Drum roll please...(baby name announcement!)

We kept Connor's name a secret for a few reasons, and it was definitely an experience trying to keep it a secret for that long.  In hindsight, I wouldn't necessarily say it was the best experience, and here's why:

1. Nicknames Connor got while in the womb: Spanky (thanks to his uncles) and Enrique (because I liked spicy food so much while pregnant with him).  Luckily neither name stuck, although my friends will occasionally slip and call Connor Enrique.

2.  It nearly destroyed a couple family relationships when Derek and I stood our ground even though we were faced with RELENTLESS peer pressure to divulge the name (you know who you are!) :)

3.  It was really, really uncomfortable every time someone would ask what we're naming him.  "We aren't telling."  Brief but AWKWARD silence usually followed.

So, we have decided that this baby boy's name will not be a secret!

Connor's little brother is...

(The N looks funny because it's actually two V's I think.)
 
We both just like the name, and we are still undecided on a middle name.

Connor and his milestones

Tomorrow our little boy with be 15 months old.  He really is getting quite grown up.  He loves to read his books, play with all of his musical toys, and explore everywhere and everything he possibly can.  He is so curious! And his new favorite thing to do is climb.

The other day I was in his room hanging up some of his shirts.  I looked behind me and there he was, almost on top of his dresser.  He had climbed from the nursing stool onto the glider and was going after his books on top of the dresser.  For a kid who has been "late" on all the physical milestones, this new eagerness is surprising me.

I was so worried in the beginning when it was taking him so long to roll over.  I think he finally rolled over at 6 months or maybe later.  I was slightly less worried about him not being interesting in crawling, but I definitely still did worry.  Just before 10 months old he started army crawling.  I was a little concerned that he started normal-crawling at 12 months, because that's around the time that most kids start walking.

Clearly he had his own timeline for these "milestones".

I'm happy to say that I finally relaxed about when Connor would start walking.  He took his first steps at 13.5 months, and for the next month or so was happy to take a few steps and that was it.  Just this past week he has started "taking off" and he'll be 15 months tomorrow.

Our little Trojan is practically unstoppable these days!

I have a feeling my days of chasing him everywhere are right around the corner and will last for years to come. :)  And I've learned a valuable lesson: some kids don't exactly go "by the book" but that is perfectly ok.  He is a happy, healthy, and active kid who just wanted to take his time with certain things.

Our Visit to Chicago

Last week we flew to Chicago and spent the week with Derek's parents.  Like last March and last September, Derek's exam seminar for his next test happened to be in Chicago again, so Connor and I tagged along and made a little family vacation out of it.  We flew in on Saturday, and Derek's exam seminar was from Tuesday to the following Saturday.  

Unfortunately Derek woke up on Sunday with the stomach flu, and over the course of the week the rest of us had our share of sickness, too.  (He was mostly better by the time his seminar started, so it was good he got it first).  I thought I was invincible because I've never had the stomach flu in my life, but I sure did experience it and it was not fun!  Connor threw up once and took a few long naps.  Thankfully that was the extent of his sickness.  The week didn't go as any of us envisioned, but it was still nice being together.  

Thanks to his parents, Derek and I still managed to have some time together (dates are such a treat!).  One of the nights his parents happily watched Connor so that I could drive to where he was and we had a nice dinner together.  And on Friday night I drove to spend the night at his hotel so we could drive back the next day after his seminar ended.  I had the flu most of that day and was a little feverish, but I was determined to take advantage of his parents' offer to watch Connor overnight.  I love our little boy so much, but it's nice to have a break every once in a while.  :)  We had milkshakes and watched a movie.  We are so wild and crazy!

So far Connor has flown at 11 weeks, 9 months, and now 14 months.  This was definitely more challenging than previous times.  Thankfully we had the row to ourselves so he had a little room to get some energy out.  He didn't sleep a wink on the plane! He slept a total of 30 minutes the whole day, and oddly enough it didn't phase him at all.  

Exploring Grandma and Grandpa's house is lots of fun!

