Love at first sight

Seeing Baby on the ultrasound screen made it all the more real. Our ultrasound tech asked us before the first splat of blue jelly, "Are you wanting to know the sex of your baby?"

"YES!" We both yelled...kindly.

"Well, okay! Let's get this started then." And she didn't waste any time. We took one quick look at the head and profile, then the arms and legs, then - 

"Do you see that in between the legs? It's a BOY!"

We both started giggling and crying. Our tech handed us tissues and said, "I cried too when I found out I was having a boy." We giggled some more.

If you had asked me before today what I wanted, my answer was something like this - "Well, of course I would be happy with either....But, secretly I want another girl....But, I would love a boy too....But, Adeleigh is convinced she's going to have a baby sister...."

And to be honest, [secretly] I was kind of nervous about having a boy because I feel like I have the whole raising a girl thing down. I've clearly had more experience with a girl baby. I can relate a little bit more to the girl drama because it is all-too-familiar, and very much surrounding me (even at the present moment). I have felt nervous that I wouldn't really know much about having a boy. 

Would we need to start playing basketball? Or buy some baseball bats to keep around the house? Do I need to learn to love spiders and start collecting them in mason jars? 

How does an arachnophobe learn how to love bugs? And how am I going to tell my little girl, who is wholeheartedly convinced she's going to have a baby sister, that she's not?

I quickly realized how much I was over-thinking everything, because once we learned that our little kicker is a boy, all of that hesitation and nervousness went away. And I couldn't help but start to cry, thinking about how new and different and exciting all of this is.

___

So, this afternoon when we went to pick Adeleigh up from daycare, we couldn't wait to tell her the exciting news. 

"Adeleigh, we have a surprise for you."

"A surprise? What?"

"Mommy has a baby boy in her belly! You're going to have a baby brother!"

"A baby brother? In your belly?" Her face lit up. "....Can I have my surprise now, please?"

We laughed. "That is the surprise, Sweetie! But, after dinner, we're going to celebrate and get a treat."

We went to Coopersmith's for dinner and Adeleigh couldn't wait to share her surprise with the entire west-facing patio. One by one, she walked up to each table and said, with the biggest smile on her face, "I have a baby brother. It's in my mommy's belly. See?" And she'd run back over to our table, pat my belly and say, "See? Right here." I got teary-eyed again, thinking about how amazing it is to see the joy and love that our little girl already shares for our little boy. And how proud of him she already is. 

She's going to be such a good big sister.

And we are already so in love with him.

Happy Valentine's [Mother's] Day

Today this Momma -

Woke to a cute little girl who handed me her favorite toy flower, kissed me on the cheek and said, "Happy Valentine's Day, Mommy."  (I knew what she meant. And it was very sweet.)

Ate 4 or 5 (or 6) delicious gluten-free double chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast...guilt-free.

Took my first uninterrupted shower in a long time, and used up all the hot water.

Received a red construction paper heart with buttons glued on it from my little one. "This is for you, Momma. Happy Valentine's Day." (I knew what she meant.)
Received a thoughtful card from Phaeton that made me cry...they always do.

Ventured to my favorite part of town with my two favorite people.
Ate waffles in Old Town.

Went shopping and bought a few big purchases for our new home.
Checked a few more things off of our Moving To-Do List.
Experienced toddler meltdown #1 (for the day).

Continued shopping and bought one small purchase for myself - The Lumineers CD.
Didn't care that I was the only person under the age of 60 shopping in the CD section at Best Buy.
Endured toddler meltdown #2.

Met up with my mom, sister and nephew for dinner and enjoyed free TCBY for Mother's Day.

Played at the park and watched the kids run wild.

Survived toddler meltdown #3.
Decided that naps are no longer negotiable.

Ended the day snuggling with my girl on the couch.
Was reminded of how special it is that, despite the ups and downs in a day, she and I always end up this way.

Felt the baby kick more than I have any other day so far.

Received some late-night, invaluable words of wisdom from my mother.

Especially today, this Momma is -

Feeling grateful for my Mom. And so grateful to be one.

Boy or Girl?

The other day Adeleigh's daycare provider called me to say, "Well, I was going to tell you to keep it a secret, but Adeleigh has been telling me all morning what you're having. So, Congratulations!"

Me - "We haven't even had our ultrasound yet. We have no idea what we're having!"

Her - "Seriously? She says it with such conviction. I totally believed her! She said that she's having a baby sister!"

Me - "Yes. She really wants a baby sister. No. We have no idea yet."

Her - "Well, maybe she knows something no one else does! So, now I can say it. Please keep it a secret from me! I want to be surprised!"

____

Our ultrasound is next Thursday! Already! And yes, we will be finding out if Adeleigh is going to have a baby brother or a baby sister. And no, I doubt we'll be keeping it a secret.
I've added a poll to the right side of my blog, so please feel free to tally whatever your intuitions might be. I'd be curious to hear!

