A Real Day Job

Rants

2011-12-15T09:37:00.001-07:00

I haven't blogged in a while, but I blog in my head all the time. Cute things they do, obnoxious things, downright hilarious things. But getting the time I'd like to write it all down in a fashion that's satisfactory to me is another idea. I'm currently taking the time to do it now because I feel like it. Yes, I'm ignoring the fact that I'm in my pajamas, hair unbrushed, my daughter is in her bedroom doing puzzles with only a t-shirt on (literally, only a shirt), a load of laundry is washing in the laundry room for the 3rd day straight (the exact same load. I keep forgetting to put it in the dryer, so in the morning it smells weird, so I wash it again), there are some eggs on the stove that need to be eaten or put away, not to mention the eggs on Monkey's plate that she didn't eat, but will remain there until she does because she will eventually want to watch tv and she can't until she's finished her breakfast, and a multitude of other things that need to be done but will have to wait. So here's some random and unconnected rants and thoughts of me.

When Monkey first starting singing Jingle Bells, she'd repeat the phrase "Jingle Bells" over and over again because those were the only words she knew.

When my 2 oldest kids sing "You are my Sunshine" they sing "You make me happy, when skies are great."

Monkey peed her pants for the first time in a long time while I was putting Munchkin down for a nap. It took longer than usual since Munchkin is crabby. So she kneeled there in the bathroom (where it happened) playing with the heating vent (running her fingers down it over and over again, making noise), and essentially soaked up her entire pee puddle. Gross, right?

Munchkin is getting 2 more teeth. She's got her bottom middle, now she's getting 2 more bottom ones. She's been crabby. She needs to start crawling so she can follow whoever it is she wants to be near since she hates being left alone. She is also getting tired of baby food. Monkey did the same thing. So I'll be googling later today good finger foods for Miss Munchkin so we can start giving her more hands on chewy type foods.

Thanks to the lack of sunshine where I live our plants are struggling. Grr. We've tried so hard to keep the darn things alive. We might have to invest in a plant light for our living room. (The only room with decent natural sunlight. It's still awful. So they all reside in the same room.)

I don't teach my kid to believe in Santa. I'm evil, I know. I can't lie about it. It just feels weird. I don't remember ever believing in Santa and I think I turned out pretty great. (That is based on the opinion of me and my mom, so we might be biased.) Apparently it's a super controversial topic that gets people really heated up. Me, not so much. It is what it is. I just refuse to label a gift as coming from Santa. We worked dang hard to buy those gifts and I refuse to give the credit to some fictional holiday character. Not gonna happen. Darn right those gifts came from me and the hubs.

I wish I was a super mom. I have these strong desires to sew all my kid's clothes, make quilts (never done that one before), make homemade bread (really wanting to do that), and actually have a clean house (yeah, I really stink at that one). I'm not having guilt trips about it. I'm a good mom. I do a lot. I know that. But I spend a lot of time doing other stuff. I have a decent amount of doing-what-I-want-time, even at the expense of ignoring a child or two. I keep up on a few shows online (we don't have tv channels). I read books in splurges (I've got 3 great ones waiting on my dresser right now.). I have tons of time I could spend doing domestic types of things. Heck, I could probably be dressed before 2 every single day if I really applied myself. I do get dressed before that time some days. Just not every day. Once we get home from taking Moose to school I'm putting Munch down for a nap, which is in my room. So unless I get showered and dressed before her first nap, showering doesn't happen and dressing waits until much later. When she wakes up from her nap, it's usually about lunchtime for. Then pretty shortly after that it's naptime for them both. So sometimes getting dressed waits until she wakes up from her second nap and we go directly to picking up Moose from school and the melee starts from there. Then it's putting gear away, unpacking backpacks (a lot of this he does himself, but it takes occasional nagging from me to see through to completion.), piano practice, homework (he doesn't actually get any, but we practice skills at home. He says he really likes it.), making dinner, cleaning the house before the hubs gets home is an optional thing, often not happening and then when he does get home it's time for dinner, clean-up, quickly having quality time for him and them, then corraling them all for bed. Oh, and Munch goes to bed during all that. She hits the hay about an hour earlier than they do. So that was unintended, but that's my day. Wow, talk about ranting. I really laid it out didn't I?

Now, I feel like I should add, I love my life. I love my kids. I wouldn't have it any other way. (Unless that way involved a spacious home and a second car. I might have it that way.) Although my days have struggles and I fight to do things I want to and things I should, or need to, etc. I love my life. I love being a mom. My husband is awesome. We all love each other.

Sometimes I worry I'm a mean mom. My stern voice is never far away. But the hubs told me recently as he was talking to a father who's youngest of 8 is about 19, he was asking about parenting and things. Theiroldest song told him once that when he was little he was scared of his mom and dad. (I suppose there might have been some joking going on, but still.) But all of their kids are amazingly well-rounded and great kids. They're starting their own families, making a good life for themselves. They're a close and loving family. But apparently their parents were strict too. So I suppose there's hope for us.

Okay, I think I'm done now. I'm going to make my 2 year old put some clothes on and go do something productive that's been on my mind all morning. :)

Clap! Yay!

2011-11-27T20:03:00.001-07:00

Munchkin (who is hardly a munchkin, I tell ya. The girl is getting huge!) is becoming quite the clapper. Here's the scene at dinner tonight.

We're sitting around the dinner table. I'm feeding munchkin some banana orange medley, while the rest of us eat Thanksgiving/day after Thanksgiving leftovers. (The hubs actually made a different dinner the day after. It was pizza and it was amazing!) Munchkin randomly claps a few times, not always making contact with both hands, but trying enthusiastically. So I clap and say yay. Enter Moose, Monkey and the hubs all clapping excitedly and making happy sounds. Munchkin gets so psyched! She keeps clapping and smiling. Not to mention kicking her pudgy feet and occasionally screaming. It was awesome. At one point though, I had to stop and think. Here we are thinking we're training her to clap. But I bet in her mind, she's thinking, "Everytime I put my hands together like this, I can get them to do it too. I can make them do what I want. Haha!" So, as for who's training who, I'd say it's debatable.

Sick Guy + GI Joe

2011-11-20T18:24:00.001-07:00

This morning, Moose wasn't feeling very well. So he ended up staying home from church with the hubs and Munchkin. Monkey and I still went. I had a choir performance to play for and a primary lesson to teach. Anyway, while I was gone, Moose threw up twice. He napped a bit and was pretty lethargic overall. This is a big deal for him. Generally when he's sick, he will always be his chipper happy self. It takes something pretty serious to make him act sick. But he's definitely sick, which means he's staying home tomorrow.

This is the first time we've had anyone throw up since he was about 2 1/2. We all got the stomach flu in succession. He was first, then me, then the hubs. I'll never forget it. Whenever he threw up he would cry and cry. It was the saddest thing you'd ever heard. After we were all better, I would sometimes lay in bed at night and remember when he'd start crying from a vomit attack. It would give me small anxiety attacks, I hated that cry so much. It just broke my heart every time. He's a bit more of a trooper about it. The hubs said the first time he threw up he was pretty shaken. The second (and third, which was this evening) time he was a real trooper about it. He's had nothing but a cracker and some sips of water. I really hope he's feeling better tomorrow. This will be his first genuine sick day staying home from school.

In random-make-you-smile news: Moose watched some episodes of GI Joe this afternoon. I was standing next to the dinner table where the kiddos were. I randomly sang, "GI Joe is there." and they sang in unison, completely unprompted, "GI JOE!" It was too cute.

Snow Pants

2011-11-17T18:33:00.001-07:00

Enter the whining mother of a child in public school in the lovely snowy NorthWest US. Ugh. So it snowed a bit last night which meant that Moose had to wear his snow gear to school today. Apparently unless it's like 0 degrees outside, they still play outside for recess. Joy. This lovely addition adds like 15 minutes to our getting out the door to get him to school. For those of you not familiar with winter gear, please, let me enlighten you.

Starting with Moose. Normal clothes: check. Snow boots. Snow coat. Hat. Gloves. Tennis shoes. Snow Pants. (Obviously these are not the order in which he puts things on.) Although we do add backpack to that list. Apparently it's a lot harder to get on with all that gear on. And to add to that list (We didn't have one this morning, but will be getting one.) a bag to carry home his wet gear every day. (This isn't like a plastic bag. This is like a big Mom-sized beach tote. You know, those big beasty ones.) Okay. One child done.

Next is Monkey. She's requires a touch less gear, although she likes to think that whatever her brother has she needs to have also. It hasn't caused too many problems, although it caused one today. Will elaborate further. She wears her normal clothes. Add snow coat, boots and a hat. Moose is required to dress himself in all his gear to spare his teachers from dressing 26 kids each recess. So he can zip his coat. By some miraculous feat of luck, Monkey also zipped her own coat this morning. (Apparently on Sunday she spent most of the first hour standing in an aisle zipping and unzipping her coat, so the hubs tells me. I was elsewhere at the time.) However, when it was time to pick Moose up from school, the little miss assumes she can now zip her own coat. Sorry to break it to you darling, that totally won't happen again for a few years. So it took an extra 5 minutes for me to get her to let me zip her coat. And yes, I managed it by threatening to leave without her. Which no, I wouldn't do. But she didn't know that.

Last is Munchkin. She's the easiest. We have a dandy snow suit that you zip her into. It's like a big pink, fuzzy, feety jammies with a hood and mittens. I like to call her pinky when she wears it.

So, that's our get out the door routine thanks to Mother Nature. Probably will last til, I don't know, April. If not May. Never know how bad the winter will be.

Oh, and to add to all that fun (remember, today was the first day Moose wore all this stuff) Moose came home with someone else's snow pants. His are blue, with his name on them. These ones are black, with someone else's name on them. Sigh. Oh, and I just got his lunchbox back from a 2 day vacation in the 4th grade classroom lunch bag tub. Another story, I suppose. Tomorrow we go on the look-out for his snow pants. Oh, the joys of school.

Crumbs

2011-11-10T19:48:00.001-07:00

Monkey has been sick the last 2 days and one of her symptoms today was a runny nose. After her nap, she was sitting at the computer playing a game. I see her picking at her nose and she turns around and says to me, "Mama, my nose has crumbs." :)

The Lost Sock!

2011-11-08T19:51:00.002-07:00

The kids are in bed, we're sitting around talking and our two year old starts crying. So I go into her room and she's just bawling. I'm trying to think what's bothering her. I ask her if she's got boogers. No response. Finally she says, "It's lost. My sock. My foot is cold." (Imagine slight dramatic pauses between each sentence. Perhaps a deep inhale or sniffle too. It was so cute.) It was the saddest, most pitiful thing you've ever heard. It was so cute! So I helped Monkey find her sock and put it back on. She's now happily tucked back into bed. :)

Ponderings of a Public School Parent

2011-11-06T20:21:00.001-07:00

Sometimes when I'm making Moose's lunch for the next school day my brain gets a-wandering. These are some of the ponderings I had while making his lunch tonight.

I can't help but wonder what other kids are eating for lunch. Not the lunch they get at school, but the sack lunches they're bringing from home. I'm pretty particular about what I pack in his lunch. Bless his heart, the hubs can't replicate what I do without a written, detailed list. Here's a lay-out of his daily lunch.

Snack Container:
granola bar or a few crackers
fruit: half an apple, handful of grapes, half a peach, etc.
veggie: 3 carrot sticks, one stick of celery with peanut butter and raisins (I'll get him up to 2 celery sticks soon. they're still kinda new)

Main lunch Container:
PB&J, Ham and cheese, or chicken nuggets

Second lunch container:
equivalent fruit and veggies from snack container
2 vitamins
cheese stick or yogurt
small treat: 1 cookie or 2-3 small pieces of candy from around the house

That's about it. More or less. If he gets ham and cheese, I usually don't give him a cheese stick. I usually give him yogurt with chicken nuggets. The kid's only been in school a few months, and it's already a fine-tuned rotation. He already knows Wednesday is chicken nugget day. For a while I rotated his main dish. M and Th were PB&J, W was chicken nuggets, T and F were ham and cheese. He went through a ham and cheese boycott, so I'm slowly working it back in. I really need a few more things in my rotation, but he really doesn't mind. He always eats it all. And he told me a while ago he sometimes shares his candy with his buddy, because he asks. And sometimes his buddy shares things with him.

Okay, so those are my slightly OCD lunch-making habits for my kindergartener. And every so often as I'm making his lunch I can't help but wonder what the other kids are eating. Are they eating healthier stuff. Junk food? Shnazzy lunchables? Just curious, I guess. I know I'm doing right by him and teaching him good habits. Even though he still hates peas and whines everytime we tell him there are onions or peppers in dinner. He's healthy and one day he'll thank us. :)

But what are those other kids eating? *shrug* Who knows. I'm sure many of you are thinking I need better things to think about. I know. It's true. :)

Hurts me more...

2011-11-05T19:42:00.002-06:00

There's that old saying "This will hurt me more than it hurts you". So true. Sometimes parenting is a real drag. I've learned multiple times that sometimes what you have to deal with is not worth the lesson you're trying to teach. Or it is worth it, but you still wish you didn't have to do it anyway. Case in point:

This evening I was getting Moose ready for bed. He was in the bathroom and was supposed to be putting toothpaste on his toothbrush so I could brush his teeth. I got a phone call and was talking on the phone, while still gesturing to him to do what I asked him to. He fooled around and all-around ignored me, not putting his toothpaste on. I get my stern face on (while still on the phone) and pointed to his toothbrush. He got totally sassy and was completely ignoring me, laughing, etc. This happened for a minute or two. I was so very frustrated. Finally, I grabbed him and sent him to time-out while I finished my phone call. Okay, reading it like this, his infraction doesn't sound very bad. But I have a hard time articulating sassiness. The boy was ignoring me (not okay in our house) and just being obnoxious. It got me so mad. So I brushed his teeth, denied him his last small drink of water (I know, I'm so mean, right?), made him swish his flouride and sent him to his room to be put to bed by his Papa. When he got in his room, the hubs took away his book. This sent him to tears. Serious tears. The hubs explained that we do not treat Mama that way and so he would not get his book that night. It was awful hearing him cry and whatnot. I really questioned whether or not it was worth it. But in the end, he was being really rude to me and disrespectful, which the hubs does not tolerate when he's home. (It's harder to enforce not being disrespectful or rude to the parent when you're the only one there. I find it's easier for him to discpline for the kids being rude to me and I discipline when they're rude to him. Don't know why, but it works better.) Anyway, long story short, I think it was totally harder for me in that moment to listen to his totally pathetic crying over losing his book than it was for him to lose his book. I think that's also true because I'll remember it much more potently than he will.

Disciplining your children is not for the faint of heart. You give them an inch and they'll take a mile. And yes, they can smell fear.

Sigh

2011-11-04T19:50:00.001-06:00

I couldn't think of a better post title than that. It was a crazy afternoon. I have a kindergartener. More and more I'm realizing that I am learning more having him in kindergarten than I think he is. Today's lesson learned: Teach your boy how to pee in a urinal before he goes to public school. Let's just say this has led to un-necessary stress in my life on more than one occasion. 'Nuff said.

I was actually working out this afternoon during the girl's naps. For the first time, I was actually bothered by an interruption. (Which generally I welcome to get me out of the sweat-fest) The work-out mojo was gone, and the children were awake before the interrruption was taken care of.

Monkey, who is generally potty-trained decided to have another accident today. It was icing on the cake of undesirable occurences today.

I'm off to sing Monkey's "one more song". Then it's parental relax time with popcorn and a movie. Yay for Friday nights.

Flying Solo

2011-11-03T21:43:00.000-06:00

So I flew solo for most of the day today. After work, the hubs had parent teacher conferences, which meant he didn't get home til 9 this evening. In anticipation of days like this, I generally plan on doing nothing. Although I did end up having a very active afternoon before I had to pick Moose up from school at 1:30. (Can I just say I hate early release days? Throws off everything. Naps, lunch, ugh.) Once the girls were asleep for their naps, my day consisted of finding a cheesy fantasy teeny bop tv show in netflix instant watch and attempting to watch it while tending my kids, making dinner, and putting my kids to bed. My philosophy on days like this is that I want to avoid stress, since I won't have the hubs to step in for me if I get stressed out. Although I realized that if I were a single parent I would either get nothing done or be stressed out daily. I blame my desire for laziness on still recovering from my trip home for Grandma's funeral. I had about 3 nights of really awful sleep. Things have been nice since I've been back, but I haven't had any extra sleep. So I figure I'm still behind, right? I'm really looking forward to the weekend. That's when the hubs offers to take the kids in the morning so I can get extra sleep. Lately I've just been trying to get up when they do so we can get more done. But this weekend, I'm totally sleeping in. I'm tired. Blog done. Bed time.

Still here

2011-11-02T09:13:00.001-06:00

So I've decided to keep on blogging about my crazy kids. Sometimes the things they do are just so fun you have to share. Or so annoying I need to vent. And just about anything inbetween. Here's a child update on my kiddos.

Moose: He's almost 5 1/2. He started kindergarten in September. Kinda crazy! But it's been such a good thing. He's learning and making friends. He had his first play date with a school friend yesterday, at their house. He was so excited. The only downer is now he's going to ask to go just about every day. But fortunately it seemed like his friend was just as excited and spazzy as my kid. So mine isn't the only one. :)

Monkey: She is 2 1/2. A bean pole. She's potty-trained. Although I've learned that's a really loose term. Sure, she's wearing undies. (Can I just say I hate the word panties. Don't know why.) But that doesn't mean she's in control all the time. We still have accidents. A few a week. But in general she does great and her accidents are generally only wet ones, nothing smelly. She can officially operate the blu-ray to stream netflix all by herself. She also navigates the computer on her own too. She has her own favorites folder with her approved games in it.

Munchkin: My baby is no longer a tiny baby. She's 7 months old today. She's cutting her 2nd tooth. She's learning to sit. I just came back from a trip back home for my Grandma's funeral. Now that I'm back she's a bit clingy. And although she's waking up later than she did for the hubs (5 am for him, poor guy), she's still waking up too early and it makes her cranky. Speaking of the little beasty, I hear her making sounds over the monitor. 45 minutes is not an acceptable nap. She had better go back to sleep!

So, look forward to more antics from me and my kiddos. :)

Support...

2011-07-16T09:42:00.001-06:00

So lately Miss Munchkin has been a real back-breaker. She doesn't nap for more than 45 minutes at a time, but only eats every 3-4 hours. This makes for one whacked out schedule during the day. And if we do this for the entire morning, by noon or so she's a mess and is so overtired she won't even eat. So yesterday I went and vented on facebook. Bless my family and friend's hearts for commiserating with me, offering advice, ideas, or just empathizing. Sometimes when we do this, we don't always hear anything new or anything that will help. And sometimes they bring you a fresh perspective and help you see things a different way. Either way, it's just nice. Friends offer support, they tell you that their kids did it too and that it will pass. I woke up this morning feeling just a tiny bit better. I still don't know if Munchkin will sleep longer than 45 minutes without serious intervention. But I know that I'm not the only Mom out there who's dealing or struggling with raising kids.

