Not "it"

Spoiler Alert: if you are in the extreme minority of people who do not want to know the gender of our baby, you should not read past the first couple paragraphs.

Yep, that's right, we know the gender of our baby. And yes, it's a little early (I'm 16 weeks along). I will do my best to keep the story of why we know short and sweet, and not provide too much information, since I know many of you are not interested in the messy details of pregnancy.

After some mildly concerning symptoms, I ended up going in to the doctor last week for an ultrasound, to make sure baby and all related equipment were ok. And yes - everybody is ok - it turns out I have a low-lying placenta (if you want to read more about what that is - click on this link). In summary, it is not a complication that needs to be worried about at this stage of the pregnancy, since as my uterus grows the placenta will likely be moved up and away from the baby's exit route. But in the meantime, the doctor recommended I take it easy - no lifting Zach, no exercise (ugh), resting when possible, etc etc.

So, I (Scott was with Zach while I went in) got the wonderful experience of being able to see our baby - moving around, arms and legs flailing all over the place, just the right size. And the heartbeat. The magical heartbeat. There it was - thank god. Baby was a-ok. And it turns out everything else was ok too, just that pesky placenta in the less than ideal spot. I had a regularly scheduled appointment today, and the doctor confirmed all is well and that while I should still avoid lifting Zach, and try to take it easy as much as possible, life can go on more as usual. And once again, I got to hear that wonderful heartbeat sound!

Anyway... while the sonographer was measuring body parts, specifically the baby's femurs, I thought hmmm, I'm no expert at reading ultrasounds, but I'm pretty sure the baby is not being shy about exposing a different body part. Scott and I had agreed that morning that if given the opportunity, our final decision was to find out the gender, so I asked. While the sonographer initially demurred, saying it was too early to tell, she very quickly laughed and said since it was so obvious, she could pretty confidently say (and point out what I'd already identified) that we were having a BOY!

A little brother for Zach!

Two brothers.

A family of boys.

I'm going to be surrounded, and I couldn't be happier about it. Scott and I were both pretty neutral about what we had this time around, with Scott leaning a little bit more towards a girl. We both were curious what our little girl would be like, but also loved the idea of another little guy like Zach (even though we know perfectly well that this little guy will likely be nothing like his big brother!). But when we got the news, it just felt right. Another boy. Perfect.

We later agreed we're both glad that the gender of your baby isn't a choice - because how can you possibly choose?

So now we know what it's like to find out what the baby will be before he's born - and it's FUN!! It's so nice not to have to refer to him as an "it", to be able to imagine two little boys tumbling around in the backyard in a couple years, with the little guy looking up to his big brother to absorb all his wisdom. And it certainly makes it easier to talk to Zach about what's coming, to be able to speak concretely about his brother. I'm not sorry we didn't find out with Zach - thinking about that "it's a boy" moment in the delivery room still makes me tear up. I'm simply thankful we got to have both experiences.

And as far as preparing Zach for all the coming changes, we're working on it, and I think bits and pieces are slowly sinking in. When Scott and Zach got back from their breakfast outing yesterday, Scott gave me the heads-up that he had a talk with Zach about how he had to be gentle with me, not jumping on me, that I couldn't carry him, etc. Although I don't think he heard Scott telling me about it, a few minutes later Zach came up to me and said: Mama, I have to be careful with you, I can't run into you or hit you, because (long pause)... the baby might fall out!

I have to admit, I was about to turn to Scott with the "you told him that???" look, when Scott quickly jumped in and defended himself - he'd simply told Zach he had to be careful because the baby is so small - about the size of cowabungadee. This was one more example of what we've learned lately - that Zach likes to embellish stories. We're never sure when he's telling us what really happened at school or with the babysitter, and when he's getting creative. But the baby falling out?? Where does he get this stuff?

We also had an awwww moment yesterday. Scott had convinced Zach to snuggle with him on the couch and watch football, and at one point said "are you my boy, or someone else's boy?" Zach answered "I'm your boy daddy. But when we have the baby, he'll be your boy too!" Awwww... maybe he understands a little more than I give him credit for!

Confessions of a blogaholic

I'm over-blogging, I know.