If you have "no hunch", here are a few tidbits to take into consideration:

• According to a friend's Chinese calendar apps, every single one says we're having a boy.
• According to our realtor's "psychic" calculations, if the baby is born in September, it will be a girl; October, it will be a boy. (Due date is October 5th and babies in my gene pool tend to come early, including Adeleigh. She was born 3 days early.) 
• Side note - Our realtor is not really a psychic. But when it comes to predicting gender, she claims to be right 100% of the time.
• Between all of my siblings, we collectively have 5 girls and 4 boys.
• I have had many more migraines with this pregnancy than with my first, my morning sickness lasted longer, and I break out more. Many people tell me this is probably because it's a boy. However, some of the Old Wives Tales suggest these symptoms are likely because it's a girl. 
• In fact, if you believe in the Old Wives Tales, they lean slightly more towards girl.
• Before we had the ultrasound with Adeleigh, I wholeheartedly thought she was going to be a boy.
• Side note - She wasn't :)
• Adeleigh says with conviction that it's a girl.

To be continued...

:)

Friday

We really love this town. And even though we'll be moving twelve minutes south to Loveland at the end of this month, we've made a promise to one another that we'll still frequent Old Town at least every weekend this summer and fall :)

___

This evening was the First Friday Gallery Walk in Old Town. And as bad as I wanted to meander through every single art gallery we walked by, all I saw were displays of glass artistry and extremely valuable, fragile designs conveniently resting at the perfect toddler-wrecking height. So, in an effort to not destroy our local artist's livelihood, we window-gallery walked instead. And still had a blast.

First stop, Big Al's Burgers, for what might have been the best burger I've had in this town. Ever.
Our little social butterfly took it upon herself to sit at the neighboring table and make friends with a few members of local law enforcement -

Here she is telling the policemen about her dog, Rico.

We couldn't leave until she actually became one of them - badge and all - 

You're looking at the cutest member of the Fort Collins Police Department.

Then, we made a stop to visit our friend, Donald the "really really big horse", as Adeleigh calls him.

And of course, we made a non-negotiable stop for ice cream at Ben & Jerry's. I didn't get a picture of Adeleigh enjoying her strawberry ice cream cone because I was too busy sharing my double scoop of mint chocolate chunk with the baby. 

_____

Have I mentioned how much we love this town?

:)

Maybe we caught her at a bad time

This evening while playing in Adeleigh's bedroom, Rico came to join us. He sat beside Adeleigh's pile of beads and pennies, and Adeleigh scolded him, "No, Swiper. Don't touch the treasures." So, Rico (a.k.a. Swiper) got up and walked out.
We giggled.

Phaeton - "Adeleigh, do you like Rico?"
Adeleigh frowned - "No, I don't like Rico."
Me - "Do you like Nubi?"
Adeleigh, still frowning - "No, I don't like Nubi."

We giggled again, recognizing that it was approaching bedtime and that she really does love her pets.
Then, I asked a question that I thought would lighten her mood and make her smile. I was wrong.

Me - "Adeleigh, do you like the baby in Mommy's belly?"
Adeleigh - "I don't like Baby if it's a boy. I only like Baby if it's a girl."
Me - "Oh. I'll bet you would like it if you had a baby brother."
Adeleigh - "No, I only want a baby sister."

Recognizing that it was late and approaching bedtime, no matter what we find out in five short weeks, we're pretty sure Adeleigh will love the baby no matter what.

:)

The Princess

Princess -
[prin-ses] (noun):
1. a female sovereign; a daughter of royalty
2. a girl who is so cute, her parents let her rule the house
3. Adeleigh

Examples, as witnessed in the Gaglio home -

To wake up in the middle of the night sobbing, demanding that before anyone gets any more sleep, both of the princess's feet must be kissed. (And since it was 3 a.m. and everyone really needed more REM time, both feet were quickly kissed.)

To wake up in the middle of the night, crawl out of the princess bed and into Mom and Dad's queen, push everyone to the edge so that [said princess] can sleep horizontally, and actually get away with it - every. single. night.

To wake up at two in the morning in Mom and Dad's bed, demanding a cereal bar, a bowl of strawberries, a glass of milk and a movie.

To actually get three out of four middle-of-the-night demands, on any given night.

To convince Mom and Dad, night after night, that it's time to get a King-size bed - - - for the princess, of course :)

Adeleigh
[add-a-lay] (noun)
1. a girl considered to have the qualities or privileges of a princess

Reasons I must be pregnant

Other than the countless days of nausea that left me glued to the couch, here are a few strong indicators that I have a human being growing inside of me:

I hate the news.
I love celebrity gossip.
I cry at Starbucks, Subaru and diaper commercials on a regular basis.
For the first time ever, I bought a jar of pickles at the grocery store. And for no apparent reason, other than it just felt like the right thing to do.
I keep losing and forgetting things.
I eat everything.

