24 Weeks!

6 months pregnant already... where has the time gone?!

Along:  24 weeks!  Baby 2 will be here before we can even blink.  I swear time goes by SO fast lately.

Size of Baby:  Baby 2 weighs more than a pound and is the size of a standard letter.  He can hear all kinds of noises and recognize voices.  Hopefully he will be used to Owen's squeals when he is born!  (Man that kid can squeal!)  Baby 2 will gain about 6 ounces each week for the next couple of weeks.

Gender:  BOY!!!  We are so excited to have two boys.  The bond between brothers is so special, and I'm sure will be even more special being as they will only be 14 months apart.  Jimmy and I have already started saying 'the boys' and 'our boys.'  I LOVE it!

Sleep:   I sleep like a rock and haven't even had to start getting up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night yet.  

What I Miss:   An occasional alcoholic drink.  We had happy hour last night with some friends and I couldn't indulge... only a few more months though.  :) 

Cravings:  Right now I really want some Chick-Filet nuggets... good thing I convinced Jimmy to go there for lunch while we are out running errands today!  I also crave ice cream, which I did with Owen as well.  Sweets are my weakness.  Thankfully I am doing really well with my weight.  I started a few pounds heavier than I did with Owen and I've not yet reached the weight I was with him at 24 weeks.  I think I've only gained about 10 pounds so far.

Symptoms:  I get tired sooner and easier, but other than that, nothing else bothers me.  This pregnancy is super easy.  Besides the obvious growing belly, I wouldn't even realize I'm pregnant.  

Best Moment this Month:  Jimmy can now feel baby 2 moving around!  It's so special for him.  I also love hearing his heart beat each time I go to the doctor.  They say the same thing each time - very strong heart beat!

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mothers out there!  I'm so excited for my first real Mother's Day.  Jimmy has some special things planned!

Love,

Judi

Owen is 10 Months Old!

Happy 10 months little man of mine!

Sleep:  Owen still sleeps about 11 hours at night and never wakes up.  The only time he will wake up is the first night he starts cutting a tooth.  He will wake up crying in the middle of the night.  We give him some teething tablets to stop the pain immediately, then some Motrin to keep it at bay for awhile. Luckily he only does this the FIRST night he starts cutting a new tooth.  He is a pretty good teether for the most part, it only tends to bother him a day or two.

He takes 1-2 naps a day now.  A long morning nap from around 9 to 12, then an afternoon nap anywhere from 3-5.  Sometimes he is really tired in the afternoon and sometimes he only takes a short nap.  I think the afternoon nap will be his next nap to phase out...

Size:  He is at least 24 pounds and 28 inches long.  He is still in the 90th percentile for his weight and height.  When he stands up he looks like he is a 12 month old and should be walking/running around! He is wearing all 12 month clothes now and is still in size 3 diapers, but could move to size 4.

Special Trips/Visits:  Our big special trip this past month was our trip to California, which I posted a whole blog about earlier.  Other than that, we have been taking nice long evening walks every night and Owen LOVES it.  He sits back in the stroller and crosses his legs and sings to himself as we walk.  We have a 1.5 mile loop we do in our neighborhood each night.  It's great because it gets him out of the house and he gets to see new surroundings and get some fresh air.

Jimmy took this picture of all of us taking a walk at my grandparents house in California.

At my grandparent's house... Owen discovered grass for the first time... he did not like it!  It scared him and he clutched me.  He got a little more used to it, but you can tell by the look on his face that he isn't too pleased!

Took a walk to the donut shop in California!

We got a double jogger stroller for Owen and baby 2.  Our nanny uses it to take both Owen and her daughter, Kenzie, out for walks sometimes.  She sent us this picture one day!

Firsts:  Owen has started to pull himself up on furniture and cruise along.  Today I saw him let go of the coffee table for the first time and stand on his own!  I'm sure his first steps will not be very far off.  He has also started to climb on everything... and he has discovered the stairs!

 Everyone always says "Oh, wait until he starts crawling, then you're in trouble!"  or "Just wait until he is walking, it's the worst!"  But, I don't feel that way at all.  I'm so excited for every little new moment and I love seeing the joy on his face when he accomplishes something new.  He gets SO proud of himself, it just melts my heart!  

Yayyy!!!

Climbing on his stool!

Owen says "Mama," "Dada," and calls Lola "Yaya."  He loves Lola so much, and she really likes him too!  Every time he sees her he crawls over to her squealing and smiling.  She lets him pull on her and pet her.  She is very patient with him.

