Zach's Sacrificial Lamb

You know in Greek myths, the mortals have to make a sacrifice of their best goat to please the gods? Well, that's basically what Zach did. Except the goat is his baseball coaching gig and the gods are his family...

In the midst of my computer meltdown and Brady's entrance into toddler hell, we were also dealing with a coaching dilemma. Zach had committed to coach at Kiski but some unpleasant factors reared their ugly heads making him think twice. As if an answer to his silent prayer, the Plum head coach contacted Zach and offered him his old assistant coaching job. For weeks, poor Zach agonized over what to do, where to coach, and weighed the pros and cons of each district. Finally, just a few nights ago we were talking in the kitchen after Brady had gone to sleep and he just looked at me and was like, "Your belly is huge!" It was true; my baby bump is burgeoning out over my pants and my bellybutton can probably be seen from space. I think that the physical changes, and witnessing me break out in a sweat when climbing stairs or putting Brady in his car seat, finally hit home with him: we are having another baby. And soon.

26 Weeks in the Making!

As a result, my selfless husband has decided to put his coaching career (which has been around longer than I have, by the way) on hold to raise his family. He said that he thinks he was unable to decide between Kiski and Plum because the third option--not coaching at all--was in the back of his mind. I am thrilled with his decision and I know that being involved in everything Brady (and new baby!) will definitely make him happy, but I also know how much he loves coaching and I recognize what a huge sacrifice this is, even if it is for us. I'm excited that we'll share more moments like this...

Family Breakfast on Saturday mornings!

And these...

After-school siestas!

Father and Son Shoveling!

In other Jankowski Family Fun news, Brady is finally shaking a virus that has plagued him for over a week. At first, we just thought he was fussy; he was constantly whining, sometimes yelling out, and extremely lethargic. It got to the point where the poor kid couldn't even hold his head up--he had zero energy.

Our little patient :(

We took him back to the pediatrician to see if it was teething, a reaction from his vaccinations, etc. Apparently, there is a latent virus going around and the kid's body was working overtime to fight it off. We're currently encouraging extra naps, baby Tylenol, and lots of love. I feel so bad for the little guy, but I will say that I am a HUGE fan of the "sick boy snuggles!"

Sick Brady

Baby J-2 is happy to report that our doula has been assigned and we've been in contact! We're going to meet Mrs. Gretchen McNary on Sunday, February 20th (she's making a house call, very convenient!), so Zach will get to meet her and then the remainder of the pregnancy, she and I will get to know one another. She'll come to a few of my prenatal appointments with me, and keep in touch until the big day! She's worked with the doctors in my practice before, so that makes everything a little more comfortable for everyone involved. She has three kids of her own, two of which were successful VBACs, and her experience with other mamas is worth its weight in gold. She specializes in VBAC candidates and has a very good track record; only ONE of the ladies with whom she has delivered did not have the VBAC. I like those odds :-)

Feeling better today, thank goodness!

Kiski canceled school today which was totally fine with me--I love having my boys home. Just remind me I said that when I'm complaining that their Easter vacation is cut short because the people in western Pennsylvania are afraid of rain in February. Oh, well; we had a good day anyway--got a lot of work done, celebrated Pap Rick's birthday, and got Zach and Brady some necessary hair cuts...

YIKES!!

Superbowl Sunday is in a few days--go Stillers!