24 Weeks Prego & 2-year-old Birthday Party

My email this week says:

Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

Only 112 days left (less if I deliver when I want to--about a week early). Things are really starting to feel like they're going a lot faster. Three and half months sounds like a long time, but then again, it doesn't. I'm starting to get pretty sentimental about my time with just my firstborn. A friend of mine on FB talked about being a little sentimental that her second baby was coming because it meant she wouldn't have the exclusive time with her firstborn (I can certainly relate). Everyone's comments assured her she was completely normal, and it's just as wonderful with two as it was with one. Regardless, I teared up just reading the comments. Actually, I've been tearing up a lot lately. Holy emotions! I was not this sensitive the first time around.

A (my firstborn) had her second birthday, and it was a complete success! I didn't do a party because it's too much chaos and money for something my daughter's not really going to understand anyway. Instead, we took Saturday morning and dedicated it to A. Shortly after she woke up, she opened her first present--modeling clay, crayons and colored pencils. We promptly sat down and put all of them to use. Then my hubby insisted on opening her apron--the one he picked out. She loves it! I love the modeling clay--it smells so yummy, and I don't have to worry about it going in her mouth. A used it as "food" and put it in different bowls and pans and stirred and served it to us.

The next present she opened was finger paint. We stripped down to bare essentials, headed outside, set up a huge cardboard box (leftover from my parent's kitchen remodel), and she went to town on the box. By the time she was covered in paint, we filled our kiddy pool, rinsed off with the hose, and spent the rest of the morning playing in the pool. Lunchtime came, and we opened another present (clothes), and then it was nap time.

We went out for dinner that night (A probably could have cared less), and we told her after dinner we'd go and get a cupcake. Well, that was the magic word for "don't eat your dinner and just get really hyper instead" because she spent the rest of the meal picking at her food, crawling out of the booth, asking for a cupcake every five seconds, and trying to visit all the tables surrounding us. We let her choose her cupcake flavor, carrot cake (girl after my own heart!), and when she was only halfway done, the sugar high kicked in. She spent the rest of the time running circles around our table while chanting, "Run, run, run, run, run." It was pretty hilarious.

All-in-all, a perfect choice for the two-year birthday celebration. Plus, I loved that my hubby got tons of playtime with A (something that doesn't happen often because of his work schedule). That meant more to A and to hubby than an expensive party ever could have.