Like they always say, before you know it they'll be off to college. So I'll enjoy what parts of this stage I can, and just wait for the rest to pass.

Growth Spurt...

2011-06-28T21:31:00.000-06:00

The last few days things with Munchkin have beena bit unusual. She's been a bit grouchy, waking up more often at night, and not eating as usual during the day. After doing some researching this evening and talking with the hubs, we decided she might just be going through a growth spurt. She had one between 6-8 weeks. That's normal. One place I checked said that after that kids generally have one once a month or every 8 weeks. It said that it only lasts for a day or two. We're on day two with this little gal, so I'm hoping that it won't last much longer. Last night I was up with her every 3 hours. It was exhausting. I really hope she goes back to her fabulous nights of only waking once. I hope tonight's the night.

Outside of this fun few days, things have been going alright. The hubs is on summer break, with the occasional work at a side job. It's been a bit of a change having him around. For me, it's been an awesome change. It's been a bit harder for the kids. They're so used to me doing things. Having him step in and do things has been a bit harder. But we're trying to live up the summer as much as we can. We've already had one family reunion. We've got another one next week. We're had some fun camping, and hope to do more. Swim lessons, trips to the library. Who knows? I just hope it stays fun. And that I start getting more sleep at night. ;)

Family Reunion...

2011-06-21T21:03:00.002-06:00

We have just finished a week-long family reunion. (Including driving days, and some family returning with us.) I fear it's going to take twice that long to get our kiddos back to where they were. They've been going to bed at 10 pm all week long with no naps. Fortunately, Monkey knows how to let herself sleep in. The same can't be said for Moose. Tonight is the first night of trying to get them back to normal. They've now been in bed for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Although this process is being made all the more difficult by Monkey's teething, congestion, and diaper issues. (Diaper issues are another blog, completely. Oy.) Munchkin seems to be doing well. Despite being the worst traveler in our family. Let's just say that being rocked to sleep in the car does nothing for her. Which makes an 8 hour day in the car very unpleasant.

But despite all the unpleasantness, we are so glad to be home. The kiddos will figure it out. Things will readjust. And it was so awesome to visit with family. I suppose the memories will be worth the pains of readjusting to normal life. :)

2 months...

2011-06-02T22:01:00.000-06:00

I can hardly believe Munchkin is 2 months old. It goes so fast. She weighed in at 12 lbs. 15 oz. and she's 24 inches long. She's in the 95th percentile for both. Another big baby for us! I love it! She's starting to sleep a bit better. She even napped in her crib a bit today instead of the swing. (The batteries died, so it happened by chance. But she did well, so we'll have to keep this up!) She's still doing well at night, and becoming more alert and interactive during the day. The big kiddos still adore her, so I couldn't be happier! (Well, I'll be happier when I sleep straight through the night, but I'm not complaining or anything.) Overall, she's healthy so I couldn't be happier. :)

Accidents...

2011-05-30T19:40:00.000-06:00

Sunday was a day of accidents for our big kiddos. Thankfully, none of them have any permanent damage. But it was just one of those days.

Moose was taking looking for his church clothes in the dryer. Afterwards, he told me he had an owie on his hand. There's a metal grate inside the tumbler. Apparently he put his hand flat on it. So he now has a waffle-like pattern on his hand. The burn wasn't too bad, thankfully. But he has a few blisters. In the end, I don't know if we could've prevented it. I don't know if I ever paid enough attention to the inside of our dryer, so as to tell him not to touch that metal grate. I'm just glad he's going to be alright.

Monkey had a harder time. We were out at a campsite with some family. They had a small pool with paddle boats for kids. It wasn't very deep. The hubs had walked around to the far end to get the paddle boats and push them back to the dock where you can get in them. My sis-in-law was on the dock with the kids. Monkey was there, waiting to get in a boat with someone else. Apparently she wanted to walk over to where the hubs was and (despite the urgings of the hubs, who was a distance away, but saw it coming and tried to get her to stop) she walked right off the dock. She went, more or less, head first into the water. The hubs and sis-in-law grabbed her immediately and pulled her out. She was soaked from head to toe and pretty shaken up, but overall unharmed. It sure did scare us though. She calmed down pretty quickly and later on told her me, in her own way, about falling into the water.

Sometimes it seems like no matter how careful you are (and we consider ourselves to be pretty cautious parents) accidents can, and will, still happen. I'm just glad my kiddos are fine. Even the smallest scrapes and bruises can make you remember how precious your children are and how fragile too.

On a happier note, I spend most of today running errands on my own! The hubs had work off and so I was able to be out and about if the baby had nursed. I spent the morning running some errands with just Moose. It was very reminiscent of running Saturday errands with my Mom growing up. I got to go to the fabric store and spend some time getting supplies for a project. I also got to go for a run. What a day! Feeling so lucky to have such an amazing (and safe) family!

Pacifier...

2011-05-26T21:17:00.000-06:00

Monkey is officially weaning off her pacifier. Yesterday was the first day where I told her she was a big girl who didn't need a pacifier anymore. We were going to go to the store to get her another "baby" for bedtime. But she wouldn't finish her lunch, so we didn't end up getting one. But I told her she was still a big girl and wouldn't get a paci for naptime. It took her a while to go to sleep, but she did. She had a harder time with bedtime. The hubs had the brilliant idea to give her a choice. He put the paci in one hand and a caramel hershey's kiss in the other. It was so hard not to laugh as she studied out her two choices. It was a serious deal for her. Too cute! She finally chose the chocolate and went to bed without her pacifier. However, at about 10:45 she woke up crying and we gave it to her. Today has gone well though. She fell asleep much faster at naptime. She also went down at bedtime without any issues. We'll see if she wakes up needing it or not. Either way, I think it's awesome progress. Yay! So glad Monkey's doing so well and becoming such a big girl! :)

Alone Time...

2011-05-24T21:56:00.000-06:00

This morning started out a little rough for me, since Munchkin has decided she still doesn't know how to nap during the day. (Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful her nights are still great. But still...) Fortunately, things started to level out, but I still wanted some time tonight. I already had plans to attend a bridal shower this evening (which was so wonderful!) but I was planning on taking Munchkin with me. By the time the hubs came home from work after 5, I had dinner cooked (nothing fancy. 4 small pot pies from the freezer.) and I was dressed in my running clothes. As soon as dinner was done, I went on a short run (which felt SO good!) came home, pumped some milk (the hubs really wanted me to be able to go to the shower alone. So I did!) and left for the bridal shower. It was so awesome to have so much time to myself. I desperately needed it. I'm so grateful for a hubs who's thinking about my well being. Alone time is so rejuvenating. (And by alone time, in this context, I mean time without kids!)

Phases...

2011-05-21T20:46:00.000-06:00

With little ones, they grow so fast and change so quickly, it's hard to keep up. Once you think you have things figured out they change. This doesn't really get much better as they grow up, but with they're small, the phases tend to be shorter. Munchkin just had a growth spurt. I think, anyway. They say newborns have a growth spurt between 6 and 8 weeks. She's 7 weeks today. This whole week her sleeping and eating habits have been pretty different. She hasn't been sleeping well during the day. (Thankfully her nights have stayed good.) She was also nursing a bit more frequently. But I was prepared for that and tried to nurse her more often to help increase my milk supply. But as of yesterday and today, it feels like she's going back to normal. Today she had 2 amazing naps at home where she slept solidly for 2 hours. She probably would have for her other naps too, but we were going to and fro a little bit. It seems like she's a different baby just a bit. I'm so glad! I hope this sticks and she doesn't go back to the way it was this week. As I'm so excited for her to be out of her growth spurt and sleeping more soundly, being a bit easier to handle, I have to anticipate that soon enough she'll hit another developmental something that will disrupt her days or, forbid, her nights. Nonetheless, I'll enjoy her in this calm place while I can. With children, the only certainty is change. So you just have to enjoy the good stretches while they last. :)

Transitions...

2011-05-20T20:56:00.001-06:00

It seems like the transition from 2 kids to 3 has gone pretty smoothly. Sleep isn't too hard to come by, thankfully. Munchkin is pretty great at nights. She had a rough week, but it seems like it might've been a growth spurt, which I was anticipating at this point. It seems like she might be coming out of it, and her naps are getting better and she's still doing great at night. Monkey hasn't woken up at night for a while, thank goodness. That was hard. Moose has been my biggest problem lately. He's been whiney, and it seems like nothing is ever enough for him. He always wants more computer time, more time to play, more, more, etc. But as me and the hubs have been talking about it, we've realized he's gone through so much. Although he handles change like a real champ, it's still a big change. Just today I was doing some things with him and was interrupted multiple times by a fussing baby who was supposed to be napping. He handled it well, but I could tell he was frustrated and felt pushed aside. After really taking notice, I realized that his behavioral issues could very well be his way of dealing with everything that's going on. So I've made a mental decision to give him a bit more slack. I'm not going to let him get away with things, mind you. It's beyond me to do that. But I think I'm going to ease up on my knee-jerk disciplinary reactions to him. (I'm totally guilty of knee-jerk reactions. Just ask the hubs.) Hopefully my recognition of this will help me to be a bit easier on him, which might hopefully ease up his intense whininess/spoiled brat attitude. Here's hoping. :)

Mommy Back...

2011-05-16T21:31:00.000-06:00

I went to the chiropractor for the first time today. It wasn't until I was there that I finally realized why I was having the pain I was. It wasn't really bad. Just a discomfort every now and then if I bent the wrong way. I had a small pain at the base of my neck and my lower/middle back. But after the chiropractor said I had "mommy back" it got me thinking about it. That's when I realized exactly where I got the pains from. Just picture it in your mind. Constantly looking down at my beautiful baby, whether in nursing or putting her to sleep. And bending down to put her down or pick her up from the swing. (She's been sleeping there ever since she got congested. We're working on transitioning her to the crib.) So I quite literally had "mommy back". Hazard of the job I guess. :)

Oh Monkey...

2011-05-13T19:41:00.000-06:00

It seems like she is ready to lose her pacifier and be potty-trained at the same time. Although I have to admit that I want to lose the paci first, because I can't imagine my potty-trained kid still having a pacifier. Granted, it's only supposed to be for bed. (She occasionally will wander around with it after waking up.) I think it'll work out that way anyhow, only because I can't tackle potty-training while the hubs is still working. But losing the paci is something I think I can do. Lately she's been sleeping without the paci in her mouth non-stop. So I know she doesn't need it to sleep. It's just a comfort for falling asleep. She also likes to remove her own diapers, and even try to wipe herself. She can take her own pants on or off. I think that's one of the big signs they're ready for potty-training.

Today when she had a poopy diaper, she brought me some of Moose's undies. We have some potty-training girly ones (very thick) plus some plastic undie covers, so I showed her the girly undies and we put them on. After we changed her, I put her potty-seat on the toilet so she could sit on it whenever she needed to without my help. She sat on it right away, caught up in the excitement of it all. She didn't do anything. However, within five minutes or so, she peed. She let me know by bringing me another pair of undies and telling me she was wet, and they were dry. So I changed her, talked to her about using the potty and let her wear another pair. Fortunately, her bladder was pretty empty that time since she had just had a diaper change. A while later, she had another accident with a bit more in her bladder, so I had to do some spot cleaning on the carpet. After that one, we put the diaper back on.

I'm sure we'll get there eventually. I'm pretty sure that it will be over the summer while the hubs is home (maybe) and we can put more attention into it. Otherwise it'll just have to wait until the Munchkin doesn't suck up as much of my time and attention so I can devote more to making sure she's not peeing on my carpet. :)

On The Road Again...

2011-05-11T21:16:00.000-06:00

I went running shoe shopping tonight. I haven't bought them yet. But hopefully tomorrow. It's been insanely warm and sunny the last two days. It makes me so excited! I can't wait to go running! I have my doctor's appointment tomorrow morning which will give me the official "ok" to exercise. Can't wait! I hope the weather keeps up. Yay for being back on the trail again! :D

Getting By...

2011-05-09T19:48:00.000-06:00

We survived the hub's second week back at work. Although this week I was extremely ready for the weekend. I couldn't wait to sleep in.

I think I'm getting a cold. It completely knocked me out today. My energy levels were running low all day long. The hubs, bless his heart, came home asap for me to help out.

Moose was super sweet to me all day, understanding that I was having a really hard day. But when it came time for the hubs to get him ready for bed he was a real snot. He's currently got his face in a corner. He's been there for over 5 minutes. Makes me sad. I understand so much better the sentiment "This'll hurt me more than it hurts you" since I've become a parent.

Monkey is still screaming whenever she's displeased. We're working on it. It's going to be a long battle, I think.

Munchkin is doing well at nights. Last night she had a dream feed at 10:30, a full feed at 2:15, and a half feed at 4:30. We got up at 7:30.

I'm getting my 6 week check-up Thursday. The hubs is getting me some new running shoes for Mother's Day. He wants to take me to pick them out, so I didn't have them for Mother's Day. I'm really excited. I also want to play volleyball again. I haven't played in a year. I quit going to my Thursday night group last April when I started running every night.

The hub's last day of school is officially on our calendar. It's in about 5 weeks. I'm so excited!

Moose is still in the corner. He's lost computer and tv privileges tomorrow. It's going to be a long day.

Healthy Girl...

2011-05-05T21:15:00.002-06:00

Monkey had her 2 year old check up today. Our big girl is 28 lbs. and 35 3/4 in. tall. She's a healthy girl. :)

Will I Never Learn...

2011-05-03T20:23:00.000-06:00

At a 2 am diaper change last night, I made a crucial mistake. I did not have a diaper under Munchkin. I had removed the dirty diaper and was giving her one last wipe, but didn't put the clean one down. Of course, she proceeded to poop. A lot. It got all over her swaddle. Then as I was trying frantically to figure out what to do with that mess, she peed. A lot. Goodness gracious. I woke up the hubs for help. The other swaddle was in the dryer. Amazingly, her jammies didn't get soiled in any way. That was seriously a miracle. But we had to clean her up, get a clean swaddle, and clean up the mess. We sent a small bundle into the washer immediately. I'm on my third kid. You'd think I had learned this lesson already. Sadly, I'm sure I did already learn this lesson. Probably with each kid. I don't know why I can't remember it. Maybe pregnancy wipes my memories. I know it does wacky things to my brain.

At least I'm done learning that one again.

Week 1...

2011-05-01T18:50:00.000-06:00

So we survived our first week of the hubs being back at work. I would say that it was a really good week, considering. He didn't get nearly as much time to do lesson planning as he normally would, but he's surviving. We actually had quite a few activities that took up his time at night too, which was unusual. So I actually had a few days where I did dinner solo, and one night when I put the kids to bed alone. But we survived!

Munchkin is doing well. She's still slighlty congested and her darn diaper rash is still lingering. Though it does look better. She's also still gassy on occasion. But I'm hoping that by the time she's 6-8 weeks more of her digestive issues will pass. *pun* As long as nothing strange happens, she goes for 3-4 hour stretches at night. At least her first stretch. And when she nurses the second time, sometimes we can tell she's not waking out of hunger, but something else, because she doesn't act hungry. Or she falls asleep right away and I can't get her to take a full feed no matter what. (Diaper changes included.) But in general she's doing well.

Moose and Monkey continue to be themselves. Monkey's biggest issue right now is screaming to express herself. We're working on that. We've got her "being positive" and saying "yes mama. yes papa" more often. She no longer runs into our bedroom whenever the baby cries. I cured that by offering her a piece of candy whenever she stayed out. I've also been able to pick up Moose from his preschool group without taking both girls into the house by giving her candy. (This is a friend's driveway, not a parking lot situation.) It's so much easier. Whenever I took her into the house to get him, she'd start playing with the other kids and it'd take ages to get them back to the car. I'm totally not above bribery. Especially when it works. Anyway, I prefer to call it a "rewards system".

:)

Survival...

2011-04-25T19:13:00.000-06:00

Not only did we survive today, we did pretty great. Thanks to a wonderful night's sleep last night. (2 good chunks from Munchkin. 3 1/2 hours and then 4.) The older 2 didn't nap, which I could've avoided if I had been more careful. But it worked out since we had some good friends stopping by on their way to visit family and had they napped, they might've missed some of the visit.

Thanks to all who have been sending me encouraging thoughts. I've been reciting them to myself constantly today, and it helped a ton!

My favorite moment today was when I was coming out of my room after having put Munchkin to sleep. I heard the older 2 fighting. I walked into the living room and stopped all fights with a quick, "Hey!" But I didn't want things to escalate or turn into a crying match. So I sat on the couch and had both kiddos come sit with me for some cuddle time. We talked nicely (in nice tones) about what happened and both kids apologized. Then they went back to their activities. It was awesome. It was one of those moments that made me feel like a really good parent for handling a situation the way I did.

Tomorrow will be my first day with all 3 in the car. Just to drive Moose to preschool and pick him up. Nonetheless. Wish us luck. :)

Vacation Over...

2011-04-24T19:40:00.000-06:00

It's officially over. The hubs goes back to work tomorrow. Send me happy thoughts tomorrow. Better yet, send Monkey "don't wake up at 5:30" thoughts. :)

Test Run: FAIL...

2011-04-22T19:17:00.000-06:00

Today we were going to have a test run of what it will be like when the hubs goes back to work. Let's just say it didn't go well. Munchkin has had some congestion lately and it disturbs her nighttime sleeping. I fed her (a "dream feed", she was asleep the whole time) at 10 and then we went to bed. She nursed at 12:15, 1:45, 2:15, 4:15 and 6:30. Some of those earlier times only included nursing on one side, which is probably why she was up again so soon afterwards. But either way, she was congested and we could tell it bothered her a bit. She slept a small bit with the hubs too. Oh, then the kiddos came into our room at 5:55. Yeah. Moose went back to bed, but Monkey is still just too young to grasp that idea. So she laid in bed with us for 30 minutes.

So what was supposed to happen was this. The hubs was going to get up early and leave the house between 6 and 6:30. Then I was going to try the morning out on my own. I ended up "sleeping in" with Munchkin til 8-ish and then the hubs napped from like 10-12 or so. (He still has a small cold too.) Looking past what an undesirable night it was, the day went well.

Munchkin's sad bum rash is almost healed. Hooray!

The hubs goes back to work on Monday. Boo!

I'm sure we'll manage. I wish Monkey would sleep in til at least 6:30, if not 6:45. That would be awesome. But I know I can handle all 3 on my own. I just know I would be freaked out to try and go anywhere with them on my own. But I'll have to end up trying if I want to take Moose to preschool on Tuesday. It'll be such a short drive to and from though, I'm sure we'll all survive.

