12 week ultrasound

we decided to do the "bun" screening to test for down syndrome and other trisomy disorders. i enjoy the ultrasound part of the process (of course!) and we got some great pictures of little baby 2.0. husband and finn were along and it was great to share that experience with the soon-to-be big brother.







the last one is the top of the head with tiny little hands! we did have a u/s at around 6 weeks and were able to see the little speck with a heartbeat and it was so amazing to see the changes in just 6 weeks. the baby kept bring its hand near its mouth like a tiny wave and did a few jumps. the heartbeat was 147 bpm. the bridge of the nose is present and the fold at the back of the neck was within the expected range.

to complete the testing, i had to produce enough blood via finger prick to cover 4 circles on the test strip. as i mentioned a time or two, i don't do well with blood. not at all. at my first appointment (where they take all of your blood and leave you with almost none) i asked to lay down first and in the middle (needle in) i got really sick and a passing ultrasound tech had to come in and hold a trash bag near my face while cooling my forehead with a wet cloth. i am embarrassed when this happens but i have no control over it and try as i might, i couldn't even make it through the finger prick without a scene. after i left the chair i was feeling sick but ok, but as soon as i walked into the main part of the hospital i got dizzy and confused. i handed my husband my water and coat and someone saw me struggling and offered to help. they pointed me to the bathroom and i tossed my cookies (err, salad, which is awful, honestly.). multiple times. over a finger prick!

i guess it was all worth it when i got the call a week later that my results came back fine and the baby's risk of having the tested syndromes were quite low.

12 weeks

compare to first pregnancy here. i don't think i'll be much smaller in the belly this time around, but i'm hoping to keep working out and maintain some sense of athletic ability so i can bounce back slightly easier. i'm crossing my fingers!

how far along? 12 weeks

total weight gain: 5 lbs (in my boobs and legs)
maternity clothes? no
sleep: pretty good, very tired
best moment this week: seeing baby on u/s
movement: none
gender: we'll find out in january
labor signs: none
belly button in or out? in
food cravings: salads and comfort foods
what i miss: cocktails!
what i am looking forward to: finding out the gender
weekly wisdom: hmm, i don't have any :)

2nd pregnancy thus far

while i'm in my second trimester now, i wanted to make sure i wrote down a few notes from the first trimester before they are long forgotten. it's true what everyone says. the second flies even faster and there's just not the same amount of time to dedicate to every little detail of the pregnancy.

we found out that i was expecting our 2nd baby on october 2, 2012. i was 3 weeks and 2 days pregnant...or barely at all. it wasn't unexpected so i was anxious to test and find out. i had a lingering cold that just would not go away and i was feeling slightly tired with an extra sore, swollen chest. i had tested two days prior (way too earlier, of course) so when i tested with fmu that morning i didn't expect much. at just 9 dpo i really wasn't expecting to see anything even if i was pregnant. i was wrong and saw that faint second line on an internet cheapie test. i left it on the counter for husband to see when he hopped in the shower and i went back to snuggle with finn on the couch. (oh, the differences began early!) when he didn't notice all morning, i asked him if he had seen the test. since he assumed it was an opk, he didn't think twice about the strip laying there. he brought it out with a grin and said "that's a positive pregnancy test, then?" and gave me a big forehead kiss (still sick). he was mostly excited to find out the gender and when i reminded him that we had to wait 20 weeks he asked when things would be "safe" enough to tell. i reminded him 12 weeks or so and he said "ugh, i forgot there's so much waiting!". indeed. i tested a few more times with internet tests and then requested a digital just to see it say pregnant.



my symtpoms leading up to and within the week of taking my pregnancy tests included:
-swollen, tender breasts
-spotting from days 7-13 (just like last time!)
-cramping
-slow to roll immune system

for posterity's sake, here's me before everything gets stretched out for a second time:


my symptoms during the first tri were almost exactly the same as last time. i was very hungry for comfort foods and extra salty, briny foods like olives and pickles. i was sick almost everyday between about 1 pm and midnight but i only threw up on the two occasion in which blood was involved (an ER visit for finn and a blood draw for me). the worst part for me was being so tired. with a toddler, you just can't rest. anyone who has more than one child surely agrees: the first pregnancy is the likely the easiest and you just don't know it until the next time. i started feeling less sick around 13 weeks and am just starting to feel a bit more energy. i've been working out at least 3 days a week (unlike last pregnancy) and i'm hoping i can maintain a lower weight overall compared to last time.

