Is It Different This Time Around?

Six weeks away from meeting our second baby means I've had a 34 weeks to think about what's different about this pregnancy than my first.

I'm not sure what I expected, but here's some reflection on the last 8 months.

Obsession:
- Far less this time around (with my first pregnancy I remember being fearful of breathing in the fumes at the nail salon).
- My thoughts about the baby are just that - more thinking about the baby joining our family and if it will be a girl or a boy, less fixation on being pregnant. Guess I know what to expect now which is exciting.
- No baby or delivery classes. We survived the first and the memories are still pretty fresh so we're good, no need for a refresher.
- I took pictures every week of my growing belly from 20(isk) weeks on with Will. I think I've done one set with #2. That makes me a little sad.

Preparation:
- We're weeks away from the big arrival and just ordered the baby furniture two days ago. Will's room was completely finished by the time I hit 32 weeks.
- Additionally, the registry is short, we're talking double stroller and diapers, that's pretty much it. I chalk this up to what Andy and I learned with Will...all you really need for the first few weeks are some diapers, a small set of clothes, a pack-n-play (or somewhere for the baby to sleep), and the infant car seat. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad we have ALL the baby gear from Will..it's all still current and up to safety standards which has made preparing the house for number two nearly an afterthought.

Physical:
- Weight gain has been nearly identical, but I wish now I had gotten really buff in the nine months between pregnancies. The extra 25lbs is wearing on me and I could tell a big difference after just the first 10lbs. We could also blame it on chasing around a one year old while being pregnant - not something I would recommend for the weary.
- Of course I also "popped" much earlier in my pregnancy (like at 10 weeks!) which I think a lot of moms say about the second pregnancy.
- Other small differences..I was so hungry my first trimester, I also had a lot more headaches then (that passed), and baby Cowx #2 sits differently than Will did - he or she has a favorite spot just to the right of and above my belly button.
- Oh, and the last difference, far fewer hiccups with baby #2. I wonder if that means he or she will have fewer than Will once he or she arrives (Will still gets hiccups almost daily, but it's usually from laughing too hard).

I know the next few weeks will go by exceptionally fast and soon enough I will have forgotten all of these things and replaced them with thoughts of our newborn baby girl or boy.

Twas the Night Before Christmas

It's been ages since I've updated the blog! Life with a mobile child certainly keeps us busy at home. Will now rarely crawls, walking (or attempting to run) is a MUCH faster way to get around. Mom or dad are usually just a few feet behind trying to keep up, pick up, clear obstacles and hazards, or just having too much fun playing Will's game of choice.

Today mom and Will went to The Shops at Kenilworth in Towson to visit Santa. Will got an official proclamation of best 15 month old of the day from Santa. No quivery lip, no tears, no screams, just a nervous little laugh that the photographer captured perfectly.

Tomorrow marks Will's second Christmas. He's been itching to get in to some of the wrapped packages under the tree. After a month of saying "no, no", we'll see in the morning if he has any interest in tearing up the wrapping paper - something tells me there will be no problem on that front.

Merry Christmas!

Good Will Hunting

Andy picked up this little toy well before we had Will. It was on display at a Cracker Barrel and we thought Tuxedo would love it. Come to find out, Tuxedo was scared of the thing, so it sat unused for months, maybe even years!



Although this isn't on the approved toy list for 10 month olds, Will has found this little raccoon gizmo to be loads of fun ever since he has been able to scoot around.

This picture came from Andy's dad this week (aka Billy, aka Granda, aka Bonny Lad). From left to right, Pat Roberts (Andy's aunt), Billy Cowx (Andy's dad), Alan Cowx (Andy's uncle). Not shown here (not born yet) is John Cowx, Andy's other uncle on his father's side.

Do you think our Will takes after his granda? We think so...look at that face!

Will With Nana & Granda

Will's grandparents came over for a visit for the past two weeks. We had lots of fun playing with Nana and Granda.

Some of the highlights of the visit include:

- Will starts crawling (literally the minute Billy & Irene arrive)

- 6 days off stright for Holly & Andy (ahhhhhh)

- 4 mile walks for Billy & Holly

- Newcastle final game of the season (we don't speak of the results)

- Extra Cowx representation at Boys Night Out (both Thursdays!) at the Hodle

- Japanese Steakhouse, Paesano's and India Palace for International dining with Will

- Shopping, of course, for Irene & Holly

Billy & Irene (aka Granda and Nana) have just headed back home and we miss them already. Here are a couple videos of Will with them both.

Who's Upside Down?