If you ask my husband how he can tell I'm pregnant, apparently:

I sit like a man.
I hate the news, but insist on watching it anyway.
I bore him with celebrity gossip.
I cry at everything.
I keep demanding that he buy me a Subaru.
I lose the mail key - every day.
I eat everything. And what's left uneaten, is probably spilled or stained on my clothes.
And my favorite -
I'm always right. :)

13 Weeks

That's my lucky pregnancy number.
That's how many weeks pregnant I was with Adeleigh when the "all day sickness" finally subsided and my green, always frowny face started to resemble more of a happy pregnancy glow. That's how many weeks pregnant I was when I had enough energy again to walk a further distance than from the couch to the bathroom without stopping to rest or throw up. That's how far along I was when I magically forgot the previous 9 weeks of misery that consumed me, day in and day out.

I am at 13 weeks today and after the last few months of nausea, aches and blah without any lasting relief, I was losing hope that history would repeat itself this morning.

And then I woke up...
...for the first time in 9 weeks, earlier than anyone else in the house, including the dog. I laid there for a few minutes with my eyes open, trying to determine how my belly was holding up.
Fine.
I jumped out of bed and for the first time in 9 weeks, had this crazy idea that I would walk the dog. I woke him up and took Rico on a short walk along the path behind our building.
Still feeling fine.
I came inside to a half-asleep husband and daughter and started cooking them breakfast for the first time in 9 weeks. Phaeton put his glasses on, looked up at me and said, "Who are you?"
I chuckled. "Thirteen weeks! I'm at 13 weeks today! I feel like myself again for the first morning in a long time."
Phaeton - "I can tell because you're doing everything that I've been doing for the last few months and it's not even 7:30am. This is awesome! But, can you please stop the vacuuming until we wake up?"

Our eventful day went on without a single bout of nausea or headache. And for the first time in 9 weeks, I'm awake after 10pm.

Phaeton - "I feel like you're back....I've missed you."
~~

I'm really hoping this lasts!

I needed this

I took the last two days off from work. Not because anyone is sick. Not because we are moving, packing or unpacking. I just took a break.
And it was just what I needed.

Monday
I spent all to myself. No toddler. No husband. No agenda.
I had enough energy to complete a load of laundry.
I scheduled myself a prenatal massage.
I painted my toenails, realizing that in a few short months, I'll no longer be able to reach them.
I conquered my fear of shopping with a toddler and took her out after I picked her up from daycare.
She was perfect :)

Tuesday
After 10 hours of much needed sleep, I woke to a little girl hugging my cheeks and kissing my nose.
My midwife told me that I should eat whatever I want and not feel guilty about it.
We spent the day playing with family we hadn't seen in over a year.
I had my first 12-hour stretch in 7 weeks without any nausea or headaches.
We heard the baby's healthy heartbeat for the first time -
which put it all into perspective for me....for the first time.
Today was perfect :)

I needed these last few days to re-focus. It must have worked. Because even with all the chaos and uncertainty going on around us, for the first time in months, everything just feels right.

:)

She's going to be an opera singer someday

You know that sound that you wish you would have the power to create, in the event that a stranger started attacking you? The sound that would alert the world around you that you need immediate help? That noise that would cause the stranger to run away in pure terror, scared of what other powers you possess?

Adeleigh has more than perfected that sound. And her favorite time to practice her S.O.S. scream, without fail, is while shopping with Mom.

Yesterday, she exercised her vocal cords in the bakery section of Sam's Club. The entire town dropped what they were doing and turned away from the sampling stations they were snacking at, to hone in on the stranger that must have been abducting a small child.

Hi everyone. Yeah, everything is okay over here. It's just my daughter, mildly upset that she can't have that one M&M cookie that is tucked in the middle of the 3-foot by 4-foot 350-piece cookie tray. I promise she belongs to me.

Phaeton left the salmon sampling station to come and find us. He just followed the train of stares and scowls until he spotted us. Fortunately by then, Adeleigh had calmed down. 

Phaeton - "Oh man, that was loud! What happened?"

Me - "Oh, you know. The usual. She wanted a c-o-o-k-i-e and I offered her fruit snacks instead. You can't just buy 1 c-o-o-k-i-e here."

Phaeton - "The chef cutting the fish said that she's going to make a great opera singer someday...[We chuckled]...Want a sample of some salmon?"

She's at that age where she's learning how to manage the many emotions of toddler hood. It isn't always going to be easy for her to gauge what an appropriate reaction is, or where is an appropriate setting for such a reaction. I feel like it's our job to teach her that. Yet oftentimes, I struggle with what to do when she decides to project her operatic voice-in-training in public. I try my best to validate her feelings, to re-direct and to teach her appropriate behavior. And I know that these moments are learning opportunities for each of us. I just feel like I've got a long ways to go. And I feel like she's got some time before her toddler-insanity-scream translates into music to my ears.

So Adeleigh, in the meantime, the next time you want to go shopping, Daddy is in charge of taking you. I promise though, that I'll be there when you want to buy your prom dress.