Owen has also started to make the 'kiss' noise!  I'm not surprised, I've been giving him kisses all the time since the day he was born!  I say "Owen, can you give me a kiss?" and he will smack his lips!  He also gives me a hug every night before I put him in his crib.  It's become a little ritual.  I carry him upstairs and he puts his head down on my shoulder and grips me until I put him in his crib.  He even makes a little relaxed sound  "Aaahhh..." when he puts his head on my shoulder!  I never want to put him down when he does this!

Likes:  Owen's favorite activity is still, you guessed it, EATING!  He has started to eat a lot more solid  food like Cheerios, graham crackers, apple sauce, peaches, pears, bananas, green beans, and peas.  We are continuing to try more and more "big people" foods.  Some he likes more than others, but there is really not much that he doesn't like.

This was by far the messiest thing I've ever given him. Thanks goodness for dogs!

He also loves playing hide-and-seek.

Where's Owen?!?!?

There he is!!!

Dislikes:  He does not like when you put him in his high chair and his food isn't ready immediately (imagine that?!?).  He will get a little irritated with you!  He doesn't like when you take something away from him that he shouldn't be playing with... typical things a 10 month old doesn't like!

I saw this website called "Reasons My Son is Crying" and it had pictures of this little boy crying with an explanation below, like "I wouldn't let him eat candy off the floor" or "We are flying to Disney World."  Jimmy and I were cracking up, this is totally Owen right now.  Lately he cries because I wouldn't let him chew on the lamp cord, or I wouldn't let him climb the stairs.  Honestly, it cracks me and Jimmy up each time!  I guess it's a good thing we just laugh it off and don't let it bother/stress us.  So far he responds well to us just ignoring the crying and he stops after a minute or so on his own, or with another distraction.

No, you cannot have my glass of water.

No, you cannot climb onto the end table.

Family Update:  We are doing really well!  I'm about 22 weeks along with baby #2 and everything is going super well.  We found out it is another boy, so I've begun the shopping for all the nursery items!  I can't believe I'm doing this again already!

Jimmy is doing well at work, and had been very busy lately.  He's been out of town at least once a month the past few months, so that is always a little hard for me to do everything on my own... but nothing I can't handle.

Work has been stressful for me... SOLs are coming up (Virginia's state assessment) so there is this huge push at work for all the struggling kids to pass these tests.  Pressure, pressure, pressure... which equals stress, stress, stress.  Ugh, I'm exhausted... Only 7 more weeks and school is DONE!

I just became a Stella and Dot stylist, which I'm so excited about!  I absolutely love their jewelry and bags, so it's actually been really fun for me.  With me leaving my job in a few weeks, I wanted to do something that was just for myself and would get me out of the house.  This seemed like the perfect fit.  If anyone is interested in hosting a party and earning free jewels, please let me know!  You can always order online (www.stelladot.com/judiblankenship) and the order will ship directly to you.  You don't have to order through a hostess!

So, as you can see, we have a LOT going on!  But it's all good and all fun (for the most part).

Spring is my favorite time of year, I hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful weather and sunshine!

One more picture!

Love,

Judi

IT's A BOY!!!

That's right, IT'S A BOY!!!

We had our ultrasound on Sunday and Baby 2 is looking very happy and healthy.  No issues at all!  Baby 2 was not as active as Owen and was much more cooperative in getting the images she needed.  He was all snuggled up and sucking his thumb!  Owen's 20 week ultrasound took about an hour where as this one took only 20 minutes.  I can already tell a difference in their personalities!

This past Sunday night we had all of my family over for a gender reveal.  We had pizza and enjoyed each other's company for a little bit, then it was time to cut the cake!  

Boy or girl?!?

Jimmy and I chose not to find out until we cut the cake with everyone else, so it was a surprise to us also.  I'm SO glad that we did this little get together and revealed the gender this way.  It made it so special, and I'm so glad that my family could be a part of the surprise too!  It was really so much fun to find out the gender this way.  I had tears in my eyes when we cut the cake!

BOY!!!

Jimmy and I are so excited to have TWO little boys running around the house!  I'm so happy that Owen is going to have a best friend so close in age.  Brothers have such a special bond, and I'm so glad that Owen gets to experience that.  It's going to be a wild ride!  Now we just have to figure out a name... 

Thank you so much to all of my family for coming over and making this so special.  Part of the reason it was special is because you were all there!  It meant so much to Jimmy and I that you all could be there to share in our joy.  We love you!

