We're back, we're homeowners, and I'm PREGNANT!!!

15 months
First of all, happy 15 months to Marissa Lynn! She had her appointment yesterday. She weighed 18 lbs, 13 oz so she STILL has to face backwards in her carseat! The Dr. was a little worried since her percentile dropped from 25% (consistent til 9 months) down to 15% (at 1 year) down to 5% now. So I'll be starting her on whole milk (still nursing of course) and adding olive oil to her veggies (haha that seemed weird to me). We've honestly been trying to fatten her up, but to no avail.
This past week, on vacation, it seems like her language has just shot through the roof! She started saying "cheese" for pictures, all the time! It's hysterical, and I'll try to get a video of it on here. She also says hat (ha-), hot (ho-), hi, mama, tissue (tish-), uh-oh, and Dan claims she said fish and car but we can't get her to repeat them. Lol. Total she says 10+ words, but for the life of me I can't remember any more right now.

Vacation
We spent waaaaaaaaaaaaay too long in the car. We drove 9 hours to NY, spent Thursday night (well, it was daytime before we got there) at my parents house, and drove 6 hours to NH and spent Friday night, then drove 2 hours to Maine Saturday afternoon. Once we got there, it was really really nice to just relax around the cottage, even though it was smaller than we were expecting. It was kinda a hassle to get everyone to the beach with food and baby stuff, etc. so we didn't all go everyday, but Rissa certainly got a good taste of beach life! We got ice cream at Brown's almost every day because they have the awesomest flavor in the country - Chocolate Oreo Mousse! Marissa liked it too. We had planned to drive the 9 hours to NY the following Friday night, only we took a minor detour that added 100 miles to our trip, then drove the last 8 hours home Saturday night. Marissa talked in her sleep on the drive home - it was hysterical! She said "Hi!" which she does alllllllllll the time to everybody, and "Eh?" which she says when someone leaves and she wonders where they went. She even did the hand motions to the "Eh?" - too funny! Sunday we didn't do much except pack a couple boxes. Then Monday...

We closed on our house!
We are gradually moving in all week, but Saturday is the big day! Our house is wonderful! We are going tonight to purchase a washer, dryer, stove, and fridge!
Plus, guess what...

I'm PREGNANT!!!

We found out July 8th, but thought it best to keep it a secret - til now, mainly cuz I can't stand keeping it a secret anymore! Estimated due date is March 12, 2008. That should put the siblings about 23 months apart. Hehe. We're soooo excited! It's kinda good timing because all my maternity clothes are going to be the correct season, but I didn't have all that many (mainly because they were just way too big!) so hopefully I'll get some cute wintery stuff, and fit into my old maternity stuff better this time around, since I hear second pregnancies get bigger faster, and are just bigger in general. Dan is really hoping for a boy, to even things out a bit. Lol. But I don't care either way! It would be kinda nice if we have another girl though, since we have TONS of girly stuff, and all in the right seasons - unless this next baby is a huge chunko! Marissa is still wearing some 9 month clothes at 15 months!

I've been watching Marissa with the baby I nanny for (he's 5 months younger than her), and it's just soooo cute! She gives him hugs and kisses, and brings him toys. She is totally ready for a sibling! Plus, she can do the "shhhh" thing to be quiet if the baby's sleeping, so really, that's the only thing that's necessary. Lol. Except just in the last few weeks, all of a sudden, she's decided that if he even comes near her when she's playing with a toy, she screams and cries like he's about to squash her (which he could very well do, but he doesn't - lol). She has become quite protective of any toy she is playing with. While it's very funny to me, it seems like the end of the world to her, and I'm not quite sure how to deal with it. I could ignore it since it's unnecessary; I could tell her NO for fussing at him; or I could tell him NO for taking her toy. But I don't want to ignore it, and I don't think either of them would understand why I was telling them NO. Plus, neither of them is ready for the whole "sharing" thing yet anyways. I suppose the only good thing that will come out of this is that Marissa will learn to share by the time her sibling arrives, whether she likes it or not!

I would have liked a smaller age difference actually, but I didn't even think about it until it was too late for that. Lol. I feel like this is good though, because Marissa is very much losing her "baby-ness" and she's pretty much hit all the "baby milestones." So we got to enjoy her babyhood, and now it's time for more baby-ness! I'm not nervous about having 2 kids - yet. Since I've been nannying since before Marissa was born, I feel like I can handle a bunch of kids at a time. I'm sure things will be different though, when they're both my own! One thing I already know will be near impossible is taking a shower! Now, I usually wait to take one at night, or put Marissa in a walker-type thing while I jump in really quickly. But I'm not sure I'd be comfortable leaving a baby in a swing/bouncer and Rissa walking around. I can totally see Marissa trying to pick up the baby or something. I'm sure I'll figure something out, and I'm sure every other mother out there has figured something out. But I can't wait!

Another thing I'm nervous about is breastfeeding. Marissa is still nursing quite a bit, and I don't want to wean her, especially right now, unless she starts on her own. She's pretty much night-weaned already, so that's not a problem. But am I really up for tandem nursing? I'm kinda secretly hoping Marissa will wean herself soon, and not demand to nurse even more when the baby comes. But we'll see how things go when the time comes.

My first doctor's appointment isn't until August 7th, but I've already been in to see the doctors and midwives, and I love them! I had some issues while we were on vacation, and I made a quick trip to get things checked out on Monday afternoon (30 minutes before closing). We have a heartbeat, and "it" was measuring 7 weeks 2 days! I'm supposed to take it easy for now, but that's going to be difficult since we're moving! I've been feeling VERY nauseous, most of the time, so I really hope that goes away soon. I really can't eat much cuz I feel so sick, and even when I eat something, it still doesn't make the sickness go away. At least I'm not vomiting everywhere...yet...I'm very excited about this upcoming birth. Since we are moving, and since I want a different kind of birth than last time, I decided to change doctors. If there are no complications during pregnancy, I will be able to give birth in a birthing center, hopefully in a tub!

We had a boy's name picked out, but I changed my mind already. Lol. And if it's another girl, we're in trouble! Marissa was the only name we could agree on last time! Hehe. YIPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

As a side note, I was extremely frustrated during our vacation. The beach was beautiful, but I couldn't get away from cigarette smoke! Here are some quotes I found online that support my strong opinion on secondhand smoke, especially now that I'm pregnant, and especially since I've already had issues:

"Q: What about other people smoking around the pregnant woman?...A: She has a greater chance of having a baby that weighs too little and may have health problems. So, a pregnant woman should ask her partner, and other people as well, not to smoke near her."

" We have firm evidence that the use of tobacco products by adults(environmental tobacco smoke) increases childhood mortality and morbidity; otitis media, tympanostomy, tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy,asthma, coughs, lower respiratory tract illness, hospitalisations, and deaths... A study, released at a 1996 meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Washington, says the compounds associated with second hand smoke can cause genetic damage and may be a prelude to childhood leukemia and other cancers. The study suggests that cancer-causing chemicals in cigarette smoke pass from mother to unborn baby, whether the mother smokes or not..."

And basically this whole article http://www.webmd.com/baby/news/20050727/secondhand-smoke-may-harm-fetus-like-smoking but especially

"...smoking during pregnancy causes genetic damage in the developing fetus that can be detected at birth, but also that passive -- or secondary -- exposure causes just as much damage as active smoking, and it is the same kind of damage..."

Ok, I feel better venting about that now. Grrrrr...