My Little Guy, The Gentleman

Zaichik is a typical three year old boy. He loves to get messy, test boundaries and loves to play from the moment he wakes up until the moment he goes to sleep. Raising a little boy certainly is a lot of work, just as I assume raising a little girl would be lots of work (though I have no experience). I want to raise a little guy who loves God and family, is educated, has good manners, thoughtful, considerate, compassionate, and can really open his eyes to observe the beauty in the world. I also want to raise a little gentleman.

I know some women dislike men opening doors for them, but in my world, when a man does that, it proves that his Mama raised him right. It isn't a demonstration how a woman needs to be taken care of. It is considerate and thoughtful.

Zaichik really is turning into a little gentleman without me even prompting him to do this or that. Sure his Mama reminds him of some things, but overall he's picking things up on his own. For instance 75% of the time, he will open the front door of the house for me and hold it, especially if I am carrying something. Zaichik has killed tons of little bugs for me, even when his Dad is around. He takes great pride in it and wow does that kid have gusto when he's annihilating an insect! He also has done gentlemanly things for the little neighborhood girl next door. He's helped her pull out her toy car when it got stuck in a rut many times, which usually requires him to stop playing in his car to help her out. He has gone under bushes to get a rock one kid threw in it that completely devastated another little girl who thought her rock was precious just to hand it back to the little girl. Just yesterday a little girl didn't like the dirt in her car. Zaichik heard this and came over just to brush off the seat for her. He does all this without asking and without any encouragement from me.

I know the lessons aren't done with teaching him gentleman like behaviors, but he is well on his way. I can't be more proud of the considerate way he is thinking of others and how thoughtful he is in his actions. It is tough for a three year old to think of someone other then themselves, but he has truly and most wonderfully surprises me in thinking of others.

You make Mama proud little man. I love you!

Hello Fall!

I absolutely LOVE Fall. I love nothing but semi quiet hay rides, the beautiful colors of the trees, the smell of apple cider and the excitement of so many festivals to go to! Many of them are also free! There are so many festivals in Virginia. Take a gander at the different things going on in Fall: Virginia Fall 201o and DullesMoms.com: Fall Festivals. There is something to do every weekend!

Our weekends are busy around our house, but you can be sure that if we aren't doing pre-planned X,Y,Z then we are headed to one of these to enjoy the outdoors and wear the entire family out so we can all crash for a family evening movie at home. After this hot summer, I am so looking forward to the weather cooling down (just a tad).

As an added bonus, this Fall (end of October/beginning of November), I find out the sex of the new baby. People for the most part is saying its a girl. I have no idea and no guesses. I just am relishing in hearing the little person's heartbeat during appointments and can't wait to meet him or her. Zaichik is going to be such an amazing big brother!

Wow

13 almost 14 weeks into this pregnancy, I am almost still in disbelief that is actually happened. I can see my stomach starting to grow. The constant and I mean CONSTANT nausea paired with sporadic migraines certainly is a reminder. I guess I am just as shocked as when I first got pregnant with Zaichik. I am in complete awe.

I am obviously busier this go around. I can't take after work naps and relax like I used to when I was pregnant with the first. I need to keep up and and play with my very energetic three year old. There have been a few times when Mommy had the guilt trip of trying to get Zaichik to sit down and read or watch a movie, instead of going outside or going up and down the stairs, but it was either that or Mommy was going to be forced to lose her lunch. I've also gone to bed more often then not at 8 o'clock. I'm just worn out.

Today I had another doctor appointment. I was scared I would not hear a heart beat during the visit. It reminded me all to well how often I would hold my breath during the visits I would make when I was pregnant with Zaichik. I just needed to hear that thump, thump thump. On the way to the doctors, I can't tell you how many Hail Mary's and other prayers I said. I did not want to stress myself out. Prayer is calming. I just needed to put it in God's hands. At first the doctor had a hard time finding it. The baby is still so little, but she did and he or she was curled up on the lower left side of my abdomen with a healthy 156 bpm. I will never get tired of that sound. Its simply amazing.

I'm still getting used to the notion I'm pregnant. I started bonding with the baby already by talking to it and getting Zaichik involved with little things here and there. I just am amazed. Pregnancy is a miracle.

Pregnant!

