Italian Fest weekend

Ellie attended her first Collinsville Italian Fest this past weekend. The festival was a staple in Brian's childhood, so this trip was a big deal. She had a blast at the parade and both Ellie and mom are enjoying all of the candy that she collected during the event. :) We did discover what a nightmare it is trying to navigate the crowded streets of a festival with a toddler, who insisted on walking on her own, tried to eat random things off the ground, etc. I don't think it would've been any easier with a stroller. Next time we're there we'll have to pick a less busy time of day. But the food was awesome once we got to it!

Ellie also got to enjoy some ice cream cake to celebrate mom's and grandma's birthdays -- both coming up later this week.

And she spent some time at the park with grandpa and grandma. The swings were her favorite... surprise, surprise.

And the best part of the weekend was the four of us (Ellie, too!) completing the Italian Fest 5K race on Saturday morning. It was only Linda's second 5K and she ran the whole thing AND shaved 3 minutes off her time. We are so proud of her!

Sick bay

I'll get new pics from this past weekend up later today, but just a quick post to say that Ellie is sick. It's probably a cold of some sort but her fever has been high since Monday afternoon :(
Last night she was up a couple times, which gave us the opportunity to get some more Tylenol in her. The second time she woke up, around 3 a.m., I think she was a little delirious from the fever because she kept babbling the whole time and stringing random thoughts together. Poor baby girl. Hopefully she kicks this soon, but for today it looks like Brian will be taking some sick time to keep her home from daycare.

Week 20: Banana

Halfway there! I'm thrilled to be marking the 20th week of the pregnancy and to be feeling good :) Here's the latest info from the experts:

Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)

He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

Where's your?

Ellie showing off her knowledge of body parts... and her affinity for poking mommy's growing belly.

It's a...

Baby! The ultrasound today couldn't tell us whether it's a boy or a girl growing big and strong in my belly. The tech tried moving me and prodding the baby, but he or she was in such an awkward ultrasound position that she just couldn't get a good look. But the great news is that everything looks good with Baby #2. We got some great pics of the little face and hands. (I'll try to get them up on here later.) And it was amazing to see all those body parts -- most of them, anyway! -- and both hear and see the heart beating. We're in awe.

Baseball and ice cream

Brian and Ellie stopped by a baseball game in the stadium at the park on Sunday morning, and she liked it so much that we had to go back for more that evening. By pure luck we came across a Cards-Cubs game (!).... though the players were a little younger than they look on TV.
Ellie liked exploring the baseball stands as much as she liked watching the action on the field. The funniest part of the evening was when we went to leave in and Ellie shouted "Bye-bye baseball!"... and then, "I shouted 'bye-bye baseball!'"

And her favorite part of the evening was the stop at the ice cream shop on the walk back from the park. Ellie loves any ice cream with chocolate chips in and spends most of her time digging them out to eat first.

Mint chip!

Week 19: Tomato

More to come after tomorrow's ultrasound!! SO excited to see our little one, even if he/she isn't feeling so little in there these days :) I'm up about 10 pounds for the pregnancy so far, which I'm happy with considering I'm almost at the halfway mark. I'm fitting into more of my maternity pants, but some are still too big. I'm sure that will change soon. I've been marveling at the size of my belly recently but I've also been reminding myself that there's so much more to come!

Here's the latest on #2's growth:

Your baby's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.

Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.