Here's one of our favorite pictures of Will from Nana and Granda's visit this Spring. This is one of Will's signature moves right now. He is just thinking about crawling, but not quite there yet. Perhaps he thinks this will get him moving in a forward direction. Then again, maybe he just thinks it is funny to see the world upside down. Who knows!?

What A Mess!

Will is learning how to feed himself. He finds it to be a lot of fun, but it is a huge mess right now. During our trip to Iowa in April, my cousin Cori caught this special picture of Will and his avacado. He's using a little mesh thing that lets him mash the food all by himself. Cute but we had avacado from ear to ear and on every limb (mom's, Mimi's and Will's limbs!).

Big Milestones for Number One

Well it's the end of February and we are ready for Spring to arrive. Even though we're cooped up in the house, we're still findin lots to do. Today was a particularly exciting day around the house. Since Will turns 6 months old this week, we've decided it's time for veggies! First on the menu...Acorn Squash. Will also decided that he can roll over now. So, there goes tummy time. As soon as we set him on his belly, he's turned right over. What a clever little boy.

What the heck are you putting in my mouth? Will's first veggie...squash!

Here's Will rolling over all by himself!

Rock Star!

Will spends his days with Ms. Karen while Mom and Dad are at work. There is so much that we love about Will going to Ms. Karen's. First and most importantly, Will loves Karen and Karen loves Will. That's been clear since day one! Then, a close second is the boys. Karen has four wonderful boys (three kids and one great hubby, aka "The Dad"). All the boys are crazy about Will and Will finds them all very funny.

I could go on and on about all the things that we adore about the arrangement, however there is one thing that mystifies us. We have NO idea how Karen keeps Will so spotless. He comes home everyday in the same outfit he arrived in, without a smudge. We can't keep the kid clean past 9am in our house, and in fact, it's a struggle most mornings not to have to do a wardrobe change before we leave and that's 7:45am. Our consperiacy theory is that he runs around naked all day, but that's pretty unlikely.

So, we put Karen to the test (she was up for it ;)). Here's Will in a dark grey outfit which Mom and Dad managed to distroy before Will's first nap the weekend before. By the middle of the afternoon Andy and I got this picture at work from Karen. Not only is he super clean, but he's playing fully clothed! How does she do it? Clearly a super mom.

The outfit is adorable, he certainly is our little rock star. With the guitar and a grin that melts hearts, he's ready for tour...or maybe a game of Rock Band. Soon enough, soon enough!

I'm Gonna Getcha

Will is growing and learning every day. He's four and a half months old and we've started to refer to him as our own little science experiment (don't tell him we said that!).

Some of his new "tricks" include:
- Opening his mouth for cereal - yummy.
- Grabbing stuff - hold a toy near him or get your face close enough and he reaches both hands up to "get it!"
- Laughin' - we can't get it on demand yet, but there is laughter every day -what fun!
- Anticipation - check out this video to see what we mean.

Will X 2

It's great to be a Florida Gator, say it's great to be a Florida Gator.

UF won the BCS Championship Bowl last night and Will sported one of his Florida onsies today in celebration. The game was after bedtime (for Will and mom), but Dad gave us the low-down first thing in the morning. Thank goodness for DVR - Will and mom got to watch all of the exciting bits of the game (namely the 4th quarter) before work and daycare today.

We also had Will's four-month check up and official weigh in today. He got all passing marks...here are the official stats:

Weight: 15 lbs 10.8 oz (50th percentile)
Height: 26 and1/4 inches (75th percentile)
Head Circumference: 16 and 3/4 inches (50th percentile)

So, that means Will has hit two times his birth weight - a big milestone for our growing little boy. Way to go William James!

The Big F-O-U-R Month Birthday

What a big day in the Cowx house today. It's January 5th and we both returned to work (with the rest of the world!!). Holly Jean is back to work full time this week - it's the first full work week since August - can you believe it!

So, since Mom and Dad are both back to the grindstone, Will was off to daycare for the first day today. He had a wonderful time with Mrs. Karen and was extra chatty tonight after all of his new experiences.

Oh, and how can we forget - it's the 5th of the month which means Will turned another month old today. He's now four months old - our big boy! We celebrated the day with an introduction to "solid" foods. After his normal dinner tonight, we busted out the rice cereal and got started. Will made a really good effort (go figure, our natural born eater), but he did end up with quite a puddle of goo on his bib and shirt. What fun, our little man is growing up so quickly!

Here he is all ready to go to Mrs. Karen's. (Check out the blue lunchbox and the crazy-mom list in Will's lap.)

What am I supposed to be doing here? (Will's first big-boy bite to eat.)

Do you remember when he was the same size as the duck? Holy cow - what a big boy!!