15th Week Pregnancy Update

I'm now at 15 weeks and still counting the days for the “morning” sickness to pass. Other than that, I feel good. I should admit I took some type of short nap and slept in late every day during our Virginia vacation- which was great! My belly is growing, but I don't think any stranger will be asking me about my pregnancy quite yet. This belly shot is from 2 weeks ago- week 13.

My third appointment with the doc will be in 2 more weeks. At the last appointment, I had the chance to hear the baby's heartbeat, which is so amazing. Hearing it for the first time is so special- it helped to make this pregnancy more exciting. The doc would like me to gain a bit more weight in the next two months, but I'm not worried as my current weight gain progress is very similar to the last pregnancy. I think she's comparing me with the lucky Mom's who enjoy eating during the first trimester. I enjoy thinking about the days when eating will be fun again, but until then, I expect to be on the low side of of the weight gain averages! I will take my second trimester blood screen next week and we will have our next ultrasound in week 20. During that visit, we COULD find out the sex, but we are going to try to hold out and be surprised!

Virginia Trip - Summer 2009

We just arrived home after a week vacation visiting with Kris' family and friends in his hometown Roanoke. We attended a beautiful wedding with old friends, enjoyed a family and friend “reunion” at the Wiseley's where our little rug-rats had the chance to meet and run around together, visited the historical Monticello- home of Jefferson, and spent time with family throughout the week. It was a great trip- we already miss everybody (and the green hills!). Owen had a blast playing with Jenkins and Onyx and Oliver (the Wiseley dog clan) and his cousins and new friends. It took him a few days to get adjusted to the time change, but all in all, he was a great traveler.

Kris has a great group of friends from home and luckily we get the chance to visit with them every year or so. Back in 2000, after Kris' college graduation, some of the gang took a group photo on the lawn in Kris' backyard. A couple years later (on my first visit back to meet the family), we took a similar picture. One with just the gang and one with the gang + significant others. It's been 9 years since the original photo shoot, so we thought it was time for a repeat performance. This time, we have the gang (a couple friends weren't in the original because they couldn't make it to the party and vice versa) in one shot, the gang + their spouces/kids and one with the gang + their parents + their kids- 3 generations! We had a great time taking the pictures and of course visiting and catching up with everybody.

One of Owen's favorite activities during our trip was the visit to Grandma's, Aunt Beth's, Uncle Ray's, & cousin Nick's house. There he met his cousin Logan (1 year younger) and played on the farm. He walked in the garden, fed and pet goats, fed the pretty horses, jumped on the trampoline (A LOT), played on the playground, sat on a BIG tractor, and he even rode an ATV for the first time (with his Daddy of course).

We had so many great pictures from our trip that I decided it would be easier to post a link to our web albums than post a couple on the blog. Most of the pictures are from the reunion, but there are some others, too.

Virginia 2009 Pictures

Update from Monterrey Trip

I forgot to show a funny picture of Owen from our Monterrey trip. Funny is probably an inappropriate word for a mom to use, but since I know the outcome was okay, I'll stick with it. During our aquarium visit, Owen decided to play on the indoor playground/slide. I was clicking away as he went down the slide, hoping for some great action shots. Boy did I get one. Somehow, Owen completely flipped over. I caught the moment in mid-air- we still have no idea how it actually happened, but after a few tears, were we were able to get outside and distract him with the pretty ocean and pretty birds. In just minutes, he was ready to explore again!

Owen's First Bike

A couple weeks ago, we decided it was time to get Owen an early birthday present. For months now, we have been measuring Owen to check to see if he's reached the min. height requirement for a balance bike. Kris has been really looking forward to this milestone in Owen's life, so once Owen's measurements passed, we were off to a couple of local bike shops. It's pretty interesting to hear different bike “experts” discuss the pros/cons of the balance bike vs. a bike with training wheels (the opinions vary widely). Just in case you haven't heard of a balance bike- it is a training bike that kids can walk/push around until they are ready to hop on the seat and glide. There are no pedals or brakes. The theory is that kids will learn to balance first and then skip the training wheel stage. We're looking forward to testing the theory, but won't be worried if Owen needs training wheels after all.

The first bike shop had a balance bike, but it was bigger and heavier than the one Kris had researched. I didn't like it because it was much to heavy for Owen to walk and hold up. The other bikes with training wheels were much too big for Owen, so we decided to leave and check out one more bike shop. The second store had the bike Kris was hoping to find. It's made with different, lighter materials than the one from the first shop and was also ½ the price! Owen had a great time trying it out in the store and we found it fit him pretty well so we decided to go ahead and get it.

Owen helped his Daddy put it together which was pretty cute. After it was together, Owen decided to check his Dad's work and tighten a few screws! It took him a few different tries throughout the weekend to get the hang of it, but by Sunday afternoon, he was walking the bike all around the house.

The Wiseley family is about to grow...

We thought we'd start our blog off with a bang and announce that we are expecting our second baby in mid-January. We had our first doctor appointment a couple weeks ago and learned that the baby is healthy and growing strong. We're excited for our family to grow by one. This second pregnancy is a bit easier than the first, but I am still experiencing morning sickness- and can't wait for this phase to pass and I am sure Kris feels the same. He has been very helpful. We've decided to let the sex of the baby be a surprise until birth. Hopefully, the doctors and nurses won't let the secret out of the bag.

In other family news, Owen has completed his first swim lessons. We took a two week course with one of his best friends from day-care, Colton, at the Folsom Aquatic Center in early June. Owen really enjoyed it most of the time and learned how to crawl out of the pool on the side wall, sit and slide into the pool, and jump from the edge. He also grew fairly comfortable going under the water and of course, loved to kick and splash. Owen's favorite part of going to the pool was when he was able to go down the small slide that dumped him into the water. He and the other toddlers wanted to do this over and over!

We also just went on a quick over night trip to the coast. We took Owen to the aquarium in Monterey, walked and played along the coast, and drove along the shore to Carmel where we shared a lovely Italian dinner. Owen had a blast and especially loved seeing the seals and birds along the pier and the big sharks at the aquarium.