P.S.  I have the whole thing on video on my phone, but haven't had a chance to upload it yet!  I will do it soon!

Have a great weekend!

Love,

Judi and Jimmy

20 Weeks!

Half way there!

Along:  20 weeks!  I can't believe I am half way through this pregnancy already... it feels like just yesterday we found out about this little surprise!

Size of Baby:  Baby 2 is the size of a large banana weighing in at about 11 ounces and 7 inches in length.  Baby 2 has been practicing swallowing and has developed taste buds!  He/she can taste the things that I eat through amniotic fluid.

Gender:  We do not know yet... but we will know tonight!  We are doing the cake reveal this evening with my family.  We have our ultrasound this afternoon (can you believe they have Sunday appointments?  Yay for not having to take time off work!)  The ultrasound technician will write boy or girl on a card and put it in an envelope for us.  Then we are giving the envelope to the baker and they will attach the receipt to the correct cake (yes, we had two made, we didn't want to wait a few days for the bakers!)  All of my family is coming over this evening and having pizza, then we will cut the cake!  The inside of the cake will either be blue or pink!  Jimmy and I will be finding out along with everyone else this evening when we cut the cake.  I am so excited to do this!  We really haven't been doing anything special for this baby yet... no belly pictures every week, we haven't bought a single thing for him/her... So we thought this would be a nice thing to do and include in the baby book!

Sleep:  Still sleeping good!  Starting to get slightly uncomfortable because of the belly, but I sleep like a rock.

What I Miss:   Having more energy.  I am getting tired pretty quickly and I'm not able to do as much as I did before because of it.  

Cravings:  Ice cream, fruit smoothies... That's about it for the last couple weeks!

Symptoms:  Other than being more tired, I don't have any bothersome symptoms.  This pregnancy has been super easy... I feel lucky!  I thought it was easy when I was pregnant with Owen, but this one is even easier.  

Best Moment this Month:  I felt Baby 2 move for the first time about two weeks ago.  They say that when you have your second baby you can feel it moving a lot sooner than you did for the first, and I certainly did.  I have been feeling flutters and little kicks for a couple weeks now.  This baby has not been moving to the extent that Owen did.  As soon as I started to feel Owen move he did NOT stop.  This baby seems a little more laid back in there!  We'll see though, that could change.

I'll post something tomorrow letting everyone know if it is a boy or girl!  I hope everyone has been enjoying this wonderful warm weather!

Love,

Judi

California Trip

We just got back (well, last weekend) from an amazing trip to California for my Oma and Opa's 50th anniversary.  I don't have a ton of pictures, but wanted to do a little recap for those who were interested...

Our flight out there went pretty well.  The flight was the smoothest flight I have ever been on, no turbulence and the seat belt sign was only on for take off and landing!  Owen was pretty good on the flight.  He just wanted to get down and move around so much, so we had a lot of entertaining to do so he wouldn't get upset that he couldn't crawl all over the place!  He only slept for about 45 minutes... but it turned out to really help him adjust to the time change better.

We were only in California for about 4 days.  With baby 2 coming, Jimmy needed to save his vacation days for his/her arrival, AND we are going to Myrtle Beach this summer.  Lucky for Jimmy he got Good Friday off so he only had to take 1  1/2 days off.  I was on Spring Break!  :)  We spent most of our time just hanging around the house with my grandparents, cousins Colby and Shelby, and Aunt Cyndi and Uncle Jason.

It was so awesome to see everyone.  I have such a close relationship with my family out there, so it felt wonderful to see them and spend some time with them.  I am SO incredibly glad we made the trip.  We took walks each day, colored eggs, went for smoothies one day, went on a walk to the local donut shop the next day, played chicken foot, and had so much fun doing it all!  Oma also cooked some amazing meals and we stuffed ourselves!  Colby and Shelby are the most amazing little kids and we love them to pieces!  Just today Colby texted me saying "I miss you!"  Just about broke my heart!  I miss you SO much little Coco!!!  We had so much fun just hanging out with them.

Oma and Opa's party was just amazing.  It was at a golf club pretty close to their house.  My Mom and Aunts did an amazing job decorating and adding so many little personal touches.  I know they worked so hard to make it special and it really showed!  They had a band that sang a few special songs, some that brought tears to my eyes.  To see a love that began so quickly last for so long is truly inspiring.  I think about how my Oma had to endure two children (14 months apart) all by herself while my Opa was deployed and that devotion and strength is so amazing.  I have always admired my Oma for being such a good Army Wife (among many other reasons).  They moved every two years and my Mom always spoke about how my Oma would have everything set up in their new house as quickly as she could so it felt like home for her family.  I can't imagine moving every two years... but I hear so many great stories, maybe it was worth it!

