Baby Deuce is a...

Sweet baby Deuce. Giving a big wave to all her blogger friends!

Girl. We think. The doctor is pretty much positive. There was some "shadowing" but she didn't think it would obscure the turtle head and she definitely saw a hamburger bun. (I'm using the technical doctor-ese for the boy and girl parts as seen on the sonogram)

Anyways, Baby Deuce is looking very healthy at this point. She is currently presenting breech, but has plenty of time to do some turning. The head, and body width is measuring just right and the spinal cord and all the other parts look nice and normal. Whew. I think we were a little more nervous for this sono than we were for Hayden's 20 week.

Hayden wasn't real interested in looking at the pictures. She REALLY wasn't interested in being in a doctor's office but seemed to settle down when she realized the doctor was only going to look at Mommy and would leave her alone. I smiled real big through the flu shot to show her injections are no problem. (ouch)

Bryan and I of course had a boy name pretty much done, but a girl name may take awhile. (deciding on Hayden was quite the challenge...now to do it again!) Bryan wants to share immediately when we decide...I want to keep you in suspense. We shall see.

So, no changing the nursery, but we must get started on Hayden's "big girl" room. At least I'll get to do some nesting somewhere! (Bryan would probably appreciate me "nesting" with the laundry and the vacuum cleaner today...but not real likely.)

A big thanks to all the friends and family who keep us and the baby in their prayers!

Thank you Lord for a healthy baby.
Thank you for the miracle of another precious little girl.

Soccer Ball Bonding

When I walked into the "play room/future dining room" this afternoon, this is what I saw...Bryan and Hayden, just hangin' out on their soccer ball pillows. (who doesn't have a soccer ball pillow for every member of their family?) This chillaxin lasted for quite some time (to my great surprise.) Apparently this is the serious father/daughter bonding pose.

Thank you Lord for the special bond between daddies and their girls. Thank you for fun soccer ball shaped pillows.

Self-Feeder

So, what I've read so far has suggested you use "sticky" foods to help teach your kids to scoop and self feed with a spoon. She'll feed herself pretty much anything solid if you load it on the fork (so it doesn't roll off) for her. I've not braved letting her self feed anything too runny yet...I just don't relish constantly wiping up her, the bib, the table and the floor. It's also been suggested that we just do hand-over-hand...unfortunately Hayden's independent spirit isn't very fond of this process.

Sweet potato has been the only sticky food we have had recently so here we go....

The Little Mother

Hayden has recently taken to carrying "Baby Kate" and her bottle around. She likes to feed the baby some pretend milk with the occasional stolen sip for herself. (we ignore when she drags baby by one foot and knocks her head into the door frames) We are hoping that this growing interest in babies will bode well for baby Deuce (we will probably wait awhile before we let her carry Deucie around due to the whole door frame thing). Perhaps when the time gets nearer some very laid back friends with a new baby will loan it out to us for some practice runs. Any takers?

These next pictures are of the latest hairstyle: one "all hair" ponytail.

Thanks Grammy for this cute outfit...we broke it out for the first cool day of fall.

Art-sy, Heart-sy

At Hayden's one year check up the nurse asked us (as part of the developmental questionnaire that you complete at every milestone visit) if Hayden could hold a pencil or pen and make a mark. I must admit to looking at the nurse with some incredulity and wondering aloud who gives their one year old a pen or a pencil...sounded like either an injury or a mess waiting to happen to me. Needless to say, I bought some jumbo crayons and handed them over to the kid. Who am I to stunt her developmental growth?

She actually *smiled* on demand for this.

Very intent artist at work. Look at that tripod grasp!

We try to do some "art" a couple times a week. We haven't progressed much past crayons, stickers and some finger painting. I got her some of those big, round Crayola brand paint eggs, but she hasn't quite got that the paint part goes on the paper and not on her face, hands, clothes, etc. She actually wields a sponge brush pretty well...though she enjoys testing its absorbency occasionally by squeezing the sponge with her fingers. Who can blame her?

Most art work goes to the grandparents or stays in the color book. She enjoys coloring with both hands and can often be found using 2, 3, and even 4 crayons at a time. I'm planning for this to progress to a more structured "learning" time as she grows up, but right now it lasts about 15 minutes which is about all the fun either of us can stand.

(btw, old, cheap table=baby art surface. no worries :)

Amber's Baby Shower

Several of the Care Group girls and some other sweet ladies hosted a baby shower for our friend Amber. Despite the torrential downpour the party was a wonderful success. Amber, Baird and the sweet baby-to-be are so very loved.

We can't wait to meet sweet Campbell Baird Quisenberry!

photo credit to Erica Kimble :)

Everything is Better in a Pair

More is better right? So two ponytails are even cuter than one ponytail right? I thought so too! Hayden has allowed (by sitting somewhat still for just long enough) me to put pig tails in her hair the past few days. She is so stinking cute! (completely unbiased)

Didn't get any real "pretty" pictures, but did capture a few "real Hayden" poses.

Thank you Lord for the occasional still moment.

Thank you for sweet little stinkers.

16 Weeks

Everything is going very well with baby Deuce. Visited the doctor this week and listened to the heartbeat (sounded like a galloping horse which is good from what the doctor said.) My discomfort is finally lessening. I've had almost two weeks of feeling pretty good--less nausea and vomiting, more energy, etc. (yay!)

We return to the doctor for the big sono in four weeks. The doctor will check everything with baby and share the gender.

As for gender predictions...totally scientific of course:

1. Olivia Newell (six year old friend in San Diego) says: definitely a girl
2. Chinese Gender Calendar (correct with Hayden): girl
3. Lisa: boy...obviously. I already had a girl.
4. Heart rate indicates: girl (faster for girl...slower for boy)
5. Bryan: girl...obviously. We make great girls.
6. Friend order: Newells-girl, Macys-boy, Chamness-girl, Woods-boy, Knightsteps-girl, Spences-boy, Woods #2-girl, Chamness #2--boy.
7. They say that differences in morning sickness can also indicate...there were some slight differences (less actual vomiting, but feeling nauseous for longer during the day and further into the pregnancy with this kid TMI?), but enough to indicate carrying a different gender? I don't know. I pretty much felt like poop for the 1st trimester of both pregnancies.

Cravings are very different as well. With Hayden I couldn't be around chicken. Couldn't cook it, couldn't walk past it in the grocery store, couldn't eat Chick-Fil-A; with Deuce the $1 chicken sandwich at McDonald's is my go to. I've also NEEDED Cheetos and Arby's original roast beef sandwiches with this kid (five for $5 on Saturday and Sunday), but haven't enjoyed hamburgers or Taco Bueno like I did with Hayden. (would love to share how I've craved yummy vegetables and fruit but that would just be a LIE)

Do you have any gender feelings, vibes, predictions? Leave them as a comment! We would love to hear your thoughts...

Planned to put a tummy shot on here, but can't get Hayden to press the right button. Maybe when Bryan gets home...

Tame the Mane

Most of the time her hair looks like this...

or this.

unless she actually leaves the clip alone so it looks cute like this. Unfortunately the clips are easily removed (by small, curious fingers) and the hair almost always returns to its previous unkempt appearance.

Today she sat still long enough for me to get a rubber band in it (and a bow, sorry dad)!

Her first "up" do. (it's lasted for hours so far!)