First Word!

Grady said his first word earlier this week. Not mama or daddy. Not Kasha or hi. But...egg!

Egg, egg, egg, egg, he chanted as he sat on the floor and emptied plastic eggs from the carton. 

We heard the word at least twenty times that day and several times the next. But would he repeat it for all his spectators at Grandpa and Grandma's house? Of course not! Grandpa and Grandma's toy eggs were all white; maybe his word only applies to eggs of the multicolored variety! 

Third Anniversary

Three years! Has it really been that long? 

This year's anniversary celebrating was even more fun since we were joined by a little muchkin. Mike took an extra-long lunch, and Grady and I met him at the Brickhouse, our favorite local restaurant. Grady scarfed down some sweet potato puffs and nibbled on a lemon as we bigger people savored handmade pizza. 

Later that day, we ate a special supper outside on the patio. Our supper picture makes me laugh. Fancy glasses filled with French Berry Sparkling Lemonade? Check. Yummy stuffed pork loin? Check. Festive wedding napkins? Check. Diapers hanging on the clothesline behind us? That too!

We finished off the evening with this pregnancy's first belly picture, significantly smaller than last year's. Baby: 14 weeks in. Grady: 43 weeks out. 

Although an annual anniversary belly picture would be a rather fun tradition, you'd better really enjoy this one; there won't be another for a long, long while! (Unless I eat too much cake next year and feel moved to share how much I've engorged.)

Three years...what's the verdict? Are we still newlyweds? 

Mother's Day Weekend

Saturday Mike and I hosted what's shaping up to be a biannual Mother's Day Brunch for both sides of our family. (We hosted the first one two years ago--might as well continue the tradition!) With sixteen guests, our little house was abustle with laughter and activity.

Mike spent Sunday, the actual holiday, completely pampering me. He cooked an oatmeal breakfast, took us to one of our favorite cafés for lunch, grilled ribs for supper, and chastised me for trying to wash dishes. We spent the sunny afternoon hiking Sorin's Bluff prairie trail. Mike let Grady perch way up high on his shoulders. Squealing, kicking, laughing, and pulling at his daddy's hair, Grady communicated very clearly that he approved of his new hiking position!

That evening, as I sat in the recliner with my feet up, I felt the tiniest flutterflutter. Could it be? Yes, I'm almost certain it was the wee one making his or her presence known! Mother's Day couldn't have had a more perfect ending.

Meeting the Neighbors

Remember the Dr. Seuss book And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, where the little boy makes up an elaborate story about what he saw on his walk home? Yesterday Grady and I returned with a "to think we saw it on 7th Street" story to tell Mike. Good thing we had picture proof, or he might not have believed us!

This is Kojak, a 180-pound, stomach-dragging-on-the-ground, fully tusked, friendly neighborhood pig. Grady and I often walk near his home, but rarely down his particular stretch of street. We had no idea what we were missing! His guttural grunts sent Grady into peals of laughter, so I think Kojak will become one of our top walking destinations.

I'm not always one to strike up conversations with strangers, but since I was so smitten by the way Kojak stuck his fat nose under the fence and snorted for attention, I couldn't help but address his owner.

"I like your pig," I told him as he hosed down a corner of the backyard (presumably making a mud puddle for Kojak's rolling enjoyment).

"Thank you," he replied. "Kojak is 180 pounds. House-trained. Full of mischief."

Then the house's side window opened, and the man's wife stuck her head above the two windowsill-lounging cats, not wanting to miss out on a conversation about their beloved pet.

She filled in the rest of the details: they got him when he was six weeks old, and now he's three. He has scuffles with the dog, but gets along fine with the rest of their pets. (Couldn't help but wonder how many other pets resided in the small house!) And most importantly, she told us we're welcome to come by and scratch his ears whenever we want--yay!

Last week: a fox. This week: a pig. Can't wait to see what we'll run into next! Anyone want to take a stroll with us?

Grady's New Shirt

Grady wanted to make sure everyone caught a good look at his new shirt! What do you think?

He's pretty excited to have a little brother or sister joining him next November!

But then he heard he has to share Mommy and Daddy. He's not quite sure what to think about that yet.

This mommy's feeling great! Unlike last pregnancy when I knew the location of every garbage can at school (barfing never happened, I just constantly felt like it), this time I have no nausea or food aversions. And most surprisingly, I am not all that tired! (Which is quite miraculous, seeing as I'm getting up multiple hours of the night with a teething nine-month-old.) 

