Good GOD, the boys are 8 months old! How awesome is that?! Things are a-changing around our house, and some space has to be made in order to accommodate 2 growing (and now two mobile!) boys. Both boys are really doing awesome and meeting milestones left and right! It’s so exciting and awesome to watch them grow. I just wish I had more time with them during the week, but that just makes the time that I DO have with them so much more special and cherished. They are both understanding English and Spanish, and we can tell because when I say “leche” they both start opening and closing their hands rapidly which is the sign for milk. They constantly look for each other when the other isn’t around, and they give each other food from their trays when the other starts grunting. It is ridiculously cute and melts my heart every time! GUYS, I just can’t sometimes!
LEVI
My little Casanova! This kid can get women to flock to him like there is no tomorrow! He is gentle and caring ( you can tell already!) when he rubs your face and looks deep into your eyes with his blue ones, and just smiles at you while he does it. He can be caught several time a day, just patting his brother on the head, almost like giving him an, “I love you bro!” He likes to sit most of the time, but about a week ago figured out how to army crawl. He has been navigating his way around our living room and kicks his legs in excitement whenever he reaches his goal. He laughs at just about anything, especially when Mamà pretends to be shocked, and eats like a champ! He is still very cautious and very aware of his surroundings. He is hesitant to stand but loves moving around the house in his walker. He maneuvers it like he has been using it for weeks, but just started in it about 3 days ago. He can even back up and around corners with ease. He loves music and singing songs, and is starting to be able to do the gestures to a Spanish song I sing to them about birds in the sky (flapping arms), fish in the sea (putting their hands together and swishing) and horses in the forest (holding reigns and bouncing). He loves playing by himself, and can keep himself entertained for long stretches of time. Something tells me his is going to be our laid back, practical joker, musician . I look forward to seeing if that’s true.
NOAH
My little daredevil! This kid is gonna give us a run for our money when he actually starts walking, which I don’t think is far off, considering that this week, he has let go of his standing toys a handful of times and stood unassisted for a few seconds, before becoming distracted and wanting to move, realizing that he can’t and sitting quickly on the ground. We’ve had to lower his crib and move all breakable things out of the way. This kid crawls, and FAST! Like, turn around for one second and he is down the hallway, fast! He has no sense of danger and tests his bodies limits constantly. We may have to get him some soft climbers because he is constantly on the move and climbing over everything, especially his brother! He doesn’t do well with new food textures and it takes him a little time to acclimate to new tastes, but he is really good at picking up loads of cheerios and puffs and shoveling them into his mouth. He doesn’t really babble and is a lot more quiet than his brother, but when this kid smiles, oh those dimples!! He loves reading and books (especially eating them!) and is our champion sleeper (we’ll leave it at that!). He’s an easy baby who loves adventure. He’s gonna be our athletic, kindhearted, gentle book-worm! It’s gonna be so awesome! 
16 WEEKS
How I’m Feeling this Week: I’m actually feeling pretty great this week. I have loads of energy back, I’ve really been spending a lot of time with Callie now that school is back in session and all children are in bed by 7:30, and I have my first hike of the season planned with my best friend Marco. That first trimester was NO JOKE, but this 2nd one is pretty great so far.
How Big is Biscuit: About the size of an avocado! I just had one with dinner last night, and almost brought one for lunch today. That’s kind of big! Also, for people like me who find that those kind of things fluctuate in size, that’s about the size of a Campbell’s Chicken Soup can. That’s nuts! Also, this little person is finally able to hear Mamà, so I’ll be singing and talking to this baby much, much more now! That makes me really happy!
Baby Bump News?: Well, I DEFINITELY don’t fit any of my regular pants anymore, so today, for the first time, I am wearing maternity jeans. Not my style at all, but I am coming to terms and really surrendering to the fact that maternity clothes for gender non-conforming individuals is going to be difficult, so I was handed down some stuff that isn’t SO terrible. So, today, I actually FEEL pregnant. Some co-workers have mentioned that I’m glowing (I don’t see it!) and that I am definitely starting to show. That’s pretty exciting!
Sleep: I’ve still been having pretty weird dreams, but they aren’t every night anymore. I think I have definitely been sleeping more soundly, mainly because of not having to get up to pee in the middle of the night. But I will say, when I sleep on my stomach, it feels like I am laying on top of the remote control. It’s really strange to realize that it’s NOT the remote control, and totally, Little Biscuit.
Food Loves/Hates: Still don’t want anything to do with salad, but corn beef hash over white rice?!?! AMAZING! I’ve had it twice in 7 days!
Symptoms: A serious case of bad gas again, but otherwise, more energy is definitely a plus. Also, I haven’t really been hungry much. I know that’ll change in the next couple of days with a growth spurt on the horizon. Something about double in weight and size in the next 2 weeks or so!
Next Scan: My next scan is scheduled for October 8th, for the anatomy scan. I really want to keep the gender a surprise but everyone’s been hounding me and calling me selfish for not wanting to find out. So I’m sitting on the fence. Mainly because I am totally convinced that Biscuit is a girl, and I want to know if my “intuition” is right! I also have an appointment on September 24th (possible ultrasound) to check my blood pressure and to do a non-fasting glucose test to see where my sugar is since it’s been pretty borderline for the past 2 years or so.
Sex: It’s up and down the past 2 weeks, but also, doing respite care for a 7 year old girl for a week who’s sleep patterns we don’t k now, is tough. Mary sleeps like a rock…this kid, not so much!
Overall Feelings: Hella excited to be able to go hiking on Sunday (and football obviously!), since my pregnant body is finally catching up to my barely pregnant brain and is FINALLY allowing me to do the things that I THINK I can do, but my body and exhaustion wouldn’t allow. Also, feeling like, this baby is getting more and more real as my body starts changing.
Something I Didn’t Expect: For real, for REAL, I didn’t expect maternity pants to be so damn comfortable!!! I might live in these for the next few months, and maybe even more than that! I really wish they were more my style, but this will have to do in the meantime, and the comfortably factor counts for way more points then style factor, that’s for sure! I also didn’t expect that these subtle changes in my body would warrant me wanting it to change faster and be MORE pregnant, but all in due time, I suppose.
Friends, this pregnancy so far, has been pretty awesome! And don’t laugh, but my first official internet “bathroom break bumpie”…
16 WEEKS AND COUNTING
thechroniclesofanonbellymama 