17 Weeks

This week, the baby is about the size of a turnip, and his/her skeleton is hardening. I have many stories I could tell, but alas, it's Christmas Eve. I better head to bed so that Santa can make his arrival! We wish everyone a very merry Christmas and happy new year.

Dad's Corner: An update

I can't believe how fast the time has gone.  So many people told us that it goes by too fast so I've been very careful not to take a second for granted.  Conor has been a blast to be around and every day he's doing something new.  Yesterday, he taught me that if you run full speed at a closed door, you'll hit it.  This is always something that I've wanted to try, but my adult brain convinced me it wasn't a good idea.  Fortunately for him, all that it takes to heal any wound is a kiss and a hug and he's on his way.
We've been extremely lucky to have such an easy going child.  I know that may all change as he goes through his various stages, but so far every month is better than the last.  As he develops his personality, he becomes more and more fun to play with.  We've also been lucky to have a very supportive and helpful family.  Conor has more toys and attention than he could possibly need.
I'll try to post more adventures with Conor as we move into this new phase.  I'd post some adventures with Danielle too, but she mostly just sleeps now.
And in case you were wondering, my beer belly is the size of a large cantaloupe this week.

15 Weeks

15 weeks down, 25 to go! This week, the baby is the size of an apple - about 4 inches long and 2 1/2 ounces. His/her legs are stretching out this week, and the lungs are developing, as fluid pumps through them.

My friend and co-worker Lisa brought her one-month-old into work today. She's absolutely precious and made me realize just how much fun it will be to have a teeny, tiny baby around the house again. It'll certainly be an adjustment (oh, how I've enjoyed sleeping through the night), but so worth it!

At daycare, they've begun pulling out the dolls and having Conor play with them to practice how we interact with babies. He practices feeding them, pushing them in the swings, and even asks for a new diaper when he decides they need to be changed. He doesn't quite understand yet that a baby is on the way. (When we ask him what's in mommy's belly, he still just says "belly button" no matter how many times we tell him there's a baby in there.) Nevertheless, it's good to know that he's practicing how to be gentle, safe, and loving with a baby so that he's ready when the real thing arrives.

14 Weeks

Today marks a full 14 weeks of pregnancy. This means that the first trimester is over. The first trimester passed, thankfully, without incident. No morning sickness, no aches and pains, no heartburn. I didn't experience any of the "usual" symptoms when pregnant with Conor either. However, since every pregnancy is different, I wasn't sure whether I'd be quite as lucky this time around. Thankfully, everything has gone just as smoothly, if not smoother. The only two symptoms I've really experienced have been fatigue and hunger. I've been much more tired than usual, though it's gotten better over the past few weeks. For a while, Mike was having to wake me up for dinner each night. Of course, I was more than happy to be woken, given how ravenously hungry I've been! The most noticeable difference has been how quickly everything grew this time around. The baby belly was noticeable much before the end of the first trimester this time. In fact, several people have asked if we're sure it's not twins. Yes, we're sure. In any case, you can see the progress yourself. The pictures below were taken today, the first in our efforts to capture this baby's growth over the next several months.

And for those who relished the food comparisons last time, this week, the baby is the size of a lemon. He/she is working out the facial muscles -- squinting, grimacing, frowning, and generally preparing for all the faces he/she will make at his/her inquisitive older brother very soon.

The Adventure Begins Again!

As most of you know by now, Baby Pape #2 is on the way. We're very excited to welcome this new little one into our family in just a few short months - sometime around June 2 to be more exact. Conor absolutely loves playing with the other kids at daycare, particularly the girls. He talks on end about Darcy and Gracie, and he will readily run into daycare and give either of them a hug and do the same on his way out if they're still there. Our daycare providers always rave about what a "caring" little boy he is and how well he is able to share with everyone else. (One of his favorite words is "turn," which he uses to go around the room and ensure that everyone has a turn with his toy.) Needless to say, we're very excited to see how he reacts to having another little person in his life full time.

This time around, the pregnancy is much less "all-consuming" than it was the first time. I've hardly cracked open my What to Expect When You're Expecting this time; it was my constant companion the first time around. Clearly, I'm only now beginning the blog; last time, I'd written 8 posts by this point in the pregnancy. I suppose that's to be expected. A nearly-2-year-old running around sure keeps your mind off less noticeable things, such as an as-yet-to-be-felt baby swimming in your tummy. As such, Mike and I have not even begun to think of names at all yet. While we had quite a list going by this point in the last pregnancy, this time, we immediately felt like it would be a total waste of time to think of any names until we knew the sex of the baby. Better to save that extra 50% of effort on useless names for more useful activities, like swinging your little boy upside down from his feet so that he can attack the tower he built like a monster again and again and again.

Speaking of finding out the sex of the baby, we'll find out that critical piece of info on January 4. Until then - it's time to poll! What do you think this baby will be? Last time, in case you're curious, 61% of you correctly predicted that Conor would be a boy. Cast your vote in the poll to the right. Polls will close on the night of January 3.

Tomorrow, we'll reach the end of the 14th week of pregnancy. I'll log back on then to resume the weekly photos to document how the baby is growing, and I'll detail how things have gone so far. Stay tuned!