I have been feeling so normal I almost started thinking the test was a false positive and I was getting fat for no reason. But hearing the heartbeat the other day confirmed the news. (It's 150, which is exactly what Grady's was. Another boy?)

Both Mike and I experienced the joy of growing up with a sibling (or in my case, two) very close in age. So we are beyond thrilled that our two will know the same. We anticipate a crazy first year (but aren't they all?), hopefully followed by many happy years of playing together since they will be so close to the same developmental stage.  

There's something special about a second pregnancy. We understand a little better how much we will love this little baby we haven't even met. We are over-the-moon excited! 

Lest I Forget

These are fussy days. Whiney days. Don't-set-me-down days. No-napping days. Days of cancelled plans.

The "fever" and "teething" pages of our Children's Medical Guide become dog-eared.

We try everything: chilled teethers, tepid baths, baby Tylenol and Ibuprofen (sparingly), chamomile drops, teething tablets, an amber teething necklace.

Some things seem to help for a while, then stop. We realize there's no magic bullet; teething is just a storm we have to weather together. It waxes and wanes over weeks, and we finally succumb to the realization that it will never end. (Yes, we realize we've lost all rationality.)

And yet, there are many things I'm thankful for during this challenging stage: 

I get to cuddle you myself, wipe away your tears with my own fingers. I don't have to drop you off, tired and cranky in the morning, and spend my days wondering how you're doing in someone else's care.

One afternoon your daddy takes an extra-long lunch break, giving me the luxury of a few minutes to myself. I take a shower and put my hair in something besides a ponytail. 

I see glimpses of the old you as you giggle at my silly animal noises--a small reprieve from your discomfort.

One evening after a day of no naps, as I'm still trying to coax you to sleep at 9:30 p.m., your daddy heads to Walmart for more Tylenol and comes back with Milano double chocolate cookies--"a special treat for Mama."

In the midst of the exhaustion, I feel loved and lucky.

Grady at Nine Months

Unbelievable--our little guy is nine months old! If the past month had a theme, it would be teething. He's been on the irritable and restless side, and no wonder; he now has six teeth! Several nubbins just below the surface suggest that this trend will continue. I suppose I'm glad he's getting so many at once...if it's going to be such a painful process, we might as well get as many through as possible. 

Personality: When his gums aren't throbbing (poor little guy), he's still our smiley, giggly little ham. He's perceptive of our responses, and when we laugh at him he knows he's doing something funny and can't hold back a big smile. (See bottom right picture where he's trying on Daddy's glasses!)

His stranger anxiety/I want Mommy stage comes and goes, usually dependent upon how tired he is.

Communication: Grady has started to use his version of the "more" sign to ask for more food at the table.

It's fun to see evidence of his receptive language increasing. If you say "jump!" he moves his body up and down. If we ask him, "Where's Kasha?" he looks at her and makes an excited "huh-huh-huh" sound. If you say "shake-a, shake-a," he shakes whatever he's holding. 

Eating: He is consuming huge quantities of food. We're amazed by how much he can eat! Perhaps he's gearing up for a nine-month growth spurt.

Moving: He can now army crawl, swivel a fast circle while on his belly, move himself backwards with his hands, and go back and forth from sitting to the crawling position. 

He loves to stand, and he stiffens his body like a board whenever you try to sit him down. He likes to stand while playing with his sit-n-stand toy. He's also starting to play a game where he lets go and does a "trust fall" backwards into our arms, laughing hysterically. (Not a good habit to get into!)

New favorite activities: Banging on pots and pans in the kitchen, taking all the rags out of the rag bucket, riding his firetruck (by himself!), emptying the basket of books, hiding in the curtains, feeding the dog bits of food, digging in his potty (we won't elaborate on that, except that now Mommy has to supervise more carefully while he's sitting on there!).

Least-favorite activities: same as always.

Sleeping: Hit or miss, depending on intensity of teething and whether or not it's the day the city tests its storm sirens (argh). 

Other updates: We went on Grady's first roadtrip to Fargo, ND this past month, and Grady met Great-grandma Richtsmeier. We brought lots of toys and snacks to entertain him on the way, and he did well.

His hair is getting longer! It's so silky, wispy, and kissable. I'm protesting his first haircut for as long as possible.