A Little Sister for Max

I had my "big" ultrasound today and we found out that Max is going to have a little sister! The ultrasound went well -- everything looks perfect. The baby is measuring just where she should be -- 17 weeks, 3 days (according to my due date I'm 17 weeks, 1 day) and was estimated to weigh 8 ounces. She apparently is much more mellow than her big brother -- although I'm feeling some little pokes and jabs here and there, she definitely isn't the little kick boxer that Max was. She was also pretty laid back during the ultrasound -- wiggling around some, but not ALL over the place like Max. Max came along to the ultrasound, but he was much more interested in his crackers than his little sister. He was quite the flirt, though -- he was showing off for the doctors and nurses.

They checked my cervical length again and so far, so good -- it's a good length with no funneling, which is an indication of early labor. I'll go back at 24 weeks for another check, to make sure there aren't any early labor warning signs. I start my progesterone shots next week -- I'll get those weekly until 36 weeks. I've been feeling pretty good these last few weeks -- still tired, but not so achey and wiped out. Of course, my appetite has gone into overdrive, so I'm not looking forward to the next weigh in at the doctor's office. :P I'm sporting a nice little "bump" now and have had to get my maternity clothes out of storage.

As for the big baby news, Max's one-year adjusted birthday was March 26 (the date he should have been born). So, he's officially a year old, any way you count it! Max is learning new things every day. He has recently figured out how to turn on and off the computers and power strips in the house and thinks that is the MOST FUN thing to do. We had to install cabinet locks on all of our kitchen cabinets to foil Max the Explorer. He's getting VERY close to walking -- he'll stand on his own for several seconds and take steps between pieces of furniture. He also has decided that he likes to go "walking" now -- if you hold his hands he'll happily walk all over the place. He's also learning lots of fun baby tricks -- if you ask him how big he is, he'll raise his arms over his head. He'll also point out his mouth if you ask him to (but only his mouth -- other body parts seem to be a complete mystery). His big brother and sister taught him his cutest trick -- any time he sees a blanket or one of his burp cloths on the floor, he'll crawl over to it, lay his head down, and go "night night."

Max is still eating us out of house and home. He's eating less baby food and more "big people" food all the time. We've discovered that he really likes grilled cheese sandwiches and eggs. We have to be careful how much food we give him at a time, because he'll keep stuffing food into his mouth until he can barely chew. According to our (less than reliable) bathroom scale, he weighs about 21 1/2 pounds. He'll have his next developmental clinic appointment in early May -- we think he's doing a great job of catching up to his real age, but we'll see what the specialists have to say.

A few new photos have been posted on Flickr -- unfortunately, Max has become totally fascinated by the camera, making it almost impossible to take pictures of him (one can only stand so many extreme closeups ;).