santa knows me

christmas is really magical to me and i've been so excited to introduce all of the wonder to finley in traditions and memories. we have three christmas trees, we do elf on the shelf, we have chocolate advent calendars, and we talk about santa and wait for his big night on christmas eve. through it all, i try to remind finley of the magic that is giving and that as fun as it is to get presents, it is wonderful to give gifts and show others kindness during the season (and obviously, year round).



to me, santa is such a wonderful concept. i love everything about santa and it seems finley is at the age where he does, too. we took him to see santa at our Y and he could hardly contain himself. instead of being shy or nervous he walked right up and let santa place him right on his lap. he smiled and looked right at santa, answering that he was a good boy (or girl, since santa had a hard time with this...). and he expertly delivered his gift list as he has been for days: "teddy bears, planes, trains, trucks, cars". he didn't want to leave and his sparkling eyes were fixated on that jolly old man.

tonight in preparation of riding chicago's "holiday express", the santa train, i played him a video we created online. you can input your child's name and some details and santa delivers a tailored message to your little one. we did this last year and finn enjoyed it then, but he was amazed this year. he saw his picture on santa's "finley" book (that's me!) and he was so excited to get a peak into the toy workshop.

he asked me to watch it again, so we did. a minute or so into it, again with his twinkling eyes watching santa with wonder, he softly said, "santa knows me". and it took everything in me not to scoop that precious boy up and hug him, teary eyed and happy over the magic of the season. "santa knows me."

we waited for over 20 minutes to ride the holiday express and when it finally arrived, finn was ecstatic. the train is decorated with lights and garland and santa's elves hand out candy canes upon entering. when we eventually hopped off to switch trains, we got to see santa as he was whisked off via train (he rides outside on a flat car). as we waited (and waited) for the next train, we were treated to a round trip view of santa's train. at our stop, finn was able to walk right up to santa, where he waved and said hello. santa looked right at him and chatted. finn was so proud when santa said, " i like your hat!" (a new red one) and when he said "i'll see you soon", i know finn believed it.

oh, hello!

it's true! my absence has been caused by the first trimester of my 2nd baby. today i am 14 weeks 2 days and finally not feeling quite as sick or tired (mostly). i can't wait to get back to blogging about my big boy who is almost 3 (THREE?!) and the new little baby that i'm just getting to know.

toddlers are funny

i'm popping in quick to make sure i write down somewhere that my child is funny. sometimes it's intentional and he'll look my way with his sparkly eyes and i know he knows he's funny. and sometimes he just responds to conversation in the funniest of ways and i sort of wish he knew what he was saying so he could enjoy how funny it was, too.

one night i was discussing shemar moore (criminal minds) with my mother-in-law and husband because he was on ellen. after i said "he's so hot!", finn said "no, mommy. no hot!" i laughed and asked him who was hot and without missing a beat he said "daddy hot."

he's taken to calling his [hot] daddy "uncle nate" (which is his name to our nephews, of course). so uncle nate calls finley "grandma" and he falls into giggles.

he says "ka boo boo" for peek a boo and "butnun" for button.














he watches the 1994 "little rascals" movie and does the fingers under chin wiggle. "look mama!" he exclaims, wiggling his fingers and then using his hands to wiggle his ears and stand his hair up like alfalfa.

yesterday i was folding clothes in his room while he played at the front of the house. i hear "beep beep beep" over and over and when i went out to look he was walking backwards very slowly. when he finally bumped into me i asked him what he was doing. "i'm a truck." of course!

this morning we were headed out and i asked him to head to the car, quick like a bunny. i turned around to find him in a bear crawl, hopping across the yard.

he says "awesome!" and "ooooh yeaaahh" almost everyday about totally normal things.

he was playing on our bed the other night and hid himself under the covers. he knows "hide 'n seek" and he kept proclaiming, "finn hidin'" because i'm sure he thinks it's hidin' seek. toddler slang.

