Here We Go Again!

Another baby Craig is on the way!

Right now my due date is late June/early July. So far they've changed our due date each time we've gone to the doctor, so I'm not entirely sure how far along I am. One thing that is fairly certain is that we'll have another Cancer in the house, bringing the tally up to 3 - sorry, Ez! 

I found out I was pregnant with a home pregnancy test in mid-October, and I let Joe know by leaving the test (in a ziplock bag) next to his dinner. He just sat down at the table and kept talking, not noticing the test for a few minutes. Then he actually moved it out of the way so he could start eating. And then he finally realized what was going on. It was so hard not to laugh or give it away while I was waiting for him to see the test.

We were both kind of in disbelief for awhile after that. I didn't want to get my hopes up too much until we actually saw the baby on an ultrasound, because I was worried it could be another ectopic pregnancy. We saw the doctor on Halloween, and thankfully everything was exactly where it's supposed to be, and that's when things finally sank in a bit more. 

This pregnancy is so different because I don't really have much time to think about being pregnant. I haven't taken a single baby bump picture. And since I've already done it once, I'm not constantly on Baby Center to determine what stage of development the baby is in, and what comparative fruit size it is this week. I just know he/she's in there and is growing and healthy, which is all that really matters. 

Right after we went to the doctor, when I was about 5 or 6 weeks pregnant, I suddenly got hit with nausea, which lasted almost exactly one week, and greatly contributed to my anxiety about flying cross country with Ez. Thankfully, the nausea went away for the most part the day of my flight, and it hasn't really come back full force since.

I think everyone's (all the grandparents and Joe) hoping for a girl this time around, but I honestly think I'm having another boy. Mostly because my symptoms are so similar to when I was pregnant with Ez: short-term nausea but no vomiting, my leg hair grows like crazy, my skin is super dry and itchy, and I want Mexican food all the time. Joe thinks I'm moodier, but I think that's just because my patience gets spread between him and Ez now, instead of just him. Also, I was much more tired when I was pregnant with Ez. I napped all the time. This time around I only napped once when I was feeling really sick. I think I've just grown used to sleeping less since I've had Ez.

Things I currently love: eggs, orange juice, english muffins, nachos, burritos, peppermint Jojo's (from Trader Joes), cinnamon rolls, pie.

Things I can't stand now that I'm pregnant: coffee - almost as soon as I became pregnant, the though of coffee repulsed me and I quit cold turkey for about a month. It's starting to seem appealing again. Iced tea, which I normally love, and am slowly starting to like again. Gilmore Girls - I binge watched it while I was feeling sick, and now I associate it with feeling sick. Sad, I know.

I told my dad, stepmom, and all the aunts the big news while I was visiting back East in early November. Then we told my mom, stepdad, Joe's mom, and stepdad, and the uncles on the Friday after Thanksgiving. I put Ez's "I'm gonna be a big brother" shirt on, sent him out into the living room, and instead of standing still he ran straight past everyone into the kitchen. Somehow both grandmas still managed to glimpse the shirt. Obviously everyone is super excited :)

Ez will be just over 2 when his sibling is born, and I really hope he has an understanding of what's going on by that time. Right now I think he's too young to understand, although we do talk to him about it.

And here are some outtakes that show just how thrilled Ez is to be a big sibling (and to have his picture taken):

It was around this point that photographer reinforcements were sent in for the "scowling baby"

Holiday Bucket List

I'm a little late to the game with this year's Christmas bucket list, since there's only 22 days until Christmas. 22 days, people!! Crazy. We've actually already done a few of these activities, so maybe, just maybe, we'll actually be able to squeeze in all the Christmas fun I'm imagining in my head. Joe and I are so excited to experience Christmas with Ez this year, now that he's mobile and aware of what's going on. He loved all the lights at Disneyland, so it'll be fun to get all bundled up, grab some hot cocoa, and walk around visiting all of our favorite neighborhood lights. I'm also interested to see how the tree fares with a toddler in the house. I'm guessing all the ornaments that I actually want to keep in one piece will go at the top of the tree this year ;)

Disneyland at Christmas Time

Aka - the post of a thousand pictures. Sorry in advance, but Disneyland is too pretty and merry when it's all done up for Christmas. Snow, Santa, lights, fireworks, cinnamon rolls, festive characters, Christmas carols, the tallest trees imaginable...I couldn't resist taking a million pictures.  We go every December for Larry/Grampa's birthday, and it's my favorite time of year to go. I promise I narrowed it down to just my favorite 50 or so ;)

Ez's classic "fireworks" face - so serious, but intrigued at the same time.

