It's a...

Well, we had the big reveal party tonight and Matzo Ball is a...

Life on the farm

Even though we won't be in town for Halloween, we still wanted to take advantage of all of the fun Fall activities including a tractor drawn hay ride, pumpkin picking and general merriment of spending a beautiful morning on the farm!

Our "go to" farm had a whole slew of activities to keep us busy for hours and even though it was a little chilly in the breeze, the sun was shining and we were able to have a great time outdoors before the cooler weather is upon us.  Riley enjoyed climbing on the tire playground, driving a firetruck and even learned how to lasso a 'pony'.  He was also the leader through the corn maze and was such a pro that we made it out without having to cheat.

It was a great way to spend the morning and we how have a mini pumpkin patch on our front porch filled with each of our pumpkin selections from the farm.  Riley found his brother on the way back to the car - see the resemblance? 

21 week ultrasound visit

Yesterday, we visited our friends at the ultrasound center and they were kind enough to spend about 45 minutes watching our little Matzo Ball baby wiggle, squirm and show off!

Matzo Ball weighs about a pound and is the size of a spaghetti squash - hard to believe that it's so big already.  Because we found out about 5-6 weeks later that we were pregnant, I still feel like we are playing catch up to how quickly the baby is growing.  

Riley was a big help during the appointment by assisting in the jelly squirting.  I'm just hoping that he doesn't take future opportunities to squirt things on my belly!  We pointed out things to him like hands, feet, a spine and the baby's heart.  The ultrasound tech even said that the baby had a really good looking heart!  I told her that I wish I could take credit for it and she said I could!  Most parents come in around 18 or 19 weeks to find out the gender and it's still a little early to see the development but since we waited a few more weeks, she could see how strong the heart was and she said that everything looked really great!

She also said that she could see the gender - at which point, we looked away and didn't cheat.  We had her write it down and the secret is currently living in a well-sealed envelope that we plan to use in the next week or so.  Stay tuned!

Hearing heartbeats

We had our 20 week check-up earlier this week just to get measured and hear Matzo Ball's heartbeat and Chris and Riley came to the appointment with me.  It was a quick visit, but as we were waiting for the doctor, Riley wanted to sit on the table and sit with mommy.  We wasn't quite sure what the stirrups were for, but you better believe he made sure his rain boots fit while he was looking for "his baby".

All of our measurements are normal and looking good and the heartbeat was 158 - just right!

As of today, Matzo Ball weighs in at 3/4 of a pound and is 10.5 inches long.  Next up is our ultrasound!

20 weeks

Round 1 versus Round 2

20 weeks looks pretty different this time around, doesn't it?  I think at this point with Riley, people couldn't tell and were surprised when I told them I was pregnant.  This time, for the people who don't know, I sure hope they guess that there's a baby in there and not that I'm desperately trying to fit into my clothes from high school without caring what I look like!

I'm feeling wiggles and kicks and can most of the time tell the difference between the movement being from the baby and not my colitis.  As of yesterday, the baby is the size of a banana.  We have a check-up on Monday to hear Matzo Ball and in a week, we get to do another ultrasound.  Riley will be with us for both of these appointments so he can feel part of the process and check in on his baby brother or sister as they grow.

19 weeks of Matzo Balls

The first time I took a spin on the pregnancy merry-go-round, we had family in more than a handful of states and so the blog was a way to share news with everyone, especially those who I didn't see very often.  This time around, we are lucky to be in the same city as so many family members!  More than half of my "readership" is now local, which means you see me, and my Matzo Ball bump on a daily basis, which means less need for photographic evidence.  But for those of you who aren't here... here is the first "bumpie" picture:

No, the coffee cup is not there because I was unwilling to put it down for the picture, but to show you how big Matzo Ball is!  At 19 weeks, Matzo Ball is 6 inches long (head to butt) and weighs 8.5 ounces.  I think I am feeling some movement but nothing has been definitive enough to really say for sure.

I have officially retired all of my non-pregnancy pants and am now finding creative ways to work my few pregnancy pants into a multitude of options.  My wardrobe from last time is all wrong as everything that fit me when I was big was for a summer Riley and this time, I will be growing into a winter Matzo Ball.

Riley told me today that the baby is a boy and he is getting a sister... so yes, he is sending mixed signals.  Maybe he just wants to hedge his bets to he will be right either way!

3rd Birthday on the 3 Rivers

What better way to celebrate your third birthday than on a pirate themed cruise on the rivers?  And add to it costumes, balloon swords and family, and you've got yourself a party! Today was a full day of celebrations from brunch to boat ride, to lunch, dinner and football game, plus cake!  It was a super fun celebration and we are so lucky to have everyone as part of the party.

It was a pirate themed cruise for everyone on-board, but no one else took it as seriously as we did.  We came prepared with hats for all, plus, Chris was decked out in full garb - parent of the year award!

And with an adorable pirate who was super excited to play along, we had a great time!  This will be a full week of celebrations cause who doesn't like to keep the party going as long as possible?