The best picture I was able to get...

My boys at the party!

Just about every family member was at this party, and it was so great to see everyone.  A lot of my cousins I had not seen in years.  I remember growing up in California we would see them all so much, but when we moved to Virginia, everything changed.  My Mom's side of the family is very close, so when I was growing up her cousins always felt like aunts and uncles to me, and her aunts and uncles felt like my aunts and uncles too!  I have so many great memories as a child spending time with them.  Not to mention all my little cousins who are now adults.  I still can't picture Shawn about to graduate college!  Now there is a new generation of cousins who all love seeing each other and spending time together, and they are all around Colby and Shelby's age.  Seeing everyone again just made me miss everyone so much!

Owen was a little trooper throughout the party.  He loves being passed around and dancing with the ladies!  I think I only had to hold him for 15 minutes the entire night because everyone wanted a piece of him!  He was so good with all the new faces, never once cried!

I was very excited to see my Great Great Uncle Bob.  He is my Oma's uncle, although he is only a few years older than my Oma.  Bob is the youngest of 8 kids my Great Great grandmother had.  Here is a picture of all 5 generations:

The party was the last night that we were there, so we flew back the next morning.  The flight back was not as good as the flight there.  A little more turbulence, and Owen was a little more cranky.  This time he did sleep for about two hours on me, thank goodness!  We were glad to be home, but also so sad to be leaving. I always miss everyone so much... it is always so emotional for me when I leave California.  Why does it have to be so far away?!?

To all my California family - I love and miss you all so much!  I'm so glad we made the trip and got to see everyone.  It meant to the world to us!  Most importantly, I'm so happy everyone got to meet Owen!

Love,

Judi

Owen is 9 Months Old!

Happy 9 months sweet baby boy!

Sleep:  Owen's sleep patterns haven't changed at all since he was 8 months old.  He still goes to bed between 7:30-8:00 and wakes up between 7:00 and 7:30.  He then takes a nap from about 9:00 - 12:00 and another nap from 3:00 - 5:00.  He sleeps through the night like a champ.

Size:  At his 9 month appointment today he weighed 22 pounds and is 28 inches long.  He has outgrown all of his 9 month clothes and I have packed them all away.  He is now in 12 month clothes!  My boy is a biggin!!!  I had so much fun buying all his 12 month clothes.  The boy summer outfits are just adorable!  I particularly loved picking out his swim suit and rash guard for the pool and beach!  He is still in size 3 diapers, but we are going to try size 4 here pretty soon.

Special Trips/Visits:  No special trips this past month.  He still loves getting out of the house so we try and take him with us on our errands during the weekend.  He is so good out in public, for now (I'm waiting for that meltdown - I know it's coming eventually!)  We are flying to California for my Oma and Opa's (Grandma and Grandpa in German, my Mom's parents) 50th wedding anniversary on Wednesday.  I am so excited for Owen to meet all of his family out there!

Jimmy took him to Tropical Smoothie one afternoon and he would NOT give up the smoothie.  He didn't even eat any of it, I guess he just wanted to be the one to hold it!

We took a trip to the Leeseburg Outlets to get him some 12 month clothes.  He LOVED being in the stroller riding around in the sunshine.  He squealed for the first 15 minutes in his stroller!

Firsts:  Owen has had a lot of little firsts this month!  He has started waving by to people as they are leaving.  When I leave for work in the morning he waves goodbye to me and gives me a huge smile!  It just melts my heart!  He has also started clapping.  This one just started a few days ago.  He loves music, so he has been clapping when his Raffi Pandora station is on, or when Jimmy is playing the guitar.  He has also started to pull himself up on the couch and coffee table.  He loves doing this and squeals when he gets all the way up, then pounds on the couch or coffee table.  Last night he laughed at something that was not initiated by interacting with another person.  We had his Raffi station playing on Pandora through our T.V. and when Raffi starting singing he let out this full on giggle while watching the T.V.  Of course, Jimmy and I both crack up!  He is such a ball of joy!

Watching his Raffi Pandora station.  Nothing really plays on the screen, but he still sits there and watches it!  We try to play music most of the time instead of the T.V. on.

He loves playing guitar with Daddy!

