What a Week

This week has been full of surprises for me.

First, after swearing up and down I wasn't going to do it, I took Dylan to the pediatrician and he got both the seasonal and H1N1 flu mists. I'm typically against any unnecessary vaccines and up until this year, Dylan has not received a flu shot. But, I got scared. Luckily, he has had no side effects...yet.

Second, we are potty training this week. And shock of all shocks, it is going WAY better than I expected. I guess it helps that my expectations were set extremely low and I fully intended to give up and wait a few more weeks if Dylan wasn't quite ready. But, this kid continues to surprise me. He has only had a handful of accidents in the past three days and they were mostly my fault for not paying attention to him. The other thing that has surprised me is that Pull-Ups are what has worked the best for him. Glad I had actually purchased a pack! I think the independence of them coupled with the security is good for my boy.

Third, I opted to do the nuchal translucency scan with this baby. It's the test they do between 12-14 weeks that screens for down's syndrome. I thought nothing of this when I was pregnant with Dylan, but I'm a lot more cautious and paranoid this time around. Plus, an extra ultrasound...who wouldn't want one of those? Anyway, the ultrasound was scheduled for this afternoon. Luckily Mike was able to get off work early and meet me at the Dr's office. I was supposed to be 14 weeks today and thus was on the tip of the timeline for the scan, so it was automatically iffy whether or not they'd be able to get the proper measurements. When the U/S tech got the baby on the monitor, she immediately knew baby is too big. In fact, baby is measuring over a week bigger. So, my due date has been moved up to April 20th! 15 weeks 2 days sounds so much further along than 14 weeks to me. The tech was awesome and went ahead and took body measurements anyway. I drank a Coke right before my appointment, so the baby was moving all over the place...totally fun to see. I don't think ultrasounds will ever get old. At one point, the tech asked me if we were interested in knowing the gender. My response "Can you tell?! We definitely want to know if you can tell." Said with such enthusiasm I thought she might laugh at me. She froze the screen and there it was, clear as can be...a GIRL! Mike and I have both had pretty strong girl vibes from the beginning, but hearing the tech confirm that...well, it's now 2 am and I'm still smiling about it. I am so excited to go all pink and frills (no purple..I hate purple!). It was totally unexpected (although, totally hoped for) to find out what we're having today. The other bonus...I will get another ultrasound in 2-3 weeks for the 2nd trimester measurements! Heavenly Father must know I need extra reassurance this time around.

So, like I said, it's been an exciting week so far. And Trick or Treat is still two days away! As soon as I can get my scanner or camera to cooperate, I'll post a couple of the ultrasound pictures.

Nothing like a Fall vacation

First of all, I know I have several Mommy friends who have never taken a getaway with a girlfriend since their kid(s) were born. I must strongly encourage you all to take a yearly Mommy vacay...it is a lifesaver. This trip could not have come at a better time. Between the 1st trimester of pregnancy, the never ending heat of NC summer, an almost 3 year old, and a puking dog...I was at my wits end. Someone was about to lose their life in our house.

I am so lucky to have two awesome parents who are always, always willing to help me out whenever I need a break. So, two weeks ago, I packed up Dylan and the dog and headed to Charleston. I spend a day there getting Dylan situated and doing some last minute shopping for my girls getaway...I was in desperate need of some maternity clothes. Then I hopped on a plane to D-town (Detroit, MI) and let all my worries slide away for an entire week. I met up with my girl Angela and we had a great time visiting our old stomping grounds.

Our first stop was Toledo, OH where we visited Ang's sister Raeanna and her family. Rae had a baby (Evan) not too long ago, so we had to stop in and soak up all his cuteness.

Ang made these little booties for Evan. Aren't they adorable?

I honestly do not think there is a prettier place than Michigan in the Fall. If you haven't been...you must put it on your places to visit list. It is absolutely GORGEOUS! And any trip to MI is not complete without a trip to one of the many Cider Mills. Mmmm, my mouth is watering just thinking about the donuts and hot apple cider.