Tomorrow's Saturday. Easter egg hunt with Grandma and one more relaxing day with the hubs and kiddos before life returns to "work-mode".

Emotions...

2011-04-21T19:18:00.000-06:00

This evening, Moose and Monkey were watching movies. Moose was watching the second half of Ice Age 2 on the computer. He watched the first half yesterday. I tried cajoling Monkey into watching the first Ice Age. (She's so not into traditional movies.) She was only occasionally interested in it because of the baby, which is why I picked it. Moose's finished first, since he was only watching a portion. So he came and sat with us to watch the end of Ice Age. Right at the end, he started to get sad and teary eyed. I asked him why he was sad and he started to cry. (Fortunately the hubs was on the ball and had sat down with him for some comforting.) He said that Diego was still dead and that made him really sad. I told him it would be okay because Diego wasn't dead. It still didn't make him feel better until he saw Diego on the screen. What a sweet, sensitive boy! He's seen that movie a dozen times, although it has been a while. I almost find it funnier that he didn't grasp the concept that Diego was in the second movie (which he had just watched) so he must be okay in the first one. Guess that logic's a bit too advanced.

P.S. I hate baby congestion, hiccups and gas.

The Big 365!

2011-04-18T19:52:00.000-06:00

I've officially made it through a year's worth of blogging! Yay for me! Although it ultimately took me longer than a year, I'm still proud of myself. It really is hard to believe I've been writing this blog so long. But for those of you who get a kick out of my parental rants and stories, fear not. I'm not going to stop writing. I may not write every night, but I do think I'm going to continue sharing my stories of Moose, Monkey, and Munchkin.

Today Munchkin had her 2 week appointment. She weighed 9 lbs. 2 oz. and was somewhere between 22-22 1/4 in. long. (I find most of their measurements for infants very unreliable, no matter what method they use.) She's wonderful and healthy and just amazing. :) We did get a better diaper rash remedy. The poor thing has had a diaper rash for a while (She's only 2 weeks old. I can't believe she already got a diaper rash. We change her like every 2-3 hours!) and it was getting pretty nasty the last 2 days. So now we're putting neosporin and triple paste on her. We're hoping it will work quickly (like the doc said it would) and get our cutie's patootie feeling better soon.

We got the kiddos down somewhat earlier today (since Monkey wakes the house up at 6:30 no matter what time they go to bed) in the hopes that they'll fall asleep earlier and give us more "us" time. (Even if "us" includes Munchkin.) We'll see if it works!

Happy Birthday Monkey!

2011-04-17T21:03:00.000-06:00

Today is Monkey's 2nd birthday. It's hard to believe it's gone so fast. We had a little party this evening with the in-laws. Dinner, cake, ice cream and presents. She has her very first tricycle and helmet. (Even a bell) She's very excited about it. Moose got her a present too. A battery powered bubble gun. That one is a big hit! She also ended up with fridge magnets that are letters and you put them on the base and it'll tell you what letter it is, and sing the alphabet song. Also a hit. I think it was just right for a little 2 year old. We wanted to do something outdoors yesterday, a little park playdate. She loves parks. But, needless to say, the weather was awful. Apparently Spring doesn't want to exist here. So it's just not happening. I'm beyond frustrated with it at the moment. But I appease myself by saying that perhaps it'll be nice in 4 weeks when I'm allowed to exercise. Perhaps.

Well, I'm gonna go help the hubs clean up from the party. Oh, and I'm starting Munchkin on a new daily routine. It includes doing "cluster feeds" in the evening (doing her last few feedings at night closer together) in the hopes that she'll have a longer stretch at night. We'll see!

Happy Birthday Monkey! We love you! (Despite my last post about how absolutely frustrating you are.)
:)

Grrr...

2011-04-16T21:36:00.000-06:00

Tonight was frustrating. Monkey is totally wearing me out. "No" to everything, and no longer letting us shut the door at bedtime. Me and the hubs had a long talk and we're going to do our best to stay focused on what's important and not let the little things drag us down. With so many changes going on, it's hard to find solid ground. and with Monkey being 2 and changing so much, that only adds to the chaos. But we'll manage. The hubs has a cold (boo!) so we're headed to bed early in the hopes that he can get better asap. Tomorrow will be semi-relaxing since the hubs will be taking the kiddos to church and me and Munchkin will be at home for a few quiet hours alone. Hopefully that will be enough for me to feel rejuvenated.

I would've posted something about yesterday but it would take too much mental energy right now to remember any of it. I do remember we (finally) gave Munchkin her first bath at home. Took long enough, I know. Now her hair smells like Aveeno. Delicious.

Pooped On and Other Parenting Lessons...

2011-04-14T20:35:00.000-06:00

Yup. This morning I was pooped on. I can't say for certain it was the first time. I don't doubt it's happened before. It's not something you remember unless it was extremely memorable. (The hubs has one of those stories. In the end he was in the shower half-dressed, at 4 am, to rinse off what Moose did to him.) But as I was changing Munchkin on the couch, I totally got pooped on. The things about newborns and their pooping is, it almost always comes out in bursts of gas. So not only is she pooping, but it's coming out with big toots, which will literally propel the stuff around. So it got on the couch, my lap, down my leg, and on the floor. Thankfully I was able to spot clean the couch's slipcover instead of having to wash it. Again. (She peed on it sometime last week.) Oh, and after the pooping, she went on to pee. Fortunately, by that time I had so many wipes thrown all over, it didn't get on anything crucial.

The highlight of my day today was when all 3 kids and the hubs were napping. And took really long naps at that. I sat on the couch with a sleeping Munchkin next to me and read my book. (I started it right after she was born and have been reading it while she nurses.

So the other parenting lesson I've been learning is that it's just better to do it right the first time. When Munchkin woke up last night at 11:30, it was earlier than I thought it would be and I wasn't thrilled. So I nursed her on one side. She was totally asleep, as usual, but I didn't want to change her diaper to wake her for more nursing. So I just put her back to bed. But when she only nurses on one side, she won't sleep as long, so she was up within 2 hours. So I nursed her on the other side. But again, didn't want to go through the hassle of a diaper change to rouse her enough to nurse more. So I perpetuated a bad thing. I ended up being up around 4 times before I got a solid feed in her. We ended up having to change her at 4:30 because she had leaked out of her diaper, which gave me the chance to nurse her on both sides. She then proceeded to sleep til 7:45. Then I fed her again, gave her to the hubs and I slept til 10:45.

Monkey is turning 2 on Sunday. And yes, her "terrible twos" have begun. Like saying "no" to everything, multiple times. We're going to try helping her say "yes mama/papa". Half the time she's saying "no", but she doesn't even mean it. The hubs said to me tonight that sometimes it feels like we're dealing with a force of nature. I couldn't agree more. She's very different from Moose. He's a rational kid. I was able to talk to him out of fits and reason with him. Not Monkey. We're just going to have to find other methods that suit her better. I'm sure we will. With time.

So Monday will be my 365th post, if I don't miss any days before then. I've had a few friends tell me how much they enjoy my parenting blogs. I think I will possibly keep them up. But perhaps in a less regular fashion. I still really want a new project to sink my bones into. Parenting is a day to day thing no matter what, but I'm looking for something to do that's for me. We'll see if the new blog is ready to debut soon. Should be interesting. :)

Ultimatums...

2011-04-13T20:17:00.000-06:00

The last two days, Monkey has been having some serious issues going down to sleep. Nap or bedtime. It's been so annoying! She just starts freaking out when it comes time to close the door. Last night, after the hubs came home and calmed her down, she ended up falling asleep with the door open. So fast forward to tonight. I'm singing them songs (the hubs is taking care of Munchkin.) and start closing the door. She starts doing her freak-out thing. At this point, I had had it. So I go and tell her that if she insists on screaming and crying, I am going to take her paci away. We let her keep it this long because it keeps her happy. If she's not going to be happy with it, it's going in the trash. We recently got a book from the library called "Pacifiers are not forever" and it talks about putting them in the trash. (To which she'd always say "no".) So Monkey understood exactly what I was talking about. After a short discussion, I was able to close the door without the screaming and other antics. Yay for that! I'm so glad she's getting old enough to understand certain things. I'll be glad when things around here calm down (as far as transitions with Munchkin are concerned), hopefully her molars will make their debut soon, and the paci can be gone permanently. Soon.

I'm getting my new blog project ready. I know I'm going to be working on health and nutrition (getting back in shape since Munchkin was born), so that will most definitely be a part of what I blog about. But that's more a lifestyle change than anything else. I'm making a list of potential projects I want to work on, and am going to be putting it to a vote. I want to know what projects people would be interested in reading about. I don't know which one I want to do, so I'm opening the decision making to what few readers I have. :) I'm almost to my 365th blog entry, so prepare yourselves to help me start my next writing endeavor!

Good, Until...

2011-04-12T20:04:00.000-06:00

For the most part, today was a great day. Munchkin has been taking great naps in her bassinet. So I was able to do odds and ends around the house all morning and afternoon, leaving me feeling very productive. It was great. I also went for a walk (and ran into my mother-in-law walking too!) and that felt good. The hubs went to a school board meeting this evening, so I was hesitant how things would go. I think that was my first time alone with all 3. (While they were awake anyway.) Everything went really smoothly until it was time to close the door to the kid's room. For some reason, Monkey threw an absolute fit. She's currently screaming at high volumes at the hubs who just walked in. (Fortunately, she's also calming down for him. Versus requesting me.) If it wasn't one thing it was another. I actually had her quiet for around 10 minutes, but then it started all over again. Not horrible for my first time alone with all 3. Perhaps next time won't involve any prolonged periods of screaming. :) Oh, and I'm pretty sure Moose fell asleep with her screaming inside their room, door closed. He didn't get a nap today (thanks to Monkey) so I guess he was pretty darn tired. He's like me. I slept through earthquakes when I was a kid. He sleeps through screaming fits from his sister. :)

I'm prepping my next blog project. For the moment it looks like it might be a conglomeration project, containing whatever goals, projects, etc. I might be working on. I haven't had a ton of feedback (but from my mom, who of course wants to hear about the kids) about what anyone would be interested in reading about, so anyone who chooses to read will just be stuck with what I put out. We'll see. I'm sure it'll change as time goes on. But it's fun thinking about something new.

Finding Balance...

2011-04-11T20:22:00.000-06:00

Last night was a semi-rough night for me, which probably started my day off on a different foot. I was lost in my mind a bit throughout most of the day. I'm starting to feel more able to do things, to help out. But I'm trying to find the balance. I know I can't do everything. Especially after a night like last night. (I still slept in as long as possible, which was 8:30. With her wake-ups and nursing all along the way, of course.) I just know that I don't want to push myself too fast. It's hardly been over a week. Although my mind feels ready, and I know my body is healing really quickly, I would hate to over-do it and end up stressed out or exhausted or crabby or anything else in that ball park. The hubs has been pulling so much weight around the house, I have a hard time not feeling like I should do more. (He never asks me to, or pressures me. He's been absolutely fabulous.) This is the first time he's taken work off when we've had a baby, so I'm sure it's just a bit of an adjustment having him around this much and pitching in so much. But I've still got a little less than 2 weeks to continue adjusting, finding that balance. Physically, mentally, and emotionally. Munchkin is, for the most part, a really easy baby. That has helped a ton too. She's not super demanding. She has really great awake periods where we can put her in a baby chair, or lay her somewhere and she'll just chill out. She doesn't always have to be held when she's asleep either. I'm starting to plop her in my sling more often for awake or sleep times when she wants to be held. That will be a way for me to keep taking care of her but be available to help out. I know I'll get there. The kiddos are still doing pretty good. They adore their baby sister and that's enough for me.

As me and the hubs were studying the New Testament tonight, and said a prayer together, I remembered a scripture which has brought me so much peace through different times in my life. If I think of this more often, I think it'll help me find the balance I'm looking for. It's in 2 Timothy 1:7:

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

On a lighter note, tonight as the hubs was reading a book to Moose (The Magic Tree House #8) he wasn't sure if Moose was listening or not. In the book, there was a loud "crack" sound. When he read that part, he slammed the book shut. Instead of responding with, "Why'd you close the book Papa?", which is what the hubs thought he would say, Moose started crying. He had been completely scared. It was so sad. Fortunately, he calmed down quickly. But the hubs learned his lesson! Never assume that Moose isn't listening. (Although I'm sure he would've been startled and cried even if he wasn't listening!)

Who Needs Pajamas...

2011-04-10T19:09:00.000-06:00

This has happened a few nights now, but I kept forgetting to mention anything. Every night, we try to check on the kiddos before we go to bed. Just to make sure no one's fallen out of bed, the temperature is comfy, that sort of thing. So far Moose has been the one to surprise us, with bloody noses and that sort of thing. But the last 3 nights, Monkey has had her own surprises. When I've gone in to check on the kids, I've found her with her pajamas unzipped (she's wearing big one piecers with a zipper down the front.) and any combination of her limbs sticking out. Last night was the most undressing she'd done, with her jammies unzipped and both legs hanging out. How she managed to do that with her arms still in, I don't know. It's pretty hard to do. I also managed to put both of her legs back in and zip her back up without her waking up. Who knows what we'll find when we check on her tonight. :)

Munchkin is doing fine. Another great night for her. Despite Monkey's waking up at 6 am this morning. I went on my first walk this afternoon. If it hadn't been insanely windy, it would've been pretty nice. But since it was crazy windy, I didn't stay out and walk as long as I had planned. Ultimately, it was good the weather turned me around early because my body did get a bit tired. I was only walking, but as I told the hubs, my "birthing parts" got a tad tired. But hopefully I'll be able to do this more regularly (especially with the hubs on vacation) and get my parts feeling a bit stronger.

One Week...

2011-04-09T19:53:00.000-06:00

Munchkin is officially one week old. It's amazing how much has happened in that one week. We're already feeling more settled back into our normal routines. Monkey seems to be doing much better. She hasn't had night terrors since before Munchkin was born, thank goodness. Moose is doing better too, now that the hubs has picked up the slack with his daily activities since I'm not able to be as much of an active participant. We're taking things one step at a time, keeping on top of what's most important. Which for us is keeping the kids feeling safe and loved, and eating decent meals.

I'm amazed at how much faster my body is rebounding with this pregnancy. It seems to be happening much faster than it did last time. The only thing I can think of to account for that is that I was in much better shape when I got pregnant, and presumably did a pretty decent job of maintaining that during the pregnancy. Granted, I wasn't working out during the pregnancy, but didn't let myself "let go" either. I'm very excited for my 6 weeks to be up so I can begin a more vigorous exercise routine. For now I'm going to try and steal time to go walking during the day. I would've started today, but the hubs needed some time to go in to work and plan his lesson plans for his classes next week. (To give to the sub. He's still on "vacation".)

So nothing startling to reveal. I've still managed to get a lot of reading done. Mostly because I spend a lot of time sitting and nursing the Munchkin. It's kinda nice. Well, I'm off to enjoy an evening with the hubs. :)

Day One...

2011-04-08T20:53:00.000-06:00

Today was our first day of handling the kiddos on our own. It went surprisingly well. The hubs got up with the kiddos and me and Munchkin slept in a little longer. Her night went alright. She's still not feeling the sleep-in-a-bassinet vibe. But she'll get there. The hubs and I talked about what the kiddos daily routines are like so we can try and have things feel as normal as possible. That seemed to help Moose a ton. Monkey is still a bit out of sorts. She's snacking more (our fault) and not eating lunch. But we nipped snacks in the bud after her non-lunch and consequently she ate dinner like a champ. (She still ate her cold lunch after she woke up from her nap, but still kept begging for snacks. We didn't cave and she ended up eating a great dinner of white chicken chili and cornbread, courtesy of the hubs.)

It's hard to believe that one week of the hub's vacation is about gone. 2 more to go. As long as things continue (on average, anyway) to move as smoothly and progress the way they have been I think I'll be able to handle things alright by the time he goes back to work. Munchkin isn't taking as long to nurse as she had been. It's still uncomfortable, but getting significantly better. I'll just be glad when my milk supply regulates and I don't have to deal with the sensation of my milk letting down randomly throughout the day. The kiddos are still handling Munchkin's presence really well. Monkey's been a tad bit clingy with the hubs. I heard her say a few times today, "Carry me." to the hubs. I've never heard her say that before. (Our kiddos tend to be such a good size, we quite carrying them as soon as they can walk.) But all in all, I'd say our one week transition from 2 kiddos to 3 has been pretty amazing. I know we'll still have rough days, but in general I hope that we continue an upward track to re-establishing our family structure with our new little one.

I've almost reached my year mark for this blog. Because I missed days, I'm going to blog a complete 365 entries, even though I've technically reached my year mark already. (A while ago, I think. Hard to believe.) About 9 more or so. I'm considering starting something else, but on a different topic. My ideas vary a lot and I don't have any set topic yet. Any suggestions on something you'd enjoy reading about?

Best Diet Ever...

2011-04-07T21:54:00.000-06:00

I had a one week check-up today with my doctor. I was most excited about stepping on the scale to see what kind of damage I had done delivering the baby and whatnot. The exciting number was 15. I lost half the weight I gained during my pregnancy. No complaints there! I'm sure the second half won't fall off nearly as quickly as the first did, but I'm prepared to work harder for it. I can't do any major exercising yet, but I'm going to start walking regularly (hopefully) and keeping an eye on my food intake. Near the end of the pregnancy, I wasn't too fond of some vegetables and when I'm pregnant I never feel the need to force myself to eat anything. But now that I'm not, veggies are back on the menu.

My mom flew out today. We were all super sad to see her go. It was such a great time having her around, and it was amazing how quickly the time went. Fortunately, we can look forward to June when my side of the family has a reunion and we'll see her again for a short while.

So now me and the hubs are on our own. We're trying to prep ourselves to handle everything, but are prepared to be flexible. We want to try and plan ahead as much as we can, where it will make a difference. Like meal planning and whatnot. We're going to try and keep the kiddo's days as normal as possible, even though the hubs is home and not working. That way, when he does go back to work, hopefully the transition won't be as difficult. But in the end, you can only prepare so much. You just have to jump in and see what happens. We'll go with the flow as best we can. Munchkin is doing really well. Now that my milk is in, she's eating well and it seems like she is sleeping deeper too. There's nothing better than a milk-drunk baby. :) I'm hoping her nights stay as reasonable as they have been, and that way we won't be too tired, and I'll only require a small nap, or extra chunk of sleep after the hubs gets up.

Stage 2 is about to begin. Me and the hubs vs. 3 kiddos. Wish us luck!

Things You Hear...

2011-04-06T20:48:00.000-06:00

There are many a new phrase being heard in our house. Here are the most repeated:

Everytime the baby cries Monkey says, "Baby sad!" or "Help baby!"

