22 months and 22 weeks

Time flies when you are having fun or when you have a toddler.  Seriously.  M is now 22 (and a 1/2) months old and I'm 22 weeks along with version 2.0.  Even this pregnancy seems like it's passing quickly and I'm already frantic with wanting to nest- which I started this past weekend.  Every now and then I try to slow the clock down and enjoy these last few months with my sweet girl as an only and feeling my inside baby kick.  Here's an update on both of my little ones:

M, the stubborn, adorable toddler is full of herself these days.  She is spewing new words left and right and simple sentences.  I find it interesting that when a word is easier for her to speak in English, she says it in English and when it's easier in Spanish she says it in Spanish.  Right now her main words in Spanish are: Mami, Papi, zappato- shoe (but she says it to mean shoe/sock/or foot), manos- hands, bendicion- God Bless, Abuela- Grandma, Abo- Grandpa, Tio- Uncle, Titi- Auntie, aqui- here, aqua- water (but she says this for any liquid she asks for), uvas- grapes, mio- mine, este- this/that, dame- give me, gracias, and many more I don't even realize or can't remember right now. :)  She completely understands commands spoken in either English or Spanish as well.  I'm totally jealous that her being bilingual has been so easy for her...I really must get Rosetta Stone one of these days.  She can identify most of her body parts if I ask her and she can name a ton of animal sounds.  My favorite is her monkey interpretation.  She has also started to sing her favorite songs or try to.  Lately, it's been the Elmo's World tune.  SO cute!

She is obsessed with Barney and will be getting a Barney themed party NEXT?! month complete with a visit from the great dino himself.  I'm also happy to report that her hair is finally long enough for pony tail and/or pig tails and I have taken great delight in doing her hair.  She actually likes it now and sits still for me to do it and usually leaves them in all day.  Once I've put her pony tails in as part of our morning routine, she always has to look in the mirror to see my handy work.  She loves to be just like Mami- I pretty much wear a pony tail every day :).  She loves her baby dolls and has really taken to mothering them which is fabulous timing with her new little sibling on the way.  I think she'll be an excellent big sister although we will have to watch her closely to make sure she doesn't try to change "caci (poopie)" diapers on her own.  Her babies are always in need of changing. M has peed on the potty once now and sits on it usually once or twice a day just to practice.  We aren't pushing potty training at this point, but she's getting so close to being ready.  She also loves to "help" whether it be feeding the dogs, "cooking", switching laundry around, dusting, putting toys away, sweeping, etc.  She has quite the sense of humor and certainly has a stubborn streak (like me!).  Each day I have with her is a joy and I look forward to her "muuu-ah!" kisses and tight hugs around the neck each day.

Baby R 2.0 is growing big and strong.  We've passed the halfway point of pregnancy and are so close to reaching viability at 24 weeks now.  At our last ultra sound he/she was measuring a little over a week ahead.  I'm really not surprised considering I make big babies (9lb 4oz and 8lb 6oz so far).  At our 20 week scan, they saw two cysts on the baby's brain, so we had to go see a perinatologist and get a Level 2 ultrasound at the hospital.  We weren't too worried about it as Dr. Google said that with no other markers, cysts were usually harmless and would resolve themselves on their own by third trimester.  Of course we get there and THREE different people scanned my belly and we got to see 2.0 stretch and kick and squirm for about 45 minutes.  A resident scanned me and did all measurements, then the actual ultra sound tech did the same thing, and then the actual perinatologist came in and did it all AGAIN.  A and I were freaking thinking that something must be seriously wrong and they needed three opinions to confirm.  At long last the peri put the wand down, put a hand on my belly and said our little one was absolutely perfect.  There were no signs of the cysts and all organs looked great and we were released without needing any follow up appointments.  We both were stunned for a second (sort of a "pinch me to make sure it's real" moment) and then slowly let out sighs of relief.

We've been contemplating baby names lately and have some favorites, but aren't ready yet to say a girl will be called this and a boy will be called that.  I have an anterior placenta this time, so A and M haven't been able to feel the baby move yet.  I've been feeling a lot more myself in the last week and it's fabulous.  I really love this stage of pregnancy.  I have no true cravings except a bowl of Cocoa Puffs every now and then and I am really into Mexican foods this time, although, still not too spicy.  My heartburn is back and I am grossed out by chicken on the bone and certain meats (like pork chops).  I also feel like I'm carrying a lot lower this time as this baby feels like it could bottom out at any moment.  I never had morning sickness and the 1st tri fatigue is gone. I have started to notice slight swelling in my ankles, but it goes away when I put my feet up or overnight.  We've made headway in getting the guest rooms cleaned out and hope to move the large furniture around this weekend so we can paint M's new big girl room and move her next month for her birthday.  Once she's moved and settled, we'll set up the recycled nursery for 2.0.  I've been letting her play and hang out in what will be her new room for a few months already, so hopefully the transition won't be too hard.

I think I've rambled enough about my babes for today.  Now to add some pictures to this post. :)