Happy Valentine’s Day!

We had a lovely weekend and enjoyed the beautiful Spring-like weather! We had a fun family walk on Sunday afternoon and Caroline got to play outside (finally!). We didn’t really do anything special for Valentine’s Day, but we had a nice dinner here at home and watched our favorite show together after Caroline went to bed. Here’s a little update on our 21-month-old and my 24-week pregnancy:

I can’t believe Caroline’s SECOND birthday is less than 3 months away! She is a bundle of energy and joy and is always making us laugh. She is talking SO much now, and I know she’ll be saying even more in the next few months! I wanted to list some of the cute things she does and says so I’ll remember when I’m old!

• She’ll still say so sweetly, “Thank you, Mommy (or Daddy)” when we give her something.
• Sometimes if I’m laying down on the couch resting she’ll say, “Mommy night-night” and “Hop up, Mommy!”
• She’ll randomly say “hug” or “kiss” and grab your neck or your face for a hug or kiss.
• She still loves to clean and wipe things with washcloths or wipes or paper towels. She likes to wipe her own face and hands after meals.
• She loves to climb and can now climb pretty much all of the furniture by herself (without a stool, etc.) so no more putting things out of her reach on top of the sofa or recliner!
• She is still doing well in her big girl bed :)
• She LOVES Elmo from Sesame Street and sings the song:

• She’s about 26 pounds and 34 inches tall; can still wear 18-month clothes but is starting to wear 24 months; still in a size 3 diaper, but I put a size 4 on her at night since she fills it up!
• She’s starting to sit on the potty, but hasn’t done anything yet.
• Recently she’s insisted on pulling up her own pants and helping me put on her shirts – SO independent! She even tries to put her own diapers on so maybe it’s time for pull-ups! She also likes taking her shoes off and putting other ones on, usually her boots.
• Lately she’s been having a preference to go in Daddy’s car or Mommy’s car when we’re going somewhere on the weekend (or when both cars are in the garage).
• Her teachers at school say she’s a lot of fun and she entertains them all! She loves to hug her classmates and knows all their names. She is starting to count a little and knows some of her numbers and colors.
• Sometimes she gets ALL hyped up and runs around; one day she did this:

I’m starting to get round here in my 24th week of pregnancy. I’m feeling pretty good these days other than the occasional backache or just being tired from doing too much! Baby boy is really starting to move a LOT and I’m afraid we’re going to have another very active child! I went in for my check-up today and had my glucose tested for diabetes. My sugar levels were good as well as having a good iron level and I am measuring right on schedule - no complaints here! At my next appointment I’ll have to get a RhoGAM shot since my blood type is O negative just in case the baby’s is positive. Here I am with my baby bump #2 at 24 weeks and me with Caroline at 24 weeks:

And here I am with Caroline for Valentine’s Day:

My last day of work is next Friday, February 25th, so I am looking forward to not being tied down every day and being able to hang out with friends more. I am going to miss it, however, and know there will be days I wish I was there! I’ll be traveling with Caroline to see my sister in a few weeks and with Chris on a baby-moon a few weeks after that, so I figured it was time to quit! Plus, I want to spend these last few months with just Caroline so we can have some quality time together before the baby comes. I’d like to work on potty-training (if she seems ready) and on teaching her numbers, colors, letters, etc. that they’ve been working on at school.

Hope everyone is having a good week! Watch out for the baby boy NAME announcement in the next post!!