birthday boy!

an old post which never got published in March!

Jamie turned 2 on Sunday and he is very excited about it. Events started the weekend before when we went down to Nanna and Grandad's and visit Drucilla's Zoo with them and Uncle Sam and Aunt Sian. Jamie loved all the animals, which you can see some highlights below. The Zoo also had a Thomas train which of course Jamie loved. More photos can be found on our Flickr page.

Riding Thomas!

Thomas! too excited to stand still!

Imitating the flamigos!

We had a BBQ on Saturday with our friends and we had the most beautiful day for it. We all hung out outside for the afternoon and the kids ran around the backyard having a blast. Our train obsessed son, got his very own Thomas cake for his birthday which he had to wait to eat until all his "friends are here." So everytime the doorbell rang, he shouted "friends are here!". It was a 3 evening challenge which I enjoyed very much. I found some good tutorials on the internet to guide me through the process, which was easier than I thought it would be. Below are some photos from the big day and the rest can be found on our Flickr page.

snow day!!

So we didn't realize, but apparently it was supposed to snow on Saturday night with some accumulation, and that it did. We got a few inches. And it was the first snow of the season, unlike last winter where it snowed in November and a lot in December too. But like last year, we had one who loved the snow and one who wasn't so keen. It's not hard to guess which was which...

We did manage to stay out and play a little, including building two snowmen as someone destroyed the first:

did you guess right?!

Jamie is going to have a little sister!!

We had our ultrasound this morning and it all went well. She (still weird to say that, I actually wrote "it" first) measured pretty much bang on average for everything they looked at. Sweet little thing weighs 13 ounces right now. We're halfway through the pregnancy but definitely not halfway through the growth, crazy to think about. Jamie was 6lb 13oz when he was born. So potentially 6 or more lbs to put on (for her) (and a lot more for me-on average, I should now be putting on a pound a week!)

We are all pleased, if not a little bit in shock. Over the last week or so, I've thought she was going to be a girl. Most of my friends are having boys this time round (when they had girls the first time) and everyone, apart from one, is having the opposite of what they had first. And so the pattern continues.

I can now ask Jamie where is his baby sister and he will point to my belly and give it a kiss. So cute!

Here are the photos from the ultrasound:

She is sitting breach at the moment (head up) and she had her hand up near her face most of the time and was waving or sucking her finger/thumb. You can see her waving fairly clearly in this last one.

We haven't picked out any names yet, Paul wanted to wait until we knew the sex so we'd only have one to contend with. Don't get any big ideas though because like last time, the name will remain a secret until she's born.

Some good news is that the fibroid is measuring 8cm at it's largest point which is 4 cm smaller than it was at this point with Jamie (it also didn't grow after this point). We have another ultrasound scheduled for 32 weeks and we will be meeting with the ob/gyn in February to talk about the fibroid and see what he says about the birth. But for now we will all get used to the idea of a she and are thankful that everything looks healthy and normal.

Oh yes and here's a belly pic taken yesterday (21 weeks). You can see me at 19 weeks with Jamie here. As you can see I'm already much bigger than I was around this point last time.

guessing time

So it's been nearly a month since I've posted. We had a lovely time over Christmas celebrating with family. We didn't take too many photos this year sadly, but there are some from our time in the States, including some cute ones of Jamie paddling in the ocean on New Year's Eve. See the link to the right or go straight to our Flickr page. We are back in the swing of routine here which now seem to involve more tantrums and also obessive train playing.

Next week is my next ultrasound where we will find out how the little one is growing and also if it's a he or she! You can cast your vote on the poll on the right, and we'll reveal the results next Wednesday...if you're lucky!

jamie loves the bath

Last night I took this video of Jamie in the bath. It all started because he was trying to drink the water from the cup and I told him it was yucky, but it just turned into a game...

oh dear!

Jamie is talking more and more everyday. He hasn't said much that is funny yet as mostly he just says one word at a time, sometimes two. We haven't filmed him much (or at all yet) talking but we captured this tonight which was just too cute. If you can't tell what's going on, the cover to the iPad has come off...

Some photos

Here is a photo of Jamie in 'the' t-shirt. This was taken right before bed tonight and he was very tired, but it ended up being quite a funny shot, which is what we used to announce the pregnancy on Facebook:

We entitled it: We have some news. Some are more happy than others.

Jamie actually doesn't really understand what's going on. He went to the ultrasound and we explained about the baby in mommy's tummy, but who's going to understand that about a black and white moving image. We'll try to explain more as time goes on, particularly after we find out the sex.

Here is a photo of my bump from this morning, which is much bigger at 15 weeks than last time.

the cat is out of the bag...

Anyone notice a blog title change?! Well, our family of 3 (plus Remmy) is going to be a family of 4 (plus Remmy)! We are expecting another little one in June! (Due date 6/6/12!)

