Losing My Baby Peter

These days, I find myself thinking of little else other than the new baby and all the changes that are about to happen, so I'm sorry if I'm sounding a little redundant. It kind of makes me mourn the loss of my baby Peter, although at 20 months, he is hardly a baby anymore. I'm hopeful that this transition from two kids to three is a smooth one, and also that "middle child syndrome" doesn't come too fast or hard on Peter.
Benjamin is sure excited about the new baby. For a while, he was insistent on calling her "Ellie," but he's since changed preferences for "Eliza." I think that's because it's his friend's older sister's name. But we haven't decided on anything. I have a hard time picking out a name before I actually see the baby. We've finally compiled a pretty good list of names we like though. In the running are Elinor, Cassity, Leonora, Elizabeth, Margaret, Madelyn, Leah, Julia, Clara, Eliza, and Naomi. We'll find out when we meet her! Speaking of meeting her, I got this ultrasound last week with a close-up of her face. I think she's going to be pretty cute. The ultrasound technician even showed me that she has hair. I wonder if technology will ever advance enough to determine the hair color...
Peter is a funny little kid. I love how his personality is shaping. The other day during a substantial rainstorm, he would not come directly from the car into the house. Instead, he wanted to mow the lawn with his toy lawn mower in the middle of the downpour. He LOVES lawn mowers, and will stop whatever he's doing to go observe out the window if he hears one. His word for "lawn mower" is "mong-ow."
His vocabulary has really been expanding. He still only uses one or maybe two word phrases, but he pronounces longer words pretty well. For pacifier, he says "pas-ah-waur," and for dinosaur, he'll say "di-saur." My favorite is his liberal use of the word "nice," which he pronounces "nah-s." He likes to pick out his own outfits (which actually are pretty decent) and then point out how "nah-s" he looks.
The potty thing is still going on. I haven't used any incentives with him yet, but he tells me frequently throughout the day when he needs to go, and then I help him. So his diapers have been more and more dry. Number two is following closely behind. He's told me a few times he needs to go before he does the deed, but usually, he informs me right after the fact. But it's still progress as far as I'm concerned!
The transition to a bed hasn't happened yet, although I think we might be close. Especially since his latest habit involves dropping his "cuddles" and pacifier out of his crib and then calling out very loudly for "MA-ME" to retrieve them for him.
And to end on a random note, I love this picture of my three favorite boys!