Owen also saw his first real snow this winter, and Mommy had a snow day with him!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

We didn't do anything special, but I did dress him in a green outfit and snap some pictures!

His first National's outfit!  Go NATS!
(He looks like Jimmy here to me!)

Likes:  Owen loves eating still.  He loves exploring new flavors and we haven't come across anything he does not like (besides spinach).  He is starting to eat chunks of banana on his own now.  He also loves drinking water from his sippy cup after his meals.  He squeals for it when I bring it to him!

He loves to pull the curtain and peek outside while in his high chair!

Waiting for some grub!

He loves to crawl into the pantry and take out all the sodas and paper towels. 

I love this picture because he looks like he was 'caught'!  

Dislikes:  He has started to HATE having his diaper changed and his clothes changed.  He just wants to move so much that he tries to roll over and crawl all over the dresser.  Sometimes we have to change him on the floor.  Sometimes he will scream while you change him, it sounds like something is wrong, but nope. he just wants to be free!!!

Sometimes you just have to have a break from the fight to change him and let him roam free!

Developmental Milestones:  Owen is doing really well with all his developmental milestones, reaching all of them a little ahead of time.  His speech is really developing.  He now says "Da-da" and Jimmy and I are pretty sure he knows who Da-da is.  When Jimmy walks into the room and says something Owen will look for him and say "Da-da!!"  He has said "Ma-ma" a little bit too, but we're not sure he knows who Ma-ma is at this point.

Some days he looks like Jimmy, other days I think he looks like me.  My Mom sent me this picture of me when I was about Owen's age.  I think he looks a lot like me in this picture!

Family Update:  Things are going well for the Blankenships!  With expecting another little one Jimmy and I were faced with the choice, should I stay home, or should I continue to work?  Unfortunately, because teachers make so little money (I have gotten one raise in 5 years, and a very small raise at that) I would not be taking home very much money after paying for daycare for two children.  Financially, it just is not worth it.  So we have made the choice for me to stay home next year.  If you asked me to stay home in October I would have jumped at the chance, but after being back at work for several months, sometimes I enjoy working and doing something for myself and my family.  So this decision became a little harder for me.  I had to inform my boss of my decision at the beginning of the month (they will hire someone for my position very soon and intention forms are due by the 15th).  It will be bittersweet to leave Centre Ridge.  I have made some great friends there, whom I will continue to be great friends with.  I feel blessed to have worked with really good people.  On the other hand, I am so excited to spend some quality time with my children and to be the one to care for them full time.  I am already planning little units for teaching Owen his letters, numbers, and colors.  I guess it's just the teacher in me!  

June 19th will be my last day at Centre Ridge.  I'm thinking about doing a few part-time things here and there just to have something for myself, but we will see how all of that goes.  I am so lucky to have a husband who supports anything I decide to do!  Thanks babe, I love you!!!  

One last picture... who can resist a sleeping baby?!?

I hope everyone enjoyed the post! 

Love,

Judi

16 Weeks!

Picture coming soon!!!

Along:  16 weeks!  At my last doctor appointment they moved my due date back a week.  So, although it has been three weeks since my 14 week post, I'm only 16 weeks along.  I'm going to do monthly posts from here on out.

Size of Baby:  About 5 inches long and more than 3.5 ounces.  Baby 2 can hear loud noises and is actually startled by them.  This one should be used to Owen crying and the dogs barking by the time he/she is born!  In the next week or so the pads on the baby's fingertips will start to form creases and swirls - fingerprints!

Gender:  Don't know yet...  We have made the appointment for the big 20 week ultrasound (April 14th), but will not find out at that time.  You are worried about so many other (and more important) things during the 20 week ultrasound, so when we do find out, we want to be focused on that and make it special. 

Sleep:  Still sleeping great and feeling comfortable.

What I Miss:   Being able to eat prepackaged salads for lunch and tuna salad.  You can't eat prepackaged food while pregnant because the chance of getting listeria is VERY high for pregnant women... same goes for lunch meats.  Tuna, I can only eat 6 ounces a week.

Cravings:  Root beer floats.  I craved the same thing with Owen!

Symptoms:  Nothing really so far.  I'm comfortable and feeling good.  Nothing is bothering me.  In fact, sometimes I don't even feel pregnant at all.  This pregnancy has been much easier than with Owen (and Owen wasn't hard at all!).

Best Moment this Month:  Hearing the heart beat!  We had our 16 week appointment last Monday.  This little one has a strong heart and is a kicker!  We could hear him/her kicking through the machine.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

Love,

Judi