Connor in motion...as his shirt says, he does all his own stunts :)

Having a blast walking back and forth from Grandma to Grandpa.  He still hasn't completely mastered the art of walking, probably because he starts laughing hysterically whenever he takes steps.  It's hard to keep your balance when you're laughing so hard!

Our family of 4 (Connor is sitting on his brother)

When we arrived, it was snowing and COLD.  A couple days later, it was in the 60's!  Connor loves the park, and playing with Grandma is very fun.  

We took Connor's picture on this bed in this same spot when he was 11 weeks old.  It was a lot easier to get him to sit still then! :)  He's such a big boy!

Grandma giving Connor his very first Chicago style pizza

The growth chart wall.  He is a lot taller than he was 5 months ago!

Thoughts on having another boy

I'm really only blogging because I don't want there to be a gap between January and March on the list of months.  (Sometimes I'm more OCD than I like to admit).  BUT if there was ever a reason to blog, this is it: we're having another boy!

When I first found out I was pregnant I thought it was a girl.  That lasted for maybe the first trimester.  I was WAY more nauseous than I was with Connor, and don't they say that indicates a girl?  Oh, and I haven't craved spicy food at all this time around, unlike my last pregnancy when I poured Louisiana hot sauce all over my popcorn and had the fire hot sauce from Taco Bell for the first time in my life.  So of course it had to be a girl, right?

Then the headaches started.  That's when I started to be a little less sure.  They haven't been quite as bad as they were last time, but there is no denying that I have them...often.  I also started to just get the feeling that it was a boy.  I don't know.  I think moms just know.  And what made me 100% convinced was my appointment at 16 weeks.  The baby's heart rate was about 140bpm. They say that heart rates for girls are higher and boys are lower.  I told my doctor, "I guess that means it's a boy." He said, "This isn't an indicator at all."  But like I said, I was 100% sure.

So at the ultrasound when the tech asked if we wanted to know the sex, I said yes but that I was certain it was a boy.  Five minutes later, there was no mistaking! There he was on the screen!

It feels a little surreal that I'm going to have two little boys 19 months apart.  From as far back as I can remember, I always pictured myself as a mother with lots of kids.  But I never pictured myself with only boys.  I'm not saying that we're done after this one.  I would still love to have 4 or 5 kids (I know, I say that now).  But as of right now I'm going to be a mother to two boys.  Weird and cool all at the same time!

Here's the growing baby boy (and mama) at 18 weeks (2/21/12)

The more I think about it, the more I love it that this one is a boy.  I would still love to have a girl at some point, but there is something special about having two boys close together.  They'll be one grade apart in school.  They have a built-in play mate.  They can share a room and have bunk beds for a long time.  They'll be best buds.  And as one friend pointed out, I will be in great shape because of all the chasing after little boys I'll be doing. :)

I'm really excited for this new addition to our family.  I can't wait to pick a name and make him a quilt and decorate their "boy room."  I'm so grateful for this blessing.

And this is just because they're cute :)

A Weekend of Firsts

Connor had quite a weekend.  He had his first birthday party, his first haircut, and his first hot dog.  2 out of 3 of these events were a hit.  He had a great time at his "happy birthday party" and he really enjoyed the leftover hot dog we gave him yesterday at lunch.  We couldn't cut it up fast enough.  The haircut, on the other hand, didn't go so well.  He cried from start to finish, but he sure did need it and he is so handsome with his big boy hair!


Big smiles with Auntie Cousin Ashley. 

It was a little cold outside, but considering that the party was on January 7th, it was still very nice weather for being outdoors.  (Oddly enough, this was the first day in about two weeks that the heat spell decided to take a break.  It started again the next day--nice and warm all day.  Oh well!)

Connor really ejoyed being the center of attention...and he's good at it!

He LOVED when everyone started singing "Happy Birhtday" to him.  If only we didn't spoil his fun by giving him a cupcake :)

Connor takes after his mommy: he doesn't like his hands to be dirty and he's really trying to eat healthy and limit the junk food. (This was right before he took the cupcake and threw it on the ground).

This is one of 3 elmo's he got, and he loved each one.  He also got lots of books, clothes, toys, etc... and a piggy bank so he can start saving for college!