and as you've likely noticed, he makes funny faces and expression all day long. his favorite thing to do is blink rapidly. "look mommy!" he yells and when i do, he flashes his baby blues open and shut as many times as he can before he widens them as far as they will go and then laughs like it's the funniest things he's ever done. and though i've seen it hundreds of times, it's still funny ;)

feeding ducks

continuing to catch up with our summer...

finn has been lucky to see both sides of our family every few weeks this summer. we live 6+ hours away from all of the grandparents, so we've cherished the frequency of our visits these past few months. finn adores his grandmas and they come and stay with us for long weekends and even full weeks. he can't get enough of their love (who can resist a grandma?!) and i can't get enough of the sleeping in ;)


after our visit to minnesota in early july, my mom came to visit us. she took finley to feed the ducks and it was so funny to watch how aggressive those ducks are when it comes to food. they were sweet and ate right out of our hands.

finn wasn't quite sure and only wanted to throw in the bread, but eventually he fed them by hand. he was so excited!



here's proof in video form:

4th of july

we celebrated the 4th up north, without electricity after the storm. it didn't keep us from doing a few fireworks and some sparklers.

finn was actually a bit more scared this year than last year. (speaking of last year, did you click that link? who is that baby?!) maybe he's more aware of the potential danger involved when sparks fly around near his hands. but he still tried them out and watched our little fireworks show with excitement

 

 

happy (belated) 4th of july!

summer catch up: storms and fun

in july we went to minnesota to spend some time up north at the cabin. instead of a relaxing time, we were hit with a huge storm, 90mph winds, and hundreds of trees down blocking our way out from the cabin and cutting the electricity.we spent the time being exceptionally hot, taking baths in the lake, eating meals from the grill or fire, and cleaning up after the storm. thank goodness for a generator a few days in - we had a fridge and a few necessities plugged it occasionally.

finn didn't have much clean up duty, so he spent the time being two. getting sweaty and dirty, playing with toys, and just generally enjoying freedom in the summer. he was perpetually dirty and covered in large bug bites. it was as classic as it gets.

one of his favorite people, uncle nicky, read him books and gave him pony rides. i'm not sure uncle nicky knows, but finn says "nicky love me" at night before bed and asks to see him often. i love this picture because it looks just like it was: a hot summer day, too many feet and bodies in front of a single fan, and a toddler in a diaper being read his favorite story.

finn's current favorite food is yogurt. it's also his favorite outfit and color. if you ask him what you should wear in the morning, he'll tell you yogurt. i haven't braved the world in my yogurt suit yet, but i'll let you know if i do.

we had to collect water to use the toilet and do the dishes (boiled in an electric kettle). finn was most helpful at the task!

laundry on the line, buckets in hand, dogs in tow. a real break from life and while there was lots of work, we were able to connect with each other and make the best of a crazy situation. i'm not sure finley will remember this summer, but he still talks about the rain and wind making the trees fall down. i'm hoping memories like these are frequent (not so much the stranded without electricity, but the bonding and time up north).

summer catch up: father's day outing

oh june. i'm sorry i all but glossed over you (and july and most of august). i have yet to catch up on personal photos from the summer months but am doing my best to keep afloat. i want to keep track of our time here on the blog so here's a father's day wrap up post. (don't mind the random editing. personal photos are just for me!)

we took finley miniature golfing for the first time. taking a two year old mini golfing is a ridiculous idea, of course. he was pretty into it, though, and we had a good time.

he got to pick his own ball color and had a golf club just his size. his swing left a bit to be desired, but it was adorable to watch him aim, swing, miss, and try again.

the golf course was made for children and had slides, tubes and other kid-friendly features on each hole, so when he wasn't golfing he had other things to do. and he enjoyed hitting all of our golf balls into the hole. we'll have to teach him a bit of course etiquette.

these two are best friends. they butt heads a bit (but what two year old doesn't) but their relationship is so great. finn loves when his daddy comes home every day after work and can't wait to get outside and play football, soccer ball, or baseball. i'm not sure we'll be adding golf anytime soon (unless finn's grandpa has a say...) but he seemed to love to swing the club around.

