20 Weeks!

I can't believe we're already at the halfway point in this pregnancy! I love the second trimester--I am feeling fantastic! And I'm feeling little Nolan kick more and more. I'm excited for the day I can put Aiden's hand on my belly so he can feel his brother move. Mike & I have already been talking to Aiden about how he needs to set a good example for his little brother; he seems totally on board! :) He smiles and repeats after us. Yesterday he cracked me up because he said, "I keep baby Nolan in my bed!" So sweet. We have plans in the near future to take Aiden to Build-A-Bear to make Nolan's first teddy bear, just like Mike & I did for him. I want to keep him as involved in the baby preparations as possible, even though I know we can't really predict the impact Nolan's arrival will have on him. I'm already sad about the three days I'll be in the hospital without Aiden--and that's still (HOPEFULLY) four months away! But in the words of Scarlet O'Hara, I won't think about that today; I'll think about that tomorrow. :) Enjoy your weekend!

Our Anniversary, and It's A...

BOY!!!

Surprise! Even though pretty much everyone (EXCEPT ME) had guessed girl (including six of the seven of you who took my blog poll), we are in fact blessed to be having another little boy. Truth be told, I'm THRILLED. Sure, it would have been nice to have a girl, but think of the money we'll save on clothes & toys. That and I envision these two being best buddies!

So without further ado, I introduce you to Baby Cotter #2: Nolan James, coming this October:


(As you can see, he's not too shy about showing the goods; our technician actually told us it's a good thing we wanted to know because the way he was presenting himself, she wouldn't have been able to hide it very well!)

What a great way to celebrate Mike's & my 4th wedding anniversary! I started my day at work with a wonderful surprise--a dozen red roses at my desk. PERFECT. We plan to go out to dinner sometime this weekend as well. Right now I'm just going to bask in the glory of knowing I'm going to be the mom to two awesome little boys :)

Memorial Day Weekend

The unofficial start to summer has DEFINITELY felt like just that--it's been a WARM weekend! We kicked it off by heading up to Mansfield to visit my folks on Saturday. Abby & Sean were there, too, and we let Aiden play outside in his new sprinkler. He actually received two of these as birthday gifts, so we're going to leave one at PooPoo's house and one at our house. As you can see, someone was in his element--Aiden LOVES water. He's hilarious to watch because he runs around with his mouth wide open and his tongue hanging out. So funny.
Yesterday was even warmer, so we went over to Mimi's house and played in the kiddie pool. Actually, Aiden wasn't all that interested in being in the pool; he preferred to fill up his toy watering can and water all of Mimi's flowers. No worries. Mimi & I didn't mind watching him while cooling out feet in the pool. Mike & I also took advantage of the Memorial Day sales to mark more items off our baby prep list; we were able to buy a new dresser for Aiden's new room and a new crib mattress for the new bundle. I *heart* saving money!
Today we woke up to a rather large, slow-moving thunderstorm. I was quite proud of my little guy for not being afraid in the slightest; even the loudest boomer only caused him to say, "Wow, that was a big one!" He's definitely got the advantage on me as thunderstorms usually scare the crap out of me. :) Even if it storms the rest of the day (which it just might), our outdoor plans aren't ruined; luckily our back porch is covered, so we can still enjoy a planned cookout with Abby & Sean.
I hope everyone else is having a beautiful holiday weekend!

10 Things I Think I Think (May Edition)

10. Yeah, the blogging is falling by the wayside. I've been mixed up with a pretty stressful project at work, and now it's starting to overlap with another pretty important project. Angie knows my pain--she's definitely taking the brunt of it. Luckily, we've got a fun happy hour planned for next Friday where we can celebrate this project being over as well as the impending three-day weekend. She'll be drinking; I'll be watching. And eating. A lot.

9. I had an OB checkup last week. Luckily, the baby decided to show us its heartbeat almost immediately instead of taking the 10 stressful minutes of my previous appointment. My doctor said everything looks good. They took blood & I haven't gotten a call back, so I think that's a good sign. Still keeping an eye on those stupid platelets, though.

8. I don't know if I should keep this quiet or not, but Aiden has been peeing in the potty at least once a day for nearly two weeks (I'm so afraid that if I talk about it, he'll suddenly lose interest). All it takes is some bribing with M&Ms. This is fitting in nicely with our plans to have him trained by the time #2 arrives. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

7. Mike & I were lucky enough to head up to Cleveland to take part in Grant & Magen's wedding (well, Mike took part, & I watched). It was a beautiful day, ceremony, & reception, and we had a great time. I wish this happy couple the best!

6. I'm liking that we're finally getting some sunny weekends, but I wish it wouldn't rain ALL week first. Maybe if it could rain on Tuesday and Thursday and then be sunny the rest of the week. Not sure who to submit that request to.

5. Really excited for the LOST season finale. I've not been a true viewer of the show in the seasons past, but I've seen enough to have a general idea of what's going on. I've caught every episode this season, though, and I'm anxious to see which questions they answer and which ones they don't. It's so tense!

4. Speaking of tense season finales--can anyone else say, "Holy crap, NCIS!?" I'm LOVING the last few episodes, and being a spoiler junkie, some of the stuff I've been reading online has me super-nervous for Tuesday's climax! I'm gonna be a wreck at work on Tuesday just from the anticipation, and Wednesday also because I'm expecting a heck of a cliffhanger!

3. Sunday is a special day--my daddy's birthday! I hope he has a great one, and that he enjoys watching LOST with my mom (both faithful viewers since the very first episode)!!!

2. I really need to get outside & weed the flower beds. Stupid rain.

1. Only 12 more days until we find out what #2 is! I guess we'd better start figuring out a boy name just in case; we're pretty set on the girl's name. Sure would make things easier if it could just be a girl...not long now until we know! :):):)

A Visit with the Dills & Mother's Day

Yeah, still slacking in the blogging department. But it's not the pregnancy that can be blamed this time--it's work. A large, stressful project that *hopefully* will be complete in a few weeks. But enough of my excuses.

Yesterday, we had the extreme pleasure of driving up to my folks' house for both an early Mother's Day celebration and a visit with the Dills. Baby Finnian is. So. Stinkin'. Cute.He's just over 7 months old, so he's at that really cuddly, really slobbery, really smiley stage. I could just melt. And so could Aiden! He LOVED his little cousin, so much so that if Finn left the room, he would get a little teary and ask "Where's the baby?!" I can only hope he's that loving when he realizes that a baby will be coming stay with him permanently in just a few months.

Today is actual Mother's Day, and I woke up to beautiful flowers and powered-sugar donuts (HEAVEN for this preggo's cravings). We're hoping to head over to Mimi's soon to help her plant some flowers and spread some mulch. It's a bit chilly, but the sun is shining, so hopefully that will make up for it.

Wishing a Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies and soon-to-be mommies out there! :)