from us, and we could rent an entire cabin for the same price as getting a hotel room by the beach. Woody was invited as well, but we've found that Woody is more like a cat on vacations, than a dog. He just wanted to sleep, upstairs in the bedroom, and didn't even notice the squirrels, bunnies, etc. outdoors in the backyard. Lazy, lazy dog.

We arrived on Friday and set up shop. The cabin was even better than the pictures, as the owner had purchased a new sectional couch and new bed linens which were mountainy and fabulous. That evening we went to venture out for our first meal, and decided to stop at Village Pizza, which was a good choice.






The next morning, we woke up bright and early, and had mama's big breakfast of eggs, sausage, english muffins, and mini doughnuts (hey, it's vacation!) We packed a bag and headed out to Big Bear Marina, to pick up our pontoon boat we rented for several hours until lunchtime. I grew up on a lake, always water skiing, vacationing on a houseboat, and boating in general, so it was clear that Ginger has my love of being on the water! She ADORED being on the boat, never complained or whined once, despite a life jacket that was a little big and made it hard to sit down! Her favorite spot was definitely at the front of the boat, where she could feel the water splash on her face and the wind through her hair. It was an unforgettable experience. Dad did a great job driving, and both Paul and I marveled at all of the amazing homes on the lakefront.





That afternoon we played outside at the cabin, and then headed out for dinner to a Mexican restuarant called El Jacajitos. I name it because it was delish! I even ordered a virgin margarita that tasted pretty good, for being virgin.






We all slept in on Sunday morning (yes, Ginger sleeps these days from 8pm to as late as 8:30am, if I let her! She is an awesome sleeper, takes a 2-3 hour nap every day from 12:30-3:00 or so!) and then after getting ready for the day, we headed over to the Big Bear zoo to check out the alpine animals. It was just amazing to watch Ginger act so independently, she wanted to walk on her own, point at the animals, chat with mom and dad (and others) and generally she acts about 5 or 6 years old most days. It's pretty unreal.







We stopped by a few antique shops, then headed home for lunch and a nap. We decided to just enjoy the cabin for the afternoon, and then headed over the village in Big Bear to walk through some of the shops. We ate dinner at a great little place called the Peppercorn grill, and even got some gelato for dessert across the street at the candy store. We planned on calling it an evening, and went back to the cabin for bathtime for Ginger, and put her in her jammies. Then, we looked at the clock, and it was a little after 8pm. Ginger was in a great mood, and we decided in the spur of the moment to pack up, drive down to the lake, and see if we could possibly find a place to park and pop open the back of my SUV to watch the fireworks for a few minutes. Well, we were in luck! Though the entire area around the lake was PACKED, we found an open parking space quickly, found a plce to sit quickly, and had time to spare before the show started! Thank goodness for green grapes- gave Ginger just the sugar high she needed to make it to the 9pm show (that is a huge stretch for her!) We had the most wonderful moment as a family, watching the fireworks together. This is what the trip was for- to make memories, to enjoy each other, and to remember this special moment when we were just a one child family.







All in all, this was a trip we will never forget. Thank you Ginger Lauren, for being such a special little girl. We are so blessed and thankful for your beautiful spirit each day. I love being your mommy, and Dad loves being your daddy, you completely and utterly melt our hearts each and every day (let's see if that still rings true when you're a vivacious teenager!!)

A Sunny Summer Afternoon....

called for a new water sprinkler toy! I thought Ginger would love it, but she kind of just stood there, looked at it, ran her hands through the water for a minute, and then pointed to the pool like "what's the point of this when we have that huge pool over there!?!" So mama and Ginger went swimming in the pool. Oh well, she sure looks cute in her little bathing suit!

My big girl...

I've been posting a lot lately about pregnancy #2, so I thought I would share a few pics I took of big girl (17 months) Ginger today. These were taken during her afternoon snack (her favorite- string cheese) right after her nap, which means she had the funniest bed head that was too cute to resist.

I love how she's posing here- a little hip swing that's too cute!



Still working on filling out the 18 month clothes...


Her best "it wasn't me, Mom!" expression...


she gets VERY intense with her artwork (just like Daddy...)


Caught on the table!!! Look at that smile, she is fully aware that she doesn't belong up there (and yet Mom is snapping photos...probably not the best way to help her get the message)

First pics of our little nugget

Drs appt #1 with baby #2

I still think it's just CRAZY that I am starting to talk about baby #2. Some days I feel completely unprepared for what is to come, and all I can do is focus on all of the wonderful, positive emotions and experiences we had with Ginger as a newborn.