Word on the street is Ez and Tigger actually shared a dance...

and he high-fived Winnie! Quite the change from our brunch at Goofy's Kitchen.

Ez was a little suspicious of Santa, but he didn't cry.

Rare alone time for the parents! 

Did I mention that we happened to go to Disneyland on 1 of the 5 days it rains in So Cal?

We didn't let a little rain spoil our fun though.

Ez and the grandparents while the parents got to go on a few rides.

It's not a Disneyland trip without a giant cinnamon roll.

Despite the serious face, I hear Ez really liked his ride on the cable car.

The grandparents took Ez on Dumbo, and I hear he liked that as well.

See? Tallest trees imaginable.

Ez was absolutely mesmerized by the lights on Small World. (Me too.)

Ez was serious but intrigued during Small World - notice a trend here?

Game faces on! Joe won (Toy Story Mania), but I had a better accuracy score...so basically I won!

Ez has a bunch of mini Cars figurines, so he was pretty excited to see Lightning McQueen.

Linking up for the Christmas Countdown:

Our Thanksgiving

Our Thanksgiving was exactly what you want from the holiday: family, food comas, and stretchy pants (or stretchy skirts, in my case). It was sunny and in the 80s on Thursday, so after I baked a pecan pie, we started the morning off with a walk around a park. Ez had been up since before the sun that morning, so he was more in a "carry me" mood than a "run off energy" mood. Since it was kinda hot, we just did one short lap and went back home. Ez fell asleep in the car, and while he was napping I started my Thanksgiving contribution: a vegetarian wellington stuffed with chickpeas, pecans, and mushrooms, all wrapped up in puff pastry. It was delicious, and it vanished right away. I'll do a separate post with my favorite Thanksgiving recipes later, because I found a few new winners this year that I want to remember for next year.

We ate dinner at Joe's uncle's house, which was packed with family and friends. Joe's mom and grandma were there, along with his cousin and her son, Logan, who is two years older than Ezzy. After dinner everyone gathered in the living room to chat, watch football, and play cars with Ez and Logan. It was a lot of fun up until the point that Ez and Logan got in a toy dispute and Ez threw a car directly at Logan's forehead. Joe and I felt so bad. And Ez seemed scared, because usually when he throws stuff at adults, we don't start wailing, so I think he may have finally got the point that it hurts to have stuff thrown at you. I tried to have him "say" sorry and give Logan a hug, but he just ran away scared. We decided that was a good time to call it a night. 

On Friday Joe and I braved Toys R Us to pick up a new carseat for Ez, and then we spent the rest of the afternoon cooking, cleaning, and watching the first half of Gone with the Wind, which Joe has never seen. The reason for all the cooking was that we did a second Thanksgiving for the grandparents at our place that evening. A fully vegetarian Thanksgiving. I was too busy/tired by the end of dinner to get many pictures, but we had a ton of food, and Ez loved every second of having two sets of grandparents doting on him. 

Thanksgiving Day Walk:

Thanksgiving Evening at Joe' Uncle's:

Vegetarian Wellington

Friday Thanksgiving (Round 2):

Ez "sharing" his food pouches with Gangy & Grampa. Gangy wasn't a fan, if you couldn't tell.

Ez's 1st Real Thanksgiving Meal: (which he ate approximately two bites of)

Our Vegetarian Thanksgiving Spread: Tofurkey, Corn Casserole, Mac n Cheese, Stuffing, Green Bean Casserole, Mashed Potatoes, Rolls, and lots of pie:

Hope you had a great family-filled Thanksgiving as well!