Here we go again!

I've been trying to come up with something clever to start this post, but my brain power just quite isn't the same. Not since I became pregnant again.

There it is. 

I am still a bit in disbelief. I'm pregnant. We had always hoped to have two children, even more so since having Carter and seeing how incredibly awesome he is. And now we are just thrilled that it's a dream come true! A little partner in crime for Carter.

We started telling immediate family and close friends pretty quickly for a few reasons. My sister and family were leaving town soon, and why would I want to share this news over Skype in several weeks when in person was an option? Also, both sets of our parents happened to be coming over 4th of July already, so it was a prime (equal) opportunity to spill the beans. Oh, and I had a girls' weekend in Chicago planned the next weekend and no desire to try to fake drink. Not to mention that our daycare provider was in the midst of potentially accepting new babies in the next year and we wanted to make sure she knew to keep a spot for our (hopeful) baby. No joke, she was telling me about the new prospects the morning I found out I was pregnant.

How's that for timing?

It's so interesting how different this feels the second time around. The excitement is there, for sure. But instead of the blind anticipation and wonderment I felt with Carter, I am now remembering and feeling all giddy about everything to come: the baby kicking, locking eyes with him/her the first time, newborn smell, first smiles, etc. And then that fades quickly as I get distracted by Carter and life. Of course the second time around also has its downfalls, as the memories of sleep deprivation, first days of nursing, and labor (to name a few) are ever present. But, I now know firsthand how amazing this journey is, which makes this baby a new kind of exhilarating.

And gosh, I have a hard time picturing this baby any different than Carter.

I do miss the easiness of pregnant life the first time around...I could come home and collapse on the couch for the night, sleep as long as I wanted, and exert as little or as much energy as I wanted. Ahhhh.

I felt fairly decent during the first trimester. SUPER tired, yes. Like to the point where I almost fell asleep on my hour commute a few times. I go to bed by 9:30pm, which is not entirely a new pregnant thing, if I'm being honest. I also had the on and off nausea all day again. It was better than throwing up, and could usually be staved off by a snack, so I count my blessings there.

And yay for reaching 2nd trimester! My bump looks about the size of 20 weeks and not 15, but I'm embracing it.

(This was 10 weeks)

We saw this little one via ultrasound around 7 weeks, with a strong heartbeat and measuring ahead, and it was amazing. We took a gamble and brought Carter with us to our appointment over the dinner hour. We stopped at Wendy's on our way for an early dinner, where Carter scarfed down half a cheeseburger and more "cheeeps" than I want to know.

Side note: he calls fries chips. Not because he's trying to be British, but because in our house Veggie Sticks are his approved chips, which look like fries. Toddler logic. Actually, that's pretty human logic.

While we waited for our appointment, Carter ran around the clinic like a maniac and shouted a lot, and I figured we would definitely have to pull out my phone to entertain him during the U/S. Nope. He sat on Jon's lap and quietly observed the ultrasound tech, watching her plug away at the computer, occasionally watching the screen above. He was a dream, and I couldn't have felt happier, laying there, watching the heartbeat of my littlest while my oldest sat so nicely and observed. Proud Mama moment.

And now, I have to wait patiently to learn the baby's gender. Jon would have been happy to wait again until birth, but this time I wanted to find out before. I figure we get the joy of experiencing it both ways. Plus, if this is a little girl, I need to do some major preparation (shopping). And if a boy? Back to the drawing board for a name, but I can be less frantic about clothes and such. Today I'm leaning towards it being a girl. But with our families only producing boys I am probably very wrong.

I'm having another baby! Squeeeeeel!