Whenever Monkey comes home or wakes up she says, "Hello baby!"

Moose said he "just can't believe his eyes." (Regarding Munchkin being here.) He said it first at the hospital, then again tonight at dinner.

For a day or so there was rejoicing sounds everytime Munchkin made pooping sounds.

We've realized that Monkey has no volume control and does not know how to whisper on demand.

"Mama can't. She's feeding the baby." is becoming a popular one.

I'm sure we'll have other ones that get more popular too. It's just fun to hear the change in vocab around the house. Munchkin had a pretty good night last night, only waking up to eat twice and having a much anticipated poopy diaper. It was also nice because her night started at 11, so it felt close to normal. I think my skin is toughening a bit and the breastfeeding isn't hurting quite as bad. Sometimes I still have to let out a very unattractive grunting/mumbling sound just because. But I don't want the kids to think it hurts or they might be weirded out by the breastfeeding, or not like that it hurts me. Monkey has warmed up to Munchkin significantly and loves to "see baby" and now gives her kisses and asks to hold her. (We asked her to kiss her at the hospital and that wasn't going to happen.)

My mom leaves tomorrow evening. :( We are really going to miss having her around. But she has another delivery to prep for back home. (My sis is having hers April 21st or so.) Monkey has really gotten attached to her, so I think she'll be sad when she leaves. Moose will be sad for sure. But we're going to be having a family reunion in June, so we'll see her again soon enough.

At least I still have the hubs for 2 more weeks after my mom leaves. I'm certainly not ready to fly solo around the house just yet.

No Pain No Gain...

2011-04-05T19:25:00.000-06:00

My milk came in today, and I might be more sensitive than others, I don't know, but I am hurting pretty bad. I remember this phase after I had Monkey too, but oh man that doesn't make it feel any better. I don't recall how long it took before it started feeling better, but I know it took time. I'm just really hoping to get established and for my skin to grow an extra (tougher) layer. But with every time I feed her, I know we're getting closer and gaining something. So I persist. I tell myself it won't last forever, which it won't. I just hope that it resolves sooner rather than later.

So I thought I'd put an abbreviated version of Munchkin's birth story on here. Again, with the pain came the gain. If you've been reading, you know most of it since I posted that night. Anyhow, after I posted and the kiddos were in bed, the contractions continued to get stronger, and I was doing controlled breathing during each one, letting the hubs or my mom rub my back kneeling on the floor leaning on something. Around 9:20 I decided we needed to gear up to go and if they sent me home, so be it. It was 10 before we left and my contractions were 4-5 minutes apart and pretty intense. I was so freaked out that I was going to have contractions in the car and knew it would hurt being in that sitting position. But as fortune would have it, I didn't have a single one. I had one right before I got in, and right as the hubs parked the car another one started. I was able to get out and endure it standing. At the end of that contraction, my water broke. Just a trickle, but nonetheless. We got in and a nurse checked me. She said I was dilated to 8. I was so excited!! Never thought I'd hear that! I asked for my intrathecal and they moved me into a delivery room asap. (None were available when we first walked in.) So they got me set up asap and I got my intrathecal. After that, my doc came in and checked me. She decided I was more of a 6-7. That was a slight bummer, but I honestly didn't care since I was medicated. My mom and mother-in-law came and we hung out for a while. After about an hour and a half my back pain started to come back. Just not as strong. (This would be about 12:30 am.) They checked me and I was about a 9. So I rolled over and kept breathing through the contractions with the hubs rubbing my back. They came in at 1:00 and I was ready to start pushing. I pushed once and her head slid all the way down. (It was such a weird feeling.) Then I waited and relaxed until the next contraction. Once it hit, I started pushing and it was the most intense and painful experience I've ever had. We're pretty sure my intrathecal wore off, so I was doing it natural at this point. (At least mostly worn off. No way to know for sure.) I was not prepared for that sensation, since my intrathecal with Monkey was completely in effect when I was pushing for her delivery. There was no way I was going to stop pushing. The doctor told me to do whatever was natural, and stopping was not natural. So I basically kept pushing non-stop until she came out. I also ended up screaming (which I had not done during labor before), getting a pretty nice dry, scratchy throat. Munchkin was born at 1:08. So from the first push, long pause, to the second long push was only 8 minutes. Her head was pretty darn round since she came out so fast. I remember when she came out completely having this immense feeling of relief, literally feeling a weight being lifted from me. (Which I suppose happened, quite literally.) The doctor asked me if I wanted to push to get the placenta and whatnot out faster, and I couldn't even do it. I was so spent. It was such a crazy and unexpectedly painful experience, but it was still remarkable and I'm happy with how it turned out. She wasn't born on April Fool's day and I didn't have to have a c-section.

Munchkin is doing awesome. The kiddos adore her. Everytime Monkey sees her, she says, "Hello baby!" as though she's surprised she's here each time. It's so cute. I'm hoping she sleeps better tonight now that my milk is in. She's certainly been napping well and falling asleep really easily and peacefully all afternoon. So glad Munchkin joined our family. It's only been a few days, but what a joy she is!

Poop Nazi...

2011-04-04T21:00:00.000-06:00

The hubs called me that this evening. (Jokingly.) It was so funny I had to use it as my post title tonight. Otherwise, it would've been something about time marching on. Our lives have not slowed down one bit since we had Munchkin. If anything, they're speeding up a bit. But we've been trying our best to give the kiddos a lot of love, attention and patience to help them deal with all of the many transitions they're dealing with. But they've still been pretty needy and whiny at times. Not all the time, but they have their moments. Tonight was filled with a few of those. Some of it is just bad timing. The terrible twos wait for no man. So we're dealing with Monkey's "No!" issue, as well as a few other things. Moose is being a bit whiny, but we're jumping back into preschool group tomorrow, and hoping that will bring some familiarity and normality back into his daily schedules.

Munchkin is having some issues with poop. She's not handled her business since Sunday morning. If she doesn't by tomorrow we're supposed to take her into the hospital's clinic. But we've been there twice already since leaving. Sunday morning, and today. I really don't want to go back in. So I've been nursing her more frequently to help her pipes get moving, but so far no luck. But let me tell you, the girl has been tooting a storm. And what a smelly storm that is. Eww.

We did have a good night with her last night though. Two big chunks of sleep, from 1:30 to 7:30, with a short pause around 5 o'clock. It was great. I didn't even nap today because I didn't think I needed it, and knew I would be able to fall asleep faster tonight if I didn't.

Munchkin has the hiccups. I've had way too many discussions today involving bowel movements and other bodily fluids. Moose said Munchkin looks like Grandpa because she doesn't have a lot of hair. Everytime I nurse, Monkey says something about "no biting". I feel like I'm about to start counting down til my mom leaves, and it makes me sad. But I still have the hubs for 3 weeks after that, so I know we'll survive.

Here's hoping we have a good night. With a poopy diaper. (Oh, the pathetic desires of parents.)

We're Here...

2011-04-03T20:42:00.000-06:00

With our brand-new baby, no less. :) Our sweet Munchkin was born April 2, at 1:08 am. She was 8 lb 1 oz and 21.75 in. She has infamous big lips, long feet and fingers. We came home asap to be with our other kiddos and begin adjusting. She's an absolute joy and the kiddos are enjoying her very much. My mom has been hugely instrumental to this working out. The hubs has been working overtime helping the big kids adjust and manage. We're so glad to be home and beginning the next phase of our family.

Stay tuned soon for the birth story details. There were quite a few firsts for me, but it was amazing and I'm grateful it went the way it did. I'm recovering super well and am enjoying the newest addition to our family. :)

Still Here...

2011-04-01T19:49:00.000-06:00

Today has been slightly different. I'm still having regular contractions, but now they have back labor included too. So not fun. They've been irregular all day. They started around 5 this morning. They've been anywhere from 15 minutes apart to 6 minutes apart. Occasionally I'll have a cluster that's closer together, but they're never as strong, nor do they last as long. I think (gross alert!) I might've lost some of the mucus plug. I don't think that's happened to me before. So that's progress. I've also (gross alert again!) had to deal with bowel movements all day long. It has been highly unusual. But we figure it's all the pressure that's being put down south. I'm sure it's one of those natural things that happens. Just hasn't happened to me before. Although I've never deal with contractions for 5 days straight either. We also think that she dropped a bit. I didn't notice it right off, but my mom mentioned it. So I looked at my profile a bit closer and she does look like she's a little less perky. But I still don't have that "dropped" feeling. It's been a tiny bit frustrating, not knowing what on earth is going on, or how long it will go on. My biggest concern has been whether or not I'll be able to sleep tonight if I didn't go into the hospital by then. (Which I doubt will happen.) As long as I can rest at night, I don't mind the constant contractions and whatnot I've been dealing with. I just want to have energy for when delivery comes. But I'm still feeling patient about waiting til the time is right. *pause for contraction* The hubs is such an amazing labor partner for me. He knows just how to keep me calm. I feel completely ready for the process of labor and delivery. Whenever it decides to really get rolling.

I'm really done talking about this all though. It's all we talk about most of the day, for obvious reasons. But I'm going to go veg out infront of some good shows on tv and eat ice cream now, while having my back massaged. Monkey is doing fantastic now. She did have a night terror last night, but kinda snapped out of it at one point and sat on the couch with us. It was kinda different and odd. But it's happened 3 nights straight. I'm hoping tonight is a no-night terror night. We'll see. Otherwise though, she seems to be back to her normal, very sweet self. It's wonderful. :)

So perhaps tomorrow will be the lucky day? We'll have to wait and see.

Productive Day...

2011-03-31T20:28:00.000-06:00

Not productive as in I had a baby, but productive. This morning we all went out. First of all, I slept awesome last night! No back or rib pain. It was amazing. I was awake an hour earlier than I had been all week. So once we were all ready, we hit the stores. Me and my mom got some kitchen gadgets I was missing and got a few small baby items at Target while the hubs walked the kids through the pet store and book store. Then we had lunch, came home and it was naptime. The hubs went to read and nap, and I was pretty bored. So me and my mom went to the fabric store and thought about projects and a few things we had in mind to make. After we got back, we had a dinner of leftovers and then the hubs played with the kids until bedtime. It was nice. It felt good to be that busy. It took my mind off of other things. I've still been having contractions on and off all day. I haven't bothered tracking them much. I figure that when they get close enough and consistent enough to be important, I'll easily take notice. Although my new theory is that my water is going to break spontaneously and that'll be the beginning of it. I just hope I can sleep as well as I did last night. that would be fantastic.

Moose was very emphatic that he wanted the baby to be born today. At around naptime, he said very sadly that he didn't think the baby would be born today. It was so sad. He's so eager and excited for her to come.

In another note, Monkey has had (what we think are) 2 night terrors. It happened two nights ago, and then again last night. She wakes up screaming, says "no" to everything and eventually just goes right back to sleep. Neither of then have lasted very long. They're pretty horrible to see as a parent. there's nothing you can do about them. Just wait until they're over, basically. But I'm hoping it's a random occurrence and doesn't become anything regular. We'll see.

Tomorrow's the due date. Here's hoping she'll come soon!

Since I'm Blogging...

2011-03-30T21:31:00.000-06:00

I must not be in the hospital right? No. Not in the hospital. Although today was a good day. The hubs needed to go to work and get his lesson plans ready for his sub, so me and my mom spent the day at home with the kiddos. She also painted my toe nails. :) I decided not to do any walking today, since I've been doing but it's not really, really helping. Sure, it gets my contractions going. Just enough so that I can't sleep at night and then once my body cools down I'm back to square one. I figure if my body's ready to go into labor, the contractions will come and stay. I'm still 2 days from my due date so I've decided to stop stressing so much. I wish I'd never thought she was coming early in the first place. Silly notion. I'll never make that mistake again. They were coming every 6 minutes for about an hour. The most consistent they've been. But they've started slowing a tiny bit. I had the notion that perhaps I might stay up tonight and keep tracking, but if they slow and don't stay consistent I'm not going to get my hopes up.

Tonight as Moose said his prayer he prayed that the baby would be born tomorrow. Such a sweet boy. I love him! :) Now let's see if his sweet prayer will be answered. :)

Still Pregnant...

2011-03-29T19:30:00.000-06:00

Today was a good day, despite the fact that I'm still pregnant. I saw my doctor. I, most unfortunately, had made no progress to speak of. Boo! She offered to strip my membranes. I didn't know what that meant, but I was prepared for the possibility and told her to go ahead. She said she wasn't able to do a very thorough job. Either due to her small hands, or maybe because of the baby's position. But she tried anyway. She said my cervix needs to soften. Anyway, it was a bit disappointing.

Me and the hubs spent a few hours walking outside during naptime, while Grandma stayed at home with the kiddos. For the last 4 hours, my contractions have been between 6-9 minutes and getting stronger. But if things don't pick up, or if my water doesn't just break, it might be a long night. I don't really want them to stop so I can sleep. But if they keep up this way I certainly won't get a good night's sleep tonight. So we'll see. We talked about going walking again this evening. But the weather is just so yucky outside. (It was drizzling while we walked this afternoon.) And I just don't particularly want to talk around Home Depot or Lowe's for a few hours. So there's no telling what's going to happen next. But I'm not due til Friday, so I'm not late, and therefore am not going to allow myself to get discouraged.

It has been absolutely wonderful having my mom here and having the hubs home all day. She made us an amazing dinner of buttermilk fried chicken, baking powder biscuits, corn, and some jell-o with cool whip and pears blended in. (Super yummy if you've never had it.) It was delish.

So send me happy thoughts and let's hope this picks up so we can get on with having this baby! Oh, Monkey's doing tons better. Yay!!

Let's Get This Show On The Road...

2011-03-28T20:32:00.000-06:00

Seriously. My contractions last night were between 15-20 minutes for a few hours til we went to bed. We had to get up a few times with Monkey's cough last night. Fortunately she seems to be doing way better today. We are so happy about that! Today the contractions have been in the realm of under 15 minutes. Anywhere from 15-6 minutes apart. But nothing consistent. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow at noon. I'm really hoping that I will have progress to show for all these contractions. If I haven't dilated more, I'll be feeling pretty bummed out. Last time I was dilated 1 1/2 and effaced 75%. I've got to be doing better now! But I'm feeling pretty at peace with waiting. I know that my body's prepping up and this is not Braxton-Hicks speaking. I'm confident I'll go into labor sometime this week. It's only a matter of time. But I'm soo ready. Really.

Think baby-having thoughts for me. I'm totally ready to get this show on the road!

The Girls...

2011-03-27T20:00:00.000-06:00

Today has been all about the girls. Me, Monkey, and the baby. Poor Monkey has had her worst day yet. Her cough has been really bad, keeping her from sleeping well. She's one of those kids that just looks so sad when they're sick that you just want to hold them all the time. She's currently sleeping and hasn't coughed yet. We're hoping she's just too tired to cough. I really hope she gets better soon. Everything that happens is so much more dramatic to her when she's sick. The smallest owie or offense will send her to tears and it'll take a lot more effort to calm her down than is usual for her. So we're crossing our fingers that she gets a real good night's sleep tonight so she'll be feeling better tomorrow.

So, me and the baby. We've been having a good day. Nothing really spectacular. I have been timing my contractions this evening. During dinner I noticed I was having them semi-regularly, so after that continued for about an hour, I figured I'd start timing and keeping track. I've been at it for almost 2 hours, and they've been anywhere from 8-20 minutes apart. For me that's a pretty big leap to one an hour or so. I know it doesn't necessarily mean I'll be having her tomorrow or anything. But it certainly means my body is gearing up, which excites me. My mom has been massaging some pressure points in my hands and feet in the hopes that we'll help things along. At this point I'm all about it! If things are still doing this tomorrow, we're going to go on a nice long walk!

So send me nice, baby-having thoughts. Perhaps I'll be right and she'll be born tomorrow! Wouldn't that be awesome?! Here's hoping. :)

Thanks For Having A Baby...

2011-03-26T21:07:00.000-06:00

We had a baby shower today. It was great to sit around for 2 hours doing nothing but chat with friends and talk about babies and whatnot. I always love when showers are over, because people will thank you, and I always think, "Yup. Thank me for having a baby so we could have a reason to get together and have a shower." I've been known to thank people for having birthdays so we could get together, or for having babies for the same reason. It still makes me smile, though, when people say "thank you" to the one who's pregnant.

Today ended up being a really beautiful day. 51 degrees at one point! (I know for some of you that's dreadfully cold, but for us it was glorious!) It actually felt like spring for the first time. Now I just hope it stays that way. Poor Monkey has a cough that is driving her nuts whenever she goes to bed. She doesn't hardly cough otherwise, but laying down just does a number on her. She's covered in Vicks, has a humidifier, and a Vicks vaporizer thingy so their room is a vicks sauna. I hope she gets feeling better soon. Her cough is so sad. And it ruins her naps more often than not so she's a real grouch in the evening.

Mostly, our days are filled with thoughts of "When's this baby gonna be born?" I really, really hope she doesn't wait until Friday. I've been so set on her coming just a little bit early (which I shoulda known better than to do) because Monkey was 5 days early. Oh well. I know she'll come when she comes. As long as she's not past my due date, I think I'll be fine. I don't even wanna risk having to have a c-section because she's late. Not happening. But I'd really, really love for her to come this week. Oh well. What I want doesn't really matter in this case, I'm afraid.

She's Here...

2011-03-25T20:41:00.000-06:00

Not the baby. My mom. Just as exciting. Well, okay, super close to. We picked her up at the airport today, waiting anxiously until it was time to leave. It even rained as she came in, just for her. :) That's really the most noteworthy thing about today.

The hubs is officially on Spring Break. Yahoo! Things are coming together. I could now go into labor at any time and the kiddos will be covered. But I've got a baby shower tomorrow, and Moose is giving a little talk in church on Sunday. But my Mom is prepped to give me all sorts of pressure point massages after church Sunday so we can get me in labor asap. :)

I've actually slept pretty decently the last few days, so I haven't been as disgruntled. But the rib pain continues throughout the day too, so that's no fun. Moose is extremely excited for the baby to be born and will mention that to me at least once a day. And we have a bassinet (our last missing thing) in our room now, so should we bring her home in a day or two, she can sleep right next to me. :)

So excited for this little lady to come. I've been counting down for a while now. (Who wouldn't be, right?) But now the countdown has really begun. Can't wait to see when she decides to come!

Guess What...

2011-03-24T20:31:00.000-06:00

Did anyone think I went into labor? I didn't. Wish I had. Although my mom arrives tomorrow. But I'm pretty sure I'll still be pregnant when she arrives. So we're in good shape. I had an exhausting day today for no other reason than being pregnant and not having restful sleep. Then me and the hubs spent the evening talking about work issues (darn those awful budgets for education) and our night was taken up quickly. So there was no blogging for me last night.