Yesterday my husband and I decided to let the cat out of the bag so the rest of the world would know...we are PREGNANT! We told close family and friends initially, but decided it would be best to keep it a semi secret until around my second trimester.

Finding out was one of the BEST birthday presents ever. To be honest, we were trying for a while and I couldn't figure out what was wrong. I charted. I knew my cycle. I just wasn't getting pregnant. There were a few (okay a lot) of teary months and I did keep that all in the shadows of my home after the baby would go to bed and I would be sad with my husband. He told me to keep faith and it would happen when the time was right. Being patient just isn't one of my virtues. Finally I confessed to one of my friends that I was trying and feeling quite heart broken, especially when it was so easy to get pregnant with my first. It was one of the HARDEST things for me to talk about. Its almost admitting that you're failing somehow as a woman. It may sound silly, but if you've been there...you know what I am talking about. We talked a bit, but she told me point blank (and it was something I needed to hear from a third party) to CHILL OUT. Next month, I did chill out. I knew the cycle, but we stopped looking at specific days, etc., We prayed and let whatever was to happen, happen. I finally breathed. Guess what? It took.

I found out the Saturday before my birthday. My husband and I just came home from a party and I decided...why not? Needless to say, I was shocked but ecstatic to see two VERY clear pink lines. I came downstairs and handed the test to my husband. He at that point was used to seeing one liners even though we would squint in hopes of seeing a second line. He didn't need to squint. I can remember his face clear as day...surprised, almost a bit shocked and asked me "REALLY?!!!!!" We told Zaichik, but he really had no reaction at that point, which is expected of a three year old.

That Sunday we told both of the parents. My parents picked me up for church, and unlike most days, I asked if they could come inside. My husband told them and they were so excited! I did let my Dad tell the priest. It was the Sunday that Zaichik thought Father John's name needed to be blessed like the sign of the cross, "Father, John, Holy Spirit" instead of "Father, Son, Holy, Spirit". Later that evening we told my husbands Mom and her boyfriend. The boyfriend got it when my husband said that Zaichik was going to have a brother or a sister. His Mom initially thought we were just telling her we were trying, and was so excited to hear that we were actually pregnant.

Zaichik is the sweetest little guy of them all about this pregnancy. In the past few months he has become accustomed to knowing that Mommy has a baby in her belly. He even thinks he has a baby in his belly too sometimes too. We talk about the baby. He tells me how he's going to be nice to the baby and share, although he did state that he would NOT share his bath toys. That is fine with me for a while since the two won't be sharing baths initially. He also told me he would share his old crib and points out that the nursery is the baby's room and his room is the one next to it. He even makes it a point now to say "hi" to other babies when we are out in public.

I will also say, that neither his Dad nor I care what sex the baby is. I think most people are a little surprised to hear that, but honestly we just want a healthy baby. If we have another boy, then great because we know boys and Zaichik will have a brother. If we have a girl, then great because we will get another type of experience raising a girl and Zaichik will have a sister. However, when we have asked Zaichik if he is going to have a brother or a sister, he always replies with "swister". He has never deviated from that. I have told him a sister means a girl and a brother is a boy, but he is adamant that it is a girl. So we will see if my little predictor is correct when we hopefully find out at the end of October.

Lastly, I thought maybe I would feel different when I got the sonogram (pictured above). I have already experienced sonograms with my first pregnancy and even though I obviously think this baby is a miracle and it is such a blessing, I almost thought I would be used to it. What a silly notion! The moment I saw my baby, my heart fluttered and I could not stop tearing up. Hearing the heart beat (a steady 170 bpm) was amazing. It was the first time I got a glimpse of my baby, my second child, my Zaichik's sibling. I was in complete awe and truly humbled.

Babies will come when they want to and honestly, even with all the stress and new beginnings going on in my life, it was the perfect timing. There are some hurdles to jump and new things to figure out, but life is forever changing and I'm so happy that God has blessed me with another child, a sibling for my son. This pregnancy has been hard with feeling nausea and having multiple migraines in my first trimester, but it has also humbled me too. I would rather feel healthy in some respect, but I almost am glad that I don't feel terribly well because for me its a sign the baby is fine. It certainly is a completely different pregnancy then what I experienced with my first, but it is still just as amazing and pretty awesome.

Thank you God. I could never thank you enough for all the blessings you have given me.