BFF Noemi checking out his new toy

Connor wants to wear Uncle Brady's cool sunglasses, but only on the top of his head, not over his eyes.

It's very entertaining watching a 1 year old do what 1 year olds do.

I can't believe he's already 1! My little boy is getting so big!

The haircut: Obviously he needs it. 

Very unimpressed by the cartoon movie in front of him and the cool car to sit in.

Thankfully it doesn't take very long to cut a 1 year old's hair.  This is what he did the entire time :(

Look at our tear-streaked, blotchy-faced big boy! Due to many oddly placed cowlicks, Connor's hair sort of just goes in at the middle.  I think we need to embrace the mohawk. :)

The Latest

I haven't blogged in a while.  November was a busy month full of a vacation, Thanksgiving, and visiting with family and friends.  December so far has been full of morning (all day) sickness, tiredness, and no energy.  Oh, and a little boy who is almost one and ALL OVER THE PLACE.  Here are the highlights from the last couple of months.

After Derek SUCCESSFULLY (woohoo!) completed his most recently exam, we packed up and headed for Lake Tahoe.  We stayed in a cabin that belongs to some family friends.  It was SO relaxing.  We didn't do much.  Derek had a sinus infection and I was really "car sick" even when I wasn't in the car :), so we just hung out and enjoyed family time.

We met our friends Jack and Mary who are living in Reno this year.  Connor got his first "This is the most well-behaved baby I've ever seen" comment from the waiter.  Hopefully the first of many.  And he loves lemons!

Connor's first time "playing" in the snow!

Our friends, the Lehmer's.  We had lunch with them on our drive back and got to thank them for letting us stay in their wonderful cabin. 

Next stop: visiting my friend, Angela.  We were roommates at APU and now look at us with all our boys! :)  It was so fun spending time with her and her family.   

Last stop: spending a couple days in Madera with my brother, sister-in-law, and the kiddos.  Here they are enjoying some Barney together.  Caleb is almost 3, Kylie and Ellie are 1 1/2, and Connor is almost 11 months.  Cousin time!

My brother is serious about his spaghetti.  It takes him about 24 hours to make a batch of sauce.  It's fitting that Uncle Josh gave Connor his very first spaghetti dinner, which he loved!

Thanksgiving is full of traditions.  Here is a family favorite: after peeling about 30 pounds of potatoes on Thanksgiving morning, all of us "kids" (even though most of us are in our 20's) head to Starbucks for holiday drinks before heading to the wonder that is our family Thanksgiving.   

Connor and Nana at Thanksgiving.  Between my mom, Hanna, Laura, and Shawna, I didn't spend much time with Connor on Thanksgiving.  I'm happy to share! 

Grandma and Grandpa Cushman spent a few days with us over Thanksgiving weekend.  Connor had a great time reading books with Grandma.  

Connor very happily sharing his breakfast with Grandpa. 

We found out I was pregnant while we were in Lake Tahoe.  I guess I wasn't really "car sick" after all.  I had my first doctor's appointment earlier this month and was so happy to see the little heartbeat on the ultrasound.  I'm due July 24th, so Connor will become a big brother at 19 months old! 

Our family photo at our church Christmas service.  Next up: Christmas and Connor's 1st birthday! 

Big Boy Dinner

I took a picture of Connor's plate of food tonight.  Years from now this will be a crazy thing to do, but tonight it was very momentous.  He has never had a plate of food before!  Usually I have 4 or 5 little containers of pureed veggies, applesauce, cottage cheese, etc.  His meals haven't resembled "normal" until this week, and tonight was the first night he had exactly what we had: sloppy joe meat, homemade macaroni and cheese, and fresh steamed broccoli and cauliflower.

I have no idea if I'm giving him too much or too little, or if this is even ok for an almost 10-month-old to eat (it's all these first-time-mom jitters).  I figure he'll let me know if it's a bad idea.  Well, I think he liked it!  He didn't eat all the food on his plate (nor did he actually eat it off of his plate), but we're well on our way to regular big boy food!