I still feel like my trip to Michigan was a whirlwind. There was so much to do and see...I haven't been back since my wedding, five years ago. We visited with Ang's family, went shopping, hit the dance club (that's right...I boogied with my baby bump), ate at some favorite restaurants, and spent a couple days simply laying on the couch and reading a book. Awesome. It was so nice to not have to worry about anyone but Me. I was also able to reconnect with an old friend from high school and it was so good to see her and catch up.

Alas, all good things must come to an end and I had to return to Charleston to pick up on my Mommy duties. I love being a Mom, but sometimes I just need a break so I can remember what it's like to be Me. There is no better person to help me do that than Angela. Every time we get the opportunity to hang out, I feel a huge void when the visit is over. I miss having her around so much and really hope that someday we are lucky enough to live close to each other.

All right...so back to Charleston and one very happy little boy!

Here's the bump I was telling y'all about. Can't believe I was only 12 weeks in this picture! I am carrying so high this time around. Fingers crossed that it's a girl.

Dylan loved playing on Gram and Pa's porch. He took his shopping cart outside and went shopping for Gram's pumpkins.

My sister, Kathleen, and my nephew, Noah, were also at my parent's house to celebrate Noah's Big #1 Birthday. It was so good to spend a few days with them. Noah was so cute eating his cake and opening his presents. I cannot believe he is already One.

Happy birthday boy, opening his presents.

My mom thought it would be fun to drive to Columbia, SC and take the boys to the zoo. So, that's what we did. Great idea, Gram. The boys were so good and we had a great time.

Totally cool...the giraffe was really this close to me. They had a little area where you could feed them and this guy did not want to miss out on some treats. He had several close calls with my camera.

Apparently it was time for the tortoises to mate. Perhaps my belly gave them some ideas, lol.

I love the flamingos. There vibrant colors are so refreshing and pretty to me.

Here we are at the end of our zoo trip. We had just gotten off the carousel and I'm pretty sure that Dylan wanted to ride the Panda again. Such a fun trip.

We are now back home, safe and sound with Mike...where we belong. But, the memories will last a lifetime.

For Reals

In case you're not quite up to speed with the Facebook world...

We Are Having a Baby!

That's right folks, come April there will be a new addition to the Elkington house. We couldn't be more happy. This was possibly a badly kept secret, but we were waiting to spill the beans publicly until after my 12 week appointment. Hit that milestone yesterday, heard a wonderful sweet heartbeat and now I'm feeling quite confident. Due date is April 29, 2010, but I'm just going straight for a C-section this time so the baby will come sometime the week before it's actual due date.

This has been a rough first trimester, but I'm trying hard not to complain because I am just happy to be pregnant. The nausea is starting to subside...Thank goodness! Just in time for my trip to Michigan!! The belly shots will come upon my return. But, take my word for it, I'm sporting quite the ball.

He Came Back

If I've talked to you on the phone or in person over the past couple weeks, you already know that Dylan disappeared. I'm really not sure what happened to him, but he was nowhere to be found. In his place was this whiney, tantrum throwing, unhappy, sleep deprived, just plain rotten almost 3 year old who looked exactly like Dylan. Crazy, I know. Mike and I were not too happy with the replacement and we were both begging for our happy, cute, funny Dylan to return. As good luck would have it, Dylan returned to us on Saturday. Still disobedient and demanding, but that's a toddler for you.

In the past couple days he has said and done some pretty funny things.

Dylan sneezed, then looked at me and said "I have a Bwess You, Mom."

"Mommy's wee wee falled off outside."

"Mooooooooom...I pooped! It's a big, green one. I have a duck tail!"

At Walmart, so upset because they don't have the little kid carts for him to push around "Mom, I need a sucker to make me happy."

And that's just a sampling...this kid can be so darn funny. I'm so glad he came back. He was deeply missed.