Today, my doctor's appointment finally arrived and I got to go see our little nugget. Dr. Basu waits until at least 8 weeks, unless you are high risk, so it was killing me to wait so long! I actually thought I was 9 1/2 weeks along, but it turns out I am 8 weeks, 4 days. So our due date has been pushed back to December 16th. Yes, folks, just 9 days before Christmas we will be having our child (more or less!) Pure craziness...

Dr. Basu is the most wonderful doctor, and if you've read my blog from the start you'll know I've gone through 3 OB/GYNs due to job changes, and preferences. But she, my friends, is wonderful! She came into the office and HUGGED me, and said she couldn't wait to see the little one so she asked if we could start with the ultrasound first. UM, YEAH! I said, of course! She is just so friendly, and positive, I feel like I'm talking with my friend (who happens to know everything about everything!) She said the baby looks fantastic, no visible issues (of course, this is only 8 weeks) and gave me the low-down on everything I'd half-forgot about since going through this pregnancy the first time around. She approved my approach of 2 children's multivitamins with a side dose of folic acid (I'd read it cuts down on the 1st trimester nausea, and as noted earlier I have has MUCH less nausea). Later in my 2nd trimester I'll need to add a few more supplments, which she specified.

All in all, I left the hospital almost skipping through the lobby. I called Paul and shared all the news, and he can't wait to see the ultrasound pics when he gets home. While this all is still a bit surreal, being back at the 3rd floor of Kaiser made it a bit more real today. I am such a happy girl! (Oh yeah, but still tired!)

First trimester- must not forgets!!

So, although last time around I felt like I blogged pretty frequently, I realized that as I am going through this for a 2nd time, I can barely remember certain things about the 1st time around. I figured it might make sense to jot down a couple of notes based on what I'm dealing with now, especially as it seems so differnet than the first time!

Week 5- I was actually convinced week 4 that I was pregnant, but waited just a few days to deal with it. So during week 5, I didn't really feel different, other than the fact that I had a LOT of anxiety that AGAIN, this was not planned. I went through a pretty easy pregnancy the first time around, but my life around me crashed and took a different direction than I anticipated- I switched jobs at 5 months (mistake) and I was laid off the day I was leaving for maternity leave (mistake 2). So this time around, I am cautious to make sure I don't make any huge and/or rash decisions- hence the anxiety!

Week 6- ok this is for real. I am starting to feel tired and have begun to feel nauseous. But it's a different type of nausea than with Ginger- much lighter, and more dizzy than feeling like I need to puke. Plus it's one day on, one day off it seems, but I am tired every day. I'm also already thinking about Ginger, and how she is not going to be the center of our world anymore. Of course, we'll make sure the impact is minimal, but let's face it- her world is going to change BIG time. She'll adjust, and will come to love her new brother or sister, but I just reveled in the thought that she doesn't know how good she's got it, right now (and probably that applies to US as well!!)

Week 7: TIRED. All I want to do is sleep, but it's totally different this time around. With Ginger the world doesn't stop because I feel like taking a nap. Even with Paul picking up some extra duties, I just can't lounge in bed whenever I feel like it, and it's hard to make this adjustment! Luckily, as soon as we realized this was real, Paul agreed that we would hire a permenant housekeeper to clean and do laundry which I am so thankful for!! The nausea is now a daily thing- I can't eat dinner, or really anything after 3pm for fear of how it makes me feel. So I eat a hearty breakfast, and early lunch, and then make the best of the rest of the day. I decided to tell my boss because I can't seem to make it through the 3-5pm time period some days. He is amazing- tells me to nap, rest, take care of myself, and to work when I'm up to it. He even send me a card, and wrote the following inside:

Wendy,
Just wanted to let you know how excited I am for you and your growing family. Thank you for all of your hard word and tenacity to find great Rx talent for Target. Take care of yourself and make sure you amintain balance when things get stressful. We are SO lucky to have you on our team!

I wanted to write this out, so that I never forget how it feels to have a supportive, understanding boss. He's just the best!!!

Week 8-Did I mention I am TIRED? That's all I can say about this first trimester, it seems, I am not really naseous anymore (whereas with Ginger it lasted a good 5-6 weeks, so I feel SO blessed!) but now I am taking a quick nap after lunch, and again before I go pick up Ginger at 5:00. Luckily I can pick up the slack (as far as work) once she goes to sleep at 8pm. I feel like I am already showing, the top of my abdomen is already slightly bulging, and when I push on it I can already feel my uterus and it's just crazy. Note to self: if/when we have our 3rd child, I will PLAN when it will happen, and I will also be in GREAT shape in preparation. I still have 15 pounds I've hung onto from Ginger, so I'm going to have to be VERY careful this time around with gaining weight. Story of my life, sheesh!