we finished the day at one of our favorite south indian restaurants and ate way more than we should have. finn doesn't like much indian food, but we keep feeding it to him (like everything else) so that hopefully he'll like it eventually.

ice cream sandwich

i am well over a month behind on uploading and editing images from the summer. we've been traveling and enjoying our time and i've been taking pictures to remember finley's 3rd summer. just a quick post here of him enjoying his very first ice cream sandwich.

while i tend to keep his meals healthy and "balanced", i don't mind him having treats. especially those that create summer memories and evoke strong sentimental feelings of my own childhood. that means stopping at a DQ whenever i see one in the summer (we don't have one near, so i often get soft serve dip cone cravings). or, enjoying freeze pops wrapped in a paper towel. and, trying out new summer delights wearing nothing but swim gear.



he of course loved it. they should make vegetable ice cream sandwiched in flax seed chocolate cookies. i'd probably let him have that every day ;) instead, i bought some "bomb pop" star shaped popsicle molds. the first batch was mango blended in plain kefir, a layer of frozen berries, and strawberries blended in yogurt. i'm on the hunt for more fun recipes because he is all about the summer treats now!

father's day 2012

today was mr. h3b's 3rd father's day. finley learned to say "hoppy fater's daaey" just before dad woke up. it wasn't remarkably different than other weekends for us, but i tried to make it special in little ways. we woke up and did all of the prep this morning. every year we make a card for dad with a black ink foot print. i can't do it in advance because he'll see the ink stain and know...so to "surprise" him we do it the morning of. finley's foot is so much bigger. between year 1 and year 2 there is growth, yes. but this year? it's like a kid foot. finley decorated the paper bag wrapping paper with his crayon art. he learned to make "circles" for the occasion and spent some time scribbling away. he's been in love with "markers" (what he calls all coloring tools) and we color daily. as a treat, i let him use scissors. he said the word "cut" without prompting and my heart swelled with pride. this boy is learning every day. side note: i'm not sure what he's doing in the picture here, but his inquisitive little brain is up to something. also note the bruised and scuffed legs contrasting the melon painted big toes. he insists on getting his toenails painted and on occasion we do them. he's not patient so this last time i limited it to big toes only to avoid melon stained furniture. back to father's day. i made omelets and toast (at husband's request) and after breakfast we headed out to the beach. finn could spend hours at the beach with his daddy. dad doesn't mind standing in the cold water, fetching rocks, and wandering off to find seagulls. (not that i mind, but that water is cold!). in true form, finn threw a tantrum and sobbed the entire walk of the beach when it was time to head in for lunch and nap time. we spent the rest of the evening mini golfing (finn's first time - pictures to come) and enjoying a feast of south indian food at one of our favorite restaurants. finn is lucky to have a daddy that watches him play, teaches him new things (like hitting a "ball with a stick") and exposes him to foods and cultures outside of our bubble. he doesn't need lots of things (which he has), mostly just time and love (which he gets). we finished up with a trip to a local food market to stock up on fresh, cheap produce (7ft of sugar cane for $2 should fuel my mojito appetite). it was a simple day full of the things that matter. i'm so thankful to watch my son watch his daddy. he's got a great role model and friend and i'm excited to watch their relationship grow. as soon as we get out of the tantrum stage i bet it's going to be so sweet ;)

early intervention updates

finn started early intervention at the end of october of last year (2011). until early may 2012 he was seeing two therapists, an hour each, every week. one was for speech therapy and one for developmental therapy. sessions were held in our home and were play focused, meaning he didn't have to sit still and "learn", rather he learns through interactions and basic play.

when we started at 18(ish) months, finn could confidently say the word "car" and had a few other words within those first few weeks. he was significantly delayed in speech and had some minor delays in development. our main objectives were to increase his ability to do tedious tasks and of course, to increase his vocabulary and verbal communication skills.

he excelled in the developmental therapy and has largely caught up. where he couldn't do puzzles and wouldn't attempt new/difficult tasks, he now masters these and more in sessions and in everyday life. his patience has grown and he rarely throws new toys when confused or frustrated. he loves his developmental therapist and she is great about incorporating speech focus into their sessions. i was never concerned about this element of his development but we qualified for it and he has thrived, so i'm glad we've worked on the skills with him.