Can't seem to help myself these days. Maybe it's still the newfound joy at all the things Zach can do and say now that he's back to himself. Maybe it's the excitement prompted by the increasingly-evident reminder that we will have another one to blog about soon. Maybe it's just my on-going desire to make sure our long-distance family and friends get to know Zach, and not miss the tiny but so fun moments we have. Maybe it's one of many symptoms of stay-home mom restlessness. Most likely, it's a combination of all of those things. So I continue... and if you don't want to read it, you don't have to! :)

The most recent thing that sent me running for paper and ultimately the computer was something Zach said just a couple hours ago as he read one of his books. It's a "look and find" type of a book, so he was mostly looking at the pictures and talking to himself about what he saw, which was a scene of (friendly) monsters at a birthday party. I wasn't paying that much attention, but then I heard him say:

This sign says Happy Birthday Glurg. I would send you a card that says "I hope I love you very much. Good Luck. Enjoy eating your birthday cake. Happy Birthday! Love Zach"

See - don't I have to blog about something like that?

We talk about the baby frequently, and while Zach has no idea what all this talk means, it has been cute to see how he is assimilating all this information. His latest name suggestions are Zill (get it? Zach and...! No, he didn't come up with that on his own, but it's his favorite suggestion now) and Lightning McQueen. He did come up with that one, and thinks it's an acceptable name for either a boy or a girl. Lightning McQueen Willard. What do you think?

The baby is making its presence known. Besides that my pants don't fit (I'm in that lovely stage where most maternity clothes are still too big... sigh), this kid is already kicking. Kicking often, and much harder than seems possible at this point! I love it, but it makes me wonder what this will be like 3+ months from now.

Zach had my camera out the other day and was taking pictures, mostly of me. After looking at shot after shot with my head cut off, I thought it was a great idea for him to take the first official "belly" picture; who cares if my head is cut off on that one, right? So I turned to the side, and put my hands on top and below my "bump", and told him to take the picture. Here is the result:

Mr. Zach also finally got his flu shots the other day. I had taken him with me when I got mine, thinking it would be good for him to see how brave I was. :) Unfortunately, or perhaps not, the nurse distracted him by having him pick out a sticker while she actually gave me the shot, so he missed the whole process. When I told him we were going to the doctor because it was his turn to get his shots, he said: oooh mom, now you can pick out a sticker while I get my shot, cause I got to pick one out while you were getting yours!

Pictures above: Zach playing with the Zach-sized bag I got when I bought a bag of apples; that's been a very popular addition to the grocery shopping game. The other is of Koskie, appearing to snuggle with Zach's cowbungadee. I took a picture quick, since when he eventually noticed, Zach strongly objected to sharing his special friend with the dog!

Boogie Wonderland

Our son has inherited our dancing skills (no offense Scott). But I thought perhaps you'd get a kick out of this video anyway. If nothing else, they demonstrate how well his leg is healing!

A couple disclaimers:
- as is typical for us, both of the clips you will see are recreated moments. In other words, Zach was doing something cute and funny, and by the time we got the camera he had stopped. He was game to "perform" again, but neither performance is quite as funny or lively as the original spontaneous one.
- the second video is very dark; blame the bad angle on the videographer. The editing also isn't up to par - I'm still learning!

A note about the music in this video:

If there is a little voice in your head whispering something about that first song... listen to that voice - it is indeed the original Hamster Dance song! If you somehow didn't get that ubiquitous email forwarded to you, you can check it out on http://www.hampsterdance.com/classics/originaldance.htm.

When he was in his cast, Zach received a musical card that plays that song, and he's thought it was absolutely hilarious from day one. Zach loves musical cards, he's gotten three in his lifetime, and we have kept all of them, as he LOVES them and plays with them often. One is from last Christmas, and it's still singing Frosty the Snowman cheerfully. The other card plays Lean on Me, which Zach is now learning to the words to. We'll have to get that on video one of these days!

Toddler photo shoot

Zach and I joined our friends at the Walker Art Center on Friday, for a "momculture" event. While we moms checked out a pottery exhibit, the kids went to an art class where they created clay from dirt and water, and then made some sculptures. After a yummy lunch, the kids were lingering in a big window with a great view - despite the crummy weather - so we tried to take a few photos. Here are the results:

^ What you get when you say cheese to preschoolers: 2 cheesy smiles... followed by Zach's cheesiest smile

^ Maggie checking out Vincent; Zach and Maggie (giving mom a little bit of a stink-eye)

^ Zach's turn behind the camera - taking a picture of Vincent taking a picture of him!

Outside again

Let's go outside! That's what we hear from Zach these days, as soon as he wakes up and all throughout the day. We, like many areas, have had unseasonably warm weather since last Friday, and we are doing our best to take advantage of it.

