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Junior No. 2 , the sequel, set for Sept. 23 premiere

By BRIDGET GRUMET
Published April 9, 2007

It was about a year ago, when my waist began reappearing and I no longer relied on elastic waistbands, that I gleefully boxed up the maternity wear.

"You're not giving those away, are you?" my husband, Wayne, asked, as if our plans for a second child were about to be carted off to Goodwill with these second-hand clothes.

"Naw," I reassured him before shelving the box in the garage. "I just want to make space in the closet for the clothes that fit."

I've gone through the same exercise in Toby's room every few months, boxing up the stuff he's outgrown for future use by Baby No. 2. Well, let's just say it's time to break open the boxes.

Hubby and I are expecting another baby Sept. 23 - about two weeks before Toby's second birthday. We're pleased with the spacing, even if we were caught a little off-guard by the timing.

Since I had finally lost most of the baby fat, I bought some new clothes after Christmas. And since I had just finished breast feeding, it was safe for me to start an aggressive diet coupled with a running schedule with the hope of dropping a few more pounds.

That is, until I learned in late January about Junior No. 2.

It's the best excuse I've ever had for ditching a New Year's resolution.

So far this pregnancy has fit like a familiar pair of jeans. As with the first pregnancy, I've had no morning sickness, although early on my appetite could come and go between bites of food. Now I just have the munchies.

It's too early to feel those wonderful little flutters, but not too early to be fielding the usual questions about whether we'll find out the gender in advance (nope - we think it ruins the fun), whether we want a boy or a girl (we just hope for healthy) and whether our older child will welcome a little brother or sister.

Let's leave that one for a future column.

Things have been so smooth that, at times, Wayne and I have to remind each other: You know, we're having another baby!

But now that the loosest of my regular clothes are becoming snug, my growing belly - and our growing excitement - will make it hard to forget.

* * *

Since my last column on Toby walking and talking at his own deliberate pace, I've received a bunch of heartening e-mails and comments from mothers and grandmothers who went through the same thing with their little ones. Without exception, their encouraging stories ended the same way: "And he (or she) turned out just fine."

My laugh-out-loud favorite came from a mom who remembers her daughter simply pointed and grunted at whatever she wanted till she was nearly 3. One day the girl pointed and grunted at the faucet (wanting water) and mom snapped: "If you don't say you want water, you will never get the water!" And the little girl clearly said, "I want water," and spoke in sentences from that time on.

No full sentences yet for Toby, who's now 18 months old. But we hear hints of new words in his babbling (Wayne swears Toby said banana). He's taken a few unassisted steps on numerous occasions, and he'll walk quite a ways if you hold his hand.

He's even learned to hold up his hands to convey a new phrase:

All done.

Bridget Hall Grumet can be reached in west Pasco at (727) 869-6258 or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505 ext. 6258. Her e-mail address is bgrumet@sptimes.com

[Last modified April 9, 2007, 08:27:32]