when we began speech, finn wouldn't imitate sounds/noise/words and expressed little interest in verbal communication. he understood commands and requests and had no trouble signing, he just wasn't using words. what was most helpful was that the therapist created ways for us to teach finley in everyday tasks and offered suggestions on how to increase mouth sounds. he quickly caught on and went through a period where he was adding noises (animals, vowels, etc.) and words almost daily. after a few months he dropped some of his initial words and was at a bit of a standstill. he still had not used two word sequences and just didn't seem interested in using his words unless prompted by us. he also went through a tantrum period in which sessions weren't very productive. eventually he came around and within a month or so he added 2 and 3 word phrases and seemed to really understand concepts.

he now communicates without prompting and has only a slight delay. he doesn't sing songs or engage in lengthy conversations with himself or others. he rarely babbles and his expressive communication is still somewhat limited. he easily labels objects he knows and can tell us what he needs/wants. he remembers activities and can describe them ("boat all gone" when a boat from a day or two ago leaves the water) but he can't string words together in conversation like other children his age can/do.

in may we decided to reduce his therapy to every two weeks per therapist. he still see someone once a week, but they rotate so he only sees each twice a month. at our 6 month meeting everyone agreed that finley has excelled in therapy and we are confident he'll be able to fully catch up (not that we thought it wouldn't happen!). he'll continue these appointments through the summer and then we'll re-evaluate his needs. i know he's still behind in speech but he's doing so great and i'm so proud. i'm happy we chose to do the therapy even though i questioned whether he truly needed it. eventually he would have talked, i'm sure, but having professional to help in the journey was certainly better than us struggling to figure out what methods to use. our pediatrician didn't pressure us to see someone or to have him evaluated. just as everyone else said, she agreed he would communicate verbally at some point but  also noted that an eval couldn't hurt the situation! so...he's a talker now :)

(the pictures have nothing to do with the post, obviously.)

he's a character

finally, it's almost summer weather! it's my most favorite time and i'm sure since i'm more fun when i'm warm and drinking refreshing beverages (iced tea! lemonade! sangria!), it will be a treasured time for finley, too. it's much easier to pop out the the beach at a moment's notice (and for us especially so as we literally live on the water - great in the summer, not so great in the winter) and there are so many summer things to occupy this young boy we have on our hands.


so this weekend we ventured out on a near 90 degree day to visit the botanic gardens. it's a place for finn to run free and see lots of nature all at once. and i know he's older now because we didn't even bring the stroller. i rarely bring it anywhere anymore, honestly.

and he's so funny. i wanted to get him one of these trendy hats because he enjoys hats and has been requesting to wear his winter beanies. surprisingly he has taken to this one and unless it's windy, he keeps it on. obviously, he's a character and it's often the subject of one of his silly games. and the shades? yeah. i could not stop laughing.


he is suddenly happier (2 year molars have finally broken the gums) and when a two year old is happy, i think most people are happy. this smile here? his favorite thing to do (in public) is walk up to elderly people and flash that grin while holding up his hand for a high five. often the generational gap is too much and rather than high five, the person questions me about his gender or tells me about their child/grandchild with curly hair. before i can respond, finley is bounding away and i'm left saying a hasty good bye to an older stranger before we even get to chatting.

and here at the gardens was no exception. we walked past an older couple and finley grinned at them and ran ahead. i overheard the man ask his wife, "now, was that a boy or a girl?". well, i cut his hair and people still can't tell. maybe it's because he's just so precious? ;)


we spent time looking at geese and fish and smelling flowers and just enjoying our time with this boy who now uses words to respond and even promote conversation. this boy who wears his baby mraz hat and his fear and loathing sunglasses and his cute attitude. i bet he's going to bring it this summer ;)

i'm hoping my next post will be about our experience with early intervention. i'm not sure anyone is still reading (anyone?) that doesn't speak to me in real life and already knows, but just in case and for my own personal record, i'd like to jot down finley's road to speaking with help from therapy.