This morning I thought the baby might've dropped. I slept so great last night, meaning I had hardly any rib pain at all. But I was wrong. She's still right up in my ribs, making up for the lack of pain last night by giving it to me all afternoon/evening. But I prefer that (slightly) over not being able to sleep. I gave my last piano lesson for a while, not to mention the last meal I'll cook for a while. (Certainly something to celebrate over!) We're picking my mom up at our airport tomorrow shortly after 4:30. Wahoo! The kids are so excited! (Mostly Moose. But I'm sure Monkey will pick up on it tomorrow. I'll be lucky if I can get them to nap tomorrow.)

I had a small moment today, as I was blogging and catching up on message in my inbox before the baby comes and I get behind again. I was thinking about the baby being born and had this overwhelming feeling of love for this new, distinct person. I've wondered at times what it'll be like. It was easy enough to imagine it being different with the first 2, since they're boy and girl, and you expect differences. But since this is our second girl, I've wondered how I will feel about her that is different from how I felt about Monkey when she was born. But I had this moment, a moment of clarity perhaps, where I just felt a very different, and distinct love for this little one and who she will be. It was pretty amazing.

My mom arrives tomorrow! (It's about time, right?) I'm due in 8 days. Any bets as to when she'll actually show up? Any day from tomorrow til April 8th. (My deadline.) My current guess is March 28th. Ooh, or how big you think she'll be. I'm thinking around 7 lbs. 10 oz. (Monkey was 7'7, Moose was 9'0.) Moose was 22 in. and Monkey was 21, so I'm betting 21 in. long. Can't wait to find out!

Baby Update...

2011-03-22T20:47:00.000-06:00

Alrighty. I had my doctor's appointment this morning. I'm still effaced 75% and am now dilated a whole 1 1/2 centimeters. So not much difference. But I think I'm glad that I'm not moving along too quickly, because I think if I were I would be even more impatient about going into labor. So today has actually put me in a good mood about still being pregnant and dealing with the rest of my week. I have small things to do almost every day this week, so I'm okay with being pregnant til next week. Although I think Monday would be a great day to have a baby. ;)

I know I've thought about small, cute things the kids have done lately tha tI hsould mention, but I tend to forget a lot lately. My mom pointed out that I swapped the kiddos names in my blog last night, although I've already fixed it. I think my brain is just as done being pregnant as the rest of me. I've already lost too many brain cells. But I'm feeling good, and not too grouchy about still being pregnant. I'm sure I'll be able to make it til whenever she decides to be born. In the meantime, I can look forward to my mom coming.

3 days til my mom arrives. 10 til the due date! :)

I Think I Can...

2011-03-21T20:26:00.001-06:00

I feel like I'm definitely in the final leg of this pregnancy marathon. I stayed up later than I should've reading a book last night, and consequently spent as much time in bed as I could this morning. This kiddos accomodated me, but were probably slightly restless the rest of the day because of it. Then when the hubs gets home, they flip a switch and become slightly insane. I feel awful when they're suddenly fighting over everything or running around being noisy. But they just get so excited when he comes home, there's not much I can do to stop it from happening. I think it'll be something that dies down as they get older. They're now sleeping. I'm exhausted. Feeling very pregnant. I have an appointment tomorrow. I sure hope my body has progress to show for this last week. I need a pick me up to keep me going.

4 more days til Mom gets here. I talked with her today. We're both so excited. Moose asked me twice today how many more days were left til she would come. He's definitely excited. 11 more days til the due date. And I'm certainly hoping it ends up being less than that. We'll see. I might have a better picture come tomorrow. I always said I'd wait til my mom shows up, then it would be any day. Now my new deadline is Sunday, since Moose is giving his first little talk in his Primary class. So excited! So I have to be there for that. But come next Monday, it's on! I'm so ready to deliver this baby. No joke. Please send me positive thoughts to get me through the end of this week. I'll need it! :)

Good Day...

2011-03-20T20:26:00.000-06:00

Today was just a good day. The kids didn't sleep in, even though they went down at 9:30. No surprise there. We went to church, got them down for a late nap at 3. Me and the hubs prepped some dinner for some friends who were coming over with their 1 1/2 year old. It ended up being great. The guys ended up going together and helping tear down equipment from the concert last night. The ladies stayed home chatting and making sure the kids didn't break anything. They all played really well, which was great. The hubs is putting the kiddos down right now. I slept pretty awful last night. Major rib pain. It's coming back currently. Argh. But I'm looking forward to a foot massage from the hubs since I was on my feet cooking for quite a while. My contractions are staying stronger, and occasionally I'll get more than one in an hour. Sometimes closer together. So that's good. Things are slowly progressing. I'm pretty eager for my appointment Tuesday to see if I'm progressing. This week should be relaxing enough. Not a ton to do.

5 days til my mom comes! Holy cow! Only 12 til the baby is due! Yahoo! It's all winding down and I couldn't be more excited!

The Tour...

2011-03-19T21:52:00.000-06:00

We were finally able to go walk around Labor & Delivery today. Our hospital rocks. Each labor and delivery room has it's own full sized tub with jets. Sweet! The rooms are totally spacious, and some of the recovery rooms have double beds. We got what paperwork we could do finished, so we're ready to go. Let's get on with this!!

We were also able to attend an amazing album release party for my bro-in-law's band Marshall Catch. It was so much fun! Moose and Monkey ended up dancing on the dance floor, right infront of the band. It was basically a kiddo free for all. Luckily they had ear plugs, so we don't think they damaged anything. They got to bed around 9:30 and we know they have to be completely wiped out. Goodness knows I am!

My ribs are aching. Contractions continue to be a bit stronger than before. And for an hour or two or three after our hospital tour I was feeling all sorts of tightening and discomforts in my lower back and abdomen. Guess my body was just getting excited about the idea of delivery too! I'm gonna go sit on the couch with a newly opened container of ice cream and finish watching "Breakfast at Tiffany's" with the hubs. Good night!

Weekend...

2011-03-18T20:22:00.000-06:00

I'm so glad it's the weekend. This week still wasn't as busy as I thought it would be, although the hubs did go and help out with more set-up stuff for his bro and got home kinda late. I spent the day attempting to entertain my kids while reading books. I think I'm getting a little tired of being pregnant. Just a little. Low on comfort, energy, motivation, etc. So I guess I'm mostly glad for the weekend so the hubs will be around to pick up my slack. I get the necessities done, but I can tell the kiddos are feeling a lack in the activity department.

My mom officially comes in one week. Woohoo! And we don't have much going on this week, so I'm hoping it will be pretty darn relaxing. Who knows, in the end, but that's my hope. That means only 2 weeks left for me! I'm also hoping it will be slightly less than that. Again, you never know with this sorta thing. But I'm hopeful. I've been able to tell that some of my contractions are slightly stronger. Not painful or taking my breath away. But now I notice it before I get the urge to pee. Before, I would think to myself, "I need to pee. Oh, it's just a contraction." I'm hoping I'll be dilated to at least a 2 by Tuesday at my appointment.

We're hoping to visit the hospital tomorrow. Perhaps their rooms won't be filled with other ladies who have already delivered so I can check one out. I need to register too. Darn all the paperwork and whatnot that's involved with this!

So, so excited for this pregnancy to be winding down, and for our new little one to be joining the fam. I know the kiddos are super excited. I'll be glad to have most of my body back, even if it means I'll be trading for breastfeeding. The physical discomfort that can come from that is so much less than pregnancy, it's really a win-win for me.

Perhaps we'll start taking bets on things. Like when she'll come? I'll have to take a day and make my guess. But I'm thinking on the early side. Monkey was 5 days early. 4 days early sounds about right... Can't wait to find out!

Not So Busy...

2011-03-17T19:43:00.000-06:00

We were fully anticipating this week to be our super crazy week. Granted, yesterday was probably our busiest day since the hubs took off in the evening to help his brother. But in general it hasn't been half bad. Half of the things we had planned took less time or were cancelled, or just weren't as stressful as they could've been. But it's still helped the week to go faster. Yay.

I hosted my last day of preschool today. At least til I'm back on my feet post-baby anyway. Then we all napped together. Miss Monkey woke up shortly after 4 crying and when the hubs went in, she ran away from him screaming "MAMA!" She's done that to me. It makes you feel awesome. (sarcasm much?) So I went in and got her calmed down. Then she was whimpering at 5:30 when the hubs got up for work. So I went in again. She was sitting up but basically asleep. So I got her back down and went back to bed. But for every wake up I have with them, it takes me double that time to get back to sleep. So nap for me was necessary. That was really the extent of our busyness today, however. The hubs is staying home tonight, to give us some family time. Last normal night we had was Monday. (That's quite the long time for us home-bodies.)

Tomorrow we actually have nothing going on. So me and the kiddos are gonna do a quick shopping trip, and then spend the day at home. I'm looking forward to it. (Not the grocery store part, but the staying at home part.) I'm still ready to have this baby. Last night I was had a few contractions within the span of an hour that were slightly more noticeable than normal. It was kind of exciting. But I know my body's just gearing up. As hard as it feels sometimes to wait 2 more weeks, I know that it's plenty of time and I'm in no rush. I think I'll spend the next while getting psyched up for delivery. So I don't wuss out and ask for meds right away. Not that anyone who does that is wussy. It just works with our current philosophy of how my body works and does labor/delivery. I want to wait as long as possible before getting my intrathecal-so it doesn't wear off before I deliver. Anywho...

8 days til my mom comes. Holy cow! 15 til the baby is due. Woohoo!

More Busy Days...

2011-03-16T21:00:00.000-06:00

Yesterday the computer was off when I got home, so I decided to leave it off. I had a dinner out at church with the ladies, and the hubs put the kiddos down. Unfortunately, Monkey had a humongous screaming fit for some reason and it wasn't a super smooth night for him. There's no telling what's going on with her exactly. Here's her update though. We still think she's teething, those 2 year molars. She won't hardly eat anything that involves any chewing. She'll put her hand to her jawline and say "ouch". Or "hurt". So today I worked really hard to only give her foods she could eat. Which, for the entire day, included one bite of cheerios at breakfast, half a stick of cheddar cheese at lunch, 1/3 container of yogurt, then at dinner she had half a piece of bread and most of her yogurt. She's had tons of fluids, and never complains of hunger. So I'm guessing she's not totally up to par. Not to mention her insanely disgusting diapers. Sorry, but it's such a huge part of the last two days. Feel free to skip. She's just been pooping a ton, and it's horribly odorous, kinda runny, and she says it hurts. I'm guessing it's diarrhea-ish. But since she's not eating too much, I'm hoping she'll run out and the pooping will slow down. Tuesday she seriously only ate cheddar cheese all day. For the most part. That was when we were starting to realize she didn't like to eat certain things, especially if it involved chewing. But even today, she couldn't hardly touch it. Either because she was sick of it (who wouldn't be after eating it all day) or her gums are just continuing in their sensitivity. Either way, we're making adjustments to her diet, and continuing to try and ease the pain with ibuprofen or tylenol. I just hope this doesn't last long. Granted, I haven't checked out her mouth the last few days to see if I can see anything, but as of late last week, I couldn't see any evidence of teeth. Perhaps they're coming in fast. I hope this doesn't last long. Moose never had anything weird go on when he got teeth. He barely drooled extra. So this is totally foreign territory for us. But I figure if we keep her hydrated (which we have been) and try and offer her foods she can eat that I won't feel horrible about her eating all day, (For now her selection is bread, bananas, applesauce, and yogurt.) she'll work through it. If she doesn't improve in a day or two, however, we're going to go visit the doc. Better safe than sorry.

Today was another busy day. I slept in as much as possible, took the kiddos to the library, (where me and Moose both managed to get paint on the fronts of our shirts. He painted himself. I was painted on my Monkey.) had a semblance of naptime, then ran to the music store, (Looking for more piano music for my students. I'm going to have 3 when I'm done with my maternity leave. How exciting!) ran back to the library, (they had 2 more books on reserve for us that weren't ready this morning) and stopped at the toy store. The kids love it there, and they totally just let you play. I ended up getting them both a small toy. Moose was happy enough to pick something, although the small inexpensive choices were not his first pick. Monkey, however, was impossible to buy something for. She kept saying "no" everytime I found something I thought she'd like. It was kinda funny. She finally said yes to a small rubber ducky. But then when it was time to buy it, she said "no" again. But we bought it anyway. We enjoyed dinner sans the hubs, plopped the kids in a bubble bath, then dressed for bed and watched a small bit of "elmo show" (Monkey's favorite) and one of Moose's library videos. When it was time to go back for bed, the hubs had gotten home (parent teacher conferences tonight) and took them back to bed. It was a long and tiresome day, but a good day.

Tomorrow I'm hosting my last round of preschool. Just talked to the hubs. He left shortly after the kids went to bed. His brother is having a CD release party tomorrow and he's helping set up. Whatever they get done tonight is time he doesn't have to spend Thursday and Friday night getting ready. So he's most likely going to be there til midnight or later. So I'm going to go tuck myself in to bed and read a book til I'm tired. Maybe that means the next 2 days won't be as bad since I was planning on him being gone both days basically from 6:30 am to at least 8 pm. But maybe this one late night will keep him at home with us the next 2 nights. Perhaps.

Feeling more and more ready to be done being pregnant. My rib hurts, occasionally my back, and I'm waddling something awful. (It's the hips. They get so sore.) 9 days til my mom comes. 16 til the baby comes. (Or perhaps less. It could always be less.) :)

It Begins...

2011-03-14T20:05:00.000-06:00

Last night was a little late for us, so I opted out of blogging to get me in bed asap. We had a fun family dinner, and the kiddos stayed up late. Monkey ended up whacking her head on the edge of a metal desk, giving her a small owie above her eye. It was really sad, but she recovered quickly. (Faster than her Grandpa, who was playing with her at the time. But I find I'm the same way.) She's got a pretty scab today, and it will take a while to go away, I imagine. But no bruising or swelling. Yay for that.

Today was the first of a busy week for us. I had a make-up piano lesson from my one student. She'll be back on Thursday for her regular lesson. Then I had my anticipated doctor's appointment. I say anticipated, but not really. I was just eager to see if my body was beginning to gear up for labor. Which it is. Yay. A week and a half ago, I was not dilated or effaced at all. As of today, I'm dilated to 1, and effaced 75%. So my body's been doing something to get ready this last week and a half. I imagine by the time I go in next week, I'll be progressed just a little bit further. I've learned (since this is my third) that dilated and whatnot doesn't really mean much at this point, but I'm happier knowing my body is getting ready, versus being at 39 or 40 weeks with nothing having happened. That would feel frustrating. Being a VBAC, I can't be induced for fear of rupturing the uterus, so I have a very literal deadline of April 8th. Then I'm in for a c-section. I don't anticipate that happening, but you never know. So for me, any progress keeps me positive and upbeat. I'll be back in next Tuesday for another appointment.

Tomorrow is another busy day for us. I'm doing my last week hosting our preschool group before the baby comes. So I'll have 3 kiddos plus Monkey running around. (One is gone, so that's nice in a way.) Then tomorrow evening I'm attending a dinner at church for the ladies, so it'll be a ladies night out for me. So, not too busy. But there's two or more things for the rest of the days this week. I welcome the busyness though. It keeps my mind off of wanting to go into labor already. It's really just a waiting game at this point since I feel ready, the house is ready, the hubs and the kids are ready. But she won't come until she's ready, so the rest of us just get to wait.

11 days til my Mom comes. (Yippee!) 18 til the baby comes. (Hooray!)

Money Treasure Game...

2011-03-12T19:37:00.000-07:00

The hubs officially wins creative parent of the year award from me. He suggested playing a family game tonight. So we popped some popcorn (the kids were probably more excited for that than anything else) and pulled out our Monopoly board. (Which happens to be some Super Bowl version.) He proceeded to make up a game for them to play, letting them roll the dice (Monkey very carefully placed them in the middle of the board instead of rolling them.), move their pieces and earn rewards. They sometimes had to sing songs, or act out like animals. Like when Monkey landed on the Cardinals, she had to fly around like a bird. Anyhow, it was such a simple thing, but the kiddos loved it and really had a blast. Moose named the game the "money treasure" game, so he can request it again in the future.

I've been feeling really well the last few days. Today I had a momentary lapse of "I want to have the baby already" but not out of frustration or discomfort, just an eagerness. I feel like at this point it's purely a waiting game. I feel ready, the kids are excited, so now we just get to wait. Granted, I'll feel better about it all once my mom is here, but that's a little less than 2 weeks from now. I try to do something every day to feel like I'm getting ready. The crib has been set up for months, the clothes, blankets and whatnot out for weeks. I've been putting the final touches on our hospital bag. I've got my labor music on my mp3 player. I've got a baby book. I suppose we still need to borrow my bro-in-law's bassinet. We keep forgetting to mention it. Although his kiddos have been sick, so it's okay waiting. I'm starting to mentally prep myself. Positive thinking and all that. (For the pain of labor and whatnot.) I fully plan on getting some meds to help out. Last time I had an intrathecal, which was a non-permanent epidural. I really liked it. But if you get it too soon, it might wear off before the delivery, which I most certainly don't want. So I figure I have to hold out long enough to make it last through delivery. With Monkey I had it when I was dilated to about a 5 or so, and I delivered maybe an hour or hour and a half later. It was still fully functional, which was awesome. I loved being able to deliver without worrying about pain.

Tonight we're setting the clocks ahead. Don't forget. This can always do some serious damage to kid's schedules. We try our best to go with the flow. But we get them adjusting as quickly as possible. It seems like this change can be a bit easier since it makes it seem like they sleep in for a while. But you just have to adjust so they're not going to bed super late. I'm sure it'll be a struggle for a few days, but I'm glad we have enough time to adjust before the baby's born.

13 days til my Mom comes. 20 days til the baby comes!

What's The Use...

2011-03-11T20:32:00.000-07:00

The other day Moose and I read a book. In it there was the line "I lost my lunch. What's the use?" For some reasom Moose picked up on this and kept repeating it over and over again. To our surprise, Monkey started repeating him, and she will now say over and over again "What use." It's so hilarious. I said "What's the use?" to her in the car tonight to see if she'd do it, since the hubs hadn't really heard it. She started repeating it over and over again and we were all laughing. Then Moose quoted another line from the book that says something about "burgers and fries". So then Monkey started saying "Boobers fries." over and over again. We just laughed harder. She's really talking so much, and mimics everything. It's just funny. She'll also say, multiple times a day, "sis, sesen, eight, nine, TEN!" It's so cute. I know it won't last forever, but it's definitely a fun stage.

Another Day...