When Zach, our friends Wendy and Vincent, and I went to a new park last Friday, I realized Zach hadn't been to a playground since probably late August! It didn't take long for him to remember what to do, soon he was climbing and sliding and swinging as if that broken leg had never happened. I did my best not to be the over-protective mom, and just watched him rediscover what he's capable of, which was most of the things he could do this summer. Scott took him to another park on Saturday, and he was even more adventurous - not only going down the "curly" slide, but going down on his belly too! Yet one more step closer to "normal"!

We've also spent a lot of time in the driveway, zooming cars down the slight incline. Fortunately a lot of the neighbor kids are also outside soaking up the sun, so at least some of the time there is someone else to play with him... there's only so much enthusiasm I can muster for Lightning McQueen winning the Piston Cup yet again.

5 random things

Time for 5 more random things about Zach:

Zach has seen the show The Wonder Pets only few times, but for some reason really likes it. It has one of those theme songs that sticks in your head, so he sings it often. Part of the song is to name the Wonder Pets, who are Winnie, Tuck, and Ming-Ming. However, Zach pronounces the little turtle's name as "Suck". We were already trying not to laugh, since it sounded hilarious coming out of his little mouth. And then, he started singing the name game... Suck suck bo Buck... you can see where this is going. I think we both had to leave the room.

Zach has been interested in my driving for quite a while now, telling me to stop at red lights and stop signs, asking if we're turning right or left, etc. But now he's added a new dimension - encouraging me to win. Apparently the movie Cars has had yet another influence on him: racing. He'll say things like "mom, there are three cars in front of you. So if you pass them, then you'll win!" We've had all sorts of conversations about how driving is not a race, that we need to be safe. So now he says "mama, you're winning, even though it's not a race!"

Scott's mom got Zach a little Cars laptop while his leg was broken. And while he played with it occasionally while immobile, that was nothing compared to now (of course). It's labeled as 3+, but he's figured out several of the games, knows what buttons to push to get to them, and can play them himself. One is a counting game, and the other two are spelling-related. The laptop has a regular QWERTY keyboard, so he's already learning where the letters are (I'm guessing this is a requirement for kindergarten these days)! But the funniest part is what he says about it: I gotta go do some work on my computer.

Zach got his first "big brother" gift a little while ago, a book about what it's like to have a new baby (thanks again Neudecks!). We've read it a few times, and apparently he's learned something, since now he's educating me. The other day something prompted me to ask him if he'd play that game with the baby when it came, and his response was: "no mama, babies don't like to play, they just like to be cozy and sleep."

And a not-so-random update, since I've realized I haven't mentioned Zach's recovery lately. He's had the cast off for 3 weeks (and one day!) and has been walking for almost two weeks. He really has come a long way, we're getting very close to "normal" again. He climbs up on his various stools to wash his hands or eat at the kitchen island, up on to his chair at the table, and can go up and down the stairs independently. He's even jumped a few times. But there is still a limp - he's not completely recovered. And while he can move pretty darn quickly, he's not running yet. When he walks, his left foot is usually pointed outward; we're keeping an eye on that, wondering if it's because his leg is still stiff/sore, or if he's just getting into the habit of walking like that. We'll give it a few more days before we call the doctor to check what they think. Since we've been told and have read that all kids heal and recover differently, it's hard to know what to worry about and what's "normal"!


*photos are from the Bell Museum of Natural History at the U of M campus. The second one is Zach thinking. :)

Roar or boo?

Zach couldn't decide he should roar or boo yesterday (he wanted to dress up as a ghost, but his uncreative mom couldn't figure out a ghost costume he'd actually wear), but he had no trouble saying "trick or treat" after he rang our neighbors' doorbells. This was the first year he really got to experience trick-or-treating, and he loved it! Scott and our friend Adam took Zach and Sylvia around the loop created by our street, and they came back with quite the bounty. Jamie and I sat out in the driveway with a fire, handing out candy to the masses of kids who came by. Our friends the Bergums joined us a little later, so we made an effort to get a decent picture of all the kids in their costumes...

Before the sun set, we attended the annual neighborhood Halloween party, where, as you can see, Zach played cars. :)



Friday night we hit the "Monster Mash" - a party hosted by our local ECFE. There was live music, a puppet show, and lots of chances to win prizes at the various games. We even took a family picture - not bad!

(FYI... you can click on the pictures to view larger images)