THANK YOU!!!

Nick and I were so excited to see all of the great comments about our newest addition to the family. It is so wonderful to be surrounded by such a terrific group of friends and family. We appreciate all of your kind words and cannot wait to share more news about baby # 2 as we go along.

For now, I thought I might answer some of the FAQ that I have gotten recently. So, here we go:

FAQ #1 - How far along are you?
Today, I am 12 weeks. As most of my mommy friends know, this marks a very special time in pregnancy. I am done with my 1st trimester, and the risk of miscarriage goes down significantly at this point. Nick and I waited until 12 weeks to tell everyone that we were pregnant with Charlie, but we just got too antsy this time. Still, 11 weeks is a long time for me to keep a secret :o)

FAQ #2 - What is your due date?
Baby Shaw should be here some time around January 28, 2010.

FAQ #3 - How do you feel?
I feel like poop! With Charlie, I sailed through the first trimester without morning sickness and all of the other yucky side effects of early pregnancy. I was really tired, but that was all. Actually, my whole pregnancy was a cake walk with the Little Guy. I was definitely one of those obnoxious people who LOVED every second of being pregnant.

This time around has been a different story. I am exhausted, light-headed, dizzy, have headaches, and if there is an issue to be had with a stomach, I am having it! My midwife prescribed a drug to help with my morning sickness, and it works very well. Unfortunately, the side effects are not the greatest. So, every day I have to decide which is the lesser of two evils.

I do have hope that I will feel better in the 2nd trimester. So, that means that I will wake up feeling fantastic tomorrow and be ready to take on the world! (If you laugh, we are no longer friends)

FAQ #4 - What do you think the sex is/What do you want the sex to be?
Oh, goodness. Like ALL moms, I really, truly just want a healthy baby. I can see the positive aspects of a girl and a boy.

If it is a boy, Charlie will have a brother close in age, and I would hope that they would be best buddies. Nick and I don't have same-sex siblings, and we think it would be a great experience for our children. Plus, I have everything that I would need for a boy, and I have 16 months experience raising a boy under my belt. It seems like the easier option.

But, if it a girl, I get to unleash my totally girly side. There will be bows, dresses, tutus, and pink as far as the eye can see. I will get to see Nick get wrapped around her little finger, and I will have a daughter. My mom and I have had our ups and downs (downs between 15-21 years old), but we are so close, and I would love to experience the special mother-daughter bond.

Now, what do I think we are having? A boy. I had a strong feeling as soon as I found out that I was pregnant. Plus, the Chinese calendar (if you buy into that) says that we are having a boy. Not to mention the fact that the ultrasound tech told us that our ultrasound picture was "suspicious of a boy". Let's just say we aren't spending a lot of time looking for girl's names.

We will find out some time around September 10th, and we will definitely keep you posted!

FAQ #5 - Are you excited?
Yes, we are very excited! Our love for Charlie is so strong, and we know that a new baby will only multiply the love in our hearts. Nick and I have enjoyed being parents so much, and we cannot wait to add to our family. But, we are nervous at the same time. With Charlie, it seemed like it was all excitement because we were ready to have a baby, and we could just day dream about starting our little family. This time around, we are thinking about how this new baby will affect Charlie. We are worried that he won't understand or will feel like he isn't getting as much love or attention. Already, he has had to deal with Mommy laying on the couch not able to play. He has watched more TV in the past few weeks than he has in his entire life. My mom is always here to help, but I just feel like a bad mom for not being able to do the things that we normally do together. Mommy guilt is pretty powerful stuff, and it has me awake at night thinking about all of the ways that life will change for Charlie. From what I understand, this is pretty normal when you are expecting your second child. I know that as soon as I hold my new baby, some of the guilt will fall off of my shoulders because I will want to provide for him/her as much as I do for Charlie now.