2011-03-10T19:30:00.000-07:00

My plans for the day changed, but it was still a nice day. It was a tiny bit rainy, but it was in the mid-40s for most of the day, which was so nice! My doctor's appointment this morning was first moved, then cancelled completely. My doc had a c-section this morning, which is why they moved it. Then when the nurse called, she said there were 3 gals in labor, so she doubted I'd be able to get in today at all. She said I could go in and the nurse could do the regulars, and listen to the heartbeat, but since I'm doing well and don't have any concerns, I can just wait. Since I would've been going with Monkey, I decided waiting is just fine. So now I'm rescheduled for Monday, after the hubs gets home. So I actually get to go on my own!

I'm finding that I'm more and more able to "last" until the hubs gets home after 5. It's so ironic that I'd finally be getting to this point, now that we're adding another kid, and upping the difficulty level for me. But that's always how it is. You adjust to parenting in phases, and stages.

As I was sending Moose off to bed, he came to give me a good night hug and kiss. He also kissed my belly and said good night to the baby, telling her she was the bestest. He's getting more and more excited for her to come! (And for Grandma too!) It's so great. I love feeling his enthusiasm. It keeps me going. It's also nice that he understands so much. If I tell him I can't do something or need a few minutes because of discomfort he understands. Yesterday I had him fetch me my water bottle and tylenol from my dresser and he did it happily. He's such a great helper. I just know he's going to be a big help when the baby's born. (And when he's not having a bad day. That still does happen.)

15 days til Mom comes. 22 days til the baby comes!

Decent day...

2011-03-09T20:04:00.000-07:00

Today was a decent day. The kiddos woke up too early, unfortunately, but I dealt. Fed them, got them set up with their shows and napped a tiny bit. Then we set off for the library and storytime. Today was the first time I was able to get Monkey to go and sit with Moose during the stories. I bribed her with fruit snacks. Unfortunately, every time she finished a fruit snack, she'd come back to me for another one, then go sit back down. But it was an improvement. Naps weren't fantastic either. Moose never fell asleep. He interrupted my bath to go potty, then came out and noisily shut the door 30 minutes later, which is most likely why Monkey came out a few minutes after that. All that happening while I was still in the bathtub. So it ended a little early. It's okay though. I wasn't terribly comfortable anyhow since I've been dealing with rib pains today. The bath only helps with my back. The ribs, it seems, aren't really helped by anything.

Still sleeping okay. (I know I'm amazingly fortunate in that regard. My sister spent her last pregnancy's third trimester sleeping in a recliner.) But I'm still finding myself completely exhausted by the end of the day. As I was chatting with my mom last night, we talked about what was going to keep us busy over the next few weeks. I know this little one will be born before we know it, but it's still hard to have that perspective all the time. So I've been trying to remind myself of what I have that will keep me busy for the next 2 weeks til my mom comes, the hubs has spring break, and I can sleep in as much as I need to.

Next week I'm hosting my last round of our preschool group. So that's Tuesday and Thursday, with prep time on Monday and Wednesday. Definitely something to keep me busy and keep my mind occupied. This Friday me and the hubs are going to tour the hospital. (Our first two were born in different states. This one is the same state as Monkey, but different city. New doctors, new hospitals.) And pick up registration paperwork. The week my mom comes I don't have a ton on the agenda, but I'm hoping it'll go quickly because it's so close to her coming. We'll see. Or maybe I'll just have to keep devouring books like I've been doing to keep myself occupied? Whatever works I guess. I'm also keeping a really close eye on the weather. Spring is trying so hard to make its way. Every day is a tiny bit warmer, and each day the ten-day forecast is a little bit warmer than it was the day before. Each day still forecasts rain or snow, or both. But so far we actually haven't had any of either. So I'm looking forward to the possible 50 degrees tomorrow. Once it gets warm enough, I can start going on walks outside. Oh, how I look forward to going on walks!

So let's hope I can keep myself busy, so I don't focus too much on how much time is left. I'm trying to stay positive. For me, a positive mental outlook changes everything, and keeps me feeling so much better. So think happy and productive thoughts for me. :)

16 days til Mom comes. 23 til baby comes.

Packages...

2011-03-08T19:49:00.000-07:00

I received a package in the mail today from my mom. Can I just say she is awesome? Well, this package is packed full of stuff for the baby. Two blankets, each with two matching burp cloths, a hoodie towel, and a quilted blanket. It's all so adorable. The kiddos were super excited to see what came, and then of course they both wanted to hold and carry around her stuff. So I had to go and pull out the kiddo's quilts. (They both received even more when they were born since they were the first boy and girl for us.) So now they both have their own quilts out, so they can leave the baby's stuff alone. There's just something fun and sweet about baby blankets and clothes. The clothes have been out and put away for a while now, so having our sweet package with new blankets and spit rags was too fun. My mom is insanely talented and I'm so lucky that she uses her time to make such amazing things for my kids. (They each have their own blanket that was knit or crocheted as well.)

I've been able to sleep comfortably the last few days, so I'm feeling more patient about waiting out my 3 1/2 weeks. I know it's such a short period of time really, but when you're being stretched about from the inside out, sometimes it's hard to be patient. And I can't wait to sleep without a pain in my ribs. (Or back.) I know the downers of the baby being out. (No longer having a 24/7 feeding/diaper changing service.) But I'm definitely looking forward to her being in my arms and out of my belly.

While I was reading to Moose today, the baby was doing some serious stretching. So we stopped reading his book and he felt the baby moving. When the baby moved under his hand, his face lit up, "She's moving!" It was so precious! Then I talked to him about how the baby is folded up with her feet in her face, and she'll need to come out head first, so she'll be upside down. Then he talked to her, telling her that she's "the bestest." Last, we looked at the calendar to see where we are today and when she's due to come. It was such a sweet moment for me. He's really so excited for her to come, and I think Monkey will follow suit. She's such a baby-enthusiast in general and I think she's understanding in her simple way that there is a baby coming.

17 days til Mom comes. 24 til our newest addition is due. :)

One, Two, Three...

2011-03-07T19:17:00.000-07:00

Today was alright. Monkey is still sick, and Moose has a slight cough. They woke up normal time. Monkey fell asleep just before noon watching Baby Einstein. Of course my attempt to carry her back to bed failed miserably. So I put them down together at 1, which meant the lights didn't turn off til 1:30. And ultimately Moose was in my bed by 2. She was awake by 3. I heard her playing first, then I heard sudden crying/screaming.

When I went in, I had no idea what to expect. She was sitting on her bed sans socks or pants. I thought she might's managed to pee on herself somehow. (Despite a fresh diaper) I still don't really know what happened. But I think she was trying to take her diaper off. She had a gnarly poo in there and I think something freaked her out. She didn't get it off. (Hallelujah!) She only managed to pull off one tab. But I ended up changing her, and then thanking my lucky stars that I didn't just become a parent with a "my kid smeared poo on the wall" story. Fortunately, my kids will never touch poo voluntarily.

Anywho, we just put them down. She is so exhausted. Poor thing. On the bright side, she can count to ten. Randomly she'll say "six, seven, eight, nine, TEN". It's so darn cute. I've been trying out small "preschool" activities with her. I started Moose when he was a bit older than her, but she sees him doing it all the time, I thought it might be good to give her her own things. So we've been doing colors. She's so darn good at them, I think it's time to move to counting. She can also repeat back the alphabet. Never tried that til today, but she'll repeat back any letter you give her. I love it.

So all in all a decent day. Hoping the kids sleep better tonight and that I continue to sleep well. The better the sleep I get, the more relaxed I am about being pregnant another day. It's when I have a few uncomfortable days that I become the grouchy lady who tells people how tired she is of being pregnant. I'm really okay with it. As long as I can get decent sleep. Today was a good day in that regard. Oh, and I think the little one had hiccups today. First time that I can recall for her.

18 days til my Mom comes! (Is it sad that I had to pull up the calculator to figure that out? Don't answer that.)

Sunshine...

2011-03-06T19:43:00.000-07:00

I just have to say that today was fantastic. For those who are in warmer climates, it won't mean much, but it was almost 45 outside, so we all went for a walk this afternoon. We still ended up trudging through some ice piles and the kids totally got mud all over their shoes. But it was awesome. It felt so good. I love looking at the weather every day because each day's predictions are warmer than the last. I'm hoping that within a week, it will actually look like spring in the forecast. We're still too close (degree wise) to the snow zone, that it's not spring yet. But more and more days are forecasting in the low and mid 40's. So perhaps in a while, it'll be upper 40's, low 50's? I sure do hope so! (I know my Mom hopes so too!) I really don't want my baby to be born in the winter. I want to be able to get out and walk around these next few weeks. That's what we did before Monkey was born and I just loved it. And I want to be able to get out (should I desire it) after the baby's born. Choosing to stay inside is one thing, but having to stay in because the weather is yucky is entirely another.

Today Monkey was a bit sick. Boo. She's got some congestion and a runny nose. At this point, anything she gets could be her two year molars coming in, so we don't know for sure what it is, but there is so much yuckiness going around right now that it's a no-brainer. Keeping her in, doing whatever we can to get her better. Moose has a little cough too, but it seems like kids get those constantly and it doesn't necessarily mean anything most of the time. So unless something else comes up for him, I'm not gonna make a fuss about it. I do hope they don't get sick. I'd hate to have sick kids in the house before the baby's born. Although it's still early enough that they could get better before she comes.

Slept so great last night. It was so fantastic. Hoping that whatever it was (possibly tylenol every 4) works again tonight so I can be that comfy again. Although tomorrow I won't have the luxury of sleeping in til 8:30 since the hubs has work. But I'll sleep in as long as I can. My kids are pretty reasonable about it.

19 days til Mom comes. Yay!

Day Trip...

2011-03-05T19:26:00.000-07:00

So we did make our day trip. The kids had a fantastic time with the in-laws, for which I am super grateful. But most of all, I learned that I will never again travel 3 1/2 hours one way and 3 hours back (the way there took longer because of weather) when I am 36 weeks pregnant. Never again.

My back is killing me. We are both so super tired. The kids were tired. They're already in bed. We're going to turn our brains off and watch something on tv. Something. Then be in bed. Probably by 8:30. Hope you are all having a great weekend. Our trip was great. But exhausting. Now I'm back to counting down til this little one is no longer weighing me down from the inside out.

20 days til my Mom comes. :) Oh, and I probably have never mentioned, I have a sister due 4 weeks after me. Probably less since she's scheduling a c-section. And I have 2 sister in laws that are pregnant. Babies are just always coming in my family. :)

Second Try...

2011-03-04T19:48:00.000-07:00

So tomorrow me and the hubs are making a second attempt at that day trip I mentioned last week. But we won't be for sure until we check the roads in the morning. But so far this week, the weather has been much more favorable than last. We'll see.

4 more weeks. Officially. 3 more til Mom comes. 21 days exactly. I have been feeling so much more tired in the evenings than I used to. I can only blame that on pregnancy. I even slept pretty good last night. I don't remember this amount of exhaustion with my other pregnancies, but back then I wasn't tending to 2 kids while being pregnant. Makes a huge difference. I'm most certainly gearing up for this pregnancy to be done so we can move on to the next phase.

The other night I thought to myself, "Am I read to be woken up multiple times each night to breastfeed this baby?" The answer was a quick, "No." But are you ever? Again, "No." But at least I'll be able to sleep so much more soundly in between those times. Right now I probably don't wake up as much as I will, but my sleep is not nearly as restful as it could be. Back pain, rib pain, potty breaks, etc. Not to mention no more acrobatics going on in my innards. I'm ready for it. Let's cut the leash on this lady and get rolling!

No, I really don't want to deliver very early. Monkey was 5 days early and that was great. But I want to be able to take my baby home 24 hours after delivery. (After 4 days in the hospital with Moose, we left asap with Monkey. It was awesome!) No NICU for me. So I'll suck it up for the next few weeks. Although once my mom is here, bets are off. I'll be doing whatever I can to get the ball rolling. :)

Using Our Time...

2011-03-03T19:54:00.000-07:00

So the other day (when the internet went on the fritz) I had a blog all planned out. So I'm going to share it today. Lately I've had a pretty genius idea that I stumbled upon but has been awesome. It's a new way for using Moose's computer game time and movie/show time. He gets 1 hour of computer games each day and 2 hours for tv/movies. (His longest movie is 2 hours. Cars.) On occasion he would get so bummed out because he'd use all his computer time at once, and then not be able to play the rest of the day. So the change we've made is, I give him computer, and occasionally tv watching, in 20 minute increments. It works awesome for his computer time. When he is watching episodes of shows (lately it's been 1984 Transformers via Netflix) they're generally about 20 minutes. He rarely watches movies anymore, so this works great. In between his computer or tv time, he'll do school activities (practicing writing, activity books, reading, etc.) or just have active playtime alone or with Monkey. Normally he's not allowed to do either tv or computer back to back anyhow, just as policy. But this really spreads his inactive time throughout the day instead of clumping it into big chunks, and I've found that there are days now when he doesn't even use all the time. Like today. He only used 40 minutes of computer time, and maybe one hour of tv time. All of which were spread out throughout the day. And it gets him doing more of his school activities at home, which is always a plus. As I've gotten further along in the pregnancy we've done less of our school stuff. But he really enjoys it when I buckle down and do it. His reading is improving dramatically as well as his writing. And I feel better when I can keep him doing productive things, outside of sitting on the computer or infront of the tv. I know once spring and summer hit, that won't nearly be as much of a problem, but it's still nice to keep him more active now.

I had my doctor's visit today. I'll be back there next Thursday. My weight gain is now around 24 pounds. As of tomorrow I'll have 4 weeks left. 22 days til my Mom arrives. The rib pain is still there, although not nearly as bad as yesterday. Yesterday was pretty awful. Since I had to get a "lady swab" done to make sure I don't have some bacterial deal (which I've not had for my previous two kiddos) the doc asked me if I wanted to be "checked". (To see if I'm dilating or effacing yet. Pre-delivery preparations.) I figured, why not? So she did. Nothing yet. Which is good. It's a bit early for me to start dilating. She did say things were soft, which I take to mean that the effacing should move along as the weeks whittle down. So far that's the pattern for me. I'll be totally effaced, and just dilate a tiny bit. Then when labor picks up, I'll dilate super fast, and it'll be pure pressure as the head moves south. So great to think about, I know. But I think I'm finally figuring out how I do labor and delivery. As long as this little one doesn't try to throw any curve balls. Like being breech. But let's not think negatively, shall we? I've had such an awesome pregnancy. I know I'll be uncomfortable until she drops, which will probably be in 2 weeks. And after that I'll be much more comfortable. So I'll deal with these 2 weeks, and then take it from there. Until then, tylenol and tums will be my good friends. :)

Owies...

2011-03-02T20:25:00.000-07:00

Today was a day of owies for Monkey. She literally had 3 breakdowns within 15 minutes while I was cooking dinner. This morning, she fell next to the piano and hit the corner of the piano leg with the side of her head. She had a nice white welt after that one. My favorite of the day was when she got mad at me for taking her off the table (she was literally laying on the table, which is not allowed, and didn't take my offer to get off on her own.) so she ran full speed into the kitchen and right into the oven door. Her forehead hit the long handle for opening the oven. It was so sad and so pathetic. Even better, she was mad at me - since the whole thing was my fault - so Moose had to comfort her and make her feel better. She can be so much more dramatic than Moose ever was at this age. Must be a girl thing. :)

I've had my own share of owies too, unfortunately. The last few nights I've been unable to lay on my side without a nasty pain in my right rib. So last night I did my best to lay on my back (propped up, of course) the whole night. For me, that's just not natural. So I slept much better than the night before, but still not great. But I've been dealing with the rib pain for a large portion of the day. (I always forget to even try tylenol during the day. It might not even help, but I need to remember to try.) Then by the time the kiddos went to bed, my back was hurting too. Fortunately, a nice long - hot - bath helped the back pain. It doesn't help the rib pain. I've tried. I'd have to be in a jacuzzi sized tub for it to help that, I think. This discomfort is making me feel more and more ready for this little lady to be out.

Now I just have to prep myself for the pain of labor. I haven't mentally geared myself up for it yet, and when I was thinking about it earlier today I was feeling less than ready. But I've done it before, I can do it again. 4 more weeks. 3 more til Mom comes. We're officially counting down til she gets here. (me and Moose) 23 days. :) I told Monkey she was coming and she got so excited. I doubt she really remembers my mom, but I know they'll have a blast. Well, I'm going to go veg on the couch until the hubs gets home. Perhaps chew on a tums. Doctor's visit tomorrow. Every week now. Oh goodness. :)

PS, I was totally prepped to blog last night, but the internet was on the fritz. I wasn't just being lazy. :)

Warm Fuzzies...

2011-02-28T19:23:00.000-07:00

So I'm pretty sure I mentioned our "warm fuzzies" jar before. I took the idea from Moose's preschool group. We have a small plastic jar and a plastic bag full of poofy balls (crafting type supplies). Whenever one of the kids does something that is nice to me, the hubs, or each other, we let them put a warm fuzzy into the jar. Once it's full, we'll do something special as a family. Over the last week or so, Moose has been earning more warm fuzzies than he used to. It's pretty awesome. It's generally because he's being really nice to Monkey. When she has problems or has an owie, he'll go to her and talk to her gently. He'll try to give her a solution, or give her a hug. Whatever it is she happens to need. I can see our hours and hours of talking things out to Moose paying off. He'll totally try and be rational with her and explain things to her to calm her down. For example, she wanted a candy out of our "moose" (we have a moose shaped cookie jar). I told her no. I was cooking dinner and gave her the option of leftover applesauce from lunch, which she declined in no uncertain terms. But she went off and cried to Moose about it. I told him why she was sad, and he told her that if she waited til dinner and ate all her dinner that she would be able to have something from the moose. It was all done in a super sweet, calm voice and with complete intentions of soothing and calming her down. Which it did. It was so awesome. Then a little later on the kids were putting away puzzles. Monkey can be a bit bossy about it, and she got snappy with Moose. Normally he probably would've snapped back, but he totally didn't and responded as nicely as he could. It was the coolest thing. Granted, he's not like this every day. Like yesterday evening. He was a total grouch. But days and moments like these are happening more and more often. Monkey really does worship him. It's so sweet. Awesome timing too. The more he can help soothe her and keep her a bit happier, the easier it will be to handle having a new baby around. I'm so grateful for my little man. He's so awesome! :)

Grouchy...

2011-02-27T19:20:00.000-07:00

Today Moose was mostly grouch, most of the day. We're not sure why. We thought maybe it'd be better when he had a nap. Not really. So they were in bed at 7:00. Perhaps tomorrow will be better?

On the up side, I started doing more baby prep. Packing a hospital bag, that sorta thing. I'm getting more and more excited. Everytime we get something ready for the baby it makes Monkey more excited and angry, since she can't do anything with the baby now i.e. dress it, give it a pacifier, etc. I hope she'll be just as excited when she's here. Hopefully just not too excited. :) I also slept awesome last night.

