Frogs and snails and puppy-dogs' tails

...That's what little boys are made of! We'll find out soon enough, when our SON is born! We had our ultrasound on Wednesday, December 23. While I never had an inclination to find out what we were having when pregnant with Melanie, this time around, I couldn't WAIT. I just feel like there's a lot more to do and preparations I can make this time - juggling two little ones after Baby W2's arrival will be enough, without sorting through clothes & such :) We learned, at the ultrasound, that everything looks great! We were impressed by how much time the tech spent with us going through all of the markers, measurements, etc. The baby weighs a little over a pound right now, and has all of his parts! What a great Christmas present!

December Update

It has been a couple of weeks since I posted, and I want to get some thoughts down since this is my outlet instead of journaling or scrapbooking....

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Mel has had an active couple of weeks, despite being on antibiotics since before Thanksgiving. First, we were treating a cold - coughing, etc - the stuff I was dealing with too, and neither of us could shake it; additionlly, we treated another round of pink eye. Finally, by Thanksgiving, we were both back to "normal" (whatever that means). Then, she started the coughing again, and her eyes were goopy again! Jeff took her to the doc on Tuesday 12/8, and she was diagnosed with her first-ever ear infection. I've gotta say, having only one ear infection in 21 months - not so shabby. Many of her friends already have tubes! After nine days of this ear infection antibiotic, I wasn't satisfied with the cough, runny eyes & runny nose that continued, so I took her back on 12/17. The ear infection had cleared up, but the doc changed her antibiotic to try to kick the cough, which is probably a sinus infection. She seems to be doing better already, on day two of the antibiotic.

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We have kept busy with our twice-weekly trips to Gymboree (the play center, not the store!), trips to the library to see the "choo choo" and play in their play room, and playing with the girls in our neighborhood. We also went to visit Santa last Sunday. Let's just say we did not get photos taken with Santa. Melanie is VERY interested in looking at photos of Santa, seeing him on TV, and seeing him from a distance - She loves to say "HO, HO, HO!!" - but, when it comes to the real thing - or even a statue of the real thing - she, ah, tends to shy away.

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Mel is continuing with her interest in the potty. She talks about it a lot, and plays on her little stool. When it comes time to do the business, she prefers the "big" potty, and she is going in it a couple of times a week. I'm not pushing this, and I just follow her lead right now. I'm sure we'll go through phases with this. She LOVES brushing her teeth. She could seriously spend the day at the sink, washing her hands, playing in the water, and "brushing" her teeth. She cries when she can't do it, and we tend to keep our bedroom door shut to try to keep it out of her mind. She is in a phase where, if you're not doing what she wants you to, she'll take you by the hand and lead you to the place she "needs" you to be. Her daycare teachers continue to report that she is a very good "helper" in the room. Miss Ana mentioned that Melanie would like to be the lead teacher. She checks all the other kids' diapers, makes sure they go down when it's nap time, is always aware of where & what everyone is doing, etc. I said that just sounds like a bossy busybody, but they said she'll make a great big sister!

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Mel will show just about anyone where Mommy's baby is. She pulled up my shirt at the pediatrician when I asked her to show him where the baby was; she also attempted to show a first-time-expectant father at a clothing store this weekend. I hope she's this proud of him/her upon arrival! Her latest trick is also saying "OH, Baby!" - which is the saying on my most comfortable (and most-worn) maternity shirt. I try to get her to say it frequently, since it's so stinkin' cute.

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As for the pregnancy itself, it's progressing smoothly! I've been able to feel the baby move for a couple of weeks now, and on December 12, Jeff could feel it! That is almost to the day (one day short) of where I was in my first pregnancy when we could feel Melanie move; so things are looking/feeling great!

Baby W2 update

I am just as thrilled with this pregnancy, of course, as I was with the first. However - I have not had the opportunity to dwell on every single aspect of this baby's development, etc - I actually don't even feel pregnant (other than the expanding waistline!) As of today, I am 18 weeks, 1 day pregnant - according to the check-out person at the OB office! How sad is that, I had to ask her!
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Today, we had a "standard" OB visit, it was the first time Jeff had been able to hear the heartbeat! Given the amount of time I had to wait at my last OB, he wasn't able to make previous appointments. However, with my new & improved OB, Dr. Dupler, everything is going great. The heartrate today was 158, and I am up 10 pounds overall. My next appointment, on December 23, is the one where we'll learn if Melanie will have a little brother or a little sister!
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Mel is pretty much unaware of her world getting ready to change. When asked where Mommy's baby is (if she's in the mood to entertain), she will come over and lift my shirt and point to my belly. She will kiss - or spit on - the belly for effect. She will, also, point to Gigi's or Daddy's belly and say "baby" - so I know that she's not completely aware of what is going on.
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As of Wednesday overnight into Thursday, I'm back feeling 100% after my bronchial infection - no more coughing, etc. Yippee!
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Log your guess as to what BabyW2 will be - http://expectnet.com/index.php?t=0 - enter "Worzala2" in the game name.

Christmas Tree

We skipped the Christmas tree last year (2008) since Melanie was just learning to walk, and I wanted to spare everyone some headaches. We are big fans of the real tree, so on Saturday we set out to pick Melanie's 'first tree.' She likes to say the word "TREE." We went to a tree farm by us, where they had real reindeer and everything - but then we ended up buying from the Boy Scouts at Lion's Park! Something about picking out a tree without a coat on seemed odd - and Melanie got to play at the park for quite a while, it was so nice outside!

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So far Mel has stayed out of the tree, so we're keeping our fingers crossed! Once the tree was up, Molly also came over to play, and Jenny stopped by to visit. Melanie said "Julie" for the first time! It was a fun day seeing everyone and getting things done! Sunday was a truly lazy day, with long naps & relaxation!

Melanie's First Haircut

When we got back to town on Friday, we decided it was time for Melanie's first haircut. My big thing about her hair is that I would like for her bangs to grow out. We took her to Clubhouse Cuts for Kids, right by our house - she loved it! I think it helped that we were the only customers; plus she had a "wee" to play on (a slide), a trainset, and she got to sit in a car and watch Elmo during the event. She did a GREAT job; I'm not so sure about the cut itself, but I just keep telling myself it will grow out!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had a great Thanksgiving celebration in Yorkville with ALL of the Worzalas plus the Doan parents! Uncle Rick & Aunt Sandy were great hosts; we drove up on Thursday morning, and back on Friday. The kids - Melanie, Charlie, and Sammie - had a great time playing together, and it was great to get caught up with everyone. Melanie even slept relatively well in unfamiliar surroundings - and did great on both of the car rides!

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While we were there, the dog JJ was NOT a hit with Mel! She is a rambunctious yellow lab, and every time she entered the room, Mel would tremble from head to toe. As we left on Friday, Mel was waving and saying "Bye, Bye JJ!" rather excitedly. Later that night, while sleeping on Daddy's lap, she removed her thumb from her mouth long enough to say "JJ, night-night" before going back to sleep.

Gymboree!

We decided to take a hiatus from gymnastics until Melanie is a bit older. Instead, we tried Gymboree - which is a great 45-minute weekly class. In addition to the class, we have the opportunity to participate in "open gym" each week, where she just gets to run around and play on all of the equipment. So far she has attended two open gyms and one class, and she seems to really like it. Her favorite part is getting a stamp on her hand at the end of each session - but she does enjoy the activities as well!