Mommy! Look at me!

I'm simmin!

Think Pink!

We went for the 20 week sonogram yesterday and it was so exciting! I got to see my sweet angel moving about, her skeleton in plain view.

Yes, I said HER.

Bella's going to have a little sister! My husband is elated, not at all disappointed she's not a he. I'm so glad because this is our last baby and he's the last in his family line.

Baby girl is about the size of a zucchini and perfectly proportioned. Her profile looks just like her sister who has tiny but prominent features. It is very hard to imagine what this baby will really look like because Bella is a such a mix of my husband and I. We can hardly wait!

We had a couple of names we were tossing around but now that we're certain baby is a girl, we've wiped the slate clean. If you have name suggestions, they are more than welcome!

Now we move on to planning Bella's 2nd birthday. My little big girl is going to be TWO! She's already singing Happy Birthday. I think she'll embrace the idea of celebrating her birthdays the whole month just like her aunt and I have always done :)

Experience Does Not Make All-Knowing

I am now 18 weeks along in my pregnancy and FINALLY over the daily nausea and yelling at the porcelain bowl.

I guess I thought being pregnant the second time would be a piece of cake. Everyone said I wouldn't be sick. Okay. I was just sick-er.

Everyone said I'd have bundles of energy during the second trimester, commonly known as the "honeymoon phase." I still require the same two hour nap with Isabella every day and 8:30pm can't get here quick enough.

There are, however, a few things different.

I am already feeling the Braxton Hicks. To most seasoned breeders, this would not come as a shock. It sure as heck did to me! I frantically emailed my sister about it (knowing she was already perched in front of the screen for the evening) and at the same time Googled all I could about this surprising turn of events. Seems that around 17 weeks, it is normal to feel the false contractions, as long as I get no more than 4 in an hour. So I lay in bed till about midnight, waiting as each hour passed to see if I felt any more than the two I'd felt three hours prior.

My back and hips ache sooner than with Bella. I've only gained 2 lbs, having puked off 7 lbs in the previous trimester, but I'm sporting a nice little soccer ball. It has always weirded me out, however, that when I lay flat, the soccer ball disappears and I'm not so sure it doesn't all slide to the back.

In all, I feel great, but it has been interesting to compare this pregnancy with my first one. I definitely don't have time to obsess about it every moment this time around. I even forget how many weeks along I am! For now, we're focused on May 24, when our little peapod will hopefully be in the mood to show his/her wares so the name game can narrow down a bit.

The Light's On But No One's Home

Have you ever done something for a really long time and thought nothing of it until one day you realize you're a moron?

My husband and I shared that moment on Friday night, thanks to our daughter.

We inherited a beautiful home 5 1/2 years ago from a wonderful woman who loved my husband as her own son. She was a very unique person and that is evident throughout the house.

In our room, next to our bed, is a light switch. She stayed in this room when sick with cancer and was bed-ridden for many months before her death. Naturally, we assumed that light switch was there to help her control a certain aspect of her room from the comfort of bed. First, we thought it was for the lamps. No. Perhaps the ceiling fan? No. Maybe she could turn off the music from the living room that was wired to play throughout the house? Nope.

We finally decided that maybe the switch just no longer works and really was meant for the lamps, like in a hotel.

I mentioned that Isabella is a curious little somebody. She's quite the prowler, especially in our house. She found that light switch about 4 months ago and has played with it pretty much daily since then. Why not? The dang thing didn't work anyway.

Friday night, we were all laying in bed watching America's Funniest Videos and she was fiddling with the light switch. All of the sudden, I noticed through the bathroom windows that the outside lights were flicking on and off.

Yes. The bedside light switch controlled the OUTDOOR LIGHTS! That means for 4 months, my daughter has been sending out what our neighbors must think is some strange SOS signal to UFO's or else we have really big electrical issues. My husband and I just stared as she continued playing with the switch, dumbfounded that it took the actions of a 22 month old to unlock the mystery of something so simple.

He's No Weenie!

This is Zeus.

Some of you may remember me posting about the emergency surgery he had to have when two of the discs ruptured in his spine. At the time, it was a major gamble because Dachsunds are notorious for this degenerative disease. What made it more difficult was the surgeon expected one disc rupture and not two when she began operating. She gave him slim to none odds that he'd ever walk again.

Well, there he is. Seven months later and the little fighter not only walks but can run...like a rabbit, but run nonetheless! He is hump-backed to compensate and I really don't think he has much feeling in his back feet, but the SOB (well! He is!) has resumed chasing the squirrels and annoying the neighbors on a daily basis. We couldn't be happier!

I plan to forward the pics and huge thank-you to Zeus' vet and surgeon. Had they not moved as quickly as they did, he surely would've died within days as the paralysis took hold.

Funny. We always swore we'd never spend more than $1500 to save an animal. That was the best $2500 we've ever spent!