Oh, and I threw my hip out in a bad way yesterday chasing Monkey down in Wal-Mart. She was pushing our monstrous cart towards an end cap filled with coffee containers. I stopped her, but did something nasty to my left hip. I waddled really bad the whole night. But thanks to some stretching and a good night's sleep, it's practically better. Yay for that. I waddle enough as it is. :)

Change in plans...

2011-02-26T20:29:00.000-07:00

So our day trip was cancelled this morning as all possible roads we were going to take were closed due to weather. It was weird for us to have an entire day that we planned to be gone suddenly become open. So we sent my father-in-law back home and started sorting the day out. My first order of business was to go back to sleep. I was up for a few hours in the early morning and woke up early anyhow to get ready, so I was feeling pretty sluggish. I was planning on sleeping a bit in the car with the hubs, so instead I slept for another hour while the hubs entertained the kids. Then we ran some random errands as a group, which was fun since there was really no pressure to do or accomplish anything in particular. The kids took a decent nap, as well as the hubs while I watched some tv and ate my lunch. Then we ended up dropping the kiddos off at the grandparent's house while the hubs took me out for my birthday. It's not til Tuesday. Well, technically it's not til next year. There's no Feb. 29th this year, which is my birthday. But I'm a year older nonetheless. So we had a quiet dinner, which was great. We were planning on walking around a bit, which sounded good at the time. However, when we got to Target and started walking I got pretty light-headed and dizzy. Luckily, we were wandering around the baby stuff. So I found a nice place to sit and we talked about possible things we still needed. Some newborn pacifiers, long sleeved-onesies (for this fantastic cold weather) and little odds and ends. It didn't take too long for me to feel better. It was slightly odd. Although I just blame it on the baby pressing some appendage against something in my body that is vital for proper blood circulation. Amongst other things she presses against that will do weird things to my body. Then we picked up the kiddos, who were having a total blast, and brought them home and put them to bed. Now, we're going to finish watched a movie that we started last night, while enjoying our take-home dessert of cheesecake with huckleberries ontop. Yummy. So happy early birthday to me. Ooh, and I finally finished Monkey's Christmas dress I was doing back in December. Finally. Good thing she's getting a younger sister who will get more wear out of it. And I worked a bunch on a quilt top for the new baby that I cut out around 5 years ago. I didn't start sewing it until pretty recently. But made huge progress today. Now that her dress is done, my project schedule feels wide open. I'm hoping to get the top done before my mom shows up. I've never made a quilt before and know nothing about putting a back on it, let alone putting it all together. Anywho, time to go relax. And hope this baby leaves my right ribs alone. Ooh, and if I remember I'll tell you how I totally killed my left hip today. Maybe it will be feeling better and won't make me waddle like a penguin tomorrow. Oh the joys... :)

False Alarms...

2011-02-25T19:59:00.000-07:00

I'd like to wish that the false alarms were me in early labor. 5 weeks is a bit early, but it would have been somewhat exciting I guess. No, those false alarms are purely Monkey. She was sitting on the potty today and every few minutes she would announce that she had "pee!" But upon getting up and checking, it was "no pee." I was starting to think she really didn't know what she was doing. Which I know she's still learning. However, I could tell the difference when she finally stood up and looked and there was some. Boy was she excited! "PEE!" We've now taken to calling the hubs whenever she has success so she can tell yell it to him over the phone. It's pretty cute.

So I have 5 weeks left. 4 til my mom arrives. I have my next visit this coming Thursday. Then I'm going in every week. I can tell that the little lady has moved higher. I don't have as much space under my ribs as I used to, and occasionally I have to shove a hand on my right ribs (always my right ribs) to remove the pressure. The same with all 3 pregnancies. It seems like my heartburn is coming back too. Anyway, she's certainly stretching out. For the record, Moose was 9 lbs. 22 in. Monkey was 7 lb. 7 oz. and 21 in. So there's no telling where this one will be. Moose was right on his due date. Monkey was 5 days early. I will say I'm hoping she follows the 5 days early pattern. That would be spectacular. But even if she hits her due date, I'd be happy. I've never gone late and really don't want to start now. But I'll deal with it, whatever happens. I'm starting to get very excited for her to come. I'm glad that it's less of a "I can't wait to get this baby out of me!" and more of a "I'm so excited for her to be out and about and with all of us." I think a positive attitude at the end (as positive as one can be when dealing with varying degrees of discomfort) helps to keep me more comfortable and upbeat. I think I could easily fall into the trap of literally counting down the days til she's born. (out of misery) But where's the fun in that? I try to enjoy the few weeks I have left with just my two kiddos before my attention is split 4 ways (gotta include the hubs in that split) instead of 3. Anyhow, I'm excited. For everything that's coming.

Tomorrow we're headed for a day trip sans kiddos. It will likely take up our entire day so I might not post. But I'll be back with a vengeance Sunday night. :)

Potty and the hubs...

2011-02-24T18:40:00.000-07:00

Even though we're not officially potty training, I feel like this will be a daily topic for me. It's just one of those things. Anyway, yesterday me and Monkey weren't having a good potty day and I was totally frustrated. I missed her window like 3 times by minutes and so I was annoyed with myself. Then later yesterday I had her on the potty, knowing she had to do some business. She sat there for over half an hour, would not. Then within minutes of getting off the girl does some stinky do in her diaper. Seriously?!? I was so annoyed. So today I was buttering her up big time for taking care of the poops on the potty. I offered her ice cream, oreos from my private stash, whatever she wanted. She didn't go. But she didn't do it in her diaper either. So I suppose the timing was just wrong. Oh well. She had 3 successes today. The hubs said she woke up with a nearly dry diaper (unheard of) and totally filled the potty. Then she went twice for me. Both minor (she had already wet her diaper, but I had her sit down anyway and she managed a little something) but we'll take what we can get. She is still getting good at recognizing when she goes. She occasionally will tell me she's going to do something, but she's either not right, or doesn't want to when I sit her down. But we'll get there.

So, the hubs. Can I just say my hubs is amazing? Every day after coming home, we all eat dinner together. Then he goes and cleans up the table, dishes, and whatever didn't get cleaned up from cooking. After the dishwasher is started, he takes the kids to their bedroom and plays with them til bedtime. He is stinkin' amazing. I mean, the kids would be a disaster if he didn't. They miss him so much during the day. He usually leaves at 6:30 in the morning to bike to work. Sometimes he'll see them, but only if they wake up really early. Then he gets home at about 5:15 or maybe a little later. They're in bed, lights out at 7:15. So they really don't get too much time with him. But he's so awesome about it. Sometimes I feel guilty for not doing more of my part in entertaining them in the evening, but honestly-they don't want me. Not one bit. I can hardly wrestly with them, he is supremely creative and entertaining with them. They just love playing with him. I'm sure he enjoys parts of it. After spending the day with mostly ungrateful teenagers, he probably enjoys being able to make them so happy so easily.

My daughter just walked into the living room pushing her stroller with a battery-operated walking robot inside, legs wiggling and everything. I love my kids. :)

Taking Little Steps...

2011-02-22T18:39:00.000-07:00

Monkey had two successes in the potty today. Hooray! This morning, first thing, and after her nap. I learned that 2 hours is too long after she's had a meal. With her second success, she jumped up and declared that she had done something and she surely had. So I think that's a huge step in the right direction. It was pretty great. While I still say we're potty-familiarizing and no doing this whole-heartedly, it's still exciting to see progress made.

Despite the kids waking up at 6 this morning, the morning was pretty nice for me. I wasn't sleeping solid after 5 thanks to being pregnant, so it wasn't a huge deal to get up once he left. But the hubs got the kids dressed, and got Moose doing his chores so they were done before I got up. That made my morning so much easier, it was awesome! I gave them a killer breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast and banana. Then I was able to shower and get ready without a rush.

Oh, so tiny backwards step, or sideways perhaps. Last night as I was checking on the kiddos like we always do, Moose was completely flipped around on his bed. So I turned him around so he could get tucked in. My eyes kept being drawn to a spot on the wall. So I got a closer look and decided it looked like smeared blood. So the hubs grabbed a flashlight and we did our best to inspect the area without waking up Moose. Sadly, I was right. He had a bloody nose and had smeared some on the wall, his pillow, and a tissue. I think he thought it was just a runny nose, since it wasn't a ton. He has had a runny nose the last few days. And since it wasn't too bad, we didn't get him up or change any of his bedding. So his pillow case is most likely stained. Oh well. I'll wake him up next time. As much as I don't want there to be a next time, I'm sure there will be.

Holidays...

2011-02-21T19:43:00.000-07:00

Today was a nice day because the hubs had the day off. However, it always ends up being a day when one of the kids is completely hyperactive, so the hubs takes them out in the cold to burn their energy. But since I'm not all that excited about romping about in the freezing weather, I stay home and spend a big chunk of the morning alone. Not that being alone is bad, it's just not time I can spend with the hubs. We did spend the rest of the day together, and the kiddos are already in bed so we've got a relaxing night together too.

While they were out, I finished washing all of the baby's blankets, spit rags, bedding, etc. It doesn't all have a home yet, but everything is officially washed.

Tomorrow and Thursday are my days to host preschool. We've only got 3 kids though, since the youngest is out of town. I'm expecting it to be really easy. That might be a bad call on my part, but I figure it can't be too bad. Of the 3, Moose will most likely be the most difficult since I'm his mom. Actually, Monkey will be the most difficult. But that's okay. :)

We had one successful trip to the potty today for Monkey. Probably would've had 2, but she had leaked out this morning, so we didn't get her there fast enough I guess. But we're taking a very half-hearted approach to her potty experience. I can't even call it potty training. Although I do think we had a minor victory with her today. When she had her success on the potty, she started talking about doing it. So we checked and something was there. I think she was acknowledging when it happened, which she hadn't done before. So perhaps she's becoming slightly more aware. That would be a step in the right direction.

As crazy as it sounds, even to me, I still consider homeschooling Moose. I googled curriculums for kindergarten today. I can't actually say I'd go through with it right now, but it's always on the back of my mind.

Well, I'm gonna go spend time with the hubs. He's back to work tomorrow. Today was his last holiday until spring break, the last week of March. Which is when the baby's coming. Yay! My mom is due here March 25 (my big bro's birthday!) and that is also the last day of school for him. Then it's party hardy all week long. :) I'm certainly counting down anyway. For his time off, for my mom's arrival, and mostly for our little lady to join the rest of us out here. :)

Grattitude...

2011-02-20T20:12:00.000-07:00

Apparently I missed my post last night. Me and the hubs watched "Eclipse" so I guess I was focused elsewhere. Anywho, tonight I'm feeling very much engrossed in trying to teach my kiddo grattitude. (Moose is the one with the problem.) I can't stand the idea of him having an attitude of entitlement. His current issue is, he whines and complains about too many things, not realizing what he already has, what we've already done, what he's already been given. It's in small ways, but dealing with these little fits multiple times every day can really wear on you, you know? Here's what happened tonight.

We talked to him after his nap about using his time differently because he always gets bummed out about not having enough time to play with the hubs or read more books before bed. So we encouraged him to nix movies or computer games from is to-do today and do other things, which he did. But still, when it came to book time we had problems. I read him 2 chapters from a cool book we've been reading called Knights and Castles. (From the Magic Treehouse series. It's a research companion. Way cool.) I have really enjoyed reading these to him, as they're more entertaining than other small children's books. After 2 chapters it was time to be done. He asked for one more book, a small one. I said no. That started it all. He begins whining and fussing. I remind him of our chat this afternoon, to which he responds, "I wish we didn't read 2 chapters." (Which I know isn't true because he always asks for another chapter, as he really enjoys these books.) In the end, I told him to stop whining or the hubs was going to carry him to his bed. He didn't stop whining until I called out, "Papa!" That doesn't fly with me. I'm way past the, "Oh, you did what I wanted. Good enough." No. If he can't shape up until the threat is flying in his face, he's getting a consequence. I let him pick between 2 things: No song, or being carried to bed. (Sometimes I do that when I don't know what consequence to give. It occasionally keeps him from freaking out because he can choose what he feels is the lesser consequence.) He wouldn't choose one, so the hubs carried him to bed. He hates that. He can't stand being man-handled. Anyway, we finally worked it out so he would stop crying and fussing. When he was calmed down, we had another chat about what went wrong. I know it's probably just an age thing. I don't know any 4 year old who is aware and grateful for what they have. I don't want him to have to experience the opposite to appreciate what he has, but I'm not entirely sure of how to teach him that he's extremely blessed so he'll be grateful. One idea we have is to involve him in community service opportunities. Which we are going to explore as a family. But still, it's frustrating. I know it'll pass in time. I tell myself that if we continue to talk to him about it and teach him right, it'll sink in. I sure hope so. He can be insanely needy sometimes. What he has or is given is never enough. A while back we taught him the phrase "Life is not fair." and made him repeat it over and over again. Perhaps we should begin doing that again. His life is pretty charmed and wonderful, but it doesn't seem fair to him since he can't have everything he wants. If that's the approach he wants to take, then so be it. Life's not fair. Deal with it. I always tell him, when he says "But I don't want..." that I don't want to deal with a whiny or crying boy, but I don't get what I want so neither does he.

I'm sure it's a phase. I know it'll pass. Perhaps not until he has children of his own being ungrateful, but eventually.

Potty Training and Hitting...

2011-02-18T20:44:00.000-07:00

Today I was pulling out the newborn clothes to get them washed and to start organizing our new baby space. It was pretty fun. The kids got to look at how tiny the clothes are. I think even Monkey understood a little bit. Whenever we talk about the baby she says "Mama, baby." and will point to my tummy. After talking about the clothes being for the baby, she said "Baby, out." I told her no, the baby's not ready to come out yet. But it made me think she might really be understanding a little bit. Part of our organizing was moving around some of her diaper stuff from the changing table. (Which we don't use for diaper changing for her anymore, just storage. Haven't used it since she was much smaller.) Part of the organizing involved old pull-ups from Moose and some that we inherited. She was very fascinated with these, and wanted to wear them. So I told her to sit on the potty and she could wear one. So today we had a bit of potty training. She sat on it before sleeping, after sleeping, and every hour or so inbetween. She only went once, but I count it as a success. Especially since we started mid-morning. But I talked to the hubs about it and he's down with putting her on it first thing in the morning (since he'll be the one with her.) and we'll see how tomorrow goes. I don't think she's exactly ready. She'll turn 2 mid-April. But if this helps her to become more aware, that's a step in the right direction. Having her not be afraid of the potty is a good thing too. Heck, if I can get her to poop in there, I'll be jazzed. It seems like so many kids have issues with #2 and the potty. Moose didn't, but I'd hate to have her be weird about it. So, seems like we're sorta potty training a bit. Or more like, potty familiarizing.

After we put the kids down, perhaps 10 minutes later, Monkey came out crying. I made Moose tell me the truth about why she was crying and he admitted to hitting her in the cheek with one of his dolls he sleeps with. (It's relatively soft, thank goodness. But still.) She was okay, but as we were getting them re-settled, I went to her and was talking with her. She looked at me and said "Moose, hit." showing me a "hit" with her hands, which is how she used to talk about hitting. I don't think I'd ever heard her say the word. She said it to me a few times (of course, using his name. She doesn't call him Moose.) and everytime she said it she looked sad/mad. It was so cute/sad. I will be happy for her to be able to communicate to us, though, when he does something to her so she stops getting in trouble for things he does or coerces her into doing. These new verbal skills are certainly going to pay off for her. (Which, by the way, her word list is literally increasing daily. It's amazing!)

Officially 6 weeks to go. 5 til Mom comes. Last night I slept awful. But by 8 this morning, I figured out a more comfortable way. So perhaps tonight I can sleep better the whole night. This discomfort is certainly making me feel more eager to have the baby, which up until now I've been very non-chalant about when she comes. I guess discomfort is a necessary part of feeling ready for me.

What A Day...

2011-02-17T20:20:00.000-07:00

Today was a very typical day with kids. They woke up at 6. Monkey had a super wet and gross diaper, since late yesterday evening she decided she wanted to get back on the band wagon of drinking milk. (She jumped off back when she had a cold and had yet to really want to drink it since.) We made Moose go back to bed since he has a cough, though I'm sure he didn't sleep, but laid there looking at the clock. Due to his cough, Moose stayed home instead of going to preschool group. So they both go to go with me to my doctor's appointment. Another uneventful appointment. (I mean that in a good way.) I did hit my 20 lb. marker for weight gain. Otherwise, everything is on schedule far as we can tell. Then me and the kiddos came home and bummed around til lunchtime. After they ate, I put them down as well as myself. Although I was only able to sleep comfortably for about 30 minutes. Monkey was awake 30 minutes after that, although she successfully entertained herself for a good 30 minutes, then another 30 minutes after that. Moose got up after 1 1/2 hours, and hadn't slept. I made him go back to bed for another 30 minutes, but he didn't get up since he finally fell asleep. He proceeded to sleep for 2 hours, with some help from me to wake up. He even slept through a piano lesson. (Which was nice.) We had a nice dinner, put Monkey to bed early (since she'd been up since 2, after a 1 1/2 hour nap, and waking up at 6 am. The girl was tired.), and then got Moose to bed at 8. I'm really hoping they don't wake up so early tomorrow. But more, I'm hoping my back doesn't hurt tonight. Though I'm going to keep some tylenol bedside just in case. And the hubs volunteered to give more frequent back massages. (I can have them whenever I ask, really. He's so great.) Although this pregnancy has been so amazing and non-problematic, if my back continues to hurt like this (here's hoping it doesn't) I'm going to be a super tired lady for the next 5 weeks til my mom comes. As of tomorrow, I'm 34 weeks. 6 more weeks til the due date. 5 more til mom comes. I have an appointment in 2 weeks, then I'm in there every week. Weird. We might finally have a name. But we've said that twice before, so I'm keeping hush, hush about it. Anywho. Think nice thoughts for me (and my back) tonight.

3 Words...

2011-02-16T19:58:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been noticing that Monkey's vocab is not only sky-rocketing, but she's putting more and more words together in chunks. The largest functional sentences she says are 3 words I think. She loves watching her "baby show" aka Baby Einstein. Whenever it's done, or she wants to be done, she'll first say "baby show out" and then after she takes out the DVD, she'll say "baby show away". It's so darn cute. And she's putting 2 word sentences together constantly. She's recently been obsessed about names and possessives. Mama's milk, Papa's shoes, etc. It's one of those phases that is really, really fun. I'm thoroughly enjoying it. She tries saying new words every day. Just a day or two ago we went through and named a bunch of body parts, and the girl did stellar. I particularly love how she says "nose". Anywho, such a fun stage. And for me, the advanced ability to communicate details is wonderful. Anything that helps the little ones better communicate their needs and wants will limit tantrums. I'm all about that! :)

Happy Valentine's Day...