We took the pregnancy test on October 2nd, which was the day I ran the half marathon. I did have my suspicions a few days before. I had similar symptoms as with Jamie (meaning I had to pee more than normal, which is a result of increased blood production.) The timing worked well as Jamie and I were flying out to the States two weeks later. I wanted to tell everyone in an unusual way like last time. So we bought a t-shirt for Jamie that says: "I'm not lion, [picture of lion], I'm going to be a big brother!" Unfortunately we don't have a single photo of it! But everyone loved it. Christine wanted to know if it was true, Kim screamed, my mom noticed straight away, my dad didn't notice for 2 hours (until my mom asked what he thought of it!). Everyone is thrilled.

I am now nearly 15 weeks, and into the second trimester. So far I've been sicker than I was with Jamie. With him, I was only ever nauseous, but I've been throwing up a few times a week, mostly first thing in the morning after I open the fridge or encounter certain smells like dog food or moldy food. Like last time, I had to eat all the time to stop from feeling sick. I think I'm nearly out of it. I don't feel nauseous as much. I am also much more tired. I take a nap when Jamie does, nearly everyday.

We had a scare a few weeks back when I spotted for about a week. I was referred to the Early Pregnancy Detection Unit for a scan and everything was ok. We got to see our little one a few weeks earlier than normal:

It's not as clear in the photo, but we saw it in action wriggling around. The baby is about an inch long here.

Our normal 13 week scan was at the end of November. I had blood taken and they measured the baby to check for any abnormalities and also to assess probabilities that it might have Down's or another disorder. Everything came back normal and here is the baby 3 weeks older:

Quite a difference! The also measured my fibroid, which is back and growing again. It's about 8cm now, which is 2cm smaller than it was at this stage with Jamie. It continued to grow until 20 weeks last time, so we'll see how it is a the next scan.

I have had one midwife appointment so far, where she took my history and we discussed the last pregnancy/delivery and plans for this one. Since I had a c-section last time and lost a lot of blood, and because of the 'large' fibroid (greater than 10cm), I am considered a high risk pregnancy. It doesn't really mean all that much except that I'll be closely more monitored in delivery and I wouldn't be allowed to have a home birth (not that I'd ever want one!). I am several extra appointments with the obstetrician to discuss fibroid and delivery. I will have a choice if I want to have a c-section or try for a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean). I haven't made a decision what I want yet, and apparently don't have to decide until 36 weeks. I'll keep you posted on that.

A bit of a long one, but a lot to catch up on in 15 weeks. I'll try to update more regularly. The next ultrasound is at the end of January, which is when we'll find out the sex!

happy halloween!

We missed the church (non) halloween party last night, but we had plenty of opportunities to get in the halloween spirit back at home:

 Who's that coming up the hill?

It's Crocodile Jamie!

Happy Halloween everyone!

PS interesting article about the origins of Halloween here: http://www.biblicalhorizons.com/open-book/no-28-concerning-halloween/

visit to St Louis

Jamie and I have just returned from a 10 day visit to St Louis. We had a great time with the family. Jamie had fun playing with his aunts and uncles and of course Nana and Big Daddy. I got to go to the four World Series home games, which included perhaps the best postseason baseball game in history in Game 6, and also Game 7 of course, where the Cardinals won it all! Some of the daytime highlights include tailgating at a Mizzou game, Jamie's first visits to the Zoo, pumpkin patch and transportation museum. The mail reason we came in was to support Kyle in his capstone dinner, which is a final project for his degree at college. He was general manager of a team of people that put on a 5 course meal for over 80 people. They had to order, prepare, cook, and serve all the food. It was very professional and very tasty. We are very proud of him.

Here are some photos from the trip:

Mizzou game:

 This kid loves any slide:

With Nana at the pumpkin patch:

Petting a goat at the Zoo:

The Transportation Museum was a big it. Can you see all the trains he's lined up?!

Thomas the Tank Engine is Jamie's favorite cartoon character. He loves trains!

 And bonding time with all his aunts and uncle:

All the photos can be found on Flickr as usual: http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulwoodward/sets/72157627894011193/

a little green thumb

Christine (Paul's mum) came over today to have a massive pruning/tidy of our garden (backyard). We got a substantial amount cut back during Jamie's 2 hour nap--we easily have 2-3 carloads that need to go to the green recycling. When Jamie did wake up, we found we had ourselves quite the little helper. He obviously has his Nanna's green thumb. (Let's hope so!)

Woodward family vacation

Last week we went to the Dorset/Somerset border with the extended Woodward family. We rented a cottage in a small village and did lots of trips out in the surrounding area. Jamie really enjoyed getting to know his grandparents and aunt and uncle better. We took trips to a steam fair, farm, a safari park, and monkey world. The ladies had a morning at a spa/gardens while the men went to the motor museum. There are tons of photos to go through on Flickr if you're interested, and we might add some from the others' cameras in the next couple weeks. Jamie is a great animal lover so really enjoyed all the trips out. A few highlights are below. The rest can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulwoodward/sets/72157627661070806/with/6143830754/

Sam and Jamie exploring the motor museum:

Sian and Jamie at monkey world:

Two other monkeys spotted at monkey world:

 David and Christine at the steam fair:

Family shot a Longleat safari park:

Jamie and the muir cats:

Jamie "drives" a tractor:

Hey, come back her ducks!

Hold on, is that a monkey on our car?!

Mom, there's something strange outside!