Brooks and Batia Baby # 2 - Week 15-17

I feel terrible about not blogging for the past two week. Time certainly gets away from me and before I know it a week had gone by and then another. I really want to blog each week of this pregnancy to make sure that I document everything like I did when I was expecting Brooks. I am just so much busier this time around...I wonder why? It must be that adorable blonde toddler that I'm chasing after! :) Ahhh...life is good!

Now that our baby is 17 weeks old, his/her skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — the lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. C-C now weighs about 5 ounces (about as much as a turnip), and she/he is around 5 inches long from head to bottom. 

The baby can move its joints, and the sweat glands are starting to develop. Those are some pretty significant developments!

Here are two of the most recent belly shots of C-C in the womb. The first is from week 15 (about two weeks ago) and the second is of me this week (week 17).

My belly is starting to poke out for sure now but I am still at that stage where strangers don't know that I'm pregnant and acquaintances think I've just gained a good 5 pounds! My pants are definitely more snug these days and I feel like I'm about to have to cross over to the maternity clothes. I've started doing the whole rubber band through the button hole to make the pants fit and I can tell that is not going to cut it much longer! :) I feel great and I'm still running at least 3 times a week. We went to the doctor this past Thursday (July 1st) and everything was very routine and normal. The baby's heart rate was around 146 and sounded good and strong. The next time I go back to the doctor will be at the end of the month for my 20 week ultrasound. This is normally the time when most families find out the sex of their baby. We have decided once again NOT to find out what C-C is until the day he/she is born! This is very exciting for us because we can't wait to see what the Lord has blessed us with this time. Most people tell me that I'm having a girl but I sort of feel like this baby is a boy. I'm not sure why and I can't say that it is a strong feeling either way. I just sort of figure all I know is "boy" since Brooks was born so I have a tendency to call this baby a "he" and such...who knows! I guess we are all just going to have to wait and find out in early December!

Brooks continues to grow and change daily! I feel like he does new things every day! He is getting much better with this colors and can now discribe things by naming the "thing" and its color (i.e. a blue truck or a yellow digger). He can count all the way up to 20 (which totally amazed me the first time!) and he can even spell his first name! It's SO cute! We started that one by him repeating the letters after me and now he can do it all by himself! We are just starting to work on his last name. Like I said he is growing up way too fast!

Brooks and I stay busy during the week with lots of playdates and outings. Over the past few weeks we've visited Disney World a few times, gone to the pool to cool off and even a lake park called Dinky Dock in Winter Park. So much fun!

Here are the pics from Disney...Brooks and Ella are enjoying the Playhouse Disney show...right up their alley!

Here are the kids walking around Hollywood Studios...they are two little peas in a pod let me tell you...and Ella is the one usually leading! :) Such a Diva in those glasses!

Here are Andrew, Ella and Brooks having a grand time at Dinky Dock...they loved splashing in the lake, digging in the sand and showing off their "swimming moves" to each other! Such hams...all three of them!

Our weekends have been super fun too! The week before last we made a trip up to Perry to see my family. We stayed with my brother Chad and his crew and had a great time enjoying their pool and backyard. Brooks loved playing with his cousins and this was really the first time that he could actually keep up with them! We even got to go down to the beach and visit with my brother Richard and his family...Mark got in a little fishing and Brooks and I got a little beach time! It was great seeing my dad and visiting with the entire family.

Here is Brooks playing "catch" with his cousins Tanner and Fletcher.

Here's a great shot of most of the Schwab and Batia boys!

All the cousins in one shot...I love this one!

Brooks had so much fun playing with his cousin Fletcher...they played really well together with Fletcher showing B how to work all of his toys...including this Nurf gun...here he has learned to "stick 'em up"! :)

But don't worry...Brooks can hold his own!

This past weekend we spent the Fourth of July holiday with Alex and Andrea Hart in Ft Myers. It was so great to get down to see them and to meet the newest member of their family, Emery. She is such a sweet baby and it made it so much more exciting that we will have one of those sweet munchkins in less than 5 months!!! Brooks and Brady had so much fun together and we all really enjoyed our time with the Harts.

Here is Mark, Brooks and baby "Emmy" as Brooks and Brady call her!

Brooks and Brady had so much fun playing outside with their daddies. Here they are getting a private batting lesson from Mark on the golf course behind the Hart's home. It had rained most of the afternoon so all the boys were glad to get outside!

Then it was time for a little cool down...the boys were stripped down becasue those mud puddles were calling their names!!! So much fun!!!

Mama even got in on all the dirty fun...I got soaked with mud when I was bringing all the boys a drink! Oh well, that is what they make Spray-n-Wash for!

On Saturday we drove over the bridge to Sanibel Island for their annual 4th of July parade. The boys had the time of their lives watching the parade with all the emergency vehicles and picking up candy, toys and even popsicles that were thrown their way!

Here are the daddies and their boys...walking towards the parade! By the way...Mark and Alex did not mean to match that day...but the little boys we dress alike on purpose! :)

The boys couldn't wait to get into the candy they picked up...here Brooks is getting his first taste of a tootsie roll...he loved it of course!

How cute are these two? Best buds!

A Fourth of July family shot!

And we couldn't forget baby Emery...she was such a super trooper the entire time we were visiting! It was a perfect day for going to a parade with a newborn...nice and overcast and only a high in the mid 80's!

On the actual 4th of July we woke up to major thunderstorms and rain all day long. We tried making it out to the beach so the little boys could play but it was just to stormy. We made the best out of a bad situation and had our own 4th of July party at home. We set up the sprinkler in the driveway and all the beach chairs in the covered garage. The little boys had so much fun running in and out of the rain and us grown-ups (and baby Emery) stayed nice and dry! Of course we looked like a bunch of rednecks but we didn't care!!! :)

We gave the boys a bunch of rags because they wanted to "wash" the cars for us. I promise it was not child labor!

By the end of the afternoon both boys were sporting a "plumber's crack"...I told you it was a redneck version of a 4th of July party! :)

Here is a sweet shot of Emery I took on the last day we were visiting...she is such a happy baby!