2011-02-14T19:39:00.000-07:00

Today ended up being a very nice day. I didn't get forced out of bed til 8:30. Me and the kiddos had delicious heart shaped buttermilk pancakes. (With plenty of leftovers so the hubs can have some tomorrow.) We visited the hubs at work (he was in his office for a prep period.) and took him a cup full of treats and some Valentines. Then we went to a V-day party at the in-laws house where my bro-in-law's family is currently staying. It was the 3 sister in-laws with our kids. They had a total blast. Then the kiddos took a great nap. They woke up, the hubs came home, we had homemade pizza and strawberry milk. The kids are in bed. It's 7:30. I'm going to go spend the night with the hubs. Gotta keep the home fires burning. Hope you all felt loved today, in one way or another. You can include a cyber-hug on your list, coming straight from me. *HUG*

Happy Valentine's Day!

No No...

2011-02-13T20:24:00.000-07:00

So Monkey officially understands and uses the word "no". Fortunately for us, and I do consider myself very lucky, she's really cute and sweet about it. It's never been a control word. It's just another new one in her vocab. She's never had a "No!" answer for for every question, and doesn't ever repeat in an angry voice, "No, no, no!" or anything even close to it. She's just slowly picked up on it, and uses it very appropriately. She rarely says it angrily. Most of the time it's pretty darn adorable. I can't tell you how glad I am that this word has not been an issue for her. She's learning new words constantly, and apparently this one is just like the others. Yay for one potentially nasty toddler thing that's not happening in our house. :)

Valentine's Day Prep...

2011-02-12T19:46:00.000-07:00

So I don't think I've mentioned that for the last 12 days, I've been doing somthing special to count down til V-day. I bought them both little V-day buckets and every day after they eat a good lunch, I put some V-day candies in their bucket. Every other day, I give them something more like a book, special treat, etc. Tonight we made sugar cookies and the kiddos got to frost and put sprinkles on them. It was tons of fun. Me and Moose made the frosting and the hubs and Monkey mixed up the sugar cookie mix. (Normally I make them homemade, but we got a mix at Christmas.) It was great. I loved that the hubs was able to be around and do it with us too. Tomorrow they'll get their normal V-day candies and on V-day I'm whipping up a special menu for most of the day. Heart shaped pancakes, pink milk, red jell-o, maybe heart shaped pepperoni pizza. :) It should be fun.

I forgot yesterday, but I hit my 33 week mark. 7 more to go. 6 more til my Mom arrives. We're getting super jazzed about her coming. The reality of our little gal coming is starting to hit me. A little bit. I think once we've settled on a name it'll help. We're close. But there's no telling it'll stick. We've not had the best luck with names so far. But I know we'll get one eventually. Anyway, the clock's ticking for me. In a good way. :)

Potty Time and Bedroom Woes...

2011-02-11T20:17:00.000-07:00

This morning Monkey went pee on the potty! That's a statement only other parents can truly appreciate, I think. Or other very sweet and sympathetic friends. I imagine most people think it's gross to talk about it, but I've already talked about way worse on here. So, she did. She wanted to sit on it in order to get a blue M&M. (She gets one for sitting and trying, two for pee, three for poop.) Her diaper was super full, but I let her sit on it anyway, to encourage a friendly relationship with the potty. So she sat for a while, I gave her juice to drink. Gotta encourage things to happen, you know. After a while she said she was done, and I figured nothing happened. But after she got up, I saw a bunch of pee. Woohoo! I tried to make a big deal out of it, as it's the first time she's done anything on there. Hopefully she'll realize it didn't hurt, wasn't too weird, etc. I am not planning on potty training. I don't think she's totally ready. But if we can get her doing it occasionally, right on! The closer she is before the baby comes, the better.

So, on to the bedroom woes. This just happened, so I'm still peeved about it. We put the kids down a little early. They've been waking up a touch early, and they had a super active afternoon playing at McD's with a friend. So they were plenty tired. But here I am an hour later, and I'm pretty sure that door's not opening up again. The only reason why is because I just busted Moose for encouraging Monkey to get out of bed. He was literally going to her bed and talking to her about things so she'd open the door. The last time she came out she said she wanted to watch her "baby show" aka Baby Einstein. Where on earth did that come from? Now I know. Moose. She had opened the door probably 4-6 times. Can't remember. Closer to 6. So frustrating. She didn't get in big trouble any of those times, but at one point we were taking away her paci and she was crying about it. To then find out she was doing it because he was whispering in her ear makes me so upset. Anyway, I can't wait until we have a 3 bedroom place and I can separate those two. They're not good for each other. The last two mornings they've gotten up at 6:20. This morning, she turned their light on and woke him up. If it's not her waking up him, it's the other way around. Although sometimes he just comes right out and is quiet about it so she stays asleep. But it's tough. Oh well. Woes of parenting and shared bedrooms. I can only imagine what my parents went through with all 7 of us and 2 bedrooms between us. (3 boys in one room-you know that was trouble- and 4 girls in the other-equally trouble) Well, here's to tonight and the weekend. May it be relaxing as can be and fun as well.

Curiosity and Table Conversations...

2011-02-10T20:04:00.000-07:00

The other day while we were driving to preschool, Moose started asking me questions about what he saw on the road. We ended up having a full on DMV lesson. It was kinda funny after. He was asking about the different road signs and what they meant, and why we could go when there were still some red lights. It was pretty interesting explaining to him how there are different lanes, and each one has its own light. He's learned quite a bit about traffic signs/signals already, so it was kinda funny to see him get more in depth.

Lately, the hubs has been very sneaky about being able to talk about work stuff while we eat dinner. I noticed it a while ago, and thought to myself how very clever he is. It's so hard to talk anything serious with Moose at the table because he constantly interrupts and wants to know what words mean. Or he'll ask clarifying questions that would require in-depth answers to really answer properly. Anywho, so this is the hub's new tactic. Whenever he wants to chat about something that happened at work, he directs his conversation at Moose. He'll say to him, "Moose, guess what happened at work today." Then he'll proceed to "dumb down" his version of the story so that Moose can understand the generals, and I'm able to ask the occasional question without constantly being interrupted. It works brilliantly. Sometimes he'll get his fill of being talked to, and we can just continue the conversation like a normal adult would, which is also nice. Everytime he does it now, I laugh. He'll direct his conversation at Moose, but glance at me and I can't help but smile. The hubs is so sneaky. :)

Blah...

2011-02-09T19:48:00.000-07:00

Today was not a bad day. A long day, but not a bad one. The hubs has been gone all day again. I haven't handled today nearly as graciously as I did the last one. I've just felt a bit tired all day long. Perhaps a bit uncomfortable. The kiddos are tired. Moose was most certainly ready for bed. He was a tad whiny today, throwing the occasional fit, which never sits well with me. All I've wanted to do today is lay down and read my book. I've managed to do quite a bit of the reading part, but not so much laying down. The house is a total mess. We try pretty hard to keep it relatively clean, no huge messes on the floor. But right now, the living room is covered in DVD cases and toys. There are huge coats infront of the door. The kitchen is scattered with shoes and toys, and Monkey's dinner dishes are still on teh table. Not to mention the rest of dinner paraphinalia (I know I didn't spell that one right) that is all over the kitchen counters. I really don't want the hubs to come home to this, but I really don't want to clean anything. At all. I just feel so tired. I'm going to go read on the couch now. My back hurts. Blah.

The Hubs...

2011-02-08T19:54:00.000-07:00

Today was a more normal scheduled day, which meant the kiddos got some time with the hubs this evening. Poor Monkey hadn't seen him since yesterday morning. Moose was up early enough to see him this morning before he left for work. But it was quite the joy for them to be able to play with him this evening. He corraled them to their bedroom to play while I made dinner (probably more for my sanity than for them), and then proceeded to occupy their attentions after dinner as well. I could the giggles, and "ion canons" blasting from the bedroom and knew they were having a blast. (Especially Moose.) It just made me think again how lucky I am to have a partner in my parenting. Not to mention that he's a homebody, work doesn't take him far, or for long, and he has no social needs outside of me. So I can have as much of his attention as I want. I have two sisters whose husband's work takes them away for chunks of time, and they've been living this way for years. They both have two kids the same ages as mine, and I just don't know how they handle it. I was telling the hubs that I could fly solo more often, I would just be way more stressed out and not nearly as nice. (Not that I'm all that nice, but I'm working on it.) So to all of you who single parent, or who do it often enough that you feel like a single parent, I salute you. I don't know how you do it, I never want to do it, may you have all the love and support you need. :)

Flying Solo...

2011-02-07T20:35:00.000-07:00

Today the hubs had to work til 9 (meaning he's still not home) so I was flying solo. Granted, he was the one up with the kids for about 30 minutes before I woke up, but I did the rest of the day on my own. I was mentally prepared for it, which helps. Going a whole day alone can be supremely stressful. (Although I know I'm a wuss since the hubs is never gone for extended periods of time. I actually don't remember the last time he was gone for 24 hours.) Anyway, I was proud that the day went really well. We had a pretty relaxing morning, the kids took great naps, and we survived the evening without it getting too "I can't wait til bedtime"-ish. I still hate the hubs being gone for this long, but I'm super proud of having a good day.

With Moose, I remember being done with the day by noon, when the hubs would come home for lunch. Then when he was older, I remember being able to make it til about 3 or 4, when the hubs would come home from his day job (a different one at this point) and get ready for his night job. (And then I'd dread the night, of course.) It was when Moose was between 2 and 3 that the hubs had night classes and I got so that I could do a whole day on my own. Granted, that was just one kid. And even then, I do recall it being really boring. (We rode the bus around campus for a while every Wednesday evening - it was free- since Moose loved buses, and it filled time.)

I can see the baby steps I've made as a parent, the little milestones. I have a friend with only 1 little one. Sometimes she'll ask me how I do it all, or she'll express some type of amazement at what I'm able to get done with 2 kids. All I can say is, when I look back to my time with only 1 kid, I can't believe how hard it was. And it was, genuinely hard. I wasn't super wussy or anything. It's all a matter of adapting, growing, changing as a person. The thought of doing a whole day with 3 kids right now totally seems unlikely to happen without large amounts of stress. But I'm sure I'll get to the point, eventually, when I can. Our youngest might be a bit older, but I'll get there I'm sure.

7 1/2 weeks left. 6 1/2 till my mom comes. (Yes mom, I only put that there to stress you out.)
:)

Family Time...

2011-02-06T20:29:00.000-07:00

Today was a nice Sunday. We were worried it would be a bit busy, which it was, but it was still completely manageable. The kiddos were up bright and early (6 am) for a potty trip. But Moose went back to bed, so Monkey went with him. That lasted, surprisingly, for around 15 minutes before she came back out again. Then the hubs got them both to lay in bed for another 20 or so while he laid on Monkey's bed. After church we had late afternoon naps for the kiddos, then after they woke up we headed over to the in-laws for some dinner and birthday celebrating. (My mother in law's birthday was Friday.) It was really great. We hadn't all hung out in a while, and we hadn't seen much of the other families individually either. So it was great to get together. The kids absolutely had a blast. (There are 3 families, all with kids.) Me and my sister in law got to chat up pregnancy and delivering babies for a while, as she's currently 12 weeks pregnant. We had amazing key lime cake. (Seriously, that was amazing cake. I'll probably eat the entire chunk we took home. Thanks!!) It was just fun. Sometimes when you get enough kids in a confined area, it just ends up being stressful no matter what. But it was totally nice. The kids played downstairs, the adults all got to chat, and my brother in law even changed Monkey's diaper for me. I'm still bummed the weekend is over and the hubs has to go back to work tomorrow, but I'm sure I'll survive. (Even though he'll be at work til probably 9 tomorrow night. Bummer!) Anywho, good day. Yay for that. :)

8 to go...

2011-02-05T19:05:00.000-07:00

I officially have 8 weeks til my due date. Which means 7 til my Mom gets here. Yay! Today turned out to be a great Saturday. I was worried it would be a bit of a downer since the hubs has gotten our cold, but it's been as mild for him as it was for me, so that's awesome. He woke up feeling better today (yay!) and we had a pretty normal Saturday. We all went out and did some shopping, which can be dangerous, but turned out great. The kids and the hubs took naps while I worked on to-do things. Then shortly after naps were done, we dropped the kids off at a friend's house while we got dinner and started a movie. Awesome Saturday! The hubs is currently picking them up. Then they'll go to bed and we'll finish our movie. Ooh, the other great thing about today was that it was practically 40 degrees the entire day (warm for us right now) and very sunny. The sun was so great! It actually warmed you! It was nice to be able to enjoy it since it's supposed to start getting cold again tomorrow. All in all, it made for a great Saturday. I can only hope that it will feel even more spring like in 8 weeks. I hate the idea of having our baby when it's all wintery out. Monkey was born just a few weeks later than this one is due, and where we were living (2 hours south of where we are now) it was plenty spring-like. We spent most of the day walking til my water broke. Oh well. We'll see. Til then, I'll just enjoy the sun (and the 40 degree weather) whenever I can get it!

Today...

2011-02-03T19:24:00.000-07:00

We had a pretty busy day today. The kids got up (too early, but that's another story) and we did breakfast, chores, and I got things ready for a day out of the house. We took Moose to preschool and me and Monkey hit the errand list. Doctor's office, Wal-Mart, Library, Shoe Repair, Haircut, and picked up Moose from preschool. A seriously busy 3 hour round trip.

Doctor's trip was successful. My weight is on track, so is the size of my uterus. All in all, we're in super good shape. Naps were only semi-successful. Monkey had a great one. Almost 2 hours. (They've been shorter lately.) Moose, however, didn't nap. He stayed in my bed for a little over an hour. We know he's tired, but I think he was a bit overtired since he got down later than I wanted to. He also turned the clocks towards him (I always face them away). Whenever he can see a clock, he just stares at it and waits til 3 or something. Then he comes out and asks if he took a good nap. But we're homebound tomorrow, so naps are most certainly on the menu. Especially for him.

Oh, and then during my piano lesson (I teach, I'm not the student) I had the kids playing in their bedroom. When I went back there when it was over, Moose had dumped every toy out of their big toy shelf storage thing and dumped out 3 puzzles. It was ridiculous. So we spent the next 30 or so minutes cleaning that up. But the kids were in bed at 7:00. So me and the hubs are going to relax, possibly eat some popcorn or something, then dose up with Benadryl (we both have colds) and go to bed! :)

The Way Things Were...

2011-02-02T19:38:00.000-07:00

The past 2 days have been sick days around here, but that ends tomorrow. Moose's preschool host is off the sick list, so we're heading on over. Moose isn't sick either. He had some congestion Monday, but it's gone. Me and Monkey are still battling some congestion, but it's not really bad for either of us. It's going to be really good to get back to things. The last two mornings, the kids have let me sleep in (which has been great, don't get me wrong) but to do so, Moose has watched a bit more movies than normal. And neither of them are getting the same amount of physical activity they usually do. So naps have suffered quite a bit. I'm thinking it's just because they're just not as tired. But by the end of the day, they are definitely mentally exhausted. I just think they don't feel it as much physically so they fight sleeping more. But tomorrow, we're back to it. Not to mention that I've got a doctor's appointment and I'm getting my hair cut. (It's only been 12 weeks. Last time it was 1 1/2 years between cuts. Look at me!) I know it's going to be tiring to get everything done tomorrow and not go nuts, but it's going to be a more satisfying naptime. I can feel it! I'm also hoping to drop by the library and pick up a book they have on hold for Moose. It's from the Magic Treehouse series. I was looking for chapter books to read to him that he would enjoy, and that me and the hubs would enjoy reading too. I'm hoping he gets into it. We tried a Boxcar Children book last summer, but he was a bit younger then, and it was harder for him to follow. (Lack of pictures didn't help either.) We did read it, but he didn't love it. I'm hoping these ones are more his taste. And hopefully his being even a little bit older should help too.

So despite my being able to sleep in til, dare I say it, 10, I'm glad to get back to the way things were. (And that's not straight sleep, but just how late I could stay in bed before I was forced out. Generally by Monkey. Moose would watch movies all day and leave me be.) As long as I get a good night's sleep tonight, I'll be in good shape.

Little Helper...

2011-02-01T19:15:00.000-07:00

Monkey has become quite the little helper lately. Her mimicking of my daily activities has only increased over the last short while. She will now help me make my bed, clean out her ears, attempt to spray things in her hair, she's tried to apply mascara a few times, wiping up messes, pours the soap in the washer, puts the clothes in the washer, and enjoys dumping/pouring out anything that I'm measuring for cooking purposes. She had the hardest time letting me crack the eggs with her for our scrambled eggs tonight. She wanted to do it on her own once I showed her how to crack an egg. (With me, of course. Not on her own.) We wear our aprons together and she just has a blast. It might have taken me longer to make our pancakes, eggs and syrup, but I think it was most definitely worth it. I will enjoy my little helper for as long as she wants to help. :)

Sniffles...

2011-01-31T21:48:00.000-07:00

So I didn't sleep superbly last night, and upon getting up I learned that both my little ones have the sniffles. Yay. (Said very unenthusiastically.) So today was a lazy day. When I told Moose that, he said, "What's that?" I told him he could stay in his pajamas and we would just hang around the house and not do much. (I'm sure he's like, how is that different?) But he wanted to play the computer, and usually the rule is chores have to be done first, which includes getting dressed. So I was the loner in my pj's today, and doing my best to be lazy since my kids apparently don't get the concept.

Hopefully what we have is short-lived and doesn't get any more involved that sniffling. Moose's preschool group tomorrow is already cancelled since all kids involved are sick in one form or another. Goodness gracious. Oh well. Maybe I'll make tomorrow a lazy day too? :)

Girls Night and Nose Picking...

2011-01-30T20:03:00.000-07:00

So last night I got home late due to a very needed Girls Night Out with frozen yogurt and conversation. I actually lost track of time. (Really!) But that's a goodthing, since I usually don't and I'll hurry home as soon as I think it's getting late. It was much-needed and great.

(Watch out, this may get gross!) So, on to nose picking! Twice now, including today and Wednesday night, Moose has given himself a bloody nose from picking. He told me before that he picks his nose in bed because no one can see him. The first one was pretty bad, getting all over himself, bedding, and he even touched his sister's face. (Eww, I know.) He had no idea what was going on, never having had a bloody nose before. Today he was napping on the couch and it wasn't as dark, so he went and got a tissue like we told him to. I didn't even realize he had a bloody nose til I came out from our room to go somewhere. It wasn't a bad one fortunately. But still, eww! I've tried to tell him how gross it is, but I'm sure this will be a long-term battle. Perhaps I'll have to ease up a touch and choose my major battles over the nose-picking. Maybe we'll have consequences for giving himself a bloody nose, but otherwise I'll leave it be unless I see boogers? Maybe.

Oh, the joys of parenthood. :)