the american baby due date predictor...

First Day of Your Last Period:Mar 15, 2007 Your baby's delivery is expected to beon or around Dec 20, 2007. Congratulations, you are in week 6 of your pregnancy!

I just found out I'm pregnant!

Last night I tested positive, and this morning I tested positive. Woohooo!!!!! Dave and I are a little shocked about this, but we're pretty happy about it. My last period was March 15, so this could mean I'm only a couple weeks along already. My last period before getting pregnant with Violet was March 30....so the due date for this baby might be in the middle of December because her due date was Jan 6, 06. I'm just speculating at right now...but its so cool! My mind is racing because I don't FEEL pregnant, but I don't remember feeling pregnant when I found out with Violet. I was on day 41 of my cycle (way late!)...still no period....so I tested. I was skeptical of being pregnant because my periods had been so weird and spaced apart. I just keep thinking of a baby room...needing to build Dave an office off our bedroom for another baby room (that takes our guest room out of the picture, kindof sad), money, timing...Violet will be about 2 when this baby is born. Wow! Noone knows yet. This is a private online blog so I don't think anyone is going to find out anytime soon. I want to wait until around 2 or 3 months along, maybe after my first OB appointment when they check me out and see everything is OK. My mom had 2 miscarriages, so I know this can be a real option, but I pray that it won't be. Ok, so this is my "i'm pregnant" post! Yay! Its definitely not as much of a shocker as the first baby because our lives have already changed because of Violet, but this time is more thankfulness that Violet will have a sibling and that God was willing to give us another baby. Don't get me wrong, the thought of 2 little ones running around is a little daunting, but I know God will help me! Wow...

Dave's 31st birthday

Dave turned 31 today! We celebrated by inviting 2 couples over to join us for dinner...Scott and Jeanne (who have AnneMarie) and Todd and Hannah (who have Norah). Unfortunately, Norah had a high fever, so Hannah had to stay home with her. They all came over around 5 pm. Dave picked out a delicious menu to make on the grill. It included scallops, shrimp, chicken, and onions all marinated and grilled on wooden skewers....along with the grilled feta cheese appetizer. Jeanne made a really yummy potato salad made with miracle whip (Dave's ultimate favorite!) and Todd brought over sodas and margaritas. We had a great night! The meal turned out excellent. We had white cake with coconut frosting and ice cream for dessert. He blew out all 31 candles in one breath. Violet was running around showing AnneMarie different toys. AnneMarie took her first steps by pushing the walker toy that we have. Jeanne said it was the first time she'd seen her do that! I think she'll be walking by a year! Her b-day is June 8, 06.

learning to use a spoon

Tonight after dinner (my mom was here for the day helping me) Violet got some applesauce for "dessert". My mom tried giving her the spoon with some applesauce on it, seeing if she could get the spoon in her mouth ok. She did great! Then we tried letting her scoop out the applesauce on her own. My mom held the bowl at a comfortable angle, and at first, Violet would dip the end of the spoon in the applesauce (not scooping anything yet) and put it to her mouth, so she was understanding the bowl-to-mouth spoon thing. After a few bites, she figured out how to maneuver the spoon to scrape up the side of the bowl and get some applesauce on her spoon. She was feeding herself from a bowl with a spoon for the first time, and we got it on video too. yay for violet! She's growing up so fast. Its so fun to watch!

teeth!

She has 2 lower molars (one is 90% through and the other one is 60% through)...and just within the last day, is showing little tips of a top molar! Its hard to see her suffering through this teething stuff...especially when I brush her teeth and the gums bleed a lot. But....Yay! she can start chewing! She was eating chicken chunks and macaroni shells for dinner. I was breaking up the pieces of chicken really tiny... but she kept shoving them off to the side of the tray. So, I gave her a nice big chewy soft chunk of chicken, and she put the whole thing in her mouth and ate it with no problem. It was an "ah ha" moment...where I figured she can handle bigger bites of food.

things are looking better

Well, Violet seems to be adjusting. She took two decent naps the last couple days. She knows the sign for milk - she makes a little straight-fingered "fist" and wiggles her fingers in and out of that position quickly when it seems she wants anything to drink, not just milk. She must be confused...but either way, I think she knows that it means sippy cup, and whatever is in it, water, milk, or diluted juice, she'll take it. She uses the sign for hungry when she is hungry, and when I feed her, she eats pretty well. I tend to forget how quickly she is developing mentally. The first year of her life it was exciting to see her gain strength and mobility, but now that she's walking/almost running, her mind is taking off so quickly. Yesterday she was walking around sucking on the straw of her sippy cup of milk. After a little while, I noticed she didn't have it anymore, so I went looking for a missing sippy cup. I searched room after room and found it nowhere. I thought I would just try ask Violet if she knew where her cup was, half expecting her to ignore me or not understand. I asked her, "Violet, where is your milk?" She put her hands up and turned her palms upward, to indicate (at least I think) that she didn't know. She made a noise along with her hand movements that sounded like "uh..uh"...I can't even explain it with letters....as if to say "I don't know!" I think its a game though, that she plays...when someone asks her where something is, she automatically "doesn't know" then acts like she doesn't know, and then goes to find it. I asked her again "Violet, where is your milk?" She walked proudly over to the garbage can, pulled on the handle to open it, and looked down into the garbage. There was the sippy cup of milk. I laughed, mostly in amazement that she understood me and answered my question....also amazed that she remembered putting it in there. I pulled it out of the garbage, which thankfully was barely full ....rinsed off the straw, and gave it back to her. Absolutely hilarious. :)

day after weaning...

...she WON'T SLEEP. She screamed for a total combined time of 2 hours ... my failed efforts at getting her to nap during the day. She laid on my shoulder (all sweaty!) and fell asleep for about 30 minutes. This is interesting. I think she's going through withdrawal. I think I'm doing the same! She sat in my lap today facing me and her hands were pushing against the front of my shirt. Hmm. I hope tomorrow is better.

her words

I decided to make note of what Violet is saying now: mama dada gaga (which she uses for dada most of the time) ca baba ba caca (cracker or Koko)

weaned

Today is the first day I have gone without nursing Violet. I guess you could say she is weaned. I have very mixed feelings about it. I am happy because I know she weaned herself. She never fussed about not getting it nor did she seem to want it throughout the day. We had gotten down to just once in the morning only....and now we're done. I had absolutely no idea I would feel this way. I am sad too. I will miss our cuddle time very much. I am pretty sure that if I offered it to her she would take it, but my supply is so low that she would probably stop and get frustrated. She's done that couple times in the last two weeks. Thats when you know ya ain't got much left to give her! Part of me is comforted in knowing that she stopped in her own time...just over 14 months old. I am glad that it won't be a habit well into her 2's...because I read somewhere that breaking a baby of something after 15 months gets even harder. *whew!* She is very good about eating food -- which I am happy about, and she has taken well to whole milk in a straw sippy cup. She knows it is in the fridge - so if she is thirsty she will walk over to the fridge and strain for the handle, then make the sign for milk.